ETERNITY ; [윤정한 x 최승철]

ETERNITY : Twenty Three

Seungcheol came back at home and saw no one except for Kkuma, their dog.

"Where the fuck is Jeonghan?" Seungcheol immediately dialled Jeonghan's number.

Jeonghan who's about to go out from the restaurant with Yoonwoo, immediately picked up the phone, while Yoonwoo will get the car for them.

"Cheollie?" Jeonghan answered the phone in a calm way. But then, Jeonghan flinched when Seungcheol suddenly shouted on the other line, "Where the hell are you?!"

"I'm out for dinner.." Jeonghan replied, feeling kinda scared because Seungcheol sounded so mad. "With whom?"

Just right after Seungcheol's question, Seungcheol suddenly heard a voice in the background, "Jeonghan, let's go?" It was Yoonwoo!

"You're with that jerk?" Seungcheol asked, this time, calmer than earlier. "I treated him for dinner." Jeonghan answered. He felt like at this point, Seungcheol is being controlling.

"We will talk once you got home." Seungcheol ended the call, while Jeonghan looked at Yoonwoo. There's a hint of fear in Jeonghan's eyes, while Yoonwoo suddenly got worried.

-

Jeonghan got home, and right after he went inside, Seungcheol flooded him with questions. "Where were you?"

"I was out with Yoonwoo." Jeonghan answered, lowering his head.

"What for? Are you two a thing?" Seungcheol immediately suspected his husband. How ironic, isn't?

"He's a new friend. I treated him out since I don't have anyone to eat with. Plus, it's also to repay him for his good actions towards me." Jeonghan explained, but then, Seungcheol smirked. "So? Are you trying to blame it on me?"

"What the heck are you saying, Cheol?" Jeonghan became confused. "You don't have anyone to eat with so you decided to treat him out? Then what about me?" Seungcheol asked.

"How dare you ask me that when you don't even respond to my text messages and won't even answer my calls?" Jeonghan argued. Now this is an argument between the couple.

Seungcheol couldn't answer. Yes, he did not respond to Jeonghan's messages and even answer his calls. "But that's not a reason for you to go out with him!" Seungcheol shouted!

"But isn't it funny that you can just go out with Soohyang for lunch?" Jeonghan rebutted that made Seungcheol speechless. He saw them.

"You think I didn't saw you?" It's now time for Jeonghan to confront his husband.

"She's just a friend!" Seungcheol defended. But what they did in the car, in the mall's fitting room, in the office and in the VIP room in that restaurant aren't the things that friends would do.

"Yeah. She's just a friend, but how dare you suspect me of having a thing with Yoonwoo when I can suspect you the same but I didn't because you told me to trust you?" That was a hard blow from Jeonghan that made Seungcheol too stunned to speak.

Seungcheol suddenly realized, he did said that. That Jeonghan should trust him no matter what. That Soohyang is just a fucking friend. But friends don't kiss each other anywhere, right?

"I'm gonna sleep first." Jeonghan said before turning his body on Seungcheol.

Seungcheol was left there, dumbfounded. How can he tell him that he doesn't love him anymore?

-

A week has passed, and things remained the same. Seungcheol would go to the office, and cheat on Jeonghan. Jeonghan on the other hand keeps on overthinking for what he saw a week ago (Seungcheol and Soohyang going out to eat lunch).

Friday came and it's already the time for the Music Festival Competition. Jeonghan prepared so much for this as he's singing solo.

Jihoon will also sing solo, while Hansol decided to do a duet with Jisoo. Soonyoung will also perform solo as well as Minghao, Chan and Junhui. Mingyu and Wonwoo decided to do a duet too. Seungkwan will also sing solo. Seokmin will also go solo.

Seungcheol? Well he didn't participate. As his friends ignored him for a week straight now. Mingyu is holding his words. The words he said while Seungcheol was hospitalized.

Jeonghan, at the dressing room with his friends, keeps on overthinking. He's not even nervous on going on the stage, he's an idol singer.

"Hey, don't think too much." Jisoo pats his shoulder. Jisoo knows that even his bestfriend won't tell him anything, he's experiencing something bad. And there's a high chance that it's about Seungcheol.

"You know what, Jisoo?" Jeonghan's tears are attempting to fall. He sighed before proceeding, "I don't think Seungcheol still loves me."

"Hey, what makes you say that?" Jisoo asked, and lend his shoulder on Jeonghan. The other guys are now also worried for him.

"I think he's cheating on me." Jeonghan isn't naive. He's just pushing away all the thoughts that Seungcheol is cheating on him.

It hurts right? Seungcheol is out there, feeling the pleasure of Soohyang's company, but Jeonghan was left alone, overthinking everything.

"What? With whom?" Jisoo asked. They already know who, but they wanted to make sure of who's in Jeonghan's mind. "I think he's cheating on me with Soohyang." Jeonghan straightforwardly answered.

"May I now call on the participants?" Jeonghan heard the emcee, Jieun, so he wiped off his tears and all of them went to the backstage.

"Don't think about it for now. Let's enjoy the performance. You don't wanna mess up right?" Seungkwan pats Jeonghan's back.

Jeonghan nodded and holds his mic tightly. But then, all of them were shocked when suddenly, the crowd started to murmur.

"What's with the murmurs?" Soonyoung wondered and peeks through the curtain. Soonyoung's eyes widened and immediately closed them.

"What is it?" Jeonghan got curious and Soonyoung immediately blocked his way. "I-It's nothing!" Soonyoung said, but Jeonghan pushed him aside and opened the curtain just to see something too painful.

It was Seungcheol carrying Soohyang inside. In a bridal way.

"J-Jeonghan.." Soonyoung called out Jeonghan's name. Everyone gossiped about Seungcheol and Soohyang's relationship. "S-She tripped! I saw it!" Soonyoung tried to sugarcoat it.

Soohyang did tripped, but isn't Seungcheol too insensitive that Jeonghan might see them? Plus the whole school will surely gossip about them.

The others got curious and also peeked, and that's when they all went furiously mad, especially Jisoo, Seungkwan and Jihoon.

Jihoon was about to rush outside towards Seungcheol, but gladly that Soonyoung stopped him. "Jihoon stop it." Soonyoung tried to lower down his voice.

"I'm gonna kill that jerk!" Jihoon said, losing his temper.

"I-It's fine! S-She just t-tripped." Jeonghan said that his fine, but you can see in his eyes that it's not fine. It's completely not fine.

He said he was fine, but he's still staring right at them, looking like a couple.

But then, he flinched when someone suddenly covered his eyes.

"When you're seeing unpleasant things. You should cover your eyes to prevent yourself from getting even more hurt."

That voice.

"Yoonwoo?"

***

- 01.05.22