Seokmin falls behind when his contemplating thoughts disrupted his mind from the melting ice-cream in his mouth. He stared blankly at his childhood best friend's back walking further away. Wonwoo haven't realised yet; too engrossed in his own story telling to notice his friend's absence by his side.

“--so, I told her, 'ma'am, you don't owe us that much, please take your money', but then she--” His steps halted, looking side to side to search for the person who always made his day a thousand times better. “Seokmin, you scared me! I thought you disappeared all of a sudden.”

They exchanged smiles before Wonwoo waited for Seokmin to start walking again. The flickering lights from the towering lampposts running down the streets doesn't bother them at all. It was dark but somehow, the stars and the moon of the night were enough to make them feel safe. Or maybe it was their hands brushing past each other every now and then.

The hint of sleepyness and exhaustion were evident in Wonwoo's raspy voice. Although the conversation doesn't end despite the amount of yawns they passed each other. Seokmin only found himself grinning widely when the latter's eyes widened in excitement as the story progressed its .

God, he was so in love with him.

Little gasps would break his sentences as he remembered extra details of the event. The tiny claps when Seokmin made ridiculous comments on purpose. Laughter bombarded the quiet night as the two boys walked down the street shoulder to shoulder with hearts above their heads.

Maybe they earned a handful of angry words from the residents for being too loud, however, for the two, a day was supposed to end like this. With the person they cherished the most and cared for. Every night, Wonwoo talked about anything and everything, and Seokmin lets him.

He starts a new story; one he's already told before but Seokmin would never tell him to stop or get tired—he quite liked it... a lot. The whole street remained silent but Seokmin could hear his throbbing heart like a loud stereo. Maybe Wonwoo heard it too; the rapid beating whenever their knuckles touched.

He throws his head back as a loud laugh escaped his lips. Instantly, his eyes widened in surprise and he covered his mouth with both hands, afraid of disturbing the people asleep. Seokmin thought it was adorable. The nose scrunch and the eyes that mimicked the twinkling stars.

The boy was all the beauty he could imagine.

Wonwoo blushed in embarrassment as his glasses slid down his perfect nose. His best friend beats him in pushing it back, an instinct he gained from their friendship of fifteen years. They look into each other's eyes before Seokmin felt heat running up to his ears and he made a silly expression to fish a giggle out of Wonwoo.

They spend the rest of the walk in silence until they had the last taste of their ice cream and Wonwoo began rambling again. “I still think we should own the café together. We can be business partners, Seok. Tell me that doesn't sound exciting to you.”

“I already told you my thoughts,” Seokmin spoke with a sly smile. “You should share the business with your actual partner.”

He's had way too many nicknames to have another one added to the list. Childhood best friend, boy next door, Wonwoo's possible soulmate—his parents' words, definitely not Seokmin's—and now, business partners? No, he was tired of hearing all of those.

Wonwoo gave him a stern look before playfully pinching his arm. “You already know I'm not planning to get married, Seok.”

“Then do you wanna get married to me instead so we can be business partners?” He teased, half-jokingly. 

“Seok~” Wonwoo whined. “Please, you know I don't like doing things without you. I'm not comfortable doing anything on my own anymore, and that's your fault.”

He chuckled, eyes imitating the crescent moon. “And how is that my fault exactly, Jeon Wonwoo?”

However, those words had been said a million times before and Seokmin solely loved to remind his best friend. They've known each other for a long time and yes, they've had a couple of fights when they were just teenagers. It has gotten a lot better, and Seokmin's undying romantic love for his best friend was to blame.

The story would never get old, though. The reason they became friends in the first place all had to do with Seokmin accompanying the new kid in town. He was the kid who knocked on everyone's doors and forced them to buy his chocolates. And one day, he surprised the neighbourhood by bringing an unfamiliar kid along with him.

People mistook them as twins at first but Wonwoo always made sure to argue that he was, in fact, a year older. And more good-looking. Fifteen years later and Seokmin couldn't agree more because the man was undoubtedly handsome.

“You made me get attached to you.”

Now, that was not the answer Seokmin expected and he was very much appalled.

How was he meant to react? It was never the answer Jeon Wonwoo gave him!

He his bottom lip in nervousness and paled when Wonwoo's eyes darted down to his lips. “How exactly did I do that?”

“Come on, is that even a question?” Wonwoo asked, laughing as he messed with his best friend's heart.

Seokmin nodded.

“We've been spending our birthdays together for the past five years, we've traveled overseas by ourselves and you always pick me up like this every night.” Wonwoo shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly, “The list can go on, Seokmin.”

“We sound like a couple,” Seokmin commented as he stared at their dancing shadows on the sidewalk.

Wonwoo dared to agree. “We do, don't we? Sometimes I think my parents are right when they call us soulmates.”

He slipped an arm under Seokmin's bicep, dragging him to the direction of their homes. The younger's heart skipped a beat as Wonwoo rested his head against his own. Their feet stumbled for a bit but they don't break the intimacy.

At this point, Seokmin was certain his feelings for the latter couldn't get any more obvious. He figured now would be the perfect time to confess. Under flickering lights of a dead silent neighbourhood fueled by their voices while the moon smiled at them, Seokmin knew it was now or never. With Wonwoo's hands lingering on his forearm as they reached the front yard of their houses, he stopped in his tracks.

“Jeon Wonwoo,” he started before embarrassment could start eating him alive. “I have to tell you something.”

The said boy pulled away but kept their hands intertwined. He smiled, assuring Seokmin that he could tell him absolutely anything. The raised brows filled with anticipation had Seokmin's stomach flipping upside down.

“Ah...” He visibly gulped as Wonwoo found himself chuckling softly at his best friend's uncalled shyness. “I... I think-uhm... that I... dammit-”

“Seok, what's wrong? You know that you can tell me anything, right?”

“I'm in love with you,” he blurted out while his fingers fumbled with each other. Wonwoo sent him a reassuring smile when he finally gained the courage to lock eyes. “No, I don't just like you or have feelings for you — I'm actually in love with you, Wonwoo. Like the real thing. I-can't-see-a-future-without-you kind of love.”

“We have been for a while, don't you think?” Wonwoo added and Seokmin furrowed his eyes in confusion. “Been in love with each other for a while, I mean.”

Suddenly, the stars seemed brighter and the moon smiled wider at his best friend's reply. Seokmin tightened his hold on his best friend's hands as the latter pulled him closer. When the light flickered on again, only then did he notice the blush across Wonwoo's beautiful features.

His arms automatically wrapped around the taller's waist, closing the gap further. Wonwoo doesn't budge as he plastered a comfortable smile on his lips. He's thought of this moment before and Seokmin knew he must've had it on replay—like his favourite stories to tell.

So, he feels it too...

Every blink felt like a dream and he was afraid of waking up and possibly not having Wonwoo in his arms the next morning. Seokmin was reaching his limits. He was tired of being a best friend to the person he knew very well was his soulmate. Oh, the amount of times he had to suppress the urge of feeling Wonwoo's soft lips against his own.

“Can I kiss you?” Asked Wonwoo with his eyes already making out with his other half.

Seokmin didn't hide the giddiness he felt as he allowed Wonwoo to hear him giggle with flushed cheeks. “Only if you stay with me till the morning.”

And Seokmin didn't have the chance to comprehend anything because after having a quick taste of Wonwoo, he was being dragged to his front door immediately. By seeing Jeon Wonwoo's figure fiddling and patiently waiting for him to unlock the door, Seokmin finally saw them. The hearts lingering above the other's head as he called for his name.

“Seok~ can't you stare at me later instead? Right now I just wanna be in bed with you...” Wonwoo added, “In more than a best friend way.”

As the key unlocked the door and they both stepped a foot inside Seokmin's sweet home, he knew that maybe they've entered another chapter of their lives together, again.