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Chapter 1

Minjae walks through the school with his chin held high. He occasionally smiles at the girls who fawn at him though he couldn’t care less about girls. He can act like he cares but he knows he doesn’t.

“Minjae-ya!”

Minjae can recognize that voice anywhere. He wipes the smile off his face and turns around swiftly. His best friend, Lee Seojun, is already jogging up to him with that carefree smile of his. Seojun throws an arm around Minjae’s broad shoulders, shouting nonsense.

“Hey, get off of me!”

Minjae groans as he attempts to pull away from Seojun’s hard grip. Seojun laughs at Minjae’s annoyed state, pulling his arm away. Minjae silently hoped that Seojun would refuse and keep his arm wrapped around his neck.

“Fine, fine. I’ll stop.”

Seojun gives Minjae a playful wink— the type of wink that the idols Seojun watches do. That makes Minjae roll his eyes.

“You’re so immature.” Minjae says as they enter their homeroom classroom. “We’re graduating next year and you still watch those K-pop performances.”

Seojun sighs with a shake of his head. The two boys sit in their seats where Seojun sits behind Minjae near the windows.

“You are just boring.” Seojun retorts. He stubbornly crosses his arms across his chest.

Minjae gets that a lot from Seojun. He would never say it aloud but it does bother him sometimes.

“Minjae-ya! Jae-ya!”

Minjae sighs when he hears that calling. He turns his head, putting on that polite smile. It’s Seo Jiwon, the girl who is obsessed with Minjae and has been since elementary school. Jiwon bats her eyelashes, her hands behind her back as if she’s hiding something.

“Hm?”

Minjae tries to hide the irritation in his voice. Jiwon sighs dramatically, slowly revealing what’s behind her back. It’s a heart-shaped box decorated in shiny glitter and loud stickers. Minjae’s eyebrows raise slightly— he didn’t expect that.

“This is for you, my prince! A piece of my heart!”

Jiwon closes her eyes tight as she holds out the box to Minjae. He looks down at the bright pink box, letting out a quiet sigh. All the while Seojun is grinning ear to ear.

“I.. I can’t accept this.”

Minjae leans back with a grimace. He does feel bad when he rejects someone but at the same time he doesn’t.

Jiwon opens her eyes, frowning. “No, I insist!” Jiwon whines, holding out the box further.

Minjae reluctantly takes the box from her hands. “Okay, then. Uhm..”

Before he can finish his sentence, Jiwon runs off. He’s left confused and annoyed.

Seojun taps Minjae’s shoulder with a giggle. Minjae sighs, preparing himself for the humiliation. He turns around, giving Seojun a glare.

“Minjae-ya! This is for you~!” Seojun exclaims, imitating Jiwon’s squeaky voice. “A piece of my heart!”

Minjae chuckles softly, shaking his head. “You got it spot on.”

Seojun laughs, leaning back in his seat. Minjae turns away also, facing forward.

Minjae suddenly feels a random wave of emotion in his body— something he can’t name. It’s not happiness. It’s not sadness. It’s.. Minjae isn’t sure.

His thoughts are cut off when their homeroom advisor (who is also the math teacher) enters the classroom.

After school, Seojun and Minjae go home together like they always do. Also like they always do, they decide to go to a karaoke room.

Seojun sings the lyrics to his favorite song “Fancy” by TWICE.

Minjae watches from the seats, laughing at how loud Seojun is singing and how horrible he’s dancing.

As Seojun is singing his heart out, Minjae feels that feeling again. He isn’t sure what it is and he isn’t sure if he wants to find out.

“Cha Minjae! Come on and sing!”

Seojun shouts into the mic during the post-chorus. Minjae shakes his head, picking up his own mic.

“No thanks! I don’t know this song!”

He shouts back. He can’t help but let out a little giggle. Seojun lets out a huff of laughter at Minjae’s giggle.

“Suit yourself— 거기 너, I FANCY YOU!” Seojun sings his heart out which makes Minjae laugh to the point of tears.

Minjae takes out his phone, holding it up to the perfect angle to capture this hilarious moment. But before he can press record, he gets a strong shock of that feeling. He wishes hard that he can name this emotion but he can’t. It’s something weird— something not normal.

Minjae shakes his head, shaking away those thoughts as well. He clicks the record button, watching with a smile that doesn’t quite reach his eyes as Seojun shakes his hips to the song.