Lee Jinki was 100% sure that he was gay. In his entire lifetime, he was never attracted to girls in that way. He just knew that from a very young age and he was in terms with his uality. He had dated a couple of guys during and after high school and had one steady relationship in college for 2 years. It was steady until he found that his ex was actually cheating on him- with a girl. Lee Jinki was newly single and ready to mingle. He didn’t really go through much of a heartbreak but he was just angry and frustrated from the fact that he was being cheated on. Even after almost 6 months, he was still at a stage where he could not trust anyone enough to peruse a relationship. Sometimes he even wondered if he was ever in love during all these past relationships because getting over them had been fairly easy for him. No tears, no alcohol, no depression.

So this very 100% gay Lee Jinki was thrown a curve ball when he least expected it. He was at a friend’s party and being not that much of a party animal, he was at the small living room upstairs reading. He noticed the silhouette of someone joining him on the single sofa chair opposite him and he raised his head to acknowledge the intruder. That’s when he knew that his system had malfunctioned. The person in front of him was the most beautiful and attractive girl he had seen in his life. She had feline eyes, thick eyebrow and bow shaped lips that looked like they were sculptured by God himself. Jinki realised that this was actually the first time that he ever felt this way about a woman. He had this urge to capture those beautiful cherry lips with his own while the sensible part of his mind was questioning his own behaviour. He didn’t actually realise that he was gawking at the girl for a good five minutes until her eyebrows raised in a questionable manner. “um is there something on my face or? “ Jinki suddenly snapped back to reality. “Eh no I’m gay” was all that he could come up with and he was cursing himself internally for letting his stupidity slip. “Um okay then” Jinki swore the girl wore a devilish grin that lured him even further in. “I’m Key” she said, smiling at him with twinkling eyes. Jinki was confused more than anything because getting attracted to a girl when he was 100% gay was just the strangest thing. What if I am not gay anymore? Did I become straight? Or do I swing both ways now? Jinki was having an identity crisis right now. “Hey, are you okay there?” the pretty girl was looking at him, wide eyed and concern drawn over her pretty little face. “ S..sorry, I’m Jinki-Lee Jinki” Jinki was finally able to return her a smile. Whatever crisis that he was going through, it will have to wait cz this creature if front of him was the one and only human who he was ever attracted to in such a strong way. Her voice was y too, he thought. It was husky and deep unlike other girls. Everything about her seemed to be attractive. “I am here with my date, but he’s getting wasted downstairs. I wanted some peace and found this place “She said smiling.  “Well, I am not much of a party person either, so here I am” Jinki replied and Kibum smiled at him again, sweetly .Jinki’s heart was plummeting in his chest. “Say Jinki, since everyone is busy downstairs, do you want to maybe get out of here?”.  

So they ended up in the back yard of the house talking for hours. Jinki found out that she was two years younger than him.  She told him that she liked to draw and also liked photography. Key was witty and funny and often had really cute gestures when she laughed. Jinki swore that he never in his life met a intriguing creature like her. There was almost nothing they had in common but somehow, they just managed to click like yin and yang. Jinki didn’t even realise how much time had passed when Key received a call and got quite flustered.” Oh God Jinki, I totally didn’t notice the time and um my date is waiting for me. I have to go” and she placed a quick kiss on his cheeks and rushed off- leaving Jinki in a daze. He not being able to function or think because of how her soft lips felt like electricity on his cheek.  Jinki just stood there touching his cheek until he realised that he had no way to contact her, and he hardly knew anything about her at all to find her. He rushed back to the party and desperately tried to look for her. But she was gone, without a trace, Just like that.  Jinki knew that she already had a date and he shouldn’t get too carried away but somewhere in his heart, he knew that she was the one.  He left the party that night, crestfallen.  Is this another Cinderella story? He thought, praying that he would run in to her soon. 

3 months passed. Jinki still didn’t move on from that encounter. But he also realised that he was still very much gay because 3 days ago, he was introduced to his very close friend Jonghyun’s cousin and he knew that he was definitely attracted to him. “ Hi hyung, I’m Kibum- nice to meet you” Kibum smiled at Jinki when they first met and that’s all it took for him to confirm that he was still, very much gay. 

Jonghyun often crashed at Jinki’s apartment because he just felt comfortable being at Jinki’s compared to being around his big and loud family. Since Kibum had arrived, Kibum also tagged along with him whenever he could. Jinki was actually happy with the additional company and the trio got along quite well. Kibum would often join Jinki when it came to bullying his cousin and Jonghyun would call him a traitor for joining forces with Jinki instead of him. They laughed a lot,  Kibum was also extremely witty and intelligent so having conversations with him was actually pretty interesting and fun.
Jinki couldn’t help but feel like he had met Kibum somewhere before but he didn’t wan’t to ask that lame, cliché question “have we met before?” cz he knew better. Kibum would probably roll his eyes at him and think that he's making a move on him . So nope.

Kibum soon took charge of Jinki’s apartment, he was cooking for the boys and even helping Jinki with cleaning and laundry when he had free time. Jinki was growing fond of the pretty petite boy by the day. He had often missed home cooked food as his family was living in Busan and his mum only visited once a month. With Kibum around, Jinki’s apartment started to feel and smell more like home. Kibum’s random visits with Jonghyun turned to regular ones, and after handing Kibum a set of spare keys,  Jinki often came back home to him. It was funny how Jinki’s lonely and monotonous life became quite wholesome with Kibum around. They would cook together, eat together and even do their school work sprawled on the floor together. Somehow, everything in his life seemed to be revolving around Kibum.  

Jinki noticed that Kibum was crammed up with school work and travelling back and forth from Jonghyun's place to his apartment took a toll on him. So soon, Jinki suggested that Kibum could sleep over at his place instead and so he did. Jinki already knew that he had  growing feelings for KIbum and all wanted to do was to take him in his arms and kiss him. But he always felt an invisible barrier between them. Whenever he did small gestures of skinship, like held his hand or out his arms around Kibum's waist, the boy would wiggle himself away without encouraging it. Sometimes Jinki wondered if Kibum was too shy, or was he interested in him at all. Jinki knew for a fact that Kibum was gay because Jonghyun told him so, but he just didn't know if Key liked him that way. Even when they slept on the same bed, Kibum would always sleep at the end of his side of the bed, always drawing a line.

One night thought, Jinki made a  brave call reaching out to envelope  Kibum in his arms when they went to bed.  He was just hoping and praying that the boy wouldn't push him away. Kibum didn't push him away, but he stiffened at the gesture instead. Jinki knew that it wasn't rocket science. it was clearly rejection. He slowly de-tangled his arms from the sleeping boy and whispered a soft "sorry" before he turned around on is bed to face the wall instead. Jinki was crestfallen that night because the rejection made him realise how much he actually needed Kibum in his life. The love of his life was right there a few feet away from him but the distance between them felt like a thousand miles that night. 

Kibum just stopped coming over to Jinki's on the following days. Jinki called him desperately wanting to properly apologise but his phone was switched off. Jinki knew that he was the reason for everything. Only if he didn't get so ahead of himself and thought things through, he wouldn't have been in this situation right now. He then called Jonghyun to check on Kibum and he heard that Kibum had left to his hometown n a hurry and told him that he would be back by end of the week. Jinki could do nothing, but wait - hoping and praying that his Kibum would be back.

Two days passed, and his apartment felt lonely and dark without Kibum and it was unbearable for Jinki. He was a mess, drinking alcohol regularly and not even bothering to clean up the place. For the first time in his life, he felt alone. He felt like a part of him was missing and there was nothing he could do to fix it. 

One night when Jinki was blankly staring in to space, he heard the sound of his apartment door being unlocked and he knew that Kibum was back. He didn't do anything , he was too exhausted. He continued to just stare in to the wall holding his drink in his hands when he noticed KIbum approaching him. He sat right next to Jinki, leaning his head on his shoulder whispering a simple " I'm back " to which the elder hummed in acknowledgement.

" I have a confession to make Jinki" he spoke softly and Jinki could hear his heart picking up pace and coming back to life with Kibum next to him. " You might hate me after this, but I have to do this " he left a heavy sigh and Jinki was listening carefully and quietly. " A few months back, I was at a party and .. I was with a guy, we weren't dating. I was just paid to be his date." Kibum was looking down at his clasped hands now." I.. I happened to meet someone there that I fell in love with" Kibum had a soft smile on his lips. Jinki swore that his heart broke at that instant, hearing that the person who he was very much in love with, confessing his love for someone else. " I.. I don't know if I want to hear this Kibum" Jinki stuttered. " Shh.. just hear me out okay?" Kibum was still wearing a soft smile on his face and he reached out to hold Jinki's hand in his, rubbing his palm soothingly. " I didn't really believe in love at first sight until I met him . That day, after talking to him ..I knew that he was the one". Jinki let out a heavy sigh trying to digest all this information. "So, this guy told me what his name was, and where he studied and with a little information from Jonghyun of course, I managed to finally find him" .

Jinki didn't know why Kibum was telling him all this that had absolutely nothing to do with him. It hurt to see the guy that he was in love confessing to hi about someone else. It hurt, and he was bitter. He swore he could feel his eyes burning , threatening to spill tears.
Kibum then leaned over to touch Jinki's cheek and looked deep in to his now glassy eyes. Jinki then saw that the boy's eyes were b with tears too. Kibum then placed a soft  kiss on Jinki's cheek .Jinki swore that he had this de ja vu feeling once Kibum's lips touched his cheek. " No, it's not dejavu, silly" Jinki marveled at how Kibum was spot on with his thoughts. "Remember me, Jinki?" Kibum's eyes were twinkling back at him and Jinki suddenly felt like he plunged in to a whirlwind. He knew those lips, he knew those eyes, he knew that dimple, he knew that voice. " 
" Wait, you are telling me that..?" Jinki was speechless and trying to digest the newly discovered information. 
"I..I'm sorry for not telling you earlier, I didn't want to creep you out.. I literally asked Jonghyun to help me " Kibum was not fidgeting with his fingers nervously and Jinki noticed that his tears were falling on his clasped hands. Jinki didn't waste a second, he scooped the shocked Kibum off the couch and threw him on his bed and started peppering him with kisses all over his face. " This is for making me question my uality, you little fox". Kibum smiled through his tears and cupped Jinki's face, capturing his lips for a sweet, slow kiss pouring out all the love he had for him. " I fell in love with you when I first saw you too, but then again I think I fell in love all over again after you found me" Jinki said cuddling up Kibum in his arms. " You are so slow Jinki, I can't believe that you didn't figure it out" Kibum said his eyes twinkling to which Jinki responded by attacking Kibum's already abused lips again.