"So... You guys are together again?"

              "Yeah, I think so..." Woohyun couldn't stop the smile and the blush that were covering his face. Sungyeol chuckled. It was cute to see his friend in love. And thank god Sunggyu opened his eyes before it was too late. Now, they only needed to wait to see how for how long Sunggyu keeps treating Sungjong as a brother. "And I hope he realizes how much of an he was being and changes that. I don't buy it when he says he regrets it"

               "I believe he's doing this because he loves you"

               "I know... That's exactly the problem... I wanted him to change for himself, and not because of me."

               "Trust me, if he's trying to change, it's for both. I don't think he likes to be hated either." Woohyun smiled and nodded. He knew Sunggyu better than anyone, and he knew the latter wasn't a bad guy. He was just... difficult to handle sometimes. He had never had real friends that could help him go the right way, only Woohyun. And one could say that Woohyun was not only his boyfriend but his best friend. He was the one who guided Sunggyu. If he wasn't there, Sunggyu would be lost. And that scared both of them. 

                "And what about you and Myungsoo~?" Sungyeol noticed the teasing tone on the other's voice. But the shy smile still made his way to his mouth and he ended up blushing slightly to that.

                "He doesn't seem to hate me much anymore. I'm happy because after yesterday's hangout, I feel like we're finally going well" His smile was probably showing off more than Sungyeol had wanted to. And he could see that by the way Woohyun was now suppressing his laughter and looking at him rather judgingly. "What?"

                "You said 'as friends'. Is that really what you want from him? To be his friend?"

                  Sungyeol didn't know how to answer Woohyun's question, so he decided to go home. He told the nurse he was feeling sick and she let him go. She probably didn't believe that 'sickness', but wasn't the type to force a kid to go to classes when he's feeling completely out due to personal stuff. Sungyeol walked on his way home. Each step he took made it harder to focus. He didn't know anymore if he wanted to think about it, or just dive into his bed and sleep again.

                   Opening the door, he remembered his umma was supposed to be with her friends there, as always. So he decided to be as quiet as possible and go to his room. Only to find out there was no one at home. He sighed and made his way to the kitchen to grab a snack, and then to his room. He threw himself to his bed and hoped everything would be clearer to him when he woke up. But things not always go as planned. And this time, Sungyeol just couldn't have a moment of sleep. Something inside of him wasn't letting him sleep. 

                   A minute, thirty, an hour, had passed, and still, Sungyeol seemed like an old piece of cloth lying on a bed. Nothing. No sleep. And now he was feeling his head aching. He sighed for the nth time that day and got up. He roamed around, looking at old stuff he had saved on his wardrobe. He lost himself in that. He had an ocean of stuff. Meaningless and meaningful stuff. Stuff that brought memories back. Like the baby blue barrette he once stole Sungjong because he thought it was too feminine for him. And the sprays they used to draw Sunggyu's caricature at his frontdoor (Sungjong's idea). And the list goes on. That wardrobe was probably a museum of kid's stuff. Sungyeol was a kid, and so he felt happy about that. Until he came across with something that made him drop his smile. That box. He had expected the person that was going to send him that to at least pop up and say 'Hi, I'm your admirer'. But nothing ever happened. 

                  He opened the box and stared at the drawing. It was so well made, and it looked so much like him. It made him suddenly sadder, as he picked it to turn it around and read the poem. It was a beautiful poem about someone who loves from afar. It must've been written with great emotions, because it never failed to make Sungyeol tear up a bit. He closed the box and decided to hang the portrait on his wall. As he admired the masterpiece, he decided it was better to hang Myungsoo's drawing as well. He put them side to side. Only then he realized something: Myungsoo was better than that girl at drawing. He chuckled and wondered about Myungsoo's skills at writting poems.

                  Myungsoo was confused. When things get better between them, Sungyeol doesn't even appear at school. He was almost sure he had seen him in the morning. And he confirmed it by asking Woohyun, who was surprised to be approached by the cold prince. Everyone around them was. Myungsoo just shrugged off all the stares and kept looking for Sungyeol. He got worried. Had he done anything wrong? Was Sungyeol allergic to anything he had cooked the day before? He couldn't even think straight, and before he knew it, he was at his front door. Staring at it for a while. No, he didn't knock. He was about to turn his back and leave, not brave enough to face his Hyung. But someone opened the door. And surprisingly, that person had standed by his side for a few minutes before opening the door. Myungsoo turned to the said person and saw that her smile was just the same as Sungyeol's. Now he knew who Sungyeol had taken after. Actually, no, he corrected himself. Sungyeol's smile was different and unique. But they were quite similar, whatsoever. 

                  Mrs Lee pushed him inside gently, and told him he could feel as if he were home. Not because she was being polite, but because she felt like Myungsoo needed to be treated as her son. She could see how happy her real son was beside him, and even if her efforts are small, she knew they would help somehow. And they did, Myungsoo thought as he made his way slowly to Sungyeol's room. He opened the door, but instead of getting inside, he stared at the boy sitting before his books, studying. Sungyeol could really surprise him all the time. He studied his face for a few seconds, wondering about what his next piece of art should be, another drawing, or another poem. Sungyeol was really attractive, and that was what caught Myungsoo's attention from the start. He used the boy as his muse since his eyes first captured that smile. Only Sungyeol didn't know. And he didn't want him to know.

                 "You can come in". Myungsoo snapped out from his thoughts and got inside, taking a good look at the room. It wasn't as neat as his own, but wasn't much messy either. Some shirts on a corner, some cushions on the floor, but apart from that, perfect. Oh, and there were these two drawings that he just had to put on the wall to ruin th-- Myungsoo's eyes widen at the realization of those drawings. He approached them feeling panic starting to build in him. Sungyeol got up and looked at him. "Are you ok, Myungsoo?".

                  He didn't know what to do. He couldn't say he had drawn it. If he did, he was sure Sungyeol had read his own name on the box. But he wanted to ask him how had he gotten that. He must've found it on our bench...  

                  "Myungsoo?" Sungyeol waved his hand in front of Myungsoo's face, and the latter looked at him still... confused...? "I liked the drawing a lot, so I thought the wall was a good place to expose it" He chuckled, and Myungsoo did the same. "You draw a lot better than everyone I've known"

                  "Even that person who... drew your portrait?" He pointed to the other drawing, feeling his cheeks heat up a bit. But Sungyeol wouldn't notice. Sungyeol never notices those things, Myungsoo thinks. 

                   "Well, yeah". Myungsoo didn't know if he should feel happy for having improved, relieved because Sungyeol hadn't realized yet who drew it, or if he should facepalm for loving a dumb guy. In the end, he just laughed, trying not to feel like punching Sungyeol hard so he would open his eyes to what was obvious. "Though... The technique is similar..." He saw Sungyeol frown as he got closer to the drawings. It was probably the first time he was giving it some real attention, and Myungsoo felt proud, but also scared. He wasn't sure of how Sungyeol would react if he knew... "Wow... You really draw better than her!" His smiled dropped once Sungyeol turned to him cheerfully. 'Her'? Myungsoo cursed himself for ever being scared of Sungyeol's reaction. The guy was too slow to even reach the conclusion that Myungsoo was that 'girl'. 

                    He didn't know how that happened. How the two ended up laying down on Sungyeol's bed, side by side, watching the drawings as if they were extremely beautiful works of art. They were, actually. But, that's not what mattered to either of them. They were lost in their own thoughts. Thinking of everything, and nothing. Wondering about life itself. 

                    "Have you ever had a friend, Myungsoo?"

                    "Yeah... I had one before"

                     "Mm..." Sungyeol looked at him, "What happened?"

                     "She died of cancer"

                     "Oh..." Now everything was starting to make sense in Sungyeol's head. "I'm sorry"

                     "Don't be, it's not your fault" It might've been just his imagination, but Sungyeol could swear he saw tears forming in his friend's eyes. It hruted him, to be honest. And he didn't know exactly why. "She was my only friend. Real one, I mean. She lived a few blocks away from me, but didn't go to our school. Her umma used to teach her at home"

                     "I see... Did you like her?"

                     He chuckled in a teasing way, and Myungsoo could feel his cheeks burning. He sat up and glared at Sungyeol. "No."

                     "Aish, Myungsoo. No need to be that cold. I was just kidding" He sat up and smiled at the said boy, still not knowing why he was feeling suddenly jealous. "I understand if you don't want to talk about it, though..."

                     Myungsoo shrugged, "It's not a secret, I don't mind if you know."

                     Sungyeol nodded and looked at the drawings again, "My appa and younger sister died in an accident. It was the school play, and I was really happy that I got the leading role. My umma couldn't go, because of work. I got mad at her, and pressured my appa to come. But he never did". Without realizing, Sungyeol was crying, "I hate myself for what happened. I-I still feel guilty for that, and for a whole year in middle school I didn't talk nor smiled. It was too much for me, and for my umma. From them on she has spoiled me too much..."

                     Myungsoo hugged him tightly, letting him cry on his chest. He took a deep breath and caressed his back soothingly. "Mia was the only person who knew everything about me. She was the only one who knew that my umma used to hit me. She blamed me for my parents divorce, and for 'screwing around' with Mia. She married another man, who got tired of her possessiveness, and divorced her as well. At that time she became more agressive." Sungyeol stirred in his arms and looked up, at the also crying Myungsoo. He cupped his face and wiped his tears, "Appa came back when she passed away, from overdose of alcohol. We are not much close, but we respect eachother." Myungsoo looked down and let his tears keep falling, not caring anymore about what the others would think. The pain he had inside, he wanted to share with Sungyeol. He felt like he could trust him for real. "I-I feel lonely without Mia... She was the only friend I ever had, and unlike what people think, I don't like being alone..."

                     "Let me be your friend, Myungsoo"

                     "I'm sure Sungyeol is a great guy, why don't you give him a chance?"