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It all began at Sehwa High School. Leo had just arrived from Australia, a change he hadn't chosen and that made it hard for him to adjust to his new environment. Not only was he labeled as the "new kid," but his physique didn't fit in. He was taller than his classmates, with broad shoulders and a gaze that, unintentionally, was intimidating. In the hallways, other students lowered their voices when he passed or moved aside to let him walk. Leo got used to that solitude; it was easier to accept the role of the "bad guy" than to try to explain that he simply didn't know how to fit in.
Two years passed in which Leo was ignored by everyone, until that literature project arrived that involved different grades. A boy approached him, and when he stopped in front of Leo's table, Leo felt a feeling he couldn't explain. He was the most beautiful boy he had ever seen in his life; he had a harmony in his features and a serene gaze that transmitted tranquility to him.
—Hello —said the younger one, setting his books down carefully—. You must be my project partner. I'm Sangwon.
Leo took a second to react. The naturalness with which Sangwon looked at him left him confused. Isn't he afraid of him?
—I'm Leo —he replied—. I'm a year older than you, so... I guess I'm your Hyung.
—A pleasure, Leo hyung —Sangwon smiled, and that simple interaction broke the barrier that Leo had built for two years.
From that day on, they became inseparable. Sangwon was introverted and preferred quiet places, which fit perfectly with Leo, who swore that nothing bad would happen to Sangwon. When they both entered university, the bond became stronger. Leo opted for a Music major, spending hours in the composition studio, while Sangwon chose a Literature major. Despite the study loads, they always found a moment to see each other.
Physically, the difference was still noticeable. Leo had become more robust from exercise and natural growth, while Sangwon maintained a slender build and features that many found attractive. It was common to see girls, and even some boys, approach Sangwon to leave him notes, gifts, letters, sweets, flowers, or to confess. Sangwon always said no. Leo watched these scenes with an annoyance that he tried to hide under the excuse of being a good Hyung.
—I don't understand why they waste their time —Leo would say as they walked toward the apartment—. None of them seem like someone who really suits you.
—I'm not interested in anyone who approaches me, Hyung —Sangwon would reply simply.
Leo knew everything about Sangwon: his fears, his hobbies, his favorite books, what he liked to eat when he was stressed. That's why he convinced himself that no one else could take care of him. But the reality was that this feeling was love. Leo was in love with Sangwon, only the fear of ruining the friendship they had built for years forced him to keep silent.
One rainy day, both were in Leo's apartment reviewing some subjects. The atmosphere was total tranquility, with messy books, notes on the table, and some snacks. Suddenly, Sangwon closed his laptop and looked at Leo.
—Hyung, do you like someone from the university? —he asked directly.
Leo felt his breath catch. He tried to sound normal while still looking at his notes.
—No, no one. Why the question?
—Some girls from Economics asked me about you the other day. They said they wanted to try to go out with you.
Leo noticed something strange in Sangwon's voice, a tone that wasn't particularly common.
—I'm not interested —Leo replied—. I don't have the head for that right now.
Sangwon nodded and there was a long silence. Leo knew if he should ask, but if he didn't, he would be left with the doubt.
—And you? Do you like someone?
—Yes —said Sangwon, looking down—. There is someone. But I highly doubt they would correspond to me. It's someone I've known for a long time.
Hearing that, Leo's spirits sank completely. The idea of Sangwon being in love with another person left him discouraged for the rest of the day. He felt stupid for not having confessed before. He thought that, if he had, maybe he wouldn't be feeling this pain now.
—Look, Hyung —said Sangwon, showing him his phone—. There is an exhibition at this art gallery on Friday. Do you want to go?
Leo accepted, although inside he felt sad.
On Friday afternoon, Leo was waiting at the entrance of the gallery. His mind was full of doubts, but when he saw Sangwon arrive, everything stopped. Sangwon was wearing a black leather jacket that Leo recognized instantly: it was his. Sangwon had taken it from his closet without telling him. Seeing him in his clothes, smelling like his perfume, made Leo smile despite everything.
They walked through the rooms looking at the works and taking photos. Leo could barely concentrate on the art; he could only think of Sangwon walking by his side. Upon arriving at a more secluded and quiet room, Sangwon stopped in front of a painting and fell silent. He looked nervous, moving his hands restlessly.
—Hyung, I have to tell you something —Sangwon began, without looking at him—. The person I told you about... the one I've liked for a long time... it's you. It has always been you, Leo.
Leo was left speechless. It was a silence so long that Sangwon interpreted it as a rejection. He bowed his head, feeling embarrassed, and took a step back to leave.
—I'm sorry, forget I said that —Sangwon whispered with a broken voice.
Before he could pull away, Leo reacted. He grabbed him firmly by the wrist and pulled him toward him. Without giving him time for anything, he kissed him. It was a direct kiss, which ended all those years of silence.
—I like you too —Leo told him when they separated just a few centimeters—. I like you so much that I almost went crazy thinking you liked someone else.
Currently, Leo and Sangwon have been boyfriends for almost two years. It's a time that has served for Leo to understand his partner's habits, his silences, and his most specific tastes. That's why, for this birthday, Leo decided to plan every preparation. He didn't want to leave anything to chance. In his mind, the plan was simple and there shouldn't be any complications: Sangwon had extra classes at the Literature faculty and his schedule would extend until late, giving Leo the necessary time to modify the apartment calmly.
Leo started the day early. The first thing was the setting. He dedicated himself to decorating the apartment with some decorations he had bought days before, seeking to make the space feel different, a bit more special than on any ordinary day. He didn't want anything exaggerated, so he took his time to place everything in its place, making sure the aesthetic of the home was to Sangwon's taste.
Once the decoration was finished, the real challenge arrived: dinner. Leo was fully aware that cooking was not his thing at all, for that reason they ate in restaurants. His skills were basic, so for Sangwon's birthday, he started watching cooking tutorials. He repeated the scenes several times, noting ingredients and cooking times to avoid any error. He followed the steps of the video meticulously, cut the vegetables, watched the cooking time of the food, and started tasting the sauces he had made. The process was slow, but by five in the afternoon, everything seemed to be in order. The food was ready, or at least he believed so seeing the appearance of what he had prepared.
With the most difficult part apparently resolved, Leo prepared for the last part of the plan. Only the final details were missing: the flowers and the cake. Before leaving, he took a quick look at the apartment. Everything looked good, the table was set and the atmosphere was what he had imagined. With that confidence, he closed the door and went out to the street.
His first stop was the flower shop. The establishment was nearby, and it didn't take long to receive the bouquet of flowers he had ordered. He paid for the service and, with the bouquet protected, walked toward the bakery. There he picked up the cake: a heart-shaped cheesecake, the perfect choice for the occasion. With the cake in one hand and the flowers in the other, Leo started the way back, feeling satisfied because the timing was fitting perfectly.
However, upon arriving at the hallway of his floor, the atmosphere changed. A strange and bitter smell, which he couldn't identify immediately, floated in the air. Upon approaching his door, the smell became more intense and alarming. Upon turning the key and entering, he saw that the apartment was filled with smoke.
—Shit —Leo let out in a whisper loaded with frustration.
In his hurry to leave and complete the errands, he had made a mistake: he hadn't turned off the stove. The fire, which should have been off, had continued consuming what was left in the pot until it turned into a black and smoky mass. Panic seized him. He dropped the keys on the entrance furniture and ran toward the windows, opening them wide to try to let the fresh air remove the smoke that stung his eyes.
But the disaster didn't end there. The kitchen was ruined; the dinner he had worked so hard to prepare became inedible. In the middle of the chaos, with his vision clouded by the smoke and his nerves at the maximum for trying to fix everything fast, clumsiness played a trick on him. Upon moving abruptly to set aside the burnt pot, the bouquet of flowers was pushed from the table, scattering across the dirty floor. And, before he could react to save it, the cake suffered the same consequence. The cheesecake ended up falling heavily against the floor.
Leo stood still for a moment, surrounded by smoke, with the trampled flowers and the destroyed cake at his feet. He passed a hand over his face, trying to assimilate that the whole plan he had prepared with so much anticipation had crumbled in a matter of minutes. He tried to think fast, convincing himself that he still had a little time, that maybe he could clean everything up and look for an emergency solution before it was too late.
But just as he started to move to pick up the scattered flowers, the metallic sound of the lock rang at the entrance. There was no time to hide the disaster or to invent an excuse.
The door opened completely. It was Sangwon.
Sangwon stood static in the threshold of the door. His eyes opened wide, taking a few seconds to process what they saw.
Leo was in the middle of the kitchen, with his shoulders slumped and his hands stained. At his feet, the crushed flower petals and a half-open cardboard box from which a deformed cheesecake peeked out.
—God, Sangwon... I'm an idiot —Leo let out without even a greeting. His voice sounded loaded with a genuine frustration, the kind that is born when you push yourself too much in something and it goes wrong because of your own error—. I ruined everything. I had it all planned... I wanted it to be perfect because it's your birthday and I ended up burning the dinner and dropping the cake.
Leo didn't stop. He started walking from one side to the other in the reduced space of the kitchen, apologizing more and more.
—Really, Sangwon, I don't know what I was thinking. I left in a hurry and forgot the stove on. I promise you I'm going to make it up to you, I'm going to fix it, we can go out to any place right now or I can try to cook something else, but please, forgive me for this mess, I just wanted...
—Hyung... —Sangwon tried to say, but Leo seemed not to hear him.
—...it's just that I can't believe I'm so careless. Sangwon, seriously, let me clean this up and I swear that tomorrow...
—Lee Leo! —Sangwon shouted, raising his voice just enough to break his boyfriend's laments.
Leo fell silent, with his mouth half open, looking at Sangwon. The younger one left his backpack on the floor and walked toward him, stopped right in front of Leo and looked him in the eyes.
—It doesn't matter —said Sangwon softly—. None of this matters, Leo.
Leo tried to protest, but Sangwon put a hand on his mouth to silence him.
—I'm happy that you took the time to do all this. I know you don't like to cook and that you hate even trying, and yet you tried for me. But a birthday is not about the things you perform.
Sangwon shortened the distance and took Leo's hands between his.
—With your presence alone and with being here with me, I'm already happy. I don't need an impressive dinner or an impeccable apartment if that means you are by my side. Being together is the only thing that makes this day special.
Leo looked at him for a few seconds, processing the honesty in Sangwon's words. The tension in his shoulders disappeared suddenly and a small laugh, a mix of relief and exhaustion, escaped his lips. He surrounded Sangwon's waist with his arms and pulled him toward him in a tight embrace, hiding his face in his neck.
—It's the eighth birthday we've spent together —murmured Leo against his skin, with his voice already calmer—. And I swear I would spend it eighty-eight times more, even if I have to burn the kitchen in each one of them.
Sangwon let out a laugh and returned the embrace. They stayed like that for a moment. Upon separating, Sangwon looked down toward the floor and pointed to the box that lay by their feet.
—Oh, it's cheesecake —he observed with a smile—. My favorite flavor.
Sangwon bent down carefully, picked up the box and put it on the table Leo had decorated with roses. Upon opening it, the cake was effectively destroyed; the heart shape had been lost and the cream was smeared everywhere, but the base was still intact.
—It's a bit crushed, but it's edible —said Sangwon, taking a fork from the table.
Leo looked at him with tenderness and went quickly toward one of the drawers. He took out a candle with the number 23, stuck it in the highest part of the destroyed cake and turned off the lights of the apartment. Only the light of the candle and the reflection of the streetlights from the street entering through the window remained. In the gloom, Leo began to sing "Happy Birthday" to him.
Sangwon closed his eyes in front of the small flame. He didn't have to think much. He simply made the same wish of every birthday he spent next to Leo: "Keep Leo Hyung with me forever."
—It's the best birthday I've had, really.
Leo felt the heat rise to his cheeks. Despite their years together, he still got embarrassed when Sangwon was so direct with his feelings. Without saying anything, he took a little cream with his finger and, in a playful gesture, smeared it on the tip of Sangwon's nose.
The younger one didn't stay behind. Soon, both were sitting at the table, eating the cheesecake directly from the box, between laughs and sweet stains on their faces, forgetting completely about the disaster in the apartment.
A birthday is not only something material; it is the opportunity to celebrate the existence of the person you love and the fortune of being by their side. A birthday is, simply, being with someone who really loves you.
END
