Chapter XCVIII - House Visit

“You should ring the bell,” Max said, standing in front of Art’s house.

“Nah, I say we just storm in.” Tjay deviously grinned.

“No way. . . Irene’s with him,” Max warned him.

“Wuss,” Tjay taunted.

“Maybe we should just ring the bell,” Don added, awkwardly smiling as the two had been bickering the entire time.

“You siding with him now, D?” Tjay asked, furrowing his brows.

“I told you-” Max said but got interrupted as the door suddenly opened.

“God, you’re so loud,” said Irene, staring at them smirkingly, stepping to the side to let them in. “Art’s in the bathroom.”

“Hey, how’s he doing?” Tjay asked as they walked into the living room.

“A bit tired, but he’s good,” Irene said. “Want anything to drink?”

“We brought stuff as well,” Don pointed out, placing his backpack on the table.

“Well, there’s more in the fridge. Feel free to rummage.”

“Oi, Tae-Hyun,” Max called out to him, still refusing to call him Tjay. “Mind setting up the console?”

“Sure,” he said, taking it from Max’s bag. “I pick the game though.”

“I don’t mind.” Max turned to Irene. “Where’s Soph?”

“She’s crashing at my place with Ari.”

“Noona with them?”

“Nah, I’m gonna meet up with Iseul on my way home.”

“Woah, what’s this?” Arthur asked, returning to the living room wearing the shorts and shirt that he slept in.

“Hey, Art,” Don said, taking out plastic cups and a bottle of Coke. “Want some?”

“Pour me half,” he said, walking behind Irene and wrapping his arms around her waist. “So. . . Anyone gonna tell me what’s going on?”

“What? We can’t hang out with our friend anymore?” Max asked jokingly.

A week had passed since Arthur last spoke to Tjay’s father, informing him about the development between Moon and him, but the constant treatments he had to give Ryung left Arthur too exhausted for anything else.

“You boys have fun,” Irene said, turning to Arthur to give him a soft kiss on the lips. It was one of the rare times they kissed in front of other people. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

“You’re leaving?” Arthur asked.

“You’ll be fine.” Irene turned to the boys. “Take care of him.”

“Don’t worry,” Max reassured her. “Say hi to the girls.”

“Cya guys.” Irene waved, grabbing Art’s hand. “Walk me to the door?”

“Of course,” he whispered, following behind her.

“Bye,” Don said while Tjay simply waved.

“You planned this, didn’t you?” Arthur asked, standing by the door with Irene next to him as both stared deeply into each other’s eyes.

“Nah, they’ve been planning this for days once they were all free.”

“Maybe next time we can call the girls over too,” Arthur suggested, sighing as he pulled Irene closer. “What am I going to do without you?”

“With a smile like that, you’re going to be fine,” Irene whispered, wrapping her arms around his neck. “Call me if you need anything.”

“Same.”

Irene got up on her toes, pressing her soft lips against his as they looked at each other with half-closed eyes. Once they broke away, he watched from the door as she slowly waltzed away carefree. Letting out a sigh, Arthur went back to the boys.

“So. . .” Arthur mumbled before seeing Tjay and Max bashing their shoulders as they played against each other. “Well, I guess they’re at it already.”

“Here,” Don said, handing Arthur his cup.

“Thanks.” Arthur smiled, placing a hand on Don’s shoulder. “How’ve you been?”

“I’m doing good, but how about you?” Don asked, looking worried. “Have you slept at all?”

“Stop spamming!” Tjay yelled.

“Suck it, nerd!”

“I am. Do I look that bad?” Arthur chuckled, glancing over at the two as Tjay jumped up on his feet, smashing the buttons as fast as possible as if it was helping.

“You look like you just woke up but are ready for a nap.”

“Pretty accurate.” Arthur took a sip of Coke, hoping it would give him a boost.

“Ha! Loser,” Max said, letting go of the controller as he beat Tjay. “Art, wanna have a go at him?”

“I’ll just watch for now.”

Arthur walked over to the couch, sitting behind the two.

“How you holding up?” Tjay asked.

“Better now that you guys are here.”

“Sorry for not coming sooner,” Max said, sitting down next to him. “Had to cover shifts back home, and I figured you’d wanna be alone with Irene.”

“You showed up when it mattered, thanks.”

“I heard from my dad you made a few arrangements,” Tjay said, stretching his arms up.

“Yeah, your dad really saved us. . .”

“If you need anything, don’t hesitate to ask,” Max added.

“Yeah, from me too,” Don said, picking up the controller Max left on the ground.

“Damn, what did I do to deserve such good friends?” Arthur chuckled, leaning back into the couch with the cup resting on his knee and a tender smile showing.

“You’d do the same for us.” Max pointed out with a slight pause before asking, “How’s Soph holding up?”

“Better. Staying with Irene and her sister helped a lot.”

“Cool,” Max said, sighing in relief. “What a wild ride. . .”

“Tell me about it,” Arthur exhaled before gulping his drink. “How are Hyun and Nabi doing?”

“Fine,” Tjay mumbled, trying to sound indifferent. “They had a fight, but it’s all good now as far as I know.”

“She talks to you about it?” Max sounded surprised, and so did the others.

“I’ve known her all my life, so it’s not weird. . .”

“Still. . . You have feelings for her,” Max said, looking at him with a sympathetic smile. “You okay?”

“I’m the one who chose to be there for her. I’ll be fine.”

“Would you be with her if they broke up?” Max asked.

“In a heartbeat.” Tjay sighed before glancing back at Max. “But that’s not why I’m friends with her. . .”

“We know,” Arthur intervened.

“Yeah, what he said. . .” Max mumbled.

“Well, I missed my chance, and I’m paying for it,” Tjay started another game. “We playing or what?”

“Don’t think I’ll let you win,” Don told him, sitting down on the ground.

“Don, catch.” Arthur threw a pillow at him. “Don’t sit on the floor.”

“Thanks.” Don smiled back at him before looking at the screen. “Should I give you a handicap?”

“Don’t get cocky,” Tjay warned him.

Watching them play was surprisingly relaxing as well as entertaining. Tjay’s reactions were always comical as he’d throw a tantrum whenever something annoyed him, but he never threw things or hit anything, which was impressive considering how much energy he exerted every time.

Arthur checked his phone as he received a message.

I’m home with the girls. - Irene

Hope you’re having fun ^^ - Irene

Arthur - I am, and the boys say hi to everyone.

“Dammit! How?!” Tjay yelled as a devilish smirk appeared on Don’s face.

“Damn, you suck,” Max teased.

Arthur - Call me if you need me

“You wanna give it a try?” Tjay looked back at Max, fuming after Don won clinically.

Same... - Irene

“I’d do a better job than you.”

“Prove it!” Tjay handed him the controller, and the two switched places as Tjay crashed onto the couch. “Don, you better beat his ass.”

“Always.” Don chuckled.

Seeing as their arguments and competitiveness wasn’t going to settle until one admitted defeat, Arthur just enjoyed watching from the sidelines; however, at one point he started to close his eyes only to rest a bit, never expecting to accidentally fall asleep.

Hours passed with Arthur sleeping in a sitting position on the couch with his head tilted back, and as he slowly opened his eyes, he found himself in a dimly lit room covered with a blanket.

Tjay and Don were still there, sitting on the floor, shuffling through the movies they could watch, while a divine smell came from the kitchen. It didn’t take long for Arthur to realize what had happened as the boys let him sleep, noticing he was tired.

“Hey,” Max whispered but noticed Arthur was already awake. “Oh, you’re awake.”

“How long was I out for?” Arthur mumbled, rubbing his eyes as the blanket dropped from his shoulders to his lap.

“About three hours?” Don checked his watch.

“Food’s ready,” Max said, running back to the kitchen and bringing out a plate full of food that he shoved in Arthur’s face immediately. “I’ll bring you guys yours in a sec. Did you pick a movie yet?”

“He’s taking forever. . .” Don complained as Tjay refused to give him the remote.

Arthur looked at the sweet and sour pork dish known as Tangsuyuk, one of his favorites that Max makes.

“Sorry for falling asleep on you guys,” Arthur mumbled again.

“Stop apologizing and thanking us for everything, geez. . .” Max sighed.

“Max’s right, you know?” Tjay said, making the room deafeningly quiet. He noticed everyone staring at him, which just confused him more. “What?”

“Did you just call him Max?” Don asked.

“He did,” Max added.

“So?” Tjay asked as his eyes went wide a second later upon realizing what he had done. “No!”

“Yes! I won!” Max cheered, jumping with his hands up.

“No, no. . . no!” Tjay went down on his knees as weeks of effort just went down the drain.

The two had called each other only by their first name ever since they invaded Arthur’s room back at the beach house, and just like that, all of Tjay’s effort went down the drain; however, that also meant that Arthur lost the bet he made with Irene.

“It was about time, honestly. . .” Don said, letting out a sigh.

“But it didn’t have to happen like this!” Tjay cursed his moment of absentmindedness.

“Look at the bright side,” Arthur said.

“What bright side?” Tjay looked up hopeful.

“There’s food in the kitchen.”

Everyone burst into laughter, but Tjay didn’t hesitate to rush over. If he was going down, he might as well snatch something tasty on the way.

“I should tell Irene,” Max said, taking out his phone.

“Wait,” Arthur stopped him. “I know she said something to you, but could you hold off for a few days?”

“Huh? Why?” He looked confused.

“I’ll tell you later, but please don’t tell her just yet.”

“Okay?” Max put his phone away.

“I’ll also need your help.”

“Sure. . .”

“Fuck!” Tjay walked back into the room with a plate full of food and sat down next to Arthur, looking genuinely disappointed he lost to Max. “At least the food is tasty. . .”

“Well, it’s a good thing we don’t feed you every time you lose, or you’d be too thick to get into the classroom,” Max kept teasing, laughing at his own joke.

“At least I’d be happy.” Tjay indirectly complimented Max, making him flustered out of nowhere. “Man, I envy your wife and your Noona’s future husband. . .”

“You know I could teach you, right?”

“Really?” Tjay’s eyes sparkled with excitement. “You’d do that?”

“Why not? I wouldn’t mind teaching all of you if you want.”

“That sounds fun,” Don said.

“My house is empty, so we could do lessons here,” Arthur offered, intrigued by the idea.

“Damn, we about to sign up for a cooking class.” Tjay chuckled. “Think you could teach me how to make those chocolate cookies Noona always makes?”

“Amm. . . I’d have to ask Iseul for the recipe since I kinda forgot how it goes, but I’m sure I could.”

“We should really eat before the food gets cold,” Arthur said, diving into the pork that just melted in his mouth.

“I’ll bring you some,” Max said to Don, going back to the kitchen.

Grabbing the remote before Tjay could take it back, Don soon found a movie that the whole gang could watch while stuffing their faces with food. Arthur was pleasantly surprised to see Don pick a western action comedy that truly managed to make them laugh for a change.

Despite not wishing to hear it from him again, Arthur felt thankful to everyone for being surrounded by friends. He looked over them as they were enthralled by the movie, throwing countless comments that made it even funnier.

Chapter End.

Thank you for reading.