2010

It was mid-afternoon on Saturday. Fans were all lined up in front of the MBC building, holding tickets for that day's Music Core. You, Mari, and Daehoon were among the fans.

"Do you think they'll have a fan chant?" you asked.

"Maybe...even though it's their first song, it's also their last week," Mari answered.

"Thank goodness! I'm tired of watching them perform the same song over and over again," Daehoon complained.

"No one ever said you had to come," you said, sticking your tongue out.

"Yeah, so you two would be alone? Mari fangirls enough when she sees Dongwoo when I'm there. I can't imagine what she'd do if I weren't."

"Dongwoo's so cool! He really reminds of Yunho oppa!" Mari exclaimed.

"Yunho? No way! He looks like a dinosaur," Daehoon shot back.

"Look, the line's going in now," you said, breaking the argument.

-

After the recording ended, Mari and Daehoon went to Mari's younger brother's piano recital, and you went to dinner with the Infinite members and staff.  It was noisy during dinner even though you were in a private room. At the moment, Hoya and Woohyun were reenacting something Sungjong had done during pre-recording and Sungkyu was giving you his soy beans.

"...then he went a few steps back and bumped into--" Your phone began ringing and interrupted Hoya.

"Oh! Hold that thought for a minute," you said, picking up your phone. "Hello? I can't hear you, you have to speak up..." You walked into the hallway for more quiet.

You didn't return for a while. Sungkyu looked over his shoulder every so often, to see if you were back inside. After twenty minutes, he excused himself to check on you. But once he was in the hallway, he saw you, your back against the wall. You were clutching the phone tightly.

"Yiseul, what's wrong?" Sungkyu asked, staring at your frowning face. You just shook your head. "What was the call about?" He held the phone up with your hand.

"I think...I have to leave dinner early," you said, your voice cracking.

"Yiseul, what is it?" Sungkyu asked. He was legitimately concerned for you. You never looked this worried unless it was a serious problem.

"My--my dad. He got into a car accident and now he's in the hospital," you explained. By the end of your sentence, you were crumbling under your worries. Sungkyu hugged you tightly. You buried your face in his shoulder.

"Don't worry. He's safe now. He'll get better," Sungkyu said, patting your back. "Are you going to the hospital now?" You nodded. "Ok. Wait for me one second." He held your shoulders and kissed your forehead before stepping back into the room.

You took a deep breath. It wasn't the car accident you were worried about. It was your dad's rapidly declining mental health. You needed Sungkyu. He was one of the few people who knew what was going on. He walked back into the hallway with his jacket and one of the managers.

"Hyung can drive us to the hospital," he explained. He knew you didn't like to include outside people, but it was the only way Sungkyu could go with you.

-

At the hospital, you went to visit your dad first. Sungkyu decided to stay in the waiting room.

"Dad!" you cried, running to your father's side. He chuckled and patted your head. As you thought, he wasn't badly injured. Just a few bandages here and there.

"Yiseul, were you worried about me? Ah, your mother makes everything like a drama, doesn't she?" your dad joked. He winked at his wife across the room, who just smiled.

"Dad, you know why I was worried," you said, resting your chin on the bedside. He sighed and tried to change the subject.

"Did you come alone?"

"No, I came with Sungkyu," you thoughtlessly said. Your parents shared a look.

"Oh, are the two of you dating again?" your mom asked.

"No."

"Good," your dad mumbled.

"Why?"

"Sungkyu's a great friend for you--I mean, he even came to the hospital with you--but when it comes to being a future husband--"

"What your dad is saying," your mother interjected, "is that you deserve someone who can always be there for you, who can push aside work for you."

But he always has. I pushed him away first, you thought. But you didn't say anything. You just nodded and changed the subject again.

-

You walked out of the room over an hour later. You were planning on taking the bus home, but you saw a familiar figure sleeping in the waiting room.

"Sungkyu?" you asked, not sure if it was him. You took a closer look, and sure enough, it was him. You shook him awake.

"I'm up, I'm--" Sungkyu opened his eyes and saw you. "Yiseul, you're back." You thankfully smiled at him. The two of you got drinks at the hospital's cafeteria and talked outside. It was windy, so Sungkyu put his jacket around you. You thought of the kiss earlier.

"By the way, what was that?" you asked.

"What?"

"That," you said, pointing to his lips and then to your forehead. Sungkyu laughed.

"I don't know."

"What made you do it?"

"It just happened."

"It just happened? Last time I checked, it's not something that usually happens between friends..."

"I guess." Sungkyu looked at you and looked away. "Don't you think we're a little more than friends, though?"

"What?" you exclaimed, pushing him away. You grabbed his hand. "What do you have in mind?"

"What? It's true. We're best friends."

"Maybe you should have rephrased that, then."

"Sorry. You're my girl friend," he said, smirking. You gave up. "But seriously, Yiseul, I did this--" He stopped and kissed your forehead again. "--because I was worried for you. I worry about you a lot when you're sad."

You didn't dare look at him. You realized you were still holding his hand.

"Sungkyu," you said. You couldn't believe what you were about to say. Everyone around would hate it, but inside, you knew you still needed him. "Do you think we..."

"Could try again?" Sungkyu asked, finishing your question. You finally met his gaze and smiled.

We're on the same page again.