"Pretending"

I'll Say it Now and Again

Kihyun turned the key in the lock and swung to door open, rolling his eyes as the apartment was the exact way he'd seen it the day before.

Remotes perfectly spaced apart set parallel to each other while also being perpendicular to the television embed into the wall. Pillows perfectly placed on the center cushion and corners of the couch where the back met the armrests. Coffee machine perfectly clean. Dishes still perfectly placed in the rack and dried.

He moved towards the fridge and as the steel swung out, he sighed and made his way up the stairs, grumbling complaints to himself about Hyungwon still sleeping and thinking about the phone calls he's been receiving.

"Hey is Hyungwon busy?"

"Minhyuk?"

"Hm? Oh, you're probably wondering- Soonyoung gave me your number. Anyway, I've been trying to call Hyungwon for the past few days and he hasn't been answering, is he okay?"

"Uhh he should be fine, I haven't heard anything from him either, but then again he was never much of a caller. When was the last time you spoke to him?"

"Three days ago, I left on a trip with my brother."

"...I know what he's doing. Have a fun time during your trip Minhyuk, you don't need to worry about Hyungwon."

"Yeah but I want to-"

"Gotta go, I'll make sure he calls you!"

-

"Hello?"

"Hey! Kihyun... Sorry if I'm annoying you but..."

"Hyungwon didn't call you yet..."

"..."

"I'll talk to him again today, sorry."

"No! It's fine, just wondering what he's doing, could you tell me because-"

"I gotta go, sorry Minhyuk!"

-

"Yes?"

"Oh, am I interrupting something?"

"No, not really. Do you think a vanilla cake with chocolate icing sounds good or should it just be one flavor for the whole cake?"

"Is marble an option?"

"You think that would be better?"

"If you can't choose between two, always get marble. Anyway, about Hyungwon, did you talk to him yesterday?"

"He still hasn't called you?!"

"He hasn't been answering either."

"...Okay, I'll see him again after I'm finished picking the right icing, thanks, by the way."

"Wait Kihyun!"

"Hm?"

"Why won't you tell me what he's doing?"

"To preserve the image you have of him."

"What's that supposed to-"

-

Throwing the blanket off the bed he scrunched up his nose at the smell blowing against his face following the action. Grabbing the legs that came in sight he began to pull, succeeding in moving the rest of the body enough to disturb Hyungwon's sleep.

"Hyungwon."

"Mmph," the reply came from the pillows, Kihyun slapped the man's ass and repeated his name. "I regret giving you the spare key," the new reply could be heard clearer this time.