The Importance of Being Important
Title:The Importance of Being Important
pairing:HyunSoo/Do Il(sort of)
Rating:PG-13
Disclaimer:I don't own the characters or the drama
Summary:HyunSoo feels abandoned and Do Il hates it...
”SuAh is more important to me that you…”
HyunSoo’s still ragged breath caught on a sob, even though he’d sworn he had cried himself out earlier. No matter what he did and how hard he fought to purge his mind of what had happened at the pool hall, the one place besides his home that he felt truly safe(until he’d had his heart ripped out for a second time by the one person that he thought would never do such a thing to him again), but it seemed that the world deemed Lee HyunSoo incapable of being happy for even a moment.
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Do Il sighed softly as he lay down on the plush couch that had been his bed for longer than he cared to recall. It had taken more time than he thought to get the others to leave. JiHyuk had staggered out on his own to vent his frustrations(or see his girlfriend-either/or) and KyungJong dragged HaJin out with him before Do Il had done something he would probably(ie-not at all) regret in the morning when he began commenting on HyunSoo’s recent behavior. It was obvious that there was much more to the story than any of them besides maybe JiHyuk knew, and Do Il wanted nothing more than to have the ability to read minds just so he could know what to do to help his friends.
Letting out another sigh, Do Il rolled over and closed his eyes as he tried to get everything out of his head long enough to get a proper rest. He was nearly asleep when a familiar ringtone pulled him back to full consciousness. Recognizing it as JiHyuk’s and not his own, he groaned and reached around until he finally found the device.
“Hello?” Do Il answered without even looking at the caller ID.
…Do Il ah?
Hearing HyunSoo’s mother on the other end had Do Il sitting up and paying full attention to the call. “Yes ma’am. JiHyuk accidentally left his phone at the pool hall,” he explained.
Oh. Well I’m very sorry to have disturbed you, honey.
“It’s fine. I was still awake,” he assured before pausing. “I know I’m not JiHyuk, but was there something I could maybe help you with?”
The other end was silent until he heard a soft exhale. Did anything happen earlier? she finally asked, and Do Il’s eyes narrowed. Well, HyunSoo came home and went straight to his room. His father and I were worried about him and went to check, but his door was locked and we could hear him crying. There was another bit of quiet before she continued. He’s been under a lot of stress lately, with all of your activities and DaSom being in the hospital…
That had his attention. “Wait, DaSom ah’s in the hospital?! Is she alright?” Doil asked worriedly.
She has a surgery scheduled soon. HyunSoo’s been working hard to make sure we could afford it, the woman explained, and suddenly a lot of things made sense.
“Would you mind if I came over and tried to talk to him? I know that when I’m feeling down, I’d rather talk to a friend than my parents.”
That was actually one of the reasons I was calling JiHyuk. I was hoping that he might be able to help. They’ve been friends for so long even though it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen him here before the last time you all showed up.
And yet another puzzle piece lined up. “I’ll be right over.”
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When HyunSoo’s mother opened the door, Do Il watched a good percent of tension leave her body as she smiled tiredly. “Thank you for coming, Do Il ah,” she said before stepping aside to let him enter.
“I’m glad to be here,” he said as he removed his shoes and slipped into a pair of house slippers. “I was worried when he left earlier since he and JiHyuk almost never fight.” Not entirely true, but he didn’t want to worry the woman any more than she already was.
“I haven’t seen him this upset since ByungHee died, but even then he didn’t cry like this.”
Smiling reassuringly, Do Il bowed lightly. “I’ll go and check on him then. You should get some rest since it’s pretty late.”
“Feel free to stay the night, either in HyunSoo’s room, or on the couch. I’m sure it’s much more comfortable than the one at the pool hall.”
It was no secret that Do Il hated going home, and he had spent quite a few nights between his friends’ houses over the years they had been close.
Thanking the woman, he bowed again and made his way over to HyunSoo’s bedroom. He knocked a few times and called out a few more, and when he got no answer, he decided to resort to less than favorable methods. Crouching down, Do Il pulled out a few things and after a minute of finagling, the lock disengaged. He opened the door and quietly approached the bed, unsure whether or not HyunSoo was awake or asleep.
Seeing the guitarist tucked into the corner of his bed, head buried in his knees and fast asleep, tore at Do Il’s heart far more than he had expected.
Do Il carefully took a seat on the side of the bed and reached out, not wanting to wake the younger boy. He gently brushed HyunSoo's hair from his eyes and his heart clenched a bit more when he saw the tear tracks on the normally stoic boy's pale cheeks. Not knowing what else to do, the drummer eased HyunSoo out of his protective ball and laid him out on his bed before covering him with the thick comforter.
Something within him was telling him not to leave, so instead, Doil moved off of the bed and settled himself on the floor, not wanting to be far from his friend. He finally fell asleep a short time later, thoughts of how to get HyunSoo to confide in him running through his head.
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It was the sun that peeked through the curtains that finally woke HyunSoo from his restless sleep. He had decided to curl back up in the blanket when he paused. When he had fallen asleep, he was sitting up and he knew that he had locked his door.
Sitting up slowly, HyunSoo looked around until his eyes fell on the figure curled up on the floor beside his bed. Laying back down on his stomach, the guitarist peeked over the side of his bed, surprised(but not) to see Do Il fast asleep; or rather he was fast asleep until HyunSoo remembered just how light a sleeper he was. A minute later, he found himself meeting his hyung's tired yet concerned gaze.
"Morning, Soo yah," Do Il murmured, sitting up and stretching, before shooting a smile at his younger friend, who looked pretty adorable looking over the bed as he was.
"What're you doing here, Hyung?" HyunSoo asked warily.
"Your mom called JiHyuk, but he left his phone at the pool hall again. Said she was worried, so I came right over," Do Il explained.
Something about that had HyunSoo's heart fluttering in his chest, but he just shook it off as aftereffects from the previous night. "But I locked the door," he said lamely.
Do Il just grinned, unrepentant. "Oh, I picked that pretty easily." After a moment, the smile fell from his lips and he got to his feet to join HyunSoo on the bed. "So how are you this morning?" he asked, eyes soft and worried. "Doing any better?"
"A little," HyunSoo finally responded, lips curling slightly at the show of concern. Between HaJin and JiHyuk, it felt like a lifetime since someone had been genuinely worried about him.
Realizing that it would be a bit harder than he thought, Doil spoke again. "Soo, why didn't you tell any of us about what was going on with DaSom? We could have been here helping you, you know."
"Would it have changed how they were acting? Rather than being a traitor, I just would have become a traitor with a reason," the guitarist mumbled, eyes downcast. "And hell, HaJin Hyung would have probably just thought I was lying anyway."
"Well HaJin is an asshole," Do Il stated bluntly, causing HyunSoo to look up in surprise. "He's been treating you like shit for no reason and I'm sick of it. You're not a traitor; you're a good hyung and in your shoes, I would have done the exact same thing." He sighed beffore continuing. "HaJin is just jealous because the girl he likes is unattainable to him for once."
Do Il counted the tiny smile as a small win before moving on. "I just have one more question for you." He thought about how to phrase it before he just said it. "What's been going on with you and JiHyuk?"
He should have expected HyunSoo to go quiet at the question.
"...nothing," HyunSoo answered quietly before resting his head on his friend's shoulder.
"HyunSoo, it's not nothing. I don't like seeing you like this, and all I want to do is help," Do Il urged, arm lifting to wrap around the younger boy's shoulders.
"No, you don't understand," HyunSoo sighed. "Nothing is going on and it hasn't been for a long time now."
"What do you mean?"
"He said it before, right? His girlfriend is more important than I am," HyunSoo explained, and Do Il wanted to hit JiHyuk when he heard the catch in the guitarist's voice. "It was that way with ByungHee and it's just the same now. I should really be used to it by now."
Do Il just stared at HyunSoo in shock. How had he missed that? "Soo, how long have you been feeling this way?" he finally managed to ask, tightening his hold on the younger.
HyunSoo just shrugged lightly, but didn't pull away. If anything, he managed to move closer. "It doesn't matter. I should just learn to get over it because it's not going to change with that girl here, and as much as I want to, I just can't hate her."
The quiet and resigned tone to HyunSoo's normally rough and cynical voice had Do Il's anger increasing tenfold. If he had to choose, he would easily pick Lee HyunSoo as the most loyal of all their friends. He did anything asked of him within reason, always with his friends or family's best interests at heart. He never once complained either, which was far more than he could say of anyone else, himself included. Being the son of a prominent figure within the Jopok, Do Il grew up not trusting anyone further than than he could throw them and even now found himself caught off by the level of affection he had for his bandmates, specifically the young guitarist in his arms.
"HyunSoo yah, you should never have to get used to or get over something like that. You don't deserve to be passed over ever. JiHyuk is a fucking idiot for treating you that way. You're the best friend anyone could ever hope to wish for, and don't you forget it," the drummer stated, voice leaving no room for argument.
Looking up at Do Il, HyunSoo smiled shakily before burying his face back against the drummer's shoulder, not wanting the older boy to see him cry. "Thanks Hyung."
Smiling sadly, Do Il just rested his head against HyunSoo's, pressing his lips to the top of his head. "Any time."
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"You're an idiot," Do Il declared when he dropped by to return JiHyuk's phone to him later that day, pushing his way inside the small rooftop apartment.
JiHyuk raised a brow when the normally soft spoken drummer slammed his cell phone into his chest with a glare. "Um, what?"
"Do I need to repeat myself? I said you're a-"
"No, I heard you the first time, but why am I an idiot?"
Dropping down onto the bed, Do Il just looked dryly at JiHyuk. "I just came from HyunSoo's. Apparently, he had spent the entire night locked in his room crying as well as half the morning because someone's led him to believe that he wasn't worth a damn and was easily replaceable."
At that, JiHyuk froze, surprise clear on his face. "Wait, I what?"
Do Il just scoffed. He really was not in the mood to deal with his friend's obliviousness. "Tell me something. You and HyunSoo have been best friends for years, right?" At the slow nod, he continued. "Well then, when was the last time you two did anything together? Or better yet, when was the last time you actually acknowledged him beyond being a good guitarist?"
He had to admit to feeling a slight sense of satisfaction at the silence. "Look, I thought about it and in all honesty, you practically bailed on him when you met ByungHee, and then again right after for SuAh. Between that and HaJin's douchebaggery, it's no wonder he can't trust any of us."
Pausing to calm down a bit more, the drummer spoke up again. "I know that you started that fight yesterday so that he would leave and not be dragged down with us, but alienating him was not the way to do it."
JiHyuk continued to look at his friend before letting out a small breath. Taking a seat beside Do Il, he hung his head and drummed his fingers nervously against his knees. "I really didn't mean to," he finally answered weakly. "How did I not notice it?"
"That would be because you're an idiot, idiot," Do Il stated as he reached up and dropped a hand against the leader's shoulder. "You should explain things to him, you know. Starting with why you said what you did to him, because out of everything, I really think that hurt him the most."
Silent for a minute, JiHyuk slowly nodded his head with a sigh. "You're right. I really didn't notice." He let out a dry laugh. "Some friend I am, huh?"
"You could use a bit of work, but we can't all be as amazing as I am," Do Il stated with a grin, earning an actual laugh from JiHyuk that time around. "You do know that I'm not asking you to break up with her, right?" Do Il asked after a minute. "The girl's actually a pretty good fit for you."
"Yeah, I know, though she might need a bit more convincing along with her friends and her stupid black knight," JiHyuk muttered.
Do Il just snorted at that. "Please. The guy's a tool, but enough about that. What do we do about the band? I mean, I'm about five seconds away from decking HaJin at all times, and if he says one more word to Soo, I swear that I can not be held responsible for my actions."
JiHyuk had to lift a brow at that. "You sure it's just worry you feel for HyunSoo?" he asked slowly, trying to keep the smirk off of his lips. For all his obliviousness, even he had noticed how the drummer would dote on HyunSoo at any given time.
Seeing the smirk, Do Il punched his friend lightly in the shoulder. "Worry about your own lovelife, asshole," he stated, though his amusement was clear in his voice. "But if you're asking what I think you are, then yes I do."
JiHyuk just smiled. "Well I definitely know that you'll take care of him, even though he doesn't believe that he needs taking care of so good luck."
"He really does, doesn't he?" the drummer laughed lightly, joined immediately by JiHyuk's low chuckle.
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"Alright, fearless leader, why'd you call this meeting?" HaJin asked as he lifted himself onto one of the pool tables. "Aren't we officially disbanded, or whatever?"
Rolling his eyes, JiHyuk simply shrugged his shoulders. "Just waiting for a couple people."
KyungJong tilter his head in confusion. "A couple? Do Il hyung, yes, but who else?"
As if on cue, a pair of muffled voices were heard outside, clearing once the door opened. "Do Il Hyung, why am I here again?" came HyunSoo's voice and JiHyuk had to cringe as he picked up the hesitance that was never present in the guitarist's voice before, making him feel even worse.
When the pair stepped inside and HyunSoo noticed the others, his expression went blank as he let out a quiet scoff. "I'm leaving," he stated, turning around to head back out.
"Something you seem quite good at lately," HaJin remarked casually, disdain clear in his voice.
HyunSoo stiffened, back to the group, but it was clear to everyone who cared to pay attention that it had hurt the younger boy. After a moment to collect himself, HyunSoo turned to look at the bassist. "I've got better things to do with my time than deal with a dick like you," he stated, and Do Il was secretly pleased to see HaJin stunned at the reply.
He was quick to recover though. "Like stealing the spotlight from us again, right?" HaJin shot a dark look at the younger boy before continuing. "Once a traitor, always a traitor, it seems."
Even KyungJong look shocked at the cruel comment and when Do Il caught the glassy sheen to HyunSoo's eyes, he saw red. Turning back to HaJin, he was about to hit the boy when someone beat him to it.
Everyone, including HyunSoo, found themselves staring at JiHyuk as he shook his hand out, glare pinning HaJin to the floor. Cracking his knuckles, JiHyuk crouched down in front of the bassist and wrapped his fingers in his shirt collar, pulling him closer.
"You ever say anything like that again and you can forget about me going easy on you, because I'll sic someone ten times worse on you," he threatened, grip tightening and Do Il felt his lips turn up at the scared look on the other boy's face at the threat.
"But-" HaJin began, only to be cut off by JiHyuk. "Before you blamed him for destroying everything, did you ever ask him why he needed the money so badly? And if you'll remember, we lost that battle of the bands because I stopped him. He left the band because I spouted off a shit ton of lies to make him leave. If you want to call anyone here a traitor, speak to me." With that, he let go and stood up.
Walking over to HyunSoo, JiHyuk smiled sheepishly and took hold of his arm, sending a look toward Do Il before leading the younger boy outside. While checking his best friend over, KyungJong finally spoke. "I knew something weird was going on. He'd never acted like that before."
Side eyeing the door, Do Il sighed, voice low. "It's DaSom ah. He needed the money for her." He then turned to glare at the bassist, who finally managed to look sorry. "He hasn't kept one cent of what we've earned for himself, unlike you, who keeps blowing it on your one night stands. He was more concerned with keeping his baby sister alive. Still think he's a traitor now, after knowing?"
Do Il didn't even wait for an answer before dropping down onto JiHyuk's bed to wait for JiHyuk and HyunSoo to finsh with the ridiculously long overdue conversation that they were undoubtably having. It was a good thirty minutes of uncomfortable silence before the door opened and JiHyuk reentered the apartment. His body seemed a bit lighter and Do Il was on his feet and heading out the door before JiHyuk could even speak.
After closing the door behind him, Do Il walked over to where HyunSoo was standing, leaning against the railing as he stared at nothing in particular. His eyes looked a bit red, but he looked like some of the heaviness that had been weighing him down had lifted.
"You look better," Do Il remarked with a small smile as he took a place beside HyunSoo.
"Never thought I'd feel so much better about being wrong," the guitarist chuckled quietly. He looked at Do Il out of the corner of his eye before looking forward again. "Thanks Hyung."
"What for?" Do Il asked, looking at HyunSoo curiously.
"It's been a while since I'd felt like I mattered to someone, so thanks for dealing with me, I guess," the younger boy muttered, reddening at the confession which just made Do Il chuckle and wrap an arm around HyunSoo's waist to pull him closer.
"Oh you matter alright," Do Il said casually. "Quite a bit more than you think actually."
HyunSoo blinked at that, turning to look at his hyung. "Eh? What do you mean?"
Do Il just chuckled at the clueless expression on HyunSoo's face before dropping a kiss to the top of his head, followed by a hair ruffle. "Maybe I'll tell you later," he murmured before turning his attention back toward the view, enjoying it much more thanks to the person beside him.
pairing:HyunSoo/Do Il(sort of)
Rating:PG-13
Disclaimer:I don't own the characters or the drama
Summary:HyunSoo feels abandoned and Do Il hates it...
”SuAh is more important to me that you…”
HyunSoo’s still ragged breath caught on a sob, even though he’d sworn he had cried himself out earlier. No matter what he did and how hard he fought to purge his mind of what had happened at the pool hall, the one place besides his home that he felt truly safe(until he’d had his heart ripped out for a second time by the one person that he thought would never do such a thing to him again), but it seemed that the world deemed Lee HyunSoo incapable of being happy for even a moment.
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Do Il sighed softly as he lay down on the plush couch that had been his bed for longer than he cared to recall. It had taken more time than he thought to get the others to leave. JiHyuk had staggered out on his own to vent his frustrations(or see his girlfriend-either/or) and KyungJong dragged HaJin out with him before Do Il had done something he would probably(ie-not at all) regret in the morning when he began commenting on HyunSoo’s recent behavior. It was obvious that there was much more to the story than any of them besides maybe JiHyuk knew, and Do Il wanted nothing more than to have the ability to read minds just so he could know what to do to help his friends.
Letting out another sigh, Do Il rolled over and closed his eyes as he tried to get everything out of his head long enough to get a proper rest. He was nearly asleep when a familiar ringtone pulled him back to full consciousness. Recognizing it as JiHyuk’s and not his own, he groaned and reached around until he finally found the device.
“Hello?” Do Il answered without even looking at the caller ID.
…Do Il ah?
Hearing HyunSoo’s mother on the other end had Do Il sitting up and paying full attention to the call. “Yes ma’am. JiHyuk accidentally left his phone at the pool hall,” he explained.
Oh. Well I’m very sorry to have disturbed you, honey.
“It’s fine. I was still awake,” he assured before pausing. “I know I’m not JiHyuk, but was there something I could maybe help you with?”
The other end was silent until he heard a soft exhale. Did anything happen earlier? she finally asked, and Do Il’s eyes narrowed. Well, HyunSoo came home and went straight to his room. His father and I were worried about him and went to check, but his door was locked and we could hear him crying. There was another bit of quiet before she continued. He’s been under a lot of stress lately, with all of your activities and DaSom being in the hospital…
That had his attention. “Wait, DaSom ah’s in the hospital?! Is she alright?” Doil asked worriedly.
She has a surgery scheduled soon. HyunSoo’s been working hard to make sure we could afford it, the woman explained, and suddenly a lot of things made sense.
“Would you mind if I came over and tried to talk to him? I know that when I’m feeling down, I’d rather talk to a friend than my parents.”
That was actually one of the reasons I was calling JiHyuk. I was hoping that he might be able to help. They’ve been friends for so long even though it’s been quite a while since I’ve seen him here before the last time you all showed up.
And yet another puzzle piece lined up. “I’ll be right over.”
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When HyunSoo’s mother opened the door, Do Il watched a good percent of tension leave her body as she smiled tiredly. “Thank you for coming, Do Il ah,” she said before stepping aside to let him enter.
“I’m glad to be here,” he said as he removed his shoes and slipped into a pair of house slippers. “I was worried when he left earlier since he and JiHyuk almost never fight.” Not entirely true, but he didn’t want to worry the woman any more than she already was.
“I haven’t seen him this upset since ByungHee died, but even then he didn’t cry like this.”
Smiling reassuringly, Do Il bowed lightly. “I’ll go and check on him then. You should get some rest since it’s pretty late.”
“Feel free to stay the night, either in HyunSoo’s room, or on the couch. I’m sure it’s much more comfortable than the one at the pool hall.”
It was no secret that Do Il hated going home, and he had spent quite a few nights between his friends’ houses over the years they had been close.
Thanking the woman, he bowed again and made his way over to HyunSoo’s bedroom. He knocked a few times and called out a few more, and when he got no answer, he decided to resort to less than favorable methods. Crouching down, Do Il pulled out a few things and after a minute of finagling, the lock disengaged. He opened the door and quietly approached the bed, unsure whether or not HyunSoo was awake or asleep.
Seeing the guitarist tucked into the corner of his bed, head buried in his knees and fast asleep, tore at Do Il’s heart far more than he had expected.
Do Il carefully took a seat on the side of the bed and reached out, not wanting to wake the younger boy. He gently brushed HyunSoo's hair from his eyes and his heart clenched a bit more when he saw the tear tracks on the normally stoic boy's pale cheeks. Not knowing what else to do, the drummer eased HyunSoo out of his protective ball and laid him out on his bed before covering him with the thick comforter.
Something within him was telling him not to leave, so instead, Doil moved off of the bed and settled himself on the floor, not wanting to be far from his friend. He finally fell asleep a short time later, thoughts of how to get HyunSoo to confide in him running through his head.
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It was the sun that peeked through the curtains that finally woke HyunSoo from his restless sleep. He had decided to curl back up in the blanket when he paused. When he had fallen asleep, he was sitting up and he knew that he had locked his door.
Sitting up slowly, HyunSoo looked around until his eyes fell on the figure curled up on the floor beside his bed. Laying back down on his stomach, the guitarist peeked over the side of his bed, surprised(but not) to see Do Il fast asleep; or rather he was fast asleep until HyunSoo remembered just how light a sleeper he was. A minute later, he found himself meeting his hyung's tired yet concerned gaze.
"Morning, Soo yah," Do Il murmured, sitting up and stretching, before shooting a smile at his younger friend, who looked pretty adorable looking over the bed as he was.
"What're you doing here, Hyung?" HyunSoo asked warily.
"Your mom called JiHyuk, but he left his phone at the pool hall again. Said she was worried, so I came right over," Do Il explained.
Something about that had HyunSoo's heart fluttering in his chest, but he just shook it off as aftereffects from the previous night. "But I locked the door," he said lamely.
Do Il just grinned, unrepentant. "Oh, I picked that pretty easily." After a moment, the smile fell from his lips and he got to his feet to join HyunSoo on the bed. "So how are you this morning?" he asked, eyes soft and worried. "Doing any better?"
"A little," HyunSoo finally responded, lips curling slightly at the show of concern. Between HaJin and JiHyuk, it felt like a lifetime since someone had been genuinely worried about him.
Realizing that it would be a bit harder than he thought, Doil spoke again. "Soo, why didn't you tell any of us about what was going on with DaSom? We could have been here helping you, you know."
"Would it have changed how they were acting? Rather than being a traitor, I just would have become a traitor with a reason," the guitarist mumbled, eyes downcast. "And hell, HaJin Hyung would have probably just thought I was lying anyway."
"Well HaJin is an asshole," Do Il stated bluntly, causing HyunSoo to look up in surprise. "He's been treating you like shit for no reason and I'm sick of it. You're not a traitor; you're a good hyung and in your shoes, I would have done the exact same thing." He sighed beffore continuing. "HaJin is just jealous because the girl he likes is unattainable to him for once."
Do Il counted the tiny smile as a small win before moving on. "I just have one more question for you." He thought about how to phrase it before he just said it. "What's been going on with you and JiHyuk?"
He should have expected HyunSoo to go quiet at the question.
"...nothing," HyunSoo answered quietly before resting his head on his friend's shoulder.
"HyunSoo, it's not nothing. I don't like seeing you like this, and all I want to do is help," Do Il urged, arm lifting to wrap around the younger boy's shoulders.
"No, you don't understand," HyunSoo sighed. "Nothing is going on and it hasn't been for a long time now."
"What do you mean?"
"He said it before, right? His girlfriend is more important than I am," HyunSoo explained, and Do Il wanted to hit JiHyuk when he heard the catch in the guitarist's voice. "It was that way with ByungHee and it's just the same now. I should really be used to it by now."
Do Il just stared at HyunSoo in shock. How had he missed that? "Soo, how long have you been feeling this way?" he finally managed to ask, tightening his hold on the younger.
HyunSoo just shrugged lightly, but didn't pull away. If anything, he managed to move closer. "It doesn't matter. I should just learn to get over it because it's not going to change with that girl here, and as much as I want to, I just can't hate her."
The quiet and resigned tone to HyunSoo's normally rough and cynical voice had Do Il's anger increasing tenfold. If he had to choose, he would easily pick Lee HyunSoo as the most loyal of all their friends. He did anything asked of him within reason, always with his friends or family's best interests at heart. He never once complained either, which was far more than he could say of anyone else, himself included. Being the son of a prominent figure within the Jopok, Do Il grew up not trusting anyone further than than he could throw them and even now found himself caught off by the level of affection he had for his bandmates, specifically the young guitarist in his arms.
"HyunSoo yah, you should never have to get used to or get over something like that. You don't deserve to be passed over ever. JiHyuk is a fucking idiot for treating you that way. You're the best friend anyone could ever hope to wish for, and don't you forget it," the drummer stated, voice leaving no room for argument.
Looking up at Do Il, HyunSoo smiled shakily before burying his face back against the drummer's shoulder, not wanting the older boy to see him cry. "Thanks Hyung."
Smiling sadly, Do Il just rested his head against HyunSoo's, pressing his lips to the top of his head. "Any time."
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"You're an idiot," Do Il declared when he dropped by to return JiHyuk's phone to him later that day, pushing his way inside the small rooftop apartment.
JiHyuk raised a brow when the normally soft spoken drummer slammed his cell phone into his chest with a glare. "Um, what?"
"Do I need to repeat myself? I said you're a-"
"No, I heard you the first time, but why am I an idiot?"
Dropping down onto the bed, Do Il just looked dryly at JiHyuk. "I just came from HyunSoo's. Apparently, he had spent the entire night locked in his room crying as well as half the morning because someone's led him to believe that he wasn't worth a damn and was easily replaceable."
At that, JiHyuk froze, surprise clear on his face. "Wait, I what?"
Do Il just scoffed. He really was not in the mood to deal with his friend's obliviousness. "Tell me something. You and HyunSoo have been best friends for years, right?" At the slow nod, he continued. "Well then, when was the last time you two did anything together? Or better yet, when was the last time you actually acknowledged him beyond being a good guitarist?"
He had to admit to feeling a slight sense of satisfaction at the silence. "Look, I thought about it and in all honesty, you practically bailed on him when you met ByungHee, and then again right after for SuAh. Between that and HaJin's douchebaggery, it's no wonder he can't trust any of us."
Pausing to calm down a bit more, the drummer spoke up again. "I know that you started that fight yesterday so that he would leave and not be dragged down with us, but alienating him was not the way to do it."
JiHyuk continued to look at his friend before letting out a small breath. Taking a seat beside Do Il, he hung his head and drummed his fingers nervously against his knees. "I really didn't mean to," he finally answered weakly. "How did I not notice it?"
"That would be because you're an idiot, idiot," Do Il stated as he reached up and dropped a hand against the leader's shoulder. "You should explain things to him, you know. Starting with why you said what you did to him, because out of everything, I really think that hurt him the most."
Silent for a minute, JiHyuk slowly nodded his head with a sigh. "You're right. I really didn't notice." He let out a dry laugh. "Some friend I am, huh?"
"You could use a bit of work, but we can't all be as amazing as I am," Do Il stated with a grin, earning an actual laugh from JiHyuk that time around. "You do know that I'm not asking you to break up with her, right?" Do Il asked after a minute. "The girl's actually a pretty good fit for you."
"Yeah, I know, though she might need a bit more convincing along with her friends and her stupid black knight," JiHyuk muttered.
Do Il just snorted at that. "Please. The guy's a tool, but enough about that. What do we do about the band? I mean, I'm about five seconds away from decking HaJin at all times, and if he says one more word to Soo, I swear that I can not be held responsible for my actions."
JiHyuk had to lift a brow at that. "You sure it's just worry you feel for HyunSoo?" he asked slowly, trying to keep the smirk off of his lips. For all his obliviousness, even he had noticed how the drummer would dote on HyunSoo at any given time.
Seeing the smirk, Do Il punched his friend lightly in the shoulder. "Worry about your own lovelife, asshole," he stated, though his amusement was clear in his voice. "But if you're asking what I think you are, then yes I do."
JiHyuk just smiled. "Well I definitely know that you'll take care of him, even though he doesn't believe that he needs taking care of so good luck."
"He really does, doesn't he?" the drummer laughed lightly, joined immediately by JiHyuk's low chuckle.
------------------------
"Alright, fearless leader, why'd you call this meeting?" HaJin asked as he lifted himself onto one of the pool tables. "Aren't we officially disbanded, or whatever?"
Rolling his eyes, JiHyuk simply shrugged his shoulders. "Just waiting for a couple people."
KyungJong tilter his head in confusion. "A couple? Do Il hyung, yes, but who else?"
As if on cue, a pair of muffled voices were heard outside, clearing once the door opened. "Do Il Hyung, why am I here again?" came HyunSoo's voice and JiHyuk had to cringe as he picked up the hesitance that was never present in the guitarist's voice before, making him feel even worse.
When the pair stepped inside and HyunSoo noticed the others, his expression went blank as he let out a quiet scoff. "I'm leaving," he stated, turning around to head back out.
"Something you seem quite good at lately," HaJin remarked casually, disdain clear in his voice.
HyunSoo stiffened, back to the group, but it was clear to everyone who cared to pay attention that it had hurt the younger boy. After a moment to collect himself, HyunSoo turned to look at the bassist. "I've got better things to do with my time than deal with a dick like you," he stated, and Do Il was secretly pleased to see HaJin stunned at the reply.
He was quick to recover though. "Like stealing the spotlight from us again, right?" HaJin shot a dark look at the younger boy before continuing. "Once a traitor, always a traitor, it seems."
Even KyungJong look shocked at the cruel comment and when Do Il caught the glassy sheen to HyunSoo's eyes, he saw red. Turning back to HaJin, he was about to hit the boy when someone beat him to it.
Everyone, including HyunSoo, found themselves staring at JiHyuk as he shook his hand out, glare pinning HaJin to the floor. Cracking his knuckles, JiHyuk crouched down in front of the bassist and wrapped his fingers in his shirt collar, pulling him closer.
"You ever say anything like that again and you can forget about me going easy on you, because I'll sic someone ten times worse on you," he threatened, grip tightening and Do Il felt his lips turn up at the scared look on the other boy's face at the threat.
"But-" HaJin began, only to be cut off by JiHyuk. "Before you blamed him for destroying everything, did you ever ask him why he needed the money so badly? And if you'll remember, we lost that battle of the bands because I stopped him. He left the band because I spouted off a shit ton of lies to make him leave. If you want to call anyone here a traitor, speak to me." With that, he let go and stood up.
Walking over to HyunSoo, JiHyuk smiled sheepishly and took hold of his arm, sending a look toward Do Il before leading the younger boy outside. While checking his best friend over, KyungJong finally spoke. "I knew something weird was going on. He'd never acted like that before."
Side eyeing the door, Do Il sighed, voice low. "It's DaSom ah. He needed the money for her." He then turned to glare at the bassist, who finally managed to look sorry. "He hasn't kept one cent of what we've earned for himself, unlike you, who keeps blowing it on your one night stands. He was more concerned with keeping his baby sister alive. Still think he's a traitor now, after knowing?"
Do Il didn't even wait for an answer before dropping down onto JiHyuk's bed to wait for JiHyuk and HyunSoo to finsh with the ridiculously long overdue conversation that they were undoubtably having. It was a good thirty minutes of uncomfortable silence before the door opened and JiHyuk reentered the apartment. His body seemed a bit lighter and Do Il was on his feet and heading out the door before JiHyuk could even speak.
After closing the door behind him, Do Il walked over to where HyunSoo was standing, leaning against the railing as he stared at nothing in particular. His eyes looked a bit red, but he looked like some of the heaviness that had been weighing him down had lifted.
"You look better," Do Il remarked with a small smile as he took a place beside HyunSoo.
"Never thought I'd feel so much better about being wrong," the guitarist chuckled quietly. He looked at Do Il out of the corner of his eye before looking forward again. "Thanks Hyung."
"What for?" Do Il asked, looking at HyunSoo curiously.
"It's been a while since I'd felt like I mattered to someone, so thanks for dealing with me, I guess," the younger boy muttered, reddening at the confession which just made Do Il chuckle and wrap an arm around HyunSoo's waist to pull him closer.
"Oh you matter alright," Do Il said casually. "Quite a bit more than you think actually."
HyunSoo blinked at that, turning to look at his hyung. "Eh? What do you mean?"
Do Il just chuckled at the clueless expression on HyunSoo's face before dropping a kiss to the top of his head, followed by a hair ruffle. "Maybe I'll tell you later," he murmured before turning his attention back toward the view, enjoying it much more thanks to the person beside him.