Goodnight Kiss.

It was already dark when Joon-Won pulled up in front of Seo-yeon's apartment complex.

The city lights blinked around him, a soft orange haze warming the pavement as he stepped out of the car. He adjusted the sleeves of his navy cashmere sweater simple, fitted, and clean, paired with tailored dark jeans and the same boots he always wore when he wasn't quite sure how casual was too casual.

His fingers hovered for a second before pressing the doorbell.

It opened almost instantly.

"Joon!" Seo-yeon greeted him with a grin that took up her whole face. She had her long hair swept into a loose low bun, her skin glowing from light makeup and skincare. She wore an oversized cream knit sweater that slipped slightly off one shoulder, paired with a deep green silk slip skirt and fuzzy white socks. Elegant and cozy like someone who didn't have to try to look good but somehow always did.

She stepped back to let him in, already talking as she closed the door behind him.

"I was just starting to wonder if you'd change your mind. Tae's in the kitchen playing housewife — don't flatter him, he's barely poured the wine."

Joon let out a breath of quiet laughter. "Thanks for inviting me over, Seo."

"Oh please," she waved off, "you think I'd let Tae-hyun drink that whole bottle alone and spiral dramatically into voice notes about your collarbones again?"

"…He sent you voice notes?"

"Unfortunately."

Before Joon could process that, a familiar voice called from the kitchen.

"You're here."

Joon turned, and there was Tae-hyun.

He wasn't in his usual half-formal layers or oversized cozy wear.

He wore a black ribbed turtleneck, tight and slightly cropped.. tucked into soft gray sweatpants that rode low on his hips. His hair was a little tousled, his lips glossed pink with wine, and his feet bare. The outfit was casual, yes but there was something sharp about it too. Something that made Joon's breath catch a second longer than it should have.

He'd seen Tae like this before. But he hadn't noticed.

Not until that night on the bed, when Tae leaned forward with that wicked grin and asked if he'd ever bottomed. Not until that memory began living rent-free in his skull.

Now everything Tae did seemed to carry another edge.

"Wine's breathing," Tae said, lifting the bottle with a raised brow. "I picked a sherry. Thought I'd tempt Seo with sugar."

"You tempt no one," Seo-yeon deadpanned as she floated toward the couch. "You're just good at making men nervous."

Joon looked away, trying to hide the way his jaw clenched lightly.

He followed them into the living room, taking the seat Tae motioned toward. The space was soft and warm fairy lights lit up the bookshelves, candles flickered near the low coffee table, and the whole apartment smelled like cinnamon and red fruit.

Tae poured the wine carefully, handing Joon his glass last.

Their fingers brushed.

It wasn't even intentional. Just the natural graze of skin on glass.

But it jolted them both a little.

Seo-yeon flopped beside Joon with a throw pillow in her lap and took a deep sip. "So. Are we drinking in awkward silence or should we pretend we're emotionally mature adults for a second?"

Joon exhaled a dry laugh, then turned toward her, expression softening.

"Actually, before anything… I wanted to say I'm sorry. For putting you in a weird spot. With Ha-eun. With all of this. I know you've been sort of… in the middle."

Seo blinked, surprised by his directness. Then she smiled, sincere this time.

"Joon-won," she said, "you didn't put me anywhere. The two of you just finally admitted things out loud, that's all. And I like Ha-eun. I like you. And I love Tae. So no weird spots here."

Tae-hyun cleared his throat, setting the bottle down.

"She's not lying. She literally doesn't care about taking sides. She's here for the gossip and to emotionally supervise me."

"Also true," Seo chimed in, sipping again.

Joon shook his head, smiling despite himself. Then his eyes flicked once more to Tae-hyun to the way he'd folded one leg under him, long fingers wrapped loosely around his wine glass, the faint muscle definition visible beneath the cling of his turtleneck.

The image from that night of Tae straddling him, smirking, teasing pulsed behind his eyes.

And now, seated next to Seo, playful and confident, the light catching just right on his cheekbone..

'This version of him is new. Or maybe… I just never let myself see it before.'

Joon took a slow sip of wine, throat tight for half a second.

Tae caught the look.

And smiled, like he already knew what he was doing.

The three of them settled into an easy warmth after the wine had settled in their bodies, glasses half-full, cheeks a little pink, conversation light and teasing.

Tae-hyun sat cross-legged on the couch now, tucked close beside Seo-yeon while Joon-Won lounged on the opposite end. His glass dangled in one hand, lips stained a shade darker than usual. He looked a little too comfortable, a little too charming for Tae's safety.

So when he leaned forward suddenly, eyes flicking to her with an almost impish glint, Seo immediately narrowed hers.

"Oh no," she said.

"What?" Joon feigned innocence. "I was just thinking…"

"Mmhm."

He turned to Tae, already smiling. "You told me she kept asking you all these questions about us."

Tae-hyun's head snapped toward him.

Joon turned back to Seo, spreading his arms mock-casually. "Well. I'm here now. Ask away. Unlike Tae-hyun, I don't keep secrets."

"You asshole," Tae laughed, kicking lightly at his shin. "You said you wouldn't say anything—!"

"I lied," Joon said smoothly, sipping his wine again.

Seo's eyes sparkled. "Oh this is exactly what I needed tonight."

"No—Seo, no, don't reward him—!"

But it was already over. She'd turned her full attention on Joon-Won, eyes predatory, playful.

"Alright. Let's start simple," she said, sitting up straighter. "First time you realized you wanted to sleep with him."

Tae gasped. "Seo!"

"What?" she said, smiling. "I'm being gentle."

Joon didn't even blink. "Bar. Two weeks after dinner. He wore a button-down and talked about how some people liked to be controlled while touching on me."

Tae's mouth fell open. "That's not—!"

"And his thighs," Joon added, gesturing vaguely toward Tae. "You don't really notice them until he sits down in front of you and starts talking about being a bottom."

"Oh my god—"

Seo laughed so hard she nearly dropped her glass. "I knew it. I knew it—you always had a type, Tae."

"I don't have a—!"

"Yes you do," she cut in smoothly. "Tall. Muscular. Quiet. Deep voice. Dominant energy. Sad eyes. Slightly emotionally unavailable."

Joon choked on his wine and chuckled lightly. "Wow."

"I'm not even offended," he added, raising his hand. "She's… not wrong."

"You're encouraging her—!" Tae whined.

Seo placed her hand gently on Tae's shoulder like a kindergarten teacher trying to calm a child mid-tantrum. "Let the adults talk, sweetheart."

Tae's face turned redder. "Unbelievable."

Joon smirked, clearly enjoying every second of this.

"Alright, next question," Seo said, resting her chin on her hand, all eyes on Joon. "What was it like the first time you kissed him?"

Joon leaned back slightly, gaze flicking to Tae-hyun across the couch. His voice dropped, a little softer now. "It was… rougher than I expected. But also very… intentional. Like he wanted to show me how bad he wanted me."

Tae covered his face. "Stop—"

"And then at some point when I showed him what being controlled was like, he got flustered for two whole days afterward," Joon added with a wicked grin. "Wouldn't make eye contact. Blushed when I texted."

"I hate you."

"You love me."

Seo sipped. "Oh trust me, He really does."

They all laughed again, the air light and free. The warmth between them wasn't just wine, it was familiarity, trust. Tae slowly dropped his hands from his face, letting out a long-suffering sigh that barely hid his smile.

"You're both evil," he muttered.

Then Seo tilted her head, her expression softening slightly.

"You know," she said, glancing between them. "I've seen it. Since dinner. Something between you two was definitely going on."

Both Joon and Tae stilled a little.

"Not just flirting," she clarified. "Not just attraction. Something more. And when I saw how you talked about each other after… I knew it wasn't going to stay casual."

Tae looked down at his wine glass.

Joon's voice was quiet. "You saw it before we did."

"Of course I did," she said gently. "That's what best friends are for. I know Tae better than he knows himself sometimes."

She turned to Joon again, leaned forward slightly, and lowered her voice just enough to make it feel like something shared in confidence.

"And don't worry," she whispered, "I won't tell Ha-eun."

Joon blinked.

"I like her. I really do. But she's not like me. If she finds out, she'll think it's betrayal. She won't try to understand it. Not the way I do."

Seo sat back, swirling her wine.

"So don't screw this up."

Joon nodded slowly, lips parted slightly like he wanted to say something but couldn't quite find the words.

Then Tae-hyun slid a little closer, curling into Seo's side like a child caught in the middle of two parents talking quietly at the dinner table.

"I missed this," he murmured.

"Wine nights?"

"Us."

Seo sighed. "Yeah. Me too."

Joon looked down at his glass.

And despite the teasing, the laughter, the jokes it hit him how rare this feeling was. The safety. The intimacy. The strange, unexpected calm of being understood… even if no one dared say what this was out loud yet.

But maybe that didn't matter tonight.

⸻

Seo-yeon let out a long stretch, lifting her arms above her head as she set her empty glass down.

"Alright," she said, pushing herself up from the couch. "I'm gonna check on Min-jun and grab water. You two behave."

Joon raised a brow playfully. "Define behave."

She shot him a glare over her shoulder as she walked out. "No making out on my furniture unless I'm here to watch."

Tae-hyun's eyes widened. "What—!"

Her laughter echoed down the hallway.

The moment she disappeared around the corner, the room quieted again. The kind of quiet that settled too easily between two people who'd already crossed too many lines to pretend they hadn't.

Tae-hyun glanced toward the hallway, then toward Joon, who was swirling the last of his wine lazily, ankle resting over one knee. His shirt sleeves were rolled up, showing the veins along his forearm, the curve of his wrist where his wedding ring no longer sat.

"How was it?" Tae asked softly.

Joon looked up.

"The visit," Tae added. "With Ha-eun. Your son."

Joon set his glass down, expression growing gentler. "It was… calm. Familiar. Kind of strange being back in that space after almost a week, though."

"Did Eun-woo ask anything?"

Joon shook his head. "No. Just hugged me and pulled me to the floor like nothing happened."

Tae smiled. "That sounds like him."

"Yeah," Joon said, gaze softening. "He made me eat these little cookies he helped bake with Ha-eun. They were… aggressively sweet."

Tae chuckled.

There was a quiet stretch again.

Then Joon added, "Ha-eun's doing fine. She says Seo's been visiting a lot."

"Mhm," Tae said, leaning back into the cushions. "She comes over when I get home from work sometimes. She tries to act like she's not checking in on me, but she is."

"Checking in, or trying to get more information out of you?"

"Both," Tae muttered, then paused before asking gently, "Did you tell her anything?"

"No," Joon said quickly. "I don't think she wants to know. Not really."

"Yeah," Tae murmured. "She wouldn't understand."

Another silence. But this one was heavier, more charged.

Tae turned his head slightly, studying Joon out of the corner of his eye. His voice dropped.. smooth, speculative.

"You know…"

Joon glanced at him.

Tae was clearly looking, really looking at him now. Letting his gaze wander with slow, quiet interest. He trailed it over the slope of Joon's throat, the way his shirt clung to his chest, how his legs stretched wide in the relaxed way only a man with confidence sat.

"I keep thinking," Tae murmured, "about how you sound when you're being destroyed."

Joon blinked. "Tae—"

"And I wonder," he continued, barely a husky whisper, "how you'd sound if you were begging and whimpering."

Joon's breath hitched audibly.

"Like really," Tae murmured, eyes half-lidded now, mouth curled at one corner. "I keep wondering what you'd sound like if you couldn't help it. If someone made you… How would you sound when I finally fuck you, Joon?"

His mouth parted. His brows lifted slightly, caught somewhere between shock, amusement, and… something far more dangerous. He didn't say anything at first. Just looked at Tae with that unreadable expression, the kind that only gave itself away by the subtle flush rising to his cheekbones.

"I…" Joon cleared his throat, shifting in his seat. "You're getting bold again."

Tae's lips curled.

And that was when Seo-yeon reappeared.

She walked in balancing three tall glasses of water, then stopped at the threshold.

Joon immediately leaned back in his seat like nothing had happened. Tae turned his head quickly, blinking up at her as if they'd just been talking about something innocent.

Seo narrowed her eyes.

"…What did I just say?" she asked flatly.

Tae smiled sweetly. "We were talking about kids."

Joon didn't even flinch. "Very wholesome."

Seo handed them their glasses with suspicion in her stare. "Uh huh. Well, Min-jun's passed out cold. Not even the thunder would wake him now."

She sank back down into her spot on the couch, glancing between them again before muttering, "You guys are the worst at pretending nothing's going on."

Tae sipped his water like a good boy.

Joon just hummed and reached for the glass of water Seo-yeon had brought.

⸻

The rest of the evening unfolded in smooth rhythm, laughter flowing easily over the soft clinks of wine glasses and half-eaten snacks. Somehow, despite the tension lingering thick between Tae-hyun and Joon-won, despite the heavy thing Tae had whispered just moments before Seo returned, everything fell back into place effortlessly.

Well, almost effortlessly.

Joon spent most of the evening trying not to meet Tae-hyun's gaze.

And that, of course, made it worse.

Every time Seo-yeon glanced between them, catching Joon's eyes flicking away or his hand awkwardly rubbing the back of his neck, she'd burst out laughing. Tae-hyun, no help at all, leaned into the teasing with smug little comments and knowing looks, watching Joon like he already had him cornered.

"You keep looking like you're about to confess something," Seo giggled at one point.

"I'm not," Joon muttered.

"Then why do you keep avoiding his eyes?" she smirked.

"I'm not."

Tae-hyun, lounging with his ankles crossed and glass in hand, just grinned. "He's been shy all night."

Joon glared. "I'm not shy."

"No?" Tae raised a brow. "Just flustered?"

"Oh my god, you're so annoying—"

But his ears stayed pink.

Even after the jokes mellowed and the bottle of wine was empty, the warm glow of it all lingered, domestic and surreal. It felt too easy. Too good. Like they were something normal.

When it was finally time for Joon to go, the three of them made their way to the door. Tae pulled it open while Seo followed behind, still giggling softly from the last thing Joon had said something sarcastic about not being afraid of them, despite clearly being ganged up on.

At the threshold, Seo turned to him more seriously and touched his arm.

"Hey… for real, if you ever need anything, don't shy away, okay?" she said, voice soft but clear. "I mean it."

Joon met her eyes, and for once, didn't look away. "Thank you, Seo-yeon. Really."

She smiled, proud and knowing, and then turned to Tae-hyun.

But just before he could say anything..

She froze.

Something in the air shifted.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, flicking from Tae to Joon, and then back again. Tae was leaning against the doorframe, arms crossed, smirking. Joon, beside him, stood stiff with his hands shoved in his coat pockets, ears bright pink, and very much not making eye contact still.

Seo's mouth parted slowly as it dawned on her.

"Oh my god…" she whispered with a wicked grin. "You guys are gonna kiss goodbye, aren't you?"

Joon's entire body snapped upright. "What?!"

Tae barely glanced at her. "You're completely right, my love," he said smoothly.

"What??" Joon repeated, stepping back.

But Tae was already moving.

One hand slid around Joon's waist, pulling him close — not forcefully, just certainly. The other cradled his jaw gently. Tae leaned in, slow but inevitable, and kissed him.

Soft.

Confident.

Just long enough to make Joon freeze, eyes wide, before Tae pulled back and let him go.

"Goodnight," Tae murmured, lips barely brushing his cheek as he stepped back beside his wife and casually draped an arm over her shoulder like nothing had happened.

Seo squealed, literally squealed.. half-hiding behind Tae with both hands clutched over her mouth.

"Oh my god, I love this," she whispered, bouncing in place.

Joon was flabbergasted, standing frozen in the doorway, blinking like he'd just walked into a trap he didn't see coming.

"I—What—You—"

Tae waved casually, already guiding Seo back inside. "Text me when you get home, Joonie."

Joon stayed frozen another second before turning around in a daze, walking down the hallway muttering, "Unbelievable…"

But his fingers brushed lightly over his lips. And his heart was hammering.

And deep down?

He kinda liked it.

The drive back was a quiet warzone.

Joon's hands were tight on the steering wheel, eyes fixed on the road, but his brain was an absolute mess. The kiss, Tae's hand on his waist, the soft but intentional pressure of his lips, the sheer audacity of doing it in front of Seo-yeon, it looped in his mind over and over like some glitching reel.

"No seriously.. that's unbelievable," he muttered for the tenth time, turning left too quickly at a light. "What was that?"

He could still feel the heat in his cheeks. His ears were burning. His heart wouldn't settle.

He even pulled up to the wrong apartment complex at first, so caught in the memory that he didn't realize until he saw the different shops by it.

"Jesus Christ," he muttered, reversing, still dazed. "Get it together."

But he couldn't.

Because deep down, he hadn't hated it at all.

⸻

at Tae-hyun house..

Back in their living room, Tae and Seo had barely shut the door before they both burst out laughing.

Seo-yeon flopped dramatically onto the couch, kicking her legs in the air, face red from holding in her glee.

"You actually kissed him!" she squealed. "Oh my god, I didn't think you actually would!"

Tae chuckled, crossing the room with lazy confidence, picking up the wine glasses. "Why not? He looked like he needed it."

"He looked like he was gonna explode in shyness!" she laughed harder. "His eyes nearly popped out of his head! His ears were so red."

Tae shrugged innocently. "He's cute when he's flustered."

Seo rolled onto her side, propping her head up with a grin. "Okay but seriously — how do you feel about this? About me knowing? About all of this not being a secret anymore?"

He paused mid-pour at the sink, then looked over at her with a softer smile. "Honestly? Kind of relieved."

She stood and walked over, poking his side. "Well, you know what?"

"What?"

"I think I'm weirdly calm about it," she said, then winked. "And maybe a little too excited."

Tae arched a brow. "Excited?"

She grinned up at him. "Well, I like Joon-won. You picked a good one."

⸻

Later That Night around midnight.

Tae-hyun was still awake, scrolling through his phone on the couch while Seo-yeon, now changed into an oversized sleep shirt and hair up in a bun, yawned and curled up with a blanket.

The phone buzzed in his hand.

Joon-won was calling him.

Seo peeked at the screen. "Oho?"

Tae smirked. "You want to hear him flustered again?"

"Tempting," she murmured. "But I'll go lie down. Don't stay up all night flirting," she teased as she stood, then kissed his cheek. "Go talk outside, lover boy."

Tae chuckled and stood, stepping onto their small balcony with the phone to his ear. The night air was cooler now, the city glowing in distant silence.

"Hello?" he said casually.

There was a pause, then a very quiet, "You kissed me in front of your wife."

Tae grinned. "Mmm. I remember."

"You kissed me—"

"I did."

"Like, just like that—in front of her."

"You're repeating yourself, Joonie," Tae teased, voice low and amused. "Did it leave you that speechless?"

"I wasn't ready!" Joon hissed. "I wasn't mentally prepared for that!"

"I could tell," Tae laughed.

"I looked like an idiot—"

"You looked adorable."

"I couldn't speak."

"You didn't need to. Your face said everything."

Joon groaned into the phone. "Fuck Tae, You're unbelievable."

Tae hummed softly and chuckled. "You're lucky Seo-yeon was there. If she wasn't, I might've kissed you again. Harder."

A pause.

"…You need to stop saying things like that when I'm alone and processing," Joon mumbled, voice cracking slightly.

Tae leaned against the railing, eyes gleaming at the city lights. "Why?"

"…Because it makes me want to turn around."

There was silence for a moment, both of them quietly breathing through the weight of that confession.

Tae let it sit there, heavy and intimate, before whispering, "So come."

Joon groaned again, breathier this time. "God, you're so bad for me."

"You keep saying that," Tae said, voice velvet, "but you still call me at midnight like this."

And Joon didn't argue.