People always mention the honeymoon phase as one of the best first months of any relationship. The high, the excitement. How you want to spend every waking hour together. Where your rose-tinted glasses fool you into thinking that your partner can simply do no wrong. And you lap up every word they say as if it was the most interesting piece of information you've heard in years. And everyone tells you to relish these fleeting moments before the differences, the irritating quirks, and the flaws start to surface.

Jinwoo, of course, had first hand experience of this with past girlfriends. So he knew what it felt like. But very few could tell him (and not that he'd ask) how this would play out with a man you've known for years, who you've lived with and saw day in and day out. To be with someone who've shown you every worse possible habit, smell, tantrum, or haircut. Would they still experience that high?

There were certainly changes, Jinwoo thought. But he'd hesitate to call it a honeymoon phase.

Like each look they'd give one another had shifted from random or one-sided to a shared and meaningful secret just between the two of them. The type that always brought out a very specific smile that Mino saved only for him. How suddenly, it was a given to sit beside each other whenever possible. Being able to lean on Mino's shoulder or hold his hand without fear of rejection, knowing that the rapper welcomed it, wanted it as much as he did.

These little things that had begun to shift their friendship into a romantic relationship were subtle and unobtrusive. It had taken them years to get where they were but neither of them felt the need to hurry or force things. When you plan to be with someone for the rest of your life, rushing feels unnecessary and wasteful when you can linger, treasure, and remember each experience.

And so Jinwoo felt, this wasn't fleeting. This was their new reality.

Neither of them would ever replace the quiet and simple way their story had unfolded. How it was rooted in years of deep friendship. He could live without the temporary high of a new romance. Their story was rare, and if people knew of it, it would be the envy of many.

And come evening, Jinwoo would share this musings with Mino, and for the first time, perhaps he'd ask him to sleepover. And in a few days or weeks, they'd celebrate another first. And they'd cherish it. Like every other moment before then and every other moment to come.