but sometimes ;; haobin

ten

"Jiwoongie hyung!"

Zhang Hao happily scurried over to the black-haired male stepping out of the building, arms wrapping around his neck to hug him tightly. The man returned the warm embrace, holding Zhang Hao gently yet clearly with some missed emotion. Jiwoong was first to pull from the hug, a handsome smile decorating his expression. "Hao-ya, it's been so long!"

"I know, right?" Zhang Hao grinned excitedly. "How have things been? It's been a while since I saw you. It's been over a year, hasn't it?"

"I wanted to come see you, Hao-ya," the man said, lifting a hand to gently push Zhang Hao's hair behind his ear. "Did you miss me, too?"

Zhang Hao paused for a moment, gently removing Jiwoong's hand from his head. "Hyung, uhm... I have a partner right now. I'd appreciate it if you... didn't do that sort of stuff while I'm together with Hanbin. He'll get upset."

"Oh, congratulations on the relationship," Jiwoong smiled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "We can still be friends, hm? I'm sure your boyfriend won't be... too jealous, right?"

Zhang Hao seemed to think for a moment. "Hanbin... seems like he really likes me, even if this won't last long."

"Oh, is this a... pretend relationship, too?"

"..."

"Then I'll wait until he leaves."

•

Hanbin sat on the docks, waiting for Bitna and his grandpa to come off the boat. He missed Zhang Hao, but seeing as he was hanging out with his ex-boyfriend, the thought of his partner made him rather upset. Hanbin sighed heavily to himself, head leaning against the wall tiredly.

"Hanbinnie!"

He lifted his head at the familiar voice, a smile forming on his lips as he saw Zhang Hao walking towards him — but a very attractive person walked beside him. As quickly as his smile grew, it had faded, replaced by a confused yet unreadable look. "Zhang Hao..."

"Hanbin," Zhang Hao exclaimed as he stopped right before his boyfriend, "this is Kim Jiwoongie hyung. He's the friend that's visiting."

Hanbin pressed his lips into a flat-lipped smile as he bowed his head respectfully. "Hello..."

"You must be my Zhang Hao's Sung Hanbin," Jiwoong smiled at Hanbin. Hanbin frowned immediately at his wording. "Nice to meet you, Hanbin-ah. How long do you have left?"

Hanbin immediately noticed that he had ulterior motives. "How long? Are you—"

"Hyung," Zhang Hao reprimanded as he put his hands to his hips, "don't do that! I'm his and he's mine — okay?"

Hanbin didn't like Jiwoong at all, and they had just met. "Zhang Hao, I don't want you hanging out with this guy. He's clearly after yo—"

"Obviously I'm after Zhang Hao," Jiwoong said with a laugh. "But I respect that he's in a pretend relationship right now. It's very difficult to please him — you know this, don't you, Hanbinnie?"

Hanbin could only see red at that moment. Zhang Hao quickly stepped between them, turning to face Jiwoong. "Hyung, that's enough. Don't work him up like that."

"It's not a pretend relationship," Hanbin said quickly, causing the two to look at him. "It won't be for long. I'll teach him how to love."

"Can we not do this here?" Zhang Hao asked with an exasperated sigh. "Hyung, I'd appreciate it if you didn't... do this. Hanbin and I are dating, okay? That's final. You and I are just friends. Please, just... don't do this. It's pathetic."

Hanbin felt triumphant for a moment but kept his expression as unreadable as possible. Jiwoong simply showed a smile, clearly annoyed but frighteningly calm. "I respect that, Zhang Hao. But you don't love for long, do you? Your fear of commitment allows things like this to happen. Hanbin, I was like you, too. Last year, Zhang Hao told me to date him, so I did. God, I fell hard — but he never let it get past that week."

"I'll work something out," Hanbin said hurriedly, reaching to grab Zhang Hao's hand. "I'll take him with me to Seoul — I swear on it."

Zhang Hao faced the other with widened eyes. "Hanbin..."

"I'm telling you, Hanbin — Zhang Hao doesn't know how to love. He's going to push you away, just like he did to me," Jiwoong said, his smile becoming rather sad. "You two clearly have things to talk about, however — I can tell. Hao-ya, I'll see you for dinner tonight, okay? My aunt's treat."

Jiwoong turned away, walking down the dock. Zhang Hao hesitantly turned around to face his boyfriend — Hanbin seemed pissed. "Hanbi—"

"Why didn't you tell me he was your ex? Worse — you ended up dating him the same way we're together right now!"

"Hanbin, stop yelling at me," Zhang Hao snapped. "Yeah, he's my ex — I just knew you'd be yelling like this if I told you. Jiwoong and I are just friends."

"Well, stop being friends with him because he's going to pull you away from me before my time is up," Hanbin spoke, his voice somehow becoming more gentle. "I need to be with you until my fourteen days are over. Until then, you can't belong to anyone else."

"Hanbin-ah, I..."

"Unless you're okay with leaving me before the fourteen days are ove—"

"Hanbin, I would never do that to you," Zhang Hao said quickly. "But I told you — I warned you. I told you that this wouldn't last long. As much as you believe you can take me with you to Seoul, I don't believe in true love. I never loved Jiwoong back then — and I don't know if I love you right now."

"Then why are we together, huh? As soon as I leave, you're going back to Jiwoong. As much as you dread it, someone cares about you. I don't know what type of relationship you and Jiwoong had, but I really feel like I've fallen in love with someone who will never love me back."

Zhang Hao's eyes welled up with tears. He glanced down, the sadness dropping from his eyes to the cold ground below. "Hanbin, I'm sorry...—"

"I know, and you should be," Hanbin said flatly. He was clearly still upset. "If you really feel sorry for me, break up with me. You couldn't even tell me that Jiwoong is your ex. But if you still want to learn what love is, then give me your all. Show me that you love me — even if it's just for fourteen days."

"Hanbin, I'm afraid of showing you that love and just ending up hurting you all over again," Zhang Hao spoke with a shaky voice. "I don't know what to do."

"Just end things with me — if you loved me, there'd be no decision."