Archive of Our Own

Two years. Yeonjun had been with Wooyoung for two years when he discovered that the latter had been cheating on him for one year. Wooyoung also had the audacity to break up with Yeonjun, not letting him have the pleasure to do so.

“Forget about him, hyung. He was an asshole anyway,” Taehyun said, handing a glass of water to his best friend.

“I know. But I loved him,” Yeonjun replied, his voice hoarse from crying.

“Do you wanna go out? There’s nothing better than a night out with your friends to forget about your stupid ex. I’ll call Huening too,” Taehyun suggested.

“I don’t know… I’m not really in the mood, Hyun-ah.”

“I know but I really think you should. And it’s been so long since we last went clubbing. The semester is over, our exams were last week so we can let loose now. Please?”

Yeonjun thought about it. It had been a long time since he last went clubbing with his best friends and he wanted to think about something else.

“Okay. But I don’t want you and Kai to leave me alone for a single second. Don’t you dare disappear to go fuck or something,” Yeonjun warned.

Taehyun raised his arms as if surrendering.

“I promise we won’t leave you alone. Let me send him a text.”

Yeonjun was more used to bars than clubs but he wasn’t in the mood to just drink. He needed to have fun – or at least try to have fun. Fortunately, Kai was there. Taehyun was funny and he made Yeonjun very happy but Kai never failed to make him laugh.

“Hyung, are you ready to have fun?” he asked when they were in the queue waiting to get inside the club, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Stop doing this with your eyebrows, you’re creeping me out!” Yeonjun scolded, a little smile on his lips though. “But to answer you, I’m not sure.”

“Hyung, I told you to let loose. Forget about He Who Must Not Be Named Anymore and have fun with us,” said Taehyun, squeezing Yeonjun’s arm in a reassuring manner.

Yeonjun nodded and after a few more minutes they were finally in the club. It was only 8Pm so the club wasn’t too crowded. As expected, a lot of university students were on the dancefloor and other people were seated at tables with drinks in their hands. Yeonjun felt HueningKai grabbing his hand and leading him to the counter.

“Hello, can I get three tequilas, please?” he asked the bartender who immediately gave them the drinks.

They downed them and Taehyun smiled.

“Now, on to the dancefloor, hyung!” he exclaimed, grabbing Yeonjun’s other hand and dragging him to the dancefloor.

Yeonjun smiled, feeling the sadness in his chest fading away thanks to his friends.

Soobin had followed Beomgyu just so he wouldn’t be alone in case he couldn’t find someone to have fun with. It was practically impossible, his brother was the most sociable person he’s ever seen. Maybe Soobin had been feeling bored lately and wanted to have fun too. He wasn’t one for dancing, that was more a Beomgyu thing, but he liked drinking. One benefit of having money was that he could have a booth away from prying eyes so he could do whatever he wanted and have a good sight of the whole club.

He had been sitting in his booth, keeping an eye on Beomgyu for almost one hour when someone caught his eye on the dancefloor. He saw a young guy with blonde hair dancing with two other guys who seemed like his friends. However, even from where he was on the mezzanine, Soobin could see that he was holding back, like something couldn’t let him have as much fun as he could. He was smiling but it didn’t seem genuine. Soobin saw him tell something to his friends and make his way to the counter. He saw him ordering a drink and drinking it in one go. Soobin felt something pull at his heart, an irrepressible want to make him smile for real.

Soobin found himself getting up and going down the stairs. Soon enough, he was sitting next to the younger guy. The bartender came to him and Soobin smiled lightly.

“You can put it on my bill. The ones his friends had too,” he said pointing at Yeonjun’s drink and the bartender nodded, taking Soobin’s credit card.

“Do I know you?” the younger guy asked, his words a bit slurred.

“No” Soobin simply replied.

“You’re trying to hit on me then” the guy said. “I broke up with by boyfriend, I’m not in the mood to mess with anybody.”

“I’m not trying to hit on you. I’m just being nice.”

“Why?” the guy asked again, looking both curious and confused.

“Jun hyung, what’s up?” someone asked.

Soobin turned to see the young guy’s two friends staring suspiciously at him. He smiled.

“Guys, I have a booth on the mezzanine. Do you want to sit with me for some time?” Soobin asked, hoping he didn’t sound weird.

Apparently, he did.

“No, thanks. I think we’ll decline your offer,” the taller of the three guys said, taking the sitting guy’s – Jun – hand and pulling him up.

“Kai, he just paid for our drinks,” Jun said, turning to look at Soobin.

Soobin felt his heart skip a beat at his cat-like eyes and plump lips. Man, was that guy gorgeous.

“I don’t care. He’s being creepy,” Kai said, making Soobin giggle.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t wanna creep you out. I’m not trying to trick you or anything, I’m really just being nice. I’m alone in my booth, my brother disappeared some time ago now and, I’m sorry but your friend here looked like he wasn’t really having fun,” Soobin explained, staring right at Kai.

A beat passed and Jun sighed.

“I believe you. But I’ll follow you only if you have drinks,” he said, surprising his two friends.

“Hyung!” the other friend exclaimed.

“I do have drinks. I can order anything you like too,” Soobin replied.

Jun turned to his friends.

“Are you coming with me or are you gonna keep on dancing for now?” he asked.

The two friends looked at each other and sighed.

“We’ll come with you,” they answered with one voice.

“Let me lead the way,” Soobin said and went back to the stairs.

All the guys were now sitting in Soobin’s booth, Jun next to Soobin.

“I hope you like vodka, my brother ordered it but I don’t like it to be honest,” Soobin said, taking his own whisky in his hand and stopping a waiter who was passing by. “Can I have three more glasses and a bottle of water please? Regular glasses will do.”

The waiter nodded and almost immediately came back with what Soobin had asked for.

“Thank you,” Jun said and filled his glass with water before drinking it all in one go, despite it being freezing.

His friends imitated him without uttering one word.

“So… I’m Choi Soobin nice to meet you,” Soobin said, extending his hand.

Jun hesitated a little but grabbed his hand.

“I’m Choi Yeonjun. Thank you for the offer. We’re more comfortable here than on the chairs at the counter,” Yeonjun replied.

If Soobin felt electricity run through his body at the touch, he didn’t show it.

“These two are by best friends, Taehyun and Kai.”

“Nice to meet you,” Soobin addressed the other two.

“You too,” the shorter one, Taehyun, answered.

“Are you really just being nice?” the taller one, Kai, asked, still unsure.

“I solemnly swear that I am only up to good,” Soobin replied, raising his right hand.

That made Yeonjun laugh.

“You can always trust someone who quotes Harry Potter!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands.

Soobin felt proud that he could make Yeonjun laugh and noticed that seeing Yeonjun laugh made both Taehyun and Kai smile fondly.

“What do you wanna drink? You can order whatever you want, it’s on me.”

“That’s very nice but I don’t think I’ll drink any more tonight actually,” Yeonjun said and his friends seemed to agree.

“Good decision. I’m not one for vodka but I will gladly have a bottle of beer, if that’s okay,” Taehyun said, seeming a little shy.

“Of course, whatever you want,” Soobin said, raising his hand as another waiter passed by. He turned to Kai. “What do you want Kai-ssi?”

“Oh, um, one coke, please.”

“Can we have one beer and one coke, please? Oh, and take this back too, I don’t think we’ll drink it,” Soobin asked and handed the unopened bottle of vodka to the waiter.

“So, what brought three young guys in this club if it’s okay to ask?” Soobin asked.

“We came to celebrate the end of the exams–” Taehyun began but Yeonjun interrupted him.

“We came to help me try and forget about my ex. I told you I just broke up with him, right?”

“Right, I had forgotten. Is it working?” Soobin asked.

Yeonjun was surprised to hear concern in the man’s voice.

“I guess,” Yeonjun replied.

The waiter came back, put the coke and beer on the table and walked away.

“Cheers!” Soobin said and the other two imitated him.

“Hyungie, I’d like to go back to the dancefloor when we’ll be done with our drinks,” Kai said to Yeonjun.

“Sorry darling, but I won’t follow you on this one. I’m tired. But you can still enjoy yourself with Hyun, right?” Yeonjun replied, looking sincerely sorry.

“Of course, what’s the use of having the cutest boyfriend ever?” Taehyun answered on behalf of Kai, making the latter beam.

“Oh, you’re a couple! That’s cute!” Soobin exclaimed, finding them adorable.

“Yeah, they’ve been together for like, ages,” Yeonjun replied, jokingly rolling his eyes.

“We’ve actually been best friends since we were little and thanks to puberty we discovered that we didn’t love each other only as friends but something more,” Taehyun explained.

“That’s truly adorable,” Soobin said, smiling to his ears.

After this, they didn’t talk much but as soon as Taehyun and Kai finished their drinks, they went back to the dancefloor, leaving Soobin and Yeonjun alone.

Yeonjun didn’t know what made him trust that man, Soobin. He always trusted his instincts, they never failed him. Yeonjun felt like he could trust him, that he really didn’t mean harm at all. He actually had agreed to come with his friends so that he wouldn’t upset them but he didn’t want to go out at all. What he wanted to do was lie down in bed, maybe cry some more and fall asleep to wake up some hours later and think about everything. Maybe talk about it. But he didn’t want to burden anyone with his problems, even if he knew that his loved ones would say that it’s okay.

“Soobin-ssi?” he suddenly asked Soobin.

“Yes?”

Yeonjun liked the way that he immediately replied, giving him his undivided attention. It made Yeonjun feel weird in his stomach.

“How old are you?”

Soobin giggled.

“I’m 25. How about you?” Soobin asked back and Yeonjun found the way he smiled cute, especially the little dimples.

“I’m 21. I was thinking…” Yeonjun began and suddenly felt a bit stupid. He wished Soobin couldn’t see him blush.

“I’m going to drop the honorifics, is that okay?” Soobin asked in the softest way possible and Yeonjun found himself nodding. “Look, Yeonjun, if there’s something you wanna say, just go for it. And you can call me hyung if you want.”

Yeonjun felt his heart swell. Soobin was so nice and soft with him, it made him feel cared for. He had forgotten how good it felt to be taken into consideration and it made him feel like shit again. Wooyoung had stopped doing that long ago now that he thought about it.

“I don’t know where to begin,” Yeonjun started again, getting closer to Soobin so that he could still hear him over the music. “I love my friends, I really do. And I need to talk about my break up but I don’t wanna burden them so–”

“You think talking about it with a stranger would be better?” Soobin finished. “I understand. I’m all ears if you wanna tell me your story.”

“Well, my ex is called Wooyoung. We met at uni. He’s a dance major, just like me, and that’s how we got close. After some time, I began to have feelings for him and I decided to confess. He told me he felt the same so we started dating. I loved him a lot, he really was the best boyfriend I could wish for. But tonight, after two years of relationship, he broke up with me after I discovered that he had been cheating on me for a whole year.”

Yeonjun made a pause, his throat burning and tears threatening to fall. He felt a hand on his knee and looked up to find Soobin looking at him intensely.

“I know you probably heard this already but that guy, Wooyoung, was an asshole. He didn’t deserve you and he surely doesn’t deserve any of your tears. Though it’s okay to cry after a break up, I hope you don’t cry too much and get over him quickly. More importantly, I don’t want you to see yourself as lacking in any way because if he cheated on you, it’s on him, not you. Do you understand?” Soobin asked, serious, and Yeonjun nodded.

“Soobin hyung, why are you being nice to me?” Yeonjun asked, his voice soft.

“I think that as a young person, you deserve to enjoy yourself instead of coming to such a good club with your friends and drowning yourself in alcohol to forget about your undeserving ex,” Soobin simply explained.

“But you didn’t know what my story was when you approached me.”

“You’re right. But I could still see that among all these people here, you were the only one not enjoying yourself,” Soobin said, making a slight pause. “And someone as pretty as you deserve to have the time of his life, don’t you think so?”

Yeonjun felt blush rising on his cheeks at the compliment and at the gaze Soobin was giving him. It was quite dark around them but he could see that, contrary to what Yeonjun could have expected, Soobin was looking at him fondly, with sincerity and care. Yeonjun liked it, he liked it a lot. Not being able to find any pity in this guy’s eyes was making Yeonjun’s heart beat a little faster in a way he couldn’t quite understand – or maybe he just didn’t want to acknowledge it.

It could have been the eyes, the hand on his knee, the alcohol or a bit of everything, Yeonjun couldn’t tell, but the next thing he knew, he was kissing Soobin’s cheek. A little peck, that ended as fast as it happened. Soobin’s eyes comically grew wide and Yeonjun got up, running down the stairs, feeling the need to escape.

He reached the dancefloor and just before he could start searching for Taehyun and Kai, he felt someone grab his hand softly and make him turn around.

“Where are you going?” Soobin asked in his ear, his other hand automatically going to Yeonjun’s waist.

“I-I’m sorry–” Yeonjun began but Soobin smiled.

“It’s okay. It’s just a peck on the cheek, it’s not like you kissed me on the lips or something,” Soobin said, giggling.

Yeonjun hated the way he could picture himself kissing Soobin hotly on the lips, hands roaming and things escalating quickly–

“Sorry!” Yeonjun exclaimed, covering his face with his free hand.

He was so embarrassed, he wanted the floor to swallow him whole. He was embarrassed but he didn’t regret what he did, he liked how soft Soobin’s cheek had felt against his lips.

“Yeonjun. Look at me,” he heard Soobin say in his ear. He did as he was told and saw Soobin smiling widely at him. “Do you want to find your friends and go home?” he asked and Yeonjun nodded. “Look, they’re over there, talking with my brother at the counter.”

Yeonjun turned in the direction Soobin was showing him and, indeed, Taehyun and Kai were talking with some guy who had long black hair from what he could see.

Soobin grabbed his hand a little tighter and led them to where the others were.

“Beomgyu-yah, they’re not interested,” Soobin said when they were close enough to be heard.

“Soobin-ah! What brought you down?” Beomgyu asked before looking at Yeonjun beside Soobin then at their hands. “I see. You’re going home?” he asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“Yes. I’m actually driving those guys home,” Soobin said before turning to Taehyun and Kai. “Yeonjun said he wants to go home. I can drive you all.”

“Oh, that would be nice,” Kai replied.

“Yes, very nice,” Taehyun added.

“Wait! Drive me home too, Binnie, I’m tired!” Beomgyu requested, pouting.

“Okay, you lead them outside. I need to pay the bill first.”

“Follow me guys!” Beomgyu exclaimed, making the three young guys smile and leading them to the exit.

Soobin rolled his eyes and asked the bartender for his bill. He paid and a minute later he was outside the club, only now registering how loud and stuffy it had been inside.

He immediately found Beomgyu and the guys who had begun walking in the car’s direction. Soobin walked fast, catching up a few seconds later.

“–and that’s how Soobin agreed to come with me!” he heard Beomgyu say, making the youngers laugh.

“What lie are you telling them, Gyu?” Soobin asked, startling everyone.

“SOOBIN! WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU?” Beomgyu shrieked, a hand clutching at his chest, right where his heart was.

Soobin laughed out loud, proud of the effect he had on his brother. It usually was the other way around so he was happy he could startle him this time.

“You should have seen your face! Oh my god, it was so funny!” Soobin exclaimed between breaths.

After some seconds, the fifth guys were all laughing heartily, getting weird stares from the passers-by. When they were finally done laughing, Soobin spoke.

“Come on, the car is further away,” he said, taking the lead this time.

Yeonjun caught up with Soobin, grabbing his arm.

“Can I walk with you?” he shyly asked.

“Of course.” Soobin said, smiling warmly.

Yeonjun didn’t know what it was in Soobin that made him feel at ease, that made him want to be close with him. Just standing beside Soobin made Yeonjun feel safe.

“I-I wanted to ask you something before we get in the car…” Soobin began, unsure.

Yeonjun looked up at him and Soobin could swear the whole galaxy was reflected in his eyes.

“I’d like to know if you’d agree to exchange numbers.”

Yeonjun looked at him, a bit confused.

“You want my number?”

“Well, yes. If you’re not comfortable with it, that’s okay though!” Soobin quickly replied, not wanting to make Yeonjun uncomfortable or pressure him into doing anything.

“It’s okay. I will– I can give you my number,” Yeonjun replied, shy.

Yeonjun took his phone out and handed it to Soobin. The latter texted his own number and handed the phone back.

“Here, you just have to save my number,” Soobin said, taking his car keys out of his pocket.

He unlocked a black Hyundai Tucson and heard the three younger guys exclaim ‘wow’ in unison.

“Everyone, get in. Beomgyu, you’ll sit beside me,” Soobin stated and everyone did as told.

Soobin got in as well and turned to look at the three boys in the back.

“Where do y’all live?”

“We have dorms at uni. Hybe National University,” answered Taehyun.

“Ooh, Hybe! That’s so cool! You’re all artists then!” Beomgyu exclaimed as Soobin started the engine.

“Taehyun and I major in singing and Yeonjunie hyung majors in dancing. So, I guess you can say we’re artists,” HueningKai replied, a proud little smile on his face.

“It’s not far away, right?” Soobin asked, making eye contact with Yeonjun through the rear-view mirror.

“Yeah, I can give you directions if you want,” Yeonjun replied, smiling.

And so, they were on the way. Ten minutes later, thanks to Yeonjun, Soobin pulled over right in front of the university dorms.

“Thank you Soobin-ssi, it was a great evening,” Taehyun said, bowing and getting off the car, quickly followed by HueningKai. Yeonjun remained.

“I need to smoke,” Beomgyu suddenly said, getting off too, leaving Yeonjun and Soobin alone.

Soobin turned to directly look at Yeonjun.

“He doesn’t smoke. You better hurry if you don’t want to be interrupted,” he told the younger.

“It’s just… Thank you. For everything,” Yeonjun began, blushing but holding Soobin’s stare. “And, you know, the semester is over and – I’d totally get it if you didn’t want to – but, if it’s okay with you–” Yeonjun rambled, getting redder by the second.

“I’d love to meet again,” Soobin said, smiling widely.

“Oh. Okay. That’s cool. I’ll text you then. Yeah, I’ll do that. Bye hyung,” Yeonjun awkwardly said, getting ready to get off and follow his friends when Soobin called his name.

“Yeonjun?”

“Yes?” he replied, turning back to look at Soobin, a somewhat hopeful expression on his face.

“It was a pleasure to spend this evening with you.”

Yeonjun smiled the brightest Soobin had seen him yet and got off the car.

Soobin looked at him running to catch up with his friends when Beomgyu got back in.

“So?” he asked, curious.

“He wants to meet again. He’ll text me,” Soobin replied, starting the engine once again and driving away.

One week later, Yeonjun was waiting for Soobin in a cosy café near the campus. They had texted a lot the past week and Yeonjun would lie if he said he wasn’t attracted to Soobin. Besides the good looks, Soobin was very fun and sweet. He always sent good morning and good night texts and asked about how Yeonjun was feeling at random times. Yeonjun had never been more thankful to have trust his instincts. They had never been wrong – let’s not talk about He Who Must Not Be Named Anymore – and Yeonjun thanked the Heavens they had brought him to meet Soobin.

The café’s door opened and Soobin walked in. He was wearing a striped tee-shirt with black jeans and white tennis shoes. He looked hot and if Yeonjun wasn’t quite sure before, he now knew he really liked Soobin. The way Soobin smiled when he spotted Yeonjun made the latter’s heart jump and he was glad he had ordered an iced americano already.

“Hey, Yeonjun. How are you?” Soobin asked as he sat down across the younger.

“Hyung. I’m fine, how about you?” Yeonjun asked back, thankful his voice sounded less nervous than he felt.

“I’m great. I see you’ve ordered already. You did good, the weather’s quite hot today, isn’t it?” he said, smile never faltering. Yeonjun noticed the dimples again and took the time to appreciate them now that he could see them clearly. He always thought dimples were hot but damn, Soobin looked so cute when he smiled.

Yeonjun barely noticed a waiter coming, handing Soobin a menu and leaving after he had given him his order.

“You’re staring,” Soobin said, the same smile on his face.

“I’m sorry,” Yeonjun replied, blushing furiously and adverting his eyes, albeit reluctantly.

“It’s okay. I’m having quite a hard time tearing my eyes from you,” Soobin admitted.

Yeonjun looked back at him and sighed.

“How can you say such things so simply? It’s not fair,” Yeonjun whined.

“I’m sorry,” Soobin said, not sounding sorry at all as he laughed. “It just comes naturally.”

Yeonjun felt his heart skip a beat once again and Soobin’s drink came, saving him.

“What did you order?” Soobin asked, taking a sip of his own drink.

“Iced americano” Yeonjun answered, taking a sip too.

“Typical uni student beverage,” Soobin said, giggling. “I prefer strawberry milkshakes.”

“What did you major in?” Yeonjun suddenly asked, catching Soobin off-guard.

“Oh, um, I didn’t go to university,” Soobin answered.

“Really?” Yeonjun exclaimed, surprised, and Soobin nodded. “Um, why?” Yeonjun carefully, asked, not wanting to cross a line.

Soobin giggled.

“You don’t need to be so careful. You can ask any question and I’ll answer if I feel like it. Why didn’t I go to university? The answer is I didn’t know what to do. I decided to do my military service. When I came back, I still didn’t have any idea and I decided I didn’t need to go to uni,” Soobin explained.

“What do you mean, you didn’t need?” Yeonjun asked but he felt like he already knew the answer.

“You’re smart Yeonjun-ah. You can find the answer yourself, I’m sure of it,” Soobin answered, smiling softly.

Yeonjun knew Soobin was rich. Apparently very rich. He went to the military instead of going to uni and came back, deciding he didn’t need to go to university after all.

“If you decided you didn’t need to go to university, it means that your family is loaded, which is why you don’t need to study, get a degree and get a job. You’re too young to be a first or second generation chaebol so I guess you’re a third generation one.” Yeonjun said, everything slowly clicking in his head. “Wait a second… Choi Soobin. Are you related to Choi Minho?”

“He’s my father,” Soobin answered. Yeonjun’s eyes grew wide in realisation.

“Shit. I’m sitting in a café with Choi Minho’s son. Fuck.”

Yeonjun took his coffee, drank half of it in one go before taking a deep breath. He looked at Soobin and found him wearing half the smile he had a while ago.

“You’re mostly right. My family does have a lot of money but I have a job, actually. I work at my dad’s company as a consultant.”

Yeonjun had so many questions but he couldn’t ask them. Not when Soobin looked so dejected.

“Hyung, what’s wrong?”

“Well, now that you know who I am, you’ll probably leave me, right” Soobin said. It sounded like a statement, not a question.

“I don’t know what you’re thinking, just like you don’t know what I am thinking, hyung. I can’t say I’m not a bit taken aback” Yeonjun said, giggling, “but I won’t leave you. I already knew you were rich and it doesn’t change a thing that you’re Choi Minho’s son. Actually, I don’t know Choi Minho’s son, I only know Soobin hyung. And I enjoy his company, just like he seems to enjoy mine. It doesn’t change a single thing for me.”

Soobin was staring at Yeonjun in a way he couldn’t decipher. His eyes were glassy and he looked like he would cry but there was something else behind all of this. Soobin’s eyes were screaming something but Yeonjun couldn’t understand what they were telling him.

“That’s – that’s very sweet,” Soobin said, his voice wavering. “It’s actually a first. Thank you.”

“Hyung, please cry,” Yeonjun said, making Soobin laugh.

“What?” he asked, flabbergasted.

“I know that we tend to cry when people tell us not to cry so I tried the contrary. If I tell you to cry, you logically won’t cry. It worked, you laughed!” Yeonjun explained.

Soobin laughed harder, making a few heads turn.

“I’ve never met someone like you, Yeonjun-ah. You’re refreshing.”

Soobin’s voice held something heavier that Yeonjun again couldn’t understand. He took the compliment, blushed and finished his drink.

“Is there somewhere you wanna go, hyung?” Yeonjun asked, his eyes focused on the shape of Soobin’s lips around his straw.

“I don’t know, you were the one asking to meet up. I gladly accepted but I really have no idea where to go, I don’t know this part of the city,” Soobin replied, smiling.

“Hm…” Yeonjun hummed, looking at his watch. “It’s almost 4. There are a lot of people busking at this time of the day, we could take a stroll and then have dinner together? Is that okay?”

“That would be perfect, Yeonjun-ah. Let’s pay and go,” Soobin said, finishing his milkshake. As he was about to take his wallet out, Yeonjun beat him to it, putting money on the table for both their drinks.

“Take back your money, Yeonjun. I’m paying,” Soobin said, taking money out of his wallet.

“Hyung, you paid for me and my friends the other day in the club. And, just like you said, I was the one asking to meet up so I have to pay for you. Pretty please?” Yeonjun begged, pouting.

Soobin chuckled, bowing his head and putting his wallet back in his pocket.

“You’re so cute, I can’t say no to you,” Soobin said, making Yeonjun blush and smile like a child.

Making sure they didn’t forget anything, both males got up and exited the café.

“Follow me, I’ll bring you to the best busking spot of the area.”

Yeonjun felt bold and comfortable enough to grab Soobin’s hand knowing he wouldn’t ask questions. He smiled when he felt the older lightly squeeze his hand and picked up the pace.

As they walked, they made small talk, trying to learn more about each other. Yeonjun discovered that Soobin was a fan of animations, just like HueningKai, and when Yeonjun told him he wasn’t one for animations, he pouted like a little child. However, they discovered that they ate pretty much the same things apart from spicy food. They couldn’t really eat spicy but, contrary to Soobin, Yeonjun still liked it.

Soon enough, they reached the spot Yeonjun had talked about and realised there already were a lot of people gathered around.

“There are a lot more people than I thought there would be,” Soobin said.

“Yeah, this spot is well-known by the people who live in the area,” Yeonjun explained. “Just wait for the buskers to come, it will be crazy.”

Indeed, once the buskers appeared and started playing, even more people stopped to listen to them and give money before going their own way.

To Soobin’s pleasure, Yeonjun let himself go little by little to the point that, after a few songs, he was literally dancing in the middle of the crowd. Soobin wasn’t embarrassed, he was rather impressed by how Yeonjun danced, like the music had taken possession of him and was making his body move by itself. However, he was afraid Yeonjun would hurt himself as a lot of people were dancing around him, some more carelessly than others.

“Yeonjun-ah, be careful,” Soobin warned him.

Yeonjun turned to him, his face all pink and his eyes shining. Soobin forgot how to breathe for a moment.

“What?” Yeonjun asked, stopping for a second to give his entire attention to Soobin.

“Be careful to not hurt yourself, it’s a bit crowded here,” Soobin said and Yeonjun smiled widely.

“Hyung, the more space you take, the less chances you have to get hurt. Here, dance with me,” Yeonjun said, taking Soobin’s hands and making him get on the rhythm. Soon, they were dancing together, taking so much space some people stopped dancing either to watch them or to protect themselves.

When the buskers announced they were done for the day, the people who had stayed around clapped and gave them money. Soobin put a ten thousand wons note in the hat they were collecting money in and Yeonjun linked their arms.

“Shall we walk around some more or would you like to go eat already?” he asked.

“Hm, after dancing like that, I’m a bit hungry to be honest. It’s not even 6 yet though. What about an ice cream?” Soobin suggested. Yeonjun’s eyes sparkled.

“Ice cream it is!” he exclaimed, clapping his hands. “There’s this old man who sells ice cream down the street, you have to try them!” he added, almost dragging a giggling Soobin behind him.

Some minutes later, as they were enjoying their ice creams – strawberry flavoured for Soobin and mint chocolate flavoured for Yeonjun – Soobin spoke.

“I can totally see why you’re a dance major, Yeonjun-ah. Those moves you pulled earlier… I’ve never seen anything like it.”

Yeonjun beamed.

“Thanks. But I was dancing mindlessly, just enjoying the music, you know. You danced pretty well too,” Yeonjun complimented back, making Soobin laugh.

“I was only following what you were doing. You sure know how to groove. I liked watching you dance.”

Yeonjun blushed, looking down.

“I get complimented a lot about my dancing but when you do it, it feels different,” Yeonjun quietly admitted.

“I hope it’s a good thing,” Soobin replied and Yeonjun smiled, looking at him.

“A very good thing.”

Their eyes met and they felt like time stopped for a second. They could only look at each other, unable to tear their eyes away, like they were the last two people on Earth. Then, Yeonjun cleared his throat.

“Well, what would you like to eat?” he asked.

“I don’t know… I’m not craving something in particular,” Soobin replied, shrugging.

“I think we should go to Kimbap Heaven. When you don’t know what to eat, it’s the best option.”

So, it was decided. They entered the first Kimbap Heaven they encountered and ended up sharing beef kimbaps and a galbitang. They ate with great appetite, not talking much but sharing gazes a lot.

Yeonjun liked it. The silence was comfortable amidst all the hubbub. He didn’t feel like talking to fill the silence and even when their eyes met, he didn’t feel as shy as he should have. He supposed it was one of Soobin’s superpowers, being able to make him feel comfortable at all times. Yeonjun wondered if those superpowers worked only on him.

“Yeonjun-ah?”

Soobin’s soft voice pulled Yeonjun out of his reverie.

“Hm? Did you say something?”

“Is something wrong? You were frowning.”

“Nothing’s wrong, hyung,” Yeonjun replied but, unfortunately, Soobin didn’t buy it. “I’ve been thinking actually. I feel very comfortable with you and it just makes me wonder… is it just me who feels comfortable around you or do other people feel the same too?”

Soobin smiled.

“Well, I don’t know. I don’t have a lot of friends and since they’re all working, we don’t meet up much. I hope they do feel comfortable when we’re together since we’ve all been friends since we were in high school,” Soobin said, making Yeonjun slowly nod. “But I’m glad you feel comfortable around me. I like spending time with you, Yeonjun-ah.”

Soobin smiled widely, making Yeonjun’s heart skip a beat. Damn, he thought, I really like him a lot.

“I-If you’re done,” he began, his voice just above a whisper, “I think we should go.”

Soobin, sensing the younger’s embarrassment, nodded.

“Only if I pay, though. I heard students should keep their money,” he said and Yeonjun was about to say something when Soobin added, “Pretty please?” in a perfect imitation of what Yeonjun had said earlier.

Yeonjun laughed out loud and agreed, making Soobin promise to never say that again. They went out of the restaurant, holding hands without really realising it anymore and looked at each other.

“What do you want to do now?” Soobin asked.

“Now, I have two options,” Yeonjun began. “Either I ask you to walk me back to the dorms or we hang out some more.”

“Which one do you prefer?”

“Actually, now that I thought about it, there’s a third option. The semester is over now and I decided to spend the summer to my parents. Would you… would you come with me?” Yeonjun hesitantly asked. He was afraid that he was asking too much from Soobin.

To his surprise though, Soobin nodded.

“With great pleasure. But shouldn’t we get your stuffs from your dorm?”

“Um, no. Taehyun will bring them tomorrow along with his own stuff. He’ll be staying some time with me before going to see his parents,” Yeonjun explained, a bit evasive.

Soobin nodded in understanding, not questioning anything. If Yeonjun wanted to talk about it, he would and, if not, then that’d be okay too.

Both guys began walking to the nearest bus stop, which really wasn’t very far considering they were surrounded by restaurants. Bus stops were never really far where there was restaurants.

“Do your parents live far from here?” Soobin asked.

“A little bit? I mean, by bus, it takes about 40 minutes. But by car, only 15. There are short cuts we can take by car that the bus can’t,” Yeonjun replied.

“Shouldn’t we take a taxi then? It’ll be quicker,” Soobin said, without thinking much. It’s only when he registered Yeonjun’s expression that he realised how he had sounded. “Oh my gosh, that’s not what I meant! I really want to spend more time with you but I was thinking that you’re probably tired so getting home quick would be better, you know?” he hurriedly tried to explain.

Yeonjun giggled. Soobin was truly too cute for Yeonjun’s health.

“It’s okay, hyung. You’re right. I’m a bit tired and I’m sure you are too so let’s take a taxi,” Yeonjun said, taking his phone out. “I’ll take care of it.”

Five minutes later, they were in a Uber, making their way to Yeonjun’s parents’ house. Soobin sent a text to Beomgyu and put his phone away. At some point, he realised that they had let go of each other’s hand. Seeing Yeonjun’s hand hanging by his side, he naturally grabbed it, lightly squeezing it. He knew he had done the right thing when Yeonjun turned to him, his smile dazzling.

Soon enough, Yeonjun and Soobin were standing on the sidewalk, right in front of the house. They were still holding hands, looking at each other.

“I guess that’s where we part,” Soobin began, smiling but the smile didn’t reach his eyes.

Yeonjun sadly nodded but didn’t advert his eyes nor let go of Soobin’s hands.

“Do you remember when you asked me why I was being nice to you in the club?” Soobin asked and Yeonjun nodded, a bit taken aback by the change of topic. “I told you that I thought you deserved to enjoy yourself instead of drowning yourself in alcohol to forget about your undeserving ex. I lied. Partially. Of course that was true but the true reason was that when I spotted you, trying your best to put on a smile, I felt that desire to make you smile for real. I can’t explain it, something just pulled at my heart and pushed me to go talk to you. I really wasn’t expecting so much, I could never have imagined that you’d take my number and ask to hang out. But I’m glad it happened in the end because I got to see your genuine and beautiful smile. I loved spending time with you, Yeonjun-ah.”

Yeonjun couldn’t help but blush, again. Soobin voice had been so soft, he had looked at Yeonjun with so much affection in his eyes and Yeonjun had never felt more cared for in his life.

“Do you wanna know something no one knows?” Yeonjun asked. Soobin nodded and Yeonjun gestured for him to lean down. When he did, Yeonjun smirked. “I really like you,” he whispered and left a kiss on Soobin’s cheek before pulling away.

Soobin stood there, his eyes wide and his cheeks pink and Yeonjun waited. When Soobin finally came back to his senses, he took a bold step closer to Yeonjun, making him quietly shiver.

“Yeonjun-ah. Can I kiss you?” Soobin asked, his voice ever so soft and Yeonjun found himself immediately nodding.

Soobin grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him. Their lips fit perfectly together, even if it was a simple touch of lips. It felt good for both of them, sending a rush of electricity through their bodies. Yeonjun had his hands on Soobin’s biceps, gripping at them because he was afraid he was dreaming. It may have not been a full kiss, Yeonjun could swear it was the best kiss of his life.

When they broke apart, they both looked like tomatoes – the very ones Beomgyu hated – and were panting. They terribly wanted to kiss again but knew they had to wait. Something told them they would have plenty of other occasions to kiss.

“If it wasn’t clear enough, I really like you too, Yeonjun-ah,” Soobin said, making Yeonjun laugh out loud.

“I think it was clear enough, hyung,” Yeonjun replied. “Thank you for today. I had a lot of fun.”

“I had a lot of fun too. I hope we’ll be able to meet again soon.”

“I’m on summer break, hyung. Whenever you’re free, I’ll be.”

“Okay, then. see you soon, Yeonjun-ah. good night.”

“Good night.” Yeonjun said, walking to the door.

After a few steps, he stopped and turned around, finding Soobin staring at him.

“Just so you know, today was our first date,” he said, winking (read blinking) and literally running to the door and disappearing behind it.

Soobin smiled to himself as a car stopped next to him.

“He’s so cute when he smiles.”

If the next time they met, the only thing they did was kiss, then no one but them had to know.