I hate you, but I love you / 널 미워하지만, 사랑해 / WOODZ

Part 26

It had been three days since the situation at the MOODZ building, and things were still uncomfortable to some.

Kino hadn't returned to his apartment. Kyungah and Dongmin hadn't talked, their misunderstanding hanging heavy in the air.

And Hans? She was keeping her distance. Not because she was mad, but because guilt weighed her down. She regretted not answering Kino's call that night, but between that and being buried in work, she hadn't had the time or maybe the courage to bring it up.

Meanwhile, Nathan, Hoho, Dongmin, and Juyoung somehow all ended up at Hoho's store during lunchtime. It wasn't planned. They just happened to be in the same place at the same time, which was kind of their thing.

They were casually chatting near the counter when Hoho suddenly brought up that night.

"Yah, I've been feeling really guilty about how I reacted. I was too much, right, Nathan?" Hoho admitted, his voice uncharacteristically serious.

Nathan, caught off guard by the confession, simply nodded. "Yeah. I think both you and Dongmin need to talk to Hans and Kyungah. You guys were kinda harsh that night."

"Too bad I wasn't at the crime scene," Juyoung spoke. "Yah, Dongmin, who taught you to be that rude, huh?"

Dongmin, who had been quiet, rubbed the back of his neck. It was obvious he felt bad, but now he was just embarrassed about how to face Hans and Kyungah.

"It's just... I was just really in the moment, you know?" he muttered. "I didn't mean for it to come off that way. Plus, Kino's our friend too.. I was just con—"

Before he could finish, the store door swung open.

"Hey, Evan," Juyoung and Nathan greeted casually, giving him a quick brotherly hug.

But Dongmin, already on the verge of an emotional breakdown, went straight for Evan and clung to him like a lost puppy.

"Evan, what do I do? How do I tell Hans and Kyungah that I didn't mean to be that rude that night? I was just worried about Kino too," he said dramatically.

Evan smirked, patting Dongmin's back.

Meanwhile, Hoho, who had been caught off guard by Evan's sudden arrival, immediately busied himself at the wine section, pretending to fix the bottles. Anything to avoid making eye contact.

Nathan, of course, wasn't about to let that slide. "Yah, Hoho. I know you want to say hi to Evan too, just like the good old times," he teased, earning snickers from the others.

From Nathan's perspective, if Hoho wanted to ignore Evan, then fine, he'd just make sure they couldn't keep avoiding each other. A lighthearted tease here, a casual nudge there, anything to push them into talking, even unintentionally.

You guys really don't want to resolve this, huh? Well, too bad. I'll never stop finding ways to put you two in the same room until you do. That was basically Nathan's plan.

Hoho scoffed, still facing the wine bottles. "If you guys are having a meeting about your gig or something that I am not related, do it somewhere else. I have a business to run."

"Eh? How'd you even know we have a gig tonight?" Nathan asked, eyebrows raised.

Hoho, realizing he'd been cornered, finally turned to face them. "Because Dongmin and Juyoung are always here," he huffed.

That answer only made him look more suspicious, and the group couldn't help but find his flustered denial cute.

"Okayyy," Nathan said with a knowing smirk, finally letting it go.