The Boy Next Door

first kiss

"Hey, can I ask?" I said, still in the driver's seat in the car. He was taking a photo of the beach at night.

"Hm?" He hummed, half paying attention.

"Sunwoo." I said.

"Hm?" He reached his arm over the seat and rested his hand on my thigh. "One second Yun, I'm getting an epic memory of our first date."

I rolled my eyes but laughed silently as he took an aesthetic photo of the beach from inside the car.

"Okay, full attention. Promise." He tossed his phone to the back seat and faced towards me.

"I was just gonna ask what happened back there with Hean." I said. "You're being weirdly normal about the fact that I just drove us out of a car chase? Was this like a regular thing for you at your old school?"

"Mm car chases? Not so much, but the fighting yeah." Sunwoo answered.

"And the whole thing with Suha, how do you know her? And was she really okay?"

"We were just in the same friend group that's all, and she's fucking fine I promise. It's part of a little gimick they do. They get her to distract someone on the sidewalk and then Hean comes up and takes your wallet." sunwoo said.

"Really?" I asked, my eyebrows shot up. "That's crazy."

"Yep."

"...Were you a part of that?"

"I mean they were my friends, so yeah I had to be. I'd usually be one of the guys on the bikes though, showing up later in case someone needed a ride." He said.

"Ah." I nodded and chewed my lower lip.

Sunwoo's head tilted and he smiled at me. "Say it."

"What?" I asked.

"What you want to say."

"What do I want to say?"

"I don't know, you tell me. That I'm a teenage dirtbag?" He laughed.

"What?? No, that's not what I think of you." I said.

"Then ask me, or whatever shit--I don't know. You clearly have something on your mind. There's no use in not saying it. I'll just annoy the hell out of you for the rest of the night until you do." Sunwoo poked my arm and then my forehead until I swatted him away.

"I guess I'm just wondering, if you were friends and all. WHy were they chasing after us like you committed a crime or something?" I asked. I didn't really know why I was asking. A part of me didn't want to know anything about his past. It was starting to become too real.

"Oh you didn't know?" Sunwoo's face suddenly turned serious. "I.... killed someone."

I felt my lips part. I wasn't sure if I heard him right. There was a long moment of silence until his lips twitched and he burst out laughing.

"did you believe me??" Sunwoo asked and I looked at him with betrayal. "Goddammit Joy who do you think I am?? Fucking Thanos? That's how you would look at Thanos, I'm sure of it."

"No I--" I groaned and laid my head on the seat. "Fine, forget it. You clearly can't have a serious conversation."

Sunwoo heard my annoyance and stopped laughing immediately. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry." He grabbed my hand. "How can I make it up to you?"

I looked at him for a few seconds. "Just tell me the truth. Always. I don't like people who lie."

He nodded. "I will, I promise. If anything I'm too honest, remember?"