The cool air hit me as I walked toward the office doors, but it did little to clear my mind. That text kept nagging at me, but I forced myself to focus. Work first, everything else could wait.
As soon as I stepped inside, the usual hustle and bustle of the office hit me. Assistants rushing around, phones ringing, and the steady hum of conversation filled the space. Uncle Jae was in a meeting with some clients, so I had a bit of time to settle in. I made my way to my desk, dropping the folder with the documents onto it.
Sitting down, I opened my laptop and went through emails, but my mind kept drifting back to that message. Who could it be? I leaned back in my chair, pulling out my phone once more, my thumb hovering over the unknown number.
It was probably nothing, right? But I couldn't shake the feeling that this was something more.
Finally, curiosity got the better of me. I managed to text back:
Jihoon; who is this?
The moment I hit send, a mix of nerves and curiosity washed over me. I stared at the phone, waiting for it to buzz, my heart racing slightly. What if this was something bigger than I thought? Or worse—what if this unknown number had something to do with Minji?
Minutes passed, the screen of my phone dimming as nothing came through. I tried to focus on my emails again, but the distraction was impossible to ignore. Every few seconds, I'd glance at my phone, half-expecting it to light up with an answer.
Then, finally, it buzzed. I grabbed it immediately, a lump forming in my throat.
Unknown: It's me. Call me I want to hear your voice.
I stared at the message, my anxiety spiking. "Me" could be anyone. I typed out a quick reply.
Jihoon: Who is this?
There was a long pause before the next message came.
Unknown: it's TaeHyun, now is it okay to call. I have something to tell you.
I froze, after 5 years why was TaeHyun texting me? I quickly powered off my phone and threw it inside my drawer.
I opened my laptop and started working to distract myself from the situation, a few minutes later Uncle JaeHwa walked up to me and asked for the paperwork.
"You seem distracted, what's your problem?" He asked. "Nothing, just tired." I replied.
"Oh, maybe we should go and grab something to eat."
I nodded, grateful for the distraction. "Yeah, that sounds good, Uncle Jae."
As we left the office, I tried to push thoughts of TaeHyun to the back of my mind, but it wasn't easy. After five years of silence, I didn't know how to process the sudden reappearance of someone who had once been so central to my life. Why now? What could he possibly want to talk about after all this time?
We walked to a nearby restaurant, the cool breeze calming me down a little. Uncle JaeHwa didn't press the issue, though I could feel his eyes on me now and then, probably sensing that something was off. We found a quiet corner of the restaurant and sat down. I barely glanced at the menu before ordering my usual, my mind still spinning.
As we waited for the food, Uncle JaeHwa leaned back in his chair and gave me a knowing look. "You know, Jihoon, you're not a very good liar."
I let out a sigh, rubbing the back of my neck. "I'm just… dealing with something I wasn't expecting."
He nodded slowly, as if understanding more than I was saying. "Is it Minji? Or something else?"
I shook my head. "No, Minji's fine. It's… someone from my past reached out. TaeHyun."
Uncle JaeHwa's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "TaeHyun? After all this time?"
"Yeah. I don't know what he wants, but I'm not ready to find out. I just turned off my phone when he tried to call."
He leaned forward, resting his elbows on the table. "Jihoon, if he's reaching out after five years, it must be something important. Whether it's good or bad, you might need to hear what he has to say."
I groaned, slumping back in my chair. "I know, but I don't know if I can handle whatever he has to say. Not after everything that happened."
Uncle JaeHwa didn't push, just gave me a sympathetic look as the food arrived. We ate mostly in silence, but I couldn't stop my mind from going back to TaeHyun's message. What could be so important that he would break the silence now?
As we finished our meal and headed back to the office, I knew that I couldn't ignore it forever. I'd have to face whatever it was sooner or later.
"Thanks, Uncle Jae," I said as we walked. "For the lunch and the advice. I'll think about what you said."
He smiled. "Anytime, Jihoon. Just don't let the past haunt you too much. Deal with it, and move forward."
—————————
Later that evening Minji stood at the door worried waiting for Jihoon, he called him but the calls didn't go through. It was getting late and it wasn't like him to stay out late, and if he was working late he would call Minji and let him know.
3 minutes later the door started opening and quickly Minji opened the door and there was Jihoon standing drunk as ever
Minji's heart sank as he saw Jihoon swaying in the doorway, his eyes glazed over and the unmistakable smell of alcohol wafting from him. Jihoon stumbled forward, barely able to keep his balance, and Minji quickly rushed to his side, grabbing his arm to steady him.
"Jihoon, what happened? Where have you been?" Minji asked, his voice a mix of worry and frustration. He had been pacing for hours, trying to reach Jihoon with no response, and now here he was, completely drunk.
Jihoon blinked, his head lolling to the side as he tried to focus on Minji. "Aww, my baby. I missed you so much!" he slurred, his words barely making sense.
Minji shook his head, guiding Jihoon toward the couch. "Yeah, me too. But why did you drink so much?" He asked putting him down on the couch.
"Come…sit." He said patting on his lap through a hiccup. "Not before you you explain this."
Jihoon pouted as Minji refused to sit down, his drunken expression softening with disappointment. "You're no fun," he mumbled, resting his head against the back of the couch. He let out a long sigh, clearly not in the mood to explain anything.
Minji crossed his arms, looking down at Jihoon. "Jihoon, seriously. Why did you drink so much? This isn't like you. You've been avoiding me all day, and now you come home like this?"
Jihoon stared at the ceiling, blinking slowly as if trying to gather his thoughts. "I… I didn't mean to worry you," he muttered, his words slurring together. "It's just… TaeHyun, he texted me. And I just… I couldn't… I didn't know what to do."
Minji's heart sank at the mention of TaeHyun. He knew that name carried a lot of weight for Jihoon, even after all these years. "So you decided to drown your feelings in alcohol instead of talking to me?"
Jihoon's eyes fluttered closed, his body slumping further into the couch. "I didn't wanna worry you," he whispered. "Didn't wanna bring him back into our lives…"
Minji let out a sigh, kneeling down beside Jihoon. "You don't have to handle everything on your own, Jihoon. We're in this together, remember?"
Jihoon cracked one eye open, looking at Minji through the haze of alcohol. "But… I didn't wanna lose you," he murmured, his voice raw with emotion. "What if TaeHyun messes everything up? What if…?"
Minji placed a hand on Jihoon's cheek, silencing him gently. "Nothing is going to happen if you don't let it happen, so don't worry." Even though he trusted him he was still doughtful, he knew the impact TaeHyun had on Jihoon. He also knew how things ended up with the same came up.
Jihoon's eyes filled with tears, his drunken defenses crumbling. He nodded slowly, his voice barely a whisper. "Okay…"
Minji pulled Jihoon into a hug, feeling Jihoon's body relax against him. "Let's get you to bed," Minji whispered, helping Jihoon stand and guiding him to the bedroom.
As they lay down together, Jihoon's breathing became steady as he quickly drifted into sleevvmmmmccp. Minji watched over him, his mind spinning with thoughts of TaeHyun and what his sudden reappearance could mean.
As he tried to fall asleep his sleep kept getting disturbed by Jihoon's phone buzzing, frustrated he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and there was nonstop messages from Taehyun.
Minji's frustration deepened as he stared at the barrage of messages from TaeHyun lighting up Jihoon's phone screen. Each notification felt like a threat, a reminder of a past that neither of them wanted to revisit. He hesitated for a moment, debating whether he should open the messages or just shut off the phone completely.
His heart pounded in his chest as curiosity got the better of him. What could TaeHyun possibly want after all these years? Slowly, Minji unlocked Jihoon's phone, feeling a twinge of guilt. But he told himself it was for the best—he needed to know what they were dealing with.
The messages were relentless.
Some Jihoon replied and some he left on delivered, Minji scrolled all the way to the top and started reading from the beginning.
Minji's eyes scanned through the messages, his heart sinking further with each line. The first few texts were light-hearted, reminiscing about old times. But then the tone shifted, and Minji could feel the tension in TaeHyun's words.
TaeHyun: I know it's been years, but I need to talk to you. There's something I need to explain… about everything.
Minji's grip on the phone tightened. TaeHyun had left them hanging, torn apart by his actions. Did he really think he could just waltz back in and justify everything? He continued scrolling.
Jihoon: there's nothing to explain TaeHyun, I don't want to talk to you either.
TaeHyun: Hoonie you don't understand, the things I did with those guys then didn't mean anything. You're the one I love.
Jihoon: If you loved me you wouldn't have done all of things, but I don't care anymore. Because I have a guy who actually loves me.
TaeHyun: That Guy doesn't love you, he just took advantage of your feelings when you were valburable.
TaeHyun: if he actually loves you he wouldn't be doing these kinds of stuff with another guy.
Minji look at the photos of him and Jiho, in the photo they were kissing and hugging. Minji's heart sank even deeper, these were photos he never knew existed. The photos happened when Minji and Jiho were still trying ti figure out their relationship.
Minji's heart raced as he stared at the photos on Jihoon's phone. The images captured moments he had long tried to forget—intimate kisses, carefree smiles, and the kind of affection he once believed would last forever. Memories from a time when he was still figuring out his feelings, still lost in the chaos of young love with Jiho.
TaeHyun's messages continued to flash on the screen, each word hitting Minji like a punch to the gut.
TaeHyun: You think he loves you? You don't know him like I do. I watched him use you and walk away.
Minji felt the anger bubbling inside him, but it was accompanied by a gnawing doubt. Was he just a rebound for Jihoon? Did TaeHyun have a point?
Jihoon: You don't know anything about us, TaeHyun. I'm happy with Minji, and I don't need you to come in and ruin that for me.
TaeHyun: You don't understand! I messed up, yes. But I'm back now, and I can fix this. You can't just pretend I didn't mean anything.
Minji's hand trembled as he scrolled through the photos, the ache in his chest intensifying. How could he have missed these moments?
They were too raw, too personal. He felt an overwhelming urge to confront Jihoon about it, but he knew that waking him up would only lead to a fight neither of them was prepared for.
Instead, he settled back against the headboard, the phone still open in his hand. A part of him wanted to keep reading, to get to the bottom of this, but another part was afraid of what he might find.
Suddenly, Jihoon's voice broke through the silence. "Minji?" His eyes were still heavy with sleep, but there was concern etched on his face. "What's going on? You look like you've seen a ghost."
Minji hesitated, knowing he had a choice to make. He could either share everything he had just read and watched Jihoon's expression change from sleepy concern to guarded dread or protect him from this confrontation for just one more night.
"I… I was just looking at your phone," Minji admitted, trying to keep his voice steady. "TaeHyun texted you."
Jihoon's expression shifted, a flicker of anxiety crossing his features. "What did he say?"
Minji took a deep breath, knowing he needed to tread carefully. "He was just trying to get you to talk to him again. He seems to think he can just come back and fix everything."
Jihoon groaned, running a hand through his hair. "I don't want to deal with this right now. He made his choice. I have made mine."
"But… the photos, Jihoon," Minji blurted out,
the truth tumbling from his lips before he could stop himself. "What photo?" Jihoon asked.
"The photo's of me and Jiho." Minji said, Jihoon sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. "I think it's time to turn off the phone and go to sleep, it's getting late."
Minji stared at Jihoon in disbelief, feeling the tension tighten in the air between them.
"That's it? You don't want to talk about it?"
Jihoon's eyes softened as he looked at Minji, but there was an exhaustion in his expression that hadn't been there before. "Minji, I don't want to let TaeHyun get between us.
Whatever those photos are, they're from your past. It doesn't matter to me. What matters is that you're here now. With me."
Minji wanted to believe him, but the weight of the situation still lingered in the back of his mind. "I just don't understand why he's bringing this up now. Why now, after all this time? Is he trying to mess with us?"
Jihoon sighed again, his tone growing firmer as he reached for Minji's hand. "That's exactly what he's doing. He's trying to stir things up, and we can't let him. He's not part of our lives anymore. He's just desperate."
Minji nodded, though the pit of doubt in his stomach hadn't disappeared completely. "I trust you, Jihoon. I do. But I don't want this to come back and hurt us."
Jihoon leaned forward, brushing a strand of hair from Minji's face. "It won't. I promise. Now, let's turn off our phones and focus on us tonight. TaeHyun doesn't deserve any more of our time."
Reluctantly, Minji nodded and handed Jihoon his phone. Jihoon powered it off and placed it on the nightstand, then pulled Minji close, wrapping him in a protective embrace.
"I'm sorry," Jihoon whispered against Minji's hair. "I never wanted this to happen. But we're stronger than this."
Minji let out a deep breath, resting his head against Jihoon's chest, listening to the steady rhythm of his heartbeat. "We are. We'll get through it."
With the lights off and the room quiet, the world outside faded away, and for that moment, it was just the two of them.
TBC