Sang-hyuk shouldn't have been surprised when he opened the door on what should have been a relaxing weekend morning to see Jae-hwan standing there with the biggest grin on his face, though he was surprised to see Won-shik behind him. He hadn't know he was already back in Korea. That didn't stop his irritation at seeing Jae-hwan though, and he made a move to slam the door shut when stupid Jae-hwan quickly shoved his foot in the way. He gave his best unimpressed look when his big nose stuck through the doorway, teeth showing.

"Is that how you say good morning?" he asked teasingly, and all Sang-hyuk could think was yes, yes it was. Jae-hwan didn't wait for an answer as he let himself in, dragging a disgruntled Won-shik behind him. Sang-hyuk's father came in asking who it was and smiled brightly at the sight of the two, hurriedly rushing them in to join them for breakfast.

"What brings you here so early?" he asked as they sat down, placing plates in front of them. Sang-hyuk sat across from them, glaring tiredly at them. They better have a good reason for bothering him so early. It was one thing to deal with someone as bright and annoying like Jae-hwan on a normal day, but not so early in the morning that he wasn't even dressed yet.

"Little Hyukkie here has been moping around for the last few days, so we're here to cheer him up!" His tired eyes snapped open, staring at the two in both shock and fear. His father clucked his tongue, agreeing all too quickly, and Sang-hyuk sent him a betrayed look.

"He has been lying around doing nothing. Maybe you two can get him out of the house." He sent him a knowing look before smiling to the other two, piling on more food when they finished. Feeling they were all ganging up on him, he wasted no time finishing his breakfast and running back to his room. He didn't care if it was childish, they should have picked a different day to annoy him. He didn't want to do anything, maybe sleep some more and get around to watching some TV-

"Hyukkie!" Jae-hwan's obnoxious voice sang out as he swung the door open, and Sang-hyuk dived under the covers. Maybe he'll get tired and go away, if he just imagined hard enough-

"No hiding!" Sang-hyuk yelped as Jae-hwan unceremoniously ripped the blanket away, and he glared up at the two of them hovering above his bed.

"Sorry man," Won-shik mumbled, looking near death himself. "I didn't even get to eat anything before this idiot dragged me out."

"It's a shared pain," he sympathized, and Jae-hwan huffed.

"You're both just lazy," he huffed, tossing the blanket to the floor.  “I just happen to be a morning person while you two are just...not people." Sang-hyuk gave him another unimpressed look before offering a seat on his bed to Won-shik, the other who gratefully scrambled onto the bed, burying his face in the pillow. Jae-hwan's face brightened as he made a move to join, though Sang-hyuk pushed him off with his foot, pointing to the floor.  

"Bed's for not people, morning people can sit on the floor."

"You two are terrible people." Jae-hwan pouted as he obligingly sat on the floor. "Making a hyung sit on the floor."

"Here then," he snapped, throwing a pillow that hit him square in the face. "You can sit on a pillow."

"Wow, what an improvement." But despite his mumbling, Jae-hwan hugged the pillow tight to his chest, resting his big nose on top. Sang-hyuk groaned as he sat back, poking Won-shik's arm. He didn't move.  

"So is there a reason you decided to ruin my morning, or did you just wake up and feel like bothering me?"

"You know, you could just say 'I missed you too'?"

"That would only work if I really did miss you. Or do you want me to lie?"

"I think I would like lying." Sang-hyuk's lip upturned in a slight snarl, wondering if he could get away with killing his stupid hyung without getting caught, which Jae-hwan seemed to realize. "Don't hurt us! We only came to help with the aftermath of rejection!"

That stopped him, and he blinked in shock for a couple seconds before his glower came right back. "With what?"

"Saet-byul rejected you, didn't she? It's why you've been moping around and not coming out of you room. Wonnie and I came to help!"

"I wasn't rejected," he growled, just the thought of Saet-byul causing his mood to sour terribly. If his morning wasn't ruined yet, it was ruined now. It was Jae-hwan's turn to be surprised, pulling his face off the pillow.  

"You weren't?"

"No, I wasn't." Though it sure felt like it did, the feeling of Saet-byul's hand in his was still fresh in his mind. But so was her saying how happy she was that Hak-yeon came back. And he really didn't want to think about that. Jae-hwan frowned, something he didn't think his sunny hyung was capable of.  

"Then why were you avoiding her and making us go meet her instead? She seemed really upset that you didn't come."

"I'm tired of always being there for her when she doesn't care if I'm there or not. She'd drop me in a heartbeat for Hak-yeon, and I'm just done." Both of them looked surprised, Won-shik actually lifting his head off the pillow to stare at him, and he sighed. "It's not like I'm never going to talk to her again. I'm just taking time to sort through my feelings so I can move on."

"I normally would try pushing you to confess, since there's so much it could fill a room," Jae-hwan flinched when Sang-hyuk made a move to throw another pillow at him, "but you might be right."

"What do you mean?" He saw Jae-hwan pause, Won-shik quickly burying his face again, and his eyes narrowed. "What happened?"

He couldn't help his curiosity, a small part of him still worried about her and hoping she was fine. He knew she probably had no idea why he was upset, and while he felt he shouldn't have to explain anything, he knew she wouldn't understand until someone spelt it out right in front of her. Jae-hwan hesitated in answering, biting his lip and rubbing his nose before mumbling out,

"She brought Hak-yeon with her."

Sang-hyuk sat straight up, all sleepiness gone as he stared down at Jae-hwan in disbelief. "She did what?"

"Told you he'd freak out," Won-shik mumbled from the pillow.  

"She brought him and this other guy with her. She really wanted you to be there with her, I could tell she didn't want us at all."

"How...how did she meet him again? When? She said he came back, but I never thought he would meet her so quick-"

Jae-hwan held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, we know as little as you do. He was just there with her in that creepy way of his. I swear, he's even scarier than before..."

Sang-hyuk didn't pay attention to the end part of whatever his hyung was saying, only focusing on the part where Saet-byul had met up with Hak-yeon and Hong-bin. The one time he'd met Hong-bin, the guy looked like he wanted to tear Saet-byul into little pieces. He couldn't imagine how or why she'd be meeting with him, and he definitely couldn't picture her doing so willingly. "What was she doing with them?"

"We went to watch a movie. It wasn't very long."

"You shouldn't have left her with them, that one guy, Hong-bin, he-"

"Stop!" he interrupted loudly, holding out the pillow as a weapon. "We didn't come all the way here to talk about unnecessary things like that. We came to have fun!" At that he jumped to his feet, throwing the pillow at Won-shik which only bounced off his head. He still didn't move, and Sang-hyuk was starting to wonder if he was still alive.  

"Let's go out! We'll have a day with no Saet-byul, no N, no moping! Come on, help me wake Wonnie up and we can head out!"

Sang-hyuk didn't have any say in the matter, and while he would have much rather lay down right next to Won-shik and pass out along with him, he found himself helping drag him out of bed. He found himself laughing when Won-shik squealed when he fell on the floor, grinning as they let him have time alone to get dressed in privacy.  

Jae-hwan was definitely obnoxious, and more often than not Sang-hyuk had no patience for him. Won-shik was no better, despite his tough appearance actually a puppy, following and doing anything Jae-hwan asked him, which usually was just bothering him. However....they were good hyungs and he really didn't know what he would do without them.  

“What is this?" he deadpanned, staring in unaffected shock at the sight of Saet-byul sitting across from them, Jae-hwan and Won-shik standing on either side of him as if ready to stop him from trying to escape. Jae-hwan's idea of "going out" had been to go back to his apartment, and while he had been ready to rag on the other's apparent lack of understanding on what 'fun' meant, he had been shocked to find Saet-byul already waiting there. Won-shik, after having to be nudged a few times to wake up, had locked the door behind them so he couldn't escape. He turned to give Jae-hwan the best glare he could muster at eleven in the morning on a weekend, which probably only made him look sleepy. "You said today was no Saet-byul."

"Hyukkie-" She started, though he wasn't ready to listen.  

"I'm going to go back to bed. Let me know the next time you dorks are actually going somewhere." He turned to leave when she cried out behind him,

"Stop!" He glanced back at her to see her shaking, her lower lip sticking out in that cute way he hated. Here he was trying to finally clean up any feelings he had for her, and everyone seemed to be intent on making sure they stayed. She took a deep breath. "I want to talk to you Sang-hyuk." He hesitated, a part of him thinking that he could still leave...though, he knew he would feel guilty of being the one to make her cry, so he turned back around.  

She sent him a grateful smile.  

Jae-hwan decided that now was a good time to speak. "You both are being stupid and need to just talk things out. Seeing the two of you moping is exhausting."

"Hyukkie," she started, her eyes staring at her hands that were grabbing clumps of her shirt nervously, "I'm sorry for upsetting you."

He fought to stop from just accepting her apology right then and there, reminding himself that he was throwing away his feelings. Keeping as straight a face as possible, he asked, "Do you even know why I'm angry?" He could see her pause, her brow knitted in a way she always did when she was confused. He again reminded himself to stop noticing little things like that, that she looked just like anybody else when she was confused. There was nothing special about it.  

"Was...was it because I'm seeing N again?"

He could tell she was guessing. He shoved his hands in his pockets, looking away, and she jumped to her feet. "I'm sorry," she cried. "Please stop avoiding me Hyukkie, I can't stand it when you ignore me like this." Jae-hwan silently signaled to Won-shik, the two giving him an encouraging thumbs up before heading out of the room, leaving them to sort out their problems. He sighed; he didn't need them to be so careful- he didn't care if they were there or not. He didn't care if he was with Saet-byul alone.  

"Will you tell me what I did wrong?"

"Why do you care so much about Hak-yeon?" She jumped at the mention of Hak-yeon's name, her immediately guilty look causing his wounds to reopen, the hurt unbearable. "You...you sit there and go on and on about how much you miss him and want him and wish he'd come back...but he left you like that, broke you and made you cry so much. Why...when I've been here by your side this whole time, supporting you, why do you leave me to go running back to him the moment he comes back? Am I not important to you?"

She had grown incredibly still during his outburst, her lips pursed as her eyes stared at him, unwavering. He could feel his eyes watering and , he did not want to cry in front of her. He didn't want to wipe his eyes either, so he stood there awkwardly with his hands still in pockets, sniffling to hold back his tears from falling.  

She took a step toward him and he stiffened, watching her carefully as a small smile grew on her lips. And then she was hugging him; he could feel her face pressed into his chest, her arms wrapped around his waist, her scent so sweet as it filled his head. He felt his hands come up to hug her back, eyes closing, his fingers brushing the back of her cardigan-

His eyes snapped open as he tried to shove her away, but she held him fast, her fingers digging into his back to keep him still. "Saet-byul-"

"You're very important to me Hyukkie," she whispered, and he froze again. She rubbed her face against his chest, her voice muffled. "I was so worried when you started ignoring me...I don't want you to disappear...to leave me too..."

He winced, deciding against his better judgment to rest a hand on her head. She made a noise at the touch, though she didn't pull away. "I wasn't going to leave you forever. I just needed time to myself." She turned her face slightly so that her cheek rested against him, her hold on him loosening enough that he felt he could breathe again.  

"N..." she started, and he cut her off before he could hear one of her spiels again. He was really tired of hearing those.  

"Stop, I don't want to hear it."

"N," she continued as if he never spoke, her voice hitching as if trying to stop from crying, "will always be more special than you." He could feel his heart crumble, and he wanted nothing more than to run away, back to his room and under his covers. Why the hell did he let Jae-hwan convince him to come out here? He hissed, ready to push her away when she spoke again, her voice barely a whisper. "N was the first person to love me and take care of me. I know he was forced to because of my mother, and he probably wouldn't have treated me so kindly if it wasn't for that, but...but nothing will match how his voice sounds saying my name, how my heart flutters when he hugs me. I know you hate N for how he left me, but there was a reason he left."

He started at that, pushing her away enough so he could look at her face. "There was a reason? What was it?"

"I can't tell you," she said quietly, her eyes looking anywhere but at him.

"You can't-"

"But Hyukkie," she cut in, barreling through, "you're important to me too! You're my best friend, I can't imagine living without you! I was able to get through N leaving me because you were there for me...if you're gone...who will be there for me?"  

"Do you..." he hissed, his hands moving up to grab her shoulders to force her to look at him, "do you really not understand? Are you that dense?"

"What do you mean?" She panicked when he didn't answer right away, grabbing him right back. "What don't I understand? N, he's come back and he says he's going to stay this time. It'll all go back like it used to-"

"I don't care about that!" he snapped, shaking her to stop her from talking. She wasn't listening, she never listened. It was always N, N, N, N- "Why can't you see how much I like you? Why can't you see my feelings? I really like you, Yoon Saet-byul, but you're so dense you would never be able to see it even if I stamped it on my forehead!"  

It was absolutely silent save for a few gasps outside the kitchen door, something he guessed was Jae-hwan trying not to squawk as he shamelessly eavesdropped on the other side. Saet-byul didn't move, just staring at him with wide eyes. He huffed, the adrenaline leaving him slowly only to be replaced by the growing horror that he had just confessed to Saet-byul...by screaming in her face. He hurriedly pulled away, pulling his beanie down to hide his face and whirling around.

"I..." he started, his whole body shaking and his heart hammering in his chest, "I'll just-"

"Han Sang-hyuk." He froze, a mantra of curses running through his head as he begrudgingly turned around. He heard footsteps -he refused to lift up his hat- and flinched when he felt fingers brush his cheek. Then, slowly, he felt his hat rolled up until he saw Saet-byul's face inches from his own, a soft smile on her lips as she pulled away, having had to stand on her tip-toes to reach him. "Sang-hyuk," she continued, "Hyukkie."

"S-Saet-byul," he stuttered, and he inwardly berated himself for stuttering.  

"How long have you kept this to yourself?"

"To myself?" he asked, chuckling. "Literally everyone knew about it before you. Even Hak-yeon knew about it."

Her cheeks flushed as she started playing with the edge of her cardigan. "N...he used to joke about you all the time. Would tell me to hug and kiss you and things like that." Sang-hyuk suddenly found himself wishing Hak-yeon was here so he could kiss him, though he guessed that wouldn't go well with how much he actually hated the guy. "I told him to stop joking all the time, that there was no way you could like me or I like you. You were my first friend I made, you were different from N who was..." she trailed off, digging her thumb into the side of her hand, "was N."

"Honestly, at that time I don't know what I would've done if you kissed me," he rambled, feeling even more embarrassed with her talking like this. He knew she was leading him into a rejection, could see it on her face. "It was a little crush back then, you were really cute and would talk to me despite me being a nerd and no girls ever wanting to talk to me. But I grew to actually really like you."

"Why didn't you say anything?" she asked, a tone of desperation in her voice. "Why did you wait so long?"

"Because of Hak-yeon," he half laughed, half snapped. "You were always going on about how you could only love him and how you missed him oh so much. When I sit there and listen to you go on and on, how could I even think of confessing?" She didn't respond to that, playing with her cardigan again. "I mean, just think about it. When you told me you wanted to try skinship with me because it's me, how do you think I felt?"

She gasped. "Was that why you were upset?"

"I was so happy that you wanted to try it with me. And then you turn around and say it was all for Hak-yeon-”

“No," she rushed, "I did want to try with you. I mean, I did want to practice for N, but I could only practice with you. You're the one I'm most comfortable with-"

"But in the end it's for him, not me." She didn't say anything to that, only confirming her answer. He sighed, pulling his hat off and running a hand through his hair. He was suddenly so tired, this argument with Saet-byul exhausting. "Look...I know you don't actually like me back. It's why I left."

"You...you won't actually leave me, right?" She sounded so broken.

"No," he laughed tiredly, reaching out and ruffling her hair, this time not hesitating. She didn't move, only tensing slightly before looking up at him. "Just until I sort my feelings out."

"Hyukkie..." her voice grew quiet, and he had to strain his ears to hear, "I wonder what...what would it have been like if it had been you instead...?"

"Instead?" he asked, though she quickly shook her head, smiling brightly.

"Thank you for liking me. You were always there, even when N was not, and I'll always appreciate that. Maybe one day, when N is all better and we're like we used to be, maybe I can learn to like you." She hugged him tightly, her face shining. "Though you'll never be as good as N," she giggled.  

"We'll see about that," he laughed back, pinching her cheek and relishing when she didn't pull away. He didn't trust her, didn't believe for a second that there was any way she would forget about Hak-yeon. But he would enjoy this while he could, indulge himself even if only for a short time.

--

"Hey, they're going to totally hear you," Won-shik mumbled apathetically from his seat at the counter, watching with his head propped up on his hand as Jae-hwan pressed himself to the door, ear resting against a cup as he listened to Saet-byul and Sang-hyuk on the other side. He had no idea why Jae-hwan felt the need to be so stealthy, Sang-hyuk could clearly be heard all the way from his seat, and if one listened hard enough they could hear Saet-byul too. When Sang-hyuk abruptly confessed, to which even he was a little surprised, Jae-hwan dropped his cup in shock, cursing and hissing as he scrambled to pick it up while making as little noise as possible.

Won-shik grabbed a peanut from the snack bowl in front of him, tossing it and knocking Jae-hwan in his big nose. He smirked, taking great satisfaction when the other glared at him with the biggest annoyed look possible, lips pursed and eyes wide to show his exasperation. 

"Not now, Won-shik," he hissed, putting a finger to his lips. "I need to listen!" 

"You can totally hear them without being all stupid. At this rate Sang-hyuk's going to burst in here and kill you." 

"How can he kill me when I'm the one that gave him the opportunity to confess? He should be thanking me!" 

"No, I can totally see him killing you. And good luck, cause I'm not about to save your ." 

"Remind me again why I'm letting you stay with me?" Jae-hwan huffed grumpily as he stood up, tossing the cup into the sink as he walked to the fridge.  

"Cause you love me," he smirked cheekily, and it was enough for Jae-hwan to hand him a soda, albeit reluctantly.  

"I should get that checked. Not worth it." He sent him his best cute face to which Jae-hwan's whole face scrunched up, whirling around to avoid going blind. He snickered, throwing another peanut at his head. "You're such a terrible, un-cute dongsaeng. Why I deal with you I'll never know-"

"Oh please, you know you were counting down the days till I got here. Don't hide it-"

"And I sincerely regret it! Look at you, being so inconsiderate-"

"Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go find Jae-hwan hyung and kill him," Sang-hyuk's deep voice cut in, and Jae-hwan cursed loudly as he tossed his drink back onto the counter, launching himself behind Won-shik and clinging onto his shoulders, ducking down the best he could to hide. Won-shik snorted, glancing over his shoulder to see Jae-hwan's eyes peek out, ducking down again when there was a noise outside the door.  

"What happened to me being a terrible, inconsiderate dongsaeng?" he asked teasingly, which Jae-hwan slapped him lightly.  

"You know you're my favorite of favorite dongsaengs, my lovely Won-shik ah. Now stay still and don't move." The door suddenly swung open, and Jae-hwan let out a small squeal before hiding again. Won-shik fought to keep his face still as Sang-hyuk scanned the room, Saet-byul hanging onto his arm. It didn't take the kid long to notice Jae-hwan's permed hair sticking out from behind his back, and Won-shik quickly jumped out the way when Sang-hyuk stormed over.  

"Won-shik-" Jae-hwan started only to realize he was inches from Sang-hyuk, the younger looking ready to murder. "S-Sang-hyukkie-"

"What the hell, hyung," Sang-hyuk hissed angrily, and Won-shik made sure to take a safe step back. "You planned this-"

"Of course I planned it! You know you were never going to confess on your own, as wimpy as you are. I was just helping!"

"Helping? I never wanted to confess like this! I ended up yelling at her and-"

"Hyukkie," Saet-byul said gently, and it was almost comical how quickly Sang-hyuk shut his mouth, sheepishly stepping down when she put a hand on his chest. He wasn't the only one that noticed, Jae-hwan's eyes honing in on her hand.  

"Woah Hyukkie, don't tell me you already got to first base? Did you kiss? I didn't know you had it in you-" Jae-hwan stopped mid-sentence to squeal when Sang-hyuk grabbed a handful of peanuts from the snack bowl, chucking them as hard as he could. Saet-byul giggled as Jae-hwan ran away, crying loudly about unappreciative dongsaengs, Sang-hyuk not far after him. As everything died down, Jae-hwan's screams barely audible from wherever Sang-hyuk was killing him, he glanced over to Saet-byul to see her staring at him.

He bit the inside of his cheek, unsure of what to say to her. He had to admit, he wasn't the nicest to her when they were in school, and he never did apologize to her before she vanished and he headed off to America. He could tell she was still wary of him, refusing to meet his eyes, and he sighed. "Did...did you figure everything out between you two?" he asked, cursing mentally at how stupid that probably sounded.  

She fidgeted, staring at the floor. "We did..."

"Did you reject him?"

"I...I can't now. Not until N's better. But maybe...maybe one day..." she stole a glance at him, her cheeks flushed. Then, in a small whisper, "Did you know about him liking me too?"

"Yeah...everyone kind of knew."  

"I feel so bad. I must have hurt him so badly always talking about N. I never meant to."

"Sang-hyuk's a strong kid. He'll bounce back. As long as you don't lead him on and hurt him later." She looked up at him in the change in his voice, realizing the small threat behind it, when Jae-hwan burst back in the room, walking confidently despite his hair a jumbled mess and his sweater pulled halfway off his shoulder. Sang-hyuk followed right after, a satisfied smirk on his face as he went right back to Saet-byul's side. She sent him a quick smile.  

"Alright," Jae-hwan announced, waiting until they were all looking at him, "ignoring Sang-hyuk's complete disregard for what this hyung did for him, we're going to get to the real reason I invited all of you here."

"You mean you actually planned something?" Sang-hyuk scoffed.  

Jae-hwan ignored him. "As you can see, my little Wonnie came back last week and we haven't celebrated yet! Not to mention his birthday-"

"Hyung, my birthday was last month-"

"-which you weren't here for. We should celebrate now!"  

"You do realize it's not even noon yet?" Sang-hyuk snickered, enjoying seeing the frustrated look on Jae-hwan's face.

"Oh my god you guys, maybe I just wanted to hang out with you terrible people!" The smile slipped away from Won-shik's lips as Sang-hyuk snapped something back, laughing at the supposed exaggerated antics of the elder. He stared sadly at his hyung, watching how despite the way Jae-hwan smiled with his teeth and hung off Sang-hyuk childishly, there was a melancholic look in his eye, his hold on Sang-hyuk's arm just a little too tight.  

Sang-hyuk wouldn't know, hadn't known Jae-hwan as long as he had, wouldn't see the signs.  

While he had been too tired earlier to even think, now that he was awake he could see; getting Sang-hyuk and Saet-byul to reconcile and celebrate his birthday a month late wasn't his real intention on bringing them all here. That was too much even for Jae-hwan. There was a reason he wanted them all here, a reason he forced them all back into the living room where they squeezed onto his tiny couch, why he insisted for Saet-byul to sit on Sang-hyuk's lap. He glanced over to see the smile on Jae-hwan's face thin just slightly when the younger two weren't looking, how he forced it even wider when he caught Won-shik staring.  

"Smile Wonnie!" he cried, reaching over and pinching his cheeks playfully, "You're the birthday boy!"

"Hyung-" he started.

"Ah, Jae-hwan hyung! You're foot is in my face!" He sighed when Jae-hwan happily broke away to bother Sang-hyuk, too eager to run away when he knew what Won-shik was trying to say.  

Why couldn't he be honest with himself for once?

They didn't do much; Jae-hwan just brought out his immense manhwa collection from under his bed, Sang-hyuk's eyes lighting up at the mere sight of them. Won-shik grabbed a couple and made his way over to the lone recliner, watching over the top of his book as Saet-byul asked Sang-hyuk what he was reading, the kid grinning from ear to ear as he let her sit next to him as he explained the story. He didn't pay them too much attention at first, looking over from time to time to see her resting her head against his shoulder as they read together, and if it wasn't for what she said earlier he would have thought she did accept his feelings.  

Jae-hwan, for all his bright antics earlier didn't read a single book, just sitting on the floor next to Won-shik with his knees drawn up under his chin, a content smile on his lips as he watched the two read.  

He doted on them, bringing them food when they were hungry and drinks when they were thirsty. Behind all the barbs and harsh words thrown out, he could tell Sang-hyuk really liked Jae-hwan, and by proxy Saet-byul liked him too. He wondered how much he had missed in his time away, wondering what it would have been like if he had stayed, hadn't run away at the first chance he got. He swallowed heavily as he watched Jae-hwan grin at one of Sang-hyuk's insults, the younger nudging him away with his foot.  

It wasn't until after they were forced to eat an abomination of a cake that Jae-hwan slapped together that he was finally able to corner him. He was cleaning the dishes, part of his agreement on staying so he wasn't completely freeloading, while Jae-hwan saw the two off. He could hear the longing in the other's voice as he wished them a safe trip, making sure to nag Sang-hyuk to walk Saet-byul home. He listened to the two of them bicker, Saet-byul's voice floating around in between, and the sound of the door shutting was loud against the silence that followed.  

Won-shik paused, looking up when there was no noise coming from the other room, wondering if Jae-hwan had gone out with them. He hurriedly finished up and ran out, stopping in surprise to see Jae-hwan staring sadly in front of the door, his shoulders drooping. He exhaled softly before making his way over, putting a hand on the other's shoulders.  

"Hyung?"

Jae-hwan flinched under his touch before giving him another smile, and Won-shik wanted to wipe it off so badly. "W-Wonshik ah, did you finish up in the kitchen?"

"Hyung...is it today?" At that, the smile fell away, Jae-hwan's head lowering as he gave a small nod. He inwardly berated himself for forgetting as he quickly enveloped the other in a crushing hug, feeling Jae-hwan shudder against him. "I told you not to think about that anymore, remember?"

"I can't help it Won-shik ah," he whimpered, showing him a side of himself that he refused to show anyone else. Jae-hwan was determined to appear happy and carefree in front of everyone, never wanting anyone to see the side of him that was suffering endlessly. He was foolish like that. ”Today was the day they left me. I can't...I can't forget it."  

"Then remember today, remember Sang-hyuk and Saet-byul kind of getting together and reading manhwa on the couch. Remember that disgusting thing of a cake you made, and how we forced ourselves to eat it. Remember how happy you were today. Forget them, they don't deserve someone like you." Jae-hwan didn't respond, just letting out a shaky breath as he let Won-shik hold him, gratefully allowing himself to be comforted.  

After a few minutes of comfortable silence, he eventually pulled away, wiping at his reddened eyes. "W-when did you get so mushy, Wonnie? You made me cry."

"It's because you're so stupid in trying to hide this all by yourself you dolt," he laughed, knocking against the other's head. "While you don't have to tell them anything, I'm sure they'd understand if you let them see when you're upset."

"No," Jae-hwan shook his head, going over to the couch and sprawling out across it. He pat his stomach invitingly, though Won-shik merely sat in the recliner. Jae-hwan pouted but didn't say anything, lying his head back and staring at the ceiling. "I...I like it when they're happy. When I make them laugh. Won-shik ah...they like me."

"We all like you. You don't need to act to get them to like you."

"No but...they might leave someday. You left me, were gone for three years. I don't want to be alone." By then Jae-hwan's voice was barely above a whisper, filled with things that Won-shik knew he would never fully understand. No matter how much he tried, he would never understand the utter helplessness Jae-hwan felt when he was alone. Despite how he hated his family and wished he could be rid of them, he grew up fairly loved.

"Hyung...I won't leave again. I promise."

"Saet-byul," Jae-hwan continued, ignoring his protests, "I don't want her to feel like this. I don't want her to feel like she was abandoned by her family. I know she'd rather I didn't, but I know how it feels and I don't want her to have to go through that. Does that make me a bad person?"

His eyes softened, quietly making his way over and placing a hand over Jae-hwan's eyes, hiding the tears that were forming. "No," he said gently, tenderly wiping them away with his thumb. "It makes you a wonderful person."