In fact, Junhong hadn’t said anything for the past few weeks.
Daehyun had asked him to come to the park at least four times by now, but Junhong never showed up. After an hour long wait, Daehyun always went back with his shoulders slumped.

He could only assume that Junhong had come out to his parents.

Maybe he needed a bit of time.

So Daehyun let him have that.

Three week passed, and Daehyun was at his wit’s end. He thought about sneaking into Junhongs’ room again – because he had done it once, and was pretty confident he could do it again… but he didn’t want to get Junhong into any more trouble.

So he skipped a day in Uni and waited by Junhongs school gate.

Kids started to pour out by a gallon in the evening, but Junhong wasn’t in the crowd.

He pulled out his phone, but as he stared down at the string of messages he had sent to Junhong and had not been replied to, he just didn’t want to do it anymore.

He waited for another half an hour, watching until the guards closed the gates, and turned to go back home.

So he let another week pass.

But that was it.
He put on his beanie and his sneaker and got on his gloves.
He’d have to jump over the wall but it wouldn’t be too hard with gloves.

After an hour long struggle, Daehyun managed to dump himself to the other side, falling on his knees instead of feet – and nearly yelped in pain.

But he managed not to.

It was past ten O’ clock, and he blindly reached around the backyard to the backdoor of the house, and found it locked. That didn’t surprise him a lot. Following the walls, he counted six windows. The seventh one had a broken lock, Junhong had said.

When he wriggled the frame a bit with his hands and pushed, the window slid open. He got in like a thief.

He followed the stairs to Junhongs room, and opened the door.

“Junhong?” He softly called, and made his way to the bed.

He knelt down, and pulled at the sheets in the darkness.

“Wake up, it’s me.” He said.

Weary came faster than he knew possible.
Because the sheets were flat.

There was no Junhong.

He jumped at the thought, and fell back on his .

“What the hell?” He mumbled, found his way back to his feet and switched on the lights.

And he was right.
The room was empty.

It was more than empty without just Junhong. His books, clothes, pillows, bags, toys on shelves were all gone.

No.

And Daehyun turned out from Junhongs room and ran his hands on the hallway walls for more light switches, and with every new one he , his nightmare was slowly coming alive.

They moved out.

Junhong had been right.
‘What’s going to happen to us?’
‘What’s going to pull me through that?’

                ‘I will.’

For the next week, Daehyun let himself cry.
He was stupid to promise Junhong something like that.
I’m useless.

But like that, a lot of time didn’t pass.

Junhong called him, from a phone booth, he thinks.

“Hello?” Daehyun answered.

“Daehyun… It’s… it’s me.”

Daehyun recognized the voice off the bat. “Junhong, where are you? What happened?” He couldn’t really hide the panic in his voice. “Are you okay?”

Junhong was silent for few seconds and Daehyun felt as if it was eternity.

“I’m okay.” He said.

“But I don’t have change.” He added. “Just tell me one thing.” He said.
“If I leave everything, would you take me in?”
“I don’t know until how long, but I … please hurry.” He added.

“What do you mean, Junhong – are you running away?”

“No. Not unless you tell me okay.”

Daehyun felt weight on his shoulders. “Junhong, this is … I … It’s not okay.” Daehyun heaved out.

For the past few months, Daehyun had somehow picked up his pieces and that was only because he was thinking of what’s best for Junhong.
It wasn’t about us. It was about him, as a separate person.
It was his fight, his freedom. Daehyun failed to help, and that’s a fault – but … Junhong deserved better.

“It’s… not?” Junhong repeated, obviously confused and taken aback. Daehyun felt a lump in his throat. What if Junhong held onto his words?
Is he turning his back on Junhong?

‘No, that’s not what I mean!’

“It’s just not