Life was never easy for Wonwoo, absent father, busy mother, barely at his own house, it was hard. But he didn't mind it, at least he wasn't by himself, he had his best friend, Mingyu by his side everyday. He never thought that things would get worse bit by bit, here's his story before the present day.

It's 2009, both Wonwoo and Mingyu are 7 years old. Wonwoo is at Mingyu's house, like always. They both finished having dinner that Mingyu's mom prepared, Wonwoo was a picky eater but he liked Mingyu mom's cooking. He sat on the floor of the living room happily drawing on a paper, he wasn't good at drawing honestly, just mostly scribbles, but he enjoyed it.

Mingyu on the other hand was running around and occasionally checking on Wonwoo's drawing. As he sat next to the drawing boy he looked at the paper. "Is it done? I wanna see! Am I in the drawing? Huh?? Tell me!! Wonu!" The boy asked impatiently.

Wonwoo just hummed a bit before speaking "I'm almost done! Yes you're in the drawing!" He said with a smile. Mingyu cheered in his seat. As Wonwoo finished the drawing, he handed ut to Mingyu "It's for you" He smiled again, and yet again, Mingyu got excited

"I'm going to show it to my mom!" Mingyu said while grabbing the drawing and rushing to his mom, dragging Wonwoo with him. "Mom! Mom look!"

Mingyu's mom was washing the dishes but stopped right away as she heard the boys walk in "What is it sweetie?" She asked while drying her hands and paying full attention to them.

"Wonwoo made a drawing and we're in it!" Mingyu exclaimed excitedly while holding up the drawing for her to see.

Mingyu's mother looks at the drawing, a gentle smile spreading on her face "Oh it's so pretty" She then looks at Wonwoo "You have a lot of talent"

Wonwoo fidgets a bit with his hands "Thank you miss Kim... It's for Mingyu, I want him to keep it"

Mingyu's eyes immediately light up "For me?! Yay!!! You're the best" He says while he hugs Wonwoo thightly

Mingyu's mother chuckles before speaking "Wonwoo, your mom called, she said she's almost here to pick you up." Wonwoo nods in acknowledgement "Okay miss Kim!" He smiles before running to Mingyu's room where his bag was, Mingyu followed him with a pout "Aww I wanted you to stay longer" He sulks.

Wonwoo giggled "You know tomorrow I'll come back! Like eyeryday" He said innocently, and Mingyu got excited "Okay! We'll play a lot with my new toys this time!"

Wonwoo nodded eagerly, he loved playing with Mingyu. The doorbell rang as they heard soft knocks on the door, Wonwoo zipped up his bag and slung it on his shoulder, smiling excitedly at Mingyu "It's probably my mom!"

Mingyu's pout intensified, he truly didn't want his best friend to leave. But he knew he couldn't do much, if his mom said she'd pick up Wonwoo, then that's what will happen.

Wonwoo walked out of the room to the front door with Mingyu following him. Mingyu's mom was already at the door with Wonwoo's mom

"Mom!" Wonwoo beamed at his mother, running and latching onto her leg. She chuckled, reaching down to pat his head "Hey sweetie, were you good at Mingyu's house?"

Wonwoo nodded vigorously, looking back at Mingyu who was still sulking slightly. Wonwoo's mother also looked at Mingyu and chuckled softly "Were you a good boy, Mingyu? Did you not cause any trouble for my Wonwoo?"

Mingyu shook his head and mumbled quietly. Wonwoo's mother seemed satisfied and knelt down to his eye level "You know, Wonwoo will be back tomorrow. Be a strong boy for me, okay?" She smiled gently at him, patting his cheek lightly. "Wonwoo say bye to Mingyu"

Wonwoo quickly waves his head excited "Bye Mingyu!" As he waves, Mingyu does the same right away before Wonwoo leaves with his mother.

After some time, Wonwoo is already home with his mom, she served him dinner and now she was on a call about work while Wonwoo was drawing something at the dinner table, his little legs swinging. He finished the drawing, 3 people on it, him, his mother, and his father. He missed his father, his little mind didn't know why he and his mom separated, In his head he believed that his dad was going to come back at any time and he was excired for it. He got up with the drawing and ran to his mom who just finished the phone call. "Mom! Look I made this drawing! Can you put it on the fridge?" He asked happily, but when his mother saw the drawing, he suddenly felt uneasy.

"Why is there 3 people sweetie?" His mother asked. Wonwoo tilted his head "It's me you and dad!" As he said that, his mom's expression flattered. "I told you not to draw him. Erase him from the drawing" She said now sounding a bit stern. Wonwoo lowered the drawing a bit, before speaking "No... It's a family drawing... I wanna keep dad in it"

His mom's expression hardened "I said to erase him from the drawing, Wonwoo."

Wonwoo flinched slightly at the harsh tone in his mother's voice, but he was determined "No! I want dad to be in the drawing! It's a family drawing!"

Wonwoo's mom closed her eyes and took a deep breath, trying to stay calm. But she was getting frustrated at her son's stubbornness "We talked about this. Your father is not around anymore, he left us. You have to understand that."

"He said he will come back!" Wonwoo said almost quickly "He told me he would be back! And told me to take care of Mr Hammy while I wait!" Mr hammy was a Hamster plushie that his father gave him the night he left, Wonwoo promised to take care of it until he came back home "And he said he would bring a chocolate!" He added innocently.

Wonwoo's mother pinched the bridge of her nose, sighing heavily. It was painful talking to her son about his father, especially when he refused to accept reality. "Wonwoo. Your father isn't coming back. He's not going to come back. You have to accept that." She spoke sternly, her tone was harsh, but not cold. She wanted to get through to her son, but it was proving to be difficult.

"Yes he will! You don't know anything!" With that, Wonwoo rushed into his room and closed the door. He held thightly onto the drawing he made before he started to sniffle. He missed his dad, a lot. He will be back, right? That question always lingered in his little mind. He walked up to his bed and reached under it, he pulled out a shirt, it was clearly an adult's shirt, it belonged to his dad. He hugged it before putting it on, it was too big on him, almost looked like a dress. He got onto his bed, held Mr Hammy and the drawing and teared up in silence before falling asleep. He never argued with his mom like that, and he didn't know that it would be worse from there.

Time goes by, a lot of time, it's now 2015, Both Wonwoo and Mingyu are 13. Wonwoo's mom just picked him up from Mingyu's house. He was spending more and more time at Mingyu's house and they're growing more and more closer. Wonwoo is once again drawing, he sat infront of the coffee table. His mom walked out of the kitchen.

Wonwoo's mother walked up behind him, peering over his shoulder at the drawing he was working on "Hey sweetie, what are you drawing?"

Instead of the usual response, all Wonwoo did was shrug, not even looking up at her. He continued sketching, lost in thought, but he did hide the drawing a bit from her vision

Wonwoo's mother frowned a bit in confusion at his behavior, she didn't understand why her son was being so distant lately. She decided to sit down beside him, gently placing her hand on his shoulder "Is everything okay, sweetie? You seem a bit quiet today"

"I'm fine." Wonwoo replied. "Just... Scribbling"

Wonwoo's mother hummed lightly, not completely convinced "Are you sure? You can talk to me about anything, you know that right?" She leaned a bit closer, trying to catch a better glimpse of what he was drawing

Wonwoo quickly turned the paper the other way, hiding the drawing completely, not saying anything, just a quick glance at his mom.

Wonwoo's mom raised an eyebrow, feeling slightly more worried now "Why are you hiding it from me? You never do that.."

She tried to reach for the paper, but Wonwoo quickly pulled it away, keeping it out of her reach. "Wonwoo, you're making me concerned. Give me that" She managed to get the drawing out of Wonwoo's hands, as she looked at it, he expression fell, again, 3 people in that drawing.

Wonwoo's heart sank as his mother took the drawing from him. He knew what was going to happen now. He looked down at his lap, avoiding eye contact with her. His mother's expression was a mix of disappointment and hurt. She took a deep breath before speaking "Wonwoo, we've talked about this. You have to stop drawing him."

"It's my drawing!" Wonwoo blurted out before he could stop himself, his own eyes widened as he realized that he raised his voice at his own mother. His mom also widened her eyes in shock at Wonwoo's outburst. She had never seen him react like that before. She took a few seconds to compose herself before speaking "Watch your tone, young man. I'm trying to talk to you calmly and respectfully. I expect the same from you. I'm tired of these drawings Wonwoo. They shouldn't have your father in it"

"Yes it should! It's my dad!" Wonwoo raised his voice again, this time he wasn't surprised, he may be young and had to respect his mother, but this situation was slowly taking him down. It's not like he doesn't know his father, he knows that his father is a good father, he just doesn't live with him because his mom won custody of him and she forbid visiting him.

His mother's expression hardened as she tried to maintain her patience "Wonwoo, I understand that you want to cherish your memories with your father, but these drawings aren't doing anything but cause harm." She held up the drawing, looking at it with an almost pained expression

"We've talked about this before. Your father chose to leave us. He's gone and he's not coming back. It's time to accept that and move on."

"He didn't choose to leave, you made him leave!" Wonwoo raised his voice again, it cracked slightly as if he was fighting back tears. His mom's patience vanished "That's it young man. No more drawing in this house, you're grounded" She raised her voice before ripping the drawing

Wonwoo felt his heart break as he witnessed his mother ripping his drawing. His tears welled up but he was too stubborn to let them fall. He stood up abruptly "I hate you! You're mean!" He ran towards his room, slamming the door shut behind him. He jumped onto his bed, reaching under his pillow for his father's shirt, he hugged it thightly before finally letting the tears flow. He wanted his dad back, but he didn't know where he was, no contact, no anything, so he could only sit and cry, nothing else.

Time flew by again, It's 2020, Both Mingyu and Wonwoo are 18. Wonwoo is at Mingyu's house, Wonwoo's mom should pick him up soon. They were lounging in Mingyu's room, surrounded by discarded homework sheets, snacks, and video games. Mingyu was recounting a hilarious incident that occurred at school, animatedly gesturing and laughing, while Wonwoo occasionally nodded, but his attention was elsewhere. He kept glancing at the time on his phone, growing more and more restless as the minutes ticked by. Mingyu noticed his friend's restlessness and stopped mid-sentence.

"Dude, what's up? You've been checking your phone nonstop. Something going on?" He asked curiously. Wonwoo looked at him and shook his head "I don't want to go home you know? I'd Rather stay here" He sighed. Mingyu frowned a bit "Still on bad sides with your mom?"

Wonwoo shrugged nonchalantly, even though that was exactly the reason. They both knew about the strained relationship Wonwoo had with his mother. For years now, they've both been tip-toeing around the subject, well, Mingyu tried to at least. Wonwoo, being the closed-off person he is, rarely spoke about it. "Yeah. You know how it is. She's just... impossible to deal with" He huffed, shoving his phone into his pocket and leaning back against the wall. "I can't do anything freely at home now... I'm tired of it" He looks back at his phone, he squints his eyes slightly.

Mingyu observed his friend's expression, noticing the frustration etched on his face. He shifted closer to him, bumping their shoulders together in a comforting gesture

"That sucks, man. You're 18 already. You should have freedom to do what you want..."

He paused for a moment, noticing the squint of Wonwoo's eyes "Dude, are you having trouble seeing or something?" He joked but the question was honest. Wonwoo rolled his eyes at Mingyu's question, shaking his head slightly

"No, I'm not having trouble seeing, you idiot"

He lied trying to brush off the question but deep down, he was getting really annoyed at how everything was getting a bit blurry and fuzzy.

Mingyu hums not buying the excuse, but before he could say anything, the doorbell rang. Wonwoo sighed deeply and got up, Mingyu got up aswell to get the door, Mingyu's mom was out today so it was only the boys. Mingyu opened the door "Hi Miss Jeon"

Wonwoo's mother stood in the doorway, dressed in her work attire. As she saw Mingyu, a small, yet strained smile appeared on her face. "Good evening Mingyu." Her eyes darted to Wonwoo, standing behind Mingyu, and her usual cold expression returned. "Wonwoo, time to go."

Wonwoo shook his head "I wanna stay here" as he says that, his mom didn't seem happy about it "You don't get to choose, come on" She said.

Mingyu looked between Wonwoo and his mom, a concerned expression on his face. He knew things weren't good between them, but he also didn't want to cause more trouble for his friend by interfering

Wonwoo, on the other hand, was having none of it. "I'm staying here. You can't control me forever."

His tone was defiant, challenging his mother's authority.

"Jeon Wonwoo." His mom said, her patience thin. "Home. Now"

"Why? So you can yell at me for drawing again? Or for mentioning dad?!" Wonwoo snapped slightly "Watch your tone." Wonwoo's mother's voice grew stern. The look in her eyes hardened as she stared down her son. "You have no right to talk to me like that. I'm your mother. You will follow my rules, and that includes not drawing that man and not bringing him up. This is non-negotiable."

"I'm staying here" Wonwoo said while walking up to her and holding the door handle "I wish you didn't win custody of me." With that, he closed the door on her face with a loud thud.

Wonwoo's mother stood outside the door, stunned and angry. She hadn't expected her son to defy her so boldly. The door slamming in her face stirred the anger inside her, causing her to pound on the door loudly "Wonwoo! You open this door right now!"

Wonwoo didn't give in though, he completely ignored her until he heard her car drive off. He looked at Mingyu who didn't say anything the whole time. Wonwoo tried to be strong but the tears escaped his eyes anyways, he sat on the couch, he should feel good for speaking up to his mom shouldn't he? Then why was he crying?

Mingyu followed Wonwoo, sitting down next to him on the couch. He stayed quiet for a few minutes, letting his friend sort through his emotions. He could see the mixture of anger and hurt on his face. After a moment, Mingyu gently placed a hand on Wonwoo's shoulder, a silent act of support.

"Are... Are you okay, man?"

Wonwoo nodded slightly while cleaning his face, however the tears didn't stop. "I'm so tired of this, why is she like this?!.. She keeps acting like my dad is dead or something!"

Mingyu listened quietly, letting Wonwoo vent out his emotions. The frustration and confusion in his friend's voice were evident. Mingyu sighed softly, struggling to find the right words to say. But then he looks back at wonwoo, his expression somewhat different.

Wonwoo's voice was shaky "I hate this... i hate their divorce, I hate her attitude I—" before Wonwoo could say anything else, Mingyu cut him off by grabbing his shoulders, forcing him to look at him "Hey, hey. Calm down." He had a worried expression, but his eyes were serious "I know you're upset, but don't give her this attention! You're stronger than this, you can do whatever you want, you don't need her controlling you..." He said softly while looking at Wonwoo's face before looking into his eyes.

Wonwoo tried to calm down, wiping his tears with his sleeve. He knew Mingyu was right, but his emotions were just too overwhelming at the moment. "I know, I know..." he mumbled, trying to steady his breaths "It's just... It's just so hard to deal with—"

Mingyu cut him off again, but this time, he did something unexpected. He pulled Wonwoo closer and kissed him. It was a soft, gentle kiss on the lips, filled with comfort and understanding.

Wonwoo froze in surprise as Mingyu's lips met his. His eyes widened at the unexpected gesture, his mind racing at the feeling of his friend's lips against his own. The kiss was soft and gentle, a contrast to the intensity of their discussion just moments ago. For a brief moment, everything else faded away, leaving only the sensation of Mingyu's lips and the beating of his own heart. And then, he closed his eyes slowly, he felt himself sinking deeper into the kiss. It was comforting, warm, and somehow, it felt right. He didn't pull away, nor did he push Mingyu away. In that moment, all the anger, frustration, and pain seemed to dissipate, replaced by a new sensation that was both soothing and exhilarating at the same time.

Mingyu, sensing Wonwoo's acceptance, continued with the kiss. He kept it slow and gentle, his hand slowly moving upwards to caress Wonwoo's cheek. This kiss was different from the silly, playful ones they used to give on eachother's cheek when they were younger, this one was filled with a new, different kind of passion and emotion. Wonwoo, couldn't ignore the fluttering feeling in his chest. He leaned closer, deepening the kiss, his own hands now finding their way to Mingyu's shoulders, clutching on to him as if holding on for dear life. Mingyu responded to the movement, his hand sliding from Wonwoo's cheek to the nape of his neck, pulling him closer. The kiss grew more passionate; what started as a comforting gesture turned into something more intimate and intoxicating. Mingyu then pulled away, both catching their breaths, his eyes never left Wonwoo's.

Wonwoo slowly opened his eyes to meet Mingyu's, he swallowed dry "M... Mingyu..."

Mingyu looked at him with a mixture of nervous anticipation and deep affection. He could sense the confusion and surprise on Wonwoo's face, but he didn't regret what he just did, if anything, it left him wanting more "I... I know, I just needed to do that" He spoke quietly, his hand still on the nape of Wonwoo's neck, thumb slowly stroking his skin. "I can't stand seeing you cry..."

"But... But that was a kiss...." Wonwoo said, disbelief in his voice, a question still in his mind; why? "W.. we're just friends..."

Mingyu's eyes locked onto Wonwoo's, his expression growing more serious. "I know" he said simply, his thumb still stroking the nape of Wonwoo's neck. "But... We can be more just... Just for tonight..."

Wonwoo's breath hitched at the suggestion. He couldn't deny the intense emotions that were stirring within him. He looked into Mingyu's eyes, searching for any sign of doubt, but found none. It was as if Mingyu had also been holding back for so long, and now, finally, he was letting go. "Just... Just tonight...?" Wonwoo repeated, his voice was barely above a whisper.

Mingyu nods gently, his other hand running through Wonwoo's hair. The air between them is charged, heavy with tension and unknown territory "Just tonight" he whispers back, "I don't want to think about anything else... just us, right now... If you want... We can never talk about this again after this...."

Wonwoo shivered slightly, his entire body hyper-aware of Mingyu's presence, of his touch. The words 'more than friends' echoed in his head, stirring up a flutter in his chest and a rush in his stomach. "Okay...." he breathed out, his hands clutching at the fabric of Mingyu's shirt. "Just for tonight...After that... We're just friends..."

"Just friends" Mingyu echoed, his voice slightly hoarse. He closed the distance between them again, his lips meeting Wonwoo's for the second time that night...