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Five-year old neighborhood sweetheart Do Kyungsoo waddles in his penguin costume up the porch steps of his neighbor’s house and knocks on the door. “Trick or treat!”
Mrs. Kim comes out with her usual bright smile and greets him. “Aww, you’re the cutest little penguin this year.”
“Thank you, ma’am.”
Mrs. Kim giggles. “Jongin will be right out,” she says and deposits a huge handful of candies in his plastic pumpkin bowl.
Kyungsoo gives her a big gap-toothed grin. He’d lost the front tooth a few days ago. Rather than being shy about it, he wants to show everyone. Especially his best friend.
A group of kids walks up chanting trick or treat, and Kyungsoo steps to the side to wait. He’s ogling a tall and pale boy’s ice-skater costume—isn’t it from an anime?—when something pokes his cheek.
Kyungsoo grins. “Jongin!”
A white sheet with two holes for eyes wiggles happily beside him. “You lost a tooth?”
“I did! Look!” Kyungsoo smiles and pushes his tongue out the tooth hole.
“Ewwww,” Jongin says.
Kyungsoo laughs. “You’re a ghost again. I thought you wanted to try a ballet dancer.”
Jongin whines. “I like being a ghost.” He flaps his hands. “I can hide in here.”
“It’s okay! You’re an awesome ghost.” Kyungsoo reaches out and clasps Jongin’s hand in his. “Ready to get all the candy?”
Jongin nods and flaps one hand, making the ghost sheet move.
Kyungsoo giggles.
It takes them around fifteen minutes to go around the cul-de-sac, visiting all their friends and neighbors and filling their pumpkin bags. Once they get back to Kyungsoo’s house, they open the side gate and head into the backyard where a tent waits for their traditional Halloween sleepover.
The two boys slip inside, and zip the tent closed. A small glow appears when Kyungsoo turns on the small battery lantern his Dad left there, and he laughs when he sees Jongin struggling to pull off his ghost costume.
“Let me help.” Kyungsoo tugs and tugs at the sheet, until it finally comes off and they fall backwards.
Jongin grins. “Thanks.”
They sit on the inflatable mattress and get to separating their loot. They’ve done this so many years before that there’s not a single argument about who gets what candy. Once they’re done, they set the pumpkin bags aside, and pull out Kyungsoo’s tablet to watch some Halloween cartoon.
They’re quietly watching a puppy and his goofy owner run from some monsters, when Jongin pokes Kyungsoo.
“What is it?” Kyungsoo murmurs. “Need a bathroom break?”
“I…like you,” Jongin whispers, snuggling closer.
Kyungsoo grins sleepily. He likes it when Jongin says things like this. It makes him feel all fluttery and happy. “I like you, too.”
“Really?”
Kyungsoo leans his head on top of Jongin’s. Since the moment he first played with Jongin, Kyungsoo knows this to be true. “You’re my best friend!”
Jongin hums, happy. “You’re my best friend.”
Kyungsoo giggles. “Mine!”
“Mine!” Jongin echoes.
They laugh at their own silliness, and fall asleep entwined around each other.
Like every year.