An Old Friend, Same Ol' Enemy

"Seriously?" asks Sun.

"Yeah. I win the VIP pass. Four of them. But, my friend withdrew last minute. So, I have one extra pass," Ji Seok shows Sun the black VIP pass.

"What's the activity?"

"Some wine tasting, hi-tea. Like a normal exhibition. But, the best part is the wine tasting. I love wine and it's good for my business," Ji Seok replies to Sun.

"Yeah. A good wine is a must for a bar like this," Ji Seok chuckles a bit. Sun is too kind to praise his humble little cottage bar.

"So, do you wanna join us?"

"Us?" Sun confused. Ji Seok gushes inside, cursing himself for almost blowing up the cover. However, he manages to calm himself and uses his charming personality to conceal the uneasiness.

"Us! Me, You, Chan, and Bin!" later, Sun laughs at his silliness. Ji Seok mentioned that the exhibition was for his business. Of course, he must bring along those two!

"Oh yeah, of course! I'd like to. But..."

"But?"

"But I'm a lightweight. I do not know if I can handle it or not..."

"You won't get drunk by just drinking wine. Believe me. Wine is not that heavy," Ji Seok persuades Sun.

With his innocent grin, Sun finally nods.

"Great! I'll pick you up at 4 pm!"

"Wait!"

"Anything else?" asks Ji Seok.

"What's the dress code? I only have streetwear..."

"Everything is set. Just be on time," says Ji Seok. Sun nods in tiny.

"Hyung, can I ask something?"

"Go ahead..."

"What's with you and Taesan? I mean, you two are friends but sometimes you fight like you almost kill each other,"

The muffin in Ji Seok's throat feels sandy. The man glances at Sun.

"You saw us just now, aren't you?"

Sun nods. He wants to be as transparent as he can. He doesn't wanna beat around the bush. It's best if he directly asks Ji Seok rather than creating some useless speculation.

Just now, while taking a break from the class, he saw Ji Seok jumping off from Taesan's superbike. They were talking for a while but Sun already saw a tense air between them. Ji Seok seemed to be upset about something. And Taesan tried his best to coax him.

"We have been friends for a very long time. Since high school. There is nothing that we don't know about each other. Even about our family as well," Ji Seok turns sour when he mentions his family.

"I think I can grasp it a bit," says Sun.

"Yeah, you can say that. But, Taesan and I, are a bit more complicated. There is a say, the more close you are with someone, the more hurtful it feels if you have a bad term," Ji Seok replies.

"I can see love from Taesan's side..."

"I'll be lying if I deny it..."

"So, why...?"

Ji Seok sighs.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to..."

"You're not the only one who raises a question. The whole family, The Kims... They know the reason but still ask why am I not ending up with their brother..."

Ji Seok throws his sight far into the huge size mirror in front of him. The studio feels cold and solemn. At times, he sighs and looks down as if he wants to pour his emotion, but he can't bring anything up.

Then, he remembers the conversation he had with Taesan last night.

***

"You call me just for this? At this hour?" Ji Seok complaints. Taesan, in his black leather jacket, didn't even bother to answer him. His eyes kept staring at Ji Seok.

The man still looked pretty even only in his pajamas and no makeup. His eyes shrunk a bit, probably still sleepy when they met at his doorstep. It's 2 am. And Taesan did come uninvited.

"Call yourself lucky, San. If it's somebody else, Imma shut them off..." Ji Seok turns away, straight into his house before Taesan stops him from leaving.

"Thank you for never saying no to me, although I know deep down inside you wanna kill me," Taesan replied. Unlike the usual giddy Taesan, tonight, he looked tense. Even his reply sounded so dense.

Ji Seok sighs, keeping the VIP passes inside his pocket.

"I'm almost this close to sleep with someone tonight," a sudden fact from Taesan made Ji Seok's jaw drop a bit.

"Why are you telling me this?"

Taesan stared at Ji Seok. His eyes turned darker a bit. He can feel a stiffness on his shoulder.

"When he kissed me, all I think about is you,"

Ji Seok slowly awakened from his drowsiness.

"Why? How?"

Taesan slowly approached Ji Seok. Now that they were facing each other, Taesan felt a bit brave to take the next move.

"I never kiss anyone. Except you,"

"I don't wanna know. You better go home-"

Before Ji Seok could finish his words, Taesan boldly crashed his lips against Ji Seok's lips. Miraculously, Ji Seok did not even push him away. He resisted at first, but there was no use. His heart took over his sanity.

So he gave up on Taesan just like that. Slowly taking his step aback, dragging the man into his house, lips still locked onto each other.

Just like old times.

***

"We're two old friends who know each other so damn well. I dare say that we know each other more than a married couple. I don't know if I can live with someone who knows all too well. That sounds hassle!" says Ji Seok.

"I wish I knew Reese just like how you know Taesan..." Sun held a big sigh. Ji Seok frowns. He hates that idea, knowing that Sun is still in the dark about Reese's identity.

"You'll get to know her soon. Dont worry. I can vouch for her. She's a good person," Ji Seok replies.

Although the fact that she did kill people so many times, aside from that, Reese is a good woman! Ji Seok murmurs inside.

"We rarely had a chance to meet lately. I don't know why she's too busy these days..."

"It's for your good..."

"What's that have to do with me?"

Ji Seok smacks himself internally. He has a habit of speaking his mind quite loudly. Whatever it is in his mind, he kinda overthinking and thus, those things will come out of his mouth.

"No... I mean... She has to work hard, so that in the future when both of you get married, you will have a stable finance," Ji Seok quickly changing routes, not knowing that Sun felt uneasy about that.

"Guess I am a loser. I can love her, but I can't provide her..."

"Hey..." Ji Seok taps Sun's forearm. He slowly realized the issue kinda makes Sun feel more depressed.

"Stop saying that. Reese is just doing her job. Instead of feeling small, how about you take this as a challenge in your life? Be more productive, work hard, and be a good person," Ji Seok tells Sun.

"But how? Everytime when I look at her, I can't help but think about the status gap. She comes from a rich family. And I'm just a slum dog who has nothing but an empty dream..."

"Noona has everything but love. Yes, she has her siblings. They love her so much. But, she needs a man with whom she can share her feelings. She is not demanding. She only wants a man that loves her sincerely," says Ji Seok. He pats Sun's shoulder lightly.

"Sometimes, for a person who has everything in their life, they need only simple things," Ji Seok continues.

Sun feels motivated with Ji Seok's words. He nods in tiny.

"I'll work my best for Reese. I want to prove to the world that I can take care of her," says Sun.

"No need to prove to the world..." Ji Seok slowly ascends and back on his feet. "Just love her will be enough," he smiles at Sun. The man smiles back at him.

As he is about to leave Sun's studio, a glimpse of a group of men in black attire catches Ji Seok's attention. Sun immediately runs towards them before Ji Seok can stop him.

"What are you guys doing here?!"

Ji Seok frowns. He knows the group of people.

They are not his friend, and they are not friendly as well!