Hyunjin wiped away the steam from the mirror to see his reflection. He stared for a second, seeing flaws no one else could, especially not his best friend.
**Sequel to impact- I highly recommend you read impact first so you'll know what's going on h...
Leo took Seungmin to a cute little dinner café with live music where they could eat and have drinks then just hang out for a while. They got along well, and Seungmin could even go so far as to say he liked Leo. They talked for a while before Leo brought up Hyunjin. "So, he's your best friend, right?" Leo asked.
Seungmin nodded but immediately felt uncomfortable. Leo probed further, "Did you guys ever date?"
Seungmin shook his head but added, "We've never even talked about it. We're uh... just friends." The words hurt him to speak, but he'd gotten good at covering it up. Leo nodded then laughed quietly.
"So, I don't need to worry about him stepping in on you and me, then?" Leo asked, teasing Seungmin.
He shook his head "no" and looked back down to his plate. He really didn't want to talk about Hyunjin anymore. Leo noticed the change in his demeanor and decided to back off. The band had started just a few minutes before, and they were warming up with a slower ballad. Leo reached across the table for Seungmin's hand and pulled him up out of his seat to the dance floor. As they danced, Leo told Seungmin how happy he was that he had messaged. Leo confessed that his crush was kind of long-lived, a few months or more. He was just really happy to get to spend some time with Seungmin. The other man grinned and agreed. He was also glad he had messaged Leo. It was nice to feel someone hold him. He rested his head against Leo's shoulder as they danced. Leo's fingers snuck up to the back of Seungmin's neck and fiddled with the hair that was peeking out from under the beret. Seungmin shivered, involuntarily due to his sensitivity from just not being touched in such a way for so long. Leo smiled and pulled him closer. The night was a wonderful change from the constant feeling of rejection and loneliness Seungmin experienced regularly.
When Leo dropped him off at home, Leo asked if he could come up. Seungmin really wasn't ready for anything physical and felt a little tipsy. He told Leo he'd rather not that night and that he was tired. Leo nodded with a smile and kissed Seungmin's cheek sweetly before letting go of his hands so the other could go inside. Seungmin wandered to the elevator with a broad smile on his face. Just as it was about to close, he heard someone else come through the door. He held the elevator for a moment, and Hyunjin appeared around the corner. He joined Seungmin in the elevator and smiled. "You look nice tonight, Seungminnie!" he offered.
Seungmin smiled and decided he'd be truthful. "I had a date," he whispered.
Hyunjin felt his stomach drop at the words. He forced a smile and answered sweetly, "That's great! Who's the lucky guy?"
Seungmin blushed, both from being on the spot and from thinking about the evening. He answered with a grin, "Leo. The guy that asked me out when I was at work."
"He's the super-hot guy you weren't sure you wanted to go out with, right?" Hyunjin asked, feeling protective suddenly. "Wasn't he a little...pushy?"
Seungmin shook his head. "I mean, he pushed a little to get my number, but I didn't think he was too bad. We had a really good time tonight," Seungmin smiled. Hyunjin's forced grin was getting harder to maintain, so he was actually grateful when they reached Seungmin's floor. Hyunjin had initially wanted to tell him about Maria, but now he didn't care. Seungmin stepped off the elevator and waved to Hyunjin, making sure to check the volume on his phone. Hyunjin waved back and leaned against the back of the small compartment. Why did the idea of Leo and Seungmin make him feel so weird? It almost made him angry. Was he seriously jealous because his best friend was hanging out with someone else? He shook the thought loose as the elevator opened and shuffled toward his apartment. He went through the motions, getting ready for bed, taking Kkami out, and straightening up a bit. Finally, he walked toward his bed and was in a deep sleep within moments of flopping into his pillows.
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Seungmin got into his apartment and thought over the evening. It had really been nice to be with someone who wanted to be with him. He thought over the cute conversation and the goofy way Leo scrunched his nose when he laughed about something. Eventually, his thoughts brought him to meeting Hyunjin in the elevator and how he had looked. He looked really good, and he seemed happy until Seungmin started to tell him about the date. Then, that same dark shift that happens when he doesn't connect with someone flitted across his eyes, but it was... different. Was he jealous? "No way. Don't go there," he told himself. He knew that would just set him up for more pain and more false hope. He shook it off and instead flipped through social media as he laid back in his bed. His phone went off with a message from Leo that brought an instant grin to his face.
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Thursday, Hyunjin called Seungmin to ask if he wanted to go to the club with the guys on Saturday. Seungmin hesitated then told him, "Leo and I are supposed to go out on Saturday."
Hyunjin went silent on the other end for a few seconds, then told him, "Bring him along. Amy, Isa, Ayako, and Maria will all be there. Plus whoever it is that Jeongin's been talking to. Oh! And Minsung will be there too. You guys should come. It will be a great time."
Seungmin grinned a bit at the idea of letting Leo meet his friends. It made him a little nervous but he wanted to know they liked the guy he'd be dating. He was also anxious because he didn't know if he could handle seeing Hyunjin with a woman he was actually interested in. He knew he was going to have to get used to it because he wasn't giving up his best friend. That was why he had fought so long against telling him about his feelings. Hyunjin's happiness was the most important thing in his world, and he'd suffer through whatever he needed to for that to happen.
