"Can you believe it? It's been a little past two months and the documentary is finally going to be released in a week!" Jongdae exclaims, throwing his hands in the air, adding a little bounce as he grins widely at Jongin. Thankfully, he had gelled his hair back in the morning otherwise, he's only going to look like a complete hobo what with that permed, frizzy hair.

Jongin glances at the kitchen and when he's assured that Baekhyun's still cutting up the fruits, he heaves a sigh and forces a tight smile onto his face. He's happy, yet at the same time there's something deep down hindering his excitement and as much as he refuses to allow it to get to him, it's impossible.

"It's been almost two months but he hasn't actually told me that he remembers me or something," Jongin mumbles, fiddling with his fingers. He's trying to contain his disappointment and sadness but somehow, it won't stop dripping down his words and since he's never been able to hide it in front of Jongdae—it's probably the main reason why he's unable to contain it.

"Take it easy, kid," Jongdae pats him on the arm and flashes an encouraging smile immediately. "You can't rush certain things in life, much less memories. You're not swimming in a pool or an ocean, you're waiting for recollections. It's absolutely uncontrollable."

Jongin brings a hand up and rubs at his chest, "It's just really painful, you know?"

Jongdae's smile falters for a moment, but as if it never even happened, he's grinning extremely widely at Jongin as if to instill some strength in the younger of the two. "Time will tell, Jongin. Only time would tell."

When Baekhyun rejoins the both of them at the living room, he settles the plate of fruits on the coffee table before taking a seat next to Jongin; his palm rubbing down on Jongin's thigh casually in the midst of doing so. It makes the youngest out of the three wonder if Baekhyun's actually overheard them speaking—but if he has, he doesn't show it.

"So what are your plans for tomorrow?" Jongdae asks curiously, reaching for a toothpick. He looks at Baekhyun with his eyebrows raised when neither of them speaks and then proceeds to pop a slice of kiwi inside his mouth. "Why aren't any of you speaking?"

"We're going on a date, happy?" Baekhyun sighs. "From day to night. Like an all day date."

With Minseok hyung, yeah. At the meeting room, yes. Of course that's a date.

Jongin's face falls slightly, but he swiftly turns and hides his face in Baekhyun's shoulder anyway; partially to refrain from pouting but mainly for the sake of doing it. Their last date was two weeks ago, when Baekhyun's finally decided to go out because they haven't been spending a lot of time together due to the important assignment on hand.

Which, kind of feels like it's Jongin's fault. But it's Baekhyun's job—so it isn't really his fault, as the said man likes to reassure.

"The lies, you're both meeting Umin hyung!" Jongdae sings as a long trail of strange giggles flow right through his lips. "For the discussion of publicizing your rela—"

"It's not considered publicity if it's real," Baekhyun interjects with a sharply. "Only the fact that people may think it's strange for us to be together because... well, I'm producing his documentary and it's impossible to, within this span of time, manage to develop feelings and everything else."

Jongdae looks thoughtful for a moment. Until he drops his mask and fires bluntly, "Who cares? Honestly, no one cares about anyone's negative opinions of the both of you. You're cute. Show it the hell off to the world. People should know better than to judge a book by its cover."

"But I don't want Baekhyun hyung to have cameras following him from places to places even when I'm not with him," Jongin grumbles and he hasn't been aware about how serious he is on that thought until it's been vocalized.

He hears Baekhyun chuckling softly next to him and instinctively turns to face him with an invisible question mark at the top of his head. Has he said something wrong?

"Relax. Things will be fine, it's okay," Baekhyun reassures, giving Jongin's knee a firm squeeze. "You're cute."

Jongin sighs. The corners of his mouth twitch, signifying a smile surfacing on his face and he can't help pulling another longing gaze at Baekhyun, as unsubtle as it is. Would he ever get sick of hearing that? Not ever in this lifetime he wouldn't. Even if he doesn't like being called cute.

Drawing a breath, he rests his head on Baekhyun's shoulder and watches Jongdae rise from the chair, collecting the now empty plate that contained the fruits and head to the kitchen all at once without stopping. It's strange how he's so used to seeing everyone date happily but he's all alone—and straight.

"By the way, Jongin, didn't you talk about Baekhyun in one of the interviews? About being best friends nine years ago?" Jongdae enquires from where he stands in the kitchen, bent over slightly as he washes the plate.

Jongin forces another sigh past his lips, intentionally, for Baekhyun to hear before answering with, "But Baekhyun hyung doesn't want to include it inside."

"Why!"

"Was that an echo?" Baekhyun blurts, absentmindedly switching up the dull atmosphere.

Jongin cracks a smile at that point but ignores him, continuing his conversation with Jongdae. "He doesn't want people knowing that he's been in an accident that erased all traces of memories about me."

"Oh. Well, I don't blame him for that," Jongin imagines Jongdae nodding. "That's personal."

"Does Umin hyung approve of us though?" Jongin wonders aloud, for the fifth time in the same day now, though only for Baekhyun to hear. His long hair falls untidily over his face, framing them and when he decides to blow on them, Baekhyun's already reached out to push them away. "Thank you."

"If he doesn't, leave the matter to my hands. It won't be a problem."

Jongin snorts, "Arrogant much?"

"We're so close yet so far to being official," Baekhyun hums, stretching his arm further down Jongin's broad shoulders to nestle together comfortably. "I just want this to go smoothly. I want us to start without a single problem in the way."

Jongin nods in agreement but he remains silent.

He eyes Baekhyun's fingers drumming lightly on his skin until his skin tingles, then captures it with his own; his fingernails gently grazing past Baekhyun's skin on the way of intertwining their fingers together. Jongin's hand is slightly cold as compared to Baekhyun's warm one, reflexively giving it a firm squeeze.

Several beats of silence fill the room as they hold each other close and when they try to find for Jongdae's back in the kitchen, there are no signs of the other director inside. The kitchen is empty and so is the spot on the floor where Jongdae had previously placed his work bag at. He's gone and he didn't even bother telling anyone!

One of the phones on the table—Baekhyun's—vibrates and he stretches that tiny bit forward to eye the screen that's lit up.

Left ur place. Looks like the both of u need some time alone. Reassurance maybe? Stay safe man <3 <3 <3

Jongin barks a laugh when Baekhyun reads it the second time for Jongin, because he's always great at exaggeration and it doesn't help that Baekhyun does the dumbest facial expressions when he wants to. Then again, it doesn't seem like a joke anymore when Jongin's head isn't being supported on something firm, and Baekhyun's climbing onto his lap in just a blink.

No words exchange yet.

"I'm not gonna do anything inappropriate," Baekhyun lets out a throaty laugh when Jongin takes a hard gulp at the older of the two straddling him. "I just wanna properly cuddle."

Jongin releases the breath he's holding. "You could've said so, hyung. I thought..."

"I'm sorry," Baekhyun sheepishly clears his throat as he rounds his arms around Jongin's neck and shifts just a little closer where he's able to rest his chin on the taller boy's shoulder. "I haven't done this in ages."

"Good thing I'm the taller one in this relationship then," like it's been happening for years, Jongin's arms curl around Baekhyun's waist definitely and so naturally that he feels his heartbeat getting heavier but quicker. When he hides his face in Baekhyun's hair, he can't help taking a whiff because his hair smells just like vanilla. "You smell so good."

"You mean my hair? It's a free sample given to me when I was shopping for bathroom necessities."

"You should've bought it," Jongin pushes his tongue to the roof of his mouth to avoid whining. It really smells amazing. "Why—"

His sentence is quickly shortened when his phone begins ringing at the back of his pocket, leaving him no choice but to see who's calling. It's not appreciated when he wants to spend some time with his boyfriend and Jongin feels an immense amount of regret seeping into his veins at not switching off his phone before—or at least keeping it at silent mode.

Annoyed at the caller for ruining the moment, he disregards the caller ID and proceeds to spit out a hello despite Baekhyun's look of disapproval. He lowers the phone promptly and steals a kiss on his lips just as he begins hearing a distinct voice coming from his phone.

"..ah, yah, where are your manners?" Taemin scolds from the other line. "I'm still older than you, Kim Jongin."

"Taemin," Jongin cracks a smile instantly, the previous displeasure in his body forgotten. Baekhyun pulls a leg down and motions to give him some privacy to talk with Taemin, but Jongin refuses to let go of the grip he has on Baekhyun's waistband.

Well, it's the only way he's sure Baekhyun wouldn't fall backwards and hurt himself. Jongin flashes a bright smile at his hyung when the latter continues insisting on leaving so he does the best thing he can do to end it.

He answers Taemin's question about whether he's currently free or not.

"I'm with Baekhyun right now, what's up?"

"Then I'll tell you about it some other time then, it isn't important."

"No, you tell me now," Jongin furrows his eyebrows. "We can meet up right now, you know."

"It's not necessary, Jonginnie," Taemin sighs. "It's just that... I broke up with her. Now I'm lost because I don't know how I should feel about it."

"We should meet. Now," Jongin grits his teeth.

"Usual place."

Jongin nods although he's clearly aware that Taemin's unable to see it. And when he opens his mouth to say something additional, the line goes dead and Baekhyun takes that chance to get down from his lap, already sensing something wrong by the concern pooling in his eyes.

"Go. Find Taemin. Make sure he's fine," Baekhyun tucks the loose strands of hair covering Jongin's eyes behind his ear, gives his arm two pats and Jongin stones for a second or two, allowing his mind to absorb everything.

Then, he leans over and pecks Baekhyun once, long, before he's out the door practically running because a lost Taemin is a world full of negative possibilities.

There are never many lamp posts around the place they usually meet because it's at the park; a deeper part of the place where no one often goes to because it's dark and apparently terrifying but to Jongin and Taemin, it's somewhere they're actually able to freely spill their thoughts and have heart to heart talks with each other. The darkness is comfortable.

At least to them.

So when Jongin arrives at the usual place, he sees Taemin doing the usual thing: lying on the bench with his head propped on the arm rest. It's uncomfortable because it's narrow and made of metal—but Taemin likes it. Solely because the discomfort feels better than what he's feeling, or so he claims.

"Taemin ah," Jongin begins, jogging towards the bench.

The said man sits up, straightens his back and turns around upon hearing his name. Acknowledging Jongin with a jerk of his chin, Taemin scoots to the end of the bench to leave Jongin space to sit.

"What exactly happened? Why did you choose to finally break up with her?"

Jongin lets out a huff when he falls first onto the warm metal, and it takes him definitely about 2 minutes to adjust to the discomfort before he turns sideways, pulling up his left leg and tucking his feet beneath his right thigh. He realizes that Taemin has been staring at him when he looks up to see his eyes on him.

There are no bottles of soju lying around as expected from Taemin because he despises it, but there isn't any sign of soda cans lying around the place which is strange, because whenever Taemin's troubled, he downs almost 6 cans of soda at one shot.

So, Taemin isn't drunk. So why does he look like it? Hell, he isn't even speaking and it's making Jongin worry a lot more than he thought he possibly could.

Finally, after a long moment of silence, Jongin heaves a sigh and spreads his arms apart, plastering them around Taemin for a hug. He doesn't say anymore because he doesn't think they would be enough to earn him some words.

Much to his surprise though, Taemin does speak after a minute into hugging. "It's stupid. She dumped me first, but I pulled a threat and ended up dumping her instead. All because she didn't want to be exposed."

"You never needed her in your life anyway," Jongin bluntly mutters, hugging his best friend tighter. "You did the right thing, Taemin. Believe me. You deserve much better than a girl like her."

"If only you'd told me earlier," Taemin slouches his back and falls deeper against Jongin's body.

"I didn't want to seem like the best friend who gets jealous about you finally finding your other half and feeling elated," Jongin chuckles humorlessly. "I was fooled either, you know. I never knew how cunning she was until you started telling me about the tiny things she did that sparked arguments between the both of you."

"I don't feel sad and mad for dumping her... I just feel empty. Because I've wasted so much time on her and even though I regretted her, I can't deny that she's made me laugh countless times," Taemin slides his arms sloppily around Jongin's waist and lets them hang for a second, before falling.

"You'll find a better girl," Jongin reassures. "I'll find you one and—"

"What if I want a boy this time?"

That question takes Jongin way off guard. He jerks back quickly, eyeballing Taemin skeptically. "Are you sure you want a boy? It's... different, you know."

"I guess the main reason why I dumped her is because I've finally accepted the fact that I'm gay," Taemin admits, pulling his arms back from around Jongin. "She's not the first girl I've dumped because of the lack of feelings and right now I'm confused as hell but I still think this is solely the reason why."

"Well... wait. You... have you ed a guy yet?" Jongin's tries his hardest to keep his mouth closed so that he doesn't gape any wider but when Taemin chuckles and shakes his head, his muscles slip beneath relaxation.

"But I kissed a stranger when I was clubbing," Taemin pauses. "Specifically, a man. Don't know who, we were too drunk, I don't care. But I do remember feeling more comfortable kissing him."

"You are definitely into men," Jongin smirks, leaning against the backrest. "How do you feel now?"

"Contented. Confused. But calm. Thanks, Jonginnie," Taemin reaches for Jongin's hand and squeezes it once, before letting go. "I think I'm gonna go home. I'm exhausted." 

"All you needed was to talk about it, wasn't it?" Jongin chuckles softly, throwing a weak punch at Taemin's shoulder.

Taemin firmly cups Jongin's waist with his palms and it seems like a normal, casual enough gesture until he's leaning in and giving Jongin no time at all to react; they're kissing.

No...

Taemin is kissing Jongin.

Jongin's eyes are wide from shock, frozen in place and he sees everything that happens but Taemin pulls away before he could and the peck is done as soon as it happens. Without another word or glance, Taemin brushes past Jongin, leaving the latter dumbfounded and rooted to the ground because no, that couldn't have just happened.

Not when Taemin's an extremely close friend of Jongin who knows about his relationship with Baekhyun—yet still doing something that's so wrong... not bearing their friendship in mind. What's going to happen now? Jongin doesn't know, and he wonders if Taemin knows what that move would do to their friendship—things aren't going to be normal again, not anymore, not even if he apologizes and not when this has happened and , how could this even be?

Uncertain of how to feel, Jongin lets out a breath and turns around, deciding to head back. He may not know what to make of what just happened but he knows that he has to speak to Taemin and do so before the premiere of his documentary movie which is in two days. So ed doesn't even match up to how Jongin currently feels about this situation.

If he's already struggling with the gush of guilt that's entered his chest, how is he even going to tell Baekhyun about this?

His shoulders sag. He isn't good with words but what has to be done must be done.