Chapter 5:

6 years later:

It was a warm summer day. The summer vacation was almost ending, and students were ready to get back to school. Chung Jae and Sun Ho had decided to spend the last week together, just like old times, and they had planned to go to a pool.

Children were running, even though that was forbidden, and women were tanning under the sun, while Chung Jae was waiting for his best friend. He knew how much Sun Ho hated to show his body in public places, and he knew he had to be beside him when they were getting ready, but it was still ridiculous how long that boy took to appear.

When Sun Ho did appear, he was dressed in a long sleeved shirt and shorts. His brown hair was underneath a cap and he was carrying a big sports bag. Chung Jae was staring at him in misbelief, feeling uncomfortably hotter just because his friend had so many clothes on him.

“Shall we?” Sun Ho grinned.

“Aren’t you warm?!” Chung Jae fought.

“Nope,” The younger boy responded. “I do have swimming suit…” he blushed.

“Then why aren’t you wearing it?” The tall boy was sweating, thinking how hot it must’ve been under the long sleeved cotton shirt. “It is like 40 degrees Sun Ho ya!”

Sun Ho’s cheeks were red as he leaned in and whispered, “I will go to the bathroom to change. Just…go take a seat and wait for me.”

“I can come with—“

“NO!” Sun Ho threw his bag at his best friend and marched toward the toilets.

                Chung Jae was lying on a beach chair, relishing the warmth and the juice he had bought while waiting for Sun Ho. It was ludicrous how shy his best friend was to show his skin to anyone, even to him, but Chung Jae wanted to give Sun Ho the privacy. It wasn’t like he urged to see him or anything. It was just that Sun Ho was so shy that even showing to his best friend did not seem fine.

“Chung Jae ya!!” The said boy raised his head a bit, his other eye shut due to the rays of the sun and he saw the blurred lines of Sun Ho. “Chung Jae~~!”

Sun Ho was running, even though there were forbidding signs everywhere, and when he was just about to stop in front of his friend, who had stood up, he slipped and fell, tackling Chung Jae with him. The older boy was eyes wide under the smaller guy, glaring at the smiley face, his heart pounding and thudding loudly and fast. Their faces were so close that the heat between them landed onto Chung Jae’s cheeks and made them redder.

Sun Ho sat up, legs bended beside the waist, and straddled his best friend, his laughter blaring around. Chung Jae accidentally exhaled almost disappointed when the colder skin left his.

“Chung Jae ya,” The younger boy grinned. “I came!”

“Yeah…you…did.” Something was wrong with Chung Jae. He felt different kind of hotness in his body now, and he was very mesmerized by his best friend. “Sun Ho ya…”

The shorter boy stood up finally, straightening the creased legs of his trunks, and leered at the pool. Chung Jae looked at Sun Ho surprised, like he saw something he had never seen before. His jaw had dropped couple of seconds ago and he could hardly lift it back up. Sun Ho did not notice him gawking at him, and therefore just listened to the children laughing.

“Did you get sunstroke or something?” Sun Ho giggled while asking.

“N…no,” Chung Jae stuttered and looked at the boy in the swimming trunks. His heart was racing. “Sun Ho…you…you look different.” He spoke.

The younger teen raised his head and opened his eyes at the same time. He ogled at Chung Jae.

“Different?” he interrogated.

“Different…in a good way…so…”

“Chung Jae ya, just lie down to your towel and enjoy the sun while you can,” Sun Ho gestured with his arm and lied down to the towel that was on the beach chair, closing his eyes fully.

Chung Jae wanted to touch the other one, but instead of being a total weirdo and not comprehending what was going on with his body and why it was so hot and flustering all of a sudden, he just pressed his to the plastic surface and bit the inner cheeks, avoiding looking at his best friend half on the orange towel. Not looking at him, balanced the heartbeat.

“Chung Jae ya,”

The said teen shifted his head at Sun Ho.

“I will rub some sunscreen on you. You are so pale,” Sun Ho told and squirted a line onto his palm.

Chung Jae felt the blood rising all the way to his face and making it a one big pile of redness. …there was a chance that Chung Jae had a crush on Lee Sun Ho; his best friend of 6 years.

~~OO~~

Chung Jae couldn’t sleep. He kept tossing and turning, eyes closed, but there were too many thoughts in his head right now. He