to most people, the sun is up there, in the galaxy; big and bright, yellow and burning, more than a thousand degrees hot. but to jihoon, the sun is down here, smiling and laughing as if he doesn't know that his smile is the closest thing jihoon coul...
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jihoon finds himself with soonyoung at the sinchon bus terminal about to hop in on bus number 3000. the boy held onto his hand as they walked to their seats where he chooses to be near the window soonyoung squeezes himself next to him, "are you comfortable?"
jihoon nods. he doesn't mind the tight space because it keeps him warm. fifteen minutes later, the bus started to make its way to ganghwado, where soonyoung wishes to go for the new year. this is going to take forever, jihoon muses. It's evening and he's tired from all the studying and stressing out over finals. he should be resting right now but soonyoung just had to drag him into this. as the bus moves, it shakes with every bump on the white road. jihoon coughs, looking up at the small air conditioning pumps and trying to reach and adjust them. he shuffles in his seat, catching soonyoung's attention, who then fixes the pumps for him. a small "thanks" is heard from the younger.
half an hour into the trip, sleepiness starts kicking into soonyoung. he yawns, wraps his arms around his backpack and falls asleep shortly while jihoon just watches.
and he asks himself why no matter how hard he tries to repel, he keeps coming back to soonyoung like he's the only celestial being on space around which revolves his own universe; why he keeps looking as if soonyoung is the sun- blinding, painful and hypnotizing. but he still refuses to stare away
then he shakes his head, no, jihoon. it can't be.
a buttoned up atmosphere dominates the remaining space between the two as jihoon chooses to stay tight lipped. he averts his eyes to the scenery on the other side of the window until the bus trundles down to a stop. everyone lurched forward when the driver stepped on the brakes, and jihoon was quick to place his hand near his friend's head to prevent it from hitting the seat in front.
the engine sighs, and so does jihoon. "soonyoung, wake up. we're here."
ganghwado was a half north-west of seoul, and everything seemed new to the two boys. jihoon's eyes roam around the scenery while soonyoung unfolds his map. the cold kicks in again into the younger one so he presses his palms together to light a fire. then he flinches when the back of soonyoung's hand accidentally brushes against his.
there it is, the only friction he will ever need- soonyoung 's touch. skin to skin, setting jihoon's heart on a soft fire..
they both settle down in a restaurant first to eat. the air is filled with the aroma of a variety of food. people are everywhere-groups of friends, tourists, families and lovers altogether, chattering as they dig into their plates. the boys choose a spot not too far from the entrance, a table with a blooming red tulip placed at the center. "jihoon, what does a red tulip mean?" soonyoung asks as they both take a seat.
"true love," the boy answers.
"that's romantic, it's like we're having a first date, don't you think?" soonyoung says. jihoon just makes a disgusted face.
as they wait for their meals, jihoon asks, "have you ever been in love?" soonyoung's eyes stop roaming around the place and land on the boy in front of him, "i've been in love with performing. but with a person?" he asks, "maybe a few crushes but i wouldn't count that as being in love. i think?"
jihoon nods slowly, "because you're such a math whiz, do you happen to know an equation to solve that could tell whether you're..." the other raises a brow, wondering why his friend trails off all of a sudden. "wait, are you in love?" soonyoung chuckles
"i'm just curious, you asshole," jihoon replies
"you know," soonyoung points at him, "you don't need an equation to know if you're in love. if you're ready to make a parallel universe for one person, a dimension where there'd only be the two of you, then that's love for sure."
once their food is served, jihoon takes a bite from his meal and gulps it down. "you say that you've never been in love and yet you know all that shit." the other just laughs at his response. the two of them then fall silent until they finish their food. jihoon dives in deep thought-sending him to different waves of ideas, collision of possibilities. that is, until Soonyoung finishes up and breaks the ice.
"let's go see chamseongdan altar," the boy cheers and points at his map "it says here that it's at the peak of manisan."
jihoon looks around and spots a white stairway leading to a tall and rocky place atop a snow-capped mountain. honestly, he's not up for the idea of walking too much to reach the peak of a mountain because it's much, much colder up there. but who knows? maybe this is the only time he gets to be with soonyoung at a place like this. he subconsciously frowns and the other bats an eye. "are you sad?" "no." jihoon shakes his head and traps his freezing hands inside his sleeves "let's finish up and go to the mountain, if that's what you want."
when two boys start to make their way to the altar, jihoon expresses his fear of heights. soonyoung is worried for a moment, but takes jihoon's freezing hand and assures him that it won't be that bad. jihoon doesn't seem to mind the hand holding anymore. he got used to it, almost as if it's a perfectly normal thing to hold someone's hand without sharing a romantic relationship. as they go step by step, soonyoung cracks jokes that jihoon finds lame (he still laughs at them though). he then feels his heart jump when the boy looks up and a snowflake lands on the tip of his nose, causing him to chuckle. what a beautiful human being, jihoon mutters to himself. soonyoung does deserve to hold a special place in the universe. of all dimensions that it holds, jihoon would want to love him at the tenth; the complexity at which everything that is possible and imaginable exists. the dimension where they could be together. although, wherever both of them exist, he will love him just as much anyway.
but does soonyoung feel the same?
just when they're a step closer to the peak, jihoon clutches his chest and closes his eyes. it has gotten colder. his company notices and panics in a blink of an eye, "jihoon, are you okay?"
"i'm fine, i'm fine," the boy replies, "i think i just need to sit down for a bit."
soonyoung assists him to the nearest small bench and lets him rest there. "you need another jacket?" he asks, but gets a no. they are now at the top of the mountain, hair covered in white, cheeks red and feet cold from the snow. jihoon takes a deep breath as he hugs himself warm. does soonyoung feel the same? the thought crosses his mind once more. who knows? maybe it will stay unanswered, not for a reason that there is no definite answer. but because maybe soonyoung won't be staying in his life long enough to satisfy his question. does it all even make sense? he sighs, his breath visible in the air.
"it's half past 10pm," soonyoung mutters, placing his bag on his lap "is it okay to stay with me until sunrise?"
jihoon's mouth pulls up in a small smile, "i won't mind." soonyoung beams at him, fishes a bag of chips from his backpack and tears it open with his teeth. "we're gonna be waiting for more hours before the fireworks show up so you need to eat."
"soonyoung, we just ate."
"so? you're not allowed to eat anymore?"
jihoon rolls his eyes and grabs the bag to take a few chips before throwing them into his mouth as soonyoung quietly eyes him and smiles to himself. they stay quiet for a couple of minutes, admiring the striking landscape before them. soonyoung watches as jihoon's eyes stare off the distance, wandering along the tracks of the small hills and bare trees. at the moment, they find themselves floating in between the skies and the ground.
soonyoung smiles and mumbles, "i wish for this moment to last. the earth to stop revolving at the time, the years to stop, the time to freeze. just so the moment could stay."
