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the late afternoon dyed the sky a burnt orange, spreading warm brushstrokes over the park, which was beginning to fill with lights. the distant sound of the carousel music blended with children’s laughter and the rustling of colorful pennants dancing in the gentle breeze. the smell of cotton candy, freshly popped popcorn, and damp grass after the heat of the day created an almost magical scene, like a memory from childhood, but it was only when dongmin looked toward the center of the square that the world seemed to truly slow down.
there he was. donghyun.
he wore a flannel jacket with a navy blue and white plaid pattern, the kind that fit his shoulders like it had been tailor-made too comfortable to be just a piece of clothing.
an improvised badge hung around his neck, with red letters handwritten: “kisses for a good cause.” the booth behind him was a charming mess of paper hearts, little flags, ribbons, and a string of slowly blinking lights.
dongmin froze instantly. the cup of soda he held nearly slipped from his sweaty fingers. next to him, jaehyun balanced fries and his own soda, distracted by something farther ahead. but dongmin no longer heard anything.
the park continued spinning in vibrant colors and sounds, balloons floating, hurried footsteps, interrupted songs but inside him something had frozen. his heart raced wildly, out of rhythm, and his eyes couldn’t look away from the boy behind the counter.</p>
donghyun smiled at someone. one of those soft, gentle smiles, tilted slightly, that opened slowly and seemed to hold a kind of affection not given to just anyone. when he smiled like that, two subtle dimples appeared on his face, small but deep enough to make something inside dongmin tremble. there was something captivating in the way he smiled, and it made dongmin uncomfortable. not because it seemed forced—quite the opposite—but because it was exactly the same kind of smile donghyun used to give him when they talked about the silliest things in the world.
his brown hair, slightly messy, fell carelessly over his forehead, gently swaying with the passing breeze. there was a calm sparkle in his eyes, as if nothing in the world could disturb him. and dongmin... didn’t know what to do with that. with the sudden tightness in his chest, the butterflies in his stomach.
“are you listening, dongmin? they changed the time for the light show. it starts at eight and—” jaehyun interrupted his own sentence, following his friend’s fixed gaze. he frowned. “ah, got it.”
“he’s… at the kissing booth?” dongmin asked, his voice shaky, as if the words had stumbled in his throat. he blinked rapidly, trying to understand if what he was seeing was really real.
“yeah. he told me yesterday,” jaehyun replied, taking a sip of his soda. “it’s for that animal shelter NGO. each kiss is a donation.”
“but… in the mouth?” jaehyun shrugged. “quick kisses. arranged with the organizers. nothing serious, according to him. just a joke.”
dongmin stood still. rigid. he watched the people already waiting in line—a group of three smiling girls, two teenage boys whispering, and a guy with blond hair and a leather jacket holding a red rose. the kind of guy who doesn’t leave with just a peck and a ‘thanks for the donation.’
dongmin’s chest tightened, as if something inside had suddenly been squeezed. but why? that question kept repeating itself in his mind, growing more and more uncomfortable.
he and donghyun weren’t together. never had been. they weren’t even that close as friends. but… they weren’t just acquaintances either. there was something there. a tangle of small memories, almost invisible to anyone else—shared laughs on a park bench, long conversations over messages until dawn, confessions said with feet swinging at the edge of the college fountain. those lingering looks that no one ever named.
“this is crazy. it’s ridiculous. and… irresponsible.” dongmin murmured, still staring at donghyun, who was now waving at the line as if competing for the festival king.</p>
jaehyun, laughing beside him with that mocking air of someone having way too much fun, leaned on dongmin’s shoulder with a mischievous smile, teasing.
“oh, come on. it hasn’t even started and you’re already this jealous—try to fake it better, han dongmin.”
dongmin rolled his eyes so hard it was almost a miracle they didn’t roll out of his head.</p>
“shut up, i’m not…” he stopped. sighed. “it’s nothing like that, I just think he could be doing something else. like selling bracelets. or helping at the hot dog stand or something.”
before he even finished, dongmin was already taking the first steps towards the booth, as if his legs had decided for him. jaehyun followed silently, wearing that subtle smile of someone who knows exactly what’s going on even though dongmin was still pretending not to.
they walked side by side under the park’s vibrant lights, bathed in that pulsating glow painting the path in shades of pink, blue, and gold. they passed game booths lit up, the sweet smell of popcorn and cotton candy wrapping the air like a childhood memory. in the background, the muted music from the rides mixed with the laughter and shouts of people.</p>
the evening was warm, but it didn’t even compare to the burning that consumed dongmin’s chest, his heart beating hard, heavy, as if it wanted to tear through his skin and run ahead of him, desperate to find relief far from a body that could no longer contain it.
when he spotted donghyun again, the discomfort inside dongmin grew until it spread through his whole body, hot and uneasy.</p>
donghyun was alone leaning against the edge of the booth, laughing at something on his phone. his legs swung lazily, keeping time with a soft song playing from the park speakers.
as they approached, dongmin cleared his throat, crossing his arms stiffly, almost theatrically, in a pathetic attempt to look in control.
“wait… you’re really at the kissing booth?” he asked, trying to sound casual, but the tension in his voice gave him away. the tight chest, the racing heart, the jumbled thoughts swirling inside him.
donghyun lifted his face, his lips forming a radiant smile. his eyes met dongmin’s.
“yeah. i am” he said simply, as if it meant nothing special. the smile widened, like this was the best part of his day so far.
dongmin took a deep breath, and the words shot out like an arrow.
“this is crazy. you’re kissing strangers…”
“why are you being so dramatic? and it’s not for money, it’s just charity!” he laughed, pushing a strand of hair behind his ear, that carefree way that only made dongmin twist inside even more. “besides, i only have to give quick pecks, it’s nothing serious.”
dongmin raised an eyebrow.
“uh-huh. until the first one wants more than a quick kiss” dongmin snapped, sharper than he meant to. he bit his lip afterward, trying to stop what came next.
donghyun just shrugged.
“that won’t happen” he said, way too relaxed. “it’s just a game. you guys should come too. the money goes to the shelter for abandoned animals.”
dongmin forced a crooked smile, trying to hide the discomfort weighing on his chest. but it was useless. every calm answer from donghyun left him more exposed, like he was confessing something he didn’t even know he needed to admit.
next to him, jaehyun was trying hard not to laugh at the whole scene, his eyes sparkling with amusement as he watched dongmin scratch the back of his neck, trying to act casual. he frowned, staring at donghyun like he had just committed a crime.
“it’s not that.” dongmin muttered, voice faltering as he tried to sound firm. “it’s just…”
he swallowed hard. lowered his gaze for a second. when he looked back, the question slipped out without a filter.
“are you really going to be kissing a bunch of people today?”
the question hung in the air like something too big to ignore. and the moment the words left his mouth, dongmin regretted them. the silence that followed was brief but felt endless to him.
he felt his cheeks burn, his whole face flushing as if caught doing something wrong. the heat rose so fast, dongmin had to look away, staring at anything but donghyun’s face—the lights on the booth, the stone pavement, the side of the soda cup still in his hand.
he hated himself for saying that. he seemed too jealous, childish, and vulnerable. as if he had exposed something he hadn’t even realized he was keeping inside. and now he was there, chest wide open and defenses down, in front of the one person he least wanted to show that kind of weakness to. he felt ridiculous. ridiculous for coming here, for speaking that way, for caring so much about something that (in theory) shouldn’t mean anything.
donghyun shrugged again, still with that laid-back attitude that always made him annoyingly confident.
of course. it’s for a good cause, remember? well… i gotta go now. the line is starting to get long.”
he gave a brief smile, adjusted the badge on his chest, and turned back to the booth where the first people in line were already approaching with smiles too eager for dongmin’s liking.
jaehyun let out a low whistle, amused by the chaos unfolding, and gave his friend two pats on the back.
“let’s walk around a bit before you explode right here.”
they slowly walked away along the side of the booth, and jaehyun started talking about some game booths ahead. but dongmin barely heard him. his feet moved forward, obedient, mechanical. but his eyes. his eyes stayed.
they stayed on the curve of donghyun’s neck, the way he politely laughed with those approaching, the gesture of fixing his collar. they stayed on the glow of those colored lights dancing around the booth, as if all of this was too beautiful to be real.
***
from afar, dongmin continued to watch donghyun as he now greeted the first people in line with that easy smile, his body leaning slightly forward, eyes sparkling under the colorful lights of the park. it was just a kiss, dongmin repeated to himself. just a game. just a charity event. but the tightness in his chest wouldn’t fade. every time donghyun leans in toward someone, even for just a few seconds, it felt like a sharp sting.
at some point, jaehyun stepped away, saying he’d try to find a good spot for the light show. dongmin, however, stayed put. he remained where he was, watching. the line moved forward. donghyun talked to each person, listened, and smiled. and then came the brief kiss, still a kiss. each one left an invisible mark that no one else seemed to notice… except dongmin.
dongmin, standing in a more secluded corner, pretended to sip his soda, but the cup was already empty. he couldn’t take his eyes off donghyun—more specifically, the way he smiled at each person who approached, calm and charming, as if he were in a place that belonged only to him.
next in line was a girl with vibrant red hair and piercings on her nose and eyebrow. she wore a paramore t-shirt.
she laughed. donghyun leaned in. the kiss was quick, but she held his chin for a second longer than necessary. dongmin was feeling paranoid and sick for noticing such a small, insignificant gesture. when she pulled away, she winked.
“if you need more donations, i’ll be at the ferris wheel at ten.”
he just smiled, pulling the sleeve of his hoodie to better cover his wrist, as if needing something to do with his hands before they got too restless.
dongmin squeezed the cup until the plastic crumpled. the crack of the material sounded louder than it should have. heat rushed to his face before he could stop it. it felt like the air around him grew thicker, heavier, harder to breathe. he looked away, but it was too late—the scene had already been etched in his memory, the way donghyun smiled back, as if none of it had any weight.
and maybe it didn’t. maybe the problem was just me, dongmin told himself, words echoing in his mind like a desperate mantra, as if repeating them might somehow make them true.
the next in line was a little girl in a floral dress, maybe about thirteen, accompanied by her mother. her hair was tied in two messy braids, and her eyes shone with pure, uncontrollable excitement. donghyun smiled when he saw her, lowering himself slowly to meet her gaze.
he said something so quietly that even if dongmin leaned in, he wouldn’t have heard. but he saw the effect. the girl giggled shyly, covering her mouth with her hands. donghyun pressed a light kiss to her cheek, a soft, genuine gesture, almost ceremonial, as if sealing a secret between them. it was impossible for dongmin not to find that act absurdly kind and, deep down, charming in a way he tried not to admit. the girl bounced in place, then skipped off with her mother, clutching a pink token that read “i support the animals” with paw prints and hearts drawn on it.
”he’s actually pretty cute”. the mother whispered, passing so close to dongmin he caught her sweet perfume.
before he could process the moment, the next person was already stepping forward. a tall man in a light gray suit, sunglasses, and a leather briefcase under his arm. completely out of sync with the colorful park around him. he looked only a few years older than dongmin, but he already had the serious air of someone with a very busy routine. dongmin blinked, confused. it seemed like he had come straight from a meeting, as if kissing someone at a charity booth was just another item on his agenda.
“i thought it’d be a good way to end the day” the man said, carefully removing his glasses. his voice was deep and clear.
“i hope you’re not expecting a return on your investment” donghyun replied with a polite smile, his tone light as someone used to handling all kinds of clients.
their kiss was slow. nothing bold. but there was something there—a firmness, a clarity in their movements. a sealing of lips that was sure, respectful, almost formal. the man’s hands rested on the edge of the booth. when he pulled away, he leaned in slightly and whispered something too quiet for anyone to hear.
donghyun laughed, a short surprised chuckle, running his hand through his hair like he was trying to hide the faint blush creeping up his neck.
blood boiled beneath dongmin’s skin, his chest burned like every heartbeat spread a silent, hot anger throughout his body, locked in clenched teeth and a dry throat. he just bit his lip and stayed where he was, tasting the bitterness of something that wasn’t his.
and then he came.
the man in the leather jacket. blonde hair carefully styled, a bright red rose held between his fingers. he appeared with slow, sure steps, as if the park floor was just a stage for this moment. his eyes locked on donghyun, without hesitation, as if nothing else around them existed.
dongmin couldn’t move. couldn’t even blink.
the man stopped in front of the booth without a word. he held out the rose, a simple, almost solemn gesture. donghyun hesitated for a tiny, imperceptible second before accepting the flower. their fingers touched for a moment that lasted too long. the smile donghyun returned was contained but genuine. almost shy.
dongmin held his breath.
the kiss that followed wasn’t daring. no extra hands, no sudden moves. but it carried something else. weight. intention. the blond leaned in slowly, with precision, like he knew the value of every inch of closeness and donghyun… he didn’t pull away.
for a moment, everything seemed to slow down. the park lights blurred, the sounds muffled. only that instant existed: their faces close, eyes closed, lips meeting in a thick silence, charged with something that hurt somewhere dongmin couldn’t name.
it was the longest kiss of the night.
when they finally parted, the man leaned close to donghyun’s ear and whispered something. donghyun lowered his eyes. smiled. one of those subtle smiles that escapes unintentionally, too intimate for anyone watching from outside.
it was at that moment that dongmin’s cup slipped from his hand and fell onto the gravel floor, rolling until it stopped next to a trash bin. he didn’t even notice.
why does this bother me so much? why does it feel like i’m losing something i never had? why, out of everyone in this park, is it him i want to be with right now… in this place?
the thought hit him like a stone thrown into a calm lake, sinking fast and heavy, stirring waves that spread in every direction. quick. dense. it was impossible to pretend it wasn’t there. he didn’t know what to do with all those questions that kept coming, one after another, each more uncomfortable than the last.
why now? why him? what does this mean? what if it’s not just about the kiss? what if it’s about everything that came before—the looks, the silences that felt comfortable, the easy smiles, the times he thought about touching donghyun but pulled back?
dongmin rubbed the palm of his hand against his chest, as if trying to soothe the rapid beating of his heart with a simple touch. but it was useless. his body reacted before his mind could catch up.
he wished he could go back in time and see exactly when everything started to change. when donghyun’s gaze stopped being just friendly. when the sound of his laughter became the one thing dongmin longed to hear the most.
the questions didn’t have easy answers. but more than that, now that they’d been asked, ignoring them wasn’t an option. because something inside him—maybe something hidden for a long time—had finally awakened.
dongmin couldn’t breathe right. it was like the park’s air was too heavy with the smell of fried food, too much sweet perfume, too loud laughter that had nothing to do with him. with kisses that shouldn’t be given by someone like donghyun.
he felt vulnerable, yes. exposed in a way he didn’t know how to handle. but there was also something comforting in that chaos. like, for the first time in a long while, he was about to be honest with himself.
shoving his hands into his pockets, dongmin started walking aimlessly. he passed a group of teenagers laughing loudly in line for the ferris wheel, a father carrying a pink teddy bear, and a couple so clingy it made dongmin want to gag. he tried to distract himself with the game booths and even stopped at the shooting range, but missed every shot. a boy, about six years old, got a keychain while he walked away empty-handed.
dongmin walked over to the carousel, where painted horses spun to a tune too sad for such a colorful place. leaned against the fence for a while, watching the ride without really seeing it. he thought about buying ice cream. didn’t. thought about calling jaehyun. didn’t.
his mind kept coming back. drawing donghyun there, at the booth, laughing, leaning in. eyes closing slowly. mouth meeting another’s. dongmin closed his eyes tightly, as if he could erase the image. but it kept coming back. clearer and clearer.
thirty minutes passed like that. maybe more.
he passed the booth’s front three times. the first, pretending to look for another attraction. the second, forcing himself not to look sideways. the third, hesitating. two seconds that felt like forever, enough for his chest to tighten and air to go missing.
no use. everything he did only pulled him back there. like a magnet. like an urgency he couldn’t explain.
why did it hurt so much? donghyun was his friend. nothing more. they never said anything, never did anything. but now, with that line of people who didn’t even know what kissing him meant with that guy and the rose, the red-haired girl, the tattooed guy who chatted with donghyun like old friends, dongmin felt like he was losing something he never had.
and deep down, maybe he’d known that for a long time.
it was only when he rounded the carousel for the fourth time that he saw it. the booth was empty.
donghyun was alone behind the counter, chin resting on his hand, fiddling with the colorful tokens. and even surrounded by the park’s sparkling lights, he was the one who lit everything around him the most.
dongmin watched him from afar, as if time had stretched, pulling out every second just to torture him a little more. every detail seemed sharper: the long brown strands softly pushed by the breeze, the way donghyun’s fingers tapped distractedly on the counter, the slight frown as he counted tokens, the almost invisible smile that flickered on his lips when something funny crossed his mind. it was a scene too ordinary to deserve attention and yet, dongmin couldn’t stop looking.
maybe it was the contrast. the chaos around, the loud music from the speakers, the lines of rides and kids running with cotton candy. and there, in the middle of it all everything about donghyun seemed calm. like he existed in a different rhythm. a more serene one. one that, strangely, dongmin wanted to follow.
it was now. this was the moment.
dongmin didn’t know exactly what he was going to do, but his body had already decided before his mind. his feet moved on their own. his heart, out of sync, was beating with a mix of fear and hope.
he just knew he couldn’t stand seeing donghyun kissing other people anymore.
and if he didn’t do something, if he didn’t say anything maybe he would spend the rest of his life wondering what would have happened if he had had the courage in that moment.
he didn’t even realize he was approaching until he was close enough to smell the sweet scent of lip balm mixed with the familiar woody perfume. his heart was pounding not because of the music or the lights, but because of the question that still had no answer: why was this affecting him so much?
dongmin stopped in front of the booth like someone hesitating at the edge of a cliff. the sounds of the park—the flicker of the bulbs, the rustling tents blown by the wind—all seemed to dissolve into the background.
donghyun lifted his gaze.
their eyes met, a sparkle indecipherable. no surprise. no rush. just that heavy silence. dongmin smiled. a contained, hesitant smile, like someone who had been waiting for this moment for far too long but instinctively knew it couldn’t be touched before its time. like the moment had to ripen on its own.
“changed your mind?” the voice came low, almost hoarse, caught in his throat.
dongmin didn’t answer right away. he was too busy trying to understand exactly what he was feeling. why his heart felt so loud inside his chest. why his fingers wanted to grip the wooden booth like it was the last solid thing in a world suddenly spinning too fast. like he was standing at the edge of an abyss, afraid to move but still wanting with all his strength to jump.
“give me a kiss,” dongmin said, his voice low and rough, like he had torn courage from the depths of his chest. he didn’t look directly at him, his eyes flickered for a second before settling on donghyun’s, too serious to be a joke. there was something held back in his expression—vulnerability and urgency mixed into a tension almost tangible. his shoulders were tense, his hands clenched in his pockets as if that was the only way to keep himself together.
the silence between them was instant and heavy. like the air had suddenly been sucked out, leaving them trapped in a vacuum where only the sound of their own hearts beating too fast remained.
donghyun blinked, surprised, lips parted as if trying to understand if he’d heard correctly. a slight frown, confusion dancing in his eyes. he took a half step forward instinctively, and his voice came out almost in a whisper, scratching the air.
“what?”
it was a mix of surprise, caution, and something harder to describe something that vibrated beneath the word, as if he didn’t know if he could allow himself to believe. his gaze scanned dongmin’s face, searching for a clue, some confirmation.
“yes... a kiss.” dongmin’s voice trembled at the end, but he was already reaching into his pocket. he pulled out a crumpled bill and held it out with a desperate kind of courage.
donghyun stared at the gesture for a second, eyes lowered, breath held. he bit his lip slowly, a subtle doubt passing across his face, then nodded almost imperceptibly.
and he leaned in.
slowly. like time was under his command. his eyes fixed on dongmin’s, steady, intense, silent. as if they said everything neither knew how to put into words.
dongmin felt his fingers tighten around the wood of the booth. for a moment, nothing else existed.
only the sound of his own heart. and the heavy certainty that he was about to cross na invisible line, a border that maybe had no return.
donghyun’s face was now closer than it had ever been. there was something suspended between them—a subtle tension, full of expectation and silence, like the air around them had thickened, heavy, ready to explode. dongmin’s eyes were locked on his, searching for na answer, a sign, anything that translated the unspoken. each breath seemed deeper, each second slower, until the world around them faded until only the two of them remained, still.
and then, as if something greater guided him without notice, his lips touched donghyun’s in a light, hesitant kiss, like fingertips brushing the surface of a lake for the first time. it was a simple gesture, almost innocent, but full of deep delicacy.
there was no audience. no line. just a firm, brief touch, filled with something neither dared to name. but it was there. pulsating.
donghyun didn’t move immediately. he stayed still, eyes closed, as if feeling every millimeter of the touch. the whole world seemed suspended in those seconds, the soft taste of mint, the warm night air, the skin tingling just from being so close.
dongmin felt his stomach drop. this was more than just a kiss. it was a confession. something too intimate.
he pulled away a centimeter, just enough to look into donghyun’s eyes. and what he saw disarmed him completely: a sweet, steady glow, and the total absence of doubt. donghyun knew. had always known.
and then he leaned in—slowly, but decisively—and grabbed dongmin by the collar of his jacket.
this time, the kiss was deeper.
donghyun’s lips met his with a quiet but overwhelming surrender. their mouths fit as if they had belonged to each other for a long time. as if they finally allowed themselves to stop pretending, to stop holding back everything that had always pulsed beneath the surface.
the kiss started calm, with gentle touches testing the space between them—like each movement was a question and na answer at the same time. but soon, the rhythm changed. their mouths opened with more confidence, their tongues meeting in a timid, warm, curious touch. a slow, intimate dance, full of contained desire and silent urgency.
dongmin felt donghyun’s fingers clutch the fabric of his jacket tighter, pulling him closer as if trying to close any space left between them. and he went. without hesitation. one hand anchored on the counter, steadying him. the other rose almost instinctively to rest on the curve of donghyun’s neck, feeling the warm skin beneath his shirt collar, the pulse racing not much different from his own.
donghyun sighed against his lips, and the sound made something vibrate inside dongmin, like that simple gesture had the power to unravel him. it was soft but intense. a sigh of relief, maybe. or desire. or both at once.
their kisses slowed down. more conscious. as if savoring every second of that contact before reality pulled them back. their tongues still met in careful movements, exploring, discovering, like mapping unknown territory for the first time. there was tenderness in the touches, but also hunger. a longing that came from far away, from before that very moment.
inside his chest, it was pure chaos. heart out of rhythm. thoughts scrambled. the world could crumble around him, and dongmin wouldn’t notice. all that mattered was that kiss, the heat, the pressure, the intertwining of tongues and held-back sighs and the fact that he didn’t want it to end anytime soon.
their lips slowly parted, as if their bodies still hesitated to accept the end of the kiss. the touch faded gently, but the effect lingered, spreading inside like warmth on a cold night.
donghyun kept his eyes closed for a moment, as if wanting to hold onto the taste of the kiss on his lips. a heavy silence wrapped around them, but there was no discomfort. dongmin stared at him, his chest in turmoil, the world spinning too slowly to keep up. he still didn’t know what came next, but in that moment, it didn’t matter.
a small smile appeared on dongmin’s face, still feeling his breath quicken, his lips tender, the palm of his hand tingling where it had touched donghyun’s neck. his eyes studied him closely, as if it were the first time, as if all the answers he needed were there. his features still marked by something that seemed like surprise and something else.
donghyun slowly opened his eyes, like someone returning from a place too beautiful to leave behind. and in them was a serene calm, rich with meaning, as if everything they needed to say had already been spoken through the touch of their lips.