“Thanks so much for the ride Mrs. Lee,” Sunggyu smiled at his friend’s mom before turning his attention to said friend.

“I’ll be waiting for my Christmas present!” the currently short haired brunet teased as he shut the trunk of the car.

Sunggyu could only shake his head in amusement as he closed the car door. Jinki pulled the only luggage that the other brought with him. Sunggyu previously sent the majority of his belongings by mail beforehand. He swung the backpack that he carried with him the whole bus ride back from Seoul over his shoulder.

“You spend the whole year with me. If that’s not a gift, I don’t know what is,” Sunggyu said, prompting laughter from the brunet which he followed suit.

“Get going. I think the cold is affecting your brain,” Jinki said between laughter as he pushed the male towards the house.

Sunggyu only laughed, waving goodbye to Mrs. Lee before taking the square luggage and rolling it to his home for the holidays. There was two day old snow covering the front lawn, he could see footsteps in the snow that lead to their driveway and in random patterns all over it, a sign that Jinho and Choonyei played on it. A cold blast of wind made him pull the scarf he was wearing higher to cover his ears.

He only managed to take his keys out when the door to the house was thrown open and he was greeted by a pouting Choonyei. He looked at the second youngest sister before speaking, “I’m home?”

“It’s about time! Yeunja’s been home since Saturday and she’s further!”

“Yeunja doesn’t have any friends,” Sunggyu argued, making Choonyei snicker involuntarily.

“I heard that, jerk!”

“Is Sunggyu back?” he heard Jinho, the youngest sister, ask from somewhere inside the house.

“I am! Choonyei’s not letting me in!” Sunggyu yelled, hoping someone would help him. It was too cold.

“Choon, let your brother in!” they heard their mother yell from the living room.

The dark haired girl glared lightly at her brother before stepping aside, allowing him to enter thanks to their mother, “Either way, it’s Tuesday! School was out Saturday!”

“I was hanging out with some friends. You’re worse than mom,” he complained as he walked to the staircase and set his bags down.

Choonyei always looked up to Sunggyu and now that he was gone for most part of the year, she really looked forward to having him home for the holidays. He would come home during the summer and winter break but sometimes he’d skip out on holidays and they’d see him even less. She just wanted to spend time with her only brother and to see him lose any and all interest in coming home really upset her and Sunggyu knew that. Unfortunately the reasons he didn’t come back were beyond his control, or rather, coming back was always thwarted by a certain someone. He decided to ignore it for now and ventured further into the house to find the rest of the family and greet them. He’d try and make up for it later.

“Ugh, whatever,” Choonyei brushed it off but not before kicking one of Sunggyu’s bags and heading to the kitchen afterward.

“Hi mom! Choonyei’s mad, huh?” he asked as he hugged his mom in greeting, taking a seat soon after.

She was sitting in the living room watching a show.

“Well we were all expecting you to come back Saturday since your last class was Thursday,” his mother said a little pointedly, “I almost thought you were going to be taking winter classes.”

Sunggyu laughed sheepishly, “We were celebrating the end of the year…”

“Right…,” she gave him a side long look before sighing, “I’m glad you’re back safe and sound.”

Sunggyu smiled and leaned in to give his mother a kiss on the cheek before returning to the staircase and taking his coat off.

The days leading up to Christmas were very busy. Sunggyu and Yeunja were constantly on errands. They were sent out to buy ingredients and last minute gifts, they were assigned an obscene amount of presents to wrap, and an obscene amount of presents to send and things were made especially harder to actually do and finish when Dongwoo became a part of the sibling duo.

Dongwoo refused to return to his parent’s house after what happened two years ago. There was no way he could return after what his father told him. Luckily the Kim’s were generous enough to offer their home to him as if he was just another one of their kids. He sometimes went for quick visits to his former home and only when he was sure his father was out. They hadn’t seen or spoken to each other in over two years.

It was Christmas Eve and Sunggyu and Yeunja were currently sitting on the living room floor arranging the last bit of presents under the Christmas tree. Dongwoo went to visit his mom and sisters. They informed him that his father would be getting home later on in the day so he left to see them as soon as possible.

“Ah, even though we get worked to the bone this always ends up being pretty fun,” Yeunja said as she stared up at the twelve foot tree.

“It does. Although I feel like there are a lot more presents than there were last year,” Sunggyu claimed as he stood.

“That’s what happens when a baby joins the family,” Yeunja stated as she too stood up and dusted her jeans off.

“She hasn’t given birth yet.”

His sister laughed, “You can’t blame mom and dad for getting excited over their first grandchild. Besides, what are you complaining about? You bought the kid some stuff too!”

Sunggyu could only offer her a guilty smile before speaking, “Speaking of which, when is everyone getting here? Didn’t they promise to come and help mom?”

“I think we’ll be stuck with dinner duty too,” Yeunja groaned.

Sunggyu grimaced before his attention was taken by Jinho. He heard the doorbell ring and Yeunja calling out that she’d get it before turning back to his younger sister. Jinho asked a question that everyone else was hell bent on asking.

“Is Junho coming this year?”

“He promised me he was. He should be getting here sometime this afternoon,” Sunggyu assured the twelve year old as he glanced at the clock, noting it was already eleven in the morning. There was still time.

Jinho seemed satisfied with the answer and headed towards the foyer so she could get to the kitchen. Sunggyu hoped Junho kept his promise. He already broke quite a few of them.

“It’s been so long!”

Yeunja’s excited voice reached him a few seconds before Jinho’s just as ecstatic voice rang through the house. He hurried to greet the newcomers, wondering who it could be. They were only expecting his sisters. He froze when he peeked into the foyer to see a very familiar face.

A smile stretched across Sunggyu’s lips, “Myungsoo! You came?”

The handsome teen, who was now ending his high school years, smiled at him before going in for a hug. Sunggyu asked the male to come, just like he did the two years before, but he never showed up to anything. He was expecting the same outcome this year. He wondered what triggered his acceptance of the invitation this time.

“I brought someone else with me…” the male said as he turned. Sunggyu watched as Hoya opened the door.The older male gave Myungsoo a skeptical look before he noticed the person that came in behind him.

“Woohyun!!” Yeunja exclaimed in excitement as the older and just as handsome brother walked in much more tentatively.

It was almost impossible to describe the jolt he felt in his chest the moment he caught sight of the male he hadn’t seen in over two years. It triggered emotions he thought were past him, but seeing him completely dissolved the lock he placed over them and slammed opened the door to have them flood him all at once. He was just as handsome, if not more so than what he remembered, and was dressed much more smartly. Dress shoes replaced his expensive sneakers, dress slacks took over the jeans he wore all the time, and an undone double ed overcoat donned his torso that was covered with a pretty blue, button up long sleeve shirt. Myungsoo was dressed similarly, the only difference being the color of his shirt and the design of the coat.

He wasn’t sure if his emotions showed on his face but the moment the male turned to look at him, Sunggyu turned away and headed into the kitchen out of sight.

“Okay, I get it, you’re not excited to see me but this is just rude,” Hoya complained as the girls flanked Woohyun, choosing to ignore him.

Sunggyu thought he got over how Woohyun left so suddenly and without a proper goodbye, but he was dead wrong and it was stronger than his joy to see him after so long. They were supposed to be friends and he didn’t know if he had any right to be mad and he didn’t care because he just was.

“Who is it?” his mom asked as she looked up from the batter she was pouring into a series of pans.

“Hoya. He brought Woohyun and Myungsoo,” he answered.

“What?! Oh my—Sunggyu, pour the rest of them in the pans they’re ready to throw into the oven afterward!” she said quickly as she took her apron off and threw it on the kitchen table as she headed off to see the three males.

Sunggyu glared towards the entryway lightly before sighing and going to the pantry to reach for a clean red apron. He could hear the commotion move to the living room and he breathed easily as he tied the strings behind his back. He checked the stove to make sure it was preheated before continuing the task his mother left him.

‘Please let them be distracted enough…’ he pleaded silently, hoping no one went to pester him.

“Hey!” Yeunja whispered loudly. Sunggyu could only close his eyes in annoyance. It was just so like her to do exactly what he didn’t want her to.

“What?” he asked curtly, not turning to look at her.

“You’re not gonna go say ‘hi’?”

He shot her a glare, worthy of scaring anyone off, and she seemed to realize that it was probably not a good idea to press the matter. However, she was never one to give up so easily.

“Be the bigger person!”

Sunggyu nearly rolled his eyes, “Don’t give me that crap. I’m pretty sure I’m the bigger person anyway,” he said as he moved to the third pan, crinkling the foil that was sitting under it to catch any leaks before pouring the remaining batter.

“He hasn’t grown much, has he?” she played along, hoping to lighten her brother’s less than pleasant mood.

“Hardly. He looks like a dwarf next to Myungsoo.”

A weakly muffled laugh caught both of the sibling’s attention and Sunggyu’s eyes opened wide in surprise. Myungsoo was standing at the threshold listening to them. Yeunja’s laugh resounded throughout the whole house as Sunggyu tried to shush her, trying to keep himself from blushing.

“I didn’t know you felt so strongly, Gyu.”

“Pretend you didn’t hear that,” Sunggyu said as he finished his assigned task.

“The dwarf part or not going to say hi?”

Sunggyu stopped for a moment to glance at the male, deciding to not answer. Myungsoo sighed, sparing Yeunja a glance before speaking again, “I don’t blame you… He deserves it.”

“I’ll say,” he stated dully, pulling the oven door open to place the cheesecakes in to bake.

Yeunja bit her lip as she watched her brother place them in properly before closing the oven door. She turned her attention to Myungsoo before shaking her head, letting him know that there wasn’t much that she could do to get her older brother to greet Woohyun. Sunggyu was one stubborn man.

“Where’s Dongwoo?” Myungsoo decided to change the subject.

“He’s visiting his mom. He’ll be back soon,” he answered before gathering all the dirty dishes left behind and dumping them in the sink. He weighed his options and decided he’d wash them as well. His mom would give him an earful if he left them in the empty sink.

Yeunja gave Myungsoo a shrug before exiting the kitchen and heading towards the living room again, leaving both guys in the room. There was a moment of silence in which the clattering of the dishes was the only sound. It stretched out to a point where Myungsoo was feeling awkward before he decided to move forward.

“Are you mad at me?”

“…No, I’m not. I wasn’t even expecting you to show up actually.” Much less with your brother in tow, he thought with a small pout. He invited him the last two times as well, but the younger Nam brother always refused.

As luck would have it, the Nam’s hometown was actually Seoul. He managed to keep in touch with Myungsoo because unlike his brother, he didn’t turn away from him. They actually saw each other every so often since being in the same city allowed them too. Myungsoo was quite familiar with everything that was going on in Sunggyu’s life and vice versa. It became an unspoken norm to avoid any conversation involving his brother, although sometimes some things slipped from Myungsoo’s lips. Sunggyu however, would continue on with the conversation, as if he hadn’t heard anything. He did wonder if he came off as pathetic, pretending that the other never existed. The younger Nam brother never said anything about the matter and for that he was grateful.

“Is it really so bad?”

The brunette sighed, “I…I don’t know,” something definitely hurt but he wasn’t sure what or why. He was angry as soon as he saw his face, but now all that he felt was an ache in his chest. To have someone he loved so much turn away so suddenly and without a word… He wanted to say so many things to him and at the same time he wanted to forget it all.

He wasn’t the one who owed an apology.

Myungsoo didn’t say anything else on the matter and instead changed the subject, “Is he coming?”

Another hefty sigh escaped Sunggyu as he set aside the last dish and closed the tap water. He was referring to Junho, “I honestly don’t know, but I’ve made up my mind… Anyway, still single? No one to kiss under the mistletoe this year again?”

“I have you this year,” Myungsoo teased as he wrapped an arm around the older male’s shoulders.

Sunggyu laughed, “Since when did you get so bold? Where’s my shy little Myungsoo?”

The shorter brunet laughed as he tried to pull away from Myungsoo’s grip, his puckered lips trying to land a kiss on his cheek. After unsuccessfully pulling at the younger male’s hands he somehow managed to slip away, laughing loudly at the other’s disappointed pout and managing to put some distance between them.

“I’ll get you, Gyu,” Myungsoo promised, presumably about to go after him until he noticed movement by the door.

They both stopped what they were doing when they noticed it was Yeunja with Woohyun. Sunggyu quickly undid his apron ties and removed it, throwing it across the back of a chair (he was using the kitchen table as an obstacle) before leaving the kitchen and not giving the man he passed a second glance. He was aware of the eerie silence he left behind as he climbed up the stairs to head to his room.

Sunggyu didn’t know how much time passed when he heard a knock at his door. He was playing a video game in order to distract himself. He laid in bed for a few minutes but quickly became frustrated with himself at everything that came to mind before deciding that any kind of mindlessness would be better than his own thoughts at the moment.

“Yeah?” he asked.

“It’s me,” Dongwoo’s muffled voice answered.

“Oh, come in.”

The door opened to let his closest friend in and he wasted no time to engage him in small talk, “How’s your mom?”

“She’s fine. She did cry again though. I guess she still sees me as her baby despite my age,” he joked, sitting on the floor with his back against the bed. Sunggyu was laying on his stomach on the mattress.

“Well, you are the baby,” Sunggyu reasoned, “and your sisters?”

“They’re doing well,” it was a short answer and Sunggyu knew what was coming next, “Why are Woohyun and Myungsoo downstairs?”

“…I invited Myungsoo and… well I didn’t exactly expect for him to be a packaged deal,” the brunet explained.

“They were always together. Although I didn’t think Woohyun would ever come back.”

Sunggyu only grumbled as a response. He was kind of hoping he’d never have to see him again, as childish as it was. Woohyun hurt him quite deeply and he was starting to realize how deep those wounds were, if he went by his reaction after seeing him. He hated it when he realized Woohyun grew even more incredibly handsome. He hated it even more when he couldn’t keep his heart from skipping a beat before going into overdrive as if to make up for it. But he would never admit to it. He would refuse it.

“Come on. Don’t let it ruin the mood. It’s Christmas Eve and all your sisters are downstairs now too. You’re the only weirdo hiding out in your room,” Dongwoo chastised lightly as he got up.

“Do I have to?” Sunggyu asked, trying to buy time.

“Yes. Let’s go.”

He pouted as he stood as well, tossing the console controller on the bed and following the shorter male out of their shared bedroom. It was going to be hard to ignore the stupidly handsome older Nam brother.

When they headed downstairs, everyone was gathered in the living room. The conversations were plenty but they gradually ended up breaking up into smaller groups. The living room didn’t have enough seats for 11 full grown adults. A handful gathered in the dining room, another amount gathered in the kitchen and the rest shared the living room with the two younger Kim siblings that were watching T.V.

Sunggyu was in the small group in the dining room with Dongwoo, Aecha, Dongjun (Aecha’s husband) and Mr. Kim. They were seated sporadically around the ten chairs that surrounded the long table. Sunggyu was seated on the left, with a view into the living room. Dongwoo was standing by the threshold into the living room while Aecha and her husband were sitting on the right with Mr. Kim sitting next to Sunggyu. The conversation mostly revolved around Aecha, her pregnancy, and how she got the strangest cravings at the worst possible times. Dongjun was on a story telling spree.

“She made herself a peanut butter banana sandwich smothered in whipped cream a few weeks ago. We didn’t have bananas or peanut butter so I had to run to the closest mart at two in the morning in the middle of the snow apocalypse!” Dongjun explained in mock exasperation.

“She doesn’t even like bananas!” Sunggyu exclaimed.

“I know!” Dongjun agreed, “But tell me why the next morning she was making herself a banana and mayonnaise sandwich!”

Dongwoo and Sunggyu made faces as they pretended to judge her. She would only dismiss them with a wave of her hand, as if that would stop them. That wasn’t to say they weren’t completely confused as to why she would want such a bizarre combination.

Mr. Kim only chuckled, “Mrs. Kim actually craved the same thing when she was pregnant with Aecha. She doesn’t like mayo that much but she would eat those sandwiches all day.”

“That actually makes me feel a little better,” Dongjun sighed a little dramatically, earning an elbow to the rib courtesy of his wife, causing light chuckles.

“This is only your first one, son. I had to live through seven.”

“Dad, you’re an inspiration to us all,” Sunggyu joked, “Girls, our dad’s a superhero,” he yelled across the house, catching Yeunja and Woohyun’s attention.

“What are you guys going on about?” Yeunja asked as she approached the dining room.

“About your mom and Aecha’s weird food cravings,” Dongwoo supplied.

Sunggyu glanced at Woohyun when he approached the open doors as well, his attention on Dongjun. He began to tell another one of his misadventures as he was trying to supply his wife’s supposed unreasonable demands when he felt Dongwoo whisper in his ear.

“I see you.”

“What?” he asked as quietly as he could.

“How many glances have you thrown his way?” Dongwoo returned just as quietly.

Sunggyu felt his face heat up as he got up quietly, so as not to attract too much attention, “Shut up,” he said as he dragged Dongwoo towards the back of the dining room, “So now I’m not allowed to look at him?”

“That’s not what I’m saying. But with how obvious both of you are, I’m surprised you—” he stopped abruptly, as if he had been caught telling a lie.

“What?” Sunggyu asked, perturbed by the sudden silence.

Dongwoo merely raised his brows in mock innocence and pretended to avoid the other’s gaze in a playful manner before changing the subject completely, “Is Junho even coming? It’s getting late.”

Sunggyu’s lips frowned lightly as he was reminded. He didn’t received any message or call of any kind to let him know he was even on his way and it was already five o’clock. The brunet only shrugged, unable to provide an answer. It was just his luck that his phone finally went off.

“That’s probably him,” he said as he pulled the device out of his pocket. He showed Dongwoo the caller ID that definitely showed a picture of said male. He took a deep breath before answering, “Hey! We were just talking about you. Are you here already?”

Dongwoo watched as Sunggyu’s smile slowly disappeared from his face.

“Oh,” he glanced at his best friend before leaving the living room and heading toward the back of the house on the other side of the dining room, into his parent’s home office.

It used to be a room used for storage. The Kim’s accumulated a lot of baby furniture and useless items through the years and decided to store them there since they didn’t have a use for the modestly sized room until a few months ago when his father was promoted to supervisor.

“Yeah… I swear I tried to get out of it but…I can’t make it. We were just given a new assignment and I can’t afford to lose the practice time with the guys. I’m sorry. I know I promised. I’m really sorry.”

Sunggyu should have grown immune to being disappointed with date after date being delayed last minute and being made to wait just to cancel everything in the end anyway.

He sighed loudly, “Stop saying you’re sorry. I’m tired of it. The only times you manage to spare for me always end up with your excuses and apologies,” he said as he closed the door behind him. He was aware that his voice sounded tired and sad but that’s exactly what his relationship with Junho turned into.

When they started dating, things went amazingly well for the first few months. Every time they both had a break from school they’d meet up and go out. Sunggyu headed to Seoul for his college of choice around February and it became even easier to see each other. They went on dates quite often and every moment they could they spent it together. It was enjoyable.

Everything went downhill so quickly after Junho graduated. He no longer had time to meet him, his texts became few and far between and Sunggyu was stood up time and time again.

It wasn’t that Sunggyu didn’t try. He tried again and again, adjusting his own schedule to match Junho’s. He would skip going home on holidays in hopes of seeing him if only for a day or even a few hours. He would delay his return home if it was an extended holiday and not even that was enough.

“…I’m so sorry.”

The brunet ignored it, “So you’re really not coming?”

“…No…”

Sunggyu sighed yet again, letting his head drop back to focus on the light fixture on the ceiling. It felt like there was not much to think about when he was angry. He knew that if he thought about it too much he’d regret it. He made his decision firm after days and days of thinking. If Junho cancelled this time, he’d end it. He wasn’t going to be okay always being put second.

“You know something?”

“…What?” It was weary. Sunggyu could note the uncertainty of that single word but he decided to ignore that too. He couldn’t let himself linger on things that didn’t matter anymore.

“I think…,” another deep breath, “I think we should break up,” his voice was steady but he certainly didn’t expect the swirl of emotions that settled at the pit of his stomach as the words left his mouth. The idea crossed his mind a few times but he seriously started considering it about a few weeks ago. Luckily he wasn’t abandoned completely. He still had Myungsoo who kept him company and distracted him when he would get too down. Myungsoo was the one to make him see reason and after talking with Dongwoo he was sure about his decision.

Junho was on a path that would thrive under the spotlight and Sunggyu would have no place there. The brunet knew it from the very beginning. He knew it before they started dating, but he took a chance anyway, hoping that Junho truly proved that he loved him, but as it was, it felt like he was only in the way.

“What…?” Junho asked. His voice became quiet in disbelief.

“This way I’m not waiting for someone that will never show up and you can fully concentrate on you.”

Sunggyu heard the door to the study open and he turned in alarm, relaxing when he realized it was Dongwoo.

“You can’t be serious, Sunggyu.”

“But I am. You just don’t have time for me anymore. This, what we have...,” he stopped, his voice began to shake. The only thing he could remember was being left alone, waiting for him to never show up. Is that what their relationship came to? “I just…! …I don’t want to date someone who’s never there!”

“I thought you knew this was gonna take up most of my time!” Junho yelled in return, “When I talked to you about this I made sure to tell you!”

“You know what else you told me? That you’d make time for me! When was the last time you actually made it on time?! Hell,when was the last time you actually showed up?!” Sunggyu could feel his anger bubbling and the sting of tears forming in the corner of his eyes, “You didn’t want to give up that dream even though you said you weren’t gonna go through with it! I supported you because I couldn’t be so selfish! This is why…!”

A moment of silence never sounded so louder than at that moment, “Sunggyu…”

“This is why…,” Sunggyu wiped away at the tears that were falling, controlling his voice to make it sound steady and sure, “It’s over.”

“No, Sunggyu…,” he could hear the pleading quake in Junho’s voice that he could only guess he was trying to control, but Sunggyu wasn’t going to falter.

“We’re done. Thank you for everything.”

“No! Sunggyu, wai—”

The brunet ended the call and let his hand fall limply to his side. He could feel a tightening in his chest. It hurt to hear Junho sound so desperate. It hurt, but things couldn’t keep going the way they were. He wasn’t going to be the only one putting in effort when Junho didn’t even try. Love wasn’t forged by only one sided effort. It took two to make a relationship work, and he realized it became one-sided a long while ago.

Dongwoo wrapped his arms around the taller male and buried his face in his back. Sunggyu smiled warmly and placed a hand above the shorter male’s. His other hand wiped away at the remnants of sadness on his face, hoping his eyes didn’t turn red.

“Are you okay?” the shorter male asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine…” he sniffed, “We should head back and tell my mom,” Sunggyu tried when the other wasn’t letting him go.

He heard a sniffle and he couldn’t help the amused sigh that escaped him, “Why are you crying?”

“I’m not crying!” Dongwoo claimed as he let go of the other. He wasn’t, but his eyes were rimmed with unshed tears, “It’s just… it’s sad. After everything that happened between you two…”

“Let’s not get too into this,” Sunggyu said quickly as he turned the other to usher him out the door before stopping, “Wait, we should probably go wash our faces. You still look like you’re gonna cry.”

“Right,” the shorter male agreed and sniffed again.

“Okay,” Sunggyu nodded before stopping Dongwoo for the second time, “Also, don’t mention what happened to anyone, okay? The last thing I need is pity.”

“Got it. My lips are sealed.”

“Mom!” Sunggyu called out as he stepped into the kitchen.

Mrs. Kim, Haneul, Hoya and Myungsoo looked up from the kitchen table as the brunet walked in but he didn’t pay anyone other than his mom attention.

“Junho just called to let me know he’s not making it. So we can start dinner whenever you want.”

“What? Oh no. He’s already on his way, right? We could wait a little longer until he gets here,” she tried to negotiate.

“Actually, he’s still in Seoul. He said something came up and he couldn’t cancel it,” he explained.

“Well that’s unfortunate,” she said sadly before standing.

“Yeah, he’s gonna miss out on some delicious food.”

His mother laughed as she took her son by the shoulders and led him towards the cupboards, “So let’s start setting up the dinner table!”

Sunggyu purposefully ignored the scowl that took over Myungsoo’s features when he relayed the news. If there was one person he would be unable to fool, it would be him.

Dinner was lively. There was no shortage of laughter and stories to tell. Yeunja needed to squeeze onto the table. She didn’t want to be stuck eating dinner with her younger sisters in the living room. She wanted to be a part of the commotion as well.

“Did I ever tell you how I met Jiyeol?”

There was a collective sigh from the siblings as they rolled their eyes, playfully making a scene. Their father was talking about how he met his wife and while they heard it a million times before, some of their guests hadn’t.

“Well, it was during the Sori Festival in the old hanok village. She was one of the performers on stage during the pansori. There were three girls but Jiyeol was the prettiest out of all three and she had the most beautiful voice.”

“Ohh, now I see where Gyu gets his talent from,” Dongwoo announced loudly, making Sunggyu turn red as the attention turned to him.

“Oh! Remember that time during the pool party! That was the only time he sang in front of a crowd!” Yeunja exclaimed excitedly.

“We should have a Christmas version of that,” Hoya added, enjoying the squirming of his friend, “But Sunggyu should be the only singer.”

He glared at Hoya but rushed to keep his dad talking, “Aren’t you gonna tell them how pretty mom was in her hanbok?”

“Oh right! She was beautiful!” his father continued.

He glanced around the table and was glad that the attention was diverted except for one particular Nam. Their eyes met briefly before Sunggyu chose to ignore it as he turned his attention to his father’s story.

“Like a lone red rose in a sea of white lilies. It was simple times back then. Our entertainment was music festivals with traditional music and pretty girls in hanboks. Now you kids go all crazy with that hip-hop stuff and half- people on stage.”

That caused a roar of laughter to rise.

“You’re not young and cool anymore dad!” Yeunja playfully chastised.

There was light banter between everyone as they finished up dinner. Mrs. Kim was unsure if anyone would have room for dessert but at the mention of something sweet to wash down the delicious dinner with, there were no complaints. Haneul and Sunggyu volunteered to help bring the treats as Dongwoo and Yeunja helped to pick up the dirty plates left from dinner itself. Sunggyu took on the task of cutting the cheesecake into eight pieces. His sister brought over the smaller plates and gathered the silverware. Mrs. Kim brought over the strawberry glaze she prepared the day before. They worked together efficiently. Sunggyu would place a piece on a plate and his mom would decorate the sweet pie with glaze as Haneul added a bit of chocolate syrup.

The compliments made Mrs. Kim smile wide as they finally began to serve them.

“Is this what you were baking earlier?” Myungsoo asked as Haneul set a plate in front of him.

“Yeah, that’s it.”

“Oh, great… Sunggyu baked,” Hoya said warily as he looked at the plate that said male set in front of him.

“Excuse you, I merely poured it into the pans and placed them in the oven.”

Sunggyu accused Hoya with his mother when the look of mistrust didn’t leave his face. Hoya quickly apologized as he pushed Sunggyu’s hand away. He was going to take his precious dessert from him!

When Sunggyu returned with the last plate in hand he realized what his sister did. She purposefully didn’t give Woohyun one. He held in the sigh and instead approached the male without making a fuss before placing the dessert in front of him.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome,” he answered automatically before he turned around to head back to the kitchen and store what was left of the cheesecake.

He heard a loud commotion, created by his sisters nonetheless, as he left the dining room. He was left to wonder what it was, even though he had an idea. He finally spoke his first few words to Woohyun. He felt his face grow warm. His sisters were ridiculous sometimes.

However, to his sister’s dismay, those were the only words that were directed his way for the rest of the day. They remained in the dining room, making conversation and catching up with each other. It wasn’t until Sunggyu grew uninterested in where the topics headed that he stood and began to gather all the dirty dessert plates. He gathered a few that he could carry comfortably before taking them to the kitchen. He merely groaned when he saw the previous dishes soaking in water.

“I’m using the dishwasher,” he grumbled before setting the plates aside and beginning to do just that.

Myungsoo entered the kitchen a few moments later, placing the plates he brought with him on the counter as he watched the other work. Sunggyu glanced up and smiled at the male.

“Did you want some more?”

“Hm? Oh, no thanks.”

“You sure? If you’re thirsty you can get what you want from the fridge. You know this is your house.”

“Thanks.”

Neither said anything else as Sunggyu clinked around the plates, glasses, and silverware. Sunggyu knew that Myungsoo didn’t move from his spot. He was suspecting the younger Nam brother had something he wanted to ask him but was thinking of a way to do it, and he knew it had everything to do with Junho. He closed the dishwasher and started the wash cycle before turning to the male with hands on his hips, surprising him.

“What is it? I know something’s bothering you.”

The handsome teen stared at him unflinchingly, studying his features before finally speaking, “Junho—”

“Ugh, time for us to find something to do!” Yeunja declared loudly. It sounded like she was right by the doorway, “But I’m so full.”

Myungsoo decided to keep his mouth shut as Sunggyu’s younger sister came into view, “What are you two doing?”

Sunggyu was a little grateful for the interruption. He didn’t want to talk about what happened yet and there wouldn’t be enough privacy to do it comfortably anyway. He turned around to start placing the dishes that were used for dessert in the sink to soak as well.

“Washing dishes,” Sunggyu provided.

“Fun,” the girl stated, sarcasm evident, “By the way Myungsoo, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you.”

“What is it?”

“How many hearts have you broken over in Seoul since you left?”

Sunggyu listened with a smile on his lips. Myungsoo was going to be Yeunja’s next target. He figured she got all the information she wanted out of Woohyun already and was proceeding to extract what Myungsoo was up to for the past two and a half years. It’s not that the brunet never updated the girls on what was going on with him, he just condensed it and left out the details.

“What?”

“Oh come on, don’t think I don’t know about the handful of girls you abandoned when you left!”

Sunggyu finished his task and turned, “That’s right! Do you know the headaches that caused? They wouldn’t stop following me around and asking me where you went. It was a nightmare.”

“Not to mention Mr. Heartbreaker over there,” Yeunja pointed towards the threshold. Woohyun was standing there, on the other side. He didn’t enter the kitchen. “There were hordes of girls demanding to know where their precious Woohyun had gone to and why he hadn’t told anyone he was leaving.”

“It was quite a commotion at school,” Sunggyu agreed.

“What happened to, uh… that girl? The one that you punched?” Woohyun asked out of curiosity. She was the one giving the Kim’s a hard time after all and he wanted to know what happened.

Sunggyu’s obvious eye roll and sigh made the two brothers raise their brows in question.

Yeunja’s forced laugh was a cause for concern, “When school started up again she was going around spreading rumors that the reason why you left was because you got someone pregnant. That someone was supposedly me.”

“What?!” he asked in shock.

“Apparently she knew you spent a lot of time with us. Plus she was convinced we were…” she made an obscene gesture with her hands, causing the brother’s to laugh, “you know... She tried to slander my name as much as she could and made the last few months of my Junior year miserable. God knows she gave me a really hard time but she never confronted me directly. Everyone was convinced I fought like a guy.”

“What did she do?” Woohyun asked, intrigued by the new information.

She remained thoughtful for a moment before speaking, “Well… You remember Dojoon?” she asked, waiting for the nods that confirmed it, “We actually ended up dating for a while, maybe a month, before I found out he… that he cheated on me with Gyuri, from the start,” she sighed sadly.

Sunggyu remembered that day very well. He had never seen his sister so heartbroken. She cried all afternoon and they couldn’t do anything about it. Sunggyu would have punched the guy himself, but was rather pleased when he saw the scene unfold earlier in the day right after classes in front of the school. That “Woohyun Punch” as they all dubbed it eventually, also put Dojoon in his place.

“Hoya was furious when he found out. I mean we all were, but he also gave him a piece of his mind… Let’s just say he added to the bruise Yeunja gave him,” Sunggyu explained.

“So yeah, that happened…,” the Kim sister said with a sigh before shaking her head in an attempt to dispel those thoughts, “Anyway,do you have a girlfriend?” Yeunja asked, changing the subject completely.

The brunet could only shake his head at his sister’s invasive question. Despite being incredibly handsome, Myungsoo was quiet and intense. He was attractive and a little scary even though he didn’t mean to be. It was just his personality to be reserved and a bit serious. That’s how Sunggyu and the rest of the Kim’s got to know him. It did take a while to break the shell, but once broken through, he was a funny, cheerful, and passionate friend. He saved those parts of himself for people who gained his trust. Sunggyu was lucky enough to meet his closest friends, a tall kid a year older than Myungsoo named Sungyeol and another kid a year younger named Sungjong. Sunggyu got to know them and he considered them friends as well. It made the brunet proud to see the shy kid from two years ago slowly opening up.

“But you have someone you like at least, right? I mean, come on, a smile and maybe even a hello will have them at your feet,” Yeunja tried to persuade half-jokingly.

“Like I’m sure you have all the guys at college,” Woohyun said teasingly.

“Uh, excuse you, I can’t. I have a boyfriend. He’d get jealous,” Sunggyu’s sister said, brushing off the comment but making Woohyun and Sunggyu laugh.

“Shut up, Woohyun. You don’t have a girlfriend either,” the long haired girl pouted, “What are you guys doing wrong?”

The brunet was surprised to hear such news and he turned to look at the male. He watched as the other shifted uncomfortably and avoided meeting Sunggyu’s careful eyes.

“We don’t need girlfriends. Besides, didn’t you just get a boyfriend this year?” Myungsoo asked.

“I was waiting for the right one!” she defended.

“Can’t we do the same?”

“You guys are surprisingly passive about this. But I can agree with that. If I ever find out a girl plays with either of you two, I will tear her a new one.”

Myungsoo smiled and shook his head.

“How come you never said that to me?” Sunggyu complained as he crossed his arms.

“Because Junho’s a great guy. He knows better,” she reasoned.

The brunet’s playful smile slowly faded. He didn’t meet Myungsoo’s gaze, preferring to redirect the conversation, “So when are we meeting your boyfriend?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I want to make sure it’s serious before I go introducing him to everyone, you know? It’ll be a year in May! So maybe sometime aft—”

Sunggyu didn’t pay much attention to what she said, taking in the new information that he heard. Woohyun didn’t have a girlfriend? There was no way he didn’t have one in the past two years. So many were vying for his attention when he was living in Jeonju so he didn’t see why that wouldn’t multiply in the big city.

“You know, I think Myungsoo suspects something’s up,” Sunggyu said into the dark room.

It was past midnight and their guests left only an hour or so ago. Everyone retired to their rooms not long after. It was a long, tiring day and after a nice hot shower, Sunggyu was laying on a yo on the floor. He lost a quick game of rock-paper-scissors and so Dongwoo claimed the bed.

“Yeah, he cornered me and asked me about it. I just told him it wasn’t my place to say.”

The brunet sighed, “I guess I’ll tell him tomorrow…”

“He really cares about you, doesn’t he?” Dongwoo asked as he shifted on the bed to turn towards the male on the floor, “You don’t think he likes you, do you?”

“What?!” Sunggyu asked, almost scandalized, “Of course not! I’m like his older brother! I do care for him a lot too, but it’s a different kind of affection. Like what I have for you, and Hoya. Besides, he knew what was going on between Junho and I… he’s probably just worried,” he tried to explain.

“You’re right. I forgot that he knew about it.”

“Yeah. I’ll definitely tell him tomorrow,” Sunggyu stated as he sighed.

“So I heard Woohyun doesn’t have a girlfriend,” Dongwoo said teasingly in an attempt to liven up the mood.

The brunet snorted, “So?”

“Aw, come on. Don’t tell me it didn’t make you at least a tiny bit happy?” his best friend tried to coax.

There was a moment of silence and he was hoping Dongwoo couldn’t see the smile that was tugging at his lips involuntarily, “…Maybe.”

The shorter male laughed quietly, but loud enough for his friend to hear, “You still like him, huh?”

Sunggyu sighed. It was amazing how a simple exhale of breath could convey so many things. It sounded wistful, happy, excited, hopeless, conflicted... There was no denying that seeing Woohyun awakened feelings he was hell bent on forgetting, and that he somehow managed to forget for a while. He his stomach and buried his face in the pillow, hoping to keep himself contained. That strong affection he felt for the younger man started bubbling up inside him the single moment he laid his eyes on him again. He was hoping Junho would show up so that he could reaffirm his affection for said man, but that didn’t happen. His emotions clashed and the sadness he felt for realizing he was unable to love Junho with the intensity he was feeling for Woohyun two years later made him feel like a complete , like he lied to Junho all the time they were together.

His next words were muffled but clearly understood, “I don’t want to. I really don’t want to but I can’t help it…,” he lifted his face from the pillow to look at Dongwoo and sniffed, “And I feel like because I just broke up with Junho and I’m already like this.”

Dongwoo climbed off the bed the moment Sunggyu’s voice started to sound thick, “Don’t cry,” he soothed as he wiped away the tears he could see.

“I’m a terrible person for feeling this way, for treating the relationship I had with Junho like it meant nothing. I’m sad but I’m so happy.”

The shorter male shook his head, “No. I know you loved him. We all knew. I could see it in the way you looked at him, how you spoke of him. You did love him,” he tried to console, “But do you remember when you first told me that speaking to Junho just upset you? When you stopped trying to arrange meeting up with him? When you first started feeling like you were the only one putting in effort? Those feelings just disappeared. And it happens. Junho did absolutely nothing to keep you happy. He stopped putting you first, he stopped calling you, he stopped seeing you, he stopped showing you he cared. I don’t blame you for that at all. And it’s not like it happened from one day to the next. It’s been months…”

Sunggyu’s sigh came out shaky and he nodded.

“Besides,” Dongwoo continued, “you never really get over your first love.”

The brunet groaned and buried his face in his pillow again. Dongwoo only smiled as he his hair.