Falling in love with Jacob was the easy part, Kevin thinks.

 

He's the one constant in his life, and Kevin's grateful for that. He's been everything Kevin's ever needed. A mother, a father, a brother, a best friend. But he's never been the one thing Kevin's wanted.

 

A lover.

 

It's hard not to fall in love with Jacob. Kevin falls in love with him every single day, all over again.

 

The older male wakes him every morning without fail, before making him breakfast and accompanying him to work.

 

Kevin thinks that sometimes Jacob looks at him with adoration, that he does everything the way he does, because he's also in love with Kevin.

 

But Jacob doesn't. Kevin knows the feeling all too well.

 

Like any other day, they both walk to work at their local cafe, their hands interlocked.

 

But as soon as they walk through the doors, Jacob breaks away. He breaks away and immediately wraps his arms around Chaewon, his girlfriend of almost two years.

 

Kevin's left alone. He sometimes wonders if Jacob will ever look at him the way he looks at Chaewon.

 

The entire cafe erupts into cheers when Jacob and Chaewon kiss, fully supporting the cute couple.

 

Kevin plasters on a fake smile and tries not to pretend he's dying inside.

 

--

 

Kevin wants to hate Chaewon.

 

He wants to, so badly. But he can't.

 

She's beautiful, if Kevin was attracted to women, she would probably be at the top of his list as well.

 

She's kind, she may be the nicest person that Kevin's ever met.

 

She's got the most amazing voice. She and Jacob tend to frequent a lot of karaoke places together, their voices harmonizing together flawlessly, it's a perfect match.

 

Instead, when he looks in the mirror, he hates himself instead.

 

He's not that good looking. Other people say his eyebrows are part of his charm, but he just sees them as another flaw.

 

He's not as kind as she is. He would rather sleep at home in bed than hang out with any of his friends.

 

He's definitely not as good a singer as she is. Kevin thinks back to the time when they were singing a duet in a karaoke room and his voice cracked, but hers floated throughout the room effortlessly.

 

It's always been Jacob and Kevin.

 

But now it's Jacob and Chaewon.

 

Kevin's never hated a name so much in his life.

 

--

 

Everything happens so fast.

 

He's suffocating. Everything feels so much smaller and he can't take it anymore.

 

Kevin's going to finally confess.

 

He drives back to their shared apartment and throws the door open harshly. Jacob's lounging around on the couch, flipping through the channels.

 

But when Jacob turns to him and smiles, Kevin's mind goes ablaze. He can feel all of his negative feelings melting away at the sight of his best friend's smile.

 

Memories run through his mind of their childhood.

 

Watching a horror movie together, and the feeling of Jacob's arms around him. Running to the bus stop with their hands linked, but then walking to school with their hands clutching each other tightly. In their Chemistry class, when Kevin feels useful, spending late nights at Jacob's and helping the older male study. Falling asleep next to each other, Kevin listening to the older male's heartbeat.

 

Jacob's opening his arms and Kevin slowly smiles.

 

He takes a step forward, but Chaewon zooms past him into Jacob's arms.

 

Kevin doesn't confess.

 

--

 

"I love you," Kevin utters with a tear streaming down his face.

 

His bags are packed and he's going to the face the world for the first time on his own. Jacob wants to say something, anything, that will convince Kevin to stay, but he can't.

 

Kevin understands, giving him one last smile before closing the door and disappearing.

 

There's no glass slipper, just remnants of a broken heart.

 

--

 

Kevin's tired.

 

It's funny, he thinks. He first met Jacob on a train during a school trip, and now he's leaving Jacob on a train.

 

He spends the entire train ride thinking about what could have been before shaking the thoughts away.

 

Kevin steps off the train on to Daegu soil for the first time, the wind's running through his hair, and he feels strangely content. It's different to the air back in Seoul, he feels lighter, like his heart isn't as heavy as it used to be.

 

The music on his phone has changed as well. He's not drowning his sorrows in ballads anymore, instead he's singing his heart out to light pop songs.

 

He feels like he's in a much better place.

 

He feels good about Daegu.

 

--

 

It's not as hard as he thinks, restarting his life.

 

Sending in his resignation to Sangyeon, the manager, was heartbreaking. But shaking hands with Sunwoo, his new boss despite being two years younger, feels like a new beginning.

 

It's so similar to being back in Seoul that it slowly starts to feel like home again.

 

He's left his heart behind in Seoul with Jacob, but he feels like he's recovering bits of his mind in Daegu.

 

--

 

It's weird, not being in Seoul. It's been so long since he's seen anything other buildings and urban areas.

 

It's refreshing, walking through the botanical gardens and spending time with his new friends, Juyeon and Eric.

 

It's different, compared to being with Jacob and Chaewon. Juyeon and Eric don't make him feel like a third wheel, instead excitedly including him in everything.

 

Even encouraging him when a cute