Class 3 Romance (bxb)

Ha Joon - Realization

Ha Joon hadn't meant to be snooping. Waiting for Woo Jin to finish his shower he got bored. He'd read all the manga and wasn't in the mood to start a video game or a movie. This left the one bookshelf he never looked at. The light trace of dust showed that Woo Jin never did either. Except for one place where the dust was finer.

Ha Joon pulled out a book to see what was so interesting about it. There was nothing. Just an old math book. Ha Joon went to put it away when his eye noticed something behind the book. With its bright colors it reminded him of a manga. But why was it hidden behind some old books instead of with the others?

The slick pages slipped between his fingers as he tugged it free. Not a manga, but a magazine. Ha Joon stared at the front image, his mind blank. There was no hiding he held a porn magazine in his hands. A muscled man stood against a black curtained back drop, wearing nothing but a pair of boxers pushed low down his hips.

Ha Joon flipped through the first few pages, unsure what he would find, but hoping it wasn't what he thought. He found picture after picture of the man from the cover in numerous naked poses. And not one photo of a woman. Ha Joon dropped the magazine to the floor. His stomach clenched tight.

He moved other books aside and found more hidden magazines. Every single one of them naked men. Ha Joon tossed each one on the floor until he couldn't take any longer.

From the bathroom, the shower stopped. Ha Joon looked at his work spread across the floor. The accusing eyes of every naked man staring at him. Ha Joon jerked his shoulder as if it had been hit. Fag, homo, queer. The words screamed in his head. He twitched again with what felt like a blow to his back.

"If you fell asleep out there, I will drag you in here myself." Woo Jin called to him from the bathroom. A wave of nausea filed Ha Joon's stomach. He couldn't stay. He had to run.

It all made sense now. Why Woo Jin had turned down every confession. Why he had never dated a girl. He thought Woo Jin was being picky. It never occurred to him he could be gay.

His best friend was gay. And he didn't have a clue.

Ha Joon spent all weekend hiding in his bedroom, lying in bed, nursing his sick stomach. His parents left him there, only calling him out for meals. They did not ask how his time had been, if he was better, or why he barely ate. Instead, they talked at him. Of all the same things he heard before. School work, tests, and achievements.

In an instant the weekend was over, and he returned to school standing in front of Woo Jin's empty desk. An ache hit his chest hard. He put his hand over his heart to push the pain away.

"Hey Ha Joon, where's Woo Jin?" Min Ji asked.

"I don't know."

"You don't know. You two have been inseparable since nearly the day you got here. How can you not know? Did you two get into a fight?"

"No, not a fight."

"Ah well. He'll show up, eventually. Don't worry." Min Jin patted his back.

"I'm not worried." Ha Joon lied.

But he didn't show. Not for two days. His desk remained empty until the third day. Ha Joon's head was down looking over his homework when he heard a commotion.

"Woo Jin, there you are. We missed you. Are you okay? You don't look good."

"I'm fine, just feeling a little run down."

Ha Joon looked up in time to catch Woo Jin's eyes. His face was pale with two bright red spots on his cheeks. The bags under his eyes were dark and spotted. His eyes were bloodshot.