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“Stop staring at me like that, your eyeballs are about to pop out.”
Yeonjun snarled at the words.
“This is all your fault.” His eyes bore into the boy sitting across him, unfazed, as if he couldn’t care less about being trapped here.
Choi Soobin. The school’s volleyball team’s Ace. School’s favorite boy. Yeonjun’s least.
You might ask why, and Yeonjun already made a list of five very solid reasons that had been burned into his mind over the years.
It started when they were younger, where they were friends. Yes, they were friends as much as Yeonjun hated to admit. Soobin wasn’t always an asshole like he was now.
“You have holes in your cheeks.”
Was the first ever words Yeonjun had said to Soobin. The little boy puzzledly stared at him, looking half-scared like Yeonjun was some candy thief.
“Sorry?”
“When you smile.”
“Oh…” The ‘cheek holes’ resurfaced. “They’re called dimples, and they’re not holes...”
“Whatever. My mom told me I should ask you to play.”
“Okay…”
“What’s your name?”
“Choi Soobin.”
“Choi Yeonjun.” He gestured at himself. “How old are you?”
“Five.”
“Nice, I won. I’m six. Now you call me hyung.”
They were next-door neighbors, and Yeonjun was Soobin’s first ever friend, since he was a newcomer at the time. Yeonjun would like to describe young Soobin as a snotty, chubby, yet adorable kid (he was lucky by having those dimples). Looking back, Soobin should be grateful for Yeonjun, he'd helped him shape his social skills—dragging him along around the neighborhood and introducing him to other kids.
Yeonjun was the only one Soobin had. Every day, they go to school together and walk home side by side. Soobin refused to be separated from Yeonjun even just for every Tuesday’s afternoon for his dance class.
“Hyung, can I come to the studio with you?” Soobin had asked him one time, eyes were glistening with tears, just a snot away from crying.
Yeonjun sighed. “No, Soobin. You can’t.”
“But, why…?”
“Because you can’t dance too when I already do,” Yeonjun huffed. “We can’t keep matching all the time. You’re gonna make their teasing worse.”
Their parents and friends would occasionally tease them as if they were items that came in pairs. A couple. It made Yeonjun uncomfortable—or at least he was worried Soobin was feeling uncomfortable. Soobin was just his friend. People shouldn’t twist it into something else.
Soobin pouted, adorably, almost like a puppy. “Then what do I do?”
“I don’t know… but stop whining like a baby.”
Simply put, they used to be inseparable.
Until one afternoon, when Yeonjun had came home from his dance lesson, hoping to find Soobin waiting for him to play.
Only to see Soobin was playing volleyball—maybe, first time ever he ever played that sport—with the older boys in their neighborhood.
Soobin, out of all people, should’ve known Yeonjun hated to be left out. Sure, he could join them and play that stupid ball. Yeonjun saw Haikyu once, he knew a bit about volleyball like decoy, Hinata, and that being tall wouldn’t advantage you in this sport.
Yeonjun really knew nothing about it at all.
He had no option but to stare cluelessly as Soobin played with others. It wasn’t that he was bored. But when Soobin was already immersed in an activity, he wouldn’t notice other things around him. And by things, he meant Yeonjun, himself.
At least, Soobin looked like he had fun. But Yeonjun couldn’t ignore the build-up anxiety gnawing in his gut by the sight, like he’d been replaced.
First reason.
Soobin had ignored Yeonjun all afternoon, replacing him with Haikyu wannabe hyungs.
“But, hyung, you said it yourself I can’t join your dance class,” Soobin explained as they walked to their class the next day. “And those hyungs were so nice… They even taught me how to play.”
“I don’t care, Soobin, you still ditched me,” Yeonjun scowled.
The latter grimaced. “You’re right. I’m sorry, hyung, it was just really fun. I can’t stop. You should join us next time.”
“No, thanks. I’d rather—”
Yeonjun’s words trailed off as his attention was distracted by the woman standing, waiting in front of their classroom. She looked young like Soobin’s noona and wore a soft floral dress that made her seem almost ethereal.
“Who’s that?” Yeonjun asked, almost wowed.
Later, they found out she was Mrs. Cho, their temporary art teacher. And possibly, Yeonjun’s first ever crush.
Mrs. Cho was warm and full of life. She always threw jokes that made every of her lessons never boring, and to top it off, she was also a dancer—just like Yeonjun. With her long, silky hair cascaded down over her shoulders, she looked like a princess in the storybooks he used to read.
Naturally, Yeonjun confided in Soobin about his silly crush. Making him sit through his babble about what went down with Mrs. Cho everyday.
“…and then she showed me her bow. It looked so pretty, Soobin. She looked so pretty.”
Soobin, barely looking up from the volleyball match on the TV, huffed. “I’m still prettier than her.”
Yeonjun sighed. “You’re a boy, Soobin. You can’t be pretty.”
There was silence after that, Yeonjun assuming Soobin was already tired with his jabs. But then he heard a quiet mumble come from Soobin, it was barely heard.
“You are.”
The older froze. Unsure what to respond, or should.
So he just brushed it off.
Yeonjun never gave too much thought about the event and soon let it slip from his mind. But as time went on, he noticed something strange. Every time he brought up Mrs. Cho, Soobin would act weird. Uninterested. Irritated, even.
That left him wondering—was Soobin also crushing on Mrs. Cho?
His suspicion only grew stronger when Mrs. Cho asked him to perform a routine together. He was so excited about it since it’d be his first time performing in public. Soobin was automatically invited.
“You have to come,” Yeonjun had told him. “I won’t forgive you if you miss it.”
Soobin had promised he would.
But when the night came, Soobin never showed up.
Second reason. Soobin, Yeonjun’s best friend at the time, broke his promise and missed one of the most important nights of his life.
Soobin had apologized of course. And Yeonjun eventually relented to forgive him after learning he had a volleyball team trial that same evening. But Soobin never made it clear whether he forgot to tell Yeonjun about it or deliberately chose not to mention it.
And judging by the way he'd been acting strangely lately, it seemed like it was done on purpose.
“Do you think it’s weird when a boy kisses another boy?” Soobin had asked one day.
Yeonjun didn’t immediately answer, caught off guard by the sudden question. What an odd thing to ask.
“Why do you ask?”
Soobin reacted like he was a deer caught in headlights. “Uh… I don’t know—I heard some girls talking about it.”
Truthfully, he never really thought about it. For starters, he never saw one. Yeonjun had only seen his parents kiss, the people in the movie kiss. So, he settled on the closest thing he could think of.
“Imagine us kissing, Soobin. Would it be weird to you?”
Yeonjun didn’t give much thought when he asked the question. He, himself, wasn't even sure about his own opinion.
There was silence, as if Soobin was really thinking about it. It was getting suspicious and Yeonjun turned his head, catching Soobin who quickly replied, “Yeah… yeah I guess it’d be weird.”
They never talked about it again. The young and short sighted Yeonjun, who easily forgot things, never questioned how strange the discussion had been.
That is, until on a random day, the accident happened.
They were in Yeonjun’s bedroom, hanging out like usual.
“You won’t believe what happened today, Soobin.” Yeonjun flopped onto his bed next to the younger, grinning ear to ear. “Mrs. Cho kissed my head after I fell down the stairs and hit my head.” He pointed to the crown of his head. “Right here!”
“It’s not that special, hyung.” Soobin responded like always. Unimpressed. “I could do better.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Yeonjun laid on his side, facing Soobin. “You think you can do better? What, like kissing me on the lips?”
Soobin immediately sat up, his ears burning red. “That’s not what I—”
“What’s stopping you then, huh? Do it. Kiss me on the lips.”
“Hyung, stop it!” Soobin shook Yeonjun’s shoulder relentlessly.
Yeonjun quickly hooked his arms around Soobin’s neck, locking him in place. Now their faces were only an inch away.
“Are you gonna kiss me now?” Yeonjun smirked. “What’s wrong? Afraid? Come on, Binie. You said you could do better. Prove it—”
Before Yeonjun could finish, Soobin leaned in and pressed his lips to Yeonjun’s.
Yeonjun froze, stayed still. Soobin’s lips were soft and fleeting. By the time Yeonjun could process what had happened, Soobin had already pulled back, face pale and horrified.
“Oh my god, hyung, I’m so sorry, hyung. I didn’t mean to—I just—”
Yeonjun blinked at him, mind spinning and heart pounding. What just happened?
“It’s okay. It’s okay,” Yeonjun finally managed, though he was unsure if he meant that.
It was as if his mind or maybe his heart was deciding whether they liked it or not.
“No, it’s not okay! I wasn’t thinking—I don’t know what I did that—”
“It’s fine, Binie, I—”
“It was a mistake!” Soobin cut him off. “I’m sorry, hyung. It was an accident.”
The word tugged something inside of Yeonjun’s chest. Mistake. But he ignored it, thinking it was just some glitch in his heart.
“Okay.” Yeonjun whispered, his mind blank. “Let’s just not talk about this ever again then.”
Soobin had agreed but nothing was the same after that.
Third reason. Soobin stole his first kiss and said it was a mistake.
Time passed by and now they were in high school. Soobin had grown fond of the sport, he joined the school’s volleyball team. “Volleyball gives me the distraction that I need, hyung.” Soobin had said to Yeonjun, though he never knew—or asked what distraction. He just knew Soobin was living his best life.
Unfortunately for Yeonjun, it was the opposite. He spent less and less time with the younger.
Soobin’s little hobby sacrificed their little routines. Going home from school together was no longer an option since volleyball practice took over Soobin’s afternoon. And then, when Soobin was home, Yeonjun waited on his home, the younger said he was too tired to play or even just for a little chat.
Yeonjun could only say a pathetic, “I see… rest well then, Binie.”
Only Mrs. Choi noticed how he’d to hold back his tears that night.
Yeonjun missed his best friend.
They barely even greet each other in the hallway anymore. Let alone, lunch. Soobin would spend it with his teammates and new friends Yeonjun didn’t even know about. Yeonjun couldn’t help but feel Soobin slowly pulling away from him.
Were they even still friends?
But thankfully, summer break came and Yeonjun hoped it would make up for the time they missed. He'd been looking forward to their annual sleepover marathon. Maybe, Soobin would tell his recent volleyball progress for Yeonjun to catch up.
But then Soobin dropped the bomb.
“I have a volleyball camp out of town, hyung,” he had said, voice tinged with guilt. “I’m sorry.”
Yeonjun had tried to play it cool. “Oh. When are you leaving?”
“…Tomorrow?”
“Tomorrow?!”
“I thought I mentioned it before…”
“You didn’t!” Yeonjun wanted to be mad, but he settled for an eye roll instead. “Fine. But you better text me. And call. No excuses.”
Soobin gave his dimpled smile. “Of course, I will.”
And for the first two days, he did. Soobin texted about how intimidating other kids’ skills were, how strict the coach was, they even had a late-night call once.
On the third day, Soobin replied later than usual. And it gradually happened until he stopped replying to Yeonjun’s text, let alone calling.
He told himself that Soobin was just busy. Training must be tough. Maybe he was too tired to text. Maybe his phone died. Maybe—
But then Soobin posted on his social media.
It contradicted all of his speculations about what might have happened. That was the moment when Yeonjun realized.
Soobin wasn’t busy. He'd simply ignored him.
Ghosted him.
And that was the fourth reason.
If Yeonjun wasn’t an overthinker, he could just comment or DM Soobin, like "hey, are you mad at me? do you purposely ignore my texts?"
But the more he mulled it over, he didn’t want to look pathetic, it was starting to feel one sided—like he was desperately trying to reach Soobin. Yeonjun just wanted to stop… reaching, and see if Soobin would come back on his own.
A day before school started, Yeonjun noticed Soobin’s room glowing with vibrant lights from his window.
Weird. He didn’t even know Soobin was back from camp.
Wasting no time, he went straight to the next door, knocking on the door out of habit.
Mrs. Choi’s face appeared from behind. “Ah, Yeonjun, to what do I owe the pleasure today?”
“Hi, Mrs. Choi. Is Soobin home yet?”
“Yes, since yesterday, sweetie. Didn’t he tell you?”
Yeonjun weakly shook his head. A dull ache settled in his chest—disappointment, maybe. Or something else. A strange, creeping anxiety at the distance Soobin had put between them.
“Oh… he must have just forgotten or was too tired,” Mrs. Choi tried to reassure. “Go on up, you know the way.”
An uneasy feeling settled in Yeonjun’s stomach as he climbed the familiar stairs, making him anxious.
Then, just as he reached Soobin’s door, he heard it—laughter. Not just Soobin’s. There was someone else.
He swung the door open.
Soobin was with another boy, not older than them. The vibrant lights turned out to be the TV glow. They were watching a volleyball match together.
“Hyung!” Soobin greeted, he couldn’t even mask his surprise on his face. “What are you doing here?”
“I didn’t know you got back yesterday, Soobin.” Yeonjun didn’t bother to subtle his irritation.
“Yeah… forgot to tell you.” Soobin rubbed the back of his neck before motioning to the new boy. “Anyway, meet Jungkook hyung. We were at camp together, and guess what? Turns out he lives just a few blocks away!”
Soobin’s gaze flickered to Jungkook, who gave a polite nod. “Nice to meet you, Jungkook.” His voice was flat, distant. Then, turning to Soobin. “Can I talk to you? Outside.”
Soobin hesitated for a split second before excusing himself and following her out into the hallway.
As soon as the door closed behind them, he frowned, “Why are you acting weird, hyung? You were kinda rude. You didn’t even call Jungkook hyung hyung.”
The words went straight to his head. Did I really act weird?
Yeonjun tried to reflect on why he was feeling this way. So annoyed. So betrayed.
Was I being rude to Soobin’s friend because of it?
But the longer he thought, the clues were all pointed at Soobin. He wouldn’t act like this if Soobin didn’t make him guess why he’d been avoiding Yeonjun but not other people. He wouldn’t act like this if Soobin just… talked to him about what was going on with them.
“No!” he snapped, frustrated. “You’re the one who’s being weird! Why did you stop texting me during your camp?”
Soobin blinked, clearly taken aback. “I mean… It was just for two weeks,” he brushed it off without showing any sign of regret. “Why are you being so clingy, hyung?”
Yeonjun felt something inside him crack.
“Clingy?” He scoffed, a mix of amused and disbelief. “Don’t try to gaslight me, Soobin. You’re the one who ditched me out of nowhere.”
“What are you talking about?” Soobin asked, his tone as sharp as the crease forming between his eyebrows.
“Ever since you've been focusing on volleyball, you’ve completely ignored me!” Dejection flitted in Yeonjun’s voice, he whispered as he continued, “it feels like you're avoiding me.”
“I didn’t ignore you!” Yeonjun flinched at Soobin’s sudden high pitch, and he looked just as startled. “I just need space…”
“Right,” Yeonjun’s eyes were blank as he stared at the boy in front of him—the boy he used to be so close to. “The thing you gave to your Jungkook hyung inside.”
Soobin didn’t respond immediately, as if he knew he was caught with his own excuse. His voice was softer when he spoke again, “Maybe I needed space from you, Yeonjun.”
No hyung. Just Yeonjun. Soobin didn’t even shout, but his words shattered a part of his heart. What did I even do to Soobin? The question floated in his head out of his anger and sadness.
His body moved before he could think, stepping back as he felt the tears threatening to drop just a second away. Soobin couldn’t see him crying like this.
“You know what, don't ever talk to me again.” His voice was cold as ice. “Have fun with your new hyung.”
Soobin didn’t say a word.
Yeonjun didn’t wait for him to. He turned and walked away.
It became the fifth reason. Soobin just let Yeonjun walk away from their friendship, no effort to make him stay.
And so it goes. The days when Yeonjun was close to Soobin felt like a lifetime ago.
After their friendship fell apart, Soobin didn’t even seem to notice Yeonjun’s absence. Too busy with his new friends—his hyungs—and his one and only volleyball. It was as if their friendship had never existed in the first place.
Yeonjun could only be thankful that their parents never questioned the sudden distance between them.
That was fine. Yeonjun had other things to focus on now.
Dance.
It consumed most of his time, filling the gaps Soobin had left behind. He joined the school’s extracurricular club, trained hard, and for once, everything went well for him.
Until Jungkook showed up.
“Aren’t you Soobin’s friend?”
“No.”
Jungkook tilted his head. “Pretty sure you are. You went to his house that day, right? Wait—Yeonjun, isn’t it?”
Did I tell him my name that day?
“…Yeah.”
“Knew it.” Jungkook smiled excitedly. “You remember me? Jungkook.”
Of course I remember my replacement.
“Right.” Yeonjun’s tone was flat, contrasting the latter’s. “Didn’t know you danced too.”
“I do a lot of stuff. Dancing, boxing, volleyball.”
“Sounds exhausting.”
Jungkook laughed smugly, couldn’t seem to sense Yeonjun’s disinterest. “Anyway. I’m glad we paired up for the duet.”
Can’t say the same.
And just like that, Yeonjun (begrudgingly) found himself acquainted with Jungkook.
To his reluctant surprise, the more time he spent with Jungkook, the more Yeonjun realized he wasn’t as bad as he’d thought. At the very least, Jungkook made him grateful for their partnership—especially after seeing how some of his classmates struggled with their duet partners. Jungkook was incredibly talented at dancing.
But he was also ridiculously careless.
“Hyung, here.” Yeonjun handed him a flash drive containing their final dance choreo. “Our recording. Give it to Mr. Jung tomorrow morning.”
“Why can’t you do it?”
“Because I’m not coming to school tomorrow. I told you this.”
“Right. Dentist appointment.” After a while Jungkook groaned.
“What now?”
“I have a party tonight.”
“So?”
“I can’t promise that I won’t get wasted and miss school tomorrow…?”
Yeonjun exhaled sharply. “Hyung, I swear to God, I will drag you out of that party myself.”
“Please do.”
Yeonjun rolled his eyes at the older’s lack of accountability. “Where is this party anyway?”
“Jackson’s? I thought you knew… We celebrate Soobin’s achievemet. He made it to the national youth team.”
The news sank in, making a strange hollowness in his chest.
So, I guess we’re already on that stage now. The stage where I hear about his life from other people.
“I told you—we’re not friends anymore,” Yeonjun muttered, his voice quieter this time.
Jungkook shrugged. “Yeah? Doesn’t look like it.”
“Whatever. Let’s just start practice.”
They ran through the practice. Yeonjun struggled to focus, he couldn’t stop thinking about the new information about Soobin.
He was happy for him. But it felt sad Yeonjun couldn’t tell it directly.
Though, in reality, he’d probably slap Soobin first before Yeonjun could congratulate him.
The moment they wrapped up, Jungkook quickly grabbed his phone, checking for the time. “Shit. I’m gonna be late.” He hastily stuffed up his bags before standing up to leave. “Gotta go now, Yeonjun. See you tomorrow!”
“Wait—the flash drive!”
But Jungkook had already closed the door.
Yeonjun groaned, running a hand down his face. The deadline was first thing in the morning, and Jungkook was the only one who could submit it.
He had no choice.
He was going to that party.
Jackson’s house was packed with drunk high schoolers from nearly every grade.
Which was no surprise. As the captain of the volleyball team—their school’s most popular sport—Jackson often hosted parties, and students were always eager to join.
But it seemed like Soobin had expanded his social circle too.
A massive banner hung across the living room.
‘Congratulations, Choi Soobin! Our newest national player!’
Yeonjun stared at it, the same strange, uneasy feeling settling in his chest.
The name—the person—once so familiar, now felt like nothing more than a stranger.
Shaking it off, he refocused on his mission.
Yeonjun asked nearly a dozen people for Jungkook’s whereabouts before finally getting a lead.
“Upstairs bathroom,” a girl said.
So, he went.
Upstairs hallway was dim and the music faded in the background. The bathroom was weirdly unoccupied for a packed party like this.
But Yeonjun, having zero sense of self-preservation, stepped inside anyway.
A second later, he realized why the bathroom had been empty.
It was a trap. A prank. And the victim stepped right after him…
Was Choi Soobin.
The bathroom’s door closed with a bang. He heard laughter outside
And that was how Yeonjun ended up here.
Locked in Jackson’s bathroom.
With his ex-best friend.
The person on top of Yeonjun’s hate list.
“This is all your fault.”
“How the hell is this my fault, Yeonjun?”
“If your friends weren’t completely idiots, they’d be more careful with their pranks—like, I don’t know, not locking random people inside.”
Bitterness lodged in Yeonjun’s throat, it had been a while since he talked with Soobin. He had mixed feelings. Built-up irritations and something like… longing.
“Oh, so now you blame my friends?” Soobin scoffed, shaking his head. “This was supposed to be my trap.” He leaned closer like he was inspecting Yeonjun. “This is on you. Why did you come to this bathroom? Matter of fact, what are you even doing here? At my party.”
Yeonjun’s jaw tightened. He hated how Soobin said it. My party. Like it was some exclusive thing Yeonjun had no business being at.
“I came here to give this to Jungkook.” He lifted the flash drive between his fingers.
“Oh?” Soobin said half-amused, half-bitter. “So you guys are friends now, huh?”
Yeonjun narrowed his eyes, annoyed. “We’re dance partners. So what?”
“Funny,” Soobin muttered. “You were being dramatic when I started hanging out with him.”
Yeonjun exhaled. He needed to stay calm. “It’s different.”
Soobin let out a humorless laugh. “Different how?”
Yeonjun could answer, oh, because you were in position of ignoring me at that time, said you need some space but surprise, Jungkook was there. Yeonjun could say, because you were acting like a jerk.
But he chose to reply, “Just… the situation. You wouldn’t get it.”
“You’re so complicated, Yeonjun,” Soobin whispered, as if he was disappointed. “I can never understand you.”
“You’re one to talk. Remember when we’re still friends, Bin?”
Soobin visibly gulped as he braced for Yeonjun to continue.
“Should’ve stopped being friends when you ditched me for your stupid volleyball.”
“It was a long time ago, Yeonjun! And I did that because you wouldn’t let me join your dance lesson!”
“Oh, that was just the beginning,” Yeonjun spat, filled with hurt more than anger now. “Then you missed my first-ever public dance performance because of that stupid volleyball trial you didn’t even bother telling me after it was over!”
Soobin’s mouth parted slightly, caught off guard. “I didn’t know it was important to you—”
“It was! You were my best friend, Soobin!” Yeonjun’s voice cracked, the words tasted sour on his tongue. “But you let me walk away from our friendship… You didn’t even try to make me stay. Why?”
A heavy silence filled the space between them, years of suppressed confusion and anger finally out. For the first time since the argument started, Soobin didn’t try to shoot back another defensive remark. He just sat there, his gaze blank as he stared at the floor, as if he was reliving in Yeonjun’s pain, or maybe in his own.
“I…” Soobin finally spoke, his voice barely above a whisper. “I thought it was for the best for us…”
Yeonjun let out a bitter laugh, but it came out choked. “Fuck you!” His tears were falling now. “You don’t get to decide that! You even ghosted me weeks before it all fell apart!”
Soobin’s eyes flickered with something unreadable—regret, maybe. “I didn’t ghost you, Yeonjun.” His voice wavered, hesitant. “I was… I was trying to figure out my feelings.”
Yeonjun froze. “What?” He wiped the tears from his cheeks. “What… what do you mean, Soobin?”
Tears now glistened Soobin’s eyes. “I like you, Yeonjun.”
Yeonjun blinked. The words barely registered. “Wait—” His heart pounded, confusion clouding his thoughts. “What did you just say?”
“I like you,” Soobin repeated, steady this time
Yeonjun’s breath hitched. It didn’t make sense. It couldn’t make sense. His mind spiraled, searching for cracks in Soobin’s words, for proof that this wasn’t real. Flashback flooded in—every time Soobin pushed him away, every moment he chose something, someone, else over him.
“No.” Yeonjun shook his head. “No, you don’t.” His voice trembled, not with anger or pain, but with fear. “You pushed me away. You left me. You don’t like me.”
Soobin slowly moved closer to reach for Yeonjun, but he pulled away.
“Yeonjun, I did it because I didn’t know what to do with my feelings.” He took a shaky breath, now sitting cluelessly right before he could reach Yeonjun. “Every time I tried to accept it, you’d say or do something that—That scared me.”
Yeonjun’s pulse roared in his ears. He didn’t know what was worse—the years of hurt resurfacing, or the new discovery behind it, might have been nothing like he thought.
“Like what?” Yeonjun asked.
“I… I always thought you didn’t like it when people ship us together. You always acted uncomfortable and it hurted.”
“What?” Yeonjun’s eyebrows furrowed. “No, no, that’s not what happened… I thought you were the one who uncomfortable—”
“And the kiss.”
“What kiss—” Yeonjun’s eyes widened in realization. My first kiss. “You’re the one who said it was a mistake!”
“It was never a mistake!” Soobin stuttered. “I—I was waiting for your reaction but… but then I suddenly remembered the time when I asked you about two boys kissing and you said it’s weird—”
Yeonjun felt like a constant wave of realization hit him mercilessly.
“But I had already done it. I kissed you. And I freaked out—”
“Soobin.” Yeonjun moved closer, closing the gap between them. “Hey, look at me.” He gently grasped Soobin’s face, forcing him to focus.
Soobin’s frantic eyes finally meet his.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t know you felt like that.” Yeonjun’s voice was soft, hoping to calm Soobin down. “It was my first kiss, Soobin. I was just as shocked as you are.”
Soobin’s breathing evened out as his panic faded. Yeonjun couldn’t help but flash a fond smile. All these years and it was just a series of miscommunication.
“So, your kiss wasn’t a mistake?” Yeonjun asked again, just to make sure.
Soobin shook his head. “No… never.”
“I’m sorry…” Soobin whispered. “For everything. For pushing you away. For ended things and didn’t stop you. I ruined our friendship because of my feelings. I’m selfish—”
“Hey. Stop.” Yeonjun went for a hug, his voice was calm as he spoke softly in Soobin’s ear. “It’s not just you, okay? I should’ve asked before it was too late. We should’ve talked instead of assuming things.”
Yeonjun exhaled, his mind reeling from everything they had just admitted. He finally realized that the pain of Soobin leaving wasn’t just about betrayal—it was about fear. Fear of losing him.
“It’s too late isn’t it?” Soobin asked, making Yeonjun let go of his embrace and stare at Soobin confusedly. “Our friendship… it ended.”
Yeonjun let out a small chuckle. “We can start over.” His heart pounded as he looked into Soobin’s eyes. “Or, we can turn it into something new.”
“Something new?”
Without wasting more time, Yeonjun leaned in, his lips brushing against Soobin’s. It was hesitant at first, almost as if asking for permission, but when Soobin didn’t pull away, the kiss deepened. It was soft, full of everything they built up over the years—apologies, confessions, and yearnings all at once.
When they finally pulled apart, their foreheads rested against each other, breaths mingling, lips tingling. A small smile played on Yeonjun’s lips, mirrored by Soobin’s.
“I missed your cheeks holes,” Yeonjun murmured, poking in Soobin’s dimple.
Soobin laughed wholeheartedly, as if he just had his best moment of the day. “I miss you too, hyung.”
“So, you’re back to calling me hyung again, huh?” Yeonjun teased, too happy to not to. Soobin laughed harder.
And then as if on cue, the door cracked open. A familiar face popped behind the door.
“Jungkook hyung…”
The oldest stared at them knowingly, amused. Yeonjun was suddenly aware of the position they were in. “I knew it.”
They hurriedly scrambled to get up.
“Is Soobin still your friend now, Yeonjunie?”
“Shut up.”