1

“That’s it? You’re not going to say anything?”

“What do you expect me to say?”

Seunghyun took a deep drag of Marlboro Red in his hand, the rich taste of nicotine burns his lungs, allowing it to sink in and make his head goes lighter as he leans back against the lifeless cold wall. He lightly tapped the cigarette, letting the ashes freely fly away with the soft breeze that swept through the abandoned rooftop aimlessly.

“Anything. Look, I just confessed to you and all I received was a nod.”

He was more than certain that she was nothing near a nobody in this institution. She was a definition of beauty, nicely curved body, fair and smooth looking skin complimenting a lovely face with distinct features. He had seen this coming for a while, but he did not expect her to be this determined.

Fixing his eyes to meet with hers, he could see how she blushed into a nice shade of crimson as she quickly lowered her gaze unnaturally. Truth to be told, Seunghyun found that act quite adorable but he was just not interested. Nothing sparked his attention for the past eighteen years and he willingly yield in, though the deepest part of him there laid a hopeless desire; to feel, to experience things he had heard of--- a new territory of life he had never set foot into yet.

Seunghyun took one last drag before crushing the cigarette on the hard cement floor before abruptly standing up. To her surprise, he strode dangerously closer, eyes shone bright with indifferent and apathy that made her took few steps back, uncertainty crept up along her spines for the first time.

“How about we kiss?”

 Uproars from the basketball court could be heard even from up here, and Seunghyun used them as his personal track--- his reminder of where he was and how isolated and different he was from the rest of the people down there.

He closed his eyes before leaning in as he listened to the familiar rumpus beneath.

***************

“You’re late again!”

“And you’re in my house again too,” Seunghyun noted teasingly as he untied his shoelaces.

A slim figure was standing above his head, both hands rest on the narrowed waists. It was indeed a pose he had been receiving from his mother since childhood, and now this young boy had mastered the act.

“Only because your mom asked me to!”

Jiyong stepped in, fully determined on helping him getting out of his school jacket. Seunghyun could not help but smile softly to the younger boy’s  action as it had become natural, almost a routine they did every day.

“And I owe my mom a lot. Who wouldn’t want a tiny little meddlesome cutie-pie like you?”

“Screw you.”

Jiyong snatched his backpack, face all reddened with embarrassment before stomping his feet just to express how much his mood was effected by Seunghyun’s words towards the older one’s bedroom.

“Screw ME? Are you sure you could manage that?”

“Shut up!”

“Make me.”

Seunghyun laughed whole-heartedly as streams of swearwords could be heard through the wall. Milky skin flushed deep red with agitated emotions, Seunghyun was more than determined to irritate the younger boy in order to see that particular reaction.

After settling down on a big plushy leather couch in the living room, the boy did not move as if he had turned into a statue, eyes focusing straight to the hugh flat screen in front of him until the younger one joined in.

“He’s doing well recently,” Jiyong says before handing him a bucket of bubblegum flavored ice-cream.

Seunghyun received the bucket, eyes never once left the screen.

“Good thing your mom’s still around, or else you would be so lonely, with your dad’s absence and after Hyeyoon got married and moved out,” Jiyong voiced out the obvious fact of the Choi family that no one else dared to even bring up the subject, and Seunghyun was grateful for that--- for his honesty.

“I still get to see him on TV at least,” Seunghyun humorously choked out a laugh before continuing. “Maybe that’s why mom hired you to be my babysitter,” Seunghyun stated, clearly amused by the idea.

“If I was your mom, I would do the same. Considering that the school just phoned in to tell me that my son is becoming the next Don Juan.”

“Why not Romeo? I consider myself a romantic, but with a faithful heart,” Seunghyun muttered, mouth stuffed with his favorite sweet.

Jiyong growled, obviously irritated, before throwing a pillow at him.

“Hey, what was that for,” Seunghyun weakly protested.

This time, Jiyong only huffed in annoyance before relaxing to the soft seat while Seunghyun was busy with shoving a disc into a player.

“Don’t you think it’s too much that we’re having our movie night EVERY night?” After a half worth long of the whole movie, Jiyong broke the comfortable silence first.

“No, but because you and your stubbornness insist that we should be around when my mom comes back home,” Seunghyun thoroughly the silver spoon, too absorbed in the movie to notice a small meaningful peeping from the boy beside him.

He had known Jiyong for, let’s say, his whole life possibly. Since the Chois and the Kwons are neighbors from earlier generations, Jiyong and he passed through childhood together. Jiyong was his first buddy, and so was he to him. He trusted Jiyong with all his heart; however, there was a missing piece in their relationship, a three-year period of time that both of them were gone from each other’s lives.

A missing piece that they both pretend to not realized its nonexistence.

***************

When the clock ticked as an indicator of the approaching of a new day, the boys were already sleeping peacefully in each other’s presence. Seunghyun’s body temperature was slightly higher than Jiyong’s, resulting in their position at the moment--- the smaller one snuggled like a little kitten at Seunghyun’s chest, limbs sprawled and tangled everywhere on and around the older boy.

Seunghyun was first to stir up as he felt something prickling at his neck. Large hands lazily rubbed against the sleep-swollen eyes before eyeing the mop of silky caramel hair leaning against his chest, causing some strands to prickle his neck.

“Hey,” He called out softly while lightly shook the boy.

Jiyong mumbled incoherent words, causing a gentle smile to spread on the older’s face. Seunghyun decided it was bed time for both of them as he glanced at the clock on the wall. It was weekdays, and no matter how unwilling there were, they still got school to attend tomorrow.

It took a while for the eyelids to fluttered open, fully revealing the sweet coffee almond-shaped eyes that were still unfocused, dazed by sudden awakening.

“Hyung,” Jiyong whined and squeezed himself even closer. “Can’t we just sleep here?”

“I’m afraid we can’t,” Seunghyun sighed. “Or else we’re going to experience back pain in the morning.”

Jiyong yawned then nodding his head as an agreement to the older boy’s statement.

“Your mom’s not back yet?”

Seunghyun stiffened for mere seconds, his twinkling eyes turned into lifeless orbs before quickly turned back to all sparkly just before Jiyong could catch the changes.

“She texted me that she won’t be home for the rest of the month.”

“Again? Oh, man, how I miss your mom’s cooking,” Jiyong pouted before abruptly stood up. “Let’s just hit the hay, shall we?”

Seunghyun quirked his eyebrows up, eyes glinting with mischievousness.

“Really? We’re hitting the hay now?”

Jiyong froze before a sudden realization hit him.

“Oh my god,” He screamed, face distorted with discomfort and embarrassment.

Seunghyun laughed loudly, cleary entertained by the younger’s respond. He then stretched his body before standing up with eyes still full of laughter. With the screen as the only lighting in the room, Seunghyun could not make it out what sort of face Jiyong was making, but he definitely could see, even with his eyes close, that the boy was pouting.

“Come on, don’t be a pouty baby.”

“I’m not pouting!”

“You used to do that all the time,” Seunghyun teased before his whole body halted, and he could hear an audible gasp coming from the younger one.

They both ceased at the spot. The ticking of the clock’s hand could be heard distinctively as the silent enfolded the entire room. Both boys stood still, their soft breathing echoed through the silent space as time moved forward unhesitatingly.

“Yeah, I used to,” Jiyong whispered. “But not anymore, at the least for the past three years.”

Seunghyun closed his tired eyes, that period of time flashed through his closed eyelids; the period of time that did not involve Jiyong--- the only person in his life that he gave a damn about.