Chapter 9: Confrontation

Jisung was unusually quiet. It was far from just plain old cold shoulders or ignoring each other, he was quiet even with the other members. He didn't do anything at all but practice and Hyunjin was the first to have noticed that. It wasn't as if Hyunjin was concerned or anything, it's just really unnerving for him to see him silent even though Hyunjin often gets on his nerves throughout the day.

They were practicing for a performance, there was already a tense atmosphere as all the pressure and stress were felt by all the members. It only doubled when Jisung messed up a few steps there and then. Usually, Minho is the first to guide him and talk to him but this time, Hyunjin chose to step up and point out his mistakes.

Everyone held their breath, eyeing the two of them as they waited for the moment for Jisung to snap so imagine their surprise when Jisung only clenched his jaw and gave a deadly glare to Hyunjin before they continued to another choreography. This went on with Jisung completely being silent and he hates to say it, it only got to him more.

As always, Chan was the first person who went towards Jisung as soon as the choreographer called it a day. He was saying something that Hyunjin couldn't catch but he watched as Chan took a deep breath and pulled Jisung into a small hug before nodding and leaving them both alone. He hadn't even noticed the others filing out of the room until Jisung could only make eye contact with him.

"What's with you?" Hyunjin broke the silence, "It's unlike you to be this silent. This whole thing is unlike you." Jisung rolled his eyes, choosing to pack his bag up. This didn't go all too well with Hyunjin, he grabbed Jisung by his wrist.

Before he could speak, Jisung pulled his wrist away from him. "I'm not in the mood for your silly games, Hwang. Will you quit it?" He glared at Hyunjin harshly, pushing past him but Hyunjin didn't let it get to him and quickly caught Jisung's shirt.

"What the-"

"What's with you?"

Jisung clicked his tongue, putting his hand over Hyunjin to try and escape his grip but Hyunjin tightly clutched his shirt more. "Why the fuck do you even care!?" He finally hissed out, "What? Suddenly you're being the good guy after you treated me like I'm the most horrible person in the world? Stop with the good guy get up, Hwang. It doesn't suit you."

Hyunjin sighed, "I know I have been nothing but mean... I'm just asking because... Like I said, this is unlike-"

"And who are you to tell me that this is unlike me, Hyunjin?" Jisung interrupted, his eyebrows furrowing. "You don't fucking know me anymore. You don't know me at all. So, stop. Stop with the fucking 'This is unlike you' because how can you even know me!" He yelled, his eyes beginning to water.

"I know you even if it's in the past. I remember how you acted before and there isn't much difference with how you're-"

"With how I'm acting now? Did we say we hated each other back then? Did we yell and punch each other? Hell, you became the person I hated so don't fucking tell me anything about our past! You don't deserve to spill any of that or even utter those words! We don't know each other. I don't know you anymore, Hwang and that goes the same way with how you don't know me anymore." Jisung tried to walk away again but Hyunjin pulled him and pushed him to the wall, trapping him between his arms. "What the fuck is wrong with you?!" Jisung tried to push him away but Hyunjin didn't move an inch.

"Okay, fine." Hyunjin struggled to get his words out. "You changed. We changed. There is no fucking denying that. We all know that everyone knows that. Yet, you know... Habits never change, Jisung. You're doing... those again! It's making me worry and I don't care if we hate each other but we are in a team and you are a member of that team. I am allowed to be worried about a certain someone despite that they are acting like a douchebag."

Jisung looked at him, "You think I care about your silly words? I ignored you now, didn't I? Isn't that what you wanted? Isn't what I'm doing ever enough for you?! You don't get to trap me and tell me that you're worried when all you have done is break me even further!"

"I-"

"What? You'll say that you didn't mean to? No, fuck off with that, Hyunjin. We all know that you did everything on purpose. So don't fucking worry, you have nothing to worry about me anymore." Hyunjin clenched his fists and then took the initiative to pull Jisung into a hug. "Get the fuck-"

"Shut up." Hyunjin murmured, "I'm sorry, okay? I'm sorry... Now, please..."

"You can't be serious-" Hyunjin tightened his hug, "You're crushing me." Jisung chose to give up, melting himself in Hyunjin's arms without any fight left inside of him. Hyunjin couldn't help but remember the warmth of having himself near Jisung, just like before.

Tears welled up in his eyes and he hid his face in Jisung's shoulders before he could start crying. He could feel Jisung hesitantly wrapping his arms around him.

"Why?" Jisung's voice cracked, the pain in his voice breaking his heart more and more. "Why did you leave me?"

"I-" He remembers the moment from his past, somewhat wanting to avoid the topic from being brought up again and again. "I saw you with a... with a guy."

"What?"

"You were kissing each other and I just know it was you because of your hoodie and figure. It only confirmed when I saw the side of your face." He didn't understand that Jisung seemed confused by this when he pulled away. "Don't play dumb with me, I saw you."

Jisung contemplated, "Where and when?"

"On the day when you were going to go back to Malaysia-" Hyunjin started, trying to remember the details of that painful day.

"I thought you were home then-"

"So, it is true?"

"No!" Jisung panicked, "No, Hyunjin I-"

"Then, why are you being so secretive?"

Jisung took a deep breath. "I had a surprise set up for you before I go back home... I had it all set up and... It just, It was something that you always really wanted to have and I wanted that... to be a surprise."

"What?"

"That person you are saying, that's probably the one I've been talking to- to make all this plan work. I was working with him and I know how crazy our resemblance is-"

"I don't understand all of this." Hyunjin is dismayed to hear about this and does not want to believe anything that Jisung is saying. "No- No, I swear that that's you I saw! You wore that same hoodie before and it was one of your favorites..." Jisung sighed and fished out his phone, looking through his gallery and landing on a specific picture.

It was Jisung and two other men in the picture, posing at a wall-sized mirror.

Hyunjin recognized one of the men from their outfit and when he inspected their faces, he could see the amount of resemblance that one of the men had from Jisung's features. What only made his heart sink was seeing the hoodie and seeing Jisung wearing a whole different outfit, far from what the other two were wearing.

"No..." Hyunjin whispered in horror, "Fuck... Fuck! I'm so fucking sorry, Jisung-" Before he breaks down, Jisung pulled him into his arms. He let Hyunjin's tears roll down, his eyes shining in disbelief from what he had seen.

As much as he tries to come up with an excuse, there's no denying that he had made the mistake of assuming that Jisung cheated. It was his fault this all happened. It was him that broke the relatio-

"Hyunjin, I never blamed you back then." Jisung softly muttered, "We both made the mistake of letting go of each other without actually communicating. It's never going to be your fault." He pulls away to take a look at Hyunjin, wiping his tears with his thumb.

"But, I-" Hyunjin closed his eyes tightly, "I'm so fucking dumb. I shouldn't have assumed and now I dragged you into this mess I made-"

"Hyunjin, Hyunjin!" He opened his eyes and stared back at Jisung's soft glossy eyes. "Even if it hurts on my part, we never really knew the situation back then. How could we have known that it was a huge misunderstanding on both sides? I never cleared myself as well and instead chose to argue and fight with you instead of listening to your side."

He hiccuped, "I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry too." Jisung tried to hold back his tears, failing miserably at it... "I'm so sorry for everything." He, then, pulled Hyunjin into a tight hug, clutching at each other as if their lives depended on it. Basking into the warmth that disappeared from their lives for so long, missing it intently as they live with a cold feeling after the situation.

They broke apart from their hug when Jisung complained about the numbing feeling of being in the same position, making Hyunjin laugh at his silliness and in return, making Jisung smile at successfully lifting his mood.

Instead of standing up, they lay down on the floor of the practice room. Their shoulders almost touching and their eyes fixed on the ceiling.

"Jisung?" Hyunjin called and the other answered by humming in acknowledgment, "What was... What was the surprise you said?"

"Well..." Jisung looked at him, "It was a small art studio." Hyunjin suddenly sat up, facing Jisung with widened eyes from shock.

"What? Tell me you're kidding." Jisung sat up as well, shaking his head.

"You loved painting so much and I knew you had your struggles being at home without a room dedicated for it and I- I decided that you'll gain comfort from that space while I was gone." If Hyunjin's heart hadn't already broken, it was for sure that it would break a million times more from this revelation.

Hyunjin stayed silent which made Jisung feel panicked at this. "But- but it's okay! It's not your fault, we didn't know that this would happen, and... I- I used it for myself instead so it benefitted me! So, don't... don't worry."

"How could I not worry, Jisung?" He didn't know what to feel at the moment. "How could I not worry that you were there with a surprise on hand, only to be accused of cheating? How do I not worry about that?" Hyunjin clenched his fists, frustrated with himself.

"Don't blame it on you-"

"No! Jisung!" Hyunjin denied what Jisung had to say, "No, I must have... I must have hurt you so \ bad and it's all because I was being selfish... and a fucking bastard. You prepared all that for me, how could I not blame myself in this situation?"

"Hyunjin-ah..."

"Why didn't you fight for yourself, Jisung? Why didn't you defend yourself? I'm so irritated with you. That you chose to be silent when I was yelling at you for something you didn't do. You..." He clutched at Jisung's shirt, "You're a dumb asshole."

Jisung let his tears fall as well, chuckling sadly at that. "I didn't want to make everything worse. I was confused, I felt betrayed and that's all that I felt when we started to argue. I didn't know what to do, Hyunjin..." They let their forehead touch each other's. "I... All that I thought was that you wanted to break up with me for personal reasons. I thought you hated me and were just playing a joke on our years together-"

"I would never, ever, joke with what we had been through." They looked into each other's eyes, "I would never break your trust like that, despite all the hatred I felt back then. I love- loved you." Jisung closed his eyes, a small smile playing on his lips.

"I know that now." He took a deep breath, "I loved you then too, enough to let little old me forgive you." Hyunjin smiles, closing his eyes as well.

I still do love you.

"Thank you, Jisung."