A Libertine Education, for idolkiller (2/3)
Part Two
Enter Seungyoon.
He finally knocked on their door a few days later, dutifully making his rounds to each apartment on their floor, formally introducing himself and producing a small basket of homemade cookies as a token of friendship and good-will.
Mino and Taehyun had just finished eating dinner and were cleaning up-Mino was washing the dishes while Taehyun was flipping through his record collection for a little night music. He had just put the needle down on vinyl when there was a knock at the door.
Seungyoon had visited for no more than 20 minutes, but it was abundantly clear as they sat around the kitchen table with tea and coffee and milk, munching on the cookies that Seungyoon had brought, that he and Taehyun had a lot in common.
Seungyoon was just a year younger than Taehyun and had recently moved to the city, not only to look after his aunt’s apartment and water her plants, but also to be inspired, hopefully meet some producers and work on his music.
Of course he was a musician.
“It’s nothing to brag about, not in comparison to the musicians here, but I had quite a decent following back home,” Seungyoon had told them. “And when my aunt said I could stay in her apartment while she was away, I jumped at the chance. I have a friend who works at a recording studio not too far away. I’m hoping to record a demo.”
Glancing at Taehyun, Mino could see that old familiar sparkle in his boyfriend’s eye. It had been a while since he’d last seen it.
So, naturally, they hit it off right away.
It was a unique sensation, suddenly feeling like the odd person out in his own home. Mino watched as Taehyun and Seungyoon talked music-from songs they liked to rumors of albums from bands Mino had never heard of-and somewhere in the midst of it, Taehyun offered his musical talents should Seungyoon ever find himself in need of a classically trained pianist or just someone to show him where all the best music spots in the city were.
Seungyoon looked delighted. “I just might take you up on that,” he said with boyish smile. “I don’t really know many people here, so I mean, if you wouldn’t mind…”
“Not at all,” Taehyun replied, reaching for another cookie. “Mino and I would be happy to show you around whenever.”
Seungyoon seemed surprised by this, eyes shifting towards Mino and lingering. “Well, if you’re sure…”
“Absolutely,” Mino found himself saying with a smile that felt sturdy. “Just say when.”
And with that, Seungyoon left with their phone numbers and a promise to meet them that coming weekend for what Taehyun laughingly described as a date.
////
Saturday evening was spent rather pleasantly.
Or, at least it was not discernibly different from any other time Mino had attended a show and felt out of place while Taehyun charmed everyone around him. Luckily, Mino hadn’t been the only one feeling out of place. Seungyoon was noticeably nervous as Taehyun introduced him to one person after the next, looking every bit like the country boy come to the big city kid that he was.
They had stood in a loose circle, and Mino observed as Taehyun fielded questions about why he was wasting his time and talent teaching when he clearly had the skills to make it.
Taheyun had just smiled. “I enjoy working with the kids,” he replied.
It had become so rehearsed by that point, Mino had almost believed him.
On their way home, Taehyun and Seungyoon declare the night a success, and that it was definitely something they needed to do again, and very soon. To which Mino just smiled, nodding absently.
“He really is a nice kid.” Taehyun yawns against his shoulder when they’re back in their apartment.
“He is,” Mino replies.
“He thinks you don’t like him,” Taehyun peaks at him through his eyelashes, an amused smile on his face. “But I told him that your face is just like that. What is it called? Resting Bi-”
“Taehyun.”
Taehyun laughs and the sound fills all the empty spaces in him. “I’m only kidding,” he says, reaching up to drag a finger over Mino’s cheek. “It is a very handsome face.”
Mino catches his hand and places a kiss on the rough pads of his fingertips. “I’m glad you think so.”
“More people would think so too,” Taehyun teases, “If you could, you know, not look so constipated all the time.”
Mino sighs. “You said it earlier, my face is just like this.”
Taehyun hums, laying his head back down on Mino’s shoulder. “So do you really not like Seungyoon?”
“It isn’t about liking him or not liking him. I’m still trying to get to know him,” he states quietly, taking Taehyun’s hand and rubbing his thumb over his palm. “I’m not like you. It isn’t as easy for me to make friends.”
Taehyun yawns again, eyes drooping, “He's a harmless kid, Mino. Don't be so hard on him.”
////
On Wednesday, Mino gets a text message from Taehyun informing him that Seungyoon would be joining them for dinner, and could Mino please pick up a bottle of wine on his way home. Seungyoon, it seemed, had asked to hear Taehyun play and naturally Taehyun invited him to stay for a meal.
It had been…nice.
Mino had put in some effort to try and befriend Seungyoon, rather than just being a spectator in his blossoming friendship with his boyfriend. So Mino had driven the evening's conversation, asking Seungyoon questions about his life and listening attentively to his answers, even going as far as to give a few recommendations here and there. Taehyun was right, after all. Seungyoon was a kid far away from home who was nervous about coming to the big city. He could use all the help he could get.
And, it seemed his efforts hadn't gone unnoticed, as Taehyun had leaned over and kissed his cheek right there in the middle of their living room, Seungyoon present and all.
"Thank you," Taehyun says later that night after they’ve climbed into bed.
"For?"
"Don't play dumb," Taehyun tsks. "You know what for. I knew there was more to you than your bank account and handsome face."
Mino chuckles. “I think you really surprised Seungyoon,” he says, changing the topic. “Even he seemed shocked at how well you play.”
Taehyun moves to tuck his head under Mino’s chin. “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. These hands are magical.”
“You don’t have to tell me,” Mino mumbles before lowering his head to claim Taehyun’s lips in a chaste kiss. “I know very well what those hands are capable of.”
Mino slows his breathing as much as possible, concentrating on the feeling of Taehyun’s body curling around his. Affection, contentment, and even a little of possessiveness wash over him, as he pulls Taehyun closer to him. Mino swears he can feel every throb of his heart in his chest, and he relishes in the fact that only Taehyun can make him feel this way.
"I was just wondering…" he starts and bracing himself for what's to come. "Why these magical hands aren't out there doing magical things."
Taehyun pulls out of his arms, sighing. "Not this again," he groans. "I told you, I like my job."
"But are you happy, Taehyun?"
He looks up at Mino, his eyes reflecting pure adoration. "Better than happy," he replies earnestly.
"I'm in love."
////
On Friday night, Jinwoo and Seunghoon are back in their apartment, cards being passed around along with well-meaning jabs and the occasional quip about some embarrassing story told hundreds of times before, when Taehyun looks up from his phone.
“Seungyoon is asking if he can tag along with us when we go to the market tomorrow,” he says, inquiring gaze on Mino.
Caught off guard, it takes Mino longer than he would have liked to respond. "That's fine."
“Seungyoon?” Jinwoo asks, a thoughtful expression on his face. “Your neighbor, Seungyoon?”
“The same one,” Taehyun replies easily. “We’ve been hanging out a little bit here and there.”
“Really?” Seunghoon’s expression is veiled, but Mino knows him too well.
Apparently, so does Taehyun, because he doesn’t miss a beat. “Yes, Mino and I have been showing him around. He’s new to the city and doesn’t know very many people,” he states. “We’re all friends,” he adds pointedly.
“How…wonderful,” is all that Seunghoon says, returning to his pizza slice and taking a large bite.
Mino cuts in, wanting to dissolve the mounting tension between his best friend and his boyfriend. He turns to Taehyun. “Can you let him know to be ready by 8?”
He doesn’t have to look at Seunghoon to feel his gaze, heavy as it was on his shoulders.
////
“How was your play date with the new guy?” Seunghoon asks the following Monday morning. He is leaning against the doorframe to Mino’s office, half-eaten apple in hand.
Mino only briefly glances up from his spreadsheet. “Fine.”
Seunghoon invites himself in, dropping into one of the office chairs opposite Mino’s desk and taking a rather large bite from the fruit, juice dripping from his hand and onto Mino’s carpet. He chews loudly and studies Mino, but makes no attempt at speaking.
“If you’re just going to sit there being obnoxious, please do so in your own office,” Mino says as he inputs a few more numbers into the file he’s working on. “I’m busy.”
Seunghoon only takes another crunching bite.
Mino does his best to ignore his friend, a valiant effort of all of thirty seconds, before he pushes away from his desk and glares irritably at Seunghoon. “Did you need something?”
“I’ve got approximately 15 minutes until my next meeting,” Seunghoon supplies by way of an answer. “I suggest you use that time wisely.”
Swiveling slightly in his chair, Mino rolls his eyes. “It really was fine. We all crammed into the back seat of a taxi and went out to the bay front and walked around the market for a few hours. Squash blossoms are in season and are practically a steal right now, just so you know.”
Seunghoon finishes his apple and tosses the core into the trash before pulling tissues from their box and wiping down his sticky fingers.“Sounds like fun.”
Mino shoots him a look. “I know what you’re thinking, Seunghoon.”
Seunghoon smirks. “I seriously doubt that.”
Mino can't help but roll his eyes once more.
“In truth, I’m grateful for Seungyoon. Taehyun-well, I’m glad he has someone to he can express himself with. That he doesn’t have to dumb things down for. You know I was never good at all the music stuff.”
Seunghoon just barely manages to stifle his chuckle.
“And it’s been nice to see Taehyun open up like that again. I think, after a while, he stopped trying with me. So whatever feelings I might have regarding their relationship, I can certainly put them aside if that means Taehyun gets a friend.”
“You sound very noble indeed, Mino,” Seunghoon quips before leaning forward. “And you’re certain you’re not jealous?”
Mino is silent for a long time, legs bumping into his desk as he swivels back and forth in his chair. “Do you-Would you say that Seungyoon is attractive?” he asks halting. "I'm not asking if you find him attractive, because we both know you've got tunnel vision for Jinwoo, but, I mean, in general. Do you think people would find Seungyoon attractive?"
Seunghoon taps his fingers against his mouth, amused. "I think so, yes."
To which Mino says, almost petulantly, "Right, I think so, too."
"But that's not the question you wanted to ask," Seunghoon smirks. "You want to know if I think Taehyun is attracted to Seungyoon."
Flushing, Mino bites his lip and nods.
Leaning back in his chair, Seunghoon locks his hands behind his head. “Well, he did say he’d totally bang him if he had the chance.”
Mino winces at the memory. “Thanks for that reminder.”
“We both know I’m not here to coddle your feelings, Mino, but to give you useful advice, and that is to get your stubborn ass to talk to Taehyun. I know you. You’ll try to resolve this on your own, harboring your feelings and insisting that everything is just fine, but we all know in a few weeks time you’ll have lost that fight and will come crawling to me desperate for advice. Most likely after you’ve gone something dumb. So let me just save us some strife and dispense it now: You’re an idiot. Talk to Taehyun.”
“You’re a wonderful friend, have I ever told you that before, Seunghoon?” he deadpans.
“Not nearly as much as you should.” Glancing down at his watch, Seunghoon stands. “Well, my 15 minutes are up. I’ll charge you the usual rate, then?”
Mino waves a hand. “A dozen doughnuts delivered to your desk in the morning, got it.”
Seunghoon grins. “Perfect. Great doing business with you.”
////
Mino wasn’t too proud to admit that, between the two of them, Taehyun was the more experienced lover. During those first few weeks of what seemed like endless attempts of getting their sexual desires out of their systems, Mino felt like a new initiate of some ancient holy order where orgasms were the business of the day-and Taehyun was his both his partner and teacher, guiding him through rounds of enlightenment.
While he was certainly grateful to reap the benefits of Taehyun’s sexual prowess, once they saw that the nameless thing blossoming between them tilted a lot closer to serious than casual on the relationship scale, inevitably, there came the conversation about their sexual history.
He had always been rather vanilla as Seunghoon had once said with an accompanying clasp on the back that was more pitying than comforting. But where Mino had no skeletons hiding in his closet, it seemed like Taehyun had far too many.
Mino had never considered himself quite a prude, but weeks spent in Taehyun’s bed had certainly opened his eyes to a richer realm of pleasure. He felt that there was now very little that could shock him or make him blush, that is, until Taehyun looked up at him and answered his probing question without just the slightest shrug of his shoulders.
“I enjoy unconventional sexual relationships.”
Mino nearly choked on his cereal, one of those colorful marshmallow bits lodging in his throat at his gasp of shock. It was barely 8 o’clock in the morning-far too early to be talking about such things. They were still eating breakfast for crying out loud.
At least Taehyun was because Mino promptly pushed his bowl away. “Say again?”
“I enjoy consensual sex with multiple partners, sometimes at the same time, but not always.”
Mino made a little gurgling sound and blinked at the man he had called his boyfriend for all of one week.
"What?" Taehyun said innocently. "You asked."
"Right," Mino nodded, feigning nonchalance. "S-So, like, what do you mean, exactly? Are we talking like, um, like orgies or…or, uh-"
"Polyamorous relationships mostly. Last relationship I had was a triad, but that didn't last long," Taehyun supplied, smirking at how round and large his boyfriend's eyes became. "Got a bit messy."
He paused briefly before laughing aloud. "Figuratively, but you know, literally too."
Coughing, Mino managed to wheeze out, "Oh, yeah, I can see that," with what he hoped sounded like a chuckle.
"We're-" Taehyun gestured to the space between them with his fork, "We're okay, right?"
"Of course," Mino nodded stiffly. "We're always okay."
Heavy tension settled over them as Taehyun observed how just how okay Mino was. He watched Mino drown his marshmallow animals in milk with his spoon.
Sighing, Taehyun put down his fork and gave Mino a look honed from having had this conversation far too many times. If he had to give it a name, Mino would say that Taehyun looked somewhere between nervous and grim.
“It’s not cheating, let’s just get that out of the way first,” Taehyun began quite matter-of-factly. “Everyone involved is in agreement and terms are always clear. It’s not cheating, because we’re open and honest with each other.”
“B-But,” Mino sputtered, grasping for words even as his world was pulled from under his feet, “But why?”
Taehyun calmly leveled with him. “Why not?”
“I don’t understand-you mentioned old boyfriends, I’m sure of it.”
“I probably did mention them. I wasn’t lying, I have had boyfriends before. Serious ones.”
“So then why,” Mino was incredulous. “Why would you go outside of your relationship for a fling? Didn’t you love them?”
“Of course, I did,” Taehyun snapped, his calm demeanor finally giving way. “This isn’t about trying to prove something, or not being able to commit. It’s not even about finding something lacking in my relationships or some bullshit like that. I was in completely committed relationships with every single one of my boyfriends and I loved them very much.”
Mino pushed away from the table and began to pace, his mind racing almost as fast as his heart. Sure, he had expected that Taehyun might have had a storied past, but he hadn’t expected this. And why couldn’t Taehyun have told him about his before they decided to stop fooling around and get serious? Didn’t he deserve that, at least?
“This is about recognizing that you are a complex person who has layers of needs. And that those needs can’t be fulfilled by just a single person. No one can be everything to you, right?” Taehyun said, eyes tracking Mino’s agitated movements.
“But that doesn’t mean you don’t love them. Being in polyamorous or triad relationships doesn’t invalidate the genuine connection and affection you have for another human being. They can be just as fulfilling as monogamous relationships-more so, even, as the argument goes.”
Suddenly, Mino stopped in his tracks, his heart sinking.
Taehyun sighed from where he still sat at the table with his now cold breakfast. “Look, I know it is a lot to take in at once-”
“Why didn’t you tell me this sooner?”
There was a change in Mino’s voice, just a hint of something but enough to give Taehyun pause. It made him consider his words carefully, because to him, Mino sounded awfully close to bitter regret.
“Because it doesn’t have to be a big deal,” he said quietly but firmly as he stared at Mino’s back and waited for a reaction.
Mino scoffed. “Right, sure.”
“It doesn’t,” Taehyun insisted. “Will you please come sit down?”
“You said you enjoy open relationships. As in, you still like them. Still prefer them.”
Finally, Mino turned around, heartbreak clear on his face.
“What does this mean for us?”
Abandoning his seat, Taehyun stood slowly. “It doesn’t have to mean anything-”
“Because, you know, I feel tricked,” Mino confessed, words thick in his throat. “Does this mean you’ll cheat on me if I just want a boring old monogamous relationship with you?”
“Mino-”
“Or does this mean we’re breaking up?” And he cursed the tears threatening to overwhelm him.
Taehyun was quiet. “Is that what you want?” he asked, hands clenched at his sides.
“Is that what you want?” Mino cried, voice cracking. “Because I’m have a difficult time trying to understand why my boyfriend is suddenly telling me that I will never be good enough for him.”
“That’s what you think, then,” Taehyun replied, his own voice thick with emotion. “That’s what you think of me?”
“I don’t know what to think!” Mino shook his head, pinching the tears that were slipping from his eyes. “You talk about trust and honesty and being open, but then you’ve been keeping a secret like this from me. And I just-I feel cheated and tricked because I like you, Taehyun, I like you a lot. But I can’t give you that. I won’t. And I have no idea where that leaves us because I don’t know what it is that you want from me.”
Taehyun bit his lip to keep it from trembling, but even then, Mino could his the shaking of his jaw. Taehyun’s own face was wet with tears but he stubbornly refused to wipe them.
“I just want you,” he whispered brokenly. “I just want you, Mino.”
“I don’t see-” Mino began.
But Taehyun cut him off.
“I meant it when I said that it didn’t have to be a big deal. We don’t have to make it a big deal.” He sniffled. “I knew what I was doing when you asked to be boyfriends. I made the decision then that I would be with you, and only you, because I like you so damn much.”
“But you just said that you can never be satisfied with just one partner.”
“I know what I said,” Taehyun grit out. “But I also think that if there was ever a person who could, oh god, complete me, as they say, I think you’re as close as anyone’s ever going to get.”
Mino stood, stunned, his mind reeling. “I don’t know, Taehyun. That sounds to me like you’re settling,” he states rather lamely, the fight drained from his words.
“I’m not, I promise,” Taehyun grabbed onto hope and clung tightly. Tentatively, he stepped closer to Mino, inching slowly forward. “I want this with you. I want you.”
He now stood in front of Mino, close enough to touch but his arms remained at his sides. Taehyun was right there, offering himself and everything his heart had to give, if only Mino would take that last step to close the distance between them. Taehyun had been the one to make the first move, and Mino knew it was left to him to close the gap between them. To choose him.
“Please don’t turn your back on what we could be because of this,” Taehyun whispered and Mino felt his breath like a caress on his cheek. “For me, it is a non-issue.”
“I can’t-I still don’t know, Taehyun,” he said and Mino’s inner conflict showed on his face, his features full of confusion and heartache. “I just-how will I know-what if you decide one day that you want more than this, than me? I don’t know if I-”
It was difficult for Mino to articulate his thoughts when he felt like his mind was swimming.
“I think I need some time to think about this,” he muttered eventually.
From so close a distance, Mino could see disappointment and pain flash in Taehyun’s eyes before immediately being chased away-a wall lowered, one that Taehyun retreated behind.
“How just much time do you think you’ll need?” he asked tightly, fists again clenched at his sides.
Mino almost reached out to him. And yet-
“I don’t know,” he whispered instead. “I-I’ll call you.”
Taehyun laughed bitterly. “You’ll call me,” he repeated as he shook his head. “So that’s how it is, then.”
“No, that’s not how anything is,” Mino argued. “I just need some space. A few days. This is not a break up, Taehyun.”
And if he noticed the slight quiver of Taehyun’s jaw, he didn’t comment on it. Mino watched as Taehyun raised his chin proudly.
“Whatever.”
A few days ended up being nearly two weeks.
It took Mino that long to drag himself to Taehyun’s place, to muster the courage to knock three times on the old, chipped door. A handful of seconds, and the door swung open to reveal a haggard looking Taehyun in ratty gray sweatpants.
“So much for calling,” he spat and tried to close the door on Mino’s face.
It took nearly 20 minutes for Taehyun to finally let Mino inside the apartment, and even after that, it was another 5 minutes before they moved into the living room.
“Listen, Taehyun, I-”
“You know, I think this could work,” he interrupted, agitated. “I think this could be something really good. But if you’re going to make me feel guilty for my past or my preferences, or be jealous of things that I don’t have control over, then you can forget it. I won’t waste my time being made to feel bad because of your insecurities. Not when you’re so unsure about me.”
Mino stood speechless. This was not how he imagined this to play out.
“I’m not going to say that I won’t be attracted to other people. That would be ridiculous to claim and an impossible promise to keep,” Taehyun said honestly.
At his words, Mino felt his insides squeeze tightly. The thought that Taehyun would just let go, would be the one to walk away, sent him reeling.
“But at the end of the day I would still choose you, you idiot asshole,” Taehyun continued from where he was perched on the armrest of his couch. “I would still choose us.”
“Because you’re the one I want,” he added softly, fingers coming to play with the worn fabric of the cushions.
Taehyun looked at him then, so beautiful in his vulnerability, so defenseless and fragile with his bleeding heart, and Mino felt all of the affection he carried for Taehyun hum through his veins. He wanted, so much, to reach out and soothe all the worries written on his face.
“I was going to say,” Mino said gently, “that I don’t want to miss out on this. On you. But I’m going to need you to be patient with me. I don’t really know how poly or triad relationships work, I will probably have a lot of questions.”
Taehyun’s gaze was piercing as he sat there, torn between wanting to believe Mino and wanting to protect himself in case it wasn’t what the thought. “Alright, I can do that,” he agreed, guardedly. Then, eyes narrowing, “Are you sure?”
Mino offered him a shy smile, the first in a long time. “Positive.”
“Okay,” Taehyun exhaled, clearly relieved, and he blinked several times as if his mind were still catching up with this surprising turn of events. “Okay then.”
It was then that Mino took his first steps tentative steps towards Taehyun. Drawing close, he lifted a hand to trace the curve of Taehyun’s cheek. He was amazed that it was still so soft, that it hadn’t just been his longing and loneliness that had made it so in his memory. Taehyun’s pale skin still gave way to his fingertips in just such a manner that made Mino smile.
Taehyun didn’t move to touch him in turn, instead choosing to sit still and let Mino explore him, eyes wide and imploring as he gazed up at Mino.
“I have my faults and insecurities,” Mino’s words were as gentle as his touch. “But I swear I will never judge you or make you regret trusting me.”
And when a smile finally broke clear across Taehyun’s face, every feature radiating pure joy, Mino swore his heart stuttered in his chest.
“Thank you.”
They spent the rest of the evening on the couch, talking over things. Mino had been quite unashamed about his curiosities, and Taehyun had been both patient and obliging. As the hours slipped past, they shared tender kisses, sweet caresses, and the flutter of wonderful things to come.
“I’m sorry about keeping things from you. I was just so scared about how you'd take it, and…and I won’t do so again,” Taehyun whispered from his place in Mino’s arms. The pair of them really were too big for his couch, legs dangling off one end and barely enough room for the two of them lying side by side, but neither of them were much in a hurry to move. As it turned out, they were plenty comfortable as they were.
They made a promise to each other that night, sealed appropriately and officially with a kiss, that they would always be honest with one another. To not keep secrets. To be open with their needs and feelings about their relationship.
It was one that served them well over the many months and years ahead.
Until it didn’t.
////
Things carried on with Seungyoon becoming increasingly involved in their lives.
Even Jinwoo and Seunghoon had warmed to him-naturally, Jinwoo quicker than Seunghoon-and now he was included in the Friday poker nights. It’s during one of these Friday night gatherings that it inevitably comes up.
“So, you’ve really never been with a guy before?” Seunghoon asks before biting into a cookie.
All conversation stops as attention is directed towards Seungyoon, who sits with wide unblinking eyes, a blush creeping up his neck. Mino wants to smack his best friend, because leave it to the guy with the least tact to ask the first question of the night.
That being said, it wasn’t as if he weren’t a little curious to know the answer.
“Um,” Seungyoon rubs his hands down the legs of his jeans. “I thought the questions weren’t supposed to be directed at a specific person?”
Seunghoon’s head rolls with his eyes. “Fine. Truth or Truth?”
“Truth,” Seungyoon replies, head tilting in amusement.
Seunghoon smirks, re-formulating his question. “Have you ever been with a guy? I’ll go first: yes.”
“Yes.”
“Obviously.”
“Yes.”
They all turn back to the newest addition to the group.
“And then there was one,” Seungyoon says with a nervous chuckle. Takes a deep breath.
“Yes.”
“Wait, what? I thought you were straight. No?” Jinwoo looks around the table as if to see if anyone else is just as surprised by the news. He is relieved to find that everyone looks just as perplexed as he does.
“I think it’s my turn to ask a question, right?” Seungyoon says instead, clapping his hands and skillfully dodging the question. Much to their consternation.
Seungyoon takes his time thinking of what he wants to ask. “So, since we’re going to be crude,” he starts by way of explanation. “Just how far have you gone with a woman?”
“Only a bit of fondling in a closet at a frat party my first year,” Jinwoo says a bit shyly, a faint blush staining his cheeks. “I’ve always grown up getting a lot of attention from girls-it’s the face, I can’t help it-but I was pretty certain early on that I liked boys. Still, I wanted to confirm it so…”
“I had a girlfriend all throughout high school. What do you think?” Mino replies with a shrug.
Seunghoon raises his hand. “Also had a couple girlfriends. We did everything.”
“I’ve also done everything with a woman,” Taehyun smirks, a mischievous glint in his eye. “And then some.”
“Oh,” Seungyoon blinks, as if trying to figure out what exactly that could mean. “I, um, I’m not a virgin and I’ve dated a few women seriously, so…”
“But not exclusively.”
Seungyoon smiles wryly. “It sounds like there’s a question in there somewhere.”
“Merely an inference,” Seunghoon shoots back easily.
He gives in.
“I’ve dated women exclusively,” Seungyoon clarifies, each word measured. “But I haven’t exclusively dated women.”
It takes a moment to sink in.
Jinwoo gasps.
Mino blinks.
“Huh,” Taehyun hums, the corner of his mouth tilting up. He rubs a finger over his bottom lip.
Seunghoon whistles. “Well, I’ll be damned. We all thought you liked women. Exclusively.”
Seungyoon finds Taehyun’s eye. “Yes, well…” he trails off, shrugging one shoulder. “Not exclusively,” he mumbles.
Taehyun smiles.
Mino observes this interaction from across the way, considering, before Jinwoo taps on the table with his knuckles to get everyone’s attention. “Are we ever going to start playing? Who’s dealing?”
PART THREE