He feels a hand grasping tightly on his wrist before it pulls him deep into one of Moonlight Bar’s dimly lit hallways. Kyungsoo’s eyes widen and he lets out a surprised gasp before trying to pull away from the stranger’s strong hold. However, he suddenly feels himself being pushed up against the wall, the air in his lungs vanishing for a second by the unexpected move. The stranger’s hand then rests on the wall beside his head, blocking Kyungsoo’s side view.

“What the —”

Before Kyungsoo can finish, the stranger leans down and silences him with a soft touch of his lips.

This seems all too familiar; Kyungsoo realizes the moment Jongin’s lips touch his. He remembers the first time they met, the way Jongin pulled him into the dimly lit hallway to escape from the media. He remembers how Jongin was so careless, so hopeless, and so breathtaking. Kyungsoo didn’t even get to react properly then, he could only be dragged into the hallway like a helpless doll. And before he knew it, Jongin did the craziest thing anyone could do in that moment – like now. He kissed Kyungsoo, even if their lips barely touched back then.

And just like now, how Jongin has him pressed up against the wall, hiding away from the nosy press. The way Jongin gazes into his eyes with a mixture of warmth, caution, and oh-so-much care has Kyungsoo’s heart pounding faster with every passing second. It has his stomach doing somersaults, too, and combining with his already dizzying headache, Kyungsoo’s not so sure if he wants to keep this up any longer. Oh, but his lips – Jongin’s soft lips that melts his very own feels so right, so, so right. Kyungsoo feels conflicted; he’s overwhelmed with all of the sensations that are caused by no other than Kim Jongin. One moment he wants to let go, to stop all of this and clear his mind, but the way that they are right now, he just wants to hold onto the moment for a second longer.

Kyungsoo doesn’t know what’s wrong with him.

Everything turns blank with Jongin’s startling doings.

Too troubled to speak up, to push him away, to tell him to stop and that this isn’t acceptable, Kyungsoo remains standing there without a sign of protest.

When Jongin realizes that the shorter male is no longer struggling against his hold, he hesitatingly lets go of his wrist and takes a small step back. In his mind, he’s telling himself that Kyungsoo hates this, hates everything about this situation, that’s why he’s not moving one bit. He tells himself that Kyungsoo is too angered by his actions to do anything at this moment. And with these little thoughts, it’s enough to sink his heart into darkness.

They never break eye contact, however, and the lingering feelings are still present in their gazes. The air around them becomes heavy with tension, and Kyungsoo is the first to look away. He quietly inhales a deep breath of air, and doesn’t realize that he’s been holding his breath until he does so. Jongin bites his inner cheek and takes another step back, his gaze cast upon the vast darkness behind them. None of them speak up for a while until they hear the clanking of shoes right outside the door.

Instantly, their eyes fly open in anxiety and all breathing momentarily stops.

The two of them share eye contact once more as they wait out for the person to leave, hoping to find some sort of comfort at this very moment to calm their violently beating hearts.

“Dang it!” a muffled voice comes from the opposite side of the door before the clanking of shoes against the marbled floor gradually lessens from where they’re standing.

Kyungsoo’s the first one to exhale in exhaustion. “So, it was a reporter…”

“We could’ve gotten caught, huh?” Kai tries to lighten up the mood and make it seem as if the kiss never happened. Somehow, saying this worsens his aching heart and it scares him. What if they really did get caught? Would it be the end of them? Would it be the end of their relationship? He doesn’t want to think of it.

“Yeah,” the CEO breathes out softly. “But you really are stupid…” he says without realizing. Kyungsoo doesn’t know if he’s talking about the kiss or the way Kai held onto him as they ran away from the reporter. All he knows is that Kim Jongin is stupid for making him like this – all vulnerable and breathless.

The idol lowers his head in shame. “I’m sorry for everything.”

“By doing what you just did now, we could’ve raised more suspicion. Why didn’t you listen to me? At least talk it out first and pretend that you don’t know he’s following us for a while…” Kyungsoo rambles on in a whispery tone despite the danger already passing by. There’s just something about being with Kim Jongin that makes it hard to breathe sometimes, like his lungs are compressed and air is barely coming in.

“I…didn’t want us to get caught…”

“Kim Jongin, you…”

Said male returns his gaze to Kyungsoo and sighs, “Sorry.”

Kyungsoo purses his lips together. “You’re always apologizing.”

“Then let me take this time to apologize for something that’s been on my mind recently.” Kai speaks up, his tone a quieter than before. His hands are tightly clenched as he calms his wavering heart. The idol thinks back to last night, the night where he left Kyungsoo all alone after the male opened up to him with much hesitation. He truly regrets leaving him, but he needed to figure himself out before he’s able to face the CEO. And he did, he was able to figure out his true feelings. Sadly though, they might not ever be received. After seeing how Kyungsoo was so cold to him today, he guesses it’s because of last night. It must’ve been Kyungsoo’s defense to being left alone and empty.

Kyungsoo looks up slowly at the taller male, “Jongin.”

“I’m so sorry for last night. I’m sorry for walking off without saying anything.”

“I think that’s enough, Jongin.”

“No! The reason why I walked off…was because I had to figure out something. I needed some time to myself.” With every word that leaves his parted lips, his throat begins to feel constricted even more. There’s a forming lump stuck in his throat, and it is preventing him from telling what he wants to say. Maybe it’s due to the apprehension that is building up within his chest, but Jongin really can’t figure out why.

He honestly doesn’t want to explore the situation any further, but Kyungsoo can’t help the rising curiosity within him. Finding his steady voice again, the CEO speaks up, “And what is it that you were trying to figure out?”

Jongin parts his lips, but no sounds come out. The lump in his throat is growing every second, and it’s becoming harder to talk. He wants to let Kyungsoo know, but the thought of what happens next frightens him. He dryly swallows and forces sounds to escape his mouth. “I…what I found out was that I—”

Unfortunately, before he can finish, one of their phones starts ringing.

Startled, Kai backs away with wide eyes. “Whose phone is that?”

The older male can’t help but scoff in annoyance. “It’s your own phone and you don’t even know what it sounds like? You really are stupid.” Kyungsoo crosses his arms in front of his chest and resists the urge to smile at the idol’s forgetfulness.

“Oh,” Kai mouths before digging into his pant’s pocket to find his phone going off in his hands. “It is mine!” He has on an embarrass smile as he stares at Kyungsoo for longer than he should.

Noticing this, the CEO clears his throat. “You should answer.”

“I should…” the idol agrees and stares at his phone screen to see an unknown number calling him. He frowns at the sight and ends the call. “It was someone I don’t know.”

“You didn’t have to tell me,” Kyungsoo murmurs, only to groan afterwards when his headache decides to resurface.

At once, the idol puts his phone away and approaches the shorter male with a worried gaze. “Oh gosh, we’ve been stalling for so long! Let’s go back! Can you walk by yourself? Do you want me to help you?” Kai continues to bombard Kyungsoo with questions and doesn’t notice what he’s doing until the male shoots him a glare.

“You talk too much. Just get me back to my room.”

“Okay!”

Kyungsoo walks out of the bathroom after changing into something much more comfortable than his tailored suit. He has on a pair of grey shorts and a white long-sleeve shirt. Closing the door behind him, he turns around to notice a knocked-out Kim Jongin lying on the bed, still wearing the suit that he wore to the party. A small frown appears on Kyungsoo’s face as he takes in the view in front of him.

“I thought I told you to go back to your place, Stupid.” He shakes his head as he heaves a small sigh.

After their little situation in the storage room, Kai had offered to help Kyungsoo get back to his room. When they reached Kyungsoo’s hotel room, Kai wouldn’t budge fr