He slept the rest of the day. Ms. Kim woke him around 5 pm to tell him someone was here to see him. This struck him as odd. He threw on a hoodie and headed downstairs to find someone he wasn’t keen on seeing.

        “Woohyun.”

Sunggyu sat upright on their small burgundy couch with his arm clutching a pile of papers. His cheeks were rosy from the cold and he wore a knitted beanie over his tousled hair. 

    “What are you doing here?”

    “You didn’t come to school today.”

    “Do you visit every student that misses school?” 

    “Woohyun.”

He places the papers on the table and slides them towards him.

    “These are notes that you missed.”

Woohyun looks at him again before picking up the papers.

    “Thanks. I guess.”

Sunggyu rose from his seat and made a step in Woohyun’s direction. He was looking down at him from his tall stature. He couldn’t guess what he was going to do next but He could feel his heart throbbing in his throat. With one hand he pated down the crown of his head.

    “Please don’t shut me out, okay?”

He wasn’t trying to. When he gets scared he puts up walls. Even knowing Sunggyu hadn’t done anything, Woohyun was just scared of what he thought of him now. But as he stands here in front of him, Woohyun knew none of it is true.

    “Sunggyu do you hate me?”

    “Why would I hate you?” he chuckles softly “Nam Woohyun, you’re honestly the first person I’ve come to like in this whole town.”

    Really?… It sounds far-fetched. It seems like he’s only saying that to make Woohyun feel better, but is it bad that He’s okay with that? Even if it’s not true?

        “Then does Woohyun hate me?”

    Before He could even process the thought Woohyun blurted out a solid “No!!” and Sunggyu laughed again. His face goes red again. Sunggyu pokes him with his index finger. He tells him not to be embarrassed over such a silly little thing. Woohyun says that he misunderstood him.

        “You shouldn’t even be concerned with what I think, just be you.”

    But he was the only opinion that mattered. For so many reasons he cared what he thought of him. He spent time crafting out meticulous details that would impress him. But he couldn’t tell him his feelings. He didn’t quite understand them himself but he could tell that something was definitely drawing him close to Kim Sunggyu but for what purpose, He was unsure. All he knew was that he was a comfortable presence. A breath of fresh air that left him gasping for more. A glowing warmth. That is Kim Sunggyu.

    With all the courage He could muster He finally articulated the thought.

        “I like you Sunggyu.” 

                                 ---

    What happened in the next second took him by surprise. With heavy eyes, Sunggyu leaned down and pressed his lips to the center of Woohyun’s cheek. When he pulled back Woohyun couldn’t breathe. He was too scared to lock eyes with him. He hid his hands in the sleeves of his hoodie.

        “You’re actually really cute when you’re embarrassed you know?” 

        “What’s that supposed to mean…” He whispers, holding a hand to his cheek.

    Sunggyu pulled him closer with one hand supporting his lower back.

        “You have a little crush on me don’t you?”

        “Stop it…” 

    Woohyun pushed him back off him with both hands jammed against his chest.

        “Woohyun I was joking, calm down.”

        “It’s not a joke to me!”

        “Wait Woohyun you don’t actually..?”

        “Go to hell.”

    And with that Woohyun turns his back to him and tells Ms. Kim to lead him out. Sunggyu doesn’t argue and starts to collect his coat. As he’s walking up the stairs, Sunggyu says something that sticks in him but he keeps walking.

        “If you ever want to tell me the truth someday, I’m more than willing to accept your feelings, Woohyun…because like I said before I like you.”

    A while later Ms. Kim knocks on his door.

        “Are you finally going back to school tomorrow?”

    Woohyun chewed on the inside of his cheek.

        “I’ll think about. Bring up my uniform anyway.”

    He knew he had to go back to school sometime. He knew he couldn’t be childish and try to hide from it. And the sooner he got over it, the more at ease he thinks he’ll feel.

                        —

    Woohyun decided to go to class the next day. He manages to keep a low profile, ignoring most people and just trying to get along with his missed workload. No one seemed to want to talk to him anyway and he didn't blame them. Surprisingly Myungsoo for the first time in years walked him to school to simply ask him how his day was (and not in a menacing way).

    Myungsoo lived in his neighborhood and they knew each other briefly as children. He isn’t really friends with anyone in their year. The only people Woohyun’s seen around him are his younger brother Moon and his friends. Woohyun thinks they’re kind of similar like that.

    And in that short time Woohyun feels like He’s finally met the real Myungsoo. Not the guy in the back of class bugging the kid in front of him for some change or the guy who has his head down in almost every class.  Not the kid who doesn’t have any money to buy lunch, he’s the kid who spends that same lunchtime in the bathroom,  the kid who has trouble even being in class because of his ADHD, a kid who has never really had a long-term friend. That was Kim Myungsoo.

    Woohyun felt comfortable enough to tell Myungsoo about his mother and brother and how that’s probably why his father hates him. Myungsoo rubbed Woohyun’s back to keep him from crying again. And when he looked back at Myungsoo, Woohyun saw him smile for the first time, and it was a strange type of beautiful.

    When Myungsoo found Woohyun staring at his face he blushed.

        “Is there something on my face?” he said as his hands fiddled around his cheeks.

    He shook his head with a laugh. 

        “You’re kind of cute when you’re embarrassed.” Woohyun joked.

        “Shut up!”

    They keep walking but as he realizes what he had just said, He suddenly felt sick to his stomach.