chapter 15 | kisses and confrontation

 

 

The bands are called onstage for the result. Myungsoo’s band stands next to Sunggyu’s and when Myungsoo leans over to whisper into Sunggyu’s ear, Sunggyu’s ears turn red. “You were y up there. You should do that more often.”

 

            Sunggyu’s never been called ‘y’ by anyone. Did he really look that good? Sunggyu doesn’t really believe Myungsoo considering the situation the two are in and perhaps Myungsoo said that for Woohyun to hear.

 

            “Oh, and we need to act all lovey-dovey. Woohyun’s watching, after all,” he adds close to Sunggyu’s ear. Sunggyu gulps but doesn’t say anything and silently agrees. Myungsoo, right away, starts touching Sunggyu and whispering things to him. Myungsoo instructs him to giggle as if Myungsoo is the funniest guy on earth and to blush – which isn’t hard for Sunggyu especially with Myungsoo so close – every time Myungsoo touches him.

 

            Sunggyu has never been one for PDA – he finds it much too embarrassing – but they’re at the back and no one seems to be paying much attention to them so he guesses it’s fine. Myungsoo intertwines his fingers in Sunggyu’s and uses his other hand to brush away some of Sunggyu’s stray hairs as he whispers into Sunggyu’s ear. Sunggyu giggles as he was instructed and blushes furiously in response to Myungsoo’s breath on his ear.

 

            Sunggyu glances up to see Woohyun staring at them and before Woohyun can pull his gaze away, Sunggyu beats him to it. The announcer speaks into the microphone, telling everyone that they’re ready.

 

            He says a few words to get the suspension up and the room goes silent in wait. “And the winning band is…”

 

            Myungsoo’s grip tightens as the announcer takes a dramatic pause. “Coma Beat!”

 

            Sunggyu doesn’t think he’s heard correctly. Myungsoo looks at him and smirks, leaning in and tugging at his earlobe, which causes Sunggyu to snap out of his daze. Myungsoo then pushes Sunggyu forward and watches as Sunggyu’s band members bombard him with hugs.

 

            They make their way to the front and the crowd is roaring with cheers. Their band is being congratulated but Sunggyu’s not really paying much attention. We won, is all he can think. It’s so unbelievable that he pinches himself to make sure it’s not a dream. When he doesn’t wake up, he’s even more surprised. Is this really happening?

 

            Everything is a blur as the night begins to wrap up. The bands start exiting the stage and the audience starts to leave. It’s time for clean-up and Sunggyu’s band exits the stage as well. “We should go celebrate!” Dongwoo suggests.

 

            “Yeah but where?” Hoya asks.

 

            “There’s that club near…” Dongwoo suggests.

 

            “It’s twenty-one and over. How do you plan on getting in?” Sunggyu asks. He knows that he and Hoya could easily get in – they had fake ID’s after all (Min Ji made Sunggyu get one and Hoya just kind of tagged along). But Dongwoo? And what about Yongguk?

 

            “I have a fake ID,” Yongguk says, answering Sunggy’s unasked question.

 

            “I have one, too,” Dongwoo says with maybe too much pride. Sunggyu’s surprised because when had Dongwoo gotten one?

 

            “I may or may not have gone out to some place I heard of on my own. But that’s in the past. What matters now is that we can all go, yeah?”

 

--

 

            They’re at the crowded club a little later and they all have drinks in front of them (except Sunggyu). Hoya, maybe a little tipsy, grabs Dongwoo’s hand and leads him out onto the dance floor, leaving him with Yongguk.

 

            “You don’t drink?” Yongguk asks, peering at the glass of water in front of Sunggyu. Sunggyu nods and explains that he can’t hold his alcohol. Memories of waking up half- in Woohyun’s bed come flooding back and they make his heart ache.

 

            Yongguk glances out at the dance floor and then back at Sunggyu. “Wanna dance?” he asks.

 

            Sunggyu thinks what the hell and follows Yongguk out on the dance floor. Sunggyu discovers that Yongguk isn’t too shabby and he tries to mimic his moves because Sunggyu is the definition of awkward and dancing has never been his forte.

 

            Just when he starts getting kind of into the beat of the heavy bass, arms snake around his waist, causing him to jump. He turns back and is very surprised to see Myungsoo grinning at him. “Hey, Gyu. I didn’t know you were here.” He turns to look at Yongguk who is looking a litte awkward now. “Mind if I steal him for a bit?”

 

            “Go ahead,” Yongguk says and then Myungsoo is pulling Sunggyu away and off to the outskirts of the dance floor. He then realizes why; Woohyun is standing off to the side, drinking some alcoholic drink. Woohyun spots Myungsoo and is surprised to see Sunggyu with him.

 

            “Be as y as possible,” Myungsoo instructs, pulling Sunggyu towards him, his hands gripping Sunggyu’s hips.

 

            “H-how? I’m not y.”

 

            “What are you talking about? You were plenty y up on that stage.”

 

            After considering Sunggyu’s still skeptical expression, he sighs. “Tell you what; follow my lead and do exactly as I say.”

 

            Sunggyu nods and before he knows it, Myungsoo is spinning him around so that his back is pressed up against Myungsoo’s chest. Myungsoo’s fingers are still gripping Sunggyu’s hips and when Myungsoo starts to sway, he tells Sunggyu to do the same. Sunggyu does as instructed, though he feels awkward still. He’s never done this before – at least while sober – and he’s not sure if he’s doing it right. “Just move with the music. Lose yourself, exactly like how you did on stage.”

 

            Sunggyu tries to lose himself in the music. It’s a little more difficult but he manages to do it somehow and then he’s swaying his hips against Myungsoo’s. He feels like things are actually going pretty well until Myungsoo tells him that they need to change things up a bit. “Roll your hips,” Myungsoo says.

 

            “W-what?”

 

            “Like this,” Myungsoo proceeds to roll his hips in a very ual way, making Sunggyu’s cheeks burn. “It feels better if we both do it.”

 

            So Sunggyu tries because God knows why. He’s awkward at first but when they get the right rhythm, it actually works. And it feels good.

 

            Myungsoo spins Sunggyu around again and pulls him away from the dance floor, which confuses Sunggyu because he thought he was doing pretty good for his first time. Myungsoo guides him to the small and filthy bathroom. Sunggyu’s not really sure what they’re doing in the bathroom until Myungsoo presses him up against the counter and places his hands on both sides of Sunggyu, trapping him.

 

            Myungsoo presses his lips to Sunggyu’s, which surprises him greatly. “Kiss back,” Myungsoo mutters against Sunggyu’s frozen lips. Sunggyu does as he’s told, though Myungsoo does most of the work. Sunggyu’s hands fist into Myungsoo’s shirt, having nothing else to grab on to keep himself from turning into a pile of mush on the ground. Somewhere in between the clash of tongue and teeth, Sunggyu can vaguely hear the opening of a door and the sharp intake of breath. He can’t really think straight because even though he doesn’t like Myungsoo like that, the kiss is still quite something. Myungsoo really knows what he’s doing.

 

            “Myungsoo,” a voice speaks and Sunggyu almost jolts out of his skin when he recognizes the voice. Woohyun.

 

            Myungsoo pulls away from Sunggyu just barely, a string of saliva still connecting their mouths. Sunggyu is breathless and dizzy and when he looks at Woohyun through half-lidded eyes, he can see that Woohyun’s expression has darkened considerably.

 

            “What is it, Woohyun?” Myungsoo asks, his voice low and ominous.

 

            “I wanted to know if you needed a drive home.”

 

            Myungsoo holds a finger up to Woohyun, motioning him to wait for a second. He turns to Sunggyu who’s still dazed and confused. “Will you be able to get home alright? Should I go with you?”

 

            “I-I’m okay. I have Dongwoo and Hoya and Yongguk.”

 

            Myungsoo nods and leans in to peck Sunggyu’s swollen lips. “Good job today,” he winks and Sunggyu gets the feeling that there was a double meaning. “See you soon.”

 

            And then Myungsoo and Woohyun are leaving and Sunggyu is left in the bathroom alone. He washes his face, finally getting back his senses. He makes his way into the crowd of people and somehow manages to find Hoya and Dongwoo and Yongguk. He gathers them and announces that they are leaving, which at first annoys them but then they look at Sunggyu’s morbid expression and they agree that it is indeed time to go home.

           

            Sunggyu can’t help but think that maybe the reason why Woohyun had such a dark expression was because he was jealous? But was he jealous of Myungsoo or Sunggyu? He really didn’t know.

 

--

 

            At school on Monday, Sunggyu is greeted by students who actually seem to take note of his presence and they seem to actually know who he is. Sunggyu’s so very confused until he is congratulated for being in the winning band and then everything seems to make some sense (though he still doesn’t see why it’s such a big deal to everyone).

 

            The weirdest thing that happens that day is that they sit at the popular table with all the popular kids. Sunggyu is forced to sit right next to Myungsoo because – Myungsoo has to remind him – they are dating and Woohyun is here and they really need to play the part.

 

            The day passes by rather quickly and before Sunggyu knows it, the last bell is ringing and the students are exiting the building. The teacher Sunggyu just as he’s leaving, asking Sunggyu for a favour. “Sure, what can I do for you?” Sunggyu replies.

 

            “I need you to bring these papers to the library. It’s important but I really have to run.”

 

            “Sure, I’ll take them down.”

 

            “Thanks, Sunggyu, really.”

 

            “Don’t mention it.”

 

            Sunggyu exits the classroom after the teacher and heads down to the library. He hands the papers in to the librarian and lingers for a bit, browsing through some of the books. When the school quiets down and most of the students have left, Sunggyu heads back to his locker where he needs to drop off some things he doesn’t feel like taking home.

 

            As Sunggyu is passing a classroom, he hears voices. “Stop playing around with him.”

 

            Sunggyu halts, freezing in his spot. It’s definitely Woohyun’s voice but who is he talking to? And about what? Sunggyu decides that even though it’s wrong, he should at least listen to what they’re talking about before he starts jumping to conclusions. He creeps up to the door that’s been left slightly ajar and he presses his back against the wall, hopefully masking his presence.

 

            “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Woohyun,” it’s Myungsoo.

 

            “You know exactly what I’m talking about. Don’t lie to me.”

 

            Sunggyu hears Myungsoo chuckle. “Just like how you’ve been lying to him?”

 

            “What do you mean?”

 

            “Did you think I was stupid? Why would you go for a loser like him? You can do much better but you don’t. Did you just want to have fun? Were you bored? Is that it?”

 

            “Why do you care what I do?”

 

            “You’re my best friend, Woohyun. I don’t want to see you playing around with such an insignificant thing like him.”

 

            Sunggyu feels a pang in his chest. He knows Myungsoo really could care less about him but the words hurt all the same. Sunggyu thinks about that rhyme about sticks and stones as if broken bones hurt more than the names he’s called.

 

            “And what are you doing then?”

 

            “I’m teaching you a lesson. You can’t always have what you want, Woohyun. Just like I can’t always get what I want,” the last sentence is barely a whisper and Sunggyu strains to hear it.

 

            “You’re teaching me a lesson? By dating Sunggyu? Does he even know your intentions?”

 

            “Of course he knows. He wouldn’t have gone along with it if he hadn’t.”

 

            “But why him?”

 

            “He’s the play thing you’ve been so obsessed with lately. And he’s naïve.”

 

            Sunggyu’s heard enough. He runs down the hall, blocking out every sound as he runs to his locker. He unlocks it, stuffs his unneeded books inside, and slams it shut. Play thing. The name swims around his head and sends painful jabs to his already aching heart. Did Woohyun really not even consider him human? Was he really just a thing that entertained Woohyun when he was bored? Myungsoo had mentioned that Woohyun viewed it as a game but Sunggyu didn’t think Woohyun thought so low of him.

 

            He knows Myungsoo could care less. The names hurt anyways. He knows he’s stupid for falling for Woohyun and having any expectations. He knows that he’s a complete moron for playing along. He wishes he had never gone to that club and he wishes that Woohyun hadn’t been late that day. Who knew it would hurt this much?

 

--

 

            Sunggyu stays up crying that night. He decides it’s high time to let all of his emotions out. He buries his face in his hands and curses loudly at his own weakness. When the tears dry at three o’clock in the morning, Sunggyu types a message to Myungsoo on his phone. I’m done with this game. I won’t play along anymore, it reads. He presses the send button moments later and drops his phone on the ground before curling up in a tight ball and staring at the wall until he manages to fall asleep. 

 

Not proofread. Sue me.

Sunggyu is standing up for himself (over text but it still counts). 

I love all of you readers. You know, you guys really make me so damn happy.

*throws heart aggressively into your face and begs you to accept my love*