Siwoo grew up in a family where, alongside his strict yet respected and intelligent father, two wonderful women always smiled and brightened their everyday life – his mother and his sister. The boy always believed he had a healthy perspective on both genders, and it didn’t take a psychoanalyst to determine that this was thanks to his upbringing. He respected women, he respected men, but he didn’t see the two genders as anything more than simple characteristics. (He never interpreted the words "man" and "woman" as nouns but rather as adjectives.) In his view, what is locked inside the body is far more important than the body itself; a person’s earthly mission could not be limited to flesh, skin, and bones – the body is merely a structure that ties living beings to this world, keeping them alive during their stay, but nothing more. This was one of Siwoo’s core beliefs. However, interestingly, when it came to his own desires and emotions, he had a somewhat different perspective.

Although he believed in god, in religious doctrines, and in their moral values, there were some aspects he could not accept as truth – among them, various interpretations of sexuality. Siwoo disagreed with any religious or scientific "conclusions" on the subject. The only theory he found some correlation with was Freud’s idea that all humans are born bisexual, with the potential to be attracted to both genders, and that a person’s definitive sexual orientation only develops later. In reality, Siwoo didn’t care much about the topic. Yet, when he thought about his own desires and attractions, he suddenly found the body very important. Still, he reasoned that this fit within his worldview, as he saw sexuality as a purely earthly matter, one that had no negative effect on spiritual development.

Besides, when he looked at the matter from a purely emotional, platonic perspective, everything became much simpler: To him, there were beautiful women, beautiful men – and beautiful angels. Junho belonged to the third category.

The last class on Tuesday was English as a foreign language. Siwoo knew there was absolutely no point in him attending English lessons – he was fluent, after all – but the high school required students to take at least one foreign language, and under no circumstances did he want to struggle with Japanese. During English classes, he usually kept a low profile. The teacher rarely called on him, and although he was tempted to flaunt his knowledge in the faces of his classmates, he refrained, finding such behaviour unethical. Besides, he didn’t really pay attention in class anyway – his focus was entirely on the angel sitting on the other side of the room. Yes, along with PE, he also shared English lessons with Junho.

Siwoo would have loved to sit next to him, but the teacher enforced a strict seating arrangement. Still, he was happy just to be able to see him.

"...And now for last week’s test results," the teacher’s voice cut through the air. Siwoo barely paid attention, as usual.

"Changkyun, B. Hyojong, C," the middle-aged woman read aloud as she walked around the classroom, handing back the graded test papers.

"Junho," she said at one point, making Siwoo’s head snap up instantly. (He knew he was acting ridiculous, but he couldn’t help himself.)

"...Well, I won’t even comment on this," she sighed, shaking her head. Junho took his paper with a disappointed look. Siwoo wanted nothing more than to hug him. In his eyes, Junho looked heartbreakingly adorable.

As the bell rang, Siwoo packed his things at a leisurely pace. He planned to hit the gym in the afternoon and, of course, study afterward. (The South Korean education system was vastly different from the British one, and he had a lot of catching up to do every day, after all.)

Just as he was about to sling his backpack over his shoulder and leave the classroom, he felt a soft touch – someone gently brushed his upper arm, lightly pinching the sleeve of his blue blazer.

He smiled instantly. That wonderful scent of peach blossoms filled his senses, making his heart double its pace.

"Siwoo," Junho’s timid voice called.

Siwoo turned to him immediately.

"Yes?” he smiled.

Junho fidgeted in place, nervously biting his beautiful lips. His gaze was fixed on his shoes, causing his thick, beautiful hair to fall over his forehead entirely.

Siwoo couldn’t have described the sight even if he used every synonym for "gorgeous" in existence.

"Do you have a little time?" Junho asked hesitantly.

Siwoo had to restrain himself from blurting out a desperate "Of course!"

"Sure. What’s up?"

"Could you help me a bit with English?"

Siwoo laughed – Junho’s shyness was so endearing. Shaking his head, he sat back down in the now-empty classroom.

"I’ll help anytime you need," he replied warmly.

Junho sighed in relief, flashing a small, adorable smile as he took a seat beside him. They were so close that their shoulders touched.

Siwoo loved it – he loved everything about this.

"So, it’s about the tenses," Junho said, fishing his textbook from his bag. "I don’t really get the future perfect progressive." He pushed the open book toward Siwoo. "I know I must be pretty dumb for not getting it, but—"

Before he could finish, Siwoo smiled down at the pages and, with a single motion, shut the book.

Junho blinked in surprise, looking at him with wide, slightly panicked eyes. He looked utterly precious to Siwoo.

"First of all," Siwoo began with a teasing glint in his eyes, "even native English speakers don’t know how to use this nonsense properly. So, don’t let the old hag’s words get to you, and don’t call yourself dumb for not understanding it."

Junho’s lips curled into a soft smile, his cheeks turning a lovely shade of red.

"That’s sweet of you to say."

Siwoo rolled his eyes, ignoring the compliment.

"Okay, listen," he continued. "This tense is used when..."

And he went on, explaining every little detail, using funny examples that made Junho chuckle from time to time. Occasionally, he even referenced other Germanic languages with similar grammar structures – mostly just to impress the other boy.

Judging by the way Junho sat there, lips slightly parted, big brown eyes wide with admiration, Siwoo figured he had succeeded.

"So, that’s about it," Siwoo concluded. "Anything else you don’t get?"

Junho blinked at him for a moment, then lowered his gaze, fidgeting.

"You’re so smart!"

Siwoo laughed. He already knew that, but hearing it from Junho made his heart swell.

"Thanks for helping," the beautiful boy said.

"Anytime," Siwoo smiled. "Are you heading home now?"

"Yeah," Junho replied, giving him a puzzled look.

"Then... can I walk you home? Like last time? We had such a nice conversation."

He had no idea where he got the courage to say something like that. Maybe it was the compliments, or Junho’s shy, almost angelic aura, but for some reason, it just slipped out. He wasn’t even thinking – just speaking from the heart (within reason).

"I’d like that," Junho beamed. "I love talking to you."

I love talking to you.

Siwoo’s heart pounded.

He silently thanked the heavens that they lived close to each other. Then again, even if they hadn’t, he was sure he still would have wanted to walk Junho home.

They left the school together, chatting happily, and for a brief moment, Siwoo felt truly carefree.

That is, until they stepped outside, and he spotted the guy he had argued with the day before. The other boy wasn’t doing anything – just laughing with his dumb friends – but Siwoo’s temper flared instantly.

And when that guy – whose name Siwoo didn’t even know – glanced their way with a mocking smirk...

Well.

For the first time, Siwoo seriously considered following through on his threats.