Two hours and Myungsoo’s twentieth missed cue later, Lee Howon had it enough. Hoya had turned off the music and turned to the younger brother with a frown.

“L Kim, focus, please.”

“I’m trying, hyung, okay?” Myungsoo replied, his voice snappy from frustration.

“No, you’re not!” Hoya retorted, eyes narrowed, hands crossed to his chest, “Torrawwa, Myungsoo? You don’t make ten mistakes in Torawwa after hours and years of repeating the same freaking choreo, alright! I know you’re not the main dancer, but we got called knife-like, perfectly in-sync group not for nothing! Even Sungyeol doing so much better than you! You’re not concentrating, what’s even the point of rehearsing for a concert then?”

High tempers, stress and dissatisfaction on both sides - they had been a row before Sunggyu quickly stepped up and suggested they call it a day. They had stopped, agreed and sort of made up with half-heartily so called shake hands and very not convincing sorry.

That was when the rest of the afternoon went to hell. Sunggyu had led Hoya to sit and calm down when Dongwoo and Sungjong had came to Myungsoo. Even Sungjong was just sitting there, singing his part and not dancing, his presence during the practice was still important. It made the Infinite boys felt completed.

Dongwoo put his hands on Myungsoo’s shoulders, and squeezed them lightly and asked what was bothering him, but Myungsoo’s attention was focused on Sungjong, who was right in front of him. Looking up with gentle, concerned eyes, Sungjong had wordlessly raised a face towel and lightly wiping away the sweats and it was all so normal and sincere and Myungsoo just…

“Don’t!” Myungsoo’s voice was louder than he realized, had rung through the practice room and everyone saw how Myungsoo snapped his head away, placed his hand on Sungjong’s chest and pushed him back not so gently. The latter was stumbling a bit, fortunately Sungyeol was nearby to catch him. “Don’t touch me!”

“What’s wrong--”

“What’s wrong with you!” This time Sungyeol just can’t stay still. “You make everyone worried for already too long, and now you just gonna lash it out on Sungjong? What’s exactly in your head, buddy?”

“Don’t touch me. Leave me alone. I can take care of myself, alright.” Myungsoo was pissed, but none of them know the reason why. He had been quieter than before, and then cried his eyes off, hurting himself, and now not focusing and being snappy; this was more serious than they were actually thought.

Maybe Myungsoo having his puberty rebel era once again, went for it twice because excuse you Kim Myungsoo wasn’t a teenager anymore; whatever it was, this had to stop now or they won’t be having a concert with a very unstable Kim Myungsoo.

Myungsoo wasn’t really clear about what happened next, he was just stood there and replaying again and again the shock, bewilderment, that turned to hurt and cold, laced with anger look in Sungjong’s eyes, he had thrown at him over his shoulder before he stormed out of the room following by Dongwoo and Sungyeol.

Sunggyu just could shaking his head and sighed, while Woohyun quickly said, “What you did is totally not cool, and you really should pull yourself together, man, you gotta settle your problems no matter what ways,” and closed it with a shrug, leaving together with the leader.

“I’m still pissed at you for, one; screwing up the choreos, two; for you pissing off at Sungjong, but I’m the only best shot you got. So, why you did that?” The room only left for Hoya and Myungsoo, and Myungsoo could felt he got his breathing better than before.

Lee Howon was like a glue. Maybe because he was in the middle in Infinite, and in reality, he was a middle child himself; he got two sides to be together - that was his job. Myungsoo walked over the mirrored wall and collapsing against it, resigning himself to a rather lonely afternoon filled with self-hatred and self-disappointment.

“Myungsoo, please, I know, I understand you would rather not talk about it but upon seeing what you did to Sungjong just now and how even Sungyeol can’t even keep up with you, this is not something you should keep to yourself anymore.” Hoya was trying his best to coax the guy before him.

“I like Sungjong. I really like him. Like, like like him.” That felt much better saying out loud like that. “I don’t realized it before but now, it’s very clear to me that I like him a lot.” Myungsoo didn’t think any of s will condemn him or anything, but something like this… this was not a simple walk in the park. Again, this was not a news to Hoya. “All I want is for Sungjong to accept me! To liking me back, to give me another chance to fix the damage I caused him. Can you help me, hyung? Can you tell that to Sungjong?”

“I thought you are done being a loser,” Hoya replied.

.

“I told you once, right? I won’t take any part between you and Sungjong. I can be a shoulder for you to lean on but never the third party. That’s too risky.”

“I’ve waited, though. You said we-I-everyone will know what’s happening to Sungjong, and I shall wait until then to face Sungjong once again about this but it seems to me nothing happens and the waiting looks longer than it should that made me realized you all just playing with me!”

“Myungsoo, calm down.”

“If you’re not here to help me, then get lost! I don’t need you!”

Hoya knew this was not Myungsoo talking, this was purely emotional talking that Hoya shouldn’t take to heart. Myungsoo wasn’t thinking clearly right now, and he got possessed by some hungry demon that would go away once Myungsoo cried. Hoya had faced this countless times already.

“Hey, Myungsoo, I’m sorry, okay?” Hoya said suggestively while held up his hands defensively. “I must draw the line somewhere