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Jake knew, he's been aware of it since he met who he'd consider to be his best friend and soulmate in the future, Park Sunghoon.
It was not difficult to capture the moments when Sunghoon was lost admiring Heeseung although, according to him, of course, it was nothing more than an admiration because the older did everything well, it was just that, he wanted to learn from him, nothing more.
They met in their teenage years, those that are a sporadic roller coaster of emotions, in a fairly expensive, private school in the middle of the Korean capital, Seoul.
Jake was just coming back from Australia, Sunghoon grew up here and Heeseung had recently moved from the rural part of the country, he was a year older than them so they did not have the same classes but they saw see each other during breaks.
The older one had a good reputation at school, his appearance was as pleasant to the eye as his presence was to the soul, Heeseung had a pure, harmless image and Sunghoon loved that, he liked that when he spoke to him the older would look down because he was shy, blushed or would answer in monosyllables because he got nervous easily.
Jake knew it, knew how much this helped to stroke, even more, his best friend's ego.
- "You should tell him that you like him, I don't see why you keep talking about him every day and don't do anything about it" - He said one afternoon after school while he and Sunghoon were relaxing at the Han River, maybe it was Jake's scorpio nature of being honest or maybe he was just tired.
And Sunghoon, with the proud nature of his personality, was not going to admit that confessing his feelings to the older boy scared him, he was really afraid of rejection, just like any 17-year-old would be.
- "I already told you I don't like him like that, I just think he's cute" -
After a while, Jake had a sad story to tell, you see, he didn't exactly know when but Sunghoon told him that he had confessed his feelings to the older man and he had told him that at this moment he really could not be with anyone and then thanked him for the love confession.
Needless to say, Sunghoon didn't take it well.
- "Shit, Sunghoon, he told you not yet, he didn't tell you that he hated you and never wanted to see you again"- Jake growled annoyed as he put an arm around his friend's waist, helping him to stand up.
Sunghoon had been "rejected" months ago and, according to himself, it was nothing, Heeseung was not that attractive anyway, he was not that important.
Well, now the poor guy was drunk, after one of the many parties they were being invited to lately, Sunghoon had developed this bad habit of sleeping with a lot of people and then leaving while he was having an emotional breakdown where he talked about how Heeseung didn't want him.
- "Who… Who does he think he is? he's not ah… he's not that pretty, shit, Jake I'm gonna throw up" - Jake rolled his eyes as he helped him to sit on the grass, he didn't drink tonight just because had to drive the both of them home.
- "It's okay, it's okay" - The Australian said while massaging his back, Sunghoon emptied his stomach and then wiped himself with his shirt.
- "He said no to me, Jake, the fucking loser of the school rejected me" - his friend laughed wryly. - "He is the teachers' pet, can you believe it? He said no to me, do you know how many people want to sleep with me?" -
Embarrassing.
Also the situation did not improve since Heeseung was naturally composed, very calm and showed few emotions, he could not be considered cold but he was definitely different from Sunghoon who, despite being quiet, was very explosive when it came to showing his feelings.
But Jake could tell, he saw the way Heeseung paid attention when the girls Sunghoon was sleeping with flirted with him or talked about him and, he could tell that the older man didn't look exactly happy about what he heard.
- "I know he's your best friend and all, but the way his personality switched was too much" - Sunoo, a friend of Jake's who went to the same school as them, once told him. - "do you have any idea why? Sunghoon, he wasn't exactly known for being a... Well, fuck boy or an attempt of being a fuck boy" -
- "Attempt?"- Jake asked as he held the box of chocolate milk he was drinking in his hands.
- "Please, Jake, do you think I haven't noticed how he looks at Heeseung? It's obvious, even you have noticed, besides, Jungwon is Heeseung's friend and he told me that he once saw them talking in private, he didn't know exactly what about but... "- Sunoo shrugged. - "Well, are you going to answer me?" -
Jake sighed, tossing the now empty box in the trash. - "I don't really have a solid answer, Sunoo, but I guess he must be trying to escape from reality or something" -
Jake knew perfectly well that Sunghoon's fuck boy phase was due to the rejection he had suffered from Heeseung, he knew it very well, but, even if he trusted Sunoo, he did not want to be spreading his best friend's secrets everywhere.
A man can easily drown in pride and ego.
And Jake witnessed this suicide one afternoon that Sunghoon could not think of anything better to do than to start smoking on the roof of the school, accompanied by several girls, Jake did not know why he did this type of thing but he supposes it was his, not very smart, way of getting Heeseung's attention.
- "You can't smoke here, Sunghoon" -
- "Now say it without crying" -Sunghoon laughed as he inhaled a little more of the smoke making the older roll his eyes.
- "Please, you and your group of friends can smoke when classes end, if not, I will have to report you" -
- "Ah... Heeseung, I forgot you were the teacher's bitch" - Sunghoon said only to arrive that afternoon at Jake's house with his head down.
-"Do you want me to congratulate you?"- He asked sarcastically as he looked at his best friend who was on his bed. -"After that he must be regretting not having said yes to you the first time you confessed for sure" -
- "It was not my intention to treat him like that, it just... It just happened" -
- "It just happened? You made him cry and you made fun of him in front of the girls you fuck" -
-"Jake, Heeseung makes me nervous"- Sunghoon admitted as he played with the loose lint from his pants, lately he was wearing tight pants with holes in them. - "Sometimes when he's around it's like my brain is short-circuiting or something" -
- "At least you're facing the fact that you feel something for him, Sunghoon, that's new" -
Two days passed.
- "What's your problem, Sunghoon? "- Heeseung asked him, both of them on the school's roof.
- "My problem? You are who thinks the whole fucking world revolves around you, Heeseung, you are not that important" - Sunghoon growled annoyed.
- "Please, I met you last year and you were completely different, loving and polite to me, it wasn't until I told you that at that moment I couldn't be with you that you started treating me badly" - Heeseung said, the undertone of pain could be heard in his voice.
- "Do you really think you're relevant enough to make me change for something you did? You're nobody, Heeseung, I don't care about you" - The younger one said as he approached the other, angry, Sunghoon was very angry.
- "Stop lying to me, Sunghoon, I didn't tell you that I didn't like you, I told you that at that moment I couldn't be with you" -Heeseung looked away as he stepped back. - "Why didn't you understand? I wanted..." -
- "Did you want me to wait for you?" - Sunghoon replied before the tallest could continue. - "To keep behaving like a fucking simp who did everything for you? You wanted your own lap dog, Heeseung, just be honest" -
-"You are terrible, Park Sunghoon" -Heeseung said as he pulled him away from his body. - "I didn't know that a 'not now' was going to be enough to earn your hatred, well, I'm sorry, Sunghoon, I really apologize for the damage I did to you and you know what's the worst? That I like you too" -
Jake really thought he was watching a K-drama or something and he's never been into romantic shit.
- "He does what he wants to me… Can't you see it, Jake?" -Sunghoon said once that they were both in the privacy of his room. - "He has my heart in his hands and he knows it... I tell him that I love him and he asks me for time and distance, I move away from him and he tells me that he loves me too" -
- What are you going to do?" -
Nothing, Sunghoon couldn't really do anything.
Maybe that's why the next day he bought a bouquet of flowers and handed it to Heeseung in front of everyone.
Yes, in front of the whole school.
And if that had taken Jake and Sunoo by surprise, imagine how Heeseung was... Or worse, how the girls Sunghoon spent his nights with were.
- "You're a terrible man, Park Sunghoon" -Heeseung said once that he and Sunghoon were alone as he walked away from the other with the bouquet in hand. - "You make me cry and you think a bouquet of flowers is enough for me to forgive you" -
- "Heeseung… Heeseung... Fuck, Heeseung, listen to me" -He said grabbing his wrist.
- "Besides, you break the hearts of the girls you used to fuck you filthy, gross man!" -Heeseung said as he tried to free himself from the younger's grip, who only pulled him even closer as he wrapped his arms around his waist, pressing his chest against the older's back.
-"Heeseung forgive me, please" -he whispered against the other boy's ear. - "I know I screwed up monumentally the other day, but please, give me a chance, that's all I ask of you" -
Jake did not know all the details, in fact, the story he's telling is mostly a recollection of what he could see and what his best friend told him, but what he remembers from that moment was that Heeseung agreed to give Sunghoon a second chance but that when he leaned in to kiss him, the older man covered his mouth with his hands and looked at him in the eye.
- "Not so fast, Sunghoon, you have to take me on a date and then I'll start thinking about whether I want to kiss you or not" -
And well, Jake couldn't confirm it, since he had never asked Sunghoon directly, but he could bet that Sunghoon liked maybe a little bit too much how difficult Heeseung was, it turned him on like nothing else.
Strange for a boy with an ego the size of planet earth.
- "It's natural, men like to be treated like crap for some reason, the more Heeseung makes him beg the more in love Sunghoon's is gonna be, also Sagittarius energy " - Sunoo said as they both looked at the now couple at school, the year was ending and few could understand how Sunghoon had gone from being a fuck boy to a faithful boyfriend who came every Friday with a bouquet of flowers for Heeseung.
- "Sunghoon, n-not at school, y-yah, stop it!" -Heeseung laughed as he tried to push the other away and prevent him from kissing him before entering class. - "Hoonie..." - Heeseung smiled once he gave up and rested his forehead on his chest. "Mmm, you're a spoiled baby, Park Sunghoon"- he whispered as he raised his hands to stroke his hair.
Sunghoon smiled as he placed a little kiss on his shoulder and slid his hands under the fabric that covered his boyfriend's torso, under his school uniform, and caressed his waist.
Heeseung cupped his face in his hands and, fortunately for the younger, gave him a soft and slow kiss, opening his mouth so that he could slide his tongue inside, they stayed like that for a few minutes until the bell rang marking the start of classes for the day and Heeseung gently pulled away, grabbing his boyfriend's wrists to remove his hands from his waist. - "See you at the end of the day, I love you so much" -
- "I love you too" - Sunghoon replied slightly stunned, the kiss had been quite intense and he was a simple man who enjoyed the pleasures of life.
Heeseung was one of the finest pleasures life had offered him.
And then, in the afternoon after classes had finished, Jake would have to open the door for Sunghoon, who would bring Heeseung over to his house from time to time, watch them chat, play together and share soft kisses and maybe he did this because he knew how much Heeseung meant to Sunghoon.
Even when Sunghoon and Heeseung got married, years later, Jake wondered why he agreed to be the one to witness all these beautiful moments with them, to be the emotional rock that his best friend could lean on when he needed, when arguing with Heeseung, or when their love journey got tough.
Jake knew better than anyone how much Sunghoon loved Heeseung, in fact, he really wondered if Heeseung could ever love his best friend the same way.
Sunghoon loved Heeseung too much.
Perhaps, just maybe, as much as Jake loved Sunghoon.