Chapter 51

"Are you going inside or not?"

Leo whipped his head to the owner of the voice straight after he heard him. He was so surprised that he leapt and his hand flew straight to his chest, clutching it. "W-What are you doing here?" He asked the person after he had somewhat calmed down, his hand returning back to his side.

Jaehwan chuckled, removing his face mask as he did, "I'm here to visit N-hyung and I can see that you're here for the same reason!" He skipped his way over to where Leo was standing and wrapped an arm around his. "Let's go inside! He might still be awake at this time!" The idol told him, grinning from ear to ear. "Or he'd wake up from us coming in but I don't think he minds –"

"Stop," Leo hissed while he tugged at his arm and freed himself from Jaehwan's grip. This then forced the idol to a halt and his smile to drop. "Were you the one who left the door unlocked? What if someone came in? Why –"

"No," Jaehwan answered him immediately, shaking his head. "N-hyung doesn't really lock the doors... Either he has forgotten that he's in a hotel or he was feeling uncomfortable with the door being locked so he left it open..." As he carried on explaining, he watched as Leo's expression changed from that of a hostile and angry one to that of relief and understanding. "He also likes keeping the lights on during nights. He doesn't really trust the moonlight so he always has at least a small light when he sleeps. If there isn't any, he leaves the room's light open. Also –"

"I get it," Leo cut him off, unable to bear any more of Jaehwan's mumblings about his lifelong friend. Somehow, the fondness and familiarity in the way that the other spoke irked him as the thought 'I should be the only one who knows that' kept invading his mind. But before he could display even worse reactions relating to N, he decided that it would be best if he just left. He reached the end of the hall, where the elevators were, and was aware that the idol was just trailing behind him. Just as he was about to turn to press the elevator button and bid Jaehwan a good night, the latter had grabbed onto his wrist. A frown formed on Leo's face when he saw the idol's face again. The latter was no longer wearing his 'idiotic' smile, as Leo would call it in his head, but instead, had a determined look on his face.

"You came here because you were worried, right? Then why are you leaving?" Jaehwan asked him straight out. Leo squeezed his eyes shut and sighed as he faced him, "I don't know what happened between you two that you weren't even around when he fainted or when he was at the hospital... But don't you think that you're being unfair right now?" Upon hearing those words, Leo tried to force his hand away from Jaehwan's grip. Consequently, the latter only held on to his wrist tighter than before. "Between you and me or anyone else... Who do you think he needs the most? I want him to choose me, but do you know why he wouldn't? It's because of you!" Jaehwan pressed a finger to Leo's chest and gave him a push. "You're all that he thinks about, but what are you doing right now? Why aren't you seeing him at all? Why? Why?"

Leo grimaced at his actions and the way that Jaehwan was raising his voice at him. The latter had always been respectful towards him and had been smiling or posing 'cutely' whenever he saw Leo. But at that moment, he could not help but think that he was seeing a different side of him. It almost made him wonder if N had always known about this side of Jaehwan – Shaking those thoughts away, Leo once again tugged at his arm to release himself. And this time around, he managed to successfully do so. "Don't you like him?" He scoffed and watched the horror form on Jaehwan's face seconds after. "Then isn't this your chance to get closer to him? If I'm not around then he would only have you to look at –"

Jaehwan almost lunged himself at him to grab at his collar and possibly hit his hyung with his balled fists but he managed to hold himself back in time. He took a step away from him instead and gritted his teeth. "You're a coward," Jaehwan spat. "You've searched high and low for him during these past several years, but now that he's here, you don't go and see him at all. You make it sound like it's so easy to forget about feelings and like someone else as long as you spend time with them... Then why is it that you've had so many girlfriends but you still hang on to him? You've been with them long enough."

Leo did not say another word and slammed his palm on the elevator button. "You don't know anything," he said through his teeth. "You always spoke as if you know everything, but you don't."

"And you don't know anything about N-hyung at all," Jaehwan retorted back, already turning his heel to return to where N's room was. "I've always seen you as a good rival and someone that I look right up to, but..." He trailed off, "I'm just really disappointed in you right now... It's also probably why he wouldn't hold on to you or decide to stay here to be with you. He knows that you would let him go if he just told you to –" Leo flinched at his words and shortly felt thankful that Jaehwan was not facing him to see the helpless expression that he had all over his face, "– I mean... I know that he cares about my parents, but if he actually wanted to pursue a relationship with you, I'm sure that he would do something about it. That's just how he is – But whatever, hyung. Whatever makes you happier. I just hope that you wouldn't regret it if the next time you see him, he would look at someone else the same way that he looks at you right now... Goodnight," He glanced at Leo and saw the elevator doors opening right in front of him. There were no subsequent exchange of words after that and Jaehwan watched as his hyung disappeared i