“Hey.. stop.  Stop!”  Heung-soo came to his feet, his hair disheveled and breathing ragged.  “Yah..!”

Before he could get another word out, Nam-soon lunged and grabbed him by the waist.  There was a loud thud as they collided with the closed door.  The thump caught Heung-soo off-guard and he cracked into a fit of laughter.  He grabbed Nam-soon’s shoulders and tried his hardest to get the clinging boy’s head away from his ticklish side.  When it became evident that Nam-soon was not about to throw in the towel, Heung-soo tackled him to the floor and managed to wrestle and keep him down. 

“Alright, alright!  You win.. I surrender!”   Nam-soon stopped his squirming and finally conceded, amused by Heung-soo’s victory grin.

“Yes! I win, sekki-ah.  Remember it.  And no ordering me about,” Heung-soo’s eyes shone with mischief.

“Okay.. okay!  You can let go now.. You’re cutting off circulation to my wrists.”

Heung-soo released his best friend, smug grin intact. Nam-soon sat up and wiped his damp forehead.  A smile lingered on his lips as he felt his head swirl and the heat rise in his cheeks. 

Heung-soo reached for the half-empty glass of water he’d fetched moments before and took a big gulp.

“So.. there’s one thing I’ve been meaning to ask you..” he threw a piece of candy in his mouth, “Song Ha-Kyung… you two had a thing at some point?”

Nam-soon frowned in amusement.  “That was random!  What ‘thing’… what are you taking about?”

“Stop being a punk!  You know what I mean.”

“Why’d you think of that all of a sudden?”  Nam-soon laughed, his eyes bright with curiosity.

“I asked first.”

“There was no ‘thing’. I mean, she’s cute and actually kind of sweet when you get to know her a little bit.  But no, there was never anything going on between us.  I barely had the energy to come to school everyday...”

Heung-soo nodded slowly and idly twirled the comic book at his fingertips.  “Ah well.  Don’t worry about it too much.  She keeps her head in her books… wouldn’t’ve given you the time of day anyway.”

“Yah sekki-ah... who said I was worried?!” Nam-soon replied, feigning bewilderment.  “Anyway, what do you think.. should I ask her out?”

Heung-soo ignored the cheeky retort and stretched out on his back on the wood floor.  He sighed leisurely as he crossed his ankles and rested his head on his hands. 

“Hey don’t fall asleep!  We gotta head out in a little bit.”  Nam-soon watched him, feeling amused and suddenly grateful for their lazy afternoon antics.  Heung-soo continued to ignore him.  Nam-soon grabbed a bag of candy and stretched out next to him.

“I didn’t tell you this yet.. but guess what happened. Young-soo got engaged.”  Heung-soo kept his eyes closed and spoke the words as if to himself.  Nam-soon sat up excitedly.

“What.. really?!  Noona?  To who?”

“Last night she told me.  Apparently, someone she’s been seeing for about two months.. doctor at the hospital she works at.  He asked her to marry him.  And she said yes.   I think they were dating in secret.  Seriously, I didn’t even know she had a boyfriend..”

“A doctor.  Wow!  But two months doesn’t seem like a long time..”

“I know.  Plus, his side isn’t down with it.. I think his family is well-off.  Noona’s got a cleaning job at the hospital, little money, no parents… Yeah, I’m sure his parents are freaking out.”  Heung-soo’s lips curled in a wicked smile.

“Yah!  How come you’re so relaxed about all this?”  Nam-soon shoved him on the shoulder.   

Heung-soo sat up and returned the shove.  “What can I do about it?  Anyway, my aunt and I get to meet him for the first time next week. He’s coming to our place.  You should be there, by the way.  If he looks down on her or turns out to be an , we could teach him a lesson or two and send him off.  What d’you think?”

Nam-soon stared at his best friend, still amazed at his light-hearted take on the turn of events.  “I’m pretty sure she’s stressed out enough without the two of us threatening her fiancé.  Besides, I don’t think I should get-”

“I already told her you’ll be there next week.  So you’ll be there,” Heung-soo insisted with a careless smirk.  

Nam-soon smiled and shook his head in resignation.  “So what happens when she gets married?”

“Like what?”

“You’ll be living alone?..”

Heung-soo laughed.  “I’m pretty sure I can handle it.”

“You could move in here.” Nam-soon did not get the immediate response he expected.  “…Why not?”

Heung-soo kept his head down and spoke softly, “And what will you tell your dad?”

“He’s never here, you know that.  And I’m betting he won’t care.”  Their eyes met and their gaze held.  “It’s an option... You can, if you want to.” 

“Well, let’s wait and see what happens first.” Heung-soo reached over and tousled Nam-soon’s hair.  Nam-soon smacked the playful hand.  They laughed in unison.

Heung-soo rose to his feet and straightened his jacket.  “I’m hungry.  Let’s go get kimbaps. I’ll even buy you some.”

“I’m not hungry… you go alone.”  Nam-soon picked up a comic book and waved him away.

Heung-soo seized the book and grabbed Nam-soon’s hand, hauling him to his feet.  Nam-soon grinned, unable to protest as Heung-soo tossed the book aside.  They joked and teased as they shoved and stumbled their way into the living room.   

Their carefree laughter drifted, lingered and clung to the walls in the quiet house.  The giddy feeling of home returned and trailed the cheerful pair as they stepped out the front door.