Before California Love • 5

You arrive home at around dinner time. As you enter your apartment, you find Heechul sitting on your couch while watching TV. “Ya! Your shoot ended two hours ago! What took you so long to get home?” he worriedly asks. “We got stuck in a traffic jam. It’s a Friday, remember?” you respond. Heechul acts surprised and asks, “WE?” “Oh, Donghae drove me home.” “He what? How? Why?” he asks as if he has nothing to do with it. “I don’t know. I was also surprised when he showed up at the cafe. He said he was supposed to visit Yesung oppa but he wasn’t there anymore when he arrived. It looked like it was about to rain when I finished so he offered to drive me home,” you explained. Heechul gets up, walks up to you, gives you a little kiss on the top of your head, and says, “It’s been a long day for you. Why don’t you take a seat while I make us some tea?” He then proceeds to the kitchen while you throw your body face down onto your couch until you suddenly get reminded of something that happened earlier that made you get back up in an instant, “HEENIM! HIS PLAYLIST! OH MY GOD, HIS PLAYLIST!” you shouted as you ran towards the kitchen where Heechul was busy preparing your drink. “What the fuck is wrong with Lee Donghae’s playlist? Please don’t tell me he played a Justin Bieber song again?” he asks while trying to stop himself from laughing. “Would you believe me if I say he listens to MY kind of music? Because I don’t, but he does!” you respond. “And we’re talking about his playlist because…?” You ignore his question because you already know that he knows the answer. He knows exactly that the next thing that makes you interested in a guy after looking at the nice pair of shoes they’re wearing is the type of music they listen to.

After dropping you off, Donghae makes a phone call to his best friend, “Hyuk! Where are you?” “Onyongnyongnyong!” Hyukjae annoyingly answers. “Ya! We need to talk. Let’s go get dinner,” Donghae says hastily. “What’s with the sudden invite? I’m at the dorm and Kyu’s already cooking dinner.” “I’m coming over for dinner then.” Donghae drives to the dorm as the traffic starts to subside and arrives in under fifteen minutes. He enters the passcode on the front door and walks to the kitchen to find Kyuhyun cooking and Hyukjae seated at the dining table. “What urgent matter are we gonna talk about, Donghaek?” Hyukjae asks. “Don’t worry about me overhearing anything ’cause I just want to eat dinner and go straight to bed,” Kyuhyun says. “It’s okay, Kyu, you’ll find out about her sooner or later anyway,” Donghae responds. “Oooooohhh, so it’s about Ja! What stupid thing did you do today?” Hyukjae teases. “Ja? Heechul hyung’s best friend?” Kyuhyun asks. “Yes. You know her?” Donghae asks Kyuhyun back. “Hyung! Of course, I do. She always joins us when we drink at Heechul hyung’s house. We’re pretty good friends.” “So, what did you do???” Hyukjae interrupts. “I picked her up from her shoot today and drove her home,” Donghae responds shyly, as he buries his face in his hands. “What’s wrong with that?” Hyukjae asks. “I don’t know, but it just feels weird that I’m doing things for a girl I like while knowing that one of my brothers used to have a thing for her,” Donghae responds. “Yeah, that’s against the ‘bro code’, but you said you already talked to Heechul hyung about it?” Hyukjae asks while turning his head towards Kyuhyun’s direction to see him shaking his head while eavesdropping. “Yes, we did, about two weeks ago. He said he no longer has feelings for her and that their friendship matters more to him than having a romantic relationship. He gave me permission to date her and told me to ask him for help if I needed anything,” Donghae explains. “What’s stopping you then?” “That’s why I’m here! I need help! I don’t think I’ll be able to stop now because I’ve already started,” says Donghae with a worried look on his face. “Isn’t that a good thing? There’s something else bothering you, isn’t it?” Hyukjae asks after reading Donghae’s expression.

Kyuhyun finishes setting the table and the three of them start eating. “I just can’t help but feel a little jealous every time I see how Heechul hyung and Ja treat each other. They look out for each other and take care of each other so much. I feel like I’ll have a hard time working my way into that,” Donghae says. “Hyung, can I say something? I thought I never have to speak up, but I feel like I have to because I’ve been with the both of them more times than you have,” Kyuhyun asks Donghae. “Please, Kyu, tell me everything.” “There is nothing you, or even we, could do with how those two treat each other. One of the reasons they became best friends is that they treat each other the way they want their best friends to treat them. But trust me, they never gave off that ‘more than friends’ vibe. Heechul hyung knows his limits even if he used to have a thing for her. I also know that Ja is interested in someone else. They’re inseparable though, a package deal of some sorts,” Kyuhyun explains. “Yes, I know she’s interested in someone else. Heechul hyung told me that also. Do you know who it is?” Donghae asks. Kyuhyun looks at Donghae, smiles, then shakes his head. Hyukjae seems to get the message but Donghae looks clueless and still didn’t get the hint. Knowing what’s already going on in Donghae’s head, Hyukjae says to him, “Ya! Just enjoy the thrill of the chase. You might get discouraged if you find out who he is. Or not.”