PJ (Hyunjin) short story collection

I'm just sick and tired of neighborhood little brothers I know.

As we walked side by side down the quiet, sunlit sidewalk, Hyunjin's vintage bicycle wheels rolled over the paving stones with a languid sound. It was just as the afternoon heat was beginning to soften, and the warm golden sunset was stretching long shadows behind us. He walked while holding and pushing the handlebars, keeping the bike between us like a physical shield, but whenever the sidewalk narrowed, he would subtly press closer to my side.

"You know." Hyunjin started in his usual clear, rhythmic tone, but today there was a faint tension in his voice, and it trembled. He cleared his throat, then stared straight ahead at the road. "Why does the neighborhood feel so small today? Or am I just paying more attention to what's around me?"

I smiled faintly at the corner of my lips and glanced at him. Wearing a faded denim jacket over a white T-shirt, his now slightly shorter black hair swayed above his brows every time he walked. His hands were so tightly gripping the rubber handlebars that the backs of them had gone pale, clearly showing how tense he was.

"Are you okay, Jini?" I teased, bumping his arm lightly with my shoulder. "You've been tripping over your own feet ever since we left the library. Did reading history books fry your brain completely or something?"

Hyunjin stopped his bike dead right in front of the gate to the front yard of my house. The sudden stop made the metal stand clatter. He quickly turned the bike and set it down at an angle on the sidewalk so the frame completely blocked my way forward.

"My brain is perfectly fine." he protested, flashing a little of his usual big, theatrical energy for just a moment before dropping his gaze to the pavement. In the golden sunlight, an unmistakable flush rose beneath his shirt collar in an instant, tinting his cheeks a soft pink. He shifted his weight back and forth between his feet, looking so painfully shy it was almost heartbreaking. "I'm just... tired of talking about school. And I'm sick of only ever being just the neighborhood little brother to you."

At his sudden change in attitude, I blinked and my breath caught a little. The easy, playful atmosphere I always knew had flipped in an instant into something heavy, sweet, and intensely focused entirely on me.

"Hyunjin." I called softly.

He drew in a deep breath, then let go of one handlebar and reached toward me, gently wrapping his warm fingers around my wrist. As if making sure I was truly listening, he stepped closer until the distance narrowed and his large frame cast a shadow over me. His dark eyes met mine with raw, heartfelt sincerity, and for a moment my heart sank soundlessly beneath my ribs.

"I've liked you since the start of this semester." He blurted out the confession, throwing away all hesitation. He didn't look away, and even as he walked fully into my personal space, the hand holding my wrist remained unbelievably gentle and respectful. "Not as the little kid. Not as the good little brother who carries your books. I want to be the person who walks beside you when we go down this street. I really, really like you, noona."

I stared blankly at the bright pink flush spreading across his cheeks and the fingers still gently wrapped around my wrist. My heart pounded at the sudden, intense depth of feeling in his dark eyes, but the playful urge to tease my favorite guy in the neighborhood beat reason before I knew it.

A teasing smile spread to the corners of my lips. "Oh~ so you like older women?" I drawled, tilting my head back slightly under the warm sunlight to meet his gaze. "Cute, Jini."

For a moment, Hyunjin's shoulders dropped. The confident mask he had built up all the way home shattered to pieces, and the blush on his cheeks deepened into an almost absurdly overwhelming crimson of embarrassment. He let go of my wrist as if he'd touched something burning hot, then gripped the bicycle handlebars again and dropped his gaze to the tips of his sneakers.

"Ah... sorry." he stammered, his usual loud voice nowhere to be found, reduced to a completely defeated whisper. He cleared his throat and took a step back, moving the bike toward the edge of the sidewalk curb. "I didn't mean to make things awkward. Just... forget everything I said, noona. I'll go first."

Just as he turned the front wheel and was about to leave completely, the sorrowful look on his face was so painfully tender that a wave of deep affection rolled through my chest.

Before he could even take one step down the sidewalk, I reached out, grabbed his wrist tightly, and pulled him firmly back into my space. Off balance from the sudden force, the bicycle tilted precariously against his legs, and I erased the remaining distance between us completely. I wrapped both arms tightly around his neck and pressed my small body fully against his broad chest, hugging him hard.

"Dummy." I stood on tiptoe, rising up as I pressed a soft, lingering kiss against his burning cheek, and whispered in a low voice.

I pulled back just a little, but kept my hands on his broad shoulders so that he had no choice but to look straight at my face. His dark eyes were wide, staring down at me in complete embarrassment, confusion, and shock.

"When did I ever say no?" I smiled, my voice dropping into sincere warmth as complete as the golden sunset of the afternoon. I gently squeezed his shoulders and erased the last traces of teasing. "I've been waiting for you to say it first all semester, too. I really like you too, Hyunjin."

Hyunjin stood frozen under the warm afternoon sunlight for several seconds. He blinked once, then twice, his dark eyes swirling as he hurried to process the words that had just come out of my mouth. The raw shock on his face as he looked at me was so endearing, he stood there with his mouth slightly open, staring blankly at me.

Soon enough, it seemed he had finally caught up.

A dazzling, enormous smile that was almost suffocating completely took over his face, and the corners of his eyes curved beautifully, wiping away every last trace of the tension that had been weighing on him just moments ago. He burst into a loud, joyous laugh, then immediately wrapped his long arms tightly around my waist and pulled me close to his chest once more. Hugging me hard, he buried his face in my hair, then tipped his head back slightly and pressed a soft, lingering kiss to my forehead.

"You're not teasing me right now, are you, noona?" he asked, his face shining with that familiar big, sweet, bubbly energy.

"I'm not teasing you, Jini." I laughed, leaning back slightly so I could look up at his radiant face. "Now hurry home. Before your mother starts worrying about where you've gone."

"Okay! Yeah! I'm going home!" he replied quickly, nodding furiously.

He gave my hand one last affectionate squeeze, then walked backward along the sidewalk, waving casually. "See you, noona! See you tomorrow!"

He spun around on the spot and started walking down the sidewalk, his large frame melting completely into the golden sunset of the dying day. He was so overwhelmed with happiness that he literally kept hopping and dancing as he walked, giggling all the while. His big, happy laughter echoed softly through the quiet neighborhood.