It had been two weeks since you had officially met Eom Seonghyeon at that atrocious cram school.

Stares and murmurs followed you everywhere you went, all from private school kids who sneered at you. You weren’t someone who was particularly intimidated by them, but having to deal with whispers and conversations, all about how your school was ‘second-rate’ was bothersome.

Eom Seonghyeon wasn’t particularly loud about his hatred towards you.

Well, it was more like he treated you like some ugly pet.

He would mostly ignore you, but every time he had to face you, he would click his tongue and give you a dirty look.

With every interaction you had with him, this air of derogatory confidence seemed to spew out of him with every glance he spared you.

It was like he truly believed that he was better than you.

But for some reason, instead of talking behind your back or even just blatantly bullying you, he would come up to you and actually say that drivel to your face.

You weren’t sure if you appreciated it or absolutely abhorred it.

The only thing you were sure of was the fact that he was a rich spoiled kid who very clearly didn’t like you.

He’s also very dedicated to his studies–a quality that had surprised you a little too much. When he wasn’t sending you a harsh glare or laughing at you, he was always sitting at his desk and focusing on whatever task the instructor gave out.

Because the cram school was so prestigious, it made sense for the school to hand out rankings.

Much to Wonhee’s dismay.

37. Lee Wonhee, Baekje Middle School.

She stared at it in shock before almost passing out, her body rocking back and forth until she fell right into you. You caught her, watching as her face didn’t even go into one of sadness or anger, just pure shock.

You look up and scan quickly for Seonghyeon’s name, finding it almost right at the top.

Almost.

2. Eom Seonghyeon, Hwimun Academy.

Your name resides next to the number one, just above his. You grin, now knowing that all his efforts were put to shame because an ‘idiot’ beat him.

Was it bad to think you were better than him? Yes, but it definitely wasn’t as bad as his attitude.

The girls around you look at Wonhee, their stares being either one of fake pity or pure amusement at her frustration. A few even laugh, pointing right at her ranking.

“Bro my parents are actually going to beat my ass.” She said after you both safely returned to the back seats.

“If I’m last in cram school, what the hell am I going to do at our actual school?” She says, her voice muffled as she pressed her face against the desk.

She turns to the side, looking at you as you had cracked open a book amidst her complaining.

“You’re lucky you don’t have to study. Why did your parents even send you here? You get first place in like, every subject.” She whined.

You pat her shoulder to comfort her.

“But on the bright side, you got 78 out of 100! In the actual mock exam you got like 53.” You said. “The people here are just smart freaks.”

She whines, running her hands through her hair. “That’s true… you got first place didn’t you?”

You nod, now noting how a few other kids at the front started eyeing you (more like your uniform) as they looked up at the scoreboard.

You have the slight urge to stick your tongue out and make fun of them for losing against a ‘second rate’ student, but decide against it as you spot him moving to the front.

People move out of their way just to make space for him, like he’s a celebrity or something, and even shush others as soon as he and his friends reach the board.

You want to scoff at how obedient they all seem, like sheep to a farmer.

He stands at the front of his group, staying quiet while his friends either yelled in disappointment or disbelief.

“Baekje middle school? The school right next to ours?” A tall boy with blonde hair exclaims, making Wonhee immediately perk up.

A few of his other friends say a few things before walking back.

“How the hell is first place and last place from the same school?”

At that, Wonhee sinks back in her seat in shame, making herself appear smaller.

Before his friends sat down, you felt an intense gaze from across the room, the hairs on the back of your neck suddenly standing up. You looked up in that direction immediately, only to find Seonghyeon staring right at you.

He doesn’t make a single facial expression, just his eyes glaring holes right into you.

You feel his eyes on you for the rest of the lesson. You don't feel particularly nervous under his gaze, but it does feel annoying when you can’t even look to the right without immediately spotting his dark brown eyes already on you.

At the end of the class, Wonhee leaves first as her parents needed more help at her family’s restaurant, leaving you to walk home all alone.

“I’m home!” You say, calling out to no one in particular.

You assumed that your mother was probably working late, seeing as how her familiar booming voice wasn’t heard anywhere.

But five minutes later, as soon as you had gotten dressed into some comfortable clothes, you hear the front door open.

Your name gets called out loud, making you almost want to cover your ears as you open your door.

You look down the stairs, leaning over the railing as you spot your mother standing just at the bottom.

“We have some new neighbours.” 

“So?”

“So, I want you to help me bake a pie for them!” She urges, using her hand gestures to hurry you up.

You shoved your hands into your hoodie pockets and walked down the stairs, not really hurrying in the way she wanted you to.

She had already disappeared into the kitchen and was probably rummaging through the whole pantry for ingredients.

You can’t remember the last time you had baked something for the neighbours–maybe about seven years ago?

They were a married couple that always used to give you treats every time you came over, and sometimes their oldest daughter would come around to hang out with you. Although she had moved out two years ago, you still look back on those fond memories spent doing nothing but watching TV while she yapped about her new boyfriends and painted her nails.

Their house was very grand too, having a massive pool and a jacuzzi on their second floor.

The couple ended up moving back to their hometown, so you were wondering who could’ve moved in now.

You spotted their moving vans and fancy gear about a week ago, but your family hadn’t been able to introduce themselves yet.

To your disappointment, your mother had decided to bake a fresh apple pie, something that she hadn’t baked in months even when you pleaded for her to.

You had recognised the ingredients for it immediately, making you stand there in disbelief as she chopped up the delicious apples.

You could basically feel the apples crying out as she cut into them, their screams of terror echoing throughout the kitchen.

“They get to have the apple pie because at least I know they’ll cherish it, unlike you, who chows down on anything apple related without savouring it.” She had said, shortly after pulling the pie out of the oven.

It smelled really good, making you almost drool the minute she set it down on the table.

“Just one slice?”

“They’re going to notice a slice missing.”

“Not if we cut the whole thing into slices, and then arranged it into a smaller circle so it wouldn't look like there was a missing slice in the first place.”

“…how did you come up with that?”

You shrug. “So…can we do that?”

That earned you a smack to the shoulder immediately.

After carefully putting the pie onto a fancy porcelain dish, your mother promptly tried to send you out.

“Why do I have to be the one to do it? Wouldn’t it be better if it came from you?”

She shook her head, cleaning up the counter while you sat at the dinner table.

“Think of it as practice for you–I know you’re not very good at interacting with people, but it’s better to make friends with the neighbours now rather than hate them all later. Plus, I heard from Nari across from us that they have a very handsome son.”

You scrunch your nose in disgust, already knowing where the conversation was going. Your parents already knew about your blatant aversion of dating, something you had been doing the minute you hit puberty.

It wasn’t that you hated guys, it was just that you’d rather not go through the efforts of trying to date someone. You were fine with daydreaming of apples and comic characters.

At least they wouldn’t try to cheat on you.

You shivered, suddenly remembering the horror stories that your neighbour once told you.

“I think he’s single too.” She says, turning around to see your reaction.

You had just pressed your lips into a thin line before snatching the pie off the table and walking to the front door.

“Good luck!”

You waved her off, closing the door gently behind you.

The night air is as cold as you expected, making you grateful for the baggy sweats you had thrown on.

You shield the pie against the breeze, feeling the warmth of it through the ceramic.

As you walk up to their front door, shivers suddenly send up your spine. 

For some reason, the house that you once almost spent a whole summer in suddenly felt much colder. You didn’t want to assume anything, but the warmth that the previous family once had was completely gone, despite them only moving out two weeks ago.

Instead of the overgrown vines and fancy bushes, the house was devoid of any plants, looking more like those modern houses that everyone hated.

It was like they had completely removed the whimsy of the old house, the original warm brown replaced by a cold white paint. The stained glass on the door was also gone, completely replaced by a clear minimal one.

You clear your throat before ringing the doorbell, feeling nervous as the seconds ticked by.

You could feel the dish getting colder and colder by the second, the impatience in you cracking.

You counted for a full minute, then two, then three.

As soon as you reached minute six, you rang the doorbell twice, hoping that someone would finally open the door up so that your mother’s hard work wasn’t for nothing.

Soon enough, you heard light footsteps thump on the other side.

The door handle then starts to twist and turn, making a few loud sounds before it finally opens.

You freeze in your spot immediately, making eye contact with the one person you thought it would never be.

Eom Seonghyeon stands in the doorway, wide-eyed and seemingly also having the same thoughts as you.

You both don’t say anything for a while, just staring as the previous coldness seemed to disappear.

Then, you shove the dish into his hands and pull the door closed, ripping the handle from the other side out of his hands slamming it right in his face.

You run out of the front garden, hurrying back home embarrassed and annoyed.

He was your neighbour.

He lived right next to you, meaning that you’d have to see him every morning and after noon. 

He can keep the dish for all I care!

As soon as you open the front door, your mother yells out from the living room.

“How was it?”

“Fine!” You say, a little too brash.

You run up the stairs and run into your room, closing the door behind you lightly so that your other wouldn’t suspect anything.

You jump into your bed and scream into your pillow.

Wasn’t it enough that you had to see him at cram school?

When you wake up, a sudden anxiousness overcomes you as you look out the window.

There was a room in their house that faced yours, and it was close enough that you could probably jump in from. You had done it a couple of times, as it was the girl’s room.

Sometimes when she’d sneak out the house, she’d come through your window and talk to you for a few minutes before going off to a party or her boyfriend’s house.

You sigh, wondering how she was doing at University now.

The family living there had replaced the old pink with white and grey ones, making you almost annoyed.

Why ruin an already perfect house?

You assumed that no one was probably living in that room, so as you opened the window to let some fresh air in, imagine your surprise when that window opened as well, revealing a half-asleep Seonghyeon.

His hair was messed up, a few pieces sticking up as the back. He looked disheveled and unkempt, much different than he usually did at cram school. He rubbed his eyes as a small breeze blew past.

The minute you made eye contact, you both shut your windows in unison, the sound echoing slightly in the small space between you.

It was like every time you thought you were done with him, he suddenly popped back in like some annoying pimple.

After getting dressed you waited near the living room window, waiting for him to walk out.

You didn’t like having to avoid people, but it was clear that you would both rather not have to interact with each other again.

After a few minutes, you spotted his front door opening.

You waited for a few seconds, your breathing uneven and heart beating faster for no reason. Finally, you spotted him walking out.

He looks as polished and clean as he always does, his hair slightly parted to reveal his forehead.

You wait for another few minutes until he is completely gone before finally walking out.

The amount of interactions you already had with him in the past 24 hours was more than enough to have you sick of each other.

Slamming the door in his face was the first sign of that.

You wait for Wonhee at a convenience store, snacking on some breadsticks. She arrives shortly after, looking very pleased and excited.

“My dad hired another guy to work, so we’ll get to hang out more!”

During your walk to school together, you told her about how you slammed Seonghyeon’s own door in his face, how his room was basically right next to yours, and how you absolutely despised the situation.

“It’s…not that bad.”

You look at her with a deadpanned expression.

“Okay, maybe it is. But, just wait for a few more days and maybe it’ll get better.”

You walked into the school gates, spying the Hwimun guys close by. They all seemed to be minding their business, but every now and then you could see the way they looked down on all of the people from your school. They would laugh and point at any of the kids who looked poor–old sneakers, blazers or shirts two sizes too big.

“They’re so annoying…” you mumbled, Wonhee nodding beside you.

“I’m sure it’s like a thing with rich parents to raise their kids like they’re better than everyone else because they have money.”

Your morning classes were the same as always–Wonhee was either in your ear, feeding you the latest gossip or eating some random snack she got off of one of her other friends.

The trouble came during lunch–mostly everyone was in the cafeteria, eating the lunches they brought from home.

Then, a football smashed through the windows.

It was loud; its impact echoing through the whole place.

Everyone’s conversation had completely disappeared, now replaced by a worried silence.

You had looked up briefly, finding the ball rolling close to your feet.

It made its dramatic stop two feet away from you, the quiet tension between everyone thinner than skin.

Slapped right on top of the ball was a yellow sticky note.

‘Welfare freaks’.

The insult was pretty tame, but a majority of the kids here lived off of it.

It caused a ruckus immediately.

Kids were running from right to left, just to see what was written on the note. The ones that had seen it were mad, all already planning to storm the boys school.

The school couldn’t afford to replace the windows, meaning that it would have to come out of your principal’s own money. While no one appreciated having to come to school, the principal was one of the nicest people there. 

Of course he was strict, but he had to be. 

He was happily married to his husband, and rarely needed to scold the delinquents because they just all loved him.

But he wasn’t rich.

And everyone already knew how much of a pain it was to replace a window.

The teachers had rushed in immediately, forcing everyone to back away from the broken glass. Yells and shouts were now everywhere, a few people trying to run in and grab the ball.

You and Wonhee had finished lunch quickly, not wanting to get caught up in the chaos.

She was enraged at the fact that the private school kids still wanted nothing but to make fun of them.

“That fight already ruined our reputation–why the hell are they still bothering us?”

You shook your head, thinking of the situation.

It wasn’t enough for them.

It was like they enjoyed seeing you all squirm and scream.

To say you were just annoyed was an understatement.

After school and dealing with two whole hours of trying to ignore Eom Seonghyeon’s presence, you peacefully walk inside your house, fully prepared to jump into your bed and take a short nap.

Your parents weren’t home, again probably working late, leaving you in the house all alone.

You had finished your chores and had showered, now in a thin tank top and baggy sweats.

Just as you were about to walk up to your room, the doorbell suddenly rings.

You had audibly groaned, but walked back down and opened the door without looking at who it was.

It’s not until you’re staring at the pie dish from last night, completely empty that you realise who is holding it.

Seonghyeon holds it out, an empty expression on his face. He wears a sweater with the word ‘Rats’ on it and casual black pants.

For some reason, that fact stuns you for a moment.

“My mum says thanks.” He simply says, shoving the dish into your hands before turning away, leaving you still at the door.

He walks straight back to his front yard, not even sparing a single glance back at you.

You hold the dish out, noting that it smelled faintly of a lavender dish soap.

At least they were nice enough to clean it.

Then you think about everything that happened during lunch and immediately retract that statement.

They probably had a maid that cleaned it anyway.

He holds the key in his hand, his eyes scanning you.

He had recognised you immediately–you went to the same school as his sister, and he had always thought you were beautiful (he might’ve had a small crush on you as well) but had never actually pursued anything with you as he was always too focused on his music.

Maybe he could try now–he mentally slaps himself, the thought immediately disappearing.

Who was he kidding? He was still way too busy now, and he probably wouldn’t have enough time to actively date someone.

You sit in one of his old sleeping shirts, scrolling through something on your phone. Beside you is an açai bowl, sprinkled with banana slices and strawberries.

His favourite combo.

You give him an awkward smile before going back to scrolling.

Before he can ask questions, his sister walks over, drying her hair before looking up, her eyes widening at the sight of him.

“Oh, you’re home.”

He nods, closing the door behind him and taking off his shoes. He knows that he and his sister aren’t the closest, but seeing as how rarely he got to her, he realised in the months and days apart how much he actually missed her.

Although he would never say that.

She gives him a quick side hug, making him smell the faint traces of the body wash they always used clinging to her arms. She walks over to you, grabbing a spoon and taking a bite of the açai.

“Mum and Dad are out right now, I’ll text them you got home early.”

His sister walks over to her room, leaving you and him in the same space together.

He stands there, his heavy bag hanging low behind him. He turns to you, watching as you hop off the counter.

“It’s been a while.” He says, seeing how much prettier you had gotten.

“Yeah, nice to see you again though.” You slightly bowed, a small piece of hair falling from behind your ear. You take the bowl and walk over to the dinner table.

“You too.” He rubs the back of his neck, walking behind you.

You sit down in the chair he always used to sit in, the one he always used to fight over with his sister.

He turns, walking into his old room.

The rain outside hasn’t eased up, still the same harsh drops now slapping against his window.

He places his bag down, plopping down onto his old bed. He realises his mother must have been cleaning, the room completely devoid of any dust. He had visited just months ago, but it still felt weird every time he came back.

He plops down on his old bed, looking at his desk. His old PC setup is untouched, the cords now hanging loosely off the table.

He falls back against his sheets, closing his eyes out of exhaustion.

“How’s it like being an idol now?”

He sits up immediately, seeing you stand in his doorway. He should’ve closed the door, he thinks.

“Pretty good.”

He realises that he can’t really catch a break anymore, especially with you still in his house.

His sister has probably texted their parents already, so why are you still talking to him?

You casually take a bite out of the acai bowl, something that Seonghyeon had kind of been eyeing the minute he saw you with it. “How is it? Being an idol I mean. I know you worked really hard too, so it has to feel amazing now.”

He nods at that. “Uh, it’s nice. I get to meet a lot of people that I didn’t think I’d get to.”

You hummed at that. “But it has to be hard at times, right?” You walk into the room, getting closer to him. 

“I guess.” He shrugged, his cheeks feeling a little bit warm as his childhood crush walked closer to him.

“What’s the hardest part about it?” You eyed a few things in his room–the drawings and clothes at the end of his bed.

He thinks for a moment before coming up with a quick answer that wouldn’t get him in trouble.

“Probably the training.”

“Really? Not the fans who constantly pry and claw their way into your personal life?”

Your response almost shocks him for a moment, making him awkwardly rub the back of his neck.

“Not all of them are like that..” He tries to defend, but he knows there are clips of him online revealing way more than he would like to admit.

You nod at that. “So how do you date?”

That question makes him snap his head up immediately, making him look at you standing around so casually.

“W-what?”

“How do you date?” You echo. “Surely it has to be hard.”

You take a few more steps forward, but apparently you hadn’t paid enough attention as something makes you trip over, resulting in you suddenly falling forward.

If anyone asked, Seonghyeon would swear that he caught you.

Although that would be a lie, seeing how his attempt to make you fall safely leads you to lie right on top of him.

Pain shoots up his back for a quick second, making him groan. 

He was about to ask if you were okay but the words die on his tongue the moment he looks at you. Your face was just inches from his, and smelling his old shampoo on you made him feel a little dizzy.

You had probably tripped over his bag strap, making him curse himself five minutes ago for recklessly dropping it to the ground.

You were chest to chest, and his arms had somehow found their place on the small of your backside.

You didn’t look embarrassed or shocked to be right on top of him, you just looked a little surprised, like the way people did when someone they didn’t know said hi to them. 

Not when they had just fallen into a celebrity.

He feels a heat crawl fast, right up his neck and probably already on his cheeks. He couldn’t get a single word out, his breaths quickening and uneven as you looked around you, your eyes cast around the ground.

“Oh, good.”

What- he looks at what you were looking at, only to find the half eaten açai bowl landed upright, right under his desk.

Instead of getting off of him like a normal person would, you instead sit up, still on him and grab the acai bowl.

Seonghyeon almost dies inside as his shirt on you starts falling to the side, a quick reveal of your shoulder making him almost explode in embarrassment. His hands are now on your waist from your movements, and for some reason you don’t seem to mind one bit.

Get a grip! You’re an idol for fucks sake.

He should be more professional than this but the 17 year olds body clearly doesn’t listen to him as heat keeps rushing up his neck.

“Are you okay?”

You ask almost a little too worried, now leaning in much closer than you were just seconds ago.

He opens his mouth to respond, only to shut it once you press the back of your fingers to his forehead.

Seonghyeon is suddenly faced with the realisation that a very pretty girl is sitting in his lap with his hands around her waist, and now checking if he has a fever.

“You’re kind of burning up… are you sure rain didn’t get on you or something?” You then touch his neck, your warm fingers touching his even warmer neck. “I didn’t think people could get sick this quick..”

That’s because I’m not sick!

He clears his throat before speaking. “I’m not sick.”

Just as he was about to stand up and finally get you off of him, a gasp came from his doorway.

“Seonghyeon! What are you doing with my friend?” His sister scolds, now rushing in and pulling you off of him.

He stands up quickly and tries to defend himself. “I wasn’t doing anything! She just fell–“

“Right on top of you like some K-drama scene? That’s so gross!” His sister fake gags before walking off with you.

Although before you left his line of vision, you leaned back into his room, now giving him a cheeky smile.

“I’ll wait for your answer, Eom Seonghyeon.” You say, giving a quick wave of goodbye before walking off.

He sighs, running his hands through his hair.

He thinks that you must’ve tripped over his bag strap, only for him to realise that his bag was nowhere near where you had fallen.

Did she..trip on purpose?

Back in his sister's room, you sit on her bed, wondering if he had figured it out yet. His sister played some random game in front of you as you thought of the situation that transpired just moments ago.

You didn’t expect to fully trip right on top of him, but you didn’t mind it.

Seeing how nervous he looked reminded you of the days before he became an idol, making you remember all the tricks and pranks you used to play on him.

“He’s still so cute..”

“Did you say something?” His sister asks, still not looking up from her phone.

“But mummmm,” you bemoan. “It’s only the electives! They don’t even matter!”

She shakes her head, her knife hitting the chopping board with a light thump. “It doesn’t matter. You shouldn’t be getting less than 95% in art and digital technologies.”

“But–“ you tried to interject, only for your mother to interrupt immediately.

“No buts! I know you think they don’t matter, but excelling at everything in school will get you to every college there is,” she walks to the sink, washing the knife under cold water. “If you really put your mind to it, you’ll get into Tsinghua university, just like your father and I.”

But you dropped out because it was too hard. You bitterly thought, but immediately regretted it and mentally slapped your forehead.

“I know you think it’s unfair, but we just want the best for you.” She puts the knife into the rack before walking over to the freezer and pulling out the best dessert in the entire world–a full tub of mango-apple ice cream.

Every negative thought you had disappeared immediately.

You had enjoyed that delicious dessert after dinner, reaching about halfway until your dad took it away from you.

At school, you thought about skipping the two hour session until Wonhee had told you they did a roll-call at the start and if you weren’t there, they would call your parents.

You showed up right on time, putting your bag on the desk’s hook.

You weren’t really sure what ‘cram school’ was supposed to teach you.

For some reason, your parents had decided to send you to a prestigious one, one where mostly private school students who couldn’t afford a private tutor would go to.

Sure, it was probably a really good school with nice enough teachers, but the only reason why you were scoring lower in those subjects was because you couldn’t give less of a crap about them!

As soon as you entered the room, you felt stares from everyone, suddenly making you notice how out of place you looked there.

All of the kids had fancy uniforms, a few even wearing fancy brands. Whether it be their jewellery or shoes, it was clear there was a gap in wealth between you and them.

Wonhee couldn’t come that day because her parents had forced her to come work at their family restaurant, so you sat all alone at the back while everyone else seemed to have their own little friend groups.

You were pulling out stuff from your bag when you make eye contact with another girl, giving her a small smile. Instead of giving you one back, her expression turns into one of disgust, scoffing and turning around to face her friends.

Tough crowd.

You were about to pull out your pencil case when someone accidentally bumped into your desk, knocking off your newly bought comic.

In a quick flash, you snatched the comic up before it could even touch the ground, making you feel proud of your quick reflexes.

You turn to face the assailant, ready for an apology only to see a boy staring blankly right back at you. 

You almost froze in your spot.

To describe the boy standing in front of you would be like describing a model.

His hair fell perfectly over his face, a small fringe just above his long eyelashes. He was fair, with skin so smooth and shiny you swore you grew a pimple or two staring at it in envy. He looked relaxed and almost uncareful, almost like he didn’t just cause half your books to fall.

“What?” He says roughly, his tone completely snapping you back to reality.

Don’t judge a book by its cover, I guess.

You take a deep breath before responding, reminding yourself to try to be polite. “You’re supposed to say sorry.”

The boy narrowed his eyes, looking over your appearance. Suddenly you felt very conscious of your clothes–your beat up sneaker and dirty skirt that still had an orange juice spill feeling very obvious.

“I don’t say sorry to idiots. Especially ones that go to a public school.” He walks off immediately, leaving you stunned.

His words echo through your brain, leaving you more and more annoyed as he walks over to his seat, laughing with his friends about something.

What. The. Fuck.

Did he seriously call you an idiot to your face?

You don’t realise that you had your fists clenched until you hear the small squeak of the comic against your fingernails.

You panicked for a quick second, seeing the crescent shaped dents on the comics cover.

You looked over at the boy, his face suddenly starting to look uglier and uglier.

Later that night, you recalled that interaction while washing the dishes, feeling angrier and angrier as you thought about it more.

“Stupid asshole… also what the fuck is even that accent of his? ‘Oh I don’t say sorry to idiots because my ego is so inflated!’ Just because you’re pretty doesn’t mean you have to treat people rudely!” You cursed under your breath. Recalling the horrid memory had aggravated you so much that you ended up using much more force on a cup than you intended and accidentally dropping it onto the ground.

It shatters loudly, your parents immediately running in to assess the damage.

You couldn’t do anything but nervously look up at your dad, who was stroking his chin as if he was already thinking of a punishment for you.

You remember the last time you did something like this–he had banned you from going to the comic store for about a month. What was he going to do now?

“Two weeks grounded.”

You accepted it without complaint.

The next day you awoke quite energised.

You walked to school with Wonhee, talking about some new drama. Just as you were about to cross the street, two boys suddenly ran out from the left, almost running right into you.

It had surprised Wonhee, her arms that were previously filled with snacks and drinks had now fallen to the ground.

Their uniforms looked awfully familiar, but you couldn’t quite recall where you had seen them before.

Your friend had cursed them under her breath, clenching her first behind their backs like she was some old lady.

“Reckless jerks! They think they’re so much better than everyone just because they go to a private school.” She said as you both picked up her fallen items.

“I can’t believe their school had to be right next to ours.”

“..Wait, what?”

“Oh, you didn’t know? Even though we’re a public school, there’s a fancy boys private school right next to it.” She says almost casually, kicking at some pebble on the pathway. “It’s called Hwimun academy. Apparently the principals were in love once, so that’s why their school is so close to ours. But because that was so long ago, everything between our school and theirs just turned into a mess.”

As she explained it all to you, you suddenly remembered bits and pieces about the private school during your first few weeks.

“How do you not know this though? You’ve been here for a full year.”

You shrug, letting her continue.

The private school was way bigger than your school, and definitely got ten times more funding than yours.

Despite that, she told you that while their school would beat you at sports, your school would beat them at academics, which was quite surprising.

“The guys there are ruder than anyone else though. They don’t even try to be nice–it’s like if they do, they’ll uncontrollably barf up their guts.” She says, gagging at the thought of any of them.

As you reach the end of an underpass, you both spot a crowd of people hanging around the end of a road.

You both look at each other in curiosity before approaching the end of the crowd, noticing how the people that stopped were only kids from your school.

Both you and Wonhee stand on your tiptoes to see what was stopping them, only to see a whole crowd of Hwimun uniforms on the other side.

Two boys, one from each school standing right in the middle of everyone.

Phones were already pulled out, and a few kids were already looking excited for some reason.

You recognise the one standing in your uniform.

Kang Seomun was the school’s student council president, a smiley guy who was strict about a lot of things, but was always kind enough to give everyone a second chance. So, it was a big surprise to see him right in the middle of the encircled crowd, his expression dark and fists clenched.

“What did you say about our school?” He suddenly asks.

Kang Seomun was also very proud to be the school’s president–you remember that he was always very excited when he talked at the morning assembly’s.

The guy from the other school chuckles, shaking his head.

“I said that you were all poor and dirty pigs. Did you hear that?” He mocks, cocking his head to this side as the guys from his school behind him start snickering.

Before he can say anything else, Seomun rushes in and punches him in the face. He falls to the ground immediately, gasps and shouts falling around the crowd. Everyone starts to back up, but then Seomun grabs him by his shirt, punching him once again. Before he could land another one, the other guy grabs Seomun’s collar and headbutts him, hard.

The boys in front of you started cheering, yelling out ‘ohhs’ and ‘ahhs’ as the two stood up, both holding their arms out like it was a boxing match.

The sounds of their fight silence the entire crowd before kids from the older grades start pulling them apart, shouts and yells echoing through the street.

The street was close to the school, so both you and Wonhee walked off before teachers started running in and talking to everyone who saw it.

Fights like that obviously weren’t common, but everybody knew that if you were even remotely involved in one, the principal would get you in big trouble.

Both of you couldn’t risk your parents getting angry again, so walking away was an easy decision.

“I can’t believe Seomun would be so stupid to fight. I mean, I knew he was always so passionate about our school, but it’s not even eight!” Wonhee sighs, walking into the classroom with you.

She sits just next to you, dumping her snacks all over the table. She hands you a gummy bear packet before tearing into a bag of chips.

“Do you think the teachers have caught them yet?”

She shrugs, shoving a handful of chips into her mouth before loudly crunching on them. “Probably. They were all crowding around it like it was some pop star's show.”

The six hours go by quickly, dread sitting in fast as you both walk to the cram school. The school was surrounded by fun activities, clearly targeting the teens who went there. There were karaoke rooms, arcades, and even a few basketball courts.

Although the real highlight was the small cafe close by, their sign saying they were hiring. You had spotted it yesterday, but didn’t get much of a look as you were in a rush.

You decided you’d apply, and hopefully get the job.

You reach the classroom you were in yesterday, opening the door tiredly.

You take a few steps, only to hear whispers and murmurs around the room.

“They’re from that public school..”

“I can’t believe their school president would attack someone like that.”

“Do you think they’ll beat me up if I talk to them?”

“Idiot! They’re just girls, they’re not going to hurt you.”

You both send each other looks before sitting down, very confused. What the hell could they possibly be talking about?

Did someone post the fight?

“I knew your school was filled with idiots.”

You look up immediately, only to find the boy that insulted you yesterday.

What a surprise that you immediately recognised that dreadful Hwimun uniform, making you remember why it was so familiar that morning.

He looks down at you, hands tucked into his pockets. You had no time to respond to his previous remark, more words already escaping from his mouth. “That president of yours obviously seems to speak for all of you.”

He then turns and walks away, leaving you once again stunned.

What the hell was his problem? You didn’t even do anything! Also, how the hell did he even get in front of you?

You silently curse whatever higher being was up in the clouds, probably grinning and laughing at your situation.

He walks back to his friends, all of them laughing at both you and Wonhee.

Wonhee looks at you then at him, a perplexed look on her face. “Who was that?”

“No you’re not.”

You stand right next to Keonho’s desk, a blanket that Martin had given him now covering his whole body.

“I literally am and you don’t care.” He groans, sniffing as he reaches for another tissue.

You sigh, taking the cold banana milk you were saving for later out of your pocket and pressing it against his forehead. It was sad to look at really–the school’s best swimmer suddenly suffering right in the middle of the season.

“It’s still cold, so just keep this pressed against you.”

He looks up immediately and snatches it out of your hand, pressing the bottle around various places on his face. He looks relieved with each press, even going so far as to roll its coldest surface around his forehead.

“How did you catch a fever in summer anyway?”

He thinks about it for moment, now pressing the milk against the back of his neck.

“I kept forgetting to dry my hair after showering after swimming, so maybe that’s the reason.” He says before blowing his nose very loudly into a new tissue.

You suddenly remember that his coach had berated him all morning for being sick, although the only reason why he probably even showers so late was because of how late the trainings went.

You hum in acknowledgment before patting his head, making a quick effort to rub his hair harshly.

“Just try to survive till the end of the day, ‘kay? If your parents or sister aren’t home, just text me and I’ll help you.”

Before he can say anything, you walk away, leaving him to whatever a sick person could do.

Later that afternoon, he sends you a quick text that was clearly typed with one hand.

Today 3:48 pm

Keo

cme ober plase

evryone s gne

You sigh, already grabbing your hoodie.

By the time you arrived at his place, it was already four.

You had stopped by a convenience store close by, purchasing a few cough drop packets and medicine.

You knock on his door roughly, pressing your ear against it if he says anything.

Soon enough, you hear very light footsteps on the other side. The door opens slowly, creaking loudly as Keonho finally appears.

You walk in immediately, taking off your shoes and closing the door.

He looked even worse than earlier–his hair looked way more messed up, like more than half of his back hairs were standing straight up.

He had a tissue shoved up his nose, and he was still wearing his school uniform, just now very wrinkled.

“Hi.” He awkwardly says.

You shake your head before dragging him over to the couch and forcing him to lay down.

“Have you measured your temperature yet?”

You ask, loosening his tie so that he could breathe better. He didn’t mind it at all, lying down while shaking his head.

“I was too tired to measure it.” He mumbled.

You lightly smack his shoulder before walking over to his room, finding the ear thermometer right on his desk.

As soon as you walk back into the living room with it, Keonho is already on the ground, his feet somehow the only limbs left on the couch. You’re a little surprised that you didn’t hear anything while you were in his room but shake it off and help the whinging boy.

You groan as you lift him up with all your might, grabbing him like he was some teddy bear.

As soon as he was back into place, you shove the ear thermometer into his ear, pressing the button as it read his temperature.

“40.4? Geez Keonho, dry your fucking hair.”

He coughs and groans slightly in response, not bothering to move at all.

You put him back into a laying down position, grabbing pillows and elevating his head. Just as you were about to leave his side, he grabs your hoodie sleeve, dragging you right back.

He calls out your name weakly, making you crouch so that you were face to face with him.

“I think…I’m going to die.”

You press your lips into a thin line before patting his head, just deciding to let him be.

He calls out your name again before softly whining ‘come back’, and then coughing all over again.

You stop in front of his fancy fridge, looking around for anything. When Keonho was sick as a child, you remember that his mother would cook him a chicken noodle soup, something that later became almost mandatory for every fever he got, even as a 16 year old.

You never imagined that you’d be the one making it for him now.

You got all the ingredients ready and lit up the stove, grateful that his mother had told you the recipe once and you had somehow never forgotten.

You were done after about 20 minutes, the smell of the soup’s spices overpowering everything else in the kitchen.

You walked back into the living room, finding Keonho in the exact same place you left him, except this time more crumpled tissues were left on the table.

He hadn’t moved at all, but his uneven breathing told you that he was still awake.

“Keonho,” you tapped his shoulder, earning you a small whine. “I made you soup.”

He opens his eyes slightly at that before sniffing the fumes of the soup. You help him sit up, his groans becoming louder each inch he moves.

“My body feels like it’s failing.” He cried out, his posture slumped over as he rubbed his temples.

“Isn’t there a thing where true love’s kiss ends a sickness?”

You look over at him, his eyes squinting as he looks at the bowl in front of him.

Then, he lifts his head up, looking right into your eyes with a straight face. “You should do that.”

You felt a small heat crawling up your neck, but you pushed it down immediately. Is he serious? No, he can’t be. Maybe he’s just high as hell on cough syrup. 

You just shook your head and let out a small scoff, pushing down whatever embarrassing thoughts were trying to claw themselves out of you.

“Right, because that’s totally 100% true.”

Just as you were about to leave him be and let him eat, he tugs your sleeve once again.

“You can’t expect me to lift the spoon up in this condition.”

You almost roll your eyes but refrain from doing so. “Keonho, you’re just sick. You’re acting like both your hands are suddenly unusable.”

“But they are! They feel like jelly!”

After much arguing, you sit in front of Keonho as he lays down on the couch again, the spoon now held up by you.

Although this would usually be something seen as a romantic scene in a movie, something like ‘feeding your lover food and just taking care of them’, you felt anything but. Every five seconds he just seemed to have another complaint. You wished his sister were here instead of you. 

“You’re holding the spoon too low.”

“You’re holding it too high now.”

“It’s too hot!”

You had to physically stop yourself from wanting to throw the whole bowl on him until he fully finished it.

You washed the dishes quickly before grabbing a blanket from his room, throwing it over him and even giving him an old plushie he still had to make it more comfortable.

You had asked him if he wanted to move to his room, but he whined again, saying that it would be too cold.

You had unpacked the medicine and cough drops for him, pushing a drop into his mouth before checking the time.

6:03 pm.

“Keonho, I’ll be leaving now.”

“No, don’t leave.” He wailed, reaching his arms out in your direction.

“It’s already six, plus your parents will be home soon.”

You turn, already slipping your shoes on before he calls out your name once more, making you peek into the living room.

He lifts his head up, his eyes slightly open as you tie your shoes.

“Take care.” He says softly, almost like a two year old saying bye to their babysitter.

You almost chuckle at that.

“Please! I promise you that I won’t be too much trouble! I’ll just walk behind. You guys won’t even notice me there.”

You sigh, turning around to face a customer. You hand them their coffee, saying a quick bye before turning around to face Mai.

“Now you’re just starting to sound like a stalker. If you really want to go with us, just come.”

You check the orders, twisting in place to grab another large cup. You can see the way Mai’s eyes light up at your words, her mouth curling up into a relieved smile. 

You knew she liked Eom Seonghyeon for a while, her crush dating back since her first day of middle school.

She had always been too shy to say anything, but now that you were in the first year of high school, she had decided it was finally time to ‘make a move’.

“Really? Thank you! Oh my gosh what am I going to do…” she jumps around, almost squealing in excitement.

“You can start by pumping the fucking caramel.”

The next day, Mai invites you to her house, telling you that she was stressed and needed more help than ever.

“Which shirt should I wear?”

She holds up two, a pretty pink polo and a white long sleeve.

“Just layer the pink over the white, it’s gonna be cold out anyway.” You yawn, relaxing into her bed.

“But, I want him to offer me his jacket…” she pouts.

“Then wear the pink one, if you’re really that desperate.” The last part earned you a slap to your shoulder.

“Whatever.” She turns back around, switching through her hangers for a few moments before holding up two skirts. 

“What skirt should I wear?” 

You mentally slapped your forehead, realising it was going to be a long morning.

She ended up wearing a pink button up, paired with a short denim skirt you picked out from the depths of her closet. She had even sprayed the citrus perfume that he had once called nice.

“Do you think he’ll think I’m cute?”

“Mhm, and with this outfit he’ll also get down on one knee and propose to you.” You remarked dryly, scrolling through whatever text messages Seonghyeon had sent now.

Today 11:34 am

Priss/prick

when are u comingggg

bro people keep staring at me

are you sure my fit doesn’t look weird?

you know ive just stopped trying with my fits now

You

Why tf are u typing with ur caps off

Ik damn well u don’t know how to turn auto cap off

Are u doing it manually like a loser?

Priss/prick

Shut up

Also finally u responded

What took u so long

You

Js wait

Mai is coming w us

Priss/prick

Your friend?

Why is she coming?

I js wanted it to be us two

You scrunch your nose at his words.

You

Broski watch ur words

We are NOT a couple

Priss/prick

Yk damn well that’s not what I meant

Wtv js hurry uppp

I keep getting Grandma’s come up to me and ask if I want to date their granddaughters

You

Maybe they js feel bad bc u look so ugly

Priss/prick

Sybau

You chuckle, locking your phone and shoving it into your pocket.

“Maiii, are you done yet?” You drawled, walking over to the outside of her door.

“Yes, I just couldn’t find the sambas he told me looked good!” A short moment later, her apartment door finally opens.

You both say a quick goodbye to her parents before walking to the elevator.

“By the wayyy, has he said anything about me coming?” She asks, her eyes filled with hope.

Although you’re not too sure about what she’s expecting.

You shrugged. “Nothing much.”

She deflates a little, pursing her lips.

“Don’t worry about it too much. Just be yourself.” You try to comfort, patting her shoulder gently as the doors open.

She nods, taking a deep breath to reassure herself.

You meet Seonghyeon at a park 20 minutes later.

He had sat on some random picnic table, his long legs crossed over each other. “Finally, what took you guys so long?”

You shrugged and Mai just awkwardly smiled behind you, a pick tinge already at the corners of her ears.

“Hi.” She says.

Seonghyeon stands up and waves at her before staring at you.

“What?”

“I thought Saturdays were just for us two. Why did she have to come?” He doesn’t say it with any malice, his tone light and barely harsh. He just seemed…curious? Maybe confused? 

Your eyebrows connect for a millisecond at his words. He can’t be serious, you think.

“She just wanted to come. Also, be nice to her.” You say, taking a step closer and flicking off some lint on his hoodie. “You’re acting like the whole hangout is ruined just because she came.”

He shrugs at that. “I’m not saying it’s ruined.”

“Then why do you keep asking me why she came?”

You don’t realise how close his face is until you make eye contact. His eyes almost soften as they look down into yours, or maybe you’re just imagining things. 

“I just like it better when it’s us two.”

The hangout went as well as you expected it to.

Although it had a rocky start, with a few uneasy silences and awkward comments, by the end of it everyone was laughing.

He had even offered her his hoodie when it got colder, an action that made her almost as red as Martin when he was embarrassed. 

He also treated her to açai, buying her a bowl and when you had visited a cafe after, he had opened her water bottle for her.

She had gushed all about it after, pacing around in her room in happiness.

“And he even knew the sidewalk rule! Gosh, he’s just so…perfect!” She says, plopping down onto her bed and smiling. 

She grabs her plushie and lays down next to you, staring at the ceiling as she probably recalled the whole day once more.

You had been scrolling on your phone the whole time, responding to her sentences with various hums.

“He’s just so nice! And handsome, and cute…”

“You gonna name him the whole dictionary of nouns?”

She hits you with the plushie, turning on her side to face you.

“Say, how come you never liked him?”

The question makes you furrow your eyebrow. You look over at her, her curious eyes looking right at you.

“Well, I mean I’d never thought of him that way before.”

“Reallyyy? You can tell me anything, I won’t be mad.” She says, but you can see the way her hands tighten around the plushie, the twitch of her jaw telling you that she was nervous to hear what you had to say.

You sigh. What have you gotten yourself into? “Don’t worry, it’s not like I’d catch feelings for him anytime soon.”

The first time you had met Eom Seonghyeon was on the first day of middle school.

It wasn’t anything special, just an assigned seat in math class.

At first he was quiet.

He didn’t talk much, and he was quite shy.

Others would even tease him, calling him a princess because of how his demeanour and looks were.

You didn’t really care about that though, just as long as he wasn’t a snitch.

You would try to say hi every morning, trying to at least be polite.

After a week of awkward conversation, you had both finally started getting comfortable around each other.

You would both offer the other a snack snuck in through your bags, give each other answers, and even laugh at the most stupid jokes together.

A month after you had met, you went over to his place to meet his parents for the first time.

They were nice to you, offering you food and making sure you never went without a drink. His younger sister also quite liked you, discussing and watching dramas with you, something she had called ‘the intellectual’s talk’.

You found yourselves talking more outside of math class, even sitting together in classes you hadn’t before.

Then when you started working at your parents cafe, he started showing up there. You would mess around with him during breaks, sometimes even taking bites out of his food. When things got too crazy, he would come behind the counter just to help you out.

“So when can I apply to actually work here? You know I won’t be doing free labour forever–“

“Hyeon, I’m going to smack you if you ask that question one more time.”

When he started swimming, you would show up to his practices, timing his laps and giving him towels when he needed. Some of his club members would even joke that you were like a housewife, except after a few weeks of ass-beating, they stopped calling you that.

During his meets you would cheer the loudest for him, even resorting to buying a megaphone just to yell his name out.

It wasn’t really helping your reputation, but you just thought that was what friends were supposed to do.

You met Mai during your second year.

You hadn’t exactly planned to become friends with her. You were polite when you needed to be, but never nice enough to say you wanted to be ‘best friends’.

But then she started getting bullied.

You had caught them in an alley close to the school.

They had been kicking at her, making her curl up into a ball.

You had run in, grabbing one of the beer bottles off the floor and smashing it against the walls.

They had run off quickly after that, scared that you would actually hurt them.

She looked scared and her lip had been bleeding. You walked her home, carrying her bag and making sure she was alright.

The day after that, she started sticking around you more. She sat close to you and Seonghyeon during recess, even following you around until she reached her class.

At that point you just decided to become friends with her.

She told you about her crush a couple months later, saying that she saw him sitting next to you at the back of the classroom and thought he was the prettiest guy she had ever seen.

Now here she was, sending him love eyes from across the cafeteria.

He sat right in the middle next to Martin and Keonho, two guys he met through swimming. James and Juhoon sat across from them, both eating silently as the three bickered over something else.

She sighs wistfully, staring at him like he was a work of art. “Do you think he ever thinks about me?”

“No.” You had said immediately.

She smacked your shoulder, making you rub the spot she hit.

“Just tell him you like him already. The worst thing he could say is no.”

“See that’s what you think! I just want to get closer with him. Like how close you two are!”

You turn, raising an eyebrow at her statement.

You think about it for a moment. How close were you two? You never thought of being ‘best friends’ with him, but you were close enough that you could probably show up to his place unannounced and he wouldn’t even care.

You shake your head, pressing your lips into a thin line. “I don’t think we’re as close as you think we are…”

“Well how close do you think you are? Because back when I first started having a crush on him, I thought you two were like, close to dating already.” She reaches over your lunch, taking a few bites out of your sandwich.

“I wouldn’t say we’re close, but we’re not exactly strangers either.”

“So what would you call yourselves?”

You look back over at him. He’s laughing at another joke when he catches your gaze, his eyes staring right back at you. He waves at you before turning back around and talking to his friends.

You look back at Mai, who seems to be finishing up the sandwich now.

“Casual. I’d say we’re casual friends.”

“You think we’re casual?” Seonghyeon asks. 

He sits in front of you, tilting his head against the train window.

Your parents had both decided to go on a strawberry picking trip together, saying that they all needed to try something new. Much to your disappointment, his little sister was at a sleepover, so it was just you two.

You hadn’t told him about Mai’s crush, but you did bring up the topic of what you had been talking about.

“Is that how you see it?”

He shakes his head, looking out the window now. “I did think we were a little more than that though.”

“Really? What did you think we were?” You’re not sure why you asked that, knowing that some part of that question could have alluded to something more.

He seems to think for a moment before sitting up, staring at the train ceiling.

“I don’t know. A lot of the stuff we do together are things that best friends would do, and sometimes we grow a little too distant but still come back to each other.” He shoves his hands into his pockets, thinking about his next words. “We talk, at least once everyday even though we’re not in the same classes anymore, but we also went through that period where we just didn’t have the time to be close, but we understood each other enough to know that we didn’t mean to hurt each other.”

You stare at him as he speaks, the way his lips form different shapes to speak, the way his eyebrows twitch as he recalls all the memories, the way his hair falls over his eyes as he moves around. 

You realise that everything he says is true.

To say it simply, you had stopped talking for about three months in your last year of middle school.

It wasn’t anything abrupt, and it wasn’t like you guys had some big argument.

You just stopped.

He stopped sending you those nonsense reels and you stopped calling him.

It wasn’t like you guys had been rude or said something unforgivable.

You were both just really burnt out.

The cafe wasn’t doing well and he kept getting injuries that prevented him from swimming.

He kept getting some type of shoulder and neck pain, which prevented him from doing his events, while your parents kept struggling to pay the cafe bills.

You ended up having to take a few other jobs around town, getting one at a record store and another cafe.

It started off small, with missed calls and texts. Sometimes you would both leave the other on read, too tired to respond back. 

After a while, Mai found it awkward to choose between sides.

“So don’t. You don’t have to stick around either of us–you have other friends.”

You don’t know what caused you to say that. You had smacked your hand over your mouth, and had apologised immediately after. She knew you didn’t mean it in a bad way, you had just said it in a bad manner.

She knew you were too stressed and tired to care, so she ended up taking your advice just to make it easier.

You still feel bad months later, but it ended up helping her as she actually began to put herself out there more, even hanging out with girls she had once told you terrified her because they were so pretty.

The interactions with Seonghyeon before the break were just filled with ‘sorry for missing out’ or whatever favors your parents needed from the other. You two just got too busy to keep each other in your lives, so you let go of it.

You remember his last message before the break being ‘See you.’

The odd thing about it was that you didn’t miss him at all during the three months.

You were too focused on trying to keep things at your jobs together while also keeping up with your studies.

It didn’t feel awkward seeing him at school, but it didn’t exactly feel comfortable either. 

He didn’t disappear from your life. His presence was still there, just quieter. 

You didn’t wave to each other like you always did, instead just making eye contact before looking away. 

You remember the day you had reconnected.

The cafe was doing well again, and your parents could even hire another person to work so you didn’t have to. You didn’t hear much about him, maybe a few updates from Mai, saying that he was doing really well in swimming now.

You had just been sitting around your room, watching some random show when your phone started vibrating.

It was a facetime call from Seonghyeon.

The photo that popped up was an old baby polaroid of him, something that his parents had shown you last year. You had forgotten you had set it to that picture, remembering his protests about it.

You didn’t know how to feel.

You weren’t shocked, but you weren’t upset either.

Were you happy? Overjoyed? You didn’t know.

You simply swiped to answer, as if you didn’t just spend weeks not talking. 

You find his face staring back. 

You recognised the swim lockers behind him, but that wasn’t the point.

He held up a gold medal, smiling stupidly as Keonho and Martin cheered behind him. Water was still dripping down the sides of his hair, the pink towel you had always brought for him now wrapped around his neck.

“I won.”

Back to the present, you sit down on a wooden bench in the shade, fanning yourself as hot air blows past.

Your parents all had scattered across the field, both your mothers taking pictures almost everywhere. Your fathers had decided to do a little bet, something about who could pick the most.

A few school kids ran around the bushes, playing some random game and even seeing who could pick the biggest berry. Their yellow hats peeked out just above, the bright sun shining down on the plastic.

You stared at the ground, watching some ants crawl across the dirt.

“What are you thinking about?”

You hear his voice behind you before something cold is pressed against your neck, making you flinch.

You turn, staring at him in annoyance.

“Where did you even get that?”

Seonghyeon opens the soda one handed, giving it over to you while sitting down.

“Receptionist? I don’t know what it’s called but there was a vending machine where you had to sign up.”

You hum in acknowledgment, taking a quick sip.

“How many strawberries did you pick?”

“Like 30? I gave them to my mum though, I’ve no idea what she did with them.” You shrugged. “What about you? How many did you pick?”

“Hmm, 40? I just picked whichever ones looked good. I think my mum wants to make a jam out of it.”

“Is she on a baking spree again?”

The conversation flowed easily after that. 

The topic went from school to work, swimming to basketball. After that, you both decided to walk through the fields, taking photos off of the digital camera he bought you last spring. 

Although for some reason he ended up taking more pictures of you than himself.

Weird, but you didn’t question it.

After about an hour, you returned back to your parents, only to see a frantic woman screaming out some kid's name.

“Wooju! Wooju! Where are you?” Her voice echoed across the farm, making a few other visitors turn their heads. Her voice was hoarse and starting to crack, clearly tired from how many times she had probably called out for the kid.

20 kids were already around her, calling out Wooju’s name with their shrill voices. A few were even starting to cry, their wails becoming louder than the teacher.

Your dads had decided to help the lady, while also dragging you two along. A few of the other visitors ended up looking as well, along with a bunch of other teachers from different schools.

You and Seonghyeon walked to the far edges of the farm, calling out the kid’s name.

Your voices echoed right after the other, the calls becoming much more intense as the search went on.

“He can’t have gone into the forest, right?”

“Don’t jinx it. Let’s just keep our search in the field and if we’re really desperate, we’ll go into the forest.”

After a few minutes, the sky had started to go dark. The previously blue skies were now turning into a muddled orange.

Luckily your mother’s had brought flashlights, so you and Seonghyeon had delved deeper into the fields while sticking closely together.

At this point, a whole search party was out for the kid.

Farmers from across the town were all in the field, along with a few big helpers who decided to go into the edges of the forest in case the kid had really gone that far.

After a few minutes of searching with Seonghyeon, both of you stared into the forest close by. The forest looked way darker than it was this morning, looking more like a horror film set rather than a peaceful painting.

“Should we check?” You had asked out of worry for the small boy.

“It wouldn’t hurt.”

You didn’t want to seem scared in front of him, so you hardened your resolve and walked forward. You stood in front of it, the fence only reaching your thigh. It felt forbidden to cross, but you bring your leg over, pushing yourself onto your arms and landing on the other side.

He hopped over the fence right after you, staying very close to you in case something happened. You both walked tentatively, cautiously looking around for anything that even looked slightly dangerous.

You couldn’t hear anything from the fields, and the ground in front of you was starting to get darker. The trees were starting to get denser as well, the path now only able to fit three people.

You were a little scared, but you tried to push it down, knowing that the kid was probably more scared than you.

You took another step forward, bringing your flashlight anywhere in front of you. You could only recognise the sound of your breathing and the faint crunch of the leaves underneath your shoes.

“Hey..” 

You flinched at hearing Seonghyeon’s voice so close to you. In the silence, you realised your heart started beating against your chest loudly, adrenaline and fear raging through your body.

“What?”

Your tone came out a little brash, sounding harsher than you meant it to be.

He didn’t seem to care, just sighed and switched over his flashlight to his right hand.

“Hold my arm.”

“Huh?”

You couldn’t process what he had said properly until he held out his arm, offering it to you.

“If it makes you feel safer, hold my arm.”

You were about to refuse until a cold breeze blew in, the darkness around you starting to seem much more clearer than before. The branches rustle all around you, the trees suddenly feeling much, much bigger. You hear crows cawing out far away from you, but it’s loud enough that it sends you shivers up your spine.

“Fine.”

You wrapped your hand around his arm, the fabric of his long sleeve soft and warm.

This doesn’t mean anything. You thought to yourself.

Mai was the one who liked him, not you.

Every step you took forward made you feel more nervous than the last, but at least you knew Seonghyeon would be next to you the whole time.

It’s not that his presence comforted you–

Well, maybe it did.

But, maybe it was more like ‘if something happened you could just push him as bait and run away’ type of comfort.

“Wooju?”

You had called out, trying to hear anything else other than your thunderstorm of a heartbeat.

“Wooju!” Seonghyeon had echoed, looking over to the left.

It’s too quiet.

You want to turn back, but the image of a little boy curling up and crying pushes you forward. You can’t imagine how scared he must be–you just hope that he’s okay.

“Hello?”

The small voice comes from the left, interrupting your thoughts.

You both turn immediately, finding a yellow hat peek out from behind a tree.

Two eyes pop out as well, their pupils dilating as you immediately point the flashlight in towards that direction.

“You were saying my name.”

You immediately let go of Seonghyeon, rushing over to the kid and making sure he was okay.

You look all over him, seeing if there were any injuries. You see a giant red smear on his calf, calling Seonghyeon to come over as well.

Wooju notices your gaze, looking down at his legs. “That’s just strawberries; Kana rubbed all of us with it!” He had laughed out, giving both of you a toothy smile.

You notice the top part of his gum bleeding, immediately making you lean back down.

“What happened here?” You pointed at it, making sure he was comfortable with you pulling his lip up.

“I bit into a really big strawberry and lost my tooth! It’s in my pocket-wait,” the small boy rustles around his short’s pockets, digging through whatever trinkets he had in there.

“Here!” He pulls the large strawberry out–almost deformed with the ridges and leaves at the top. Stuck right in the middle is a small tooth, the dried residue of blood staining the part that was attached to his gum.

You look at Seonghyeon, who also looked relieved but also exasperated.

“My mummy said that the tooth fairy gives you more money for bigger teeth!”

Seonghyeon snorts, pushing his free hand into his pocket. “Oh actually the tooth fairy isn’t–“ you kick the back of Seonghyeon’s leg before he could say anything.

“That’s very sweet Wooju. Now, has she also told you that you shouldn’t go into forests without anyone with you?” You try to say in a soft voice, reminding yourself that you were still in the forest where anything could happen. 

You already knew that Seonghyeon was probably making fun of you behind your back, probably pretending to gag at your soft act.

Wooju frowns, a pouty expression now on his face. “The lady said we could go anywhere!”

“Right. Well, you have to go back now.”

“No!” He shakes his head, crossing his arms over his puffed out chest.

You sigh before Seonghyeon steps in front of you, leaning down just enough so that he’s the kid's height. “Do it or we’ll feed you to the wolves.”

“Do you think Seonghyeon likes me back?”

You wake up to hearing those exact words, already having regretted opening your eyes.

“Shut up.”

You turn, begging for sleep to take you back, only for the windows to be abruptly opened.

You groaned, opening your eyes and finding Mai’s silhouette standing right next to the bed.

“Can you please help me?”

You sigh, propping yourself up on your elbow and rubbing your eyelids. You notice from the corner of your eyes that she starts to pace around the room, her hands scrunching the hem of her skirt.

“I really like him, but I realised last night that he barely knows me!” She sighs.

“I know he’s probably just being nice, but I really do like him! And I don’t want to be confused about anything when I’m with him, so can you help me?”

“No.”

You turn, about to cover yourself in your blankets when she rips them off of you, the covers thudding against the floor.

“Please! Even if it ends in rejection, I still want to try!”

You sighed, staring at the ceiling. “If I help you, can you give me my covers back?”

“Yes.”

“Okay.”

You sit up properly, watching as she almost jumps at you.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!”

She smiles, her eyes sparkling in excitement.

“So, what’s the first step I should take?”

You get off your bed, grabbing your covers and folding them onto the bed. “Well, first, I’m gonna tell him that all three of us should hang out, and then I’ll pretend to cancel so that you two can get some alone time.”

“If that’s your plan, couldn’t I just ask him to hang out?”

“Well, are you going to ask him?”

She thinks about it for a moment before shaking her head, her lips pressed into a thin line of embarrassment.

“So, is that it?”

“Yep.” You say, popping the ‘p’ a little too loud. “I’ll text him and say we’ll be going to the mall.”

“But what if he gets suspicious?”

It wasn’t anything noteworthy–matter of fact, it wasn’t even anything to care about.

Just a small bow to each other.

And suddenly it all blew up.

In a world of boys he’s a gentleman #seonghyeon #eomseonghyeon #cortis 

At first, it was okay. 3.5 million views, comments all praising his manners.

ungwoion: He has such good manners 🥹

— lngshot warrior: lmao you guys just love the bare minimum

chao yufine asf: omg James behind him 🤤

gojosbbl: Awww he’s so cuteee 

Stella’s my gf: omg I just realised she’s technically his senior

No one questioned it, after all he was just a rookie at another music show, paying his respects to another group.

Until…

Jaehyuns big left toe: I dont go here but I swear he likes her

The comment got 20 thousand likes. 

It wasn’t much, but it was enough for people to get the message.

It started slow, a few more comments here and there. 

Miaaa: Bro her and Seonghyeon would be so cute togetherrrr

—eommmmjiii: OMGGG THATS WHAT I WAS THINKING TOOOOO

Again, it was slow. Mainly because there was so much push back against the shippers, but of course a few cracks were beginning to show.

It started with edits–mashups of your groups songs and clips of you two actually talking in interviews suddenly started going crazy viral, almost every single edit getting over a hundred thousand likes.

There was a particular one where both of you were in separate interviews, talking about your passions for music. Ian had replayed it hundreds of times around you, playing the audio so loud that it started annoying everyone else.

Then photos started coming out–fake ones of course, but they looked real enough for everyone to start believing it.

You didn’t mind it, matter of fact you didn’t care at all, you didn’t even know the guy anymore! You just wanted to focus on your group's music, so you ignored it. 

Dating someone while in the industry was messy enough, but to date someone else also in the industry? That was basically a nuke for your career.

Although you had gone to the same elementary school as him, you barely remembered anything from back then. Maybe a few shared laughs and jokes, but you had moved away soon after. You had even taken and passed the middle school equivalency exam when you turned 12 and the high school equivalency exam the minute you turned 14, so you had absolutely no experience in dating in your teenage life at all.

You had no idea how the media thought you could date anyone, but nevertheless they persisted.

It was late at night when it started getting serious.

You went on live with Ian, eating a late night dinner after a fanmeeting in Japan. At this point, most of your fans were convinced something was happening between you two.

The minute you waved to the camera thousands of comments started flooding in, all about the same thing.

ThebigTTTS: Are you dating someone?

Obviously you knew why they were so curious, but it wasn’t like something was going to happen between you two.

Ian knew it was meant for you, but had replied to it nonetheless and said no, also indirectly saying no for you, bringing up how the whole group was too busy for such things. 

So you thought his obsessive fans could rest, knowing their precious prince was single.

It worked a little, some of the edits and comments starting to wane.

Then, a few days after, Seonghyeon and Keonho had gone live.

The comments were pretty much the same thing, and they had also said no to dating someone.

You thought that was it, the rumours would go away, and you wouldn’t have to care about anything to do with him anymore.

Then came the MAMA awards.

Both your groups had won Rookie of the year, a few tears here and there but overall you were happy.

You had been walking off the stage, other groups walking around you. Ian was next to you, smiling and laughing about the award. A few fans on the ground floor had their phones out, holding banners and waving them up in the air. 

You had waved to a few, not paying attention to what was in front of you when you had suddenly bumped into someone. The collision was soft enough to not hurt, but nonetheless you had decided to apologise and bow. 

You hadn’t seen their faces as you were too busy being embarrassed and bowing, mentally slapping your forehead for not looking at your surroundings.

You were about to walk away when the person’s voice cut through your apologies.

“It’s okay, boyfriends are supposed to forgive their girlfriends for something small, right?”

The sentence made you stop mid bow, looking up to see the person’s face.

Eom Seonghyeon stood in front of you.

An amused look was on his face, his hands in his pockets. His earpiece hung loosely around his neck as he stood back casually, the proximity between you two close enough that you could reach an arm out and touch his.

His hair fell perfectly styled over his face, his plump lips curled up into a small smile. His dark brown eyes stared right at you, crinkled at the sides in enjoyment at the situation (although you aren’t sure whether he’s laughing at you, or he’s just really happy after winning).

You couldn’t react, too frozen in place to even offer a polite laugh to his joke. 

The stage was too crowded with idols, a few even almost bumping into you as you stared at him. Fans were still cheering around you, the fans close to the barricades in particular being the loudest. You couldn’t hear what they were saying, but you could feel the eyes on you.

You felt too exposed, your skin suddenly prickling up.

You were lucky that the fans were far enough to not hear his words, but everyone could see how close together you were. 

You stepped out of your trance, giving him a polite smile before waving and walking off. He waved back too, a small chuckle escaping his lips.

You don’t get why he seemed so amused–what if fans took that the wrong way? Cameras were everywhere, and if you got into another dating scandal with him, you were sure that would be the end of your career.

Your group members had walked off without you, already backstage and telling you to hurry up.

“What were you doing?” Stella had asked, pulling you close to the group as you walked through the halls. 

“I’ll tell you later.”

“Seriously? That’s what he said?” Stella exclaimed, but because she was wearing a face mask, her words had come out almost strained.

“Did you say anything back?”

You sat on the bed, having finished your nighttime skin routine.

“No, I just smiled and waved him off.”

“Okay, that’s good.” She fans her face, turning away and looking into the mirror. “As long as you didn’t keep the conversation going for too long. Tell our manager about it, and just hope the fans don’t take it the wrong way.”

You had nodded at that, hoping that her words would be true. Again, it was just a mistake, plus just another bow.

As long as they had listened to your words, nothing would happen.

Obviously it did not work. 

Once again, the clip between you two went mega viral.

10 million views on twitter, with just over seven hundred thousand likes all in the span of one night.

—Suuperjellyous: They HAVE to be dating

—gojo’s left arm: omggg the way he grinned at her 🤭🤭

Those comments were the same as always; a little delusional but harmless.

But of course, hate comments were bound to follow.

Poyoyiii: Am I the only one who thinks she’s weird as shit for doing that? Like she probably did it on fucking purpose.

VOTE FOR CORTIS! | STREAM COTL: ew why would Seonghyeon ever talk with someone like her lmaooo

Hummingbird501: I fucking hate her so much. She definitely planned that shit. Now Seonghyeon is going to get hate again.

Wonyoungieee: She’s so fucking chopped holy shit

You ignored those comments for the most part. Obviously they had affected you to some degree, but it was just part of the job. You couldn’t allow them to affect you.

Getting into scandals this early into your career was never ideal. You felt bad, if only you had been paying attention to where you were walking it would’ve never reached this scale. The rumours were just starting to get cleared too, and now all that time spent mending it just went to waste.

Management had called you in the afternoon, explaining what they had planned.

They were obviously going to release a statement, mainly about anyone spreading false information and rumours that had been made clear as false would be taken legal action against. You had agreed to it, hoping that it would all clear up soon.

It did not.

In fact, it got worse.

You had just landed back in Korea, a few reporters here and there but not enough that you felt overwhelmed.

You don’t remember much, just recalling how you were just walking when a sudden, sharp pain hit you at the side of the head. It stung for a few moments and it was very much a shock, causing you to stop in your tracks.

Your members were around you immediately, A-na staying by your side while your managers started rushing you out.

You had found out later that it was a water bottle that struck you–capped, so the water wouldn’t have spilled out everywhere at least.

Clips of it were already spreading online, multiple angles of it everywhere.

Of course, there was a lot of sorrow, mainly how a lot of the fans felt bad that you were getting treated so badly.

You felt so embarrassed.

You were known to be quiet, barely grabbing people’s attention unless you were performing. Now suddenly the harsh spotlight was thrust upon you, following your every move and just waiting for you to crash.

Yuha and Juun had taken away your phone before you could read any of the hate comments.

You had to start recording soon, plus choreography and filming content. You didn’t have the time for this.

“Just…go to sleep. We have practice tomorrow morning.”

The next day, funeral wreaths were posted outside the SM building. Your heart had sunk the minute you stepped out of the van, feeling like the world had just stopped. Stella and Ye-on made you put your head down, making sure you couldn’t see it.

You were a little grateful they did, as you would’ve almost just started crying right then and there. Photographers were taking pictures everywhere, any photos of you crying would just make the situation worse. Your manager made sure to have them taken away, but the wreaths had done their damage.

You ended up crying in the hallway later, stifling your whimpers and cries, hoping that no one could hear you.

You stayed up that night, staring at the ceiling.

You couldn’t believe so many people hated you. Just for rumours? Just for a guy you didn’t even know? You were angry and sad–nothing was even confirmed, how could they hate you so much?

You weren’t just angry at the fans, you were even more furious at him.

If he hadn’t said that stupid joke, you wouldn’t have been in this situation in the first place. If you hadn’t just done that stupid bow, all of this would just stop.

You wish you could take it all back–maybe stop yourself from ever even interacting with him.

It started affecting you in practice. 

You would space out and forget choreography. You had even stopped eating, not bothering to even feed yourself after the most tiring practice sessions. Your voice would crack, and you found yourself feeling much weaker on days you were usually so energetic. Filming during variety shows had to keep getting cut short because you would forget how to do the challenge right in the middle of it.

Your members would try to take care of you, forcing you to sleep and even piling their phones up on the dinner table so you wouldn’t feel alone.

Ian and Ye-on would even invite you to sleep in their room, just so they could comfort you as you slept.

After a week, you started getting better. 

The rumours were starting to disappear, and dispatch was finally starting to stop following you around. You were eating and drinking more, and you weren’t making as much mistakes as before.

Then the elementary photos came out.

Photos of you two, posing and pressing your dimpled cheeks together. There were a lot of them–maybe about 40 photos of just you two hanging out as kids.

Hundreds of articles were out in the next hour, all talking about the same damn thing.

Childhood friends to lovers? An idol love story…

Comments were flooding the groups accounts, all ranging from blatant insults to outright death threats.

The company immediately released a statement, most of it re-stating the legal actions they would take if the discourse continued, while also acknowledging the friendship you two once shared.

Your members stayed with you for the next hour, hugging you and wiping away your tears.

Then a day after, a random number started texting you.

Unknown: I’m sorry.

You felt yourself typing before you could even think about it.

what for?

Unknown: Everything. I promise I’ll do something to make it up to you.

You scoffed at that, typing onto your phone with more annoyance and frustration than you even had.

Like what? You’re acting like you can magically fix this whole situation.

Unknown: I promise. I don’t break promises, I’m sure you remember that, right?

Don’t talk like you know me. You have no right to talk about our memories together when they’ve done nothing but hurt me now.

You watch as the gray chat bubble popped up before disappearing, leaving your message on read.

It had been two hours since. 

You felt bad about that last message–you know that the scandal wasn’t just affecting you, and yet all you did was shut him out.

But all you could do was feel angry at him.

Angry that it all happened, angry that you let it affect you and the group so much, and even ashamed that you even felt so enraged in the first place.

Again, you don’t remember much from your elementary days, but judging by the photos, you guys actually seemed really close. You wondered why you couldn’t remember any of it.

If he remembered it all, did that last message hurt him more than you thought?

You went to sleep that night, feeling almost like you were drowning in an ocean of thoughts, each bad comment or situation you remembered dragging you deeper and deeper.

What were you even going to do tomorrow?

Should you just pretend like nothing happened? Your company was already going to release another statement, it was just a matter of when. Your phone kept pinging with every notification, each one getting you more uneasy.

He hadn’t texted back since, and you were already feeling anxious as to what he was going to do.

What did he mean by his ‘promise’? This wasn’t some k-drama where everything would be solved with one little statement.

This was the real world, where things had consequences for everything. 

“Can you hold still?”

“How can I hold still when your breath smells of garlic bread.” Seonghyeon grunts.

You smack him on the shoulder.

7 am, did Seonghyeon decide to wake you up and ask if you could do his skin care. You had groaned but got up anyway.

You sit cross legged, letting Seonghyeon put his right hand on your hip and the left on the bathroom counter underneath. His thumb traced the outline of your thin tank, his warm touch making you feel relaxed. He wore sweats and a black shirt, something you had bought years ago for him.

The cool essence of the face mask drips down your hand as you adjust it on his face, cringing as it drips down to your elbow.

“This is an unpleasant sensation.” He mumbles, his eyes closed but his eyebrows twitching.

You chuckle but ease up the pressure, making sure your fingers weren’t pressing too hard.

“Done.” You say, tapping on his shoulder to go. He gets out of his leaning position over the counter, looking straight into the mirror next to you and letting you hop off.

The mask sticks onto his face like glue, his features immediately freezing up to not make it shift off. You wash your hands as he adjusts a small piece around his eye, eventually giving up when it wouldn’t stick properly.

You walk back into his bedroom, flopping onto his bed and wrapping the fluffy blanket you always brought along whenever you slept over.

The bed dips next to you as you relax, looking up to find Seonghyeon on his phone. No doubt was he scrolling through the new rumours or ‘information’ on reels. You always teased him for it, being gullible enough to listen to what nonsense he thought was important. 

You stay like this for a moment, relaxed and unbothered about anything happening outside. You could hear his little sister talking loudly through his walls, his mother vacuuming the floor, and his father outside mowing the lawn.

“Can we get açaí for breakfast?” He suddenly asks. He shows you a video online–an açaí shop near you both. The bowl looked really good, banana slices, cream, and walnuts all around the edges.

“One of these days this addiction will kill you.” You chuckle against his sheets.

You sit up and yawn, leaning forward to see more of the video.

“Death by açaí addiction wouldn’t be too bad.” He shrugged, the face mask at his side slightly lifting.

You shoot him an unimpressed look before nodding.

“Want to go at eight?”

“Why do you keep stealing my strawberries?” You turn to him, scrunching your nose when another strawberry lands into his mouth.

“It tastes better coming from yours.” He simply says, acting as if it was a reasonable answer.

You shake your head while taking another bite out of the smoothie bowl, letting the wind blow through your hair. He wiggles closer to you, noticing you shiver slightly and letting his body heat do the work.

You wore his hoodie and jorts while he wore your beanie and rings. It seemed like second nature to share everything between you two–whether it was clothes or untold secrets, nothing could be kept from the other.

He reaches for another strawberry but you lightly smack him with the side of your spoon. He withdraws his hand, but a cheeky smile crawls onto his face. 

His other hand suddenly zooms past yours, successful in the capture of the strawberry.

“Hey!” You smack his shoulder as he coyly bites into the berry.

“Too bad, so sad.” He teases, laughing at your pouty expression.

You had been sitting at one of the outside tables, preventing you from seeing the chaos inside.

Louis smacks one of his friends at the side, gaining their attention and pointing at you both. “Yo, someone take a pic.”

Ye-on looks up from her phone, watching as the two of you argue about something else. “You do it. You have the digital camera.”

“I would, but like, I don’t want their love story in my memory card.”

Kya rolls her eyes, swiping the camera out of his hands and snapping a photo. The picture wasn’t nice, the glass reflected the camera’s glare making anyone barely able to see what the intended scene was supposed to be.

“Bro, come onnn.” Louis groans as Kya chucks the camera into his hands, Woojin at his side chuckling.

They all watched as you both walked away from the store, your hands dangerously brushing up against each other’s, and yet you didn't make any effort for it to go further. 

Seonghyeon walks you to your house, arguing with you about some new topic the school was obsessed with. 

“I’m telling you, I saw them at the arcade last week!” His words echo across the quiet street, one passerby taking a quick glance before minding his own business.

“You should’ve pointed it out to me then!” You whack the side of his torso, acting annoyed at his ‘incompetence’.

“My bad, but next time you shouldn’t be so interested in that damn driving game.” He grumbled, rubbing at the area you hit him but still keeping up with your pace.

“That’s not my fault, I was number one on that game for two months straight, I was not going to get beat by someone under the name ‘rizzler6769’.” 

“Ah, Seonghyeon! If you told me you were here I would’ve prepared those cookies you liked!”

Your mother runs over, hugging Seonghyeon as if he was her child coming home from the war.

“Wow, have you been working out? You look so much taller now too!”

He grins at her, flashing her his dimples. “Well you’ve gotten much prettier in the time we’ve been apart.”

You almost roll your eyes at his flattery, it was no wonder why your mother liked him so much. You go up to your room, letting them catch up for a bit. You hear laughter through the walls every few seconds, letting you know it was going well.

After a few minutes, your door is immediately opened.

You turn, lifting your head to see Seonghyeon take off his shoes and sigh. 

He launches himself on your bed, letting your warm sheets envelop him. He wraps his arms around your hips, burying his face into your waist.

You don’t mind his touch one bit, going back to doomscrolling on reels. He stays there the whole time, not moving once. You’d maybe feel him shift his position for a few seconds but his arms forever remained wrapped around you.

“Do you want to go out for lunch? We could go to that new restaurant around the corner.” 

He shakes his head, the hair sticking out of his beanie slightly tickling your revealed skin. You feel the cold metal of the rings against your back, making you shift uncomfortably.

He notices, immediately pulling them off and putting them to the floor, his head still remaining in its position. His breath is warm against your skin, brushing up against the exposed part of your waist.

He noticed that you had taken off his hoodie, it now hung on your chair, and was probably already added to your growing collection.

“I’m tired.” He mumbled.

You checked the time. “It’s only 11 am?”

“It still doesn’t change that I’m tired.”

You ponder for a moment, putting your phone down and taking off his beanie. He lets you run your fingers through, messing up the hairdo he spent all morning trying to perfect. “Then, do you want some buldak?”

“Sure.”

You stare at the clock ticking on the wall, watching the red hand move with each second. 

Seonghyeon sits by your side, arms folded and leaning against his desk. His eyes were closed, clearly not paying attention to the story your English teacher was telling.

It was another personal one, the kind that let everyone know to just ignore and finish whatever task that was left unfinished for another class. Of course they felt bad about it, but when your English teacher constantly talked about themselves and was unnecessarily strict and harsh, no one ever actually felt bad enough to care.

You had been one of the unlucky ones that finished early. Too energetic to sleep, and too tired to actually listen.

As soon as the bell rang, everyone rushed out. A flurry of movements passed by in just a few seconds, footsteps rampaging around you two.

Seonghyeon perked up at the noise, wondering what everyone was running for.

“Is it Taco Tuesday?” He asks. You notice a few pieces of his hair going up like a hedgehog’s quills, making you snort.

You reach for his hair, and he obliges. He leans closer to you, letting you fix up the mess. He yawns, rubbing at his eyes as you stand and stretch from your prolonged sitting position.

“Hurry up, the tacos aren’t going to get themselves.” You gave him a quick pat on the shoulder before walking off. He nods, still rubbing his eyes.

He follows closely behind you, his eyes half closed and tie hanging loosely around his neck. 

By the time you reached the cafeteria line, there was only one taco left. You snatched it up and paid for it, watching as everyone behind groaned with disappointment. You felt bad, but the tacos were always too good to pass on.

You walk up to Seonghyeon, letting him take the first bite.

“Only one left.”

He hums in acknowledgment, chewing on the hard shell and lettuce. He stares into blank space for a moment, silence washing down your conversation for a few seconds. “You know what this oddly reminds me of?”

You turn, facing him as he chews on the taco’s hard shell. “Hm?”

“When I told you I was Mexican and you believed it.”

You rolled your eyes. “Okay, I never said I believed it!”

“You totally did! And when Keonho said he was Filipino too!”

“Okay, but him being Filipino was much more believable! Plus I didn’t think you’d lie about…”

Everyone at the tables watched as you two argued, your faces inches apart from each other. 

“Can they just make out already?” Wonhee groaned, watching as you pointed a finger to his chest while he stared down at you, grinning at your annoyed face, clearly enjoying it.

“Literally.”

They watched as you continued to argue with him, only to be shut up by him shoving the taco in your mouth. You chewed on it for a few moments, a small drop of the sauce clung at the side of your mouth. 

He leans forward, wiping the sauce off. He stays like that for a few moments, staring into your eyes with such adoration that it would make anyone swoon, before flicking your forehead. He drags you towards your friends table as you yell at him, still chewing on the taco.

A collective sigh could be heard around the table.

“Can they just say they’re together already?”

“I asked him about it last week and he just shrugged.”

“I just thought they were friends?”

“You do all of that with your friends?”

“I do that with the guys all the time.”

“Grab the chips bro.” James snatches a pack off the rack, tossing it into the basket absentmindedly.

You press your lips into a thin line, watching as it lands on top of the other snacks they decided to get.

“How much does this all cost?”

“Martin’s paying for it all–hey, have you ever tried Dr Pepper?”  Keonho turns around and points at the pack in front of him. They were all stacked on top of each other, a few cans missing from the sides. It was clear that the previous customers had ripped into the cardboard. Whether they stole it or bought it separately, you didn’t seem to care.

You shrug. “I heard it tastes like medicine.” 

Martin walks over, now beside you. You know by the look in his eyes that he’s curious; he eyes the pack like it’s some piece of candy

The deal is sealed when Juhoon waddles over as well, now on your other side.

Keonho asks for his opinion. “Should we get the 12 pack or 24?”

You exasperatedly hold the basket in your hands as they talk. They dragged you out of your room so fast that you had to abandon your headphones. 

What a shame, now you couldn’t block out their bickering.

“Get the 24 pack, the fridge still has a lot of space.”

Now everyone had suddenly surrounded you–James came up behind and Seonghyeon had jumped in next to Keonho. You yawn, watching them quarrel.

“No, what if it doesn’t taste good? We would’ve just wasted money for no reason.”

“But if it does taste good, everyone is going to like it and we’ll have to come back here again.”

“How popular in the states is it?”

“But it’s like 70 dollars! I don’t want to pay for something that no one likes!” You lean towards Seonghyeon as Martin and Keonho argue. 

You both chuckle at everyone’s antics as the argument goes on. He offers to hold the basket for you but you shake your head.

“But if everyone likes it, then this is the one to go with!” Keonho says while picking up the 24 pack.

“Why can’t we just get Cola like we always do?”

“The states really like this though! I just want to see the hype.”

“That’s 70,000 won dude.”

“How about we buy one, share it and see if everyone likes it?” Your manager interjects. He crosses his arms, his expression clearly unimpressed.

“You guys don’t even know how it tastes yet.”

Everyone shrugs.

“Fair point.”

You sigh in relief. After that, everyone disperses and goes off somewhere in the store.

You feel the basket get heavier when a can is put in, but get confused when another pressure of weight is added. You turn and see that Keonho had sneakily put one more can inside. 

You raise your eyebrow at him.

“Just for good measure.” He reasons.

By the time you go up to pay, the basket is so full with snacks they almost fall out. Seonghyeon stands beside you, holding a few snacks of his own. 

As you stand waiting, you pick at your polished nails. It’s a mix of random pastels–mainly pink and green. You click your tongue, noticing that the polish has gotten patchy. It had only been a few days since you last painted them, so your annoyance was understandable.

Just as you scratch a small bit off, you notice Seonghyeon mimicking your actions, checking out his own nails. They’re smooth and look clearly untouched, making you feel almost envious.

As you get closer to the counter, Seonghyeon suddenly grabs your arm. You look up and he clears his throat.

“Hey, could you…paint my nails later?”

“Can you hold still?”

“I’m sorry! You’re breathing really hard though and it tickles my hand.” He mumbles.

You look up, your eyebrows furrowing.

“I’m breathing normally?”

You shake your head and continue, but move your head a bit further back. He had chosen white and grey for his nails, the colours barely standing out in the midst of his dark sheets.

You both sit in his bed while a random show plays on his phone screen. You occasionally tuned it out to focus on his nails, careful to not let it touch his skin.

After ten minutes, you had only painted his thumb and index finger, granted you weren’t exactly a nail artist so this was the fastest you could go without too much of it getting on him. You had painted a few dots and stars on them, so the amount of time it took was excused.

“You’re actually pretty good at this.” He flexes the fingers already painted, checking out the details.

As he does that, he grabs the Dr pepper you had been drinking out of off the floor, taking a sip for himself.

A warmth crawls from your neck to your cheeks, but you try to pay no mind to it. You were comfortable enough with eachother for it to not mean anything, and yet everytime he does it always has your heart thumping just a little bit faster.

“Could you do a black on my ring finger?” He asks, snapping you out of your thoughts.

“Sure.” 

You both stay like this for a moment–hands touching as the show continues. He doesn’t seem to mind the contact one bit, and yet a small part of you cares a little too much about the proximity between you two. Martin and Keonho were out in the living room, watching whatever Korean youtuber entertained them for the night so it was just you two.

The room is quiet besides the aircon humming above, the cold air blowing on both of you time to time.

“Give me your left hand now.”

He obliges, checking out your work. He makes a noise of fascination and flexes his fingers after his prolonged stillness, checking the polish in different angles. He smiles brightly at it, making you chuckle at his reaction. You shake the cramps out of your hand, watching as he blows at the wet polish.

“I should ask you to do my nails more often.”

You hum in acknowledgment–he looks almost entranced with your work. A small pink dusts your cheeks after hearing his comment, but you internally shake your head.

“How’s your finger now?” You ask, pointing to the brace around the finger he had broken a few months back.

“Ah, it’s fine now.” He says, flexing it a little. 

You nod before reaching for the grey polish.

“Can you pass me the thin brush?” You hold your other hand out while opening the bottle. Check the time–3am. You want to sigh, but also wanted to continue for Seonghyeon’s sake.

He gives it to you and you can’t help but notice the way his fingers slightly linger against your palm. His touch is soft and gentle, making you almost gulp.

You don’t question it and continue working, painting a large star on top of the white coat.

It’s not like you could even date him, so there was no point in getting flustered over this.

Eom Seonghyeon is your best friend.

You bicker and scream at each other–in a friendly way of course. Everyone sees the way you hit and punch each other, even though one minute later you’ll both be sharing your food.

Everyone knows this–students, teachers, parents, and even the janitors know about your relationship. 

“I literally saw her grab the hem of his shirt.”

“Right? And the fact that he always pays for her when they go out!”

Murmurs and chatter echo around the school hallways. It’s a daily occurrence–everyone wondering about the new adjustments to the two best friends.

You sit in maths, humming a song while working on a revision sheet next to Seonghyeon.

“You did number three wrong.”

His voice cuts through your humming. You press your lips into a thin line before rubbing it out.

“You also did number nine wrong.”

You look over to the side and find Seonghyeon’s chin on your shoulder. His eyes are focused on the revision sheet and in his hands is the jelly bean ‘bean-boozled’ pack that Keonho gave him that morning.

He tears into the plastic packaging. “You used the wrong formula for 15.”

“Are you going to do this the whole time?”

“I’m already finished–it’s not my fault you misread the question.”

You roll your eyes but make no further attempt to argue back. You hear him softly open the box, the jelly beans rolling around when he places it on the desk.

He smells of fresh linen and the vanilla cologne you got him for his birthday. Bits of his brown hair fall over his eyes and his plump lips purse when he sees the flavours.

“‘Toasted marshmallow or stinkbug’, how the hell did they even get this flavour?” He murmurs.

You look over and he turns the box to you, letting your eyes scan the flavours.

“‘Strawberry banana smoothie or dead fish’?” You scrunch your nose in disgust, your interest completely lost.

Seonghyeon snorts. “Should I give that one Keonho?”

“Yeah, do it.”

You continue working on your sheet while Seonghyeon does whatever doesn’t bore him. 

He sits close to you the whole time, his arm sometimes finding its way on top of your chair. You don’t mind the proximity between you two–yet everyone seemed to make a big deal out of it. 

In fact, you find yourself leaning into it. Sometimes, when others would gossip, you wouldn’t say anything and shrug it off. 

Seonghyeon acted the same.

When Keonho would ask, he would shrug. Of course, with these cavalier attitudes you both seemed to have towards the situation ended up with even more whispers rolling around.

“They have to be into each other.”

“Iroha they could literally just be friends.”

Iroha rolls her eyes, groaning at her friend's ignorance.

“I saw them holding hands last week! Tell me if you’ve ever held hands with your boy best friend.”

She leans in, whispering in Minju’s ear.

“The other day, they were in the cafeteria–you know how it’s always crowded? I’m pretty sure I saw him wrap an arm around her waist so that she wouldn’t get pushed around.”

She whispers it like it’s a scandal, watching Minju’s eyes widen.

“Alright. Let’s assume that did happen–it’s still none of our business.”

Iroha purses her lips.

“Go ask her if you’re really curious”

“Ask who?”

They both jump at your sudden interruption. To them, it seemed like you had just popped out of nowhere when in reality you had been standing near them for the whole conversation.

You’re not even sure how they didn’t notice you.

Minju signals with her eyes, screaming out ‘ASK HER’.

“Uhm, you actually. Can I ask what’s going on between you and Seonghyeon.”

You want to laugh at them. You contemplate it for a moment but end up shrugging like always.

They both groan, Iroha in particular looking disappointed.

“I knew this was a dead end–should we ask Seonghyeon?”

You open your mouth to say something when an arm suddenly wraps around your waist. 

“Ask me what?” Seonghyeon smoothly asks, his head cocked to the side.

They both look at the contact between you and him, their mouths dropping.

“Uh, you know what? We have this… thing in the library.” Iroha gulps, packing up her tray and gesturing for Minju to hurry up.

“Yeah, yeah. We’re going to go now so have fun with whatever this is.”

When they leave, you both look at each other and chuckle. 

You walk around for a bit, watching as students rush through the tables and chairs.

“Want to share ice cream?”

It’s a Saturday when you and Seonghyeon go out.

He holds your hand as you walk through the city, letting yourself get dragged around by him. He makes sure you don’t bump into people, and even lets you take pictures off of his digital camera whenever you wanted.

You stare down at your phone as he holds you close, him making sure to look back on you every now and then. 

The cafe is quiet when you enter. The ambiance is warm and inviting, letting you both feel more relaxed as you settle down into a booth. The slow lofi beats hum in the background, and the quiet chatter makes it all the more comforting.

He sits beside you, pulling out the menu and letting you check first.

“Did they get rid of the tiramisu?” You mumbled.

He looks over, watching as you callously skimmed through the menu. He notices the way your expression scowled, making him almost chuckle. He reaches over, taking over for the search for the dessert.

“Ah, here.”

He points to the coffee flavoured dessert, watching as your eyes sparkle in joy.

“Do you want any drinks?”

You think for a moment. “Can we just share a latte?”

He nods and calls over the waiter. 

He’s unbelievably close to you as he orders. His shoulder brushes up against yours, and you don’t seem to mind one bit. 

Across the restaurant, two people seemed to have noticed the outing between you two.

“Yo, isn’t that Seonghyeon?” Maki asks, his eyes squinting to see who was beside the mentioned boy.

Wonhee looked over–from her angle she could very clearly see you, in Seonghyeon’s hoodie, while you both argued about something.

They can vaguely hear the conversation–bits and pieces of school work and calling each other stupid leaks out.

“The answer was not five over seven.”

“Well getting nine over eight doesn’t make sense!”

They look at you two in amusement, calmly sipping on their tea.

“They have to be together, right?”

“…Wait, they aren’t?”

When you walk out, you’re laughing at some dumb joke he made. They can’t help but notice the way he smiles–his eyes crinkling at the edges as you continue to laugh your heart out.

He stays close to you, holding your items as you both walk away.

The air is cold as you walk out, hearing Seonghyeon complain about another teacher.

“He’s too strict and doesn’t even let anyone breathe–the other day, he yelled at Keonho because he emailed the draft one minute late.”

As he continues to talk, you wrap your arm around his and he simply lets you. He pulls you in closer, but still pulls out complaints about the school faculty and staff.