It had been a week since Dongwoo’s “breakup” with Amy. Sungjong had started using quotation marks to refer to their breakup because according to him, it wasn’t a real relationship if they didn’t feel a spark. To which Sungyeol replied with a brash yah, the only spark that should be present in a relationship is during . And to which, Dongwoo had hastily added that he had barely even kissed Amy. 

All of his friends had resumed with normal life, inviting him out to any and every dinner and teasing him about being a total bachelor again. The only person who treated him any differently was Howon. Although Dongwoo didn’t like to make people worry, he had to admit, being babied by someone other than his mother made him feel loved. Even though Dongwoo hadn’t suffered much from his breakup with Amy, he wouldn’t object to Howon’s concern. 

Howon was still around Dongwoo as often as always, and they had lapsed back into their easy routine of doing almost everything together. Their group of friends hadn’t even bothered to tease them about it, like how Dongwoo’s mother had with phrases like “joined at the hip” and little nudges and sly glances at Howon, which made Dongwoo roll his eyes. 

They were currently in front of Howon’s front door, and Dongwoo was impatiently waiting for the younger man to unlock the door. For some reason, Howon kept fumbling and he had almost dropped his keys a few times. 

“See? This is why you need a security system like mine, so you don’t have to worry about shaking hands. But you don’t usually have shaky hands either. Are you okay Howon? Are you cold? Or are you on something?” 

Dongwoo was just joking with the last question but he knew it could always be true. Sometimes, it really did feel like Howon was hiding some things from him. Unlike Dongwoo, who shared each and every bit of his thoughts with his best friend. 

When the door finally opened, Dongwoo stayed in place, waiting for Howon to invite him inside. If it were Sungyeol, he would have barged in by then, if he were as excited as Dongwoo currently was. But Dongwoo was still grasping ahold of his manners. And he was the older one here, he needed to set good examples, even though he didn’t think Howon needed to learn any more manners. The younger man was already so polite and stoic as it was. 

“Uh, Dongwoo, come in.”

Dongwoo raised an eyebrow at how nervous Howon sounded. Sometimes, Dongwoo did notice a little quake in Howon’s voice but this was a whole new level of nervousness. Was Howon secretly a slob or something? Or maybe he had some weird obsession with something, like Doraemon merchandise or maybe he was a big fan of some artist or band or other! 

“Hey, Howon you don’t have to hide your obsessions from me, hyung would never judge you.” 

Not to mention they had just finished a meeting at work. They had been discussing future plans for the new studio. Because Dongwoo and Howon had been chosen to head the new branch, the two had been brainstorming for a new angle to approach the topic of dance, along with their supervisor of course. So the last thing Howon should be was nervous. They had been flying with new plans and proposals during the meeting and Howon had sounded so confident and in control, which Dongwoo had to admit was a good look on him.

“What? Dongwoo that’s not it!” 

He hmmed before stepping into the apartment, noting how the layout was different from his own. Everything was a little more open in Howon’s place. The kitchenette was to his immediate right and not separated by anything, unlike how his was separated by a wall. Straight ahead, Howon had his living room with two couches arranged in an L shape and a coffee table in the middle.

“Your place is boring, Howon. Is the stuff in here the original furniture they used to sell this place with?” 

But even as Dongwoo said it, he could see that there were obvious proof of Howon’s residence in the otherwise bare apartment. Like the photo frames that Dongwoo would inspect in a moment on the shelves opposite the couches, or the bench of weights alongside the wall which he suspected led to the bathroom and bedroom.

Howon snorted.

“Well, just cause it isn’t as messy and dirty as yours doesn’t mean it’s boring.” 

Dongwoo only laughed. 

They were making dinner together, or rather, Howon was making most of it while Dongwoo had been relieved of his duties after he nicked his finger slicing the onions. Howon had reacted so ridiculously fast that Dongwoo laughed through the brief jolt of pain. Now, as he watched Howon continue cooking- he was just making simple fried rice and refrying some left-over roasted duck- Dongwoo had to admit that Howon was a great catch. 

Today during their lunch break, they had been talking about relationships. The topic had come to them after they realised that the restaurant they were in only had tables for two and seemed to mostly serve couples. 

Like the last time, Howon had mentioned that he wasn’t really interested in anyone at the moment, even though Dongwoo was pretty sure he had a tiny little crush on the female drama teacher from their studio. Not to mention, Howon always did seem to change the topic or become a little nervous whenever their friends brought up similar topics. Dongwoo himself was a terrible liar, but he knew that Howon was a little more skilled at the skill of truth omitting, but at the same time after all this time, Dongwoo was pretty sure he knew Howon well enough to tell when he was lying.

So Dongwoo didn’t understand how Howon was still single, or how girls weren’t chasing or pining for his attention by now. Howon was very handsome, as Dongwoo had always thought, from the moment he met him at his dance class. He had a clear, distinct jawline, with amazingly clear skin and beautiful eyes that always looked so serious- that’s what girls liked, right?- and of course, the best body any dancer could possibly have. 

Besides his appearances though, Howon’s dedicated attitude for everything he loved was probably his best trait. Now, Howon had the hood, refrying the roast duck and Dongwoo admired his friend from where he sat. He was so hardworking and Dongwoo knew how much the younger cared for him and he could only imagine how caring he would be towards a lover. 

As Howon laid out the table, after refusing Dongwoo’s help again, they sat down to eat. Discussing their earlier meeting today at the studio, they continued to make realistic and idealistic dreams for the future of the studio. 

The next weekend, Dongwoo had decided to visit his parents, considering he hadn’t seen them for the past couple months. His rationale when his mother rang and complained for hours about it was that he was busy with work and had even hinted at Amy’s existence. Although that had shut his mom up, now Dongwoo was slightly worried about visiting her with news that they were no longer a possibility. Of course he knew that his mother didn’t really care whether he was dating someone or not, but he also knew that she was anxious for him to move on since his break up with Sunggyu.

He was anxious too, especially when he considered how shook up he was when he had seen Sunggyu with someone else at his house. But now, after sharing everything with Howon, including his thoughts and concerns, he no longer felt anxious anymore. In fact, he was sort of relaxed. Howon had suggested that after being married to Sunggyu for 3 years, maybe he was supposed to take a break. After their little discussion, which was quickly sidetracked when their food arrived at their table, Dongwoo had considered it. He agreed wholeheartedly, but he also wondered why it didn’t apply to Sunggyu. 

More than once during their discussion, Howon had insinuated that perhaps it was a one- night stand. Dongwoo knew that Sunggyu wasn’t the type though. And if under some amazing circumstance that he had gotten a one- night stand, he wouldn’t be so comfortable with the other. All the thinking kept him up sometimes, and he often found himself glad that he had other things to think about during the day, like his and Howon’s new studio, or scouting for suitable partners for Howon. 

Now, as he drove to his mother’s place, he was jumping from different subjects to think about. Just the other night, he had spent it with Woohyun- Howon had already crashed out on his bed-, watching some drama or other. Dongwoo did not usually take note of the name, but he knew it was about a cheating husband and there was a child involved. They had made it through 4 episodes before Dongwoo managed to shoo the younger man home and get some sleep. Unfortunately, he hadn’t gone to sleep immediately and after glancing at Howon’s sleeping face, he thought about what the other man had said about Sunggyu. 

The problem was, now that he had thought about it, what should he really be feeling? If Sunggyu had really cheated on him, which he highly doubted because although he had hurt him, he hadn’t stopped loving Dongwoo, should he be angry? Howon would have told him to be furious, because the younger man would have taken it as wound to his pride and dignity. But honestly, Dongwoo realised that it just made him feel a little sad. Did that mean he was not good enough for Sunggyu? 

He had finally reached his parents’ apartment building and tapped in with his copy of the security card. Riding the elevator up, Dongwoo decided to just forget about it and just tell his mom that he wasn’t currently engaged with anyone. 

Dongwoo’s mother greeted him with a big hug and a kiss on his forehead. He greeted his dad with a hug and walked into the living room where his mother had prepared tea. As expected, she had asked him whether he was busy these few months or not. Dongwoo knew she wasn’t asking about his job though, not with the way she raised her eyebrows and nudged him when she said busy. Dongwoo returned her raised eyebrows with his own and laughed. 

“No, ma, I haven’t been busy.” 

She looked at him as if he just told her he had quit his job to start selling counterfeit cigarettes. 

“What have you been doing? And didn’t you tell me about some nice girl named Amy?” 

At this point his father had left the room and Dongwoo just rolled his eyes. He would just pretend he never heard her ask about Amy. He didn’t think she would take their “breakup” very well. 

“Well, I’ve been busy with work! You know Howon and I are going to head the new  branch of an arts studio in Howon’s area.”

“Oh, and how is Howon doing these days?” 

“He’s doing great, we’re both doing great, thanks for asking.” 

Dongwoo’s mother flicked her wrist, showing that it was whatever.

“I still think it would be perfect if you got busy with Howon, if you know what I mean, honey. I mean, he’s just perfect isn’t he? He was there for you when Sunggyu up and ruined your marriage and he’s been there ever since! And as far as I know, he hasn’t taken advantage of my little baby yet has he?” 

Dongwoo giggled at his mother calling Howon perfect. 

“You’re right ma, he is perfect. But he’s not for me! He’s for some nice person out there who needs a smart, strong partner.”

His mother only gave him a droll stare before continuing to drink her tea. 

“I can’t believe you.” 

It was a very fruitful visit, with Dongwoo’s mother constantly pestering him to give Howon a chance. The more she talked about it, Dongwoo had to admit, the more he gave it some thought. It was true, Howon was handsome and he had already picked out all of Howon’s merits a couple days ago too. But Dongwoo believed firmly in what he had said to her earlier. Howon wasn’t for Dongwoo, he was made for someone else. Dongwoo had someone else out there for him, he didn’t know who, but Howon was just too perfect for him. 

By the time Dongwoo had made it back into his apartment, he was tired and ready to head off to bed. The next day was a Sunday and if he wasn’t mistaken, he had been invited out for lunch with all the guys, including Sungjong. 

Brushing his teeth and staring himself in the mirror, Dongwoo gave himself thoughtful looks. He always thought about how perfect Howon was and how there was definitely someone out there waiting for their prince charming to be Howon. Why didn’t he ever try to set up dates for Howon? He just wanted to see his best friend happy and Dongwoo already had a couple of people in mind. 

There was Sungkyung, who was although a bit cheeky, was beautiful and playful. She was fun and she was a student in one of Dongwoo’s early morning classes. She had flirted with Dongwoo before but that was when he was married and although they weren’t really friends, he was sure she wouldn’t mind going on a date with Howon for him. 

There was Jieun, who was super sweet. She taught the yoga class in the other wing of the building and they always passed by and greeted each other with a polite nod. She seemed quiet and nice and she had an innocent beauty about her. 

As Dongwoo laid back in bed, he continued thinking about all the girls he knew whom he thought would match his best friend. 

“Hyung!” 

Dongwoo grinned and waved at his friends who were all gathered and stuffed into a corner of a booth. 

“Hey guys!” 

He scanned the faces of his friends and frowned. 

“Where’s Howon?” 

Everyone turned to look at him, a surprised expression on their faces. 

“You mean he wasn’t arriving with you?”

Sungjong tilted his head to the side as he asked, taking a sip from his glass of water. 

Howon had said that he had something to do this morning, so when Dongwoo had suggested they meet up ahead of time, Howon had declined. He had promised he would be here by 12 O’ Clock though. 

Dongwoo shook his head in reply to Sungjong. Shrugging his shoulders, he just sat on the edge of one end of the booth and pushed Woohyun closer to Sungyeol, who practically had Myungsoo on his lap already. 

“You mean you guys didn’t have hot, steamy and then have a cute breakfast together just before another round?” 

The way Sungyeol asked such questions so innocently always amazed Dongwoo. Myungsoo had yanked on Sungyeol’s ear as soon as the sentence left his lips but Woohyun only guffawed, grabbing onto Dongwoo’s shoulder as he shook with laughter. Sungjong stared at Sungyeol in distaste. 

“Yeol, you’re so weird. Howon said he had something to do this morning, but he did say he’d be here by 12.” 

Sungjong hmmed before he brought out his phone and dialled Howon’s number. 

As Sungjong waited to be connected, the remaining four boys caught up on the latest happenings of their week. It wasn’t until Sungjong had hung up that Sungyeol had suddenly gasped.

“Oooh! Hyung! I can’t believe I forgot to tell you this but the other day Myung told he he swore he saw Sunggyu! With another person! Intimately!” 

Everyone at the table gaped at Sungyeol in silence before they started yelling for details and Dongwoo only wondered if it was the same person he had seen the older man with at his house the last time he saw him. Myungsoo didn’t usually participate when they talked about Sunggyu, but right then, he didn’t really have a choice. He described the man Sunggyu was with as mediocrely tall, with dark messy hair and nice hands. 

“Nice hands?” 

Woohyun had curled his lip at Myungsoo’s last statement. 

“They were holding hands, of course I noticed!”

The other contributions from the table were mostly ‘I can’t believe he’s moved on already, what a bastard!’ and ‘I bet that dude’s ugly’. They only served to make Dongwoo laugh. 

In the end, Howon had made it to the tail- end of their lunch. The boys had thrown scraps of food at him when he arrived and even though he apologised, they vowed to never forgive him for being so late. After their little party of people had dispersed, Dongwoo and Howon had decided to walk around a mall before having dinner together. 

“So, Howon, what was it that you had to do today?” 

Howon had been absentmindedly walking next to Dongwoo, swinging his arms back and forth. The two were thickly bundled up in the cold of autumn as they headed back to Dongwoo’s apartment. Howon would then probably stay for a cup of coffee before leaving. 

“Oh, nothing really. I just lost track of time. But, Dongwoo, did you realise that your birthday’s coming up soon?” 

“Hey, you’re right. I almost forgot. It’s almost in a week, isn’t it?” 

Howon nodded before the conversation kind of drifted away from them as they both thought about different things. 

That morning, Dongwoo had called Jieun and had arranged for Howon to have lunch with her on Monday so he was planning on how to tell Howon just that once they got back to his apartment. He wasn’t really sure what Howon was doing, nor what he was constantly- he had been spacing out during lunch too- thinking about. He didn’t really mind not knowing, though he wished Howon would let him in sometimes. It kind of wasn’t fair that Howon knew Dongwoo inside out and could probably guess what he was thinking about right at that moment. But Dongwoo wouldn’t be able to do the same for Howon and that made him a little sad. 

It was whatever, though. It wasn’t as if they were lifelong partners, although they could be friends till the end of their lives. Dongwoo reassured himself, telling himself that it was alright if Howon didn’t want to share everything. Maybe it was more private to him than it was to Dongwoo. Besides, Howon was kind of the type to share all his thoughts with his lover. The thought of Howon having a lover instantly made Dongwoo remember he had to tell Howon that he had set him up. 

“Hey, Howon. If I tell you something right now, will you promise not to get mad?” 

“Don’t tell me you got a dog.” 

Dongwoo laughed and shoved a biscotti into his mouth. Crunching on it, he twiddled his thumbs a little before looking up at Howon. He stared the younger man straight into his eyes. 

“I set you up for a date tomorrow. With a really, really, really, really, really, nice girl.” 

Dongwoo cringed as he waited for Howon’s response. He knew Howon wouldn’t really get too angry but he couldn’t really predict how Howon would react, and it scared him just a little bit. 

“Dongwoo. What? Why?” 

Relieved he wasn’t angry, Dongwoo just vaguely gestured into the open area of his apartment. 

“Well, you spend so much time with me and everything. I never even see you with anyone who isn’t me or our friends. I get worried about you spending your life alone, you know?”

Howon gave out a short chuckle before kicking Dongwoo’s shin under the table. 

“You’re ridiculous. But alright, I’ll do it for you.” 

“Yaaay! Yeah!!” 

After straightening out the few details, Howon headed home and Dongwoo promptly headed to bed. He was super excited for tomorrow, he couldn’t wait to see how Howon would react. He was amazingly excited at the prospect of Howon finally dating a person and getting all embarrassed or flustered before a date and Dongwoo just knew his set- up was a good idea. 

With just 20 minutes left for Dongwoo to spy on Howon and Jieun, Dongwoo dashed over to the front of the cafe where there was a small bar. Dongwoo had, had to arrange Howon’s date at a later time than his usual lunch time with Howon to accommodate Jieun so unfortunately,  he wouldn’t be able to monitor Howon’s whole date and pull him out if the younger did anything too weird or bold or brash or even honest. Which he firmly believed he wouldn’t, he hoped. 

Howon had met Jieun just outside the nice bistro Dongwoo had picked out- okay, it was one of the many restaurants Woohyun managed- and so far it seemed to be going well. They had been making a steady stream of conversation and just like Dongwoo had predicted, Howon had even pulled out her chair for her. 

If Dongwoo was going to be honest right now, there were 2 things he would say. 

1, Howon and Jieun looked like the most perfect, most compatible couple in the whole restaurant. 

2, Howon looked incredibly attractive as he stared at Jieun while she talked. His form- fitting shirt didn’t help either. 

Shaking his head, Dongwoo continued to watch as they talked amicably, discussed the menu and then he had to leave. As he walked back to the studio, Dongwoo briefly entertained the idea of actually dating Howon. At first, he thought it was ridiculous to even think about it but since deciding to be honest with himself, he knew he might as well, since he still had to walk all the way back to the studio. Then, even though he already knew he wouldn’t mind dating Howon, he knew that he would even actually stick his neck out to date Howon; which was a pretty astounding truth to come by. 

The working day was spent trying to refocus on work as he constantly thought about how he actually might like Howon romantically. Finally as he laid down for bed, he realised that he already loved Howon as a friend so even though being in love would be extremely inadvisable, the chances of it happening were very much real. Thoughts like these kept him up but he tried to distract himself long enough to sleep, the idea of falling in love with a great friend like Howon and for the other to reciprocate those feelings was too much to handle on a weeknight. 

_{gif credit: tumblr user: gyuzizis}