I will find you

The soft buzz of his phone pulled Jungwon's attention just as he stepped out of the bathroom, hair damp and towel draped over his shoulder. The screen lit up with a message from Kwon.

Kwon: What's up… I'm home.

A small smile tugged at Jungwon's lips. He quickly typed back, drying his hands on the edge of his shirt.

Jungwon: I'm good… Good thing you're home 😊

He paused, a flicker of curiosity rising in his chest.

Jungwon: How was it with Tae?

He hit send, then sat on the edge of his bed, waiting.

Kwon, now curled up on his own bed, smiled knowingly. He had expected Jungwon to ask — he always did. His fingers hesitated over the screen for a second before typing.

Kwon: It went well… He traveled out today. Might take a while before he comes back.

Jungwon read the message slowly, his smile dimming just a little.

Jungwon: Hmm… I see.

A soft pause fell between them — comfortable but charged with words unspoken.

Kwon stared at his screen, heart restless.

Kwon: Can I call you on VC?

Jungwon: Sure.

A moment later, their video call connected. Jungwon's eyes immediately scanned Kwon's face through the screen.

"You okay?" Jungwon asked, narrowing his eyes. "Your face… are you sad? Or were you crying?"

Kwon looked away slightly, chuckling dryly. "No, I wasn't."

"It's obvious," Jungwon said with a teasing yet soft tone. "You've fallen for that guy, haven't you?"

Kwon gave a faint smile, but didn't deny it.

"Well…" Jungwon continued, "all the best to you and him."

Kwon smiled again, but something in Jungwon's eyes made him ask, "What about you and Sechan?"

Jungwon's breath caught slightly.

He laughed, but it didn't reach his eyes. "That guy… showed up today. Told me it might take time, but he'll come back for what's his…"

Kwon's heart skipped — the words eerily familiar. Tae had said something similar before he left.

Jungwon continued, avoiding Kwon's eyes. "I had no idea what he meant, honestly."

But Kwon wasn't buying the act. He looked at Jungwon closely, understanding more than Jungwon was willing to admit.

"You like him, don't you?" Kwon asked directly.

Jungwon blinked, the mask cracking.

"I…" he sighed. "I can't handle being played. I still don't trust him enough."

Kwon stayed silent, listening.

"So…" Jungwon added quickly, "are you going to wait for Tae?"

Kwon shrugged. "I don't know. And besides, we need to focus on our studies."

He gave a sleepy smile.

A Year Later

Time, as it always does, moved on.

Months turned to seasons, and eventually, a year passed.

There was no word from Tae or Sechan.

But Kwon and Jungwon stayed close, focused on their studies, building a quiet, stable world of their own. They learned how to live with the ghosts of yesterday — or at least, how to keep them in the background.

Jungwon decided it was time to move. His apartment — too full of memories and silence — had started to suffocate him. His father had sent some money from abroad, and he thought it was the perfect time for a change.

Kwon didn't know Jungwon lived alone. He had always assumed he stayed with relatives. That illusion shattered the day he visited and saw how empty and quiet the place truly was.

"You live alone?" Kwon had asked, shocked.

"Yeah," Jungwon admitted simply.

Kwon didn't like it. It didn't sit well with him at all.

When Jungwon mentioned wanting to move, Kwon's shoulders eased in relief.

"What if we shared the new place?" he asked carefully.

"That's fine with me… but what about your grandma?" Jungwon asked.

"What if we move in with her? Into a bigger apartment?" Jungwon suggested.

Kwon smiled. "If that's okay with you…"

"It is," Jungwon replied with a gentle smile.

It took weeks of searching, planning, and saving — but they eventually found the perfect apartment. A quiet corner of the city, peaceful and just far enough from the noise of their past.

They moved in together. Life felt lighter.

Jungwon smiled as he arranged his things. They were finally free. No one knew where they lived now — not even his father, and certainly not Tae or Sechan.

They had left those haunted homes behind — and the people they once waited for.

Two Years Later

Graduation came, and with it, a peaceful end to that phase of life.

Jungwon and Kwon had grown stronger, steadier, grounded in the world they built together.

But the past, as always, had its own plans.

Back in Korea, Sechan stood on the balcony of his new house. He was no longer a student — he was now the CEO of Light Corps.

Tae, too, had returned from the U.S., inheriting his father's company, Yosan Industries.

They had both tried — countless times — to reach out.

But the numbers no longer worked.

In desperation, they visited Jungwon and Kwon's old apartment buildings, only to hear the same thing from neighbors:

"They moved out… almost two years ago."

The guards reported the news to them.

Tae sat in his office late into the night, staring at an old photo of Kwon. A candid shot from school — Kwon laughing with his hair caught in the wind.

"Did you do this on purpose?" he whispered. "Running away from me…"

He touched the image, eyes misty.

"I told you I'd come back. And here I am. But since you ran away… I'll find you again. No matter what it takes."

Miles away, Sechan stood alone in his quiet home, the same report ringing in his ears.

He gave a soft, broken smile.

"I knew I was late. But you didn't have to hide like this… Guess he's happy he'll never have to see me again."

He looked out the window, the city lights blurring in his vision.

"But I'm not giving up."

And somewhere, in a quiet apartment full of warmth and books and shared laughter, Kwon and Jungwon continued living — unaware of the footsteps drawing closer.

The room was dim, cloaked in soft shadows. The only sound was the quiet hum of the night breeze brushing against the slightly open window. Kwon lay on his side, curled beneath the blanket, eyes wide open even though his body begged for sleep.

But sleep wouldn't come — not tonight.

As he stared at the ceiling, Tae's face drifted into his mind like a ghost refusing to fade. His eyes. That quiet confidence. The warmth that once made Kwon's chest flutter.

He shut his eyes tightly.

"I just hope you're okay… and that you've moved on," Kwon whispered silently in his heart, too afraid to say the words aloud.

"It was just a crush, right? Just high school foolishness…" he told himself. "It's been years. It's not like anything would still be the same. People change. We change. He must have moved on. So why… why am I still thinking about him?"

His chest ached. Not with regret exactly — but with a strange mix of longing and acceptance. He hadn't seen Tae in years, hadn't heard from him, and yet… the memory still visited like an old friend who didn't knock before entering.

Kwon turned his head slowly to the side.

Jungwon was already asleep, breathing softly, wrapped up like a child who had no worries, no lingering pain.

A fond, bittersweet smile tugged at Kwon's lips.

"I don't know how long you're going to keep that feeling inside," he thought, watching Jungwon's peaceful face. "Even now, you haven't moved on. You still think about Sechan, don't you?"

His heart softened further.

"You must've fallen even harder than I did for Tae…"

There was no envy in the thought — only quiet understanding. A shared silence between two friends who never truly spoke about the depth of their pain. Maybe they didn't need to. Maybe they both already knew.

Kwon reached out and gently tugged the edge of Jungwon's blanket higher over his shoulder, then pulled his own covers up to his chin.

He closed his eyes, Tae's face slowly fading again into the shadows of his mind.

And in that quiet, tender night, two broken hearts lay side by side — healing in silence, loving in secret, and carrying the weight of the past with every breath they didn't speak.