Days passed since that fateful night, and surprisingly, despite asking for his number, Minho didn't contact Jihoon even once. Meanwhile, rumors about Minho's relationship with Seoyoung, which had been confirmed, grew more persistent. Dozens of fans often waited for either Minho or Seoyoung outside the places where they knew they would be working. Much to Jihoon's chagrin, he followed the situation through social media, which were flooded with news, sightings, and photos of the couple. It might have been childish on his part, but he couldn't help feeling almost hurt by those images and stories. Sure, he knew it wasn't the truth, at least according to Minho, but that didn't make it any easier to digest those images—not after what had happened between him and Minho that night.

Despite wanting to act as if it didn't matter, Jihoon couldn't stop thinking about it. Especially in the first few days after separating from Minho, he had developed an almost obsessive attachment to his phone, jumping at every notification, hoping it might be from him. He continued to delude himself into expecting a message until it became clear that it wouldn't come. Then, that electric excitement was replaced by a sullen pessimism.

"If he doesn't text me, it's his loss."

"Like I care."

"I don't care at all."

"It didn't mean anything anyway."

"I was drunk; it doesn't count."

"And I always thought he was a jerk."

"Nothing has changed in the end!"

These thoughts were accompanied by nervous habits, like constantly biting the skin around his thumbs, squeezing his fingers, and reorganizing his clothes in the wardrobe at least three times, first by season and then by color. In short, Jihoon was doing everything possible to keep his nerves at bay, to manage his anxiety, but above all, to avoid thinking about how Minho was living his life, dealing with his dramas, without considering him at all. It was as if they had never met, as if Minho hadn't taken away at least part of his innocence.

It was Hyewon who first noticed the drastic change in Jihoon's mood. The day after his encounter with Minho, he had been carefree and light as a butterfly, but by the following day, he had transformed into a grumpy and negative crow. He seemed unable to tolerate anything, always tense, constantly glancing toward the door as if expecting someone to appear, only to become even more irritable when he realized that person wasn't there. Instead of greeting his colleagues and chatting when he arrived at the restaurant, Jihoon now went straight to the reservation book, meticulously scanning all the names for the evening, searching for who knows what. Hyewon tried to investigate, but only received sarcastic remarks about having work to do, that these were busy days, and that his mood swings weren't the most important issue at the moment.

"I don't understand what's happened to him," Hyewon told Hoseok. "Have you noticed how he's changed? It's like he's constantly... irritated. At first, I thought I had done something wrong, but then I noticed that he's like this with everyone and that his anger and nervousness don't seem directed at any of us. What do you think happened?"

"I have no idea," Hoseok said, shrugging as he swept the locker room floor. "Jihoon's never been particularly emotional. He always seems calm, as if very few things can destabilize him... oh? What if he met someone?"

"What do you mean?" Hyewon asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe Jihoon met someone, and that's why he's acting this way..."

"That doesn't make sense. Why would a person make him act like this?"

"Think about it... what other explanation is there? I think he has some kind of romantic intrigue. The reason he's always checking the reservation list and watching the door is that he's hoping the person he had a falling out with will show up to make amends. Maybe that's why he gets gloomier when he realizes no one's coming. He's probably deluding himself."

"Oh my God, that actually makes sense... but who could it be?"

"That's a mystery, especially since Jihoon never goes out..."

"We need to get him to tell us!" Hyewon said, standing up, suddenly illuminated by a newfound determination.

"Oh yeah? And how do you plan to do that?"

"Let's take him out for drinks, get him drunk, and then make him spill everything!"

"That doesn't seem right... We shouldn't use alcohol to push our friend into revealing something he doesn't want to tell us..."

"Are you in or not?" Hyewon insisted.

Hoseok didn't hesitate for even a second. "Of course I'm in!"

Jihoon entered the locker room at that moment. As usual, his brow was furrowed and his expression irritable. He moved with quick, sharp gestures as he opened his backpack and pulled out the clothes he typically wore outside the restaurant. Hyewon and Hoseok exchanged a look, then the girl motioned for the boy to step forward and talk. Hoseok cleared his throat.

"We still haven't had that night out..."

"I can't," Jihoon replied curtly.

Hoseok immediately felt irritated. "I didn't even say when."

"Well, I can't anyway."

"Since when have you had this attitude?"

For a moment, Jihoon felt guilty. He unbuttoned his shirt and sighed loudly. "Guys, I'd ruin the night for you. I'm not in the mood to go out and have fun, and I don't think I will be anytime soon."

Hyewon approached Jihoon and placed her hands on his shoulders. "And don't you think that because you're feeling this way, going out, drinking, and unwinding could actually make you feel better?"

The last time Jihoon went out to drink and unwind, things ended terribly. It was highly unlikely that anything similar to what happened with Minho would occur in the presence of Hyewon and Hoseok. Additionally, maybe a distraction would do him some good since he'd been stewing in anger and nervousness for days. He had even considered writing to Minho first, only to back out each time—partly out of pride and partly because he hoped the other would take the first step towards him. If he went home, he would just spend another evening falling asleep wondering why Minho had asked for his phone number if he had no interest in texting him. His friends were offering a tempting alternative that, at worst, would result in a hangover, but nothing more.

Jihoon looked at Hyewon and said, "Okay. If you still want to, we can go out tonight!"

"That's a great, great decision, Jihoon!" his friend chirped.

Hoseok shook his head slowly. "I agree with Hyewon, going out will do you good. Guys, if you trust me, I know a fantastic place. We'll have a great time there."