he sits in the middle seats

not too prim and punctual to be at the front

but still likes school enough not to completely goof around at the back

sometimes your math teacher lets you do quizzes and worksheets by pair

(it’s the only way some of you can get a passing grade)

by statistics and some type of sampling, you end up getting partnered up with jake

“hi, good morning,” he’d greet with his infamous smile

now you get why all the teachers swoon for him

he’s so cute. this is going to be a problem

this is going to be a BIG problem

you were already bad at math, and now there’s a big pretty distraction sitting next to you

though, tbh, you were also relieved when you heard your name with his bc he’s ltrly known as a math genius

he’s one of the students that teachers excuse for their math contests

and wait 😭 did he just say something to u? did he ask about a formula bc u honestly have no clue

“(name)?” he’d shake your shoulder gently and it’s enough to bring you back on earth

“sorry, did you ask something?”

“oh, i’m done … if u wanted to compare answers? or if u trust me enough?”

you trust him enough

he’s ltrly THE carry

jake will speedrun differential calculus like he’s writing the alphabet

uh oh.

why does he look so HOT with his pencil and the way he writes numbers

you’re going insane

you should never be paired with jake ever again

but by some twist of fate, you always end up as jake’s partner in numerous activities

lab work and experiments and communication reports?

“jake and (name),” the teacher would announce

ofc… typical of friends, they HAVE to push you around as you walk to your seat beside jake’s

while you’re of great help with anything else, you’re starting to feel bad about his literal carry in math tho

“are you sure it’s ok? i’m just rly horrible i’m sorry,” you’d apologize

he would just laugh and dismiss your concerns

“nooo, it’s okay. i’m fine! i can tell you didn’t get enough sleep last night”

(you spent the night binging a new show that came out)

your stomach doesn’t feel so good after that one.

who gave him the right to NOTICE things now???

when your teacher returns your paired worksheets, he has the GALL to apologize

a big fat 29/30 will be written on top and he’d say “oh i’m sorry we had one mistake 😕” like BOY SHUT UP !!!!

after your partner shenanigans, you’d start talking more in the classroom

he’d give u a fist bump if u bumped into each other in the hallways while walking with ur respective friend groups

sometimes even shout your name to get your attention only to wave at you

“why are you smiling like that?,” sunghoon would ask accusingly

and you know what? jake has no shame

“(name). she’s pretty cute, no?”

BYE absolutely no shame

so now, when he speedruns an activity, you’ll find him hovering around you until he starts to make conversation

if the teacher leaves early ?? suddenly he’s transported to the seat next to yours and flirting

being friends with jake is chaotic…. bc that would automatically mean being friends with HIS loud ass friends

pretty friends have upgraded to pretty LOUD friends

they’re so annoying too

“jake and (name), can you buy us water?”, heeseung would ask

WHY R U BUYING WATER FOR HEESEUNG

but jake’s already taking your hand and dragging you away bc he will take every opportunity to hang out with you alone

BTW computer science god idk i just got the vibes

during valentines that year, he codes you a little website please end me

mind you, you aren’t even together yet

he just codes for you as a friend 😂😂😂 as if anyone’s believing that

oh and he also avails those anonymous services so you’ll just be receiving flowers from the student council throughout the day

“oooooh, who are those from,” he would be smiling like it’d be so painfully obvious it’s from him

“do you like them?” NOOOOOOO he just wants to know ok!!! tell him you love them please

OK back to normal no more valentines

when class dismisses, you’d find him lounging around the basketball court with heeseung

sweaty….. wet hair…. oh dear

jake is a sight to see when he’s playing basketball

u usually sit at the bleachers anyway bc ur friends enjoyed watching

he is SOOOOO annoying esp now that you’ve grown closer over the months

he’d make stupid plays and draw attention to you 100%

“if i get this shot in, will you go on a date with me?”

cue the screams and the teasing and the fake vomiting as you’re pushed around

OFC he makes the shot

he’s sim jake, math genius AND student athlete

“so, tomorrow after class?”

“huh?? i thought you were joking??”

“what? no! have i not been obvious? i ltrly flirt with you evry chance i get??”

“well… idk! maybe you do that with everyone!”

“only you”

OK WISH I WERE YOU THEN 😒😒😒😒😒

Why exactly were you baking red velvet cupcakes at 3:49 in the morning? March 29th, though upon first glance an arbitrary date, was a very significant day: Irene’s birthday. As your closest cousin since birth, the two of you were like pineapples and pizza—NAME A MORE ICONIC DUO I DARE YOU— but had gone your separate ways after graduation. 

Of course, having neither the time nor means of travel to visit her, you opted to donate the cupcakes to whoever you happened to run into today. Actually, this practice went back years ago; back in junior year of high school, you’d started the tradition of offering baked-from-scratch goods— or as you liked to call them, “friendship batches”—  to random people around campus. Today, you had your eyes set on the kids in your music theory class. 

To start the new decade off with a bang, you had transferred into Brendonbury. Only three months into the ‘20s and things were already off to a great start. Your new year's resolution had been to come out of your shell and make some friends, and this, you thought, was your chance to make new friends.

Your last friendship batch had been cheesecake bites, and the one before that was brownies—though you preferred not to think about those. You’d been experimenting with making healthy avocado brownies, and tried substituting all the ingredients with healthy alternatives… but the finished product was not good for anyone’s health. You grimaced, recalling the soggy, raw disaster. Should’ve skipped out on the lamb sauce.

But that dark past was long over. This time, you’d found a legit recipe to avoid any mishaps. A legit recipe paired with legit ingredients. Anyways, you’d made a number of good friends through your sweets (not including the brownies), so you hoped this time would be another success. You carefully packed away the cupcakes and stowed the container in your backpack.

Hmm… you pondered as you listened to the quiet tick of the clock. I’ve got class at 8. It’s pretty much morning already… so there’s no point in going to sleep now~ 

You flopped onto your bed, but instead of sleeping, you squandered your time scrolling through boiling hot tea on Twitter. Around 6am, you began to nod off, but before you knew it, the sun was already up. In fact, it was a little too high in the sky. You were tempted to roll back over and go back to sleep, but a frantic voice at the back of your mind urged you to check the clock. You reached for your phone, and pried open your eyes.

9:29?! Just one blink and 4 hours went by! Wide awake, you bolted out of your bed and sprinted into the bathroom. At record-breaking speed, you brushed your teeth, washed your face, changed your clothes, and tied your hair. 

Luckily, your roommate and bestie, Lia, had foreseen your predicament. Out on the dining table was a plastic Pyrex container with leftovers from breakfast. 

“Oh, I love you, Lia,” you murmured gratefully as you snatched the container, then bounded out the door.

With a loud bang, you burst into the lecture hall, interrupting the professor mid-sentence. 

“Well, well, if it isn’t the guest of honor!” Professor Brendonbury sneered, shooting you a look. Every head swiveled to see the lackadaisical sack of potatoes that had disrupted the lesson. 

“Sorry, Mr. Brendonbury… carry on,” you answered, your cheeks tinting cherry red. Panting and disheveled, you scoured the room for an empty seat. Luckily, it appeared there was one left. You dumped your bag on the ground and collapsed into the chair, burying your face in your hands in embarrassment.

“Right on time,” the boy next to you remarked with a playful grin. 

“Ugh… he didn’t have to call me out like that!” You banged your head on the table miserably. “I should’ve just gone back to sleep…”

“Then why didn’t you?” 

“Yeah, well, this isn’t exactly a class I can afford to miss.” “Haha, nerd~”

“What did you expect?” You sighed. “That’s music theory for you.”

Theory. You shuddered at the sound of the word. On its own, theory was a menacing enough course, but the class got its dreadful rep from the notorious Professor Brendonbury. If you missed so much as a day of his class... You shuddered at the thought. You’d never imagined that your GPA could get any lower. 

“What’re you talking about?” The boy cocked his head. “Theory is fun. This is the only class I don’t have to study for. But this isn’t my major anyways, so I’m not that worried.”

“Then what do you major in?”

“I’m undeclared for now, but I’m thinking either economics or graphic design. What about you?”

“I’m also undeclared! Except... music theory isn’t treating me that well… haha. I definitely know what I won’t be majoring in.” Theory… fun? Could not be me. Music theory had to be the wackest class you’d ever taken. Seventh chords, the 12-tone scale, the dance suites– you didn’t get any of it. In fact, after scoring 3 solid Cs in a row, you were half-convinced you were tone-deaf.

To your relief, you weren’t the only tone-deaf in the class; every day, the group chat was flooded with confused questions, rants, and curses against Brendonbury. So, you’d figured that his class was just one of those claw-games at the arcade: rigged af. 

One time last summer, you and Irene had gone to the mall to catch up for the first time since you guys started uni. She’d dragged you to the arcade, stepped up to the claw machine and shot you her signature grin. “Bet you a Cinnabon I win something.”

Despite not having any money on you, you’d laughed and agreed, knowing full well there was no way in hell you’d have to buy one. But to your shock, lo and behold, she brandished the fluffiest plushie out of all of them.

Though you lost the bet, she ended up buying an extra large cinnamon roll for the two of you to share. You smiled fondly, recalling the memory. Throughout the course of high school, Irene had taught you so many lessons, but this one in particular stood out: “impossible” in your eyes could very well be an opportunity you were missing out on.

Right now, you felt like you’d lost the bet all over again. Instead, this time, you were betting on your grade and you were competing against people who weren’t so nice.

Where can I meet someone like that again? You sighed. People like Irene didn’t come along very often, and when they did, they were typically out of your league.

“...but the directions are uploaded on my site. You are dismissed.” 

All around you, backpacks were being zipped and chairs were scraping on the ground. You had gotten so caught up in your heartwarming flashback that you didn’t even realize that class was over. Snapping back into reality, you whipped your head towards the boy beside you.

“What…? What directions?” 

“Why bother barging into class if you’re not gonna listen?” the boy laughed. He zipped up his black backpack, then slung it over his shoulder. Damn, just got roasted like a marshmallow set on fire. Your cheeks became the tint of the wretched cupcakes that made you late in the first place. “I was listening! I just got a little... distracted.” 

“Individual project, compose a piece based on the guidelines he’s posted.” You groaned theatrically, pulling at your hair and slamming your head against the table once again. A project?! Normally, you found composing pretty fun, but the word “project” was a word of sacrilege.

“Best piece gets extra credit.”

Your ears perked up at the sound of the word.

“E-extra credit? In Brendonbury?” You squeaked in disbelief.

The boy turned to leave, but you stopped him in his tracks with your talk no jutsu.

“Bet my piece will be better than yours,” you challenged.

“Uhm…excuse me? Isn’t that subjective?” The boy was taken aback by your spontaneity.

“Better by Brendonbury’s standards,” you answered. 

“Okay, what’re we betting?” He turned to face you, eyes glowing with confidence. So sure of himself. You shot him an ardent grin.

“Cupcakes. Red velvet cupcakes. A whole batch, in fact.” 

The boy returned your smile, and held his hand out. “Alright, you’re on, uhhh…” he trailed off awkwardly. It hadn’t even occurred to you that neither of you knew each other’s names.

“...y/n,” you finished for him, taking his hand. “May the best piece win…” 

“Hyunjin, and that would be my piece,” he grinned cheekily. The two of you shook on it, sealing the deal.

“We’ll see about that.” 

You looked into your backpack and pulled out your cupcakes.

“Hey, Hyunjin!” You called, stopping him in his tracks again. “Wanna try a cupcake before you bet on the whole batch?”

“Sure!” He took one daintily, waved goodbye, then bounded out the door for his next class.

And so, you went off to embrace your inner virtuoso and compose the greatest masterpiece the world had ever witnessed.

In your dreams. 

No. Literally, in your dreams. You were completely drained from only four hours of sleep. Under normal circumstances, four hours would be an adequate amount; you just weren’t accustomed to sleeping at 6am. As a result, after crawling back to your apartment, you flung yourself onto the couch and knocked out.

You must've slept the entire week, because when you stepped into the class the next day, you saw everyone discussing the project.

“Why are you guys so pressed about the project? It's not like it's due tomorrow or anything,” you said matter-of-factly.

The group of students that you’d interrupted stopped their conversation and scrutinized you with disdain. “Uhm… it is…? Did you even check the instructions?” Jiwon said, chewing her gum and batting her eyes slowly in annoyance.

“Where?” you asked, and slid your hand into your pocket, digging for your phone.

Jiwon rolled her eyes. “You would know if you were in the group chat,” she huffed.

As you fumbled with your phone, Jisoo advised, “I think you’d better hurry. Just planning the structure yesterday took me like, 6 hours.” She pulled out her phone, and tapped in some numbers into the calculator with her long, newly manicured nails. “You have exactly 21.4 hours.”

ii.

“Compose a multimeter original piece using nonimitative polyphony, contrary motion, a picardy third, and utilize all four types of cadences,” you read wearily. After scrolling through just the first page of the pdf, you were about to tear your hair out. 

I signed up for this class to learn about jazz composition, not classical music, you thought wearily. Great. Now I’ve just gotta figure out what the heck this stuff means. 

You spent half an hour researching on the terms, and you still didn’t get any of them. In frustration, you collapsed onto the rug. You felt hopeless and in dire need of serotonin. 

Turning to your side, you punched a few digits into your phone and set it on speaker. “Yo, hoe. Get me the peppermint macchiato and strawberry lava cake from Mia’s.” 

There was a brief pause as your sister berated you.

“No? You have class? Use my own money? I’m getting fat? You know what, if you keep doing this, I think I’m gonna have to tell lover-boy Jared about the time you—” You heard a sigh on the other side of the line, and a sharp beep. 

You sat up to stretch, smirking to yourself. Lucy Lee was a trashy older sister, but you knew just how to keep her in check.

✤

You slurped your macchiato and munched your lava cake barbarically as your sister looked on with disgust. It was unfathomable that the two of you could even be related, let alone be siblings.

“Woah, buddy. Take it easy, that was $15.23,” your sister Lucy said. There was a moment of silence. “Well, I’m not going to sit here all day to watch your mukbang. If you don’t need me for anything else, I’m going.”

You attempted to call her through your stuffed mouth, but instead choked on the crumbs. “Hey, wait!”

“What is it now?”

“I’m on the verge of failing Brendonbury.”

“Wow. Who would’ve seen that coming?”

“He assigned a stupid project and I don’t get anything he’s asking us to do.”

“Why the hell did you even sign up for music theory— music theory with Brendonbury no less? You brought this onto yourself, you dumb arse. Don’t tell me I didn’t warn you—I think I recall telling you to sign up for that graphic design class before it was too late.”

“Shaddup, my self-esteem’s already at rock bottom. Come on, don’t you know anyone who can help me? A tutor, maybe?” You begged with your hands clasped together.

“Uhhh, well, my roommate’s little bro is a music major. You might know him, he tutors at the library sometimes.”

“And who might that be?”

Your sister scrunched her brow, and then dug through some text messages on her phone. After a minute or two of scrolling, her eyes lit up and she showed you her screen. Oh, it was a name you’d hoped you’d never see again.

Felix Lee.

✤

[you] I REFUSE TO GO TO TUTORING.

[leech™] why do you do this to me all the time, i even sent you his number, just go get tutored or something

[you] DON’T U KNOW ANYONE ELSE??!?!?

[leech™] i have some stat analysis work to do

[you] girl he may or may not be that neighbor from elementary school, and i don’t wanna risk an awkward encounter

[you] fr it’s not like he’s the only guy on campus who tutors for this anyways ,,, i need the ec

[leech™] ok well, i guess you’ll have to suck it up and go

[leech™] not like ur grade is gonna get any better if you can’t even get the full score before the extra credit, maybe you should focus on getting it done decently

[you] LUCY PLS I CANT GO I LITERALLY CANT GO AND INTERACT WITH SOMEONE WHO MIGHT BE HIM AND ASKED TO BE TUTORED LIKE THAT ??

[you] looooooo ceeeeeeeee

[you] are

[you] you

[you] there

[leech™] muted

You flopped onto your bed and screamed violently into your pillow. Suddenly, you started to contemplate your life decisions. If you hadn’t made the big brain decision to go into music theory, where might you be now? 

Maybe this is retribution for the sins I committed in my past life. I wouldn’t be surprised if this Brendonbury dude really was a spawn from hell. 

Suddenly, you felt a buzzing next to you. Briefly lifting your head from your sunk-in pillow to see who it was from, you answered the phone call.

“Lia?”

“Hey, y/n! Since it’s the weekend, we were thinking of crashing at Nancy’s party tonight. Wanna come?”

You paused. Needless to say, you were extremely reluctant to turn her down. She was your closest friend in this whole wide school, and would always remember to include you in her plans, no matter how busy she got. Julia Choi was a human you didn’t deserve.

“Umm…”

“Hello? Y/n?”

“Ahhhh I’m sosoosos sorry Lia I know this is going to sound like a really lame excuse, but I have a super big Brendonbury project due in exactly...18.2 hours. And I haven’t started. It would be really cool if you sent me some pictures of you from the party! Again, I’m super super sorry, you can invite me to anything anytime after I’m out of this Brendonbury hellhole.”

Just like that, you ended the careers of many SoundCloud rappers. You just hoped you weren’t ending your friendship with Lia by skipping out on the party.

“Oh! It’s no big deal. I can just ask a few other friends, or maybe, I should just come back to the dorm to study for Sanders, haha. Good luck with your project!”

“Yeah, thanks. Bye….” you trailed off, then hung up. You sunk back into your pillow, and lay there for a while, before resolving to take matters into your own hands.

iii.

You sat on a seat in front of a polished wooden table, and nervously tapped your ceramic cappuccino cup. You’d booked a tutor on your school’s online tutoring system, and were now waiting for your tutor to appear. But for some strange reason, the admins hadn’t told you what his name was. 

As you were idly waiting, stirring your coffee and playing with the corners of your notebook paper, you took in your surroundings. It’d been a while since you last stopped by the school’s coffee shop. Apart from the cool new spring flower planter installation, Mia’s was the same as ever. Overpriced af. Still, it was refreshing to have a style change every once in a while in the crumbling, ancient building.

As you took another sip of your drink, the door’s bell jingled, and in strolled a boy wearing a black beanie and baggy sweatpants. Before you could even react, he’d made his way over. 

“Hey! Y/n, right?”

“Y-yeah. Hyunjin? What are you doing here?” You gulped, praying to whatever deity who cared enough to listen that he wasn’t the tutor.

“Oh, I’m here to work with my friends on some new graphic designs. Also to brush up on some code. I almost always go to Mia’s whenever I have group work.” He leaned his back on the planter across from you. “What about you?”

I wonder who this cool coder friend of his is. I wonder if Lucy knows, you thought to yourself. 

“Oh, um.” Crap. He can’t find out that you’re the one being tutored, y/n. You racked your brain for a quick excuse. “I’m just here to work on my Brendonbury project! It’s nice to work outside of the dorm once in a while.” 

“Ah...I still need to finish annotating my piece. Thanks for reminding me, I would’ve forgotten.” Hyunjin turned on his phone and typed something in.

“Also, Jiwon told me something about a group chat for this project, do you happen to be in it?”

“Yeah,” he said, just as he was about to pocket his phone. “Do you want me to add you?”

“Yeah, let me give you my phone number…” you said, and he handed his phone over to you to type it in. The two of you were so occupied that you missed the ill-timed entrance of your tutor.

“Well, well, well. Aren’t I a lucky guy? I never expected that after all these years, I’d be y/n’s tutor!”

“Felix?” You and Hyunjin turned simultaneously to take in a blonde boy in a blue-striped button up shirt. Felix? You cursed his embarrassingly melodramatic butt silently. You shared lots of memories with him, but they were ones you wished you could forget. 

“And I certainly didn’t expect the two of you to be exchanging numbers… a week into class!” Felix smirked, nudging his friend with his elbow. “Didn’t know you took music theory.”

“So…you're tutoring her?” Hyunjin said, bewildered. “Do you two know each other?”

Your face was beet red in your embarrassment. Great. So Felix was Hyunjin’s chic coder friend. This is so embarrassing. Clearing your throat, you pulled Felix by his sleeve. “Right. So you gonna tutor me or not?” you asked, scowling.

“Bye Hyunjin!” you mouthed, waving him away frantically.

“Okay, see you guys later then!” Hyunjin said with a small, knowing smile, and left for an empty table at the other side of the cafe.

After making sure he left, you stared daggers at the boy seated across from you with disdain. He’d been your neighbor all through elementary and middle school— no, he wasn’t just some “neighbor”. You didn’t really know how to describe your relationship with him. Frenemies? Somewhat. Mortal enemies? More accurate.

“What are you doing here?” you asked, arms crossed, with a small smile. “I haven’t seen you after that party at Aisha’s at the end of eighth grade.”

“I should be asking you what you’re doing here. Brendonbury, huh~” he cocked his head inquisitively. “Never thought you’d be one to go into music theory~” 

“What do you mean? What kind of classes do you think I’d take?” You were somewhat curious about his impression of you. 

“Uhhhh probably something like algebra or physics? I dunno, something dorky.” 

“Excuse me?! Dorky?!?!” Infuriated, you stomped his foot with the sharp heel of your leather boots. “Ack, hey! What the hell was that for?” The jerk indignantly massaged his toes as if he hadn’t said anything wrong.

“Back then, I was ‘chicken nuggets for brains’ because I didn’t study enough, but now that I know a thing or two, you’re calling me a dork? Forget it.” You collected your things and got to your feet. “I'm not getting tutored today.”

“Where do you think you’re going? You called me all the way out here and now you’re just packing up and leaving? Come on, don’t you think that’s kinda rude?” he said, all the while smirking.

“You think I wanted you to be my tutor? Forget it,” you huffed. “You’re the last person I’m getting tutored by. I’d rather fail.” You turned away and started towards the door. 

“Hey, come on, you aren’t really leaving, are you? That’s not very nice, y/n.” Just pretend that he doesn’t exist. Damn jerk. You picked up your pace, not wanting to be in the same room as him for even a second longer. He looked so different from before, but he was still the same, pretentious douche who only ever communicated through flippant remarks.

“Wait, y/n, don’t go. I was kidding, come on!” 

Without warning, you were yanked back. That damn jerk had exposed you, made fun of you, and now he was grabbing you by the wrist. 

“What is your problem?! You can whine all you want about how hard it was for you to haul your ass over here. I don’t care— you’re being a rear end, and I’m sick of it!” 

“That’s not— agh, I didn’t know you’d be so touchy about it! I didn’t mean it… I was kidding. Anyways, we both took time out of our schedules to come here, so let’s just get on with it. Truce?” Felix held his hands up in surrender. “I promise, I don't bite.”

“No! No truce!” You were still very much pissed. “You’re always ‘kidding,’ ever since elementary school and even now. Why can’t you grow up already?” 

“You aren’t a dork. I was trying to say that you’re smart. It’s kinda weird. I mean, back in the day, you were the only kid who didn’t know how to multiply, and you didn’t know the difference between an adjective and an adverb—”

“Hey! Why’re you bringing that up now—” you started.

Suddenly, you noticed a shift in the atmosphere of the cafe.  Your obnoxious bickering had shattered the formerly serene vibe, and the cafe’s patrons were glaring at the two of you. You could feel their eyes burning into you like lasers.

“—but now, you have your life together: you put in effort and you worked your way here.” 

You eyed him suspiciously. His attitude, demeanor, everything just did a 180. There was a catch, you just knew there was.

“Your sweet talk was not very effective. What do you really want, Felix Lee?” Your face was turning red as more and more people were looking at you.

“Hehe, got me. What I’m really after, rather than volunteer hours, is… your heart☆” Scrunching his face in a playful grin, he took both your hands in his.

You sighed in exasperation. There was just no end to this kid’s antics. Pulling him away, you hissed obscenities under your breath. 

“You’re insufferable. You know what? Fine. I’ll do it for my mom and for my grade. As long as you help me put up with Brendonbury.” You plodded back to your seat and set your 99 ton backpack on the ground with a large thud.

“I knew you wouldn’t go,” he smiled. “I’m just too irresistible.”

“Irresistible my ass,” you hissed, stomping him under the table for the second time. “And that was for being a jerk.”

“Come on, I already said sorry for that!”

“By the end of this, I’d better have a masterpiece to turn in,” you grumbled. “One that's better than Hwang Hyunjin’s.”

You wondered whether extra credit was worth the trouble of dealing with this douche.

✤

“I...still don’t get it.” You threw down your cheap dollar store pen and ruffled your hair in frustration.

“I still don’t get how you could be so slow,” Felix muttered under his breath.

“Says someone who majors in computer science but still takes cross disciplinary classes for fun,” you retorted, crossing your arms.

“Okay, let’s see,” Felix continued, ignoring your comment. “We need to find a new way for you to understand this material. We need an easy analogy.”

“What’s something you enjoy? Like, a hobby, maybe?”

You took a moment to think, then responded, “Baking, I guess. Red velvet cupcakes.”

“Now, think about baking those cupcakes! You’ll need ingredients, and you’ll need to follow a series of steps to get it correctly. The style of music is the type of cupcake. Cupcakes all share the same basic ingredients, but small additions make all the difference. For example, jazz would be different from rock, so the mood and rhythm of the piece will be different, although they use the same musical notes. Remember—they are just arranged differently.”

You nodded, taking notes as he spoke.

“You see these weird terms?” Felix asked, shaking a packet of vocabulary words. “They’re just fancy words for the ingredients you want in your piece. You’ll need a base, and the add ons just make the cupcake taste better. And in this case, make the music more complex and sound better. To give an example, adding more trills is like adding more sprinkles. Adding more makes it taste better, but too much makes it too sweet. You have to find a balance.”

Felix paused, waiting for your aching wrist to catch up on writing notes.

“Of course, you can’t have a cupcake without baking it. This is how structure works. You have to choose the type of mold.”

“So, it’s like, if I want to make cupcakes, I have to use a baking cup?”

“Exactly! Of course, people are constantly breaking composing norms and making new, experimental music. That’s why it’s called contemporary music.”

“Hmm…” You tilted your head at your notes, clicking your pen.

“Get the analogy?”

“Yeah. I just don’t know how to put it together.”

“Alright! This is where music is different from baking. There’s no step by step way to make your own music. You just have to feel it, and write down whatever sounds good. Music is just a recipe for a special type of noise.”

Your eyes grew wide. “Thanks, Felix. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to unthink that.”

“Do you have any more questions?”

“Yeah, just a few terms here and there. But I think I got this.” You said, slowly. “Thanks, that was quite helpful. I think I’ll call this…” You gave a small smile, as you gave a title to the new page of notes you just took.

The Red Velvet Theory.

✤

“Ooh, someone’s been productive~” Hyunjin whistled, taking out his earbuds to listen to you run your music on the laptop. The product of your blood, sweat, and tears for the last 4 hours.“Though I’m surprised you managed to get things done with this idiot at your side.”

“That makes two of us,” you remarked with a sigh.

“Now it makes three of us,” Felix chimed in, looking up from the rhythm game he was playing on his phone. “I’m really impressed you got things done without being distracted by my awesomeness.” 

“Oh, shut up,” you and Hyunjin said in unison. Your eyes met, and the two of you snickered. When it came to anything Felix-related, you felt like you and Hyunjin could already read each other's minds. Telepathy. 

“Jinx,” Felix remarked. “Now you guys both owe me a dollar. Pay up.”

“And y/n,” he added, “I expect extra. You know, a reimbursement for my hard work.” 

“Like hell.” You looked over at Hyunjin, and the two of you burst into a laughing fit once more.

“Ahhh, I’ve fallen victim to extortion. Come on, you think these services are free?!”

“What ‘services’ are you going on about, weirdo?” Hyunjin gave him an icy side glance that could freeze the Sahara Desert over. Your last remaining brain cell did a double take before processing the dirtiness of Felix’s statement. 

“I exist to serve—”

You put up your hands to shut him up. “Okay, I’m gonna have to stop you right there.”

Hyunjin shot you a sign of approval. “Nice one, y/n! And as for you,” he flicked the forehead of a distracted Felix, “don’t you dare even think about doing something weird to y/n.”

Felix chuckled, eyes not leaving his phone game. After the last game, he turned off his phone and bounded off to the upstairs library to grab a book.

You smiled distractedly, not bothering to take your eyes off your paper. A perfect fourth sounds too generic… maybe I could go for a major seventh chord instead. But then it might sound too rich—

“Working hard, huh?” You nearly jumped out of your skin. You’d been so absorbed in your work that you hadn’t realized that Hyunjin had been watching you work over your shoulder. 

“Hey, you’re good at this! You weren’t lying earlier, when you said theory was hard? Or were you being modest?”

“Ha… haha. I wish,” you sighed.

“Oh, come on. You should have more faith in yourself! On the other hand, Felix could learn a thing or two from you.”

Oh, the irony.

“Anyways, I’m gonna head to my dorm to get started on my piece. Good luck with yours! And call me if that weirdo starts acting weird or anything! See ya,” he waved goodbye before leaving the cafe.

✤

10:29 pm. 

“Hahhhhh, finally finished!” You held the score up to the light in triumph. 

“About time. Gimme that, I need to check the ending.”

Exhausted, you shoved the whole stack of papers into his face. A look of scrutiny painted on his face, he flipped through the pages, scratching a few notes here and there. 

After his thorough examination, he revealed the verdict. “It’s pretty okay. Though you could improve it by— hey, let’s go.” 

You blinked groggily, wondering if you might’ve misheard the last part. “What? Improve it by what?”

“Improve it by going to bed, getting a good night’s sleep, then making your final tweaks in the morning with a clear mind,” he said. Shuffling the papers together, he got to his feet, then collected the rest of your items strewn across the table, and helped you pack it into your backpack.

“Thanks,” you murmured sleepily. “That’s uncharacteristically nice of you.” “What do you mean ‘uncharacteristically’?! I’m nice!”

“I beg to dif—” Then suddenly, a black mass was thrown at you.

Did I just die? you wondered to yourself. Maybe his act of kindness ended the world. Some things are just not meant to be.

The end of the world was warm, fluffy, and surprisingly comfortable. In fact, it wasn’t the end of the world at all. It was Felix’s hoodie. 

“Hurry up! It’s so dark outside,” Felix scolded. “The cafe is closing.”

“What’s it to you, anyways? Why’d you even wait this long? You should’ve left earlier, then!” you grumbled in annoyance, stamping your feet. “Also, what’s this? Your hoodie?”

“But someone might kidnap you when no one’s looking! And you’re gonna get sick if you stay out too late. Just put it on. I don’t want to have to tutor you if you ever miss even one day of Brendonbury” 

“What are you, my mom?”

“Here.” Felix crouched down, then motioned for you to get on his back. “Call your roommate and tell her to come pick you up.”

You pulled out your phone and texted Lia. Then, too tired to argue, you climbed onto his back and enjoyed a quiet, comfortable ride back to the dorm. Falling asleep to the lull of his strides, you didn’t even realize that you were hitching a piggyback ride from your mortal enemy—a surprisingly comfy ride. 

“Here we are,” he announced, gently putting you down. “Your roommate here yet?” 

You took a quick glance at your phone, then nodded. “Yeah, she’s coming. And… thanks. For helping me, for staying so late, and for the piggyback ride.” 

“Hmm… I’m gonna have to bill you an extra 10 dollars—” he grinned playfully. 

“Hey!” you interjected. Should’ve seen that coming. Felix, you never change, do you. 

“Kidding, I’m kidding. Hurry up and go to sleep! And don’t forget to set your alarm. I’m gonna call you at 5 am sharp.” 

“Okay, I’m going, I’m going. See ya around,” you smiled. Beneath his annoying facade, Felix was a total worrywart. 

“Don’t forget! 5 am!” 

“Ugh, why so early?! That’s self-harm! I can’t get up until the sun comes out!!” 

“Suck it up. You can always take a nap afterwards, anyways. Now hurry up and go.” 

“Alright, bye.” With a final wave, you ran to the dorm door, where Lia was waiting.

“Hmm… staying out so late… with a guy…?! Could it be, could my little y/n finally be growing up…?!” She squished your cheeks endearingly,  then took your backpack from you. 

“Nah, I was just getting tutored. It isn’t like that,” you explained. But a tiny part of you kinda wished it was. 

“Sure, sure. He’s at least an 8~ It’s a heart-racing tale of love between an unsuspecting bookworm determined to pass her class and her hot, playboy tutor!” Lia grinned in amusement of the third-rate drama plot she’d fabricated.

“Geez, you gotta stop spending so much time on Viki. I told you it isn’t like that!”

“But you’re blushing~” she teased. To your surprise, your cheeks were hot and there was a fluttering feeling in your stomach.

What the hell, y/n! This is the first time you’ve seen him in 5 years, and he’s a total jerk! Get your shit together! You slapped your cheeks to bring yourself back to reality, but the butterflies wouldn’t go away. 

As soon as you stepped through the door frame, you threw your backpack down and flopped straight into bed. “I’m gonna sleep first, then finish my work in the morning. Thanks again, Lia.” 

“Where are you going?! Go brush your teeth and change!” She hauled you out of bed and pushed you into the bathroom. You seriously abhorred having a second mother.

After you washed up and got into your pajamas, suddenly, you didn’t feel so tired anymore. Your phone beckoned for you to pick it up and browse through memes. Though you knew you were just shooting yourself in the foot, and of course, you obliged, scrolling through them one after another until 3 hours had flown by. Unexpectedly, despite the ungodly hour, your phone buzzed with a text.

[hyunjin]

[hyunjin] just finished my piece ahh

[you]

[hyunjin] lolol is bb keeping you awake too?

[you] nah im pretty much done

[hyunjin] huhh whyre you still up then? go to sleep haha

[you] looking at memes 

[hyunjin] no more memes for you! go to sleep now!

[hyunjin] hhhhh

[you] make me lol

[hyunjin] ...you asked for it

[you] ?? whatre u talking abt lmaooo

[you] uhhh u there…?

[you] helloooo

[hyunjin] and done! 

[you] ????

[hyunjin] i just cast a spell over your phone 🔮✨

[hyunjin] now you better put it down and go to sleep or else itll explode 

[you] hahaha nice try

[you] i think u put a sleeping spell on me bc i suddenly feel sleepy

[you] gn 🌙

iv.

It was a breezy, cloudy morning, one perfect for coffees and buy-one-get-one-free deals. You grabbed a warm latte at Mia’s, only to be pleasantly surprised with a free latte. Without even trying to conceal the smile on your face, you grabbed the two coffees and bounded out the door.

You woke up this morning feeling super-motivated. In your excitement, you felt that you could almost save the world. That is, if you could save your sanity and your grades first. Strolling casually into Brendonbury, you slid onto the seat next to Hyunjin. “I gotchu a coffee.”

The boy next to you broke into a wide smile as he took the drink with both hands. “Thanks, but why’d you think to get me a drink?”

“Hmmm...I guess I just felt nice today.” You shot him a playful smile.

“You’re not late today, surprisingly. Did you take the wrong allergy medicine this morning?” He mused. “Or did my sleeping spell wear off that quickly?”

“Perhaps I just felt confident that things are going to go my way today. You know, I actually feel proud that I was able to finish my project. It’s not...half as bad as I thought it would be.”

“I think I’m still going to win, if that’s what it takes to get a whole batch of red velvet cupcakes,” he said self-assuredly. “If the offer’s still up.”

Crap. You’d forgotten about that. But then again, it wouldn’t be so bad to bake another batch anyway. “Of course,” you replied back. “We’ll have to see who gets the extra credit first.”

Suddenly, the loud chatter in the room quickly reduced to hushed whispers as the students scrambled into their seats. The lecture hall’s door swung open, and a man of short stature strode in.

The air was tense as Brendonbury, the round, pot-bellied teacher, entered the classroom with the graded compositions. You felt cold sweat beading on your palms, which you frantically tried to wipe away on your skinny jeans. Please don't let him win, you thought, quietly praying. The suspense from the last couple of days of waiting was killing you, and your stomach churned in fear of what was to come next.

Hyunjin leaned towards your direction, not taking his eyes off of the teacher. “I heard his TA, Peter Han, helped him grade the papers,” he whispered.

“Wait, the one on SoundCloud?” you asked quizically.

“The very one who studied in Malaysia and Korea, and is now back to complete his PHD in musical production.”

Damn. You weren't sure what was more surprising: the fact that Brendonbury hasn't graded a student paper in his career, or someone so professional existed... as this man’s TA.

“Ahem,” Brendonbury cleared his throat awkwardly in the lecture hall, and the sound waves echoed off the walls all the way to the back of the room. Making his presence known (he really didn't even have to clear his throat, even a dust particle would be wary of this presence), he threw the thick packet of graded papers on the desk. 

“So the projects are graded, and I’m going to call your name for you to pick it up. Big thank you to my TA for helping me out again with these papers...he reviewed all of them thoroughly and I am proud to say that everyone did a great job this time around.”

Fumbling with his spectacles, he finally put them on after much effort. “As for the student who won first place…”

The air hung still. The room was silent, and your heart was in your throat. You could feel the sweat beads squeezing out of your pores; there was nothing else on your mind but winning. Please let it be me, please let it be me, please—

“Y-y-n-” the teacher stuttered. “Oh, sorry, the winner is Arnold Day. Congrats!”

There were a few scattered applauses in the room, and mostly discontented moaning. 

Hyunjin frowned as a curly-haired boy with braces went up to claim his assignment. “Arnold? I’d bet a hundred bucks that Seo Changbin from econ can produce better tracks than this kid. Heck, he could do classical if he were to start today.”

His words went in one ear and filed out the other. You responded to him with just silence, as you stared blankly at the grey wall.

“Hey, I’m sure you did great.”

You felt a comforting hand on your shoulder, and you smiled at its owner in return for the kind gesture. You weren’t too sure how to respond. “Thanks, you too.”

As Brendonbury called out the names, each student walked up to the front of the room to claim their graded work. After the two of you sat back down, you decided to lighten up the atmosphere.

“Oh, by the way. What happens when neither of us wins? Do I still have to bake a batch of cupcakes for you?” You blinked at him, as if it were a serious question.

“Mmm…” Hyunjin tilted his face, trying to read your face. “Maybe?”

You giggled at his innocent response, then grabbed your planner to add something else to your schedule.

✤

[you] RING RING BIATCH 

[jerk™] so youre awake after all

[you] sry my last braincell just died

[you] oh hey youre awake !! did u not sleep at all LMAOO

[you] do u wanna be 🐱 or 🐸 in my contacts

[jerk™] cat

[you] alr i gotchu down as 🐸 

[you] did u not reply to me bc u were on fortnite

[jerk™] huh sorry i was doing a mission ☆

[jerk™] i was on animal crossing haha wdyw

[you] i was just wondering if i could pop by later

[jerk™] maybe? I have to do smthg w hyunjin later so

[jerk™] why? all of a sudden?

[you] 9am mias be there or be square

v.

You sat at a table at Mia’s (more specifically, the one where you were tutored), anxiously waiting for the arrival of Felix. You had a whole batch of cupcakes on the table, and a tightly sealed envelope with a letter inside. Your feelings were burning you up from the inside, and your OCD had you checking your phone every 25 seconds.

“So what did you want?” 

You jumped out of your skin. The chair beside you had been occupied; in your anxiety, you didn’t hear the scrape signifying Felix’s arrival. 

“What the heck was that for?!” you cried indignantly, then smacked him across the back of the head. 

“Akskfn hey! What was that for?! What did I even do wrong?!” 

“Don’t sneak up on me next time,” you huffed, crossing your arms.

“Sneak up on you…? When did I even— okay, sure. So why’d you call me out, anyways?”

It felt as if your heart was going to stop. Why are you so freaking nervous, y/n? It’s common courtesy to say thanks. Just hand him the letter like you practiced. 

“Here, this is a letter… I wrote… for you…” you trailed off, cursing silently. Why do you have to be so damn awkward, y/n?!

You scrunched your eyes closed in anxious apprehension of Felix’s response. When he didn’t say anything, you peeked at him, stomach full of dread. 

“Huh? What’d you say?” Felix was on his phone, tapping the screen fervently. “Wait, lemme finish this mission up first.”

“Why don’t you put your phone down,” you suggested forcefully. 

“I know, I know! It’s almost done, I just need to—”

“You damn game addict! You look like a vampire. Some face to face communication would do you some good,” you berated.

“Shut up! Why don’t you take a good look in the mirror before talking?” he shot back. “You’re crustier than the booger that fell out of my nose this morning.”

“Well, at least I—”

“You two sure are close,” a voice cut through your bickering. “Hey, y/n. Looks like we meet again.” 

“Oh, Hyunjin. I was hoping to run into you,” you smiled.

“What’re you doing here? Go away. Me and y/n are having some bonding time, so you better stay out of it,” Felix smirked, sticking his tongue out at his friend.

“‘Bonding’ time? Don’t you just mean ‘sitting around fiddling with your phone’ time?!” Irritated, you flicked his forehead with all the strength you could muster.

“Ouch! Why do you gotta be so freaking violent, y/n?!” Without taking his eyes off his device, he rubbed his head indignantly.

“Just giving you what you deserve,” you replied nonchalantly.

“What do you mean, ‘what I de—’” Felix started. “Oh, right. Before I forget, tada! Here are your cupcakes! They might be sorta crumbly, but they were made with love, hehe. Wanna try one?” You held out a deformed cupcake proudly, but no one took it.

“Uh… Hyun...jin? Huh? Where’d he go?” Confused, you whipped your head around, scanning the cafe for your rival, but he was nowhere to be found. 

“Guess he got scared of you and ran away,” Felix teased.

“Oh, shut up. I gotta go find him.”

You scooped up the cupcakes and flew out the door in hot pursuit of your unsuspecting target. He had his hands in his hoodie pocket,  walking briskly. 

“Stop right there, Mr. Hyunjin…Hwang, was it?” 

Bewilderment written all over his face, Hyunjin spun to face you. “‘Oh, y/n? Need something?” 

“Why’d you leave? You could’ve at least said bye, you know,” you frowned.

“Uh… well, it looked like you and Felix were in the middle of something, and I didn’t wanna interrupt. Sorry,” he smiled apologetically.

“It’s not like we were doing anything serious. Wait, this isn’t because of what he said earlier about having bonding time, is it…?” 

“Nah. I just didn’t wanna get caught up in your barrage of insults, haha. Nice job setting him straight. Anyways, what’d you run after me for?” 

“I believe I promised you one dozen red velvet cupcakes, and I intend to follow through.” You presented your masterpieces: twelve somewhat edible lumps of diabetes. 

“Ah… you actually made them. I thought you were kidding. But… I’m fine. I’d feel bad if you gave them to me without getting anything in return.” Hyunjin held his hands up, warding away your gifts. His feet shifted away from you, his eyes tinged with a hint of pain.

“Take. Them.” You thrusted the diabetes into his arms, but he pushed you away. 

“No.” 

“Take them.” “Nuh-uh.”

“Come on, are you really gonna insult me like that?! I went through all this hard work to make them, and they’re gonna spoil in a few days!” 

“I’m on a diet, anyways. I’m getting kinda thicc,” Hyunjin mustered a weak smile, patting his belly. “But I appreciate the sentiment,” he added. 

“Just take them! As a symbol of our friendship, and as a toast to a year of suffering and damnation in Brendonbury.” “Haha… it’s gonna be a long year…” 

“Are you taking graphic design next year?”

“Most likely, yeah.” Hyunjin scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

“Catch you in Watson’s class next year, then.” You threw him a wink and a finger gun. “You can be my graphic design buddy.”

Shoving the dozen cupcakes into his hands, you made one last remark, “I’d rather have a fat buddy than a buddy who won’t accept my gifts. A deal is a deal.” Turning around, you quickly bounded back in the direction of the cafe.

As you turned around, Hyunjin walked in the opposite direction. The boy’s cheeks turned the color of the pink dusk sky. He played with the dead autumn leaves, creating a satisfying crunch every time he stepped on one. He walked like this, cupcakes in hand, as each step took him one bit closer to home.

It’s nice to have a friend like y/n. A buddy. For some reason, the word tasted a little bitter on his tongue.

You looked in the cafe window, and saw Felix staring back at you. It was hard to read his face, his expression a concoction of...confusion? Happiness? 

He must’ve read the letter. 

You were too scared to go in and find out. Instead, you quickly waved at him and ran all the way back to the dorm. Face twice as red and heart beating fast, you grabbed your phone to send him a text that you went back to your room. Unable to speak or even exist in the same space as yourself, you threw yourself onto your bed. 

I want to know what he was thinking... You lifted your head off your pillow. No, y/n, what were you thinking? You buried your face into the pillow once more. Dammit. I want to cry, but if I cry, I can’t do anything else!

Then came a dreaded buzz. Heart racing, you read the notifications.

[jerk™] yes

[jerk™] 8pm by that retro arcade in the mall, be there or be square

[jerk™] since you left me rudely like that, this is the only way i can talk to you

[jerk™] in case ur impatient arse was wondering 

You scoured over the messages once, then twice, reading them over and over, trying to dissect the intentions of the boy behind the screen. After rereading for the sixth time, you set your phone down and put your hands to your cheeks. 

He wants to see me again. He wants to see me again. Your heart fluttered at the thought, and the grin on your face was stupidly wide. No matter how hard you tried, you just couldn’t get your emotions under control. 

It was totally irrational, completely senseless—how could you fall in love with a jerk you’d despised all through elementary school? 

To be honest, you didn’t really care. 

✤

“There you are! First things first, why’d you go ahead and ditch me without saying a word?! Don’t you know how fragile my delicate heart is?!” Upon your arrival, Felix assaulted you with a barrage of words. 

“Sorry about that…” you muttered, looking down. It hadn’t occurred to you that your flee might have rubbed him the wrong way. 

“Geez.” There was a tap on the top of your head— and now your hair was all messed up. “You had me worried there… next time, you have to tell me if something’s wrong! What was I supposed to think when you just ran off without a word?! You can’t just leave like that. Got it?!” 

“Yeah, yeah. I got it, mom. So do you wanna go to the arcade?” 

“Hey! Who do you think you’re calling mom?!” 

You snickered, and ran off into the arcade room, with him running close behind you.

The boy chasing you was, by fundamental nature, a jerk. From the moment he was born, now, and forever. However, Felix Lee was an embarrassingly and endearingly caring jerk, but the only one that you would care to spend all your days with.

✤✤✤

a/n: i’m sry this is hugely overdue SKJDHFSKJDFH ikik, i lied and it’s a whole week– uhh month and 2 weeks and one day– past Valentine’s day...😔 i’ve let you guys down :( i’ve too busy lately and struz and we rlly weren’t in the mood to be working on fics. we’ll try to make it up to you guys in the future !! sorry if the storyline is incoherent too kjdfhbdhfb sorry i’ll go rant in the tags

p.s. oof this is another uni fic about projects … we have other drafts so pls take this fic while we fix up the other ones…