Malsun Protecting Soonja(Yeonbin) /(말순, 순자를 지킬거야)

Under the clear sky, a cool, refreshing breeze whooshed through the air. The crops in the field swayed gracefully, dancing in harmony with the wind. The sun shone gently, casting a warm glow without being too hot. The scenery was breathtaking, with vibrant green fields stretching towards the horizon, where they met the azure sky. Soobin and Yeonjun walked hand in hand, their fingers intertwined. When Yeonjun glanced at Soobin, he shyly looked away, avoiding his gaze. Yeonjun felt a surge of happiness, as if he were on cloud nine, and couldn't help but giggle inwardly.

"I've kept my promise, so…it's your turn now." Soobin asked. His face was fully red as he was embarrassed.

"Hm?" Yeonjun looked at Soobin who was still avoiding looking at him. He was confused as he couldn't understand what Soobin was mentioning.

"I've told you about myself. So, it's your turn now." Soobin finally looked at him and answered cutely.

"Ah! About that? What do you want to know? My life is quite boring. And I don't have much to share." Yeonjun stared at Soobin's face while answering.

"Still! I wanna know about you too. I doubt it would be monotonous." Soobin said. His face looked serious so Yeonjun couldn't just blow it away.

"Um…I was a very ordinary boy. I've born in another town and grew up there. My parents sent me to school and I studied and studied. Then I grew up more and came to this town to earn money. Now, I'm living my life happily. I'm the luckiest man in the world because I got myself a very sweet, cute and handsome boyfriend." Yeonjun grinned.

"HEY! You know what I was referring to!" Soobin acted sulky and looked very cute.

"Hahaha! Okay okay! I'll tell you." Yeonjun pulled Soobin as he increased his speed. Soobin followed him quietly though he was surprised.

"Let's sit here first." Yeonjun took Soobin under a big tree. Both of them sat in the shadow beneath the tree.

"Can I hold you while talking?" Yeonjun asked. But before he could understand anything, Soobin lay down, putting his head on Yeonjun's lap. Yeonjun felt greedy as he wanted to kiss the boy's forehead, but he held himself back. He placed his hand on Soobin's forehead and another on his chest lightly.

"I was a high school student. As my school was a bit far from my home, my parents sent me there and I became a resident student. I made several friends and I spent much more time with them. One of them was my bossom friend. He was also a resident, but he came from Seoul. We used to spend almost each minute with each other. You can say we were inseparable. When most of my friends talked about how they like other girls, how they chase after them, I felt so uncomfortable. Because I never felt that way towards a girl. So, whenever they asked me if I was interested in any girls, I couldn't answer them. And they called me cowards because they thought I was afraid to show my emotions.

It was a summer holiday, I had no idea why my friends were behaving so nicely with me. They told me to go to the back of the school. I followed them, thinking they were doing something mischievous. But, I didn't know it was a trap. There was a girl who liked me and I didn't know. She told them to take me there as she was going to confess to me. After I went there, I saw she decorated the place with flowers and she was standing alone, wearing a beautiful dress. I couldn't get what was going on. So, I asked my friends who she was. But, they didn't answer me and pushed me towards the girl.

They winked as if they fulfilled their duty and stood behind us. The girl was really beautiful. I can't deny it. She was holding flowers in her hands. But when she came closer and bent to me, telling how she loves me, I couldn't feel my heart at all. My heart didn't beat for her. Rather, I was flabbergasted. I didn't know what I should do. It was a very awkward situation for me. All I could think was how I should flee from that place. My friends were looking from behind. They were shouting saying "say, yes" "say, yes" as if they were rooting for me. But, all of them started badmouthing me when I rejected her. I rejected her kindly. But, seeing her sad face, my friends yelled at me. Because most of them had a crush on that girl and wanted to date her.

Later, when we finally went back to the class, all of them asked me why I rejected her. I told them that I didn't like her. That is when they started shouting at me saying, I should've at least given her a chance. If I never try it, how'd I find out how I feel, etc, etc. At that time, the friend I mentioned earlier, came to us. He was in the city when all of these happened. So, he asked what happened. They told him everything. And then, he took my side. He said, why should I give them a chance when I don't like them? He defended me and that was the first time when I noticed my heart beats for another person. At first I thought I was mistaking. As time went by, I realized why I didn't like the girl. It was because of him. I've been liking him and it wasn't any mistake." Yeonjun stopped for a breath and noticed Soobin nuzzling his head against his stomach. He found him so adorable as he remembered that time when he slept in a tree shade and found a cat on his lap.

"So, it was giving me hints?" Yeonjun giggled and caressed Soobin's forehead gently.

"Then?" Soobin asked curiously and Yeonjun began again,

"Then, I started to keep my distance from him as I thought it'd be good. He noticed and asked me what my problem was. I didn't want him to find out, but I had to tell him as the conversation was getting into a fight. He remained silent. I understood what his answer was. After some days, he came to me and said he wanted to figure it out. I was confused. Then, he came to me and kissed me on the lips. He said he also liked me. So, we started dating. After that, we literally spent all the days together, like we were glued to each other.

And we were caught by other friends and the whole school got to know about us. His mother heard about it and came to pick him up. She knew me and adored me as much as his son. But I saw how she looked at me that day. As if I was really a wayward. I saw the hate in her eyes. My parents also went to the school as the principal called them. They also looked at me in the same way. As if they were ashamed of me.

We parted after that. My parents took me home and I commuted to the school everyday. And he had to transfer school. We tried to contact each other, but it didn't work as both of us were grounded in our own houses and we needed to contact each other secretly. So, we decided to take a break. After I graduated, my parents started torturing me mentally. They thought some bad omens possessed me. They forcefully took me to several exorcists. They tried to set me up with several girls. I rejected each time. After that, my mom started emotionally blackmailing me. I was fed up with all these shits and started fighting with them. It was more like a contradiction for me.

It was only then, the conflict between my parents and me got worse. Our relationship was damaged badly. I declared, it is me. Yeah! If they can't accept who I am, I can't stay in that house. My mom tried to make me understand that it's a sin and this wasn't the real me. But, how can they understand me better than myself? They might want the best for me, but can't understand what I was going through and how I was feeling. Although my mom was trying her best to convince me, my dad told me that they don't need a son like me anymore.

He kicked me out of the house and told me to go back only when I would change my mind. But how can I change my sexuality? This is absurd, right? So, I never went back to that house. I never contacted them nor did they." Yeonjun sighed and finally stopped.

"Then, after they kicked you out, where did you go? Did you meet your lover again? What happened between you?" Soobin asked as if he was listening to fairy tales. Yeonjun scoffed and leaned on the tree properly, brushing his index through Soobin's cheeks.

"Um…you can say grandma Han took me in. She lent me the house which I bought later on. I learned agriculture from my dad as I have been interested in it since I was very young. So, I could work hard and it paid off really well. Then I built my empire bit by bit. However, I went to him, but his mom didn't let me see him. Moreover, it was too late, our feelings faded away within the time. We stopped caring for each other because we couldn't polish our feelings for a long time. We're still friends though. Best friends you can say." Yeonjun grinned while staring at Soobin.

"Ah! I see!" Soobin held Yeonjun's arm just like a baby grabbing their mother's arm.

"Ah, Right! You've met him! Yeonjun was exuberant as he remembered Soobin met Wooyoung whom he was talking about.

"When?" Soobin asked, curiously.

"Um…the first time I saw you working in the cafe! Do you remember? You called me ajusshi? He was with me! Do you remember?" Yeonjun was very excited.

"Woah! That was long ago! I remember him! So, that was him?" Soobin sat down as he was very surprised and curious.

"Yeah! That's him!" Yeonjun pinched Soobin's cheek mildly and grinned.

"Ah! Then, you guys are still very close." Soobin seemed a little disappointed.

"Why? Jelly jelly?" Yeonjun giggled as he was teasing Soobin.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Soobin scoffed as if he wasn't feeling jealous at all. He stood up and extended his hand towards Yeonjun to help him get up.

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At night, Yeonjun slept soundly in his room. Soobin approached him, sat down beside him, and gently played with his hair for a while. With a sigh, he stood up, slipped a note under Yeonjun's phone and walked away. He was determined, he vowed to fight and win this war, no matter the time or cost. He couldn't involve Yeonjun in his turmoil any longer. Before leaving, he glanced back at Yeonjun, who remained peacefully asleep. Then, with a sense of mystery, he quietly departed.