Wonshik spent the whole night thinking about what Hongbin said. He didn’t even realize that the sun was already up. Aish! What do I do now? I was such an idiot! I’m sorry I made you cry Taekwoon-ah. I was just so insecure back then. I was so jealous because damnit! Why do you have to be so beautiful Taek?! Many people are falling in love you for goodness sake! Ugh! I’m so pathetic! Why do you have to be so stupid Wonshik! Stop listening to your heart when you’re jealous! And you too brain! Come on! Do the thinking! I made Taek cry over stupid things. I’m so pathetic! I’m sorry Taekwoon ah. Wonshik thought while punching his pillow. He was so annoyed with himself for hurting his best friend. He didn’t want to hurt Taekwoon but he was so blinded with his jealousy.

But is it true that you would choose me over anyone else? Aigoo! My heart! What do I do? Do you love me too Taek? Cause damnit! I’m so crazy in love with you! I want to hug you right now! I miss you so much Taekwoon-ah! Wonshik was now hugging his pillow and rolling over his bed a few times. He was in a roller coaster of emotions. One moment he’s annoyed with himself, then he’ll become sad for Hongbin and the next thing you know, he’s acting like a little teenage boy screaming in joy after finding out that his crush likes him back. He was rolling on his bed back and forth then he would stop and punch the pillows then he would roll again while hugging the pillow he just punched. He was going crazy to say the least.

After a few more rolling, he got up from his bed and started making breakfast for himself. He had his phone the whole time. He was thinking of what to say to Taekwoon. He wanted to apologize and make things right between them again. He wanted to beg for forgiveness and promise that he won’t do anything stupid ever again. But he didn’t know the right words to say. He was still afraid that Taekwoon will never accept his apology. Good morning Taek. He started out with a simple good morning text to start the mood but there were no replies. He kept checking his phone even while he was brushing his teeth. He had even placed his phone beside bathroom mirror while he was taking a bath to make sure he won’t miss Taekwoon’s reply. But alas! Still no messages from the other man. Wonshik was getting disheartened. He thought that the other man didn’t want to talk to him anymore. He waited again for the next 3 hours, his phone by his side the whole time. He didn’t notice that he fell asleep on the couch. When he checked the time it was already 6:00 in the evening but still no replies from Taekwoon. He was getting frustrated so he bravely dialed his best friend’s number to talk to him.

 Aish! I’m just going to call. I’ll beg for forgiveness if I have to. Please answer the phone Taekwoon-ah. Please answer. Please answer the phone. Wonshik thought; pacing back and forth while listening to the dial tone. His best friend wasn’t picking up. “Please answer Taek! I’m begging you!” Wonshik exclaimed in frustration while still holding on the phone to his ear. Then suddenly the line got connected but Wonshik can’t hear Taekwoon speaking. He heard grunts and heavy sighs from the other line. “Hello? Taekwoon? Taek? Are you there?” Wonshik asked, his voice getting a little louder from worry. But there were no audible answer. It was as if the other man just accidentally accepted the call. “Hello? Taekwoon-ah!” Wonshik called out again but all he heard were grunts and heavy sighs. He got alarmed by the situation. He dropped the call and grabbed his keys. He immediately run off from his apartment. He called a cab nearby. He was in a state of panic that he even forgot to change his clothes. He was only wearing a simple pullover and a set of comfortable track pants. The cab driver was giving him weird looks. Who would wear a single pullover and track pants out on the cold. It was suicide.

Wonshik arrived at Taekwoon’s apartment after a few minutes. He run up the stairs to get to Taekwoon’s unit. He knocked on the door a few times. He was still panting from running too fast but he kept on knocking. No one answered. So he decided to use his spare key to open the door. “Taek? Taekwoon-ah?” He called out. But Taekwoon was nowhere to be seen. He knocked on the door of Taekwoon’s room but still no answer. He tried twisting the knob. To his surprise the door wasn’t locked. He entered the room. The lights were turned off, the strong smell of coffee lingered in the air, cups of instant ramen were scattered everywhere and clothes were piled up on the floor. Taekwoon’s been busy with his manga again. Wonshik thought. Then he suddenly jumped in surprise when he saw something move on what looks like a bed covered with a white blanket and a pile of papers. Wonshik was now getting scared. Then the opened window suddenly closed from the strong wind outside. “AIGOO!” Wonshik exclaimed. He almost had a heart attack. Then he heard a familiar grunt. “Taek? Is that you?” Wonshik went closer to the shivering body on the bed. He was afraid to see what’s beneath it so he slowly pulled the blanket, inch by inch. “Taekwoon! Are you okay? Taekwoon! Hang in there okay?” Wonshik panicked again. Taekwoon has a high fever. He was sweating profusely. He was grunting in pain. It seems that he didn’t know that Wonshik was there. His eyes were closed tightly.

Wonshik opened the lights and immediately run off to the bathroom to get a towel. He wiped off Taekwoon’s sweat and helped the other man change his clothes. He was gulping and trying to hold his self back while slowly peeling off Taekwoon’s clothes. Taekwoon’s creamy white skin was so tempting that it took every ounce of Wonshik’s strength to focus. After successfully changing the other man’s clothes, he placed the damp warm towel on Taekwoon’s forehead. The other man stopped grunting but his eyes were still closed. When Taekwoon’s tensed shoulders slowly relaxed Wonshik heaved a sigh in relief. He started cleaning up the room. He picked up all the papers that were scattered and piled them up neatly on the desk. He threw out all the cups of instant ramen on the floor and even threw all the unopened instant ramen on Taekwoon’s fridge cursing it while he was dumping them on the garbage can. “Damn you instant noodles! If Taekwoon had food poisoning because of you I will sue you! You hear me! I will sue you!” Wonshik said in frustration. If other people heard him, they might think he was crazy.

He went inside the room again to check on Taekwoon’s condition. It seems that his high fever is now slowly going down. Wonshik heaved another sigh of relief for the second time. He started gathering all the piles of clothes on the floor and placed them on the laundry bin. The room is now starting to look livable. After he was satisfied with his work, he went to the kitchen to make some rice porridge for his sick best friend.

Taekwoon woke up from the delicious smell of food from his kitchen. He was surprised to see his room spotless clean. He didn’t notice that he was wearing a different set of clothes. He went to the kitchen immediately to see who had intruded his home. His jaw dropped when he saw Wonshik. He immediately run off to hug the other man. Wonshik was surprised when he felt two strong arms hugging him from behind. Taekwoon buried his head on Wonshik’s back, his embrace now tighter than before. Wonshik felt his back getting wet. Taekwoon was crying. “Wonshik-ah! Wonshik! Wonshik! Wonshik-ah! It’s really you right? Wonshik! Shik! Wonshik-ah…” Taekwoon cried out loud. He kept on calling his best friend’s name while stream of tears fell from his eyes. He can’t believe that Wonshik is there with him. He kept on calling for him to make sure that he wasn’t dreaming. Wonshik didn’t answer back. He can’t answer because he was also silently crying. The sudden warmth from Taekwoon’s embrace overwhelmed him. He was speechless. His head hanged low, his hand covered his eyes as tears kept falling. Regret and frustration from not seeing his best friend washed over him. They stood there for a few minutes basking on each other’s warmth.

When Taekwoon’s crying stopped, Wonshik turned around to face him. He pulled Taekwoon closer to him and enveloped him in another tight hug. He placed his head on Taekwoon’s shoulders while whispering apologies. “I’m sorry Taek. I’m really sorry. Please forgive me. I was such a jerk. I did some stupid things and I ended up hurting you. Please forgive me Taekwoon. I’m really sorry. I’m really sorry. Please forgive me. I’m sorry.” Wonshik’s tears started falling again. Taekwoon gently placed his hand on Wonshik’s head, while sliding his other hand up and down Wonshik’s back to console him. “It’s okay Wonshik. You don’t have to apologize. There’s nothing to apologize for. I’m just glad that you’re here now. I missed you much Wonshik. I missed you.” Taekwoon was now crying again too. The time they didn’t spent together felt like hell to both of them. It almost broke them down.

Wonshik raised his head and wiped his tears with his hand harshly. He looked down at Taekwoon. He saw tears running down from the other man’s face. He gently placed his hand on Taekwoon’s cheeks and softly wiped away the tears. His eyes filled with longing and affection as he looked at Taekwoon. “I missed you too Taek. I missed you too.”