“You like him, don’t you?” Kim Jinwoo asked Seunghoon as he referred to the boy across the cafeteria.

 

“Who are you talking about?” Seunghoon asked back, raising one of his eyebrows.

 

“That kid,” Jinwoo pointed at the person with his chin, ”Kang Seungyoon.”

 

“Oh,” Seunghoon replied, ”He been my friend since elementary,”

 

“You like him, don’t you?” Jinwoo repeated his question earlier.

 

“What do you mean? Yes, I like him,” Seunghoon answered without any hesitation, ”as a friend. He’s a good friend even though he’s one year younger than us.” and he continued drinking his juice.

 

“No, I mean, like, like him,” Jinwoo asked again, unsatisfied with Seunghoon’s answer.

 

Seunghoon choked on his juice when he heard that, ”what’s up with that question? Don’t ask when you already know the answer.”

 

“Yes?”

 

“No!”

 

“Well, I was just asking.” Jinwoo shrugged.

 

“I don’t know,” Seunghoon said again.

 

“You don’t know, or you know but you are not aware of your feelings,” Jinwoo said as he patted Seunghoon’s shoulder, ”Lee Seunghoon, don’t you think you are being too blind? Can’t you see, Seungyoon may feel the same way. He always follows you, calling you ‘Hyung, Hyung, Seunghoon-hyung’ whenever and wherever you two meet each other.”

 

Seunghoon didn’t reply. Now that he thought about it, he wasn’t sure about how he felt for the younger boy. He and Seungyoon had been friends since they were in their early years of elementary until now they were already in high school. For all those years they knew each other, they spent many times together, he considered Seungyoon as his friend, no other than that. He had never questioned himself how he actually felt for Seungyoon. He had never questioned Seungyoon either. They just live as they would like to. They simply enjoyed their friendship and never wanted to break it.

 

But now, Seunghoon started to think that Jinwoo might be right. He had this strange feeling for Seungyoon that he was never sure what it was. He never felt the same way to the other friends, including all the girls with whom he had been close.

 

He thought that it would be better if he asked Seungyoon himself, but he didn’t know when. And he wasn’t sure how.

 

***

 

The next day, Seunghoon and Seungyoon walked home together. They did this as if it was a routine. They walked home together, sometimes they stopped by some places; clothing stores, CDs stores, or markets to buy some street snacks. Those were like a daily routine for them as two friends.

 

Seungyoon was the one who usually talked more, and Seunghoon would listen. He would listen to anything that Seungyoon had said to him. Light stories about what happened that day, his feelings, his obsessions, his dreams, everything. Seungyoon shared everything with Seunghoon. And Seunghoon didn't mind. He enjoyed that and listened well. He became the person who knew Seungyoon the best.

 

Sometimes, Seungyoon nagged. About the way Seunghoon walked, about how Seunghoon should wear his uniform, about anything that Seungyoon thought wasn't right. Seunghoon usually just responded with, “yeah, yeah, whatever.” or a "humm", or a playful mock, or a soft laugh and a nod. And after that, Seungyoon would stop nagging and talk about other things. Seunghoon never took all those nags seriously. He just considered that as the funny side of Seungyoon.

 

But unlike the other days, today, Seungyoon walked with Seunghoon in silence. He didn’t say anything. Seunghoon felt something wasn’t right about that and tried to start a conversation.

 

“You’re so quiet today,” Seunghoon asked, poking the younger’s cheek, ”something bad happened to you?”

 

Seungyoon didn’t turn to Seunghoon but he still answered, ”nothing bad happened, Hyung.”

 

Seunghoon walked faster and stopped right in front of Seungyoon to stop him. He gripped Seungyoon’s shoulders and leaned his face closer to the younger, ”for ten years we’ve been friends,” he said, ”this is the first time you walk with me without nagging or at least telling a story about your day.”

 

Seungyoon looked up at Seunghoon whose face was so close to his and leaned back to avoid the older’s gaze. He replied, ”today I don’t feel like talking, Hyung.”

 

Seunghoon released his grip and went back to walk beside Seungyoon. “Okay,” Seunghoon said but he kept looking at the younger man, still wanting an explanation of his not-to-talk action.

 

Seungyoon knew Seunghoon was staring at him then he said, ”don’t look at me like that, Hyung.” without turning his head to Seunghoon.

 

“I’ve known you for ten years, Seungyoon-ah, don’t act like you don’t know that I can tell if something is bothering you.” Seunghoon said, ”c’mon, what’s going on?”

 

Seungyoon still didn’t answer. He walked faster, trying to leave Seunghoon.

 

But Seunghoon could easily catch up beside Seungyoon again since he was taller and had longer steps. He tugged Seungyoon’s wrist and turned him so they could stand facing each other.

 

“Seungyoon-ah, don’t be like this. Tell me what’s wrong?” Seunghoon asked again, still holding Seungyoon’s wrist. He started worrying.

 

“It is something you don’t need to worry about, Hyung. It’s my problem.” Seungyoon answered, and didn't dare to look back at Seunghoon’s eyes which were looking at him so intensively.

 

“So it’s your problem? Well, okay. Now I want to know since when do you not tell me about your problem?” Seunghoon said, started to get impatient.

 

“You won’t know about it, Hyung. Just let it go.”

 

“No. I want to know about it. I don’t like you hiding something that makes you don’t be your usual self.”

 

“Hyung, I swear—“

 

“Okay. Okay, Seungyoon. Don’t tell me about it. I don’t want to know anymore. Don’t talk to me.” Seunghoon interrupted. He released Seungyoon’s wrist from his grip and walked faster, leaving Seungyoon behind.

 

Suddenly, the rain started falling. Seunghoon tried to use his backpack to protect him from the rain but before he could do it, he had already been under an umbrella. Seungyoon was standing beside him, holding the umbrella, but was still avoiding eye contact with him.

 

“You can’t use your backpack to protect yourself from the rain. You would still get wet. And your books inside the backpack would be soaked, too.” Seungyoon said softly, trying to hold his laugh but he looked as if he was pouting.

 

Seunghoon giggled, ”you are nagging,” he took the umbrella from Seungyoon’s grip and held it instead.

 

Seungyoon didn’t reply, still refusing to look at Seunghoon.

 

“I don’t know what is bothering you and I don’t understand why you are not telling me about it, but at least don’t stop talking to me. I would rather hear you nagging than walk with you without hearing your voice talking. It felt as if I wasn’t with you.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Seungyoon replied. His voice was too soft and almost swallowed by the sound of the falling rain.

 

“Don’t be. I see. You can’t share some things with me. It’s fine. I—“

 

“I like you,” Seungyoon said all of a sudden. But his voice wasn’t high enough for Seunghoon to hear it.

 

“What did you say?” Seunghoon asked, leaning closer so he could hear.

 

Seungyoon’s face reddened as he tried to repeat what he said. He took a deep breath and raised his voice so Seunghoon could hear it, ”I like you,” he held his breath, ”like, like you. I like you and I don’t know how. It just came by itself since I don’t even know when and I wasn’t sure to tell you about it because I was afraid you would freak out and think I was weird and not being my friend anymore. The reason I was silent earlier is that I was thinking about whether to tell you about it or not. Okay... you start to think I am weird now. I—“

 

Seungyoon couldn’t finish his sentence because the next thing he knew, Seunghoon had pulled him and crushed their lips together. Seunghoon kissed him. A soft and simple kiss lasted barely five seconds. But that was enough to take his breath away.

 

Seungyoon’s face was crimson red when they separated. He didn’t know what to do. He was just looking at Seunghoon’s eyes, startled.

 

“I’ve wanted to kiss you this whole time,” Seunghoon said softly. Yes, he had. He had wanted to taste those puffy lips for a long time and he wasn’t sure when he started wanting to do that. And he was glad he finally did it. "I like you, too," he said as he Seungyoon’s cheek with his thumb.

 

Seungyoon was startled once again. He couldn’t be happier to hear that. He couldn’t hide his brightest smile after finding out that they both felt the same way. “Does it…does it mean we’re together now?”

 

"If you want to say it that way, yes. We’re together now, I guess? Since when we aren’t together?"

 

"We’ve always been together as friends this whole time. I want us to be together as, you know, a couple?" Seungyoon asked. He blushed as he bit his lower lip.

 

Seunghoon giggled, ”you seriously need to stop doing that.” he pulled Seungyoon and kissed him once again. This time it was a little bit slower and gentle. He angled their heads and when Seungyoon slightly opened his mouth, he slipped his tongue into Seungyoon’s mouth and tasted him. As they kissed, Seunghoon put his arm around Seungyoon’s waist and pulled him closer against him, not aware that he lost his grip on the umbrella, making them soaked of the falling rain.

 

"I’m glad to call myself your boyfriend," Seunghoon said once they broke the kiss.

 

Seungyoon grinned. ”You made us all soaked by the rain.” He put his arms up around Seunghoon’s shoulder.

 

“I don’t feel like it’s raining anymore,” Seung