The Boyz Anthology

Just Please Be My Friend - Kim Sunwoo

Sunwoo and you are sitting at a picnic table in the university quad, enjoying the warmth of the sun and working on assignments when the unthinkable happens. A man, who was off to the side throwing a ball around with his friends, runs into your table at full speed. His arms go flying as he tries to stop himself from slamming into Sunwoo, and in the process, he spills your drink all over your laptop and paperwork.

At first, you stare blankly at the mess in front of you. The man immediately throws apology after apology at you, but it's like you're in a frozen state of disbelief. This can't be happening right now.

Distantly, you hear Sunwoo accepting the man's apology and telling him to go away as politely as he can, but the words barely penetrate your brain. All of your hard work is ruined, and your laptop may never work properly again. Your entire life is on this computer, and now liquid is sinking into every crevice and cranny.

Sunwoo gets up, swipes some napkins from the table, and immediately begins dabbing at the liquid that's all over… everything. Your eyes absent-mindedly follow his hands as he tries to save your belongings, but all you can do is sit there. 

Sunwoo's voice eventually pierces your ears. "Hey. Everything's going to be okay. We'll fix it, alright?"

His face enters your field of vision and your eyes finally meet his. His brows are furrowed with worry while his eyes sweep over your face. Your nose starts to burn, quickly followed by gathering wetness in your eyes. Sunwoo tries to remain calm at the sight, but you can tell that the sudden tears alarm him.

He drops down onto the bench next to you and pulls you to him. You sink into his embrace and then a quiet sob comes out of you. Tears stream down your cheeks and it feels good to finally let them out. Sunwoo rocks you a little, soothing down your hair and telling you everything will be okay. 

This is just the cherry on top of the cake. It seems like everything that could go wrong this week has, and you've finally reached your limit.  You've had enough.

"It's not just the assignments and my now ruined laptop that I'll have to replace," you tell him when he tries to comfort you. "It's my car that's falling apart being another expense that I can't afford. It's the fight that I had with my roommate yesterday that's replaying in my head. It's the fact that I think I'm in love with you, and that scares the crap out of me."

You didn't mean to blurt out the last part, but there's no taking it back now. All you can do is let it sit there, permeating the air and hoping Sunwoo lets it go for now. However, the rigidity of his body tells you that he heard every word loud and clear.

"You're-"

"Please," you interrupt him before he can comment on it. "Just please, be my best friend right now, not the guy I just confessed my love to."

You can tell Sunwoo wants to fight against your words, but he lets them go for now, and you couldn't be more grateful.

"Okay, let's just take a moment to breathe... You have all of your work backed up onto your flash drive?" You nod and Sunwoo pulls away from you, grabbing the flash drive out of your laptop and wiping it dry. 

"Good, so now we know your work is saved… Also, you can use my laptop for now while you wait for that guy to replace yours." You look sharply at him and he smiles. "Yes, he offered to replace it during his many apologies. Second, when you go home, you can talk to your roommate and work things out. I'll even come with you if that'll help."

You almost weep with relief at the problem-solving boy in front of you. You had no idea how badly you needed someone to take control for a moment, and Sunwoo was just the person to do it.

"Lastly, and this is the most important one," he says, leaning forward to make sure he has your full attention. "When you're ready for me to acknowledge that last part, just say the word. I'll be waiting."