Chapter 17

Leo's mother brushed his hair as how she would have liked it. Even if she knew that his hair would get tousled when he plays soccer, she still immersed herself on fixing his hair. "Umma, it would get messy..." Leo murmured, sinking on his chair. 'And I'm not a girl...' He thought to himself.

"I know," she hummed, smiling. His mother looked at him through the mirror and Leo saw his reflection and hers after. Indeed, she was stunning just like his sisters. It was no wonder that his father had asked her hand in marriage. "Now you're all set," Leo's mother said as she forced him to stand up high and tall in front of the mirror. "One day, you'll be very well known, Taekwoon. I know that you will make me very very proud!" She placed both of hands on her son's cheeks to cup them. "You will, right?"

"Yes, umma," Leo grumbled as he already wanted to go to the car. It was only because of his mother that everything was delayed. She always took her time over the smallest and silliest things. That was the very reason why he had to get up very early in the morning – it would be really troublesome to compete for the bathroom especially since females (his sisters and his mother) love to spend a lot time on making themselves look pretty even when Leo just found it absolutely unnecessary. They all looked beautiful without having to constantly check how they look like in the mirror.

"That's my son!" Leo's mother leaned forward to press her lips on his cheek. Taken aback, Leo touched the spot that his mother just pecked. He gave her a confused look. And since she was his mother after all, she knew very well what his reactions would be like. "It's a good luck kiss, Taekwoon. You give those to people who you want to do well. You always see me giving those to your sisters and your father, remember?"

Leo nodded even though he did not really recall a single thing about a 'good luck kiss.' He simply wanted to go.

"Well, run along now," his mother urged him, "Your father is waiting in the car. Your sisters and I will be there as soon as they are ready, alright?"

Leo shook his head, hoping that that memory would just disappear. Ever since that day, his sisters would not stop leaving him brief kisses on the cheek for 'good luck.' Leo knew that that was just an excuse that they would use to and make fun of him. He would retaliate, of course, but it always ends up with his face being covered with lip-gloss or lipstick. It was not that he hated his sisters. Instead, he just disliked the idea of being kissed for weird reasons and being smothered with sticky reddish or pinkish smudges of lipstick stains.

He unconsciously rubbed his cheek as if lipstick had already smeared on it. Leo caught one of sisters peeking by his door and he stopped himself. "What are you doing, Leo~?" She chirped. "Are you going to that audition? Oh my god, take me with you!" Leo rolled his eyes and his sister smacked his arm for it. "Why not? Are you going with someone else? Wait, does umma even know?"

"No. I'll tell her when I get through," Leo mumbled, placing his comb back on his desk. "She hasn't called..." He reasoned.

His sister sighed. "You're right. I haven't heard from her for a while now. Anyway..." She gave Leo a brief kiss on the cheek. "Do your best, Taekwoonnie! Make us very proud when we see you on television!" Leo, again, rolled his eyes in annoyance as he wiped the side of his face where his sister just touched. "I don't believe in superstitions..."

Yeah right...

When his name finally got called so he could sing in front of the judges and audience, Leo found himself absentmindedly staring at his lifelong friend as he spoke. Did he just hear him right? "Leo~ Leo! Why are you spacing out now? I said that I need to go somewhere so..." N bowed his head down, eyes fixated on his shoes. "I can't cheer you on..."

Leo furrowed his eyebrows. Again? "Did you do something wrong?" He asked.

"Yah!" N jokingly sliced his neck using his hand. "Why do you always assume that I did something wrong? I'm just going somewhere, alright?" He gave Leo's cheek a gentle pat, a small smile forming on his lips.

So many things begin to pop up inside the Leo's thoughts. Such things like, 'What exactly is going through his mind?' or 'Why does he seem distant immediately after he got too close? Isn't he the one who wanted to be close?' occupied his head until N snapped his fingers in front of him, bringing him back to the present. His lifelong friend repeated his need to go and meet someone. Someone? Someone is more important than him? ­­– "They are calling you, Leo-yah." N beamed at him.

'I know that...' Leo growled inside his head. Truthfully, he wanted to squeeze answers to his questions out of N, but that moment was not exactly the best time for that. Leo pressed his lips together into a thin line. He did not want N to go, but he cannot quite voice it out properly. Leo was convinced that he did not need N to be there to cheer him on, but the mere thought of his lifelong friend watching him from the back makes him feel at ease. Did he just get used to N or...?

"Good luck..." Leo spluttered out of nowhere.

Confused, his lifelong friend stopped on his tracks to raise an eyebrow. His heart skipped a beat – Could it be...? N tried to dismiss the thought. 'It can't be,' he told himself. The corners of his lips twitched as a smile formed. "Good luck?" He asked carefully.

Leo frowned for a second. So he doesn't know about the good luck superstition? He sighed before he swiftly tugged at N's hand to peck his cheek like how he sisters would do to him. When all of a sudden, the latter moved his head in shock that Leo's lips landed near N's lips. Leo just as quickly retreated back, covering his lips with his arm (and hopefully his flushed face too). All he could hear was his shallow breathing and as well as the deafening pounding of his quickened pulse.

N, on the other hand, touched the corner his lips when his lifelong friend withdrew back. He did not know wh