Sungjong falls in love for the first time, and it was with London.

Cliché as hell, he could’ve fallen in love with another city, not a mainstream one like London – he sometimes hated himself for that too – but just like they say, you cannot really choose who to fall in love with, or in this case, what to fall in love with. He often thought how a city could be so pleasantly breathtaking and comfortable to be in – Sungjong has never been there though, but his mother said it was exactly how Sungjong always imagine it will be like. He imagined sitting in a teashop while reading a self-motivation or a history book – just so he will look aesthetic – or maybe visiting a new old castle every month – or heck, he probably could meet the Royal family in certain event. “Why London, though, out of all the cities in the entire world?” Myungsoo raised his eyebrow when Sungjong handed him a brochure of one of the foreign university. “Just because,” Sungjong shrugged, he was not going to spit out that it was because he is simply in love with the city. “Come on, it not only ‘just because’,” Myungsoo snorted. “You are going to try modeling there?” Myungsoo continued to ask. “Obviously, hyung,” Sungjong nodded. “How’s first day of school without us around?” Myungsoo said. “Flat, no one to bother with,” Sungjong answered shortly while looking out of the window of the coffee shop they were sitting in. “It’s good to hear,” Myungsoo muttered. “Good to hear that you are fine,” Myungsoo added quickly. “Don’t worry too much about me, hyung. I can take care of myself,” Sungjong huffed.

Sungjong was aware that Myungsoo was not really buying his story but he also needed to convince Myungsoo that he was fine alone – and also so that Myungsoo could convince his mother that he could went aboard after graduating high school. “If those kids ever bother you –,”. “I am fine, I really do, hyung,” Sungjong rolled his eyes. He would probably start to throw tantrums if Myungsoo brought it up again, or any of his hyung brought it up again. They were trying not to make it so obvious that they are worrying too much about him. Call me, anytime, I will literally ditch a class, he quoted Woohyun. He was sure that this all-overprotective attitude was not just because he was the youngest in their clique, it was also because they knew it, that without them around, he would got push around, a lot.

People started by calling him pretty – which Sungjong actually does not mind, because not every boy was blessed with an androgyny face and Sungjong loves how he looks. Then they start to address her as a girl – he has a damn great body, but those middle-school boys were not accepting any boy who doesn’t have an appearance like a boy. They call him out because his high-pitch voice sounds like a girl-voice, and he was a great dancer, which make him being bullied even more. He tried to change once – grow some muscle, dress with those trendy but ugly hip-hop pants, play basketball, deepen his voice – but he decided that he doesn’t need to follow what society expects him to be. High school was slightly better, because no one push him around for being who he is when he was around his hyungs. Myungsoo was pretty much Sungjong’s childhood friend, and when finally Sungjong enrolled at the same high school as Myungsoo, he was saved because Myungsoo was the part of one of those cool gangs, and they welcomed him pretty well.

Why is Sungjong not answering our chat? HELLO. Sungjong literally sighed in annoyance when a group notification came to the screen and showed that Nam Woohyun has sent a message. He threw his phone on his bed before he lay himself besides it, but only got disturbed by a tons of rings from his phone, signaling that Nam Woohyun has created chaos on the group chat – and in that moment, Sungjong swore he was going to poison that certain hyung, someday – and he groaned as soon as he opened the group chat;

Woohyun-hyung: LEE SUNGJONG, ANSWER ME.

Howon-hyung: Give him a break, Nam.

Woohyun-hyung: Doesn’t it bother you whether he is fine or not?

Sunggyu-hyung: He is fine.

Woohyun-hyung: You are not Sungjong, hyung.

Myungsoo-hyung: I met him earlier and he is fine, Nam-hyung.

Dongwoo-hyung: Guys, we should not be worrying about him too much.

Sunggyu-hyung: Dongwoo is right. Sungjong is not a child.

Woohyun-hyung: WELL WE WON’T KNOW IF HE IS STILL M.I.A.

Woohyun-hyung: If he is fine, shouldn’t he at least tell us? HUH.

Woohyun-hyung: AM I THE ONLY ONE WHO CARES ABOUT HIM.

Sungyeol-hyung: Maybe he is just tired of your s.

Sungjong smiled at Sungyeol’s attack, he loves it how they cares so much about him, but he loves it more when everyone was not on Woohyun’s side. I’m fine, should really stop worrying about me and buy me food instead. Sungjong quickly typed before he heard a sound of truck’s horn from the outside of his house and furrowed his eyebrow. There are moving trucks and men loading things from each truck – he was getting a new neighbor, apparently. He quickly went downstairs and found his mother was baking a cake, her smile lit up when she saw him. “How was school?” She asked. “Great. I don’t know we are getting a new neighbor though,” He shrugged. “Yeah, they said it was all so sudden, I’m baking them cake, want to join me later when I visit them?” She said. “Would love to but, I have things to do and Woohyun hyung is buying me dinner or so whatever,” He shrugged, again. “They are from London, Sungjong,”. Sungjong literally choked on his saliva when he caught her mother smirking victoriously as she continued to mix the dough. “You are kidding,” He snorted. “Come and prove it yourself, then,”.

And turned out that the pair was truly from London – they were Korean, though – but Sungjong was fine with that. He really wanted to stay to talk more but his mom dragged him home since she said that they must’ve been busy with all the unpacking. He then found himself staring at the university brochure again before he decided to call it the night and lay on his bed until he realized he hasn’t open his phone since the last time he replied to the group chat. He groaned when he saw a three miscalls from his beloved Woohyun hyung and a hundreds group chat notifications which he was too lazy to even look at one by one until he decided to only reply to Sunggyu’s personal chat to him – because Sunggyu is the oldest and Sungjong feels like he at least need to inform the oldest that he is not yet dead – which telling him to reply to Woohyun before he lost his damned mind.

---

Woohyun insisted to pick him up from school the next day since Woohyun didn’t have any class for the rest of the day, but what Sungjong didn’t expect was that Woohyung actually managed to bring Sunggyu and Sungyeol to their little trip from his school to his house. Sungjong was then being given a box of candy, which Woohyun claimed that he bought it but Sunggyu confirmed it was just a free item from the purchase they made at the cookie store and the conversation was ended by Sungyeol telling Woohyun that he was full of s. “But, it was not just a candy,”. Woohyun tried to defend himself. “The owner told me it was the same candy from that book called Namia–,”. “Narnia,”. “What do you think I just said, Sungjong? Why do you disrespect me like this? Anyway, the book called Narnia. When the evil ice queen gave this one boy, who was suppose to be a king but the evil queen doesn’t like the fact that someone is taking her throne. So, she gave him this candy and then make him her slave,” Woohyun grinned as he ended the story and at the same time, arrive at Sungjong’s house. “That is not actually how the story went, hyung,” Sungyeol snapped.

“Okay, guys, thank you for the pleasant ride, now off I go,” Sungjong said as he proceeded to go out from the car, only to come back in a second later. “And I’m sorry Woohyun hyung has to drag the two of you here,” He added. “What are you talking about? We just want to see our little brat,” Sungyeol laughed as Sungjong frowned. “Take care, okay?” Sunggyu turned his head around from the passenger’s seat and smiled at him. “I will, bye everyone,” Sungjong smiled to each one of his hyung as he got out and went straight to his house before he heard his name being called midway. “Yah, Lee Sungjong, pizza this Friday with the rest, sounds cool?” Sungyeol shouted from the car window. “Cool,” Sungjong answered as he waved the box of candy before he saw the car started to move and eventually disappeared from his sight.

He immediately went inside and threw himself on the couch, aware that he was home alone. It was a little tough that day; some kids were calling him out for being alone and for having no ‘back-ups’ anymore. It was better in high school indeed, but only if he was with the rest. Some boys that came from his middle-school were unfortunately went to the same high school as him and eventually dragged the other boys to around too. Sungjong has learnt not to care though, but it still hurt a little bit no matter how he tried to cover it with confidence. He was busy staring at the blank television when he heard his doorbell rang. He tried to ignore it, because his whole body was tired but the doorbell keep ringing and forced him to get up from his position on the couch to the door. He opened the door lazily only to find a girl about his height with an ash blonde long hair, glaring at him. “I know you are home, so why did it take forever for you to open the door?”. The girl was still glaring at him and he has no idea who the hell she was but he was ready to fight her. “So you are yah, Lee Sungjong,”. The girl suddenly barged into his house before he had the chance to snap back and left him speechless when the girl actually offered him a hand. “Hi, I’m Lee Sooji, without a ‘yah’,”.

“Okay, first, why are you inside my house. Second, who are you, and lastly my name is just Lee Sungjong,” Sungjong snapped. “Okay, just Lee Sungjong, you let me in and I just moved across the street,” She grinned which caused Sungjong to groaned loudly and pushed her outside. “It’s Lee Sungjong and I don’t care, get away from my house,” Sungjong said. “Okay, you must’ve missed it, I lived across the street, I am the family from London, Lee Sungjong,”. She still grinned which made Sungjong more annoyed. “Okay, you must’ve missed it too. I don’t care, Lee Sooji, now off you go,” Sungjong waved his hand and pointed his hand to the house across the street. “Ha, you just said my name,” She said as she was grinning before Sungjong shut the door in front of her face.

“Why are you so rude,”. He heard her throwing tantrums from outside but he just had mastered the skills to ignore annoying people. “I am not going to stop until you let me in,”. He heard a yell again, but it was followed with silence and Sungjong thought he won, until he heard a soft sobs. He groaned again and counted to ten until he decided to open the door. “Get in,” He said and the girl smiled almost too immediately and barged inside the house once again. “What do you want,” He said after he shut the door and sent the latter a death glare. “Were they all your friends earlier? They sounded so fun. It must’ve been exciting to have pizza together,” She beamed. “Were you stalking me? Did you eavesdropping me?” Sungjong said. “Well, it’s hard to tell whether it counted as eavesdropping or not when you literally shouted to each other,” She shrugged. Sungjong sighed desperately as he picked up the box and open it’s lid as he offered her. “Candy?”.

“It’s Turkish delights,” She responded nonchalantly. “What’s your point?” Sungjong said. “I’m just saying the names, in case you don’t know, but you must’ve know it since my mother told me that the boy across the street seems like a London enthusiast,” She said. “I know, I know, goodness, it was from the second book of Narnia when Edmund decided to ditch the siblinghood for a box of this,” Sungjong snapped. “You read,” She replied in disbelief expression. “Well how you do you think I passed all those school grades,” He rolled his eyes as he saw her taking one of the Turkish delights. “This one doesn’t taste just right, I can make some, you know, do you want me to make you some?” She said afterwards. “Is that what this is all about? You wanting to make Turkish delights in my house?” He said. “No, I wanted to be friends with you,” She replied. “Right, because you went through all that trouble to be friends with someone,” Sungjong said. “No, I was trying different approach,”. He was taken aback to hear her seriousne