Spring: present

Jae waited for Brian in front of his house gate. He always got this nervous feeling when he waited for Brian. He is afraid that it will be Ms. Kang who walks through the door, not his friend, Brian. Although they have been going to school together for about a month now, deep down in his heart, he is always worried that Brian will leave him again.

“Not today”, he mumbled when he saw Brian walking through the gate, smiling as if he owns the world. “Good morning! What were you mumbling about?” Brian asked while flinging his right arm across his best friend shoulder, forcing them into a shoulder hug. He always did this even though he is shorter than Jae making Jae crouched a bit to match their height.

“I was wondering actually. Do you even grow up? You always are this short”, teased Jae while pretending to measure Brian’s hide in order to hide his actual felling. He quickly ran away from Brian and jokingly stuck his tongue out to the other boy.

“YAHHHH, I’M NOT SHORT YOU GIANT WITH LONG LIMBS” Brian exclaimed while running to his best friend. “You’re dead if I catch you, yah blonde guy!” Brian screamed.

They ended up running to their school and were out of breath when they finally arrived at their classroom. Brian already had his revenge by putting Jae in a headlock when they arrived at the front gate earlier. Then they ran again to the classroom together.

They sat at their table and Brian noticed that Jae’s shoelaces had come undone again. “Aish, this kid. Can’t you tie your shoelaces properly?” he asked while pulling Jae’s foot so that he can tie it for the taller guy.

“It is not my fault. It is undone by itself!” exclaimed Jae. “And why it didn’t come undone if you tie it for me? Do you know how hard it is when you were gone? It always was undone and I actually gave up in tying them together”, complained Jae without much thinking. Brian’s fingers stop working when he heard Jae’s words and he looked up. Jae’s face changed when he realized what had he spoke and he slapped his mouth hastily.

“Ah, I’m sorry. I said without much thinking”, Jae smiled apologetically.

Brian smiled back, not saying anything but Jae noticed there was sadness in his smile. Jae felt really guilty because he knew it wasn’t Brian fault.

Brian got up and said, “Alright done. So you really don’t tie your shoelaces back then?”

Jae was caught off guard by his question and went blank. Brian pinched his cheek and laughed like nothing happened. They smiled to each other and the bell rang signing the class has started.

At lunch, they were hanging out with their friends at the café. Technically, it’s Jae’s friends. “You know that before you move here, Younghyun doesn’t really have friends. He was a looonerrr”, their friend, Wonpil teased by sticking out his tongue to Brian.

“Really?” Jae replied while eyeing his best friend. “Ahhh, it’s not like that. I don’t really know how to befriend people. My only friend when I was abroad was Jaehyung-ie only and you guys don’t really approach me when I was new in here”, defended Brian while glaring at their friends.

“Eyy, look at that glare. Who is in the right mind have the courage to approach you, Kang Younghyun-ssi?” asked Sungjin whose mouth was busy munching his hamburger away. “Yah yah, eat first, then talk. You might choke”, Wonpil said to his best friend

“Ah, you should thank god I’m here now”, declared Jae proudly. “Ne ne, alright, okay whatever you guys saying. Now I’m here right? Talking and eating with you guys. That’s fine now”, Brian said while rolling his eyes annoyed by their friends teasing him here and there. Jae snorted and they laughed altogether.  

“But, what are we going to with our assignment? Ah, I get a headache whenever I think about it. ‘A thing that you want to do before finishing high school’ eyy, what is this”, complained Sungjin when he finally finished eating his lunch. “Right? I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do”, replied Jae.

“I know what I’m going to do, hehe, I’m going to confess to my crush”, declared Wonpil while giggling beside Sungjin. “Eyy, that mute boy from class A? Yoon Dowoon ? That boy who makes you freeze whenever you see him? You? Are? Going? To? Confess?” Brian teased. Wonpil’s face went red and he started whining to Sungjin. Sungjin just chuckled and make the ‘hwaiting’ sign to his best friend.

 When the school ended, Brian and Jae walked home together. “What are you going to do about the assignment?” Jae asked. “I have something in my mind”, replied Brian casually.

“Tell me”

“Not going to”

“Yahhh, tell me”

“Only if you can race me to home”, and with that Brian started running leaving Jae behind.

“Yahhhhh, Brian Kang! Kang Younghyun YAHHH!” Jae screamed while running after his best friend whom he knew he can’t catch up because Brian was a lot faster than him.