​Behind the closed doors of the studio, Minho finished the final chords of the recording. As soon as he took off the headphones, the first thing he did was pick up his phone. His fingers slid quickly across the screen:

"Tomorrow, at 13:00, at the cafe I mentioned. Don't be late, Dohyun!"

​That night, however, the anticipation of the meeting turned into anxiety. When the door of the house opened, Minho saw Dohyun with a torn lip and a fresh bruise on his cheek.

— Again? — Minho sighed, approaching and cautiously touching his face. — You understand, right, that I wanted to brag about what a beautiful boyfriend I have? And you are just ruining your beautiful face with these fights. I worry about you, Dohyun.

​Dohyun said nothing. He only looked into Minho's eyes, then embraced him tightly, hiding his face in the boy's neck.

— Let's just sleep, — he whispered in a raspy voice. — Tomorrow is an important day.

​It was a warm summer morning. Minho and Dohyun were sitting and waiting under the umbrellas of an open-air cafe. Dohyun was hiding the traces of the fight behind black sunglasses, but his cold calmness made the passersby turn their gazes away.

​Soon, Aziel, Mina, and Sera appeared.

— Oh, Minho, we finally saw this legendary boyfriend of yours, — Sera laughed, shaking Dohyun's hand with her usual self-confidence as a manager.

​Aziel was silent, only nodding lightly, while Mina looked at the couple with admiration.

— Sojin wrote that he will be a little late, — Mina said, settling into her chair.

​The light conversation and jokes began, until Sojin appeared. He approached with quick steps, a tired but friendly smile on his face.

— Sorry, everyone. The bill is on me as a sign of regret, — he said, and the moment he sat right across from Dohyun, his smile froze instantly. Sojin's gaze became sharp and cold.

​— This is Sojin, my closest friend, — Minho introduced enthusiastically. — And this is Dohyun.

— Nice to meet you, — Sojin said shortly and abruptly, but there was not even a trace of "nice" in his voice.

​— You know, looking at you, I think you two should become very good friends. Both of your faces are covered in wounds, and both of you seem to have a special love for fighting.

— Oh, if Sojin doesn't put an end to that 'hobby' of his, — Sera added, raising an eyebrow, — I will be forced to find a new waiter whose face will be more elegant than this broken nose.

​— I worry for both of you too, — Mina added with concern, — please, take good care of yourselves, don't fight anymore.

​Aziel, during all this time, was stubbornly looking at his cup. He was sitting next to Sojin, and though their bodies were almost touching each other, there was an abyss between them.

​When the meeting ended, Minho gently kissed Dohyun:

— Have a good day, honey. We'll talk in the evening.

​On the way back, the friends began to discuss Dohyun.

— He is a bit scary, but they are very beautiful together, — Mina said.

— Let's see how long this 'bad boy' will last, — Sera joked.

​Only Sojin remained silent, looking ahead and keeping his hands clenched in his pockets. Minho couldn't resist:

— Sojin, you are my closest friend, but you aren't making a sound. What do you think about my first serious relationship? Didn't you like him?

​Sojin stopped, looked at Minho for a moment:

— I am just happy for you, Minho, — he said dryly and unemotionally. — I can't say anything more.

​Dohyun, leaning over the engine of a sports car, was trying to forget the tension of the day, but the screeching of brakes outside brought him back to reality. A few black cars closed the exit in a semi-circle, flooding the workshop with the cold light of their headlights.

​— DOHYUN! Come out, — Sojin's voice rang out as a command that was impossible to disobey.

​Dohyun straightened up slowly. He took a dirty towel, demonstratively wiped his greasy fingers, and came out of the back entrance. His gaze collided with Sojin's icy eyes. Sojin was standing in the center, surrounded by the trained guys of the *Chong-Hyun (Blue Snake) clan.

​— Where did the dogs of Chong-Hyun find so much courage to step foot onto my territory? — Dohyun spat with contempt, throwing the towel down. — Go back to your master while you are still alive.

​Sojin took one step forward. There was no emotion on his face.

— The nobodies of *Son-Yang (Toxic Ray) have crossed the line, — Sojin said, keeping his voice low. — I, as a hyung, have come to teach you a lesson so you understand that touching the clan's heir with a finger means signing your own death warrant. You are just a small-minded creature who thinks that crawling under cars can make you equal to us.

​— The heir?... — Dohyun laughed audaciously. — That weakling needed a lesson because he doesn't know how to protect himself. And you, Sojin? Do you think you can scare me with these few brats?

​— Your tongue won't save you, — Sojin said and delivered a lightning-fast strike.

​The fight was savage. Dohyun fought like a furious beast, putting all his hatred into every strike. He knocked two of them to the ground, but Sojin... Sojin fought with a surgeon's precision. He waited for Dohyun's mistake and, with a powerful blow, threw him back against the car door. The sound of metal echoed throughout the entire area.

​— Sober up your sister, let her step aside before it is too late. If your clan appears in our way one more time, I will make this workshop of yours your grave.

Sojin let go of him abruptly and turned around. Dohyun fell to his knees, breathing heavily and spitting blood onto the floor.

​When the cars left, Dohyun remained in total darkness. Every muscle of his body was throbbing with pain. He had just managed to reach the table with difficulty when suddenly, the phone vibrated in his pocket.

A message from Minho:

"Tomorrow, at 13:00, at the cafe I mentioned. Don't be late, Dohyun!"

​Dohyun looked at the screen for a long time, feeling the sharp sting of every single wound on his body. He did not know yet that during this meeting, he was going to get acquainted not only with Minho's beloved boy, but he was also going to stand face-to-face with the exact person who had brutally beaten him just hours ago. Sojin had absolutely no idea that his "most loyal friend" and his "bitterest enemy" were together.

​The evening hustle at the restaurant had settled down a bit. Minho, who had been following the cold gazes between Sojin and Aziel all day long, could no longer stay silent. He could see how his two closest people were passing by each other as if they were strangers. He remembered the times when they used to be friends, but now not even ashes were left of that warmth.

​When the three of them found themselves in the locker room after finishing their shift, Minho closed the door.

— That's it, I can't look at this anymore, — he said, directing his gaze alternately from Sojin to Aziel. — You don't even greet each other. I don't know what has happened between you, and I don't want to run an investigation, but I feel that you are drifting away from me.

​Sojin tried to say something, but Minho stopped him with his hand.

— No "buts." Tomorrow evening, I am waiting for both of you at my place. We are going to have dinner, talk, and finally understand what is going on. I won't accept a refusal. This is my last request to you as your friend.

​Aziel turned his gaze away, avoiding a clash with Sojin's eyes, while Sojin let out a heavy sigh. He knew that Dohyun was going to be at that dinner too. This wasn't just a gathering; this was an explosive situation.

— Minho, maybe now is not the right time... — Aziel made a weak attempt.

— Right now is the time, — Minho cut him off decisively. — If we don't talk now, we will lose each other. I am waiting for both of you.

​Minho walked out of the room, leaving Sojin and Aziel in a heavy silence.

​After Minho's departure, a heavy, almost tangible silence reigned in the locker room. Aziel leaned his back against the locker, his gaze fixed on the floor, while Sojin was packing his things with slow movements.

— Minho deserves an explanation, — Aziel finally broke the silence.

— He is unlikely to like the reality, — Sojin replied dryly.

​Aziel turned toward him:

— We can tell a half-truth. Let's say that we were dating secretly, but now we have had a fight, and that's why we don't communicate.

​Sojin raised his eyebrows in confusion:

— But why a fight, and not a breakup?

— Because a breakup would mean that Minho has to make a choice between us, — Aziel explained, hiding the real pain inside his voice. — But if we are just having a fight, he will have hope that we will be together again, and he won't face a dilemma. We will just promise that we will communicate with him just like before.

​Sojin went silent for a moment. He knew Minho's fragile and loyal nature; that lie was the only way to protect Minho.

— Fine, and what is going to be the reason for our "fight"?

— What it is in reality, — Aziel's gaze turned cold, — that I am against you painting naked women.

​Sojin suppressed his inner anger; he nodded silently and left.

****

The silence reigning in Minho's house was suffocating. He was sitting in the armchair, looking alternately at Sojin and Aziel, who were sitting squeezed together across from him.

— Well, I am listening to you, — Minho crossed his arms over his chest, — what is the real reason for your strange behavior?

​Aziel took a deep breath and looked at Sojin, then at Minho.

— We... we were dating, Minho. Secretly from everyone. But now everything has become complicated between us; we have had a fight.

​Minho froze. In his mind, all the "puzzle pieces" of the recent months instantly began to come together. He remembered how a few months ago Aziel was sadly telling him about a boy whom he loved hopelessly. He remembered Aziel's recent vlog, "The Diary of a Broken Heart," where he was talking about betrayed feelings and unrequited love with tears in his eyes.

— Sojin?... — Minho's voice trembled from shock. — That boy you were telling about, the one because of whom you were crying in your vlog... it was Sojin?

​Sojin nodded silently, unable to look into his friend's eyes. Minho abruptly jumped up from his place. The shock turned into anger.

— You have been playing me for a fool! — he yelled, his voice shaking with rage. — I am your closest friend. I have cried under that video with Aziel, I have discussed his "loneliness" with Sojin. You have been lying to me for months. How could you...

​— Minho, we just didn't want to involve you in this, — Aziel tried to justify himself.

— You didn't want to involve me? Or did you simply not trust me? — Minho was suffocating. For a few minutes, he walked around the room restlessly, trying to digest this fact. His best friend and his work colleague... He imagined them together and felt a wave of shock all over again.

​Gradually, his anger began to calm down, giving way to sadness; then he sat down and continued to speak.

— So, you have fought... that's why you are so cold with each other now.

— I was against his work, — Aziel whispered, following the pre-arranged "fake" scenario, — against the models he paints. We didn't understand each other.

​Minho sighed deeply. He began to slowly accept this fact. The pain was still there, but the fear of losing his friends was greater.

— You are both idiots, — he said, wiping a tear that had appeared in the corner of his eye. — But I won't let you destroy everything we have like this. Starting tomorrow, you will try to at least talk normally with each other. And now... now we are going to drink. Because I need to get drunk to forget how much you have deceived me.

​Right at that moment, the door of the house opened, and Dohyun entered. He saw Minho with reddened eyes and a tense Sojin and Aziel.

​Minho opened a bottle of whiskey and, without thinking twice, poured it into four glasses. He was still in shock from Sojin and Aziel's confession, but Dohyun's appearance softened the situation a little. Dohyun, who knew nothing about Sojin and Aziel's "half-invented" romance, sat down in silence.

— Well then, let's drink... to our tangled lives, — Minho smiled bitterly and was the first to empty his glass.

​The first two glasses passed in heavy silence. But after the third one, the alcohol began to do its job. The tension, which was hanging in the air like an icy wall, began to melt.

— You know, Sojin, — Dohyun suddenly spoke. His voice was already a little thick, and his gaze was floating. He leaned over and threw his hand heavily onto Sojin's shoulder. — You... you are actually a good guy. I respect you.

​Sojin, who was already quite drunk and was barely maintaining his composure, turned toward Dohyun and smiled cynically.

— You... you respect me, you "nobody"?

​Dohyun did not get angry; on the contrary, he laughed loudly and squeezed Sojin's shoulder tighter.

— But you know... you have a very heavy hand. Damn you, Sojin, you hit very painfully. My ribs have been aching since that day.

​At these words, Sojin ignited not with anger, but with the sincere laughter of a drunk man.

— Well, you weren't weak either. I was barely catching my breath when you delivered that blow to my stomach.

​Minho and Aziel froze. They were looking at these two and could not understand what was happening. What blows were they talking about? But the drunk boys did not care about that anymore.

— But your sister... — Sojin continued, embracing Dohyun's shoulders, — tell her to come to her senses. You are a good brother, but your sister... she is dangerous.

— I know, brother, I know, — Dohyun nodded, leaning his head on Sojin's shoulder. — But let's drink. You are a real beast during a fight. I love your style.

​They began to praise each other, laughing so loudly that the walls were shaking. Dohyun was embracing Sojin, and the two of them were almost falling on top of each other from laughter.

​Minho's and Aziel's patience snapped. Jealousy and anger exploded inside them at the same time.

— STOP IT! — Minho yelled, hitting the table.

— Don't you dare touch each other anymore! — Aziel added, looking furiously at Sojin.

​Sojin and Dohyun went silent for a moment, looked at their "significant الآخرs" with a dazed gaze, not understanding what the problem was, but obeying instinct, they slowly pulled their hands away from each other.

​When the evening ended, Aziel and Sojin went out. Minho put them into the same taxi, hoping that they would reconcile on the way.