“So let me get this straight,” Sungyeol began, after placing his porcelain cup on the saucer. They were in a café a few blocks away from the church. “You’re living with Pastor Kang at the moment, since you still haven’t found a new place to stay?”

   Myungsoo nodded.

   “And you seriously left Suzy’s place because you’re falling for her?”

   The other one blushed upon hearing his friend’s straightforward question. He looked away, and cleared his throat.

   “What’s with the silence?” Sungyeol teased with a smirk. “You were close to tears when you bravely admitted it to me before.”

   He received a grunt from Myungsoo.

   “But then,” Sungyeol carried on. “I don’t get it. If you’re falling for her, then wouldn’t you think that it’s a better idea if the two of you stay together?”

   Myungsoo shook his head no. He had his eyes fixed on the rim of his cup. “If I had it my way, I’d do just that, Sungyeol. Still, I respect her parents, and I don’t want to roam around their house having certain thoughts about Suzy.”

   “So you chose to run away?”

   “I chose to wait,” Myungsoo finished off.

   Sungyeol chuckled. “I don’t get you sometimes, but I do admire that side of you. So, where are you working now?”

   “It’s a shop that sells musical instruments,” Myungsoo answered. “They have a tiny bookstore, too.”

   “Do you prefer that over preparing coffee?”

   “I don’t play favoritism,” the other answered.

   “I’m not even asking it that way,” Sungyeol shot back playfully.

   “Are you sure on becoming a barista?” Myungsoo asked instead.

   Sungyeol nodded. “You said before that you wanted to speak to people through music. As for my case, I’ll do it with coffee.”

   He feigned a shudder. “That’s greasy, Sungyeol.”

   “At least I’m sincere.”

   “True,” Myungsoo dismissed the conversation with a wave of his hand.

   The two friends talked about different things, and at one point, Sungyeol said, “I’m glad you invited me to church.”

   Myungsoo kept quiet. He waited for him to carry on.

   “It sort of broke the idea I had about it,” he smiled to himself. “I still have a lot to learn, but now I understand why you say you don’t follow a religion.”

   They turned pensive. The song playing in the background slowly vanished, together with the soft chatters of the other customers in the café. Both were experiencing changes in their lives, and they were unsure where it would take them. Nevertheless, their hearts were at ease.

<:>

   Myungsoo took consecutive overtimes because he finally found an apartment that suited his needs. He talked with the landlord, and they settled for Myungsoo to move on the first week of September. He wanted to earn more in order to afford the deposit and at the same time have some cash to spare just in case. With the weather changing more frequently, he became sick. He couldn’t get out of bed one morning, and so he phoned his manager about his situation.

   “I’m sorry,” he sniffed. His nose was clogged and he felt hot. His vision was in bad condition and the pounding he felt in his head wasn’t helping, either.

   “You’ve been working hard these past few weeks, so get the rest you deserve,” his manager kindly replied. “Get well soon.”

   “Thanks. I will,” the call was dropped, and he placed his phone on the drawer beside him. Myungsoo rolled over, and tried to sleep his sickness away. That was what he always did, and it worked. Usually. He had no idea just how long he lay there, and he couldn’t determine if he was dreaming or not. He felt a cool hand on his forehead, followed by hushed murmurs. His eyes felt like lead. He was so heavy all over he couldn’t even bring himself to check his surroundings.

   The next thing he knew, something that soothed his skin was being dabbed on him. The occasional sound of water stirring and the constant, quiet hum of the humidifier.

   The one You love is sick right now, Lord, he heard. Please heal him in Jesus’ name.

   It wasn’t Daehyun’s voice, but the familiar statement caused him to tear up. He wanted to move, but he was too weak. But just when the warm, small hand was about to slip away from him, he gave it his all to grab it. He held it tightly. Without expecting it, the person did the same. Someone caressed his hair. Kim Myungsoo, at the age of twenty-two, felt like a child all over again. He missed the physical contact; he missed being taken care of; he missed his mother.

   He woke up with a cooling gel placed on his forehead. He slowly sat up, only to realize that Pastor Kang was dabbing a damp cloth on his arm. Suddenly realizing the situation, he sat up straight. Pastor Kang looked at him, and smiled. “Are you feeling okay now?”

   Myungsoo quietly nodded. Pastor Kang placed his hand on his forehead, and smiled. “There’s soup waiting for you outside, and you have guests, too.”

   “Guests?”

   “Go and change into fresh clothes first. We’re going to wait for you outside.”

   He did what he was told, and what greeted him the moment he stepped out of his room was the warm aroma of newly cooked food. It made his stomach grumble. He went to the living room, and stopped short upon seeing the Bae family, together with Sungyeol, talking with each other.

   “Hyung!” Sang Moon cried. He quickly stood up, and pounced on him. “You promised you’d visit! Why didn’t you?”

   “Sorry,” he began, still unable to believe his eyes. It had been almost a month since he left, but it felt like forever. “I was too busy with work and school.”

   He gave his respects to Mr. and Mrs. Bae, and he smiled at Suzy. She became even more beautiful—at least, in his perception.

   “You should’ve called,” Sungyeol pouted. “Stop living like a bachelor, Myungsoo.”

   The rest laughed at his friend’s remark. And it didn’t take them long before being comfortable once again. They talked where they left off, as if Myungsoo didn’t move away in the first place. It was so natural, and Myungsoo wanted Daehyun and his mother to be there. He almost wanted his father to be there, as well. Almost.

   He and Suzy talked naturally, and they figured that the distance was actually good for them. It made them feel less awkward towards each other. They caught up with what the other was doing, and Myungsoo learned that Suzy managed to get a part-time job from the publishing house Sunggyu was employed in.

   “Is it difficult?” Myungsoo asked.

   Suzy shook her head no. “It’s quite fun. You have to arrange more papers, but the people in there are kind, so I’m not having a difficult time.”

   “I see. You’re really going to be a writer?”

   She beamed at him, and nodded. “You shouldn’t push yourself too hard, too. You’ll be living by yourself again soon.”

   “I won’t,” he promised. “Then how is Sunggyu hyung doing?”

   “Don’t you talk to him anymore?”

   “Our times clash,” Myungsoo answered.

   Suzy nodded away. “He said he has someone he wants to marry there. Her name’s Jieun. He’s planning on courting her.”

   He studied her expression, and noticed the tiniest tinge of sadness. She sighed, and remarked, “I hope this time, Sunggyu gets his happy ending.”

   They all went home at one in the morning, and it was quiet once again. Staying in Pastor Kang’s place, Myungsoo learned that his house was really open for everybody. There were nights when someone would knock on the door only to end up bawling in the living room. Sometimes the young man even wondered how the pastor managed.

   “It’s nice to see them again, isn’t it?” Pastor Kang remarked.

   Myungsoo smiled, and nodded. He looked at his pastor, and asked, “I don’t mean to sound offensive, but earlier…you looking after me…”

   Pastor Kang smiled at him warmly. “It feels awkward, doesn’t it?”

   He nodded.

   “Why do you think so?”

   The student held the back of his neck, and after a moment of silence, he answered, “Because you’re a pastor, and that’s something pastors shouldn’t do…because of their position.”

   Pastor Kang sighed. The two of them sat down on the porch’s stairs, and stared at the streetlights across them.

   “And yet, someone did it two thousand years ago,” he looked at Myungsoo. “He wasn’t just a pastor. He was the begotten Son of God—a royalty. Nevertheless, He humbly washed His disciples’ feet and ate with people considered to be of low status. The more I think about it, the more amazed I become. Jesus is quite revolutionary, and I find it a great privilege to follow Him.”

   Silence shrouded them, and Myungsoo broke it by saying, “Earlier, I sort of wished that my father was here with us.”

<:>

   The summer season left Seoul, and one of the prominent traces it left behind was the empty cicada shells. The warmest time of the year moved on, and so did Myungsoo. It was the start of September when he finally received the key from the landlord. After moving everything in his empty apartment, he quickly stepped out of the building to visit his father’s office. He came unannounced, and so he had to wait until his appointments were finished. Myungsoo was surprised to know that he didn’t have to wait for long. His father basically cancelled every meeting he had to make time for his son. (“I’m sorry for not doing this sooner,” Mr. Kim said.)

   They went to a restaurant nearby, and it was Mr. Kim who ordered. “You still dislike raw food, don’t you?”

   “Y-Yes,” Myungsoo murmured.

   “Then will you be okay with beef?”

   The young man nodded. It was strange. He was expecting a surge of anger to come to him, but it didn’t. Nothing happened. He could still remember the things his father did, and it still hurt his heart. Nonetheless, that was all there is to it. There was a sense of tranquility that swept over him from the inside. At that time, he felt like he could finally breathe.

   Many things seemed to go along with the fleeting summer season. Myungsoo’s hatred towards his father was one of them.

<:>

   “It’s getting colder again,” Woohyun remarked, as he stared outside the huge office windows. “And a few more weeks you’d be here for a year.”

   Sunggyu smirked. “You’re actually keeping tabs?”

   “I subconsciously do it,” the younger one admitted. Sunggyu looked up from his computer to look at Woohyun. His hair was a golden brown against the autumn sunshine; it made his bronze skin glow. “And what’s with the influx of envelopes in your drawers at home lately, hyung?”

   Exactly, Jieun rushed into the office, heading straight towards her desk.

   “They’re letters,” Sunggyu answered, before standing up. He arranged the folders he was going to take with him. He stared at her. “For my future wife.”

   Jieun paused, and with a mischievous smile, Sunggyu waved at Woohyun and exited the room. She slowly stood up straight to look at Sunggyu’s retreating figure. She turned her head to look at Woohyun, but he was already seeing himself out as he cleared his throat.

"For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”
- Mark 10:45