Hyeon practically dragged Joon through the front door, his excitement contagious. "Come on, we've got so much to talk about! You need to tell me everything—your tour, the new album, the scandals!"
Joon laughed, letting himself be pulled inside. "You act like you don't already know all the gossip. I bet you've read more about my life online than I have!"
Hyeon smirked. "I mean, can you blame me? You're all over the place these days."
I followed behind them, shaking my head at their banter. As we walked through the grand foyer, Joon's eyes widened at the sight of the chandelier above us.
"This place is insane," he said, his voice low. "You guys seriously live like royalty."
Hyeon nudged him. "You're not wrong. But hey, you're the one living like a superstar. How's that treating you?"
Joon gave a small, half-hearted smile. "It's going."
"Well,let's not talk about that then. Let's have a sleepover like in the old days," he suggested.
"A sleepover seriously, what are we 5 year olds." I said. "You're never to young to have a sleepover." Joon added with a smile.
"Right, let's go in my room I gotta tell mom that your here!" Hyeon rejoiced as he led him up the stairs.
I smiled and shook my head as I followed them.
As we reached the top of the stairs, Hyeon practically bounced with excitement, pulling Joon along like we were kids again. "I swear, this is exactly what we need—a classic sleepover. Just like old times!" he said, his voice full of energy.
Joon chuckled. "You're really not letting this go, huh?"
"Nope!" Hyeon grinned. "We're going all out—movies, snacks, the works. And you're not getting out of it."
I couldn't help but laugh as we walked down the hallway toward Hyeon's room. It was strange how easy it was to slip back into old habits with them, like no time had passed at all. Even with all the changes and chaos of life, moments like this felt like a reset, reminding me of how things used to be.
Hyeon pushed open the door to his room, which was still as colorful and chaotic as ever, with posters, art supplies, and random trinkets everywhere. "Make yourselves at home!" he announced as he grabbed his phone. "I'm gonna let mom know you're here, Joon."
As Hyeon darted out of the room, Joon flopped onto the bed, his arms spread wide. "I forgot how crazy his room is. It's like walking into a time capsule."
"Yeah, he hasn't changed much," I said, leaning against the wall with a smile.
Joon turned his head to look at me, a more serious expression crossing his face. "You know, I've missed this—just hanging out. No pressure, no cameras, no expectations."
I nodded, sitting down on the edge of the bed. "Same. It's been too long."
He was quiet for a moment, then sighed. "Do you ever feel like everything's moving too fast? Like we're all growing up too quickly?"
I glanced at him, surprised by the question.
"Yeah, sometimes. But I guess that's just part of life, right?"
Joon smiled softly. "Maybe. But right now, I'm just glad to be here, with you guys."
Before I could respond, Hyeon burst back into the room, carrying a bag of chips and a soda. "Alright, let's get this sleepover started!" he cheered, plopping down on the bed next to Joon.
I smiled, settling in for what was sure to be a night filled with laughter and memories, just like old times.
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As the evening wore on, the three of us lounged around Hyeon's room, laughing and sharing stories like no time had passed at all. Joon was in his element, cracking jokes and telling us all about the chaos of his idol life. Hyeon hung on every word, practically glowing with excitement.
"So, any crazy fan stories?" Hyeon asked, eyes wide with curiosity as he shoved a handful of chips into his mouth.
Joon grinned, clearly enjoying the attention. "You have no idea. Just last week, this girl somehow got into the building and left me a love letter in my dressing room. Not just any letter—this thing was, like, ten pages long. Front and back. I swear, I could feel the obsession radiating off the paper."
Hyeon burst out laughing, nearly spilling his drink. "What did you do with it?"
"I had to hand it over to management," Joon said with a shrug. "They handle all that stuff now. Honestly, it's a little scary how far some fans will go."
"Wow, the glamorous life of an idol," I teased, leaning back on the bed.
Joon rolled his eyes but smiled. "Yeah, it's not all it's cracked up to be sometimes. But, I guess it comes with the territory."
As we continued talking my phone went off, "ooo, who's calling you at this time of night?" Joon teased.
"Shut up." I said grabbing my phone off the bed, seeing it was Minji calling I got up and headed out the room. "Don't stay out to long!" Hyeon added on to the tease.
I stepped into the hallway, closing the door behind me to muffle the sound of Joon and Hyeon laughing inside. My heart skipped a beat as I answered the call, hearing Minji's familiar voice on the other end.
"Hey," I said, trying to keep my tone casual. "What's up?"
There was a brief pause before Minji spoke, his voice quieter than usual. "I... I just needed to hear your voice. It's been a weird day."
I leaned against the wall, feeling the tension in his words. "What happened?"
Minji sighed softly. "It's nothing major. Just... I guess I'm feeling kind of off. I hate when I feel like this."
I could tell there was more to it, something beneath the surface he wasn't ready to talk about yet. "You wanna talk about it? Or do you just need a distraction?"
"I want to see you." He replied his tone soft and needy as usual.
I let out a sigh, "I'm sorry but I can't tonight, Joon is over and his spending the night."
There was a small pause on the other end of the line, and I could almost hear the disappointment in Minji's silence. He wasn't the type to push, though—at least, not usually.
"Oh," he finally said, his voice quiet. "It's fine, I get it."
I ran a hand through my hair, feeling a pang of guilt. "It's not like I don't want to see you, Minji. I really do. But tonight's not the best time."
"No, I get it," Minji repeated, though the soft, needy tone in his voice made it clear that he was struggling with something. "I just... I miss you."
I leaned back against the wall, closing my eyes for a moment. "How about tomorrow? We can spend the whole day together. Just you and me."
He hesitated, then sighed. "Yeah, okay. Tomorrow sounds good."
"Promise," I added, hoping it would reassure him. "Just us."
"Alright," he said, his voice softening. "I'll hold you to that."
"Good. Now try and get some rest, okay?"
"I'll try," Minji said, though he didn't sound entirely convinced. "Goodnight, Jihoon."
"Goodnight, Minji."
I hung up, feeling the weight of the conversation lingering. There was something about the way Minji spoke that stuck with me—like he was barely holding it together. I wanted to be there for him, but tonight wasn't the night. Tomorrow, I'd make it up to him.
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A few days later at Minji's house
Minji's Pov:
He lifted me up on the kitchen counter and smiled at me. "Do you know how sexy you are?" He grabbed my neck and pulled me in for a kiss. We always end up like this, no matter what I do or say he will always found a way to make me give into him. He will take me anywhere and do anything he wants to me, I didn't hate it; I just hated the fact I couldn't be anything more to him then just a fuck buddy.
He kissed me passionately his fingers roaming through my hair and his lips kissing every inch of my neck. As he started to unbutton my shirt his phone started ringing. "Your phone is ringing," I told him slowly pushing him away, "they can wait." He said rushing back to kiss me, I covered his mouth and shook my head. He sighed as he grabbed his phone out of his pocket and looked at the caller.
Suddenly a big smile flashed on his face, a smile I've never seen. "You know when you said you were going to call me I didn't believe you." He smiled placing the phone to his ears. I couldn't hear the other person on the other side I couldn't make out what they were talking about. All I can say is that Jihoon looks so happy talking this person.
"Did you miss me this much?" He asked with that same stupid smile, "I miss you more than you can miss me." He said turning away from me. I couldn't help but wonder who this person was that he could make Jihoon out of all people so happy. He never smiles at me like how he smiled by just seeing the name of the person calling.
I watched as Jihoon's whole demeanor changed. It was like seeing another side of him—one that I'd never been allowed to see. He laughed softly, his voice lower, more intimate, as he spoke to whoever was on the other end. My heart twisted in my chest as I sat on the kitchen counter, feeling completely invisible.
Whoever this person was, they clearly had a hold on him. A hold that I never would.
I tried to focus on something else, anything else, but my mind kept circling back to the same question: Who is he talking to? It had to be someone special. TaeHyun, maybe. The thought made my stomach churn. Jihoon said he was done with him, that it was over. But seeing him like this, hearing that voice, that laugh... I wasn't so sure anymore.
Jihoon's back was still to me, his body language completely relaxed, as if the weight of the world was suddenly lifted. I couldn't help but feel a deep pang of jealousy. Not just because he was smiling for someone else, but because it was clear that I would never make him feel that way.
After a few more minutes of conversation, he finally hung up, slipping his phone back into his pocket. When he turned around, the smile was still on his face, but when his eyes landed on me, it faltered slightly, as if he'd forgotten I was even there.
"Sorry about that," he said, walking back over to me like nothing had happened. "Who was that?" I asked.
His smile faded, he looked hesitant like he didn't want me to know who he was talking to. "Just an old friend." He replied, forcing a half hearted smile.
Seeing him like to me just tore my heart more, I guess I will always just be a stand in to him.
Suddenly he let out a bigh sigh as he placed his hands on my thighs, "how about we meet next time, something just came up and I need to head back home." He said.
"When's next time?" I asked already clocking out of the conversation, "I'll text you first, I won't be free for two weeks. So maybe two weeks from now." He stated.
"Okay fine." I replied bluntly
Jihoon paused, his hands still resting on my thighs, his gaze searching my face for some kind of reaction. But I was already shutting down, protecting myself from whatever this was, whatever we were. He seemed to sense it but didn't say anything else. Instead, he pressed a quick kiss to my forehead—casual, almost dismissive.
"I'll see you soon, okay?" he said softly, as if he was trying to ease the sting of his words.
I didn't respond, just watched as he grabbed his phone, slipping it into his pocket, and made his way toward the door. The sound of the door closing behind him felt like a weight had been dropped onto my chest.
I sat there for a moment, my legs dangling off the edge of the counter, trying to process everything. Two weeks? It felt like a brush-off, a way to keep me at a distance until he was ready to let me back in—if he even wanted to.
I knew I shouldn't be surprised. Jihoon had always been like this—hot and cold, always keeping me close enough to keep me wanting more, but never letting me in all the way. And I'd let him. I'd let him string me along, even though I knew deep down that he'd never see me the way I saw him.
But this time, something felt different. That phone call. The way he smiled, like whoever was on the other end meant something to him. More than I ever did.
I slid off the counter, my feet hitting the cold kitchen floor. The emptiness of the room felt suffocating now. I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to shake off the hollow feeling that settled in my chest.
I can't keep doing this, I thought to myself. I couldn't keep pretending that this was enough. That I was enough.
Jihoon might come back in two weeks. He might text me like nothing had happened. But for the first time, I wasn't sure if I would still be here waiting for him.
TBC