“Factor in the variable and then take the log of both sides,” the mathematics teacher droned on as he discussed algebra to a less than enthusiastic class.

Cheondoong tuned him out as he gazed out the window.  His mind kept returning to the hospital room, when he had seen Hyunwoo’s name flash across the display.  He just couldn’t understand it.  How did the two of them know each other?  Their paths didn’t cross… so what was their relationship?  He had stayed up all night trying to come up with a logical reason but he came up empty handed.  He just couldn’t explain it.

Cheondoong sighed as he leaned his chin on his hand.  Joon… he didn’t look like he was taking drugs.  He seemed quite healthy; his body didn’t show signs of withdrawals or stress.  His attitude had seemed fine too…  If it wasn’t drugs then what was it?  What else could Hyunwoo possibly be giving him?

It’d been months since Hyunwoo left the school.  What was he up to nowadays anyway?  Was he dealing drugs as a profession now?  Cheondoong frowned at the thought.  He had been lucky that the drugs Hyunwoo gave him were not addictive.  Even then, the habit of getting high had been hard to kick.  If Hyunwoo got his hands on addictive drugs…

“Alright, that’s it for today,” the teacher said as he closed the book.  The students sighed in relief as they packed up for the day.  “Make sure you complete your assessments for next class,” the teacher warned, pointing to two boys chattering in the corner, “Especially you clowns.  One more strike and you’re out, got it?”

The two answered dully, throwing the teacher dirty looks as he walked out of the room.  “Tch,” one muttered as he kicked his chair, “What real teacher calls his students clowns?”

“Give it a rest,” the other said, sighing, “Ever since Hyung left, the teachers have been throwing their weight around like they owned the world.  So what else is new?”

Cheondoong’s ears perked up as the two continued muttering.  He knew who they were talking about.  The Hyung that they referred to was Jang Hyunwoo.  Before the drug scandal and expulsion, Hyunwoo was the ring leader of several groups in school.  Because of the wealth of his father, Hyunwoo feared no one.  He picked fights and sold drugs; students looked up to him and the teachers feared the power and wealth of his father.  The board was only able to go through with the expulsion after things took a legal turn.  If it hadn’t, Hyunwoo would still be walking the halls and selling his pills.

As Cheondoong packed his bags, he contemplated talking to the two.  It wouldn’t hurt to find out what Hyunwoo was up to these days… it might give him some insight as to why he was in contact with Joon.  And if Joon was really into drugs…

Shouldering his bag, Cheondoong walked over to the two.  They looked up, startled.  The entire school knew that it was Cheondoong that got Hyunwoo expelled.  Strangely enough, no one ever seemed to try and exact revenge on him.  And while he did get the occasional threat, most students were afraid to approach him.

“W-What?” one of them said, cowering slightly as he hid behind his friend.

“I’m looking for Jang Hyunwoo,” Cheondoong said, “Do you know where he is now?”

The two boys looked at each other, surprise evident in their faces.  They seemed to communicate with their gazes before one of them turned to Cheondoong and sized him up.  “Why?” he said, feeling courageous, “You hooked on drugs again, transfer student?”

Cheondoong frowned, causing the boy to falter.  If he replied no, it was likely that they wouldn’t tell him anything useful.  On the contrary, they’d probably run off to tell Hyunwoo the news.  So… “Yes,” Cheondoong said, lowering his voice to appear more threatening, “So tell me where he is.”  He took a menacing step forward and clenched his hands into fists.

The boys took a few steps back as their eyes flitted to Cheondoong’s fists.  “W-We don’t know either,” the one in the back stammered, “Hyung only told people in his circle about his whereabouts… nobody knows.”

Cheondoong’s frown deepened.  Nobody knew where he was?  Somebody had to know something.  “Are you kidding me?” he hissed, making himself tower over the two.

“A-Actually,” the one in front said quickly, putting up his hands in defense, “That gofer kid might know.”

“Gofer?” Cheondoong repeated, puzzled.

“You know, that kid from the country side,” the second one filled in, nodding profusely.  “Hyung made him his personal gofer so he’s probably still hanging around…”

Cheondoong contemplated the information.  He couldn’t remember a gofer when he had been in Hyunwoo’s circle… but then again, he had been extremely focused on the drugs rather than the people.  “Where can I find him?” Cheondoong asked.

“He’s a year under us,” the one in the back said, “He’s got a notebook filled with orders and stuff-”

“What class?” Cheondoong asked impatiently, scowling at them.

They cowered against the wall as their eyes flitted again to Cheondoong’s fists.  “First year class A, Bang Chulyong,” one said quickly. 

Nodding, Cheondoong relaxed his hands and gave them a smile.  “Thanks,” he said, patting them on the shoulder. 

Turning on his heels, he made his way quickly to the first year hallway.  Students bustled about the halls as most of them packed their things to head home.  Spotting the classroom, Cheondoong waded through the crowd and reached the sliding doors. 

He peered inside; unsure of whom he was looking for.  He glanced around and tried to see if anyone stuck out in the crowd.  As he looked around the room, his gaze fell on a skinny boy in the corner of the room. 

It wasn’t so much that he stood out… but he was the only student that was packing up alone.  The other students were busy chattering and huddled around desks.  The boy, however, was packing his things into his bag quietly with his head bowed.  He seemed… out of place.

Walking inside, Cheondoong walked up to him.  He heard the chatter suddenly die down as the students gazed at him with interest and a bit of fear.

“Bang Chulyong,” Cheondoong said quietly, looking at the boy.  He hoped he had the right person.  He sighed in relief as the boy looked up at him, his face puzzled and a little bit worried.  “You are Bang Chulyong?” Cheondoong asked, keeping his voice quiet.

The boy, Chulyong, nodded, his mouth slightly agape. 

“Follow me,” Cheondoong said, leading the way out of the classroom. 

“Eh?” Chulyong replied, eyes widening, “Why?”  He lifted his chin in defiance as he frowned at Cheondoong.

Surprised at the sudden change from his downcast image, Cheondoong took a deep breath and said quietly, “You didn’t hear me?”  He gazed at the boy and dared him to challenge. 

Chulyong cleared his throat and shouldered his bag.  Obediently, he followed without a word. 

Cheondoong led the way to the rooftop.  Closing the door behind him, he turned to Chulyong and crossed his arms.  “You’re Hyunwoo’s gofer right?” Cheondoong asked.

Chulyong frowned as he mimicked Cheondoong’s actions and crossed his arms.  “No,” he said shortly, “I’m a friend.”

Cheondoong raised his eyebrows.  “Friend… right,” he muttered, shaking his head, “I’m looking for Hyunwoo.  Where is he?”

Chulyong scoffed.  “You and everybody else,” he said haughtily, “Why would I know?”  Shaking his head, he dismissed the question.

“Hyunwoo only tells his location to his friends,” Cheondoong said, “I thought you were his friend.”

Surprised and taken aback, Chulyong looked at Cheondoong with his mouth open.  He opened and closed his mouth several times before he said, “You… You’re right.  I am his friend and I do know where he is.  Why should I tell you?”

Frustrated, Cheondoong took a step forward and said, “I don’t have time for this.  Just tell me where he is.”

Taking a step back, Chulyong puffed out his chest and said, “And if I don’t?”

Sighing in frustration, Cheondoong took a step forward and raised his fists.  Chulyong flinched and closed his eyes.  Suddenly remembering the notebook the other boys had mentioned, Cheondoong grabbed his bag and began sifting through it.

“Y-Yah!” Chulyong said reaching for his bag.

Cheondoong pulled out a notebook and flipped through the pages.  He easily kept Chulyong at bay with one hand as the younger struggled to retrieve his bag.  His eyes scanned through the pages of scratchy notes.  Flipping to the end of the book, he saw a hastily scribbled address in the corner of the last page.

“This is it?” Cheondoong said, pointing to the address.

Chulyong huffed as he glared at him.  “No,” he said shortly, trying to grab the book out of Cheondoong’s hands.

Cheondoong nodded and ripped the address from the book.  “Guess it is,” he said, tossing the book back to Chulyong.  As he turned to leave, he scowled at the younger and said, “Saying ‘yah’ to a sunbae... you little…”

“Give that back,” Chulyong said, his face suddenly afraid, “T-That’s not what you think it is!”

“I think it’s exactly what I think it is,” Cheondoong said as he turned to leave.

Chulyong hurried along behind him.  “What?” he asked in confused.  Dismissing it, he said, “Why are you looking for Hyunwoo-hyung?  I thought you hated him; he hates you for sure.  If-If you go there now, he’ll kill you!”

Cheondoong remained silent as he stared at the address on the paper.  It was close by… come to think of it; the address was of an empty house that was rumored to be haunted.  It was a well-known place and everyone avoided it.

Walking quickly, Cheondoong left the school grounds and made his way towards the haunted house.  His heart was racing as he quickened his pace.  What would he say when he saw Hyunwoo?  What could he ask to get Hyunwoo to talk?  Was he walking into a beating?  The gofer kid had already said Hyunwoo would kill him… was he making a bad decision?

“Sunbaenim, slow down!”

Cheondoong turned in surprise as Chulyong jogged to catch up.  “Why are you following me?” he asked, frowning.

Chulyong looked at him in surprise.  “Wh-To make sure you don’t die!” he said as-a-matter-of-factly, “Hyunwoo-hyung might really kill you.”

“Great,” Cheondoong muttered as he continued his way. 

Chulyong walked quickly to try and keep up.  “Um… you’re Park Cheondoong-sunbaenim, right?” he asked, looking at Cheondoong curiously.  “Everybody knows you at school as the guy that got Hyunwoo-hyung kicked out.”

Cheondoong frowned as the kid chattered beside him.  His mind was full of questions and worries; this kid was distracting him.

“To be honest,” Chulyong said sheepishly, “Hyunwoo-hyung was the first friend I made.  He-He took me under his wing after I moved here from the countryside.”

“Friend?” Cheondoong muttered, “More like boss.”

Chulyong looked at him and scratched his head sheepishly.  “Well, I don’t mind doing stuff for him,” he said, staring at the ground, “He’s… people don’t pick on me because Hyunwoo-hyung’s watching out for me.”  He nodded as if he was trying to convince himself.

“You should be watching out for yourself,” Cheondoong said, glancing at him, “Hyunwoo is a bastard that takes advantage of people’s weaknesses.”

Chulyong looked at him in surprise.  He opened his mouth to refute but quickly closed it.  He contemplated Cheondoong’s words and fell silent.

Thankful for the silence, Cheondoong prepared himself for his confrontation with Hyunwoo.  Approaching the house, he took a deep breath and squared his shoulders.  He pushed all the doubts to the back of his mind as he walked past the fence and up to the front steps.  Taking the door handle, he pushed the door open in one swift motion.

In the blink of an eye, two pairs of hands grabbed his arms and flung him across the foyer of the house.  Tripping against the force, Cheondoong steadied himself and turned to the two guys at the doorway. 

“Who are you?” one guy said, cracking his knuckles, “How’d you find out about this place?”  He took a few steps towards Cheondoong as the second guy followed behind him.

Trying to calm his speeding heart, Cheondoong replied, “I’m looking for Jang Hyunwoo.”  He mentally breathed a sigh of relief when his voice didn’t waver.  “Where is he?” he asked, standing as tall as he could.

The guy growled as he took another menacing step forward.  “Who the … You think you can call Hyungnim by his name?  You little-”

“Oh, it’s Park Cheondoong!”

The three of them looked up as they heard a familiar voice from the top of the stairs.  Cheondoong clenched his jaw and fists as Jang Hyunwoo came down the stairs with a wide grin on his face.

“What a pleasure,” Hyunwoo laughed, holding his arms out, “What brings you here?”

Cheondoong took a deep breath and said quietly, “I… I need a hit.”

Hyunwoo raised his eyebrows as he crossed his arms.  “A hit?” he said, “I thought you were clean after our little scuffle at school.”

Cheondoong leaned against the wall and tried to look calm.  “Yeah well… it’s easier said than done,” he replied, looking up at Hyunwoo.  “ happened and… I’m looking for some good stuff,” he said, “You got any?”

Hyunwoo stared at him as the wheels in his mind turned.  Cheondoong knew he was being evaluated… he just hoped he passed.  After a few moments of silence, Hyunwoo laughed and looked him in the eye.  “Why don’t we cut the bull,” he said lightly, “Tell me what you’re really look for, Park Cheondoong.”

Cheondoong kept his face blank as disappointment hit him.  If that’s how it was going to be… Sighing, he said, “What’s your relationship with Lee Joon?”

The surprise was sincere on Hyunwoo’s face.  It was quickly wiped blank as the wheels turned again.  Cheondoong could almost see his thoughts as Hyunwoo tried to connect the dots.

“What’s it to you?” Hyunwoo replied, smirking, “Is he a friend?”

“That’s what I’m asking you,” Cheondoong scowled, “Why do you know him?”

Hyunwoo gazed at him briefly before his eyes widened.  “Wait a minute,” he said, laughing, “You’re…”  He burst out into laughter as he doubled over.  “I can’t believe I didn’t notice it before!  You guys are identical,” he said, smacking his forehead, “Wow… how did I miss that?”

Cheondoong frowned as he watched Hyunwoo giggle to himself.  What the hell?  Was Hyunwoo taking drugs himself?  It was his policy to deal but never consume.  But how else could his crazy behaviour be explained? 

“I get it,” Hyunwoo said, sighing in contentment, “Go home, Park Cheondoong.  Mind your own business; for your own good.”

“You didn’t answer my question,” Cheondoong growled, taking a step forward.  Out of his peripheral vision, he noticed movement from several places in the room; Hyunwoo’s lackeys were hovering around and ready to jump him on command.

“No,” Hyunwoo replied, his face suddenly solemn, “But you answered mine.  I’ll let you leave alive this time, Park Cheondoong.  Don’t find me again.”  He nodded towards the two door guards as he turned and headed upstairs.

Cheondoong made to follow but the two guys stepped in front of him and cracked their knuckles.  Weighing his options, Cheondoong sighed and turned around.  It wouldn’t help to get beaten senseless, especially when he hadn’t figured anything out yet. 

And what did Hyunwoo mean when he said his question had been answered?  Did he figure something out that Cheondoong didn’t?  What was he talking about when he was doubled over with laughter?  What did he suddenly get?

“That was crazy!  You totally almost got your kicked!”

Cheondoong snapped out of his daze as he realized Chulyong was following him again.  “What?” he asked.

“Didn’t you see?  There were at least twenty of them!” Chulyong said animatedly, “But wow, you stood your ground pretty well…”  His eyes were suddenly shining with admiration.  “So what did you talk about?” he asked, curiosity oozing from his pores.

“None of your business,” Cheondoong scowled, “And what the hell… you were eavesdropping?”

“I couldn’t hear anything,” Chulyong reassured sheepishly.

Cheondoong sighed as the kid continued his aimless chatter.  He was now more confused than before.  And it was clear he wasn’t going to get any kind of information out of Hyunwoo…  One thing was for sure though… Hyunwoo’s surprise when Cheondoong asked him about Joon was sincere.  Which meant that he had no idea Cheondoong knew Joon.  If this was the case, Hyunwoo’s relationship with Joon at least had nothing to do with him…

Cheondoong scratched his head in frustration.  As Chulyong went on and on beside him, he could only shake his head and hope that he was worrying over nothing.

Seungho sat at his computer with his hands hovering over the keyboard.  He glanced at the clock; it was nearly 12:00 AM… Joon would be home soon.

He sighed as he rubbed his temples.  He’d been trying to write a paper for class for the past four hours… he had about a sentence completed.  His mind kept wandering to when he would bump into Joon.  He still hadn’t figured out what to say or do, although he was sure a big fat apology was on the list.  

He couldn’t remember much from his conversation with Byunghee the night before and it hadn’t helped that his hangover had lasted well into the day.  Even now, his head throbbed occasionally when he turned too quickly.  

As for his feelings… he was no closer to reaching an understanding than he had been.  All he knew was that he felt an incredible attraction to the boy and that was something he couldn’t accept.  

Seungho looked up as he heard the door unlock.  His heart raced as he stood.  Phrases and words floated through his mind as he tried to piece together his words.  What should he say first?  Welcome back?  I’m sorry?  Please forgive me?

Joon walked in and kicked off his shoes.  He froze when he realized that Seungho was waiting for him in the living room.  A flurry of emotions flitted across his face before it was carefully wiped blank.

Seungho took a step forward and opened his mouth.  But before he could speak, he was interrupted by Joon.

“Oh, you’re still up?” Joon said in a light voice.  He smiled at Seungho as he closed the door behind him.  “Don’t you have class tomorrow?  You should sleep,” he said, getting a glass of water.

Stunned at his attitude, Seungho closed his mouth and watched as Joon bustled about the room.  He watched Joon enter the bedroom and return with an arm full of pajamas.

“I’m going to take a shower,” Joon said, beaming at him, “You should sleep.”  Without waiting for a response, he walked into the bathroom and closed the door behind him.

Of all the things he’d expected, Seungho had not expected this.  He’d expected tears, anger, and apologies.  He hadn’t expected Joon to act as if nothing had happened.  And strangely enough, this reaction hurt him the most.  He felt a stifling in his chest as he stood in the living room, staring at the closed bathroom door.

Unsure of what to do, Seungho shuffled into the bedroom and stared at the bed.  He came home that afternoon to a messy room.  The covers and the sheets were exactly as they were the night before.  And as he’d cleaned, the smell of and Joon suffocated him.  Sighing, Seungho crawled under the covers and waited.  

Lost in his thoughts, Seungho closed his eyes.  He waited for the shift of weight on the bed as Joon climbed on; he waited for the soft ruffling of the covers as Joon slipped under them; and he waited for the warmth and comforting scent of a freshly showered Joon.  

Opening his eyes suddenly, Seungho glanced at the clock.  His eyes widened as he realized he’d fallen asleep.  It was nearly three in the morning; he’d slept for almost three hours.  He turned to his side and felt his heart sink.  His bedside laid empty.  Sitting up, he slipped out of bed and shuffled quietly out into the hall.

His breath hitched as he saw Joon’s form huddled against the couch as he slept.  Sadness overwhelmed him as he watched the rise and fall of Joon’s chest.  Taking a deep breath, he grabbed covers from the bedroom and gently laid them on top of the boy.  Crouching beside him, Seungho felt his heart in his throat as he noticed the trails of tears on Joon’s wet cheeks.  

Gently, Seungho brushed a thumb over the tears.  He felt a whirlwind of emotions that were suffocating and drowning him.  What should he do?  How could he fix this?  Biting his lips, Seungho sighed.  “I’m sorry,” he murmured, leaning against the couch and placing his head on his arms.  His face was level with Joon’s as he stared at the boys sleeping face.  “I’m so sorry,” he whispered, “I’m so sorry…”

Author's notes:

More Doongie in this chapter!  And the appearance of our beloved maknae!!  Things are so awkward between the boys!  Kekeke!  Thanks for reading and please vote!