There’s ink on Sungjong’s wrist, and Myungsoo notices it when the maknae hands him a bottle of water after their performance on Music Bank.  Before he can even begin to comprehend what’s written on Sungjong’s arm, the younger boy has begun bounding over to the leader, pouting like the kid he is. Myungsoo keeps his straight face.

Myungsoo unconsciously sighs in relief when he realizes that the ink isn’t permanent, gone one night and reappearing the next morning. He can only see a mixture of lines and circles and blotches though. (Myungsoo blames the lack of sleep). But he knows that what the maknae writes and rewrites each morning is the same; the made by the pen in his long fingers are identical. (Myungsoo is not stalking, he convinces himself).

Number 1 on his to-do list has become finding out what’s written on Sungjong’s arm, even moving past his goal of finding a safe place to hide his bamboo pillow. (He knows Sunggyu likes to hug it when he’s not around). Myungsoo can just tell it’s a name; he remembers his early high school years where crushes’ codenames were written on palms and quickly smudged and erased should anyone attempt to see. Sungjong is a year and a few months younger than him. Myungsoo hopes.

The first chance he gets is during a fanmeet, and he’s moved to stand next to Sungjong. He grasps the boy’s wrists and leans in for a kiss, just for fanservice, as manager hyung says. (Myungsoo wishes it wasn’t just that). Sungjong leans away from him and towards some other hyung. (Myungsoo really doesn’t like that, but it’s just fanservice, he tells himself). Myungsoo notices, however, when he lets go of the boy’s hands, a little part of the writings on his wrists. He sees a single Korean character, slightly smeared – Kim, it spells out.

A million possibilities run through his mind, and he’s out of his wits. He puts on the cool L exterior, because no one should ever see a panicking Myungsoo, most especially Sungjong. (Myungsoo wants to believe that he’s always calm, but with the maknae, he’s never really serene. He can’t hear any of the gears shifting in his head because the thumping of his heart is too loud).

He’s got a smirk to hide his nervous expression, thankful that his looks could kill. A certain pretty boy is hugging their eldest, however, and Myungsoo thinks Sungjong could kill anyone without even trying.

Myungsoo thinks that it must be him, that it must be Kim Sunggyu. Sungjong had recently been getting close to his Sunggyu hyung, and Myungsoo wonders if he should be insecure. He ponders a bit and decides that he is.

The second time he sees the younger boy’s wrist is during breakfast. Myungsoo is sitting at the table, lazily stretching, hood of his jacket lightly resting on the crown of his head. He’s rubbing his eyes, feeling like he’s in space floating and floating and – Sungjong comes shuffling his feet out of his room in little baby steps, yawning while securely holding his fluffy white teddy bear, and Myungsoo thinks he has just crash-landed.

Myungsoo reaches over and ruffles Sungjong’s hair. The maknae laughs and raises his hand up to bring his down, and that’s when Myungsoo notices another character besides the first one he saw before. It says Myung, and right now, he’s really confused. He doesn’t know anyone with a family name of Kim and a given name starting with Myung. (It’s me, he wants to think, but he has resolved to stop hoping since that fanmeet because he thinks that he shouldn’t. The hope bugs are biting him again though).  

The third time is when Myungsoo’s arm is over his eyes, head on the couch, and sore on the floor. He needs to get some sleep, just a few hours, he begs himself, but he knows he can’t, won’t be able to. His dreams have been really weird lately, and he can’t sleep without overthinking about what he’s going to do with his (love) life. (He’s never going to admit to anyone that his dreams are replayed videos of Sungjong performing the high jump in the Idol Athletic Championships, instead of sheep jumping over fence).

He can feel somebody’s presence in front of him, watching him. He knows with his eyes closed because he’s perceptive like that – or more like, he’s memorized how the object of his affections moves already. He peeks and sees Sungjong stretching his hand out at him, and he’s smiling, and all Myungsoo can feel is how there is a pounding in his chest. His eyes fall on the last character on Sungjong’s wrist, and it’s Soo. Kim Myungsoo, reads the writings on the younger boy’s wrist. So you finally figured it out, huh, hyung? Took you long enough. I like you, Sungjong tells him, laughing breathlessly, eyes crinkling at the edges. It’s not long before Myungsoo mimics his actions.

There’s ink on Sungjong’s wrist. Myungsoo notices and smiles to himself.

( “It’s not fair,” Myungsoo starts, Sungjong’s hair. The younger’s head is currently on his lap and they’re alone in the dorm. The TV is droning on endlessly.

 “What’s not fair, hyung?”

 “How my name is only written in ink on your hand.”

Sungjong is perplexed. “Hmm? I don’t understand.”

“My name is only in ink. Your name? It is already engraved in my heart.”

And Sungjong starts hitting his Myungsoo hyung’s shoulder, repeated screams of You’re getting greasy like Woohyun hyung resounding in the room, but Myungsoo laughs and knows Sungjong likes it, because he’s blushing a very deep tomato red and a silly grin is painted on the younger’s face.

Myungsoo effectively silences the boy when he leans over and places a chaste kiss on his lips. )