“Yeollie-Hyung!”

Jongin wants nothing but to find a way to forget how cute and happy Sehun is when he calls Park Chanyeol in a way that only Sehun knows how.

It has been a month since Chanyeol, the boy wonder that nailed a huge contract on a teen TV show, is back to the life of those he left behind about a year ago. Just like any disruption, his presence changes everything.

Baekhyun is less and less spending times on the library and has been the frequent visitor to the drama club instead.

Kyungsoo, on the other hand, is rummaging himself deeply into his endless trials of recipes at their dorm room.

Sehun gets the part of the traveler for their next drama and Chanyeol is more than happy to provide private tutorial for his self-claimed ‘favorite dongsaeng’.

Jongin, meanwhile, is the star of that drama, but has never felt so infuriating and insecure in his life.

It is ironic, honestly, to recall that he wants Sehun in because he thinks he’ll be able to take a better care of the younger, since they’ll be together most of the time.

It is correct, though, that they do spend time together, but there is no longer ‘they’ as in Jongin and Sehun anymore.

‘They’ is now him and Sehun and Chanyeol and Baekhyun.

Sometimes Jongin envies Kyungsoo for being able to skip from ‘the ritual of friendship’ and not witnessing those happy yelps of Sehun’s “Yeollie-Hyung!”

Baekhyun thinks it is cute and adorable, and when Jongin agrees on any praises on Sehun generally, he despises this one and he thinks Kyungsoo may share the sentiment.

Because he can see that Chanyeol’s arrival is not only damaging the bonding time between him and Sehun, he also kind of breaks the dynamics of the ‘odd-couple’ of their older neighborhoods.  

“Jongin-Hyung?”

“Uh?”

Jongin blinks several times. Sehun, smiling like a little kid, kneels in front of him and waves his hand cutely.

“Aren’t you hungry?”

Jongin smiles back. Of course, he is hungry. They only had a very light brunch on the way to the dance club, Jongin was waking up late because of the additional practice session and Sehun refused to leave the dorm to find adequate breakfast without him. Such little things like that are what he holds on to. He is still Sehun’s favorite hyung anyway.

“Hunnie, let’s go!”

….or not….

Chanyeol is pacing near the door with Baekhyun’s hot in his heels. Sehun’s eyes flicks over those two and he his lips unconsciously. Jongin recognizes that sign of nervousness and conflicted minds. His head is spinning, he knows that he can say yes to the indirect invitation to avoid hurting Sehun, but his heart is too hurt by the fact that Sehun does not asking for a lunch that exclusively with him, just like the old days.

His heart wins over his brain.

“I think they are waiting for you.”

He pushes himself up and slings his bag over his shoulder, all the time avoiding Sehun’s confusing stare.

“Hyung?”

Jongin grits his teeth and holds his breath before completing swings his body to the direction of the other exit door.

“Kyungsoo Hyung invited me to try his latest recipe.”

He tries his best to not turn around when he hears a sudden intake of breath behind him, knowing for sure that Sehun is disappointed. But he keeps walking until he hears Baekhyun’s question, “He’s not coming?”

Jongin moves his head a little on time to see Sehun’s traipsing behind the other two with head slumps into his chest. The older knows that he has hurting and a sligh