The locker room was quiet except for the sound of wet clothes hitting the floor. 

While the three of them got dressed, Soo-bin was pacing in front of the metal lockers, feeling incredibly angry.

"My captain spot's on the line because of you two!" he yelled. "Aren't you even a little ashamed? You're grown men. You're two swimmers trying to make the national team, and you're teammates! Why can't you just stop this stupid feud?"

Seung-ho didn't answer. After he tied his shoes, he stood up from the wooden bench, not wanting to look at Hyo-bin.

"Go find a damn phone," he said. "We still have a project to finish."

Then he grabbed his bag and walked out the door.

When the heavy door closed, Hyo-bin sat down on the bench and rested his elbows on his knees. He put his face in his hands, feeling totally exhausted.

"I hate him," he muttered quietly.

Soo-bin stopped pacing and looked at him.

"Ya, Hyo-bin," he said. "Crash at my place tonight. I'll give you my spare phone. We can have a real meal and just chill."

Hyo-bin looked up from his hands.

"Alright," he said.

—

A clatter of metal drifted from the kitchen. 

Hyo-bin woke up and turned his head toward the open door. The mattress felt soft against his back, making him wish he could stay in bed a little longer. He reached over the nightstand and picked up the phone. The screen lit up and showed a text message from Seung-ho. He had sent it early in the morning.

We need to work on the project

"Fucker," Hyo-bin said angrily.

He got out of bed and walked into the hallway. The smell of oil filled the air as he walked into the kitchen, wishing breakfast was already on the table. Soo-bin was standing by the stove and stirred a pot of kimchi jjigae.

"Good morning, Hyo-bin-ah," he said. "Breakfast is almost ready."

Hyo-bin grabbed the plates from the cupboard and set them on the table, wanting to be helpful. He picked up the silver chopsticks and placed them next to the bowls of white rice. Small dishes of bean sprouts and salted seaweed sat between them.

Hyo-bin sat down at the table and looked at the steam.

"That bed is really comfortable," he said quietly. "I had some weird dreams, though."

Soo-bin smiled and brought the pot over.

"Su-yeon always wants to sleep in that room when she visits," he said. "She says the mattress is the best in the house."

After a few minutes, they started eating their food. Hyo-bin used his chopsticks to reach for a piece of grilled fish, feeling finally at peace. He took a bite of the spicy stew and felt the heat on his tongue, enjoying the quiet morning. 

Until the phone lit up against the table and showed another message from Seung-ho.

I'll come pick you up if you're home

"The asshole is coming to get me," Hyo-bin said. "Can he pick me up from here?"

"Yeah," Soo-bin said. "I'll give you some clothes to wear after you shower. You can wash them and bring them back later."

He went to his room and returned with a sweatshirt. It had a designer logo on it. Soo-bin placed the clothes on an empty chair next to the table, going back to his stew. 

When Hyo-bin finished his food, he went into the bathroom to take a shower. 

The doorbell rang, Soo-bin walked over and pulled the front door open, letting a draft of cold air into the room.

Seung-ho frowned when he saw Soo-bin. 

"I knew it when I saw the surname Park. Was this your house?" he asked.

"Yeah," Soo-bin said. "He stayed over with me. Is that a problem for you?"

"Why would it be?" Seung-ho said quietly. "You're his knight in shining armor, after all."

"Go inside, he's taking a shower," Soo-bin said.

Seung-ho went inside and took off his shoes. Then he bowed his head and said, "I shouldn't forget to pay my respects to the captain. Why is he taking a shower?"

"What?"

"Why is he taking a shower?"

"Hey, let me ask you something, are you in love with Hyo-bin or something?" Soo-bin asked.

"What did you say?" Seung-ho asked loudly.

"You mess with him all the time like a 13-year-old kid. You're clearly jealous of other people's interest in him," Soo-bin said. Then he grinned. "Are you in love with my friend?"

"Soo-bin," Seung-ho said seriously. "We've had a very good relationship for three years, let's not ruin it."

"Then act right, you idiot," Soo-bin said angrily, looking right into his eyes. "To all of us. To your teammate, to your captain, to everyone."

Hyo-bin was out of the shower, already dressed with his hair dry. He was ready to go. As he walked up to the door, he saw Seung-ho and Soo-bin. He frowned immediately.

"Thanks for everything, Soo-bin-ah," he said. "Good luck in practice today." 

He stepped forward and hugged him. Soo-bin wrapped his arm around his shoulder and stroked his hair, looking right at Seung-ho.

"Don't let it get you down, Hyo-bin-ah," he said quietly. "Everything will be okay."

Seung-ho stared at them. 

Hyo-bin pulled away and walked out of the apartment. He went downstairs with Seung-ho and got into the passenger seat of the car.

When Seung-ho started the engine, Hyo-bin looked out the window, wanting to avoid eye contact.

Seung-ho turned his head to look at him.

"Is that Soo-bin's?" he asked.

"What?" Hyo-bin asked.

"The thing you're wearing,"

"Yeah," Hyo-bin said. "Why did you ask?"

Seung-ho looked back at the road and drove out of the parking lot.

"It looks good on you," he said quietly.

"What?" Hyo-bin asked.

Seung-ho turned his head to look at him again.

"It looks good," he said.

"Thanks," Hyo-bin said. "Considering you're the kind of person who'd try to kill me in the pool, that's pretty kind of you."

"Ya," Seung-ho said quietly. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to go like this."

"Let's not talk about this, okay?" Hyo-bin said, keeping his eyes on the passing cars. "I gotta keep swimming. Can't get kicked off the team completely. As long as we don't fight in front of everyone, it's fine."

"Yeah, sure," Seung-ho said.

They drove down the road in silence for a while. The radio played a K-pop song in the background, filling the quiet space.

"Where are we going?" Hyo-bin asked, turning his head.

"My mom's house in Busan," Seung-ho said. "We can crash there for the weekend and finish the project."

"I gotta grab my stuff first," Hyo-bin said.

"No need," Seung-ho said. "I've got you covered. You won't need anything. You have your laptop with you, right?"

"I don't wanna wear your stuff," Hyo-bin said loudly. "Stop exaggerating."

"You're wearing Soo-bin's stuff… So why not mine?" Seung-ho said, grinning.

"Yeah, I'll wear them. Soo-bin's my friend. You're not."

"You used to wear them in high school."

"We're not in high school," Hyo-bin said.

Seung-ho didn't answer. He turned his head forward. 

Hyo-bin leaned his head against the cold window as the car sped down the highway, wanting to just sleep until they arrived.

Thus, their weekend began.