“I’ve known you for so long, that you couldn’t help but fall in love with you”

You had been friends with him for the longest time you could ever imagine, since you learned how to walk, since you knew how to talk, Hansol was there with you. You could tell each other anything, he would always be there for you when you were down and you felt bad for never having a way to repay him. He would always console you, laugh with you and cry with you. There was nothing that could separate you two.

You would just run into Hansol’s arms, crying because of some silly matter over a guy which you liked. He just laughed at you in a friendly manner with a faraway look in his eyes. You could always count on him in times like this, staying incredibly positive. He would always be there to console you and tell you that he wasn’t worth it. After about half an hour of tears and comforting words, you would go back to doing your usual thing when you were with him, whether it would be yelling at him because he one-shotted you in a game of TF2 or running around outside near the orchids, trying to climb trees to reach the blossoms at the top of the branches. Hansol was the real gift in your life, like the older brother that you never had.

It was like any other day that you spent, scribbling notes down on sheets and sheets of lined paper, trying to keep up with the teacher’s lecture, which seemed to get faster by the moment. With the slight breaks that you would get, you would glance up at the clock, waiting for the time to pass faster. Squinting at the blackboard, you copied down all of the formulas and dates which covered the entire board. You tapped your the end of your pencil impatiently, waiting for the next slide to come up. You looked out the tiny window on the door to see some of the other students already dismissed, but one face caught your eye. Hansol was standing outside your door, waiting for your teacher to dismiss you. Holding in your joy, you smoothed out your skirt before continuing to write.

When the teacher finally dismissed your class, he also left impatiently right before the lunch bell rang. You stood up slowly, packing up your textbooks and shoving everything into your bag before a pair of hands reached into it, carefully arranging all of them in order from largest to smallest before zipping it up and handing it to you. You laughed before looking up at the Hansol, shouldering your bag and walking with him to the cafeteria.

You quickly bought your lunch and took your tray to a remote table in the corner of the cafeteria, where no one ever bothered to sit. As you set down your tray, you slid into the seat, shifting just slightly to give Hansol some room before he plopped down next to you, shoving in his tray next to yours and picking up the carton of milk and popping it open, plunking a straw into it. It was a normal day, everybody around you, including the teachers accepted it as a normality. There was no Hansol without you, and you were not seen without Hansol.

You had begun to eat, silently, but sharing a bond that no one could deny. There was no romantic feelings between you two, just a friendship that couldn’t be broken. As you wiped your mouth, you looked up to see two guys leaning down on the table, their faces inches from yours. Looking at them strangely, you sat up straighter. You didn’t know how to feel about that.

“Hello Himchan and Hoseok-shii.” You said stiffly. You could feel Hansol tensing up next to you. You put your hand on his lap, reminding him that you got this.

“Hey _______. Me and Himchan-hyung wanted to know if you were free after school today.”

Uncomfortable with the circumstances, you looked at Hansol with a worrying glance and he knew about your feelings. You two had a silent agreement, knowing when to cut in, to avoid awkward situations like this.

“Sorry hyungs, I’m planning on taking her out today. You’ll have to steal her another time” He said, flashing a smile at them before the walked off, disappointed.

When they couldn’t see you anymore you threw your arms around him, whispering a thank you before pulling away and finishing your meal. You were aware of the light laugh that Hansol gave you before turning back to his meal. He tucked a strand of hair behind your ear, and tapped his fingers impatiently on the table. He whispered a couple lines over and over under his breath, so you could only see his lips moving, but unable to hear any sounds. He seemed to be giving himself a pep talk, except trying to keep it a secret from you.

“Hansol-oppa, is everything alright?”

This seemed to shake him slightly, wavering for a second before his smile came back onto his face, as if he was hiding whatever he was whispering from you. He rubbed his hands together, as if they were numb and brought them underneath the table for a few seconds. You could have sworn he was reciting whatever was written on his hand. Frowning slightly, you touched his shoulder and he jumped, as if he was unused to the touch. Worried, you squeezed his shoulder gently. Noticing your distress, he stood up, brushed his pants off a few times before lifting his and your tray and making his way to the garbage can.

Huh. Hansol wasn’t usually like this.

~ ~ ~

After the school bell rang for the day, you sat on the front steps of the school waiting for Hansol. You pulled out your notebook and began reviewing your notes for the day, until you heard a loud whoop from behind you and saw Hansol sliding down the handlebar of the stairs, beckoning towards you. Smiling, you quickly followed, sliding down the thin bar and landing on the balls of your feet and running towards him. Pulling you into a hug, Hansol still seemed more jittery than usual. He grabbed your hand and started running. Obliging, you ran after him, through the flowering trees in the park, past the young children playing at the park and aside the couples sitting together on the benches to the middle of an arched bridge in the middle of a park that you and Hansol would play at together.

When you finally stopped running, you turned to Hansol, your eyes lit with curiosity. Squeezing his hand tightly, you asked the question that had been on your mind all afternoon.

“Oppa, what’s wrong?” 

Exhaling deeply, Hansol developed interest in the sky, not taking his eyes off it. He stayed like that for a while before looking down again, finally speaking.

“______________, I think i’m in love with someone”

Raising an eyebrow, you looked at him in earnest for him to continue, but he continued to stare into space until you cleared your throat and spoke.

‘Well, oppa, I think that any girl that you would fall in love with would be incredibly lucky. Who is she? Do i know her?” You asked, interested in the change in perspective that you had just received.

“_________, she is the nicest person in the world, and has huge amounts of empathy for everyone. She’s pretty and almost every single guy likes her” Hansol muttered in a quiet voice.

“If you think so highly of her, give her a call, i would be interested to meet her.” You quipped, excited to meet a new friend.

Picking up his cell phone, you heard the dial tones as he dialled a number, which seemed like he had memorized simply due to the number of times he had called. As he brought his cell phone to his ear, you felt your phone vibrate in your jacket pocket. Bringing it out, not bothering to check the caller, you picked up and heard Hansol’s voice whisper quietly.

“I love you.”

You stood there, frozen in shock of what just happened. Unable to react, you stood there, unmoving as Hansol brought his lips to yours pressing down on them gently. 

You had never had this feeling before. It was similar to happiness, and the joy knowing that someone had cared for you. There was the gentleness of his lips pressing down on yours, and caressed you gently, and wrapped you in a blanket of warmth, filling you with a warm fuzzy feeling. 

He pulled away quickly, avoiding your gaze, and rocked back and forth. waiting for you react. He whispered shyly “I’m sorry, I had to do that at least once”

Smiling at his sudden shyness, you walked closer to him, teasing him by trying to make eye contact. Smiling, you closed your eyes and put your hands to his face, pulling him closer again for a second kiss.