Class 3 Romance (bxb)

Ha Joon: The Beginning of something new

A knife cut through Ha Joon's heart as Woo Jin scrambled to get away from him. His first friend in years and he had caused him more pain than all the bullies combined had ever done to him.
Ha Joon took two steps into the room and fell to his knees. He bent low with his head nearly to the floor.
"Woo Jin. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I ran away. I'm sorry I hurt you. I'm sorry I didn't stay and talk to you. I'm sorry for everything." Ha Joon paused as he took him a long breath. He could hear Woo Jin, but he didn't dare look up. He could not yet meet Woo Jin's eyes. The shame of his actions weighed too heavily on his soul. "I know it's too much to ask for your forgiveness. I know I've hurt you too much." Ha Joon sniffled as he stared at the floor. "I wish you could go back to the way you were and just pretend I don't exist. Hang out with your friends at lunch, play football after school, smile and laugh. Treat me as invisible so you can find your happiness again."
The bed squeaked as Woo Jin shifted. "Is that what you really want? For us to never speak again?"
Ha Joon's tears pooled on the floor as he pushed himself further down. "Yes. If only to see you smile again."
There was a soft thud as Woo Jin dropped from the bed. Ha Joon didn't move. He couldn't move until he was assured Woo Jin understood.
"Ha Joon. Please look at me."
Ha Joon's body trembled as he kept his nose pressed to the floor. "Just tell me you'll go back to normal and I'll leave."
"How can I go back to normal without my best friend by my side?"
"I'm sorry. Please forget everything about me. I'm just a nobody who was dragging you down."
"You were never a nobody. But if that's what you want, to end our friendship, I will. Can I ask one question before you leave?"
Ha Joon nodded, his head tapping against the floor. "Yes,"
"Do you hate me because I'm gay?"
Ha Joon bolted upright. Woo Jin sat on his knees two feet away, his eyes glimmered with the tears that ran down his cheeks.
'Never." Ha Joon said as his own tears fell.
"Do you hate me because I kept it a secret from you?"
Ha Joon sniffled. "I could never hate you."
"Then why did you leave me?"
Ha Joon fell back on to the heels of his feet. He had never told anyone the stories of what he'd been through. His parents knew little and didn't care to know everything. For them it only mattered the bullying interfered with his studies. The teachers turned a blind eye to his suffering. And not one classmate wanted to be singled out for being his friend.
"I have my own secrets." Ha Joon took a deep breath and shared the stories of his tormentors. Of their beatings, while calling him derogatory names.
Woo Jin didn't speak the entire time Ha Joon shared his story. Instead, he sat quietly, his eyes growing wider with every word. While there was pain in telling his story there was also relief. He no longer had to carry the burden alone.
"I am not ashamed of who you are, Woo Jin. And I'm not mad you kept it a secret. It was my own problems that made me runaway. I'll leave you alone now. Just promise me you'll go back to who you were before we ever met."
Ha Joon made it a quarter of a turn toward the door before he was tackled in a hug. He grunted in pain as the full weight of Woo Jin's body landed on him.
"I'm sorry, Ha Joon."
"Why are you apologizing?"
"I should have told you earlier. You shouldn't have had to find out that way."
"I shouldn't have been snooping."
"I told you anything in this room is yours to use as if it's your own."
"I know. But it was still private."
Woo Jin hugged him tighter. "I accept your apology if you accept mine."
"Does that mean you still want to be my friend?" Even with Woo Jin's arms wrapped around his chest, he had to ask. He had to hear the words said aloud.
"You're my best friend, Ha Joon. You always will be."
Ha Joon rested his head on Woo Jin's shoulder. His heart stuttered in his chest as he could feel every inch of Woo Jin's warm body pressed against his own. A hot flush filled his face. The feeling scared him, but he never wanted to let go.
Having no friends in his life until now, he couldn't understand this feeling. Was it normal to behave this way with your best friend? He had read plenty of manga to see friendships there, and none reacted as he did. But those weren't real life. Maybe real life was different.
Maybe it was normal to feel butterflies swarm through your body as you could feel your best friend's arms wrapped around you. To feel his hot breath against your neck, sending a long shiver down your spine. To have your heart race at the thought of his touch. But he didn't want to feel this way with Eun Yi, or any of the other kids in his class. He only wanted to feel this way with Woo Jin.
Maybe it was only worked that way with best friends.
"Ha Joon, promise you aren't leaving me." Woo Jin whispered into his neck.
"I promise." Ha Joon whispered in response.
Woo Jin let go and sat back on his heels. Red splotches covered his face, his bright eyes were bloodshot. He wiped away the string of tears with the back of his hand.
"Are you hungry?" Woo Jin blurted.
"What?"
"I'm starving. I really haven't eaten well recently."
"I'm sorr—" Woo Jin put his hand over his mouth.
"No more apologizing from you or from me. We've forgiven each other, and that is enough for me. So hungry?" Ha Joon nodded. "Great. I'll get Jun Keum to make us something."
Woo Jin scurried out of the room, leaving Ha Joon alone. He forced himself to stand on his weak legs. Nothing had gone as he imagined. While he already had an overactive imagination, this time he didn't picture a flaming green lion to come to his rescue. Instead, he had seen no hope of be saved. Only the end to his relationship with Woo Jin.
After defying his mother's orders, he had escaped to Woo Jin's house with only one plan. To step out of Woo Jin's life in the hopes he would return to who he had been before. If that meant losing everything, Ha Joon had been ready to pay that price. Even if it broke his heart to do so.
Now he stood waiting in Woo Jin's room with new-found hope and happiness he didn't believe possible. He knew there would be consequences to pay for ignoring his mother's threat, but he no longer cared. As long as he had Woo Jin in his life again, he could handle anything.
A familiar spot of color on Woo Jin's desk caught his attention. Ha Joon moved across the room to get a closer look. Printed out in a small frame next to the picture of Woo Jin with his cousin was a copy of his drawing. The one he'd placed third in the competition Woo Jin had encouraged him to join.
"Jun Keum is already preparing us something. She said she saw you rush through the hall and knew to get something ready." Woo Jin came up behind him and picked up the photo of his drawing. "I think I reloaded the website every minute waiting for the results the day they came out. I knew you would do well."
"I wanted to call you when I found out I won."
"I wanted to call you when I found out you won."
"I wish you had."
"Me too. But I'll say it now. Congratulations, Ha Joon. I'm so proud of you. When you get rich and famous promise you won't forget about me."
Ha Joon bumped his shoulder. "I could never forget about you. Besides, you're already rich."
"But I'm not famous."
"Boys, I have your snacks."

"So you're gay." Ha Joon stated simply, as they sat together on the bed a tray of snacks laid out before them. It wasn't intended to be a question, but Woo Jin answered anyway.
"Yeah, I am." Woo Jin said behind a mouth full of apple.
"Does your family know?"
"My brother does, but no one else."
"How did you know?"
"That I was gay?" Ha Joon nodded. "I think I knew for a long time. But when girls starting sending me love notes, I knew. I didn't want their confessions, I wanted one of the boys to confess to me."
"Oh." Ha Joon looked at his hands fidgeting in his lap.
"What?"
"It sounds so easy, how you figured it out."
"Nothing about it was easy. I spent a lot of time trying to understand my feelings before I really understood what I am."
"I've never gotten any love notes."
"What do you mean?"
"How do I know what I am if I've never gotten a love note?"
Woo Jin smiled at him. "That was just my way of figuring it out. Everyone is different. No one goes through this the same way. Why are you curious how I realized?"
Ha Joon couldn't ignore what was happening any longer. There had to be more behind what happened to his heart when he looked at Woo Jin. He had to admit there was nothing normal about what he felt for his best friend.
"I don't like girls," Ha Joon said.
"Maybe you're not ready to like girls."
"No. I know don't like girls. I thought it was only because none of them ever liked me. But that's not it."
"Do you think you're gay?"
"I don't like boys either. Most of them are gross and disgusting."
Woo Jin coughed out a laugh. "I can't disagree. Maybe you're asexual?" Ha Joon lifted his eyebrows at him. "It means you aren't interested in a relationship with anybody."
Ha Joon's pounded in his chest.
"I don't think that's what I am either." Ha Joon swallowed hard. "Because I think there is someone I like." He could feel the blush rising on his cheeks.
"You think? You're not sure?"
"I've never had a crush on anyone before so I don't know how it feels to like someone."
Woo Jin's eyes widened. "Really? You have a crush? With whom?"
Ha Joon looked down at his hands. He only had to say one word, but it was the hardest word he'd ever had to say.
"You can't stop there. You already know my biggest secret. It can't be more shocking than that. Who's your crush?"
Ha Joon forced himself to lift his head and meet Woo Jin's eyes.
"You." Woo Jin froze under his gaze. "I'm sorry. Please forget I said anything. It was stupid to say. I should have kept my mouth shut." Ha Joon rambled. He dropped his eyes back to his fidgeting hands.
"Ha Joon, you like me?"
"Yes, no. I don't know. I'm still confused by everything. Just ignore me. Pretend I didn't say anything at all."
"I don't think I can do that." Woo Jin took his hand out of his lap and held it in his own. "Because I like you too."
"What?" Ha Joon's eyes shot wide open. Woo Jin looked down at their hands held together. His cheeks matched the color of the red apples.
"Ha Joon, I like you. I've liked you since the day we met."
"That's not possible. I was nobody back then. Not really much better now."
"Ha Joon, you've always been somebody to me. I've wanted to tell you forever. But I was afraid to lose you. Your friendship mattered to me more than my crush."
Ha Joon gulped down the knot in his throat. Woo Jin had a crush on him. And had for as long as they had known each other.
"Ha Joon, are you okay?" Woo Jin reached for him as Ha Joon fell back against the headboard.
"I'm fine. Just a little overwhelmed."
"If it's too much, you can pretend you didn't hear anything. I don't want to make things awkward between us again."
"You can't take back your confession after I confessed to you." Ha Joon tried to smile at his own joke.
"Then I don't take it back. But because we said it doesn't mean we have to do anything about it. I'm just happy to have my best friend back."
Ha Joon's heart beat hard against his chest. He didn't think he could go back. Not knowing what he knew now. Woo Jin liked him, and he possibly liked Woo Jin. From the moment he stepped in Woo Jin's room to apologize, nothing had gone as he expected. He put his hands to his head to stop the spinning thoughts,
"Ha Joon?" He felt Woo Jin place his hands over his. He opened his eyes to find Woo Jin's face inches away. His heart nearly stopped. He could feel Woo Jin's warm breath across this skin. His soft hands holding his own. His pink lips pulled down in a frown.
Ha Joon leaned forward and placed his lips on Woo Jin's. He hadn't planned to do it. A deep instinct buried somewhere in his mind pushed him forward before he knew what he'd done.
Woo Jin stiffened under his touch. A wave on panic flooded through Ha Joon. He had made a mistake. Then Woo Jin's lips softened and kissed him back. It was nothing more than two lips touching, but it was enough to send a wave of butterflies through his entire body.
Ha Joon pulled back, suddenly aware of what he had done. He put his hands to his cheeks to hide the deep blush.
"That was my first kiss." Woo Jin said as he brushed his fingers over his lips.
"Mine too." Any second the heat from Ha Joon's face would burst into flames.
"How was it?"
Ha Joon bit his lip. The lip that had recently pressed against Woo Jin's. "I liked it."