It is the first day of spring; magentas and lilies started blooming prettily in the meadows, the vast blue sea reflected the pale beams of sunlight seeping through the clouds, the leaves and grass dancing gracefully to the subtle wind’s melody. The city’s streets began to be filled with different vehicles transporting to their respective homes, decorating the dawn with variation of colors coming from all direction.

The continuation of the academic year has proceeded quite fast for the students’ liking. Being the role model of a student he is, Eunwoo got up five minutes before his alarm had set off. He did his usual morning routine; stretch his long limbs, fix his bed and tuck his favourite bear plushie, take a bath, dress to his school uniform, double check the contents of his bag, eat breakfast with his family, and asks - more like use his aegyo - his parents for an additional money before leaving his house to go to school. Eunwoo doesn’t really need the money, considering he is a very thrifty person and he prefers to walk to his school, but sometimes he just craves for ice cream on the way home after his classes.

Nearing the school campus as he continued to walk, he could already hear a lot of chatters from other students. Eunwoo is quite popular in the campus considering his looks, his intelligence, and his very cheerful and kind personality. Although this may be the case, Eunwoo brushes off the idea that he’s popular and not letting it get to him.

He said a few hello’s and hi’s to some of the students he personally know. He was halfway through the entrance of the school’s establishment when he sees a person at the side, looking quite shy and lost. To Eunwoo, he looked really cute like that as the boy held both the straps of his bright blue bag as if someone was about to snatch it away from him. Aaah he’s so cute, Eunwoo thought to himself. After admiring the boy as they walked towards the front door, Eunwoo thought that maybe the kid was new here, to which would explain his behavior right now.

 

Being the friendly and cheerful person he is, Eunwoo approached the guy as they were walking the halls of the establishment. “Hi! I’m Cha Eunwoo,” he spoke as he offered a handshake to the guy.

It looked as though the guy was pulled back from his trance as he was startled by his introduction to him. Looking innocently around his surroundings, then to Eunwoo, he then reached for his hand and shook it. “Hello. my name is Moon Bin,” he started and offered a quick smile. He, then, bowed ninety degrees for about a second.

 

“At what room are you having classes?” Eunwoo asked.

 

“Uhm.. Room 306, Section II,” Moon Bin replied.

 

“Oh, we’re on the same class. Why don’t we go together?”

 

“I…” before the boy can answer, Eunwoo hold his wrist and started speed walk to the room for no apparent reason. Maybe it was due to the blush that was starting to appear on his cheeks but he just brushed it off. As they were speed walking in the hall, several murmurs can be heard from the students who watched them, some squealing at the sight of Eunwoo while some asking who he was with and why he was with him.

After dragging the boy for about five minutes, they arrived at the room’s door. Eunwoo looked at him to see that the boy was starting to break a sweat and was silently panting. When the boy noticed Eunwoo’s stare, he looked at him in an adorable perplexed way that resembled a lost puppy.  Eunwoo couldn’t help but to smile widely at him.

They were now entering the classroom when Eunwoo decided to try to talk to Moon Bin more but was interrupted by someone at the back of the room. As Eunwoo first walked into the room, a boy in the back shouted Moon Bin’s name while waving at him enthusiastically. Eunwoo looked at Moon Bin who was entering the room and saw that the latter gave the boy a salute and a quick smile before heading towards the boy to seat next to him. Eunwoo was dumbstruck for a moment before heading to a seat near the room’s window. Wait, I thought he’s new here…

 

The classes through the day went smoothly, well kind of anyway. Throughout the whole day, Eunwoo would find himself intrigued at Moon Bin, sometimes accidentally writing his name in his notebook. He genuinely thought that the guy was new due to the fact that he hasn’t seen him around the campus for the past school year. He was planning on touring him around the campus if it were the case, which wasn’t. Some time in between their business math class, he suddenly felt that he has seen Moon Bin somewhere before but can’t really pinpoint where. He didn’t know why it affected him so much that he scratched and pulled his hair rather violently, earning a few stares and laughs from the other students.

Because he couldn’t ask Moon Bin where he could have possibly seen him due to the guy vanishing as quick as the instructor dismissed the class, Eunwoo spent the sunny spring afternoon with a greeting of a cold cookies and cream ice cream as a consolation. I’ll just ask tomorrow, he thought. As the day carried on with its usual busy state, Eunwoo also went to do his usual routine at his house. The day came to an end with a sleeping Eunwoo tucked in his light brown comforter, dreaming of a clown performing in a children’s party he had attended.

 

✿

 

Friday has arrived swiftly yet Eunwoo found that asking Moon Bin proved to be a difficult task at hand. Eunwoo didn’t really get a chance to see Moon Bin before the class start because he’s always an early bird and he didn’t really know how to talk to him in between their classes due to some guy always occupying Moon Bin. After the class, Moon Bin would always magically disappear without a trace. It bugged Eunwoo how he couldn’t get a chance to know to other but couldn’t really do anything.

He was on his way to the grocery store near his neighborhood fifteen minutes after his classes had ended as his parents run him a few errands. He bought all the things his mother listed in a paper and a pint sized cookies and cream baskin robbins ice cream because why not? Accomplishing the task at hand, he walked out of the store and started strolling the neighborhood a little as the warm spring afternoon felt nice against his skin. After examining the serene neighborhood, he headed to the park where he planned to devour his ice cream in one sitting.  Entering the gate of the park, he saw and heard a crowd of children chuckling heartily. Intrigued at the sight, he went to the scene and saw that it was a kid’s birthday party. They were laughing at the jokes told by a clown in a stage assembled mainly of crates. Eunwoo didn’t realized that he stayed there standing and laughing at the jokes quite loudly until the crowned looked at him. How embarrassing…

 

After five minutes, the children were called by an adult inviting them to get some paper plates and eat, to which the children enthusiastically complied. The clown is now off the stage and Eunwoo decided to approach him/her/it, not quite sure. When he was about three feet away from the clown, he noticed that the figure looked quite similar to someone he knew. He also thought that he had already seen this particular clown before. A sudden idea came to him and he proceeded to do what his logic told him to do.

 

“Binnie!~” Eunwoo called and the clown looked as though it was confused for a second as his gaze turned toward Eunwoo.

 

“Hmm?” was all he said. So I am right. I HAVE met you before. Eunwoo smiled to himself.

 

“Want to eat some ice cream? (≧◡≦)”

 

“Uhm.. sure. (。・_・。) <--- his face with clown makeup”

 

✿

 

The both of them sat at the bench eating the ice cream silently as they gazed at the beautiful scenery of the park’s luscious trees and flower meadows. After a while, Eunwoo decided to speak, breaking the awkward silence surrounding them.

 

“So… Do you do this regularly? I mean being a clown?” He smiled so that the other won’t misinterpret it as being rude.

 

“Well, kind of. I just do it as a pastime if I’m being completely honest,” he responds, still not leaving his gaze to the park.

 

“It suits you… oh wait I don’t mean that in a rude way uhm I mean you look good even with makeup I mean ughhh….” he trails off as he mentally and physically slaps himself. Meanwhile, Moon Bin finally looked at Eunwoo as a small chuckle escaped from him.

 

“It’s ok. I get what you mean,” Moon Bin said as he gave the other a reassuring smile. And to that, a small blush took form at Eunwoo’s cheeks. Aaahhh he smiled

 

“...” Trying to hide the rising blush in his cheeks, he stuffs his mouth with a spoonful of ice cream.

 

The two spent their time at the park till the night sky illuminated the place, chatting with each other about their perspective lives. Eunwoo was happy he was able to speak to him smoothly and that the other opened up to him quite easily. He learned that Moon Bin loved making others laugh and seeing them happy so he chose to be a part time clown because he thinks it’s easier to tickle a child’s funny bone rather than people at his age. He also learned that the guy loved eating as Eunwoo noticed that he was able to finish half of the ice cream while they were eating, to which he only smiled and apologized to him. Ahh you’re so cute I want to pinch your cheeks so badly.

After talking and playing around the park, they both decided to call it a day. Eunwoo was so glad that Moon Bin’s home is between the path to his home from the park, thanking the gods silently in his head as he gets to have more time with him. In his mind, he would play this scene as the boyfriend taking his lover to his home after a date, causing him to blush really hard and looking away to the streets. Moon Bin looked at him for a while with confusion but just brushed it off. Weird guy.

Twenty minutes after escorting Moon Bin to his home, he arrived at his own. His father was perplexed at the sight of their son blushing so hard and leaning on the door while holding his chest, while his mother just laughed at him. It looks like I won’t be able to sleep tonight, Eunwoo thought and smiled to himself, still holding his chest that was beating faster than usual. He was about to go to his room when his mother called him.

 

“Waeyo?”

 

“Did you get all the things I wrote?”

 

“......” Crap I forgot the bag, he facepalmed himself.

 

✿

 

One year later from that memorable incident in the park and they were already inseparable from each other. Once Eunwoo got through to Moon Bin by forcing himself to him every day of the school year, it didn’t take long for Moon Bin to open up to him. They would always eat lunch together, help each other in various school works and homework, walk home together after their classes, and chat with each other through social media apps till midnight strikes. Sometimes, they would go out on saturday mornings to go to the mall or the park, do anything that fancies their elbow. Other times, Eunwoo would join Moon Bin being a clown and entertain kids in their birthday parties. And in every time that they had each other by their side, Eunwoo would unknowingly fall deeper to Moon Bin and his cheesy dorky jokes.

During those times together, he learned so much about himself that only appeared in front of Moon Bin; the way he would laugh at all of his jokes, how we would coo at Moon Bin when he’s adorably munching all of his lunch, how he could make him smile even in the smallest words and action, how he gets easily jealous when there’s someone talking to Moon Bin, how his heart would beat faster when their hands brush as they walk side by side going home, and how easily his heart could be stolen by a simple flashy smile of an aegyo-filled dorky clown.

 

Realizing that he doesn’t have much time, but he still really has an eternity for it, Eunwoo searched for Moon Bin in the halls of the establishment as he was endlessly preparing himself for this day for the rest of the week, or debatable his lifetime. Their years of being seniors in this academic year has just flew by quickly in a blink of an eye as their graduation ceremony had just ended with a lot of people trying not to burst into tears and hugging classmates and their loved ones.

After what seemed to be a lifetime of running through the halls and every classroom, he arrived at the rooftop of the school establishment where he saw a too familiar figure standing and gazing below, his toga being blown rather viciously by the wind. After doing a little pep talk to himself and reaching his back pocket, Eunwoo broke the silence.

 

“Eh.. ehm,” he approached Moon Bin, who turned his head to see who it was.

 

“Oh. Eunwoo-ah, hello,” Moon Bin said as he smiled to him. Damn you and your perfect smile, Eunwoo began to feel his whole body shiver due to the wind and his nerves eating him up. Just do it. Just do it.

 

“Binnie! Ah oops..” Eunwoo apologized as his body failed him and basically shouted, to which Binnie was taken aback but only chuckled at him. Ahhhh stop smiling at me. Ahh my heart ><

 

“Dongmin! Hahaha”

 

“...” An instant blush crept in Eunwoo’s cheek. I can’t take it anymore.

 

“Here,” Eunwoo handed Moon Bin something that he has been holding in his hand. Binnie just looked confused while Eunwoo was contemplating whether to back out now while he still got the chance.

 

“What’s this?” Binnie asked as the latter took out his hand, handed him something and closed Binnie’s fist. Eunwoo sat at the ground and looked at the view before breathing out a breath he did not realized he has been holding. Binnie only smiled at the sight of a fluffy red clown nose at his palms and followed suit and sat next to him so close that their shoulders brushed and so close that Eunwoo thought of breathing in the breath he exhaled and hold it again.

 

“I don’t really know if you remember or not but we met before. It was at a children’s party of a coworker of my mom. I didn’t really want to go there because you know that every once in a year I become a beacon of bad luck and all sorts of disaster fall upon me. And I seriously hope this isn’t one of those days!” Eunwoo said while Binnie looked confused but laughed at Eunwoo’s behavior. He always thought the Eunwoo is a little bit weird from the beginning.

 

“Anyways, I was feeling really down during that day cause I forgot my homework at home and got 0 marks for not passing it, and I tripped while I was at the kid’s party and landed directly to the mud puddle at the kid’s backyard.” It seemed as though Moon Bin remembered the event as he was trying to stifle his laugh, but had failed as his laughter escaped his hands and filled the silence. Eunwoo lightly smacked him in the shoulder as his cheeks become light pink.

 

“Hey stop laughing. I’m trying to be serious here.”

 

“Dirty look was especially in season that year,” Moon Bin said and laughed again

 

“Yah! Stop!” Eunwoo said to the cackling clown as his cheeks were basically red now.

 

“Ha.. ha.. Ha.. Ok I’ll stop now.”

 

“The kids and the adults at the party laughed at me, even my own parents! I was about to cry there and make a scene but guess how came to the rescue?” Eunwoo said as he tried to stifle his own laugh now.

 

“It was this clown about your age and height. I don’t know if he saw that I was having a bad day or he was just really really clumsy but after I tripped, he was saying a joke and then tripped so all the attention was at him. I felt as if he was by my side as we both fought the laughter from the crown as I also saw that the clown wasn’t really used to this type of gigs yet. Because of that I stayed and watched the clown’s performance all the way. He was a bit cheesy and corny might I say but to be frank I think that’s my type of humor hahaha.”

 

“After the party was over, the clown approached me and told me to cheer up always as I looked more handsome if I smile. I was about to ask his name but I guess I was dazed for awhile and the clown left already. I was quite disappointed but I noticed he left something behind the platform he performed at and so I took it in hopes that we can meet again.

 

And what do you know, after six months time I was able to meet him! And what shocked me was that he was near me all this time! I saw him one morning as I was entering my school establishment and ….”

“It’s me, isn’t it?” Eunwoo was about to continue but Binnie interrupted him so he was forced to break his gaze from the light blue horizon to Binnie who was adorably playing with his nose and the thing Eunwoo gave him.

 

“Let me finish,” Eunwoo said more like a plea rather than a command.

 

“Get to the point Lee Dongmin. I don’t have all day.”

 

“I.. uhh.. I think…”

 

“Dongmin. Dongmin. Eunwoo-ah!” Binnie called as the guy was basically in panic mode as the guy never liked going out of his script and he liked teasing the other using this technique secretly.

 

“Huh?” Before his mind was able to properly function, Moon Bin leaned in closer and pecked Eunwoo’s cheeks, causing the guy to have a mental breakdown and his soul leaving his soul.

 

“Uhhhhhh…… what?” was his only response after becoming paralyzed for thirty seconds. Moon Bin was only giggling and trying not to blush.

 

“I like you too Cha Eunwoo.” Binnie smiled at him and meet his gaze; and there in those beautiful night orbs is where he saw what he had always felt all this time.

 

He hugged Binnie and lifted him from their sitting and swinged him while both of them smiling and laughing. He puts him down before he kisses the other on his lips. Just as I thought, it’s as sweet as your favourite vanilla ice cream

 

“Binnie~”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“I like you. A lot.”

 

“I like you too. A lot.”

 

“...”

 

“...”

 

“Eunwoo~”

 

“Waeyo?~”

 

“Now you can say you like me to the MOON BIN and back? Hahahaha”

 

 

God why am I so in love with this clown （｡￣へ￣｡）