김성규

Kim Sungkyu. Hoya inhaled sharply, eyes growing wider from the sheer elation that he could finally put a name to the man he thought about way too frequently. All too soon though the excitement faded and reality sank in.

What now? Hoya found himself questioning. Unknowingly, his 20 minutes of morning train rides every weekday had become such an enthusiastic form of activity away from his normally stressful lifestyle as a middle school student that he began to feel empty at the sudden realisation that while he was happy and contented with learning about his name, there was nothing more he could find out about Sungkyu and there would be nothing more to look forward to.

Sad thoughts continued to flood his mind as he stole another glance in the direction where Sungkyu’s sleeping face would be, before noticing that Sungkyu had already stood up from his seat, hastily rubbing his tired eyes and hurriedly rushing out of his stop just before the train doors crashed back together.

In the now empty seat though, Hoya was able to make out a shiny pack of object lying in place of its owner. Curiosity once again perked for him. Hesitantly, he rose and strode 3 wide steps towards the object.

박하사탕. Peppermint candy. Hoya read from the labelling of the box. Without thinking further, he kept that box; sure that it must be something important to Sungkyu that must be returned to him the next day. Happy that there now existed a link between Sungkyu and him, no doubt a weak link he had created just so all these wouldn’t end so quickly.

So when the next day approached, Hoya became slightly jittery as he walked up straight to the sleeping figure after he boarded the train and gave a slight tap on his shoulder.

You dropped these yesterday. I figured you might want them back.

Hoya’s voice came out squeaky, a huge difference against his usual deep and manly busan-accented voice as he stared down on the ground.

Quickly though he retracted his gaze from his own pair of over-worn school shoes, allowing his eyes to wander towards Sungkyu’s polished brown leather shoes, following North to his perfectly ironed suit and finally flickering his gaze up to his face, meeting Sungkyu’s half-woken and confused eyes. The pair of eyes squinted slightly but soon turned crescent as Sungkyu broke into a smile upon seeing his box of candy on Hoya’s outstretched palm.

Thanks hak-saeng. That’s my favourite candy. My whole day didn’t feel right yesterday without it and I haven’t had the time to buy them yet. Have you tried this before?

Hoya shook his head.

Here, try one it’s delicious.

Hoya of course knew how the candy tasted having ‘stole’ one from the box the day before, wanting a bite of anything Sungkyu likes. But instead he gave an awkward grin and accepted the candy with both palms, causing Sungkyu to laugh.

Here, I’ll give you another one. What’s your name hak-saeng?

Lee Howon, but I prefer to be called Hoya.

---

And they began to talk. In contrast to Hoya’s imagination of his ‘sleeping prince’, Sungkyu was surprisingly animated and engaging. He introduced himself, his line of work, his hobbies and everything felt like an added bonus to Hoya. Of course there were things Hoya already knew from before, but he acted like each topic was new to him and listened intently as Sungkyu described his daily happenings.

Hoya learnt that his hometown was in Jeonju, and he came to Busan because of his job. This Accounting job being the first he had managed to secure as a fresh graduate. Sungkyu mentioned that it was tough to relocate but he was willing to persevere and hang on. He also told him about his dream to make it big in Seoul someday, praying for the chance to work in the capital city. Sungkyu was ambitious, heading to the office early every morning to leave a good impression. Occasionally Hoya would share about his school life and his friends, but these moments were rare and mostly he preferred to assume the role of a listener, insisting that his stories were not as interesting as Sungkyu’s.

Morning train rides did not seem too early or dreadful anymore. In fact, those 20 minutes of meeting up were what Hoya looked forward to waking up every day. They were train buddies now, Sungkyu happy to sacrifice his nap to chat with his adoring dongsaeng and Hoya always a little too eager to find out more about his hyung. Hoya knew that Sungkyu didn’t remember him from their first encounter but he was contented anyway. Being able to address him as a hyung was more than he could have asked for.

Hyung, why do you like peppermint candy so much?

Hoya asked one morning when he was offered the sweet.

Just a habit I guess. Nothing special.

---

Winter had arrived. Walking to the train station in darkness with only the rare moonlight to shine his route was difficult, but as usual Hoya indulged in his commute and in conversing with Sungkyu.

But all too soon winter holidays came and went. When he boarded the train the first morning after his break his hyung was no longer around. He checked each compartment but disappointment only ensued. Perhaps he had finally secured an offer to work in the big metropolitan city after all, or he had changed jobs and no longer took this line.

And that I was never important enough to be considered a reason to stay… Hoya chided his childish thought. They were never close enough to exchange emails or phone numbers in the first place. He could only assume the above as he was sure he’d never see Kim Sungkyu again.

His Sungkyu-hyung.

Spring had taken not only winter, but also his first love away.

------

Present

A pair of strong hands had weaved under his weak body and he felt himself being lifted just slightly as a stretcher came to rest beneath him. Muffled sounds of ambulance sirens could be heard. As Hoya tried to perk his rapidly depleting sense of hearing, he could make out a faint sound coming from a distinct man. He recognised the voice, but for once was unable to put a picture to match the sound.

It’ll be okay Hoya, everything will be okay. The voice rang once again. 

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Author's Note: Posting a chapter today to celebrate #Back1stWin

And yay, to all that guessed Sunggyu, you're right. Hope the chapter is okay.

Here's to all the longing glances Hoya has given his Sunggyu-hyung. 

Once again, thank you for all the wonderful comments and subscribers. Thanks for reading my story, and thank you for loving Infinite.

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