Kissing You

Chapter 4:

The whirring this time was not from the wheels of a k7 player, but instead from HeeJun's answering machine. He hated to hear the words that Kangta had to say to him, but he couldn't stop replaying the messages again and again.

He rewound the messages to the beginnging and sat again to listen to the voice of his bandmate.

"[Click] Wednesday, three-twenty-three pm [Click]
Hee Jun... are you there? It's Kangta. I just... I didn't get a chance to see you today, and we need to talk. Please call me back. I should be home.

[Click] Thursday, two-fifty-six pm [Click]
HeeJunnah? I never got a call back from you, what happened? Um... please call me up, Junnie, we need to talk about this. I'll probably be home again tonight.

[Click] Thursday, eight-forty pm [Click]
Kangta again. Please don't avoid me, HeeJun. Please just talk to me? I'll be out with Woo Hyuk for a few minutes, then I'll be home again, please call, even stop by if you'd prefer not to talk over the phone. Hee - HeeJun, I can't take this. I can't take you avoiding me. Call me, please.

[Click] Friday, ten-fifteen pm [Click]
How long are you planning on putting this off, HeeJun? Sooner or later you'll be forced into my company. And would you prefer we talk like rational human beings, one on one, or explode into a fight in front of everyone? Just call me, you know it's unavoidable either way."

HeeJun rewound the messages, letting his hand hover above 'play' and 'delete' for almost three minutes before sitting back down and pressing 'play'.

His head fell to his hands. What was he going to do about Kangta? How exactly does one go about permanantly avoiding one's bandmate? HeeJun gave a long-suffering sigh and began listening to the messages again.

"[Click] Wednesday, three-twenty-three pm [Click]
Hee Jun... are you there? It's Kangta. I just... I didn't get a chance to see you today, and we need to talk. Please call me back. I should be home.

[Click] Thursday, two-fifty-six pm [Click]
HeeJunnah? I never got a call back from you, what -"

His hand hit 'delete all' before he could even think to stop himself. The mechanical female voice from the machine startled him slightly, sounding off its usual message, "All messages deleted."

HeeJun ran his hands down his face, breathing in sharply. After the weekend the group would be getting together for practice again. He'd have to face him. Either then, or now. HeeJun considered the option of quitting H.O.T. Scoffing at himself, he shook his head, glancing around with tired eyes. But how could he face Kangta now? He didn't even know what he could say. He couldn't lie and say he felt something in return. But he couldn't lie and say he felt nothing.

Slowly, HeeJun lifted the phone from its cradle. He scanned the phone's directory and stopped at Kangta's number, pressing 'dial'. With the phone to his ear, HeeJun took several calming breaths, every ring on the other end wracking his nerves. Four rings later, he got Kangta's machine.

"Hey, this is ChilHyun, leave a message, and I'll get back to you."

HeeJun hung up.

He stared at the phone for several minutes, feeling almost betrayed. Kangta should be at home, waiting for his call desperately. HeeJun ran a hand over his eyes, rubbing them gently. That was crazy. The man didn't run his life by HeeJun. He had his own agenda.

Hands shaking slightly, he pressed 'redial' and held the phone to his ear again. After four rings, the machine picked up again.

"Hey, this is ChilHyun, leave a message, and I'll get back to you."

HeeJun waited for the beep, then started his message sloppily, "Hey... Kangta. Um, it's HeeJun. I guess you're not in, but -"

"[Click] HeeJun?" Kangta's voice rang through the line like a jolt to HeeJun's mind.

"Kangta," HeeJun breathed, shocked.

There was an unsteady pause, punctuated by Kangta's breathing. "I was hoping you'd call," he began finally.

"I know," HeeJun stated simply, hoping his voice would express his apology for not returning Kangta's numerous calls.

"I was hoping... but I was doubtful."

"I know," HeeJun repeated, his voice even more shamed and apologetic. "I had wanted to, but... I really didn't want to."

Another uncomfortable silence ensued.

Kangta spoke with an oddly optimistic voice, "Hey, I was thinking. Maybe... maybe we could just... pretend this never happened."

"No, no, don't say that, Kangta. God, don't say that. I don't want that."

Kangta sniffled, and HeeJun suspected he was crying. His voice thick, he continued, "Then, what?"

HeeJun smiled for the first time in days. "We'll see from here." He'd finally figured it out. And all it had taken was hearing his voice over the phone, talking with his best friend for about a minute. Suddenly, he wished he'd called earlier. He wished he'd called days ago.

"Well then... I'll see you on Monday during practice?"

"I'll be there."

"Well, 'bye."

HeeJun paused for a moment before saying,"Goodbye. Oh, and Kangta?"

"Yeah?"

"I love you too." HeeJun hung up the phone, grinning.

Ten seconds later, the phone rang. HeeJun picked it up, answering, "Yeoboseyo, Moon residence."

Kangta's shaking voice responded from the other end, "Do you mean that?"

Laughing slightly to himself, HeeJun told him, "Yes, Kangta, I mean it."

"Oh, okay," Kangta concluded lamely, "I was... just checking."

"Hey, Kangta."

"Yeah?"

"Let's get together. Tomorrow, for a... date." He had a slight bit of trouble getting the last word out, but it sounded right.

"Yeah, okay," Kangta agreed, his voice turning from fear to hesitant hope. "Um, what time?"

"I'll pick you up at seven."

"Great," Kangta said, his smile in his voice.

"See you then."

"'Bye."

"'Bye."

HeeJun hung up again, grinning from ear to ear. A date with Kangta. Sounded like fun.
~~~

Friday mornings without work were a lot like Saturday mornings, minus the Saturday morning cartoons, Woo Hyuk concluded, laying in his bed the next morning. Then his mind drifted to Tony and he sighed. "Fuck," he muttered, sitting up. The headache from the night before, which was entirely Tony's fault, suddenly returned to him, though less severe. He groaned, rubbing his temples firmly.

Standing, he wandered into the bathroom and opened the medicine cabinet, taking out a bottle of acetaminophen. He spilled a few of the headache-curing pills into his hand before capping the bottle and returning it to the cabinet. He turned on the water as footsteps approached from behind him. "Tony."

"Hey Woo Hyuk," Tony said gently.

Woo Hyuk filled a cup with water and swallowed the pills, not responding to Tony.

"Thank you."

Woo Hyuk turned to Tony, surprised. "For?"

Tony rubbed his arm, looking away. "The blanket." He looked back to Woo Hyuk. "And I'm sorry. For everything, the fight, the - I have no right to expect you to tell me your personal secrets." Tony stepped toward Woo Hyuk. "Could you consider forgiving me?"

Woo Hyuk grinned, stepping toward Tony and pulling him into an easy hug. "Yeah."

Tony paused for a moment, then pulled away, smiling up at Woo Hyuk.

"I'm gonna have to punish you, though," Woo Hyuk added.

Tony eyed him warily.

Woo Hyuk reached for Tony's sides, tickling him. Tony wriggled away from his grasp, but Woo Hyuk went after him, knowing exactly where to tickle Tony best. Soon, they ended up on the hallway floor, Tony laughing and gasping for breath while trying to escape as Woo Hyuk bombarded his most ticklish spots. A moment later, Tony reached over and tickled Woo Hyuk back, and Woo Hyuk, caught offguard, did his best to escape while still tickling Tony. Tony easily gained the upper hand, crawling on top of Woo Hyuk, one leg at each of Woo Hyuk's sides, and tickled Woo Hyuk, familiar with his weak spots. Woo Hyuk struggled, but eventually gave up, telling Tony that he had won in desperate gasps.

Grinning, Tony climbed off of Woo Hyuk, collapsing next to him on the floor of the hallway. They lay gasping for a few moments before Tony sat up, looking down at Woo Hyuk. "So much for a punishment."

"Well, just watch your back. It's coming."

Tony laughed.

Woo Hyuk looked down at his body, clothed in only boxers, then stood, saying, "I should probably go get dressed." He walked toward his bedroom and turned as he shut the door, seeing Tony's eyes still on him.
~~~

"Kangta just called," Woo Hyuk said, walking into the living room where Tony sat watching the television.

"Yeah? What did he want?"

"He wanted to know if we would go double dating with him and HeeJun," Woo Hyuk informed him.

Tony shook his head with a laugh. "You said no, right?"

Woo Hyuk grinned sheepishly. "Well, not exactly."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"I may have told him... we'd definitely go."

Tony was floored. "Why in God's name would you agree to go on that makeout-fest?"

"Oh, come on, Tony, cut them some slack. They're just nervous. They don't know how they'll end up reacting to each other now."

"When are they going?"

"Seven tonight. Please, don't fight, we just stopped fighting yesterday. Come on, it could be fun," Woo Hyuk coaxed.

"Or I could get really uncomfortable, or puke," Tony said negatively.

"Well, I can't call back and reject the offer now thet I've agreed."

"You can, and will."

"Come on," Woo Hyuk whined. "How many favors do you owe me?"

"Less than you owe me, and this is another. Fine, I'll go. But even a hint that they're gonna start making out, I'm leaving."

Woo Hyuk laughed. "Thanks, Tony."

Hitting the 'on' button on the phone, he walked down the hall as he dialed Kangta's number to tell him Tony had agreed.