Thank you thank you thank you for the subs. I appreciate it

Warning: This chappie is angst. Prepare yourselves. MinSyung.

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I should have said I liked you sooner.

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Eric watched by the sidelines. His eyes trailed him as he walked around the dance studio, looking for a place to hide his face, his face blushing red. Minwoo laughed at the man, and Hyesung, seeing him laugh, smiled. Hyesung smiled in a way that made it obvious to Eric. Minwoo was the reason behind it.

A week ago, Minwoo approached Eric. He asked the leader what kind of reaction Hyesung will have. Eric should have realised sooner, but he ignored it. He told Minwoo as a joke, that Hyesung will be delighted if there was anyone in the group that loved him.

The day after, Hyesung walked in the dance studio, his hand tightly grasped by Minwoo. His lips curved into a smile of one that is truly happy, his eyes twinkling as if he was in love. And he was. He truly was.

The whole following week, Eric stayed quiet, not saying a word. Nobody noticed. Sure, there were a few confused glances from Andy, and some 'are you okay?'s from Junjin, but that's about it. The rapper only poured himself into practice and his music and listening to Dynamic Duo just to distract himself from the scenes he was uncomfortable with. For example, during practice for Venus, Eric noticed how Hyesung was glaring at the female dancer who was Minwoo's partner. Or better yet, Brand New's dance. Eric vaguely and bitterly thought whether Hyesung wanted to be her, body against Minwoo and all.

In the past, Hyesung used to come looking for Eric when he needs anything, anything at all. Be it money, advice, or a shoulder to cry on. Hyesung will look for Eric, and Eric will always be there. Always. No matter the weather, time, day, place. Eric was always there. But a few days ago Minwoo came up to Eric asking how to comfort Hyesung on his bad dancing.

Eric sighed. There wasn't a day that goes by where he wished Hyesung would realize. Even if he does, Eric might have gone too far. And he doesn't want the man to go through that. He still wants Hyesung to be happy. Eric will run straight into walls and walls and walls of pain and endurance if it means seeing Hyesung smile.

The concert has finally come around. The whole time in the waiting lounge, Hyesung has been with Minwoo, asking him if he's eaten, if he's feeling okay, if he's nervous. Eric only watched sadly. Andy nudged him and when the elder looked at the maknae, Andy had an eyebrow raised in questioning, eyes seeking for an answer. Eric only shook his head and threw a faint smile. Andy knew perfectly well that the smile he received was anything but genuine, and that something was wrong. Andy decided to let it be. For now.

During the whole concert, the fans asked and wondered, and the members vaguely mentioned the quiet. Yet still Eric refuses to break his silence, only opening his mouth when a question is directed at him. Even then, he'll only talk if the answer requires explanation. He let Minwoo do all the work, though the fans felt that the concert was a bit lacking due to the rapper's silence. Of course, Minwoo made up for it by surprising the fans about his and Hyesung's relationship, and of course, just to torment the leader a little more, they gripped the other's hand, Hyesung ending the concert by planting a shy kiss on Minwoo's cheek. Little they knew, only a handful of the many people there, including Andy and Junjin, noticed Eric rushing backstage, hand over his mouth, his eyes moist.

After two days of the big concert, they were finally finished. Some concerned fans sent Eric messages and presents and such, but Eric was only slightly touched by their attention. The attention he needs right now is only Hyesung's, and Hyesung hasn't been giving Eric attention ever since he walked in the studio hand in hand with Lee Minwoo. The handful of the crowd that saw Eric decided that they would keep quiet about it, and both Andy and Junjin agreed discreetly by posting selfies with bitter Eric on Shinhwa's official facebook account.

Eric was the last one to enter the waiting lounge after the concert. Everybody acknowledged him, mostly with a "What took you so long?" and a stylist sent him an understanding smile. He would have felt just a little bit better, if Hyesung and Minwoo had done the same. Those two were feeding each other, and Eric struggled to stay inside the room with the lovebirds. As soon as he finished, he practically dragged his manager out the door and left without even a wisp of goodbye.

Returning home, he threw his stuff onto his bed and proceeded to the kitchen, looking for something to eat. Eric didn't eat with the members; he'd go crazy if he did. Opening his fridge, Eric spotted only rotten kibimbap in an unopened container. Taking it out and putting it on the table, he saw that there was a note attached, dated about two days before Minwoo's confession. Tears sprang to his eyes as he recognised the almost unreadable handwriting.

"Eric-ah, I was making some kibimbap for my mom, but she didn't manage to finish everything so I'm giving some to you. Please enjoy. :)" - Hyesung

He cried that night. His back against the kitchen cabinet, his arms wrapped around the container, his cheeks wet. Eric couldn't bring himself to his feet, even more so going to the members' gathering tonight in Gangnam. Andy called him twice, Junjin left a message, Dongwan even stopped by. But Eric ignored them. His hands were busy tapping the screen on his phone, his eyes still moist.

Opening a window chat with Hyesung, Eric's fingers hovered above the keyboard. Making a decision, Eric typed in his heart, and sent it to him. A few minutes passed by and Eric was notified that the receiver saw it. As each hour ticked by, his heart slowly broke, and Eric knew he was too late. There's nothing else he can do now.

Hyesung is happy with Minwoo. Eric wallowed in grief every time he saw them, but he tries his best to smile. Hyesung has a much happier life, and that makes Eric happy. Anything. Anything for Hyesung.

To: Jung Pilgyo

"I should have said I liked you sooner."

Seen, four years ago.

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What have I done. I'm sorry. uvu

Love y'alls.