One’s worth cannot be determined until it is out of reach.

What Myungsoo hates the most was that Sungyeol wasn’t even angry at him. No words of hate were uttered and no retaliation of the punch he threw at his best friend—none, none at all. He spent the whole weekend dreading Monday, thinking of ways to apologize to his best friend but it turned out it he didn’t need to.

“Ya, why are you late by 3mins?” Sungyeol’s voice greeted him as soon as he stepped out of the gate of his house, “We have Mr. Jung for first period and he’s going to kill us if we’re even a second late. Come on!” and the taller proceeded to walk first.

Myungsoo had to blink once, twice before it sunk in that Sungyeol was there, in front of him, not even mad of what he did. It took even longer for his brain to process that he was being left back and that he needed to walk faster, run even, to catch up. He did and soon he was beside the taller boy who raised an eyebrow when he reached his side.

“Sungyeol,” Myungsoo called, his throat tightening because he really didn’t know what to say but he knew he had to, “Sungyeol, I—“

“Don’t,” was all that Sungyeol said, his face and voice void of any feelings except fear.

It shook Myungsoo up that Sungyeol was afraid of him, afraid of how he could hurt the taller boy—he never did knew he had so much power over him. So he shut his mouth up and followed to the room, sparing a minute before the teacher arrives and occupied his brain with lessons and quizzes to be studied for.

Sungyeol can wait.

*     *     *

Usually, Myungsoo and Sungyeol falls asleep together while watching TV but that night, Myungsoo couldn’t. He slowly pulled away from the couch where Sungyeol was sleeping and made his way to the kitchen to get a drink. Surprisingly, he found Sungjong sitting there looking like he had been waiting for him his whole life.

“Why aren’t you asleep yet? We have class tomorrow,” Myungsoo spoke coolly, not allowing his feelings to betray him. He took the carton of milk from the refrigerator and poured himself a glass before mentally listing that they buy a new one tomorrow on the way home. “Do you want one too?”

Sungjong shook his head and raised his hand, beckoning him to come over and take the seat in front of him.

“What do you want to talk about?” Myungsoo has an idea but he’d rather pretend he didn’t as he took the seat offer and sipped the drink nervously. “We better hurry up because we have school.”

The younger boy laid his hand on the table and watched him carefully, almost like taunting him but Myungsoo knew better. Sungjong was protective of his older brother just like how Sungyeol is protective of him because they only have each other left to lean on. Myungsoo knew Sungjong knows and he knows he’s going to get an earful of it.

“You hurt Yeol hyung.” It was the truth and no accusations.

“I did,” Myungsoo forced him to say because he did yet he didn’t really want to.

“You were the last person that I thought would ever hurt him,” Sungjong spoke of the truth again and Myungsoo felt like stabbing himself. “When hyung came home the other day crying, he didn’t have to tell me what happened. I never asked, he never spoke but he knew that I knew and I know that you know this.”

“Yes,” there was nothing to say anyway.

“It’s going to be soon before you graduate,” the younger twirled his fingers on the short locks of hair that fell in front of his eyes. “You’re planning to talk to him, I can see that. Yeol hyung is doing his everything to ignore that and you know that too. He got rejected once without words and I’m pretty sure he won’t want to get rejected again. And you are, going to reject him.”

Sometimes it’s pretty annoying that Sungjong was such a good reader and knows him too well because everything said was truth and there was no way he would be able to deny them. So all he does is nods his head, “Yes.”

There was a moment of complete silence before the other finally spoke again. “You have no idea where Yeol hyung is going for College, do you?”

Speaking, Myungsoo really didn’t know. They’ve spoken about their future a lot but there was no mention of where Sungyeol would be going or what