try-hard •sunki au•

sixty-six

“Your sister.”

Sunoo almost snapped his neck when he looked at Riki who had his head still placed in the older boy’s shoulder.

“Keep going, I’ll explain later,” Riki calmly said. He takes his other arm off Sunoo’s body and poked Sunoo’s cheeks.

He then gently pushed Sunoo’s head back to face the pictures.

Sunoo didn’t ask further as he continued flipping over the pictures.

He then gets to the part where it’s obvious who took the picture. It was him and Riki hugging outside a shop, followed by them walking hand in hand.

“My sister took these photos,” Sunoo said, not even questioning it anymore.

He stopped going through the pictures and just stared at all the pictures scattered on the bed.

“What’s the purpose of all of these?” Sunoo asked, this time using a serious tone.

Riki lets go of Sunoo as he digs through the scattered pictures, picking up a copy of him and Sunoo standing before the university gate where they had a fight.

He also picked up his picture with Sunoo’s sister in it. Both pictures happened on the same day.

“Your father took this picture,” Riki said. “And the gift I gave you that day is actually from him.”

Sunoo remained silent.

“All those pictures of us outside the university before and after Christmas were all taken by your father,” Riki continued. “When he was still able to walk and visit you secretly.”

“You’ve met him?” Sunoo asked.

“Many times,” Riki said. “And I know how much he cares for you. That’s why I agreed to our deal of going back home, because I know that there will not be enough time for you to know how he truly feels about you.”

Sunoo wiped off the tear that escaped his eyes.

“He thought I was your friend,” Riki continued.

“Riki.”

“Hm?”

There was a long pause as Riki hugged back the older boy. Sunoo tried to keep the tears in his eyes but it fell like a waterfall, nonstop.

“I wasn’t even able to confess to Dad that I am indeed gay,” Sunoo said, his voice merely audible. “He wanted to meet you so bad, it’s all written in his letters. But I failed to introduce you to him, not just a friend but what we are right now.”

+++

Riki smiled upon hearing Sunoo’s confession.

“He wrote that letter even before he met you,” Sunoo continued. “I should feel glad that my Dad at least met you…but I should have introduced you as my boyfriend.”

Although Riki knew how serious this conversation was, he couldn’t help but let out a small laugh.

“Was that the reason why you’re crying?” Riki asked. “Because you think your Dad has no idea you were dating me?”

Riki let go of Sunoo’s body once again, as he began picking up the pictures of him and Sunoo hugging outside the shop, walking hand in hand, and their picture on the music festival.

“Your Dad has seen all of these.”

Riki stared at Sunoo for a while, analyzing the older boy’s reaction. Sunoo was only looking down, crying.

“He was mad at me first, because he thought I was faking all of these and that I was using you,” Riki said. “And since I didn’t know how to convince you to go back home, I faced your father alone.”

“I talked to him, explained to him and got his approval,” Riki continued.

He put the pictures down and started flipping the remaining pictures in Sunoo’s hand.

“We last met in the hospital, where he finally approved of me,” Riki said. “That was days before he was put in comatose with a low chance of living.”

Sunoo’s sobs became loud as tears continued falling off his eyes, staining some of the pictures. He was staring at Riki’s picture sitting on a chair beside a hospital bed where his Dad was.

“Sunoo…your Dad already knows everything even before you go back home,” Riki said. “So you don’t have to feel bad, you don’t have to think twice if your father will even agree with us being together.”

Riki took the remaining pictures in Sunoo’s hand, placing it back inside the box before he faced his crying boyfriend. He tried to wipe off some of Sunoo’s tears in his cheeks before he guided his head towards his chest. Riki hugged the older boy, trying to comfort him.

+++

Sunoo hugged the younger back.

“If you still doubt it, you can ask your Mom about it,” Riki spoke again. “They all know.”

Tears continued pouring down on his cheeks as he remembered what’s written on his Dad’s letter.

Sunoo-ya, you have to do it for yourself now, hm? Date a person who will always keep you safe, loved and happy, because your Dad failed to do that.

Riki.

The person who persistently stood beside him even after all those times that Sunoo pushed him away. The person who set aside his own feelings and kept understanding Sunoo’s mood change. Someone that never fails to annoy him, but makes him the happiest person on a daily basis.

“Riki…”

The person who will always initiate a hug, or any form of skin ship even in public. Clingy and annoying but it gave Sunoo assurance that Riki isn’t afraid to show everyone what relationship they were in.

The person who’s never afraid to get his number blocked and kept sending message after message even though they had promised not to. He sent daily motivation quotes containing only I love you’s.

First and foremost, Riki was the person that made Sunoo realize the truth about himself. Riki helped him accept and embrace his sexuality.

And the fact that Riki has managed to face his Dad alone, only so he can get an approval.

“I love you, too.”

“I know, Sunoo,” Riki said. “You wouldn’t be asking me to be your boyfriend if you don’t, right?”

Riki is the person who only knows how to ruin a sentiment.

“I love you always, Sunoo…”

And at the same time make Sunoo’s heart flutter with just his simple words.

“Loving you is the only thing I will never regret doing in my life.”

Me, too, Riki.

And all those doubts that kept bothering Sunoo in the past nights have finally lifted off his mind.

He can never be sure of other things, but his feelings for the younger boy.

tengyu_