“Are you sure you don't want some?” Ricky queried for what had to be the fifth time since he'd gotten the ice cream out of the freezer. L. Joe was so used to the question, and his own response to it, that he didn't even bother to raise his head from the tabletop to look the other boy in the eye as he answered anymore, “No, Ricky. I don't want any ice cream.”

Ricky shrugged the answer off, bringing another spoonful of the cold treat to his lips, grinning deviously at the thought of keeping it all for himself. “So Chunji seemed kind of upset last night.” Ricky began conversationally, not realising that L. Joe was trying to avoid the guilt those exact thoughts conjured up.

Still, he couldn't help himself, from looking for confirmation for his theory, despite knowing how much he probably didn't want to hear the answer. “Hey, Ricky? You know how you and Niel and Changjo all about liking your teacher?” he questioned.

“Mhmm.” Ricky said, around the spoon he was currently on. “Why do you pick on him about that?” he asked, gulping hesitantly as he waited for Ricky's response.

“Because he does like Mr Kim.” Ricky answered simply. “But he says that he doesn't.” L. Joe pointed out, still desperately clinging to the hope that he might be wrong in his suspicions. “Well yeah of course he would. But I hate to break it to you, he's lying. Chunji's liked Mr Kim for years. Always giving him googly eyes and coy smiles, acting like a teenage girl, drooling after him. He hasn't exactly been discreet about it. Well, at least not before you came around. I think he was trying to impress you.” Ricky confided, babbling childishly as he continued to eat his ice cream.

Ricky's words only quadrupled his guilt. “Ugh, I think I'm going to be sick.” L. Joe groaned. Closing his eyes in the hopes that the blackness of the insides of his eyelids might reduce his nausea.

“What happened last night? What did you do?” Ricky enquired curiously, a note of concern ringing in his eyes, even if it wasn't detectable in his tone. “I became one of you.” L. Joe moaned, staring across at the wall, forlornly, “I got myself into a whole heap of trouble, that I didn't know how to fix, and I got Chunji involved to help me.” he elaborated.

“Still, I've seen Chunji go through quite a bit for us before, and he's never looked so rattled before, and he's certainly never instituted a ban on contact for a few days. You must've done something pretty special. Should I assume it's got something to do with Mr Kim?” Ricky enquired thoughtfully.

“You can if you like, but I won't confirm or deny anything.” L. Joe stated blandly, not really in the mood for banter with Ricky, or gossip about his own shameful secrets. “If you don't tell me what happened, I can't possibly offer you any insights you don't already know, and I can't help you patch things up with Chunji.” Ricky reminded the other boy.

“I slept with him.” L. Joe stated simply, noting the stunned look on the other boy's face. “You slept with Mr Kim? How did Chunji get involved in that?” Ricky demanded, eyes wide in shock. “I regretted it, and freaked out when I woke up in the motel, and called him to come get me. He found out who I was there with and....” L. Joe explained, morosely. “And he didn't kill you? Or maim you? Or unfriend you or anything?” Ricky demanded as though he couldn't believe it.

L. Joe wasn't sure he'd believe it himself, if it hadn't happened to him. “He didn't even yell at me. Just asked for two days breathing room.” he explained, noting the petulant look on Ricky's face. “No way! That's not fair, I've gotten way worse punishments for nothing! He threatens to feed me until I die, if I so much as bat my eyelashes at Mr Kim, and you go and sleep with him, and that's all you get! How dare you be the favourite!” he whined.

“The favourite?” L. Joe echoed confused. “Well yeah, what would you call it? You didn't think just anyone would be forgiven so easily, did you? You're Chunji's favourite, which means apparently you can pretty much murder, and pillage and he'll still love you at this point.” Ricky elaborated. The knowledge that Chunji cared about him so much only redoubled his guilt.

Noting how he was gasping for breath, Ricky gave him a light pat on his shoulder, pushing aside his envy for a moment. “Hey, listen.... Don't worry about it, you don't have to get so worked up about this... Chunji's already told you he's going to forgive you for the whole thing; you've just got to give him a little time and everything will go back to normal.” he assured.

“But that's the point, Ricky. It shouldn't! According to you I'm his favourite, and then I go and betray him like this, and he's going to forgive me within a few days? That's not the way it should be. He shouldn't ever forgive me for what I did. It must've hurt him so badly and yet he's prepared to let it all go?” L. Joe demanded bitterly.

“I know how you feel, believe me... It's almost too easy to hurt Chunji... we've all hurt him at some point.... some really big and awful things like you, as well as countless other day to day times we don't even realise.... He just does such a good job taking care of everyone else, that you forget he needs to be taken care of too: that he can hurt just like we can.... But he forgave all of us for what we did to him, and he's going to forgive you too. That's just the sort of person that he is. Rather than beating yourself up over what you did wrong, maybe you should try figuring out a way to make it up to him when you guys start talking again?” Ricky suggested.

“Maybe.” L. Joe murmured, picking himself up to go and curl up in a ball on the lounge, leaving Ricky shaking his head at his moping.