used to love. | sunsun

10. borrow - consequences

THE NEXT DAY
Sunoo had been staring at the water bottle he had received from Sunghoon, which has now been sitting on his desk above his paintings, ever since last night.

The pal's leather jacket was lying on the chair, the cologne spreading in Sunoo's room – fresh laundry with a little sweetness in it. It wasn't the same scent he used to use every day, but not much different either.

Outside, the sun was shining brightly and he could hear children running through the village to get to the beach. The laughter reminded him of himself as a child. The refreshing feeling of not being afraid of aging, not feeling the pressure and not being afraid of love.

"Gosh, whatever Sunoo, focus on your current self. The past is the past."

right.. the past stays in the past, doesn't it?

So why can't he forget the past? Last night he realized he was far from letting go and moving on.

To free his brain from thinking about his current worries in life, Sunoo cleaned up the desk. He put his paintings aside and emptied the water bottle, which was already fogged up by the sun since sunrise. The warm water ran down his throat as he tilted his head back to drink the last drop.

For a second he could hear noises coming from the kitchen as he thought he was home alone since his mother was supposed to be at work by that time. He went downstairs and saw his mother in the kitchen preparing kimchi stew with his favorite soup and a few side dishes.

"Wow. Mom, is anyone coming over? Don't you have work today?" His mother greeted him with the sweetest smile ever. One thing Sunoo will always be grateful for is the happy relationship with his family.

"I took a day off today. Now set the table instead of just staying there."

"Right, help mom out a bit, you rat.", he heard a familiar voice from behind that he loved hearing.

"Noona?!" He turned to see his older sister coming down the stairs. She had studied at the university and could not visit home for a long time. Sunoo's sister was one of his favorite person ever. She was the one who always supported him through his journey.

"No way! When did you get home, how did I not notice??"

She hugged him warmly before straightening up and looking at him. "You would have seen me if you hadn't come home so late yesterday! I waited for you all night, only to see you coming home so late and fell asleep right after!"

She playfully hit him before helping him set the table as well.

"Speaking of yesterday, how is Sunghoon? I saw you guys yesterday. I knew you would be hanging out again, not even distance and time could tear you apart.", she said, pushing Sunoo aside.

For a while, Sunoo's head went blank and he didn't know what to say to his sister. "He's fine, we hang out sometimes but it's a bit busy right now you know," Sunoo lied.

He hated lying to his sister, even more to his mother, but he knew they would ask him questions he didn't know the answer to himself, so he decided to keep it a secret.

"Should we invite him now? It's been a long time since I last saw him.", his mother interrupted the conversation. "No, no, haha, I don't think he has time right now," an awkward laugh followed.

Sunghoon - focus
It was noon and Sunghoon has been questioning his decision ever since he sent the message to Sunoo. He wasn't sure if the guy was still using the same phone number, so he just went with it and didn't expect Sunoo to read the text message he sent right away.
_________________________

Kim Sunoo

Sunoo.
can u do me a favor?
please.

SN: Sunghoon hyung?
SN: What is it..?
______________________________

Sunoo - focus
Sunoo didn't expect to suddenly receive a message from his ex - best friend out of nowhere asking for his help. For the next five minutes he stared at the chat, waiting for an answer. When he finally received one, he wanted to throw up the food he had just eaten for a moment.

He's joking.

*ding - dong*

HE WAS BEING SERIOUS???

Sunoo's mother put down her chopstick and was about to walk over to the door, to open it for whoever was behind it, but Sunoo blocked her as fast as he could and jumped out of his seat.

"NO. You just sit. Let me do it, mom."

Sunoo didn't believe Sunghoon was actually standing in front of his house when he read the message, which read; "I'm standing in front of your house."

So now he felt his adrenaline racing like crazy as he peeked in the mirror before cautiously opening the door. Before Sunghoon could even open his mouth, he was pushed back by Sunoo, one hand on his chest, the other closing the door behind him.

"woah woah woah."

"what are you doing here?", Sunoo whispered.

"I'm here to ask you a favor. I already told you."

"Just ask me over text?"

"You took too long to reply!"

"Right. So, what's the favor?"

"Sunoo, who is-", Sunoo's sister came from behind Sunoo and swung open the door to see Sunoo and Sunghoon standing there, her sibling's hand still on the other's chest.

"Sunghoon? Is it really you? Our figure skater! Wow, You grew up so well.."

"Noona. You're back.. ?"

"I am. But only for a while, you should come in! What are you doing out there?"

Sunoo interrupted the conversation by simply pushing her into the house. "Please give us a minute." She understood him quickly and closed the door behind her.

"I'm sorry, but first, can you do me a favor and come in?" He carefully pulled his hand from Sunghoon's chest. "I told them we still see each other every now and then. So could you come in?"

The silence made Sunoo feel his face getting hotter with every second that passed. The eye contact didn't make him feel much better and he felt regret all over his body.

"Never mind. It's a stupid idea, isn't it? Just tell me your favor."

Sunghoon only stared at the younger for a moment before taking a few steps closer to open the door. "you owe me."