The fizzing sound from the electric water boiler is the only thing, which is heard throughout the room, when Seonghwa is sitting awkwardly on the very edge of Yeosang's bed.

Yeosang is sitting on a chair in the middle of his room, just wiggling his feet while waiting for the hot water to be done. As soon as he hears the click that indicates that the water boiler has done its job, he rises from the chair and walks over to make the tea he had offered to Seonghwa earlier.

Meanwhile Seonghwa taps his fingers against his thighs, while running what just happened through his mind. He feels so embarrassed having broken down in public, and even more embarrassed that someone he knows had seen it. Or, someone that he sort of knows. Okay, someone he has met once. But to Seonghwa that is more than enough in this given situation. 

Seonghwa had felt so out of it, when Yeosang found him that he couldn't even find the words to come up with excuse to just leave. So when Yeosang offered him "some tea, or whatever" he had just nodded, and followed the younger to his dorm room.

"Thank you," Seonghwa quietly mutters, as Yeosang hands him a cup of warm tea.

"No problem." With a wry smile Yeosang sits back down on the chair and folds his hands in his lap, his eyes just flickering about. "So... Do you... Feel better, or?"

Seonghwa can't help but briefly smile against the edge of the warm cup, when he hears Yeosang's hesitant voice. He guesses that Yeosang is just as bad at talking about feelings as he is. While sipping the hot tea, Seonghwa looks around the room, noticing that Yeosang lives alone too. Not in a single-room like Seonghwa does, but the side that should belong to a roommate is still left untouched.

"I'm not usually like this," Seonghwa suddenly admits. 

He bites his lower lip, questioning himself why he just let those words out. Yeosang turns his face and looks at him, the brown eyes looking wondering but careless at the same time. He tilts his head back a little and runs his fingers through his dark hair, while a small hum leaves his lips. Still looking directly at Seonghwa, he leans forward resting his elbows on his thighs.

"Like what?" Yeosang asks.

"A... mess..."

"Ah. Okay..."

Yeosang nods a few times tapping his fingers against each other.

"What's the special occasion then?" he then asks, before leaning against the backrest of the chair.

A few seconds of silence follows Yeosang's words, as Seonghwa isn't sure what to answer. Instead he just stares down into the cup in his hands, going through all possible replies in his mind.

"You know what," he says, breaking the silence between them, "it's getting late. I should get going. Thanks for the tea and everything. I'll see you around."

Seonghwa smiles politely while handing the cup back to Yeosang, who just shrugs his shoulders - seemingly not caring about the outcome of their conversation. But why should he, they don't know each other at all anyway.

♦

"Good morning," Hongjoong says, as he sits down next to Seonghwa, waiting for their first lecture of the year to begin.

Seonghwa quickly notices how Hongjoong seems different today; not as cheerful as he usually is - like something is on his mind, bothering him.

"Is something wrong?" Seonghwa asks, closing his MacBook to focus on his friend.

"I..." Hongjoong looks away for a second, scratching his head. "I just saw something yesterday..."

"What did you see?"

While Hongjoong is figuring out how to break the news to his friend, Seonghwa is preparing himself for another story of Hongjoong watching yet another sad YouTube video about abandoned dogs.

"I saw... Tzuyu... With that guy, Kris..." Hongjoong finally mutters.

"Oh..." Seonghwa breathes out. "I... I know..."

"You know?!"

"We... We broke up during the Summer break. Sorry for not telling you," Seonghwa says through his gritted teeth. He looks down at the table and takes a deep breath, when he feels Hongjoong laying a consoling hand on his shoulder. Hongjoong looks like he's about to say something when their professor walks through the door.

Throughout the lecture Seonghwa feels how Hongjoong looks at him with worried eyes, and he feels lucky to have such a caring friend.

♦

"She dumped you?" Mingi asks with a very shocked look on his face. "But... Why?"

The friends have met up for dinner at a nearby Korean BBQ place, and Seonghwa had finally managed to man up and tell the others the truth. The lovely smell of grilled meat is suddenly making him feel more nauseous than hungry, and he just taps his fingers against the wooden table while staring at the flames dancing from the charcoal underneath the grate, licking the sizzling meat that is lying on top of it. 

"We just grew apart; I guess..." Seonghwa lies.

He might have told them about the breakup, but he isn't ready to tell the real reason why, fearing they will think badly about him. Just like she did. He knows they won't leave him like she did, alone and with his heart broken into pieces, but the thought of telling them still scares him.

Seonghwa had been groomed all his life to become something great. The expectations were high enough to reach beyond the sky, and his father had spared no time teaching Seonghwa how to live his life. But sometimes, when he is all alone with his thoughts, a tiny bit of doubt hits him. What if he doesn't want that kind of life, what if he doesn't want to live like his father wants him to.

One day he made the mistake of telling Tzuyu of his worries and since that day their relationship started to change. She wouldn't text him as often, or want to spend as much time with him as she used to. And suddenly Kris showed up. Kris, the son of a real power couple. His father being the CEO of one of Korea's biggest electronics companies and his mother, one of the most famous Chinese actresses in the world.

Seonghwa doesn't even dare to admit to himself the reason why his ex left him, just the mere thought is enough to make him feel bad for thinking of her like that. But as soon as Seonghwa had shown the smallest amount of doubt about taking over his father's big company things had changed, and now she is dating a guy who is next in line to inherit millions, if not billions.

"Well, I never really liked her anyway," Mingi says, breaking through Seonghwa's thoughts.

"You always said she was cute though?" Seonghwa mumbles, like his questions will change anything.

"And? Just because she's cute doesn't mean her personality is nice..." As a small shrug falls from Mingi's broad shoulders, Yunho and Hongjoong both nod while looking relieved that the truth about their feelings are finally able to come out.

Even though Seonghwa feels kind of bad not knowing his friends' true opinion on his former girlfriend, he doesn't really care to argue back. Why should he defend her after all?

"It's her loss. She'll never get a guy who's better than Park Seonghwa! Am I right guys?" Yunho suddenly raises his Soju glass and smiles encouraging at Seonghwa.

"You'll meet someone else, someone better! Cheers to make that happen!" Mingi says, clinking his glass against Seonghwa's which is still standing on the table.

"Cheers to that!" Seonghwa forces a smile while picking up the shot glass.

"Hey! That means you can go out with us instead of sitting at home, holding hands and being like eighty years old, on a Friday night!" Yunho claps his hands together all excitedly. "You need to get out, you won't meet someone if you just sit at home all the time."

"Alright, it's settled then! We are all going out on Friday!" Mingi grins and gives Yunho a high five before the two of them simultaneously start dancing in their seats.

It's not like it has ever bothered Seonghwa to sit at home, instead of going out partying. He's actually never been a big fan of parties, night clubs or anything like that. A feeling of sadness spreads inside of him, when he starts thinking about the fact that he needs to move on from his ex. It's so soon, and he isn't sure if he is ready yet.

But he also knows that he might as well just agree to go out with the guys. When Mingi says something is settled, then something is settled and they will literally come and carry Seonghwa out of the room if he says no.

And so he agrees to go out with them the following weekend, to check out a new club in Hongdae.