He was still in his early twenties. Life wasn’t supposed to be this complicated or maybe it only felt dramatic because he was young. Perhaps when he turned thirty, he’d look back on this chaotic decade and laugh, dismissing it as nothing more than a series of minor obstacles he simply hadn’t learned to navigate yet but thirty was still far away, and right now, he was falling apart. 

Not that anyone would know. Jisung kept it hidden because why wouldn’t he? His problems were his own. The only exception was his love life, which had, unfortunately, become Hyunjin’s problem too. That part was entirely Hyunjin's fault. He had insisted on being involved, dragging himself into the mess like a willing martyr. 

Jisung couldn’t deny that maintaining their carefully crafted lie was exhausting, but it wasn’t just the act itself that drained him. It was the hesitation. The reluctance. He’d started it out of sheer desperation, sure, but Hyunjin was the one who kept it going; adding more layers, more details until it stopped feeling like a harmless ploy and started feeling like a living, breathing thing. Every time Jisung thought about pulling the plug, Hyunjin’s determined expression stopped him cold. 

Screw it all, he hadn’t realized he physically could not say no to Hyunjin and there went his pride—right down the drain. He used to take pride in being a resolute little prick against Hyunjin, but apparently, that had an expiration date. 

If Hyunjin weren’t so damn persistent, Jisung would have already told Minho the truth. Not out of courage—hell no—but because he simply didn’t have the patience to keep up the act. Especially not with Minho. Lying to him felt different. It was heavier. Not just because he was in love with the guy, but because Minho was his best friend or at least, he used to be. These days, Jisung wasn’t sure anymore—not when Minho acted like nothing had changed ever since he and Chan became a thing while Jisung felt the shift like a splinter under his skin.  He absolutely hated feeling this way.

Not that Jisung was some beacon of bravery, either. He was a dreamer, sure, but he never acted on those dreams. Never stayed long enough to see them through. If he ever had to admit something painfully, inescapably true about himself, it would be that he was a coward at heart. 

-and honestly? He wasn’t even ashamed of it. He had every right to be. Who else was supposed to protect his heart if not himself? 

What, did you expect him to lean on Hyunjin ? To trust that idiot to shield him from the inevitable? Just because they had some ridiculous agreement? Or worse—were you under the delusion that he’d magically let go of all his resentment just because Hyunjin had somehow become tolerable these days? 

Yeah. No. Not happening. 

He still disliked Hyunjin. Very much.

He was just not very vocal about it these days.

When he’d half-jokingly told Hyunjin to stop him if he ever started acting like a lovesick idiot, he hadn’t expected Hyunjin to take it seriously, let alone turn it into a full-time job. Jisung had only said it as a self-assurance—like if he said it out loud, it would somehow make his determination to move on more real and he was fairly sure Hyunjin wouldn't act upon it anyways but apparently, Hyunjin either had a bigger heart than Jisung had given him credit for, or he was just unbearably stubborn. 

Either way, Jisung hadn’t accounted for how much harder it would be to pretend around Minho with Hyunjin watching his every move. 

He’d spent years keeping his feelings under wraps, unnoticed by everyone because, frankly, everyone around him was oblivious but now that Hyunjin was in on the secret, it was as if Jisung had suddenly been thrown under a damn spotlight. Every interaction with Minho felt stiff, every word overthought, every single gesture picked apart like Hyunjin was some self-appointed director of this tragic comedy. 

And if Hyunjin thought he was being subtle, Jisung really need to break it to him—he wasn’t.  He very much would prefer it if Hyunjin stopped breathing down his neck!

Yet, for some inexplicable reason, Jisung never actually told him to stop. Even when it bruised his pride every time Hyunjin swooped in like some knight in shining armor to save him from his own awkwardness, like Jisung was some helpless damsel in distress. 

He wasn't! He didn’t need to be treated like some fragile, delicate little thing. 

But Hyunjin forgot that or maybe he was doing it on purpose because back on the mountain, Hyunjin had given him that look. That putting, frustrated look. The one that screamed I hate that you’re doing this to yourself even though he hadn’t said a word. 

As if that wasn’t bad enough, Hyunjin had the audacity—the unmitigated gall to comfort him. To act like he actually cared about Jisung’s pollen allergy and being the gracious, civilized person he was, Jisung had refrained from throwing hands. Barely. 

He didn’t even know why he was seething so much when, objectively speaking, he’d been relatively fine with Hyunjin before and by that, he meant he only occasionally imagined hexing the guy whenever he couldn’t bring himself to say no because somehow, somehow,  Hyunjin had developed this unknown ability to make Jisung bite his damn tongue. 

Hyunjin was probably confused by Jisung’s constant hot-and-cold behavior. But hell, even Jisung didn’t understand himself half the time. So why would Hyunjin? 

Still, hating Hyunjin was easy. Simple. Comfortable. 

Even if they had this agreement—even if, on some  technical level, Jisung owed him—resentment and gratitude could coexist just fine. For example, Jisung hated that Hyunjin was the only one who could help him with this. He hated that he’d let this ridiculous lie spiral out of control in the first place. 

And yet… there was this small, small, very small part of him that found Hyunjin’s nosiness… oddly comforting. Not that he’d ever admit it. He’d rather die than say it out loud. 

Hell, he might even have to hex the next person who figured him out. 

Because, big secret? He felt safer whenever Hyunjin was around. 

Not in the dramatic, life-or-death sense, but in the everything’s easy with you kind of way. 

Because hating Hyunjin was easy. Bantering with him was easy. Knowing that, no matter what mess Jisung made, Hyunjin would just roll his eyes and call him an idiot the same way Jisung would if their roles were reversed—that was easy. 

Maybe, just maybe, Jisung had gotten a little too used to that. 

Which was a terrifying thought, really. Because of all people, it had to be Hwang Hyunjin —with his ridiculous dramatics, his insufferable stubbornness, and his uncanny ability to worm his way into situations he had no business being in—who managed to offer Jisung even a fraction of comfort. 

A micro of it. 

A sliver so small Jisung could pretend it didn’t exist. Could ignore the way it settled in the back of his mind, like an irritatingly persistent gnat that refused to leave him alone. 

Because admitting it? Admitting that Hyunjin, in all his stupidity, had somehow become something familiar; something safe? 

Yeah. That was scarier than anything.

Hyunjin saw through him more than most people ever had, which was infuriating because, for years, Jisung had assumed Hyunjin was too self-absorbed to care about anyone else and yet, somehow, Hyunjin had to prove him wrong.

He had misjudged him and also judged him perfectly in some ways. 

Jisung was fairly certain Hyunjin didn’t know that he knew about the little notes he kept. The ones listing every tiny thing that annoyed Jisung. The only reason Jisung hadn’t confronted him was because he refused to engage in such blatant idiocy. Being in a fake relationship was already peak stupidity, he wasn’t about to open the door for whatever nonsense Hyunjin would come up with to justify it. Either he’d be relentlessly teased, or Hyunjin would launch into a hundred-page thesis on why it was absolutely necessary to document Jisung’s irritation triggers in an excruciating detail.  It's not a can of worms that Jisung wanted to open just yet.

If there was one thing Jisung had learned in the past few weeks aside from the fact that Hyunjin was a persistent menace, it was that he was also a hard-working fool. 

After they left the mountain, Jisung had napped through the afternoon, exhaustion finally catching up to him that he couldn't careless that Hyunjin was lying next to him, holding his hand with the excuse of practicing. He simply argued that it's stupid because he will be sleeping and the practicing wouldn't be effective with him being...well- obviously, asleep. The only response he received was a sneer before Hyunjin pulled his hand away.

"We could at least cuddle?" Hyunjin said after a beat before Jisung momentarily sat up and stuff a pillow over Hyunjin's head.

Later, he found himself at the shore, letting the cold air wake him up as laughter rang through the open space. Changbin was chasing him down with snowballs in both hands, only to trip over his own feet and land face-first in the snow (which, thank god because as much as he was having fun, he didn't want to be at the end of Changbin's snow balls. He's relentless with it.)

Chan was busy taking pictures of everyone, while Minho, lying on the ground, started rolling across the snow like an overgrown child instead of making an angel. Jeongin, doubled over, was cackling at Changbin’s dramatic complaints about his now-frozen face. 

For the first time in a while, Jisung felt like he could breathe. 

And he hated that, too...because as much as he wanted to pretend it didn’t mean anything… it did. He needed this break.

And of course, just when things finally seemed to be going his way, something had to ruin his peace. 

His phone buzzed—an unsaved number. Jisung never answered calls from strangers, so he silenced it but the phone rang again and again. Each time he ignored it, it started up once more, relentlessly. His patience wore thin. With a sharp exhale, he finally picked up. 

“What took you so long to answer?" 

Jisung’s smile vanished. His fingers tightened around the phone, his stomach twisting. He was pretty sure Changbin and Jeongin saw the way his entire mood shifted when their playful conversation dying mid-sentence. They took a step toward him, concern written all over their faces, but he shook his head and turned away. 

“Important call,” he muttered, already walking off. 

"I thought I blocked you," Jisung grumbled under his breath, striding toward the homestay. Seungmin and Hyunjin were chatting near the entrance, but he rushed past them, hoping they wouldn’t notice. He didn’t want anyone to see him like this. He wasn’t confident he could keep his emotions in check; not when he already felt like a wreck. 

“I hope you don’t block this number too,” the voice on the other end continued smoothly. “I can’t keep buying new ones.” 

Had it never occurred to her that he didn’t want to talk to her? That blocking her numbers was a clear enough message? 

“What do you want?” he asked, voice cold because if it wasn’t, if he let any warmth slip through, he might actually cry. 

“I just wanted to hear my baby’s voice. Can’t I even do that?” 

Jisung scoffed. She had no right. No right to call him that, no right to ask for anything.  Jisung didn't owe her anything.

“I told you to stop calling me.” 

“Baby, I just want to be around you. I had no choice when I left you… Can’t we talk again? Where are you? I can come to you and we could—” 

He already knew where this was going. He’d heard it before, different words, same excuses. 

“No.” His grip on the phone tightened. “I said enough when I met you the other day. I don’t have anything more to say. And you can’t just expect me to let you back into my life just because you decided so.” 

When she left, that had been her decision. She chose to walk away and Jisung would be damned if he let her make another choice for him. 

Her absence had wrecked him. It was the first thing in his life he hadn’t been able to control. His first heartbreak and he had spent years picking up the pieces, years trying to convince himself he was fine. His parents, his friends—they had held him together but deep down, he never truly recovered. It became a complex. If he wasn’t enough, he would be left behind. If he was too much, he would end up alone. He was too insignificant to stay for and too much of a burden to carry. 

So, screw her. He wasn’t naive enough to let someone who had made his life miserable walk back in like nothing happened.

“I’m done being collateral damage,” he said, his voice firm. “So please. Just leave me alone. I’m happy where I am.” 

And he was. Even if things with Minho were bittersweet, at least he knew he was wanted even if not in the way he wished. His friends loved him, even if they were nosy. And Hyunjin… 

Jisung wasn’t sure where he stood with Hyunjin. If he disappeared tomorrow, he doubted Hyunjin would feel much of a difference but at least, in all their bickering, all the back-and-forth insults, Hyunjin had never pushed him away. Never walked out first but maybe it's because Hyunjin's ego was as big as his that he thought leaving first would mean losing. Now that fool was probably standing right outside the door because once again, he wasn't subtle when he followed Jisung.

For reasons, he's mad that Hyunjin was sneaking around like a thief and eavesdropping on his conversation like an unmannered idiot but that's good. He's mad at Hyunjin which was good because being mad at Hyunjin always made him more clear-headed and his anger towards the taller one was never associated with pain or sadness.

“You’re not collateral damage,” she insisted but Jisung knew better than to believe in her lies. “I promise I’ll be good. I won’t do anything you don’t like. I’ll even stay quiet if that’s what it takes for you to forgive me. Can’t you do that for me, my baby?” 

Jisung clenched his jaw, resisting the urge to rip his hair out or better yet, rip her hair out, because clearly, nothing he said was getting through her thick skull.  Hell, he almost yanked the door open just to shout in Hyunjin’s face that yes—miraculously, against all odds, there did exist someone with a head even bigger than his stupid, oversized, ego-inflated skull!

“I am not your baby,” he gritted through his teeth. Plus, the idea of someone ever calling him a baby felt like he was being mocked instead of adored. “I stopped being yours the day you left. You made that decision, so stick to it.” 

How ironic. He’d always sworn he had nothing in common with her, but now? Now he knew exactly where he got that frustrating mix of indecisiveness and impulse and he couldn't say he liked the realization.

If Hyunjin ever found out who he was arguing with, that idiot would probably have the time of his life mocking him for his genetic misfortune. (Not that he actually would—Hyunjin was many things, but not heartless. He's a jerk with a heart, remember?)

“I’m your mother,  Jisung. What kind of mother wants to leave her child behind? I truly had no choice…” 

The kind that doesn’t truly love her child.  His heart cried out but didn't verbally say it because saying it would make it all too real. Not that he didn't know it was. It's just a hard pill to swallow.

“…but now I’m no longer in a bind. You can come live with me. Your sister—” 

“That’s not my sister.” His voice was sharp, cutting. “That’s your child with another man I don’t want to be related to and I don’t want to live with you.” 

If she had truly wanted him, she would have come back years ago. She wanted him now, when he was grown, independent; when he was no longer a snot-nosed, clingy kid who needed constant care. She wanted him now because he was the least troublesome to deal with because he could finally serve a purpose.

The thought that this woman had a daughter and that he had a sister that was probably well-loved  by his biological mother while he had been nothing but an afterthought made something ugly coil in the pit of his stomach. It was bitter, suffocating, a sickening twist of resentment and something far worse that he refused to name.

Envy.

“Jisung, there’s no future for you if you stay with your father and that woman! I thought if I left, he’d finally have some sense, but instead, he married a poor woman. How is he a good father? He should’ve worked harder instead of dragging another household burden—” 

“Don’t you dare talk about my parents like that!” 

His voice rose before he could stop it, raw with anger.

“How is he a good father? He’s better than someone who abandoned her own family for money and my mother is a respectable woman—a better woman than you will ever be. She loves me, even if I’m not her own. She chose us but You left us.” His breathing was heavy and sharp. “I don’t need your money, or his money, to build a future. I’ll decide my own future and it’s none of your business.” 

“She’s not your mother, Jisung. I am!” 

“You lost that privilege the moment you walked away.” 

“Are you really going to hold that against me forever? I made a mistake once, and now I want to fix it—” 

“I don’t want you to fix anything.” Jisung let out a humorless laugh. “When you left, did you ask for my opinion? No, and even now, you still want to do things your way. You really are the most selfish person I’ve ever met. I pity your daughter, truly... because living under your roof must be a nightmare.” 

She tried to say something else, but he didn’t let her. He ended the call and blocked the number without hesitation. 

A sharp breath. Then another. 

His hand came up to his forehead, pressing against the dull throb forming behind his temples before he realised that he had forgotten about Hyunjin.

When he opened the door, Hyunjin was gone. Good. If he had still been there, lingering like an idiot, Jisung was sure he would have snapped at him; lashed out just to release the storm building in his chest.  Instead, Jisung heard his voice echoing from downstairs. 

Subtlety had never been Hyunjin’s strong suit, no matter how much he liked to believe otherwise. He was loud, not just in volume, though that was undeniable, especially with the way he was currently screeching into a microphone but it wasn’t just his voice. It was the way he lived, the way he moved through the world. Hyunjin could convince himself he was low-key, but reality begged to differ. His actions were always grand, always exaggerated. Even when he did nothing, people noticed him. People gravitated toward him. Hyunjin had a kind of effortless charm, though Jisung still couldn’t quite figure out what made him so irresistibly magnetic—because, personally, he found Hyunjin mostly annoying.

He didn’t expect was for Hyunjin to launch into a full-blown karaoke performance just to drown out the noise from upstairs. In fact, Jisung had already ended his call but he was feeling a little revengeful that day. Just maybe, he kept up the act, pretending to still be on the phone, deliberately making noise just to see how far Hyunjin would take his shrieking fiesta because he was angered. Angered towards his mother and towards Hyunjin for his stupid act of kindness.

In hindsight, it was mean because Hyunjin was trying to help him but he didn't need it. It was also kind of impressive. Hyunjin was making a complete fool of himself for—Jisung refused to admit it was for him, but the evidence was damning. At the very least, it proved Hyunjin was a dedicated fool and, well… Jisung had never been one to leave effort unacknowledged. If Hyunjin wanted to play this game, Jisung would be more than happy to reciprocate. 

.
.
.
.

Jisung rarely woke up early, much less willingly went for a morning walk, but today despite the unwelcome call from last night, he was in an oddly good mood. The anger that had burned so hot had settled into something tamer.

When he glanced over at Hyunjin’s sleeping figure, memories of the night before surfaced. How, when he had finally come downstairs, the sight of Hyunjin making a complete fool of himself hadn't irritated him the way it should have. 

There it was again, that faint, unshakable sense of comfort he felt whenever Hyunjin was around. He couldn’t explain it. Didn’t want to but it was there, and that in itself was unfathomable.

Before heading out, he made tea for Hyunjin, who was still in the bathroom. The sun hadn’t risen from the north—Jisung just knew how to be grateful (he wasn’t an absolute imbecile), and this was his silent way of saying thanks. 

"He didn't poison this, did he?" Hyunjin’s voice drifted from the balcony.  He didn't have the time to be offended that his token of thanks was taken for granted.

"See if I will ever make one for you ever again.", He hissed under his breath, as he hastened his pace along the pathway. He was sure Hyunjin had spotted him leaving, and with that colorful imagination of his, watching Jisung hurry away would only fuel his delusion that the tea had been poisoned. Whatever. Not Jisung’s problem. 

Apparently, he wasn’t the only early riser today. Chan was already awake, standing by his car and absently kicking at the snow. A cigarette dangled between his fingers. That part was a surprise because Chan quit last year.

"Morning," Jisung greeted. 

Chan, clearly not expecting company, flinched so hard that his cigarette fell to the ground. He looked up, startled, before a smile took over his face. 

“Hannie!” 

Jisung blinked. It had been a while since Chan called him that. Ever since Minho and Chan started dating, he stopped being ‘Hannie’ and was just… Jisung. He wasn’t sure what to make of the change, so he’d never commented on it. 

He raised an eyebrow, amused. "Thought you quit smoking." He nodded toward the cigarette box still in Chan’s grip. 

"Ah—I… yeah, but habits are hard to kill." Chan’s voice held a hint of shame as he crushed the fallen cigerrate under his shoe, then picked it up again. 

Jisung had known Chan for too long not to notice when something was off and right now, Chan was practically radiating guilt, shame, and something else—something new. Determination. 

That threw Jisung off. Chan had never looked at him like that before. Their dynamic had always been easygoing, never intense. What the hell was he about to say? 

"You’re not about to apologize again, are you?" Jisung asked before Chan could even open his mouth. 

That earned an astonished laugh from the older man. It was raw, honest—like he hadn’t expected to be called out so directly. 

"Am I that obvious?" Chan rubbed the back of his neck. 

Jisung sighed. Loudly. Deliberately. Dramatically. 

"Hyung," he began, in the tone of someone addressing a chronic offender, "these past few months, every private conversation we’ve had has been you apologizing for whatever godforsaken idea is in your head. What is it this time? Not that I want to hear you say sorry for the millionth time." 

The last time, it had been over Chan suspecting Jisung had feelings for Minho. Before that, it was for thinking something was going on between Jisung and Hyunjin. The list was endless.  Jisung had grown tired.

Chan chuckled, clearly embarrassed. "Okay. No more apologies. Just… suggestions and promises?" He winced at himself. 

Jisung stared, unimpressed. Normally, Chan was a decent communicator. Lately, though, he’d been completely off his game. If this was going to be another discussion about Minho, Hyunjin, or guilt, Jisung wasn’t in the mood. 

He waited. 

Chan hesitated. Opened his mouth. Closed it. Hesitated again. 

Jisung resisted the urge to tell him he wasn’t going to start throwing rocks if he said something wrong. 

Finally, Chan blurted out, "Do you want to get breakfast with me?" 

Jisung froze. Then he laughed. "That's what you were struggling to say?" He shook his head. "For a second, I thought you were about to confess to me or something."

Chan’s face twisted like he was in physical pain. 

"So?" 

Jisung shrugged. He was already out anyway. "Wouldn’t hurt. Are we waiting for Minho hyung?" He turned back toward the homestay. 

To his surprise, Chan shook his head. "Just us." 

"Why?" Jisung blurted before he could stop himself. He didn’t mean to sound so baffled, but… well, he was. Chan looked like he wanted to crawl into the snow and disappear. 

"I just want to spend time with my favourite younger brother. Can’t I?" Chan ruffled Jisung’s hair. 

Jisung’s cheeks warmed, probably just from the cold. Chan hadn’t done that in a while. 

"It’s not that you can’t..." He just hadn’t expected it. Chan was practically glued to Minho most of the time. Jisung hadn’t thought he’d ever want to hang out alone. 

Oh. Maybe it was just because Minho was still sleeping. 

Jisung hummed. "You're paying, though," he said, climbing into the car. 

Was he nervous? No. But from the passenger seat, he could see Chan gripping the wheel like Jisung was a ticking time bomb. Wow. Was he really that scary to be around? 

Somewhere in the back of his mind, an irritating voice scoffed. All bark, no bite.

Jisung didn’t comment on it. Instead, he casually snapped a picture of Chan looking like he was about to have an aneurysm after asking Jisung out for breakfast and sending it to Minho. 

Minho’s response came almost immediately. A string of ‘?????’ followed by a Go easy on him.

Whatever that was supposed to mean. 

Moments later, he received a text from Hyunjin.

Hyunjin: Having breakfast with someone else other than me?

Jisung rolled his eyes.

Jisung: I'm guessing Minho hyung told you.

Hyunjin: I was sitting with him when you sent that picture. What did you do to Chan hyung? He looks petrified.

Jisung: YOU tell me what you told him that he's acting like this.

Hyunjin: What? I don't know what you're saying. I didn't say anything to him.

Jisung: Really? You think I would believe that you were silent the entire time me and Minho hyung left you two together?

Hyunjin: Hey, I could be quiet if I want.

Jisung: You're anything but quiet, Hwang.

Hyunjin: and we're back to surnames....why are you so cold this morning? It won't do you any good breaking hearts like that.

Jisung: Screw you.

Hyunjin: No thank you for reuniting you with your precious big brother?

Jisung snorted.

Jisung: Did you take something wrong in your tea this morning?

Hyunjin: The tea that you made for me, you mean?

Jisung: I didn't make it for you.

Hyunjin: Being shy doesn't suit you.

Jisung: Can't you just drink it without being stupid?

Hyunjin: You brought up the tea first 😑

Suddenly, he heard a cough next to him. He looked up and saw that they'd arrived at a dine. Chan was already outside the car and Jisung immediately unbuckled his seatbelt. "Oops, sorry. I didn't realise -"

"No, it's fine. I get like that when I'm talking to Minho too." Chan offered, gesturing to the restaurant awkwardly. Jisung wanted to refute but he didn't have any reason to be defensive.

Oh, well. Time to get this thing done. Just eat and probably listen to what Chan had to say more.

His phone buzzed one last time.

Hyunjin: Good luck. Don't trip over snow again.

He decided to ignore it this time. If he answered Hyunjin, it would be a neverending banter.

Chan ordered nothing which was unexpected because Chan wasn't one to skip breakfast. From the way Chan was fidgeting, Jisung could only guess that the older one was afraid of throwing his meal up.

If a second before, Jisung wasn't nervous. Now, he kind of was. Earlier, with the invitation, it had looked friendly and apparently Hyunjin did have a talk with him. He doubted Hyunjin would say anything about him to worsen things (despite his raw talent of insulating Jisung to new people around them during the first meeting).

Moments later when him and Chan were sitting at the table with the older one looking horrified, Jisung could only think of the worst. For example, Chan didn't want to bring Minho here because he had finally figured out Jisung's actual feelings and his lies.

When things turn out this way. The only right thing to do was panic internally, while staying nonchalant outside. A stone cold expression was easy. Especially when he had been training to keep an unbothered face whenever Hyunjin told him anything remotely cheesy.

"I hope we can hang out like we used to." The words flowed out from Chan's mouth before Jisung could finish processing his thought.

He was even a lot slower in his reaction that after a whole moment of silence, he finally went, "Huh? Oh..ah yeah." He even lagged like a broken computer.

Turned out that was not the ideal response because Chan was now as pale as someone who needs an emergency blood transfusion. "Oh, my gosh. I mean sure! I would love to- Sorry, I'm just a bit taken off guard." He stammered before bursting into laughter which Chan soon joined.

"That's fine. I know I'm suddenly asking you this. You don't have to feel forced. It's just that Hyunjin told me I haven't been treating you right ever since I started dating Minho."

Jisung tried not to react to Hyunjin's name being picked here. He nodded and hummed because what else was he supposed to do when his guess had been correct? Of course, Hyunjin said something to Chan. 

"He told you that yesterday?" Chan gave him a nod.

Well, if there's one thing...he actually wanted to know what Hyunjin told Chan. Even if he asked Hyunjin, that one wouldn't tell him anything. He could imagine Hyunjin annoying him instead of giving an answer. "What did he say?"

He was curious because Hyunjin rarely said anything kind to him but if what he said moved Chan to do this, then it must have been something serious.

A serious expression on Hyunjin....as expected, Jisung felt it was weird to imagine it on his fake boyfriend.

Chan seemed reluctant to answer but he relented, "He basically told me I was running you around like you work for us." The older winced because no matter how he tried to paraphrase his behaviour, it wasn't possible to make it out gentler.

Jisung wasn't showing any sort of reaction, that encouraged Chan to continue. "Hyunjin told me, you would think that we only want you around because we need someone to do us favour. I swear it's not like that. I can't make any excuses for how we...I behaved."

Jisung shook his head, "It's ok, Hyung. I don't feel like that at all. I know you just wanted the three of us to hangout together like we used to." He wasn't being fully honest here. He did feel like that and to think Hyunjin would be the one to decipher that and not anyone else. It's really annoying.

"If I can say a thing on this, I do hope the three of us could hangout less. I'm fine hanging out individually but the three of us..." Jisung bit his lips. He was too...not so good with his words. Before this he wasn't able to voice his opinion but since Hyunjin had so kindly carved this path for him he would be an idiot to let it pass.."I think it's inappropriate. The two of you are together. The both of you will of course subconsciously pay attention to each other more. It's those moments like that that I don't know what to do."

He was being sincere. There were countless times where he had been excited about something when they hung out and when he turned around to talk to them, he instantly rooted to the floor when he saw them so engrossed towards each other. It's those moments when Jisung felt like he was an outsider.

When he finally dared to look up from his hands he saw a tinge of shame but also relief. After that, they didn't speak of the topic any more and fell into a normal conversation. Although, the unspoken promise of trying to be good friends to each other lingered in the air.

For once, he felt like it was going to be okay. Maybe because this time Chan stopped apologising and the older had looked like he was going to walk the talk. It's too early to say anything but time would probably prove him right.

‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

Hi, everyone! I'm sorry for not updating for 2 months. Again 🫂. I'm extremely busy as it was towards the end of the semester. In fact, I'm still doing my last assignment today! But I had been writing this chapter for a long time. Just that I had to review it a lot because I didn't like some part. I changed it here and there.

And yes!!! It's a chapter from Jisung's POV.

I hope you have a nice day ❤️ - Hunny