Yongguk was running late. He always was. He didn’t know if he wanted to see the movie with Junhong or he'd rather wait for the kid outside since he was too tired from volunteer work. His phone beeps.

Sender: Junhongie

Do I buy the tickets now?

He wasn’t really expecting to go to the movies with Junhong today. He was prepared for a sleepover though. He had a big backpack that contained clothes for the entire weekend. This wasn’t the first time he was sleeping over the boy's house. He has already met his parents and his brother Himchan who was the same age as Yongguk. Junhong's family liked him, or so he would like to believe. It wouldn’t be so awkward if he were going to watch a movie with the family.  But that wasn’t the case today; Junhong was with a friend and Yongguk was usually awkward with friends of friends. It was like entering a part of your friend's world that you don't really belong to. Especially with Junhong who was seven years younger than him, they were almost worlds apart. Two hours and several worlds apart to be exact. Junhong lived in Mokpo while Yongguk was based in Seoul. Junhong was in high school and Yongguk was a college student, majoring in education. If it weren't for rapping, a common passion they share, they most probably wouldn’t have met.

Sender: Gukkie Hyung

Okay. Game.

He sighed. It hasn’t been that long since he first met Junhong. He was starting a rap crew with Zico and several other people and Junhong wanted to join badly. At first Yongguk was hesitant. Junhong was really young and he honestly didn’t think that the kid had it in him. For the most part, Junhong's good looks was the main reason he let the kid try. Not that he had romantic or ual interests on the boy; those thoughts never crossed his mind. 

Yongguk wouldn’t say that he was straight. He knew he had tendencies but he preferred girls more.  At the moment, he was dating two girls on a regular basis: Jieun from his old work, a very boring girl who has a lot of interest in him; and Sunhwa, a very interesting girl who he thinks would make a good friend but not really his ideal girlfriend. He only tried dating a man once and there wasn't really much sparks so he didn't decide to go through with it. He assumed that for the moment, he was aual. He wasn’t really waiting for anyone to change that because it works for him.

Zico thought that the crew would benefit from an eye-candy member and Zico was very persuasive most of the time.  Yongguk thought that he could train the kid, be his mentor. He saw him as a cute little brother, except the kid was already as tall as him by the time that he hit fifteen.

Junhong was never the best member of the crew. Yongguk had to put in more effort in teaching him. He would make the kid repeat the lines when he messed up, his gentle eyes saying that it's okay to make mistakes. Just try again. He was very patient and the kid was really determined to learn.  The youngest member of the rap crew would always try to perfect his lines and then deliver them anxiously  in front of the leader, asking for his approval. He was also vocal in his admiration of Yongguk. Maybe it was twice that he said to the elder how he had always wanted to be in a rap crew. Not just any rap crew, but Yongguk's rap crew. Many have asked him to be in their group but he always declined.  He also wanted to enter the same university as Yongguk and take the same major.  With a proud smile that reached his eyes, he admitted to being a big fan of Yongguk from way way back. This and the fact that the boy took up on the habit of calling him Daddy, earned Junhong a special place in his heart. He was Yongguk's baby and the most special member of the crew to the leader.

Yongguk was the type to take care of people and things. He likes giving. He also liked children. He liked their innocence and how everything is so simple with them. With them, Yongguk feels at peace. Maybe this was the reason he wanted to be a teacher. He also liked Junhong because of this. Junhong was a ball of sunshine that could get away with anything in Yongguk's eyes.

He reached the cinema and saw the red mop of Junhong towering over the crowd. He rushed towards the boy and gave him a tight hug. It's been a while since they last saw each other. College was killing Yongguk and the rest of the crew. Junhong was also preparing for this term's final exam.

"You've grown taller." Yongguk chided as he noted how good the boy looked in a lose fitting white shirt, cropped shorts and a purple cap-- very boyish. Yongguk was wearing attire from work. He wondered if he looked like the kid's uncle or dad.

"Insoles." the boy laughed. "This is Jongup, my classmate." The two then exchanged uneasy hi and hellos, both wondering how on earth to get through the rest of the afternoon without being awkward. It was a relief that talking wasn’t a necessity when watching a movie.

They watched a horror flick. Junhong warning Yongguk early on that he was a screamer, he sat  between his friends and started to cling to Yongguk's arm as soon as the opening credits started to roll. Yongguk on the other hand was really sleepy. He only had two hours of sleep the night before and had to work all morning before he met up with Junhong. He just laughed at how silly the supposedly scary scenes were and patted Junhong's head every time the younger would make shrill sounds and burry his face on Yongguk's shoulder.

After the movie, Junhong dragged both Yongguk and Jongup along for shopping. Yongguk couldn’t feel Jongup's presence as the said boy was very quiet and shy. There was a sale that day so Junhong bought things that he is probably never gonna use. Yongguk just laughed at the boy. Junhong was young and his family was rich so it didn’t really matter that the boy bought four new pencil cases when he doesn’t really have that much pens to put in them. Later, Junhong would say that he would put colored pencils in one of them (the pink and flowery one), to which Yongguk would only reply with a chuckle because it was in the same conversation that he would also say that he was never the artistic type.

It didn’t bother Yongguk that Junhong was buying him coffee for accompanying him all afternoon. Usually, it would matter. He didn’t like being the one who receives. The boy did the same for Jongup. For a moment, Yongguk wondered how much his parents were really giving him but decided it was none of his business. It was all part of Junhong's charm, the childishness and the frivolity. Had Yongguk met someone like Junhong when he was the boy's age, he would have avoided him like plague. He was the serious type and Junhong was warranted with all the fun the boy wanted. But as his twenty-three year old self, Yongguk found Junhong's ways amusing.

 As they bid goodbye to Jongup, Yongguk was able to breathe a little more freely.

Only the maid was home to open the gate for Junhong and Yongguk. They went straight up to Junhong's room,  exchanged stories  for a while and ended up rapping to Beenzino, Dynamic Duo and Eminem. It had always been like this. And they were happy. It was a simple joy that Yongguk admits to himself he wish he could afford more. If only Junhong didn’t live too far. If only his schedule was better.

Junhong's house wasn’t that big but it was posh. Everything seemed to shine, especially that chandelier that hung above the staircase that led to Junhong's room.  Yongguk wasn’t used to it but he didn’t really mind. He was here for Junhong. The boy has been whining for a while how they don’t get to hang out anymore, how everyone in the crew was busy with college. He would sulk about how he was the only one in high school and how he missed being with 'daddy Bbang'. He wanted to go swimming with Yongguk but he saw that the older was really tired so they decided to stay home the whole night.

Yongguk was cooking dinner when Junhong's mom and his brother Himchan arrived. They weren't surprised that Yongguk was there but Mrs. Choi was nagging the maid about letting Yongguk cook. "Yongguk is a visitor, you should have cooked for them,"  she said, but Junhong was quick to answer that his hyung wanted to cook. Truthfully, it was Junhong who wanted Yongguk to cook. He felt special that his favorite hyung, the one he idolizes so much, was making food for him.

After dinner, they went straight to Junhong's room where they stay most of the time whenever Yongguk slept over. They weren't supposed to make much noise since Himchan was reviewing for board exams. But Junhong still played music and rapped in medium volume so as not to disturb his brother.  Yongguk always felt awkward around Himchan. Mainly because they were of the same age but Yongguk was friends with the sixteen year old Junhong.

There was a only one bed in Junhong's room. A single bed where they miraculously fit in anyway. Yongguk sat there as Junhong danced by the door of his walk-in closet to Beenzino's Boogie On and On. Yongguk smiled watching him. Junhong was always full of energy and it never failed to brighten up the older boy's face.

Maybe if Junhong were a little older Yongguk would consider dating the boy. Maybe by now he would be pulling him into a hug and pressing a kiss on his lips-- He brush the thoughts away. Junhong was just a child: a child that looked up to him very much. He didn’t want to ruin that with passing thoughts that he was sure would go away in due time. He smiled again and laughed faintly.

"Why, hyung?" Junhong asked  with a smile, stopping mid in his dance.

Yongguk just shook his head and looked at the boy with a peaceful smile. He wished that life was simpler.

He leaned back and opened his arms and as if on cue, Junhong went over and let himself be claimed in Yongguk's embrace.

In that moment, Junhong was his and his alone. In that innocent embrace they shared, Yongguk was sure that Junhong was no one else's but his. He wondered if the boy could feel it too but he did not dare ask.

On Monday morning the sleepover will end and Yongguk will go back to Seoul. Back to his real life. Back to the university. Back to work. Junhong will see him off at the station and they will bid each other goodbye.

Maybe they'd see each other in another weekend. Maybe they'll have another sleepover. Maybe Yongguk would start sleeping more comfortably at night and not think about him and Junhong oversleeping in each other's arms.