“Jongup-ah!”

The said boy spins around in surprise, nearly dropping the pot in his hands. He hears shuffling noises from upstairs, before Daehyun comes running down the stairs, still anxiously bellowing his name. The older male is completely disheveled; his shirt was crumpled, hair in a mess and tie slung over his shoulders. Jongup, who has seldom seen the man being in a state of unpreparedness, chuckles at the sight.

Daehyun sees the boy, neatly clad in an apron, who then resumes his movements; pouring the hot, thick soup into a bowl. He sighs harshly, in a mixture of relief and annoyance, before muttering.

“I thought you left me again. What the hell man? Jongup, you should at least wake me up…” He crashes noisily into the seat, as he watched the boy settle the bowl on the table.

“You were sleeping like the dead. Thought I would leave it up to your body clock to wake you up.” Jongup shrugs, casting the gloves aside and reaching for the cutlery.

Daehyun strips a sticky note from the table, finding the handwriting oddly familiar. Jongup lays down the utensils, noticing the boy smiling at the piece of paper. He snatches away the item, earning a pout from Daehyun.

“Hey!”

“I didn’t see this…” Jongup quickly scans through the piece of paper, before blushing madly.

Hey Jongup. I will going off to Sunhwa’s place for the next few days. I remember Daehyun from your high school days. He was, scratch that, is your boyfriend right? I think he’s the reason why you were acting so ed up today.

Clear things up. If you don’t, just text me where you will be heading next.

-Hyosung

P.S: I will find you. AND I WILL KILL YOU.

P.S.S: If you two happen to have , please, I beg of you, KEEP THE ING BED CLEAN.

He crushes the paper in reflex, scowling at the guffawing figure across him. Resisting the urge to punch the figure in the face, Jongup throws the crushed paper ball into the basket next to the table and opts to kick Daehyun in the shin instead to curb his unstoppable chuckles.

The older male groans in pain, eyes watering; but he continues to laugh, much to the younger boy’s annoyance.

“Aww, is our Jonguppie shy?” He can’t help but tease the blushing boy.

Jongup does not hesitate to grab the baguette and shove it into Daehyun’s big mouth, causing him to yelp loudly and cough loudly. He dislodges the item, leaving Daehyun to splutter in shock. Daehyun feels that his jaw has become quite sore from the attack.

“You’ve become so much more violent, Jongup.” Daehyun gives a big pout, childishly slurping his mushroom soup to annoy the boy further.

“Shut up.” Jongup retorts, turning his head to the left to avoid looking at the man.

They fall into a comfortable silence though, with Jongup stirring the soup in slow movements while Daehyun watches him do so, cleaning his own bowl in the process.

“You know, your cooking skills have improved.” Daehyun comments, helping himself to a second serving. “By leaps and bounds. I remembered that you couldn’t even fry an egg. What a nasty concoction that was.” He chuckles at the memory; Jongup had burnt the egg while trying to make breakfast at Daehyun’s house, together with his mother’s most precious pot. They had to eat out subsequently and stealthily replace the pot.

A faint blush surfaces on Jongup’s pale skin, as he appears very uncomfortable.

“5 years.” Daehyun looks up, as he scoops up another spoonful of soup. Jongup is staring at him straight in the eye.

“That’s a long period of time.” Jongup emphasizes; Daehyun is getting a bad feeling from what’s about to come.

“Have you ever realized that, I’m not that 18-year-old fresh high school graduate you know anymore? There’s so much that has gone on in my life that might have changed me. I’m not that…” Jongup struggles for words. “Innocent or cheerful kid that you used to know.”

“Why do you still insist that you love me?” Jongup grabs a tuft of his hair in frustration. “Do you even know me? What gives you the idea that the Moon Jongup that you are seeing now, is the one that you love?” He breathes, feeling choked up on the inside; the sadness is suffocating him.

Daehyun has listened in silence, looking at Jongup with a soft, almost sad, look.

“You’re wrong.”

“I love you for who you are. No matter how much that 5-year period has changed you, you are always that Moon Jongup I love. You can cook, you can swear, you can kill. Nothing will ever stop me from loving you.”

“I don’t understand…”

“Jongup. Look at me.” The boy looks up reluctantly.

“I’m not that Daehyun you used to know either. But really, does that matter? No matter how I have changed, Moon Jongup, you…” Daehyun smiles a little at this point. “still love me, don’t you?”

His eyes crinkled further, as he sees through what Jongup is feeling at this point of time.

“Why are you worrying about this? Are you afraid that just because of this, I wouldn’t love you anymore? Is that why you are so reluctant to tell me what happened during these 5 years?”

The younger boy covers his face with his fingers, shaking his head in denial. Jongup fights not to cry again, as the sense of relief washed over him. He presses further into his hands, not wanting to look Daehyun in the eye.

“Tell me, Jongup. Tell me everything. Please at least let me know what I have missed out this 5 years. Where have you been? Why did you run away?” He wraps his fingers around the boy’s wrists, pulling them away from his face; now revealing a distraught-looking Jongup.

Jongup purses his lips, before giving a harsh sigh. Daehyun’s determination is unwavering, he is sure of it.

Perhaps, it’s time.

He doesn’t want to lie anymore.