Eric woke up from his nap refreshed but still slightly groggy. The kind of disoriented contentment that follows a well-earned nap after too much soju and too little dignity. Being over 30 is no joke, Eric could already foresee the pain he would be in the next day. Part of him regretted accepting Minwoo’s invitation while the other one knew that despite the pain the next day he would have not chosen another path. Crazy nights like this with Minwoo are always fond memories.

His eyes drifted toward the soft glow of his phone screen on the bedside table. Eric rolled on his side and extended his arm to reach out to it. When he lit up the screen, one notification still waited, untouched, almost nagging him.

Jihoo: “Morning 😄 Had fun last night. Hope you’re feeling okay today!”

Just reading it again made Eric’s chest feel tight from anxiety. Not really a rational way of reacting to a simple text. But the message echoed the one from that dream he had earlier with everything going horribly wrong. In his sleep-fueled anxiety spiral, Eric already made multiple scenarios in which every single one he ended up rejected by Jihoo. 

"Stupid brain, I should have become a writer with all that imagination" Eric grumbled to himself, thumbing open the message. He fixed the message for long minutes before typing slowly, deleting, retyping, pausing. Eventually, he sent:

“Barely survived. Pretty sure it will take me more than three business days to recover. You know old people problems 😅”

He hit send, tossed the phone aside with an eye-roll at himself, then picked it up again not even ten seconds later. No reply yet. Of course not. Jihoo had his own life. Friends. Plans. Probably not checking his phone every five minutes like some insecure ajusshi who…

Nope. Not doing this again, Eric scolded himself, standing up and heading for his second shower of the day. While getting ready, Eric debated on making extra effort to look good in case Jihoo would be joining. But again stopped himself thinking too much. Tonight would be chill. A low-key night with Minwoo and some of his international friends. No pressure. Just food, drinks, banter.

And definitely not refreshing KakaoTalk every two minutes.

The evening was beginning at a corner pocha near the quieter side of Hongdae.The muffled bass from the pocha’s speakers already thrummed through the street as Minwoo’s texts lit up his phone "Fashionably late again! Where are you? The first round’s getting cold.” He smirked, quickening his pace without even bothering to reply.

When he arrived Eric was indeed the last one to arrive as he planned. He wanted to be on one side of the table so he could escape as soon as his social energy ran low. But his best friend had other plans and kept an empty seat next to him. No one could tell how much energy it suddenly took for him to be here. Eric looked in his element with Minwoo, their classic duo energy bouncing off the metal tables and plastic chairs. Eric was decided to make his friend pay for all the teasing from their lunch and started to recall their wild night from almost a decade ago.

“Remember when you dated that girl from Gangnam who said her job was ‘manifesting abundance’?” Eric grinned, lifting his soju glass.

“She was a life coach!” Minwoo protested. “And she manifested a broken phone, a lost credit card, and three weeks of therapy.”

The group erupted in laughter.

Camille smirked, swirling her drink. "I still can't believe I fell for your whole 'awkward scholar' act."

"Act?" Minwoo gasped in mock offense. "Honey, that wasn't acting, that was my authentic personality. You married a certified nerd."

Eric nearly choked on his beer. "Certified? More like certifiable. Bro, you used to name your electronic devices after anime characters."

"And yet." Minwoo said, throwing an arm around Camille, "this beautiful woman still said 'I do' to a man who still cries when he watches Mufasa dying in the lion king."

“One sign from you and I can rescue you Camille! Anything to help you escape this nonsense of relationship, money, lawyer you name it!” whispered loudly Eric, feigning discretion but making sure everyone could hear.

“I thought you were my best friend!” sighed dramatically Minwoo, his hand on his chest like his heart was hurting. 

Eric shot back. “This was before I met Camille, now she is higher in my priorities!”

Minwoo wiped his eyes, struggling to breathe between laughs. “If I hadn’t dragged this guy out of his nerd cave years ago, he’d still be in a library somewhere, alone, reading dusty manga and pretending he wasn’t lonely.”

“You say that like I wasn’t happy.” countered Eric, smiling.

But the truth was, he was happier now. At least in moments like these.

The table burst in laughter, the kind that came from years of inside jokes and shared history.  It was effortless, grounding, something he didn’t realise he needed until he was right in the middle of it. Eric let the moment settle around him, the clinking of glasses, the ridiculous stories, the teasing that somehow never crossed a line. For a brief second, he wondered how long it had been since he’d felt truly part of something, rather than orbiting on the edges.

And if his chest felt a little warm looking at his ridiculous, wonderful friends? Well, that was just the soju. Probably.

This is the moment Eric decided to step outside for a cigarette break, away from the noise of laughter and clinking bottles. For the hundred times of the night he checked his phone and still no reply from Jihoo. What did he expect, he took himself more than a day to reply, with a lame text referring to his old age again. It’s not like he asked him a question or anything.

Minwoo stepped out on the street looking for his friend to join him. He found Eric by the corner, half-shadowed under the neon glow, cigarette in hand, phone in the other. His brows were drawn, thumb hovering over the screen.

“You texted him back, right?” Minwoo asked, leaning against the wall beside him.

Eric exhaled smoke slowly. “Yeah. Kept it casual.”

“Did you tell him you were going out again tonight?”

“No.”

Minwoo gave him a look, not judgmental, just curious, patient. The kind of look that said he already knew the answer but wanted to hear it anyway.

“I didn’t want to seem... I don’t know. Desperate.”

Minwoo huffed a small laugh, but there was warmth in it. “You’re not desperate, you’re just human and he is an attractive man…”

“I don’t even know him.” Eric muttered.

“But you want to." Minwoo said gently. “That’s enough to make anyone anxious.”

Eric stayed quiet, watching people passing by. His voice came out lower, more uncertain. “It’s not just the age. I mean, yeah, that’s part of it. But it’s... I don’t want to mess it up before it even starts. Or worse, read into something that was never there.”

Minwoo nodded slowly. “So what? You’re supposed to ignore someone who makes you feel good just because it’s scary?”

Eric looked away avoiding his friend’s look.

Before Eric could do anything, Minwoo had already pulled out his phone and tapped away.

“Minwoo!” Eric protested, eyes wide.

“Too late." Minwoo said, grinning. “Just giving him a little nudge. Don’t worry. He probably won’t even come.”

Spoiler: Jihoo came.

Just as they were discussing leaving the pocha for a nearby club, Jihoo strolled in, smiling like fate itself had gently nudged him in the right direction.

Eric’s pulse raced. He glared at Minwoo and whispered angrily. “I thought he wouldn't come?!”

The smile on his face became even wider and silently articulated. “Oops…”

“Wow, what are the chances? You are here too!” Jihoo said with an innocent grin that fooled no one as one of his friends whispered not-so-quietly behind him, “You insisted that we had to come to this place, before going clubbing. Remember?”

Eric pretended not to hear. Jihoo, on his side, didn’t bother to fake it. He smiled widely and grabbed the chair to sit next to Eric that his friend vacated on purpose. Minwoo, slightly tipsy, gave Eric a devilish look hoping that his plan would work out.

Jihoo, using the excuse of serving his hyung a drink leaned in slightly, not too close, but just enough that Eric could smell the faint trace of his shampoo and the leather of course.

“You look alive." Jihoo said, glancing at him sideways. “Wasn’t sure you’d make it.”

Eric snorted. “Barely. My muscles are still filing complaints.”

Jihoo laughed. “You make it sound like you ran a marathon, not danced all night with a beer in hand.”

“That was my marathon. I need three to four business days to recover now. Side effect of being born before YouTube.”

“Must be tough, to be old.” Jihoo replied with mock sympathy, resting his chin in his palm. “I wouldn’t know.”

Eric gave him a deadpan look. “You’re insufferable.”

Jihoo only grinned wider, nudging his glass toward Eric. “Then drink more. It’ll get better.”

Eric clinked their glasses without a smile but with something softer in his eyes. Jihoo didn’t push. He just stayed close, letting his presence be known with small things, refilling Eric’s glass before his own, brushing their hands once while reaching for food, tapping his foot lightly to the music beneath the table. Casual things, looking unintentional except for an informed reader that could see that they lingered just a little longer than necessary.

At some point, Jihoo leaned in further and asked, “You are always this quiet when you are hungover?”

“I’m not quiet.” Eric replied, stirring the melted ice in his cup. “I’m calculating the exact moment Minwoo’s going to do something stupid.”

Right on cue, Minwoo stood up, swaying dramatically. “And now, a toast to the man who once cried in a club bathroom over a spilled shot! That was not even his!”

Everyone snort-laughed in disbelief. Jihoo raised his eyebrows. “Is that you?”

Eric sighed. “I’m not allowed to disclose this highly confidential information.”

“You’re really bad at hiding things." Jihoo murmured, half into his drink, as if talking to himself. Jihoo leaned back but kept his knee lightly resting against Eric’s under the table. Eric didn’t move his away. He was about to respond but Jihoo had already turned to laugh at something one of the others said, not pressing, not watching for a reaction. Just... giving space.

For a while, the conversation flowed around them, small talk, teasing, stories but Jihoo kept throwing glances Eric’s way, each one more lingering than the last. His knee was still lightly pushing on Eric’s.He tried to ignore it. He cracked jokes, played along, even told a few more ridiculous Minwoo stories, but every time Jihoo touched him, even in passing, his heart skipped a beat. 

At one point Jihoo even put his hand on his thigh, nothing too much, just casually as if it was totally normal. Eric’s face turned even more red, and he hoped that everyone would blame the alcohol. His heart raced like he was running a marathon, and yet, he didn’t move. He should’ve. Should’ve flinched, joked, changed the subject. But he didn’t. The warmth of Jihoo’s hand sent sparks up through his spine, not lust exactly, but something like comfort. Familiarity.

He told himself it didn’t mean anything. Just a casual touch. Friendly, maybe even tipsy affection. But the warmth seeped through his jeans and made his brain short-circuit. Jihoo was so young. Too young. But still Eric didn’t want that hand to move. That’s what made him nervous, not the touch itself, but how he liked it.

Eventually, Jihoo looked over at Minwoo and said, “You guys always drink like this?”

“Only when there’s something to celebrate.” Minwoo replied.

“And what are we celebrating tonight?” Jihoo asked, but his eyes on Eric.

Minwoo stood up and clapped his hands. “We’re celebrating the fact that Eric’s been out more than once in the same week! That’s a miracle.”

“Oh shut up!” Eric muttered.

“Which means." Minwoo continued, “we need to level up. Let’s go party hopping. Music, lights, questionable dance moves, it’s time.”

“Who’s dancing?” Jihoo asked innocently.

Minwoo looked at Eric. “Certainly not him.”

Eric rolled his eyes. “I just don’t feel the need to embarrass myself in public.”

Jihoo smirked. “Then stay close. I’ll embarrass myself for both of us.”

Eric blinked, unsure how to respond but Minwoo had already grabbed his jacket and shouted looking at him, “Let’s move before someone changes his mind!”