RED | nyukyu ✓

thirty two

𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐰𝐨 : 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐩𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐲
❝ not so perfect but so beautiful
i'm the one i should love. ❞
⁻ ᵇᵗˢ ⁻

ᵕ̈♡˳೫˚∗

"younghoon, as much as i enjoy having you here, i actually don't," hyunjae said, slowly unwrapping a chocolate bar and dodging a pillow that was launched in his direction. "your aim is shit," he said calmly as he took a bite out of the chocolate.

younghoon had been staying over at the other's dorm for a few weeks now and, although he still felt guilty for his intrusion, he couldn't bring himself to be within the same room as the boy he had devoted most of his feelings to throughout his university life. he knew that he couldn't ignore him forever (they were technically still friends despite it all) but the longer he prolonged the inevitable, the longer he could stay away from hurt.

deep down he knew that chanhee didn't and wouldn't see him as anything more than a best friend, seeing as how he only started to change his mannerisms after becoming friends with ji changmin. but, avoiding a confrontation with him also meant that he could cling onto the hope he had deluded himself into having.

he knew he was acting cowardly but he couldn't help it - chanhee was the first person he had liked in a long while and he was so afraid of losing those feelings that came with liking someone.

younghoon sighed and lay down on what was once juyeon's bed. "what do you think i should do hyunjae?"

"for starters, stop moping around campus. your fans have started thinking that i did something wrong to you and i for one don't want to deal with your fans," hyunjae said, laying down next to younghoon and popping a candy into his mouth.

younghoon turned to look towards him and frowned. "what fans are you talking about?"

hyunjae rolled his eyes, not bothered to turn his head as he opened up another candy wrapper. "those people that follow you around as if you're some kind of god." hyunjae read through the different ingredients found in the candy but when he was met with silence, he sighed. "you're one oblivious fucker you know that?"

"i didn't even realise!" younghoon said, sitting upright and hugging a pillow.

"i've literally been stealing candies and chocolates from your admirers gifts for the past hour. how have you not noticed that?" hyunjae asked, pointing at the assortment of bags and boxes along with roses that sat atop juyeon's (now younghoon's) desk. "you didn't think these were just random gifts right?" one look at younghoon's face told hyunjae all he needed to know, the boy sitting up and flicking younghoon on the forehead.

"you're not helping in the slightest hyunjae!" hyunjae rolled his eyes but nevertheless shifted to be next to younghoon, both boys resting their backs on the wall.

"you know you can't keep avoiding him forever right? you're just prolonging the inevitable and even if he doesn't feel the same about you, do you really want to lose someone you cherish all because of your unrequited feelings?" younghoon stared at the wall opposite them, his thoughts all over the place as hyunjae spoke. "i mean, you two were friends before anything else so if you truly want to keep his friendship, then maybe try to actually talk to him again."

"who knew you could be so knowledgable?" younghoon murmured, receiving a not so subtle side eye from hyunjae. "what about applying that knowledge into your relationship then?"

hyunjae shook his head, nearly choking on the lemon flavoured candy he had just recently popped into his mouth.

but before he could retaliate, knocking was heard on their door, followed by it opening with hyunjun walking inside and unceremoniously falling onto hyunjae's bed as if it were his own.

"may i help you-"

"why thank you for asking!" hyunjun sat up, folding his legs and fixing his fake glasses before clearing his throat to complain. "you see, my roommate is sunwoo and, now you may be wondering, 'so what' but you see, his boyfriend hak is roommates with eric and guess what! because juyeon is staying over at eric's, hak moved into mine and sunwoo's dorm and i feel like a lonely third wheel so you-" he paused, pointing directly at younghoon. "-you better fix your shit. i don't know what it is but if i have to hear another 'baby' or 'love' from either haknyeon or sunwoo, i will resort to murder and it won't just be theirs," he finished, glaring at younghoon and hyunjae before smiling at them again.

"he's having love troubles," hyunjae fake whispered, younghoon fighting the urge to elbow him right there and then in the sides.

"well i'm having sleeping troubles so you better man up and talk to chanhee you coward." younghoon opened his mouth to ask how he knew but before he could, hyunjun held out a hand, telling him to shut up before he even started. "everyone with common sense can tell you've been upset over him lover boy. i suggest you try to fix that before the friendship literally becomes a faded memory in the back of chanhee's head," he said.

and as hyunjae and hyunjun continued talking about trivial things, younghoon found his fingers hovering a familiar number he hadn't reached out to in a long while.

after taking a deep breath, he finally pressed on his name, typing a message that he should've sent days ago to the boy he considered to have been the best part of his university journey and maybe even, his life so far.

and once he hit send, he braced himself for the harsh reality that he knew would slap him in the face and force him out of his delusions and false hopes of what could have been between him and chanhee.

ᵕ̈♡˳೫˚∗

author's note:

sorry i missed last weeks update entirely! if you guys didnt see my message board, im having major examinations from 8 nov to 29 nov so i apologise in advance for even GREATER inconsistencies in my updates 😭😭

anyways, this chapter was kind of light but slightly angsty bc of younghoon <33

stay safe always guys! love y'all <3