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Chapter Text

As the arrow hits the target, Mijin cheers, happily jumping up and down and she turns to look at Hari, who nods her head with an impressed look on her face.

- And that´s a bullseye! Mijin shouts excitedly, putting the bow back to rest on the rack and gets out of the way so Hari can shoot next.

- I´m pretty amazing aren´t I? Mijin asks, proud of her own progress in shooting the bow. She had gone to the practice with Hari for several months now after she asked the older girl to teach her how to do it. The reason why she got so interested in the sport in the first place was because she found the way Hari shoot the bow to be so cool and she looked very fine with that serious and focused look on her face as she was getting ready to shoot.

She could almost say that it was love at first sight as she now looks back on that memory, but she hadn´t understood that at first. At first she wanted to have her as her own friend, but soon more feelings started to unfold and it didn´t take that long for those to fully bloom and at the end, after spending roughly four moths together they ended up dating.

- It could also be just good luck, some of your arrows didn´t even land on the target. Hari notes, pointing at the board and shrugs like saying ´better luck next time´. Mijin scowls, muttering something Hari couldn´t catch on.

- Does it hurt too much to praise me from time to time? Mijin asks now more audible, noticing that the taller girl had not heard her. She looks up at Hari who was about to shoot, but then she puts down the bow and takes few steps towards Mijin who looks at her, her lips turned downwards.

- I mean, you´ve progressed pretty well during these few months, but there´s still work to do. For one, your posture is not perfect yet, you still keep leaning too much forward, but we can fix that. Explains Hari with an apologetic look on her face. She´s never been that great at talking and especially praising others, there has never been anyone she could have praised since she´s always been alone.

She hadn´t had any friends before, because all people thought she was just a spoiled brat that got into the school only because of her skills in archery. Till this day she hasn´t succeeded in competitions and some students think that the school should kick her out because she´s not capable of bringing any glory to the school, they say that her father must have paid the principal to keep her in school. He had a younger brother, but either with him she´s never been that close, only now after she started to hang out with Mijin, Mijin had made sure that they talked it out and at least tried to become more close, she had said that after all he will become her brother in law and she wouldn´t accept her wife to be in a petty argument with her brother for the rest of their lifes.

- What if I treat you to some rose tteokbokki after we´re done here? Hari suggests as Mijin was still pouting, not knowing what else to offer to make her feel better and she knew that, that food was one of Mijin´s favorites.

- And you did very well today. Hari continues seeing that her offer for food didn´t do the trick. Mijin kicks the sand on the ground for few more times before she slowly looks up with that familiar mischievous smile on her face.

- Thanks. She says squirming a bit, a total contrast to that cool, ignorant act she normally has on the surface.

- Come here. Says Hari, opening her arms. Mijin doesn´t need to be told twice as she quickly skips to her and wraps her arms around Hari´s tall and lean body.

- I´m proud of you. Hari whispers, patting her hair which always calms Mijin down. Her mother used to do that to her as well in the past, before she passed away.

- See, it wasn´t that hard. Mijin mocks, but Hari just lets out a little huff before she continues patting her head and Mijin tightens her hold around her girlfriend´s waist.

- What should we do on the weekend? Asks Hari as they´re sharing a serving of that rose tteokbokki they agreed on earlier. The place was pretty packed, but luckily they found an empty table. There was a lot of students of different age, after all it was time that many students had just got out from school and we´re filling their stomachs with some snacks before dinner.

- I want to go and sing some karaoke. Mijin says with an excited look on her face. Hari knows she loves singing, but she also knows that Mijin´s not the next idol of the century, they both know it, but she would be able to listen to her shouting from the bottom of her lungs if that made her happy.

- And I´ve been supposed to visit my mother, but I´ve always made these excuses not to go because, well you know it´s pretty hard to go there, especially on my own. Mijin tells and Hari can see that talking about her mother is still a hard task for her. They don´t talk about her much, but always that they did Mijin had ended up crying, Hari comforting her to her best abilities.

- I can go with you. If you feel comfortable enough. Hari suggests.

- I´d love that. Mijin smiles gratefully. She intertwines their hands under the table, trying to fight against the urge to lean above the table and pull the other into a hug and thank her with a kiss. She would do that if the place was not so packed as it was now, so the handholding would have to do.

- Thanks Hari. I´d appreciate it. Mijin breathes out, holding back her tears, she really didn´t want to start crying now being surrounded by all these people.

- Of course. We should visit your mother first and then go to the karaoke so you´ll get something else to think about. Hari smiles and Mijin answers with a smile as well.

- Sure, that sounds good. Mijin agrees and notices there´s only two pieces of rice cakes left so she puts one on Hari´s plate and the last one she picks up for herself.

Mijin lives alone so it´s not hard to find a place where they could be in peace if they want to spend the night together. They were lying down on Mijin´s bed and Hari kept thinking if she would ever be ready to tell her own parents that she´s dating her. Only people that knew about their relationship were her own brother and Mijin´s best friend. They had never really discussed about telling them, but they had both found out by accident.

She knows that Mijin would be ready to wait until she´s ready, she wouldn´t pressure her to tell them if she´s not ready, but would she be ready to hide it for forever if needed. If she will never be ready to come clean to her parents, would she still stay beside her or would she leave her. She turns to the side and just looks at the girl already sleeping next to her, quiet snores leaving her mouth, she reaches out her hand to gently caress her cheek not to wake her up, she looked so calm like this, she didn´t want to break that peacefulness by waking her up.

- Let´s take it one day at a time. Right now, this is enough. Hari whispers before closing her eyes.

Chapter Text

All of his life, Siwon had made it sure that he seems perfect in everyone´s eyes. He was taking care of his appearance, he was kind always ready to help a person in need, he was smart and he acted like nothing could hurt him physically or mentally, but that was all it was, an act. With this act he had built a shell around himself to protect himself from other people and from the feel of feeling unworthy.

When he was young he was never liked by anyone, he didn´t come along with his own sister, they were always fighting even when their father left them alone with only their mother they didn´t come any closer as many might think, it was like they despised each other even more saying things like ´you´re such a bad child´ and that´s why their father had left. He had no friends when he was young, they either didn´t want to be with him because they thought that he must be weird since his father left without coming back or then they found his outer appearance disgusting as they many times called him as an ugly gorilla.

Eventually his mother started to make him drink protein shakes so that he would lose weight and, in her words, look better if he loses seven kilograms. And well he did lose weight, he started to take more care about his appearance and on the way he gained more confidence in himself and now being in university he had met someone that could have pushed him away from the popularity stand he was currently standing on, but that didn´t happen.

He more like swept the carpet from under his feet. They didn´t have to do too much, someway they just clicked after they had spent some time with each other and Daun had teased about kissing him for several times, they didn´t have that huge confession scene where they told each other they have feelings towards the other person, they just fell into that ´act´ of an couple in a loving relationship. It had been so easy, so easy that Siwon feared everyday that one moment he would lose all of it so easily as well. That Daun would leave him one day like his father did and he would never return.

- I like this. Daun breathes out pulling Siwon closer to himself. They were at jeju island in that ´secret place´ Daun liked to call it and they were looking at the sundown above the sea and just enjoyed the free time they had together.

- I really like it like this. Daun continues and kisses Siwon´s cheek before he has a chance to avoid it. From time to time Siwon thinks that Daun´s being too cheesy with all of his kisses, acts of affection and lines that sounds like he had just picked them out from over the top romantic movies, but in the end he doesn´t really mind, he finds it endearing that there´s actually someone that cares about him so greatly.

- You know, sometimes I can´t but think that why you like me so much? Siwon whispers, his eyes downcast. That´s a question that has bugged him from the moment they had kissed for the first time, but he had never had a chance to ask it.

- It´s not like there´s anything special about me. Siwon specifies and as he looks up at Daun the slightly taller boy takes his hands in his own and turns his body little bit to be able to look at him better.

- Well. Daun starts and thinks about his answer for a little while.

- You´re cute when you´re angry. Daun smiles and immediately Siwon hisses, detaching his hand from Daun´s hold and playfully hits his chest in embarrassment.

- Is that all, can I continue now? Daun asks laughing and Siwon either can´t fully fight the little smile from forming on his lips.

- You´re kind, considerate and smart. Daun continues to list while he draws calming patterns on Siwon´s hand with his thumb.

- But the thing I like you about the most is your eyes, the way they look when you smile. Siwon cracks a little smile at that and Daun brings his other hand to rest it on Siwon´s cheek.

- You have so much love in you, and you want to be loved, but still you don´t fully know how to accept the love people around you are wanting to give to you. Daun caresses his cheek in a way of telling him that he´s being sincere, he´s not saying these things just because he has to, but because he really thinks that way. He leans forward and presses their lips together for a kiss. For Siwon it always feels like their first and he just enjoys the rush of feelings it brings to him.

There are people that care and love him, Daun is one of them which makes him extremely relieved. Daun has shown him that it´s alright to like things that others don´t find as interesting, it´s okay to speak up and show your true feelings especially if you´re hurting and it´s okay to make mistakes, no one is prefect and Siwon has been learning to accept that sentence little by little with Daun´s help.

- Do you remember when I brought you here for the first time? Daun suddenly asks after they pulled back from the kiss.

- How could I forget? Siwon lets out a little laugh recalling the first time they spent the night in this same room, the night that they had made love for the first time. It had been one of his best weekends in a really long time and he wouldn´t be able to just forget it with a snap of a finger like nothing had happened at all.

- I think that was our first official date. Siwon continues not trying to put too much emphasis at the fact that they had slept together for the first time back then.

- That time I really realized for the first time that I love you. Daun tells his brown eyes looking into Siwon´s with so much sincerity that Siwon has no other choice than to believe him.

- And it was not only because we had sex for the first time then. He clarifies not to sound like he only realized loving him because he enjoyed their night together. Siwon was too focused on how his cheeks were warming up, because it felt like Daun had just heard his thoughts.

- I really got to know you better back then and as the weekend was over only thing I could think about was that I just want to come back here with you, that everyday could be like what we had then. It happened rarely, so Siwon just smiled at himself when he saw that look of shyness on Daun´s face. He leans in and pecks his lips to make him feel more at ease.

- Thank you. Siwon didn´t really know what else to say. Should he also say that he loves Daun?. He has never loved anyone in his life before so he doesn´t really know if this what he feels towards Daun is love or something else. He might need to take some more time to arrange his feelings and find out if he´s at the state of saying that he doesn´t just like Daun, but that he loves him.

- It´s okay. You don´t have to tell me that you love me if you´re not one hundred percent sure of it yet. I just want you to know that I do and I hope that one day you can proudly tell me that you love me too, love is a big word after all. Again it was like Daun had read his mind, but if he´s honest it´s easier this way than if he needs to explain himself why he´s not ready to tell him that he loves him just yet.

- Thank you. I just keep repeating my words, but I just can´t bring myself to say anything else. Thank you Daun, seriously. There´s almost tears escaping from Siwon´s eyes as he feels so grateful that he got to meet someone like Daun, the story they have started to write together is one of the best ones and he can´t wait to see where it leads them.

- It´s okay Siwon. Daun smiles and pulls him into a hug, he kisses his temple and soothingly strokes his back with his hand.

- Let´s just stay like this for a while. Siwon whispers moving himself so now he was sitting on Daun´s lap as they were still hugging each other.

- Yeah, let´s stay like this. Daun agrees with a whisper.

Chapter Text

It wasn´t his decision, having to spend the whole winter with him, but he had no choice, the authorities from above them had made them to live together, to overcome their hatred towards each other.

When they were young, they had met at the orphanage, but they didn´t become friends, they were always bickering about everything and anything just to prove that they were better than the other.

They lost touch after they both left the orphanage and didn´t hear about each other for years, but then last year one day they just crossed paths suddenly and after catching up with each other and also continuing their familiar bickering, the authorities casted a spell on them that they can´t have more than 30 meters distance from each other, so they had no other chance than to live in the same house and they would not be saved from the spell before they make up and until they can look at each other without wanting to tear the hairs from one another´s heads.

***

- Why did you add carrots into this again? You know I hate them. Lee yeon complains as they´re getting ready to have dinner. There were many different side dishes that Lee rang had prepared for them to enjoy, but of course his eyes landed on the only one that had some carrots in it.

- You know carrots are a part of japchae? Lee rang sighs, trying his best to not add any remarks, he really was not planning on to live with this spell for the rest of his life. They´ve also had this same discussion for so many times by now and every time he told Lee yeon he could just pick out the carrots and not eat them.

- Yeah, but you could have exchanged the carrots with something else. Lee yeon keeps on complaining taking a bite of another side dish that had no carrots.

- You can just pick out the carrots and not eat them. Lee rang repeats the same words he had spoken out for so many times in the past he can´t even count those times with his fingers.

- Or you can just cook your own meals. It was a threat he knew that would work and by looking at the mortified look on Lee yeon´s face he knew he had the upper hand.

- You know I can´t cook. Lee yeon says his face filled with so much worry he almost let out a laugh from his mouth.

- Yeah, that´s even a bigger reason for you to try and appreciate all the meals I prepare for you. Lee rang says lifting his eyebrow like asking that am I not right.

- Okay, okay, I´ll just pick them out. Lee yeon gives in and takes a taste of the seasoned sweet potato noodles, humming at the great taste.

The truth was that he didn´t actually hate carrots, but he needed to keep complaining about these stupid little things, because he knew that once the spell was going to be lifted Lee rang would just leave and they wouldn´t see each other anymore, whenever that would be years or forever. It was a selfish action from him, but he didn´t want to be alone anymore and he needed the other man next to him.

After learning about all the disturbing shit of a memories from Lee rang and how many times he found him during the night screaming his lungs out because of a nightmare he was having made his heart beat a bit faster every time they were in the same room, when their arms accidentally touched each other or the few times that Lee rang had fell asleep against his shoulder as they were watching movies. Little by little he fell more in love and now he didn´t want to let go. He didn´t know how Lee rang felt about him, but he was too afraid to ask, afraid that if he´s the only one with feelings then for sure he would just leave him and never come back.

- I could also teach you how to cook so you´d be able to prepare other things beside ramen. Lee rang offers then and Lee yeon weighs his options. Being able to cook other things than just noodles would be great, but if he agreed on that, accepting the offer with open arms, it would look like he wasn´t being so hateful towards Lee rang anymore and that would just speed up the progress of them getting in good terms with each other and that would mean that they´re living together would end sooner.

- No thanks, I´m pretty sure I´d be able to learn more from cooking books and the internet than from being your student. Lee yeon jokes, because he knows that Lee rang would be such a good teacher, he was able to make all these delicious meals for them both and he would love to learn how to do them so one day he could prepare their dinner by himself. He felt warmth inside as he thought about getting praise from Lee rang after he tastes his cooking.

- Okay, then. Answers Lee rang and the mixed look of disappointment and hurt on his face made him feel like he was being such an vicious human being for no reason, but he did have a reason, reason to keep him next to him for longer time.

They didn´t talk during the dinner anymore and in silence they cleaned the table and washed the dishes both of them falling into that familiar pattern of doing things they had practiced during living in the same house.

***

For months Lee yeon had been listening to those screams coming from Lee rang´s bedroom during the night and once again the screams felt like they were cutting through his insides getting stuck in his heart and it hurt so bad. He had always told himself that no you can´t go in there, don´t comfort him, this way you are able to spend more time with him, don´t show the others that you care about him enough to go into his room in the middle of the night after he had woken up from a peaceful sleep because he was having one of those disturbing nightmares again.

This same scene had happened at least once a week, Lee yeon sitting in his bed counting down from ten always starting again until the screams would stop and like all the other times they stopped now as well. So abruptly and he fought the urge to go there and check if he was alright. If he could he would just go there, pull him into his embrace and tell him that anything that had happened to him wasn´t his fault and that it was just a nightmare he had to live through time after time. He lays back down and closes his eyes slowly, taking in a long inhale, slowly letting it out his chest falling back down. After tossing around for some minutes that felt like hours, he finally falls back asleep, there´s no telling how much time goes by before he´s woken up again, but it wasn´t because of screaming but by a knock on his bedroom´s door.

- Yeah? He says letting Lee rang to know he can enter as he´s sitting up on the bed trying to get himself awake, the whole night had been pretty restless, and he feels there isn´t a chance for him to fall asleep tonight anymore. The door opens slowly and Lee yeon turns on the lamp on the nightstand and seeing Lee rang standing there his shoulders hunched and the look on his face twisted something inside his heart, he looked like he had given up on life.

- I´m sorry I woke you up. Lee rang apologizes, his eyes downcast looking at his feet. His body was slightly fidgeting like he didn´t know what to do, it felt like he had come here to wake Lee yeon up because he had no idea what else to do. He couldn´t just leave the house to talk to someone else how he was feeling and to be honest Lee yeon was pretty sure that he had no one else he could talk to in his life.

- It´s okay. Answers Lee yeon and it really was, this was the first time for Lee rang to come into his room after having a nightmare, so something must be different from all the other times.

- I, I know it might sound weird but could I sleep next to you for tonight? There was not a chance for Lee yeon to turn him down and make him to return back into his own empty bedroom, he couldn´t say no seeing his eyes looking at him so desperately.

- Okay. He answers and lifts up the covers from the other side of the bed, inviting him to join him on the bed. With slow, careful steps Lee rang walks and hops in and now Lee yeon could notice how the other man was drenched in sweat, his hair was clinging to his forehead like his shirt was glued against his chest and back.

- Are you alright, did something happen? Lee yeon asks and he felt so stupid, they both knew what had happened and most probably Lee rang knew that he had heard him screaming in his sleep. It hurt him badly that the elder man never came into his room to check on him.

- I had a nightmare, one of those I told you about once. Lee rang admits his voice like a whisper, and yes Lee yeon knew.

- I, I couldn´t be alone anymore. Lee yeon saw few tears falling from his eyes and he wanted to lean in to wipe them away or even kiss his temple telling him that things were going to be alright, that all that had happened in the past wasn´t his fault.

- If you have those dreams in the future you can come to me if you want to. Those words are out from Lee yeon´s mouth before he can think about it for long enough, if he should say them out loud or leave them unsaid for forever.

- You know, after that time I told you about my nightmares, I kind of wished that would have made you to come to me when I have one, but I guess you don´t care about me that much. Lee yeon looks at Lee rang who was playing with his fingers, resting them on his lap. Well now he felt like shit.

- And I totally get that, we´ve never been in good terms always bickering and fighting each other from young age, but. Lee rang looks up and their eyes meet.

- I don´t want to continue it like this. Lee rang whispers and he keeps his eyes on Lee yeon, waiting for him to say something back, reading the look on his face, trying to find out what he was thinking about. Lee yeon then takes a risk he might have to regret for the rest of his life, he reaches out his hand and places it on Lee rang´s cheek not minding the wetness on it left by the sweat and the tears. Lee rang flinches a bit, seemingly not expecting something like this, but he doesn´t pull away, just breathes evenly in and out.

They stay like that for some time, it felt like the whole world stopped and them both were waiting who out of them would make the next move or if they should just back away and forget this whole thing even happened. Lee yeon notices the quick glances Lee rang casts on his lips and soon enough he leans forward and presses his own against his. First they just stay there lips pressed together, there´s no movement just a gentle press. Lee rang´s the first to pull away and the fright on his face could have been a sign that he had made a mistake.

- I´m so sorry hyung, I shouldn´t have done that. Lee rang talks as fast as he gets up from the bed, almost falling down.

- I should just go back. He says, ready to leave.

- No, stay. Lee yeon pleads and he meant it in more ways than just one. He pleaded him to stay next to him, but also asked him to stay with him for the rest of his life. Could it actually be that Lee rang also had more feelings towards him, if it was so there was a bigger change to be able to have him in his life for longer.

Lee rang looks at him for a while, finally giving in and gets back down under the covers. Lee yeon doesn´t spend too much time pondering on if he should kiss him to find out if he really had feelings for him or just let it go. He places his hand on Lee rang´s shoulder and slowly, gently turns him a bit so that they´re face to face before leaning back in to press their lips together.

This time they move their lips against each other and Lee yeon gets a slight taste of the strawberry chopstick that Lee rang likes to use from his lips. Lee yeon´s other hand moves up to cup Lee rang´s cheek and he takes a quick inhale before attaching their lips together again. After the first shock also Lee rang gets more relaxed and brave by bringing his hands into Lee yeon´s hair. Lee yeon moves so he´s now hovering over Lee rang who lets out a quiet grunt as Lee yeon´s knee accidentally touches his groin.

They stay like that, just kissing each other for some time, neither of them were ready to go further just yet and there was no need to, not now that they both knew that they had feelings for each other and that was all Lee yeon had wanted to get the answer to.

***

- I actually did all those things like saying I hate carrots just so that I wouldn´t have to lose you so soon. That would have happened after the spell would have been lifted, you would have left me and I had no idea how I could have lived my life after that. Lee yeon explains as they´re laying on the bed looking into each other´s eyes.

- Was that the reason you didn´t come check on me when I had those nightmares so that you wouldn´t have to lose me? Lee rang was quick to catch on, he was looking at him with an expression he wasn´t able to read.

- Hmm yeah, and I hate myself for that. I told myself that I love you, but at the same time I made you to suffer all that pain by yourself, all alone. Lee yeon says as he´s caressing Lee rang´s hair.

- I was being so selfish.

- We tend to do stupid things when we´re in love, it´s okay. Lee rang was so quick to forgive him that it made him to feel even worse, he would have a lot to show to him, that he was a good person and he would do that if it was for Lee rang.

- I´m going to make sure that you won´t suffer never again because of me. He promises.

- I´ll be eagerly waiting for that. Lee yeon loved to see that little, hopeful smile on Lee rang´s face, it´s been long since he saw him smiling for the last time and seeing it, spread warmth inside his heart.

- I´m getting sleepy. Lee rang says letting out a long yawn that made Lee yeon to yawn as well.

- We should get some sleep. He agrees with a nod.

- Can you hold me while I sleep? Lee rang asks and Lee yeon agrees and pulls his body against his own, wrapping his arms protectively around the younger man and it hurts his heart to know that for years Lee rang had not had anyone who would have held him like this when he needed it the most.

Chapter Text

Using the things they learned in the infamous Love Class of their university, turned out to be much harder in real life. Jiwoo found out that using the things he had learned weren´t really working on his crush Roa, the famous student in the school he got the looks, the endearing smile and he was smart and kind, in other words, he was the whole package. Jiwoo on the other hand, was pretty preserved person, he didn´t talk much, especially if he was with people he didn´t know, and he wasn´t that good looking either.

He´d always felt like his looks were average, but compared to Roa, he was like black stain of engine oil on a white t-shirt that no one wanted to have or wanted to look at and Roa was like a beautiful watercolor painting everyone spent hours looking at in a day, trying to find out the interesting meaning behind it. So understandably Jiwoo was feeling nervous as they were on their first date, at the café near to their university and he was trying his hardest to not embarrass himself. He didn´t want Roa to recall their first date in the future, to recall the way how Jiwoo acted weirdly or in a way that wasn´t characteristic for him.

´´So.´´ Roa was the one that started the conversation, Jiwoo just hoping that he won´t end up asking something he didn´t have an answer to. You see, Roa wanted to study law in the future and he was interested in the ongoing trials that were public, always voicing out his opinions of how the things should have been progressed, always adding in the end that those were just his own thoughts, and that to be honest the people at the courthouse must know what they were doing. He was nothing but a mere student who just likes to give out his observations.

Now, if he asks his opinion on any kind of legal proceedings he would be looking like a dumbass, trying to come up with an answer that would even slightly be acceptable, one that would make Roa proud of him and not hate him for the rest of his life, because he strongly disagrees with him. But really, would something like that be his first question on their first date.

´´How do you like the love class?´´ Well, that´s a better one than any question about law things, but how should he answer to that? Well, I´ve heard a lot of things, don´t know if I´m ever able to use them in real life, because that would make me too nervous, since you look like a sculpture made by the gods above the skies. He takes a glance at his date, and he must be taking too much time to answer, Roa raises his eyebrows waiting to hear his answer.

´´Well, I would say that it´s been better than I expected, but I think those tips they gave us were a bit too practiced and polished. They got it to sound like all relationships are or should be like the perfect romances we see on dramas and movies. I think every relationship is unique in their own ways and the people participating in it should decide the best ways that works for them.´´ Jiwoo explains, nervously rubbing his hands together under the table, quickly taking a sip from his iced americano as he ends with his answer and brings his hand back under the table. He looks up at Roa who´s slowly nodding his head taking in his words he just said. Then there´s a small smile that appears on his face and Jiwoo can´t believe it. Was he able to make him to smile on their first date? That already was an achievement, of course after getting him to agree for a date together.

´´ I really like your way of thinking Jiwoo. I actually agree with you. When I was listening to the teacher and when we had to act out those scenes, I felt like I was a character from one of those overly romantic dramas you mentioned. I mean I like watching those romance dramas, but sometimes it gets frustrating when we need to wait for eight or more episodes to get the leads to even hold each other´s hands. I don´t think that kind of romance really exists in this world, but if there really is a man like that, in his shining armor, good for you, I guess.´´ Roa shrugs his shoulders and lets out a little laugh at the cute way Jiwoo was attentively listening to him.

´´Ah, yeah. I know.´´ Jiwoo agress with a little nod. He felt oddly distracted by that little laugh.

´´So, Jiwoo, what kind of romance do you like?´´ And like that the bomb was dropped. He looks up at Roa and he must enjoy the way he was feeling flustered.

´´Well, there isn´t really lot of things I would like. Just that my future partner would have time for me outside work and hobbies.´´ Roa nods his head, listening to him attentively.

´´For the romance part, I like simple things like holding hands and hugs. Also, I wouldn´t mind receiving some flowers from my partner from time to time.´´ Roa hums and the way his dark brown colored eyes were looking at him intensively made Jiwoo feel a bit uncomfortable, not in a bad way though, he just felt so giddy because a good-looking guy was looking at him in a way that it felt like he really was interested what he was talking about. You see, Jiwoo has some bad experience from dating in the past. There was this one time when he met a guy who seemed so nice and eager to know about him and to hear his opinions about everyday things, but once he slept with him, he cut the ties with him, and that has made Jiwoo so insecure about himself and suspecting if a person really wants to get to know him, or if they are just using his easy trust in people for their own benefit.

´´Hmm, I think I could do that.´´ Roa suddenly says and Jiwoo almost chokes on the sip he just took from his drink. He collects himself with few coughs leaving trough his mouth and as he looks back up at Roa with a look on his face, like Roa had just said something scandalous, his date has the audacity to smile at him, topped with a little laugh as well. Oh my, he really must enjoy, making Jiwoo feel and act like this.

´´ Don´t laugh at me. ´´ Jiwoo says, trying to show the angriest face he can manage at the scene, but Roa just finds it adorable, how he tries to look intimidating.

´´Sorry, you just look so cute like this.´´ Roa answers and Jiwoo opens his mouth repeatedly, no words leaving from it, but it looked like he was saying some kind of mantra. Roa brings his hand to his face to hide his smile. He wanted to laugh at the even more scandalous look on Jiwoo´s face, but he fought against it.

´´Stop making me so flustered. It´s only our first date.´´ Says Jiwoo before he understands that he made a mistake.

´´So, you´re saying that you will have another date with me? Nice.´´ Says Roa with a smile on his face.

´´Stop that.´´ Jiwoo whines, rubbing his temple feeling like he´s getting headache from all the stress he´s going through right now.

´´Ah, am I really being too straightforward?´´ Asks Roa and there´s regret evident on his face. He looks like he´s sorry, he didn´t know that his actions really made Jiwoo feel so uncomfortable.

´´Well, yeah. It´s just, if you could take it back few steps.´´

´´Of course, I´m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.´´

´´It´s okay, I think you are really nice, but for relationships I´d like us the get to know each other in a little slower phase.´´ Explains Jiwoo, showing the little mark with his two fingers.

´´That´s totally fine.´´ Roa answers, nodding his head in understanding.

´´I´m really sorry Jiwoo. I thought you´d like me being straightforward. It´s not really who I am, but I was just so nervous to go on a date with you so I tried to lighten up the mood somehow.´´ Explains Roa and the way he was now nervously rubbing his own hands together surprised Jiwoo in a lot of ways. Who could have guessed that he, out of all people could be able to make Lee Roa of their school so nervous and unsure of himself?

´´I was actually fearing of making myself a fool in front of you, because I might come out as very timid person, since I don´t talk that much when I´m with people I don´t know that well.´´

´´That´s totally understandable, don´t worry about it. I willingly wait until you´re ready to open up to me more.´´

´´Thanks Roa, I really appreciate that.´´ Roa smiles and brings his arm forward to hold Jiwoo´s hand that was resting now on the little café table.

´´So, you agree to go on a second date?´´

Chapter Text

Ki Jin had made many pieces of clothing for Yeong Woo, but only recently he had started to think that he should prepare him a suit that would fit him like a second skin. After seeing his boyfriend in suits that didn´t fit him perfectly time after time, he decided that he´d had enough.

´´Please tell me again why we´re doing this in the middle of the night,´´ Yeong Woo asks as Ki Jin´s taking his measurements. ´´I want to sleep.´´ He says yawning.

´´Because, I want to start making it as soon as possible in the morning.´´ Ki Jin says with a smile.

´´Is there any specific color you´d like it to be?´´ He asks then measuring the length of Yeong Woo´s legs.

´´I don´t really, shouldn´t you pick one since you´re the tailor?´´ Suggests Yeong Woo, trying to smile, but it comes out as a frown, he really needed some sleep after a long day of working.

´´I was thinking about a basic black suit you could use in many different occasions,´´Ki Jin writes more numbers on his notebook,´´And later I could do another one with more color.´´

´´Sounds like a plan.´´ Yeong Woo chuckles tiredly. Even if he´s tired to the point he almost falls asleep while standing up, he doesn´t want to be mean to Ki Jin, because he knows how much his work means to him and he always wants to improve his skills.

´´I´m almost done.´´ Ki Jin informs making Yeong Woo to sigh in relieve. He takes few more measurements and as Yeong Woo´s told they´re done he gets down from the low stand and almost falls over, but fortunately Ki Jin´s there to help.

´´It really seems like you could do with some sleep,´´ Says Ki Jin as he´s supporting Yeong Woo to stand on his two long legs. ´´I would carry you to the bed, but I don´t have the strength in me.´´ Ki Jin notes with a laugh. His nonexistent muscles would have to work overtime if he tried to get his boyfriend back to bed.

´´Are you calling me fat?´´ Yeong Woo asks, but he´s not offended if the little chuckle coming out of him is for any indication.

´´I would never,´´Ki Jin answers as they start to walk towards their bedroom.´´It´s just that you´re taller than I am and you have such strong muscles.´´

´´Hmm, I know, it´s alright.´´ Yeong Woo mumbles. He knows that Ki Jin has never complained about his outer appearance and he never would in the future either. When they finally get to their bedroom, Ki Jin helps him to get under the covers of their shared bed and after a quick good nights exchanged, Yeong Woo is out like a light.

Ki Jin notices that Yeong Woo´s still wearing his makeup, so he cleans his face as well as he can, before he goes to his small working room to check that everything´s ready, so he can start to work on the suit first thing in the morning. Well after his morning coffee of course, his brain won´t work before he gets his caffeine, but after that he´s ready for the challenge. He wants it to be perfect, partly so he can show his skills to Yeong Woo, but mostly because it´s a gift for his loved one and he want to show his love for him in form of a nice, well-crafted suit.

***

´´It´s perfect.´´ Ki Jin announces enthusiastically as he´s taking in the image of Yeong Woo wearing the suit he made just for him. He walks around Yeong Woo just to check that everything is indeed in where they should be and stops on his steps in front of his boyfriend with a proud smile on his face.

´´What do you think?´´He asks Yeong Woo who´s giving him that ´I´m observing it, but I´m really not that impressed look´. ´´Isn´t it great?´´

´´it´s alright.´´ Yeong woo answers simply.

´´Just alright? Come on, I know you love it.´´ Ki Jin encourages impatiently.

´´Well I think I could give it some more value since it was made by my own lover.´´Yeong Woo mumbles, trying his hardest to keep in his laugh as he sees the unimpressed look on Ki Jin´s face.

´´Seriously, stop playing around.´´Ki Jin whines at this point and the way his lips start to form into a pout makes it impossible for Yeong Woo to joke around anymore. He gets down from the stand and pulls the other man into a hug and swings them left and right gently.

´´Okay, okay. I was just joking. It´s a great suit,´´ Yeong Woo says as they´re still rocking from one side to another. ´´I really love it. Thank you for making it for me.´´ Yeong Woo shows his appreciation by kissing Ki Jin´s forehead, at first, then he also pecks both of his cheeks finally ending on his lips. They´ve been together for long by this point, but the way Ki Jin still blushes almost every time Yeong Woo kisses him, makes it feel like he´s falling in love with him again and again. Yeong Woo pulls away from the hug and smiles before averting his eyes at their hands as he takes Ki Jin´s in his.

´´Actually, I have a perfect place where I could use this suit.´´He looks up at Ki Jin who looks clueless at this point. He didn´t know that Yeong Woo had something coming up where he could be using a suit like this. For his work it would be too formal and there wasn´t any parties coming, at least nothing that Ki Jin new about.

´´We´ve been together for a long time and I´d be ready to take the next step with you by my side.´´He says before bringing his hand to get something from the chest pocket of the suit. He lets go of Ki Jin´s other hand as well before he takes a step back and goes down, almost falling over as he supports his weight on one of his knees. Ki Jin would have thought ´how cute´ and giggled at the other, but right now he had no words coming out of his mouth. His brain tried to process what was happening. He knew what was happening, but he just couldn´t believe it. Yeong Woo opens the little box in his hands showing off two beautiful rings inside.

´´Will you marry me?´´ He breathes out and he doesn´t need to ask twice.

´´Yes, yes.´´ Ki Jin cries out, leaning over to hug Yeong Woo again, almost making both of them to fall over to the floor.

´´Thank god you said yes, I was a nervous wreck.´´ Says Yeong Woo kissing Ki Jin´s hair in delight.

´´Of course I´d say yes. I love you so much.´´ Ki Jin can´t help the tears escaping from his eyes and the the smile on his face must be widest Yeong Woo has ever seen him wearing.

´´I love you too.´´

They put the rings on each other´s fingers and seal the deal with a passionate, love filled kiss.

´´Have you been planning this for long?`` Ki Jin asks as he´s admiring the beautiful ring on his finger. It was a simple ring with a pretty little flower on it. It was simple, but what made it more special was the fact that Yeong Woo had personally picked it up for him. He loves this man in front of him so much.

´´Yeah, for quite long. I was just too nervous to do this, but then you told me you would make this suit and I thought ´this is my chance, it´s now or never´.´´ Yeong Woo tells.

´´Thank god you did it now, or I would never get married.´´ Ki Jin laughs, making Yeong Woo look offended, but it really had no weight, he was only playing around.

´´You could have proposed to me too.´´ Yeong Woo tell as a matter of fact.

´´But I´ve always dreamed of getting proposed.´´ Ki Jin has a dreamy look on his face as he tells one of his longtime dreams.

´´Well, now your wish was granted.´´ Yeong Woo smiles and kisses his boyfriend´s hair.

´´Yeah, thank you so much,´´ Ki Jin smiles and pecks Yeong Woo´s cheek. ´´I better start planning on my own suit then.´´ Ki Jin states clapping his hands together, getting ready for the next project.

´´I could make you one, but I think you would be too embarrassed to wear it in front of other people.´´ Yeong Woo laughs, and as contagious his laugh is Ki Jin can´t hold back his own.

´´Yeah, better that I make it myself. No offense.´´

´´No offense taken. I love you.´´

´´I love you too.´´

Chapter Text

After telling Da Huin that he has a crush on another boy and then the whole school got to know about, because someone had secretly recorded their conversation in the nurse´s room. He started to distance himself from his friends even though they were okay with him being who he is, and they had defended him from close minded people who think that their opinions are the only right ones. He didn´t want that his friends would have been seen with him, making them to be targets of bullying and name-calling as well. Especially his crush, he wanted to keep Jun Woo away from those cruel people, he didn´t want to tint him as the boy who´s spending time with the gay boy of their school. Also, he didn´t want people to start to talk that he was like him too, even though in reality he wasn´t. People seem to think that watching something related to sexual minorities will make you turn to be one as well, or when you spend time with someone that is part of the lgbtq community will turn you to be like the other person.

It´s weird, and Oh Je just can´t understand how some people´s brains work, definitely in a different way than his. After the incident his friends continued with their lives and hanging around with him just like they used to before, but Oh Je was afraid to be his own self around them. His friends must have also noticed that he was more quiet than in the past, he didn´t share his feelings and everyday things with the others like he did when he felt more at ease while being with them. They didn´t really talk about what had happened, but they had shown him that they´re always ready to listen if he wants to talk, they didn´t have to say it with words, but he could feel it. Still, he didn´t talk with them even though somedays he felt like he was going to burst with all the feelings inside him.

He didn´t want to bother them with his own problems, they had their own and he would have only felt like a burden if he did. One day, as he came back from having lunch, he found a little note inside his locker. It was not the first time he received a note like this inside his locker. They were normally filled with insults towards him or drawings of things he doesn´t want to even mention, once someone had cut out his and Jun Woo´s faces from pictures of them and glued those on another picture that was most probably taken from some kind of porn website.

At the beginning, for several nights he cried himself to sleep, but now, it felt like he was just unable to even cry, because he´s so used to feeling sad by now. With a sigh, he opens up the note and finds neat handwriting asking him to meet up at the rooftop after school. He doesn´t give it any more thought, crumples the piece of paper, throws it into the trash bin and goes back to his seat. Now, like all the other times as well, he doesn´t see the need to show that note to his friends, even though he knows that they would help him and give him emotional support.

He needs to get through this by himself, he can´t always rely on someone else. He decides right away that he won´t go up to the rooftop, there´s no reason for him to go there and get even more hate and vulgar words from people who don´t understand him. For the whole week he kept getting that same note, always finding it inside his locker after lunch and for a second he thought if he should just go, the person seemed determined to get him there, but in the end he backed away, he had no idea who would be waiting for him there, and he didn´t want to know.

***

Next Tuesday, Soo Bin sent him a message after school, asking if he could come up and meet her at the rooftop and of course Oh Je went there. She was his friend and he had nothing else planned after school, so he had some extra time to spare for her. As he got to his destination, he was more than surprised when he couldn´t see his friend there, but someone else was standing close to the edge, their back turned towards the entrance. It was a boy and for a second he thought that´s one of the bullies that has been bothering him for weeks, he even thought that Soo Bin had done this purposedly, and she was secretly befriending those assholes, but she couldn´t, right?

As the other man didn´t seem to turn around that soon he hesitantly started to walk towards him, feeling like all the steps he took, took him closer and closer to the thinner ice, step by step. He stopped with good amount of space between them, just in case if he needs to get away quickly, but when that mysterious person finally turns around, all his escaping plans fly away and he´s met with a surprise he didn´t know he would face today.

´´Hey, Oh Je,´´ Jun Woo greets with a comfortable smile. ´´I´m glad, you´re finally meeting with me here.´´ Jun woo´s still smiling and Oh Je´s brain starts to work after he has mostly recovered from the shock.

´´Did you leave those notes in my locker?´´ He then asks, even though the answer´s pretty clear by now.

´´Yeah,´´ Jun Woo breathes out and the way he was rubbing his hands against each other made him look like he was feeling nervous. ´´There was something I wanted to tell you, something I didn´t want to say when all our friends were around.´´ Yeah, Oh Je could guess that, why else would he have asked him to meet like this, after the whole school was almost empty by now.

´´I got you something,´´ Jun Woo says then after they had enjoyed the oh, so wonderful awkward silence together. ´´Where is it.´´ He murmurs as he´s going through his bag.

´´Here,´´ He holds out something that looks like bread, Oh Je´s not sure since it seems like it got some hits inside Jun Woo´s backpack. ´´It might look a bit bad, I tried to keep it safe, but seems like my books didn´t agree with me.´´ Jun Woo explains, rubbing his neck, and something in his actions makes Oh Je feel joy inside. His friend has never acted this way in his presence. Thinking that he was able to make Jun Woo feel so flustered, something so small made his heart smile after a long time.

´´Thank you.´´ Oh Je receives the gift, his smile never leaving his face. The plastic wrapping rustles in his hand as he´s turning it around trying to find out what it was.

´´It´s sesame filled bun, you like those don´t you?´´ Jun Woo tells him and Oh Je nods.

´´Yeah, I do. Thanks again.

´´It´s my pleasure,´´ Jun Woo smiles. ´´I don´t know if it´s as tasty as store bought, but I wanted to try make one by myself.´´ Says Jun Woo and Oh Je looks at him in shock.

´´Did you make this,´´ Jun Woo nods and Oh Je lets out a surprised sigh. ´´Wow, thank you again, I really don´t know what else to say.´´ Oh Je chuckles.

´´It´s okay, you´re welcome. You should try it out.´´ Jun Woo suggests and there´s no need to say anything else before Oh Je tears the package open and before taking the first bite he takes a quick sniff and it does smell like a sesame bun he´s used to eat from time to time.

´´Does it smell bad?´´ Jun Woo asks worried.

´´Not at all, exactly like the ones I´ve bought from the store.´´ Oh Je assures before taking a bite. The taste was great, the bun was soft, and the filling was not too strong flavored.

Honestly, he´s surprised at the fact that Jun Woo can bake so well. He offers Jun Woo to take a bite, but he declines saying that he made it for him and he should be the one to eat the whole thing. As he took another bite he saw that something was sticking out from the bun, he looked at Jun Woo who was just staring at the ground avoiding his eyes. It seemed to be a piece of paper and well, this wouldn´t be the first time to Jun Woo to leave a note for him, maybe writing things like this was easier to him than talking to him face to face, that was understandable. There was a small scroll of paper and he rolled it open, turning it around since his fingers were holding it upside down at first. He almost screamed as he read those words, there really wasn´t anything else he could have done at that moment.

´´I like you, will you date me?´´ He read out loud and he pretended not to notice how Jun Woo´s ears turned red and eventually the same color colored his cheeks. But who cares, he was probably looking the same way right now.

´´Yes,´´ He simply answers and Jun Woo so quickly looks up at him, his eyes wide open.

´´Really? You will date me?´´

´´Of course,´´ Oh Je nods. ´´The person I´ve had a crush on for a long time has always been you, no one else.´´

´´Can I hug you?´´ Jun Woo asks suddenly then, but Oh Je has no objections. Maybe a hug is something he´s been needing this whole time.

´´Of course.´´ Oh Je agrees with a smile, opening his arms and as Jun Woo buries him in his embrace, Oh Je realizes that indeed this simple hug is something he has craved to share with someone important to him for weeks now, and it felt so good to actually be able to do so. After a long time he realized there´s someone he can now share his feelings with, without having to fear to be judged, with someone who would understand him without any prejudice and from now on, maybe life won´t be looking so dark and he can find that beautiful rainbow he´s been looking for for years.

Chapter Text

It´s been nearly two moths from that eventful evening. When Choi Hye Seong told his husband that his real name is Salbyul, that he´s the brother of Hye Seong, he had thought he really was all the time. And that indeed he was a man, not a woman. He had tried to tell him that for many times, but it had always felt like it wasn´t the right time to do so. In his mind all he could think about was that he would be losing Geum Seong after telling him the truth, and he did. Geum Seong was furious at first, telling him that he had broke the law in a way that would get him killed if he was found out by the authorities.

Salbyul cried that night after his, now former husband left him alone in their shared bedroom. He doesn´t know if Geum Seong cried that night, probably not, all he could see on his face was angriness and betrayal as he left.

During the days they were ´pretending´ to be a married couple, little by little Salbyul started to feel some feelings towards Geum Seong. Those feelings felt foreign, something he had never felt before and as he finally understood that those were one for having deeper emotional feelings towards another man, he couldn´t believe it, how could he fall for another man? He had always been taught that he´s going to marry a nice, beautiful girl, with whom he would make a family with in the future, but no one warned him that he could be able to form feelings for someone else that was like him.

He wasn´t sure if there has been another case where a man had fallen for a man, or where a woman had fallen for another girl around him, or then there had been, but no one talked about it, just swept it under the rug. That´s why it hurt so much when Geum Seong left him to cry alone, to think how his life was always so unlucky. He didn´t ask to be pretending to be his own sister, he didn´t want to get married with a man he didn´t know and certainly he didn´t want to develop feelings for his husband, but somehow it just happened. Geum Seong was always so attentive and kind to him, who wouldn´t fall in love with someone like that.

They continued to live like that, Salbyul disguised as a woman, she couldn´t just disappear into thin air from Geum Seong´s life, or just suddenly turn into a man. So, they continued to pretend, now the atmosphere was just more heavy and awkward. Salbyul hoped he had kept his mouth shut and just lived his life as it was, but the truth would have come out one way or another and in the end, he wanted to be the one to tell Geum Seong.

Now, it´s been almost two moths when Geum Seong asked him to meet him at the place where they had always looked at the stars on the evening sky together. Even though Salbyul thought that this must be something when he was called to talk with him, after they hadn´t had a one-on-one talk for over a month, but still his steps were heavy as he was nearing the cliff, seeing Geum Seong sitting on the edge in his own thoughts. He takes a seat next to his husband like he had done many times in the past.

´´You´re here.´´ Was all Geum Seong said at first, glancing at him, but then returning his gaze at the darkening sky above them. Salbyul answers with a hum and after that they´re surrounded with silence once again. The silence felt heavy, and for a second Salbyul felt like he was about to suffocate, but still that little part in his heart was telling him that, it´s okay, he asked you here, this is one step forward.

He saw few stars in the sky, wondering if his passed sister was looking at him right now, what would she be feeling about all this. He took her identity, he got married and now he had romantic feelings towards a man. She would not be proud of him, and she shouldn´t be.

´´ There´s something I wanted to give to you.´´ Salbyul was startled, as out of nowhere he heard Geum Seong´s voice. He turns to look at Geum Seong who now had his palm open in front of him, showing him a small handmade hair ornament.

´´It might not be as beautiful as the ones my mother makes, but I think that at least the colors would suit you.´´ Geum Seong explains and at first Salbyul´s not able to get any words out of his mouth, his mouth just opening and closing in disbelief.

´´ Did you make this by yourself?´´ He then asks after some time, Geum Seong must lose his patience if he keeps him waiting for too long.

´´Yes. I don´t know if it´s enough to apologize to you for the way I acted that evening. Well for these past weeks, I have not been the husband for you I always have wanted to be for my future spouse.´´ For some reason, out of all the days Salbyul had lost his ability to speak and was just looking at the other man. Geum Seong slowly reaches out his hand to take Salbyul´s hand in his. He gently caresses the skin with his thumb and the eyes that were now looking at him, were shining under the light from the stars above, he looked like he was near to crying and there was no reason to lie that Salbyul was feeling the same too.

´´ After thinking it for a long time, I realized that it would be a bigger lost for me to lose you than having you as my wife. Or should I say as my husband?´´ Geum Seong lets out a little laugh, as he was trying to look at somewhere else than into Salbyul´s eyes. Was he feeling shy? That brought immense joy into Salbyul´s heart.

´´ If you´re willing, we could continue living like this, you as my wife and me as your husband.´´ Geum Seong looks up at him, now there was a tear falling down along his cheek. Out of familiarity Salbyul reaches out his hand and wipes it off with a tender look on his face. He didn´t see Geum Seong crying often, and it hurt his heart a bit when he did.

´´You must understand that we can´t be together if both of us were men, but I could live with the fact that you´re a man.´´ Geum Seong continues and now puts the ornament he´s been holding in his hand this whole time, into Salbyul´s hair, who smiles back at him, bringing his hand to feel the accessory that was now decorating his hair.

´´I don´t know what to say.´´ Salbyul whispers.

´´ I really hope you agree with me.´´

´´ I´m just so taken aback by your propose, so I´m not able to say anything.´´

´´ I hope you will stay with me. I finally realized that all the feelings I felt for you before you told me the truth were real and it doesn´t matter to me anymore if you´re a man.´´

´´ This, this is something I´ve been waiting to hear for weeks now, and now that you finally said it, it feels so relieving.´´ Geum Seong turns to sit face to face with Salbyul and takes both of his hands in his, little sigh leaving from his mouth.

´´ I´m sorry it took me so long time to realize.´´ Geu Seong´s face is covered with regret and he looks like he´s sincerely sorry for his actions.

´´It´s alright, you had the right to get angry at me. I would have done the same if I was in your shoes.´´ Salbyul gives him a reassuring smile.

´´So, will you stay by my side?´´ There´s hope in his eyes now and he looks at Salbyul like he´s his most cherished treasure.

´´ I´ve always thought that I´m not able to leave you for good, so yes, I´ll stay.´´ Salbyul makes his final choice, with a little nod. The smile on Geum Seong´s face was something Salbyul had been waiting to see again, for a time that felt like forever.

´´ That´s great, Thank you. I promise, I will be a better husband in the future.´´ Geum Seong promises and leans forward to share a hug with his spouse.

´´There´s no need, just stay as you are and that´s enough for me.´´
Under the sparkling stars above them, they share their first kiss and neither of them can describe how it felt like, just that, when they kissed, they both felt like this was where they belonged.

Chapter Text

Eunbin was leisurely looking at all the books inside the bookstore, as she was waiting for Sooyeon to be done with her shift. They had made plans to prepare dinner together tonight and Eunbin was feeling a bit nervous, but excited because she has a surprise gift for her girlfriend, who was right now approaching her with a wide smile on her face. She almost hit her feet on one of the shelves as she was busy, looking at Eunbin while she was walking.

´´You should focus on where you´re walking.´´ Eunbin chuckles as Sooyeon reaches her and immediately pulls her into a warmth filled hug.

´´ How can I focus when I have such a beautiful girlfriend?´´ Sooyeon notes out before leaning away and brings her hands to Eunbin´s cheeks.

´´ Why aren´t you wearing a scarf, it´s really cold outside?´´ Sooyeon asks and Eunbin can feel the blush on her own face, it felt so heartwarming when someone was worrying and caring about her so much.

´´Before you tell me to wear more clothes, you should go and get your own jacket first.´´ Eunbin jokingly argues back. Sooyeon was wearing only her school uniform right now, her jacket must be in the back room, Eunbin guesses.

´´Okay, okay. I´ll get my things so we can leave home.´´ Sooyeon says turning around. They both were wearing the same size smiles on their faces as they departed for a short time. They were both excited about their homey date night that was very near. As Sooyeon came back after few minutes she wraps her own thick red scarf around Eunbin´s neck, gently tying it up on the front.

´´Here.´´ Sooyeon says as she´s done, proudly looking at her like she was looking at an art piece she had just created.

´´Now you´re going to get cold.´´ Eunbin quietly says behind the thick scarf that almost reaches her nose and her voice comes out a bit muffled.

´´ It´s okay. I´ll be okay as long as I know that you´re warm and cozy.´´ Sooyeon smiles.

´´ Day by day I´m more sure that you´ve been reading books about how to win over someone´s heart.´´ Eunbin says, suspiciously peering at her girlfriend who just shrugs her shoulders.

´´Nah, I´m just a natural flirt.´´ Sooyeon says as a matter of fact as she takes her backpack from the floor and puts it on before offering her hand for Eunbin.

´´Should we go then?´´ Sooyeon suggests and without hesitation Eunbin takes her hand and they leave the store hand in hand.

***

´´ It was a good idea that we went to get the ingredients yesterday, so we can start with the dinner immediately.´´ Eunbin says as they get back to their shared apartment. After washing her hands, she starts to stack all the things they need onto the counter.

´´ Yeah, I´m starving already.´´ Sooyeon agrees as she´s joining Eunbin in their small kitchen.

´´You should take care of the meat, I´ll cut the vegetables and wash the rice.´´ Eunbin instructs, getting the vegetables out from their packaging to wash them first.

´´ Are you still uncertain to let me work with a knife?´´ Asks Sooyeon.

´´Well yeah, after you almost cut your whole finger off.´´ Eunbin reminds with an exaggerated sigh and a shake of her head.

´´You´re totally exaggerating right now.´´ Sooyeon says, but she can´t help the little laugh from escaping through her lips.

´´ It was only a little cut.´´ Sooyeon reminds.

´´ But there was a lot of blood.´´ Eunbin pouts, recalling how she was so scared that Sooyeon was losing one of her fingers.

´´ I tend to bleed a lot, even if it´s just a little wound.´´ Sooyeon tries to calm her down. She steps closer to her girlfriend taking her hands in hers with a convincing smile on her face.

´´ Please, don´t worry about it anymore. No one lost a finger back then and no one is going to lose a finger from now on either. Also, I was in a hurry back then, I´m sure if I take it slowly, fully concentrating on what I´m doing, I´m sure it´s going to be just fine.´´ Sooyeon encourages, gently caressing Eunbin´s hands in hers, trying to convince that it´s okay to let her use a knife from time to time.

´´Okay, but today I´m not giving you any sharp objects. I think I need to teach you how to use them safely.´´ Eunbin says making Sooyeon to smile that familiar mischievous smile of hers.

´´That´s fine with me. That would be a win for me, because I will have the hottest teacher out there.´´ Sooyeon agrees without a fight.

´´Stop sweettalking, lets get back to our task now.´´ Eunbin ushers the other girl while hiding the blush on her cheeks by turning back around to face the counter. She takes the knife in her hand and before she can start to cut the vegetables, Sooyeon wraps her arms around her body, and she pecks her cheek.

´´ There, now I have more energy to continue.´´ Sooyeon giggles returning back to the stove.

´´ Such a flirt.´´ Eunbin whispers quietly so that Sooyeon can´t hear her. But that´s what makes her to love her even more.

They eat in peace, sharing things from their days and they share bites of this and that, agreeing in satisfaction that they had made such a delicious dinner together. For dessert, because Sooyeon can´t have a meal without eating something sweet afterwards, they eat some ice cream they found from their freezer. It had been there for several months by now, but it still tasted great.

After they both had showered, they were sitting on the couch, cuddling while watching the tv, Sooyeon, from here and there stealing kisses from Eunbin who felt too lazy to refuse so she just lets her do what she wants. And, she also felt nervous, the time she should give the secret gift was getting near, after all it was almost midnight, and they would go to bed soon and she really wanted to do it today. She knows if she won´t do it today, there´s no guarantee when she will.

´´ I´ll go to the bathroom.´´ She excuses herself and after fighting herself away from Sooyeon´s arms she quickly goes to their bedroom and picks the small box from her bedside table. She breathes in and out, telling herself that it´s okay, she knows that Sooyeon loves her back, but this was a big step for their relationship and he wasn´t sure if Sooyeon was ready to make it.

´´ It´s now or never.´´ She whispers and walks back to the couch, unsuspecting Sooyeon sitting there, her face was covered with disgust at the show she was currently watching. She sits back next to the other girl and before Sooyeon gets to say anything she starts speaking.

´´ Sooyeon?´´ She starts and the few months younger girl turns to look at her. Her brows furrow in concern as she sees the uneasy look on Eunbin´s face.

´´Eunbin, what´s wrong?´´ Sooyeon asks worried.

´´Nothing´s wrong. I just. You know I love you, like so much that sometimes it feels like my heart is crying by just seeing you.´´

´´Hmm, and I love you too, so much.´´

´´Anyone else can say whatever they want to, but for me, you are the best thing that has ever happened in my life.´´ She takes out the little box holding it out for Sooyeon to see.

´´ That´s why, I wanted to give you this.´´ Sooyeon´s eyes are going from Eunbin to the little box in her hand and back before with trembling fingers she takes it from her and as she opens it, she takes in a long breath.

´´ It´s kind of like a promise ring. I think that we´re not ready yet to talk about marriage, but with this I want to promise you that I will marry you one day. Eunbin explains and she can see Sooyeon´s eyes starting to get shiny. She takes one ring from the box and reaches the ring towards Sooyeon´s hand, asking if she can put it on.

Sooyeon can´t do anything else than just nod her head giving her the permission. When she´s done Sooyeon takes the other ring and puts it on Eunbin´s finger and by now they were both silently crying, tears wetting their smooth cheeks.

´´ Let´s stay together forever.´´ Eunbin suggests with a smile so beautiful and leans in to kiss Sooyeon´s lips.

´´ Let´s stay together forever.´´ Sooyeon repeats and she pulls Eunbin into a tight hug.

´´ I love you.´´

´´ I love you even more.´´

Chapter Text

It was the first time for Daeho to be at the gym and that was the first time for him to meet with Gunuk, who kindly helped him with showing how all the equipment worked as he was struggling to do the exercises while keeping his body in the right form.

After that, without even noticing at first, Daeho always hoped that he would see the other man again when he was doing his workout routine at the gym. And they met indeed, pretty many times actually and it took some time for Daeho to gather up the courage to ask Gunuk to go out with him for a drink one evening.

They went to have drinks and after that they spent more and more time together and in no time they were in a relationship with each other.

***

´´Did you take your medicine?´´ Daeho asks as the steps inside Gunuk´s apartment. His shift had just ended and after getting some food for them both his feet took him to the building his boyfriend lived at.

´´I did, don´t worry.´´ Gunuk smiles and waits for Daeho to take off his shoes before he takes a hold of his shirt´s sleeve and guides him inside the little apartment.

´´I should ask so you won´t forget to take them, there´s been few times you did.´´ Daeho reminds.

´´But it was alright, nothing happened.´´ Gunuk shrugs his shoulders as Daeho places the plastic bag that contained their dinner onto the kitchen table. He turns to look at Gunuk and brings his hand to hold his forearm, reassuringly caressing the skin. He could feel the old long marks there with his fingers.

´´But still, I´ll set a notification on your phone of myself reminding you to take them everyday.´´

´´Well, if that calms your nerves.´´ Gunuk agrees easily rising his hand up to Daeho´s cheek, gently running his thumb across the soft skin.

´´Ah, I must be really sweaty, it was a busy day at work.´´ Daeho notes remembering going around the city for his job and the weather was very hot, it being summer still.

´´I don´t mind.´´ Gunuk assures and quickly pecks Daeho´s lips before suggesting them to start eating before everything goes cold.

***

´´Should we just move somewhere where no one knows us?´´ Daeho asks as they´re lying down on the bed. They had enjoyed the dinner with few classes of wine and checked out a movie that was so boring that they both almost fell asleep while watching. Daeho has an early shift the next day, but decided to stay the night since Gunuk´s apartment is closer to the station anyway. And he much more prefers to spend as much time as possible with his boyfriend and having someone next to him while he sleeps feels so great that he doesn´t want to give up on it when he has the chance.

´´We could open a gym there or some other business, we could live there, just the two of us and Darong too.´´ Daeho dreams, somewhere far away from here, where he wouldn´t have to worry about things, worry about being seen with another man next to him while holding hands.

´´There´s nothing keeping me here anyway so we could go, but you, you have your parents and sister here, would you be ready to leave them behind? You also have a stable job here as well.´´

´´I´d be ready to give up on all of that, if it meant that I could be with you, and to be true to myself.´´

´´And I know that if my family knew about us, they would never accept it, that’s just how it is and nothing will change.´´

´´If we don´t open our own business, I would surely get a new job if I tried hard enough. You always tell me how smart I am.´´

´´And you are, you were at the top five when you were in the police academy.´´ Gunuk points out feeling proud that his lover´s so smart. He on other hand were never that smart at school and stopped going to school after finishing with high school. He didn´t have parents who would have pushed him forward, telling him that he needs a good career to get along in the future.

Now that he´s older he´s noticed that sure, he´s not working in any kind of high paying companies or other institutes where he wouldn´t need to worry about the money on salary days, but still he gets along in life just fine and he´s happier than he would have never dared to hope for in the past, now that he has Daeho next to him. His days were mostly filled with darkness when he was alone, but they took a turn to better after he met the man laying on the bed next to him.

´´But if you really want to do it, I have no reason to say no.´´

***

One day as Daeho was on a walk with Darong he came across with Gunuk who was coming back from work.

´´You´ve been walking a lot more lately.´´ Gunuk notes as he squats down to pat Borang´s fur who´s already very comfortable around the other man. When he gets up the dog´s still excitedly wagging it´s tail, but it doesn´t take a lot of time for it to get more interested of the smell coming from the green grass.

´´Yeah, since I don´t have that much time to go to the gym nowadays. I should try more to lose some weight.´´

´´Don´t take too much pressure on that matter. In my eyes you are just perfect the way you are.´´ Gunuk smiles and pinches the side of Daeho´s stomach who squeaks in surprise.

´´Don´t do that! And what if the travel to the beach? I would feel too embarrassed to go there half naked, I need to get that beach body ready.´´ Daeho explains.

´´You put on swimwear and go to the beach, boom, you have a beach body.´´ Gunuk tries to lighten up the mood, he´s know of Daeho´s insecurities of his outer appearance from the first time they had met at the gym, and he really hopes that all the things he does to lose weight is for himself, he shouldn´t let what other people think of him to affect his decisions too much.

´´Ha ha ha, such a bad joke. The world is a very outer appearance biased.´´ Daeho sighs and Gunuk would be lying if he said that he disagreed.

´´But you have me, isn´t that enough? You can feel proud that you have snatched someone as good looking as I am.´´

´´I guess.´´ Daeho gives in with a little smile.

´´There there, you smiled. My charisma has that kind of effect on people.´´ Gunuk smirks and interlocks their fingers behind their backs.

´´I love you Daeho, please never change.´´

´´If I change a little bit, would you still love me?´´

´´Of course, if what you have inside stays the same I won´t stop loving you.´´

´´I love you too.´´

Daeho suddenly stops worried look on his face.

´´Did you take your medicine?´´ Gunuk just laughs.

Chapter Text

If you had asked what made Lee rang annoyed, two weeks ago, his answer would have been, people who talk while their mouths are full of food, loud children who just run around and asks useless things.

But if you asked him now, yes, his answer would be the man that´s sitting across him right now. A bit less than two weeks ago, this strange man, that goes by the name Ryu suyeol had approached him for the first time, when he was occupying the elevator of the marketing building he was in the charge of. Just as the doors were closing Suyeol had stopped them with his hand before getting in. The way he had stared at him made Lee rang uncomfortable, but the way his eyes were shining under the lights like he was about to cry didn´t go unnoticed by him.

The man was wearing well fitted suit that seemed to be made of high quality fabric. Lee rang stepped out from the elevator after the ride had felt like it lasted forever, after being stared at, nonstop by a stranger he had never seen before.

´´If you want to say it, just do so.´´ Lee rang notes the other person on the other side of the table. He picked up a piece of a rich tasting beef, letting it melt in his mouth while observing Suyeol who´s lips were twitching, he was feeling so eager to speak.

´´You sound like you know what I’m going to say.´´ Suyeol says after a while, playing with his chopsticks, not really minding to eat. Lee rang didn´t ask him to have dinner with him, the other man had more like invited himself and now that Lee rang paid for his food, he didn´t seem to even want to eat it.

´´Well, according to what you have told me every time, I mean every day that we´ve met has been always the same thing. So I have my suspicions.´´ Lee rang explains taking a glance at the table behind Suyeol´s back where assumingly a couple was having a heated argument.

´´But, I have talked to you about different things.´´ Suyeol defends taking a sip from his drink and straightening his back, he was seemingly getting ready if he needs to defend himself even more.

´´I mean, the first time we met you told me that I´m your long lost husband you´ve been trying to find for years, after that each time you´ve told me about all the things we´ve done together in the past, though I can´t remember any of those, so I really think that you can´t count those as different things, because the topic you´ve been talking about has been always the same.´´ Suyeol´s lips slowly turned downwards realizing that there wasn´t really a fighting argument for him to voice out.

´´I guess you´re right,´´ Suyeol admits ´´When you really look at me, don´t you feel anything, you don´t feel like you´ve seen me before?´´ Suyeol asks once again and Lee rang hates to disappoint him as he shakes his head.

***

It´s been like this for almost two weeks now, Suyeol joins Lee rang to his dinner every evening without asking for permission, but he doesn´t really mind. It´s nice to have some company.

They don´t really have anything to talk about while they´re eating though, Suyeol does ask him how his day have been and after that he smoothly changes the topic to the one that makes Lee rang a bit uncomfortable. How would you feel if a person came to you one day and told you that you to are married? That you tragically passed away eighty years ago and they´ve been looking for you for years and years.

The rest of the dinner goes by as it always does, Suyeol picks on his food before Lee rang encourages him to have a bite, because he´s not going to spend his money on uneaten food and Lee rang enjoys the company.

***

One Wednesday as Lee rang was about to leave from work, he finds Suyeol waiting for him in front of the company building. He had no idea that the other man would own a motorcycle, but there he is, leaning against the bike that was parked on the side of the road.

He´s used to see him wearing a suit or some a bit more casual clothing, so the black jeans and the leather jacket Suyeol was carrying right now surprised him, but somehow, he rocked the fit. But really, it must be that anything Suyeol wears, would look good on him.

´´Lee rang! Suyeol greets him as he sees the man getting closer.

´´What are you doing here?´´

´´What do you think, I´m giving you a ride.´´ Lee rang could point out that the tone Suyeol was talking to him right now, differentiates from the way he normally speaks to him with.

´´With that?´´ Lee rang points at the bike, unsure look on his face. Last time he had rode with something similar was when he drove a scooter for his part time job as a delivery man, but that was years ago and as he´s gotten older his self-preservation instinct has gotten stronger since then.

´´Yeah, what else?´´ Suyeol notes with a laugh. He offers the other helmet to Lee rang who looks at it with a troubled look on his face.

´´Is that really safe, you are not going to get us killed?´´

´´I´ve been riding this for years and never crashed with anything, or anything.´´ Suyeol assures, Lee rang still unsure if he should trust his words, he´s known him only mere weeks and only know he knows that he owns a bike which he wants to give him a ride with right now.

´´Come on.´´ He offers the helmet again, it must carry some weight for him to hold it with only one of his hands. Lee rang sighs deeply before accepting the invite and takes the helmet.

´´If something happens you have to pay for it.´´ He mumbles while wearing his helmet securing it tightly around his head.

´´Don´t worry, get on.´´ Sueyol ushers putting on his own helmet as well.

´´Hold on tight.´´ Suyeol suggests as they get on the bike. Lee rang grabs onto Suyeol´s jacket, but the other man moves his arms for him to hold around his waist. Lee rang doesn´t argue about it, the need for a security must be so strong that he doesn´t want to jeopardize his safety.

The beginning of the ride goes by smoothly, Suyeol drives the same speed as the car´s around them, but what happens after the third traffic lights, Lee rang was not ready for it. Suyeol drove like a mad man, he skipped and passed car after a car, sped up into a high speed Lee rang feared that he would flew off the bike any given moment, and he´s pretty sure Sueyol also drove through a red light once.

When, finally, Suyeol parks his car in front of Lee rang´s apartment building the man lets out a relieved sigh realizing he still has his life to continue living with. After the first shock he hops off the bike, he threw the helmet back to Suyeol, who had a bit hard time to catch it since he was holding onto his own as well, but with a swift movement he was able to save it before it would have crashed to the ground.

´´What the hell Suyeol!´´ Lee rang shouts, earning few curious eyes of bystanders directed at them.

´´Call me k.´´ Suyeol notes casually, seeming like he didn´t have even an idea why Lee rang was complaining to him.

´´What?´´ Lee rang asks astonished.

´´Call me k, that´s my name.´´

´´For the last weeks I´ve known you, you always told me that your name is Sueyol.´´ Says Lee rang. He gently massages his temples, trying to shoot back the upcoming pain of a headache.

´´Well yeah, he was Suyeol, but I´m k. I would really appreciate it if you call me by my real name.´´ Sueyol, or, k, explains and honestly, Lee rang just wants to go to bed and try to ease his still racing heartbeat after that scary ride.

´´Whatever, I really don´t have the energy to talk about this right now. I´ll just go inside, thanks for the ride.´´ Lee rang turns around and while doing so he can hear Suyeol getting up from his bike and soon he appears next to him. Lee rang stops and the way Suyeol continues to walk shows that he´s not planning on to stop on his tracks.

´´What are you doing?´´ Lee rang asks and that makes Suyeol to stop and take few steps backwards so they will be closer to each other.

´´I thought you´d let me stay the night at your place.´´

´´I never said so.´´

´´But you need a ride to work since your car was left back at the company and I know that you don´t like to travel in the subway and a taxi would be much more expensive and slower than my bike. You would get a free ride and also you can sleep longer since it takes shorter time to get there.´´

´´You have thought this whole thing through.´´ Lee rang points out.

´´No, I´m not getting on that damn bike of yours, never again.´´ Lee rang states with a tone that would tell anyone he knows that he has made up his mind and there was nothing that could change that. But Suyeol didn´t know that fact.

´´Why not, don´t you like how freeing it feels to speed on the bike while the fresh air hits your face?´´ Suyeol tries to reason his reckless driving style. Like all that adrenaline he was looking for was not what Lee rang was after.

´´Yeah, I felt like the air was going to knock me off the whole damn bike,´´ Lee rang breathes out, drastically throwing his arms in the air. ´´I could have died Suyeol, you get that?´´

´´You´re still calling me as Suyeol.´´ Suyeol sighs, his voice quiet. Lee rang reads his face a bit and it seemed that he really was feeling upset. Lee rang sighs deeply once again, closing his eyes for a while to keep in his decreasing annoyance before he gets to say something he will regret later on.

´´Listen, K. I don´t want to ride on that bike of yours anymore, because I don´t feel safe enough while doing so, I can just call myself a taxi in the morning to get to work. Thanks for the ride, I will really go now and you should go home as well.´´ There was something unreadable on Suyeol´s face after he´s done saying what he wanted to. At first he looked happy hearing him to call him as k, but as the sentence progressed on, the smile slowly grew smaller and smaller.

´´So, I can´t come in?´´ Suyeol still asks even though they both know the answer already.

´´I´m sorry.´´ Was all Lee rang says before he gets on his way, leaving the sad looking Suyeol alone outside with his bike.

***

Next morning as Lee rang got out, ready to leave for work, he actually looked around and felt a bit bad when he couldn´t see Suyeol anywhere with his bike.

***

As he was having his dinner at the restaurant he usually went with Suyeol accompanying him, he was glad to see him eventually walk through the door.

´´I´m sorry I´m a bit late.´´ He notes taking a seat after placing his outer coat on the back of the chair.

´´Don´t worry.´´ Lee rang smiles and notices that Suyeol was not wearing same clothes as he did yesterday, they were clothes he´s seen him wearing normally.

´´So umm, I´m sorry I couldn´t meet up with you yesterday.´´ Suyeol apologizes as the waitress brings over the menus for them. Lee rang looks at him in silence for a while before asking,

´´You do know that we met up yesterday?´´

´´Oh, did we?´´

´´Yeah, did you forget?´´

´´Umm, this is a weird question, but can you remember what I was wearing then?´´

´´Black jeans, a leather jacket. You gave me a ride with your motorbike.´´

´´Ah, you must have met him then.´´

´´Met who? It was surely you who I was talking to.´´

´´This is a bit awkward.´´

´´What are you talking about?´´

´´Can we talk about this later, I´d really like to eat first.´´

And that´s what they did. They tried to keep up some kind of a conversation, but all Lee rang could think about was what Suyeol was hiding. He would find out eventually, but not knowing made him so frustrated.

***

After their dinner Lee rang invited Suyeol to come over his place. He must not remember he rejected him from coming last night, but since the man felt more like his calm self today and he wasn´t trying to get into his apartment like his life was depending on it, he decided that it was alright, and his place was closer to the restaurant anyway.
He poured them classes of wine and made his way to his couch, Suyeol was already sitting on handing him the other class.

´´Thank you,´´ Suyeol takes a sip appreciating the taste before his eyes goes to the painting decorating one of the walls, ´´Did you paint that yourself?´´

´´How did you know?´´ Lee rang asks surprised. None of his guests never asks him if he´s the artist behind it, always assuming that he has bought it from somewhere with a ridiculous high prize.

´´Well, in the past you really liked to paint, and I could somehow recognize your signature way of painting in it.´´ Suyeol explains and it makes Lee rang to wonder. How does he know so much about him or is he just trying out ways of talking to manipulate him into thinking that he actually knew him in the past.

´´Are you sure you´re not a stalker?´´ Lee rang asks with a snort. Wouldn´t be the first time to have someone going after him.

´´Don´t joke like that please. I think you have heard my reasoning enough times by now so I don´t have to repeat it once again.´´ Suyeol sighs and Lee rang must agree.

´´You´re right.´´ The room falls quiet, both of them sipping their wines here and there and Lee rang even gets the whole bottle from the kitchen. He feels he´s going to need it.

´´So. Would you like to explain to me what yesterday was all about?´´ His curiousness finally took the win in him since it looked like Suyeol was not going to talk about it without him directly asking for an explanation. Suyeol puts his glass on the table and he glances at the floor before looking up at Lee rang. It seemed that the topic will be hard for him to talk about.

´´Well, have you ever heard of dissociative personality disorder?´´ Suyeol starts, studying the face of Lee rang to see how he was reacting.

´´Well, I´ve heard about it. Isn´t it when someone has several personalities?´´ Lee rang has heard about it, but he doesn´t really have any more information about it. He places his empty glass on the table and takes a bit more comfortable position on the couch.

´´Hmm. The person you met yesterday was K, my other personality.´´ It´s hard for Suyeol to read how Lee rang is feeling right then, but he didn´t show instant rejection, at least not on his face.

´´This must be really surprising for you. Suyeol carefully tests the waters.´´

´´Well, yeah. I must say that I was a bit taken aback by how your personality seemed to change to drastically overnight, but this explains a lot of things.´´

´´Ah, yeah, K is very direct and quite reckless.´´

´´He almost gave me an heart attack yesterday while giving me a ride with his bike. Lee rang lets out a short laugh.´´

´´I´m sorry. Suyeol seemed regretful.´´

´´It´s okay, don´t worry. From now on I won´t get on his bike, never again.´´

´´You seem to be taking this pretty well.´´

´´I mean, you´re not the only person this happens to and I think I´ll manage. Just tell me that there´s no more personalities, K is a lot to handle already.´´

´´Don´t worry, he´s the only one.´´

´´That´s good. What about, can you hear each other´s thoughts?´´

´´Not really. Sometimes I might be able to remember things he has done, but that happens very rarely.´´

´´Okay. I´m thankful you told me this.´´

´´I should have done that before, but it just seemed I had not gotten a good time to do so.´´

´´Don´t worry about it. We haven´t even known each other for long. I wasn´t expecting you to tell me on our first encounter.´´

´´Yeah. ´Hello I´m Suyeol and there´s another person inside me called K, he´s kind of pain in the ass, but I´m sure you´ll be able to come along with him just fine.´ ´´

They end up talking about the topic till the late night and Suyeol ends up staying the night.

***

Lee rang stirs awake around two and he turns on the light almost screaming his lungs out when he sees Suyeol standing in front of his bedroom door.

´´What the hell are you doing?´´ Lee rang shrieks as he´s moving up to sit on his bed and during the action his feet kicks the duvet off of his body.

´´I see that you finally let me into your apartment.´´ Suyeol states and walks over to sit on the chair located in the corner of the room. He crosses his other leg over the other and the way he´s looking at Lee rang reminds him of someone he had met once before.

´´K?´´

´´Yeah, that´s me. I´m so glad you called me by my real name.´´ Suyeol exclaims happily.

´´You do know that I never let you inside. It was Suyeol that I invited over?´´

´´Well sadly, I do know that.´´

´´But if you want to stay the rest of the night you can, but that´s not going to happen inside my bedroom. Just go back to where you came from. And don´t come here and stare at me like a creep.´´ Lee rang suggests, he doesn´t really have a reason to throw the other man out from his apartment.

´´I just wanted to look at you while you sleep, I had no idea that you would wake up.´´

´´That´s even more creepy. If you don´t want to be seen as a weirdo in my eyes, you should really stop doing things like this.´´ Suyeol wasn´t looking at him anymore, it seemed like he was really regretting his actions, looking at the ground.

´´Let me ask you something?´´ Suyeol lets out a little hmm, to let Lee rang know that he was listening.

´´Suyeol always tell me this story that he knew me in the past, that I passed away and that he´s been looking for me, for years. Is that the same thing for you as well?´´

´´Umm, we were married.´´

´´Us too?´´

´´Back then me and Suyeol were more aware of each other and so whenever he was Suyeol or me, we were married. Even if I was present, we couldn´t just decide that okay, on the days when I´m there, we´re not married and when Suyeol is there, you´re his fiancé, we´re the same person after all.´´

´´You said you were more connected back then, you´re not anymore?´´

´´Not as much as back then. I think it´s because we´ve travelled so many years that after some time we started to drift more war away from each other. We don´t hear each other´s thoughts that often anymore and the feelings we feel, won´t affect the other.´´

´´Do you wish you could back to when you were more close?´´

´´Honestly, yeah. Sometimes it feels very lonely when I can´t hear that other familiar voice in my mind while I´m present. Even though back then, sometimes I hated it when Suyeol was telling me what I should do and why I shouldn´t do certain things, in the end, I´m missing him.´´ Suyeol, K, was biting on his lower lip, trying his hardest to keep the tears back, but the few that escaped from the corners of his eyes, hurt Lee rang in a way that had never happened since the day his parents tragically passed away.

´´Maybe, from now on I can be your messenger.´´ Lee rang proposes and he sees some hope in K´s eyes, but it´s short lived.

´´I don´t know if he wants that though.´´

´´I´m sure he will, I´ll ask him the next time I see him.´´ Lee rang promises with a smile that eases the other man´s pain a little bit, but not so much that he could be able to smile sincerely.

´´I guess I should go now, I don´t want to bother you.´´

´´Just sleep on the couch. You shouldn´t leave anywhere so late.´´ Lee rang notes and K takes a look at his watch and slowly nods with a sigh. He doesn´t say anything anymore before leaving from the room and Lee rang doesn´t turn the light off before he´s sure that K was not leaving the place.

***

Next morning Lee rang finds Suyeol from the kitchen where he was preparing breakfast, tossing some eggs and sausages on the frying pan. Lee rang has never been that big fan of breakfast and he doesn´t really cook at home.

´´There´s no need for you to do this.´´ He notes and only then Suyeol notices him.

´´It´s fine, I wanted to thank you for letting me stay the night.´´ Suyeol smiles.

´´I went to buy some groceries since your cabinets seemed pretty empty.´´

´´Hmm, I don´t really cook anything here so that´s why.´´ Suyeol nods his head in understanding. He´s not that good of a chef himself either, but he finds it pretty joyful when he tries to learn to cook new recipes. Lee rang goes to get some plates and cups from the cupboard to set the table.

´´K, actually visited me last night.´´ Lee rang tells, realizing it´s better to discuss about the topic when it´s still fresh in his mind. Suyeol stops his hand that was now mindlessly rolling around the sausages on the pan. They must be ready at this point already.

´´Oh, he did?´´

´´Yeah. He told me that he misses you.´´ Suyeol turns off the stove and picks up the frying pan off of it.

´´He liked my idea of becoming yours messenger between you two.´´

´´We´re not that close anymore.´´

´´I know, he told me, but you could always try again, to get back to how you were in the past.´´

´´I think it would also help you two to understand each other better and you would feel more ready for the times he takes over.´´

´´I´m not saying that you will be the same as then after few days, but I know that if you both commit to it, you´ll definitely become more close than you are now.´´

´´Well, I guess so.´´ Suyeol shrugs and brings the cooked food to the table. Lee rang brings them so orange juice and coffee as well before sitting down.

´´Honestly, I´ve missed him too.´´

´´I´m sure you have.´´ Slowly, Lee rang´s hand finds Suyeol´s on top of the table. He gives it a light, encouraging squeeze. Suyeol looks up at him surprised and only then Lee rang realizes what he´s done and quickly withdraws his hand back.

´´Sorry.´´ He says, awkwardly chuckling.´´

´´It´s okay. You can hold my hand more if you´d like to.´´ Suyeol smiles gently and Lee rang actually offers his hand back again and Suyeol takes it and they rest their intertwined hands on table.

´´This doesn´t mean that I admit that we´ve been married for years.´´ Lee rang blurts out after they had looked at each other for some time.

´´What a way to ruin a mood,´´ Suyeol laughs.

´´I´m willing to wait. I´ve waited for you for years, few more will be so easy.´´

Chapter Text

‘’Here.’’ Jihyun looks up and recognizes the young man standing in front of him as someone who has taken part in his drawing class.

‘’Is this for me?’’ Jihyun asks. Such a stupid question to ask since the boy was offering the white envelope to him, saying it was for him. The boy just nodded and ushered him to take it before his arm would get tired. Jihyun starts to go through the small pile of pictures he found from inside the envelope.

‘’These are really good.’’ He praises and the other man takes a seat next to him and Jihyun can feel how he’s looking at his face, like he was trying to see if he could bust Jihyun from lying, but there was no need for that, the photos were all very good indeed.

‘’I took them.’’ The boy says as a matter of fact before Jihyun has the chance to ask.

‘’They’re really not that special, since all of them have been taken from inside the hospital or on the courtyard.’’

‘’But still.’’ Jihyun encourages before his eyes land on the last piece of paper. It was a picture of him, while he was doing his teaching. Judging from his outfit it was taken two weeks ago.

‘’Ah, I liked the way you looked when you were teaching. It always seems that you’re very passionate about it.’’ The man explains noticing what photo Jihyun was currently looking at.

‘’Thanks.’’ Jihyun simply answers. He puts the pictures back into the envelope and gets up to gather his belongings. The drawing class was over and he would come back again next week. He liked to visit the hospital and with his capability to try and bring some happiness into the young people´s lives.

´´Will you come back next week?´´ The boy asks and Jihyun notices how sad he suddenly looked while watching him packing up his things, signalizing that he will be leaving soon.

´´Yeah, I´m here every Wednesday.´´ Jihyun reminds and clicks his art supply briefcase closed.

´´I´ll see you again then.´´ The boy notes and Jihyun agrees with a hum and a kind smile.

´´What´s your name?´´

´´I´m Jaewon.´´

´´It´s nice to meet you Jaewon, I´m Jihyun, but you probably already knew.´´

´´Yeah, I did.´´ Jaewon lets out a laugh and Jihyun smiles at him again.

´´I guess I´ll see you again next time.´´ Jihyun notes getting ready to leave. Jaewon wanted to ask him to stay, but he didn´t have that in him to do so, in the end he didn´t know if Jihyun was busy or not.

´´Definitely, I wouldn´t pass any of your drawing classes.´´ Jaewon answers and that was the truth. The only peak of happiness he felt during his hospital days were when he saw Jihyun and the happy smile he had on his face, when he got to teach something he loved to do to other people.

´´I´ll see you then.´´ Jihyun smiles and then finally walks out the door, leaving Jaewon to stand there alone. One of the nurses comes in and asks him to return to his room. They would have lunch soon, but before that he needed to go to his room to take his medicine before eating.

After the day´s over, he just waits for the next Wednesday to come.

***

Next time, after they end their drawing lesson, Jaewon invites Jihyun to come have lunch with him. Of course, after checking if there´s somewhere else he needs to be first. Luckily he didn´t, but he checked if it really was alright for him to join him for lunch, but Jaewon explains it would be alright. Other patients´ relatives or friends eat in the cafeteria from time to time as well, but then they just have to pay for their food. Jaewon even offers to pay for his lunch since the food, understandably is nothing to be compared to a five star meal, but kindly Jihyun declines his offer and pays himself.

´´Have you been drawing for long?´´ Jaewon asks as their close with finishing their meals. For some reason he started to feel rather awkward as they were eating, and hadn´t really came up with any questions or topics to talk with Jihyun.

´´Well, I´ve been drawing things here and there for my whole life, but got serious of it while I was in middle school.´´ Jihyun starts, placing his chopsticks on the now empty try. It looked like he really enjoyed the food, or then it was the company he liked even more.

´´There was a drawing competition when I was on fourth grade and all my friends told me that I should take part in it and so I did. I won the first place.´´ He smiles, that didn´t surprise Jaewon at all.

´´Then I took part in all kinds of competitions and won many prices, not every time though, but it also made me practice more and become better. In high school I decided I wanted to study art and now I´m doing this as a side job during my college days.´´ Jihyun just shrugs his shoulders like it wasn´t a big deal.

´´That sounds impressive.´´ Jaewon notes after listening in awe.

´´Has photographing been your dream then?´´

´´Well, I wanted to study it, but my parents have always been against it, saying that it won´t bring money in the long run and that I should do something else that matters more. So, now I study film, somehow I got them to agree on that.´´ Jaewon sighs.

´´I think you should do what you´re passionate about, in the end our time is limited.´´

´´Hmm, I know.´´Jaewon nods in agreement. So many times he have thought of it, but always felt too afraid to take that first step.

´´So what about your parents, are they proud of you now for studying film?´´

´´I don´t know. I haven´t talked with them in a while.´´

´´They don´t visit you here?´´Jihyun looks at him surprised, he knew for sure that his own mother would visit him at least once a week if he was in Jaewon´s shoes, but maybe not everyone was as fortunate as him.

´´Yeah, I didn´t even really saw them before I came here. We´re not really in good terms with each other.´´

´´I´m sorry.´´

´´Don´t be. They would only blame me of things anyway.´´ Jihyun can see from Jaewon´s face that there´s something else to the story, but he doesn´t ask. They are not that close. Yet.

´´Should we go out? The air here is stiffy.´´

Jaewon brings Jihyun to sit on a bench he always takes if no one else is occupying it. It´s in front of a beautiful lake, sadly there´s a fence in between so the patients won´t run into the water, but still Jaewon was happy that there was a sight like that outside the hospital. It calmed him down to look at the little waves, making him think of the days when he was part of the surfing team in highs school, but stopped going after the accident occurred.

´´Do you come here often?´´ Jihyun asks after they had shared the comfortable silence and the fresh, soft breeze together.

´´Every time that I can. I like the silence here.´´ Jaewon breathes out and looks at Jihyun, just to notice that the other man was also looking at him.

´´I don´t know why you are here. But I really, really hope that one day you can feel happy again.´´

´´What do you mean?´´

´´You might be smiling, but I can see the sadness in your eyes. You can´t fool me.´´

´´And I thought I was always smiling from ear to ear when I saw you.´´ Jaewon smiles.

´´Well, you did, thanks for that by the way, but, as I said, I hope one day you´ll truly feel happy and you´re able to leave the things that make you feel miserable behind you.´´

´´You´re the first one to tell that to me.´´ Jaewon whispers, his eyes donwcast to the ground.

´´Really?´´

´´Really. I guess, everyone always thinks that I´m happy if I just smile at them, telling me that you´re already looking better, you´ll be out from here in no time.´´ Jaewon tells. Jihyun carefully, gently places his hand on Jaewon´s and he sighs.

´´I don´t know what´s keeping you behind, but I hope that one day you´ll be able to share it with me.´´Jihyun says while looking at Jaewon who doesn´t pull back his hand, but just keeps it right where it was.

´´Does this mean that you agree on meeting with me like this every Wednesday you come by?´´ Jaewon asks.

´´I could also come by on other days as well.´´ Jihyun slyly suggests and Jaewon does his best to hide his excited smile.

´´Can I?´´ Jihyun teases and Jaewon jokingly hits his arm.

´´I guess you can. But you need to follow the visiting hours rules.´´

´´Sure, sure. Or then I´ll come by secretly during the night, climb to your room through your window and take you away.´´

´´There´s bars on the windows, but you can always try.´´Jaewon laughs.

´´Don´t spoil the mood.´´

´´What did I do? I just stated the facts.´´ Jaewon says as a matter of fact.

´´Hard to be a prince charming when my opponent is someone who has no imagination.´´ Jihyun pouts.

´´You´re charming enough, when you just smile, for me.´´Jaewon smiles smugly.

´´You´re becoming more and more blunt.´´ Jihyun points out and they both end up laughing.

***

After few days Jaewon receives a package through the mail. He´s never gotten one before while being in the hospital and he was beyond surprised when the nurse brought it into his room. They had clearly checked what´s inside, but had nicely packed it up nicely after.

He inspects it around in his hands and there must be something hard inside since it was doing the clanking sound as he was gently shaking it.

He slowly got to open it and found a small camera inside. He recognized that it was a model from few years back, so it was still pretty new and must have cost some money. With cameras like this, new models didn´t come up as fast and often as they did with phones.
He found a little note inside.

´I support your dream, Jaewon.´
Jihyun.

Chapter Text

It was the first time for Wonyoung to take part in Taejoon´s pottery class. He was currently looking how his boyfriend was helping a woman, around his age with her work. He didn´t want to admit it, but it made him feel a bit jealous, the way Taejoon was softly explaining how she should proceed with her work, how his hands accidentally, or not so accidentally touched hers while she was shaping the clay, explaining how she should not press it too tight, but neither too lightly.

He probably does this with every student he has, he´s obligated since he´s the teacher, but still Wonyoung lets out a relieved sigh when he´s done and goes back to his own place at the front. Wonyoung looks at his own work before he rips in into two pieces before raising his hand to capture the attention of his boyfriend, whose eyes were roaming around the room to see if anyone needs help with anything.

´´Teacher Yoon, I need help!´´ Wonyoung says and it doesn´t take long for Taejoon to come to him.

´´What do you need help with?´´ The way Taejoon was acting all professional, amused him a little bit. If he could he would whine and ask help in a more familiar way, but of course he couldn´t do it now.

´´Teacher Yoon, I don´t know what I did wrong?´´ Wonyoung says with the most innocent looking face he could make and showed the two pieces of clay to Taejoon who quietly snorts behind his hand. How could he act all stern when a man that looked like a sad puppy was in front of him.

´´I think you might have used too much strength with it.´´ Taejoon says.

´´It´s still interesting how it ended up like this. Almost like, you ripped it in half on purpose.´´ He adds and the way Wonyoung was avoiding his gaze was an answer enough for him.

´´I think you need to start it from the beginning.´´ Taejoon concludes and leaves to go to another student who asked for his help. Wonyoung felt a bit hurt at the way

Taejoon just walked away without asking him if he needed more help, but with a sigh escaping through his lips he got back to his work, cursing under his breath that he had broken it down like that earlier.

After the class was over and Wonyoung had suffered through it and finished his work, he knew that pottery wasn´t for him. Taejoon always looked so cool and focused while doing it, but his own patience was not enough for him to something like that. He would be content just to admire from the distance when his boyfriend immersed himself in his work.

As Wonyoung was ready to leave a boy around his age, he recognized as one of the students came to him and Wonyoung noticed the quick glance Taejoon gave to their way before he started to pack up his own things.

´´Hey, I´m Minjun. I wanted to come and tell how nice your work looks. Have you been doing pottery before?´´ Wonyoung lets out an awkward laugh looking at this work that tried so badly to be a pot, but failed miserably. In conclusion, Minjun´s praise must have been just an excuse to come and talk to him.

´´This was actually my first time.´´ Wonyoung tells truthfully.

´´Oh, wow.´´ Minjun exclaims.

´´This was mine like what, fifth time already and it turned out like this, you must have natural talent for this kind of things.´´ Minjun shows him his work and Wonyoung holds back his laugh. Minjun´s work next to his looked like real art compared to his catastrophic pile of clay.

´´I actually came to ask if you´d like to have some coffee with me? There´s this new café, I´v heard good things of.´´ There was a hopeful look on Minjun´s face, but Wonyoung had to turn him down, he already had a boyfriend who not so subtly was listening to their conversation and looking at Wonyoung that it would be better for him to decline to offer.

´´I really can´t, sorry. I already have plans.´´

´´Ah, okay.´´ The disappointed look on Minjun´s face made Wonyoung to feel bad, but what else he could do in a situation like this.

´´Well, I should leave then, it was nice to meet you Wonyoung.´´ Minjun accepts his defeat and after sharing their goodbyes Wonyoung followed Minjun´s retreating back until he was out the door. He glanced at Taejoon who was done with packing up his things and before he could say anything the artist walked to the door, closes the blinds and locks the door before turning to look at Wonyoung. The look on his face was something he hadn´t seen before. He understands that Taejoon might be jealous of the previous scene, because well, he was jealous earlier as well when Taejoon was talking to that female student, but the look on his face exceeded of being just jealous. He looked mad.

´´Is everything alright?´´ Wonyoung asks. Taejoon doesn´t say anything before skipping to him, grabs his hand and pushes him against the closest wall. There was a shelf filled with works made of clay that was leaning against the wall and by the effect of Wonyoung´s body slamming against the wall, some of the pots were shivering on the shelf and he feared that some of them might fall to the door and shatter into pieces.

´´Why are you acting like this?´´ Wonyoung asks as Taejoon´s face hovers so close to his that he can feel his breath.

´´Haven´t I told you that you shouldn´t talk to other people?´´ His boyfriend asks while pointing his finger at Wonyoung.

´´I just wanted to be nice, you know that I declined his offer.´´

´´Still, you shouldn´t smile at others like that, and not to talk so sweetly to them.´´ Wongyoung felt a bit astonished. Why was he acting like this. It wasn´t normally like this.

´´Are you trying to control me?´´

´´Yes, you are mine and mine only, don´t you forget that. I will never let you go.´´ Taejoon tells taking a strong hold of Wongyoung´s wrists.

´´Please stop this, you´re hurting me.´´ The look on Taejoon´s face disappears and he frees his hands instantly.

´´Oh my god, are you alright?´´ Taejoon worries and Wonyoung starts to worry for the older man´s sanity.

´´I´m so sorry, where does it hurt?´´ He questions inspecting Wonyoung´s wrists, realizing the pain must be in them since he just held onto those wrists pretty tightly.

´´My wrists and well, you pushed me against the wall pretty harshly.´´

´´I´m so sorry Wonyoung-ah.´´ Taejoon´s face was filled with regret and Wonyoung couldn´t help, but wonder; where this change in behavior even came from.

´´Hyung, are you alright? You´re acting weird.´´ Wonyoung couldn´t hide the slight disgust on his face. He would have never thought that out of all people, Taejoon would hurt him like this, it felt unbelievable.

´´I´m so sorry. I just…´´

´´Just what?´´ Wonyoung lifts his eyebrow in a questioning matter. He better have a good reason for his actions, or he´s going to walk out and will not keep in touch with him anymore.

´´You said you wanted to try something new.´´ Taejoon answers quietly, regret still painting the tone of his voice.

´´What are you talking about? Did I say that I want you to abuse me or something? Let me tell you that I won´t tolerate that.´´ Wonyoung looks pissed, he couldn´t believe that Taejoon was blaming him of all of this.

´´You said you wanted to try some role-playing.´´ Taejoon adds embarrassed, his voice even quieter that before, not wanting anyone to hear what he says. They were inside the room alone, not a person in sight.

´´What?´´ Wonyoung recalls that he once talked about it with Taejoon, some weeks ago, but he wanted to make sure that he really heard it right.

´´I wanted to act as a possessive boyfriend, but I guess I was being too harsh.´´ Taejoon looks down at his shoes in embarrassed.

´´So, that was why you were being like this?´´ Wonyoung started to slowly come up to the relazation that Taejoon really had no ill intentions with his actions and that if nothing else, eased the pain he was currently feeling his heart to be squeezed with.

´´Did you really think I would hurt you like this? I could never. If it ever would happen, you should break my heart and break up with me, but I promise that hurting you is something that I will never do. I´m simply not capable of that.´´ Taejoon explains and the desperate look on his face that slowly started to turn into a look of a sad puppy, made Wonyoung feel a bit amused.

´´Are you going to break up with me?´´ His boyfriend asks and Wonyoung lets out a little laugh.

´´Of course not.´´ Wonyoung smiles and without another word, Taejoon pulls him into a hug.

´´I´m so sorry Wonyoung-ah.´´

´´It´s okay, hyung, really.´´ Wonyoung pulls back a bit, and wipes off the tears that had now fell from Taejoon´s eyes.

´´Maybe we shouldn´t do any role-playing.´´ Wonyoung notes with a little smile in an attempt to make Taejoon feel better.

´´Maybe we shouldn´t.´´ Taejoon agrees with a small smile.

´´I love you, hyung.´´

´´I love you too, Wonyoung.´´

´´Let´s get back home. I´ll make you some dumplings so you´ll feel better.´´ Wonyoung proposes and Taejoon doesn´t have to be asked twice.

They grab their stuff and walking hand in hand out from the small building Wonyoung swings their arms between them happily.

´´If you ever were up for it, we could role-play as a hot English teacher and a student.´´ Wonyoung suggests with a sly smile, but Taejoon pinches his cheek while shaking his head in disapproval.

Chapter Text

As Lee Jun checked the time displayed on his alarm clock, his eyes shot open and he quickly turned to the other Jun who was still soundly sleeping.

´´Jun. Hyung, we need to get up so we can get to work.´´ He says while vigorously shaking the other awake, but it seemed he preferred sleeping in for the day.

´´We have 45 minutes to get to work. Get up.´´ He tries to open one of his boyfriend´s eyes with his fingers, but the annoyed looking face of Choi Jun, he´s gotten used to see at work looks up at him then for a second before he pulls the duvet over his head.

´´I won´t be going in today.´´ He mumbles under the thick blanket.

´´Don´t be irresponsible now.´´ Lee Jun scolds, but it has no power. He sits back on the bed and thinks for a while, what way would be the best to get him out of bed. It´s quiet for a while until he comes up with a plan. He goes back to hover over Choi Jun´s duvet covered body before whispering.

´´That´s too bad then, I won´t be seeing your handsome face for hours. How can I survive?´´ It doesn´t take long for the other Jun to reveal his face from under the blanket. His face was a bit blushed whenever it was because of the words he just said or by the heat he must have been feeling under the thick blanket.

´´And you won´t be seeing me,´´ Lee Jun starts and makes the best sad puppy eyes he can. Choi Jun has said many times that his eyes were round and pretty like a deer´s. He should use them for moments like this.

´´Are you going to be alright with that?´´ He adds and Choi Jun shakes his head, getting rid of the tiredness he was feeling.

´´I´m awake. Let´s get to work.´´ He says getting up from the bed and Lee Jun smiles mischievously before getting up as well.

***

´´Is Hyunjae still wooing after you?´´ Choi Jun asks while driving them both to work.

´´What are you saying? He has never wooed after me.´´ Lee Jun asks and he can´t believe the confused look on his lover´s face. He really was clueless of certain things.

´´So you´re saying that you have no idea how he have been looking at you with all sparkly eyes and took care of you?´´

´´He has been just nice to me to get used to the new job.´´ Lee Jun says innocently, not finding any problem with the whole thing.

´´You really are oblivious sometimes.´´ Choi Jun shakes his head with a heavy sigh passing through his lips.

´´Just don´t spend so much time with him, okay.´´

´´Are you jealous?´´ Lee Jun asks raising his eyebrow.

´´Of course I am. And I have the right to be if my boyfriend spends a lot of alone time with a man that clearly has a crush on him.´´ Explains Choi Jun and the other man adores his way of speaking when he´s jealous.

´´I think I should though, because you being jealous like this is pretty cute.´´ Lee Jun laughs and hears a snort from his boyfriend who´s doing his best not to pass the speed limit they were currently driving on.

´´Just,´´ Choi Jun starts with a annoyed sigh. ´´You should make it clear to him that you have no feelings towards him, that would make me feel more at ease to see you two together.´´ Choi Jun pleads and he could do that. He could tell Hyunjae that he´s not interested in him and that he´s dating someone already, but could it really be, that his long-time friend would have a crush on him though?

´´Okay, I´ll do that so you´ll have a peace of mind.´´

´´Thank you.´´ Choi Jun thanks with a sincere look on his face.

´´I love you.´´ He adds intertwining their hands even though Lee Jun had many times scolded him doing so, telling him that he should focus on driving, he could show his affection when the car was not moving or when they both were securely standing on the ground with their own two feet.

´´I love you too.´´ Lee Jun answers him with a smile, before scolding him once again telling him to focus on driving.

***

´´Did you talk to Hyunjae today?´´ Choi Jun asks as they´re brushing their teeth, getting ready to sleep.

´´Yeah, I did.´´ Lee Jun simply answers after spitting out the foamy toothpaste from his mouth. He rinses his mouth and as he stands back up straight he sees Choi Jun´s questioning look through the mirror.

´´And?´´ He asks after his impatience had ran thin. Lee Jun turns to look at him, taking the shaving foam from the shelf above the sink to spread some on the spot between Choi Jun´s nose and upper lip.

´´He seemed a bit sad honestly. It hurt me a bit,´´ He takes a razor and gently starts to shave Choi Jun´s unwelcomed facial hair.

´´And that´s not because I have feelings for him.´´ He adds before his boyfriend gets a chance to say anything because he looked like he really had something on his mind.

´´It´s just humane to feel bad for bringing down a person who´s been so nice for you for years.´´ Lee Jun explains and he seems to understand him with the way he was nodding his head after thinking of it for a while.

´´Also, when I told him that I´m seeing someone. He was immediately able to guess it was you.´´ Lee Jun lets out a little laugh finishing with his shaving moment.

´´How was he able to tell?´´ Choi Jun asks as he goes to the cabinet to get a towel to dry off Lee Jun´s hair.

´´He said that we are so obvious, blatantly showing it in front of his face.´´ It was Choi Jun´s turn to look confused, in what way they have been shoving their relationship to him.

´´But, I don´t think we´ve done that though.´´

´´Me neither. We´ve always been so secretive of it at the office.´´ Lee Jun agrees.

´´I know right? I´ve only asked to meet you in my office to talk with you and brought you coffee every morning for the past few months and offered you a ride to work and back to home because we live in the same direction and I´ve shared lunches with you because we like different foods than our teammates but our taste with each other is the same.´´ Choi Jun lists.

´´I know, that´s just normal things that workmates would do with and for each other.´´ Lee Jun looks confused. Don´t other workmates do these things for each other as well?

´´Yeah. That´s so weird that he could already tell.´´

´´So weird.´´ Lee Jun agrees with a little sigh.

***

´´Should we go on an official date next weekend?´´ Choi Jun asks his boyfriend as they´re laying in bed, getting ready to sleep. Lee Jun moves his body a bit closer to the other to be able to reach his hand to play with his hair. Choi Jun smiles contently, enjoying the gentle act.

´´We haven´t really enjoyed an official date yet.´´

´´You´re right.´´ Lee Jun thinks, recalling the fact that they´ve never really gone out officially.

´´We should go.´´

´´Where do you want to go?´´ Choi Jun asks, fixing his position a bit to see his boyfriend´s face better.

´´I don´t know.´´

´´Do you want something romantic, or some fun activity. Do you like handywork, I know a place where you can paint your own mugs?´´ Choi Jun lists giving out some possible suggestions.

´´Can we go for a cooking class?´´

´´Cooking class?´´ Choi Jun asks surprised. That was not something he would have thought of coming out from Lee Jun´s mouth.

´´Yeah, neither of us is that good at cooking, and I´d be glad to prepare some dinner for you from time to time.´´ Lee Jun admits. He´s never really cooked much in his life. After he moved out from his parents and his mother was not there anymore to provide all the tasty meals for him, he started to live on fast food and spend his money on overpriced restaurant food.

´´You would?´´ Choi Jun looks smitten with a dreamy look on his face.

´´You should cook with your apron on without anything else under it. You would be a great dessert.´´ The tone of Choi Jun´s voice changes tragically and the seductive look on his face decorated with a raised eyebrow makes Lee Jun feel warm all over.

´´Did you have to ruin the atmosphere?´´ Lee Jun asks, playfully hitting Choi Jun´s arm.

´´But will you do it for me?´´ Choi Jun asks with a hopeful look on his face.

´´ I need to learn cooking first.´´ Lee Jun notes with raising his eyebrow in a challenge.

´´Okay, let´s go to the cooking class.´´ Choi Jun agrees before attacking Lee Jun with a kiss.

Chapter Text

They both felt nervous while waiting for that picture of them kissing each other to appear on the big screen, in front of the whole class. They had had predictions of how the others in the class would react to the picture of their last project together, but hearing and seeing them clap their hands and cheer at them, had not been one of them.

They were, in all honesty, unable to say a word, the whole situation felt overwhelming. The whole campus would soon know that they´re together, and if everyone reacted the same way these students did right now, they would have no problems in front of them, but Hyun didn´t want to believe that everything would go so smoothly. He felt An squeezing his hand encouragingly under the table and he took another look around the room before sharing glances with his boyfriend who kindly smiles at him.

´´Well, this was surprising, but great result for the two of you.´´ Teacher Kim, asks for the focus back on her standing in front of the class.

´´See guys, my love class really does create great results. Be sure to recommend it to your friends, okay?´´ She adds with a smile before addressing the next pair whose ending project would be up for next.

***

´´It went much better than I had anticipated.´´ An notes when they´re having lunch after the class. They both noticed the curious looks around them, but they were still feeling a bit embarrassed, blatantly showing off their new relationship in front of the whole class, like they were part of a overly dramatic and pretty unrealistic teen movie they used to watch while being young. For their defense, they were not the only succeeded pair, few more after their presentation, announced that they had indeed ended up in a relationship.

´´I know, but we should still be ready for some people to badmouth us. I just can´t believe that the whole school would be just minding their own business, even though we´re now older than when we were in high school.´´ Hyun explains, agreeing that he had felt relieved at the feedback, but being picked on for having a crush on another boy while he was in middle school, still paid a big part in his insecurities.

´´If someone will bring you trouble, just tell me and I´ll punch them.´´ Kim An says downing the rest of his drink.

´´You talk like you can fight.´´ Hyun grins, not wanting to blatantly laugh at his boyfriend who seems to be thinking a bit too highly of himself.

´´You haven´t seen me in action. You know, I used to attend taekwondo classes while in middle school.´´ Kim An tells proudly when he sees the grin on Hyun´s face turning into a look of a confusion little by little.

´´You did?´´ Hyun´s mouth opens a bit in a surprise. That´s something he didn´t yet know about him.

´´Hmm, but I stopped on the first year of high school since studying started to take too much time of my daily life.´´ Kim An explains and Hyun can see something like regret slightly playing on his face.

´´Would you like to get back on it?´´ Hyun asks and Kim An shakes his head.

´´Not really. If I were to start something now, it would be boxing.´´ Kim and says with an excited look on his face.

´´You. Boxing?´´ Hyun can´t but laugh at that.

´´What? Why are you laughing?´´

´´Sorry, I just can´t imagine you boxing. You look more like someone who plays badminton.´´

´´Huh, are you calling me too lame to do boxing?´´

´´No, I didn´t say that either badminton or you are lame, I like playing it too. I just meant that I´d be able to see you playing something like badminton more than boxing.´´

´´Should we start boxing together? So you could see that how cool I look doing it.´´

´´What! No, I don´t want to ruin my pretty face.´´ Hyun shrieks and places his hand on his cheek and attempts to look cutely at Kim An, slowly patting his eyelashes. He does get a reaction from Kim An who shoos it away with a snort and a wave of his hand.

´´Let´s go play badminton instead. We can ask Maru and Minwoo to come with us, so we can have a team tournament.´´ Hyun suggests and Kim An is not fully against the idea.

***

´´Look who we have right here! Our famous campus couple!´´ If Maru´s plan was to attract attention from people at him, he succeeded. Hyun and An were peacefully getting off after their last classes for the day and walking outside the college yard, their destination being the small noodle stall that sells hot and spicy noodles that would warm up their bodies in the cold weather when they came across Maru and Minwoo.

Maru had taken few running steps towards them before announcing to everyone where they were and he had that annoying big grin on his face that many people would find amusing or admirable, but after knowing him for years, Hyun just got annoyed seeing his friend like that, because he knew that he was ready to cause some ridiculous trouble.

´´Hi Maru, Minwoo.´´ An greets him and his companion who had just reached them. It seemed that he liked Maru way more than he did, but it must be because he hasn´t spend so much time with him yet, not to know about his annoying antics.

´´The whole campus has been talking about you two.´´ Maru notes making Hyun to roll his eyes.

´´I don´t think it´s been the whole campus. Some people don´t even care to comment on it cause they´re more worried of their studies to care about something that doesn´t involve them.´´ Hyun explains with annoyance laced in his voice.

´´I think Hyun´s right, some people don´t really care.´´ Minwoo agrees.

´´Hmm. We should go now An hyung.´´ Hyun notes, interlacing his fingers with An´s and that makes Maru to do the same with Minwoo.

´´Where are you two going?´´

´´We´ll go to eat.´´ An answers quickly before Hyun has a chance to lie.

´´Can we go with you?´´ Maru asks and this was why Hyun wanted to lie, he knew Maru would ask to join them and Hyun doesn´t want this to become a double date.

´´No you can´t.´´ Hyun´s quick enough to spat this time before Kim An.

´´Why are you being so grumpy today?´´ Maru questions.

´´I´m sorry, I´m really hungry since you´re taking away time that we could have spent on eating. I also don´t want this to become a double date, I wouldn´t be able to eat while looking at your stupid face.´´ That sparks emotion within Maru who´s ready to fight back, but Minwoo holds him back.

´´Why are you two fighting like this, haven´t you been best friends for years?´´ Kim An asks.

´´They´ve always been like this, don´t worry. They´ll be back on good terms tomorrow, if not already later tonight´´ Minwoo answers for the two and that relieves Kim An´s mind a bit. Thankfully this blabbering of theirs is a normal thing they´re familiar to do.

´´I think we should go now.´´ Kim An suggests and he gently pulls Hyun to come with him. As they´re walking away they can hear Maru and Minwoo saying,

´´Does my face look stupid?´´ Hyun can imagine Maru pouting his lips right now, giving his best sad puppy look to Minwoo who´s head over heels for his boyfriend.

´´No, you look cute.´´

***

´´Can we get some couple items? Even just one would be enough for me.´´ Hyun asks as they´re finally eating the warm and tasty noodles. They didn´t have to wait for long fortunately, since the busiest hour had already passed when they could make it there.

´´Why, isn´t that a bit corny?´´ An asks, blowing into his noodles to get rid of the steaming heat.

´´No it´s not. And I´m not talking about anything big. We don´t have to go around wearing the same outfits, if that´s what you fear.

´´What would you like to get then?´´

´´Hmm, maybe a bracelets. And also matching mugs. With those things we wouldn´t be blatantly showing our friendship on other people´s faces.´´ Hyun explains excitedly, and Kim An can´t but just admire the little glint of hopefulness Hyun has in his eyes when he´s talking about something that´s important or exciting for him.

´´Yeah, because we just didn´t show our kissing photo in front of a whole class.´´ Kim An laughs shortly and takes a mouthful of noodles to munch on them slowly.

´´Well, you´re kind of right, but I just want to carry around something that reminds me of you. And also if you miss me, you can just look at your bracelet and think about me.´´ Hyun says with a sweet smile on his face, before winking with his other eye, making Kim An to choke on his noodles. Hyun quickly gives him the mug of water and goes to gently pat on his face when Kim An keeps coughing, trying to get rid of the feeling like something was stuck in his throat.

´´Are you alright?´´ Hyun asks after his cough fit was over and he returns to his seat on the other side of the small round table.

´´Yeah, I´m fine, thank you.´´ Kim An mumbles, taking a sip of water to flow away the soreness of his throat.

´´Let´s get those couple items.´´ He finally agrees and Hyun´s regular smile spreads few more centimeters at that.

´´Thanks hyung, I´ll make sure that you´ll like them too.´´

Chapter Text

´´Will you go on a date with me?´´ If Donghee could get 10 000 won each time Hotae asks him that, by now he would have been able to buy himself a month worth of groceries.

´´If you learn Spanish for me, then I might consider it.´´ Donghee answers and he almost snorts at the overly confused look on Hotae´s face.

´´Spanish? Why?´´

´´I don´t know, I just think that´s a sexy language.´´ Donghee notes shrugging his shoulders. He has been practicing the language for a few years until now and he feels utterly happy when he can sing along to some Spanish songs.

´´Are you saying that I would sound sexy if I talked some Spanish to you?´´ Asks Hotae while wiggling his eyebrows.

´´I´m not, I just want to see how determinate you would be to date me.´´ Donghee explains, fighting back a smile. Hotae takes out his phone, typing out something very aggressively.

´´Okay, the library is still open.´´ Hotae mumbles and putting away his phone he starts to walk away.

´´Where are you going?´´ Donghee asks bewildered that Hotae was leaving him so soon. Usually he would follow him for hours, doing anything and everything that he would spend more time with him, helping him with work and asking him millions of questions, sometimes saying that he´s questioning him for a school project, but he can see through his lies and knows that he´s just making a research for future use.

´´I got to borrow some Spanish books.´´ Hotae notes and he quickly disappears out of Donghee´s sight.

´´Such a silly boy.´´ Donghee snorts before going back in to work.

***

Donghee doesn´t see Hotae for a few weeks after. He heard from Wonyoung that when he wasn´t in school, he has been studying Spanish until late night. Donghee asked him to study the language because he knew that he would do anything he asks him to do, but he had no idea that he would be able to do it even this long. He expected him to come to him after few days telling him that he gives up. He did feel a bit bored for not seeing his stupid smile and over the top love showing gestures at him, but he wouldn´t admit that out loud.

***

Then, one Thursday afternoon Hotae appears in front of him again and he greets him in Spanish. Well, at least he learned that, Donghee thinks to himself before Hotae opens his mouth to say more.

´´Me gustas mucho. Quieres salir conmigo por favor?´´

´´You really did learn some?´´ Donghee notes as a matter of fact, slightly nodding his head impressed.

´´Did I get it right?´´ Hotae asks, wanting to make sure that he wasn´t just blabbering some nonsense.

´´It was good enough, I was able to understand what you meant.´´ Donghee admits walking back behind the counter to put away some trash the customers had left behind.

´´So, what´s your answer?´´ Hotae asks carefully, he didn´t want to seem too pushy, but well he´s always been pretty pushy when it comes to Donghee. Donghee turns around to look at him before answering.

´´Sí.´´

´´That, that means yes, doesn´t it?´´ Hotae blabbers and Donghee does his best to keep this indifferent look on his face.

´´You´ve been to one to learn Spanish lately, you should know.´´ Donghee says, with a little smirk making it´s way onto his face.

´´Oh my god, oh my god, you finally agreed to go on a date with me.´´ Hotae loudly exclaims throwing his arms in the air for some more dramatic effect. Right then Wonyoung opens the door and steps inside. Hotae turns around to see who´s coming and in no time he skips to his new friend and lifting him in the air and spins them around for a few spins while yelling,

´´Donghee hyung finally agreed to go on a date with me!´´ Donghee wants to sink under the ground, why was that younger man has to be such an extra person. It wasn´t like he had won in lottery or anything.

´´Wow, that´s great.´´ Wonyoung says with a smile, as Hotae brings him back onto the floor. Great, just boost his ego even more, Donghee thinks.

´´You finally succeeded.´´ Wonyoung notes and a proud look appears onto Hotae´s face.

´´He asked me to learn Spanish and I did. I asked him to go out with me in that language.´´ Hotae explains to his friend, like Donghee wasn´t even there.

´´It didn´t take that much of an effort in the end.´´ Wonyoung laughs and Donghee was this close to go and pinch his friend´s ear in the most painful way. Hotae has been pining after him for so long already and seeing how much he´s ready to do to win him over, helping him around the store, making more effort in his studies and now learning a bit of a language he likes, he thinks that he has to give him a chance. He´s not a emotionless person after all.

Wonyoung came to get one order of few drinks to deliver them and soon he´s out through the door again.

´´So,´´ Hotae beams turning to look at Donghee with a big smile on his face. He takes few small steps towards the counter.

´´Where should we go on our first date?´´ He asks and tries to act casual as he takes one straw out of the little container that was on the counter and inspects it in his fingers like it was something interesting.

´´Maybe you should decide on that?´´ Donghee smirks and the way Donghee squirms makes him feel amused.

´´No hyung, you should decide. Don´t give me such a big responsibility.´´ Donghee declines waving his arms in front of him.

´´I would just decide on something childish that you wouldn´t probably like.´´

´´Maybe sometimes it´d be nice to do something that wasn´t that serious though.´´ Donghee notes and Hotae slowly nods his head, trying to figure out possible places for them to go to.

´´Well, should we go bowling then, and get ice cream after?´´

´´What were you talking about, those things are not even childish.´´ Donghee notes with a frown.

´´Well, I thought you´re someone who always goes to opera or fancy dinners.´´ Hotae says quietly making Donghee laugh.

´´If you mean that 10 000 won buffet is fancy then I guess so. And I´ve never been to opera either.´´ Donghee tells with another laugh.

´´Oh.´´ Hotae laughs awkwardly.

´´So let´s just go with your plan, okay?´´ Donghee suggests then. Hotae agrees with nodding his head vigorously.

´´Let´s do that.´´

Chapter Text

´´Why do you care so much about me?´´ Yeowoon breaks down. His eyes were gathering tears and Myungha didn´t know what to do. Yeowoon had finished practice, and they went home together, Myungha had got him some dinner to eat after burning calories while exercising.

´´No one has never done that for me before.´´ Yeowoon whispers.

´´I never get to know my mom since she ran away when I was just a baby that would crawl everywhere and suddenly I was left behind to live with my dad who was only drinking all the time and only interested of money. Luckily, I got to live with my grandma, but she passed away when I was sixteen. Since then, my dad has only come to me when he needed money to buy more alcohol to drink himself to sleep. I don´t have friends at school, because everyone thinks I´m just an arrogant, poor student who got to the school with a scholarship.
They make fun of my worn out running shoes at practice and while in class they make fun of me just because I´m poor and no one hasn´t even made an effort to get to know me. Then you appeared in front of me, out of nowhere and suddenly there was someone in my life that cares about me. I just can´t figure out, why?´´ Yeowoo wipes off some of the tears falling along his cheeks and he shivers. The street is dim, only some light coming from the lamp about a meter away from them, but Myungha can see his eyes shimmering in the dark.

´´Yeowoo, I...´´ Myungha had gotten another chance in life after taking his own. Even though, it wasn´t sure for him that what kind of a world it was he was living in right now, but regardless he was grateful for it, because he got to meet someone like Yeowoon there.

´´I love you.´´ Myungha blurts out, but he´s being sincere. He takes a careful step forward, stopping just in front of Yeowoo, who seems to go through some questions in his head.

´´But, why?´´ Yeowoo sobs, before Myungha reaches out his arm to hold Yeowoon´s hand in his.

´´Because you´re you. Does there really have to be a specific reason for it?

´´It´s just that there´s nothing special about me.´´ Yeowoo whispers.

´´And does there have to be? I just want to love someone that I feel comfortable being around with.´´ Myungha says and dries off some of the wetness from one of Yeowoo´s cheeks.

´´There´s such a big bunch of us people in the world that are just ordinary, people that are living their mundane lives and feel content with that. Even if there´s nothing special about you, according to your words, it doesn´t mean that you don´t deserve to be happy, receive love and to be cared about.´´ Myungha´s words seems to have some effect on the younger boy as Yeowoo seems to think the things he just said in his head before reaching out his arms and pulls Myungha into a hug.

´´I´m just so grateful that I met you.´´ Yeowoo sobs and feeling his body shivering, Myungha tightens his hold around his body. Reassuringly he moves his hand up and down against the younger boy´s back and keeps on whispering comforting words into his ear.

´´I can say the same to you too. You gave me a reason that made me realize that I want to keep on living.´´ Myungha admits and Yeowoo would have no idea, how truthful his words were.

´´And now you will be stuck with my for the rest of our lives.´´ Yenwoo says resting his chin on Myungha´s shoulder.

´´I wouldn´t have it any other way.´´ Yeowoon confesses with a little smile on his face.

***

´´Thanks for the running shoes, sunbae. I ran well with them today, didn´t I?´´ Yeowoo asks as they´re sharing some barbeque, Myungha promised to reward him with some if he would do well on the race, and oh boy he did. He came in for second place and Myungha cheered for him so loud from the audience that his voice was hoarse after.

´´Hmm, I know, I saw you.´´ Myungha smiles and places a piece of grilled pork onto Yeowoo´s bowl of rice.

´´Next time I will win the whole thing.´´ Yeowoon promises with an adorable smile before he puts the meat into his mouth.

´´But second place is great too.´´ Myungha reasons, he doesn´t want Yeowoon to think that he would only see him capable if he wins the first place.

´´I know, but I will do it for you, so after with that winning price I can take you on a date.´´

´´But we can afford dates just fine without that money.´´

´´I know, but we can go on a bit more luxurious date then. We should travel to Jeju for a weekend then.´´ Yeowoon plans excitedly. Neither of them haven´t visited the island before, Myungha would be down for that.

´´Just don´t put too much stress on your body, that´s all I care about.´´ Myungha proposes and he puts another piece of meat into Yeowoon´s bowl.

´´Okay, sunbae.´´ Yeowoon smiles and happily munches on the meat.

***

´´When I said that I want to travel to Jeju with you, I didn´t mean that I want to take Sangwon and Kyunghoon with us.´´ Yeowoon pouts as they finally enter the beach after a long vacation.

´´Well, you got the second place on the race this time as well, I didn´t think that they would reward you with a trip to here. Shouldn´t you have known that they will reward you with this on this competition?´´ Myungha questions. Making a little bit fun of the younger boy brings him so much joy, when he sees that cute pout on his face.

´´I didn´t…I always just run in every race I can get myself into. Are you disappointed that I didn´t win this time either?´´

´´Of course I´m not. I´m proud of you even if you end up in the last place, because I know you did your best.´´ Myungha assures with a smile. He didn´t really care on which place Yeowoo places on his races. He likes seeing him run and after they got together and Myungha started to earnestly cheer for him and tell him to do his best, it seemed that Yeowoon started to enjoy running a little bit more than in the past.

´´You´re just saying that so I wouldn´t feel bad.´´

´´Not at all! I´m serious!´´

´´And we should have come here alone, why did you ask those two to come along?´´

´´They´re your friends Yeowoo, they are not just those two.´´

´´Yeah, one of them is after my boyfriend.´´ Yeowoon blurts out spitefully.

´´He has a crush on me, but you don´t need to worry. Sangwon´s not a person who would make us to part ways, I only see him as a brother anyway.´´

´´But still, why did you ask them to come along?´´

´´Well, the trip price was for four people, I didn´t want to waste it. And honestly, we don´t have anyone else we would have asked to come with us.´´

´´You better pay me next time, next time we will come here alone. Just you and me.´´ There was determination in Yeowoon´s voice. It was one that sounded like there was no place for Myungha to argue.

´´Okay okay, I promise that I´ll take you here again.´´ Myungha didn´t even want to argue. He had already decided that he will bring Yeowoo to Jeju on his upcoming birthday that was few months away.

´´Pinky promise.´´ Yeowoon mumbles, showing his smallest finger in front of Myungha´s face who lets out a laugh.

´´Are you really making me do that? Can´t you trust me, if I just say so?´´ Myungha sighs, but intertwines his finger with Yeowoo´s anyway.

´No. Your finger works as a collateral. If you break your promise, I will eat it. Yeowoon says mischievously. He was about to pull Myungha´s finger closer to his lips, but he was interrupted by a clearing of one´s throat.

´´Can you two leave your kinky shit for when you´re alone. We don´t want to hear it.´´ Sangwon says tiredly and for a second Myungha thinks that how long must their friends have been listening to their conversation.

´´We waited on the beach for some time for you two and decided to come and get you, and this is what I end up hearing.´´ Sangwon adds with a disgusted look on his face. He puts his arm around Kyunghoo´s shoulder, pulling him a little closer.

´´Let´s go Kyunghoon. It seems that we need to spend this weekend by ourselves in the end.´´ Kyunghoon shares them a kind smile before he´s pulled away by Sangwon that was ready to go and play in the water.

´´I don´t want to lose any of my body parts, so you can rest assured that I will keep your promise.´´ Myungha says, taking his bag from the ground.

´´Great, thanks sunbae.´´ Yeowoon smiles and taking Myungha´s hand in his, they walk onto the beach where their new friends were already getting their feet used to the temperature of the water.

Chapter Text

Okju loves seeing Minhee dance, although she has no idea what´s going on during the show, she knows that Minhee will have a solo at one point during the night, and she knows that she will rock it.

Minhee doesn´t usually bring up her love towards ballet, but Ok Ju knows that she loves it, and she can see it in the way Minhee practically just floats through the air as she´s doing jumps or pirouettes with the most sincere smile on her face while doing so. Ok Ju on the other hand, she has never had a goal in mind, no dreams, just a plan to earn money, the amount that would get her through the days. He´s jealous of people who have dreams and from young age they´ve known of what they´re going to work towards.

She´s jealous, yes, but with Minhee, it´s different. She´s not jealous, she´s just so damn happy that she gets to do things she loves. She has fallen so many times during practice, that you wouldn´t be able to even count on, but every time she had stood back up on her own, or with the help of Ok Ju, and continued practicing until she´s able to succeed on the new moves. Ok Ju has told Minhee that she can complain to her if she feels tired or hurt after practicing and falling so many times, but she never does. Ok Ju doesn´t want her to go through the pain all by herself, and cry when she´s alone, but she never shows the weaker side of her in front of her.

It was the opening night for the new ballet and the place was packed. Minhee had made sure that Ok Ju got the best seat, and she did. She could see everything well, she didn´t have to correct her posture or peek behind the person in front of her to see better, and what´s most important was that she could clearly see Minhee, as she glides on the floor during her solo. She was mesmerizing and a thought passed Ok Ju´s mind. She was like an angel, that appeared in her life, at the moment she needed her the most.

***

Ok Ju had always been alone, took care of herself without the help of anyone. Doing part time jobs here and there made her to feel that she didn´t really belong anywhere. She had her worn out apartment, she never was excited to return to after work. She could have decorated it a little bit to make it cozier, but she didn´t want to spend time on that, since she might move out at any moment, and she spends very little time in there anyway. Then, one day she went to buy a birthday cake for herself from the little bakery that was close to her apartment, and there she met Minhee for the first time.

When she asked who the cake was for, Ok Ju told her that it was her birthday and the overly excited worker brings few bottles of beer for them to share and hands a fork for a confused Ok Ju who just stands at the other side of the counter and witnesses the other girl getting two plastic chairs from the backroom.

´´I don´t think you should be drinking during your working hours.´´ Ok Ju notes as Minhee is gesturing her to sit down on the other chair while she´s opening the cans.

´´It´s fine, the place´s closing down anyway.´´ Minhee says before she quickly goes to the front door to lock it and gets back. Ok Ju follows her with her eyes when she disappears into the backroom for a while before she comes back with holding the mint chocolate cake Ok Ju had decided to buy earlier, with few colorful candles lit on top of it and singing happy birthday to the overly confused girl that was sitting on the worn out plastic chair.

´´You didn´t even ask if I´m in hurry to go back home.´´

´´Well, you´re buying this cake so late and you´re buying it by yourself so I don´t think there´s a huge friend group waiting for you to get back to celebrate together with you.´´ Ok Ju would have felt offended, but she was totally right, and also the pretty smile on the girl´s face might had an affect that she wasn´t feeling so bad.

´´You´re totally right.´´

***

´´You were great tonight.´´ Ok Ju congratulates Minhee as they meet up after the show. Ok Ju had been waiting for her outside. She could have a smoke while giving Minhee all the time she needed to come down from the adrenaline of performing and getting out from her performance outfit.

´´Thank you.´´ Minhee smiles gratefully and she pulls Ok Ju into a hug.

She can smell that Ok Ju had just smoked and she hated the smell and had asked Ok Ju to stop smoking and indeed the amount of how much she smokes in a day had decreased to half, and she aims to get rid of it fully, but it takes time. Ok Ju has always smoked when she feels bored or anxious and living alone for so long made her bored, especially when she never met new people who would bring something new into her life, but when Minhee asked her to quit, she really took that into her heart and started to work on it. Minhee just grunts her face at the unpleasant smell, but doesn´t comment on it, since she knows that Ok Ju´s doing her best to quit smoking.

´´I don´t know anything about ballet, but in my eyes you were the best.´´ Ok Ju tells with a mischievous smile.

´´I knew you would say that. You´re just biased since we know each other.´´ Minhee says with playfully hitting Ok Ju´s arm.

´´That might be, but what can I say, your beauty fully blew me away.´´ Ok Ju jokes, but they both might know that what she said was just not nonsense. Wide smiles were on both of their faces and Minhee gave him another hug before they started on their way towards Ok Ju´s bike. Ok Ju had suggested they should take the cab or bus, because she feared that they might get hurt and Minhee wouldn´t be able to perform, but after Minhee pointing out that Ok Ju had never crashed with her bike before, she pleaded they could go with it. And also she could be able to clear her mind as the cool evening air was gently hitting on her face.

Minhee always praises how cool she looks while driving her bike so well, and Ok Ju would be lying if she said that that doesn´t make her squirm for even a little bit. While they´re racing the streets of Seoul, she feels Minnhee´s arms tightly wrapped around her waist and her head resting against her back, she must be feeling exhausted after getting to perform a dance she´s been practicing so hard for, for the prior months.

***

They went to Minhee´s place, since it felt way cozier and in Ok Ju´s words, way livelier and more livable. They got inside and while Ok Ju was waiting for Minhee to shower and take off the remains of the make up from her face, she was scrolling through the channels on the tv, she could hear some heavy argument going on, on the other side of the living room wall. Minhee had mentioned that the walls are very thin, and she sometimes even wakes up from sleep when the neighbors are arguing in middle of the night. She´s been planning on to move out, but Ok Ju said she should ask them to quiet down first, that there are people trying to sleep during the night, but Minhee´s too shy to knock on their door and asks them to be quiet.

´´You should take a shower as well.´´ Minhee disturbs her channel surfing which had been very unsuccessful. She´s drying her face with a small towel while handing another one for Ok Ju, who stands up stretching her neck, little pop sounds disappearing into the air and Minhee´s disgusted face aimed at her.

´´Stop that.´´ Minhee whines, but Ok Ju just laughs and walks into the bathroom, closing the door behind her.

Getting out from the shower, Ok Ju looks at the two toothbrushes placed in the little cup on the edge of the porcelain sink . The other belongs to Minhee and the other is hers. She spends a lot of time here when Minhee´s free from her work and practice, so they decided to get some utensils ready for days like this. Minhee even bought her, her own toothpaste that´s supposed to help keep your gums healthy after learning that Ok Ju´s gums bleed a lot. She also bought few boxes of hair dye since she dies her hair from time to time to hide her outgrown roots. Minhee has said she would love to see Ok Ju with natural, black hair, but she prefers it like this.

If you asked Ok Ju, she would really like to live here, permanently with Minhee. She gets out from the bathroom and she freezes on the doorway seeing many candles lit up around the place and a beautiful girl called Minhee, holding a cake while walking towards her and singing a happy birthday song.

´´You really thought I would forget about your birthday?´´ Minhee smiles as she stops right in front of Ok Ju who looks surprised.

´´I didn´t remind you cause I thought it doesn´t really matter.´´

´´Of course it does. If you weren´t born, I would not have got to meet you.´´ Minhee says, ushering the other girl to blow out the candles before the melted wax would meet and destroy the icing of the cake.

´´Did you make a wish?´´ There´s a teasing smile on Minhee´s face.

´´I didn´t.´´ Ok Ju shakes her head, but Minhee can see through her lie.

´´I know you did, don´t lie to me.´´ Minhee smiles as she puts the cake onto the nearest table, her arms were already feeling sore from holding it for so long.

´´If I tell it to you, it won´t come true.´´ Ok Ju admits then.

´´Please, I know you don´t believe in that kind of things.´´ Minhee whines, trying her best to make her friend to reveal her wish.

´´Well,´´ Ok Ju starts, with a hesitating look on her face.

´´I, I wish I could hold your hand.´´

´´Really? Why couldn´t you? We hold hands so often anyway. Is that really all?´´

´´I meant, in a different way.´´ Ok Ju adds while avoiding Minhee´s eyes. Then , silence surrounds them and all they can hear is only their own breathing and the distracting arguing sounds still going on in next door. Ok Ju wonders if she should call the police and thinks why hasn´t any of the other residents done so already. She steals a quick look at Minhee, just to find out that the other girl was staring at her intently.

´´Can you please look at me.´´ Ok Ju shyly looks up at Minhee. The other girl raises up her hand and places it on Ok Ju´s bicep, she slowly slides it down till her fingers gently touch her hand and intertwines her fingers with Ok Ju´s.

´´Is this how you meant it?´´ Asks Minhee, her thumb rubbing on her hand.

´´Yeah.´´ Ok Ju breathes out, trying to calm herself down as Minhee gets closer to her and in the end her lips find their way onto Ok Ju´s lips and a light kiss was pressed against hers. Ok Ju takes in a sharp breath, her eyes wide open still when Minhee leans back.

´´Don´t look so shocked. Honestly, I have wanted to do this for so long by now.´´ Minhee smiles and that eases Ok Ju´s shock a bit. Now her eyes start to blink rapidly and she tries to say something acceptable on a situation like this.

´´Happy birthday Ok Ju.´´ Wishes Minhee again, before she leans in for a second time, just to press her lips again against Ok Ju´s.

Chapter Text

´´Because, it´s disgusting.´´ Sejin spats, so much venom in his voice that it took Taejoon out of guard. For a moment he couldn´t say anything back, just staring with a broken look on his face, his shoulders hunched.

´´I´m sorry I tried to kiss you.´´ Taejoon was able to whisper out eventually, his voice trembling while doing so. This seriously was not how he expected Sejin to act.

´´The last time in the piano room when you tried to…´´

´´It didn´t happen, just forget about it!´´ Sejin shouts before he´s even done with saying the whole sentence.

´´But…´´ Taejoon noticed there were tears on his own cheeks, but he quickly wiped them away before he got closer to Sejin to grab his hand.

´´Let´s not meet again.´´ Sejin grunts, freeing his hand from Taejoon´s.

´´Don´t talk to me, ever again.´´ Those were the last words he said to Taejoon before he left.

***

It´s been two weeks since their last conversation and their unpleasant parting and Sejin was feeling so much regret, but he felt too shameful to go to talk with him after all the horrible things he had said to him last time. Before he got close with Taejoon, he had never seen him smiling and he wanted to make him smile more since he liked seeing him smile, and he did achieve what he wanted, but nowadays, for these last two weeks, Taejoon hasn´t smiled at all. And it ate him from the inside. Knowing that he had been the reason why the other boy was not smiling anymore, even though it had been his goal to make him smile more and now he made him smile even less.

For the first week Sejin avoided Taejoon´s eyes, whenever he tried to look at him, trying to make it somehow possible for them to talk with each other again, but Sejin felt too cowardly to even look into his eyes.

On the second week, Taejoon didn´t even try to look at him anymore. Every time Sejin saw him between their classes Taejoon was looking at the ground, or he was so lost in thought he just stared in front of him. Honestly, it looked like he had lost all the remaining spark he had in his eyes on the last day they had talked. And still, Sejin felt too afraid to confront him, he was pathetic excuse for a human being.

***

It was Thursday evening, after their late night study session in the library when Sejin went back into their classroom to get one of his textbooks he had forgotten there and he saw something on Taejoon´s desk that was on the last row and next to the window. It was a piece of paper that had been folded for once and his curiosity taking the best of him, he skips to the desk and takes the paper, he might excuse his action of saying that maybe it was something important, but honestly, he was just being nosy. He opens the paper and Taejoon´s neat handwriting was written there.

Sejin, I hope you´re the one that will find this letter first, because you´re honestly the one I wanted to write this for. I hope you´re doing fine and just now that, that what I decided to do was not because of you. I have been fighting with so many demons until this point and, I guess they finally took such a strong hold of me that I wasn´t able to free myself away from them anymore. Just know that you were something that gave me enough will power to fight on, you appeared in front of me just when I was feeling my worst, and I felt too tired to fight on any longer. I know I shouldn´t have done what I did, because I ruined our friendship like that. I´m sorry that I did that. I´m sorry, for liking you, Sejin. This is my last goodbye, thank you for everything.
Taejoon

It felt like the time had frozen, as Sejin read through the letter once more and more. As the whole picture shook his mind like a lighting and he understood what that whole thing meant, he worked like an autopilot. He started to run to the closest staircase, his phone in hand dialing Taejoon´s number, but his several tries always ending on the voice mail. He begged that what he feared was not what was really happening. He begged that he was not too late. He begged that he would be on the school´s rooftop, because if he wasn´t, it would be impossible to find him before it would be too late.

He tripped over his feet few times in hurry, but got up every single time, not minding the slight pain he had on his knees and palms of his hands. Losing Taejoon for forever would hurt way more and he would not be able to forgive himself if their last conversation would really end up being their last one. He finally reached the door that leads into the rooftop and with a loud bang he throws it open and he´s met with the sight he was fearing of seeing. Taejoon was already standing on the other side of the railing getting ready to jump.

´´Taejoon!´´ Sejin has never screamed so loud and if the loud bang of the door didn´t awaken Taejoon´s attention, at least the loud scream of his name did. He turns to look over his shoulder, seeing the crumpled piece of paper in Sejin´s hand and thinks, that must be why he was there. Sejin on the other hand, he has never seen the other boy looking so dead inside, he has never seen anyone looking like that before honestly. Taejoon said that this is not happening because of him, but he would be just lying to himself if he believed that. He was not there next to him when Taejoon needed him the most. He´s at least one part of the reason.

´´I wished you would have found that a bit later.´´ Taejoon says nonchalantly, like that was the most important thing to address right now.

´´You mean after I would have witnessed your lifeless body lying on down below?´´

´´You should just go back.´´ Taejoon whispers, he doesn´t want that the last image he has of Sejin is seeing his face like this. He had saved the memory of seeing him smiling with him and that was the one he wanted to see in his mind before he would have jumped.

´´I won´t leave before you come back here.´´

´´Why should I?´´ I´m nothing, but a burden for everyone. No one really understands what I´ve been going through. Everyone just tells me to endure it, to fight back, but I´m so damn tired to fight anymore.´´ If you look past those lifeless eyes, you can see desperation in them. Even though Taejoon was saying that he was tired to fight anymore, he was still asking, begging for someone to help, as he was not able to get through by himself anymore.

´´I´ll help you fight. I promise. I will never downgrade how you feel. Just come back here. Please.´´ Sejin pleads, walking a bit closer, but very slowly, he did not want to scare Taejoon.

´´How could you be able to help anyway?´´ Taejoon whispers, slightly shaking his head from side to side.

´´You said in the letter that I helped you when you were feeling too tired to keep going. I can do that again, and this time I will listen to you even more.´´

´´How can you? I ruined our friendship and you told me that you never want to see me again.´´

´´It was wrong for me to say something like that. I´m so sorry. I wanted to talk to you, but I was just feeling too pathetic to do so.´´

´´No one will feel sad if I´m gone. They will have way less burden to carry then.´´

´´Stop saying that. At least think about your younger brother. You even wrote that song for him, wouldn´t you want to play that for him? I bet he would be so happy to hear that.´´ Sejin knows how much the brothers care about each other and it would be such a big hit on Tae yi if his brother would be suddenly gone from his life for forever.

´´My brother likes to listen to me playing the piano.´´ Taejoon slowly nods his head, like he was understanding something. Sejin on the other hand, just tried to say anything he could, he tried to throw out the rope Taejoon would be able to catch and he could pull him to safety.

´´Yes, he does. And so do I. I want to keep on listening you playing it for many more years.´´
Then there was silence, it was the most suffocating silence, Sejin had ever experienced.

´´You said I was disgusting.´´ Taejoon whispers, Sejin almost didn´t even catch it at first. He wanted to cry when Taejoon said that. He sounded so broken.

´´I didn´t mean that. I was just too afraid to face my own feelings. I never thought that you´re disgusting. I´m the one that´s disgusting, I tried to kiss you in the piano room, and when you did the same, I pushed you away even though you did nothing wrong.´´ More silence followed and now Taejoon really turned to look into Sejin´s eyes, who wanted to look elsewhere. He didn´t feel like he had the right to look at him, but he needed to make Taejoon realize that he sincerely cares about him, so he looks back at him, straight into his eyes.

´´Do you mean that?´´

´´Yes, sincerely. I do like you and I was too big of a coward to face the truth.´´

´´You, like me?´´

´´Yes, I do! So please, don´t leave me alone to deal with my feelings. I would feel devastated if something bad happened to you.´´

´´There was a time I thought that I would not be able to live without you. And I think that was true. You were always that small light in my life that I never wanted to turn off, because you shined so brightly that it lit up the darkness inside my mind.´´

´´I will shine even more brightly if you just give me the chance to do so. So please, come here and we can go back to how we were in the past.´´

´´Can you promise me that?´´

´´Yes, definitely. I will never hurt and leave you like that, never again.´´ Sejin promises and after thinking it through for a little bit more time, Taejoon starts to turn around, which was hard since the footing on the other side of the railing was so narrow.

´´Can you help me a bit?´´ Sejin helps Taejoon to return to the safer side while his arms were shaking.
Sejin pulls Taejoon into a tight hug his other hand on the back of his neck and the other one tightly secured around his waist.

´´It´s alright, you´re save now. You´re save now. Sejin says and he keeps repeating the words inside his mind for so many rounds that he lost count by now. He finally lets out a long breath he had been too anxious to let out earlier. Taejoon was here now, securely surrounded by his arms and he was not willing to let of him anymore. He felt so relieved that he started to cry, cry for happiness, but also to the fact that he was able to save his first love and he wouldn´t have to witness that person´s lifeless body on the front yard of their school. He felt so relieved.

´´I´m so sorry, are you alright?´´ Sejin looks over his body to see if there´s any physical scars he might have from crossing the railing, or any signs of what he might have made before he even came into the rooftop. When he was sure there was nothing, he pulls him back into a bone crushing hug and they both end up crying, letting out their feelings of desperation, wrongdoings and miserability.

Taejoon was shivering, but the warmth from Sejin´s body was able to reduce it for a bit and wetting each other´s shirts while crying felt like something so unsignificant to them both that they didn´t point that out, apologizing to each other for doing so. They just were there for each other and shared the body warmth with each other, not minding if it would take them the whole night. At least then, they would not have to hurry for the first class in the morning.

´´I´ll always stay by your side, Taejoon.´´

Chapter Text

As Ye chan drove over with his late grandfather´s tractor, he could see Seon yul and In seo were picking up apples from the trees and he didn´t like how In seo kept talking to his boyfriend all the while smiling widely.

Ye chan had learned that those two had dated for a while, while being in high school and now In seo had come back, to solve some unresolved problems they had because Seon yul had left, basically disappeared from In seo´s life after he saw him cheating on him. Ye chan´s not sure if they have already settled things with each other, but In seo insisted of staying at Sun yeol´s grandfather´s house for a while.

And since it was currently very busy time for Ye chan, with all the farming stuff he needed to do, they put In seo into work to help them a little bit. Maybe it had been a bad decision to let Seon yul and In seo to work by themselves, but Ye chan was the only one that can drive the tractor so there really wasn´t any other possible way to work it out.

The other night Seon yul had promised Ye chan that he hasn´t any feelings towards In seo anymore, and he believes him, but that doesn´t remove the fact that In seo might still have some lingering feelings for his boyfriend.

Ye chan gets down from the tractor and walks up to the two apple pickers and shamelessly occupies the place between those two.

´´The apples are looking very delicious.´´ Ye chan says, picking up one from a high branch, he was sure In seo was not able to reach since he was a bit shorter than him.

´´They really do.´´ Seon yul agrees and wipes one on the sleeve of his shirt before taking a bite. He offers it for Ye chan who then takes a bite as well and he can hear a tired sigh from the other side of him.

´´Being a third wheel, feels great.´´ In seo mumbles annoyed.

´´You can taste it too.´´ Ye chan offers the apple to the other man who shakes his head disgusted.

´´No thanks, I´ll pass.´´

´´Guys, stop that. Let´s have a break and get something to eat, it´s lunchtime.´´ Seon yul suggests, witnessing the two men getting on each other´s nerves once again.

Yechan was able to be pretty adorable when he was jealous. He tried to look intimidating, but the way his cheeks started to turn slightly pink when he was acting like he was mad, made him so much cuter.

There was no need for Ye chan to be jealous, and he had talked about it with him as well. In seo tries to convince him that he has no more feelings for him, but the way he wants to spend more time with him after clearing up the whole over dramatic scenario from their past, made him to feel that there might still be something lingering feelings in his heart, but In seo promised that he´s not trying to get in between him and Ye chan, and he believes him, but Ye chan might not fully understand that.

Seon yul would also be jealous if Ye chan´s ex was spending time with him even after their breakup, but if Ye chan told him that he has no longer feelings towards that person, he would believe him, but just like Ye chan right now, he would feel insecure that, that other person would steal him back, away from him.

´´What would you like to have?´´ Ye chan asks then, taking another bite from the apple.

´´Just something simple and quick. Hmm, don´t we still have those steamed sweet potatoes left from yesterday?´´

´´Yeah, I think so. Then, let´s just fry some meat to have with them.´´ Ye chan plans. Seon yul slowly nods his head, going through the possible menu inside his head.

´´Should we have salad instead? I have eaten so much fried and high in fat foods while I´ve been here, I think I have gained some weight.´´ In seo suddenly asks, disturbing their conversation. Ye chan turns to look at him, scratching the back of his head.

´´I think I will order some fried chicken for dinner today, Seon yul.´´

´´That sounds good to me.´´ Seon yul answers amusedly seeing how In seo snorts at them.

´´You need to help with the farm work, it´s a physical job, so then you can have delicious food without feeling guilty. It´s a work and food balance.´´ Ye chan says, and that´s what he´s been living with through years. He does physical job during the day so then he can enjoy any foods he wants and won´t feel regret eating it.

´´What even is that, I´ve never heard of it?´´ In seo asks, running after the two that had already started their way back to the house.

***

´´Guys, be honest with me. Is there something more between you two? Are you dating?´´ Ye chan almost spat out the piece of steamed sweet potato when In seo asked his question from across the table.

´´Well, that´s…´´ Ye chan awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, when there was no more danger for him to choke on the piece of sweet potato inside his mouth. He shares a worried look with Seon yul, who, to his surprise, didn´t seem at all nervous.

´´Yes we are. Do you have a problem with that?´´ Seon yul admits to Ye chan´s surprise. He was certain that Seon yul would not admit their relationship. In seo was so different from Ye chan and he did sometimes feel that Seon yul had made such an downgrade for dating him after dating with someone like In seo. He had the looks, the good looking clothes, he was highly educated and he had that charm to him that would made many people´s heart to race.

´´Ah, it´s not that. You two just seemed so close with each other, but now knowing that you´re together, everything makes more sense.´´ In seo tells, absentmindedly picking up a piece of meat with his chopsticks to eat. Ye chan could see something change on In seo´s face. It was very subtle and it would have went unnoticed by many because it was so quickly gone, but he did notice.

And to better judgement, Ye chan would say that it was regret, regret of messing everything up and losing someone great like Seon yul, just because he was bit too greedy in the past.

´´And Ye chan, don´t worry I´m not going to steal him from you.´´ In seo says then, with the most innocent smile he could make.

´´I wouldn´t leave with you anyway.´´ Seon yul notes to which In seo just snorts.

´´Just get along and live a long live together, okay?´´ In seo encourages, before getting back on eating his lunch. He still was scowling about the fact that there wasn´t any kind of a salad in the fridge. They lived on the countryside doing farming as a job, for god´s sake.

´´And you should take part in your theatrical practices, I know you´ve been skipping them too many times again.´´ Seon yul scolds In seo, who would not be able to look more bored.

´´I guess I should, even though it´s not so fun without you there anymore.´´ He points out and notices the way Ye chan was looking at him from the other side of the table. He tried to stare at him intimidatingly, but that just made In seo to snort. There really might be some charm about him that made Seon yul to feel so keen on him.

´´I guess I should just leave back to Seoul tomorrow, since we´re on good terms again.´´ In seo wonders, there wasn´t really a reason for him to stay there any longer. At the beginning he thought he might be able to talk Seon yul over to return back with him, but he must be feeling to much towards Ye chan, so there wasn´t a way to get him back. At least Ye chan is someone that wouldn´t cheat on him like he did. That was wrong by him, he knows that, he hopes that he would have never done that in the first place, so he wouldn´t have lost someone as good as Seon yul.

´´You should or your father will find out where you are and he would emerge here soon.´´ Says Seon yul. Ye chan was nodding his head next to him, he was feeling very happy if In seo would leave the next day, so he wouldn´t have to worry anymore of them two spending time together.

´´I just hope that you will come and see my first play when that day comes.´´

´´I will.´´ Seon yul agrees with a kind smile.

´´Thanks.´´

***

The next day, Ye chan and Seon yul were seeing In seo off, walking him to his car as he was getting ready to go back to Seoul.

´´You seem a bit too excited that I´m leaving.´´ In seo notes, looking at Ye chan who was even opening the car door for him.

´´Not really, I just have to hurry back to work.´´ Says Ye chan and Seon yul has a hard time to not laugh at his answer. Ye chan has really grown out to be blunt with people he didn´t like that much. But with Seon yul, he was always that cute farmer, who could not hurt a fly.

´´Yeah yeah, sure. Remember to behave you two. I´ll send you the tickets once my play comes out.´´ In seo says before sitting into the car.

´´We´ll be waiting for those. Good luck with practice.´´ Seon yul smiles before closing the car door and soon In seo was driving away.

´´Should we get some fried chicken for lunch?´´ Seon yul asks.

´´Yes, and this time, we won´t have to eat any on the side vegetables.´´ Ye chan happily smiles and smiling back at him, Seon yul takes his hand in his and they start their way to their next task.

Chapter Text

Kang Ok was not able to explain in words how thrilled he felt, as he was just about to know the real identity behind the mask, the person who kills people that didn´t get what they really deserved, the character known as vigilante.

He reaches out his hand to touch the mask that was hiding the lower part of his face and slowly, pulls it down. He catches his breath, his heart beating a mile in a second. He was not ready to meet with such a good looking young man, his eyes searched his face and he would be lying if his past felt euphoria didn´t maximize, seeing how he looked like.

´´I had no idea that you were this young.´´ Kang ok says, his hand stopping on the side of Vigilante´s face.

´´But knowing how agile you´ve been with committing these murders and the fact that you study in the police academy, I should have known that you´re under thirty.´´ Kang ok adds, his voice going down a few octaves, and in the other man´s ears it sounded like he tried to be seductive.

´´I bet that you´re pretty fit as well.´´ Kang ok notes, his hand moving further down, stopping on Vigilante´s lower stomach.

´´What are you doing?´´ Vigilante gasps, but not before he lets out a content sigh, his body trembling for a little bit, because of the touch.

´´I thought we had a connection you know. Why else would you be down to reveal your true identity in front of me?´´ Kang ok says. He removes his hand, but he still stands close. There was something, maybe regret, showing on his face, but the younger man was not sure, if it was because of what he just did, or because he thought there was something more between them.

´´May I at least know your real name, so I don´t have to call you vigilante, anymore.´´ Kang ok pleads.

´´I feel like my secret would not be safe, if I told you that.´´

´´If I knew your real name. I would never, never tell it to anyone. That would be the biggest secret I would own, and I would take that into my grave.´´ Kang ok´s eyes were staring so intently at the other man´s eyes and he looked sincere.

´´You are my hero, and I want to help you the best way I can.´´ The man looked like he was really worshipping him, he looked devoted.

´´Are there other ways you could help me, than just securing my real identity?´´

´´Oh, you have no idea. I own a big business, you can search it from the net if you want to, as you already know my name.´´ Kang ok explains as a matter of fact. It seemed that wasn´t a big deal for him, being a CEO, and a boss for such a huge amount of people.

´´And I have connections, I have the best hackers in the whole country and police officers who would be ready to fabricate evidence if I just pay them enough.´´

´´Also, don´t want to brag, but I have many cars, like super fast cars that would look so cool, to drive away with after a tight situation. Kang ok sounds a bit too excited of this whole thing. Like a youngster who´s ready to rebel against their parents, and doesn´t really understand the consequences.

´´It´s Ji young, my name.´´ The man that Kang ok always knew by the name Vigilante, revealed after thinking it through for a while. Maybe he could trust in his words, and he´s not the only Ji young in the whole country. He didn´t reveal his last name yet, just to be sure. Kang ok´s propose felt very inviting and he would really be of help in situations he knows he might not be able to get through by himself. Kang ok literally checks him out once more and a wide, appreciative smile appears on his face.

´´Hmm, even your name is pretty.´´ Kang ok breathes out and his hand starts to travel closer to Ji young´s body, but the younger man stops him before he gets to touch him.

´´I need to go back now. I´ll call you when I need your help.´´

´´I suppose you need my number to do that.´´ Kang ok notes with a cocky smile on his face. Ji young picks up something out from the chest pocket of his jacket, handling a little folded piece of paper to Gang ok, who opens it excitedly.

´´I think you had already decided to give me your number before you came here, since you have it ready like this.´´ Kang ok smiles.

´´But didn´t you say that you will call me, and now you gave me your number.´´ Kang ok adds then, astonished as he realizes the fault that doesn´t add up.

´´You can text me, so I´ll get your number.´´ Ji young advises, a bit amused.

´´Ahh, you´re right. Sorry, I´m very slow from time to time.´´ Kang ok apologizes embarrassingly, making a circling movement with his index finger next to his ear, indicating that he may have a few loose screws inside his head.

´´But, I´ll text you later, and be sure that you´ll call me when you need me.´´ Kang ok advices.

´´I´ll go now.´´ Was all Ji young says before he´s leaving, his long and quick legs getting him far away from Kang ok fast.

´´I´ll be waiting for your call, Ji young!´´

***

Ji young couldn´t deny the fact that Kang ok really had been of help for him for more than once, after they had made some kind of an alliance with each other. And now, Kang ok brought Ji young into his house, after the justice driven revenger had gotten hurt pretty badly during a mission. It actually felt nice when for once someone else was treating his wounds instead of doing it by himself.

´´You should have been more careful.´´ Kang ok scolds as he´s cleaning the wound just under Ji young´s shoulder, so he can bandage it up. He had just removed few small pieces of shattered class, and as Ji young had hissed in pain, Kang ok suggested that they could ask his alliance that was a surgeon to come and help, he would probably have been more careful, even though Kang ok was being as gentle as he could, his hands shaking a little bit. He was not that familiar with doing stuff like this, but Ji young had said that he didn´t want more people to know of him than was just necessary.

´´If I was any more careful, I would not have succeeded in the mission.´´ Ji young notes simply, making Kang ok to shake his head in disappointment.

´´Still, you shouldn´t get too hurt, because who´s going to continue doing what you´re doing right now, if you wouldn´t be able to?´´

´´I´m sure someone would take over. I mean, I´m not the only who wants to bring justice for the victims.´´

´´Yeah, but they wouldn´t be as cool as you are.´´ Kang ok says, now his voice being more gentle, it didn´t sound that disappointed anymore.

´´Why do you even care so much anyway?´´ Ji young questions, seemingly unaware of the reason why the older man was feeling so keen about him. They haven´t known each other for long and beside them helping each other out, they didn´t know anything more personal about each other.

´´Because, you´re important to me.´´ That was not what Ji young expected to hear.

´´How? We haven´t even known each other for long.´´

´´You may not have known me for long, but I knew of you way before we met and I always admired the things you do.´´ Ji young wasn´t sure if he should feel worried that he finds it fascinating when he kills other people, but maybe he was just relieved to see those evil people to get what they really deserve, after the government wasn´t able to penalize them in the way they should have.

´´I can take care of myself just fine. I don´t need anyone to idolize me.´´ Jiyoung grunts and moves a bit to the right so the other man couldn´t continue cleaning up his cut.

´´Don´t be so childish now. You know it´s easier for me to bandage your shoulder.´´ Kang ok scolds ands leans forward grabbing the gauze from the table.

´´ The easiest way would be that you´d let my own doctor to treat you.´´

´´But I,´´

´´You don´t want him to do that, yeah I know. Just stay in place and let me do this.´´ Kang ok holds his arm with a bit stronger hold this time and starts to bandage his shoulder, mumbling under his breath that Jiyoung acts like a rebelling teen.

´´There has never been anyone taking care of me. I have always taken care of myself.´´

´´That´s even a bigger reason why you should let others help you on the way. Don´t you think?´´

Kang ok can see that Jiyoung´s thinking of what he had just said, but he has built such a strong barrier around himself that it´s hard for him to let anyone so close to him and open up to them. He had gotten few friends during the studying years, but they´re not really that close. They do study together and they have some drinks here and there, but he has never opened up to them about his past or really about anything very personal. As he finishes with the bandaging, he slowly, carefully, places his hand on Jiyoung´s left knee and the younger man doesn´t instantly shoo it away. He just stares at the hand for a while, before looking up at Kang ok, who senses that he had made some progress.

´´And if you let me, I could be the one to stand next to you, helping you in any way that you need.´´ Kang ok gently whispers, promising something so grand that Jiyoung wasn´t sure if he could trust him. Until now, he had received help from him, but now, as he´s proposing like this in the dark, the only light coming from the lamp next to the couch, makes this whole scene way more intimate than their first meeting.

´´You wouldn´t have to be alone any longer.´´ He adds and the wall that Jiyoung had built around himself, seemingly started to crumble a little bit.

´´I can´t promise that I will be able to fully trust you, but... I will give you a chance to prove that you´re worth of my trust.´´ Jiyoung finally answers, while not looking at Kang ok, his eyes were back on the hand that was still resting securely on this knee.

´´That´s all I can ask for.´´ Kang ok says with a smile.

Chapter Text

Jin Woo had always thought that he and Ki Sub were too different from each other. Ki Sub was always ready to try new things and he didn´t need to plan things a few weeks prior. He could go on trip with being told about it during the same day and he talks…a lot.

But something changed after ki sub started to change himself to fit in Jin woo´s ideal type. At first he thought it was just hilarious and down right crazy that he even grew his hair long, saying that he won´t cut it before Jin woo tells him to do so. Jin woo thought that the things he wrote to his diary of his ideal type would be someone he would get along with in the best way. But whenever it was because it was Ki sub that was forcefully trying to change himself just to fit his needs or because he had originally thought in his mind that he would fall in love with a girl.

Eventually he started to miss the way Ki sub used to be before his transformation. He realized that maybe in the end, the perfect picture he had in mind for his future partner was not really what he wanted to have in the end. It seemed that they were too similar with each other, they shared their liking for books, for the unknown secrets of the space and also for sweet potatoes. Yes, sweet potatoes. Jin woo loved having a steamed sweet potato for a snack or a light lunch, but after Ki sub started to bring him sweet potatoes every day, offering them as breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, he sort of got tired of them. He still likes them just the same, but he thinks that he doesn´t need to eat them for the next few months.

***

One day Ki sub asked him to tie his hair and Jin woo panicked. The only thing he could do was pigtails and he tried his best to seem like he knew what he was doing. He confidently took one of the hairbands between his fingers and asked Ki sub to turn around, so his back was facing him.

´´You know, you should be able to do it, since you always dreamed of your partner having long hair. Ki sub noted quietly. Jin woo could almost feel the smile in his words. He was mocking him, but tried his best not to.

´´Well, there was never anyone I could practice that on.

´´But now you do. And we can practice that together. You know youtube is full of hair tying tutorials? Ki sub says and reaches out for his phone.

´´I´ll look up one for you. Jin woo waits for a while till Ki sub shows him the screen of his phone and a hair tying video playing on it.

´´You want braids?´´

´´Hmm, these are the easiest kind of braids you can make. Even I can do it, so you can too.

´´Did you practice them on yourself? Jin woo asks while staring at the screen. It looks simple, but he´s not really good at things like these.

´´Nah, one of my friends asked me to do her hair, so that´s how I learned. Ki sub explains.

´´Okay, hmm. At this point Jin woo had divided his hair in two sections.

´´I think this´s going to take some time.

´´That´s fine. Let´s do it slow. Ki sub smiles.

The end product ended up not being the best but not the worst either, but as Ki sub had said, he had potential.

***

´´There´s still few things I haven´t done. Ki sub mumbles one evening they were watching tv in the living room. They had found a channel that shows movies around the clock and from watching one of them, they were not that convinced, it had been a weird one.

´´What are you talking about? Jin woo asks, turning to look at him. He munches on some popcorn that had already cooled down and the texture was not that crispy anymore. Neither of them likes popcorn that much, but they had noticed one forgotten bag of it in the shelve and decided to eat it.

´´Just, that there are still few things on that list of yours that I haven´t done yet. Ah, yeah, his diary. The diary that Ki sub accidentally saw, since it was openly laying on his desk. They look at each other for a while and Jin woo goes through the words he wants to say in his mind for a bit time that feels like a second to himself, but must feel like an eternity to Ki sub.

´´Shouldn´t you just forget about the list? Jin woo says finally, and Ki sub looks a bit baffled.

´´But, I´m almost at the end. Ki sub looked devastated. He had worked on so hard to achieve something.

´´I, I don´t think that, that the person I want to date, is really the one I wrote in the diary about.

´´Oh. Was all Ki sub said and as the realization hit him, he just looked sad right now, heartbroken even.

´´If you say so. Ki sub whispers, and Jin woo might have seen it wrong, but there was a small tear drop falling along Ki sub´s cheek.

´´Oh no, don´t cry. I, I said the whole thing wrong. Jin woo panicked, shaking his hands in front of himself.

´´What I meant was that. Well, after you started to act like the one I had written about, I realized that there were too many similarities between us and I thought that we should have something each of us valued by ourselves. Jin woo started, Ki sub nodding his head slowly, trying to understand. Jin woo couldn´t blame him, if he was in his shoes, he wouldn´t probably understand him either.

´´But then I realized that I was actually missing you. The real you, because that was someone who made me laugh the most and made me feel the most thrilled in everyday life. What I mean is that you can either grow your hair longer or cut it, it´s your own choice, but please don´t try to fit in that ideal type of mine and go back to how you were in the past, okay?

´´Oh, I was not expecting this. Ki sub breathes out, he still looks a bit baffled.

´´I kind of like my hair like this. And I liked when you tied it down, the other day.

´´You can keep it like that. Jin woo smiles and brings his hand up to gently caress the hair that was resting against his shoulders.

´´I actually think it suits you. Jin woo says an observing look on his face.

´´Well, then I´m definitely going to keep it like this. Ki sub smiles with his cheeks blushing a little bit in the dimly lit room.

´´Delete the list from your phone and continue living as yourself from now on, okay?

´´Okay, let´s do that. Ki sub agrees reaching out for his phone.

Chapter Text

The plan for the future to Do hoe had always been clear. Get into a good university and escape the abuse of his father. What he had not planned in advance, was falling in love with another boy, called Ju yeong.

At first, he didn´t think much of the way how Ju yeong smile made him feel or how he was able to lift his mood with just a few words or silly expressions on his face. He made him feel like his life was not so miserable after all. Once he started to think how he missed the other and wished he had been next to him when his father had once again hit him after being disappointed in him, he realized there must have been something more, hiding deep inside his heart.

***

One evening when they were getting back from the grocery store, because Ju yeong had insisted to buy ice cream even though it was the middle of the winter. He really wanted to taste the new flavor that had just been released. Do hoe couldn´t understand how someone can enjoy cold ice cream when it was already freezingly cold outside.

But the way the other boy was happily munching on his ice cream made him feel a bit better. He would have bought himself some chocolate, but instead Ju yeong almost forcibly made him to have that same ice cream as him, and to be honest, it did taste good. Even though it made his teeth feel like they would fall off from the coldness of it.

As they continued their way back in silence, both of them having their own worries to think about, the town felt eerily quiet. Either people were escaping the freezing cold or then they were already sleeping getting ready for the next day, since it was already pretty late.

They had finished their ice creams and suddenly snowflakes started to fall down from the sky and they both stopped on their tracks.

´´Look Do hoe, it´s snow. Ju yeong excitedly claims, reaching out his hand to catch the little flakes that quickly melted away after hitting his warm skin. He looked so excited, like a child that saw something for the first time in their life.

´´Why aren´t you excited, it´s the first time for you too see it? Ju yeong asks after a while.

´´Well, it´s cool. Do hoe says nonchalantly, brushing his shoulders.

´´C´mon. I know you like it. Ju yeong smiles, gently hitting his shoulder. Do hoe really thought that it was something he wanted to celebrate of seeing for the first time, but after living with his father for years, he feared of showing that many different expressions, especially being happy about something.

In the past, every time he won a match, he celebrated it happily showing off his medals to people he knew, but his father just told him to be better at the next match, that he shouldn´t be so happy about something so insignificant, they meant nothing.

He was supposed to win the prize as someone who´s the best in the whole world. After that he gradually learned that there should not be any smiling and feeling of happiness happening in their house.

He can´t remember the last time he saw his father smiling. Smiling at him, telling him he was proud. He became cold little by little and after a while he lost his friends and after they moved away from their hometown, he hadn´t been able to make new friends.

´´I actually had planned to do snow for you. I found a tutorial from youtube on how you can fake snow, but this is much better than that. Ju yeong explains and something shifts inside Do hoe right then. Ju yeong really was the kindest person he has ever met. Looking at how he smiles and keeps jumping under the falling snow really brings out the child in himself and he moves to take Ju yeong´s hands in his and starts to jump up and down with him, laughing and smiling all the way through.

After they stop after a good amount of time fooling around, Do hoe looks at Ju yeong and he does something unexpected. He moves closer and just gently presses his lips onto Ju yeong´s. It´s quick and over before he can´t even blink his eyes. He quickly leans back and as he almost trips over his feet he grabs both of Ju yeong´s forearms to balance himself.

´´Be careful, I don´t want to take you to the hospital. Ju yeong worries and helps Do hoe to stand properly.

´´I´m sorry for that. I mean, the kiss.

´´Can we do it again? Ju yeong asks seriously.

´´What? I, I… Do hoe starts to stutter and Ju yeong sees that as his chance to shut him up with pressing his lips against his. Do hoe kisses back and this time it lasts for longer. It brings butterflies to their stomachs, but this is something they both have been waiting for to do for so long and as it happens, it just feels so right. Do hoe feels that finally there is someone around him he can trust, and to whom he is enough just as he is. He doesn´t need to prove himself to Ju yeong as someone better than the others. He can be himself.

They get back home and go into their own rooms, but after they´re sure Do hoe´s father has passed out after drinking too much once again, Ju yeong quietly tiptoes into Do hoe´s room, who welcomes him to sleep next to him on the bed by lifting the covers.

´´Are you sure he passed out? Do hoe asks, he doesn´t want his father to come into the room and in worst case scenario take Ju yeong away from him. He had finally made a friend, a friend who just became something much more.

´´Yes, I´m sure. He snores so loudly you can hear it in my bedroom sometimes.

´´He really does. Do hoe agrees and they both laugh together. There´s no lights on in the room, but there´s little bit light coming from the streetlight outside. Just enough that you can make their faces in the dark as they lay on the bed.

´´Plese, never leave me. After getting to know you, I don´t want to lose you. Do hoe whispers in the dark as his hand rests on Ju yeong´s chest feeling it going up and down.

´´I won´t. You can´t get rid of me that easily.

Chapter Text

The last winter, especially last Christmas had been so lonely for Sieun, who didn´t have any friends around him. Suho wasn´t there neither. But now, he felt extreme joy and comfort as all his new friends appeared into his apartment with bags of food and gifts with them.

As Suho walked in, he wanted to shed a tear. He was more than just grateful that Suho had woken up, that he was actually there. Standing there right in front of him, on his own feet.

´´I really appreciate all the loving looks you give me every time we meet, but can you lower it down, just a little.´´ Suho loudly notes making the sign with his thumb and index finger that indicates that Sieun should take his affection down by a little notch.

´´Always when we meet you act like I have risen up from the death.´´ Suho snorts with a small laugh, but it ends even quicker than it started when he sees the look of utter sadness on Sieun´s face. He takes a step forward to quickly pull the other boy into a hug.

´´I´m sorry Sieun-ah. Sometimes I talk before I think.´´ He apologizes, he knows how much more everything hurt Sieun than himself. Being the one to wait for someone else to wake up from a coma must have been torture.

´´I know you do, it´s fine.´´ Sieun quietly answers against Suho´s grey hoodie he likes to wear so often. When Suho was in a coma, Sieun used to wear it almost every day, so he could feel him next to him even though he wasn´t really there.

´´I´m sorry, really. But don´t worry, I´m here now.´´ Suho slowly caresses Sieun´s back up and down and Sieun lets out a long breath.

´´I´m sorry to interrupt your sweet moment, but where can we put all this stuff?´´ Humin asks standing close to the dining table, the bags still in his hands. Sieun and Suho pulls out from the hug so Sieun can go help his friends to set things up.

´´Let´s go.´´ Suho says before quickly kissing Sieun on the lips and ushers him to step inside the house since they were still standing in the entrance of the apartment.
Sieun felt his cheeks heating up since Suho had never shown his affection like this with all their friends around but soon followed Suho to the dining table where the others were waiting for them.

Sieun notices Juntae looking at him and he gives him a little thumbs up with a sweet smile on his face. He must have seen Suho kissing him just then which made him feel a bit embarrassed, but since Juntae seemed to be just fine with it, maybe the others are too.

Their friends do know about their relationship, but they never really blatantly show it to their faces. This was the first time Suho took the courage to kiss him with the possibility of the others seeing them do so and at least Juntae seemed to have noticed, but that boy has always been very observant.

***

Once it was getting late, the others left, but Suho stayed behind to stay over the night. After they both had showered, they sat down in the little sleeping area they had put together in front of the couch in the living room.

´´It was a nice day today.´´ Suho says as the offers one of the cups of hot chocolate to Sieun.

´´Here´s yours overly sweet, stuffed with marshmallows and whipped cream hot chocolate.´´ Sieun smiles, thanking for the drink before he takes a small taste of it.

´´I never thought you would have such a sweet tooth.´´ Suho admits while looking at his drink that he only has a few marshmallows on top.

´´Well, I noticed that sweet treats gave me more energy to study and then I started to treat myself with sweets after every successful test.´´

´´Too bad, I thought because I´m such a sweet guy you started to like desserts.´´ Suho playfully pouts to what Sieun answers with a snort.

´´The only thing I started to like because of you is you.´´

´´Ugh, too sweet, my heart is melting.´´ Suho exaggeratedly places his hand on his heart squeezing it.

´´That´s the sweetest thing you´ve ever said to me Sieun-ah. My heart can´t take it. Says Suho, all serious.

´´Don´t be over dramatic, again.´´ Sieun suggests, but Suho sees the small smile, that almost goes unnoticed.

´´But I want you to be more sweet with me like this.´´ Suho pouts again, now turning to fully face Sieun, trying to balance the drink in his hand. Sieun decides that for safety it´s better for him to grab it and place the both mugs on the floor, pushing them a bit further, so if they ever end up falling over the hot chocolate, won´t dirty the light colored bed sheets.

´´Wouldn´t it bring more enjoyment to you if I do it like this? On random times, when you least expect it?´´ Sieun points out, reaching for Suho´s hand to hold it, interlocking their fingers.

´´Well, that´s true, but can you just do it a bit more often? Please?´´ Suho pleads showing his best practiced sad puppy face. He doesn´t do that often since it makes him feel a bit cringe, but sometimes there´s exemptions. And Sieun´s the only person that has seen that look on his face, and he had planned that it will stay that way as well.

´´Well, we must wait and see what happens.´´ Sieun smiles mischievously, and Suho moves forward to peck Sieun´s lips.

´´You´re so cute.´´ Suho swoons and quickly tousles Sieun´s hair before he has the chance to stop him, since he doesn´t like others touching his hair.

´´I hate to admit it, but sometimes you´re cute too.´´ Sieun admits, nonchalantly shrugging his shoulders.

´´And that´s why I got you the cutest gift ever.´´ Suho tells before disappearing under the blanket and after some time he comes back with a red ribbon on his neck. Sieun can´t hide the disappointment on his face to which Suho answers with a snort and playfully hits Sieun´s shoulder.

´´Do you get it? I´m the cutest gift you can ever get.´´ Suho smiles and Sieun only slowly nods. He doesn´t want to say it out loud, but honestly, he was expecting something else. In a way Suho really was a gift once he appeared in his life, after living his life without any friends and now he has him and three friends too. He can´t be too mad at Suho for calling himself as a gift.

´´Thanks. I have something for you too.´´ Sieun turns around to reach for the rectangle shaped present, that was neatly wrapped.

´´Wow, you must have spent so much time to pack this up. It looks like the ones you can get from the stores. My Sieun really is very taltented.´´ Suho observes and pinches Sieun´s cheek.

´´I wonder what´s it going to be.´´ He mumbles as he starts to open the package. He slowly opens the gift paper, appreciating the effort Sieun had gone through and comes across a box you usually would get from a clothing store. It says the brand on the box, but it still doesn´t ring a bell in his head. He opens the lid and instantly recognizes the item inside. He takes a glance at Sieun and his boyfriend knows from the look that he knows what it is.

´´I really don´t want to go back to that day, but since your jacket got ruined that day and later I couldn´t get it back from the police, because it was used as evidence, I wanted to buy you a new one. Since that is your favorite one.´´ Sieun explains as Suho pulls out a replica of the jacket, he liked to wear the most and almost did every day.

´´ This must be the first time that someone has made me speechless.´´ Suho says after he inspects the piece of clothing.

´´Thank you so much, Sieun.´´ He moves forward and pulls Sieun into a hug.

´´You always think so much about others. You should be more caring towards yourself too.´´

´´You´re welcome.´´ Was all Sieun says before Suho pulls back and he´s sure he sees a tear falling from Suho´s eye, but he´s quick to wipe it off before he fully sits back again.

´´Now I feel even worse about my gift.´´ Suho whispers looking sad.

´´it´s fine. You as a gift is good enough.´´ Sieun says before he takes the jacket to look at it himself, and secretly thinks how well it suits his boyfriend.

´´Close your eyes.´´ Suho suddenly says and Sieun, a bit suspicious, does as he´s told. After some rustling, he feels a bit of a weight on his hand.

´´You can open your eyes.´´ Suho says and first thing, Sieun sees a small package in his hand. It really looked like one that has been packed by Suho and he quietly snorts with a smile.

´´Did you really think I didn´t get you anything?´´ Suho asks.

´´Well, I wouldn´t have minded that.´´ Sieun shrugs.

´´Just say the truth from time to time. Fortunately I´m pretty good at reading you and I know when you´re bluffing. Suho proudly states and rubs his chin with his thumb and index finger.

´´Now open it, I want to see your reaction.´´ Suho ushers.

´´I´m way better at wrapping gifts than you.´´ Sieun chuckles while unwrapping the gift.

´´I´m well aware of that.´´ There´s a small box and from inside, Sieun finds a necklace. There was a small pendant of a dog. He takes a peek behind it and sees Suho´s name engraved in it.

´´You´ve said my personality is like a golden retriever´s few times so I chose that design. Now every time you miss me, and that happens a lot, knowing you. You can look at that necklace and think of me. Suho explains and Sieun has to admit that he did feel emotional right then.

´´And also…´´ Suho adds and reaches under his shirt and takes out a the necklace he was wearing. Sieun hadn´t even noticed he was wearing one.

´´ To balance my inner dog, mine is a little cat, since in my eyes you remind me of a little kitten sometimes. Look, your name is engraved here, so with this I can think about you if I miss you.´´

´´Thank you. Wasn´t expecting something like this from you.´´

´´I know, but I had to stop it when our friends were recommending necklaces with connecting hearts or locks with keys. That would have been too cheesy, even for me.´´

´´I agree.´´ Sieun agrees with laugh. Suho helps him to put on his necklace and Sieun asks him to put on his jacket. Just to see if the size was right, not for anything else.

´´Are we supposed to share some overly cheesy lines right now?´´ Suho jokes making Sieun laugh. Sieun reaches out to grab Suho´s hand in his before looking at him with a serious look on his face.

´´Well, that´s really isn´t our style, but I do want to say that I´m so grateful I have you in my life. I´m so grateful you finally survived that hideous conflict.´´

´´I´m grateful too, to have you Sieun-ah. And I´m sorry I made you wait for so long.´´ They were not really the kind of people that get emotional easily, especially Suho, but right now they were both holding back tears, the ones that were finally free to fall as they pulled each other into a kiss.

´´I love you.´´

´´I love you too.´´ After they pull back from another kiss, they without a word decide that this sappiness is enough for the day.

´´Let´s watch the Grinch.´´ Suho recommends and asks Sieun to grab the remote.

´´Yeah, what a great movie to kill the mood.´´ Sieun agrees and for the rest of the evening they watch the movie while leaning against each other.