The bustling streets of Seoul showed no signs of the busy night ending. Though for the people who had already reached their limit, it was time to call it quits.
For one guy, it was time to leave the club early to pick up someone who had drank too much.
A tall figure stopped by in-front of Ha Yuncha, casting a shadow over him. The drunk him who was waiting by the curb had started to doze off with his head in his knees, completely unaware of his surroundings as a voice called out to him in the gentle tone reserved just for them.
"Yun."
Yuncha lifted his head slowly to meet a pair of dull grey eyes and smiled. "Jaeyoung."
Seeing how flushed he was, Cho Jaeyoung sighed.
I knew I shouldn't have let him gone out with those people.
He crouched down, meeting Yuncha at eye level as he held him up by his shoulders. "Let's go home."
-
As the door to the dorm room closed, the sound of keys hitting the ground could be heard alongside rushed gasps of air.
"Mm..."
A sly smile made it's way onto Jaeyoung's face as quiet moans reached his ears. He took Yuncha's jacket off as the latter grabbed his collar, refusing even the slightest bit of distance between them.
He's rushing.
Noticing Yuncha's unstable breathing patterns, Jaeyoung switched from Yuncha's mouth to his neck, hearing an unhappy groan as he left a faint bite mark. "Yun, breath through your nose."
Without giving Yuncha a second to respond, their lips pressed together again and between the taste of alcohol seeping into Jaeyoung's mouth, a muffled 'mhm' as if responding to what he said did too.
Changing to less intense pecks, Jaeyoung guided the still drunk Yuncha over to the bed, letting the latter put his full body weight on him as he trapped him between his legs.
With his back against the wall, Jaeyoung could now see just how far gone Yuncha was from his eyes. The vibrant jade coloured iris looked cloudier than usual yet the intense gaze coming from them was the actual representation of his mind.
Ah this is bad... If we do it now there's no way I'd be able to stop.
Being self-aware, Jaeyoung put a hand on Yuncha's chest to stop him and yet, physically feeling the heavy breathing from Yuncha seemed to set off fireworks in Jaeyoung's mind as he felt the string of rationality snap.
... Fuck it.
Yuncha rested his arms on Jaeyoung's shoulders as he was lifted into a more comfortable position, the corner of his mouth raising into a small smile as he felt something hard against his lower back.
Breaking the kiss for a breath of air, Jaeyoung's hand slipped from underneath Yuncha's shirt and now held his chin upright as if to stop him from going back in. The puzzled and pleading expression on the latter's face almost broke his defence barrier but Jaeyoung knew he had to stay focused for what he was about to ask next.
"Yun… Should we start dating?"
"Huh?"
Yuncha pulled away slightly, although his face was still flushed, he didn't look so dazed anymore. He blinked as Jaeyoung caressed his face, trying to comprehend what he had just heard.
In that moment of silence, Ha Yuncha had sobered up.
And Cho Jaeyoung had fucked up.
"What are you talking about?"
"Isn't it natural for us to take the next step after all that we've done?"
"Jaeyoung, we can't date."
Four words was all it took. A rejection he hadn't seen coming.
Jaeyoung sat up, thinking Yuncha was just joking but Yuncha looked horrified.
Jaeyoung's lips parted in disbelief as his mind raced. "So everything we've done up until now meant nothing to you?"
"That's not what I'm saying," Yuncha turned his head away, speaking softly. "We just can't date..."
"…"
It was past curfew and the hallway that had long been quiet echoed with a sudden sound of a door slamming shut. A student peeked his head out the door to look for the culprit disturbing his sleep, closing his door as quickly as he opened it upon seeing the grim look on the guy's face.
Yuncha sat still on his bed, letting out a heavy sigh as he looked out the window. The serene night was accompanied by a constellation in the night sky and the light wind swayed against the autumn leaves.
It was on such a beautiful night, that Ha Yuncha rejected the person he loved.
-
A few months later
Surrounded by overstimulating music and lights, Ha Yuncha who had swore off of ever going back to a club found himself sat in the corner with a drink again. Except this time, he was here by choice - well, kind of.
After a quiet few weeks, too quiet for his liking, he realised he couldn't drown himself in assignments to forget about what happened the last time he drank too much and somehow came to the conclusion that maybe if he drank again, it would help.
After downing another shot and watching the friends he had came with enjoying themselves on the dance floor, Yuncha decided maybe it was time he headed home.
Standing up too quickly, he felt his vision blur as he stumbled and bumped into someone.
"Oh, sorry..." Yuncha mumbled as he grabbed his coat.
"... Why did you drink so much? Don't you know you have a low tolerance?"
He felt a pair of hands on his shoulders and being as woozy as he was, Yuncha had no sense of stranger danger at all as he let them push him back into his seat.
As his eyes finally cleared up, Yuncha looked up with an innocent grin as he realised it wasn't a stranger he had bumped into at all. It was someone who would keep him safe from anything.
However, Jaeyoung didn't look as happy to see him. "Stay here. Get one of your friends to take you home."
He turned to leave but felt a hand grabbing onto his shirt. Yuncha didn't say anything but it was clear he didn't want to do that. Jaeyoung pulled his hand off gently, "I'll get someone."
"Jaeyoung... I'm sorry."
"..."
A few minutes goes by as Yuncha dozed off. The moment his brain registered the music blasting in his ears, his eyes shot open. Since he was still experiencing the same dizziness as earlier, the loud noises were causing a ringing in his ears and a headache.
Ugh... This is too much.
He didn't feel as drunk as he did earlier but knowing his body, Yuncha knew leaving now would be a bad idea. He took a sip of water before checking for the time on his phone, sending a message to a friend to let them know he was leaving soon as he could no longer see them nearby but assumed they were likely still there since their belongings were still on the table.
The club was also getting busier so Yuncha decided it was better to leave now when it wasn't completely packed than try to squeeze through drunks who had no spatial awareness later.
Somewhere in the crowd of people dancing, Jaeyoung had been keeping an eye on him the entire time. Though it didn't seem like Yuncha was aware of it until their eyes met.
"Hey," he tapped a girl's shoulder, "can you do something for me?"
It was a strange and immature request, and although Jaeyoung knew that, he also knew it was one made out of desperation.
He grabbed the girl's hand as their dance matched up with the beat of the music. Jaeyoung smiled as he looked at her, with occasional glances at the door every now and then. But meeting the same indifferent look every time, Jaeyoung felt the disgust creep over him the longer he held her hand.
Realising who he had been looking at this entire time, the girl gave him a little poke and whispered something in his ear. "Hey, what if we fake a kiss. It'll be on the cheek but it might look like a proper one from there."
From where Yuncha was stood, it already looked like they were closer than they actually were but that wasn't enough.
As the girl got on her tiptoes and Jaeyoung leaned in, it really did look like something it wasn't.
...This is dumb. He doesn't even look like he cares.
Before he could confidently come to that conclusion however, a glimpse of the look on a certain someone's face made Cho Jaeyoung's heart drop. A look so heartbroken it could make the universe topple over and fall onto it's knees to beg for forgiveness.
That was what he wanted to do.
He let go of the girl's hand abruptly, pushing his way through the crowd but as he got closer, the single drop of tear down Yuncha's face made him stop.
If the look on his face earlier was enough for Jaeyoung to give everything up, then the idea of Yuncha's crying, is the reminder for him to not to.
Not because he couldn't, but because that would upset him more.
Jaeyoung clenched his jaw, letting the wave of people drown their view of each other as he built up the strength to look away.
Ha... How does he expect me to believe him if just the thought of me with someone else is enough to make him cry?
As ironic as that was, maybe that was what Cho Jaeyoung needed to know to not give up.