[ sunoo kim ]

sunoo kim:
good morning! (⁠≧⁠▽⁠≦⁠)

jay:
good morning

sunoo kim:
hope you have a great day~

jay:
thanks
you too
btw are you okay now?

sunoo kim:
yup! thanks to your meds 😄

jay:
okay good
do you play billiards?

sunoo kim:
uhm no 😅
but i can learn !! why?

jay:
nothing
i'll be hanging out with my friends later
we'll play billiards near your school

sunoo kim:
OOOHHHH
that sounds fun 😁
can i join? 🥺😗

jay:
but you don't know how to play
you'll probably get bored

sunoo kim:
no i won't ಠ⁠︵⁠ಠ
please? i wanna learn billiards too

jay:
you sure?

have you ever been into a billiard hub?

sunoo kim:
nopeee
that's why i wanna come 😄

jay:
fine
you can txt me when your class is done
i'll wait outside of your school

sunoo kim:
REALLY?!
YAY I'M SO EXCITED 🥳🥳
see you later, jongseongieee

--------

"so your results are good?" jake asked sunoo while giving him half of the pork cutlets that his mom packed for lunch.

"dr. song said it's still the same as before." sunoo took a bite of his kimbap. "you gave me too much food."

"that's fine, you should eat more." jake finished drinking his apple juice. now he's just looking at sunoo, who is still eating.

he said he's doing fine, but he looks thinner and paler than usual. jake can't help but worry.

"ah by the way," sunoo wiped his mouth with tissue. "i'll be hanging out with jay later. he said we'll play billiards at the hub? something like that. it's near our school so it's fine, right?"

"who— what?" jake looked mad.

"i-is that not okay?" sunoo blinks, staring at him.

he tried to calm himself down. this jay is getting on my nerves. is he trying to influence sunoo?

jake forced out a smile. "no, it's okay. just make sure you'll take care of yourself."

sunoo beams happily. "really?! thanks, jakey!"

he pulls him into a hug. it's the first time jake agreed to letting him do whatever he wants, and he's really happy.

-------

jay parked his scooter right across the billiards hub. he skipped his last class since it's usually a self-study session, and he hates things like that.

he started walking towards sunoo's school while checking his phone. he hasn't texted me yet, so he's probably still in his class. did i arrive a little bit early? whatever.

"damn it..." he kicks the stone in front of him to distract himself. jay finally sees the gate opening, followed by the hoards of students who just got freed from hell.

he was about to text sunoo when he sees him walking outside with another guy beside him. his classmate, probably.

"oh? jongseong!" sunoo grinned, waving at him like a puppy. jay crossed the road and went close to them.

"your class just ended?"

"yep! i was just about to text you but you're here now," sunoo raised an eyebrow at him. "you didn't skip class, right?"

i did, actually. "no, my class ended early."

jay meets the piercing gaze of sunoo's classmate, but he just stared at him with a blank face. the fuck are you staring at?

sunoo noticed the rising awkward atmosphere, so he chuckled. "by the way, this is my best friend, jake."

best friend? he doesn't look like he wants to be just friends with sunoo, though. jay tried not to smirk.

"i'm jay." he spoke in a monotone voice.

"i know, sunoo told me about you." jake replied, not looking impressed.

"really? i'm surprised. he didn't tell me anything about you."

fucking asshole. jake almost rolled his eyes. he decided to ignore him, facing sunoo instead. "sun, i'm leaving first. text me when you're going home so i can come and get you."

sunoo shakes his head. "it's alright jake, i can go home by myself—"

"i can give him a ride home later." jay interjects, taking sunoo's backpack and carrying it instead. "you don't need to worry."

jake frowned, his annoyance more evident now. "no thanks, i don't trust you enough. plus you don't even know where sunoo lives."

it's not like i need him to trust me either. what is this guy on about?

"i do know, actually. so i can take him home." he looks at sunoo who looks a little bit lost and confused. "you're okay with that, right?"

"h-huh? yeah, jay can just give me a ride home. i'll text you later so you won't worry too." sunoo pats jake's head to ease him.

"fine, see you tomorrow." jake eyes jay again before finally leaving.

sunoo looks at jay, smiling. "let's go?"

------

[ partners in jail 🌷 ]

nishimura:
ayo oldies
where y'all at
i'm playing with guys from the other school and they suck

lee:
i'm on my way
pls don't tell me you're starting another fight with them

nishimura:
no??? i'm being a real sport here dude
hurry up so we could beat their asses

park:
i'm on my way too
i'm bringing someone with me

nishimura:
eh? 👁️👁️
whomst

lee:
probably the same person he's been texting these days 👀

park:
don't do anything stupid in front of him
i'm watching you two

------

sunoo was overwhelmed. he didn't have any idea that there would be a lot of people inside the hub, most of them are busy playing billiards.

also, the place seemed okay except for the fact that sunoo can literally smell the smoke coming from the cigarettes, and the alcohol too.

he tries hard not to cover his nose. if i stay here longer than an hour, i'll have a hard time breathing. his hand unconsciously clutches into jay's arm for support.

"you okay?" jay noticed him. "should we just go outside?"

he shakes his head, but jay doesn't look convinced. they walk towards the last billiard table which is occupied by two people who are busy playing.

"fucking hell, ain't no way i'm losing again."

"you should atleast use your brain, nik. how many times are you going to lose to me?"

"shut up, hee." the blonde one stops talking when he glances at jay, then his eyes landed on sunoo. "uhm... hi?"

sunoo smiled at them, feeling a bit shy. "hi, i'm sunoo."

the raven-haired raised his hand, "yo, i'm heeseung and he's ni-ki." he pointed at the taller guy, who is now grinning.

they're friendly, in contrast to jay's quiet personality. it's a bit surprising how he became friends with them.

after a while, they started playing again. sunoo just watched as he sat on one of the chairs. he doesn't have any idea how billiards work, but maybe he'll learn while watching.

"wow!" sunoo exclaimed when jay got three balls consecutively. "you're good at this."

jay tilts his head, holding down a smile. "i didn't even win yet."

"that's right, 'cause i'll win." ni-ki casually adds with confidence.

"when's that going to happen?" heeseung probes.

"you shit—"

sunoo laughs at their bickering before covering his nose to avoid inhaling too much smoke. the place is almost filled with the smell of cigarettes, so he's having quite a hard time breathing.

not to mention his heartbeat's quickening pace.

he got preoccupied, not noticing jay is already beside him. "want to go out for a bit?"

thank gods. "yeah sure." sunoo stood up, ignoring the subtle pain coming from his chest.

-----

sunoo breathes deeply, letting the fresh air hit his face. jay stands beside him— his back leaning on his scooter.

"you look uncomfortable back there." jay glanced at him, "i'm guessing you didn't like the smoke."

he chuckled. "sorry, it's too much for a second-hand smoker like me."

"nah, it's my fault. i forgot that you were sick last time."

"it's not a big deal, i get sick all the time so no worries." sunoo assured him while smiling.

jay sighed. "you should take care of your health. don't stress yourself too much."

"okay doc, i'll take note of that." he grinned but jay just frowned at him.

silence envelops them— a bit different from the noise coming from the hub. sunoo checks his watch, it's 6:49 pm.

"i thought you'd teach me how to play," he breaks the quiet atmosphere.

"maybe next time, when the hub's not that crowded." jay decides to look at the boy, his eyes meeting sunoo's amber orbs.

"just... not when there's other people around."

sunoo had his brows furrowed. "why not?"

"it's better that way, less people..." jay walks closer towards him, their distance from each other getting smaller.

"that way... i can make sure that your focus will be on me."

sunoo almost stopped breathing when jay touched his cheek with his hand. he hears the faint sound coming from his watch, signalling that his heartbeat just went above normal.

oh no... this is bad.

-------

ʘ⁠‿⁠ʘ