Parallel Lines, Intersecting
Rated: T Warning(s):
Description: After mistaking someone else for his dear friend Byounggon one Pride evening, Yonghee makes it his mission to ensure that his new friend's first Pride goes well. As the night goes on, he never would have thought that their friend groups would intersect so deeply—how could he have known that Daehyeon's first love is a classmate of his boyfriend?
(Read on Ao3)
Yonghee checks his phone for the nth time this morning, having already been waiting for half an hour. Where could Byounggon be? His last message was from half an hour ago, just a plain “Blue hair, you can’t miss me”. There’s just one problem…
“Hyung, when you go to pride, everyone is going to have wild hair colours!” he types into the message bar, though he doesn’t hit send. Byounggon always gets a little nervous around crowds, that homebody. Yonghee had gotten here early anyway, he could afford some patience. He sighs and runs his hair through his freshly dyed purple hair, done with Hyunsuk’s help early in the morning today. Everyone will be so excited to see him, especially Jinyoung! Now, if only they could get here… He scans the crowd again, slower this time.
There, across the street, Yonghee finally spots him. Bright blue hair, plump, pouty lips, and a loose hoodie and sweatpants combo that should be entirely too hot for a Pride parade. Yonghee’s sprinting over before he can really think, too excited to start his day with his friends.
“Gonie-hyung!”
A little late, the person who is not Lee Byounggon turns around, and he only has time to choke out a startled yelp before Yonghee bowls him over. They go down quickly, and Yonghee can barely move his hands to protect the other man’s head before they’re hitting the ground.
“Fuck, I’m sorry, I thought you were someone else, are you okay?” Yonghee groans, gingerly untangling himself from this handsome stranger’s body.
“Yeah, m’just winded… Jeez, you’re strong,” the stranger wheezes. “Didn’t think my first Pride would already get this wild.” The last part is under his breath, meant only for himself, but Yonghee hears it anyway.
“It’s your first Pride?! Oh my god, I’m so sorry, that was—” Yonghee starts to ramble, but the stranger cuts him off before he can finish his apology.
“It’s fine, really! Honestly, this will just make it even more memorable,” he says with a shrug. “I hope you find who you’re looking for. Maybe he deserves to get knocked to the ground?” Yonghee takes a second to scream out his embarrassment into his hands before he can face this stranger again, something he smiles at as Yonghee helps him up. Well, at least someone’s having a decent time.
“He should be here soon, I got here early.” Still unable to meet this stranger’s eyes, Yonghee focuses on brushing himself off. While he does so, he can’t help but notice the other man’s lack of supplies—not even a water bottle. As much as he’d like to vanish off the face of the earth, Yonghee still has to ask. “Are you here with anyone?”
“Uhh, not really. I’m a bit of a loner, so I’m totally lost. I can find my way though,” the man says with a shrug. He seems to be about Yonghee’s age, maybe a little older, but he still worries. He had once been that person, totally lost and unsure of the new people around him, still scared to be rejected even though he was surrounded by kindred spirits. He had been lucky to encounter his friends—and current boyfriend—right around then, and since then had sworn to never let anyone else go through that.
“Are you sure? My friends and I are going to be around all day today, why don’t you stick with us? They won’t mind!” Yonghee gives a reassuring smile when he hesitates, clearly torn on whether or not to accept. “I totally get it if you don’t want to, you don’t have to!”
“Uh, sure, I’ll hang with you guys,” he says after a moment. “Thanks, uhhh…”
“Yonghee. Kim Yonghee. It’s nice to meet you, even if it was uh… Like this.” Yonghee extends a hand to the other man, though he can’t make eye contact in his returning embarrassment. “It’s totally fine, please don’t worry about it! I'm Jang Daehyeon." Daehyeon shakes Yonghee's hand with a shy smile. "Oh, before I forget, how old are you? I’m twenty-five, I was born in ‘97.”
“Ah, I still feel bad…" Yonghee mutters under his breath, for his own ears only. "I’m twenty-two, born in 2000, so you’re my hyung. Unless you’d prefer to be called something else?” His heart starts to clench in apprehension. Even in a setting like this, people still tend to get more than a little weird towards him about this question.
“No, hyung is fine. I haven’t really explored my, uh, gender much, but so far, I’m just a bi man." Daehyeon's shrug is nonchalant, but his gaze is nervous when he makes eye contact with Yonghee again. "I recognize that flag on your cheek, and you called me “hyung”, so…” he trails off, obviously unsure of how to finish that sentence. Yonghee doesn't blame him, he hasn't been on T for long, but still passes so well without it that it would be hard for a stranger to tell which way he's going. “Yep, I’m a man! I just haven’t been one for as long as you have.” Partly because of their age and partly because Yonghee hadn't figured out the source of that constant off feeling about himself until he was in tenth grade, though he decides against telling Daehyeon that.
“Still, it doesn't make you any less of one. Was—was that okay to say? I'm really sorry, I get the basics but I'm still new to this, I know I'm out of the loop and it's—” Daehyeon rambles on, completely oblivious to Yonghee's beaming. It's adorable to see, but Yonghee can tell he's actually stressed out, so he takes pity on him.
"It's okay, hyung, don't worry! I'm actually really happy to hear that, it's really refreshing compared to some of the other things I have to put up with…" His smile drops ever so slightly at the sour memories, but quickly pushes them away. No need to be reminded of that when he's out to be himself with his best friends and have a good time.
Daehyeon's eyebrows furrow in concern, but before he can say anything, a pair of strong arms wrap around Yonghee's waist and pull him against a broad, toned chest.
“Making new friends, Yonghee?”
“Jinyoung!” Yonghee squeals. All his brooding thoughts fly from his brain as soon as he registers the presence of his beloved boyfriend. Overcome with affection, he bumps his head against Jinyoung’s—much like a cat—in lieu of a “proper” greeting. “I did make a friend, he’s hanging out with us today!” There’s a beat of silence that Yonghee hadn’t expected, and he glances back at Daehyeon to see him and Jinyoung staring at each other with similar searching expressions.
“... Did you go to Produce High?” Daehyeon finally asks. The silence finally breaks, but the tension only mounts higher. It’s no secret that Jinyoung was popular in high school, but not all of it was positive. Yonghee hadn’t gone to the same school, so he has no idea what could have been between Daehyeon and Jinyoung.
“Yeah, I did. Do we know each other? I’m Bae Jinyoung.” Jinyoung’s voice sounds casual enough, but Yonghee can feel the way he tenses against him. Still, if Jinyoung doesn't recognize Daehyeon, there can’t be any bad blood between them, right?
“We do! It’s Jang Daehyeon, I was a few grades above you! Wow, I hardly recognize you, you were so shy back then!” Daehyeon exclaims, his face lighting up in recognition.
“Yeah, well, I guess I just learned how to be confident in who I am." Despite his words, Jinyoung still half-hides behind Yonghee, clutching him a little tighter like a teddy bear. "It's nice to see you again, hyung."
“Likewise.”
Before the silence can get awkward, three voices sound from not far off, rapidly growing closer.
“Hyung!!! Wait up!!!”
“Yongheeeeeeeee!”
“Guys, wait, I can’t run that fast!”
Yonghee turns around the best he can with Jinyoung still clinging to him to see the rest of their friend group sprinting over—one lagging behind the other two by a considerable amount.
“Sorry we’re late, Hyunsuk couldn’t decide on an outfit and parking was a nightmare,” Seunghun says, somehow not out of breath despite the obvious distance he’d just crossed at a dead sprint.
“We’re here though! Let’s get started!” Hyunsuk chirps, excitedly bouncing on his feet as if he were still a child and not a whole six foot man.
“Just hold on a bit, would you?!” Byounggon wheezes. He doubles over as soon as he stumbles to where the rest of them are standing, hands on his knees as he tries to catch his breath. “You guys are way too fast for me…”
Daehyeon shoots Yonghee a pointed glance upon seeing Byounggon and his bright blue hair, which matches his to the exact shade. Yonghee flushes and averts his gaze.
“I’m sorry, I just got excited!” Yonghee protests.
“If he wasn’t early, I wouldn’t have run into an old friend, anyway,” Jinyoung adds. Yonghee internally sighs in relief, having been drawing a total blank on how to introduce Daehyeon to his friends.
It turns out that there isn’t much introduction needed in the end, saving everyone from any awkwardness. Daehyeon just happens to be good friends with a classmate of Byounggon and Seunghun’s, Seokhwa, who in turn is also dating Hyunsuk’s boyfriend, Junseo. Daehyeon nearly has a heart attack upon learning this, until Hyunsuk clarifies that Junseo is polyamorous, and he’s fully aware of the other man. Along with him, Daehyeon also knows someone named Yoo Yongha. The name doesn’t ring a bell for Yonghee, but Jinyoung recognizes him as the person who has been in love with another classmate of his—the straightest man in Produce High, he had been called—for as long as anyone could remember. Yonghee doesn’t believe in any gods, but he still prays for Yongha.
In all the excitement of introducing Daehyeon to his friends, Yonghee finds himself slightly pushed aside. Truth be told, he’s more relieved than hurt, considering how the crowds around him were already overstimulating to begin with, and he really didn’t want to run out of energy keeping his silent promise to Daehyeon. He half-hides behind Jinyoung as they start walking in no particular direction, stimming as subtly as he can. He can feel Daehyeon’s eyes on him at a couple points, but pays it no mind. He’ll explain later, if he asks.
“Hold on, is that—”
“No. No way. Yongha!”
Seunghun and Jinyoung’s shouts snap Yonghee out of his thoughts. Following their shouts, he spots a fucking gorgeous punk decked out in spikes, studded leather, and a skirt headed their way. Snake bites flash in their ear-to-ear grin, and as they get closer, Yonghee spots the nonbinary flag painted on their cheek and a he/they pin on their jacket. The man beside them isn’t dressed nearly as flashily as the person Yonghee assumes to be Yongha, but his handsome, bunny-like face and the way his MISBHV shirt defines his chest and arms still draws just as much attention as his company.
“Daehyeon-hyung! You’ll never believe how this happened!” Yongha gushes, holding up their hand—which is entwined with the man next to him.
“Kim Yohan, at Pride with someone who isn’t a woman? The world must be ending!” Jinyoung crows at the same time.
“Well, it’s a bit of a long story…” Yohan says, flustered.
“We’ll be here for a while, we don’t mind listening!” Hyunsuk chirps. His tone is light, but Yonghee would recognize that protective gleam in his—and the rest of his friends’—eyes anywhere.
“Really? Perfect! We’ll tell you while we head to Twilight!” Yongha chirps, oblivious to the searching glares being directed at their boyfriend. Twilight… The name of that club brings back memories. Or rather, the lack of them… Last time Yonghee went there, he woke up draped across Hyunsuk’s couch with a stranger looking for Junseo. Now that Yonghee thinks of it, that might have been Junseo’s other boyfriend. Judging by the look on Daehyeon’s face, he must have had a similar experience.
“You’re taking him to Twilight on the first night of Pride? Oh Yohan, I hope you know what you’re getting into…” Daehyeon mutters under his breath.
“Of course I do, Twilight is really fun! One of my friends performs there every other week, I go whenever I can to hype him up. I think he’s doing a special today, actually,” Yohan says with a shrug, just as oblivious as Yongha to the shock of Yonghee and his friends. Only Jinyoung shows no sign of surprise, frantically tapping at his phone before showing it to Yohan.
“Does this happen to be him?”
“You know Donghan-hyung too?!” Yohan exclaims, his eyes lighting up in recognition. Yonghee and Daehyeon share an incredulous look. Just how much do their friend groups overlap?! Yonghee finds himself swept up in yet another web of overlapping conversations, all going entirely too quickly for him to keep up with. The only person who shares his silence is Daehyeon, though unlike Yonghee who simply prefers not to talk at the moment, Daehyeon seems like something is bothering him. He’s somewhat curled into himself, a faraway look in his eyes.
“You okay, hyung?” Yonghee asks, slowing down just a little so they fall into step together. “If Twilight would be too much, we can go somewhere else.” Daehyeon shakes his head.
“It’s fine, I like it there. I just…” Daehyeon drops his gaze to the table. “Do I still belong here? I mean, the rest of you already had yourselves figured out a long time ago, but I didn’t really embrace myself until a couple months ago, so I’m totally lost on how everything… Works? I-I don’t know, I don’t think I’m making any sense.”
Yonghee has to take a moment to plan his response. Daehyeon’s worries match his former ones almost exactly, so how would he like to be assured?
“What are you talking about? Of course you belong here,” Yonghee assures. “I didn’t even discover myself until like, six years ago. Most people like me know who they are since childhood, so I’m really late by comparison. Even then, there’s no such thing as “late” when it comes to accepting yourself.”
“I know, I just… It took me so long to get here, even after I knew who I was and accepted myself.” Daehyeon shrugs. “I guess I wanted to focus on my “actual” life first, before throwing myself into being all loud and proud like everyone else.” He cringes as soon as the words leave his mouth. “Not that being loud and proud was a bad thing, I just… I don’t know. I guess I thought I wasn’t allowed to do that?”
Yonghee hums in understanding. “It’s fine, I see where you’re coming from. Still, that doesn’t make you any less deserving of a place here than us. Would you treat Yohan the way you’re treating yourself right now?”
“No, I would never!” Daehyeon exclaims. He continues in a lower voice. “Especially not now that I see how happy he makes Yongha. He’s a good person, I wouldn’t want to exclude him.”
“So why do you think you deserve it?”
For the first time tonight, Yonghee locks eyes with Daehyeon to prove his point.
“I… I don’t know. I guess I’m just a little hard on myself, or something…” Daehyeon meekly trails off, a slight blush dusting his cheeks. Cute.
“That’s understandable. Still, keep that in mind the next time you start thinking that you don’t deserve to be here, because you do!” Yonghee chirps,
“... Thanks, Yonghee. It really means a lot.”
A cacophony of squeals from Yonghee’s friends ahead of them draws their attention back to the group.
“You’re kidding! You just kissed them just like that?!” Hyunsuk exclaims.
“What else could I have done? It’s Yongha! ” Yohan fires back.
“Hold on, I think we missed a few chapters. How did you two get to that point?” Daehyeon asks, quickening his pace to catch up with the rest. Yonghee hangs back a little, content to just listen from the sidelines while holding Jinyoung’s hand. They’ve reached the line to get into Twilight by now, and thankfully they’re early enough that it isn't too long yet.
“So, as you know I was crushing on him like, forever, right?” Yongha asks. Daehyeon nods, and they continue. “Turns out that as soon as I came out, he started questioning stuff about himself—which is so unbelievable, since I didn’t even know he knew I existed?”
“How could I not know you existed?” Yohan whines, “You were like, the hottest person I had ever seen!”
“Still! Anyway, so we started talking because we have mutual friends, and I was going literally crazy because it’s him , you know?” Yongha gushes. Truth be told, Yonghee has no idea what he’s supposed to know here, but everyone else seems to understand just fine, so he keeps listening.
“I wanted to know more about you! And everything else, since being straight can really shield you from a lot of different perspectives…” Yohan trails off with a nervous laugh.
“Well, that’s fine, I really appreciate that you wanted to learn.” Yongha presses a kiss to Yohan’s cheek, bringing a pretty pink blush to his cheeks. “I think the real key was when I did your makeup before the rave we went to, though.”
Yohan flushes even deeper at Yongha’s words.
“Yeah… By then I was super attracted to them, but also a little confused? I mean, they’re not a man, so it’s not like I was gay ,—not that anything’s wrong with that—but that didn’t make me straight either, so I was just there letting them sit on my lap doing my makeup—”
“You were on his lap?! ” Daehyeon exclaims.
“Anywhere else would have been too far away! Can you blame me for wanting to be close to my crush!” Yongha whines defensively. “Besides, he already knew I liked him by then…” they mutter under their breath.
“Y-Yeah, that too. Anyway, I was trying not to have a crisis since I didn’t want to break their heart, and while this is happening, our friend is like, egging me to just give in and kiss them, which… I mean, yeah both of us wanted me to do it, I just didn’t want to do it without knowing exactly what was going on with us, if that makes sense?” Yongha nods in agreement to Yohan’s words, leaning into his side much like Yonghee is leaning against Jinyoung’s. Yonghee shares a knowing glance with them, and they flash him a smile before continuing Yohan’s train of thought.
“That’s when I figured he didn’t know that anyone could be attracted to me regardless of sexuality, since…” Yongha gestures to themself and shrugs. “As soon as I told him, he just went in, and now here we are!”
Yonghee’s heart warms at the sight of Daehyeon’s accepting smile.
“I’m really glad you two are happy together, Yongha. I can tell you treat each other well.” Perhaps Yonghee is reading too far into things, but does Daehyeon sound… Bitter? It’s subtle under his genuine happiness for the couple, so perhaps Yonghee could be imagining it. Still, he makes a note to check in on that once they get in.
The rest of the line breezes by within a few minutes, and they’re met with booming music as soon as they enter. Yonghee flinches a little at the sudden spike in volume, but he’s over it just as fast.
“Baby I see why the way I walk, you tryna find something to say~” A sultry voice rings out from the stage ahead of them.
“Oh. My. God.” Daehyeon whimpers from next to Yonghee.
“What, what?” Yonghee asks, craning his neck to see the latest performer. Yohan had mentioned an old friend of his would be performing tonight, and Jinyoung had also recognized him, but his name escapes Yonghee at the moment. Could this be him?
“There’s no way that’s Kim Donghan,” Daehyeon wheezes, blindly grabbing at Yonghee’s shoulder for support. That’s the name!
“Why are you saying it like it’s a bad thing?” Yonghee asks. Then again, Daehyeon could just be in shock and Yonghee could have misread. It’s hard to tell, sometimes.
“I mean, it’s not, but it kind of is. He was my bi awakening!” Daehyeon hisses. The crowd parts a little in front of Yonghee, leaving him a perfect view of the leather-clad man onstage throwing a wink in his and Daehyeon’s direction.
“Yonghee.”
“Yes, hyung?”
“I’m going to fucking die.”
As if to seal Daehyeon’s doom, Donghan starts strutting over, a sensual line about sugar canes and chains playing on his lips. Yonghee finds himself getting accosted from both sides; Daehyon locking his left arm in a vice grip and Jinyoung repeatedly smacking his right in excitement.
“Save me, Yonghee!” Daehyeon whimpers.
“I’m going to be honest, I don’t know if there’s much I can do!” Yonghee is only half aware of the words leaving his mouth, dazed by the sheer intensity of Donghan’s gaze. He looks at his audience like he’s about to fucking eat them, something that Yonghee never thought he would be so into. Then again, Jinyoung looks at him the same way, when…
He’s jolted out of his thoughts by Daehyeon bolting off to the bar.
“Uh—Daehyeon and I will get our first round of drinks first! You guys go ahead and get good seats for us!” Yonghee blusters, barely staying long enough to process Jinyoung’s nod before he’s pushing through the crowd to get to Daehyeon.
"Hyung, wait up!" Yonghee calls over the music. He all but throws himself into the chair next to Daehyeon who's huddled at the far edge of the bar, staring down at it as if it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. "Are you okay?"
"No!" Daehyeon squeaks. "How am I supposed to face the only man I've loved since middle school after I haven't seen him in years and he's like this now?! Did he recognize me? I really hope he didn't recognize me, because if he did then he'll know it took me this long when he's always been like this and I never have and—"
"Whoa, hold on, breathe, breathe!" Yonghee cuts in as Daehyeon starts running out of air.
He had only managed to pick up about half of Daehyeon’s rambling, but from that, he had picked up most of the same concerns that he once had when he and Jinyoung had first reunited after high school. Yonghee faintly wonders if Daehyeon is himself from another timeline. The bartender slides a glass of water towards them, which Yonghee accepts on Daehyeon’s behalf.
“Drink up and run that by me again, hyung,” Yonghee murmurs, “slowly this time.”
Daehyeon downs half the glass in a single go, nearly choking on it in the process.
“So, we went to high school together,” Daehyeon groans. “We weren’t super close, but some of our friends knew each other and we would always be right on the edge of being friends, but not really, if that makes sense?”
"Okay, so you know him,” Yonghee says with a nod. “Judging by how he looked at us, he remembers you, right?" he asks.
"Yeah, and I was really stupid back in middle school and rejected him when he asked me out!" Daehyeon all but wails. "What is he going to think of me showing up like this now?!"
Yonghee blinks down at Daehyeon for a couple moments. It's obvious that a blunt reply won't help this situation at all, but he really has no other idea how to reply.
"... If it happened in middle school, I highly doubt he remembers that, hyung. Even then, feelings can still change after time!"
"I rejected him because I said I was straight , Yonghee!” Daehyeon wails. “What is he going to think now that I'm here? What if he thinks I'm just one of those shitty guys who likes to experiment and throw people away?"
"Well, are you?"
"No! He’s the only one I’ve had on my mind!"
“So what’s the problem?!” Yonghee exclaims, incredulous. “The only problem I can think about right now is that he might be taken, which. Well, yeah, okay, that’s a problem, but it wouldn’t be your fault like you’re making it out to be, right?”
Daehyeon muffles his sigh into his glass before chugging the rest. He doesn’t look back up at Yonghee when he sets it down again, staring down into the ice.
“It could be. From what I heard after I graduated, he really liked me. I already broke his heart once, I don’t want it to have been repaired only for me to show up and break it again. That’s why I was a little hesitant to come here when Yohan mentioned him, but honestly…” Yonghee leans in a little closer to hear him better over the music. “I also just really wanted to see him again.”
Yonghee’s heart aches on Daehyeon’s behalf. He remembers exactly how that had felt like.
“I don’t think you’ll believe me, but I was the same, sort of,” he starts, sliding his stool closer so he won’t have to shout. “I’ve loved Jinyoung since middle school, when I was a little girl and he was just coming to terms with being gay. I never told him I liked him back then, partly since I knew it wouldn’t work out and partly because we both moved schools before I had the chance. I was devastated, obviously, but in the time we were apart, I was able to really discover myself properly. He did, too. By the time we got to meet again, he had actually forgotten me. Made things slightly awkward because I was thinking of him through everything, but you know what? That had just made things better for us in the end.”
Daehyeon gapes at him. “How?!”
Yonghee can’t help but smile at the memory, lightly tracing his fingers along the patterns of the bartop. “If we had stayed in touch with each other between middle school and college, we both would have had more trouble figuring ourselves out. Back in middle school, I was the only girl Jinyoung would have ever considered marrying on the playground, and Jinyoung used to be the kind of boy that I wanted to be as well as just…” Yonghee shrugs. “Wanted in general, I guess. We still would have turned out fine in the end, but we also would have confused each other. Maybe you two have the same thing going on.”
Daehyeon sighs. “I wish it could be that easy. I mean, I’m sure you and Jinyoung didn’t have it easy, but with the way you say it, I just…” He absently swirls his half-melted ice around his glass. “I don’t know. He’s him, and I’m me. Even if he still sees it, I don’t know what he sees in me.”
“Let’s find out, then!” Yonghee chirps. Just then, his phone vibrates with two messages from Jinyoung and one from Yohan. The first from Jinyoung is a list of everything the group wants to drink, and the second is a “You’ve been there for a while. Is everything okay?” that warms his heart. Yohan’s message simply reads “Donghan-hyung’s single and looking for Daehyeon-hyung lol I think he’s going to have a heart attack.”
“Judging by the look on your face, you already have, haven’t you?” Daehyeon asks, an edge of defeat in his tone. Yonghee meets his somber face with a grin.
“Yep! And this will be good!”
A squabble over who pays for the first round and another glass of water for Daehyeon later, Yonghee and Daehyeon finally arrive at their friend’s table with the drinks.
“You’re just in time!” Yohan says to Daehyeon. “Donghan-hyung’s set is almost done!”
“I don’t think I can do this…” Daehyeon mutters under his breath.
“Yes you can! We’ll help you!” Yonghee nudges Jinyoung as he speaks, glancing first at Daehyeon, then at Donghan who’s still onstage. Jinyoung nods in understanding, and leans over to whisper something to Yohan.
“Yohan explained everything while you were gone, are we finally getting you and Donghan-hyung together?” Yongha asks Daehyeon, who freezes like a deer in the headlights.
“Yep!” Yonghee says before Daehyeon can finish flailing for an answer. Right on time, Donghan’s last song ends with a flourish and thunderous cheers from nearly the entire club—however none are as loud as their table. Donghan throws another wink their way and immediately starts making his way over, much to Daehyeon’s dismay.
“Guys, you said you’d help, what do I do, he’s coming this way!” Daehyeon whimpers, half-hiding behind Yonghee. “I don’t want to mess this up!”
“You won’t, just be yourself!” Yongha assures.
“Love conquers all, doesn’t it?” Hyunsuk adds.
“Donghanie-hyung! Look who came to see you!” Yohan calls as soon as Donghan gets close enough. Before Daehyeon can hide, Jinyoung and Seunghun all but drag him up in front of Donghan.
“Uh. Hi, Donghan… It’s been a while, hasn’t it?” Daehyeon stammers. In an instant, Donghan’s icy, wolfish eyes squish up with the force of his grin—a stark contrast to the man who was onstage not even a minute ago.
“Daehyeon-hyung! You have no idea how much I’ve missed you!” Donghan gushes, pulling Daehyeon into a hug. “Can we talk? Just the two of us?” he asks as he pulls back. There’s a certain softness behind his tone when he speaks now, one meant only for Daehyeon to hear.
“What, and leave us all behind? That’s mean, hyung, I’ve missed you too!” Jinyoung whines, though his smile shows he means none of it.
“Don’t worry, you can still get a piece of me when I’m done with him!” Donghan says with a teasing grin. Even in the dim club lights, Yonghee can still see Daehyeon flushing red all the way down his neck as he and Donghan head off. He only gives one look back at Yonghee on his way, to which Yonghee flashes him an encouraging thumbs up. The last thing the group see of them before they disappear backstage is Daehyeon reaching out to take Donghan’s hand, and the entire table bursts into cheers.
“Finally!” Jinyoung crows. “What did you tell him? It must have been good to finally get him out of his shell.”
Yonghee shrugs. “He was just like how I used to be before I met you. I figured he could use some of the advice I learned from everyone else. I just hope it worked.”
The next morning, Yonghee wakes up on an unfamiliar couch, wrapped up in Jinyoung’s arms, to a flurry of half-coherent “thank you” messages from Daehyeon, whose number he doesn’t recall saving.
“Well. Looks like it did.”