"Please go on a date with me."

••••

This time it was Yunho who looked at Mingi as if he had seen a ghost. Mingi still held the rose out to him, his words echoing in his mind. He hoped that Yunho wouldn't embarrass him completely. A few students walked past them and looked at them with irritation, but Mingi was undeterred and looked at his counterpart expectantly.

Suddenly, Yunho took the rose and then he smiled. "I would love to," he said and Mingi needed a few seconds to assess whether Yunho had really just said that. All of a sudden, he felt warm and looked away, embarrassed. From the corner of his eye, however, he recognized how Yunho smelled the rose and also smiled.

Hongjoong, who had been watching the whole thing, gave Yunho a meaningful look. Yunho nodded at him. "I'll leave you two alone," he mumbled quickly. He walked away with the rose and Mingi looked after him.

Then his gaze wandered back to Hongjoong, who scrutinized him through his dark eyes. "Do you like him?" he asked, a melancholy note in his voice. Mingi shrugged his shoulders slightly. He didn't know, but he wanted to find out. His thoughts wandered from Yunho to Hongjoong and he remembered what Yunho had told him last time.

"Why didn't you ever talk to me about it?" he asked referencing the fact that Hongjoong liked him. His heart still ached a little at the thought that they might have been happy together if they had talked to each other sooner. Hongjoong knew what Mingi was talking about because he avoided him and looked at the tiles on the floor. He seemed to think about his answer before he looked up again. He shook his head slightly and closed his eyes briefly as if he was finally speaking his complicated thoughts.

"I didn't have the courage," he sighed. "Even now, I wouldn't have the courage to stand my feelings for you. You deserve better." The corners of Hongjoong's mouth twitched as if he was trying to smile. "We were always better just as friends, don't you think?"

Mingi saw that Hongjoong actually felt the opposite, but he agreed with him. Suddenly everything felt a little better and the burden Mingi felt every time he talked to Hongjoong disappeared. He placed a hand on his shoulder. "I hope you find someone for whom you can be brave enough to stand up for yourself."

Finally, Hongjoong smiled genuinely and a feeling of relief bubbled through Mingi. "And I hope you'll be happy with Yunho. He really liked you for a long time and held back for me." Mingi withdrew his hand and looked back to where Yunho had been standing a few seconds ago, smelling his rose. His heart leapt at the thought. "I hope so," he said dreamily.

Hongjoong brushed a white strand of hair behind his ear and straightened his backpack. "I'm sorry, by the way." Mingi looked back at him and raised an eyebrow. "That we've annoyed you. I don't know why I thought I could win you back like this," he finished his thought.

Mingi couldn't help but giggle. "I forgive you even if it really wasn't funny." Hongjoong nodded and looked at him seriously, as if he had understood that what he had done was wrong. "Please don't do that to anyone else in the future," Mingi said, hoping that Hongjoong would take his words to heart. Hongjoong nodded again. "Thank you," he mumbled and Mingi smiled slightly.

He didn't know if they would ever be friends again, but that didn't matter. Finally, they had put aside all the baggage that lay between them and Mingi could look forward to his date with all his heart. He knew that Wooyoung had been right. If he and Hongjoong were meant for each other, they would have gotten together a long time ago. Mingi walked back to his building and was relieved that Yunho had accepted his invitation.

~

Totally exhausted from the day, Jongho entered the house. They had started new singing techniques today and even though it was only the beginning, he was totally exhausted. His throat was dry and his neck was burning from sitting.

Jongho took off his shoes and jacket as usual and strolled from the hallway into the living room. He knew that his parents weren't home, so he could go to the kitchen in peace. He found some leftovers from yesterday's meal in the fridge and popped them in the microwave a short time later. He leaned against the kitchen island as he waited, his mind wandering back to Yeosang and how they had held hands at lunch. He started to grin. Yeosang was just too cute.

"Are you happy?" he suddenly heard a voice behind him. His smile disappeared and he watched as Lia walked next to him and then to the fridge. Stressed, he sighed. "And I was hoping you'd come to your senses."

Lia grabbed an apple and slammed the fridge door shut. "Have you talked to mom or dad yet? About you liking a man." Jongho knew it wasn't Lia's intention, but from her mouth it sounded like it was a bad thing. His blood began to boil. "You know what?" he asked. He didn't want to stoop to her level, but he couldn't just stand still, especially not since Lia had forced him to come out. "Not only do I like a man, I'm actually dating him."

Jongho could see Lia open her mouth briefly and was speechless. The sight alone was enough to satisfy him. "What, don't you believe me?" he asked, looking at Lia with a mocking attitude. "Ask Yeosang if you want." Lia looked at Jongho angrily. "You're lying," she glared at him and Jongho couldn't help but smile. With a gentle movement, he pushed Lia further away from him.

"You know how important you are to me. I've always tried to be a good big brother to you. I've always protected you from our parents," he said seriously again. "But even I have limits, Lia. I won't forgive you for telling mom and dad something I wasn't ready for. It's okay if you're hurt, but it's not my fault that Yeosang doesn't like you back. And he isn't to blame for what he feels. We didn't choose who we fell in love with. I didn't choose this and yet you're acting like a spoiled child and taking your frustration out on me."

The ping of the microwave interrupted Jongho's words and he fell silent. Lia looked at him speechlessly. He could see from the tears in her eyes that his words had reached her. "Grow up Lia and stop running after someone who will never see you."

Jongho turned away from her and opened the microwave to take out his food. He realized that his words had been mean and Lia was crying, but he also knew that she needed to hear that. She wasn't a bad person, but every time she didn't get something she acted like this and he had had enough of always looking like a bad person.

"And one more thing," he said with the plate in his hand. He turned back and looked into Lia's tear-streaked face. "I didn't always get what I wanted. Maybe it seemed that way to you, but mum and dad didn't always let you do everything because they wanted to protect you. You're their princess and the most important person to them. I never took anything from you. You always had everything, you just didn't see it because your jealousy blinded you."

Jongho exhaled slightly and reached for a fork. Lia looked at him with red eyes. Remorse was literally written all over her face. Jongho pushed past her and grabbed his backpack before walking to the stairs and then to his room.

He wanted nothing more than for everything to go back to the way it was before. With anyone else, he probably wouldn't have risked so much and he would have just given up to avoid conflict. But Yeosang was so important to him that he felt he could do anything for him. He was the first person to make him feel like it was okay to be himself. He didn't have to be perfect for him. Not a perfect son or a perfect friend. Not a perfect student or a perfect singer. Because in Yeosang's eyes, he was just Jongho and that was enough.

~

Wooyoung woke up to a ringing sound. At first he didn't know where he was. He tossed and turned in his bed a few times, then realized that it was his front doorbell and not a dream. He got up, completely sleepy.

On his way to the door, he stepped on an old can and slipped on his sweater, which had probably been there since yesterday. He had been wearing the same clothes since the day before yesterday and his hair looked more like that of a lion than a human. Whoever was ringing his doorbell so late at night must have a good reason or Wooyoung would freak out.

He opened his door and was ready to confront Mingi that he had interrupted his beautiful dreams, but his gaze met a pair of eyes that definitely did not belong to Mingi. He stood there speechless for a second, then suddenly screamed and slammed the door shut again out of reflex.

Was he having apparitions? Had he drifted so far that he was now imagining people. Or was this a dream? Wooyoung took a deep breath, then opened the door a tiny bit. His eyes scanned the corridor and he realized that San was really standing there. In his jacket and beanie and looking confused at Wooyoung.

Wooyoung looked back into his apartment. He realized with horror what it looked like here and especially what he looked like. "What do you want? You can't come in," he said. Slight dimples appeared on San's cheeks. "I'll wait for you outside. Let's talk."

To Wooyoung's relief, San really did disappear down the corridor and he closed the door. He had been eagerly waiting for San to approach him, but why now of all times? And why had the word "talk" sounded so serious coming out of his mouth? Wooyoung got scared. What if he just wanted to talk to him because he wanted to say goodbye?

Panicked, Wooyoung ran into the bathroom and realized that he looked like a monster. He frantically took off his shirt and pants and jumped into the shower.

~

Some minutes later, Wooyoung stepped out into the cool night air. He had pulled his beanie low over his face and covered his still wet hair. The street in front of the building was quieter than ever. A figure leaned against the wall on the other side. Wooyoung could see that it was San even though it was dark.

He looked across the street, then ran to him. When he stopped in front of him, he buried his hands in his jacket pockets and looked nervously at the older man. "How do you know where I live?" was his first question. A dark strand of hair peeked out of San's beanie, making him look even more handsome. His glassy eyes gleamed in the light of the street lamp.

"I asked a friend of yours from university." Wooyoung bit his lower lip and was sure that he would kill Mingi one day. "Okay, what do you want?" he said, realizing how light clouds were forming in front of his mouth. He hadn't realized it had gotten so cold.

"I'm here to apologize," San explained. "Again," he added, tilting his head back as if he was searching the sky for answers. Wooyoung remained silent and waited for him to continue speaking. He hoped that San didn't realize how nervous he actually was.

"I'm sorry that I've ignored you for the last few days. I had to think and I was afraid that you wouldn't want to talk to me anymore." Wooyoung couldn't help but sigh. "San I would always want to talk to you. I just want to understand you." San nodded his beady eyes meeting Wooyoung's again.

"I never realized how hurt and insecure I actually was until I met you. You always acted like I was the greatest person on earth and I couldn't deal with that." Wooyoung couldn't quite follow San and tilted his head. "But you're the greatest person in my eyes," he affirmed.
A cold breeze blew through the street they were standing on and Wooyoung shivered.

"What I'm saying is..." San continued as if he hadn't heard Wooyoung's comment. "I haven't had a serious relationship for so long that I didn't realize how I deliberately distance myself from everyone for fear I might not be enough for them."

San's words were reflected in his dark eyes and it hurt Wooyoung to see him like that. "I always thought everything was fine and I knew where I stood in life until you came along and enchanted my world with your smile." Wooyoung's heart was beating so loudly that it was pounding in his own ears. No one had ever said anything like that to him before.

"I tried to push you away from me probably because I already knew how crazy I would become over you. When we had our first dates, I realized that you couldn't be something simple and insignificant for me. And that scared me because the last time I felt like that, I only got hurt."

San lowered his eyes. Wooyoung couldn't believe his eyes when he saw tears running down San's cheeks. San came across as someone who wouldn't cry, especially not in front of someone else. Seeing him like this now broke Wooyoung's heart.

"I know I shouldn't compare you to others. Especially because you've always shown me how much I mean to you. And yet I'm scared." His voice broke off. A soft sob left his throat and Wooyoung couldn't take it anymore. He had never been a person of distance. He took a step forward, then pulled San into his arms. San returned his hug and dropped his head onto his shoulder.

Wooyoung was sure that San didn't often speak so honestly about his feelings, which is why he appreciated the fact that he had opened up to him even more. "San?" he whispered and the chill of the wind suddenly disappeared. The stars in the night sky lit up as if in an unreal dream.

"Do you trust me?" he asked and it wasn't long before he felt a nod. He smiled and hugged the person in his arms even closer. "Then believe me when I tell you that we can do this together. If you tell me what you feel like you just did, then we can work on it, don't you think?" Wooyoung felt San loosen slightly to look at him.

Wooyoung's hands automatically moved to his cheeks to wipe away his tears. "Are you no longer mad at me?" San asked with a shaky voice. His look, his voice and his whole presence seemed so fragile at that moment that Wooyoung was afraid he would break with just one gust of wind. He had no idea why but this side of San made him even more beautiful and unique than Wooyoung already saw him.

"I'm not mad at you San. I never was. I was just frustrated because you never told me what you were thinking, but it wasn't easy for you and I understand that. Don't worry, okay." New tears formed in San's eyes. He looked at Wooyoung as if he was looking at his whole world right now. His dark eyes that had so much depth, his soft skin under Wooyoung's fingers and the light sobs coming from his throat made Wooyoung lose his mind.

He leaned forward, then kissed San on the forehead and closed his eyes. From that moment on, he knew that he would never let San go again...

______________

Update tomorrow <33