Archive of Our Own

Chapter Text

The neighborhood was the kind where everyone knew everyone.

In the mornings, old ladies watered their plants while gossiping across fences, delivery scooters squeezed through narrow streets, and the smell of toasted bread and fried eggs drifted out from open kitchen windows.

Children ran around barefoot after school, their laughter echoing between rows of small houses painted in faded colors.

At the very end of the street stood two houses side by side.

One belonged to Dohoon’s family.

The other belonged to Junghwan’s.

Their mothers liked to joke that the two boys had practically grown up in each other’s homes more than their own. Ever since they were little, there was never a day where one of them wasn’t calling for the other through the gate.

“Junghwan-ah!”

“Dohoon-ah, hurry up!”

It became part of the neighborhood’s daily soundtrack.

At six years old, they sat on the pavement drawing chalk dinosaurs under the blazing summer sun.

At nine, they raced bicycles down the street until one of them crashed and came home crying. 

At twelve, they climbed onto rooftops just to watch fireworks during festivals, whispering dreams about what they wanted to become when they grew older.

And somehow, even as the years passed, not much changed.

Dohoon still entered Junghwan’s house without knocking.

Junghwan still stole food from Dohoon’s kitchen whenever he was hungry.

They fought over stupid things constantly—who lost the football, who forgot homework, who ate the last ice cream from the freezer—but never stayed angry for more than an hour.

To everyone around them, they were simply inseparable.

The kind of friendship people assumed would last forever.

On warm evenings, they would sit together on the low concrete wall between their houses, shoulders brushing lightly as they watched the sky turn orange. Sometimes they talked for hours. Sometimes they sat in comfortable silence.

Neither of them realized it then, but somewhere between growing taller, deeper voices, and lingering glances that lasted a little too long…

Things had already begun to change…

— 

Dohoon was sixteen when he realized he liked Junghwan.

Not in the simple, harmless way people liked their childhood friends.

Not in the way classmates teased them about being attached at the hip.

It happened quietly. Slowly. Like something blooming where it was never supposed to.

At first, Dohoon thought it was normal.

Of course he wanted to spend all his time with Junghwan. They had grown up together. 

Of course his heart raced whenever Junghwan slung an arm around his shoulders or ruffled his hair carelessly. 

Of course he noticed how Junghwan’s voice had gotten deeper over the years, or how his smile looked brighter under the afternoon sun.

That was normal.

Wasn’t it?

— 

But then one afternoon, while waiting outside the basketball court after school, Dohoon saw a girl from Junghwan’s class hand him a drink with shy pink cheeks.

And for the first time in his life, something twisted painfully in his chest.

Junghwan only laughed awkwardly before refusing politely, completely unaware of the way Dohoon stood frozen nearby, fingers tightening around the straps of his backpack.

That night, Dohoon couldn’t sleep.

He stared at the ceiling for hours, replaying every moment he had with Junghwan in his head. Every smile. Every touch. Every time Junghwan called his name softly.

And somewhere between the quiet darkness and the pounding of his own heart, the truth settled heavily inside him.

He liked Junghwan.

Really liked him.

The realization terrified him.

Because Junghwan was his best friend.

Because they were neighbors.

Because Junghwan was the person who had always been beside him his entire life.

And because if Dohoon ruined this… he would lose everything.

So he buried it.

— 

For two years, Dohoon became an expert at pretending.

He laughed when girls confessed to Junghwan.

Pretended not to care whenever Junghwan talked about people in school.

Ignored the way his chest ached whenever someone got too close to him.

And most importantly, he never let Junghwan notice.

By the time Dohoon turned eighteen, Junghwan was in his final year of high school.

Things had started changing without Dohoon realizing it.

Junghwan became busier.

As the president of the drama club, he stayed back almost every day preparing for the winter festival stage play. Meetings, rehearsals, script discussions—his schedule was packed from morning until evening.

At first, Dohoon told himself it was fine.

It was just school activities.

But slowly, the empty space beside him started feeling unbearable.

Like today.

— 

It was another normal Monday morning.

The sky was pale blue, the autumn air cool enough to make their breaths visible as they walked side by side toward school. Junghwan lazily sipped banana milk while Dohoon complained about an upcoming math test.

“You’re exaggerating,” Junghwan laughed. “You always say you’ll fail and then end up scoring higher than me.”

“That’s because you sleep through half your classes.”

“Not true.”

“You literally fell asleep standing during the assembly last week.”

Junghwan grinned shamelessly, bumping shoulders with him. “And whose fault was that? Someone kept texting me until 2 a.m.”

Dohoon rolled his eyes, trying to ignore how warm his face suddenly felt.

Everything about mornings with Junghwan was familiar.

Comfortable.

Safe.

That was why the silence after school felt so wrong.

As students poured out through the gates in noisy groups, Dohoon stood near the entrance, waiting like he always did.

Usually, Junghwan would appear a few minutes later, complaining dramatically about homework before they walked home together.

But today, Junghwan came rushing down the hallway carrying stacks of papers against his chest.

“Sorry, Dohoon-ah,” he said breathlessly. “I can’t go home with you today.”

Dohoon blinked. “Again?”

Junghwan winced apologetically. “The winter festival’s in a month and rehearsal’s a mess right now. I still need to finalize the stage setup too.”

Behind him, several drama club members were already calling his name.

“President! We need you!”

“I’m coming!” Junghwan shouted back before turning to Dohoon again. His expression softened immediately. “Don’t wait for me, okay? I’ll probably get home late.”

For a moment, Dohoon wanted to say something childish.

Wanted to ask why the drama club suddenly mattered more than him.

But instead, he only nodded.

“Okay.”

Junghwan smiled the same familiar smile Dohoon had loved for years.

“See you tonight.”

Then he ran off.

Just like that.

Dohoon stood there alone as the crowd slowly disappeared around him.

— 

Dohoon didn’t feel like going home yet.

He wandered around the nearly empty school building aimlessly, his bag hanging loosely over one shoulder. 

The late afternoon sun stretched across the hallways, painting everything in warm orange light while distant voices echoed faintly from different club rooms.

Usually, this was the time he and Junghwan would already be walking home together.

But now, Junghwan was busy.

Busy with rehearsals.

Busy with the drama club.

Busy with a world that didn’t always include him anymore.

Dohoon let out a quiet sigh as he walked past the old club building, intending to head downstairs—

Until he heard Junghwan’s voice.

“What?”

The sharpness in his tone immediately made Dohoon stop.

“The male lead got into a car accident? His leg bone fractured?”

A wave of panicked voices erupted from inside the room.

“You’re joking, right?!”

“The festival is literally next month!”

“What are we supposed to do now?”

Dohoon slowly moved closer to the slightly opened door without thinking.

Inside, the entire drama club looked chaotic. Scripts were scattered everywhere, and several students were talking over each other anxiously.

Meanwhile, Junghwan stood near the center of the room with one hand pressed against his forehead, clearly trying not to lose his mind.

“Shit…” Junghwan muttered under his breath before running a frustrated hand through his hair. “Where am I supposed to find a replacement now?”

It was the first time Dohoon had ever seen him look this stressed.

Junghwan always acted relaxed no matter what happened. Even during exams, even during arguments, even when things went wrong—he usually laughed it off somehow.

But now, there was obvious impatience and pressure in his voice.

And Dohoon knew why.

This stage play mattered to him.

The winter festival was the biggest event of the year, and as the drama club president, everything depended on Junghwan.

The room fell into tense silence.

Then suddenly, Junghwan turned and walked out into the hallway, still muttering to himself while thinking.

And the moment he looked up—

His eyes landed directly on Dohoon.

Junghwan froze.

Then his expression changed instantly.

Like a light bulb switching on.

“Dohoon.”

Dohoon blinked. “...What?”

Junghwan stared at him for two seconds before grabbing both his shoulders dramatically.

“Dohoon! Yes! You!”

“Me?!” Dohoon nearly choked.

Before he could react, Junghwan was already dragging him toward the club room.

“Wait, wait—Junghwan, what are you doing?!”

“You’re saving my life, that’s what!”

The moment they entered, all eyes turned toward them.

Junghwan pointed at Dohoon proudly like he had just solved world peace.

“I found our new male lead.”

The room immediately exploded.

“THAT guy?!”

“He’s handsome enough!”

“Wait, he actually fits the character—”

Dohoon looked completely horrified. “Why is everyone agreeing?!”

Junghwan ignored him entirely and grabbed the script from the table before shoving it into Dohoon’s hands.

“Please.”

That single word made Dohoon pause.

Junghwan almost never begged for anything.

But now he looked genuinely desperate.

“We’re out of time,” Junghwan admitted quietly, his voice softer this time. “I really need help.”

And that was Dohoon’s biggest weakness.

Junghwan asking him for something.

Because no matter how hard he tried—

He could never say no to him.

— 

Junghwan barely gave Dohoon time to breathe before pulling him toward one of the tables covered in scripts and props.

“Okay, listen carefully,” Junghwan said, flipping through a thick stack of papers with surprising seriousness. “This is the script. We’ve already finished half the rehearsals, so you’re going to have to learn everything fast.”

“Why does this already sound like torture…” Dohoon muttered under his breath.

Junghwan ignored him completely and shoved the script into his hands.

The moment Dohoon glanced down at the first few pages, his expression shifted slightly.

It was a love story.

A painfully bittersweet one.

The story followed two people who loved each other deeply but could never stay together because of circumstances beyond their control. 

No matter how desperately they tried to hold on, time kept pulling them apart until eventually, they became strangers carrying nothing but old memories of each other.

There was no happy ending.

No dramatic reunion.

Just quiet acceptance.

And somehow, that made it hurt even more.

Dohoon’s eyes moved silently across the pages while the noise around him slowly faded into the background.

The writing was beautiful.

Gentle, emotional, almost painfully real.

It reminded him of fireworks.

Bright and breathtaking while they lasted… only to disappear moments later, leaving behind nothing but smoke and lingering warmth.

Without realizing it, Dohoon looked up at Junghwan.

Did he really write this?

For some reason, the thought made his chest tighten strangely.

— 

Before he could think deeper about it, Junghwan suddenly turned toward a girl sitting nearby.

“Oh, right,” he said quickly. “You should meet the others.”

The girl stood up immediately, smoothing out her skirt nervously before giving Dohoon a small polite bow.

“So this is Park Minju,” Junghwan introduced. “Our female lead.”

Minju smiled shyly, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

“Hi… I’m Minju. Nice to meet you.”

Dohoon blinked before bowing back awkwardly.

“Ah—hi. Kim Dohoon.” He lifted the script slightly with a helpless expression. “I got involved because this idiot dragged me into it.”

He pointed directly at Junghwan.

There was no real annoyance in his voice, though.

If anything, it sounded oddly familiar. Comfortable.

Junghwan immediately slapped his pointing hand away with an offended look.

“Yah. Show some respect to your director.”

“You literally kidnapped me five minutes ago.”

Minju let out a soft laugh at their bickering, her eyes curving warmly.

“You two must be really close.”

“Basically grew up together,” Junghwan answered without hesitation, casually throwing an arm around Dohoon’s shoulders. “He’s my neighbor. We’ve known each other since we were kids.”

The touch was natural.

Easy.

Like it had always been there.

But to Dohoon, it felt unfair how something so simple could still make his heartbeat stumble after all these years.

Especially when Junghwan smiled like that so effortlessly.

Like he had no idea what he was doing to him at all.

— 

After the brief introductions, Dohoon slowly found himself getting pulled deeper into the world of the skit.

At first, he only planned to help because Junghwan looked desperate.

But somehow, somewhere between late afternoon rehearsals and stacks of highlighted scripts, he started taking it seriously.

He had exactly one month before the winter festival.

Memorizing lines wasn’t difficult for him. In fact, it came surprisingly easy. After only a few days, he already knew most of the important scenes by heart.

The harder part was understanding the emotions behind them.

Every time Dohoon read through the story, something inside him ached quietly.

The characters loved each other so much.

You could feel it in every line.

In every moment they hesitated.

In every conversation where they wanted to say more but couldn’t.

And maybe that was what made the ending hurt the most.

Because despite loving each other deeply, they still couldn’t stay together.

In the end, all they had left were memories.

Beautiful ones.

Painful ones.

The kind that lingered long after everything was already over.

—

One evening after rehearsal, Dohoon sat cross-legged on the edge of the stage while flipping through the script again. The auditorium lights were dim except for the single spotlight left on above them.

Most of the club members had already gone home.

Only Junghwan remained near the front row seats, organizing papers while absentmindedly humming to himself.

Dohoon stared quietly at one particular page before finally speaking.

“Junghwan.”

“Hm?”

“How did you even come up with this story?” Dohoon asked softly. “It’s really sad.”

Junghwan paused briefly before leaning back against one of the chairs.

“Well…” He smiled faintly. “Isn’t that what first love is supposed to feel like?”

Dohoon looked up at him.

“Bittersweet,” Junghwan continued quietly. “They loved each other, but they still couldn’t end up together. So all that remains are the memories they shared… memories that stay with them forever.”

His voice echoed softly through the nearly empty auditorium.

And for some reason, hearing Junghwan say those words made Dohoon’s chest tighten painfully.

Because to him, the story didn’t feel fictional at all.

It felt real.

Too real.

Dohoon lowered his gaze back to the script in his hands.

Does it really have to end like that?

The thought appeared before he could stop it.

Why did love always seem to become something people missed afterward?

Why did something beautiful always have to hurt?

After a moment of silence, Dohoon looked back at Junghwan again.

“Then what about you?”

Junghwan blinked. “Me?”

“Would you want your first love to end sadly too?”

The question hung quietly between them.

For the first time that evening, Junghwan fell silent.

The playful expression on his face disappeared slightly as he looked at Dohoon across the stage. Under the dim lighting, his eyes seemed softer somehow. More thoughtful.

“Acutally…” Junghwan laughed quietly, almost awkwardly. “I don’t really know.”

Dohoon stayed still, listening carefully.

“I’ve never been in love before,” Junghwan admitted. “Most of this is just from stories my friends told me… and things I imagined.”

There was something strangely ironic about that.

Junghwan had never experienced love.

Yet somehow, he managed to write a story that felt painfully genuine.

A story that made Dohoon feel understood in ways he wished he didn’t.

Dohoon smiled faintly, shaking the script lightly in his hand.

“So you wrote something this beautiful without even experiencing it?” he said softly.

His eyes lingered on Junghwan a little longer than they should have.

“That’s actually kind of amazing.”

“How about you, Dohoon?”

Dohoon looked up from the script.

Junghwan was still leaning against the front row seats, his expression calmer now, curiosity lingering softly in his eyes.

“What would you want your first love to be like?”

“Me?”

The question caught him off guard.

For a moment, Dohoon looked down at the script resting loosely in his hands, pretending to think carefully.

But the truth was… he already knew the answer.

Every thought in his mind eventually led back to the same person.

Junghwan.

The person he walked to school with every morning.

The person who sat beside him during quiet evenings.

The person who had unknowingly become part of every future Dohoon imagined for himself.

If he were to fall in love—

No.

If he were allowed to love someone openly—

He wanted it to be with Junghwan.

He wanted something lasting.

Something gentle and unwavering.

To stay beside someone through every season without having to let go one day.

—

After a long pause, Dohoon finally spoke quietly.

“For me…” He smiled faintly. “I’d want it to last a long time.”

Junghwan listened silently.

“Something beautiful,” Dohoon continued softly. “Like the moon and stars.”

His voice became quieter with each word.

“Always there… even when you can’t see it clearly sometimes.”

Dohoon slowly lifted his gaze.

“And lasting forever, if possible.”

Without realizing it, his eyes had already drifted toward Junghwan.

Toward the person those words were truly meant for.

I want to experience that kind of first love with you.

The kind that never ends.

The kind that stays.

The auditorium became strangely quiet afterward.

Only the faint buzzing of the stage lights filled the space between them.

Then Junghwan smiled.

A soft one.

Not teasing.

Not playful.

Just… warm.

“The way you describe it,” Junghwan murmured, “sounds really beautiful.”

Dohoon’s breath caught slightly.

Because Junghwan was looking at him differently again.

His gaze was gentle.

Quiet.

Almost careful, like he was staring at something precious without realizing it himself.

And suddenly, Dohoon became painfully aware of how fast his own heart was beating.

Why is he looking at me like that…?

For a terrifying second, it felt like Junghwan could see straight through him.

Like if he stayed under that gaze any longer, every feeling he had spent two years hiding would spill out completely.

—

Dohoon quickly lowered his gaze back to the script, forcing himself to focus on the words instead of Junghwan’s eyes.

Because if he kept looking any longer, he was afraid he might lose control and do something he would regret for the rest of his life.

The silence between them became quieter afterward, softer somehow.

So Dohoon buried himself in the script instead.

They spent the next hour going through scenes together, discussing dialogue changes and stage directions while the sky outside gradually darkened into deep blue.

By the time rehearsal finally ended, the school building was almost empty.

The walk home with Junghwan felt strangely normal again.

Like the moment in the auditorium had never happened at all.

Junghwan complained about one of the club members forgetting their lines for the fifth time that day, while Dohoon listened beside him quietly, occasionally laughing at his dramatic frustration.

It felt familiar.

Comfortable.

Dangerously comforting.

When they finally reached their neighborhood, they separated briefly to have dinner with their families.

And as usual—

Barely thirty minutes later, Dohoon found himself entering Junghwan’s house like it was second nature.

—

“Hi, auntie,” he greeted casually while slipping off his shoes near the entrance.

Junghwan’s mother looked up from the kitchen with a warm smile immediately.

“Oh, Dohoonie, you’re here?” she said fondly. “Junghwan’s already upstairs in his room.”

That was all the permission Dohoon needed.

“Okay.”

He headed upstairs without hesitation, familiar with every corner of the house after spending half his life there.

Reaching Junghwan’s room, he knocked lightly before pushing the door open.

“Junghwan?”

No response.

Dohoon blinked before stepping inside properly.

The room was dim except for the desk lamp still left on beside stacks of scripts and notebooks. Papers were scattered messily across the desk and floor, evidence of how hard Junghwan had been working lately.

And in the middle of it all—

Junghwan was completely passed out on the bed.

Still in his hoodie.

One arm dangling off the mattress awkwardly.

Dohoon couldn’t help smiling faintly at the sight.

He really overworked himself…

Ever since the accident with the original male lead, Junghwan had practically been surviving on stress and iced coffee alone.

Dohoon glanced at the clock hanging above the desk.

8:00 p.m.

Way too early.

If Junghwan slept now, he would definitely wake up in the middle of the night unable to sleep again.

With a quiet sigh, Dohoon walked over and sat carefully on the edge of the bed before nudging his shoulder gently.

“Junghwan,” he called softly. “Wake up.”

Junghwan only shifted slightly, mumbling something incoherent into his pillow.

Seeing that it had little effect, Dohoon pushed him a bit harder this time.

“Junghwan, wake up. If you sleep now, you won’t be able to sleep later.”

This time, Junghwan reacted more strongly, rolling halfway toward Dohoon with sleepy eyes still closed.

Then, in a half-asleep voice, he mumbled quietly—

“Dohoon-ah… I’m glad to have you in my life…”

Dohoon froze instantly.

His breath caught somewhere in his chest.

For a second, his mind completely stopped processing.

Junghwan, meanwhile, remained deeply asleep, clearly unaware of what he had just said.

“…What are you saying in your sleep…” Dohoon whispered under his breath weakly.

But Junghwan showed absolutely no intention of waking up.

Left with no other choice, Dohoon glanced around before spotting a cotton swab sitting near the nightstand.

An idea immediately formed in his head.

A terrible one.

Carefully, he picked it up before gently poking the cotton swab against Junghwan’s nose.

The reaction was immediate.

“Wah—!”

Junghwan jerked awake violently, eyes snapping open in confusion.

“What?! What happened?!”

Dohoon quickly hid his laughter behind the script in his hand.

“You wouldn’t wake up. I had no choice.”

Junghwan stared at him in betrayal before groaning dramatically and falling backward onto the bed again.

“Oh… Dohoon, you’re here…” he muttered sleepily. “Thanks for waking me up. I think I passed out the moment I laid down.”

“That’s because you’ve been overworking yourself.”

Junghwan let out a long sigh, rubbing his face tiredly.

“I’ve been stressing over the play too much lately,” he admitted. “Especially after the original male lead suddenly got into an accident…”

He yawned halfway through the sentence.

And somehow, seeing it made Dohoon yawn too.

The two of them blinked at each other before laughing quietly.

Then Dohoon raised his script.

“Help me run through the scenes,” he said. “I already memorized most of it.”

“But I still don’t fully understand the emotions yet.”

“We’ll go through it together then.” Junghwan grinned lazily while grabbing his own copy of the script. “I’ll be the female lead for now.”

Dohoon snorted immediately.

“You? Female lead?”

“Excuse you, I’m a very dedicated director.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

Junghwan ignored him and flipped open the script dramatically.

“Okay,” he announced. “Let’s start with the scene where they first meet.”

And just like that, the room slowly filled with their voices.

They read lines back and forth while sitting side by side on the bed, occasionally stopping to argue over delivery or laugh when one of them messed up.

Sometimes Junghwan demonstrated scenes with exaggerated acting that made Dohoon nearly fall over laughing.

Sometimes they unexpectedly fell quiet after emotional dialogue lingered too long between them.

Time passed without either of them noticing.

By the time they finally stopped, the clock on the wall already read 9:30 p.m.

Junghwan dropped backward dramatically onto the bed.

“Let’s end here for today,” he groaned. “My throat’s dying.”

“Mhm,” Dohoon agreed softly while scribbling small notes onto his script. “That was a lot.”

Dohoon turned his head slightly to look at him.

“Thanks for helping me.”

Junghwan paused briefly before smiling faintly.

“It’s not a problem.”

Then more quietly—

“I like spending time with you anyway.”

The words came out naturally.

Too naturally.

Dohoon blinked before chuckling softly, warmth lingering in his tired eyes.

“Let’s practice together every day.” Junghwan added on.

Dohoon’s heart skipped.

“…Yeah,” he answered quietly.

He would gladly do it forever if Junghwan asked.

But Junghwan only stretched lazily before burying his face into the pillow again.

“For now though,” he mumbled tiredly, “I just want to rest. I’m exhausted.”

—

For the rest of the week, practicing the script together slowly became part of their routine.

Sometimes they stayed in Junghwan’s room until late at night, scripts spread across the bed while they argued over lines and scene directions.

Other times, they practiced in Dohoon’s room instead, sitting on the floor with snacks between them while Junghwan dramatically acted out scenes to make Dohoon laugh.

It became normal.

Almost dangerously normal.

And throughout the process, Dohoon realized something he had been trying so hard to ignore.

His feelings for Junghwan were only getting worse.

No matter how much he tried to bury them, every rehearsal only made them grow stronger.

Especially during emotional scenes.

There were moments where Junghwan would suddenly go quiet in the middle of reading.

His eyes would linger on Dohoon for just a second too long.

And the way he looked at him—

It wasn’t the usual playful expression Junghwan always wore so effortlessly.

It was something else entirely.

Something softer.

Quieter.

Like longing.

Like yearning.

Like he was staring at something precious he desperately wanted to reach for, yet was too afraid to touch.

Every single time it happened, Dohoon’s heartbeat would spiral completely out of control.

The atmosphere between them would become strangely heavy, filled with unspoken things neither of them dared to name.

And eventually, one of them would always break eye contact first.

Usually Dohoon.

Because he was terrified of what might happen if he didn’t.

—

Friday night arrived before he realized it.

As usual, after dinner, Dohoon headed straight to Junghwan’s house with his script tucked under his arm.

Junghwan’s mother didn’t even question it anymore.

“You’re here again?” she laughed warmly as Dohoon walked in.

“Mm,” Dohoon answered sheepishly. “We’re practicing.”

“Then make sure Junghwan actually rests too.”

“No promises,” Junghwan shouted from upstairs immediately.

Dohoon laughed quietly before heading up to his room.

When he entered, Junghwan was already sprawled across the bed dramatically with the script resting on his chest.

“You’re late,” he complained lazily.

“It’s been two minutes.”

“Still late.”

“You’re impossible.”

Despite the bickering, they quickly settled into practice again.

Tonight’s scene was heavier than usual.

A confession scene.

The point in the story where the two leads finally admitted their feelings after spending years hiding them from each other.

The irony of it made Dohoon feel slightly sick.

They sat across from each other on the floor while reading quietly.

At first, everything went smoothly.

Until halfway through the scene—

Junghwan suddenly stopped talking.

Dohoon looked up instinctively.

And there it was again.

That look.

Junghwan was staring at him silently, script forgotten in his hands.

His gaze felt warm and distant at the same time, almost like he was seeing someone else through Dohoon.

Or maybe seeing Dohoon too clearly.

The silence stretched longer than usual.

Long enough for Dohoon’s chest to start tightening.

Long enough for curiosity to finally overpower fear.

“…Junghwan?”

“Hm?”

“Why do you keep looking at me like that sometimes?”

Junghwan blinked slightly.

Dohoon hesitated before continuing more quietly.

“Like… in a way I can’t really explain.”

For a second, Junghwan froze.

As if he had been caught doing something he shouldn’t have.

“Huh?” He laughed awkwardly almost immediately, breaking eye contact first this time. “I—It’s nothing.”

Dohoon narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“You definitely looked suspicious just now.”

“No I didn’t.”

“You did.”

Junghwan rubbed the back of his neck before mumbling quietly—

“It’s just…”

He glanced at Dohoon again briefly.

“You look better these days.”

Dohoon stared at him.

Junghwan looked strangely flustered after saying it, which only made the compliment feel more genuine somehow.

Like there was something else hidden underneath the words.

Something Junghwan chose not to say.

And honestly?

Dohoon liked hearing it more than he should have.

A small smile slowly appeared on his face despite himself.

“Well,” he said, trying to sound confident, “I’ve always been good-looking.”

Junghwan snorted immediately.

“There it is. Your ego again.”

Dohoon looked away afterward, pretending to focus on the script again.

“But thanks for the compliment.”

But the slight warmth creeping onto his cheeks betrayed him completely.

And Junghwan noticed.

Of course he did.

Because when Dohoon glanced back up briefly—

Junghwan was smiling at him again.

That same soft expression that made his heart feel unbearably weak.

—

They eventually continued with the confession scene.

The atmosphere in the room felt different now.

Heavier.

Quieter.

Like something invisible had settled between them after their earlier conversation.

Junghwan adjusted the script in his hands before taking a slow breath.

Then he closed his eyes briefly.

When he opened them again, his expression had completely changed.

The usual teasing warmth was gone, replaced by something softer. More vulnerable.

Like he had truly become the character.

And somehow, that only made Dohoon more nervous.

Junghwan looked directly at him.

“I like you,” he said quietly. “I’ve liked you for a really long time now.”

Dohoon’s fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the script.

“You’ve been on my mind for so long,” Junghwan continued, his voice gentle. “Without even trying, you always manage to brighten my day.”

The room suddenly felt too small.

Too warm.

“Even the smallest things you do…” Junghwan smiled faintly, eyes never leaving Dohoon’s. “They make my heart race like crazy.”

Dohoon forgot to breathe.

Because the way Junghwan was looking at him—

It didn’t feel like acting anymore.

“Can you give me a chance?” Junghwan asked softly.

Then, almost in a whisper—

“Will you be my boyfriend?”

Dohoon stared at him silently.

His heartbeat was so loud he was genuinely afraid Junghwan could hear it.

Everything felt painfully real.

Too real.

And for one dangerous moment, Dohoon wanted to believe those words were truly meant for him.

Not the character.

But Him.

His throat felt dry as he finally forced himself to continue the scene.

“I…” His voice came out quieter than expected. “I’ve liked you for a long time too.”

Junghwan’s gaze softened slightly.

“You probably never noticed,” Dohoon continued carefully, trying desperately to ignore how fast his heart was beating, “but every moment I spent with you only made me want to know you better.”

The words felt frighteningly honest.

Like he wasn’t reading from the script anymore.

“My heart always beats faster whenever you’re near me.”

Junghwan’s expression flickered slightly.

And somehow, that almost made Dohoon lose control completely.

“So…” Dohoon swallowed nervously. “Yes.”

A small smile appeared on his lips despite himself.

“I’d be glad to be your boyfriend.”

Silence.

The scene had ended.

But neither of them moved immediately.

The room remained unbearably quiet, filled only with the faint sound of their breathing.

Then almost at the same time—

They both looked away.

Dohoon immediately scratched the back of his neck awkwardly, pretending to suddenly find the floor very interesting.

Meanwhile, Junghwan lowered his gaze to the script again far too quickly, flipping pages he wasn’t even reading.

The tension in the room felt almost unbearable now.

Like one wrong word could shatter everything between them.

Eventually, Dohoon cleared his throat softly, forcing himself to break the silence before his thoughts spiraled any further.

“…Should we call it a day?”

Junghwan paused for a second before nodding quietly.

“Yeah,” he murmured. “That’d probably be good.”

Neither of them mentioned why their voices sounded slightly unsteady afterward.

—

The awkward tension from the confession scene slowly faded after a while, replaced once again by the familiar comfort they had always shared.

Junghwan was still pretending to organize the script even though he had been staring at the same page for the past three minutes.

Meanwhile, Dohoon sat beside him, absentmindedly scrolling through his phone while trying very hard not to replay the earlier scene in his head.

Eventually, he cleared his throat softly.

“Are you free tomorrow?”

Junghwan glanced up immediately.

“Hm?”

He thought for a moment before answering.

“I think I’m free,” he said slowly. “Why?”

Dohoon tilted his phone toward him.

“Jihoon’s been complaining that we disappeared.”

Junghwan blinked.

“What?”

“He said we don’t hang out with them anymore.”

Dohoon scrolled through the chat history before reading dramatically—

“‘You two are acting like married people already. I never see you guys anymore.’”

Junghwan immediately burst into laughter.

“That idiot…”

Dohoon couldn’t help laughing too.

“Apparently he’s been complaining to Youngjae, Hanjin, and Kyungmin nonstop.”

Junghwan shook his head in disbelief while smiling.

“Didn’t we literally have lunch with them today?”

Dohoon nodded.

“I told him that too.”

“And?”

“He said it’s different.”

Junghwan laughed even harder this time, leaning back against the bed.

“That sounds exactly like Jihoon.”

Dohoon looked back down at the messages again, amused.

“He keeps saying we abandoned the friend group.”

“Well…” Junghwan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. “We have been pretty busy lately.”

Then suddenly, something clicked in his head.

“Wait.”

Dohoon looked up.

“That explains why Youngjae kept asking me when I’d be free this whole week,” Junghwan realized. “I thought he needed help with something.”

A grin slowly spread across Dohoon’s face.

“So Youngjae’s the representative now?”

“Seems like it,” Junghwan snorted. “He’s probably tired of listening to Jihoon complain every day.”

The image alone made both of them laugh again.

Dohoon could already imagine Jihoon dramatically whining while Youngjae silently suffered beside him.

After the laughter settled, Junghwan’s expression softened slightly.

“Well…” he admitted quietly, “Jihoon’s not completely wrong.”

Dohoon looked at him curiously.

“We’ve been too focused on the play lately,” Junghwan said. “I don’t think we’ve properly hung out with them in weeks.”

Dohoon hummed in agreement.

Most of their time lately had been spent together.

School.

Rehearsals.

Late-night script practice.

Walking home side by side.

Without realizing it, the world around them had slowly narrowed until it mostly became just the two of them again.

And honestly?

That realization scared Dohoon a little.

Because he liked it far too much.

—

Not long after that, Dohoon decided it was finally time to head home.

Junghwan had already started looking half-asleep again, his hair messy from constantly running his hands through it while practicing. The exhaustion on his face was obvious now.

“You look dead,” Dohoon commented while standing up from the floor.

Junghwan groaned dramatically and flopped backward onto the bed.

“I am dead.”

“That’s what happens when you force yourself to survive on iced coffee.”

“Worth it.”

“No it’s not.”

Junghwan only laughed tiredly before lazily waving him off.

“Goodnight, Dohoon-ah.”

“…Goodnight.”

Dohoon lingered by the doorway for a second longer than necessary before finally leaving the room.

The familiar walk back to his own house felt strangely quiet tonight.

Maybe because his mind was still trapped inside that confession scene.

Or maybe because Junghwan’s voice still hadn’t left his head.

Will you be my boyfriend?

Dohoon immediately shut his eyes tightly the moment the memory replayed again.

This is bad.

Really bad.

The second he entered his room, he tossed his bag aside carelessly before collapsing face-first onto his bed.

A muffled groan escaped into his pillow.

“Ahhh seriously…”

He buried his face deeper into the fabric, legs kicking slightly in frustration.

His thoughts kept replaying the scene over and over again no matter how hard he tried to stop it.

The way Junghwan looked at him.

The softness in his voice.

The gentleness in his eyes.

None of it felt like acting.

And that was exactly the problem.

Dohoon rolled onto his back, staring blankly at the ceiling while pressing both hands against his face.

“How am I supposed to survive this for another month…”

Every single practice session was slowly killing him.

Because for a few brief moments during those emotional scenes, it almost felt real.

Like Junghwan truly liked him back.

Like all the things Dohoon had secretly wished for over the past two years were finally happening.

And honestly?

That tiny bit of false hope was enough to completely ruin him.

Dohoon let out another long groan before grabbing his pillow and hugging it tightly against his chest.

He hated this.

Hated how one line from Junghwan could make his heart race uncontrollably.

Hated how easily Junghwan affected him without even trying.

But most of all—

He hated how badly he wished it had been real.

That confession.

That gaze.

Those words.

I’ve liked you for a really long time now.

Dohoon squeezed his eyes shut again.

If Junghwan ever said those words sincerely one day…

He didn’t think his heart would survive it at all.

—

Dohoon woke up to the violent buzzing of his phone somewhere underneath his blanket.

He groaned immediately, blindly reaching around his bed before finally grabbing the device and squinting at the bright screen.

12:03 p.m.

“…What?”

His voice came out rough and sleepy.

No wonder he felt exhausted.

He and Junghwan had somehow ended up texting until nearly three in the morning last night.

What started as discussing the script somehow turned into random conversations about everything and nothing at the same time.

Junghwan sending him dramatic voice messages.

Dohoon making fun of his terrible selfies.

Arguing over which convenience store ramen tasted better at 2 a.m.

Completely normal things.

Yet somehow, Dohoon had fallen asleep smiling like an idiot afterward.

His phone buzzed again impatiently.

Jihoon.

Dohoon answered with half-open eyes.

“…Hello.”

“Finally!” Jihoon shouted immediately. “Did you die or something?”

Dohoon pulled the phone slightly away from his ear.

“I was sleeping.”

“It’s noon.”

“Exactly.”

Jihoon clicked his tongue dramatically.

“Where are you now?”

“At home,” Dohoon answered flatly. “I literally just woke up.”

“Well wake up faster. We’re having lunch at 12:30.”

Dohoon blinked slowly, still mentally loading.

“…Okay.”

“That’s it? No complaints?”

“I’m too tired to complain.”

Jihoon sounded deeply offended.

“You and Junghwan seriously became boring lately.”

Dohoon snorted softly.

“See you later.”

Then he hung up immediately before Jihoon could continue yelling.

The room fell quiet again.

Dohoon stared blankly at the ceiling for a few more seconds before slowly sitting up, his hair completely destroyed from sleep.

He looked like a mess.

And honestly?

He fully intended to stay in bed for another ten minutes.

Until—

Knock knock.

Dohoon frowned.

Who comes this early—

Another knock interrupted his thoughts.

With a tired groan, he dragged himself out of bed and shuffled toward the door in oversized pajamas, still barely awake.

The moment he opened it—

Junghwan stood there casually.

Perfectly dressed.

Hair styled properly.

Looking unfairly refreshed for someone who also slept at three in the morning.

He smiled the second he saw Dohoon.

“Good morning.”

Dohoon stared at him blankly.

“…It’s literally noon.”

Junghwan laughed immediately.

“Still counts.”

“No it doesn’t.”

Even so, Dohoon stepped aside to let him in automatically.

Junghwan walked into the room like he belonged there—which honestly, he practically did at this point.

Meanwhile, Dohoon collapsed back onto his bed dramatically while rubbing his eyes tiredly.

“You’re insane,” he mumbled. “How are you already awake and functioning?”

“I showered.”

“That sounds fake.”

Junghwan only laughed again.

Then after a few seconds—

Dohoon suddenly felt it.

That stare again.

He turned slightly toward Junghwan suspiciously.

“What are you staring at?”

Junghwan was sitting on the chair near the desk now, chin resting lazily against one hand while openly looking at him.

And instead of denying it this time—

He smiled.

“You look funny.”

Dohoon narrowed his eyes immediately.

“What does that even mean?”

Junghwan gestured vaguely toward him.

“You’ve got bed hair,” he said. “Your pajamas are all wrinkled, and you still look half asleep.”

“…Rude.”

“You’re messy.”

Dohoon grabbed the nearest pillow and threw it directly at him.

Junghwan caught it easily while laughing.

“But cute,” he added casually.

Dohoon froze.

“…What?”

Junghwan blinked innocently, clearly unaware of the damage he had just caused.

“I said you look cute.”

Dohoon stared at him silently for a solid three seconds.

Then slowly buried his face into the blanket again with a muffled groan.

Junghwan laughed even harder.

Meanwhile, hidden underneath the blanket—

Dohoon’s face was completely red.

—

After another ten minutes of hiding under his blanket out of embarrassment, Dohoon finally forced himself to get ready properly.

By the time he came out of the bathroom, his hair was fixed, his oversized pajamas replaced with actual clothes, and he no longer looked like someone who had just been dragged out of the grave.

Junghwan looked up from scrolling through his phone the moment Dohoon stepped out.

“There,” Dohoon said proudly while fixing his sleeves. “Human again.”

Junghwan glanced at him quietly for a second before smiling faintly.

“Mhm. Still cute though.”

“Junghwan.”

“What?”

“Stop talking.”

Junghwan laughed immediately while dodging the pillow Dohoon threatened to throw again.

—

A while later, after both of them were finally ready, Junghwan suggested calling for a cab since neither of them felt like walking under the afternoon sun.

The ride there was mostly filled with random conversations and Jihoon spamming their group chat dramatically.

Jihoon:
WHERE ARE YOU TWO

Jihoon:
Did you both fall asleep together or something

Jihoon:
Answer me traitors

Dohoon nearly choked reading it while Junghwan laughed beside him.

“You should mute him,” Junghwan suggested.

“I’m considering it.”

—

By the time they arrived at the restaurant, the others were already there.

Youngjae noticed them first and immediately waved from their table near the window.

“Oh, you guys are finally here.”

The moment Dohoon and Junghwan approached, the complaints immediately started.

Hanjin pointed accusingly at them.

“You’re late.”

Jihoon narrowed his eyes dramatically.

“I bet Junghwan-hyung had to physically drag Dohoon-hyung out of bed.”

“That’s exactly what happened,” Junghwan answered shamelessly before sitting down.

“Yah.”

Kyungmin looked between the two of them before shaking his head with amusement.

“You guys are seriously attached to each other lately.”

Dohoon felt his heartbeat stumble for absolutely no reason.

Meanwhile, Junghwan looked completely unfazed.

“We literally live next to each other,” he replied casually.

“That’s not the point,” Jihoon argued immediately. “You two disappeared from society for like two weeks.”

“Because of the play,” Junghwan defended himself.

Youngjae sighed deeply.

“I’ve been hearing Jihoon complain about this every single day.”

“Because they abandoned us!”

“We had lunch together yesterday,” Dohoon pointed out while pulling out a chair beside Junghwan.

“That doesn’t count.”

“How does it not count?”

“It just doesn’t.”

Everyone burst into laughter at Jihoon’s stubbornness.

Dohoon shook his head before finally grabbing the menu.

“Can we order already?” he complained dramatically. “I’m starving.”

“Finally, someone speaking sense,” Hanjin agreed immediately.

Junghwan leaned slightly closer to peek at Dohoon’s menu instead of using his own.

“What are you getting?”

Dohoon glanced at him sideways.

“You literally have your own menu.”

“But yours is closer.”

“That makes zero sense.”

Still, neither of them moved away.

And across the table, Jihoon slowly narrowed his eyes suspiciously while watching them.

While everyone continued arguing over what to order, Jihoon slowly leaned closer toward Youngjae with narrowed eyes.

“…Don’t you think they’ve been acting weird lately?”

Youngjae looked up from his drink.

“Hm?”

Jihoon subtly pointed across the table.

“Those two.”

Youngjae followed his gaze immediately.

On the other side of the table, Junghwan had somehow leaned even closer toward Dohoon while looking at the menu together, their shoulders pressed tightly against each other in the cramped booth.

Meanwhile, Dohoon was visibly struggling.

“Yah, move,” he complained while trying to shove Junghwan slightly away with one hand. “There’s literally no space.”

“There is space.”

“There’s not.”

“You’re just dramatic.”

“You’re the one practically sitting on me right now.”

Junghwan laughed shamelessly but made absolutely no effort to move away.

Jihoon stared blankly at the scene.

“…See?”

Youngjae stayed quiet for a second before slowly nodding.

“…I noticed it too.”

Jihoon looked personally offended.

“They weren’t this bad before.”

“Maybe practicing the play together made them closer,” Youngjae suggested calmly.

“Closer?” Jihoon whispered aggressively. “At this point they share one brain cell.”

Youngjae nearly laughed into his drink.

—

Across the table, Kyungmin and Hanjin had also started noticing the situation.

Hanjin blinked slowly.

“Why are they sitting that close when there’s an entire empty side over there?”

Kyungmin looked deeply amused now.

“I honestly don’t think they realize they’re doing it.”

Meanwhile, completely oblivious to the attention they were attracting—

Dohoon was still fighting for personal space.

“Junghwan, your shoulder is literally crushing me.”

“You’re exaggerating again.”

“I’m not!”

Junghwan leaned even closer on purpose just to annoy him.

“Now I’m doing it intentionally.”

“YAH.”

Dohoon shoved him harder this time while Junghwan laughed loudly beside him.

And somehow—

Despite all the complaining—

Dohoon still didn’t actually move away either.

Deep down, though—

Dohoon liked it.

He liked how naturally Junghwan invaded his personal space without hesitation.

Liked how Junghwan always gravitated toward him unconsciously, like staying close had become second nature.

And maybe that was why Dohoon never truly pushed him away.

Because no matter how much he complained—

A part of him always wanted Junghwan closer.

—

Eventually, after finishing lunch and listening to Jihoon complain for another ten minutes about being “abandoned,” the group decided to head to the arcade nearby.

The moment they stepped inside, the atmosphere changed instantly.

Bright flashing lights.

Loud game sounds.

Music overlapping from every direction.

Within minutes, the entire arcade was filled with their shouting and laughter.

“YAH THAT’S CHEATING!” Jihoon complained.

“It’s literally part of the game!” 

Dohoon is landing perfect combo after perfect combo. 

In a matter of seconds, Hanjin’s character was already defeated.

“That combo is illegal!” Hanjin whined.

Dohoon laughed breathlessly while absolutely destroying Jihoon and Hanjin in a fighting game for the third round in a row.

“I hate you,” Jihoon said flatly while gripping the controls with betrayal in his eyes.

“You’re just bad,” Dohoon replied shamelessly.

“That’s easy for you to say when you play like a sweaty esports player.”

Hanjin pointed accusingly at the screen.

“He memorized combos!”

“Of course I did.”

“See?! That’s psychotic behavior!”

Dohoon only grinned proudly while selecting his character again.

—

Nearby, Kyungmin had somehow become overly competitive at the basketball machine.

“Junghwan-hyung!” he shouted across the arcade. “Come challenge me!”

Junghwan, meanwhile, sat slouched on a nearby bench with absolutely zero interest.

“No.”

“Coward.”

“I’m tired.”

“You’ve said that for the past thirty minutes!”

Junghwan waved lazily without even looking up from his phone.

“I’m supporting you emotionally.”

“That’s not helpful!”

Youngjae burst out laughing beside the basketball machine while Jihoon continued aggressively losing to Dohoon in the background.

The entire arcade felt alive with noise and chaos.

And in the middle of it all—

Dohoon glanced toward Junghwan instinctively.

Junghwan was sitting with one arm stretched across the back of the bench, looking calmer than everyone else around him. The bright arcade lights reflected softly across his face while he watched the group with quiet amusement.

Then, as if sensing the stare—

Junghwan looked up.

Their eyes met immediately.

And just like always, Junghwan smiled first.

Small.

Soft.

Only meant for him.

Dohoon felt his chest tighten again.

Seriously…

How was he supposed to survive this?

—

Junghwan eventually let out a quiet sigh before standing up from the bench.

“Finally,” Kyungmin said dramatically. “The dead man lives.”

“I’m still tired,” Junghwan replied lazily while stretching his arms. “But watching Jihoon get destroyed repeatedly is getting boring.”

“YAH.”

Dohoon snorted softly without looking away from the screen.

“Skill issue.”

Jihoon looked personally victimized.

Before he could argue back, Junghwan suddenly stepped beside Dohoon and placed a hand lightly on the arcade machine.

“Move.”

Dohoon blinked up at him.

“Hm?”

“I’ll play.”

The moment those words left Junghwan’s mouth, the others reacted immediately.

“Ohhh,” Hanjin grinned. “Now this is serious.”

Youngjae leaned against another machine with interest.

“It’s been a while since you two fought.”

Jihoon stepped aside dramatically.

“Finally. Someone avenge me.”

Dohoon looked at Junghwan suspiciously.

“You sure?” he asked. “You’ve been acting tired all day.”

Junghwan only smiled lazily before grabbing the second controller.

“I’m suddenly energized.”

That stupid confidence immediately made Dohoon competitive again.

“Wow,” he scoffed. “You’re really asking to lose.”

Junghwan raised an eyebrow.

“Pretty sure you barely won last time.”

“That still counts as winning.”

“By a small margin.”

“And?”

—

The others quickly gathered around them as the game loaded.

Because honestly?

Whenever Dohoon and Junghwan played against each other, things got intense fast.

They had been competing since they were kids.

Football.

Basketball.

Video games.

Even stupid things like who could finish homework faster somehow became competitions between them.

And fighting games?

That was practically war.

Currently, their overall record stood at fifty to fifty-one.

With Dohoon barely leading by one win.

Which Junghwan never let him forget.

“Ready to lose your title?” Junghwan asked casually while selecting his character.

Dohoon immediately narrowed his eyes.

“In your dreams.”

The game started instantly.

And within seconds—

The atmosphere completely changed.

“OH?”

Jihoon nearly screamed watching the screen.

“Okay wait—they’re actually insane.”

Dohoon blocked Junghwan’s combo at the last second before immediately counterattacking.

Junghwan reacted just as quickly.

Their fingers moved across the controls almost violently fast, years of experience obvious in every movement.

Meanwhile, the rest of the group had become full-time commentators.

“HOLY SHIT.”

“HOW DID YOU BLOCK THAT?”

“JUNGHWAN YOU’RE LOSING!”

“NO HE’S NOT—WAIT—”

Dohoon smirked triumphantly when he landed a clean combo—

Only for Junghwan to recover immediately.

“Cocky already?” Junghwan teased without taking his eyes off the screen.

“You wish.”

Their shoulders kept bumping slightly from how close they were standing.

Normally, Dohoon would’ve complained.

But right now, he was too focused on winning.

Final round.

Last health bar.

The entire group leaned closer.

“COME ON DOHOON!”

“JUNGHWAN FINISH HIM!”

Both characters attacked simultaneously—

Then the screen flashed.

WINNER: JUNGHWAN

The arcade immediately exploded.

“HE DID IT!”

“NO WAY!”

Jihoon grabbed Junghwan dramatically.

“THANK YOU FOR AVENGING US.”

Junghwan burst out laughing while Dohoon stared at the screen in betrayal.

“…Impossible.”

“Fifty-one to fifty-one now,” Junghwan said proudly.

Dohoon turned toward him slowly.

“You’re never seeing peace again.”

Junghwan grinned immediately.

“Can’t wait.”

Of course, one match wasn’t enough.

Not when both of them were equally competitive.

“Again,” Dohoon said immediately after losing.

Junghwan grinned.

“I thought you accepted defeat already.”

“In your dreams.”

And just like that, another match started.

Then another.

And another.

The small crowd around them somehow kept growing as their friends loudly reacted to every round like it was some professional tournament.

“DOHOON BLOCK THAT!”

“JUNGHWAN STOP SPAMMING.”

“HE’S NOT SPAMMING, YOU’RE JUST BAD!”

“I’M NOT EVEN PLAYING!”

At one point, even random people nearby had started watching because of how ridiculously intense they looked.

Neither Dohoon nor Junghwan noticed.

They were too focused on each other.

Every win only made the other want revenge immediately.

Every loss came with endless teasing.

“You’re slowing down,” Junghwan teased after winning another round.

Dohoon scoffed.

“You wish.”

Then two matches later—

“Wow,” Dohoon smirked proudly while leaning back slightly. “Looks like someone’s washed.”

Junghwan narrowed his eyes immediately.

“Run that back.”

—

Hours somehow passed like that.

The others had long given up trying to interrupt them.

Kyungmin and Hanjin moved on to other games while Youngjae sat nearby laughing at Jihoon’s increasingly dramatic commentary.

Meanwhile, Dohoon and Junghwan remained completely locked in their own world.

Shoulders brushing.

Trash talking constantly.

Laughing between rounds.

And every single time one of them won, the other would instantly demand a rematch.

Eventually, after yet another intense final round—

WINNER: DOHOON

Dohoon immediately threw both hands into the air.

“LET’S GOOOO.”

Junghwan groaned dramatically beside him.

“No way you survived with that little health.”

“Skill issue.”

“You got lucky.”

“Still won though.”

Jihoon walked over to check the score count they had been keeping.

Then blinked.

“…Wait.”

Everyone looked over.

Jihoon slowly turned the phone screen toward them dramatically.

“Fifty-four to fifty-four.”

Silence.

Then both Dohoon and Junghwan reacted at the same time.

“No way.”

“That’s actually insane.”

Youngjae laughed softly from nearby.

“You two really can’t beat each other.”

“We’re evenly matched,” Junghwan said proudly while crossing his arms.

Dohoon snorted immediately.

“More like you barely caught up.”

Junghwan bumped his shoulder lightly.

“Still tied.”

Dohoon looked at him for a second before laughing quietly despite himself.

Yeah.

Still tied.

And somehow, he had a feeling they always would be.

That they would always be tied to each other.

—

By the time they finally left the arcade, the sky outside had already started turning softer with the late afternoon sun.

It was nearly 4 p.m.

Everyone looked slightly exhausted after hours of screaming, running around, and aggressively competing over games.

Meanwhile, Jihoon somehow still had endless energy.

“Let’s watch a horror movie!” he suddenly suggested while walking backward in front of the group.

Almost immediately—

“H-horror movie?”

Junghwan’s reaction came a little too fast.

Dohoon turned toward him instantly, already trying not to laugh.

Junghwan straightened immediately after realizing everyone was looking at him.

“No?” he said quickly. “Why would I be afraid?”
“And why are you guys looking at me?”

Unfortunately for him, his voice had gone slightly higher than usual.

Which made it incredibly obvious.

Youngjae immediately burst out laughing beside him.

“Junghwan,” he said between laughs, “you’re trying too hard to act cool.”

“I am cool.”

“You screamed during that zombie game earlier.”

“That was different.”

Hanjin looked genuinely concerned now.

“Are you sure you’ll survive a horror movie?”

“I’m not scared,” Junghwan insisted stubbornly.

Meanwhile, Kyungmin had already started checking movie schedules on his phone.

“Ooh,” he said suddenly. “How about this one?”

He turned the screen around for everyone to see.

The movie poster immediately revealed a creepy-looking child standing barefoot in a dark hallway, clutching a dirty doll while smiling unnaturally wide.

The image alone was unsettling.

And beside him—

Dohoon felt Junghwan visibly stiffen.

His breath even hitched slightly.

Ah.

So he really is scared.

Trying not to smile too obviously, Dohoon leaned closer toward him slightly before poking his cheek softly.

“Junghwannie,” he whispered teasingly near his ear, voice quieter this time, “are you scared?”

This time though, underneath the teasing—

There was actual concern too.

Because Junghwan genuinely looked uncomfortable now.

Junghwan immediately turned toward him with widened eyes.

“NO,” he said way too loudly. “I’M NOT.”

The others immediately burst into laughter again.

“Your voice cracked,” Jihoon pointed out mercilessly.

“It did not.”

“It absolutely did.”

Dohoon couldn’t help chuckling softly while watching Junghwan desperately maintain what little dignity he had left.

“If you say so,” he said lightly.

Junghwan narrowed his eyes at him suspiciously.

“You’re enjoying this too much.”

“A little.”

Kyungmin looked back at his phone again.

“Let me check the timings…” he muttered before looking up again a moment later.

“There’s one at 4:30. Is that okay?”

Jihoon immediately nodded.

“Perfect.”

Youngjae glanced toward Junghwan sympathetically.

“You still have time to back out..”

Junghwan crossed his arms stubbornly.

“I already said I’m not scared.”

Dohoon looked at him for a second before smiling faintly.

Something told him Junghwan was absolutely going to regret those words later.

 —

In reality, Junghwan was absolutely terrified.

The moment they stepped into the dark movie theater, his entire body noticeably tensed.

Dohoon noticed immediately.

Junghwan kept glancing toward the giant screen with visible suspicion, as if expecting a ghost to suddenly crawl out before the movie even started.

It was honestly adorable.

The group eventually found their seats near the middle row.

And as expected—

Dohoon and Junghwan somehow ended up sitting beside each other again.

At this point, nobody even questioned it anymore.

Well.

Almost nobody.

Hanjin paused before sitting down, looking between the two of them with concern.

“…Hyung,” he said carefully, “are you sure you guys should sit together?”

Dohoon blinked.

“Why?”

Hanjin looked genuinely worried now.

“Because Junghwan hyung is scared easily,” he explained. “And you’re also a scaredy cat.”

Dohoon looked offended immediately.

“I’ll be fine.”

Hanjin raised an eyebrow.

“I’m serious,” Dohoon insisted confidently while sitting down beside Junghwan. “I’m not scared at all.”

Youngjae snorted from the row behind them.

“You say that every single time.”

Jihoon nodded aggressively.

“And every single time you scream first.”

“That was one time.”

“It was literally every horror game we’ve ever played.”

Dohoon ignored them completely and crossed his arms stubbornly.

“I’ve changed.”

Meanwhile beside him, Junghwan was already gripping the armrest suspiciously.

The lights dimmed slightly.

Then suddenly—

The theater speakers blasted the first advertisement loudly.

Junghwan physically jolted in his seat.

Dohoon immediately turned toward him in disbelief before bursting into laughter.

“Junghwan,” he whispered teasingly, “the movie hasn’t even started yet.”

Junghwan glared at him weakly.

“That was loud.”

“You’re unbelievable.”

“I’m just being alert.”

“Sure you are.”

Dohoon spent the next few minutes shamelessly teasing him every time Junghwan reacted to sudden sounds or creepy previews.

Meanwhile, Junghwan continued pretending he was perfectly fine despite visibly shrinking deeper into his seat.

Then—

The actual movie started.

And roughly ten minutes later—

“AHHHH—!”

Two voices screamed at exactly the same time.

Jihoon nearly choked laughing from behind.

Because somehow—

Both Dohoon and Junghwan were now clutching onto each other in absolute fear.

Junghwan had grabbed Dohoon’s arm so tightly it was practically cutting off circulation.

Meanwhile, Dohoon was half-hiding against Junghwan’s shoulder after a jumpscare nearly killed him emotionally.

“YOU SAID YOU WEREN’T SCARED!” Junghwan whisper-yelled accusingly.

“YOU’RE LITERALLY HOLDING ME!”

“BECAUSE YOU SCREAMED FIRST!”

“I DID NOT!”

“YES YOU DID!”

Another creepy scene appeared on screen.

Immediately both of them flinched violently again.

Hanjin sighed deeply from nearby.

“…I knew this would happen.”

Youngjae was laughing so hard he could barely breathe.

Meanwhile, Jihoon had already taken out his phone to secretly record them for blackmail purposes later.

“I’m going to make them treat me to a meal.” Jihoon is already snickering, plotting what he should do with the photos.

Completely unaware of this—

Dohoon and Junghwan remained glued to each other in mutual terror for the rest of the movie.

—

By the time the movie finally ended, the entire theater lights slowly brightened again.

Everyone stood up one by one, stretching after nearly two hours of screaming and chaos.

Well—

Almost everyone.

Junghwan remained frozen in his seat for a few extra seconds, staring blankly ahead like his soul had genuinely left his body somewhere during the final jumpscare.

His hair was messy.

His expression empty.

He looked traumatized.

Meanwhile beside him, Dohoon looked completely refreshed now that the movie was over.

The contrast was ridiculous.

The moment Junghwan finally stood up slowly, Dohoon immediately burst into laughter.

“Junghwan,” he wheezed, “you look dead inside.”

Junghwan turned toward him painfully slowly.

“…How are you acting so normal now?”

“Hm?”

“You were literally screaming ten minutes ago.”

Dohoon looked completely unapologetic.

“Well, horror movies are supposed to be scary,” he said casually. “That’s the fun part.”

Junghwan stared at him in disbelief.

“…You’re impossible.”

Dohoon only laughed harder while walking beside him out of the theater.

Honestly, seeing Junghwan get scared so easily had been way too entertaining.

Especially because despite acting terrified the entire time—

Junghwan still instinctively pulled Dohoon closer whenever something scary happened.

And Dohoon definitely wasn’t going to admit how much he secretly liked that.

Behind them, Jihoon suddenly gasped dramatically.

“Oh my god.”

Before Junghwan could react—

Click.

Jihoon immediately burst into laughter while staring at his phone screen.

“HYUNG,” he shouted between laughs. “You look so funny right now.”

Junghwan blinked.

Then realization hit.

“YAH.”

He immediately lunged toward Jihoon in horror.

“You better delete that!”

Jihoon dodged him easily while laughing uncontrollably.

“No way. This is historical evidence.”

“Delete it right now!”

“Make me.”

Junghwan looked genuinely betrayed.

Meanwhile, Youngjae glanced at the photo over Jihoon’s shoulder and immediately lost composure too.

The picture perfectly captured Junghwan’s completely soulless expression while clutching onto Dohoon’s sleeve like his life depended on it.

Even Hanjin started laughing.

“Hyung… you actually look possessed.”

“I hate all of you.”

Kyungmin nodded seriously.

“That picture belongs in a museum.”

Junghwan groaned dramatically before covering his face with both hands.

Only for Dohoon to laugh even harder beside him.

“This is your karma,” Dohoon teased. “You acted all confident earlier.”

Junghwan immediately turned toward him with narrowed eyes.

“And whose shoulder were you screaming into during the doll scene?”

Dohoon froze.

“…That was different.”

Junghwan pointed accusingly.

“Aha.”

The others immediately exploded again.

Meanwhile, Dohoon felt his face warming slightly remembering it.

At some point during the movie, he had become so scared that he unconsciously buried himself against Junghwan for comfort.

And Junghwan…

Had simply let him.

Realizing the attention was dangerously shifting toward him now, Dohoon immediately decided to save himself the only way possible—

By targeting someone else.

Specifically—

Jihoon.

A slow grin spread across Dohoon’s face as he turned toward him.

“Don’t think I didn’t notice you screaming too, Jihoon.”

Jihoon immediately pointed at himself in disbelief.

“Me?”

“Yes, you.”

“I was not scared.”

Dohoon raised an eyebrow.

“You literally screamed louder than Junghwan during the hospital scene.”

“That was a tactical reaction.”

“That doesn’t even make sense.”

Jihoon crossed his arms stubbornly.

“At least I wasn’t clinging onto another person the whole movie.”

Dohoon gasped dramatically.

“Oh really?”

Then with perfect timing—

He casually pulled out his phone.

Jihoon’s confidence immediately dropped.

“…Wait.”

Dohoon’s grin widened further before turning the screen around for everyone to see.

The moment the photo appeared—

The entire group exploded.

“OH MY GOD.”

“NO WAY.”

“JIHOON HYUNG?!”

The picture perfectly captured Jihoon halfway through the movie gripping onto Youngjae’s arm in absolute fear while Youngjae sat beside him laughing uncontrollably.

Jihoon’s terrified expression made it even worse.

“YAH!” Jihoon nearly screamed. “WHEN DID YOU TAKE THAT?!”

Dohoon looked deeply proud of himself.

“When you were busy holding onto Youngjae, obviously.”

Youngjae immediately lost it beside him, nearly folding over from laughter.

“I remember this,” he said breathlessly. “You almost broke my arm.”

“I WAS STARTLED!”

“You buried your face into my shoulder.”

“That did not happen!”

“It literally did,” Hanjin confirmed mercilessly.

Kyungmin nodded seriously.

“You looked like you were fighting for survival.”

Jihoon looked genuinely betrayed now.

“How come all of you secretly took photos?!”

“Because you guys were too funny,” Dohoon answered shamelessly.

Junghwan suddenly leaned closer to peek at the picture again before laughing softly.

“You really were clinging onto Youngjae.”

Jihoon pointed aggressively at him.

“You’re not allowed to laugh. You lost your soul halfway through the movie.”

“That’s different.”

“How?”

“It just is.”

Another round of laughter immediately broke out again.

Meanwhile, Youngjae glanced between the two photos now saved on everyone’s phones before shaking his head fondly.

“You guys are hopeless.”

He wasn’t wrong at all.

—

After spending nearly the entire afternoon together, the group eventually wandered around the mall aimlessly while continuing to tease each other over the horror movie incident.

By the time someone finally checked the time—

“Wait,” Youngjae blinked at his phone. “It’s already 7.”

Everyone immediately reacted.

“What?”

“No way.”

“We’ve really been here that long?”

The sky outside the mall windows had already darkened completely without them noticing.

Jihoon stretched dramatically.

“My social battery is finally dying.”

“You don’t even have one,” Kyungmin replied immediately.

“Rude.”

Eventually, after another few minutes of arguing over nothing, they decided it was finally time to head home.

But before separating—

“Group photo first,” Hanjin suddenly said while already pulling out his phone.

“Oh right.”

Everyone immediately gathered closer together near the entrance of the mall.

The arrangement quickly became chaotic.

Jihoon kept ruining pictures on purpose.

Kyungmin complained about the angle.

Youngjae looked like a tired father trying to control five children at once.

And somehow—

Junghwan naturally ended up beside Dohoon again.

Not just beside him.

Close.

Junghwan casually hooked one arm around the back of Dohoon’s neck, pulling him closer without even thinking about it.

Their shoulders pressed together immediately.

Dohoon felt his breath catch for a second.

Meanwhile, Junghwan looked completely relaxed beside him, smiling softly at the camera like this was the most natural thing in the world.

“Ready?” Hanjin asked.

Jihoon immediately shouted—

“Everyone say horror movie trauma!”

“YAH.”

Click.

The photo was taken in the middle of everyone laughing.

And honestly—

It looked warm.

Comfortable.

Like one of those memories they would probably look back on years later.

Afterward, the group slowly parted ways outside the mall entrance.

“See you Monday.”

“Don’t disappear again.”

“Junghwan, survive the nightmares.”

“I hate all of you.”

Eventually, it was just Dohoon and Junghwan left standing together again.

Which honestly wasn’t surprising anymore.

“Cab?” Junghwan asked while checking his phone.

Dohoon nodded.

“Mm.”

The ride home was quieter compared to earlier.

Not awkward quiet.

Comfortable quiet.

The kind that only existed between people who had known each other forever.

Junghwan sat beside him scrolling through the group chat while occasionally laughing at Jihoon’s dramatic messages about emotional damage from the horror movie.

Meanwhile, Dohoon leaned slightly against the window, still tired from the long day.

Then suddenly—

Both their phones buzzed almost at the same time.

Dohoon blinked before checking his messages.

A family group chat notification.

Mom:
Dad suddenly got leave approved, so we’re going for a short trip. We’ll only be back Tuesday. Dinner is settled yourselves okay? ❤️

Dohoon stared at the screen for a second.

“…My mom just told me they suddenly went on a trip,” he said while reading the message again. “They’ll only be back Tuesday.”

Beside him, Junghwan suddenly let out a dramatic sigh.

“…They abandoned us.”

Dohoon turned immediately.

Junghwan held up his own phone screen.

And sure enough—

The exact same situation.

His family group chat was filled with cheerful messages about a sudden family trip and reminders for Junghwan to “eat properly” while they were gone.

Dohoon burst out laughing instantly.

“No way.”

“They really left us behind.”

“At the exact same time too.”

Junghwan slumped deeper into the seat dramatically.

“I can’t believe this.”

Despite his complaining though, Dohoon noticed the small smile tugging at the corner of Junghwan’s lips.

A dangerous thought quietly crossed Dohoon’s mind at the realization.

For the next few days—

It would just be the two of them alone next door to each other.

—

For a few moments, both of them simply stared at their phones in disbelief.

Their parents had really just left them behind without warning.

At the same time.

Dohoon leaned back against the cab seat dramatically.

“This is irresponsible parenting.”

“Agreed,” Junghwan muttered. “They didn’t even ask if we’d survive on our own.”

“They clearly overestimate our abilities.”

Junghwan nodded seriously.

“They really do.”

A brief silence followed before reality finally hit both of them.

…Wait.

Dinner.

Dohoon slowly turned toward Junghwan.

“So what are we eating?”

Junghwan blinked.

Then shrugged helplessly.

“…I have no idea.”

“That’s reassuring.”

“Delivery maybe?” Junghwan suggested weakly. “Or ramyeon?”

Dohoon frowned slightly.

“Again?”

“We literally survive on ramyeon half the time already.”

“That’s exactly why I don’t want ramyeon.”

Junghwan looked deeply offended.

“Never disrespect ramyeon like that again.”

Dohoon snorted softly before thinking for another moment.

Then suddenly—

“Should we try cooking?”

The moment those words left his mouth—

Junghwan immediately looked horrified.

Actually horrified.

“…I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

Dohoon blinked innocently.

“Why?”

Junghwan stared at him in disbelief.

“Dohoon.”

“Hm?”

“Have you forgotten what happened the last time we tried cooking?”

A dangerous memory instantly resurfaced in both their minds.

Sleepover night.

One year ago.

Jihoon trying to fry something without oil… It didn’t end well.

Youngjae screaming because smoke started appearing, the pan all black.

Hanjin nearly dropping an entire ceramic pot onto the floor.

And Junghwan accidentally turning the stove fire way too high while Dohoon panicked beside him.

At one point—

The kitchen alarm had started ringing violently.

“The kitchen almost exploded,” Junghwan reminded him flatly.

“…Okay but technically nothing exploded.”

“Because Youngjae turned the gas off before we died.”

“That’s true.”

Junghwan crossed his arms immediately.

“I choose life.”

Dohoon burst out laughing.

“You’re exaggerating.”

“You almost set a towel on fire!”

“That happened one time.”

“That should never happen even once! Plus how do you even set a towel on fire?”

Dohoon laughed harder watching Junghwan genuinely traumatized by the memory.

Then after calming down slightly, he tilted his head.

“…Still.”

Junghwan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“What?”

“I kind of want to try again.”

“Absolutely not.”

“We’re older now.”

“That doesn’t magically give us cooking skills.”

“We can follow tutorials.”

Junghwan looked unconvinced immediately.

“Dohoon.”

“Hm?”

“You once burned instant noodles.”

“…That pot was faulty.” Dohoon just randomly blames the pot that is completely fine.

“There’s no way to fail instant noodles, like how?”

Dohoon clicked his tongue in annoyance while Junghwan looked increasingly certain that letting him near a kitchen was a terrible idea.

But despite all the complaining—

Junghwan was already starting to consider it anyway.

Because doing something disastrous together with Dohoon sounded strangely fun.

—

“But,” Dohoon added while trying not to laugh, “there’s one thing we can definitely agree on.”

Junghwan already knew where this was going.

“…Never let Jihoon touch the kitchen.”

“Exactly.”

Both of them immediately burst into laughter.

Because honestly?

Out of everyone in their friend group—

Jihoon was by far the most dangerous person near cooking equipment.

It was almost impressive.

“Everything in the kitchen is literally allergic to him,” Dohoon said between laughs.

Junghwan nodded seriously.

“I still remember when he somehow burned soup.”

“That shouldn’t even be physically possible.”

“He wasn’t even cooking it properly yet!”

Dohoon nearly folded over laughing remembering the disaster.

During that same sleepover, Jihoon had somehow managed to create chaos within five minutes of entering the kitchen.

First, he dropped an egg onto the floor.

Second, wash the meat with soap.

Then he accidentally used sugar instead of salt.

And somehow—

Nobody still understood how—

He managed to create smoke from boiling water.

To this day, it remained one of the group’s greatest mysteries.

—

“Remember when Youngjae banned him from touching the stove?” Dohoon asked.

Junghwan immediately laughed harder.

“He literally said, ‘Sit down and contribute emotionally instead.’”

“And Jihoon got offended.”

“He said nobody appreciated his talent.”

“What talent?!”

Both of them laughed so loudly the cab driver briefly glanced at them through the mirror with visible confusion.

Junghwan wiped the corner of his eyes slightly, still laughing.

“I swear,” he said breathlessly, “if Jihoon ever lives alone one day, the kitchen’s not surviving.”

“He’ll probably burn water again.”

“That’s not even scientifically explainable.”

The laughter slowly settled after a while.

Then Junghwan suddenly glanced toward Dohoon with a faint smile still lingering on his face.

“So…”

Dohoon looked back at him.

“We’re really cooking?”

Dohoon grinned immediately.

“You’re agreeing?”

“I didn’t say that.”

“You totally are.”

Junghwan sighed dramatically like he was making the worst decision of his life.

“…Fine.”

Dohoon instantly looked way too excited.

“But,” Junghwan added quickly, pointing at him seriously, “if the kitchen explodes, I’m blaming you.”

Dohoon laughed immediately.

“Deal.”

Around fifteen minutes later, the cab finally stopped in front of their neighborhood.

The familiar streets were much quieter now compared to the noisy chaos of the mall.

Dohoon and Junghwan got out together, thanking the driver before slowly walking side by side toward their houses.

The night air felt cool after spending hours inside crowded places.

For a while, neither of them spoke.

Mostly because both were still tired from the long day.

And maybe—

Because it somehow felt strangely peaceful like this.

Just the two of them walking home together again.

As they reached the front gates separating their houses, Junghwan suddenly stopped walking.

“Ah, right.”

Dohoon turned toward him.

“Hm?”

Junghwan rubbed the back of his neck casually before speaking.

“Since both our parents aren’t home these few days…”

Dohoon waited quietly.

“You should just sleep over at my place.”

Dohoon blinked.

Junghwan continued naturally, completely unaware of the effect his words were having.

“That way we can look after each other,” he explained. “And we won’t have to eat alone either.”

For a second—

Dohoon genuinely forgot how to breathe.

Sleep together?

For the next few days?

Alone?

His heart immediately started beating uncontrollably fast.

Because honestly—

This was practically his dream scenario.

Being alone with Junghwan without constant interruptions from family members or friends.

Waking up beside him.

Spending entire days together freely.

It sounded dangerously perfect.

And that was exactly why it terrified him too.

Dohoon tried his best to keep his expression normal despite the chaos happening internally.

“O-oh.”

Amazing response, Dohoon.

Meanwhile, Junghwan still looked completely calm.

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” he added casually. “I just thought it’d be more fun than staying alone.”

More fun.

Dohoon’s chest tightened slightly at the words.

Because Junghwan always said things like that so naturally.

As if spending time with Dohoon was the easiest thing in the world.

Meanwhile, Dohoon had to fight for his life every time Junghwan smiled at him for too long.

“…No,” Dohoon answered quickly before Junghwan could misunderstand. “I mean—it’s fine.”

Junghwan smiled immediately.

“Then it’s settled.”

Dohoon looked away almost instantly after that.

Because if he kept looking any longer—

Junghwan might notice how red his ears had become.

The thought of spending the next few nights alone together with Junghwan was already making his heart impossible to control.

Even though sleeping over at each other’s houses had never been unusual for them growing up—

Things changed after Dohoon realized his feelings.

Before that, it was normal.

Movie nights that ended with them accidentally falling asleep side by side.

Staying up until 3 a.m. talking nonsense under dim lights.

Junghwan stealing his blanket.

Dohoon kicking him in his sleep.

It had always been easy.

Natural.

But after realizing he was in love with Junghwan…

Everything suddenly felt dangerous.

Especially when his thoughts started drifting toward things they absolutely should not drift toward.

Things that made him feel guilty afterward.

So eventually—

Dohoon quietly started distancing himself from sleeping together.

Even if Junghwan never understood why.

Thinking back now—

The memory was still kind of funny.

—
Two Years Ago

“Yah, Dohoon, why?”

Junghwan looked genuinely upset, arms crossed while standing in Dohoon’s room.

“We’ve slept over together so many times already.”

Dohoon immediately looked away, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly while desperately trying to think of a believable excuse.

Because there was absolutely no way he could say the real reason.

Sorry Junghwan, I’m trying not to think impure thoughts about you.

Yeah.

Definitely not saying that…

At the same time though—

Watching Junghwan sulk like this was strangely adorable.

It was rare seeing him openly pout.

It’s cute.

“It’s just…” Dohoon started carefully. “I kind of want more personal space now.”

Junghwan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

“We can still have sleepovers,” Dohoon added quickly. “Just… maybe not as often.”

That was the best excuse he could come up with.

Unfortunately—

Junghwan took it personally anyway.

For an entire week afterward, Junghwan acted dramatically betrayed.

He replied coldly.

Ignored Dohoon during lunch.

And at one point even rejected the banana milk Dohoon bought for him.

Which honestly hurt more than it should have.

“You’re still angry?” Dohoon asked helplessly back then.

Junghwan looked away dramatically.

“I’m not angry.”

“You literally ignored me for three days.”

“Hm.”

“Junghwan.”

No response.

In the end, Dohoon practically spent the entire week coaxing him back into a good mood before Junghwan finally started talking normally again.

—
Present

Remembering it now, Dohoon couldn’t help laughing softly to himself.

Sulky Junghwan had honestly been ridiculously cute.

Meanwhile beside him, Junghwan was still completely unaware of the emotional damage he caused just by existing.

“Then I’ll come over after I shower,” Dohoon said finally.

Junghwan nodded casually.

“Okay. We’ll decide what to cook once you’re here.”

The two separated briefly afterward.

Back in his own house, Dohoon headed straight to shower while trying very hard not to overthink the fact that he’d be sleeping in Junghwan’s room again for the next few days.

Alone.

Just the two of them.

Absolutely normal.

Definitely not dangerous for his sanity at all.

After showering, Dohoon changed into comfortable clothes before packing a few essentials into a small bag.

Extra clothes.

Phone charger.

Toothbrush.

Because honestly, walking back and forth repeatedly between houses sounded troublesome.

Once he finished packing, he headed toward the kitchen to see if there was anything useful left in the fridge.

After staring around for a moment, his eyes landed on two things.

A can of Spam.

And a container with kimchi within.

Dohoon immediately brightened slightly.

“That could work.”

He tossed both into a recycle bag before finally leaving for Junghwan’s house.

A few minutes later, he rang the doorbell.

The door opened almost immediately.

Junghwan stood there already freshly showered, wearing comfortable clothes with a towel hanging loosely around his neck.

His damp hair still dripped slightly from not drying it properly yet.

The water drips onto the white T-shirt Junghwan is currently wearing.

Dohoon’s heart reacted immediately.

Seriously.

How was this fair?

How can he be this good looking effortless?

Junghwan blinked before pointing toward the recycle bag in Dohoon’s hand.

“What’s inside?”

“Spam and kimchi,” Dohoon answered while lifting the bag slightly. “Thought they might be useful.”

Junghwan’s eyes lit up instantly.

“We can make kimchi fried rice.”

Dohoon smiled slightly.

“That’s what I thought too.”

Junghwan stepped aside to let him in naturally.

“Then come in quickly,” he said. “Before we both starve to death.”

Dohoon placed the bag containing his clothes and essentials onto the sofa before immediately following Junghwan into the kitchen.

The atmosphere felt strangely domestic already.

Comfortable.

Like they had done this countless times before.

“Junghwan,” Dohoon called while rolling up his sleeves slightly, “what else do you have in the kitchen?”

Junghwan opened the fridge and started searching through it seriously like he was on some survival mission.

“Let’s see…”

After a moment, he started pulling things out one by one.

“Onions.”

“Garlic.”

“Eggs.”

“Overnight rice.”

Dohoon nodded approvingly.

“Not bad.”

Junghwan continued checking around before suddenly pausing.

“If I remember correctly… there should be leftover meat somewhere.”

Immediately, both their attention shifted toward the freezer.

Junghwan crouched slightly while digging through it before suddenly brightening.

“Oh.”

He pulled out a packet triumphantly.

“Jackpot!”

Dohoon laughed seeing the packet of beef slices in his hand.

“We solved the biggest problem.”

“The meat problem,” Junghwan agreed seriously.

Then as if remembering something else, he opened a drawer nearby and pulled out two packets of ramyeon.

“These too.”

Together, they quickly placed everything onto the kitchen counter.

The ingredients honestly looked decent enough.

At least decent enough to avoid accidentally poisoning themselves.

Probably.

—

“Then I’ll handle the kimchi fried rice,” Dohoon announced confidently.

Junghwan looked mildly concerned already.

“That confidence is dangerous.”

“Trust me.”

“That makes me trust you less.”

Dohoon ignored him completely and grabbed a cutting board before starting to chop the onions carefully.

Meanwhile, Junghwan stood nearby preparing the other ingredients while occasionally glancing over suspiciously.

“Just make sure you don’t chop off your finger.”

The warning immediately triggered something inside Dohoon’s brain.

An intrusive thought.

A terrible one.

Before he could stop himself—

“Ow! My finger!”

Junghwan reacted instantly.

“DOHOON?!”

Within seconds, he was already beside him, grabbing Dohoon’s hands quickly with genuine panic written all over his face.

“Are you okay?” Junghwan asked immediately, voice filled with concern. “Where did you cut yourself?”

His fingers carefully checked Dohoon’s hand for injuries.

And only then—

Junghwan realized.

There wasn’t a single cut.

No blood.

Nothing.

Dohoon suddenly became painfully aware of how close Junghwan was standing.

And how worried he had looked just seconds ago.

His chest immediately started pounding uncontrollably.

“…I didn’t actually cut myself,” Dohoon admitted weakly. “I just wanted to see your reaction.”

Junghwan froze for a second.

Then he let out a long breath of relief, shoulders relaxing immediately.

But almost instantly afterward—

His expression turned serious.

“Yah, Kim Dohoon.”

Dohoon winced slightly.

“That’s not funny,” Junghwan scolded quietly. “You seriously scared me.”

The guilt hit Dohoon immediately after hearing that tone.

Especially because Junghwan had looked genuinely terrified earlier.

“…Sorry,” he mumbled softly. “I won’t do it again.”

Junghwan sighed deeply while still holding onto his wrist loosely.

And somehow—

That made Dohoon’s heartbeat even worse.

“Forgive me?” Dohoon asked carefully, trying to sound cute enough to escape punishment.

Junghwan stared at him for a moment longer.

Then eventually—

His expression softened again.

A small laugh escaped him quietly.

“You’re impossible.”

Dohoon immediately grinned.

Meanwhile inside—

His heart was already completely out of control.

Seeing Junghwan panic over him like that…

Made him feel way too much.

Can I survive these few days?

—

Miraculously—

The kitchen survived.

Not only that, they somehow managed to cook food that actually looked edible.

Which honestly felt like a major achievement considering their history.

Dohoon proudly finished plating the kimchi fried rice while Junghwan prepared the ramyeon beside him, adding beef slices, eggs, and vegetables with surprising confidence.

The entire kitchen smelled warm and comforting now.

Junghwan glanced over at the fried rice Dohoon made before pausing slightly.

“…Wait.”

Dohoon looked up immediately.

“That actually looks pretty good.”

A grin slowly spread across Dohoon’s face.

“Of course it does.”

Junghwan leaned closer to inspect it with narrowed eyes.

“Did you secretly attend cooking classes or something?”

Dohoon immediately looked offended.

“…Yah.”

“What?”

“Am I really that bad at cooking in your eyes?”

Junghwan stared at him silently.

Dohoon sighed dramatically.

“Okay, don’t answer that.”

Junghwan burst out laughing.

“I’m just surprised,” he admitted honestly. “Considering our past incidents.”

“Those incidents were ages ago,” Dohoon defended himself proudly. “People grow.”

Junghwan hummed suspiciously but still looked impressed.

Meanwhile, Dohoon turned toward the ramyeon Junghwan prepared.

It looked really good too.

Especially with the beef slices layered neatly on top.

Dohoon raised an eyebrow.

“I didn’t know you could actually cook.”

Junghwan immediately looked proud.

“I told you I’m capable.”

Dohoon snorted.

“Really? Because last time you almost burned down the kitchen by turning the stove to full power.”

Junghwan groaned instantly.

“…You’re never letting that go, are you?”

“Never.”

Dohoon pointed at him accusingly.

“I still remember standing right beside you when the fire suddenly became gigantic.”

Junghwan covered his face briefly in embarrassment.

“We both freaked out.”

“That’s true.”

“Only Youngjae stayed calm enough to turn the stove off.”

The memory immediately made both of them laugh again.

Honestly, that sleepover disaster had become legendary within their friend group at this point.

“That was really an experience,” Junghwan admitted while shaking his head.

Dohoon chuckled softly.

“I still haven’t told my mom what actually happened during that sleepover.”

He paused briefly before imagining the consequences.

“…Actually, I think she’d ban me from kitchens permanently if she knew.”

Junghwan nodded seriously.

“That’s probably for the best.”

Dohoon laughed immediately.

Eventually, once everything was ready, they carefully carried the dishes over to the dining table together.

The table looked surprisingly nice now.

Warm bowls of ramyeon.

Kimchi fried rice.

Steam rising softly into the air.

It felt simple.

But somehow comfortable.

Homely.

The two of them grabbed their utensils before finally sitting down across from each other.

Then after staring at the food for a second—

Junghwan spoke dramatically.

“If we survive this meal,” he announced, “we officially become adults.”

Dohoon nearly choked laughing.

“You’re so dramatic.”

“I’m serious. This is a life-changing moment.”

“Just eat the food.”

Junghwan pointed his spoon at him.

“If I get food poisoning, I’m haunting you.”

“You won’t even survive long enough to become a ghost.”

Junghwan gasped in betrayal.

—

Surprisingly—

The food turned out really good.

Good enough that both of them kept stealing bites from each other’s dishes throughout the meal.

The atmosphere at the dining table felt warm and relaxed, filled with quiet conversation and occasional laughter.

At one point, Junghwan shamelessly scooped a spoonful of fried rice directly from Dohoon’s plate.

Dohoon narrowed his eyes immediately.

“You know you have your own food, right?”

Junghwan chewed calmly.

“Yours tastes better.”

“That sounds fake.”

“It’s true.”

Dohoon tried not to smile too obviously at the compliment while taking some ramyeon from Junghwan’s bowl in return.

Junghwan noticed instantly.

“…Didn’t you say earlier you didn’t want ramyeon?”

Dohoon shrugged casually while chewing.

“People change.”

“That fast?”

“It’s delicious, okay?”

Junghwan laughed softly.

“Fair enough.”

The two continued eating comfortably after that until Dohoon suddenly remembered something.

“Ah, right.”

Junghwan looked up from his bowl.

“Hm?”

“Do you know about MBTI?”

Junghwan blinked.

“…What’s that?”

Dohoon looked immediately excited.

“It’s like a personality test,” he explained while waving his spoon around slightly. “You answer questions and it tells you your personality type.”

Junghwan looked interested now.

“That actually sounds fun.”

“It is,” Dohoon nodded enthusiastically. “People get really obsessed with it.”

Junghwan chuckled quietly before scooping another bite of fried rice from Dohoon’s plate again.

“Should we try it later then?”

Dohoon immediately brightened.

“Yeah! And we should force the others to do it too.”

Junghwan laughed.

“Force?”

“Yes.”

“Poor Jihoon.”

“He’ll definitely answer randomly just to annoy everyone.”

“That’s true.”

Dohoon grinned while leaning slightly against the chair more comfortably now.

“It’ll still be interesting though. I want to know what everyone gets.”

Junghwan hummed thoughtfully.

“What do you think my personality type would be?”

Dohoon immediately looked at him seriously like he was analyzing something important.

“Hm…”

Junghwan waited expectantly.

“You definitely INFP.”

Junghwan nearly choked.

“What the heck is that?”

“The accurate kind.”

Junghwan laughed loudly while shaking his head.

“You’re unbelievable.”

Meanwhile, Dohoon just smiled to himself softly.

Moments like this felt strangely nice.

Just sitting together.

Sharing food.

Talking about random things.

It felt so natural that sometimes Dohoon almost forgot how dangerous it was for his heart.

—

After finishing dinner, the two of them cleaned up the kitchen together.

Junghwan washed the dishes while Dohoon dried them beside him, occasionally bumping shoulders in the small kitchen space.

Everything went smoothly, no broken plates or any disasters.

“Look at us,” Dohoon said proudly while placing the last plate back into the cabinet. “Actual functioning adults.”

Junghwan snorted softly.

“Barely.”

Once the kitchen was finally spotless again, both of them ended up standing around awkwardly for a moment like neither wanted the night to end yet.

Then Junghwan suddenly spoke.

“Want to go for a walk?”

Dohoon looked up immediately.

“…Now?”

Junghwan nodded toward the window.

“It’s nice outside.”

Dohoon would probably agree to anything if Junghwan asked like that.

“Sure, let’s go.”

So eventually, after grabbing hoodies and shoes, the two headed out together into the quiet neighborhood.

The sky outside had already darkened completely by now.

Streetlights glowed softly along the roads while the cool night breeze brushed past them gently.

It was already around 9:30 p.m. by the time they finished cleaning everything earlier.

The neighborhood felt peaceful at this hour.

Quiet.

Calm.

Only the sound of their footsteps filled the empty streets as they walked side by side naturally.

—

Eventually, without really planning to, they found themselves arriving at the small park they used to spend time at as kids.

The sight alone immediately brought back memories.

The old swings.

The faded slide.

The park nearby.

Nothing had really changed.

“…Wow,” Dohoon murmured softly.

Junghwan smiled faintly beside him.

“We used to come here almost everyday.”

The two slowly walked toward the swings before sitting down beside each other naturally.

The chains creaked softly as they moved slightly.

For a while, neither spoke.

Just quietly taking in the familiar place, enjoying the peaceful surroundings, and remembering their precious childhood memories.

Junghwan chuckled softly to himself.

Dohoon turned toward him.

“What?”

Junghwan looked amused now.

“Remember when we first met?”

Dohoon blinked.

“Hm?”

“You were crying because you slipped and fell.”

Immediately, Dohoon groaned in embarrassment.

“…Why do you still remember that?”

“Because you were crying really loudly.”

“I was four!”

Junghwan laughed quietly.

“You scraped your knee and acted like your entire life was over.”

Dohoon clicked his tongue while trying not to smile.

“…And you helped me up.”

The memory slowly replayed in his mind now.

A younger Junghwan kneeling beside him worriedly.

Trying awkwardly to comfort him despite being just a child himself.

“We were both four back then,” Junghwan said softly. “And you were so much smaller than me.”

Dohoon looked down briefly before laughing.

“Okay, that part’s true.”

Back then, Junghwan had always been taller.

Stronger too.

Dohoon used to follow after him everywhere.

But now—

Things had changed.

Junghwan shifted his gaze toward him quietly.

Under the dim park lights, their height difference had become barely noticeable now.

Almost the same.

“…Now you’re nearly the same height as me,” Junghwan murmured softly.

There was something strangely gentle in his gaze again.

Something that always made Dohoon’s chest tighten.

“Time really passes quickly.”

Dohoon swallowed quietly.

Because sitting here beside Junghwan felt overwhelming again.

Not because of the memories.

But because somewhere along the years between then and now—

His feelings had quietly become something much deeper.

“Sometimes…” Dohoon spoke quietly after a while, his feet pushing lightly against the ground to make the swing move slowly, “I wish time would slow down.”

Junghwan turned toward him slightly.

Dohoon looked up at the night sky above them.

The darkness was scattered beautifully with stars tonight, small lights shining softly between the clouds.

“So we could stay like this longer,” he murmured. “Being students without worrying about responsibilities and adult stuff.”

Junghwan chuckled softly beside him.

“You sound like an old man already.”

Dohoon scoffed lightly.

“I’m serious.”

“I know.”

The swings creaked gently in the quiet night air.

Then Junghwan leaned back slightly, gaze lifting toward the same sky.

“…It’s already our last year of high school,” he said softly. “Next year we’ll probably all be busy with university already.”

Dohoon listened quietly.

“Time really passes quickly…”

Something about the way Junghwan said it made his chest ache slightly.

Because it was true.

The years had disappeared without them noticing.

One moment they were children running around this same park.

And now—

They were already talking about university and the future.

Dohoon hated how fast everything was moving.

Junghwan smiled faintly to himself.

“And the skit is only two weeks away now.”

Immediately, his eyes brightened slightly.

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

Dohoon smiled softly watching him.

Junghwan always looked happiest whenever he talked about the drama club or his stories.

“You’ve been planning that play since last Christmas,” Dohoon said. “There’s no way it won’t go well.”

Junghwan laughed quietly.

“I hope so.”

“It will.”

Junghwan turned toward him again after a brief pause.

Then more softly—

“Actually… I haven’t really had the chance to tell you properly yet.”

Dohoon blinked.

“Hm?”

Junghwan’s expression gentled slightly.

“…I really appreciate you taking over the role for me.”

His voice sounded genuine.

Warm.

“Seriously,” he added quietly. “Thank you, Dohoon.”

Dohoon’s heartbeat stumbled slightly.

Slowly, he turned his head to meet Junghwan’s gaze fully.

And there it was again.

That look.

That unbearably soft expression Junghwan kept giving him lately.

Like he was looking at someone precious.

Someone important.

It always made Dohoon’s chest tighten painfully.

Because every single time—

He found himself wondering the same dangerous thing.

Why do you keep looking at me like that?

—

For a few long moments, neither of them spoke, Dohoon simply stared back at Junghwan quietly.

And the longer he looked, the worse his heartbeat became.

It felt impossible sometimes.

How one person could affect him this much just by looking at him gently.

The night around them remained calm, the soft creaking of the swings mixing with the distant sounds of insects and rustling trees.

Still, neither of them looked away.

Dohoon could almost see the reflection of the park lights in Junghwan’s eyes.

And suddenly, the world felt strangely smaller.

Like at this moment—

It was only the two of them sitting here together.

Eventually, Junghwan was the first to break the gaze.

He slowly looked upward instead, toward the dark sky filled with stars.

“Dohoon-ah.”

“Hm?”

Junghwan’s voice softened slightly.

“Promise me something.”

Dohoon looked at him curiously.

“We’ll always stay by each other’s side,” Junghwan said. “No matter what happens.”

The words settled gently between them.

Simple.

But strangely heavy too.

Dohoon felt his chest tighten again.

Because Junghwan probably had no idea how much those words meant to him.

Still, Dohoon smiled softly.

“Junghwan,” he said lightly, “I don’t think we’ll ever end up separated.”

Junghwan glanced toward him again quietly.

Dohoon chuckled under his breath.

“So be prepared.”

“For what?”

“To be stuck with me forever.”

Junghwan stared at him for half a second.

Then suddenly laughed softly.

Warm.

Fond.

“I already am.”