sky lights | jakehoon

031

a few months passed, the i-landers and i had just finished our dance performances at the school festival, and i'm hoping that i passed the virtue class.

today was saturday, and a good saturday at that. sunghoon and i are heading to the namsan tower together for a weekend date. bro-to-bro memories are going to happen.

where am i currently? waiting for sunghoon outside of my apartment. why my apartment? sunghoon sold his apartment complex and started to live with me a month ago. ain't that nice?

"okay, let's go." sunghoon yeets out the door, wearing a matching flannel and sweatpants with me. totally not some cliché couple thing that we actually enjoy-

we love adventures, greeting our neighbors who were leaving their homes to go somewhere, pranking some local kids trying to get candy from a clown, looking at people selling some interesting merchandise, and glancing at happy families walking their dogs. ooh, that one looks like layla. woof, woof, grr. once again, i'm not a furry.

thirty-one minutes later, sunghoon and i arrived at the bottom of the tower. "it's getting cold." i tell sunghoon. he glances at me, then at the top of the tower, then back at me, and again. maybe ten more times doing the same routine.

"i'd give you my flannel, but it's too cheesy for me to do that. let's take the elevator up the tower." it's the thought that counts, sunghoon is so sweet... I WILL CRY.

i look at him, odd. "i thought we agreed to walk up the tower for fifteen minutes."

"we never talked about that. we agreed to walk here for fifteen minutes, then take the bus."

"we didn't take a bus. you got lazy and forced me to get an uber."

"i didn't force you to get me an uber, i had you beg at this old man taking care of his dank frog."

"i thought i told you to stop being rude, rude sleeping dude."

"am i getting dude-zoned?"

"sure, dude."

"you..."

"me." i smile sheepishly at sunghoon. he looks oddly dumb. "you want a fight?" i chuckle at him. sunghoon attempts to tickle me, but i run off, forcing him to run up the stairs with me to the top of namsan. what a great way to persuade someone. all there is to persuade someone is to get on their nerves and when they want to tackle, run.

we had gotten to the top of the tower within at least ten minutes max. i was breathing hard, as sunghoon finally caught up to me, whacking me, then bonking me. "don't do that to me, jake, i almost lost my legs back there!"

"that's good, i would've gone back to take your kneecaps, as well as your toe fungus."

"i-"

"you got something to say?" i ask him. he seems a bit... infatuated.

"why do you have an obsession for kneecaps, toe fungus, and cactus plants?"

"i'm glad you asked me that question."

"r-really?"

"well... the thing is..." sunghoon brought me to an empty bench waiting for my answer. "the reason they're..." the way sunghoon was looking at me was kind of cute. "i'll tell you later."

"what-"

"later!" i laugh at him. did he really think i was going to tell him? of course, not! "you want anything? we skipped breakfast." i ask him, already walking over to a nearby snack stand.

"share an ice cream?"

"an ice cream?"

"do you not see me sweating?" ah, that's why he looked kind of cute, he was sweating. i sound so dead and unenthusiastic right now, ahaha... i bought a cup of ice cream and the two of us shared it, enjoying the cold flavor in a cold place. after the ice cream, we walked around, taking pictures of the scenery, taking selfies, and eating more ice cream... i'm cold.

"hey, jake?"

"yeah?"

"let's get a namsan love lock."

"huh?"

"don't tell me you don't know what that is-"

"no, no, i do!"

"then why...?" it's cliché.

"uh, i was thinking about how my cactus plants are doing."

"come on." he grabs my hand and we head over to the lock shop, where a variety of different colored locks were displayed. "which one?" he continues.

one caught my eye in particular. sunghoon was looking at the same one as i was. "this one." i grab hold of a cream-colored lock. it reminds me of something, but i couldn't quite wrap my finger over it.

"you like it because it's your favorite color?" sunghoon questions.

"no...? well... mine is ivory, and yours is white." i answer and pause for a little bit more than i should've. "and because..." i smile, realizing it. "it reminds me of the first time i met you."

"first time?"

"yeah, when i first came here the weather was cold despite the sun high in the... sky. there's something about the sunlight, the way how it reflected against the clouds. it just told me that i would have a good day, and i met you on that day." it's a small world, but we're destined to see each other one day, and when that day comes, it'll be a good one. the sky lights will watch over us and seek us happiness.

sunghoon just looks at me in dismay, but he eventually smiles at me and pulls me in for a hug. i willingly hug him back, my arms hugging his waist in tiny. tiny hug? hm... tiny hug.

sunghoon pulls me away and drags me over to the cashier where we buy the cream lock and borrow a permanent marker. we sit at the same bench from earlier when we were sharing the ice cream. we agree that the both of us would write on each side of the padlock and we would hang the small, beautiful locket somewhere memorable and easy to access if we ever come back.

"hm, your fingers are nice and slender." i tell sunghoon.

"nice and slender for your small ones." he contorts and i blush right after. he laughs out loud, attracting a couple of people to glance over at us. it's nice to hear his pleasant "haha" again.

after writing our short messages we quickly found a place to leave the lock. it was a beautiful place to be honest. we secured it under a small lampost residing below a short tree with its falling leaves blowing through the cold wind. sunghoon and i walked back down the namsan tower, enjoying every single moment that we had in that very moment.

it's the happiness that matters and counts when being in a relationship. the happiness of being there for each other, supporting each other like family, and making memories. it's because we live under the same sky, right? the light of a relationship could light up one's entire universe.

the words of a promise could really come true.

i'll always think of you... sim jaeyun.
i'll never let you go... park sunghoon.

under the sky lights...
two worlds can become one.