Lee Sungjong was what people referred to as the best listener in the world.

Lee Sungjong, the perfect friend whom everyone would want to befriend.

Lee Sungjong, the boy whom people would call beautiful.

Yes, beautiful and not handsome.

Sungjong would’ve been happy with all the statements he received from people around him but he couldn’t just ignore the negative side. No, he couldn’t because the negative side seemed to conquer his mind instead of the positive one.

People called him names behind his back despite the smiles they had on their faces when they greeted him.

Softy.

.

Girly.

Princess.

Sungjong had wished that he could turn a blind eye over this matter but he couldn’t for he was a human being. Like everyone else, he was sensitive to criticism. Like most humans, he hated people who called him names. Like other people who faced the same problem as his, he always stood on his toes, careful of his surroundings.

He had friends, a few of them. They talked to him but he couldn’t seem to socialize that well with them because he was being careful all the time. He would always strain his ears just to capture the words that were probably meant to be directed at him.

“Beautiful? That’s gay!”

“He looks like a girl. That’s disgusting.”

“Not manly.”

“A person like him should be banished from this world.”

If Sungjong had lost his patience, he would’ve screamed at them. He would’ve told them that he didn’t wish to be born like that. He would’ve told them that he was as straight as a ruler. He would’ve told them that they should mind their own business instead of bad mouthing someone who didn’t do any harm to them.

Human nature.

That was what Sungjong found out after spending his time with those types of people.

They listened to others and follow.

If they noticed how different one was from the others, they would distance themselves away from that person.

They treated the different ones like a plague.

They’d been doing that to Sungjong since they laid their eyes on him but Sungjong didn’t mind.

He wanted to make friends.

He wanted to talk to everyone so he wouldn’t be lonely.

And so Sungjong created new characters for himself.

New characters meant living in different kind of lives.

At home, he was the obedient son. At school he was the friendly boy. With the girls, he was the best friend. With the boys, he was the mood maker. With the admirers, he was the gorgeous prince. With the haters, he was the cold hearted boy, pretending that their words didn’t tear him apart.

Sungjong had been pretending so much that he couldn’t find the real Lee Sungjong.

He was starting to forget what it was like to be himself.

He was starting to forget what it was like to not pretend.

He was too busy blending in different colors, hoping that he would get accepted by the people around him that he didn’t notice how far he was from the real Lee Sungjong.

He thought he would not be able to return to his old self.

But one day, a new student came to the school.

A new classmate. A new friend for Sungjong.

Sungjong thought hard about the new student whose name was Lee Howon.

What kind of person should Sungjong be in front of him?

Should he be the best friend? The mood maker? The gorgeous prince? Or the cold hearted boy?

As Sungjong pondered over the questions again and again, he didn’t notice that Howon was standing before him, greeting him with a friendly smile as he extended his hand to him.

“I’m Howon.” The new student said to him.

“Sungjong,” he answered faintly.

Sungjong didn’t know who he was pretending to be because the look in Howon’s eyes had caused him to lose track in his thoughts.

The teacher had asked Howon to sit next to Sungjong.

Sungjong wanted to run away when he found out that Howon was going to sit next to him for the rest of the semester.

He wished he could sit somewhere else and continue to pretend instead of acting awkward in front of the new boy.

“Can I borrow your note?” Howon asked Sungjong one day. “I haven’t had the chance to copy down the notes…”

Sungjong still felt like running away but to his surprise, he lent his note to Howon. He even gave him a smile.

“Sure.” He said and followed by something he didn’t expect to hear from himself. “You can ask for my help anytime.”

Sungjong wasn’t sure what kind of person he was when he talked to Howon but he knew for sure that he didn’t hate this character at all.

“I’m sorry,” Howon handed Sungjong his music player, his eyes downcast. “I accidentally dropped it when I rode my bike. It fell and…”

“You what?!” Sungjong snapped at him, eyes wide and teeth clenched. “I just bought it last month…”

“Hey, I’m really sorry.” Howon tried to smile. “I’ll buy you a new one, okay? I promise.”

“Fine,” Sungjong sighed, rolling his eyes and suppressing the anger that was boiling inside him.

“It’s my first time seeing you all angry and upset,” Howon told him.

Sungjong stared at his friend and blinked.

Really?

When Sungjong thought about it, he never got angry at the others because he would always pretend.

Pretend that everything was perfect.

Pretend that he didn’t feel pain.

Pretend that he didn’t feel sadness.

Once again, Sungjong questioned himself.

Who was he when he was with Howon?

“I told you, he’s undergone plastic surgery.” A girl whispered to her friend.

“He’s a boy, why would he do that?” her friend raised her eyebrows.

“It’s because he’s a . He wants to be beautiful in front of the boys.”

“Hey, what are you guys talking about? Sungjong sauntered towards his classmates, a wide smile plastered on his face.

“Oh, nothing!” the girl shook her head and started laughing.

Sungjong nodded and continued to smile although he’d actually heard the whole conversation.

When the girls had run outside the class—telling Sungjong that they needed to go to the toilet—Sungjong sat down on a chair and stared out the window glumly.

He was tired of pretending.

He wished he could just scream at the girls for badmouthing him.

But then again, he didn’t want to be alone.

Being alone was scary.

“Why?” a familiar voice filled the silence.

Sungjong turned around and saw Howon standing at the doorway, staring at him with a frown on his face.

“Why did you pretend like you didn’t hear anything?”

Sungjong averted his friend’s concerned eyes.

“You wouldn’t understand.” Sungjong said. “Because you’re not different.”

“And what does different mean to you?” Howon asked him.

“Different means freak. I’m a freak.”

“Really? Being different does not mean that it’s a bad thing.”

Sungjong turned around to face his friend who was still standing at the doorway.

“Oh, like you understand what it’s like to be different.” Sungjong scoffed.

“I may not be different but at least I can tell that you’re not being yourself.” Howon narrowed his eyes. “Why pretend when you know that you’ll only end up hurting yourself?”

“You wouldn’t understand.” Sungjong said it again. “You're not different, that’s why.”

“Will you continue to pretend?” Howon asked him when he stepped outside the classroom.

“Yes.” Sungjong answered it confidently.

“So you won’t stop even if I told you to?”

“Yes.”

“Hey,” Howon called out when Sungjong had reached the end of the hall. Sungjong turned around and cocked an eyebrow. “I’m glad that you show the real you when you talk to me.”

A smile crept over Sungjong’s face.

Like a chameleon, Sungjong would change his color to blend in with the others.

But a chameleon would always have to change back to its real color.

And Sungjong would only do that when he was with his friend, Lee Howon.

Sungjong had finally found Lee Sungjong.

A/N:

People would usually go with myungjong or yeoljong but I seem to prefer hojong. keke

I really like the friendship between Hoya and Sungjong. Hoya is a good hyung to Sungjong, don't you think so? :D

I have always wanted to try writing this kind of story so yay~