Dlbn: Hello, everyone! Welcome to another chapter!

Nbld: We've been so busy with work, there hasn't been any time to update. But, here we are.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but some names and Sangwoo's aunt and uncle. I make NO money off writing this. Anything canon to Killing Stalking is the property of Koogi.

Dedication: Happy one year anniversary to my husband. We've only been married three months, but we've been together for an entire year (as of the 17th). I couldn't imagine my life without you, baby.

Dedication 2: Congratulations to Laura and Andrew on their wedding (also as of the 17th)! It was such an honor to be a part of everything and see you two celebrate your new life together, Have a safe trip home (he was born/raised here but moved to another state for college, where she elected to stay and met him. They had the wedding here because her friends and family couldn't go to them)!

000

Next door, Sangwoo ate his dinner with mild disinterest. His uncle was working late to cover for a coworker, so it was just him and auntie.

"Something on your mind, Sangwoo?" She asked gently, knowing that prodding too much would make him clam up.

"Not really." He replied. "Just thinking."

"About…?"

He looked up at her with a small, false smile of sincerity. "I'm not happy with Jieun. Her voice grates on my ears, and the way she treats Bum…" He paused. "Sometimes I want to smack her, but I won't be a woman beater; not like my father…"

She paused eating. "I...had a feeling something strange was going on...but your mother wasn't about to speak up, and I couldn't force you to…"

He shrugged. "I'm not sure that I would have either way."

"I suppose…" A pause as she chewed her food. "If you're not happy with her; leave her. I haven't even met her, but if the stories I'd heard from Bum are true, I'm pretty sure I never want to…"

"She wants me to come over for dinner to meet her parents Friday night...I'm not sure if I have the strength in me to fake a night with them…"

Auntie chuckled. "It's just one night, dear. If it's uncomfortable, use it as an excuse to dump her."

"I'm pretty sure she'd use me dumping her against Bum, blaming him somehow…" Sangwoo paused. "I can't say he isn't a factor here…"

"Because of how she treats him?"

"Not just that…"

"Then what...oh…?" She wiped her mouth. "Is he aware…?"

"What? That I'm attracted to him? Fuck no." He waited for her to scold him for cursing before speaking again. "I'm pretty sure I'd scare him off. He's so timid…"

"Not when you're here. Believe me, Sangwoo, it was worse when you were gone. I haven't seen that boy smile in such a long time...not that I see him often. He keeps to himself."

"Because of his uncle."

"I can't stand him…"

"I'm ninety-five percent sure that Bum can't either." Sangwoo admitted. "And I'm pretty sure he's getting hurt…"

"That's been my suspicion for years, but he won't confirm it."

"That black eye he had when we were kids...the second year I came to visit while he was here?"

"He got hurt at school. A fight, right?"

"His uncle did it."

"When did he tell you this?"

"That same day...when we were alone…"

"And you didn't say anything…?"

"What could I have done, hm?" Sangwoo slumped in his seat. "It's bad enough I have feelings for the guy, but if I had told on his uncle, I'm pretty sure he'd never be allowed to see me again…"

"It wouldn't surprise me…" She sighed. "Some things are better left unsaid, I suppose...I just hope it hasn't gotten worse over the years, you know? I'm pretty sure his uncle wouldn't do anything if he knows you're around because you'd catch onto it."

"I guess the drunk isn't such a dumb fuck after all."

"I'll excuse the language this once, Sangwoo, but that's it." She wagged her fork at him. "Look, it comes down to this. You're happy with Bum, you're not happy with Jieun. You're with her to protect him from backlash if you were to break up and she blamed him. You're so concerned with taking care of Bum that you've forgotten to take care of yourself…"

"I'm taking care of myself...you think I want to feel like this for the guy? I don't. He's my best friend, and we're both dudes." Sangwoo stated. "I guess a part of me is with Jieun to keep that other side of me to myself…"

"So...is it just Bum...or…?"

"Just Bum...I'm not into guys. Never have been...but there's just something about him…"

She pat his hand gently. "Whatever you decide on, Sangwoo, I'm here for you, okay? Both of you. If you want to stay with Jieun and be miserable, be my guest. But I'd be lying if I said the only people that would be happy if you two ended were you and me."

"What are you talking about…?" He cocked an eyebrow.

"I've seen the way Bum looks at you when he thinks no one is looking. It's the same way your uncle looks at me, that you look at Bum...if you told him how you feel I'm rather certain it would be...reciprocated…"

Sangwoo flushed, finally eating some of his dinner. "Thanks, auntie…"

"Of course."

Their dinner finished in silence, and even as his uncle came home and started a conversation about the lack of sense of the other drivers in Seoul, Sangwoo found his thoughts drifting to Bum. Was auntie right? Did he like him as well? Only one way to find out…

000

Bum stared at Sangwoo as they sat in his parked car in the same spot he'd been dropped off in before.

"You...you're serious…?" Bum wondered.
"Yeah." Sangwoo agreed.

"Why...would she…?" He flushed and looked away finally. "You and me…?"

Sangwoo bit his lip in the corner. He shouldn't have pinned it all on his aunt, he should've came out and just said hey, I'd rather be with you than Jieun, but he didn't. Bum was too precious to him to risk losing him over something like this.

"I don't know…"

Bum looked away, covering his mouth with a hand. Did auntie know? Did Sangwoo like him that way? Was that why…? No, impossible. He was with Jieun; he liked women. But he'd openly admitted he'd never have sex with her, so maybe…

"You...you're straight, right…?"

"Uh...yeah, I guess...?"

"Guess?" Bum turned to look at him. "What do you mean I guess?"

"I have no issue dating women...just the idea of sex with one…" He shuddered. "Particularly Jieun…"

"She gets around, so you're probably safer saying no to her."

"I wouldn't dream of saying yes." Sangwoo admitted. "It's bad enough I'm being dragged to some fancy dinner at her place tomorrow after school…"

"Oh?"

"To meet her parents or some shit. Showing me off like I'm some kind of trophy she has no right to…"

"I have more of a right to do that than she does, and I'm not with you…"

"Do you...want to be…?"

"You think auntie's right, don't you?" Bum flushed. "Am I that obvious…?"

"I guess I do, I mean...wait, you're serious?" Sangwoo's eyebrows rose. "You do…?"

"I...I think…?" Bum flushed. "I don't know...you make me...make me feel strange and I...I don't know..." He paused. "But...you're with Jieun…"

"I'm aware."

"We can't be together…"

"What she doesn't know won't hurt me…"

"Sangwoo, are you encouraging me to help you cheat on Min Jieun?" Bum almost fell over laughing.

The blonde couldn't be serious. This had to be some strange, elaborate dream.

"Maybe…?" Sangwoo looked away. "I don't know…"

"Then I guess we're both dumb shits, huh?" Bum giggled. "I don't know and neither do you."

Sangwoo chuckled. "You've got a point." He turned back, brushing bangs gently from Bum's eyes. "If you're okay with it...then I am, too…"

"Okay with being your side piece?" Bum laughed, leaning back in his seat and pushing the palms of his hands into his eyes. "Yeah...yeah, I'm okay with it. Fuck Jieun."

"You really hate her, don't you?"

"Of course I do." Bum snorted. "She's got you, and I d…"

Sangwoo smirked. "There it is…"

"Shut up, we're both going to be late...we can talk about this tonight, okay?"

Bum gave him a quick kiss on the cheek before blushing like a cherry and escaping the car before Sangwoo could comment on it. He watched the other flush and duck into a shop. Leaning his head on the steering wheel and gripping tight to it, Sangwoo couldn't help but laugh hysterically, almost feeling like he was about to tip over the brink to insanity. Bum liked him. He honest to god liked him, and Sangwoo knew he couldn't lie to him to save his life. And he wanted to be with him, regardless of whether or not he was with Jieun. God have mercy. Sangwoo composed himself, chuckling as he drove away.

Bum leaned his back against the shop door, panting and staring at his feet. Sangwoo asked him to be together, to help him cheat on Jieun. He kissed him-nevermind the location!-and Sangwoo didn't try to hit him. He felt almost giddy. The guy he was ninety percent sure he was in love with wanted to be with him. Someone chose him over Jieun. Someone who liked him as more than a friend? He laughed nervously to himself, slinking down to the floor and holding his head in his hands as his laughter grew stronger. The shopkeeper looked at him with mild concern as she made him a drink she knew he liked. Thank god no one else was in the shop.

"Are you alright, Bum…?" She asked. "You're scaring me…"

He looked up at her, grinning ear to ear. "I think I'm in love…"

000

Bum tried to look at anything that wasn't Sangwoo when he came across him at school. He felt like if he did, anything could make him seem suspicious. Jieun's friends were idiots, but helping her split him and Sangwoo up and stop them from being friends sounded right up their alley. He gave Sangwoo a brief smile when he walked by at lunch, but that was about it. His friends must have noticed something was off about him, because they shared a look before Seungbae cleared his throat.

"Are you...alright…?" He wondered.

"Huh? Yeah, why?" Bum asked.

"You're acting off…" Kyung commented. "Like avoiding Sangwoo…"

"Avoiding him?" Bum asked. "No, I'm not…"

"Everyone knows he's been giving you rides home. Now you won't even look in his direction."

"I just...I don't want to cause trouble...I know it makes Jieun mad…"

"So? You don't like her."

"Yeah...but he's my friend…"

Seungbae rolled his eyes. "So for his sake, you're avoiding him?"

"No...just not…" Bum sighed, slumping down in his seat. "I met someone…"

"And…?" Seungbae wondered.

"He...er...Sangwoo knows who it is...and...I don't know, I'm worried I may have freaked him out with it...I guess I'm being an idiot."

"Why do you think that?" Kyung wondered. "She's one of his exes or something…?"

"He…"

"Oh!" Kyung laughed. "Well he doesn't seem to give a damn about Bae and I, so…"

"Stop calling me that, would you?" Seungbae sighed. "You know I don't like it…"

"You know it's funny." Kyung chuckled, leaning his chin on his hand. "Your name sets me right up for it~"

"That's...why I hate it…" Seungbae adjust his glasses.

"Anyway." Kyung turned to Bum. "Relax. He's your friend, he's not going to care who you're with if you're not getting hurt."

"Y-Yeah, I guess…" Bum tried not to jolt when Sangwoo pat him on the shoulder as he passed.

"See? Everything's fine. Don't worry so much." Kyung waved it off.

"I-I'll try not to." Bum couldn't help but stare as Sangwoo walked by with Jieun.

This was going to work. He could make this work. He and Sangwoo could have an affair behind Jieun's back, and she'd be none the wiser. She was a bitch, but she was a dumb one at that. This would work, and Jieun could go fuck herself.