YongGuk looks up at the building in front of him. It took him a long time to convince himself to come. He didn’t like the way Alex had left and he wanted to give this Kei guy a chance. Alex is his friend who has been there for him during a tough time and he pays her back by being a jerk to her ex. He mentally face palms himself “Nice going YongGuk”

He sighs and walks across the street looking at the name on the door. It’s the right place. He isn’t quite sure what to expect. He rings the buzzer and waits.

He already texted her saying he was coming. He didn’t want to just drop by seeing it is 10 pm already. He hears the lock open and opens the door starting up the stairs to her place. HimChan had gotten her address when she was about to leave the first time.

After YongGuk had pushed them hard at practice for several hours and they got back to the dorm all five had enough of his crappy mood and told him to deal with it and not take it out on them. Even Zelo was mad at him. HimChan walked over placed the address in his hand and YongJae threw a jacket to him while JongUp and DaeHyun literally pushed him out the dorm while Zelo just looked away pouting.

They smacked the door behind him refusing to let him in no matter how many times he apologized. They said he wouldn’t come in until they had gotten a text from Alex stating that he had been by her place.

So here he is. Annoyed and tired. He stops at the door on the top floor. It’s only about 5 stories high and there is only one apartment on each level so it’s not exactly hard to find. He moves his hand up to knock and takes a deep breath. He knocks and digs his hands in his pockets looking down. The door is opened by Kei. YongGuk looks up and frowns but then closes his eyes a sec and forces a smile “Sorry to disturb” He mumbles in English.

“Not at all” Kei smiles and opens the door letting him in. YongGuk frowns not really understanding why Kei is being so nice.

“Alex is out doing someone a favor but she’ll be back soon” Kei says while walking back in. YongGuk looks at him. He has changed into a pair of black sweat pants and a white muscle shirt showing off his muscular physique and tattoo covered arms and chest.

YongGuk looks around. It is a big place with brick walls. It’s rustic without looking shabby. Pillars here and there and boxes everywhere as well as furniture randomly placed. Kei scratches his neck and looks around “Yeah we only just got everything in so it looks like a hell hole right now”

YongGuk nods and removes his shoes leaving them next to the door. He enters and slips of his jacket. Kei stands in the kitchen “You want something to drink?”

YongGuk looks after him thinking he is acting way to homey.

“I’m good” YongGuk says even though he could use some water

“You sure?” Kei looks back at him “Alex would be mad if I don’t take proper care of her friend” he smiles friendly.

“Just water then” YongGuk mumbles moving further in. He looks at the guys back. Another big tattoo on the upper part of his back. The short bleached hair and his whole aura is really just screaming that if you mess with him he will take you down. “So bad boy is her type” YongGuk looks down and pouts

“Catch” Kei calls out and YongGuk sees the bottle thrown to him. He catches it with a hand.

“Good eye” Kei chuckles and takes a bottle of water for himself. He walks over to the area where the couch is temporarily crookedly placed “Sit wherever you can”

YongGuk sits and looks at his hands. Kei eyes him out “YongGuk right?”

“Yeah” YongGuk nods

Kei sits across from him. There is some awkward silence. YongGuk is looking from the bottle in his hand to the floor and his feet keeping his eyes down all the time.

Kei looks at the time “She should be here soon” He looks to the door.

YongGuk frowns “Sorry I was rude” he mumbles and looks slightly up.

Kei looks at him and smirks waving a hand “Don’t worry about it. People tend not to like me”

YongGuk looks down and lets out a sigh “Still I was impolite and I want to apologize”

Kei eyes him out thinking it over and drinks from the bottle. He pat himself on the leg “Tell you what”

YongGuk looks up

“You help me move the furniture and the boxes to the areas they are gonna be in and I’ll forgive you for being a prick” Kei smirks.

YongGuk huffs about to complain about the prick part but then just nods. They stand up and start moving furniture around.

Alex comes home after about 30 minutes. She stands in the door watching the two well build guys drag around the heavy furniture. Both have stripped down to muscle shirt and their quite low-waist pants.

She smirks enjoying the vision of muscles working while closing the door silently.

She had to get Nichkhun from the airport to his dorm. It was a small favor and she was reluctant to go but she had still been pissed over the way YongGuk had been towards Kei. It was ridiculous. If it wasn’t enough MBLAQ was being hostile towards him, if she could forgive Kei they should to it wasn’t even them he did anything to.

She had gone by U-Kiss’s dorm on the way back here. She had seen the text from YongGuk and called HimChan to know what was going on. She was still mad so she didn’t really want to see YongGuk. She would have stayed away longer if SooHyun hadn’t insisted on her going.

She takes her phone out, looks at it and puts it away deciding that she isn’t gonna call HimChan yet.

Now she sees YongGuk here helping Kei out and she can’t help but smile. She knew he was a good guy and she really likes having him around.

She looks at Kei. He looks like himself, the cocky smile and the fit body she had been enjoying so much. The tattoos she used to trace with her fingers in the mornings while he just looked at her with a smile. She knows every single one by heart, every black line, every shade of grey.

They had it good together.

Back that day when they first met she had been so surprised when he came up and acted her boyfriend just like that. He only had to show off his tattoos in such a subtle way to scare the guy off. He reeked of confidence and a no-bull attitude. She had found that very attractive from the beginning.

He was and is nowhere near as good-looking as Seungho, ByungHee and the others but he was cute in his own way and that smile of his was so sweet. He is so easy to read and she liked that. She knew he had been staring at her, ignoring the girl on his arm. The bartender had walked past him several times and said he was really sick of the girl who just wouldn’t take a hint.

He didn’t deny that he was staring which was refreshing. He was just so easy to be around and not afraid to speak his mind and he was hot. She liked his big eyes, his smile, his laugh and the tattoos. It wasn’t hard to see he was well built and he had a sense of humor. All she needed to know was if he was up for some fun. It became very clear very fast that he was.

Another refreshing aspect of him.

Alex does prefer a guy who is confident and knows what he wants and who isn’t afraid to take it. It was one of the things that can annoy her about MBLAQ. They are always so careful not to offend anybody. It’s the whole idol thing, heaven forbid it came out that they are actually human.

She bites her lip and tilts her head looking her ex up and down. She never meant to start a relationship. She just wanted to let loose and have fun figuring she wasn’t gonna hear from him again because she had been too aggressive but she was wrong. Kei called her the next day and invited her to a GunDog concert. She didn’t know he was the singer in the group before she saw him on stage.

They had agreed to meet up at the concert but she couldn’t find him and figured he had to be there somewhere and if he wasn’t she wasn’t gonna miss out on seeing a great band live. When she saw him coming on stage she couldn’t help but laugh.

After the concert a crew member got her and showed her backstage where she was met by Kei’s huge smile asking her what she thought. She responded by giving him a kiss and he wrapped his arms around her and just like that they became an item.

Kei wasn’t afraid to say how he felt and he always got respect no matter where he went. He is an alfamale.

It wasn’t a lie when she told Joon she had a thing for leaders. There is nothing hotter than a guy who takes control. Alex knows she can come off a bit intimidating which directly affects the number of guys having balls enough to match her.

She smirks and looks to YongGuk, a vision of a man with his tall height and masculine body. She crosses her arms and looks at him dazed. She still remembers how his back had felt and she knows he is fine from top to bottom.

He is just such a kid. She has seen the man in him but he gets so awkward around her every now and then and she just doesn’t get it. She has shrugged it off thinking it is the whole thing. After all she is the only one who really knows about it and it’s gotta be emasculating.

The two guys moves the bed to its final position and Kei nods “I think that was the last of the big things”

YongGuk rubs his neck “I’m beat”

“What from that little moving around?” Kei crosses his tattoo covered arms and smirks. YongGuk glares at him “I have been training all day. Not sitting in an airplane”

“Yea yea” Kei smirks and walks back towards the seating area. He stops and sees Alex by the door leaning her back against it, smiling sweetly.

“How long have you been there?” He grins. YongGuk looks towards her and smiles a little. He scratches his neck and walks over to her with Kei.

“A while” Alex runs her tongue over her lips “I had a nice view” her lips curl up into a cocky smile

Kei chuckles and YongGuk smirks.

“So Guk what are you doing here?” Alex asks in Korean. Kei nods knowing he isn’t supposed to be a part of the conversation and looks around in the boxes.

“I wanted to apologize” YongGuk scratches his neck looking down

“Did you then?”

“Yes” YongGuk crosses his arms and looks up

“Good I let HimChan know” Alex puts the phone to her ear “Yeah he apologized” She hangs up

“You were on the phone with him?” YongGuk walks over to her frowning.

She nods “Yea.. After I got your text I called him. He told me you were coming and I just called him again a sec ago”

“So this favor you had to do?” YongGuk places his hand on the wall next to her.

“Oh that was real enough. But I was done when you wrote me” She smirks. YongGuk pushes out his cheek out with his tongue “So where have you been?” He says in his low voice.

Alex grins bigger “I visited my good friend SooHyun and spend some time with the rest of U-kiss”

She and SooHyun have been gotten quite friendly. He is a fresh guy and has the same humor as her.

Unlike MBLAQ who she knows always worry about her SooHyun is more relaxed about it which she enjoys.

YongGuk chuckles “So you stayed away on purpose?”

“Sort of” Alex walks past him into the living room area

“Alex all these boxes…” Kei straightens up “All cds?”

“Just about. Leave it, I rather put them up myself” She looks around “Nice” She suddenly looks like she forgot something “” She runs out and returns shortly after with the loudly complaining SooHyun “You forgot me? How could you forget me?! You said you would get me in like 5 minutes and I waited for 20!”

“Aish I was distracted” Alex scratches her neck.

“By what?” SooHyun snares stepping into the apartment with her. Kei chuckles and YongGuk frowns a little. He didn’t know they were friends. Last time he saw them together SooHyun was that night and that was the first time the two met.

Alex rolls her eyes and smirks “Them” She points at the two slightly sweaty well build guys in their muscle shirts and lowwaist pants.

SooHyun laughs and looks at her “I see” He shakes his head and pats YongGuk on the arm “Nice seeing you again” Kei comes over and reaches out a hand “Hi”

“You are Kei?” SooHyun says with a tone of recognition.

“Yeah” Kei smiles. SooHyun looks at Alex “He is shorter than I thought” He talks in Korean. Alex grins

Kei frowns “He is commenting on my height isn’t he?”

Alex nods and Kei looks at SooHyun “I might be short but I’m not weak” he says in English.

“Oh trust me I’m not trying to offend you” SooHyun grins “I heard about you”

YongGuk frowns wondering why he hadn’t.

Alex looks at YongGuk seeing the expression on his face and she looks away wondering why she hadn’t told him about Kei. She talks as much with YongGuk as she does with SooHyun.

“Oh you did? Who are you?” Kei frowns

“SooHyun” SooHyun says and nods

“Oh the boxers guy” Kei chuckles. SooHyun freezes and slowly turns to look at Alex who is still of in thought “You told him?”

YongGuk chuckles thinking about the comment she made about SooHyun sleeping in his boxers.

“Huh?” Alex looks up confused.

“It’s the one sleeping in boxers” Kei chuckles. SooHyun pushes out his jaw and scowls at Alex who looks from him to Kei to YongGuk and just nods “yea” She walks past them. Kei frowns “What’s going through your head?”

“Nothing” She mumbles and feels a slight headache coming up. She pushes away the thought about why she hadn’t told YongGuk and looks around at her things “It’s really nice guys. You worked hard”

“yeah yeah I earned a beer” Kei runs over to the kitchen “Idol and boxers want one?”

YongGuk clenches his jaw. The time time people referred to him in that way was that night.

“If you don’t call him YongGuk I start calling you bastard” Alex sends YongGuk a smile.

“Fair fair. YongGuk you want a beer?” Kei calls out

“He can’t be called idol but I can be called boxers?” SooHyun huffs. Alex sighs “Fine. Kei call them both their names or I’ll punch you”

Kei laughs “Sure okay. YongGuk and SooHyun would you two like a beer?” He pronounces every word clearly.

YongGuk smiles back at Alex “Yeah sure” He walks over next to her “Thanks” He says in a low voice. She smiles and walks over to Kei. YongGuk smiles bigger when she has her back turned, he is just happy she isn’t angry at him anymore.

She moves a hand over Kei’s shoulder leaning in and taking some water for herself. Kei smiles at her and gives her a quick peck on the cheek before walking over to the couch.

Kei drops on the couch handing the beer to YongGuk and SooHyun who take a seat across from him. Alex is walking around looking at everything “You two really did a lot of work”

“You are welcome” Kei calls out. She walks back and drops next to Kei “Thank you. Both of you” She smiles at YongGuk who just nods.

“So you two dated” SooHyun looks at Kei. YongGuk immediately feels annoyance bubbling up.

“Yeah” Alex nods and looks at Kei who looks at his beer “For three months” He says looking up at YongGuk “Lived together for two”

YongGuk felt it like a hammer to his head “Two months!” He frowns. He sounded more shocked than he planned to.

Kei gets a slight annoyed expression “Yes two months” he glares at YongGuk “Hard to believe?” He is clearly offended. Alex gives him a little push and he sniffs and looks at her.

SooHyun looks at YongGuk and chuckles. YongGuk looks at SooHyun and then down at his beer frowning.

“Then she left me to go to Korea” Kei sends Alex a blaming look. She looks back at him “I already told you why”

“I know” He sighs “But that they are like family to you didn’t really make me feel any better. What the hell was I then?”

“Really? Are we gonna go over this again?” She frowns

“Yes” Kei says

“I never gave you any reason to doubt my feelings for you” Alex sighs

“Except leaving me for some bloody pretty boy” Kei mumbles looking down at the floor.

Alex rubs her temples “I didn’t leave you for Seungho! I left because I wanted out!” YongGuk looks at them, it’s clearly a topic they have been over before. He has seen her with Seungho and he has seen Seungho look at Alex. What boyfriend would like their girlfriend to be that close with a guy looking like Seungho? Especially when they look like Kei. YongGuk smirks to himself.

“Out of what? Japan or our relationship? I would have taken you anywhere” Kei looks her in the eyes

“I told you that” He continues

“I know” Alex says and looks down “But…”

“I wanted to spend my life with you” Kei raises his voice.

YongGuk swallows hard and looks away

“You should’ve stayed with me” Kei frowns looking quite hurt.

“You slept with another girl Kei. I wasn’t gonna stay anyway” Alex looks at Kei with determined eyes.

“You cheated on her?!” YongGuk frowns and stares at Kei “Are you ing stupid?” his voice quickly became quite loud. Why would he cheat with another girl if he had Alex?  YongGuk stops himself from saying the next thing that pops in his head and leans back and scratches his neck avoiding the others’ eyes. Alex looks at him a confused. Kei huffs “Should have guessed” he mumbles in a very low voice. SooHyun is frowning at YongGuk.

Kei takes a deep breath and looks at Alex “I know that was stupid. It was the most stupid thing I have ever done” He takes her hand and turns a little towards her “You gotta understand how much it pained me to walk in and see him sitting all teary-eyed next to you on that bed” Kei holds her hand with his two looking down at it “I was supposed to be the one there not him”

YongGuk looks back at them not really sure what is happening.

“He is my best friend and like a brother to me. You knew that!” Alex shakes her head

“Like a brother Alex listen to it. LIKE. He isn’t your brother. He only knew you for a few months! I still think it is all a scam from his side” Kei huffs

“I’m not gonna listen to you talk trash about him! I’ll throw you out that bloody window if you do!” Alex snaps at Kei

Kei sighs “Sorry” He knows Alex won’t have any badmouthing about Seungho. It’s just one more thing that was making him jealous.

He looks at SooHyun “She got shot and I had been in the states for 4 days. I came straight from the airport to the hospital just to find that idol setting in a chair holding her hand while she was asleep. He didn’t even bother to look at me. I was either gonna kill him on the spot or go get drunk. I chose the last” Kei frowns and looks down at her hand.

“You could just have talked with him. You already knew who he was and what he is to me” Alex sighs and his arm with her other hand. She knows how much Kei has regretted it ever since.

Kei nods “I know” he sounds defeated

“So you cheated while your girlfriend was in the hospital?” YongGuk says not able to hide his disgust. Alex sends him a glare to make him shut up. YongGuk leans back and looks at his beer pouting like a child. He really hates her ex.

Kei tilts his head “I went to a bar, got completely wasted and the next thing I knew I woke up in a girl’s place” He sighs and looks at Alex a second before looking back down “She was someone we both knew”

Alex huffs “She was a girl you had slept with before and who had gotten the idea that you two were meant to be together” She rolls her eyes “I was the devil who got in her way. She always tried to get with you”

YongGuk frowns disbelieved wanting to ask how the hell Kei can be that popular but decides to keep his mouth shut.

“I’m friends with the bartender at the bar he was at. He told me how the girl was all over him being understanding and saying crap about me. Idiot fell for it” Alex mumbles

Kei frowns more and seems to be shrinking in his seat. YongGuk is sure he saw a tear fall.

Alex looks at Kei and Kei lifts her hand kissing it “I’m so sorry” he mumbles and looks at her. She leans her forehead against his and they sit there for a while making YongGuk very uncomfortable.

SooHyun is looking down to the side. Alex never told him Kei cheated. He knew they were close, that she was happy with him, that they had a lot of fun. She never seemed sad when talking about him. He thought their break up was easy.

Alex sighs “I already forgave you Kei”

“I know” He looks at her and smiles a little “You should tell them what you did to her”

Alex chuckles and moves back in her seat “No”

“I wanna know!” SooHyun says a bit loud. Kei smiles at Alex who shrugs “I might have punched her” She frowns and looks a bit embarrassed “A little bit”

Kei chuckles and looks at SooHyun who frowns “Seriously?”

YongGuk can’t help but laugh a little

Alex pouts “In my defense she punched me first” She scratches her neck ”She claimed he said she was better in bed which I laughed at. She got pissed and punched me so I punched her back” She looks at Kei “I couldn’t take her seriously. I never asked you if it was true”

Kei laughs and leans in kissing her cheek “Off course not” he leans back and smiles looking at her and thinking back on the time they spend together. Alex always knew how to turn him on and he felt he could be with her forever. They both liked excitement and games. He loved waking up in the morning finding her caressing his chest with her fingers tracing his tattoos with such an angelic touch. He felt he had everything in those moments

“I know how aggressive she was” Alex looks at Kei “I know she got you so drunk that you lost selfcontrol” Kei looks back at her still holding her hand. He never wanted to hurt her.

“But you were stupid enough to let her get you drunk. You didn’t tell her to off and you didn’t stop her from being all over you” Alex frowns and the pain is obvious in her eyes “You screwed up”

Kei nods and looks at the floor “I was hurt. My girl got shot and when I came to see her another guy was holding her hand. A guy I don’t trust and who means more to her than I did, even if it is just a brother and friend” He clenches his jaw and sighs “I wanted to feel needed. I felt like you had that Seungho and didn’t need me. I already knew I could never make you smile like they could. I saw you when you talked with them on the phone. Seeing him there just made me feel like I wasn’t good enough to have you”

YongGuk scowls at the floor thinking that is the first thing he agrees with that the guy has said so far.

“That’s stupid” Alex shakes her head.

Kei huffs “If you say so. I got mine anyway didn’t I?” he looks back at her

“She punched you too?” SooHyun frowns. YongGuk looks at SooHyun and then Alex hoping she did.

“I did no such thing” Alex frowns.

“I kind of wished you had” Kei says shortly looking at her with honest eyes “Would have hurt less”

“What did she do?” YongGuk frowns.

Alex’s phone rings and she gets up and walks away taking it. Kei looks after her and then looks from SooHyun to YongGuk leaning towards them “You know how the idea is that when you hurt a girl they cry, yell and are very emotional?”

Both nods leaning forward as well

Kei nods “Well Alex didn’t…. At all. She huffed, looked at me with those blue eyes and asked if it was worth it”

He scratches his neck “She had gotten out the hospital that day and returned to our home. I was there trying to figure out how to tell her. I sat her down and I cried man” He looks at the two “I knew I screwed up. I told her everything right away and she just sat there listening. When I was done… I was begging for forgiveness…” Kei hides his face in his hands shaking it slightly from side to side “She just huffed. No tears, no yelling, no nothing. She huffed and asked me so coldly: Was it worth it?” Kei sighs and looks after Alex “Then she stood up and left. I have never felt so horrible. My whole life felt like it was falling apart” He looks back at the two “Never cheat. Never ever cheat. You’ll lose the greatest thing in your life”

YongGuk looks at Kei. Kei looks directly back at him. Both males eying each other out. YongGuk having a hard time dealing with the disgust and sympathy he feels for the guy. Kei eying out the competition, his eyes scans the guys frame. He is well build, goodlooking but as far as Kei can tell this guy is too chicken to do anything. Alex wouldn’t settle for a guy who can’t be a man. He knows how much she loved it when he took charge. From what he has seen between her and her Korean friends she is the one calling the shots. Alex wants a guy who can match her and not just go along with her.

SooHyun leans back in his seat trying to ignore the hostile tension between the two other guys “But how did you get from that to now?”

Kei removes his eyes from YongGuk “She forgave me” He looks at SooHyun “I couldn’t end it like that and luckily Alex felt the same. When the idol left she came to see me, told me that she was moving to Korea. It crushed me to say the least” He frowns and rubs his neck “I told her I didn’t want to lose her. She told me she couldn’t trust me and I understood that. Then she told me she wished we could remain friends…” He looks down searching for the words

“I knew you knew you screwed up and you came to me on your own and told me and I know you were speaking from your heart. I didn’t want to punish you for that” Alex comes back over and looks at the table in front of Kei “And I didn’t want to punish myself for trusting you. You were and are a very dear friend”

She sits again smiling at Kei “We moved on”

Kei nods “Still hoping you’ll return though”

Alex looks at him shaking her head “I won’t”

Kei nods “I will do my best to change your mind”

YongGuk looks away and clenches his jaw thinking to himself that he really does hate the guy