—🎶

 

Faint notions of music could be heard inside a certain karaoke room. Followed by deafeningly lousy singing.

 

Inside was a group of 6 middle school friends. However, out of those six, two stood out above the rest.

 

One stared somewhat absent-mindedly at his phone. Tapping away to his own rhythm.

 

He had orange hair that turned black at the roots. He wore a black braided choker. And a cross dangling off of his right earring. That person was Hirohito Yuki.

 

Yuki had senpaku eyes and sharp pupils.

(google it. Basically means sharp/mean-looking eyes)

 

He was very feminine. He didn’t have a very big build, he was short, his voice wasn’t especially deep, and he had a baby face. The only thing proving his manliness was his Adam’s apple.

 

From afar, he could be confused for a girl that just had short hair.

 

The other was slightly more manly. He had a bigger build and rather broad shoulders. But he wasn’t bulky by any means. Your standard shounen or shoujo manga MC. This person was Hak Sujin.

 

He looked like a BTS member. His black hair was just the perfect amount of curly. He was tall, 6 '3, compared to Yuki, who was 5' 6 on a good day.

 

Others commonly find themselves drawn to his diamond-blue eyes. Which at times seemed iridescent. He also had a small black rose tattoo on his left hand.

 

“Sujin, is it true you're moving soon?”

 

The person who’d been singing their hearts out, albeit not well, had finally let go of the mic, much to the pleasure of his victims– friends, and began chatting to Sujin.

 

“Yeah, it’s only a few prefectures away. So it’s not like I can’t visit.”

 

“Man~ who’s gonna join me in hitting on girls now?”

 

Said person had short but spiky blonde hair. He was sitting down on the couch while sipping on his cold drink.

 

“Man, you dragged me against my will!”

 

Sujin exclaimed in an attempt to defend his honor.

 

“Well yeah, gotta put your good looks to use somehow.”

 

“Start taking care of your skin, Takeru.”

 

Yuki, who’d been silently playing games on his phone, cut in.

 

“Eh? My skin is fine!”

 

“You have a pimple on the side of your face.”

 

“EH?! Really?!”

 

The group continued to banter and chatter before being kicked out as they had overstayed their payment.

 

Sujin and Yuki walked side by side as dusk painted the streets orange.

 

“I don’t want to go back home yet…”

 

Yuki pouted. Shoving his hands deep into his pocket.

 

Tomorrow, Sujin will be leaving this prefecture. Sujin has a… Unique… Living situation. He lives by himself in a 1DK apartment. His family members send him enough money to get by. He also works part-time jobs for fun money.

 

However, rent had become too much for him there. Luckily, he found an even cheaper apartment. Not only that, it was slightly bigger.

 

Though Sujin’s worried that the lower price may mean the quality would be shotty. Creaking moldy floors, water leaking through the roof, obnoxious neighbors…

 

 Those were all possibilities as to why the price was so low.

 

However, he had to make this leap of faith.

 

“Heh. If we stay out any longer, it’s gonna get dark out.”

 

Sujin chuckled as Yuki’s pouty behavior reassembled a dog hiding his owner's shoes, trying to keep its owners from leaving.

 

“Ah! Let's go over there for a little bit!”

 

Yuki points at an empty playground. A playground where they shared many memories together.

 

“But…”

 

“It's fine! It’s not like you have a curfew!”

 

“And my parents are always home late anyway!”

 

Yuki said as he got on the swings.

 

“... Fine…!” Sujin says with a sigh.

 

Sujin smiled reluctantly and agreed due to Yuki’s persistence. Yuki’s face beamed at the thought of being able to stay with his best friend a while longer.

 

Yuki was standing on the seat instead of sitting in it while swinging. While Sujin just sat idly.

 

“Hey, Sujin, can you do this?”

 

Yuki then began swinging extraordinarily high and fast. While standing on the swing.

 

“I can’t do that.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“First, aren't you even a little embarrassed that you, a high schooler, are playing on the children's playground? 

 

“And second, I’d hit my head.”

 

“Pfft, I’m a kid at heart, eternally. Not to mention, I was a middle schooler just a few months ago!”

 

Yuki said as he leaped off the swing. He nimbly climbed to the top of the jungle gym before hanging himself upside down. Letting himself sway back and forth.

 

Yuki had always been athletic. And he enjoyed doing parkour.

 

Sujin couldn’t help but stare at his revealed belly. As Yuki’s clothes were dragged down by gravity.

 

‘Agh! What am I looking at?’ Sujin turned his head away.

 

Yuki signaled Sujin to come join him.

 

The two sat together and watched as the dusky sun that’d been painting the streets in an orange hue got swallowed by the horizon.

 

***

 

“I don’t want to go home yet…”

 

“You sound like a little kid when you say that. ‘Mommy, I don’t want to go to bed yet!~’”

 

Sujin mocks Yuki. Which prompts Yuki to give Sujin a firm kick to the buttocks.

 

“Tch, you're insufferable!”

 

“Says the one whining to stay with me longer!”

 

“E– Shut up! I just don’t want to go home, is all…”

 

Yuki says solemnly as he kicks a poor street pebble off to the side. As they reach a fork in the road. Yuki’s place was to the right. While Sujin’s was to the left.

 

“Then you wanna come over?”

 

“Eh?! Really!?”

 

“I don't see why not.”

 

In truth, Sujin was also reluctant to leave his friend. After all, he only had today.

 

Yuki pumps his fists, feeling victorious. Today, instead of splitting off with Sujin to the right of the impasse. He walked side by side with Sujin.

 

[Ch 1 END]