Hakyeon sits on the couch while he waits for his boyfriend’s arrival, biting his lower lip. Hakyeon knows everything. He knows that Taekwoon is cheating on him, with his best friend, Hongbin. If Taekwoon wants to play this game, he will lose. Hakyeon knows that Taekwoon will bring up the topic about breaking up. It hurts; it hurts so much that after all the years they have been together as a couple, after Hakyeon shared and offered his whole life to Taekwoon, their relationship will only end up broken just because of his best friend?

It’s almost two in the morning when Taekwoon comes back in their apartment. He notices that Hakyeon is sleeping on the couch. He approaches his boyfriend and kneels down in front of him.

“I’m so sorry for hurting you,” Taekwoon mumbles as he runs his finger through Hakyeon’s hair. He sighs as he wakes him up, telling him to go to the bedroom.

“I didn’t notice that you’re already here, Taekwoon. What time did you arrive?” Hakyeon asks, looking at Taekwoon with sleepy eyes. “Have you eaten already? I made dinner, your favorite.”

“Yes, I did already. We’ll just eat it later, let’s go to bed,” Taekwoon says, grabbing Hakyeon’s hand. The moment Hakyeon stands up, he hugs Taekwoon on the back tightly. He hears Hakyeon mumbling things like not to leave him alone, asking if he still loves him. He doesn’t say anything; instead he lets Hakyeon hug him tightly.

“I’m so sorry for acting like this, Taekwoon,” Hakyeon says, still hugging Taekwoon. “I love you so much. I’ll do anything for you, just keep on loving me and don’t give up on me, on us.”

Taekwoon only hums in response. He needs to plan of all of this carefully. Cheating on Hakyeon was his decision. Hongbin gives him happiness that he never felt with Hakyeon. Hongbin is an angel from the heavens above. It’s been a year since he met Hongbin, and the moment he saw him, he instantly fell for his beautiful eyes and lips.

Taekwoon releases himself from Hakyeon’s hug; he faces the latter and holds his face with his hands. “You don’t have to apologize to me, Hakyeon. Stop saying sorry, it’s okay.”

“Do you still love me, Taekwoon?”

Taekwoon didn’t answer, he just kisses Hakyeon.

*****

Hakyeon wakes up earlier than Taekwoon. He finds himself facing boyfriend’s back while hugging it. He sighs, getting out of the bed without making any noise. He notices that Taekwoon’s phone is blinking on the nightstand; he answers it without looking at the screen.

“Hello? Taekwoon? Are you there?”

Hakyeon starts to shake. He knows the voice behind the call. It’s Hongbin.

“Sorry for calling you so early in the morning. I know you’re with Hakyeon right now. You can just listen to me, okay? I just miss you so much. Thank you for spending your time with me yesterday. It was definitely on the best days in my life. I can’t wait for us to be together. I’ll definitely wait for you, Taekwoon. I love you so much. See you later.”

When Hongbin drops the call, Hakyeon deletes the call history and places Taekwoon’s phone back on the nightstand. He gets out of their room quickly and locks himself in the bathroom, then curls up in the corner and cries silently.

“What did I do to deserve this, Taekwoon?” 

Hakyeon still remembers when he introduced Hongbin to his boyfriend. It was their second anniversary. Hongbin suddenly made an appearance, approaching Hakyeon excitedly. In the months since then, Hakyeon started noticing the changes in Taekwoon’s personality. He was always coming home late, and if not, he’d come back the next day. He was still acting sweet to Hakyeon, embracing and kissing him. Hakyeon knows it was all lies.

Taekwoon wakes up thirty minutes after Hongbin’s call. He notices that his boyfriend is not beside him anymore. Usually, he wakes up first.

“Hakyeon?” He gets up and starts looking for Hakyeon. He’s not in the kitchen or either on the living area. When he steps near the bathroom, he hears stifled cries inside. He knocks three times, calling Hakyeon’s name.

“Hakyeon, let me in, what happened to you?” Taekwoon asks.

“I’m okay, Taekwoon. I’m okay,” Hakyeon says weakly, wiping his tears.

“No, you’re not okay. Let me in or I’ll force myself to come inside.”

Apparently, Hakyeon couldn’t say no to Taekwoon. When he opens the door, Taekwoon storms inside, seeing Hakyeon’s pitiful state. He hugs Hakyeon, whispering “I love you”, making Hakyeon cry even more.

“What happened?” Taekwoon asks.

Hakyeon shakes his head, smiling. “It’s nothing, don’t worry about me.”

“How can you say it’s nothing when you’re in this state? How long have you been crying?”

“I just had a bad nightmare. That’s all, no need to worry about me,” Hakyeon answers. “Go ahead and take a shower now or you’ll be late for work. I’m going to prepare our breakfast.” He extricates himself from Taekwoon’s hug.

Taekwoon informs Hakyeon that he’s not going to have a breakfast and that he’s going straight to the office after taking a shower. He also informs Hakyeon that he’s not going home tonight, that there are things that need to be fixed in the office. Hakyeon only nods. Taekwoon is lying, and he knows that he’ll be with Hongbin. Taekwoon peppers Hakyeon with kisses, whispering “I love you” to his ears. He embraces him like he never wanted to be apart from his lover, but it’s all lies.

*****

Taekwoon knocks on Hongbin’s door.

Even though he has the duplicate key, he still wanted to see Hongbin opening the door for him. When Hongbin opens the door, he beams his signature dimpled smile at Taekwoon.

“Welcome home, Taekwoon. Come inside.”

Inside Hongbin’s apartment, there are several framed pictures of them together. “This photo looks so nice,” Taekwoon says, pertaining to their one picture above the cabinet.

“Because you look so nice,” Hongbin coos. “I cooked you something nice; I hope you’ll like it.” Hongbin pulls Taekwoon’s hand, making him sit next to him.

Taekwoon easily forgets Hakyeon whenever he’s with Hongbin. Once they are done eating their dinner, they decide to take a shower together to conserve water and go to bed afterward. Hongbin peppers kisses on Taekwoon’s temples, earning a hum from the latter because he feels good whenever Hongbin does that.

Taekwoon hums a song while running his fingers through Hongbin’s hair.

“Have you ever thought about breaking up with Hakyeon, Taekwoon? How long do you want us to hide our relationship with him?” Hongbin asks, holding Taekwoon’s body and burying his head to his chest.

“I love you so much, Taekwoon,” Hongbin mumbles.

“I love you too baby. Give me more time, please understand our situation,” Taekwoon replies.

Give you more time for what? What are you waiting for? I cannot wait forever, Taekwoon. Hongbin cringes at his thoughts; he only nods in response to Taekwoon’s reply as he holds more tightly onto the latter’s body. He knows that Taekwoon loves him dearly, more than how he loves Hakyeon. Why can’t just Taekwoon break it once and for all?

“I don’t want to be apart from you. I want to own you completely,” Hongbin adds. “I called you this morning. I know you’re with Hakyeon but I can’t resist it.”

“You called me? I don’t think I have recollection of that. What time did you call?” Taekwoon asks.

“That’s strange. It was around quarter to six,” Hongbin replies, showing Taekwoon his phone and the call log from earlier. Taekwoon checks his call log but Hongbin’s number is not there.

“ing ,” Taekwoon curses. “Hakyeon knows already.”

“Then what are we waiting for? Let’s just tell him the truth, Taekwoon. There’s no point in hiding anymore if he knows the truth anyway. You’re cheating on him because you don’t love him anymore.”

“We can’t do that yet, Hongbin. I need to take drastic measures first. Hakyeon doesn’t say anything to me. I’ll wait for him to open it up to me, and from there, I’ll make my move. Believe in me, Hongbin. I’m doing this for us.”

Taekwoon kisses Hongbin’s lips, assuring him that everything will be okay and that they will be together soon.

*****

Hakyeon finally had proof that Taekwoon was cheating on him when he accidentally saw Taekwoon and Hongbin checking into a hotel near the restaurant where Hakyeon first introduced them. He saw them kissing passionately and the way Taekwoon held Hongbin’s waist was something that Taekwoon never did to him when they were together.

Hakyeon’s inside Hongbin’s apartment, waiting for his best friend and he knows that he’ll be home in a couple of minutes. He sees the photographs of Taekwoon and Hongbin together. 

When Hongbin opens the door, he’s surprised at the sight of Hakyeon, who is lying on his couch. Before he greets Hakyeon, he sends Taekwoon a text message, informing him that Hakyeon is here. He hides his phone on his pocket and stutters the moment he greets Hakyeon. Hakyeon smiles at him, a smile that sends shivers through Hongbin’s body.

“Welcome home, Binnie,” Hakyeon says, rising from the couch.

“Hello, Hakyeon. I’m so shocked to see you. You didn’t inform me that you’re coming today,” Hongbin struts to the living room and sets his things on the couch. “What brings you here?”

Hakyeon hums, approaching Hongbin. “Am I not allowed to surprise visit you? We’re best friends, right? Aside from that, there are so many beautiful photographs here, especially those with Taekwoon.”

Hongbin starts to feel nervous around Hakyeon and something’s different with him. He’s stuttering as he answers.

“Oh. What’s the matter? Why are you stuttering?” Hakyeon starts interrogating Hongbin. He notices that the latter has been perspiring a lot, so unusual. He brushes Hongbin’s fringe to the side, making sure to look carefully at his beautiful face. “You are so beautiful, Hongbin,” he mumbles.

Hongbin shakes his head. “No, no. You’re more beautiful, Hakyeon.”

Hakyeon gives a lopsided smile at Hongbin. 

He starts petting Hongbin’s hair and the moment he reaches the back of Hongbin’s head, he suddenly grips the hair and jerks it upward, making Hongbin groan.

“H-Hakyeon?”

“Am I? No wonder why Taekwoon is cheating on me,” Hakyeon whispers to Hongbin’s ear. “And who would have thought that he’s going to cheat on me with my one and only best friend?”

Hakyeon’s head starts to hurt. His heart is thumping with so much pain. Of all the people in the world, why Hongbin? Why his best friend? Why Taekwoon? Tears start streaming down on his face, still holding Hongbin’s hair. “Do you even have any idea, Hongbin? How much this will hurt me?”

Hongbin doesn’t speak. Honestly, he doesn’t know how to answer Hakyeon’s question, instead he looks in the opposite direction. 

This makes Hakyeon exasperated. He jerks Hongbin’s hair more, insisting he look at him.

“I never thought you’ll have the nerve to do this to me, Hongbin,” Hakyeon says.

“I love Taekwoon and he loves me more than you’ll ever know, Hakyeon. It was not just my own decision, it’s his too. He realizes that being with me brings more happiness than he’ll ever have with you. You will never make him happy no matter what you do, Hakyeon. Give him up, give him to me. The one he needs is me, not you.”

Hakyeon knows that already. Hongbin doesn’t have to keep on reminding him. Tears are streaming down on his face, everything hurts so much. What kind of qualities does Hongbin have that he didn’t have? Isn’t enough that he made all these sacrifices just for loving Taekwoon? Hakyeon doesn’t deserve this kind of pain.

Hakyeon didn’t notice that Taekwoon comes inside, together with his colleague, Wonsik. He’s still gripping Hongbin’s hair so hard when he hears Taekwoon shouting Hongbin’s name, making Hakyeon look at him with utter disgust.

“Are you here to save your mistress?” Hakyeon asks. “You even brought a friend. You think I’m going to kill Hongbin?”

“Let go of him Hakyeon, calm down and let’s talk about this,” Taekwoon pleads.

“Talk about what? There’s nothing to talk about. You cheated on me, Taekwoon, with my best friend for ’s sake. What did I do to deserve this kind of treatment from you? Why you didn’t tell me that you’re already falling out of love? I’m so ing disgusted with you, Taekwoon. You are the lowest of the low.”

Hakyeon releases his grip on Hongbin’s hair, pushing him into Taekwoon.

“I don’t want to see your faces ever again. I’ll give you one day to take all your stuff in my apartment, Taekwoon. You have chosen this path without consulting me and without thinking of my feelings. Am I that unimportant to you? I hope you’ll live a happy life together with Hongbin.”

Hakyeon gets out of Hongbin’s apartment. Taekwoon checks Hongbin’s body, making sure that Hakyeon didn’t hurt him. Hongbin assures him that he only gripped his hair and there’s nothing to worry about.

“Wonsik, can you do me a favor please?”

Wonsik only nods. He doesn’t know why Taekwoon had to drag him into this.

“Can you please follow Hakyeon? I don’t know but I have a feeling that he’ll kill himself, just please be there with him. He needs someone to lean on right now and I’m sorry about this.”