Tae Shin is a simple boy with simple dreams, who likes to hide his half-forgotten past into the shadows of his low self-esteem. Kim JaeHwan is a sole heir to a gigantic multi-billion conglomerate, who likes to reminisce the ghosts of his happy child...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
"You can hear?" Shin cried out, "But they said..."
"Overreacted? Yes. A very nice doctor told me that I would hear again after twelve hours, so all I had to do was count twelve hours. And really, did you confess just because you thought I couldn't hear?" JaeHwan slumped back on his bed and pouted, crossing his arms over his chest.
"No," Shin shook his head and ran to JaeHwan's bed, "that wasn't what I thought at all, Hyung!"
"If you mean it then say it once again," JaeHwan grinned, shaking his phone. "Just once, I need to record it."
"No!" Shin said. "You'll play it forever then."
"Yes, I'd play it as my alarm clock for the rest of my life," JaeHwan said.
"But -"
"What?" JaeHwan sighed, "you confessed just now, saying that you didn't care if I was deaf or anything, but you don't want a normal version of me? Shin, please don't discriminate."
"No, it isn't like that at all Hyung," Shin pouted. "I'm just a bit, embarrassed."
"So," JaeHwan's grin returned, "is today our day one?"
"Eh?" Shin squeaked loudly when JaeHwan snaked his hands around Shin's waist and pulled him down on the bed, making him lay down beside him. Their faces turned towards each other and pupils blown wide, their shy fingers just brushing off each other's nails, each too scared to go ahead and just grab, until JaeHwan did.
"You look like a marshmallow today," said JaeHwan, looking at Shin's pale blue woollen turtleneck..
"Marshmallow?" Shin blinked. The hairs on the back of his neck stood up when JaeHwan snuggled closer, holding his waist and putting one leg over Shin, like a child would do with his soft toy.
"Hmm... you smell nice too," JaeHwan said, his nose rubbing against Shin's shoulder. Shin's fingers were clasped tightly over his stomach and his feet stretched in straight, parallel lines. "Like something sweet and fluffy."
"But Hyung, are you really fine?" Shin bit his lip, hoping JaeHwan wouldn't know that where his hand clasped Shin's abdomen tightly, butterflies didn't erupt in Shin's stomach. It was just a thin layer of comfort coating the heavy myriad of dread and abhorrence of human touch smothering layers and layers of Shin's heart.
"Shin-ah," JaeHwan said and loosened his hand, backing away until his chest was no longer pressed in Shin's back. Shin closed his eyes and felt like crying, for he believed it was him who was tearing them apart.
Ever so slowly.
"Just now, you accepted my confession." JaeHwan took Shin's hand and kissed his knuckles, softly. "That means you trust me, right?"
