"Next to each other?" Han exclaims. He can hear giggles coming from the other side of the call.
"Yeah. They put us next to each other. I don't know why, but that's how it is," Pan replies.
Yara, sitting next to her, nods vigorously, though she knew Han couldn't see her.
"Why are you nodding so much, kiddo?" Pan asks softly. Yara grins widely, making her frown. This is unlike Yara; usually she always pouty and feisty. Today, Yara seems like a different person.
Pan brushes her thoughts away. She'd ask Yara later. What matters now is their booth project.
"So, you have no excuse not to come and help us!" Pan says to Han.
"Ah... about that..."
"Don't try to escape, mister! You have to come and help us!" Yara yells, letting Han know he can't abandon his friends in need.
Han lets out a faint laugh. He glares at the man who is chilling in bed, watching TV while having his lunch.
"I'll see what I can do," Han replies softly to Pan.
"How's his condition now?" Pan asks. Yara stares at her, waiting for the answer as well.
Han's gaze remains fixes on the man.
"He's getting better. He can even walk by himself now. It's just..."
From the outside, Kim might look okay and on the mend. But inside, it is uncertain.
"You can ask him first if he allows you to come and help us. It's fine. The show must go on even without you," Pan replies.
"Don't say we abandoned you later, okay?" Yara chimes in, teasing Han.
"Fine... I won't take it to heart," Han smiles bitterly. The call ended after the girls bid him goodbye.
Han enters the room from the balcony. Kim's eyes are still glued to the wide screen. Carefully, Han takes the empty plate from Kim.
"I'll put this away, Senior..."
Kim slowly looks up and met Han's eyes. Han smiles at him, then heads to the balcony, where he cleans the plate and put it back on the rack.
For another seven days after they reconciled, Han had been taking care of Kim one more time. Yes, at first, he's a bit stubborn and mean, but Han managed to make him surrender. Besides, Kim's family is giving Han a permission to take care of him. All of them start to take a liking to him, especially Kim's father.
From that day until now, Han had been going back and forth from his room to Kim's, taking care of him. At night, he let Kim sleep in peace. During the day, he will help him manage himself: eating, taking medicine, cleaning the wound, tidying the room, fetching notes from Seth, and even assisting with bathroom calls.
Although sometimes, Kim still tries to throw a fit on purpose, just to have Han's attention, Han's patience melts Kim's heart. He never complained, not even once. Whenever Kim had a meltdown, Han would hug him and let him cry in his warm embrace.
"Senior Kim..." Han returns to the room. He stands straight next to Kim.
"I-"
"Come here..." Kim calls, patting the empty space on the bed next to him. Han blinks in disbelief. When Kim nods, Han slowly sits on the bed next to him.
"What's wrong?" Kim asks softly.
"Pan and Yara are participating in the booth project for Open Day. It's part of our Entrepreneur subject. They asked me to help them," Han explains to Kim patiently.
"When is the event?"
"The day after tomorrow..."
"Go help your friends..."
"Huh?" Han looks at Kim in shock. Kim sighs heavily and tilts his head slightly.
"Until when are you gonna stay, Han? Besides, I'm feeling better now. I can attend class next week. So, there's nothing to worry about. Go do your own thing," Kim urges Han.
"What if you feel lonely? I can't leave you alone; you might overthink. And-"
"Who said I'm alone? I have my friends and family... and you," Kim held Han's hand gently. "Unless you want to leave me-"
"No. I won't," Han quickly stops him.
Kim smiles, softly caressing Han's hand. He is mesmerized by the man sitting next to him. The more time they spend together, the more his feelings blossom for him.
"Stop thinking about me. If I miss you, I can always call. Or maybe I can visit the booth," Kim says.
"How can I stop thinking about you when you are already a part of me now, Senior?" Han's eyes glisten like a puppy seeking love from its master.
"Cheesy, huh? What are you, Romeo?" Kim playfully smacks Han's head with a throw cushion. Han whines in pain, trying his best to stop Kim from hitting him.
"If I'm Romeo, can you be my Juliet?" Han teases Kim again. Kim gives him a sharp gaze, making Han chuckle.
"Ai shia Romeo, there's no way I'm bottoming!" Kim's words causes Han to pause. He slowly grins, looking at Kim in disbelief.
"What?" Kim frowns.
"You want to claim your position now?"
Kim pauses for a moment, trying to grasp the point.
"I... I think I'm being nonsensical!"
Han quickly grabs Kim's shoulders, making him face him. Kim suddenly realizes he is slowly adapting to his situation.
"I'll teach you more later..."
"Ai sutt, what do you mean, huh?!" Kim pushes Han away.
"What? I mean, you have to try before claiming your position. Like me. I can switch: top or bottom," Han's claim makes Kim even more confused.
"Switch? I thought you were the bottom! How did you know you could top... Wait..." Kim suddenly realizes. "You did try it before, didn't you? I thought that night was your first time! You lied to me, ai shia Han!" Kim grits his teeth, suppressing his anger. He swats Han's hands away, throwing a fit like a cute cat.
"No... Listen... I mean... Well..."
"You better tell me the truth!"
Han sighs deeply before continuing.
"I am in the phase of trying to learn about myself... Topping or bottoming, what matters most to me is doing it with someone I love..." Han stares at Kim. "I'm not a one-night stand man," he says, flicking Kim's nose gently.
Kim feels his cheeks growing hot and red. His heart beat so loudly it could probably be heard from Mars.
"Sutt!" he pushes Han away and pulls his duvet over his head, hiding himself. His ears caught Han's distinctive laughter, making him blush even more.
Deep inside, he has a thought.
Is this what they call being smitten with someone?