“Kwon Woo-young. You should start preparing for the practical test, right? You said you’re not going to apply as an athlete, didn’t you?”

Lee Ho-jun asked as he handed him a towel. Woo-young, having just finished strength training for the standing long jump, was breathing heavily.

“Yeah. I was planning to.”

“Don’t waste your time with those private academies during vacation. Come to the gym instead. You know I’m a graduate of the Physical Education University, right? I’m pretty good at specialized training.”

Woo-young, wiping sweat with the towel, looked up, slightly surprised.

“Is that okay?”

“Of course, don’t worry about it. It’s not free, so don’t feel burdened.”

“……”

“You’ll pay me back later when you’re a successful adult, got it?”

Woo-young smirked at his serious, young-looking face. It was a bit reassuring. He had been thinking that maybe he should join some kind of academy this summer like everyone else, so he had been feeling a little worried.

“Now that your workout’s over, are the endorphins kicking in? You were looking like a mess earlier.”

He tossed Woo-young a cold sports drink. The can arced in the air and landed securely in Woo-young’s hand.

“Anything happen at school?”

Woo-young, who had caught the drink, looked up, and Lee Ho-jun opened the cap and sat down on a chair. Without answering right away, Woo-young drank from the can, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. He furrowed his brow slightly. The thought of Go Tae-seong, who he had momentarily forgotten while sweating, suddenly resurfaced.

“Let me guess, you’re not the kind of guy who gets bullied, right? Did you mess up on a pop quiz or something?”

Woo-young glanced at Lee Ho-jun. They communicated well, but he was an adult. A real adult, with no connection to school or friends.

“Hyung, did you ever date your first love?”

The bold question slipped out. Lee Ho-jun gave him a look, like ‘What are you saying?’

“Oh, so that’s what you’re asking.”

“……”

“Well, let me think. I can hardly remember now, but yeah, I had a first love. I was 16… or was it 17? She was really popular. We went to the same elementary school, and we were really close friends.”

Lee Ho-jun looked off into the distance, his face crinkling in embarrassment.

“To cut to the chase, I never ended up dating her. I got dumped pretty badly.”

Woo-young quietly stared into his eyes, which seemed filled with fond memories. His face, recalling the past, had a wistful smile.

“Did she just reject you out of nowhere?”

“I didn’t know she was already dating my friend. I turned into the biggest jerk, trying to go after my friend’s girlfriend.”

“……”

“For a while, I kept wondering why I acted that way. I should’ve just kept my mouth shut. Then, maybe we could’ve stayed friends. My pride took a hit, though.”

Lee Ho-jun crushed the empty can like a piece of paper and tossed it into the trash.

“I ended up getting into a big fight with my friend, and I went through a lot of turmoil after that. During those times, your grandmother would tell me not to be so reckless or mom would scold me. She’d patch me up with medicine and bandages. I’d go get my hands and feet checked after school.”

Lee Ho-jun smiled as he looked at Woo-young.

“Funny, right? You’re probably thinking it’s hilarious hearing me talk about this.”

“……Not funny at all.”

Suddenly, his eyes seemed sad. Woo-young knew, even though the sadness had long worn off, it still felt real in this moment. He saw himself in that sadness.

“But you know, Woo-young, after living a little more, I realized those things don’t matter much.”

Lee Ho-jun, with a playful look on his face, tilted his head.

“Back then, it felt like the world was crashing down just because of one person. Like I was going to die or something. But as time passes, you just laugh and remember it. It’s a beautiful memory in the end. No matter how rough or painful the moment was, time doesn’t let it stay that way. Everything smooths out and turns into something rounded.”

“……”

“Why do you think those beach pebbles are so round and pretty, even though they’ve been chipped away by the rough waves? Once the painful moments pass, everything gets resolved. The saying ‘time heals all wounds’ isn’t just some cliché.”

He muttered to himself and nodded, then looked at Woo-young.

“So, kid, don’t waste energy on useless stuff, okay?”

He pointed at Woo-young with his finger, deep in thought.

“When you’re older and think back to your first love, you’ll just think, ‘Well, that was that,’ and move on. But when you think back to your school days while you’re in college, or even after you start working, you’ll probably think, ‘Shit, why didn’t I study harder back then?'”

“……”

“That’s real regret. You’re not going to care about some pebble, but you’ll definitely regret not studying. Trust me, even though you might not think it now, later you’ll wish you’d studied more.”

Woo-young frowned at the sudden appearance of his ‘elderly advice.’ The sentimental feelings he had were quickly flushed down the drain.

“Hey, why is this conversation suddenly going that way?”

“Why? Because the grandson of someone I respect is wandering around looking miserable because of love. It’s advice, advice. You can’t pay for this kind of wisdom, kid. You’ll deal with love later, when you’re in college.”

With a scolding tone, Woo-young clamped his lips shut.

“Alright, we’ve rested enough. Shall we run again?”

Of course, adults are always the ones giving advice.

Woo-young, having finished a test that was even more intense than training, left the gym with slow, exhausted steps.

By the time he stepped outside, the sun had set, and the dark night sky was now adorned with a full moon. As he trudged along, he tilted his head back and gazed at the moon. As he quietly stared at its pale glow, Go Tae-seong’s smiling face floated into his mind.

…This is really ridiculous. Just ridiculous.

Woo-young let out a deep sigh. He turned on his phone, and saw a pile of trivial messages from Nam Ki-hyuk and Go Tae-seong. As he was scrolling through them, he found himself tapping on Go Tae-seong’s profile without thinking.

‘Tae-seong’
I miss you. I want to hear your voice. I want to be with you.

Normally, he would have just called without a second thought. Whether they were studying together, after training, or on his way home, or even right before going to bed, he would casually call him and chat about trivial things, then hang up.

But today, he didn’t want to. He was mad at Go Tae-seong. Even though he knew Tae-seong hadn’t done anything wrong, he still felt an irrational anger.

Standing in the crisp night air, he kept turning the photo on and off. His finger slipped, and before he knew it, the message ‘Let’s Voice Talk~’ popped up on the screen. The familiar ringtone of a call came through. Startled, his heart dropped.

I should hang up. But if I do, there will be a record of it. In the moment of hesitation, the call was connected. It hadn’t even been a few seconds.

Yeah, Woo-young?
“……”

Hello?
The smooth voice, just as usual, made him feel a rush of irritation. Woo-young sighed deeply. Despite his frustration, that gentle voice sounded so good to him. He hated how he felt even more than the fact that Go Tae-seong was dating someone.

I’m on my way home after doing some training at Ho-jun hyung’s gym…
It couldn’t be helped. Woo-young opened his mouth, saying things he would normally say.

Yeah. Are you done?
“Yeah, I’m really tired.”

He let out a sigh so deep that it couldn’t be heard on the other end of the line. As he took another step toward home, he pressed the palm of his hand against his eyes.

Take it easy. I didn’t hear back from you earlier.
“Yeah. I’ve been busy with life lately.”

Yeah, I can tell. Annoying.
The slightly irritable tone made Woo-young chuckle.

“Annoying? You’re the one who’s busier, you little brat.”

He said it with a slightly playful tone. Trying to sound casual, he almost convinced himself that it was nothing.

Me?
Go Tae-seong asked with no real interest. Suddenly, Woo-young remembered that since lunchtime, when Lee Seo-yul had shown up, he hadn’t exchanged even a few words with him. If Woo-young was Go Tae-seong’s best friend, and if he was the kind of friend who didn’t have romantic feelings for him, then there was something that should’ve been said at this point.

“Yeah, because you’re busy with your relationship.”

The words that left his mouth made his heart sink. He had known this moment would come someday. He had known it was inevitable. But he still hadn’t prepared himself for Go Tae-seong being in a relationship. It was harder than he thought.

“Ho-jun hyung said something today.”

Without waiting for a response, he continued. He figured that dropping this bit of information would probably suffice. Talking about something else would probably change the subject, and he didn’t want to hear anything further from Go Tae-seong.

“Hyung’s first love was a close friend too. But he confessed and got rejected right away. …He ended up wandering around for a while, had a fight with his first love’s partner, and secretly went to our grandmother for treatment.”

Woo-young laughed like he was telling an amusing story. In reality, it wasn’t funny at all. He laughed because he was trying to act casual.

Really?
“Yeah. But hyung…”

He kicked a small rock, and it rolled away with a light clink. His throat tightened, and he swallowed for no reason.

“Hyung says that even though he probably thinks he’s in love right now, in time, it will all seem like nothing. So, don’t worry about that kind of stuff. Hyung says to focus on your relationship when you go to college…”

……
The silence that followed made Woo-young stop talking.

“Ah, sorry. This isn’t something I should be saying to you, right? Don’t misunderstand.”

……

“Hey. It’s true. Hyung just asked if something was wrong, said I didn’t look so good, and I just mentioned it while talking. You don’t need to worry about it. You’re already guaranteed to pass college anyway, so it’s fine if you want to do some dating.”

He quickly added that explanation, as if to justify himself. The tone of his words seemed to have slipped into something strange. It might sound like he was suggesting that Tae-seong should wait until college to date, which wasn’t exactly what he meant.

A heavy silence followed. He felt like he had made a foolish mistake and scrunched his nose.

Is something wrong?
“…Huh?”

You’ve been in a bad mood all day.
“…”

What’s going on?
With that calm tone, Woo-young bit his lip. He kept his gaze fixed on the ground.

Something bad…

…The fact that you have a girlfriend now.

I can’t say that.

Woo-young smiled bitterly. He was about to sigh and open his mouth when…

Woo-young.
At the sound of Tae-seong’s voice, clear and close, Woo-young slowly lifted his gaze.

“I… “

I…
The voice over the phone, crisp and clear, and the atmosphere cutting through the air seemed to sync in a strange, momentary harmony. Before he knew it, Woo-young had reached his house, where Tae-seong was already standing in front of the wall, dressed casually. He looked much more mature in civilian clothes than he did in his school uniform, and his eyes locked on Woo-young as he held the phone to his ear.

“I’ve been feeling like you’re ignoring me lately… It’s kind of hurtful.”

Tae-seong walked toward him slowly. Their eyes met. Seeing his face illuminated by moonlight, what rose within Woo-young wasn’t surprise, but frustration.

Tae-seong stopped right in front of him. Woo-young, still holding his phone, slowly lifted his gaze to meet his, feeling as if the intense look in his eyes was too much to bear. It felt as if his shoes had been glued to the ground; he couldn’t move even a step.

“You know, they say real friends don’t change, but why is my Woo-young acting like this?”

Tae-seong’s voice, almost like a whisper, seemed to be tinged with something more. His lips curled into a smile, but it wasn’t one of happiness. Woo-young could see that clearly. Tae-seong slowly lowered the hand holding his phone and looked at him again.

Tae-seong’s firm fingers brushed across Woo-young’s cheek. His eyes, dark as glass, were sharp and clear.

“Don’t ever take me out of your life, Woo-young.”

“…”

“Just… don’t even think about it.”

Without a word, Tae-seong looked down at him, then gently wrapped his hand around Woo-young’s shoulder. The touch was soft, but somehow it felt like a warning.

Woo-young stayed silent, locking eyes with Tae-seong. In the quiet, Tae-seong gave a faint smile. Even in the pitch-black night, it still shone brightly, radiantly. The shadow, however, belonged only to Woo-young.

At that moment, Woo-young wanted to run away. The closer he got to him, the more starkly he felt the contrast between them. He wanted to step back, escape from the suffocating air that seemed to split the space between them like a cracked earth. He needed to snap out of it.

“Seriously. What are you saying? Are you going to make me stay up again?”

Woo-young barely managed to lift his lips into a strained smile. He frowned slightly. Acting like everything was normal, he pressed the end call button and shoved his phone into his pocket. Despite his composed face, his heart started pounding loudly.

“What’s this surprise at this hour?”

“…”

“I was waiting for you to say it first.”

Woo-young muttered softly.

“You didn’t even answer the kids earlier. I was just worried you might not want to talk about it. You know, you really think I’m the only one who cares about you? This is the kind of thing I should be upset about, not you.”

He slowly glanced at Tae-seong, who was looking at him.

Under the slightly rolled-up sleeves, the veins on his well-toned wrists were clearly visible. The soft-looking t-shirt was neatly pressed with no wrinkles. His beige pants fit his long legs perfectly, and the whole outfit suited him well.

That neat appearance made his pale, flawless skin stand out even more. After always seeing him in his school uniform, it felt like a new person, almost like an adult, when he was in casual clothes.

“But why the sudden casual clothes? Skipping class to go on a date or something?”

Woo-young joked as he nudged Tae-seong’s side with his elbow. He could already guess where Tae-seong had been dressed so smartly. He had probably met that girl. Being rich, Tae-seong would have taken her to a nice place for dinner, strolled through a cute café, and walked down a beautiful trail in the park. Maybe he even held her hand on the way back, right? The thought of Tae-seong’s hand that Woo-young had always wanted to hold made his stomach churn.

His gaze, which had been fixed on Tae-seong’s wrist, quickly shifted away.

“Must be nice, Tae-seong. You’ve already passed, right?”

Tae-seong, who had been standing slightly sideways, twitched his lips. With his chin slightly lifted, his gaze slowly became intense as he looked down at Woo-young.

His black hair swayed softly. The dense, crisp air of the night seemed to suit the deep gaze that was now softly teasing Woo-young’s heart. For a moment, Woo-young had an irrational thought. He quickly turned his gaze away, almost as if to escape it.

“Hey… don’t do this here.”

Suddenly, Tae-seong pulled Woo-young’s wrist toward him. With the unexpected gesture, Woo-young was pulled closer without resisting. Standing close, Tae-seong placed his forehead gently on Woo-young’s shoulder.

“I…”

“…”

“I just… want us to get along well.”

He let out a soft sigh. The cold scent mixed with the night air brushed past Woo-young’s nose. It felt like his heart stopped. The strange atmosphere made Woo-young furrow his brow slightly. His damn heart was pounding again, oblivious to his feelings.

“What are you saying? We’re getting along fine already.”

Woo-young said, trying to make it sound playful, but Tae-seong sighed again.

“Just the two of us, Woo-young.”

Tae-seong’s quiet muttering made Woo-young’s temper flare. His heart was beating so fast, he thought it might give him away.

He closed his eyes for a moment before opening them again. The moonlight was still pale, and Tae-seong’s warm forehead on his shoulder felt comforting. The cold, subtle scent of Tae-seong filled his nose. That smell made Woo-young’s eyes flicker. For a moment, he wanted to reach out and pull him into an embrace. It seemed like it would be fine, just once, to hug him without thinking too much about it. He felt like it wouldn’t be misunderstood.

Before his desire could overwhelm his reason, Woo-young snapped back to his senses and grabbed Tae-seong’s shoulder tightly.

“Hey, hey, stop with the nonsense. We’re already here, so how about we go for a walk around the neighborhood? It’s been a while.”

“…”

“The weather’s really nice, too.”

Slowly pulling away, Tae-seong lowered his gaze. He looked somewhat exhausted. Not wanting him to refuse, Woo-young quickly added:

“I’ve been working out pretty hard because of Ho-jun hyung, so I’m feeling a bit stiff. Oh, and that old man turned out to be more of a boomer than I thought. Also… I need to stretch before I go to bed. Otherwise, I’ll feel really sore tomorrow. And, well… I was planning to walk a bit more anyway.”

Woo-young exaggeratedly rotated his shoulders and took a few steps forward. His rambling couldn’t be helped. His steps quickened. Behind him, the sound of Tae-seong’s heavy footsteps echoed down the alley. At least the darkness helped hide the flush on his cheeks.

They walked in silence for a while. After passing an uphill path and a hill, Woo-young began to feel out of breath. He stopped and slumped down onto a bench at the playground. It was the place where they had first met, a spot they used to secretly visit and talk late at night.

“Hey, let’s rest for a bit. It’s hot again.”

Woo-young leaned his arms on the bench and flopped down onto his back. Tae-seong didn’t make a sound. He seemed to have better stamina than Woo-young, who had been working out.

The two of them silently stared up at the night sky. The silence wasn’t awkward anymore. Time seemed to pass easily even without talking to him.

“I want to graduate quickly.”

Tae-seong muttered softly while still looking up at the sky.

“Suddenly?”

“Yeah. I want to leave this neighborhood. It’s so suffocating.”

“Yeah, this place is kind of lame.”

Woo-young laughed quietly in response, agreeing with him.

“Woo-young.”

“Yeah?”

“On the day we turn twenty… do you want to go on a trip, just the two of us?”

His voice was soft, almost like a whisper. The unexpected words made Woo-young freeze for a moment, and he turned his head. Tae-seong’s side profile was visible, his long lashes gently lowered.

“A trip?”

“Yeah. Let’s go on December 31st, watch the sunrise, and make a wish.”

“Just the two of us?”

“Yeah.”

“What about Nam Ki-hyuk?”

“Leave him behind.”

“What about Lee Soo-hwa?”

“…”

“Hmm?”

In the sudden silence, Woo-young tilted his head slightly. Tae-seong, with his chin slightly lifted, looked down at him intently.

“Do you want to bring Soo-hwa along?”

“No, no. I wasn’t saying that… I was just asking…”

Woo-young scratched his cheek. The only time he’d left the village with Tae-seong was during the school trip in the semester. Despite how close they were, doing something like that felt unfamiliar to him.

“Then let’s go just the two of us.”

“…”

“I want to go just the two of us.”

At his firm words, Woo-young slowly nodded. If it was about wanting to do something with just the two of them, his desire was probably even stronger. A trip with Tae-seong? Just imagining it made him feel good.

“Don’t worry about money. I’ve got plenty. You know, right? Things I don’t even need.”

He said it casually, as if it didn’t matter. Tae-seong’s long legs swayed slowly back and forth.

“Wow. That’s seriously obnoxious, but kind of nice.”

Woo-young glanced at him and laughed, somewhat in disbelief. It didn’t bother him though. He knew Tae-seong’s family had a lot of money, so he didn’t think much of the favor he sometimes received. They were the two who knew each other’s family circumstances better than anyone else since they were young.

“Study hard, Woo-young. Don’t mess around.”

After a brief silence, Tae-seong spoke up. His gaze was slightly furrowed as he stared into the air.

“If you fail to get into Korea University, I’ll really kill you.”

“Yeah, sure. You take care of yourself. You.”

Woo-young answered with an annoyed tone. For some reason, he felt a bit unfair. The person who messed around the most right now wasn’t him.

Tae-seong laughed for no reason. His pleasant laugh spread faintly in the air.

Amidst the sound of crickets, silence fell over them. The night air was refreshing, and the sky was pitch black. The scattered starlight shimmered. A breeze flowed through the shirt, cooling the sweat that had slightly formed on his skin.

It was the perfect moment. Woo-young thought he could let time stop right here. He wanted to share these beautiful moments with Tae-seong for the rest of his life. No, if he just got his feelings in order, he could live like that forever.

“Are you going to date her?”

Perhaps that’s why, in this flawless moment, he suddenly broke the silence with a sharp question.

“Lee Seoyul or whatever. Are you going to date her?”

Tae-seong turned his head slowly and looked at Woo-young. His glowing eyes reflected Woo-young’s side profile.

“Why?”

At the follow-up question without an answer, Woo-young frowned.

“Oh, why? I’m asking because I’m curious. You said you wanted me to care, didn’t you?”

Woo-young exhaled a frustrated sigh and spat out the words with a rough tone.

“How did you know her name?”

“I saw her name tag when we were at the cafeteria earlier.”

“Really? How was it?”

At his question, Woo-young fell silent for a moment. Suddenly, Seoyul’s smile, which had been so bright and refreshing like spring, flashed in his mind. It irritated him.

“…Well, she was pretty.”

“…”

“You really do have high standards, huh. No wonder you haven’t had a girlfriend… I thought so.”

His gaze was downcast. He dragged out his words and, for no reason, tapped the ground with the tip of his sneakers. She was indeed pretty. No one would deny her looks, and he could hear some of the guys admiring her for it.

“That’s all?”

“Yeah.”

“I see.”

Tae-seong’s calm answer made Woo-young’s eyes narrow. It was a crack in an otherwise perfect moment. He hadn’t expected that kind of response, but now, he was prepared to accept anything.

“‘I see’?”

“….”

“That’s it? What about the answer to my question?”

“I don’t know.”

“…”

“Why?”

Woo-young’s expression grew fierce as he looked at Tae-seong’s innocent face, pretending to not know anything. Tae-seong always said only the things Woo-young wanted to hear. No matter how many times this happened, Woo-young could never get used to his way of speaking.

“Hey, you’re doing this on purpose, aren’t you? You’ve got to fix that habit of dodging questions when it’s inconvenient for you. It’s really annoying for the person listening.”

Woo-young muttered irritably. He was frustrated because he couldn’t even get an answer to a question he already knew the answer to. Every time Tae-seong left things vague, it just made him more annoyed.

“Don’t pay attention to her, Woo-young.”

Tae-seong glanced at him before turning his gaze forward again.

“You told me to focus on you, not on people related to you.”

The words that broke the silence were firm. The absurdity of the answer made Woo-young’s lips twist.

Could it be jealousy? Because I think she’s pretty? Because he doesn’t like me being interested in her?

“…Fuck, I don’t care about her either.”

His tone was transparent. It was true. What Tae-seong wanted was his attention, not Woo-young’s interest in his girlfriend. With that brief thought, Woo-young’s heart stung.

“Are you going to follow Nam Ki-hyeok too? Seriously, enough with the nonsense.”

Leaning back against the bench, Woo-young tilted his head back and stubbornly stared at the night sky. Despite his frustration, only an annoyed voice came out. It was the result of constant practice.

This was the limit. It was better to not try harder, or try less, or do anything at all. Because no matter who was by his side, the end result of the relationship would be the same. After all, they were bound by the “friend” label and would never escape it.

The best friends anyone could have. That was enough. No need to desire more.

In the moment he wanted to freeze forever, Woo-young was suddenly pierced by the shards he had broken himself. He didn’t even realize it was painful.