Chapter 1.0

Jinki’s POV

            I still remember the first time I saw you. It was a year ago; yes, exactly four seasons ago, a night when I was strolling through the park, trying to clear my head from thoughts that stressed me out; there, I first saw you.

            It was a mid-summer night, the wind wasn’t that cold, but it wasn’t that warm either; and I liked it. It was just enough to soothe all my worries away that night, when I really needed it. I was careful with my every step, as if I was walking on the moon. Strolling in a constant pace, I was staring intently at the starless sky that night; that starless sky, which seemed to represent my soul, my life. Ever since I lost my parents two years ago, my life has been nothing more than a never-ending abyss. Everything was dark for me, not even one single spark was there to at least give me some hope, and encourage me to fix myself; this wretched man, who I’ve become. Nothing was there, except darkness, like the sky. –But, everything changed when I saw you. Though there were still no stars above me, but, right in front of me was something that shone more vividly than the brightest of the stars.

            It was dark, but I swear I could see every detail of your slender figure under the light coming from the posts clearly. You were wearing a pink hoodie jacket, with the hood covering half of your head, and a pair of jeans, which looked like its color had faded away from washing it several times already. You let your hair rest freely on your left shoulder as you buried your face between your palms. You were sniffling quietly and mouthing some words like “come back” or “stay”. I assumed you were left alone by someone you loved; maybe your lover or your relative, or a friend, I didn’t know, but I was curious. I stepped closer to you and was ready to offer you my handkerchief, until you raised your head and saw me coming your way. I stood frozen in my place and stared at your puffy eyes, which were evidently red from crying. And you, too, just glanced back at me, as if you were inviting me to come over and hug you. We were like that for minutes; until you broke the silence asking me who I was and what I wanted from you. Actually, I didn’t even know how to answer that, because I, myself, didn’t know why either. I just smiled at you and spoke in a friendly manner, “Hello. My name is Jinki. I was just passing by, when I saw you crying, and thought you needed some help. So… yeah, I wanted to comfort you. Err.” I was embarrassed by my own words; it seemed as though I was a stalker or someone who wants to hit on you. I bit on my lower lip, and prepared myself for insults and suspicions you might throw at me; but instead, you giggled.

            “Gomawo,” you smiled.

            I swore when you said that my heart gave an extra kick. It seemed like candy to my ears. So beautiful that it even made me forget the reason why I was at the park in the first place. After that, you invited me to sit beside you, and I did as you told me. I sat there awkwardly, but you made everything so cool, when you started telling things about yourself. I learned that your name was Kim Gwiboon, and that you were 2 years younger than me. 'Hehe… a dongsaeng…' I said to myself. You were very talkative, because just a little while and you started talking about the reason why you were crying that night—and it was because of your dog’s death. You looked so cute talking about it, because I could hear sniffles from the way you spoke, and I thought it was adorable; and seemed like a kid. I actually wanted to hug you so tight, but I know it would ruin the mood. And I might end up making you cry even more. So I listened carefully to your ‘ever-so-detailed’ story, and tried hard not to giggle. I could feel my stomach twisting, when I held back my chuckles, so you wouldn’t think that I’m not taking you seriously. About 30 minutes passed, and you’ve decided to go home, because you were worried that your dad might scold you, and of course, I offered myself to take you home, but you straightforwardly refused. You waved your hands, gesturing a ‘goodbye’, and finally ran off. And I’ve never seen you at that park ever again.

--

            2 months have passed and it was about time we came back to school. It was the beginning of a new semester, and we’d be having change of rooms, teachers and of course, classmates. I wasn’t actually excited about it, but acted as if I was. I smiled brightly to everyone I saw, and they replied at me by smiling back. I got tired of that façade and started to frown, but was immediately changed back into a smile when I felt my best friend hugging me from behind.

            “Yah! Kim Jonghyun! I told you not to hug me! That’s why people start spreading rumors that we’re gay. Sheesh,” I nagged at him and eyed him evilly. I pretended I was bothered by it, but actually I didn’t mind people gossiping about us every day. We have our own business and we didn’t care how people looked at us, because we knew that we’re just best friends, and nothing more. We know the truth; and whatever they say, there can only be one version of the truth.

            Jonghyun poked my cheek, “Jinkiiiii~ Why do you care about how people look at us? Let them gossip all they want. I just want to hug you foreveeeeer! You’ll always be my adorable Jinki! Dubudubudubu!”

            “Yah! Stop treating me like a child. Or do you have a death wish?” I stuck my tongue out and chuckled.

            Jonghyun has been with me ever since we were in elementary school. We sat next to each other and quickly became friends. Since then, we have become inseparable. Wherever I was, he would also be there. We were always stuck together; we were like brothers. Because I didn’t have any siblings, I longed for a brother, and I found it in him; that’s why he’s the most special person in my life. Though it might sound gay, 'I love him'; not as a lover, but as family. And I was ready to give anything just to make him happy; just to make him stay and never leave me alone—even if it meant, giving away something I love.

            But, I never expected that there would actually come a time when I had to let go of my own happiness; my own love, just for him.

--

Author's note: I'm sad that I received no feedbacks for my foreword. ;(((( /cries endlessly. But at least I had subscribers, so yay, that's why I decided to still upload the first chapter. :) But, please. PLEASE GIVE ME FEEDBACKS~ FEEDBACKS 주세요~ And feel free to SUB! :D ily!

P.S. This is gonna be mostly narrative/descriptive, since it's from the first POV, but would have some occasional dialogues, too. :)