ROYAL FAMILY

1
"I'm home." The king mumbled as soon as he stepped inside the palace. It was already late at night so he was
not expecting for his wife to come and greet him but part of him was still hoping that his wife will but he
knows that the later could have fallen asleep by this time. Tough luck, your majesty. And in the king's surprise,
he didn't expect to see their little angel to be wide awake. "Daddy!" A cute four years old boy called as he ran
to his father and hugged his long legs. "Hey baby." Mingyu picked the boy up and showered him with kisses
on his cute little face. "Welcome home daddy." The kissed his father's cheeks in return. "Why are you still
awake?" The king asked but before the boy could answer, someone approached the two, panting. "Prince
Chan. King Mingyu." Mr. Secretary, Jisoo greeted and bowed at the king.

"Oh. Jisoo, could you explain to me why is my little prince still awake?" Mingyu asked as he tapped his son's
nose. "I'm sorry, my king. I was about to put the prince into bed the prince was having a tantrum about wanting
to see his mother." Jisoo replied with his eyes directed on the ground. "And what made you stop my prince to
see his mother?" Mingyu raised his eyebrow. Jisoo sighed as he composed himself before replying to the king.
"The queen fainted earlier and the royal doctor suggested for the queen to rest and not to be disturbed."
"Fainted? Did you let him do some chores again?" Mingyu asked skeptically. "No, my king. He was just
playing with the prince the whole day."

"Did you tire mommy, that much?" Mingyu asked his son. "Sorry daddy. I just wanted to play with mommy."
Little Chan pouted, oh how can Mingyu resist that pout. "Okay, okay. I'll let you see mommy for ten minutes
and after that you'll go to bed, alright?" "Promise daddy." Little Chan nod his head cutely. "Let's go to
mommy!" Little Chan squealed and Mingyu could only chuckled at his son's reaction. "You could go for now
Jisoo, just go to our room after ten minutes to get the prince and place him to bed." "Understood, my king."
With that Mingyu head towards their room with an exited Chan on his hold.

"Mommy's sleeping so be sure to be quiet, alright?" Mingyu stated with a finger placed on his lips, telling his
son to be quiet. "Little Chan quiet." Chan replied, copying his father's action. The time Mingyu let go of his
son, Chan ran to the bed quietly and sat beside his mother's sleeping figure. "Daddy, isn't mommy so pretty?"
Chan asked as he caresses his mother's cheeks. "He's a beauty, I could say." Mingyu chuckled. "Mommy looks
like sleeping beauty. And daddy is he's prince charming." Little Chan giggled. "You should kiss mommy,
daddy." "Mm? Kiss? But sleeping beauty was kissed by a prince and daddy is a king and you're a prince, so
you should kiss mommy." "Nooo, daddy should be the one to kiss mommy." Chan pouted. "Okay. Just one
kiss." And Chan nods his head quickly.

Mingyu was about to kiss his wife on his lips, but the later turned his head making the kiss land on the cheek
and his wife was laughing. "Really, Kim Wonwoo?" Mingyu chuckled. "Look baby, mommy turned his head
away and he's laughing. He must be awake when we entered." Little Chan gasped and scold his mother.
"Mommy~" "Hey honey." Wonwoo greeted as he sat up and placed their son on his lap. "You should let daddy
kiss you." "He did. On my cheeks. Now let me kiss you." Wonwoo started to tickle and shower little Chan with
his kisses. "Stop it mommy." Mingyu could only smile at the sight. He didn't grow up with a happy family. His
father stopped treating him as a son and his mother left him. Now he promised to himself to do anything to
make his family complete for their son to grow up with.

"Your highnesses, it's me Jisoo." The secretary informed as he knocked on the door. "You may enter." Mingyu
ordered. "I'm here to take the prince as promised." "But-" "No buts baby, you promised." Chan pouted. "You
should go now, honey. You should sleep." Wonwoo pats his son's head. "Okay. Good night mommy, daddy."
Chan kissed his parents one last time before holding into Jisoo's hand to leave. But even before they could get
out of the room, Chan ran back to his mother. "You'll play with me tomorrow, right?" "Of course, honey."
"Yey. Love you mommy." "What about me?" Mingyu pouted. "I love daddy too." "We love you too baby. Go
and sleep now." Chan followed his dad and held on Jisoo once again to leave.

"He's so cute." "Mm... Just like you." Mingyu winked at his wife that made Wonwoo blush. "I've heard you
fainted earlier." Mingyu started as the two of them lie down. "I'm fine." "Fine? Kim Wonwoo, are you hiding
something from me?" Mingyu looked at his wife skeptically. "I'm fine, okay? But if you'll get me some fresh
grapes tomorrow, I'll tell you." "You're really hiding something from me." Mingyu sat up and looked at his
wife in disbelief. "I'm just joking, my king." Wonwoo smiled and caressed Mingyu's arm teasingly. "Lie down,
my king. I believe that I need your warmth right now." Wonwoo pats the space beside him. "Tell me what
you're hiding first." Mingyu insisted.

"Well if you can't really wait until tomorrow then okay, I'll tell you. But you have to give me my grapes,
okay?" "We have the whole yard to get it. Just tell me." Mingyu was becoming impatient. Wonwoo grabbed
Mingyu's hand and placed it above his stomach. "Did you hear that baby; daddy's going to give us grapes
tomorrow." Mingyu gasped upon hearing those. "W-what? Did I hear it right? Baby?" Wonwoo nods his head
eagerly. "I'm 2 weeks pregnant." Wonwoo announced. "I'm going to be a father again?" Mingyu asked once
again. "Thank you, thank you." Mingyu kissed his wife one on his lips and one above his stomach. "Hey baby,
its daddy." Mingyu caressed Wonwoo's belly, as he talk to their baby.

♦•♦•♦
"Thank you so much." Mingyu started to kiss Wonwoo slowly. It started from an innocent one to a needy and
passionate one. Mingyu licked Wonwoo's lower lip, asking for entrance which Wonwoo gave. Mingyu
explored every inch of Wonwoo's cavern, leaving no spot to be missed by his tongue. They broke the kiss to
gasp some air and Mingyu proceed to Wonwoo's neck, licking and biting every inch of his skin, marking
what's his. "Gyu~" Wonwoo moaned at the sensation from his husband's work. "You're so sweet honey."
Mingyu whispered at Wonwoo's ears seductively. Wonwoo was really needy right now, especially because of
the hormones, rushing through his body.

Soon after, all their clothes was already taken off and scattered at the floor. Mingyu started with those nipples,
licking and playing with it using his tongue. Sucking it both time to time. He ran his tongue to Wonwoo's chest
down to his navel, marking his skin. He settled between Wonwoo's legs, hands on his thigh, and tongue on his
wife hot entrance, licking it good. "Mingyu-ah~" Wonwoo gripped on the sheets as he moaned for more. He let
out a whine when the other stopped. Mingyu brought three fingers at Wonwoo's mouth, making the other suck
it and wet them good. Mingyu removed his fingers from Wonwoo's mouth and brought them southwards. He
attacked his wife's lips as he pushed in one finger. "Mmm~" "You're so tight. ~" He entered the second one and
the third after fingering his wife. "Ah! There~" Wonwoo moaned as his husband hits his sweet spot.

Mingyu removed his fingers and placed the head of his member at Wonwoo's entrance slowly, pushing the
whole thing in. "Mm~" Both of the moaned in pleasure. "M-move~" Mingyu started moving slowly, not
wanting to hurt his wife and their baby. "Ahh~ ahh~" Wonwoo gripped on Mingyu's shoulders, legs encircling
the other's waist. Mingyu began to speed up his pace upon hearing Wonwoo's grunts, asking for more. "I'm
close~" "Let's do it together. ~" Mingyu kissed Wonwoo's abused lips as he continued to thrust, hitting the
other's great spot. After a few more thrusts, both of them came together.

...

After their love making, Mingyu lied down beside his wife, spooning him into his embrace. "I love you."
Wonwoo stated as he snuggled closer to his husband. "I love you too." Mingyu replied, placing a kiss on
Wonwoo's head. "And I love this side of yours when you're pregnant." Mingyu added that earned him a slap
from Wonwoo. "What? Where's the shy Wonwoo I know especially when we're making love?" Mingyu teased.
"I hate you. You and your baby made me like this." "It's OUR baby. And it's a good thing then, I guess." Both
of them laughed together before they bid their good nights to each other. "Good night my king." "Good night
to you too, my queen." Soon they fell into a deep slumber with those smiles on their faces.

Just look at how the lives of a two teenager who was set up into an arranged marriage. Love happens to
everyone. After one year of marriage, Mingyu was crowned as the new king of Ecuratan with the news of his
queen, Wonwoo, being pregnant with their first child, Kim Chan, made the event more memorable not only for
the couple but to the whole country. Four years after, they're expecting another one.

...

Family is not an important thing. It's everything.

2
"How are my four favorite people?" The king asked as he entered his son's room, proud smile etched on his
face. It was still early in the morning and the queen and the prince was playing before the king came in.
"Daddy!" Prince Chan was released from his mother's hold as he ran to his father side. "Hey baby." Mingyu
placed his son on his arms. Wonwoo chuckled at his boys before standing up slowly, walking next to his
husband. "My queen." Mingyu lowered his head and kissed his wife's hand. "Did our little monsters give you a
hard time today?" Mingyu asked as he caressed Wonwoo's swollen belly. "Not really."

"No! The twins kept on kicking mommy earlier." Chan revealed. "Really?" "Mmm." Little Chan nods his head
eagerly. Mingyu kneeled in front of Wonwoo and caress his baby bump. "Hey babies. Don't give mommy a
hard time, okay?" Wonwoo smiled as Mingyu placed a quick kiss on his belly. "Me too! Kiss." Chan puckered
his lips asking a kiss from his father too. Mingyu chuckled as he showered his son with his kisses. Chan was a
fan of kisses from his parents so he would always ask a kiss from them.
"Daddy will you play with us?" Little Chan asked with his puppy eyes. "Of course." Just how could Mingyu
resist that cute son of his? “But promise me that we’ll not play too long. We have to go somewhere.” Mingyu
taps his son’s nose. “Promise.” Chan raised his right hand. “Good.” "Yes! Let's go at the garden." Chan
detached himself from his father as he ran to the garden. "Wait for us." Mingyu stated as he helped his wife.
Wonwoo was already 20 weeks pregnant but since he's carrying twins, he looked like he's 28 weeks pregnant.
And it's both boys.

When they reached the garden, Chan quickly ran with his father chasing after him. Since he cannot ran around
so much, Wonwoo just looked at the king and the little prince playing happily. "Isn't good seeing him smile,
my queen?" Someone spoke up beside Wonwoo. "Yes it is." Wonwoo chuckled. "Thank you for staying by his
side my queen." The man beside him smiled at him genuinely. "Don't thank me, Mr. Secretary." Wonwoo
chuckled. "Do you want something, my queen?" Jisoo asked. "I'm okay. Thank you." Jisoo nods his head
before taking his leave to do his other duties.

"Mommy!" Chan ran to his mother and sat on Wonwoo's lap. "Are you tired, my prince?" Wonwoo asked as
he wiped his son's sweat. "No. I want to play more! Daddy! Let's play again!" "Play with the maids first baby,
daddy's tired." Mingyu stated as he settled down beside his wife. "Okay. Play with me later, okay?" "Okay."
Little Chan take that as a cue before he starts running again.

"He sure has a lot of energy." Mingyu breathed out as placed his head at Wonwoo's shoulder. "Tired, my
king?" Wonwoo asked as he wiped the sweat at his husband's forehead. "Super." "You should prepare my
king. There's two more boys incoming." Wonwoo teased. "Oh god! You won't make daddy ran too much,
right?" Mingyu asked as he placed his head above the baby bump and he received two consecutive kicks from
their little monsters.

"Did they kick as yes or no" Mingyu asked. "We don't know my king. Let's wait until they're out." Wonwoo
chuckled as he brushed Mingyu's bangs. "Daddy! Mommy!" Prince Chan called, waving cutely at his parents.
Mingyu and Wonwoo smiled and waved back at their son. "I should go and play with him. He might throw a
tantrum if I break my promise." Mingyu chuckled.

"Energize me, my queen?" Mingyu asked his wife as he puckered his lips. Wonwoo cupped Mingyu's cheeks
and kissed his lips. "Okay now, my king?" Wonwoo asked after breaking the kiss. Mingyu stretched his limbs
and pats his chest. "More than energized, honey." Mingyu winked. He was about to run to his son but he
turned back to his wife and cupped Wonwoo's face and kissed him on the lips. "There. Much better." Mingyu
smirked before going to his son. Wonwoo just shook his head from his husband's antics as he continued
watching at his boys playing.
After playing, Wonwoo helped the father and son to bath and prepare for the ceremony they’re going to attend.
Wedding ceremony. Mingyu’s uncle, Seungcheol was already getting married after all those years. He will be
marrying Yoon Jeonghan, 35 years old, son of a noble family from Korea. At first the couple thought that he
was a girl since the later has a long hair and “quite” a beauty, courtesy of Kim Mingyu saying that his wife’s
more beautiful.

•♦•

The family head to the same church Mingyu and Wonwoo got married. There is not too much guest since
Seungcheol and Jeonghan wanted to keep it simple and quiet. After the ceremony, Little Chan ran to the
newlywed couple with his parents following him. “Grandpa Cheol!” “My prince!” Seungcheol brought the kid
into his arms, letting out a grunt. “My, you’re getting bigger and heavier my prince.” Seungcheol pinched his
cheeks. “You’re just getting older, uncle.” Mingyu rolled his eyes. “I’m not that old you brat!” Seungcheol
scolded. “Yeah forty is not old.” Mingyu stated sarcastically. “Your daddy is mocking me.” Seungcheol pouted
as he tapped Chan’s nose earning a fit of giggles from the child.

“Congratulations on your wedding.” Wonwoo congratulated the newlywed. “Thank you, your highness.”
Jeonghan smiled. “Congratulations of your baby too, your highness.” Jeonghan added. “Thank you.” Wonwoo
smiled sincerely. “Speaking of baby, I didn’t remember you being pregnant before I travel six months ago but
you’re already this big.” Seungcheol started. “How far are you?” “Five months.” “Five months?” Seungcheol
asked in disbelief. “We’re having twins.” Mingyu butted in as he takes Chan from his uncle. “Wow. I’m so
proud of you Kim Mingyu.” Seungcheol pats his nephew’s shoulders. “I want to have twins too, Cheolie. ~”
Jeonghan stated dreamily. “I could give you more than a twin honey.” Seungcheol winked at his wife. Mingyu
could only shake his head at his uncle’s antics.

•♦•

“Daddy, can we go to the bathroom?” Chan asked, tugging his father’s sleeves. “Sure. I’ll just bring Chan to
the bathroom.” Mingyu stated as he made Chan stand on his feet as they walked hand in hand. While walking,
the three who was looking at the father and son walking away smiled unconsciously at the sight of Mingyu
smiling at his son while Chan looks like he’s saying something to his father, making those big hand
movements as if describing something. What Seungcheol noticed is the sincere smile that Mingyu gives, it
wasn’t fake but pure sincere.

“It’s good that he’s been smiling a lot more.” Seungcheol stated and Wonwoo hummed in response. “Thank
you Wonwoo.” “Hmm? For what?” Wonwoo looked at the other confusedly. “For making that brat happy and
smile.” Seungcheol chuckled. “Hmm? I didn’t do anything.” Wonwoo raised his eyebrows in bewilderment.
“Just being you makes him happy.” Seungcheol replied patting Wonwoo’s head before composing himself
before Mingyu comes back since the later might scold him for touching ‘his’ wife. That nephew of his could
be possessive when it comes to his wife. Just how many times Mingyu scolded him for being near Wonwoo?
It's was a change for the whole Ecuratan people to see the king always smiling, totally different from the prince
they knew before. From an ice prince to a warm king. Mingyu could still be strict and cold at times especially
when it comes to work since it's for the sake of the whole country. Many thanked Wonwoo for the king's
change but for Wonwoo, he would always say that he didn't do anything even when he's part of it.

...
The LOVE of a FAMILY is Life's Greatest Blessing.

3
The time the queen was giving birth with the twins, someone was both worried and excited. "You're making
Channie dizzy, daddy." The little boy spoke up pouting at his father's direction. "Sorry baby." The king sighed
before deciding to settle down beside his son. He was walking back and forth earlier; he couldn't keep himself
from staying at one place especially when his wife's giving birth. Mingyu sighed as he looked at his son who's
sitting calmly holding his favorite teddy bear. The little prince was not allowed to be there but because of his
persistence plus those puppy eyes, the staffs allowed him.

"How could you stay calm, hmm?" Mingyu asked caressing his son's cheeks. "Mommy's strong, he's going to
be fine." Chan smiled cutely at his father. Mingyu couldn't help but to be proud of his four year old little
prince. The king smiled back at his son and kissed his forehead. "Little Chan will be a big brother now, right?"
"Hmm." "Chan can't wait to play with babies." The boy giggled making his father smile. With his cute son's
smile, the king calmed down a little bit especially when the doctor came out with good news.

"Your highness will be placed in the recovery room. As for the princes they're both alive and healthy.
Congratulations my king." The doctor along with the other nurses congratulated the king. "Thank you."
Mingyu smiled back at them and sighed in relief. "We'll be preparing the queen's private room. We'll transfer
your highness later." The doctor stated before excusing himself. "Daddy, when can we see the babies?" Chan
asked tugging his father's pants. "Later baby. Let’s just wait, okay?" Mingyu ruffled his son's hair and Chan
nods his head cutely while mumbling about how exited he was to meet the twins.

"Hey." Mingyu greeted his wife kissing his hands. The queen was already placed into a private room for him to
rest. "Hello to you too, my king." Wonwoo chuckled. "Where's Chan?" Wonwoo asked and as if a cue, a cute
little boy came in while holding the secretary's hand. "Mommy!" Chan squealed upon seeing his mother
awake. He ran next to his father both hands raised up asking to be carried. Mingyu carried his son and placed
him beside his mother. "How's my little prince?" Wonwoo asked brushing off the boy's hair. "I'm fine. Daddy
kept on walking earlier." The boy giggled as he exposed his father's secret.
"I’m not surprised." Wonwoo teased his husband. "Are you mocking me, my queen?" Mingyu narrowed his
eyes. "No, my king." Wonwoo chuckled. Their moment was interrupted by a knock on the door. "Your
highnesses." Two nurses came in with the twins on their hold. "The princes." Wonwoo sat up slowly with his
husbands help and carried one of the twins. "He's the first, my queen." The nurse hand in the baby. "And here's
the second one." Mingyu carried the second one with his thumb caressing the baby’s cheeks. "They're
beautiful." Mingyu smiled, tears forming in his eyes. "Babies. ~ Can Chan kiss baby brothers?" The boy asked.
"Of course honey." Chan smiled and placed a kiss on his brothers' head.

The first baby has small eyes with cute rounded cheeks. While the second one was a little bit smaller carbon
copy of his twin brother. "Have you decided their names, your highness?" Jisoo, who was watching the family
asked. "Hmm? Do you already have names for your baby brothers?" Mingyu asked their first born. "Mmm."
Chan nods his head excitedly. "The first one is Hoshi, and the second one is Woozi!" Chan revealed. "Hoshi
and Woozi?" Wonwoo asked. "Mmm." "They're wonderful honey." Wonwoo smiled and stared at the twins.
"Kim Hoshi and Kim Woozi." "They're perfect. Thank you baby." Mingyu smiled widely upon hearing those
beautiful names given by their first born.

After recovering, Wonwoo was allowed to go home with his little princes after two days after giving birth. Just
like the time he gave birth to their first born, the whole palace was delighted about the twins’ birth. After a
week Mingyu goes back to his duties as a king but never forgets his duty as a father for his three princes. His
boys would always make him forget about his stress from his king duties. As for Wonwoo, he’s repeating his
daily routine he had when he gave birth to Chan. Even though they have so many maids, he wanted to be the
one who will take care of their sons. He would manage his time taking care of the twins and playing with his
little prince, Chan.

Their four year old son was a great help for him especially when he needs to put the twins to bed. It was like
magic when Chan would read stories for his brothers; the twins would calm down and will start to drift off to
dreamland upon hearing their older brother’s voice. Just like now. Wonwoo was seated on a chair beside the
twins’ crib with Chan on his lap. “Mommy, Chan’s getting sleepy too.” The boy stated after finishing the story
he was reading and seeing his baby brother sleeping peacefully. “Alright, let’s bring you to bed.” Wonwoo
kissed his son’s head before carrying him to his shared bed with his husband.

Wonwoo laid his son at the bed beside him. “Mommy, do you think Hoshi and Woozi would like to play with
me when they grow up?” Chan asked his mother groggily. “Of course honey. They would love too.” “Really?”
Wonwoo hummed in response. Chan snuggled closer to his mother as Wonwoo caress his back. “I’m sure
they’ll like mommy’s hugs and kisses too.” Chan mumbled making Wonwoo laugh. “Can you sing for me
mommy?” “Of course. Just close your eyes, okay?” Chan nods his head cutely and closed his eyes as Wonwoo
started to sing.

You and I write everything down on a love letter oh

And throw it into the empty sky

The wind will embrace us

So that your painful days of the past are erased oh

I will hold you tightly and never let go

I will always be by your side

I still have

So many things

I ended up not able to tell you

I open my arms

And swear to the sky

I won’t leave you and run away

You and I write everything down on a love letter umm

And give it into the empty sky

Upon hearing his son’s steady breathes, Wonwoo ended the song, placing a kiss on his son’s forehead.

Few minutes after, the king peek his head from the door and smiled at his wife. “Hey.” Mingyu greeted as he
entered their room. “How are my little monsters?” Mingyu asked as he made his way to the twins’ crib. “They
just have fallen asleep.” Wonwoo replied. Mingyu nod his head, smiling as he stares at their twins. He placed a
light kisses on the twins’ forehead carefully not wanting to wake them up. “How about our little prince?”
Mingyu asked as he settled down beside his wife, placing a kiss on his son’s head. “The same.” Wonwoo
chuckled.

Mingyu placed his arm around his wife’s shoulders, his head on his chest. “They’re wonderful.” Mingyu stated
as he kissed his wife’s head. “Thank you, my queen.” “For what, my king?” “For giving birth to our three
beautiful boys.” “They’re not here if it’s not because of you, my king.” Wonwoo chuckled making Mingyu
smile. “Indeed but it’s you who suffered.” “No. You were there for me, my king.” Wonwoo looked up to his
husband smiling lovingly. “I love you.” Mingyu caressed Wonwoo’s cheeks, dipping his head down to kiss his
wife fully on his lips. “I love you too.” Wonwoo smiled wider.
 ...
Family, where life begins and love never ends.

4
The queen quietly peeked inside the princes' room and smiled at the adorable sight. The twins were curled up
beside their older brother whose body is sprawled out on bed. Wonwoo entered inside the room carefully, not
wanting wake his boys up. He made his way to the bed and pats his first born's little bum lightly. Chan stirred
from his sleep, eyes trying to open.

"Mommy?" The now eight year old boy asked groggily, rubbing his eyes with his fist cutely. "Shh..." Wonwoo
placed his index finger at his lips signaling his son to keep quiet. Chan became wide awake when he
remembered what day is today. "Let's go?" Wonwoo asked quietly. Chan nods his head cheerfully as he tried
to get out from the bed without waking his brothers up. He held his mother's hand as they head out the room
and go downstairs.

"Do you think they'll like this?" The eight year old boy asked his mother as he stared at his creation. "Of
course, my prince." Wonwoo smiled at his son. "Let's put this inside the box first, okay?" Chan nods his head
and followed his mother's instruction. After fixing everything they have prepared, Wonwoo instructed his son
to wake his brothers up and prepare themselves while he does the same to his husband.

...

"Hoshi~ Woozi~ wake up." Chan caress their backs as he wakes them up. "S-sleep." Hoshi mumbled as he
cuddled with his twin brother. "If you two will not wake up then I'll tell mommy to cancel our trip to the park."
Upon hearing those, the twins shot up, completely awake. "No! Go to park. ~" "Alright then. Let's take a bath
and get dressed, alright?" Chan ruffled the twins' hair. The two nod their head cutely before crawling out of the
bed to prepare them.

...

Meanwhile... Wonwoo head to the bed where a sleeping log was located. He settled beside the sleeping man as
he shakes the other lightly. "Wake up, my king." Mingyu stirred from his sleep and opened his eyes slowly.
"Good Morning, my king." Wonwoo greeted the king with a smile, eyes turning into crescents. "Good
Morning to you too, my queen." Mingyu greeted in low, raspy voice. "Where's my kiss?" Mingyu asked as he
sat up and puckered his lips out. Wonwoo chuckled before placing a quick kiss on the king's lips.

"Have you already taken a bath, my queen?" Mingyu asked as he walked towards the bathroom. "After you,
my king." "How about you join me, my queen? You know its fun that way." Mingyu wiggled his eyebrows
playfully. "No need, my king." Wonwoo chuckled at his husband's antics. Mingyu smirked as he made his way
to his wife. Wonwoo let out a shriek as Mingyu scooped him on his arms, carrying him bridal style. "I beg to
differ honey." Mingyu winked at his blushing wife as he made their way to the bathroom.
The royal family made their way to the shaded area of the park for them to settle down while the royal guards
scattered around the area to ensure the family's safety. "Hyungie~ let's play." The little Hoshi tugged his older
brother's sleeves. "Alright. Woozi?" Chan asked the other who looked at their mother. Wonwoo nods his head
making the later join his brothers. "Okay." The trio quickly ran away and starts playing.

"They're getting big now." The king smiled at the sight of his sons playing as he settled beside the queen.
"They are." "I miss taking care of a baby." Mingyu stated as he send Wonwoo a knowing look. "Ahh... The
weather's really nice." Wonwoo tried to change the subject making the other pout. "Don't change the subject,
honey." "I should prepare the food, the kids might get hungry." Wonwoo ignored his husband. "Just you wait. I
wonder how you will react once our boys asked for it." Mingyu smirked and Wonwoo just rolled his eyes as he
prepares the foods.

In the middle of their playing, Woozi stopped his movements as he stared at the other family within the park.
The little girl that's playing with her brothers caught his attention the most. His thoughts were interrupted by
the muffled scream from his twin brother. "Hosh incoming! ~" Hoshi ran towards his twin brother and hugged
him from the back. "What are you looking at Woojiji?" "Look at her Hosh." Woozi pointed towards the little
girl's direction. Hoshi detached himself from the other and stood beside him as he holds Woozi's hand.

"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Hoshi asked as he stared at the little girl. Woozi hummed in response.
"Hoshi~ Woozi~ Mommy and Daddy's waiting for us. Come quick." Chan called. The twins glanced one last
time at the girl before running towards their older brother, still hand in hand.

...

"Surprise! Happy Birthday my little princes." Wonwoo and Mingyu greeted the twins, holding the cake that
Wonwoo made with Chan earlier for the twins fourth birthday. "Wahh!!! Thank you daddy, mommy,
hyungie!" The twins thanked in chorus as they stared at the delicious, mouth-watering cake in awe. "Did you
like the cake?" Chan asked his brother that earned him a cute nod from his brothers.

They sang happy birthday for the twins before making them make a wish and blow the candles. "Happy
birthday boys." The king greeted as he showered the two with kisses making them giggle. "Daddy, mommy,
hyungie. Aren't you going to ask what we wished for?" Little Hoshi asked with Woozi nodding in agreement.
"What is it?" The two looked at each other before nodding their head and stated their wish in chorus. "We
wanted a baby sister!" Wonwoo gasped as Mingyu smirked at his wife. "Ohh... I want a baby sister too." Chan
cooed. "Can we have one, daddy?" Woozi asked their father, hoping. "Of course baby, right honey?" Mingyu
smirked at his wife. "Y-yeah." Wonwoo stuttered, blushing.

Hoshi and Woozi together with Chan, they squealed in excitement. The kids ate their lunch as they talked
about how excited they are to have a baby sister. Mingyu got near to Wonwoo, wrapping his arm on the other's
waist bringing him closer to him as he whisper something to Wonwoo's ear. "Hear that, my queen? The boys
wanted a baby sister." Wonwoo gulped hardly as his cheeks continue to redden. "Ah... I can't wait for tonight."
He whispered seductively. "Ha-ha, maybe some other time?" Wonwoo asked, looking at his husband
nervously. Mingyu shook his head the same with his index finger. "You don't want to disappoint our boys,
right?" Mingyu asked as he ran his fingers to Wonwoo's cheeks down to his chin. Wonwoo smiled in
uneasiness as he stares at his husband.

"Relax, my queen. You'll like it." Mingyu smirked wider before placing a chaste kiss on Wonwoo's lips. "Me
too! Kiss!" Their little boys stated in chorus upon witnessing their father kiss their mother. Mingyu complied
as he showers the three with kisses, leaving Wonwoo praying for tonight.

...
Time spent with Family is worth every second.
JUST A KISS

12

It's been a week since the vacation started and the gang plans to have some fun since
they barely see each other and how much their disgust that Mingyu misses them while
cursing some words that don't even exist to this world. Soonyoung then suggests to go
to a famous amusement park just next to their town which everyone agrees.

10:05am Kwon Soonyoung: where the hell are you Mingyu?

10:06am Kim Mingyu: Five minutes more

Mingyu walks out to their house after putting his shoes on then starts to run towards
the SVT cafe where they will meet as what on the plan. The morning sunlight almost
blinds his sight and burns his skin since today is the first time again he goes outside but
he loves the great weather to hate it.

The door chimes jingle as Mingyu pushes the door of the store, already loving the start
of his morning with the smell of brewed coffee. He inspects the whole space and notices
Wonwoo sitting at right corner next to the counter table. He smiles widely as fixes his
shirt and hair to look presentable before motioning to the latter. What a lovely morning
for you almightly.

“Hey.”

Wonwoo tilts his head from reading magazine and is greeted with Mingyu's blooming
face and canines. He smiles back, “Hello Mingyu.”

“Where are the others?” Mingyu asks as he looks around.

“Oh. Soonyoung just went to rest room. The rests are not here yet.” Wonwoo
announces.
“About a damn time Mingyu dear!” Soonyoung comes back with a gleeful expression
before giving Mingyu a back hug.

“Hello to you too Soonyoung.” Mingyu laughs at Soonyoung as he points at his chubby
cheeks. Though he didn't see him just for a week, he gets a lot of fats on his cheeks.

“I didn't even notice him at first. Thanks to your eyes and hair color.” Wonwoo joins the
laughter.

“Don't worry, you still look fab Soonyoung. I even like it.” Mingyu assures him when he
sees the pout on Soonyoung. Wonwoo nods as agreement.

The three of them continues the conversation mostly teasing Soonyoung's cheeks while
laughing for almost ten minutes when they hear the chimes announcing someone
enters the cafe. Everyone looks at the front and sees Jisoo and Jeonghan come in
together hand in hand. Wait, holding hands?!

“Here!” The two hears a familiar voice foreknowing it's from Soonyoung. Jisoo turns a
bit and sees Soonyoung waving his both arms in excitement with stunned Mingyu and
Wonwoo. He grins then starts walking with Jeonghan beside him their hands still
intertwined.

“Finally! I thought the lame hopeless confession I anticipated so much would be until
we graduated. I guess I'm wrong.” Soonyoung stares at the couple lovingly.

“Like you didn't even say anything to Jeonghan before.” Jisoo gives him a deadly glare
but Soonyoung is an energy ball that can't affect with it.

“Congrats Jisoo and Jeonghan. But honestly, I never knew you two like each other. I
don't even think that two of you are... uh... you know.” Wonwoo points at their clasped
hands.

“It's okay. I just wish you don't see it weirdly.” Jeonghan says with a smile and
Wonwoo only shakes his head.
“So tell me grandpa, how did you confess?” Mingyu wiggles his brows as he waits for
Jisoo's explanation.

“Nah. He's too shy for that. I did everything to tease him but I also ended up
confessing first.” Jeonghan winks at Jisoo.

“But I just thought you're just being clingy that's why I didn't assume!” Jisoo protests
with a pout. Jeonghan only scoots closer to remove the pout away with a quick peck.

“Okay... You two are so disgusting.” Mingyu fakes a snort but deep inside he feels
relieved that the two become an official couple for god's sake. How about me and
Wonwoo?

“So what did a missed my dear bitches?” Everyone shrieks from what they are doing
before gazing at Jihoon's welcoming smug smile.

“Jihoonie! Jisoo and Jeonghan are a couple now!” Soonyoung loudly announces and the
couple blushes when some customers look at them but with a smile.

“Well then. It's gonna be more disgusting to see to of you doing lovey dovey. But
anyways, I'm so happy for both of you. On your reception after wedding, let CL's 'Hello
Bitches' be the music until it ends.” Everyone gives Jihoon a dibelieving look and he
only gives a small 'what?'.

“Ayo Jihoon!” Everyone looks at the counter and sees a boy whose like on their age
calling Jihoon.

“Hey Seokmin. Just got here?” Jihoon asks at the newcomer.

“Yeah. Where's Seung-” Before he could finish his question, Jihoon already sends a
deadly glare at him which he receives the message well. He chuckles before redirecting
his question to another one, “Are those your friends?” Never thought he could be
disguise as a cute creature.
“Yeah.” Jihoon is still eyeing the latter and sighs in relief no one gives him a suspicious
look.

“Hey Seokmin!” Soonyoung waves excitedly at the cashier attendee while jumping from
his seat trying to be noticed.

“Hello to you lovely cute customer. I'm so happy you know my name though this is the
first time I see you here.” Seokmin smiles sheepishly when Soonyoung gives a kicked
puppy look. He winks at him, “Well then, have fun!” He gives one last glance at his
lover before muttering a voiceless 'sorry' with flying kiss not noticed by the others and
marches towards employee room.

“Did he just called you cute?” Mingyu hoots at Soonyoung who only shrugs the feeling.
Soonyoung fishes out his phone as he start typing message.

10:56am Kwon Soonyoung: I hate you T^T how did you know Jihoon? >:(

10:56am Lee Seokmin: I love you too baby <3 he's our frequent customer don't worry
i'm not cheating on you. let's just hide it for now okay? :*

10:57am Kwon Soonyoung: ugh. K my eyes are looking at you -,- we are heading now
to amusement park. Next time we should go there alone. love you baby~

10:57am Lee Seokmin: sure my soonshine :*** please keep safe and have fun. I love
you too B-D <3

ღღღ

Soon enough they already reached their destination and everyone jumps in excitement
when they see those big rides and tents full of plushie toys and delicious foods.

“Waaaaaaaaa~ this is my first time going on an amusement park.” Wonwoo says in

amazement, wide smile plastered on his face as he captures every part of the
amusement park.. Mingyu stares at him with so much affection.
Much to their excitement feeling, Mingyu is more excited not because of rides or
whatsoever extreme things here but the fact he researched last night about sweet
things to do in amusement park. with the person you love and he learned quite enough
information. His heart is beating so fast like it will break the rib cage at the thought of
he will going to do those. It's now or never. Seems like Japanese people are pro with
this~

They all start to stroll around the place as they join the crowd. Jisoo and Jeonghan are
glued to each other almost impossible to retract from their closeness and it's
disgustingly cute if you would imagine. Jihoon is busy taking care of this Soonyoung
who is excited over everything he sees. He doesn't even want this stupid energy tank to
be lost ever again because that's a very mortifying and embarrassing at the same time.
He will cry and cry and cry and screams like a lost baby which is very ugly to watch.

On the other hand, Wonwoo is also like Soonyoung but the calmer version. He doesn't
say anything but his expression on his face says so. How much Mingyu adores when
Wonwoo's face lights up in happiness and his heart voluntarily wants to explode from so
much feels. Once in awhile, Mingyu stares at Wonwoo lovingly and he wants to puke
those butterflies from his stomach. He also feels like those neurons in his head light up
and blink in different colors. Much gay colors.

He just need a right timing for his confession.

ღღღ

Plan #1: Rides

“Maybe we should start on rides now.” Mingyu suggests, not knowing it's part of the
plan.

“Let's start there!” Soonyoung points at the infamous high roller coaster.

Mingyu can see how Wonwoo becomes uncomfortable so he goes near to him before
slinging his left arm to his shoulder, not minding the fast pace of his heartbeat. “Don't
worry, it'll be fine.” Wonwoo gives him a small smile before nodding but there is still the
slight nervousness in him.

The engine starts and everyone screams in excitement. Mingyu looks at Wonwoo and
starts to worry because his face is so pale. Hesitantly, he reaches for his shoulder
before putting his hand at the top of it. “Just hold on me if you're scared.”

Wonwoo gives him a tight smile. The ride starts to move slowly up the rails and
Wonwoo freaks out out, his face becomes more pale. Mingyu can't hold his worries
toward the latter so tries his best to cheer him as if it's still possible. When the ride is
about go deep down, Mingyu is surprised when Wonwoo puts his hand on Mingyu's,
intertwining it tightly. He looks at him and almost breaks his heart when Wonwoo is
trying to contemplate the tears.

Mingyu gives a squeeze on it and Wonwoo looks at him, “I'm here for you Wonwoo.”
Mingyu soothes Wonwoo sweetly and notices those shades of pink on the latter's
cheeks. When he looks at the other side, his smile is as creepy as a maniac, his skin
almost ripped from the feels. Everything after that is blurred.

The gang goes down the ride after an extreme ride experience and you can clearly see
the different expressions on their faces. Jisoo and Jeonghan are laughing while
Soonyoung is jumping continuously, his face saying he wants more. Jihoon has his
poker face like did he just feel nothing?! Wonwoo's pale skin slowly fades and has his
charming smile again.

Mingyu on the other hand, has still the creepy smile and face flushed at the incident at
the top. He can't believe Wonwoo held his hand and the best thing is that it's
intertwined to his own. The day is getting better and better for him.

They tried every rides they can see enjoying it disregarding if it's a kiddie ride (courtesy
of Soonyoung). Their rides are full of laughter and happiness, getting a freedom from
the wrath of books and pens.

Plan #2: Booths

“Waaaaaaa! That bear is so cute.” Wonwoo points the big white teddy bear hanging.
Mingyu then got an idea so he pulls Wonwoo at the game booth.

“Hello there!” An old man greets and the both of them politely greets back, “Welcome
to basketball booth. The rule is simple. You just need to shoot ten balls without any
errors to claim those big prizes.” He points at those big plushies above.

Mingyu pays for it and the old man gives the basket full of balls to him. He looks
determine to get that bear since Wonwoo likes it. He will do anything for Wonwoo
though it might sound creepy and disgusting.

“Hey Wonwoo. If you're a basketball, I won't shoot you.” Wonwoo gives him a confused
look but he continues as he throws the ball, “Because I might miss you.” Very smooth
almighty.

First try: fail

Mingyu continues to shoot those fucking balls until it's done.

“Well then kids, 7 out of 10 balls is not bad. It's okay, you can get a prize.” Mingyu
feels bad that he didn't get the grand prize for Wonwoo but at least he still got a prize.
He redeems the prize and he is a bit surprised because he won a couple bear. A fucking
couple bear!!!

The size of it is not that small but nor that big compare the grand prize. He inspects the
thing and his face heats up at the reality that he got a couple thing though they're
not! How I wish we are...

“So, at least we still have bears?” Mingyu says as he hands the bear to Wonwoo, trying
to hide those blushes.

“It's okay, I'm happy on what you got. Thank you Mingyu.” Wonwoo receives the bear
wholeheartedly before flashing a charming smile that glows and Mingyu wants to just
die from cuteness.
Plan #3: Cotton Candy

Mingyu buys a cotton candy. A cotton candy. One cotton candy. Not two.

“You want some Wonwoo?” Mingyu offers him.

“It's okay, I'll just buy.” Wonwoo declines, ready to turn his heels.

“No. Let's just share.” Mingyu utters as he tries not to sound so desparate. Wonwoo
eyes lights up before picking a good amount of cotton at the stick.

According to some love stories Mingyu researched, cotton candy is one of the best
things to eat for a couple (scratch that couple word) when you're in carnivals or
anywhere outside. When you share a cotton candy to the person you love and wants to
share the rest of your life, both of you will get an eternal love for each other. It's also a
good timing to confess while you're sharing it to him/her to put more sweeter feelings.
It doesn't hurt if Mingyu tries it right? Right.

“Uh..” Mingyu coughs to get Wonwoo's attention which succeeds, “I just want to tell
you something.”This is it.

Wonwoo looks at him, still stuffing sweet cottons on his mouth. “Yes?”

“Uh. You know, I just... I just want to say that I like-”

“Cotton candies!” You. Damnit!

Soonyoung comes out of nowhere and Mingyu's mind gets blank and dark. Wonwoo
reaches the stick to Soonyoung and the latter obediently stuffs the remaining cottons to
his mouth before moaning at the sweet treat.
“Hey Mingyu.” Wonwoo calls him but he doesn't snap. “Hey.” He waves in front of his
face before the latter comes back to the hurtful reality. “What are you saying you like
something?”

“Uh.” Mingyu panics, “I-I like to try the Ferris Wheel later. Come with me?” He
nervously laughs.

Wonwoo eyes him in confusion but immediately shrugs it. “Okay.”

But it's a bad thing to share a cotton candy to a third party. It will be gone in just a
minute.

Plan #4: Ferris Wheel

If you failed in cotton candy, then you still have another option: Ferris Wheel. It's more
romantic than the first option, only two of you in one ride. Meaning, you can get solo
the person you love.

“It's already dark. Maybe we can go to Ferris Wheel now?” Mingyu suggests and Jisoo
and Jeonghan are the first who agrees. Soonyoung and Jihoon decline the offer
excusing themselves to just sit somewhere where they can rest and also eat.

“Jisoo and Jeonghan don't need to eat something. They can eat each other later.”
Jihoon smirks and the couple blushes madly, embarrassed at his statement.

“I'll come with Mingyu.” Wonwoo says, already beside the latter.

“Okay. We will just wait until you're done.”

Mingyu and Wonwoo enters one of the booths of the ride before closing the door.
Wonwoo becomes nervous again because both sides are transparent, making him feel
dizzy so he scoots closer to Mingyu, their arms and legs almost touching.

Mingyu stiffens a bit because 1) they are very close; 2) they are all alone; and 3) this is
too romantic, more romantic than what's happening on shoujou mangas. So he does
initiate first to close their distance and he already feels the smoothness of his skin.
Good for him Wonwoo didn't react anything from what he did.

For minutes passed they didn't say anything, already comfortable in silence and the
scenery. Mingyu looks at Wonwoo through his side and he can clearly see that the latter
is smiling a bit. Maybe this is the best time to confess.

Mingyu coughs, “Wonwoo.” The latter only hums as response but Mingyu is satisfied
that he is listening.

Mingyu's heart starts to beat again abnormally as he tries to collect all those best words
to say. He doesn't even know that blood creeps up to his face now. “You know, I just...”

“Please continue.” This time, Wonwoo is now looking him, eagerly waiting for Mingyu to
say something. He is smiling, smiling at him. Smiling at me.

“I don't know what to say this but you know-”

He doesn't finish what he wants to say when both of them hears a loud boom from the
sky. Mingyu and Wonwoo look at the right side and colorful things are scattered in the
sky.

“Wow!” Wonwoo slowly says it, amazed at the colorful fireworks as it continuously fires
with different colors and styles.

Mingyu feels a pang on his heart, that he didn't have a chance to say those words he's
itching to say. But as he scans Wonwoo's expression, he feels relieved and happy that
he's enjoying everything. So he just looks at the colorful fireworks too, making his self
comfortable at Wonwoo's presence. Only his presence.
“Mingyu.” Wonwoo calls again for him but this time, he's still looking at the fireworks.

“Yeah?”

“Thank you.”

“For what?”

“For making me happy every time.” Wonwoo turns around to face Mingyu who is now
blushing, his mouth gaped unable to say something, “You make me happy, really.” He
smiles, pure innocent and honest.

Mingyu's eyes widen because he is surprised at what Wonwoo just said. He knows that
the latter is not that talkative when it comes to his feelings but only expressing it. It's a
sudden event that he really appreciate. He quickly smiles, his eyes glistening in
happiness. “Just for you.”

There's still enough time to confess. No need to make everything fast.

13

It's 9pm when the six of them leave the amusement park. Their next stop, Wonwoo's
house. They plan to have an overnight after their morning trip in amusement park and
Wonwoo volunteered to use their house. He asked his parents' consent and they
happily allowed him since this is the first time he will bring what he calls his true
friends.

On their ride back to the town, Wonwoo hesitantly and awkwardly begins to tell the
whole story of his life as an adopted son. Everyone listens to his story as they wear a
sympathetic expression because Wonwoo never experienced to have a good life with his
true family unlike them. Nevertheless, they are so glad that his parents has a very good
friends who adopted him without any hesitation. He bites his lower lips as he tries not
to spill a tear in front of them. Wonwoo looks so fragile with glossy eyes, as what they
thought. After that, everyone cheers him.

“Don't worry, we are now part of your family Wonwoo.” Jisoo pats Wonwoo, reassuring
him with a wide smile which the others nod.
“Thank you.” Wonwoo says with a big smile, showing how he is happy right now.

“I just want to ask if you have any sibling?” Jihoon asks, curious about Wonwoo since
he doesn't still know him unlike the others.

“Yes, I have a brother, beyond our age also. But he's the true son of my parents.
Mingyu already met him so many times.” At the mention of of it, everyone except
Mingyu are very intrigue to his brother that they want to meet him.

“Hope you will meet him later. He never leaves the house actually. But the past weeks,
he's always out. Maybe he has a date.” Wonwoo chuckles at the memory when his
brother once rushed to his room while he brought mountain of clothes and asked
Wonwoo to help him choose a good attire.

They continue their conversation about random things whatever that comes to their
minds like what will they do in future or their ambition or profession they want to be.
Couple of minutes later, they went off the vehicle as they start to walk at the unfamiliar
route to Wonwoo's house. They walk through the alley of night market, sometimes
even stopping by at the stores to look at some cheap things and materials which they
end up buying some snacks and drinks, Jihoon buying a pink cupcake due to unknown
reason.

Everyone looks as the shortest among them pays the sweet treat at the cashier with a
slight smile pasted on his smile, but disappears when he notice everyone except
Wonwoo eyeing on him.

“Really, Jihoon? When did you start eating sweets?” Soonyoung mutters in disbelief,
looking at Jihoon before on the cupcake then back at Jihoon's face.

“What? Just fuck off.” Jihoon glares at them before putting the cupcake on his bag,
carefully not to squeeze the box.
They start to walk again in path to Wonwoo's house while eating some junk foods they
bought. Jihoon, Soonyoung, Jisoo and Jeonghan are playfully throwing the chips to one
another while laughing. They still keeping in mind to hide enough stock for the
overnight session. Meanwhile, Mingyu over there is still giving slight lovely glances at
the smiling Wonwoo who is busy watching his friends. He can't get rid off his eyes at
Wonwoo since the morning. He thinks he looks very cute in his appearance today with a
gray sweater much bigger the size for his body that the tip of his fingers are barely
noticeable in a cute way, black jeans hugging his thin yet long legs tightly and a pair of
white high cut shoes. He doesn't even wear his eyeglasses. He looks adorable on it.

He almost panicked when Wonwoo looks at him, still smiling and Mingyu's heart starts
to race madly. Doesn't know what to do, he smiles back with a sincere smile before
breaking the look away because he feels his face starts to blush, those butterflies
scatters everywhere on his stomach tickling his flesh.

“Hey Mingyu.” Wonwoo calls in a whisper yet Mingyu still hears it.

“Y-yes?” Mingyu stutters, stiffens a bit at his stature.

Mingyu can hear Wonwoo chuckling in a low yet gentle tone and he almost pee on his
pants because he just heard an angelic laugh. Controlling himself from kissing this cute
kid beside him, he just hums because he can't trust his mouth at this kind of situations.

“It was so much fun with you all. Especially with you.” Mingyu's face heats up at the
last words.Especially with you almighty OMFG. He looks at Wonwoo through the side of
his eyes, keeping his head not to turn as he can. He notices Wonwoo is playing his
fingers at the tip of his sweater and he wants to pinch his cheeks because right now is
the cutest act Wonwoo ever did. His eyes roam upward and Wonwoo is biting his lower
lips, making it redder as it seems. I wonder if I could taste those red lips of him.

SLAP!

“Mingyu?” Wonwoo stares at him in shock, eyes wide on what he did just seconds ago.
The others turn around when they heard a loud slap coming just behind them. Mingyu
apparently slaps his face immediately, as hard as stone, when the thought of tasting
Wonwoo's lips come to his stupid mind. His left cheek is red in pain, his palm visible
where it landed.
“I'm okay, don't worry.” Says Mingyu with a force smile, already feeling more pain as
his cheek's skin gets stretched up. Wonwoo gives him a worried expression while the
others shrug it since it's Mingyu's habit when he is nervous or panicking. Jeonghan is
about to ask him if he's okay but Jisoo stops him, explaining why he should not worry
about it.

Wonwoo stops from track, earning a confused look from Mingyu. Hesitating, he slowly
cups the taller's face to examine any bruises, gently rubbing his smooth palm onto it
not wanting to add more pain. It leaves a pinkish blush all over Mingyu's cheeks but he
doesn't care. He loves this moment. He loves how he could feel the gentleness of the
latter's hand that he doesn't want to end it forever. When the both hears a loud
awkward cough coming from Jihoon, Wonwoo detaches his hand quickly from Mingyu,
awkwardly leaving the stunned boy.

When Wonwoo stops from his track, they assume that they're in front their house. The
house is not that big nor small but it looks pretty and comfortable with a small garden
of beautiful and colorful flowers at the side. They follow Wonwoo until they reach the
door, looks simple yet fancy. The owner of the house knocks at the door four times.
Nothing can hear inside, he fishes out his phone before dialing someone they don't
know.

Seconds later, Wonwoo can already hear his brother's footsteps from the stairs. Soon
enough, the door slowly opens revealing only upper body of a familiar boy.

“Seungcheol?!” Jihoon exclaims in shock.

“Oh.” Seungcheol chuckles, peeking behind the door. “Hello Jihoon.” He scans the other
people behind Wonwoo. Beside Jihoon, he only knows Jeonghan who is in the same
section while the others' names are unknown yet their faces are familiar. “Hello
Jeonghan.”

“You know each other?” Soonyoung asks, looking at Jihoon and Seungcheol back and
forth.
Jihoon nods, trying his best to hide those blushes creeping on his cheeks. Of course,
Seungcheol notices it around the way. He smiles at himself before opening the door
wider as he welcomes them, letting the visitors enter their house.

Inside the house is just a simple, yet very cozy. The wall is coated with cream white
paint contrasting to the brownish sofa and a small table placed at the middle. The
furniture is also fancy, making the house looks more elegant. There are also some
frames of pictures hanging at the wall. Specifically pictures of the family.

“Wow. Your house is very cool!” Jisoo says in awe.

Wonwoo lets them sit at the sofa as everyone rests from an exhausting day they had.
The others may not notice it but from what Mingyu sees, Jihoon becomes more quiet
while talking to Seungcheol, his face is bit blooming from unknown reason only Jihoon
knows. Both of them are sitting beside each other at a separate single sofa. He looks at
him intensely until the latter catches the look from him. Jihoon mumbles a soft 'what' to
Mingyu, voiceless. The tall guy only shakes his head, shrugging it.

Mingyu then taps Soonyoung's back and the other turns around from his chattering
session with Jisoo, Jeonghan and Wonwoo. “Don't you think Jihoon looks weird now?
Knowing he's not like that?” He points at their pink haired boy.

Soonyoung looks at the pair, “I didn't notice it, whoa.” He laughs at Jihoon's red face
because this is rare event. Jihoon hears it and glares at the latter but dismisses quickly
when Seungcheol talks to him again.

The students below hear a loud crack of opening door and loud voices coming above
the stairs. They all look up to see two persons going down the stares.

“Oh.” Seungcheol stands up from his seat, “I forgot I also have guests.”

The two comes near the others before introducing, “I'm Hansol. This is Seungkwan.”
Wonwoo among with his friends also introduce themselves one by one.

Jeonghan is the last one to introduce. Not being rude, he introduces himself to his own
classmates, “I'm Jeonghan.”
“Of course we know you. You're our classmate.” Seungkwan's statement makes
Jeonghan chuckle.

“A couple?”

“Well,” Hansol rubs his neck, “Yeah.”

“The last time I saw you both, you're bickering and shouting to each other around.
Never thought you would end up dating.” Jeonghan smiles.

“So, are you two dating?” Seungkwan says, pointing at Jisoo and Jeonghan with a sly
smirk.

“Yeah.” Jeonghan answers, intertwining their hands together. Jisoo hides his blushes
because he's still not use with the feeling when Jeonghan holds his hand.

Everyone laughs at the two. Hansol and Seungkwan sit at the other single sofa, facing
Seungcheol and Jihoon. Hansol smirks at Seungcheol, who gives a victorious smile.
Seems like the two of them understand each other without voicing anything.

They keep conversing to each other, letting the three new students from other section
join. The conversation is composed of teasing, mocking and laughing. Each and
everyone becomes comfortable and not awkward to the new comers for a short span of
time, adjusted with their natures since all of them are goofy and jolly.

Mingyu exchanges seats with Jeonghan so he can sit beside Wonwoo who only smiles
and laughs at them, nothing more coming from his mouth. He's still not use at
Wonwoo's laugh and voice. Those still give him chills around his body, and slight
blushes. But all he knows is, he likes Wonwoo's presence beside him.

ღღღ
All of them, including Hansol and Seungkwan, are now inside Wonwoo's room sitting at
the carpeted floor as the owner of the room sets up the television while the others pick
for a good movie to watch. They already scatter the foods and drinks in front of them.
Seungcheol excuses himself first to go to his room to get something.

Minutes passed, Jihoon's phone vibrates once reminding someone texts him. He fishes
it out from his pocket before unlocking it.

11:49pm Seungcheollie <3: come here baby :>

He smiles at short yet cute message from Seungcheol. He gets up from his sitting
position before dusting off his pants, “Hey bitches, I'll just call my mother.” He doesn't
wait for any response before walking out the room.

“Wow. Sassier than you babe.” Hansol whispers at Seungkwan who only shrugs it
before searching again for a good movies or series.

Jihoon silently knocks the door and he could hear Seungcheol saying a soft 'come in' so
enters right away. Like how he knocks, he closes the door silently and carefully.

Before Seungcheol could say something, Jihoon crosses his arms on his chest. “Why did
you not say you're Wonwoo's brother?”

“I told you before you know? You're just staring at me that time, in deep thought about
my handsome feature.” Seungcheol winks at him and shorter only huffs. Seungcheol
opens his arms for a hug which Jihoon slowly approaches his boyfriend and hugs him
back. He lets the pink haired boy sit on his lap while he rests his face on his chest.
Seungcheol rests his chin on Jihoon's head, smelling the sweet scent of his beloved boy
while caressing his smooth and fluffy hair.

“You know I love you right?” Jihoon mumbles, not looking up because he knows he's
blushing madly now.
“No.” Seungcheol teases him and the shorter of the two hits his chest slightly. He
chuckles before kissing his forehead, “Of course, I really love you too, more than
anything.”

ღღღ

“Wonwoo, where are you parents?” Mingyu asks as he hands the CD of a sappy
romantic movie, The Notebook.

“Out of town for business.” Wonwoo answers as he accepts it, whispering a soft 'thank
you' to him.

Mingyu only hums as response before scanning the room for Jihoon's presence.
Everyone is on their best position. Jisoo and Jeonghan are leaning the bed, a small
blanket covering their lower bodies. Hansol and Seungkwan are also leaning on it
beside Jeonghan, Seungkwan resting his head on Hansol's broad shoulder. Soonyoung,
on the other hand, is leaning his side body at the closet that Mingyu once used to hide
his giant body. He snorts at the embarrassing moment of his life that he would not tell
his dirty little secret, ever. The boxer brief.

Everything is done, only Seungcheol and Jihoon are missing. He crawls toward the door
before standing up. “I'll just call Jihoon and Seungcheol.”

Mingyu is about to go down to find Jihoon when he passes by Seungcheol's room. He

thinks maybe he could call Seungcheol first before looking for Jihoon. He reaches the
doorknob before he swings open the door carelessly with loud noise but before he could
say anything, his eyes widen at the sight.

Seungcheol. Jihoon. Hugging.

Jihoon slowly turns his head like a ghost in some suspense movies with a glare towards
Mingyu.

“OH MY FUCKING GOODNESS!!!” All they can hear that time is an unmanly scream of
Mingyu and slammed door loudly.
14

“Uh-oh.” Seungcheol chuckles, tightening the hug from his already fuming boyfriend in
annoyance as he let him hide his face on his broad chest. He could hear some audible
curses underneath in a cute manner, not the sassy one. It gives some tickling
vibrations as Jihoon continuously curses towards Mingyu.

Jihoon lets his face rest on Seungcheol's chest for awhile, not that he mind since he
likes this position the best. He can feel his heart beating abnormally fast and he only
smiles on it, not wanting Seungcheol to see his smug face. Of course, he is still irritated
on Mingyu for interrupting their lovey dovey session but he doesn't want to hide it to
him, even to others.

Seungcheol releases a loud crack of laughter. Jihoon tilts up his head, giving him a
confused look. He only smiles when their eyes meet before beginning to lean forward.
It takes approximately two seconds before their lips finally meet, two pair of soft lips
locking. Jihoon's small precious eyes widens at it but soon softens his expression as he
closes his eyes and savoring it, locking his arms on the taller's neck. There's no lust,
only full of love. Sure, they've been boyfriends for almost a week (courtesy of
Seungcheol which Jihoon agrees in happiness) after some dates but they never shared
kisses before, never ever. It was only composed of holding hands, hugging or
Seungcheol kissing his forehead and locks. Seungcheol breaks the kiss first with a smile
and Jihoon could see stars inside his eyes.

“You stole my first kiss.” Jihoon mumbles, breaking his stare to Seungcheol.

“Well then, I sacrificed my first kiss to the right person.” Seungcheol announces proudly
with tinge of blush on his cheeks as he hugs him again. Seconds pass when he
detaches himself again to the shorter one, cupping the latter's tomato red face so that
he can face him. “Maybe you should tell them now?” He says.

Jihoon hesitates, before nodding because he has no choice. Mingyu already saw them
hugging and he will skin him later while sleeping. He removes his body to Seungcheol's
safe zone before getting up and fixing his crumpled shirt a bit. He gives one last glance
to his boyfriend.

Meanwhile, Wonwoo and the others heard a loud scream and slammed door just right
next to their room. Everyone immediately gets up before sprinting outside to see what
commotion happened. As they peek at the door frame, they could see Mingyu standing
in front of Seungcheol's room. Confused, Wonwoo walks towards him while the others
following him behind.

“What happened?” Wonwoo asks the boy who only flinches when someone taps him.

Mingyu is about to discuss everything, the door slowly swings open, revealing Jihoon
with red face, Seungcheol just behind the background sitting at his bed with apologetic
smile.

“What are you doing there?” Jisoo asks.

Jihoon fumes in irritation, his face is still red as chilly. He crosses his arms again before
glaring at their tallest friend. He says nothing at first when Seungcheol coughs loudly
and it gives him signal to talk. He huffs, “Apparently, Mingyu opens the door and sees
me- I mean us hugging.”

Everyone gasps, Soonyoung's one is exaggerate, eyes wide in pure shock. “So what are
you two then?” Soonyoung asks with evil smirk.

“Persons, bitch.” Everyone breaks out a laughter at Jihoon's sassiness, even

Seungcheol can't even contemplate his laugh as he holds his stomach while wiggling his
feet in air.

“Are you two dating?” Wonwoo asks in a calm tone, reminds him of a kid. Jihoon's facial
expression softens because this precious boy is too innocent for this things. But his
brother is more precious. He nods with a smile before putting his poker face again to
the others.

Jihoon turns his heels because he can't hold their smug smiles affixed on their faces so
he walks to Seungcheol's arms again. He immediately sits at his lap before hiding his
blushing face at Seungcheol's chest, not wanting to see his bitch friends.

Everyone sighs in awe especially Jihoon's three bitches of friends because this the first
ever time Jihoon showed his different nature aside from being his sassy high school
student. He looks like a sweet kitten rubbing his furs on his mother's neck.
Eventually, everyone slowly leaves the room, not wanting to interrupt their friend's
lovey dovey disgustingly sweet session with his first ever boyfriend. Mingyu is the last
one to leave as he holds the doorknob. He gives one last glance at Seungcheol since
Jihoon is still hiding his face in embarrassment. He smiles at him with a thumbs up
which return with a wide smile and a wave from the other, mouthing they will soon
arrive at Wonwoo's room too.

ღღღ

Soon before they officially start the movie marathon, the couple from another room
enters. Seungcheol opens the door while Jihoon riding his back, resting his face on his
milky neck. He looks so cute and fluffy, or what they just see.

Seungkwan nudges Hansol lightly, “I want that too.”

Hansol snorts, “Your fats are going to break all my healthy bones.” Seungkwan pouts
but soon covered with lips as Hansol gives a quick peck to removes his pout.

Seungcheol settles down just next to Hansol as he lays Jihoon down too, carefully not
to make any unnecessary noises. He lets Jihoon sit in front of him as he pulls him in a
hug, the shorter leaning on his chest. Jihoon smiles at their position. Everything
Seungcheol does to him makes those butterflies in his stomach glow in pink and silver.

Mingyu inspects the whole surrounding and he feels a pang on his heart due to
jealously on Seungcheol's and Jihoon's position. Jeonghan and Jisoo are back with their
blankets on, heads only peeking on it. Seungkwan's and Hansol's legs are tangled
together. The temperature of jealously is already rising up to the maximum peak but
decreased when he looks to Soonyoung. He's not jealous over Soonyoung but rather,
he sees him very funny, him tightly hugging a fluffy pillow Wonwoo owns.

Mingyu's thought about Wonwoo comes once again when he glances at the boy on the
other side. He looks solemnly cute with his round eyeglasses on, a pink sweater as big
as what he wore just this morning and black shorts above his knees. He looks like a doll
in a sitting position, his legs and back straight while leaning at his study
table. Really. He also looks more fluffy while hugging a big stuff bear.Pang!
It may ridiculous to think, but Mingyu feels a slight jealousy towards the bear. Another,
really. Not that he despise it, but he just wish he were on Wonwoo's arms, loving his
warm breath on his neck while giving slight peck on his back. So then, he crawls fast to
Wonwoo without distracting any of them.

Wonwoo notices it, so he gives more space to Mingyu as he pat the the carpet next to
him. Mingyu immediately smiles as he sit next to him, already feeling the warm of his
body.

Mingyu always flinch whenever their skins meet, his heart keeps beating fast whenever
he's just near him. He keeps eyeing the movie but nothing comes to his mind. Instead,
his eyes always end up landing on Wonwoo as he roam it on his cute face. Sure they're
always beside each other but this is the first time Mingyu can see his face very near.
His eyes look very cold but inside of it shows so much sincerity and happiness he seeks
every time. His nose is on point, very funny when it scrunches. His cheeks are always
shaded with rosy pink, making him very attractive. His jawline is sharp to the point
when you put your hands on it, it may cut and leave it bleeding. Exaggerating on its
finest. His eyes then landed on the pair of lips. He examines it without Wonwoo noticing
it. It's thin, very red and smooth to see. Whenever he smiles, it curls up cutely as his
cheekbones show more. Yeah, he always thinks of kissing Wonwoo. Always. But of
course, he always respect Wonwoo and him being raised well, he knows his limits and
he knows how to control. At least he's happy with Wonwoo beside him.

“Why are you staring?”

Mingyu is rattled at Wonwoo's low voice. His face begins to heat up again and again
before looking away, “N-Nothing.”

“Oh.” Wonwoo answers, looking at the movie playing on television. “I watched this
movie many times and I'm still into it. I will watch it forever.”

Forever is about me and you. Mingyu can see through his side that Wonwoo is smiling,
his eyes sparkling. “I would like to watch it with you.” Again, something slipped to his
mouth. Mingyu expects Wonwoo to give him a confused look but rather, he just smiles
wider, tint of pink shades his cheeks.
The movie is about to end and Mingyu doesn't even know what happened on it. More
like he's not giving any shits because he's distracted with Wonwoo because the latter is
watching intently, smiling whenever there's a sweet part of the plot. Mingyu redirects
his eyes on the others and smiles at them, not minding the still jealous part on his
heart and mind. Everyone, except him and Wonwoo, are already fast asleep, with each
other's security.

Seungcheol and Jihoon are laying at the fluffy carpet, Seungcheol securing him using
his muscled arms as Jihoon looks like a ball resting his head on Seungcheol's chest.
Hansol has his arms wrap on Seungkwan's waist while the other face the other side.
Hansol's face is on his lover's neck, making the two very near. Jeonghan and Jisoo are
covered with blanket as their head only showing. Their faces are facing each other,
noses almost touching on their position. Even though they are covered with it, Mingyu
can still see those tangled arms and legs to each other which makes them a very cute
couple.

On the other hand, Soonyoung is sleeping messily only beside him, his arms and legs
spreading mindlessly with a soft snore. He looks cute with a messy blonde hair, like a
puppy. Mingyu thinks he's indeed cute. For Mingyu, Soonyoung is the most precious
friend he'd ever have, ever since they are babies. No wonder everyone likes him with a
very good attitude and jolly nature. Mingyu considers him as his little brother, always
there for him. His future girlfriend will be the luckiest girl in the world for having
him. Girlfriend? He gets the blanket before covering it to Soonyoung because he looks
freezing the fact he's wearing thin clothes.

The movie begins to roll up those credits signaling the movie already ended. Mingyu is
about to get up and turn off the television when he feels a heavy weight on his left
shoulder. Wonwoo is also knock down from the tiring day and night they have. Mingyu
smiles, examining his feature while sleeping. He looks more angelic with closed eyes,
the light from the television illuminating on his face giving more beautiful effects. He
can feel his chest inhales and exhales in relax and he assumes he's sleeping peacefully.
He lets him rest for a minute, before bringing him up in bridal style as Wonwoo is still
clutching on the bear. He carefully lay him down on his bed, not letting the boy to wake
up.

He gets up to turn off the television and light before sitting next to Wonwoo. The room
is dark but moonlight insulating to the window is enough for him to see his face once
again. He examines more, smiling at him sincerely because this is one of the most
beautiful scenery he'd ever seen in his life. He is about to get down next to Wonwoo's
bed when the latter's right arm swings to his neck which strattles him. He's now laying
in bed with Wonwoo, the bear's head blocking each other. Unable to do anything, he
let's himself on it since he likes this.
He could feel his eyes getting heavier and heavier. He gives one last stare on Wonwoo
with full of love before throwing the bear weakly somewhere he doesn't know where it
lands, shifting a bit so Wonwoo can hug him more before his eyes and mind is already
drifting to his on dream land.

Being substitute to the bear is not a bad thing right?

15

Mingyu slowly opens his eyes because the blinding sunlight is radiating towards his
morning face and it's very annoying since he doesn't have any schedule to do today. He
covers his face with a pillow fully. He's about to sleep again after getting the best
position when his eyes immediately open, sitting up straight and throwing the blanket.

“Good morning Seoul!~” He sing-songs, cracking a very wide smile as he stretch his
arms and body.

Mingyu almost forgot he has a schedule today, with Wonwoo. It's been two weeks since
he last saw him at their house when they had an overnight and everything is still fresh
on his mind that blush starts to form on his face. He shakes the memory because it's
too much for his feels. Last two days ago, he asked him if could go with him at the
festival just nearby their school and the other immediately agreed to accompany him.
The exciting part here is that, they will hang out just the two of them only.

Mingyu gets his phone at the table next to him and there's a text. From Wonwoo. He
releases an unmanly sound but he doesn't care about anything right now. He unlocks it
before opening the message.

7:12am Jeon Wonuuu: I'm sorry Mingyu. I can't go with you today. My mom asks me
very important favor. Sorry :/

...

Well, damn.
Mingyu stares at the screen, unable to process what he just read. He blinks rapidly, his
cheery expression drops down underground. He starts to type his reply, erase it and
back to typing yet he still doesn't know what to say. He feels bit disappointed and sad
at the same time because he prepares for this day very well. Not that it's Wonwoo's
fault because he understands him being a good son he is.

7:53am Kim Mingyu: It's ok don't worry. Good morning and have a nice day
Wonwoo :)

Seconds later, his phone beeps signaling someone has send a text to him and he
assumes it's from Wonwoo.

7:53am Jeon Wonuuu: you sure? :( i'll make up to you next time.

7:54am Kim Mingyu: it's fine, really so don't worry.

Mingyu places his phone at the table, laying again his body on the bed. He stares at the
ceiling, no thoughts entering his mind as if a big force is blocking everything.

“Maybe I could just hang out with Jihoon and Seungcheol today? No, not a good idea.”
He mumbles before standing up and walking towards the bathroom to clean himself.

I should never said good for this morning. Fuck.

ღღღ

Mingyu walks at the alley mindlessly, loving the sunlight contact to his skin with the
summer breeze.Not too hot. Not too cold. Perfect. He could see everyone outside also
enjoying the weather. The sky is pretty great with light blue and shades of white clouds
flying to where the air's path, clearly can see that it's impossible to rain today. Some
stores offer cold treats to lessen the heat like ice creams, cold drinks and frozen salads.
Kids are playing at the street with smiles on their face. Some tourists are roaming
around Seoul's streets and best places. It's a bit hot yet the streets are busy, careless
about the heat.
Mingyu walks around the park alone since it's still early to go to festival. Even the park
is pack of people, maybe going to festival too. Taking pictures, eating ice creams and
cotton candies (to which Mingyu remembers something), buying some random stuffs
and many more. That's what Mingyu can see now yet everyone still has those lively and
happy expressions making Mingyu smiles as well.

He continues to walk around, scanning the familiar place his parents used to bring him
when he was young. The park barely changed except to the trees which grows taller, if
you care to Mingyu's opinion. Twenty minutes of continuously walking, he could feel his
muscles and feet ache due to exhaustion. He can also feel the hotness of summer
afternoon, much stronger than earlier. He decides to eat his lunch at nearby fast food
chain just across the road.

The store is crowded but still, Mingyu managed to order and eat. He didn't even notice
he's actually walking around alone, fascinated with great things outside. But he still
wished he's with Wonwoo so the latter could also see everything he saw just hours ago;
that would be better for Mingyu. He passes by an ice cream stand and he buys one just
to lessen the heat before starting to walk again.

Upon passing a shop, he immediately stops from his track and looks at it with full of
sparks. He watched a commercial of this store and they sell super sweet treats plus
EXO's Suho is the handsome endorser so how can you not visit the store?! He stares
inside of it through transparent clear window and he scans the interior and wow, it's
very cute for Mingyu's tastes. The store is painted with light pink highlighted with faded
yellow and some frames and vases decorated neatly. He scans the customer with a
slight smile until it landed on a familiar person making his brows furrow. He focuses
until he can recognize him and it makes him shock in disbelief, eyes wide and mouth
hangs open. He blinks rapidly and looks at him again and he can't be wrong, it's
Wonwoo!

And Wonwoo is sitting in front of a girl!

Like the cue on some dramas, the breeze becomes more strong making Mingyu's bangs
fly over but he doesn't care. His heart starts to beat fast, blood also starts to boil until it
makes his face red from anger and jealousy. He stares at the two with a glare and he
could see the two are laughing lovingly and Wonwoo is not the awkward hence, he talks
a lot with that girl who just laughs to what he says.
Mingyu can't deny the girl is very pretty with mono-eyelids and contagious smile. He
assumes she doesn't have any make up, just natural Korean beauty. He sits at the side
of the store, squishing his face at the mirror window without any embarrassment, still
looking the the cute couple Mingyu wishes he's on the girl's position. A pang hits his
heart because he's very jealous. Very, very jealous to the fact he almost wants to cry
but he needs to spy.

Mingyu notices the two stands up and he immediately panics because they're directing
to the door. He even stumbles from his sit before crawling behind the standee. He
stands up before imitating Suho's pose on the standee, failing to level himself to it
because the tip of his head is showing through it. He doesn't care around, not even the
people giving weird looks to him because he looks so stupid. Very stupid almighty.

He slips his eyes through the side and the two is already far from him so he retreats
himself behind the standee with a deep sigh. He's not mad anymore but the jealousy is
still lingering through his feeling and he can't think anything straight. He tries to make
a plan on how to follow them without being noticed by Wonwoo until his eyes dart at
the mascot who offers balloons to the kids passing by.

As if a bulb shows above his head, he immediately runs somewhere he will risk his life
just for it.

I still need to thank Suho. He really is an angel!

ღღღ

“Why the fuck is it so hot?!” Mingyu screeches, the itchy and hot feeling inside a mascot
annoys him but doesn't have any choice now. After asking (more like annoying) the
mascot boy many times to where the other unused mascots are, he immediately goes
to a storage room, sneaking if someone guarding it.

Right now, he's wearing a big pink bunny mascot and he can barely walk because it's
heavier than what he expected. He holds two heart balloons he got also in the storage
before starting to walk around to look for Wonwoo and that annoying pretty girl.

He walks around, looking for his target but of course, not forgetting to wave to the kids
and some people asking to take a picture with him. And the luck is just beside him, he
already sees the two walking. But unlucky, their arms are tangled together and
Wonwoo looks he doesn't mind.

Mingyu clenches his right fist in annoyance and jealousy and he could feel his knuckles
turning white. He tries to relax himself before slowly walks towards his two targets.

Mingyu slowly goes in front of Wonwoo and the girl and the two gives a confuse look.
The girl flashes a bright smile and he wants to rip it off because seriously, he snatches
Wonwoo to him.

“Oppa~ That mascot is so cute.” The girl squeals, jumping lightly from his stature
making Wonwoo smiles wide and Mingyu almost gasps loudly because that's real. The
smile is real!

Mingyu glares at the girl and thankfully, he's in disguise because if not, that girl is
already melting from his deadly glare. He doesn't like the girl. Ever! He looks down and
their arms are still entangled tightly and Mingyu prays form anyone who can hear him
that they're not couple yet so he can ruin it. Who am I to do that?! I'm a good boy!

Mingyu gives the heart shaped balloon to the pretty girl, the other to Wonwoo. With
unknown evil smirk, Mingyu raises his arms in the air and before the two knows what
will happen, he smashes his two big hands towards the girl's balloon making it pop
making Wonwoo and the girl's eyes widen in shock. With a satisfied smile, he runs fast
as he can until the two can't see him in their sight.

The next time Mingyu sees them, they're walking at the location of the festival with
cotton candies on their hand. Their arms are tangled loosely compare the last time. The
girl whispers something to Wonwoo and he nods happily. He doesn't care they are
talking about until she gives a quick peck on Wonwoo's right cheek and all those
madness burns his face out of jealousy. His face is more redder now, more sweats
beading on his temple.

Mingyu thinks of a good idea. He readies his feet and legs, relaxing it before sprinting
between the two until the two are untangled to each other, making the girl stumbled on
the floor. As if luck just throw a rock of anti-fortune, he is stumbled to his own feet,
making the face of the mascot lands very strong on the floor first and it hurts. The
people around gasp loudly at the commotion he did but he doesn't care, he's hidden
from the mascot so it's fine.

Mingyu stands up fast before giving a quick glance at the two. The girl's eyes are glossy
and her face is red. His eyes gaze at Wonwoo's and shiver runs through his spine
because he is looking at him with deadly glare. He gulps , he feels suffocated because
he's running out air like his glare is taking all the air from him. He doesn't know what to
do so he just runs back at the storage room with embarrassment and guilt choking him
into death.

ღღღ

Mingyu is now on one of the tables of the store, slumping onto it with exhausted
expression and body. The guilt is still punching his conscience because what he did is
just very childish but he can't control himself, not when he's very jealous for the first
time of his life. With a deep sigh, he sips his drink until someone stands beside
him. And it's two.

Mingyu looks up to his side to see Wonwoo and the girl standing with smiles. His eyes
widen before sitting straight in a not so cool way, almost knocking down the glass of
drink. The two chuckles at his clumsiness and Mingyu's face is now blushing.

“Hey Mingyu. I never expected you will go here alone. I'm sorry. It's very important
that's why I can't accompany you.” Wonwoo's voice is stern yet you could hear the
guilt.

Yeah, like dating with your girlfriend. “It's okay.” Mingyu response with slight irritation
on his voice, not looking at him because he just lied to him. He just dated with her so
what's so important with it and not just saying it straight?!

“Can we sit here?” Wonwoo asks, oblivious to his attitude though the girl beside him
notices it.

Still without looking, he nods slightly as he sips his drink. As the two sit in front of
Mingyu, Wonwoo's phone vibrates. Unlocking it, someone is calling him and it's
Seungcheol. “Excuse for a while. I need to answer it.” He stands up before going
outside because the store is very noisy.
Mingyu can feel the awkward surrounding the two of them yet he doesn't do anything.
Seconds later, the girl awkwardly coughs which makes Mingyu glance to her and oh,
she looks like Wonwoo. A girl version.

“Hello to you Mingyu oppa.” The girl starts with a smile and giggle as if the
awkwardness never exists.

“Hi.” Mingyu responds shortly, uninterested to where their conversation goes.

“I'm Seulgi. It's so nice to meet you in personal?” What?

“You know me?” Mingyu asks with confused look to Seulgi.

“Of course. I know you! Seungcheol always mentions his friends, especially you and
Jihoon oppa!” She says with bright tone, clasping his hands together and Mingyu is
confused more.

“Are you Wonwoo's girlfriend?” Mingyu carefully asks and Seulgi smirks, like Wonwoo's
smirk.

“Why? Are you jealous?” Seulgi wiggles her brows, teasing the boy in front of him.

“W-What? N-No. Of course no. Why would I?!” He stutters, his face is now blushing
madly and his voice is cracking a little. Seulgi laughs loudly at his state.

“No I'm not. Seungcheol oppa and Wonwoo oppa are my cousins.” Seulgi smiles.

Mingyu's mouth hangs open in realization. So I got jealous on his cousin?!

Seulgi sees his expression and immediately adds, “And I know you like my Wonwoo
oppa.”
Mingyu chokes on his drink, almost spraying the drink on his mouth to Seulgi's face but
he manages to control it because it's a minus points to do that to Wonwoo's cousin.

After regaining his breathe, looks straight to Seulgi and she's giving an innocent look to
him before talking again. “Don't worry, I'm not against to you since you're handsome.
But Wonwoo oppa is more handsome if you agree to me-”

“Of course Wonwoo is so handsome and so fluffy though he's awkward!” Mingyu cuts
him, a smile plastered on his face and his eyes making crescent.

“Oh my god his awkwardness makes him more hawt!”

“I know right!”

“What are you talking about?” Wonwoo comes back with a smile on his face. Mingyu
blushes again, hoping Wonwoo didn't hear their conversation.

“Nothing. Just introducing ourselves. I really like Mingyu oppa. He's handsome and cute
and kind~” Seulgi coos with a giggle while Mingyu blushes even more.

Wonwoo laughs and Seulgi joins him, Mingyu only smiles at the sight because Wonwoo
is actually laughing joyfully.

After the three of them finish their dinner, Wonwoo says to Seulgi that Seungcheol will
fetch her and the other just nods happily. They walk around the place where the
festival celebrates with lights hanging everywhere. There are many traditional shops
but many of the stores are about foods and accessories. Mingyu buys Seulgi a pink
beaded bracelet and she kisses him on the cheek, just like what he did to Wonwoo.

Minutes more, Seungcheol comes with them along with Jihoon tugging on his shirt shyly
like a kid going to lose his father. Seulgi pulls Jihoon from Seungcheol and Mingyu is
amazed because Jihoon didn't retract; instead, he follows her towards the gate leaving
Seungcheol.

Seungcheol chuckles, “It's amazing Jihoon is close to her now though they only talk in
video calls.”

“You have an amazing lover Seungcheol.” Wonwoo says with amused tone on his voice.

“You'll get one, I promise.” Seungcheol looks at Mingyu, winking at him before leaving
the two alone and chasing the two.

The two walks around, not saying anything. But still, it's comfortable just with their
presence to each other. Suddenly, the sky is full of colorful fireworks booming loudly.

“Quick Mingyu! Make a wish.” Wonwoo tells the other before closing his eyes, clasping
his two hands together childishly.

Mingyu laughs at his action before doing the same. He slowly closes his eyes,
concentrating for silence but only his heartbeat.

I wish I can stay with Wonwoo forever, protecting him no matter what happen. I want
to be his beloved lover, not now but at the right time.

16

Soonyoung likes Seokmin. Scratch that; Soonyoung loves Seokmin. He loves how
Seokmin sings sweet songs to him every morning calls making him gain energy just by
hearing his voice. He loves how the latter likes skinships so much making those
butterflies in his stomach burst, his face heating up because he's still not used to it.
Plus, given the fact that Seokmin's facial feature is like a Greek god; well-chiseled jaws,
pointed nose and cheeks, not forgetting his tan skin color making him very, very sexy
to the point your underwear will just fall by its own. He's also tall, slim yet masculine.
But the thing he really loves about him the most is his smile. His very genuine smile,
even his eyes smile along with it. It makes his knees very weak, how those sincere
smiles and gentle looks Seokmin give to him everyday, everywhere. He feels like he's
flying in the sky riding on clouds. He doesn't know why but maybe his smile is very
contagious. Seokmin is definition of happiness to Soonyoung, if you want to ask.

But there's also this one thing he really doesn't like about Seokmin. Yes, he's a social
butterfly and many people knows him at his school. In short, he's very popular. Many
girls (or probably boys) like him so much. But that is not the problem here. Those
people who like Seokmin visit at the cafe often to talk (or flirt) with Seokmin and
sometimes he witnessed it. They flirt with Seokmin, making some obvious gestures and
words to him but what makes his blood boil in anger is that Seokmin flirts back saying
some sweet words, or like fan services but not to its extent.

Soonyoung doesn't open this to Seokmin because he trusts him but of course, who
wouldn't feel anything about those flirt things, right? Seokmin is very oblivious with the
change of his mood every time he does that! But him being Soonyoung, the cheerful
boy, shrugs anything because he loves Seokmin.

ღღღ

It's yet another Saturday night and Soonyoung is going to visit Seokmin at the cafe like
he always do. It's a bit dark already outside, sun ready to set down. The sky is filled
with dark blue and shades of orange. Streetlights are already shining, filling the
dimmed surrounding.

At the time he reaches the cafe, it's already full dark and more lights from buildings and
stores are turned on. The door of cafe wide opens, revealing Mr. and Mrs. Lee,
Seokmin's parents, leaving their owned store.

“Oh!” Mrs. Lee exclaim in delight, “My lovely dear boy.” She gives him a warm hug and
he hugs her back. Seokmin's parents already know everything about them, asking them
out of the blue. At first, they were afraid to tell it but as soon as Seokmin's parents
explained they are very supportive to their son, with his very cute boyfriend making
Soonyoung blushes, the two told the truth.

“Good evening Mr. and Mrs. Lee-”

“I told you to call me Dad.”

“A-ah.” Soonyoung scratches his head, “Y-yes D-Dad.”

Mr. Lee nods with a slight smile, satisfied. “Well then, we're heading now. Seokmin will
be off in minutes.” They wave at him before going to their black car. Soonyoung bows
at them, not moving until leave.

As he enters the cafe, he immediately scans the room to find Seokmin standing in front
of cashier with a huge smile. Soonyoung smiles back, wider than before, before
marching to his usual spot while waiting for his lover to end his shift. Just seconds later,
the door wide opens and three girls enter the store with some giggles and Soonyoung
can sense something again. They all go straight to where Seokmin is. He sighs, here we
go again.

“Good evening. What's your orders?” Seokmin announces cheerfully. Soonyoung's ears
twitch because he clearly heard that blushing girl with full bangs said a
faint 'you' causing him to glare at them. Thankfully, no one is looking at him because
they might dig their own grave.

The three already ordered but they don't stop talking to Seokmin and the other doesn't
even mind.Right in front of his boyfriend! Soonyoung already knew he's jealous
because Seokmin should be and only flirt with him. Only me.

“Oppa~” Soonyoung is used to those aegyo style of flirting but he still feels the urge to
vomit because it's disgusting. “Do you have a girlfriend now?”

The three of them looks at Seokmin with hope, but before he can answer the girl with
light brown hair immediately adds, “Please date with me oppa~” Seokmin only laughs
at the scene before winking at her, causing her to blush madly.

That's it!
That is the first time he winked to someone who flirts with him and it makes the alarm
bell on Soonyoung's head. He's mad right now, very mad because he hates those
Seokmin's teases to others, not for him. He abruptly stands up causing some customers
beside him to look at him weirdly but that doesn't stop the three stupid girls, even
Seokmin. Jealousy already ate his whole being. He wants to yell at them that Seokmin
is his, his boyfriend for Cupid's sake! He's not easy to be jealous of small things but it
still has limits, knowing he's just shrugging it every time and we're talking about
Seokmin here.

Soonyoung doesn't mind everything now since his mind is already black, nothing can
see. He stomps out of the store with fuming face not giving last glance to Seokmin.

When the three girls received their orders, they give goodbyes to Seokmin and he gives
a smile and wave before turning to his side to look for Soonyoung but to his surprise,
he is not there anymore. He scratches his head in confusion because as he remember,
they are going to stroll around the Han River tonight. He is worried because Soonyoung
always inform him if he will leave the cafe. He just keep in mind to call him later.

ღღღ

Soonyoung, Mingyu, Jihoon, Hansol and Seungkwan meet at the mall the next week.
The others are busy, some are still in vacation that's why they can't come. It's already
a week since the incident in SVT cafe Soonyoung wishes to not even remember it ever.
Also the next day after that, his jealousy already subsided and nothing changed, still
keep in touch through messages and video calls but Soonyoung didn't visit the store for
a week, still troubling with the feeling. He feels the guilt after he heard a worried
Seokmin that night when he called him. He acted childish and stupid just for that but
he's human too, he can be jealous and Seokmin is still oblivious with it. He doesn't like
that thing because he should only do that to him.

“Vacation is going to end in just two days.” Hansol says with full of excitement whereas
Seungkwan is still not fond of school stuffs.

“And our 100th days as a couple is also near and I still can't think of a good gift.” Jihoon
groans loudly, messing his hair because he's frustrated now.
“Just buy something he will appreciate.” Mingyu answers with full of support to his
friend and the others nod.

Soonyoung flinches at the mention of 100th days. He fishes out his phone before
opening the calendar application. He silently counts the days since he and Seokmin
become a couple and his eyes widen. He re-counts it again and he's not
wrong, tomorrow will be our 100th days!

Soonyoung right now is struggling to think of a good present for his boyfriend. He
listens to Jihoon and others' bickering for presents and he silently gathers some
information because this is the first time he will give a present to someone. Truth to be
told, he's a fan of romance yet he doesn't know anything than reading or watching
some romantic stories. Seokmin always pay, suggest, decide and think for everything
because he always answers a mumbled 'just up to you' because honestly, he can't think
of good idea that would be fun to do.

Until he remembers something he wrote on his diary when he was a kid, that that thing
would be the first gift he will ever give to the person he will love in the future and his
lips curl up at the memory earning weird looks from his friends.

ღღღ

Today is the day. Soonyoung's face lights up after putting his gift in a white box before
putting red ribbon to make it look presentable. He takes a piece of greeting card before
scribbling some lame yet sweet words onto it before sticking it and perfect! He's done
with the present. His mother shows up from the kitchen and when she sees the gift, she
smiles. She walks towards her son before giving a motherly hug which the latter hugs
back.

“A gift for Seokmin?” She asks with teasing tone and he only nods.

“Have fun with him. Always keep safe okay? Also regards to him.”

“Yes mom. I have to go now.” He gives a peck on her cheeks before leaving their house
with a wide smile.
On his walk, he could feel his face blushing already because this is the first he will give
a gift for someone. Nervousness already creeping on his body yet he keeps the positive
vibes, not ruining the good day he has. He hugs the box tightly as if his life depended
on it. It's just that, this is a very special day for him and he can't contain his feelings
now. His friends are right: the feeling of being in love is very strange yet giving you so
much energy.

Birds are chirping, making soothing noises along with those steps from people he pass
by. The weather is good, everything is good and it accords to his plan. He even dyed
his hair yesterday, covering the newly grow black hair into blonde again but this time,
he put some highlights of light blue, making him very attractive and look more
innocent.

Seokmin works early since this is the last day of vacation before school starts again. He
loves what he's doing, helping his parents. There are few customers this morning and
his mother served for them before she left the cafe and Seokmin is now manning up for
the cashier.

When there's no one entering the cafe, he moves to the pastries place. He arranged the
newly baked cakes of the shop's chef before decorating the menu board with lots of
heart.

Speaking of cake, he made a heart-shaped cake for Soonyoung because today is very
special day for them. He makes sure that the cake is coated with light pink icings and
strawberries, what Soonyoung loves the most. He asked their chef to help him bake a
cake because he's still young to bake but at least he has enough knowledge from
watching his parents. Because of that, he smiles very wide because he's excited to see
him now.

As he cleans the front table, someone enters the shop and he immediately greets the
person but his expression drops, his face becomes very pale at the sight.

“M-Minyoung.” He mumbles, he could feel he's shaking right now.

“Seokminnie!” The girl beams at him, running fast as he clings her arms to his.

Seokmin tries his best to remove the grip and Minyoung only gives him a pout. “Yah~”
She whines. “Don't you miss me?”

“W-Why are y-you here all of the sudden?!” His voice is shaking now but he manages to
sound very angry. When he successfully removes her arm, he gives a confused to her.

She looks at him innocently, as if nothing happened before, “I'm here to get you back.”

Before Seokmin can argue back with her, she immediately leans forward causing his
eyes widen in shock and it gets him off guard at what happens next. He trembles from
his position as her lips touches his. His face is already paler than minutes ago as if
someone sucked his blood. He's about to pull back when he hears the door opens and
at the same time he hears something glass shatters catching his attention.

Seokmin's heart sinks deep at the sight of Soonyoung, his mouth gape open and eyes
wide in shock. He could see how those tears roll down through his cheeks roughly,
making him very fragile at that moment. His heart even hurt more when Soonyoung
gives a scared, sad expression.

Soonyoung dashes out of the shop without saying anything and Seokmin pulls back
from Minyoung roughly causing her to sit to the floor. The customers who witnessed it
look shock at the commotion, mostly because of the sound of shattered glass inside the
box. Seokmin runs out to look for Soonyoung and explain everything, frustrated
because he's very stupid. When he's outside of the shop, he sees no sight of him
making him in agony.

He wants to scream now but he can't, his heart locking his voice. His head starts to
throb, can't think straight. The sight of scared Soonyoung breaks his heart and it's all
his fault. His eyes land on the white box. He immediately approaches it before opening
it without hesitation. Inside the box, a broken glassed picture frame with a photo of him
and Soonyoung on their first date. He punches the floor, not even thinking about the
customers see him. His knuckles is now bleeding from open bruises and it's painful. Yet,
not painful as Soonyoung's state now. When he notices the card, he opens it before
reading and it makes the tears slips from his eyes, making the piece of paper wet.
To Seokmin,

Happy 100th days to us as a couple and today is special day right?

I want to share my life with you for the rest of my life, kissing you until the end of
time.

Your lips should be sealed with mine only, got it?

I love you so much and I will love you forever~

Love, your Soonshine :)

17

Soonyoung runs as fast as he can, tears still rolling down through his now already rosy
cheeks. He doesn't care how he look now, even those people he bump from running,
giving him worried and confused look at the same time. The sight at the shop minutes
ago almost burn his eyes in anger because today should be a special one but he
guesses it's already ruined.

Seokmin and the girl, kissing.

He feels a painful stab on his heart on the thought because he trusts Seokmin so much,
always shrugging off the fact he's always flirting with girls at the cafe. He doesn't
understand to why Seokmin wants to hide their relationship for this too long. He
respects what he wants but making it long, he could feel something he doesn't want to
happen, or it already happened. Unintentional suspicions are swimming through his
mind but he's too scared to confront Seokmin, he trusts him so much. He loves him so
much.

Is he cheating?

Does he really prefer girls?

Does he really... love me?

Soonyoung sobs loudly as he reaches their house and he can feel he will faint anytime
because this is the first time he is really tired from running, adding the stressful event
makes it more worse. His eyes is puffy, very red from crying his feelings now. His head
starts to throb and he's lacking of breathe. The next thing he can remember after he
weakly opens the door is his mother rushing towards him, calling him with faint voice.

ღღღ

Soonyoung is walking to an unfamiliar place where it is full of flowers and butterflies.

The sky is beautiful and the weather is very warm. The air breeze gently taps his skin
giving him shivers through his spine.

He wanders around the place until he notice a big castle just meters away from him. He
jogs towards it with full of anticipation, wondering who is living there. When he reaches
the big castle made with bricks and rocks, he looks for the entrance. As he enters the
castle, he can see many antiques and jewels the cost your life or even higher than that.
He roams around and thankfully, he can see no one around, not even the knights.

He can feel his feet starting to give up from walking up the deadly stairs and he still
can't see someone. He's about to shout when he notices a big door made of wood. It's
different from the doors he pass by recently. The door is carved with unique designs.
Curious about what or who is inside, he silently opens the door making crack sounds.
He slips his eye and he can see a boy, around his age, wearing prestigious attire. He's
analyzing the face until it hit him. That's Lee Seokmin! That's his lover.

Soonyoung is about to open it wide when a girl he assumes a princess shows though
his sight, right in front of Seokmin. His eyes widen when their faces are just few inches
away. He opens the door but before he can step forward, someone grips on his both
arms. He looks at the side and there are two knights wearing silver armor holding him
and it's painful.

“SEOKMIN!” He starts to shout, while the two knights are dragging him down.

“SEOKMIN PLEASE LOOK AT ME!” He screams out his lungs and his eyes almost pop
out when Seokmin and princess' face is just inch away and tears starts to pool down.
He screams very loud, wailing from the grip.

“SEOKMIN PLEASE DON'T LEAVE ME!”

The door abruptly opens and Mrs. Kwon is shock because his son is screaming his
lover's name in sleep. She immediately sits next to him, shaking him so that it will
wake him up while wiping the tears. After several shakes, Soonyoung's eyes dart open,
puffy and red and his hair is a mess. His body is sweating hard, wetting his shirt.

“M-Mom.” Soonyoung mumbles before hugging his mom very tight. He's trembling now
and Mrs. Kwon is worried so much for his son.

“A nightmare?” She asks but receives nothing, just an unfixed and shallow breathing.
“What happened? Tell me, I will listen.”

“S-Seokmin.” He can hear his sobs and he gently pats his baby boy's back to lessen the
tension on his body.

“What's with Seokmin?”

“I-I saw him a-and h-he is k-kissing a g-girl.” Soonyoung stutters because this makes
his heart clench. “H-He even still wants to hide our relationship! H-He's cheating on
me!” This time, his voice raises up making his mom shock a bit.

“Calm down, baby. Did you ask for any explanations?” She gives an assuring touches
on his cheeks.

“Why would I need to ask when I saw it right in front of me.” Soonyoung huffs, crossing
his arms on his chest.

“Does his parents know about your relationship?” Soonyoung's mother asks with a
soothing voice and he calms down a little bit but still, he's fuming like a mad cat. When
he nods, his mother sighs.

“Look. Who ever a man told his parents that he's in love with another man? I don't
know if you see the logic my baby but I can see that Seokmin loves you very much. He
even introduced you to his parents and you know here in our country, they don't
tolerate that kind of relationship. Maybe he's just scared that others might not accept
him for what he is. I'm not saying this because I like him for you but, just talk about
this.” Mrs. Kwon caresses his son's cheeks and he closes his eyes because it's very
warm, like Seokmin's.

“But what about the kiss he shared with a girl?” She can still feel the venom on
Soonyoung's voice but not that much now.

“Just ask for an explanation. I can see Seokmin is not that type of a person who will
cheat on you. If anything is not going on the good side, then let's just accept the
reality. But don't lose hope my son.” She gives a smile and Soonyoung also smiles but
not the wide one he always used. “Be positive. I'm also here to back you up baby. Just
confront him tomorrow even though you're still hurting. If you take it longer, the more
you will lose him and hurt yourself. Don't get eat by your madness okay? Just looking
on Seokmin's eyes, I can see he really does love you.” With one last kiss on his cheeks,
Mrs. Kwon stands up and leaves the room.

Mrs. Kwon unlocks his phone before typing a message with a smile,

11:32pm Seokmin: He's fine now. I understand everything, please explain to him
everything, clear the misunderstandings. I know you're not a bad person and you're
also my son. Please take care my beloved baby, please give him much love. Good
night.

Soonyoung gets his phone from the nightstand and he is flood with bunch of messages
and missed calls from Seokmin. He sighs deeply, thinking of how to talk to him
tomorrow. He doesn't want to lose him so he will fight for it. Maybe his mother is right.
He could feel his eyes becoming heavy again and his mind is starting to get blank. With
one last stare on his phone, he types a message for Seokmin.

11:37pm Seokminnie <3: Meet me in front of your school.

ღღღ

It's early in the morning yet the school is already crowded with students. Majority of
them are freshmen and transferees. Soonyoung marches through the first floor
building, meeting some familiar faces and teachers. He walks up straight the their
assigned room. Thankfully, nothing changed and he's still classmates with his friends,
just added with Seungcheol, Jeonghan, Seungkwan and Hansol to his excitement. The
four of them voluntarily exchanged section along with two students while his six former
section mates are on the other section, wanting also to exchange rooms.

As soon as he enters the room, he is greeted with the love birds with their disgusting
skinships. Wonwoo is silently reading a book while Mingyu is sitting next to him, very
close. He wonders if Mingyu is flirting with him or what because it's still not confirmed.
The two of them are very close to each other and he thinks there's a possibility that
they will end up dating, if Wonwoo is not straight. He chuckles at it before shouting
incoherent sounds and everyone stops from what they are doing.

“You are so noisy.” Jihoon says with a glare, unbelievable he's destroying the goodness
of morning.

“You are disgusting, clinging with Seungcheol. I feel bad for him because it's disgusting
of you.” He counters back with a beam.

“Whatever.” Jihoon shrugs before continuing his lovey dovey moments.

The nine of them are huddled together at the side, talking and laughing very loud,
starring Boo Seungkwan and Kim Mingyu. Soonyoung also speaks with the two, but
minimal compare before. He doesn't know why but he doesn't feel the goodness of
morning, knowing he's bringing a very heavy feelings. That doesn't go unnoticed by his
friends, giving confused looks to him every once and a while.

Jeonghan, sitting next to Soonyoung, whispers to him, “Are you okay? You look like
you're spacing out now.”

Soonyoung flinches from the small voice before looking to Jeonghan. “I'm fine don't
worry. Just lack of sleep.” He smiles, a fake one. Thankfully, Jeonghan doesn't ask
further more because he's not in his own mind.
“Anyway, we have three couples here and unfortunately, the other one there is the
most disgusting couple I've even seen.” Jisoo announces, fake gagging at Seungcheol
and Jihoon, the short pink haired boy always clinging on his boyfriend.

“At least I'm not moaning while my boyfriend is kissing me.” Jihoon says bluntly, giving
teasing smirk at the now flustered Jisoo and Jeonghan.

“And we have three still single boys here. So tell me, when will you hook up for your
girlfriends? Or boyfriends.” Seungkwan says without hesitation, creepy smile pasted on
his face with ugly eyes trying to do eye-smile.

Everyone turns their eyes at Wonwoo first with anticipating looks and because of that,
Wonwoo blushes madly. “I-I don't know. I-I'm not yet ready.” He says with a mumble,
not looking straight to any of them.

“How about you?” Jihoon looks at Mingyu, rather glaring. The rest follows their glances.

“No idea.” Mingyu answers, trying to be as confident as he can. His gaze landed on a
winking Seungcheol, his mouth pointing at Wonwoo and his cheeks immediately turn
pink.

“So, how about our lovely Soonyoung?” Soonyoung looks up with shocked face.
Everyone is looking at him intently and he's sweating now. “I-I”

The bell rings and thankfully, the teacher enters right away. His friends slowly get up
from their spot before walking to their respected chairs. He sighs in relief and before he
know it, the question hits him hard. So this is the feeling when someone asks you.

Soonyoung knows his friends will understand him even if he tell them he has a
boyfriend because why not? They also have their own boyfriends for Shakespeare's
sake. But why is it so hard to say it? Maybe this is what Seokmin feels. And the fact in
his school, they know him as a straight guy, a handsome straight guy. Maybe he's
pressured to hide their relationship though his parents support him. Maybe he's
stressed if those people around him look with disgusting and piercing stares at him. He
feels very stupid now, being selfish and not thinking about his boyfriend's feelings until
the question is being asked.
 ღღღ

The class ended that early and Soonyoung immediately packs his belongings before
sprinting out the room, not forgetting to wave at his friends. His palms and forehead
start to sweat when he reaches their school gates because he's nervous. Today is the
first time he will visit Seokmin's school and he doesn't know would he feel when the
students there stare at him.

After 45 minutes of traveling, he is now standing in front of Seokmin's school and it's
pretty huge compare to their school but nevertheless, he doesn't care. Some students
are now walking straight the gate and he feels of running now because some of them
are giving fixed looks and it's uncomfortable with different school uniform. Minutes
later, he can hear some girls giggling and his ears twitch when he hears his name being
mentioned.

“Seokmin oppa, where are you going?”

Soonyoung looks through the side of his eyes and his eyes widen when he can see the
familiar boy. His boy. As their eyes meet, Soonyoung sprints away. He doesn't know
why but his mind drag him away from him while his heart telling him to stop.

Seokmin on the other hand, leaves the girls who are bombing questions and it's
annoying because his mind is only filled with Soonyoung himself. “SOONYOUNG!” He
shouts while running but he never looks back.

“SOONYOUNG YOU KNOW I LOVE YOU!” He shouts again, panting. Everyone stops from
their track, even the girls behind him with surprised expression. This time, Soonyoung
immediately stops before slowly turning around with also shocked face, his small eyes
are all wide; his mouth are gaped open with his cheeks that are now blushing, and it's
cute in Seokmin's opinion. “I LOVE YOU SOONYOUNG!” He shouts one last time before
jogging to Soonyoung and hugging him tightly.

“B-But the p-people around-”

“I don't care anymore about them Soonyoung. You are more important.” Seokmin
states sincerely. He can feel their eyes are on him and Soonyoung but he doesn't care
anymore. He doesn't want to lose Soonyoung with misunderstandings, ever. He pulls
away from the hug before looking straight on blushing Soonyoung and he chuckles at
the sight. “I love you. I'm sorry, I was just scared to tell that I have a boyfriend. I was
so stupid but not anymore. I'm proud to tell them that I have an amazing boyfriend.”

And the moment is ruined again when Minyoung together with her two girls show at the
sight. “Seokmin baby, what's happening here?”

Some people around together with the girls who are asking Seokmin moments ago hiss,
glaring at the girl. She shrugs them before looking again at the two. “Who is that boy?
A slave from your house.”

Soonyoung starts to tremble again because of the insult, tears starting to form on his
eyes. With one assuring squeeze on his shoulder, Seokmin changes his expression into
serious one. Everyone begins to feel shiver around their body, even Soonyoung but
Seokmin holds his hands, trying to ease him. That is the first time he shows that kind
of scary aura in front of many students. The surrounding becomes quiet as they look at
the commotion in front of the gate.

“Stop calling me baby. You don't own me anymore after dumping me in the air with
that boy from the bar like a year ago? Stop acting like I still love you because you're
being delusional. I'm disgusted to myself because I loved someone who hides her true
identity. And you know what? Fuck you.” Seokmin spits a venom and Minyoung is
surprised with the angry voice.

“And the person beside me? Don't ever insult my boyfriend.” He emphasizes the
word boyfriend,earning a gasp from the three bitchy girls.

Minyoung tries to build up her crushed confidence, flicking her hair. “If he's your
boyfriend then kiss him in front of us.” She crosses her arm, smirking because he
thinks Seokmin is just using the cutie guy beside him.

“Seokmin, you don't have to-”

Again and again, everyone gasps very loud when Seokmin leans forward and meets
Soonyoung's red lips. Soonyoung's eyes is wide, like a ping pong ball because of the
feeling inside his body. Butterflies start to fly around his stomach. He is very
embarrassed to look in front so he just cover his face after they parted. Seokmin scoots
him closer with his arms tightly holding his waist.
“Anything you want to ask?” Seokmin looks at Minyoung with a sly smirk and the bitchy
girl is still frozen from her spot. Regaining her thoughts, she stomped away with her
two bitch friends.

When the three leave, Seokmin's expression changes again with softer one. Everyone
starts to cheer on them, giving congratulatory to him and Soonyoung. Seokmin's
fangirls starts to squeal because he has a very cute lover and they don't mind him
having a boyfriend because they find it amazing.

Seokmin rests his forehead on Soonyoung's, caressing his chubby rosy cheek gently
earning a giggle from his lover. “I'm not afraid anymore to tell that I love you. Don't
mind Minyoung because ” He whispers that makes Soonyoung blush more but still, he
smiles at the sweetness.

The students start to yell 'Kiss!' and the two lean forward, meeting their soft lips
together with perfect match. Seokmin grips his arms around Soonyoung's waist and the
other places his arms around his lover's neck and everyone roars in happiness.

ღღღ

It's a beautiful morning for everyone, especially for Soonyoung. The misunderstandings
are already cleared already. The also said sorry to each other and promise to
strengthen their relationship. He smiles at the memory they did yesterday.

Soonyoung rests his chin on his palm, looking outside the school. The weather is much
better now. His thoughts are now flying again when the door opens loudly causing him
to stop from what he's doing now, looking in front of the class. Their teacher enters the
room with a boy behind him.

“Everyone. We have a new student. Mister, please introduce yourself.”

“Hi. I'm Lee Seokmin. I'm your new classmate. And...” He scans the whole room. He
can see familiar figures in front of him, surprised yet smiling Seungcheol and Jihoon. He
smiles back at them until his gaze landed on his beautiful lover who is looking so
surprised on his appearance.. He gives him a wide smile before looking in front again,
“I'm Soonyoung's boyfriend.”

“WHAT?” The eight students say in unison while the other gasp in surprise.
Seungkwan's mouth is covered with his hands the way beauty queens do in pageants
when they win, the diva one.

18

The second day of class is much louder than the first one, basically when the ten
students are chattering at the cafeteria or more like the eight are flooding Seokmin and
Soonyoung questions. The newly known couple in the campus (courtesy of Seungkwan
spreading around, screaming by the time afternoon bell rings lol) doesn't have the
chance to answer it one by one because they don't stop asking.

They are all sitting on the center of the cafeteria, earning different looks from other
students. Some girls' attention is on Seokmin, as usual as being another new handsome
student.

“So this is what you mean your lover in our school?” Seungcheol asks with a smile on
his face, his boyfriend being too much clingy today on his side. Finally, everyone is
used to the clingy Jihoon, like a koala with small eyes. At least he's not sassy every
time.

“Wait, you know each other?” Soonyoung adds a question in confusion.

“Seungcheol and Jihoon are my regular customers. They're adorable though.” Seokmin
wiggles his brows which returns with a glare from Jihoon. “And yes, I meant him. Isn't
he so adorable?” Seokmin pinches Soonyoung's now blushing cheeks, earning fake gags
from Seungkwan and Jihoon. “And I thought you two are just friends.” He points his
finger on Jihoon and Seungcheol.

“Well, that was just before. But Jihoonie here,” Seungcheol stops when Mingyu chokes
on his drinks violently when he hears that nickname before continuing, “But Jihoonie
here always thought that we were dating or something like that though it was actually
an unknown date for two of us. He's cute that time and then the time came that I
confess properly, being gentleman.”
“Why do you need to open that Cheolie?” Jihoon mumbles, slight pink creeping on his
cheeks due to embarrassment.

“Oh. So Jihoonie is now embarrassed?” Mingyu imitates Seungcheol's voice and the
latter is already planting daggers on him. Everyone roars a laughter, unable to control
because Jihoon is different when Seungcheol is just around them.

“Fuck you.” Jihoon mumbles towards Mingyu and Seungcheol taps gently his mouth like
he's disciplining a kid.

Then, the rumor that a new student arrived lately. According to Seungkwan's source
(“Where did you get those gossips?!”, “Just somewhere Hansol”), he's an exchanged
student from China.

“I also heard he's going to be on our class. Isn't it exciting?” Jeonghan says with a
smile as he clasps his hands and everyone agrees.

“He will introduce himself after our lunch break so we still have lots of time to meet
him.” Seungkwan adds as he sips Hansol's drinks.

“You have your own drinks.” Hansol stares at him with not-so-amused look.

The rest of the lunch time is actually their usual, talking, laughing and mocking. While
everyone is chatting loudly, Mingyu just sits there silently between Jisoo and
Soonyoung as he starts staring at the also quiet Wonwoo. He can't keep his soft giggles
whenever the latter laughs in a cute way, his nose scrunching and his pointed cheeks
show more. His eyes is the most adorable though; closed while his eyes is formed into
crescent. Well, it's normal for him to do and every time he can't see him, he's sulking
alone because he misses the short one easily.

Mingyu doesn't know that Jeonghan notices the lovely stares he's giving to Wonwoo.
Honestly, Jeonghan has a suspicion that Mingyu likes the other and he's still confirming
it. It is hard for him to know the truth because he doesn't know Mingyu more compared
to Jisoo who stick to him a very long time.
Jeonghan keeps looking at Mingyu and he witnessed how his cheeks heat up with
shades of pink when Wonwoo catches the stares with a sweet smile. He taps Jisoo to
catch his attention. He leans forward to his right ear before whispering, “Do you think
Mingyu has a crush on Wonwoo?”

Jisoo stares at his lover with confused look, not catching the subject. “What do you
mean?”

“I mean, look at Mingyu and you will notice something strange.”

Jisoo turns to Mingyu and why the fuck is he blushing?! “Why is he blushing now?”

“Wonwoo caught him staring to him though.” Jeonghan says with a slight interest on
his voice, smiling like a proud mother.

“Oh.” Jisoo looks back at Mingyu before an idea popped on his head. He smirks at it
before whispering again to Jeonghan, “I have an idea.” He stands up and motions the
other to do it too and he obediently did.

“We're heading first.” Jisoo announces as he gets off the chair along with confused
Jeonghan being dragged somewhere.

“Why are we inside of comfort room?” Jeonghan asks in confusion.

“We're going to know if Mingyu really likes Wonwoo so we can help.”

“But how?”

“We will talk to him now. But first...” Jisoo steps forward before leaning Jeonghan at the
wall gently and he is surprised at his action. Basically, he is the one to make the first
move because Jisoo is a shy type of a person and seeing him like this with sexy actions
make him very turn on. I never knew he could turn into sexy beast.

The two starts to share kisses, not forgetting to lock the door so no one can disturb
their little hot session. Jisoo places his thin yet strong arms around Jeonghan's waist
while the other slings it around his lover's neck. Their kiss is slow yet sloppy. Jeonghan
releases a moan when Jisoo's tongue enters his cavern, meeting his own.

Minutes later, their session becomes hotter and hotter. Jeonghan is now sitting above
the sink, his legs are now hugging around Jisoo's waist. Their kiss is now full of lust as
they taste each other but they still don't mind, clouded on their own world. Jeonghan
pulls Jisoo's head more to let him more access on his mouth.

They pull slowly when they feel the lack of breathing. Jeonghan opens his eyes, so do
Jisoo. “I never thought you can be so sexy.” Jeonghan teases his lover.

Unknowingly to Jisoo about his recent action, his face becomes as red as tomato. He
covers his face as he keeps apologizing. “Hey Jisoo, stop that. I like it you know. You're
very manly with that.”

“Uh. We forgot about talking to Mingyu.” Jisoo scratches his head before hugging
Jeonghan's waist again as he buries his face on the latter's chest.

“Right.” Jeonghan fishes out his phone from his pocket before texting Mingyu to come
in the comfort room.

The door slowly opens as it makes a crack sounds. Mingyu enters inside and he can see
the two standing in front. With a confused expression, he approaches the couple. “What
do you want?”

“Do you like Wonwoo, Mingyu my son?” Jisoo says bluntly in Jeonghan's amazement.

“What?!” Mingyu's eyes is widen at the sudden question it makes him off-guard.
“I said if you like Wonwoo.”

“W-What the hell a-are you talking about?!” He exasperatedly says, his face is now
turning into pink.

“You are stuttering and blushing.” Jeonghan points out.

“I-I am not!”

“As you say son. But we want an honest answer. Do you like him? Because according to
what we saw, you just gave him a lovely stare and I'm jealous- ow! I'm just joking to
my son!”

Mingyu's face is now very red, like a tomato. He looks at the two and his mouth is
gaped open in shock. He doesn't even knew someone already noticed it aside from
when he told Seungcheol. He tries to open his mouth but the closes it again unable to
say something.

“So, what's the answer?” Jisoo says as he taps his shoes at the tiled floor.

Mingyu sighs in defeat. He has no choice but to say it because it's not already a secret
on what he was doing the past months since he became his tutor. “Yes.” He mumbles,
shades of pink are still on his cheeks.

“Oh my god my son is grown up now!” Jisoo hugs Mingyu with a bone crushing hug and
Jeonghan only smiles because he's happy, just happy for Mingyu.

“Father, don't tell anyone please? Only the two of you and Seungcheol know it.” Mingyu
begs, holding Jisoo's both hands with puppy eyes and pout.

“Don't worry it's safe from us. Just confess to him when you have the chance. I don't
want my son to lose the love of his life.”
“Y-Yes.” Mingyu doesn't know why, but he stutters and he's flustered when he hears
the 'love of his life'. Sounds good to define his feelings to Wonwoo.

ღღღ

Everyone is already inside their room, excited to meet the new student from China.
Girls are very eager to meet the male student and they keep on whispering about their
expectations and excitement. Moments later, the door opens revealing their teacher
along with a boy they assume it's the new student they are talking about. They all stare
at him with interest, even Mingyu and his friends.

The boy in school uniform is tall but of course, Mingyu is taller than him. He has a fair
skin and his shoulder is broad and has muscular arms, the muscles are noticeable. His
face has perfect complexion, his eyes are sharp while his nose is pointed. He has thin
and red lips that you can misinterpret he's always smirking and his jaws are well-
chiseled. His forehead is being covered with his chestnut brown hair. In other words, he
is definition of handsome.

Once again, the room is filled with whispers, giggles and squeals coming most from the
girls. The teacher clears her throat to gain the attention of the students. “Good
afternoon. As so you know, we have a new student from China. Please introduce
yourself.”

The Chinese boy steps forward, “Hello. I'm Wen Junhui. Please take care of me.” His
broken Korean accent makes the girls giggle and squeal more because that's so cute of
him.

“Mister Wen Junhui, please choose your seat.” The teacher formally tells the student
with a smile, amazed to have another Chinese student.

Actually, there are three available seats in the room. First is on the right side of
Mingyu. Second is on the left side of Wonwoo. Mingyu doesn't know why he didn't
choose to sit beside him. Stupid almighty.The last seat is on between Chan, the little
quiet kid who changed section like Seugkwan and the other three did, and Minghao,
also a Chinese student, best friend of Chan who came from the other section too.
The new student named Junhui scans the whole room with anticipation. His eyes meet
with the other students, looking at them as if he is memorizing their faces. His eyes
landed to someone that catches his full attention and he immediately smiles
mischievously, showing his chubby cheeks. “I'll take that seat.”

19
“Alright, please go sit and we will resume the physics class now.” The teacher calmly
instructs to the Chinese boy which he obediently do. He walks through until he reaches
the empty seat in front row and the other students are still looking at him until he sits
beside him. Junhui puts his bag beside his table before shifting to more comfortable
position, fixing his uniform. He turns on his side and looks at the boy who caught his
attention moments ago. As the teacher is still preparing for the topic she will discuss,
he stares at the black headed boy for awhile, examining his perfect features. Cute.

Wonwoo can already feel the presence of the new student yet he can't greet him.
Maybe it's because he's not still used to it, being a shy and quiet one. He hesitantly
turns his head and is surprised that the boy is actually looking at him. Their gazes meet
for seconds and Wonwoo feels the heat creeping through his body and he becomes shy
for unknown reason. The Chinese boy blinks innocently before flashing a bright smile,
eyes twinkling.

“Hello. I'm Wen Junhui.” He stretches his hand near Wonwoo with a smile, not breaking
the eye contact.

Wonwoo slowly reaches it, shaking it gently. “I'm Jeon Wonwoo.” He says in a low
volume yet the other can still hear him.

“I guess you will be my seatmate for the rest of the year so I hope we can be good
friends.” Junhui says with a brighter smile that can lighten up the whole Seoul and
Wonwoo finds himself also smiling back the him as he nods cheerfully with twinkling
eyes and shades of pink on his pale cheeks.

But behind those bright smiles is a dark aura with tearing glare coming from a tall boy.

At the mean time, Mingyu is now fuming in jealousy after he saw the interaction of that
Chinese student with Wonwoo. He can't believe he just smiled at him very wide and for
the first time, not to Mingyu but to that new comer. He maybe childish to hear all his
rants in his head but he's being possessive over him lately though they don't have
relationship labels other than best friends.
Fuming almighty Mingyu is an understatement.

Mingyu is still giving mad looks at the Chinese boy, unable to count the amount of
needles he's already stabbing at the back of him. If that were happening right now,
maybe that guy is already dead, really. He groans not that loud enough for someone to
hear as he can't focus now at the lesson.

Hours passed and Mingyu is uncomfortably ticking his pen, very impatient to end the
class. He's trying to get Wonwoo's attention but damnit, their tables are far from each
other! Don't forget that Junhui guy and Wonwoo are still conversing something he can't
hear for Pete's sake. That kind of sight drives him crazy now.

He tries his best of his best to shrug off the two, especially that bastard Chinese boy
who is obviously flirting his precious Wonwoo, and focuses in front of the class but
history is not a good subject at all. Not when it's already past 2pm which means it's the
most boring part of the day. He sighs and immediately leans at the chair support
behind him.

At some part of his head, Mingyu is happy for Wonwoo because he has new friend
(what he assumes because they are talking casually) aside from the eight of them and
his brother. He's not a selfish boy but hey, but we're talking about Wonwoo here, duh.
Wonwoo is Mingyu's person of possession and it's an understatement if you ask.

Those smiles Wonwoo giving to Junhui guy almost wreck his nerves. It happened to be
him, the one who always see those beautiful smiles and expressions. Wonwoo is an
introvert person and he's only doing that in front of his friends recently, mostly only
with Mingyu alone.

Jeonghan shifts a bit near Seungcheol who is scribbling notes, tapping his arm for
couple of times. He gestures the other to come closer as he will say something.
Seungcheol is confused but gives in because of curiosity. “I think someone here is
jealous over Wonwoo and the Chinese guy.”

“Huh?”
“Mingyu.” Jeonghan points at the tallest among his friends.

Seungcheol follows the direction he's pointing at, landing on Mingyu whose eyes are
uh... glaring straight to the Chinese boy. It's like he already has a knife stabbed deep
on his back. He becomes worried at him and at the same time, concerned at the new
student because Mingyu is a very childish possessive brat who whines every time
someone tries to flirt with Wonwoo. He needs to prepare his ears now. “I think so- wait,
how did you know that?!”

“Just a smart guess?” Jeonghan says innocently, doing his infamous aegyo expression
and Seungcheol only blinks at him. “What?”

“Never mind. I smell rivalries now and I think I'm loving to anticipate it.” Seungcheol
becomes amuse to see the upcoming war of the century. Not that he wants to have fun
but it's a challenge for Mingyu to win his heart though. Let the battle begins!

ღღღ

The bell rings in Mingyu's relief, indicating that the last class is already done. The
students break the horrifying silence as soon as the teacher left the room. Mingyu
stretches his whole body, aching from sitting for long amount of time while listening to
his teachers' discussion or more like whining something he doesn't care. When he feels
his body is comfortable, he starts to pack all his things as quick as he can and plans to
ask Wonwoo to go with him at the mall. Another date, Mingyu thought with a creepy
smile but no one notices it.

The three disgusting couples and unfortunately Mingyu's friends are already leaving,
waving at him as one by one of them goes out the room. He doesn't need to ask, they
will just probably do their lovey dovey session and Mingyu is used to it. At least he has
Wonwoo to accompany him, and him accompanying the almighty.

Mingyu is approaching Wonwoo while slinging his bag on his back, making already few
steps, “Hey Won-”
“Can you give me a trip here in school? If you don't mind though.” Junhui pops out of
nowhere and Mingyu questions if this bastard Chinese is a magician or what. This cock
blocker shit.

Mingyu doesn't have the chance to interrupt the two when Wonwoo immediately nods
with a small smile on his face, doesn't even notice Mingyu's presence just meters away.
Through his expression, Mingyu's heart clenches painfully suffocating him to death.
Today is just the first half day of the Chinese boy yet he causes a big commotion to
Mingyu and it annoys him to hell.

Mingyu glares at Junhui without him knowing as he sits back again on his place. He just
sets a fire between them though the other doesn't know anything yet. “Mingyu? Hey
Mingyu.”

Jisoo calls for Mingyu several times again yet to no avail. He looks at the direction
where he is looking and oh, Wonwoo and Junhui is talking again with smiles on their
face. He sighs because he already gets what is happening. With one last call, he has to
do it to get his attention. “MINGYU!”

Mingyu releases a not-so-manly squeak when he gets back from his flying thought,
earning weird looks from their classmates, including Wonwoo and Junhui. His face
starts to blush because it's not a good one since Wonwoo saw him on that
embarrassing state. Jisoo's scream right on his ear aches painfully, still echoing his own
name on it. He looks up and starts to glare now at his friend, “What the hell is that for
bullshit?”

“Son, I've been calling for you what I think ages.”

“Whatever over-aged oldie.” Mingyu rolls his eyes, not amused.

“You jealous?” Jisoo says in a teasing tone, wiggling his brows.

“The fuck you're talking about?” Mingyu tries to make a bitchy face but it doesn't affect
Jisoo though, he's a forever small ball of happiness.

“Well duh.” Jisoo rolls his eyes because Mingyu is not a good actor. “Don't you think I
didn't notice those glare you are giving on poor Junhui guy every time he's talking with
Wonwoo who happened to smile at him? Your glares will melt him if we can't control it.”
Jisoo smiles when Mingyu starts to fume again, his face red in both anger and
embarrassment.

“I am not.”

“You are.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“I said no.”

“Yes you are definitely-”

“Fuck I am so stop interrogating me already!”

“Good- Oh, Wonwoo and Junhui are now leaving. Good luck my son.” With one
mischievous smirk, Jisoo leaves the room while happily hops once in a while. He should
be in mental hospital now. Mingyu stares at the two retreating body in not amusing
look and Wonwoo doesn't even say anything to him, just a wave or a look, just leaving
him alone with that Junhui kid. He needs someone to talk to and you know where he's
going now.

ღღღ

“Have you seen that Seungcheol? That Junhui is obviously flirting with Wonwoo!”
Mingyu huffs as he sits at Seungcheol's bed, whining everything what just happened at
the school. Seungcheol sighs in defeat because whiny Mingyu is a cup of stress with
annoying voice at the top of it.

“I know-”
“And I'm so mad now because he even got Wonwoo's attention! He smiled at him
Seungcheol! He smiled! Then he just left me alone after class, not even saying
something or wave.”

“Mingyu, please calm-”

“And he can't keep away his hands from Wonwoo, doing some skinships and- oophf!”
Mingyu stops from talking non-stop, cutting Seungcheol every time he tries to talk and
it's already annoying for him. Because of that, he throws a pillow straight to Mingyu
face and it's a little bit strong.

“Hey! What was that for-”

“Shut the fuck up first Mingyu okay? You talk like you never lose air.” Seungcheol
demands in a serious tone and Mingyu obediently does like a kicked puppy. Seungcheol
sighs longer than the usual. “Look, I know you are jealous but this Junhui is a new
student for Spears' sake-”

“You love Britney Spears-”

“Fuck Mingyu just listen to me. Of course, he will talk to the first person beside him like
do you have a common sense?” Seungcheol's face softens because Mingyu's expression
changes to a hurt one and he feels guilty. “Okay, I didn't mean it. It's just that, can't
you be mature? You are acting very childish and it's not good for you, not in front of
Wonwoo.”

The two then immediately spend silence, an awkward one. Mingyu's head lowers, tears
threatening to fall. Seungcheol is alarmed with the action so he hugs him protectively,
trying to lessen the tension. “Mingyu,” he whispers, “I'm very supportive for you to get
Wonwoo but you need to sort out of it alone. You should know how to act in right
timing because what if Wonwoo doesn't like that attitude? Try to know Junhui first,
don't make a rush conclusion that he is flirting. Even so if he is, then act like a true
man who will do his best to get his love of his life.”

“Do you really read mangas and you memorize the last line?”
“You know that line? That's so freaking cheesy advice!” Seungcheol comes back again
to his cheerful ball of sunshine side and Mingyu rolls his eyes. He doesn't even know if
serious Seungcheol really happened seconds ago.

“Whatever. Just confess to him soon.” Seungcheol removes his body from Mingyu,
looking straight at him.

“But I'm afraid that he doesn't feel the same.” Mingyu's lips turn into thin one,
imagining him being rejected may set him into death.

“How can you know that if you don't at least try? What if someone confess to him first?
What if it is Junhui? That will be a lose to you.”

With this, Mingyu's ego perks to the highest limit and Seungcheol facepalms, not a
good thing to mention new Chinese student with Wonwoo. Seungcheol can see the fire
in his eyes already and he doesn't know what to feel. But he never expects that
Mingyu's expression changes again to a neutral one and it's new to Seungcheol's liking.
Maybe he's trying to control his feelings. “Just... Just give some time for this.” He
mumbles, not knowing what to do at the possibilities of Wonwoo's reaction once he
confess his feelings.

Then Mingyu comes back from whining again. Seungcheol faints.

20
The wonderful Monday and a new week comes once again and today’s morning is great
to begin with. The sun shines bright as its light touches the skin smoothly, radiating up
to students’ faces as they enter the school with huge smiles on their faces. On top of it,
the first two weeks of school passed by peacefully.

Or so you thought.

Mingyu, on a very good Monday morning, is now fuming in anger with crossed arms on
his chest as he sits silently on his seat, not minding the disgusting Seungcheol and
Jihoon beside him. It has been a week since Wonwoo and Junhui always stick together
and Wonwoo already forgot that Mingyu still exists. His best friend to be exact.
And what he’s angry about is that, that Junhui guy is always cutting him off even before
he can say or ask something to Wonwoo. And for couple of times he constantly cut
Mingyu last week with innocententrance voice, he doesn’t know but he always caught
this stupid Chinese with a smug smirk on his face after doing that. Well, he understands
he is new to the school but of all students inside their room, why can’t he just detach
himself to Wonwoo and try befriending to others? He doesn’t know if he is doing that on
a purpose or it is just always accident. Of course, the almighty Mingyu would think it
isn’t an accident.

Minutes later, Mingyu comes off from his thought when he sees his beloved Wonwoo
takes his entrance to the room. His eyes twinkle at the sight and is about to greet him
when the person he really hates also enters the room on the right cue, immediately
putting his right arm around Wonwoo’s shoulder. Junhui’s gaze meets his deadly one
and he only smirks as if he’s taunting the taller. The two sits next to each other, talking
something Mingyu doesn’t hear due to their distance. He keeps glaring at Junhui and he
can see that he is still looking through the corner of his eyes once in a while. He smirks
again as he slings again his arm to Wonwoo and their faces are inches away and
Mingyu tries to keep him cool.

Thankfully, Wonwoo turns around to look at Mingyu with a small smile pasted on his
face and if you ask Mingyu what he loves the most, it’s his smile. “Good morning
Mingyu.” He says with a wave.

Mingyu stops glaring at Junhui and focuses his eyes on Wonwoo only, smiling very
wide, adding sly smirk just in case Junhui sees it. “Good morning to you too, Wonwoo.”
He can clearly see that the other is not smiling or smirking anymore, just a poker face
for his liking.

Mingyu and Wonwoo starts conversing for the past minutes as Mingyu goes in front and
sits next to Wonwoo so that they can talk clearly. They talk about random things quietly
while laughing, like what they usually do. How much Mingyu misses to hang out with
Wonwoo like this, if this Junhui didn’t pop up out of nowhere. Speaking of Junhui, the
other is just listening to them with poker expression still on his face. He doesn’t know
what’s on his head but he needs extra careful because he might be his rival.

“Oh, and I’m sorry I can’t join you watch your favorite movie last Saturday.”

“It’s okay.” Mingyu answers even though there’s slight disappointment on his tone.
“Anyway Junhui, this is Mingyu my best friend. Mingyu, this is Junhui.” Wonwoo speaks
on a soft voice as he looks to the two, introducing them to each other. They just stare
intently with unpleasing expression to each other but Mingyu could feel the fire starting
to grow at the middle. The two keeps glaring not so obviously at each other until
Wonwoo awkwardly coughs at the strange feeling between him.

“Oh, right. I’m Wen Junhui. Nice to meet you Mingyu.” Junhui stretches his hand as his
smiles brightly.A fake one.

“Nice meeting you too Junhui.” Mingyu gives back a fake huge grin, accepting the hand
before shaking it.

But unknown to Wonwoo, they squeeze their hands tightly and painfully as if they both
receive their messages to each other.

ღღღ

The time flies faster than it seems and it’s now their lunch break. Mingyu and his
friends are sitting to their spot in the cafeteria downstairs. Usually, the nine of them are
huddled together, eating their lunches while having some loud conversations but it
seems that someone is already missing since last week.

“I wonder where Wonwoo is. He’s pretty missing since last week.” Seungkwan asks as
he chew his octopus-sliced hotdog.

“Our pretty Wonwoo is busy entertaining the Chinese boy lately.” Seungcheol answers
as he begins feeding Jihoon a spoonful fried rice. He glances at Mingyu who stuffs his
food angrily without munching it. “Oh, Wonwoo’s there!”

Mingyu chokes on the food inside his mouth roughly, slapping his chest hard at the
mention of Wonwoo’s name for he doesn’t know why. Maybe he just
misses his Wonwoo so bad. Everyone panics at Mingyu’s coughing coarsely state so
Soonyoung who is sitting next to him grabs Jihoon’s bottle of water, ignoring the
protest from the shorter. He opens it quickly before passing it to the tallest among
them with concerned look. Mingyu engulfs the water quickly before mumbling a
soft ‘thank you’to his blonde best friend. He turns around to see Wonwoo and Junhui
walking side by side, going straight to get foods and his blood boils again with a smile
on Wonwoo’s face for Pete’s fucking sake. He takes the water again and gulps it fast.

“Are you jealous Mingyu?” Jihoon questions with a smirk and everyone swiftly looks at
Mingyu.

This time, seemingly shocked at the blunt question, Mingyu spits spray out the water
inside his mouth hastily and thankfully no one is sitting in front of him but it’s still
disgusting though. He quickly wipes the water dripping at the side of his mouth before
glaring at Jihoon, not amused that he choked twice today. “What the hell Jihoon?! Of
course no!” He exclaimed, making his answer as confident as he can.

“Then why are you glaring at them?”

“I’m not glaring!” Mingyu defends, stuffing his food again on his mouth.

“You are blushing Mingyu.” Seungkwan announces while resting chin on his hands and
everyone laughs at Mingyu’s poor state.

“I am not!”

“Yes you are.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Fuck—”

“Uh. Hi.” Everyone stops from teasing Mingyu and turns around to where the voice
came from. Wonwoo is standing there awkwardly and Mingyu smiles seconds before
changes into snort when Junhui shows behind him. His eyes start burning from the
sight. “I’m sorry I can’t join you last week.”
“It’s okay Wonwoo. Come and sit with us— Oh! Hello Junhui.” Jeonghan greets the two
with an angelic smile.

“Hello.” Junhui shyly greets back with a smile, waving at them.

Wonwoo sits beside Seungcheol and Junhui sits next to him; apparently in front of
Mingyu to his distaste. “Hi Mingyu.” Wonwoo greets him with a sweet smile and
Mingyu’s heart starts pounding loudly, almost getting out of his chest. Butterflies tickle
his stomach and he’s in urge to just kiss him right in front of his friends. But almighty is
a big scaredy cat.

“Hello to you too Won—”

“Hi Mingyu.” Fuck. Junhui cuts him again from talking to Wonwoo, smiling at him but
then again, it is obvious it’s fake. What the hell is problem with this Chinese?!

Trying to contemplate not to punch Junhui, Mingyu gives him a huge huge fake smile.
“Hello Junhui. Nice meeting you again.”

“Yes, it’s so nice.” Junhui emphasizes the last word as if he’s stabbing daggers.

Seungcheol, aware at the unknown aura between the two, tries to get their attention.
“Hey Junhui!” He calls the Chinese boy, looking at him with a small grin. “I forgot to
introduce ourselves. I’m Seungcheol and this…” He points at the baby clinging at him
the whole week, “This is Jihoon.” Jihoon waves at him a bit, flashing a bright smile.

“You have an adorable boyfriend.” Junhui compliments Seungcheol, reaching his hand
to shake as their family’s tradition. “Hello. I’m so happy to meet you all though I see
you at the room.” Then one by one, they introduce themselves to Junhui.

“Soooo, you’re pretty close to Wonwoo now huh?” Jisoo speaks, giving some teasing
looks towards Mingyu.
“Yep! He’s very friendly and comfortable to talk to. I want to talk to others too but I
don’t know how to approach you all.” With the statement, Mingyu notices that
Wonwoo’s face has slight blushes. What the hell?!

“Really? It’s good to hear that.”

“He’s very cool. He even asked me to come to their house last Saturday—”

All of the sudden, Mingyu slams his hands at the table loudly and forcefully, standing
abruptly with unreadable expression causing everyone to flinch from they are doing,
turning their looks at him with shocked expression at his impulsive action, even
Wonwoo, Junhui and the students around them. For seconds, no one dares to break the
tension and silence until Mingyu comes back from his thought. He blinks twice, thinking
everything yet doesn’t know why he did that. The time his gaze lands on Wonwoo
makes his heart sinks. His eyes are all wide and his expression seems, scared? Very
scared because that’s the first time Mingyu shows his short tempered side. His eyes
widen, the unusual one, at the realization hitting him inside. With one last look at his
friends and Wonwoo, he excuses himself silently before marching out of the cafeteria
with heavy feelings even him can’t explain.

All he knows is that Wonwoo just decline him to join him watch the new season of his
favorite movie because of Junhui. Even weekends Junhui is taking Wonwoo away from
him! Curse him to death.

ღღღ

Unfortunately at Physics class, the teacher groups them for a project which is very early
for that and most of them groans in irritation but hey, what can they do; and for
upcoming Science camp which is a month from now. A group consists of three members
and Mingyu is eager to be with Wonwoo so that he can have his time, without someone
who is very annoying. He crisscrosses his both two fingers as his ritual, hoping his
teacher will call him along with Wonwoo’s name. He doesn’t care about the other
member. Unless it’s Wen Junhui for Good heaven’s sake.

“So the second to the last group consists of Lee Chan, Yoon Jeonghan and Hong Jisoo.”
Mingyu doesn’t listen to their teacher that’s why he doesn’t know whose names are
already mentioned but all he knew is that his and Wonwoo’s name are not yet called.
He keeps mumbling ‘Please! Please! Please!’repeatedly as he closes his eyes tightly.
“The last group will Kim Mingyu, Jeon Wonwoo and Xu Minghao.”

Mingyu celebrates his victory in his mind, doesn’t even bother listening anymore the
time he hears Wonwoo’s name. Party poppers crack on his mind and he can still hear it.
All he knows right now is he can have a lot of time with Wonwoo. Studying together,
making projects and meeting for their upcoming camping. Sleeping together with
Wonwoo is nice to hear—

“Mr. Lee, Junhui is not mentioned in any groups.” Wonwoo announces and Mingyu stops
from what he’s thinking before his eyes widen. Did he just… ruin my victory party?

“Oh, right. I’m sorry. Wonwoo, is it okay if I put him on your group?” Say no! Say no
Won—

“It’s fine with me sir.” He responds to the teacher before smiling at Junhui which
returns by the Chinese. But Mingyu catches the smirk formed on his lips the second
looks away.

Oh crap almighty hates this feeling…

The four of them are now sitting inside the SVT café along with some groups and his
friends but separated from them. They decided to set a meeting since the concept of
their invention is needed next week. Wonwoo asks Minghao if he can join their meeting
for the project after class and the latter agrees that he will come.

“H-Hi. I’m Xu Minghao. I’m Chinese too.” Minghao greetsthem shyly when he arrives at
the shop, his pale face is combined with slight shades of pink.

“Wow. Nice meeting you. I’m Wen Junhui!” Junhui beams at him, flashing bright smile
and Mingyu notices those blushes are getting darker for he doesn’t know why.

“Hello Minghao. I’m Jeon Wonwoo.”

“I’m Kim Mingyu. Hope we can be friends.” Mingyu tries to be as polite as he can,
although Junhui is getting clingier to Wonwoo compare the last week to his disgust and
his temper is getting shorter again.

Wonwoo leads the meeting as he suggests great ideas for the concept of their
invention. The rest are listening carefully to what he says, taking down notes just in
case they forget it. After around 25 minutes of talk, Minghao leaves the shop because
of important thing to do and they understand him. He’s a scholar after all. Being scholar
is very difficult compare to them just enrolled using their parents’ money.

“I’ll just go to rest room.” Wonwoo announces before standing up and walks towards
the rest room at the right corner.

The two keeps smiling tightly until Wonwoo is out of their sight. With that, their
expressions change. Mingyu’s bright face becomes bitchy one while Junhui’s smile
become small, more like slight smirk. “Spill it.” Mingyu demands when they hear the
door closed.

“What are you talking about?”

“Stop being innocent here.” Junhui’s smile turns into smirk, an evil one while looking
straight at Mingyu’s sharp one. “Don’t you think I didn’t notice your teasing smirks and
looks; even cutting me off when I tried talking to Wonwoo?”

“I get it. Well…” Junhui shifts a bit from his seat, “Don’t you think I didn’t notice your
glares the time I sat next to Wonwoo?”

“You are taking him away from us.”

“Or more like taking him away from you.”

“Damn you.”
“Are you jealous?” Junhui’s smirk becomes more obvious and Mingyu is furious now at
how this stupid Chinese taunt him.

“You don’t fucking care.” Mingyu spits out dangerously, as if he’s threatening him.

“No cursing giant baby face.” Junhui shakes his head as if he’s disappointed to his son.
“But well, Wonwoo is kind of my type so the first time I saw him I didn’t think twice to
sit next to him. Shy, blush easily, quiet nature and has a pale skin.”

“Don’t you dare—”

“Confessing?” Junhui cuts him again, “Well, it’s not yet on my plan but I’m gonna get
him. Let’s see who will win his heart.”

Mingyu opens his mouth, ready to retort back when Wonwoo comes out of the rest
room. In an instant, Junhui’s smirk comes back again to a flashed bright smile he
always do when he’s with Wonwoo. “If you don’t mind, let’s pretend we’re close. Seems
like you don’t like me even a bit. Shall we?” Junhui says with cheerful tone before he
finally looks away from Mingyu.

God damn this arrogant bitch.

21
It is past 5pm when the three leave the café after their short meeting, just couple of
minutes after Minghao left. There’s nothing to discuss more since they still have any
concept for the project. In those minutes, nothing really happened after Mingyu and
Junhui’s man-to-man talk. But Mingyu feels very awkward-slash-annoyed while third
wheeling in front of two, talking endless not so loud yet, as if he just doesn’t exist. He
tries his best to cope with the topic but there are things he really hates: 1) He’s not a
fan of Science, theories and computations, 2) Junhui always hovering his voice if he
starts to talk and 3) Blame Wonwoo for being distracted with the topic, very oblivious
on his surroundings.
“I’ll walk you home Wonwoo.” Mingyu insists with excitement on his tone and
thankfully, Junhui didn’t cut him because he swear he will cut his head to death if he’s
not in front of Wonwoo.

“U-Uh. No, it’s okay. We have different routes. Junhui and I have the same route so…”
Wonwoo’s voice trails off. Maybe he’s already dead tired.

“I’ll walk him home for you Mingyu so don’t worry much.” Junhui joins the conversation
with well-known taunting smile on his face and Mingyu’s 101% excitement turns into
101% annoyance. How much he wants to shave those wiggling eyebrows until no one
can recognize him. Blame Wonwoo for being oblivious.

“I think we need to go now. See you tomorrow Mingyu.” Wonwoo announces with a
small smile plastered on his face and Mingyu just gives a nod, unknown expression on
his face. He looks at the retreating bodies, setting a fire at someone’s back.

“Bye Mingyu~” Fuck you too, Junhui.

ღღღ

“How can be Wonwoo so dense over everything?” Mingyu whispers to himself, messing
his hair in confusion and a bit irritation. He keeps thinking back all those hints he did
and most of his friends already noticed it right away but Wonwoo is still completely
oblivious with those things.

His mind is still on clouds when he hears something like a sound of punch on the dark
alley just in front of him with a whimper next to it and he flinches on it in shock, his
gaze turns into where the sound comes from. He doesn’t know what to do: to run away
or save that person because he is sure behind the dark is something like bullying. He is
quite strong but he never experienced fighting so he’s still hesitating. Another helpless
whimper comes again and he freezes on his spot.

“Give me your wallet boy.” He overhears the conversation yet he’s still standing on his
feet, can’t do anything. Thankfully, they still don’t notice his presence. “Not answering
huh?” Another guy says with much more intimidating tone. The whimper comes again
and Mingyu is now panicking.
“I-I don’t h…have m-money.” Mingyu hears the victim answers and he notices the
cracked Korean accent between sobs and whimpers and a very familiar thin voice. He
still can’t remember but he is sure he hears that voice before. “I-I’m— aaaahhh!”
Mingyu’s eyes widen in horror when he hears that bullied guy screams in pain, sees
someone in the dim kicks his stomach mercilessly. His eyes almost pops out when he
finally realizes he knows that voice. Minghao?!

He fishes out his phone from his pocket with shaky hands before unlocking it and opens
the flashlight. In an instance, the light flashes on the scene and he feels he is running
out of air after seeing Minghao with full of bruises on his face and arms.

“Who are you?!” The guy, Mingyu judges him as super-duper-mega ugly with ugly
hairstyle that doesn’t even exist in Korean fashion, shouts while covering his face from
the light.

“Stop what you’re doing there or else… or else…” Mingyu gulps immediately, feeling his
throat getting dry when he notices that three muscular guys are approaching him.

“Or else?” Someone Mingyu assumes he is the leader smirks when he stutters while
stepping back. Fuck do he even know how ugly he is with the smirk? Do he think he
looks like a handsome gangster?!

“I-I’ll call a police!”

“Really? I’m scared. Like someone will ever get to see us here. More like two of you
beat out.” The guy with long hair answers. Jeonghan is very pretty with long hair, what
happened to this one?!

Mingyu has the nuts to mock them on his mind until his body is out of the dark side. He
turns around, prays that some miracles will happen, and sees an old metal fence which
he assumes the door of this alley then his eyes lands on the other side of the alley and
smiles in victory because God really loves him, “POLICE OFFICERS! THESE THREE GUYS
BEATS SOMEONE!” He shouts out his lungs and the three guys quirks their brows. He
shuffles the light until the police officers, unknown to the three ugly guys, who
coincidently passes by see the three of them, Mingyu lighting them and a boy who is
laying on the floor.
“You think you can trick us?” The leader laughs at Mingyu.

“Maybe yes, maybe not ugly bitches.” Mingyu mocks them with a smirk.

“You asshole—”

“Police. Don’t move!” Once of the police officers shouts while targeting his gun towards
them. “Get down!”

“WHAT THE FUCK—” They are about to run but Mingyu is faster than them. He runs out
of the dark alley before pulling the metal fence on the side then enclosing it, the police
officers cornering in an easily.

“Get down! Get down!” The police officer demands again and the three immediately
surrenders, slowly kneeling on the floor while their arms in the air. The other two police
officers approaches them before locking their arms with handcuffs.

Mingyu removes the fence before running towards Minghao who is still laying on the
floor. He snatches the cotton towel on his bag before wiping the bruises on his face and
Minghao whimpers in pain. He retracts it from his face before carefully carrying his
body. Good thing he’s very light and thin.

“Officer, can you give us a ride to the hospital? He’s pretty beaten.” Mingyu asks the
officer with stuttering voice, worried expression on his face since Minghao is beaten
badly.

“Sure. Sure. Come with me, quick.”

ღღღ

“He is fine now. Nothing serious happened to his body except the bruises. It will heal
not too long. He will be awake soon, maybe his body gives up because of the punches
and he doesn’t used to it so don’t worry.” The doctor says with a smile, patting his
back.
“Thank you so much.” Mingyu stands up before he bows more than 90 degrees. The
doctor bows too at him with a chuckle before leaving the room.

Mingyu sits next to sleeping Minghao. He stares at him and those bruises that are now
covered with bandage. He keeps staring at him with pity look because he doesn’t
deserve those bruises. Thank all the gods that nothing more serious happened to them
since the fact that the three big guys look like they can kill them in one click.

Mingyu is about to leave the room since it’s already 8:45pm when he hears Minghao’s
soft groan. He immediately turns back and sees Minghao’s cute blinking action,
confused expression pasted on his face. “Hi.” He greets with a smile.

“Mingyu? Where am I?” Minghao asks in a surprise tone. He sits straight slowly on the
bed, groaning when he feels the sting of pain on his right arm. He looks around the
room and it is coated with pure white.

“I bet you forgot but you were beaten hours ago. Don’t worry, you’re fine now.” Mingyu
utters with a huge smile on his face, examining his classmate’s bruises once in a while.

Minghao’s pale face turns into shades of light pink at the memory. He was passing by
the alley when someone dragged him forcefully to the side. Then all he remember is the
first punch on his face while they were asking for his wallet. After that, his mind went
blank because it was very painfully straight on his right cheek. “U-Uh. I’m so-sorry for
causing you a problem. And thank you.” He speaks in a hush tone. His face blushes
more because he is embarrassed that he can’t protect himself. He is not looking at
Mingyu, still awkward that they just met today and barely talk to each other.

Mingyu chuckles at Minghao cute actions and that makes him look to him with confused
look. “It’s fine and I’m still thankful that I passed by there and help you. I don’t want
any of my friends getting into trouble.”

“Friends?” Minghao’s eyes widen at the mention of the word friends.

“Yep! We can be friends you know?” Mingyu’s eyes are twinkling and his expression is
so bright that can blind anyone.
“S-Sure.” Minghao’s face is now covered with shades of pink but this time, with a small
smile.

Mingyu and Minghao continues to talk to each other, mainly knowing each other. The
awkward feeling is now faded and turns into laughs and chuckles. Mingyu learns that
Minghao has only one friend since his childhood: Lee Chan, their midget sized
classmate. He also learns that he and his mom went in Seoul after his father, Lee
family’s loyal servant, died while protecting Chan from the thieves. Chan’s family gives
a whole-hearted appreciation to their late servant for saving their only son from danger
that is why they decided to bring his family with them back to South Korea to assure
their safety. He learns that Chan is sometimes overprotective and selfish when it comes
to Minghao. He doesn’t share Minghao easily to anyone since he also doesn’t have any
friends than him.

It is 9:20pm when the doctor comes in and says that Minghao can be discharge now to
their relief. Mingyu assists Minghao until they are now outside the hospital. Minghao
keeps rejecting Mingyu’s offer on give him a walk to their home, saying that is too
much help from him. Of course, Mingyu never gives up so he keeps blabbering
like ‘What if they come back?’, ‘There are many bad guys out there.’ and etc. With a
chuckle, Minghao gives in to the offer.

“If Chan’s family is helping you, why are you a scholar in school?” Mingyu asks out of
the blue.

“It’s not a total scholarship. Maybe scholarship but not like that. The company that my
mother works at gives me an allowance for school. Though Master Lee pays for my
school, I used it for school stuffs like projects and unexpected payments. I don’t want
to the burden to them, always depending on their money.” Minghao answers with much
more weak voice.

Minutes later, they reach Minghao’s home. It is much smaller than their house, like only
two persons can fit inside. “Wanna come in?” Minghao offers him and Mingyu
delightfully nods, too enthusiastic to meet his mother.

Minghao opens the door using his spare key before removing his shoes, Mingyu
following him behind. They go straight to the living room to see Chan walking back and
forth continuously while his mother is sitting on the sofa with very worried expression
on her face.
“Chan?” Minghao speaks up with questionable tone to why Chan is here in this time of
night.

Chan stops from walking before tilting his head up to see Minghao with bandage on his
face and arms and his heart sinks at the sight. “MINGHAOOOOOO!” He runs fast to
Minghao before hugging his waist. He buries his face on Minghao’s chest and starts to
sob. Minghao’s right. Chan is very sensitive kid.

Minghao’s mother stands up from the sofa before going to his place and gently cups his
bruised face while her eyes starts to form water on the edge. “What happened to you
honey? I’m so worried that’s why I called Chan if you are with him but he said no. I was
panicking more because you didn’t answer your phone.” Mingyu watches the dramatic
scene in front and he doesn’t want to offend them but their accent is very funny and
cute at the same time.

“I’m fine now, don’t worry much. And Chan, remove your arms around me. Seriously, I
can’t breathe.” Minghao chuckles when Chan retracts his grip from him in a cute
manner before giving his mother and Chan a peck on their cheeks. “I’m fine since
someone helped me.”

Mrs. Xu and Chan turn their looks to Mingyu and he immediately stands straight as if
his commander is in front of him. “Good evening. I’m Kim Mingyu. Minghao’s
classmate.”

Minghao’s mother gives a warm smile towards Mingyu which immediately returns back.
“Thank you for protecting my son.” She kneels down before bowing in front of him.

“No Mrs. Xu, don’t do that. It’s really nothing.” Mingyu tries to get her up because it’s
inappropriate for someone older than you to let them bow like that.

“Thank you Mingyu for saving Minghao.” Chan utters with a huge smile on his face,
eyes closed tightly and sincerely and he gives him a hug to Mingyu’s surprise because
all he know is that Chan doesn’t share Minghao to anyone.

With a smile, he pats Chan’s back twice. “No problem. Hey Chan.” Chan tilts his head
up, “Want to be my friend too? Minghao and I are friends now, right Minghao?”
Chan sees Minghao nods happily with a small smile and in an instance, he shouts a
big ‘Yes!’ and everyone laughs at the scene.

They eat dinner together and Mingyu can’t say no to Chinese foods. Mrs. Xu and Chan
start to ask Mingyu about anything they want to know from him and Minghao is just
sitting there quietly while smiling, sometimes laughing almost soundlessly.

Mingyu doesn’t know what comes to his mind but he just realizes in one click that
Minghao merely resembles someone over some things that he really likes every time.
His quiet nature. How he barely talks and if he speaks it’s almost soundless, like a
whisper. Same with his laugh, angelic laugh. How he likes listening than talking. How
his facial expression displays blank emotion yet unknown to him, it’s very cute and
attractive and he can’t deny it. How clumsy he looks when he walk his thin legs. And
how his pale face skin turns into shades of light pink blushes, so easily.

Yup. Mingyu’s right. Minghao is like him. Wonwoo.

22
“HELLOOOOOOOOOOOO GUYS!” One fineafternoon for everyone, Seokmin and
Soonoung greet in unison with high energetic voice booming around as they enter the
cafeteria not minding those students staring at them ─ mainly girls ─ with adoration
and jealousy since you know, they are really cute couple to ignore; and embarrassed
and disgusted looks from their friends. Did you know Jihoon is doing it both?

“Here!” Jeonghan shouts at them as he wiggles his arms in the air goofily and Jisoo
does a face palm, literally. The two immediately spot their friends, quickly making their
way to them.

“How’s ya meeting folks?” Soonyoung asks with kind of accent to his voice as he slumps
his ass down beside Seungcheol, Seokmin sitting next to him.

“That Nayoung kid was really scared of Jihoon now. She looks like about to cry.”
Seungcheol sighs.

“But she was obviously flirting with you yesterday!” Jihoon whines while crossing his
arms on his chest.
“You can’t take accusations to her and then say something hurtful. Just apologize to her
later.”

“But─”

“I will not talk to you tomorrow if you apologize later. End of the discussion.”
Seungcheol’s expression and voice may look stern and serious but Jihoon’s almost
crying state makes him very guilty but what he said is right.

“Ugh! Fine.” Jihoon groans as he rests his head on Seungcheol’s shoulder, snaking his
arms around his waist.

“Ours was just fine I think. How about yours Jisoo?” Seungkwan asks.

“It was fine, except this Jeonghan here…” Jisoo points his boyfriend with full of
accusation, “…kept asking this little Chan repeatedly about being his little baby. I think
he freaked out and will never show to our next meetings anymore.”

Everyone look straight at Jeonghan and he nervously laughs, “What? He’s so adorable
and I wouldn’t mind being him being my little son.”

“Well, I couldn’t agree more. Chan is very cute and adorable kid for his age.”
Seungcheol speaks his thought honestly with a smile.

“Cuter than me?” Seungcheol looks down to see an innocently blinking Jihoon as he
whispers cutely, staring straight to his eyes with filled hopes and he can’t do anything
but to smile brightly to him.

“Of course, you the cutest baby.” Seungcheol whispers back while pinching Jihoon’s
already squishy pink-shaded cheeks lightly before peppering him with kisses. Jisoo and
Soonyoung do fake gags while Hansol immediately covers Wonwoo’s eyes who is sitting
next to him.
“Of course you are cuter than Chan because he’s taller than─” Seungkwan is about to
finish his sentence when he sees Jihoon turns his head stiffly and he hesitates to
continue but because of being stupid and diva, “… you.” An empty bottle of water lands
flat on his face, the edge hitting the bridge of his nose. Seriously Seungkwan.

“Where is Mingyu?” Wonwoo asks as he notice the tall boy is actually missing.

“I thought he’s following us when we went down here?” Soonyoung asks Seokmin in
confusion.

“I don’t know?” It comes more like a question too than a concrete answer. “What I only
is that he was just walking beside me then after ten seconds, he was long gone. I
thought he came here first so shrug from asking.”

“I will find Mingyu first.” Wonwoo stands up from his seat then is about to hop out of
the bench when Hansol stops him.

“I don’t think you need to find him.” Hansol pulls Wonwoo back again to his seat
carefully not to stumble him before pointing the familiar tall boy. “He’s there.”

Everyone turns their head to where Hansol pointing is and they instantly notice the
missing boy on the table and… he’s walking while talking with another familiar boy with
clean blonde locks beside him. “Is that Minghao with him?” Seungcheol asks.

“Definitely the quiet Minghao.” Jeonghan retorts with a nod. They keep looking at them
which is still unknown to the two even until the two boys are now finally in front of
them.

Mingyu catches all their gazes, even Wonwoo’s, and he furrows his browswhile giving
them a confused look. “What?” Minghao becomes very stiff and nervous with their
gazes.

Seems like the awkward air breezes, Soonyoung coughs loudly to get their attention
which is successful. They rapidly blink and erupt a roar sounds of laughter to lessen the
solid stiffness of surrounding. “We’re sorry. We didn’t knew you two and Minghao are…”
He looks at the puzzled Mingyu, pointing at him before slowly shifting to a bitnervous
Minghao. “…kind of close?”
Seemingly Mingyu gets their intention, he joins laughing with them. “We just became
close because of an unfortunate event happened last night.” Mingyu answers before
giving Minghao a look to ease him from being nervous. “They are good friends of mine
so don’t be nervous.” Minghao only replies with a quick nod.

“So, mind introducing him?” Jisoo inquires with a bright smile to Minghao.

Mingyu nudges Minghao, telling him to introduce himself alone. At first, he is very shy
and nervous to talk since rarely talk to others but because of the others encouraging
him, he quietly speaks. “I-I’m Xu Minghao.”

“Nice to meet you Minghao.” Everyone states in unison with smiles pasted on their
faces that makes Minghao relax, cracking a shy smile and blushes lightly.

“How about me~”A muffled small voice has been heard by everyone sitting on the table
and they instantly stop from talking, turning their heads everywhere in bewilderment to
find where that voice came from.

“Who’s that?!” They ask repeatedly, making loud commotion.

Mingyu just laughs loudly while Minghao quietly chuckles, “OMG! I forgot to introduce
another one to you.”

They look again at the two with confused looks until a head with a very cute face peeks
behind Minghao’s side, shy smiling at them and his eyes are making crescent shapes.
“Hi, I’m Lee Chan~” He waves at them.

They first fall in a silent, processing what just happened but as if on cue, everyone
shouts happily at the very adorable person with very cute personality. Well, of course
Jeonghan is not on the exception.

Jeonghan holds Jisoo on his shoulders rapidly before turning him face-to-face
forcefully. Jisoo feels something unpleasant will happen─ “Oh my god our son is very
cute Jisoo! He is so adorable YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAS!” He begins to shout while
shaking him back and forth with much force, to his lover’s dismay. They all laugh at the
sight until Soonyoung volunteers to stop him since Jisoo looks like to puke in no time.

“Just be thankful I love you or else I will break all your bones in no time.” Jisoo hisses
at his boyfriend as he engulfs the water Seungcheol passes to him. Rather than receive
verbal response, he receives a quick peck from Jeonghan and he blushes lightly due
embarrassment while the others look grossed.

“Please sit now the three of you.” Jihoon demands as he shifts to give a space for them,
patting the unoccupied ones.

“Channie~ please sit between your mom and dad~” Jeonghan squeals very loud when
Chan gives him a hesitating nod, giving space between him and Jisoo and everyone
does fake disgusted expressions.

Mingyu quickly sits next to Jihoon while Minghao next to him, the end part of the
bench. Unfortunately to Mingyu, Wonwoo and Junhui are in front of him talking like
they are on their own world. More like Junhui keeps talking non-sense things.He would
like to disturb them but now he’s not in the mood to make silly stunts.

The whole lunch time, Mingyu falls into straight silence, just eating and looking to his
conversing friends which is very rare to him. He doesn’t know what he feels but right
now, he just really misses Wonwoo’s consistent presence beside him. Sure they still
hang out but their used to be 24/7 time becomes more limited, almost no time, and
their talks become more forced conversations for him. Their supposed regular greetings
every morning become infrequent. There’s no time he never tried his best to keep
talking to Wonwoo but the latter is the one always end it, always excusing himself (let’s
not forget this cock-Junhui-block guy who keeps interrupting anything).His allotted time
now is now either he’s busy for some things or busy with this new annoying transfer
student. It constricts his heart painfully to death, really. And the worst part he ever
encountered is that, he smiles often when he’s with Junhui, not with him anymore. All
he can do is to look at them from afar with jealousy. Everything is slowly drifting apart
between them. That makes him clench his fists tightly as it turnspale white, blood
unable to circulate. He may be act like immature but he still has feelings to
consider. Okay, stop the drama. Cut─

“Mingyu! Hey Mingyuuuuuu~” Mingyu blinks rapidly as he comes back from his deep
thought when he hears someone calling his name and a poke on his nose. He looks up
from the table instantly and sees Wonwoo leaning on the table wearing worried
expression. “Are you okay?”
“Uh… uh…” He looks on his both sides and seems like everyone is also staring at him.
He sits straight before looking back again to Wonwoo, “Yes I’m fine. I’m just uh…
tired?”

“Oh. Good. Please rest well more.” Wonwoo smiles brightly at Mingyu, pink sprinkles
dusting his cheeks which he really loves to see before going back to his seat.
Hesitantly, he picks a piece of his homemade sushi on his lunchbox using his chopsticks
before lifting it and pushing it near in front of Mingyu’s mouth. “T-Try this.” He said in a
whisper tone.

Mingyu’s eyes widen at Wonwoo’s sudden affectionate action, his heart starts throbbing
fast and wild. Doesn’t feeding someone is a way of affection, right? He face cracks a
smile when the blush on Wonwoo’s face starts to grow darker but what makes him
smile wider is the intense gaze from Junhui. He does an innocent yet mocking blinks as
a way of teasing him before opening his mouth and chewing the delicious sushi, his face
starting to become hot too. He notices the smirks from Jisoo and Jeonghan’s smug face,
confused and interested looks from the others but he just shrugs him. He also notices
the happy look from Seungcheol through the corner of his eyes while repeatedly
chanting of‘Feed me too Wonwoo~’. And disgusted expression of Jihoon.

He keeps munching the food in a childish way, showing his chubby cheeks and crescent
shaped eyes more and on his side is Minghao chuckling silently at his behavior.
Whenever his and Junhui’s eyes meet, he sticks his tongue out then quickly hides it
again and looking away, like a spoiled brat he is.

Junhui: 1 point

Mingyu: 1 fucking almighty point

23
For the past weeks, Wonwoo’s group members become more and more in touch with
each other, seemingly inseparable because of the frequent meetings about their
project. They look pretty fine and a bit comfortable with each other now, even
Junhui sometimes stops from cutting Mingyu from talking to Wonwoo. Also, the two can
already make small conversation though in the end, there are always stupid arguments
over some small things and that intense dark aura between the two idiots. Minghao is
just having some more time to be comfortable to others when they talk to him,
especially with the lively Junhui.
Currently the thirteen boys are all huddled up under Jisoo’s house as per Soonyoung’s
consistent plead for a movie marathon, their frequent past time they already missed for
months now because of busy schedule in school. All are inside the bedroom; couples
are disgustingly entangle to their own pairs doing and whispering some lovey-dovey
things under their own worlds, Jeonghan petting Chan’s hair who is resting on his lap as
Jisoo prepares the movie to watch. Mingyu snorts at the sight of his friends along with
Junhui, his friend-slash-enemy. Wonwoo and Minghao are just sitting quietly beside
them.

“Don’t you think it will be very crowded if all of us have a sleepover again?” Jihoon asks
after scanning the almost full room.

Chan tilts his head to Jeonghan with confused look. “Sleep… over?”

Jisoo chuckles silently as he sits next to his lover. He ruffles Chan’s hair, “We usually
have regular sleepovers every week before. Overnight hangout as we call. And nope, I
think it’s not that crowded. My room is just too small for thirteen persons so this means
my house is pass for it.”

“What do you guys normally do when you have sleepovers?” Junhui eagerly asks.

“Sleeps over, duh.” Mingyu lets out a sassy hiss loudly, rolling his eyes.

“We frequently play games, watch random videos and movies. Sometimes just talking
to fill up the midnight hours and then drift to dreamland until afternoon and so on.”
Jihoon answers before throwing pillow straight to Mingyu’s face. “You can join us next
time if you want.”

“Let’s just talk about that later. My favorite movie is now playing.” Soonyoung happily
announces with continuous claps, wiggling his feet in a childish way.

It’s been hours passed since the movie ended. Jihoon and Seungcheol are above the
bed, sleeping soundlessly with their arms and legs entangled securely to each other
ignoring the loud voices and screeches (majority from Seungkwan’s). Mingyu, Junhui,
Wonwoo, Seungkwan, Hansol and Seokmin are playing ‘Monopoly’ and the rest of their
friends are intently watching them play and scream.

“One, two, three... Eight steps says the dices!” Seungkwan playfully makes steps on
every avenue of the board game one by one using his little metallic toy until it lands on
one of Seokmin’s properties. “NOOOOOOOOOOOOO! This can’t be! That lot is too
luxurious!”

“Just pay $120 to me now.” Seokmin raises his hands with a mocking gestures.

“Can we just talk about it and make a deal?” Seungkwan does a puppy wide eyes with a
pout, “What about I sing trot songs and the debt is already paid?”

“Seriously Seungkwan, you’re doing it now?” Seokmin rests a bitchy expression while
Hansol cringes at the failed aegyo of his lover. “Pay or sell one of your properties.”

“Fine.” Seungkwan sighs in defeat as he counts good amount of fake money to pay
Seokmin. “Do you have discount for friends? Come on, make it like 80% off.”

“No.” Seungkwan groans as he rolls his eyes, giving the payment to Seokmin.

While Soonyoung...

“Soonyoung, you have been watching that movie for like, three time already today!
Even Seokmin gave up and left you.” Jisoo looks at his friend in disbelief.

“Correction: he already watched that movie fourteen times with me. The time he
watched it alone is still not counted.” Seokmin says in a matter of fact, “Just let him
watch and fanboy over Song Joongki until he feels dizzy.”

“Wow. Soonyoung and Seokmin’s relationship is seriously something.” Jeonghan

whispers at Jisoo and the latter nods in agreement.
“We’ll just go down to get foods and drinks.” Jisoo announces as he stretches his numb
legs and drags his lover along.

Mingyu lands on Hansol’s property, “Oh my-”

“Hansol!” Jisoo shouts behind the door making him covering his mouth.

“I’ll never say it again, I promise.” He shouts back. “Your turn now Junhui.” Hansol
hands the dices to him.

“Thank you.” Junhui carefully rolls the dices into the floor. “I got five steps~” Well
unfortunately, his toy lands on Seokmin’s most luxurious property with an apartment
built on it. Speaking of the devil, Seokmin laughs devilishly as Junhui gloomily gives all
his money he’s holding to him. “Let’s end this shit. Why is Seokmin so good at this
game?!” He messes his hair in annoyance.

“You’re just stupid.” Mingyu says straightforward in a mocking tone while acting like he
said nothing. But of course, Junhui is not that stupid to not hear it. So, as a payback,
he intentionally pushes the taller in a full loaded force making his face flat on the
carpeted floor.

“What the hell?!” Mingyu roars in front of Junhui’s face.

“What? I did nothing.” Junhui grins in a teasing manner which causes Mingyu to pushes
him back. He grabs the latter’s wrist making him stumble also on the floor. And the cat
fight begins!

Everyone, except for Soonyoung of course, watches as the two slaps and wrestles each
other lightly, rolling back and forth on the fluffy carpet while throwing curses. “Hey
Wonwoo! Don’t you think Mingyu and Junhui look cute together?” Seungkwan questions
with a chuckle and others laugh along.

The mentioned boys immediately halt from what they are doing with wide eyes after
hearing Seungkwan, looking at their chubby faced friend, then to Wonwoo who is also
looking at them with shocked expression, before staring at each other with distaste
expression. With a short pause, they disentangled quickly in a kicking manner then
wiping off imaginary dusts on their clothes.
“That’s so gross and disgusting that I look good with Junhui!” Mingyu grumbles as he
sets himself away from the other.

“I will have a nightmare. How I wish I never heard it.” Junhui counters back, doing
panicky actions. “I want to jump off the cliff now!”

“Let me volunteer to push you so that I can’t see your face anymore!”

Junhui rolls his eyes as he stands up and walks through the door. “I’ll just drink water
because my throat really hurts after mentioning someone’s name.”

“My name is too precious and almighty than yours!” Mingyu growls after he hears the
door clicks shut.

Junhui goes down the stairs and walks straight to the kitchen. He sees Jisoo in front of
stove cooking something while Jeonghan is on the kitchen counter table making orange
juice. He marches to Jisoo in curiosity, “What are you cooking, Jisoo?”

“Oh.” Jisoo turns his head to the owner of the voice, “Hi Junhui. I’m cooking white
cream sauce pasta now. Why are you here?”

“I’m thirsty. Can I get a glass of water?”

“The bottles of water are inside the refrigerator. The glasses are on the cabinet next to
it.”

“Thank you.” Junhui mutters which Jisoo smiles in return before going back to cooking.
Junhui opens the cabinet and gets a glass before shifting in front of the refrigerator and
quickly gets the bottle.
“Don’t you want juice?” Jeonghan insists.

“Nope. My throat hurts now so I’ll just drink water.” Junhui answers and the long haired
boy nods before doing his business again. He pours good amount of water onto the
glass before putting it back inside. As he gulps down the cold water, his head starts
throbbing painfully. The glass slips from his hand causing it to break into tiny sharp
pieces, earning Jisoo and Jeonghan’s attention.

“JUNHUI!” Junhui still manages to hear the two scream though very minimal. He can
feel his brain pounds loudly and painfully as if it wants to break his skull, making his
hearing weak and whole body shudder. His eyes are close shut tightly due to the pain it
brings. He clutches his right hand at the edge of the the table, balancing his body as
much as he can while the other hand is clutching on his head. On the right cue, Jisoo
catches Junhui from falling on the pieces of sharp glasses, gripping his strong arms
around the taller one’s waist while Jeonghan immediately slings Junhui’s arm on his
shoulder. The two carries him to the living room fastly and slumps him carefully on the
sofa.

The other people inside Jisoo’s room hear the loud scream coming outside making their
attention alert, even Soonyoung and the newly awake Jihoon and Seungcheol. With a
worried expressions giving to each other, they immediately go outside to see freaking
Jisoo and Junhui in a very pale state. They sprint to them but still keep in mind to not
make the surrounding suffocating for Junhui. Jisoo panics when he feels Junhui’s face
sweating cold so he uses the magazine to fan Junhui lightly. Jeonghan comes back with
a glass of warm water, letting Junhui swallows it slowly.

Minghao, with a very scared and worried expression, starts to run down the stair to
help but someone stops him with a strong grips his wrist. He looks back to see Chan
trying to pull him upward while wearing sad smile and sympathetic expression. He
already gets his message. With a soft sigh, he puts his right hand around the smaller’s
shoulder securely, just watching the commotion below with concerned looks.

“We should bring him now to hospital.” Soonyoung insists.

Junhui groans, feeling his throbbing head subsiding slowly making him more
comfortable. He shifts his sit as he rests his back and head while doing circle patterns
on his forehead, “I’m fine now, don’t worry.”

“What happened?” Wonwoo asks, putting his palm on Junhui’s forehead.

“I think I just got a brain freeze.” Junhui smiles reassuringly.

“Are you sure? Do you want to take some rest?” Jeonghan puts down the glass on the
table.

“Maybe if I can taste Jisoo’s food.” With that, they laugh loudly as they start walking to
the kitchen to prepare the plates and utensils before eating Jisoo’s pasta, Wonwoo and
Mingyu helping Junhui to walk straight while Minghao and Chan are quietly behind
them.

“You sure you can walk home now?”

“Yes. Wonwoo and I have the same path so maybe he can help me when something
happens.” Junhui answers with a smile.

“Good. See you-”

“I can lend Junhui a walk, you know.” Mingyu jumps in as he slings his arm around
Junhui’s shoulder tightly and pulls him shoulder to shoulder with a fake yet
unnoticeable toothy grin.

“I’m fine now-” Junhui tries to detach the big dog from his body yet receives a light jab
on his stomach.

“We’re friends. I should do this to my precious friend. Let’s go Wonwoo.” Everyone

laughs at Mingyu’s childishness. He pulls Wonwoo on the other side of him, away from
Junhui of course whose face looks irritated for something, before marching away from
Jisoo’s house. “Bye guys! Bye Jisoo! Bye Minghao, Chan~”

“Bye everyone~” Chan singsongs while Minghao gives a yet another shy wave.
Everyone bid their goodbyes to everyone.
“Goodbye my bitche-” Jihoon doesn’t finish his sentence when Seungcheol stuffs a
bread on his mouth, muttering ‘Be a good boy, Hoonie.’

24
The low beaming rays of early morning’s sunlight perfectly radiance straight down to
the ground along with sweet touches of warm breeze. The front school ground is slowly
getting crowded as senior students, who are not on their usual school uniforms but
comfortable casual clothing, gathered there on their own group of peers. Bags are
packed with several clothes, important necessities and enough snacks for three
days.The annual science camp the teachers pertaining about turns out to be a group
survival camp-slash-trip, different from any other camps held before because they will
actually live on a place walled with green organisms and very clean surrounding. The
goal of the camp is to let the students see the beauty of nature and its importance their
lives. To everyone’s relief, they will sleep inside a dorm-like building nearby instead of
tents since the teachers needs to assure the student’s safety first.

One by one, students enter the school buses assigned to respective sections. The
twelve boys, except for Mingyu since he’s still not arriving, are comfortably sitting on
the farther seats and each couples are on their own pairs. Wonwoo, along with Junhui,
Minghao and Chan sitting on the farthest seats of the bus, leans on the clear window
while staring nowhere outside, earphones plugged. The bus is field with whispered
gushing sounds coming from mostly the girls since Wonwoo entered, admiring his
attractive appearance today compare to his sharp aura look with eyeglasses.
Nevertheless in their opinion, both still makes him handsome and attractive. The
mentioned young boy is not on his regular eyeglasses, has his newly trimmed hair
falling softly beyond his brows and dyed with almond brown matching to his snow-like
skin. He is also wearing acomfortable clothes: thin yet fluffy light pink sweater and the
sleeves are effortlessly hiding the half of his hands in a cutesy way of manner, black
tight jeans hugging his thin legs and a pair of plain white sneakers making him very
attractive than ever. Those giggles and whispers with the mention of his name make
him flustered, especially when his brother Seungcheol keeps teasing him about how
handsome he is today. Seungcheol is just being supportive sibling here.

The assigned teacher does the roll call of student’s name to know if everyone is inside
now until she calls a certain tall lanky boy from their section, Kim Mingyu.

“Mister Kim Mingyu?” The teacher calls out again yet no response. “For the last minute,
if those late students are not here, we will leave here without─”

“I’m sorry I’m late!”

Everyone directs their gazes in front as they hear a loud voice with a loud stomp in
front. For seconds, those girls from other section near the bus door start whispering
and giggling, grabbing the whole attention inside. Albeit the students who sit farther
from the door can’t see the person who entered seconds ago, they can hear how they
keep gushing. Some students behind, as well as Wonwoo and his friends, abruptly
stand up to see the cause of loud noises. At first, they can’t see that person since he’s
still on the front door, talking to the teacher who blocks the sight of interest. After a
small moments passed the guy, they assume it’s a boy because of his deep voice,
climbs inside showing his full appearance in front of everyone. The one and only
almighty Kim Mingyu.

The whispers become louder as they continue talking about the tall boy, even Wonwoo
has his mouth gaped open since the Mingyu that has common and plain appearance
transforms into a very attractive guy, like those visual idols they see on television and
music videos. Holy moly.

The lanky boy has dyed his hair with light aqua-sapphire blue with a small highlight of
light ash gray ─ courtesy of his mother’s suggestion; his father is against to it but
decides to just keep quiet ─ which is a perfect combination to his tanned yet still kind of
fair skin hiding his forehead and eyebrows perfectly. The said guy is wearing simple
plain white shirt along with a thin fabric dark blue cardigan on top of it. He is also
wearing light washed minimal ripped denim jeans and a pair of white Nike high sole
shoes. What makes him more attractive is how his brownish colored bag hanging
loosely on his back.

Mingyu walks his long legs forward directly to where his friends when he finally sees
some of them (you can easily notice the hair of cherry blossom haired Jihoon and the
blonde Soonyoung without tiptoeing, you know) while giving a shy smiles to those girls
greeting him (or like trying to flirt him) showing his set of pearly white canine teeth. In
that case, he doesn’t even have an ideathat he is actually the source of those whispers.
Ignoring the noises, he marches until he finally arrives to his near destination.

“Looking good are we huh?” Seungcheol is first one to greet him with a whistle.

“How come you nailed that kind of hair color?!” Seungkwanexclaims, “I want to try it
too!”

Mingyu just smiles on his friends’ compliments and teases as he goes to the farthest
seats since there’s no more beside his friends. His and Wonwoo’s gazes meet
unexpectedly, causing his heart to pound loudly again because damn, Wonwoo is really
hot without those eyeglasses and pink sweater! His cheeks start to burn into pink
shades but immediately tries to eliminate it as he confidently continues staring at him.
To his disappointment, the other boy breaks away the contact first as he redirects his
gaze outside the window, resting his head on his palm but the blush on his face gets
not unnoticed. The sunlight perfectly gleams on the petite boy’s face displaying his
picture-perfect face feature, from his snowy skin, warm looking eyes up to his red thin
lips which is very captivating to Mingyu’s honest opinion.

“Wow, my beloved five year old hearted friend has his new style.” Junhui utters with a
grin (or more like teasing smile) as he shifts closely to Wonwoo.

“Thank you oldie.” Mingyu responds with his signature innocent smile as he forcefully
shoves Junhui away from Wonwoo that catches him off guard before sitting next
between the two mentioned boys.

Junhui crosses his arms on his chest childishly and hisses loudly as the tallest among
them pats teasingly his cheeks, not arguing anymore since he’s much weaker than the
other. He turns his head to see Minghao looking at him with doe eyes and unreadable
expression before Chan pulls him away and changing their seats. He does nothing but
to huff in annoyance before deciding to drift to his little dreamland.

On the other hand, Mingyu shifts his head in front of Wonwoo in a cute way, admiring
his face more. When the latter’s gaze finally turns in the corner of his eyes looking
straight at him, his cheeks become hot and his heart beats rapidly once again but
nevertheless immediately smiles brightly as a form of greeting his quiet best friend with
his eyes turning into crescent. He pulls away his face as the latter turns his head fully in
front of him, wearing a small yet sincere smile and a bit of sprinkle shades of pink on
his cheeks to Mingyu’s liking.

Wonwoounplugged the earphones, “You are late.”

“Sorry dad. I forgot to set the alarm.” Mingyu responds which earns a chuckle from the
other. How much he wants to listen to his laugh forever. After minutes of talking
quietly, the two falls into silence as they comfortably sit very close to each
other.Wonwoo looks back again on the window while Mingyu puts his bag on his lap,
hugging it as he tries to go back on his own dreamland.

The teacher gives instructions and rules of the trip. Exactly 8am, he buses starts the
road trip to their destination and the students are on their own world again. The whole
trip is much quieter than what the many expected. There are some students who are
talking mindlessly on how much excited they are or some sort about the camp but
majority of them are sleeping, listening on music with earphones plugged on and
looking outside the window.

After almost two hours of journey, they finally arrive to their location of camp which is
very beautiful place. Wonwoo lazily wakes Mingyu and Junhui who are leaning on each
other as others slowly unloading the bus. Too tired to argue with each other because of
their position, they just shrug it off before going out the bus. The senior students are all
instructed to enter the front building and gather on the lodge with their respective
sections so that the teachers can give the keys of their rooms. The teachers also
instruct that after thirty minutes of changing or anything else they want to do, students
should go down again on the lodge to start combining those already formed groups to
other sections.

Wonwoo, Mingyu, Junhui and Minghao immediately go upstairs on second floor to find
the assigned room to them, 316. Upon entering the room, they quickly notice the nice
and homey atmosphere of the room with few frames and figurines displayed pleasantly.
But the problem is that there are only three single beds inside, plus the couch on the
side. Too bad.

As fast as lightning, Junhui dives in on the middle bed.“First come, first serve!” He
shouts spreading his arms on the soft thing as if claiming it as his.

Mingyu curses to himself for being slow. There are only two small beds left and a very
small couch, and there are still two persons beside him who need to have beds also. He
looks to his left to see Minghao being uncomfortable, again and again. He can’t let
Minghao sleep on the couch or else Chan will kill him for sure. He turns his head on the
other side, Wonwoo. Well, he can’t let him sleep on there too. He’s too precious to
sleep there.

With a defeated sighhe utters, “Fine. I’ll sleep on the couch.”

“Are you sure?” Wonwoo asks while Minghao gives him a concerned look. “Your legs
don’t even fit there.”
“Don’t worry I’ll be fine.” Mingyu assures them with a genuine smile. “Now, quick.
Change and let’s go down.”

Some minutes of changing comfortable clothes and washing their faces, they quickly
exit the room and go downstairs on one of the halls assigned to their school where Mr.
Lee is already explaining again the rules inside the facility and the activities that will
happen today. He also explains that they will mix the groups of each sections to others
since there are quite many groups present on the camp. Meaning five groups from each
sections will be mixed together to form a one big group.

After mixing together, they begin introducing one by one on their own circle of groups,
create their group names and simple cheer to present as teachers instructed them to do
so. It goes smooth as they expect. Everyone there is already having fun as the
activities and games start. The afternoon sun shines so bright, bringing down its heat
but everyone are not bothered to it because of the fresh, warm breeze of air and the
shades of huge trees. They ended the first activities as everyone makes their way to
the big dining area where yummy foods are already set.

Hours passed after their delightful lunch and continuation of their activity, each of
students are now already holding a black plastic-potted still small trees. They will plant
those on nearby forest as their help to mother earth. After easily planting the trees on
their own places, they immediately proceed straight on the lake which students
anticipate so much than any other activities today. The fresh water of lake is so clear
that you can see under it. The water is kind of cold but still manageable to swim on it.
Without consents from the teachers and the delinquents they are, students jump off the
water and all you can hear is those happy screams and splash of water. The thirteen
boys are once again gathered in a deeper place of lake, talking loudly about their early
experiences on the camp and splashing waters to each other with huge smiles plastered
on their face.

“Jihoon, why are you still on Seungcheol’s back?” Hansol asks innocently.

“His tiny feet can’t touch the ground.” Soonyoung says bluntly as he tries to style
Seokmin’s already wet hair.

“Liar!” Jihoon exclaims half angrily and Jisoo and Mingyu only laughs.
“Oh really? Why don’t you just remove your small body over Seungcheol’s back?”
Mingyu teases, wiggling his brows and still laughing.

“DAMN, I CAN STAND HERE WITHOUT ANY HELP!” Jihoom screams, more like a whine
with a pout, in a higher octave and Seungcheol thinks his right ear is already
malfunctioning. Without any hint, he foolishly detaches his arms on his lover’s neck. He
tiptoes once he finally touches the ground, half of his face is already under the water
beyond his nose bridge and everyone, also Seungcheol, burst into a very loud laugh.

Jihoon doesn’t aware on it for the first five seconds but the oxygen inside his body is
slowly getting out of stock. His feet starts to ache so he weakly wiggles his feet and
quickly jumps to risehis face off the water and clings again to Seungcheol with a small
yelp of ‘Help!’ which causes a much louder roar of laughter. His lover assists him as he
snakes his strong arms to bring him up, kissing him on his temple and whispering
soothing words to lessen the embarrassment.

The students go off the water when the teachers tell them that dinner will be after
twenty minutes. After seconds of leaving off the water, the cold rush of air immediately
greets them as it contacts their skins causing them to shiver.Mingyu instantly shudders
after the cold wind touches his skin lightly, blame wearing a sleeveless shirt.He gets the
towel he brought as he wipes his damp hair and body before walking along the other
students but he notices Wonwoo walking alone on the other side. He is kind of
shivering, his both arms hugging his body protectively and tightly. Without any
hesitation, Mingyu hurriedly runs towards his best friend before wrapping his towel on
his skinny body.

Wonwoo yelps in surprise when he feels a thick cotton fabric but eases when he sees
it’s Mingyu on his side. “It’s okay. It’s not that cold.” Wonwoo removes the towel brings
it back to the taller boy politely.

Mingyu spreads the towel again and puts it on Wonwoo’s body again. This time, he
assures to wrap it all over his upper body. “Don’t lie. Your lips and body is shivering.”

“How about you? You don’t feel cold?” Wonwoo tilts up with worried look. Mingyu has
broad body compare to his skinny body but that doesn’t mean he can’t catch cold.
“Don’t worry, I’m fine.” Mingyu smiles an assuring one despite his voice and lips
tremble unnoticeably.

“Thank you.” Wonwoo whispers as he feels his face becoming hot.

The sun already sets down hours ago, changed with the beautiful full moon dim
lightsilluminating the dark sky and the surroundings. The senior students are on their
own rooms since there’s no more activity tonight according to the teachers but Wonwoo
finds himself roaming around the huge building looking for Mingyu who left the room
without saying anything. He’s just concerned because the taller boy doesn’t answer his
and Minghao’s calls, and the fact that they are on an unfamiliar place.

On the other hand, Mingyu is sitting on a bench in front of the building. He wears his
thick hoodie because the breeze becomes colder than he expected. His nose is getting
itchy and red as he warms his palms using his breathe. He’s still not sleepy and he
doesn’t know what to do in their room so he decided to take a walk around. Sitting
comfortably there, he examines the perfectly carved wooden sculptures and
reconstructed displays made with recycled things which amuse him so much. A couple
of coughs and giggles catches again his attention, looking at his right side to see two
girls shyly standing near him. Ah, he remember their faces. They are from the other
section and currently with Seungkwan’s group.

“U-uh. Hello Mingyu.” The girl with black hair and on a pony tail stylegreets him shyly.
“Can we sit with you? If you just don’t mind.” She chuckles nervously.

Mingyu, as gentleman as he is, nods with a huge attractive grin making them blush and
giving space for the two. Turns out to be the two rapidly sit on both of his side making
him squeezed uncomfortably.

“Why are you still here?” The other girl with grayish locks asks with flirty voice.

“Uh… I’m just taking some fresh air.” Mingyu answers, scratching his nape awkwardly.

The conversation continues as the two girls bombard him with many questions from
school things to personal life. He becomes comfortable with them, to be honest. He
answers those questions, sometimes joking with them, and in return he questions them
too so that it’ll be not one-way communication to just answer those questions one by
one. They started from awkward chuckles, nervous grins to those loud laughs. The two
girls enjoy Mingyu’s presence. He’s not just an attractive and handsome, he’s also full
of humor and gag. They keep talking until they hear loud steps andnotice a shadow in
front of them.

Mingyu, as well as the two girls, turns their heads to see Wonwoostanding in front
wearing already his pajama. “Won… Wonwoo.”

“Let’s go up in our room now.” Wonwoo states flatly causing the latter to flinch.

Slowly, Mingyu stands up to the two girls’ disappointment before giving a small wave to
them. “Thanks for the time. See you tomorrow.”

As Mingyu and Wonwoo walks back to their room, they fall into silence. It’s not just
silence but an uncomfortable one. The only thing he can hear are their footsteps, the
sounds of hanging chimes outside the window and his pounding heart. He doesn’t know
but Wonwoo is not in his usual mood. Is he sick?

Wonwoo finally breaks the silence as they walk upstairs, “You didn’t answer my calls.”

Mingyu quickly fishes his phone out the pocket and unlocks it. There are twelve missed
calls already and many messages he even didn’t bother to read. Four from Minghao and
eight from Wonwoo. He gulps nervously, “I’m sorry.”

Wonwooopens the room carefully thinkingJunhui and Minghao are already sleeping and
he’s right, “It’s okay. Go inside and sleep now.” He says in a sweet voice again which
makes him give goosebumps. So beautiful.
Mingyu takes almost an hour inside the bathroom because he needs to take a shower
again and do some own business. After brushing his teeth and cleansing his face with
face scrub product, Mingyu finallywalks out the bathroom to seeWonwoo already
sleeping soundlessly on his bed tucked under the sheet. He tiptoes himself towards the
smaller boy without causing any sounds. Hekneels in front of Wonwoo, looking at his
peaceful face and curve-ended lips. He lifts his hair up to see his beautiful face fully
before brushing his thumb on his smooth and pale cheek, stopping near his red lips. As
if the time stops, he memorizes every part of his face radiated only with the dim
moonlight. It’s very beautiful, like a newly blossomed red rose. Wonwoo’s eyes are
closed showing more of his long eyelashes, his cheeks may be pale but the combination
of pinkish blush whenever he’s shy is just perfect.Mingyu, at all times, thinks the skinny
boy has angelic personality in and out and that’s how he falls in love with him
more.Mingyu’s not greedy, just childish but he knows his limitations. He is not too
desperate to claim Wonwoo as his to begin with but rather, he just wants to stay beside
him every time (or forever if he can do), to protect him and to assure his happiness
with everything, even if he will not reciprocate his feelings.

For the last time, Mingyu brushes his thumb on his slightly curved, thin red lips. He
always wonders what would be the taste of it. Feeling Wonwoo’s shallow breathing, he
leans forward. “I will always protect you, because I love you.” He whispers with
sincerity before kissing the sleeping boy’s forehead lovingly.

WERE NOT ENGAGED

27

Mingyu POV
The extra stop we made ended up just being a convenience store so Jackson and Mark
could get some snacks for the trip.
"Did you find everything okay today?" The cashier asked sounding bored.
"Yeah, we did."
"Great."
Once they were done they threw their bags in the small trunk and we were on our way
back home. I spent the entire ride leaning on Wonwoo's shoulder thinking about how
awesome going to Los Angeles was going to be. Soon Jackson pulled into the Pledis
parking lot and we all got out.
"Thanks for inviting us. It was really fun." I said hugging Jackson and Mark before
Wonwoo and I headed for my van. The drive was silent but as soon as we got inside we
were met by Wonwoo's mom.
"Oh I missed you so much. Did you have fun? Did you get hurt? You're not sick are
you?"
"Mom, you're squishing us."
She let go.
"Yes we had fun. No we didn't get hurt. And you just talked to me on the phone earlier
so no we're not sick."
"Sorry, I'm not used to you being gone for the night."
"I know, but we're going to be leaving in a couple days."
"I know. You should go pack. You only have five days to get everything packed."
"Mom packing doesn't take five days and you can have Mr. Yoon come over if you get
lonely. I'm sure he wouldn't mind."
"You're right."
"We're going to go to my room and relax, talk and possibly watch a movie."
"Have fun. I'll be down here, getting started on dinner. I invited Bomi and her father."
"Okay." Wonwoo grabbed my hand and pulled me upstairs.
"You've been doing that a lot lately. You know I'd follow you right?"
"Yeah, but I like holding your hand."
"You don't have to drag me places to do that." I said blushing.
"Okay. Then I'm never going to let go."
"Promise?"
"Promise." Wonwoo brought my hand up to his lips and kissed it. I looked at our
intertwined fingers and it dawned on me just how much I loved him. The past few weeks
I had been happier than ever before and it was all thanks to Wonwoo. I would never be
able to express in words how much I needed him.
"What are you thinking about?" He asked.
"How much I love you." I answered honestly. I didn't want to keep secrets from him, I
wanted to be able to tell him how I felt and know he wouldn't judge me.
"I love you too. And Mingyu, I'll never leave you. I couldn't even if I wanted to, which I
don't."
His words sounded so sincere I knew he wasn't lying.
"You're the only good thing in my life. Thank you for loving me."
"What's not to love? Everything about you is perfect."
"I'm far from perfect, but I'm glad you think so." I smiled.
"The rest of the world can think what they want. You're perfect to me."
I pulled Wonwoo into a hug and pressed my lips gently on his. After a moment we
pulled away and Wonwoo smiled.
"I'm glad I hurt my ankle."
"Would it be bad if I agreed?" He asked taking my hand.
"I don't think so."
We laid on the bed and stared in silence at the ceiling.
"Are you nervouse about that trip?" I asked.
"A little. I've never been away from home for a long time, let alone out of the country."
"Me either."
"Dinner's ready and Bomi just got here." Wonwoo's mom said sticking her head in the
door.
"Hey guys!" Bomi called coming up the stairs.
"Hey Bomi." I sat up and smiled as she came into the room.
She held out her arms and pouted. "Where's my hug?"
I stood up and hugged her tightly. "Is this going to be a thing now?"
"Yeah. You're like my best friend now."
"You're pretty close yourself, but I can never replace Jun."
"That's cool."
"Come on guys. Dinner's ready." Wonwoo said standing up and heading towards the
door.
"Oh, is someone jealous?" Bomi teased."
I grabbed his hnd as he passed.
"No, I'm not jealous." He said holding up our hands.
"Traitor." Bomi acted offended and left the room.
"So dramatic. Let's go." It was my turn to drag Wonwoo down the stairs.
After dinner Bomi and her dad stayed for a while longer and we hung out in the living
room. I learned that Bomi's mom had passed away right after having Bomi and Wonwoo
was Bomi's only friend. Bomi and her father lived with Wonwoo and his mom for a few
years until he got a decent paying job and they saved up for a house. Wonwoo's mom
helped homeschool Bomi until Wonwoo's dad left and she had to get a job to be able to
pay for the house and other expenses.
When Bomi and her dad left for the night we went back to cuddling on Wonwoo's bed
and fell asleep.

"I'm going to wake Mingyu up and get started packing." Wonwoo said. I heard him
coming into the room from talking to his mom. Three days had passed and we left later
this afternoon for Mark and Jackson's. We had planned on staying the night there so we
wouldn't be late for our flight the next morning.
"Mingyu you have to get up and start packing." He said poking gently at my side.
Without warning I reached out, grabbed his arm and pulled him into bed with me. I
wrapped my legs around his waist and my arms under his arms so he couldn't get away.
"Well good morning to you too." Wonwoo laughed, not bothering to struggle. "We have
to get up and pack. Mark and Jackson are expecting us in a few hours."
"I know, but I want to sleep more." I pouted.
"You can sleep on the way to their house. I can drive."
"I'll drive. We're taking my van after all."
"Like that's stopped me from driving before. Have you already forgotten when you hurt
your ankle?"
"You sound like an old married couple." Bomi grumbled as she came in.
"Bomi, when did you get here?"
"Just a second ago, and I wish I didn't. You guys just keep getting grosser. What is your
mom feeding you guys?"
"Hey, just because you're jealous doesn't mean you can blame my mom for our
cuteness." Wonwoo said.
"What cuteness? You guys are disgusting."
"Yeah right. You know you love us." I said untangling myself from Wonwoo to stand up
and hold out my arms.
"I don't know why I do." She said hugging me back. "You spend too much time together.
I can't even imagine how worse it's going to be when you get back from LA."
"I disagree. I think they're just fine how they are now." Mrs. Jeon said coming into the
room.
"Mom you too. We need to pack."
"Which is why you were snuggling right?" Bomi joked.
"That was Mingyu's fault." Wonwoo pouted.
"Everybody out. We need to pack. Save your sarcastic remarks for later Bomi."
"Thanks Ming." Wonwoo said.
"Anything for you Won."

28
Wonwoo POV

We woke up early to get to the airport in time and soon we were flying above the ocean
on our way to Los Angeles. Mingyu ended up sleeping most of the ride along with Mark.
"Mark said he wanted to have enough energy to meet his parents, and since you guys
are coming with us he wanted me to warn you that he'd probably end up crying."
Jackson said as he ate a small bag of peanuts the flight attendants were handing out.
"His parents can be a little dramatic."
I nodded and looked out the window. This was my first time in an airplane and it was
amazing to look down at the ocean it passed by. Soon the ocean was replaced by land
and the pilot said we would be landing shortly. I woke Mingyu up and he was practically
bouncing in his seat.
"How was your twelve hour nap." I asked.
"It was great, but I didn't want to sleep." Mingyu pouted.
As soon as we got off the plane Mark got us a cab and we were on the way to his
parents' house.
"Okay so when we get there they are going to freak out. We didn't tell them we were
coming, we wanted it to be a surprise. There it is." He sounded nervous, scared, and
excited all at the same time. The taxi pulled into the driveway of a two story white house
and we all got out. Mark asked the taxi driver if he would wait for us and payed him what
we owed already.
"Mark is that you? Who are your friends? I haven't seen you in forever. Honey Mark is
here!" She pulled Mark into a tight hug and didn't let go until Marks dad came into the
room and it was his turn to hug him.
"Mom, dad. I would like you to meet Jackson, my boyfriend, and my friends Wonwoo
and Mingyu."
"Your boyfriend?" His dad asked walking over to Jackson. After several moments of
awkward silence Mark's dad put his hand on Jacksons shoulder. "Does he make you
happy Mark?" He didn't take his eyes off Jackson as he asked.
"Yeah, he does dad. Very happy."
"Good. Hi I'm Raymond."
"How long have you been together?" His mom asked.
"Two years." Mark answered.
"How did you meet?"
"In school. We're in most of the same classes."
"What was your first date?"
"Mom."
"Sorry, sorry. I just want my baby to be happy."
When his parents finally calmed down we went to a hotel near the beach.
"Wow. It's really fancy." Mingyu said going onto the balcony. I followed him and gave
him a back hug.
"It's amazing isn't it? We're in America."
"Yeah, I can't believe it." He put his hands on time of mine on the balcony.
There was a knock on the door. "We're going to the beach. Do you want to join us?"
"Yeah, we'll be down in a minute."
"Okay."
We changed into the swimming trunks we brought with us and met Mark and Jackson at
the beach.
"They have surfing lessons. Do you want to try them with me Mingyu?" Mark asked
grabbing Mingyu's arm and jumping up and down.
"Sure, why not."
"Great."
Mingyu POV
Mark dragged me to a stand that said 'Surfing Lessons' and there was a short guy with
black hair behind the counter.
"Hi, we'd like to learn how to surf."
"No problem. I'm Taemin. Kai we have a customer!"
A guy with blonde hair appeared around Taemin's shoulder and smiled. "Hey, I'm Kai."
"I'm Mark and this is Mingyu."
I felt eyes on me and looked up to find Taemin staring at me so I inched behind Mark.
"Kai can you grab four boards and meet us by the water?"
"Yeah."
"Follow me." Taemin said and started walking to where Wonwoo and Jackson were
watching.
"So once you get a board we'll practice on land for a while before we move to water, but
you might want suits. I'll be right back." He want back to the stand and returned with two
suits just as Kai walked over holding two boards in each hand. He put the all on the
ground and we put the suits on. After about a half an hour of practicing on the land we
were finally in the water. Taemin and Kai left their boards on the beach and were on
ours to help us. Kai was standing away from Mark, but Taemin was standing close to
me with his hands on my hips.
"It's fun isn't it?"
"Yeah." I didn't want to offend him by telling him to keep his hands off so I sucked it up
until we reached the beach again. The first thing I did was look for Wonwoo, but he was
nowhere to be seen. I ran over to Jackson, who was standing in the same spot we had
left him in, waiting for Mark.
"Where did Wonwoo go?"
"He went back to the hotel."
"Thanks." I took off the suit and put it on the shop counter running to our hotel room.
"Wonwoo?" There was no answer, but I heard a noise coming from the bathroom.
"Won, are you okay?"
"Go away."
"What's the matter?"
"I said go away."
"I'm not going anywhere. Open the door please."
The door opened and Wonwoo came out and sat on the bed. I sat next to him and he
tried to move away, but I caught his hand before he could.
"What happened?"
"I have a question. Do you just let any random stranger touch you how they want?"
"What? No. Why would you say that?"
"Becuase you didn't seem to mind that guy's hands on you earlier."
"Wonwoo that's not what it looked like."
"Well then what is it?"
"I didn't want to make him mad because if I did he might have left me in the water on
that death trap and I would have had to struggle to get back to shore. It was nothing
more than that. I had to bite my tongue so I wouldn't snap at him and just start
screaming at him. See?" I stuck out my tongue so he could see where I made it bleed.
"There's nothing there." Wonwoo laughed.
"Well it was bleeding a second ago."
"Are you okay?"
"Yeah. Are we good now?"
"Yeah, we're good."

29

Mingyu POV
After Wonwoo and I finished talking we rejoined Mark and Jackson on the beach. I
could feel eyes on me again and looked up. Taemin was staring at me from the surfing
stand and I could tell it was making Wonwoo mad so I grabbed his hand and pulled him
closer. It seemed to make Wonwoo feel better because he relaxed. We all got in the
water and splashed around for a while before drying off and going back to our hotel
rooms. Once we changed into dry clothes we went back out to the balcony.
"I'm sorry." Wonwoo said. He was standing next to me as we looked at the water. The
sun was starting to set, turning the water shades of blue, red, and purple.
"For what?"
"Getting jealous earlier."
"I understand. I don't like the thought of someone taking you from me either." I smiled.
"How did I get so lucky and meet you?"
"How did I get so lucky as to be your boyfriend?"
"I'm the lucky one. Mingyu you are the most amazing person I've ever met. You're fun,
kind, and beautiful."
I blushed at the compliments and tried to hide my face, but Wonwoo gently grabbed my
chin.
"There's nothing you need to hide. I love everything about you." He leaned forward and
kissed me. The feeling was still a little strange, but I was starting to get used to it. I
pulled away and smiled.
"I love everything about you too."
We went back inside and laid in bed, tangled together. We stayed up most of the night
talking about random things. Things about our future and what would happen after high
school.
"What will happen to us?" I asked.
"I honestly don't know, but I hope we end up like Mark and Jackson. They look so happy
together."
"Yeah...I don't know if I'm supposed to tell you this or not, but Jackson is planning on
purposing sometime before we leave."
"Really? That's amazing."
"I know. That's what Jackson and I talked about the other day in Daegu."
There was a short pause. "Do you think we'll keep in touch with our friends after high
school?"
"I'm going to try to, but we're all choosing different careers and colleges." The thought
made me sad. What if I never got to see Wonwoo, Jun or any of my other friends again?
"Do you think it'd be strange to get engaged in high school?" Wonwoo asked.
"I think that if you know you love the person and you want to ensure you won't loose
them then getting engaged would be okay."
He nodded and moved closer. We stopped talking after that and at some point I fell
asleep.
Wonwoo shook me awake the next morning.
"Good morning." He kissed my cheek and sat up.
"Morning."
"Jackson wants to go out for breakfast. He texted you."
"Okay."
We crawled out of bed and I jumped in the shower. When we were fianlly ready we went
down to the lobby and saw Mark and Jackson talking to two guys.
"It's an amazing coincidence that you guys are here." Mark said as he hugged one of
them. They looked about our age and I wondered who they were.
"Oh Wonwoo, Mingyu this is Yoongi and his boyfriend Jimin."
"Hi." Yoongi grummbled.
"Don't mind him. I woke him up too early." Jimin said smiling and putting his head on
Yoongi's shoulder. Yoongi's expression changed from being grumpy to happy in a split
second as he looked over at Jimin.
"Where are Jin, Namjoon, Taehyung, Jungkook, and Hoseok?"
"They all went to some resturaunt, but we wanted to watch a movie so we stayed
behind." Jimin said.
"We were just on our way to see a movie too, after we ate breakfast."
"Do you wanna come with us?" Yoongi asked.
Mark looked at us and we shrugged.
"We'd love to." Mark said and we all walked to the theater close to the hotel. We chose
a movie and sat down.
"Do I like you?" Wonwoo whispered into my ear. I turned and looked at him.
"You're such a dork." I whispered back.
"You know you love me."
"Do I know that? Yes, yes I do."
"You're just as dorky as I am."
"I never said I wasn't."
We watched the rest of the movie quietly. When it was over we stood and followed
Mark, Jackson, Yoongi, and Jimin out. I grabbed Wonwoo's hand and pulled him closer
as we walked back to the hotel.
"Mark!" Someone screamed. Mark looked up.
"Jin!"
They ran the short distance to each other and hugged. When the hug ended Jin turned
to Jimin and Yoongi.
"Good, you're both safe. I was worried the whole time because I started thinking about
how we aren't in Korea anymore and Jimin you look so innocent you might have got
mugged or beaten or kidnapped. Then I remembered you had Yoongi with you and he
would probably try to kill anyone that layed a finger on you."
"Jin hyung, you're being dramatic again."
"I didn't think I was, but I'll stop now."
"You weren't being dramatic. If anyone, but Mark had tried to touch you I would have
done my best to make them realize their mistake." Yoongi said wrapping his arms
around Jimin's waist.
"Thanks Min."
"Anything for my Jiminnie."
I didn't think it was possible, but they looked even happier together than Mark and
Jackson. It made me realize how badly I wanted a relationship like that and I looked at
Wonwoo. He was staring at me.
"Is somethig wrong?"
"No. Nothing is wrong at all. In fact everything is perfect."

30

Wonwoo POV
We stayed in Los Angeles for two weeks, Mark invited us to go with him to his parents
house when they went. His parents were layed back and fun to talk to. Jackson was
welcomed into the family and Mingyu and I were welcomed to come back any time.
Besides going to his parents Mark gave us a tour of all the places he had loved going to
as a kid and on the last night Mingyu and I ate dinner alone in our room so Jackson
could purpose.
Once we finished eating we went down to the beach and walked along the shore.
Mingyu forgot to grab a jacket on the way out and I saw him shivering slightly. I put my
hands in my pockets and wrapped my arms around Mingyu's shoulders so the majority
of his arms were covered.
"Thanks." He smiled. We walked a little further and then laid on the ground and looked
at the sky.
"Woah. That's a lot of stars." Mingyu was leaning his head on my shoulder with his arms
around my waist.
"It's amazing. Isn't it? You can never see this many stars in Seoul."
"I've actually never tried to look. I've always been busy with work or school."
"Well I'll make sure you get time to look when we get back to Seoul."
I don't know when I fell asleep, and I didn't remember walking back to the hotel room
with Mingyu but I woke up the next morning cuddled next to him in the hotel room bed.
"You're awake?" Mingyu asked.
"Yeah. Are you?"
"No. I'm still asleep." He mumbled sarcastically.
"Just making sure." I defended.
"Go take a shower. We need to be ready by noon."
"Okay, but what about you?"
"Won, it's only nine. As long as you don't take like 5 hours we'll be fine."
"You have a point, but I'll miss you." I pouted and clung to his arm.
"Make your shower quick then."
"Okay." I jumped up and ran to the closet to grab clothes then rushed to the bathroom.
When I got out of the shower Mingyu was dressed and sitting on the bed with his phone.
"What do we do until it's time to leave?"
"Mark wants us to come down to the lobby. Him and Jackson are hanging out with Jimin
and Yoongi and when it's time we're going with them to the airport. They're going back
to Seoul too."
"That's a coincidence."
"Yeah, but they seem pretty cool."
"I can agree to that. Let's go."
We went to the lobby and met our friends by the door. We all went to a nearby cafe and
got something to drink.
"So you guys are dating?" Jimin asked looking at me.
I nodded.
"How long have you been in a relationship?"
"Not very long. A few weeks."
"Really? You seem to really be in love."
I looked at Mingyu. He was looking down at his drink, but looked up quickly when Jimin
said we looked in love. I smiled and grabbed his hand. He laced his fingers through
mine and Jimin laughed.
"I'll take that as you do love each other."
The rest of the time went by quickly and soon we were boarding the plane and on our
way to Seoul. I sat by Mingyu and we talked almost the entire way. We slept the rest of
the time. When the plane landed and we had our luggage back we piled back into
Marks jeep. Jimin and Yoongi got in Yoongi's car and we went back to Seoul.
"I can't wait to see Bomi." Mingyu said leaning his head on my shoulder.
"You've really become close to her haven't you?" I smiled.
"Of course. She's like the little sister I never had. I'm glad you asked me to help you."
"I am too."
It didn't take long before we were sitting on the couch in the living room. We turned the
TV on and Mingyu texted Bomi.
"What are we going to do when she gets here?"
"I don't know. We could watch a movie. We could go on a walk. I feel like doing
anything."
"You sound excited to see me." Bomi said walking into the living room. Mingyu jumped
off my lap and ran to her. He hugged her and she smiled.
"Bomi I hate to say it, but I actually missed you." Mingyu said into her shoulder.
"I told you before you left that you knew you loved me didn't I?"
"You did. And I agreed."
"I missed you too Mingyu."
"Just as cheesy as always." I mumbled from my place on the couch.
"Shut up, you know you love our cheese...Or is it because you're jealous?" Bomi joked.
"Me...Jealous? You're hilarious."
"I know."
"You're finally home!" My mom walked in and joined the hug between Mingyu and Bomi.
"I missed you guys so much...You too Wonwoo."
I sighed, stood up and hugged my family.
"I love you guys." Mingyu said.
"We know." Bomi and mom said at the same time.
After the hug was finally over I sat back down on the couch and dragged Mingyu with
me. He grabbed Bomi's arm before he got out of reach and pulled her down on the
couch with us.
"Oh, are we going to watch a movie? What are we watching?" Bomi sounded excited.
"Why don't you pick?" Mingyu suggested and threw her off the couch gently.
"Okay. What about this one?" She held up a movie box I couldn't see and Mingyu
nodded. Whatever it was I had no idea because I watched Mingyu and Bomi carry on
like actual sibling the entire movie.
"Well if you hadn't been so noisy maybe we could have watched the movie." Mingyu
complained jokingly.
"It's not my fault you were being annoying."
Suddenly mom was sitting next to me on the couch. "You love them both don't you?"
"How can I not? They're the best, and Mingyu thinks of Bomi as the little sister he never
had." I smiled.
"You can really tell. They are going to make this family very loud aren't they?"
"I'm sure we'll get used to it eventually. By the way when is the wedding?"
"We haven't decided exactly when yet, but we want it sometime soon. It's not going to
be very big so the soonest we can have it by is your birthday, but I wasn't sure if you'd
like that idea."
"Whatever makes you happy makes me happy."
"And you complain about our cheesiness?" Bomi and Mingyu said at the same time.
They had stopped bickering and were staring at us.
"Okay okay I get it. Sorry." I mumbled holding back a laugh.
"That was kind of creepy." Mom whispered in my ear.
"Yeah. A little."
"It's like they were made for each other."
"Yeah. Why did we let them get this close again. I feel like she's trying to steal away my
Ming." I fake pouted.
"She's succeeding." Mom pointed as the two got up and left the room together. They
were headed towards the stairs when mom called out to them. "Where are you going?"
"Up stairs." Bomi said and dragged Mingyu faster.
"He's gone." Mom said getting up off the couch. "Come help me make dinner while your
boyfriend gets attacked by your soon to be sister."
"Don't say it like that. You make it sound like she's going to kill him."
"She might. Do you even remember who Bomi is?"
"Yes I remember."

Mingyu POV
"So how is your friendship with Namjoo going?" I asked as soon as the bathroom door
was shut.
"It's going fine I guess." She sat down on the closed toilet seat lid and rested her head
in her hands. "We're hanging out this weekend, but I get the feeling she doesn't like me
sometimes."
"Why?"
"We'll be having a good time and then she'll just stare at me for like a long time and then
she snaps out of it and is back to normal."
"That doesn't necessarily mean she doesn't like you. It could mean she does." I
suggested shrugging my shoulders.
"I don't know. We get along great most of the time, but we also get into arguments
about minor things."
"That's normal. I've gotten into a ton of arguments with Jun all the time about little stuff."
"Really? Then I have nothing to worry about. Jun's awesome."
"I know.He takes after me." I joked.
"Funny...I think I'm ready to go back downstairs now."
"Alright. After you." I opened the door and followed her out and into the kitchen where
Wonwoo and his mom were setting table.
"Dinner's ready." Wonwoo said kissing me on the cheek as he passed.
"Stop it. You look like you're about to drool." Bomi said tapping me lightly on the cheek.
"Do I get to say the same thing when you finally confess you feelings for Namjoo and
she shows you any kind of affection ever." I whispered into her ear before taking the
chair in the middle of Wonwoo and his mom.
"No fair. That's my seat." Bomi pretended to whine.
"To bad. Maybe if you hadn't been standing there with you mouth hanging open you
would've been able to beat me to the seat."
"You're mean."
"You know you love me."
"I know."
31

Mingyu POV

Several weeks later I woke up to a elbow in my side. I was squished between Wonwoo
and Bomi on the floor and she had her elbow digging into my side. Without waking her
up I tried to move her elbow, but she wouldn't cooperate so I moved closer to Wonwoo.
He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me closer to him. I snuggled into his
shoulder and was about to go back to sleep when I remembered something important. It
was Wonwoo's birthday and I wanted to make it special for him so I untangled myself
from him and went to the kitchen. His mom was already there making a cake.
"Have you got the stuff ready?" She asked as she placed the cake in the oven.
"Not yet. We need to get him out of the living room. Is there something we can use to
block his door from opening?"
"We can use some furniture. Get him into his room and I'll help with the rest."
"Alright, I'll come get you when I'm ready." I went back out into the living room and
shook him gently.
"Hey Mingyu." He smiled.
"Hey. You look like you're still tired let's go to your room and go back to sleep."
"Okay." He stood up and let me lead him to his room.
"I'll be right back. I'm going to get you some water." I closed the door behind me as I left
and was met by Bomi and Mrs. Jeon coming up the stairs holding chairs from the dining
room.
"Do we need anymore?"
They shook their heads and placed the chairs in front of his door. One under the handle
so it couldn't be turned and another leaning against the door itself.
"Mingyu, what are you doing out there?" Wonwoo called from inside and tried to open
the door. "Mingyu, why won't the door open. What are you guys doing?"
"Go grab something heavy to set on the chairs." Mrs. Jeon whispered to us and we ran
downstairs. We each grabbed something and raced back up the stairs so Wonwoo
wouldn't escape.
"Let's go grab the decorations from the van." I said dragging Bomi with me out the door.
When we got inside we heard Wonwoo banging on the door. "Let me out!"
"I'm sorry Wonwoo." I whispered and got to work setting up the house. It wasn't exactly
the most normal way to have a surprise party for someone, but we weren't exactly a
normal family.
"I hope things go well for you today." Bomi smiled as she helped me blow up sone
balloons.
"Me too. I'm nervous though. What if he says no?"
"Mingyu, he's not going to say no. He loves you."
"I love him too so I don't want to mess things up."
"You're not going to mess things up so stop worrying so much."
I decided to trust Bomi and stopped worrying for the moment, but the closer we got to
getting the house decorated the more nervouse I got.
"Mingyu honey are you okay? You're shaking like crazy."
"Yeah I'm fine."
"Why don't you take a break from decorating for a second and get a drink? We can
finish things up."
I nodded and went to the kitchen making sure to completely avoid the table where the
cake was sitting.
"Mingyu, we're finished!" Bomi called a second later as she made her way into the
kitchen. "Are you ready?"
"No."
"You'll do fine. Go let him out."
"Okay." I walked up the stairs and moved the chairs. I carefully opened the door.
Wonwoo was sitting on his bed, leaning against the wall, asleep. I smiled and went
inside. "Wonwoo." I shook him gently with one hand. The other was in my pocket,
playing with a small white box.
"What?" He asked sounding kind of irritated.
"You can come out now."
"What was that about anyway?"
"Nothing. Just close your eyes and trust me. We're going downstairs."
"Okay." He closed his eyes and I led him downstairs.
"You can open."
"SURPRISE!" We yelled when he did. He blinked a couple of times and looked around.
"Happy birthday Wonwoo." I said and smiled. For a moment he looked like he wanted to
punch us all, but it dissappeared as quickly as it came. It was replaced by a smile.
"Guys, you didn't have to do this. In fact I kind of would have perferred it if you hadn't
locked me in my room, but thanks."
"It's what we do."
We spent the entire day lounging around, talking, watching movies, and eating, but it
was amazing. Finally the time came when I was supposed to do it. I stood up and
grabbed Wonwoo's hand leading him through the house and into the backyard. I waited
for Bomi to turn on the lights that we had put on the house and bushes for this exact
moment. I enjoyed Wonwoo's look of surprise when the lights finally came on.
"This is amazing. Thank you."
"I haven't even done anything yet."
"Still. Thank you for today."
"Wonwoo. I have to ask you a very serious question."
"Mingyu, what is it? Did something bad happen?"
"No. It's just I wanted it to be perfect when I did this and this is as close to perfect as I
can get."
"Mingyu. You know you can tell me anything, right?"
"Yes and so." I got down on my knee and fumbled in my pocket for the box. When I
finally managed to pull it out I looked at it and held it up. I knew that I couldn't look at
him when I asked so I kept my head down and opened the box. "Wonwoo, will you
marry me?" I heard him gasp, but didn't look up.
"Mingyu. Will you look at me?" He asked quietly. It's not as though I could say no so I
picked up my head and looked him in the eye. He smiled. "Of course I will."
In that moment I couldn't have been happier. I felt as though my life was complete and I
didn't need anything else in the world but him.
"Stand up."
I did as I was told and he pulled me into a tight hug.
"When you guys get married I can be the best man right?" Bomi asked peeking her
head through the door.
"I don't see why not." Wonwoo smiled at her before turning and kissing me.
UNSENT LETTERS

Wonwoo is making himself a sandwich in the kitchen when he hears a knock on the
front door. He opens the door with one hand and holds a plate full of sandwiches on the
other, to see Seokmin standing on the other side with a grin on his face. "Hey hyung!"
Seokmin greets and Wonwoo makes a face, "What do you want?"

Seokmin pretends to be hurt as he places a hand to where his heart supposedly is, "I
didn't walk all the way here for this." Wonwoo snorts as he rolls his eyes, "Yeah,
everyone knows you only come here for Soonyoung. He's not here, by the way."
Seungcheol, Wonwoo and Soonyoung are roommates but Seokmin can also be
considered as one too since he's here all the time. Not that anyone's complaining.

Seokmin smiles sheepishly as he scratches the back of his neck awkwardly, "I suppose
thats true... But yeah, I know he's not here. I came by to give this to you." He holds up a
blue coloured box and Wonwoo swears he has seen this object somewhere before. He
accepts it anyway and offers the younger a sandwich before he excuses himself.

Wonwoo plops on his bed and settles the box infront of him. He doesn't exactly
remember where has he seen it but the sight of it makes him feel a little nervous. He
doesnt hesitate to open it though but as soon as he does, he furrows his eyebrows in
confusion as he stares at the contents; envelopes. Lots of them. He glances at every
single one and notices that each envelope has his name written on them. Okay, now
he's even more confused. Who even has the time to write all these? And why is he only
receiving this now?

"Well, time to find out." He says to himself. He rips open the first envelope and before
he even starts reading, his heart drops. He recognizes the very very familiar
handwriting, which belongs to the one and only Kim Mingyu, his best friend. Or ex-
bestfriend, whatever. Speaking of Mingyu, Wonwoo wonders how long has it been since
he last talked to the younger, but he quickly shoves the thought away and diverts his
attention back to the letter.

17th July 2014

Dear Wonwoo hyung, for the first time in our three four year friendship, I've decided to
make some changes. I will no longer send you text messages at twelve midnight just to
wish you on your birthday. I mean, its great being the first person to wish you but
nah. Sleep is beautiful. I think it'll be more meaningful this way. Yaaay, how exciting!
Hahahaha fuck, it seemed like a pretty good idea but now that I'm actually doing it, its
harder than I thought. My mind is blank, literally. But I shall not give up, since this is
kinda fun and not to mention, I'm having a good time laughing on my own. I'm hilarious
without even trying, how cool is that?! Well shit, weird friend you have here but I know
you love me anyway *inserts creepy smile*. Oh my goddd, I'm so sorry for being such a
bad best friend. I'm supposed to wish you on this special day but look at me being a
little shit. But you gotta admit, I am attractive. Okay crap, sorry, I should really start
wishing you now. So, happy birthday my man! I hope you have blast today and may
god bless you forever and always. Another year has passed by and wow, can you
believe it? 4 years of weird shit and we're still going strong. I know I havent been the
bestest friend as I should have been, but thank you for always being by my side.
Sometimes I think you deserve better friends than the lame-ass piece of shit I am. But
then again, I dont think I'd know how to function properly without you. Remember you
said you hope our 'best friend forever' would last forever? I honestly really hope so too.
I know our friendship consists of heavy sarcasm and insults but just so you know, I
really love you man. Ugh, you know what, I dont think I'm giving this letter to you. Too
much gay crap, I can already hear you laughing at me. But since I started this formally,
might as well end it formally too right? So once again happy birthday Jeon Wonwoo!
Since you're never going to read this, I love you to infinity and beyond the sun and not
back, because if you love someone, why come back?
Yours truly, Kim Mingyu.

Wonwoo stares at the letter in his hands and blinks a few times. According to the date,
this was written on his birthday last year but why didnt Mingyu give this to him? He
remembers receiving a text message an hour past midnight that day and remembers
being sulky because Mingyu wasnt the first few to wish him. Was he late because he
wrote this letter? Wonwoo decides it doesnt matter anymore and puts it aside before
reaching for another one.

23rd September 2014

Dear Wonwoo hyung, I never thought I'd be doing this again but here I am, writing you
another letter that you'll probably never read. Anyway, today you told me that you were
no longer interested in taking up the Sport major in the university we were going to
enroll in. Instead, you wanted to take up Performing Arts and Music and that's totally
cool, yknow? Since you're surprisingly good at those stuffs. But I couldnt help but feel a
little dishearten because we've been planning and wanting this for way too long and out
of the blue, you had a change of mind. Its only normal for me too feel this way, I guess.
I mean, I always knew you werent an athletic person but I didnt really expect you to
back out so suddenly either. But on the bright side, at least we'll still see each other in
campus right? I suppose I'm just really worried about our friendship since we're going to
have different schedules and all. I'm just hoping it doesnt effect our friendship.
Yours truly, Kim Mingyu.
2

Wonwoo finally remembers where he has seen this box before. This was the box
Mingyu had hid under his stash of clothes in his closet a year ago. Wonwoo had
accidentally came across it when he was helping Mingyu search for his missing phone.
He was 0.2 seconds away from opening it when Mingyu magically appeared out of
nowhere and snatched it away from his grasp. Wonwoo raised his eyebrows at the
younger, questioning his actions and flustered face while Mingyu holds onto the box as
if his life depended on it and stuttered a bunch of uh's and um's before he said, "You're
not supposed to open this." And flashed a very awkward smile before scrambling away.
Wonwoo lightly chuckles at the thought of Mingyu trying hard to hide this box, only for it
to be found again but this time, in the hands of the person he least wanted it to be in.
The older found the letters pretty amusing, though. Although he's a tiny bit disappointed
that Mingyu hid this from him, he couldnt help but think how adorable this is. "Cute." He
mumbles to nobody and continues to look through the letters.

7th November 2014

Dear Wonwoo hyung, Minghao refused to talk to me for the past few days. I think he's
mad because I broke one of his action figures. But its not like I did it on purpose or
something! I swear it was an accident. I was just admiring how cool it looks and it broke.
Its not entirely my fault is it? But thank goodness Junhui hyung managed to get
Minghao to forgive me. And speaking of Junhui hyung, why does Minghao only talk to
him when he's upset or mad? Sure they both speak Chinese so its probably more
comfortable but hyung, have you seen the looks Minghao gives Junhui hyung? Oh, and
damn you should have seen Minhao's face when Junhui hyung gave him a birthday kiss
on the cheek. He kept a calm posture but I'm pretty sure he was screaming like a
teenage girl on the inside. Too much love here. Not that its gross or anything but its
starting to get really obvious, I'm not sure whether the others are just pretending to be
oblivious like I am or actually complete idiots. Anyway, I really miss you hyung! I wish
you were here *cries*. I cant wait for you to return from your trip. Ugh, you should really
get yourself a new phone though so we could at least text each other. As much as I
know how much you love your old one, its time to let go of the shitty gadget. I also know
you're trying to save money but that thing barely even functions for god's sake! Maybe if
you gotten yourself one earlier, I wouldnt be missing you so much.
Yours truly, Kim Mingyu.

25th December 2014

Dear Wonwoo hyung, I swear the others are a bunch of idiots. I cant believe they
actually made us do that! Not that I'm regretting it or anything but its still pretty dumb.
How could they make us kiss just because we were standing under a mistletoe?! And
with the smug look on Seungkwan's face, I'm 90% sure they planned it. Sighs, there
goes my first kiss. Its been a few hours since it happened but I'm still freaking out. Not
because we kissed, like nah, I'm cool with that. Its about time we added some love into
our friendship instead of the constant insults.I'm freaked out because, as weird as this
sounds, your lips were kinda soft and it felt kinda nice? I dont know... I might or might
not have liked the kiss....? And also might not mind doing it again? Ugh, fuck me. Not
literally, but yknow.
Yours truly, Kim Mingyu.

3
If Wonwoo could turn back time, if there's a specific day he could return to, it would be
the day he was forced to kiss Mingyu. He wasnt clueless, he knew Seungkwan had
planned it with Jisoo because he had overheard their conversation a few days before it
happened. But he shrugged it off, thinking of it as a joke.

However, when he was talking to Mingyu that Christmas night, he distantly noticed the
others have been giving them looks for awhile now. He tried to ignore them but the
more they kept looking, the more uncomfortable he got. He could tell Mingyu had
noticed too because his voice was getting softer and softer, to the point it was barely
audible.

"Oh my god, what are you all looking at?" He snapped, not taking it anymore. "What's
so interesting?"

Seungkwan smirked, as he pointed to the top of the doorway. And thats when he found
himself standing under the mistletoe. And thats when he also realized, it wasnt a joke.
"You have got to be kidding me." He muttered under his breath, because seriously? Not
that he had anything againts Mingyu or anything, but the poor kid hasnt even had his
first kiss yet. And why would he want to kiss his best friend?

But of course, despite all the protests, Seungkwan and Jisoo werent going to let them
off until they kissed. So long story short, he does end up kissing Mingyu (with Jisoo
forcefully holding their heads together). And he swears after all of this is over, he will
murder those two in their sleep.

But he doesnt, because life would be boring without them.

17th January 2015

Dear Wonwoo hyung, today was the day you started lying to me. You havent been
returning any of my calls or text messages and when I asked about them earlier this
evening, you told me you didnt receive any of them. I had my doubts because seriously,
I sent you almost seven texts and called you five times and you're telling me none of
them reached you? So while you went to the washroom, I looked through your logs and
was disappointed to see that you did receive my calls. But that couldnt compare to the
heart sinking feeling I felt moments later. I also found out you received my texts, all
seven of them apparently. Realizing you lied to me, my mood dropped and I just went
back to my dorm after that. So when you called me half an hour ago, I decided I didnt
want to talk to you for the rest of the night.
Yours truly, Kim Mingyu.

Wonwoo dryly laughs, because a) Mingyu was snooping through his phone and he didnt
even know. B) He also didnt know Mingyu found out he lied, so that explains why
Mingyu was gone when he came out of the washroom and c) he feels kinda bad about it
now, though he's not entirely sure why he did it. Back then, it just felt like it was better to
just leave them that way.

13th February 2015

Dear Wonwoo hyung, you have no idea what I found out today! Soonyoung hyung and
Seokmin have been dating for the past few weeks! That explains all the midnight calls
Seokmin has been getting. How about you, hyung? Did you know? Did Soonyoung
hyung tell you? Woah, who would have thought those two would end up dating. So,
what's up hyung? We havent been hanging out for awhile now but thats okay, since you
said you wanted to get to know your roommates better. But I kinda miss you hyung. I
know you're busy but I'm sure it wouldnt hurt to spare me some time too, right? Just,
ring me up or something when you can. I'll be waiting.
Yours truly, Kim Mingyu.

26th March 2015

Dear Wonwoo hyung, so apparently waiting for you was useless. You never bothered to
call or even drop me a text for almost five weeks. I know you're spending time and
having lots of fun with your new friends and well, not that its a bad thing but it kinda
feels like you're forgeting about me, yknow? Throught out this entire week, I tried to
invite you out but you turned down each invitation. I understand, maybe you were too
busy and tired. So I tried texting you instead, but you kept responding with short replies,
sometimes I dont even know how to keep the conversation going. Like, what the hell,
man? And as if its not hard enough for me, I sometimes see you walk the other way or
sprint of to another direction when our paths are to cross. Seriously? What was that all
about? I get the urge to ask you but each time I do, somehow you always come up with
an excuse to not answer the question. I cant believe I'm saying this, but for the first time
in our friendship, I've never been so upset with you.
Yours truly, Kim Mingyu.

Wonwoo is about to reach for another one when his bedroom door opens and
Soonyoung peeks his head in, "Wonwoo, in case you havent notice, its already past
three in the afternoon. If you dont leave now, you're going to be late for class." Wonwoo
glances at the clock on his bedside table and pursues his lips, realizing how late he's
going to be. He thanks the boy and tells him, "Seokmin was here earlier."
Soonyoung rolls his eyes and lightly chuckles, "Isnt he always? And wow, thats alot of
love letters you got there." He points to the pile of opened envelopes which Wonwoo's
face instantly heats up to and before he even gets a chance to say anything, the former
laughs heartily, "Bro, I'm just kidding but you should have seen the look on your face.
And oh? Are you blushing?"

"S-shut up. You know nothing."

Soonyoung makes an amused face as he continues to tease, "Aw, our Wonwoo is

blushing. I wonder who might this person be." And manages to dodge the flying pillow
thrown at him. Wonwoo can hear his laughter all the way down the hallway. What a
bitch. Wonwoo scrunches up his nose as he opens the next envelope. Why was
Soonyoung even in his room in the first place anyway?

....Oh right, class.

Wonwoo immediately scrambles to his feet and runs across the room to get his stuffs
and just before he leaves his room, he sees the first few words of the letter;

Dear Wonwoo hyung, I think there's something very wrong with me....

"Somebody please save me." Wonwoo says as he tugs on his own hair and slams his
head on the table. Class had ended hours ago and he wanted to do nothing more than
return to his dorm room and sleep because his brain is too exhausted.

But instead, he's here. He's at the cafe near the campus that the squad likes to go to.
To make things worse, he's sitting in between Jisoo and Junghan. The couple keeps
whispering supposedly sweet things to each other and all the skinship makes Wonwoo
very uncomfortable and he wants to disappear because he's in between them and he
can see and hear everything going on between these two.

Wonwoo doesnt know what has he done in his past life to deserve this. Its not that he's
againts them or anything, but he's just so tired, every little thing is starting to irritate him;
The sight of Seokmin and Soonyoung feeding each other makes him roll his eyes so
hard, he's surprised they arent stuck or something.

Minghao and Junhui laughing over a joke he doesnt understand because their speaking
in Chinese.

Seungkwan and Jihoon singing a duet on the mini stage found in the cafe.

Seungcheol fiddling his phone. Like bro, you're the one who invited us out. Put the
goddamn thing away and interact with us. Quit being so anti-social.

Hansol has his eyes glued to the flat-screen television on the wall watching who knows
what with a small smile on his face and-- good heavens, is that Phineas and Ferb?

And Chan slurping on his drink. Wonwoo doesnt know why he's irritated at him though
because seriously, the kid is practically just enjoying his drink.

Wonwoo groans in frustration because why did he choose this group of people to be his
friends in the first place? He loves them, he really does but at times like this, he thinks
its time to make new friends.

But in the midst of all this, something feels off. Normally he would be on his feet, being
very cautious and always looking around his surroundings. However, he seems
surprisingly at ease today. It doesnt take him long to figure it out;

Mingyu.

Wonwoo would normally be busy looking out and avoiding the younger. Because the
latter simply tried to talk to him at every chance he gets and no, Wonwoo doesnt want to
let that happen. The last time they had a group dinner like this, was on New Years. But
as much as he feels at ease, the younger's absence makes him feel a little anxious
because Seungcheol wouldnt take a no for an answer on occasions like this.
And speaking of Mingyu, Wonwoo hasnt seen him around for a few months now. He
mentally high-fives himself. All the hard work finally paid off. How can anyone be so
good at avoiding someone? He deserves an award. Maybe he should also be a secret
agent. But as much as he's happy about his accomplishment, he cant help but worry,
what if something had happened to him?

Then it hits him like a brick; Hyung, I think there's something very wrong with me...

Wonwoo bites his lower lip, nothing bad could have happened right? Shaking his head,
he shoves the thought away. No way. Perhaps Mingyu is running late. Yeah, he'll be
here.

An hour passes by, the main food course ends, the desserts are out and oh, strawberry
ice cream, Mingyu's favourite. Soon, everyone's taking their turns singing their heart out
and they chatter away for another few more hours. And by the end of the night, as it is
almost fifteen minutes before eleven, there is still no signs of Mingyu.

Wonwoo feels a churn in his stomach, because oh god, what if something really did
happen to him?

He walks up to Junhui, who seems to be busy handling a drunk Minghao. He taps on

the other's shoulder, "Junhui?"

The said boy turns around and smiles, "Oh, hey man." Wonwoo glances at the drunk
boy in his arms and smiles apologetically.

Junhui lightly laughs, "Dont worry about him. What's up?"

Wonwoo hesitates for a few seconds before he asks, "Um, where's Mingyu?"

The reaction he receives makes him even more nervous because now, Junhui is
looking at him with a surprised expression on his face. He narrows his eyes and leans
closer as he says softly, "You dont know?"
"....No?" Wonwoo whispers back.

"No one told you?"

"Told me what?" Why are they even whispering anyway?

Junhui presses his lips together before he passes the-now-sleeping Minghao to

Seungcheol and sighs as he turns back to face Wonwoo.

"Wonwoo," he begins and the said boy holds his breath, because with the look on
Junhui's face, he's not even sure whether he wants to know anymore.

And as soon as the words slips out of Junhui's lips, Wonwoo's heart sinks to the ground.

"Mingyu is sick."

Wonwoo stares at the male in front of him as he process the words. Mingyu is sick? He
didnt hear that wrong, did he?

Of course not, Wonwoo says in his head as he laughs. Of course Junhui didnt just say--

"Mingyu is sick, Wonwoo. Why on earth are you laughing?" Junhui says, with a look on
his face. You know that look your friends give you when you say something incredibly
dumb? Yeah, that look.

Snapping out from his thoughts, he smiles sheepishly, completely embarrassed. He's
not entirely sure whether he's ready to know how sick the younger is, but he asks
anyway, "How bad is he?"
"Pretty bad. He cant even get out of bed." A new voice says, and in a very confused
state, Wonwoo shifts his gaze and sees Jihoon standing beside Junhui. Woah, how
long has he been standing there? Wonwoo decides its wiser to not ask unless he wants
to be hit by a guitar.

Junhui nods and smiles sadly, "Yeah, its abit sad to see him in that state. He's normally
so cheerful and bright but now he's just.. lying there. Like, all the colours have been
sucked out of his soul."

"Poor kid looks like he has given up hope to survive." Jihoon adds and Wonwoo feels a
pang in his chest. One of the things Wonwoo knows very well about Mingyu, is that the
younger doesnt give up easily. He had always been the type to encourage the others to
strive forward and never lose hope. Wonwoo might not openly admit this, but Mingyu's
the reason he made it this far in his studies. He feels like a total asshole now.

Before Wonwoo has chance to say anything, Junhui huffs and says, "But damn, he's
kinda hard to handle when he's sick. He gets so pissy and grumpy. And not too
mention, demanding too. Like, Mingyu better be thankful he's sick because if he wasnt, I
would have shoved him into a bush or something."

Jihoon bursts out laughing while Wonwoo furrows his eyebrows, "Thats not a very nice
thing to say to a sick person."

"Yeah I know. But I'm sure you know how he gets when he's sick."

And Wonwoo smiles, because he does know. He knows it too well. Thats why each time
Mingyu gets sick, Wonwoo would always be the one taking care of him. But not
anymore, the voice in his head says.

Jihoon puts a hand on Junhui's shoulder as he says, "Dont worry, bro. Its just a fever,
he'll get better soon."

What?
Wonwoo blinks as he takes the previous statement in. "You mean, he's sick with a fever
only?"

"Fever and a cold." Junhui corrects, before he proceeds to glare at him and whines,
"And what do you mean 'only'? Do you even know how hard has it been for me? I had to
do everything myself because Seokmin and Junghan are always out on their dates."

Jihoon opens his mouth to say something, only to be interrupted by Junhui as he holds
up a hand, "The boy cries, guys. I had to keep an eye on him while he tried to sleep last
night, just in case he wanted to throw up or something and all of a sudden, he's crying.
Not as in shedding a few tears, but as in sobbing. Bawling his eyes out. I was so
freaked out, I didnt know what to do."

"When that happens, just cuddle with him." The words are out before his brain could
even filter them and at this point, Junhui and Jihoon are gaping at him. Wonwoo clears
his throat, "Um, he gets kinda sensitive when he's sick so when he ends up crying like
that, just give him a bear hug or cuddle with him. Whichever makes you sleep better at
night."

"Wow," Jihoon breathes. "You're too good at this."

"But anyway, you guys should have told me earlier it was just a fever." Wonwoo
exasperates as he slaps Junhui's chest. "Do you have any idea how worried I was?"

Junhui smirks as he raises his eyebrows, "Oh, really?" The hint of amusement can be
heard. "Thats pretty funny, coming from someone who's been avoiding Mingyu for
almost an entire year."

Jihoon chokes on his drink while Wonwoo blinks a few times, taken aback at the sudden
remark. He opens his mouth to say something, only to close it again because what was
he supposed to say anyway?

Junhui shrugs, "He told me in the midst of his breakdown yesterday. He hasnt been
mentioning you for the past two months, but he really miss you. So I hope you both
work things out or something."
Jihoon snickers, "Junhui, just admit you want to get him off your back." The said boy
tries to hold back a smile but fails. "He's too clingy."

Wonwoo and Jihoon share a look before they say in unison, "Minghao?"

"He's a different type of clingy."

"Or maybe you're just whipped." Jihoon mumbles under his breath, probably not meant
for the other male to hear it but he does anyway.

"Hey! Dont think I havent seen you stealing glances at Seungcheol hyung." Junhui
retorts and Jihoon's face heats up immediately.

Wonwoo laughs, "This is too funny to watch."

When he's done laughing, only then he realizes the amused look on his friends' face.
"What?" He questions.

"You're one to talk." Jihoon accuses as he points a finger at him. "Everyone knows you
only have your eyes on Mingyu."

"Thats not true! Oh my god, I hate you guys." Wonwoo says and has to hold back the
urge to hit them. Like, do they even know what they're saying?

After Junhui's done dying, he adds playfully, "Dont worry bro, Mingyu's whipped for you
too."

And Wonwoo doesnt hold back.

6th April 2015

Dear Wonwoo hyung, I think there's something very wrong with me. I've never been so
bipolar in my entire life and I feel like a teenage girl on her period right now. The
moment I walked through the door and found out you guys threw me a surprise party, I
was so happy. But then when I saw you standing at the corner, grinning at me, believe
me or not, I had to hold the urge to squeal because that would be embarrassing and of
course, I'm a grown man. Or so I like to think. Although we didnt actually talk or
anything but your presence was enough to make me smile the entire night.

But that wouldnt be the case anymore because I've been watching you for the past hour
and I cant help but notice you're laughing so hard at something Seungcheol hyung said.
I mean, not that it matters or anything but remember you used to laugh at my jokes like
that? And why does Soonyoung hyung keep touching you? He needs to lay off and
where's Seokmin when you need him. And-- oh my god did I just see Hansol kissing
your cheek? What the fuck is this shit? Someone stop feeding the fetus alcohol. Oh
thank goodness Chan got him off you, bless my soul. Junhui hyung keeps teasing me
for being a creep and Jihoon hyung's like "aw our little bro is in love" like they need to
shut up before I hit them. Or maybe just Junhui hyung because I dont need Jihoon
hyung chasing after me with his guitar again. I'm pretty sure I'm burning holes into Jisoo
and Junghan hyung's head because they are BLOCKING MY VIEW. WHAT IS
WRONG WITH EVERYONE TONIGHT. The night is almost over and everyone's
leaving and-- holy shit are you coming this way? Omg crap, you are, oh are you
extending your arms? We're having a stare battle but my fingers are still writing, like is
this not cool or what? And why arent you saying anything? Hm well--

ASDGHJKL HYUNG DID WE JUST HUG AND IS THAT A GRIN YOU'RE GIVING ME
OH MY GOODNESS MY HEART IS MELTING SOMEONE PLEASE PASS ME AN
OXYGEN TANK IM CRYING SO HARD RIGHT NOW. THE HYUNGS ARE JUDGING
ME BUT FUCK THEM. I CANT EVEN-- GAH FUCK ME GOODBYE WORLD MY LIFE
IS COMPLETE.
Yours truly, Kim Mingyu.

Wonwoo burst into laughter. He remembers Mingyu glaring at everything while writing
on a piece of paper rather angrily that night. The sight confused him because it was his
birthday, why was he so angry? But now he understands as he goes into another round
of laughter. He had no idea the younger was so happy to see him.

He kinda thinks Mingyu is exaggerating with the oxygen tank though. It was just a hug,
what was he so excited and giddy about? But he cant help but grin at the thought of
Mingyu getting hyped up because him. Wonwoo never even knew he had that kind of
effect on the younger.
13th May 2015
Dear Wonwoo hyung, so we're back to this again huh? Back to being strangers? Back
to pretending we dont know each other? Wow, for a moment I thought we were going to
be okay. I thought we could work things out. I thought things would be back to normal.
But who am I kidding, right? What we're doing is becoming a daily routine. I text you,
you ignore. I see you in campus, you bolt the other way. I stare at you, you dont spare
me a glance. I pretend everything's okay, you pretend to not know me. But you know
what? Despite how much I hate how things have turn out between us, I'm getting used
to it. Eventhough I'm still bothered about not having you around, its okay. Maybe you
need time on your own.
Yours truly, Kim Mingyu.

26th June 2015

Dear Wonwoo hyung, today I found out you blocked me on social media. I definitely
didnt see that coming but seriously? It sort of feels like you're blocking me out of your
life too. I mean, obviously you havent been and wont be telling me what's happening in
your life which makes social media the only source left for me to know and catch a
glimpse of what you've been up to. But no, you just had to block me. I dont know
anymore hyung. I dont know whats your motive, at all. I'm clueless. I've been trying to
figure out what went wrong. I've been trying to figure you out for the past few months
but I just cant reach a conclusion. Please dont shut me out like this and talk to me.
Yours truly, Kim Mingyu.

17th July 2015

Dear Wonwoo hyung, its been a whole year since the first letter I wrote you. Which also
means you're a year older now. So... happy birthday hyung! Eventhough Seungcheol
hyung would most probably drag all of us out to celebrate your birthday later, you dont
have to worry about me being there trying to talk to you because I wont be there
tonight. I have a basketball tournament to attend. I'll just get Seokmin to pass my gift to
you. I hope you like it though. Its the backpack you really wanted, right? I caught you
staring and admiring it a few weeks ago. You havent opened up to me yet but I wont
give up! Well, I gotta go get ready for my match now. Happy birthday hyung! I love you
alot more than you know.
Yours truly, Kim Mingyu.

Yeah, Wonwoo remembers receiving a backpack from Mingyu for his birthday and if he
had to be honest, he wasnt very happy at first. As a university student, Mingyu isnt
financially stable. Sure the kid has a part time job but his pay doesnt even surpass 500
dollars and the backpack costs half of his pay. Even with another 250 dollars to spare,
he still needs to pay for his daily needs; especially food. Having a big appetite doesnt
help much either.

Maybe if Mingyu accepts the monthly cash from his parents, Wonwoo wouldnt have
mind so much. But he doesnt and refuse to accept it because; "I want to be
independent. I dont want to rely on them anymore. They have already sacrifice so much
for me."

But he was also grateful and happy because he had to admit, he really wanted it. And
because he wanted Mingyu to know he appreciated the gift, he wrote a note of thanks
and told Junghan to pass it to the younger.

Wonwoo smiles at the memory as he leans his back on the headboard. Wonwoo doesnt
mind sharing his secrets. In fact, he shares and reveals most of them. But one of the
secrets he'll never reveal is;

Mingyu's gifts have been and always be his favourite.

3rd August 2015

Dear Wonwoo hyung, I invited you to hang out today but of course to my dismay, you
turned me down again, saying you had to attend something important. So I decided to
go with Junghan and Jisoo hyung instead. And really, I didnt mind until I saw you at the
mall with Seungcheol hyung. Like wow, what a pleasant surprise. I was so mad at you
and was so close to losing my shit, and if it wasnt for the hyungs holding me back, who
knows what I could've done. I dont want to be mad at you, hyung. But you could've just
told me that you didnt want to hang out with me. And also, Junghan hyung told me he
overheard your conversation with Seungcheol hyung. You were talking about us, saying
that the reason we grew distant was because we had different interests and we no
longer click like we used to. Which I strongly deny, i think you're just being a dick. But
the main reason we turned out this way was because life wasnt fair. And maybe you're
right, maybe life is unfair but maybe there's more to just that.
Kim Mingyu.
Wonwoo pretends to not notice and care about the missing 'yours truly' as he neatly
folds the letter and slips it back into the envelope. He's abit surprised though. He had no
idea Mingyu was even there at that time. He thought Junghan and Jisoo were on their
date again, since they failed to mention the younger's presence. Now he feels guilty
again. He's been caught lying twice.

11th September 2015

Dear Wonwoo hyung, I've been thinking alot these days. After lashing out on you in my
previous letter, I felt kinda bad about it because I had once promised myself, that no
matter how much you've change or how different things are between us, I'll always
accept you. Because thats the most important thing of a friendship right? Accepting
each other. And you know, all this while I thought the decisions I've made through out
the years was the best for you us. But after Jisoo hyung forced me to meditate with
him, and after alot of thought, maybe most of the choices I made werent the best for us.
Maybe the choices I made were the best for me, especially when you had no say in any
of them. I've been thinking you were the one being selfish, but today I realized, maybe it
was me.

Remember you used to date Jang Doyoon back in high school? Our senior by two
years? You wanted to keep your relationship a secret because you knew what kind of
reputation he had. You knew really well that he was the school's biggest flirt, seeing
how he flirts with everyone. But somehow you still managed to fall for him. You were
aware about how much the rest of our group didnt like him, so you made me promise to
not tell anyone. And I sticked to my word. I never told a single soul, even when Hansol
questioned me about the rumors regarding you and Doyoon hyung's relationship, I
denied. It wasnt just Hansol though, I lied to all of them.

But I knew it wasnt long until they would find out. I knew we couldnt keep lying to them.
I knew we couldnt hide forever because eventually, they would know. So when Hansol
asked me for the third time, I gave in. I told him because with the look on his face, I
knew he already knew. No, I knew they all already knew. The minute I admitted it, the
look on their faces killed me. They looked so betrayed because like what Minghao had
said to me that time; they trusted me and I broke their trust. And for what? Just to cover
up for you. But you were my best friend, I didnt mind. And the fact that I was the only
one who knew, made me proud because that indirectly proved you trusted me the most.

They were so mad to the point they wouldnt even spare us a glance and we had no one
else but each other. I even promised you, "we're in this together." However, because I
couldnt stand the thought of them being mad at me, I made you choose between
Doyoon hyung or our friends. And of course you would've chose the latter but until this
day, I can never forget how hurt you looked when I made you break up with him. I will
never forget how I left you sitting at the bench to weep all by yourself. You told me
countless of times that its okay, that "past is past." But I tore you away from that one
person you loved and until this day, the guilt still creeps into my skin. There's a voice in
my head that has been and still taunting me, constantly reminding me, "How could you?
How could you do that to your own best friend?"

And thats not even the worse part. The worse part is realizing things had always been
about me. Our friendship consists of me talking about myself and you listening and
adding in a few remarks. And today, realization sank in. There's still alot of things I dont
know about you and the fact that I never bothered to find out is so disturbing. And the
fact that I'll probably never find out makes me want to never participate in life anymore.
You always did things and make choices based on my opinion while I selfishly decide
everything on my own. To think I called myself your best friend was awful because
reality check, nothing I've ever done were near to that.

Your long absence made me realize all the flaws in our friendship, and as much as it
sucks admitting this, they were mostly commited by me. You made me realize how
selfish I have been. And maybe my selfishness was one of the reasons you distant
yourself away from me but its okay, I understand.
Kim Mingyu.

"Hey, emo boy. Why dont you put those down for now and join us for some pizza before
you die of starvation."

Wonwoo glances towards the door to see Seungcheol standing at the doorway with his
arms crossed. "What's so interesting about those letters anyway? You've been caging
yourself in here for a few days now."

Wonwoo rolls his eyes, "No, I havent been caging myself in here just to read all this. I
had to complete all of the assignments that was supposed to be due last week. And
stop calling me emo boy."

The older chuckles before he raises his eyebrows and says teasingly, "Well maybe if
you werent so immersed in reading your love letters, maybe they would have been due
on time." He shrugs as he continues, "And I'll stop calling you emo boy the day you stop
being emo."
Wonwoo lightly punches the older's shoulder and groans, "Hyung, I only received the
box this week!" To which the said hyung wiggles his eyebrows, "But still."

"I'm not having this conversation with you." The younger says as he walks past him and
joins Soonyoung in the living room.

As he takes a bite of his pizza, Soonyoung suddenly waves his hand in the air and
swallows his food before he says, "You know that box Seokmin passed you the other
day?"

Wonwoo nods as Seuncheol plops on the couch beside him.

"Well okay, so apparently, the box wasnt supposed to be given to you. Seokmin was
cleaning out the pantry and found it at the very top shelf, behind the boxes of cereal."

Wonwoo nods again and internally laughs, because Mingyu obviously isnt good at
hiding things.

Taking another bite of his pizza, he continues, "Having no idea who it belonged to, he
simply opened it and saw your name on every single envelope. Which lead him to our
doorstep that day. But he must have gotten too excited and so made a mistake of not
asking who it belonged to."

Wonwoo makes a disgusted face because he doesnt enjoy seeing pieces of food flying
out of Soonyoung's mouth as he talks. But he makes no comment about it because he's
not in the mood for his sass. Ever.

Soonyoung swallows the last bite and wipes his hand on his shirt before he continues.
"So to everyone's relief, mainly Junhui's, Mingyu is healthy enough to function on his
own now. Seokmin notes the amount of times he saw Mingyu walking into the pantry
and leaving empty handed. That raises suspicion because Mingyu does not leave the
pantry without food, ever. And after pacing back and forth nervously, he asked if anyone
had seen the box."
Seungcheol chokes on his juice and after he's done dying, he asks, "The love letters are
from Mingyu?!"

Wonwoo snorts, "They arent love letters, by the way."

Soonyoung narrows his eyes, "No, they're not from Mingyu but yes, it belongs to him.
Mingyu claimed that the box was never meant to be given to Wonwoo. So when
Junghan hyung revealed that Seokmin had gave it to you, he went bonkers and they
had to drag him to Jisoo hyung to calm him down."

"Then that explains the gloomy aura he had all day yesterday." Seungcheol joins in
before he adds, "Mingyu is normally one of the enthusiastic players during basketball
practice but yesterday he looked rather distracted and down. And when I asked him
whats wrong, he simply shook his head. The box probably meant alot to him because
bro, the poor kid looks completely crushed."

"But the thing is, he's been crushed for the past few months. He just never really
showed it." Soonyoung says with a sigh and Seungcheol glances at him.

Wonwoo knows he's being a dick but its not like he wanted to be one. They wouldnt
understand.

He feels a hand on his shoulder and turns around to see Jihoon standing there with a
stern look on his face. What in the world? Why does he always appear out of nowhere?!

"We dont know why you're avoiding him but if our predictions are right, we dont want
you to deny it. Mingyu really needs you, man. He may act like everything's fine for the
past eleven months but he's slowly reaching his limit. One day he's going to completely
give up and maybe thats what you want now, but you do know what happens when he
does right? He'll never speak to you, or even look at you ever again. Your existence will
be dead to him. And I dont think thats something you want forever. Someday you'll miss
him, and he wont miss you back."

The three of them give him a smile as Soonyoung reminds him, "Dont let go of someone
who's been there since day one. He may not be perfect, but he's trying to be the best for
you. You're going to regret if you let him go."
Seungcheol adds, "Because you'll never find someone like Mingyu again. You'll never
find someone who cares about you as much as he did. You'll never find someone who
puts you their first priority like he did. You'll never find someone who keeps running
back to you despite being continuously thrown aside like he did. You'll never find
someone who will love you for you like he did."

And Wonwoo's heart breaks for the first time in months because Seungcheol is right.
Soonyoung is right. Jihoon is right.

He's still denying it, but deep down he knows their prediction is also right;

Wonwoo has fallen. Eleven months ago, he fell into the pit of his own best friend.

onwoo finds himself not leaving the dorm for the past week, even skipping his classes
and some of his workshifts. This for sure does not go unnoticed by his rommates but
when he's being questioned about his strange behavior, he throws the same excuse
each time.

However, with the looks on their faces, he knows they arent fooled but they dont press
further and lets him have his space.

The truth is, he's been feeling rather down these days. His motivation is dead, he feels
abit depressed and all the things that makes him want nothing more than to just stay
under the covers.

And the reason he's acting this way? There isnt one. He woke up last week feeling like
this and despite all the attempts his friends try to get him to step out of his doorstep or
cheer him up, it doesnt work. The thing is, they've been constantly asking if everything's
alright and it kinda gets on his nerves. He appreciates that they care, he knows they do
but the problem is, he doesnt even know what the problem is in the first place.

A tiny part of him suspects its the blue coloured box sitting on his study table at the
corner of his room. He's been staring at it for hours (and thats all he really does, really)
and each time he approaches it, there's something about it that makes him uneasy and
so he backs away and continues to stare at it.

Wonwoo has read most of the contents and there only one letter left. He groans in
frustration because all he really wants to do now is get over this whole crush-on-his-
bestfriend thing. He's one letter away from doing so, one letter away from being free but
no. He mans up enough to actually open the goddamn box but never enough to open
the letter itself.

He knows sooner or later he has to return the box because first, it belongs to Mingyu.
Second, it'll be incredibly rude to ask someone else to return it for him especially after
invading his personal space. Third, he needs to actually sort things out with him. Crush
be damned, he just wants his best friend back. He's also running out of people to insult
without being abused.

So on the eighth night, after rejecting Soonyoung's invitation to a party, he helps himself
to some cookies and sits by the dining table. He places the box in front of him and takes
a few deep breathes. "You can do this. Be a man, Wonwoo. Dont be a wuss." He says
to himself.

His heart is beating really fast and he's nervous because he knows this one isnt going to
be good. He bites his lower lip and reads.

24th October 2015

Dear Wonwoo hyung, I no longer give a fuck. I mean, I didnt think I gave a fuck before.
But that was the amateur not-giving-a-fuck. This is stop-at-nothing, dont-give-a-fuck
freedom. In case you're wondering, yes, I just quoted Theodore Finch but wow, that felt
really good to say. Or write, either way. So um, I'll just get to the point. After eleven long
months, I've decided that maybe its time I let you go. I think its quite clear that you're
not planning to come back anymore so, what's the point right? Breakups are terrible
heart wrenching things but ending things with a best friend? I dont think anything can be
compared to this. Realizing the pieces of who you are now, no longer fits with your best
friend. I dont think anything hurts as much as this. There's a huge hole that no one else
can ever fill. Yeah, I've had my heart broken alot of times before, but none of those can
be compared to this.

I guess it stings because I didnt see it coming or maybe I did but I always pushed it
aside. I saw it coming the day you decided to change your path but I trusted you. I
trusted you and believed you wouldnt just let us slip away like this. I keep telling myself
that poeple always leave and you werent going to be any different but it didnt prepare
me for the pain I felt and still feel. I know life well enough to know you cant count on
things staying around or standing still, no matter how much you want them to. At certain
point, I suppose we have to let go of people who dont love us or need us anymore,
even if we dont want to.

For months, I've been trying to figure out how we ended up this way. How we drifted
apart when at one point, we were unseparable. And remember those days where
everything was fine and no matter what was happening, as long as we had each other,
we'd be alright? I've been thinking about it every single day but I guess after four years,
you've gotten bored of me. I was no longer good enough for you. And for the past few
months, you didnt say anything regarding anything of the such, but I knew. I was losing
you and there wasnt anything I could do about it.

Is it cruel for me to think this way? Would you understand and agree or would you hate
me for having these thoughts? Eleven months of bearing, I'm not sure how much more I
can hold up. Eleven months of loneliness, eleven months of one-sided effort and
constant failed tries, I'm slowly reaching my limit. What happened to you? Where was
the person I used to know? The voice in my head says, "you left him behind and moved
on." You've moved forward to a new you and shut me out before I even had the chance
to walk through that door. You probably havent noticed, but you left me here all by
myself to no single idea to where you've gone. And no matter how much I tried, I'm still
stuck here. When people ask me about you, I can only smile and shrug because how
would I know the answer to that? Before all this happened, you told me to always trust
you no matter what. To always believe in you and you know what? Up to this day, I still
trust you but believing you is hard because I didnt know how to. How was I supposed to
believe in you when you've been hiding so much from me? How can I be sure there isnt
anything wrong with you? I'm so worried about you, I dont think you even understand.
And tell me what's worse, not being able to help your own best friend or not even
knowing what's wrong in the first place? I know I said I'll always accept you no matter
how much you change but it happened so fast and out of the blue, I couldnt adapt to it. I
also know I said its okay if one day you dont consider me as your best friend anymore,
or if we dont talk that much anymore, or if you choose someone else over me, or if you
found way better friends, or if you ignore me, or block me but truth be told, its not okay.
I'm not okay. But aside from my selfishness, maybe you drifted away because I was too
clingy for your liking, I wasnt trustable, I was burdening and irritating. Whatever reasons
you have, I understand.

Its the same question everyday. How could you replace me so easily after everything
we had? Did all those nights and days filled with laughter, tears, fun and memories
mean nothing to you? How could you let us slip away so easily? And remember you
said we separated because life wasnt fair? Like I said before, maybe you're right. But
maybe if you made more effort, maybe if you care as much as I do, maybe if I was more
important to you, maybe things didnt have to take this turn. Do you even know how mad
am I at you sometimes? No, because it depletes as soon as I see you because all I
ever want to do is talk, laugh, joke around and get to know you, just like we used to.

Losing you is the worst. I mean, losing the others would hurt too but it wouldnt hurt as
much as losing you. It sucks you know? Being downgraded from best friend to stranger
in just a short amount of time. Its like having your soulmate ripped away from you. Its
like having your other half taken away from you. And I dont think I'm ready and ever will
be ready for this. But now I can set you free with much ease. If you want to leave, then
go. Because why make someone stay when you know they want to leave, right? But I
hope you remember this hyung;

Although I'm angry at you now, I'll understand all of this someday. Someday talking
about you wouldnt hurt anymore. And if you ever want to come back, I'm here and
always will be. And if anyone ever ask me about our status or relationship, I'd tell them,
"He's my best friend. But I'm not his, and thats okay." And I'll mean it someday.
Someday I'll openly accept all of this and be okay of our broken 'best friend forever' that
we both mutually hoped for. Someday, I wont mind carrying this promise alone because
you'll always be my best friend forever.

But as for now, I'll allow myself to be mad at you. I dont know how long will I be though
but like Seokmin said to me earlier, "Its okay to be still upset. Your heart has to figure
out how to deal with loving someone who isnt there anymore, that's alot for anyone to
handle." Its a good advice and really comforting but I'm pretty sure he got that from
tumblr or something. (Because this is Seokmin we're talking about. I'm just saying.)

Thanks for everything hyung. Thanks for the past four years. Take care of yourself.

Lots of love, Kim Mingyu.

It hits Wonwoo hard and his heart breaks but he holds back his tears because what
right did he have to cry? Its his fault for letting things go wrong. He reads the date again
and his heart breaks all over again.

Wonwoo is two weeks too late.

9

Soonyoung and Seungcheol return from their party an hour before midnight and finds
Wonwoo planking on the floor. They throw him a displeased look and the oldest among
the three nudges Wonwoo with his foot, "What are you doing?"

Wonwoo's voice is soft and muffled when he says, "Waiting for the ground to open up
and swallow me."

Soonyoung is about to say something when his gaze falls onto a particular box on the
dining table. He pulls Seungcheol's sleeve and when the said male turns to face him, he
points towards box. Sensing something isnt right, both of them exchange a look before
Soonyoung crouches down to turn Wonwoo over so he's lying on his back and asks,
"Are you okay?"

Wonwoo ignores the question and says, "I'm the worst person on the planet. Guys, just
kill me now." He groans and runs a hand through his hair.

Seungcheol's face is unreadable as he helps the younger to sit up and puts a hand on
his shoulder, "Talk to us." It sounds more like a demand, but he does as he's told.

By the time Wonwoo's done, tears had filled his eyes. He swallows the lump in his
throat and tries to blink away the tears. He doesnt allow himself to cry, not when he's
the reason all of this happened.

Soonyoung smiles sadly, "Wonwoo, its okay to cry you know."

The said male lightly shakes his head, "N-no. I wont allow myself to cry after what I've
done. I ruined everything hyung. I ruined our friendship." His voice cracks on the last
word and he ends up breaking into a sob.

"Aw, our emo baby." Seungcheol calls out with a hint of sadness in his voice as they
wrapped their arms around the crying male. Soonyoung proceeds to play with
Wonwoo's hair in a comforting manner as he says, "Its okay. You've been through so
much. You've been bearing the pain for too long now. Just let it all out. We're here for
you."
After ten minutes, Wonwoo calms down and breaks away from their embrace. He keeps
his head low and sniffs, "I dont know what to do anymore. I want to fix things but I dont
know how to. God, i dont think its even possible anymore."

"But you've got to try, Wonwoo. I know it wont be easy but you have to at least try or
you'll regret this forever." Soonyoung answers with a sigh.

Seungcheol nods, "Yeah, and who knows, maybe he'll even like you back!"

Wonwoo doesnt say anything and sighs heavily instead.

"Look, emo boy. You have to learn to take risks. If you dont, then you're going to be
stuck here for a long time. Dont go down and let go without a fight." Seungcheol
encourages and Wonwoo hears the determination in his voice.

"But they said if you love someone, you gotta let them go...."

"Thats bullshit. If you love someone, then you shouldnt let them go without trying. You
fight for them and do whatever you can to stop them from leaving. Unless you've done
absolutely everything and still make no progress, then yes you let go. But as for now,
you cant give up. We're not letting you give up." Seungcheol states with a stern look on
his face, arms crossed.

Soonyoung nods, "Hyung is right. Just try to talk things out okay? Please?"

Wonwoo simply nods.

So apparently the roles have been switched. When Wonwoo comes into sight, Mingyu
would always go the other way or pretends to not see him as he casually walks past
him. He doesnt reply or answer Wonwoo's texts and calls but Wonwoo doesnt give up.
This goes on for another week and the older is slowly losing his patience. Wow, how
does Mingyu bear with this for twelve months? Someone give the kid an award.
He plops onto his bed and stretches. Its been a long day and all Wonwoo wants to do is
take a warm bath and sleep because he's so tired and his muscles are beginning to
hurt.

After his shower, he slips under the covers and is about to drift off to dreamland when
the door flies open, the knob hitting the wall with a loud thud. Wonwoo mentally groans
and opens his eyes to see Seokmin standing there. "What do you want this time? And
have you heard of knocking?"

Seokmin grins, "We're having a sleepover at my place. The hyungs told me to ask you if
you want to join us."

Wonwoo shuts his eyes once more and waves the younger off. "Maybe next time
Seokmin. My brain is too tired to function right now."

Seokmin shrugs and tells him, "okay" before he's out the door.

Wonwoo managed to nap for an hour or two when he's awaken by a nightmare. He
glances at the clock. His roommates wouldnt return until tomorrow, which means he has
the dorm to all by himself tonight. Finally, some peace and quiet. He gets up and settles
on the couch and fiddles with his phone for the next few hours. And thats when an idea
hits him.

"Where's Minghao and Chan?" Mingyu asks after looking around and notice the missing
duo. He also notes that someone else is missing but he doesnt bring it up. Of course he
wouldnt be here, he thinks to himself.

"Dance practice. They'll be here later." Hansol, who shares a dorm with them, answers
from across the living room.

The ten boys gather in the living room, making themselves comfortable as their movie
marathon begins. Mingyu passes the popcorn and switches off the lights before settling
beside Seungkwan on the floor.
Halfway through the movie, the doorbell rings and Mingyu jumps to his feet as he tells
the rest, "Its probably Minghao and Chan. I'll get it."

But when he swings the door open, his smile falters. On the other side of the door, did
not stood Minghao and Chan. Instead, he's met with a male wearing a beanie and a
blue box in his grasp.

Mingyu feels like the air is knocked out of him as he struggles to find something to say
but he's frozen in place, gaping at the person in front of him.

"Mingyu, we need to talk."

10

The air between Wonwoo and Mingyu had always been comfortable despite not saying
anything to each other. But right at this moment, the atmosphere is thick and too
uncomfortable and Wonwoo knows Mingyu feels that way too because he's been
fidgeting way too much.

Mingyu sits on one of the swings while Wonwoo stands a few feet across him. Mingyu is
avoiding his gaze but Wonwoo doesnt mind. In fact, its actually better this way. Its
easier for him to speak up. Or that's what he thinks. He's been staring at the younger for
way too long, trying to think of something to say but his brain isnt cooperating with him.

The night is colder than usual and Wonwoo thinks its probably the winter season
approaching. He mentally facepalms himself for not wearing thicker clothes because
he's very very cold but on the bright side, at least Mingyu's perfectly warm under his
jacket, fluffy pyjama pants and uggs.

Wonwoo had once told Mingyu that uggs were too girly for him but the younger begged
to differ as he retorted with an accusing finger, "The only thing girly here, is that
mermaid socks you're wearing." And they ended up bickering in the shoe store for
almost fifteen minutes before the older admitted his defeat.
He smiles at that memory, he cant believe how ridiculous their little arguments were.
But that's what make them best friends right? They werent afraid of voicing out their
thoughts to each other.

Wonwoo also notes the younger's change of hair colour. Its a strange colour but it suits
him pretty well. Its no longer brown, but somewhere in between faded dark blue and
gray. He looks more mature with this colour and he distantly tries not to think how hot
he looks too.

When the wind blows, Wonwoo shivers and that's when Mingyu decides to break the
silence. "Instead of trying to freeze yourself, how about you actually say something so
we can get over whatever you want to talk about and get back inside." Mingyu says abit
coldly and Wonwoo slightly winces. Mingyu had never use that tone with him.

The thing is, he does want to say something but all the words he wanted to say had
been erased from his brain. He gets as far as opening his mouth before closing it again.
Its like he lost his capability to speak. "Well?" Mingyu says again, but this time he meets
Wonwoo's eyes. Mingyu's fringe falls slightly over his eyes and Wonwoo has to hold the
urge to brush them away.

"I-- um. Mingyu-- uh, you see-- well--" He pauses, gaze falling to the ground as he
sighs. "I dont know where to start."

There's another pause before Wonwoo gathers his courage to face Mingyu again. The
younger is looking straight at him and Wonwoo wants to cower. He knows he looks
pathetic and weak but with the look he's given, Wonwoo's confidence drops to the
ground and he wants to run away. This was a bad idea.

"Why dont you start with returning my box." Mingyu suggests and Wonwoo immediately
returns it to him before stepping back. "You read all of them?"

Wonwoo nods slowly and Mingyu's expression darkens. Okay, now Wonwoo is shit-
scared. Maybe he'll make it out alive if he bolts now and maybe drop out of university
and move back to his hometown. He takes a few small steps backwards.
"So is this why you're here? Because you feel sorry for me?" Mingyu asks softly, but
there's a hint of anger in his voice.

Wonwoo frowns in confusion, "What?"

Mingyu dryly laughs, "After reading all of my letters, you felt sorry for me right? You're
here because you pity me right? Or are you here out of guilt?"

The older shakes his head, "What? Mingyu, no! I'm here to fix things. I'm here to
apologize. Not because I feel sorry for you or out of guilt but because I want to. I want
things to be back to normal."

Mingyu tears his gaze away from Wonwoo and proceeds to stare at his shoes. "It
doesnt work that way, hyung. Its not that easy for me to forgive you."

Wonwoo's heart clenches, "But you said if I wanted to come back, you'll always be
there." His voice is cracking and he knows, somewhere in his heart, he knows he's too
late.

"I know what I said. But i didnt think you'd come back so soon! You've been gone for so
long and when I finally decide to let you go, you suddenly come back into my life. How
do you expect me to feel?" The words come out sounding louder than he intended but
Mingyu doesnt care. Its his turn to protect himself.

"I know I've been a dick, okay? I know I've hurt you in alot of ways. I know I've been
selfish and avoided you without thinking about your feelings. I know I'm a few weeks too
late but please, dont do this Mingyu. Give me another chance and I'll make it up to you.
I'm sorry I left you behind. I'm sorry I made you worried. I'm sorry I couldnt give you the
map that leads to me. I'm sorry I let us slip away so easily. I'm sorry I made you think
you lost me. I'm sorry for hurting you. I'm just so sorry for everything Mingyu."

Wonwoo knows he sounds desperate and he's the one who looks pitiful now but if this is
what he needs to do to fix things, then he'll do it.
There's another pause of silence and Wonwoo wants to pull out his hair because the
tension is killing him and Mingyu is still avoiding his gaze as his lips are sealed. Mingyu
doesnt say anything for the next few minutes and Wonwoo is ready to give up. His heart
is crushed. He's already bracing and preparing himself to go on with life without his best
friend.

The older is about to walk away when Mingyu scoffs and Wonwoo's steps come to an
abrupt stop. "You're sorry? After everything you've done, you're sorry? Hyung, I dont
think you even understand what you've done to me! First, you lie to me. Then you
ignore all my attempts to talk to you. Then you completely ignore my existence. Then
you cut me off completely from your life. For twelve whole months. For a whole
goddamn year, and now out of the blue you come back and say you're sorry. It must be
really easy for you, huh?"

Wonwoo know he's not supposed to feel this way, but he can feel his blood boiling.
Does the kid even know what he's saying? He turns around to face the younger as he
argues, "Easy? You think its been easy for me? Well, I'm sorry but guess what. Nothing
had been easy for me throughout the past year. Do you think I avoided you because I
wanted to? Do you think I put myself through all that trouble, just because I wanted to?
If that's what you think, then I can tell you that you're so wrong."

Mingyu looks taken aback with the sudden outburst but he quickly composes himself.
He's about to argue back when Wonwoo cuts him off. "No, you listen to me Kim Mingyu.
I'm completely done with your shit and I refuse to tolerate any more of this absurdity.
You know what? If there's one thing you've correctly concluded in your letters, is that
yes, I do hate you."

Wonwoo pretends to not notice how hurt the younger looks as his facade crumbles
down. Instead of the mighty and i-dont-give-a-fuck-about-anything appearance he had a
few minutes ago, Mingyu looks absolutely devastated and stunned.

Wonwoo knows he should stop before he hurts him even further, but he came all this
way, might as well go all out right?

"I hate how you keep coming back each time I push you away. I hate how selfish you
had been. I hate how you made me choose between Doyoon hyung and our friends. I
hate how you made me break up with him. I hate how you left me to weep all by myself
after that. I hate how you tore me away from that one person I truly loved. I hate how
you think the world revolves around you. I hate how everything had always been about
you. I hate how our friendship consists of you talking all the goddamn time. I hate how
you never tried to get to know me better. I hate how you always made choices for me
and never asked for my opinion. I hate how clingy you are and I hate the way you
quoted Theodore Finch. I hate everything about you and mostly, I hate how you had the
guts to even call yourself my best friend. Because the voice in your head was right. How
could you do that to your own best friend?"

Mingyu can hear how angry the older is and honestly, it scares him. Wonwoo hardly got
angry but when he does, its never about small, minor, petty things. And Mingyu knows
he can choose to just end this once and for all and walk away but he thinks their long-
term friendship deserves a proper closure.

Mingyu is sure his heart is shattered into pieces. Everything Wonwoo had said, was
everything he already knew. Hearing them from the older's lips just hurt a little more
than it should have. Mingyu may be angry at him too but he knows Wonwoo had a
better reason to be. Wonwoo deserves to be angry after everything he had put him
through.

"But you know what else I really hate? I hate how they made us kiss that night. I hate
how I still want you in my life after everything you've done. I hate how I forgive you for
being stupid and immature. I hate how I forgive you for making me choose our friends
over Doyoon hyung. I hate how I forgive you for not being there when I needed you the
most. I hate how I still let you make decisions on your own. I hate how I dont mind you
talking all the time. I hate how I dont hate you for never trying to get to know me. I hate
how adorable you were when you quoted Theodore Finch.

I hate how you think I was able to replace you so easily. I hate how you think I dont
need you anymore. I hate how you think all those memories meant nothing to me. I hate
how you think you're burdening and irritating to me. I hate how you think you're selfish
when you're arent entirely. I hate how you think I dont care about you. I hate how you
think you're not important to me. I hate how you still try to accept me. I hate how you still
wait around for me, because cant you see? I'm trying to move on without you.

I hate how you tried to blame me for how things turned out between us. I hate how you
get mad at me when I'm the one who's supposed to be mad at you. You said I didnt
understand what I was doing to you but lets make something else clear, you dont have
any idea what you're doing to me, dont you? And if it wasnt for that stupid kiss, I would
have hated you so much more but I dont.
I hate how pathetic you make me feel. I hate how small and weak you make me feel. I
hate how vulnerable and insecure you make me feel. I hate how you make me feel like
punching you every time you say cheesy things. I hate how people say we look good
together. I hate how you ask me to arrange a date for you. I hate how you always tell
me about the girl you like in class. I hate how I find it hard to pull away when you hug
me. I hate how I dont want to let go when you hold my hand. I hate how you make me
feel things I dont want to feel. Oh my god, Mingyu. I dont think you even understand
how much I really hate you."

This is it, Wonwoo thinks. Everything he had bottled up for the past year has been said,
out in the open, completely exposed. The cold had been long forgotten as he continues
to stand there.

He was never really sure if things had ever ended between them but when Mingyu
doesnt say anything for the next few minutes. He knows. This time, they were over for
good.

11

At some point, they both had made a promise to not break each other. No matter what
happens, they'd have each other's backs and they will always put their friendship a main
priority. But here they are, pieces of their hearts and friendship scattered all over the
ground.

Neither of them had expected this to happen. Yes, they've seen it coming but they didnt
expect the outcome to be like this. All the days spent on roadtrips and fun adventures
are over. All the nights consists of movie marathons and deep talks are over. What's left
of their friendship are memories and broken promises.

Or that's what Wonwoo thought.

When Mingyu finally looks up from his shoes, Wonwoo prepares himself for whatever
that's about to come. The younger has an unreadable expression on his face and it
makes Wonwoo very flustered.

Then all of the sudden, Mingyu grins. And it makes Wonwoo even more flustered,
because he's sure all of the things he said awhile ago were pretty nasty. Unless
Mingyu's going bonkers again, then he might need to call Junhui and Jisoo for help.
Confused, Wonwoo asks, "What are you smiling about?"

Mingyu grins wider this time and Wonwoo is already reaching out for his phone. Mingyu
stands up and approaches him before he leans in close while Wonwoo has to lean
back because the distance between their faces are too near. Mingyu is staring straight
into his eyes and the older gulps. His stomach his doing all types of flips and he
suddenly feels like throwing up.

"So you like me." Mingyu whispers, grin still plastered on his face and it takes Wonwoo
a few seconds to let the words sink in. And when it finally does, he pushes the younger
away with a bewildered expression.

"Wh--what? No i dont! Good heavens, were you even listening to anything I've been
saying?" He shrieks, breaking the night silence.

"Well, yeah. You pretty much listed all the things you hated about me but underneath all
that, you like me. You hate me because I made you fall for me." Mingyu is grinning so
wide right now and he's pretty it's going to stay this way for the next few days because
he's just so happy.

On the other hand, Wonwoo is very stunned and flustered because first, he may not
have expected a good ending but he certainly did not expect this either. Second, his
secret is exposed. He knows there's no way he's going to lie out of this one. But he still
tries anyway. He puts on the most serious face and he says very seriously, "Mingyu, I
do not like you."

However, the said boy doesnt look convinced but he nods anyway. "Sure you dont,
come on let's get back inside. You're going to freeze to death in this cold." Mingyu drags
a very annoyed Wonwoo back to the dorm as the latter continues to deny and whine
about how much he does not like Mingyu that way.

After walking Wonwoo back to his dorm room, he returns to his own with a big grin on
his face. The moment he walks through the door, the others are eyeing him very
suspiciously as Junhui asks him, "Where have you been?"
The younger casually shrugs the question off and grabs a slice of pizza on the counter.
"Care to tell us what are you smiling about?" Junghan questions from the pantry
doorway. hands gripping on a glass filled with juice.

"Nothing much, really. Its a great night." He tries to hide the excitement in his voice and
hold back another smile but Seungcheol catches on immediately.

"Does this have anything to do with Wonwoo?"

The younger breaks into another grin, "Maybe."

And no one presses further as they nod in unison, knowing smiles on their faces.
Mingyu finds that abit strange but he doesnt brings it up because he's just too happy to
care about anything at the moment.

And so it begins. For the next few weeks, Wonwoo follows Mingyu around whenever he
can or whenever the younger comes into sight which Mingyu doesnt mind about at
all. The funny thing is, Wonwoo says the same thing each time they cross paths.

"I dont like you that way."

"I dont have feelings for you."

"I'm not gay."

"You're the definition of a perfect boyfriend but really, I dont like you."

Mingyu never actually gives a proper respond to all of those statements because he
knows, no matter what he says, Wonwoo wouldnt believe him anyway. But of course,
deep down, Mingyu knows the truth and he knows Wonwoo does too.
"Mingyu, you really need to stop flattering yourself." Wonwoo says one afternoon,
though it sounds more like a whine. The said boy chuckles, "Okay hyung, I get it. How
long are you going to keep this up anyway?"

"Until you actually believe me." Wonwoo huffs before he pouts.

Mingyu proceeds to ruffle the older's hair with a teasing smile as he says, "Okay, then
we'll see how much longer can you withstand."

And with that said, he walks away with a smug look on his face, leaving a very
frustrated and dumbfounded Wonwoo behind.

12

Hey emo boy." Seungcheol greets as he sits beside Wonwoo and puts an arm over his
shoulder. When the said boy doesnt greet back, Seungcheol tilts his head to get a
better look of his face and studies his expression.

Wonwoo has his gaze fixed straight ahead and doesnt waver when Seungcheol waves
his hand by his face. He lowers his gaze to the table and finds a container of spaghetti
untouched. He also notices how hard Wonwoo has his grip on his wooden chopsticks,
holding both ends with huge force. "Dude, your chopsticks are going to snap in half if
you keep gripping it so hard." He advices his dongsaeng but said dongsaeng ignores
him again as he continues to stare across the room.

Seungcheol tries to follow the direction of the stare before it lands on a couple that
seems to be having a very good time as the girl laughs at something the guy said. The
girl is wearing a knee length floral dress with a pair of flats and her hair is curly
and wow, she's pretty. On the other hand, the tall guy is wearing a black sweater, white
jeans and a pair of converse. Seungcheol notes to himself that they make a good pair
and-- wait, is that Mingyu?

Finally grasping the whole situation, he turns back to his friend and tries to get his
attention. "Wonwoo."

"Wonwoo?"
"Wonwoo."

"Jeon Wonwoo."

"Emo boy."

"My favorite dongsaeng."

"I will hide away all your beanies if you dont answer me."

"Hey shitface."

Seungcheol's attempts goes on for another few minutes before he kicks Wonwoo's shin
under the table. Wonwoo winces in pain as he exclaims, "Ow! What the fuck, hyung?"

"Well, now that I have your attention, I suggest you stop glaring at them and actually eat
your food before it gets cold. Though I'm pretty sure it already is."

Wonwoo rolls his eyes, "I wasnt glaring at them, I was simply just staring at them. And
i'm not hungry anymore. Want some?"

"Thanks, but no thanks. Bring it back to the dorm, Soonyoung will probably eat it for
supper. Or Seokmin. Or both of them, whatever." Wonwoo hums in approval as he puts
the lid back on after putting his chopsticks away.

"So, do you want to tell me what's going on between you and Mingyu?" Seungcheol
asks as he folds his arms.
Wonwoo laughs nervously, "Um, what's there for me to tell you? Nothing is going on?"
The words come out sounding more like a question instead of a statement and Wonwoo
wants to punch himself.

"You suck at lying and you know that." Seungcheol helpfully points out before he
mentions it again, thought it sounds more like a demand this time. "Enlighten me about
your relationship because i'm very confused. Well, not just me, everyone is. So spill."

Wonwoo lets out a heavy sigh, "How am I suppose to enlighten you, when in reality,
even I dont understand our relationship slash friendship."

"We all know you both already made up but whats the status? Are you both official yet
or what?" And Seungcheol immediately feels bad for asking when he notices how worn
out Wonwoo looks.

The younger groans in frustration as he runs a hair through his hair, taking a glance at
Mingyu before panning back to the hyung next to him. "No, we arent official or anything.
He knows I like him but I kept denying so eventually he kinda just, ignores all my
denials. And recently he's been hanging with all these girls and-- gahi'm going nuts. I
dont even know anymore."

Seungcheol makes a what-the-fuck-is-wrong-with-you face, "Why did you even deny it

in the first place?"

At this point, Wonwoo his tugging at his own hair, trying to not pull them out. "I dont
think it even matters whether I deny or not because he clearly knows I like him and he
knows i'm just being my stubborn self. But the thing is, its been weeks since we made
up and even after all that time, never once had he told me he felt the same way. I mean,
its not like I expect him to or something but if he doesnt, then he should at least tell me.
I'm kinda confused and lost."

Seungcheol slowly nods as he tries to understand the information he's receiving before
looking back and forth between Wonwoo and Mingyu. After a short while, he says,
"From what I see, I think he's trying to make you jealous and maybe messing with you a
little bit but I think he's trying to see how long you can go on denying."
"You mean he's trying to make me jealous on purpose?"

"Yeap! And in case you havent notice, he's been occasionally stealing glances at you
eversince I occupied this seat. I hope he's not getting wrong ideas though. That would
be weird as fu-- wait, he doesnt know Jihoon and I are official, right?"

Wonwoo widens his eyes in surprise, "You both are a thing?"

The older narrows his eyes, "Um, yeah?" There's a short pause before he clasp his
hand together, "That's not the important thing here. Since you didnt know, he probably
doesnt either. So why dont we join his little game?"

"I dont know if that's a good idea. I mean, it sounds very inviting and all but its
just not my thing, you know?"

Seungcheol does not look amused when he says, "Bro, i'm trying to help you escape
the friendzone here, if you're even there in the first place. Look, we'll just do it for a short
time okay? If we dont get a reaction, then we'll stop and maybe by then you'll know
where you stand. Alright?"

Wonwoo huffs before he agrees, "Fine."

So apparently, after explaining this idea to Jihoon, the said boy isnt very fond of it but
after abit more convincing and persuading, he finally gives in. Also, Seungcheol's 'short
time' happens to last for two weeks.

If there's one thing they agree during that period of time, is that yes, its weird and gross.
From afar, it would seem like these two are whispering sweet things in each other's ear
when in reality, they're actually insults and sarcastic remarks.

Sometimes when Mingyu decides to just ignore them, they would laugh alot harder and
louder even when the joke isnt actually funny, just to get his attention. And occasionally,
they made sure to have constant skinship such as making sure to hold hands once in a
while, gentle touches here and there and sometimes they would stare at each other
lovingly. But the moment Mingyu looks away, they would cringe and throw light punches
at each other in disgust.

"That was so gay."

"Why did I even agree to do this."

"Your hands are as rough as sandpaper."

"Feeling your breath againts my ear makes me want to jump off a cliff."

But even so, the plan works perfectly. Mingyu would always be glaring at them from
wherever he is and he doesnt even bother to pretend he isnt when one of them glances
at him. Sometimes he would come up to both of them and 'borrow' Wonwoo for
whatever reason he has which the older finds very endearing.

With the amount of times Mingyu interrupts them or gets to Wonwoo first, Seungcheol
eventually stops trying and let Mingyu have it his way. But yet again, Mingyu never
brought up the topic.

So after gathering all his courage, Wonwoo finally asks, hoping to get a clear answer.
Its almost one in the morning when they're speaking to each other on the phone.
There's a short silence before Wonwoo continues, "I mean I totally get it if you dont feel
the same way, you know? I just want to make sure I'm not getting my hopes up for
nothing."

Mingyu doesnt sound surprised when he asks, "What makes you think I dont like you
back?"

Wonwoo sighs, "Well you never told me you like me back? I dont know, Mingyu. I dont
know whats going on in that head of yours. You're pretty hard to read and the more I try,
the more confused I get. Clearly you dont seem to like the fact that Seungcheol hyung
and I are 'too' friendly with each other. And thats probably you being jealous, but you
never told me how you feel. If you're worried I'd get hurt of you rejecting me, just know
that me not knowing anything hurts more. I dont expect you to like me back but I want a
definite answer."

The line is silent before Mingyu says softly, "Its not that I dont want to tell you. I'm still
trying to confirm my feelings, hyung."

"Then you better confirm it soon because I'm not going to wait around for you forever,
Mingyu. I cant." His voice cracks at the last word and he hangs up immediately after
that. He buries his head in his pillow and screams as loud as he can.

Wonwoo doesnt see Mingyu around the next few days but he shrugs it off. The exams
are approaching so the younger is probably studying somewhere. Later in the evening
he receives a text from Soonyoung, telling him get some groceries. He argues with his
friend over the phone, demanding him to get them himself but when Soonyoung says he
has to attend something urgent and sounds like he's on the verge of tears, Wonwoo
gives in.

He grudgingly gets everything written on the list and walks home in maximum speed
because he's very very cold. He makes it home in exactly eighteen minutes and its pitch
black when he steps through his front door. He turns on the light and settles the
groceries on the kitchen counter. Seungcheol doesnt seem to be in as his shoes are
missing.

When he opens the door to his room, he wasnt expecting to see pictures and sticky
notes attached to the used-to-be plain wall. He gapes at the sight and moves closer to
inspect them. He gasp in surprise as he recognizes the pictures. These were all taken
through out the last four years with Mingyu's camera. The notes were filled with inside
jokes only they knew about.

Wonwoo backs away slowly in surprise and sits on his bed. He lies down and kicks his
legs playfully because wow, its not even his birthday? What a pleasant surprise. When
did Mingyu even prepared this? He tilts his head to the left and immediately his gaze
falls onto a familiar box on his desk. He pulls himself to his feet and scrambles towards
it.

The box contains only one envelope and he doesnt hesitate to open it.
Dear Wonwoo hyung, I'm sorry I've been confusing you this whole time. I was so
confused by my own feelings, I didnt know they were affecting you too. When I found
out you had feelings for me, I was so happy because for a moment, I actually thought
you hated me. But you kept denying it so I decided to make you jealous, to see how
long you could keep up but it backfired, I guess? I always knew you and Seungcheol
hyung are close but with all the contact you guys had, I thought you both were more
than just friends. It scared me because what if I lost my chance? (Eventhough I hadnt
figure out myself completely at that time). And that night when you told me you wouldnt
and couldnt wait for me forever, it hit me pretty hard. So I spent the past few days trying
to figure out my feelings and yeah. I'm writing you this because I dont think i'm able to
confess to you in person.

Wonwoo hyung, when we met four years ago, never once had I thought you'd be this
important to me. I never even dreamed of falling for you. But look what happened! :
( Feelings and crushes are stupid but you arent hehehehe. The past eleven months had
been shit but thanks to Seokmin, we came to this. If he hadnt gave you the box, both of
us would still be miserable as fuck. I want you to know that you're the only person who
has the power to either make me the happiest or saddest person. Your presence lights
up my entire world and I dont know what would I do without you. Jeon Wonwoo, will you
be my boyfriend? But just so you know, if you say yes, I'm never going to let you go. I'm
going to constantly annoy the crap out of you for the rest of your life. I know 'forever'
doesnt always last forever but I really want you to stay forever, hyung. I mean, if one
day we do break up, I hope our friendship goes on.

But lets put that aside for now. I hope you like what I did to your room, emo boy. I love-
love-love-love-love you!
Yours hopefully-forever, Kim Mingyu.

By the time he's done reading, Wonwoo has a huge grin on his face. He settles the
letter down before jumping and running around excitedly because oh my god, is this
really happening?

Wonwoo decides to calms himself down by taking a shower, eating dinner and even
putting away the groceries for Soonyoung. And when he's done with all that, he goes
back into his room and plops onto his bed and dials his best friend's number.

Mingyu answers almost immediately and Wonwoo says the first thing that pops into his
mind. "I hate you."
The younger chuckles, "No you dont. You're in love with me."

"Maybe you're right. Maybe I am in love with you."

"I'm always right, though?" Mingyu says, sounding very full of himself.

"No, dont flatter yourself."

"I love you."

Wonwoo smiles, "I love you too."

13

Its a few years later when Mingyu finds himself all alone in his apartment. He had
graduated from university a year ago and is currently a well-known athlete. He had
participated in competitions here and there and managed to get a high rank in each
one.

When he's not busy training for a competition, he makes himself busy by training other
people instead. He has a part time job as a coach at the elementary school nearby.

Mingyu's job isnt really that hard but somehow, he comes home everyday feeling
exhausted. Dont get him wrong, he loves his work and the kids alot (he finds them very
endearing) but when they start misbehaving, thats when he starts to question his
choices.

During other times when he is work and training free, he stays at home and laze
around. And today happens to be that day as he flips through the channels while eating
a cup of instant noodles. Its been like this for the past two weeks and he's seriously so
bored, he might go crazy.

Times like this is when Mingyu misses him the most. If only you were here, he couldnt
help but think. If Wonwoo was still here, he wouldnt be so bored and he would actually
look forward to mornings everyday. If Wonwoo was here, maybe he wouldnt feel so out
of place in his own apartment. Everything has changed ever since he left.

Mingyu no longer wakes up with someone beside him. He prepares and eats his meals
alone. He has movie nights on his own. And he's the third wheel whenever he hangs out
with his friends.

Mingyu's in the kitchen to dispose his trash when the doorbell rings. He rushes to the
front door and opens it to see Seokmin standing there with a broad smile. Mingyu
doesnt greet his friend and throws him a displeased look instead, "What?"

When Seokmin ignores him and continues to smile at him, Mingyu rolls his eyes, "If
you're here to rant about how much you miss Soonyoung hyung, then forget it. I have
my own problems right now."

Seokmin raises his eyebrows in amusement, "Oh? That's not what i'm here for
but awww, does someone miss Wonwoo hyung?"

Mingyu widens his eyes and he feels his cheeks heating up as he says, "Shut up."

Seokmin laughs at him before he teases, "But its only been two weeks, bro. This is so
cute, I have to tell Soonyoung hyung about this later."

Mingyu immediately glares at him, "Two weeks is a long time, doofus. You're used to it
because Soonyoung hyung is invited to places all the time. This is like, what, the
second time Wonwoo hyung abandons me for some dance competition."

"Its not just any dance competition though. I heard participants from other countries are
participating too and the prize is huge. One of the judges is Shinee's Lee Taemin."

"Isnt Shinee the team who swept all the prizes for five years straight?"
"Exactly. So, for Taemin to be invited as a judge, it must be a very high-class and tough
competition. I know Soonyoung hyung's team is really good but i'm kinda surprised they
made it to the finals."

"Well, so am I but enough of that. Why dont you tell me why you're here instead."
Mingyu demands as he leans by the doorway.

Seokmin's face lights up before he holds up his hands and a small black envelope
comes into sight. "I found this in my mailbox this morning and Soonyoung hyung told me
to pass this to you."

Mingyu's a little confused but he accepts it anyway and thanks his friend as they greet
each other goodnight.

Mingyu settles down on the carpeted floor in the living room and lowers the television
volume. He feels a little anxious the moment he sees it but he smiles anyway,
recognizing the handwriting.

Dear Mingyu, being with you for the past fifteen years have been the best part of my
life. Remember when we met for the first time at the neighborhood playground? I was
only thirteen years old that time and you were only twelve. Each time I was there, you
were always there with your group of friends too. And for almost three weeks, we never
shared a single word to each other until one day you marched towards my direction and
smiled at me. I was in a pretty bad mood that day but because I didnt want you to end
up crying (mom always told me to be nice to kids), I smiled back and said hi.
Immediately, you turned back to your friends and yelled, "See? Emo hyung is not
scary!" And I have to admit, for the first time in few weeks, I went home with a smile on
my face.

After that day, we just started talking to each other more and you ended up ditching
your group of friends. Our friendship only got stronger when you attended the same
middle school as I did. I remember your mom telling me they let you skip a grade
because your results were so outstanding and the next thing I know, we were in the
same grade ever since. We were attached at hip and we had no one else but each
other. During that age, we were still running around in the fields, tackling each other to
the ground and sharing a straw was gross. We didnt care about anything back then.
What was there to care about anyway?
Then high school came along and we ended up in the same school again, to our
delight. During this era, lots of things had changed. Puberty probably hit you hard
because you kept growing and growing and growing and the next thing I know, you
ended up being taller than me. You lost your baby fat and bro, all the girls were fawning
over you. But unlike most of the guys, you never bothered about the girls. That may
have been a good thing but because you had always turned them down and we were
always seen together, rumors about us dating started going around. But the funny thing
is, we never even tried to deny it.

Somewhere along the way, we met Seungcheol hyung and the other guys and up to
this day, the squad is still going strong. We werent exactly rebellious and we werent
that innocent either but it doesnt matter because together as a thirteen member squad,
we did alot of fun stuffs which made high school life worth it. And somewhere along the
way, we somehow became the coolest kids in school. I will never understand how this
happened.

Apparently we were cool enough for playboy Doyoon hyung to take interest in me, out
of all people. And I stupidly fell for him, even after knowing what kind of reputation he
had but trust me, Mingyu. If it wasnt for you, I would have blindly chose him over our
friends. But if I have to tell you the entire truth, I was afraid to lose them but I may or
may not have been more afraid of losing you. That's why I forgave you for breaking us
apart.

The thing about you is, you're an amazing friend but you always doubt that. You always
try to find and point out your flaws. The fact that you had no confidence in yourself, the
fact that you kept doubting yourself hurts me. You said you've been selfish, but you
were mostly selfless. You had always put other people waaaay before you and it upsets
me. I've seen the way you shoved your problems aside just to listen to someone else's.
I've seen the way you smile and laugh like nothing's wrong when inside, you're actually
hurting. I've seen the way you covered up your anger to avoid saying hurtful things. I've
seen the way you ignored your feelings and let someone else win over the person you
liked. I've seen the way you tried to fix someone else, even when you're too broken to
do so. You think you're selfish and self-centered but you're far from that, Mingyu. In my
eyes, you're the most selfless and altruistic person i've ever known. I had always liked
you for who you are, not who the person you tried to be. I had always adored you.

People had always told me I liked you each time I explained this to them and each time,
I would deny it. Back then, it felt normal to me because you were my best friend. Dont
everyone talk about their best friends like this? Well, later I found out they do, but not
like me. Sometimes I even question myself. Was I really inlove with Mingyu? Do I really
like my best friend? But at the end, I would always shove away the thought and told
myself to stop stressing over things like this.

But Seungkwan and Junhui werent going to let it rest and so it happened, the kiss
under the mistletoe. Wow, that was like almost ten years ago but its still so clear in my
head. That was the day I realized my feelings. That they were right. I do like you and
that threw me off guard. And I ended up avoiding you for almost twelve months. (How
embarrassing). But just like what you said in your confession letter, thanks to Seokmin,
we came to this. But I would like to take this opportunity to thank Seungcheol hyung for
coming up with the brilliant plan and also took part in making you jealous (and also
Jihoon who allowed him to).

When my mom found out (you told your mom and she told my mom), she kept me up all
night with her questions but thank goodness they werent mad. Maybe they planned this
all along. Maybe they knew this was going to happen. But either way, I'm glad it
happened. I'm glad we cleared up all the misunderstandings and got together. Though
honestly, nothing's actually different besides the kisses and *cough sex cough* since
we basically still treat each other like best friends.

We had our first huge fight over some dancer from the other team, who you claimed he
was trying to take me away from you and being the stupid me, I defended him and told
you to stop being so dramatic. But when I attended one of the parties he threw, to my
utter dismay, you were right. He kissed me and even tried (and failed) to get into my
pants. Because I was ashamed of what you'd say, I decided to let it slip and not tell you.
But of course, stupid asshole had to tell his friends and his friends had to tell one of
your friends and that friend of yours just had to tell you. I still remember how pissed you
look when i walked through the front door that night and i swear, i was trembling so
hard. We ended up fighting and screaming at each other. But soon, your expression
softened and i could see how vulnerable you were and it hit hard. That moment, I could
feel everything slipping out of our hands. I kept thinking, "this is it. This is how we'll
end."

But somehow we were okay. We talked it out the next morning and eventhough it took a
few days for us to be back to normal, we were okay. We managed to break through an
obstacle.

Mingyu, you have no idea how thankful I am towards you. Thank you for never giving
up on us. Thank you for never giving up on me. Thank you for all the love and support
you've gave me. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for everything. My life has been
brighter ever since I met you and just to let you know, i'm never letting you go. Fifteen
years of friendship and love, believe me when I say I'll hold on to you forever.

Your birthday is coming up soon and i probably wont be back on time to celebrate with
you but i'm sure the athlete team (especially Seungcheol hyung) will drag you out to
celebrate.

I'll see you soon, Mingyu. I love you.

Yours truly, Jeon Wonwoo.

And true enough, a few days later, he ends up being dragged to his own surprise party
at Hansol's cafe by Seungcheol but he doesnt mind. Just because Wonwoo isnt here,
doesnt mean he cant have a good time, right?

Its his fifth plate of cake when the door swings open and a group of guys enter with loud
cheers as one of them held up a trophy. "WE WOOON!"

Mingyu grins when he recognizes and identifies them as his friends before
congratulating them. He looks around, searching for a particular person. When he feels
a tap on his shoulder, he turns around so fast, he almost lost his balance and fell
forward.

"Hi." The male says with a wave and Mingyu grins wider because the person he's been
missing so terribly is standing in front of him. He doesnt wave or greet back, but goes in
for a hug instead. The older male stumbles backwards as he chuckles, "Woah there,
calm down. I know you missed me."

Mingyu doesnt pull away but Wonwoo doesnt mind. In fact, he's been missing the
younger a lot too. "Happy 27th birthday, baby." He wishes softly against Mingyu's ear.

Mingyu finally pulls away a few moments later before he smirks, earning a raised
eyebrow from the older. "You're right, Seungcheol hyung actually dragged me out here."

Wonwoo frowns, clearly not understanding what the younger had just said. "What?"
Mingyu breaks into another grin as he says teasingly, "I got your letter, hyung. I'm very
honored and touched by your effort."

Wonwoo spaces out before it finally sinks in. He widens his eyes in surprise as he
shrieks, "So thats what Soonyoung was enthusiasticly searching my backpack for. No
wonder I couldnt find it!"

Mingyu's smile softens, "But really hyung, thank you. I really appreciate it. Its the best
birthday gift, ever."

"Oh no, thats not all. Wait." This time, its Wonwoo who grins as he fishes something out
from his jacket. And before Mingyu can comprehand whats happening, Wonwoo gets
down on one knee as he holds up a small box (and wait oh my god, is that a ring?)

"Mingyu, will you marry me?"

Mingyu blinks because wow, is this really happening? I must be dreaming, he thinks. Of
course Wonwoo didnt just propose to him. After pinching himself and making sure he's
not asleep, reality sinks further and he proceeds to gape at Wonwoo.

"Well dont just stand there, say something!" He hears someone yell from across the
room.

Wonwoo's heart is beating so fast right now. What if Mingyu says no? What if Mingyu
rejects him? All the what ifs are flooding his brain and he's so nervous because Mingyu
is still gaping at him and shit-- his knee is starting to hurt.

After awhile, Mingyu grins widely as he says, "You're so stupid and I really want to
punch you for abandoning me for two weeks but yes! Yes, oh my god, yes! I will marry
you!"

And everything falls into place after that. That night, before Mingyu hits the hay, he
makes a phone call to a particular friend.
"Hey Seokmin."

"What do you want? Its like, fucking three in the morning." Seokmin doesnt sound mad,
but maybe a little annoyed.

"Yes, I know and I'm sorry but I just wanted to say thank you."

"For what?" Seokmin sounds more awake now and he hears a soft 'who's that' in the
background. Probably Soonyoung. Well.

"For finding my box and giving it to Wonwoo hyung. If it wasnt for you, things would
probably turn out way differently and maybe even worser. Thanks man, I owe you." And
Mingyu means it. Wonwoo may be first, but Seokmin is number two on the list.

"No need to thank me. Just doing what I need to do. Oh and Mingyu?"

"Hm?"

"Remember that diary you had before you started writing your letters?"

"Yeah, I lost it. Why?"

"Just so you know, Junhui hyung found it the other day." Well fuck.

"....And?" Mingyu is sure he's not going to like what he's about to hear.

"I told him to give it to Wonwoo hyung."

Sigh.
"Lee Seokmin... JUST YOU WAIT I WILL GET MY REVENGE AND END YOU!"

And they lived happily ever after.

THE QUARTERBACK

Everything is constant.
The spotlights are almost blinding, searing through the Friday night dark.
The fans – their fans, are fervently cheering them on from the bleachers, with face paint
streaked along their cheeks and banners in their hands like an emblem that they
proudly wave against the opponents’ few supporters situated on the opposite side of the
stadium.
The pep squad is in full swing, brandishing their pompoms as they execute precise
formations and practiced tosses, all the while screaming at the top of their lungs in an
attempt to pump up the crowd. Mingyu catches a few cheerleaders unsubtly wink at him
from the sidelines, moving so that their already short skirts ride farther up. He should
probably wink back; he should probably be turned on…
But somehow he can’t shake off the feeling that he's just not like the other boys.
The coach gathers them all together on the field in a last ditch effort to go over their
strategy; the underlying message clear in his tone – do not fuck this up. Despite
innumerous repetitions of the same tested tactics, Mingyu listens carefully, letting their
coach’s words ring inside his head and block out everything else.
His teammates’ eyes flit from their coach to his face, gauging his attention; the
underlying message clear in their stares – do not fuck this up. He knows how much they
rely on him to see them through a win, and he doesn’t take it lightly. Because
underneath the balm of faith they place on Mingyu is still a hint of jealousy that he gets
all the glory at the end of every game and that it’s his name that is ingrained in every
student’s memory.
He’s the poster boy, the golden child, the quarterback.
Really though, he's just here to play football.
All too soon, the members huddle closer together, and in a vow of camaraderie, place
their hands on top of the others’ before throwing them in the air and releasing a
simultaneous, guttural yell. They put on their helmets and take their positions, Mingyu
crouching behind the rest of the offensive line. His eyes stay fixed on the ball in front;
ears drowning out the commotion throughout the stadium and zoning in on the signal to
start. He takes a deep breath, and eyes glinting feral, shouts…
“1, 2, 3, hut!”
It’s pure frenzy from then on. Mingyu transforms, there really is no other word for it, from
his usual docile self to an unapologetic beast on the football field. Whereas school
teaches him to think and to analyze every detail and situation, football allows him to
simply listen to his body as it exercises its long-seated muscle memory honed from all
those years of grueling practice. He slams into his opponents, shoving straight-on with
no reservations, urges his legs to keep running despite the obvious physical strain, and
passes the ball when necessary – only goal in this moment being to bring the ball to the
end zone.
By the end of it is when the soreness fully kicks in and he has no recollection of the
game, red numbers on the scoreboard the only things that count. His coach passes him
a towel and a water bottle as they take a breather and watch the halftime show
happening where they'd just jostled and rammed into one another. He registers exactly
how much his body is screaming for a break, but he's the quarterback and despite his
limbs protesting he knows he has to show up.
He plays the second half on adrenaline, racing through the field with unparalleled
determination and a need to just finish the damn game. Mingyu knows they’ve already
basically won at this point but it has never been in his nature to slack off, enduring every
hit and every bead of sweat trickling down his face and pooling in his eyes, distorting his
vision. As the last seconds tick and the crowd is on their feet, he slams the ball down
one final time and kneels on the ground, throwing his helmet off and his arms up in
triumph as the spectators regale him with their applause.
He is heavily panting, almost dry heaving, when the rest of the team tackle him to the
ground as they drop into a sweaty, hysteric heap on the grass. They played a good
game and there’s probably nothing more Mingyu would want than to just lay there on
that carpet of green with phosphenes and spotlights at the back of his eyes. He finally
stands up straight and heads with his members to the locker room, but not without once
again being ambushed by those persistent cheerleaders, who seem almost salivating at
the sight of Mingyu with sweaty silver bangs flattened and matted against his glistening
forehead; crystal droplets of perspiration continuing to flow and trace the sharp contours
of his face and down his smooth, tan neck; lips red and full and puffing clouds of tired
breaths. Thank goodness the other players are more than delighted to flirt back…
Because he just needs a shower, not a fuck.
---
Mingyu only briefly acknowledges his coach, allowing his mentor to pat him in the back
and give him an encouraging remark on a job well done, before rushing off to the
lockers. He takes advantage of the present emptiness of the room to discard his soiled
gear, then jumps into the farthest stall and turns on the shower. He can’t help the
content sigh that escapes his lips as the first few drops hit his sweat-slick, sticky face;
the heat uncoiling his taut muscles as the water streams in rivulets down his back and
arms. He steps out briefly to retrieve the bottle of shampoo from his duffel bag, which
he'd forgotten in his haste to take a bath. Once back in the shower, he massages a
generous amount into his hair and then soaps off all the accumulated grime from his
body.
It is then that he hears approaching chatter, drowning out the steady thrum of water and
the sound as it hits the tiled floor.
“There’s no better way to celebrate a win than hooking up with a cheerleader.” It’s
Seungcheol. Mingyu wonders which cheerleader it is this time that their captain
shamelessly made out with. At this point, he's pretty sure the older has gone through
the whole team and back.
“You said it. As much as I love playing, my hands would rather be up a girl’s skirt than
squeezing a ball.” He has to hand it to Hansol – that was pretty witty. And the rest of
their teammates seem to think so too, judging by the burst of raucous laughter and
giddy assent that follows.
The noise then is abruptly cut off, which Mingyu assumes to be when they realize that
someone, he, is already in the room. True enough, he soon feels his teammates’ stares
from behind him; the supposedly irrelevant lack of a shower curtain exposing his bare
body to their eyes.
And it happens every time; and he's seen the others’ naked bodies in turn, so why does
he still feel so suddenly timid about revealing to the other guys some skin?
“Oh. Hey, Gyu.” And there it is – the casual indifference, and Mingyu has to remind
himself that that is what he's supposed to feel as a guy seeing another boy’s body. He
turns his head around and nods a simple, silent acknowledgment to the others before
quickly whipping it back front and trying to calm down his racing pulse. Thankfully, the
other members leave him be after that, also taking off their clothes and slipping into the
adjacent stalls. The sound of multiple showers running however does not tune out the
jumpstarted rowdy conversations.
“Practically my entire body is sore right now but I still wouldn’t mind getting laid.”
“That’s because only practically your entire body is sore. It’s not like you used
your thing to play the game.”
“Those jockstraps hurt like a bitch, though. But junior is still good to go.”
“I don’t know about you horndogs, but I feel like I’d pass out while inside at how
exhausted I am right now.”
“Well, as long as you keep it hard, then your chick could just ride you anyway, heh?”
The rest of the room, save Mingyu of course, hollers in chorus at the jibe.
“Anyway,” one of the boys segues into a less racy topic, “did you see that Jeonghan
kid? What is up with that long hair? And purple too.”
“I know right? That is like the gayest hairdo I've ever seen. The guy could do a Pantene
commercial with that mane.”
“And he's pretty too. But a guy isn’t supposed to be pretty. It’s revolting.”
“I hear you, although I've seen a few girls giggling and taking glances at him in the
hallways. Maybe that’s his weird way of attracting chicks.”
“I don’t know, I still think it’s weird. I mean, what girl would want her boyfriend to be
prettier than she is, right?”
Mingyu has yet to take notice of this Jeonghan kid despite his obviously offbeat hair. He
wonders how long it will take his peers to figure out Jeonghan’s schedule so that they
could corner him in some less crowded hallway and torment him. He only hopes they
won’t give any more particular attention to Jeonghan after tonight and not go through all
that trouble to pick on him, but then again the rest of the football team have always
been easily bored, and if playing video games or harassing girls already proves
monotonous, they find bullying an unsuspecting, defenseless kid the next best thing.
And the worst part is…
Mingyu always tags along.
Because as long as they're busy picking on someone else, they won’t turn their heads
to him and find something unpleasant – especially something he still hasn’t admitted to
himself.
He turns off the faucet and dries himself off, changing into fresh clothes while everyone
else is still in the bathrooms because being under the showerhead always gets him
thinking.
And Mingyu just doesn’t trust his thoughts.

Mingyu is in the middle of putting on his socks for tonight’s game when a familiar hand,
Seungcheol’s, pats him on the shoulder. He jolts slightly at the contact, fully attributing it
to shock and nothing else. He turns around and tilts his head up to meet eyes with their
captain who, judging by the Cheshire grin on his face, did not miss Mingyu’s surprise.
“You left without even saying goodbye last week. Was something wrong?”
Mingyu thinks back to the previous game and the uncomfortable shower incident, but of
course he won’t disclose that. “No, nothing was wrong. I guess I just was too exhausted
after the game.”
“Well, it’s so you to push yourself to the point of overexertion. Really though, we’d rather
have a quarterback on the bench for half a game than to have no quarterback for a
series, because the guy is too damn stubborn to sit out even when he knows his body
can’t take any more strain.”
Mingyu opens his mouth to defend himself but Seungcheol beats him to it. “I won’t have
any of it, Gyu. I'm talking both as your captain and your friend – don’t be too hard on
yourself. I know you think you have to, but the rest of us are just as responsible for
whether we win or lose. Yes you're the quarterback and we’re counting on you as the
star player, but ultimately this is a team game so we’re all in this together. Got it?”
Mingyu racks his head for an argument but comes up short and simply relents to
Seungcheol. “Yeah, I got it.”
“Oh and by the way, don’t leave so soon, yeah? There’s a party at Hansol’s right after
the game.”
“Isn't it a tad cocky to be preempting a celebration?”
“I didn’t say it was a victory party. If we win, which I sure hope we do, then it is. If we
lose, then it’s a consolation party.”
“Well, either way you cap off a game with booze and boobs so I guess I shouldn’t be
surprised.”
“You make me sound like that isn't normal.”
Oh right, thinks Mingyu. He's the abnormal teenage boy for not wanting to get laid and
wasted at every opportunity. But again, he doesn’t say that.
“I’ll be there, then.”
“That’s my man. And you do know that when you finally feel like it, there are a ton of
girls who would gladly help you out, right? Basically every girl in school is at your beck
and call, mister hotshot quarterback.”
“I'll make sure to take note of that if I ever need a booty call.”
“Again, you're making the rest of us sound like such perverts for being hormonal. Are
you saving yourself up for marriage or something?” Seungcheol asks, voice brimming
with blatant distaste.
“Who’s the judgmental one now? But no, that’s not it.”
“Looking for the one?” A shake of the head.
“You know, if your parents are strict, they don’t really have to know.”
“That’s not it either.”
Seungcheol pauses, eyebrow arching in suspicion and Mingyu is suddenly
apprehensive that he's figured it out, but if the older does he doesn’t ask further and
leaves it at that.
“Well, whatever it is, you don’t have to get laid if you're not up for it. Just be there at
Hansol’s later, alright?”
“Definitely.”
Mingyu can only look on as Seungcheol leaves with a still skeptic look on his face. If he
isn't hiding anything, why does he feel like he'd just been interrogated like a crime
suspect and has only barely convinced the detective?
Mingyu suppresses the voice at the back of his head that says it’s because he is hiding
something.
---
Mingyu stretches out the kinks in his neck as he walks out to the field, already in full
gear, and is greeted by the familiar sensory cacophony of a Friday night football game.
He makes his way to the rest of the team who had already gathered close to their
starting positions, trying to zone out the lustful stares the cheerleaders are sending his
way, which still unfailingly make his skin crawl when he should have already gotten
used to them by now. He briefly locks gazes with Seungcheol, looking for something,
anything, in his eyes that betray some form of animosity or discomfort stemming from
their previous conversation in the locker room. But the older only smiles at him per
usual and he tries to physically shrug off the paranoia eating at his insides.
The boys are snapped out of their warm-ups by the shrill tune of a whistle blowing,
taking it as a signal to approach their coach who Mingyu notes to have an
uncharacteristic anxious look on his face.
“Listen up, team. I want you to be particularly serious about this game. I know you’ve
faced off against this school before and easily wiped them out, but before you roll your
eyes at me I need you to realize that they won’t be easy pickings this time ‘round.
They’ve found a new coach who you may not know of but who I have personally seen
work, and I'm telling you, if there’s anyone who could whip up a flailing football team to
shape, it’s him. I don’t mean to scare you boys but I just want you to get a good idea of
what to expect. Because of this, I need all of you to play at your absolute best…but
don’t be stupid and injure yourselves or collapse on the field.” He takes a quick glance
at Mingyu as he says this, who doesn’t fail to notice the action and realize the
underlying message that the coach is addressing him in particular. He then looks at
Seungcheol, opposite him, and wonders why the elder had to take up his concern with
the coach. He temporarily foregoes the thought in his head as the coach gives his final
words and they perform their cursory pre-game shout, before taking their decided
positions to the spectators’ cheers.
The game starts as per usual, but it isn't long before Mingyu and the rest of the team
realize the veracity in their coach’s earlier words. Their opponents are clearly not the
lousy pushovers they'd once bested, now skillfully intercepting the ball from Mingyu’s
teammates and tackling even their biggest guys with such ease. Mingyu could only
guess the degree of rigor that their opponents were put through in their months of
training leading up to this game. And when he locks eyes with one of the other school’s
players, he is met with a vindictive, unforgiving stare. These guys have gone through
hell, and they're ready for a bloodbath.
True enough, the opposing team guarantees that the game is far from easy for Mingyu
and the others, who find themselves having to push their bodies and test their wills to
painfully extreme limits. But even then, their efforts do not earn them their desired
fruition because by the end of the first half, their scores are only just even with their
competitors’. Their whole lineup groggily makes their way to the locker rooms as the
half-time show starts. Some of the more aggressive players throw their helmets to the
ground in a display of obvious frustration; while most others like Mingyu simply slump in
their seats, exhaustion deflating them of any fight. Their benched players hand them
water bottles to cool themselves with as their coach enters with the same tired look on
his face.
“Alright, I know you guys are disappointed with that result, but you’ve seen how driven
and how much more practiced those guys were so it could have actually gone worse.”
“Is that supposed to be a pep talk, because it doesn’t sound very optimistic to me,” one
of the players asks, still upset over the outcome so far.
“What I'm trying to say is you did pretty well considering. Those boys were beasts and
yet you still managed to score enough points to draw. So what I want you to do when
you get back out on that field is block them. Try to score one touchdown if you can, but
for the most part you play defense; stall. You already know there’s no chance of winning
by a sizable margin, like you’re used to – forget about that. Rest well these next few
minutes because when the second half starts, I need you to tire those boys out.
Obviously we’re going to have to swap out some of you,” the coach then proceeds to list
off the names of the current players and their substitutions before turning his head to
Mingyu.
“Gyu, if this were any other game I’d rather you sit out. But evidently we need you, so
you go push yourself just that extra more, alright son?”
Mingyu nods, actually relieved that the coach isn't sitting him out. Because no matter
how tough this particular game is shaping out to be, he'd always rather play than look
on. He only hopes that his body will still let him plow through this game despite all the
strain that Mingyu has already had it go through.
The coach eventually calls them out onto the field and they return to position, not
without noting how their opponents, who previously seemed invincible, now show a
conspicuous exhaustion in their shaky stance and a weary glint in their eyes. The
observation fuels Mingyu as he waits for the ball to meet his fingers, lips curling upward
underneath his helmet.
---
The house looks unremarkable from outside but the vibrations running through the front
stairs give away what is happening inside. He steps through the unlocked door and is
bombarded by the all-too familiar hallmarks of a classic high school party – head-
splitting bass ricocheting off the walls, the intermingling pungency of cigarette smoke
and alcohol, and bodies paired and grinding underneath the flashing lights. He stays by
the door as he scans for Seungcheol, being that the only reason he's here is that he
was coaxed by the elder and he should make it known at the earliest opportunity that he
didn’t bail out. The thing about Seungcheol is that you automatically know he's with a
girl, but you never know which girl, or girls, he's currently trying to hook up with. After a
futile, thorough scan of the living room, Mingyu decides to move to the farther parts of
the house. But he only makes it past a yard before he is obstructed by two girls whose
faces he doesn’t recognize but positively scream trouble.
“Hi, Gyu. Good game tonight,” the first girl says with less congratulations and more
seduction in her tone.
“Yeah, thanks” he replies weakly as he attempts to take a step forward, but the two
subtly block his way and continue to chat him up.
“Honestly though, the way you played that second half was…intense,” quips the other
girl while unabashedly bringing a manicured hand to his chest.
“Yeah, thanks” he answers again with unconcealed irritation as he gently pries off the
girl’s hand. In retrospect, it shouldn’t have taken him by shock when the girls respond by
clinging to him even further, giggling innocently as if they weren’t obviously trying to get
into his pants.
“You did the school a huge favor by winning the game, so on behalf of everyone, why
don’t you allow us to show you our thanks?”
It’s apparent to Mingyu that acting like a gentleman is not effective nor is it warranted
when dealing with girls such as these, so he tears himself away from them, forceful
enough to get his message across. “No thanks.”
“Geez, why are you being such a prude? It’s like you're not a guy.”
Those last three words stun Mingyu, who finds himself momentarily frozen mid-step, but
pretends to not have heard them as he finally escapes the promiscuous girls.
Fortunately, he does find Seungcheol in the kitchen and is able to make his way to him
without any more unwelcome interruption.
“Yo, Gyu, so glad you made it,” the older tipsily greets him, one hand on a solo cup and
the other on a girl’s hips.
“Yeah, I didn’t want you to think I broke my word.”
“So, is this supposed to be an attendance check?” asks Seungcheol, laughing feverishly
and waving his cup, sloshing its contents onto the kitchen floor.
“Well, sort of.”
“Okay then – Kim Mingyu, present. Now go have fun and please get laid.”
“Can’t promise that,” says Mingyu sheepishly as he bids his friend farewell, not
comprehending how the older can even get a girl to one of the upstairs bedrooms in his
intoxicated state.
Mingyu turns back around for the living room and the front door, because despite
Seungcheol’s pleas he actually has no plans of staying at the party any longer. He
registers how much more people have arrived, having to squeeze through a significant
number of bodies as he makes his exit.
He is almost at the door when he bumps into a guy, skinny, with black hair, and shorter
than him; apology cut off as the stranger shifts his body to look at him, and Mingyu finds
himself disarmed by the most intriguing pair of eyes he's ever seen. He continues on his
way…
Trying to ignore how his heartbeat suddenly picked up.

3
Mingyu wakes up to the persistent blaring of his alarm, annoyed that he forgot to set it
off, since it was after all a Saturday and it’s a good five hours earlier than his usual
waking time on the weekends. He rakes a hand through his hair, which is a mess; the
mind underneath no better. Though he only stayed at the party long enough to be
acknowledged, and had not consumed a single drop of liquor, he finds that he is still
devastatingly intoxicated – hung over a glorious pair of eyes that had been on loop in
his dreams and well into his now awakened state.
Was it intrigue, perhaps? Was there something so exotic about the boy’s gaze that has
him inconsolably piqued?
The boy.
A boy.
Warning bells ring off in his head as realization seeps in. No matter, he thinks – it was
just a random stranger he only once coincidentally came across; a random stranger he
won’t ever again come across.
He allows himself to take comfort in these odds as he goes back to sleep.
---

There’s practice the next week, although Mingyu’s body is still sore and recuperating
from last Friday’s harrowing match. Scanning the room, he figures that the same holds
for everyone else. Because despite having won, none of the members seem all too
pleased to be already back in the locker rooms, with looks ranging from sullen and tired
to clearly annoyed. Still, they all came, and the thought pleases Mingyu.
The coach saunters in just then with their captain close behind. “Alright, yes I know you
boys are pissed you have to resume training this quick. Really, you don’t even bother to
hide it. But I am glad that regardless, you're here. That level of dedication is why you
boys are the top football team in this district. But you want to be the best football team in
the state, and that means working your asses off constantly.” He then squeezes his
clipboard under one arm and dismisses the team with one final clap. “You know the drill,
now let’s hustle.”
Practice is predictably grueling, especially for Mingyu, as the quarterback. Although full
contact drills aren’t allowed this close to a previous game for safety reasons, the coach
still makes sure they don’t slack off and that their bodies are familiar with the burn
anticipated of an upcoming match. They practice passing, running, and contact drills
with props. And by the end of it, even the strongest men and with the most stamina are
reduced to panting, tired masses on the ground.
Mingyu is no exception, lying on his back with limbs raw and flaccid, the water in his
body all seemingly flooding out of his pores, spreading through the fabric of his jersey
and dripping down his face, matting, almost intertwining, the strands of his hair to the
crisp blades of grass on the field underneath him.
The massive exertion has him red in the face, chest frantically expanding and
depressing as he tries to stabilize his labored breathing. In his periphery, he catches
sight of another body slumping on the ground beside him with a strangled groan.
Turning his head just so, because even the slightest movement right now is intolerable,
he sees an equally red in the face Hansol running a hand through his messy, blond
curls.
“Sup, Gyu?” the younger jovially asks in between ragged breaths.
“Exhausted,” replies Mingyu as he turns his head back to the already setting sky.
“I feel you man. I wish we could ust skip the game and go straight to the victory party,
eh?”
The party. Flashbacks of that night and a particular set of eyes suddenly invade
Mingyu’s mind in rapid, cinematic succession. That boy, that stranger, needs to leave
his thoughts and stop causing such a confusing commotion in Mingyu’s head. Finding
now as good a time as any, he decides to ask Hansol about it to finally dispel the
nagging worry that’s been eating at him since that night.
“Hey Sol, about your party last Friday.”
“Yeah, what about it?”
“Did you have strangers at your house?”
“Well, I can’t be expected to know the entire student body, can I?”
“But all the guests are students? At our school?”
“I think so. I basically just asked my classmates that day to tell their friends so though I
can’t say for a fact, I'm pretty sure they only had time to invite students from our school.
Hold on, why are you asking by the way? Did you find a hot chick who you want to see
again but didn’t get her number? just describe her to me, man. I'm pretty sure we can
figure something out.”
Mingyu isn't looking in his direction, still fixated on the thinning clouds and bleeding
colors of the afternoon sky, but he can feel Hansol smirking at his profile.
“No, just a thought.”
“If you say so.” The tone in the younger’s voice suggests he doesn’t quite buy the alibi,
but Mingyu hopes he’ll put it to rest and not coerce him into telling.
“Like I said, I'm pretty sure every person at my party is a student in our school, so if
hypothetically, there was someone you caught your eye, you're bound to pass them in
the hallways one of these days. So don’t worry about it.”
There was someone, thinks Mingyu, who caught his eye. And Hansol had just assured
him that they're bound to cross paths eventually. He chuckles bitterly to himself,
because that’s exactly why he can’t not worry about it.
---
A timid cough catches Mingyu’s attention as he puts away books in his locker and takes
out that one textbook he needs to do homework. He shuts it gently and quirks an
eyebrow toward the source of the interruption, who he finds to be a blushing, unfamiliar
girl. Quite frankly, he already knows where this is heading, but unlike many of his
previous admirers who make shameless advances and suggestive gestures to express
their intentions, there's a daintiness to this girl that tells him she probably isn't going to
try to hit on him. And so Mingyu decides to be gentle in interacting with the girl.
“Is there anything I can help you with?”
The girl startles for a bit before she composes herself enough to speak. “Yes, you
probably don’t know me, so I’ll introduce myself first. My name is Nayeong; I'm a
sophomore. I just…I know this is stupid, and that I'm probably only one of so many
girls…but, uh I was wondering if you'd go out with me? It’s weird, I know, that I'm the
one asking you out, but I've had such a huge crush on you for so long. And since we’re
not really even remotely close, I wouldn’t risk anything by taking a chance, right?”
“Yeah, right.”
The girl, Nayeong, keeps stuttering out compliments, but Mingyu’s long past paid
attention. Because at the end of the hallway stands a boy – tall, skinny, familiar mop of
black hair – that boy, with those eyes. And in that brief instant when the stranger meets
his gaze before looking down, Mingyu’s mind goes haywire.
“Yes.” He doesn’t even register having said it, and from the girl’s questioning tone as
she says “Pardon,” she too is incredulous. The boy’s eyes are on him again, and
Mingyu can’t place what emotion exactly is swirling, lurking in those obsidian pools, but
there's something in that gaze that unsettles him now that he's witnessed it outside his
dreams – something that frazzles him, compels him, and he ends up saying “Yes I’ll go
out with you” to this girl in front of him, who is clutching a hand to her lips in disbelief,
even pinching herself in the arm. Because yes, Mingyu, the quarterback, the
unattainable boy, the guy who’d only previously been a fancy, a daydream – that boy,
had just agreed to go out with her.
“Meet me at the school gates tomorrow after school. I know you don’t have football
practice then. There's this shop downtown that has the best coffee; I don’t know if
you’ve been there before, but I just have a good feeling it'd be perfect for a first date.”
And the girl, this girl, the one he'd just said yes to a date with, continues to rant
excitedly. Mingyu thinks she asked for his number but he isn't really sure because he's
only half-tuned to what she’s saying. Because honestly he couldn’t care less about this
girl when he is so transfixed by the boy still standing solidly at the end of the hallway,
clutching the leather bag strap of his satchel and meeting his gaze. Mingyu still can’t tell
what the other is thinking, but it’s obvious from the way Nayeong is fidgeting giddily in
her place what had just transpired.
And Mingyu almost feels guilty, but why, that the boy had to witness his little moment of
erratic behavior. But he shouldn’t care what the stranger thinks of it; shouldn’t care
about a stranger, so he doesn’t take back his acceptance to Nayeong’s offer to go on a
date. Although he really wishes she would stop talking, because she’s smothering him
now. She’s pretty enough though, thinks Mingyu – a girl any boy would feel attracted to.
And he's a boy, so going by his logic; he's supposed to find her captivating. So maybe if
it’s logical, Mingyu can make himself believe it.
He takes one last look at Nayeong, whose excitement is still pretty evident on her face
and lighting up her features. She’s pretty enough, he thinks.
Hopefully pretty enough to save him.

4
In. Out.
Breathe.
Breathe, chants Mingyu in his mind as he steels himself for his date. His palms are
clammy inside his pockets, foot tapping jerkily on the pavement, and he briefly wonders
if this is all just first date jitters; tells himself that this is all just first date jitters. He
glances at his watch, finding it’s still fifteen minutes early for their set meeting time, so
he takes his phone out to distract himself from all the shaking and worrying that he's
doing. He backreads his conversation with Nayeong, taking in how the girl’s excitement
and natural bubbliness translates into her messages, which are always long and chock
full of emoticons – an obvious contrast to his own clipped and less than enthused
replies. His eyes fixate on the last text that she sent, informing him that she was on her
way, then fixates on the timestamp that says the message was from half an hour ago.
He worries.
Mingyu has never been so conflicted about the pace at which time moves; torn between
wanting it to move forward, because all this idle time gives way to negative thoughts
and anxiety, and wanting it to pause, to move in slow motion, because he doesn’t know
how he’ll actually react when his date is already right in front of him and tugging him on
to their destination.
He spends minutes just staring at his phone when he hears frantic footsteps in his
direction, looking up to see Nayeong sprinting toward him with a sense of urgency.
She’s wearing a soft-looking, pink sweater, pastel skirt billowing slightly from her
running, and patterned doll shoes making grazing sounds against the concrete. She
halts abruptly when she’s inches before Mingyu, who has an almost questioning look on
his face, with his eyebrows slanted and meeting in the middle. He wonders why she’d
had to strain herself by running to meet him, but Nayeong misinterprets the furrow in his
brow as asking why she’d only gotten here, to which she reasons that the bus she was
riding had broken down, amidst several apologies. Mingyu is taken aback by the state of
panic as she explains herself, and rests his hands on her shoulders, assuring her that
it’s alright and that he hadn’t been waiting long. She quiets then, Mingyu feeling the
tension ease off of her shoulders, and they lock gazes briefly before looking away.
Mingyu brings his hands back, almost in reflex, like the realization had caused an actual
physical burn, his eyes still flitting everywhere but at Nayeong.
After a few more awkward, silent seconds, Mingyu coughs deliberately to get the other’s
attention and signals with a turn of his head for them to start walking. They proceed,
side by side, a safe distance between them, and Mingyu thinks the separation is
comforting but he knows it looks ridiculous for them to be so far apart. They're on a
date, he tells himself, and it’s okay, expected even, for their skin to brush and make
contact. And then he remembers the scene from earlier – how he felt Nayeong visibly
relax beneath his hands, so he steps closer, ignores the inquiring look on Nayeong’s
face, and brings his hand to the small of her back as he leads her to the café she had
suggested they go. Her eyes widen at the unexpected touch, still looking forward, blush
irrepressible as it colors her cheeks a subtle rose, but she doesn’t show any signs of
discomfort or aversion besides the initial shock, even leaning back into Mingyu’s touch,
although they both still refuse to meet the other’s eyes.
The palm that Mingyu has on Nayeong’s back starts to grow damp from nervous sweat,
and so he pulls it back, wiping it on his pants as an explanation in response to the
unconcealed disappointment on Nayeong’s face. He’s surprised that Nayeong, despite
her long, excited texts, still hadn’t said a word from when she had arrived. Had Mingyu
made her conscious? Was she similarly nervous as him? But as he rests his hand again
on the dip of her spine, a faint smile blossoms on her face. And Mingyu relaxes,
knowing that she’s probably just enjoying the serene quiet enveloping them in their own
little bubble.
She makes Mingyu want to be more at ease; he tries to be more at ease, but knowing
he's on a date – his first date; knowing that every gesture, every act, is supposed to
mean something more than platonic – it persists to unsettle him. Because this is a date,
not two friends going out, and it’s supposed to be promising, supposed to evolve, and
the rapid beating of his heart should be due to a different reason than is actually the
case.
In. Out.
Breathe.
There's nothing to be worked up about, assures Mingyu to himself, especially when he
sees Nayeong looking worriedly up at him from the corner of his eye. There's no reason
to be nervous, he thinks one last time, as he looks at her and smiles to placate the
concern engraved on her face, hand on her back now making gentle undulations on the
soft fabric of her sweater.
They continue to walk in silence until they make it to the café, which is standing
modestly in between two apartment complexes. Mingyu takes in the sight, it being his
first time here, nodding in approval at the palette of both warm and cool colors and the
already noticeable cozy feeling of the place. They step in through the swinging door,
Mingyu guiding Nayeong in front of him, chimes tinkling in acknowledgement of their
entrance just as their senses are greeted by the fragrant smell of roasting coffee.
Mingyu finally relaxes under the scent and atmosphere of the café as they move toward
the counter to place their orders. But when they eventually make it there, the blanket of
ease slips away from where it just wrapped around Mingyu.
In. Out.
Breathe.
“What can I get you two?” he hears, but just barely, not loud enough against the
pounding of his heart. Nayeong gives out her order – some highly specific drink Mingyu
doesn’t catch, dreading when it becomes his turn to place an order. Because when the
guy, that guy, the guy whose eyes still burn into his mind at night when he is powerless
over his subconscious, turns to look at him, a flash of recognition and something else
passes across his face before he schools it into one of cheerful courtesy; Mingyu too
stunned to even close his stupidly gaping mouth. Both of them – the guy and Nayeong,
are now looking at him curiously, worriedly, before his date turns back around to the
counter and says she’ll have two of her previous order and a slice of chocolate cake to
share. The guy acknowledges her instructions before his gaze flickers to Mingyu, who is
still standing dumbly, paralyzed, with his feet glued like cement to the floor. Nayeong
taking his hand snaps him out of his daze, and then she leads him to a nook at a corner
of the café.
And he isn't sure if he only imagined it, but Mingyu thinks he catches the guy looking at
their entwined hands as they turn.
Quite unfortunately, Nayeong immediately takes the seat opposite the window, so
Mingyu has no choice but to take the chair facing the counter. The barista is presently
taking orders from a sharp-looking guy who looks to be a young businessman and who
is, in Mingyu’s opinion, smiling at him a little too enthusiastically for someone buying
coffee. He thinks it’s borderline indecent. Nothing more.
Now that he's not seized by petrification, he can take a look at the guy’s nameplate that
he has pinned to the breast of his meticulously straightened shirt, and at this distance
he is still, though only barely, able to read the letters there.
Wonwoo.
Nayeong asking him what he said makes him realize embarrassedly that he'd said the
name rather than just forming it in his mind. “Oh, it’s nothing.”
Their order is called out and Mingyu makes to stand up, but Nayeong, despite being the
girl, says that she’ll pick it up instead.
“It isn't proper to have you carry our order.”
“It’s just two cups of coffee and a slice of cake. I'm sure it’s nothing I can’t carry a few
yards.”
Mingyu insists but Nayeong is already turning around and walking to the front, so he
simply sits dejectedly back in his chair. She’s probably scared he'd make a scene again
if he went to the counter. He chuckles bitterly, thinking what a great first impression he'd
made, although it is not in any way amusing.
Nayeong returns and sets the tray down on their table, and Mingyu just sits there
stolidly, not knowing what to do after the awkward situation.
“I hope you like it and that you don’t mind sharing the cake.”
“Yeah, I don’t mind,” he assures, not wanting her to worry over him, as he carefully
takes his cup of coffee from the tray. Nayeong however is still looking at him warily, like
he were a bomb that could detonate at any moment or a man with random breakdowns
in public places. Wishing more than anything to relieve the concern plain on her face,
Mingyu takes a fork and uses it to slice a small bit of the cake, then brings it in front of
Nayeong, who just looks uncomprehending at the object. Mingyu pushes the fork
forward slightly, just enough to reiterate what he's trying to do, and Nayeong finally parts
her mouth and takes the cake in. She smiles, saying how rich the cake tastes, but he
knows that that smile is as much owing to the gesture as the cake. Nayeong takes the
other fork and does the same, and although he doesn’t really want to, the expectant
look on the girl’s face has Mingyu letting her feed him.
The cake does in fact taste exceptional, but it leaves a bitter aftertaste in his mouth
when Mingyu feels a pair of eyes settling on his face. And when he looks up and
confirms that Wonwoo is indeed staring at him with something akin to sadness in his
soulful eyes, he loses his appetite completely. He gives Nayeong bigger slices of the
cake so that there’s less for him, and the times that he eats a forkful out of obligation, it
refuses to go down, choosing to lodge in his throat instead and choke him. Nayeong
sees the grimace underneath the smile he has schooled on and asks him if he isn't
feeling well.
He wants to lie – to tell her that he's fine and to do something romantic to ease her
worries, because that’s what a proper date should do, but the ridiculousness of the
situation he's put himself in is finally catching up to his thoughts and mocking him,
making him dizzy and settling an unpleasant sensation in his gut. So he says the truth,
for the first time, shakes his head, answers that he's suddenly queasy, and apologizes
profusely. After reassurances from Nayeong that it’s alright and that she wishes he get
well, he stands up, gives one last apologetic look at her face for a failed date, and walks
off.
Mingyu pretends he doesn’t see another person looking at him worriedly as he leaves.

5
Mingyu goes to school with his head bowed down, not so as to go unnoticed, because
with his height he’ll always stand out anyway, but because if he keeps his eyes trained
on the floor, he won’t have to acknowledge anyone when they meet gazes in the
hallway.
He thinks it’s irrational for him to act so worked up about the date and how it ended,
because before Nayeong had asked him out, he doesn’t remember ever bumping into
her in the hallways – they probably don’t share schedules due to being in different
years. But he just can’t shrug off the paranoia that they’ll cross paths in their thousand-
student high school, and he really can’t imagine him talking about the ordeal, or even
seeing the inevitable worry and inquiry in her eyes. He knows he's going to have to do it
– talk to her, apologize; explaining seems out of the question, but just not now, not yet.
And then of course he also can’t help thinking about the boy, Wonwoo, and
how he seems to always be crossing paths with Mingyu, and how with every time, he
comes out knowing something small but something new about the mysterious boy – his
name being the most recent; that they go to the same school, before that one; and that
he has the most mesmerizing eyes, when they first met that time at the party. He
wonders when he’ll see him again and what he’ll learn next, not knowing whether the
possibility is something he anticipates or fears.
For a boy who’s supposed to be all brawn, and who has had his head hit and shaken far
too many times for any one person, Mingyu sure thinks a lot.
Too much.

---

Mingyu makes it through all his classes and free periods without any unwanted
encounters, realizing that if she wanted to, because she’d already done it before,
Nayeong could have actively gone up to him at his locker and talk. He's beyond thankful
that she didn’t.
He enters the locker room and starts changing, for once craving the all-consuming burn
of practice, because in between all the running and the heat of the game, there's no
time to think about failed dates and enigmatic boys. He's in the middle of placing his
shoulder pads on when Seungcheol casually walks up beside him, tying his shoes.
“So, I heard you went out on a date.”
Mingyu is taken aback, and expectedly so, feeling strangely betrayed – not by Nayeong
since he thinks it quite improbable that she knows, much less told, Seungcheol – nor by
anyone. But there's just a general, unattributable sense of betrayal and discomfort at
someone knowing what was meant to be private. Mingyu is just about to ask the
fundamental question of how he found out, but the older sees the gears turning in his
head and beats him to it with his explanation.
“You know, you didn’t really choose a place far from the school. So it isn't really
surprising that someone who knew you was there the same day and saw you.”
“How much do you know? How much does the school know?”
“I know you ended up bolting. I can’t say; I just overheard a group of girls talking about it
in the hallway. I told them off though, so I don’t think there's much…damage there.
Who’s the girl?”
“Just some junior who asked me out.”
“She isn't the first, so what about her made you say yes?”
“I don’t feel like talking about it: not with anyone, not ever, so let’s just drop it, can we,
Cheol?”
“Okay.”
Although the older had relented, his tone and disapproving gaze tell Mingyu a clear
message that he isn't satisfied with his attitude and secrecy. He's not the type to push it,
but he's also not the type to let anything get away from him. And normally, Mingyu
would be psyching himself and being paranoid, but right now he's just frustrated at
being caught off guard and trapped, so he lets it go and walks out onto the field not a
second longer.
He wants to punch something, is his one thought, as he walks home that afternoon. His
mind and life are a mess and he really just wants everything to uncomplicate itself. It’s
one of those days when he can’t keep but blame it all on his circumstances. He got into
football because he enjoyed it, or maybe his father had brainwashed him into liking the
sport, what with all those afternoons as a child spent learning to pass and nights spent
watching the game in the living room, as his dad prattles on about how the other team
sucks, passion misplaced and beer can constant in his hand.
Because he definitely didn’t do it for the esteem, for the privilege to act like gods and
live the dream high school experience. And he thinks that if it had been otherwise, if he
weren’t unceremoniously and without his consent placed at the center of the student
eye, he wouldn’t have a reputation to maintain and an image to keep to. He only barely
makes out the junction at which to turn, but then he stops and thinks he really doesn’t
want to be home just now, so he takes the other way before he changes his mind.
The more unfamiliar route is a pleasant break. He finds himself trying to take in all the
sights he doesn’t usually come across and committing them to memory; each new
image absorbed drowning out every previous negative thought and worry that’s been
plaguing his mind as of late. He doesn’t think about school or the people there, for once
doesn’t mind his phone vibrating in his pocket; he’ll just explain it later to his parents
when he gets home. Because right now is about easing off the burden of responsibility
and giving in to the thrill of spontaneity; breaking loose of the shackles of worry and
embracing a carefree tranquility.
And then the houses and storefronts start becoming increasingly familiar, like some
misplaced memory in the back of his mind, and it all suddenly makes sense when he
catches sight of glass doors and coffee tables – a café, the café. He finds himself taking
a step back; it’s probably time to go home now, but not for the first time in his life, his
feet betray him and lead him forward – forward until he's pushing the door, forward to
the counter, forward until he's face to face with the one person he really doesn’t want to
think about right now.
“Hi, how may I help you?”
The tone is nonchalant, dripping in generic cheer, but the boy’s eyes give the
recognition away.
“Americano, hot” he replies in a voice that feigns casualness despite the obvious
moment of hesitation before he'd managed to say it out.
“Anything else?”
“That would be all.”
“Your name, sir?”
Of course. That. “Mingyu.”
“We’ll call your name in five to ten minutes,” the barista, Wonwoo, replies.
But his eyes mean to say,
Finally…it’s nice to meet you.

6
He stands there, just stands there, for an indeterminable span of time. He sees in his
periphery the sky slowly bleeding and the pedestrians walking frenetically behind him,
as his eyes are set on the sign in front; feet rooted on the asphalt; lingering, hesitating
between walking forward and turning back. He's laughing – soundless, bitter, wondering
why he's even debating when he knows he's too much of a coward to do anything but
retreat, only to come back again the next day and hope that then he’ll have the guts.
Mingyu is at the café again.

---

The first time was curiosity. He says he was just bored, that he didn’t want to go home
yet, but Mingyu knew deep down in that subconscious part of him he so stubbornly
refuses – that he came for Wonwoo. He came to see the boy who’s enchanted,
intrigued him from the very start; from that moment when they locked gazes – them, two
strangers, two people who before that point in time were parallel lines progressing
through their lives without their points ever meeting; that moment in the cramped living
room of a privileged teenage boy’s house, amidst the smell of alcohol and strobe lights;
that moment, that gaze, that frame in the rough cut of a movie whose ending hasn’t
been written yet.
Of course he didn’t come for the coffee; he came for the boy.
But he won’t let himself think that.
It’s harder to deny though, the second, the third, the next time he comes back.
Sometimes he wonders if Wonwoo ever saw him; wonders what if Wonwoo saw him,
and what he'd do if he did. Sometimes, on droning afternoons spent in class trying to
keep his eyes open, he imagines them catching the other’s gazes, like that first time,
like a flashback. He imagines him finally walking forward and not back, imagines
pushing out the door like a convict out of prison – a convict who’s finally free from the
shackles of cowardice. And then he imagines him going up to the counter and saying hi
and placing his order, as Wonwoo smiles just a little more brightly, just a little more than
polite. Then Wonwoo calls him when his drink is ready, and he replays the sound of his
name in that baritone voice, pretends he didn’t hear it the first time so he can hear it
again. And he’ll stride up to Wonwoo with a sly smile on his face, and Wonwoo will
know what he's thinking – that he heard him the first time, as the iced Americano
switches from one to the other’s hands. I don’t mind, Wonwoo will say in the brush of
their fingers. I’ll wait is Mingyu’s reply, said in his lingering stare.
That’s usually when he snaps out of it, not knowing the boy nearly enough to imagine
what he'd say in conversation. And Mingyu thinks it ironic how he plays it out such that
he's the one waiting. Because maybe all this time Wonwoo had seen him, and he's the
one waiting for him to make a move.
It’s as simple as opening a door, really. But if only it didn’t feel like he were opening a
part of his soul.

---

He's taken aback when it happens, though it isn't really shocking that he finds himself
on the other end of the same hallway as Wonwoo. And he freezes, though it isn't really
shocking that their eyes meet. He wonders what Wonwoo sees in his eyes – trepidation,
surprise, an emotion or idea that he's unearthed from the trenches of Mingyu’s
subconscious? Because when he looks into the other’s pitch black irises, he deciphers
nothing. Like a pair of black holes that suck in all matter from those who dare to come
close, Mingyu’s mind is enraptured, wholly and inconsolably; consumed; the force only
broken by a blink of their eyes. But even then, he is left reeling, the power still felt; as if
he's adjusting to gravity, and earth is just a little less breathtaking than space.
He smiles though, Wonwoo, as he turns the other way. Although they're barely more
than strangers; names known of from coffee cups and work tags. He smiles, still,
despite that, and Mingyu thinks it’s beautiful.
And Mingyu knows – this afternoon, he’ll finally take that step forward.

---

He was so sure this morning, and yet he finds he's still hesitating as he looks up at the
sign flashing overhead. It’s ironic, he thinks, that this marquee is supposed to draw
customers in, when he's always been one step away from running every time.
What does he need – Wonwoo to glance his way? A sign? What sign? Maybe he needs
to snap out of it and just walk through the damn door.
Or maybe he needs to snap out of this whole fixation and stop lurking from between the
café and the store next door every day, convincing himself that he can do it, and having
to convince himself every day because it’s never worked before. He's never even asked
himself or really thought about, why he is so piqued by this boy, a boy, in the first place.
Because he's scared to know; because it’s irrelevant – the question itself is irrelevant,
he concludes. Screw subconscious reasons. Because the thing about Mingyu is –
His mind is the basement he dare not explore.
And for the first time in what feels like an eternity in limbo, he opens the door. And when
he hears the chimes chanting and the boy at the counter saying hi in cheerful greeting,
he doesn’t berate himself for not pushing forward before.
He's just glad.

---

He orders black coffee just like his first time here, and Wonwoo delivers it to him instead
of calling him to the counter – an effort he can afford with how there isn't much of a
crowd at the café right now. Mingyu says thanks, politely, with a small smile that’s
itching to widen playing on his lips. He almost tells Wonwoo to stay, his hand almost
brushing the other’s thin wrist. Almost said; almost held. But in the end he settles for
observing the boy as he works – expertly preparing drinks to a customer’s preference,
recommending items from the menu in a way that speaks both of marketing and
authenticity, to wiping at the granite counters out of boredom when no new customers
arrive.
And it is also during these moments that Wonwoo will sometimes glance in Mingyu’s
direction, and he will always be looking back, and they’ll smile and hold each other’s
gazes until one or the other becomes too shy. Yes, he thinks, he most definitely wants
to know this boy.
He sees Wonwoo start to look at the clock more frequently, and he knows his shift is
about to end then. It briefly passes his mind that it’s late, the sun having long retired and
the moon shining bright in its nocturnal glory. He’ll just tell his parents they had practice
– his mom would believe it and his father would be proud that he's slaving himself in the
name of the sport. Wonwoo passes the keys to the next guy, and changes briefly before
he leaves.
They fall in step on the sidewalk naturally, almost expectedly. Wonwoo doesn’t even
blink when Mingyu decides to walk beside him; doesn’t bat an eyelash when they're
only an inch’s breadth apart. And he doesn’t force conversation, doesn’t ask what he's
doing. They just walk.
And that’s good enough for now.

7
“Hi,” a casual greeting, voice nonchalant but smile familiar.
“The usual?” question courteous but unnecessary. It’s always Americano anyway.
A tip of the head – a yes unsaid, before he walks to his usual table. It’s empty, which
he's thankful for; it'd be such a shame to have to move. His seat is familiar, a habit; his
seat is a vantage point.
He waits for his coffee, waits for that smile, and then waits for their silent walk home.
Mingyu is at the café again.

---

“It’s been what – two weeks now since you’ve started stalking me?”
“I do not stalk you.”
“Then what would you call it?” asks Wonwoo, bemused, head turned towards this
strange boy with a pout on his face, features drawn together as he tries to come up with
a rebuttal, vehemently refusing to accept the barista’s accusation. And Wonwoo thinks
that with that expression he looks more like a child than a man a head taller than him.
And Wonwoo also thinks that from this angle, under the glow of the waning streetlight,
exhaling mists of air into the frigid night – he looks divine.
“My stop is just two blocks away right now and you still haven’t answered my question,”
he says after what feels like ages of quiet between them.
“Because I have no answer for that other than what I do is not stalking.”
And the tone of his voice, to Wonwoo, is stern, not wrought of conviction but a stubborn
naiveté – that he legitimately does not know what he's doing but has stopped figuring it
out. The tone of his voice, to Wonwoo, is a reminder to leave it at that.
They're rounding his street now, the roof of his house visible from the distance, and his
mind races from all the ways to say goodbye to the other. Will I see you tomorrow feels
like a request implied between the lines of a question, expectant; like he could have
said he wanted to see him again and it'd mean the same thing. See you at school feels
like a reality check, would be a jolt to Mingyu, reminding him that he is not in fact a
stranger he'd first laid eyes on in the coffee shop but someone he goes with to school –
a football star, a reputation, and someone with whom he is not supposed to have ties
with. Because they don’t walk the same circle, have not been in class together, and
them saying hi in the hallways would raise question over the circumstance of their
acquaintance.
“Bye,” a syllable, that’s all, is what he ends up settling for as his feet automatically bring
him toward his destination and his hands unlatch the gates.
Mingyu smiles then, a small one, almost imperceptible in the dark of the night but he
sees it through the glow of the moonlight. He walks away silently, and Wonwoo stays
just a bit more outside, wondering if he'd hesitate, if he’ll turn his head back. And he
does, just as he's almost out of view, and Wonwoo stops berating himself for failing to
say what he'd wanted to before there was no more time. Because that moment when
their eyes meet, for the final time that evening, feels like Mingyu’s way of saying that
yes –
I’ll see you tomorrow.

---

He's staring dazedly at his locker, simple deliberation over which book he was
supposed to take turned into reminiscence of last night’s events – the tinkling of the
chimes as he walks through the door, head bowed as if he were a spy incognito,
avoiding prying eyes; the slight quirk of Wonwoo’s lips as he sees who’d just entered;
the concealed lilt in both their voices as Mingyu places his order and they pretend that
they don’t know each other – which they don’t, not really then, but there's still some sort
of familiarity that they try to deny; his glances in the barista’s direction in between sips
of coffee, when he's grown bored of watching other people or the cars outside the glass
– timed glances, minutes apart, comforted in the illusion that no he isn't staring, his eyes
just happen to skirt past; Wonwoo’s glances in his direction when he's not taking orders,
or making them, pretending that he's looking out beyond the windows into the street
when really his gaze is resting on Mingyu, and that’s what it is – resting, his rest,
allowing himself two seconds of relaxation in the planes of Mingyu’s face.
And then there's the walk, the now daily routine, a silent agreement to fall into step with
the other because they take the same path anyway. But then he talks, Wonwoo, he
asks Mingyu a question, and that isn't routine. It startles him, the voice, even before he
can process the question, which startles him too. It’s teasing, the way it’s asked, but
Mingyu finds he doesn’t know how to respond except with a denial that sounds weak
even to his ears.
He spends the rest of the walk contemplating what to say but not wanting to think about
it, not wanting to acknowledge the idea that he is in fact stalking this boy, and he is
letting him, and he doesn’t know what one or the other implies. Soon he hears Wonwoo
pad farther away from their joint footsteps and bid him goodbye. What does he say?
Nothing, his mind is still racing, chaotic, but he manages a nod if he remembers. He
walks away as the sound of metal bars unlatching breaks the stillness of the night,
pacing one torpid step in front of another, and then he is still conflicted – will he turn or
keep moving; will he chance one final glance in Wonwoo’s direction even when he
knows he'd probably have entered the house, hoping he's yet to have entered the
house. He stops, heart racing, because the only way to still it is if he turns around. And
he turns around, and he's there, just the outline of a boy against the backdrop of the
sky. And he smiles, although the other won’t see it; he smiles and likes to think Wonwoo
is smiling back – understanding, a silent agreement, because that’s what their
relationship is – a silent agreement of company.
He turns, continues walking, emotions now less of a turmoil. Maybe next time he’ll break
the silence.

8
“Do your parents never wonder where you go after school?”
He startles, but not at the question - it seemed innocuous enough. But even after all this
time, Wonwoo’s voice still feels like a gentle peal of thunder, a baritone rumble piercing
through the silence of the stolid night. It captures him.
“They assume I'm at football practice or somewhere with my teammates. They don't
really bother as long as they see me on the team and playing.”
“I'm sure they care for you.”
“Would you like to meet them then and see for yourself?” He snaps.
Because his tenacious truth is that what he is to his father was never a son but the
messiah of his unsought dreams, a second chance he's fortunate enough to be given in
this same lifetime. It's sick but Mingyu knows it for a fact. And it had made him sick
when it hit him as a twelve-year old boy, dry heaving, mind a fog. It was so clear then,
suddenly so clear - why he spent all those weekend afternoons in the yard despite the
sweltering heat; the deranged, almost feral, glint in his father's eyes when he placed the
ball back in Mingyu’s small, calloused hands, like it were something so precious that he
dropped, when all he saw was a ball of air and leather slipping through his fingers; how
his father had only smiled at him when he caught the ball from across their lawn as he
hurled it at such an ungodly force and angle for a twelve-year old boy to reach.
And then there were the nights when his father watched, practically devoured, matches
on TV, like there were nothing or no one else in the room - not his mother washing the
dishes and silently climbing upstairs because she knew not to disturb him; not Mingyu,
certainly not him. He knew after being slapped away from in front of the screen that his
father didn't care for his grades, or his artwork, or his homeroom teacher’s comment
about how he never talked in class and didn't have any friends. He didn't exist in the
night - only with a football in his hands, like he was invisible and the ball was some
spotlight only with which his father could see him.
“I'm not their son without a football in my hands.”
He doesn't realize he's stopped walking and Wonwoo came to a halt beside him,
doesn't realize a tear is falling and Wonwoo has his hand on the small of his back,
doesn't realize how warm it makes him feel because goddamn he's thinking about his
father again and he wants to both beat him until he asks for forgiveness and beg him to
love his son.
“We're almost there,” whispers Wonwoo, as if scared he'll trigger another nerve. “I'm
sorry for anything I said.”
Don't apologize is what he wants to - what he should say; he should tell him that, assure
him that it's not his fault and Mingyu is just all kinds of messed up. But he doesn't. He
continues walking in the silence. No one ever did teach him what to say.
The rest of the walk home is quiet and without farewell.

---

He sees him the morning after on his way to first period. Wonwoo is standing at the end
of the hallway, quietly retrieving textbooks from his locker. He hates that he looks
around, confirms that the corridors are devoid of warm bodies save the two of them,
before walking up to the older and tapping him, one, two, on the shoulder. There's an
instant of shock manifested in the retraction of his body away from the foreign touch, but
Wonwoo is quick to recover and knows to look up. Mingyu wonders why that is. Is the
action so predictably him or does Wonwoo not have anyone else to coyly sneak up on
him at seven in the morning as he's preparing to go to class? There's a lingering
thought in the back of his mind, in between reason and hope, that maybe he'd expected
him...or maybe Wonwoo was just hoping it'd be him.
He looks around too, Wonwoo, and Mingyu hates himself for that. Because people here
know him, because he's popular, and one fleeting glance from a pair of eyes cast on the
silhouette of their two figures hunched together is really no different than being spotlit on
the football field with an arena full of spectators. A single pair of eyes and a few hours
before people start asking questions, pursuing the identity of that anonymous boy and
the matter of their acquaintance, like there's nothing more unnatural than two boys
sharing a private conversation in an otherwise public hallway before the school bell
rings and their peers walk through. Because, Mingyu guesses, it is - it is here. Because
no, they're not just two boys in the sick, judging eyes of teenagers who know nothing
outside the conformist setup that high school has erected around them (the image of lab
rats born and bred and brainless inside a cage briefly flickers in the forefront of his
mind). No, here they are a quarterback and a no-name, and by virtue of a stylized caste
that is the status quo, their proximity is news.
“I'm sorry for last night. It was...a sensitive topic.”
“I figured as much.”
It'd be easier if you talked, sentimentality supplies, but Wonwoo knows he's an enigma,
and learning about him is nothing but a game of chess - his feelings are collateral
damage as he tries to break the other's fortress. Maybe someday I'll tell you that my
father is no better, or maybe you'll beat me to it. Maybe he'll beat me and that will tell
you all you need to know.
And “I'll see you later?” is at the tip of both their tongues but it remains there, and not for
once, not anymore, because they're too conscious of revealing any hint of expectation.
Because the answer to their mutual question is unsaid in the tug of their lips and wave
of their hands as they go their separate ways from Wonwoo’s locker. And taking one
last look from behind their shoulder as they're yards across each other is really just a
way of saying yes.

A SKY FULL OF STARS

1
Jeonghan is ten the first time he gets the dream. He's in a forest, and he can hear the birds chirping.
Something rustles behind him, and he whirls around, trying to see what created the noise. He sees
nothing but bushes, and shrugs and continues forward.

He's wearing a pair of boots, a comfortable sweater hoodie and a pair of jeans, and he is carrying a
backpack. He comes across a small stream, and stops to refill his water bottle and splash water on his
face.

After resting for a while, he continues on his trek. To where, he knows not. All he is following is the
compass on his right wrist, pointing him towards the direction that he is walking in.

He is older in his dream, and a lot taller, and he has long hair. He has no idea what would prompt him
to leave his hair long, but shrugs the thought away and continues trekking.

The forest slowly clears, revealing a small rock cave. It is small enough that he cannot even crawl in,
but he reaches a hand in, only to be woken up by his alarm clock.

He grumbles, having wanted to know what was inside the rock cave, but gets out of bed before his
mother has to climb up the stairs to wake him up.

He scampers down the stairs, and seats himself at the table, greeting his parents a good morning
while yawning. They smile at his apparent grumpiness, and his mother kisses him on the crown of his
head as she places a plate of pancakes on the table.

Jeonghan cheers, and is soon scarfing down the pancakes. His father laughs at him to slow down, and
Jeonghan beams at him with his mouth full.

After breakfast sees Jeonghan grabbing his backpack from his room and his lunch from his mother,
and leaves the house with his father, shouting goodbye to his mother. He has to quickly run back in
to grab his wristbands though, to the amusement of his parents.
Jeonghan doesn't remember a time where he did not wear his wristbands when they were in the
company of anyone else but their family of three. All he knows that the marks on his wrists are
unusual, and should only be shown to people that he trusts absolutely.

When he asks his parents how the marks came to be, they said that when he was born, the marks
were already there.

Circling his left wrist are twelve symbols that he knows are the symbols of the zodiac, having
researched them as soon as he was old enough to be curious about them.

Jeonghan had wanted to try and see if he could make the constellations out at night, but to his horror,
his parents had told him that the zodiac constellations had disappeared from the night sky.

The zodiac constellations had started disappearing around forty-two years ago, with the last
disappearing thirty years ago. It had, and still has been, baffling to astronomers around the world as
they tried to figure out what happened, but no one knew why. If the zodiac still existed, his parents
tell him, he would be a Libra.

Jeonghan doesn't know why, but that makes him proud.

A small, black triangle rests on the inside of his wrist, and it lies below the circle of symbols,
pointing upwards.

The symbol that it is pointing at has not changed in the twelve years he has been on this Earth, and
Jeonghan wonders why the triangle constantly points at the symbol of Libra.
On the inside of his right wrist is a compass that never ceases to fascinate him. Unlike normal tattoos,
the compass needle shifts. If he turns to the right slightly, the needle shifts to accommodate his
movement, but is always pointing in one direction.

Jeonghan often wonders where the needle would lead him to if he were to follow it, but knows that
following the needle now would cause his parents unnecessary grief.

Besides, from his dream that he was so rudely awakened from, he has some time to go before he will
be able to follow the needle.

After the first dream, they don't stop coming. It's always the same forest, and he always ends up at
the same place, and is always reaching into the rock cave when he is woken up.

He occasionally gets another dream, though. For some reason, in the dream, he is looking down at
the Earth, as if in space. He is next to someone whose face he cannot make out, and is having a
conversation that he cannot hear.

The only thing he ever hears in that dream is always just before he wakes up and it always rings in
his mind. It's a sentence that he says in reply to the other, and always brings him immeasurable
sadness for some reason when he wakes up.

It's always, always, "I have to do it, as I'm the only one left that is able to do so."

♒ ♓ ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ - ♎ - ♏ ♐ ♑
Jeonghan is twenty when he gets an opportunity to travel to Jeju for one of his modules that he is
taking. He is in university now, having moved into an apartment of his own. He packs light, as they
are only staying there for five days, and within a month is on a plane to Jeju-do.

His parents have allowed him to study anything he wants, which resulted in him experimenting in
various modules, before deciding on Art as his major, with a specialty in graphite drawing. He is
currently taking a module that is focused on still life, hence the trip to Jeju-do.

They are going to be brought to a hotel near Halla Mountain, and will be given three of the five days
to draw three pieces of various still life. He has brought trekking boots, and his most comfortable
sweater hoodies and jeans - he's heard that it might be cold at Jeju-do.

The deja-vu doesn't strike him until the next day, when he's settled into his hotel room and is
beginning his first day of trekking through Halla Mountain. He has his phone, his camera, and a
walkie-talkie given to them by their teacher, in case they are lost in a location without cellular signal.

He treks until he reaches a sign that tells him that he has reached the periphery of Gotjawal Forest,
taking photos along the way, and on impulse, removes the wristbands on his wrists. He checks his
watch to see that he still has a few more hours before the sun sets.

He glances at his wrist and slings his camera around his neck, and sets off into Gotjawal Forest in the
direction that his compass is pointing in.

About an hour in, Jeonghan is thinking about what he had read up about Gotjawal Forest. It is a
naturally formed forest located on the middle slopes of Halla Mountain, and is an enclave of the
Southern Korea evergreen forests eco-region that is formed on rocky areas.

He pauses when he comes across a familiar stream - the very stream that he has dreamed about for
the past ten years.
He has wondered before if the dream was showing him some place in the world, but to have his
questions confirmed like this gives him a weird sense of achievement, for some reason. It feels as if
like he has accomplished something by coming here.

There are some differences from his dream and the present, though. His hair isn't long, for one, and
he has his camera with him. He stands up from where he had been taking a break, continuing on in
the direction that his compass is pointing in.

Sure enough, the forest slowly thins out to reveal a large clearing with various rock formations, one
of which is the small rock cave he had seen in his dream. He walks towards the small rock cave,
placing his bag and camera by the side of the rock formations.

Taking a deep breath, he reaches his hand in, only to touch cloth. Frowning, he grabs the object from
the rock cave, settling on the ground to see what he has found.

He inspects the clothed bundle, and unties the knot holding the bundle together at the top. The cloth
falls apart to reveal a long, thin wooden box, which he opens, only to find thirteen rings.

The rings are silver in colour, and is inscribed with a symbol each, that he recognises as the symbols
of the zodiac. He notices that even though all the other rings are inscribed with the full symbols, only
the Gemini symbol is split into 'ㅠ' and 'ㅛ' respectively.

He wonders why briefly, but is soon drawn towards the ring with the Libra symbol on it, and glances
at his left wrist, only to freeze as he watches the Libra symbol of his wrist start glowing a pale blue.

When nothing happens after a while of the symbol on his wrist glowing, he slowly picks up the ring
with the Libra symbol on it and slips it onto the last finger of his right hand. It fits perfectly, but
before Jeonghan can inspect the rings any more, he blacks out.
After a while, he comes back to life with a gasp, having slumped over the box of rings once he'd put
his own ring on, and when he checks the time, he realises that he has been unconscious for close to
an hour.

Shaking his head slightly, Jeonghan feels a headache start as his brain struggles to accommodate all
the memories the ring has returned to him. Rewrapping the cloth around the box, he packs up his
things, slipping his wristbands back on and setting off for the hotel, thoughts whirling in his head.

Later that night, when he is about to get into the shower, he realises that he has a new mark. On his
chest, placed above his heart, is a balance scale, the representation of the Libra. Running a hand over
the mark, he finishes showering.

When getting ready for bed after sketching for a while, he glances at his left wrist, only to find that
the symbol on the inside of his wrist has changed. The circle of symbols has shifted to the left, and
the triangle is now pointing at the symbol of Capricorn.

♒ ♓ ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ - ♑ -

The next day, he treks back into Halla Mountain with the full intention of completing his assignment
by the end of the day. After snapping photos that he feels are suitable enough to sketch, he returns to
the hotel before noon and starts drawing with a vengeance.

He had gotten another dream when he'd fallen asleep the previous night, and in the dream he could
see a signboard that indicated that he was somewhere in Jeju-do. Taking it as a sign that Capricorn is
somewhere in the area, Jeonghan is determined to finish his assignment by today so that he can spend
the last day of freedom searching for him.
He gets into the zone, mind entirely focused on his work, and begins sketching. By nightfall, he is
adding the finishing touches on all three of his sketches, making sure that they are good enough to be
handed in to his teacher.

Once he does, he packs a backpack, ensuring that his phone is fully charged, and leaves the hotel the
next day with a new purpose. He follows the compass on his wrist carefully, taking breaks when
needed and stopping at a small restaurant for lunch.

Somehow, as he travels through Jeju-do, the island has never seemed bigger. He had wanted to
explore the island, take photos for his parents, but at that moment the only thing that he can think
about is finding Capricorn before he has to go back to Seoul.

It's around three in the afternoon when he meets him. Jeonghan approaches a guy that looks to be
around his age to ask where he is, and the local gladly gives him the name of the town he is currently
in.

Thanking him, Jeonghan turns to continue walking, peering down at the compass half covered by his
wristbands. He frowns when he realises that the compass has turned 180 degrees in the opposite
direction and that the Capricorn symbol on his other wrist has started glowing pale blue once more,
and turns to follow it again before he realises what just happened.

Cursing under his breath, he quickly u-turns and runs back to the young local. "Excuse me, what's
your name? I forgot to ask," Jeonghan catches up to the guy and asks. "Me? I'm Boo Seungkwan!
Are you new to the area?" Seungkwan introduces himself.

"I'm Yoon Jeonghan. Look, this is going to sound very weird, but I need you to do me a favour,"
Jeonghan says, slipping the backpack off his back and taking the box of rings out of it.

"Sure," Seungkwan nods, always happy to help. He's staring quizzically at the box, wondering what's
in it.
Jeonghan unwraps the cloth from the box, folding it neatly, and opens the box, showing the younger
the rows of rings. "What do these symbols mean?" Seungkwan asks, hand lifted as if about to touch
them.

Jeonghan doesn't know what he's doing, but just follows his gut feeling. "I need you to tell me which
ring you would pick if you were given a choice. Don't touch them yet, please," he requests haltingly,
knowing how weird his question sounds.

Seungkwan's hand halts in mid-air, and he frowns as he stares at the rows of rings. Jeonghan stares at
him in trepidation, wondering which ring he'll choose.

"This one," Seungkwan points the ring he has chosen out, and Jeonghan looks at the ring he has
chosen and starts laughing. "It's you, it's really you," he's murmuring, over and over again.

"Hey, are you okay?" Seungkwan asks hesitantly, wondering why this stranger is so worked up over
his choice. "Nothing, it's nothing," Jeonghan says hurriedly, swiping at his eyes. When did he start
crying?

It had been too long since he'd been in the company of one of the others. Far too long.

Jeonghan tries to calm down, taking the ring Seungkwan has chosen out of the box. The Capricorn
symbol gleams in the sunlight, and Jeonghan offers the ring to Seungkwan.

"You should have it. You chose it, after all," Jeonghan says. Seungkwan hurriedly tries to reject the
ring, but Jeonghan insists, pushing it into Seungkwan's palm.

Seungkwan stares at Jeonghan, shocked that he is so willing to part with something that he was
crying over, and turns the ring over in his hand. At Jeonghan's insistence, he nods hesitantly and slips
the ring onto the last finger of his right hand.
He only has just enough time to think about how it fits him so perfectly before he blacks out,
dropping to the ground like his strings have been cut.

It is only due to Jeonghan's quick reflexes that he saves Seungkwan from hitting his head, having
expected the blacking out. He carries the smaller boy over to the entrance of a closed shop, settling
his head in his lap as he sits down, prepared to wait it out.

About half an hour later, Jeonghan's attention is brought away from his phone when he hears
Seungkwan inhale sharply and start frowning. The younger's hands come up to rub at his face, and
Seungkwan sits up suddenly, barely missing Jeonghan's chin.

"W-what just happened?" Seungkwan asks. Jeonghan stares at him, unsure of how to reply.
Seungkwan shakes his head, blinking a few times, and turns to Jeonghan, this person who he'd just
met for the first time that day but at the same time had known for eons.

"Libra. It's you, isn't it, Libra?" It's Capricorn that is speaking, and Jeonghan nods, tears gathering at
the corners of his eyes. "Capricorn. Seungkwan. It's good to see you alive and well," Jeonghan
replied.

"Right. I'm Boo Seungkwan, but I'm also Capricorn," Seungkwan massages at his head, "God, how
do you deal with all the memories?"

"You forget what I represent, Seungkwan. It's not hard for me to balance the two sets of memories
out so that I can sift through the memories," Jeonghan replies, both hands reaching out to touch
Seungkwan's temples. He focuses for a while, and Seungkwan sighs in relief as the memories sort
themselves out with Jeonghan's help.

"That helps a lot, thanks, Jeonghan-hyung," Seungkwan says gratefully, before pausing. "Wait, are
you older than me here? I fell before you, didn't I?" he asks. "What year were you born in? I was
born in 1995," Jeonghan states, and Seungkwan frowns. "I was born in 1998. How does that work?"
Jeonghan shrugs. "Polaris told me before I fell that time works in strange ways when you fall. We're
very far away from home, millions of light years away, and that could have affected when we landed
here," he says.

"Hmm, maybe. Anyway, hyung, what are you doing here in Jeju? How long are you here for?"
Seungkwan asks. Jeonghan checks the time, noting that he still has about an hour and a half before he
has to leave, and starts explaining everything to the younger.

He starts from when he first got the dreams, shows him the compass and the circle of symbols on his
wrists, to which Seungkwan says, "It's no longer pointing at the symbol you say is mine anymore,
hyung."

Jeonghan looks at his wrist, before agreeing. "It's pointing to Gemini, now," he says. "Who do you
think we'll find? Both of them? Geni? Mini?" Seungkwan asks, curious. "I guess we'll see," is all
Jeonghan replies, heart aching from hearing the nicknames they had given the two halves of Gemini.

He continues on with his story, telling Seungkwan about how he started travelling around Jeju-do
after finishing his assignment, finally ending up here.

In return, Seungkwan tells him about his life, and what he's been doing. They exchange phone
numbers, and when Jeonghan has to go, Seungkwan whines, "Do you really have to go? Can't I come
with you?"

"You know I have to, Seungkwan-ah. You also know very well why you cannot follow me right now.
You're the most practical of all of us, you know why," Jeonghan says, drawing him in for a tight hug.

"I'll come find you once I'm able to, okay, hyung?" Seungkwan promises, and Jeonghan nods. They
pinkie promise, and Jeonghan keeps the box of rings properly, putting it gently back into his
backpack.
Before Jeonghan leaves, he tells Seungkwan, "Check something for me? There should be a mark
over your heart by now. Message me to tell me what the mark is, I'm curious to know whether it'll be
what I think it is."

The younger nods, and waves goodbye until Jeonghan disappears from sight.

Jeonghan reaches his hotel near midnight, and collapses into bed after taking a quick shower.
Plugging in his phone to charge, he turns off the hotel lights and is soon well on his way into
slumber.

Just before he falls asleep, his phone buzzes, and he opens his messages only to find that Seungkwan
has sent him a photo of the mark over his heart, and smiles sleepily to himself. He was right. The
mark that has tattooed itself onto Seungkwan's chest is the representation of Capricorn, the mountain
goat.

Putting his phone back on the table and turning around, Jeonghan curls up and is out like a light
immediately.

♒ ♓ ♈ ♉ - ♊ - ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑

Over the next few months Seungkwan and Jeonghan graduate from messaging to video calling, and
every time they contact each other in some form they learn more and more about each other, catching
up on each other's lives in the time they've been separated from each other.
Every time, Jeonghan ends the conversation with the same sentence: "We'll find all of them, and then
we'll go home together. I promise you that."

Gemini turns out to be extremely hard to find. Jeonghan is swamped with exams for a period of time,
and barely surfaces on occasion to call Seungkwan to assure him that the older is still alive and
kicking. Seungkwan is trying to find a way to get to Seoul from Jeju, applying for all kinds of
scholarships.

Finally, Jeonghan emerges from the haze of running on little to no sleep and disgusting but necessary
concoctions of Red Bull and energy drinks after coming back to his apartment after his last final and
blacking out for close to fourteen hours.

Once he has freshened up and feels somewhat alive again, he first calls his parents to check in with
them, before hanging up and calling Seungkwan immediately after.

"Finally alive, Jeonghan-hyung?" Seungkwan's voice is welcome after close to three weeks of barely
talking to the younger, and Jeonghan hums, asking, "How are things going?" At his question,
Seungkwan becomes so excited that Jeonghan can hear his wide smile.

"I got a scholarship, hyung! I'm coming to Seoul!" Seungkwan's words make Jeonghan smile brightly
to no one as he slumps down on his sofa. "That's great news! When are you coming?" Jeonghan asks.

"Well, I still have to sort out all the technicalities, like finding a place to stay and packing all my
things, but it'll definitely be within the month!" Seungkwan tells him. Jeonghan looks around his
apartment, empty and quiet.

"You can come and stay with me, if you wouldn't mind," Jeonghan offers, mind already imagining all
the things he'll have to shift to make way for the younger's things. "Really, hyung? Your parents
wouldn't mind me staying with you?"
Seungkwan's gratitude is a tangible thing, and Jeonghan laughs, "Of course I'm sure. My parents
bought this apartment for me, and they won't mind if I share it with my friends."

"Really?" Seungkwan repeats, "Thanks so much, hyung! That's one less thing to worry! I still have to
get a passport, ensure that my parents will do okay with the farm without me, pack..."

Jeonghan closes his eyes, listening to Seungkwan talk about all the things that he needs to get done
before he can even think about moving to Seoul, nevermind finding a place.

Now that Jeonghan actually thinks about it, his childhood was a relatively peaceful one. His parents
very rarely had arguments, and frequently talked to each other about whatever problems they had.

Maybe it was his power as Libra making itself known, Jeonghan thought. Even though he hadn't had
the memories, he still had the ability to balance aggression with passiveness, allowing his family to
discuss things peacefully instead of losing themselves in their anger.

After a while more, Seungkwan and Jeonghan hang up, and Jeonghan drags himself up from the sofa
to do the things that he had been too busy to do when he was studying.

He stuffs all of his dirty laundry into the washing machine, then starts washing the dishes and
clearing the apartment of all the rubbish strewn around from his desperate attempts to stay awake and
cram more information in his head by eating various snacks.

Later that night, he gets another dream. He hadn't been getting the dreams since he'd found
Seungkwan, and wonders if his stress levels have anything to do with it. He doesn't know where he is
this time.
All he can see is one of the many bridges that are built across the Han River, and tries to look around
before realising that he is walking towards someone in his dream. He squints, trying to see what the
person is doing, and his heart jolts when he sees a silhouette leaning against the railing of the bridge,
looking down at the water.

It's a solemn image that the silhouette presents, but Jeonghan wakes up before he can do anything
more.

The next day, after attending the classes he has for the day, he finds himself walking down the Han
River, trying to see if any of the bridges that he is walking past looks like the one in his dream,
following his compass at the same time.

Jeonghan walks until his compass is pointing away from the Han River, and calls it a day when the
sun sets, hailing a cab to go find something to eat before he goes home.

As Jeonghan is beginning to learn, the closer he is to finding Gemini, the more vivid his dreams get.
Over the next week, Jeonghan finds himself being able to identify more and more landmarks in his
dream, allowing him to familiarise himself with the area in order to figure out exactly which bridge
he will meet either Geni or Mini.

Seungkwan sounds happy at the fact that Jeonghan is going to find the next zodiac constellation, but
is too busy trying to arrange things before he leaves that they don't have much time to talk. Jeonghan
leaves Seungkwan to it and walks down Han River everyday after his classes, covering section by
section.

It isn't until the sixth day that he's having the dream that he finally finds the bridge in his dream - he
had been worried that he would have to comb through all 27 bridges in Seoul in an attempt to find
the bridge in his dream.

To his relief the bridge he's looking for is the nineteenth one, and when he checks his compass, he
realises that the needle is still pointing away from the bridge.
"It isn't time yet, huh?" Jeonghan muses out loud. He takes note of the bridge (Dongjak Bridge) and
turns away, heading for home.

It isn't until the ninth day when Jeonghan dreams the same dream, but he is able to get a lot closer to
the person than the first day he had the dream.

The sense of urgency that he is feeling from the tense atmosphere weighs heavily down on him, and
when Jeonghan wakes up he knows that today is the day.

As soon as classes let out, he's rushing to make it to Dongjak Bridge, hurriedly hailing a taxi. It's
nearing five in the afternoon when he finally makes his way onto Dongjak Bridge, taking measured
steps as he follows his compass.

When he looks up from his compass and spots a familiar silhouette, he breaths a sigh of relief, but
quickly starts running when the figure starts climbing the railing. "Wait!" he shouts desperately,
trying to stop the person.

As he draws nearer, he takes in the tousled hair and small eyes of one half of Gemini, book in hand.
He glances at his left wrist, not surprised to see the Gemini symbol glowing a familiar pale blue.

"What are you doing?" Jeonghan asks, panicked. The guy turns, climbing off the railing. "I'm
wondering what it's like to fly," is his odd reply, and Jeonghan tilts his head in confusion.

"Look, I don't know what you were trying to do, but I don't think you should climb the railing like
that. You could fall!" Jeonghan says, trying to ignore all the warning bells in his head. "Who says I
don't want to fall?" the guy replies calmly.
Jeonghan panics even more, grasping at straws. Desperate to do something about the weird silence
that has overcome them, he quickly takes out the box of rings from his backpack. "Before you do
anything more, I need you to do a favour for me," Jeonghan says hurriedly. The guy isn't fazed, just
looks at Jeonghan calmly.

Jeonghan opens the box of rings, and asks as calmly as he can, "Which ring would you pick if you
were to choose one? Don't touch anything yet, just point it out to me."

The guy peruses the rows of rings slotted neatly into the cushion of the box, and points one out after
a while. Jeonghan looks at the ring he has chosen, and smiles, but stops as he remembers what the
other had been doing before Jeonghan had called out.

He takes the ring with the 'ㅠ' symbol on it out of the box, and passes it to the other before anything
else happens. "Please put it on, it's yours," Jeonghan says. The guy furrows a brow, and asks, "You're
just giving it to me?" Jeonghan nods, and says, "Please put it on."

The guy looks at him for a beat, before nodding and sliding the ring onto the last finger of his right
hand. By now, Jeonghan expects the crumpling to the ground, and belatedly remembers that he didn't
even know Geni's current name before giving him the ring.

(He could only be Geni. Mini is sociable, always ready to have fun and rambunctious, while Geni is
more gentle, serious, with a tendency to think over his words a lot before he said them, unlike Mini,
who tends to blurt out whatever's on his mind at that point in time.

What they do have in common, though, is endless curiosity and affection for the people they care
about.)

Jeonghan closes the box of rings after sitting down on the ground, keeping it back into his backpack.
Geni's head is arranged on his lap, and Jeonghan leans against the railing, waiting for Geni to wake
up.
Geni coughed slightly as he came back to consciousness, and Jeonghan helped him sit up, patting his
back lightly.

"You okay, Geni?" Jeonghan asked worriedly. "I'm fine, don't call me that here, my name is
Wonwoo. Jeon Wonwoo," Wonwoo rubbed at his temples before Jeonghan reached out and helped
him the same way he helped Seungkwan, and Wonwoo gave a small sigh of relief as the memories
sorted themselves out neatly.

"You're Libra, right? Only Libra can do that," Wonwoo said, squinting at Jeonghan. "Libra Yoon
Jeonghan at your service," Jeonghan mock-bowed. "What's that on your wrists?" Wonwoo couldn't
help but ask, noticing the marks.

"Oh, these. They're what helped me find you," Jeonghan said, launching into an explanation once
more. This time, though, the explanation took longer, as Wonwoo asked questions that he had never
considered before.

("Why blue?"

"..."

"Do you think our DNA are different before and after we remember?"

"..."

"How did the rings end up in that rock cave?"

"...I wish I knew, Wonwoo-ah. I really wish I knew.")

Finally though, they got up and started walking back across the bridge. A thought occurred in
Jeonghan's mind. "What made you want to jump, Wonwoo-ah?" he asked gently, unsure of how to
broach the topic.

Wonwoo kept silent for a while, thinking about how to answer the question. "Since I was a kid, I
always felt that I was missing something in here, you know?" he gestured at his chest, "I guess I just
got sick of feeling that emptiness. Now that I remember, though, I know it's because I was missing
Mini."

Jeonghan nodded in understanding, before looking at his wrist. "It's pointing towards Aries, now," he
said. "Aries, huh. Who else have you found?" Wonwoo asked.

"You're the second one my compass and dreams have led me to. The first was Capricorn, he's called
Seungkwan, Boo Seungkwan. Oh, that reminds me," Jeonghan took out his phone, dialling
Seungkwan's number and pressing video call.

Seungkwan picked up, and yelled for joy when he saw Jeonghan and another guy. "Is that Geni or
Mini? Oh my god, hi!" Seungkwan said excitedly. Wonwoo flinched at the first yell and laughed.
"I'm Geni. Jeon Wonwoo."

"Jeonghan-hyung, you really found him! I can't wait to be there!" Seungkwan said, running around
his room. "How long more will you need until you're here, Seungkwan-ah?" Jeonghan asked.

"A few more days! I just have one or two more loose ends to tie up before I'll be on my way to
Seoul!" Seungkwan replied, showing the two older ones his bedroom, nearly empty and with some
boxes strewn about.

"Okay, I hope you get here soon! Anyway, I called you to show you Geni, and also to tell you Aries
is the next one," Jeonghan said. "Oh, Aries? I hope we find him soon!" Seungkwan said. They
chatted a while more before hanging up.
"Is Capricorn always that loud?" Wonwoo asked, rubbing his ear. "Only when he's excited,"
Jeonghan chuckled. Jeonghan and Wonwoo exchanged numbers, with Jeonghan giving the younger
Seungkwan's number as well, and decided to walk to a nearby cafe to catch each other up on their
lives.

When Jeonghan asks the next day, Wonwoo confirms that there is a mark on his chest over his heart,
a pair of twins.

♒ ♓ - ♈ - ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑

When Seungkwan moves into Jeonghan's apartment, both Wonwoo and Jeonghan are there to help
him. After they have shifted all of Seungkwan's boxes up and into the room that used to be a guest
room, they collapse on the sofa, and lie there tiredly for countless minutes.

The silence is peaceful, up until Seungkwan groans loudly, stretching to get rid of the kinks in his
back from carrying so many boxes. Jeonghan huffs, pushing himself up to go and get drinks for the
other two, and Wonwoo sinks down even further into the sofa.

"It feels so weird without the rest," Wonwoo can't help but comment as Jeonghan returns, three cans
of soda in his hands. Seungkwan makes grabby hands at the soda, and Jeonghan passes him one,
careful not to shake the can too much.

He passes the other to Wonwoo, before thumping heavily onto the couch again, opening the can and
gulping a mouthful from it. "Wonwoo-hyung," Seungkwan says, and Wonwoo hums, his warmth
pressing into Seungkwan's side. "How does it feel like?"
"Missing Mini, you mean?" Wonwoo clarifies, and Seungkwan nods. "Like I'm missing a piece of
me that I don't know how to find. Like I only have half my heart," Wonwoo says, melancholic.

"It's okay," Seungkwan bumps his elbow into him, jostling him gently, "We'll find him soon. Right,
Jeonghan-hyung?" When Seungkwan's question is met with silence, both Wonwoo and Seungkwan
turn to see Jeonghan snoring softly into the arm rest of the sofa, can close to tipping over in his
hands.

Wonwoo saves the can of soda, placing it on the coffee table, before looking at Seungkwan and
shrugging, continuing to chat with the younger softly.

Jeonghan wakes up with a crick in his neck, and realises that he fell asleep on the sofa. He feels a
weight slumped over him, and turns his head to see Wonwoo and Seungkwan both leaning on him,
cans on the table. It's the middle of the night, and Jeonghan slides himself out of the tower, slowly
helping Wonwoo lie down.

He carries Seungkwan to his new room, tucking him in, and goes to find a blanket to cover Wonwoo
with, arranging him into a better sleeping position on the sofa. Yawning, he goes to wash up properly
before knocking out on his bed.

The next day, he wakes up from a new dream. There's not much in the dream this time, and Jeonghan
can't remember anything from it except for a strong bass beat thrumming through his veins.

When he gets out of bed, he finds Wonwoo already up, preparing breakfast. "Thanks, Wonwoo-ah. Is
Seungkwan up yet?" he yawns, shuffling to one of the seats at the table. Wonwoo shakes his head,
and replies, "He was still out cold, last I checked on him."

Jeonghan watches Wonwoo make breakfast quietly for a while before he says, "I had a new dream
last night. Not much to learn from it though."
Wonwoo hums questioningly. "The only thing I remember from it is a strong bass beat, but nothing
else," Jeonghan elaborates, stirring the cup of coffee that Wonwoo hands to him and adding creamer
and sugar.

"Maybe he works with music in some way," Wonwoo offers. Jeonghan hums in assent. The
conversation is interrupted by Seungkwan shuffling into the kitchen, eyes glazed with a film of sleep
still.

Wonwoo shoves a cup of coffee into his hands, and Seungkwan takes it like a lifeline. Once the
caffeine hits his system, it's all systems go, and Seungkwan is as noisy as ever, for someone that just
woke up less than fifteen minutes ago.

"Do any of you have anything on today?" Jeonghan asks as Wonwoo serves breakfast to the eternal
(loud) gratitude of Seungkwan. Wonwoo shakes his head no, and Seungkwan replies, "I need to go
down to my university to finish up the application process and whatnot."

"Do you need us to go with you?" Jeonghan asks. Seungkwan shakes his head, "I should be fine. I'll
call you when I'm done, yeah? I just need directions on how to get there." Jeonghan snorts, telling
him, "Go find it online instead, country bumpkin."

Seungkwan gasps as if Jeonghan has mortally insulted him, and exclaims, "Jeonghan-hyung, why are
you so mean?" Jeonghan rolls his eyes, used to this reaction.

Wonwoo huffs in laughter when a few seconds later Seungkwan says embarrassedly, "...I did forget
that I could search it up online, though."

Over the next few days, Jeonghan's dreams get detailed enough that he can recognise it as
Myeongdong, but has no idea what Aries is doing there apart from the music thrumming in his ears.
The more he dreams, the more shop faces he can make out, and he soon realises that Aries is some
sort of performer, as he can hear people clapping once the music ends. He tells Wonwoo and
Seungkwan about it, and they soon decide to go to Myeongdong.

Between the three of them, they are able to narrow down which part of Myeongdong appears in his
dream when their schedules allow it, and he goes to that area as often as he can, usually with
Wonwoo in tow, as Seungkwan settles into his new classes.

(Despite his dreams telling him to go to Myeongdong, his compass always leads to somewhere that
isn't, which confuses Jeonghan for a while until he realises that the compass is pointing in the
direction where the person actually is, not where he'll find the person.)

After a few more days, Jeonghan walks into the area only to hear music being blasted. He looks
around in confusion, and realises that there is a small dance competition being held.

"That would be why I hear music in my dream," he mused, and sent off a text to Wonwoo and
Seungkwan to inform them of this information. When he checks his compass, he's glad to see the
needle pointing towards the stage as well.

Seungkwan replies with ten exclamation marks and a 'Hwaiting!', but can't do much else, as he's still
in class. He's enjoying himself, though, so he can't complain much.

Wonwoo, however, is just getting out of class, and replies Jeonghan's text with a 'I'll be there soon.'
Jeonghan smiles at his reply, and looks up from his phone as a familiar beat starts.

He sees a boy go up on stage, and raises his eyebrows. "This is Aries? He's still a kid," is all he has
time to think before the boy starts dancing, and his eyes widen when he sees how talented the kid
actually is.
He stays until the end of the competition, during which Wonwoo sidles up to him quietly. When the
competitors file out onto the stage, Jeonghan points out the kid he thinks is Aries to Wonwoo, only to
get a raised eyebrow in return.

When the competition ends, Jeonghan surges to the front, trying to catch the kid he thinks is Aries.
"Hey, Lee Chan!" Jeonghan calls out the name he heard the announcer call when the kid won second
place, and the boy turns.

"May I help you?" he asks. "Erm, this is going to sound weird, but can you do me a favour and tell
me which would you pick if you were given a choice?" Jeonghan takes out the box of rings and
opens it.

Wonwoo snorts, remembering thinking how weird Jeonghan was when he did the exact same thing a
few weeks back.

Chan frowns in mild suspicion, but figures that it can't hurt to amuse this stranger. He picks out a
ring, and Jeonghan beams, taking the ring out of the box and handing it to him.

"Here, you can have it!" Jeonghan says, holding out the ring. "What, I get the ring just like that?"
Chan says, startled. He looks at the other guy, who nods for him to take the ring.

Chan does, and slides the ring onto the last finger of his right hand. Jeonghan closes the box and
catches Chan in one swift move, and Wonwoo moves to help him. They wave away all the concerned
passers-by as they move to one side, settling down on the ground.

"We have to find a way to do this somewhere that is preferably isn't in a public setting," Jeonghan
pipes up, after Wonwoo has helped him keep the box of rings and they have been sitting there for a
while.

Chan's ring catches the sunlight, and the Aries symbol reflects the sunlight into Jeonghan's eyes.
"How about we try to make friends with them first, so that when we do ask them about the rings it
won't be so weird?" Wonwoo suggests dryly.

Jeonghan rubs the back of his neck. "I guess I could come off as weird or creepy at first," he says
sheepishly. "You think?" is all Wonwoo replies, and Jeonghan laughs.

"It all worked out, though," Jeonghan says, "I do have to wonder how old is Chan, though. He seems
really young."

"I guess we'll find out now. He's waking up."

Much like Wonwoo and Seungkwan did before him, Chan sits up and promptly grabs at his head.
Jeonghan sighs, and touches his temples, before Chan sighs in relief and opens his eyes.

He flinches when he sees Jeonghan and Wonwoo staring at him, and stammers, "W-who are you
guys?"

"I'm Jeonghan, Libra, and this is Wonwoo, Geni. Are you okay, Aries?" Jeonghan questions
worriedly.

"Call me Chan, and yes, I think I am. Libra, you said? Thanks," Aries says. "What am I, chopped
liver?" Wonwoo says, insulted that Aries didn't talk to him.

"Hey, Geni. How have you been?" Chan asks. "Call him Jeonghan, and call me Wonwoo. I'm fine,
missing Mini, thanks for asking. How old are you here, exactly?" Wonwoo queries.
"I was born in 1999," Chan replies, and Jeonghan and Wonwoo stare at each other wide-eyed. "That's
barely legal, what the heck," Jeonghan mouths, and Wonwoo nods, just as shocked.

"What about you guys?" Chan asks. "I'm a 95-liner, and Wonwoo is a 96-liner," Jeonghan replies.
Wonwoo makes to stand, and Jeonghan helps the current youngest up.

"Cool. Who else have you found?" Chan stands up, slinging the bag that had dropped to the floor and
Wonwoo had picked up over his head.

"So far, only Capricorn. You're the third one Jeonghan-hyung has found," Wonwoo said. "You'll
meet him soon enough."

They could tell that Chan wanted to ask more questions, but all three flinched when they heard
someone call Chan's name. "That's my umma calling me. Look, I really need to talk to you guys. Can
I exchange numbers with one of you?" Chan asks, taking out his phone.

Jeonghan rattles out his number and Chan inputs it into his phone, before running off while yelling
goodbye.

"Well then, let's hope he texts soon," Wonwoo says as they watch the boy run off and disappear into
the crowds. Jeonghan nods in agreement, then takes a look at his wrist. "Oh," the sound escapes out
from his mouth and hangs in the air.

"What is it? Who are we finding next?" Wonwoo asks, looking at his wrist as well. Jeonghan looks at
the symbol a while more, before turning to Wonwoo and smiling hugely.

"We're going to find Pisces."

(Jeonghan gets a call from a hysteric Chan later that night, because he freaked out when he saw the
mark on his chest and "JEONGHAN-HYUNG MY UMMA CANNOT SEE THIS SHE WILL
FREAK OUT AND MURDER ME-")

(Jeonghan laughs, and sits there for half an hour trying to come up with believable excuses for the
younger in case his umma ever sees the mark of Aries, the Ram. Seungkwan joins him for five
minutes before Jeonghan kicks him out for giving too many ridiculous excuses that Chan could use.)

Chan turns out to be some kind of prodigy dancer, and Seungkwan is amazed for all of ten seconds
before he's asking Chan to teach him some moves. Chan obliges, and Seungkwan drags Jeonghan
and Wonwoo into the lessons as well.

Chan tries to teach them one of the easier dances that he remembers, but gives up after half an hour
of watching the three of them massacre his beloved idol Michael Jackson's dance. He instead just lets
them watch while he practices, vowing never to teach them dance again.

After the disastrous lesson, they are on the way back to Jeonghan and Seungkwan's apartment when
Wonwoo gets drawn to a bookstore and cannot seem to be removed from his spot in front of the
shelves, browsing the various books.

The three of them leave Wonwoo to his book immersion and walk into the shop next door, which is a
cafe. They're queuing up for food when the music playing switches to a new track, and Jeonghan
finds himself paying more attention to the track rather than the conversation that Chan and
Seungkwan are having.

When they finally reach the counter, he distractedly places his order, trying to hear the track better.
In the end, while he's waiting for their orders, he asks one of the waitresses for the song title, and she
goes to find out what it is.

In the end, he gets the name of the track and the singer. When they finish their food and manage to
drag Wonwoo away from the bookstore, they walk around for a while more before they head back to
their respective homes.
When Jeonghan falls asleep that night, it is at his table in his room, laptop on and running, with a
Youtube window still open. The soft strumming of a guitar can be heard, with a sweet voice
accompanying it.

The title of the video reads: Joshua Hong - Sunday Morning Cover (Maroon 5).

♒ - ♓ - ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑

Jeonghan soon finds himself a fan of this Joshua Hong's work. He listens to his covers of popular
songs, and even some of his original songs, but not once does Joshua show his face in any of his
videos. He realises that Joshua is a Korean that lives in America, which explains the mostly English
covers on his channel.

The morning of the Monday after that weekend, Jeonghan wakes up with another dream. This time,
he dreams of music. He was in a dark room, and the only thing that echoed was strains of music that
he cannot remember.

Lying in bed, he can hear Seungkwan stumbling around the apartment, getting ready to go for class.
It turns out that Chan is attending the affiliate school of Seungkwan's college, and hence he'll be
meeting the younger at the entrance to the compound.

Once he hears Seungkwan yell "I'm off!" and shut the door behind him, Jeonghan slowly gets out of
bed to get ready for the day. Before he does though, he goes to his laptop and powers it on, and turns
on a playlist.
Music starts playing from the speakers of the laptop, guitar being the main instrument, and Jeonghan
carries his laptop out of his room and places it in the kitchen after he washes up, preparing his
breakfast while nodding his head along to the songs.

Apart from the weekends, the only times that the four of them can meet up are on Thursdays, when
Seungkwan and Chan get out from school. They do have a group chat on KakaoTalk, though. It is
constantly spammed by Seungkwan, unless he's in a class that requires his complete attention.

Chan replies when he can, during breaks, and Jeonghan and Wonwoo try to keep up with
Seungkwan, but mostly fail.

As Jeonghan finishes up breakfast, he powers his laptop down and slides it into his bag, ensuring he
has the materials he needs for his classes, before he grabs his valuables from around the apartment,
locking the door behind him.

As he travels to his university, he thinks about what Wonwoo suggested, about getting to know the
person he's looking for first before asking them to put on the ring. Not only would it make them seem
less weird, but it would help for them to already have a friendship going by the time their memories
are returned to them.

He makes his way to his first class and takes out the necessary materials, pushing all thoughts about
finding the next person to the back of his brain and focusing on the class.

The dreams get more specific and detailed over the next few days, as expected, but what's different
this time is that Jeonghan cannot make any sense from his dreams like he could previously. His
compass didn't help as well, pointing in the direction of who-knows-where.

The only things that Jeonghan sees in his dreams are things he knows belong to someone that
produces some form of music. He sees a keyboard, a guitar, a microphone, a mixer, and a laptop
hooked up to the mixer and some speakers, but other than that, there is no clue as to how Jeonghan
will find Pisces.
He gets an inkling of where Pisces might be when one day Seungkwan shoves his phone into his face
when they're eating breakfast. "I found Joshua Hong's Instagram, hyung. You should see it, since you
like his music so much."

Jeonghan takes the phone and scrolls through the Youtuber's feed. Once again, he notices that there
aren't any pictures of his face, until he scrolls past a photo and has to go back again to take a closer
look.

The caption reads "My workspace where I record all my covers and songs!" and Jeonghan's brain
stutters to a stop.

His studio looks exactly like Jeonghan's dream.

"...Hyung? Jeonghan-hyung. Jeonghan-hyung." Jeonghan breaks out of his stupor when Seungkwan
shakes him slightly. "What's wrong, hyung?"

"He's Pisces," Jeonghan says, the end of his statement sounding like a question. "Hyung, what do you
mean?" Seungkwan asks.

"The photo of his studio... It's the same as my dream," Jeonghan explains, still in shock. Seungkwan
gets excited immediately. "Hyung! We found Pisces? That's great!"

Jeonghan shakes his head. "No, you don't get it, Seungkwan-ah. He lives in America. How are we
going to meet him?" Seungkwan reclaims his phone and scrolls upwards. "But that was what I
wanted to show you, hyung! He's coming to Korea!" Seungkwan once again shoves the phone into
Jeonghan's face.
Jeonghan takes the phone, looking at Joshua's most recent post. It's a photo of a air ticket, from Los
Angeles, America, to Seoul, Korea. He abruptly stands up, letting Seungkwan's phone clatter onto
the table.

"I need to talk to Wonwoo immediately," he says, leaving his breakfast half-finished. "Hyung?
Hyung!" Seungkwan calls after him.

They find out that Joshua Hong is coming to Korea on a holiday, not anything like a mini concert,
which means that it will be hard for Jeonghan and the other three to find him.

As it turns out, they don't have to, as Seungkwan and Chan burst into the apartment to tell
him. Wonwoo and Jeonghan are in the living room, papers and laptops strewn about as they do their
work.

"Hyung, Joshua Hong is coming to our school to perform! They made the announcement today!"
Chan shouted excitedly, even as Jeonghan frowned. "Isn't Joshua coming here on holiday? Why is he
still performing?"

"It's a personal request from the principal of the school, apparently. He seems to know Joshua's
mother." is the reply, and both Jeonghan and Wonwoo nod in understanding.

"Anyway, hyung, so what are you going to do?" Wonwoo and Jeonghan exchange a look, brushing
aside their papers and putting aside their laptops as they begin to plan. Seungkwan and Chan sit
down next to them, ready for the discussion.

In the end, it's easy for Seungkwan and Chan to approach Joshua after his performance and offer to
bring him around Seoul.
Seungkwan's enthusiasm and Chan's more sedate friendliness allow Joshua to feel more at ease, and
soon they find themselves setting a date and exchanging numbers so that it's easier for them to
arrange where to meet up and the like.

Seungkwan and Chan introduce Joshua to Jeonghan and Wonwoo, claiming them to be the more
experienced guides since a) they're older, and b) they lived in Seoul all their lives. Joshua finds the
two older ones to be very welcoming, and watches as the four of them bicker with each other like
they've known each other for years previously.

He does notice Jeonghan's wristbands, but make no mention of it. Everyone has their reasons for
hiding things, after all, and Joshua doesn't want to risk offending anyone in his short stay in Korea.

Soon, the combined efforts of Jeonghan, Seungkwan, Chan and a quieter Wonwoo is able to drag out
a few facts from Joshua. He was, in fact, born in Korea, and his Korean name is Hong Jisoo. He's
Jeonghan's age, and a year older than Wonwoo, which makes him three and four years older than
Seungkwan and Chan respectively.

The entire two weeks of his stay in Korea is spent with the four of them, and Joshua can't find
himself to regret it. Throughout it, he can't help but notice the exchanged glances between the other
four, but doesn't ask about it.

Four days before he is to fly back to Los Angeles, they are in Jeonghan's apartment when Jeonghan
goes to his room to retrieve something. They have just finished lunch, and Seungkwan and Chan are
setting up a game with the console that Wonwoo brought over.

"Jisoo-ah," Joshua turns at the sound of Jeonghan's voice. After he had told them about his Korean
name, all of them had insisted on calling him using his Korean name, even though they sometimes
did use his English name.

He sees Jeonghan carrying a long, thin wooden box, sees his bare wrists, wristbands absent for once,
and tilts his head to the side in confusion. He notices Wonwoo quietly close his book and the younger
two stop setting up the console in his peripheral vision, and thinks that this must be why they have
been exchanging secretive glances over the period of time he has known them.

"Can you do me a favour, and pick one from these?" Jeonghan opens the box to reveal rows of rings,
and even though Joshua is confused, he does think it through seriously. Weirdly, he finds himself
pulled towards one of the rings, and picks it up.

"This one. It feels right, for some reason," Joshua shrugs. Jeonghan smiles, then, and urges, "Put it
on. It's yours now." The anticipation in the room is tangible as everyone holds their breath when
Joshua slips on the ring.

"What's going on?" Joshua is barely able to get the first two words out before a excruciating pain
comes over him, and he blacks out. Wonwoo is there to catch him, and Jeonghan quickly puts away
the box, before returning with some pillows.

"Rest his head here," Jeonghan says, arranging the pillows on the floor, and Wonwoo shifts Joshua so
that he is lying comfortably on the pillows, Seungkwan and Chan helping.

"This happens to all of us, hyung?" Chan asks, curious, and Jeonghan nods. "You guys should
continue setting up the console first. This is going to take a while."

Wonwoo turns back to his book, and Jeonghan sits next to Joshua's motionless body, staring off into
space and waiting for the younger to wake up.

Like all of them before him, Joshua wakes up clutching at his head in pain. He feels a soft touch
against his temples, and memories slot themselves neatly into allocated sections in his brain. When
he's sure his head is not going to split open from pain, he opens his eyes, only to see Jeonghan bent
over him worriedly.
"Are you okay, Pisces?" Jeonghan asks. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," Pisces says, trying to figure out who
exactly is the one saying it. The other notices his inquisitive gaze and introduces himself.

"I'm Libra. Wonwoo is Geni, Seungkwan is Capricorn and Chan is our dear Aries. Do you remember
what happened, Joshua?" Jeonghan says. Joshua nods, saying, "I just have to orientate myself.
Thanks for the help, Libra."

Once Joshua is sitting up and taking small sips of water, Seungkwan deems it safe enough and
barrels into Joshua, chattering at a mile a minute. Joshua looks at Seungkwan, Capricorn, fondly, and
nods a greeting in Geni's direction (Wonwoo's character makes a lot more sense now), and opens his
arms for a hug from Aries.

Later that night, in his hotel bathroom, Joshua will look at his bare chest and see a mark like
Jeonghan told him to expect. It is a pair of fish, locked in a neverending circle, chasing the other's
tail. The mark of Pisces.

For now, as Jeonghan looks at his wrist after hours of explaining things to Joshua, he freezes as he
sees the symbol that he had hoped would not come. The elephant in the room is growing too large to
be avoided, and Jeonghan doesn't want to see what he watched the others go through again.

The choice is taken away from him, however, when Joshua feels him freeze from where he's sitting
next to him, watching the younger ones play. "What's wrong?"

Wonwoo looks up from his book at the question. He notices Jeonghan's uncharacteristically blank
face and frowns. "Jeonghan, who's next?"

It takes a while, but Jeonghan breaks out of his reverie and looks at Wonwoo and Joshua. There is
undisguised panic in his eyes, which only causes them to worry even more. Chan and Seungkwan
pause the game, aware of the growing tension in the room.
Jeonghan speaks, and sees the same mixture of emotions flash across everyone's faces. Guilt. Grief.
Panic. All things they should be feeling when it comes to this particular zodiac.

After all, they were the ones who caused him to fall.

{end of part i}

When the first of the thirteen of them fell, it was inevitable that the others would follow.
Libra would never forget the day it happened. It had started from Ophiuchus, actually. Ophiuchus
had been the last to join them, the thirteenth zodiac.
He was the youngest, but was soon taken away from them. He didn’t fall, nor did he fade. Polaris
had taken him away, saying that he had been reassigned to another set of constellations. By the time
the rest of them learned about it, Ophiuchus was gone.
Leo and Aquarius had been particularly fond of young Ophiuchus, so to have the young constellation
be taken away from them so suddenly had shocked them. The first thing they felt, of course, was
sadness. Then the anger came.
The anger came and went, and Libra balanced out the emotions of the zodiac constellations with his
scales, to make sure the anger and heartbreak didn’t overtake their logical thinking. All of them
were heartbroken, but it got better with time.
Then Cancer faded away. Not many know about this, but once upon a time, Cancer was a different
entity from the Cancer we know today. Fading away was vastly different from falling. Falling meant
losing your stardust and dropping to the planet they watched over. Fading away, however…
Fading away meant death.
Leo’s heart, or what would be his heart if he were human, was broken when Ophiuchus left. The
shards were picked up and ground to dust when Cancer faded away. He was not alone, however.
Cancer had been with them a long time, and for him to fade away without saying a word… It broke
all of their hearts.
Still, Libra tried his best to balance out the emotions amongst the remaining zodiac constellations.
He provided a listening ear, let them cry, rage, whatever they wanted. As long as none of them were
lost again.
Scorpio, however, took it the hardest. He was the closest to Cancer, and could not see why he didn’t
notice the signs that Cancer was slowly fading away. Maybe if he did, Cancer would still be here.
A new Cancer was introduced to them, and it was awkward in the beginning. The new Cancer tried,
he really did, but the others couldn’t interact with him without seeing the shadow of the Cancer they
had spent eons with before they lost him.
It all came to a head when Lynx was taken away as well. This time, Sirius had come to claim him,
and their leader, Leo, lost himself to his grief. The scales tipped, balance lost, and Libra was unable
to fix it.
How could he, when he himself was heartbroken? He, Leo, Pisces and Lynx were the quartet that
had stuck together since the formation of the zodiac constellations. Virgo and Leo were close, but the
four of them understood each other.
The new Cancer, of course, did not know what to do. He was the last one to join, a replacement for
the previous Cancer who had faded away, and cared dearly for his new family, but how could he
help, when they pushed him away every time he tried?
Once again, sadness and grief became anger, and the rest of them took it out on the only one they
knew they could not offend. The balance had been tipped, and it was nigh impossible for Libra to
rein in his emotions enough to fix it.
Cancer, loyal to a fault, took everything without complaint. The scoldings, the ignoring, the
criticizing, he tolerated without a word. He truly believed that they had just lost themselves in their
grief, and his patient determination saw him through everything.
However, even the most patient and determined of souls also have their limits.
Cancer didn’t know how long it had been since the criticism and antagonism towards him had
started. All he knew was that he was so tired of it all, so tired of just taking everything and letting
them be.
The insecure nature that usually stayed in the background slowly emerged even as his loyalty
remained, and he wondered whether he really belonged with them, if he made so many mistakes.
Hence, he made the choice to fall. He didn’t fade, he was too loyal to them to fade away, didn’t want
them to suffer through another loss, but he had to escape, so he fell instead. At least, if he fell, then
maybe one day they would come back to themselves and hopefully come and find him.
Looking back, Libra knew that he should have done something. Leo, their leader, was mindless in his
grief, and all of them had been influenced by his emotions. Libra should have been aware of it, and
made sure the scales weren’t tipped too badly that balance could not be regained.
However, he wasn’t, and he didn’t, and all of the heavens watched as Cancer closed his eyes and
dissolved into stardust.
The scene shook them out of their grief and anger, but at the same time added guilt to the mass of
emotions roiling in them. For ages after that, the rest of them had been guilty and wrought with more
grief, afraid that they had caused another Cancer to fade away as well, but Libra was soon brought
to his senses, and realised that Cancer, loyal to a fault, still had not given up on them.
He had just chosen to fall, instead of fade, hoping that they would come to their senses and come find
him when they were ready.
However, by the time Libra had realised what was going on and told the others what had truly
happened, L eo had fallen as well, right in front of his eyes. Leo had taken Cancer’s fall the hardest,
knowing it was his fault for starting the antagonism towards someone he knew didn’t deserve it.
Libra, so afraid that Leo had chosen to fade away willingly, searched the heavens desperately for
any sign that Leo had chosen to fall, instead of fade, and found it in the lone planet that they watched
over. To his immense relief, Libra felt Cancer there, as well.
Even as Libra went to soothe the other zodiac signs, he did not forget. Cancer was the first one to
fall, and it was because of them. Even then, he trusted them enough to fall, instead of fade, so willing
to put his faith in them, that they would find him.
Libra was barely avoiding drowning in his own guilt, but that did not deter him from making the
solemn promise to himself that he would one day go down to Earth and find Cancer, and apologise
to him.
He did follow through with that promise, but he did not expect it to be when he was the last one who
had not fallen, the last one who had not fallen to their grief and guilt.
This is what all of them will never forget, and will be the first thing all of them remembers the most.
Cancer was the first to fall. And it was because of them that he chose to do so.
 ♒ ♓ ♈ ♉ ♊ - ♋ - ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑

“It’s Cancer.” Jeonghan watches as the same mixture of emotions he’s currently feeling flash across
everyone’s faces. Guilt, grief, panic, it’s all there. The silence is heavy, the only sounds being their
breathing and the music from the game.

“So, what are we going to do?” To Jeonghan’s surprise, it’s the youngest that speaks up. Once he
actually thinks about it, though, he’s really not. Aries has always been the bravest and most
determined of the twelve zodiacs.

“We’re going to find him, and then apologise to him, and then we can treat him properly like we
should have the moment he joined us,” Jeonghan says firmly. There is hesitance in the way the others
agree, but Jeonghan makes eye contact with Chan and sees the fire burning in his eyes, and nods.

With Chan around, Geni’s innate indecisiveness, Pisces’s fearfulness and Capricorn’s occasionally
negative practicality won’t stand a chance. Jeonghan will make sure of that.

They send Joshua off at the airport a few days later, after exchanging promises to video call each
other daily whenever possible.

They have to face the guilt one day, which unfortunately will not happen until they find Cancer. With
a newfound determination, Jeonghan starts planning to take a week off school and follow his
compass until it leads him to Cancer.

He is soon dissuaded by Seungkwan, because quote unquote, “What if you follow the compass
blindly until you reach a cliff or something and then you might die and we won’t ever know! What if
he’s like Joshua, far away in another country? Are you going to go on a round-the-world trip to find
him?”

Upon seeing the mental lightbulb go off in Jeonghan’s head, Seungkwan exclaims, “Hyung! You are
not going on a round-the-world trip to find Cancer! You don’t have enough money, and you can’t
afford to take that time off!”

Jeonghan groaned as Capricorn’s practicality destroyed his plans, but Seungkwan was right. He
didn’t have the money to afford that kind of thing. Therefore, he continues attending his classes and
waits for his dreams to give him a hint.
Cancer eludes them for a long while, as Jeonghan doesn’t get any dreams for close to a month. By
then, all of them are getting antsy, and Jeonghan is seriously tempted to just follow his compass, no
matter what Seungkwan says. Two nights after he actually starts planning the trip around the world,
he gets a dream, and nearly sobs from relief.

The dream shows him a scene, where a pair of young children, siblings, Jeonghan guesses, are
chasing each other in a park, and there is a silhouette sitting under a tree, watching them play. The
sounds of children’s laughter and of a camera shutter going off ring in Jeonghan’s ears long after he
has woken up.

The dream gives Jeonghan hope that he is close to finding Cancer, and waits patiently as the dreams
become clearer over the next few nights, enough for him to identify which park it is that is the setting
of where he will meet Cancer.

The level of apprehension rises the more Jeonghan updates the rest on his dreams, and only Chan is
hyped up about meeting Cancer. Jeonghan knows that everyone else apart from Aries dreads Cancer
remembering what happened, but he knows Cancer, and knows that Cancer would only be happy that
they found him. Or at least, Jeonghan hopes so.

He starts taking frequent walks at the park in his dream, often dragging the others along with him.
His efforts finally pay off when he arrives at the park only to see the exact scene in his dream. The
children are running around, playing with each other, and there is a figure under a tree, watching
them with camera in hand.

The figure occasionally raises his camera to take a photo of the children, and Jeonghan checks his
wrists. Sure enough, the compass is pointing in the figure’s direction, and the Cancer symbol on his
other wrist is glowing.

This week, it’s Chan and Seungkwan who are accompanying him, and Jeonghan hesitates, unsure
about how to start a conversation with the stranger. Chan solves that problem by going up to the
figure and starting to chat excitedly about cameras to him. Jeonghan bites back a yell of Chan’s
name, and going to join the younger. Seungkwan follows behind, albeit a bit hesitantly.

Chan’s friendliness helps, and soon the boy, Seo Myungho, as he introduces himself, is talking
passionately about photography. He is a photography major, and takes part-time jobs such as
babysitting for his neighbours to earn some money on the side.

He’s from China, and came to Korea three years ago for university, he explains when Chan asks
about his accent. Seungkwan warms up to Myungho eventually, and is soon chattering even more
than Chan is. Jeonghan can tell that Myungho is more of a listener, and tries to involve him in the
conversation as much as possible.

Joshua is informed during the Skype call that night, and Wonwoo is texted immediately after meeting
Cancer. Chan has gotten Myungho’s number and a promise to meet at the park again next week, to
share some tips about photography with him.
The two of them are still apprehensive about meeting Cancer, but Jeonghan refuses to let that ruin his
mood. He wants all thirteen of them to be together again, and that means working through each
other’s fears and talking it through.

Myungho still has to remember, though. The next week, all four of them head down to the park to
meet Myungho, with Jeonghan carrying a basket. He has decided to have a picnic for all of them, and
woke up early to prepare for it.

Wonwoo greets Myungho easily enough, and spends the time between watching the children, Yerin
and Hyerin, play, observing Myungho, eating, and reading his book. He makes conversation easily
enough, with Chan helping to move the conversation along.

Myungho shows Chan tips and tricks on the camera that the younger was given a few months back,
and Chan absorbs all the information he’s been given eagerly. The two of them had been chatting
frequently with each other over texts, and are much closer now than last week, when they first met.

It’s not until a month later that they get the chance for Myungho to remember, though. They finally
managed to ask to meet up without the children, and spent an entire afternoon fooling around, having
lunch and playing in an arcade.

Jeonghan ends up treating all of them for dinner, asking for a private room at the restaurant they have
decided upon. After their meal, they’re just talking mindlessly amongst each other, and that’s when
Jeonghan brings out the familiar box of rings.

Like all the others, Jeonghan asks Myungho to choose a ring from the remaining, and the nine rings
gleam brightly. Myungho picks one with zero hesitation, and Jeonghan smiles, and tells him to put it
on.

The younger is sitting between Chan and Jeonghan, and slumps over soon after, Chan barely saving
his head from hitting the table. They all exchange glances with each other, and wave away the
waitress’ concern when she enters the room.

It isn’t long before Myungho wakes up with a small groan, and Jeonghan once again helps out by
placing his hands on Myungho’s temple to sort out the memories. They are all silent as Myungho
regains his bearings, worried about how he would react now that he regained his memories.

Cancer looks around, and knows Libra from how his memories were sorted out quickly, easing his
headache. “I knew you guys would find me one day,” he smiles tremulously, and Seungkwan tries,
he really tries, but he bursts into tears despite his best efforts not to.

Jeonghan tells him who is who quietly as Wonwoo soothes the crying boy, and Chan waves excitedly
when Myungho looks in his direction. He examines the ring on his right pinky finger, the symbol of
Cancer staring back at him.

As soon as introductions are over and Seungkwan has stopped crying, they pay the bill and leave for
Jeonghan’s apartment.
They don’t get much sleep that night. The night is spent having much needed confessions, apologies
and explanations, and by the end of it not one of them is dry-eyed. Even Joshua, who was contacted
immediately upon reaching Jeonghan’s apartment, is not free from the rollercoaster of emotions,
halfway across the globe.

The catharsis is one that they all needed, and much of their guilt is alleviated with Cancer’s constant
repetition of his forgiveness. All Cancer feels is happiness at the fact that they had finally found him
after so long, and sadness at the fact that they let this matter affect them so much that they all
eventually chose to fall as well.

They will always feel some guilt from the whole event, but that is pushed aside to reconnect with
Myungho, and talk about finding the others and maybe dealing with their guilt as well.

Myungho tells them of the crab on his chest, above his heart, when he goes to the bathroom to check,
and Jeonghan shows them the new symbol that the triangle on his wrist is pointing to, the symbol of
Sagittarius.

♒ ♓ ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ - ♐ - ♑

Compared to Cancer, the days leading up to them finding Sagittarius is a lot more light-hearted, the
palpable tension that could be felt whenever Cancer was brought up having disappeared.

When all six of them gather to hang out, Wonwoo and Jeonghan talk quietly with Jisoo through
video chat while Chan and Seungkwan drag Myungho into whatever shenanigans they are getting up
to.

Jeonghan updates them on whatever details that he dreams about in the group chat that they have,
sent between spam messages of Seungkwan and Chan arguing over one thing or the other. Myungho
is surprisingly sarcastic, and keeps up with the two younger ones well.

Jisoo is an excellent influence on them as well, when they manage to sync up their schedules enough
to have a video call, his gentle nature doing well to calm the excitement that is Chan and Seungkwan
with Myungho thrown into the mix.

Jeonghan starts dreaming again, about three weeks after finding Myungho. He dreams of a stage,
again, and wonders to himself whether Sagittarius will be a dancer as well, like Chan. However, the
more he dreams, the more details he can see, as usual.
He notices that there is a banner at the back of the stage, but cannot make out the words on it. He
tells the others about it, but they are all clueless as to what the banner might say. The days pass with
Jeonghan not getting any closer to seeing the banner, but he does get other details.

Sagittarius is a singer, it seems, as he can hear a voice echoing on around the stage that he is
dreaming of. Seungkwan is happy to hear it, as he looks forward to having someone to sing with
when they go to the noraebang.

A few weeks later, Seungkwan comes back with a flyer, which turns out to be one promoting a
singing competition hosted by one of the other schools in the area.

Seungkwan is talking excitedly about joining the competition with a friend that he met in school, and
Jeonghan tells Seungkwan to sign up for it, saying that they may meet Sagittarius in this competition.

The others are informed of this, and Jeonghan goes with Seungkwan to the venue as soon as he can
for auditions before the actual competition, and is surprised when Seungkwan introduces the friend
he’ll be auditioning as a pair with for it.

“Hyungie! This is Seokmin-hyung! He’ll be singing with me in the competition!” Seungkwan drags a
tall, dark-haired male over to him. As they make eye contact, Seokmin’s enthusiastic greeting is
interrupted by Jeonghan abruptly turning around, grabbing his wrist.

Jeonghan stares wide-eyed at the glowing Sagittarius sign, wristband lifted up with his thumb.
Shutting his eyes, he takes a few deep breaths before turning back around. “Sorry about that. I’m
Yoon Jeonghan, Seungkwan’s hyung,” Jeonghan says, eyes scanning the (possibly) younger male.

“I’m Seokmin! Lee Seokmin! Seungkwan’s told me a lot about you, it’s nice to meet you, Jeonghan-
hyung!” Seokmin’s greeting is less enthusiastic than before, but Jeonghan smiles at his retained
enthusiasm. “This is Sagittarius, alright,” he thinks to himself. “His enthusiasm is proof of that.”

Seokmin shakes his outstretched hand with delight, and tells Seungkwan that they have to go get
ready for the audition. Seungkwan nods, and gives Jeonghan a look that tells him he’s going to have
a lot to explain later.

Jeonghan rubs at his left wrist absentmindedly as he watches the two walk away, Sagittarius symbol
still glowing when he checks. The compass on his right wrist points steadfastly in the direction the
two younger boys just left in.

He goes to take a seat, eyes staring blankly at the stage as people go up and audition, before leaving
the stage. He barely registers Seungkwan and Seokmin’s audition, enough to know that they’re
definitely going to make it to the actual competition.

He had been thrown off by how Seungkwan knew Seokmin, but didn’t know that he was one of the
zodiac. He has always had the impression that the dreams showed him when any of them who
remembered met the zodiac that they were looking for.
However, Seungkwan had known Seokmin for a while, and the dreams and the marks on his wrist
had not shown him who Sagittarius was until now.

After thinking things through, he concludes that the dreams show him when he himself meets them
for the first time, hence explaining why Seungkwan never knew that Seokmin was Sagittarius until
Jeonghan came face-to-face with him.

Seungkwan bounds up to him once they’re done, asking him excitedly about his thoughts about their
performance. Jeonghan smiles at him, saying, “It was great, Seungkwannie. When will you know the
results of the audition?”

“Next week! Can we go get ice cream, hyung?” Seungkwan puts his puppy eyes to use, and Jeonghan
laughs, nodding. “Want to come along?” he turns to Seokmin, who nods happily. “If you don’t mind,
hyung.”

Jeonghan shakes his head, saying, “A friend of Seungkwan is a friend of mine. C'mon, let’s go.” The
three of them make their way to the nearest ice cream parlour, and while they’re walking and the two
younger ones are chattering away, Jeonghan takes the time to quickly type out a message into the
group chat informing them of the new development, before joining the conversation.

Seungkwan checks his phone when it buzzes, and turns to Jeonghan with wide eyes when he reads
the message. He dips his head in Seokmin’s direction, and Jeonghan nods slightly. The younger
one’s eyes sparkle, before continuing on the conversation.

Seokmin, after being introduced to the rest of them, fits in well with the rest of them, as he should.
His optimism and enthusiasm do wonders to counter Wonwoo and Jisoo’s occasional negativity, and
for that, Jeonghan is grateful. The scales are balancing out the more members they find, and
Jeonghan doesn’t have to pay as much attention to the balance of their emotions anymore.

It isn’t long before Seokmin is handed the box of rings to choose one from, and he gamely chooses
one. It is the one with the Sagittarius symbol on it, and they go through the usual procedure as
Seokmin recovers his memories.

The first person’s embrace he throws himself into once introductions are out of the way is Myungho,
who hugs him tightly, never one to reject affection. He’s crying, and babbling apologies. Myungho
whispers forgiveness and Seokmin cries harder, before calming down after a while.

He’s pleasantly surprised when he checks his torso for the mark Jeonghan told him about, running a
hand over the centaur holding a bow and arrow on his chest. He exits the bathroom, only to see the
others setting up what seems to be a blanket fort.

Seungkwan and Chan want to make it a tradition where they have a sleepover when someone
remembers their past, and the others aren’t exactly against it, so building a blanket fort, obviously, is
the logical choice.
Seokmin throws himself into the job with aplomb, setting up the fort with great relish. As they lie
around the room with Jisoo still on video call, Seokmin asks quietly, “Jeonghan-hyung, who’s the
next person we’re going to find?”

Jeonghan runs a thumb over the marks on his left wrist, and replies just as quietly, “Virgo is next."

♒ ♓ ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ - ♍ - ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑

Seokmin becomes comfortable with his memories quickly, often being the one initiating crazy or
loud things with Seungkwan. It’s a good contrast to the quiet Wonwoo and Jeonghan prefer,
welcomed most of the time.

Their days are accompanied with Jeonghan’s dreams about Virgo, which started up about a week
after Seokmin regained his memories. It’s pitch black in his dream, with only a piano playing.
Jeonghan wonders what Virgo does, if he’s a musician like Jisoo.

As the days pass, Jeonghan realises that this dream is different. He can’t see anything, for one.
There’s only the sound of a piano playing, and it’s a different song every dream. The others are just
as confused, unable to help.

It isn’t until they walk into a music shop one day because Chan wanted to buy a Michael Jackson
album that Jeonghan finally learns who Virgo might be. He’s listening to one of the classical
compilations when a song comes on, one that he recognises immediately.

He flips the CD case over to the tracklist, running his eyes down the list. As the music plays, he
counts the number of songs he had listened to before this song came on, and finds the name of the
track. He records down the name of the pianist and the name of the song, and goes to tell the others
about it.

When they reach home, he goes straight for his laptop and googles ‘Woozi 20’, and scrolls through
the results. He learns that Woozi, real name Lee Jihoon, is a musical prodigy, a year younger that
him, and is having a piano recital in two months.

After consulting the others and checking when they’re free, he is met with positive replies and buys
seven tickets to the recital. Jisoo would be flying down to Korea in about a month or so to visit them,
so it all works out.
The next week passes in a blur, Jeonghan stopping Seungkwan twice from setting their apartment on
fire and Chan from breaking his mother’s housewarming gift, which is a very nice set of fine china.

Jisoo lands in Korea without much fanfare, and his first meetings with Minghao and Seokmin goes
well, clicking with them instantly. The next few days is spent ensuring that the younger ones have
appropriate clothing for the recital.

(Jeonghan and surprisingly, Seungkwan had thrown a fit when they’d seen what Seokmin was going
to go in.)

The night of the recital they all meet up at the entrance to the concert hall where the recital is being
held, and enter together. The hall is slowly filling up with people, and there is a grand piano on the
stage.

Seungkwan, Seokmin and Chan are chattering away, with the others occasionally joining in. Finally,
the lights dim, and Lee Jihoon walks onto the stage. Jeonghan looks at his wrists, and smiles when he
sees his compass pointing straight at the pianist, and the sign of Virgo glowing pale blue.

He starts off with a piece Jeonghan remembers hearing in one of his dreams, his hands flying across
the keyboard. The next two hours are spent with them watching with wide-eyed wonder as the pink-
haired pianist created magic, and at the end of it Jisoo was waxing poetic about his skills.

Jeonghan had pulled some strings with his parents, and attained backstage passes for them, and hence
heads straight for the staff entrance that he can see. The box in his backpack bumps into his back
every once in a while as he moves, the other six following him in.

Upon showing the staff his backstage pass, they are led to a dressing room, where the staff knocks
lightly. Lee Jihoon opens the door, and Jeonghan is slightly taken aback by how short the boy
actually is. If he hadn’t searched him up, he would have thought that Jihoon was Chan’s age.

"Can I help you?” Jihoon is looking at them weirdly, and Jeonghan’s mind blanks, unsure of how
things should go. Luckily, Jisoo sees his panic and takes over smoothly. “Lee Jihoon, right? Your
recital was great today.”

“Thank you. I guess you guys should come in,” Jihoon says, opening the door wider and walking to
the small couch in the room. They file in, and Chan closes the door behind him. “I don’t know if you
know me, but I’m a Youtuber that produces covers?” Jisoo says.

Jihoon frowns and tilts his head. “I might know it. I trawl Youtube quite frequently. Name of your
channel?”

“Joshua Hong.” The reply has Jihoon brightening immediately. “Yeah, I know it. Your covers are
really good!” Jisoo smiles. “Coming from a professional pianist, that’s a big compliment.”

At that, Jihoon’s expression dims. “I’m not really a professional pianist. I may be lauded as a musical
prodigy, but that’s not really what I am.”
“What are you, then?” Wonwoo’s quiet question has Jihoon turning to him. “I’m just a boy that loves
music enough to want to learn everything about it,” he replies.

“I’m Wonwoo. Jeon Wonwoo,” he introduces himself at Jihoon’s questioning look, and the others
take that as a cue to introduce themselves as well.

“I’m Boo Seungkwan! Your playing was great today! I don’t really listen to classical music, but it
was really nice!” Seungkwan says, and Jihoon smiles. “I’m glad you think so.”

“I’m Lee Chan, a dancer.” Chan’s introduction is covered by Seokmin’s loud one. “I’m Seokmin!
Lee Seokmin! I loved your playing out there!”

“Seo Myungho,” the Chinese smiles at Jihoon. “I like your hair,” Jihoon compliments, and Myungho
smiles even wider. “Thanks! I like yours too,” he says, returning the compliment.

“You know me as Joshua Hong, but please just call me Jisoo,” Jisoo says, and Jeonghan finishes with
his own introduction. “I’m Yoon Jeonghan.”

“It’s nice to meet all of you. I’m sorry if this sounds rude, but why are you guys here?” Jihoon says
questioningly. Jeonghan turns to Wonwoo and Jisoo, asking, “Should we do it now? Or later?”
Wonwoo sighs, and says, “Let’s just do it now. I want to see who we have to look for next.”

Jeonghan nods, understanding Geni’s impatience. Mini’s absence has been taking a toll on him, and
it shows in his day-to-day life. He brings his backpack around, unzipping it and taking out the box.
Throughout it all, Jihoon looks confusedly between all of them, Seokmin, Chan and Seungkwan
vibrating on the spot with excitement and the others looking on calmly.

“Pick a ring, Jihoon-ssi.” Jeonghan opens the box, and Jihoon eyes him and the box warily. “It’s
perfectly safe, trust me. We’re all wearing one,” Jisoo says, showing the pianist his ring. Jihoon looks
at the rest of them, realising that they are all indeed wearing a similar ring.

He drops his head a little, and takes one. “What does the sign mean?” he asks, examining the ring.
“It’s the sign of Virgo,” Jeonghan says, and Jihoon opens his mouth again, about to ask what Virgo
is. He is interrupted by Wonwoo. “Put the ring on, Jihoon-ssi. It’ll all make sense in a while.”

Jihoon stares at them suspiciously, but slips the ring on anyway, figuring it’ll do him no harm. He
promptly slumps over. Even as Jeonghan stands up to sit next to Jihoon, he’s saying, “Thank god he
was sitting on a couch.”

They mill around, waiting for Jihoon to wake up by messing with their phones. When the boy does
wake up, it is to Jeonghan holding his head and sighs as his headache fades. He accepts the bottle of
water from Jisoo, taking a large mouthful before speaking.

“Please tell me who’s who before I start asking for explanations.” They introduce themselves again,
this time speaking as their constellations, and Jihoon looks from person to person before turning to
Jeonghan. “Thanks, Libra.”
He then looks at Myungho, chewing at his lip. Before apologies can start, Myungho says, “You’re
forgiven. Don’t apologise to me.” Jihoon stops, throat working, and sighs. “You’re going to be
stubborn about this, aren’t you?” Myungho nods triumphantly, and Jihoon sighs once more.

"Group hug!” Seokmin yells, unable to hold his happiness any longer, and immediately piles on
Jeonghan and Jihoon on the couch. Seungkwan joins in with a loud yell, Chan following soon after.
Myungho, Jisoo and Wonwoo exchange glances, before they’re jumping onto the pile as well.

Jeonghan is groaning from the weight of six people on him, and Jihoon is complaining loudly even as
Seokmin and Seungkwan are laughing, which causes the others to start laughing as well, and it’s
good. They’re good.

♒ ♓ ♈ ♉ - ♊ - ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ - ♏ - ♐ ♑

When Jeonghan next checks his wrist, the triangle is already pointing at the next sign. In the
background, Jihoon is complaining about the new mark on his chest, the side profile of a woman -
the mark of Virgo.

He draws Myungho aside quietly, informing him of the next constellation to find. Myungho visibly
swallows, but tells Jeonghan that he’s fine. Scorpio may be one of the first ones to treat him badly,
but he was also the one going through the most grief at the time, next to Leo. Jeonghan looks at him,
trying to discern whether he is telling the truth.

Myungho smiles reassuringly at him, and the scales that he can sense are tilting towards truth, rather
than lie. The younger one is speaking the truth. Jeonghan nods, and lets it go. He then informs
everyone else of the next person to find, and everyone glances at Myungho.

The person in question looks slightly startled and then exasperated by the concerned looks he’s
getting, and says, “I’m fine, guys. You’ll need my help when he recovers his memories, anyway.
Listening to your stories about how it was up there after I fell makes me think that the burden he’s
putting on his own shoulders when he remembers will be immense.”

The others look just as skeptical as Jeonghan feels, but no one says anything to contradict him, and
the previous conversation is picked up from where they left off, if a little muted compared to before.
Myungho sighs, but joins in the conversation again.
Jeonghan can’t lie, he is slightly worried about what will happen when they find Scorpio, but there’s
nothing he can really do. What problems may crop up lie between Scorpio and Cancer, and it’s not
his place to assume that he can help fix it.

Soon enough, Jihoon is well-versed on the way their little group functions, and assumes the role of
the grumpy one, showing his affection through snarky comments and the like. Jeonghan is relieved,
and doesn’t know why he would be worried. They were meant to be together.

However, there is a little part of him that worries about what if one day it doesn’t work out, and they
have a fight that causes their friendships, their bonds to be irreparable, and hopes they won’t let it get
that far.

As usual, the dreams soon start up again. This time, Jeonghan starts by dreaming of the smell of
coffee. When he wakes up the next day, he checks his wrists on instinct and notices something weird.
As is their usual, the others are piled around him, having had their customary blanket fort upon the
younger ones’ insistence.

It’s weird, because for once, the circle of symbols on his left wrist is spinning erratically, stopping
for a few seconds at the symbol of Gemini then spinning again, before stopping at the symbol of
Scorpio. It’s something that Jeonghan has never seen before, but he can guess as to what it means.

He goes to make breakfast for the eight of them, the smells of which eventually lure the rest out of
sleep and into the kitchen, settling noisily around the table. Jeonghan had to get more chairs and
cutlery for all of them, but seeing them seated around the table, some falling asleep again, makes him
happy.

He watches amusedly as almost all of them stab blindly at their plates once Jeonghan serves the food,
and notices Jisoo and Wonwoo trying to not laugh at them out of politeness.

He has noticed that Jihoon, for his height, carries a certain amount of threat about him that only
comes about when his height is mentioned, and doesn’t want to know what he would do if he thought
someone had offended him.

It takes them a while to become fully awake, but Jeonghan has the pleasure of telling them the good
news and watching as Wonwoo becomes alive with excitement, knowing that he’ll finally get the
opportunity to meet his other half.
“How does that work out? Will we be meeting the two of them at the same time or…” Jihoon trails
off, and Jeonghan shrugs.

“I’m not exactly sure either. I only just noticed it today when I woke up, and I’ve never seen
anything like it before. My dreams won’t tell me anything apart from either where I’ll meet them or
some hints as to who they are, so they’re no help there. We just have to wait and see.”

The reply doesn’t please Jihoon due to the amount of unknown variables in this entire thing,
Jeonghan can tell, but the pink-haired boy is soon distracted from his thoughts by Seungkwan very
nearly yelling into his ear, and turns to berate the younger immediately.
The dream slowly changes to show Jeonghan the setting of a cafe, but the perspectives he is
observing from changes from day to day. One night he’s observing the barista, and another he’s
seated, talking to someone whose face he cannot see.

His dreams switch between these two constantly, and Jeonghan can only conclude that they are going
to meet both Mini and Scorpio at the same location. Wonwoo is only too happy to start scoping out
cafes in his free time, with Chan and Seungkwan going with him when they can.

A few days after Jeonghan informed them of the erratic spinning of the signs on his wrist, Wonwoo
comes to him. “Hyung, I think I can sense where Mini is,” Wonwoo tells him. Jeonghan puts down
the magazine that he had been flipping through.

“Is it a radar?” Jeonghan asks. “It’s more like a tug here,” Wonwoo touches his chest, where his mark
lies. “If I follow it, I think I’ll be able to find Mini,” Wonwoo says, unable to hide his happiness.
Jeonghan smiles as well, and nods. “Go follow it. You’re meant to find each other.”

Wonwoo beams at him, and goes off to do just that. Jeonghan smiles, shaking his head at the
intangible connection between the two halves of Gemini. He should have expected something like
this. They were inseparable when they were together, after all. One was never seen without the other,
despite the differences in character.

Wonwoo visits Jeonghan at his apartment again the very next day, sporting a grin that speaks of how
pleased he is with life at the moment. “You found him already?” Jeonghan says, unable to stop the
smile from spreading across his face upon seeing how happy Wonwoo looks.

The younger ones are off to school or practice, and Jisoo is currently in America, making
preparations to move to Korea permanently. His parents are accepting of the idea, and for that,
Jeonghan is glad. It would make it so much harder if Jisoo’s parents had disapproved, because Jisoo
would move here, regardless of whether he had his parents’ blessing or not.

It’s the pull of the zodiac, their unwillingness to be apart from each other for long. They all
understand that feeling, because there was a reason they all hung out as often as they could together.
There was a reason no one had fierce objections to the blanket forts every time they found a new
member.

Jeonghan doesn’t demand for Wonwoo to introduce Mini to him immediately. This sort of thing
takes time, and one has to be blind to see how head over heels Wonwoo is for Mini. The others start
teasing Wonwoo about it, and despite all his complaints about it, he clearly doesn’t mind it much.

It takes a while, but Wonwoo approaches Jeonghan a good two weeks later, nervous in a way that
he’s usually not. Jeonghan takes one look at him and smiles gently, “You’re finally allowing me to
meet your most precious person?”

It’s said in a teasing tone, and Jeonghan watches amusedly as Wonwoo flushes.

Wonwoo opens his mouth, closes it, and then glares, and Jeonghan laughs. “All right, all right, I’ll
stop teasing. When do you want me to meet him?”
“Tomorrow?” Wonwoo asks. Jeonghan checks his class schedule, and nods. “Tomorrow it is. What
time do you want me to be ready? I’m assuming you’ll be bringing me there?”

Wonwoo nods, and Jeonghan draws him into a hug. “I’m happy for you, Wonwoo-ah.” Wonwoo
smiles embarrassedly, ducking his head.

Before Wonwoo turns to leave Jeonghan to whatever he was doing before, a thought occurs to the
older and he calls out. “Wonwoo-ah, do you want me to bring the box?” Wonwoo thinks it over,
before nodding and picks up his book that was left open on the table.

The next day, Jeonghan gets ready for when Wonwoo will come over at noon, and slides the box
gently into his backpack, smoothing his hands over it before he does so. Soon, this box will carry one
less ring, that much closer to fulfilling its duty.

Wonwoo knocks on the door and opens it with the key Jeonghan got for each person the day they
recalled their memories, and Jeonghan smiles up at him from his perch on the arm of his sofa, tying
his shoelaces. “Just give me a minute and we can go.”

Wonwoo nods, sweater paws slipping into his jean pockets as he waits. Jeonghan finishes up tying
his shoelaces and grabs his wallet, phone and backpack. “Done. Let’s go?”

Wonwoo nods and they both exit the apartment, with Wonwoo leading the way. As it turns out, it’s
only a short walk to the meeting place, which is a cafe, as expected. The bell above the door rings
when they walk in, and the barista greets them cheerfully. “Welcome to the Dioscuri Cafe! How may
I- oh, Wonwoo-hyung!”

Wonwoo smiles and says, “Hey, dongsaeng.” The barista then notices Jeonghan standing just behind
Wonwoo, and his smile dims a little. “Who’s this?” Jeonghan asks, nudging Wonwoo suggestively.
Wonwoo glares at him slightly, before introducing him to the barista. “This is my friend, Jeonghan.”

Jeonghan beams at the barista, who only smiles back upon hearing Wonwoo’s use of the word
'friend’. Jeonghan shakes his head mentally. Honestly, could these two be any more oblivious?
“Yoon Jeonghan at your service! I’m Wonwoo’s best friend!”

“I’m Kim Mingyu! What would you like today?” the tall barista introduces himself as well. “A
caramel latte will do,” Jeonghan tells him. “With whipped cream?” Mingyu pauses in writing his
order down. Jeonghan nods, and Mingyu smiles at him quickly, already starting to fix his order.

“Wonwoo-hyung, your usual, yes?” Mingyu calls even as he turns to fill Jeonghan’s order. Wonwoo
makes an affirmative noise and they move to find seats. Jeonghan checks his wrist, and is glad to see
that the circle has stilled, and the Gemini sign is glowing.

As Jeonghan watches, the glow fades and it quickly spins to land on the Scorpio sign. Just then,
Jeonghan’s phone vibrates, and he slides it out of his pocket to check.
“Jeonghannie-hyung! I want to introduce you to someone I met! He’s from China too, if you can
believe it!” Jeonghan reads the text from Myungho, who rarely sounds as excited as he does in the
message, and so he sends the address of the cafe to the younger, before turning to inform Wonwoo.

Wonwoo gives him a thumbs up distractedly, watching as Mingyu makes their orders. Jeonghan
nudges him. “Head over heels, eh? Does he know? Or have you just been sitting here everyday
staring at him whenever he turns his back to you?”

Wonwoo flushes and glares at him, and Jeonghan laughs at his disgruntled expression at being called
out. “Honestly, you guys are too cute,” he grins.

Mingyu comes over with their orders, and smiles at Jeonghan as he passes them their orders, and
Jeonghan chortles when Mingyu practically beams at Wonwoo. Seriously, how are they so adorably
oblivious? Jeonghan does not regret coming here for one second. Not at all.

It doesn’t take long before the bell is ringing again, and a clearly excited Myungho drags someone in.
Jeonghan waves to get their attention, and Myungho practically runs over. Jeonghan checks his wrist,
and sees the Scorpio sign glowing.

Jeonghan doesn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He decides to do the former, which has everyone
looking at him weirdly, before Wonwoo pulls his left wrist over to see. His mouth drops open, and he
immediately turns to stare at the guy Myungho brought with him.

Myungho looks from Jeonghan to Wonwoo, wondering what could have cracked Jeonghan up. He
sees a flash of blue before Jeonghan covers it up again, and gapes at Jeonghan before jumping up and
down ecstatically.

“It’s him? Jeonghan-hyung, are you sure?” Myungho asks, vibrating with happiness. Jeonghan nods,
wiping the tears from the corners of his eyes. Really, the timing couldn’t have been more right.

From the way Scorpio is glaring at him, he’s clearly having a crush on their dear Cancer, maybe even
in love. His scales are tipping more towards love, which only makes him want to start laughing
again.

Oh lord, this is going to be a complete trainwreck to watch, Jeonghan thinks to himself, unbearably
amused. As Jeonghan calms himself down, Wonwoo grabs two more chairs and Myungho and his
friend go to order their drinks.

“Why were you laughing so hard?” Wonwoo asks quietly. Jeonghan snorts, barely stopping himself
from breaking into laughter again. “I’ll tell you in a while, if you can’t notice it. Then again, you
haven’t noticed Mingyu making heart eyes at you every time you’re not paying attention, so maybe
you won’t.”

Wonwoo looks like he’s been slapped, which only makes Jeonghan start laughing again. “I haven’t
laughed so hard in so long, oh my god I’m so amused,” he breathes, wiping tears from his eyes.
Myungho and Scorpio come back, and they finally introduce themselves to each other. “This is Moon
Junhwi, hyung. Junhui-ge, these are my hyungs, Jeonghan and Wonwoo!” Myungho says, after they
have gotten their drinks.

The two of them smile at Junhwi when their names are mentioned, and Jeonghan says, “I’m Yoon
Jeonghan, he’s Jeon Wonwoo. The barista over there is Kim Mingyu.”

Throughout their entire time in the cafe, Jeonghan feels like he’s watching a drama. Two couples,
clearly in love, but too blind to see it. Oh man, he can’t wait to tell the others. That night, only
Wonwoo and Myungho are at his apartment, Seungkwan out with Chan and Seokmin doing
something or the other, and Jihoon in his studio.

Jeonghan starts off by saying, “Mingyu is Mini, Junhwi is Scorpio. Congrats to both of you, you guys
found more constellations, but Wonwoo knew that. Anyway, I feel like it is my responsibility as your
hyung who has been observing the four of you for the entire day.

"The two of them are practically head over heels in love for you guys.”

Jeonghan tries not to laugh, he really does, but the two’s gobsmacked expressions are really just too
funny and adorable. “You guys are so cute. Mingyu was clearly jealous of me up to the point where
you introduced me, Wonwoo-ah, and Junhwi was glaring daggers at me when you were so excited
after seeing my wrist.”

The two of them sputter, and Jeonghan stops laughing upon seeing their lost looks. He sighs, and
says, “Look, you guys decide whether you reciprocate those feelings or not, and if you do, consider
whether you want to let them remember before you confess or after.”

Jeonghan sends them off with that thought in mind, and sits back down on his sofa, exhausted from
all the laughing he had done that day.

Over the next few days, Wonwoo and Myungho come to him, having made up their minds. They
want the other two to remember who they are first before they do anything, and Jeonghan nods. The
others have all been informed of what transpired that day and so are all present when Mingyu and
Junhwi walk into Jeonghan’s apartment with Wonwoo and Myungho.

Even Jisoo is present via webcam, and the two newcomers seem a bit shocked by the amount of
people there to meet them. Introductions are made, and Jeonghan does his best to make them
comfortable.

Soon enough, Mingyu is goofing around with Seokmin, Chan and Seungkwan, and Junhwi is talking
to Wonwoo, Jisoo and Jihoon. Jeonghan goes to take the box, which doesn’t go unnoticed by the
others.

“All right, children, it’s time.” Jeonghan walks out of his room, calling for attention. Mingyu and
Junhwi glance around the room, unsure of what’s going to happen.
Jeonghan sets the box on the table and opens it. “Both of you, pick a ring,” Jeonghan says solemnly.
The others are quiet, and Mingyu reaches for a ring after he glances at Wonwoo and sees him smiling
reassuringly at him. Wonwoo beams when he picks up the ring with the 'ㅛ’ symbol, and Junhwi
takes the ring with the symbol of the Scorpio on it.

“You guys can put it on, the ring doesn’t bite,” Jeonghan says, and all of them snort. Jeonghan smiles
a little and says, “Shush, you guys. Go ahead and put it on.”

The two of them slide the rings onto their fingers at the same time, and they slump over only
moments later. Wonwoo and Myungho catch them, and Jeonghan tells them, “Move them so they’re
on both sides of me.”

Jeonghan places his hands on their temples, waiting for the moment they wake up. Mingyu wakes up
first, and Jeonghan focuses on helping Mingyu sort through his memories. Wonwoo takes over as
soon as he’s done, which is just as well, because Junhwi wakes up at well.

As soon as Junhwi’s memories are sorted, Jeonghan moves back and lets the two get used to the
sudden influx of memories that they received. He isn’t surprised when Junhwi breaks down in
Myungho’s embrace, sobbing apologies into his shirt. Myungho hugs him tightly, brushing kisses on
the crown of the older Chinese’s hair and temples.

Mingyu isn’t faring any better, crying from the relief of having Wonwoo, his other half, by his side.
When the two couples end up kissing, Jeonghan lets it go on for a while before putting a stop to it,
not just because of Seokmin, Chan and Seungkwan’s hooting and cheering.

“Stop with the PDA, guys. We have to introduce ourselves, remember?” Jeonghan says, and they
break apart, settling into each other with ease, and in Gemini’s case, a sense of familiarity.

Introductions are made once more, this time regarding who is which constellation, and as soon as
that’s done, Chan is off like a rocket, carrying as many pillows as he can from Jeonghan’s room and
dumping it on the floor. Seungkwan goes to get the blankets, and Seokmin starts setting up.

Myungho and Junhwi are murmuring to each other in Chinese, and Jeonghan smiles at them and the
Gemini couple before asking them to shift off the floor as the three more excitable ones take over the
area while building their blanket fort.

As he waits for them to finish doing so, he listens to Jihoon’s conversation with Jisoo, and looks at
his left wrist again. This time, the triangle is pointing to the sign of Taurus, and Jeonghan wonders
what he’ll be like.

♒ ♓ ♈ - ♉ - ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑
Junhwi and Mingyu settle in well into their steadily growing group of ten, and Jihoon takes great
delight in playfully bullying Mingyu, as well as Chan and Seungkwan. Junhwi is a quiet presence
that Jeonghan appreciates, always somehow subtly showing his care for the others, regardles of
whether it is passing them snacks, or ensuring that they drink enough water.

Junhwi also took over cooking duties once he finds out that they’ve been eating more takeout that
anything. Therefore, they’re treated to a homecooked meal every time the Chinese comes over, and
he always leaves leftovers and extra dishes in the fridge for them to warm up in the microwave if
they’re hungry.
Honestly, he’s a better mother than Jeonghan could ever be.

The dreams start up again like clockwork, and Jeonghan’s next dream is of a dance studio, where he
can hear shoes squeaking. Chan is understandably excited when Jeonghan tells them of it, and
Myungho and Junhwi are as well.

The fact that Myungho danced came out one night, before he’d known Junhwi, when Chan was
talking about this upcoming competition that he wanted to try out for. Myungho had started asking
Chan about the details, and Chan had asked, surprised, if he danced.

Myungho had nodded shyly, and Chan had once again booked a studio to let Myungho show them
his dancing. Myungho revealed that he mainly did b-boying, with some martial arts mixed in, and the
rest of them were suitably impressed when Myungho did a series of flips in front of them.

The competition, upon doing more research, is still a while away, and is more of a face-off type of
competition, and Chan and Myungho decide to join as a pair. The months up to the competition
brings Chan and Myungho a lot closer together as they prepare for it, and when Junhwi asks if he can
join, he is gladly accepted and quickly added into their already established routine.

Jeonghan, Jisoo, Jihoon and Wonwoo give them whatever support they needed, and Seungkwan,
Mingyu and Seokmin are there as their very enthusiastic cheerleaders. The few of them have never
been to a faceoff dance competition before, but are definitely looking forward to seeing the three
dancers in their group shine on stage. Jisoo makes Wonwoo and Jeonghan promise to film the entire
thing and send it to him.

Throughout it all, Jeonghan’s dreams slowly become more and more detailed, and he notices more
details about the studio. One, is that it is definitely in Korea, two, whoever they’re looking for is
probably extremely hardworking, given by the fact that in one of his dreams, the clock in the studio
told him that it was fifteen minutes to three in the morning.

Chan, Myungho and Junhwi often stumble into Jeonghan and Seungkwan’s apartment late at night,
sweaty and high off the adrenaline from dancing. Jeonghan dumps them one by one into the shower
and hands them their clothes.
(Everyone’s clothes have made their way into the apartment, and is kept in weird places around it.
Jeonghan finds Chan’s in Seungkwan’s closet and Myungho’s and Junhwi’s in one of the kitchen
drawers, for some odd reason. By now, Jeonghan can’t even pretend to be surprised. He found
Seokmin’s stash of clothes behind the TV.)

After they emerge from the shower, Jeonghan lets them collapse onto the mattresses he pulled out in
the living room. They’re out like lights in less than a minute.

The stress from wanting to do well at the competition rears its ugly head, and Jeonghan often finds
himself at the studio, feeding the idiots and making sure they keep hydrated and making them rest.

They end up staying later and later at the studio, and more often than not Jeonghan is dragging them
back bodily to his apartment to rest for at least four hours before letting them go again, enlisting
Seungkwan, Seokmin and Mingyu to sit on them to make sure they do so.

Finally, the day of the competition comes, and the eager yet nervous trio are escorted to the venue by
the rest of them. It’s not the most prestigious competition, but it’s enough to have crowds flocking to
buy tickets.

Jeonghan and the others, having pre-ordered tickets, enter the hall after sending the three of them off
to the competitors’ area, and find seats that offer them a splendid view of the performers.

There’s still some time to kill before the competition starts, and Jeonghan lets Seungkwan and
Seokmin wander off.

Wonwoo and Jihoon don’t like crowds, for all that Jihoon is used to performing in front of them, and
Mingyu goes where Wonwoo goes (mostly), and so the four of them remain where they are, ensuring
that no one else takes their seats.

Jeonghan sets up the camera so that they’ll be able to send Jisoo a video, and leans back in his seat to
wait for time to pass, choosing to observe the people that walk past. The Gemini twins (Jeonghan
should really stop calling them that, it’s weird, given that they’re a couple.) are huddled close
together, watching something on Wonwoo’s phone, and Jihoon has his eyes closed, resting.

(Mingyu and Junhwi had been delighted to see the marks on their chest, Junhwi’s a scorpion, and
Mingyu’s a pair of twins not unlike Wonwoo’s. The representations of Scorpio and Gemini.)

Jeonghan stares at the marks on his wrists, having pushed both wristbands up. He wonders what will
happen once they’ve found everyone again, wonders if his marks would disappear. His thoughts are
interrupted when the lights dim and the stage lights are turned on.

Jihoon sits up in his seat and the Gemini couple stop watching whatever they were watching and turn
their attention to the stage. Beside him, Seungkwan and Seokmin slide into their seats as quietly as
they can. Jeonghan makes sure the camera starts recording, and the competition begins.
All the competitors are on stage, and the emcee calls them out one by one. From what Jeonghan had
read, they would start with a routine, a choreographed set of moves, before they moved on to
freestyle battling. Myungho’s rainbow hair (a spur of the moment decision) is easy to spot, and
Jeonghan keeps his eyes on the trio.

The competition goes by in a flash, Seokmin and Seungkwan cheering the loudest when Myungho,
Chan and Junhwi are up, and before Jeonghan knows it, he’s holding the camera and tripod,
stumbling through the crowd behind the others. It’s easy to follow Mingyu’s tall figure, even though
Jeonghan isn’t short himself.

They meet up with the competing trio by the staff entrance, and Jeonghan doesn’t notice there’s
someone else with them until the guy’s standing right next to him. He startles when he realises that
the guy is next to him, and his left wrist faintly burns as he makes eye contact.

The blonde is smiling at him, opening his mouth to speak when Chan does it for him. “Hyungs! This
is Soonyoung-hyung, one of the competitors! Did you guys see him dance, he’s so much better than
us oh my god no wonder he won second place, did you see the first place though his moves were
sick-” Chan’s excited ramble is muffled by Jihoon clamping a hand around his mouth.

“Shut up and calm down before you speak, maknae,” the shorter hisses and Chan nods, cowed.
Soonyoung laughs at their antics, and introduces himself to the group at large, properly. “I’m Kwon
Soonyoung, it’s nice to meet all of you.”

Jeonghan fiddles with his wristband, and sees the Taurus mark on his left wrist glowing. He blinks,
before turning to look at the blonde dancer with different eyes. “Soonyoung-ssi? Would you like to
join us for our celebratory dinner?” Jeonghan asks.

Soonyoung immediately tries to reject his offer, but is cut off by Chan’s excited “Hyung, please
come! Please please please!” Soonyoung looks to someone desperately, which happens to be
Wonwoo, who shrugs.

“It’s really fine. We’re just celebrating the fact that it’s these three’s first competition together and
none of them screwed up that badly,“ Jeonghan says, trying to convince the younger. Finally, the
dancer nods and they leave for somewhere quieter that offers good food.

As they’re walking, Jihoon walks next to Jeonghan, and says in a low voice, "I saw you glance at
your wrist when you met him.” It’s a question hidden in the statement, and Jeonghan nods in return.
Jihoon smiles, there and gone, and continues walking quietly, both of them listening to the ongoing
conversation.

They find a restaurant without much fanfare, the ahjumma pushing tables together to accommodate
all ten of them. It’s messy and loud, and Jeonghan wouldn’t have it any other way. He takes out his
phone and sends a message to their group chat, and those who check their phones immediately
brighten up at the news, engaging Soonyoung into their conversation even more.
When they leave the restaurant, Soonyoung has struck up a fast friendship with Seokmin and
Seungkwan, and has managed to get Jihoon to laugh more times than Seungkwan and Seokmin have
combined. Jeonghan knows, because they tried.

(It was a trainwreck and ended with Jihoon smacking the two upside their heads for irritating him
with stupid jokes with dumb punchlines that weren’t even funny, even though the two of them were
laughing even as they told the joke.)

Chan is begging for dance tips, and Myungho and Junhwi are asking if they can dance together some
time soon. The Gemini couple are talking quietly to each other, only to be interrupted when
Soonyoung jumps onto Wonwoo’s back.

He immediately falls off, Wonwoo not prepared for the extra weight and stumbling. Mingyu laughs,
but Jeonghan sees a mischievous glint enter Jihoon’s eyes before the younger is making a running
jump for Mingyu’s back. Mingyu’s hands come up, used to this already.

(Jihoon had first discovered this when he realised that Mingyu had hidden the coffee powder and his
stash of candy where only he could reach, and had promptly jumped onto Mingyu’s back and
demanded that he walk to the kitchen, where the shorter retrieved the coffee powder and jumped off
Mingyu’s back, hissing at him for hiding his elixir from him.

Since then, Jihoon had made a habit of jumping onto Mingyu’s back whenever he felt like it, and
Wonwoo only watched on, far too amused by this.)

Jihoon then turns to Soonyoung, eyes gleaming in challenge. If Jihoon hadn’t had his pride, he would
have stuck his tongue out. As it is, Soonyoung’s eyes brightens at the challenge, and takes a leap for
Wonwoo’s back again.

Wonwoo catches him this time, and the four of them make quite the sight - two brown haired guys
piggybacking a pink-haired and blonde guy respectively. Everyone is laughing, and Jeonghan takes
out his phone to take some photos for memories’ sake.

With Seokmin, Seungkwan, and Soonyoung getting along like a house on fire, and Chan, Myungho
and Junhwi’s regular dance meetups with Soonyoung, it isn’t long before Jeonghan is bringing the
box of rings out of his backpack again, and letting Soonyoung choose one from it.

They’re in the studio that the dancers in their group booked, and they were all lying down
haphazardly when Jeonghan took out the box. Now, they’re all seated surrounding Soonyoung,
watching as he slips the ring with the mark of Taurus onto the last finger of his right hand.

Myungho’s fast reflexes save the blonde’s head from making an unfortunate meeting with the
wooden floor, and the conversation is picked up again as they wait for Soonyoung to wake up.

Jeonghan’s hands against his temples are welcome when he wakes up, the memories helping to sort
themselves out thanks to the older. As is their routine now, introductions are made once more, and
roles are given out for the blanket fort they’ll be building later.
As it is, the whole group of them gets up amidst much groaning and complaining, and go off to find
some dinner. Over dinner, Jeonghan informs them of their schedule over the next few days. For those
who don’t have school, they’ll be helping Jisoo move into his new apartment only a block away from
Jeonghan’s apartment.

He would be landing in two days, and Jeonghan already has the keys to his apartment. He enlists the
younger ones to help him in cleaning the apartment and making it livable, having been untouched for
a few months, the last Jeonghan knew.

Soonyoung, surprisingly, brings out the more fun side of Jisoo, a large contrast from his usual quiet
manner, and they are usually found fooling around and joking with each other. Their greetings are
usually loud, and Jeonghan is already filing it away in his brain under 'Things to filter out’.

The triangle on his left wrist is now pointing to Aquarius, which means that Leo will be the last to be
found. Jeonghan wonders who will be their leader, the one who will be able to bring them all home.
He wonders if Leo will refuse to go back.

Seungkwan is eager to find Aquarius, the occasionally aloof and temperamental constellation being
the one he was closest to before they fell. They all are eager to find the last two members of their
group. Jeonghan, as Libra, tries his best, but they need Leo for the stability he provides, the sense that
it’ll all be alright that he constantly carries with him.

They are that much closer to returning home, and Jeonghan can tell that the others are beginning to
get restless, eager to go home.

- ♒ - ♓ ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑

When the dreams don’t come for a week, Jeonghan doesn’t think much of it. It took almost a month
before the dreams about Cancer came, so this time might be the same. When it’s been a month and a
half, though, that’s when Jeonghan starts to worry.

Everyone is busy with school and the like, but Jeonghan can tell that everyone is starting to become
antsy at the fact that they’re still missing two people. Every time they gather, they give him
questioning glances, but Jeonghan just shakes his head in return.

They attend classes like usual, but Jeonghan is getting more and more distracted over the fact that it’s
been close to two months since they found Taurus, and he still has not gotten any dreams. He
wonders what’s going on back at home, whether they’re having any trouble with finding the others.
The group chat is as lively as ever, and Jeonghan’s phone is constantly buzzing, what with the kids
all talking over one another about their day, the things they saw and did and the like. Playful
arguments are a dime a dozen, but between Wonwoo, Jisoo, Jihoon and Jeonghan, nothing escalates
into real fights.

They’re busy for a while, helping Jisoo settle into his new apartment. Jeonghan jokes that they can
stop hanging around his apartment so often, but isn’t surprised when even Jisoo comes over to his
apartment instead. He does draw the line at having Jisoo’s housewarming party at his own apartment,
though.

The party involves all eleven of them, and despite the small number of people, it’s the rowdiest party
Jeonghan has been to in all the years he’s been going to parties, which is saying something.

He has to do volume control numerous times so that Jisoo doesn’t get kicked out before a week has
passed, has watched Soonyoung, Chan and Myungho dance in the centre of the living room to hiphop
songs even as Junhwi watches fondly and Seungkwan and Seokmin to girl group songs, Jisoo
occasionally joining in.

Wonwoo and Mingyu are making out in the corner, but Jeonghan doesn’t have the heart to tell them
to stop, given that he’s the only semi-sober awake person in the room, Jihoon knocked out in one of
the rooms. He keeps an eye on the couple all the same, because if they go any further he’s going to
have to break them apart. Or at least direct them to another room.

Soon enough though, everyone falls asleep, the four dancers slumped over each other on the living
room floor, Wonwoo and Mingyu in the corner that they were huddled in, and the three who danced
to girl group songs in another pile near the four. Jeonghan shakes his head, smiling, and switches off
the music.

He cleans up as much as he can, before he gets blankets to cover everyone with. (He had to dig
through three boxes labeled 'Bedroom stuff’ before he finds the blankets. Why Jisoo has that many
pillows, he doesn’t want to know. Maybe it’s comfortable having more pillows?)

After he does that, he switches off the lights and goes to join Jihoon in the bedroom, because why
sleep on the floor when there’s a perfectly good bed in the next room?

He wakes up the next morning and the entire apartment is quiet. Jihoon is still conked out next to
him, and Jeonghan gets out of bed and pads to the kitchen. Everyone is still asleep, and he goes about
preparing a greasy breakfast and painkillers to help everyone with the hangover they’re bound to get.

Junhwi and Myungho stumble into the kitchen, being early risers. They’re both clutching their heads,
and Jeonghan pushes the painkillers in their direction. Junhwi mumbles out a thank you that is barely
understandable, and both of them swallow the painkillers before slumping over.

Jeonghan plates the bacon and eggs, sliding it to them, and watches them slowly pick their heads up
and start eating the greasy breakfast. The process is repeated with each boy that stumbles their way to
the kitchen, and Jeonghan watches amusedly as ten zombies eat their food silently. (Jihoon hadn’t
been that drunk, but he hates waking up in the mornings.)
Jeonghan himself only has bad breath to tell him that he drank last night, and had washed up before
he started making breakfast.

After breakfast has been eaten and cleared, and everyone is feeling more alive, Jeonghan informs
them of the good news - he had had a dream last night. Everyone cheers, albeit a bit weakly, and
Jeonghan laughs at their zombified actions.

“It’s a weird dream, though. I’m just standing in my apartment, but there’s loud sounds coming from
outside.” Everyone is too hungover or sleepy to think about anything right now, and so another
impromptu sleepfest as everyone falls asleep again. Jeonghan thanks his lucky stars (ha, see, pun)
that they’d had the party on a Sunday, and throws blankets over everyone again.

He walks the one block to his own apartment to shower and wash up properly, and returns to Jisoo’s
apartment to knock out next to Soonyoung.

When Jeonghan next wakes up, there’s quiet conversation going on amongst them, and Jeonghan
yawns, sitting up to stretch. The eleven of them spend the day like that, lazing about and only getting
up to go to the washroom or get food.

Finally, they leave Jisoo’s apartment late at night, Jisoo sending them off one by one at the door, and
Jeonghan and Seungkwan walk back to their apartment.

Jeonghan wakes up the next morning, feeling off-kilter. There had been no dream that night. He goes
to prepare breakfast for the still-asleep Seungkwan, and feels a sense of deja-vu when he hears loud
noises coming from outside the apartment.

When he goes to check, he sees a moving truck and men moving boxes into the apartment next to his,
and sticks his head in the door. He sees a boy and girl, playing with each other, and a couple
directing the men. The boy looks up and notices him, coming closer to him.

When he comes closer, Jeonghan registers the Caucasian face and that the boy looks to be around
Seungkwan’s age, or maybe Chan’s, and is mildly surprised when the boy speaks and fluent Korean
comes out.

“Can I help you?” he asks, and Jeonghan shakes his head, smiling. “I’m your next door neighbour,
and was just wondering what all the ruckus was about,” he explains, and the boy makes a face of
understanding.

“I’m Yoon Jeonghan,” he introduces himself, but the boy isn’t looking at him anymore. Instead, he’s
looking at… his wrists? Jeonghan follows his line of sight and realises that he forgot to wear his
wristbands.

He’s about to cover his wrists when he notices the Aquarius sign glowing, and then the boy asks,
“What are those markings on your wrists? Is it glowing?”
Jeonghan quickly covers them, and the boy looks at him. “What’s your name?” Jeonghan asks. “I’m
Choi Hansol, and this is Choi Hangyeon,” he says, introducing him and his sister, who had come up
behind to peer at the stranger.

“It’s nice to meet you both. I need to go back now, but I’ll come over later again, for a welcome gift,
yeah?” Jeonghan says, hands wrapped around his wrists. He quickly makes an escape before Hansol
can ask more questions, and closes the door behind him.

Seungkwan is awake now, eating breakfast. “What’s going on outside?” he asks between mouthfuls,
and Jeonghan sighs and says, “Aquarius is our new next door neighbour.” Seungkwan drops his fork,
and stares open-mouthed at Jeonghan. “Close your mouth, dongsaeng. I can see the half-chewed food
in your mouth and it’s gross as hell.”

Seungkwan shuts his mouth and swallows, before speaking. “Are you sure, hyung? Can we go over
now?” Jeonghan nods, showing him his left wrist, which is still glowing, but fainter. “We’ll go over
later, I have to prepare a welcome gift first. What do you think, cookies? Cake?”

“Chocolate cake!” The exclamation brings a smile to Jeonghan’s face and he nods. “Chocolate cake
it is.”

Seungkwan is busy messaging the group chat, telling them that Jeonghan found Aquarius, and two
hours later, Jeonghan is holding the chocolate cake in both hands, still warm, and Seungkwan is
knocking on the door.

A Caucasian woman opens the door, and speaks English. Jeonghan is thrown off for a moment,
before her husband, Korean, comes up. “Hello,” he says, and Jeonghan gives a quick bow. “Hello!
We’re your new neighbours and thought I would bring a welcome gift for you,” Jeonghan says,
showing them the chocolate cake.

They’re quickly ushered in by the two, and Jeonghan places the cake on the dinner table. “I’m Yoon
Jeonghan, and he’s Boo Seungkwan,” Jeonghan introduces the two of them, and Seungkwan waves
energetically, greeting, “Good morning!"

The couple smile at them, and the mother calls in English, "Vernon, Sofia, we have guests!” At the
two’s bewildered glances, her husband explains. “My wife only speaks English, so the entire family
is fluent in Korean and English.”

Jeonghan and Seungkwan nod in understanding, and Jeonghan asks, “Can I ask when you moved to
Korea?” The man laughs and replies, “Oh, we moved here when Vernon, that’s Hansol, was around
three, so maybe fourteen, fifteen years ago. How old are the two of you?”

“I’m 22, and Seungkwan’s 19,” Jeonghan informs the older man, and he replies, “Oh, my son is 19
too! My daughter is 13.” The two in mention come out of a room, and their father quickly tells them
to greet their guests.

They go through introductions again, and soon the four of them are talking amongst each other like
long-lost friends. Sofia, or Hangyeol, as she tells them to call her, is a little terror, making jokes and
playing around with her brother. Hansol is the calmer one, and is currently talking to Seungkwan as
Jeonghan chats with Hangyeol.

By the time they leave, Seungkwan and Hansol have exchanged numbers, and Hangyeol has fallen in
love with Jeonghan. It turns out that Hansol and Seungkwan have a lot in common, and when they
get back to the apartment, Seungkwan turns to Jeonghan and says, “I can’t wait for him to remember,
hyung.” Jeonghan smiles and ruffles his hair.

Over the next few weeks, Hansol is introduced to the rest of their friends, and Jisoo is delighted to
meet someone who can speak English. The American-born quickly wins over Hansol’s mom’s heart
as well, given by her loud exclamations every time she sees Jisoo.

Hansol is a welcome presence in their group, now twelve instead eleven. Hangyeol is a shadow of
her brother, and they have fun amusing her and listening to her talk about whatever she’s interested
in lately.

More often than not, the two of them come over frequently and hang out with them after Jeonghan
and Seungkwan’s classes. Seungkwan is eager for Hansol to remember, and Jeonghan eventually
relents two weeks in.

Hansol is asked to leave his sister at home for a day, and his mother agrees readily, understanding the
need for an 'all boys’ day’, as Jisoo put it. Once again, everyone is gathered, and Jeonghan goes to
take the box of rings out.

There’s only two rings left, and Hansol, on Seungkwan’s encouragement to choose either one,
gravitates towards the one with the sign of Aquarius. He puts it on, and immediately knocks out.

Seungkwan has his head propped in his lap, and everyone is chatting softly when Hansol comes to.
Seungkwan calls for Jeonghan, who does his thing, and Hansol opens his eyes when he feels less like
his head is going to split open in half.

The memories are at the forefront of his mind, and he glances from person to person. Everyone re-
introduces themselves, and they settle down again. Jeonghan explains the markings on his wrists, and
Hansol nods in understanding.

Later that night when Hansol returns home to grab blankets for the blanket fort they’re building, he’s
going to take a quick shower when he notices the representation of Aquarius on his chest, the water-
bearer.

♒ ♓ ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ - ♌ - ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑
Leo is the last, their leader a prominent absence when they gather. Jeonghan checks his left wrist out
of habit, and just as expected, the triangle is pointed towards the sign of Leo. There are no dreams for
a day or two, even as Hansol settles into their group with ease.

As expected, Aquarius loves being in their group, and is often suggesting places that they can all go
together, but all Jeonghan can think about is the ruckus they’ll make wherever they go, and prays that
no one will call the police on them for being public nuisances.

The group chat becomes rowdier than ever, and Jeonghan’s had to turn off his phone so that he could
concentrate in class. (He wants to tell everyone to shut up for two hours and give themselves a break,
but he can tell they’re all having too much fun poking fun at each other to try.)

That night, Jeonghan starts dreaming again. He dreams of children’s laughter, happy and shrieking,
and an empty playground, and wakes up with questions in his mind, because that was the playground
he used to play in as a child.

Over the next few days Jeonghan continues dreaming of the playground, but this time he’s dreaming
of a pair of children, two boys, playing with each other. They’re sparring with their swords, which
are really just two long, thin branches that they had found.

Jarringly, Jeonghan remembers doing the exact thing. He had been six or seven, he thinks, and had
been playing with the kid next door, who was the same age as him. They had grown up together,
played with each other since Jeonghan moved to the neighbourhood when he was two, barely
toddling behind his mother.

The next night, the dream is of the two boys again, but this time they’re playing in the sandbox. This,
Jeonghan remembers as well. He is older in this dream, compared to the one from previous night, but
not by much. Maybe a few months.

They had been playing in the sandbox when the other boy accidentally threw sand into his eyes and
he had cried for a solid hour, the boy apologizing profusely and giving him hugs, tears in his eyes as
well. The memory plays out in his dream, and Jeonghan thinks it’s a sign.

The dreams over the next few weeks play out the same way, Jeonghan reliving his childhood with the
boy, but for all that Jeonghan tries, he cannot recall the other boy’s name. It’s been irritating him to
no end, that he remembers so many fond memories with the other but yet cannot remember his name.

The others are patient with him, telling him there’s no rush, but Jeonghan wants to go home. Wants
to see the other stars from other constellations, wants to see Earth from up there instead of being on
it.

Jihoon starts meeting up with Suga, the producer and arranger that he had worked with when he was
releasing his compilation. Apparently, Suga wanted a fresh mind on the album he had been working
on, and so Woozi, the esteemed concert pianist, had been roped into it.
When Jihoon starts complaining about lack of sustenance in the studio, Jeonghan and Junhwi jump at
the chance to make food for the smallest member of their group. After that, Junhwi has to rush off to
meet Soonyoung for some thing or the other. Probably dance practice again, Jeonghan muses as he
packs the lunch boxes.

And that is how Jeonghan ended up here, staring up at the imposing building with lunch boxes in his
hands. He sighs, walking into the building and to the receptionist’s desk. “May I help you?” the lady
asks him politely, if not a bit starstruck.

Jeonghan had decided to let his hair grow out, much like in that very first dream he had gotten, way
before he had found himself again. It gives him an 'ethereal look’, as Mingyu likes to say. He smiles
at the receptionist, and says, “I’m here for Jihoon? Lee Jihoon? He’s working with Suga, if I recall
correctly.”

“P-please hold on a moment,” she says, not immune to Jeonghan’s charms. She picks up the phone
and presses a few buttons. “Hello? Min-ssi? Ah yes, I have someone here that is looking for Lee-
ssi… Yes sir, I’ll let him through.”

Jeonghan waits patiently as she prepares a visitor’s pass for him. “Thank you for waiting, just head
up to the seventeenth floor. Min-ssi said to find them in the second room on the left.” Jeonghan
smiles and thanks the receptionist, before walking towards the lift lobby.

The elevator music is classical, as Jeonghan expected, and there is a soft 'ding!’ as the lift reaches the
seventeenth floor. Jeonghan steps out and turns to the left, knocking on the door of the second room
he comes across.

There is some shuffling audible and the door opens. Jeonghan looks up from fiddling with the lunch
boxes to come face to face with someone that looks eerily like Jihoon. “Woah, you look just like
Jihoon,” comes out of his mouth involuntarily as he is invited into the room, and Jihoon snaps out a
quick “Shut up, hyung.”

“What? You do look like him! Or he looks like you, whoever is older,” Jeonghan defends himself.
“Yoongi-hyung is older, and no, we do not look alike in any way,” Jihoon says firmly, “Now please
tell me you have food with you because I’m starving.”

Jihoon turns away from the computer screen when he smells food, and pushes Yoongi out of the way.
“Junhwi and I didn’t know what Yoongi-ssi would like, so we might have gone a bit overboard…”
Jeonghan says, even as he unpacks the lunch boxes.

Yoongi and Jihoon gape at the increasing number of boxes on their table, and Jihoon quickly breaks
out of his stupor, grabbing a random box and a pair of chopsticks that Jeonghan so kindly passes to
him, sinking down into the sofa to eat.

Before he can, though, there was a groan as the pile of blankets on the sofa moves. Jeonghan jumps
as a face reveals itself from the depths of the blankets. “Uhh, Jihoon?” Jeonghan asks.
“Mm?” Jihoon says, stuffing his mouth with more food. Next to him, Yoongi begins eating as well,
digging in with relish. “Who’s that?” Jeonghan points at the bundle the two are currently sitting on.

“Oh, this? This is Choi Seungcheol, the artiste Yoongi-hyung and I are working our asses off for,”
Jihoon says absentmindedly, even as the man in question sits up, to much grumbling from the two
sitting on him as they shift.

The name catches Jeonghan’s attention, and he sits up straight from where he had sunk into the chair
Jihoon had evacuated in front of the computer screen. He definitely remembers that name now.

“Someone called me?” Seungcheol looks around blearily, rubbing at his eyes before they widen at
the sight of food.

“No one did, now shut up and eat,” Yoongi says, and Seungcheol does so obediently, reaching for a
spare pair of chopsticks. Jeonghan stares at the other, taking in all the ways Choi Seungcheol has
changed in the nine years they had lost contact with each other.

“Choi Seungcheol, huh,” Jeonghan muses, looking at his left wrist. It is glowing again, and really,
Jeonghan isn’t surprised. Seungcheol looks up from eating when Jeonghan calls his name, and
Jeonghan quickly pulls his wristband back in place.

“…Do I know you? You seem awfully familiar,” Seungcheol says, head tilted.

Jeonghan snorts. “I’d better be familiar, Seungcheollie. You pushed me into the pool when we were
seven and made me cry.”

Yoongi and Jihoon laugh at the same time, even as Seungcheol slowly puts down one of the boxes
that Jeonghan had so carefully prepared with Junhwi, scanning his face.

“Yoon Jeonghan?” Seungcheol asks carefully, and Jeonghan nods, grin splitting his face.
Seungcheol’s face brightens considerably, and he stands up, walking towards Jeonghan.
“Jeonghannie! It’s been so long since I’ve seen you!”

“Nine years,” Jeonghan says, pulling Seungcheol in for a hug. He tucks his head into the crook of his
shoulder, blinking back tears. This is him. Choi Seungcheol, the final piece of their mismatched
thirteen-piece puzzle. He has finally found Leo.

When the two of them finally separate, Jeonghan notices Jihoon staring at him with wide eyes,
already connecting the dots. The childhood friend that Jeonghan had grown up with was Leo, and if
Seungcheol is that childhood friend…

Jeonghan nods, answering Jihoon’s unspoken question, and Jihoon eyesmiles at him before diving
back into his food, in a much happier mood.
Jeonghan lets Seungcheol go back to his food, and chats with the three of them as they wipe each and
every box that Jeonghan brought clean, reminiscing with Seungcheol over the childhood that they
had shared.

Jeonghan leaves the studio with Seungcheol’s number in his phone and a promise to hang out soon to
catch up with each other, empty lunch boxes in hand.

As soon as Jeonghan sends the three words 'I found Leo!’ to the group chat, it explodes, everyone
bombarding the chat with messages. Jeonghan holds back on glancing at his phone for the entire bus
ride back, and ignores it when he is washing all the lunch boxes.

He finally sits on his couch, and looks at his phone. Everyone is excited over the fact that their leader
has finally been found, with only Jihoon being the calm one, what with him sending private messages
to Jeonghan complaining about how he can’t focus on work because of Jeonghan.

Jeonghan replies with 'You get this amount of messages everyday from us, what are you talking
about.’ and receives no reply. The others, mostly Soonyoung, pester him to introduce Leo to them,
'hyung, what are you waiting for’.

Jeonghan replies, telling them to be patient for just a while more. That done, he sends a quick text to
Seungcheol, asking if he is free in the next week, what with his possibly busy schedule. He gets back
a confirmation message asking when and where, and Jeonghan sends him the address of the cafe
Mingyu works at.

Over the next few weeks, Jeonghan and Seungcheol text each other frequently, and meet up a few
times just to hang out and talk. Given that Seungcheol already knows Jihoon, Jeonghan introduces
the rest of their motley crew to them when they meet up on various days.

The four dancers are introduced when Jeonghan asks to meet at the dance studio they had booked,
Jisoo, Mingyu and Wonwoo at the cafe when they meet up for the first time, Seungkwan, Seokmin
and Soonyoung the second time they go back to the cafe.

Seungcheol takes everything in stride, making fast friends with everyone. It isn’t long before
Jeonghan makes the decision to let him remember, and three weeks after they’d met again, Jeonghan
asks Seungcheol to meet him at his apartment.

The others are already there when Seungcheol walks in after being let in by Jihoon, and there is a
spot left for him on the sofa. Jeonghan had put the box on the table right in front of the sofa, and
there are twelve pairs of eyes staring at Seungcheol as he looks around awkwardly.

“Right,” Jeonghan coughs, opening the box. The lone ring remaining in the box stares back at him,
and Jeonghan takes a deep breath. “Do you trust me, Seungcheol?"

At Seungcheol’s tentative nod, Jeonghan thrusts the box at him. "Put that ring on, please.”
Seungcheol scans everyone’s hands in the room, and notes that everyone is wearing one. He also
notices the weird markings on Jeonghan’s wrists, but decides to save the questions for later.
He says nothing, taking the ring and running a thumb over the sign of Leo engraved on it, before he
slides it onto the last finger of his right hand. The memories fill his head the moment he slips it on,
and Seungcheol loses all sight of everything except them.

It isn’t until later that he realises that he had blacked out, and Jeonghan’s hands are on his temples.
There is a burning feeling on his left wrist, and Seungcheol brings his wrist up to see. The sign of
Leo stares back at him, and there is commotion around him as everyone looks at their wrists as well.

Jeonghan stares at the sign of the Libra that has taken the place of the ring of circles and the black
triangle that has been on his wrist since the day he was born, and the compass on his right wrist
ceases all movement, the circle of marks instead appearing below it.

Seungcheol clears his throat, smiling when everyone looks at him. “Who’s who, again?” Seungcheol
asks awkwardly. The others immediately clamour to introduce themselves again, and Myungho’s shy
introduction is received with a fierce hug and a solemn apology from their proud lion, their leader.

“Libra. Jeonghan.” Seungcheol calls, Jeonghan’s head snapping up from where he had been rubbing
his thumb against the sign of Libra. Seungcheol smiles, and Jeonghan smiles in return, tears welling
up in his eyes.

“Thank you for finding all of us. For being willing to bring us all home.” Jeonghan starts full-out
sobbing then, so, so relieved to have their leader back. He is quickly brought into a hug by
Seungcheol, which ends up as a dogpile slash group hug as everyone joins in.

The blanket fort that is built that night is grander than any other they have ever built, Jisoo making a
quick trip to his apartment and Hansol next door to grab as many blankets and pillows as they can.

As they do that, Seungcheol stares at the lion on his chest for ten minutes before the ruckus outside
brings him out of his stupor and makes him curious enough to go see what all the commotion is
about.

Everyone is sharing stories about how they had grown up before Jeonghan had found them and
helped them remember, and Jeonghan can't remember the last time he had been this happy. He falls
asleep that night to the deep, even breaths of twelve other people coming from various parts of the
room, and Jeonghan breathes easy, unbelievably content and happy that they are finally complete.

♒ ♓ ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑
The thirteen of them, after much discussion, decide not to head home right away. They have lives
here, after all. As the part of the zodiac, they will live much longer than regular humans, and can
head home any time they want to.

For the first time in his life since Jeonghan can remember, he has no dreams for more than two
months, and he is unbearably happy about that fact, because it means that he has finally found
everyone. He has fulfilled the mission he had given himself, all those light years ago.

The thirteen of them meet up as often as they could, celebrating birthdays, graduations, anything and
everything under the sun. Mingyu starts his own cafe where Jeonghan occasionally helps to bake for,
and Jihoon goes on a country-wide tour. Soonyoung and the other three dancers open a dance school,
where they teach small children how to count the beats and follow them.

Wonwoo opens a bookshop right next to Mingyu's cafe, and they knock down the wall between the
two so that anyone can read a book even as they drink from coffee cups. The quaint book cafe
quickly turns into their favourite haunt, and the thirteen of them are known even to other regulars of
the cafe.

Jisoo, Seungkwan and Seokmin start busking, performing just for the sake of performing, and
Seungcheol releases a new album, and is off doing promotions for it. The group chat is as active as
ever, people sending pictures and texting random stuff at all hours of the day.

Years pass, and when Seungcheol and Jihoon fade into obscurity, when Mingyu and Wonwoo's cafe
is handed over to a successor carefully chosen and trained, when Soonyoung and the others stop
teaching at their dance school, handing over the reins to the dancers that they had taught from a
young age, the thirteen of them pack their luggages, and leave to travel the world.

They go everywhere, hiking up Mt. Fuji, walking the entire Great Wall of China, kayaking in the
Caribbeans and camping in the forests of Indonesia. They take a hot air balloon in Canada, do bungee
jumping in Florida, paragliding in Albania.

They do everything they can think of, and when they cannot think of anything more, the world has
forgotten them. Everyone they have known is gone by now, and the thirteen of them lay down in a
quiet meadow where no one has come across before, in some unknown country.

They stare up into the night sky, and point out constellations, their friends, to each other. There's a
big gaping space where they should be, and it's quiet for a while when Seungkwan points that out.

"Are we ready to go home, now?" Seungcheol's question is quiet, and everyone murmurs their
agreement. They stand up, arranging themselves into a circle. On Seungcheol's instruction, they
make a thumbs up with their right hands and put them out, palm to the ground. They grab onto the
thumb of the person on their right, and they go quiet again.

Their rings shine under the moonlight, signs of the zodiac staring back at the night sky. "Ready?"
Seungcheol asks again, quietly, and everyone nods. Seungcheol starts emitting a faint glow, and soon
everyone is glowing as well.
It gets brighter, and brighter, until there's nothing but light where the thirteen of them were standing.
When the light weakens, they're not there any more. Not their corporeal forms, no, but they're stars.

Thirteen glowing constellations shoot up from that meadow, and astronomers note that day as the day
there were thirteen shooting stars that were not falling to the ground, but towards the sky.

Three years after that, the zodiac constellations reappear one by one, close to a hundred years since
they disappeared from the night sky. Once again, astronomers are befuddled, and no one has answers.

Nothing remains in that meadow from which the thirteen of them had headed home, but if one were
to go to Gotjawal Forest in Jeju, Korea and hike for hours, they might come across a large clearing
with various rock formations.

If they were to be brave enough, and reached a hand into the small rock cave that is one of the
formations, they might find a box.

A long, thin wooden box, with the signs of the zodiac engraved on the cover.

♒ ♓ ♈ ♉ ♊ ♋ ♌ ♍ ♎ ♏ ♐ ♑

"Are you sure about this?" Polaris asked. The older star had come up to him, as he looked down at
the planet that now housed his family, all twelve of them.
"I'm sure, Polaris. I trust that you'll guide us well," Libra said in return. It was quiet for a while,
before Polaris spoke again. "If I had known taking Ophiuchus away would be the start of this
tragedy-"
The North Star was cut off by Libra. "That wouldn't have helped in any way. Cancer, the old one,
would have faded away anyway. The current Cancer would still face the same amount of apathy,
even though it was not his fault.
"We were the reason Cancer chose to fell, which means that we have to take the responsiblity to
bring him back." The 'since I'm the only one left, I have to do it' went unsaid, and Polaris nodded in
acknowledgement.
Sirius then came up to them. "There's not much I can do to help you when you're down there," Sirius
said quietly. "I'll be able to give you hints on where to find them with my scrying pool, through
dreams, but that's as far as my ability to help goes."
"Here." Polaris handed Libra something. "I can't accept this! It's your compass, the one you use to
manage all of us stars and constellations!" Libra said, pushing the compass back.
"It's my spare. Keep that. I'll be able to guide you to whichever of your family is closest to you, but
it's up to you to find them yourself," Polaris said, giving Libra the compass once again.
"...Thank you. Thank you both." Libra thanked them profusely.
"Just bring them back home. It's too quiet without them here," Sirius said, laughing slightly. Libra
and Polaris laughed as well, and Libra stared one last time at the planet he was going to be willingly
falling to soon, and turned away.
As Libra mentally prepared himself to fall, Polaris asked, "I know I've asked you this many times
already, but are you sure about this? You may not come back for a very long time. Time works
differently here as compared to down there."
Libra looked at the two stars, the North and South celestial leaders, and nodded, smiling with a tinge
of sadness. "I have to do it, as I'm the only one left that is able to do so."
The next thing Libra knew was the sensation of falling, and then nothing.

When Libra next wakes up, he's slumped over a box of rings that he knows he will protect with his
life, Sirius's dreams in his memories and Polaris's compass on his right wrist. Memories are sorting
themselves out in his head, and he takes a deep breath. He's Yoon Jeonghan, sometimes Libra, and
his mission is to find his family.

1. the helping hands

When Libra had fallen, Sirius and Polaris stood there for a long while, long enough that their
apprentices came to find them. "Sirius? Polaris?" the young constellations called, and the two leaders
of the celestial sphere turned.

"Yes?" Sirius spoke. The two constellations fidgeted in front of them, clearly having something on
their minds. "We were wondering if you would allow us to help the zodiac constellations," Lynx said
hesitantly, Ophiuchus nodding in agreement shyly.

Sirius and Polaris smiled at them fondly. "Of course we will. They were your first family, how could
we deny you that?" Polaris said.

The two constellations pulsed with light, showing how pleased they were at having obtained
permission.
Polaris took out a compass and gave it to Ophiuchus, saying, "This is the other half of the compass I
gave Libra. It will lead Libra to the constellation closest to him, and it's your job to help him. Use the
aura pool to help you. Even fallen constellations and stars still have their auras. It'll be enough for
you to find them and direct Libra to them."

Meanwhile, Sirius showed Lynx his job. "This pool will show you the location of where Libra will
meet his next constellation. Just locate the aura you want with the aura pool, and relay that
information into this pool. Time works differently up here, so you'll essentially have the power of
foresight.

"Libra will receive the locations in dreams, so you have to be as specific as you can to help him.
Ophi will have Polaris's compass, and both of you have access to the aura pool. Hopefully, the two of
you will help them come home sooner, rather than later."

The two young constellations nodded determinedly, and got to work, while Polaris and Sirius went to
do their own jobs, directing constellations and stars to their proper positions.

2. the mistake

"Oh no." At that, Lynx looked up from where he was focusing on his own pool, gaze narrowing on
Ophiuchus, who stood there wringing his hands in front of the aura pool.

"What is it, Ophi? What did you do now?" Lynx said, and Ophiuchus turned to Lynx. "Remember
how I said I found Cancer? I may have made a mistake." The last few words came out in a mumble,
and Lynx came over.
"What do you mean?" Lynx peered into the aura pool. "I found someone whose aura is really similar
to Cancer's, so I thought it was him... I was so confident, too." Ophiuchus sounded so dejected, and
Lynx sighed.

"Hurry and find Cancer, idiot. You're lucky I haven't sent any dreams to Libra yet."

(Headcanon that the someone with the similar aura is the old Cancer, reborn.)

3. the distraction

"Lynx, Ophi!" Ursa Major ran up to the two busy constellations. "What is it, Major? Ophi and I are
busy," Lynx said, trying to focus.

"Oh..." Ursa Major wilted in disappointment. "And I'd just found a new meteor surfing place, too..."

Ophiuchus looked up immediately from the aura pool and compass when he heard the words 'meteor
surfing'. "Meteor surfing? Where?"

"No, Ophi. I still have to give Libra the dreams to find Aquarius." Lynx's disapproval was evident,
and Ophiuchus whined.
"But it's meteor surfing! You know how rare it is to find a good surfing spot! Besides, Libra's going
to find Aquarius when Aquarius becomes his next door neighbour, it's a given that they'll meet! You
can give Libra the dreams later!" Ophiuchus begged.

Lynx stood there, contemplating, before he sighed. "I'll surf three times. No more, no less. Then
we're coming back to do our jobs, got it?"

Ophiuchus and Ursa Major both brightened, and Lynx followed the two at a more sedate pace,
throwing apologetic and worried glances at the two pools he was walking away from.

'Ah well. Three times won't hurt.' Lynx thought, and caught up quickly with the other two
constellations.

4. the erratic spinning

"Lynx?" Ophiuchus called out, sounding confused. "Hmm?" Lynx hummed, telling Ophiuchus that
he was paying attention.

"I found Scorpio just a while ago, yeah?" Ophiuchus said, and Lynx hummed his agreement.

"But I just found Mini, and they're both the same distance from Libra," Ophiuchus continued, stuck
between the two. "Now I don't know which to choose." The words were said in a distraught tone, and
Lynx hummed thoughtfully.
"Send me the details of their auras, I'll see where they'll meet Libra and maybe we can decide from
that." Ophiuchus did so immediately, and Lynx immediately transferred the data into Sirius's pool,
and frowned.

"...They're going to meet in the same place. What now?" Lynx spoke up, and Ophiuchus groaned.
"Fine, let's go with Scorpio. Cancer knows him already, plus I've already made the compass point in
his direction."

"They're going to meet Libra at the Dioscuri Cafe... where Mini is at," Lynx frowned at the pool.
"Can't you just change the arrow of the compass so it's pointing at both?"

"I can't! Polaris's compass is only ever meant to point in one direction!" Ophiuchus exclaimed.

"Well, figure something out. I can't help you there." Lynx's reply was met with an exasperated sigh.

5. the viewers

"Hey, Joshua posted a new vlog today! Did you watch it yet?" a girl asked her friend, who nodded
enthusiastically.

"Yeah, I have! I didn't expect him to move to Korea!" the other girl replied, and the first girl snorted.
"I'm not surprised. Did you see the people he was hanging out with? They're all so freaking
gorgeous!"
"Yeah, I thought so too. Do you think they'll feature in more of Joshua's videos? I wouldn't mind
watching them more," the other girl said.

"Well, I sure hope they do!" the first girl said, and the two laughed, before switching to another topic.

Notes:
Summary of who is who:

the air signs:

aquarius: hansol
gemini: mingyu, wonwoo
libra: jeonghan

the water signs:

pisces: jisoo
cancer: minghao
scorpio: jun

the fire signs:

leo: seungcheol
aries: chan
sagittarius: seokmin

the earth signs:

taurus: soonyoung
virgo: jihoon
capricorn: seungkwan

other constellations:
ophiuchus: samuel
lynx: doyoon
the first cancer: mingming
ursa major (one of the constellations near leo): dongjin

fun fact:
only four of the members have their actual zodiac signs! the members are: seungcheol, jeonghan,
hansol and seungkwan :)
THE DANDELION EFFECT

Untimately, Mingyu is greedy for affection. He loves love in all its forms and if he could, he would
monopolize all the members' love all for himself. Maybe that's what drove Wonwoo away though, the
constant demand to give love and attention. Mingyu could only look on and watch as his best-friend
slowly pulls away from him, becoming no better than strangers. Yes, Mingyu is selfish and greedy
but he knows when to give up, but if he didn't have a place in Wonwoo's heart anymore, then he
wishes he didn't know Wonwoo at all. It works but of course at a cost.

It starts with a dandelion.

Hansol had once informed Mingyu that if you make wishes on the fuzzy weeds (“they’re flowers,
hyung, just growing in the wrong place.”) that they will come true. Of course, Mingyu laughed at the
time because the members called him childis? That was months ago; however, and a lot of things
can change in a month.

This time, instead of Hansol by his side, it’s Minghao. The scenes too familiar, what with Minghao
throwing the basketball only for it to ricochet and roll into the grassy area. Mingyu jogs up to the
younger like last time, his legs sore and heart pounding as he scoops up the orange ball in his large
hands. Before he fully stands up; however, he spots the fuzzy ‘flower’ Hansol seems to love so
much. Minghao seems stumped by the sudden halt.

“Hyung,” he calls out, “Mingyu-hyung,” he repeats again when the rapper doesn’t respond.

Mingyu shakes his head slightly and plucks the flower. “Look, it’s a dandelion,” he shows to Minghao
who’s face twists in confusion for a brief moment. It reminds Mingyu of himself when Hansol had
showed him and he can’t help but to giggle. “Hansol told me you can make wishes on them,” he
goes into detail, inspecting the tiny flower as the fuzzy seeds gently tickle his nose.

“Are you going to make a wish?” Minghao inquires as he gently takes the basketball from Mingyu’s
hand.

Is he? Maybe months ago Mingyu would have said no, that he was content with everything in his life,
but lately…lately he isn’t. Besides, it’s just a flower, so what harm could one childish wish do?

It starts with a person named Wonwoo.

Before Seventeen debuted, before they topped charts and went to fan meetings, Mingyu used to
only have Wonwoo. It’s not that the other members didn’t care for Mingyu, on the contrary he was
loved by everyone, but Mingyu could only see Wonwoo. If Mingyu gave everything he had to people
he loved he gave Wonwoo everything and then some. It was some unspoken rule that wherever
Mingyu was WOnwoo was as well, and vice-versa. Some law the universe made. At least, that’s the
way it’s always been since they met.

They were a packaged deal. You couldn’t have one without the other. And Mingyu likes that fact,
likes that he can shower Wonwoo with affection knowing that the shorter male will return it ten fold.
Perhaps not as verbally or physically, but when they’re along and their bones feel heavy but
Wonwoo still makes sure Mingyu eats and washes up.

Mingyu thinks he’s in love, some kind of love, but it doesn’t matter which. Wonwoo is the Sun and
Mingyu is just a lowly moon who is grateful to just bask in its warmth.

That’s how it starts at first, but things change and Mingyu has always been afraid of change. Fans
jokingly pair them up, ship them, and while they did it during pre-debut era it comes full thrust when
they debut. He doesn’t think anything of it because he doesn’t mind the idea of being with Wonwoo,
in every sense of the word, but the rapper is different.

Wonwoo doesn’t hold his hand anymore, won’t let Mingyu hold his hand, and separates himself
when they have to go to broadcast or gather in a group.

At first Mingyu thinks he’s okay with it, really wants to believe he’s okay with it, so he gives Wonwoo
space. He bugs Jihoon more, hangs out with Minghao and the maknae line, and hopes that
whatever is going through Wonwoo’s mind will blow over.

It doesn’t.

It lasts for a week, and a week turns into a month and Mingyu wonders when staying in the same
room as Wonwoo got so awkward. It feels like eggshells are constantly poking his feet and the
discomfort that was mild soon turns into a heated rash. Wonwoo doesn’t seem affected though, not
like Mingyu, which makes him wonder if Wonwoo ever really cared about him at all. What hurts the
most; however, is seeing Wonwoo with Junhui and acting like they used to. The touches, glances,
playful shoves, Mingyu wonders if this is somehow his fault, if he did something to push Wonwoo
away. Did he not give enough?

That’s the thing though, the one flaw in Mingyu’s system that makes him short-circuit and regress
back to his awkward pre-teen days when he was unsure of himself and everything he did. Love
doesn’t mean anything if you can take it back, it doesn’t matter if Wonwoo used to be his because
that’s not the case anymore—maybe it never was.

Mingyu used to be content with just getting the bare minimum, he was okay with people not giving all
of themselves to him because he knows that it’s not normal but Mingyu lives in extremes.

He doesn’t have Wonwoo at all though, not even ten percent of him.

And it’s greatly unfair that Wonwoo can just move on as if their friendship meant nothing and
Mingyu’s left here to wallow in past memories and wonder ‘what if’. If Wonwoo isn’t his anymore, he
doesn’t want the man to linger in his heart either. He wants to cleanse himself of Wonwoo’s
existence completely, forget the times they shared because it brings an acidic taste to his mouth and
instead of butterflies in his stomach, it churns with unease. The members notice too, it’s just a matter
of time.

“Did you and Wonwoo fight,” Seungcheol would ask.

“You have to make up,” Jihoon would demand.

“It’s okay,” Jeonghan would whisper.

They didn’t fight and so they can't make up and nothing was okay.

It ends with both of them.

Mingyu lets out a small, “Yeah,” careful not to spread the seeds just yet. And he slowly slides his
eyes shut, Minghao’s concerned face disappearing in the darkness, as he lets his heart wish and
mind shut up. And then he blows the seeds.

The white seeds leave in a gathering but soon separate as some travel father than others. Pairs split
up in the air as they drift in different directions until they all but scatter from Mingyu’s line of sight as
they carry out the wish. A gentle sorrow seeps into Mingyu’s heart as he drops the lone stalk, naked
of its seeds, onto the ground and turns to Minghao with a small smile.

“What did you wish for,” the Chinese boy questions with an air of cautiousness.
At this Mingyu laughs, because he remembers the words Hansol had said when he asked the same
thing. “It’s a secret, it won’t come true if you say it.”

Minghao snorts and rolls his eyes but doesn’t press any further.

The following night dinner is hectic as per usual. There’s piles of chicken and pizza and the
members surround the food eat as if it’s their last meal. Mingyu isn’t sure why, but he finds his
appetite lacking and chooses to just converse with Soonyoung. Every so often he’ll let his gaze drift
off to Wonwoo who seems so entrapped by Junhui’s presence. They used to be like that, just the
two of them ignoring the world, but it’s not and Mingyu wants to desperately look away but he can’t.
He watches in disdain as Wonwoo fixes a stray strand of hair and Junhui playfully hits him.

“I-um, don’t feel so good,” Mingyu mumbles as he jerks his head away, effectively cutting
Soonyoung off mid-sentence.

Jeonghan nibbles his lip as he nudges Seungcheol as if wanting the leader to say something.

Seungcheol gets the message and states, “Wait, Mingyu, you didn’t eat. Aren’t you hungry?”

The tall rapper turns a bit and looks up at the ceiling, debating if he is hungry or not. It’s not a
common occurrence for Mingyu to not eat and thus it’s a cause for concern. Mingyu takes stock. He
doesn’t feel hungry even though his stomach is empty, and even if he was he didn’t have the energy
to eat and the idea of chewing food didn’t seem very appealing to him. Of course, he couldn’t just
say all of that to his members so he just shakes his head and smiles warmly.

“It’s okay, I feel a little under the weather so I’m just going to rest.”

He doesn’t bother to look at their faces, too engrossed in his own thoughts, so he misses the
lingering looks and shared glances.

It’s okay, Mingyu repeats in his mind as he climbs under the covers of the beds the members never
use. He’s not sure why he’s repeating that mantra in his head because of course it’s okay, why
wouldn’t he be okay? He’s okay with Wonwoo being away from him, okay with being nothing more
than work friends. He crumbles more into himself and stares blankly at the wall. Are they sleeping
right now, Mingyu wonders, are they on top of each other as the members surround them? Does
anyone even care that he’s not there with them?
An ancient ache thrums in Mingyu’s bones as he presses his face closer to the pillow. Maybe he
wouldn’t mind if his wish did come true, that he would probably be better off—the team would be
better off.

Maybe it would be better if he could just wake up without remembering Wonwoo at all.

That’s the thing with wishes though, ones that are made in the heat of the moment always come true
without fail. And those are arguably the worst because no one thinks of the fall out, the repercussion
of their wish. It fits Mingyu to a ‘T’ because while he’s loving and wants everyone to be happy, he’s
inherently selfish and would monopolize all the members if he could. Have all of them just to himself
and bask in their attention and love.

***

Wonwoo is tasked with waking Mingyu up which he desperately tries to pawn off to another member.
No one takes up the offer though because a) the two of them needed to sort whatever is between
them and b) either wake him up or be locked in a closet with him. And, while Wonwoo hates the idea
of being alone with Mingyu, he knows when he’s lost and drags his tired body into the room.

It’s odd for a member to use the beds, especially as the weather gets warmer, because the rooms
aren’t great at keeping in the cold and the covers might as well be like living on the sun.

Wonwoo carefully walks over to Mingyu’s curled form, head sticking out and hair lying in disarray.
He’s cute like this, Wonwoo thinks with a bitter smile. Times like these make Wonwoo realize just
how much he misses the younger member but Mingyu is just too much and Wonwoo doesn’t know
how to deal with a hurricane when he hasn’t even witnessed a storm.

“Mingyu,” he says in a groggy voice, “wake up. Yah, I know you can hear me, wake up or else I’ll get
Jihoon.”

The threat seems to stir the younger rapper, but when he opens his eyes a sharp cry escapes the
brunette’s lips as he scrambles away and presses his back against the wall. Wonwoo stills, brows
furrowed as he tries to get closer but stops when Mingyu scrunches his form and puts his arms in
front of himself as if preparing for a blow.

“M-Mingyu, are you okay?”

Seungcheol comes running into the room followed by Jihoon. “We heard a shout, is everything
alright?”

At Seungcheol’s voice, Mingyu immediately lets down his guard, “Hyung,” he yells, eyes wide with
anxiety and fear, “who is this!”

Wait, what?

“Mingyu, it’s me, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo tries to get closer which is a huge mistake because Mingyu grabs the nearest pillow and
slaps Wonwoo as hard as he can before he makes a run to a very confused leader. Silence falls
over the room as more members spill into the space and crowd around the doorway.

“Mingyu,” Wonwoo repeats as he gingerly touches his cheek, “this isn’t funny,” he says sternly.

Mingyu shakes his head and repeats desperately, “I’m sorry, but I don’t know you.”

It's been a weird morning, for lack of better words. Mingyu curls up on the couch, knees kissing his
chest, as he hears the distinct murmurs of Seungcheol and the manager's voice. He doesn't
understand what's there to talk about because he's perfectly fine. The only thing that's not fine is the
fact that a stranger has entered their dorm and everyone is acting as if everything's all right. Mingyu
tries not to frown, not wanting the members to worry more than they should, but when he meets
eyes with the upset man they keep calling 'Wonwoo' it's enough for Mingyu to go crazy. There's
something about his face that causes his skin to crawl; his much too deep voice keeps haunting his
brain. And why is Jun being so touchy with him—consoling him? Mingyu's the one who should be
comforted. He 'hrmphs' again, wholly exaggerated, as he feels the couch dip down. Minghao leans
into his space, eyes slitted and calculating as the Chinese male studies Mingyu's face. The rapper
blinks, scooting his body until he reaches the end of the couch, and stops.

Hansol flanks his left side, crouching on the floor, as he stares at the rapper with intensity rivaling
that of the Sun's. “Do you really, ya' know,” he tilts his head discreetly to the stranger. Mingyu sighs
for the umpteenth time because this is the fiftieth time a member has asked him this question.

“No,” he whispers slowly, “I don't know him.”

“Remember him,” Minghao finally interrupts with a soft voice and tired smile, “you know him, you just
can't remember.”

Mingyu whines and moves his legs a bit, hoping Minghao would take the hint and back away but
either he doesn't get it or just likes to burst personal bubbles.

“What's the difference?”

Before Hansol or Minghao can supply an answer Seungcheol interrupts whatever small
conversations were happening amongst the members with a firm, “Mingyu, we're leaving for the
hospital.” Jihoon, who has remained stone-faced throughout the whole ordeal, looks like he wants to
speak but the manager holds up a hand effectively silencing whatever the composer had to say. The
air thickens and Jihoon's hair stands on end as if this were a Ghibli movie. Seungcheol, who is
behind the manager, seems to communicate something. Mingyu wonders mildly what it feels like to
have a bond so close to someone that words weren't needed to communicate. All the unit leaders
could do it, it must be convenient.

“I'll go change,” Mingyu says unraveling his legs and hopping up. As he makes his way across the
room, he avoids the stranger's piercing gaze.

Something heavy weighs down on Mingyu's shoulders when he adverts his eyes. He feels like he's
missing something, something that may have been important but he cannot pinpoint the exact
emotion for the life of him. The man people claim Mingyu to have known reaches out a pale hand
and says, “Mingyu,” in a pleading tone, but all it does is serve to agitate the brunette.

Mingyu jerks away before contact can be made, almost stumbling into the wall, “Please don't touch
me,” he whispers brusquely. As he continues to walk down the hallway, he doesn't have to look back
to know that all the members are staring at him.

The pillows are still strewn across the bed and floor from this morning's events, but beside the lived-
in look of the bottom bunk-bed, everything seems to be untouched. Mingyu opens the closet and
tosses a white shirt, black cardigan, and dark blue jeans onto the bed unceremoniously. It's not like
the outfit he wore mattered considering he's going to the hospital and not a fan-signing. If he were
being honest, Mingyu isn't even sure why he hates the stranger. Maybe it's because of his snowy
skin compared to his ugly tan one. Image has always been a problem, and even though Mingyu likes
to think he's the number one visual he knows deep down that his dark skin is off-putting. It was
during his childhood years, so why wold it be any different?
If this 'Wonwoo' guy really was in the group, wouldn't that mean his title of visual would be taken?

Mingyu steps back into the members' line of sight, but he hastily places himself at the manger's side,
head bowed and eyes trained on the floor. Seungcheol casts him a look of concern before staring at
Jihoon and tilting his head.

The manager places his hand on Mingyu's shoulder, gently squeezing, before staring at the leader,
“Are you three ready?”

Wait, three?

Mingyu blinks as a pair of black shoes enter his sight. Following the shoes attached to the skinny
legs, he meets Jihoon's warm gaze. 'Warm' and 'Jihoon' don't exactly belong in the same sentence,
but for some reason knowing the smaller male would be there eases Mingyu's nerves. A mint breeze
sweeps through his mind—refreshing and light.

“Be careful,” Seungkwan cries as the manager steers Mingyu out the door.

“Bring us some good news,” Soonyoung adds.

“And food!”

Upon hearing the last cry before the door shuts, Mingyu giggles. The heavy atmosphere lifts slightly
as he listens to Seungcheol and Jihoon banter about what to eat for lunch. Mingyu knows it's really
just for his benefit and that if he wasn't there they would no doubt talk about his sudden case of
amnesia, but he relishes the humdrum moment for what it is; a trivial conversation. Mingyu slides
into the back of the van as Seungcheol stays up front; Jihoon places himself right next to Mingyu.

Being inside the large van without the rest of the members is slightly unnerving. It's much too quiet
for Mingyu's liking. The plethora of empty seats and actual leg room has him shifting in his seat
every couple of minutes and it doesn't go unnoticed by Jihoon. As the van rolls to a stop at a red-
light, Jihoon gently slaps Mingyu's thigh.

“Relax, you're making me nervous and I'm not even the one seeing the doctor.”
Mingyu blushes and immediately settles into a position. “Sorry,” he mumbles as he toys with the hem
of his long sleeves, stretching the fabric and bunching it up in the palm of his large hands. The
apology is so soft that Mingyu wonder's if Jihoon even heard him or if the words got lost amongst the
sound of rumbling car engines and the steady music thrumming from the radio.

Hospitals have always fascinated Mingyu. Everything just seemed so clean and sparkling. When he
enters through the automatic doors, he's immediately greeted with a breeze of chilled air. He
imagines this would be the sensation he would feel if he was standing on Mt. Everest, but instead of
snow it's white paint and marble. “Go take a seat,” the manager says in a hushed voice as he goes
to the front desk. Doing as told, Mingyu lets his fingers graze the cold, polyester seats before taking
up space in the front row. He looks around the large, open area. There are a few people waiting, an
elderly couple, a lone man holding his stomach, and a few other groups. While Jihoon and
Seungcheol occupy themselves with their phones, Mingyu takes this small repose to watch as
nurses go around talking to patients. He watches as people in white coats holding clipboards rush
down the hall, sometimes leading people in scrubs. There are so many things going on in a hospital
that reminisces him of the hustle and bustle of idol life.

The manager places a clipboard in front of Mingyu's face. Blinking up, he carefully takes it and
examines the papers.

“You need to complete that before the doctor comes, okay? Just do it to the best of your ability.”

Mingyu nods, clicking the pen absentmindedly before he starts writing out his name. He fills out the
basic information with little problem: age, eye colour, height, sex. If anything, filling and ticking the
endless boxes were a tedious task at best, but as he passes over the 'allergy' box and it's sub-
listings, he pauses briefly over the sea-food box. He doesn't have any allergies but why does it feel
like he knew someone who did? None of the members, as far as he knows, it allergic to food. He
scrunches his face before moving onto the next page.

“Pssst, Jihoon-hyung,” Mingyu whispers as he gently tugs the honey-brunette's shirt, “what is my
reason for visiting...?”

Jihoon looks up from his phone and sighs out, “Why are you whispering? You're not taking some
sort of test.” Mingyu sticks his tongue out but let's the shorter singer take the clipboard and pen from
his hands. Shrugging his shoulders, Mingyu turns to see what the leader is doing. Just as he
expected, the rapper is busily texting a member but Mingyu's unable to read the name as
Seungcheol quickly turns the phone off and frowns.

“It's not nice to look at other people's conversations, Gyu,” he chastises lightly.
Mingyu grins sheepishly, “Sorry, hyung.”

Before Seungcheol has time to turn back to his phone, a young woman in a light green lab-coat
walks up to them with a charming smile. Jihoon hands over the clipboard and the nurse goes
through the papers swiftly. “So, which one of you is Mingyu?” Upon raising his hand, the nurse let's
out a hum of acknowledgment before setting the clipboard to her side. “Very well, if you could all
follow me please.”

Going down a corridor, Mingyu walks into a rather small room with a gray check up table. The nurse
immediately hands over the clipboard to the doctor, a rather handsome man who looks like he
should be seen on the television instead. Mingyu feels just the tiniest bit jittery as he takes a seat.

“Well, Mingyu, it says here that you have memory problems,” the doctor says as he grabs a small
flashlight and walks forward, “please follow the light.” Simple enough task, the doctor jots down
notes. “So, can you tell me what problems you're experiencing?”

Mingyu shifts on the table, the thin paper crinkling with every move, as his eyes dart around the
room for answers. “Umm, well, I'm not really sure...” he trails off before looking over to Seungcheol
for help. The leader stands up and places a comforting hand on the younger's knee and squeezes.

“He woke up with no memories of one of our friends.”

As the doctor writes down something, Mingyu wants to argue the stranger isn't his friend but keeps
his mouth shut.

“Ah, I see. It's okay, amnesia is a fairly normal occurrence.” A wave of ease washes over the unit
leaders and manager. “Tell me, has Mingyu suffered form any head-trauma recently? Or passed out
from exhaustion?”

Seungcheol and Jihoon exchange a glance.

“Not that we know of.”

“Wait, what about Minghao? He was out with Mingyu yesterday.”

“Don't you think he would have told us if anything happened?”

The doctor clears his throat and sends a pleasant smile Mingyu's way. He offers a shy smile of his
own, chewing on the bottom of his lip. If he didn't suffer any trauma to the head, what else could
cause amnesia?

“So, no physical trauma or illness, hmm,” the doctor muses as he continues to write on the clipboard.
He sets the pen down on the table with a resounding 'thud' and turns in the chair, a serious gaze
overtaking his friendly one as he stares at the manager. “I'm going to be frank, amnesia is usually
caused by trauma to the brain or illness. I see that Mingyu has no record of any medical problems
and that he is healthy for a young man his age. So, the other possible reasons require me to do a full
check-up and MRI scan. Is this alright?”

The manager clenches his jaw and frowns, “Are you sure all of that is necessary?”

“Yeah,” Seungcheol interrupts, “can't amnesia just come on? Are there cases like that?”

“Well, from what it sounds like, he might have Dissociative amnesia, just blocking out one certain
event from his memory, but I can't say that with one-hundred percent certainty. Tell me, what was
the relationship between Mingyu and the one he forgot? Did something traumatic happen between
them?”

Mingyu's ears perk up as he looks between his two hyungs, waiting for an answer. He is also curious
what relationship he had with the stranger (or friend he had forgotten if Minghao were in his mind)
but a look of reluctance flickers through their eyes. Yet again, a conversation carries through their
eyes and Jihoon nods.

“They were friends, if anything traumatic happened we would know,” he finishes in a cool tone. The
doctor just sighs and reaches for the clipboard. Nervous energy coming back in full force, Mingyu
bounces his leg like a rabbit.

“If you three can wait back out front, I'll come get you when Mingyu's check up is done.”

Just as Jihoon passes by Mingyu, the rapper darts a hand out and licks his lips. “Hyung, I'm sorry,”
he says softly as the doctor lingers at the back, organizing papers. Jihoon peers at the open door
being held by their manager. He shakes his head, squeezing Mingyu's larger hand, before letting go.
“Just hurry up and get better, idiot.”

잘 알지도 못하면서

It takes an hour for Mingyu's checkup to be complete. He ambles out to the waiting room and lets out
a sigh of exhaustion as he sits next to Jihoon.

“How did it go,” the singer questions as he puts his phone away.

The tall brunette rolls his head and let's out a small yawn before answering, “Tiring. Can I just go
back and sleep after this?” At this, Seungcheol snorts but the corners of his lips quirk up in a smile of
relief. “Doctor said he'd come back once the MRI scans were processed.” Pulling out his phone,
Mingyu's eyes widen at the plethora of texts Minghao had sent him over the few hours he's been at
the hospital. Fifty-one, from what the little icon said. Five were also sent by Hansol, and one or two
from a couple of other members. He's much too tired to read through all of them; however, and
rationalizes that he'll just apologize to the dancer once he gets back to the dorm. The waiting room is
much fuller than before, at least two-thirds of the seats taken up by miserable looking people.

“So, do you really not remember Wonwoo...”

Mingyu stares down at his hands.

The manger stands up so that he's in front of Mingyu, exhaustion keen on his aged face, “but you
have to remember something, right? I mean, you two used to be attached at the hip.” A low
humming starts to ring in Mingyu's ears as he stares up at the older man. He swallows the lump in
his throat and shakes his head. “Seriously, Mingyu, can't you just try and remember,” he pleads but
this is enough for Mingyu to bristle and huff.

Dull pin-pricks emit from the left side of his head as he stands, vision greying slightly, but he ignores
the weird occurrence and towers over the shorter man.

“It's not like I wanted this,” he defends with a desperate whine, “and why are you mad at me? Didn't
you hear the doctor, that—that guy obviously did something to me.”

The manager doesn't back down; however, and instead continues despite the slight swaying on
Mingyu's end.
“'That guy' is Wonwoo and he is your hyung. I'm not blaming you, Mingyu, but I'm just trying to
understand.” The greying slowly starts to get worse and it feels like a jackhammer is going off inside
of his head. “Can't you remember teasing him? Always holding hands during pre-debut?” Example
after example of the relationship Mingyu can't remember berates him but he's unable to reply.
Instead, a feeling of sudden exhaustion and vertigo take over. The room spins as black dots cloud
the clearer part of his vision.

“Mingyu,” Seungcheol shouts as the taller boy drops to his knees.

“H-hyung,” Mingyu manages to mumble out but it's heavy and slurred. Unable to hold himself up
anymore, his arm gives out and the rest of his body finally drops to the floor with rag-doll grace. He
wants to tell them to make the buzzing noises stop, that his whole body feels like it fell asleep only
for pin-pricks to tingle on his skin, but he's unable to do anything but succumb to the heavy pressure
in his head and slip into unconsciousness. He vaguely hears the shouts of Jihoon as nurses rush to
his side before passing out entirely.

다 알지도 못하면서

“He's stable for now. The MRI scans show that there is nothing wrong with his brain, but what he
experienced sounds like a migraine due to the stress of the situation.” Leafing through various
papers, the doctor clicks his tongue against the roof of his mouth. “You said this happened as you
were talking about the one he forgot, yes?”

Seungcheol nods stiffly.

“Well, it is in my professional opinion that you wait for him to regain his memories naturally. Forcing
the process could cause stress and result in him fainting.”

“And there's nothing more we can do,” Jihoon asks softly as he peers through the window where
Mingyu is hooked up to an IV, sleeping peacefully, or at least what he hopes is a peaceful sleep.

The doctor sighs and stares as well, placing one hand in his pristine lab coat, “We're not quite sure
what caused his memory loss since there are no signs of serious illness. And considering it's just the
one person he forgot, I do believe it's some sort of form of Dissociative amnesia.” He turns back to
the trio, a sullen expression on his sharp features and says slow and deliberately, “If this is a form of
emotional trauma, he may react negatively around anything relating to the trauma. For now, keep
him and his friend separated and make sure they are not alone together. He may react
unpredictably.”
Seungcheol nods, soaking up the information, but there's still something gnawing at his head. “But
wait,” he says before the doctor has a chance to leave, “if...if this is just Mingyu suppressing his own
memories, wouldn't he notwant to remember?”

The doctor hums thoughtfully. “That's very perceptive of you,” he praises, “memories are tricky
things. If someone doesn't want to remember, they will set up blocks in their mind so they won't. And
if they prod hard enough, they will cause a negative reaction that would make them not want to
continue. Practically speaking, it may take some time for Mingyu to want to remember.”

Even though Jihoon knows the answer will do them no good, he asks, “How long do you think?”

A complimentary smile passes over the doctor's face, “Ballpark estimate, half a year to maybe a year
is the average. I'm sorry.”

As the manager extends his gratitude to the doctor, Jihoon moves over to a spaced-out Seungcheol.

“What are we going to tell the others,” Seungcheol mutters as he buries his face in his hands,
shaking his head in irritation. Jihoon doesn't need to be able to read minds to know that the leader is
blaming himself even though there's no reason to. It might be what leaders do but Jihoon needs
Seungcheol to be strong, not hold a pity party.

He looks over to Mingyu, letting his gaze soften and shoulders droop.

“What else? The truth.”

"Soonyoung isn't going to like this."

"We'll bring food."

Hey, you guys are back! Huh, where's Mingyu-hyung,” Seungkwan asks with a tilt of his head.
Seungcheol and Jihoon exchange a glance, both of their faces mirroring that of conflict and
weariness. Wonwoo shifts from his spot on the couch and stands up to join the members as they
crowd around the duo. Gently, as if any sudden sound might scare them away like deer, Seungcheol
says, “We need to talk.” And oh, Wonwoo's heard those words before, in various instances and
circumstances, none of which were ever followed by good news. The other members seem to have
the same idea as their faces pale considerably. “Mingyu is...okay, for the most part. The doctor
couldn't figure out why he lost his memories, but he gave us an idea-”

“Let's just get to the most important part,” Jihoon interrupts.

“Right, well, Mingyu gets intense migraines when he's forced to remember. The doctor says we
should just let the memories come to him instead of asking him to try and remember.”

A warm breeze moves the curtains and kisses the members clammy skin. The calmness and
serenity, Wonwoo thinks, is wholly unsuitable for the information just unloaded on him. The sky
should be falling, a thunderstorm raging, but instead birds chirp and it almost feels as if to mock
them—him.

Seokmin, after an excruciating five minutes, breaks the silence first and asks in a hushed voice, “W-
what do you mean?” The quiet spell seems to break and soon the other members hail Jihoon and
Seugcheol with questions, one right after another with no break in sight. Jihoon's just a second away
from shouting but Soonyoung luckily senses the impending story and shushes the members in a
stern but softer voice than what the vocalist would have used. Soonyoung shoots him a small smile
before his eyes dart to Seungcheol, the leader's face visibly exhausted but grateful for the silence
one again.

“I mean,” he runs a hand through his messy hair, “that we can't do anything to make Mingyu
remember Wonwoo.” All eyes train on said rapper but no one makes a move to speak. “It causes
Mingyu a lot of pain to remember. Doctor says he most likely put some mental wall when it came to
Wonwoo so putting any strain on him would hurt him.”

A soft buzzing slices through the tense air. Watching as Seunghcheol answers his phone, taking the
conversation to an empty room, the members slowly disperse through the area. A few rest against a
surface as if their legs would give out any minute, the maknae line take residence on the couch, but
Wonwoo's the only one who stays rooted in his spot. His mind is on fire as he processes the
information a hundred times over. Mingyu doesn't want to remember me. I cause him pain. Wonwoo
tightens his fists and the urge to scream gnaws at his throat; it bangs against his chest like a caged
beast demanding to be set free. This is my fault, he thinks weakly, all my fault.

“Is this what you wanted?”

“I'm sorry, what are you talking about Minghao?”

The members watch with anxiety as Minghao steps into Wonwoo's space. The brunette's eyes are lit
a piercing golden fire and the members have never seen the dancer so fired up before. “You're the
one who pushed Mingyu away,” Minghao states with a coolness that sends shivers down Wonwoo's
spine.

Wonwoo isn't exactly weak but Minghao isn't just a beanstalk; Jisoo takes a step forward to break up
the soon-to-be fight (all the signs point to a dirty brawl) but a pale arm holds him back. Wonwoo
casts Jihoon a cursory glance, wondering if he was really going to let this happen, but Minghao's
malice reminds him who he should be paying attention to.

“It's obvious that Mingyu's this way because you stopped being his friend.”

Wonwoo glares and hisses, “I never stopped being his friend!”

“Oh, really,” Minghao replies with his whole body, voice sarcastic and eyes rolling, “do you even
know how depressed he was when you never wanted to go out with him? Didn't you notice the way
he stared at you when you placed distance between him? Did you know that he thought you hated
him—that he blamed himself!” Minghao steps forward with every deceleration until he's right in
Wonwoo's ashen face. “Well, hyung, do you,” he shouts heatedly.

Finally, the members run to split the two up. Minghao simply shrugs off the hands though when
Wonwoo remains silent. “Yeah,” the Chinese dancer jeers with disdain, “I thought so.”

Wonwoo's so caught up in his head that he doesn't notice the gently hand holding his fist. He looks
up to meet Junhui's eyes, sundry emotions fluttering too fast for him to identify any. Slowly releasing
his fists, Wonwoo stares at the angry crescent marks on his palm and then back to Minghao's
retreating back. Just as the members hear a door slam shut, Seungcheol re-appears with concern
and confusion etched on his features, phone clutched in his hand.

“I heard yelling and Minghao just glared at me. I was gone for three minutes, what happened?”

Jeonghan stares at Wonwoo before answering, “Just a small...fight.”

Hansol scoffs silently and mutters under his breath, “More like World War 3.” Fortunately, only the
maknae hears this—puffs out his cheek—and nudges the rapper's side with his elbow.
Seungcheol looks skeptical but doesn't inquire any further. “The manager is bringing Mingyu over,
he's going to need regular check-ups every week for a month and then we'll go from there.”
Everyone nods their head before slowly, the very definition of snail's pace, migrating to different
areas of the dorm.

“Hey,” Junhui calls softly while placing his hand on a dazed Wonwoo's shoulder, “are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm fine. I just...” Wonwoo offers a shrug of his shoulder, unsure of how to finish. He avoids
Junhui's eyes and instead looks at the lively (from what he can guess going off of body language)
conversation Soonyoung and Jihoon are wrapped in. The conversation cuts off; however, and both
the unit leaders are staring at Wonwoo with varying expressions. Soonyoung, a man trying to find
answers in the haystack of Wonwoo's eyes; Jihoon, the unsettling calm before a major storm. Is this
all his fault?

“Yah, don't go and blame yourself solely. No one could have saw this or prevented this from
happening.”

In some sense, Wonwoo knows Junhui is right, but—

“Maybe so, hyung, but you aren't the one Mingyu forgot...”

All the love's still there I just don't know what to do with it now

When Mingyu is brought back it's already late afternoon, the day is already more than half over
despite the fact that it feels like the giant puppy has been gone for centuries now. For a split moment
everything falls back into place, they crowd around Mingyu with questions but mostly comments of
concern. Nothing but Mingyu fills their mind, but when Wonwoo tries to reach out for Mingyu's hand,
a hopeless habit they used to do, Mingyu steps back and stares at him like he was about to be
attacked.

During the half-hour of waiting for Mingyu to return, Minghao locked himself in a spare room, the
members choosing to let him cool off. No one brought up the confrontation, successfully at least,
because that's a whole can of worms no one wants to release just yet. Standing here though, with
Mingyu so close but at the same time out of his reach, Wonwoo realizes that Minghao's anger has
only just started. The dancer didn't cool off, but rather the anger went from explosive to Antarctic
cold.
Minghao suggests—demands, really—in a disquieting tone, “Hyung, maybe you shouldn't touch
Mingyu.”

“I,” Wonwoo watches as Mingyu ducks his head and shuffles closer to Minghao, “y-yeah, okay,” he
croaks out before stepping back. The members stare at one another in unease before they slowly fill
the gap Wonwoo left.

Jeonghan gingerly leads Mingyu to the couch as the unit leaders are left to talk to the manager.
Unsure of where to go, not wanting to eavesdrop on the conversation but not wanting to scare
Mingyu, Wonwoo ambles his way into the kitchen. He replays the one-sided argument with Minghao
again as he watches Mingyu smile at the rest of the members. It's all the same, the same smile,
laugh, voice; the same Mingyu. At least, that's what Wonwoo wants to think but he knows it's wrong.
Perhaps it's the same Mingyu for them, but it isn't for him. Wonwoo's reminded of that when he
catches Mingyu's eyes and the brunette seems to lose his vibrancy.

A star dies.

Wonwoo looks away first and, deciding that he has no place in what is happening right now, slinks
off to his room. He climbs into the bottom bunk and stares blankly at the bars of the top bunk-bed.

“You do know that isn't your bunk, right?”

Scrambling up, Wonwoo stares at Seungcheol. “Oh, hyung, you aren't with Mingyu?”

The leader takes a step forward but doesn't go any farther.

“I should be saying the same thing.” Wonwoo hums softly but doesn't offer any reasoning, not that
Seungcheol needed it. “Listen, Wonwoo, there's something I didn't tell the team. Seeing as it's you
Mingyu forgot though, you should know. The doctor,” a nervous hand runs through the elder’s hair,
“he said that Mingyu chose to forget you. I don't...I don't know why he would do that, but the type of
amnesia—he's inflicting it on himself.”

“Hyung, I don't really follow...?”

With a heavy sigh, Seungcheol leans against the wall and closes his eyes briefly. When they reopen,
the colour seems duller and more melancholic, if that was even possible.
“What I mean is that Mingyu won't regain his memories if he doesn't want to. He'll fight the process if
he wants and you know how Mingyu is, the kid will happily live with holes in his memory if it meant
not getting hurt.”

“I don't blame him.”

Seungcheol frowns. “Wonwoo-”

“It's alright hyung, I mean, who wants to remember something if it will only cause pain...?”

“Wonwoo,” shouting invades Seungcheol's sentence causing the leader to peer down the corridor.
Wonwoo wonders what the leader sees but he doesn't dare move from the bed. The leader turns
back to him, “Hey, don't be a martyr. You can still be around Mingyu, it won't kill him. All I'm saying
though, is that you let him go before and maybe you weren't able to see it, but he was still focused
on you.”

No, Wonwoo knows that. Knows it more than anyone else and that only makes him feel guiltier.

“This isn't like that. Now, if you give up on Mingyu, he won't be waiting around or keep looking in
your direction. If you let him go, it'll be for good. Until he remembers, that is, but even then who
knows what will happen...”

You know, I still can't believe we both did some things

I don't even wanna think about

Suddenly, Wonwoo's life feels like some god-awful, cliché day-time drama he likes to tease Jisoo for
watching. He's unable to sleep that night, thoughts of Mingyu on repeat in his mind. Mingyu, who
used to follow him around like a puppy. Mingyu, who knew him the best out of everyone besides his
immediate family. Even though Wonwoo knows better, he keeps expecting to see Mingyu back by
his side when he opens his eyes but it's all a pipe dream. Mingyu isn't there and the fifteen steps
separating them might as well feel like a few thousand meters. With a tired sigh, Wonwoo kicks off
the covers and swings his pale legs over the bed. It's obvious that he won't be getting a lot of sleep
tonight and staring at the wall won't help, so he might as well get something to drink. Trying his best
to creep out of the room as quietly as possible, Wonwoo is just a few steps shy of exiting the room
before a slurred voice catches his attention.
“Wonwoo,” Junhui rasps out with slurred words. Relaxing a bit, Wonwoo's eyes soften as he takes in
the blonde's usually perfect hair now resembling a bird's nest. “What are you doing?”

“I'm just getting a drink hyung,” Wonwoo replies back softly as to not wake the other members up.
The silhouette of Junhui, outlined in a white halo from the moonlight, seems to hesitate a little before
slowly crawling back under the covers.

Going back to his task at hand, Wonwoo is surprised to find the kitchen lights on. He goes through
the list of people it could be but comes up short. Approaching the kitchen with slow, deliberate steps,
Wonwoo's muscles contract as he sees Mingyu. The brunette had the same idea as Wonwoo,
apparently, but as he studies the glass held tightly in the younger's hand, Wonwoo realizes it's
empty. The glass gleams under the fake lights; it doesn't even look like it was used yet.

Wonwoo takes a step closer, not wanting to call out Mingyu's name just yet, but he can't figure out
why. The less space between them the more Wonwoo gets anxious. Mingyu could look up any
second, and then what? Tell him to get away?

'If you let him go, it'll be for good'

Seungcheol's words reappear spontaneously. Wonwoo knows he doesn't want that, but what does
he want? He forces the unsure feelings down and makes his way across the cold tiles. Mingyu's
head is still tilted down, fringe covering his eyes, unmoving. One step, two step, Wonwoo finds
himself in front of Mingyu.

“Hey, Mingyu,” he says softly, shaking the younger's shoulder gently as he goes to take the glass out
of the brunette's hand.

Before he can take the glass; however, Mingyu's head snaps up and a shrill howl escapes his lips.
The glass slips through their fingers as Wonwoo stumbles backward from Mingyu's hard shove. The
sound of the glass shattering echoes hauntingly as Wonwoo watches Mingyu crouch down and
cradle his head. Members rush in, skidding across the floor and some going to comfort the sobbing
Mingyu only to have Seungcheol stop them. The glass shards glisten as they form a divider between
the distressed brunette and them.

“What did you do,” Jihoon demands as he carefully side-steps the glass and brings Mingyu closer to
him.
“I-I didn't do anything. I just, I touched him and then he,” Wonwoo stops miserably because it didn't
matter. He can already feel the accusatory glances some of the members pass him.

Seungcheol frowns and seems to give a warning glance to Jihoon, “Stop. I'm sure Wonwoo didn't do
anything wrong. It's been a stressful day for all of us, Mingyu especially.” Staring at the large,
shaking mass next to Jihoon, the leader ushers the younger ones to go back to bed, leaving just the
three eldest to console a crying Mingyu.

Jihoon brushes by him, aura dark and angry, but Wonwoo doesn't may it any heed as he stares at
Mingyu.

“Hey,” Jeonghan slides into his view, “don't worry about Mingyu. He says it's just a bad migraine and
that you woke him up at a bad time.” So he was sleeping, Wonwoo thinks as he chews on his bottom
lip. “Go get some rest, alright. Trust your hyungs, we'll take care of Mingyu.”

Wonwoo has no doubt the trio will, but that doesn't stop him from looking over his shoulder every few
seconds as he walks back to the bedroom.

Just say you love me and I'll say

"I'm sorry, I don't want anybody else to feel this way"

“It's not your fault.”

“I know but...it feels like it is.”

“Because you love him.”

“Maybe, but I love you.”

“Hey, that's my line.”

“I really mean it Junhui.”

“...I know...”

Laughter ricochets off the walls, uncontrollable and with abandon. It sounds normal if one weren't
peering into the dorm, Mingyu's large form crumbling under his own laughter like nothing is wrong,
but no one is able to laugh along from the mere sound of the brunette's laughter like before. Minghao
keeps poking fun of Mingyu's laugh, eyes resembling half-moons (the only one who doesn't let the
tension swallow him), but the minute Mingyu meets Wonwoo's stiff features his smile slips. The rest
of the members watch the interaction in a way that humans would look upon feral animals; all tense
muscles and hyper-aware senses. Mingyu knows there's a divide between him and Wonwoo—
parallels that stare but never touch—and he likes it this way. He wants to keep it this way because if
remembering was so important why did it hurt so much? Ever since he was a child, Mingyu
remembers putting others before him, so why can't he put himself first this time? As Mingyu shifts his
focus from Wonwoo he realizes that the rest of the members are focusing on him—waiting.

“What,” Mingyu asks with an awkward grin, “I'm not gonna faint guys.” At this everyone looks away
as various shades of embarrassment stain their cheeks. Mingyu isn't stupid; as long as he keeps his
interactions with Wonwoo small and too a minimum—few and far between—he'll be okay. He's fine
with this, more than fine.

Jun scoots closer to Wonwoo and whispers something. Slowly, the rest of the members start to go
about their business again and act as if the aside isn't happening. Mingyu diverts his attention back
to Minghao, the dancer's eyes staring at Wonwoo and Jun with a strange hostility he doesn't quite
understand. “Mingyu,” Seungcheol interrupts the amnesiac's musings, “Are you ready?”

“Ready for what,” Chan pops up with meerkat elegance.

Seungcheol sighs at Mingyu's scrunched face. “His doctor's appointment, remember, he has to go at
the end of every week.” Chan's mouth forms an 'o' in realization. Truthfully, with everything going on
between Mingyu and Wonwoo, it was easy for the members to forget details like hospital visits. The
group's survival is barely floating above the surface as waves narrowly missed them, but not always.
Seungkwan snorts and rolls his eyes.

“How can you forget,” the singer mutters, irritation evident, “this whole week has felt more like a
century.”

The hyung line, or at least the ones who aren't caught up in the drama, cast Seungkwan a weary
glance that the younger immediately shrinks under. Mingyu shifts awkwardly before he finally moves
toward the door to put his shoes on. The whole getting ready is a silent endeavor; Mingyu goes to
the bathroom and quickly washes his face before frowning at his appearance. Dark circles line his
under-eyes and at the rate his insomnia is going, he'll resemble more of a panda than a puppy by
the end of the month. Feather touches apply to the tender, slightly swollen flesh. A sigh so heavy
that it could cave the floor escapes Mingyu's chapped lips. He's seen better days, but so have the
other members. Even if he doesn't like Wonwoo, he realizes he has to make an effort to be civil, play
the nice game.

Jun's voice interrupts his thoughts, “Worrying will give you wrinkles.” The blonde man says it with
such ease like the thing they have with Wonwoo doesn't exist.

For some reason hearing Jun's voice sets Mingyu's nerves ablaze. Just seeing the man causes
something unpleasant to bubble in his stomach but it's not as bad as when he looks at Wonwoo.
Sometimes it's frustrating, not remembering, but Mingyu doubts he would just dislike Jun for no
reason so he doesn't poke at his brain for answers. He lets the feelings, good and bad, walk through
the doors of his mind without stopping them.

“Yeah, I guess,” Mingyu eventually replies in a detached tone as he carefully maneuvers pass the
shorter man. When he walks into the room, he sees Minghao stop talking as he turns from
Seungcheol. The brunette's face is harsh, all sharp edges and turned-down lips.

“I'm sorry,” the leader exhales as he looks over everyone, but his gaze lingers a little longer on
Minghao, “but no one but me and the manager can accompany Mingyu.”

“Why,” Hansol questions and soon the other members are nodding their heads and parrot the
question right back.

Mingyu bites on his bottom lip as Seungcheol casts him a cursory glance. The questions don't stop
though and Mingyu can see steam coming out of the leader's ears. “Guys,” Mingyu shouts equal
parts exasperated and tired, “be nice to Seungcheol-hyung, that's just what the manager said. So,
we'll just have to deal with it.” The sentence is curt and straight to the point. Mingyu make sure he
leaves no room for arguments, casting a sharp glance to Minghao who was about a second away
form arguing but snaps his jaw shut.

“We've been dealing with it,” Soonyoung sighs as if he were a dejected mother who isn't angry but
rather disappointed in her child. Mingyu doesn't have a chance to look back at their faces because
Seungcheol shuts the door. The walk from the dorm to the parking lot is tense and silent, both
Seungcheol and Mingyu lost in their thoughts. Everything still feels surreal to Mingyu, that he really
has forgotten someone who is important to him, or so the members say. It's a rule in the dorm not to
bring up whatever Wonwoo used to be to Mingyu, and even though Mingyu has never heard it
explicitly stated, the members look like they just killed a man when they mention something about
the past before they realize what they're saying. Mingyu would find it rather funny if it wasn't so
awkward and despondent. Climbing into the van, Mingyu greets the manager with a soft 'hey' before
resting his head against the window. He closes his eyes almost immediately. The manager and
Seungcheol must think he's asleep; however, because soon Mingyu hears the low murmurs and his
name on occasion. He doesn't want to know what the discussion is about; however, and listens to
the soft vibration of the car and other vehicles zooming by.

Hah hi ho love hah hi ho love

tu tu tu tu tu tu tu tu

The much too handsome doctor from last time, or as his name-tag reads Moon Jisung, greets
Mingyu with a friendly smile and clipboard already in hand.

“So, Mingyu, during these cheek-ups I'll just be asking a series of questions, okay? If you don't feel
comfortable answering them, you don't have to. Please try to answer all of them though, okay?”

Mingyu nods, suddenly wishing he could have convinced Jisung to let Seungcheol stay in the room
but it would have 'altered his answers' although Mingyu doesn't see how. Jisung taps his pen on the
clipboard and crosses his legs.

“Okay, the first question, how are your migraines?”

“I don't get the a lot, just...whenever something seems familiar it starts to hurt.”

“Does it hurt being around Wonwoo-ssi?”

Mingyu is tempted to say yes. It's not a physical pain he feels but something deeper, like his heart
suddenly drops to his feet.

“I understand if you don't want to answer,” the doctor thankfully goes on, “You look tired. How are
your sleeping habits?”

Mingyu furrows his brows. He knows that there's a doctor-patient confidentiality and holding back
information will do him no good. Plus, he really misses sleeping. “I remember in my sleep. It's not
clear memories, more like weird images, but it's like my brain is trying to say that it's important-”

“Like symbolism,” the doctor notes down with a nod, “please continue.”
“Well, it just hurts? It make me wake up and sometimes they're not pleasant and are more like
nightmares so it's hard to get back to sleep.”

Jisung nods and writes it all down. A few more questions pass that Mingyu doesn't see why he has
to answer them. Things like how his eating habit is, activity level, how he feels on a daily basis. Just
as it seems Jisung is about done with the questions, Mingyu speaks up, “Umm, if you don't mind me
asking, what do those questions have to do with my amnesia?” Jisung looks up from the board and
suddenly Mingyu feels like the world's biggest idiot. Jisung offers a small smile as he places the
clipboard on his lap.

As if sensing Mingyu's thoughts, the doctor replies, “That's a good question. You remember how I
told you this type of amnesia is very rare?” Mingyu nods. “Well, the rarer something is, the harder it
is to figure out the side effects. Some people who suffer from amnesia are susceptible to depression.
Either from blaming themselves for not being able to remember, or feeling bad for causing others
problems. It all depends on the person, but I just wanted to make sure you're doing okay. I have read
on a few studies though, that anti-anxiety and antidepressant medication can help with your
condition.”

“Will they cure my amnesia,” Mingyu questions.

Does he want it cured?

“Well, no. Honestly, there's no cure for amnesia nor anxiety or depression, really. The only thing you
can do is wait it out, develop better coping strategies, and figure your feelings out. It's all very much
a learning experience.”

Mingyu nods, “I see...”

Jisung runs a hand through his hair, “What I can do; however, is prescribe you something for your
insomnia. You seem like a responsible young man,” Mingyu flushes a bit under the praise, “what I'm
going to give you is rather strong, so don't take more than one a night. I'd take it thirty minutes
before going to bed, it doesn't take long for it to kick in.”

Mingyu nods and shakes hands with Jisung before leaving with his prescription. One down, two
more appointments to go.

빠라빠빠 이런 몹쓸병 (몹쓸병)

Monday rolls around the corner with less tension than before, but that could just be because
Mingyu's too caught up in his own thoughts lately. He keeps thinking back to the doctor, or rather the
series of questions. If there was a cure for this, would he take it? Should he take it? The rational part
of him screams yes, but the more selfish side of him whispers that they're fine living like this. He's
fine living like this. Does he want Wonwoo to suffer? Even though Mingyu is still unsure of how to
feel about the elder, he wants to say no, so why is he okay living like this? Seungcheol interrupts his
thoughts as a he dangles a white bag in front of his face.

“Your medication is here,” the raven-haired man states, setting the bag onto the kitchen counter.
Mingyu hums, bounding over to the shorter male as he opens the bag. The bottle is small, almost
looking like a toy in his hand, but the pills look rather large. Mingyu turns the orange bottle curiously.
Setting it back down, he looks toward the door where the manager is still standing there stiffly.

“Is there something wrong,” Jisoo inquires with furrowed brows.

“Where are the other members?”

Seungcheol counts on his fingers, “Some are asleep, a few went out. Why?”

The manager doesn't offer any explanation as he tells Seungcheol, “Get them. I have something to
announce.”

Mingyu's face twists in displeasure. Surprises are never good, and judging by the solemn look on the
manager's face, this is no exception. Seungcheol and Jisoo exchange glances, their hyung telepathy
going on again, before Jisoo goes to the rooms to wake up the sleeping members. Mingyu watches
as Seungcheol calls someone on the phone, gently plucking up the prescription bottle and focuses
halfheartedly at the label as he starts speaking. The conversation doesn't last long, three minutes
top, and by the time the leader is done a sleepy Jeonghan, Seokmin, Chan, and Wonwoo emerge
from the room. Mingyu's partially surprised to see Jun absent.

“They should be coming soon,” Seungcheol comments as he places the bottle atop of the fridge.

Chan yawns and rubs his eyes drowsily, ambling along to the couch before he unceremoniously
drops. Jeonghan follows, but immediately straightens up as he sees the manager standing there
with an anxious looking Seungcheol and Jisoo flanking his side. Mingyu doubts he looks any better.

“Is something wrong,” he questions as he smooths out his messy hair.

Jisoo shakes his head, “We have to wait till everyone is here.”

Jeonghan bites his lip but nods. Mingyu chooses to keep standing as the only space available on the
couch in next to Wonwoo. Whether the other three had planned that or not, Mingyu isn't sure, but he
does know that he much rather stand than take a seat next to the person he deems no better than a
stranger; to him at least.

And that's how the other members walk in on them, occupying an uneasy silence. The unit leaders
gather together, something that's been happening more as of late, as Jun drags Wonwoo down onto
the floor while Minghao takes the spot. Mingyu still chooses to stand, shifting occasionally, but it
doesn't take long for everyone to get situated and for the manager to start talking again. The man
clears his throat and rubs the back of his neck.

“As you guys know, major activities have been put to a halt because of,” he side-eyes Mingyu and
Wonwoo, “reasons. We all thought a week would be long enough time to get this sorted, but
Seungcheol has informed me that things have not improved. So, for the sake of the group, we will be
going on a bonding exercise.”

A chorus of groans and complaints spill out of the members mouths. Mingyu doesn't complain
outwardly, but he does puff out his cheeks. Knowing Pledis and how cheap the company can be
sometimes, no one has high hopes for this 'team building' exercise. Even Seungcheol's face screws
up in displeasure at the apparent suggestion of a trip.

“Do we have to?”

“I don't know, will you guys be able to pretend everything is all right in front of fans,” the manager
bites back, perhaps the extra ferocity fully intended or not, but it does stop the complaints. Mingyu
watches as the members look down at the floor or at the ceiling, anywhere but in the general
direction of the manager. By this time, the unit leaders have positioned themselves between the
looming presence of their manager and the rest of the members. They all know the answer and they
can't just make promises they don't intend to keep. Minghao bristles but doesn't say anything.

The fans don't need to see this side of them, a side that every idol has to neatly tuck and place in the
dark.

Soonyoung looks back at them, then at Mingyu, before he turns to the manager.
“Okay, we'll go. Besides, it might be fun,” the optimism of the words don't match the reluctance in the
brunette's voice that Mingyu doubts Soonyoung himself notices. The manager takes the answer
nonetheless.

“Very well, we'll leave first thing tomorrow. You should all start packing tonight.”

Okay, talk about super short notice. Mingyu watches as Jihoon runs a hand through his hair,
shoulders bunched up and visibly tense. Seungcheol looks equally as frustrated but more in a
defeated, exhausted sense, like he wants to fight but knows that it's no use.

“I know you are all going through a lot,” the manager tries to alleviate the tension, “but we're just
worried is all. There's an unusual amount of hostility between a few of you,” the manager wisely
doens't let his gaze linger on any of the members even though they all knew who he was referring to,
“and the sooner you can get over this the easier your fans will feel.” The attempt to soothe the ache
doesn't work because Mingyu starts to walk across and to his room.

He gets it, he gets that this is all his fault and none of the members wouldn't have to go through all
these stupid things if he would just stop being a baby and face whatever it is he's running from. Why
does he have to be the one unhappy though? Why does he have to be the mature one? Why is it
that the only way to solve things is for him to get hurt? Mingyu curls in on himself and shuts his eyes
tightly. It's not like he ever asked for this—wanted this. Maybe it's better this way though, but if it's
better why doesn't it feel that way?

Mingyu burrows his face into the pillow as he feels the bed dip down. “Hey,” Jihoon's voice,
unusually soft and gentle, whispers, “this isn't your fault.”

A muffled response follows. Huffing a bit, Jihoon reaches his hand out to grasp the tan boys
shoulder. His much paler hand hesitates, stilling mid-air, before he does finally make contact with the
downtrodden brunette. Mingyu doesn't remember a time Jihoon being so gentle, at least to him. It
isn't unpleasant, but he can't help but feel that it should be someone else here, he's just not sure
who. Slowly peeling his face away from the pillow, Mingyu gingerly sits up, legs crossed as he looks
at Jihoon. He wonders how the male would react if he hugged him.

“Yah, Kim Mingyu,” Jihoon starts with a firm resolve, “don't be sad, things happen. Nothing going on
is any of your fault, understand?”

“Y-yeah...”
“You don't have to remember if you don't want to. It's like the doctor said, it'll happen when it
happens. And until then, I won't let anyone hurt you.” As Jihoon finishes Mingyu is unable to control
himself anymore. Tears well up in his eyes and before Jihoon knows it he has an armful of the
rapper. The smaller male freezes for a moment, unsure of what to do, but decides to just let the front
side of his shirt get wet as he runs a hand through Mingyu's hair.

A moment of weakness, a moment of understanding—the sky stops falling in.

Mingyu lets the self-hatred roll off of him and soak the cotton of Jihoon's shirt, trapping the feeling.
Maybe, during this time, Mingyu can't believe in much, but he allows himself to believe in Jihoon's
words.

It's enough.

숨이 막혀 죽을 것 같아

“Why are we taking two vans,” Hansol inquires as he sees the two vehicles parked, their manager
and an assistant manager waiting in front of them.

The assistant manager, a much younger looking man with a more toned physique, speaks up, “We
thought it would be easier carrying your bags instead of just shoving all of them into one.” The rest of
the members just shrug, all of them still half-asleep or in Jeonghan's case, falling asleep on Jisoo.
Mingyu holds in a quiet snicker as he debates which van to get into. The last thing he wants is to be
stuck in a small, confined room with Wonwoo and to a lesser extent Jun.

“Hey, Hao, wanna ride together,” Mingyu suggests to the rather alert looking dancer. Even though
the pills worked last night, five was still too early to be getting up and ready to go somewhere.

“Actually, Minghao-hyung is coming with us, right,” Chan intercepts with a large grin, Hansol flanking
Minghao's other side. The maknae's line behaviour has been rather suspicious since this morning,
constantly casting short glances to Mingyu when they think he's not paying attention. Which, for the
most part he isn't, it was in fact Seokmin who had pointed this out to him. Chan's too sweet for any
devious acts; however, and Hansol is just the type not to play pranks on people so Mingyu brushes
off the smiling maknae line with a nod.

Minghao, on the other hand, seems much more reluctant as he tries to wiggle his way free. “You can
still sit with us-”
“Sorry, hyung,” Chan interrupts with a sheepish smile, “Seokmin-hyung, Seungkwan-hyung,
Soonyoung-hyung, and Jisoo-hyung are already in the van.”

“Jeonghan-hyung isn't going with Jisoo-hyung?”

Hansol gives him an are-you-serious stare complete with an eyebrow raise.

“No, they don't have to always be together, what are they, married,” the brunette jokes.

“Well, it's fine Minghao, I'll just go in the other van,” Mingyu trails off as he starts walking to the
others. Putting his bags into the trunk, he steps inside the much too cool van. Like he had
suspected, Jun and Wonwoo are huddled in the back, Wonwoo already fast asleep again, resting his
head on the blonde's shoulder. Mingyu chooses to sit next to Jeonghan and the window; Jihoon
gives him a nod of acknowledgment before staring back out his own side of the van.

“You're not with Minghao,” Jeonghan questions.

“Nah, the maknae line really wanted him for some reason...”

Jeonghan snickers but Seungcheol turns around from the passenger seat giving a slight frown.
“That's kind of weird,” the leader mutters just as Jeonghan croons out a “how cute”. The two eldest
stare at each other in surprise.

“Why is that weird?”

“I just—nevermind.”

Mingyu and Jeonghan exchange a glance before shrugging.

지독한 병이든 어제도 오늘도 너무 아프기만 해

The drive from Seoul to Damyang is three hours give or take the occasional break for food and
bathroom. The town looks like the small, sleep ones in those romance animes Jisoo is so fond of
watching, but there's a certain charm there that has Mingyu hypnotized. On either side of them is
nature and so much greenery that it feels a tad bit overwhelming. Seoul is beautiful, but the kind of
beauty that seems cold and distant.

The place they're staying is like a mini-inn that Pledis no doubt rented out so there was no chance
for them to run into a fan just in case. Although, Mingyu highly doubts they'll meet many fans,
especially outside major cities.

“Fresh air, just what I needed,” Seungkwan moans as he stretches his arms over his head. The
other members, who are much less excited, stumble out of the van like foals learning how to walk.

“Okay everyone, get your stuff so we can check in,” the manager announces as the assistant
manager is the first to walk into the mini-hotel. The building looks large enough to accommodate
them and then some, but the size was nothing compared to the ones in Seoul. The one before them
is smaller with a more charming feeling and probably most likely a much more extensive past.
There's a short dirt path that leads up to their new housing with short, glossy, green grass tickling
their ankles as they walked.

Mingyu trails back, admiring the scenery, but something quickly catches his eye.

“Oh, look, a flower,” he comments as he scoops down to study the odd flower.

“Leave that, Mingyu,” Jeonghan comments in a bored manner, “that's just a dandelion. Nothing but a
weed.”

Mingyu scrunches his face but listens to the singer anyway. “It's a pretty weed,” he mumbles quietly
under his breath as he catches up to the rest, ignoring the dull throbbing in his head.

Behind closed lids Mingyu swims in a diluted yellow void. Arms, that he doesn't remember
surrounding him, twitch and fingers dig into the waist of his skin but he doesn't dare look—not yet.
Opening his eyes would mean that the day would start but the song birds mock that the day is
already happening, whether Mingyu gets up or not. Still, if he can extract just a few more moments
of silence he'll be over the moon, er, sun in this case. Things don't work out in Mingyu's favour;
however, because of course it doesn't. When does it ever? The arms become too tight and Mingyu
has to wiggle out of his bed companion's grasp. It isn't butterfly gracefulness when they emerge from
a cocoon—legs and arms shoving—in Mingyu's defense though it's still early. A muffled, and rather
nettled, voice groggy from sleep greets Mingyu's ears. “Hyung,” Mingyu huffs as he rubs his eyes,
“what are you doing in my bed?” Really, Mingyu feels like he should be more annoyed with waking
up with someone stealing half of the blankets but it's such a common occurrence for members to get
too close with literally anything that he doesn't even bat an eye. Jeonghan, on the other hands,
flutters his eyes a plenty as he sits up.

The bob-haired male yawns, picking his arms high above his head as his blue shirt rides to reveal a
sliver of pale stomach. Mingyu snaps his eyes away from the exposure back to the singer's face as
the brunette starts to talk.

“Well,” Jeonghan starts with a small voice, saturnine eyes searching the rapper's face as if the
answer was written on Mingyu's skin. “You were moving around so much last night and talking I
could barely get any sleep,” Jeonghan runs a hand through his bird's nest of hair before continuing,
“I knew you liked to move around a lot, but it was like you were getting murdered or something,
sheesh.”

A pregnant pause stretches on but it seems like Jeonghan catches his mistake too late; Mingyu
clambers off of the bed with a sour expression. “Something like that,” the younger comments more to
himself than the now alert man, rifling through his suitcase as he picks out his outfit for the day.
Before the brunette can get to his boxers (thank god they got enough time to bring more than one)
the door swings open to reveal a ray of sunshine. Seokmin looks at the two with an eerie happiness
that could only be caused by some black magic. Seriously, who looks that giddy in the morning?
Mingyu squints. “What is it, Seokmin-hyung?”

Seokmin, Mingyu swears, actually chirps, “Manager-hyung and Coups-hyung wants everyone to
meet in there room.”

Jeonghan flops backwards onto the bed and Mingyu grouses. Seokmin, with his blinding smile, just
goes into a different room to leave the duo to wallow in their morning grumpiness. Whatever
Seokmin takes in the morning, Mingyu needs some of it.

After much complaining—threatening on Mingyu's part to make Jeonghan go—the duo squeeze
themselves into the over-crowded room. The members' awake state ranges from dead, Jeonghan, to
redbull-mixed-with-coffee, Seokmin, and everything in between. Like the responsible adults they are,
the two managers are already dressed and well presented.

“What are we doing today,” Seungkwan shouts over the taller members.

“We decided that today will be a free day, no one is allowed to stay here and sleep in.” A chorus of
groans. “And, you will have to all split into your unit groups.” At this the real complaints come in,
mostly from Minghao and Mingyu because they both know what that means and dammit, it's too
early for this! Seungcheol, who was nodding along with the plan, looks at the manager with an
offended face.
“Do you think that's a, you know, good idea,” he questions cautiously.

The manager looks over to the maknae line, the three having shoved their way through the tall
hyungs and grouped together with a nervous energy surrounding them. “It was actually Chan who
had suggested it,” the manager quips breezily, “if you guys have issues bring it up with them, but I
think it's a good way to split up. The best way to fix something is to take a look at the smaller parts.”

Mingyu side-eyes the maknae line who seem to be a little too happy, sweeping his gaze over to
Wonwoo and Jun, both in their shared world, and finally to Minghao who looks fifty kinds of annoyed.
Not as pissed off as Jihoon though, who seems to want to argue but Seungcheol gives the shorter
man a knowing gaze. Mingyu hates it when adults are right. “Oh, I hear there are really good
strawberries here,” Seokmin shouts and soon the Vocal Unit is lost in murmurs of ideas on where to
go. Jeonghan, who looks less like a zombie but not quite, just mumbles out agreements, using
Jisoo's shoulder as a head rest. One-by-one the singers bleed out into the hallway, the managers
next, but before the eldest manager can leave he places a firm hand on Mingyu's shoulder. “Take it
easy, Mingyu,” he whispers, fingers squeezing lightly before he calls from over the shoulder, “make
sure you kids eat!” With the other two units left, eight bodies shifting haphazardly, Mingyu prays that
he'll make it through the day.

Chan looks nervously between Minghao and Jun. The China-line hasn't been too comfortable
recently. With everything going on, Mingyu hasn't really paid attention, but now that he's looking,
really looking, at the two, everything seems...off. Jun, usually put-together and confident, stares at
his shoes while Minghao pins him with an inhospitable gaze. Now that he thinks about it, Minghao's
changed ever since he woke up not remembering Wonwoo.

Well, this is—

“Awkwaaaard,” Hansol drags the word out as he rocks on the heels of his feet. “I vote we go to this
private garden.”

“Garden,” Wonwoo and Mingyu synchoronize. Immediately, the two tallest stare across the rest of
the members; electricity fills the room.

Hansol coughs bringing everyone's attention back to him, “Yeah, I did some research last night and
it looks pretty cool! They're called a sa-saswae...won...?

“Saswaewon,” Seungcheol repeats correctly.

“Yeah, that.”

“That sounds cool,” Chan says eagerly, “can we look around town? I've never been to Damyang
before,” the maknae finishes with an eager grin. And, really, how can one say no to a face like that?
Soonyoung sighs as he glances to the other half of the Performance Unit, his cat eyes flashing
before he turns back to Chan.

“Sounds like a plan,” Soonyoung chirps (oh, that must be where Seokmin gets it) as he ruffles the
smaller boy's hair.

As the two units finally exit from the room, Mingyu stays near the back, letting Minghao mesh their
fingers together, tying and untying.

I'm somewhere, you're somewhere

Unlike Seoul, one could walk the streets at nine in the morning without having to constantly
apologize to people as you run into them. There's enough room on the street for the Performance
Unit to walk freely and at their pace. Minghao shakes his head, dragging a hand over his weary face,
as he forces himself to smile when he meets Chan's inquisitive gaze. The teenager's steps falter for
a moment but Chan continues to bounce around them, prattling off all the possibilities. Right now;
however, the main focus is on food. “I hear Damyang is known for it's bamboo forests,” Jun speaks
up for the first time since leaving the homey inn.

Soonyoug and Chan hold their breaths, eyes trained on Minghao's back, but as the dancer just gives
a small grunt of acknowledgment in response, the two deflate.

“Yeah, that makes sense,” Soonyoung offers, filling in the silence, as he remembers the tall bamboo
stalks that they passed on their drive over to here.

Chan seems to have other plans though, as he walks into a small a small corner-store that's seen
better days. “Chan, don't just go on your own,” Jun chastises as the three adults enter after the
teenager. The store is just as unassuming inside as it is outside. There are shiny trinkets in the
display window, wooden ones lining shelves along with vintage looking records and plushies on
shelves. Minghao wanders between the short isles, picking up random objects. There's a shiny
kitchen utensil set that reminds him of Mingyu, or what would have because ever since Mingyu's
amnesia he hasn't cooked. He sets the set down and taps gently at a glass vase. A light coat of
dusts settles into the ridges of Minghao's fingerprint as he swipes a digit over the cold glass. It's not
remarkable, rather old-fashioned if here were being honest—something he would see in his
grandmother's living room. Faded flower petals sweep the lip, pinks and reds dotting the top part, but
the bottom holds longer flowers. Green stalks sprout from the base, growing in a spiral pattern as
bright white petals bloom around thin stalks from the center.

“Lilies,” a voice comments from behind, a voice that Minghao bristles at immediately. His arm falls
back to his side and he steps to the left, letting his gaze linger on whatever object happens to be in
his field of vision.

“Minghao,” Jun heaves, “I don't understand why you're acting like this, can't you at least act like
everything's alright.”

“Sorry hyung,” Minghao grits out, “not everyone can be such a great as an actor as you,” the
brunette finishes mockingly. Fully intending to leave the conversation at that, Minghao spins around
and glares as Jun catches his bony wrist; a Chinese stand-off. Jun's sudden flare of anger wilts. He
loosens his grip on the younger's wrist but it's not enough for Minghao to break free from.

“What did I do,” Jun whispers in Mandarin, the words coming out more desperate and rushed than
they would have in Korean. It's weird, Minghao thinks, how languages change speaking patterns and
even thought patterns. Jun told him that, long ago when he was still learning Korean, but that was
then and this was now. Minghao stares at the floor, and as if the elder could sense the dancer's
sudden docile shift, he lets the shorter boy's wrist go.

Minghao shakes his head, “You're hurting Mingyu,” he finally whispers.

Jun's brows furrow, “Mingyu? What do you...is it only Mingyu you care about? Wonwoo's hurting
too.”

“But Wonwoo caused it,” Minghao hisses with slitted eyes.

“Wonwoo never meant to hurt Mingyu,” Jun retorts with equal and measured fury. “Is Mingyu all you
can think about? We're a team, Minghao, we all want to help Mingyu but keeping up such a hostile
air will do nothing for him.” The two stare at each other, one pair of eyes pleading for things of the
past and another that sees nothing but a present filled with do-or-die.

“He's my best friend.”

“He's not the only member.”

“I'd do anything for him.”

“What about us?”

Us? Minghao snaps his head up but before he can formulate an answer Soonyoung's voice
interrupts their secluded silence.

“Guys, is everything okay? Chan's ready to leave, unless you guys need some time,” the unit leader
raises the last syllabels along with a quirk of his eyebrow. Minghao shakes his head, turning away
from Jun's steady gaze as he plasters the man with a small smile. The tension in Soonyoung's
shoulders leave as he grins back, settling his gaze on Jun.

“Good talk...?”

Lie. That's Jun's first instinct and he knows that it's always good to follow your gut.

“Yeah. Is the maknae finally hungry? Let's get something to eat.” And with that Jun walks out of the
store, not looking back as he hears the small scuffs of shoes against pavement behind him.

They end up asking some locals what the best place to grab breakfast (well, brunch) would be and
they enter a tea house. The place is busy but not busy enough that they have to wait long for a table,
after five minutes a table large enough opens up and they place their orders.

“Is that bamboo in the tea,” Chan questions with a tilt of his head.

Smiling, Jun stirs the chopped bamboo shoot, but it's short lived as he accidentally meets Minghao's
unreadable gaze.

“Well, how is it?”

Jun's gaze lingers on Minghao. He licks the residual drops of liquid from his lips whispering, “Bitter...”
 I'm nowhere, you're nowhere

“You took us to a temple,” Jeonghan starts, “on top of a hike, it's like you want to kill me.” Upon the
death stares Jeonghan shoots Jisoo, the latter laughs nervously.

“Well, if we're here we might as well pray,” Seungkwan comments as he puts a coin into the well as
an offering. The members stay quiet as they watch on, but Jisoo doesn't miss the way Jihoon turns
and stares blankly at the town below. The higher altitude makes causes the shortest to shake, but
knowing Jihoon the brunette would rather get hypothermia than ask for someone to lend him a
jacket.

The temple isn't very large, probably the most ancient thing in Damyang, but it doesn't look like it's in
shambles. The shingles are a deep, brick red with stone walls and fairly new looking sliding doors.
Jisoo turns away from the members to join Jihoon near the edge of the steeple. Silence engulfs the
both of them, neither eager to start a conversation, but it isn't necessarily uncomfortable. Small
snippets of chatter from families slip in and out of the singer's mind. Being with Jihoon is like being in
a cage with sharks surrounding you, there's a protective barrier but metal bars can only do so much,
but Jihoon isn't a shark and Jisoo feels a bit ashamed of still being so tense around the shorter man.
“Why aren't you over there with them,” Jihoon finally breaks the silence but still doesn't look Jisoo in
the eyes.

“Just...wanted to make sure you're doing okay. I know the whole issue with Mingyu is taking a toll on
everyone,” Jisoo speaks softly like everything else he does. “I've noticed some hostility between you
and Wonwoo though...”

At this Jihoon scoffs, “Yeah, everyone and their mother have noticed, hyung.” Folding his arms,
Jihoon looks up at the cloud-free sky.

“We're a team, Jihoon.”

“I know.”

Jisoo sighs because it seems that no, Jihoon doesn't really know, doesn't really understand the point
he's trying to get to here. “If there's something bugging you, you need to tell us. You know that,
right?”

Again, the same response.

“I know.”

Jisoo, knowing when to give up, sighs and looks to stare at the rest of the Vocal Unit with their heads
all bowed. He wonders what they're praying for, probably for everyone to stay healthy and that their
next promotions will do well; all nice things. Pursing his lips into a thin line, Jisoo lets his eyes fall
shut and exhales slowly. Whether the issue with Mingyu and Wonwoo requires divine assistance is
anyone's guess, but it never hurts to pray, to call upon The Father, Jesus, Mary and Joseph, for
help.

A soft breeze fans across Jisoo's face. He smiles.

You're somewhere, you're somewhere

This is a train-wreck, Seungcheol thinks as he looks at the large space left between Wonwoo and
Mingyu. It's not like he expected the duo to walk hand-in-hand like they used to, but it's as if they
were no better than strangers. And, really, that's what Wonwoo is to Mingyu at this point. Just
strangers. Even if the members want to tell Mingyu about all the things he's done with Wonwoo—
good and bad—they can't unless they want to deal with an unconscious rapper. The stark
indifference between the two is juxtaposed next to the beauty and warmth surrounding them that
even though there's nothing remarkable about the rappers (excluding Mingyu's height) they still
manage to stand out. Everywhere the four of them went, no matter the garden path, families and
couples infiltrated their sight.

“Let's stop guys,” Seungcheol comments. He hopes the Soonyoung is dealing better with Minghao
because he didn't miss the way the younger boy's face hardened when it was announced they'd
group into their units. Heat from the stone bench seeps through denim, warming the leader's skin, as
he lets out a small yawn.

When did everything start to become so easy to break, brittle? How did these hairline fractures
form? Was this before or after Mingyu's accident? The sun soaks Seungcheol's face as if the
universe hears him and is trying to comfort his ache, but it does nothing. When bones have fractures
they grow back stronger, but sometimes the bone grows back wrong—sets wrong. And as the leader
Seungcheol is supposed to be the cast to make sure everything ends okay but doubts swim in his
head. A divide is there, a barrier that lives in Mingyu's mind and to some extent Wonwoo's as well.
It's all-encompassing.

It reminds Seungcheol of a cocoon, because shells are meant to protect what's inside but if the
creature never emerges it stands to reason that it will die.
Mingyu's burning up and Wonwoo's burning out. The wick doesn't have much time left, pressuring
Seungcheol to find a solution before the flame goes out.

“Do you have to flinch every time I come near you?”

Seungcheol lifts his head up as he hears the low grumble of Wonwoo's voice. The two stand at the
opposite side of the path with a terrified looking Hansol close-by. The leader's eyes meet the
frenzied gaze of the younger and with four long strides, Seungcheol places a hand on either of the
bickering members' chest.

“What's going on, I leave you alone for a few seconds and you get into an argument,” he whispers
sharply, “you're attracting attention.”

Wonwoo backs away first, “I'm tired of Mingyu treating me like this.” For once, instead of sadness
permeating the deep-voice, it's anger that oozes out, “I've been trying to give you space, I've been
nice, I don't understand why you won't give me a chance,” Wonwoo tirades, “can't you see that
you're, you're hurting everyone too...”

“Wonwoo-hyung,” Hansol shouts as he takes Mingyu by the hand and yanks the giant back, “that's
too far!”

Clenching his jaw, Wonwoo's head drops as his vision starts to swim. The stares that greet him
when he looks up are no better. Pity paints Seungcheol's face, and Hansol regards him as some sort
of haenious villain and maybe he is. “I—I have to go,” Wonwoo mumbles as he walks pass the
group. Seungcheol's muscles tighten but he isn't sure where to release the energy. He needs to go
after Wonwoo, he wants to go after Wonwoo, but his feet seem to be in a committed relationship to
the spot he's currently standing in.

“Hyung,” Hansol's voice brings Seungcheol out of his reverie, “it's okay.” Mingyu's head drops, fringe
falling in a way that casts a shadow against the tan boy's face, masking his eyes. Looking back out
to the path, Seungcheol watches as Wonwoo's form slowly disappears from his sight.

This went about as well as he had expected.

I could go there but I don't

There's no merry banter during dinner, in fact a third of the members immediately retreat back to
their rooms without so much as greeting the rest. Disappointment sits heavily on both the manager
and assistant manager's faces but neither men ask questions. At least directly. Wonwoo knows, well,
has an inkling, that Seungcheol updates the manager on what happens around the dorm, the subject
most likely being Mingyu these days. Stars dot the sky as Wonwoo reflects on the very long day he's
had. As a kid he used to make wishes on the first one he saw, but when he stares out the open
window all he can think about is how messed up everything's gotten and even if wishing did work he
wouldn't know where to begin. Maybe the beginning back when they were trainees, maybe to when
he started to lose Mingyu, maybe back to late afternoon when he practically admitted to the younger
that he was causing everyone pain.

Overthinking has always been a problem though, and only sweet slumber takes over once
Wonwoo's thoroughly exhausted with all the bleak thoughts entering and exiting his mind like a well-
oiled machine. His subconscious self sits in an empty void, floating along the darkness silently. No
one's there, not the members, not his family; a dreamless sleep.

When Wonwoo's eyes open slowly again, he's disappointed to see that it's still dark outside and that
the moon's shining even brighter than when he went to bed. Squinting at the unwanted light, he
clumsily makes it to the window and is about to shut the curtains but what he spots outside makes
his blood run cold. There, near the entrance of the inn, is a curled figure that appears to be asleep.
The image is surreal and unsettling, but as Wonwoo peers closer, blinking more as if it would make
the figure go away, a tingling sensation lights up his brain. Something tells him he knows who it is
and that just makes it worse.

He runs into Jeonghan and Mingyu's room, earning a very pissed off groan from Jeonghan, but
when his eyes land on an empty bed, Wonwoo curses.

“Fuck, hyung, Mingyu's outside.”

“W-wha,” Jeonghan sits up but Wonwoo's already gone.

“Manager-hyung,” light bursts into the room, “Mingyu's outside! He fainted.”

Suddenly the managers flying out the door with Seungcheol right behind him. Soon, all the rooms
down the hall become illuminated as members spill into the space, eyes bleary and faces
questioning. Leaning against the wall, Wonwoo quietly bangs his head, not bothering to
acknowledge the member that walks up to him. “Wonwoo,” Jun's voice says gently, placing a hand
on the younger's shoulder, “are you okay?”

“Yeah, I'm perfectly fine, I just saw my best-friend lying unconscious on the grass and it's probably
because I yelled at him.”
Unable to look Jun straight in the eye, Wonwoo misses the sad smile that passes over the Chinese
man's sleepy face. Wonwoo relaxes minutely under the blonde's touch, but he hears the chatter of
the other members and can't help but think that they're all probably blaming him for Mingyu's fainting
episode. Hansol already hates him now, so it would make sense for the rest of the memebrs too.

“Stop thinking whatever it is you're thinking. I know Mingyu acts like a child but trust me, he can take
care of himself. Why won't you worry about you for once...?”

The question lingers in the air and leaves a bad taste in Wonwoo's mouth. It's reminiscient of luke-
warm coffee drank right after brushing your teeth. The two stand in silence until the manager comes
back with an unconscious Mingyu dangling in his arms. In any other circumstance it would be
comical seeing their much shorter manager carrying the tallest member bridal-style, Mingyu's limbs
dangling off, but there's a conflicted look on the rapper's face and the manager doesn't seem any
better.

“Alright guys, don't crowd around him.” Seungcheol shoos away the members as they try and gather
around Mingyu's bed.

“What happened,” Chan questions with wide eyes.

“We don't know. He was just laying there holding one of those flowers,” the assistant manger
comments. “Alright kids, go back to bed, we have a long day tomorrow.” That feels like the
understatement of the century but everyone quietly concedes. Leaving the door slightly ajar,
Jeonghan carefully sits on the edge of Mingyu's bed, gently fixing the brunette's messy hair as he
picks out small blades of grass.

“Hmm, hyung,” Mingyu drawls tiredly, seeming to phase in and out of consciousness.

Jeonghan hums, “Yes, what is it Mingyu?”

“Hyung,” the younger replies in a strained voice, “I...I remember.”

Goodbye to my Santa Monica dream

When Seokmin returns to his room, he doesn't go back to sleep immediately. No, he sits in the near-
darkness and waits for Wonwoo to come, wanting to tell the elder that he's here if he wants to talk
but maybe it's more for Seokmin's sake than Wonwoo's; he might need to vent more if that was even
possible. After a few minutes of sitting alone; however, does Seokmin begin to worry. Did something
happen to Wonwoo? Was he not coming back to bed? Carefully, he makes his way to the door,
shivering as the cold shoots up from his feet and up his spine.

Seokmin's about to exit to the pitch dark hallway but his fingers linger against the cool wood as he
hears hushed voices. Wonwoo is definitely one of the disembodied voices, but Seokmin strains his
ear to catch the softer voice. He knows it's wrong to eavesdrop, that his mother would have no doubt
punished him if she were here, but what could the two of them be discussing that's so important at
this hour? Pieces of the conversation filter through the door but it's not enough to put the whole
puzzle together. Nibbling his bottom lip, Seokmin carefully places his weight on the door enough so
he can look through the crack.

He vaguely makes out the silhouette of the two band members. The way their bodies move though
has Seokmin blushing slightly. It feels like he's intruding on a moment only meant to seen by the
eyes of Cupid. The two are close, intimately close, sharing the same air and breath. How odd.

A silhouette shifts and one of them places their hands on the small of the other figures back.

Why were they just standing in the middle of a hallway though? Didn't they realize anyone could just
walk in on the moment? Like now, for example. Guilt pooling in the pit of his stomach, Seokmin's
about to detach himself from the door but stops as one of the silhouette comes too close. Seokmin
bites down on his lip as he watches Jun and Wonwoo share a kiss, only tearing his gaze away as
arms come to wrap around a neck.

What was happening?

Wonwoo hums a tune, the melody is something Mingyu's never heard before, and much like
Wonwoo's voice when talking, the vibration is deep and low. “What,” Wonwoo questions with tilted
lips and shining eyes. Mingyu hates it because there isn't any sunlight shining in; eyes aren't
supposed to sparkle more than the stars. “Mingyu,” Wonwoo repeats again as he leans over and
pokes the younger boy's cheek, “it's rude to ignore your hyung.” It would be a lie to say that Mingyu
didn't think about biting the shorter male's wagging finger but luckily he has just enough self control
to swat the offending digit away.

A large grin overshadow the features of Wonwoo's face as he laughs softly.

“Shut up, there's nothing funny,” Mingyu grumbles as he twists the bedding around his fingers,
squeezing the fabric experimentally as if there is something more sinister beside cotton stuffing. The
way he's acting is childish—more so than usual—and he could hit his head for how sour his tone had
come out. What was the saying, hindsight is 20/20 although Mingyu could live with a less than
perfect score in this case. Weight shifts and the bed dips lower as pale, bony hands cover Mingyu's
own; fingers twined in cold fusion. Mingyu wants to simultaneously look up and not, but finds a
middle-ground in his mind and decides to stare at Wonwoo's shirt instead. The heavy smell of
flowers still lingers in the air; Mingyu bets the bouquet he bought the elder only helped add to the
floral perfume that still emits from Wonwoo.

“Mingyu,” it's weird how intimate Wonwoo sounds when speaking his name, “Mingyu, look at me.”
Maybe it's even weirder how Mingyu doesn't mind the tone—a secret only for them to know. For
once Mingyu decides to listen to the elder and lifts his eyes up. A soft smile that shows in the eyes
more than the lips (a true Wonwoo smile) reflects in Mingyu's eyes as he stares at the older boy.

Mingyu—mush mouthed—mumbles into the suddenly much too small room. Wonwoo sighs but
doesn't make a move to let the brunette's hand go.

“Please repeat that, with proper Korean.”

'Proper Korean' Mingyu mimes accompanied with a roll of his eyes. Regret immediately floods his
mind as Wonwoo pinches—hard—the skin on the back of his hand. “Okay, okay,” Mingyu whines
trying to shake the smaller hand free, “What if...what if you get another best friend...? I mean, we
won't be in school together anymore and—“

Before Mingyu can finish Wonwoo his slapping the younger's hand, frowning. “Mingyu, we are in the
same group. We spend every hour together what are you afraid of? I'm not going to leave you,”
Wonwoo ends with a scowl that Mingyu immediately shrinks from. Mingyu shouldn't have talked but
Wonwoo is still technically his hyung and his eyes do a really weird thing where they resemble
blackholes that's impossible to escape from. There's no more stars dancing across the rapper's
eyes, but a tender stare replaces the silent scowl and Mingyu feels slightly better. “Mingyu, we're a
package deal, alright? Where you go, I'll go.”

You'll go? Mingyu snaps his head up with wide eyes resembling saucers. It's ridiculous how much
the simple statement affects him, but right now Mingyu doesn't focus on that but rather the warmth
spreading across his stomach and face. “I'll follow you too, no matter what,” Mingyu replies hurriedly
with a large grin.

Wonwoo smiles back, not quite as large, but he ruffles the younger's hair. “Just like a puppy,” his
baritone voice, light with amusement, floods Mingyu's senses.
“Alright you guys,” Seungcheol's voice breaks the moment but cuts off like a needle scratching
against a record, “Erm, did I interrupt something,” the eldest trails off awkwardly as he regards the
two younger boys on the bed. Immediately, Wonwoo retracts his hand while Mingyu scrambles to
get off of the bed.

“Well, since it's your graduation party, you get to choose where to eat,” Seungcheol remarks as he
walks back toward the living room. Fiddling with his fingers, Mingyu waits anxiously for Wonwoo to
get up too.

“Ah, seriously, does no one know how to knock.” The tone is heavy with annoyance but the small
twitch of Wonwoo's lips betrays him. “Let's go Mingyu, looks like you're clear of cooking duty today.”

Smiling, Mingyu catches Wonwoo's hand in his as the duo walk to where the rest of the group is.
Something foreign stirs in Mingyu's stomach, it reminds him of the time when he ate a week expired
pudding but less throwing-up, when he looks at Wonwoo's smiling face. He tightens his fingers
around pale ones. Whatever the feeling, he doesn't want to lose it. Wonwoo promised though that he
wouldn't and that's enough for Mingyu to feel at ease.

You and me know we're meant to be

Maybe we'll never know

It's high-noon when Mingyu finally opens his eyes. The room is warm, too warm, and the moment he
tries to sit up he lets out a strangled cry. His brain pounds angrily against his skull while his stomach
churns in warning. What day is it? What time is it? Why was he alone and why didn't the members
wake him up? Questions invite themselves in without leaving; they congeal into an ugly blob
monster. “Ugh, why do I feel so terrible,” Mingyu groans as he falls sideways, burrowing his face into
the hotel pillow. He tries to recount the happenings of yesterday, but each time he gets to when
everyone came back from town a migraine comes on. Pins stick his brain and, at this point, wanting
to remember would either make him the word's biggest masochist or idiot. Slowly, Mingyu plants his
feet onto the floor and pushes himself up to a sitting position. His stomach feels fine as long as he
moves slow. Before Mingyu can try and stand up, the door creaks open and a shocked face greets
him.

Seungkwan runs to his side, ushering Mingyu to sit “before you hurt yourself” the younger explains
and while it feels like an insult Mingyu complies because damn, he was not ready to stand. “Jihoon-
hyung bought these.” Seungkwan passes over a small bottle of Advil. Mingyu swears he hears
angels singing—not concerning at all—as he opens the bottle and pops two into his mouth.
Seungkwan, being oddly prepared, passes a bottle of water over.

“So, where is everyone else,” Mingyu asks as he wipes the droplets of water from his mouth.
The shorter male crosses his arms but comments with disinterest, “Most of them are out doing team-
building exercises. The better question is, what were you doing outside last night?”

“Eh, was I outside?”

Seungkwan gives his signature you-must-be-joking-right-now stare but as Mingyu continues to stare
in confusion the younger sighs. “We, well, Wonwoo-hyung,” the singer fixes as he sits on the edge of
Jeonghan's bed, “found you fainted, in front of the hotel, last night. What were you doing, picking
flowers!”

Mingyu flinches at the sudden change in pitch. “Do you think you can keep it down?” With a heavy
and overly unnecessary sigh, Seungkwan lets his shoulders fall as he crosses and uncrosses his
legs. “Listen...I, I don't remember half of what happened yesterday. Everything feels...fuzzy, like my
brain went through the rinse cycle twice. Soooo, what exactly happened?”

A look of consideration flits across the singer's face. “We're not really sure,” Seungkwan whispers,
his body seeming smaller than usual. If Mingyu doesn't know what happened, and the rest don't
know what happened, then who knows? Anxiety clenches the rapper's heart in a vice grip—what
happened? “Hyung, it's fine, don't strain yourself by trying to remember,” Seungkwan rectifies his
slip-up and continues, “What I mean is, you wandered outside to where those flowers were and
seemed to faint. Did you, did you remember something?” Did those flowers mean something?
Mingyu tilts his head in an attempt to get the gears in his mind moving. With all the rain that came
from his loss; however, the gears are rusted and refuse to move.

“Are they supposed to,” Mingyu inquires innocently.

“Never mind.” Disappointment is heavy in the singer's features but Mingyu hardly notices as he
stares at his socked feet, ruined with grass stains. Huh, so Seungkwan wasn't lying, although why
would someone lie about that? Mingyu shakes his head. “We were really worried. It's weird though,
because Wonwoo-hyung saw you first but woke someone else up. He didn't even...”

“Didn't even what,” Mingyu urges.

Seungkwan nibbles on his bottom lip before saying, “He didn't go see you. I mean, it's just, I know
Seungcheol-hyung said to not mention the past but if it was before everything he would have been
the one carrying you back.”
“...really,” Mingyu asks doubtfully. Despite having only known Wonwoo for a week, give or take a few
days, the male didn't seem like the type to act like a knight in shining armour.

“Yeah,” Seungkwan goes on with delight at Mingyu's still very conscious state, “You guys did
everything together!” As the singer gives a plethora of times Mingyu and Wonwoo were together, the
younger misses the way Mingyu starts to sway. Wonwoo and him, him and Wonwoo—why does it
hurt? Mingyu clutches his knees, knuckles turning a ghostly white as he tries to keep from falling.
Black spots dot his vision and everything feels like it's underwater; muted and wavy. “Sometimes it
looks like you were really in love with him.”

Love? Mingyu's body drops like a ragdoll.

The next time his eyes open, his body is crumbled on the floor and Seungkwan is standing over him
along with Jeonghan. “Seriously, you have to stop doing this, it's getting pretty cliché,” Jeonghan
comments with a tight-lip smile.

“How long was I out...?”

“Ten minutes,” Seungkwan supplies as he helps Mingyu up. “Oh man, I think you might be sick.”

Mingyu groans.

“Well, the manager wants us to participate, so you'll just have to watch us from the sideline,”
Jeonghan adds with a pitiful smile. More groaning.

“If I promise to play nice with Wonwoo, can I just stay in, please?”

Seungkwan just shakes his head. It takes Mingyu forever to get dress. A mix of because he really,
really doesn't want to go but also because his head is still pounding and he shoves the bottle of Advil
into the pocket of his hoodie. Judging by the high-noon sun he guesses the weather is sweltering
and humid, but he can't seem to stop shivering every ten seconds. Mingyu congratulates his past
self for being prepared for any type of weather as he pulls the sleeves of the blue hoodie down. The
walk into town is oddly quiet with Jeonghan and Seungkwan exchanging stares that Mingyu
pretends to not notice. 'You're hurting everyone' Wonwoo's words repeat in his mind; a new prayer.
He finds it hard to believe that that Wonwoo could be the same one who would come to Mingyu's
rescue. Then again, Seungkwan said in the past, so maybe back then but not now.
“Hey, you're being oddly quiet,” Jeonghan pipes up, “something on your mind.”

“Nothing is ever in his mind,” Seungkwan bites back, playfully nudging the giant male.

Mingyu pouts but not before bouncing Seungkwan right back. “Hey, don't be so mean to someone
who's sick.” It almost feels normal, the back-and-forth Ming and Seungkwan do, but then again the
absence of Wonwoo always makes Mingyu feel more at ease. This time; however, it's different.
Mingyu feels different and not a good different. He assumes Seungkwan doesn't bring up the little
chit-chat they had before he fainted again, probably in fear of him falling unconscious—he hated it
just as much as them—yet again, but he remembers. It's a fifteen minute walk, the awkward silence
gives way to lazy small-talk and looking at phones, but as the trio walk into an open field with the
members and managers in the middle, Mingyu starts to jog to them. It's only when he's a few feet
away, the rest unaware and looking exhausted, that he stops. The grass that grazes the skin of his
ankles suddenly doesn't bother him as he stares at Wonwoo's face. The usual pasty skin shines
under the canary-yellow sunlight, soft pinks mixing on Wonwoo's face as if someone was painting
the man with oils; blotchy blending but Mingyu finds it fascinating. It looks real, genuine, but
something that isn't for his eyes to see.

When Wonwoo finally notices and their eyes meet, Mingyu jerks his head and looks down. “Oh,
Mingyu,” Seungcheol's voice rasps out, “how long were you standing there? And why are you
wearing a hoodie it's like, a million degrees outside.”

Seungkwan interjects with a slight pout, “He's sick.” Various looks, most Mingyu can't decipher in his
miserable state, pass over the members before one of the youngest manager sighs.

“Jinsung-hyung, Mingyu won't be able to participate,” Minghao says as the main manager comes up,
eyes looking questioningly at the members as he takes in Mingyu's state. A small noise of
understanding escapes the manager's mouth. “Can I sit out with him?” Jun stares at Minghao who
doesn't bother to give the other Chinese male a glance as his eyes stare into Mingyu's. Suddenly,
the rapper feels small and inadequate, a fly bothering the rest with it's incessant buzzing.

“T-that's okay, I can still participate.”

Jinsung, with a fatherly look in his eyes, shakes his head. “It's fine, Mingyu. You can sit this out for
now. I assume Seungkwan told you what happened,” the members exchange fleeting glances, “And
Minghao,” Jinsung's eyes soften only to re-harden, “don't worry about Mingyu, focus on yourself,
okay?”

Minghao chews on his bottom lip, looking between the managers and Mingyu, before he deflates
and replies with a less than enthusiastic “I understand” that has all the members give a sigh a of
relief. Mingyu doesn't go far form the members; however, instead just a few steps away, enough not
to be an obstacle but still close enough that everyone has a good view of him. He partially thinks it's
to appease Minghao.

“Okay everyone, the next exercise will be a riddle, and the winning group gets to eat expensive beef
for tonight!”

What, if Mingyu knew food was on the line he would have been more tenacious. He watches as the
members split into teams that are oddly not based on any unit. Wonwoo is with Soonyoung,
Seungkwan, and Jeonghan. China-line is together, which seems like a bad idea in itself, along with
Seungcheol and Seokmin. Finally, the last group is Chan, Hansol, Jihoon and Jisoo. Mingyu
mentally roots for the maknaes to win because the youngest Chan has been a little down lately,
although he feels slightly guilty because Minghao is his best friend. With Mingyu out of the picture;
however, everything seems...normal. There's an even amount of members, Minghao isn't constantly
glaring at Jun but instead seems to be collaborating with the elder in a calm fashion. Is this how the
group would be if he was out?

Unable—unwilling—to continue further with that train of thought, Mingyu starts playing on his phone,
bringing his knees up to his chest as he crumples inside of himself pathetically.

Fifteen minutes into the game, all the members having cried out in frustration at least three times
each, the sound of crushing grass fills Mingyu's head as scuffed shoes come into view. Blinking up,
Mingyu stares like a deer caught in headlights at the person blocking the warm sun. Wonwoo's face
is unsure, eyes searching for something even he doesn't seem to know. Break the silence.

“Ummm,” Mingyu smacks himself mentally.

“Here,” Wonwoo mutters as he shakes a frosty, half-full water bottle in Mingyu's face, “you didn't
have any water and I—we don't want you getting heat stroke. A soft fuzzy halo surrounds Wonwoo's
frame and if Mingyu was a bit more delirious he probably would have mistaken the elder as an
honest-to-god angel. “Hurry and take it, I didn't poison it,” Wonwoo sighs in agitation, shaking the
bottle, a few cold droplets landing on Mingyu's hand.

Time stands still as Mingyu, slowly and tentatively, grasps the cold bottle.

“Ah, h-hyung, wait,” Mingyu calls before Wonwoo has time to rejoin the others. Despite the sensation
of cotton filling his mouth and his slightly spinning head, Mingyu manages to softly rely his gratitude.
Something akin to shock and awe graces Wonwoo's features for a moment before he smiles ever so
slightly, but it doesn't last.
 You and me are worst enemies
Cause we don't believe anymore

“I still can't believe Jeonghan-hyung's team won,” Jihoon grumbles as he sends glares at the
nonchalant singer.

“You're just jealous we get to eat delicious food,” Jeonghan mocks as he sticks his tongue out.
Mingyu watches the exchange with a debilitated smile. There's no doubt in the rapper's mind Jihoon
is going to remember that and take it out on the lyric distribution on the next album. “My leadership
skills amaze me sometimes,” Jeonghan comments with a haughty flip of his hair that has everyone
rolling their eyes.

“He couldn't even lead a fly to trash,” Minghao grumbles quietly to Mingyu who has to bit his lip as to
not burst into laughter. Smiling, Minghao gently nudges Mingyu's side, the corner of his mouth
turned upward in a small smirk. As the rapper turns his attention back to the group, it's his turn to
catch Wonwoo staring at him. Was Mingyu ever able to read the male's expression before or was
there some sort of guide on reading the small nuances in the elder's seemingly same facial
expression? Face heating up against his will, Mingyu turns his head away and stares at the grass.

Jihoon is the next to speak up, gently pushing the giant's arm. God, what was with the members and
pushing him around today?

“Hey, did you take the Advil I got for you?”

“Hmm? Oh, yeah,” Mingyu pulls the bottle out of the hoodie's pocket and shakes it, “thank you. It
really helped a lot.”

Jihoon grins, an expression of was-there-any-doubt gracing the smile but the triumphant smile
doesn't seem to be for Mingyu. Furrowing his brows, Mingyu looks behind him to trace the path of
the shorter male's stare, only for it to land on Wonwoo. Electricity sparks in the air as the producer
and rapper's eyes meet but Jun quickly defuses the bomb, practically tackling Wonwoo in a bear hug
that has the duo almost slamming into an unsuspecting Chan. Jeonghan shouts about the two idiots
not hurting his baby and, while everyone laughs, Mingyu can't help but to stare at the way Jun's
arms wrap securely around Wonwoo's waist.

“Mingyu, are you okay?” Minghao's delicate voice beckons Mingyu back to the real world.
“Y-yeah, just a little out of it I guess,” Mingyu struggles to reply

The manager cuts the conversations short with a sigh of endearment, “Alright guys, we'll take a
break for lunch. Let's go and find a place to eat.” Wiping sweat away, Minghao slings a lanky arm
awkwardly across Mingyu's broad shoulders.

“What should we eat,” Jisoo questions only to regret it as a blurb of responses fly out of everyone's
mouths. Oddly enough; however, Seokmin remains quiet at Soonyoung's side. Mingyu doesn't offer
a suggestion either, too tired to argue over everyone else, and instead just lets Minghao lead him to
wherever they were going. More answers, demands, really, of pork, dumplings, thai, and other
dishes leave the members' mouth. The streets, while not quite as crowded as Seoul, are still prolific
with locals and tourists alike who give the large group strange stares.

“Wait, Mingyu's sick, shouldn't we go to a place where there's soup,” Wonwoo pipes in for the first
time. The chatter grinds to a halt as the members stare at the rapper with something akin to
confusion. Jun slowly detaches from Wonwoo's side, head tilted slightly as a silent conversation
goes on between the duo. “What,” Wonwoo huffs as his cooled cheeks start to burn again.

“Erm, Mingyu,” Soonyoung coughs, “did you want soup...?”

Tearing his gaze away from Wonwoo's flustered face, Mingyu shrugs his shoulders. “Honestly, I
probably won't eat a lot either way, so you guys can just choose something.”

Jinsung makes the decision for them, “Hotpot it is then, it'll make it easier for you to eat.”

Slowly, the members go back to talking. Mingyu's long given up on listening to the random
conversation, picking up weird bits about perfume socks, sea-turtle mating habits, and something
about bamboo Mingyu would rather not think about. Somewhere between the members shuffling and
Minghao pulling him around, Mingyu finds himself in the middle of the large flock. Minghao, who has
long let him go, buzzes happily by his side, talking to Hansol about...something. Mingyu pulls out the
Advil bottle again only for a hand to stop him.

“Hey,” a baritone voice whispers softly, “when was the last time you took some? There is a dosage
on the back you should pay attention to.”

Mingyu blinks at the pale hand holding his own. “R-right,” he mumbles, pulling his hand back and
scratching the skin. Despite his nails leaving angry, red marks, the lingering sensation of Wonwoo's
touch fester on his skin, setting off a fire along his cells. It's familiar, the sensation that they've done
this before, countless times, but a jolt of pain stabs Mingyu's head and he takes the warning to stop.

From the sidelines, several of the members look on as silent spectators. One with a forlorn gaze,
another with hope in their eyes, and two with caustic pessimism.

Out on the streets

Our colors bleed

“Hey,” Jeonghan crouches to Mingyu's eye-level, “I didn't want to ask you this in front of the others,
but do you remember what you said to me last night?”

Mingyu wants to say that he can hardly remember what's been happening today, that all he wants to
do is take a nap on the field but who knows what kind of insects are loitering on the soil. He partially
blames lunch for making him feel so sleepy. “No, why?”

“You told me that you remembered something...”

Remember. Mingyu tosses the word around in his head as his fingers pick at the blades of grass.
Did he remember something? He closes his eyes briefly. Pastel colours replace the usual darkness
and abstract shapes crowd his subconsciousness.

It's a feeling. A feeling of warmth and fingers wrapped around each other. Unsure touches and
sweaty palms, fingers wrapped around bony wrists. There's no clear face—never is—but Mingyu has
a feeling who it's about.

He opens his eyes to see Jeonghan staring at him expectantly. “Can I ask you a question, hyung?”

“What is it?”

“Did...did Wonwoo-hyung and I, did we hold hands a lot?”

A soft look lingers in Jeonghan's eyes as he ruffles Mingyu's hair, “Yeah...” he replies with a far-off
look, “you two...you were something else,” the singer finishes, unsure how to best describe it. Before
Mingyu can ask the brunette to elaborate the manager calls him back.
 Nobody speaks to me

Wonwoo is exhausted. He's sweaty, dirty, but he feels like he's accomplished something. “Alright
guys, I think we did good today,” Jinsung comments as he gives the twelve boys a round of
applause. What kept Wonwoo from complaining quite honestly, was the thought of his team's well
deserved dinner. Dusting off his pants with new grass stains adorning the knees. As the members,
with grunts and sighs of pain, start to pick themselves up and walk out of the field towards the main
roads, Wonwoo stops as Jihoon blocks his way.

“Shouldn't you be with Mingyu?” The question leaves Wonwoo's mouth before the rapper has time to
think. The tone is rougher, something he can easily blame on his exhaustion, but there's a sourness
to it that he isn't entirely sure why it's there.

Jihoon has always reminded Wonwoo of a wolf in sheep's clothing. The small, cute looking man
seems innocent and sweet, but underneath that is a silent storm.

“What, like how you're always with Jun,” the shorter mocks

“I don't want to fight, Jihoon-hyung,” Wonwoo's voice drops dangerously low, trying to keep a calm
facade just in case the members look back at them.

Jihoon doesn't back down though, he never does. Suddenly, Wonwoo is back to the very first
almost-fight except that it isn't Minghao. Maybe there was foreshadowing that Wonwoo had
managed to miss. Wonwoo wonders if Jihoon will be stupid enough to start a physical fight, making
the team-building exercises all for naught, but at the same time he knows the singer isn't reckless
enough to aim for the face.

“You messed up once, Wonwoo,” Jihoon goes on with a deep-set scowl, “don't care about him if
you're just going to leave him.”

“Who do you mean by 'him',” Wonwoo grits with his jaw set tightly.

Straightening his back, Jihoon just huffs as he casts the members a side glance.

“You and I both know who I'm referring to.”

And Jihoon leaves it at that, making his way back to the group, leaving the ghost of emotions behind
for Wonwoo to deal with. Just when things had started to look up, one of the shoes drop. Wonwoo
shrugs off Jun's comforting hand, choosing to linger behind the members as he drowns in his
thoughts.

A sense of weary calm washes over the team, dream-like and equally as fragile, any rough touch will
break it. Mingyu sniffles a little, still not quite over his cold, but he's not running a fever like the first
day the illness showed up so it was something. “Okay, guys,” Jinsung says as the younger manager
is at his side, eyes searching all of their faces, “since today is the last day we'll be in Damyang
you're free to do what you like. We'll meet together for dinner and then head back home.” Home,
Mingyu repeats the word in his head with an increasing grin. Damyang is beautiful and otherworldly
with its looming bamboo shoots but he's missed sleeping in his own bed; they all have. “Feel free to
go with whoever, but no one is to go alone anywhere, alright.” A chorus of 'yes' shoot back and
Jisung nods his head. Mingyu lets out a tired yawn, wondering if just going back to sleep was an
option. Despite having gone to bed at eleven, Mingyu couldn't sleep continuously—phantom
sensations plauge his exhausted mind. He remembers best when he's asleep because there's
nothing to stop him from remembering, but that doesn't mean he still doesn't fight it. It's better this
way, he repeats to himself as he catches Wonwoo's gaze. Accidental glances, fleeting touches,
cautionary words—everything feels like a coincidence when it comes to the elder but it's been
happening too frequently, too natural to the point where Mingyu feels like that maybe he can live with
this. The line in the sand washes away with the tide but this time Mingyu doesn't re-draw one. “Hey,
hyung, are you listening,” Hansol's voice bounces and Mingyu breaks from Wonwoo's intense stare.

“Hmm, sorry Hansol,” Mingyu apologizes as his eyes skitter across the room, but quickly does a
double-take as he sees both managers and Seungcheol discussing something away from the rest of
the group. Even with survival instincts comparable to a koala when not being directed, Mingyu has
an inkling that whatever the trio is discussing cannot be good—when is it ever these days? “Wait,
you want to visit that garden place again,” the incredulous tone captures Hansol off guard as he
stares at the much taller man. Mingyu grimaces at the memory of Wonwoo shouting, the unpleasant
words exchanged, and Hansol fighting for him. Before Mingyu has time to say yes though—who
could deny anyone from the maknae line?—Chan rushes over and practically tackles Hansol.

“Hey, hyung, Rememeber that thing we promised to do with Seungkwan.” Mingyu furrows his brows
at the stressed words. Hansol, who sighs heavily, grumbles but ultimately agrees to whatever
convoluted thing the maknae wants to do. Mingyu isn't quite sure what it is considering the duo were
speaking at the speed of light; broken words and unfinished sentences flung without care. Is this
slang? Was he finally out of the loop and becoming an old man? “Sorry, hyung, but Hansol is mine,”
Chan remarks with a bright grin. How could anyone be mad at their maknae? As Mingyu dismisses
the odd occurrence, he stares at the rest of the members who have all seemed to be paired off in
groups. Everyone is laughing and joking as they push each other around and Mingyu feels only 5cm
tall. He bites his lip and fidgets slightly, not wanting to intrude on any of the groups. A balance is
struck, a delicate equilibrium that Mingyu's afraid to break, but as he searches he finds a lone figure
too. Mingyu was sure that Wonwoo and Jun would be the first to pair up or at the very least be
together in a group. Then again, Mingyu thinks with discomfort, I could say the same thing about me
and Minghao.

Loneliness is a horrible feeling but being with Wonwoo for extended amounts of time is equally as
anxiety riddled. What's worse though, being alone or the discomfort of awkward company? Mingyu
chooses the latter and steps forward. Dogs don't do well alone, his younger sister had commented
years ago; they are also loyal too a fault. Mingyu ignores the second part and stands in front of
Wonwoo with a nervous half-smile.

Everything stops. Noise pollution in the air comes to a halt and the Earth's rotation comes to a
standstill. Wonwoo stares silently with an unreadable expression and Mingyu's ready to make his
bubble bigger again, rejection encroaches the edge of his mind as fear tells him to cut his loses and
go with an already formed group. “Guess we're stuck with each other,” Wonwoo comments
offhandedly.

The world turns again as chatter fills Mingyu's ears. Did it ever stop, he wonders to himself as he
hums and nods, exhaling with relief. Right, they're just stuck with each other. Wonwoo hadn't been
Mingyu's first choice, he's not sure who it would have been, but certainly on the list at the bottom had
been the older rapper. “What should we do,” Wonwoo questions as he looks at the rest of the
members. Mingyu nibbles his lips as he looks down, staring at Wonwoo's hand. Something bubbles
up, something unnerving that twists like a fish-hook in the back of his mind, bringing up abstract
memories. Something whispers to him that he should hold Wonwoo's hand but he doesn't.

“Food,” Mingyu suggests as some of the members start to walk out.

Wonwoo hums, “Food it is,” and starts walking out as well. As the duo leave the building, Mingyu
feels his phone go off and blinks as Minghao's message greets him.

'If anything happens call me.'

Simple, curt, straight to the point. Mingyu shakes his head but can't stop as a smile stretches his lips.
He inhales and nods to himself. He can get through this one day with Wonwoo, for all eleven of his
members.

As they walk into town, Mingyu looks around the building with inquisitive eyes. They didn't get to look
around much, which is a shame because Damyang is a really beautiful town. The sky seems so
clear and limitless, the clouds fluffier than the ones in Seoul. And, despite not having a fancy skyline,
the stars shine brighter than in the city. “We should get some seafood,” Mingyu says as walks a step
behind Wonwoo, “wait, you're allergic,” he quickly tacks on as an afterthought but soon halts.
Wonwoo freezes too, his muscles tense and Mingyu wonders if the past him often saw Wonwoo's
back as a sense of familiarity stabs his heart. “That...was weird, like someone took over my mind,”
Mingyu mumbles as he runs a hand to ruffle his hair.

They continue to walk. “I am allergic to seafood though...” Wonwoo trails off.

“H-hey, I think that's hotteok I smell,” Mingyu diverts the conversation as he sniffs the air, following
the scent of sweet, red beans. Mingyu keeps going, his body buzzing as he doesn't bother to look
back to see if Wonwoo is chasing after him or not. If Seungcheol were here he'd tell him to slow
down, if Minghao was here he would have followed, but it's just him and Wonwoo and their
painstakingly awkward past he doesn't want any part of.

Wait, what...?

Mingyu uses up his last remnants of energy to stop before he slams into the hotteok cart. The old
woman running the cart stares at him with wide eyes before smiling. “You must have been hungry,”
she muses with a rough but warm voice.

“I feel like you have no concept of the buddy system,” a deep voice mocks and Mingyu turns to see a
slightly panting Wonwoo, pale face ruddy.

They purchase five hotteok in total, two plain, one green tea, one honey, and one cinnamon cream
filled. Wonwoo blows on the green-tea one before he takes a small bite. Not exactly a healthy
breakfast but Mingyu swings the bag without a care, happily taking large bites of the circular
pancake. Honey practically floods his mouth as a string connects his lips to the food, the thread
growing thin before it breaks and leaves a sticky mess behind.

“God, how are you always so messy,” Wonwoo exhales as reaches for a napkin in the bag and
quickly wipes at Mingyu's wrist. The small action, when looked through the outside, is nothing weird.
It could easily be dismissed as a helpful friend but Mingyu's mind haywires at the gesture and jerks
his body away on impulse. “S-sorry it's just, I....” the awkward air returns to suffocate them.

Mingyu gulps, trying to will his blush away but it feels slightly in vain, “I-it's fine hyung, just...” Mingyu
trails off as well.

Don't do it again.
 어젯밤엔 무슨 꿈을 꾸다 깼는지
놀란 마음을 쓸어내려야 했어요

Mingyu devours three hotteok with abandon, having finished two by the time Wonwoo is done eating
his one. There isn't much talking, just breaths between each bite and the crinkle of parchment paper
and plastic as Mingyu focuses on chewing. Before he lost Wonwoo in his mind, were their talks filled
with banter? Were they not awkward or filled with tension? Did Mingyu not have the urge to gnaw off
his arm and run like a wounded animal? Mingyu wonders if he'll ever remember but does he want
to? The edge of the cinnamon hotteok brushes his lips but instead of taking a bite Mingyu stops
walking, choosing to stare at the street in contemplation. There's no break in silence to indicate that
Wonwoo has noticed, but Mingyu doesn't hear any footsteps either.

Two pairs of eyes seemingly drawn to one another meet again. Mingyu feels like he's being pulled in
by a strong undertow and left to drown.

“You okay,” Wonwoo questions hesitantly as Mingyu diverts his gaze.

Lying is bad, that's what his mother has always told him, but Mingyu isn't quite sure what he is.
Between the small fluttering of lashes—returning back to the physical world, and resuming to eat his
hotteok, Mingyu mumbles out an “I'm okay” and leaves it at that. One small lie wouldn't hurt, and it's
not exactly false, he's not feeling bad just...different.

Wonwoo hums like he understands and maybe he does; Mingyu doesn't ask questions. The two
begin their leisurely pace once more, Wonwoo's steps falling a bit behind now as staring at the older
male's back has become uncomfortable for Mingyu. “Where should we go,” the younger asks as he
licks off the grains of sugar taking residence on his lips. Mingyu savors the too sweet taste as he
licks some of the sugar clumps off of the packaging. Maybe one of them should have been looking
for landmarks to visit instead of just wandering aimlessly in silence, as Mingyu's focus falls on his
creme-filled pancake once more, Wonwoo's own weaves quietly through the settled air. “What about
the park?”

“Park,” Mingyu parrots as he scans the area to find a park just across the road. Oh, how convenient.
Mingyu nods as he crosses the lulled street, crossing the small stone border that leads into the
green threshold. The park seems more beautiful than the ones in Seoul. The grass is a vivid green,
a decent sized jungle gym is at the center of it all with what seems like a small pond offset and a little
ways back. Without thinking, Mingyu walks over to the jungle gym with few kids playing on it,
ignoring the benches ligning the dirt path as he plops himself onto the swingset. The structure
groans under the weight but doesn't do much else. Wonwoo is much more reluctant to sit on the
swings much too small for them but does so anyway. “I haven't been on a swing in forever,” Mingyu
says softly as he stretches out his feet, the seat going higher as the chains clink and rustle. Wonwoo
imitates the move on a lesser scale; he gently rocks back and forth as the children's laughter and
shouts become their background music.
Someone's phone buzzes violently against the plastic seat but lets it die. Mingyu drops the bag and
turns body slightly so that he faces Wonwoo and smiles nervously, “hyung, about what you said a
few days ago—“

“I didn't mean it,” Wonwoo fumbles out with a small blush, “I was just angry I guess,” Mingyu
watches a pale hand rake through charcoal hair, “Mingyu, seriously, why—“ Wonwoo doesn't finish
because Mingyu's tired of their discussion always leading this way, with Wonwoo taking the reigns
and him falling back.

“It's okay, hyung,” Mingyu responds evenly, a certain understanding and wisdom twinkles in his eyes
that makes Wonwoo fidget, “you're right. Everything that's been happening to the group wouldn't be
happening if it weren't for me—“

Wonwoo pleads, “Mingyu, please—”

“No, you're right hyung. M-Maybe it's not so bad though! Why do I need to remember? We're fine
like this,” Mingyu gestures to the space between them, “we're okay just being...group members.
As...as long as you don't get close it won't hurt a-and everything will be fine and there won't be
anymore fighting. Whatever happened between us we can forget it and—” Wonwoo bolts up and
stands in front of Mingyu's sitting form, the brunette's eyes widen as his blabbering stops, staring up
with eyes too big for his face. Wonwoo's never seen that expression on Mingyu before, fear and
anxiety, it's a bad fight.

The swing stops as Wonwoo grips the metal chains. “It's not okay, Mingyu! You're just, you're just
throwing me away! Can you really just toss me aside like that and pretend that everything's okay?”

“I'm putting the team first! We're not okay, hyung,” Mingyu cries shrilly. “And if those memories were
so important why would I forget? Why do I have to remember if it only hurts me,” Mingyu shouts with
clenched eyes and fists. Wonwoo's chest heaves as he slowly loosens his grip on the swing. “It
hurts,” Mingyu confesses once more, tone infinitely smaller and subdued, “I look at you and Jun and
there's a pain in my head and something weird bubbles in my stomach. I don't know and I hate the
fact that I don't know. It's unpleasant, but...I can't imagine what it felt like when I used to know the
reason.”

“And, you can live with this,” Wonwoo questions as he steps away from Mingyu's dejected form,
“forgetting...forgetting us?”
Mingyu bites his lip before replying, “It's better this way, if we both just forget whatever it was we
used to be. We would just hurt each other, the moth can't touch the flame without burning. The
distance we have right now is safe, comfortable.”

Wonwoo doesn't offer a reply but instead walks away. Mingyu lets him because it would be
ridiculous for the moth to chase after the fire, no matter how dazzling it may seem.

“Mister?”

Mingyu blinks and looks away from Wonwoo's form. In the haze of his thoughts, Mingyu fails to
notice a few of the kids gathering around him with curious faces. A small girl with curly hair blinks her
doe eyes and opens her mouth, “are you okay?”

“Did you have a fight with your friend,” a boy asks as he comes to Mingyu's side, tiny hands placed
on the swing.

Mingyu nods with a sad smile, “Yeah...”

손도 작은 내가 나를 달래고 나면
가끔은 눈물이 고여

“Hey, Minghao-hyung,” Hansol whispers as he nudges the taller teen's side. The small jostle causes
Minghao to look away from his phone and toward the wheat-haired blonde. “Don't you think
Seokmin-hyung has been acting weird lately,” the young rapper inquires while squinting ahead of the
group. Minghao manages to stop from rolling his eyes; he really doesn't have time to listen to
Hansol's theories about group members right now.

“Hansol, everyone has off days,” Minghao rationalizes but that doesn't seem to appease the
younger. Hansol clicks his tongue and nudges Minghao again. The dancer wonders if Mingyu is
okay, if him and Wonwoo are still together and haven't lost each other in the town yet. He shakes his
head and sighs. It's ridiculous how much he's worry over someone who would be able to survive in
the wild on their own; that maybe it should be the other way around but he doubts Mingyu is thinking
about anyone but Wonwoo at this time. Still, Minghao studies Seokmin's form and how the
conversation between Soonyoung and him is very much one-sided. Chan, on the other hand, seems
to be over the moon as he talks Jeonghan's ear off. It's been a rough two weeks since Mingyu's
accident and the members deserve a break from it all, but this isn't just something they could turn
their backs on for a little bit. “There's no signal here,” Minghao comments with slight irritation as the
small group finally makes it up the steep steps to the temple.
Hansol rolls his eyes as he takes Minghao's phone out of his skinny fingers. The Chinese male
makes a small whine of protest but Hansol keeps the phone close to his body. “Can you try and stop
worrying about only Mingyu for a minute? There are more things going on that doesn't just revolve
around Mingyu and Wonwoo. You know that, right?”

“Are you going to tell Jun-hyung that too,” Minghao comments vehemently, jaw set and eyes sharp,
but the anger quietly wilts at the stern gaze Hansol pins him with. He hates how the younger seems
so wise, like he knows all the answers to life and all of humanities problems.

“I don't have to, Jun already understands that,” Hansol remarks tauntingly as he gives Minghao his
phone back. Passing his finger over the power button, Minghao sighs and turns the screen off as he
sets it back into his back pocket. He knows when to stop fighting a battle, although he feels like this
won't be the last time Hansol will have to lecture him. Hansol reverts to his naturally laid-back state,
or at least as chill as one could be when everything seems to be going to hell. “Hey, I know we've
talked about this before, but did anything weird happen the day before Mingyu lost his memory?
Like, did he do anything at all.”

Minghao shakes his head, “No, I mean, he seemed a little sad but...,” the words fall short. Minghao
snaps his head up in surprise as he recalls one unusual thing, or should he say flower. “He, he was
talking about this flower I think. You told him,” Minghao explains as he ignores Hanol's confused
face, “God, what was it called? I can't remember, but he told me that you said if you make a wish on
them it will come true.

“A dandelion...?”

“Yes! That's the one,” Minghao snaps his fingers in realization, “and he just closed his eyes and blew
on the flower.”

“Sooo,” Hansol chews the word out with an incredulous stare, “you're saying that a flower caused
this...?”

“I don't know!” Minghao muses and yanks at the ends of his hair in slight hysteria. “Maybe?”

Hansol shakes head and loops an arm around Minghao's thin frame and sighs, ignoring the odd
stares passerbys send their way. “Well, it's not like we have any better explanation.” Minghao sighs,
unsure what telling past events helped with, and rubs the back of his neck. He looks up at the
temple's roof, letting his eyes focus on the ridge of the shingles and faded brick colour. It's a
ridiculous theory, he knows it is, but he can't help but wonder what if. What if there was more to this
than meets the eye? What if all Mingyu had to do was wish for his memories back? A light breeze
carries the small tune of chimes that dangle from the temple. The air smells of bamboo and flowers
that leave Minghao in a slightly calmer frame of mind.
“I wonder if Mingyu-hyung will just hate Wonwoo forever,” Hansol muses to the wind. Minghao
shakes his head.

“Mingyu could never hate Wonwoo, you know that.”

Hansol grins but it doesn't quite reach his eyes. “Maybe, but isn't it the one who loves more that
loses?”

Minghao closes his eyes and lets the words sink in. Discomfort isn't a foreign feeling to his stomach
but he lets it stew, lets it bubble uncomfortably as he leans against Hansol more while the rapper's
arm falls from his shoulders to grasp Minghao's hand. Maybe it's not who loves more that loses
because it's starting to seem like if you love at all you'll lose something no matter what.

“That's pretty deep, Hansol.”

A small snicker escapes the rapper's lips, “Thanks, heard it from a webcomic.” This time Minghao
really does roll his eyes.

나는 그대의 아름다운 별이 되고 싶어요

날 이해해줘요

Jinsung gathers everyone at a small restaurant that has tables outdoors. “Well, how was everyone's
day,” he shouts over the two tables. While Wonwoo and Mingyu had shown progress, no matter how
small, this morning, when Mingyu showed up without Wonwoo everyone knew something had
happened. And, like what Jinsung had feared, Jun and Minghao flocked to the two members,
seeming to split up the team in two. Mingyu doesn't bother eating, instead chews on a piece of gum
as he stares at his full plate. He makes up the excuse of eating too much hotteok for a late breakfast
as Jeonghan chastises him like normal because that's all anyone can do, apparently—pretend that
everything is all right. Like Mingyu couldn't devour his share of food in under ten minutes when he
can. Seungcheol shakes his head as Jihoon, who's sitting next to a very tired looking Soonyoung,
mouths something to him.

Before Seungcheol has time to mouth back a 'what' Seokmin's distressed whine brings his attention
back to his own table. “Junnie-hyung, just tell them, you promised.”

“Seokmin,” Jun hisses.

Everone's attention diverts from their food to the small argument at the other table. Soonyoung twists
his body and stares at his friend's distressed face. “Seokmin, what's wrong? Jun-hyung, what is
Seokmin talking about,” Soonyoung inquires with a stern tone.

Jisung and the younger manager stay in the background as the tension quickly eats at the
atmosphere. The manager sends Mingyu a glance but the rapper doesn't even bother looking at the
commotion but is instead munching on a lettuce wrap. “Please, I can't handle this anymore,”
Seokmin's voice breaks as his hands disappear in his hair. This only sparks more curiosity in the rest
as Mingyu's table leans forward in their chairs. The sound of the sizzling meat fills the dead air for a
few short seconds before Jun exhales.

“Tell them about what, Jun,” Wonwoo speaks up for the first time since Seomkin's outburst. Jun
closes his eyes and grits his teeth.

Surprisingly, it's not Seungcheol who tries to douse the fire out but instead Minghao coughs and
brings the attention to him. “Maybe we can do this later guys,” he suggests slowly, looking at
everyone's faces for confirmation. He locks eyes with Jun and once more the two Chinese members
seem to have a silent conversation, but while Jun offers a small smile of gratitude Minghao moves
snaps his head to the side and hides behind Mingyu's form.

“No, we need to do this now,” Seokmin insists before he turns to look back at Jun, “hyung, please. I
can't keep this to myself anymore.”

“Tell them what, Jun,” Wonwoo repeats once more, tone slightly desperate and high-pitched.

Mingyu presses his fingers into the palms of his hands and waits.

“That...that we're dating,” Jun exhales and an eerie silence encompasses the entire group.
Seungcheol starts choking on his own spit while Soonyoung's jaw drops in astonishment.

“Is that true, Wonwoo,” Jinsung interrupts with a hoarse voice.

Wonwoo's mouth opens like a fish out of water. “I,” he looks over to Mingyu who simply stares back
with curiosity, “I-It's not, I mean we're—“
Hansol scoffs as he sets his chopsticks down and leans against his chair. “Sounds like a confession
to me. You ask for Mingyu-hyung not to forget but then you go and replace him.”

Minghao stands up, knocking the chair down in the process, and screams, “I told you not to say
anything!”

“Minghao, how could you tell Hansol what happened,” Mingyu says softly, hurt evident in his cracked
voice as he pulls at the edge of his sleeves.

“How could you hide this from me,” Seungcheol quips, “I thought we were a team? You know you
could always trust us.” He looks between Jun and Wonwoo, both the member's heads downcast and
refusing to look in any general direction of the members.

“I—I'm sure they have a good explanation,” Chan pipes in, looking between the two tables, trying to
catch any of his hyung's eyes. Seungkwan, thankfully, comes to the maknae's rescue with noises of
agreement as he tries to lessen the tension but it's all in vain. Shouting soon fills the open air and
overpowers the sound of the grill. There's arguments between the tables and within, heated fights
while only two or three try to keep the ruined peace from being destroyed more than it already is. It's
all too much that it feels like Mingyu's drowning all over again. This isn't right, they shouldn't be
fighting. Wonwoo's words repeat in his head again.

“Mingyu, are you okay,” Jeonghan's loud voice seems to bring everything to a standstill.

“W—What...? Yeah, of course hyung, why wouldn't I be?” Mingyu offers a small smile that doesn't
last long enough. Everyone seems to settle as all eyes fall on him.

“Hyung,” Chan says softly, “why are you crying?”

Crying? Mingyu lifts shaking fingers to his cheeks only to pull back and see a glistening substance
on them. When did he start to cry? Wait, why is he crying! Mingyu laughs as he tries to wipe the
tears away but with each one gone two appear in its place. It's a useless fight and Mingyu realizes
that.

“I—I have to go,” Mingyu excuses himself as he bolts out into the town.
Jihoon darts forward first, ignoring Seungcheol and the manager's calls as he quickly disappears
form their line of sight as well. Wonwoo worries on his bottom lip, staring at a forlorn Jun before he
speaks out a soft “I'm sorry” and sprints after Mingyu as well.

“I—I didn't want this to happen,” Seokmin mumbles as the silence reigns over them, “I just...I didn't
want to be the only one who knew.”

Jun sighs heavily as he turns his attention back to the food, the rest of the members doing the same
thing. “No, don't be sorry, it's not your fault. It's no one's fault...”
NOT ENTIRELY NORMAL

In which Mingyu keeps telling himself that he is not in love with Jeon Wonwoo, while the
object of his affliction and affection keeps leading him on in a seemingly endless spiral
of "mutually benefitial" shared moments that doesn't have an experation date, even
though for the sake of Mingyu's heart it probably should.
It's hard to struggle with a so-called "friendship" that is not entirely normal.

im Mingyu stared into the little square of locker 352 (which had been his assigned locker
since sophomore year) and judged the contents of the cramped inside. There, inside the
small locker, sat one of his white sneakers waiting to be switched out by the black
obligatory indoor shoes every student was encouraged to wear during school-hours that
were currently dressing Mingyu’s feet. But there appeared to be a problem.
Mingyu had been going home, along with the majority of the student body, and was just
passing by his locker to trade the plain loafers for his everyday footwear, but one of his
sneakers was allegedly missing.
Someone took his shoe.
Mingyu knew whom.
Calmly, he shut the door of his locker and turned to head back down the corridors of the
school.
Wonwoo.

✧✧✧

Loud bombosterous laughter bounced between the walls of the mostly vacant
classroom.
“Are you serious?”
“It’s not that funny!”
“What are you saying? It’s hilarious!”
“Ow, my stomach hurts!”
“Just… Wow. I don’t know what else there is to say.”
“Guys, could you please quiet down! You’re drawing an awful lot of attention to us!”
Mingyu slid the door of the classroom open, eyes drifting over the few students
scattered throughout the room, huddled around random desks in different groups until
he spotted the owners of the familiar voices that he’d picked up from the corridor. He
stepped inside and closed the door behind him before he headed towards the laughing
quartet in the middle of the room.
One of the friends, Wen Junhui, looked up and caught sight of Mingyu’s approaching
figure, his sharp oriental features stretched into a playfull grin as they’d all been in the
midst of laughing at something. (Or someone, as it seemed.)
“Oh! Mingyu-ssi! Hello~!”
Following his greeting, the second person of the trio, Kwon Soonyoung, raised his face
from his arms where he’d been attempting to hide the pink hue of his cheeks from sight
and looked at Mingyu with pleading eyes.
“Mingyu-ya, please help me…” He whined pitifully.
Mingyu had no idea what he was so distressed over and his eyes slid to the gaze of the
most collected one out of the four, Lee Jihoon, who simply gave him a tired look and a
lazy nod in greeting. Mingyu’s gaze kept going until it landed on the back of the fourth
and final person in the group whom he’d come for, and he came to a stop behind
mentioned male’s chair.
Jeon Wonwoo tilted his head back and looked at Mingyu upside down, greeting him with
a huge grin.
“Oh, Mingyu! Listen to this!”
“No…!" Soonyoung’s groan went ignored by of his classmates as Junhui snickered and
Wonwoo continued his tale while gesturing to the embarrassed blonde.
“So, for the first time this guy took his girlfriend to a love hotel and did perverted
things…”
“So ambitious.” Jihoon commented while inspecting his nails, almost giving off a
disinterested vibe, had it not been for the small tweak of his lips that proved he was
most certainly amused and in a good enough mood to indulge in his friends’ collective
teasing. Junhui burst into a new fit of laughter while Soonyoung’s face burned a darker
shade of red.
“Please stop! Mingyu-ya doesn’t need to hear about this sort of thing…”
“C’mon, surely he’s not that innocent—” Junhui interrupted him through chuckles.
“Somehow, he lost his pants!” Wonwoo declared with vigour.
“That’s not what happened! It was just—” Soonyoung’s explenation was drowned out by
the others’ loud laughter.
“I’m going to laugh forever!” Wonwoo and Junhui were both fighting tears.
“So reckless.” Jihoon’s only comment was simple.
“Jihonnie~!” Soonyoung whined, feeling abandoned by all of his friends.
“Wonwoo, where’s my shoe?”
“What?”
There was a lull in the noise from the four as all four pairs of eyes turned to look at their
guest.
“My shoe.” Mingyu repeated.
Wonwoo tilted his head to the side.
“Isn’t it in your locker?” He looked up at Mingyu with an obliviousness that was very
obviously feigned.
Mingyu rolled his eyes. Wonwoo was really bad at this. (Sometimes Mingyu couldn’t
believe the guy was one year older than him.)
He sighed and turned to Junhui, Jihoon and Soonyoung instead.
“Do you know?”
“It’s in the teacher’s desk.” Jihoon replied easily.
“He hid it in there.” Junhui gestured towards the front of the classroom and at the desk
in question.
“It’s in the top drawer on the left!” Soonyoung supplied helpfully.
“Hey!” Wonwoo gave his friends a scalding look of betrayal whilst Mingyu thanked them
and went to retrieve his sneaker.
Wonwoo looked dejected by the turn of events.
“Why did you tell him?”
Jihoon shrugged.
“Why not?”
“Better question is why do you still insist on messing with him?” Soonyoung looked
more chipper now that the conversation had temporarily strayed from his nighttime
misadventure.
“Traitors.” Wonwoo hissed at them.
Mingyu walked past them with his sneaker safely back in his posession and headed
towards the exit of the classroom with the intention to head home like he had meant to
do seven minutes ago without sparing the four male’s another glance. When he reached
the door he opened it swiftly, and then shut it with more force than necessary.
Junhui whistled.
“Whoops. He’s mad.”
“Ugh…” Wonwoo groaned and sunk lower in his seat starting to regret pulling his prank
as it appeared to be one of Mingyu’s worse days.
Jihoon who was ever so perceptive shot him a glance and nudged Wonwoo’s wrist with
his foot underneath the table to draw his attention.
“Does it dampen your mood that much?” He asked gingerly. Wonwoo didn’t respond to
him at first, so Jihoon rolled his eyes and continued his mild assault with one of their
textbooks, smacking Wonwoo gently over the head with it.
“You reap what you sow, you know.” He reprimanded.
Wonwoo sighed and took the book from Jihoon’s hands, placed it on the table and
straightened up in his chair again.
“He keeps leaving without me, what else am I supposed to do?” He half-assedly
defended his actions, impressing none of his three companions.
“Well, not being an ass to your dongsaeng is a good start!” Soonyoung piped in, earning
himself a stern look from Jihoon for his choice of wording.
“Mingyu is pretty much always in a bad mood.” Junhui mused, playing around on his
chair by balancing it on its hind legs. “I wonder if there’s anything that could lighten that
guys spirits. Is there anything that he likes?”
“Yeah! Maybe you could cheer him up by doing something he likes!”
“Or maybe just apologise.” Jihoon shrugged his shoulders.
Soonyoung shot him an affronted look.
“No, it’s definitely gotta be something that Mingyu-ya likes!”
“Oh. There are a bunch of things Mingyu likes.”
The other three seemed glad to hear this information from Wonwoo and all brightened
up slightly when they saw that his smile had returned.
“Alright. So just do any one of those then.” Junhui made a flippant gesture with his
hands, considering this conversation topic resolved.
“And apologise.” Jihoon reminded.
“Yeah, sure.”
“Just — don’t pull any of the stunts you usually do, alright? I don’t think that’ll work for
the best. Do you already have something in mind? Something that’ll work and is sure to
get him into a better mood?” Soonyoung shot Wonwoo an anxious look, rightfully wary
of his friend’s idea of ‘good intentions’.
“Don’t worry about it.”
The corners of Wonwoo’s lips were pulled further up on his face and he gave them all a
very mysterious smile.
“… After all, I know a whole lot about the things Mingyu likes.”

✧✧✧
Mingyu briefly considered turning around and escaping out the back exit of the school
building when he caught sight of Wonwoo waiting for him by his locker the next day.
The older was leisurely leaning against the metallic structure, head tilted downwards
and eyes set on his feet as he played around with a stray pebble probably out of
boredom to pass the time while he awaited Mingyu’s appearance. After two seconds of
beholding the pitiful sight ahead of him, Mingyu didn’t have the heart to turn around and
walk away anymore, so he simply hoisted his bag higher on his shoulder and steeled
himself before he approached the boy.
Wonwoo’s expression brightened up considerably when he spotted Mingyu and he
immidiatedly straightened up.
“Mingyu!” He stepped aside so that Mingyu could access his shoes and watched him
while he switched his loafers for his sneakers.
“Are you still mad about yesterday?” He asked when there was a lack of reply to his
greeting and Mingyu shut his locker with a resounding clang.
“No.” He replied tersely. He caught Wonwoo’s narrow-eyed look of doubt and stared
back with as much attempted indifference he could muster.
Wonwoo didn’t look very convinced.
“Really?” He asked, inching closer to Mingyu’s face.
Mingyu hurried to turn away.
“Really.” He replied and Wonwoo hummed before he followed Mingyu out of the
building, keeping up with his pace easily.
“You kind of seem it.” He said. “If you’re mad, just tell me.”
Mingyu almost rolled his eyes but settled for sighing instead, forcing his shoulders to
relax and trying hard to sound reassuring when he spoke again.
“I’m really not. This week’s just been… draining.”
Wonwoo offered him a warm smile.
“Ah, well, that’s okay. Everyone has bad days. Jihoon kept bugging me to apologise, but
since you’re not mad I guess there’s no need for me to do that.”
For some reason, Wonwoo’s words irked Mingyu and he felt slightly irritated with the
other’s conclusion.
“What do you want, Wonwoo?” He asked without looking at Wonwoo.
They were walking over the courtyard on the frontside of the school building, headed
towards the entrance gate, and if Wonwoo wasn’t there to apologise, then why was he
following Mingyu still? Mingyu couldn’t help but think the other was being annoying at
the moment.
Wonwoo caught on to his edgy attitude and gave him a unappriciative look.
“What’s with that tone? Is this how you usually speak to your friends?” Mingyu didn’t
reply and Wonwoo’s expression soured. “In that case, no wonder you don’t have that
many…” He muttered.
Again, Mingyu chose not to reply, but he did shoot Wonwoo a really nasty look that the
other responded to by sticking his tongue out towards him. Finding the action really
childish, Mingyu rolled his eyes and looked ahead again.
“If you’re following me to insult me, I’d rather have you go away.” He said as cooly as he
could.
Wonwoo shook his frown and pouted, feigning being really wounded by Mingyu’s brush-
off.
“Aw, don’t say that.” He whined. Then, turning strangely serious, he leant forwards so
that he could glance up at Mingyu’s face and capture his gaze, looking at him with
unusually open and honest eyes, which made Mingyu believe he was about to voice
something really important.
“I like being with you, Mingyu.” He said, and Mingyu could feel the heat unwillingly crawl
up his neck to stain his cheeks in a light blush.
He quickly tore his gaze away and hid his reaction from Wonwoo’s eyes, coughing
lamely into his hand to rid his throat of the sudden dryness that had taken residence
there.
God damnit… Mingyu wasn’t sure what to think of those words. He chose to believe
Wonwoo was teasing him.
“… You still haven’t told me what you want.” He muttered, not allowing himself to be too
distracted by Wonwoo and lead them back to topic.
Wonwoo leant back again, a pleasant grin on his face as he leisurely stretched his arms
behind his head.
“There are many things in life that I want, Mingyu.” He replied vaugely, looking way too
satisfied with himself when Mingyu shot him an unimpressed glance.
“Like bothering me?” He wondered and Wonwoo looked at him with a tilted smile.
“Of course.” His dark eyes gleamed playfully at Mingyu, and their vast darkness was
totally encompassing, dragging Mingyu down into their depths. “Bothering you is my
number one favourite thing to do.”
Mingyu’s cheeks felt unusually warm again and he looked away from Wonwoo and his
eyes and his dark, smooth voice.
“How about you just head home instead?” He suggested and Wonwoo actually laughed
at this, throwing his head back momentarily and showcasing the two rows of perfectly
white teeth in his mouth as he laughed.
“What? No way. Did you think I was following you just to tease you?”
Mingyu wanted to point out he’d done similar things before and that it really wouldn't
surprise him if that was the case, but Wonwoo was looking at him in that way again,
with slight amusement but also with something else Mingyu couldn’t quite decipher and
really didn’t want to interpret wrongly, so he tore his gaze away and looked forwards
instead, trying to impassively shrug his shoulders.
“So why are you following me?” Wonwoo leant closer to him again, so Mingyu had to
lean slightly away as to not have his smiling face too close to his.
“Isn’t it obvious? I want to walk you home.”
Mingyu inhaled shakily and held his breath. This guy. He almost couldn’t believe him.
“You don’t have to do that.” He said.
“I know, but I want to.” Wonwoo insisted. His smile was contagious and Mingyu pressed
his lips together as to not return it, even though hearing Wonwoo say those things made
him ridicolously happy.
Mingyu and Wonwoo had been best friends for a little over one year now, ever since
Wonwoo had randomly told Mingyu as they passed each other by in the hallway that he
found his height appealing in Mingyu’s freshman year.
Wonwoo had struck Mingyu as an odd type during their first meeting, and he hadn’t ever
really been able to shake that impression since then, even as they kept bumping into
each other by chance and got to know each other better over time. Without
understanding how it happened, Mingyu had soon found Wonwoo stuck to his side
wherever he went.
They came together without any special involvement on Mingyu’s part. Wonwoo kind of
just… made place for himself in Mingyu’s life, and before Mingyu knew it, he’d gotten
used to his constant presence and even imagining an everyday without Wonwoo
bugging him or being by his side quickly became impossible for his mind.
It wasn’t that they were alike, or similar in any way (They were nothing like that.) but
even so, they ended up becoming friends.
Even though it didn’t look like it from an outsider’s point of view, the two of them enjoyed
each other’s company and somehow got along really well. While Wonwoo could
sometimes be over-enthusiastic, Mingyu could deal, and whenever Mingyu was in a bad
mood, Wonwoo could remain unfazed. It just worked.
Their friendship was, in a way, pretty effortless.
And aside from the temporary annoyances that came with being Wonwoo’s friend,
Mingyu appreciated that.
Despite himself, Mingyu felt his smile grow into a tilted grin and he chuckled and shook
his head at Wonwoo’s words.
“You’re a weirdo.” He concluded and Wonwoo pretended to be offended, placing a hand
over his heart.
“Why? Why does that make me weird? Because I want to walk you home? Because
Junhui and Soonyoung invited me to the archade today but I told them no and they
might’ve gotten a little angry with me because I said I’d rather walk you home?”
Mingyu shot him a disturbed look, but laughter was bubbling within his chest.
“Are you serious? Can you even hear yourself right now?” Wonwoo frowned at his
amusement, failing to see why his honest opinion served to entertain Mingyu.
“I don’t get what’s wrong with it.” Mingyu pointed at him.
“That’s exactly what makes you weird.” He said and Wonwoo looked at him with
narrowed eyes. “But, you know,” Mingyu shrugged casually. “I don’t mind, so you may
walk me home, if you insist.”
“Maybe I’m not so sure if I want to anymore.” Wonwoo replied, crossing his arms, but
Mingyu wasn’t fazed by his passive attempt at manipulation.
“Okay. See you tomorrow then.” He said and took larger strides to get ahead of
Wonwoo who was quick to uncross his arms and go after him.
“No, c’mon! Don’t be like that. Mingyu, I want to walk you home~!” He grabbed onto the
sleeve of Mingyu’s uniform and clung to his arm, making a small scene of acting like a
baby and Mingyu bit the inside of his cheek, tricking himself into believing that he didn’t
find it cute.
When he got little to no response besides Mingyu turning away, Wonwoo abandoned
his childish pretense and straightened up beside him again. He pressed up to Mingyu’s
side and forced him to look at him, smiling when Mingyu’s eyes met his.
“Please let me?” He asked sweetly, and Mingyu felt that familiar bubbling and warming
sensation he refused to give a name spread throughout his chest and pull at his
heartstrings. Happiness.
“Fine.” He asnwered, pretending to be reluctant in his allowance of Wonwoo’s company,
but Wonwoo didn’t seem to mind in the slightest and grinned even brighter at Mingyu
when he accepted.
As they walked together side-by-side and Mingyu listened to Wonwoo’s sooty voice as
the other told him the whole story of Soonyoung’s escapade to a love hotel with his
girlfriend (with additional commentary), Mingyu told himself that the warmth within his
chest originated from nothing other than the fact that he was happy.
Surely, the nameless emotion stirring up his heart was nothing other than ‘happiness’.
Definitely nothing else.

✧✧✧

Mingyu was relieved to see the old front door of his small flat as it came into view after
he and Wonwoo had climbed the stairs of the cheap, two-story apartment building he
resided in, thinking that he would finally be able to just lie down in his bed and relax and
allow the stress from all of their school-work to just wash off of him. He really, really
wanted to do that.
When Wonwoo had first found out that Mingyu lived on his own because of his father’s
financial struggles, he’d been super envious. He’d been sympathetic too, after Mingyu
had shot him a look that practically said how insensitive he was being, but mostly he’d
been envious. Apparently living alone when one was their age was really cool,
according to him, but Mingyu just found it pretty lonely.
Wonwoo was still talking about something or other as Mingyu fished his keys out and
unlocked his door. A pause followed after the lock had clicked open, and Mingyu turned
around to find Wonwoo standing suspiciously still and perfectly quiet behind him,
watching him with aqute attention. Mingyu got a feeling of slight unease in his stomach
as he looked at Wonwoo’s expecting smile. He narrowed his eyes, feeling his pulse
flutter nervously under Wonwoo’s stare.
“Erh, thanks for walking me home…” He said hesitantly, wondering if there was
something else Wonwoo wanted with him before they parted.
“Can I come in?” Wonwoo asked, his voice smooth and his eyes dark. Mingyu held his
breath. His hand tightened around the handle of his door and his teeth worried his
bottom lip as he considered the question.
Wonwoo waited patiently while Mingyu made a decision.
Exhaling slowly, Mingyu had to remind himself that it was just an innocent request from
a friend. Nothing else. Nothing more.
“… Yeah, okay.”
“Sweet!” Wonwoo wasted no time after his agreement and bundled past Mingyu into his
one-room apartment while Mingyu spent a minute regulating his breathing by the door
before following him inside.
Sometimes Mingyu hated that he couldn’t find it in himself to say no to Wonwoo.
Wonwoo had already kicked off his shoes, dumped his jacket in the hallway and thrown
himself on top of Mingyu’s bed when Mingyu came after him, careful not to step on
Wonwoo’s carelessly scattered items as he closed the door behind them.
“Hey, let’s watch a movie!” Wonwoo called from atop his mattress. Mingyu frowned.
“Don’t you have any homework you need to do…?” He picked up Wonwoo’s jacket and
hung it besides his own on the coathanger by the door in a pointless attempt to keep his
livingspace somewhat neat before he ventured further into the single room of his
apartment.
Wonwoo gave him a glare. “Boo, no talking about school or homework. Do you have
any movies on your laptop?” He quickly changed the subject and Mingyu huffed.
“Some… But not all of them are worth watching.”
He watched Wonwoo climb to the foot of his bed and fish his laptop from the floor
before shuffling back up by the pillows and getting comfortable, patting the spot beside
him on the bed in invitation to it’s owner.
“Come help me pick one then.”
Although he felt tense all over, Mingyu did as he was told and joined Wonwoo in a
search of a good film that they could watch together.
“Is this one good?”
“No, not that one, that one’s super old…”
“… Okay. Well, what about this one? Title’s interesting enough.”
“No. Not that one either. Here, just let me…” Mingyu took the computer out of
Wonwoo’s hands and placed it in his own lap, Wonwoo raising his hands in mock
surrender.
“Fine. You choose one. But what if I don’t like the one you pick? … Will you take
responsebility?”
Mingyu ignored the change of tone in Wonwoo’s voice in his last sentence and
pretended to not notice the way the other’s gaze lingered on him or the way it made his
skin tingle and his neck feel suddenly hot.
“No way.” He replied quickly. “And you’ll like it.”
“What makes you so sure?” His confident answer had amused Wonwoo and Mingyu
turned to eye his crooked grin, his eyes flickering to the other’s lips briefly before they
met Wonwoo’s.
“Because I know you.” He said. Wonwoo’s smile widened.
“Allright. Fair enough…” He hummed. As Wonwoo’s eyes began trailing down the shape
of Mingyu’s face, Mingyu stressed to turn away and play the movie of his choice with
jerky fingers.
“There. Now settle down.” He said, leaning back against his pillows and adjusting the
screen to their position.
“Okay.” Wonwoo shuffled closer to his side and rested his head atop Mingyu’s shoulder
as the opening credits began to roll, getting comfortable against him. Mingyu tried his
best to focus on the movie rather than worrying weather or not Wonwoo was able to
hear how loudly his heart was beating at the moment.
Just breathe. Relax, Mingyu told himself. Calm down and just take it easy.
And eventually, he did, allowing himself to sink into Wonwoo’s warmth and watch the
introduction of the protagonist in peace.

✧✧✧

One-third into the movie, Mingyu’s breath hitched in his throat when Wonwoo’s warm
hand, which had been innocently resting on top of Mingyu’s bicep, began slowly
wandering downwards, Wonwoo’s fingers tracing the outline of his chest and ribcage
and continuing down along his side with a clear path in mind. Mingyu jerked when they
reached his hip, caressing the sensitive skin just above the waistline of his pants in an
absolutely tentalizing manner that had his blood boil and rush to his face in the matter of
a few seconds.
“…Hey…” His protest was shamefully weak.
Mingyu’s heart was already beating so fast and his voice already sounded too raspy,
part of him wanted to disappear, but a larger part of him, the one thrumming with
anticipation and setting his nerves into fiery frenzy, really really wanted to stick around
for the continuation of what Wonwoo was initiating.
Gosh, he was so pitiful.
Wonwoo glanced up at him through his thick eyelashes from his spot in the crook
between Mingyu’s shoulder and neck, and god, the look in his eyes was bad for
Mingyu’s sanity and did nothing to ease the thoughts currently running wild with his
imagination in Mingyu’s mind.
He should be telling Wonwoo no, should be pinching his hand to make him stop, should
pull away or tell Wonwoo to, but Mingyu couldn’t, and he wondered if Wonwoo knew.
Slowly, Wonwoo’s lips took the shape of a smile, and he tilted his head slightly upwards
so that he could look at Mingyu more properly, but then his lips were dangerously close
to Mingyu’s jaw, and Mingyu could feel Wonwoo’s breath fan across his heated skin
which only made him shiver as Wonwoo’s fingers dragged along the hemline of his
pants. Mingyu inhaled sharply when they daringly dipped beneath it and began dancing
along the edge of his underwear instead.
Wonwoo observed his reaction with subdued, yet thrilled intrigue.
“Hey yourself.” He mumbled, voice low and grovely and doing all kinds of things to
Mingyu’s body.
The bastard had the gall to chuckle under his breath, which only tickled against
Mingyu’s skin, and Mingyu’s face burned a shameful shade of red. He involuntarily
almost choked on a gasp when Wonwoo’s hand suddenly went lower and
straightforwardly caressed the outline of his already half-hard dick through his
underwear.
Mingyu’s ears burned and the pace of his thundering pulse picked up in his ears.
Wonwoo hadn’t come inside with the interest to watch a movie with Mingyu. His
intention had been to do this sort of thing from the start.
Mingyu couldn’t pretend that he hadn’t already been aware of that.
Mingyu gently placed his hand over Wonwoo’s wrist. (But he didn’t push it away.)
“Wonwoo…”
“Mm…?”
Mingyu twitched and bit back a groan as Wonwoo’s fingers wrapped around his cock
and began to stroke it in a teasing manner through the fabric of his boxers, the rumble
of Wonwoo’s voice sending electrifying sparks into his heart that caused it to stutter in
his chest. The tickling sensation of Wonwoo’s lips brushing lightly against the spot of
skin just beneath his ear made Mingyu’s breath catch in his throat.
Mingyu reminded himself that he should be resisting, that they shouldn’t be doing this,
and pure will-strength was the only thing that managed to make him grab onto
Wonwoo’s wrist again to stop it this time.
Feeling dizzy and flushed and breathless, Mingyu searched for Wonwoo’s gaze.
“We shouldn’t be doing this…”
Wonwoo freed his wrist easily (as if he’d known that Mingyu’s reserve to hold him back
hadn’t been that strong to begin with.) and watched Mingyu’s reaction with keen
attention as he continued to languidly pump him.
He didn’t miss Mingyu’s tiny gasp and caught the fluttering of the other’s eyelids. He
smiled.
“Why not? It feels good right?”
Mingyu could smell the distinct scent of Wonwoo’s schampoo as the other pressed his
body closer to Mingyu’s on the bed and turned his head downwards to supervise his
fondling of Mingyu’s genitals with perverse interest.
Mingyu inhaled the scent that was so familiar to him before he swallowed around the
dryness in his mouth.
“Yeah… But… Friends don’t normally do this kind of thing together…” Wonwoo
laughed, the sound a little more breathless now and his flushed cheeks a complete
mirror of Mingyu’s.
“Saying that now… Isn’t it a little too late to say those things at this point?”
His fingers unwrapped from Mingyu’s shaft and started tracing around the shape of
Mingyu’s head instead and Wonwoo looked up at him from beneath his dark bangs, his
slanted eyes heavily lidded and absolutely alluring, their dark intensity sending a thrill
straight down Mingyu’s spine to his balls.
“Doing this feels good. You agree with me, right…?”
Mingyu bit down on his bottom lip when Wonwoo pressed against him and began
rubbing him through his underwear again while speaking in that low and seductive voice
of his, almost whispering the words into Mingyu’s ear as he ground against him.
“You feel good… You make me feel good… So, let’s just enjoy ourselves together.”
Mingyu’s only reply was a low grunt that tore from the back of his throat. Lust and desire
took charge of his body and actions without having to put up much of a fight against his
better judgement at all, and Mingyu’s hands went down to swiftly undo his pants, much
to Wonwoo’s apparent pleasure.
“… Please stop teasing and touch me directly.”
Even as he spoke so straightforwardly, Mingyu’s cheeks burned hotly and his voice was
breathless, but Wonwoo seemed excited to comply with his request and only gave him
a toothy grin in reply.
“Yes, sir~”
Mingyu held back a moan when Wonwoo’s warm fingers wrapped around his member,
having used the newfound access from his undone pants to eagerly dip under the
hemline of his boxer briefs and touch him directly. The hand of the arm that had been
serving as Wonwoo’s pillow during the movie entangled in Wonwoo’s dark locks, and
Mingyu swore he could feel Wonwoo smile against his collarbone when he gripped his
hair.
Neither of them minded when the laptop slid off of Mingyu’s abdomnen and fell onto the
floor.
Wonwoo’s hand was warm and squeezed Mingyu not too tight, just perfect, and the
tantalizing pace that he held served to drive Mingyu crazy with arousal. It felt great, so
good, but it wasn’t nearly enough, but of course Wonwoo was well aware of that. He just
enjoyed teasing Mingyu by taunting him to see how long he’d allow him to mess around
before he was unable to stand it anymore and unravelled completely under his touch,
and maybe Mingyu kind of enjoyed it a little too. (Maybe even a lot.)
“Ngh…”
Mingyu was already leaking pre-cum. He could feel Wonwoo’s thumb spread the
slickness over his head (God…) but he wasn’t embarrassed. They’d passed the stages
of feeling bashfull or ashamed with each other a while ago.
When another small groan slithered past Mingyu’s lips, Wonwoo chukled breathlessly
against his skin. By adjusting the twist of his wrist Wonwoo made Mingyu’s breath hitch,
his body jerking into Wonwoo’s hand and his hand tightening its grip in Wonwoo’s hair
as another melodic moan rippled out of him.
“D’you like that?”
The hum of Wonwoo’s voice was hot and warm and thick like melted chocolate to
Mingyu’s ears.
“Mm, yeah…” Mingyu was one hundred percent sure that Wonwoo could hear the loud
pounding of his heart from where he was laying.
He tugged at Wonwoo’s hair to make the other look up at him so that he could meet his
gaze. Wonwoo’s eyes were darkened by desire but at the same time they were
absolutely brilliant, and Mingyu felt as if he’d been ignited from just looking into them.
The intensity of their fire completely and utterly scorched him and dehydrated his
insides and his voice came out in a raspy quiver when he voiced the request that itched
within his throat.
“Let me touch you too.”
A spark of delightment flashed in Wonwoo’s gaze and he couldn’t keep the happy grin
from appearing on his face.
“Okay.”
Mingyu was glad he wasn’t the only one sounding breathless in this situation.
The bed dipped as Wonwoo got up from his position beside Mingyu and Mingyu moved
with him, sitting up with his back against the wall while Wonwoo climbered onto his lap,
towering over Mingyu and shadowing the both of them from the light of his cheap ceiling
fan. Mingyu’s heart fluttered in his chest as his hungrily eyes raked over the other’s
body.
Wonwoo’s hands quickly found leverage against Mingyu and one slipped right back in
between them to snuggly wrap around Mingyu’s member again. He leant over Mingyu
and crowded them into their own little bubble of existance, his gaze heavy and his voice
soft.
“I should finish you off first.”
Mingyu was glad that he could watch the tweak of Wonwoo’s lips and the attractive
flush of his cheeks now that he was on top of him, and he think he made a grunt of
agreement (but maybe it sounded more like a whine, he wasn’t sure.) before he lost
himself in the sensations of Wonwoo’s touch again, letting his head fall back against the
wall with a small thump, a groan spilling from him.
He knew Wonwoo was watching him, could feel the hot burn of his gaze on his face. He
knew Wonwoo could see the flush of his chest creeping up his neck, the way he bit his
bottom lip to keep the noises that reverbated in the back of his throat with every tug of
Wonwoo’s wrist down, the newly formed sweat that had his bangs stick to his forehead,
and the small crease between his eyebrows as he tried to keep himself together even
though he was falling apart. For some wicked reason, Mingyu absolutely loved it.
Knowing Wonwoo’s eyes were on him, watching him, seeing him unravell like this
excited him beyond anything else. It was an unforgiving craving and greed that almost
terrified him to a point of no return, but it was also an absolutely addictive sensation of
euphoria, and Mingyu would never be able to tear himself away from the pleasure these
heated moments he shared with Wonwoo offered him, and part of him hated himself for
that. Hated that he was so utterly weak and pathetic under Wonwoo’s touch.
He came with a broken moan, his hands squeezing tightly around Wonwoo’s biceps,
and Wonwoo didn’t let go of his dick until he had milked Mingyu to his very last drop,
giving it a final squeeze before he retrieved his hand from Mingyu’s pants and wiped it
off against Mingyu’s duvet somewhere beside them.
Lingering in the bliss of his post-orgasm, Mingyu felt completely relaxed, his body heavy
and his head light as endorphines rushed through his system and pulled at his eyelids
to close, but he still found the strength and energy within himself to reach out and tug at
Wonwoo’s sweater.
“… Now let me do you.”
Mingyu’s pulse fluttered as Wonwoo laughed at his assertive tone and sharp gaze.
“Please do.” He replied once he was done, smiling handsomely, but Mingyu could tell
that he was eager and just slightly impatient to have his go at being touched by the way
he was bouncing slightly on his knees.
Mingyu grabbed Wonwoo’s shoulders and rolled them sideways so that he could end up
lying on his left side, resting on his arm, allowing him to lean over Wonwoo who was
now lying on his back. Wonwoo had released a surprised yelp at the sudden change of
position, but when Mingyu looked down into his eyes he found nothing but anticipation
in his gaze as he stared back at Mingyu and waited for him to proceed, so Mingyu did.
He took his hand and moved it down to Wonwoo’s groin where he let it ghost over the
outline of the other’s erection (Mingyu couldn’t help but feel a little smug and very
thrilled by the fact that Wonwoo had been aroused by him) and watched the twitch of
Wonwoo’s nose and listened to the hitch of his breath as it was now Mingyu’s turn to
taunt him.
Wonwoo’s arms came up and wrapped around Mingyu’s shoulders, his smile never
leaving his face.
“Stop teasing, that’s no — fun.”
Mingy allowed the corners of his lips to turn up into a smirk.
“No? Wasn’t it you just now who seemed to be enjoying yourself while you teased me
before?” Mingyu’s smirk widened when Wonwoo jerked beneath him, letting his hand
hover just over the other’s clothed member.
“Mm, maybe… But you’re not patient enough to practice that.”
Mingyu raised an elegant eyebrow.
“Wanna test me?” He challenged.
“… Okay, you’re not cruel enough to practice that.” Wonwoo corrected himself and then
pulled a frustrated expression at Mingyu when he kept tracing featherlight patterns
around his dick.
“Come on, Mingyu, please…! Touch me already.”
Wonwoo was right, Mingyu wasn’t cruel enough to leave him hanging for much longer
than he had, but everything from the tug Mingyu received of his hair to getting to watch
the impatient expression of Wonwoo’s face morph into an open-mouthed but silent
moan when he finally did dip his hand into Wonwoo’s pants and wrapped his fingers
around his warm cock was absolutely worth withholding for.
Wonwoo’s fingers dug into the back of Mingyu’s skull when he started moving his hand
up and down his length and a low, elongated groan that made Mingyu’s heart stutter
sounded from his lips as he squeezed his eyes shut and clung to Mingyu.
As he worked Wonwoo’s shaft Mingyu watched the flutter of Wonwoo’s eyelashes
against his cheekbones and the deep rose staining his cheeks in a completely and
undeniably attractive flush, the mezmerising rise of his chest and the enticing curve of
his parted lips, finding himself utterly captivated by all of it.
Wonwoo like this, breathless, flushed, lying beneath him on top of his bed, submissive,
inviting, erotic, was someone Mingyu found extremely appealing.
And that terrified him a little.
Mingyu fingered at Wonwoo’s head and Wonwoo’s fingers tightened in his hair, inhaling
sharply and morphing the oxygen into a shuddering moan.
“Mingyu…! That—”
“Was nice?” Mingyu repeated the motion and intentionally robbed Wonwoo of the ability
to respond as another moan bubbled out of him.
Wonwoo was desperatedly clinging to Mingyu now, clawing at his back and gripping his
hair firmly as if he was his only lifeline, the only thing grounding him to the real world as
he was losing himself in the ocean of pleasure currently ruling his body and fogging his
mind, and Mingyu didn’t mind in the least. He allowed Wonwoo to tug him closer, push
up against him and press their foreheads together, taking the opportunity to closely
watch Wonwoo’s face contort in a pleasured grimace. (As if he could burn the picture
into his memory for the rest of eternity if he didn’t look away.)
“Does it feel nice?”
Mingyu liked how low his voice sounded, like a deep, strong rumble. He felt at ease and
in control, powerful, and he liked that. A lot.
Wonwoo could only nod feverishly, his breath hot as it fanned against Mingyu’s cheeks
and lips, his mouth parted and his eyes squeezed shut as he trembled.
“Nnh…! Y–yeah, feels — feels great, mmh...! Mingyu…”
Mingyu could tell Wonwoo was close, and when he heard his name roll off Wonwoo’s
tongue he got encouraged to speed the progression of the other’s orgasm up and
started to stroke Wonwoo’s dick faster, squeezing and twisting in the way he had learnt
that Wonwoo liked.
His change of pace earned him an immidiate reaction, and Wonwoo gasped and jerked
voilently against him.
“Mingyu…!”
Wonwoo’s body twisted and turned under Mingyu, lewd noises pouring out of him now
as he neared his point of erruption, grabbing onto and clutching at any part of Mingyu
he could reach. (Wonwoo was kind of clingy, and he was also way more vocal in these
situations compared to Mingyu, but Mingyu didn’t really mind. Secretly, he found it kind
of cute.)
“Fuck…!”
Wonwoo’s dick throbbed in Mingyu’s grasp, and then his entire body convulsed and he
shuddered under Mingyu as he came, Mingyu feeling Wonwoo’s hot seed shoot out of
him and coat his fingers as well as probably staining the inside of his underwear in the
process as he finished. Mingyu didn’t let go until Wonwoo’s cock had throbbed one last
time.
Carefully, Mingyu untagled himself from Wonwoo’s embrace and got up to wash his
hand. When he got back he sat back down on the bed, but placed a mindfull distance
between his and Wonwoo’s bodies now that they were done.
He watched Wonwoo bask in the after-bliss of his orgasm with a sated expression, his
eyes closed and his facial expression completely relaxed, and a peaceful atmosphere
settled around them in the small one-room apartment where nothing was said by either
of them for a couple of minutes, both boys enjoying the serenity of the silence.
In the meantime, Mingyu willed his rapid heartbeat to calm down.
Finally, Wonwoo moved, reaching his arms above his head and unfolding his legs, a
pleased groan accompanying the easy smile on his face as he stretched out and
popped a few bones on Mingyu’s bed. He cracked his eyes open and sat up afterwards,
looking to Mingyu with bright eyes.
“Wow… Doing that always manages to make me feel super relaxed.” He exhaled,
looking happy and joyous after his climax.
Mingyu snorted and crossed his arms.
“I think that’s a natural biologic reaction.” He responded, ignoring the tightness in his
chest.
“I think it’s because it feels nice.” Wonwo grinned. Then he glanced at the laptop, which
had closed upon falling onto the floor and thus stopped playing the movie they’d been
watching before they’d started playing with each other instead.
“Shame about the movie, though. It was kind of interesting.”
“We can still finish it, if you want. Also, what can I say? I told you you’d like it.” Mingyu
managed a crooked smile.
Wonwoo’s grin widened.
“Yeah, you did. You really do know me the best.”
They were back to acting like normal, and Mingyu told himself he should be feeling
relieved. But he wasn’t. Instead, he felt as if a knife was slowy cuting into his heart, and
a huge lump was starting to take shape in his throat as they returned to being friends.
“But,” Wonwoo rose from the bed and Mingyu watched him stand and take the three
strides it took to get from Mingyu’s bed to his hallway where he started to redress into
his shoes and jacket. “I’ve got to go, so maybe I could come back and finish it another
time.”
Mingyu didn’t let his disapointment show on his face once Wonwoo looked back at him.
“Would that be okay?” He asked, zipping up his jacket and waiting for Mingyu’s reply.
Mingyu offered a bleak smile.
Wonwoo knew he couldn’t say no.
“Yeah, sure.” He said, ignoring the painful scratch the empty words left in his throat.
Mingyu hated that he couldn’t say no to Wonwoo.
Wonwoo, completely oblivious to Mingyu’s inner suffering, flashed his friend a huge
smile.
“Cool! Thanks for the good time, as usual~ I’ll see you tomorrow?”
It was phrased as a question, but they both knew they would unevitably see each other
in school anyway, so Mingyu didn’t understand the point.
“Unfortunately.” At least he found some amusement in the disgruntled huff his choice of
wording managed to pull from Wonwoo.
“Is that realy how you feel? You’re making me depressed. Don’t go breaking my heart,
Mingyu.” Wonwoo warned, but his carefree smile told Mingyu that he wasn’t being
serious.
Mingyu wondered why his words stung so badly.
Feeling that they were done talking, Wonwoo turned around and opened Mingyu’s door
to step outside. He looked back over his shoulder at Mingyu who was still sitting on the
edge of his bed before he fully left.
“Bye now! And seriously, thanks again, Mingyu. See you tomorrow!” He gave Mingyu
one last cheerful grin and a wave.
Mingyu returned neither.
“Yeah…” He just said. “… Bye.”
The door shut after Wonwoo and Mingyu was left alone, sitting on his bed, staring at the
flaking colour of the old door and the afterimage of someone who was no longer there.

The first time it had happened it had been purely accidental on both Mingyu and
Wonwoo’s part.
Wonwoo had somehow gotten his hands on three bottles of Soju and had out of
excitement and convinience come to Mingyu’s place to share them with him and have
his first experience with alcohol 1) someplace his father wouldn’t unexpectedly walk in
and catch him drinking even though he was still underage and 2) with someone he liked
and trusted.
Mingyu hadn’t shared his excitement and had declined the ilegally possesed bottle that
Wonwoo had offered him. He didn’t feel any particular desire to try alcohol. (Although,
he had still ended up letting Wonwoo inside, as he had figured it would’ve been better if
Wonwoo got drunk indoors in the company of a friend rather than alone in some dark
alley somewhere. He didn’t put it past him, actually.)
His straightforward rejection had made Wonwoo a little stingy at first, and then he had
bravely declared that since Mingyu wouldn’t drink with him, he would finish all of the
Soju on his own, to which Mingyu had snorted and encouraged him, mostly because
he’d wanted to see if Wonwoo would be able to actually do it, and partly because it
ensured him free entertainment and possible black-mail material for a future possible
crisis, neither of which he had felt like passing up the oportunity of.
Wonwoo had stood up to the challenge, and Mingyu had anticipated the result with
amusement.
In hindsight, it hadn’t been such a good idea.
Like one would expect, Wonwoo had ended up completely smashed and Mingyu’s
evening had morphed into a completely dreadfull night spent deling with a horribly-
drunk-off-their-ass-for-the-first-time-super-excited-hyper person. Yeah.
Someway, somehow, in the really late or really early hours, (honestly, by that time,
which one of them could tell?) Wonwoo’s drunk lips had ended up capturing sober
Mingyu’s lips in a kiss, and then things had just kind of… escelated from there.
Mingyu would argue that he had acted responsibly. He had pushed Wonwoo away and
told him that doing that while he was under the influence of an alcoholic substance that
affected his judgement really wasn’t a good idea, that it would affect their friendship,
and that he would probably come to regret it in the morning.
But Wonwoo had persisted, twisted and turned Mingyu’s words around and against him,
slurred sweet nothings and promises and had managed to convince Mingyu that it
was fine. Doing things together, touching each other was fine as long as it felt good, and
Wonwoo had wanted to feel good, so it was fine. It was fine.
Mingyu had known that Wonwoo hadn’t been in his right state of mind. Mingyu
had known, but he had still temporarily pretended to be ignorant of that small but oh-so-
very-significant fact. He had fooled himself into believing that he was naïve and had
allowed himself to get seduced by Wonwoo’s drunken whispers and very warm hands.
Afterwards, things had never gone back to the way they had been.
Things changed, but not in the way one would suspect. Rather than regretting their
actions and/or being revolted by what had transpired between them like most guys
would have been, Wonwoo had had an optimistic outlook on the ‘slip’ in their friendship
and had indulged the two of them in a second run as soon as the following morning.
When they talked about it, Mingyu learnt that Wonwoo had been honest while he’d been
drunk and had told Mingyu that it was fine. It had felt good, and it had been both exciting
and fun, so as long as Mingyu wasn’t opposed to it, Wonwoo wanted to continue doing
it together. And Mingyu couldn’t say no to Wonwoo.
So, things just continued from there.
They remained close. They remained as friends. Just, sometimes, they were the type of
friends who snuck away to a secluded corner or hidden room and helped each other out
by jerking each other off. (They did it in school, during breaks, on the weekends, at
Mingyu’s place, in Wonwoo’s house when his parents weren’t home, e.t.c.)
They sneaked around a lot, and lately, Mingyu felt as if he was hiding from something.
Mingyu could tell that Wonwoo didn’t think about the things they did much, didn’t mull it
over in his head before he went to sleep, didn’t take it seriously and only viewed it as a
new way to play around whilst having a good time.
But Mingyu thought about it a lot, the things they did. He thought about it over and over
again, until it occupied his every waking thought and he felt as if he was going crazy.
Wonwoo was fine. They were fine. Their friendship was fine and their arrangement
was great.
Mingyu just wasn’t so sure if he was fine anymore.

✧✧✧

It was already winter. Mingyu didn’t particularly like the snow, or the cold, as it meant
more garments and thicker clothes had to go onto one’s body just so that you could go
outside. It was too much work and required more effort than he deemed necessary for a
task as tedious as getting dressed.
His sneakers had been exchanged for boots already and Mingyu shoved his hands
deep into his pockets to at least attempt to keep them a little warm as he stepped out of
the front-doors of the school on a boring Thursday afternoon.
The sky was clear and the air was crips and biting and the trees in the schoolyard had
all shed their leaves and stood naked with their branches dusted by shimmering white
snow. When Mingyu exhaled a visible cloud of carbon dioxide ascended into the air in
front of him before it dissipated into nothing.
Mingyu had to admit winter, no matter how much he disliked the cold, could be very
pretty.
“Oh! Mingyu!”
“Ah, it’s Mingyu-ssi.”
Mingyu slowed his step until he came to a halt and looked to the source of the voices.
A few metres away stood the building of the P.E hall (it was detached from the rest of
the school, but tied to the east wing through an outdoor walkway) and Mingyu spotted
Junhui and Wonwoo leaning out of one of the windows of the far end of the building,
waving at him.
He only hesitated for a second before he began making his way over to them through
the snow.
“Hey.” He greeted once he was near enough.
“Bro, this is exactly what I was talking about."
Mingyu had reached them mid-conversation, and Junhui turned to him.
“You’re not freezing at all in that scarf, are you?” He gestured towards his person.
Automatically, one of Mingyu’s hands went up to finger at mentioned scarf safely tucked
around his neck. It kept him warm.
“Yeah, not really.” He agreed.
“Aigo, I tell you Jun, if you don’t want to freeze to death you better hurry and ask your
girlfriend to knit one for you before Christmas is over!” Wonwoo laughed and Junhui
frowned, looking petulent and stingy for a few moments.
“Who opened the window? It’s freezing, come on!” Someone called from further into the
boys’ changingroom, but neither Junhui nor Wonwoo made any sign to acknowledge
the request.
“Tuck your dick in, Changkyun, and stop whining! Hello, Mingyu-ssi!” Jihoon’s amused
voice called from somewhere to the right behind Junhui, but he couldn’t see the male
from where he was standing.
“You just finish class?” Mingyu asked, looking to Wonwoo.
“Nah, class hasn’t even started yet.” Wonwoo grinned. Soonyoung casually joined them
mid-way through Wonwoo’s sentence, slinging an arm around Wonwoo’s shoulder and
waving at Mingyu who waved back.
“It starts in ten minutes.” The now silver haired boy contributed to their conversation.
He’d gone from blonde, to blue, to washed-out blue, to briefly purple just over the last
few months, only finally ending his adventerous colour journey when he’d dyed it grey.
(It was an odd and unusual choice of colour, but it suited him, Mingyu had concluded.
Maybe he’d be brave enough to give it a try sometime.)
“Who in their right mind forces people to wear thin uniforms and do sports in
the winter? Ugh. It’s torture!” Soonyoung whined.
Mingyu wanted to point out that they would be doing sports indoors, not outdoors, and
that their uniforms were actually accomondated to the seasons, what with them wearing
T-shirts and shorts in the warm months and jackets and trousers in the cold months, but
Wonwoo moving about distracted Mingyu and he forgot all about it.
“Hup!”
Wonwoo made a small noise as he used his arms as leverage and swung his legs over
the window ledge, jumping out and landing in front of Mingyu in the snow.
“What the heck?” Soonyoung looked down at his friend suddenly stood outdoors.
“… What are you doing?” Mingyu related to Junhui’s questioning grimace.
Wonwoo forsook answering his friend to give Mingyu a smile instead.
“So what are you up to?” He asked innocently and genuinely curiously enough. Mingyu
shrugged.
“I’m done for the day so I’m heading home.”
“Wow, lucky~” Soonyoung commented in the window.
“You’re done for the day already? Ah, I’m envious.”
Mingyu felt a smile tug at his lips.
He looked at Wonwoo’s slim frame standing outdoors in the snow in the middle of winter
dressed in nothing but his sports uniform and school provided sneakers and raised his
eyebrows.
“Aren’t you cold?” he asked, wondering why he was still amused by Wonwoo’s strange
antics at this point.
“Nah, it’s not that bad. Besides, I don’t plan on staying here for long.”
“Good luck climbing back inside.” Junhui snorted and Mingyu thought it’d be very
entertaining to watch Wonwoo attempt to get back inside through the window as it was
placed slightly higher up than usual from the ground they were standing on.
Junhui checked his phone for the time and while Soonyoung stuck his hand out the
window for Wonwoo, offering to help him back up.
“C’mon, Wonnie-yah. Get back in here, class is going to start.” He said and made
grabby-hands at him. Wonwoo didn’t seem all that bothered and ignored him, busying
himself with staring at Mingyu who blinked at being studied in such concentration.
“You should go back inside.” He said, and Wonwoo hummed absentmindedly, seeming
to ponder about something for a while.
Jihoon joined his classmates in the window and looked strangely at Wonwoo standing in
the snow across from Mingyu.
“What the heck is going on here? What are you doing?” He asked anyone willing to
provide him with an explenation and Junhui made a vague gesture with his hands.
“No clue, really.”
“Wonwoo jumped out the window.” Soonyoung told the shorter male matter-of-factly,
and the light brunette blinked slowly at him.
“… I can see that.” He said replied and Soonyoung shrunk slightly under his glare,
grinning uncertainly.
In the meantime Wonwoo seemed to have come to a decision and suddenly grabbed
ahold of Mingyu’s wrist, startling the younger.
“Come on.” He said and turned around, leading Mingyu away form the changingroom
window and the P.E bulding without offering any sort of explenation.
“They’re leaving.” Jihoon said and the remaining two whipped their heads around to find
that he was correct.
“Hey! What about class?” Junhui asked, staring bewildered after them and the footprints
they left in the snow. Wonwoo sent him a grin over his shoulder.
“I’m skipping!” He replied with a shout as he continued to drag Mingyu behind him in
some random direction. Soonyoung and Junhui’s responses went undecipherable
(although from the latter it sounded an awful lot like swearing in Mandarin) and Mingyu
swore he heard Jihoon heave a very heavy sigh before they were well out of ears reach.
Mingyu gaped perplexed whilst he blindly followed Wonwoo’s lead, stumbling after him
through the snow.
“What? Why?” He asked to Wonwoo’s unexpected declaration.
Wonwoo laughed at his confused expression.
“I want to show you something.”
“Where are we going?”
“You’ll see when we get there.”
He was avoiding answering Mingyu’s questions and Mingyu pulled a face, but
Wonwoo’s back was turned towards him so he didn’t catch it.

✧✧✧

“What, just this place?”

Wonwoo stomped his feet to rid his shoes of the snow that had amassed under his
sneakers soles before he entered the room. Noticing, Mingyu followed his example
before following him into the messy, dim-lit clubroom with less ethusiasm, shutting the
door behind them.
Wonwoo walked into the middle of the small, re-arranged classroom with a smile on his
face, his cheeks rosy from the walk in the cold. (During which their fingers had ended up
intertwined and entangled and Mingyu had constantly compared the heat of Wonwoo’s
hand with his own and found that their fingers were equally as cold even though he’d
been wearing a lot more garments.)
“Isn’t it neat?” Wonwoo said, heading up to the blinds covering the windows and
changing them enough for the light reflected off of the snow outside to shine in through
the small gaps and light up the dusty art-room partly.
Mingyu looked around at the half-finished statues and paintings scattered all over the
desks and walls and at the paint tubes placed somewhat orderly close by a stack of
paint plates with a frown.
‘Neat’ wasn’t a word he’d use to describe the room they were standing in.
Wonwoo had turned back around and was now facing him with that grin that never
seemed to leave his face whenever he was around Mingyu. The light behind him made
it appear as if he was almost glowing.
“The art club doesn’t frequent this room as much as they used to anymore, since most
art can be done digitally nowadays anyways, so they just use the computers in the
computer hall and leave this room unattended. Sometimes they don’t come here for
weeks on end and the room gathers quite a lot of dust in the meantime.” Wonwoo
laughed and Mingyu couldn’t tear his eyes away from Wonwoo’s face.
“I kind of like it here, actually.”
Mingyu couldn’t really understand why or what about the room that Wonwoo found
appealing as he looked around.
He stopped besides a clay figure of some sorts and poked at it, scrunching his nose up
at the dust that stuck to his fingertip afterwards.
“It’s kind of old. And dirty.” He commented.
Wonwoo had walked over to join him and seemed amused by Mingyu’s scepticism.
“Well, it’s a little off, all the way at the far end of the third years floor, but it’s quiet, and
secluded, and kind of cozy. Don’t you agree…?”
Only now did Mingyu catch onto Wonwoo’s tone and when he slowly turned his head to
look at Wonwoo, he caught that mischievious glimmer in his eyes that had his heart do
small flips inside his chest.
Maybe it was because Mingyu had accomondated to the chill outside, or maybe it was
because of the anticipation that lit a fire within him and rushed through his blood, but
suddenly the dusty air within the cramped art-room felt thin and warm around Mingyu
and made him feel hot and deprived of air.
He straightened up and looked at Wonwoo. Mingyu’s pulse thundered in his ears, and
suddenly he could kind of understand why Wonwoo liked this room and why he had
lead him there.
Wonwoo didn’t need to say anything, didn’t even need to ask. His eyes expressed
enough of his intentions, and Mingyu wasn’t able to deny him anything anyway.

✧✧✧
“Uwah—!”
Mingyu raised an eyebrow and looked up, giving Wonwoo a weird look after his strange
outcry.
Wonwoo looked surprised himself as he met Mingyu’s gaze, one of his hands covering
his mouth while the other supported his weight against Mingyu’s shoulder. Then he
started laughing.
“Sorry, just now — that was — This is not going to work.” He managed between
snickers, his voice strained with hilarity.
Mingyu didn’t reply, but neither did he withdraw his hands from the edge of Wonwoo’s
uniform joggers where they rested, having paused their advancement at Wonwoo’s
sudden yelp.
“It’s just — your hands. They’re really cold.” Wonwoo explained, hiding his smile behind
his hand and Mingyu understood why he’d startled at his touch. “It’s kind of
uncomfortable.”
Mingyu thought about it for a while. Then he tugged at Wonwoo’s pants, pulling them
down along with Wonwoo’s underwear just far enough so that he had full access to the
other’s cock.
Wonwoo dutifully raised his hips and allowed Mingyu to partly remove his joggers even
though he looked sceptical to weather Mingyu had listened to him or not.
“Hey—”
“Here.” Mingyu took Wonwoo’s hand in his and met his puzzled gaze. “I won’t use my
hands. So in the meantime, warm them up for me.” He said and watched as Wonwoo’s
cheeks flushed pink with a sense of achievement swelling inside his chest at the sight.
Wonwoo wasn’t daft and had quickly caught on to what Mingyu was intending.
“Wha— But that’s —! O-okay…!” He stuttered, looking flustered and excited and eager
at the same time, all of which Mingyu found kind of adorable.
He lowered himself along Wonwoo’s body until he was level with the other’s crotch and
briefly glanced upwards to behold the expression currently dressing Wonwoo’s face.
Wonwoo’s lips were pressed together tightly and his cheeks were flushed dark as he
watched Mingyu with intent eyes. His gaze was kindled by anticipation and desire and
Mingyu felt a shiver of arousal run down his spine for having Wonwoo’s complete and
total attention on him.
It delighted him immensly, and he wanted Wonwoo to never look away.
Wonwoo squeezed Mingyu’s hands tightly the entire time, and in one way, Mingyu
found the experience kind of sweet.
 ✧✧✧

“Whops! Sorry!”
Mingyu looked up from his history assignment at the sound of Wonwoo’s voice and
turned around to find the other making an apolegetic handgesture towards one of his
classmates from the ajar classrooomdoor.
Lee Seokmin looked mildly confused, holding a hand to his head and looking between
Wonwoo and the thrown papper ball that had hit him right in the temple.
The majority of the class threw inquisitive glances at the upperclassman standing in the
door while Mingyu irately wondered with burning ears why Wonwoo was there when he
was supposed to be in his homeroom for self-study like everybody else.
It was lucky the teacher had gone to the toilet. (Maybe Wonwoo had even waited for
that specific moment to bother Mingyu. Actually, he probably had.)
“Could you pass that to Mingyu?” Wonwoo’s smile could charm even the angriest of
people, and Seokmin was already a kind soul, so he hesitantly did as he was asked and
picked the ball of paper up and threw it to Mingyu who was sat in the third row from the
front.
Mingyu caught the ball and sent it flying with a perfect shot into the bin by the teacher’s
desk, ignoring Wonwoo’s wail of complaint before a teacher caught him in the hallway
and forced him back to his own homeroom with a noisy lecture, every single one of
Mingyu’s classmates looking after the departing commotion as it went.
Mingyu’s deskmate, Xu Minghao, paused his report and gave him a sideways glance
with one eyebrow quirked higher than the other on his forehead in question to Mingyu’s
discarding of the note.
“…You’re not going to read it?” He asked in a whisper.
Mingyu shook his head, ears burning in embarrassment as he could feel the people in
his class glance at him with mixed levels of curiosity.
“No.” He hissed back and stubbornly returned to his assignment.
Mingyu didn’t want Wonwoo’s stupid notes. He didn’t want to look at Wonwoo’s stupidly
neat handwriting, didn’t want to read Wonwoo’s stupidly sweet words, didn’t want to feel
his pulse quicken and his heart flutter like some stupid girl in front of his nosy
classmates.
And, he didn’t want Minghao to catch a glance of what place and what time Wonwoo
wanted Mingyu to meet him after school to do the stupid things that they did.

✧✧✧
“Jikes! They’re saying that it won’t get any warmer until March. How are we supposed
to survive that long?”
As soon as they stepped out of the cosy, little rameyon place and into the chill afternoon
air Wonwoo was complaining and Mingyu found it rather amusing.
“By dressing appropriately and not being stupid enough to live after the ‘dress-to-
impress’ saying like any real rational person.” He made his point by eyening Wonwoo’s
black leather jacket, which did have an inner coating of faux fur, but couldn’t be
considered more than a ‘late autumn jacket’, which, in other words, was
very unsuitable for the freezing winter they were finding themselves halfway through.
Wonwoo grinned at him, his nose and ears turning red from the cold even though he
had his scarf wrapped high around his neck.
“Don’t be envious, Mingyu. I know my fashion sense is superior to the majority of the
people in this country — including you — but being salty about it just promotes negative
energy, and winter is dark and depressing as it is already.”
Mingyu rolled his eyes.
“Uh-huh. You’re going to freeze your face off.”
“I’m not worried about freezing. If it ever got to that point though, you’d warm me up,
wouldn’t you?” Wonwoo blinked at him and Mingyu couldn’t tell him he was wrong, so
he bit his tongue instead.
Wonwoo’s smile widened.
“But hey, it really is cold today. Wanna come to my house and defrost a little?” He tried
to make the invitation sound innocent, to keep his expression neutral and to not stare at
Mingyu too obviously, but ultimately (and funily, in Mingyu’s opinion) he failed at all
three.
Mingyu puckered his lips and considered it.
“We could make hot cocoa.” Wonwoo bribed without shame.
“Alright.” Mingyu agreed after making a show out of debating with himself (although no
part of him had argued against the proposal). He told himself it was because the offer of
a warm beverage was too tempting to turn down in the freezing temperatures they were
suffering.
“Alright!” Wonwoo seemed ever so thrilled to have Mingyu coming over and they
adjusted their course so that they were walking in the direction of the Jeon family’s
house.
Mingyu watched Wonwoo exhale clouds of smoke into the air as they walked and felt a
smile pull at his lips.
“…You’re not going to text your parents and tell them I’ll be over?” He asked curiously
when Wonwoo hadn’t shown any sign of retreiving his phone from the backpocket of his
jeans after a couple of minutes had passed.
Wonwoo gave him a long, sideways glance and the corners of his mouth twitched.
“Well, they’re not home.” He said slowly.
“Oh.” Mingyu stared ahead of himself.
Maybe it was the tiny excited skip in Wonwoo’s step or the sudden eager hurry in
Mingyu’s stride that had started it, but neither could stop grinning for the remaining
entirety of the race to Wonwoo’s house.

✧✧✧

Mingyu had to swallow and blink his eyes hard to make sure he hadn’t fallen asleep and
was dreaming as Wonwoo shimmied down his body after they’d both stumbled in
through the door and somehow gotten out of their jackets and shoes before Wonwoo
had pushed Mingyu backwards through the hallway, into the livingroom, shoved him
onto the big couch in front of the Jeons’ TV and gotten on top of him.
“Uh, hey…” Mingyu felt suddenly shy and embarassed as he watched Wonwoo undo
his pants and pull him out of his boxer shorts. His heart had lodged somewhere within
his throat two minutes ago.
Wonwoo looked up at him with passionate eyes and a wanton smile adoring his lips.
“I wanna try it too.” He announced breathlessly, a little bashfully, but decisively all the
same.
Mingyu’s breath hitched and the blood that would have rushed to his head rushed south
instead as Wonwoo’s fingers wrapped around his dick.
“Tell me if I’m doing anything wrong…” Wonwoo said before he lowered his head and
took Mingyu into his hot and wet mouth.
Having Wonwoo’s lips around his cock and getting to watch him sucking him off whilst
also getting to thread his fingers thorugh the locks of Wonwoo’s hair was probably one
of Mingyu’s new favourite things. Nothing they’d done together previously could
compare to how good Wonwoo’s mouth felt around his cock.
It might not come as a surprise that they forgot all about preparing cocoa.

✧✧✧
Wonwoo only nudged Mingyu’s arm when they happened to pass each other by in the
hallway after Christmas and New Years had passed and school was back into full
swing. (They’d kept busy with each other over break… Mingyu felt as if he was digging
himself into a deeper hole as the weeks slipped them by.)
“Come to the art-room after school.”
A whisper, and then he was gone, disappearing around the corner whilst laughing at
something Soonyoung had said.
Mingyu was slightly scandalized by himself when he almost grew so impatient he
couldn’t wait for the seconds on the clock to go by faster, Minghao shooting him strange
looks all throughout last period because he wouldn’t stop bouncing his leg or wringing
his hands, but he didn’t get to feel ashamed of his behaviour as he practically dashed
out of class once the bell rung in a hurry to go to the far end of the third years floor.

✧✧✧

“What — What if someone comes by?” Mingyu swallowed around his tongue.
Wonwoo laughed breathily, the puffs of air feeling cool against Mingyu’s flushed neck.
“That’s part of the fun.” He said with a smile and flicked his wrist, and Mingyu could only
groan low in his throat in response.

✧✧✧

Actually getting found out wouldn’t be fun though, and Mingyu knew that.
Wonwoo was pretty carefree, and maybe a little bit careless when it came to their small
escapades, and Mingyu felt as if he was the only one out of the two of them that got
anxious sometimes. Anxious that Soonyoung would question why the two of them were
always together, anxious that Junhui would catch them when Wonwoo’s hand would
secretly intertwine with Mingyu’s behind his friends’ backs, anxious that Jihoon would
begin to look at them strangely after having seen the way Wonwoo made Mingyu’s face
heat up one too many times, anxious that anyone at anytime would happen upon them
with their hands wrapped around each others’ dicks, because usually, friends didn’t do
that.
Two guys especially didn’t do that. But they did.
Wonwoo’s body was just so nice. Wonwoo was just so nice, the soft touch of his fingers,
the warm and smooth sensation of his skin, the feeling of his hot breath against
Mingyu’s neck or the feeling of his mouth wrapped around Mingyu’s dick — everything
about him was alluring and enticing and completely addictive and Mingyu couldn’t stop.
He wanted to touch Wonwoo, he wanted to feel him and hold him and hear the purr of
his voice when it was tainted by arousal, wanted to pretend that it was something meant
only for his ears and that nobody else in the entire world would ever get the pleasure to
hear it the way he did.
Mingyu wanted Wonwoo.
He was terrified he’d accidentally expose that desire someday.
Mingyu had grown prone to headaches that usually started whenever he thought about
their relationship. They were friends… Right? They were friends.
Maybe Mingyu was falling apart.
Maybe, if he never acknowledged these emotions swimming deep within him he could
keep being with Wonwoo for as long as his luck would allow.

✧✧✧

Sometime after Christmas but before New Years, when they’d been laying in Mingyu’s
bed, watching the end of that movie they’d interupted that time and sharing pieces of
oranges, Mingyu had looked at Wonwoo’s profile and hesitated.
“… Why don’t you get a girlfriend to do all of these things with?” He had asked seriously
after having spent the foregone twenty minutes gathering the courage to voice the one
question that had bothered him the most. His heart had thundered in his ears.
Wonwoo hadn’t even torn his eyes from the final battle scene.
“Hm? Ah…” He’d hummed distractedly. “Why should I? Girlfriends take effort and time
— it’s a pain. And besides, I’ve got you right here. It’s just way more convinient like
this.”
Mingyu didn’t know why he at the time had felt so let down by Wonwoo’s answer.
He told himself daily not to be stupid enough to hope for anything.

✧✧✧

“Uhm… Mingyu-ssi?”
Mingyu looked up from where he’d been going over his returned and marked paper to
find Lee Seokmin hesitating by his desk. The bell had already rung, but Mingyu was in
no hurry to leave the classroom.
When Seokmin noticed that he had Mingyu’s attention he jutted with his thumb towards
the doorway.
“He, uh, asked me to tell you to hurry up.”
Mingyu followed the line of Seokmin’s thumb with his eyes until they landed on the
smiling figure of Wonwoo who upon noticing Mingyu’s attention waved at him.
Mingyu frowned.
“Yeah, okay. Thanks.” He muttered and stood, throwing both his paper and notes into
his bag to go over them later and walked towards the door.

✧✧✧

“Hey, wanna get drunk?”

That wasn’t even a proper greeting, nor was it an appropriate question to voice in the
middle of the corridor where anyone, like a teacher or nosy students could overhear,
and Mingyu gave Wonwoo a strange look.
“… Why?”
They were kind of blocking the way for other students who wished to leave, so Mingyu
grabbed Wonwoo’s shoulder and lead them to the side where he could crowd Wonwoo
against the wall and hopefully hinder anyone from listening in on their conversation.
Wonwoo laughed and nudged Mingyu’s arm with his hand.
“Why not? C’mon! It’ll be like last time! Except you have a drink too, have a little fun and
let loose a little. What do you say?”
Wonwoo’s hand rested against Mingyu’s elbow and he slowly dragged it down Mingyu’s
arm until he reached his hand, not grabbing it, but playing lightly with Mingyu’s fingers
while watching for Mingyu’s reaction.
It was so discreet no one could see, but Mingyu’s pulse quickened anyway and his
cheeks flushed lightly.
Wonwoo seemed entertained by his shyness and smirked before he leant closer to
Mingyu who swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling dry.
“Doing it will feel much better than when you’re sober. Promise.” His voice was dark and
smooth, implicating things that Mingyu really shouldn’t be thinking about in the middle of
a corridor in their school.
Mingyu frowned and leant back from Wonwoo, shaking his head softly. “I don’t need it.”
“But the alcohol will increase your pleasure. You’ll feel more excited!”
Mingyu blinked, unfazed by Wonwoo’s persuation attempt and pressed his lips into a
thin line.
“I don’t need it.” He repeated, more firmly.
He still had no desire to try alcohol, and besides, he really couldn’t imagine feeling more
excited when he was with Wonwoo. He was already at his limit as it was. (Part of him
hated to think that it wasn’t the same for Wonwoo.)
Mingyu remembered that they were supposed to keep their conversation hush-hush and
leant back into Wonwoo’s space, lowering his voice again.
“Besides, how do you even get ahold of alcoholic drinks?” He questioned and eyed
Wonwoo sceptically. Until summer Wonwoo was as of still very much underage.
Wonwoo’s face lit up in a smile.
“Ah, I get them from S.coups-hyung!”
Mingyu was baffled by the completely unfamiliar name.
“… Hyung?” He repeated meekly.
“Yeah, S.coups-hyung. He’s really cool! You tell him what you’d like and he gets it for
you in exchange for a favour or two – it’s super easy. He makes it a piece of cake. He’s
a really great hyung!” Wonwoo told him happily.
Mingyu doubted S.coups was even a proper name, and maybe, just maybe, the excited
manner in which Wonwoo spoke of him played a big part in the scepticism that started
to take ahold of Mingyu.
“Did you get the Soju from him… last time?” He asked, careful to keep his voice level
and unstrained.
“Yeah. I had to do a little dirty work for him to get it, but it wasn’t that bad. Actually, it
was kind of fun, so really, it wasn’t a big deal or anything. Like I said, he’s a chill guy.”
Wonwoo shrugged, tilting his head to the side, which caused Mingyu’s eyes to flicker to
his pale neck for a brief moment and lose his train of thought.
Wonwoo studied him with a soft frown.
“Are you sure you don’t want any? It really is no trouble at all. I could call him right now
and we could meet up with him later, and I’ll just run some errands for him another time.
How about it?”
Mingyu didn’t reply to his question. His brain got caught up on something Wonwoo had
said.
He had his number.
He didn’t know why this insignificant detail left him feeling so cold. (Or why that
insignificant detail felt really significant to him.)
Mingyu hadn’t met this ‘S.coups’, but he already, greatly disliked him. Hearing Wonwoo
speak of someone else so fondly — Mingyu hated it.
His chest felt tight. Something unpleasant twisted and turned within his gut, something
ugly Mingyu had sworn not to feel at all costs but now failed to stop from rapidly growing
inside of him.
Jealousy.
Bitterness was spreading in his mouth and Mingyu had to step back from Wonwoo. He
turned his head sideways and refused to meet Wonwoo’s eyes as the despicable
emotion swelled within him.
“Should I call him?” Wonwoo’s voice pulled Mingyu out of the darkness that was rapidly
enveloping his heart, but his words didn’t make the fog clear in the slightest.
“There’s no need for that. I don’t want it.” Mingyu bit, and Wonwoo’s smile slipped at his
suddenly clipped tone.
Mingyu hadn’t meant to sound so harsh (or maybe he had, he wasn’t sure.)
Wonwoo was giving him a look of concern and suddenly Mingyu had a desperate urge
to disappear, take the dark emotions inside of him along into a plain of non-existance
where they both could just cease to exist and stop acting like complete morons.
He felt lost. He didn’t know why he suddenly felt so irritated and it frustrated him,
because for some reason, he was hurting, but he didn’t understand why he was in pain
to begin with.
Venom began pooling in his mouth, making Mingyu feel sick, as if he had to throw up.
“Also, don’t indebt yourself to that guy anymore.” The request bubbled up from his
throat without his intent and sounded more like a cruel command rather than friendly
advice. Mingyu could feel the horns begin to portrude from his forhead, and he hated it,
but he was clueless of what actions he needed to take to stop himself from feeling the
way he was.
Wonwoo looked surprised by his odd demand.
“S.coups-hyung? Why?” He questioned.
Mingyu’s cheeks burned hot with shame. He knew he was acting irrational and selfish,
the emotions raging within him making him act possesive, like he in some way had
some sort of proclaimed right to Wonwoo, and part of him was terrified that Wonwoo
would notice and be as appalled by it as Mingyu himself felt.
Suddenly a thin, fragile sheet of ice surrounded them, and depending on what Mingyu
answered, it could shatter around them like glass and cut them both full of wounds that
might never heal, and it was terrifying. But it didn’t seem to matter, because the demon
within Mingyu pushed for a confrontation.
“I don’t like it.” He told Wonwoo, seething inwardly as he imagined this ‘S.coups’ in his
inner minds eye. “He sounds really suspicious. What kind of person sells others this sort
of stuff ilegally? Someone like that is dangerous.” He went on to explain, feeling a
headache come on as his emotions were all over the place.
Mingyu pressed two of his fingers against his temple and exhaled to calm down.
“Just, don’t meet up with him anymore.”
Wonwoo’s expression slowly turned into a frown.
“He’s not suspicious… S.coups-hyung is really dependable. Just because he helps
others to have a little fun doesn’t meen he’s a bad person, even if it is illegal, or what
else."
Mingyu realised Wonwoo wasn’t responding kindly to his request (reasonable, he
persumed) and worried his bottomlip as he wrecked his mind for anything that he knew
would change Wonwoo’s mind but coming up with nothing.
Mingyu felt like crap and he didn’t want to fight, but he didn’t want Wonwoo to hang out
with S.coups anymore either. He was conflicted and didn’t know what the correct course
of action was.
Finally he just looked into Wonwoo’s eyes and begged.
“Please.”
It was unusual for Mingyu to become upset, even more rare for him to be so insistent on
something, and this had Wonwoo pause. Withholding his anger he searched Mingyu’s
gaze and Mingyu stared back, selfconscious and worried about what Wonwoo was able
to see in the depths of his eyes.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Wonwoo released a breath Mingyu hadn’t been
aware he was holding.
“… Yeah. Yeah, okay. I won’t involve myself with him anymore.” He agreed calmly.
Wonwoo’s easy compliance stunned Mingyu who blinked and stared at him in disbelief.
“… Really?” He had to double-check. Was Wonwoo really agreeing to his demand, just
like that?
Why?
A small smile started to show on Wonwoo’s face, and he shrugged his shoulders.
“Yeah, really. If Mingyu doesn’t like it, I won’t do it.”
Wonwoo reached up and tucked some of Mingyu’s bangs behind one of his ears, his
brief touch leaving Mingyu’s skin burning where they had made contact. Mingyu’s heart
stuttered in his chest and for a moment he forgott all about breathing.
“A troubled expression doesn’t suit you.” Wonwoo said gently and gave him a lazy grin.
Mingyu wanted to ask why.
Why, why, why.
But the single syllable lodged in his throat and he never managed to voice it, doomed to
painfully swallow around it and bite his tongue as it scratched his throat on the way
down again.
Wonwoo left him behind and Mingyu stared after him wile a silent storm raged inside of
him.
He caught two of his classmates, Chwe Hansol and Boo Seungkwan’s eyes peeking
curiously at him from where they had stopped outside of the classroom, but the duo
quickly snapped their gazes away and tried and failed horribly to look inconspicous
when they realised Mingyu had noticed their staring. Mingyu’s gut sank. He gripped the
strap of his backpack and hurried to leave, his mind spinning wildly all the way to his
home.
Why did Wonwoo make it seem as if Mingyu was entitled to these emotions?
This jealousy, this possesiveness, this infatuation — all these feelings Mingyu denied
and tried to bury sixteen feet under each time they resurfaced.
At first Mingyu didn’t know wether to laugh or to cry, but once the moon had risen the
latter urge won out and he curled in on himself under his blanket and tried to make
himself as small as possible.
The same question kept him up all night.
Why?
Why did Wonwoo have to make him hopeful of something more?

”Mingyu...”
Wonwoo’s eyes were burning. His skin was hot.
”Nh... Ah—!”
Wonwoo’s hands reached for Mingyu. His voice was like a melody, clear and strong.
Mingyu’s eyes glided down Wonwoo’s bare, flushed chest and slim frame.
Everything was hot around them.
”Please...!”
Mingyu hooked his fingers inside of Wonwoo and savoured the mewl that rippled from
Wonwoo’s throat at his touch.
”Please, Mingyu — touch me more...!”
Mingyu closed his eyes ad breathed slowly as he listened to Wonwoo’s sweet voice.
Wonwoo reached for him.
”I want to be closer... ”
Fingers brushed Mingyu’s bangs from his face.
“Mingyu, please…”
Hands tangled into the hair on the back of his head and tugged.
“… Closer.”
Wonwoo’s voice was smooth like velvet in his ear. Hot lips ghosted over his.
Mingyu wished that this warmth wasn’t just a dream.

✧✧✧

Spring crept up on them slowly, gradually thawing away the snow and raising the
degrees with each passing day much to everyones delight. The seasons changed, and
the months melted together.
It was raining, and Mingyu was avoiding Wonwoo.
They’d been doing this for so long now it felt as if it was all Mingyu had ever known. But
it wasn’t enough, and Mingyu started to want more, want to do more, things Wonwoo
didn’t know about, things that haunted him in his dreams and clouded his mind
whenever they were together — things you weren’t supposed to want to do with another
male.
Things Wonwoo wouldn’t want to do with him.
It was too much, his desires and his emotions. Mingyu couldn’t handle it, so he avoided
the problem and distanced himself from the one who seemed to be the sole cause of
them. Replied less to textmessages. Pretended to be busy and ignored Wonwoo in
school. Declined more invitations to Wonwoo’s place, and refused more visits to his own
apartment. Made up excuses to not being able to sneak away during lunch hour,
anything and everything that he could come up with.
It took time, and Mingyu wouldn’t deny it was hard to not be with Wonwoo, but soon his
days grew more unoccupied, and their heated escapades less frequent.
Mingyu told himself that it was okay, it would be okay. If he just got some time, he would
be able to reforge himself and his emotions would subside.
He knew he was fooling himself every night when he touched himself and imagined
Wonwoo in his minds eye.

✧✧✧

The rain drizzled lightly against the windowpanes, the subdued pitter-patter filling the
desolate classroom with its’ soothing sound. The droplets left traces in their wake as
they slid down the outside of the glass, and the atmosphere of the late afternoon was
tranquil and filled Mingyu with a feeling of serenity.
Apart from the occasional distant sound of a group of students walking down the
corridor or a teacher opening or closing another door on the same floor, the part of the
school where Mingyu had taken to hiding in was still and quiet.
He’d stumbled upon this classroom one week ago when he’d been mindlessly walking
around whilst avoiding Wonwoo (whom he knew would be waiting for him by his locker
thanks to a heads up from Minghao) and had taken a liking to it.
It was only used for morning classes, and so it’s lack of occupants during the afternoons
made it a perfect private place just for Mingyu.
Mingyu wasted time by cutting ahead on his homework, and today he was sitting with
his literature assignment, flipping through the detailed instructions provided to them by
their teacher and marking down important points he would do good not to forget when
he got to actually reading the accompanying book that was resting beside him on the
desk.
He didn’t think much of the footsteps outside in the corridor until he heard the door of
the classroom slide open.
He didn’t look up from where he was sat.
”So, this is where you’ve been.”
Mingyu didn’t reply and took a silent farewell of the peace in his mind, mourning that it
had to go.
Wonwoo closed the door gently behind him and walked into the room.
”I’ve been calling your phone. I spent the last thirty minutes searching for you
throughout the entire school.” He stopped in front of Mingyu and pulled out the chair
from the desk in front of the one Mingyu was sat at and straddled it backwards, crossing
his arms over the backrest and leaning his chin against them.
Mingyu had turned his phone off, but he didn’t tell Wonwoo that.
”I didn’t realise.” He replied with an even voice, uncomfortably aware that Wonwoo was
watching him very closely.
”Is ignoring me fun to you?” Wonwoo’s voice was soft, and Mingyu finally looked up
from his homework to meet the other’s eyes.
”How did you even know where I was?” He didn’t answer Wonwoo’s question.
Wonwoo straightened up and leant back slightly on his chair.
”A dongsaeng of Soonyoung’s saw you here last week.” He said. “Also, your
classmate, that handsome but shy one with a huge smile, told me.”
”Ah.” Mingyu labeled Seokmin as a temporary traitor in his mind and looked back down
at his assignment sheet, letting them laps into a fragile silence.
Wonwoo didn’t speak and just watched Mingyu work, eventually settling down and
relaxing completely across from him as well.
The rain continued to fall outside the classroom.
Mingyu continued to take notes and work as if Wonwoo’s presence didn’t serve as a
disturbance to him at all.
Minutes passed them by in silence.
Wonwoo got bored with watching Mingyu study and picked up one of his markers and
began drumming an un-predetermined rhythm with it against the surface of the desk,
humming a soft tune to go along with it.
Mingyu wasn’t bothered by it at first, but after another minute, Mingyu got tired of the
noise and took the pen from Wonwoo’s hand and placed it flat on the desk again.
Wonwoo’s patience ran out.
”What is it Mingyu?” He questioned vehemently. “Are you angry with me? Did I do
something wrong? If I did something to make you mad, I’ll apologise. Here. I’m sorry. Is
that what you want to hear from me?”
Mingyu sighed irritably and laid down his pen.
”Why are you apologising?” He asked.
Wonwoo looked frustrated and gestured with his hands.
”I don’t know! But the mood between us has been shitty lately! I don’t understand why,
but we can’t go on like this. It’s sad!” It seemed as if looking into Mingyu’s eyes made
Wonwoo loose his fierce spirit and he lowered his head until his forehead rested against
the surface of Mingyu’s table.
Mingyu looked down at the pitiful backside of his head.
”I don’t want to fight, Mingyu.” Wonwoo mumbled softly against the wood. ”You won’t
talk to me… Why can’t you just tell me what’s wrong?”
Guilt tugged at Mingyu’s heart and he resigned himself to not let Wonwoo suffer in the
unknown alone.
“I’m not mad at you.” Mingyu held back a wince at how falsely his sentence rang in the
room, even to his own ears, and Wonwo gave him a rightfully sceptical look.
“So stop avoiding me.”
Mingyu averted his gaze, ironically avoiding meeting Wonwoo’s eyes by doing so and
also getting them nowhere.
“I’m not avoiding you because I’m mad…” Mingyu searched for words that could explain
his reasons without exposing his feelings, but he was grasping at straws and coming up
with nothing eligable.
“So, there’s another reason?”
Mingyu sighed.
“Yeah. Yeah, there’s a reason. I just—”
“Was it something I did?” Wonwoo cut him off.
“No.” Mingyu dragged a hand through his hair and sighed again in frustration.
He didn’t know where to start, how to explain, or even what to say, and it was draining.
He’d been struggling alone for so long, with all of his worries, all of his concerns, all of
his thoughts, all of these questions he didn’t have the answer to and all of these
emotions he didn’t understand. Mingyu was tired. Tired of feeling like this, tired of losing
sleep because of this, tired of avoiding Wonwoo and tired of longing for him even as he
was sat straight across from him.
It wasn’t fair.
He sank down onto the desk and crowded his head in his arms, feeling emotionally
exhausted.
Wonwoo looked uncertain, as if he was debating weather or not it was okay to reach out
and pat Mingyu’s head in a soothing manner, but ultimately ended up deciding against it
and just watched him in uneasy silence.
Mingyu closed his eyes, feeling defeated and dejected for reasons he was unable to
identify.
All of the insecurities that had built up inside of him over the past couple of months were
suddenly overflowing and overwhelming him and his chest felt tight, his heart ached and
he found it diffcult to breathe.
Mingyu just wanted it to stop.
Finally he opened his mouth.
“Do normal friends do this…?” He sounded so small and lost, his voice expressing all of
the things he was feeling at the moment. Weak. Pathetic. Terrified.
This question had been weighing on him for a long time, and Wonwoo looked at Mingyu
after he had finally voiced it, a small frown dressing his face after a moment.
“Do what exactly? You’ll have to be a little more specific, Mingyu.”
Wonwoo’s untimely density made Mingyu irritated and he raised his head to look at the
other, not believing he would have to spell it out to him.
“Touch each other, Wonwoo! Touch each other’s dicks!” He hissed between his teeth,
feeling his cheeks flame up in anger.
Wonwoo looked at him with attentive eyes.
“… Is that what this is about?”
Mingyu’s heart was beating furiously against his ribcage and he pressed his lips
together.
“Answer me.” He grit out.
Wonwoo looked between Mingyu’s eyes before he worried his bottom lip and tilted his
head downwards, suddenly acting passive and finding his own fingers very interesting.
He glanced up at Mingyu from under his eyelashes, meeting his gaze a little shyly after
a short silence had passed.
“… They don’t,” He admitted. “But can’t we do it anyway?” He asked.
Mingyu felt his frustration flare up.
He didn’t know what he had wanted Wonwoo to say, but that hadn’t been it.
“We can’t! Or, we shouldn’t, it’s not —!” He couldn’t gather his thoughts. “Normal friends
don’t do that sort of thing, do you get it?” Mingyu wasn’t sure if he was trying to tell
Wonwoo this or himself.
Wonwoo frowned in response to his raised voice.
A small, frightened part of Mingyu wondered if this conversation would serve to create a
rift between them. (If one didn’t already exist.)
“Yeah, I get that part, but it feels good. I like it.”
Mingyu looked at Wonwoo.
“… You like touching dicks?” He clarified incredolously, feeling like he hadn’t
understood Wonwoo correctly.
Wonwoo choked on air and began coughing violently. (Had it not been a pretty serious
conversation, Mingyu would’ve found it funny.)
“What — No!” He hurried to protest. “No, not like that! I don’t like touching dick!”
Wonwoo’s cheeks burned bright red after he realised what it had sounded like when
he’d phrased himself in that way. “I just — Well, I mean —” Now it was Wonwoo’s turn
to feel flustered and fruitlessly search for the right words and Mingyu let him take his
time.
Feeling utterly embarrassed Wonwoo gave up trying to save face and simply covered
his with both of his hands, shielding himself from Mingyu’s gaze.
“What I’m trying to say is that I don’t mind if it’s you.” He mumbled into his hands, even
his ears glowing bright red. “Doing these things. With you. I don’t hate it. It’s fun.”
Mingyu simply stared at him.
He was afraid, terrified even, that he would misinterpret the meaning of Wonwoo’s
words and twist it around in his head into something it wasn’t. His heart was already
beating like crazy, and he had to tell himself not to get too excited or to get his hopes up
in advance.
He thought avoiding Wonwoo would’ve made his emotions cool, but he’d been wrong. A
fire was raging through him now, and it was stronger, and hotter than the flames Mingyu
had felt whenever he was around Wonwoo before. It was engulfing him, swallowing him
up and chewing him down and he was helpless to stop it.
He swallowed and tried to meet Wonwoo’s gaze through his fingers, feeling heat spread
onto his own cheeks as well as the temperature of the room around them seemed to
slowly rise.
Don’t get your hopes up. Don’t you dare get your hopes up, Mingyu told himself within
his head, determined not to get hurt.
But Wonwoo had just admitted that he wanted to do this. He’d said that he didn’t hate it,
being with Mingyu in that way. How could his heart not swell with hope of all the
potential possibilities that entailed?
No. He said that he didn’t mind. Don’t do this. Don’t decieve yourself just to end up
dissapointed at the end of the day. Does he even know how open to interpretation his
words are? Is he aware that he’s leading you on? Is it on purpose?
Feeling conflicted by the two forces within him Mingyu tried to calm his racing heart and
allowed a bittersweet smile tug at his lips.
“… Do you even get what you’re saying? Guys don’t usually do this.” He explained
softly, too afraid to take Wonwoo’s words for what they were and wary of what was to
come.
Wonwoo lowered his hands and gave Mingyu a half-hearted glare.
“I get it already.” He assured, and then went ahead to ask “What about you?”
Mingyu’s heart stopped in his chest.
“W-what about me?” He stammered, feeling the tingle of nervousity spread thoroughout
his body.
Wonwoo looked at him with hesitation.
“Do you… not want to?”
Mingyu felt his face flush.
“I, uh… I want to, but, uhm…”
“You want to, but…?” Wonwoo pressed.
Mingyu couldn’t stand looking into Wonwoo’s eyes so he studied the outline of the
classroom’s plain and highly interesting walls while his brain scrambled for words that
would make sense. He squirmed a bit in his chair, feeling uncomfortable and anxious as
he came to the conclusion that now would be the best time for him to voice his desires,
otherwise he might never get to, and since they’d already gotten this far and was talking
this openly with one another it seemed like a shame to pass the unexpected but not
unwelcomed opportunity up.
Carefully, Mingyu glanced back at Wonwoo who’d been watching him the entire time.
He couldn’t believe he was about to admit this…
“I want to do other things as well.” He said, his voice not as shaky as he had expected it
to be. “Like, more… than what we’ve done. Things that… people… who’re in a
relationship… usually do…” Mingyu felt as if he was burning up. Maybe if he
embarrassed himself enough he could evaporate and disappear. Now would be a
splendid moment for that.
Wonwoo looked surprisingly calm after his confession-of-sorts, giving Mingyu just a
mildly contemplative look.
“… Well, I’m not entirely sure we’re on the same page, but… Mingyu, if there are things
you want to try out, it’s okay for you to ask me about it. I won’t reject you or turn you
down without hearing you out first, and if it sounds fun, I probably won’t oppose to it.”
After shrugging softly, Wonwoo looked at Mingyu, catching his gaze and holding it with
his own, and Mingyu was able to spot something warm and tender within Wonwoo’s
dark orbs that had his breath hitch and his heart scramble to keep up with his
overwhelming emotions.
Mingyu couldn’t really explain it, but looking into Wonwoo’s eyes, he felt as if everything
around them ceased to exist, and the world and the universe and every living thing that
had ever come into existance in that moment belonged to them. It was strange, like an
out-of-body out-of-mind experience, and the only thing Mingyu could see was the tilt of
Wonwoo’s head and the way his bangs shifted over his face as he looked at him.
“Just, don’t ignore me anymore, okay? Don’t avoid me.” Wonwoo asked of him, taking
one of Mingyu’s hands between his own. “If something is on your mind, just talk to me. I
promise I’ll listen, okay?”
Returning to himself Mingyu kind of got the idea that Wonwoo wasn’t really aware of
what Mingyu was asking for, but they were in such a good place right now he decided
that it was okay. For now, it was okay. They weren’t fighting anymore and Wonwoo was
blowing Mingyu’s fears out of the water by meeting him halfway, and maybe that hope
within Mingyu’s chest wasn’t such a bad thing after all. Maybe, things really had a
chance of turning out for the better between them.
How Mingyu wanted to believe that.
Feeling almost dizzy, Mingyu carefully inhaled and exhaled with a tremble as all the
tension that had built inside of his body slowly dissipated. He tried his facial muscles
and gave Wonwoo a weak smile.
“Yeah. Yeah, okay.” He breathed and Wonwoo returned his smile with one of his own,
squeezing Mingyu’s hand once more before releasing it and scratching the side of his
nose while shooting Mingyu a bashfull look.
“Sorry…” He apologized with a shy smile. “I’ve never dated a girl, so I don’t have much
knowledge when it comes to this sort of stuff.” He explained.
This piece of information actually surprised Mingyu slightly and he blinked owlishly.
They’d never officialy talked about it, and while Mingyu was aware that Wonwoo hadn’t
gone out with anyone for the entirety of the time that they’d known each other, he’d
always assumed that Wonwoo had at least dated one or two girls previously, like in
junior high or middle school, considering he was a very outgoing and outspoken person.
(And also considering he was, from what Mingyu could recall, a pretty good kisser.)
Apparently, he’d been mistaken.
But it was too early for that information to make Mingyu happy. He had to clarify
something first.
Looking seriously at Wonwoo, Mingyu prepared himself for whatever the answer may
be.
“… With a boy?” He asked, as Wonwoo had very specifically said ‘a girl’, although he
already kind of suspected the other had simply misspoken again. But he had to ask, just
to be sure. (It was Wonwoo after all. With him it was hard to tell at times.)
To Mingyu’s relief, Wonwoo’s face flushed again and he slputtered in his chair.
“Definitely not!” He exclaimed fiercly and just for that Mingyu decided to tease him
further.
“… Then, boys?” He asked, feigning seriousness as he made it plural, and Mingyu
actually laughed when Wonwoo leant across the desk to pinch his nose. Mingyu
swatted his hand away and Wonwoo retreated with his cheeks flushed adorably.
“Will you stop now?” He looked properly embarrassed even as he gave Mingyu a
halfhearted glare, so Mingyu was mostly pleased.
“… Not until you say that you’re not currently dating anyone.” He persisted stubbornly,
feeling giddy and childish, and Wonwoo looked for a moment as if he wanted to be
anywhere but there, but he still caved under Mingyu’s intense stare.
“I’m not currently going out with anyone.” He hissed, blush still dark on his cheeks.
“Does hearing that make you happy? What kind of friend are you? Is this how it’s going
to be now? Maybe it was better when you were avoiding me.” He added, eyeing
Mingyu’s joyous expression suspiciously.
“Fine.” Mingyu said with a grin and stopped pestering him.
“Things are good between us again, right?” Wonwoo pointlessly asked after a while,
giving Mingyu’s shin a small nudge underneath the table that made Mingyu look up from
his assignment again. Mingyu returned the gesture, nudging Wonwoo’s knees with his.
“Yeah.” He agreed gently, his heart swelling as they shared a smile.
Things were good between them again, for now.

✧✧✧

Wonwoo waited for Mingyu to pack his things up by the classroom door so that they
could leave together, watching him stuff his books and papers into his backpack and
sling it over his back before walking up to him. Wonwoo looked at him once he stopped
beside him and Mingyu looked back. They shared a tranquil moment.
Finally, Wonwoo gave him a smile and Mingyu could hear his own pulse within his ears.
“You know, if I ever were to go out with someone,” Wonwoo started and Mingyu held
onto Wonwoo’s every word while holding his breath, unsure wether he was supposed to
be preparing himself for heartbreak or something else entirely but equally as frightening.
“I think I’d want it to be with someone like Mingyu.” Wonwoo finished, smiling at him for
another second before he slid the door open for the two of them and walked out, leaving
Mingyu frozen on the spot just by the doorframe.
He wasn’t breathing. His entire body was shaking.
Mingyu covered his burning face with his hand and tried to gather his emotions again.
Unfair.
Raising his head, Mingyu bit his lip before he followed Wonwoo out and slid the door
shut behind them.
Telling him something like that had been really unfair.
Outside, the rain had stopped falling.

✧✧✧

“It’s really pouring!”

“It is.” Mingyu agreed, standing beside Wonwoo under the roof of the school building,
necks craned backwards as they watched the dark clouds causing the hefty downpour
looming ominously in the sky above them a week and a half after their reconcilement.
Wonwoo clicked his tongue, looking unhappy.
“Do you think it’ll ever stop?” He asked after another two minutes had passed and the
heavy rain didn’t appear to have eased up in the least.
Students that had been clever enough to check the weather forecast and brought their
own umbrellas passed the two by occasionally, and Mingyu watched the reatreating
forms of their coloured bubbles as they disappeared over the school courtyard.
“No. Never.” He replied evenly, watching a car that passed by in front of the school gate
create a wave of water that crashed over the sidewalk. “It’ll contiune forever and Korea
will go down in the history books as the country that disappeared in a tragic flood
caused by skyfall.”
His sarcasm earned him a sharp elbow between the ribs and Wonwoo didn’t look the
least apolegetic when Mingyu shot him a glare.
“Hardy, har. Unless you’ve got an umbrella stuck up that ass of yours, that means both
of us are stuck here until it lets up.” Wonwoo said and Mingyu frowned at the reminder.
They remained there, side by side, watching the rain in silence for another two minutes
or so.
“Wanna go to the art-room?” Wonwoo suggested slyly, glancing up at Mingyu from
underneath his bangs.
“Nah.” Mingyu didn’t have to look at Wonwoo to see his dejected pout.
“I figured you’d say that.” He sighed. “Urgh, this is utterly boring! I want to go home!” He
shouted out loud to no one in particular.
Mingyu remained silent, busy watchig another student leave safely under their umbrella.
“I don’t want to stand here in this miserable weather for hours and catch a cold! I refuse!
There’s gotta be something we can do!”
“You could run.” Mingyu suggested, entertaining the idea in his mind. Wonwoo looked at
him as if he’d lost his head.
“Are you an idiot? I wouldn’t even make it halfway home before I’d be on the ground
with a 38 degree fever.” Mingyu shrugged. He supposed Wonwoo wasn’t wrong, but
imagining it had been fun.
Wonwoo sighed again, and his depressive manners were starting to annoy Mingyu.
“Ugh, this is so boring…! I want to do something fun. And Mingyu won’t play with me…”
Wonwoo whined and Mingyu rolled his eyes at his childish antics. Wonwoo dramatically
clung to a pilar. “Isn’t there anything we could possibly do that would be more fun than
just standing around like this?”
Mingyu watched the rain above them and a thought come to his mind.
“What about kissing?” He suggested, all the cliché romantic movies he never really
fancied where the main characters declared their love for each other and then kissed in
the rain while dramatic background music played to lure the viewers into getting
emotional coming to his mind. The idea of him and Wonwoo reenacting such a scene
was laughable.
Wonwoo and Mingyu had kissed once, on the night of Wonwoo’s intoxication, the first
time they ever did anything, but they had never kissed each other since. It was as if
they’d made a silent agreement that it was a line that they were not supposed to cross,
even though now that Mingyu thought about it it made little to no sense as they had
done more intimate things with one another since then. Kissing now wouldn’t be that
much of a big deal would it?
It took Mingyu a while to notice that Wonwoo hand’t replied to him yet, and when he
turned his head to look at his friend he found Wonwoo staring back at him with a
strange look in his eyes, his mouth partly open and his entire face flushed in a deep
crimson colour. Wonwoo’s reaction took Mingyu by surprise.
“Erh…” He coughed, and the small noise managed to pull Wonwoo from whatever stage
of shock he had entered and the other quickly jumped to life and began to furiously
shake his head from side to side.
“U-uh — N-no way! No way! That’s impossible!” He insistently refused and Mingyu
couldn’t stop himself from laughing at how flustered Wonwoo had gotten.
“Why are you so embarrassed?” Mingyu wondered curiously, looking on in amusement
as even the tips of Wonwoo’s ears were turning pink, finding it almost as endearing as
he found it hilarious.
Wonwoo pressed his lips together. There was no way Mingyu couldn’t not tease him
when he wore an expression like that.
“This guy has even done this and that, and even agreed to do other sorts of
things… more things, and yet, he’s this flustered by the idea of a simple kiss…?” He
taunted, leaning over Wonwoo with a smirk and pressing his lips together to withhold
another laugh as Wonwoo’s blush darkened further at his commentary.
“That — That’s different! This and that are two completely different things!” Wonwoo
defended himself. Mingyu didn’t understand how it was any different, and he didn’t
understand why Wonwoo was reacting the way he was to the suggestion.
A silence settled around them.
Looking at Wonwoo, Mingyu traced his eyes along the shape of his face. From the
slanted tilt of his dark but brilliant eyes, the soft curve of his nose and the sharp,
pronnounced cut of his jawline, to the smooth steep of his attractively flushed
cheekbones and the plump swell of his slightly parted lips, looking soft and incredibly
inviting.
Mingyu blinked. He realised his heart was beating fast and hard against his ribcage and
his pulse was roaring in his ears. His own face felt warm and heated and apparently
he’d been so entranced by Wonwoo’s face that he’d forgotten to breathe in the
meantime, and now he was feeling almost faint.
A fire was flickering within him, and with a thrill of his heart Mingyu realised that he
really, really, really wantedto kiss Wonwoo.
Mingyu quickly glanced around them. He could do it. Most of the students had already
left, and there was no one around at the moment that would catch them. If he did it now,
no one would ever know except for them.
“Let me do it.” He said, looking seriously at Wonwoo who’d forgotten about their
conversation in the meantime.
Wonwoo looked quizically at him.
“Huh?” He asked, confused. “Do what?”
“Let me kiss you.” Mingyu said and watched Wonwoo inhale sharply, quickly leaning
away from him and stepping backwards, his face immidiatedly flushing once more.
“No way! That’s impossible.” He repeated, holding his hands out as if to stop Mingyu
just in case he attacked him. “I told you! That kind of thing is too embarrassing!”
“It’s not impossible.” Mingyu countered, stepping closer to Wonwoo who stilled and
looked up at him to meet his gaze, his eyes gleaming with wary anticipation and
something like fear — which was silly, again, considering the level of intimacy they were
used to.
But still, staring into Wonwoo’s eyes while standing so close to one another was
intimate in an entirely different way compared to when they were blind with lust and
overrun by desire and rutting against each other like wild animals, Mingyu realised.
This… was sentimental. Tender. Elevating. Scary.
Mingyu wondered if a high school kid could die from a heart attack.
“W-what? Are you going to do it?” Wonwoo attempted to sound unbothered, defiantly
meeting Mingyu’s gaze in a challange, but Mingyu didn’t miss the nervous shifting of his
feet or the slight tremor in his voice, which also sounded slightly breathless. Neither did
he miss the hitch in Wonwoo’s breath when he stepped even closer to him so as their
chests were almost pressing together, placing one of his hands behind the other’s neck
so that he could tilt his head slightly upwards and look at him.
Mingyu realised Wonwoo wasn’t breathing either.
“Yeah.” He mumbled in response before he leant down and captured his lips.
They were as soft as Mingyu remembered. Actually, maybe even more so now that they
weren’t as chapped by cheap alcohol. They definitely tasted sweeter than he
remembered.
It lasted only for a second, and they were both flustered when they parted. They stared
at each other for another second, and then Mingyu leant back down a second time and
Wonwoo tilted his head to the side to grant Mingyu more access and softly kissed him
back.
They moved their lips together slowly, gently, carefully, experimentally, as if to get a feel
of each other’s lips and a taste of each other’s tongues before they went any further.
But they wouldn’t do that today, and after another five seconds, Mingyu leaned back
and stepped away from Wonwoo to give them both some well-needed space.
Neither of them could hear the sound of the rain anymore, and both of them felt as if
their chests were about to cumbust, cheeks burning and eyes glossy as they took a
moment to return to their bodies from the plain of sensations.
Mingyu was the one that found his bearings first.
“I’m gonna head home.” He announced, amazed that his voice wasn’t shaking as much
his hands were trembling.
Wonwoo immidiatedly snapped out of his dazed state, his eyes widening comically as
Mingyu put some distance between them.
“Eh? What? Why?!” His expression mirrored his shock.
“What do you mean ‘why’? You were the one who said this was too embarrassing – now
you’re going to complain?” Mingyu gave Wonwoo a look and the other just stared
dumbly at Mingyu, his mouth opening and closing in mute protest.
The rain hadn’t let up, but Mingyu couldn’t stay any longer lest his heart actually gave
out on him from overheating its motor.
He shot Wonwoo a small smile over his shoulder.
“Just stay here and contemplate the feeling of my lips.” He said, to which Wonwoo
sputtered.
“T-that’s weird!” he exclaimed with burning cheeks, but Mingyu had already turned
around and dashed out into the rain.
“Mingyu!” Wonwoo shouted after him, his eyes following his friends figure as he
disappeared amongst the raindrops without giving a reply.

✧✧✧

The pounding on Mingyu’s door was louder but not much more painful than the
pounding in his head, and Mingyu turned under his duvet, groaning as every muscle in
his body ached and protested as he stuck his head out from under the cover. He
wanted to shout to whoever was outside to go away, or at least ask them what they
wanted, but he soon realised he had way too little energy to do either of those things
and that he was doomed to wait it out, even as it made his headache so much worse.
“Mingyu! I know you’re in there! If you can hear me, at least come open the door!”
Mingyu groaned again. Of course.
He considered using the last of his powers to get up and crawl to the door to let
Wonwoo inside his apartment, but Mingyu ultimately decided against it and retreated
back under his covers, hoping that if he ignored him long enough, hopefully Wonwoo
would just go away.
The eccessive knocking continued, but after a while it was almost as if it matched up
with the pounding already in Mingyu’s head, so it gratefully became a lot easier to
ignore.
“Mingyu, come on! You’re aware that I’m not leaving until I get inside right? Mingyu!
Open the door! Mingyu!”
The shouting was a lot harder to ignore, but Mingyu pressed his pillows over his head,
and after what seemed like an eternity (but perhaps had been something closer to
around six minutues) Wonwoo finally went away, and silence settled inside his small
apartment again.
Exhausted, but satisfied, Mingyu was ready to fall back asleep.
It was only a couple of minutes later that he was roused by the sharp jingle of keys
inserting into his lock and turning, and then his door swung open with a slam and
Wonwoo entered his apartment in a storm.
“I was knocking and calling for you really loudly! You could’ve at least answered me!”
He spoke loudly, and Mingyu winced at the volume of his voice, realising with
disapointment that he wouldn’t get to go back to sleep after all.
He listened to Wonwoo kick his shoes off and the unmistakeable crinkle of a plastic bag
as it was put down on the floor. Mingyu stuck his head out from under the duvet just as
Wonwoo was unzipping his jacket and putting it on Mingyu’s hangar before he swirled
around and headed straight for Mingyu’s bed, bringing the mysterious bag with him as
he went.
“What kind of hospitality is this? After I came all this way to see you too!” Wonwoo
complained, but it appeared as if he didn’t expect any response.
The matress bounced when he sat down on the bed and Mingyu bit his tongue to not
wince out loud at the sudden movement. He heaved a sigh and forced his sticky bangs
out of his eyes as he peeked at Wonwoo who busied himself with unpacking the bags
contents from under his cover.
“... How did you get inside?” He asked and Wonwoo looked at him.
“I went to the landlord and asked for the extra key. She totally believed me when I told
her I was your lover.”
Mingyu wanted to smack himself across the face, and he would have, if he’d had the
energy for it and hadn’t suspected that it would’ve only made his killing headache even
worse.
He decided to go for a safer topic.
“Why did you come?” He felt like he was dying, and quite frankly, Wonwoo wasn’t
making things better for him.
He whined loudly when Wonwoo climbered on top of him and a small struggle ensued
between them before Wonwoo finally tore the duvet away to uncover Mingyu’s face and
upper body and subject it to the chill of the room.
“Why are you torturing me?” Mingyu wanted to know with a raspy voice, realising that
his throat hurt as well as his entire body.
“See, I knew it!” Wonwoo declared upon getting a proper look at Mingyu’s blotchy face,
releasing the duvet onto Mingyu’s trembling form again and climbing off of him. Mingyu
watched him in confusion as he pulled some sort of box out of the plastic bag and
inspected its backside.
“The one who said idiots don’t get sick was dead wrong…” Mingyu caught Wonwoo
muttering to himself as he headed to the side of the room where Mingyu’s tiny kitchen
was located and grabbed a glas from his cupboard and filled it with water before he
returned to Mingyu’s bedside. He took a sheet out from the small box and Mingyu
realised it was pills as Wonwoo popped two of them into his palm. He then shoved both
the glas of water and the pills in Mingyu’s face.
“You’re sick, and I’m here to take care of you. Swallow these.” He said and Mingyu had
no reason to argue with him, so he gingerly took the glas and the pills and popped them
into his mouth, shuddering as the cool liquid poured down his throat and he swallowed
the medicine.
Once he was done he handed the glas back to Wonwoo who immidiatedly went to refill
it and placed it on the floor beside Mingyu’s bed when he returned.
“How’d... you know?” Mingyu was suddenly freezing, but at the same time he was
sweating, and it was really just an unpleasant feeling to be sick and he shuddered as he
wrapped his blanket tighter around himself.
Wonwoo shot him an unimpressed look.
“Gee, running out into the rain like that, I wonder how you got sick.” He drawled
sarcastically and Mingyu guessed he was right, but he didn’t have to be a jerk about it.
Wonwoo’s hand was warm and heavy against his forehead, startling Mingyu when it
settled there. Wonwoo’s eyes were softer now as he looked at Mingyu with something
very close to affection.
“You’re a moron, do you know that?” He mumbled softly and Mingyu blinked up at him.
“Maybe.” He croaked, and was happy when it managed to put a smile on Wonwoo’s
face.
“Alright, enough sentimentality. I brought chicken soup that I can heat on the stove for
you when you feel hungry, as well as some ginger snacks and throat lezonges — you
know, a little of whatever that’ll help you feel better in no time! Is there anything specific
that you’d like to do?” Wonwoo looked to him and Mingyu was honestly impressed with
his deidcation. If only Wonwoo was always this lenient. Hah. “I want to help out, so just
tell me whatever it is that you want. I’ll do it!”
“... I want to sleep.” Mingyu coughed, worried for a moment that Wonwoo would be
disappointed that it wasn’t anything he could help him with. But Wonwoo looked
completely unfazed by his request and nodded his head.
“Alright. Don’t worry about me, I’ll entertain myself in the meantime.” Mingyu was
relieved to hear this. That meant he could sleep easily without wondering if Wonwoo
was bored or not.
“Is it okay if I use your laptop?” Wonwoo asked and Mingyu managed to nod, feeling his
drowziness already pull at his eyelids. He listened to the tiny noises of Wonwoo moving
around in his livinspace and lulled off to the background soundtrack to whatever movie
Wonwoo played.
 ✧✧✧

When Mingyu woke up he felt groggy and crappy, but his head didn’t hurt as bad as it
had in the morning.
Wonwoo was playing a video game, but paused it to offer to heat up the soup for
Mingyu. Mingyu was hungry, so he agreed, and once the food was done they shared it
together in companionable silence, Mingyu watching Wonwoo struggle and then
succeed through the different levels of the game whilst keeping most of his tricks and
tips to himself just to get to watch Wonwoo become frustrated.
When they were done, Wonwoo took care of the dishes and when Mingyu voiced that
he felt sticky and uncomfortable in his sweaty clothes, Wonwoo ran him a bath and
picked out fresh clothes for him in the meantime.
They spent the rest of the afternoon reading comic books and messing around, finally
watching a movie while Mingyu snacked on the dried ginger bits Wonwoo had brought
him and felt improvingly better with Wonwoo’s shoulder pressed against his as they sat
with their backs against his bed with the laptop in Mingyu’s lap and his blanket wrapped
around them.
When Mingyu felt tired again, Wonwoo helped him back into the bed with his duvet and
acted ridicolously like a mom while tucking him in, which resulted in laughter from both
of them. He then left Mingyu alone so that he could once again fall asleep undisturbed
and hopefully wake up completely recovered the next day.
In the dark, Mingyu remembers feeling Wonwoo climb over him and settle down behind
him on the bed, the matress shifting and a warm hand treading through his hair,
caressing it gently. A soft voice sounding by his ear, whispering,
“Sleep tight, Mingyu.”

Mingyu awoke to a dull buzzing. Half-asleep and groggy he grunted as he untagled from
the cage of Wonwoo’s limbs haphazardly laid across him and after some groping
managed to wrap his fingers around the vibrating device, sliding his finger across the
screen and pulling it to his ear without thinking much about it.
“…at?” His voice was grovely from sleep, but at least his throat felt less like jarred
metal, Mingyu noted dully.
“… Hello? Mingyu-ssi?” The voice he recognised as Junhui after a couple of seconds
sounded hesitant over the phone, and only then did Mingyu realise that it had been
Wonwoo’s phone that had gone off.
Feeling his head clear some of the sleep-fog from his mind, Mingyu blinked awake and
sat up slightly in his bed, keeping his duvet wrapped tightly around himself with his free
hand as its warmth made him feel safe and comfortable. He noted that his muscles
didn’t ache as much and his limbs felt less heavy than they had the previous day. His
head didn’t hurt as bad either, even as it worked somewhat slower than usual.
He glanced at the still-asleep figure beside him and recalled that Wonwoo had taken
care of him yesterday. He distracted himself from the tug in his chest by focusing his
attention on Wonwoo’s classmate on the other end of the line again.
“Uh… Yeah… What’s up?” It took longer for his brain to conjure words than normally,
but other than that Mingyu would say he felt okay.
“So he was at your place after all.” The blonde on the other end of the line only sounded
partly exhasperated, as if he’d suspected that to be the case all along. “Anyway, wake
Wonnie-ya for me and tell him to get his ass to school. We’ve got a test today that he
can’t afford to miss. If he leaves now he’ll still make it, yeah?”
Mingyu chanced a peek at the numbers on the device. 07.58 it read. He put the phone
back to his ear.
“Yeah, alright. I’ll throw him out.” He said and Junhui made a content hum.
“Great! Thank you kindly, Mingyu-ssi~! Ya, Soonyoung-ah, you owe Jihoon 1000₩—”
“What?! Damn it! Why are you always right about these sort of—”
“It’s Wonwoo. Now shut up and pay me.”
Mingyu pretended not to hear the last bit of conversation between Wonwoo’s three
companions before Junhui swiftly ended the call.
Turning on the matress so that he was facing Wonwoo, Mingyu took the phone and let it
fall from his hand and hit the other across the face, causing Wonwoo to immidiatedly stir
from his sleep.
“Wha…?” There was a small line of drool in one corner of Wonwoo’s mouth, and had it
been anyone else, Mingyu would’ve been able to convince himself that it was
disgusting.
Wonwoo gazed up at him in slight confusion.
“You’re gonna miss your test.” Mingyu told him, and Wonwoo frowned, looking solemn
as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes with a fist.
“Why can’t you wake me with a sweet ‘good morning’ like normal people?” He
complained, appearing putout.
Even so, he was dressed and washed up five minutes later, pulling his jacket over his
shoulders whilst Mingyu sat in a cocoon of his duvet and watched him tiredly from his
bed, secretly happy that he wasn’t the one that had to get up.
“Alright, I’m gonna go.” He turned back around and adressed Mingyu.
“’Kay.” Was the most Mingyu felt like offering.
Wonwoo paused momentarily and let his eyes linger on Mingyu’s apparence, his dark,
toussled bed-hair that stuck out in strange directions atop his head, his droopy, tired
eyes, and his slightly swollen cheeks that still held a small flush from the fever from the
previous day.
Mingyu eyed Wonwoo strangely when he suddenly decided to walk back up to his bed
and stop in front of him. When Mingyu tilted his head back to peek at Wonwoo’s
expression, a hand touched his cheek and before he realised, Wonwoo’s face was only
inches from his and another pair of lips were on his own.
Wonwoo was smiling, almost childishly gleeful, when he pulled back and got to behold
Mingyu’s baffled expression. Mingyu could only blink, his brain slow to catch up with
Wonwoo’s actions, and Wonwoo had already turned away and was almost by the door
before Mingyu managed to find his voice again.
“… Wha… Why’d you do that?” He refused to acknowledge that his entire face was
burning and tried to make his voice sound as indifferent and unaffected as he possibly
could. (He had no idea if he succeeded.)
“Oh, hush. You looked cute. I couldn’t help myself.” Wonwoo sent him a cheeky grin as
he opened the door and Mingyu pressed his lips together as if by doing so he could
keep his heart from bursting out of his chest.
“You’ll get sick.” He called.
“Nah. I think if that was the case, I wouldn’t be up and about after sleeping with you.
Text me if you’re feeling better tonight! Oh, good morning Ms. Su!” Wonwoo chirped as
he turned around and spotted the middleaged lady a couple of doors down and closed
the door behind himself.
Mingyu hid his face in his hands and willed away his blush before he lay down and
pulled his cover over his head, already dreading the strange looks he would receive the
next time he encountered his landlady.
Three minutes later, his phone buzzed. Mingyu pulled it forth from underneath his pillow
and checked the notification of a message from Wonwoo. He reluctantly unlocked the
phone and opened the Kakao Talk application.

JWonWoo

<( Your landlady totally thinks we’re an item, ㅋㅋㅋ ˆ ˆ )

RECEIVED 08.10

Mingyu typed a reply with angry fingers and then shoved his phone back underneath his
pillow and turned away.
 JWonWoo

<( Your landlady totally thinks we’re an item, ㅋㅋㅋ ˆ ˆ )

RECEIVED 08.10

( ㅠㅠ )>
SENT 08.11

Still feeling the lingering sensation of Wonwoo’s kiss on his lips, Mingyu buried his face
in his pillow and really did feel like crying.

✧✧✧

JWonWoo

<( Jihoon saw you in school!! Why didn’t you text me!!! >ㅁ<* )
RECEIVED 09.09

<( P.S I’m glad you’re feeling better~!!! ♡ ♡ ♡ )

RECEIVED 09.09

<( Come to the art-room )

RECEIVED 11.42

Glancing down at the screen of his phone, Mingyu read the numbers at the top of the
screen. It was already 12.08 after he had reluctantly made his way to the forgotten
clubroom on the third floor of the school building, deliberatedly taking his sweet time as
he debated with himself weather to keep ignoring Wonwoo’s texts or actually go to the
place he was asking him to. In the end it had been Mingyu’s curiosity that had won him
over and now he stood hesitating in front of the door.
Wonwoo’s last message was the only one removed of emoticons or eccessive use of
exclamation points, and maybe, even as he was standing there, Mingyu was trying to
ignore the rapid beat of his heart, which had started racing as soon as he’d received it
twelve minutes after lunch-hour had started.
Tossing his phone into his backpack, Mingyu slid the door open and stepped inside.
The first thing he noticed was that since the last time he’d been there, the art-
clubmembers had disposed of some of the old clay sculptures that had littered the
desks and replaced them with designs and painted prototypes of their own as well as
left colurful sheets of paper strewn across the teacher’s desk and on the floor
surrounding it.
The second thing Mingyu noticed was Wonwoo, who was perched on one of the desks,
turned away from Mingyu, looking out the window and watching over the ever
flourishing schoolyard that had begun to take on the bright, excellent colours of spring
as the rain was finally being exchanged for very longed after sunlight.
It was a strangely serene image, and Mingyu could’ve done with observing it for a while
longer, but Wonwoo heard the sound of the door when it shut behind Mingyu and turned
towards him.
“… Hey.” Mingyu greeted softly, carefully remaining by the clubroom’s entrance.
Wonwoo disregarded to greet him and got off the desk, striding across the room
towards Mingyu with decided steps, momentarily making Mingyu worry that he had in
some way made Wonwoo angry for ignoring him.
His heart jumped in his chest as he prepared for some sort of confrontation, but when
Wonwoo reached him he wasn’t greeted by fury or accusations. Instead Wonwoo’s
warm hands came up to cup his face and pull Mingyu forwards to meet him in a mind-
numbing, searingly hot, and completely and utterly breathstealing kiss. Instantly,
Mingyu’s hands flew up to grip onto the sides of Wonwoo’s uniform jacket, clutching the
stiff fabric in his fists as to steady himself as he responded to the preassure of
Wonwoo’s lips. Wonwoo’s hands came down to clutch at the front of Mingyu’s jacket
instead.
Mingyu’s head was spinning and his chaotic thoughts grew foggy and distant as he
tilted his head to the side and focused on pressing his body back against Wonwoo and
moving his lips against the other’s. He could feel the heat of Wonwoo’s skin through the
fabric of their shirts as their chests pressed flush together, and part of Mingyu wondered
if Wonwoo could feel the furious rhythm of his heart as well as he could. His pulse
thundered in his ears, and Mingyu completely forgot about breathing through his nose.
As suddenly as it they had come, Wonwoo’s lips left again, and to Mingyu parting felt
like ripping a bandaid off before the count of three.
He didn’t let go of Wonwoo’s waist and blinked rapidly, finally looking down after
somewhat sloppily having gathered his bearings and he gave Wonwoo a scandalous
look.
Wonwoo’s lips were shiny and tilted into a supple smile, his entire expression tender
and soft as he looked at Mingyu. Meanwhile, his eyes were more expressive than any
programme at any newyears fireworkshow and practically gleamed up at Mingyu.
“I’ve wanted to do that since you left in the rain.” Wonwoo’s voice was low and
breathless, and the natural tremor of his dark voice had a shudder rip through Mingyu’s
soul.
“You came to my place.” Mingyu pointed out, putting their forheads together and trying
not to get drunk off the feeling of Wonwoo’s breath dancing over his cheeks when the
other chuckled.
“Yeah, but you were sick.” How very chivalrous of him, Mingyu thought sarcastically.
“I’m not sick anymore.” He said, watching with a thrill as Wonwoo’s eyes were partially
eclipsed by his pupils and noticing the muscle that tensed in Wonwoo’s jaw at his coy
tone.
Wonwoo’s lips twisted into something like a smirk.
“… No, you’re not.” He agreed, dragging his gaze up the smooth curve of Mingyu’s neck
and jaw, over his lips and flushed cheeks to his eyes where they landed and captured
Mingyu under their intensity.
Mingyu couldn’t stand the sound of Wonwoo’s laugh as he eagerly pushed him
backwards until they met an edge of a desk and kissed him to make him shut up. (He
discarded his bag somewhere on the floor along the way – fuck it, Mingyu was too busy
focusing on Wonwoo’s mouth to care about that at the moment)
Going along with the flow, Wonwoo easily got onto the desk and hooked his feet behind
Mingyu’s legs after allowing him into the space between his knees, efficiently securing
contact between their bodies while keeping Mingyu pressed tightly against himself.
Mingyu’s hands came down to rest flat agains the wooden surface, and Wonwoo’s
fingers flickered along his collar before they secured ahold behind Mingyu’s neck,
mostly to keep himself upright and from falling onto his back.
Again, Mingyu found himself wondering why they’d never moved onto kissing each
other before. It didn’t necessarily change everything, but it definitely made
everything feel different. Heat built up much quicker and stronger between them than
before, and compared to the sensational thrill of wandering hands, kissing seemed to
heighten each and every one of their senses and made every point of contact burn that
much hotter and every touch exchanged between them feel that much more intense.
In short, it felt absolutely amazing.
Of course, that also made it that much more nerve wrecking for Mingyu. But frankly, at
the time, there was no part of Mingyu that had it in itself to care.
Wonwoo’s tongue was warm and wet as it pressed against Mingyu’s, and at the
newfound contact Mingyu felt a jolt of pleasure shoot through him and add onto his
already insanely painful arousal pulsing between his legs. Wonwoo nibbled once on his
bottom lip before they parted for air, and seeing Wonwoo’s reddened, swollen lips, his
dark, tainted cheeks and his half-lidded, lust-clouded eyes, Mingyu could do little to
hinder the groan that tore from his throat at the appealing sight.
Wonwoo’s hands were trembling as they held onto Mingyu’s shirt while Mingyu busied
himself with the highly tedious and absolutely infuriating task of trying to undo
Wonwoo’s pants as fast as humanly possible.
“We — don’t have — a lot of time,” Wonwoo’s eyes followed Mingyu’s fingers, his voice
breathless and breaking to inhale between words as he watched their precise actions
acutely. “Because someone…” His eyes flickered to Mingyu’s face and a light smile
played on his lips. “Took their sweet time getting here.”
Mingyu managed to finally undo the button of Wonwoo’s pants and swiftly tore the
zipper down, briefly glancing up only to give Wonwoo a half-hearted glare for finding the
distraction to talk about anything as well as unneccessarily reminding them that class
would start again in just about ten to fifteen minutes while he pulled the hem of both
Wonwoo’s trousers and underwear down just enough to release his erection from its
cotton confinement. He didn’t miss the hiss that slipped past Wonwoo’s lips when his
dick met the cool air of the room.
“So, we’ll be quick then.” He answered, his voice far more even and collected than
Mingyu felt as he went along and undid his own pants, releasing his own member from
the maddening preassure of the two garments.
Wonwoo’s eyes immidiatedly raked the outline of Mingyu’s swollen and erect penis, his
tongue darting out to wet his bottom lip before he dragged his teeth over it.
“So, w-what do you have in mind?” The slight stutter in Wonwoo’s voice came from the
notion that his mind was already completely obscured by different, darker thoughts.
“How do you—”
His question was legit, but Mingyu had already begun to move, stepping closer to
Wonwoo so as their erections were almost brushing against each other, and his hand
reached out to wrap around them both, causing Wonwoo to jump and startle slightly.
“Wha—” Mingyu effectively silenced him by practicing a cautious stroke, getting the feel
of the unfamiliar handling of two dicks with one hand and Wonwoo shuddered in his
grasp as he tentatively gave them a joint stroke. On the third try, he even managed to
pull a gasp from the other’s mouth.
He tried a different technique and jerked his hips forwards against Wonwoo whilst
keeping his hand still instead. A sharp wave of pleasure tore through him, and Mingyu
instantly decided that this was going to be the method that he was going to use and he
rolled his hips again, his dick sliding against Wonwoo’s as he started to build up a pace.
“W–wait—” Wonwoo almost choked on a groan and Mingyu watched him struggle to
keep his expression from morphing into that of one out of pure, unvarnished pleasure
while he desperatedly clung onto Mingyu as to not fall backwards. He shook his head,
his face flushed darkly. “This isn’t — Isn’t this a little too much—?”
Pushing forwards, Mingyu laid him back across the desk and leant over him, meeting
Wonwoo’s heated gaze with his own.
“Let’s do it like this.” He murmured quietly and rocked his hips, biting back a groan at
the alien sensation. Wonwoo’s breath hitched and by Mingyu’s next thrust his hand flew
down and wrapped around Mingyu’s, but it didn’t push him away, just rested there and
held on tightly as Mingyu moved their bodies against one another, groans eventually
spilling from his lips as he eased into the new position.
Mingyu watched through dimmed eyes as Wonwoo screwed his eyes shut, the blush
across his cheeks steadily and surely climbing down his neck and beneath the collar of
his shirt to most certainly taint the smooth, hidden skin of his chest with its flush. He
drank the sight of Wonwoo’s mouth occasionally falling open in silent moans, the
elegant curve and expanse of Wonwoo’s neck when he threw his head back and bit
down on his bottom lip to keep his noises to himself, all the while looking extremely and
insanely erotic. A great sense of pride arose within Mingyu at the small thought within
his head that voiced the fact that it was because of him that Wonwoo was falling apart
like this, unraveling and coming undone under his nose. It was all his doing.
Wonwoo gasped and squirmed beneath him, the hand that wasn’t assisting Mingyu
downstairs gripping onto his bicep, fingers wrapping around Mingyu’s arm so tightly they
were almost assured to leave some form of marks on his skin — not that that bothered
Mingyu in the least.
“Mingyu—!”
Mingyu could tell from the strain of Wonwoo’s voice that he was close. His thights
squeezed around Mingyu’s hips, and Mingyu took it as a warning from Wonwoo’s body
that he was nearing the edge and reaching his limit, but he also realised that he would
reach his destination first.
A couple of thrusts later Mingyu choked back a groan as he errupted into their hands,
his orgasm wrecking him inside and out and feeling just as intense and fantastic as he
had suspected it would be. However, his sense of fullfillment wasn’t total since he even
in his blissfully dazed state following his ejaculation was aware that he wasn’t finished,
that Wonwoo still had to orgasm and that it was his duty to see to that he did. So while
he eased up on the movement of his hips, Mingyu focused on moving his hand (now
slick with come) up and down Wonwoo’s shaft. A lovely, shuddering moan sounded
from the other, and it drove Mingyu to dive down and lazily capture Wonwoo’s lips in yet
another kiss.
Wonwoo groaned shamelessly into the kiss, and Mingyu gratefully swallowed the lewd
noise, responding in kind with one of his own groans as he pressed more firmly against
Wonwoo and twisted his wrist. Even as he was entering the lull of post-orgasm, Mingyu
tried to focus on getting Wonwoo there as well.
Abruptly, Wonwoo’s hand came up and pushed against Mingyu’s chest, pushing him
away and breaking their kiss as a string of shudders rippled through him, his mouth
falling open to voice his final noises of pleasure.
“Ah — Ngh—!”
Mingyu watched as Wonwoo’s orgasm hit him and tore through his body, his face
scrunching up into that borderline pornographic grimace that he always made, and the
way his chest rose greatly as he sucked in a huge breath before he let the air leave him
in a rush, his cock pulsing in Mingyu’s grasp and his legs trembling around his waist as
he came.
Wonwoo released Mingyu’s arm and let his hand fall down, draping his arm over his
face to rest over his closed eyes, and yes, judging by the lingering sting that remained
after he’d let go, Mingyu would definitely find marks in the shape of Wonwoo’s fingers
against the skin of his arm later that night when he checked.
Chosing to ignore the wet substance sticking to his hand (for now. He’d deal later),
Mingyu gazed down at Wonwoo for a moment before he gingerly removed his hand
from in between them and very slowly lowered his head until he could rest his ear
against Wonwoo’s chest and listen to the soothing, low, rapid beat of his heart as it
gradually begun to even out.
Nothing but their labored breathing sounded in the classroom for the following two
minutes, and the two boys simply lay there and basked in the after-bliss of their orgasm
and the final wisps of their shared intimacy in the peacefull stillness of their world.
Mingyu had closed his eyes, and he pretended not to feel when Wonwoo shifted
underneath him. He waited and anticipated what the other would do when faced by his
lack of response.
A set of two arms came up to tentatively wrap around him, settling comfortably over his
back and holding him close, the warmth they brought easily transferring over to
Mingyu’s face (which thankfully Wonwoo couldn’t see from his position anyway, so what
did it matter honestly.)
Mingyu tried his hardest not to break under the overwhelming wave of emotion that
washed over him as he was held in Wonwoo’s embrace. His heart soared in his chest
and his pulse and imagination both ran away with him, his mind screaming at him that
this definitely meant something, that Wonwoo must feel something akin to all the things
he felt, that it couldn’t be anything other than that, that in the least Wonwoo returned his
affections, and Mingyu’s feelings told him that this might very possibly be the happiest
moment so far of his life.
Mingyu really, really tried not to listen to those voices and those feelings.
“… Are you asleep?” Wonwoo’s voice cut through the silence that had surrounded
them, sounding a little bit amused and a lot like he already knew Mingyu wasn’t. It broke
the bubble of serenity that had enclosed around them, and the spell was broken.
Mingyu tried not to sigh so heavily.
“No.”
Wonwoo easily unwrapped his arms when Mingyu made to rise fully onto his feet again
and followed after, sitting up on the desk. He eyed Mingyu’s hand and readjusted his
pants.
“Hold on. I’ve got some tissues in my bag that we could use for that.” He got up and
jumped onto his feet, going over to the desk on which he’d originally been sat on when
Mingyu had entered the clubroom and dug through his shoulder bag that lay discarded
on the belonging chair.
Mingyu watched the arch of his back as he retreived the tissues, his heart lurching in his
throat when Wonwoo turned around and almost caught him staring at his bottom.
Wonwoo came back over and kindly set to wiping both of their hands, his fingers
delicatly tracing along the familiar shape of Mingyu’s fingers and carefully and
meticulously wiping them clean from any stains. The process was almost cermonial,
and Mingyu was helpless to fight the heat climbing his neck, making him feel
lightheaded and shy even as he watched Wonwoo’s serene expression while he
concentrated on the task.
Wonwoo strew the used tissues over the colourful sheets of paper by the teacher’s
desk, forbidding Mingyu from sweeping everything into the trashcan at their disposal by
declaring that it was a composition, and to ‘let the art speak for itself’.
They left the art-room with three minutes left to get to their respective classrooms.
Only one minute remained when Wonwoo stole one last kiss from Mingyu before they
parted ways at the foot of the stairs. Wonwoo wore a smile when he left. Mingyu
couldn’t mirror it.
Half a minute remained when Mingyu turned around and decided on another
destination.
When the bell rung, Mingyu was walking out the entrance of the school.

Body: Muscular, lean, skinny, beefy, tall, short, hariy, shaved, any type for any taste.
Skin: Flushed, exposed, sweaty, smooth, pale, tanned, glistening, supposedly appealing
in any appearance.
Dicks: Long, short, erect, curved, big, thick, all sorts of kinds for pleasure existed
appearently.
Wonwoo’s eyes scanned the pictures previewing the videos showing different men of
different built with different ethnicities in various compromising positions and situations
as he scrolled down the page of the adult website on his tablet whilst lying on the floor
in his room on a completely normal, boring Friday evening.
His eyes slid over the shape of the undressed men in the thumbnails in an almost aloof
fashion as he showed to be pretty unaffected by the scandalous images tended to be
appealing and arousing, but at the same time, one couldn’t say he was anything but
immersed in his search.
A sudden knock on his bedroom door startled Wonwoo and had him quickly close the
window and place his tablet facedown onto his carpet.
His younger brother stuck his head around Wonwoo’s door and looked at him, oblivious
to what his older brother had been looking at only seconds prior to entrance.
“Hyung? Mom made snacks. Won’t you come down and have some with us?” He asked
sweetly.
Wonwoo rolled his eyes and lifted his tablet again now that the sudden fright had
passed, pretending to go over his Snow feed.
“I’m still stuffed from dinner.” He told his sibling who only smiled knowingly at the back
of his head.
“What tea would you like?”
“Green.”
Jeon Bohyuk left his brother’s room again and called down to their mother what tea to
prepare while he skipped down the stairs to the first story of their house and Wonwoo
waited a few moments before he locked his tablet and followed with a slight huff.
Wonwoo had to admit his mother had a knack for baking, and the simple hotteoks that
she had prepared looked appetizable enough decorating a plate on the centre of their
diningtable when he entered the kitchen and spotted them. The sweet and thick scent of
baking still lingered in the air downstairs along with the subdued, familiar rise of
temperature that came with having had the oven running.
His mother was stood by the stove, heating a kettle with water for their tea and Bohyuk
had already loaded a smaller plate of hotteok for himself, having thought it
unneccessary to await the accompanying beverage before digging in.
“Where’s dad?” Wonwoo took note of the lack of a fourth cup around the table and his
mom srhugged behind her kind smile.
“Emergency at work. He was called in — you know how it goes, honey. Tea’s almost
ready.”
Wonwoo hummed and checked his phone after he’d snatched a hotteok straight off the
big plate, his younger brother noticing his restless habit.
“Mingyu-hyung still not answering your messages?” Wonwoo shot Bohyuk’s tilted grin a
narrow eyed glare, quickly putting his phone back into his pocket.
“None of your business.” He replied too quickly.
“So, yes.”
Wonwoo wondered briefly if throwing a hotteok in his brother’s face was an acceptable
action for a seventeen year old to take against a twelve year old, but ultimately he
decided against it.
“Mingyu-ya? Is he ignoring you?” Their mother shot Wonwoo a worried glance as she
filled their cups with the steaming water and Wonwoo shoved another hotteok into his
mouth, taking a particularly viscious bite as he tried to maintain eyecontact with Bohyuk.
“Since Wednesday.” Bohyuk supplied needlessly, unfazed by his brother’s antics and
Wonwoo frowned.
“I’m going over there tomorrow.” He announced defensively, feeling suddenly uneasy as
he thought about Mingyu’s withdrawance over the past couple of days.
“He lives alone, doesn’t he?” His mother pondered aloud as she joined them at the
table. She looked at her oldest son. “It’s very good of you to go over there and keep him
company.” Her voice held that proud tone that made Wonwoo slightly uncomfortable.
His brother must’ve noticed and decided to take advantage of it.
“You’re always at Mingyu-hyung’s. Might as well move out.” Bohyuk would have to climb
over Wonwoo’s dead body and pry the bigger room from his cold, dead fingers. There
really was no other way Wonwoo would forfeit it to him, and he told his brother as much
with his gaze.
“That would be lovely, I’m sure.” Their mother clasped her hands, oblivious to her
childrens silent war. “It’s too bad he can’t do that, though.”
Wonwoo shot his brother a triumphant look. He then eyed the still good amount of
hotteoks that still lay on the plate at the centre of the table. A thought struck him.
“If there’s by chance any hotteoks left over, do you maybe think I could bring some for
Mingyu?”
His mother’s face lit up at the proposition, whilst Bohyuk contrastingly rolled his eyes
while he blew at his tea.
“Of course! That’s a good idea, Wonwoo! I’ll pack some for you immidiatedly. Does he
like sweets?” She was already rummaging through cabinets for some nice paper to
wrap them up in and Wonwoo watched her from the table.
“Yup.”
She seemed glad to hear this.
“He’ll be very pleased when you bring him some, then.”
Bohyuk called Wonwoo a child when he pointed his tongue at him behind their mother’s
back. Wonwoo didn’t see his point at all.
Hour and a half later Wonwoo was fresh out of the shower and back in his room. He
was redressing into his pyjamas when he accidentally kicked his abandoed tablet and
remembered what he’d been up to before late-night snacks with his family had
distracted him.
Picking it up from the floor he re-opened the browser and clicked on a random video.
Hearing the expectedly tasteless porno-music begin playing he chuckled before he
remembered to turn the sound off. (Just in case Bohyuk decided to creep outside his
door for whatever reason.) He watched with mild fascination when a guy shoved his
dick into another guy’s throat and the second guy managed not to throw up as the first
guy fucked into his mouth. Wonwoo pursed his lips.
I don’t think I’ll need this for reference…
His finger hovered over the ‘close tab’ option.
Wonwoo couldn’t imagine him and Mingyu doing that sort of thing together. It just
looked so forced and stale and not fun or pleasurable at all in his opinion. He liked the
things they did now.
He thought about what possible things Mingyu might like to do.
After making sure his door was closed and locked, Wonwoo took the tablet and lay
down on his bed. Watching the two blokes slightly nastily make out he slipped his hand
past the waitband of his pants and wrapped his fingers around his flacid cock. Slowly he
started to fondle himself while he kept up with the advancement of the video he was
watching.
He looked at the position of the actors and found himself ruling it as impossible for them
to pull off. He would never be able to bend this or that way, and neither he nor Mingyu
harboured the strength one of the guy’s seemed to in the porn. It was in no way
realistic, and so complicated Wonwoo didn’t even have the energy to attempt and wrap
his head around what measures one would have to take to make it possible.
For him, it had always been about feeling good, and for a guy, that was rather simple.
Touching himself was enough, and beating one out was easy. He only had to do what
he was doing now, dragging his hand up and down his erection until he reached his
point of climax, and then—
… And then, what?
Was something supposed to happen after that? Or maybe, was there something more
to it that Wonwoo was unaware of?
As he lay there, not-really-watching the adult video, Wonwoo found his mind drifting to
Mingyu. He came to think of Mingyu’s scent.
They’d been together for a long time now, and Wonwoo was accustomed to all of
Mingyu’s different sides and traits, but if he had to chose something about the other that
he particularly liked, it would have had to be the other’s scent.
Mingyu didn’t smell, not in that sense, but ever since they started messing around,
Wonwoo had gotten used to being pressed up close and personal to Mingyu’s body,
and he’d grown familiar with the personal scent of Mingyu. It wasn’t very noticable from
a distance, but whenever Mingyu was leaning over him or pressing against him,
Wonwoo got the chance to inhale the scent of his skin, the scent of his clothes, the
scent of his hair, all of which smelled so distinct of just Mingyu.
In those moments, in Mingyu’s arms, surrounded by the scent of Mingyu, Wonwoo felt
really at ease.
His mind already being taken over by the other’s imagined presence, Wonwoo closed
his eyes and thought not only about Mingyu’s scent, but also Mingyu’s hands, his touch
— the way Mingyu touched him, like an artist admiring a fine sculpture, gently, slowly,
thoughtfully. Most of the times, Mingyu’s touch drove Wonwoo mad and he couldn’t stop
himself from egging the other on so that he would finally get to still the flames of the all-
consuming, restless fire that Mingyu’s touch ignited within him, but now as he was lying
there, in his room, masturbating behind closed doors, Wonwoo found his hand’s
movements slowing, almost stilling, his fingers carefully mimicking the way his body so
vividly could recall how Mingyu usually touched him, attentively, delicately, tauntingly.
Wonwoo was really aroused now, his body hot and his heartbeat irregular. Opening his
eyes, Wonwoo glanced down at his pulsing dick and untangled his hand from the
erection, looking at the amount of precome smeared across his fingers and palm with
perverse amazement.
Wow.
Just thinking about Mingyu had gotten him like this.
He glanced at the tablet to the side of his head and quickly closed the tab, deleting the
search history before he set it aside on the floor by his bed and got back into position,
biting his bottomlip to quieten his own noises as he finished pleasuring himself.
He didn’t need it, after all.

✧✧✧

Mingyu~!! ♡

( Mingyu~~ Please reply to me~ ㅠㅠ )>

READ FRIDAY 19.23

( My mom baked for you. I’ll bring the goods over tomorrow. See you then~! ˆ-ˆ ♡ )>
READ FRIDAY 20.46

( Good morning! ☼ I’ll see you soon~ ˆ0ˆ )>

SENT 10.34

✧✧✧

Standing outside Mingyu’s door, Wonwoo felt unfairly anxious. He’d texted Mingyu on
Kakao Talk to warn him of his arrival, but had unsurprisingly not received any form of
reply. (Not that Wonwoo had counted on it. He knew how Mingyu could be when he put
his mind to something.) He did feel slightly guilty for having jerked off with his friend in
mind the previous night, and also a little depressed because he still had no idea why
Mingyu was ignoring him (yet again. Had Wonwoo not consciously made an effort to be
a positive person, he would’ve probably sighed enough for a lifetime by now) but he
really didn’t see how that explained why he suddenly felt so uneasy or impatient to see
him.
Taking a deep breath meant to ease his climbing nervosity, Wonwoo shook all
hesistance from his mind and knocked on the door.
He waited a few moments, listening for movement on the other side of the door. When
no such sound came, he tentatively tried his voice.
“… Mingyu?”
No response.
Wonwoo tried knocking again, a little firmer and a little harder this time, calling out a
little louder to Mingyu on the other side of the door.
“Mingyu, come on…! I know you’re in there, just open the door for me. It’ll be less
painful that way. Mingyu-ya~”
Suddenly Wonwoo felt tired and he ceased his eccessive knocking, letting his fist drop
and fall to his side as he stared blankly at the door that had a small nametag that read
‘Kim Mingyu’ in small, bold letters. His other hand was holding the little plastic bag
carrying the neatly packed treats his mother had prepeared for him.
Wonwoo heaved a sigh.
It looked like Mingyu still didn’t want to see him.
That was just too bad for him.
Fishing out his keys from his pocket, Wonwoo took a moment to find the correct one
before he unlocked the door and let himself inside Mingyu’s familiar apartment.
“I’m home~!” He called lightheartedly as he shut the door after himself, starting to
undress without waiting to be invited.
Mingyu stood by the sink, having been in the middle of refilling a water bottle, freezing
on his way to re-secure the lid and looking oddly at Wonwoo when he entered.
(Wonwoo knew he had heard him perfectly well. It only pissed him off a little.)
Wonwoo stepped out of his shoes and then stared back and Mingyu. He raised the bag
with the hotteoks.
“Mom baked. I brought some over. I wrote you.” He knew Mingyu knew all of this
already, but he said it anyway. Anything to fill the silence between them.
Mingyu blinked.
“How’d you get in?”
Wonwoo felt Mingyu’s eyes watching him as he ventured into the apartment (he
practically lived there anyway, so what the heck) and sat down on the floor beside
Mingyu’s bed, placing the bag to the side of himself on the floor and starting to unpack
the treats. He made a point of not looking at Mingyu in the meantime.
“I never returned that key your landlady gave me. I told you. We’re practically married.”
As he spoke, Mingyu had refound the mobility in his limbs and had fastened the lid of
his bottle again and walked over to sit down beside Wonwoo, giving in to his presence
as he knew Wonwoo was too stubborn to leave even if he asked him.
“Right. Of course. I don’t have anything in the refrigerator, so don’t expect anything.” He
commented and Wonwoo looked at him then.
Maybe it was because Mingyu had been skipping school since Thursday and they
hadn’t really seen each other for a couple of days, but for some reason Wonwoo
thought Mingyu looked different. For a second, looking at the other startled him, and
then it confused him.
He stared at Mingyu’s face and tried to make out what was so different about him, but
the longer he stared, the more he realised there really was nothing different about
Mingyu and the more frustrated he grew with himself for not being able to figure out
what it was that made his chest squeeze and his stomach feel queasy.
Mingyu looked… Like he always did, but he — At the same time, Mingyu
appared… No. No there was nothing about his appearance that was visibly
different. Then why…?
Maybe he just felt different somehow? There was something… Something… But
Wonwoo couldn’t place his finger on it. He gave up.
“Here.” He said instead of explaining why he’d been staring at Mingyu in complete
silence for an awkward amount of time. He handed Mingyu a hotteok. “Mom made
hotteoks, and she wanted you to have some.”
“I don’t like sweets.” Mingyu stated, arching an eyebrow at Wonwoo, because Wonwoo
knew this. Wonwoo had just wanted an excuse to tresspass into Mingyu’s apartment.
I masturbated to this guy yesterday, Wonwoo’s mind supplied unhelpfully as he stared
into Mingyu’s eyes.
“Have you eaten anything yet?” He changed the subject to stop the blush threatening to
crawl onto his face, keenly watching Mingyu’s Adams apple bob as he took a drink from
his water bottle.
“I haven’t.” Mingyu answered, shrugging. His food-habits weren’t the most regular, but
he hadn’t starved yet, so what did it matter?
“You really should.” Wonwoo nagged half-heartedly. “At least a late breakfast or an
early lunch or something.”
Mingyu looked at him, and for some reason Wonwoo held his breath.
“… Want to grab something together?” Mingyu’s invitation was gentle and warm, similar
to their weather, and Wonwoo remembered how to breathe again.
“Well, I already — the hotteoks —” He made some general gesture with his hands in the
air between them and Mingyu simply gave a shrug at his dissmissal, appearently not
sensing the weird atmosphere between them as strongly as Wonwoo.
“Don’t you have anything to say to me?”
Mingyu looked up at Wonwoo. Wonwoo met his gaze as bravely as he could. Mingyu
looked away after a while, averting his eyes shamefully.
“… Not really. Nothing’s really… changed between us.” Was all he said, and Wonwoo
realised that that was as much of an apology that he would get from Mingyu for not
replying his messages and that he would have to settle for it. He exhaled slowly, and
forced his shoulders to relax.
Settle. Wonwoo could do that.
He straightened up and readied to make his announcement, looking at Mingyu
determinedly.
Mingyu was observant of his change of mood and glanced carefully at him in the corner
of his eyes.
“I watched gay porn.”
Wonwoo had half expected Mingyu to not give him a reaction at all (because he could
be like that, sometimes. Distant) but Mingyu’s eyes cleared and focused on Wonwoo
immidiatedly, looking at him with uncovered shock and surprise, as if the very thought of
Wonwoo possibly ever doing something like that had never occurred to him.
He didn’t seem to have any words though, so Wonwoo took the silent oportunity to keep
talking, although he found it suddenly very difficult to meet Mingyu’s gaze and took to
dragging his eyes across the small indentions in Mingyu’s floor.
“There’s a lot you can do using only mouths and hands like we have, but, uh, apparently
there’s more to it than that.” Wonwoo could feel even the tips of his ears begin to burn
and he felt properly embarrassed talking to Mingyu about this. It felt as if he’d unleashed
Pandora’s box, and there was no backing out halfway.
He swallowed and continued.
“Apparently, two guys can do it… kind of like you would do it with a girl.”
Wonwoo chanced a glance at Mingyu’s face. It terrified him a little that he wasn’t able to
read Mingyu’s expression very well. There was a small crease between his eyebrows,
so small it was barely there, and his dark brown eyes looked like molten chocolate but
felt like lava when they looked into Wonwoo’s eyes and scorched every part of his
insides with their intensity. Mingyu’s mouth had fallen open, like there was something he
wanted to say or ask but for some reason didn’t have the words in his vocabulary to
express it. When Mingyu stared at Wonwoo like that, Wonwoo could feel a heat twist
and crawl it’s way throughout his body just underneath his skin and he grew restless.
Wonwoo squirmed on the floor, and when it after a while grew apparent he wasn’t going
to say anymore, Mingyu licked his lips and tried his voice.
“… Where are you going with this?” He asked, searching for a point in this type of
unplanned conversation and Wonwoo looked at his knees.
“I — I’ve been thinking, about the things that you want to do, and I figured that maybe
we should, uh, at least try… and do those things. Give them a shot. Try them out… At
least, that’s what I thought.”
With his pulse roaring in his ears, Wonwoo drew a sharp inhale and stood from the
floor. Mingyu watched him thoughtfully, his lips pursed and the remainder of his face
kept carefully neutral for some reason or other as Wonwoo strode over to him (the one
and a half steps it took him to get there) and straddled his lap, one knee on each side of
Mingyu’s hips.
Mingyu startled, surprised by Wonwoo’s boldness, but he didn’t pull away even as
Wonwoo wrapped his arms around his neck and stared decisively down into his eyes.
He only looked slightly shocked for a second or two, then his expression visibly relaxed
and returned to his impressively impassive mask. (Although, Wonwoo caught the small
glance of Mingyu’s eyes to his lips, so he wasn’t all that unreadable.)
Mingyu’s eyes hesitantly met Wonwoo’s. Wonwoo’s cheeks were burning, but he was
determined to do this for Mingyu.
“What are you getting on top of me for?” He asked carefully, saying the words
deliberatedly slow just to be a pain. Or maybe he was anxious, Wonwoo didn’t know. He
just knew that he was very, very, very nervous at the moment.
Quite frankly, Wonwoo’s heart was racing and his head was spinning ridicolously fast as
he had no clue as to what exactly he was supposed to do to advance from there, but he
wouldn’t let Mingyu see that, so he practiced a collected expression, tilting his head
sideways and slightly downwards so that his bangs could fall across Mingyu’s forehead
and bravely met Mingyu’s eyes.
He could feel Mingyu’s breath ghost over his chin, and that distinct scent
of Mingyu made Wonwoo’s mind grow foggy in seconds.
“Isn’t this what you want…?” Wonwoo was only vaugely aware of the provocative
undertone of his voice, which was barely above a whisper, but he could clearly see the
slight tremor his words brougth to Mingyu’s pupils and the way the other’s eyes
considerably darkened.
Wonwoo would lie if he said that seeing that didn’t both thrill and terrify him a little at the
same time.
Feeling like the only way he had left was forwards, Wonwoo slowly lowered his head,
intending to indulge Mingyu’s lips in a kiss. However, Mingyu being an idiot (or having
some ounce of sense, one of the two) placed a hand on Wonwoo’s shoulder and
stopped him, pulling as far away as he could from the body seated on top of him while
still remaining upright on the floor.
“Wait, doing things so suddenly — There’s no way we can —” Wonwoo felt extremely
stressed by Mingyu’s reluctancy and rejection and grabbed onto the front of Mingyu’s
shirt to stop him from leaning back too far.
“It’s okay!” He reassured quickly. “I’ve studied, so — Let me take care of it.” Wonwoo
forced Mingyu to look into his eyes. His heart was racing. He felt desperate, although he
was uncertain what for. “I think I finally understand what it is that you want to do, so
please just let me do this for you.”
He was begging now, searching Mingyu’s eyes for anything that could turn him away,
but thankfully Mingyu didn’t look angry, just mostly hesitant, and Wonwoo was confident
he could change that.
His hands were trembling as he tucked some strands of Mingyu’s hair behind one of his
ears while the other caressed the upper part of Mingyu’s thigh. Wonwoo’s heart had
permanently relocated to his throat, and he attempted to swollow it back down into his
chest.
“I know I can do it…” His voice sounded as uncertain as he felt, but Wonwoo didn’t let
that show when he finally captured Mingyu’s lips in a kiss. He was both happy and
relieved when he caught Mingyu’s eyes sliding shut before their lips met, and Wonwoo
was glad for what was starting to become a familiar distraction, focusing all of his body
and mind into his kiss with Mingyu. He wanted Mingyu to understand how much he
meant what he said.
When they parted, Mingyu looked slightly dazed, and Wonwoo felt victorious, until he
reminded himself that they were just getting started, and the second time they kissed,
they both seemed to let go of the tension in their muscles, finally relaxing into the kiss,
Wonwoo’s arms wrapping more comfortably around Mingyu’s neck and Mingyu’s arms
sneaking around Wonwoo’s waist and holding onto him tenderly and welcomingly,
making Wonwoo’s heart flutter joyously in his chest.
This kiss lasted longer, and they took time to move their lips together sensually,
savouring every little tingle of pleasure they could draw from each other’s mouths, and
Wonwoo was slowly but surely starting to feel overwhelmed by it.
Mingyu’s lips were warm and moist against his, his body hot and firm under Wonwoo’s
hands, Mingyu’s arms around his back strong and comforting and safe, Mingyu’s taste
and scent and touch and everything Mingyuthat would soon be everything Wonwoo
would be able to feel crawling it’s way into and occupying every corner of Wonwoo’s
mind until he felt dizzy and like he couldn’t think straight anymore and all of it was
quickly becoming too much for him to handle. His chest was aching from the furious
thunder of his heart, and Wonwoo felt as if he was burning up. His skin itched all over,
his lungs had lost their capacity of storing oxygen, Wonwoo couldn’t think, see, breathe,
and it was lovely, and terrifying, and nice, and too much. He couldn’t do this.
And in an instant of that realisation, Wonwoo tore away from Mingyu, leaning so far
back so fast one might’ve suspected he had been zapped by electricity.
Mingyu’s cheeks were as flushed as Wonwoo’s own, and Wonwoo’s vision spun when
he glanced at the redness of Mingyu’s thuroughly ravished lips. Wonwoo felt very young
and very fragile under Mingyu’s confused and inquisitive stare after he’d retreated.
It took Wonwoo a couple of seconds to calm down, and then a couple of more seconds
to realise that he had to say something, and he scrambled for an explenation for his
behaviour.
“I — It’s still kind of…!” He felt flustered and thrown off balance and had no idea what to
do. This new prospect of their relationship wasn’t something he was used to, and he
was disoriented. “I–I know we’ve done this before, a–and all, but — I — I can’t do this
after all.”
Abruptly, he stood, heading towards his stuff in the hall, not knowing where to go, but
knowing that he couldn’t stay in there any longer, couldn’t stay near Mingyu, or he
suspected he might crumble or explode.
There was something there that Wonwoo had to get away from. He wasn’t so sure if it
was Mingyu or some part of himself.
“This is too embarrassing. I can’t handle it — I thought I could, but I can’t. I just want to
feel good, and I’m trying to understand the things you want, but as I thought, it’s too
much for me.” He got into his jacket and put on his shoes while he spoke. Wonwoo was
aware that he was blabbering, but Mingyu hadn’t said anything yet, and Wonwoo wasn’t
sure if he even wanted him to. “For me, just touching each other is fine, but you want to
be closer than that, don’t you? You want to…” Wonwoo hesitated in front of the door
and bit his lip, urging his racing heart to calm down as the images from the video last
night flooded his thoughts.
He forced himself to look at Mingyu over his shoulder, and he was gratefull that he
couldn’t quite decipher his expression apart from the confusion he could see in Mingyu’s
eyes.
“… You want to do things like this, right?” He didn’t need to wait for an answer, Wonwoo
knew he was right, and just like he’d come, Wonwoo left again in a flurry, quickly
walking away and putting Mingyu’s apartment complex far behind him.
However, the further he got, the less did Wonwoo feel like he was about to suffer a
heart attack, and his chaotic thoughts became more divergent.
He realised what an utter moron he had acted liked, and rather than embarrassment he
felt his cheeks flame in humiliation and anger directed at himself.
What the heck had he just done? What had he been thinking? Stupid!
He quickly stopped being angry though, because he acknowledged that maybe he had
tried to rush things, maybe his approach had been a little too aggressive, not exactly
setting either of them out for success, and Wonwoo felt solemn.
Then he thought about Mingyu, what he must be thinking about and feeling after
Wonwoo’s glorious impact on his day, and it was only with slight reluctance and anxiety
that Wonwoo pulled his phone out and clicked through his applications until he found
the one he was looking for.
Before he could change his mind, before his guilt washed away, he typed up a message
and sent it off, huffing as he shoved his phone back into his pocket and turned back.

✧✧✧

Mingyu stared after Wonwoo after the door had shut. He was baffled. Stupified. Slightly
aroused too, considering the track things had been heading down before Wonwoo had
pulled the breaks and ran away (because that’s what he had done. Mingyu had eyes
and he wasn’t dense.)
He had no clue what Wonwoo’s agenda had been that day. He’d done the usual and
forced his way back into Mingyu’s life even as Mingyu had ignored him for days and
tried to shut him out, but then he’d initiated something they’d never done before and
then he’d out of the blue just up and walked away all on his own. Mingyu wasn’t sure
what that meant. He wasn’t sure what any of the things Wonwoo had said to or done
with him just now had meant.
He’d admitted to watching porn with two men, something Mingyu would forever have put
past Wonwoo, told Mingyu that he’d gotten an idea of what kind of things Mingyu
wanted to do (it was the right idea, alright) and that he was willing to and even kind of
wanted to try it out (? Signals were slightly unclear by this point and some details
might’ve gone over Mingyu’s head) and then Wonwoo had straddled Mingyu’s lap and
kissed him and every other coherent thought or concern about the situation had
completely abandoned Mingyu’s mind. How could they have not?
When it came to Wonwoo, Mingyu was powerless. He could never push him away and
he could never reject him (although he did try, but come on, who was he kidding)
especially not when Wonwoo was in his lap, his arms around Mingyu’s neck and
everything about him, his eyes, his lips, his voice, his body, his touch just so
maddeningly enticing that Mingyu couldn’t look away.
To Mingyu, Wonwoo was almost sickeningly desirable and once they’d started kissing,
Mingyu forgot all about every doubt he had about Wonwoo’s commitment to his words,
which, he realised now, had been provingly stupid and very naïve of him.
Wonwoo had managed to utterly shock him, waltzing into his apartment and back into
his heart, bringing up sex and suddenly kissing him silly and then leaving just as easily.
It had been too fast for Mingyu to accurately comprehend when it had transpired.
He thought about it now though, cheeks burning and mind shaken, about actually
having sex with Wonwoo one day, and he realised the possibility appealed to him
greatly. Just imagining it had him visualise the afterlife, and he was definitely certain it
was something he’d really, really like to do with Wonwoo. He’d just always thought if
they lasted that long that they’d work it out together and get there eventually, but
everything changed now that Wonwoo had dived head-first into it without even
considering that he might get water over his head by doing so.
The serious question was where did they go from here?
Wonwoo had stormed off. Mingyu had stayed. Were things okay between them, or did
Wonwoo need space? Would Mingyu be the one on the receiving end of his typicall
method of ignoring Wonwoo when they were on bad terms for once? Woud he have to
walk around with all these new thoughts and possibilities in his mind while Wonwoo
avoided him, left to pine by himself and all on his own?
Mingyu was so caught up in the whirlwind of his of mind that he didn’t catch the
notification when he received a message, but he managed to catch the reminder that
sounded after a minute, and he quickly scrambled after his phone, unlocking it with
lightning speed to rake his eyes over the scarcely worded message on his screen.
He didn’t fight the genuine smile that came over his face when a wave of relief washed
over him. He quickly typed an affirmative reply before he got onto his feet and got
dressed to head out.
The answer to where they would go from there was obvious, and Mingyu was glad that
his worries had been disproved before they’d been able to settle in his heart.
He grabbed his wallet and keys and locked the apartment after himself as he headed
out.

JWonWoo

<( I want that lunch. )

RECEIVED 11.27

( Where do you want to go? )>

SENT 11.31

They could only go forwards.

“So, anyway, the competition is soon, and our club-president is stressing out so much
about it. Last time I caught him watching videos of our competitors on youtube while he
was using the loo, and taking notes at the same time! It’s crazy I tell you! On our last
practice, he even made us—” Soonyoung spoke animatedly, gesturing his arms around
wildly while Junhui hummed, not really listening to his tale, and Jihoon kept a carefully
straight face as to not show his utter disinterest about their friend’s struggle during his
club activites, rolling his eyes behind Soonyoung’s back when the newly turned brunette
was too invested in his story to notice him turn his gaze elsewhere. Jihoon’s eyes fell on
Wonwoo who wasn’t listening and wasn’t even trying o hide it. He was staring out over
the schoolyard, not really looking at anything specific.
Summer was approaching, and the weather had become really pleasant, allowing for
the students of their school to spend their breaks outdoors, eating their lunch on the
grass under the shade of one of the trees or enjoy the warmth of the sun that had yet to
become unbearable on any of the benches spread within the grounds. The four friends
were doing the latter, occupying one of the benches standing along the graveled
pathway that lead through the yard on the frontside of the school building during their
lunchhour, although all four of them had already finished their food inside their
classroom before they’d headed out.
Junhui had brought his sunglasses that were ridicoloussly big, the accessory dressing
his face now as he leant back on the bench, his arms thrown over the back and his legs
elegantly crossed in front of himself as he enjoyed the warmth of the sun in his now
charcoal black hair.
Soonyoung had folded the sleeves of his uniform shirt and undone the three first
buttons, exposing his pale skin to the sunlight without fear of getting burnt and in the
hopes that it would help him keep somewhat cool. (Although his excessive moving
about while he spoke contradicted that goal.) Jihoon had taken to copying him with his
sleeves, although he kept the buttons of his dress-shirt untouched.
Wonwoo was looking out over the yard, tuning out his friends conversation to his right
as his eyes absentmindedly slid over the grass and green-leaved trees, occasionally
taking to rest on a couple or group of students out and about in the sun, watching them
exchange lunches or share jokes, but mostly his eyes drifted to the few and
unthreatening white clouds in the vast, blue sky above their heads as he was
completely lost in thought.
Jihoon looked at him strangely.
“What’s up?” He questioned beside Soonyoung, the latter ignoring that no one seemed
to be listening to him anymore as he kept complaining about the dance-club’s upcoming
competition.
Wonwoo tore his eyes away from the couple of guys seated against the trunk of a tree
on their general left, one of them sleeping while the other poured over some book.
“Hm?” He commented distractedly and Jihoon frowned at his unfocused state of mind.
To his right, Soonyoung perked up.
“Oh. There’s Chan. I better go and check in with him before class starts again.” The
other three watched him get up and followed his back with their eyes as the brunette
jogged up to the underclassman coming along the walkway with a friend, striking up
conversation that probably revolved around their club.
“Good grief, I thought he’d never stop.” Junhui looked grateful for the absence of noise
and Jihoon tilted his head in agreement.
“Cut him some slack. He’s the only one out of us who’s stuck with a club throughout the
three years we’ve been here, and now that their competition is coming up, he’s allowed
to be stressed out. He’s probably overworked too — god knows how many days a week
they can force their members to practice for something.” Jihoon kicked at a small rock
by his feet and watched it bounce away.
Wonwoo blinked, beginning to catch up to their conversation.
Junhui placed his right hand over his heart and looked at Jihoon over the tinted frame of
his sunglasses.
“I have club activities too!” He protested, and Jihoon smirked at his offended
expression.
“Your Mandarin after-school class doesn’t count. You’re practically fluent, Moon Junhui.”
He recalled the other’s official Chinese name and Junhui puffed his cheeks out and
crossed his arms with a small huff.
“Well, I was born in China, so I would hope so, Lee Jihoon.” He shot back, but Jihoon
had already bored of him and had turned back to his left and was looking at Wonwoo
again.
“Why’re you so quiet?” He asked, concerned with the lack of remarks from their friend
over the past twenty minutes. Junhui leant forwards so that he could peek around
Jihoon and look at their friend too.
“Yeah, you’re unusually quiet. Something on your mind?”
Wonwoo pondered their questions briefly, but found that there was a lack of ‘something’
on his mind, and more of a ‘someone’.
Rather than saying this, he found it easier to simply shrug his shoulders in dissmissal of
his friends concern.
Jihoon narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything immidiatedly. Junhui snickered and
went to lighten the mood a little.
“Aw, is our Wonnie-ya depressed?” He asked with a sickeningly sweet and mannered
voice and leant over Jihoon’s lap to reach his arms out as if to envelop Wonwoo in an
embrace. “Come here and let Junhui-nim make it all better!”
Jihoon swore and kneed Junhui in the chest, making Wonwoo’s lips pull into a smile
and a laugh bubbled out of his mouth.
“I think I’ll pass.” He chuckled as his friends squabbled, pushing at each other on the
bench until they’d straightened out their seating arrangement again.
“So, what’s the matter then?” Jihoon asked after brushing imagined dirt off his shoulder,
and Wonwoo’s face returned to its neutral slate.
“I…” He wasn’t sure. He wasn’t in a bad mood, not really. So why was he feeling so
distant from everything? He frowned and Jihoon and Junhui looked on as he
disappeared into his own head again.
“Is it about Mingyu?”
That sentence alone cleared the reason for Wonwoo’s solemn mood as his eyes
darkened visibly at the mention of the other’s name.
Junhui arched his eyebrows triumphantly at Jihoon who only gave him a glare and
rolled his eyes at his childish antics before he turned his gaze back to Wonwoo who
remained uncharaceristicly silent.
“You haven’t been picking on him again, have you? If so, he’s completely justified to
avoid you.”
Wonwoo shook his head at the same time as Junhui.
“What are you talking about?” The Chinese said, disagreeing with Jihoon before his
head turned towards Wonwoo. “I think the two of you have been acting awefully civil
towards one another lately. Not that it’s a bad change or anything,” He shrugged
indifferently and leant back. “It’s just that usually, I think Mingyu-ssi seem to be more
open around you than anyone else – he becomes more expressive, you know?”
Part of Wonwoo was mildly surprised that that was how others viewed their relationship.
“He’s always been kind of closed-off and good at determinedly pushing people away,
but lately, to some extent, that has seemed to start including you, which it didn’t use to.”
Junhui had set his sunglasses to rest atop his head now and his eyes slid to meet
Wonwoo’s. “Am I wrong?” He asked.
Jihoon stared at Junhui for a while longer before he too twisted his neck and looked at
Wonwoo. Sometimes, Junhui surprised them when he showed that his mind wasn’t as
shallow and superficial as he sometimes chose to make it appear.
Wonwoo chewed at his bottom lip.
“… No.” He admitted.
“I knew it.” Junhui said and Jihoon felt like elbowing him between the ribs for his lack of
sensitivity on the subject when it clearly bothered Wonwoo. But he reminded himself to
at least try and retain from voilence and opted to fume silently instead.
Meanwhile Junhui was completely focused on Wonwoo.
“So, what’s wrong this time? Are the two of you having a fight? Is it one of his bad
weeks?”
It struck Jihoon that maybe Junhui was the one out of the three of them that was
actually the closest to Wonwoo, and that perhaps they even spoke to each other over
the phone sometimes and that maybe Junhui was the most informed of the joys and
shortcomings of Wonwoo and Mingyu’s sometimes feeble and all the time odd
friendship.
Dissmissing all of Junhui’s guesses, Wonwoo pursed his lips and shook his head again,
looking very deflated and tired when he finally sighed.
“I don’t know. Maybe? No…” He looked as undecisive as he sounded and he stared at
Soonyoung and his dongsaeng who were now very invensted in their rundown of some
choreography a bits away from them, either forgetting that their demonstration was
bound to draw people’s attention or simply not caring that it did. Either of the two were
plausible when it came to Soonyoung.
Wonwoo furrowed his brows, concentrating his mind on his and Mingyu’s interactions
over the last couple of days (The ones that hadn’t involved… well…) and found that
they had been somewhat lacking, although he wasn’t sure of what.
“We’re not fighting.” He said, petulant. “Mingyu’s not avoiding me. It’s just — I don’t
know. Something feels…”
“Off?” Jihoon supplied helpfully, scrunching his nose as he tried to think of anything to
say that would cheer Wonwoo up. Wonwoo nodded and Jihoon and Junhui exchanged
a hesitant glance.
“Wonnie-ya.” Junhui looked at Wonwoo with soft eyes. “Do you like Mingyu-ssi?”
“Yeah.” Wonwoo responded immidiatedly and the other two were relieved to hear the
certainty in his voice. Junhui grinned and leant back again, lowering his sunglasses onto
the bridge of his nose once more.
“See? Don’t worry about it. The both of you are just a couple of idiots.” He said easily
and folded his arms behind his head at the same time as Soonyoung waved goodbye to
Chan and started to head back towards them.
Jihoon laid a hand on Wonwoo’s thigh and caught his eye, squeezing the leg softly in
what he hoped could count as a reassuring manner and looked at the dark haired male
seriously.
“It’s going to be fine. Don’t worry too much.” He said and felt successful when Wonwoo
returned a gentle smile.
Soonyoung strode up to them and threw himself down in-between Jihoon and Wonwoo,
breaking their small moment and ignoring the grunt of protest coming from the shorter
male when he almost sat on top of and dislocated his arm. Oblivious to the conversation
that had transpired between the three while he had been gone, the brunette threw his
arms around the shoulders of his two friends on one side each of his body and looked
between them.
“What? What’s up? What’re you talking about?” He asked and Jihoon shoved his arm
off of him while shooting daggers at Soonyoung’s profile with his eyes.
“Nothing much.” Junhui said almost too quickly, and Soonyoung looked sceptically to
him at the same time as Jihoon stepped on Junhui’s foot.
Wonwoo felt his smile widen as he beheld his three friends interact with each other
normally (Well, normal for them anyway) and felt that maybe he could take Junhui and
Jihoon’s words to heart. It would be okay.
“Nice moves out there.” He offered and Soonyoung forgot the strange behaviour of the
two people on his right and turned to Wonwoo with a bright smile.
“You think so? Well, it’s really just a small part for our intro, but I bet it’ll look really cool
when everything’s done and we can nail all the moves effortlessly without any hic-ups!
Oh man, you totally have to come watch us when we perform — you’re going to come
right?” He easily dived into his world of dancing and only paused to make sure all three
of them would nod at his wonder before he gladly continued.
“Good, because it’s going to be totally awesome! We have this concept, right,”
“Are you allowed to spoil that?” It was clear from Junhui’s tone of voice that he was
amused and Soonyoung blew air out of his nose and turned to shoot him a tilted grin.
“No, and when you see it you’re going to pretend you had no idea and act really
amazed and impressed by our club’s unique and creative idea and cheer really loudly
for us when we start and finish.”
“See? We don’t even really need to go, Soonyoung has already conjured our presence
in his mind.” Jihoon drawled and Soonyoung paid him back by trapping him in a highly
undesired embrace, a war of struggle breaking out between them as they forgot about
Soonyoung’s competition and Junhui looked on and laughed at them until one of
Jihoon’s fists hit him square in his solar plexus and silenced him, forcing him to fold
double and drape himself over his own knees in pain while Wonwoo watched everything
play out from the sideline.
His mind wandered to his and Mingyu’s quickly exchanged kiss in the perfectly empty
restroom they’d met in by pleasant coincidence that morning and Wonwoo’s smile
slowly began to slip from his face as his thoughts began to cloud his head again.
Wonwoo wasn’t ignorant. He’d noticed the new habit Mingyu had made of keeping his
distance from him. Even though they saw each other and talked to each other pretty
much every day, there were tiny actions, like Mingyu not meeting Wonwoo’s eye or
Mingyu withdrawing his hand when their knuckles accidentally brushed that had quickly
drawn his attention to it. It wasn’t palpable, but if he got the chance, Mingyu would
chose to withdraw from Wonwoo lately, and that bothered him.
At the same time, their relationship hadn’t really had any hugely noticable change,
(they’d… sort of slowed down after Wonwoo’s painfully failed attempt to go further) and
whenever they kissed and touched each other Mingyu was suddenly very participative
and present (For Mingyu’s birthday, they’d spent the entire afternoon between Mingyu’s
sheets…), and just thinking about the way Mingyu’s warm hands felt against his skin
when they slid down his body, Wonwoo’s cheeks tinted slightly pink and he had to stop
his mind from continuing further down the naughty track it had strayed onto.
Wonwoo couldn’t even explain it to his friends, but it was… Mingyu was… He was…
The things they did, everything between them had become…
He sighed silently as his mind still couldn’t get a clue as to what exactly it was that didn’t
sit entirely right with him. All Wonwoo knew was that he was worrying about Mingyu
lately, even as the other never really gave any indication that he was unwell or
dissatisfied by anything.
It was just that lately, Wonwoo had the impression that Mingyu was lying to him about
something.
He couldn’t figure out what it was that Mingyu would hide from him.

✧✧✧

JWonWoo

<( Soonyoung was amazing!! ☆ So good!! His dongsaeng was really nice too! You
should’ve come )
RECEIVED YESTERDAY 21.18

<( Come out ~ ^-^ )

RECEIVED 14.22

Mingyu blinked at the screen of his phone for a full minute before he slowly rose from
his bed and peeked out his window. On the street below his building Wonwoo was
playing around with his earphones, but as if he could sense Mingyu’s eyes on him he
looked up and gave a grin and a wave.
Now that he’d been spotted, Mingyu realised he didn’t really have a choice but to go.
Wonwoo would just invite himself otherwise, and the wheater was really nice today, he
figured that maybe it was suitable to enjoy it and go out for once.
He unlocked his windowframe and pushed it open, inhaling the scent of flowers drifting
along with the wind all the way from the small botique at the corner across the street to
his apartment and allowing some fresh air to swoop into his room.
“I’ll be down in a minute.” He called to Wonwoo who simply gave him a thumb up in
response, and Mingyu shut the window again (figuring it was smarter to not leave it
open while he was gone) and turned around to pull on a shirt.
 ✧✧✧

✦☆ ♡ Junhun ♡ ☆✦

<( https://www.existenz.kr/out.php?id=77653[…] )
RECEIVED 13.12

<( WATCH THIS!!! )

RECEIVED 13.12

<( Honnie’s face turned white!!!! >ㅂ< ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ )

RECEIVED 13.12

( !!! o-o;;; )>

READ 13.12

<( I recommend you watch it with Mingyu-ssi~ ㅋㅋㅋ… )

RECEIVED 13.13

( >3<;; ~ ♡ )>
READ 13.14

Mingyu stared at the chat on Wonwoo’s phonescreen, the only (slightly dark) thought
that came to his mind being that Wonwoo had given Junhui’s contact name a really
unneccessary amount of emoticons.
Across from him at the table, Wonwoo was awaiting some sort of comment or reaction
with an excited smile and glittering eyes. Mingyu raised his gaze and looked at him
tentatively with one eyebrow quirked. He didn’t even have to voice his question before
Wonwoo answered him.
“It’s a link. To a video.” He said, practically bouncing in his seat as he laid his phone on
the table. Mingyu pulled a face and took another spoon of his soup.
“What sort of video?” The way Wonwoo had said it had urged him to ask, and
Wonwoo’s eyes gleamed with a hint of mischieviousness, giving Mingyu a reason to feel
suspicious.
“Well, according to Junhui,” Wonwoo leant in over the table so that he could lower his
voice and still allow for Mingyu to hear him. “It’s a video of a girl doing it raw with a toy.
At some point she supposedly puts it all the way up her assho—” Mingyu silenced
Wonwoo with a gesture of his finger, feeling his face contort in a frown as he
momentarily put down his spoon and pinched the bridge of his nose.
He took a breath and counted to three before he picked his spoon up again and looked
at Wonwoo.
“… Why does Junhui-ssi send you… those kinds of videos?” Even as he asked, Mingyu
wasn’t sure he really wanted to know.
Wonwoo grinned, unfazed by Mingyu’s distaste.
“No reason.” He chirped before he took a swig of his water, letting the glass make a
sounding thud when he placed it back on the wooden surface of the table. “We should
watch it.” He announced, causing Mingyu to drop the liquid in his spoon back into the
bowl.
Mingyu tried to gauge if Wonwoo was actually serious.
“No.” He said, but Wonwoo pretended as if he couldn’t hear him.
“Jihoon even got really grossed out!” Mingyu had read as much and he contemplated
this for a moment.
“Is Jihoon gay?” He voiced his genuine wonder, returning to his food while Wonwoo’s
eyes looked as if they were going to budge out of his skull.
“What?” His voice raised a pitch (which honestly didn’t make it that much brighter) and
he looked absolutely taken-aback by the suggestion. “Why would he be gay?!” Mingyu
wished Wonwoo would lower the volume of his voice and also not sound so opposed to
the concept.
Wonwoo tilted his head to the side, the very idea apparently sounding absolutely
ridicolous to him.
“He’s not! Probably?” Mingyu wondered why Wonwoo added ‘probably’. “Just because
he didn’t like an adult video of a girl performing anal doesn’t mean he doesn’t fancy
them in general. I’m sure he likes breasts just fine!”
“How unpleasant…” Mingyu muttered, feeling like he could’ve gone without imagining
Wonwoo’s classmate fondling a pair of giant breasts and also referring to the feeling of
everyone in the restaurant giving them judgemental glares. Wonwoo clicked his tongue
at him.
“Why do you have to sound so condenscending about it? Everyone’s got a sex drive.”
“You’re being too loud.”
“Well, what about you?” Wonwoo ignored him again in favour of resting his elbows on
top of the table and nailing Mingyu with his eyes. “Are you gay?”
Mingyu was void of any reaction, his mind momentarily going blank as the question
sunk into head and settled between his ears. By a strike of luck, Wonwoo didn’t give
Mingyu any time to consider the meaning of his fright regarding the possibile accuracy
of the statement as he kept on talking like he never expected an answer to begin with,
glancing at his phone when he received a message.
“I don’t think that has anything to do with Jihoon’s reaction.” He said and finished a reply
to whoever had written him before putting his phone back onto the table “It’s probably
just really nasty.” He plucked Mingyu’s spoon from his hand and submerged it in the
soup before he raised it to Mingyu’s lips, meeting his eyes. “Say ‘ah~’.”
Mingyu looked at him to see if he was joking, but Wonwoo insisted, circling the spoon
carefully in the air in front of his face.
“Come on.” He cooed and Mingyu stared blankly at him.
“I don’t want it.” He said, but Wonwoo didn’t yield.
“You’re not leaving any behind — that’s a waste of food! Think about the starving kids in
africa.”
“That’s so cliché.” Mingyu snorted, but Wonwoo pressed his lips together.
“Eat.” He demanded and Mingyu folded underneath his determined eyes and took the
spoon into his mouth, swallowing the liquid and observing how satisfied Wonwoo looked
as he returned the utensil to the table. He looked up at Mingyu from under his lashes
once he was done, a playful smile adoring his lips.
“Come on.” He said encouragingly. “Watch it with me.”
Mingyu wasn’t sure weather to feel angry or dissapointed with himself after learning that
he still after all of these months couldn’t say no to Wonwoo.
Although, getting to see Wonwoo’s entire face light up and practically beam when he
reluctantly agreed wasn’t so bad either.
“Great! Oh, but I want to check out some stores first while we’re in town. You’re gonna
keep me company in the meantime.”
Mingyu allowed Wonwoo to feed him the rest of the soup too, pretending to be blissfully
unaware of the small fact that they probably looked like two embarassing children while
they giggled about it.

✧✧✧

They walked around and took their time, dropping into that store and this store, entering
anywhere that looked good and interesting enough to either one of them.
“Hey, Mingyu, look at this!” Wonwoo paraded through the store towards where Mingyu
was loitering around by the footwear, a ridiculously bedazzled cap sitting atop his head
and Mingyu gave him a bemused look.
“Should I buy it?” Wonwoo grinned at his frown and did an unneccessary twirl just to
embarrass Mingyu further. Mingyu tried to fight the smile wanting to pull his face into a
grin.
“Put that thing back where you found it.”
“They have one in black as well. If we both get one, we could match!” Wonwoo looked
entertained by the idea and Mingyu quickly dragged him back to where he’d taken the
cap and made sure he put it back.
Wonwoo liked fashion and clothes. Mingyu solely went shopping because he never
quite had any particular urge to and didn’t pay much mind to what he was wearing, but
he didn’t mind going with Wonwoo on occasion to different stores and botiques just to
browse and spend time together. Watching Wonwoo enjoy himself made Mingyu happy
in some sense, after all.
They walked past one of those rotating shelves on wheels with different frames of
glasses, and Wonwoo noticed a pair that pulled his attention. Mingyu stopped too as
Wonwoo plucked the glasses from the hook and put them over his nose.
“How’re these?” He asked, turning to let Mingyu see how he looked in the dull frames.
“They’re cute.” Mingyu said honestly and Wonwoo removed the pair from his face and
picked up another type with thick, squared black rims.
“What about these?” He grinned widely, as if he already knew Mingyu would label them
as dorky and just wanted to try them on to mess with him and Mingyu rolled his eyes
good-humouredly, allowing a tilted smile.
“Not bad.” He said sarcastically and Wonwoo huffed, checking his reflection in one of
the small mirrors.
“I think I look dashing!” Even as he said so, Wonwoo placed the glasses back in their
spot and fell silent as he carefully looked through the display to see if there were any
others he would want to try on. (He lifted a really ridicolous pair of sunglasses, but even
before he had the chance to ask Mingyu his opinion the other plucked them from his
face and put them back with a “Don’t ever wear those again.” Wonwoo pretended not to
pout at his straight rejection.)
Wonwoo actually needed glasses, for reading and such, but it had taken Mingyu almost
eight months to learn about it, as the other preferred to use lenses every day of the
week. He thought about Wonwoo’s slim frames probably stuffed into one of Wonwoo’s
drawers in his room now as the other studied another pair and found himself thinking
that it was a shame Wonwoo didn’t want to use them more regularly. Glasses actually
suited him, opposite to his beliefs.
“Hey.” Wonwoo’s voice pulled Mingyu’s attention back to him and Mingyu eyed the neat,
rounded silver frames circling Wonwoo’s eyes, which were gazing at him quizically. “Do
these look dumb?”
Mingyu couldn’t really bring himself to answer at first, because he suspected his voice
would fail him. Wonwoo looked really, really nice in the glasses. They were cute, but
charming, as well as handsome at the same time, and Mingyu’s heart fluttered within his
chest at the sight, his pulse quickening ever so slightly. He wet his lips and prayed that
his voice wouldn’t come out as breathless as he suddenly felt when he spoke.
“You look really nice.” He said earnestly and watched Wonwoo’s breath hitch at the
tender tone of his voice. “They suit you.”
A soft blush slowly crept over Wonwoo’s cheeks at the genuine compliment and he
lowered his gaze, fiddling with the edge of the frames dressing his face shyly, only
making him look all the more adorable in Mingyu’s eyes.
“I really like it when guys wear glasses. I think it makes them look sharp and
handsome.” Mingyu said as he met Wonwoo’s eyes, trying not to show how nervous he
felt to admit something like that to Wonwoo’s face. But maybe his words could
somehow make Wonwoo less insecure about wearing the prescribed item for his
eyesight.
“I wish you’d wear yours more often.” He finished softly, hoping he wasn’t going too far
or sounding too greasy, and by now Wonwoo had a deep flush staining his face and he
refused to look at Mingyu.
“I think you fit better into that description than I do.” He said lightly chosing to ignore
Mingyu’s last sentance as he turned his back to Mingyu, probably not wanting Mingyu to
see his expression, but even his ears were burning bright red, giving the other a pretty
good idea of what it looked like anyway.
They visited a couple of more stores, Wonwoo managed to get Mingyu into some
ridicolous cardigan that gave him a good laugh and a picture for future blackmail
material, only to end up disapointed when Mingyu bought it out of spite, inspiring
Wonwoo to get one himself just so that they could match and look terrible together, and
Mingyu found some second-hand games for his console that he bought in another store
for a cheap amount of money as well. They decided to head back to Mingyu’s a little
past five and obtained some snacks to bring along on their way to the bus. The weather
had been nice the entire time, and when Wonwoo fell asleep on his shoulder on the way
back, Mingyu even got to inhale the scent of his hair without feeling completely like a
creep.
Wonwoo had ended up buying those glasses, by the way, much to Mingyu’s secret
delight, the case safely tucked into a small, yellow plastic-bag that he held onto during
the busride, even in his sleep.

✧✧✧

Mingyu sat on his bed, nibbling on a chip from the recently opened bag in his lap while
Wonwoo connected his laptop to his TV with a cable, enabling them to watch the video
Junhui had linked on a bigger screen. (Why they’d want to do that, Mingyu had no clue.)
Wonwoo made a small cheer when the connection worked and immidiatedly went to
open a fresh window in the browser that would soon be tinted by the address they were
about to enter. Once they were on the site, Wonwoo made some final adjustments to
the sound, so that they wouldn’t accidentally give Mingyu’s neighbours anything to
speculate about (in addition to them) once they actually played the video currently
showing some blurry thumbnail of someone’s bed.
“While we’re watching this—” Wonwoo spoke as he brought the laptop along with him to
Mingyu’s bed and sat down beside him, shooting him a playfull glance. “Tell me if you’d
like any assistance.” He made an obscene gesture with his hand and laughed when
Mingyu smacked him across the face with one of his pillows. He pressed play before
Mingyu could attempt to slither his way out of their agreement for a third time and put
the laptop aside as the video started up.
An averagely pretty girl with too heavy makeup greeted the camera and Mingyu tried to
keep a straight face at the sight of her bare skin. The noises she made even before
she’d actually started touching herself sounded slightly forced and strange to Mingyu’s
ears, but he assumed it was to excite the viewer or whatever, so he chose not to dwell
on it.
She wasted little time, and it wasn’t very long before she’d brought out her toy and was
playing around with it, teasingly dragging it down her chest and along the curve of her
boobs, giggling peculiarly when it poked her nipples. Mingyu wondered how Junhui had
managed to get Jihoon to sit down long enough to actually watch it. He suspected rope
to have been involved.
[ Do you want to watch me put this up my ass? ]
Her expression was sweet, but her words were nasty and Mingyu couldn’t really find it
tasteful as she blinked lewdly at the camera, a finger to her lips in an attempt to strike a
seductive pose.
[ I’ll do it just for you… ]
Was Wonwoo enjoying this? Glancing at him, his expression didn’t tell Mingyu much.
The girl started lowering the toy towards her genitals and then —
Out of nowhere, a witch jumped in front of the camera, a loud, shrill shout sounding in
Mingyu’s room and beside him Wonwoo startled badly, screaming at the sudden jump-
scare. The video ended abruptly with that and the two boys stared at Mingyu’s television
in silence.
“What the heck was that?!” Wonwoo yelled, partly outraged, but mostly shook after the
fright of the unexpected prank.
Mingyu had almost half-expected it (as he’d had little faith in Junhui from the beginning.)
It made sense that it would be this sort of thing that had turned Jihoon’s face white, as
while the guy appeared very though and manly (in contrast to his built), Mingyu had
observed that the shorter male was rather easily frightened.
Mingyu took another chip while Wonwoo rose from the bed with vigour.
“It was just a prank video?! God damn Junhui! Why would he tell us to watch this? Fuck,
that scared me!” He stared at the black picture of the video as if it had offended him
specifically. He realised his own overreaction and became slightly flustered that he’d
made a fool out of himself in front of Mingyu. (Like he didn’t find it completely adorable,
but anyway.)
“Well, a–at least it’s kind of funny — right? … Kind of?” He wasn’t really asking and
Mingyu hadn’t really been that surprised. He was more curious if Wonwoo was actually
disapointed or simply shocked.
“… You know what, nevermind.” Wonwoo deflated, hugging the pillow he’d grabbed
after Mingyu had hit him with it against his chest as he sank onto the floor and buried
his face in it. “I’m too tired for this. I was tired to begin with. This isn’t what I was
promised. Jun’s an asshole.” The pillow muffled his sullen complaint and Mingyu
couldn’t hold in his laughter any longer at the pathetic sight of his friend in front of him.
It started with a chuckle, which managed to escape him before he was really aware, but
then it slowly but steadily grew into full-blown laughter and Mingyu had to clutch at his
stomach as the hilarity of the situation got to him.
“Now I get — why Junhui-ssi was so intent to get you to watch it—!” He managed
between inhales and Wonwoo watched him as if he’d sprouted a second head. “You
should message him and tell him that the second girl was your favourite.”
Wonwoo looked at him while Mingyu struggled to retake control of his body. When
Mingyu seemed to be on his last snickers, he got up and climbed onto the bed beside
him, letting the pillow lie forgotten on the floor. He leant into Mingyu’s personal space
and looked at the unshed tears stuck in the corner of Mingyu’s eyes while Mingyu
looked back at him, his eyes still glittering with high amusement.
“It’s good that you’re able to find this funny at least.” He commented dryly, but then he
looked more seriously at Mingyu, tilting his head further down as too look up at him from
a slightly lower angle. “But what are you going to do about me being excited right now?”
Mingyu looked into Wonwoo’s eyes and had to swallow carefully, all traces of laughter
gone from his person now.
“You getting disappointed by the video have got nothing to do with me.” He tried, but his
voice came out weaker than he would’ve liked and Wonwoo’s eyes were getting really
dark now as he looked at Mingyu.
“… Do you want to do it?” Wonwoo leant closer to him, craning his neck and tracing his
nose along the shell of Mingyu’s ear, inhaling the scent of Mingyu’s hair gingerly, as if
he was something really exquisite and delightful. Mingyu’s pulse elevated until the vein
in his neck centimetres from Wonwoo’s lips pulsed fiercly, and he held his breath, afraid
that maybe Wonwoo would lean back again if he so much as moved.
Wonwoo did lean back, but not far, only to capture Mingyu’s gaze again, and his eyes
were scalding, like boiling water threatening to burn Mingyu if he fell into them.
“I wasn’t really thinking about doing it today, but after you called me handsome in the
store, and seeing you smile and laugh like you did just now… You’ve made me feel kind
of restless.”
One of Wonwoo’s legs had ended up resting over Mingyu’s knee, and somehow
managing to tear his eyes away from Wonwoo’s, Mingyu slowly looked down at the
point of contact between them where he could feel the warmth of Wonwoo’s body
seeping through their clothes and onto his thigh. The mood had changed and the
temperature of his room had definitely gotten higher than it had been before Wonwoo
had sat down beside him.
Mingyu slowly raised his gaze to meet Wonwoo’s again, carefully biting down on his
bottom lip.

✧✧✧

“Oh —”
Wonwoo’s breath shuddered when Mingyu’s fingers ghosted over his dick, his pants
and underwear discared on the bed besides them. Mingyu’s heart throbbed at the
sound and he gingerly wrapped his fingers around Wonwoo’s soft shaft, feeling the
bodypart twitch into life in his hand, starting to stiffen.
Wonwoo’s cheeks were hot and he looked at Mingyu sitting on his knees between his
legs.
“I could…” He reached for his own dick, but Mingyu caught his wrist and stopped him
before he got to touch himself, telling Wonwoo with his gaze that he wanted to be the
one to do it. A little reluctanly Wonwoo retrieved his hand and laid back against the
pillows while Mingyu undid his own pants and adjusted his position slightly so that he
could align his own penis with Wonwoo’s like they’d first done in the art-room on that
lunchbreak.
“Ah, that…” Wonwoo made to comment as he recognised what they were about to do
but as Mingyu’s hand enveloped them and held them together he lost his ability to
speak up and closed his eyes, his toes curling when Mingyu gave them a few languid
strokes to test the angle.
His eyes traveled along the alluring expanse of the pale skin of Wonwoo’s exposed
torso where his shirt had ridden up and Mingyu felt his mouth start to dry and his head
start spinning slightly. His free hand smoothened across the skin and pushed Wonwoo’s
shirt further up to unviel his two tinted nipples. Mingyu instantly liked them better than
the girl’s on the video.
Wonwoo didn’t seem to mind, fingering along the outline of their now fully erect dicks in
Mingyu’s grasp with clouded wonderment. His lips pulled into a wavering smile and a
breathy chuckle escaped his lips.
“I was worried you wouldn’t get hard.” He admitted, probably thinking about the abrupt
end to Junhui’s video, and Mingyu waited until Wonwoo glanced back up at him before
he looked at him seriously.
“That would never happen.” He said, his voice sure and low, and Wonwoo stared with
flushed cheeks as if surprised by Mingyu’s certainty before he offered a bleak smile.
“Ah… Sorry.” He pardoned himself and Mingyu dragged his thumb over Wonwoo’s
head, preferring the gasp it pulled from his lips to his apology.
For some time, the only noises within Mingyu’s apartment came from the movement of
their two bodies as Mingyu rolled their hips together or their lips whenever Wonwoo
would gasp or moan quietly, biting back most of his noises, or when Mingyu would
rarely groan. Mingyu’s pulse was beating loudly within his ears and he watched
obsessively the curve of Wonwoo’s chest when he breathed or the arch of his back
whenever Mingyu would pay attention to his slit.
The room had grown hot around them, and the two boys were completely engrossed in
their own world of pleasure, neither noticing nor minding the thin air much.
Mingyu’s hand worked exceptionally, stroking them in a steady rhythm while smearing
their leaked pre-come over their heads and shafts. Wonwoo trembled beneath him, his
lips parted and his cheeks burning, the dark flush making him look almost feverish and
unbelievably sexy in Mingyu’s mind.
“Nnh—! Ah…” After the particularly articulate moan, Wonwoo brought his arms up and
hid his flushed face from Mingyu’s sight while Mingyu continued to grind their cocks
together with firm and forcefull thrusts.
“Why —” Wonwoo’s voice broke on another moan, a groan and a gasp following shorly
after as he jerked on the bed, his breath hitching and his dick throbbing in Mingyu’s
grasp. “Why are you being so rough…?” Judging by Wonwoo’s body’s reaction, he
didn’t really dislike it, and Mingyu disregarded giving him an answer since he didn’t
know the reason for his frevor himself.
He was completely removed from his mind, all he could focus on through the mist in his
head being Wonwoo’s hot body underneath his hands. He twisted his hand and
devoured Wonwoo's squirming with his eyes, listening to the noises that rippled up and
out of Wonwoo’s chest with wicked delightment, originating from the intoxicating
knowledge that it was his touch that had rendered Wonwoo to the currently wrecked
state he was in.
Mingyu completely adored him.
Even as he was looming over Wonwoo, grinding against him and touching his burning
skin directly, Mingyu wanted to be closer, like their erotic ritual wasn’t nearly complete
yet. He knew what the next step was, but he had never known when it would be fitting
for them to try something more advanced.
Feeling the thick slickness under his palm, a thought invaded Mingyu’s mind, and he
wanted to give it a try.
Wonwoo lowered his arms and looked at him when Mingyu ceased his ministrations to
bring his other hand’s fingers to their stained dicks. His cock twitched under Mingyu’s
touch and he watched silently and intently while Mingyu coated his other fingers with
thei pre-come, already kind of expecting what he rightfully suspected was coming after
as Mingyu retreived his hand again and watched Wonwoo’s expression keenly for any
sign of protest while his hand slid downwards to the tight muscle of Wonwoo’s entrance.
Since he wasn’t met by any form of resistance, Mingyu went ahead and slowly pushed
the tip of his finger against the ring, marveling when it slipped past the muscle and into
the heat of Wonwoo’s body, Mingyu’s mind going frighteningly blank at the new and
unfamiliar sensation.
“Ah—!” Wonwoo’s body jerked rather strongly and his arms flew back over his face, the
flush that had stained his cheeks having begun to crawl down his neck and over his
chest. He clenched his hands into fists and bit down on his bottom lip to keep himself as
quiet as possible while Mingyu’s finger mindfully penetrated him.
“Nnh — Uwah…! Ngh… Ah—!” No matter his efforts, noises kept spilling out of him and
Wonwoo’s entire body was shaking. “I’m… sorry if my voice is weird… Nh…” He
whimpered, embarrassed, and Mingyu’s chest swelled, his heart practically aching from
the furious exercise it was getting, as well as from something else, like that thing he
refused to put a name on that he felt whenever he was around Wonwoo as he gazed
down at the precious male on the matress beneath him.
He remembered reading somewhere that doing this might hurt the one on the receiving
end, and carefully he bent down and placed a tender kiss to one of Wonwoo’s wrists in
apology for possibly hurting him.
He could feel Wonwoo’s insides pulse hotly around his finger, occassionally tightening,
and the sensation was almost driving Mingyu mad with desire, but he forced himself to
remain in control. Maybe one day, he could feel that heat fully envelop and squeeze
around his dick (just thinking of the possibility almost had Mingyu see white) but for
today, Mingyu just wanted to make Wonwoo feel good, and he shoved his own raging
cravings to the very back of his mind and released a shuddering exhale.
Slowly, deliberately carefully, Mingyu begun to move his finger, starting by massaging
the insides of Wonwoo’s hole until his entrance relaxed more around him and allowed
him a little more mobility. Mingyu then started to move his other hand around their
neglected dicks again, dragging out every pump and watching Wonwoo’s reaction as he
matched the pace to that of his finger wihtdrawing from and pushing back into him.
Catching sight of Wonwoo’s expression from a gap between his arms, his eyes
determinedly squeezed shut and his lips pressed tightly together, even the tip of his
ears adoring the red hue of his flushed skin, Mingyu found himself thinking that Wonwoo
was extremely beautiful displayed like that, shuddering, gasping, welcoming.
Mingyu wanted to hold him tightly and never let him go.

✧✧✧

Wonwoo took the napkins offered to him by Mingyu and started to wipe their mixed
come from his stomach, his legs feeling like jelly and his head feeling light as air in the
aftermath of his climax. Again, Mingyu had showed him something he’d never thought
about or considered doing before that had ended up feeling exceedingly incredible.
Thinking about it now afterwards made Wonwoo’s face feel warm and something tight
squeeze within his chest as he watched Mingyu come back to the bed from the sink
where he’d washed off his hands. Wonwoo pulled on his underwear, but threw his pants
onto the floor before he rolled sideways and made space for Mingyu to join him on the
bed.
They didn’t say anything as they climbed under the covers and cuddled close together,
their legs entagling and their noses ending up brushing against each other as they
faced one another on the mattress. Wonwoo closed his eyes and happily inhaled
Mingyu’s scent, squirming slightly in delight as he felt nothing but one hundred percent
good in that moment, lying there together with Mingyu, after another great orgasm. He
was utterly content with everything.
“Wonwoo.”
He uncovered his eyes and looked into Mingyu’s warm, brown, big irises just a couple of
centimetres away from his, offering a kind smile as he caught the hesitance within them.
Mingyu’s eyes flickered between his for a moment, and then a small crease formed
between his eyebrows, and his lips turned downwards in a soft frown.
“I—” The word hung in the air between them, but Mingyu never continued on what he
was about to say, looking troubled as he lay there across from Wonwoo in the weak
light of his golv-lamp beside the bed.
Wonwoo looked at the poorly concealed trace of agony flashing through the deep
caramel orbs of Mingyu’s eyes and felt pity for the boy across from him. He knew that
Mingyu was thinking about complicated things again, and he felt sorry that Mingyu had
such difficulty expressing some things to him.
Wishing to make Mingyu feel better, Wonwoo inched forwards and pressed his lips over
Mingyu’s for a soft, sweet kiss.
“Let’s go to sleep. Okay?” He murmured against Mingyu’s mouth and got a tired nod in
reply.
Wonwoo watched over Mingyu’s vulnerable expression long after the other had fallen
asleep, thinking about how gorgeous it looked in those rare moments when Mingyu
smiled genuinely.
One day, Wonwoo would like for Mingyu to tell him exactly what it was that troubled him
so.
By the time the sun rose, Wonwoo had finally managed to fall asleep too.

✧✧✧

When Mingyu woke up later that morning, Wonwoo’s arms had ended up securely
wrapped around him. Blinking in the embrace, Mingyu soon slowly closed his eyes
again and reveled in the familiar warmth of Wonwoo’s body for as long as the moment
lasted.

“Uh-huh. No. Sure. Well, that’s fine. Yeah? I see… Hm? Yeah, I’m at home.” Wonwoo
said into his phone, kicking at a pebble in front of his feet where he was sat on the stone
steps of a stair leading into a great, nice building behind him. One could tell it was some
sort of important, official building from its exterior. White marble and dark doors. Super
fancy.
“I’m not really doing anything at the moment. Nah, not today. I’m going to help Bohyuk
with his summer’s homework later. I know. But I could come over tomorrow?” Wonwoo
tilted his head back and squinted at the sun glaring high in the blue sky. “Yeah. Talk to
you later, then. Bye, bye~!”
He hung up and exhaled, taking to playing with his phone as he waited for S.coups to
show up to their agreed upon meeting place while humming a cheerful tune.
Summer vaccation had started, and while Wonwoo kept getting reminded by his friends
that they were getting older and would sooner than they thought start attending their last
year of highschool and therefore had to fully enjoy their last vaccation of youth (they
were honestly a little overdramatic in his opinion) he spent his days lazing about and
taking it easy with Mingyu or in his room. He’d grown bored of his magazines at home
and when his mother had thrown him out of the house, he’d figured he’d might as well
get in touch with his hyung again, if for nothing else, just to kill some time.
“Ah, shoot!” He missed his chance to dodge and lost a life in his game, completely
invested in the small characters on the screen.
“Excuse me.”
Wonwoo looked over his shoulder at the pleasantly melodic but unfamiliar voice and
found himself looking up at a well-suited and very attractive young man. His face wasn’t
as much handsome as it was pretty, and for a second Wonwoo found himself at a loss
for words at the sight of the male with foreign characteristics in his features.
The man smiled kindly at him, the soft curve of his lips gentle and appealing.
“Would you mind moving aside a little?” His voice was pleasant and bright, like the
sound of one of the many wind chimes hung outside the houses now that summer had
arrived, and Wonwoo instantly startled into life.
“Uh — Y-yeah, sure.” He moved his backpack aside and shuffled on the steps to allow
the man passage, and the male gave him another warm look along with a small bow.
“Thank you.” He said and moved past him, and Wonwoo tilted his head slightly in
parting, wondering what sort of position the guy had and what he worked with, coming
out of the building Wonwoo was sat in front of.
He returned his attention to the game to find that he had died and would have to restart,
which he did with a small sigh, immersing himself in his phone once more. Had he not
gotten distracted he would’ve noticed that the man had paused and turned back to look
at him properly.
“… I’m sorry,” Wonwoo looked up at the musical voice addressing him again and
watched the guy with the feline eyes as he took a careful step towards him. “I hope you
don’t mind me asking, but what are you doing sitting in a place like this?”
His voice was far from unkind or accusing, yet Wonwoo got the feeling that maybe he
wasn’t allowed to sit on the stairs.
“I’m waiting for someone.” He replied earnestly, putting his phone into his bag. “But if it’s
troublesome, maybe I should…”
“Yes, perhaps that’d be good.” The stranger nodded his head faintly, his eyebrows
gently drawing together on his forehead to form a soft frown, as if he felt apologetic for
making Wonwoo feel unwelcome and leave even though he hadn’t been particularly
rude, which made Wonwoo think that he must be a very kind hearted person.
But as Wonwoo stood and slung his bag over his shoulder, the other’s eyes didn’t leave
him, and just as he was about to bid his farewell and exscuse his disturbance, the
stranger parted his lips and spoke before him.
“Uhm, pardon me again, but could it be that you’re the rumoured one that the tops have
been interested in?” He asked and Wonwoo gave him a confused look.
“Tops…?” He asked the gentle-faced man, and for some reason his mind slipped to
S.coups-hyung’s face for a split second. “Is this about S.coups-hyung?” He found
himself trying to recall if the other had ever mentioned a word such as ‘top’ before and if
perhaps S.coups work involved far more people than he had thought?
The stranger straightened up, looking mildly intruiged by Wonwoo and moved in to get a
closer look at his face.
“You really are.” He sounded marvelled at the fact and Wonwoo’s confusion would have
risen had he not been distracted by the pleasant and distinct citrus smell coming from
the man in front of him. “Wait… S.coups-hyung? Why do you refer to him like that?” The
stranger asked, seemingly amused and Wonwoo let his eyes slid across the man’s
charming face.
This scent… is one that I like, he thought in the back of his mind.

✧✧✧

Wonwoo liked the sound of the man’s laughter. It was bright and melodious and not in
the slightest bit annoying or overzealous. Just like the man himself, it was almost
graceful.
“Is that so?” The man smiled behind his knuckles, taking to stirring his coffee with the
spoon that had accompanied the saucet when the waitress had served it to him. “I
thought I wouldn’t understand how highschoolers today are, but is that accurate?”
The way the male spoke made Wonwoo think that he must be at least a couple of years
older than him, although his appearance was almost as youthful as Wonwoo’s own.
Wonwoo nodded his head, smiling at the guy with honesty.
“It is!” He said, having told a story of when Soonyoung and Junhui had ushered a dare
between the third year classes at their school, resulting in a massive competition of who
could stack the most benches atop each other in their homeroom before the teacher
arrived and caught them. It had been a hilarious week of competition for the students.
Not so much for the school faculty, perhaps. “Things like that are kind of common,
pranks and such. I’m really good at them, too. Then people took pictures to show how
far they got before the teacher came. Wanna see? Here. This was ours.”
Wonwoo fished out the picture from his gallery and proudly showed the man the image
on his phone of Junhui, Soonyoung, Jihoon as well as some other guys from their class
proudly posing in front of their creation (minus Jihoon, of course. He did not consent to
the reconstruction of their classroom, and he did not pose. He just crossed his arms and
rolled his eyes at Wonwoo through the lense that time.) Unfortunately they’d lost to
class 3-2, but that was only because their teacher was known for arriving late everyday,
so it weather it was a fair win was in debate amongst the classes.
“Wow, how confident.” The man laughed sweetly once more, smiling at the picture that
Wonwoo showed him. He gingerly plucked the phone from Wonwoo’s grasp and looked
more closely at it. “Are these your classmates?” He asked, pointing to the figures on the
screen.
Wonwoo nodded, smiling as he followed the stranger’s finger on his phone.
“Yup.” He laughed.
“Only guys?” The man pointed out, phrasing the sentence as a question as he handed
Wonwoo’s phone back, arching one of his eyebrows elegantly on his forehead as he
looked into Wonwoo’s eyes.
“Well, yeah. It’s an all-boys school.” Wonwoo replied, putting his phone back into his
pocket and taking a sip from his bubble-tea on the table between them. The man’s smile
widened and his eyes glinted mysteriously as he nodded his head slightly.
“Ah. I see.” He said understandingly, as if that small piece of information had given him
a small treat that pleased him and Wonwoo narrowed his eyes at him playfully.
“What’s with that ‘ah’?” He asked, straightening up in his chair, however he asked in a
playfull manner and didn’t really expect a reply. “It’s definitely a shame that we don’t
have any girls, but it’s still really fun being with the guys, so I don’t mind at all. I’m
having a lot of fun, actually.”
“You seem like you’d be popular.” The stranger commented simply, offering an easy
smile and Wonwoo looked at him in surprise. “I’m guessing you’re loved a lot by your
friends?” The man asked and a grin settled on Wonwoo’s face.
“You get it?” He exclaimed with a laugh. He thought of his friends and of Mingyu and
smiled to himself. “I guess you could say that. I’ve got people who look after me and
people who say that I’m easy to get along with. Sometimes I think I’m a little too
approachable because people I don’t remember come up and talk to me like I know
them and things quickly become really awkward when I can’t recall their name.”
This pulled another beautiful laugh from the stranger and Wonwoo smiled, not at all
minding spending his time with this person.
He blinked.
The time.
Quickly, Wonwoo checked the digits on his phone, seeing that they were way past the
hour he was supposed to have met with S.coups-hyung and he pulled a face.
“The time. I forgot.” He observed aloud and the other male glanced at him from under
his lashes.
“Oh, right. You were waiting for someone, weren’t you? I’m sorry for distracting you with
conversation and dragging you away to a café.”
Wonwoo shook his head, pocketing his phone and giving the other a smile.
“It’s fine! I had a good time. Thank you for treating me.” He bowed his head respectfully
but the other shook his hand, rejecting the formal gesture with a sweet smile.
“No, no.” He chuckled delightfully. “It was my pleasure, really.”
A few minutes later they were standing outside the cozy café the stranger had lead
Wonwoo to and bidding their farewells after their unintentional but enjoyable encounter.
Even though the other had rejected the formality inside the café, Wonwoo felt obliged to
bow to the older now.
“Thank you very much.” He said, grateful for the drink the other had bought for him. As
he raised his head, the other suddenly stuck out a small, rectangular slip of paper
towards him and Wonwoo looked at it hesitantly.
“Here.” The gentle man said, holding it out for him to take. “It’s my business card.” He
said and Wonwoo accepted the card curiously, looking at the neatly printed logo of a
begonia flower, turning it over in his hand and reading the golden text on the backside.
“Only your name and number?” He voiced his question as he found it missed any
company name and the male shook his head with a soft chuckle.
“I use a different card for my work. That one’s just for my contact info.” He explained
with gentle eyes. “Feel free to call me anytime.”
Wonwoo kept staring at the tiny paper in his hands, feeling a small smile tug at his lips.
“This is the first time anyone has given me their business card.” His eyes lingered on
the name printed in the fine, golden letters on the backside. The man watched him with
a smile.
“It’s Joshua.” He spoke the name on the card and Wonwoo’s lips tilted somewhat,
wondering if it truthfully was the male’s real name. He did have a somewhat foreign
look, like Wonwoo had noticed from the beginning, but still he felt sceptical.
He looked up and gave a smile anyway, not giving away his doubt about the other’s
honesty. He was a nice guy, so Wonwoo didn’t think there was much to it.
“I’m Wonwoo. Jeon Wonwoo.” He introduced himself, finding it slightly funny that they
hadn’t exchanged their name’s before they’d grabbed coffee together. They were kind
of doing things backwards. Joshua gave him another of his beautiful smiles, seemingly
satisfied after having gotten Wonwoo’s name.
“Wonwoo-ya.” He called, and Wonwoo for some reason liked it when his name rolled of
the other’s tongue. “Contact me some time, okay?” Joshua said, looking into his eyes,
and then after another half minute and a proper goodbye they parted ways.
Wonwoo kept the card in his hand so that he could admire it as he walked. He found it
funny that such an unplanned meeting could end up feeling like such a good thing, and
he considered himself a lucky person for being surrounded by so many kind people.
Who would have thought he’d end up making a new friend just like that? Joshua had
also been such a nice person, and Wonwoo was already certain that he would contact
him. It was summer, he liked making new friends, and he had time to kill. Of course he’d
call him. He stared at the yellow begonia and smiled to himself.
“That—” The sudden, familiar voice startled Wonwoo and he looked up to find S.coups
leaning against the wall of a building in the sidestreet he’d been about to pass by.
Seeing his hyung, Wonwoo started to smile.
“Hyung—”
“Hand it over to me.” Wonwoo stared at him and then followed S.coups sharp gaze to
the businesscard in his grasp, feeling puzzled by the edgy tone of the older’s voice.
Wonwoo looked back to his hyung and eyed the baseballcap he had pulled over his hair
and the dark hoodie that was drawn around his neck. He pursed his lips.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, sensing that S.coups wasn’t currently in his best mood,
which concerned him slightly as the other was usually very warm and cheerful during
their encounters. “Joshua-ssi is an aquaintence of yours, right?” At least, Joshua had
seemed to know S.coups, and judging by the look in S.coups, he knew the other as
well.
S.coups didn’t bother to reply, and Wonwoo slowly narrowed his eyes as he realised
something.
“… What are you doing here, hyung? This wasn’t our meeting place.” He pointed out
and S.coups looked at him with an exhasperated expression, tilting his head to the side.
“I followed you from the office, but I didn’t want to approach you while you were with that
guy.” He explained, and Wonwoo got a feeling that whatever S.coup’s business with
Joshua was, they weren’t exactly on great terms. It made him wonder about what kind
of world S.coup’s really belonged to for the second time in the same day.
S.coups got up from the wall and stepped up to him, holding his hand out and waiting
for Wonwoo to give him the card he was still holding. Wonwoo cast a glance at the hand
and then looked back into his hyung’s eyes.
“He gave it to me.” S.coups shrugged lazily and met his gaze evenly.
“Come on, Wonwoo-ya. You’re a good boy.” Wonwoo stared at S.coups for a little while
longer before he reluctantly gave up the pretty card and handed it over into S.coup’s
waiting hand, which immidiatedly pocketed the slip of paper.
“Thank you.” S.coups said, sounding relieved, starting to relax slightly and revert back
into the kind and warm personality Wonwoo knew him as.
Looking at Wonwoo’s expression, S.coups frowned slightly.
“I’m sorry. Don’t think badly of me.” He laid a hand on Wonwoo’s shoulder. Then his lips
pulled into a smirk and he sqeezed Wonwoo’s bicep playfully, his ashy eyes glinting
mischieviously as he met Wonwoo’s gaze. “Now come on. I’ve planned something really
fun for us tonight.”
Although still feeling slighty depressed because he got robbed of his first-ever
businesscard, Wonwoo allowed S.coups words to put a bleak smile on his face and he
followed him into the city, ignoring the small voice in the back of his head that reminded
him that Mingyu wouldn’t be happy with him if he ever found out that Wonwoo had hung
out with his hyung again.
Well, no problem, really. Mingyu just never had to find out. Easy as pie.
Wonwoo chose to ignore the small simmering feeling of guilt in the back of his head as
well.

✧✧✧

It was early morning when Wonwoo finally fell into his bed, still slightly buzzed from the
substances S.coups had given him, but he was very, very content. He laid there,
watching the patterns and colours shift and twist on the ceiling above his bed for a little
while with a lazy grin on his face and allowed himself to just be for a minute or two, lovig
the tingling sensation in his body and the relaxed state of his muscles. He then dug
through his pockets for his phone and after several attempts he managed to get it out,
squinting at the bright light of the screen when it lit up and he flipped through his list of
contacts.
He accidentally scrolled too far and had to go back to the name he’d been looking for,
eyes reading the numbers off of the screen a couple of times before he felt a triumphant
grin start to pull at his face.
After he’d parted with Joshua, before he’d run into S.coups, Wonwoo had entered the
digits of the businesscard into his phone.

Joshua Hong

[ Call Contact ] [ Send Message ]

Sometimes, Wonwoo considered himself quite the genious.

After he’d sent away a text, Wonwoo justified to his minor sense of guilt that S.coups
hadn’t technically told him that he wasn’t allowed to meet Joshua, and in Wonwoo’s
book, that meant he was free to do however he liked.
If you wanted to get to know someone, the only way was to properly communicate with
them yourself, after all.
Feeling clever and smart and high, Wonwoo rolled over and burried his face in his
pillow, not bothering to get out of his clothes as he drifted off to sleep with a smile
playing across his lips.
 ✧✧✧

“Mingyu, let’s play~”

If it had been a different kind of circumstance, one where Wonwoo perhaps had
intended on joining Mingyu in his bed rather than get him out of it, hearing those words
whispered into his ears woud’ve made Mingyu a whole lot happier. But Wonwoo wasn’t
there to give him a happy morning, as it seemed. Instead he was there to remind
Mingyu that he had to force Wonwoo to return the key he still unlawfully kept in his
possesion.
As he’d been sleeping when Wonwoo had barged in and started bothering him, Mingyu
hadn’t really been listening to everything Wonwoo had been saying. He did catch that
Wonwoo was going to meet up with a new friend, although he wasn’t quite sure why
that had anything to do with him.
“On the phone they said I could bring a good friend if I wanted, so I thought that I should
take Mingyu with me.” Wonwoo was draped across Mingyu’s figure, smothering him on
the bed as he updated him on the situation with a smile. “When I told them about you,
they said ‘introduce us’. So we’re going together, okay?”
When Mingyu still hadn’t opened his eyes and didn’t give much of a reply, Wonwoo
slapped him across the forehead.
“Hello, is anyone there? Time to wake up, Mingyu.”
Some time later, while Mingyu pulled a shirt over his head, Wonwoo was already putting
his shoes back on.
“You sleep so much one might think you weren’t nurtured properly.” He commented
from Mingyu’s small hall and Mingyu frowned at him, already feeling grumpy for being
dragged out of his apartment because of one of Wonwoo’s spontaneous dates. (He still
didn’t see why he had to come along, but Wonwoo kept insisting and bothering him, so
in the end he wasn’t left much of a choice.)
“…No matter who we’re going to see, it’s not like we’re going to become friends.”
Mingyu muttered to himself, but of course Wonwoo heard him.
“What? Why not?” He asked coming over to envelop Mingyu in a sideways hug, blowing
air into his ear and giving him goosebumps, laughing and clinging to him harder when
Mingyu tried to shove him away. “Come on. It’ll be fun! Besides, you could do with some
more friends, you know? This is a chance for you to make some more.”
Mingyu looked at Wonwoo’s back when he headed back towards the door.
Friends. His mind lingered on the word.
Mingyu didn’t think that he needed any.
“Stop wasting time or I’ll leave you behind!” Wonwoo said, sticking his head back into
the apartment, and Mingyu wished that he actually would. Sighing, he pulled on a pair of
jeans before he reluctantly followed Wonwoo into the nice summer day.
He joined Wonwoo on the sidewalk and gave the bag the other had in his possession a
weird look.
“Curious what’s in it?” Wonwoo grinned when he caught Mingyu glancing at it, lifting the
plasticbag up to dangle it in the air at face-height. “I’m bringing some jelly as a gift.”
Mingyu made a face and Wonwoo observed him.
“Even if you make that face, you won’t get any! It’s a gift.”
“I don’t want it…” Mingyu grumbled and they went on their way.

✧✧✧

“We’re here.”
Before Wonwoo could cross the street to the looming building in front of them, Mingyu
grabbed him by the collar of his neck and held him back, causing the other to gag.
“Ack— Mingyu, wai— My shirt will stretch!” Wonwoo struggled in Mingyu’s grip but the
other didn’t let him go, eyening the large house in front of them suspiciously. Just by
looking at it, Mingyu got the creeps. (Not that it was run-down or dirty or anything, just…
He didn’t like it.)
“We’re here? Something about this place is weird.” He said, finally letting Wonwoo go
when the other kicked him in the shin. “It says authorized personnel only.”
“Where? Stop making things up!” Wonwoo sniffed at him, shoving his phone into
Mingyu’s face. “Can’t you see the GPS results?”
“Give it to me.” Mingyu quickly snatched the phone from Wonwoo’s hand under loud
protest and a small struggle ensued between the two boys as they fought over the right
to the device.
They didn’t notice the man in a suit approaching them until the male cleared his throat a
couple of steps away, sucessfully drawing their attention to him as both Mingyu and
Wonwoo ceased their brawl to whip their heads in his direction.
“Are you Hong-nim’s aquaintances?” The kind-looking man asked. “I was given the task
of picking you up.”
Still with Mingyu’s hand in his shirt, Wonwoo snatched his phone back and gave his
friend a smug, tilted smirk.
“See?” He poked at Mingyu’s face before he turned around and confirmed to the man
that they were the guests Hong had been waiting for and the male responded with a
smile and saying that he would escort them if they followed ‘right along this way.’
Mingyu’s gut told him not to go, but Wonwoo was already following the man, completely
unfazed by the strangeness of the situation and oblivious to Mingyu’s reluctance.
When he noticed that Mingyu hadn’t followed, he turned around and looked
questioningly at Mingyu’s expression.
“What’s wrong?” He asked, but Mingyu couldn’t reply, because he didn’t really know
how to express the bad vibes he was getting form this place.
Part of him wondered if this was how Wonwoo got aquainted with so many people, if he
did things like this everytime he made a new friend, but another part of Mingyu refused
to believe that Wonwoo would be so naïve to actually get himself into any dangerous
situations. Maybe Mingyu was just being paranoid about the whole situation, but even
as he thought that, Mingyu still didn’t want to go.
Wonwoo noticed his hesistance and gave him a tentative tilt of the head.
“If you’re not going to come, I’ll leave you behind.” He said, feigning a pout, and Mingyu
frowned.
He really didn’t want to go, but leaving Wonwoo to go in on his own when Mingyu’s gut
was wrenching in anxiousness wasn’t an option.
Steeling his resolve, Mingyu joined Wonwoo and their escort, ignoring the irritating hum
of satisfaction his friend made when he came up to his side.

✧✧✧

They were brought into the building, passing a well-decorated entrance and going
through a corridor before they were left in a spacious room with three, nice couches
circling a big coffee table in the middle. There were drapes in crimson red framing the
windows and a vase on a small table in the corner. Mingyu found the room very strange.
Their escort left them to go fetch this Hong-nim, and it was only a few minutes before
the man in question strode through the doors. He was very handsome, Mingyu noted,
with gentle features, warm eyes and an almost feline smile, wearing a nicely fitted suit
that strengthened his dapper appearance. Upon seeing Wonwoo smile and greet the
man like they were already close friends, Mingyu decided that he greatly disliked him.
He nodded his head when Wonwoo introduced them — Joshua hong was the classy
man’s name — and took to observing the man warily while the other two kept
conversation rolling.
“Here!” Wonwoo presented the cutely wrapped box containing the jelly he’d brought as
a gift, grinning at the older man who looked surprised by his thoughtfullness. “Since you
said you liked sweets.”
“You remembered? How considerate and kind of you.” Joshua had a very sweet laugh.
“You can’t have a lot of money, considering you’re only a high school student.” Wonwoo
looked very pleased when Joshua accepted his gift and retook his place besides
Mingyu on the couch.
Joshua looked at the package with delightment before he looked up at them again in
thought.
“I invited you to this kind of place, but we don’t really have a lot to serve kids.” Mingyu
wondered what Joshua meant by that, finding his choice of wording peculiar, but when
he glanced at Wonwoo the other didn’t seem to have noticed at all. “I did prepare some
cake, but since you so nicely brought jelly I’m a little torn. Which would you like to
have?” Joshua smiled at them and Wonwoo looked happy to hear there was cake for
them as well.
“Both!” He quickly answered, almot bouncing in his seat before he looked to Mingyu.
“Right?” He looked for agreement he didn’t receive. Mingyu doubted he’d have any of it
anyway, as he still didn’t fancy sweets.
“That sounds good.” Joshua smiled. “We have plenty of black tea. Do we have any
green or red tea?” He turned to ask the man who ahd escorted them to the room, whom
quickly bowed upon being adressed.
“I’ll go check.”
“Tea!” Wonwoo exclaimed getting up before hesitating and looking to Joshua with a shy
smile. “Is it okay if I go with him and have a look? I wanna pick flavour myself.”
“Sure, go ahead.” Joshua asnwered airily and Mingyu watched them exchange cute
smiles with each other. “Could you pick one for me as well?” Joshua met Wonwoo’s eye
and Wonwoo’s smile widened.
“Sure.” And then he was gone, leaving Mingyu and Joshua alone in the room where
silence settled in between the four walls.
Mingyu supposed he should’ve felt awkward, but mostly he felt like he didn’t have
anything to say to the man standing across the table from him, watching him keenly.
“It’s okay for you to stay here.” The man said, as if Mingyu needed his permission to do
anything in this house and Mingyu stared at the table.
Joshua walked over to the couch on Mingyu’s right and sat down with a breathy sigh,
elegantly crossing his legs before he put his fingers to his chin and looked at Mingyu’s
profile as if he was assessing him. It gave Mingyu the creeps.
“Wonwoo-ya’s liveliness is nice, huh. Is he always this energetic?” He asked and
Mingyu still wouldn’t look at him.
“Pretty much.” He answered tersly, doing his best not to sound hostile towards the
stranger. He silently cursed Wonwoo inside his head for dragging him there and then
abandoning him in the room with the man he didn’t want to get to know. What a great
friend he was.
“Did he force you into coming today?”
Joshua’s question had Mingyu finally look at him, and the other was giving him that soft
smile, tapping his finger against his cheekbone.
“You’ve had a stern look for a while. Are you nervous? There’s no reason to be.” He
assured charmingly and Mingyu averted his gaze again, biting the inside of his cheek.
“Not really. My face is usually like this.” He responded, and a pause followed, which
made Mingyu wonder if Joshua was disapointed in him.
“On the phone when Wonwoo-ya said ‘I’m bringing Mingyu’, he said it very cheerfully.
Adoringly, almost.” Joshua’s voice had darkened, not into anything unpleasant, just
something much smoother and more velvety than the bright voice Mingyu had heard
from him so far. Something more mature. The man’s eyes were focused on Mingyu, and
his smile seemed plastered to his face, making Mingyu question its genuinety. “I was
certain he would be bringing a girl with him.”
Migyu looked at Joshua and pressed his lips together. He wasn’t sure what to make of
what the other said, what to think about it. Instead he forced himself to focus on figuring
out what reason the other had for telling him this in the first place.
Joshua’s eyes squinted along with his smile, which widened.
“Or maybe, you are a girl?”
Mingyu stared at him.
“Do you even like sweets?” Joshua laughed at Mingyu’s expression while the younger
tightened his fists. “I’m just kidding.”
Mingyu lowered his head and stared into his lap, fighting the seething anger starting to
boil within him, directed towards the other male.
“Is it fun playing around with kids like us?” He bit out, his imagination running wild with
suggestions on what kind of business the man beside him could be involved in that
triggered the alarms inside of his head. Joshua’s smile still didn’t drop from his face
even as he regarded Mingyu.
“Don’t make such a scary face.” He said steadily, like an order, and Mingyu pressed his
teeth together, deciding that not only did he dislike this man — he definitely despised
him.
“There’s no reason for you to be so worried.” Joshua leant forwards in his seat, a hand
coming up to ghost over Mingyu’s jaw. Cupping Mingyu’s chin between his finger and
thumb, Joshua tilted his head and met Mingyu’s gaze, his eyes glinting darkly at him as
he smiled mysteriously. “If I were you, I’d be more worried about the issues between
you and him.”
Mingyu pulled back as if the other’s touch had burnt him and Joshua laughed at his
reaction, leaning back from Mingyu’s glare.
“My bad.” He apologised ingenuinely, looking very pleased with himself. “If you’re going
to act so straightforwardly hostile, I’ll want to tease you.” Mingyu watched the other get
up onto his feet again, fleeting around in the room as he talked. “But it’s truly just mere
interest that I have in Wonwoo-ya. I just wish to befriend him. He’s an intruiging boy. It’s
clear from looking at him that he’s just a kid, but yet he’s so unafraid of the world.”
Mingyu picked up on another voice, dulled, like it came from someone talking in the next
room over, and he frowned slightly as he looked to the wall he’d heard the noise come
through.
“Even his innocent way of speaking is very likable. You end up feeling drawn to him and
wanting to be around him.” Joshua stopped his pacing and looked at Mingyu once
more, tilting his eyes back and looking at him down his nose with a gaze suddenly
feeling very chilly as they bore into Mingyu’s eyes.
“Weren’t you the same at first as well?” He asked.
However, Mingyu never got to reply because suddenly a shrill scream sounded, soon
followed by loud, bombosterous laughter, and then the door to the room where Joshua
and Mingyu were at was torn open and a half-naked man covered in tattoos came
through the doorway, wiping the sweat off his flushed face while the laughter continued
to reverbate in the hallway behind him.
“Oh, a guest.” He observed cleverly when he spotted the startled boy on the couch.
Mingyu was sure the voice of the person who screamed had belonged to a woman, and
the unease that had been crawling underneath his skin now tore through his chest,
making his heart beat loudly in his ears as he held his breath and stared at the stranger
that had entered.
Joshua looked unfazed by the entrance.
“So you were here.” He spoke to the male. “Don’t come out looking like that. And I told
you not to use that room.” He lectured the man strictly and gestured for him to leave
them alone again, which the man did without any question, although he looked like the
type to pick a fight with anyone in Mingyu’s eyes, what with his shaved head and
piercings.
“Try to be quiet over there.” Joshua asked and the man laughed at his superior.
“Yeah, yeah, sure. Sorry.” He said before Joshua closed the door behind him, once
again returning the room to the stillness that had enveloped it before the ruccous of the
patrons had disturbed it.
He turned around to Mingyu and offered another one of his soft, breezy smiles again.
“Sorry about the noise. Did it startle you?” Mingyu met the other’s scornful and amused
gaze and felt the thread of his patience finally snap inside of him.
Just then the door opened again and Wonwoo returned balancing a tray with three cups
and a can of boiled water in his hands.
“Easy~” He hummed to himself and Mingyu stood up in a rush. He had to get out of
there. He didn’t want to stay a second longer with this man.
He bumped into Wonwoo’s elbow on his way towards the door and Wonwoo yelped as
the china clattered on the tray.
“Wha— Idiot, look out—”
Mingyu let the other catch a glimpse of his cross expression before he was out the door,
leaving Wonwoo to stare confused after him.
“Eh? Eh?? What?”
Joshua scratched his chin, looking slightly perturbed (but not at all guilty) by Mingyu’s
sudden departure while he hummed.
“Looks like he got mad. He overreacted.” He told Wonwoo who pushed the door open
and stuck his head out into the corridor to look after Mingyu.
“What was that? Where are you going?” He called, but he received no reply. Quickly, he
whipped around to face Joshua again, shoving the tray into the other’s hands with
stressed fingers. “Uhm, I’m going to go get him. So, please.”
Joshua blinked, watching Wonwoo dash out the door to go after his friend.
“Mingyu, wait!”

✧✧✧

“Mingyu.”
Wonwoo had caught up to the other outside, easily falling in line after his friend walking
in a rapid pace, carefully observing the tense curve of Mingyu’s shoulders and feeling
the irritation wash off of the other in waves as he kept walking. Wonwoo wasn’t exactly
winded after the short sprint, but he did have to take a moment to swallow and inhale
before he had enough air in his lungs to speak.
“Mingyu.” He called again, trying to sound calm and collected while he felt extremely
confused with the other’s anger. “Leaving suddenly like that was really rude. What are
you doing?”
“Going home.” Was Mingyu’s curt reply, and Wonwoo felt a sting in his chest at the
other’s biting tone.
“Why?” He asked, quickening his step to catch up to Mingyu’s side, hoping to get a look
of the other’s face when he caght up, but Mingyu picked up his pace as well, keeping
Wonwoo from fully reaching him, much to Wonwoo’s frustration.
Quickly grabbing on to Mingyu’s sleeve as to not let the other leave him behind
Wonwoo tugged at Mingyu to make him slow down.
“Did you get into a fight while I was gone?” He asked and tightened his grip when
Mingyu tried to yank his arm free, not rewarding him with a reply, keeping a brisk pace
while heading away from the building.
“Heeey.” Wonwoo called when he failed to get Mingyu to stop and talk to him. “Can you
stop walking and tell me what’s wrong? Did something happen? Were you scared
because he was a stranger?”
Mingyu had enough of Wonwoo’s questions and stopped suddenly almost causing
Wonwoo to bump into his chest when he whipped around and tore his arm out of
Wonwoo’s grasp.
“Would you stop clinging to me? It’s annoying, so just stop!” Mingyu raised his voice,
unfairly dishing out his frustration on Wonwoo who looked genuinely wounded by his
cruel outburst. Mingyu made to turn away again, but Wonwoo gripped onto the back of
his jacket and hindered him from leaving.
“Why?” After having seen the grim expression on Mingyu’s face, there was no way
Wonwoo could let go of him. He wanted to know what had tipped Mingyu off. He hated
seeing Mingyu upset and he got anxious, his head spinning as he tried to figure out
what he could do to make things better.
Mingyu dragged his hands over his face and exhaled slowly, trying to control his
temper.
“Just let go of me.” He grunted. “Do what you want, you idiot.”
Wonwoo stared at his stiff back, worried and frightened that he would accidentally make
things worse if he said or did the wrong thing in this situation.
“… Was it really that bad?” He finally whispered. Mingyu didn’t say anything, and after a
while he felt Wonwoo gingerly pluck his fingers from the fabric of his jacket and let him
go.
He was mad, although not really at Wonwoo, but at everything in general. Still he waited
with his heart in his throat to see if there was anything Wonwoo had to say to him.
Wonwoo’s voice was soft when he finally spoke.
“What do you want me to do?”

✧✧✧
Joshua looked up from his tea when Wonwoo reappeared in the entrance.
“I’m here to get my things.”
Joshua didn’t seem surprised, his lips tweaking in a bemused smile.
“Is that so.” He said simply, standing up from the couch. “I’ll have them wrap up the
cake, so at least bring it back with you. It’d be a shame if no one ate it, after all.” He
smiled and Wonwoo nodded softly and grabbed his backpack.
“We’ll have tea another time.” Wonwoo paused and met Joshua’s kind gaze before he
averted his own eyes, feeling guilty for what he was about to say.
“Actually…” He hesitated, swallowing around the lump that had taken shape inside his
throat. “Mingyu really doesn’t like it, so… I won’t be coming here again. I’m sorry.” He
offered weakly and Joshua blinked.
“I see.” He gave a sad smile and Wonwoo felt even worse for rejecting such a nice
person. “It’s too bad we had only just been aquainted. I wanted to befriend you, but I
guess it can’t be helped.”
When Wonwoo returned outside, Mingyu was sat on a bench in the shadow of a tree,
waiting for him, and Wonwoo took a moment to look at the profile of his friend in the
warm light of the setting sun.
Mingyu looked up from the ground when he heard Wonwoo approach him and their
gazes met. Wonwoo paused briefly in front of him and tilted his head.
“Let’s go.” He said and Mingyu only waited a few seconds before he got up and followed
after him down the street.

✧✧✧

“Don’t you at least want a taste?” Wonwoo looked up from the cake on the plate in front
of him to Mingyu’s back that was facing him on the bed. Silence was all that greeted him
and Wonwoo lost his own apetite. He couldn’t feel happy when Mingyu was like this,
especially not when it felt as if the other’s bad mood was entirely his fault.
Wonwoo had no idea what had transpired between Joshua and Mingyu while he had
been preparing tea in the small kitchen together with the other man, but he imagined
something terrible must’ve gone down for Mingyu to be so shaken by the time he
returned. He felt imensely guilty, and Mingyu’s tiny apartment wasn’t helping Wonwoo
feel any less claustrophobic.
Staring at the untouched piece of cake, Wonwoo decided to tell Mingyu about the other
thing that added onto his unease. His pulse picked up, but before he could change his
mind and keep quiet about it, Wonwoo hurried to blurt the words out.
“I met up with S.coups-hyung.” He admitted, shame colouring his cheeks as he held his
breath.
Mingyu didn’t move, and Wonwoo wondered if he was glad or not for that.
“… Why?” Mingyu’s voice sounded too controlled and calm to be genuine, and Wonwoo
srhunk in on himself, finding it far more crippling to deal with a silently seething Mingyu
than with an openly furious one.
The thing was that Wonwoo hadn’t really had any reason for it, other than that he’d
been restless, which only made it kind of worse, and Wonwoo sighed, realising his best
course of action was just to be honest with Mingyu, lest he ruin his day any further.
“I — I was bored, and Bohyuk was driving me up the wall at home. Junhui is on vacation
right now and Jihoon is visiting family while Soonyoung is teaching summer classes for
kids. I — I just… wanted to have some fun.”
Mingyu shifted on the bed, turning his head and propping it up with his arm so that he
could look at Wonwoo over his shoulder and Wonwoo was relieved to see that Mingyu’s
gaze was mostly exhasperated rather than mad.
“S.coups-hyung is a really good guy, Mingyu. He shows me interesting stuff, teaches
me about things, like how to make more friends and what’s fun to do…”
Wonwoo crawled up to the bed and leant his arms on the edge of the matress,
observing Mingyu from up close in silence. Mingyu’s face was unusually impassive and
frankly it frightened Wonwoo a little. He leant over Mingyu and looked down at him.
Mingyu blinked slowly, staring back up at him in silence.
Even if Wonwoo said all of those things, Mingyu wouldn’t suddenly like S.coups, and he
hadn’t liked Joshua either, even though Wonwoo had thought he’d seemed like a really
nice guy.
Wonwoo traced the patterns within Mingyu’s irises with his eyes and exhaled slowly.
“… It seems like you and I just look at things a bit differently.” He murmured before he
placed a soft, tentative kiss against Mingyu’s lips. When Mingyu didn’t pull away,
Wonwoo kissed him again, more firmly, and climbed onto the bed.
He remembered Mingyu’s expression from that time in the hallway in school when he’d
proposed the idea of them getting drunk together, how unnerved and vexed Mingyu had
looked, how hard his eyes had gotten and how brusque and shaken his tone had been
when he hissed at him. At that time, when Wonwoo had promised not to see S.coups
anymore, he’d meant it, because he really couldn’t stand seeing Mingyu make that sort
of face.
Unlike what people thought, in a sense, Mingyu was fragile, and Wonwoo knew that he
had to look after the other. He wanted to take care of Mingyu and protect him, but
sometimes it was hard because Mingyu almost never told Wonwoo when he was upset
or when things bothered him, but with S.coups he had told him, and yet Wonwoo had
broken his promise and failed to take Mingyu’s feelings into consideration, and he
regretted that now.
Again, even though it hadn’t been his intention, it seemed as if Wonwoo had hurt
Mingyu, and he kissed Mingyu over and over in hopes that it would make it up to him.
Wonwoo admitted he could be careless and oblivious at times, but he could also be
preceptive, especially when it came to his own emotions, and he knew that his feelings
regarding Mingyu were genuine. He just wanted Mingyu to be happy.
Wonwoo hovered over Mingyu, his arms on either side of Mingyu’s head while one of
his knees had settled between Mingyu’s legs as they kissed each other. One of
Mingyu’s hands came up to drag along Wonwoo’s side, and he tilted his head into the
kiss, making so that their lips could move together more sensually and Wonwoo
exhaled contently through his nose as his chest started to feel aflame and the room
began to turn hot around them.
When Mingyu sighed softly into their kiss, Wonwoo swallowed the noise, carefully
sweeping his tongue over Mingyu’s bottom lip in an unvoiced request and Wonwoo’s
hand came to support Mingyu’s neck when the other pressed up against him, their
tongues brushing against each other heatedly when their kiss deepened.
When they parted between lip-locks to catch their breath, Mingyu surprised Wonwoo
when he spoke, his hand coming up to gently brush against Wonwoo’s cheek as he
looked at him.
“… That’s a given.” He said, and Wonwoo wondered if he was replying to what he’d said
before as he stared back down into Mingyu’s eyes. “Sometimes…” Mingyu continued,
his gaze following his fingers as they left a trail of fire down Wonwoo’s jaw, following the
curve of his face all the way to his lips where they stopped.
Mingyu paused and Wonwoo held his breath, wondering if Mingyu could hear his
heartbeat as loudly as he could.
Mingyu’s eyes shifted back up to his, and there was a shade in them that made
Wonwoo sad.
“…I think it would’ve been better if I’d never met you.” Mingyu finished and placed a soft
kiss in the corner of Wonwoo’s mouth before he placed small kisses along his jaw.
Wonwoo wondered why his eyes stung with tears even as Mingyu’s arms came up to
wrap him in an embrace and he pulled him closer to kiss him again.
“Why would you say something so cruel…?” He whispered when their lips parted, and
Wonwoo didn’t know if Mingyu truthfully hadn’t heard him, or if he just chose to ignore
him.
HOPELESS
1

The never ending anger is something Mingyu felt present in his gut day to day, from when he would
wake up and decide if he would skip school to when he would come home and try to drown out his
life with music.

Nothing seemed to work.

He tried therapy, tried the pills that numbed him and made him crave the anger. He tried. Now, he is
used to the pain in his chest, the uncomfortable-comfortable is what he likes to call it. It's stupid.

Needless to say his school attendance was shit, fucking shit.

The idea of spending days at school just to be taught the same bullshit he could learn in a book made
no sense. He wouldn't stand for it.

Mingyu's sadness didn't stem from something traumatic as a kid, neither did his anger. The two sides
of Kim Mingyu were fire and ice, the hot, burning passion he puts into boxing at a gym to take out
his sadness and his cold, the nights he just sits on the roof and wishes the wind would take him away.

He never experienced a middle. He didn't know there could be happiness if he figured out how to
balance his two sides,

At school he was seen as someone not to even bother with, the teachers and some students saw him
as a low life that would obtain nothing. Others saw him as a bad boy that maybe if they tried hard
enough they could "fix." Mingyu wasn't broken.

"Mingyu-ah! Good morning! So, my cat was sitting on my bed when I came home and she never
does that so I sat down and lifted her up and needless to say she was just begging for an eye staring
contest so -" Wonwoo was about to continue his ramble until he noticed the glare that Mingyu was
giving him. It was his usual glare but underneath his intense eye there was a cut.

"You fought."

"You have eyes."

Wonwoo considered them friends, close enough for texts, although he never got replies, for hand
holding, he always got pushed away and hugs but Mingyu usually threatens to stab him.

Wonwoo would say they are best friends.

"Why did you fight? If you needed backup you could have called me, I'm pretty strong!" Wonwoo all
but shouted as Mingyu walked ahead of him, he ended up jogging over to catch up.
"You look and move like a wet noodle, I also will not let someone else kill you." Mingyu mumbled
while putting in the combination for his locker. Wonwoo's eyes lit up at that, was Mingyu becoming
soft on him?

"I will be the one to end your life."

Nope! No, Kim Mingyu was not getting soft.

Wonwoo laughed knowing full well about the pocket knife Mingyu always has with him, he also
knows that he's given Mingyu many chances to kill him and he hasn't.

"You and I are like best friends, did you know people even think we are dating sometimes? Should I
start telling people we aren't?" Wonwoo mumbled while playing with the ring that was snug on
Mingyu's finger, it was nice.

Mingyu stared boringly at Wonwoo, how could such a small boy like him not be afraid of Mingyu.
He could crush him.

"Do you drink milk? You should try it, heard it helps people grow." Mingyu chuckled while taking
his hand away from Wonwoo.

"Have you heard about xanax? It relaxes people, you always act like you have a stick up your - never
mind." Wonwoo quickly said when Mingyu slammed his locker and glared down at him.

Mingyu wasn't the only one feeling shitty at times, do you know how fucking annoying it is to be in a
one sided friendship? The thing is, it isn't even like it's just Wonwoo bothering him, sometimes when
Mingyu is really angry the only person to calm him down is Wonwoo. Sometimes when he's sad the
only person he talks to is Wonwoo.

Wonwoo never gets to talk to Mingyu when he's sad.

That wouldn't be a problem, he doesn't mind having Mingyu open up to him it's the fact that
Jeonghan's existence somehow seems...more important.

"Have you seen my Hannie?" Mingyu smirked down at Wonwoo, a small laugh escaping his mouth
when he saw Wonwoo's smile face. That expression made him continue.

"Unlike you, he actually listens, he listens to my pathetic sadness, to my anger. He even listens when
I talk about my dad." Mingyu hummed as he crossed his arms and leaned against the locker.

Wonwoo couldn't help the feeling in his stomach he got when Mingyu said that. He hasn't even told
Wonwoo about his dad.

"I-I think he's sick today. I'm not sure." Wonwoo said quietly, no longer in his upbeat mood that he
usually is in.
Their friendship was far from healthy, Wonwoo gave so much, he really loved Mingyu but Mingyu
just didn't care.

The amount of times his texts have gone ignored really hurt. Although texting is not the main part in
a friendship how the fuck else will they communicate? Wonwoo has tried doing the same, just
ignoring him but Mingyu doesn't fucking care and it crushes him. He could go days without talking
to Wonwoo but he couldn't. Wonwoo would fall apart.

That's something he hates about himself, he hates how weak he seems, how it seems like he always
starts the fights because he's too sensitive. He's not sensitive it's not his fault, not everyone can be as
cold and emotionless as Kim Mingyu.

"You're so mean to me. I haven't done anything to you and here you are calling me a bad friend."
Wonwoo mumbled, he knew Mingyu would just walk away or maybe laugh in his face.

He always does that.

"I never called you a bad friend let's not twist my words around. For me to call you a bad friend we
would have to be friends and my only friend is Jeonghan." Mingyu said as he stared down at
Wonwoo, no hint of a smirk on his face, no indicator that he was joking.

Wonwoo's day was officially ruined

"I don't get why you want to be his friend so bad, you seem desperate." Jihoon said which earned him
a nudge from Seokmin. "Shut up, he's being a good friend." He said while patting Wonwoo's back
sympathetically.

"I don't get it!" Wonwoo exclaimed, abruptly sitting up. "At the start of the friendship he was so nice,
we would talk and everything, it's like we were actually friends not this one sided bullshit." He
sighed.

"He realized that even if he's an ass hole you'll still be his friend, that's your fuck up." Jihoon
shrugged.

"I know but - I can't just not apologize even when I'm wrong, if I don't he won't talk to me. I'll be
waiting everyday for him to talk to me and he just won't." Wonwoo said sadly, "He thinks Jeonghan
is better than me and that's all I've been hearing especially ever since our last fight." That was a bad
fight.
"What was the fight about?" Seokmin asked as he opened up his lunch container and gave Wonwoo
his peach.

"He was just being mean to me like for a while so I called him out on it." Wonwoo paused to take a
bite of the peach, maybe Mingyu wants a bite. "Then I just didn't talk to him, I did it for about two
weeks before I apologized." He shrugged.

"You're fucking weak."

"Shut up Jihoon!" Seokmin and Wonwoo said right before Mingyu passed by their table.

"I should go talk to him, it's not fair if he's already y'know...super sad...super angry -" he was cut off
by Jihoon.

"Super abusive." He mumbled, looking up when the table got quiet, "What? You're obviously in a
abusive friendship. That's a thing, google it." Jihoon shrugged.

Wonwoo bit his lip as he sat on the roof of his apartment building, he had his back against a wall
while he typed away on his phone.

Signs of an abusive friendship

Wonwoo let out a small chuckle, there's no way that could even be possible. He knows what abuse
looks like, this isn't it.

Does your friend neglect you? Yes, but we can't always be together
Does your friend find joy in your pain? Only when he causes it
Has your friend ever physically harmed you? No! No.
Do you feel as though every fight is your fault? Yes he says it is
Are you "too sensitive" Oh my god

Do they reply to your tex-

Wonwoo quickly locked his phone and looked up when he heard footsteps approaching him.

"Bad day, huh?" Mingyu questioned as he opened up a can of beer from the six pack he was carrying.

"I could say the same to you."

"You could."
There was an empty silence, usually it would be filled with Wonwoo rambling but he felt tired. He
didn't want to be the only person that cares in this friendship.

Maybe this was an emotionally abusive friendship.

"Ming-"

"Won-"

They both paused and Mingyu chuckled as he sat down beside the other boy, offering him a beer and
shrugging when he rejected it. "You go first." Mingyu hummed, starring up at the night sky, the stars
were nice. He liked astrology.

"Is Jeonghan really a better friend than me? I'm sorry I-I can try harder." He shrugged. He didn't want
to lose a friend like Mingyu, something about him was addictive. He had friends but he wanted
Mingyu.

"Wonwoo." He paused before finishing off the first can of beer, "Stop fucking blaming yourself. You
make it way too easy to fuck with you." Mingyu chuckled, he didn't like the way he made Wonwoo
feel but he couldn't help it. He wanted to control someone, he wanted to manipulate someone. He
wanted someone to feel his pain.

He wants Wonwoo to feel it.

"Sorry." Wonwoo blushed, looking down at his phone and thinking about that article but somehow
his mind drifted off to last summer. The start of whatever they had.

"Gyu!" Wonwoo laughed, hitting the mans back because Mingyu thought throwing Wonwoo over his
shoulder would be fun.

"Won." Mingyu replied with a chuckle, laying him down on the bed and getting beside him. "You
have made me forget the reason why suicide is so appealing. Let's Romeo and Juliet this shit. I don't
want to leave without you." Mingyu murmured, letting out a small sigh when Wonwoo cuddled up to
his side.

"Or, hear me out, we don't die." Wonwoo gasped playfully before he let out a laugh and sat up,
"We've spent literally everyday together this whole summer and I've seen all your sides. I think my
favourite Gyu is...sad Gyu." He said honestly.
Mingyu raised an eyebrow and sat up so that they could be face to face. "Why is that?" He
questioned, smiling when he noticed that the large shirt on Wonwoo's body clearly did not belong to
him.

"I like the way you become passionate and your walls break down. I love hearing your laugh and I
especially love your smile but there is something about how brutally honest you get when you're sad.
The one time I've seen you cry you let a tear just fall from your eye, no whimpers, no warning, it was
like you just fell apart. You let me wipe the tear away and you listened to my words. It was nice
seeing the softer side of you, I wish I could keep that forever and never see you sad." He admitted
with a small blush, he admired Mingyu, he made everything beautiful.

Mingyu didn't see his sadness as beauty, he saw Wonwoo as beautiful though.

That's how they shared their first kiss, Mingyu leaned in, grasping Wonwoo's jaw with bruised hands
and pressed their lips together. It was soft and innocent, a small press of their lips. It was nothing like
Mingyu, everything about Mingyu screamed passionate. After a few more soft kisses, once Mingyu
pinned Wonwoo to the bed is when he saw the fire.

The press of their bodies, their tongues and for Wonwoo he felt his heart growing attached to
Mingyu. Mingyu didn't feel the same.

"Um...mmh-" Wonwoo mumbled while trying to detach his lips from Mingyu, "You kissed me." He
spoke from puffy pink lips.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's what we were doing." Mingyu chuckled while pressing kisses to
Wonwoo's neck.

"Yeah but like - are we going to...y'know?" Wonwoo mumbled, he felt Mingyu hand on his waist and
it felt nice. The contrast between his own cold skin and Mingyu's hot hand. It was nice, everything
about Mingyu was...nice.

"Fuck? That's what I'm trying to do but you keep talking." Mingyu chuckled, raising his head to look
at Wonwoo, "Unless you are - wait are you a virgin?" Mingyu grinned tauntingly, "You really
haven't spread your legs for anyone?" He questioned.

"Shut up." Wonwoo said while feeling his cheeks heat up, "We don't - you don't have to do this. We
can just watch a movie or something." He admitted embarrassed as fuck, he was hoping he would
have a heart attack and just die.

"Baby." Mingyu hummed, dipping down and giving Wonwoo a soft kiss on the mouth. "I'm going to
fuck you so many times tonight and each time right before you cum," he paused to tilt Wonwoo's
chin up, "You're going to scream my name."

One thing Mingyu did that night was stay true to his words, he did fuck Wonwoo.
On the bed, against the wall, over the couch and once in the shower. Needless to say the neighbours
know Mingyu's name as well.

The week after that was their best week, their last week of being whatever they were. Wonwoo didn't
know their relationship had a deadline. The deadline was the end of summer and he was falling in
love.

"Let's go to an art gallery. I want to take lame Instagram photos. I want to remember this summer."
Wonwoo said from Mingyu's lap.

The last time he was straddling Mingyu like this, he ended up riding him while they talked about
their favourite pizza.

He was in love.

Mingyu pressed a soft kiss to Wonwoo's lips, "What makes you think I'll take you?" He questioned
with a lazy smirk, leaning back against the couch.

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, "Because you're my boyfriend." He explained as if that was common
knowledge, he didn't understand why Mingyu laughed in his face.

The art gallery was fucking boring, they took the pictures and left because Mingyu was close to
punching some white guy in a turtle neck. Gross.

The photos consisted of Wonwoo, Mingyu and one of them kissing, it was something out of a
teenage movie, too good to be true. He didn't think it would end so quick.

September 1

Back to school.

Wonwoo sent a text that night to Mingyu to pick him up since his car was getting fixed. The man
read it but he didn't reply. That morning Wonwoo sat on his porch waiting for Mingyu, when it hit
8:30 he became concerned.

"Call Gyu" he said to Siri, why did he need thumbs when he could talk to his phone?

He called 11 times, by 8:50 he was catching the bus and barely making it on time to school for 9.

"What the hell, Mingyu." Wonwoo said as he sat down beside his boyfriend in the cafeteria, "You
left me this morning." He added once Mingyu gave him a confused look.

"Don't expect me to pick you up, that's weird." He grumbled, Wonwoo didn't think much of it and
narrowed it down to one of his moods. It had to be.
It was a few days later when Wonwoo realized that something changed. They didn't hold hands,
when they did it was short because Mingyu would rip his hand away.

They didn't kiss and that's when Wonwoo realized what changed.

"Don't kiss me, friends don't kiss Wonwoo." Mingyu mumbled, "What we had in the summer was for
the summer, don't push it." He added.

Wonwoo didn't want to lose Mingyu so he dealt with it. It took a few months before he stopped
calling Mingyu his boyfriend and reverted back to friend but his heart never changed. His feelings
didn't.

He didn't ask questions, he didn't want to know why he wasn't enough. He just hoped he could make
Mingyu like him again.

"Do you ever miss the summer?" Wonwoo asked, he wanted to know if Mingyu missed him as much
as Wonwoo did. He wanted to know if at night his heart burned and he shed a few tears. He wanted
to know why, why wasn't he enough. What more could he have done?

"No I prefer the fall." Mingyu said with a shrug, opening up what seemed to be his third can but he
didn't feel a buzz, he felt painfully sober.

"I meant us. Do you ever miss us?" Wonwoo asked after a short pause, he was holding his breath,
something inside him did not want to know the answer.

"Hmm..." Mingyu said as he thought about it, "I see you're still hung up about that." He replied, "I
guess it was a mistake. You've been acting different ever since that whole...experiment." Mingyu
shrugged.

Experiment.

"What did you just say?" Wonwoo asked in disbelief, experiment, he was a test run. "I was an
experiment to you." He repeated.

Mingyu looked over at Wonwoo and felt uncomfortable because he didn't know that look. He knows
all of his looks and he's never seen that before.

Sadness? No. It's more than that.

"I just wanted to know if I could be in a relationship...considering I'm a bit unstable." Mingyu
shrugged, "I got my answer. I can be in a relationship, thank you." He hummed, taking a sip of his
beer.

Wonwoo never thought he could feel this much hate for someone he loved so strongly. He didn't
want to cry he fucking couldn't cry in front of Mingyu he didn't want to look like a baby.

"I listened to you rant, I listened and hung off of every word, I snuck out of my house to bring you
bandaids to clean your stupid boxing injuries. When you got into a fight at school I saved your ass, I
put everything on the line to defend you! When I gave you all of me that night, when I let you be
with me so fucking intimately because I loved you all I was to you was a test run." He shook his
head, he couldn't believe this and by the look on Mingyu's face he didn't care.

"A joke, you made a fool out of me, I would follow you around like a lost dog and that's my fault, I
should have realized you're a fucked up person. I loved your flaws, I loved your anger, your sadness,
I loved all of you and you didn't even like me. You didn't even respect me because here you are after
day in and day out I apologize to you, I say sorry because I feel as though I'm at fault with you. I'm
here trying and you say to me that I was an excitement." Wonwoo finally had to pause because he
was running out of breath and his tears were falling into his mouth and it tasted gross and made his
stomach hurt. Maybe that was his heart, either way he felt like throwing up.

"I can't believe we are fighting because you thought it would be okay to say that to me." Wonwoo
mumbled while trying to wipe the tears off his face.

"You're fighting yourself. I'm not fighting with you." Mingyu chuckled and that felt like another slap
to the face.

Wonwoo took in some air before he let it out and turned to Mingyu. "Why did you kiss me?" He
questioned, blinking and letting a few more tears fall. "Why did you kiss me in front of all of those
places, the gallery, the museum -" he was cut off by the laugh that Mingyu let out.

"I kissed you in front of every beautiful place because now when you visit you will taste me like the
blood coming out of your heart. You will remember me, you will remember the pain I've caused and
you will understand why storms are named after people." Mingyu said before getting up and leaving
Wonwoo to cry on his own.

Now Wonwoo understands the uncomfortable-comfort Mingyu says he feels with anger, he
understands how it's pressed deep into his chest and how it's familiar and never goes away no matter
how hard you try.

Now Wonwoo feels the same way with sadness, it's anchored to him, weighs him down and washed
away his suns. The only person he could blame

Kim Mingyu.
2

Whenever storms hit Wonwoo can't help the anger he feels coursing through him.

He's still fucking mad.

Unlike Kim Mingyu who would take his anger out on either a boxing bag or, well, Wonwoo, he
didn't have that outlet.

He wanted to stab Mingyu in the throat and maybe then he will taste Wonwoo like the blood in his
throat because he would be suffocating in it.

Happy thoughts, happy thoughts

He's not here anymore, no more stabby thoughts Wonwoo.

That's something he thought to himself daily, well, not daily. He isn't obsessed or anything, he just
hopes to get the chance to kick Mingyu in the bal-

"Wonwoo!" Jihoon snapped his fingers in front of the boys face, raising an eyebrow. He noticed the
familiar glare, the way his eyes glazed over and he just looked more hurt than angry.

"Stop thinking about him, it's been 3 months and I'm pretty sure he's dead." Seokmin hummed while
trying to get Wonwoo's cat into a sweater clearly made for dogs. They were currently in the boys
room hoping to get some homework done.

They failed.

"Leave Yuri alone, if you try and get her into that stupid dog sweater one more time I promise to fit
you into it." Wonwoo said with a glare, scooping up his precious baby before giving her a kiss on the
head.

"Someone has been thinking about a certain Kim." Seokmin pouted, he hated mean Wonwoo, the
bitch.

"I'm planning my revenge. The day I see him I will kick his balls, pour boiling water on him, kick
him in the balls once more and run." He hummed happily, what a simple yet painful plan. He just
needs to execute it correctly.

Although he's sure all that pain he's trying to make Mingyu feel wouldn't even compare to the pain
he's felt all summer.

Now he's not really sad, well he's not sad at all.

He's angry and he loves it, he loves this hot feeling in his gut, it makes him feel more at home than
being at home. It's so familiar now he would feel uncomfortable without it.
Now he understands Mingyu a bit more.

"Anyways! Seungcheol called and said him and Jeonghan are coming later." Seokmin said while
glaring at Yuri who he is pretty fucking sure glared back. "I could eat you." He grumbled at the small
kitten, "Bitch." He added but Wonwoo quickly grabbed the boys ear.

"I will feed Yuri your testicals."

"I'm sorry."

"Apologize to her."

"I'm sorry, Yuri."

Jihoon couldn't help the laugh that escaped his mouth. His fucking friends were weird and it didn't
help the two new members of their...squad? Were fucking.

"Are we a squad?" Jihoon questioned, his nose crinkling up at that word. Weird.

Seokmin quickly shook his head, dropping his hand from where it was rubbing his slowly reddening
ear. "No! We are a pack!" He exclaimed, his eyes widening.

"Yeah, pack we are like fucking wolves, look at us, fucking - fucking werewolves." Seokmin
exclaimed as he thought about it, he is pretty fast.

Wonwoo groaned as he pressed his hand to Seokmins mouth, "Shut, just - please shut your face." He
mumbled, he did love Seokmin. What a good friend. Huge mouth but a great friend.

-------

Wonwoo walked into his dorm and rolled his eyes when he saw Jeonghan straddling Seungcheol.

"Why the fuck do you guys make out on my bed. Jeonghan your bed is literally right there! I've
measured the distance and it takes the exact amount of time from the door to your bed!" Wonwoo
groaned, narrowing his eyes when neither of them gave him any sort of attention.

He was slightly jealous of their relationship, yes, but he would never make out with his boyfriend on
someone else's bed.

15 times.

"So help me god I will take all your hair ties and strangle you with them, one by one I will slide them
around your throat until you blow up like one of those watermelon - elastic band expierments."
Wonwoo said with a roll of his eyes, people only listen when he threatens to kill them.
"I'm not afraid of you." Seungcheol mumbled after Jeonghan quickly got off and went to his bed,
Cheol didn't think he needed to move.

"We've been friends for like-" Seungcheol paused to count - using his fingers. "Five months! I've
known you for five whole months. You aren't scary, especially when you have conversations with
your kitten -"

"Yuri."

"What?"

"Her name, stupid, it's Yuri." Wonwoo rolled his eyes while pushing past Seungcheol who was
grinning, he was always fucking smile.

"Don't be mean, Wonnie." Jeonghan said while standing up and giving Seungcheol a soft kiss on the
mouth. "Aren't we all supposed to meet at that study room?" He asked Wonwoo while he watched
the boy clearly get ready for a nap.

"Study room? Haven't heard of it." Wonwoo shrugged, getting under his blanket.

"You go there like everyday." Seungcheol added with a raise of his eyebrow.

"To do what?" Wonwoo asked tiredly, he was just trying to confuse the idiots until they left.

"Study." The couple replied back, narrowing their eyes as well, fucking creepy.

"Studying? Haven't heard of that." Wonwoo grumbled out as he turned to face the wall, "Turn off the
lights and get out, have a good day, eat well." He hummed.

"Thank you -" Seungcheol began to reply happily, was Wonwoo being nice?

"Not you, Piggy."

No. Wonwoo was not being nice.

-------

Mingyu's life fell into a shitty spiral after him and Wonwoo parted ways. He didn't really know how
much he needed the boy in his life.

It started off with his fights, when he won he would pick up his phone to call Wonwoo but would
remember he can't do that anymore.

The fights he lost were the same, he needed someone to bandage his knuckles, kiss them and tell him
he didn't need to fight. He didn't need to hurt anyone.
The nights he would think about death, he wouldn't have anyone to lay beside him and kiss his cheek
until a small smile formed and he would realize he never wants to leave Wonwoo.

The happy days, the happy days were the worst. His happy days used to consist of movies, ice cream,
junk food and Wonwoo. Now he doesn't have happy days, he doesn't deserve happy days.

He didn't plan on going to University, he had pretty fucking good grades but he never got himself up
and sent applications out. His mom did, over the summer she was determined to get her son out of
this endless cycle, this slump.

She forced him into therapy, forced him to eat dinner and talk about his day, forced him to talk about
his dad.

September 1

Back to school.

Mingyu felt like a new person, for some weird reason he felt stronger even though he hadn't fought in
so long. 3 months exactly and he doesn't crave it, he's learned so many ways to let go of his anger but
it's too late. He lost the most precious thing in his life.

Jeon Wonwoo.

-------

"Who is your new roommate anyways? Why couldn't you just request Jeonghan and let me have this
double room to myself?" Wonwoo whined, his friends were so inconsiderate.

They were in their normal study room in the university, two pizza boxes open, one for Seungcheol
and the other for the rest of the boys.

"It's some guy, forgot his name Kyung Mungey? No it was Myung Kungey!" Seungcheol grinned,
nodding proudly because of course it was Myung Kungey. He was memorable.

"What did he look like?" Seokmin questioned, picking off the pineapples on his pizza that Jihoon
happily took.

"Nice hair...fangs? Dunno. He wasn't ugly. He was glowing, like his skin was perfect." Seungcheol
said in between big bites of pepperoni pizza. Jeonghan rolled his eyes as he took a napkin and wiped
his boyfriends mouth.

"Sounds generic, don't look at him." Jeonghan pouted, nudging Seungcheol lightly when the boy
wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"Both of you, die. Just die." Jihoon said while taking a pineapple chunk and chewing it, he couldn't
stand the couple. They were practically married at this point.
Wonwoo still wanted a double room.

"All I know is he has Won's astronomy class at 5. Look out for glowy skin, you'll know who I'm
talking about." Seungcheol promised, nodding at Wonwoo who simply slowly raised his middle
finger.

"I didn't even do anything!" Seungcheol whined, quickly forgetting the situation after he picked up a
slice of pizza.

-------

Monday mornings were the worst, good thing Wonwoo didn't have any classes during that time.
People that willingly take early classes deserve death, a painful death.

He looked around the room and grinned to himself when he realized that Jeonghan wasn't there.

Alone time? For once in my life?

Wonwoo closed his eyes and thought about what he could do, he could go back to sleep, he could pee
on his roommates bed or...

He reached down underneath his bed and got out a box and revealed a pretty thick, not too long
dildo.

Or he could do that.

As Wonwoo put the freshly cleaned toy back in its place and got into the shower he thought about
how unhealthy it could be to still be thinking about your ex - whatever - fucking you.

Either way, that was hands down one of the best orgasms he's experienced and he's not regretting it.
The rest of the day was spent in bed or on the couch watching tv until 4:30 rolled around and he got
up and got ready for Astronomy.

-------

Mingyu had realized his roommate might have been an exhibitionist when he caught Seungcheol
fucking Jeonghan from behind in their living room.

"Jesus, oh my god sorry." Mingyu said quickly as he turned around expecting to either get punched
or told to fuck off but Seungcheol just continued his pace.

"It's fine!" He said right after the sound of skin slapping against skin radiated through the room. "Did
you - uh Hannie don't do that - need something from the kitchen?" Seungcheol groaned. He thought
of himself as a good roommate.
"No, fuck no I will starve to death." He wanted a bagel with cream cheese and he just bought these
great bagels from the bakery down the street, now he's forced to go to class hungry.

-------

Mingyu walked into class a few minutes late since he refused to starve and grabbed a burger on the
way. Nobody really cared and neither did he.

Wonwoo pulled out his pencil case and rolled his eyes when he saw a student walk in late, they'll
probably amount to nothing. They had nice hair though.

Wonwoo took a second to look around trying to find someone with glowing skin and...fangs? Then
he remembered that Seungcheol is a complete idiot and settled on taking notes.

Half way through the lecture Wonwoo lifted up his cup of coffee and took a sip of but it was cold. He
was settling down the cup without looking and it fell and dumped on the person below him.

First of all, who the fuck thought it would be smart to set up a lecture hall like a stadium, the rows
getting higher and higher so there were levels.

Second of all, the whole class, yes, all 300 fucking eyes were staring at him and the victim of his
coffee assault.

"What the fuc-"

"I'm so sorr-"

Wonwoo said at the same time as the other man as they both stood up and the mystery guy turned
around to meet Wonwoo's eyes.

Kim Mingyu.

Wonwoo stared straight into the eyes of the taller man, his vision getting a bit blurry and fuck he
couldn't cry.

"Wonwoo-" Mingyu tried to say more, he had to apologize and he needed to make this right. He
needed Wonwoo to give him a chance even though he knew he didn't deserve it.

Wonwoo didn't even bother to say anything, he didn't want to listen and he didn't even want to be
around Mingyu. He was already pulling out his phone as he walked straight out of the lecture and
pulled up the school website.

Fuck astronomy.

------
Mingyu had no choice but to leave the lecture, he was drenched in cold coffee with way too much
sugar. He took a long shower and tried to think of ways he could show that he's a different person,
then maybe Wonwoo will listen to him if he sees the changed side of him.

Mingyu stepped out of the bathroom after he pulled on clothes only to be met with a very angry
looking Seungcheol.

"You are the one that hurt Wonwoo?" He questioned in a surprisingly low voice, going over and
grabbing Mingyu by the collar.

Mingyu didn't even fight back, his roommate was muscular but short and Mingyu used to box for a
good 5 years, he could easily take Seungcheol but he deserves this. He wants this.

"I have chang-" Mingyu was cut off because he couldn't really talk with a fist hitting his face, okay, I
deserved that.

Between the coffee and the punch what hurt the most was the look on Wonwoo's face, the way his
eyes watered and he looked at Mingyu with such...hate.

That hurt him the most.

"Don't look at him, when he's in this room you better fucking leave, drop the class, for all I care drop
out of this school. You will leave Wonwoo alone." Although the love hate relationship between
Seungcheol and Wonwoo was mostly hate, he would do anything for his friend especially fucking up
the pretty boy roommate he has.

--------

Later that week after realizing that he could just avoid Mingyu, Wonwoo was a lot more at ease but
he still jumped whenever someone tapped his shoulder.

"Fuck, you scared me." Wonwoo mumbled after Jihoon reassured him that he wasn't a psychopathic
giant here to manipulate his emotions and hurt him.

What an accurate description of Kim Mingyu.

"You know he's like only a few feet away. Staring at you, and by staring I mean straight up staring
with his busted lip and everything." Jihoon mumbled, turning to meet eyes with Mingyu as he raised
his hand. He had to give him the middle finger it was a must do.

Seokmin turned to look over at Mingyu as well, "He's always alone." He mumbled with a shrug and
for some odd, terrible reason Wonwoo felt bad.

Gross.
"I want to gut him like a fish." Wonwoo said while stabbing his fork into his salad, why the fuck did
he even have a salad in front of him, he's not a god damn bunny.

Jihoon blinks, "You're murdering your lunch, get a hold of yourself." He laughed, grabbing
Seokmin's lunch and handing it to Wonwoo, he needed it more.

"What the fuck is this?" Wonwoo grumbled while opening up the container.

"I think it's a burrito bowl." Jihoon said while leaning over.

"Um...guys -" Seokmin stuttered, his eyes trained on the figure walking their way.

"Where is the actual burrito? Where's the bread thing?" Wonwoo questioned.

"Tortilla, yeah where the fuck is the tortilla." Jihoon agreed but before Seokmin could even try and
divert their attention to the person coming towards them, Mingyu had already set a note down on the
table and left in one swift motion.

"Don't open it!"

"Open it! Maybe it's money."

The pair looked over at Seokmin in utter confusion, why would Mingyu pay him, stupid.

"Why would Mingyu pay me, stupid." Wonwoo voiced, what's the fun in insulting someone in your
head when you can say it to their face. Wonwoo settled on opening up the neatly folded note,

"Please. Meet me on the astronomy buildings roof at 8 pm. I will wait all night for you. - gyu"

The nickname struck a cord in his heart strings, honestly, it played a fucking song he was too
overwhelmed by the message to realize that his face had turned red.

Jihoon shook his head, "Look at how pissed he is, Seok." He mumbled while taking a bite of the
shitty burrito bowl. Seokmin nodded along, not realizing that maybe Wonwoo's cheeks weren't red
from anger but more from a blush.

Wonwoo cleared his throat and crumpled up the note in one hand, "I'm not going, he can fuck
himself. He probably would, he's conceited like that." Wonwoo mumbled with a small sigh but he
couldn't help his mind from drifting, he wanted to know what Mingyu wanted, what was so important
that he needed to talk to him. Especially on a roof the one place where they told each other secrets,
held hands and kissed all night. They would look up at the stars and Wonwoo would listen happily at
the knowledge about the consolations that Mingyu would give.

-------
Mingyu paced up and down the wide area of the roof, it was a bit chilly but it was nice, calming but
that was the furthest Mingyu was.

He wanted to explain to Wonwoo what happened, he wants to say he's sorry and that he will do
anything to make up for the pain he's caused. He wants to explain that he's changed for the better,
he's gotten help and he will never hurt anyone again. Not physically or emotionally.

8:07

It's okay he's coming, I know he is.

8:32

Traffic. People walk slow, it takes a while to get from the campus to this building.

9:03

Mingyu slumped against the wall of the roof, looking up at the stars and sighing, his lip hurt but he
would take one thousand punches just to tell Wonwoo he's sorry.

He would take one thousand punches just to tell Wonwoo he made a mistake, he would take one
thousand punches just to tell Wonwoo he is the most special person on earth.

Mingyu was pulled out of his thoughts when the door to the roof opened up and his eyes widened.

"Mingyu."

Mingyu took a small breath in as he stood up. He wasn't really expecting this although he was
prepping himself all night to see Wonwoo. He had his apology ready, he had an explanation - not an
excuse for what he did but a reason as to why he acted that way. Mingyu was ready for this but when
he met eyes with the person, all of that flushed away.

"Seungcheol."

The man didn't even say anything as he stalked over and grabbed Mingyu by his collar. "I thought I
told you to stay away from him. A note? Really? Is this some fucking sappy movie?" Seungcheol
practically growled as he delivered a punch to Mingyu's mouth, splitting the wound on his lip back
open again.

"This has nothing to do with you, fuck!" Mingyu said before he let out a groan at the punch delivered
straight to his gut, it's been a while since he fought but he didn't forget how to, he forgot how much it
fucking hurt getting punched.
Seungcheol grabbed the front of Mingyu's shirt as he delivered a second punch to his face, straight to
his nose which left it bleeding. He raised his hand up to gift Mingyu with a third punch but stopped
upon hearing a soft voice behind them.

"Stop hitting him." Wonwoo mumbled, walking over to make himself visible. He took a look at
Mingyu and felt his stomach drop, he was bleeding from his nose but it didn't look broken, his lip
was bleeding and he was hunched over holding his stomach.

He didn't understand this, Seungcheol was significantly shorter than Mingyu, he was also not as
strong or skilled in fighting. Why wasn't Mingyu fighting back. Mingyu let out a small groan as he
sat on the floor and leaned his back against the wall, he was in so much fucking pain but it didn't
matter. Wonwoo showed up.

"Why didn't you fight back, you could kill him if you wanted to." Wonwoo stated, holding back all
his other questions, why did you hurt me.

"I - fuck," Mingyu groaned when his teeth somehow scratched over the still bleeding cut on his
mouth. "I deserve this." He mumbled, leaning his head back against the wall and keeping a hand to
his stomach. Mingyu couldn't figure out if he felt like throwing up because of the pain in his stomach
or because of the look Wonwoo was giving him.

Either way he was probably going to puke in a few seconds.

"You're still an idiot I see." Wonwoo mumbled as he turned Seungcheol around and pushed him
lightly towards the exit, who lets their ass get kicked? Twice.

"Wonwoo." Mingyu said as he shifted and let out a small wince.

"What?"

"You came."

Wonwoo paused at the door as he felt his heart speed up a bit. Mingyu didn't deserve this, he didn't
deserve for Wonwoo to feel anything towards him.

"I was going to push you off the ledge, you're lucky Seungcheol got here before me."

-------

"Why the fuck is he doing that." Seungcheol groaned, sitting back in his seat as he stared across the
room to find Jeonghan assisting Mingyu with the cuts on his face.

Wonwoo glanced up and immediately regretted it because that used to be his job. Fuck.

"So you're telling me Jeonghan never told you that Mingyu is the guy that fucked up my life?"
Wonwoo questioned and okay maybe he was being dramatic but Mingyu is not nice.
Seungcheol quickly shook his head, "No! I would've kicked his ass before he emptied his luggage!
He even saw us fucking!" He half shouted, his cheeks heating up a bit when the whole lunch room
looked at him.

"Can you lower your fucking voice? They keep looking at us." Wonwoo groaned, resting his head
against the table. Even Seokmin whispers better than Seungcheol and he is a walking mega-fucking-
phone.

Seungcheol pouted slightly and he really resembled a puppy at that point, Wonwoo hated him
slightly less. "Look at them. Jeonghan is smiling and laughing with him, I thought he only does that
around me!" He whined, shaking his body a bit like an irritated toddler.

Wonwoo raised his head to look up at the pair before he shifted to Seungcheol, "They were friends,
apparently closer than him and I. I don't get why he didn't just tell you, maybe they're in love." He
smirked, clearly teasing Seungcheol but the elder didn't see it the same way.

"Cheol! Cheol! Put the fucking spork down!" Wonwoo exclaimed when he saw Seungcheol grab the
fucking weird utensil, also who the fuck created sporks? A lazy piece of shit did. Probably Wonwoo
himself.

Wonwoo quickly rushed after Seungcheol and grabbed the metal from him right as he got to
Jeonghan and Mingyu's table.

"If you're here to beat me up, at least give me one more day, please." Mingyu said softly, his gaze
shifting from Seungcheol to Wonwoo.

"He was going to stab you." Jeonghan provided while standing up and giving his boyfriend a soft
kiss on the lips. "No more hurting Mingyu. This problem is between him and Wonwoo that will get
solved." He said while giving a pointed look to Wonwoo.

Who exactly is this bitch talking to?

"I just started liking you this year, don't push it." Wonwoo mumbled while walking away from the
table and towards his dorm.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes and smiled over at Mingyu and then at Seungcheol. "We should all get
food." He said with a grin.

"Pass."

"Fuck no."

-------

Makeup sex, what an easy way to apologize for the withheld information on Jeonghan's part. They
spent that afternoon rolling around in Seungcheol's bed with loud moans and screams echoing off the
walls. Once they both reached their climax, Jeonghan settled himself against Seungcheol. They had a
very unique relationship but nobody doubted it because they were basically the same person. They
literally finished each other's sentences and most of the time it appeared creepy because they didn't
pause and laugh about it one of them would just finish off the sentence.

They met by Wonwoo who had become friends with Seungcheol on the first day of school, they had
class together and Wonwoo couldn't stop laughing during the lecture when Seungcheol walked in and
fell down carpeted stairs. The lecture was for 3 hours and he couldn't hold back his laughter and
ultimately had to leave but the bright side was that as he was leaving Seungcheol followed him out in
a fit of laughter as well.

"I'm going to lock Mingyu and Wonwoo in a room together, give them pizza, a bathroom of course -
oh wait, maybe I should handcuff them." Jeonghan hummed as he played with his boyfriends fingers.

"Hannie. Don't do that." Seungcheol murmured while looking down at him, that's stupid, why force
the two to talk when he could just beat up Mingyu all the time.

Jeonghan looked up at Seungcheol and laughed softly, "It makes me happy that you think you have a
choice in this. You don't know either of them like I do. They need this." He shrugged.

Seungcheol rolled his eyes and leaned back, "Wonwoo is my friend, he set us up, he opened up to me
about all that Mingyu did to him. He deserves to get punched every time I see him." He wouldn't
stick with punches, maybe add in a few kicks, stabs, he would obviously switch it up.

"He's your roommate."

"Not for long." Seungcheol shrugged, he had a plan and nobody, not Wonwoo or Jeonghan would
talk him out of it.

-------

"You've got to be fucking kidding!" Mingyu groaned, hitting the door once more. "Isn't there some
fucking rule against changing the locks? Don't you have to be the head of office or - fuck just open!"
Mingyu shouted, he just finished writing a paper, his head was pounding because of the throbbing in
his nose from the punch and he needed a nap, really fucking bad.

He decided against standing in front of a door and getting angry to going over to Jeonghan's room.
During their conversation at lunch he found out what dorm he was staying in and that's pretty much
all the information he needed.

Once he arrived at the room he was glad to see a smiling Jeonghan open the door, "Hey." He laughed
awkwardly, scratching the back of his neck as he thought about a way to say this.

"Your boyfriend locked me out of my room and I really need a nap like fucking badly i had a terrible
day - week actually a terrible week and it'll be an hour at the most I just need to sleep or else I might
die. I'll even sleep on the floor." Mingyu rushed out in one breath, he could've kept going but he
needed to yawn.

Jeonghan let out a small laugh, "I was leaving anyways! I have class and then a date, just lock the
room when you're done and my bed is on the left." He said while handing over the keys and grabbing
his bag to leave.

Mingyu frowned as he watched Jeonghan walk down the hallway, "Wait what about your roomate?"
He called out.

"Oh! He died." Was the reply he got and honestly, he didn't have it in him to question Jeonghan or to
even care. Mingyu pulled off his shirt and dropped it on the floor before he fell onto the bed and
knocked out.

Wonwoo entered his room after his class and hummed as he turned on the lights and set his backpack
onto his bed. He walked to the kitchen area and grabbed a vitamin water - pretentious but tasty - and
went over to Jeonghans room to find a very tan, very naked back facing him.

Needless to say he choked on his drink.

The scar going from this right shoulder to the middle of his back was the big indicator that it was
Mingyu. He remembered the night after they had sex for like the 14th time that summer did he ask
about it. The story was cute, Mingyu even blushed and that was a sight to see, he looked cute with his
reddening cheeks as he admitted he broke a table and fell on it while trying to get cookies when he
was younger.

Wonwoo shook his head to clear his mind before he narrowed his eyes a bit, Mingyu was shivering
and now that he thought about it. It was cold.

Mindlessly he walked over and took the soft blanket that was on the edge of the bed and draped it
against Mingyu's cold body.

"If you were cold why did you take off your shirt? Stupid." He grumbled before turning and going to
his bed.

-------

When Mingyu woke up he was feeling a lot better, his head wasn't pounding and he didn't feel like he
was going to die. That was until he got up and went to the kitchen and was sure he was going to die.

He was standing shirtless in front of Wonwoo who was sitting on the counter top eating ice cream
with a spoon straight from the container.

"Oh."
"Yeah." Wonwoo mumbled with a roll of his eyes, he didn't plan on moving, he was enjoying being
in the dark - well not completely, the rest of the mini apartment was dark but the lights in the kitchen
remained on.

Mingyu scratched his stomach while looking down before he looked up at Wonwoo and tilted his
head a bit. "Can I have some?" He asked boldly, he wouldn't get any closer but he also wouldn't
move back.

"There are knives literally everywhere and you really think that's a good question to ask?" Wonwoo
said with a raise of his eyebrow, the mood in the room wasn't weird. He could tell by the few words
they've exchanged that something is different in Mingyu.

"My face really hurts - it burns." Mingyu groaned, he took a tentative step closer to Wonwoo and
looked at him again. "One bite. Small I promise, please." He begged, he didn't really want a bite that
badly but he didn't want this almost friendly conversation to end.

Wonwoo glanced obviously at the kitchen knife on the counter a few spaces away from them before
he looked at Mingyu and narrowed his eyes. "You don't like salted caramel." He scoffed, "You just
want it because I have it. You're fat. Fat and greedy." He shrugged, taking another spoonful and
putting it into his mouth.

Mingyu followed the motion with a slightly opened mouth, he cleared his throat and shook his head
to compose him. "Seungcheol had a ring on the second time he punched me, my lip feels like it's
always on fire." He explained with a shrug, "I mean I know I deserve it but it fucking hurts." Mingyu
chuckled softly while looking down, he didn't mean to break the eye contact he had with Wonwoo
but his stare was so intense he couldn't take it.

Wonwoo felt his stomach drop again, just like when he saw Mingyu's face after Seungcheol was
done with him. "Fine." Wonwoo mumbled scooping up another bite.

Mingyu's eyes widened when he noticed that action, he stepped a bit closer and felt his heart speed
up, he looked down at the spoon and followed it's movement as he expected Wonwoo to feed him.

"I'm not going to feed you, move." Wonwoo scoffed, eating the scoop before he jumped off the
counter top and went to the fridge to get a water bottle. He opened it up and took a few sips while
watching Mingyu's naked back, it was...unnecessarily hot.

"So." Wonwoo started off, looking up at Mingyu, fuck he's so used to his short midget ass friends -
well, just Jihoon that he forgot what it's like to look up to someone.

It was nice.

"You should put a shirt on. You've become ugly." Wonwoo blurred out, he didn't fucking mean to
say that but he was being too nice and where the fuck did all the anger go? What happened to the
plan! Kick balls squared and run!
Mingyu slowly turned to Wonwoo with an obvious frown on his face but that quickly turned into a
pout which shocked Wonwoo.

"What was that. Do it again." Wonwoo quickly said while narrowing his eyes, the only emotions
Mingyu showed was either happiness or anger. He didn't fucking pout, what the hell.

Mingyu raised an eyebrow, still holding the spoon, "Do what again?" He pouted for a second time,
he looked like a fucking overgrown puppy. Wonwoo didn't like how his heart sped up.

"That. Don't do - just stop - stop doing it." Wonwoo groaned, covering his face and turning around
because he felt his cheeks heating up, why was he so weak why was he giving into this. Mingyu was
probably playing with him, trying to lure Wonwoo into the trap that is his life, well jokes on him!
Wonwoo wasn't falling for it.

That's what he was trying to tell himself, Mingyu decided to stay until Jeonghan came back from his
date because that means Seungcheol would be in the room and he would have a better chance at
getting in.

Wonwoo developed one soft spot, one fucking soft spot and of course Mingyu found it. He is the
devil, he is satan in itself and Wonwoo should've figured it out. One man can't be tall, dark,
handsome, smart, strong and fucking good with cats without being the antichrist.

"Oh my god." Wonwoo whispered to himself when he walked into the living room to find Yuri
relaxing on Mingyu's chest while the boy was playing 8 pool on his phone.

"I like your cat, she is adorable - you're adorable." Mingyu said as he scooped her up and fuck she fit
in one of his hands.

Wonwoo shrugged casually as he sat down across from Mingyu, not to see the cute Mingyu-Yuri
action going on but to collect his kitten from the monster.

"Thanks, I birthed her." Wonwoo said softly as he gave her nose a kiss before he looked up to see
Mingyu laughing softly, "What." He deadpanned, he didn't like that thing Mingyu was doing,
laughing.

Mingyu shrugged as he reached over and pet Yuri, grinning at the soft sound she let out. "Nothing.
You said you birthed her, that's cute. I'm guessing you mean like you got her as a baby?" He
questioned.

Wonwoo nodded, bitting his lip softly, "Yeah, her mom died." He explained, raising Yuri up and
giving her nose another soft kiss, laughing when the kitten licked his nose in return. "Remember the
old cat I had from high school?" Wonwoo questioned, waiting until realization hit Mingyu.

"She died? She was so cute." Mingyu frowned, he really did miss out on a lot in Wonwoo's life but
he wouldn't bring that up right now. They weren't fighting or anything and he didn't want to ruin the
mood.
After a few more minutes of silence as they played with Yuri, Wonwoo noticed that Mingyu's lip had
become so chapped that it was splitting open.

"You're never going to heal that if you let it get dry and cracked. Don't you have lip balm?" Wonwoo
questioned, rolling his eyes when Mingyu shook his head and stuck his tongue out to lick the wound.
"Don't lick it!" Wonwoo quickly exclaimed, "It'll make it even more dry, idiot." He grumbled while
taking out his cherry chapstick and handing it over.

"Really?" Mingyu said with wide eyes and a small grin which amplified how bad the cut already
looked. Seungcheol really held nothing back.

"Yes, take it I have plenty." Wonwoo grumbled, looking at his shoulder at Yuri who was perched up
on there. Mingyu took the lip balm and applied it to his lips and he almost immediately had to put on
another layer because his skin just soaked up the moisture. "Thanks." Mingyu grinned.

Wonwoo shook his head, "Next time I'll just stab you if you're in my room." He said while grinning
at Yuri and those words really didn't match that action. Wonwoo looked cute.

Mingyu was about to voice his thoughts when the door suddenly opened to reveal Jeonghan.

"Children! I'm home!"

4
Did you do the astronomy homework? I'm having trouble with it, save me!!
Shut up I'm reading

The fact that Mingyu was texting Wonwoo when they were literally in the same room was stupid but
he didn't mind. He was hoping this conversation was almost over anyways. Also, the fact that he still
had Mingyu saved as Gyu in his phone was annoying but he wouldn't change that.

Please send answers

Please
Please

Wonwoo grabbed his phone and quickly turned it off after he gave it a glare, how dare Mingyu triple
text him. No manners is what he had.

"Please"

"Please"

Those texts were now replaced by a tall - fucking huge ass man standing infront of him with a pout
and it somehow suited him. Mingyu had on a cream hoodie with ripped jeans and Wonwoo mentally
noted to get Cheol to steal that hoodie for him. It looked expensive and warm, Wonwoo's two
favourite things.

"I spent like three hours doing this. I'm not helping you." Wonwoo shrugged, looking down at his
book. He expected Mingyu to walk away feeling rejected and he did - walk away that is but Wonwoo
wasn't anticipating the books and laptop that appeared at the table he was sitting at.

When did I invite this 6 foot tall bitch to sit with me

Mingyu grinned as he took a seat and opened up his laptop, "I won't say anything. I just don't like
being alone." He murmured to Wonwoo while going back to typing, he was just trying to google the
answers.

They stayed silent for about a minute before one boy came running past them screaming and another
one in tow with a flip flop in hand,

"Soonyoung! I'm going to shove this up your ass!" Seungkwan shouted, passing by the table and
knocking down the opened bottom of water on Mingyu's table.

Wonwoo straightened up a bit when he noticed what just happened, the old Mingyu would murder
them, not even kidding but this one was just groaning as he quickly lifted up the few notes he had
written out.

"No!" Mingyu whined as he covered his face, he had worked so fucking hard on it and it was
probably wrong but at least he tried.

"I answered three questions! It took me all day." He groaned one more time, closing his laptop and
starting to wipe the table down with a napkin. Fuck the assignment, fuck university.

At this point Wonwoo couldn't help but feel slightly bad for Mingyu, he had obviously struggled
with the questions he was able to complete and now they were gone.

Wonwoo leaned forward and handed over his notebook, "Your answers were probably wrong
anyways." He shrugged, collecting his stuff and walking away.

-------

Jeonghan was in the middle of eating cereal when Seungcheol walked into his room with a grin,
"Hello my Hannie!" He grinned, sitting beside him on the bed and giving him a soft kiss on the
cheek.

Jeonghan frowned as he looked down at the key in his boyfriends hand, "I don't recall giving you
that." He piped up, scooping up some cheerios into his spoon and eating it.

"Wonwoo gave me it?"

"He hates you."

Seungcheol pouted at that, "Wonnie doesn't hate me -" He paused and smiled when said boy walked
into the room, "Hey do you hate -" Seungcheol was cut off once again,

"Mayonnaise? Yes. I also hate you." Wonwoo added in, flicking Seungcheol on the forehead before
he took the bowl of cereal Jeonghan was eating and exited the room.

Seungcheol narrowed his eyes and looked over at his boyfriend who was pouting, "I have a perfect
idea. Someone needs to put our little Won in his place." He grinned.

Commence plan clown.

-------

Mingyu furrowed his eyebrows as he read through Wonwoo's notes, how could someone be so
beautiful and smart. That's not fair. Wonwoo had the most angelic writing, it was soft and he had
sticky notes placed all over to indicate important points. Mingyu felt his heart warm up at the sight.

"You look very happy over notes. Did he give you the answers to the homework too?" Jeonghan
questioned as he leaned his head on Mingyu's shoulder, his boyfriend was out planning a prank with
the rest of their friends.

Mingyu grinned a bit, "No, he gave me something better, his notes. He knew if he gave me the
answers I wouldn't learn so he gave me the notes and now I know how to get the answers." Mingyu
mumbled, looking down at Jeonghan who had his nose scrunched up.

"I can't believe he can't see how sweet my baby has become. I am a very proud parent, you know this
school offers therapy sessions right? It's part of some mental health thing they have implemented."
Jeonghan explained as he fixed Mingyu's hair.

The relationship between the pair was strictly friendly, they didn't cross any boundaries, they never
kissed, never had any type of intimate relations. They really were just best friends. Jeonghan was
beside Mingyu every step of the way during his rehabilitation. Jeonghan watched Mingyu grow from
an angsty teen to a very mature, understanding young adult.

Mingyu shrugged a bit and gave Jeonghan a smile, "Wonwoo doesn't need to see anything. I want
him to take his time, I can't explain to you what I did to him." He let out a soft sigh, "He's so different
now."

Jeonghan removed his hand from Mingyu's hair, "Tell me about it! He used to be so happy and nice,
now he's just angry all the time and mean to my baby Cheol." He pouted, nudging Mingyu lightly,
"Just apologize so that he can go back to being happy." Jeonghan whined.

Mingyu shook his head and gave him a sad smile, "It's not that easy. I wish it was but it isn't. He
needs time, I don't expect him to welcome me into his life with open arms. Also, the fact that he's
only this minimally angry is surprising, I thought he would stab me when he saw me in class." He
chuckled.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, "Yeah. All he did was pour coffee on you." He laughed while remembering
not only did he get coffee on him that day but he also got beat up.

"Hey," Mingyu whined like an overgrown puppy, "Don't laugh at me. I was so sad that day." He
groaned, resting his head against the table.

"It's okay, I didn't let Cheol cum in my mouth that night after what he did to you. It was punishment,
I'm a good friend." Jeonghan beamed.

-------

"Hello my beautiful dollar sign!" Seungkwan grinned as he slid into the seat beside Wonwoo.

"Do I know you? Also why did you call me dollar sign?" He questioned with a scrunch of his nose,
he wanted to stab this boy just to see if he would keep smiling.

"I'm a friend of Seokmin!"

"Seokmin has friends?" Wonwoo mumbled while looking back down at his book, ignoring the
laughter Seungkwan let out.

"Barely! Anyways, I would like you to join our squad." He hummed while pulling out a pack of
gummy bears and starting to bite off the heads, putting the bodies back into the bag. Seungkwan
turned to Wonwoo with a grin, "Its me, Seokmin, Soonyoung, Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Mingyu!"
He beamed, and wait a minute.

Wonwoo closed his book and turned to look Seungkwan in the eyes, "Those are my friends. I'm
basically their ring leader, they worship me." He said before collecting his things and walking away.

Seungkwan grinned and pulled out his phone, everything was going as planned. He failed
Seungcheol's number and tapped his fingers on the desk.

"Dollar sign is in progress heading back to nest! Over!" Seungkwan grinned, this was going to be
fun. His main job was to just bother Wonwoo for a bit because Seungcheol knew he would get
irritated and return to his room.

"Why the fuck do you call him dollar sign - oh wait I get it. Won." Mingyu mumbled since the phone
was on speaker but his voice got a bit muffled from the clown mask.

------

Wonwoo sighed softly as he made his way to his room, everyone was being weird and honestly, he
was down for a nap. He unlocked the door and stepped into the small house, turning on the lights he
made his way to the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and as he turned around he
was met with a clown and let out a loud scream.

See the thing is, Wonwoo doesn't get scared easily.

He gets scared very easily.

The fact that with all the clown sightings one just showed up in his house scared him the most
because how the fuck does that even happen. So, as any smart person would do, he grabbed a pan
and hit the intruder over the head with it, letting out a sigh when the attacker fell to the ground.

"Shit! Wonwoo!" Seungcheol shouted, running over and scaring Wonwoo even more which almost
lead to him getting hit with the pan as well.

"What the fuck! What is this? A prank?" Wonwoo panted, looking between Seungcheol and the
clown, maybe this was a scheme, maybe they were going to murder him. Wonwoo gripped the pan
tighter.

"You fucking knocked out Mingyu! Shit!" Seungcheol said while taking off the clown mask and
revealing a bump on the mans forehead.

"I-Fuck." Wonwoo stuttered, reaching for his phone and calling for an ambulance. This will be one
hell of a story to tell the rest of their friends later.

------

When Mingyu woke up he almost instantly remembered what happened and a shot of pain went
straight to his bruised forehead. He looked around the hospital room and then noticed a sleeping
figure in the chair beside him.

"Wonwoo." Mingyu mumbled softly, grabbing his phone and checking the time, it was about ten at
night. Did he eat?

"Shut up, clearly I'm trying to sleep. I also was hoping you'd die from this injury for scaring me."
Wonwoo replied, sitting up and stretching his limbs, he leaned over and pinched Mingyu.

"Ouch! Fuck! I'm injured!" He groaned, swatting at Wonwoo's hand.

"Good. Die." Wonwoo replied, standing up and walking out of the room. Mingyu wasn't expecting
him to come back but when he did he was happy to see ramen and two hard boiled eggs, his stomach
almost instantly started growling.

Mingyu watched silently as Wonwoo poured boiling water into the noodles, used the chopsticks to
mix the sauce and vegetables together and then walked back over with the two eggs.
"Thank you." Mingyu grinned while sitting up, he wasn't in much pain but he was sure it's because of
the medicine that seemed to be kicking in.

Wonwoo gave him a weird look, what. Before he realized that Mingyu thought the food was for him
and he let out a small laugh, "Fuck no." He scoffed while blowing on the noodles before he took a
bite and hummed.
Mingyu pouted and poked Wonwoo's leg, they were that close. "One bite. Small, I promise." He
repeated just like when they shared the ice cream.

Fucking progress.

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and handed over the cup so that he could crack the eggs. They ended up
sharing the food, no feeding because that was off limits. Once they were both satisfied that's when
things got a bit weird.

"I should g-"

"Thank you."

Wonwoo raised an eyebrow at Mingyu, he was trying to leave but instead Mingyu was...thanking
him?

"For what exactly? I've done a lot." Wonwoo shrugged, biting his lip and looking down. He didn't
like where this was going.

"For everything. You've been kind to me and I dont deserve it. I've changed, yes, but what I did to
you...I deserve to be hit by three pans or like, four, maybe." Mingyu chuckled, shrugging afterward,
"You've always been such a good person and I hope - slowly I can make this all up to you. I want to
be your friend and I haven't said this but I am sorry." He paused and looked at Wonwoo who was
staring at him intensely, an unreadable expression on his face.

"Say it again." Wonwoo whispered, looking down at Mingyu's lips before he met his eyes. "I want to
hear you say it."

"I'm sorry."

"Again."

"I'm sorry."

"Again."

"Jeon Wonwoo, I am sorry."

"It's not enough." Wonwoo whispered as he stood up, "You are garbage, you are the lowest of the
earth and I hate you. I've been far too kind these days but you and I have history and I will never
forget what you've done to me." He promised, tilting his head.

"You think I've gotten soft? That I am the same Jeon Wonwoo you used?" Wonwoo whispered while
tilting Mingyu's chin upwards just so that he could see into the eyes that have hurt him so bad.

"You ripped me apart mentally. I felt like nothing, I will make you feel like that." Wonwoo said with
a smile, pulling his hand away to gently pat Mingyu's cheek. "I promise." He added while collecting
his things.

"See you in astronomy class." Wonwoo called out while walking away and out of the room and he
felt a bit lighter.

Mingyu felt like he had just been drowned.

Jeonghan raised his eyebrows, "He said that to you?" He questioned while pouring Mingyu and
himself another shot.

They were currently at a Seokmin party and by that he means one of the best parties ever. There was
something about a party before exams to just let loose and feel young before the suicidal portion of
the year begins that felt good. All their friends were here and everyone was having a good time, the
one rule was to get drunk.

"Yeah. He said he's going to ruin my life but I don't know how and that scares me. He's so scary
now." Mingyu pouted, looking over at Wonwoo who was doing shots with Jihoon.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes, taking the shot before he turned to Mingyu. "He's just trying to scare you.
You could kill him why're you afraid - wait," He paused, shaking his head, "You'd probably let him
kill you even though you could take him." Jeonghan scoffed, "You're a little bitch." He added.

Mingyu smirked a bit and downed the shot as well, "Looks like you've got some competition. Tell
your boyfriend to stay away from mine." He said while glaring over at Wonwoo who was leaning
close to Seungcheol, the other mans hand on his waist.

Jeonghan looked over and giggled, a soft hiccup emitting from him, "He isn't your boyfriend and
they're not like that. Seungcheol likes me. I swallow." Jeonghan stated while looking up at Mingyu
who winced a bit, "No! Say it isn't true! Tell me Wonwoo doesn't swallow!" He begged, covering his
face as he looked at the pair between his fingers.

Wonwoo groaned as he pushed the earring back into Seungcheol's cartilage. What an idiot. "I don't
like you, this is Gods way of saying you shouldn't touch me." Wonwoo mumbled after he
successfully pushed the metal back into the flesh.
Jihoon laughed as he poured another shot and offered it to Seungcheol, "That is what you get for
hugging him." The smaller of the two shrugged, it was a funny thing to watch, the way the earring
fell on the table, the small scream Seungcheol let out. It was amusing.

"See, this is why nobody likes either of you. You're both going to hell." Seungcheol grumbled, taking
the shot and then rubbing his sore ear, Hannie would kiss it better.

Wonwoo rolled his eyes, "Well, I am off to go get drunk off my ass. Please don't run into me, also
move out or like leave the country." He said while patting Seungcheol on the shoulder and walking
away to mingle.

-------

One thing everyone could agree on, Wonwoo was the best when he was drunk. It was like he
reverted back to the old Wonwoo, the one that never met Mingyu.

"Seungkwan! Kwannie!" Wonwoo shouted out even though they were both in the kitchen trying to
bake a cake and really, he didn't need to yell.

"Wonwoo! Dollar sign!" Seungkwan slurred back, wrapping his arms around Wonwoo from behind.
"The pineapple upside down cake is almost done you - you remembered to put the pineapples right?"
He giggled, I have a pen I have an apple

Wonwoo grabbed the can of pineapples he was supposed to put in the cake and turned to Seungkwan,
"Of course! I put this can in the cake! I was runner up on food network baking...baking challenge."
Wonwoo mumbled as he got distracted by the pretty looking bottle of rum on the countertop.

Seungkwan grinned as he took the can, "Good. I'm glad you remembered to do so! Now, it's done.
It's been exactly five -" He raised his hand to show the number, "Five minutes!" Seungkwan grinned,
pushing Wonwoo lightly who ended up spilling rum on the table.

Oops.

"Time to take it out!" Wonwoo giggled, pulling down the oven and reaching into it, pouting at the
heat but the pan wouldn't be too hot. Plus, he was sure at this point he was a super hero.

Luckily, before his hands got to the pan he was pulled back by the waist and a pair of hands with
oven mits removed the barely cooked cake. It was still liquid.

"God this smells fucking disgusting." Mingyu groaned, dumping the pan into the sink and closing up
the oven. "You both are gross." He added while taking off the oven mitts that Seungkwan shouted
made him look like a lobster because of the red colour.

Wonwoo pouted as he pressed his body to the refrigerator and then let out a whine, "You ruin
everything, Gyu." He groaned, opening up the fridge and taking out a bottle of water that he really
had difficulty opening.
Mingyu stared at Wonwoo completely shocked, "G-Gyu?" It had been so long since he heard that
name, the name that was said to him in that same soft voice that he hadn't heard in so fucking long.
He didn't know he was craving it.

Wonwoo nodded with the same pout as he pressed the bottle to Mingyu's chest, "Gyu!" He whined,
stomping his foot, "Open it I'm thirsty and rum doesn't taste good." Wonwoo said and watched as the
taller man opened it up.

Mingyu cleared his throat and looked around while Wonwoo drank the water. He looked to his left
and saw Jihoon on the table completely knocked out and on his right Seokmin, Soonyoung and
Seungkwan dog piled on the floor. What an amazing party.

"Let's -" Wonwoo paused to hiccup, a small smile making its way to his face, "Let's take a box of
pizza and go to the roof!" He didn't give Mingyu a chance to reply because he was already dragging
him to the area with the food.

The fresh air felt nice, it sobered him up a bit but he was still out of it. "Who created pizza? I would
let them punch me in the face." Wonwoo mumbled, grinning at Mingyu who began laughing.

"You would? I wouldn't, pizza isn't that great." That statement caused him to get a weak punch on the
arm from Wonwoo. "It isn't! It's not that good, chicken, beef - fucking cake, all of those things are
better." Mingyu shrugged, looking at Wonwoo who was staring up at the sky.

The silence was nice, the last time they were up on a roof Seungcheol was beating the crap out of
Mingyu. He looked over at Wonwoo and realized the boy was shivering. Mingyu took off his bomber
jacket and gave it to Wonwoo, "Put it on, I will freeze just for you." He teased but honestly he would.

Wonwoo put on the warm jacket and shifted closer to rest his head in the others lap. "Tell me about
the stars." He mumbled, that was something they used to do all the time, just stay with each other and
talk softly.

"Every star you see right now is bigger and even brighter than the sun." Mingyu murmured, Wonwoo
gasped softly, looking up at him with wide eyes, "Really?"

Mingyu nodded with a small hum, he had a feeling Wonwoo knew this since they both learned it in
class but drunk Wonwoo seemed surprised. After a few more facts, Mingyu thought Wonwoo was
asleep so when he looked down at his lap he was surprised to see the boy staring back at him.

"I want to hurt you." He admitted, his eyes getting a bit watery, he didn't feel as drunk but he wasn't
sober, he wouldn't say this when sober. "I would go to the roof every night hoping you would come
back and tell me you were - were joking." Wonwoo slurred a bit, wiping his eyes quickly when he
noticed the tears had began to fall. He didn't want to cry.

Mingyu followed one of the tears with his eyes before he lifted his hand and wiped it away, "I'm
sorry. I know you won't remember this but I am sorry Wonwoo. I was feeling so much pain and
anger in my life, I took advantage of the one person I knew would always come back to me." He
whispered, touching his cheeks before he pressed his thumb to Wonwoo's bottom lip, "You never let
me down. You were always my rock, I never got the chance to do the same for you. I want to make
this up to you, I want to earn your trust."

Wonwoo sat up and Mingyu felt his heart sink, the end of their time was approaching but he didn't
expect it to end like this. Wonwoo was probably going to walk away, swearing revenge on him.
What he didn't expect was the embrace that really caught him off guard. Wonwoo was hugging him.

"I missed you." Wonwoo whispered into Mingyu's neck, his arms tightly wrapped around him, "You
were my best friend before we messed it up." He added, he didn't feel drunk at all anymore.

"Wonwoo." Mingyu whispered, pressing his old best friend close to him, keeping him warm and safe
and that's all he really wanted.

-------

Somehow all eight friends that stayed over ended up sleeping somewhere with someone else. When
Jihoon woke up he was in the closet with Seokmin on top of him like a blanket, Seokmin woke up
with a kick to the balls.

Seungkwan found himself on the couch on top of Soonyoung who swore he saw Jesus last night and
Wonwoo woke up with Jeonghan trying to choke him. After he got the longer haired male off him
and promised he really, really wasn't interested in Seungcheol they went off looking for the last pair
of their group.

Mingyu groaned softly at the sound of clicking and flashes going off. "What is that." He mumbled,
opening his eyes and frowning when his blurry vision adjusted to six intruders laughing and taking
pictures of him and whoever he had his arms around.

He thought the black hair belonged to Wonwoo.

He was wrong.

Seungcheol turned and blinked a few times before the two jumped apart and fell off the bed, emitting
so much laughter from Seungkwan he had to run to the bathroom to puke.

"I just spooned -"

"He fucking spooned me!" Seungcheol shouted, starting to chase Mingyu around the house.

After everyone had washed up they decided it would be best to leave the filthy house and go get
breakfast at their favourite diner. The diner was only their favourite because they had a booth big
enough for them.

Once they began eating, Mingyu kept giving glances to Wonwoo who didn't seem as upset as he
expected him to be. Well, how he usually is, Wonwoo was smiling and laughing, putting whipped
cream on people's nose and that's not this angry Wonwoo, that's old Wonwoo.
Mingyu decided it would be best to just keep it to himself, he wouldn't try to interact with him
because that could ruin the entire mood but it would be hard because Wonwoo was inching closer to
him every second.

"No! You need to listen what I'm saying is that kangaroos are actually just people, have you seen
them?" Soonyoung groaned, covering his face, nobody was listening. He ended up having to pull out
his phone and show them the video of the kangaroo getting punched by a human and just standing
there absolutely shocked.

Somehow he ended up convincing Seokmin and Seungkwan.

Wonwoo rolled his eyes before looking at Mingyu and then his plate, "You hate chocolate chip
pancakes. You like waffles." Wonwoo pointed out, tilting his head when the table got silent but he
didn't remove his eye contact from Mingyu.

"I-uh, they gave me the wrong order but we waited long enough and I don't want to cause trouble -"
He was cut off with Wonwoo taking his own plate and switching it with Mingyu's.

"No, Wonwoo - its okay." He tried saying but he couldn't help the small smile that made its way onto
his face.

Wonwoo shrugged as he cut a piece of the pancake, "I didn't like my waffles anyway." He promised,
glancing at Mingyu with soft eyes.

Suddenly breakfast became Mingyu's favourite meal.

Wonwoo raised his eyebrows at the familiar container that was placed on the table he was working
at.

"Mingyu. Are you trying to fatten me up?" Wonwoo questioned, his friend had been buying him fast
food, cakes, candies, chocolates all the unhealthy food in the fucking world.

"No. I am being kind, I do this to all my friends." Mingyu shrugged as he sat down in front of
Wonwoo and grinned when the boy opened up the take out container to reveal a thick slice of his
favourite vanilla cake.

"From the bakery?" Wonwoo questioned with wide eyes, looking up at Mingyu who was nodding
with a grin, "That's like an hour away. You didn't have to." He mumbled, taking the fork out of the
wrapping to distract himself from the blush he was sporting.

"I do it for all my friends." Jihoon mocked, rolling his eyes and leaning over to take a bite of the
cake, "Yeah, where's my cake? We are friends" Seokmin pouted, taking the fork and having a bite as
well. By time they were all done sharing the cake there was just one single bite left for Wonwoo.
"One day I will murder you all." Wonwoo promised as Seungcheol walked past and took the last
piece with his bare hands and ate it. "Mingyu! They ate my cake." He whined, pressing his head to
the table and pinching the thigh closest to him which was Seokmin.

Seokmin let out a small yell which turned into a whine as he rubbed his leg. "Jeon Wonwoo!" He
exclaimed, he didn't even eat a lot of it.

Mingyu chuckled softly and stood up, "I need help with my astronomy homework, help me?" He
asked softly, looking at Wonwoo who quickly stood up, anything to get away from those monsters.

When they got back to Mingyu's room that's when the taller of the two pulled out two more slices of
cake, "I know our friends, I would be dumb if I didn't get more than one." He chuckled, smiling at
the way Wonwoo's eyes lit up.

After they finished eating the slice of cake together that's when Wonwoo decided to ask a very
important question.

"Do you have a food kink?" He questioned, quickly reaching over to pat Mingyu on the back when
he began coughing up his water.

"N-No." He stuttered, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand and then looking at Wonwoo with
wide eyes, "I'm just being nice not using you eating as jerk off material." Mingyu chuckled, leaning
back on his bed and glancing over at Wonwoo who was fidgeting a bit.

"I met a guy." He blurted out, looking up at Mingyu before he quickly looked down, "Kangjoon. Seo
Kangjoon. I met him in Seoul, he was really nice to me and we have been talking for a while...he's
coming to the university and I just wanted to let you know." Wonwoo said softly, he didn't owe
Mingyu this but he was being a good friend.

Mingyu swallowed thickly and shook his head, "I want you to be happy. If Kangjoon makes you
happy then I'll welcome him with open arms." He promise, he would but his heart was breaking bit
by bit. The way Wonwoo smiled at his name, no wonder he was always on his phone.

Mingyu cleared his throat and leaned forward a bit, "When is he arriving?"

Wonwoo grinned at him, "In about ten minutes." He said before laughing because Mingyu choked on
his drink again

Ten fucking minutes.

-------

The fact that everybody knew about Kangjoon before Mingyu bothered him but what bothered him
the most was the fact that he is beautiful. Kangjoon is stunning and honestly Mingyu felt as though
he couldn't compare or compete.
Might as well kill him.

"Dude! You're going to bend the metal!" Soonyoung laughed while taking the butter knife from
Mingyu and using it to spread butter on his garlic bread. They were all at the diner and it was a bit
snug with the new person at their table.

Jihoon reached his hand out and took the Pepsi sitting in front of Seungcheol because he drank all of
his. When Seungcheol looked over with a glare Jihoon flinched at him threateningly, "Fight me." He
mumbled before taking a sip of the drink.

Kangjoon glanced at Mingyu and raised an eyebrow at the intense stare he was receiving, it was as if
Mingyu was trying to get into his brain. It was weird and he didn't like it.

"So! I'm hosting a party." Seungkwan said while shoving another piece of fried chicken into his
mouth, a few crumbs falling out as he spoke, "Its going to be great, you're all invited."

------

The party started off nice, it was just their group of friends, Kangjoon and a few others. There was
alcohol, music and food. Nobody could really complain.

Mingyu noticed that almost the whole night, Kangjoon was hovering over Wonwoo. He knew
Wonwoo and he was sure the boy didn't like that, he didn't enjoy constantly being caged in. He was
about to walk over and save him but Seungkwan beat him to it as he grabbed Kangjoon and Wonwoo
and pulled them over to the circle that was forming.

Oh no.

"Spin the fucking bottle? Really? Are we in middle school?" Mingyu grumbled but still sat down, he
wasn't going to miss out on this.

By time they were on the third round, Mingyu hadn't even fucking kissed anyone but he got the
enjoyment of watching Jihoon lean over and receive a kiss from Seungcheol. That was what he
thought would be the highlight of his night.

Mingyu was staring off, absorbed in his own thoughts when Seungkwan nudged him and he glanced
down at the bottle to see it was pointing at him.

Great
He looked across to see the bitch who did this and was shocked to see Wonwoo staring at him with
wide eyes. That's why everyone was so quiet.

Seungcheol glanced between them and cleared his throat, "You guys don't have to, it's just a game."
He promised, looking at Mingyu and then turning to Kangjoon who scoffed.
"What's wrong?" He questioned with a smirk, staring straight into Mingyu's eyes, "Straight boy is
afraid to give a little kiss to Wonwoo?" Kangjoon teased, clearly he didn't know their story.

Mingyu scratched the back of his neck and decided it would be better not to reply, he would say
something and probably piss off Wonwoo. What he wasn't expecting was for said boy to appear in
front of him and then plop down beside him.

Wonwoo glanced into Mingyu's eyes and took a small breath in, he wanted to do this. Mostly
because Kangjoon was irritating him all day and he wanted to feel something. He knew Mingyu
could provide that.

"Are you sure?" Mingyu whispered, his hand moving to thumb over the others bottom lip, "We don't
have to do this." He added, no matter how badly he wanted this he wouldn't force it. They just
became friends.

Wonwoo nodded, it was brief and unnoticeable to anyone else but Mingyu caught it.

They both leaned in and it was like their first kiss all over again, the soft mesh of their lips, the way
they just fit together. It was innocent and sweet, gentle in a way that made Wonwoo's heart speed up.
When they parted, they didn't move too far away from one another, they were breathing each other's
air and staring into each other's eyes. Once Mingyu glanced down at Wonwoo's lips again that's when
he took him by the jaw and initiated another kiss.

This one unlike the other was hot and wet. Mingyu had this way of kissing Wonwoo, he kissed him
with the fiery passion he had during a boxing match, he kissed him with the love that they once
shared. Wonwoo let out a soft sigh and let his mouth fall open, hands gripping Mingyu's neck as they
all but swallowed each other.

Mingyu held back a smirk because he didn't want to ruin the mood so instead he swept his tongue
against Wonwoo's and revelled in the way his arms tightened around his neck. Their make out lasted
for a good minute before Mingyu forced himself to pull away, he lightly dragged out Wonwoo's
bottom lip and then gave him three soft pecks on the mouth.

He knew this wouldn't happen again.

Wonwoo let his cheeks heat up and he felt himself shifting towards Mingyu but he stood up once he
realized what happened. Technically that's not cheating, right?

A glance at Kangjoon made him believe the statement even more because his boyfriend was just
chuckling softly and looking down at his phone. Wonwoo walked back over and sat down, he took a
look at Kangjoon's phone and his eyes widened when he realized it was a video of what just
happened.

The worst part was that they looked good together, something about Wonwoo and Mingyu worked.
Seungkwan downed another shot and then stood up, "Let's party!" He shouted, setting the mood back
to normal. The tension was killing the party.

Mingyu however couldn't keep his eyes off of Wonwoo all night.

-------

Just like any night they would get drunk, they all met for breakfast the next morning at the diner.

"Sally. These waffles are -" Seungkwan paused to moan, "Amazing. I love you, marry me?" He
smiled at the 60 - something year old woman.

"Seungkwan-ah!" Soonyoung whined, "She's mine." He added with a wink to the blushing old lady.

Jihoon lost his appetite. He glanced over to Jeonghan and Seungcheol to see them feeding one
another. Now he really needed to puke.

Breakfast was going as expected until Kangjoon grinned over at Mingyu. "So the kiss."

Wonwoo's eyes widened and he coughed a bit as he choked on his water, "K-Kiss?" He questioned,
grabbing a napkin and wiping his mouth. "Why do we need to talk about that." Wonwoo grumbled,
leaning back in his chair and avoiding eye contact with Mingyu. He was doing that all morning and
he wouldn't give in now.

"It really looked like you were into it Mingyu, are you gay?" Kangjoon questioned, tilting his head to
the side and letting a smirk fit itself onto his face.

Mingyu chuckled softly, he leaned forward and gripped his butter knife, "Do you want to die? I will
gut you right now." He promised, the feeling of anger was overwhelming him and he hadn't been like
this in a while.

He didn't know why. Maybe it was because he wanted Wonwoo for himself or maybe it was because
Kangjoon constantly felt the need to open his mouth.

Either way, he was pissed.

"I'm going to head home. I have homework." Mingyu grumbled, thanking God that he didn't sit in the
middle but on the edge. That way he easily slipped out of the booth and the diner.

-------

Mingyu walked out of his room and gave a smile to Jeonghan who was typing away on his laptop.
"Seungcheol. Let's go boxing." He said while putting some clothes into a duffel bag for himself along
with his boxing gloves.
Seungcheol turned off the tv and stood up, "Are you sure? I might kick your ass." He smirked, his
eyes shifting to Jeonghan who was now paying attention to their conversation.

"I wouldn't count on it, baby." Jeonghan laughed, his fingers typing away as his gaze returned to the
screen.

Boxing with Seungcheol was nice, Mingyu felt as if they bonded, they also get their weird pent up
aggression out.

"You know," Seungcheol paused to take a few big gulps from his water bottle, "I will kick your ass if
you hurt Wonwoo. You are stronger than me but I will stab you." He promised, going back to
drinking his water as he stared at Mingyu who was laughing.

Why were they all into stabbing?

"I was about to say the same about Jeonghan. I will murder you if you ever hurt him." He promised,
his eyes became a bit dark at the idea of his most sensitive friend getting hurt.

Seungcheol nodded, "I respect that. Why do you care about him so much?" He asked, taking off his
other boxing glove and throwing it into the bin.

Mingyu did the same but he put his in his bag since they were owned by him. "Jeonghannie is closer
to me than most of my family. I consider you guys all closer than my family but he was always there,
him and Wonwoo." He shrugged.

"Then you fucked it up."

"Then I fucked it up." Mingyu agreed with a nod, "Jeonghan was by my side, he would call me an
idiot but still run his fingers through my hair, he would yell at me but then hug me a few seconds
later." He paused with a smile, "Jeonghan is my rock, I see he's your rock too."

Seungcheol nodded, "He's been my rock for a while now. When Wonwoo introduced us I knew right
then when Jeonghan came over to me and hugged me I was in love." He laughed, shaking his head to
take that back, "Not in love but you've seen him. I would be dumb to think he's not beautiful."

Mingyu nodded while recycling his bottle and grabbing the towel from his duffel bag. "That's true.
You never have to worry about him and I, I love him so much but not like that. Never like that." He
promised nodding over at Seungcheol, "See you later, man." Mingyu called out before turning his
body and entering the locker room.

They came in different cars so Mingyu allowed himself extra time as he showered and changed into
fresh clothes, no longer in boxing gear either.

He picked up his phone and felt his lip twitch when he saw a text from Wonwoo.

'Can you come pick me up? I've been waiting here for 3 hours. Joon ditched me.'
'Yeah, always. Where are you?' He texted back while making his way to the garage and getting into
his car. Usually Wonwoo would walk home but Mingyu noticed how it was raining heavily and this
all made sense now.

When he picked Wonwoo up the boy looked really upset but he didn't initiate any conversation. The
taller of the two glanced over at Wonwoo a few times and let out a sigh, he took a turn and soon they
were in a McDonald's eating and ranting. Wonwoo was doing most of the ranting.

"He fucking ditched me and won't pick up his phone, I'm not someone you ditch!" Wonwoo paused,
a fry in his mouth as he chewed and pointed to his face and then body, "Hello! I have people lined up
to date me." He joked, leaning over and dipping his fry into the vanilla milkshake they were sharing.

Mingyu tilted his head back and let out a laugh, he missed this, "You're right. They're lined up down
the block, had to make them take a number." He chuckled while shaking his head.

A silence fell on them and it was nice but Wonwoo needed to say something and so did Mingyu.

"Wonwoo." Mingyu said, he noticed the boy about to open his mouth but he wanted to say this first.
"That kiss meant -"

"Something." Wonwoo finished, his eyes hopeful as he glanced up at Mingyu and then back down at
the fry that was sinking into the thick milkshake.

He lightly chewed on his bottom lip and then met Mingyu's eyes, "Do you still like me?" He
questioned, "Be honest. We fell out but if I were to dump Joon right now. Would you date me?"
Wonwoo questioned, he couldn't identify that look in Mingyu's eyes, it was so intense and he held no
expression.

"I would date you today, tomorrow, any day Wonwoo." Mingyu murmured, his voice low even
though it didn't need to be but Wonwoo didn't mind. "When I say I've changed not only for you but
for me, I mean it. I want you to see this side of me." He added, leaning back and watching Wonwoo
who had a pink tint to his cheeks.

They ended their night a bit late and by a bit late they ended up staying at McDonald's just talking
until 2 am. They were in the car for a bit but in that short time Wonwoo ended up falling asleep.

Mingyu, being the gentle and loving person he is, he carried Wonwoo inside his dorm. He removed
the boys shoes and the jacket he was wearing and tucked him in. He stared at his sleeping face and
felt something in his chest, he wanted to lay down and be with him, he could easily do it but at the
same time he couldn't.

Boundaries.

Mingyu said goodbye to Jeonghan who was still up and typing his thesis out for a class. Mingyu was
walking down the dorm B hall when he bumped into Kangjoon who was obviously going to see
Wonwoo.
Mingyu took a step in front of Kangjoon and raised his hand to stop him, "I wouldn't go there,
Wonwoo is asleep we just got back. It's also very late, he doesn't enjoy being woken up."

Mingyu was trying to be helpful but Kangjoon felt as if he was being challenged.

Game on.

"Mingyu. Kim Mingyu." He sighed, stretching his arms a bit and cracking his back, okay. "I know
about you, your dad." Joon specified when Mingyu raised an eyebrow at him.

"Aha." He chuckled at the flash of realization and anger that hit Mingyu and showed in his eyes,
"That look is what I should've gotten on camera. Not that kiss." He paused and pulled out his phone,
clicking a few buttons and letting the video play.

Mingyu glared down at the screen and then shifted his gaze to the man in front of him who looked
happier than ever. "See, I realized after rewatching this that something had to have happened
between you two before. I mean -" Joon paused and fixed his bomber jacket with a slight wince, "He
doesn't even kiss me like that." He chuckled, stuffing his phone into his pocket.

"What do you want? If we are done here, send that video to me. I would love to watch how good we
look together a few more times." Mingyu smirked, shoving Kangjoon to the side so that he could
keep walking down the hall.

Kangjoon grabbed Mingyu's elbow and stared at him, "Stay away from Wonwoo or I send this video
to your dad." He smirked, dropping his hand, "I did my research. It's great being rich." Kangjoon
paused and looked up at Mingyu. "You would know." He added with a laugh.

Kangjoon straightened up and set his hand on Mingyu's very tense shoulder, "So, I advice you to stay
away from my Wonwoo because we both know what happened to him the last time your father
thought something was going on between you two."

Of course Mingyu remembered because that's what fuelled his anger and ruined things with
Wonwoo.

He could never forget.

Wonwoo grinned up at Mingyu as he kissed his cheek one time. When he didn't get a reaction he
leaned in and pressed another kiss to the corner of his mouth. Still nothing. Wonwoo let out an
exasperated sigh and turned Mingyu's head, pressing their lips together firmly.
"Pay attention to me." He demanded, looking down at the blunt he was rolling up between his
fingers.
Mingyu rolled his eyes lightly and brought the joint up to his mouth to lick the paper, sealing it up. "I
was doing something very important."
Wonwoo tilted his head as he straddled the mans lap, "More important than doing me?" He
questioned while tilting his head to the side.
Mingyu looked up from the joint and stared into Wonwoo's eyes which made the boy shift nervously.
"Yes."
"You're so annoying." Wonwoo groaned as he made a move to get off his boyfriends lap but Mingyu
quickly pulled him back.
"Smoke with me." He murmured knowing Wonwoo couldn't really say no to him.
"I don't smoke," Wonwoo said as he handed Mingyu his lighter, "I only did it a few times. I prefer
alcohol. Works faster."
Mingyu chuckled softly and set the joint into his mouth, sparking it up and taking a few drags, his
eyes set on Wonwoo before they fell onto his soft lips.
"Come here." The taller mumbled, gripping his jaw with one hand and inhaling a deep breath of the
weed.
He leaned in and slid their lips together, breathing out the smoke into his mouth and marvelling at
the way Wonwoo's grip tightened on his neck.
Once he pulled away he watched the boy with closed eyes breathe out the smoke, "You are pretty."
Mingyu murmured, leaning back and taking another drag.
Wonwoo opened his eyes and stared at Mingyu who was still smoking, "You could've had me tonight
but I think I'm tired -" He paused to let out a fake yawn, standing up, "Have fun smoking." He called
out while walking towards the bedroom.
Mingyu shook his head, he took his time finishing the drag, in no rush to go soothe Wonwoo's hurt
feelings. Once he had finished he went to his bedroom to see Wonwoo still awake.
"Thought you were tired?" Mingyu questioned, pulling off his shirt and revealing his toned body.
"Thought you were smoking."
Mingyu looked at Wonwoo and gave him a soft smile, "I wouldn't prioritize weed when it comes to
you." He promised, laying down on his side of the bed.
Wonwoo sat up and thought about it for a second, was this all a set up? "Are you setting me up? You
know when you smile like that I want to suck your dick." He said with a straight face which made
Mingyu burst out laughing.
"I mean, I'm not opposed to you sucking my dick."
The next morning Wonwoo was nursing his sore throat with a cup of tea while sitting at the dinning
room table.
"It's so weird how your throat just started hurting out of nowhere." Mingyu gasped, faking
innocence.
"Yeah," Wonwoo said after he cleared his throat, the pain wasn't reflecting on his voice but it hurt a
bit to talk. "It kind of feels like someone fucked my throat, I wonder who could've done that." He
deadpanned, glaring at Mingyu who was laughing from the couch.
They both turned at the sound of the door unlocking and being pushed open to reveal a man in a
fresh pressed black suit, he had his hair slicked back and he looked like an older version of Mingyu.
"Son." He nodded at Mingyu who suddenly had become stiff, Wonwoo looked between them and then
stood up and bowed.
"I'm Jeon Wonwoo. Nice to meet you." He said politely, standing straight with a grin. "I should go,
my parents are probably wondering where I am." Wonwoo added as he walked over to the couch and
pressed a soft kiss to his boyfriends lips.
"I'll see you tomorrow. Come to school." Wonwoo grinned, grabbing his jacket and then heading out
of the house.
Mingyu's father stared at his song before he sighed, "What did we discuss?"
"I don't care about what you have to say or your opinion." Mingyu scoffed, turning back to the tv to
try and ignore the anger inside his chest. He couldn't punch his father. Again.
Mr. Kim let out another small sigh, clicking his tongue, "I gave you a chance."
When Wonwoo came to Mingyu a few days later crying that's how he knew something was wrong
and his father was responsible for it.
"My dad got fired. I don't understand how that's possible, he's one of the best doctors at the hospital.
He loves that job." Wonwoo said as he sat down against the brick wall of the roof.
Mingyu didn't meet Wonwoo's gaze, he felt too guilty.
"That was the first time in my whole life I've seen him cry and there was nothing I could do about it."
Wonwoo said while angrily wiping his eyes, "I just don't understand how that could happen."
Mingyu drove about an hour into the city to his fathers building. Once he got there he pushed the
two large doors to his office open and stalked over to his desk.
"You got his father fired." Mingyu spat, glaring at the man who was smiling up at him.
"I told you to break his little heart, I gave you ten of the most beautiful girls in Korea, I warned you
Mingyu." He shrugged, leaning back and playing with the expensive ball point pen in his hand.
Mingyu tilted his head and gripped the glass table underneath him and felt as if he could break it.
"All you have to do is stay away from him. If you don't -" Mr. Kim paused to pour some whiskey into
his glass, taking a slow sip, "Next will be his house, his mom will lose her job, his scholar ship." He
smirked when Mingyu's head snapped up to look at him.
"Guess we have a deal." The older man chuckled.

Mingyu sat up in his bed and shook his head to clear his thoughts, ever since Kangjoon had
threatened him with that video the only dreams he had were nightmares of that time.

Mingyu didn't want to hurt Wonwoo like that, he had some problems but he wasn't a fucking idiot.
He wouldn't willingly do that to Wonwoo but there was no other way he could distance them.

He stood up and stretched his legs, pulling on sweat pants and a t shirt deciding he would go to the
lounge room since he wasn't able to sleep. It was four in the morning and he doubted anyone would
be awake at this time on a Monday.

He was wrong. It only made sense that Wonwoo would be the only person in the room, he was
foolish for thinking fate could be on his side for a day.

"Hey." Wonwoo smiled when he noticed Mingyu at the door, "Why're you awake?"

Mingyu closed the door and walked further into the dimmed room, he was now able to see Wonwoo
a lot better. The boy was wearing an oversized hoodie and he had a gigantic bag of gummy bears in
his lap.

"I could ask you the same." Mingyu chuckled, sitting down beside him and taking a handful of the
gummy bears. "Why're you eating gummy bears at four in the morning? We have class tomorrow."
He reminded.

Wonwoo shrugged, taking a green bear and biting the head off first. He was putting them out of their
misery.
"I couldn't sleep. I had this really weird dream and I couldn't force myself to go back to sleep."
Wonwoo explained, turning off the tv and focusing his attention on Mingyu. "And you?"

Mingyu put a few more gummy bears into his mouth as he thought about it. He couldn't do what we
did last time, he just rebuilt their friendship. He could be honest but what if Wonwoo thought he was
just being jealous.

"You know I wouldn't lie to you, right?" He questioned, looking at Wonwoo as he suddenly became
serious. "Kangjoon is -" He was cut off when he heard the sound of shoes hitting the tiled floor. He
looked through the glass window and rolled his eyes when he saw the dark red hair of Kangjoon.

He took a small breath in and thought about it, he could easily kick Kangjoon's ass but that wouldn't
fix anything. That would just make him want to ruin Mingyu further.

"Just. One second." Mingyu mumbled, pulling Wonwoo behind the couch with him. When Wonwoo
was about to shout because half of the bag of candy spilled out, Mingyu quickly covered his mouth.

They heard the door open up and stay open for a few minutes until it closed and those same footsteps
descended off. Mingyu dropped his hand and looked into Wonwoo's eyes that were boring into his
own. The position they were in was none the less uncomfortable but Mingyu couldn't stop his eyes
from dropping down to Wonwoo's lips that were stained a pretty red colour from the gummy bears.

"We should -"

"Yeah." Mingyu agreed, standing up and helping Wonwoo up. The air was awkward and Mingyu
was about to just leave when Wonwoo broke that silence.

"My children!" He whined, dropping to his knees and scooping up the now contaminated gummy
bears. "Rest in piece." He whispered, leaning over and dumping them into the garbage.

Wonwoo stood up and poked Mingyu's firm chest with his finger. "You owe me a new bag of
gummy bears." He said as he clutched the half empty bag to his chest.

"Yes, yes, let's try and get some sleep." Mingyu chuckled, standing behind Wonwoo and putting his
hands on the shorter boys shoulders to direct him out of the room.

Mingyu knew he wouldn't be getting any sleep tonight.

"Woah." Seungcheol said with wide eyes, "So you only did that to Wonwoo because he would've lost
everything if you didn't." He said while slouching back a bit, "So I beat you up for no reason."
Seungcheol added, covering his face with a groan.

"No you didn't-"

"Yes. You did." Jeonghan interrupted Mingyu, he turned to his boyfriend and pinched his side, "I
told you to trust me when I said he's not a bad person but you didn't listen." He shrugged, "Feel the
guilt."

Mingyu chuckled softly and shook his head, he didn't know who else to come to for advice but he
was happy he told Seungcheol the truth.

"I don't know what to do. I can't hurt him like that again, we just became friends and sometimes I see
that hesitant look in his eyes. If I start acting weird he will notice." Mingyu groaned, hitting his head
on the glass table beneath him.

Jeonghan grabbed a pillow and slid it between Mingyu's head and the table once the man lifted his
head to hit himself once again.

"We should kill him." He said softly, rolling his eyes when both Seungcheol and Mingyu turned to
him with a confused look.

"Them. I meant them, Mingyu your dad is useless and Kangjoon deserves death." Jeonghan justified,
shrugging his shoulders innocently.

"You're as pretty as an angel but you're actually the devil. I'm not kidding." Seungcheol said with
furrowed eyebrows, his forehead wrinkling slightly.

"Well! Do you have a better idea? I don't think so." Jeonghan shrugged, leaning over and flicking
Seungcheol on the forehead.

Seungcheol rubbed his forehead with a small huff and nodded, "Actually I do. Why don't you just tell
Wonwoo what is happening and what happened?" He shrugged, "That's how you solve problems."

There was silence before Jeonghan and Mingyu bursted out laughing, gripping their stomachs and
doing the absolute most.

"That was so funny!" Mingyu laughed, wiping the tears from his eyes, he laughed that hard at the
stupid suggestion from Seungcheol.

The oldest of the two sat there completely shocked, what the fuck was so funny.

Jeonghan sat up straight and cleared his throat, a few giggles escaping him but he stopped once he
saw Seungcheol glaring at them. "Baby." He grinned, "You clearly don't know us. Why just handle
situations easily like that when you can murder someone?" He questioned.

Mingyu's laughter died when he heard what Jeonghan said, "Wait no, no I wasn't laughing because of
that. What the fuck Jeonghan?" He questioned, staring at him with wide eyes, "You need a therapist."

The longer haired boy shrugged innocently, "You're right."

Seungcheol shook his head as he wrapped an arm around Jeonghan, "It would be easy to just beat the
ass hole up but that wouldn't stop him from outing you." He said while deep in thought.

"Kangjoon is an -" Seungcheol quickly cleared his throat and looked away when Wonwoo walked
into the room and sat down beside Mingyu.

"Continue what you were saying, we both know I already hate you." He smirked, glancing at
Jeonghan and then Mingyu who both happened to be avoiding his gaze.

"Okay. What the fuck is happening." Wonwoo questioned, pinching Mingyu's exposed bicep, he
looked good in tank tops.

Mingyu winced and snapped his head to glare at Wonwoo. "Nothing. We were trying to decide if we
should invite him to do secret santa with us and the Christmas party." He explained, "We can if that
would make you happy."

Wonwoo shook his head, "He's going away as soon as reading week starts. You're all going home for
Christmas right?" He questioned.

Jeonghan grinned, his eyes lighting up as he turned to Seungcheol and pressed a warm kiss to his
mouth. "I'm meeting his parents for the first time."

Seungcheol grinned back at Jeonghan, "They are going to love my little Hannie." He cooed, and soon
the two were suddenly in the middle of making out.

"That's our cue to leave, I give them three minutes before they start fucking." Mingyu said while
standing up and pulling Wonwoo up with him.

The plan can wait for now. All Mingyu had to do was not be too close to Wonwoo when Kangjoon
was around.

They chose randomly for their secret santas and Wonwoo felt like fate was playing with him when he
got Mingyu. He really didn't know what to get him and time was narrowing down it didn't help that
the group party was a few days before Christmas because everyone had to head back home. He was
running out of time.

"I have no clue what to get my person." Wonwoo groaned as he sat down at the cafeteria table and
looked at Seungkwan.

"Get them something scintillating, like me I am scintillating." Seungkwan drew out almost every
letter in that word.
Seokmin glanced at Wonwoo and grinned at the confused look, "Our Seungkwannie learned a new
word today."

Wonwoo shook his head, they were all useless.

Prior to the Christmas party Jihoon and Soonyoung decided to have an ugly sweater contest and the
loser owed the winner fifty dollars.

When they all arrived to the party Soonyoung was dressed in an itchy knitted sweater with trees,
santas, reindeers galore and even actual ornaments hanging off him. They all almost instantly
deemed him the winner until Jihoon walked in.

"Oh,"

"My,"

"God,"

Seokmin, Seungkwan and Soonyoung said with dropped jaws at what Jihoon had on. He was wearing
a cute black sweater with one little reindeer at the bottom of the shirt. The main event was the mirror
taped to the middle of the sweater.

"You did say ugly. You're looking at the ugliest thing I've laid my eyes on." Jihoon explained once
he had Soonyoung in front of him looking down into the mirror.

Jihoon got the fifty dollars.

The party was fun, they ate and played some board games that ended with Seungkwan trying to
choke Seungcheol out while Jihoon stood on a table screaming the rules of the game.

They all settled down near the fire place to exchange gifts.

"Wonwoo-yah, where did your gift go? It's your turn. You had a week to buy it!" Jeonghan whined,
he didn't want any of his babies not receiving a gift.

"I have my gift." He promised, "I want to go last." Wonwoo smiled, leaning over and pinching
Jeonghan's cheek affectionately, he was in a really good mood.

The gift exchange was really nice, probably the best out of the years Wonwoo, Seokmin and Jihoon
did it. Every gift was thoughtful and everyone loved it.

Even the rainbow dick shaped lollipop Jeonghan was given with his new stock of hair supplies.
Wonwoo smiled down at his large gift bag, it included a pretty big teddy bear, chocolates and
gummy candies, some clothes for Yuri who was waiting for him at his parents house and a new
marble laptop case. Seokmin really knew him well.

Mingyu bit his lip and looked around, "Nobody got me?" He questioned, furrowing his eyes and
Wonwoo thought that was the cutest thing ever.

"I did. I'm going to need to borrow you though. Excuse us, kids." Wonwoo grinned as he stood up
and waited for Mingyu to do the same.

As they were walking towards the door he heard a faint, "Yah! Use protection!"

Once they got to the top of the stairs, Wonwoo unlocked the rooftop door and walked ahead of
Mingyu. As soon as they were inside enough he stopped walking and laughed when Mingyu bumped
into him.

"Close your eyes."

Mingyu did as told and allowed Wonwoo to lead him. When he was able to open them up he was
shocked to see a projector showing the moving image of stars on the side of the wall.

"I got Jihoon to help me edit that, it's your favourite stars. Remember when I asked for your
astronomy book? I just needed it to see which stars you answered were the most beautiful in your
opinion, do you like it? I have more -" He continued rambling until he felt all the air leave him.

"Gyu. Big guy, can't breathe." Wonwoo wheezed out, letting out a breath once he was let go.

"I love it. I don't need more." Mingyu whispered, staring at the wall with wide eyes, the images
reflecting off his orbs.

"Well. You're getting more." Wonwoo grinned, pointing to a spot on the blanket where he could sit.

He turned to the side and grabbed three neatly wrapped boxes, setting them in front of the two.

"Pick one. Start opening." Wonwoo said with a slight nudge to Mingyu's side who was staring at the
presents with wide eyes.

Mingyu came from a very privileged house hold, he had money and received gifts on a daily but
there was something more sincere about all of this. It felt a lot more heart warming.

He picked the smallest box and opened it up, inside was another box with a lid, he pulled it apart and
grinned.

"Whiskey?"
"Whiskey." Wonwoo nodded, leaning over and looking at the globe decanter and glasses, "Now you
can drink and be a nerd." He laughed.

Mingyu grinned down at the present and then set it to the side, working to open another one. Once he
got the box open he let out a gasp. "I've been waiting for this to come back in stock." He said with
wide eyes, turning to Wonwoo, "How did you get it?"

The Neil deGrasse Tyson's StarTalk book was the hardest to purchase but at four in the morning
Wonwoo was able to add one to his cart and purchase it.

Mingyu opened the last box which happened to be the largest and was shocked at what he pulled out.

"Do you like it? I got it a size bigger because that's how everyone wears it." Wonwoo added, looking
at the expensive NASA bomber jacket that was in Mingyu's hands. "I got the black because you have
like three green bomber jackets. Well, two, I stole one." He shrugged.

Mingyu shook his head, he couldn't believe Wonwoo did this much for him. He always knew he
loved Wonwoo but this, this really sealed the deal.

He pressed his lips together and then let out a sigh, turning to his friend. "Thank you. This is the most
meaningful thing anyone has ever done for me. I can't thank you enough, Wonwoo." Mingyu smiled,
setting the jacket down and bringing Wonwoo into a more gentle hug.

Wonwoo smiled as he wrapped his arms around Mingyu and pressed his face to his neck. "You know
I would do anything for you." He whispered against the skin, giving it a soft peck before he pulled
away. "Let's watch the stars, you can tell me about them." Wonwoo happily said as he took out two
fluffy pillows and handed one to Mingyu to place behind his head.

Mingyu put an arm behind his head and pointed at one of the stars that was slowly moving, "That's
Alpha Crucis."

"Mm," Wonwoo mumbled tiredly, blinking a few times before he turned to Mingyu, "What makes it
so special?"

Mingyu looked back at Wonwoo, smiling softly, "It's the 13th brightest star in the sky."

Wonwoo let his mouth fall into an 'ooh' position but he said nothing.

Mingyu grinned and poked Wonwoo's cheek, "You are the brightest star in my sky." He smirked
when Wonwoo slapped his stomach lightly.

"Now that was a terrible one. Try complimenting me again, I like this game." He laughed from where
he was resting on Mingyu's chest. He didn't know how he got there.

But he didn't mind.

8

"It's not you, it's me."

Wonwoo blinked slowly and tilted his head to the side,

"Did you just use a break up line on me? To get out of being my project partner?" Wonwoo
questioned while putting his books into his backpack, Soonyoung was standing there bouncing
lightly on his feet as he stared at the boy.

"Yes."

"Why are you breaking up with me?" He smirked, starting to walk out of the room with Soonyoung
by his side. He hadn't noticed that the boy was in his class because they hadn't been friends at the
start of the semester. Now that they were it was kind of obvious that they'd be partners for the
project.

"A giraffe said he would give me fifty dollars to dump you." Soonyoung blurted out, his eyes wide
and he quickly looked around to make sure Mingyu didn't some how hear him. He was the devil after
all.

Wonwoo scrunched up his eyebrows and then tilted his head back and let out a laugh, "Gyu? He's tall
but I would say he's more of a Bambi. Very soft." He said with a warm smile on his face.

"Soft?" Soonyoung exclaimed, stopping them in the middle of the hall and grabbing Wonwoo's
shoulders, shaking him lightly. "He can kill someone with his fist. One little punch and -" Soonyoung
lifted one hand to symbolize his throat being cut. "And you're dead!"

Wonwoo grinned at the way Soonyoung was describing Mingyu, clearly he had a lot to learn about.
"If anything, Jeonghan is scarier than Mingyu. I promise." He hummed, pulling away and starting to
walk ahead.

"Tell Mingyu to meet me at the library at 7!" Wonwoo called out to Soonyoung as he continued to
walk towards his next class.

"Are you Seungcheol by any chance?" He heard a soft voice say to him and when he turned around
he was met with the most beautiful boy he had ever seen and he almost instantly knew who he was.
"Jeonghan." He breathed, shaking his head to clear his mind, he stuck out his hand awkwardly and
gave a smile that came out too wide but Jeonghan didn't mind. "I'm Seungcheol."
"Nice to meet you."
Wonwoo had set them up on a small date just to the mall, they both agreed to it and it so happened to
be the best decision of their lives.
"Wonwoo and I have a weird past. I think he used to hate me." Jeonghan hummed as they walked
around a department store, Seungcheol was being a very good puppy and following Jeonghan
around while holding his bags.
"Why?" He asked, Wonwoo was so nice - well, no. He wasn't. He just didn't seem like the type to
actually hate someone especially not someone as sweet as Jeonghan.
Seungcheol sat on the small couch in front of the changing room door that was in front of the one
Jeonghan was occupying.
"I don't know, I think we are okay now, I'm guessing we are since he hooked me up with a pretty hot
guy." He called out while pulling on a pretty sweater that was slightly oversized.
Jeonghan stepped out of the room and grinned at Seungcheol, "Cute right? I'm getting it. It's pretty
expensive but I'm worth it." He shrugged, walking over to Seungcheol who was staring at him with
wide eyes.
"You're so soft for someone that is this muscular," Jeonghan pointed out as he straddled the man, he
was happy that they were secluded. "I hope you're not a bottom," He pouted, running his thumb over
Seungcheol's bottom lip, he dipped his head down and ran it over the piercing on the mans cartilage.
"I like to get fucked."
And with that, Jeonghan got up from Seungcheol's lap and headed straight towards the counter with
the sweater still on, he had decided he wanted to wear it out.
Seungcheol realized his wallet was missing.
That was the start of a very strong relationship, they ended up sleeping together the second time they
met which was that same week. Jeonghan kept touching Seungcheol's thigh during class and he
looked so fucking pretty.
They left during a lecture and fucked in the back seat of his car.
Although their relationship was abrupt and unexpected, they acted like they knew each other all their
lives. They were best friends and lovers, they were practically married by time they bought cupcakes
for their friends because, "It's our three week anniversary! We are in love!"
No one had anything to say to them, nobody mentioned them going too fast, nobody questioned if
they really liked each other or if this was still their honey-moon phase.
Wonwoo especially did not want this relationship, this golden fucking relationship to go to shit and
for him to be blamed.

"Hey angel." Mingyu grinned as he took a seat beside Jeonghan, "Why are you all alone? Did you
finally kill Seungcheol?"

Jeonghan lifted his head and tried to glare at Mingyu but his eyes were too foggy with tears. There
was no reply so that's when Mingyu looked up from his phone right when a tear slipped down
Jeonghan's face.

"Hey, woah, why are you crying?" Mingyu quickly said, his eyes widening and the first thing he did
was pull Jeonghan to his chest. He thought about it for a second and then felt his shoulders tense.

"Seungcheol. What did the ass hole do? I will kill him, I will gut him like a fucking fish and then put
him on a grill and have him for din-" He was cut off by Jeonghan pulling away and pinching
Mingyu's stomach.
"He didn't do anything." He murmured, looking up at Mingyu, "We went to his dads house since his
parents are divorced and...do you remember Soohyuk?" Jeonghan questioned, leaning his head
against his folded arms on the table, keeping his eyes focused on Mingyu. He needed to see his
reaction.

Mingyu furrowed his eyebrows as he thought about it, Soohyuk...the name sounded familiar and
Mingyu knew almost all of Jeonghan's ex boyfriends.

Jeonghan bit his lip as he could tell that his best friend was struggling, "Big dick Choi." He said with
red cheeks, "My last boyfriend?"

Mingyu stared at Jeonghan for a second before he realized who they were talking about, "The rich
guy! Way older than us but not too old, he was cool." He nodded, tilting his head, "I don't get what
the problem - oh my god." He exclaimed once it clicked.

Choi Soohyuk

Choi Seungcheol

"You fucked his...brother?" Mingyu said softly, he was really fucking hoping it was Seungcheol's
brother but by the look on Jeonghan's face and the fresh batch of tears rushing out he was wrong.

Wonwoo looked up from his laptop when the door opened and an angry Seungcheol walked in.
"Your boyfriend is not here." He mumbled before looking back down at the essay he was typing.

"I came here for you." Seungcheol replied, ever since the couple returned yesterday his fists have
been permanently balled up and his jaw remained clenched.

"Whats up?" Wonwoo really wasn't paying attention, he didn't think if Seungcheol genuinely had a
problem he would come to Wonwoo.

"Jeonghan used to date my dad." He said while sitting on Wonwoo's bed and looking around,
everything was so neat, a complete difference at how he and Mingyu kept their room. He himself did
not understand why out of everyone he came to Wonwoo but he had a feeling he did it because he
needed someone blunt to tell him what the fuck to do.

And Jihoon would just hurt his feelings.

Wonwoo paused what he was typing, his fingers hovering over the keyboard as he ran that sentence
over again in his head. "Oh my god."

"Yeah."
Wonwoo saved his work and then turned in his chair to give Seungcheol his full attention, "How did
you figure this out?" He questioned, he was intrigued and wanted to laugh because how the fuck does
that even happen, but by the look on Seungcheol's face, it would end bad.

"Okay." He cleared his throat and leaned forward, his eyes casted downwards as he was forced to
relive the absolutely horrifying moment. "Jeonghan fell asleep in the car and I woke him up right
when we were at the door, we went inside because my dad was in his study and Jeonghan was
showing me something and I realized his wifi had connected automatically."

Wonwoo blinked a few times and caught Seungcheol's eyes, "Oh. That means he's been there before,
right?" He questioned, Seungcheol nodded silently.

"Then, my dad walks out and they just stared at each other and Jeonghan then went upstairs and into
the guest bedroom - mind you, he already fucking knew where it was!" He exclaimed, gripping his
head, "They fucked in the house I grew up in. Oh my god."

Wonwoo walked over and sat beside Seungcheol, his eyes widening when the man turned to him and
gripped his waist, his head pressing into Wonwoo's neck. "Right." Wonwoo mumbled, setting his
arm around his neck and letting a hand scratch lightly at his scalp.

He knew Mingyu liked that so maybe it would work on Seungcheol. So far, he was right.

"I haven't spoke to Jeonghan since. I miss him and I - I." He pause to clear his throat since he really
felt like crying and it was evident in his tone. "Should I break up with him?"

Wonwoo paused his hand movements and then pushed Seungcheol away, "God, you're an idiot." He
groaned, standing up, "No you don't fucking break up with him. Did he cheat on you with your dad?"
He questioned, once Seungcheol shook his head he continued, "So why dump him? God, get out of
my room, idiot. Go find him and make up with him." Wonwoo said as he took Seungcheol's hand and
began dragging him to the door. Usually, that would be difficult but the man clearly was allowing it
to happen.

Once he opened the door to shove Seungcheol out he was met with Jeonghan who was pressed
against Mingyu's chest. "Oh." Wonwoo mumbled, looking up at Mingyu and then over at Seungcheol
who was gripping Wonwoo from behind.

"One, two, three!" Mingyu shouted, shoving Jeonghan inside the room right as Wonwoo got the
message and pulled away from Seungcheol. He stepped outside of the room with Mingyu and the two
held the door knob, fighting against Jeonghan and Seungcheol to keep it closed.

"We didn't fucking think this through! How the hell are we going to keep them in there?" Wonwoo
exclaimed, his eyes shifting to their hands that were on top of each other on the door knob.

Oh, nice.

Mingyu looked down at Wonwoo and shrugged, "They'll start talking soon. I hope."
45 minutes, it took 45 minutes before Wonwoo and Mingyu could let go once they heard the couple
start arguing.

"My hands are red." Wonwoo whined, lifting his hands to Mingyu's face to show him how red they
happened to be.

Mingyu chuckled and put his arm around Wonwoo's shoulder, starting to guide them to the Dorm A
hall, "You didn't really help with your noodle arms." He laughed, gripping his side once Wonwoo
delivered five pinches to it.

"Ass hole. Not everyone boxes." Wonwoo mumbled and then stuck out his tongue, gripping the arm
around his shoulders so that he could pull it off but honestly, it was heavy.

"See. You need to drink milk, you can't even push me away," He clicked his tongue, "So weak."
Mingyu teased although he had made his arm heavier, allowing all his weight to fall against it.

They decided that the smartest thing would be for Wonwoo to just sleep in Seungcheol's bed since
the chances of him returning to their dorm was slim. Jeonghan and Seungcheol were probably
fucking anyhow.

"We were supposed to go to the library but we wasted that time on Jeonghan and Seungcheol."
Wonwoo pouted, he was laying on Mingyu's bed, the taller of the two was sitting in a chair
backwards so that he could keep eye contact with Wonwoo.

"I had to help Angel." He smiled, tilting his head and glancing over at Wonwoo, "How is Kangjoon
treating you? Is he buying you the world? I would do that." He smirked, crossing his arms over the
top of the chair and resting his chin on it. He would give Wonwoo everything.

"Very funny, he hasn't come back yet, I think he's still on vacation." Wonwoo chuckled, sitting up,
"Angel? Why don't I have a nickname, even when we dated you would just call me Wonwoo." That
was coming off as he was jealous but he kind of was.

"You already have a nickname."

"What is it?"

"Baby."

Wonwoo felt his cheeks heat up and he quickly turned and pressed his face into Mingyu's pillow.
"No. Shut up." That was his weak spot, that pet name made him into jelly and Mingyu knew it.

"Kangjoon calls you that but I never see you blush or act so cute. Is it just me, then?" He smirked, his
eyes on Wonwoo who finally revealed his red toned face.

"No," He lied, glancing over at Mingyu but he quickly looked away, "Okay. Maybe." Wonwoo said
after he had cleared his throat, it had become way too hot inside.
"You can't blame me, baby. You're the one that asked for a pet name." Mingyu said and let out a loud
laugh, his head tilting back and his hands clapping together. Wonwoo was precious, here he was
hiding under a blanket with his face as red as a tomato because Mingyu called him baby.

"Get out. You can sleep in Cheol's bed. I don't know what he has done in it, I think I trust you
slightly more." Wonwoo said as he tried to rid his face of the blush.

Mingyu took that as his cue to leave and stood up, "You can find some clothes in my drawer, don't be
surprised what you find, I'm warning you now." He said while leaning over and patting Wonwoo's
cheek before he left.

Wonwoo ended up taking a shower and while he was reaching for the oversized sweater that Mingyu
owned, he stumbled upon a bag of rolled up joints.

"Oh."

Wonwoo bit his lip and stared down at the contents in the clear plastic bag, the last time he got high
was with Mingyu in senior year. It really has been a while.

He walked over to Seungcheol's room and peaked inside since the door was half open. Once he saw
Mingyu just laying there on his phone he walked in. "Weed. Really?" Wonwoo chuckled, sitting on
the bed cross legged and focusing his eyes on Mingyu who had a growing smirk on his face.

"Yes weed. I only do it when I want a good time or if I'm stressed." Mingyu explained, setting his
phone on the night stand since he was now interested in this topic of conversation.

"Do you maybe want to do some?" Wonwoo questioned hesitantly, he wasn't one for drugs, he didn't
smoke but he definitely drank. Weed couldn't be that harmful if he did it one more time, right?

"You sure you can handle it?" Mingyu chuckled, already grabbing Seungcheol's lighter and opening
up the bag to get the joint that was wrapped the neatest. Wonwoo deserved pretty things.

Wonwoo couldn't handle it, weed kicked in way faster than alcohol did and it was great, heavenly, all
the adjectives to describe fucking awesome.

They were in the kitchen because they thought it would be a really good idea to make funfetti
cupcakes.

"What the fuck is funfetti?"

"It's....it's fun cupcakes with confetti sprinkles in them, let's make them Gyu. Why do you have the
icing and the batter but you don't know what it is?"
"Angel bought them, he was going to make them with Cheol."

Wonwoo was out of it by time they were putting the cupcakes into the oven, it took Mingyu one and
a half joints before he got with the one man party.

"Okay, okay so listen." Wonwoo paused, blinking slowly as he stared at the cupcakes that were still
warm from the oven. "I think the confetti represents the - the inequality people of colour face in
society." He explained, his eyes widening, "Or! Or," Wonwoo grinned at Mingyu, "Colors," he
paused to giggle, "They represent colours."

Mingyu grinned down at Wonwoo and he quickly nodded his head, "Yeah! Fuck yeah to both of
those things just - fuck, your mind is like a vortex of awesome you're so fucking awesome."

Wonwoo turned to Mingyu with watery eyes, a hand on his heart, "Gyu. Thank you, I appreciate
that." He sniffled, "You're awesome too."

It took them 10 minutes to open up the can of frosting because, "Look Gyu it has a little man on it. It
has Jihoon on it." And, "Oh no, Gyu! We have to get Jihoonie out, he has a class tomorrow!"

Once the tub of icing was finally opened, Wonwoo perched himself up on the counter top and began
icing one of the cupcakes. He looked up when he felt smoke get blown into his face.

"You're not awesome." Wonwoo said with a pout, looking at the fresh joint that Mingyu just lit up.
"Awesome people share." He pointed out.

Mingyu smiled at Wonwoo against the blunt and then handed it over to start working on his own
cupcake.

"Gyu! You have frosting on your finger, what a waste. You're wasting Jeonghannie's money!"
Wonwoo exclaimed his eyes wide as he stared at the glob of the vanilla icing on Mingyu's index
finger.

Mingyu took the blunt with his clean hand and then shifted his focus to Wonwoo, "Why don't you
lick it off since you don't want to waste money?" Mingyu teased, turning his attention to his cupcake.
It looked good, needed sprinkles though.

His gaze turned to Wonwoo when he felt his hand get lifted up and soon his finger was being pushed
inside said boys mouth.

"I- fuck." Mingyu paused, his eyes following the way Wonwoo took his finger deep into his mouth
although the icing was just on the pad of his finger. He felt everything, the wet heaviness of the boys
tongue, the way he ran it over the back of Mingyu's finger just like he would do to the vein on his
cock -

"All clean!" Wonwoo beamed after he had pulled the finger out from his mouth with a loud pop.
Mingyu took in a few deep breaths while Wonwoo returned to making his cupcake look pretty, he
was completely unfazed by that action.

Mingyu cleared his throat and then turned on the tap to his rinse his hands since they were sticky
from baking. He dried them and then took the joint that was resting in his mouth. "There's only a bit
left." He pointed out, grinning when he saw Wonwoo pout.

"It's okay, I can share." Mingyu promised, he took the last drag from the blunt and then gripped
Wonwoo's chin, he leaned forward and kept his eyes on the boy. He didn't want to do anything that
would make him uncomfortable.

Mingyu gently grazed their lips together and he was happy when Wonwoo's mouth opened a bit and
Mingyu was able to blow the smoke right into it. He kept his lips grazing Wonwoo's while he took it
into his lungs but he eventually stepped away once he began to breathe it out into the air.

"That was nice, you're so awesome for sharing." Wonwoo giggled, taking his cupcake and running to
Seungcheol's room. Mingyu gripped the edge of the sink as he leaned against it and closed his eyes,
he took in a few slow breathes and then realized two things.

He still loves Wonwoo.

And he has a huge boner.

"Why does my room smell like weed?" Seungcheol questioned as he sat down at the cafeteria table,
looking over at Mingyu and then Wonwoo who were both sporting a deep blush.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes and played with his boyfriends fingers, "Doesn't matter." He hummed,
kissing the back of Seungcheol's hand, "Let's go out tonight. Let's eat."

Seungcheol immediately nodded, food and his baby? Things couldn't get any better.

"Maybe Wonwoo and I could tag along." A voice said from behind Seungcheol. Wonwoo looked up
at the mention of his name and smiled when he saw his boyfriend. "Joon." He grinned, shifting over
and making room for him.

"Hey, missed you." He murmured to Wonwoo, giving him a soft kiss on the mouth. "So? Can we
make this a double date?" Kangjoon said while he looked over at Seungcheol and Jeonghan, the
couple both giving him daggers.

"No way in hel-" Jeonghan was cut off by Seungcheol who quickly covered his mouth. "We would
love to! I was actually going to invite Mingyu as well, I have this girl that really likes him. Right,
Jeonghan? Remember?" He said with gritted teeth, giving Jeonghan the look that means play the
fuck along.
Jeonghan nodded his head quickly, "Oh! Oh right! You guys all know Goeun! She's great." He
mumbled, leaning over and taking a slice of pizza off of Mingyu's plate.

Soonyoung leaned forward, he didn't really understand that this was one huge lie. He was far too
innocent for this group of friends. "I've never met her before." He pouted, "Can we come? I'll bring
Jihoonie as my date." He said while leaning over but he quickly stopped once Jihoon got his hand on
a butter knife.

Seungkwan tilted his head, "Is Goeun the one with the really big tit-" Seokmin quickly leaned over
and shoved Seungkwan off the chair with wide eyes.

"We do not objectify women!" Seokmin gasped, shocked that one of his best friends would even dare
to say that, how could he?

"Big titanium stethoscope," Seungkwan groaned from the ground, he grasped the chair and pulled
himself up, ignoring the loud laughter coming from his group of friends. Bastards.

"She's in my med class. Ass hole." Seungkwan grumbled, rubbing his arm as Seokmin repeatedly
mumbled apologizes to him.

The date night truly started off awkward and terrible, the seating was arranged as three people infront
of three other people. On one side it was Goeun, Kangjoon and Seungcheol while the other side had
Mingyu, Wonwoo and Jeonghan.

The evening started off quiet, soft compliments and individual conversations happening until the
wine came and everyone loosened up a bit.

"Good evening!" One of the overly enthusiastic waiters said as they held a bottle of white and red
wine. He went around the table and poured one or the other for each person before he asked for their
orders.

"I'll have the alfredo pasta but no -" Mingyu cut Wonwoo off and looked at the waiter, "No bacon.
He's allergic." He smiled over at Wonwoo who was blushing lightly.

"Gyu, I was going to say that." He mumbled, nudging the man lightly before he lifted his glass and
took a sip.

The night progressed as such, everyone was having a pretty good time until dessert came. Wonwoo
had ordered a vanilla cake and Mingyu got the chocolate because Goeun said it was really good.

"Gyu, try this," Wonwoo said, turning his attention from the conversation he was having with
Seungcheol. He took a piece of the cake with his fork and fed it to the man, smiling softly at his
reaction.
"Yah, why are you so messy?" Wonwoo grinned, swiping his thumb over Mingyu's bottom lip,
"You've been like this forever."

Mingyu shifted his gaze from Wonwoo to Kangjoon. He still didn't have a plan but he needed one
and fucking fast since he looked furious at the exchange that happened between the two.

By time they returned to campus, it was just Mingyu, Wonwoo and the couple of Seungcheol and
Jeonghan. Kangjoon had his own apartment off campus and Wonwoo was slightly grateful for that.
He liked that his friends all lived on the same wing of the dorm rooms.

"Goeun really liked Mingyu. Wasn't she nice?" Jeonghan questioned, looking back at the two as they
all slowly walked inside the building.

"I think she's pretty, she's also funny, and smart." Mingyu smiled, he enjoyed his time with her but it
was evident his heart was somewhere else.

Wonwoo looked at Mingyu with a small frown, "I didn't like her. She's not your type, she agreed
with everything you said, even the dumb shit." He shrugged, "You shouldn't date her."

That peaked Mingyu's interest, "I shouldn't date her?" He questioned, putting his arm around
Wonwoo's shoulder, pulling him in a bit. "Why? Is it because you're my baby?" Mingyu said with a
smirk.

Seungcheol turned his head to look at the two and paused when he saw how red Wonwoo's face had
gotten. "Woah. Are you sick?" He questioned, pressing his hand against the boys forehead, "You're
warm."

Wonwoo swatted Seungcheol's hand away, "I'm fine. Mingyu is an idiot." He grumbled, pushing past
the two in front of him since they had halted in the middle of the halfway.

Mingyu jogged over to catch up to him, he wrapped his arms around Wonwoo from behind right
when they got to their dorm room. "Aw, come on. I was joking," He said while watching Wonwoo
take out his key, "Aren't you going to give me a kiss goodnight?" He questioned.

Wonwoo finally got his door open and he turned to look up at Mingyu. "Fine, close your eyes."

Mingyu did as such, he wasn't going to complain especially not when he was about to get a
goodnight kiss from the love of his life, the sugar to his coffee, the star in his sky, the -

Mingyu's eyes opened once he heard the loud sound of a door being slammed in his face and yeah,
should've expected that.

9
"Why did you order chicken on the pizza? You should've just got cheese that always works." Wonwoo
mumbled as he turned a page in his book and shifted his hips slightly.
Mingyu rolled his eyes from where his available hand was scrolling through Instagram, "I need
protein, I'm a growing boy." He paused and looked up at Wonwoo, "You can't relate, you're about 15
pounds soaking wet."
Wonwoo looked down at Mingyu, "Am not." He deadpanned, "It's not my fault- ouch! Ass hole!" He
exclaimed when Mingyu leaned his head down and bit his thigh in a not so sexy way. It fucking hurt.
This was a regular occurrence for the couple, Wonwoo would be reading or simply typing away on
his laptop and once Mingyu got bored he would fit two fingers deep inside Wonwoo. He didn't really
mind, once the first finger stretched him out a bit and he could relax, he would find himself falling
back into the book with the nice pleasurable feeling of slow fingers stretching him open.
Of course he was aroused but it wasn't urgent, it was a dull feeling in the back of his mind but the
soft press of fingers inside him was pleasurable.
"It's not my fault you're fat." Wonwoo smirked, raising his hand to fix his circle glasses that had
shifted down his face. Right when the boy was about to speak he was interrupted by Mingyu who
curled his fingers as vengeance for what Wonwoo had said. There was no malice in the action but it
had Wonwoo arching his back in pure bliss.
"Fuck off." Mingyu had said with a glint in his eye, he loved being able to control this beautiful boy
with just a twitch of his fingers.
"You're an asshole," Wonwoo replied with a breathy sigh, the book falling from his grip and landing
on the floor. He opened his eyes and took a glance at Mingyu who had been watching him the entire
time.
"I didn't even mark where I was. I fucking hate you." He murmured quietly, he finally felt Mingyu
move his fingers again and soon he was shutting the fuck up because it felt too good to argue with.
"You weren't saying that last night as I recall you were saying something about how much you love
me? And my cock?" Mingyu hummed out against Wonwoo's thigh, his lips casually pecking the skin
at certain times.
Wonwoo closed his eyes and shifted his hips again, he was stuck between wanting Mingyu to fucking
finger him to death and for him to just continue this lazy pleasuring.
He didn't even bother to reply, he decided to just stare up at the ceiling and enjoy this intimate
moment that they've done far too often.
"Is that my sweater?" Of course Mingyu had to break the comfortable silence, his boyfriend never
knew when to shut up.
"Yes. It's clearly multiple sizes too big for me therefore it is yours." Wonwoo snapped, his mouth
soon falling open and his back arching when Mingyu slammed his fingers back all the way in.
"You have such an attitude today, baby." Mingyu said as he dropped his phone and cleared his
throat, his attention now focused solely on pleasing his baby.
Wonwoo shifted his gaze from the ceiling to look at Mingyu. "I know." He whispered, his hands
coming up to cup Mingyu's face, "Sorry. I love you." Wonwoo added, pulling his boyfriend closer so
that they could share a soft kiss, the warmth pooling in his stomach doubling once the kiss became
more intense.
Mingyu pulled his mouth away, dragging Wonwoo's bottom lip with him and he revelled in the way
he chased his lips. "Patience, baby." Mingyu chuckled, pressing his mouth against the soft skin of his
wrist as he slipped in another finger.
He knew Wonwoo could take it, he takes cock like a fucking pro but he always made sure to be soft
when fingering him. In some way in his mind this act is a bit more intimate than sex. This is focusing
all your attention on your partner, understanding what they like and being able to make them come
undone. Mingyu hardly ever had to get himself off after he fingered Wonwoo. It wasn't that it didn't
turn him on, everything about his boyfriend aroused him it was just that seeing him so blissful in
those few moments of climax is satisfying enough.
It took a few more minutes before Wonwoo was gripping the bed sheets, his head tilted back and his
mouth open while he let out the softest, prettiest sounds. "Gyu," He whined, his glasses slipping
down with every thrust of his fingers.
"What do you want, baby?" Mingyu replied in the softest tone, his mouth returning to the mark he
was working on right on the side of Wonwoo's throat. "You want to cum for me?" He added when he
got no reply but one of those moans that he knew meant his boyfriend was close.
"Yeah," He stuttered, "Going to- mm," He moaned out, his back arching as he felt his stomach
tighten, he opened his eyes to meet Mingyu's gaze that was focused solely on him and something
about that intense stare drove him over the edge.
Mingyu kept that pace going as Wonwoo rode out his orgasm, his head thrown back and his mouth
open while letting out soft - fuck, fuck yes
He looked fucking pretty.
Mingyu kept his eyes on his boyfriend until the doorbell went off and Wonwoo blinked his eyes open,
taking a second to adjust to the brightness of the room. "Pizza?" He mumbled tiredly, looking up at
Mingyu who had already slipped his fingers out of inside him and was getting off the bed.
"Yeah, I'll handle it." He called back, jogging over to the sink to quickly wash his hands because,
gross he wouldn't handle food like that.
Once Mingyu paid for the food he set it on the living room table and went to get drinks from the
fridge. When he returned he was met with a cleaned up Wonwoo wearing a different one of Mingyu's
sweaters.
"I like those glasses by the way. Never got to tell you." Mingyu said as he set the can of Pepsi in
front of his boyfriend and then opened up his can of Coke.
Wonwoo made a look of distaste while watchinng Mingyu pop open the can of soda, he was clearly a
Pepsi kind of guy. "Thanks, for you know..." He shrugged, "The compliment and the -" Wonwoo kind
of flailed his hands to avoid saying it.
Mingyu chuckled while watching him, "Right. You're welcome. Your pleasure is my pleasure." He
winked, pressing a kiss to Wonwoo's mouth and then digging into the hot pizza waiting for him.

Mingyu blinked out of his day dream - well, he was reminiscing. He was sitting at their lunch table
that somehow over the past few months they've claimed and really, that's probably against some rule
in the university rule book.

This had all been sparked by a pair of fucking circular shaped glasses, that's what destroyed him and
distracted him all day. Mingyu almost ran into traffic for god sake but he wouldn't mind, he would let
himself get run over for Wonwoo. He would let Wonwoo run him over as well. He got a glimpse of
the glasses during astronomy but they were doing a handout and he was really focused on getting the
answers right. It was during their daily meet up at noon that he finally got to see all the cuteness up
close and personal.

"Right, Gyu?" Wonwoo said a little louder, a smile finding its way onto his face once Mingyu almost
broke his fucking neck from how fast he looked at him.
"Yes. Of course." The taller lied, clearing his throat and picking at a fry. He clearly had no fucking
clue what was going on and what the topic of discussion was but Wonwoo was probably right. He's
always right.

Wonwoo rolled his eyes and leaned over to take the fry from Mingyu, "You're coming over to my
dorm tonight. We have to work on the project." He explained before putting the food into his mouth
and sitting back as he chewed. Something was clearly off about Mingyu but Wonwoo didn't bother to
ask since the topic of discussion at the table changed. He would just remember to ask him later.

Mingyu had just woken up from his nap since he set an alarm to remind himself to not sleep through
his work date - work period with Wonwoo. He would actually get his ass kicked. He blinked his eyes
open and furrowed his eyebrows when he saw Jeonghan in front of his closet rummaging around
without permission.

"Angel. Get the fuck out of my room." Mingyu grumbled while he sat up and ran a hand through his
hair. He always talked to Jeonghan like that but there was never any true spite behind it.

Jeonghan waved his hand in an attempt to shut Mingyu up, "Where's the weed? I want to get stoned,
that essay fucked me up and I'm happy it's over with. I'm going to get high, order food and get eaten
out, " He paused and snatched the bag that was tucked between a few old books about stars, nerd.

Mingyu scrunched his nose up and shook his head, "Gross. I'll be sure to stay at Wonwoo's tonight."
He mumbled while standing up and grabbing a hoodie, "I just hope his dumb ass of a boyfriend does
not interrupt us. Also, I still need to figure out what the fuck I'm going to do about the situation."
Mingyu sighed, ruffling his hair a bit and looking in the mirror. A mess. He looked like a mess.

Jeonghan crossed his arms over his chest and shrugged, "I'm guessing you still don't want to murder
him so I'm out of ideas, big guy." He said and then walked out of the room to the living room.

Useless.

Mingyu was walking through dorm A when he bumped into Kangjoon again. He didn't like this
whole situation, he didn't want anyone having this leverage over him but it wasn't about him. It was
about Wonwoo, he couldn't let his dad rip things away from the one person in the world he truly was
in love with. If it was him instead, he really wouldn't care, he would grab Wonwoo in front of his
father and kiss him until his lips became that pretty shade that Mingyu knew only he could do.

But it wasn't him.

"I hope you're not going to see Wonwoo." Kangjoon said once he came close enough to Mingyu.

Mingyu tilted his head to the side, "And if I am?"

"I warned you to stay away from him." Kangjoon shrugged, taking out his phone and waving it in
front of Mingyu's face tauntingly, "You really want me to push that button?"

That simple rhetorical question hit Mingyu deep in him, it was the teasing that set him off. The anger
he felt boiling inside him was so comfortable, it had been so long since he got that mad. Mingyu
went from feeling that everyday to it just disappearing from his life but here it was stronger than
ever.

Today was just not the day to mess around with Mingyu. He was having a bad day, he got about 3
hours of sleep - not including his nap, because he was up all night working on writing a paper. It
didn't help that he was being blackmailed by the fucking devil himself.

So, Mingyu did what any reasonable, rational person would.

He gripped the phone that was held in front of his face and ripped it out of Kangjoon's hand who
didn't even put up a fight, lame. He shoved him up against a wall, his fist colliding with the material
beside his head and he could feel the skin stretched around his knuckles split open. The pain that
coursed through him from the intense impact against his knuckles felt good. It wasn't a shocking
pain, it didn't pulse through him and make him feel like crying or screaming like banging your toe on
a table. He was used to pain like this from fighting and it set a jolt of adrenaline through his body. It
was enjoyable and familiar.

Mingyu let his eyes fall upon Kangjoon's. The man was slightly shorter than him and honestly, he
couldn't see what Wonwoo liked in him. Other than his face that he's pretty sure had some work done
on it, nobody is that beautiful.

"I will not be blackmailed, do you know who I am?" He questioned, tilting his head to the side
menacingly. "I'm Kim fucking Mingyu. You've met my dad but I'm sure as hell you haven't met me."
Mingyu paused and took a step back, wiping the sweat off his cheek since whenever he got violent
even if it was just towards a wall, he always got heated.

Kangjoon stared at Mingyu with wide eyes, there was a streak of blood on the mans cheek from
wiping his sweat off and that made the scale of intensity heighten.

"You've met the tamed me, the one that loves Wonwoo and changed his whole fucking life for him
but don't be alarmed," He let out a deep chuckle, shifting his dark eyes from the floor to meet the
piece of trash in front of him.

"Kim Mingyu, the one that will break your thousand dollar nose and crack a rib is still here and
well." He shrugged, looking down at his knuckles and he was not fazed when he noticed that the
blood was starting to drip onto the hallway floor.

Mingyu decided it was time to speed this up since he was thoughtful and did not want to leave a
mess.

Kangjoon gulped and pressed himself against the wall when Mingyu took a step, he let out a breath
that he didn't even know he had been holding once Mingyu turned and began walking down the hall.
It didn't last long though, Kangjoon watched as Mingyu halted in the middle of the narrow hall, his
shoulders squaring as he spoke, "Before you even reach my fathers building to show him that other
copy of the video I'm sure you have, I will break your legs." He promised before taking out his key
and entering the dorm room.

Kangjoon watched with wide eyes as Mingyu finally continued walking, the threat ringing in his ears
but then he frowned,

Why the fuck did he have a key?

Wonwoo was just exiting the kitchen with a hot bowl of ramen when he heard the door open up and
then close quietly. "Jeonghan?" He questioned, walking a bit more into the living room so that he
could see who just intruded his home. He was shocked to meet eyes with a very angry, very bloody
Mingyu.

"Gyu." He whispered, his heart speeding up and he set down the bowl before starting to do their
routine, something he thought he had forgotten but he clearly didn't.

After Mingyu's fights, Wonwoo would sit the man down and help clean him up with a first aid kit.
Wiping the blood before it stained anything, disinfecting his wounds and putting a bandaid over
them, and then asking the questions later. It was something he realized he was doing subconsciously.

Once he closed the first aid kit it finally hit him, who the fuck did Mingyu fight?

"Who the fuck did you fight?" Wonwoo voiced his thoughts, shifting to look at Mingyu whose gaze
had softened a lot more in the time span of about ten minutes. It was second nature to Wonwoo to
assist Mingyu with his wounds so he had learned to cut down on the time immensely.

Mingyu tried to avoid Wonwoo's gaze but he didn't want to look suspicious. "Some dude in the
hallway. Not a big deal, I'm clearly fine." He shrugged it off, looking over at the neglected bowl of
ramen, "It's going to get cold, you should eat that. I'll start the research."

Right, the project.

Wonwoo furrowed his eyebrows as he watched Mingyu pull out his laptop nonchalantly and start
typing as if he hadn't just hurt his knuckles while fighting a guy in the hallway -

Wonwoo stood up and walked over so that he was in front of Mingyu. "Who did you fight? Maybe
Joon saw since he just left a few minutes before you arrived..." He trailed off and it soon dawned on
him and the look on Mingyu's face just confirmed what he was thinking.

Mingyu fought Kangjoon, he did something that Wonwoo was afraid of. He had been afraid to let
Mingyu back into his life but he was sure he changed. The feeling in his stomach wasn't sadness, it
was something stronger, betrayal and hurt. Wonwoo just wanted to be happy and he wanted Mingyu
in his life so desperately but it wasn't working. He felt silly for thinking that someone that angry and
irrational could change in the span of a few months.
"Get out."

He was expecting that. Mingyu glanced up at Wonwoo and he stood so that they could be at eye
level, well somewhat, Mingyu was still taller than the boy. "Baby -"

"Don't do that. You don't get to do that, Mingyu." Wonwoo quickly said as he shook his head and
took a step back, he felt like his head was spinning and he wanted to throw up. The idea that he did
this to himself again made him sick. He trusted the one person that hurt him the most in the world
and he felt like a fucking idiot.

"I should have never let you back into my life. I should have left us," Wonwoo pointed between
them, "On the rooftop that night you told me I meant nothing to you. I should never have believed
that you could change." He scoffed, looking up at the ceiling and he was wondering why he felt like
crying. This was all too much and he felt like a newborn baby. Dumb and naked - metaphorically at
least.

"Listen to me -" Mingyu tried to say as he reached out for Wonwoo who flinched, he
fucking flinched away like Mingyu was the bad guy. It always ended like that, Mingyu would try and
protect Wonwoo the one fucking person in the whole world he would do anything for, that he loved
with a deep, burning passion. The same person he would die for once again hated him. This endless
cycle was getting tiring and Mingyu could not fathom how fate could hate him so much. He was
starting to think that he shouldn't fight for this.

"I need you to get out." Wonwoo shook his head as he crossed his arms over his chest, avoiding
Mingyu's eyes because he knew he would crumble. That look, that intense look that screamed at him
to listen made his knees weak and he knew he wouldn't be able to do this for long.

"I was stupid to think you could change, I was dumb to think you would change for me. The way you
walked back into my life pretending like you were a different person, someone I thought I could
love," The tears were evident in his voice even though they hadn't spilled down his cheeks yet. "You
really fooled me, Gyu." He laughed, shaking his head sadly, "All of this just made me realize I could
never really love someone like you. I will never love you again." Wonwoo promised, finally looking
into his eyes as he delivered those words, he watched the look of heartbreak and it felt like a mirror,
like some disgusting parallel to how he looked when Mingyu told him he was simply an experiment.

Without any words Mingyu turned and began walking to the door, he needed Wonwoo to tell him to
stay, he needed to get a chance to explain this.

"Mingyu." Wonwoo said with a shaky voice, the sound of something unclasping was heard in the
silent room. Mingyu held his breath as he turned around and found himself staring at the necklace he
had given Wonwoo years ago. Even after that fight that impacted both of their lives in negative ways
he hadn't given that necklace back.

Mingyu had bought it that one night after an impeccably good fight. He got out without one scratch,
he was on a winning streak and he was making money but the only thing he could think about was
something that would make Wonwoo smile. He could tell him that he won a fight but the smile he
would receive would be fake and disinterested because Wonwoo did not like or approve of the street
fighting he did but he would still support him. Mingyu found a 24 hour jewelry shop next to the alley
the fight happened at. He got a sterling silver little boxing glove on a chain and presented it to
Wonwoo. The smile on his face was genuine and he looked happy and ever since that day Wonwoo
got into the habit of holding that charm between his fingers whenever he got nervous. No matter
what it never left his neck.

"You should take this back because I don't want anything to do with you from now on." Wonwoo
said with a shaky voice, he shoved the jewelry against Mingyu's chest and watched as the man
stumbled back a bit, clearly out of it since Wonwoo sometimes couldn't lift up his own arm.

Mingyu ran a hand through his hair as he walked down the hall, his fist clutching the pendant that he
hadn't even noticed Wonwoo had since today. It was always under his shirts and sweaters leaving it
unrecognizable. Mingyu had lost fights, he had been beaten up, his father had told him he's a
disappointment and he even had the love of his life ripped away from him because the universe
fucking hates him but this was too much. This pain was the strongest he's ever felt. He hadn't even
realized that he was gripping the necklace so tight that he could feel the blood start to drip from his
knuckles as he pushed the doors open to the street.

He was hurt and he needed someone else to feel this pain.

Mingyu pulled out his phone and scrolled down until he got to a certain familar contact name.

"Junhui. Set me up with a fight now."

10

Jeonghan shifted his body as he felt annoyingly persistent vibrations go off right under his back. If
the object had just shifted down and slipped inside his ass hole, he really wouldn't have a problem.

But it didn't.

It kept going and going until Jeonghan had enough and blindly stretched his arm around himself to
grasp what ended up being his cellphone.

"What? Do you fucking know it's the ass crack of dawn? Only satan himself is up and I'm sure he
had a nap first!" Jeonghan half shouted into the phone as he sat up, he turned his head to the left and
saw the clock on his nightstand blinking the numbers 3:15 AM at him in green.

Junhui let out a soft laugh, "You're so sweet. I'm glad to hear you clearly haven't changed which you
should have, honestly, your personality is terrible." He said while pressing his phone between his ear
and shoulder so that he could pour himself a cup of tea.

Jeonghan's eyes lit up a bit at the familiar sound of Junhui's voice, it had been a while. Mingyu, Jun
and Jeonghan were best friends at one point but as university started and Jun decided he didn't want
to attend, that just ended. "Asshole." Jeonghan felt his lip twitch as he stood up, "Why are you calling
me? It's been months," He sighed dramatically, "You left me and I don't want you back."

Junhui let out a soft laugh because he could clearly hear the pout in Jeonghan's voice. "I'm sorry,
wife. It's been far too long, why don't you come visit me?" He said while walking over and handing
the cup of tea - two sugars and two cream - to Mingyu.

Jeonghan raised an eyebrow at that, he knew Junhui had a fucked up sleep schedule but really? He
wanted to meet up now?

Junhui watched Mingyu who was sipping at the tea quietly and it was kind of cute but then his eyes
shifted over to his shoulders that were tense and his eyes hard and locked on the ground. It was kind
of funny but he knew better than to laugh. Sensing the hesitation in Jeonghan at the proposal Junhui
spoke up, "Gyu is here and he needs you." He said simply, his voice not giving away anything but
they both knew what that meant.

"I'll be there."

Junhui clearly hadn't changed over the past few months Jeonghan noticed as he stepped into the
apartment and looked around. There was a picture frame of the three of them to his left, pillows
thrown on the ground to the right and what seemed to be -

"Is that a mascot head?" Jeonghan broke the silence in the room as he walked over and crouched in
front of the object. He was disturbed but also felt a sense of happiness overcome him because that
was so Junhui.

"Can we focus? Mingyu called me an hour ago wanting me to get him a fight - which by the way I
don't do anymore. I broke up with him." Junhui explained as he dragged Jeonghan away from the
mascot head, silently praying no furry jokes would be made.

Mingyu scoffed and set the empty cup down on the floor, he rolled his shoulders back and tilted his
head to the left and then right until disgustingly loud cracks filled the room. "Wouldn't know, you
don't exactly text back or call." He murmured standing up and running a hand through his hair, it was
the bandaged hand and something in Mingyu began to hurt again but it wasn't the wound. Wonwoo
had without even a question took care of him, he disinfected the gashes and kissed his bandaged
knuckles as if he was made to do that.

All Mingyu could think of was how good those few months had been, he was working his way back
into Wonwoo's life without forcing himself back in. He wanted to earn the boys trust and he wanted
to explain that the guy that hurt Wonwoo that day on the roof did it out of love. He could not let his
father rip away all the things Wonwoo had worked so hard for. Mingyu had been there the nights he
was stressing over the multiple clubs he was active in, the exams he had to study for just for
scholarships. Mingyu would not let that all go to waste and he didn't mind sacrificing his happiness,
the one thing in his whole entire life that made him feel complete.
He had grown up with a nanny, it wasn't hard being a rich kid and he never took that for granted but
he was always lonely. The people that entered his life would always take advantage of him and his
money, nobody ever wanted to be friends with Mingyu, they wanted Kim Mingyu, heir to one of the
largest companies in Korea.

That is until Wonwoo came along, they had met for the first time on the last day of summer, Wonwoo
was exiting a coffee shop and Mingyu was walking past the door when they bumped into each other
and his drink fell to the ground.
"Sorry, I can buy you a new one." Mingyu mumbled immediately, he wasn't in a good mood but he
still had manners. His eyes were cashed down to the sad iced coffee that was melting already due to
the summer heat.
Wonwoo glanced up and grinned at the tall, dark and handsome boy in front of him. "It's okay! I just
needed to cool down and your height is giving me shade." He laughed, shamelessly glancing around
at Mingyu's face to get a good look of him. Attractive people are the worst. Wonwoo's eyes swept
over the boys nose that was curved and fucking perfect to the cut right beside it on his cheek. It was
a small cut but it was started to form an infection which was easy to tell by the purple - green
mixture tainting the skin around it.
"Hey, mister tall, dark and handsome. Your cut is going to get infected if you don't treat it." Wonwoo
pointed out, his hand raising to point at the cut, Mingyu furrowed his eyebrows and immediately
went to touch the gash but he was shocked once a hand came down and smacked his own away.
"No touching, come with me." Mingyu was soon being led down the street and into an air
conditioned convenient store. He pushed into one of the seats and he felt himself stiffen up a bit when
the peculiar boy left him. He didn't know why he felt tense without him but he was getting used to his
presence already.
Wonwoo picked out a disinfectant, antibacterial cream and bandaids, he quickly payed for the
products before returning to the table in front of the window to the store. He let the items drop on the
glass table and felt his lips form a smile when the boy - his patient to be exact, jumped at the noise.
"You get scared easily for a mean looking beefed up dude." Wonwoo snorted, opening the package of
disinfectant spray. Without giving Mingyu a chance to protest he coveted the boys eye with one hand
and shook the small can, spray it directly onto the cut.
How could someone with such a deep voice let out a screech that high?
Mingyu was panting by time the bandaid was pressed onto his cheek, he was gripping his chest and
staring at the boy who just assaulted him - or, well, technically assisted him.
Wonwoo grinned sheepishly, "Maybe next time I will count to three or like..." He trailed off,
collecting all the garbage to distract himself, "Warn you?" He smiled, tilting his head to the side as
he glanced at the bandaid for a few seconds, his eyes making their way back up to Mingyu's.
"I'm Wonwoo." He introduced himself, it was weird how they've been together for about 15 minutes
without any introductions but it was also fun. "Do you have a name? Or should I just call you mister
tall, dark and handsome?"
"Mingyu." He murmured, bitting his lip as he turned his body a bit more to Wonwoo so that they
could properly look at one another. He had a feeling they would get along well and once he glanced
past Wonwoo into his reflection on a microwave. He knew it.
"You put a Barbie bandaid on my face."
"I sure did."
Jeonghan focused his attention from Junhui back to Mingyu who was staring off into the distance, his
eyes watery. That wasn't a common sight, Mingyu hardly ever cried, the last time he did was when
they were little and that was because he accidentally pushed Jeonghan off the swing and he felt so
bad when he saw the long haired boy bleeding with fat tears streaming down his face.

"Gyu?" Jeonghan said hesitantly, taking a step closer and noticing how Mingyu was clenching his
fist so tight that the gashes in his knuckles began to bleed and drip down his hand, the bandage
soaked through.

Mingyu clenched his jaw as he forced himself to relieve those good times, he didn't understand what
he had done to make these terrible things happen to it. The sadness that he felt had somehow turned
into anger and he just wanted to punch someone, something. He wanted anyone to feel this pain that
he could only express through, well, beating the crap out of someone. He was taking shallow breaths,
his chest visibly moving as he finally glanced at Jeonghan and felt his anger lessen slightly.

Neither Jeonghan or Junhui made a move when they noticed one tear slip from Mingyu's eye.
Nobody in the room said a word when a few more fell. It was when the facade cracked on Mingyu's
face did Jeonghan walked over and pull his best friend into a warm embrace.

Jeonghan realized that Mingyu wasn't one of those criers that he himself was guilty of being. The
ones that whimper, have trembling lips and just sob. Mingyu's breakdown fit him as a person, it was
silent, heavy and somehow passionate. The only sounds in the room that could be heard was Junhui
sitting on his squeaky bed and the soft sniffles from Mingyu that indicated he was done crying.
Jeonghan took a step back and reached his hands up to wipe away the remaining tears, it would have
been scary, the way Mingyu had a straight face while crying but it wasn't. It was Mingyu and he
would have been worried if he had done something else.

"Are you going to tell us what happened?" Jeonghan whispered, his hands cupping Mingyu's face as
he searched around his eyes as if he could see the answer. Junhui sat up on his bed and patted a spot
with his right hand and another one with his left.

Once the two were seated on the bed, Jeonghan reached over and took Mingyu's good hand into his
own. He laced their fingers and set it on his lap as Mingyu began to explain what had happened a few
hours ago. He went over who Wonwoo was and who Kangjoon was as well since Junhui didn't know
and that made the boy feel really guilty and disconnected from his best friends.

Jeonghan however, was irritated beyond belief, he knew he was - sassy, he hated that word but
Seungkwan called him that all the time. This however was not him being brash, this was true hatred
for Wonwoo that was bubbling in his core. The two hadn't gotten a long ever since Mingyu started to
date Wonwoo, however that seemed to change once he introduced Jeonghan to Seungcheol. He
thought that was a fresh start for them but one thing he could not handle in this entire world is when
someone hurts his Mingyu. Nobody understood how soft and kind hearted Mingyu is, he is one of the
nicest people Jeonghan was lucky enough to know but he was constantly getting hurt. Jeonghan
understood the situation last time, hell, he would've done the same if he was Wonwoo but this time?
Wonwoo was being excessively rude and he didn't even give Mingyu the chance to explain himself.
Their whole group of friends knew how in love Mingyu was with Wonwoo and at this point it felt
like Wonwoo was just taking advantage of that.
"You're not going to fight." Jeonghan said after he forced himself to calm down, if he was angry as
well this would do nothing for Mingyu. "We are going to spend the night here, Jun if you want you
can come back to our dorm tomorrow and help us put into place the get over Wonwoo mission." He
explained, looking over at Mingyu who previously was staring at the wall but turned to Jeonghan at
what he just said.

"Get over Wonwoo mission?" Mingyu groaned, laying back on the bed and letting out a sigh. "I don't
want to get over him. I want to protect him, I want to kiss him and be with him all the time. I want
him to love me again." He explained, he felt fucking soft as hell. Mingyu lifted his head with a
frown, "I feel like a marshmallow or some shit like that." He said and tried his hardest to keep his
face blank but that failed once Jeonghan and Junhui began laughing.

Introducing Junhui to their group of friends was funny because Junhui didn't even bother learning
their names, he even called Jihoon round head and honestly almost got stabbed. They were sitting at
their usual table when Soonyoung mentioned how they should all pee there because that's what
fucking cheetahs do! Let's fucking claim our territory!

Even Mingyu laughed.

They were enjoying lunch and spending time together until Wonwoo came over to their table with
his macbook and an apple in hand. Seungkwan desperately wanted to make a double apple joke but
he bit his tongue. Jeonghan was wondering if their group of friends knew what was going on and by
the tension that had suddenly become unbearably thick, they sure did.

Wonwoo sat down, hardly making eye contact with anyone as he did so, he opened his laptop and
immediately began typing. Of course he could tell that everyone had gone silent upon his arrival but
he didn't care, he had an assignment due in about 30 minutes that he needed to finish.

Junhui leaned over towards his left side where Jeonghan was seated with his hand laced with
Seungcheol who had his eyebrows furrowed and was glancing around the table. "Is that him?" Junhui
asked with a loud whisper voice, he of course did it on purpose and that sparked a reaction from
Wonwoo.

"I think it is." Wonwoo replied sarcastically, rolling his eyes but never taking them off the screen.

"Wow." Junhui nodded, shifting to lock eyes with Mingyu who had his jaw locked and his gaze
downwards. "You could do better."

Wonwoo paused his typing and let his fingers hover over the keyboard as he listened to Jeonghan
snicker at the insult. He finally looked up from the screen and stared straight at Jeonghan. "I don't
even know your friend but if you have a problem with me just say it." He snapped, he was irritated
with the way nobody was saying anything directly it was just silence and awkward glances from his
friends.
Jeonghan shrugged as he leaned forward and set his chin on his hand, "We all have a problem with
you." The tone in his voice was light as if he hadn't just told Wonwoo all his friends are annoyed
with him.

Seungcheol looked between Jeonghan and Wonwoo before he closed his eyes tightly to finally get a
grasp on the situation. He knew about everything that was happening but being malicious to
Wonwoo was no way to go about it. He pulled his fingers away from Jeonghan and looked at him
with a frown. "Hannie, stop, please." He murmured although those words had gone to waste since he
could tell by the smirk on Jeonghan's face he had gotten the reaction he wanted.

Wonwoo looked heartbroken as he looked around the table, his friends were either staring right back
at with with hard eyes - Jihoon, or avoiding his gaze completely - Seungkwan, Seokmin, Soonyoung.

That was enough of a confirmation for him that he was unwanted. Wonwoo swallowed thickly and
closed his laptop, "I know where I'm not welcome now, thanks guys." He mumbled while getting up
and walking towards the cafeteria doors.

Jeonghan smiled at Junhui and then looked around at the table, "It's okay guys, don't feel bad." He
reassured, smiling at each of his friends but then he realized Seungcheol wasn't there anymore.

Junhui leaned in close and pointed at Seungcheol's back, the man was jogging towards the exit.
"Dude. I think your boyfriend just left for Wonwoo." He whispered, looking at Jeonghan whose face
was slowly becoming red.

Seungcheol was a few feet behind Wonwoo, he watched as the boy sat himself down in the middle of
the hallway, something common amongst university students. It was almost funny how similar this
exact scene was compared to the first time they met.

It had been during the first week of school, Wonwoo was sitting with his back against a wall in the
middle of the hallway in front of his psychology classroom. He had gotten there about 10 minutes
before his lecture and he was bored without a single thing to do. That was until he remembered he
had a Rubik's Cube in his backpack.
It took him around 5 minutes to solve it, once he twisted the cube for the last time that's when he
heard a gasp. Wonwoo looked up and fixed his glasses quickly since they had slipped down while he
was entranced in the puzzle.
"You finished that so fast, dude, that was amazing." Seungcheol said as he squatted down in front of
the boy with circle glasses.
Wonwoo looked at the guy and then rolled his eyes, "I know university is a place where everyone
talks to each other but I don't know you. Stop looking at my cube." He mumbled while pressing his
finger to the guys forehead and pushing, laughing when he fell backwards.
That was the start of their friendship, well, Wonwoo always says he's doing charity by being
Seungcheol's friend but he really does appreciate what they have.

Seungcheol blinked a few times before he walked over and crouched down in front of Wonwoo,
smiling softly at him. He didn't say anything but he just stayed there with a smile on his face.
Wonwoo continued typing on his laptop trying his hardest to ignore Seungcheol but it was getting
fucking creepy.

"Cheol, fuck off. You're so weird, oh my god." Wonwoo rushed out, pressing send and letting out a
sigh of relief since he got his assignment out before the deadline. That was definitely one good thing
in his so far terrible day.

Seungcheol laughed softly and set his hand on top of Wonwoo's hair, lightly ruffling it, "Let's go
eat."

That made Wonwoo a bit skeptical, he closed his laptop and finally made eye contact with
Seungcheol. "All of our friends hate me including your boyfriend but you want to take me out to eat?
I don't get it." He mumbled, bringing his lip into his mouth and lightly biting it, a habit he had since
he was a kid. He always did it when he became nervous.

"Hannie and I are different people with different thoughts. I don't hate you at all." That answer was
enough for Wonwoo to agree to the proposition.

"Well, that's good. I still hate you, though." Wonwoo shrugged, pressing his finger against
Seungcheol's forehead and lightly pushing, a laugh bubbling out of him when the man fell.

They ended up getting beef for dinner since they both had a class and it was easier that way. They
were silent, the only sound being the lean beef sizzling on the grill and the voices around them.

"So," Seungcheol sighed, picking up a piece of the cooked beef, it was perfectly cooked and he was
eyeing it the whole time to make sure it was well done just the way Wonwoo liked it. He picked it up
with his chopsticks and set it on Wonwoo's plate.

"What are you doing? Gross, don't be nice." Wonwoo grumbled, taking the meat and eating it before
Seungcheol could take it back.

"You had a rough day, I'm being kind you can't hate me for that." He laughed, taking one of the
pieces from the corner of the grill that got a bit overdone but he didn't mind since he knew Wonwoo
wouldn't eat it.

They were walking through the dorm building and got to the elevator. Wonwoo decided to join
Seungcheol upstairs in his room to help him with one of his assignments.

"You didn't have to pay." Wonwoo mumbled while he watched Seungcheol pull his keys out and
start to unlock the door. Once he finally pushed it open Wonwoo looked down and began taking off
his shoes, "I mean, I wouldn't have and I'm glad you did but I'm sure we could've ran pretty fast-" He
finally looked up and now understood why Seungcheol was so uncharacteristically quiet.

Jeonghan and Mingyu were staring right at them, both harbouring a dark look in their eyes.
And wow, Wonwoo really had the best of luck.

Seungcheol cleared his throat before he went over to Jeonghan and moved to kiss his cheek but he
was shocked when the boy pulled away from him.

"Hannie?" Seungcheol said with a frown, he felt a bit of anger hit him when he saw his boyfriend
shift closer to Mingyu until their sides were pressed together.

"What do you expect? You ditched him." Mingyu supplied as an answer for the question Seungcheol
was probably thinking of.

Wonwoo pressed his back against the door, he was thinking that if he turned right now he could run
without anybody being able to catch up to him. Okay, well, maybe they could since he wasn't really a
fast runner and he really didn't enjoy that activity, maybe running wasn't the best way to exit. Death
by jumping out of the window? That would be exciting.

Wonwoo cleared his throat and looked at Seungcheol since Mingyu and Jeonghan were both glaring
at him. "I forgot to turn off my dishwasher. I have to go." He said lamely, he really didn't expect for
that to come out as dumb as it did.

"You just saw a dishwasher for the first time like yesterday." Seungcheol deadpanned, "You also
don't even own one."

Wonwoo pinched his nose and groaned, "Shut up I'm leaving." He made a move for the door but
Jeonghan opened his mouth and he really, really was so close to leaving.

"You don't deserve Mingyu."

When did Wonwoo even say he wanted Mingyu? And when did it become Jeonghan's business? He
was so fed up with never hearing Mingyu talk for himself but he always heard Jeonghan.

"You don't know me. You keep talking about me like you know anything about me or us," Wonwoo
pointed between him and Mingyu although they didn't have an 'us' anymore. "So cut it out, I don't
give a shit about your opinion, Jeonghan."

Mingyu lifted his head from the floor and put his arm around Jeonghan's waist, he lightly squeezed to
signal shut the fuck up.

That however didn't sit well with Seungcheol

"Is something happening here? You two are always together and I never question your friendship but
this does not look right." He said softly, his eyes pleading for Jeonghan to just look at him.

"You picked your side and I picked mine." Jeonghan mumbled, his voice steady while looking away
from Seungcheol because he couldn't face his puppy dog eyes. They would kill him right now.
Wonwoo frowned when he heard that, sides? Really? That's mature.

"I didn't pick a side, Hannie." Seungcheol promised, he really didn't, he didn't like that they were
ostracizing Wonwoo who didn't know anything about Mingyu's father or the blackmail. He was
clueless and nobody was trying to help him. Soon, guilt was filling Seungcheol once he realized he
was just like all his other friends. They were all leaving Wonwoo in the dark but they expected him
to just know what was happening and react the way they wanted.

Seungcheol shook his head and walked towards the area that Wonwoo was still awkwardly standing
at, he gripped his wrist and opened the door, walking them out of the building and into the cool night
air.

"Dude, your boyfriend is going to either murder me or you. Maybe both of us." Wonwoo said as he
pulled his arm away from Seungcheol and sat down on one of the steps to the building.

"I have to tell you something." He said while hesitantly sitting beside Wonwoo and taking a second
to collect his thoughts. Was this his story to tell? If he didn't let Wonwoo know what was happening
none of this would get fixed. Mingyu and Wonwoo would continue tip-toeing around one another
and that would negatively impact the groups friendship and that already was starting. He didn't think
his relationship with Jeonghan could strain due to a fight that had nothing to do with them but he was
wrong.

"Kangjoon has been blackmailing Mingyu." He said simply, letting out a breath because he was
worried that he would say too much. Some part of this story was far too personal for Seungcheol to
tell Wonwoo but this part he needed to know. "Mingyu has a homophobic father and Kangjoon has a
video of you two kissing from the party. He has been blackmailing Mingyu, also, Mingyu never hit
Kangjoon..." Seungcheol trailed off, turning his head to look at Wonwoo. "He punched a wall."

Wonwoo took a few deep breaths as the information sunk into him. The dots were slowly connecting
as he thought about it all, Mingyu had been acting weird whenever Kangjoon was around but he just
summed it up to his ex not liking his current boyfriend. He never once thought about what Mingyu
was going through.

"I'm a terrible person." He whispered with wide eyes, looking at Seungcheol in shock, "I'm a terrible
fucking person and you guys couldn't tell me earlier?" Wonwoo shouted as he stood up, his hands
coming up to cover his face, "I-I was mean. I was malicious." He gasped, he never ever wanted to
hurt Mingyu. Although the boy had hurt him a while ago, he would never return the act. He could tell
he changed but now it was like Wonwoo brought back the old Mingyu and that hurt the most.

Seungcheol stood up and shook his head, furrowing his eyebrows as he looked past Wonwoo when
an all black car pulled up. Wonwoo matched Seungcheol's line of sight and took a step back when
the door opened.

"Jeon Wonwoo?" A man in a freshly pressed suite asked.

"Yes." Wonwoo nodded rigidly, he was still processing everything that happened, it was like he was
unconscious but he was still awake. He just wanted this all to be a dream.
"Mr. Kim has arranged a meeting between you and him. Would you be willing to attend? It is an
urgent matter."

Wonwoo snapped back to reality when he heard the last name, "Kim?" He whispered, looking at
Seungcheol who was giving him a look that clearly said no, don't go, the probability of you getting
your fucking limbs chopped off is high.

"Make sure I'm back before my class tomorrow." Wonwoo mumbled as he got into the backseat of
the car that was waiting to drive him to his destination. He learned at a young age what stranger
danger meant but this stranger needed his ass to get kicked and Wonwoo wouldn't physically do it
because, hello, 15 pounds soaking wet but metaphorically? Of course, anything for Mingyu.