Jaebum used to live a very boring life. With mostly his cat by his side, he wasn't really one to go and socialise with other people. He found it hard to get along with people, since elementary school, so he didn't have very many friends. (It was also hard to make friends when most of the student body was scared of you, he found.)

So it was weird, when he met Park Jinyoung, how easy it was to become friends with him. They seemed to click instantly, after a few awkward conversations and being paired up as lab partners when they were high school freshmen.

From that point on, there was no Jaebum without Jinyoung, and vice versa. It was good, their friendship refreshing and new, something Jaebum hadn't every really had before. He liked it, he liked it a lot, how easily Jinyoung seemed to fit into his life, and how easily he fit into Jinyoung's.

From outside, he knew people wondered how their friendship lasted. Both of them were brazen in their own ways; Jaebum had an explosive personality back then, and Jinyoung had to learn how to control his sharp tongue, so there were times when they were at each other's throats relentlessly. But, even with that, their friendship stayed strong.

It was only a matter of time before they started dating, jaebum thinks. Looking back, although neither him nor Jinyoung were particularly tactile people, they seemed to gravitate towards each other. Sitting in the library with their knees pressed together, walking home with hands brushing, even sleeping over pressed against each other.

He found out he liked boys when he was in middle school, after he noticed himself staring after them in the same way he stared at girls. At the time, he didn't think it was all that big of a deal, but when he told his older cousin, he stared at Jaebum in disgust.

(it was then that he realised that there were people who thought being gay was wrong; even if he wasn't gay, him liking boys seemed to be a huge problem. Jaebum was afraid to tell anyone after that, but one day, in his second year of high school, he wound up the courage to tell Jinyoung.)

(they both cried and Jaebum found out that Jinyoung liked boys, too.)

Jaebum hadn't realised he felt something more for Jinyoung until senior year. He ended up avoiding the other until finally, 2 weeks later, Jinyoung cornered him and demanded to know what was going on.

(That was one of the things Jaebum admired most about Jinyoung; he never beat around the bush. If he wanted something, he'll get it.)

There were tears in Jinyoung's eyes, and Jaebum felt so guilty. He'd only managed to hurt the one closest to him, and seeing the way Jinyoung's eyes watered, the way his voice cracked under the force of his words, squeezed Jaebum's heart painfully.

Jaebum kissed him that day. Jinyoung had frozen stiff when their lips touched, but when Jaebum tried to pull away, the other's hands grasped at the lapels of his uniform and held tight. It felt so right, to both of them.

Jaebum knew he made the right choice. He just hoped Jinyoung thought so too.

So a year and a half later, when he's adjusted nicely to the university both of them attended and able to openly hold hands with Jinyoung (his boyfriend), he knows they both made the right choice.