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A year. A year that Jeonghan had walked out of his life and disappeared into thin air. He tried calling, texting, visiting his parents. But it was always the usual "he doesn't want to be contacted". Six months later he found it he had moved to the United States with Jisoo, his childhood friend. He tried to forget him, drinking, partying, the usual smoke. With other guys that didn't feel right, that weren't him.
He decided to focus on his work, going back to school to get a degree that would help him in case he wanted to be promoted. His friends were his biggest pillar, not letting him go back to his dark place. Soonyoung was opening a new branch of his dance studio on the following weekend, of course with Minghao, an art collector from China. They decided to open an art gallery that was also a dance studio, combining their two loves.
They opted for New York, where they met, Soonyoung on tour with his dance crew, Minghao visiting friends. Life is cliche, and it was for them, a cold, snowy winter that had Soonyoung yearning for new learnings. Meeting in a museum, locking eyes from far, not saying a word just appreciating a painting. Leaving and then meeting again at Rockefeller Center, under the Christmas lights, spending the night together. They were each others New Year's kiss.
Wonwoo would never admit it, but he was jealous of that story. Of the way they met. They were truly destined to meet. His meeting with Jeonghan was not that special, mutual friends who decided to set them up on a blind date. They dated for three years, before Jeonghan decided it was enough and left him without saying goodbye. Maybe that is why he couldn't move on, because there was no ending to their relationship. He spend nights thinking about it, but at the end he could just think that it was not him, it was Jeonghan's decision and he could only respect it.
He was leaving today for the States, to help Soonyoung with the preparations for the opening. It was also because he needed this time off, he needed some vacations and it was better if it was overseas. Maybe this would help him with getting over Jeonghan.
"You ready?"
"Been ready for longer than I thought."
The plane departed, making him hope for new beginnings.
Jun was Minghao's best friend and the other helper. He had moved to the States when he was 20, leaving his life on the other side of the world and opening a dance studio. He was very attractive and he knew. Wonwoo couldn't really take his eyes off him from the moment he picked them up.
"You know, he is single and you are gonna be spending a lot of time with him for a week. Get to know him. You deserve it."
"He is interested, just to let you know. Always texting me about the cute guy that is always on Young's insta."
Wonwoo had to think about it. Of course he wanted to meet him, he did deserve it, he did want someone else to be thinking about.
"Let's just see what this week has for me."
They did end up spending a lot of time together, not wanting to stress Soonyoung and Minghao. They had meetings every day, sometimes more than one, so Wonwoo and Jun were running the errands for them, organizing a party after the big opening. Jun was such a nice partner for this. Of course his looks were a great plus, but he was a great host too. He let them spend a couple of nights at his place, the hotel making a mess out of their reservations, but giving back the money which they were splurging on a ridiculous five star dinner.
"I did say I prefer eating some hot dogs at my place instead of this steak that I ate in three bites."
"It's a free diner, Junhui. Stop complaining."
"You are just lucky tomorrow is your big day." All their other friends were arriving later today, missing out on their expensive dinner. "By the way Hao, Shua said he was going and was taking his friend, is that okay?"
"Yeah of course. Can't wait to meet this mysterious guy."
"He is not mysterious, he just hasn't been available any time you come." Jun turned to look at Wonwoo, a little smile appearing on his face. "Wonwoo, any mysterious guy coming tomorrow to be your date?"
"Not really, just our friends."
Wonwoo didn't see the way Jun was looking at him, and the way Hao was shooting him a knowing look.
Being Soonyoung's best friend was sometimes exhausting, even more the past week and today. He loved him, he really did. But he could really be a pain when he wanted. He changed his mind on the colors he wanted for the party at least three times. He wanted a specific kind of flowers for Minghao's bouquet that had to be shipped overnight from California. Wonwoo was tired just two hours before the opening ceremony, wondering if he could take a short nap or run away to the beach and come back the next day.
"They are very difficult hosts."
"Yes they are."
"Want a drink?"
"More like want to die or sleep, which ever feels right."
"You know Wonwoo, you really are one of a kind. I may take a liking on you."
"You are not too bad yourself, Jun."
They shared a bottle of wine, feeling drowsy by the time they received a call that the ceremony was almost starting.
"Guess we have to go."
"Yeah," Jun stood up and checked his phone, staring a little too long. "Wonwoo?"
"Yes?"
"If after the party you feel like it, meet me at my house?"
The opening was full of people, important people that Wonwoo had no idea who they were, but their names sounded really important. He didn't realize the size of the crowd was going to be this big, mentally thanking having Jun as his partner. He found him, next to Minghao that was chatting a tall guy with a very questionable fashion. Jun locked eyes with him, raising his flute. Wonwoo felt tipsy, Jun's words still replaying on his mind. Would he go to his house after the party? Wonwoo wanted to, Jun was everything he imagined he wanted to move on from Jeonghan. He was wandering along the art gallery hallways, stopping a couple of times to look at a painting or photograph. He decided just for today he was going to let go of everything, to forget everything. Not worry about the past or the future. Just as he was turning a corner, he bumped into someone making them drop their drink.
"Shit sorry, my fault I wasn't looking." He kneeled to pick up the plastic glass the other person dropped, not really looking at them.
"Oh it's fine. I wasn't looking either, this art space has a lot of distractions." The other person laughed, making Wonwoo freeze. That laugh, that voice. It couldn't be. He lived in Los Angeles, west coast. Not here, not on the east coast, not in New York. He looked up and locked eyes with a distraught Jeonghan, that was caught by surprise too. "Wonwoo?"
"What are you doing here?"
"I came with Jisoo, his friend invited him. I did-I didn't know you'd be here."
"Because if you knew, you wouldn't have come, huh?" Wonwoo didn't want to run away, but he did. Just as he decided to forget about him, he appears. Where he least expected him. He had thought of moments where they could run into each other, but this scenario never popped up. He gave his back to Jeonghan and started to walk fast, to find an empty room where he could yell or cry or whatever. A year after, life decided to put him there, to bump into each other.
He found a room, closing the door behind him and kneeling against the wall. He started to laugh, even though some tears threaten to come out, burning his eyes.
"Wonwoo? Can I come in?" Of course he would run after him, when Wonwoo didn't want to. He didn't answer, Jeonghan knew him too well to know he wasn't answering. The door opened a little, a tiny head popping from behind it, looking at Wonwoo. He stepped inside, locking the door. He knew Wonwoo too well to know he probably was going to try to escape from confrontation.
"I didn't say you could come in."
"Good thing I never really listen to you."
"Yeah, a year ago you didn't listen at all." Silence flooded the room, making Jeonghan feel the walls suffocating him. "What do you want?"
"What do you mean? I came hear with Shua, I had no idea Hoshi was Kwon Soonyoung and that The8 was Xu Minghao."
"You met my friends."
"Yes, I know them pretty well but I didn't know they had stage names. I didn't know the Hao that Jun talked about was the same as the Hao I knew."
"Shua? Jun? Is Joshua the friend that Jun was talking about which is the Jisoo you came with?"
"Yeah, you know Jun?"
"Yes, we've been together all week."
"Oh." Jeonghan's face turned to a gesture that Wonwoo realized he couldn't tell what it meant. "Together?"
"Yeah like organizing the party. Not together like you are thinking. Not that it is any of your business."
"It kinda is."
"It stopped being your business a year ago."
"That doesn't mean that I don't care who you are with."
"I am with no one. You left me too hurt to actually want to be with anyone else." He stood up, planning to run from there too, finding out that he would probably would have to push Jeonghan to get through the door.
"You know that Jun and Jisoo are in something right?"
"If that was true, why would Jun invite me over to his house after the party is over?" The words slipped out of his mouth before he could think them through, but Wonwoo was starting to get irritated. So what if Jun and Jisoo were dating? Jun invited him over, it had to mean something. Who was Jeonghan to decide who he can be with?
"It is not you to get in between people that are dating."
"And it wasn't like you to leave your three year relationship out of nowhere without an explanation, making me look under the rocks for you and finding out you ditch me for another country. But it happened, didn't it?" He didn't realize he started to corner Jeonghan against the wall.
"Wonwoo, let's talk about this another day. You have alcohol in your system, where are you staying?"
"Why do you care?"
"I'm taking you there."
"No, I am not going with you anywhere. Now, let me get out of here." He wasn't the one to get physical, but he couldn't stand being with Jeonghan this close to him any longer. He gave him a slight push, giving himself an open path to get through. Surprisingly, Jeonghan did not go after him.
The whole party was like that, Jeonghan staring at him without really paying attention to anyone around him. Wonwoo knew he was staring, the stare too strong for him to ignore, but he didn't want to give him the pleasure of knowing he was disturbed by it. He talked with some people, finding out that some of the guys with bodyguards were the ones who made the dance studio/art gallery happen without any problem. Apparently some of their kids were interested in it, and were the ones that offered this to Soonyoung and Minghao. He got a couple of numbers, because his coping mechanism was to flirt with anyone that came his way. And now he had a bigger reason for that. He wanted to make Jeonghan angry, and by the way he could feel the stares and the couple of looks he stole, he knew he was accomplishing it. Joshua was enthusiastically talking with Jun, both not paying them any type of attention. Wonwoo had only seen Soonyoung for a couple of minutes, not telling him anything. He wondered if they had run into each other already, although he doubts it. He was talking with a girl that was telling him about how she had an apartment a couple of blocks there, Wonwoo fully understanding the undertone of the conversation, when he was pulled by someone.
"Wonwoo, please tell me you haven't seen who is here."
"Jeonghan, yeah I saw him. Even talked to him. Wanted to punch him, but a slight shove was the only thing I could do."
"But how did he know you were gonna be here?"
"Apparently he didn't. Joshua is Jisoo, and they came here because Jun invited them." Soonyoung stared at him, followed by a hug that said more than he could express. "I am okay, just drinking and flirting."
"Why did he talked to you?"
"No idea, I ran from there before he could say anything else."
"Do you want me to kick him out?"
"Nah, it is fine. I am having fun making him mad, so it is okay."
"Okay, but please take care. Any thing happens, you tell me. I am a pretty important person now, in case you haven't noticed." Wonwoo let out a laugh, nodding at Soonyoung. He turned to look at Jeonghan, finding out he had moved from the wall where he was leaning on for almost two hours. Wonwoo continued talking with other people, feeling his social battery running out, no matter how many flutes he drank.
"Hey." He heard someone say, turning to look at Jun smiling at him, caressing his forearm. "Sorry I haven't been with you the whole night, but it's been some time since I last saw Joshua. Are you mad?"
"Not really, but why did you invite me over if you are dating Joshua?"
"Who told you that?" Wonwoo looked at him through half opened eyes, feeling more drowsy than before. Jun was drunk, he could tell. "Well, it doesn't matter. We are not dating, not exclusively. He visits me and then goes back to Los Angeles and then I visit him and it has been like that for some months. We date other people, and I really like you Wonwoo. The invitation is still open, but if you are not comfortable, it is fine."
"I like you too Jun, but I haven't really made a decision. I am not looking just for a hook up."
"We can talk about it, just, don't leave me hanging." Wonwoo felt something in his stomach, that he haven't felt for some time. He took a chance, holding Jun's hand and leaning into him. Their lips crash into each other, the wanting evident from the way they found their rhythm so fast. It was a quick, open mouthed kiss that left Wonwoo wanting for more. "See you later, maybe."
Jun left him standing there, staring as he walked away. He imagined how the night could turn, his brain telling him to go for it. To stop thinking and just do what he wants.
"Well, that was a scene."
"It is not nice to spy on others."
"I got worried, you were talking to a lot of people. Just wanted to make sure you were safe."
"And how do you know I was talking to a lot of people?"
"You know I was looking at you the whole night, stop acting like this. You were flirting because you knew that I was looking."
"The world does not revolve around you, Jeonghan."
"So you are going to tell me you were not doing all that just to get a reaction out of me?"
"Maybe," he let out a soft chuckle, feeling the alcohol through his system, "a little revenge of how everything was left. What do you want Jeonghan?"
"I am still in love with you Wonwoo. I still love you."
"No, you don't. You don't leave someone you love. If we hadn't bumped into each other, you would not even be thinking about me. For a year I have waited for those words, why now?"
"Because it is true! I haven't forgotten about you. What I did was because of how much I loved you. I know how much you love Seoul, how much you love your life there. But you loved me and you would've moved here for me, and I didn't want that. I should have given an explanation, but I didn't know how. Please forgive me, Wonwoo. I love you too much to lose you again."
"I still love you too, Jeonghan. But you hurt me, more than you think."
"I know, and you don't have to forgive me today or tomorrow. But let's talk, yeah?"
"But not today. I am drunk."
"It is fine, we can talk any other day."
"Alright."
They stared at each other, not really knowing what to say anymore. They told each other they still loved each other, shouldn't they at least kiss? Jeonghan try to get closer to him, but Wonwoo took a step back.
"I'm leaving."
"Wonwoo."
"Yeah?"
"Are you going to Jun's?"
"I don't know."
"I got a room. Wanna go to my room instead?"