Chapter Text
[<---------------------------------3]
It was the summer of Elementary Grade 6 when Kim Sunoo first met Park Sunghoon.
It was early July, and the summer in Suwon was especially hot that year.
It was the kind of heat that made you want to lay out with a fan beside you and sleep the whole afternoon.
Still, Sunoo preferred to go out, never the type to sit inside and bed-rot the break away (even if it meant sacrificing the air conditioning).
That day was no different.
He had a bit of cash leftover from his birthday, and was happily dragging his older sister out to get some ice cream with it.
When they arrived to the truck, Sunoo noticed a boy around his age standing beside it.
His back was facing them, jet black hair damp and matting at the bottom of his neck.
Sunoo's sister ordered his mint chocolate chip ice cream for him, while he stood to the side, studying the boy curiously.
The lanky kid was all alone, beads of sweat visible all the way down his white t-shirt collar.
As if he could feel Sunoo's eyes on him, the boy turned around to face him suddenly.
Sunoo was awe-struck.
Even at the young age of 12, he could tell.
This boy was different.
His eyes were big and round, dark eyebrows complimenting them.
His lips were the color of a peach, and a few freckles dotted his small face.
He looked like a character straight out of a manga.
They stared at each other, neither speaking, until a cone of ice cream was placed into Sunoo's hand.
Sunoo glanced between the ice cream and the sweating boy.
Then, naturally, he held it out infront of him.
"Do you want some? It's Mint Chocolate Chip!" Sunoo beamed, giving his friendliest smile.
The boy in front of him scrunched up his nose, looking down at the cone in distain.
"Mint Chocolate? Ew. That's gross."
"...What?" Sunoo's face fell.
This ice cream, that he bought with his precious birthday money...
He's calling it GROSS?
"Get it away, I'm gonna be sick." The boy held a hand up to cover his nose, waving Sunoo away with the other.
Sunoo could only scowl back at the boy as his sister began to drag him away.
Really...
He was just trying to be nice.
What a mean kid.
[-<--------------------------------3]
It was the week before the first day of school when Sunoo saw him again.
Sunoo was over at his best friend Jungwon's house, finishing the rest of their summer homework together.
Technically, Sunoo was half a year older than Jungwon, but Jungwon's parents started him in school early, so they ended up in the same grade.
They'd been in the same classes for as long as Sunoo could remember.
To him, Jungwon was more like a little brother than just a good friend.
That day, Jungwon had a bright idea.
"Hey, Sunoo."
"Mm?"
"You remember my neighbor, Jay-hyung?"
"Mmm, I think so. Why?"
"Why don't we go ask him for help? He had the same assignment last summer. Maybe he remembers it..."
Sunoo thought it over for a moment.
"Didn't you say his Korean isn't very good?"
"Hey, don't say that... That was before. He's really good at it now." Jungwon defended quickly.
Of course, Sunoo knew the truth.
Jungwon just wanted an excuse to go bother his 'cool' older neighbor.
"Fine."
The two made their way over to the neighboring house, both equipped with their backpacks.
When they knocked on the door, a boy with honey colored skin swung it open, sporting a blank expression.
Well, blank until he noticed Jungwon.
"Wonie! What're you doing here?" Jay said with a crooked grin, leaning against the doorframe.
"Hi Hyung! Do you... Do you think you could help me and my friend with our homework?" Jungwon fidgetted as he spoke.
Jay glanced over at Sunoo awkwardly for a moment before coughing.
"I'd love to, but I have some friends over right now. Let me see what they think first, okay?"
Jay disappeared back into the house, and Jungwon looked over to Sunoo excitedly, his eyes sparkling.
Sunoo fought the urge to roll his eyes at his friend then.
To Jungwon, anyone with a '-teen' attached to the end of their name was automatically 'cool'.
The idea of hanging out with his favorite hyung's friends was all the 'cooler'.
Jay started middle school that year, which was still a foreign territory to Sunoo and Jungwon.
Jay eventually reappeared and invited them inside, so Sunoo followed him into his living room curiously.
It was a great shock, to say the least, to see that one of the two boys sitting on Jay's couch was none other than the boy from the ice cream truck.
He also seemed to recognize Sunoo.
When their eyes met, Sunoo quickly looked away, a feeling of irritation filling him.
How... awkward.
The third boy in the room greeted them warmly.
"Aww, these are your Dong... Dongsaengs? They're cute! I'm Jake, nice to meet you!" Jake said with a grin.
His Korean was a bit clumsy, far worse than Jay's.
The raven haired boy next to him could be seen muffling a laugh.
Sunoo ignored the ice cream truck boy and waved at Jake with a bright smile.
"Hi Jake! I'm Kim Seon Woo, but everyone calls me Sunoo."
Just like this, everyone introduced themselves.
Except for the rude ice cream truck boy.
Jay finally introduced him with an awkward cough when it became clear he wouldn't be doing it himself.
"That's Park Sunghoon. Don't mind him, he's just like this. He's cool when you get to know him."
Sunoo scowled internally.
Park Sunghoon?
Even his name sounded annoying.
After they settled in, sitting on the floor with their papers sprawled across the coffee table, Jay dug his old assignment out from his room and placed it confidently down on the table.
"Here it is. Hope it helps." Jay grinned, ruffling Jungwon's hair as he moved away.
Sunoo stared blankly at the graded paper in front of him.
The handwriting was barely legible, and a fat graded "37/80" points was written across the top in red marker.
I mean... was that even usable?
Jake could be heard laughing up on the couch. "Dang bro, how'd you do even worse than me?"
Jay paused to think for a moment, clearly affected by Jungwon's disappointed expression.
"Hey, Hoonie. Didn't you get almost perfect marks on this? Why don't you help?" Jay suggested helpfully.
Sunghoon just stared at Jay blankly, narrowing his eyes.
"Not ALMOST perfect. They were perfect."
Then Sunghoon took a bored glance over at Sunoo.
After a moment, he rolled back on the couch, pulling his cell phone out and opening a game.
"Not helping." Sunghoon said firmly.
Sunoo could feel his eye twitching.
Seriously, what was his problem?
So annoying.
"Don't worry Wonie. We don't need HIS help." Sunoo turned to Jungwon graciously, a sweet smile on his face.
A scoff could be heard coming from the couch.
Who'd want help from a jerk like that, anyway?
[--<-------------------------------3]
After discovering the existence of friendship between Jay and Sunghoon, Sunoo made sure to avoid it any time Jungwon wanted to go bother his neighbor.
His older sister always told him that if you don't like someone, to just stay away from them, because you don't have to keep people you don't like in your life.
'Surround yourself with good people, and you will have a good life.'
Sunoo made sure to follow this diligently, and for half a year, his life WAS peaceful.
However, once it came time for him to also enter Chilbo Middle School, the choice was no longer his.
It was the first day of school, in March, when he saw Sunghoon for the third time.
Sunoo was waiting near the gates at the front of the school for Jungwon to arrive.
Then a car pulled up in front of him.
A pale raven haired boy climbed out from the back seat, dressed in the school's dark blue hanbok-inspired uniform.
Suwon was a very traditional city, and Chilbo Middle's uniform style greatly reflected this.
The ruffles of the white undershirt were messy on Sunghoon's body, but somehow, it looked natural on him.
Sunoo's own undershirt was tucked down very neatly.
Like a visual display of their differing personalities.
The chatter of a group of girls passing by could be heard faintly.
"OMG, did you see that guy?"
"The one getting out of that nice car?"
"Yeah! Isn't he handsome?"
"I know that guy. I heard the second years call him the 'Ice Prince'."
"OMG! Prince? That sounds so dreamy..."
Dreamy?
More like, yucky.
Sunoo shuddered, trying his best to hide his disgusted expression, when he suddenly made eye contact with Sunghoon.
They stared at eachother for a moment, neither moving.
Then, Sunghoon scrunched his eyebrows together, the corners of his lips turning down into a frown.
He looked as if he'd seen something that bothered him, walking off quickly.
Sunoo couldn't hide the way his jaw fell open in shock.
See, Sunoo had always gone out of his way to be friendly and kind to everyone he met.
Treat others how you want to be treated.
That's the golden rule.
Everyone around him called him a ray of sunshine.
A boy full of happiness and joy.
To be so openly distained, and then treated as if he was a piece of dog poo on the sidewalk...
It was a first for Sunoo.
Luckily, the second grade classrooms were located on the 4th floor, while all the first grade classes were on the 3rd, so he didn't have to see Sunghoon around in the hallways.
At least, not until lunch time hit.
As Sunoo and Jungwon stood awkwardly together in the Cafeteria, glancing around with their lunch trays in hand, Jungwon suddenly nudged his arm with excitement.
"Come, come, I found Jay-hyung!"
Sunoo looked on helplessly, a feeling of dread and despair filling him as Jungwon bounded over to the booth where Jay, Jake and Sunghoon were seated.
Jungwon slid into the seat next to Jay happily.
Sunoo made his way over awkwardly, squeezing in next to Jungwon on the edge of the bench.
Seated directly across from him was Sunghoon, who looked at him blankly for only a second before turning to Jake beside him.
"Yo, change seats with me." Sunghoon said easily, his expression unchanging.
"..."
Sunoo couldn't believe what he was hearing.
Was he so awful to look at that Sunghoon couldn't even stand sitting across from him?
"Don't bother. I'll just go sit somewhere else, the booth is for 4 people anyway." Sunoo managed to get out between clenched teeth, a sweet smile pasted on his face.
He stood up quickly with his tray, ignoring the voice of Jungwon echoing behind him as he stormed off.
Sunoo took a short glance around before spotting an almost empty spot at end at a long table.
A singular boy was sitting there alone.
So, Sunoo made his way over to tbe seat across from him and practically slamed his tray down in frustration, biting back the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes.
This startled the boy, who looked up in pure shock.
"Um...?"
"Can I sit here?" Sunoo said rigidly.
It came out sounding much sadder than he intended it to.
The boy looked at him with a mix of pity and confusion.
"...Uh, I guess."
Sunoo learned that the boy's name was Lee Heeseung, a third year.
It was Heeseung's first day at the school after moving, so he didn't know anyone there yet.
They quickly became friends, finding that they had a lot of similar interests.
After this, Sunoo began to eat lunch with Heeseung every day, falling into a peaceful routine.
[---<------------------------------3]
It was almost May when Sunoo faced Sunghoon for the fourth time.
It was after school.
The weather was usually chilly, considering the time of the year.
Sunoo was standing in front of his locker, pulling on his jacket, when Sunghoon and Jay appeared beside him, Jungwon trailing not far behind.
Jay nudged Sunghoon forward with a kick to his shin.
Then Sunghoon coughed awkwardly, taking a small step towards Sunoo.
Their eyes met for only a second before Sunghoon looked away, appearing uncomfortable.
"Um... about before." Sunghoon spoke quietly.
Sunoo had to lean forward a bit just to hear him.
"I'm sorry." Sunghoon's eyes flickered between his before looking away again, and his expression was...
Definitely NOT like someone who was sorry.
It was so contorted, that Sunoo almost thought it was cute.
Almost.
Jay nodded his head approvingly behind Sunghoon, while Jungwon looked over to Sunoo with hopeful eyes.
"Sunoo... will you come back and eat lunch with us?" Jungwon had said then.
Sunoo glanced between them, letting out a sigh.
"I would, but... I don't want to leave Heeseung-hyung alone. I want to eat lunch with him." Sunoo said.
However, his perceptive eyes caught it.
It was only for a second, but when he said that, Sunghoon almost looked...
Happy?
Was it that good for them to not eat lunch together?
At this, a fire seemed to have been lit inside of Sunoo.
Enough was enough.
Sunoo let a sweet smile cover his face, his fox-like eyes boring into Sunghoon.
"But... there's room at our table. You guys can just come sit with us!"
Sunghoon looked back at him in horror.
Sunoo felt gratified.
Serves him right!
When the others joined his table for lunch the next day, Sunghoon sat on the opposite side, as far away from Sunoo as possible.
Sunoo was happy to see Heeseung and the others hit it off quickly, with everyone chatting together easily.
Jungwon also looked happier than ever, finally able to have his lunch with his two closest friends.
The only one who didn't speak much was Park Sunghoon, who quietly ate his food.
Sunoo couldn't help but glance over every so often.
Each time, he'd look away quickly after being met with Sunghoon's icy glare.
It's embarrassing to admit, but Sunoo enjoyed his food a bit smugly that first day, relishing in Sunghoon's discomfort.
It was also on that day that Sunoo stopped counting the times he'd met Sunghoon, and instead started counting the times he was able to return all the awful feelings that Sunghoon made him feel.
Starting that day, it was Sunoo 1, Sunghoon 0.
[----<-----------------------------3]
By the end of that school year, the count was far into the twenties, and seemed to alternate who was leading by the week.
As the group became more comfortable with eachother, Sunoo started to feel even more awkward with Sunghoon.
They had a clear dislike for eachother, but their friend group had become so intertwined that they had no choice but to interact.
Some days, Sunoo would be emboldened like he was on that first day, unable to sit still and take the rude treatment.
He would return the hostile behavior with a smile, his own burning annoyance laced under sweet words.
The others seemed to take it as playful banter, and would laugh it off whenever Sunghoon would make a rude comment.
Because Sunoo was like a ray of sunlight, always unbothered by it, always smiling.
However, most days he would feel hurt by Sunghoon's unfounded dislike, trying his best not to be bothered by the way he would chat casually with the others, as if Sunoo didn't exist.
It was the last week of school, right after finals, when Sunoo finally found himself being questioned by one of his classmates.
It was a pretty girl named Haerin who was very popular in his class.
She came to sit in the seat infront of him that morning between subjects, turning around to face him eagerly.
"Hey, Kim Sunoo.
Is it true that you're close with Park Sunghoon?"
"Close?" Sunoo froze for a moment, trying his best to keep a smile on his face.
"Mm, well, we aren't that close.
We just eat lunch together."
Haerin's eyes lit up in amazement. "Wow, that's so cool!
Hey, do you think you could help me with something?"
Haerin handed him a letter then, prettily decorated with "To Sunghoon Oppa" written on the front.
Sunoo blinked down at the piece of paper in his hand, not sure how to feel.
"Pleeeeease Sunoo! I'll love you forever!" Haerin pleaded, her hands folded together and head down in a bow.
Sunoo sighed, tucking the letter into the jeogori of his top.
"Alright."
When lunch came that day, Sunoo didn't sit in his usual spot.
Instead, he waited for the others to sit, and then awkwardly made his way over to sit down beside Sunghoon.
All eyes at the table were on him, and Sunghoon looked at him with a bewildered expression.
"You... why are you sitting here?" Sunghoon said, almost accusingly, as if Sunoo had broken some unwritten rule.
With the eyes of the others on him, suddenly Sunoo couldn't bear to pull the letter out.
Sunoo could feel his eye twitching, and he pulled on Sunghoon's sleeve lightly, a stiff smile on his face.
"Hey, can we go talk in the hall for a minute?"
The two shuffled uncomfortably into the empty hallway.
Sunghoon leaned back against the brick wall, folding his arms and staring at Sunoo.
"What is it?"
Sunoo would never admit it, but Sunghoon's cold aura, combined with the look of the hanbok top, really did give him the look of a prince in the Joseon Era.
Sunoo sighed, the smile dropping from his face. "Look, I don't want to do this either, okay?
My friend asked me to give this to you.
Just take it."
Sunoo pulled the letter out and slapped it across Sunghoon's chest.
Sunghoon's eyes narrowed, not taking the letter.
"You don't want to?
Why did you take it then?"
Sunoo scoffed. "I don't know?
To be nice, maybe?
Not everyone is a jerk like you."
"Yeah? Not everyone pretends to be nice either." Sunghoon sneered.
Sunoo was taken aback.
"Pretend? I've never pretended.
I'd be nice to you too, if you weren't so mean all the time.
Never in my life have I met someone who is rude to someone for this long, all over some mint chocolate chip ice cream.
It's really childish, you know?"
Sunghoon stared at him for a while after this, until he suddenly broke out into a laugh.
Sunoo had never even seen Sunghoon smile before, and the sound of his laughter caught him off guard.
Two white canine teeth seemed to poke out with his smile.
"Ice cream?"
Sunghoon stepped forward suddenly, and Sunoo had to take a step back, almost stumbling.
"I never cared about any ice cream."
Sunghoon looked down at him, the smile disappearing from his face, his eyes cold.
"I just don't like you."
He plucked the letter from Sunoo's hand without another word and shoved past him, walking back into the Cafeteria, and leaving behind a stunned Sunoo.
Sunoo 27, Sunghoon 29.
[-----<----------------------------3]
During the winter break before the start of his second year at Chilbo Middle, Sunoo attended an English Academy with Jungwon during the week.
He'd go home with Jungwon after class, and his sister would pick him up from Jungwon's in the evenings.
One day during class, a group of girls had been doing their make-up together, a common occurrence now that they were in their early teens.
However, this time one of the girls Sunoo was friendly with turned to him with a smile, waving him and Jungwon over.
"Sunoo! Come over here. Let me practice on you!"
Sunoo thought it was fun, so he obliged, and Jungwon reluctantly joined him.
They skipped home together happily that afternoon, poking fun at eachother for their different looks.
When they got near Jungwon's place, he suddenly became very secretive, slowing his pace, and Sunoo watched his friend with great interest as he crept by the wall.
"Wonie, what are you doing?"
"I shouldn't let Jay-hyung see me like this.
He might think it's lame."
Sunoo had to stifle his laugh, his friend was too cute.
Luck was not on Jungwon's side on that day, as they happened to run right into Jay leaving his house, Sunghoon walking with him.
The four of them stopped in place, an awkward silence filling the cold winter air.
"Ah, Jay-hyung!
What a coincidence! Haha!" Jungwon mumbled, and Sunoo wanted to face palm for him.
Yes, what a coincidence to see you at the place you live.
Sunoo smoothly recovered the atmosphere.
"We just finished at the Academy.
Are you guys going somewhere?"
Jay blinked, as if awoken from a trance, and turned to Sunoo.
"To the PC Cafe. Do you guys... want to come?" Jay looked at Jungwon then.
Jungwon's face was bright red, and Sunoo just smiled, pulling his best friend into a hug to help hide his embarrassment.
"No thanks, maybe next time.
We have a fun night of studying planned." Sunoo said, finally looking over to Sunghoon.
He was staring at Sunoo, his expression blank.
Sunoo just rolled his eyes, ready for whatever mean comment would come his way.
Jungwon shook himself out of his arms beside him.
"It looks weird, right?" Jungwon said nervously, the question clearly directed to Jay.
Jay looked away, his own face a bit red. "No, no, it looks good, you both look good."
Sunoo beamed, happy to see his friend's lifted spirits beside him.
"Sunoo."
Sunoo freezed hearing his own name, practically jumping out of his skin in shock.
Because, it was the first time it had ever come of out Sunghoon's mouth.
Sunoo looked at the older boy, blinking his eyes with a confused expression.
Sunghoon just looked uncomfortable, his eyebrows scrunched together.
"Don't wear that again.
It looks weird."
"?????" Sunoo's mouth fell open in disbelief, the other two also looking surprised next to them.
Sunghoon simply turned and began to walk off after saying his words, leaving Jay scrambling after him, and Sunoo and Jungwon to stand there in confusion.
A burning rage began to form inside of Sunoo.
Would it even be possible for him to hate him more than this?
Sunoo 32, Sunghoon 36.
[------<---------------------------3]
Lunch during Middle School year 2 felt a bit lonely without Heeseung there, but Sunoo slowly began to fill more of his free time up with Student Council duties.
On the weekends, sometimes he would visit Heeseung at his house with Jungwon and the others.
Heeseung picked up a part time job baby sitting his little neighbor Ni-ki, who recently immigrated from Japan.
Sunoo absolutely adored Ni-ki, and loved to play games with him when he would go over, helping him learn Korean.
Like this, a little family seemed to be formed, with Ni-ki calling Heeseung Dad and Jake Mom jokingly (although no one was really sure why Jake was chosen to be the Mom, as Jay had far more motherly characteristics).
"He can't be.
He's the brother in-law." Ni-ki had said to Sunoo when he asked him one time.
Sunoo glanced down at the younger boy, who was laying with his head on his shoulder on the couch in Heeseung's living room.
"Brother in-law?
Who's he married to?"
Ni-ki gave him a devious grin then.
"Jungwonie."
Sunoo had burst out laughing, covering his mouth quickly.
"Shh, don't let them hear that, I might find you dead tomorrow."
Sunghoon had been walking through the living room then, and gave the two a look of distain, shaking his head.
Sunoo snickered back at him, tilting his head in a "get lost" motion.
Sunoo turned back to Ni-ki then, giving him a serious expression.
"You shouldn't get too close to that guy.
He's a jerk."
Ni-ki stared up at him in confusion.
"Really? He's always nice to me, though."
Sunoo blinked a few times before recovering.
"As nice as I am?"
"Definitely not!"
Sunoo smiled happily, pinching Ni-ki's cheek (much to his dismay).
Another win for Sunoo.
Sunoo 42, Sunghoon 44.
[-------<--------------------------3]
In January came the end of an era, with the Third Years graduating from Chilbo Middle School, ready to enter Chilbo High.
Well, most of them.
When Sunoo first heard that Sunghoon would be moving, attending a high school in Namyangju instead because of his ice skating activities, he was filled with excitement.
Finally he would be freed from the oppressive atmosphere that Sunghoon had brought to his life, like a weight being lifted off his shoulders, the devil sitting on them finally being sent back down to hell.
At the last get together, during the winter break before school would begin, Sunoo felt a bit of loss from it for the first time.
They all sat together in Heeseung's living room, like they had many times before, but no one was speaking.
The seven would now be six, and the sadness that his friends were feeling at the loss gave Sunoo a strange prickly feeling.
Sunoo was happy to be rid of the menace that was Park Sunghoon, but it was true that he had become a part of his life, in a weird twisted way.
Sunghoon, who was never a fan of physical interactions, had given each of them a hug, stopping when he got to Sunoo.
They didn't hug, but simply looked at eachother.
Sunoo nodded his head slowly, the way you would when passing an acquaintance out in the grocery store.
Sunghoon nodded his head back curtly, and that was their goodbye.
The score ended at a tie,
Sunoo 57, Sunghoon 57.
[--------<-------------------------3]
Year Three at Chilbo Middle was very different from the others for Sunoo.
Now that the 02z Trio had left, a new handsome trio had taken over the school, and it surprisingly included a first year.
That trio being Sunoo, Jungwon and Ni-ki.
After a lot of hard work, Sunoo had become the Class President, and he became increasingly more popular within the school, with the younger students nick-naming him 'Sam-oh Oppa'.
Year 3, Class 5 Handsome Oppa.
It seemed that the crown that had once belonged to the Ice Prince, now belonged to Kim Sunoo.
When the others heard about this nickname, they wouldn't let him live it down.
"Haha, I can't wait to see how Hoonie will react when he hears this." Jay had said one day, while him, Sunoo, Jungwon, Ni-ki and Jake were hanging out in Sunoo's bedroom.
Jungwon had been watching contently on the bed as the four of them played Super Smash Bros together.
Sunoo let out a 'Tsk' as his Kirby died to Ni-ki, who rolled through him using Sonic the Hedgehog.
"Do you have to tell him everything?"
"Of course!" Jake grinned, trying to chase down Ni-ki with Toon Link.
"You know how he is." Jay sighed as he leaned back, his character Lucario also dead already.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, he's so bad at socializing.
He doesn't have any close friends at his school yet.
I don't think he's trying, either.
Damn introvert. OW!" Jay ducked down swiftly as Jungwon swatted at his head from behind.
Jay had started swearing ever since starting high school, and Jungwon wouldn't let him hear the end of it.
"Damn introvert." Ni-ki repeated on the floor beside them.
Jake and Sunoo both bursted out laughing.
Jay and Jungwon also smiled faintly.
Somehow, even without him being there, Sunghoon's presence could be felt.
[---------<------------------------3]
Sunoo didn't see Sunghoon again until after his Middle School graduation, during the winter break before the start of High School.
Jay had notified them all over a group text that Sunghoon would be staying for a week at his house, and that they'd better come by and see him while they can.
Sunoo rolled his eyes at the message, but reluctantly joined the group on the Friday night that he arrived.
When Sunghoon walked though Jay's front door, Sunoo was a bit shocked at the changes in the now sixteen-going-on-seventeen year old in front of him.
In just a year, quite a bit seemed to have changed, a shot of puberty giving him a couple extra inches of height and filling out his lanky appearance into a more lean one.
Dressed in a pair of basketball shorts, traces of muscles could be seen in his legs from his figure skating regime.
Even his hair was a bit longer and a bit messier, his cheeks a bit less puffy and a bit more hollow.
Rather than a cold kid, he now had the vibes of a moody teen.
Sunoo had a hard time bringing his eyes away from the boy that he hadn't seen in so long.
However, as much as the appearance had changed, the same could NOT be said for the personality.
The minute his eyes found Sunoo, Sunghoon's face scrunched up, his lip raised. "Who invited you?"
Sunoo clicked his tongue, sinking down lower into Jay's couch.
"I didn't want to come either, okay." He mumbled.
The others laughed, things seemingly returning back to normal.
But Sunoo had a sinking feeling in his chest then, a mild discomfort at the situation.
Sunghoon's harsh words seemed to bother him a lot more than they had before.
Is it because it had been so long since Sunoo had to hear them?
Sunghoon had spent the rest of the night ignoring Sunoo, which he was thankful for, but the one sentence he had said to him was somehow enough to get under Sunoo's skin.
It seemed that the stalemate had finally been broken.
Sunoo 57, Sunghoon 58.
[----------<-----------------------3]
It was during Sunoo's freshman year of High School that he began to get attention from other boys.
Sunoo had always been popular among the girls, but as he aged, he began to carry a feminine-masculine beauty that rivaled even those considered the prettiest girls in the school.
The first time a boy confessed to him, Sunoo wasn't sure how to feel about it.
After classes were finished, he tracked down Heeseung in the third year hallway to ask for advice.
Heeseung listened to his story carefully, nodding his head as Sunoo spoke.
"I mean, is it really any different from a girl confessing?
If you like someone, you like someone, you know?" Heeseung had said, looking at him seriously.
It made sense when he put it that way; it's just that Sunoo hadn't really thought about males in that way before.
After this occurence, Sunoo began to be more cautious in his friendliness with the boys in his class, in the same way that he'd been with the girls.
Friendly, but not too friendly, because Sunoo wasn't interested in dating.
He wanted to focus on getting into a good college, and spending time with his friends.
It was this year, however, that Sunoo realized his friend group would eventually suffer greatly from dating, and it all started with Heeseung.
Sunoo, Jungwon, Jay and Jake had been sitting at their usual lunch table that day, chatting about the recent game they had been enjoying, League of Legends.
The table fell silent when Heeseung arrived, with his arm around another boy's shoulder.
"This is my boyfriend, Jiho." Heeseung introduced him with a grin, happily naming each of the sitting boys off for him.
The group was shocked, but they welcomed Jiho warmly to the table.
It was only Sunoo, who was sitting next to Jake, that noticed the way he tensed up, his fist balled up under the table.
A realization hit Sunoo, with a feeling of foreboding washing over him.
Sunoo could hear a fake Ni-ki's voice ringing out in his head, saying 'Oh boy, Mom's angry. Dad cheated...'
[-----------<----------------------3]
The summer of freshman year, Sunoo became especially close with Jake and Ni-ki.
Jungwon had been spending increasingly more time alone with Jay, and it was becoming more obvious to the group that there was SOMETHING going on between them, however unspoken it remained.
Heeseung had been spending less and less time with the group, and Sunoo and Ni-ki were left to pick up the pieces of Jake.
"Seriously, what does he even see in that guy?" Jake grumbled, taking an unsightly bite out of his chocolate ice cream.
Sunoo shuddered watching him, imagining the cold burn that must be hitting his teeth.
He glanced down as his own mint chocolate chip ice cream, oddly reminding him of Sunghoon.
"Should we go see Sunghoon?" Sunoo offered suddenly, surprised at his own words.
Ni-ki almost doubled over in shock, knowing better than anyone Sunoo's dislike for Park Sunghoon.
But, even after listening to Jake's words many times, Sunoo and Ni-ki had run out of advice to give, and Jake had always been closer to Sunghoon than he was to them.
Jake blinked slowly, seemingly having an epiphany, before jumping up with a renewed energy.
"Sunoo, you're a genius!"
"...?"
What Sunoo hadn't expected was for it to turn into a group outing, with Jungwon, Jay and Heeseung being dragged along to watch one of Sunghoon's ice skating competitions.
Jake clearly had a plan in mind, using this as an excuse to drag Heeseung out of the city without his boyfriend.
Jay's family was very well off, and helped them to book 3 double bed hotel rooms near the event.
Heeseung was entrusted with looking after the group, as all of their parents were very familiar with him, however Ni-ki wasn't allowed to go with them due to his age.
Sunoo had just turned 16 a couple weeks prior, but Ni-ki was only 14, and still in Middle School, it definitely wasn't appropriate in the minds of the parents.
A two day trip was planned, and the five of them loaded onto the bus together, Sunoo seating himself alone by a window.
He almost wanted to throw up watching Jungwon and Jay across from him, snuggling up in the seats together as if they were going on a honey moon trip.
I mean, did they really need to tag along if they were just going to hang out together like this?
Sunoo felt a bit betrayed by his long time best friend, and he couldn't bring himself to blame Jake either, who was doing his best to chat with Heeseung in the seats behind him.
When they arrived, Sunoo settled into his room, glancing at the empty bed beside his and wishing that Ni-ki could've come along to keep him company.
They met up with Sunghoon for dinner in the city, who looked at them blankly when he entered the restaurant.
"... Why are you here?" Sunghoon said dryly, glancing around the table.
There was a smile in his eyes though, a clear excitement at the surprise visit from his friends.
"We just missed you, Bro.
Plus, we wanted to see THE Park Sunghoon in Action!" Jake replied with a grin, holding up his fist.
Sunghoon sat himself in the only free seat left, beside Sunoo.
The atmosphere was light, a whole new environment to Sunoo.
Sunoo sat quietly, not speaking to Sunghoon, and Sunghoon didn't speak to him either.
The meal went on peacefully, until the end, when Jay suddenly made an unexpected offer to Sunghoon.
"Hey, do you have to stay with the team tonight?
We have a free bed in one of the hotel rooms, you should come hangout with us."
Sunghoon pondered for a moment before nodding his head in agreement.
"Sure, why not."
Sunoo clutched the fork in his hand, trying to stay calm.
Would he still have agreed if he knew he'd be sharing the room with Sunoo?
[------------<---------------------3]
The answer is no, Sunoo quickly realized as Sunghoon stood in the doorway, a bag slung over his shoulder.
"...This is YOUR room?" Sunghoon said icily, the warmth that was in his voice earlier on now gone.
"Unfortunately, yes." Sunoo replied through gritted teeth, pulling his vitamins out of his bag.
Sunghoon looked on, seemingly in horror as Sunoo pulled more and more containers of vitamins out of his bag.
"Jesus Christ, how many of those do you need?"
"Millions." Sunoo responded sarcastically, lining them up on the night stand by his bed.
Sunghoon continued to stand in the doorway, just watching him, and Sunoo finally couldn't take it anymore.
"Look, I don't like this either.
Just suck it up, we'll be hanging out in Jake's room until it's time to sleep anyway."
Sunghoon finally moved from the doorway, setting his bag down on the bed and pulling some clothes out.
"I'm going to use the shower." He stopped for a moment in front of Sunoo, giving him a wary look.
"You, don't touch my stuff."
"...?!?" Sunoo watched, astonished, as Sunghoon closed the bathroom door behind him.
Why the hell would he want to touch his stuff?
It seemed that Sunghoon was also losing brain cells with his age.
Sunoo finished taking his vitamins and made his way over to Jake's room, where he had set his Nintendo Switch up on the hotel room's TV.
Jay and Jungwon sat together on the edge of one bed, and Jake and Heeseung sat together on the other, so Sunoo pulled some pillows from off the bed and made himself a seat on the floor in between them.
After a while, Sunghoon joined him, reluctantly making another pillow seat on the floor next to Sunoo.
Sunghoon's wet hair smelled like the hotel's shampoo and body wash, a mix of an Irish Spring and a clean dish-soap-like smell.
Sunoo tried to ignore it as they began to play Mario Party.
He also tried to ignore the way Sunghoon's light smile brought an uncomfortable feeling into his chest, appearing every time he got a lucky dice roll, or won one of the mini games.
Sunghoon's adam's apple would vibrate lightly each time he laughed, and for some reason Sunoo had a hard time looking away from it.
It was almost midnight when they separated back to their rooms, Sunoo trailing quietly behind Sunghoon.
Sunoo went to take a shower, and found Sunghoon playing a game on his phone when he got out.
They made an awkward eye contact for a moment before Sunoo quickly turned the lights out and crawled into his bed.
They laid in silence for a bit, until the phone light went out on Sunghoon's side, and Sunoo spoke suddenly.
"I really hate you, you know." Sunoo said, almost as if to remind himself.
"I know." Is all Sunghoon replied with in the darkness.
Somehow, though, this one didn't feel like a win to Sunoo.
It just felt sad.
But, at least, the bed next to him wasn't empty.
[-------------<--------------------3]
Sunoo wasn't sure what he had been expecting when they planned to watch Sunghoon's event, but it definitely was beyond anything his imagination could've conjured up.
Sunghoon was like a different being on the ice, his body light and free, like a fairy dancing in the wind.
For the first time ever, Sunoo felt that the nickname 'Ice Prince' was a bit fitting.
Just a bit.
Sunghoon soared around the arena, and the five of them watched him in awe, amazed by this new side of their old friend.
Even Jay and Jake, who had known Sunghoon the longest, had never watched any of his performances.
They all rushed over to congratulate him after the event, and he greeted them with a wide, canine-tooth-y smile that left Sunoo feeling even more uncomfortable.
When they offered to go out with him to celebrate after, Sunghoon declined feverently.
"I won't go to the hotel again.
I can't stand sleeping near him." Sunghoon looked fixatedly at Sunoo, who couldn't even find it within himself to be shocked.
Really??
He didn't even do anything, though??
Sunoo 57, Sunghoon 59.
[--------------<-------------------3]
While Sunoo never knew exactly what happened on the second night of the Namyangju trip, the series of events that followed left his mind open to plenty of speculation.
The first thing that happened was Heeseung breaking up with Jiho, which Sunoo could've seen coming from a kilometer away.
However, he couldn't have predicted the way that Heeseung would get with Jake immediately after, causing a stir of gossip that rippled around the school quickly.
Had Heeseung been cheating on Jiho all along?
Was Jake a home-wrecker?
These kinds of rumors flew around the high school halls, leaving an awkward atmosphere around their lunch table.
Even when this event blew over with time, the next event to hit them would occur;
The end of the school year.
Heeseung's graduation, and his acceptance to college, left Jake with the uneasy feeling of having to be separated from him for a year.
And even worse, he'd be going to school all the way in Busan.
Even Jungwon, who was usually calm, began to share his anxieties with Sunoo.
"You know, I'm realizing that it'll be just like this for me and Jay next year.
What'll I do if we have to separate?
He's always been right next to me, Sunoo." Jungwon sighed into his shoulder.
Sunoo wrapped an arm around his friend, patting Jungwon's head softly with his other hand.
"It'll be okay, Wonie.
It's clear to anyone with eyes that you're the only thing Jay-hyung sees.
No matter how long you guys are apart, it'll be okay.
And you know I'm always here for you if there's anything you need."
Jungwon sniffled beside him, and Sunoo could also feel some light tears stinging at his eyes.
After all, six would now become five.
[---------------<------------------3]
The second year at Chilbo High went by peacefully for Sunoo.
Overall, there wasn't much drama.
The lunch table was much quieter with only four of them, and with Jay and Jungwon seeming to be in their own world, Sunoo spent most of his time with Jake, hanging together with Ni-ki on the weekends.
The three of them began playing League of Legends with Heeseung and Sunghoon, forming a formidable 5 stack in the ranked flex queue.
Sunghoon played Top, Heeseung played Mid, and Ni-ki played Jungler, leaving Sunoo to struggle playing ADC with Jake as his support.
As Sunoo sat in his room one night, headset connected to the voice coms, a new voice could be heard ringing out from the background of Sunghoon's microphone.
"Who's this Hoonie?
Got a new girlfriend?" Jake teased, and Sunoo sighed as he watched Jake lock in Camille.
It would be another difficult game for him.
"Nah. Boyfriend." Sunghoon's voice rang out crisply through Sunoo's headset, and his hand froze, accidentally locking in Gwen for himself.
"...?"
"Um, Sunoo?
Is this some hidden pick that I don't know about?" Ni-ki's voice brought him back to his senses, and Sunoo began to panic.
"No, no, I'm sorry. I misclicked.
Do you mind playing her? I'll take Ezreal."
Ni-ki can be heard 'Tsk'ing, and Sunoo is eternally grateful that his red face can't be seen through the screen.
What is wrong with him?
That uncomfortable feeling filled his chest again, the same one that always seemed to fill it whenever Sunghoon was mentioned those days.
Whatever, Sunoo thought.
[----------------<-----------------3]
Sunghoon didn't come to visit that summer break.
He didn't visit during the previous winter break, either, and Sunoo began to wonder if their friend group would ever come together again.
Not that he missed Sunghoon, or anything like that.
He just missed the way they had all been together, like a family.
The end of the Second Year brought a lot of tears.
Jay, Jake and Sunghoon would be going off to college now, leaving them with only three.
No one was surprised when they found out Sunghoon would be attending Korea University in Seoul, pursuing his ice skating dreams.
They all sent congratulatory messages to him in the group chat, and Sunoo thought carefully before sending his, keeping it short and simple.
Congratulations, Sunghoon.
He hadn't expected Sunghoon to react to only his message with a thumbs down emoji, and Sunoo couldn't help the anger that flowed through him.
The current score was Sunoo 57, Sunghoon 60.
Sunoo ranted about it in annoyance to the soon-to-be-freshman Ni-ki, who was currently laying on the floor in his bedroom.
"You know, you talk about him an awful lot for someone you supposedly hate." Ni-ki commented absentmindedly, looking down at his phone.
"What do you mean a lot?
I usually only talk about him when he runs down our games."
"Yeah, but he runs it down, like, every game we play."
"..." Sunoo blinked quickly, he might be a bit right about that.
Maybe Sunghoon should retire the Trundle pick.
"Well, that doesn't matter anymore, anyway.
I'm gonna stop playing now.
It's my senior year, it's time to get serious." Sunoo rolled up his sleeves in determination, opening the book in front of him on his bed.
"Do you even have a school or major in mind yet?" Ni-ki sighed below him.
Sunoo ignored the question, focusing on the practice book.
It's true that he didn't have anything specific in mind yet.
He just knew that he wanted to get into the best school he could, and hopefully on a scholarship as well, like any student would.
[-----------------<----------------3]
Year Three at Chilbo High School was a drag, every spare piece of time spent studying material.
After class was Cram School, and on the weekends Sunoo worked part time at the corner store near his house, stocking the merchandise.
Some weekends Jay would come home to visit, and Ni-ki and Sunoo would meet him and Jungwon out for dinner.
Jay was attending Ajou University nearby, but freshmen were required to live on campus during their first year (Otherwise, he would definitely just live at home.)
Jake was over at Kyungsung University (with Heeseung, of course,) so they rarely got to see the two of them.
Sunghoon was buried deep in the center of the capital city, and he never had the time to come and visit.
They never met at Jay's house, since that was where him and Jungwon got to spend their... alone time.
Like this, Sunoo prepared diligently for the CSAT, ready to face whatever future would be laid out in front of him.
On the day of his exam, Sunoo was shocked to recieve the first and only individual text he'd ever gotten from Sunghoon.
The only thing it said was, "Don't fail."
Sunoo glared down at his phone screen, the words feeling more like a curse than an encouragement.
He quickly reacted to the message with a thumbs down emoji, just like Sunghoon had done to him before.
Jerk.
It definitely annoyed him enough to justify another point, Sunoo 57, Sunghoon 61.
Sunoo did fantastic, earning above average points in each of the exam categories, which was a surprise to no one.
What was a surprise, however, was later on, when the group recieved the news that Sunoo had been accepted to and would be attending a university in Seoul.
"You're going to Seoul? Seriously?" Ni-ki looked like he was on the verge of tears as the now much-taller boy shook Sunoo's shoulders.
"How can you leave me like this?"
"I'm sorry," Sunoo sighed, patting Ni-ki's back.
He had been accepted to a prestigious school, Yonsei University, and it wasn't the kind of acceptance you could just decline.
Sunoo had always had an interest in make-up, so he had decided on pursuing a Cosmetology major. Yonsei University had one of the best programs for it in the country.
"Don't worry, I'll definitely come back to see you.
Plus, Jay-hyung will be moving back home soon, you can always bother him and Jungwon."
Ni-ki just looked at him with sad eyes, shaking his head.
"They aren't you, hyung."
[------------------<---------------3]
A week after Sunoo moved into the dorms, he was invited to his first college party.
Sunoo had drank before, as he had turned 18 during the summer of his Senior Year, but he had only tried it out, and hadn't drank seriously before.
Jake gave him advice diligently over the phone while Sunoo sat in his dorm, practicing some light make-up application on himself in the mirror.
"...Make sure you eat something before you go, but definitely not anything too greasy.
Oh, but nothing too light either, you want your stomach to be filled.
Also, you should put some medicine and an elect... electrolyte? Yeah, electrolyte drink by your bed for the morning, so you don't have to dig around for it..."
"Okay, okay, I got it." Sunoo smiled, picking up the phone in front of him.
His smile, however, disappeared after hearing Jake's next words.
"I just let Hoonie know which party you'd be going to tonight, just in case you get too hammered to go home by yourself."
"What the hell, Jake?
I can take care of myself, there's no need to bother him..."
"It's no bother.
We're all friends anyway, and you don't know anyone there that well yet.
It's better to be safe." Jake said seriously, and Sunoo sighed.
"Make sure to call him if anything happens."
"Okay, okay, fine." Sunoo agreed reluctantly.
"You promise?"
"I promise."
[-------------------<--------------3]
Sunoo had never been the type to break any promises, and this was the one thought looping in his mind as he sat dizzily on the floor, in the bathroom of an unknown owner.
He couldn't count on both hands the amount of drinks he'd tried, and he dug around in his pockets for what seemed like forever until he found his cellphone.
He scrolled lazily down through his texts until he saw the chat box with Park Sunghoon, his "Don't fail" message the only text on the screen.
Sunoo laughed airily, hitting the call button on the top corner of the screen.
The line rang twice before a groggy Sunghoon picked up the phone.
"Sunoo?
What the hell?
You know it's 4AM, right?" His voice was low and raspy.
Sunoo laughed again, bringing his phone close to his lips.
"Hey, Park-Sung-Hoon.
You know, you know it, right?
I really, reeeeeally hate you, you know?"
A groan could be heard on the other end of the line, making Sunoo giggle more.
"You're drunk, right?
Where are you?
Are you still at that party?"
Sunoo pondered for a moment, his head spinning.
"Dunno." Sunoo replied, and then he hung up the phone, not wanting to chat anymore.
The phone lit up in front of him, a call back from Park Sunghoon.
Sunoo hit the decline button with a grin.
This repeated itself a second, then a third time, until it wasn't fun to Sunoo anymore, so he turned his phone off completely.
Sunoo's eyes began to fall closed after a bit, and he could feel himself drifting off into the world of sleep, until a loud bang on the door behind him suddenly jolted him awake.
"Sunoo?
Are you in there?" A voice rang through the door, loud and clear.
Sunoo blinked quickly, a shock running through his system.
It couldn't be, right...?
Sunoo stumbled up from the ground, unlocking the door slowly.
The minute he turned the handle, the door was pushed open, knocking him backwards into the sink.
"Ow..." Sunoo cried out sadly, his back hurting from the impact.
He was struck frozen when his eyes landed on a very frazzled looking Park Sunghoon.
His hair was messy and unkept, like he'd just woken up, but Sunoo was more shocked by the new look of the boy in front of him.
Or rather, the man, because Park Sunghoon had certainly become a man now.
It had been two years since Sunoo had seen him.
He was taller now, muscular, eyes dark and matured, jawline defined.
Sunoo was speechless in his drunken state, wondering if there could be any drool falling from his lips now.
"God, you look like shit." Sunghoon sighed, his nose crinkling up like it always did when he saw him.
His lip slightly curled up at the side, like it always did, but Sunoo felt shaken to the core.
Surely, he must be extremely, insanely drunk, to be finding this rude and annoying bastard attractive.
"Who are you?" Sunoo whispered, feeling even more dazed.
"What? What the hell are you saying?"
"You aren't Park-Sung-Hoon." Sunoo stated firmly, pulling himself up from the sink.
"Where is Park-Sung-Hoon?"
Sunghoon just scowled at him, shaking his head.
"You're as slow as ever. Come on." Sunghoon walked over to him, and grabbed his wrist firmly, pulling him forward.
"I'm not slow." Sunoo slurred, and tried to yank his arm back.
"I got accepted to Yonsei."
Sunghoon stopped for a moment, and glanced back at him.
"Yeah, you're right about that."
He walked back suddenly, and moved his face close to Sunoo's.
"Why in the world did you come here?" Sunghoon looked at him with narrowed eyes, like he was searching for an answer to something.
Sunoo stared at him blankly for a moment, before breaking out into a sly grin, his fox-like eyes curling up in the corners.
"To piss you off."
The next day, Sunoo woke up in his bed with a splitting headache, with only one text waiting for him on his phone, from Park Sunghoon.
'Don't ever call me again.' It read.
Sunoo hadn't scored in a while, it felt good to be back on the board.
Sunoo 58, Sunghoon 61.
[--------------------<-------------3]
It was a month later when Sunoo ran into Sunghoon again, but this time it was purely by accident.
Sunoo had lived a very straight cut life during his high school years, and it was high time he let himself loose to enjoy his youth.
After all, he was still a virgin, and hadn't even had his first kiss yet.
He had made plans with his dormmate to meet at a club, but he hadn't expected to run into a certain Park Sunghoon there.
The minute Sunoo spotted him from across the club, he groaned internally, deciding then and there to completely ignore his presence.
He definitely wouldn't be letting the buzzkill of the century ruin his night out.
Sunoo found his dormmate and some other friends he had made, and they flowed out onto the dance floor together, drinks in their hands.
Sunoo wasn't sure how long he'd been there for when he suddenly felt hands around his waist, pulling him in.
He whipped around quickly to find a waaaay older man with a lazy smirk on his face.
"Hey there, pretty. Wanna dance?"
Sunoo tried to yank himself away quickly, definitely not enjoying the vibes this guy was giving off.
"No thanks, creep." Sunoo said in annoyance, slapping away the guy's hands.
"Damn, you're so fiesty.
I'm digging it, though." The man grinned, his teeth crooked.
Sunoo looked around quickly, but he couldn't see any of his friends in the crowd.
A panic began to set in as he couldn't dislodge himself from the man's grip.
"Get off of me!"
The man released him suddenly, letting out a yelp as his head was yanked backwards.
"He said get off."
The voice was quiet, but still audible through the sound of the music and the crowd, low and heavy.
The voice of Park Sunghoon.
Sunoo looked on in horror as Sunghoon dragged the guy by his hair, pulling him off the dance floor and towards the exit of the building.
Sunoo followed as quickly as he could through the crowd, freezing in shock as he watched Sunghoon slam the man's head down onto the pavement outside.
Sunghoon's face was dark, filled with a rage he had never seen before.
It was nothing like the look of distain that he'd always looked at Sunoo with.
This, Sunoo realized, was his true look of hatred.
Sunoo ran over quickly, grabbing Sunghoon's arm to stop his fist from slamming down into the man's face again.
Sunghoon froze, looking up at Sunoo, his eyes wild.
His fist was bleeding.
Sunoo pulled on his arm weakly.
"It's okay. Let's go, please.
Before someone calls the police."
Sunghoon let Sunoo drag him away, and they walked on the sidewalk aimlessly, with no destination in mind.
Sunoo was in a daze, completely unable to make sense of the situation.
Sunoo finally stopped them in front of a convenience store, leaving Sunghoon to sit in one of the chairs at the front.
His heart was still pounding feverishly from the events that had just unfolded as he searched around for a first aid kit.
He found one, and stopped briefly by the freezer section, picking up a small container of ice cream.
When he exited the store, Sunghoon's expression had returned to normal.
He stared out onto the street, looking bored.
Sunoo sat in the seat across from him, gently grabbing his hand and pulling it across the table.
Sunghoon let him, not saying a word, and they sat quietly like this as Sunoo cleaned his knuckles off, bandaging them clumsily.
Sunoo then pulled the ice cream out of the bag and held it over the bandages, using it like an ice pack.
Sunghoon glared down at the ice cream in his hand, snickering suddenly.
"Gross."
"The mint chocolate really is the issue, isn't it?" Sunoo joked, not looking him in the eyes.
Sunoo felt confused by the situation, wanting to feel grateful, but ultimately unable to express it directly.
"You..." Sunghoon began, waiting for Sunoo to look over at him.
"Why would you let him do that?"
"What do you mean, 'let him'?" Sunoo responded, feeling an anger building up inside of him.
"Did it look like I was trying to 'let him'??"
Sunghoon's lips turned down into a frown, his eyebrows furrowing.
"No, I guess not.
But, you can't let anyone do that."
Sunoo could feel his eye twitching, ready to explode in anger at any second.
Why in the world would he 'let' someone do that????
"Only I'm supposed to see this kind of expression on you."
"..."
Sunoo froze.
Sunoo wondered if maybe it was the alcohol, or the adrenaline from the situation, causing him to mishear his words.
But, with the way Sunghoon was looking at him, his face scrunched up like it always was, he realized that no, he hadn't misheard.
A pang ran through Sunoo, a different feeling from any of the other's he'd felt before.
But, at least, this time it seemed like Sunghoon was the one who was bothered more, and so...
Sunoo 59, Sunghoon 61.
[---------------------<------------3]
The following week, Sunoo was plagued by a ghost, a haunting memory playing through his mind, and he was sure that he'd be needing an exorcist to get rid of it.
The memory of Sunghoon that night at the club, and the words he had said to Sunoo outside the convenience store then.
Sunoo realized he was balling his hand up into a fist, and forced himself to relax as he continued to listen to Ni-ki talking over the phone.
"...And then, Jay said that Jungwon was so drunk that he forgot his own name, and was... Hey, are you even listening?"
Sunoo nodded his head quickly, before realizing that Ni-ki couldn't see him.
"I am, I am."
"What's going on with you?"
Sunoo sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I'm not really sure. My head's all over the place right now."
"Mm, college does seem pretty stressful."
What was even more stressful than college was Park Sunghoon, who had been plaguing him for 7 years now.
Sunoo had ran through his memories countless times, but no matter how he thought about it, there wasn't a single time he could think of that Sunghoon had enjoyed being around him.
Maybe he really had misheard him?
[----------------------<-----------3]
In April, Jake and Heeseung made a trip over to Seoul together, and Sunghoon and Sunoo were to have dinner with them at Jake's special request.
Sunoo sat beside Heeseung while Sunghoon sat across from him, beside Jake.
Sunoo did his best to look anywhere but at Sunghoon's face, which now seemed to elicit a strange reaction from Sunoo that he couldn't control.
The dinner was peaceful overall, the four of them sharing some of their college stories thus far.
However, Sunoo's odd behavior didn't escape Heeseung's observant eyes, and he pulled him aside curiously after the meal.
"Did something happen?" Heeseung asked easily, staring at Sunoo, gauging his reactions.
Sunoo smiled quickly, not missing a beat.
"Nah, everything's been good over here.
Thanks for worrying though, Hyung." Sunoo gave him a warm hug, and Heeseung returned it, patting his head softly.
Sunoo sighed, a warmth filling his chest, silently missing his friends back home.
Jake and Heeseung left together, leaving Sunoo and Sunghoon alone at the restaurant exit.
Sunoo turned to Sunghoon then, suddenly feeling emotional after watching his friends leave.
He probably wouldn't be seeing them again, for a long while.
"Sunghoon."
"...?"
"Are we friends?"
"...What?" Sunghoon stared at him blankly.
"Can we be friends?
I don't want to be alone here anymore." Tears filled his eyes suddenly, and Sunoo couldn't stop them from falling anymore.
He had never cried in front of his friends, and certainly not in front of Sunghoon.
Sunoo was always the ray of sunlight, always happy.
He was the shoulder for everyone to lean on when they were sad.
But right then, an unbearable sadness filled his heart.
Surround yourself with good people, and you'll live a good life.
But the sadness you feel when those good people aren't around anymore, it's really the worst.
Sunoo froze as a hand patted his head slowly, and he looked up through tear stained eyes to see an expression on Sunghoon that he'd never seen before.
It was soft, gentle, and a bit melancholy.
"We've always been friends, Sunoo." He said, his voice sad.
Sunoo wasn't sure if this was a win or a loss for him, but suddenly, keeping count didn't seem to matter so much anymore.
[-----------------------<----------3]
After that day, Sunghoon began to text him once a week, inviting him out for dinner.
Sunoo wasn't sure how to feel about it at first.
It was every Wednesday, as if he had set a timer for it, right at noon.
'Are you free for dinner tonight?'
Sunoo would respond with a 'Sure', and they would meet at the same restaurant each time, the one they had gone to with Jake and Heeseung.
The first time it happened, they didn't speak a word until the end of the meal.
Sunghoon spoke first, looking very serious.
"Let me make one thing clear here."
"...?"
"This doesn't mean I like you, okay.
We are just having a meal together."
Sunoo blinked at him, confusion filling him.
"Did I ever say you liked me?"
"..."
Sunoo couldn't help the annoyance that filled him then, like a habit. "What made you think I'd like you, anyway?
I know it's just a meal, don't be ridiculous."
Clearly, the 'like' they were discussing was the same 'like' it had always been, the 'like' or 'dislike' of a friend.
But, somehow, the conversation now felt like it had another context to it, that made Sunoo's skin crawl with that same uncomfortable feeling he always got with Sunghoon.
Sunghoon stared at him then, his eyebrows furrowing like they always would.
"...That's good, then."
And so, after that, they'd have their meal together every Wednesday, like clock work.
It became a part of the routine, and no matter how busy Sunoo's week was, he would make sure to fit it in.
Why he did this, he had no specific reason for.
Regardless of the uncomfortable feeling that he got with Sunghoon around, or how awkwardly silent each of their meals was, he simply couldn't bring himself to stop going.
It was also during this time that he discovered that Sunghoon had picked up a smoking habit.
He watched as Sunghoon pulled one out after their meal one evening, clearly with no intention of hiding the behavior from him.
"Aren't athletes supposed to stay away from smoking?"
Sunghoon had just shrugged his shoulders, pressing the cigarette between folded lips as he raised his other hand to light the end.
Sunoo couldn't look away from the motion, strangely attracted to the way it seemed to give Sunghoon a darker image.
Sunoo shook the feeling off quickly, scrunching up his face.
"It stinks."
"..."
"You stink." Sunoo repeated, changing the verbiage.
Sunghoon just shook his head at him, glancing down at him like he had seen a kid throwing a temper tantrum before walking off.
The first one to break the chain of meals was Sunghoon, because he had a skating event to attend out of the city one week.
Sunoo reacted to Sunghoon's message with a thumbs up, and laid in bed in his dorm room aimlessly that night, unsure of how he felt.
His face lit up in surprise later when he recieved a text from Sunghoon, with an image attached of a plate of food, nothing else written.
Sunoo jumped out of his bed quickly and made himself a quick cup of instant ramyeon, shooting over a picture of it proudly.
Sunghoon reacted to it with a thumbs down emoji, and Sunoo responded with a smiley face emote, a tongue sticking out on it.
A strange feeling bubbled up in his chest then, and Sunoo stuffed it back down quickly.
He definitely, certainly wasn't feeling happy about something like this.
[------------------------<---------3]
It was the end of the first semester, the arrival of summer break, when Sunoo was finally able to make a trip back home.
He had two weeks to relish sleeping in his own bed, and finally was able to meet up with his favorite people in the world.
The first thing he did on Monday was go out for dinner with Ni-ki, Jungwon and Jay.
They shared lots of stories, and Sunoo could swear that he hadn't smiled that much in months.
On Tuesday, Jake and Heeseung arrived in town, and the six of them met up at Jay's place, laughing together in his living room.
On Wednesday, unexpectedly, Sunoo recieved his usual text from Sunghoon.
Sunoo responded quickly, letting him know that he was back in Suwon.
I know, Sunghoon had replied.
An excitement filled Sunoo's chest then, and he slid over to the old group chat to see that Heeseung had invited everyone to his place that afternoon.
Sunoo almost ran over to Heeseung's place, disbelief consuming his mind.
Could it be?
When he arrived, finally, like the pieces of a puzzle had fallen together, the seven of them were together again, a family reunited.
Sunoo slouched down into his usual spot on Heeseung's couch, and Ni-ki sat down next to him, just like they always had before, although the height difference between the two of them now was a bit jarring.
He glanced over at Sunghoon, who was sitting across the room in his usual spot, and he didn't meet his eyes, looking away uncomfortably like he always had.
However, a smile reached Sunghoon's face when he spoke to Jay and Jake, one that Sunoo hadn't seen in even longer.
Sunoo couldn't stop the smile that was on his own, a never ending happiness filling him to the brim.
He was home.
The surprise didn't seem to end there, though, because as the evening drew nearer, Sunghoon stood up suddenly, walking over to Sunoo.
"Let's go." Sunghoon said, looking down at him expectantly.
The others all stared between the two of them in shock, and Sunoo felt just as shocked as the others looked.
"...?!"
"It's time for dinner."
[-------------------------<--------3]
Sunoo sat across from Sunghoon with a blank expression, not sure what to make of the situation.
"You know, it's been a really long time since we've all gotten together like that."
"..."
"Did we really have to leave?
We could've all had dinner together."
"We can do that tomorrow." Sunghoon said easily, as if it was common logic.
Sunoo had never imagined that Sunghoon was so regimented to need to stick to this routine so diligently, but maybe all ice skaters were like this.
"Look, I get your need to stick to routines, but I want to enjoy my vacation with our friends.
Let's not do dinner next week, okay?" Sunoo stood up quickly after speaking, turning to leave.
He had only taken a few steps through the exit when a hand caught his arm firmly, yanking him back.
Sunghoon looked at him, his eyes narrowing. "Kim Sunoo.
Do you really hate me that much?"
Sunoo wanted to bang his head into the wall beside them after hearing this.
"You're asking me that? Seriously?"
Sunghoon kept staring at him, with that damn blank expression, and Sunoo couldn't hold back any longer, yanking his arm away.
"You know, I've been holding this in for a long time, but I really don't think I can take it anymore.
What the hell is wrong with you, seriously?"
Sunoo got close to Sunghoon's face as he spoke, and he wanted to laugh watching the older boy slowly back up into the wall behind him.
"You say you hate me, you call me dumb, you tell me I look bad with make-up on when you know I don't.
You look disgusted every time you see my face.
You tell me you can't stand sleeping in the same room with me.
Then you help me out when I'm in trouble, and you ask me out to dinner, and you say some weird things, like 'We've always been friends'.
What a joke!
Seriously, aren't you just like a little kid, bullying his crush in school?"
Sunghoon looked mortified at his words, and Sunoo's eyes lit up suddenly, as if he'd just hit the nail on the head.
A flame is ignited in him, pressing him to keep going.
"I'm right, aren't I?
You like me, don't you?"
Sunghoon stared at him, and then he suddenly broke out into laugher, the scene oddly familiar to Sunoo.
Like deja vu, it's the same way he'd laughed before, outside of the cafeteria all those years ago.
Just like before, his smile disappeared, leaving his eyes cold.
"You think you have me all figured out?" Sunghoon took a step forward, but Sunoo didn't flinch back this time, meeting his stare head on, their faces only inches apart.
It took everything within him to ignore the heat that suddenly fell over him at the closeness, Sunghoon's warm breath spraying across his face.
He smelled like Irish Spring and Cigarettes.
"You always think it's about the Mint Chocolate Chip, don't you?" Sunghoon whispered, his eyes darkening.
His words clearly had another meaning to them.
A delicious chill made its way down Sunoo's spine at the words.
Seriously, there seemed to be something really wrong with him.
"Maybe." Sunoo whispered back, willing his voice not to shake.
"Maybe I've got it all wrong.
But you've always been too much of a coward to tell me straight, so what else can I do, than to make up my own reasons?"
Sunoo took a deep breath, closing his eyes briefly.
"In the end, I'm still right, aren't I?
You want me."
When he opened his eyes again, Sunghoon's brows were furrowed, the same way they always were when he'd look at him.
"Want you?"
Then, unexpectedly, a new expression spread on Sunghoon's face, that was a mix between a sneer and a smirk.
"Aren't you just projecting?"
"...What?"
Sunghoon tilted his head forward suddenly, and Sunoo flinched backwards reflexively.
The smirk spread even further across Sunghoon's face then, his eyes narrowing.
"Definitely projecting."
Sunoo could feel the twitch returning to his eye, a bubbling anger filling up his chest.
Sunghoon always had a way of getting under his skin, that Sunoo never really understood.
No matter how friendly he'd tried to be, no matter how he'd tried to deal with Sunghoon's antics, he had always acted in a way that Sunoo couldn't predict.
Even now, his actions were a mystery to Sunoo, his intentions unclear.
"Nothing to say now?" Sunghoon said, his eyes just as intense.
The tension between them then was so thick that it could be cut with a knife, and Sunghoon seemed to be perfectly ready to get the last stab in.
But Sunoo's frustration, built up from years of mistreatment, was finally boiling over.
Projecting?
He'd show him what projection was.
Sunghoon slowly opened his mouth, ready to drop the killing words.
Sunoo didn't let him speak again, leaning foward instead to seal his words in with his lips.
They both stood there, frozen, in the exit lobby of the small restaurant, lips pressed together.
Then, suddenly, they were outside of the restaurant, Sunghoon's hand pulling Sunoo to the side of the building, before their lips were connected again, an uncontrollable thirst running through both of them.
It was Sunoo's first time being kissed, the pressure of Sunghoon's lips moving against his feeling dizzying.
Sunghoon's hands were moving across his waist, through his hair, over his face.
Neither of them could break away, their lips being held together like a magnet, and Sunoo couldn't help the light sound that escaped from him, like a carnal need that he couldn't control.
His veins were burning, every part of his body being set on fire.
They stayed against the wall for a while, lips moving together in what felt like slow motion, intoxicating, until Sunghoon finally pulled away, leaving Sunoo panting, his eyes watering.
Sunoo would never tell him that this was his first kiss.
They looked at eachother, not speaking, catching their breath, until Sunghoon suddenly closed his eyes, his body sinking down to the ground against the wall.
Sunoo looked down at him in shock, crouching down to his knees to meet his eye level.
"Are you okay?" Sunoo whispered, looking worried.
Sunghoon opened his eyes finally, staring at Sunoo.
"I don't get it." He whispered, his eyes looking lost.
"No matter how I think about it, you piss me off."
"...?!?"
[‐-------------------------<-------3]
When Sunoo finally got home that night, the first thing he did was call Jungwon, whom he was positive was with his Jay-hyung.
"...Sunoo? What's going on?"
"Put the call on speaker." Sunoo requested quickly.
"Sunoo?" Jay's voice could be heard faintly in the background.
"Jay-hyung, come closer to the phone, I need to ask you something." Sunoo tried not to let his impatience show in his voice.
"What's up?" Jay sounded groggy, as if he'd been woken up.
Sunoo, finally, was able to ask a burning question that had been running through his mind for years.
"You've known Sunghoon for a long time, right?"
"...Where is this going?"
"Is there something wrong with him?"
"..."
"Like, does he have some kind of... issue?" Sunoo tried his best to phrase the question nicely, but it still came out sounding a bit rough.
Jay could be heard sighing on the other end of the line. "For fuck's sake, it's almost midnigh- OW!"
"Don't talk to Sunoo like that. It's rude."
"Okay, okay, I'm sorry, don't be mad..."
There was a pause on the other end of the line then.
"Sorry Sunoo, I don't think we can help you with this one." Jungwon replied finally, and Sunoo could swear there was a hint of amusement in his voice.
Sunoo laid back onto his bed in defeat after hanging up the phone, running the night through his mind again.
His lips still burned where they'd been touched, and he rolled over onto his pillow with a scowl.
Park Sunghoon must have a serious mental illness.
I mean, even if Sunoo had kissed him first, it was only to shock him.
Sunghoon shouldn't have been kissing him back, right?
Sunoo resolved himself to erase the entire experience from his brain.
[---------------------------<------3]
Forgetting proved to be easier said than done, especially when the seven of them had made plans to hangout together the following day.
The group was suspiciously quiet about the events of the night prior, no one asking him any questions about the 'why' and 'how' of his dinner with Sunghoon.
Sunoo was thankful for it though, because he felt like he already had his hands full, dealing with the man in question.
When Sunghoon arrived to Jay's house, settling into his spot on the lazy boy chair in the living room, there was no sign of the previous nights actions.
Sunoo was treated like a particle of air, just as he usually was.
Usually Sunoo would be thankful for this, but somehow, it managed to piss him off even more.
He couldn't even ignore him back, because now Sunoo seemed to be hyper aware of his presence, as if he had a compass attached to his eyes that kept pointing them in Park Sunghoon's direction against his will.
Sunghoon never did look back at him, though.
Could he really just pretend that nothing had happened?
The day continued peacefully on into the night, and Sunoo began to wonder if the prior night was all a figment of his imagination, a strange nightmare he had conjured up in his sleep.
The rest of the week also followed peacefully, although Sunoo found himself noticing small things that he hadn't paid attention to before.
Like how Sunghoon didn't go out to smoke even once the entire time.
Sunoo could see him tapping his finger a couple hours in to each day, clearly fidgeting for the fixation, but he never went out for it.
The fact that he wanted to hide it from the group, but was unafraid to do it in front of Sunoo, either meant that he trusted him a lot, or he just didn't care about his opinion enough to give a shit.
He also noticed the subtle movement of Sunghoon's eyes whenever he would speak.
Sunghoon never looked at him, but Sunoo swears he could see his eye twitching, a micromovement.
It's was on Sunday, when they were all out on a day trip to swim in the lake nearby, that Ni-ki pulled Sunoo to the side, calling him out for his strange behavior.
"Hey, what's going on with you two?" Ni-ki tilted his head in Sunghoon's direction, who was laid out on a towel to dry off a few yards away, sunglasses covering his eyes.
Sunoo definitely hadn't been looking at his barely clothed body, definitely not at all.
"What do you mean?" Sunoo asked carefully, trying not to let his expression warp.
"I mean, you've been staring him down like a loan shark for the past week, and he's been pretending like you're a fly on the wall.
I know you guys don't like eachother, but it's never been this bad before."
Sunoo clicked his tongue, trying to come up with a way to respond that wouldn't sound weird.
"...We just got into a fight, that's all."
The kind of fight that involves touching lips and not talking about it afterwards.
[----------------------------<-----3]
When the next Wednesday arrived, Sunoo spent the entire day feeling anxious.
Whether Sunghoon invited him to dinner or not, either result seemed to be a negative outcome in Sunoo's mind, although he was really unable to decipher why that is, exactly.
However, when evening drew near, and Sunghoon stopped him in the hallway of Heeseung's house, Sunoo could only feel shocked.
"Dinner?"
Sunghoon looked at him for the first time in a week, his face blank, but a hint of something unknown was in his eyes.
He stated it as a question, but to Sunoo it sounded like a command, as if he didn't really have a choice in the matter.
"Okay." Sunoo responded quietly, looking down at his feet.
"Okay?" Sunghoon took a step closer to him, and Sunoo jerked backward quickly, staring up at the man in front of him.
"You'll go?"
Sunoo blinked at him in confusion, not sure what he meant.
"Um, should I not?"
"Aren't you agreeing too easily?" Sunghoon's expression was condescending.
"That's not like Kim Sunoo."
Sunoo gritted his teeth, irritation filling him, trying his best to ignore how nice his name sounded rolling off Sunghoon's tongue.
Seriously, what the hell is wrong with this guy?
"Fine, then.
I won't go." Sunoo spat out, turning to leave.
A hand cut him off then, and Sunoo found himself being caged against the wall.
What is this, a melodrama?
"Too bad. You already agreed." Sunghoon said with a smirk, looking down at him.
Sunoo was stunned, caught between being captivated by the playful look on Sunghoon's face, and being absolutely annoyed with his flippant behavior.
Sunoo finally recovered himself, ducking down and breaking away from the hold.
"I think you might need some professional help.
I'll send you some links later, okay?"
A laugh rang out from behind him as Sunoo walked away, and he could feel his face beginning to turn red.
Maybe I'm the one who needs a professional, Sunoo thought then.
[-----------------------------<----3]
Instead of a restaurant, Sunghoon brought him out to a food stall, a stark change of pace from the usual routine.
The fluttery feeling that threatened to surge up inside of Sunoo was quickly shoved down and replaced with a hunger as he stared down at the extra spicy tteokbokki in front of him.
Sunghoon wouldn't have known that this is his favorite food, right?
Sunoo began to dig in happily, sitting down on a bench near the stall.
Sunghoon didn't eat any, instead standing a few feet away, watching him while lighting a cigarette.
After Sunoo finished, Sunghoon simply walked him home, not speaking a word as they followed the sidewalk.
Sunoo sniffed the air suddenly, glaring at Sunghoon next to him.
"You stink."
"..."
"Like cigarette smoke."
"No shit." Sunghoon glanced down at him, an eyebrow curled down, before pulling out a pack of gum.
He popped a piece into his mouth, and then grabbed Sunoo's hand, dropping a piece into his palm.
Sunoo stared down at it, stopping in place.
"Don't you hate mint?"
"...It's tropical orange."
Sunoo shoved the piece into his mouth quickly then, trying to stifle the laugh that wanted to come out, and he began to walk again at a quicker pace.
By the time they arrived to Sunoo's place, it was already dark outside.
Suddenly, Sunoo realized that Sunghoon was the only member of the group who had never been to his house before.
His thought seemed to accidentally manifest into an awkward sentence.
"Do you want to come inside?"
The minute the words left his mouth, Sunoo regretted it, Sunghoon giving him his trademark blank stare in response.
"Why would I go into your house?"
Honestly, it was the correct question to ask.
What would they do?
Play games? Talk?
But they had never really done those things alone together.
A thought suddenly rushed through Sunoo's mind then, and his whole face turned red.
Sunghoon caught onto this quickly, a sly smile creeping onto his face, knowing.
"What are you thinking about right now?
Something inappropriate?"
Sunoo was quickly aggravated.
He really can't stand that cocky expression.
"Pro-jec-tion." Sunoo sounded out the syllables for him, glowering.
Sunghoon laughed suddenly, grabbing Sunoo by his shoulder and pulling him forward.
"Open your mouth."
"What? What are yo-"
Sunoo was cut off by Sunghoon's lips falling over his, and Sunoo fell completely still, rigid.
The contact was brief, Sunghoon moving his lips for only a moment before his tongue dipped into Sunoo's mouth.
It was a foreign feeling to Sunoo, making him feel squeamish.
Sunghoon pulled away with a smirk, Sunoo's piece of gum now visible between his teeth next to his own.
"This is mine." Is all he said, before his face scrunched up into the usual distain.
"...Damn. Too spicy." He scowled after that, and then he turned and walked off down the road, leaving Sunoo standing speechless in front of his home.
Sunghoon's figure was already far off in the distance when Sunoo finally recovered, shouting out "ASSHOLE!" to the fading silhouette.
[------------------------------<---3]
On Thursday, Sunoo went out to lunch with Jungwon, just the two of them.
It had been a while since he'd been able to spend quality time with his best friend like this.
"Hey Wonie?" Sunoo said while laying his head over his arm on the table.
They were sitting in the outdoor section of a local restaurant, since the weather was nice that day.
"Hmm?"
"Why do you think Sunghoon has always hated me?"
A silenced filled the air, and Sunoo was prompted to sit up suddenly by Jungwon tapping his arm.
"Look, I'll tell you this, but you have to swear you'll never tell anyone, cause I promised Jay that I'd keep it to myself." Jungwon looked very serious, and Sunoo nodded his head, folding his hands together.
"I promise I won't."
The following words that Jungwon left him with sent Sunoo's mind rolling and tumbling into the oblivion.
"So, you remember back at the start of Middle School, when we sat at separate lunch tables?
Well, one day, they started talking about you."
"..."
"Nothing bad, nothing bad. Let me explain this first.
You know how Jay and Sunghoon went to elementary together, right?
Well, apparently, Sunghoon was mistreated by the girls in his school. I guess they used to bother him a lot?
Anyway, he didn't really like girls much after that, and tried to stay away from them as much as he could.
That day, at lunch, after your name was brought up, Sunghoon said, 'That guy? I don't like him at all.' "
"...Didn't you say it wasn't bad?" Sunoo sulked, dropping his head back onto the table.
He did have to stifle a laugh, though, at Jungwon's fake deep-voice-Sunghoon-impression.
"Ah, let me finish, okay?
After that, he was like, 'Isn't that guy a bit too pretty?
Like a girl.
It makes me feel weird.'
He was saying you were too cute, you know!"
[-------------------------------<--3]
Sunoo didn't see Sunghoon again for the rest of the short summer vacation.
Sunoo said his goodbyes to all his friends with a bittersweet feeling in his chest, and then began his bus ride back to Seoul.
Actually, Seoul was never that far away from Suwon, only an hour long bus ride, but Sunghoon had always made it seem like he was in a whole other country.
Even Namyangju wasn't too far of a distance, a two hour bus ride away.
Sunoo wondered if maybe Sunghoon just didn't want to see them back then.
Didn't want to see him.
Sunoo was unsure of how to face Sunghoon with the new information from Jungwon.
Did it make him feel happy?
Sunoo wasn't sure if it was something to be happy about or not, but it was true that he had always been treated differently by Sunghoon.
Did it change anything that had happened between them?
Sunoo wasn't too sure about anything like that, either, however, one thing was beginning to become starkly clear in his mind.
He couldn't stop thinking about Park Sunghoon.
About the damn kiss, the smirk, the erratic behavior, all of it had invaded his brain like a disease.
As the bus ride continued, Sunoo scrolled up in his chat with Sunghoon, reading out a message from before.
'Don't call me again.'
Sunoo looked down at it before pressing the call button in the corner of his screen, his shoulders tense with irritation.
The line only rang once when Sunghoon picked up.
"Sunoo?"
A pause was laced in between when Sunoo didn't speak.
"...Is everything okay?"
Sunoo hadn't called with anything specific in his mind to say.
In fact, it seemed like he had called for no reason at all.
The way he felt after hearing Sunghoon's voice seemed to confirm something for him, though.
"I hate you." Sunoo almost shouted into the phone, pressing the red hang up button and then shutting his phone off.
The people sitting near him on the bus all turned to give him strange looks then, and Sunoo tilted his head down apologetically.
It seemed that, Sunoo liked Sunghoon, and not in just the way you'd like a friend.
[--------------------------------<-3]
That brings us to the present.
It's nearly 10 PM when Sunoo arrives back to the dorms.
What he hadn't been expecting was to find Sunghoon on his campus, standing outside his building, smoking a cigarette.
Sunghoon stares at him blatantly, a strange contrast to the avoidance he'd received for the past two weeks.
He looks... a bit angry, Sunoo realizes quickly.
Is he there because of the phone call?
A panic washes over Sunoo as he walks closer, coming to a stop in front of Sunghoon.
"Why are you here?" Sunoo asks boldly, meeting his icy glare.
"You know why.
Go put your stuff down and come out."
"And if I don't want to?"
Sunghoon leans down, his frame covering Sunoo's entire view, and Sunoo can feel his breath catching in his throat.
"Then I'll go in." Sunghoon breathes, a fire in his eyes.
Sunoo blinks, a feeling of adrenaline dancing along the top of his spine suddenly.
Actually, his dormmate won't be coming back until tomorrow.
With that knowledge in mind, Sunoo turns his head briskly, shoving past Sunghoon to enter the stairwell.
"Suit yourself." Sunoo calls out as he walks, hoping he sounds cooler than he feels right now.
After a few minutes, Sunoo recieves a knock on his door, and he opens it casually, as if he had been bringing visitors to his dorm all the time.
Sunoo tries to stay casual, composed, but the moment he makes the mistake of looking up, he's a goner.
"What's your deal?" Sunghoon hisses, standing in his doorway, not entering the room completely.
"You." Sunoo says simply, feeling dazed.
Sunghoon blinks at him, frozen.
His eyes flicker back and forth across Sunoo's face a few times before he responds.
"What the hell is that supposed to mean?"
Sunoo's knees feel weak, and he sits down on his bed, across the room from Sunghoon.
A safe distance between them.
"It means you're the problem." Sunoo sighs, running a hand through his hair.
Sunghoon had always been the Ice Prince, cold, an ice cube with a frozen heart, but Sunoo was always a ray of sunlight, everyone's Vitamin D, following his heart freely.
After all this time...
Surely, it wouldn't hurt to take a shot at melting it?
"You were right."
"..."
"I was projecting."
"...?"
"I like you.
I've always liked you.
That's why it's always pissed me off, even from the first day we met, that you treated me like shit.
It was never about the Mint Chocolate Chip, you were always right about that."
Sunghoon seems to be holding his breath, completely still in the doorway, so Sunoo continues.
"I like you, but... it's also true that I hate you.
There are so many things I hate about you.
It would take me years worth of suffering to list all of them off."
"..."
"Recently, I've been thinking that I must have a serious mental illness, because it seems like the more things I find to hate about you, the more I can't stay away."
Sunoo looks up, meeting his eyes directly now.
"You know what I mean, right?"
They stare at eachother for a moment, neither speaking.
Sunghoon takes a step forward, then another, walking over to him slowly.
Sunghoon comes to a stop in front of Sunoo, and Sunoo looks up at him, his eyes burning, his heart beating a million kilometers an hour.
"I'll only ask you this one time." Sunoo says.
"Do you like me?"
Sunghoon stares down at him, and Sunoo watches as a flurry of emotions dance through his eyes.
It's a treasure trove of feelings, a richness and depth that Sunoo has never seen in Sunghoon before, and he drinks in the look, trying to burn it into his memory.
"...I guess so." Sunghoon whispers finally.
"..."
Sunoo is appalled.
He just poured his heart out, and this is what he gets in return?
Sunoo kicks Sunghoon's leg suddenly, and Sunghoon almost falls over onto the bed in shock.
"What the hell?
'I guess'?
Seriously?"
Sunoo wants to kill him right now.
Sunghoon grits his teeth, holding his leg with one hand and steadying himself with the other as he leans over Sunoo on the bed.
"Fine."
Sunghoon looks at him, their faces far too close together now from the new positioning.
"Kim Sunoo, I like you."
They both freeze then, as if neither of them were expecting him to actually say it.
Sunoo can't help the way his face turns bright red, and Sunghoon's blank expression changes as he watches Sunoo's reaction.
Sunghoon stares at him intently, and Sunoo starts to feel like he's burning up even more under the gaze.
"...This kind of expression isn't bad on you, either."
"..."
Then, Sunghoon leans in, kissing him slowly.
He moves the hand that was propping himself up, and they both fall back onto Sunoo's bed.
Sunoo could feel Sunghoon smiling against his lips then, and for the first time, it was a smile only for him.
Sunoo had stopped keeping score a long time ago, but it seems that in the end, in a weird, twisted way, they had both won.
[---------------------------------<3]