Take It Slow

Prologue

Younghyun stretches as he yawns. He exhales a sharp breath before he darts his eyes back on his paper. Just as he is about to sketch back, Sungjin catches his attention. The latter is biting the bracelet embracing his right wrist.

“You need help?”

With eyebrows knit together, Sungjin shakes his shaved head. “I got this,” he bites the strings again to tighten it.

“You know, you don’t seem a person who’d wear a bracelet. Or whatever kind of wrist accessory.” Sungjin looks at him and raises a brow, asking what he meant and Younghyun responds with a shrug. “I don’t know. You just don’t seem like a very patient person. You look like someone who’d take it off once it loosens; someone who’d find it bothersome to tighten it every time.”

The buzz-cut’s eyebrows wiggle at his friend’s remark. He gets what he meant, though. But it’s not just any other bracelet. He can’t just lose this one. He can’t go a day without it. Not until his wish comes true.

“Uhm,” the clearing of your throat seems audible as Sungjin remembers the day he got the bracelet. “Happy birthday.”

His left brow raised after his forehead wrinkled. His eyes dropped at what you’re holding. You gave him a big smile as you wave it in the air before you took his wrist.

“Here, I’ll put it on you.” You were biting your lower lip as you fix the string around his wrist. You plastered a wide smile again after it was attached.

“Thanks,” his eyebrows furrowed again, “I guess?” he brushed his chocolate brown hair up and your eyes followed.

Your lips stretched again as your hand reached for his hair and ruffled it. “You don’t seem grateful enough,” you chuckled. “Sorry, that’s the only thing I got. I did it myself though.”

He just nodded and you pursed your lips. He was doing it again--painting a bit of disappointment on his face. You don’t know if he’s oblivious about it or he’s doing it on purpose every time. He seemed to be always annoyed whenever you’re being so forward about how you feel about him. Still, you didn’t stop expressing how much you like him.

“It’s a wish bracelet anyway,” you muttered. You wanted to ease the pricking on your chest so you needed to keep talking. “Only take it off when your wish already came true.”

“I’m not into this kind of stuff,” his eyebrows twisted again.

“I know,” you shrugged. “But maybe you can make an exception for this. Maybe it can help you with your wish, too. C’mon, what’s your wish?” you nudged him, “to meet a girl who will love you unconditionally? If that’s the case, I guess you can take it off now. ‘Cause you met her already. It is I, the one and only.”

You were just teasing but he heaved a sigh, like he’s disappointed again. You moved closer to him and asked what the sigh was about but he shot you a glare like he’s annoyed with your question.

Sungjin snaps his senses back in the present when a crumpled paper lands on his face.

“What were you sighing about?” Younghyun asks as he nods while looking at Sungjin’s desk. “You need to finish that if you want to pass that tomorrow and be burden-free for a whole week while having your vacation back in Busan.”

Sungjin caresses his shaved head before he takes his pencil again. He needs to finish his project for their Structural Analysis & Design subject, as Younghyun have said, but his mind is dry to finish the touch ups for his designs. And seeing the bracelet around his wrist as his hand sketches doesn’t help him either.

Who doesn’t like that kind of stuff but doesn’t take it off for three years now?

And wish ? He can only sigh.

If you only knew.