The cool morning breeze swept through Sunghoon's dark, silky hair as he stared towards a school he didn't belong to. It had only been a day, yet he felt strangely drawn to this place. So, instead of taking his regular route, he decided to pass by again. Sunghoon was no spontaneous person, his brain functioned mostly on logic and reason, which left little room for being impulsive. Whilst clutching his bikes handles, he knew he could leave whenever he wanted, he told himself there wasn't any purpose for him staying there anyway.
He watched the school kids pile in, this school was very different to the one he knew. There was no organisation, no peaceful atmosphere, no security to keep everyone in line. What a dreadful place he thought.
Time was incredibly precious to Sunghoon, for every minute only passes by once in a lifetime, each moment wasted cannot be returned. Attempting to leave multiple times, something seemed to stop him. He wondered if he might be going insane or if he had gotten ill, because he knew he had to get to school, however his body just wouldn't move.
"Hey! It's you again." A voice called out.
Sunghoon, upon hearing the familiar voice, was snapped out of his deep thought. His hand pressed tightly against his chest, he could feel his heart racing, taking in a deep breath, he slowly lifted his head to see the smiley boy he had encountered yesterday.
Sunoo, who was waving excitedly, begins to run over after catching the boys attention. Each step he takes, the less steady he becomes. Still aching from yesterday, his legs buckle from underneath him, causing Sunoo to stumble forward, right into Sunghoon.
"Ah sorry." Sunoo giggles, he felt relieved that he hadn't landed face first on the concrete, instead managing to catch his fall using what he thought was Sunghoon's bike handles.
Gripping the handles even tighter, Sunghoon felt a frail pair of hands grasping his. Their soft skin against each other, faces only inches away, Sunghoon's heart beat uncontrollably. The moment was quiet, intimate, and though they were surrounded by tons of rowdy school kids, it felt like there was no one else on earth.
With a sudden jolt, Sunghoon pulls his hands away. Leaving Sunoo to actually make contact with the bike handles. Awkwardly the boys glance at each other, both confused about what just happened.
"Hah uh, I didn't realize there was so much dog hair on my uniform." Sunghoon gulps, frantically swiping at his uniform. He felt so stupid doing that, he didn't even have a dog, yet he couldn't stop himself.
Sunoo wears a forced smile, slightly uncomfortable by the latter's strange movements. Removing his hands from the handle bars, Sunoo jumps at a loud slapping sound.
Now with both hands directly at his side, appearing more frigid than usual, Sunghoon stood frozen staring at the boy across from him. He hides the panic behind his eyes, he felt annoyed at himself that he was so flustered and felt bad that his fast movement spooked Sunoo.
"Well, we never actually got to introduce ourselves properly, did we?" Sunoo tries to move past the awkward situation. "I'm Kim Sunoo." He states while gently reaching out his hand for a hand shake.
Hesitant at first, Sunghoon eventually shakes the boys hand. "Park Sunghoon."
"So, Park Sunghoon, how come you're here? I'd never seen you before yesterday and now you're miraculously right in front of me." Smirking slyly, Sunoo's leans forward, just enough to feel the cold breath from the boy brush his skin. "You just had to see me again?"
Choking on the lump in his throat, Sunghoon takes a quick step back. "Actually, there's a road closure up ahead, which meant I couldn't go my normal way."
Sunoo giggles at how cute Sunghoon was when he was nervous. He found it adorable how he tried to hide it through his cold exterior. "Ah I see. Ooh Anyway I was hoping I'd run into you. Hah not literally, but I guess I did that too."
Sunoo's face comes alive when he laughs, his eyes sparkle, his teeth neatly on show, he let off this vibe that he was the happiest boy on earth. Entrancing Sunghoon each time, it's like every positive emotion Sunoo felt was exposed.
"My friend Jungwon's having a party Friday to celebrate his birthday, would you wanna come?"
Clearly taken back by Sunoo's offer, it had been so long since someone had invited him to anything. "Me? Why would you invite me? you barely know me."
"It's like a thank you for yesterday. I don't know much about you, normally I would treat you with food but I don't know what food you like. So, I thought, everyone likes a party!"
'Everyone likes a party' this statement could only be remotely believable, if he wasn't speaking to our very own Park Sunghoon. Parties only get in the way, dull concentration and distract people from their miserable lives. Sunghoon didn't understand why kids his age were so obsessed with celebrating every little occasion, there are many more moments in life that are actually worth celebrating, but you can only have those moments if you buckle down now and work hard.
Sunghoon was the farthest thing from a push over, usually he'd have no problem rejecting an offer like this. Yet in true fashion around Sunoo, he just didn't know what to say.
"You're stuck in your head again, c'mon what's there to think about, it's just a bit of fun." Biting his lips tightly, Sunoo's face switches for a second as he thinks of an idea. "Give me your arm." Reaching deep into his trouser pocket, Sunoo pulls out a black ball point pen.
"Huh, wait..." Before Sunghoon has a chance to resist, Sunoo pulls his arm away from him and starts writing something down.
"There! That's the address, the parties at 8 on Friday. If you wanna come, then you're welcome."
The black ink that decorated Sunghoon's arm, was presented beautifully. Staring down at it, his heart skipped a beat. He couldn't understand why he felt so moved by this gesture, but he did enjoy being marked by Sunoo.
"See you Friday... hopefully." Cheerfully Sunoo smiles once more before skipping back towards the school.
Still engulfed in the letters that adorned him, Sunghoon bares a small smile. Taking one finger, he runs it softly along his arm, tracing every letter Sunoo wrote.
"Hopefully."
It had been a long time since any regular person put their faith in Sunghoon. It was uncomfortable yet nostalgic. Sunoo was so trusting; this was the first time in a year Sunghoon dreaded letting someone down.
********
Slouched comfortably in the back seat, Sunghoon watched the world pass by through the car window, manifesting a peaceful return home. His mother had stayed pretty silent this past 10 minutes, which was extremely out of her character.
"Did you manage to get to school on time this morning?" Nervously, his mother finally utters words that held substance, instead of the small talk she had attempted when Sunghoon first got in the car.
Scoffing, Sunghoon leans his head inattentively against the window. "Yep, when have I ever been late?" He sharply replies.
His mother, brows knit, felt burdened by this response. Tapping the steering wheel rhythmically, she contemplated questioning the surprising answer.
"Ah that's good then." She clears her throat before continuing. "I was just so shocked this morning when you asked to cut practice by 15 minutes, I thought you were having some troubles getting to school on time. Ignore me, it's my mistake."
Sunghoon was not the type to lie, he gave no excuse this morning, so he wasn't surprised that his mother tried to dissect his actions. Giving a slight nod to his mother, he'd rather stay silent then tell her the truth.
"Would you want to tell me why you cut practice?"
Sunghoon had barely any patience for his mother, she was always asking him questions he didn't want to answer. It wouldn't affect her in the slightest if she knew what Sunghoon was up to this morning, he didn't owe her an explanation.
"No." Sunghoon knew that the minute he 'blew up' in front of his mother, he would then have to face all the problems he liked to bury deep inside. These were different than something trivial he could solve with logic; most people rush into dealing with these things, which leads to the situations becoming messy and ending up worse than before. It's better to actually think, than act, even if this leads to not acting at all.
This one word answer was inarguable, it ended the conversation and she couldn't do anything about it. No matter what she said, she would be ignored, it wasn't worth trying after that point.
********
A few unenthusiastic steps led Sunghoon into his bedroom. He couldn't shake his conflicted feelings. Dropping his school bag carelessly, the boy tumbled backwards onto his bed.
"Arghhhhh." Pressing his hands into his face, Sunghoon let out a frustrated yell. He pushed his hands up through his hair, closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh. His thoughts were all over the place; he couldn't understand why he was acting and feeling so different.
"What is going on? Why did I go back there?" Sunghoon whispers to himself, trying to avoid his family hearing through the thin walls. "And cutting practice time, ugh, what was I thinking?"
Although, he couldn't understand his actions, Sunghoon did know the feeling of disappointment. The pressure he always placed upon himself left ample room for self hatred. Cutting practice time was something he swore that he wouldn't do, and yet, he did.
His eyes scanned every corner of his blank, white ceiling as he collected his thoughts. It was hard to comprehend what decisions he had made this day, he could feel himself changing, in a somewhat familiar way.
