I was walking at the park. Enjoying the stroll that evening, even though it just rained and I had to bring an umbrella just in case it rains again. A few kids were already out at the playground, playing with their raincoat on and splashing in the puddles. I really want to jump in those, but my mom will be furious to see me wet.

           I walked slowly, trying to avoid splashing the puddles too loud. But, whenever I walked, I could hear a splash from behind. Curious, I slowly turned around. There he was, standing awkwardly behind me. He’s caught red handed, all right.

         “Ji-Ji-Ji Suk Jin ssi… I… I… See you later!” the little boy stuttered, turning his back and walked away. I looked at him with a slight smile on my face.

          It’s been a month since we met. I’ve saved him from a group of bullies, and now he’s been following me. Sometimes, he hid himself among the crowds. Sometimes, I have to pull him out to play. We’re not from the same elementary school, so we only meet each other in the evening after school.

        I turned around; ready to walk the path out of the park. That is, until I heard a cried from behind. I turned back, seeing the boy on the ground, surrounded by a few boys. To be exact, those were the boys who always bullied him. Don’t tell me that he got into their nerves again. One of them was already raising his hand in the air.

        “Shoot! Yoo Jae Suk!” I screamed, running towards the pack.

---

          “I’m… I’m so sorry, Suk Jin ssi… I… I…” Jae Suk cried in guilt. The bullies already left, of course, after sending us to one big puddle. We were wet and completely dirty. And Jae Suk was blaming himself for it.

          “It’s okay, Jae Suk ah. I’m fine.” I reassured him, slowly standing up. “Are you okay?” I asked.

          Jae Suk looked at himself. He was slightly wet and dirty, but he said he doesn’t have any bruises.

          “Why were you following me earlier, anyway?” I asked as I took my umbrella on the ground, waiting for his response.

          “I… well… I was going to invite you over my house actually…”

         I looked at him in surprise. “You’re inviting me, over to your mansion? Why?”

          He scratched hi neck, probably because he finally spoke up. “Well… First, it’s not really a mansion. Second, err…” there he goes again, stuttering his words. “I get lonely sometimes whenever my parents aren’t around.”

         “Don’t you have maid or butler at home?” I asked, knowing that this boy is from one of the wealthiest family in the country.

           He shook his head. “Please, Suk Jin ssi… I think that you’re the only one I can trust for now…”

           I thought for a while. I only knew this boy for a month, and from what I observed, he always finds himself alone while the other kids play. And whenever I invited him to play with us, he tends to get clingy to me until the end of the day.

          “Okay. I just need to tell my parents first.” I said. I can sense a smile from Jae Suk’s face. “Just, one thing you need keep in mind.” I added. “You can just call me Suk Jin hyung or just hyung from now on.”

          Jae Suk was surprised all right, “R-Really? I can call you hyung?” He asked.

         I tilted my head to the left, scratching my neck. “Well, I’ve been calling you informally since we met. I don’t mind if you drop the formal talk too.” I said.

~~~

           It’s been a year, and Jae Suk is slowly opening up to me. My parents were upset every time I stop by at his house first. They were worried because I always return late at night.

           “Suk Jin hyung! You’re already here.” Jae Suk exclaimed as he entered the living room. He sometimes returned a bit late in the evening, but I don’t mind waiting a bit.

           “Jae Suk ah, you’re late as usual. Any activity that slowed you down?” I asked as I closed my book. Jae Suk skipped towards me and sat next to me on the couch at the living room. That’s when I noticed something off. “Jae Suk ah, were you playing under the sun for too long?”

           At first, he didn’t really get what I meant. But when he noticed something on his skin, he walked a few steps backward. “Nothing…” he muttered. He’s hiding something, all right.

           I gave him an ‘oh really’ look, signalling Yeon Seo, the maid, to get something quick. Jae Suk must have noticed this because he suddenly sprinted upstairs. I quickly chased him up.

           We found out that Jae Suk’s skin is sensitive towards the Sun’s rays and if he stayed too long under the sunlight without protection, it will be harder for the rashes to disappear plus, Jae Suk hates the stingy cream. And since he hates the cream, it’s a real challenge for both me and, well, mostly me actually. The house was so big and he’s so small…

           “Jae Suk ah, I’ll treat you ice-cream if you- ah!” Now I know why my mom always warns me not to play at the staircase. I must have slipped that it caused me tumbling me down. Well, the thud sound did attract some attention though.

          “H-Hyung!” Jae Suk screamed as he raced back down and surrendered himself in front of me. “Are you okay? I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to cause you pain or something…,” he said, almost in tears.

           I quickly sat up straight, saying I’m completely fine. To be honest, I might need to see the doctor. But I can’t say that in front of this 9 years old boy. He’ll shriek in fear. I forced myself a smile and tried laughing. “Now, wasn’t that an epic fall?” I said and my voice was completely shaky. Not to mention that it hurts whenever I moved, easily detected by this kid.

           “That was scary! I’ll ask the family doctor to get here quick!” Jae Suk cried and ran to get the maid. I stared at him as he skipped towards the living room. I can tell that he’s really worried. The smile on my face eventually faded.

         “I’m more worried about you…”

~~~

         “What are you doing?” I asked. I’m helping Jae Suk with his home works today, and instead of doing math, he’s scribbling something on a piece of paper with a pencil instead. His final exam was just around the corner and he’s still in ease, despite always in the last position in class.

          “I just noticed that both our name has the word ‘SUK’ in it.” He exclaimed, putting his pencil down.

           “You’re ten now and you only notice that now?” I said in a teasing tone.  Jae Suk only chuckled listening to my statement. “What do you want to say, actually? Someone giving you name again?” I guessed.

          He remained silent for a few seconds before nodding. Not again… “What is it this time?” I asked. I waited for his response, which took almost 1 minute before he slowly muttered the words.

           “It was a careless mistake… I accidentally put ‘ie’ after the letter ‘K’ and…”

          “Sukkie?” I interrupted. He was totally annoyed with it that he hit my knee with his pencil. “What’s wrong with that nickname? I mean, it sounds way much better than ‘Mettugi’, right?” I tried calming him down.

           “It’s embarrassing! I’ve been called that for a week now!” he cried as he dived into a stack of pillows we stacked earlier. Due to his sudden impact, some of the pillows slid down to the ground.

           I crawled next to him and rubbed his back. I whispered slowly, “I don’t think it’s that bad. I mean, I would call you that too, to be honest. Like I said, it sounded way much better than the name Ha Dong Hoon gave you.” I then poked his waist, in which he responded quickly since he’s very ticklish.   

             After recovering himself, he gave me a look full of doubt. “Fine, how about if I call you ‘Sukkie’ and see how you like it!” he wailed. He crawled back to his homework while trying to ignore me. I only giggled when hearing his words.

          “I don’t mind, Sukkie ah.”

~~~

          It was quiet in Jae Suk’s room that night. He invited me to sleep over his house because, well, his parents weren’t around. It was past 10 o’clock and I can tell that none of us was sleeping yet. Something happened this morning and I guess that’s what stalling us from snoozing. I just stared at the dark ceiling, rethinking about the decision I took. I felt a sudden movement at the other side of the bed, to which I prefer to ignore.

          “Why didn’t you just, go there?” the voice squeaked.

          I turned my head, facing the voice’s owner. “Go where?” I asked.

          Jae Suk sat up on his bed, sliding the blanket off him. “You’ll have a better education there. The atmosphere there is way much better than around here. If it’s because me, I’m sorry. All I said was I‘ll get lonely…”

          I quickly sat up, facing him. “It’s not your fault, Sukkie ah. I just feel like, not going because, well… Why should I? I like being here better. I know the route around here, every shortcuts, the bus and train schedule. If I moved, I have to get use to a few new things. Besides, I already had a school in mind after I graduated elementary school.” I said.

          “Are you sure?” Jae Suk asked. Silence for a moment before he said, “Can we be in the same school?”

         I blinked twice. “Uhm… Well… It’s not a middle school; it’s an academy where we’ll be stuck for at least ten years. Do you think you can handle that?” I asked. The school I’m thinking of is not easy, as some didn’t manage to graduate at all and some even drop school. I sometime wonder why they prefer taking 13 and above instead of 18.

          Jae Suk thought thoroughly for a while. “Well… I think I can. I mean, you’re around, right? I’ll just, find you whenever I have a problem. Is that okay?”

          The clock in the room rang, stating that it’s already 11 o’clock in the night. I felt doubtful about it but I hide it with a smile. “Okay… But first, you need to get good grades for your exams and work really hard for the entrance exam.” I stated.

         He grinned listening to my statement. “I will! Good night, hyung!” he cried, diving his head onto the pillow and shutting his eyes shut.  

         “Good night…”

~~~

        The first few months in my new school is great. It’s, just that, I have to run all the way back to Gangnam just to make sure Jae Suk’s okay, almost once every week. I mean… besides putting his parents phone number in his information book for school; Jae Suk also put mine because, well, he has his own reason. And since his parents can’t be reached, I have no choice but to meet his teacher in their place.

       Most of his teachers were surprised to see me instead of someone older. And why was I summoned? I don’t really understand the whole story since the teacher won’t tell me properly. But I do understand a bit, I guess. But one thing that I noticed was Jae Suk will secretly cried at the corner of the room. Probably because I’m the one who came instead of his parents.

         “You ran all the way from your school, just to cover my parents? Doesn’t it tire you out?” Jae Suk asked as we entered our favourite bakery to get some bread.

           “It does, but I don’t think I mind. Besides, the breads over here are way much better.” I said, trying to use breads as excuse, which is true. I always carved for pastries over here.

           “I really need to try to be independent. I can’t always rely on you, right?” Jae Suk whispered to himself, trying not to look at me. I can tell that he’s a little upset. I slowly patted his head. His hair volume is getting thicker, but still in the same length. He’s even wearing thick glasses now.  He grew a few centimeters taller, but still shorter than me. It’s hard to believe that he’s 12 now.

            “Figure out on what course you want to take next year?” I asked, increasing the speed of my hand his head. He eventually felt annoyed and pushed my hand away, walking a few steps forward. He didn’t even look at me when he was combing his hair with his fingers. He glanced over at me before walking to one of the bread display without saying a word.

           To be honest, I was a little surprised with his action. I slowly walked towards him without him knowing. I was about to ask him what’s wrong, but I heard him mumbling something. His words were fast, but I caught it crystal clear.

          “I need to stop depending on people… I can do everything on my own… Stop relying… Stop crying about small things… Where’s the marble cake again?”

           I scratched my neck looking at his attitude. “I didn’t spoil him too much, did I?” Five more months before Jae Suk graduated his school. He’ll be taking the entrance exam afterwards and if he passes, he’ll be in the same school as me. But, then again… Seeing him like this, made me wonder, he’ll never get anywhere if he’s stuck with me all the time. And, he’s used to that… Well… I hate the way I think sometimes…

            I moved closer towards him. While he was busy putting his favourite treat onto the tray, I slowly placed my hand on his head, to which he flinched a little but still won’t face me. “Let’s make a deal for next year.” I said. “Let’s try not to meet at all at school next year. We can see each other’s face, but no talking. The first one to give in losses. Do we have a deal?”

          Jae Suk was surprised all right. I can tell by the sudden movement from him. He slowly rotated his head and looked up at me. He didn’t say anything. His face expression kept changing from confused to uncertain. “Well… Sure, whatever you say…” he said uncertainly, putting the tong back on its shelf and headed towards the cashier.

           “You can do this…”

~~~

          Second year wasn’t that hard, at first. As long as it involve something I can catch up quickly, I’m good with it. It’s been a few months that I almost forgot that Jae Suk is also a student in the school. Just, he’s in the broadcasting department. I didn’t even tell him where I am, because of the deal we made last year. I thought it might be better if he didn’t know.

          The first few months were fine, until I started hearing weird rumours from the other students. About a student running away from the teachers, skipping classes, and he always got away. I got the creeps whenever I heard it because it reminded me of someone terribly familiar.

            “No Suk Jin, no. Remember the deal you made last year that was suggested by yourself. Jae Suk needed this and I can’t always be by his side. He’ll never survive if he can’t…” To be honest, I kind of needed him too. That kid always cheers my gloomy day with his innocent smile. But I can’t be selfish.

            I walked to the school’s park one day to get some fresh air. The landscape is pretty and always calms me down. But my favourite spot in the school is the hill not far from the Music campus. It has a picturesque view. But since I was lazy that day, the park is the only option left for me to do my homework.

             My homework is not that bad. At first, I thought we’ll be writing notes the whole year. But, it turns out that I have to make a lot of reports and reviews and stuff… Luckily, it’s not that hard. I sat on a bench near a fountain because, it was hot, and a little mist is not a bad idea, right? As long as my homework didn’t get wet or I might be in trouble.

            “Hyung…” a voice squeaked. I didn’t quite hear it until the voice repeated the earlier word multiple times. I slowly lifted my head towards the source, and I was surprised to see the fellow student in front of me. “J-Jae Suk ah?!”

            “Suk Jin hyung…” his voice cracked. He looks terrible. His eyes were tearing up. I was about to remind him of our promise, but looking at his condition, I didn’t have the heart to chase him away. Releasing a big sigh from myself, I moved all my paperwork to my left and patted the empty spot on my right for him to sit. Without hesitation, Jae Suk sat next to me and eventually leaned on me.

            “Hyung… Sorry I have to break our promise… but… I can’t take it anymore… where were you anyway?” he asked, trying to hold his tears. I slipped my arm across his shoulder, rubbing him gently. I was about to tell him something when he suddenly back away. He must have noticed the music crest at the side of my coat.

            “You’re in the music campus?” He stuttered, staring at that crest. “Jong Kook is a music student too…”

            My eyes were wide in surprise. “Jong Kook? You mean, Kim Jong Kook?”

           Jae Suk didn’t say much. He’s suddenly quiet for the rest of the day. I tried to cheer him up, but to no avail. He’s completely gloomy that day. To make things worst, he won’t tell me why he’s feeling gloomy. Whenever I asked, his reply would; “You know why.” And he answered it with a scowl on his face, making me wonder if I was the reason. I tried cheering him again before we departed towards our dorms, but Jae Suk still refuses to smile.

           And it has been bothering me for the whole year. New rumours kept spreading and I barely concentrate for my final exam. Luckily, I aced in the exam and earn a cool custom guitar. An achievement that my parents are proud of that they ended up making quite a party just for me, but, if I failed in making Jae Suk proud of me or at least smile…

          “Sorry appa…”

~~~

          “H-Hyung?  You’re a broadcasting student now?” Jae Suk was surprised during the first day of a new school year. Even I was surprised myself. The last thing I remembered was begging my teacher, the next, I was in the broadcasting campus. Luckily, none of the students asked anything about me. Giving me a chance to go on with my life normally, until I realised how hard the course is.

          It’s not really that hard. It’s just that, I have to revise at least 5 times to actually understand a topic. I wrote down the important note a few times to remember it, and without anyone knowing, there’s nothing wrong with writing a short jingle to know its pattern.

          But when my classmate and the rest of the third year student knew that I wasn’t a broadcast student from the start, they gave me a discouraging look whenever they saw me. Same goes with my ex-classmates. They all questioned my decision, saying that I’m not brave enough to embrace the music world, or saying that I’m taking the easy way, or simply stating that I’m underestimating something. The teacher preferred to ignore everything and continued teaching anyway.

          Ms. Hyori, my former music teacher, always cheers me up. She always visited the broadcast campus, just to make sure I’m okay. However, besides Ms. Hyori, there’s someone else that cheered me up whenever I met him. He greets me in a way that most of his classmates were surprised. I noticed that he changed a bit; he seems more open with those around him. But, why do I have a feeling I’m not part of the reason.

~~~

          Jae Suk was selected to host a music event for Halloween. That’s great; his first event where he’s the host. I really wanted to help, but I couldn’t bear to face the music students that participated. So, I only helped him outside the hall. Getting his line right, making sure he’s on que and all. Our place of choice, the green hill close to the music campus, of course.

        However, a week before the event, he suddenly stopped coming over to ask for help. I don’t really mind. He’s probably busy since the event is getting close. So I just use the time to feel the breeze. But something doesn’t feel right.

         The day of the event arrived. I went straight to the venue even though it’s 4 hours early. That’s normal for broadcaster since they have to prepare a lot of things. I hesitated at first about going near the stage. Until I received a text message from Jae Suk, asking me to meet him backstage, which made me felt a bit relief. After finally getting rid of the hesitating feeling, I went directly there. I observed the site for a while. Everyone was busy with their own task. I spotted my hoobae sitting on a chair at the edge of the room.

          Noticing that there were eyes staring at me uncomfortably, I quickly made my way towards him with the hood of my jacket covering my head. “Idiot, why even show yourself at a place like this…” I muttered to myself. Jae Suk invited me to sit on the empty chair next to him in which I didn’t reject. I tried making myself comfortable, to which I can’t since there were a few people staring at me. I really want to run.

       I observed Jae Suk instead, and what I saw, he’s really stressed out. His facial expression, the way he held his paper, I can tell.

          “Dong Hoon is here right now.” He said, as if he’s trying to hint me something.

          “Dong Hoon? Well… he’s a music student, right? It’s not surprising that he’s here.” I didn’t understand his message, so my answer sounded as if nothing happen.

         He looked at me with an expression I don’t quite understand.  “Never mind…” he murmured, returning his focus towards the scripts in hand.

          Seeing his response disturbed me. I wanted to ask what’s wrong, but it got stuck in my throat and I couldn’t say it. Time flies by, leaving at least 30 minutes before show time. Jae Suk went to get ready, and the room was filled with people, mostly those who I don’t want them to see me. I pulled the hood down, covering half of my face.

         Jae Suk finally returned, wearing a dark orange suit. If observed carefully, you could see some pumpkin patterns on it. “I don’t look ridiculous, right?” he asked, scratching his neck.

         I pushed my hood a bit, taking a peek. “Hmm… Considering that it’s a Halloween event, I don’t think so.” I tried being as honest as I can, which is true. Although, they could at least use a brighter colour.

         Jae Suk smiled listening to my comment, which suddenly turned into a frown. He lowered his head, looking at the floor.

         Noticing the change of expression, I tried hard to find his face. I was surprised once I caught a glimpse of it; he was trying to hide his tears. I instantly stood up, trying to calm him down. “J-Jae Suk ah, what’s wrong?” I asked, holding his arms.

         “I don’t think I can do this…” he sniffed. Those tears just rolled down, but luckily no one noticed it. “I’ll be standing in front of hundreds of people. What if I can’t remember what to do? What if I mess up? What if I embarrassed myself? What if I say my lines to fast? What if I say my lines too slow? What if…” he continued and I could feel his arms shaking in my grasp.

          I waited for him to finish while I think of what to answer. This is the first time he’s doing this, and at the same time, the first time he’ll be talking in public. I remembered how he would hide when we’re still young, stuttering every words of his. I understand what he felt, considering that I’ve never done this, and to be honest, I always disappear whenever my class are doing a broadcast activity. However, seeing him getting discouraged is the last thing I want. I let both of my hands go, using my right hand to lower my hood off my head and another to wipe his tears.

        “Sukkie ah,” I started with a smile, putting my left hand on his shoulder. “Just breathe properly, and smile.”

         Jae Suk was confused with my statement, which I already expected. “How… How is breathing properly and smiling is suppose to help?” he asked.

         I grinned. “I know you’re not used on talking in front of a lot of people, but I know you can. Before, you tend to mess your words up. It’s probably because you didn’t let your brain think of anything yet.” I paused, seeing that he’s paying attention. “If you breathe properly, you’re letting yourself to relax, giving time for your mind to arrange the right sentence. You can always pause for a while before continuing.  Distract them with something related to the event, but don’t distract them to something unnecessary like asking them to look somewhere else.”

          “What about the smile?” he asked, no longer sniffing. This made me felt relief.

           “You do know how they say that smile is the best painkillers?” I couldn’t help myself but laughed a bit, “It will calm you down. Trust me. Smiles will boost your confidence. When you smile, the people you’re talking to, in this case, the audience will trust you and hopefully listen.”

            “You made it sound so easy…”

            “And those hosts on TV made it look easy, without really knowing what’s going on.” I crossed my arms. “Sukkie ah, you do know I’m always around whenever you need me, right?”

         He chortled. Before he could reply, the floor manager was calling for Jae Suk, asking him to standby near the curtains. He gasped once he received the notification, but he seems a little different compared to just now. He clasped his hands together and brought it closer to his face, either trying to hold his fears or simply praying. “You’ll… You’ll be here, right?”

            “Of course,” I answered without thinking. I put away all those disturbing feeling aside and try drawing a smile. “I’ll be right here, supporting you until the end. So, Sukkie fighting!” I exclaimed, putting both my hands into a fist and cheered.

          Jae Suk smiled in please. He put one hand on his chest, trying to breathe properly. After getting the right rhythm, he excused himself and went straight to the stage, ready to make an entrance.

         And everything went well. The event went on smooth and in order. And Jae Suk was doing great. Well, he still stutters and somehow messed up his words a bit despite holding a cue card, but that’s acceptable since he’s still new to this.

          I didn’t do much. I didn’t get to watch the student’s performance, not to mention that I was glared all the time. But, eventually those glares didn’t bother me at all. I just focused at something more important like greeting Jae Suk during break time or volunteering myself on helping the students in charge.

           Once the event ended, everyone congratulated each other and cheered out loud. Those music students started playing their instruments as loud as they can, which hurts my ears badly. The teachers eventually scolded them for being too loud.

           One thing for sure, Jae Suk kept smiling throughout cleaning up. I couldn’t help it and had to disturb him. He didn’t mind and even joked that if I was a music student and involved in something like this, he’s in charge on being the host. I only reply by giving one wild on his head, completely messing his hair. However, he didn’t ask me to stop or anything, but said something that made me smile.

~~~

3 years later…

              I quickly exited the music hall with my guitar strapped to my back. I couldn’t bear to look back, not after what happened. I let my feet take me where it wants, which turns out to be my favourite hill. However, the breeze there wasn’t as peaceful as it used to.

            I took off my guitar and wanted to throw it, but I didn’t have the heart to do it that it slipped from my grip and fell to the ground. My legs suddenly gave in and I sat on the ground with my knees close to my chest. I wanted to scream out loud, but what came out was just a pathetic sob.

             I re-entered the music campus, I have my own reason, and there’s this charity concert we did to raise funds for something. I was one of the participants. It was my turn to perform, and something embarrassing happened. It went well at first, singing my song of choice while strumming my guitar in front of the audience, when the guitar strings suddenly snapped. While I’m still performing! Everyone was just staring at me, some were whispering about something. Controlling my sudden red face, I apologized right away and left the stage. But what I couldn’t stand was the eyes and mouths at the backstage, causing me to flee.

         “Idiot…” I repeated, directing the words to myself. I pulled off the strings of the guitar with my bare hands, causing bruises and a little bleeding. After all the strings were pulled off, I hugged my legs and place my face on my knees, trying to forget what happened. I even planned on just returning to the mansion while everyone was still busy. I have the main keys after all.

          “Suk Jin hyung?” a voice greeted me, and I knew the owner that I couldn’t bring myself to turned back. “Suk Jin hyung, there you are! I knew you’d be here since this is your favourite spot in the school.” The voice suddenly became louder and before I knew, he’s already sitting next to me.

              I risked myself and turned my head, facing him. He greeted me with that calm smile of his. “What are you doing here, Jae Suk ah? Aren’t you the host? Won’t they be mad if they find out you’re here?” I said in a sour tone.

            Yes, Jae Suk’s the host. When Jong Kook told everyone in the mansion about the concert, Jae Suk wasted no time but volunteered himself to the teacher the next day. This reminds me of his joke a few years ago.

           “I asked Jae Dong hyung to take over.” He simply replied, taking the guitar in front of him and put it on his lap. “Besides, Jong Kook wanted to chase you at first, but he’s up next. So, here I am.” He explained, trying to hold the guitar in a comfortable position. “We’re all worried when you suddenly ran off, especially me.”

           I didn’t say anything, but watched him struggle with the guitar that no longer owns any strings. I suddenly remembered what happened in the music hall earlier. It was embarrassing. ‘Accidents happen’, they often say. ‘We’re human beings that always make mistakes.’ and all, but still. Failing like that in front of your precious hoobaes? Jae Suk is not the only one now since I have 5 new one. Should I lock myself in my room tonight?

           But, then again, Jae Suk is different. He changed completely. He’s now chatter, talking more than he usually do. He always volunteered himself in helping others, sometimes gave out advices and random quotes. He’s more active now, the centre of attention, not to mention that he’s in the same height as mine. What remained the same was the length and volume of his hair. I mean, how does he maintain that?

          “Man, how do you even hold this thing? I can’t seem to…” he complained. “Oh well, now to sing a special song for Ji Suk Jin.” He said, pretending to strum the guitar. “How does the song go again? Hmm… Oh yeah! Oulhan ohu-”

           Once I realized the familiar lyrics and rhythm, I quickly covered his mouth with my hand and looked around. Luckily, no ones around. “Sukkie ah, I’ve told you before, don’t sing that one. It’s not ready…” I stammered. It was a lyric for a song I wrote, but still incomplete.

           Jae Suk pulled my hands away, gasping for air. “Sorry, hyung. I just wanted to cheer you up.” He stuttered. It was silence for a minute before he continued, “Sorry…”

          I can’t help but smiled in guilt. “I heard you the first time. Don’t worry about it. Sorry for suddenly covering your mouth though.” I said, lowering my knees a bit. “You being here is enough to cheer me up, although you should go back before the teacher look for you.”

           Jae Suk shook his head as he hugged the guitar. “You’ve done so much for me. You chased those bullies away, you came over to my place and went home late, you tutor me for all those subjects I never understood, you came to my school when my parents can’t, introduced me to this school, encouraged me and all. So, I don’t care what the teacher will say. I just want to sit here, accompany you until everything’s done over there.” He pouted.

           I leaned backwards, using my hands to stabilise myself to the ground. “Sukkie ah, you’ve already done something for me.” I paused, arranging my words. “Not just for being a chingu or hoobae, but for being the best dongsaeng that I never had. I appreciate that.”

            He blinked, completely speechless. He returned his focus towards the guitar. “You will put new strings on this thing, right?” he asked.

           “Of course I will.” I chuckled. “But I’m afraid I have to wait until tomorrow since the store’s close.”

           Silence. The wind blew by, making me felt calm up here, like always. It seems that I’ve forgotten the main reason I’m up here, which is great. Jae Suk on the other hand was staring far. But his sudden words made me smile.

Author’s note: It’s funny, encouraging people to be brave and confident, when I have stage fright myself. XP How irony…