"I'm so sorry, love! Traffic was insane!" A quick hand through the curled locks of golden hair, and a few light steps with pointy leopard printed shoes, with a two inch heel clanking against the sidewalk.

Lee Minho was a well-known luxury fashion magazine editor, who had recently moved back to Korea from a job in London, and who now insisted on calling everyone love. With his lips puckered up, he greeted Yeosang with a quick peck on the cheek.

"So, where are you taking me tonight?" Yeosang asked with a quick scrunch of his nose, at the overwhelming feeling of being underdressed next to the fashion editor.

Despite the mild evening weather, Minho had stepped out of the car wearing a long fur coat over a shiny duo chromatic suit, and blinding dangling diamond earrings were to be spotted in between his curly locks.

"Oh, you're gonna love this place! But not as much as I love that Dior on you though! I mean, gorge!" Minho laughed, hooking his arm around Yeosang's as they walked the few steps towards their destination.

Much contrary to his extravagant persona, Minho had a thing for finding small and rather unknown places to eat, and he was quite a picky eater - but he always made sure to bring Yeosang along, knowing that those places would blow up as, soon as the news of Korea's favorite socialite had been dining there. And with everything else in Yeosang's life, Minho and his reputation surely benefitted from it as well.

But after eight years of living his life that way, Yeosang had gotten used to the shallow lifestyle - friendships included, and Minho was one of the better ones at least. And anything was better than to sit at home with Seonghwa, in the fortress of awkward silence.

♡

"You were right, this place is amazing," Yeosang said, raising his glass with his words.

The restaurant was hidden down on a small sideway, with only a wooden sign outside the door with the name of the place was carved into. Rather small in size, which enhanced the cozy feeling inside - and the food, oh the food was so incredible delicious that it couldn't be described with words.

"I'm telling you, The Crescent will soon become the hottest place in town!" With a grin Minho leaned across the table with his wineglass waving around. "But you haven't even seen the best yet, love!"

Peeking over his shoulder, nodding towards the door to the kitchen, his pretty facial features pulled out a smirk, which Yeosang knew could only mean one thing. Someone was ready to get down and dirty tonight, but Lee Minho was a picky eater in more ways than one. Whoever he was referring to had to be as incredible as the food.

"The owner and head chef is quite the snack himself, had the delight of meeting with him when I had to book the table for tonight! Just wait a minute and you'll see what I'm talking about. Well, not that you need any dessert with that handsome husband of yours!"

"You're absolutely right," Yeosang laughed promptly, and by then it had become so natural to him - to hide the truth about him and Seonghwa. "Also, aren't you still seeing that designer guy?"

It had been years since Seonghwa and Yeosang had last slept together, not that they had even tried to since the last time, which had happened one night where Yeosang came home way too drunk and sad to even let it bother him. All he needed back then was some sort of affection, as desperate as it might have been.

"Who? Oh, no! I mean, boy sure knew how to use those hands, but those hip movements? No, just no." Shaking his head, Minho raised his glass again and emptied it with one last sip.

The door to the kitchen creaked when it opened, and while Minho's eyes were sparkling from excitement, Yeosang's widened in shock.

Shoulders were broader than before, and the sleeves of the white chef's shirt were rolled up just enough to reveal a small appetizer of the strong arms. Around the waist was a long apron, in which the head chef dried his hands as he walked towards the table.

Yeosang wasn't known to keep quiet, ever, not in public at least - but now he had lost all of his words. He stared at the man in front of him, at the chin and jawline which were still sharp but now in a way more manly way. The dark locks had turned blonde and longer, tied loosely in a ponytail but with lock dangling in front of his face. Everything had changed more or less over the years - everythign, but the brown eyes.

"This is Choi San, the owner of this wonderful place!" Minho was ecstatic, and so blissfully unaware that Yeosang didn't need any introduction to the handsome chef.

"Kang Yeosang." San spoke first, before Yeosang had even gotten the chance to collect himself and the words which kept slipping from his tongue and back down into his throat.

Hearing San speak his name after so many years, had shivers running down Yeosang's back, and he fearfully stared directly into the eyes he used to know so well. The brown eyes, which had once caused his heart to skip, and which used to look at him with such love, were now staring back at him - cold and full of despise.

"Oh, do you know each other?" Minho asked curiously, and Yeosang prayed to God that San wasn't going to say anything. The young fashion editor loved gossip, but not as much as he loved spreading it around.

"No." San replied instantly, but he did not let Yeosang free from his burning glare. "But everyone knows of Kang Yeosang, right?"

Thanks to the low chattering from the people sitting at the tables around them, the brief moment of silence didn't feel as bad as it could have, but Yeosang still felt his toes curl up in his shoes and he nervously fiddled with the cutlery lying next to his plate.

San suddenly turned his head, at the sound of the door opening and his eyes lit up in a way Yeosang remembered to be only meant for him - but things were different now.

"Anyway, it sure was an honor to have the two of you dining here tonight, I hope everything lived up to your expectations," he said politely with a bow. "But if you'll excuse me, my beloved boyfriend just arrived."

"What a shame..." Minho mumbled as soon as San had left the table, and he followed the handsome chef with a peek over his shoulder. "The good ones are always taken."

Yeosang nodded, guitly of letting his eyes sway towards the door as well. A tall, dark haired guy had walked in - handsome, but at the same time cute as a puppy with a kind smile on his lips. Said lips placed a kiss onto San's cheek, and a strange but devastating feeling hit Yeosang in the same moment.

It had been years since he had allowed himself to feel anything at all, and although it surprised him that San still managed to affect him after all that time, he couldn't escape the emotions inside of him.

"Well, the night is still young," Minho then said. "Let's go grab a few drinks at The Paris Bar."

♡

The bed was creaking violently, moving with every hard thrust of Yeosang's hips. He drew the sweat away from his forehead with the back of his hand, before tangling his fingers into the blonde hair under him. His hazy eyes scanned over the fair skin, which had been covered with red marks of his lips and teeth, and the moans of pleasure seemed to have no end tonight.

It had been a while since he last hooked up with his current fuck-buddy - no other way could describe their relationship to each other, as they only used each other for sex. He didn't feel guilty either, knowing that Seonghwa did the very same with someone else. As long as he made sure to keep it a secret from the public, Yeosang was free to do whatever he wanted - or, as free as he could be, in the suffocating marriage to Seonghwa.

He felt the silk like tongue slip into his mouth, and nails scratching down his back, as the younger guy under him was reaching his climax. Their legs were tangled together, like the messed up sheet around their connected bodies, while sweat and moans had blended together into one.

Tonight it wasn't exactly happening because Yeosang wanted it, but he needed it. The several drinks he and Minho had ended up drinking, had clouded his mind and the meeting with San was all he could think about. He needed to distract himself from that...

The pretty blonde came soon after, and Yeosang did so too. Panting heavily, he let himself collapse on top of the other, feeling the warm breath tickling against his neck. A gentle touch of soft fingertips stroked over the back of his neck, and big brown eyes were looking at him in a way he knew he should avoid.

"Do you want to stay the night?" The question came, as Yeosang had gotten out of bed and was about to get himself dressed again. With a sigh he looked towards the bed, feeling a bit guilty although he knew he shouldn't.

As with anything else in his life, his affairs had to be kept under control by contracts and strict rules. This was sex, and nothing else. He was the one to make contact whenever he wanted to, and whoever he was seeing could either agree to that, or decide to leave - but any word slipping out to the horrible gossip pages would cost them more than any hurt feelings could ever justify.

"Felix..." Yeosang said with a hesitant smile, knowing to tread carefully. He knew that look in the younger's eyes, the light of hope which had been present the last few times they had hooked up. The light, he had to put out even if it meant hurting someone else. "You know the rules, we've talked about this several times. Don't catch feelings. It would be a waste anyway."

"I know..." With a nod and a blink of his eyes, Felix smiled back at him - clearly doing his best to brush away the feelings he knew he shouldn't say out loud.

Yeosang left five minutes later, waiting by the side of the road for his driver to come pick him up. He looked towards the night's sky, trying to catch a glimpse of the stars, which seemed even further away than usual.

Eight years of living this way, had drained him for anything that came close to actual feelings - but seeing San had taken him back in time, back to when he knew how to feel. Back to when he ruined everything, and when he lost it all.

The black car pulled up to the side, and while driving through Seoul, Yeosang rested his head against the window, gazing out the corners of his weary eyes.

Tomorrow he had to attend a formal event with Seonghwa, and coming home in the middle of the night, still slightly drunk and smelling of another man's cologne, would surely have the older see red. Eight years later, and Yeosang still had a hard timing figuring out how Seonghwa's brain was working. One minute he couldn't care less about Yeosang's entire existence, but the next he would start a fight over whatever dumb thing he thought Yeosang had been doing.

But that was a tomorrow problem, and for now, the only thing Yeosang could focus on was to go home, sleep and hopefully forget about ever seeing Choi San again.

♡