“I bought the snacks,” Sehun chirps, standing in between Minseok and Luhan. A cheer resonates from his group of friends, as they all but snatch the bags of popcorn from the youngest’s hands.

The weekend arrives and the boys think Saturday is the perfect day to go and watch a movie. Everybody stands in a clump, chatting animatedly over the sounds of video games and popcorn machines whirring. Practically the whole gang was here, save for Jongin. Before Sehun could even say a word about him, the young man came running towards their group, his tattered backpack slung over his shoulder.

“Hi guys,” Jongin greets, running a hand through his dyed brown hair, sounding out of breath. “Did you guys buy your tickets yet?”

Minseok nods his head and gestures for him to come closer. “Yeah we did. We bought you a ticket too,” he replies, handing the brunette his sheet. “We couldn’t wait, so we just went and bought them altogether.”

“Thanks,” Jongin says, bowing slightly.

The group walks into the theatre, conquering the very top row for themselves. Baekhyun and Chanyeol immediately rush to the top, claiming the middle seats for themselves, as the rest followed. Minseok shook his head and laughed, seating himself beside Baekhyun, Luhan just behind him. Jongin hopped up the stairs and made his way to the other side, wiggling himself into the seat between Sehun and Chanyeol.

“God I love Park Shinhye,” Chanyeol brightens, as a movie trailer plays on the screen. “She’s a goddess.”

Jongin laughs as he nudges Chanyeol’s side. “I know what you mean,” he concurs. “Kyungsoo and I have watched You’re Beautiful like a million times.”

Chanyeol’s face pales a little; something that doesn’t go unnoticed by Luhan. “Yeah, Kyungsoo really loved her,” he agrees, smiling awkwardly.

Sehun furrows his eyebrows and looks in Chanyeol’s direction, trying to read his expression but the man looks away too quickly for him to understand, so he doesn’t bother. It probably isn’t that important anyway, he concludes.

However, throughout the two hours they spend watching the movie, Jongin doesn’t fail to mention Kyungsoo multiple times and Sehun can’t help but wonder just who on earth this person was. In the back of his mind, he also wonders who this person was to Jongin to make him smile so brilliantly at the mere thought of him.

--

The next few days Sehun spends with the group are quite eventful he supposes. However, most of the days had consisted of Jongin talking about Kyungsoo and to say that it didn’t bother Luhan would be an awful lie. Every breath that Jongin exhaled did not come without a mention of the mysterious man.

“Wow, fancy seeing you here,” Baekhyun chuckles, watching a young man slide into the chair next to Minseok. “I thought you didn’t like Starbucks?”

“Yeah it’s been a while, Baek,” the man replies warmly, the corners of his lips turning. “I guess my tastes have changed.”

“So what’s up?” Baekhyun inquires, resting his chin on his palm. “Oh, it’s a shame Jongin isn’t here today though. I bet he misses you.”

Sehun stares at the man Baekhyun has been talking to, questioning his identity. “Is this Kyungsoo?” he blurts out, catching the stranger’s attention.

“No, this is Junmyeon,” Minseok answers quickly, unusually tense. “He… he’s a good friend of Kyungsoo’s.”

Junmyeon purses his lips and nods. “The best of friends,” he replies. Shaking his head, he stretches out his hand to Sehun and introduces himself. “My name’s Junmyeon. Any friend of theirs,” he says, motioning his hands towards the boys, “is a friend of mine.”

Sehun shakes Junmyeon’s hand and introduces himself as well. “So are you and Jongin close?” he questions.

Junmyeon freezes and his words get stuck in his throat. “Well I…” he laughs nervously.

“Speak of the devil,” Baekhyun announces, patting the seat beside him.

“Hi guys,” Jongin beams. “Oh Junmyeon! What brings you here?”

Junmyeon smiles tightly at Jongin. “Oh nothing really. I was just about to leave,” he lies. “I’ve got an appointment in thirty minutes, actually. Now if you’ll excuse me.”

Jongin frowns as the man quickly grabs his bag. The uncomfortable haste Junmyeon is making catches Sehun’s attention and he can’t help but feel bad for both him and Jongin. His attempt at avoiding the boy is as clear as day.

“Wait!” Jongin calls, sifting through his backpack. “I was just about to ask everyone if they wanted to go to this theme park thirty minutes from here. Do you want to come?”

Junmyeon stops what he’s doing and hesitates to answer, but when Minseok interjects and tells Jongin that’s a great idea and a wonderful opportunity to catch up with each other, he regrets not speaking up sooner.

“Great! Let’s go this weekend,” he suggests excitedly. “Kyungsoo always wanted to go here but we never had time to go together. Maybe I can scope out all the rides to save time for us when he comes back home.”

Everyone holds their breath before complimenting Jongin on how considerate he is, excluding Junmyeon. It’s almost impossible to not notice the uneasy expression donning his complexion and mild glare he shoots towards Minseok.

When Junmyeon leaves, he unconsciously runs away to who knows where and Luhan glances at Jongin, who seems more tired than ever. Dark circles hang beneath his eyes, contrary to the tiny grin on his lips. Just who on earth is Kyungsoo? And why does the mere thought of him shake Jongin’s heart?

--

The sun is hanging low in the sky and it is time for Sehun to leave the library. As he’s packing his things, he notices a bright blue notebook with “Kim Jongin” in chicken scratch on the front and sighs. Maybe he would stop by Jongin’s apartment before going home tonight.

Sehun steps out of the building and the cool summer air hits him all at once. He’d texted Jongin before leaving, but found that there’s still no reply. As he begins to walk it occurs to him that this is will be the first time he’s ever been in Jongin’s home. For some reason, his hands begin to feel clammy and millions of questions begin to flood his mind. Is he busy? Is he asleep? What does his apartment look like? Are there thousands of photos of him and Kyungsoo? Will he finally get to meet Kyungsoo?

By the time Kyungsoo enters his thoughts, Sehun finds himself at the entrance of the building. He rings Jongin’s room multiple times but is met with no answer. When he calls his cellphone, only the sound of a woman is audible, telling him to “please try again later.”

“Do you need help young man?” an old woman asks sweetly, clutching her cane with both of her bony hands.

“Yes I do,” Sehun jumps in surprise, shoving his phone in his pocket. “Do you know where I can find Kim Jongin?”

The woman’s expression hardens, her lips pressing into a line. “What do you want with that boy?” she asks, sounding almost accusatory. “I suggest you go home and stay away from that Kim Jongin. You seem like a nice young man and I’d hate for anything to happen to you,” she warns, shaking her head.

Taken aback is an understatement as Sehun isn’t sure how to respond to the woman’s harsh words about his friend. Fortunately, he didn’t have to, as another tenant comes to interpose.

“Kim Jongin?” a middle-aged man approaches the two. “He’s crazy. Absolutely insane. One of my friends who works at the post office talks about him all the time, for good reason too. He used to always try to mail letters to someone named… Hyung Soo. No address whatsoever,” he shakes his head in disbelief.

It isn’t long until a whole crowd joins Sehun, every one of them shouting their own story about the crazy boy from room 13. The things Sehun is hearing are preposterous and borderline offensive and he refuses to take one more word of it. “Will you please,” he yells over the mess of voices, “just tell me where I can find Jongin?”

The herd of residents quiet down, each person shrugging, whispering things like ‘how would we know?’ and ‘we don’t talk to him’. Sehun quickly comes to the realization that to them, Jongin isn’t a person. He’s a conversational topic.

“Check the rooftop,” a security guard advises, nodding his head in the direction of the staircase. “The door will say ‘do not enter’ but I’ll let you go this time. Jongin usually goes up there at night.”

Sehun stares at the man and quickly thanks him, making his way to the elevator. The floor Sehun gets off at is a narrow, horizontal hallway with no rooms. There’s only one door opposite to the elevator’s own with a large and bold sign that reads ‘do not enter’.

When Sehun pulls the door open, just as the guard said, he sees Jongin comfortably sitting on the ground with his legs crossed and a baseball jacket draped over his shoulders. He was so still, it almost felt like he was looking at a statue. “Jongin?” he croaks, stepping away from the door, hands clutching onto the notebook.

The boy whips his head around, bathed in moonlight. When Jongin gleams at him and beckons him over, Sehun almost forgets how to breathe. He looked ephemeral, eyes shining and a radiant smile to boot. For a second, Sehun swore he was glowing. He was absolutely breathtaking.

“Hi Sehun,” Jongin waved cheerfully, patting the spot beside him with his other hand. “Come join me!”

He isn’t sure how he did it with his knees like jelly, but he strode towards Jongin and plopped down beside him. The reason why he came in the first place completely slips his mind as soon as Sehun hears his voice.

“You came at the perfect time,” Jongin exclaims, pointing his head at the sky. “We were just talking about you!”

Sehun raises his brows as his gaze dart around the rooftop. “Oh?” he manages to reply.

“Yeah, we were just talking about the guys and how much more fun we’re having now that you’re with us,” he explains, his nose automatically crinkling with delight.

“I see?” Sehun nods, not actually seeing what he was supposed to. He was uncertain of what to say, in fact he wasn’t sure what he could say.

“Ah silly me,” Jongin exclaims, jumping to his feet. “I forgot to introduce the two of you!”

Sehun laughs uncomfortably and waves his hands in protest. “No, it’s fine,” he reassures the boy.

“No, no, it only makes sense for my new best friend to meet my boyfriend,” Jongin insists, taking Sehun’s hand and pulling him to his feet. In those few seconds of contact, Sehun prayed that Jongin didn’t notice how sweaty he was.

“Best friend?” Sehun reiterates, forehead crinkling. He senses a small smile creep on his face, feeling a certain warmth inside of him.

“Well yeah,” Jongin nods sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Anyways this is Sehun,” he shouts at the sky, throwing an arm around the boy. “Sehun, meet Kyungsoo,” he grins, finger pointing at the dazzling full moon above them.

“It’s nice to meet you,” Sehun hesitantly bows, deciding to play along, “Kyungsoo…”

The longer Jongin spoke to Sehun about their relationship, the more he wanted to leave. However, he stayed until five in the morning that night, feeling the most drained he’d ever felt. He could hear the birds beginning to chirp as he bid goodbye to a tired Jongin, who was damn close to passing out on the roof.

That night, Sehun rushed home, trying to make sense of what happened and trying to understand Jongin’s antics. But no matter how hard he tried, he just couldn’t. He still sympathized with the boy regardless. When Jongin introduced him to Kyungsoo, he swore he felt his heart clench a little. By the time Sehun reaches his doorstep, the sky turns from its purple shade to a pale blueish orange.

As Sehun slips into his home, Jongin is just waking up, preparing to drag himself off the roof and into his bed for a couple more hours. Even with the drowsiness impeding his senses, he could still make out the sun peeking out from the horizon. Jongin whispers a quick goodbye as he drags his feet towards the door, wanting nothing more than to avoid the sunrise.

Alas, dawn arrives, telling the sky that it is time for the night to depart and sometimes, it feels like Kyungsoo’s leaving all over again when morning conquers.

Jongin hates mornings.

--

Screams of enjoyment and terror fil the air as a rollercoaster whizzes above Jongin and his friends. The air smells of cotton candy and sweat, an occasional scent of puke wafting through the amusement park.

“I’m not sure about this,” Junmyeon mumbles to no one in particular, shielding his eyes from the sun with his hand. It’s a gorgeous day and the sun is blazing, the wind offering its services only thrice every hour or so.

The boys crowd around Minseok and the map, adorned with Jongin’s red circles that he’d scribbled on the night prior, planning out the day for them all. “ it up, old man,” Minseok deadpans, not even sparing him one glance. “You’re going to have fun here whether you like it or not.”

Junmyeon curses under his breath and takes a sip from his water bottle, making a mental note to get Minseok back for forcing him into this. If he had it his way, he’d be at home curled up on his favourite chair and enveloped in cool air, not sweating buckets in a much too loud environment.

“It looks like we’re going on the Drop Tower first!” Chanyeol bellows, running off into the distance with a tiny Baekhyun following behind.

The drop tower is taller than anything Sehun has ever seen in his life but he reckons that it’s still pretty ing tall. Chanyeol and Baekhyun rush to take their seats, conveniently sitting beside each other for the ride. Sehun isn’t sure why the boys avoid sitting in the same row as them, leaving him and Jongin to the places beside them, but quickly learns why as soon as their screams deafen him as they plummet from the top.

From the corner of his eye, he notices the two of them gripping each other’s hands as they shriek obnoxiously together and forgets the fact he’s plunging to his death for a second, as he thinks about how much he’d like to hold Jongin’s hand. Truthfully, it’s a thought that he can’t get rid of for quite a while after the Drop Tower and every ride after that.

“Today was so fun,” Jongin spins around, as they exit the amusement park, walking towards the bus stop. The sky is hues of orange and purple and everyone is absolutely exhausted. “I’m so tired though,” he sighs.

“Too tired for a race?” Chanyeol challenges with a certain glint in his eye, before they two are off dashing into the distance. The boys laugh at their childishness, watching Chanyeol lag behind Jongin due to his terrible stamina.

“Did you have a good time today?” Luhan asks, nudging the younger’s side.

Sehun nods contentedly in response, gaze never leaving Jongin. “The best.”

Luhan hums to himself, noticing where Sehun is looking, or more accurately, who he’s looking at. “You’ve been staring at Jongin a lot today,” he teases, causing Sehun to redden. “Do you have a crush on him or something?” he whispers, making sure no one else hears the question.

“I…” Sehun stutters, shying away.

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone,” Luhan reassures, placing a hand over his heart. “It’s so obvious that I don’t have to.”

“Luhan!”

“Just kidding,” he snickers. “But seriously speaking, you should drop this. It won’t end well.”

Sehun turns back to look Luhan again, searching for any sign of sarcasm on his face, only to be met with a hardened expression. “What’s with Jongin and this Kyungsoo guy?” he asks boldly, though not daring enough to overstep any boundaries.

“He said he’d be back in a few days,” the older replies, pursing his lips together, “only, it’s been hundreds.”

Sehun nods, urging Luhan to continue but he doesn’t. For a moment his gaze locks on Jongin’s silhouette and he's sure that every time he looks at the boy, a part of his sanity slips away along with a sliver of his heart.

Jongin laughs at a joke Chanyeol tells until his orbs crinkle into the little crescents Sehun likes so much, but it's no surprise that he sees them falter when those beautiful brown eyes lock onto the bright moon above them.

"He misses him, Sehun," Luhan says, tilting his head back, moonlight shining down on his face. "He misses him a lot."