~The Night Owl Café~

Bang

“Kai.”

Bang

“Hey, Kai.”

Bang

“Would you stop that, it’s becoming slightly irrita-“

Bang

“Jongin!” Sehun snapped which caused Jongin to stop his constant banging by hitting his fist against the floor of the dance studio. Baekhyun was practicing in front of the mirror and Taemin was staring at Jongin and Sehun with an expressionless look on his face.

“Jongin, what got into you, man?” Sehun questioned as he took in Jongin’s slacked form in front of him.

“I’m a really bad person, aren’t I?” Jongin softly muttered.

Baekhyun stopped dancing and took his earphones out as he turned to face his friends with an uneasy look on his face.

“Whoa, where’d that come from?” Baekhyun awkwardly spoke, “Geez, go phone your girlfriend or something.”

Jongin scoffed, “I don’t even know if she still considers me as her boyfriend.”

Sehun and Baekhyun looked at each other while Taemin subtly cleared his throat and casted his gaze to the ground.

He did the right thing, didn’t he? He saved Dohyun from a heartbreak. So…So why did it seem like he was the one who caused her heartbreak? To make matters worse and more confusing, Jongin actually looked like he lost everything.

“What did you do?” Sehun bluntly asked which caused Baekhyun to nudge him and cast him a warning glare.

Jongin didn’t answer, how could he?

“He doesn’t look fine to me, guys.” Baekhyun said.

“How to be fine when I’m not..” Jongin mirthlessly sang with a dry laugh.

“Okay, Jesse McCartney seriously, looks like you’re having relationship problems, tell Dr Bae over there what’s going on.” Sehun slightly joked as he slung an arm around the latter’s shoulder.

“Before our Dr Bae starts his session, can we just talk about something else seriously outstanding other than Sehun’s Skittle-coloured hair?” Baekhyun raised a brow while Sehun regretfully sighed and pulled the hood of his cap further over his head. “Say, for instance, like that darkened hue resting ever so painfully on Kai’s cheek right now.”

Jongin immediately faced the other way at the mere mention of the bruise on his cheek.

“Kai, what happened!?” Taemin’s concerned voice rang out, coming closer to examine Jongin’s cheek. Jongin couldn’t even find in him to look at Taemin.

“I got punched by a cookie gangster.” Jongin nonchalantly replied, using the same excuse he did on Dohyun though he was sure that Kibum would probably give him another matching bruise on the other side if he could.

“Dr Bae’s counselling session, begin!” Baekhyun exclaimed, “First of all, what happened?”

“Long story short, Dohyun found out about what….She found out that I was kind of ‘using’ her in the beginning..”

Sehun’s brow raised, “What do you mean by ‘using’ you’re totally using her aren’t you?”

Jongin gritted his teeth and slammed his fist down on the floor, “No! I was at first but now..” he sighed, “Now I regret it all. I really like- no…I love her.”

“Just like you loved those other girls before her?” Taemin softly said, looking Jongin in the eye this time.

Jongin became confused and slowly faced Taemin’s way, “What are you saying?”

“I’m saying, you were using her. Just like you used those other girls, so isn’t it better this way?” Taemin calmly replied and kept a stoic expression even when Jongin reached over and grabbed him by his collar. Baekhyun was about to get up and pull them apart but was stopped by Sehun.

“Taemin, you..” Baekhyun stuttered.

Sehun remained silent and thought it was best not to get involved.

“You told her, didn’t you?! It was you!” Jongin growled as he shook with anger and pushed Taemin away from him before he would do something he’d regret.

“Yes! It was me, I told her, so what!? What are you going to do about it!?” Taemin spat.

“I LOVE HER!” Jongin exclaimed as he heaved and breathed deeply as he collapsed further on the floor and hit the ground with his fist. “I really love her…”

“Jongin…” Baekhyun muttered, his voice filled with pity. He slightly admitted that he felt that Jongin had it coming but at the same time, he didn’t want to see Jongin like this.

“How does it feel to be in the shoes of those you hurt for a change, Jongin?” Taemin said, instead of provoking Jongin it only made him feel worse.

He un-humorously chuckled and lifted his head, catching Taemin and his other friends off guard. Tears ran down his cheeks as he gave them a dull smile, “It feels terrible.”

Taemin took in Jongin’s frame before him. The boy looked ready to break out into despair and it would be his fault. He thought he was doing something good by preventing a girl from having a bad experience in her first relationship but it only seemed like he was the cause of her first relationship being a bad one.

What had he done? To complicate things even further, Jongin appeared to really like her.

He had never seen Jongin like this in all the years that he came to know him. Jongin was always cynical and joking around and trying to lighten the mood, he was like the life of the group. Now, he was a ball of misery and it was all because of him.

Taemin felt like kicking himself.

“Jongin, look..” Taemin sighed, “I’m sorry, really, I am. I still consider you as one of my best friends and I hope you still consider me one too and that you forgive me. I just…”

Sehun and Baekhyun expectantly looked at Taemin while Jongin remained still, a sign that he was listening.

“I just didn’t want you to continue using girls like that and since you were Dohyun’s first boyfriend I thought it was unfair that you were treating her like that.”

The room fell silent as the pitter patter of the rain was the only thing echoing throughout the room.

“You said you love her right?” Sehun spoke up.

“I do. It was a game at first but it’s not like that anymore, I really do like her. That list I made of all the things I love about her wasn’t fake and I meant it.” Jongin said.

“Does Dohyun know that?” Sehun asked.

“…No.” Jongin sighed.

“Well then,” Taemin scratched the back of his head and uneasily smiled at Jongin, “What are you still doing here?”

Jongin’s eyes widened in realization as he immediately got up and dried his face with the sleeve of his shirt and made a dash for the door but stopped midway. He turned to face Taemin and pursed his lips. “I’ll forgive you because you had good intentions but you better make it up to me, Lee Taemin.”

Taemin felt a wave of relief wash over him and he grinned and shooed Jongin away with a movement of his hand.

Jongin finally left and made his way to Dohyun’s apartment.

“You need to learn how to keep your mouth shut sometimes, Taemin. We should get your mouth a license so you’ll need permission to use it.” Sehun chided.

“We should get you a paper bag to put over your head so people don’t see your hair.” Taemin shot back.

“Oh, you did not just go there.”

“Oh, I did.”

~The Night Owl Café~

“You know, I half expected you to be huddled up in a blanket eating a tub of ice cream with cheese pops next to you while you watch some chick flicks with a box of tissues screaming ‘All men are the same!’.” Yixing blinked. “Instead, you’re engrossed in a puzzle you find in a magazine.”

“What’s the English three letter word for weep?” Dohyun asked as she ignored him while chewing on the back of the pen.

“Sob or cry….I think it’s cry. Wait, are you listening