Chapter Text
Hanbin sipped slowly from his glass, letting the bitter taste linger on his tongue for a few seconds before swallowing. From his seat at the bar, he watched his friend dance as if the world were nothing but music and colorful lights. Seeing Heeseung move with Jake on the dance floor, laughing, twirling, letting go as if nothing hurt, sent a pang of relief through his chest. Finally, his friend had some happiness, even if it was fleeting, even if it came with a borrowed name and an expiration date.
He, on the other hand, had just ended a relationship of almost three years.
Wonyoung had been the perfect girlfriend: sweet, organized, patient. Someone with whom he could imagine a future; he had even seen a ring sparkling in his mind whenever he watched her asleep beside him. They had met through mutual friends at a dinner party, and although their connection was initially shy, it soon became habitual. Natural.
But the infatuation slowly died, without scandals or betrayals. Only absences.
He was swamped with work, always arriving late, his mind on a thousand things but her. Wonyoung, for her part, had decided to resume studies she had put on hold years before, in addition to returning to her ballet classes. They began to be like two planets orbiting in different paths.
They didn't argue. But they didn't seek each other out either. They hadn't kissed in months. Intimacy, if it had ever existed, had remained on the surface of kisses on the neck and a few soft bites that now seemed like distant memories.
But he loved her. He loved her with that kind of quiet, serene love that makes no noise. Until, one day, he simply noticed that the relationship no longer felt like a home, but like a friendship without direction.
He sighed, swirling his glass between his fingers.
Heeseung... he had met him shortly before his story with Wonyoung began. From then on, they had been inseparable. A friendship so strong and clear it felt like a second skin. He would always be grateful for that.
"Want a drink? My treat. I'm Zhanghao, by the way."
The voice pulled him from his reverie. He looked up from his glass, and for a second, time seemed to stand still. In front of him was a boy with bright eyes and a smile that contrasted sharply with the dimness of the bar. He could have sworn he was the most handsome boy he had ever seen.
He nodded without saying a word.
Zhanghao smiled more broadly and sat down next to him, ordering two drinks without asking what he wanted. As if he already knew. The conversation started easily. Hao spoke with a gentleness that wasn't intimidating, and with an honesty that made him seem more approachable. Hanbin wasn't much of a talker, but he didn't feel pressured. Hao filled the silences without intruding.
They laughed. They talked about how hard it is to find someone, about draining jobs, about the pain of growing up. Hao asked him if he believed in second chances, and Hanbin just looked at him silently before shrugging.
When Heeseung and Jake came back to get him to leave, Hanbin waved goodbye with a quiet gesture. But before he left, Zhanghao gently took his hand, gave him his phone, and without asking, they exchanged numbers.
"Call me if you ever want to go dancing. Or talk. Or just... not be alone," he said.
And Hanbin, for the first time in weeks, thought maybe he did. Maybe he wanted all of that.