Kyungsoo stood in front of a tall shelf that in turn was between rows of similar shelves, almost twice his height, with his back slightly hunched forward, never being the one to always have good posture anyway.

Kyungsoo had his nose inside a book, flipping through the crusty white pages and skimming through the printed words.

Kyungsoo noticed someone walking towards him, presumably to browse through the book selections too, as he was in a bookshop after all. Kyungsoo straightened his back, standing up straight and pretended to not look too bored, as the newcomer stood directly behind Kyungsoo to find a book.

Kyungsoo was there to accompany Chanyeol, who had gone off on his own in another part of the bookshop to look for the books he needed.

Chanyeol had taken up Kyungsoo’s suggestion to start from the basics again and Chanyeol had wanted to buy a beginner book on Go, believing that the newer books would probably have new strategies and tactics that Chanyeol might have known of.

Kyungsoo had no idea if that was true or not, but he was more than glad to go along with Chanyeol.

The bookshop itself was located in another district in Tokyo, not far from where Chanyeol lived but far enough that they had to take a train to get there. It was just a six minutes subway ride at most anyway.

Kyungsoo was a bit anxious at first to venture through metropolitan Tokyo in the peak of tourist season together with Chanyeol. This was because Kyungsoo spoke no Japanese and had no clue on how to navigate the Tokyo streets.

Kyungsoo was scared of getting lost and ending up not knowing how to talk to the people there. While Kyungsoo wasn’t scared of that because of himself, he was scared of feeling like he couldn’t protect or help Chanyeol if the situation happened to them.

But Kyungsoo did admit that he was probably worrying too much or underestimating how much Chanyeol had improved since then.

Sure, Chanyeol was probably too quiet, but he was by no means incapable.

In fact, Kyungsoo was pleased to find that he was proven wrong that day.

It was hot like it was almost everyday that Kyungsoo had been there. It was shady, at least, when they walked on the path between the buildings in the shopping district they had arrived in. The sun was obscured behind the skyscrapers that made up the city’s skyline and Kyungsoo still felt surreal to be around so many people at one place.

Kyungsoo swore he hadn’t seen so many people all at once until he visited Tokyo’s famed Asakusa shopping district, especially on a summer break holiday. Despite the crowd, everyone walked mannerly, minding about their business and not posing trouble to others, as was the local culture’s etiquette.

Apart from the excitement and surrealism of being in a new place that only existed on the internet or television, Kyungsoo was hit by the sudden fear that he was “helpless” should there be anything to happen to him or Chanyeol.

Kyungsoo couldn’t read the Japanese signs and he had no idea where they were headed to. Chanyeol only said that they would be going to a bookshop, and then there was the suffocating humidity in the air that set off all the triggers to make Kyungsoo feel uncomfortable and restless.

Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks, his feet figuratively frozen to the ground in the middle of a busy pedestrian intersection between tall shopping buildings plastered with massive billboards, with literally hundreds of people walking to and from their destination.

Kyungsoo gasped and stopped to catch his breath but he wasn’t able to do so either because he immediately felt a big, warm and familiar hand wrapped in bandages, grabbing his own hand and holding him strong and securely.

Kyungsoo looked up and saw Chanyeol, standing tall among the moving crowd. Chanyeol smiled and led Kyungsoo through, “It’s ok, I got you. Follow me.”

This was the old Chanyeol that Kyungsoo always knew. That Chanyeol never left, he was always there hidden under the sadness and silence, just waiting to be pulled back.

Kyungsoo felt like he had been swept off his feet at that moment. Kyungsoo felt slightly secured and less afraid that he would be helplessly lost in the concrete jungle because Chanyeol was and always had been there for him.

Kyungsoo felt that he was maybe wrong to underestimate Chanyeol, but Kyungsoo also felt that he was maybe right to say that he was falling in love.

Kyungsoo sighed to himself as he pretended to be interested in the book that was in his hand as he stood in front of that tall bookshelf in the bookshop, whilst waiting for Chanyeol.

At least it was air-conditioned inside the bookshop and that relieved Kyungsoo a little bit from the heat outside. Although the sun barely reached from behind the buildings, the heat radiating off the asphalt was a different story and Kyungsoo had been walking enough that day to know.

Despite that, Kyungsoo still somewhat felt flushed especially in the face and neck, be it either from the heat or realizing that he was slowly falling for his best friend.

Kyungsoo felt embarrassed even if towards himself, and upon knowing that fact, Kyungsoo also realized that he didn’t even understand what was written on the book in his hands.

Kyungsoo had mindlessly picked the book up without even knowing what it was about, simply because he felt like he needed to do so because of how restless his thoughts made him feel. Kyungsoo wasn’t even sure what exactly he was feeling, but he knew it felt quite thrilling and scary all at the same time.

The red hardcover book that Kyungsoo had picked up was written in Japanese characters. The cover was plain and only presumably read the title and the author’s name, Kyungsoo deduced from his non-existent Japanese reading skills.

Realizing that too was rather embarrassing of him, Kyungsoo returned the book properly on its spot back on the shelf before walking away to the section of the bookstore, where he thought Chanyeol would be at.

Sure enough, Kyungsoo found Chanyeol towards the back of the bookstore with walls that were painted a pristine white, making the place look brighter under the lighting.

Chanyeol was squatting on the floor as he was sifting through a stack of books that were placed on the floor.

“Found the book you wanted?” Kyungsoo gestured towards Chanyeol.

“Yeah, I think I almost got it,” Chanyeol answered, his concentration on looking for the book, unbroken.

“Sure, take your time,” Kyungsoo turned to the side to look at some stack of books, giving time for Chanyeol to go about his book search.

Kyungsoo’s attention was immediately grabbed by one particular book with a glossy and illustrated cover that came in bold highlighting colors.

The title of the book was noticeably in English, something that Kyungsoo actually understood, not much but a tons better than his Japanese at least.

“Learn Japanese” Kyungsoo read out the title of the book under his breath as Chanyeol continued flipping through the pages of the book to find the right one he wanted.

It was either a very lucky coincidence or the universe just wanted to scream onto Kyungsoo’s face about out what was running in his mind at that moment.

Feelings for Chanyeol aside, there was another major thing that Kyungsoo couldn’t stop thinking about. Like his feelings, it was something new and potentially exciting but also scary at the same time. For now, Kyungsoo chose to suppress those thoughts and carry on as usual.

There was a rather long line at the bookshop’s cashier counter and while waiting in the line, Kyungsoo saw how Chanyeol began to act more disoriented and avoidant, lowering his head from other people and keeping his distance from everyone but Kyungsoo.

If it wasn’t enough evidence that Chanyeol was getting uncomfortable and anxious by the minute, Chanyeol was now gripping onto Kyungsoo’s hand very tight like his life depended on it.

It felt different this time. It didn’t feel like the hand that was leading him earlier on and like when they were still teenagers. It felt like the hand that Kyungsoo had to lead around this time.

Kyungsoo had a hard time adjusting to this fact a few months ago but he too was also happy that he could be of help to Chanyeol now, in the same way that Chanyeol had been helpful to him.

They were both equal, Kyungsoo truly believed as he held Chanyeol’s hand back, with a reassuring, “Don’t worry. I got you.”

Later in the afternoon, Chanyeol left for the Go association’s headquarters to help Takeda manage the annual summer camp, whereby people would sign up for the month-long program to learn and practice how to play Go with seasoned professionals and veterans.

Kyungsoo had wanted to accompany Chanyeol at first, despite knowing that he wouldn’t be the slightest bit helpful in helping run a summer camp for Go players.

Kyungsoo only wanted to do so because he was unsettled at leaving Chanyeol alone, but then, Kyungsoo realized that was yet again underestimating Chanyeol’s capabilities. Sure, Chanyeol needed more help than the average adult did, but Chanyeol still managed to get by all these years if that meant anything.

This was pertaining to Go, after all, and it was something Chanyeol was very good at.

Kyungsoo chose to stay home and he knew it was because that he trusted Chanyeol.

The Go summer camp took place every year in the month of August and would be attended by people of all ages from all around Japan and sometimes even from abroad.

The Kansai Go Association, based in Osaka, also held their summer camp around this time and like the two association’s long healthy rivalry, they also competed in getting more people to join their summer camp rather than the other.

While Takeda was the camp counselor almost every year, Chanyeol stopped attending to help manage the camp around four years ago after the tragic car accident. The Japan titular Go match was also held in the summer every year, and even when Chanyeol used to come by to help with the camp, he could only periodically drop by every now and then because he was mostly busy practicing and training for the match.

This year, Chanyeol had lost to Maruyama. The previous year, Chanyeol had won against Maruyama. It was almost like a vicious cycle, year after year, mimicking life.

Even in the peak of summer, Takeda was still dressed in his stiff collared shirt and tie, although he had ditched the suit aside this time.

Takeda was seated near two teenagers who were attending the camp, teaching the two teenagers who were in a mock match against each other, on how to properly advance their pieces and strategize.

Everyone in the room sat on the bamboo mat covered floor on the provided seat pillows, with the Go table low on the floor in front of them. On the walls in the Go training room, traditional ink paintings with calligraphy were hung with motivational phrases to remind the players that they were there to grow and nurture.

Go, especially in the higher competitive levels, could be rather stressful even for someone who trul