Chapter 19: Gone
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Jongin fiddled with his fingers, eyes kept low as the man sitting across from him mimicked his same exact silence and demeanor. It wasn't how he had imagined meeting up with Do Kyungsoo for the first time given his personal feelings months prior; in fact, it was more painfully awkward than he would've preferred.
The latter's intentions for instigating a mid-day coffee meet up were still unknown and Jongin wasn't sure if he wanted to push the boundaries by asking. But after a few minutes of curt, dead-end talk about frivolous topics that seemed shallow and superficial, Kyungsoo's grip on the coffee cup between his tense hands tightened.
"I hope you don't think I'm being intrusive by asking this, but..." Kyungsoo paused as if he second guessed himself, wondering about the ethics of his question. But it was a brief moment and he carried on, raising his head higher. The determination in his eyes said it all. "What's your relationship with Byun Baekhyun?"
Raising a brow, Jongin frowned. He didn't make a single move, only glancing up to meet the latter's interrogative eyes. An overwhelming sense of uncertainty loomed over him as the question repeated in his head; however, it was less about the stability of his relationship with Baekhyun and more towards the curiosity of what he considered to be appropriate to reveal.
"We're friends." It was the truth, but not in its entirety.
Kyungsoo looked disappointed. His lips pursed as his frown deepened. Worried lines began to appear, though they were subtle and hardly noticeable. "I see..." he said, looking away for a second. "I assumed that he might've been your boyfriend."
The comment only made Jongin question the man's motives, but a part of him already knew. Do Kyungsoo had the look of a troubled, insecure individual.
"No. He's not my type." He had said this excuse time and time again. There was never a time when he stopped and wondered if it was ever true... "He wouldn't have liked the commitment, anyways."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, like..." Jongin started as he studied the look in Kyungsoo's eyes. "Dating isn't his thing. He prefers casual sex, and if you ask him for anything more than that, then he's not interested."
Kyungsoo said nothing as seconds passed between them in silence. Both had drowned the noisy coffee shop around them into the background. Then, after taking in a breath, he asked, "Then what's his relationship with Chanyeol?"
There it was. The end game question.
Shaking his head, Jongin laughed bitterly. "I don't know. Isn't that a question you should ask your own boyfriend?"
"I can't."
"Why not?"
"Because--" Kyungsoo gaped, unable to finish. "I can't. I just can't--"
"Why?" Jongin asked again, pressing the matter. "It's your relationship."
Taking control of the conversation, Kyungsoo set his drink down and firmly stood his ground. "I just want to know if something's going on between them," he said. "Chanyeol never talks about him, and yet, I can see it in his eyes. He thinks about him all the time, even when he thinks I don't notice him dazing off--"
"And how do you know?"
"I just... I just do." Tightening his jaw, Kyungsoo shook his head, trying to rid himself of the memory of seeing Baekhyun standing outside of Chanyeol's dorm. But it was pointless. "I thought he just had a lot of things on his mind. Classes, practice... I didn't think it might've had to do with him until I saw them together."
"Hm..." The situation explained quite a few things, but Jongin decided against diving deeper on the issue. It was neither his relationship nor his job to investigate further. "I can't tell you much. Like, I said, take this up to him. Seems to me like he's the one you should be having this conversation with. Anyways, I have to get going. I have a review session to get to--"
"Wait!" Kyungsoo interrupted, reaching over the table to grab his hand. It seemed like a last-ditch desperate attempt. "I understand we don't know each other well, but would it be possible for you to... I can't believe I'm saying this--"
"Just tell me."
Drawing away his hand, Kyungsoo's lips formed a thin line as he bit on his lower lip. "Please tell Baekhyun to stay away from Chanyeol and that Chanyeol doesn't want to see him," he said firmly. "It's not good for Yeol and I just don't want him ruining this relationship."
"Is that all?" Jongin asked, giving the latter time to think. When Kyungsoo nodded silently, he reciprocated the action. "I'll make sure to tell him."
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a/n: here's a longer one, SL*TS
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