Secrets

He just couldn't

The ride in was more awkward than the night before, mostly because Hwaseong was actually awake. And he was driving.

So Hongjoong mostly swung his legs back and forth and wrung his hands in his lap.

Though he was glad he'd talked about last night with Hwaseong, something about it still felt wrong. He was relieved he told him what happened but it almost seemed like Hwaseong expected him to say something worse.

As if he was hiding a much bigger secret.

He'd only been trying to tease him by playing around but it seemed like he'd accidentally uncovered something deeper. Something about Hwaseong that he didn't expect to find.

But Hongjoong couldn't think about that right now. His mind was already having a hard time deciding whether or not he should think of Hwaseong as Hwaseong or Seonghwa.

If he was being honest, Seonghwa felt—right.

It fit him better and it came to him easier. Yet he'd only ever known Hwaseong as Hwaseong.

It was all very confusing.

He decided that though he would continue to use Hwaseong in conversation, he would mentally recognize him as Seonghwa.

As they pulled into the parking garage, Hongjoong saw a familiar face walking towards the car. He groaned.

The red-haired male came right to his door and yanked it open.

"WHAT IS HE DOING IN YOUR CAR!?"

"Good morning to you too, Jongho," Hongjoong sighed.

"Relax. I'm just taking him into work. We went out for drinks last night and I got a little wasted so he brought me back to his house and—"

"He WHAT!? HE TOOK YOU INTO HIS HOUSE!?? HE DROVE YOUR CAR!??? HE WAS ALONE WITH YOU WHILE YOU WERE INCAPACITATED?!?! IF YOU TOUCHED A GOD DAMN HAIR ON HIS HEAD I SWEAR I'LL—"

"He didn't do anything. Calm down. He took care of me so I'm actually very grateful."

Hongjoong felt like he was in the middle of a messy situation. He still hadn't confirmed it but it definitely seemed like these two were dating. Or at least very very close friends.

He tried to sneak past Jongho but was stopped by a forceful pull on the back of his cardigan.

"I'm not done with you yet."

Hongjoong gulped.

"Jongho that's ENOUGH!"

Hongjoong was startled at Seonghwa's sudden raise in tone. He didn't seem like the type to have a temper. Evidently he was learning there was more to Seonghwa than he'd thought.

Not good.

"Okay. I'll stand down. But if that happens again you'd better call me before you take him anywhere you got it?"

"Jongho. You owe him an apology."

"Wha—but he—"

Seonghwa gave a firm glare until Jongho bit back a groan and turned to Hongjoong.

"I'm sorry for yelling. Thank you for protecting him when I couldn't."

It seemed a bit dramatic to Hongjoong but he nodded shyly.

"Yeah of course. It's what best friends do, right?"

He turned to Seonghwa hoping he'd pick up on his reference to their earlier conversation but was met with a startled stare.

That was when Hongjoong remembered the conversation had been with drunk Seonghwa.

He didn't remember any of it.

"Best friends, huh?" Jongho scoffed, shoving Hongjoong out of his way and moving towards Seonghwa.

Hongjoong realized he'd just stepped back into dangerous territory and moved towards Jongho to ease the tension.

"I—I'm just teasing—he never said we were best friends it's just me jabbering on—"

"What's it to you if we're best friends?"

Hongjoong's face flushed. Seonghwa wasn't—denying it? Even though Jongho was staring him down??

"Oh so some stranger can just waltz into your life and become best friends after a few weeks of sitting next to each other but a lifetime of standing by your side means nothing??"

"Jongho...."

"No I get it. I'm nothing more than a shield to you. I just step in when things get messy so you can walk free with your hands clean and body intact. Nothing more."

"Jongho you know I didn't mean—"

The argument continued but Hongjoong was lost. He'd followed for a moment but it was quickly getting abstract. What did he mean 'nothing more than a shield?' Was he referencing how he would beat people up for looking at Seonghwa the wrong way, like he said he did at the bar that night? Was that a common occurrence?

If so how could Hongjoong possibly rate? He had hardly done anything that drastic.

He didn't think his presence was helping the conversation so he quietly left and headed to his desk. It felt like he'd just created a really messy situation but he didn't have any way to fix it.

He got to work right away so he wouldn't have to face Seonghwa when he came up. He wasn't sure it would work until he saw how quickly Seonghwa opened his computer as soon as he got to his desk. The message was received.

Hongjoong's mind was too panicked to talk anyways. As much as he had been resisting the urge to consider it, his mind was really starting to question Seonghwa's credibility.

He was clearly hiding something big, not to mention he also had an entirely different name than the one on his name tag. Plus, he clearly had a darker side. He should be topping Hongjoong's list of suspects.

But Hongjoong refused to doubt his friend. No matter what the evidence said. If Seonghwa was hiding something bigger he was sure he had good reason for it, and would tell him when he was ready.

He couldn't be him.

He just couldn't.