“You really don’t have to take me all the way home,” Yuel said, walking side by side with Edin.

The boy shrugged. “You heard Ms. Kim earlier. I need to make sure you get home safely.”

After Yuel fully calmed down from his awful episode, he immediately pushed Edin off him, who didn’t hide his displeasure to no longer be hugging him. But disappointment aside, Edin made a quick visit to the teacher’s office, where Ms. Kim fortunately hadn’t headed down for lunch yet. He brought her to see Yuel in the classroom and explained the entire situation, to which the teacher asked Edin to take Yuel home and come back by sixth period.

Yuel sighed in defeat. He found it not worth his energy to address the fact that it was actually Edin who suggested to Ms. Kim that it would be safer for Yuel not to leave on his own.

“Hey,” Yuel said, “but how did you know what I was going through earlier was a panic attack?”

“I have a sister who’s two years older than me. She used to get really bad panic attacks during her third year, too. I remember having to come get her in her classroom a few times during my first year. The third year is really stressful, huh?”

“Oh…”

So Edin thought Yuel’s panic attack was due to school stress. Yuel was glad about that. How would he ever explain to him that it was actually because of some rumor that spread about him in middle school? Considering Edin’s reaction when he brought it up to him, it didn’t seem like the boy knew about it, either. Yuel wanted to keep it that way for as long as he could.

Although, even if Seong Hamin or anyone else were to tell Edin about his past, Yuel wondered whether it would change Edin’s thoughts about him at all.

Yuel peeked up at the boy by his side. Edin sensed his gaze immediately and returned it with a soft smile. The way the afternoon sun glistened in Edin’s deep brown eyes made his stare feel even warmer. There was no doubt that he was happy to be with Yuel.

Yuel turned away and gulped. Early March was still pretty chilly, but he was feeling a bit hot at the moment.

“How long are you going to follow me?”

“At least until I see you enter your apartment building.”

“At least?”

“If you don’t mind, I’d like to stay with you until you enter your house. Or maybe even come in for a sec—”

“No way. You can stop here. That apartment over there is where I live.”

Yuel pointed to the tall building across the street labeled “Park Heights 101.” Edin looked at it quietly for a moment.

“That’s where you live?”

“Yeah. I moved there recently.”

“I see… Actually, I just remembered that I forgot something at home. I should grab it while I’m in the area.”

“You live around here, too?”

Edin smirked. “You’ll see.”

Yuel was getting a bad feeling, but he continued walking with the boy. He still wanted to doubt his assumption even until the point Edin got on the same elevator headed up to his apartment on the eleventh floor.

“You really live in the same building as me?” Yuel said, holding on to the last thread of disbelief.

But that thread got obliterated the moment Edin pressed the button for the twentieth floor. “Yeah. So we sit next to each other at school and live in the same building. If this isn’t fate, I don’t know what is.”

“Ha…”

Yuel was at a loss for words. He was actually on the verge of believing Edin right now. It was as if the world was trying to make him be with this boy no matter what.

“Oh, but…” Edin paused, looking at the two lit-up buttons for the eleventh and twentieth floors. Pointing at them, he cheekily remarked, “I guess that would make me the top.”

DING!

The elevator doors slid open on Yuel’s floor. Having nothing to say to that, he rushed out and didn’t look back.

“Bye, Yuel. Get your rest and see you Monday,” Edin said right before the doors slid back closed.

Though Yuel didn’t see him, from the sound of his voice, he could tell Edin had the biggest grin on his face. He must have been so proud of that remark.

“That would make him the top?” Yuel repeated, totally baffled.

That could have been the most ridiculous thing Edin had said yet. Yuel stopped in front of his apartment door and turned to look at the elevator. The screen above the doors indicated that it was currently on the twentieth floor. Since there were only two apartments per floor on either side of the elevator, Yuel imagined Edin was standing right on top of him nine floors above.

Yuel shook his head and quickly entered the passcode for the door. Once inside his house, he muttered, “So stupid…”

. . .

“Hey, you’re back,” Hamin said.

Edin entered the classroom through the back door. He returned during the break time between fifth and sixth period.

Euiheon turned around and tilted his head to the side since his view was obscured by Hamin’s tallness in the seat behind him. He asked, “Is Yuel alright?”

Edin noticed a few other students looked curious about Yuel’s state as well. He figured Hamin probably went around telling the whole class what had happened at the cafeteria. He frowned at all the attention Yuel was getting since he wanted to be the only one who was interested in him.

“He’s fine,” Edin said. “He was just feeling a bit sick earlier.”

“Yeah, he got really pale,” Hamin said. “I thought he was going to faint.”

“He probably felt sick from the thought of having to eat lunch with you,” Euiheon remarked.

“Yeah, I was too inconsiderate, wasn’t I? I should’ve just let Edin enjoy his little date. I won’t bother you next time, man.”

“Jeez, thanks…” Edin said, heading to his seat, which felt so empty without his partner around.

Hamin reached into his pocket after feeling it vibrate from a new text. After reading it, he said, “Wow, it strangely worked out.”

“What did?” Euiheon asked.

“One of the girls for our two-on-three tomorrow said she couldn’t make it. It’s now a nice and even two-on-two. Let’s hope we both get lucky, Chewie!”

Already dreading the next day, Euiheon groaned, “It’s going to be such a waste of a Saturday…”