"You won't come in?" Kim Dokja asked, one last time.
"No," Yoo Joonghyuk said and Kim Dokja took off his seatbelt. He didn't make any moves to get out of the car though. It was 07:12 on Kim Dokja's phone and 19:12 on Yoo Joonghyuk's.
"It was nice meeting you today," Kim Dokja started. He wasn't as late as he'd thought he would be, he could spend a few more minutes in the car to give Yoo Joonghyuk a proper goodbye.
"I had lots of fun."
"So did I. I missed your singing though," Yoo Joonghyuk said blithely. Kim Dokja rolled his eyes.
"Thanks for the ride," Kim Dokja continued. "I wasn't too late thanks to that. I'm sorry you had to drive all this way."
"Don't be," Yoo Joonghyuk said, his fingers shifting on the steering wheel he was holding limply. "I don't mind spending time with you, Dokja-ssi. It was an added bonus, I suppose, a drive with you."
"Should we go on a drive next time then?" Kim Dokja asked. "If that's what you like?"
"I'm fine with anything as long as you're fine with it," said Yoo Joonghyuk and Kim Dokja held in a sigh.
He pulled the charging cable out from the port, detached it from his phone, wound it up the way he had found it and put it back in the glove compartment.
"I'll give you better flowers next time, I wasn't expecting you to actually like it so much," Kim Dokja said, his hands catching the door handle. "I wasn't sure what to get you, for a gift, you know. And my friend suggested flowers. I usually get more practical gifts, but I didn't know what would find useful or if you needed something."
"I'd say the flowers were exactly what I needed," Yoo Joonghyuk shrugged.
"You're too nice, really," Kim Dokja couldn't help but sigh. He opened the car door. "I'll think of a better gift next time, I promise."
Yoo Joonghyuk gave him a strange look that Kim Dokja thought was reminiscent of how he looked at the kids.
Kim Dokja stepped out of the car, adjusting his grip on the bag he was carrying. He closed the door behind him and Yoo Joonghyuk pressed a button by his door, rolling the window down.
"How were the dumplings?" he asked.
"Delicious," Yoo Joonghyuk replied. "I want to make them sometime. It's been a long time since I've done that."
"Call me when you do," Kim Dokja grinned. "I'd love to gobble up some dumplings."
Yoo Joonghyuk chuckled. "I'll keep that in mind and make lots for you."
"Mm, I'll be waiting," Kim Dokja searched his mind for anything else that he could say. "The cake, in the fridge. You can have it Uriel Noona later. It's a shame she couldn't come with us today."
"She would've just monopolized you," Yoo Joonghyuk huffed. "Remember what I said, Dokja-ssi? I'd like to have you for myself."
"Ah, it's like that? I see," Kim Dokja nodded. "I understand. Let's sneak away together without anyone else."
"I'm in," said Yoo Joonghyuk. Kim Dokja took a step away from the car.
"It's going to get dark soon," he said. "Drive carefully. There'll be a lot of headlights on the road, can't strain your sensitive eyes now, can we?"
Yoo Joonghyuk gave him an exasperated glare recognising the jibe at his age. Kim Dokja snickered, rather proud of himself for sneaking that in.
"Happy birthday again, Joonghyuk-ssi," Kim Dokja said brightly. "I hope you have a lot more birthdays with a lot more happiness."
"So you can tease me more about my age?" Yoo Joonghyuk said curtly but his eyes that met Kim Dokja's were soft. Kim Dokja found himself smiling wider.
"It's a life-long deal, Joonghyuk-ssi. It isn't my fault you were born before me. It's just going to be that way from now on. . .You know, you'll start greying soon."
Yoo Joonghyuk closed his eyes and heaved a sigh that had Kim Dokja laughing.
"You'll still look handsome though, so the karaoke machine will favour you, don't worry."
"Dokja-ssi...what are you even saying?"
"Whatever comes to mind," Kim Dokja shrugged airily. "Well, then. Bye. See you next week, Joonghyuk-ssi."
Yoo Joonghyuk looked like he wanted to say something, but then with a frown, he sighed out his words.
"See you next week, Dokja-ssi," he nodded, gripping the steering wheel properly.
"I know I was joking, but do drive safely," Kim Dokja raised a hand in goodbye.
"I will," Yoo Joonghyuk nodded. "Have fun with your friends."
Kim Dokja waved Yoo Joonghyuk off and watched the car drive down the long road and turn the corner, then he made his way towards Yoo Joonghyuk's flat. He was around half an hour late, but that's still better than what it would have been if he had taken the train.
Yoo Joonghyuk's fuming face greeted him when the door opened after he rang the bell.
Kim Dokja blinked up at him.
Strange. He wasn't the kind to forget people's faces, but for a second there Yoo Joonghyuk's face seemed a little odd without the scars and the heterochromia.
Did he spend too much time with the other Yoo Joonghyuk? Is that why his face was the first thing that came to mind?
"You're late," Yoo Joonghyuk said angrily.
And that was again, a little strange, his voice. Why was he seeing the other Yoo Joonghyuk over this guy now?
"I'm sorry," Kim Dokja said walking into the house when Yoo Joonghyuk stepped aside and let him in. "I told you I was going to be a little late. I didn't mean for it to happen."
Kim Dokja took off his shoes and counted the seconds in his head, timing it with the hasty plodding of footsteps coming in his direction. He put the bag he was holding on the shoestand. It should happen right about now—
"Ahjussi!"
"Hyung!"
He caught the little kids the second they collided with him. . .Not so little anymore, huh? They'd almost knocked him down with the force of just hugs.
"Sorry I'm late," he said, extracting his hands from where they were squashed against his body by Yoosung and Gilyoung.
"Is it him? Is he here?"
More footsteps were heard and he saw Lee Jihye pop her head out before yelling back, "Yeah! Ahjussi's here!"
With a haughty huff, Yoo Joonghyuk stormed back into the house and left Kim Dokja to grab the bag he'd placed on the shoe stand and follow him with the kids.
"Did you guys start the party?" Kim Dokja asked.
"No, we were waiting for you, Ahjussi," said Yoosung.
"There's no party without you, Hyung," Gilyoung said seriously. "A party without you is like a Christmas tree without the star."
". . .But Yoo Joonghyuk's the star of today's party."
"That's right!" a wild Yoo Mia jumped in front of him, glaring up at him accusingly, hands on her hips. "It's my Oppa's birthday, how dare you be late, you ugly squid!"
"Yoo Mia," Yoo Joonghyuk said warningly.
"You ugly squid Ahjussi," Yoo Mia amended a politer insult.
"I'm terribly sorry, Yoo Mia-nim," Kim Dokja bowed deeply. "Please, forgive me. I shall make sure not to repeat such a mistake."
"Stop spoiling her," Yoo Joonghyuk snapped at him when Mia let out a pleased, "Hmph."
"You keep dancing to her drum and she thinks she'll get anything she wants just by throwing a tantrum."
"I don't," Mia pouted.
"She doesn't," Kim Dokja agreed, walking into the room and smiling at everyone already settled, clearly waiting for the last arrival. "Mia is a smart girl who knows how to act."
"That's right," Mia said proudly. "I know only Ahjussi's the pushover."
Yoo Joonghyuk's frown stayed put even as Kim Dokja ruffled Mia's hair and almost got his hand bitten off.
"Ahjussi, we've been waiting for you," Lee Jihye said very gravely. "You have a lot to tell us."
"What about?" asked Kim Dokja.
Lee Jihye opened her mouth, but Jung Heewon interrupted her by clapping her hands loudly.
"Let's get the party started first, shall we? We've been waiting for a while," she said.
"We're staying the night anyway," Han Sooyoung said, not bothering to stifle her yawn. "We'll tie him down and interrogate then."
"Nice idea," Lee Jihye nodded.
"Do we have rope?" said Jang Hayoung.
Kim Dokja was a little concerned for his well-being.
The house and its occupants got moving, bustling around, Yoo Joonghyuk brought out the cake, Kim Dokja checked his phone charge and got ready to take the pictures, Lee Hyunsung woke up Kim Namwoon who was nodding off and Yoo Sangah pushed Han Sooyoung's legs off the sofa's armrest.
"I'm nineteen now, Ahjussi," Lee Jihye said, coming over to his side to peep over his shoulder and see what he was doing on his phone. "I can legally drink now."
"We're all drinking today?" Kim Dokja said, a little worried.
"Yeah, that's the plan," Lee Jihye grinned broadly. "And don't think you can escape, Ahjussi. Hayoung Unnie's gone to look for rope."
"What?"
Lee Jihye sauntered off to help her Master, leaving behind a now, very concerned Kim Dokja.
They sang the birthday song, clapping to the beat and Yoo Joonghyuk looked every bit like an angry cat dropped into water.
Kim Dokja thought of the older Yoo Joonghyuk had wondered if he had given up too easily. Maybe he should have been a little more stubborn and dragged the man here, that way he would have had more people around him to celebrate happy moments.
Well, Kim Dokja supposed he was biased. These people were his good friends, but that wasn't the case for Yoo Joonghyuk. Of course, Yoo Joonghyuk wouldn't find their forced company comfortable. Things might have been different if they were friends, but since it wasn't so, Kim Dokja had no right to drag the man up here and force him to sit through something he didn't want to be there for.
"Little cake for me, just a small slice will do," Kim Dokja said as Yoo Joonghyuk divided the large cake up for everyone.
Yoo Joonghyuk frowned at him.
"Eat," he ordered. "You, did you even have lunch?"
"Of course, I did," Kim Dokja huffed. He supposed he was going to end up feeding bits of his large cake slice to the kids. He'd already had enough sweets for the day, he felt.
The dining room in Yoo Joonghyuk's flat was a lot larger than the one in Kim Dokja's apartment, but it still couldn't house thirteen people. The dining table itself was made for four.
They settled around in the living room. Just as they were used to Kim Dokja's old apartment and had their own spots when they came over, they had familiarized themselves with Yoo Joonghyuk's flat as well.
Kim Dokja found himself on the floor, his back against the sofa, Mia sitting right over him on the sofa, if she stretched her legs, she could throw them over Kim Dokja's shoulders, but since everyone was eating right now, she sat cross-legged and pulled her skirt over her knees neatly.
Just as Yoosung and Gilyoung flagged Kim Dokja's either side on the floor by the sofa, Yoo Joonghyuk and Lee Seolhwa sat with Mia in the middle, leaving a little space for the kids. The large sofa that could have five people sit comfortably only held three now because of their seating arrangement.
Han Sooyoung was lounging in the other armchair in the living room. Yoo Sangah, Lee Hyunsung, Jung Heewon and Jang Hayoung took the four chairs they had dragged out from the dining room. Lee Jihye was perched on Mia's old pink little chair that was brought out from her room, Kim Namwoon was on the floor next to her.
Dinner progressed pleasantly, Kim Dokja listening to everyone speaking, catching bits of the others' conversations every time he zoned out a little as the kids told him all about their sleepover earlier that day and their plans for the night before they went to bed.
Then they made Yoo Joonghyuk open his presents.
Kim Dokja and Han Sooyoung chortled and guffawed when they presented their identical kitchen knife set and Yoo Joonghyuk looked ready to stab them with it. He always got tons of kitchen knives, mostly from Han Sooyoung, when he didn't need one! And they always got him the crappiest knives, according to him.
The first time she'd got him kitchen knives, years ago, Yoo Joonghyuk really liked it and for perhaps the first and last time ever, said, "Thank you, Han Sooyoung."
Han Sooyoung was touched by his words, but she'd rather die before admitting it and instead, she had gagged and said, "Geez, now I have to get rid of this cringe you've spread onto me."
She got him kitchen knives for his birthday every year since.
"Now, now, don't commit crimes," Kim Dokja danced out of the way and pulled out his next present. "Tada!"
He presented the wooden cutting board set to Yoo Joonghyuk who paused.
"You said you needed to buy one last time," Kim Dokja handed it over to Yoo Joonghyuk who took it calmly.
It had been nearly a month since Yoo Joonghyuk had mentioned his cutting board getting old and wanting to replace it. It was just a passing comment, but Kim Dokja remembered it.
Guess he didn't get to buy a new one and Kim Dokja's gift would come in handy. That's good. Being friends with Yoo Joonghyuk for so long, Kim Dokja knew just what kind he liked.
He thought of the flowers he had given the older Yoo Joonghyuk and felt the guilt shadow his mind. Next time, he told himself. Next time, he would do his research, he would learn more about the man and give him something better than just silly flowers.
Once dinner was done, all the plates were dumped in the kitchen and they sat around, chatting lazily. The kids went off to play in Mia's room and Lee Jihye, almost quivering with excitement, brought out the drinks they had put in the refrigerator.
"We said she could drink with us. Better with us than outside somewhere irresponsibly," Jung Heewon told Kim Dokja. "She'll probably get knocked out with a single beer anyway."
"So," Han Sooyoung said loudly, a predatory glint in her eye as she looked at Kim Dokja who had just picked up a cold can of beer.
Ah, it was coming.
"Nice outfit."
She was going for the kill.
Kim Dokja caught the metal tab with his finger and pulled, the can popping open with a fizz. His original plan had been to get home with sufficient time left, and change into the white shirt he wore usually in hopes that it would spare him this interrogation. But since he'd been running terribly late, that plan went down the drain.
"Thanks," he said. "It was a gift from Seolhwa-ssi."
Lee Seolhwa looked surprised at her mention.
"A gift from me, Dokja-ssi?" she said and Kim Dokja nodded
"I mean, it's been a while," Kim Dokja glanced down at the shirt he was wearing. "I think it's been six years? Seven years? Somewhere around that time."
"Remember that aquarium visit? Well, someone—" He glared at Han Sooyoung. "—Messed up my closet and everything was lying around everywhere and I found this. I really should have worn it often, shame I don't get the chance to."
Let's see who wins. Kim Dokja's silver tongue or his friends' persistence.
Lee Seolhwa would have obviously forgotten that she'd given him something like that. It wasn't particularly memorable and it had been around seven years, anyone would forget about it. Kim Dokja just had the habit of making a note of all the things he had received as presents from his friends over the years. It came in handy at times like this.
"The important question is," Kim Namwoon interrupted. "Why were you late?"
"Right, right!" Lee Jihye snapped her fingers. "Why were you late, Ahjussi? You're never late."
"Really?" Kim Dokja said casually, sipping his beer. "I've been late many times, what are you saying?"
Was he never late? He was pretty sure he'd. . .Ah, he would have never been late for anything that was related to Yoo Joonghyuk.
"I forgot to check the time," Kim Dokja said with a soft sigh. "I was with Yoo Joonghyuk—the other Yoo Joonghyuk and I lost track of time. He even had to give me a ride to my place so that I'd make it here faster."
"So you were going on a date," Jang Hayoung cried, almost accusatory.
"No? Where did that come from?"
"Don't bother," Jung Heewon snorted. "He's going to give you the same bullshit. What about the sunflowers?"
Kim Dokja stared at the woman.
"How did you know that?" he said.
"Holy shit! You actually did that?!" Han Sooyoung chortled devilishly. "I was just joking when I said flowers, you actually got him flowers?"
That witch. . .Whatever. Yoo Joonghyuk liked it and that's all that mattered.
"How did you know I got sunflowers?" Kim Dokja repeated his question. He would have understood if she said 'flowers', Han Sooyoung could have given a clue. But sunflowers? He didn't tell anyone about what he'd bought Yoo Joonghyuk.
"Aaah, why're we even doing this?" Lee Jihye huffed loudly, a little pink tinge on her cheeks. She was starting to get drunk already? It wasn't even a single beer.
"Why're we pretending? Don't even think of lying, Ahjussi," she pointed a finger at Kim Dokja. "We already know everything."
"Know what?"
"That you were on a date with that other Yoo Joonghyuk guy," said Jang Hayoung, her shoulders slouched as she drew a long, loud, slurp from her beer.
"Hey, hey, Kim Namwoon," Lee Jihye kicked the young man next to her. "Get up. Here—" She grabbed the black plastic cover from the floor and rumpled it up into a weird lump before handing it to Kim Namwoon.
"You be Kim Dokja," she said, getting to her own feet with a little wobble. "I'll be that Yoo Joonghyuk dude."
Kim Dokja heard Han Sooyoung's cackle and Lee Seolhwa's giggle and wondered what the fuck was going on.
"Why am I Kim Dokja?" Kim Namwoon grumbled.
"You think you can be Yoo Joonghyuk?" Lee Jihye sneered. "Shut up and do what I said."
"What?" Kim Namwoon whined. "It's not Captain anyway. I bet this guy's a wimp."
"So you're saying you're a wimp?"
"Stop twisting my words! I'm saying he's taller, no? And I'm taller, so obviously, I should be Yoo Joonghyuk."
"I'll give you a kick up where the sun don't shine. See who's taller then!"
"Captain! Lee Jihye's drunk and threatening me!"
Yoo Joonghyuk pinched the bridge of his nose with a grimace.
"Argh, whatever," Lee Jihye kicked Kim Namwoon's shin for good measure and snatched the black plastic bag from his hands. "I'll be Kim Dokja, you fucking baby."
Lee Jihye positioned herself on one end of the room and sent Kim Namwoon to the other.
"Camera, rolling," Han Sooyoung called, catching on and taking the role of the director as the other two straightened their shoulders. "Action!"
Kim Dokja watched as Lee Jihye put on a wide smile on her face, and put a hand into the air, waving wildly. Kim Namwoon, who was standing across the room waved just as enthusiastically.
Then Lee Jihye did an exaggerated slow-motion run towards Kim Namwoon, the plastic bag rustling in her hands.
"Kim Dokja!" Kim Namwoon cried in a high-pitched nasally voice that made Lee Jihye stumble on her run across the room. Kim Dokja stared, baffled. Lee Hyunsung choked on his drink and Jung Heewon snorted loudly.
"Hey!" Lee Jihye reprimanded Kim Namwoon as the rest of them laughed. "They said he's a big, ripped guy like Hyunsung Oppa. What's with that voice?"
"Why're you being so pretentious?" Kim Namwoon fired back. "You don't know what he sounds like. He could sound like that, what? Why? You're going to discriminate against him?"
"Kim Namwoon, you're out," Lee Jihye barked. "Hayoung Unnie, you take his place. This idiot's useless."
Kim Namwoon was replaced easily by Jang Hayoung and they took their positions in the living room again.
"Rolling," Han Sooyoung said, clearing her throat. "And action!"
Lee Jihye grinned and gave a wild wave which was responded to in kind by Jang Hayoung before Lee Jihye broke into that stupid slo-mo run again.
"Kim Dokja," Jang Hayoung said, lowering her voice on purpose.
"Yoo Joonghyuk!" Lee Jihye simpered, still only halfway through her slow-motion run across the room.
Han Sooyoung was already banging her fist on the armrest, writhing with laughter in the armchair.
"Kim Dokja!"
"Yoo Joonghyuk!"