"Why are you up already?" asked Ehyun, Edin's older sister.
She walked out of her room at 6:30 a.m. to the sight of her brother busy cooking away in the kitchen. She had a college course at nine o'clock at a school two hours away from home. But her brother could safely sleep for another hour before having to get ready for school himself.
It was clear Edin hadn't heard his sister, being so focused on making sure his omelet came out perfectly. Ehyun walked into the kitchen and peeked at the food from behind his back.
"Wow, looks pretty good—"
"Ah!" Edin shrieked. "God, Noona, don't sneak up on me like that!"
(*Noona: used by males to address an older sister or any older, usually close female)
Ehyun snorted. "Why are you making breakfast for once? It's unlike you to care about your big sis."
"I don't care about you. Well, not unless I have to," Edin said, thinking about all the times he used to worry back when his sister's panic attacks got really bad. "Anyway, I'm making lunch, not breakfast."
Ehyun looked at the grilled sausages, rice, and salad Edin made prior to the omelet. "That can't all be your lunch."
"It's for me and my crush."
"Crush?" Ehyun repeated with a big grin and nudged Edin's side. "Right, third-year or not, you're at that age. Just don't be weird to the girl, alright?"
"My crush is a boy," Edin admitted without a moment's hesitation.
He was never the type to feel embarrassed about himself, nor was he one to keep secrets from his family. That was why his sister knew all about the straightforward and baffling things he blurted out on a daily basis, hence her earlier warning.
Ehyun took a long look at her brother as he finished up his omelet. Nodding, she said to herself, "Yeah, that makes sense."
"Hey!" Edin snapped when his sister snatched one of the sausages. But he didn't try to take it back and just let her have it. He figured he could have one less sausage for lunch.
While munching on the sausage, Ehyun said, "I'm curious, though."
"About what? Why I like a boy?"
"No, I'm not surprised about that at all. I'm curious if the boy you like is even open to liking you back. You know, as another boy."
"He..."
"Well, I'm not into boys. I'm not gay."
That was Yuel's response when Edin asked him if he had a boyfriend on the first day of school. He didn't think much about it in the moment, but now it became a serious concern. What if Yuel was telling the truth?
Ehyun shook her head. "Jeez, maybe you should figure that out first before making the boy lunch."
"I mean... He ate all the bread I bought him."
"So? Maybe he just really likes bread."
"But..."
Edin decided not to mention the rumor about Yuel to his sister. But speaking of rumor, Edin realized that he never had been honest with Yuel about it. How could he expect the boy to be honest with him if he wasn't himself?
"Okay, I need to talk to him," Edin sighed.
Ehyun finished her sausage and started heading for the bathroom to start getting ready for school. On the way, she said, "Good luck. And know that your big sis is totally supportive of you."
"Yeah... Thanks, Noona."
. . .
"Good morning," Edin said as Yuel got off the elevator on the first floor of their apartment building.
Completely caught off guard, Yuel took a step back just as the elevator doors started to slide close.
"Careful!"
Edin rushed forward and grabbed Yuel's hand, pulling him toward him. Yuel stumbled right into Edin's chest. The boy smelled of fresh body wash. Yuel assumed he must have been a morning showerer.
"Thanks," Yuel said, awkwardly pushing himself away. "Uh, were you waiting here for me?"
"Of course. I even made us lunch." Edin flipped himself around to show that he had food in his backpack.
"I'll make you lunch every day if you're sick of bread."
Yuel recalled Edin mentioning that on Friday as he comforted him. But he had no idea the boy was being serious. Thinking about it, Edin seemed to follow through with everything he said. Yuel wasn't sure whether to be amazed or a bit scared, especially since Edin even claimed he would come to school in a girl's uniform if he needed to. That was when Yuel remembered the conversation that led to that statement.
The boys started heading for school. Since there wasn't anyone else around them in the same uniform as them, Yuel decided now would be the best time to bring the topic up again.
"Hey," Yuel said.
Edin turned to him with a smile as if he had just heard the most pleasant sound ever. "Yeah?"
"Do you really like me?"
"I do," Edin replied right away, only to then pause for a moment. "Actually, I've been meaning to talk to you about that."
"What do you mean?"
The first thing that came to Yuel's mind was that the boy was going to ask him out. But he dismissed the thought as soon as it surfaced, not wanting to feed it even the slightest possibility. He would say no anyway. But it was better to avoid any awkwardness that he could, especially now that he had gotten the tiniest bit comfortable talking to Edin.
"So, I've been keeping something from you, and I want to be completely honest. You deserve that."
"Okay? What is it...?" Yuel said slowly, getting a bit anxious to hear what this was about.
Edin was really playing up the suspense as he took a deep breath.
"What is it?" Yuel said much faster this time.
"Alright, so you asked me before if I knew about your past. The truth is that I heard on the first day. And while that was what got me interested in you, it wasn't to make fun of you or anything. I just genuinely like you."
Yuel walked silently, taking all this in. To some degree, he already figured Edin had been aware of his past. It would have been stranger for him not to, considering he was friends with Seong Hamin. So, it wasn't the reveal itself that had Yuel at a loss for words.
Any other student bringing up his past probably would have thrown Yuel into another panic attack, or at least sent a bunch of complicated thoughts into his head rendering him powerless to do anything. But right now, he was fine, and he didn't understand why.
Yuel kept on walking forward with this boy who always left him so surprised. Had he come to trust him already? But it had only been a week since they first met. Well, Edin had made it a rather eventful week. From the abrupt confessions to coming to his rescue and all that bread. Maybe a week was enough for Yuel to trust Edin, even if just by a little.
"Okay," Yuel said. "But I don't like you back or anything..."
"Yet?"
Yuel gave him no response as he rushed off to cross the street before the green light switched to red. Edin chased after him with a huge smile on his face. He was glad he now had nothing to hide from the boy he liked. And he swore never to hide anything from him again. Then, perhaps one day, Yuel would open up more of himself to Edin, too.
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