Not Her || HAOBIN

~ E P I L O G U E ~

Six months after that chaotic staycation , Zhang Hao sat at a food court table in the middle of a bustling mall, scrolling through his phone aimlessly. The crowd was lively, but he felt relaxed, settled into his chair with a bubble tea at his side, waiting. He'd checked his watch twice now and kept scrolling, occasionally sipping his drink.

Suddenly, a voice came from behind him, startling him out of his thoughts. "Hey, Zhang Hao! What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be at the university?" Gyuvin's voice was loud and slightly accusatory, drawing the attention of a few people around them.

Zhang Hao jumped in his seat, nearly dropping his phone. "Wha—Gyuvin!" He stammered, quickly locking his screen and slipping his phone into his pocket, glancing nervously around. "You nearly gave me a heart attack, you idiot."

Gyuvin grinned, plopping down in the chair across from Hao. "Yeah, yeah, but seriously, what're you doing here? Skipping class, I see?"

Hao rubbed the back of his neck, trying to regain his composure. "Shouldn't I be the one asking you that? What're you doing here?"

"Wanted to get my mind off things," Gyuvin said with a dramatic sigh. "Ricky just left again after visiting, and Gunwook's all over Taerae at his uni today, so I'm alone." He rested his chin on his hand, looking pitiful.

"Already missing Ricky?" Hao teased, smirking slightly. "It's only been a few months, Gyuvin, and besides, you two talk all the time. Chatting, calling—it's practically non-stop."

Gyuvin's eyes narrowed, and he shot Hao a glare. "Yes, I miss him. Can you blame me? Long-distance isn't exactly a walk in the park, you know! Plus, it's not like I get to hang out with Ricky whenever I want since he's off studying abroad."

"Alright, alright," Hao laughed, raising his hands in mock surrender. "Point taken. It must be hard. Though, you do talk to him almost all the time, non-stop."

Gyuvin raised an eyebrow, sitting up straighter. "Oh, please. Look who's talking about 'non-stop'! You and Hanbin are together every single day." He leaned forward, giving Hao a knowing smirk. "I swear, the two of you don't even go more than a couple minutes without texting. It's like you're glued together."

Hao shifted in his seat, glancing around nervously and trying to play it off with a forced laugh. "It's... it's not like that," he mumbled, sounding anything but convincing.

Gyuvin's smirk grew wider as he narrowed his eyes suspiciously. "Uh-huh, sure. So... you're here all by yourself today then, right?" He leaned in closer, squinting at Hao's drink. "And where's Hanbin? Don't tell me he's hiding somewhere around here?"

Hao's hand shot out protectively over his drink, covering the two straws sticking out. "Hanbin? Why would he be here?" he asked, his voice coming out a bit too high-pitched. "And we don't hang out that much, I told you—"

But before he could finish, a familiar figure appeared from behind Gyuvin, making his way back from the restroom. Hanbin was wiping his hands with a paper towel, completely oblivious to Gyuvin sitting across from Hao.

The moment Hao noticed Hanbin, his eyes widened, and he began frantically signaling Hanbin to stop and turn around, but it was too late. Gyuvin had caught sight of the signals out of the corner of his eye and turned, just in time to see Hanbin freeze in place, his face going red as he tried to look for somewhere to hide.

"Hanbin!" Gyuvin called out with a mischievous grin. "Funny seeing you here. You guys 'don't hang out much,' huh?"

Hanbin scratched the back of his head, cheeks tinged pink as he awkwardly shuffled over to their table. "Um... hi, Gyuvin. What... what a surprise." He threw Hao an apologetic look as he sat down next to him.

Hao cleared his throat, trying to divert attention. "Gyuvin, have you thought about Ricky's idea? You know, joining his university so you two can actually be together?"

Hanbin, clearly picking up on Hao's attempt, jumped on the topic. "Yeah! Ricky would love it if you joined him, right? You could stop missing him so much."

Gyuvin sighed, momentarily distracted. "I thought about it, but... I can't just up and leave everyone. You're all here, you know?" He looked around at the mall, his expression growing sentimental. "Besides, Ricky will eventually come back for good... I can hold out."

Both Hao and Hanbin nodded, exchanging a knowing smile as they wished him luck in unison. "You got this, Gyuvin," Hao said with a supportive grin.

"By the way," Hao turned to Hanbin with a smirk, "did you get a chance to tell Matthew that Jiwoong was practically dying of worry over him not answering his phone?"

Hanbin burst out laughing. "Oh yeah, I did. Turns out, Matthew dropped his phone in the toilet. But don't worry, I let him know Jiwoong was freaking out."

Gyuvin joined in the laughter, pulling his phone out to check the time. "Speaking of which, I should get going. I have to go pick Yujin up from your place, Hao." He glanced at Hao with a smirk, as if savoring a little secret.

Hanbin raised an eyebrow, clearly surprised. "Wait, Yujin's at Hao's house? What's he doing there?"

Gyuvin snickered, using air quotes as he spoke. "Oh, you know, he's there for 'tuition.' Minnie's 'tutoring' him."

The three of them erupted into laughter, their voices mingling with the buzz of the food court around them. Gyuvin gave the two a last, knowing smirk before standing up. "Well, lovebirds, I'll see you around. Try not to miss me too much, alright?" With a wink, he turned and sauntered off, leaving Hanbin and Hao chuckling as they watched him go.

Once Gyuvin was out of sight, Hanbin leaned back in his chair, looking at Hao with a soft smile. "He's really something, isn't he?"

Hao nodded, a warmth spreading across his face as he took Hanbin's hand under the table, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Yeah... he is. They all are." He glanced around the busy mall, his expression thoughtful. "It's nice, having everything feel so... normal, you know?"

Hanbin looked down, running his thumb gently over Hao's knuckles. "It really is. Sometimes, I can't believe how lucky I am."

Hao's gaze softened, his heart swelling as he watched Hanbin. "I'm the lucky one, Hanbin. You don't know how much you mean to me."

Hanbin looked up, his eyes glistening with emotion. "I love you, Zhang Hao," he said quietly, his voice barely above a whisper but filled with sincerity.

Hao smiled, leaning closer, his voice equally tender. "I love you too, Hanbin. More than you could ever know."

They sat there in comfortable silence, holding each other's hands, grateful for the life they'd built together. In that crowded mall, surrounded by strangers, it felt like they were the only two people in the world.

✧ The End ✧

───────────────

Okay, so I don't really know why I added this little epilogue. I guess I just felt like it? 🤷‍♀️ Anyway, now that you're here, why not check out my SHIMKONGZ fanfiction, "Behind Closed Eyes"? Only if you're interested, of course! Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoy it if you do decide to give it a shot. 😊

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦

✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦✦