NOSTALGIA. － p.sh + k.hj

- 04

for hongjoong, school was a place of torment and loneliness, so when his mother suggested sending him to a summer school, he was petrified. he'd begged and pleaded for her to not make him go, telling her it was a waste of money and that he wouldn't have fun anyway.

"you need to learn how to make friends, joong," she decisively told the thirteen-year-old, "you can't spend the rest of your life alone. you need to stop being so afraid."

and hongjoong let it be.

when summer crashed upon him and took on his supple skin with a searing hot sun, it steadily grew more impossible to sleep at night with the anxiety that festered in his belly.

the day it began, he felt nauseous throughout the car ride there, small hands clutching the oozing foam of his seat in the attempt of stopping them from shaking.

when he was left with a pat on his back and a push through the narrow gate, he felt dizzy. countless kids were playing in the yard, some with a football, others dancing, a few sitting around, talking.

the first was a hellish week; mostly forgone and left out, skittish every time a team leader would call his name, terrified of joining in on any of the activities because he didn't want to mess up and become the laughing stock of the group － hongjoong always wanted to go home.

and then there was him, all smiles and rather timid, standing in the sunlight that coated his skin with honey, and for some reason hongjoong felt like he could have the strength to talk to him.

"i'm . . . i'm hongjoong," he mumbled, realising they were about the same height but that the other was slimmer. he ignored the thought, focused on the pretty eyes that turned onto him.

"do you want to be friends?"

the boy beamed, pink cheeks rising as he eagerly bobbed his head.

"sure! i'm seonghwa."

and then, there was you.

》》》

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