Summer

Yeonjun saw him for the first time from the window of his room, and something about him made him run down the stairs. He didn't know what he was going to say, but he felt like he had to come closer.

The encounter was awkward. Beomgyu was trying to adjust the handlebars of his bike when Yeonjun appeared, breathing a little heavily. “Do you need help?” he asked, instantly feeling stupid. Beomgyu looked up, and their eyes met for a second that felt like an eternity.

“I think I got it, but thanks,” Beomgyu replied, his voice soft but firm. There was something about it that made Yeonjun want to keep listening to it.

That afternoon, Yeonjun showed him the best places in the village: the path that led to the hidden lake, the bakery where they sold the sweetest apple pies, and the hill from which the whole village could be seen at sunset. Beomgyu listened attentively, sometimes smiling, sometimes throwing him questions that made him laugh.