Chapter 1

Love at first sight

It was 10:30 a.m. The morning sun was beginning to get hotter by the minute. The District Police Academy of Hong Kong had completed the morning routine of the wannabe-police trainees by 10:00 a.m. However, two young men were seen running the tracks of the oval training ground, sweat dripping down their foreheads, seeping into their designated numbered jerseys.

"How many more laps do we have to run?" Cho Subin, trainee number 86, asked his best friend and training partner.

"Five more to go," Wang Yul, trainee number 85 replied monotonously, running in synchronised steps along with Subin.

"Jenjang! We were late by only five minutes. Why did Bai Sir have to make us run 20 laps?!" The half-Korean guy whined. His legs already felt like boulders after running 15 laps.

"Stop complaining and keep running," Yul remained undifferentiated. It was their fault that they didn't stick to the schedule and ended up late for the morning training session.

"My legs are giving out, Yul. Fu¢k, I can't do this anym- oomph!" Subin fell before completing his sentence. Yul stopped running but didn't help him up nor show an ounce of worry as he knew it was nothing serious, only scratches on the elbow and knee, something that they were habitual of. But Subin decided to stay sitting on the ground.

"Clumsy," Yul commented, shaking his head and offered a hand.

The instructor, Bai Sir, came running, "What happened, No. 86? Are you alright?"

"Nothing Sir, he just scra-..."

"Aaaaargghh! I think I sprained my ankle." Subin wore a painful expression on his face and clutched his leg. Except for Yul, nobody could tell that he was faking it.

Believing him, the instructor sighed, "Number 85?"

"Sir!" Yul straightened his posture in attention.

"Take number 86 to the medical camp. The institutional nurses are not available today. The people in the medical camp will be able to help. Dismissed for today."

"Yes Sir," Yul saluted as the training instructor walked away.

"I cannot walk, please carry me," Subin demanded, getting up from the muddy ground dusting himself, his one leg hanging loosely. Yul would have flat out rejected him but as the coach was looking their way, he couldn't do anything but agree. He carried Subin on his back.

"You are such a fu¢king drama queen, Bin," He said as they made their way towards the location pointed by their instructor.

"Well, my drama saved us both from running five more laps," Subin giggled and started humming a melody which was new to Yul's ears. He must have composed it on his own like usual. It made Yul think about Subin's passion for music. How come this immensely talented guy ended up in the Police Academy?

He came out of his thoughts seeing a long line which ended up before the tents.

"Why is there a medical camp in our Academy?" Yul mumbled.

"You forgot, they come here every year to check up the First Years. We also had it in our first year. Remember?" The duo was currently in their second year, the final year of their police training.

Yul now remembered that every year, a crew of medical interns would come here for general medical checkups of the police trainees as a part of mass screening. They also had it in their first year and now their Juniors, the current First Years had formed lines before the tents. The tents and rows were separated for boys and girls, the same as their dorms.

Some junior girls passed by them, chatting amongst themselves.

"Did you see the male doctor in the opposite tent?" One of the girls talked, "I saw him when he arrived on the campus. Gosh! He was really handsome. I was about to ask him his name but we were called for assembly, so couldn't."

Yul rolled his eyes in disbelief. Why would a person like someone just by looking at them for the first time? Like dude, you guys are practically strangers, he mumbled to himself.

He carried Subin, walking along the long row of boys and reached the starting point of the line, near the mouth of the large tent.

"Hi Subin Sir," some Juniors in the front greeted, smiling ear to ear. It was almost a tradition to refer to senior trainees as Sir and Ma'am. And the juniors diligently followed it.

The smiles from their faces faded as their eyes landed on Yul's cold face.

"G-good morning, Yul Sir," they bowed in fright.

The juniors were scared shit of Yul as he always appeared so cold and intimidating. On the other hand, Subin's easygoing and cheery personality had made him the juniors' favourite.

"Omo, no need to be so stiff, kids. He won't eat you. He just looks intimidating but actually isn't." He eased the tension in the air and the juniors relaxed. "Do you guys mind if we go in first?"

"Sure Sir."

"And Sir," another junior came close and whispered, "One of our boys managed to sneak in some bottles. Let's have a blast tonight!"

"Wohoo," Subin squealed. "We will be there."

The juniors told them the room number meanwhile other juniors exited out of the tent. It was their turn now and so they entered.

Two interns were stationed there. One's desk was already occupied and so they went to the second one, who was sorting out some papers. This intern, Yul thought, had a different aura around him; his presence felt like none other. Yul cleared his throat to get his attention.

"Excuse me, my friend here got hurt. Can you help him with the first aid?" He asked politely.

The medical intern looked up from his papers. His bespectacled almond eyes fell on the trainees, "Oh! Please have a seat there." He motioned towards the examination table, getting up to take a first-aid kit.

Yul took a glance at the intern and then helped Subin to sit on the said location. He looked back to see the tall, lanky frame of the intern getting the required box and Yul noticed his every movement with amusement.

The intern came back and started attending to the scratches on Subin's elbow. Yul stood back. He looked at the intern again and soon after immediately averted his eyes.

He didn't know why but he found himself stealing glances at the intern, over and over again.

'What's wrong with me?'

He wasn't a creep. He had no other intentions for looking, definitely not perverted ones. He only wanted to look and keep on looking for a lifetime.

He had never felt like this before. Nobody made him feel like this before!

Oh boy, did he fall in love at first sight?

Chapter 2

Boy in love

Subin's injuries were patched up. The intern closed the first aid kit and opened another box containing syringes and vials.

"What's that for?" Subin was visibly panicked.

"Your injuries came in contact with soil. So a Tetanus shot is necessary." The intern smiled apologetically and God! His smile was just so gorgeous that Yul immediately felt butterflies in his stomach.

Reluctantly, Subin had to take the injection, despite wanting to run away as Yul was holding him in place.

"All done," the intern smiled again as if dealing with a child patient. "Be careful from next time." Subin managed to give a faint smile and nod.

"Zeng, I am out of cotton swabs." The second intern called out from the other side and Yul had to hurriedly avert his eyes.

"Just a second, I'll take out the new batch." The intern named Zeng hurriedly went away to open a box.

Subin got up and Yul helped him on his feet. There was no more reason for them to stay here and so left they left with Yul taking a last glance at the intern named Zeng, before stepping out of the tent.

Afternoon arrived and lunch break started for the trainees. The canteen served them according to the food time table.

The academy had a strict diet plan. Two boiled eggs and a glass of milk in the morning, a nonveg-vegetable combined dish with a maximum of three bowls of rice for the afternoon lunch and any local non-vegetarian dish for dinner. In summary, all their three meals were filled mainly with proteins, as rightfully required for extreme physical training.

After staying there for more than a year, the Seniors very well knew what they would be having today, Moo Goo Gai Pan, a chicken and vegetable stir-fried dish. This was better than all other six afternoon dishes. The Second Years lined up and took their meal, the First Years after them.

Yul and Subin sat on the table along with their batchmates. Subin started gobbling up the lunch, same as the others. However, Yul looked so out of it. He felt fiddling with his chopsticks, staring blankly at the plate.

Subin noticed it and asked him what was wrong but Yul merely sighed and shook his head in desperation. Subin didn't pester him to tell as he knew his friend wasn't someone who would share his thoughts so easily. He would have to wait and Yul would surely tell him if it's important.

Yul was in his own thoughts for the rest of the day. He messed up while training, got scolded by the supervisors, repeatedly failed scoring in basketball and even wore his shirt inside out after changing into nightwear.

Now that the sun had dawned and the moon rose, their nightly roll call was done. Soon after, Subin took Yul into the Juniors' den. Around 4 bottles of vodka along with some snacks was arranged on the floor itself.

Alcohol and other stuff were strictly prohibited inside the Academy. But being in the rebellious phase, who cared about rules?

By midnight, all the bottles laid empty on the floor along with the juniors, arms and legs sprawling in all directions. Some on the floor, some on the bed and some half-half.

The two Seniors now we're sitting in the common balcony where all the boys hung up their clothes for drying. Yul was already dazed and Subin fiddled with the glass of drink. The breeze was cooler by the night. It was the perfect time for a heart to heart talk between the bros and so Subin began first,

"I am going back to Korea to give idol auditions after we graduate from the Academy."

Yul was caught off guard, "You serious?"

The other nodded, "Yes, I am. I have been thinking about it for quite a while." He looked at the moon. "Music is where I belong. I wasn't interested in coming to the academy from the start itself. It was my Appa's dream that I become a Police Officer. After his death, I at least wanted to pay tribute by fulfilling his dream. However, I forgot the most important life lesson he had given me. He said, 'Always follow your heart, no matter where it leads you to. So that the day you leave this world, you will have no regrets. Appa will always watch over you, no matter what you choose.' "

He smiled, "I believe he would be happy with my decision. Convincing my Amma won't be easy but I will somehow manage it. She will eventually understand my love for music. I have to try. I am not letting this chance go. If I do, I will always regret it for the rest of my life."

Yul felt as if the last sentence was directed towards him. He somehow got the courage to speak up, "I also want to say something." Subin urged him to go ahead.

"I think I fell in love."

"Woah! Cool, who's the lucky girl and since when?" The cheery guy asked, lifting the glass to his lips and took a sip.

"That male intern who treated your injuries today, I think I fell in love with him."

Subin almost choked on his drink and spat it out. Wiping the remnant of the alcohol from his chin with the back of his hand, he asked casually, "Dude, are you bisexual?"

"I don't know." Yul ruffled his hair in confusion. "I was straight as an arrow before seeing him. But then… I don't know man. I am so confused. This is so freaking confusing. I think I am losing my mind." He was talking to himself. Then peeked at Subin, "You don't think I am weird, right?"

Subin clicked his tongue, "I am not biased regarding gender or preference. But isn't it too early to fall in love with that intern? Like, you just met him this morning."

"It was love at first sight," Yul defended himself.

Subin chuckled heartily hearing Yul's reply, "Never did I ever imagine you falling in love at first sight!" He patted Yul's shoulder, "Good for you. So what was it like? How did you feel?"

Yul smiled to himself, "It was not anything extravagant. Just one glance at that person and I wanted to keep looking at him forever. It wasn't about his external looks. I didn't even notice that until the last moment. It was something more than that. A warm feeling, it felt something like, I want to live the rest of my life for this person... with this person. It was subtle yet special. I can't exactly say what it was but it felt nice."

Subin listened while gaping, "Oh boy, you really are so in love. Congratulations my man!"

Yul smiled widely. He felt a burden lift from his chest. He felt much better after talking it out with someone. His mind had been a mess since this morning. Now that he had shared it with someone, his heart felt at ease. Now he had to plan out what to do next... about his feelings... about everything.

That night, he couldn't sleep well. He kept smiling to himself every now and then, twisting and turning in his bed, preparing himself for what to say tomorrow, how to act in front of that person. He kept forming sentences and discarding them.

'Hash! Was proposing always this tough?'

The whole dorm was sleeping while he was wide awake, his heart beating at the peculiar pace and a blush rising on his face every now and then.

Oh boy, he was so in love!

Chapter 3

Now or never!

All the boys in the Academy dorms had woken up by 5:00 am. They were served breakfast at sharp 6:30 and finished it by 7. After that, the training session went on from 7 to 10. While on the training grounds, Yul kept looking at the direction of medical camps. The tent doors were not open yet. They opened around 8:30 and Yul saw the two people in white aprons going inside, each one carrying a medical kit box and bags.

When they were done with the morning training at 10 am, Subin was pulled aside by Yul."You are going to help me," he told the other boy.

"What! I am not helping you with this." Subin made a cross with his arms. "I don't want to go back to the medical camp. Those people give injections there." He shuddered, reminiscing his yesterday's experience with those sharp needles.

Yul somehow managed to corner him into agreeing. He explained the plan to him and now Yul was holding onto Subin, with Yul trying to make his own legs look shaky. Subin again asked the Juniors to let them go first to which the younger ones readily agreed.

The duo entered the tent. Both the interns looked up. One of them said, "Oh, you guys are from yesterday, right?" The voice sounded so melodious to Yul that he wanted to record it and play it all day long.

"Yes, we are." Subin smiled, feeling apologetic for the lies they would be telling, "This guy was getting dizzy on the training ground. Can you help him?" He pointed at Yul.

"Please let him sit." Zeng was about to do something when the other intern stopped him, "I will handle him, Zeng. You can continue screening the other boys."

Yul shot up a panicked glance at Subin. Subin shot up a panicked glance at Yul. And then they both shot panicked glances back at the two interns.

Thankfully, Subin was the quick-witted among the two.

"I- I think my bandages from yesterday opened up. You can have a look at them, doctor." He left Yul who was leaning on him and went to the other intern, practically dragging the guy away from the scene to give his best friend some privacy with his newfound crush.

Now Yul was left with the man he intended to be with. Meanwhile, intern Zeng prepared a glass of water and put a spoonful of glucose powder in it. After stirring it, he handed it to Yul.

"Here, drink it up. You'll feel better."

After Yul was done drinking, he gave the glass back. Zeng put the back of his palm on Yul's forehead. Yul's skin tingled at the first skin contact. His stomach taking a twist and his heart hammering in his chest.

"The temperature is normal." The intern clarified, then took Yul's wrist to check the pulse. Pressing three fingers on the radial artery, he eyebrows raised,

"Your pulse rate is pretty high."

It's because of you, Yul wanted to say but was at a lack of words. Seeing him silent, Zeng called him after reading the number on his badge,

"Number 85?"

Yul got out of his daze upon hearing his roll number being called. "Yes," he managed to respond.

"You can rest here till you feel better. I will get back to work now."

Yul couldn't even give a nod. The intern left for his desk and called the next trainee.

During the whole time, Yul couldn't initiate a conversation. He was so nervous and fidgety unlike himself. He felt overly conscious of himself and was straightening his shirt and combing his buzz style hair properly from time to time.

Why was he being so nervous? It wasn't like him at all. He was a confident guy who didn't hesitate to speak his mind. But this time, it was different.

He tried speaking up, to initiate any sort of conversation but every time he was about to call the intern, his heart would just start thumping at an alarming rate. Ultimately, he just couldn't do it. How can he suddenly just propose out his love to a complete stranger? The other person would definitely be taken aback. What was even thinking in the first place? 'I don't know him, he doesn't know me. But… I can't help it. I can't help it that I fell in love with you at first sight!'

Debating throughout, he forgot everything that he had planned the last night. He couldn't man up and say what he intended to and finally had to get out when the bell for a lunch break of the trainees rang.

"You got it?" Subin asked, who was forcibly fed bitter antibiotic pills by the other intern.

Yul shook his head dejectedly.

Subin sighed, "No worries, there's always a next time. You can ask him tomorrow." He comforted his best friend and pulled him to the dining hall.

The day felt way too long. The constitutional law classes were done and so was the sports hour. Everyone assembled for their evening roll call. Boys with a short buzz cut and girls with hair tied in a ponytail or a bun answered their roll numbers with a loud 'Yes Sir!'

After they were dismissed, all the trainees headed to their respective dorms. Males to the left and females to the right. Yul casted one last look at the medical camp tent. The lights were on from the inside, they must be packing up by now. The other male intern came out of the tent carrying two almost empty boxes. There was no sign of the desired one.

Dejected, Yul was walking back to his dorm room, his face sullen. Subin was by his side, humming a new tune.

They were passing a group of juniors when Yul overheard them.

"Thank God, this was the last day of the medical camp. We don't have to stand in those f*cking long lines from tomorrow onwards," one of the juniors said as tiredly leaned on his friend.

Subin was quick to look at Yul, who looked as if his life was slipping away by the second, all the colour drained from his face.

"I have to see him...now," Yul said in a whisper and his legs started walking away soon gaining momentum into a run.

"Wha… hey wait! Yul!" Subin almost screamed as Yul dashed away towards the main gate.

It was now or never!