Twenty-One Fish

Yuel came back from school to an empty house as usual. His dad left a note on the dining table to heat up the stew for dinner. That was the only kind of communication that occurred between the father and son, and it was a one-way conversation.

Yuel couldn't remember the last time he talked to his dad first, let alone contact him on his phone. He wasn't even sure if he had his dad's number saved. The last message was probably from his dad asking what time he needed to come pick him up on the day Yuel was going to move in with him. Even then, Yuel never replied because his dad just called him to ask again before he got the chance. That was already two months ago.

Yuel picked up the note and tossed it in the kitchen trash can. That was the closest thing to a reply he could offer. Whether he actually followed what the note said depended on his mood that day. Today, he was feeling convenience store ramen instead.

Yuel changed out of his school uniform and went to buy his dinner. On the elevator ride down, the briefest thought occurred to him: What if he ran into Edin once the door opened? They did live in the same building. Such an encounter was bound to happen at least once...

But not today.

Yuel was greeted by no one when the elevator door opened on the first floor. Even though it was the most likely outcome, he was a little disappointed. He didn't even try to deny it anymore as he went on his way to the convenience store.

Something had changed within him ever since the day he went over to Edin's house—ever since he realized that for the first time, he wanted to kiss someone who wasn't Kyungwon. He never thought it would be possible, but now it felt like the most possible thing in the world. He just might be able to bring himself to do it, too. And he was sure the boy would let him, which was something that could never happen with Kyungwon...

"Thank you, come again!"

Yuel stepped out of the convenience store with a bag containing just his favorite spicy cup ramen. He wasn't feeling anything else tonight, probably because he wasn't very hungry. Edin had packed four huge rolls of kimbap for their lunch that day. Yuel was usually full after just one, but he somehow managed to have both of his and half of Edin's as well. He considered himself a small eater, but perhaps the generous portions of lunch Edin made him eat every day had increased the size of his stomach.

Just when Yuel caught himself thinking about Edin again, he heard a familiar voice behind him.

"Yuel!"

He ignored the call at first, assuming it was only his imagination. Maybe his disappointment from earlier was making him hear things. But when the call came a second time, he had to turn around and check.

"...Edin?"

It really was him, the boy who had been on Yuel's mind just seconds prior.

"Hey," Edin said, rushing over to him.

"Uh, hey."

Yuel noticed Edin wasn't alone. Shortly catching up to the two boys was someone Yuel remembered seeing in Edin's family's portrait.

"Hi," the girl said. "I'm Edin's older sister, Ehyun."

"Hello. My name is Ye Yuel. I'm..." Yuel paused, unsure of what exactly he should introduce himself as. Edin's classmate? His friend?

But there was no need to think about it because Edin swooped in, "This is the crush I told you about."

"What?" Yuel blurted out. "Wait, you told her?"

Ehyun saw how flustered Yuel got and chuckled. To further make him blush, she said, "He's pretty. I get why you fell for him."

"Right?" Edin replied.

Yuel couldn't understand how these siblings were talking so casually about this. Then, was Edin's sister okay with her brother liking another boy? Was it that easy to accept? Had Yuel just been overthinking it all this time? He had so many questions, but they all became meaningless upon seeing Ehyun's kind smile.

"Hey, I know my brother's kind of a weirdo, but he's actually pretty sweet. I've been seeing him get up early every day to make lunch for you. He's never been this devoted to anyone in his life. So, if it's okay with you, give him a chance."

Yuel just stared at Ehyun for a moment. The girl's face showed absolutely no signs of judgement. She genuinely seemed to just want the two of them to be happy together. That was when Yuel realized it was like that for everyone around Edin. Hamin and Euiheon thought nothing of how affectionate their friend was to him from day one. Even the boy's cat immediately accepted him. Considering that, Yuel found the smallest bit of courage to try being unapologetically himself for a change.

To that, he honestly replied, "Sure."

"Great, I believe that's my cue to give the to-be couple some alone time." Ehyun waved the plastic bag hanging on her wrist that bore the label of a nearby animal hospital. "I'll go on ahead and give Hyunsoo her dinner. Hope to see you again, Yuel."

"G-Goodbye," Yuel stuttered, sending a quick bow to the happily departing older sister. Once she was gone, he remarked, "Your sister seems cool."

Edin shrugged. "She's alright."

"You two must be pretty close though, if you're even able to tell her about your crush."

"When you put it like that, yeah, I guess we're on the closer side among siblings. Are you close with your sister?"

At the mention of Sori, Yuel thought about his family and how different they were from Edin's. For one, Yuel could never imagine himself telling anyone in his family about something so personal as his crush, not even his little sister who probably loved him the most. He saw how lucky Edin was to have all these supportive family and friends in his life. It was a stark contrast from his own...

"No, we're not that close," Yuel replied. "I mean, we don't even live together..."

"Oh."

Edin recalled Yuel mentioning that his parents were divorced and that his mother had remarried. Seeing the dark expression on Yuel's face, Edin thought he shouldn't continue this conversation.

With not much to say, the two boys walked quietly back to their apartment building. While waiting for the elevator, Yuel snapped out of his brief moment of despair. Even if he didn't have an accepting family, he now had Edin, the person who was willing to accept him the most. That reminded him of something the boy once told him.

"I want to be completely honest. You deserve that."

To be unapologetically himself for a change...

Yuel looked at Edin.

Edin looked back at him and grinned. "What?"

"Do you want to have dinner with me?"

DING!

The elevator arrived. When the door opened, Yuel got inside, while Edin stood still in shock.

Holding the door open for him, Yuel said, "Aren't you getting in?"

"Oh, yes! And yes, I want to have dinner with you!"

Edin rushed into the elevator and eagerly pressed the button for Yuel's floor like he had been waiting his whole life for it. Yuel could swear he heard the boy's heart pounding. Or was it his own? Either way, there was no backing out now as the elevator arrived on the eleventh floor.

"Um, come on in. My dad's always home late, so no need to say hello."

As they entered the apartment, Yuel finally realized the flaw in his plan. He had only bought one ramen. He placed it in one of the kitchen cabinets to save it for another day. It seemed he would be following his dad's note tonight after all.

"I'll heat up the stew and set the table. One sec."

"Anything I can help with?" Edin offered.

"No, just sit there."

Yuel pointed at the dining table. It was meant for four people, but rarely ever sat one.

As Yuel kept busy in the kitchen, Edin took a look around the house. It was simple and clean, perhaps a little too clean to the point of making a person wonder if anyone even lived here. He noticed the lack of any family pictures around. Perhaps it was common for divorced families. That thought made Edin sad, knowing how much love there was in his own family just from the fact that his parents loved each other dearly. Since Yuel didn't have that, Edin felt more motivated than ever to like him with all his heart.

Edin smiled as he watched Yuel's back shuffling around in the kitchen to fry some eggs since there weren't any other side dishes left in the fridge. Being alone together like this kind of felt like the two of them were a married couple. But Edin kept this happy thought to himself, not wanting to pressure Yuel when they weren't even dating yet. They could always discuss marriage at a later time.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

Edin saw Yuel's phone vibrating on the table. Yuel didn't seem to hear it over the sizzling of the eggs, so Edin checked who was calling, thinking it could be his father.

[Kyungwon Hyung]

"Hey, Yuel. Who's 'Kyungwon Hyung'? He's calling you."

"What?"

Yuel quickly turned around and snatched the phone off the table. His face was flushed, never in a million years expecting that name to come out of Edin's mouth.

"N-No one. He's no one," he muttered before quickly declining the call.