(the characters will be conversing in Korean as their everyday language as the place took place in Seoul. Any foreign language will be written in italic style with further information)

South Korea;2nd Mac 2015;Kim Jungwoo POV;0700

“Jungwoo, you’ll be late for school today dear”

Mrs Kim calls out for her only son, Jungwoo who’s going to start his first day of his sophomore year at Seoul District High School. Her old self is busy preparing the breakfast for the family or to be exact, only her and Jungwoo. Only both of them live in this non extraordinary semi d house; Jungwoo said that to make himself feel better, the only thing left by Mr. Kim, Jungwoo’s father before he passed away. He doesn’t know why and when his father died. More like he doesn’t even remember, maybe he was still a child by the time it happened. Messy bun, rough hands from all the house chores and work she had done every day and a cute pink apron wrapped on her petite self not to forget the tiny wrinkle by the corner of her eyes and shades of eye bags. Mrs. Kim, the definition of independent woman. Cooking in the kitchen, for her lovely son. The kitchen literally filled with a lot of tasty scent. Bacon sizzling sound can be heard from the pan, smell of butter and milk from the fresh soft pancakes that had been served on the plate, Mrs. Kim arranges all the sunflowers’ patterned plates onto the table for her son to eat before going to the school. There are pancakes, bacon and eggs, cereals and of course, Jungwoo’s all the time favourite food; the red bean buns can be seen being served on the table. The steamed, soft round bun is Jungwoo’s everyday food. He can’t live without it.

“coming mom!!” Jungwoo quickly run through the hallway from his bedroom to the dining room, hair a bit messy, wrong buttoned shirt and upside down pink name tag with his backpack by his side while his bow tie is not even tied properly. The dining room giving a comfort vibe of you’re welcomed to be in this house. Family portrait hanged on the wall, from Jungwoo’s kindergarten graduation to his latest picture which was last Christmas when he sang for the elders at the elderly day-care. The dining table, fit for 4 people to sit for a family dinner with sunflowers patterned printed on it. Mrs. Kim adored sunflowers so much that a lot of her stuffs actually have sunflowers yet Jungwoo insisted that Lily is prettier. He takes his seat in the middle of the table that is now filled with various breakfast food, quickly taking the steamed bun and eating it. A soft satisfied hum escapes his pair of lips as he munches on the soft, fair steamed bun. In under a minute of the red bean bun has safely arrives in Jungwoo’s stomach. He proceeds his breakfast with two slices of soft, puffy pancakes and pours a generous amount of maple syrup on it. The sweet scent lingers around his smell sense, tickling his nose receptor as he continued to hum while cutting through the pancakes with the knife and feeding himself using the cow’s printed fork. Both of them in silent before his mom breaks the silent.

“Mr Jung told me she saw you hanging around with Ten, that gay boy? Is it true, Jungwoo?” she asks while sipping on her black coffee from the mug while her eyes darts straight onto Jungwoo’s figure and Jungwoo only want to shrink himself right now. He always want to avoid this type of conversation with his mom yet he nods his head while keeping his voice inside of his mouth, munching on the pancake pieces again. “I don’t want you to hang around with him anymore do you understand this Jungwoo?” Mrs. Kim adds as she slowly put her coffee mug down, pouring down the low fat milk and the whole grain cereal into her cereal bowl only to earn another nod from her son. The atmosphere starts to become more tense after his mom mentioned Ten’s name. Who does not know Ten after all. The gay boy; that’s what Jungwoo heard from all of his friends. The foreigner who suddenly popped up into Jungwoo’s neighbourhood last summer and openly kissing a guy in public. Every parents’ nightmare especially if they own a son. Just like Mrs. Kim.

“we are just practicing some dance step for the school festival mom. Don’t worry mom. I am not gay like him. Ew. And that’s like long time ago mom. That old man never like me.” Jungwoo said as he finishes his breakfast with another red bean steamed bun while rolling his eyes in the sassiest way. His bang getting longer and he kind of regret on not cutting it down last week because right now the end of his hair keep getting into his eyes and with that he pushes his hair back, exposing his forehead. A new style won’t hurt. He thinks. Using the napkin on the table, Jungwoo wipes his mouth and get up from his seat and grabs his backpack before pressing a soft kiss onto the top of Mrs. Kim head. “I should go now, mom. Xuxi might be waiting for me.” He says his goodbye and a soft ‘goodbye and take care’ from his mom still can be heard but he acts like he does not hear that as he makes his way to the front door.  Another batch of his family photograph proudly previewed by the wall as Jungwoo slips on his red Converse by the front door before shouting a ‘I’m going now’ signalling his mom that he is leaving the house.

“going to school already, Jungwoo yah?”

A voice belonged to his neighbour greets Jungwoo once he closes the door. “geez people.” He mumbles under his breath before he shows his ‘angelic’ smile while nodding his head to Mrs. Jung as the old woman is watering her flower plants in her front yard using that cute pink watering can Jungwoo always saw in his mom flower shop. Maybe Mrs. Jung bought it from his mom place. And yes Jungwoo’s mom owns a flower shop and Jungwoo used to hang out there or helping Mrs. Kim when he was in his middle school but his mom denied his request as she told him he needed time to study instead of helping her in the flower shop, plus she had her workers to help her too. Staring in awe, Jungwoo keep smiling to her as he walks away to the walking path knowing his best friend is waiting for him at their usual meet up place, the junction that separates Jungwoo’s and Lucas’s neighbourhood. Spring just start yet her garden already filled with various pretty and colourful blooming flowers the Jung family had planted. By the corner of his eyes, he can see the red roses, orange and yellow tulips and petunia along with daffodils that bloom in a lot of shades; pink, red, yellow. There are few more but that’s the only type of flowers he knows despite being the son of a florist. Jungwoo keep walking, eyes onto his iPhone 6’s screen as he reads his class’s kakaotalk group chat while listening to Century by Fall Out Boy through his ear pods. It is his favourite song out of American Beauty/American Psycho album. But yeah he loves Fall Out Boy songs.

“Jungwoo hyung!!”

Lucas’s voice defeats the vocalist voice as it goes through Jungwoo’s ear pods resulting Jungwoo to look up from his phone screen, pausing for 5 seconds of his song only to see a tall, good looking boy, with ‘Wong Yukhei’ written on his white name tag or preferably called Lucas for easy way yet Jungwoo prefer calling him as Xuxi, his Chinese name, a junior in Seoul District High School. The younger is panting in front of Jungwoo like he just finished running away from his neighbour’s crazy dog or he was just actually late to school before showing him the perfect rectangular smile with his shining, white and arranged teeth in line. “Good morning hyung.” Lucas added as he fixed his school’s uniform while walking next to Jungwoo.  Nodding his head, Jungwoo smiles as he replies Lucas morning greet as they both continue their journey to their school. Lucas has his hands inside of his pockets meanwhile Jungwoo is still wearing his ear pods before a curious Lucas take one of the ear pods. “What are you listening to, hyung?” Lucas asks as he pops up the ear pod into his ear, listening to what Jungwoo is listening to as well; American Beauty/American Psycho and they both share the ear pods, Jungwoo listening by the left ear pod while Lucas with the other side of the ear pod. The slight height different between them still leave a gap when the side of ear pod where Lucas is using get a bit higher compared to Jungwoo’s side. He looks at Lucas who is too focus on his listening yet manages to glance over Jungwoo’s pretty face before the taller shows him a thumb up meaning he enjoys the same genre of music with Jungwoo. As the two best friends enjoy their song listening session while walking by the public park where the side of the pedestrian path is decorated with flowers that already start to bloom as well. Probably 70% blooming. A laughing female voices interrupt them.

“that’s so gay of both of you. Hahahha” one of them with a pixie haircut and over make up face say.

“maybe they’re gays like Ten” another one adds. This time the girl with black straight hair and a chupa chups lollipop’s stick can be seen sticking out of her lips.

“walking together, by the flowers, sharing ear pods” the last girl, wearing a shorter skirt than the other two, beach wave highlighted hair and a red plumped lip with blue name tag; a senior from the same district high school with Jungwoo and Lucas named Hyuna finally speak up. Three of them seem to be wearing same colour of name tags which mean they’re all in their senior year. And Jungwoo know them. The Queens of Seoul District High School.

“we’re not gay!!”

Clenching his fist Jungwoo looked at them with furious gaze before pulling Lucas’s strong hand by his wrist before walking away from the trio only to be stopped by a chuckling voice, coming from their back.

“at least they are happy unlike you guys, ugly girls”

It is Ten in his school uniform; Seoul District High School. A sly grin can be seen across his lips as he walks toward Jungwoo and Lucas with his bright yellow Kanken back pack hanging on his right shoulder and a pink name tag with ‘Ten’ on it mean he is in his sophomore year just like Jungwoo, ear pod stuck in his right shoulder with the cable ending into his bag. He probably listening to some song with his phone in his back pack. His mouth seems to be chewing on a chewing gum. Jungwoo cannot think of stuff anymore. He just want to go to school, meet up his friends and teachers and face a normal life. Not this homophobic community. Meanwhile on the other side, Hyuna and her troop who was taken aback with Ten’s statement just show him some gross, disgusting faces before walking away from the scene. ‘thank goodness’ Jungwoo says in his mind as the girls leave them alone.

“Ten bro!” This time Lucas speaks up when the girls left and he leaves Jungwoo’s side after plugging out the ear pod off his ear to go after Ten’s. He forgot that Lucas and Ten live in same neighbourhood and Lucas’s family is an open minded people who do not give any single about who their son interact with. If only everyone in this district are nice like Wong’s family. “Thanks for the help but me and Jungwoo… “His words kind of hanging around while his hand rubs his nape nervously before continuing his words while looking at Ten and Jungwoo, back and forth. “we’re not gay, hyung. We’re just buddies.” And Ten let out a hearty laughter at how naïve Lucas looks right now while shaking his head, a smile never leaves his face before patting Lucas’s broad left shoulder, fake dusting his school’s uniform. Ten supposes to be in his senior year but system crashed and he is stuck in sophomore year, becoming one of Jungwoo’s classmates and dance partner for last year school’s festival. He must admit that Ten is a powerful dancer because both of them won first place in the dance competition.

“Awe awe our Lucas is so cute~ I was joking okay I just want those thots to stop disturbing you guys in this early morning.” Ten moves his attention from Lucas to Jungwoo before beaming a wide smile while greeting the fair skin boy who is standing by himself after Lucas had left him. “Hello Jungwoo. Good morning.” But Jungwoo who already lose his good morning mood from the recent incident just nods his head before motioning his best friend to follow him as he turns his back towards Ten and walks away not before he plugs in the ear pods into his ears again. A batch of footstep can be heard from the way Lucas is chasing him. Imagined a giant running. That is the sound that he heard as Jungwoo just plays his song at the lowest volume. Both of them just continue their journey to school with Lucas still trying to wrestle Jungwoo skinny self by head locking the older on their way to the school earning a smack worthy groan when Jungwoo hit his arm. Followed by Ten at the back, the trio of the boys walk to their school.

“welcome back to school!”

Jungwoo hears few female students, probably the cheerleader team who just arrives at the school gate along with him, Lucas and Ten, cheering by themselves as the squad gather for a group hug. How he wished his choir club could be more casual yet they’re just a bunch of singing nerds who was gifted with good voice yet lacking of social skill. They pass by the tall prefect as he glanced over the guy, wearing a pink name tag as well named Yuta but the red coloured arm label is more popping up against the dark blue blazer he is wearing.  Their official school uniform consists of; white dress shirt with checker pattern on the collar and the brim of the sleeves, dark blue blazer with Seoul District High School’s badge proudly embroidered on the right side of the blazer and a ribbon style bow tie to complete the look along with beige trouser for male and beige tennis skirt for the female. Jungwoo can classified himself as an observant as he notices everything, i