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Black Paradise
A/N: I tried to update as quickly as I could, under the circumstances. This was supposed to be the final chapter of the vacation series but SIGH.The next chapter will be the ending half of the vacation series and half of the new stuff. This chapter was so hard to write, and I wanted to do it as quickly as possible because I made you guys wait forever last time ;; Oh, and that huge plot twist I was talking about a while ago--starts in the next couple chapters! Ack >.< Sorry it takes me a while to upload--I usually write a few chapters ahead so I'm not bombarding myself with the pressure of thinking of new chapter ideas but I wanted to add more material into these vacation chapters, and I'm in the middle of my exams so I don't have much time to write ^^;;After exams, I'll take a two weeks break to write some more chapters <3 Anyways, enjoy and comment!
Chanhee took the liberty of calling Woohyun, letting him know that he and Byunghun were heading home first. Both boys got into a cab that Byunghun had hauled, and after telling the taxi driver the address of their hotel, Byunghun had fallen right to sleep.
****
As the driver pulled up alongside the entrance of their hotel, Chanhee gave the driver a wad of bills. He turned to look at Byunghun's sleeping frame before accepting the change. After pondering (for ten seconds) he decided that he would have to carry the other male up to their suite.
Chanhee got out of the car, walking around it to open the door on Byunghun's side. But to his surprise, the said boy was already awake and getting out of the cab, shutting the door behind him. "Are you okay to walk, Byung?"
Byunghun nodded, taking Chanhee's hand in his and proceeding to walk up the stairs.
****
When Chanhee opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was his boyfriend, curled up against his chest. Marveling at how cute he was, Chanhee attempted to get up, to maybe get some food for Byunghun to eat when he awoke. But Byunghun stirred in his sleep, tightening his arms around Chanhee's waist.
"Chanhee..." Byunghun breathed against Chanhee's neck, before nestling into the crook of it. The other male shivered slightly in response.
Byunghun was still half asleep, wrapping his arms tightly around Chanhee's waist. "Just ten more minutes, I'll be up in ten minutes...don't go."
Chanhee smiled for what seemed like the hundredth time that morning, pressing his lips against the other's temple before staying in place. A few extra minutes of sleep wouldn't hurt, after the... vigorous amount of activities they had engaged in earlier. Wrapping his arms around Byunghun, Chanhee felt his eyelids getting heavier.
****
Byunghun awoke an hour later, but for all the wrong reasons. The echo of the doorbell rung through the suite. Looking at the clock, it read 2 AM. That meant that the show had ended an hour ago, and there was no way the others would get up from their slumber to get the door. With a sigh, he cautiously untangled himself from Chanhee's arms.
Byunghun didn't bother to check who it was before opening the door. In retrospect, he damn wished that he had.
****
A boy stood before Byunghun, a single red rose in his hands and a small dark green box in the other.
They stood there, staring each other down, before the other boy made the first move. "Is Lee Chanhee residing here?"
Byunghun felt a flash of irritation. It was 2AM. He was tired. And just to add to that, there was this bastard ringing the goddamn doorbell and asking for Chanhee with a rose and a box.
"Who are you?"
The other boy grinned. "Kim Myungsoo, Chanhee's love."
****
"Please, come in."
Byunghun looked back to see Woohyun. Woohyun pulled Byunghun to the side, gesturing the boy to come in.
Myungsoo bowed respectively, before removing his shoes and entering the suite.
"Byunghun, please behave, for God's sake. Don't scare away Chanhee's friend." Woohyun held Byunghun back, hissing into his ear.
Byunghun clenched his hands into fists. "Do you know him?"
Woohyun shook his head. "I don't. But I'm guessing if he refers to himself as Chanhee's 'lover', and shows up with a rose and a present, he's important to him. Let's all get along, okay? Be nice." Woohyun pushed Byunghun into the living area, where Myungsoo was sitting on the couch.
"Can I get you anything, Myungsoo-ssi?" Woohyun politely asked, sitting next to Byunghun in front of the guest. He subtly elbowed Byunghun's ribs. "Water, or something. You want?" Byunghun forced as nicely as he could.
Woohyun sighed. That kid.
Myungsoo must have gotten the message of dislike that was radiating off of the other boy, for he wiped the smile off of his face and shook his head.
"Byung!"
The three boys froze. "That would be Chanhee." Woohyun sheepishly smiled at Myungsoo, before turning to whisper in Byunghun's ear. "Bring him over here."
****
"What is it?" Byunghun asked, as he walked into the room they shared with Niel. Chanhee was sitting on top of the covers, a pout on his lips. He had his arms wide open, whining. "Where did you go?"
Byunghun laughed at how much aegyo Chanhee had, and so early in the morning, too. He walked over to him, and immediately had arms wrap around his waist. Chanhee nuzzled his face into the middle of Byunghun's chest.
Byunghun chuckled, patting the other boy's head. He has temporarily forgotten what he was sent to do, until his eyes rested on the clock. The warm, fuzzy feeling that Byunghun always got when with Chanhee dispersed. "Chanhee, there's someone here to see you."
****
Byunghun walked out of the room, with Chanhee closely trailing him. Chanhee refused to keep his arms off of his boyfriend, so he waddled right behind the other boy, his arms tightly embracing him in a back hug. Byunghun hadn't told Chanhee exactly who was waiting for him, but then again, Chanhee hadn't asked.
With a bit of a smug look, Byunghun entered the living room. He felt Chanhee stiffen. "What are you doing here?" He asked. But rather than sounding like a question, it sounded demanding.
Woohyun cleared his throat.
Myungsoo stood up. "Chanhee. I always loved you. I'm sorry for everything, but if you take me back, I promise I'll make it up to you."
Byunghun pressed his lips together, anger burning into him like a fire. And Chanhee must have sensed this, because he tightened his arms around the other, as if holding him down. "He's mine." Byunghun simply stated.
Myungsoo sighed, giving Byunghun a glare. "Chanhee, can you give me a chance to explain? In private."
"I'll meet you in the lobby." Chanhee said. The room was silent as Myungsoo nodded, and walked towards the door. It was only when he heard the door close did Chanhee turn Byunghun around with an apologetic look on his face. "I'll only be a few minutes, Byung. I need to talk to him...so he'll leave me alone." Chanhee mumbled, quickly pecking Byunghun on the cheek before turning to leave.
Byunghun panicked. It was the first time he felt so threatened. Byunghun thought Chanhee never had an actual relationship. Was that a lie? He didn't want to lose Chanhee. Not to an like Kim Myungsoo, not to anybody. Chanhee was his, and it was going to stay that way!
Was it really necessary to be all disgustingly romantic at 2AM in the morning?! And to his Chanhee, no less.
Miyoung was the only relationship Byunghun ever had, but he never experienced feelings like these with her. I think they call this jealousy...
But to be honest, how could Byunghun even compete with an like Myungsoo? Byunghun just woke up, his hair was a mess, he was wearing old sweats and a wrinkled white V neck. Not to mention that he only had one sock on. Myungsoo on the other hand looked as if he had just finished dining with ing royalty. He was wearing a suit--a goddamn suit--and those fancy black socks one wore with dress shoes.
Chanhee had mumbled something to Byunghun before pecking his cheek, but because he was too deep in thought, Byunghun hadn't quite picked up what the other had said. But there was no way he was losing his Chanhee to him.
Byunghun hugged Chanhee in a bone-crushing hug, preventing him from leaving. "Please, don't. Just leave him there, someone will pick up that poor er."
Chanhee broke into a smile, breaking away from Byunghun's arms. "I'll be back, baby. Go to bed, wait for me." With a final peck given to Byunghun's lips, Chanhee left.
****
"Byung~" Chanhee cooed in a sing song voice, skipping into the bedroom. He spotted a large lump underneath Byunghun's bed, but got no response. He grinned, crawling ontop of the boy who had hidden underneath the covers.
"I know you're not sleeping, Byung. Don't ignore me, I'll be sad." Chanhee made whining puppy noises, plopping down on Byunghun's body. A grunt was heard from underneath the covers. They were pulled back by the owner of the grunt, an annoyed expression greeting Chanhee.
But Chanhee couldn't be happier at Byunghun's expression. "Aw, was my baby jealous?" Chanhee cooed, caressing Byunghun's cheek. Chanhee was always happy when Byunghun expressed his feelings for him. Byunghun was a very quiet person, in a sense that he didn't showcase his inner thoughts and feelings openly. The fact that Byunghun showed so much affection for Chanhee, and even openly showed how jealous he was, it made Chanhee giddy inside.
Byunghun blushed in embarrassment, hiding his face in the pillow. "Lee Byunghun doesn't get jealous." He mumbled, inching away from Chanhee.
Chanhee glomped the boy underneath him with a laugh, immediately stopping as he heard a phone ring. Chanhee snatched Byunghun's phone from the night side table, frowning when he read the contact. "Why does he keep calling you?!" Chanhee pouted.
Byunghun lifted his head from the pillow, trying to grab the phone from Chanhee's grip, but failed. "Aw, is my baby jealous?" Byunghun mocked, sticking his tongue out. But he hadn't expected the answer he got.
"Yes I am. You're mine." Chanhee growled, tossing the phone onto the floor.
Byunghun snorted, squirming. "If my phone breaks, you're getting me a new one."
****
"Hello? Myungsoo?"
"Hi, Miyoung noona. So remind me again, what's the plan?"
Miyoung chuckled. "It's simple. You want Chanhee-ssi back, and I want my Byunghunnie. But as long as those two are on good terms, we aren't getting what we want. So this is what we're going to do--we have to turn them against each other. Or at least one against the other.
You have to seduce Byunghun. I'll work on Chanhee. Hopefully, one of them gives in, the other will coincidentally be brought into the room where they'll see their lover exchanging in ual activities with another, they'll be angry and they'll break apart. It's all uphill from there. You in?"
"....I'm in."
****
Woohyun gathered the boys in the living room for an important 'announcement'. Byunghun was exhausted, and his lower back still kinda hurt.
Jonghyun had to nearly drag Changhyun by the hair to get him out of bed. Changhyun didn't want to get up at seven in the morning, and the bite marks on Jonghyun's arm proved that.
Mir and Niel were already awake, for they had witnessed what had happened with Kim Myungsoo, Byunghun, and Chanhee. Woohyun had told them what was going to happen tonight in advance, and truthfully, Mir was concerned for Chanhee's reaction and Niel was concerned for Byughun's reaction. There was no possible way this would end well.
"I'm just going to get straight to the point; Myungsoo-ssi and Miyoung-ssi are coming over for dinner tonight. They suggested the idea to me, and since they are, or will be at some point, guests, I decided that it was a good idea. I mean, it's a perfect opportunity to get rid of some of the tension," Woohyun eyed Byunghun and Chanhee, "that's been pretty evident between our two guests and two of our friends."
"I want everyone to be on their best behavior. I don't care if you don't like them--they are our guests now, so be nice. Yes, I'm staring right at you, Byunghun." Woohyun continued.
There was silence.
There was no person in the room that objected this, other than Byunghun.
"Nope."
"Count me out."
Woohyun gave him a hard stare. "Come on. It might be fun! We could hook up the two wacka-doodles together!" Niel eyed Byunghun, with a wink. Considering the progress of their ChanghyunxJonghyun mission, Byunghun would rather not. Besides, Miyoung would be whiny throughout the whole thing--he had promised they could be friends but he hadn't made any move to do so. But really, wasn't that what all exes said to each other?!
Then he would have to make up some lame excuse, like his phone was broken and that was the reason why he couldn't call her back.
Then there was Kim Myungsoo. That wasn't going to be fun to deal with.
Chanhee had similar feelings about Woohyun's get together. He hated Miyoung, mainly because he saw her as competition. Sure, Byunghun said that he didn't love her, but she and Byunghun had been together for half a decade almost, and that wasn't a short time. She could use her evil witch voodoo to try to lure Byunghun back to her!
And Myungsoo...Chanhee remembered what they had talked about in the lobby earlier that morning.
"I'm sorry, Myungsoo. But I don't and never did love you. I love Byunghun, and nothing will change that. I would appreciate it if you left us alone from now on."
"We had , Chanhee. You SAID that you loved me--was that all a lie?!"
"I had with a lot of people then. And I was drunk, and not to mention high, I could have said I had apple for parents but that wouldn't have made it true."
"You're just like everybody else, Lee Chanhee. I expected better from you. I came all the way to New York for you, to win you over, but you're letting some short midget blind you from what's really meant to be!"
"We went out for a week, Myungsoo. That week consisted of ignoring each other's presence by day and drunk and high by night. Don't pretend like you knew me. And I'm a whole different person now. That 'short midget', although you didn't need to use both words since they mean the exact same thing, is named Byunghun, and I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about the love of my life like that."
But he wasn't completely AGAINST the idea of the seven of them, plus the two so nine of them, having dinner here together. It could give the annoying-black-hair duo some closure, and maybe then they would leave others alone.
Snapping back to reality, he was met with Byughun and Woohyun standing face to face, arguing with each other.
"No. I don't want to take part in that."
"You don't have a choice, I already said yes. Myungsoo-ssi said that he wanted to reconcile with you, and Miyoung-ssi said that she hasn't been able to reach you for weeks. Byunghun, stop being so damn immature and grow up."
"You think you're so high and mighty, don't you? Because you're the hyung? Listen. I'll act however the I wanna act, and there ain't nothing you can say to stop me. I'm not going to that damn dinner and I don't care what bull comes outta your mouth, I'm not changing my mind!"
Chanhee eyed Niel, who was seated on the couch next to him. "Oh no. Umma and appa are fighting again." Niel whispered to Chanhee.
Chanhee shot Niel a glare, before turning his attention to the arguing two. He stood up behind Byunghun, his arms wrapping around the other's waist. "Byung, calm down, okay? It'll just be a couple of hours. You can do that, for me, can't you?"
Byunghun sighed, turning around in Chanhee's embrace with an obvious look of dislike written clearly on his face. Chanhee knew how much Byunghun didn't want this, and he felt sort of bad that he was ering Byunghun into doing something he didn't want to. He didn't want to be that kind of boyfriend. But at the same time, closure was needed for Myungsoo and Miyoung, and if sacrificing a few hours to engage in a guaranteed awkward meal then so be it.
"I don't want to." Byunghun bit his upper lip, furrowing his brows in distaste and crossing his arms over his chest. Usually, a hug from Chanhee would help in situations like these. Considering the fact that it wasn't, Chanhee knew just how serious Byunghun was.
"Please? For me?" Chanhee looked into the other's eyes with a hopeful expression.
Byunghun was silent for what seemed like a long time. Jonghyun and Changhyun were on the edge of their seats, as if what was going on with the three boys in front of them was a drama enfolding and it was just reaching it's peak. Niel mentally snickered. Byunghun wouldn't change his mind. At least, not about this. Niel had heard countless rantings about Miyoung from Byunghun, too many to think that Byunghun would cave into Chanhee's request. Mir was clueless as to what was going on now, entering and breaking out of a sleep pattern and unable to stabilize himself for very long. But from what tidbits he could understand, he was glad he wasn't 100% conscious for this blow up.
Byunghun released another sigh, before breaking away from Chanhee's arms. "Fine, whatever."
****
Woohyun immediately regretted getting into the fight once Byunghun surrendered. Maybe he had meddled too far, overstepped his boundaries. Tonight was much more than just reconciling and reuniting. No, tonight was a showcase as to how much Byunghun loved Chanhee, and vice versa. Woohyun knew how wanting Miyoung and Myungsoo were of their respective ex-relationship partners. The question was, would Byunghun and Chanhee make it through the evening?
Maybe it was too outlandish of him. But he considered Chanhee a younger brother, and this was a good way of putting Byunghun to the test. If he had known it would result in an angry Byunghun, he never would have done it. An angry atmosphere was no way to greet guests, and the tension was starting to drift throughout the suite.
Woohyun would have to make it up to Byunghun by doing his best to protect him, somewhat. He would have to start with an apology, though.
****
"It might not be that bad, hyung. Maybe Miyoung noona is different?" Changhyun rationalized, sitting beside Byunghun on his bed. Byunghun snorted, whipping a baseball to the wall and catching it's rebuttal in one hand, in a constant pattern.
"If you hated doing it so much, you could have said no. Woohyun hyung would have been mad, but he would have understood. I would have not attended too, to keep you company." Changhyun said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. The closeness of the boys brought about the return of the butterflies in Changhyun's stomach. He had no idea what was going on in his heart right now, but he assumed that it was very confused.
He could live with that, for now.
Byunghun halted his actions, looking up to meet the eyes of the younger boy, due to him slouching against the bed board. "You would do that for me?"
"Of course, hyung!"
Byunghun smiled, returning his game of throw and catch. Changhyun was about to add another comment, no doubt something stupid, when Niel and Jonghyun entered the room.
"Are you angry?" Jonghyun asked Byunghun cautiously, closing the door behind him.
"No."
"You sound angry."
"Shut up."
"Byunghun hyung, are you angry at Woohyun hyung?"
"No."
"What about Chanhee hyung?"
Byunghun took a while to answer, and was relatively less harsh and rough with his voice. "...No."
"Then why are you acting like this?"
That was a good question. Why WAS he acting like this? Woohyun hadn't asked for much--it wasn't like Woohyun told Byunghun to go take Miyoung on a date. All he asked was that Byunghun be friendly, or at least quiet, during a dinner. Was that so hard?
The answer was yes. It was hard. He didn't want to deal with Miyoung, and he really didn't want to deal with Myungsoo, either. Byunghun didn't even want to be in the same room with Myungsoo. If he had come up to the door in the early hours of the morning with presents, who knew what he'd do to try to get Chanhee back. Chanhee was HIS. What kind of boyfriend wanted to sit through a dinner with their ex and their boyfriend's ex?
Then he remembered the phone call he received yesterday. That stupid phone call. "You are a disgrace to our family! You know how important the Hwang family business is, and how vital it is to our business! How could you sacrifice the success of both business for something as petty as feelings?"
Niel already knew what was wrong with Byunghun lately. He had been in the room when Byunghun took the call. But, he had a feeling that Byunghun wasn't too interested in sharing the savory details with the others. Niel was surprised that Byunghun had agreed to the dinner. No one could make him do what he didn't want to do. His parents were always away on business trips, so that left him under the care of his friends--and judging by how they were, Niel assumed that they let Byunghun do pretty much what he wanted. Niel never thought he'd see the day when the hard-headed Byunghun he knew was able to compromise his own interests for someone else's.
"What at you gonna do?" Niel had asked, after Byunghun's call ended.
He remembered how Byunghun ruffled his hair in frustration. "I don't know--she swore at me in english and then hung up? What am I supposed to do?"
Niel was a bit concerned. Byunghun's parents were nice people, but they were set on getting their business and the Hwang business merged, so it could be the biggest in Korea. There was no way they would let Byunghun off the hook, when their plan of getting their son to date, and eventually marry, the Hwangs' daughter had progressed so thoroughly. Just a couple months ago, Byunghun had almost proposed, for God's sake!
Talks of his parents always brought him down, so whenever Niel and Byunghun chatted, they steered clear of that topic. But now with his parents pushing on him from behind, it was two against one, and Niel wasn't so confident that the team lacking the numbers was going to be victorious.
****
Miyoung took a small sip of her iced mocha, as she waited for a particular brown-haired boy to meet her at the coffee shop. True to his word, he arrived sharply at five, two hours before the dinner.
"Are you ready?"
Myungsoo sat in front of her, and looked as if he was having an internal battle with himself. Miyoung could almost hear his conscious battling him, and gave Myungsoo a reassuring smile. "Sweetheart, we're just claiming what was rightfully ours from the beginning. If this is the extreme we have to go to, then we must comply."
Myungsoo looked at her with a firm expression. He wasn't too fond of this plan, mainly because there were a lot of things that could go wrong. He had to...seduce...Byunghun. Would that even work? What if him and Miyoung just made fools of themselves?
But Chanhee was his property. And he had to do whatever it took to get him back. He found the next question just roll out of his mouth without much thought. "What if they hate us instead, after the whole thing? They might just get mad at us."
Miyoung gave a melodic laugh, flipping her black hair over her shoulder and giving him a killer smile.
"That won't happen, I promise you that. As long as everything goes according to plan, this will be smooth sailing till the very end. Trust your noona, Myungsoo. By the end of the night, we'll have them broken up, and maybe even back in our arms."
****
Five minutes...
Byunghun sighed, leisurely replying to texts he was receiving from Hyunwoo, Junhee, and another one of Junhee's friends named Lee Howon. His feet legs rested on Changhyun's lap, his body half lying and half sitting alongside the wall that his bed was propped up against.
To: Chicken
From: Purple
You bailed on us last time you better come tonight!!
To: Purple
From: Chicken
Alright fathead, I'm gonna come. The stupid dinner should end at around nine, so I'll meet you guys at Junhee's house. Oh, can I bring a friend along?
To: Chicken
From: Purple
Sure, I think the others won't mind. They love meeting new people and ering them into being friends with them haha.
Byunghun smiled, before looking at Changhyun, who was trying to read the room service menu. "Changhyun-ah."
Changhyun snapped his head up, meeting Byunghun's eyes and blinked in surprise. A comfortable silence had lapsed around the two for a while, and it had put Changhyun in a calm, relaxed mood. He was in his own world, reading the letters of the menu but not forming the words, barely processing what his eyes picked up.
"Yeah, hyung?"
"I'm meeting some friends after the dinner. You wanna come?"
Changhyun was surprised at what had come out of his best friend's mouth. Byunghun was inviting him somewhere? He usually invited Chanhee. But then again, maybe Chanhee and Byunghun weren't on the best terms right now, after what happened and all. "Y-yes, I'd love to!"
Byunghun smiled, ruffling the other's hair. "It'll be a lot of fun. We were thinking pizza, then a movie. Junhee said that she wanted to go to the studio, too. They'll like you."
Changhyun felt himself flush, rubbing the back of his neck and trying to control his emotions. He was so happy that Byunghun wanted to be around him so much. Changhyun still couldn't believe it--a whole night with Byughun and his friends! After Chanhee and Byunghun started dating, Changhyun found less and less time to hang out with his best friend, and he was up for some much-needed time with him.
To ruin the moment, a doorbell rang throughout the suite. Byunghun sighed, biting his lower lip. "Let's just get this ridiculous thing over with."
****
(Jonghyun POV)
Something was off. I knew something was off. Miyoung seemed so...fake. So artificial. She threw smiles at all of us, and an extra long one at Chanhee hyung. I had only met her once, when Byunghun hyung had somehow convinced me to tag along on what was supposed to be a date for the two. She was a genuinely happy person. Her intentions seemed good, but what did I know, I only met her once.
It was just...it just looked forced. Everything. Maybe it was just me. And Myungsoo, was that his name? He looked a bit nervous, underneath the facade he was putting up. This morning, he had determination that was almost scary written all over his face. Now, he was all smiles and laughter, as if he had no care in the entire world.
Something was off.
I couldn't pin point it. But I didn't miss their sly eye conversations with each other when everyone else had their back turned. That further enforced my thoughts. What the hell was going on?
We all gathered at the dining room. It wasn't as tense as I had thought. Even Byunghun seemed to have been trying to behave, for he was talking to Myungsoo and I didn't spot a single look of disgust from him. On the other side of the table, Miyoung and Chanhee were exchanging conversation. I thought the two pairs hated each other, which was what I had whispered to Changhyun, who was seated next to me.
"Byunghun promised Chanhee earlier that he would be nice." Changhyun whispered back, a smile still lingering his lips. He was so adorable--the way his eyes lit up when he saw everyone getting along.
Woohyun hyung was making Mexican food in the kitchen. I didn't know when he went shopping for the ingredients, or if suites came with the cookware necessary to make anything from scratch, but everything seemed to be going well.
****
The dinner had gone pretty smoothly. Woohyun had managed to cook something everyone enjoyed. Miyoung didn't bother Byunghun as much as he expected, and the more he spoke with Myungsoo, the more he realized that they were quite alike. Not that he suddenly liked the boy, but he didn't hate him.
Myungsoo enjoyed Byunghun's company as well. Byunghun was a total polar opposite from Chanhee. Byunghun was sarcastic, voiced exactly what he wanted, and wasn't afraid of letting other people know what he thought. Those were pretty admirable qualities. But one thing nagged at the back of Myungsoo's mind; the plan.
Could he do it? He hated to admit it, since he hated Byunghun at first, but he was actually starting to warm up to the kid. He wasn't so bad. He was dorky, in a cute dumb way. Myungsoo hoped that Byunghun didn't dislike him as much as he did before. This morning, it was so obvious what Byunghun thought of him. And if it was up to Myungsoo, he would have never gone through with the whole knocking-on-the-door-at-dawn-with-gifts approach, if Miyoung hadn't told him to.
He wanted Chanhee back. For what, he didn't know.
But the guilt piled unbelievably high once the night progressed, and he and Byunghun engaged in more interesting topics. Byunghun loved rapping, and found a passion in the expression that came along with it. Myungsoo himself liked singing, and similar to Byunghun, found that it was a more effective way of expressing oneself than just saying words. It was more sentimental, more meaningful, and both boys agreed.
They were also classically trained on the piano. That striked some interesting conversation as well; comparing composers and pieces that they enjoyed playing.
It was eight thirty. Miyoung and him planned everything down to the last minute. She would drug Chanhee's water with a powerful dose of a drug (she wouldn't which) at 8:40, which would make him more vulnerable. Myungsoo would have to keep an eye in what room those two went into. His job was to tease Byunghun in any way possible, "accidentally" happen to barge in on Chanhee and Miyoung at around 8:55, and then, as Miyoung stated, "things will fall into place."
But this evening helped him recognize a few things.
One, Byunghun wasn't as bad as he thought.
And two, he couldn't go forth with the plan.
****
"Hey, I have a song I'm working on. It's in my room, but I'd love it if you gave it a look. Showing the guys around here can get pretty boring." Byunghun laughed, looking to Myungsoo. Myungsoo was pleased, nodding furiously as the two got up from their seat.
He had forgotten about the plan since he decided to cancel his partaking in it, but was reminded when he saw two chairs with no bodies accompanying them. Two people were missing from the group. Chanhee and Miyoung were already gone. Please don't be in Byunghun's room, please don't be in Byunghun's room...
Myungsoo didn't know why he cared so much. He was the one who agreed to this in the first place. But now, he felt a bit ashamed at being a part of something like this. If he was going to win Chanhee back, it wouldn't be like this. Manipulating, lying, deceiving and drugging? He was surprised that Miyoung created such a devious plan in the first place.
Just to be sure, Myungsoo walked in front of Byunghun, so he could enter the room first and check. There were many rooms in this suite, from what he saw. The odds were slim that Byunghun's room was coincidentally the one Miyoung and dragged Chanhee into. But just to be safe.
"It's this one; you can go in." Byunghun gestured to the last door in the hallway. Maybe Myungsoo was imagining things, but he thought he hear noises coming from inside. It's just music. Music someone forgot to turn off, that's all.
Oh, was he mistaken.
****
(Myungsoo POV)
I didn't think it was this room.
I prayed that it wasn't this room, to any god out there who would listen to my desperate screams inside my head.
The more time went by, the stupider this plan seemed. I wanted Chanhee, but I wanted him to come back to me because he returned the same feelings, not because he cheated on Byunghun, was torn and heartbroken and needed someone to run to. I wasn't a rebound. I wouldn't be a second choice. Why did I agree to this stupid stupid plan anyways...
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door and quickly craned my neck to see the contents of the room. My eyes almost bulged out at what I saw. Chanhee--Miyoung--No--
I turned back around and physically pushed Byunghun out of the room in a panic. "N-no! Just--just hum it for me!" I stuttered, trying to close the door to the room.
This wasn't happening. I tried to avoid the plan, but I ended up walking right into it, blindly. In that second, I realized something. Only one of us had to seduce Chanhee or Byunghun. One of them just needed to see what was going on. That dirty . She tried to get me to pretty much molest a boy so she wouldn't be the only one with dirty hands!
Well, I wasn't letting that happen. I wasn't going to win like this. "Please, Byunghun, another time."
Byunghun looked at me with confusion, a hint of amusement in his eyes. "I'll only be a second, I don't know what the big deal is! Just stay here, I'll bring it out here, then." Byunghun said to me, pushing open the door that I held closed. I squeezed my eyes, counting down to Hell.
3.
2.
1.
I no longer heard the sound of Byunghun's feet padding against the hardwood floor. I heard the rustling of the bed covers. I heard moans.
I heard him whisper three words that I was obviously not meant to hear.
"What. The. ."
****
(Changhyun POV)
I saw Byunghun walk past the table, without so much a glance in or direction. He didn't look too happy.
Then, I saw Myungsoo trailing behind him, calling his name. Although, everyone at the table was engaged in conversation so it was unlikely anybody heard or noticed. I kicked my foot to the side, coming in contact with Jonghyun's knee. Before he could protest, I pointed to what was going on with Byunghun and Myungsoo.
Jonghyun made an exaggerated motion of rubbing his knee, suddenly paling when he saw what I did. He stood up, nearly knocking the chair back with the amount of force he was using. I hastily got up after him, following close behind.
****
(Myungsoo POV)
"At least tell me where you're going, man! You're friends will be worried!" I called out to the other boy, exasperated.
It wasn't supposed to be like this.
It wasn't supposed to end like this.
Byunghun had walked extremely calmly (or maybe I'm mistaking calm with numb) out of the room and down the hallway. He said not a single word, nor did he show any raw emotion to what he just witnessed.
I felt partially responsible for this. This was my fault; I helped plan for this!
Oh God, I just wanted to rewind time to a week ago. When Miyoung contacted me, and asked if I was interested in getting back Chanhee. I wondered how she found me, how she knew my name. But she wouldn't answer those questions. She laid down a very vague plan outline. And I had helped advance it.
Now that I'm seeing someone hurt, someone whom I've bonded with for the past hour and a half, it made me feel terrible.
I wasn't able to say more to the boy before I got cornered, my collar being gripped and by back roughy pressed against the marble wall of 37th floor.
I looked with shock to see an angry red-haired boy, and a brown haired boy with him. "What did you do to him, you little punk? Huh? What did you do?!"
Yeah, like I could concentrate with the screaming and the echoing going on.
The brown haired boy then retreated. I heard the opening and closing of an elevator door.
"I didn't do nothing. I tried to stop him from seeing, but I couldn't." I let out, in choked words. But I deserved this. I deserved beatings. I emotionally hurt someone. Sometimes, being emotionally shattered was worse than being physically broken. The emotions dug into your heart, into your mind. The bad ones especially, imprinted themselves into your thoughts, permanently on constant replay. The wave of hurt that one felt after was never any less, no matter how long they lived with the pain for.
I was no expert, but I did have my fair share of emotional traumas.
"See what, you er? What did he see?" The boy was seething. His face was red. He looked scary, and more intimidating than I let on.
During the brief few moments while I was being cornered and bore into with a pair of glaring eyes that could have burned holes in my soul, I contemplated telling him. Should I? Would Byunghun want me to?
"Chanhee-Miyoung-Bed--I can't tell you anymore if you don't let go." I struggled a bit, thrashing as I tried to get his hands off of me. But the boy let go almost instantly, looking deep in thought.
I coughed, the sudden amount of oxygen intake after what seemed like an eternity of restricted air sending a jolt down my body.
He then had a look of sheer horror on his face as he digested what I had said. About time, too.
"No...that isn't possible. Chanhee hyung would never do that, you're lying!" He shouted, pointing a finger of accusation at me. I furrowed my brows, starting to get angry. I know what I saw, and I wasn't lying, goddammit.
"He would, if he was on drugs."
"You son of a--you DRUGGED him?!"
"Not me. Miyoung noona."
****
"Hyung! Hyung, wait up!" Changhyun shouted, as he raced down the sidewalk, dodging clusters of people to reach Byunghun, who was farther ahead.
But Byunghun didn't wait up or slow down. He continued walking, hands in his pockets and his hood up.
Changhyun squished through a group of tourists, and finally stood side by side with his hyung. "Are you okay, hyung?"
Byunghun looked at the ground, not acknowledging the other's presence. He was so overwhelmed with thoughts, that it was hard to concentrate. He still couldn't believe what he saw. Just...why? If anything, he felt numb. It felt as if he couldn't quite process what his eyes had saw, and while he was walking, he tried to convince himself that he was just seeing things.
Unfortunately, that train of thought didn't go far. Myungsoo saw as well.
It was scary how dead he felt. Shouldn't he be outraged? Completely breaking down in a fit of tears and screams? Shouldn't he have marched on over to them, and at least punched Chanhee or something?
But no. He retreated right away. It literally felt like he died, and he was walking around with nothing.
Byunghun stopped walking. Sitting down on a bench, he tried to recollect himself. He wondered what he was going to do. There was no way he would go back. He didn't want to see Chanhee. Just the thought of seeing him made Byunghun sick. It would have been less bad if he caught Chanhee with someone else. Cheating altogether was a terrible thing to do but...Miyoung? Really?
Now that got him angry.
How. Why. Why did Chanhee do that? Byunghun didn't understand. Why? What a bastard. Byunghun knew what Chanhee was like before; the player. Byunghun had assumed that all that was gone once they had started dating, but he guessed he was wrong. He wondered how many times Chanhee kissed or even had with other people while they were dating.
The feelings hit him like a sudden wave. It appeared as if he was too overcome with shock to really register what had happened, and what he witnessed. First came the anger. Then, it was the feeling of betrayal. After, the hatred. All piled in thick layers. Byunghun wanted to scream. He wanted to break things, he just wanted to smash something into pieces to release the anger, somehow. Unknowingly, his fists started to clench. He felt his eyes start to sting, a sure sign that if he didn't control himself, he would start crying. Cry over what? A cheating, filthy bastard? Like that was happening.
"I hate him." He whispered, to no one in particular.
Little did he know, or realize, that Changhyun was sitting right beside him. Changhyun was worried. Byunghun was so into his thoughts that he hadn't heard Changhyun calling his name.
Changhyun saw Byunghun's hands clench into tight fists, his expression contorting to one of pain and hurt.
"You hate who, hyung? What happened? Please; please just tell me what happened! Do you want me to call Chanhee?" Changhyun asked, lightly grabbing the other's shoulder and shaking him, just enough to get his attention.
Byunghun growled at the name. He turned his head to the side, seeing Changhyun sitting beside him with an obvious look of worry.
"Don't mention that disgusting er's name around me again, do you understand? If anything, call someone else and tell them I'll be away for a while. Or don't, I don't give a damn." With that, Byunghun got up, taking out his own phone and quickly dialing a number as he walked away from the boy.
Within the first ring, the person picked up.
"What's up, Byunghun?"
Byunghun gritted his teeth, trying to refrain himself from sounding as pissed and angry as he actually was.
"Can you come pick me up?"
****
"You look like you're gonna murder someone, Byunghun. People will run away from you if you keep that expression on." Howon commented lightly, as Byunghun leaned back against the passenger seat.
"If I cared, I guess I would try some expression control. Let's go." Byunghun said, crossing his arms over his chest.
Howon was surprised that Byunghun had called him, and was further surprised when Byunghun had asked him to pick him up. Howon wasn't too sure, but Byunghun and Hyunwoo were much friendlier with each other in comparison to him and Byunghun. Nonetheless, he got the car out of park, and was able to get into a lane.
"Where do you want to go?" Howon asked, checking the review mirror on his side of the car. Traffic was fairly light for New York this evening.
"Anywhere but here."
Howon hadn't known Byunghun for very long so couldn't confirm, but Byunghun seemed a bit agitated. When they had got together a couple days ago, Byunghun was different. More...cheery? It was obvious the bit was in a foul mood.
The two drove in silence for a while, the only sound being the cars outside. It wasn't an uncomfortable silence, nor was it tense. Howon liked that; that he and Byunghun didn't create an awkward vibe in silence. But, a question nagged at the back of his mind, and the words had already stumbled out of his mouth before he could control them. "What happened, Byunghun?"
He could almost feel the other boy stiffening. He instantly regretted what he had asked. It was none of his business, anyways. Byunghun was his friend--yes, Howon considered Byunghun his friend after one meeting and long text message conversations. He was fond of the boy. Byunghun had an aura about him that was just like able. Howon was sure that Byunghun didn't know about that fact. Byunghun was entertaining. Byunghun was different, unlike any person he had met. Byunghun wasn't afraid of what people thought of him. It was a 'take it or leave it' attitude with him--either you accepted the fact that he was blunt and honest, or you didn't.
Byunghun looked a bit cold at first. Heck, he looked downright mean. His gaze was fierce and strong. Byunghun had said that it was completely unintentional, that he didn't mean to come off like that. But Howon admired people of that sort; people who looked as if they were made of ice on the outside, but were actually the opposite once you got to know them.
"Nothing important. Just please, keep driving."
****
"Hyung?"
"Changhyun! Where are you? Where's Byunghun? Is he with you?"
Changhyun gulped, still sitting on the bench. He had sat there even after Byunghun had left, unsure of what to do. Should he run after the boy? Should he run home and tell the others?
In a split second, he decided to abide by Byunghun's request and called Niel. Just because Niel's number was the first Changhyun could remember from the top of his head.
"He's angry. Really angry. He went somewhere, and told me to tell you guys that he won't be back for a while."
He heard the hysteria in Niel's response. "What?! We leave New York in five days! Surely he'll come back before then, right? Why is he so mad, anyways?"
Changhyun sighed and shrugged. "I don't know, hyung. He's being cold again. He told me to call someone other the Chanhee, and not to mention Chanhee's name again. And then he said to call someone else and say that he was going to be away for a while. 'Or don't, I don't give a damn'." Changhyun imitated.
"I'll try to call him. He'll pick up eventually. Come back to the suite." Niel briskly said, before hanging up. Changhyun sighed once again, putting his phone into his back pocket and walking back to the suite with slouched shoulders.
****
"I share an apartment upstate with Hyunwoo. You can stay there for as long as you like." Howon said, taking a wide left turn at the intersection.
Byunghun mumbled a thank you, before feeling something vibrating against his leg. Lazily, he fished out his phone from his pocket. Reading the caller ID, he scoffed before tossing his phone into one of the cup holders in the car, the one closest to Howon. That bastard had the nerve to call him? After what he did?
But the phone kept vibrating against the plastic of the cup holder, creating a distracting noise that pulled Howon's eyes from the road to the phone. "Pick it up; it's annoying."
Byunghun shook his head. "It'll stop in a while."
But the phone kept vibrating. Finally, Byunghun pressed decline on the damn thing.
"Who was it?" Howon questioned, glancing at the younger as he made another right turn.
He saw Byunghun's jaw harden. "Irrelevant."
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