Geun Suk got bored in his apartment, so he decided to go to Kyuhyun’s place. Like Kyuhyun, he also lives alone, as his family were all based in the U.S. Usually an hour before midnight of New Year, he, Kyuhyun and some of their friends would gather in his apartment to drink beer or any kind of liquor, but at that time, these friends were with their families and Kyuhyun was with Shin Hye.

When he reached Kyuhyun’s apartment, he rang the doorbell, but no one answered. He rang it again, and then tried knocking on the door. Still, there was no response. They were either not home or already sleeping, he told himself.  He guessed it was the first one, so he decided to call his friend, so he could just meet them wherever they went.

As he searched for Kyuhyun’s number in his phone, he heard the sound of the elevator doors opening.

“Oh, Manager Jang!” a familiar voice called out to him. It was Shin Hye.

A smile formed on Geun Suk’s lips seeing Kyuhyun and Shin Hye’s hands intertwined.

“Daebak! Did I miss anything?” he asked, his voice full of excitement.

Shin Hye suddenly felt shy, while Kyuhyun raised their intertwined hands, showing it off to his hyung.

“Neh, and your timing is really bad this time,” he said jokingly.

“Wae, I came here to celebrate New Year’s with you guys. And now, it seems that we have another reason to celebrate,” Geun Suk said teasingly.

Kyuhyun looked at Shin Hye and then his hyung. He was holding a bottle of liquor. “Tss. Ara, ara. Let’s go in,” he said as he punched in his code to open the door.

“Wah, it’s been a long time since I last visited here,” Geun Suk said as he sank himself into the couch. “Your place is much neater and tidier now than it was before,” he added as he scanned the place.

Kyuhyun went straight to the kitchen when they entered, while Shin Hye just stood behind the other side of the couch, feeling uncomfortable in Geun Suk’s presence. It was the first time that Kyuhyun had a visitor since she moved in, and as far as she knew, nobody knew she was staying in his apartment except for Kyuhyun, herself and Yu-bi.

Geun Suk noticed her uneasiness. “Uhm, Shin Hye-yah, I hope you don’t mind me calling you that. Are you okay?” he asked.

“Uhm, neh, neh, I’m fine, Manager Jang,” she replied, still feeling shy, but managed to give him a smile.

“Eyyy, don’t be so formal. Kyu’s like my younger brother, so we are practically a family now. And besides, we’re not at work. Drop the ‘manager’, and treat me as your older brother. Relax and have a seat,” he said with a friendly smile on his face.

 “Arasso,” she answered, as she sat down on the other side of the couch.

Geun Suk took a quick glance at Kyuhyun who was still in the kitchen, getting some glasses from the cupboard.

“So, Shin Hye-yah, how’s Kyuhyun as a housemate?” Geun Suk asked in a teasing tone, his voice a little loud, making sure that Kyuhyun would also hear it.

Shin Hye was surprised at his question. She didn’t expect it. “Uhm, well, about that –“

“Don’t worry Shin Hye-yah, hyung knew what happened,” Kyuhyun assured her, as he walked towards them, placing two empty glasses, a glass of juice and a bucket of ice on the table. Then he turned to his friend. “Hyung, don’t scare her with your questions,” he said as he sat beside Shin Hye, and then handed her the glass of juice.

Geun Suk chuckled. “I’m not scaring her. I was just asking her, because if you’ve been a difficult housemate to live with, I wouldn’t think twice to give you a smack on the face,” he said jokingly.

Shin Hye let out a soft chuckle. “Well, he’s actually the nicest housemate anyone could have. He’s the best,” Shin Hye said, her eyes beaming with love.

A teasing smirk formed on Geun Suk’s face. “Ah, jinja? Then, we’ll have to see how he behaves now since you’re already his –“ His words were cut off when a throw pillow hit him on the face.

“Yah! I said don’t scare her,” Kyuhyun butted in.

“Fine. I’ll stop now. Let’s start drinking then. By the way, here’s something for us to eat,” Geun Suk said showing them the food he brought. “Shin Hye-yah, do you drink?” he then asked, opening the bottle of liquor.

“A-Ani, oppa. I don’t drink. I’m fine with my juice. I’ll just sit here and watch the both of you,” she replied politely.

“Tsk, tsk. Good for you and bad for Kyuhyun,” Geun Suk said, giving them an if-you-know-what-I-mean look.

Kyuhyun shook his head, but a smile was dawning on his face, catching what his friend meant. “Hyung, we haven’t started drinking yet, but you’re talking like you’re already drunk.”

“Eyyy, I’m just happy for the both you. I’m actually expecting this to happen, and now that it already happened, I couldn’t be happier.”

The friendly banter between the two men continued and Shin Hye enjoyed watching them.

 Both men seemed to enjoy the liquor Geun Suk brought, although Kyuhyun wasn’t drinking much. It’s not because he wasn’t really a drinker, but because he didn’t want to get drunk, as he had other plans that night.

“Geun Suk oppa, are you okay? Do you want to rest now?” Shin Hye asked with concern on her voice.

“I’m okay,Shin Hye-yah. Per....fectly fine. We will not.... sleep until we con...sume this all, right Kyuhyun-ah?” Geun Suk replied, his speech already slurred.

“Neh, hyung,” Kyuhyun lied. He was just waiting for his friend to fall asleep.

“Kyuhyun-ah, you did... uhm...really well earlier. Have you seen... those girls... cheering for you? I feel...uhm... so sorry for them, because... they didn’t know you’re al...ready taken,” Geun Suk said laughing.

“I’m sure they’ll find out soon, hyung” Kyuhyun replied casually.

“Neh, neh, neh. You’re right. But..uhm, you know what, I won...der why those girls are crazy o...ver you. I mean, I’m bet...ter looking than..uhm.. you are.” Geun Suk let out a chuckle.

Kyuhyun just gave him a smirk as he stood up. He then made his way to the kitchen to get more ice, while Shin Hye could only heave a sigh seeing her boss like that – drunk and talkative.

The alcohol had already set in on Geun Suk that he didn’t notice his friend leave, so he continued with his litany. “I’m sure they’ll be... crazier once they find out that.. uhm.. they’re crushing on not just a handsome namja, but also the owner of Sukira,” he blurted out.

Shin Hye was taken aback with what she just heard, but wasn’t sure if she heard it correctly. “Oppa, did you just say Kyuhyun oppa owns Sukira?”

“Neh. He owns it. Didn’t... he –“

“Yah!” K