The Boy From The Bridge - Jakehoon

Chapter 14: Sounds Like a Bad Idea 2/7

Sunghoon lead Jake into the closet at the top of the stairs that lead to the apartments of Floor Thirteen. Inside they were using Sunghoon's phone as a flashlight to guide them as the room's light was out. There was a narrow stair which took them to a locked door. It was fastened by a simple slide lock, which Sunghoon pulled free. The door opened, bringing with it a great draft of wind and light. Both of the boy's hair was blow back and forced them to squint their eyes as the muddle out on to the rooftop.

Hit by the cold, Jake was about to ask why Sunghoon had brought him here but the answer was all around him. While it was only around midday, so the sky was at its least glamorous, the skyline's view was captivating. Jake turned his head from one way to the next taking in all of his surroundings. Existing at street level in a metropolis is one thing but observing one of the planet's principle centres of habitation from an elevated position was something else entirely. In every direction the sprawl continued as far as the eye could see.

"What do you think?" Sunghoon asked, a pride in his voice that Jake hadn't heard before.

 "It... it's amazing." Jake replied, raising his voice over the gusts of wind. Even though the view was only ten or so feet above that which was visible from Jungkook's apartment - being exposed to the elements made it feel like Jake was truly in amongst the concrete jungle.

The roof itself was considerably less dramatic than the cityscape. Whirring remote condensers and extractor fans dotted the roof. Nestled in a nook were a pair of green plastic garden chairs, stacked safely out of the wind. "Are those yours?" Jake asked his friend regarding the chairs. "They are!" Sunghoon went over to them before setting them out so that they would face towards downtown.

Jake joined him to sit and take in the view. "It feels like we should have a beer" Jake said casually, pointing at the view with his script that was rolled up in a plastic paper wallet.

"Oh, I've never really drunk - have you?" Sunghoon asked, less confidently than his friend's initial proposal.

"From time to time, I prefer the idea of it rather than the taste of alcohol, "Jake begun.

"Oh, I heard it tastes like piss?" Sunghoon said

"It kinda does but then apparently one day you start liking it"

"Have you started liking it yet then?"

"Not really no. How come you haven't tried it?"

"My parents won't let me drink alcohol or let me go to parties for that matter so I've never been in the right situation for it"

"Dude, you're 18 and you haven't gone to any parties?"

"Nah, my parents are kind of strict like that."

"Might explain why your awkward around girls"

"Yeah... it might." Sunghoon contemplated the last comment, it would certainly fit into the narrative he was constructing for himself as to why he struggled with the opposite sex.

Jake could see that raising Sunghoon's confidence wasn't the right choice of topic so he retrieved his script from inside the wallet. Finding his page, he looked at it. The script was separated into English and Korean. Despite having spoken English for most of his life the Korean made significantly more sense. He had never being into literature and the Shakespearean tendency to introduce rhythm to speech was alien to him.

"You know... I don't really think we're going to struggle with this" Jake said to Sunghoon.

"Why's that?" Sunghoon asked retrieving his own script.

"Look at it - it's just Korean, some of the language is a little unconventional but nothing to be afraid of"

"I guess I'm going to look stupid then" Sunghoon said, almost out of nowhere. Jake turned to him with a concerned expression on his face. "I mean about Yun," Sunghoon continued, "like - I can't just ask her how to speak Korean, she'll think I'm an idiot."

Jake thought about this for a moment, knowing of his friend's intention to use this an opportunity to have a conversation with Yun he shared Sunghoon's disappointment at the simplicity of their task. "How about you text her just that, you know, to start a conversation?" Jake suggested.

"Just what?" Sunghoon asked.

"That you're not actually that dumb but you had just thought the play was going to be in English not Korean and that you don't need help reading the script after all but..."

"But what?" Sunghoon interrupted Jake

"But, that you want to say thanks to her for being kind enough to be willing to help you and that if you could it would be nice to return the kindness, maybe by buying her coffee?" Jake elaborated on his previous suggestion.

Sunghoon considered this before nodding, "it's a nice plan, you're good at this Jaeyun", Sunghoon couldn't help himself but ask a follow up question to his friend which had been on his mind over the weekend, "what about you?"

"What do you mean what about me?" Jake asked in response to the question, genuinely curious.

"You're good with girls and they all like you, you've got that accent and are kinda good looking" the compliment caused Jake to blush, "Dude, I'm serious, I can't see anything stopping you getting a girl"

"I suppose - Hoonie!" It was Jakes turn to make the other blush, "that I am just focused on learning who I am. Coming here, it has taken some chains off of me. Absent of that bondage I think there's a lot about me that I coming to know"

"What do you mean?" It was Sunghoon's turn to be dumbfounded.

"I mean I'd rather get to know me I think, find out who I am, before I go and pursue and learn someone else "

"I guess that makes two of us" Sunghoon muttered.

The two stopped talking at that moment and allowed the hum of the city to fill the silence embracing them. After maybe five minutes at Sunghoon's suggestion they begun to rehearse their lines.

The scene they were rehearsing, was  Act 2: Scene 3. The scene forced them to act as if they were drunk. They performed to one another in an exaggerated and innocent idea of what drunkenness was like. Even though they had their lines and routine learned they kept repeating it, enjoying one another's company and the rooftop ambience.

Ultimately the temperature dropped as the afternoon faded and they decided to head in. Whilst stacking their chairs. Jake remarked "We might not know ourselves too well but I think we could certainly do with learning what being drunk is like" the suggestion prompted a laugh from Sunghoon.

"Oh for sure, but its not like the opportunity comes around often enough" he countered

"Well - when one does let's exploit the hell out of it" Jake said with a growing confidence towards his plan as he headed through the door.

"That sounds like a bad idea, but sure"

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Jakehoon fanfic 2.2