26 and 27

Byeol woke up in a cold sweat.

Many seasons had passed since the trio's falling out. At first, he thought about it every day, then, once a week, once a month, and finally, once a year.

When their birth month came around, he couldn't shake them off of his head. That night, he dreamed of his childhood friends, who were now as distant as any stranger to him.

A few days ago, Byeol went out of his way to discover their social media. He didn't reach out to them though, he just wanted to make sure they were well.

Byeol fished for his phone that was hidden on the bed sheets. Unlocking it and opening Instagram, he typed Eunchae's username. Hyunsik wasn't as active as she was on social media.

There were a couple of pictures on her newest post. At a nightclub, the flashes beamed on her and other people's faces and the colored lights varied their hue in each image, mostly from red to purple and blue. The caption simply read: "27".

Park Eunchae was a fully grown woman now. The experiences and troubles that came with aging showed on her face. Nevertheless, she was as stunning as ever.

In the pictures, she wore a red dress with heels of the same color and her ears shone brightly with piercings all over. A single string of bleached blonde appeared through her long black hair.

One picture showed a person Byeol didn't know passed out on a sofa while Eunchae posed by them. He smiled at the silliness of the image.

Byeol's heart tightened upon sliding to the last picture.

Standing in an alleyway, a man dressed in casual clothes and holding a lit cigarette between his fingers smiled by Eunchae's side. That man was none other than Hwang Hyunsik.

If his appearance already made old ladies stop and compliment him when they were younger, now he had a face that made anyone of any gender look twice to make sure he was real.

Unlike Park Eunchae, Hyunsik only had a single black piercing on his left ear and his hair kept in a typical style: slightly long on the top, shaved sides and undyed.

Entranced by his looks, Byeol almost made the mistake of liking the post, but thankfully stopped himself. He didn't even follow her, it would be weird of him.

With a sigh, he put his phone by the window above his bed and lazily opened the nightstand drawer, bringing out a worn-out pack of cigarettes and a small purple lighter. When he was about to light a cigarette, a rough hand took the little white cone from his lips.

"Good mornin'!" a shirtless man said, standing by Byeol's bed.

The man's torso and arms were covered with large and small tattoos. His light brown hair was fairly messy, but it didn't look like he had just woken up. And if it weren't for the mischievous smile, you could almost notice the worry behind his voice. "Smoking first thing in the morning again? At least drink some water or something, hyung."

That muscular guy was Byeol's roommate, Solomon. That wasn't his real name, Byeol had guessed some time ago. But he didn't pry into Solomon's personal life since he made it clear he shouldn't get deeply involved in it.

Solomon was Byeol's only friend willing to house him after he quit his job and left his studio apartment two months ago.

The place Byeol previously worked was filled with condescending older people, and because of his innocent and amiable face, they would occasionally ask Byeol for favors or to work overtime in their stead.

Before getting that job, he didn't try to hide his sexuality. Many photos on his feed showed him holding a pride flag or at parades, but that all changed when he found himself in a desperate need for money.

To avoid making things even more awkward at work, Byeol pretended to be straight. He stopped frequenting pride events, going to parties and ended up growing apart from his close friends. There was a point during that year where he felt he was just alive to work.

Solomon appeared before him when he most needed someone. With a sincere and mellow personality, he made Byeol realize that life was way more than a tall building, bad co-workers and making money. Despite knowing him for only a couple of months, Solomon played a big part in his decision to quit.

Aside from being some sort of lackey for a company, Solomon worked as a tattoo artist in his free time. He once offered to teach Byeol so he could work alongside him, and Solomon was the recipient of his first and last attempt at tattooing. The little star he drew was forever engraved on Solomon's hip.

"Breakfast is ready. We are almost out of radish... could you buy some later?" Solomon said while lying down by Byeol's covered legs.

"Sure," he answered with a smile.

Solomon reached his arm and carefully ran his finger through Byeol's bangs, "Your hair is getting really long, huh? Want me to cut it?"

"You know how to cut hair too?" Byeol looked at him in awe.

"Never tried, but there's a first time for everything."

"Pfft. No, thanks."

Solomon shifted his bare torso towards Byeol. "Right, Daehwi hyung opened a café and wanted me to ask if you were down to work part-time there. He said he needed good-looking people like you," he smirked, "he has good taste, I'll give him that."

"Oh, I don't think I have his number. Send me his contact details and I'll talk about it with him."

"Hmph, ok. No cheating on me though, you hear?" Solomon pouted.

Byeol hesitated, "You're crazy," and pushed the covers on Solomon's face before heading to the kitchen. He looked back at his friend who stayed on his bed, "You're not coming?"

"Nah, I woke up at the crack of dawn, boss returned from a trip overseas and all his slaves had to welcome him back. I just came back to make sure hyung ate well," he said, giving Byeol a smile that almost made his heart flutter.

Byeol doubted that was the only reason, though. Knowing Solomon, he was probably trying to avoid work. Even so, Byeol couldn't help but feel touched and tried to hide his face, "Thank you… But you know, I can take care of myself, Mon."

Upon hearing the nickname Byeol had given him, Solomon gleamed. With a cheerful grin, he followed Byeol out of his room, "Unfortunately, I can't be with hyung for too long, boss wants to talk to me... I'm pretty sure I didn't do anything wrong..." Solomon pondered, almost worried.

After a few minutes, Solomon was formally dressed up. At least, the most he could do to look presentable. He walked through the living room with his cellphone in hand, and while checking his calendar, he sat beside Byeol who was glued to the TV, watching the news.

"You got plans for tonight already?" Solomon rested one arm behind Byeol.

Byeol made a brief mental recap of his schedule and looked at his friend, shaking his head, "Don't think so."

"Dang, you only have me in your life, huh?" Solomon teased.

Byeol smiled through a frown and lightly pushed him with his shoulder.

Solomon chuckled at his gesture. "Wanna drink tonight? Gotta celebrate hyungnim's elderliness, after all."

Seeing Byeol's lack of enthusiasm towards his own birthday, Solomon tried to persuade him, "Come on, I'll pay, what do you say, hm? Yes, right? Then, it's settled!"

Deciding for both of them, Solomon headed towards the door, putting his shoes on and a dark jacket over his shoulder, "Be ready by nine!"

Byeol uttered a small "Take care", but his friend had already left.

He smiled by himself. Fortunately, he had a person like that in his life.

Next to the food sitting on the table, Byeol's phone rang.

He took it in his hand and answered without checking the caller.

"Hello?"

The voice he heard almost made his heart stop.

"Happy birthday, son."