Tinn cupped Gun's wet cheeks and benignly stroked through his shivering eyelashes. Gun's already glittering eyes added a coating of crystal pure water like a magnificent jewel. Tinn loved these eyes so much that if Gun pouted and said no at the moment, he would give up all his plans and bring him back.
Gun blinked thoughtfully. Every second that passed felt like a second waiting for a verdict for Tinn. His heart trembled for fear of rejection from the person in his hand, that it was fortunate that Tinn knew that Gun liked him first, if it were the reverse that Tinn liked him first, then Tinn would probably forever cowardly embrace this one-sided love and never dared to express it in front of Gun.
Even now, when he had grasped Gun's heart, he still felt fear.
"But..." Gun rubbed his cheek in Tinn's hand, contentedly enjoying the faint warmth of bitter tea from his flesh. "We're not allowed up there, are we?"
Tinn sighed in relief.
"Of course not. I'll give you a special gift, na?"
Tinn's expectant expression under the moonlight was so charming, that Gun seemed to be mesmerized and nodded willingly.
"But... But you mustn't go too far from me."
Tinn laughed and took his hand instead of the promise.
They lento climbed up the stairs of the tallest building. The early morning rain made the smell of mud hit their nose as they stepped through the windows facing the weed-filled backyard.
The hand hold allowed Gun to walk through the stairs with no effort. Tinn kept stopping at each floor and asking him if he was tired and needed a rest. Gun reticently shook his head but his whole body was already melted and leaning on Tinn, causing Tinn to lead him step by step up the stairs.
Until they reached one corner of the stairs, they accidentally bumped into two people curled up against the wall, causing Gun to let out a loud scream and crouched behind Tinn.
"Gun?"
The flashlight shines directly on the two of them, giving Gun a little more courage to poke his head over Tinn's back.
"Yo?"
Gun rubbed his eyes and looked at his friend's bewildered face, in his arms was a beautiful little girl with big brilliant eyes and the uniform of a certain all-girls school.
Nook?
Tinn quickly understood everything and continued to lead Gun by his hand to the next floor. The Secret Letter Night is really the ideal moment for passionate dating couples. In the end, in Chinzhilla, perhaps only Pat is the most pitiful since until now, he was still trying to find secret letters to exchange gifts instead of hiding in a corner to kiss his unexist lover.
At the top of the stairs, Tinn hugged Gun tightly by the shoulders and put a hand in front of his eyes. The vision that was already facing the darkness inadvertently received an extra layer of shield from the warm palm, Gun was both scared and anticipating what was to come.
He slowly followed the instructions whispered of Tinn in his ear, until he felt a sudden flash of light through Tinn's fingers, making him obediently close his eyes.
"Cheating is not good na" Tinn's lips accidentally touched his ear like passing a small current into it "Are you ready, Gun?"
Gun's soul was still rolling somewhere as the terrace door slowly opened before his eyes, welcoming him with a cool breeze hitting his face.
Gun had never been to the terrace of this building, as it was rumored to be the oldest building in the school and also the building of the teacher's departments, so the terrace was rarely cleaned and was extremely dirty. However, the reality before his eyes was completely opposite.
Although the terrace area is not too large, it is very airy and clean, with the balustrade decorated with tiny chandeliers like fireflies shining in the night sky.
Right in the middle of the terrace is a small stage set up temporarily with a chair, a guitar all attached with tiny flashing lights.
Gun still clung to Tinn's arm, fearing that once he stepped foot in this place, this beautiful illusion would vanish like a sponge.
"This... this is..." Gun choked on his words, there were many questions in his heart, and there were also many answers mixed with his broken emotions.
Tinn bowed faintly and reached out his hand in front of him in a professional greeting.
"Your special gift"
Gun felt his legs just fly off the ground and fell into the other 's chest. A cool breeze slowly crept into each corner of his shirt, chilling to the point of shivering. But he knew that his heart was burning like a small fire in his throbbing chest.
"T-Tinn" Gun felt his throat split in half, each sound was like falling into an empty oasis, unable to come out with words.
"I know, I know." Tinn knew that he was so emotional, so he slowly patted his back. "I'm right here."
Tinn hugged him to the railing, shifting gingerly to embrace him from behind. Tinn's two hands cling to the railing as solid as a forbidden cage, helping Gun leisurely relax his entire body, zooming out into the distance.
From this distance, they could see the entire scene below the schoolyard, where groups of students stood together and discussed extremely loudly. In the far distance are the street lights, crowded shops surrounding their school.
Gun restfully stood on tiptoe and reached out his hand to touch the stars. Layers of gusts of wind blew against his hand, brushing Gun's silky hair that fluttered back. He imagined that his hand had just touched the fluffy clouds that melted like butter. Lurking among those floating clouds were the tiny dots of dazzling stars.
Gun always treasures these little friends. Because his mother had trained him since childhood to have the habit of going to bed early, he rarely had the opportunity to silently admire the sky filled with the stars like this. His house was hidden by other tall buildings, so it was only when he returned to the countryside with his father when he was a child that he could enjoy lying in the fields watching the stars until the moon set on the horizon.
But that was really, really a long time ago.
The railing of the terrace is very low, only reaching their hips. The so-called railing is just a large barbed wire fence that is tightly wound together. When Gun leaned forward, his whole body seemed to rush out into the night wind. Tinn leniently wrapped his arms around his waist.
Gun was half a head shorter than Tinn, so when Gun leaned forward, he could completely obscure the person behind. His soft, silky hair was clemently pushed back by the wind, scratching Tinn's forehead as if he were whispering.
The two watched silently as their city changed at night. The so-called city, is a corner of the place where they were born and raised, the place where they spend their youth and find their youth here. Because this place has their family, friends, and lovers, that's why they consider it their city.
This city isn't lonely anymore.
The pulpally melodious song mumbled in Gun's head. This city has always had Tinn, but thanks to Tinn entering his heart, he feels that this city is no longer lonely.
Tinn rested his chin on his shoulder, humming aimlessly every line of the "City" song.
Gun's heart seemed to be watered with a sap of life. He dared not move, afraid that this moment would disappear in an instant. He closed his eyes slightly and hummed to Tinn's soft, clear voice.
The wind had partly blown away Gun's foolishness, when he dimly realized that the answer on that secret letter was originally a catchphrase that Tinn used to tease him before. Moreover, the quizzes of the Secret Letter Night are all about intellectual puzzles and decoding, not cheesy love words like this. Perhaps, it was a secret letter for him alone.
"You did that secret letter right?" Gun turned so they could face each other and tapped Tinn's shoulder questioningly with the tip of his index finger.
"I told you, you're smart."
Tinn smiled and caught his naughty finger and placed a gentle touch with his lips. Gun did not dare call it a kiss, because the interaction was so quick that he could not even feel the touch.
"And about the guitar here?" Gun awkwardly changed the subject by looking at the glittering guitar behind Tinn. If he remembers correctly, this is another guitar from Tinn's father.
"I know that you don't have a chance to perform at the music club today." Tinn sincerely explained, in his heart he thanked his beloved father a hundred times for trusting him to deliver this guitar to his "So could master Gun sing me a song?"
Tinn knew that for some reason, Gun was always thinking about the time he missed the chance to see him perform at Mrs Gim's bar. This afternoon, Tinn could have invited Gun to perform in the student council room, but he did not. He wanted to give Gun something special and unique, in his own way and with the enthusiastic guidance of Mr.Tiw mentor of course.
Tinn watched over and over again the video of Gun singing the song "City" many times, just to learn to sing along with each note. When he was a child, Tinn used to go on stage to perform, but because he forgot the lyrics, he could only cry. He has also learned to play the guitar in his apartment, but so far he has not mastered it. He has thought about it. That he will try to write a song for Gun in the future, or even ask his dad to write it for him. He will learn to play the guitar, learn to sing that song to Gun, for only Gun. He even thought about making a customized music box for that song and giving it to Gun.
All are waiting for them in a future full of miracles.
Gun chuckled and continued to pretend to be serious.
"What about Noong Lion?"
"You know it?" Tinn's eyes widened in surprise, how could Gun find out when Tinn tried to use the cutest and most innocent texting possible, "I'm afraid that if the music club doesn't sell out all of merchandise, I can't see you tonight."
Gun silently looked at the person in front of him, trying to memorize every line of his face, imprinting this figure clearly in his memory. He had no way of knowing how long this reality would last. If it was all just a dream, even if he and Tinn were once in love in his memory was fake. Possibly, but he did not want to think about it. He just wanted to capture this moment for a long time, when Tinn's heart was pounding right next to his chest as proof that this love exists.
Maybe that's enough.
"Do you still have another question?" Tinn looked deeply into those eyes that contained countless stars in the sky, so many that the stars were fused together into a silvery galactic stream of sparkling water at the corner of Gun's eyes.
"Yes."
Gun nodded hesitantly.
"Tinn"
Gun slid his arms around Tinn's head and called out softly.
"I'm right here."
"Thank you" Gun whispered, "For everything."
Tinn gently grabbed both of his hands that were sitting next to his ears and shook his head.
"Don't thank me too soon." He removed his hand and placed it on his side. "I still have something to give you."
Tinn pulled from his pocket a small pack of white letters tied with ribbons and bows in a neat bundle.
"What..."
If these were all the secret letters that Tinn had him decipher, he would jump down from there.
"These are replies to your letters."
This answer made Gun's heart freeze.
"Sorry for the late reply, Gun."
Gun had never read any of the love letters he wrote to Tinn in this reality. Even the only letter he accidentally discovered had not been read. He dared not read another Gun's fluttering sobs for Tinn. He is afraid of many things. He did not know how many letters he wrote, and what he wrote.
This is like a thief.
A thief who came to this world to steal Tinn, receiving Tinn's replies to Gun, in the mood of a resounding but humiliating victor.
He felt Tinn's fingers mildly slide under his eyes, wiping away the cold tears.
"You can cry, but just a little bit." Tinn's hand could not keep up with the tears that streamed down his cheeks, as if the more he spoke, the louder he cried.
Tinn hugged him tightly, instead of all the words he wanted to say. He cupped that sobbing face, and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on the dither forehead.
"I'd like to reserve you first, my sunshine."
The kiss was like a dragonfly wing touching the clear lake water, leaving a vibration in the bottom of the lake.