The Place Where You Belong

June 2015

Like a boomerang, you keep coming back into my life and I keep coming back to yours.

“Good morning, everyone. This is the captain speaking. We are set to arrive in Seoul in thirty minutes. Current time is 9:17am. Thank you for flying with us and we hope to see you again.”

Sungjong lifted up the window shade and peered out into the bright sky. He could see the patches of green land below, the signs of civilian life becoming clearer as the plane descended.

He wondered if Seoul had changed a lot during the years he was away. Though he hadn’t been gone for long, Sungjong never took the time to visit while he was studying in Paris as he promised himself not to step foot on his homeland until he succeeded.

Sungjong’s hard work was paid off in his final year of school when his works caught the eye of a famous designer at the end-of-semester exhibition. The designer was holding a fashion show the following week and took great interest in showcasing Sungjong’s gowns at the show.

Despite the excitement he felt returning home to show his family and friends what he had accomplished, it was also nerve-wracking to go back. After all, Sungjong didn’t have the fondest memories in Seoul.

And in Seoul, there was Myungsoo.

Since the day they parted, Sungjong did not write a single email or letter to Myungsoo, cutting all contact with the boy. The reason he gave himself to justify his actions was the endless pile of schoolwork, yet, at the same time, the fear of being abandoned lingered in his heart and so he distanced himself. Sungjong started to think it may be too early for his return.

He just wasn’t ready.

“Excuse me…” Sungjong heard a soft voice and turned towards the source. “Are you, by any chance, Lee Sungjong?”

“Yes, I am.”  Sungjong confirmed, leaning over to shake hands with the petite lady sitting at the aisle seat adjacent to his.

“You’re the designer featured in the magazine, right? I’m a big fan of yours!” She squealed.

“Thank you.”  Sungjong smiled.

“Your lover must be so excited to see you again.” She continued. Her cheeks flushed in embarrassment when the young designer looked at her in confusion. “I’m sorry! I thought you had a lover because of  the bracelet.”

“It’s from someone very important though not a lover, sadly.” Sungjong sighed. He wasn’t even sure if Myungsoo found someone else in those four years. “That person may not feel the same way anymore.”

Sungjong looked up into the sky, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun. He had missed the warm weather of Seoul. Though he preferred the cold, Paris was too dreary at times. He scrolled down the list of contacts in his phone, stopping when he caught Hoya’s name. Not wanting to disturb the man this early in the morning, he continued scrolling until he reached Myungsoo’s name, his finger lingering above the screen.

“Next time. I’ll meet him next time.”  Sungjong mumbled, shoving his phone into his pocket and stood at the edge of the sidewalk with his arm raised, hailing a cab.

--

Hoya swallowed nervously as he peered into the crowd behind the curtain. Rubbing his chest, he tried to calm himself, taking deep breaths. His eyelids fluttered open when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Nervous?” Dongwoo asked, flashing that same toothy grin that Hoya wanted so much to punch off his face at that moment.

“What do you think?” Hoya muttered, scowling at the ever so easy-going man before him.

“You’re gonna be voted as the least favorite teacher if you keep being so mean, you know?” Dongwoo teased. “Students are very delicate creatures.”

“Delicate?” Hoya raised a brow, pointing at a particular student standing at the back of the auditorium. He was tall and round, ressembling that of a sumo wrestler, and glared at whoever made eye contact with him. “You call that delicate?”

“The boy’s got an early growth spurt. Now, come on. The welcoming ceremony has begun!” Dongwoo exclaimed, pushing Hoya towards the stage where the other teachers were standing.

“Alright, quiet down students!” The principal spoke into the microphone, his voice resonating in the auditorium. “Welcome to another school year. We also have a few new teachers that are joining us. Now, let them introduce themselves to you!”

A young man stepped forward. He was pale and thin. His shoulders were hunched over as he gripped the microphone in his hands. Pushing his glasses up the ridge of his nose, he cleared his throat.

“H-Hello students. I-I-I’m Teacher Woo. I’m the C-Calculus teacher. P-P-Pleased to-”

The teacher was interrupted by the students’ boo-s and retreated back to his spot dejectedly. Hoya gave the teacher a sympathetic look before taking his place at the center of the stage, taking the mic out of its stand.

“QUIET!” Hoya yelled at the crowd. As the chattering died down, the students stared up at the intimidating man on stage. Hoya could feel the nervousness leave him and newfound confidence surged through his body. “I’m Teacher Lee. I’ll be your Phys. Ed. teacher this year. Third years, beware. I don’t tolerate any fooling around in my classes. If you listen to me, I’ll be the best teacher you’ll ever have. You disobey me…I’ll make it so you’ll see me even in your nightmares. Understood?”

Dongwoo watched Hoya return to his previous position, his mouth agape. Did this guy just threaten the students? His attention turned to the principal but the old man didn’t seem to disapprove of Hoya’s attitude. In fact, he was clapping his hands timidly with a smile on his face.

Hoya glared at Dongwoo upon noticing the young teacher staring at him at the corner of his eyes.

“What” he snapped, instantly pulling Dongwoo out of his thoughts.

“Nothing! Uhm…good job!” Dongwoo praised, rubbing the back of his head as he laughed nervously.

Hoya scoffed. “Why don’t you worry about how to discipline those brats rather than some stupid popularity contest.” he said, patting Dongwoo roughly on his back before walking off.

“Right.”

It took a minute for Dongwoo to fully grasp the situation when he suddenly bursted out into laughter. He wiped the tears from the corner of his eyes, his eyes following Hoya’s back.

“You never fail to amuse me, Lee Howon.” 

--

“One iced mocha, please.” Sungjong said, placing a few bills on the counter.

He thanked the young girl at the register, taking his cup of coffee, and headed towards the door when someone called out to him.

“Sungjong?”

Sungjong turned around, almost spitting his coffee out, upon meeting Hoya’s gaze that was as equally shocked as his.

“H-Hoya-” Barely uttering his friend’s name, Sungjong found himself caught in a bear hug. “Can’t…breathe…”

“Sorry, Jong.” Hoya said, quickly releasing the young man. He studied Sungjong’s features from the tip of his head to his feet, amazed at how beautiful the boy had become. “You look great, Sungjong.”

“Thanks, Hoya. You look great, too.” Sungjong laughed. The handsome delinquent had grown into a young man oozing with manliness.

“Where are you headed?” Hoya asked, hoping to catch up with Sungjong.

“Back home, actually.” Sungjong replied.

“I’ll take you home, then.” Hoya decided, pulling Sungjong out the door with him despite him trying to turn the man down.

“So how’s Paris?” Hoya asked, turning the knobs of the radio trying to find the music channel.

“It was like a dream. I can’t believe four years flew by so quickly.” Sungjong sighed, thinking back to all the all-nighters he pulled to finish his work.

“And you’re famous now, huh.”

“I just got lucky.” Sungjong said, his cheeks turning red in embarrassment. He still found it hard to accept people treating him as a “celebrity”. “Though I must admit that it was fun, seeing my gowns on the runway.”

“And I guess Mr Famous here was having so much fun that he even forgot to send a small postcard to anyone.” Hoya joked. He immediately regretted it, however, when Sungjong fell silent, his eyes leaving the road for a second to look at Sungjong with concern. “Sungjong, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean-”

“No. I should be the one to apologize.” Sungjong whispered. “I just got so caught up with work that it completely slipped my mind. And…I didn’t realize I would be missed by anyone.”

“What are you talking about? Of course, you’re missed! Especially by me!” Hoya exclaimed.

“Thank you.” Sungjong smiled. He regretted not keeping in contact with Hoya who had always been there for him through thick and thin. “So tell me about your life. How have you been lately?”

“Well, I’m now a Phys. Ed. teacher at our high school.”

“A teacher? Wow. I’m sorry to say this, Hoya, but I never pictured you as a teacher.” Sungjong teased, muffling his laughter behind his hand.

“Oh, shut up.” Hoya grumbled.

“Sorry, sorry~” Sungjong patted Hoya’s head, finding his reaction very endearing. “Is Teacher Jang still there?”

Hoya groaned upon hearing his name. “Yes…and as annoying as ever.”

“Aw, don’t hate him. He helped you!”

“I don’t hate him. He just makes me so- so- ARGH” Hoya ruffled his hair in frustration, unable to find a word to describe Dongwoo. Changing the topic, Hoya  brought up the name of his old nemesis without a thought. "Did you stay in touch with Myungsoo?"

Sungjong bit his lip, not expecting Hoya to mention him. "I don't know...I haven't talked to him for four years..."

"Did something happen?" Hoya, who only knew that Sungjong was trying to get over Myungsoo's relationship with Sungyeol, had blocked out Myungsoo completely. Sure, they were awkward around each other but he didn't think it was that bad.


"On the day of my flight, Myungsoo...he confessed to me." Sungjong admitted, turning to see Hoya's reaction. When he saw no reaction from the man, he continued, "It was so sudden. I was scared. I thought about talking to him after I've calmed down but I just kept pushing it back until now."

Hoya expected himself to feel disappointed and angry at Myungsoo for playing with Sungjong's emotions and being one step ahead of him. Yet, he didn't. He didn't have the desire to beat Myungsoo up like he did when they were young.


"You should clear thing up with him soon." Hoya suggested, surprising Sungjong and himself with his advice.


"I will. I just need to- WAIT!" Sungjong called.

Hoya swerved the car to the right and it screeched to a halt by the bridge. 

“There's someplace I need to go before I head home. You can drop me off here.” Sungjong said, abruptly exiting the car. 


Sungjong had already gone too far to hear Hoya's cries. Looks like that silly kid still can't forget him he thought as he drove off.

Sungjong leaned close to the glass, watching the yellow fish swim around the reef. The aquarium always had this soothing effect on him whenever he visited, effectively making him forget about his worries momentarily.

He was filled with the sudden urge to visit the aquarium when they were passing by and since he still had a few hours before dinner, he decided to take a quick look around. Nothing changed significantly, just a few new species were added, filling in the empty spaces he once remembered.

Walking into the stingray section, memories flooded his mind. This was the place he watched Sungyeol take Myungsoo away. This was the place he confessed. This was the place he was rejected.  

But then, things happened and Myungsoo returned his feelings. Sungjong wondered if he made the right choice going to Paris. Would they have been something more if he had stayed?

The stingray ressembled him in many ways. He never wanted to hurt anyone, choosing to isolate himself instead, but he always ended up hurting people around him when he hid in his shell to protect himself.

Placing a hand against the glass, Sungjong trailed his fingers along it, following the direction to which the stingray was swimming. Sungjong unexpectedly brushed his fingers against another person’s and withdrew his hand in shock.

“I’m so sorry! I-”

Dark-brown eyes that were partly covered by charcoal black hair stared into his own. The person standing before Sungjong, whose eyes were wide in surprise, relaxed in composure. His eyes softened and warmth was emitted from those deep orbs as recognition sank in.

“It’s been awhile, Sungjong.”