No F.U.N | Choi Seungcheol

26.

Things were different now. Even when all had been returned, Seungcheol could somehow never retain ownership of his items. The hands they were exchanged with no longer mattered. It had only one owner. His mind, heart and items were now permanently branded as Yuri's.

Seungcheol's bitter smile dropped at the pitiful look in Hoshi's eyes. He breathed out, this thoughts in knots. He had to quell his dongsaeng's guilt first. Did they really think he was this weak? "It's okay." He repeated, trying to assure the frozen kid. Hoshi was more sensitive than he looked. Glancing around, he observed Mingyu who dared not interrupt the conversation. The sound of Yuri's name had become a taboo in the group. Almost as if it was a contagious disease spread by sound.

It was absurd. The members were trying their best to not remind Seungcheol of his ex but there it was, a habit triggered unexpectedly.

Seungcheol changed the topic, "Soonyoung-ah, if you run into Woozi, by any chance, can you ask him to join us before we start to drink?" Then changing his mind almost immediately, he stopped the retreating Hoshi, "Oh, never mind. I'll just text him."

Mingyu took Seungcheol's silent typing as his cue to exit. With an arm draped around Hoshi's shoulders, Mingyu dragged the poor boy out, saving him from perjuring himself any more. Seungcheol too, grateful for Mingyu's wit, eventually placed his phone down and glanced at the clothing Hoshi had dropped.

With the two having left, Yuri's memories were the only thing that kept him company in the now-empty room.

::

The next morning, Scoups and Woozi gathered at the door of a barely awake Jeonghan. He had messy hair still, rubbing his eyes. It all suggested he'd just gotten out of his bed to receive the two trying to barge in.

Jeonghan looked at the two with a dazed look on his face. The combination was an odd one and Jeonghan's expression soured at the sight of Woozi. "You two—" He started, wanting to say something but stopped midway, tired. He had no idea what had brought them there. Knowing they were unlikely to ever back down, Jeonghan asked with a defeated look. "What do you want?"

Woozi frowned disapprovingly and then pointed to Seungcheol in front of Jeonghan. "Tell him," he ordered, standing at the door, "Tell him about your involvement in his relationship."

Seungcheol's brows furrowed, not having expected his relationship to be the topic of their fight. In his head, he had already theorised countless situations that the two could've disagreed on. From music to military enlistment, Coups had been ready to tackle any issue that came his way, sit the two down and find a solution. But Yuri? What could Jeonghan possibly have to do with his relationship? And why would they disagree?

Noticing Seungcheol's eyes fill with questions frustrated Jeonghan further. This wasn't the kind of conversation he had expected to have on his first day off after the concert. "Come in. Sit down," Jeonghan resigned to his fate and allowed the two into his hotel room. He slid on a T-shirt draped across one of the chairs and covered his naked torso. There were still a few hours before any of the members were expected to wake up and the staff had taken their partying into account to schedule their flights out to a later time.

Jeonghan presumed that Woozi, having realised the fact, dragged Seungcheol so early in the morning for an effective confrontation. He glared at the young composer for a whole minute, realising he was just as sly as him in that regard.

"Jeonghan-ah," Seungcheol was the first to bring it up again, hurried by the secret unknown to only him, "What is this about you and my relationship? What is Jihoon talking about?"

His reaction was expected, Jeonghan thought. Seungcheol did not know. It was only a matter of time that this too, would be resolved. Jeonghan only worried about how it would affect the nature of his friendship after. Would it be considered betrayal? Or concern?