Hyesung held his breath.  If the intruder was indeed still inside his flat as he feared, it would help to have an extra hand.  However, that would also mean subjecting that person to danger he didn’t deserve, and right now, he could only think of one person who would be thoughtless enough to come over at this hour.

Eric.

He grabbed a long, slender desk lamp from the corner table just behind him, crudely detached the shade from the base, and held the base up with both hands like how one would hold a baseball bat.  There were a number of things in the kitchen that he could’ve used as a weapon , but he didn’t want to risk going over unarmed, in case the intruder was hiding behind the counter.  Besides, he needed something with a longer reach, and time was not on his side.

The beeping stopped and was soon followed by a clicking sound.  The door opened to show, as expected, a rather anxious looking Eric. “How could you—“

Hyesung tried to mime caution to Eric, although he was sure there was no point in trying to be discreet.  By now, the intruder was probably aware of his and Eric’s presence, as well as their awareness of him.  Still, the situation didn’t seem to allow for him to talk freely about the matter.  He’s watched enough movies to know that agitating a perpetrator will only lead to bad, more violent results.

He couldn’t afford that to happen.  Not now when Eric’s involved.

Eric didn’t seem to notice his distress though.  While Hyesung was motioning for him to leave, all the leader did was fish his phone out of his pocket.

“Get out, Eric!  I am not in the mood to argue with you right now.”  He hissed, as his gaze shifted between Eric and the kitchen.  He needed to check if anyone was hiding behind the counter, but he couldn’t bring himself to let Eric out of his sight.  Should he just make a run towards the door and drag Eric out with him.  But what if the intruder was hiding inside one of the rooms, and was just waiting for the right time to come out and attack them?  What if there was more than one?

Of course, Eric chose the worst time to be stubborn.  “I am not leaving until we talk.”  He declared and, before Hyesung could come up with a reply, put his phone back in his pocket and reached out for the door to Hyesung’s shoe closet on his left.

No!

Hyesung froze as Eric disappeared into the room.  For a moment, the loud, rhythmic drumming of his own heartbeat—mixed in with the occasional sound from the video montage that was still playing in the background—was all he could hear.  He wanted to call out to Eric, to curse him for his rash behavior; he wanted rush to Eric’s side to see if he needed any help, but all he could do was curse at himself and his cowardice.  Even now, when the man he loved was facing possible danger because of him, all he could do was bate his breath.

Finally, he heard some scurrying from inside the room, and soon after, Eric emerged from the closet holding up one of his golf clubs. Hyesung let out a sigh of relief as Eric held out a hand to give him an “all clear” sign.  As much as he hated the recklessness of Eric’s actions, he had to admit that the move was pretty brave.  At the very least, he was able to do something than just being frozen in fear like how he was a few seconds ago.

Together, they checked the rooms.  He checked the kitchen and common toilet, while Eric checked the study and his closet, all while exchanging thoughtless conversation, just so they can keep track of where the other one was when they were not in sight. They checked every room and possible places where any intruder could hide.  In the end, they found nothing. There was no one else in sight.

“Drink this.” Eric instructed as he handed him a glass of water, but he ignored it as he sunk to his couch. Knowing that they didn’t have any unwanted company didn’t make him feel that much better, nor did it answer any of his questions.  If anything, it posed even more.

Why?

Why did the intruder break into his home just to leave a rather haphazardly put video? Was it to prove that he had more footage of the group—more secrets to tell?

 Then there was Eric.  Just an hour ago, he left the man in the middle of a parking lot, swearing never to have anything to do with him, but now, here he was, once again relying on the leader.  If he wasn’t so pale from fear, he would’ve been beet red in embarrassment.

“Would you prefer something stronger?” Eric asked as he sat beside Hyesung on the couch, still with the glass of water in his hand.

“No,” Hyesung replied, as he finally took the glass from Eric’s hand, “Water’s fine.”

He felt Eric’s gaze on him as he downed the entire content of the glass with a couple of gulps, only releasing his stare after Hyesung put the glass down on the coffee table in front of him. “I messaged Minwoo to call the cops a while ago. They should be here in a few.”

Hyesung recalled how Eric pulled out his phone earlier, and realized just how on top of things the leader was on the get go, totally opposite of how freaked out he became at the mere idea of an intruder in his own place, and once again became embarrassed over his own inadequacy. “Thank you, but there’s really no need to. As you can see, I’m safe.”

“But there must be a reason—“

“No, there’s none.  It was just—“ Hyesung took a deep breath before going further, “—a DVD. Someone left a DVD in my player.”

“A DVD?” Eric murmured—more as a thought to himself than an actual question—as he finally looked at the video montage that was playing on loop.

“At first, I thought it was one of Wannie’s, but the quality seemed off, and I realized it was the same quality as that of the leaked video.” Hyesung went on, hoping that relaying the details would somehow make sense of the incident. “S-somehow, I thought that whoever did it was still inside my flat so I panicked, but, apparently, it was just me being paranoid.”

“No Sunggie,” Eric said, taking his eyes off the video and turning to him for a moment. “You’re not being paranoid.  In situations like these, it’s better to expect the worst.”

A short silence stirred up the air between them as Eric shifted his focus back on the TV screen.  Hyesung wondered if the other guy was able to make something out of the video contents, and was about to ask him about it, when Eric picked up the remote control that Hyesung dropped earlier. “Look, the cops will be here any minute.  You can tell them the entire story in detail before we leave.  Meanwhile, go pack what you need.”

“Wait, what?” Hyesung said, dazed, while Eric moved towards the player. 

“Don’t tell me you’re thinking of staying here alone despite of what happened?” Eric replied as he picked up the ejected DVD and fixed it into an empty case that he found.

“I won’t be alone.  The cops will be here.”

“And they will be busy.  You’ll just be in the way. Besides, you won’t be able to get any sleep with so many people bustling about, and you need sleep—you’ve barely had any in the past couple of days.”

Hyesung knew Eric was right.  So many things did happen in the last two days that he barely got any proper sleep at all.  Yet, he didn’t want to admit that to Eric.  After all, didn’t he tell Eric earlier that he no longer wanted to be a burden to him? “Still, I shouldn’t—“

“Look Sunggie, this is not a negotiation.  We can go to a hotel or you can stay at my place.  Either way, I’m not leaving you.”

It was Hyesung’s turn to raise his voice. “Are you crazy? The entire nation just found out I’m gay and you want to book a hotel room with me?!” He exclaimed as he stood up and walked up to Eric in an attempt to reason with him.

“I don’t care—“

“Well, I do!” Hyesung blurted out, surprised at just how much he meant those words.  Looking at Eric’s unassuming eyes, it was obvious that the meaning of the words merely passed him by.  Yet, to Hyesung, it was as real as the feeling of helplessness that is slowly settling into the pit of his stomach; because it was no longer simply about the hotel room for him.  It was about their argument in the parking lot and Eric’s possible aversion to homouals; and the fact that none of those would ever change the way he felt about him.  It was about everything.  “I care about you. A lot.”

Thinking about the events that transpired between the past 48 hours or so was exhausting, yet it made one thing clear to him.  This unrequited love he harbours for Eric will only burden the leader more in the future, and if he truly loved the man, he will have to learn to let the feeling—let Eric—go.

However, knowing Eric meant knowing about his loyalty, and since he was still a big part of Eric’s life, Eric won’t allow Hyesung to let go of him so easily.

Not unless he gives him enough reason to.

 “Well, I care about you too Sunggie.  That’s why—“

“That’s not what I meant.”

Hyesung choked on his reply, suddenly feeling the burden of the decision that he just made. People usually talk about how truth would set one free; they failed to mention how freedom tasted like bitter tea. “I…care.”

He said softly, not sure if those two words translated everything he wanted to say.  He had already played with the idea of confessing to Eric a hundred times.  Yet, he never thought of doing it so soon, or of doing it to say goodbye.

Still, he needed to do it.  If he truly wanted to give himself a chance at happiness, he will have to face this problem head on.  Of course, there was no doubt in his mind that Eric would reject him, but he was hoping that Eric’s direct rejection would somehow give him the closure that he needed. That way, there would be no dealing with “what ifs” in the future.

For a while, there was only silence.  Then, slowly, laboriously—as if each word carried the weight of his understanding—Eric murmured.  “Are you saying…”

Hyesung nodded in reply, words finally failing him, before turning towards the door. Now that he has given Eric his heart, it’s time to learn to live without it.  Without him.

He barely made a step though, when Eric caught his arm. “Wait—“

He looked back at Eric, bewilderment evident in his face, as Eric said in haste. “Don’t go.  Not now.”

 “Don’t go?! What do you propose I do then, huh?” Hyesung exclaimed, no longer able to hide the tone of exasperation in his voice “Should I stay to hear your elaborate excuse for rejecting me; or would you prefer to suggest that we forget about all this? Take your pick, which one would it be?!”

 He waited for Eric’s reply, but it didn’t come. Instead, the older guy merely moved closer to him, one step at a time, until he successfully backed him into a corner.  Finally, he spoke. “What you just said, is it true? What about Kangta?”

“Eric, jebal. I just basically confessed to you and you’re asking me about Kangta?!”

“Is it true?”

“Yes!” Hyesung exclaimed in complete surrender.  Eric was looking back at him with an amused expression, but he couldn’t be bothered to confront the man about it.  Whatever Eric was going on about, he didn’t care. He just didn’t have the strength to play Eric’s mind games anymore. 

“Then kiss me.”

Did he just—

“Huh?”  Eric’s statement had been so sudden that Hyesung was sure he had heard him wrong. Because there was no way—

“Kiss me, Sunggie.  I want you to kiss me.”

It was the last thing Eric said before he claimed Hyesung’s lips with his.

I’m really sorry for keeping you guys waiting for so long.  I could give you a longwinded excuse for the delay, but really, I just didn’t have the time to write.  OTL

So, my apologies and thanks to everyone who waited patiently for this chapter.  I seriously hope you guys weren’t disappointed! Lol

Anyway, as promised, a big thank you to these beautiful people for upvoting my story!

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On top of that, I would like to extend my thanks to everyone who subscribed and commented thus far! Can’t believe that I’ve already got more than 100 subs! Thank you so much for being such active readers. You are my angels! ^^

Now, back to streaming!lol