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Jasung was experiencing a crisis.
By now he knew that what he’d played off as romantic feelings for Si-a had really only been admiration and wanting to be her friend. He just hadn’t known what wanting to be someone’s friend felt like. Another thing he hadn’t known was that, after being rejected, he’d become more aware of the people around him, subsequently Siwoo as well. That was where the crisis came in. Because Siwoo was affecting Jasung more than he should be.
Siwoo was extremely good at basketball but he wasn’t haughty about it, in fact, he sometimes downplayed his own abilities. He was kind and thoughtful and, Jasung had only realised this after apologising to him for bullying him, didn’t regard Jasung with pity despite knowing what his father had done to him. He didn’t think it made Jasung a lesser person, and he had even accepted his apology with ease, no resentment in his actions. The worst thing Jasung had realised was that Siwoo was handsome, incredibly so. And when he smiled, which he rarely did and when it happened it was mostly towards Go Wooyoung, he was cute.
Jasung wanted to hit his head against a wall or maybe his desk. While he’d thought of Si-a as quite pretty and definitely brave and cool, he was sure his heart had never beaten faster at imagining her smile at him. Jasung wondered if maybe crying in frustration would be a better idea than walking into a lamppost on purpose.
Siwoo was the first boy Jasung thought of like that. In actuality, he might be the first person to consume his thoughts like he did. Ah, this was really getting nowhere.
There was only one partly rational thing Jasung could think of to try and figure out what exactly was going on with him. To try and become friends with Siwoo, spend more time with him and see how that changed the way Jasung felt, not that he knew what he was feeling right now. At least, he didn’t want to admit it but he knew.
He’d thought he liked Si-a for a while but if he’d really liked her, then he definitely liked her brother right now. Jasung let his head fall unto his desk. It didn’t hurt as much as he wanted it to.
He was quite sure he liked Siwoo, no matter what brought it about or how abruptly he’d realised it. There were two problems here. One, Siwoo was a boy, two, Jasung had never once in his life thought he was anything but straight. Then again, he’d also never had a crush on anyone, so it was no surprise that he was only just discovering it now and it ate him up from the inside. Ever since he first realised it a few days ago at practice when Siwoo had smiled brightly at Wooyoung and then looked around the room, briefly making eye contact with Jasung, essentially smiling at him , Jasung had battled with himself.
He had to tell someone but he was scared if he told his friends, they wouldn’t be his friends anymore. If he just told them he liked someone and wanted to be friends with them, they would only tease him and not give any actual advice. If he told them he wanted to be friends with Siwoo, they would probably just be as awkward about it as he was.
So his friends really weren’t an option. But he had no one else to talk to. Which only left splitting his head open or avoiding Siwoo as much as possible until all of this turmoil in his head and heart stopped.
“Oh, Jasung-ah? What are you still doing here?”
Jasung looked up and made eye contact with Go Wooyoung. Just his luck.
He grabbed for his bag, getting up from his chair as fast as possible without seeming like he was running away. Then again, he should probably answer Wooyoung’s question if he didn’t want the other boy trailing after him.
“I forgot something,” was the excuse he gave, though it didn’t explain why he’d been sitting at his desk instead of just taking the forgotten item and going home. Mostly because it wasn’t true. He just had no place to think in peace, so the school after everyone was gone had been his choice.
Jasung could already see the exit when Wooyoung caught up to him. He wanted to groan but if he did that, he’d probably be hit upside the head, so he just suffered in silence.
It wasn’t that he disliked Wooyoung anymore, he just wasn’t sure how to act around him now that his confession had spectacularly failed and they really only interacted on the court during practice or games.
“Did you not want to go home?” Wooyoung asked when they reached the school gate. “Want to sleep over at mine today? No drinking, though.”
Jasung shook his head. “No–”
Suddenly, an idea struck him. Wooyoung was friends with Si-a and Siwoo. And he and Jasung were on somewhat friendly terms. So Jasung could ask him about becoming friends with Siwoo, right? It wouldn’t be a failure like his confession, would it?
They reached the intersection and Jasung went left and Wooyung right, so that they bumped into each other. They stumbled back, though Wooyoung reached out to steady Jasung.
“Oh, sorry,” he said. “I thought–”
“Hong Siwoo,” Jasung blurted, self-control having left him. “I want to be friends with him. How do I do that?”
Wooyoung blinked at him, his hands falling from Jasung’s shoulders. Then he shook his head and said, “Aish, kids these days. Yah, Gu Jasung, haven’t you gotten along well with him lately? Just talk to him.”
Now it was Jasung’s turn to blink at Wooyoung, stunned. It couldn’t be that easy.
“Talk to him? About what?”
Wooyoung sighed. “What do you usually do with your friends? Just ask Siwoo to come along with you and it’s settled. And if that doesn’t work, you can just play basketball with him. I’m going to see Siwoo now to practise. Do you want to come with?”
Jasung was stunned for a second but then he hesitantly nodded. It seemed like Wooyoung meant well and bonding through basketball was probably really a good choice. Wooyoung beamed at him, then led him to the court he and Siwoo apparently regularly played at after school.
Siwoo was dribbling the ball, passed it through his legs and behind his back as if he was really playing against someone. He looked incredibly good while doing so. His eyes changed when he played basketball, from the wide, innocent ones to ones narrowed with complete focus.
“Siwoo-ya!” Wooyoung called out and Siwoo grasped the ball with both hands, turning around with a smile. As soon as he spotted Jasung next to Wooyoung, though, it faltered.
“What are you doing here?”
Jasung had half a mind to turn around and run away but Wooyoung slung his arm around his shoulders with a wide smile and answered, “I thought it would be more challenging to go two versus one, so I asked him to tag along. Is that alright with you?”
Siwoo nodded slowly, then offered Jasung a small smile. Jasung’s traitorous heart skipped a beat.
The three of them played for about an hour and Jasung would be lying if he said he didn’t find it enjoyable. Both Siwoo and Wooyoung were really good at basketball, so keeping up with them was challenging but then again, that was exactly what would help Jasung get better too.
He was already a part of the starting line-up but since he’d found out about his father paying off the coach to let him play, he’d started doubting his abilities, even with Wooyoung assuring him he was good. While he practised with Siwoo and Wooyoung, he couldn’t help but feel like his skills were good enough to go up against them just barely which already meant he was at least a little bit above average. With the new coach, everyone had to earn their spot on the court anyway and improving certainly wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Jasung followed Wooyoung’s advice and practised with them whenever they made plans, Wooyoung telling him about them and asking if he wanted to come every time. He also invited Siwoo to join him and his friends in the PC room and Siwoo accepted from time to time.
It was fun and, after a while, Siwoo started to seek out Jasung too. They sat together during lunch and they talked about their interests, and the more Jasung got to know Siwoo, the more he was sure he liked him. Siwoo was witty once you got to know him and he had the most beautiful smile. Then again, Jasung had already known about his smile, though it definitely made his heart skip every time it was directed at him, for him.
Si-a made a comment about it once, how Jasung better not be buttering Siwoo up just to bully him again later but Jasung assured her that wasn’t the case and Wooyoung aided him in that.
There was something Jasung saw as a tremendous change in his and Siwoo’s relationship that started up on a night when Wooyoung had been too busy to join them for after-school practice. Siwoo let Jasung walk him home. Or, more specifically, Jasung insisted that Siwoo shouldn’t walk all alone at night, no matter if he could defend himself or not, and Siwoo let him accompany him.
They walked side by side in comfortable silence and Jasung caught himself glancing down at their hands swinging next to each other more than once. If Siwoo had been a girl, he probably would have tried taking his hand but since that wasn’t the case, he just walked beside him with no skin contact whatsoever.
Siwoo told him they’re not far from it now when a woman emerged from an alley in front of them with two massive bags of groceries in her hands. Siwoo lit up and hurried forward, taking one of the bags with a cheerful, “Mom!”
Realising who the woman was, Jasung hurried forward as well, taking the other bag from her.
“Let me carry that,” he said, taking in her surprised face. “I’m Siwoo’s friend.”
She smiled at him then and thanked him before introducing herself. Jasung bowed slightly and introduced himself too, telling her he was on the basketball team and thanking her for bringing Choi Ilkwon’s crimes to light.
“Ah,” she laughed, waving a hand dismissively. “No need to thank me. I wasn’t the only one who did anything and it’s been a while since it happened anyway.”
He wanted to protest but Siwoo shook his head behind her, so he just gave her a smile instead.
Mrs Jung asked Siwoo about school and basketball and Jasung was happy to listen to them talk as they walked together. Siwoo seemed to love his mother very much, something Jasung couldn’t relate to but would wish for everyone. Parents should love their children and children should love their parents, that was the way it should be.
Before he could spiral into more depressing thoughts, mother and son stopped, so Jasung did too. They were standing in front of a brick house with rows upon rows of balconies, and Jasung had to crane his neck to see the very top of it.
“Jasung-ah,” Mrs Jung said with a soft voice, “let me call you a Taxi. You shouldn’t be out alone this late.”
“Don’t worry, Ma’am,” Jasung replied, turning up his charm to the max. “Our house isn’t far from here.”
Their house was very far from here. But Jasung wasn’t about to tell them that. If Siwoo knew, he probably wouldn’t let Jasung walk him home anymore and he wasn’t about to risk that.
Speaking of Siwoo, the boy reached out to take the groceries from Jasung before giving both bags back to his mother. Jasung wondered why just as Siwoo told her, “Yeah, don’t worry, Mom. I’ll walk him to the bus stop and then I’ll be right back. It’s bright here, you don’t need to worry about me walking the short distance.”
Mrs Jung sighed but gave in in the end, saying goodbye to Jasung and heaving the groceries up the stairs.
“Your mom is very beautiful,” Jasung commented as he and Siwoo walked side by side again. “She seems like she’s strong.”
Siwoo laughed and Jasung felt his heart beat faster at the accomplishment of making him laugh at something he’d said.
“You equate beautiful with strong?”
Jasung would have said no if the question hadn’t made him think about it. It was more likely he equated strong with beautiful, he thought, after all, he’d only started thinking of Si-a in a new light after she punched him and Siwoo was the most handsome when playing basketball.
Instead of really answering the question, Jasung just shrugged. He felt like he’d slip up if he said anything aloud right now.
Siwoo walked him to the bus stop and then said his goodbye, waving and smiling before turning around and walking back. Jasung waited until he was out of sight before pulling out his phone to call for a taxi.
Wooyoung was busy with a lot of stuff a lot of times, which Jasung never understood but never questioned. Maybe it had something to do with his father being a game company’s CEO or maybe it was something else but no matter what it was, Wooyoung always managed to spare time for the twins.
Which was why Jasung immediately knew when Wooyoung started avoiding Siwoo. The two of them had been left to practise without Jasung the day before because he’d had to catch up on homework and had opted to spend his afternoon and evening with it rather than having to pull an all-nighter. The day after, Wooyoung didn’t greet Jasung and didn’t walk with him to the gym, which wasn’t unusual but he also didn’t talk to Siwoo at all during practice. He was distracted and, frankly, seemed a little out of it, and Siwoo just looked sad.
Wooyoung left after practice and didn’t show up in the evening to play with Jasung and Siwoo. This happened several times before Jasung asked Siwoo if he knew what was up with him. Siwoo said he had no idea but he avoided his gaze and then immediately went back to play, so he was definitely lying. But Siwoo didn’t want to tell him, so Jasung wouldn’t pry.
He only really started to get worried when he went to see Siwoo in school because he’d borrowed his pen the day before, whether that had just been an excuse to get to see Siwoo more often was Jasung’s own business, and Siwoo was nowhere to be found.
“Where’s your brother?” Jasung asked Si-a, the hand that was still holding Siwoo’s pen supporting him on her desk.
Si-a looked up at him with disinterest, searched his face as if gauging why he was asking, then said, “At home. He isn’t feeling well.”
Jasung wanted to call bullshit, he’d seen Siwoo go to school with a cold so severe that he’d looked about ready to faint, but he doubted Si-a would lie to him. So he just clenched his jaw and nodded, returning back to his seat, pulling out his phone.
Siwoo and he had exchanged numbers a while back and texted each other every other day, so Jasung was making use of that now.
It didn’t take long for his message asking where he was to be read. The typing bubble appeared and disappeared a few times before Siwoo finally sent, I’m at home. Feeling a little under the weather but don’t worry. I’ll be fine soon.
“I’ll be fine soon, my ass,” Jasung grumbled under his breath. He didn’t believe a word of what he read. Other than Siwoo being at home, of course.
He stood up, slapping his hand on his desk, getting just about anyone’s attention. Anyone but the person whose attention he wanted.
“Yah, Go Wooyoung,” Jasung said, trying very hard not to sound too much like he was boiling with anger. When Wooyoung turned slightly to look at him, he jerked his head towards the door. “Let’s talk outside.”
“Oh my god,” someone whispered as Wooyoung got up. “Are they going to fight again?”
Jasung scoffed at the idea and waited for Wooyoung to pass him before following after him. They found a relatively quiet corner and Jasung crossed his arms over his chest as soon as they were alone. Wooyoung was looking at him warily.
It had always felt like Wooyoung was older than he actually seemed, more mature, but with the way he was acting now, it was more like Jasung was the older one. Of course, Jasung didn’t know what had happened but Wooyoung didn’t look too well either, had probably lost at least a few hours of sleep. He didn’t look guilty or anything, not even particularly sad, and Jasung couldn’t piece together what the problem was for the life of him.
He sighed.
“Look,” he started, rubbing a hand over his face. “I don’t know what happened between you and Siwoo but you better make up quickly. Just because you get along well, doesn’t mean you can just avoid him for a whole week. You’re his best friend, don’t you think you should have a proper conversation if there’s a problem?”
That was something Jasung had learned the hard way. His parents had only ever screamed at each other or ignored each other. When he’d seen others talk with each other civilly about problems they had with each other, he’d been shocked that option existed. His parents hadn’t seemed capable of doing so, which resulted in their divorce.
He’d seen Mrs Jung’s program the other day, the one about divorce, and had felt a bit too good about himself understanding communication was important in any kind of relationship for it to work.
Then again, just because Jasung knew it was the right thing to do didn’t mean he could do it. He thought, maybe Wooyoung felt the same way, he just needed a push in the right direction. Wooyoung seemed to have been caught up on an entirely different point, though.
“I’m his best friend?”
Jasung blinked, his arms falling to his side. He snorted, incredulous, then said, “Of course, who did you think it was? The abundance of other people who speak to him? Get your shit sorted out, Go Wooyoung, he needs you.”
In the end, Jasung stalked away without checking to see if Wooyoung had taken in anything he’d said. However, during break, he went to buy some congee, and then presented it to Wooyoung after school.
“Siwoo said he isn’t feeling well. Give him this for me, will you?”
Wooyoung stared at Jasung for a while then slowly nodded and took the bag. He was out the door before Jasung could even tell him not to tell Siwoo about Jasung buying the congee for him.
In all honesty, Jasung kind of wanted to go himself to make sure Siwoo really wasn’t sick and maybe cheer him up a little but it was probably more important for Wooyoung to mend their relationship right now. He should also spend a bit more time with his friends again, having mostly abandoned them to hang out with Siwoo, even when all of the had gone somewhere together.
So Jasung invited his friends to join him in the PC room and they happily came with him.
They were together until late into the night and were just heading back, when two people ran past them, hand in hand, people Jasung definitely knew. Jiho and Si-a had finally seemed to somewhat get their shit together.
Jasung warned the people following them to stay away if they knew what was good for them. He was already pissed off enough from worrying about Siwoo, they didn’t have to add to it by chasing after those two.
The next day, Wooyoung was in a way better mood, and Siwoo came by during break to thank Jasung for the congee. Jasung blushed, hopefully without anyone else noticing, and mumbled something about friends caring for each other.
Wooyoung pulled Jasung aside after practice to thank him for speaking some sense into him.
“Sometimes, I just need a reminder,” he said and Jasung sighed but smiled. He couldn’t fault Wooyoung for having communication issues when he was the same. While he still wanted to know what it had all about, he didn’t dare ask, fearing it was something too personal.
“In return–” Wooyoung grinned– “let me help you with something. Anything.”
There was nothing in particular that immediately came to mind. Jasung wasn’t usually one to take anyone’s help but he was pretty sure Wooyoung wouldn’t give up, so he racked his brain for something.
“Actually…” he started, trailing off towards the end. He needed to talk to someone about this and Wooyung was the most caring person Jasung knew. Jasung looked around to make sure no one was near them. Then he took a deep breath and continued, “I like Siwoo.”
“Of course. I like him too.”
If Jasung hadn’t gone through this before with Si-a, he would have been shocked. As it was, he just wanted to smack his forehead. Maybe even Wooyoung’s while he was at it.
“You like him as a friend ,” Jasung said with as much patience as he could. “I like him romantically.”
Jasung had expected just about any reaction but the one he got. Wooyoung smiled, wide and brightly, and asked, “Really?”
Wary, Jasung nodded. Wooyoung clapped his shoulder, the smile staying firmly in place.
“That’s great, Jasung-ah, really great. I’m glad you told me.” The smile fell off of his face in a split second. “But if you ever hurt him again, I’ll dig your grave myself.”
Jasung shuddered. He had a feeling Wooyoung would make good on his threat, though Jasung wasn’t planning on ever hurting Siwoo.
“Don’t worry,” he replied. “I’m not planning on ever asking him out. So it’s not like I could hurt him anyways. That’s kind of impossible, considering he could never like me back.”
Wooyoung frowned, then asked, “What makes you say that? You’re a nice boy, Jasung, I’m sure he likes you.”
Jasung wasn’t going to go into specifics again with someone like Go Wooyoung, so he just sighed and shook his head in reply. Let him believe what he wanted to.
There were only a few weeks left before the finals but Wooyoung, Siwoo, and Jasung still practised outside of the usual hours. At least, that was how it usually went but when Siwoo came to pick them up that day, Wooyoung didn’t come with them. Jasung thought that, maybe, he had something to do and would join them later so he shrugged it off.
But when they arrived at the basketball court, Jasung couldn’t help but notice that Wooyoung was still nowhere to be seen and he hadn’t said anything about catching up with them. He frowned.
“Did something happen between you and Wooyoung again?” he asked, setting down his bag. “Why didn’t he come with us?”
Siwoo shook his head, a smile on his face.
“I asked him not to come. There’s something I want to do.”
Jasung only raised an eyebrow as they began their short warm-up routine. Siwoo joined him without saying anything else, so he reluctantly let it go.
It turned out he wouldn’t have to wait for long before finding out what Siwoo wanted to do. They’d finished their routine and had walked up to the middle of the court before playing rock-paper-scissors to decide who would be on offence first. Siwoo won.
He leaned down to pick up the ball and Jasung moved to stand in front of him to go on defence but Siwoo grabbed him by the arm. Jasung stopped and made a questioning noise, tilting his head.
“I’ll throw the ball without you guarding and if I make this,” Siwoo said, a glint in his eyes, “you have to grant me a wish.”
“A wish?” Jasung frowned, looking from Siwoo to the hoop. There was almost no doubt in his mind that he’d make it. The question was what that wish would be. Then again, Siwoo wasn’t someone to wish for something malicious, so Jasung shrugged and said, “Fine. I’ll grant your wish.”
Siwoo grinned, then positioned himself correctly. He was still for a second then he said, “Gu Jasung–” he threw the ball– “go out with me!”
“What?”
The net made that satisfying sound that came with the ball falling through the hoop. Jasung was staring at Siwoo and the smile on his face confirmed what he’d heard. Then Siwoo turned back to face him and Jasung’s breath hitched.
“So?” Siwoo asked, eyes searching Jasung’s face. “Will you go out with me?”
Jasung, still stunned and feeling his cheeks heat up, nodded. “Yes. I’ll go out with you.”
As soon as the words left his mouth, Jasung found himself in a tight embrace. He could feel Siwoo’s heartbeat through his shirt and his blush worsened at the realisation that their hearts were beating in sync. Both of them were breathing as if they’d just played a particularly gruelling game and had just barely won. Jasung hugged Siwoo back.
He pressed his face into his neck and inhaled his scent. Siwoo smelled very nice, Jasung thought, though it was probably only his laundry detergent.
Was this a dream? Was Jasung making all of this up? How could Siwoo like him? How could he so confidently ask him out like that when–
Jasung pulled away. Siwoo’s hands stayed on his shoulders and his face was so close, Jasung had a very difficult time not to glance at his lips. Before he could say anything though, Siwoo grinned and said, “I can’t believe this actually worked.”
“Huh?”
“Wooyoung said, if I did this, you’d definitely say yes. And he was right.”
So Wooyoung had told him that Jasung liked him. So Siwoo had decided to play a prank on him? No, that wasn’t logical–
“I like you.”
Jasung’s brain shut down at that and he just stared at Siwoo. He wasn’t sure if he’d heard right just now. Maybe he really was dreaming. But Siwoo was still grinning and he was so close, Jasung could still smell his scent and his heart was still beating way too fast in his chest.
“I like you too,” Jasung breathed, and Siwoo’s grin transformed into a wide smile.
“This is different from your confession to my sister, isn’t it?” he asked, obviously taking a jab at the embarrassment that was Jasung’s confession to Si-a. Jasung blushed again, then lightly hit Siwoo’s shoulder.
“Shut up.”
“Make me.”
And Jasung was nothing if not up for a challenge. So he took Siwoo’s face in his hands and pressed their mouths together in a kiss. Siwoo froze for a second and Jasung feared he’d made a mistake but then Siwoo’s arms tightened around him and pulled him closer and he knew it was okay.
They didn’t kiss for long, separating only to stare at each other for a while and then sit down on a bench by the side of the court.
“Did Wooyoung tell you I like you?” Jasung asked, looking down to where he was playing with Siwoo’s fingers. He could see Siwoo shake his head out of the corner of his eye.
“Nah. He only said, I shouldn’t be afraid to confess to you. You know, since he was so distant after I told him I liked a boy, I thought we wouldn’t be friends anymore. And then he turned up on our doorstep–”
“You told him you like a boy?”
Siwoo nodded. “I didn’t tell him I like you but that’s mostly because I wanted to test the waters. I didn’t have anyone to talk to and Wooyoung is so kind, I thought he wouldn’t have a problem with it. You gotta start somewhere, right?”
Huffing a laugh, Siwoo squeezed Jasung’s hand briefly. Jasung hadn’t thought the reason for that period of complete radio silence had been Siwoo coming out to Wooyoung. Then again, it had obviously all worked out, so that was good. If he’d known Siwoo liked a boy, he probably would have been too busy speculating who it was to focus on mending his and Wooyoung’s relationship.
They talked a bit more about it, about Wooyoung not taking it particularly well but coming around on that day Siwoo had stayed home because he hadn’t felt up to doing anything but lying in bed and being miserable. After all, he’d thought he’d lost his best friend over something he couldn’t change.
Then, a few days later, Wooyoung had apparently suggested for Siwoo to confess, had even given him a so-called ‘surefire method’. Well, it had worked so they didn’t have any counter-evidence to his claim.
In the end, Siwoo and Jasung played no basketball that night, talking and talking about anything and everything. They decided to keep it a secret. Neither of them had ever dated another boy before and they didn’t know what others thought about it. Even if the world was more tolerant, Siwoo was worried their relationship might be used against his mom in some way if people found out, and Jasung was worried about his dad.
Nothing much changed other than the fact that Jasung could call Siwoo his boyfriend in his head and they shared quick kisses when they were sure no one was looking. Oh, and they held hands when Jasung walked Siwoo home. Of course, only when they were truly alone.
Wooyoung only smirked at the two during practice and offered Jasung some money to take Siwoo out on a date. Jasung blushed and said they should focus on the game first. And who was Wooyoung to give them money for a date anyway? Wooyoung waved him off.
Jasung desperately wanted to cheer Siwoo up and distract him from the fact that his father couldn’t come watch their game. He decided to ditch his friends and take Siwoo out on a date instead, a date that consisted mostly of playing games at the arcade and walking through the park but it was a date nonetheless.
He even bought Siwoo a sweatband and received a kiss, hidden behind clothing racks.
Jasung wasn’t sure it had worked as Siwoo wasn’t as focused as he usually was during games and their team was behind by more points than was comfortable. Siwoo was using his new sweatband which only made Jasung happy for about a second before the entire game went to shit.
There wasn’t much time left on the clock, when a time-out was called. Everybody was worn-out and really, no one believed they would win with this much of a difference and no motivation. At least until Siwoo talked about his dad. At least until he said he wanted to win, and Jasung looked over to the rows and could only focus on his own dad sitting there. He nodded. Siwoo was right.
Not only was Siwoo right, he also won the game. Jasung wanted to throw himself into his boyfriend’s arms and kiss him silly but as they were in the middle of the court, he settled for a tight hug, his smile hurting his cheeks. The team piled onto them, a brief group hug commencing before everyone went to celebrate with their family and friends. Jasung let go of Siwoo and brushed a finger over his cheek as inconspicuously as he could before stepping away entirely and going to greet his dad. Siwoo deserved alone time with his family too, especially since they obviously mattered so much to him.
It was in the locker room after everyone had calmed down a little that Siwoo asked, “Wanna sleep over at mine today?”
Jasung beamed and had to hold back the urge to kiss him again. “Of course!”
Jasung got permission from his dad to sleep over at Siwoo’s, so Siwoo and he had dinner together in celebration. They were too exhausted from the game to do much else, so they walked back to Siwoo’s home as soon as they finished, hands swinging between them in the safety of the night. At least until they saw or heard someone and they let go of each other at the speed of light.
Since it had been very last minute, Jasung had to wear Siwoo’s clothes to bed. He couldn’t help but blush and tug at the shirt when Siwoo’s eyes darkened at the sight of him. While Jasung was slightly taller, he was also slimmer, so Siwoo’s clothes were a little big on him.
“You’re really pretty,” Siwoo mumbled, reaching out to pull Jasung towards him by the waist. Jasung had never been called pretty before, maybe even would have taken is as an insult, but the way Siwoo said it sent shivers down his spine. He put his hands on Siwoo’s shoulders and leaned down to kiss him.
Siwoo responded enthusiastically, pulling Jasung into bed with him. Jasung yelped as he fell, maneuvered by Siwoo to land on his back, under his boyfriend. They just looked at each other for a while before going back to kissing, lazy and slow, and with no intention to take it further.
“You were amazing today,” Jasung said a while later, his hand carding through Siwoo’s hair. “I’m so proud of you.”
“Me too,” Siwoo replied. “I’m proud of you too.”
Jasung shook his head. “I don’t care as much for basketball as you do. You’re going to make a career out of this, Siwoo. You’re going to Hankuk University, for fuck’s sake. Basketball for me, is just a sport to play while I still can.”
Siwoo hummed and leaned down to nuzzle against his neck. “I can still be proud of you, though.”
Chuckling, Jasung replied, “Sure you can, Siwoo-ya.”
They were silent for a while. Jasung just listened to Siwoo’s deep, rhythmic breathing and continued to play with his hair, staring up at the ceiling. He was exhausted but not tired, body getting more limp with every passing second but his eyes unwilling to close.
Then Siwoo whispered something into the crook of his neck. Jasung hummed, slightly nudging him as he asked, “What did you say?”
Siwoo pushed himself up on his elbows, looking down at Jasung again, face serious.
“I want to tell my family. About us. I know we’re still fairly new and it’s different than if I had a girlfriend but I really want them to know. Can I do that?”
Jasung shrugged. “Sure.”
Siwoo scowled and framed Jasung’s face with his hands, his big eyes, looking right at Jasung’s soul.
“Are you really okay with it? Your dad–”
“It’s really fine.”
His dad wasn’t homophobic, something he knew because he’d unsubtly told him about a, non-existant, school project with the topic of same-sex marriage. His father had spoken out his full support, so at least he wouldn’t have to fear being hit or disowned if his father caught wind of him dating another boy somehow. Maybe he’d even tell him too, at a later time but on his own terms.
Siwoo hesitated, then a smile spread on his face and he leaned down to give Jasung a quick kiss. He promised he’d tell his family the next day during breakfast and if Jasung changed his mind, he should just tell Siwoo and he wouldn’t. Jasung rolled his eyes and pulled him in for another kiss.
Breakfast with the family was nice, even if Si-a kept throwing suspicious glances his way. Jasung didn’t know if Siwoo was being petty because of that or if it was a coincidence but he started speaking just as Si-a lifted her glass to drink.
“Mom, Dad, Si-a.” Siwoo grabbed Jasung’s hand under the table. “Jasung and I are dating. He’s my boyfriend.”
There were three very distinct reactions. Si-a choked on her water, coughing violently. Mrs Jung just stared at them with a wide-open mouth. Mr Hong seemed okay with it, happy even if the small smile on his face was anything to go by.
Mrs Jung, still staring at them, closed her mouth and patted Si-a’s back since she still hadn’t stopped coughing.
“I’m happy for you two,” Mr Hong said.
“What the fuck?” Si-a rasped at the same time.
“Si-a,” Mrs Jung said, reprimanding, “mind your language.”
Then she smiled softly, just as her husband was doing and tagged on, “As long as you two are serious about this and treat each other well, I’ll support you.”
Si-a didn’t seem to care much about what her mother was saying, pointing a trembling finger at Jasung. She looked like she wanted to say something but then her gaze wandered over to Siwoo, as did her finger and she just said again, with feeling this time, “What the fuck.”
“Si-a!”
Jasung relaxed in his seat and grinned, squeezing Siwoo’s hand. Everything would be fine.