I’ll talk to you later. Sora stares glassily at his phone on the side of his computer screen, taking an intermission before he resumes his office duties. He rereads the same message over and over, as if wanting to see a secret signal or intent that was deeper than what was on the surface. That message was from none other than his “boyfriend” Taeyong, and that was sent two days ago, on Friday.

The way the two met and got to know each other was very strange. They worked at the same company a year ago; they both attended the company party. Sora was interning at this company while finishing his last year of college, and he had always admired Taeyong’s blazingly handsome looks from afar. It only took a drunken Taeyong to give Sora the courage to go and help him. Sora offered to drive them home, but Taeyong made out with the boy in his car in the hotel parking lot, and then things progressed from there. Sora decided to stay at the hotel, getting a room for the night.

Sora got transferred to a new company just this year, and here he was, graduated and working full-time. He did the same, long office hours day in and day out. Life was simple, repetitive and boring. Because he moved companies, he met with Taeyong less and less. Now, Taeyong seemed to be drifting farther away. It didn’t help that Sora’s new company was in Incheon; a town over from Seoul. They seldom met in coffee shops or bars late at night mostly, also due to the difference in work schedules. One day, Sora managed to even let Taeyong stay over at his place in Incheon. But the two never really got to go out on pleasant dates because Taeyong got promoted at the other office; hence he had to work longer, grueling hours. And, to Sora, the other boy seemed detached whenever they met; it was as if his feelings or actions with Sora were restrained.

Sora was still sick with worry at Taeyong’s lack of contact. Sadly, he had to press on with his office duties. Evening became pitch black nighttime and the hours rolled by, dangerously close to midnight. Finally, Sora was finished and he was dismissed. With a heavy sigh, he picked himself up, tidied his cubicle up a bit and bid farewell to his office mates.

He checked his messages again, but Taeyong did not send a new text. He got into his car when his phone buzzed. With uneasiness, Sora took out his phone and swiped. To his surprise, it wasn’t from Taeyong, but from his college best friend, Ten.

Hey hyung, how was work? Sora’s lips curled upward at his friend’s message.

Tiring as always… How’s school going? You better not be falling behind!

Sora laughed at his own message to Ten. Ten was a year younger, so he was finishing up his last year of college. The two were roommates in college and got along easily, especially since they were both foreign students at a Korean university. They naturally didn’t see each other much when Sora graduated and began working full-time, but Sora treated the younger to dinner when exams rolled around.

Sora started driving home. He was at a red light when he glanced at his phone again. Ten had texted back; he saw the notification on his lock screen. At least he texts back, Sora thinks with a huff. He swiped it and read it.

No, I’m doing fine, hehe;; Hyuuuuung, I miss you. We need to go get bubble tea sometime. Sora could practically hear Ten whining this in his usual tone of voice. Come to think of it, Sora missed hearing that whiny voice.

Hmm, well I’m going to be starting my paid vacation next week. Maybe then we could go.

Sora chuckled at his Thai friend’s childish cuteness. The two always drank bubble tea at a specific place during college years. It had become like a routine for them. The Japanese boy missed those fond, brighter days… Now the boy was wasting his youth away. Working in a better firm like the one he had earned him a good amount of money, but other than that he felt no purpose.

Yup, he could definitely go for a bubble tea date with Ten.

Ten’s bedtime was soon so Sora insisted that the Thai boy get some rest. He eventually reached home; his parents let him live alone after graduating. It was convenient Sora found a place close to his job as well. As soon as he entered his home, he peeled his outer suit off. He fetched some comfortable pajamas and went to shower. The boy took a nice, leisurely, refreshing shower then ambled to the kitchen to raid the fridge.

Sora microwaved a pizza and sighed to himself. He wanted to eat something small before he crashed for the night. His mind began to wander to Taeyong again. It’s been two days since the boy messaged him; a few weeks since they met up in person. It was driving him crazy. Sora had a terrible habit of checking his phone and obsessing over messages from his love interests. Before he could overthink things too much, Sora finished his food, brushed his teeth, and called it a day.

    Same days pass, day in and day out.

    Yesterday is today, today is yesterday.

Still nothing from Taeyong. Sora wonders if the boy has forgotten about him already. At least this week was something he’d been in dire need of… vacation week! While Sora thought about going to see Taeyong, he decided that promised bubble tea date with Ten would be the right thing to do today; Ten also had freed up his schedule. He messaged the Thai boy earlier that day about when he finished class. Now it was time for Sora to leave; he had to set off early if he were to get to Seoul from Incheon by the time they set. The fastest way would be by Express Train; and that took about 45 minutes. He could just use his car but traffic would be killer. Sora suddenly felt nervous about seeing his best friend after about three weeks (he hadn’t seen Ten even before Taeyong stopped replying.)

Strangely, he found himself even pondering what to wear. He’s your best friend, come on. He had to nag himself mentally before he eventually found clothes. The weather would be a bit chilly in Seoul, so he wore a black long-sleeved graphic shirt and slipped on some slim fit black jeans. To keep his head a bit warm, he wore a black beanie as well. Confident in his visuals, Sora left the house. He had a lot to go through to catch the Express Train to Seoul, but it’d be worth it to see Ten. I still consider him my closest friend even if we haven’t seen each other for weeks, Sora thought.

He took the bus to the station and then waited for Express Train. Luckily, those came very often. He was soon on his way to Seoul. On the way, Sora’s excitement and nervousness brewed within him. After the breezy ride, Sora caught the bus into town and walked to the bubble tea shop.

Sawatdee~ I’ll be at Royal Tea in about ten. ㅋㅋㅋㅋ

Again, the Japanese boy burst out in laughter at his own message. He purposely made a pun with Ten’s name. The other passengers of the bus turned slightly towards Sora, who kept his eyes on his phone in embarrassment. It was the stop to get off. He did and walked down the street towards Royal Tea. As he walked there, memories of their college days resurged.    

“Hyung, hurry up, the line’s gonna be really long. They have the National Best Friend Day Special, but who knows when they’ll run out of mason jars?” Ten incessantly fretted, tugging Sora along the sidewalk.

“Ugh, I hate long lines. Can we just skip bubble tea and go somewhere else?” Sora asked. Truth be told, he didn’t really care for bubble tea or milk tea that much. But because Ten absolutely loved them, Sora always went along with him.

“Nooo, we are going! At least come with me so I can get the discount.” Ten grinned to himself as Sora made an offended noise.

“This ho is using me for the discount!” He exclaimed in mock hurt.

“You know I love my hyung,” Ten gushed, giggling.

“I can see the line from here!!” Sora exclaimed.

Such funny and fond times. Sora reached Royal Tea and wow, he noticed how very little the store’s exterior had changed since then. Of course, it looked a bit more modern (if that made sense) but nothing too drastic. He entered through the front door and unsurprisingly, the interior was pretty much the same. This was all a relief to Sora. Instead of ordering his drink right away, he grabbed a seat and waited patiently for his friend.

Sora’s mind kept wandering now that he was just waiting. He took out his phone and opened his message log with Taeyong. It’s been five days, still no reply. Their messages were pretty far apart; it was mostly Taeyong replying late and dismissing the conversation. Sora experienced many sleepless nights worrying and stressing over his boyfriend’s lack of response (well, not literally sleepless, but you get the point.) He started to read the string of conversations they had.

January 28, 2016

I got a new phone so here’s my number - T

All right~ Thanks for giving me it. - S

Gotta go work now- T

Don’t work too hard yeobo~ - S

February 10, 2016

Hey, is there any way we can meet for Valentine’s Day? I kinda wanted to do something~ - S

February 11, 2016

Sorry, I’m busy- T

February 12, 2016

Aww, you sent me flowers… thanks yeobo~ I miss you. Don’t overwork yourself. Love you~ - S

February 24, 2016

Hope you’re doing well. I’ve been very busy too - S

February 26, 2016

Sorry I don’t reply often - Taeyong

That’s okay. I know you’re working hard~ - S

March 3, 2016

I really miss you. Please tell me you’re okay - S

I’m doing well. Please work hard too - T

I am. Hopefully I can see you soon? - S

I don’t know. I’m really busy. - T

All right… - S

I’ll talk to you later. - T

And that was the end of that conversation. What could he be doing, right at this moment? Why is he always so busy? Can’t he make time for me? The boy was beginning to feel irritated when suddenly he felt a pair of hands clamp firmly onto his shoulders from behind. In surprise, Sora spun around and was greeted with a familiar face that seemed a bit different.

“Ah, it is you, Sora! If it wasn’t, I would’ve hit a stranger and probably would’ve gotten beat up.” Ten displayed his pearly whites in a dazzling smile. Sora lit up and he stood up to hug his best friend.

“Ya, Ten, you scared me,” Sora laughed while he greeted the boy. Ten kept laughing as the boys looked over each other. It has been a while, after all.

“Wow hyung, you look a bit different, like you lost some weight. Are you working too hard, huh?” Ten surveyed his hyung worriedly. Sora felt his face heat up at Ten’s concern because Ten looked… more mature now. His features were more prominent and honestly, Sora thought he was pretty handsome. He snapped out of his infatuation, bringing himself back to reality.

“Yeah, it’s been pretty hectic but I’m finally on vacation so I can relax a bit. Anyway, let’s get our drinks now.” Ten nodded and the boys stood in line. Luckily there wasn’t much of a crowd.

“Anyway, how’d you know it was me from behind?” Sora asked when it was almost their turn to order. Ten only cracked a smile at first.

“Well, out of everyone here, you were the only one alone so I kinda put two and two together.” Sora flushed again and Ten giggled. It was their turn to order and they were greeted by the cashier. Ten nudged Sora to order his drink first.

“Um, I’ll have the melon bubble tea.”

“And I’ll get the strawberry bubble tea,” Ten piped in right beside him. The cashier nodded and gave them a warm smile.

“By any chance, are you two a couple? This week we have the Couple Special, half off the second drink.” Both of the boys’ eyes widened at the cashier’s words. She gestured towards their outfits. They soon realized their outfits were strikingly similar to each other because of the trendy black clothing theme they had going on. Without further hesitation, Ten nodded wildly and threw his arm over Sora’s shoulder.

“Yes we are!” Sora wanted to protest but the girl nodded cheerfully and told them their total. Ten started digging in his pockets but Sora took out his credit card and gave it to the cashier, a tint coloring his cheeks.

“Thank you very much! Have a lovely day,” the girl said sweetly. The boys bowed and went to wait for their drinks on the side. Sora was scoffing and Ten burst out in laughter.

“Did you really have to say we’re a couple?!’ Sora exclaimed. Ten playfully hit his shoulder.

“Why are you complaining, we got the discount, right?” The Thai boy was in stitches.

“This boy and his discounts,” Sora fumed quietly, half-angry, half-flustered. It didn’t help that Ten looked a lot more attractive in his eyes. After their drinks were ready, they sat back on the table.

“That was a good laugh. What are you going to do on your vacation?” Ten asked, sipping his sweet drink.

“Well, visiting you was the first thing. I want to relax more and visit my parents t0o.”

“Aww how sweet, you wanted to visit me first,” Ten sang. Sora coughed.

“Well both of my parents went back to Japan to visit family and won’t be back until Wednesday,” Sora clarified, and Ten laughed, understanding.

“Ah, I see. I guess your vacation couldn’t come earlier, huh?” Ten mused aloud, and the other boy nodded.

“Yeah, they know how well I’m doing so they let me work until my actual vacation. But it’s okay, they deserve their own vacation too,” Sora replied.

“Okay, okay. Oh, are you going to visit Taeyong-hyung too?” Ten asked curiously. Sora’s expression was clouded with uncertainty and concern again.

“I don’t know… He’s been busy too and he hasn’t texted me for a while,” Sora answered. Ten put a hand on Sora’s shoulder, more serious this time.

“Hyung, if your boyfriend cared about you, he would’ve made time for you, no matter what. Even if it was for a short time, there’s gotta be something he could do to see you. Don’t you think so?” Ten pressed. Sora had to admit this was true. He just didn’t know how to feel at the moment.

“Well, our two-year anniversary is coming up, so I was going to surprise him by showing up to the office and taking him to the same hotel where we met…” Sora trailed off because a new blush was forming on his face. Ten started cackling because he remembered when Sora told him all about how he and Taeyong meant.

“Ooooh, are you gonna scatter rose petals leading to the bathtub and have scented candles set the mood?” Ten wiggled his eyebrows at the Japanese boy who gave him an are-you-kidding-me expression.

“First of all, the hotel doesn’t have a bathtub, only a walk-in shower.”

“Even kinkier.” Sora whacked Ten on the arm.“And nah, scented candles are so cliche… I’ll probably buy him roses though. And buy him dinner. Maybe watch a romantic movie or something.” Ten scoffed in a comical manner.

“A romantic movie? And you were complaining about being cliche.” Ten clicked his tongue.

The two continued talking about the big plan for Sora and Taeyong’s anniversary. Sora would just drive to Seoul since he would stay at the hotel overnight anyway. He’d deal with everything else later; this was a special occasion. Eventually, Sora started to lead the conversation elsewhere.

“What about you? Do you have anyone special in your life?” The Japanese boy poked Ten’s face who flailed just a bit.

“Nah, I don’t…” Ten looked away sheepishly. Sora la