1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8

KyungIl repeated over and over again but once again failed to get his body in sync with the music.

"I think you are getting worse by the minute" a familiar voice called out over the music playing in the practice room.

"What do you want JaeHo?" KyungIl asked not bothering to look at his friend as he spoke.

"Nothing,  I was just passing by and saw you were struggling more than usual" KyungIl flopped down onto the shiny wooden floor, exhausted from hours of practice. He could hear JaeHo walking towards him, his steps barely audible. 

"Let's go on a date" he said cheerfully

"Stop joking around,  I'm not in the mood"

"Jeez, here I am trying to make you feel better and you act like that" KyungIl felt bad about the way he was acting towards JaeHo, he knew he was being grouchy.  

"Sorry" he apologized looking at JaeHo for the first time since he had walked in.

"Don't worry about it" JaeHo said flashing his signature sunshine smile. He handed KyungIl a bottle of water "I'm hungry, wanna go eat something?"

"Sure" KyungIl lifted his tired self from the floor. "Where do you want to go?" 

"We could go to a restaurant my dad took me to the other day, the food there is so good" KyungIl hesitated when he heard it was a restaurant JaeHo's father had taken him to.

"Is it one of those fancy restaurants?"

"Ah, that's right, you don't like going to those places do you" it wasn't like KyungIl didn't like going,  he just didn't have the money to waste in those sort of places and he didn't want JaeHo paying for everything either. "Well, how about you choose instead" JaeHo offered sheepishly

"Let's go eat a pizza, I haven't had one of those in a while"

"Sure" JaeHo smiled

***********************

Having lunch with JaeHo was making KyungIl feel better. JaeHo's cheerful personality would always make him smile and forget about his worries. He was glad they had become friends, even if at first they couldn't really stand each other. KyungIl was reserved and tried to be mindful of what people around him were feeling. JaeHo was the complete opposite,  he was outspoken and was always saying what he thought, sometimes without considering other people's feelings. It had been a surprise to those who knew them when they became friends. 

They were just about to finish eating when KyungIl's phone began to ring. When he saw the name of the person who was calling him he hesitated to answer. 

"What's wrong? Aren't you going to answer?" JaeHo asked

"...yeah, excuse me for a bit" KyungIl got up and went outside to answer the call "Hello" 

*"You finally answer! Where have you been? Did something happen to you?"* KyungIl was overwhelmed by the onslaught of questions coming from DoKyun.

"I'm fine" he answered

*"Fine? That's it? Aren't you going to a least try to explain why you suddenly banished the other day!"* KyungIl felt a pang of guilt *"I thought something had happened to you, you never answered any of my calls"*

"Sorry, I--" he stopped to think what to say next but gave up when he didn't find a good excuse "-something came up, so I had to leave" 

*"You could have at least sent me a text saying 'Hey DoKyun, sorry but I'll be ditching you and your friends without a proper explanation"*  

"I said I was sorry didn't I-" noticing his words were coming out in a harsher tone than usual he stopped to calm himself down before saying anything else. He didn't want to end up lashing out at DoKyun just because he was in a bad mood. "I'm sorry ok, something really came up that night so I couldn't stay" 

*"Fine...I'm sorry too, I guess I'm overreacting a bit "* KyungIl smiled letting out a small chuckle 

"Just a bit?" KyungIl heard a sigh of relief coming from his friend.  

*"I'm glad you're fine"* KyungIl knew DoKyun was just worried about him. *"Hey, are you free right now?"* KyungIl glanced at JaeHo through the large windows of the Pizza place. The smaller male looked very preoccupied with his cell phone. 

"I'm eating with someone right now" 

*"Ehh, is it a girl~?"* DoKyun asked, mischief tinting his voice

"No, it's just a friend from practice" 

*"Oh,"* he sounded a bit disappointed at KyungIl's answer "Well, later if you have time come and meet me in that one cafe I told you about the other day, the one near your house"

"You mean the one that was recently opened?"

*"Yeah that one"* 

"Ok" KyungIl hung up after he'd set a time and place for them to meet later that afternoon. He walked back inside going back to his seat, when he got there JaeHo was still looking at his phone.

"Sorry for the wait" 

"It's ok" JaeHo kept on playing with his phone "Who was it?" KyungIl was a bit surprised at the other's sudden question. Even thou they had known each other for over two years now JaeHo had never really asked about KyungIl's life or the people he knew" 

"Someone I know" 

"A girl?" JaeHo continued is questioning session, not once looking up at KyungIl. 

"No, it was just a friend" KyungIl smirked "What's with all the questions?  Don't tell me you're jealous~ " JaeHo almost dropped his phone, his face turning red.

"D-don't be stupid!" He stood up from his seat his hands on the table holding him as he got on his tip toes to make himself look bigger "I was just curious" when JaeHo realized people had begun to whisper and look at him he sat back down immediately, his face a deeper shade of red.

"I was just joking" KyungIl said 

JaeHo had always joked around with KyungIl about how they were like a couple, he was the princess and KyungIl the prince. KyungIl was just continuing a joke that had become part of the norm for him already,  so he hadn't expected the other's new reaction.   

"I, I have something else to do" JaeHo got up once again, he picked up his things "bye" before KyungIl could say anything the other was already out the door.

"What's up with him?"

**************************

Once it was getting close to the time Kyungil was suppose to meet DoKyun he went to the Cafe they had planned to meet at. It was already getting dark outside when he got there. He was surprised to see that DoKyun was already there, it was extremely unusual for him to be earlier than KyungIl. Once DoKyun saw him enter he waved at him to come and sit with him in a table near a window. 

"Well this is new" KyungIl said taking the seat opposite from DoKyun's "You being early that is" 

"Hey I'm not always late" DoKyun protested

"Are you seriously going to argue against it?" DoKyung thought for a minute before answering the other's question.  

"No..." KyungIl smiled, happy at his victory "Anyways that's not the point" he changed the subject "I was worried about you. Why did you leave the other night without saying anything?" 

"I apologized already-"

"Yeah but you haven't explained yourself yet, what was this something that you had to do?" KyungIl was a bit annoyed that this conversation was happening again, he thought the answer he'd given DoKyun earlier while talking over the phone had been enough. Or at least that it had been obvious that he didn't want to talk about that subject anymore. KyungIl didn't want to tell his friend that he had been shocked that night after seeing that person with that familiar face. A face KyungIl knew couldn't belong to the same person he knew, the phone call he'd made that night had confirmed at least that much.

"I don't want to talk about" DoKyun wanted to continue pushing him for some answers but decided that it was no use, he knew he wasn't going to get an answer from KyungIl. 

"Fine, whatever" he took a sip of the ice coffee he'd ordered while waiting for KyungIl. "Did you at least resolve that something that came up?" KyungIl hesitated to answer

"Yeah, sort of"

"Geez, why do you have to act all secretive,  it just makes me more curious to know what happened" he whined but dropped the subject. "One of my friends works here it should be about time he starts his shift" 

"A friend?"

"Yeah, his name is SiHyoung,  he's also the drummer for our band" KyungIl was actually glad to hear it wasn't the guitarist who worked there, he wasn't sure if he was ready to see him again. "Do you want to order something to eat? I'll call someone over" 

"Just a coffee-"

"YiJeong!" KyungIl was startled by DoKyun suddenly calling out someone's name. "I didn't know you also worked here!" 

"I don't but SiHyoung made me cover his shift since he caught a cold" 

"KyungIl this is YiJeong, he's-" he couldn't really hear anything DoKyun was saying. All he could do was stare at the person standing there, a notepad on hand ready to take their order. The long hair that had prevented KyungIl from seeing his face properly the other night was now neatly held up by a couple of clips.

"YiJeong...so that's his name"

"Hey, are you even listening to what I'm saying? " DoKyun's question brought KyungIl back to the present. 

"Huh?"

"You spaced out" YiJeong looked at him a bit worried.  KyungIl immediately looked away when he realized he was probably staring at him like an idiot. 

"Sorry" 

"You're acting strange,  are you sure you weren't abducted by aliens or something? " YiJeong laughed at DoKyun's ridiculous question.  The sound of his laughter made KyungIl glance back at him.

"He looks so much like him" he thought "Even the way he smiles..." he immediately stopped, he didn't want to think about the past anymore,  even thou it hung heavily around him. Especially now that YiJeong was standing there laughing, full of life. "He's not the same person" KyungIl reassured himself,  he looked away before YiJeong noticed he was staring at him.

"Daniel can't smile like that anymore"