I wasn't quite sure of how it happened. After so many years, we were back in  each other's company. I still didn't believe that Kris resorted to teaching just because he 'felt' like retiring from professional basketball, but as we both took down shots of soju; I was just glad that I even had him in the first place.

"You really thought that I was going to propose to you right there and then...?" Kris' eyes began to get hazy, what a light weight. Tsk.

"Pshhh" I tried to hide my embarassment. Seriously, who returns out of the blue, especially when a certain promise is about to hit its expiry date,

"You think that all this time I was just waiting for you to come back? Wow Kris. Your ego is as tall as you" I joked, but a sense of seriousness lingered,

The samgyupsal restaurant was bustling at this time of night. It was late enough to make sure that students wouldn't randomly come across the two of us and assume the worst.

"Fine... You got me" Kris took a deep breath, "I'm getting old and... I don't want to end up alone"

Oh no. Please no. Don't tell me that I'm the reason. Please-

"What happened to Hyoyeon?" I remembered his ex. How could I forget? It was all over the news.

"Eh... I mean...." He began to stumble with his words, the alcohol getting to his head, "She didn't want anything but... yknow"

"No I don't know" I teased, as the frustration crept onto his face, "Tell me"

Slumping, Kris rolled his eyes,

"____-ah" He whined, "You know what it is... you know... the physical stuff"

"I was just confirming" I replied, before taking one last shot, "Ah... and you think you'll find the right one, back here?"

Kris silenced in the midst of the busy restaurant, as if he was in deep thought or even deep regret about this decision,

"I don't think so" He admitted, ruffling his hair, "I know-"

"-_____?"

Before Kris could finish his sentence, a hand tugged me at my shoulder despite the fact that I was seated, I turned around to see the one and only Choi Minho, my ex, with an eyebrow raised at both me and Kris.

I swear I got rid of him months ago when I dumped him, just by the Han River. Don't get me wrong, Minho was great, even perfect- at times. But it came to the point where he would turn up to the school or my apartment, expecting that I'd always be in the mood to hang out, eat and do... stuff. He got away with it halfway through our first year together; I mean, how could I not resist that charm but it wore off and I didn't find him charming me any more.

"Oh, Minho" I glanced at him with sharpened eyes, "Funny seeing you here"

 Without another word, he had bagged himself a seat beside me at the table, even serving himself his own glass of soju before refilling my shot glass,

"I'd say the same" Minho finally replied, ignoring Kris' presence, "But it's not that funny when you're with another guy"

Snatching the bottle from his grasp, I shifted towards the other side, away from Minho as his deep scent of perfume began to stick to my dress,

"This isn't the right place" I warned him, "You should go"

Snaking his arm around my shoulders to get back closer to me, Minho grinned,

"But I can't help myself when I miss you" He said so cheesily, I almost choked.

"Just go" Kris slammed his fist onto the table making the utensils jump, just as I did. I hadn't seen Kris that way before.  I had to admit that the look in his eyes made my heart skip a beat in that moment,

"Woah, who asked for your input?" Minho tightened his hold around me, "It's between the both of us, not you, Kris"

There had always been this tension between Minho and Kris considering that we all went to school at the same time. Kris didn't approve of Minho, even as a person alone whilst Minho always saw Kris as some sort of competition, despite the fact that we never even stepped beyond the line of close friends.

"She got rid of you for a reason" Kris sighed, "____ won't take you back, no matter how much you try"

I tried to hold in my laughter at Kris' brutal honesty but as I felt Minho's hand squeeze my arm, I knew that it wasn't the right time to have a giggling fit.

"Why are you suddenly speaking up?" Minho questioned him, "Don't tell me... You've got it in for my ____?"

"Yah!" I jerked away from his hold, slapping his arm, "Don't go saying these sort of things"

Ignoring but also taking what I had said into thought, Minho shook his head before rising from his seat, 

"I've missed you"

He gave me one last glance before grabbing his jacket from the chair. Minho didn't even bother to look once more to Kris, as he headed out of the restaurant, leaving the both of us annoyed and bewildered at the same time.

"I'm sorry" 

Kris and I slowly walked towards my place, the streetlights shining the way home. He was calm as we took light steps, making sure we wouldn't stumble with our light heads.

"What for?" Kris asked honestly, taking a stop in the path till I realised, and turned back to face him, as he stood with his hands in his coat,

"Minho" I kept myself from shuddering at the mention of his name, "He gets out of hand"

I didn't expect Kris to chuckle or even crack a smile, but he did and for some reason, it had caused me to do so too. The next thing you know, we were both laughing in the midst of the late night that was becomimg early morning.

He wiped a tear of joy from his eye then took a step closer towards me, taking me by my right arm to get me to face him.

"You don't get this sort of drama when playing ball 24/7" Kris smiled, taking his scarf and wrapping it around my cold neck, "It's been an interesting night and not in the way I usually expect it to happen"

"Really?" I returned a smile and thanked him for his scarf as we began to reach the front stairs of my place, "I guess that's a good thing"

"It is" 

As I took the few steps up, I turned around to say one last good night to Kris, not even realising that we were completely face to face as our heights matched with the help of the steps.

"I know I made the right decision" Kris squeezed my hand, "If it works out how I planned, or not. The best way to start, is back home.. where my heart is"

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