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Kim Gyuvin has always known that Shen Quanrui is special.
It’s in the way Ricky moves—effortlessly, gracefully—as if the world exists solely to accommodate him. It’s in the way his voice carries, steady yet soft, making even the simplest words sound like something worth remembering. It’s in the way he smiles, the corners of his lips curling just enough to send warmth through Gyuvin’s entire being.
Gyuvin thinks Ricky is the loveliest person on earth.
No, he knows Ricky is.
He is cute when he smiles, cute when he tilts his head in confusion, cute when his big, boba-like eyes lock onto Gyuvin’s with innocent curiosity. Cute when he eats his favorite strawberries, savoring each bite with a small hum. Cute when he sings, voice full of emotion, making Gyuvin want to listen to him forever. Cute when he speaks, cute when he doesn’t—cute in every way Gyuvin can think of.
Cute in his dreams. Cute when he finally sees him again. Cute when he is simply himself .
It’s unfair, really, how effortlessly Ricky takes over Gyuvin’s thoughts. How one glance, one fleeting touch, one casual call of his name can send his heart racing, faster than any finish line he’s ever chased.
Gyuvin has tried to understand it. The way his pulse stutters when Ricky looks at him a second too long, the way his chest tightens at the thought of someone else standing beside him instead. He has tried to reason with himself—it’s just admiration, it’s just friendship, it’s just Ricky being Ricky.
But nothing about his feelings has ever been just anything.
Maybe he’s always known.
Because Gyuvin has loved Ricky for a long, long time. Longer than he can remember. So long that the feeling has become second nature to him, like breathing, like waking up every morning knowing Ricky will be there.
And yet, he has never said it.
Maybe he’s afraid.
Afraid that the moment he speaks the words out loud, everything will change. That Ricky will blink at him, confused, and Gyuvin will realize he was the only one standing at the edge of something more.
But sometimes, he wonders.
If Ricky knows. If he can see it in the way Gyuvin looks at him—like he holds the stars in his eyes, like he is something Gyuvin could spend lifetimes chasing. If he can hear it in the way Gyuvin says his name, softer than he speaks to anyone else. If he can feel it in the spaces between them, in the way Gyuvin always lingers, always waits.
He wonders if Ricky is waiting, too.
If Ricky has been waiting all this time for him to be brave.
Gyuvin exhales slowly, staring at his best friend from across the table. Ricky is focused on his phone, brows slightly furrowed as he scrolls through something. The soft glow of the setting sun filters through the café window, casting a golden hue on Ricky’s features. He looks breathtaking.
Gyuvin grips his cup a little tighter.
There have been so many moments. So many almosts .
That time after practice when Ricky had fallen asleep on his shoulder, murmuring something incoherent but smiling in his sleep. That summer evening when they had walked home together, Ricky laughing about something trivial, the streetlights casting a warm glow around him. That night Gyuvin had caught Ricky staring at him, only for Ricky to quickly look away, his ears tinged pink.
Little moments, seemingly meaningless—but to Gyuvin, they were everything.
And yet, here they are. Still nothing more than best friends.
"Gyuvin, are you even listening?"
Ricky’s voice pulls him back to reality.
Gyuvin blinks, realizing Ricky has been staring at him expectantly.
"I—yeah. Yeah, of course," Gyuvin says quickly, even though he has no idea what Ricky was just talking about.
Ricky huffs, shaking his head with a smile. "Liar."
Gyuvin swallows, his heart hammering. Why do you have to be so cute?
But before he can come up with an excuse, Ricky sighs. "You’ve been acting weird lately."
Gyuvin stiffens. "What do you mean?"
"I don’t know," Ricky says, studying him. "You’ve been distant. And I don’t like it."
Gyuvin opens his mouth, but Ricky isn’t done.
"Did I do something?" Ricky asks, softer now, unsure. "If I did, tell me. I don’t want you to—" He stops, biting his lip. I don’t want you to leave me.
And that’s what shatters Gyuvin.
Because how could Ricky ever think that? How could he not know that Gyuvin would stay, always, even if it killed him?
Gyuvin’s breath catches. There’s something unbearably fragile in Ricky’s voice, in the way his brows furrow like he’s bracing for an answer he doesn’t want to hear. It twists something deep inside Gyuvin, a sharp, aching thing that he’s carried for far too long.
Leave? As if that was ever an option.
He wants to tell Ricky a thousand things at once. That he’s never even imagined a life without him. That Ricky is the brightest part of his world, the only constant in the mess of everything else. That even if Gyuvin ran, his heart would always find its way back.
But all of those things—every messy, unspoken truth—stick in his throat, too big, too overwhelming, too terrifying to say out loud.
So instead, his hands curl into fists, nails pressing into his palms. He swallows the lump in his throat, steadies his voice.
"It’s not you," he says. "It’s me."
Ricky frowns. "That’s the worst line in the book."
"I know." Gyuvin breathes out a laugh, weak and tired. "But it’s true."
Because the truth is, Gyuvin is selfish.
He doesn’t just want Ricky in his life. He wants Ricky to love him back.
And for the first time, Gyuvin realizes—if he keeps waiting for the right time, it will never come.
So, with a deep breath, he speaks.
"I love you."
Silence.
Ricky blinks. "What?"
"I love you," Gyuvin repeats, his voice steady even as his hands shake. "Not as a friend. Not in a way I can just brush aside. I love you in every way I shouldn’t. And I know I should’ve kept it to myself, but—" He laughs, shaking his head. "I can’t anymore."
Ricky doesn’t move. Doesn’t speak.
Gyuvin braces himself for the worst, for rejection, for Ricky to tell him they should forget this ever happened. His pulse pounds in his ears, drowning out everything else. He wonders if Ricky can hear it—if he can see the way Gyuvin is unraveling right in front of him.
But then—
Ricky exhales. And smiles.
"You’re such an idiot."
Gyuvin blinks. "Huh?"
Ricky rolls his eyes, stepping closer. "I’ve been waiting forever, you know."
Gyuvin stops breathing. His mind stutters, words slipping through his fingers before he can grasp them. "You… what?"
"Did you really think I wouldn’t love you back?" Ricky tilts his head, amused, but there’s something tender in his gaze—something that makes Gyuvin’s chest feel too small for everything bursting inside it.
Gyuvin stares at him, his brain struggling to catch up. "Wait. Wait, you—?"
"Yes, Gyuvin." Ricky laughs, and it’s the most beautiful sound Gyuvin has ever heard. "I love you, too."
The words hit Gyuvin all at once, like a wave crashing over him. He feels weightless and heavy at the same time, breath hitching as everything he never let himself hope for settles into reality.
And just like that, Gyuvin is out of his trance.
Ricky sits before him, eyes shining, lips curled into a smile so warm, so his .
To see him like this, Gyuvin would take every chance.
For the moment Ricky turns, for the moment he glances his way—
Gyuvin will treasure it dearly, this wonderful romance.
Because from the start, through night and day, Gyuvin’s heart was his, come what may.
Roses are red,
Violets are blue,
Tell me why my thoughts are only of you.
Consumed by love so pure and true,
With all my being, you pierce through.
I could reach for the stars in the sky,
Yet you're the only one who catches my eye.
I vow to be someone on whom you rely,
For seeing you hurt makes my heart cry.
Each moment with you, I’ll cherish with care,
Hoping this love will always be there.
If I had one wish to make,
It’d be for your joy never to break.
I love to see you laughing bright,
You bring my world its warmest light.
And when you open your heart to me,
It feels like home—so wild, so free.
Your eyes, like galaxies, wide and deep,
Hold emotions the ocean keeps.
One single glance, and I just knew,
My heart could only belong to you.
Yet tell me—would you ever see,
That I wish for more than friends to be?
Each time you smile so carelessly,
My heart pounds hard—I question me.
You're my best friend, my guiding grace,
The one I've sworn to never replace.
But love like this I can’t erase,
No longer can I hide my face.
I’ve loved you long, for countless days,
Yet fear keeps me locked inside this maze.
If I gave my all, my heart, my vow,
Would you accept me here and now?
I don’t know if you're waiting still,
For me to find the strength, the will.
But love won’t wait for time to bend,
I only wish you’d stay till the end.
Stay with me through every mile,
Let’s make each memory worthwhile.
No words could ever quite define,
But with you, I know I'll be fine.
In every lifetime, I’ll wish for you near,
To lose you— that is all I truly fear.
With you in my life, it’s all so clear,
I love you so true, only you, my dear.
♡