the late summer's breeze

04.

Soon, two rumors came out from nowhere.

One was that Felix had dropped out of school.

The second, was that Hyunjin was forced, and that Felix was the only instigator.

Those mocking eyes turned into sympathy one after another. Unknown people have turned into justice guards, pitying Hyunjin, despising Felix.

-

Hyunjin ran to the CD store after school. He had to find his Felix. He had to ask him, what was going on.

The store's boss didn't know the entanglement between them and thought they were ordinary friends, so Hyunjin was told the time of Felix's employment.

The next evening, Hyunjin came to the store early, and hid in a corner.

He saw Felix walking in, he looked haggard and his face was pale.

Hyunjin found the right timing, rushed up, and grabbed Felix by the wrist. His grip was strong, Felix couldn't break free.

Hyunjin held his hand and ran out, the sun shining on their faces like bright lights on the stage.

Under the light, they transformed into gorgeously dressed protagonists. They interlocked their fingers and shuttled through the streets of the 90s.

Hyunjin took Felix to the sea. They walked in the sun and frolicked on the beach.

A gust of evening breeze came.

"Felix is thinking of me again!" Hyunjin shouted.

Felix smiled and buried his face in Hyunjin's chest. After a while Hyunjin's shirt was completely soaked, by sweat or tears, it was unknown.

"Let's elope!" Hyunjin yelled again.

"Let's elope to the moon!" Felix yelled too.

This time, under the witness of the falling sun, they embraced each other and held hands.

Felix gently kissed Hyunjin's cheek. "When we aren't together, I always come to feel the evening breeze, thinking of you," he said softly.

"No matter where I am in the future, you have to remember. Every time the evening breeze blows, I will love you more."

Hyunjin nodded.

That night, because it was too hot, Hyunjin sat by the windowsill, feeling the wind blow all night.

-

Unsurprisingly, Felix completely disappeared that summer, the hot summer came to an abrupt end.

Afterwards, Hyunjin spent many summers alone. He never ate popsicles again, and never met the person who ate popsicles with him.

Slowly, as time goes by, Felix's name was never brought up, and at the same time, the emotions seem to have been lost.

Many many years have passed, they never met again, and no one ever mentions this period of time again.

Only whenever it was after dark, there would always be someone standing there on the beach, listening to an old song from the late 90s, waiting for the evening breeze.