4. Lee Minho

The graduation hall buzzed like a disturbed beehive. Tears streamed down classmates' cheeks, camera flashes erupted, and the scent of tulips and cheap champagne filled the air.

Jisung stood by the window, fiddling with the hem of his tie. His fingers were shaking.

“It’s now or never,” he whispered, noticing Minho heading for the exit.

His heart was pounding somewhere in his throat when he caught up with him at the door.

"Minho, wait. Can we talk? I promise it won't take long."

He raised an eyebrow in surprise but nodded. The empty classroom smelled of chalk and dust—that special scent that lingers after the last bell. Jisung closed the door behind them and felt the room grow unbearably small.

“I…” his voice broke. He clutched the hem of his jacket and looked at the floor, because looking Minho in the eyes was beyond his strength. “Actually, I don’t know how to speak beautifully, like in the movies... I wanted to say that I like you. Really. I just wanted you to know.”

Minho was silent for so long that Jisung was ready to run away, to disappear into thin air.

Minho approached Jisung, who could smell his perfume—woody with a slight citrus note—and a warm hand on the back of his neck.

"Jisung," Minho said, his voice trembling. "You have no idea how long I've been waiting to hear these words."

Jisung's heart skipped a beat. Then it sank as Minho finished speaking.

• But I can’t answer you the way I want.

"Why?" was all Jisung could breathe out, feeling the walls of his little happy world crumble.

— I'm flying to London the day after tomorrow. I won a grant.