*To make things clear from the start: English is not my first language. I'm just a student in an English degree who wishes to become a translator (hence why I like that stuff). It is the first time I'm writing something that long in English. I also want to specify that I didn't use a translator so there will be mistakes (again, I am not a native speaker), please be kind and tolerant :). I hope you'll enjoy my story !*

'The end of the year will be difficult for you Jisung. We must find a solution as soon as possible.'

'What do you think could be done? You know it better than we do.'

Han Jisung was in a small room painted in light blue. Two of his teachers were in front of him, observing him and waiting for an answer. The young fair-haired boy with chubby cheeks did not know what to say, he could not figure out a solution by himself. First of all, he did not know what the problem was, and furthermore, Jisung had never been good at finding solutions. He stared at his history teacher, silently asking for help.

'I suppose you are an easily distracted student. You are often turning around and looking at what others do, listen to their conversation; everything catches your attention apart from the lecture. Your personal work is also badly affected by this lack of attention span. So, what about searching for an adapted place to study?'

'A library, for instance?' he asked.

'Exactly, that could be a great start.'

Jisung agreed to it. There happened to be this kind of building in his town. He would go there the day after, when he would have told his mom about the newly-taken decision.

The blond man was rather pleased on his way home. When he had heard about his convocation, he had imagined all the most stressful scenarios: extra classes, a suggestion of grade repetition, or even a reorientation; having to spend his evenings at the library studying hard was finally not so bad. He had never been the hard-working student type but he did not have any other options. He had to pass his final exam.

One more person entered the town library. Minho had not seen much people tonight, they usually took their time to come back working or to borrow some fascinating books to read after returning from vacation. The blond guy that had just entered flashed him a smile before heading to the tables adorned with rustic lamps. 'This one must have been a student searching for a quiet place' Minho thought. It is true that he didn't have to complain about rude people disturbing the silence in the library, luckily for him there never was any so that he didn't have to play the old grumpy librarian grumbling at every squeak of a chair. The brunet boy went back to his task from which he had turned away to greet the boy arrived earlier, which consisted in organizing archives on his computer. However, shortly after, he was once again interrupted by the same person. The young blond guy was standing in front of his desk, swaying on his feet. Minho stood up with a warm look.

'Good afternoon, how can I help you?'

'Hello, I- hmm, well-'

The boy seemed unsure, not at ease, and hesitant, yet – Minho did not know his age – but he did not look much younger than him.

'Are there any Spanish dictionaries?' he finally said.

'Sure. This way, fifth alley at the back on your right and then just down the staircase in the foreign section.'

'Oh... Okay, thank you. Hmm, this way, right?'

The young boy seemed so confused; it was not possible to let him get lost in the alleys. The town might not be a big one, its library looked like a maze of books. Multiple alleys, a separate space reserved for all foreign documents, hidden huge shelves, a floor for computer equipment and also a basement for all archives. And yet, there were only a few employees, about four or five, without taking in Minho who was temporarily there for work-linked training purposes. The boy's only acquaintance with whom he got along was Mingyu, the guy in charge of the upper floor; he didn't talk a lot to others, not that he was a quiet person, he just never had the chance to.

'It is your first time coming here, isn't it?'

'Yes', he answered shyly.

'Then, follow me.'

Minho thought about leaving the reception desk for a couple of minutes would be fine. He led the younger boy, slightly smirking when he saw him looking around, his eyes amazed by the immensity of the building. It always has this effect the first time. When Minho had entered into his contract, he had not been that excited thinking he would end up in a small, old, dusty library, but eventually he had been relieved when he had seen his new workplace.

He asked him more details about what he was looking for; nouns, synonyms, rhyme... He quickly skimmed the shelves to find the corresponding book and handed it to him. He left the younger one to his work and went back to his office to keep on checking the archives. No one else came to the library on that afternoon, and each person already there left early, with only two remaining people in the building. The brunet was patiently waiting for the student to walk out the door to close them and go home at the same time. He tried to keep himself busy with social media, reading the notes from his last classes, and putting in alphabetical order the children's tales, when the fair-haired boy finally showed up with two books in his hands.

'Can I borrow these?'

'Sure.'

Minho entered the titles in his computer and automatically stared at the boy, waiting for him to tell him his name, forgetting it was his first time here. He quickly realized that and broke that awkward silence.

'What's your name?'

'Han Jisung.'

'Perfect. You'll need to fill that paper in with your information.'

As the boy did so, Minho continued.

'You can borrow them for up to two weeks. If you need more time, come back here to request an extension.'

'Ok, thank you so much. Have a good one,' he said, giving him back the sheet of paper.

Minho smiled at him and gathered all his things, ready to finally leave. He was about to close his backpack when he saw a black thing on the office. Convinced that it was not there before, he figured out it must be Jisung's phone, who had left a few minutes ago. He could not have gone that far; Minho could still probably catch up with him. He turned off the light, turned the key in the lock, and hurried down the stairs looking all around the street. Despite the late hour, the night had not fallen yet so that he could spot a silhouette crouching on the floor, searching in a bag.

'Is this what you're looking for?' Minho said holding precious belonging in his hand.

'Oh, yeah, thanks.'

He smiled shyly to the employee in front of him who had been kind enough to look for him to return his phone. Earlier, Jisung had not really paid attention to whom he talked to, focused on not letting his shyness take over. But now that he saw him in the natural light of the sunset, he looked pretty young. Still older than him; but not above 25 years old. He had soft-looking brown hair, the breeze blowing in it lightly, his bangs falling just above his eyes. Jisung lost himself in them. He loved looking at other people's eyes, as goes the saying 'the eyes are the mirror of the soul', and this boy's were captivating. Of a dark shade but reflecting all every city light, even all the stars of the universe. This young boy is undeniably good-looking with his harmonious face, long lashes, sharp nose, and his lips that were neither too fleshy nor too thin. He had that adorable smile and seemed to stare at Jisung as well, without an ounce of malice. The schoolboy had long blond hair that hid almost completely his eyes, but not enough to cover his cute puffy cheeks. What caught the brunet's eyes were the multiple earrings he was wearing. Minho seldom saw any man around here wearing jewellery. He had five small rings on one, and a longer one in a dream catcher shape on the other. He then noticed that they had been staring at each other, without a word, because they just did not know what to say. They were only standing there, down the stairs of the library, looking into each other's eyes, not caring about anyone else. They did not know anything about each other, but something in their gaze were appealing to them. The peaceful atmosphere that had settled between them shattered because of a loud clatter from a bus braking. The fair-haired boy turned his head, he had to catch that bus. His cheeks lightly red, he faced the other boy again.

'I have to go. And, once again, thank you,' he mumbled.

He didn't wait for an answer to make his way to his bus. He felt a little bit weird, he had a small heatstroke and needed to take a deep breath to calm down. Once again, he blamed his shyness and his fear of talking to strangers.

Jisung had been to the library every evening for a week now, and he unexpectedly liked it more than he imagined. The calm, the atmosphere of the place helped him a lot to concentrate on his work and not let his mind wander. Although he couldn't help but observe every person entering the doors. He had also seen Minho again – he knew his name from one of his colleagues who called him earlier in the week – to return what he had borrowed.

But at that very moment, he was thinking about something completely different. He thought about his dinner, the hours of sleep he had missed and needed to catch up on, about his friend Seungmin whom he promised to call because he had been sick for the past few days, and were the lampshades blue-green or teal? All those thoughts running through his mind prevented him from being effective in his courses. It really was not the day for it to happen, he had so much work to complete, a pile of unopened books and textbooks on his right, whereas on his left was the finished one: three simple exercises in physics. The next to come was Spanish, a field in which his level left much to be desired, it was the least to say. Regaining a semblance of motivation, he took out a sheet and noted all the unknown vocabulary, which was enough to fill it entirely. Without losing any more time, math followed, and so on for a couple hours.

When he reached his final exercise, it was already late, and his eyes were closing from time to time. He was exhausted and he was running out of energy. If he rested for just five minutes, he would be much more efficient for the remaining work; his brain just needed a small rest. He put his head on his arms, closed his eyes, and tried to soothe his mind.

8:35 pm. The doors should have been closed five minutes ago, and yet, the library was still not empty. Minho stayed at his office patiently, the boy who had been coming for the past week should be immersed into his studies. If he wasn't wrong, he should be the only person remaining in the building, apart from the staff. And yet, there was no sign of him. The brunet was certain the student had not left the building, but he needed to go home to feed his cats and had to go check all the alleys before leaving. He walked through the multiple alleys and smiled when he found him. The young boy had fallen asleep, one arm extended, his cheek squashed against the table and his mouth slightly open was letting out small sighs. Minho felt guilty waking him up in such a peaceful sleep, but he had to go home, and his parents were probably worried about him.

'Jisung,' he whispered shaking him gently.

'Hmm...'

The latter emerged from his sleep, blinking as his eyes adapted to the luminosity and collect himself. He abruptly stood up when he noticed the other boy close to him.

'Jisung, you fell asleep. It's time to go, the library is closed.'

He showed him the time on his phone to prove his point. A flicker of panic crossed the younger's eyes.

'Oh jeez, I'm so sorry,' he said while hastily collecting his stuff.

'No problem, don't worry about that. But your parents might be wondering where you are.'

'And the last bus is already gone at that time.'

He sighed, dejected by his incompetence to spend a single trouble-free day. He had to walk back home, carrying his heavy bag, alone. Not that he didn't like to be alone, self-care time was always appreciated, but he had forgotten his earphones in the morning and there was no one to distract him. He lived quite far from the library and his mom had a night shift. That was just his luck.

He hurried to the exit, craving food and a good rest on his sofa. Minho followed him, he also had to go and Jisung even felt guilty that he had to wait for him after his office hours.

'You're going to walk back?' he called him.

'I don't think I have any other option.'

'If you live far away, I can drive you back. If that's fine with you, it would be safer.'

Drive him back? Minho wanted to drive him back home? They didn't know each other, it was late, he was off work to go home, and yet he still had the kindness to suggest that? He would have said yes if they had been closer, but he was cautious and always preferred dealing with things by himself rather than trusting someone he only saw a couple of times and barely knew. Minho probably did not intend to kidnap him or hold him hostage, he was just a kind-hearted person, but Jisung still refused.

'Thank you, I appreciate it, but it's fine. I don't live that far.'

'Okay, stay safe then.'

He got into the car and left while Jisung didn't shift his gaze. That boy was definitely kind and friendly, and cute too. But he didn't have the time for that, he had a long way to go.

***

He was not focused, distracted by something. For some stupid reasons, he kept glancing at the main door every time he heard a noise. He was worried. Worried that something bad had happened. Jisung came every night around the same time without fail, even if it was raining cats and dogs. But not tonight, and Minho could not stop thinking about it. He was wondering why the fair-haired boy had not come whereas he should have arrived about twenty minutes ago. He was certainly worried about nothing anyway. After all, he also had a life, he could be busy doing any extracurricular activities, or be exhausted from all the work he had done the past few weeks; he had even fallen asleep the day before. Maybe he had been kidnapped, or worse, hit by a car! Minho wished he had insisted more, and not let a teenage boy walking back home alone at night, even if he affirmed that he lived close, accidents do not always happen far from home. But if he had been to insistent, then he would have thought that Minho was some kind of psychopath or malicious pervert, and that was not the idea he wanted him to have because he rather was the generous, caring, charitable kind.

But for now, he had to stop thinking about it or his boss would scold him for being such an inefficient employee. Although he was in a work-study internship, he had to put effort into it. He started working on the most important files, although he could not help but keep an eye on the main door.

He could not shake it off his mind until the end of the day. When locking the door, he thought he really had to focus on something else and stop worrying about the young boy he only saw and talked to a couple times. He had never given that much attention to someone he barely knew before. He considered it could be because he sort of identified with him. His time in high school had not been a peaceful one, and Minho never counted all the sacrifices he had done to pass his exams and make his way in the career path he wanted. This Jisung, who came every afternoon, also seemed to struggle, drowned in his blackened pencil-marked sheets.

Minho had just returned back from the basement after organizing the weekly records when he spotted the young boy whom he had worried about a few days ago. He kindly smiled at him, a weight coming off his shoulders. Finally, nothing had happened to him, he could go on with his day serenely. On that day, he was not alone on the main floor, his colleague Mingyu was sitting at his office, working on the computer.

'I saw your lil' blondie coming in,' he said keeping his eyes on the screen.

'He's not my little blondie, stop that. And I already know that, I just saw him.'

'You sent me dozens of messages last Friday just to tell me that you were panicked and about to have a heart attack, and at least eight since 8 a.m to ask me if he came!'

'You're too much. It's not exactly what happened ... Why are you even talking to me? You should be working.'

'Said the guy who just spent thirty minutes in the basement to do a three-minute task,' the taller muttered.

The two boys were not serious at all and were already laughing together. But who said men cannot multi-task? They managed to work while talking, and sometimes eating. The evenings went by faster when they were together, even though Minho often had to disappear to store returned books.

He had gotten used to the organisation of the shelves after weeks of pure struggle every time he had to do it. It was by a twist of fate that, this time, he had to go near "his blondie". He did not quite notice it until he heard sniffing and long sighs. Minho recognized these sounds too well.

'Hey, is everything alright?' he asked.

Jisung ran his hands over his face and lifted his head, blinking rapidly. He had thought that no one would disturb him in this library, but he was wrong: the same boy as the other day came to him.

'Yes,' he said wincing at his shaky voice. 'Everything's good.'

'Do you need help?' the older said pointing at the opened books.

'Well... I...'

'I don't want to make you uncomfortable. I just happen to have nothing to do at the moment; my colleague is already at the help desk.'

Jisung shyly nodded while Minho took a seat next to him. He briefly looked at the pages and asked what the issue was. Economics was a complicated subject to understand, but luckily, the brunet kept some essential knowledge on that.

He spent time to explain him the main points, gave him tips on learning methods and other similar things. The fair-haired boy eventually relaxed, he was smiling and talked more than before. He ended getting tired of the supply and demand curves though, and Minho noticed that he was starting to ramble. He reckoned he had done enough for today and helped him packing his things up.

'Can I ask how you know all that stuff?' asked Jisung in a shy tone but genuinely curious.

'I had the same major as you, and that was only four years ago.'

'And what do you do here now?'

'I'm in a work-study internship. I'm studying to be an archivist, and it was easier for me to work here rather than near my school because I live here.'

'How did you find that path? I mean, how did you know what you wanted to do?'

'You don't know what you want to do?'

'Not really. I applied to some schools but without any real purpose, and I have to admit that it makes me anxious.'

'You don't have to worry; you'll find what's right for you when the time comes. I think the more you experience, the clearer things become.'

They stopped talking, awkwardly looking at each other. A question was burning on the tip of Minho's tongue, but he was too afraid to be intrusive. But his curiosity took over.

'By the way Jisung, what put you in that state earlier? If you're open to talk about it, of course.'

'Oh that, yeah sure. It's just that I can't keep up with school,' he sighed. 'I'm trying my best but sometimes it's just too much and I feel like I won't succeed, nothing is working out and I'm losing so much time being inefficient.'

'You don't have to be stressed about that you know. The last year feels like the longest and the hardest, especially towards the end. You don't have time for yourself anymore, you're anxious and constantly questioning yourself about all the choices you have made.'

'You also felt it?'

'Yeah, kind of. Let's say I also struggled a lot. You should stop for tonight, get some rest and not pressure yourself too much.'

'But, I was sent here to work harder than at home, not to rest.'

'You were sent here?'

'Teachers' orders. To be honest, I spent all my time looking around and doing everything but homework when I'm in my room. The studious atmosphere here is supposed to help me focus.'

'Oh, okay. But I insist that you go home for tonight. We reviewed a lot of things in a short amount of time.'

'I-'

'Minho!' a loud voice cut through the silence.

Mingyu appeared behind a shelf. Minho frowned and scolded him to be so loud in a library, even though no one was to be seen around.

'Are you kidding me? You were supposed to come back thirty minutes ago. So, first, I was a little bit worried you fell off the stairs, and second, I am not paid to do your job. I would greatly appreciate it if you could move your cute butt back to the desk and help the customers. I know you're having a wonderful time with your blondie but I cannot manage everything alone, I need you right now,' he declared turning around without waiting for the answer.

'That was quite embarrassing,' the boy muttered. Then he turned to his companion. 'I'm sorry, I have to get back to work. If you want to stay here and take a small break, you can always come to the desk and chat, we're often not super busy. You know the way.'

'Thank you,' he whispered.

Minho left him alone, again. After their discussion, the young boy did not want to keep on studying for tonight or he would smash his head against the wooden table to calm his headache. He had done a lot for today and should take a well-deserve break. But what could he do now? Minho had suggested he come to the desk, but he did not want to disturb him in his work, and there was Mingyu too. The tall man appeared charismatic and intimidating to him; he would not feel very comfortable. Indeed, it was a miracle that he had not panicked and stuttered when the brunet talked to him earlier. It was to believe that his friendly and warm demeanour helped him to feel more at ease. He was still debating and hesitating about what to do. On one hand, he would be bored to stay there, alone at his table, but he wanted to avoid disturbing anyone and being confronted to people above all because that meant his shyness taking over once again. Well, after all, the psychologist said that hiding did not solve anything. He had to make efforts, pull himself together, and talking to people he was not familiar with was a good start. Mingyu did not look mean or violent, he maybe even was not there anymore; that should go smoothly.

He packed his stuff and took the main aisle; a few weeks here and he could now find his way without going back on his steps. As soon as his new acquaintance saw him, a huge smile spread across his face. He had really thought Jisung would not come, having witnessed his shyness. But he was genuinely happy that despite that, he dropped his books to come continue their conversation.

'You listened to my advice, you took a break.'

'Yes, I'm not even going back to study, or probably just reading my notes when I get home. That can't hurt me.'

Minho took a stool standing on one side and offered him a seat. They talked about everything and nothing, their lives, their studies, the older's experience in high school and the worries he had also had. In the end, Mingyu barely paid attention to them; he was focused on his work and only said two or three words from time to time.

The bus would be arriving soon, and Minho naturally went to the bus stop with Jisung; he also had to leave soon anyway. They waited silently, and it is only when it was in their sight that they spoke again.

'Well, thank you for today, for reassuring me and spending time explaining economics to me.'

'A pleasure. You looked more relaxed than last week.'

'Oh, yeah, about that...'

'Don't worry, I get that I sometimes intimidate people,' he said ironically. 'More seriously, your reactions were actually cute. You'll be there tomorrow I guess?'

'Of course, every afternoon.'

Minho nodded. How to say goodbye to a person with whom you talked for one hour but you just met them? A mere hand gesture would be awkward, and he had just said to him that he was cute, he had to do better. An embrace was too much of a tactile move, they were not that close yet. He did not have enough time left to think about it, the bus was there. He did what first came to his mind, to simply shake his hand and lightly pat his shoulder. Jisung got on the transport, and Minho went back into the library to get his stuff. At the desk, Mingyu stared at him with a smirk.

'Patting his shoulder? For real? That was painful to see.'

'Oh my goodness, you never stop, don't you?'

'Never.'

Minho rolled his eyes and slouched on the wooden desk; he still had a few minutes to kill.

'You like him?' his colleague asked.

'We've only just met!'

'Love at first sight is not a myth.'

'No. He just reminds me of myself a couple years ago, and... No, you know what, forget about that,' he stopped.

'Tell me, I'm listening,' the taller insisted.

'Forget what I said, leave me alone. I'll fill in the last record, and then go home.'

'You were about to say that he was cute, right? With his cute cheeks, his little hands, messy hair falling on his forehead, and his sparkling eyes calling your name; you can hear them, you can't resist. I know, it's hard to deal with.'

'You really have to stop reading fairytales to your daughter, it's getting to your head. Yes, he's cute, but that doesn't mean anything. There are a lot of people out there who are cute, or good-looking, and you don't fall in love with every single one of them.'

***

They had been seeing each other every afternoon for two weeks, and always found enough time to chat, even when they had to cut it short when Minho had to attend his duties. Jisung seemed brighter recently, and the older was wondering why. He dared not think that he could be the reason of this change, by the fact that he cheered him up.

However, on this Wednesday evening, the two friends did not have the time to greet each other as usual. He was not alone, another tall, charming black-haired boy entered at the same time. Even wearing a plain black T-shirt and ripped jeans, he had something in him that made him stand out – you could tell it at first glance. They took the main aisle, quietly giggling so as not to disturb anyone, and slightly pushing each other on the shoulder. The fair-haired boy smiled at him and directly went to his favourite table. Minho was not jealous, but he wished the boy had come alone and paid more attention to him; he had gotten used to it. The unknown boy must have been for sure the reason why he was smiling more and more, he should be taking care of him given their complicity.

The two teenagers took place, and began to check their homework and planning.

'Well, where do we begin?'

'Maybe you could start with telling me who was that good-looking guy you smiled at? Is that the Minho you relentlessly talk about?'

'Hyunjin, you're annoying. It's not the moment for that, focus.'

'I don't need your answer anyway, of course it's him. And I have to admit he's attractive,' he declared.

'Cool, thanks for your opinion,' the other boy answered. 'Can we work now?'

Hyunjin did not reply, but he was not planning on stopping there. He was not the type to give up that easily, especially when it concerned his protégé. He knew how much Jisung could be reserved and naïve, and he felt responsible to make sure he would not get hurt from getting attached too quickly – which was the case with that library employee.

Their history presentation progressed rapidly, they had been effective and also found time to joke around and take small breaks. They yet had to divide their speaking time as cleverly as possible, so that their teacher would not scold them because Hyunjin talked too much and Jisung too little. The smaller was willing to make efforts, but one step at a time, baby steps, he wanted to avoid hurrying things and ending up losing control. The black-haired boy never hesitated helping him and doing everything he could – sometimes too much – for him to be comfortable. They had known each other for enough time now to have promised to always look after one another.

'I have to go now, I gotta catch the bus.'

'Already?'

'We've been here for almost three hours. I think we're done for today.'

'You're right. That's crazy how time flies.'

They went toward the exit and stopped just before the doors.

'When will you leave?'

'I'll take the 10N in half an hour,' Jisung said checking his phone.

'Fine, usually I would have felt bad to leave you waiting alone, but some for reasons I think you'll be in great company', he said looking at Minho above his shoulder. 'You're in good hands now.'

He got closer and hugged him, as they did all the time. Physical touch had a magically relaxing impact on Jisung, he loved it, and he did not show that kind of affection to anyone. He only displayed sincere affection to someone important to him; and Hyunjin alone took up half the space in his heart. In the taller's arms, nothing could happen to him, he felt protected from all misfortunes of the world. He watched him leaving, smiling, what would he do without him? He then focused on his very new companion.

'Hello, how are you today?'

'Good, and you?' he replied.

'Good. Say, will you be there tomorrow?'

'I'm working here Jisung. Of course I'll be there. It's just next week, I'm leaving on Wednesday for about two weeks, it won't be that long.'

'That's what you say,' he muttered for himself.

He looked him in the eyes and saw something, a glint he could not interpret.

'The boy with you earlier, was he your boyfriend?'

'My what? Boyfriend?' Jisung repeated blushing. 'No, absolutely not, Hyunjin's my best friend.'

'You know I would never judge you on anything, you can be honest with me.'

'No, but for real. He's really my best friend, nothing more, nothing less.'

The brunet did not give an answer, but he still had questions in mind and it clearly showed. Jisung gathered his courage, he felt something weird between them and did not want to leave with this bitter feeling.

'Tell me, you have something on your mind, right?'

'Oh no, don't worry. I'm sorry, I don't want to make you uncomfortable or anything.'

'If you ask me now, then we can move on from this weird conversation.'

'Okay, well... I was just wondering about... Like... About, you know, if you were straight or...'

For the first time, Minho was at loss of words. He knew he should not have asked, and that was none of his business. He said it so quietly that Jisung thought he had misheard. The latter wanted to disappear under a table on the sport, he always tried to avoid this specific topic, even with Hyunjin.

'I... well... It's kind of complicated?'

'Meaning?'

Now that he had said it, there was no turning back. So he went all in. He seemed genuinely interested in the other boy's reply, which encouraged the fair-haired student to confess more than he would do with an almost complete stranger.

'I don't really know actually. As sad as it sounds, I neither fell in love nor felt a real attraction for someone yet. I mean, lots of people I met are amazing, but it never felt like love? Or maybe it did, but never realized? I don't know, it's hard to put words on it,' he started speaking faster, panicking about what to say or not to not sound weird or stupid.

'Hey, calm down, everything is fine. It's not sad to feel like that, your whole life is ahead of you. Something might happen soon, or not, but in both case it's okay.'

'Why are you asking?'

'I just wanted to know you more. In fact, it's quite funny how every time you tell me something about you, I can see myself in it. Do you believe in soulmates, Jisung?'

The boy could hardly be more red than he was there. He was having hot flashes, his heart was pumping, his throat was dry, and that was the moment he lost control of himself, of everything. His eyes were full of tears, and he struggled to not let them roll on his cheeks. Minho saw that and felt incredibly guilty, because he was the one to blame for doing that; he spontaneously embraced him like Hyunjin had done earlier.

'Jisung, I'm so sorry. Forget about that okay? I did not want to make you uncomfortable, I'm sorry.'

While he kept apologizing, the smaller's breathing became steadier. He closed his eyes, enjoying Minho's nice smell, and shakily said:

'No, it's my fault, sorry. I should be able to control my emotions. I don't even know why I am reacting like that, I must seem so childish.'

The other was about to scold him for always having such a low self-esteem, but was cut off by Mingyu.

'Oops, holy cow, I'm sorry. I didn't see anything. Keep going, don't mind me.'

Minho sighed at the behaviour of his older colleague and let go of Jisung.

'Sorry for interrupting, I just wanted to say bye. I won't see you for some time, I'm taking the week off and then you're leaving too. Junhui is taking my shifts.'

'Oh, I forgot about that,' he said shaking his hand. 'Enjoy the sun and the beaches, and don't forget to send me a postcard!'

A couple of minutes later, Mingyu was running to his car to get away from his job.

'Jisung... I don't want you to feel bad about anything. So I'll just say that I truly understand you. My older brother and I were very similar on that, we never tried to get an answer about our orientation, we just used to say that love would come from anywhere, whenever, without us expecting it. And because it could be anyone, we weren't minding it at all, it would eventually come to us, and then we would know.

'And it came to you?'

'To my brother, yes,' he said with a huge smile. 'A girl with whom he was friend with since our childhood; they met again at a random event, and now they're engaged. Life is full of surprises.'

'That is a very cute story.'

'It is, indeed.'

'And... you? If it's okay for you to talk about that, we can also find another topic...'

'I don't mind, don't worry. Well, I haven't found anyone yet, but I still have time. For now, I'm fine.'

'You never feel like you're missing something? Like there's a void that is calling to be filled with someone who knows you, who believes in you even at your lowest, someone whom you would be with forever.'

'Doesn't everyone feel that way at some point?'

'I guess so.'

'I do feel it sometimes, and it hurts too. But that's okay, it'll stop someday.'

Jisung looked calmer, and somehow relieved. The fact that Minho shared his life with him reassured him; he was right when he said they were alike. He felt less alone, and that gave him an example of someone who was living happily despite hardships, he was inspiring him. Deep inside, the young boy was grateful to his teachers for their advice.

***

'Minho! There's an emergency crisis!'

'Hi. Yes, I'm fine, thank you. Nothing new today, thank you for asking.'

'Oh, sorry. You weren't there when I came in.'

'That's alright, I'm joking. What's going on?'

'They organised a prom! In two weeks!'

'That's great, it sounds pretty cool. I don't get what's the problem.'

'A prom. Like a prom. The kind of thing you can't go alone to,' Jisung complained.

'Then go with Hyunjin.'

'He's going with his girlfriend, I don't want to be the annoying Steve there.'

'Then go with any of your friends, like most people will do. Don't stress out for that, it's just a party for you graduation. No one cares with whom you go, or if you're alone.'

'I don't want to,' he whispered. 'The thing is, I don't have that many friends, and they all asked someone, but I can't do that. No one is going alone, for real.'

'Don't say that, you can do it. You know what?'

Jisung shook his head. Whatever Minho would say, he could not be convinced.

'You're an adorable person, you're kind, generous and cute. No one would refuse to go with you, so be confident! And you know I mean it, I wouldn't say otherwise.'

Indeed, he had a very serious expression. They had known each other for months, and they could now say they were friends. Minho was never joking about self-confidence, and he was one of the most honest people Jisung had met. He blindly trusted him and always tried to be up to his expectations, but there were some things he could not overcome yet.

'Thank you, really. I wish you could come with me,' Jisung declared not daring looking at him.

'That's cute, believe me, I would if I could. But you know it won't be possible. I won't even be there.'

'I know. I think I just won't go. I may have that one classmate who would potentially go with me, Felix, but I can already hear what others would think.'

'What would they think?'

'That we're together, and they will deduce things, and talk trash behind our backs. It always happens.'

'Ji... How many times do I have to tell you? They have no right to influence you, nor do their words. Who are they to say that kind of stuff without even knowing anything about you? To prevent you from living your life? I know it's hard to abstract from them, but you have to get over it. You can't let them ruin your prom; trust me you'll regret not going. High school graduation is once-in-a-lifetime.'

Jisung shrugged. He will think about it but could not promise anything to him. The taller hugged him, and pat his back with a smile. Tomorrow might not be the day he faces his fears, but he could feel that the boy was improving every day.

'Anyway, on a more joyful note, I also have good news!'

'I'm all ears.'

'We received the results of our pre-exams for this semester. Almost all teachers, especially my tutor, praised me so much for all my efforts; that was the best thing I ever heard from them! If I do the same thing for my finals, I'll get a high score.'

'Congratulations! Of course you'll have that high score, I have no doubt about it.'

'Thank you so much for everything. I got so motivated here, and it's essentially thanks to your help. Not only for classes, but also for cheering me up and stuff over the last few months.'

The fair-haired boy told him how much even Hyunjin talked about him, and how impressed he was by everything he achieved.

The two boys kept on talking light-heartedly. They tried to spend more time together now that the semester was almost over, and before Minho had to leave the city again. A ringtone shattered their bubble of peace.

'Mom?'

'Jisung! Where are you? Have you seen what time it is?'

The student frowned, looking at his screen to see the time. Indeed, he had not seen time passing by and he was late. His bus, the last one, had already left.

'I'm sorry mom, I didn't pay attention. I'm still at the library but I'm leaving now. I'll be there soon.'

'Okay, be careful on your way.'

'Yes, love you, bye,' he quickly said before hanging up. 'I missed the bus, once again. I have to leave now, or my mom will have an attack.'

It was time for the employee to close, so they both left at the same time, still talking. The last rays of sunshine illuminated the city, but the car's headlights were already on. Minho looked at his car, parked in front of the building, and then at Jisung.

'Do you want me to drive you home this time?'

'I don't want to bother you, and make you take a detour.'

'If I'm suggesting, it doesn't bother me. Come on, you'll be home faster.'

The younger one yielded. He gave him the directions and, once in front of his house, the driver sighed and smiled at the same time.

'You're unbelievable. Remember that time you fell asleep at the library? And you didn't want me to drive you back? You clearly stated 'I don't live that far'', he said imitating his friend's voice. 'You lied to me.'

'To be fair, you were still a complete stranger and could have been a dangerous psychopath, and kidnapped me and held me hostage.'

Minho laughed loudly, and Jisung followed.

'Actually, two weeks seems like a long time now.'

'For sure...'

And for the nth time today, they stayed in complete silence. They were just looking at each other, and through the windows, because they were comfortable that way. Mingyu had once pointed out that the way they seemed to communicate by telepathy was frightening.

'Give me your phone,' Minho finally said.

The fair-haired boy obeyed, and the other typed something on it he could not see.

'I just saved my number, so that we can keep in touch during these two weeks,' he explained.

He hugged him quickly one last time before he got off the car and saw his mom waiting at the doorstep.

'Hyunjin got his driver licence?' she asked.

'No, it's not Hyunjin.'

'Oh, who was it then?'

Jisung did not have time to reply, that the driver called his name through the opened window. He was waving his phone that he had forgotten on the front seat, a bad habit of his. He went to get his precious belonging back, and his mom approached too.

'Thank you for driving him back,' she said.

'You're welcome Ma'am. Have a good evening,' he answered before turning around and going the other way.

'That's a charming young boy. He seems familiar, but I can't remember...'

'It's Minho, he's working at the library. I told you about him.'

'Ooooh!' she exclaimed. 'The Minho! Of course, we should invite him to dinner one day.'

***

The fair-haired boy picked up the phone, his mouth still full of cereals.

'Hey! I'll be there in thirty minutes, you better be ready, we're going to celebrate your graduation.'

Jisung almost choked on his food.

'What?! You couldn't tell me earlier? I just got up, I haven't even finished my breakfast!'

'Well, you should hurry up then because I won't be late.'

He widened his eyes as the other boy had hung up on him. He knew what he had to do now, too bad for the breakfast, he had to run under the shower.

Jisung had passed the final exams with honors. He was so proud of himself, his mom was too, all his efforts were not vain. He had come to the library just to tell Minho face to face because he owned him a lot, and the employee had been so happy it was to wonder who had actually passed it. It was a real success for the older one as he had seen the student struggling and feeling so down, it had broken his heart multiple times. However, everything was different now; he had discovered a completely new person, upbeat and jovial. Even better, it seemed like Jisung cared less and less about what people could think of the way he looks, the way he talks, or how he walks; stepping out of his zone of comfort was his greatest achievement. Nevertheless, since the results had been released, they did not get the chance to properly celebrate yet. Hence, Minho had planned to take him out and spend the day together. Their relationship had evolved again. They were certainly friends, but also something more. It could not be defined with words, but they both knew how they felt and were satisfied with it.

Jisung was as fast as he could, but he still had to pick an outfit that would look good – not just anything random – and also his earrings. Because Minho loved it. He was about to go down the stairs, hoping to finish the last bite of his cereal, when someone knocked at the door.

'I don't call that being on time. You're way ahead of time!'

'I knew you would be ready. Ready to go?'

A couple of minutes after, they both were in Minho's car, heading downtown. The plan was to enjoy the sun, order their favourite drinks and snacks, and most importantly spend time together. Jisung loved this; he could not wait to share tons of things with him. The latter also insisted on paying for the smoothies and ice cream; it was his own way to congratulate him for everything he had done over the last few months.

'...and you know Felix, he's not the type to let others walk over him. He just had to say three words, and I swear the other guy ran away, literally!'

The smaller one was talking about the three previous days he had spent with his friends on a week-end to the beach. He was so immersed in his storytelling, he did not notice that Minho was staring at him. He had to confess that he was lovely like this. That day was particularly sunny and warm, and the blooming trees of the park they were in gave a magical and enchanting aspect to the landscape. As if everything was put into place to highlight the fair-haired boy, and Minho could have taken thousands of pictures of him at that moment. He wanted to keep that expression of pure happiness in mind forever. Jisung would probably never change and stay the clumsiest person he knew. Whilst he was hypnotised by his cup and deep in his thoughts to try to remember details about his story, Jisung did not see the lady in front of him, on the phone, turning her back to him. And what would Jisung do if Minho was not there to prevent him from rushing into random people, and at the same time spilling his drink all over the ground? He pull his arm toward him, holding him strongly enough. Destiny wanted a rock to be his way, and Jisung tripped on it, barely catching himself on his tee-shirt.

'Oops sorry, I didn't mean pulling you that strongly. Are you okay?'

'Yeah, yeah, I'm okay,' Jisung said.

He lifted his head, blinking because of the bright light, and met his eyes. That looked he would never get bored of; the gleam of which he was more attracted to day by day. He never knew why, and he did not really care, all that matters was that Minho was there and, once again, he was looking out for him. The little one forgot what he was previously saying, stood up properly on his feet and put his head on his friend's shoulder, arms locked around his waist. He adored that feeling, the one he felt when he was wrapped in his powerful arms. They look like a couple, but he did not care about that anymore; he was feeling at peace.

'Thank you,' he said.

Minho had never known when love would come at his door, he was patiently waiting. He had always believed the feeling was difficult to understand, to handle, but everything seemed easier when he sincerely began to feel it. He remembered what the boy had said to him some time ago; that he needed someone that would make him a better person, who would accept him and love him the same way he would do as well. One day he had understood the meaning of it and realised that, for him, that person was Jisung; the shy boy that came to study at the library to improve his skills, who stammered saying only two words. That same boy he found silently crying, exhausted, and above all lost. That same person with whom he had created a bond despite everything; at the end of the day, it was so obvious. He never said anything about it, he did not see the point of doing so. He preferred waiting for the younger one to come to him, and if he did not that meant they were not meant to be together, that Jisung deserved someone better.

'Minho,' called the latter. 'Do you remember, I told you once that I felt like a void in me sometimes? That I needed the attention and affection of someone special, who would believe in me and help me, make me a happier individual. I think I found them.'

The boy was over the moon to hear that, because he wished for Jisung's happiness before anything else.

'Who's that lucky person?'

He stepped back a little, still keeping proximity between their bodies, and held his hands, eyes locked on the ground. He was biting his lips, his shyness resurfaced.

'You,' the boy whispered so softly that Minho thought he was hallucinating.

But he knew he had heard right when he saw Jisung's face. All the delight he had felt until then seemed absurd compared to what he was feeling at that present moment. He could have cried and screamed on top of his lungs on every rooftop that he was the happiest man ever. Instead, he tightly hugged the boy and kissed his cheek.

'You're everything in need in my life Han Jisung; I won't ever let you go.'

'I intend to stay forever.'

That was their first kiss, their first ever. And they would remember it for a very long time. A chaste kiss, gently and genuine. The brunet got even closer to whisper in his, now, boyfriend's ear:

'Jisung, do you believe in soulmates?'