Class 3 Romance (bxb)

Woo Jin - The Notebook

Woo Jin licked the ice cream spoon for the third time. There was nothing left to lick, but he wasn't sure what else to do to drag the moment out. He couldn't believe his luck, both good and bad. What were the odds he'd run into Ha Joon outside of school? But for it to happen when he was with Eun Yi. She was sweet but clueless. He had not yet told her he was gay. No one knew until his brother outed him. He knew Eun Yi would support him, but it was not a secret he was ready to share.

There were a million things Woo Jin wanted to talk about with Ha Joon, and yet he couldn't say any of them. For all the times they had spent together, Ha Joon still kept him at arm's length. It felt as if they were almost friends, but not yet. There was one last hurdle to get over, and it all depended on Ha Joon letting him in his world.

Woo Jin leaned back in his chair. It creaked. Ha Joon looked up at him with his bowed head, but said nothing. The long awkwardness was reaching its peak. Woo Jin didn't want to leave, but could find no valid excuse to remain sitting there. A third bowl of ice cream would just be ridiculous, even more so since he never wanted any in the first place. With an internal sigh he worked up the courage to say goodbye when Ha Joon moved. The prized notebook slid into view from Ha Joon's lap onto the table. Woo Jin tried not to stare. Ha Joon opened the notebook to a clean page, pulled out his pencil, and ran it over the blank canvas. Woo Jin gulped.

"Do you read comics?" Ha Joon asked, his eyes focused on the page in front of him.

"I do." Woo Jin stuttered his response. His eyes wanted to sneak a glance at the paper. It was right there. Ha Joon wasn't hiding it, but he wasn't sharing it either.

"Do you have a favorite?"

"Not really. I like ones with action. Where the bad guys always lose."

"You really don't like bullying, do you?"

Woo Jin laughed. "I guess I don't. What about you Ha Joon? Do you have a favorite?"

"I like fantasy. The further from reality, the better."

Woo Jin nodded, though Ha Joon wasn't looking. "Do you like drawing comics?" Woo Jin risked asking. Ha Joon's hand stopped mid-stroke.

"Yes," Ha Joon answered, moving his pencil again.

"That's really cool."

"Do you..." Ha Joon stopped.

"Do I?" Woo Jin asked back.

"Do you, maybe, want to look at my drawings?" Woo Jin's throat closed tight. This was the moment, this was the last hurdle, and he couldn't say anything. "But I totally understand if you don't want to look at them." Ha Joon's hand reached for the cover of his notebook, ready to slam it shut.

"Yes," Woo Jin screamed out, forcing the word out through his locked throat. The whole ice cream shop turned to stare at them. Ha Joon's eyes went wide with panic. Woo Jin didn't care about the other people in the room. In a quieter voice he said. "Yes, I'd love to look at them."

Ha Joon opened his mouth only to be interrupted as another voice yelled out in the shop. "Woo Jin, what a surprise." Woo Jin turned his head. Beom Seok and Dae Jung stood at the end of their table. Dae Jung had his arm draped around Beom Seok's shoulders as he leaned forward over the table.

"What are you two doing here?" Dae Jung asked.

Woo Jin watched as Ha Joon pushed his notebook back into his lap. He mentally cursed at both at them for their horrible timing.

"Playing checkers. What does it look like?" Woo Jin replied, unable to keep a slight edge to his voice.

Beom Seok elbowed Dae Jun in the ribs. "Seriously dude, you are dense sometimes."