Some know the happiness of a sunset kiss. Almost everyone wants or knows about the sparks of a moonlight kiss. However, few people have truly experienced the magic of a sunrise kiss.

Siwon liked to go jogging in the early morning and go to school when the sun was just rising. It was a time of silence and peace where he could fully enjoy watching the ocean without the chattering of others. He slowed down to a walk when he reached the boardwalk and leaned against the railing, breathing in the salty air of the sea. He smiled and stayed there for a while, just relishing in the gentle waves that crashed against the rocks. It was when he saw the first rays of sunlight peek over the horizon when he checked his watch and decided that it was time to attend school. Siwon was just glad that his school was nearby the boardwalk.

                He was used to being neglected in school, especially since he was weird enough to wake up extra early just to go jogging. Apparently to the other students, he was too much of everything. Too smart to be considered average, too athletic to fit in, and don’t forget, too handsome to be in competition with the other boys. He almost wanted to laugh at the last one when he heard that rumor floating in school. Sure, he had a few admirers, but he always politely turned them down. If the guys weren’t too busy spreading those useless rumors, they would actually notice how Siwon didn’t have that much attraction towards girls.

                Siwon also had few friends, but he was fine with it. He was just naturally anti-social. He normally just ignored the rumors that spread around school. From past experience, as long as he ignored it, the rumors would go away. That was his typical life in school.

                That was the reason why he was shocked when he felt someone tap his shoulder. He blinked and reluctantly turned away from his work in the library. Everyone knew his reputation in school. Everyone knew not to bother him, because that was just how he was. However, a strange relief filled him when one person disobeyed that one simple rule. He turned around to be met with a small smile.

                “You left your textbook in the classroom. Mid-terms are coming up…so I guess it’s important to study.” Siwon took a double take on the soft tone in his voice. He smiled back unsurely as he reached for the book.

                “Thanks.” It honestly felt nice to have a conversation, even a small one like that, with a new person. And when he looked closer, he realized why this student would ever disregard what was said about him. The boy in front of him was new to this school. Siwon couldn’t help but stare after him as he nodded politely and walked out the library. Even some of the other students in the library noticed, but he didn’t care. He forced himself to turn back around to his work. For some reason, he couldn’t focus on the now meaningless numbers on his paper.

The next few days in school, it seemed like the student he ran into before was popping up everywhere. Passing him in the halls, in a few of his classes; it amazed Siwon how he never noticed him before. And he didn’t like the sudden interest he took into that boy. He wanted to keep his reputation as the anti-social one who actually worried about his grades, unlike others.

So he put in an extra half hour of jogging in the morning just to burn off the extra stress he had put on ever since he met that student. It had worked for a week or so, until he decided to take a different route to the boardwalk. While he was looking around to see the different angles of the ocean, he almost missed the figure leaning against the railing. He stopped and backtracked a few steps to peer at the resting figure.

It just so happened to be the same one that returned his textbook a week ago.

Siwon was honest with himself; he was curious. There was no one who ever bothered to wake up as early as he did. His curiosity was getting to him as the urge to go over there and talk got stronger by the second. He threw his head back and groaned softly with distaste as he jogged to the student, slowing to a walk as he grew nearer.

“I didn’t know you woke up this early too.” Siwon commented. The student turned around and broke into a smile. Sure enough, it was the same student that he met in the library.

“It’s you again. And yes, I’ve been doing this ever since I came to this school. I like watching the sunrise in the morning.” Siwon nodded and stood beside him, leaning against the railing. When he looked out into the ocean, he understood what the other man had said. From this point of view, the sun would rise right in front of them. He relished in the way the first hues of orange and purple began to peak over the horizon.

“I never did catch your name.” The man in front of him turned to him and broke into another smile.

“I go by Hankyung. Also, not to be rude, but why are you here?” Siwon smiled unconsciously at the innocent tone he had heard only once before.

“I’m Siwon, the weirdo who wakes up every morning to jog before school.” Hankyung almost smirked and nodded.

“I know. I’ve heard the rumors.” Siwon stared at him, shocked.

“You’ve heard about my reputation here, and you’re still trying to talk to me?” He asked in disbelief. Hankyung chuckled and turned around, crossing his arms.

“Rumors are rumors. I don’t believe in them. And besides the jogging before school, all they’ve said was that you were a bit anti-social. I don’t think it’s that bad.” Hankyung said. Siwon shrugged and looked out to sea again.

“I have to say that that rumor is true. I rarely talk to people. It’s just how I am.” Hankyung shot him a suspicious look, which soon softened into one of amusement.

“You don’t seem very anti-social now.” Siwon widened his eyes at the snarky reply, involuntarily smiling. There was something particularly different about him that he especially liked. However, he never let himself sink that far. He quickly cleared his throat and made the excuse of school, successfully running off in the direction. After disappearing from the boardwalk, he slowed to a stroll and picked up his stuff from the dorms. An image of Hankyung floated across his mind again before disappearing. He smiled and made his way to the school with a light heart for once.

Meeting Hankyung there at the boardwalk slowly became part of his regular routine. And he liked it. It was a fresh start to his morning. One of his favorite memories was a goofy conversation they had at the railing they always met at.

“You know something that I’ve always wanted to do?” Hankyung had said, resting his chin on his hand.

“Hmm?” Siwon hummed, looking at the sunrise again.

“I’ve always wanted to stick a finger in one of your dimples.” Hankyung confessed. Siwon broke out into laughter at that and leaned in closer to him.

“Then I dare you to.” He emphasized his words by smiling widely. Hankyung chuckled and pushed him away.

“What? No! I didn’t say I wanted to do it now. What if someone saw?” He protested lamely. Siwon smiled and gave a side glance towards him. He always liked seeing him smile.

“I was just kidding, hyung.” Siwon had said, looking down at Hankyung’s hands. He remembered how he couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like if he felt his fingers against his skin.

Siwon caught himself before he sank deeper into his memories. He could already feel his reputation slipping away in his fingers, just because of one stupid student. He was always aware of it, every time he came to hang out with Hankyung. For some reason, he just didn’t care. Instead of worrying about it, he relaxed and enjoyed the sunrise with him like all the other mornings. Unfortunately, it didn’t last very long when Hankyung suddenly sighed.

“Have you ever been kissed before?” Hankyung asked curiously. Siwon stared at him to see if he was being serious. He blinked and nodded a little.

“Yeah, a few times before.” Siwon said thoughtlessly. “By my friends.” He added quickly. Siwon thought it over again and shook his head.

“That came out wrong.” He murmured helplessly. Hankyung chuckled and nodded.

“I get what you mean. But I meant…on the mouth. First kiss?” Hankyung suggested. Siwon gave him a strange look and laughed a little.

“You ask the most awkward questions. To be honest, no, I haven’t.” He said truthfully. Hankyung made a sound in the back of his throat and rested his head in his arms. They both stood there quietly as the sun began to brighten the awakening city with rays of yellow colors. Siwon surreptitiously glanced at Hankyung and noticed the light from the sun dancing on top of his hair. He had a sudden urge to reach out and touch the dark brown strands, but he brushed the feeling away. He wasn’t one for affection, and he planned to stay that way.

Things started going downhill when Hankyung wasn’t there in the usual place at the boardwalk. Siwon looked curiously up and down the boardwalk, but there was no sign of him anywhere. After five minutes of waiting, he just shrugged and headed towards school. Something probably came up which prevented him from coming. Maybe he should have started getting suspicions when he saw Hankyung slip into his first class. But he refused to doubt someone who he had grown close enough to call him a best friend.

Siwon’s patience was wearing thin when he didn’t show up for the fourth day in a row. And when he even called his name in the hallways, the latter simply waved and turned the other way, or gave a small “Hello” before rushing past him. Siwon wanted to doubt it…but it really did seem like he was ignoring him.

Siwon gave up going to the boardwalk in the morning, instead just jogging right past it. He couldn’t help but glance hopefully if there was any sign of Hankyung near the boardwalk. And each day he started losing hope in ever seeing him there again. What confused him was that Hankyung had always showed up in school. It didn’t make much sense. Siwon didn’t know why he was so desperate in trying to talk to him, and it hurt to be honest.

It wasn’t like Siwon hadn’t been on the other side of this problem before, so he decided to give Hankyung some space. If it were him, he definitely wouldn’t like it if someone kept bothering him. But all thoughts of that washed away in an instant when he heard a very interesting piece of gossip in the library.

He was just sitting there, researching on the computer after school when he heard Hankyung’s name being whispered among a small group of both male and female students. Out of curiosity, he went to the other side of the bookshelf where they were talking and pretended to browse for books. He knew he shouldn’t have been eavesdropping, but he really wanted to know what was going on with Hankyung.

“Can you believe that Hankyung’s gay? One of my friends told me about this a day ago.” Siwon fumbled and almost dropped a book when he heard that.

“Really? How would you know? I don’t believe it.”

“Well, it’s kind of obvious since he always hangs around Siwon all the time. I mean, does he not know who he is? Who else would be around an outcast like him?” Siwon silently glared through the books that prevented him from seeing the group of students. He knew violence would get him nowhere at that point, so he just kept listening.

“Speaking of Siwon, did you hear about the incident in one of Hankyung’s classes?” Now this piqued his interest. Siwon moved closer to the bookshelf and blindly opened a book, pretending to look busy.

                “I heard that Hankyung had let the secret of being gay slip out when some kids were bothering him about Siwon.” He bit his lip as he heard them talking. Was that the reason why he was avoiding him? It still didn’t make sense.

                “That’s not what I heard.”

                “Oh really, then what did you hear?”

                “I heard from someone else that he let the secret of liking Siwon slip when a few people were bothering him.” The student said, lowering her voice considerably. Siwon widened his eyes and let the book slip from his hands. Luckily, it didn’t attract that much attention from the people still in the library. Numbly, he picked it up, brushed off the dust and put it back where it belonged. He rushed out of the library and ran down the halls. He knew that Hankyung stayed after school today, but he didn’t know which class. All he knew was that he needed to get things straightened out.

                After twenty minutes of pacing back and forth in front of the school, the clamor of students started to catch his attention. After school classes had to be dismissed by now. He eyed every single student, making sure to act casual so he wouldn’t draw suspicion. After all, nobody would expect him to be waiting for someone. He perked up when he heard the familiar accented voice.

                “Next dance practice is Thursday, right Hyuk?”

                “Actually, it’s been moved to Friday.”

                “Alright, thanks. See you later!” He felt relieved when he spotted Hankyung walking happily out the entrance, waving to someone behind him. Siwon made himself stay put as the last of the students filed out of school before he started to run. He managed to grab his wrist and catch his attention. 

                “Hankyung hyung.” He said simply as Hankyung turned around. The previous smile on his face faded away as the latter realized it was him. The happiness Siwon had felt just moments before drained out when he took notice of the fallen expression. Hankyung wriggled his hand out of Siwon’s grasp and faced him properly.

                “Sorry, can’t talk now. I…I have to go someplace.” He turned around again, but Siwon quickly stood in the direction where he was going, blocking him.

                “That has got to be the lamest excuse I’ve ever heard from you, Hankyung. Come on, at least talk to me.” Siwon pleaded. Hankyung sighed and looked away.

                “Tomorrow, okay? Boardwalk, right before sunrise. The usual.” And then Hankyung smiled. The smile that Siwon missed so much. The smile that made his heart twist in the strangest ways possible. It was the smile that allowed him to move out of Hankyung’s way. As he helplessly watched Hankyung walk away, he lolled his head back and groaned softly. It was then that he realized that he had bitten off more than he could chew, and that maybe he had fallen a little too far to catch himself.

                Siwon really didn’t care that he was early at the boardwalk. He was just too anxious to be there at a later time. Usually, just staring out into the horizon or listening to the ocean would help calm him down, but not that day. He tapped his fingers against the railing, straining his ears to find any sign of Hankyung approaching.

                After about five minutes, he heard those familiar footsteps behind him. Somehow, the anxiety washed away, making him able to at least remain still as Hankyung stood beside him. He stopped rapping his fingers against the metal and sighed.

                “Can you at least tell me why you were ignoring me for the past few days?” Siwon asked. Hankyung leaned against the railing and looked down to the ocean. Siwon subtly noticed the sunglasses he was wearing, and wondered why he would wear something like that on such a dark morning.

                “I wasn’t ignoring you…” Hankyung feebly protested. Siwon shot him a look and crossed his arms.

                “Oh really?” Siwon raised an eyebrow. Hankyung sighed and looked away.

                “Okay, I may have ignored you a little bit…” Siwon gripped the railing and counted off in his head, taking a deep breath.

                “Can you tell me why?” He said softly. When Hankyung didn’t answer, Siwon turned away and looked to the horizon.

                “I heard the rumors about what happened in one of your classes.” Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Hankyung flinch, so he knew he was getting somewhere.

                “What did you hear?” Hankyung mumbled into his arm. Siwon slowly turned his head towards him and lowered his voice, even though there was clearly no one on the boardwalk.

                “I heard that you slipped up on being gay…” Siwon murmured. There was silence, only the sound of seagulls chirping and the gentle salty breeze blowing against his loose clothing. He waited for a wave to crash before continuing.

                “But I heard that it wasn’t true, and instead you…admitted to liking me…” Siwon paused as Hankyung noticeably stiffened. He moved his head on his arms so he was facing away from Siwon. Siwon tried to ignore the fact that his heart twisted in a way that made him feel lightheaded.

                “Who cares what I said? Either way, I’m basically saying the same thing.” Hankyung said stubbornly. Siwon stared at the seemingly black strands of hair move with the wind, and resisted the urge to run his fingers through it. He gripped the railing tighter and swallowed.

                “Which one was it? I want to know.” He stated firmly. Hankyung straightened up and faced him with his arms dangling by his side.

                “Why do you care? Does it really matter?” He asked. Siwon wasn’t stupid. He could tell this was aggravating him, so he tried to steer from the topic a little. He faintly noticed how his fingers started trembling from all the blood rushing to his head. He tried to even out his breathing as he rubbed his hands together.

                “I thought you said you didn’t believe in rumors.” Siwon tried moving from Hankyung’s steady gaze, but even through those sunglasses, he could feel his piercing stare. Hankyung made a sound in the back of his throat and opened his mouth slightly.

                “It wasn’t a rumor.” He said shakily. Siwon was breaking, and he could feel his heart twist painfully.

                “Which one, Hankyung? Which one wasn’t a rumor?” He demanded, his voice cracking in the middle of his sentence. He didn’t know what he wanted to hear, if the one about being gay was false, or the fact that Hankyung might like him. He just wanted answers.

 There was an overwhelming silence as the first hues of sunrise started to appear. School was going to start soon, but he needed to finish this conversation. When he still didn’t reply, Siwon stepped forward and curled his hands around the front of Hankyung’s shirt.

                “God damn it, answer me Hankyung!” He cried out desperately.

                “The one about you…” Hankyung whispered. Still in a haze of confusion, Siwon stared at Hankyung blankly.

                “What?!” Siwon said, faltering. His words were already processing in his mind. He only wanted to hear it again. He hated how his heart swelled with a terribly uncomfortable feeling. He hated how he was more lightheaded than before. He hated how Hankyung made him feel. He hated how he was so scared in admitting his own feelings.

                “I admitted that I liked you, alright?!” Hankyung said loudly, articulating every word. Numbly, Siwon let go of his shirt. His hands suddenly felt shaky, so he held onto the railing again. Hankyung was breathing heavily and slowly, trying to get a grip, but he couldn’t. He ripped off his sunglasses and pointed to a bluish, purplish bruise near his left eye.

                “They were picking on me about you, okay?! It was self defense! We got into a small fight, is it really that big of a deal?” Siwon suddenly found it hard to swallow as he saw the tears glistening in Hankyung’s eyes, refusing to fall.

               “I accidentally said that I liked you. And I admit it. I did, and I still do!” Hankyung’s voice started cracking as he spoke. Siwon had this overwhelming desire to just hold him in his arms. Comfort him. Love him. Siwon took a shuddery breath and tried to stop him from continuing.

                “Hankyung, I-” He started, but Hankyung acted as if he didn’t hear him.

                “I don’t know how, and I don’t know why, but I just do. I don’t know why on earth I would like someone who probably gets ignored by others in school all the time!” He was shrieking, but neither of them cared. No one was close enough to hear them.

                “Hankyung!” Siwon pleaded. Hankyung continued, a stray tear falling down his cheek.

                “Does it really matter what I said? Even if I did admit it, either way I would still be admitting that I was gay. I’m probably going to go through such in school now, all because of-” Siwon suddenly wrapped an arm around his waist and pulled him close for a kiss. Hankyung made a sound of surprise in the back of his throat, squeezing his eyes shut as his heart swelled. The tears resting in his eyes came streaming down his face with such happiness that it almost hurt.

Siwon didn’t even care anymore that his heart rate had probably doubled in speed. Nor did he care about the surge of blood that sent his mind reeling. All he was thinking about was the warm touch of Hankyung’s mouth against his, mixed with the saltiness of his drying tears. Hankyung fumbled for the railing in one hand as the other came up and around the side of Siwon’s head, resting on his cheek. They remained like that in silence as the sun behind them started to rise above the horizon, filling the sky with a magnificent array of orange, red, and yellow hues.

                They pulled away for a moment while Hankyung just stared at him curiously. Siwon grinned and wrapped his other arm around his waist.

                “I’m sorry, but you just wouldn’t shut up.” He murmured into his shoulder, nudging Hankyung’s hand with his. He couldn’t even explain the sense of joy and happiness he felt at the moment. Hankyung chuckled and placed a gentle hand on his arm.

                “You know, school’s going to start soon so we should-” Siwon hugged him tighter and pressed his forehead against Hankyung’s, intertwining their fingers with his free hand.

                “I love you.” It was a rush of words, all spoken in one quick exhale against Hankyung’s skin. He stopped talking and stared up into Siwon’s eyes with a small smile. As if confirming it with a glance, he silently laughed and broke into a full grin.

                “Yeah…I love you too dimple boy.” Siwon laughed and pulled him in for another kiss, just when Hankyung secretly slipped the tip of his finger into one of his dimples.

                As the sun started to fully emerge from its sleep, the outlines of the two figures on the boardwalk became darker and blurrier until they were just two black silhouettes, morphing into one. The sun seemed to settle peacefully right behind them in the sky, setting off a yellow glow that surrounded them with an angel-like quality. They were just two tall silhouettes standing in front of the bright rays of sunshine, as the blue color in the sky starting to form.

               Right at that moment, nothing mattered. Their previous argument was forgotten, and so were the rumors in school. They were just two outcasts from the same school, safe in each other’s arms as they whispered sweet nothings into each other’s ears.

                Some know the happiness of a sunset kiss. Almost everyone wants or knows about the sparks of a moonlight kiss. However, few people have truly experienced the magic of a sunrise kiss.