For the following days Mino was busy with the exhibition. They had opened it to public and there were more visitors than Mino had expected. Since he was afraid of upsetting Jinwoo more, he came to the gallery every day. Mino felt better in those following days because most of the visitors were the ones who were actually interested in art. He greeted them at the entrance  - just like Jinwoo told him- and sometimes he talked to them about the paintings. It wasn’t as bad as he thought it would be. It was a different experience for him and he got a chance to get to know more people.

He knew it made Jinwoo happy. Jinwoo was more enthusiastic than Mino himself. He was proud of Mino, he wanted him to be successful and get more praise for his talent. He always looked after Mino just like an older brother. He cared about him and loved him.

Mino cared about him and loved him too. Actually, his love was a bit deeper than it was supposed to be. It wasn’t just a brotherly love- Jinwoo was the first person to whom Mino felt a romantic interest. And this interest continued even until now. But Mino was aware that Jinwoo’s was just an innocent love that was felt for a brother. He knew that Jinwoo still saw him as that little kid from years ago. And Mino also knew that even if he confessed his love, Jinwoo couldn’t love him back because he had someone else to love.

Lee Seunghoon had entered their life 6 months ago and he became a bigger part of their lives in a very short time. At first Mino was alright with him- he could even say that they were friends but then Mino started to feel like Jinwoo was growing away from him. It felt like he was being taken away from Mino. Soon Mino realized that this feeling was not in vain. Jinwoo was spending more time with Seunghoon, he was talking more with Seunghoon and-even if Mino hated to admit-he was happier with Seunghoon. Actually the hardest part to admit was the fact that Jinwoo loved Seunghoon more. When they started dating Mino had to distance himself from both of them. He felt bad ignoring Jinwoo but the last thing he wanted to do was to witness the growing love between this couple. So he started spending more time in his studio, working on his art. At first his paintings were excuses for him to turn down Jinwoo and Seunghoon’s offers to hang out together but in no time they became more important and more personal. He spent most of his time painting. The more he painted, it became more of an obsession for him. Jinwoo who was unaware of the initial reason why Mino had started painting again, supported Mino’s passion. When Mino had plenty of paintings that were waiting aimlessly at his studio Jinwoo told him that he should hold his own exhibition. After Mino –finally- accepted this offer Jinwoo and Seunghoon took care of everything and together they held the exhibition.

Mino felt like he was being ungrateful. Jinwoo and Seunghoon had spent most of their time trying to organize the exhibition and Mino wasn’t even there for the opening. He acted selfishly. So Mino decided to be less cold towards Jinwoo and Seunghoon and pay back to them for all of their efforts. The exhibition was going well thanks to them and it was for the benefit of Mino. Mino had decided to take more responsibility for his own exhibition- he came early to the gallery, paid more attention to the visitors and tried to be more helpful to Jinwoo and Seunghoon in every matter. He felt good because everything was going well and it seemed like the exhibition would end as a success for all of them.

They had couple of days until they officially finished the exhibition. Then they would gather all of the paintings and carry them back to Mino’s place. Mino didn’t have an idea about what he was going to do after it’s finished but he thought that he would take a break for couple of weeks. He would keep on painting but he didn’t want to rush things. And also –according to Jinwoo- he needed to go out more often and socialize.

“I guess he’s already going out and socializing, Jinwoo” said Seunghoon with a playful tone in his voice.

Both Jinwoo and Mino were puzzled.

“What do you mean?” asked Mino.

“Well, I'm talking about your friend-you know, the one who came to the exhibition. What was his name again?”

“Seungyoon” replied Mino.

“Ah yes, Seungyoon” Seunghoon smiled.

“Oh,I remember him” said Jinwoo “Hey,Mino, why don’t you properly introduce your friend to us? We can get together to drink and have a chat.”

“Yeah” thought Mino, “if I properly meet him then I can introduce him to you too.”

But he said “Yeah,I’ll ask him” instead.

Jinwoo smiled. Mino knew Jinwoo felt like he was getting distant from Mino- he used to know all of Mino’s friends and not knowing about Seungyoon made him feel bad. Jinwoo still thought Mino had known Seungyoon for a long time and didn’t mention anything about him to Jinwoo. Of course this wasn't the case but Mino didn't know how to explain it to Jinwoo. It was a weird situation for all of them.

It wasn't until the last day of exhibition that Mino gathered all of his courage to call Seungyoon. He was thinking about calling him for a while now but he always postponed it by using the exhibition as an excuse. Since the exhibition was over now, they had packed the paintings and carried them to Mino's house. Jinwoo and Seunghoon decided to have a small party to celebrate the end of Mino's first exhibition-"and its success" as Jinwoo called it- and insisted on inviting Seungyoon. It was of course Mino's duty to call Seungyoon but he somehow felt reluctant. It was mostly because he was meaning to call him but always gave up at the last minute. But even Jinwoo and Seunghoon were getting more curious about Seungyoon so Mino had no choice but to call him. He didn't have anything specific on his mind but thought that he could find something proper to say after calling Seungyoon. He scrolled past the names in his contacts until he found Seungyoon's. He hesitated for a second before hitting the "call" button. He was feeling nervous while waiting for Seungyoon to answer his call. He tried to think of what he should say.

It kept ringing until it went to voice mail. Mino wasn't sure whether he should call again or not.

"Maybe he's busy" he thought.

It was the first time Mino experienced something like this so he had no idea about what he had to do. He decided to call him later. He set his phone aside and went to the kitchen to help Jinwoo and Seunghoon.

"Mino" said Seunghoon "we need more food and if possible, more drinks" 

"So you need to go and buy us more food and drinks" added Jinwoo smiling.

Mino groaned.

"Why me? It's my house. Can't you go instead, Seunghoon?" 

"No" answered Jinwoo "he's helping me. Besides he doesn't know around here."

"Not like it's complicated."

Jinwoo shot him an annoyed look.

"Okay" said Mino "Fine. I'll go." He left the kitchen reluctantly.

Jinwoo laughed "He's such a kid" 

***

The closest market to Mino's place was located inside a big shopping mall. Mino didn't like going there because it was posh and it was always crowded but it was also the only place that sold lots of various things. It was crowded as usual, Mino realized, but if he returned home with empty hands then Jinwoo would kill him so Mino decided to finish his shopping quickly. He grabbed a basket and walked towards the racks where the snacks were lined. He took whatever he liked and without giving another look he moved to other racks. He grabbed a few more snacks, then he quickly glanced around to make sure he didn't forget anything.

When Mino reached to the drinks section a familiar figure caught his eye. He was looking to his right so Mino could only see half of his face but he felt like he saw him before. Mino didn't want to approach him before making sure that he actually knows this guy so he took few steps back and decided to wait until he could see the guy's face. If it was someone he knew Mino could approach him confidently-of course, after he remembered his name- but if it was a complete stranger then Mino could keep doing his shopping.

The man was still busy looking at the drinks on the right side of the rack. Mino tried to recall where he might have seen this guy. His features, something about the way he acted reminded Mino of someone- someone he didn't know well but still familiar.

"If only he turned his head a bit more to the side, then I can see his face" thought Mino.

As if the guy heard Mino's wish he turned around and Mino immediately recognized him.

It was Seungyoon. The guy Mino met at the exhibition. The guy that Mino was meaning to see again since that day.

Seungyoon didn't see Mino-who was practically hiding behind a rack- and disappeared between another set of racks.

"But what is he doing here?" Mino wondered.

He decided to linger around a bit. Jinwoo and Seunghoon could wait. They had told him to invite Seungyoon and since Mino came across with Seungyoon now, he could ask him personally.

Mino wanted to approach Seungyoon casually -like he had just seen him so he was waiting for an opportunity. He walked from one aisle to another until he saw Seungyoon. He was standing in the aisle that was just the opposite side of where Mino was standing. There was a guy right beside him, they were carefully looking at the products on the shelf. The guy was as tall as Seungyoon, he had middle part brown hair and droopy eyebrows. Mino thought that he was handsome and this thought made him feel a bit bitter. It was weird because he had no serious relationship with Seungyoon or anything of that sort and he didn't even know this guy. Yet, he felt a little jealousy. The guy was standing too close to Seungyoon and Seungyoon didn't seem like he was bothered by this. They were talking about something that Mino couldn't hear. Mino felt weird standing there, watching them. He was supposed to go and say "hi" not watch him afar like this. Suddenly he started feeling so irrelevant- like he wasn't supposed to approach them and interrupt their talk. He kept standing there without knowing what to do.

"Never mind" he said to himself "it's just a stupid party, anyways."

He turned his back to Seungyoon (and his companion) and walked towards to the opposite corner of the market. He finished his shopping without seeing them again and returned to his house where Jinwoo and Seunghoon had been waiting for him rather impatiently.

Mino didn't try calling Seungyoon again since that day at the market. A part of him wanted to see Seungyoon and wanted to talk to him again but there was something holding him back. The feeling of irrelevance was still present. The more Mino thought about it he was getting more confused and Jinwoo's questions weren't helping either.

It had been almost a week since he completed his exhibition- that meant he was at his home for a week now. He had nothing to do so he rarely left his home. That wasn't an untypical thing for Mino but the weird thing was that he didn't even visit his studio for once.

And that was the thing that made Jinwoo concerned.

"Mino" had said Jinwoo "You don't really leave the house and you don't even go to your studio. Is everything okay?"

Mino sighed. There were talking about the same thing everyday- it was like Jinwoo's daily question. Jinwoo -along with Seunghoon- would drop by at Mino's house everyday and bring him breakfast and coffee. Mino started feeling like Jinwoo and Seunghoon were his parents. It was annoying him but he was mostly thankful.

"I feel lazy" replied Mino.

Jinwoo gave him a disbelieving look. "Mino your studio is upstairs."

Seunghoon laughed.

"Maybe he doesn't have any inspiration or something like that?"

Even if Mino didn't have anything specific on his mind he would make sure to spend at least a couple of hours a day in his studio and Jinwoo was well aware of that.

"Let him breathe,Jinwoo. He's just finished an exhibition."

Jinwoo gave him a dirty look. Mino thought it would be the best to step in.

"Guys, don't worry about me. I just don't feel like it, that's all."

He looked at Jinwoo.

"I'll just take a break for couple of days. Nothing's wrong, I'm just tired because of the exhibition and don't want to start doing something new yet."

Jinwoo didn't seem like he was convinced.

"Everything's alright. I swear."

"Okay" said Jinwoo. Then he added after a pause. "But you should go out. Don't sit at home all by yourself. Hang out with us.... Or by yourself- however you want."

"Yes" Seunghoon nodded "Jinwoo is right"

Before Mino could say anything Jinwoo started talking.

"There will be very interesting exhibitions on this upcoming two days. We are planning on visiting them. Why don't you come with us? "

"I don't know. I-"

"You will like them. Just check these" Jinwoo took his phone out and typed some words. When he found what he was looking for he gave his phone to Mino. Mino took the phone from Jinwoo, disinterestedly. He wasn't in the mood for going out together with Jinwoo and Seunghoon. Still, he didn't want to turn down Jinwoo's invitation once again. He looked at the phone's screen. It showed a list of exhibitions, there were small descriptions under each name. He skimmed through it. Jinwoo leaned closer to Mino to see the list better.

"We're thinking about going to this one" He pointed at one of the names. "...and this one"

Mino looked at the ones Jinwoo pointed. He read the descriptions quickly. They actually sounded interesting.

"We wanted to go to this one too" Seunghoon pointed to another name "but we can't because we have work."

"Hey, why don't you invite Seungyoon too?" asked Jinwoo all of a sudden.

Mino hesitated for a second.

"He's probably busy. Besides, I didn't say that I'm coming"

"Come on, it'll be nice. You can always sit at home later, anyways." said Seunghoon

Mino thought about it for a while. If he went with them, they would let him alone and Jinwoo wouldn't try to drag him anywhere for a while. Still, he didn't want to be the third wheel again. So there was only one choice.

"Okay" said Mino "I'll ask Seungyoon too" He hesitated for a second "but I think he would like this one more" He pointed the one that Seunghoon said that they wouldn't be able to go.

"But we can't go to that one" said Jinwoo, pouting.

Mino would be lying if he said Jinwoo's pout didn't affect him at all. But he wasn't going to give up easily.

"I know...but I don't think Seungyoon would like the ceramics exhibition and I think he would prefer this exhibition about expressionism to that photography one" lied Mino. He had no idea about which one Seungyoon would prefer but he hoped that he was right. He had decided to invite Seungyoon- he was determined about not being the third wheel again. Though he was still timid about calling Seungyoon. Also that time at the market has lowered his self esteem too.

"Okay" said Jinwoo after a pause "Then,you go to this one with Seungyoon and we'll go to the other ones. We can meet Seungyoon some another time."

"Aww, a double date could have been fun though" said Seunghoon.

Mino shot him an annoyed look.

"Just kidding"

Mino decided to make the call after Jinwoo and Seunghoon left. He didn't know whether Seungyoon was working or not but he still decided to wait until evening. This time he wasn't hesitating but he still felt a bit nervous. He dialed Seungyoon's number. After a long ring he heard a familiar voice.

"I thought you had already forgotten me" chuckled Seungyoon.

Mino laughed nervously.

"Well...about that... I'm sorry,really" he sighed "I just didn't know what to say"

"It's alright,I'm just joking."

There was a silence before Mino asked Seungyoon if he still wanted to meet.

"Sure" replied Seungyoon "If you hadn't called, I was going to take my chance again and call you"

Mino didn't know how to answer to Seungyoon's frankness.

"So,I was thinking maybe you would like to come to this exhibition with me? It's on Saturday and it features some of my favourite artists so I thought you may like it too"

Mino hoped that it wasn't a lame idea. He waited for Seungyoon's answer.

"Another exhibition,huh?" said Seungyoon "Okay,sounds good. I'm free on Saturday"

Then he added with a laugh when Mino didn't answer.

 "So it means yes"

"Cool" Mino laughed "I can send you the address via text then"

"Okay"

"Then, see you on Saturday"

"Can't wait"

Mino could picture him smiling at the other end of the line.

"Me too" he replied, smiling.

They both didn't know what to say until Seungyoon spoke again.

"Well, then Song Mino, I'll see you on Saturday. Until then, take care of yourself."

"Yeah, you too" replied Mino before hanging up.

He suddenly felt frustrated with himself. He definitely sounded like a fool. Why was he speechless anyways? He had talked like a fool, really. He shouldn't have felt so nervous, it was just a phone call anyways.

"I shouldn't act like this" said to himself. "It's not like we're in high school. I'm a grown man"

He quickly texted the address to Seungyoon- in case he would forget later. He tossed his phone aside. He changed his clothes and climbed the stairs to his studio with the plans for Saturday filling his mind. 

A/N: Thank you for your comments <3

I'm really sorry for taking this long the update. I had been busy because of school and I couldn't find time to write