How to fall in love in a week

Posted originally on the Archive of Our Own at http://archiveofourown.org/works/39096225.

Rating: General Audiences

Archive Warning: Choose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Category: M/M
Fandom: - | Omniscient Reader - Sing-Shong
Relationship: Kim Dokja/Yoo Joonghyuk
Character: Kim Dokja, Yoo Joonghyuk, Yoo Sangah, Han Sooyoung, Lee
Hyunsung, Lee Jihye (Omniscient Reader), Kim Namwoon, Jung
Heewon
Additional Tags: Alternate Universe - High School, High School, Slow Burn, Fluff, Fluff
and Angst, Friends to Lovers, minor injuries later, Gamer Yoo
Jonghyuk, Bookworm Kim Dokja, whipped Yoo Jonghyuk, Kim Dokja
Needs a Hug, Hurt Kim Dokja, I Tried, just for fun, no beta we die like
kim dokja
Language: English
Stats: Published: 2022-05-19 Updated: 2022-10-14 Chapters: 5/? Words:
28434

How to fall in love in a week

by Val_Vel

Summary

A new year of school is starting, and Kim Dokja thinks he will spend it alone, as always.
But a handsome boy appears in his life, and everything changes.

Or Kim Dokja is learning how to make friends and accidentally fall in love with the popular
boy.

(Warning it's cliché because i wrote it just to improve my writing lmao)

Notes

Hello ! it's my first time writing a fanfiction (in English), so I hope I haven't made too much
mistakes. (I'm trying)

I just wanted to create my own version of an orv high-school AU, so here it is !

I haven't finished writing all the story yet, but i'm working on it...

Hoping you will enjoy your reading

 Monday

For ordinary students, the start of the scolar year meant to see their friends again. They would hang
out together, laugh together, share unforgettable moments. In short, they would do what friends do.

But as for Kim Dokja, it was a curse. From the day his mother had decided to write a book inspired
by his traumatic past, he was just considered as the child of a murderer. No one would dare
approach him. And if somebody did, it would only be to insult him, or to do something even
worst...

He had always caused problems during his childhood, and it would certainly happen again.
However, he was used to the pain by now, and he wouldn't cry anymore.

Hopefully, this year was the last he would spend in this school. And even if he didn't knew what he
would do after, it would surely be better than being in a place he doesn't feel safe in.

Every steps he took in the school's corridor were increasing his anxiety. But he had to find his
class. He tried to avoid eyes contact with other students by looking at the ground. He thought that
maybe he would become invisible.

He saw the teenagers turning silent when walking by them. He could hear them whispering things
to their comrades as well.

"You see this boy ? He's the devil's child, you should never talk him, unless you want to be
damned."

He was to be avoided like the plague.

Their voices faded away as he was walking faster.

He was not too far from his classroom, so he accelerated a little.

But then, someone bumped into him. Kim Dokja rubbed is shoulder. 'did I collide with somebody
made of metal ?'

He turned around to blame the one who did that. He was about to say something, but he instantly
closed his mouth. A tall guy was staring at him. He was clearly taller than an average student, and
he should be very popular with such a pretty face. Then, someone shouted behind him,

"Hey, Yoo Joonghyuk-ah ! We are going to be late, hurry up !"

The presumed Yoo Joonghyuk finally looked away. Kim Dokja quickly said he was sorry before
fleeing to his classroom.

He sat down on a chair, at the back of the room. No one would bother him there.

The class was too easy for him, and so he was bored. He couldn't help but play with a pencil in his
hand to make the time pass.

___

Some times later, the bell rang. It was finally lunch time.

Like he had always done for years, he sat down alone in the cafeteria.

But today was different apparently, because the president of the student council, Yoo Sangah,
came at his table. Now that he remembered, she was always the only one who would join him to
eat. She sat just in front of him and asked with her usual smile.

"How are you Dokja-ssi? It has been a while since we last saw each other." Kim Dokja just
answered that he was fine. It was obviously a lie. He hoped she would trust him, but instead of that,
her expression started to change. Yoo Sangah was worried about him.

"I see...and how was your class this morning ?" she asked.

"I'm not gonna lie, it was boring." he was staring down at his tray. This time he was being too
honest. Now, she was certainly thinking that he was lacking friends to keep him company when he
was bored.

In fact, it was really her plan to find him more friends. And today, she would put it in action.

"Dokja-ssi, Have you already joined a club ?"

He tightened his grip on his fork.

"No..."

Yoo Sangah began smiling again. It was an opportunity not to be missed.

Because of her reaction, Kim Dokja immediately added.

"But I don't plan on joining one. Too much people."

Okay, she had to find another plan.

She was thinking about every possibilities she had left, when her gaze stopped on Kim Dokja's
face. She had just realized that he was covered in bandages.

"What happened ?" She was staring at him with a serious expression. In the panic, he answered
with a thoughtful sentence.

"I...stumbled...on a rock."

'I'm screwed' he thought. Yoo Sangah was still waiting for an explanation.

"I was looking at my phone, that's why I stumbled."

She wasn't totally believing him, but she knew he was a phone addict so it wasn't a bad excuse.

The president of the student council, took a deep breath before starting.

"I think it would be a good thing if you came to the club meeting." She made a pause before
adding. "Maybe you will change your mind on clubs...and make new acquaintances ?"

She was kindly trying to say that he needed more than his books as friends. But because he wasn't
answering, she continued.

"I will stay around the Literature club stall, so you will not have to search everywhere to find me."
He nodded but didn't seemed convinced at all.

Yoo Sangah had to persuade him at all cost, and she suddenly got an idea. She got up with her eyes
closed. "I'm sorry Dokja-ssi, I need to finish...something. The papers won't fill out on their own.
See you later."

Her plan was simple : She would deliberatly drop her keys in front of her friend, so he would bring
them back to her at the meeting. It was the most evil plan she had ever thought of. Right now, she
felt like the vilain of a teen TV show.

Anyway, Kim Dokja noticed what she was trying to do, and tried to give her keys back. But she
was too fast for him. He sighed, 'You got me this time'.

___

After being betrayed by Yoo Sangah, Kim Dokja had decided to find a place where he wouldn't be
bothered by human beings. He sat down on the ground, and took his phone out.

'What will I read today...'

Reading in-between classes had become an habit for him.

He scrolled for a long time, searching for a new story. A strange looking one caught his eyes. What
was the name of this one...

"Starving games"

'...It looks like a bad plagia'. He then searched who was the author of such a thing. It was a certain
someone named "Abyssal_Lemonpop".

"Starving games" had only 3 chapters out, but it was clearly the copy of a famous book he had read.
The story was the same, and more surprising, it was not bad written.

'Well, at least they changed the characters names'.

Because he was curious, he looked at the other available stories and was shocked.

There was "Six of Ravens", "The Lord of the wristlets" and even "Game of crowns" !? How was it
even legal. And the comment section was disabled of course.

He wanted to read them, but it was already time to go back to reality, to his classroom. His awful
classroom, full of awful classmates.

"Look at him, he looks so pitiful. I'm sure his grades are catastrophic-"

'It's fine. Don't listen to them'.

He sat down in the back again in order to be alone. He held his head with his hand. He was truly
back to reality.

He turned his head to see what was outside the window. It was showing on the baseball field, and a
match had already started.

The player waiting with a bat in his hands was very tall, and seemed almost familiar. He got into
position, and then, everything happened fast. The ball was thrown on the boy, and when it got hit,
it flew so high in the air, that it couldn't be seen anymore.

Everyone on the field was stunned. Kim Dokja's jaw dropped open, as the tall boy was finishing
running around the field. His team received him with cheers and greetings while their opponents
had blank faces.

Just now, Kim Dokja finally recognized the boy. He was none other than the student who had
bumped into him this morning. Now he was annoyed. The popular boy was obviously good at
sports.

___

For the rest of the afternoon, Kim Dokja couldn't stop thinking about one thing : 'It had to be this
guy. Is he a monster or something ?' This thought quickly changed. 'Why am I even thinking about
him, how annoying'. He was upset by his own thoughts. He took out Yoo Sangah's keys which
were waiting in his pocket. 'Yes, how annoying...'.

He was walking toward the multipurpose room while playing with the keys he was holding. Then,
he stopped before the closed door. He took a deep breath to calm himself down.

'It's gonna be fine, i'm just going to give the keys without being noticed by anyone. It's not as if
there was a lot of people at this kind of meeting anyway.' He pushed the door and instantly froze.

'Okay...it's not gonna be fine'. he stiffened, 'Why is there so many people in this damn school !?'.

He swallowed, 'Stay calm, it's nothing', He tried is best not to trigger his anxiety even more. He
recalled what Yoo Sangah told him earlier, and searched for the Literature club. He took a look
around and noticed some books on a stand.

'It's this one for sure'

He took a first step, as to see if there wasn't any trap, and began walking quickly through the
crowd. He was being careful not to touch anyone by mistake.

As long as he could remember, he had always hated crowds. He had always feared to get lost in
those. And his anxiety made it worst.
He felt like if everybody was looking at him. The crowd was a monster whose eyes were like
spears tearing him apart. But he couldn't go back now.

He closed his eyes, and re-opened them when he heard a familiar voice calling out for him. He felt
relieved. His heart was still pounding hard, but well, he was still alive.

"Dokja-ssi are you ok ?". He must have been looking terrible right now from the way she was
talking to him.

"Yes, I'm okay". He replied with his usual fake smile. Fortunately, Yoo Sangah seemed to believe
him this time.

She took the keys his friend was holding. She seized his sleeve to draw his attention on the
Literature club stand. She described it as a safe place, in which everyone shared the same passion
for reading as him. He knew it wouldn't be a safe place anymore if he joined it though.

"I'm Sorry Yoo Sangah-ssi, but I usually prefer to read alone." He tried his best not to hurt her
feelings too much.

She was looking sad, but it wasn't because he refused her proposition.

He should have stopped talking now, but he couldn't miss an opportunity to devalue himself.

"I just don't think it's a good idea to bother them, you know, because I'm a murderer's child. They
would never accept me." After hearing those words, Yoo Sangah made a face he had rarely seen.

"Don't say something like that ever again. It doesn't define who you are. You are Kim Dokja, it's
the only thing that matter. Understood ?"

He was startled. He nodded without looking at her, and her expression came back to normal. Like
if nothing had happened.

"I'm sorry Dokja-ssi, I didn't mean to force you to join a club. I just want you to feel good in this
school." She was sorry because she didn't knew how to help him.

"I know Yoo Sangah-ssi. But I'm okay, I swear." He wore a soft smile. Swearing something didn't
meant anything for him.

"I need to study, you know where to find me." She nodded, and joined a conversation with other
people.

Kim Dokja stood here for a moment. He was still moved by Yoo Sangah's words. He slapped his
cheeks to pull himself together, and headed toward the exit doors.

But the next moment, something fell on his feet.

'What is that ?', He thought while picking up the thing. He took a better look at it. It was a smiling
dumpling keychain.

'Adorable'

He looked at where the keychain fell from. What a surprise, the popular boy from this morning
was sneaking throught the crowd, in his direction.
Kim Dokja instantly held up the keychain to it's owner. But instead of directly taking it. The guy
stood there, looking at the hands holding his property. Kim Dokja was trying to avoid his gaze, but
the tall student's eyes where searching his, and he had no other choice but to look up.

Until now, he hadn't realized how tall the boy was, At least one head taller, and how handsome he
was too. He had a sharp jawline, short dark wavy hair, thick eyebrows, long eyelashes, and
unreadable black eyes.

'He has the look of the damn protagonist' thought Kim Dokja the web-novel expert.

Unfortunately, the only emotion this pretty face showed was anger. Or wearyness he didn't knew.
The guy finally took the keychain, and mumbled something that sounded like a "Thank you".

Who would believe it ? The impassive popular boy was owning a cute dumpling keychain. Kim
Dokja wanted to say he liked it, but it would have sounded odd from a stranger.

"You're welcome" he said embarrassed before disappearing into the crowd.

___

'Finally the library', he thought. He sat down between two bookshelves, where no one could see
him. Then, he turned on his phone to read.

He had barely read the first lines of a random story, that he was already immersed into it.

The afternoon passed quickly. People came and left, until it was too dark to study.

Kim Dokja had just finished his reading. He stretched before looking at the time.

"8 pm"

"Damn it."

He hadn't realized he had spend that much time on his phone.

'And I still have my homework to do.' He made a helpless expression as he stood up.

The library should have been empty by now, but there was still someone sitting at a table. Given
his stature, it was a boy. It was so silent that Kim Dokja could hear the sound of a pencil writing on
paper from where he was.

Because the boy was sitting back to him, Kim Dokja thought that he could cross the library without
being noticed. But the wooden floor decided otherwise, and it made an horrible creak sound under
his feet.

The student on the chair immediatly turned around with his usual angry expression.

"Who's there ?" He asked with a cold tone.

What was his name again ? Ah, yes, Yoo Joonghyuk, the imposing popular boy who owns a cute
dumpling keychain. Kim Dokja sighed before going out of the darkness which was hiding him. He
kept his distance tho.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to bother you..."

As if to make sure he wasn't a threat, Yoo Joonghyuk looked him up and down. He then turned
back to continue what he was doing.

'Mmh...ok'

Because he was fed up of standing awkwardly, the curious Kim Dokja started approaching the
sitting boy.

From what he saw, Yoo Joonghyuk was obviously struggling. He kept on erasing what he wrote,
and it seemed that he would break his pencil at any moment ...'what a scary bastard'. Apparently, it
was a literature homework that stood up to him.

Usually, Kim Dokja would have already fled. But he was good at literature, and he couldn't bear
seeing all the mistakes this guy was making. If it went on, his eyes would literally bleed.

"Oh my god..." he muttered to himself.

But the popular boy must have heard him, because he had stopped writing to glare at him. Kim
Dokja got goosebumps. Even so, he continued.

"May I..." He started. The tall guy said nothing, so he allowed himself to pick one of his pencil. He
began writing something.

Yoo Joonghyuk remained silent, which made Kim Dokja a bit anxious. He could sense his gaze
burning his fingers.

"There, you should write it like this."

The guy was reading what had been written on his notebook. Then he muttered something
inaudible. By now, Kim Dokja knew that he was a man of few words, but he felt like he could
understand his silence.

He was satisfied, he had just helped the great popular boy with his homework...Wait, and who
would help him with his ?!

Kim Dokja looked at the clock on the wall in front of him.

"9 pm".

'Shit again' He quickly grabbed his backpack and took a few steps back.

"Well, I hope it helped. But now I really got to go." He said with a clumsy expression.

Yoo Joonghyuk slowly nodded while the one who assisted him was already gone.

'What an awkward situation' thought Kim Dokja before leaving the school with a strange feeling.
 Tuesday
Chapter Notes

I'm finally able to post the chapter 2 lesgoooo

My exams are over so now I can focus on finishing this fic hehe

He hadn't slept from all the night to finish his homework. And due to that, Kim Dokja had really
bad eyebags. He was walking toward his school, and took a few shortcuts to be faster. There was a
time when he had a bike. But that was before someone decided to steal it.

Now that the school was in his field of view, he looked at his phone to look at the time. He wasn't
paying attention to his surroundings anymore, and he trully stumbled on something. But it wasn't a
rock.

Actually, it was a girl with a "bob haircut" holding a lemon lollipop in her hand. Wait, a lemon
lollipop ?

"Hey !" said the annoyed girl.

'Dammit' he really was a magnet for trouble. Dokja who was still on the ground stood up while
dusting off himself. He had not the time to apologize because the girl interrupted him.

"You should look where you walk huh." She looked down at the phone he was holding. "In fact,
you shouldn't look at your phone when you're walking...mmh." She stopped talking and made a
suspicious expression. "Wait a minute..." She was studying every details of his face. "By any
chance are you the so talked-about Kim Dokja ?"

He just stared at her with a jaded face. He had only met her 10 seconds ago, and she had already
noticed who he was... He knew he would eternally be bounded to his "son of a murderer"
reputation, but it was really annoying.

"Yes, so what ?" It was useless to deny his true self. The girl didn't seemed surprised. Instead of
that, she started to smile with excitement. On his side, Dokja made a complicated expression.

Fortunately, Yoo Sangah showed up. She would certainly help him escape this inconvenient
situation.

"Han Sooyoung-ssi where were you..." Yoo Sangah's gaze kept switching between the two of
them, and stopped on him with a big grin. "Dokja-ssi you are here too ! I'm happy you are making
new friends !" He was embarrassed by her statement.

"No you are mistaken..." He couldn't finish his sentence, because the lollipop girl had put her hand
on both Yoo Sangah's and his shoulder.

"My dear Yoo Sangah-ssi, In reality..." a smile curled up on her lips, and her expression became
mischievous. Kim Dokja was in trouble. "In reality, he said he was a great fan of my work, and he
asked me an autograph"

'What ?'

Her name was familiar. Well, now he remembered why. Han Sooyoung was in charge of the
school newspaper. She was known for her writing qualities, and for her unpredictable temper.

The dark haired girl wore a sly smile. Hopefully, Yoo Sangah was too smart to believe in such a
lie-

"Dokja-ssi, you never told me that you liked her writing that much ! I could have introduced you to
her earlier !"

Now he was so shocked and confused that he couldn't even respond. He was totally caught off
guard by this situation. Yoo Sangah couldn't hide her happiness and was incessantly talking. As for
Han Sooyoung, she was just standing there, her arms crossed, smiling like a fool. She was
obviously proud of herself.

When Kim Dokja came back to his senses, he felt as if someone was staring at him. He looked
around, and the already awkward situation became even worst.

He had spotted the angry popular boy in the distance, he was glaring at him. The eerie aura
emanating from Yoo Joonghyuk gave him shivers.

Why was everyone acting so weird today ?

He just concluded that he was hallucinating because he hadn't slept enough.

___

Kim Dokja woke up startled. He was still in his class, wondering for how long he had fell asleep.
Fortunately it was for less than 10 minutes. He focused back on the lesson with some difficulties.

He nearly fell asleep again, when the bell finally rang. He slouched on his table. 'I should really
take a nap'.

Today, he had made his own food in order to avoid people in the cafeteria. He was not in a state
where he could endure the gaze of the others. So, he remained alone in his classroom to eat
peacefully.

___

At the same time, Yoo Joonghyuk's party was wandering in the corridor, not too far from Kim
Dokja's location.

Lee Jihye and Kim Namwoon were messing around as always. Today, they had decided to see who
was the fastest between the two of them.
"I'm gonna win again !" Said Lee Jihye while laughing.

"Not this time !" Cried out Kim Namwoon from behind her. He was gradually gaining ground and
was now ahead of her. And he certainly would have won, if only there wasn't a backback left in his
way.

He stumbled.

"Ouch !" He rolled on the floor until Lee Jihye's feet. She looked at him from above.

"I won." She said with a mocking smile.

"Tss, that's not fair." His cheeks were tainted with a soft pink. His friend helped him standing up.
But when he rose his head, his eyes widened.

"What with that face ? Have you seen a ghost or something ?" She said as she turned around. She
was so shocked by what she saw, that she jumped back on Kim Namwoon, and they nearly fell
together.

Jung Heewon, the rule keeper of the school, was standing there with her arms crossed. "I already
told you once to stop acting like children. Are you still in kindergarten ?" She sighed. This two kids
were really overwhelming.

The panicked Lee Jihye tried to say something, but a huge hand patted her head. It was Lee
Hyunsung who spoke.

"I'm sorry about them, please, don't sanction them. I promise I will keep an eye on these kids from
now on." He clumsily scratched the back of his head. Jung Heewon easily gave up on punishing
the children.

"Okay, I will count on you, so keep your words." Lee Hyunsung faitly blushed and made a serious
face. Just like soldiers when they are tasked with a mission. His behavior made her slightly laugh.
She then waved him goodbye before leaving.

Lee Jihye and Kim Namwoon turned slowly their head toward their savior with suspicious
expressions.

"What was that ?" Asked the girl.

"What was what ?" Answered Lee Hyunsung, as if he had not understood what she had said.
Someone interrupted them.

"What the hell are you doing ?" It was Yoo Joonghyuk's cold voice. He had his hands in his
pockets. He was annoyed because his companions had suddenly disappeared and left him.

"Oh, nothing I was just..." started Lee Hyunsung.

"He was flirting with Jung Heewon-ssi." Calmly said Lee Jihye.

"Huh ?" He turned red.

There was an awkward silence.

Yoo Joonghyuk was the one to break it.

"We should go now. We still have a battle to win." The rest of the group silently agreed.

They walked side by side toward the Role-play club. Lee Hyunsung and Kim Namwoon were
talking with Yoo Joonghyuk about their new game strategy. And Lee Jihye was whistling from
behind them.

She turned her head to look inside a class which had it's door open, to see a boy quietly sleeping on
his desk. His head laying on his forearms. His face wasn't as handsome as her master's, but he
couldn't be called ugly.

She could bet she had already seen him somewhere before...

'Right ! It's the boy master was looking at this morning !' She remembered everything Yoo
Joonghyuk had taught her or told her, and she remembered his interests as well.

An idea suddenly popped up in her mind. She grabbed Kim Namwoon by the shoulders, and
dragged him out of her master's sight. She wore a sneaky smile.

"Let's make a good prank."

___

Dokja woke up in his still empty classroom. It wouldn't be as restful as a good night of sleep, but
this short nap made him already feel better. He stretched his arms and took his backpack before
leaving.

His next class had already started when he discretly sat down at his place. He took his notebook
out, but when he opened it, he couldn't recognize his writing.

"What the..."

He searched for a name, or something that would help him understanding whose notebook it was.
But then he noticed something hanging from one of the bag's pockets. It was a familiar keychain.

"Fuck."

How was it possible ? He hadn't even came across this guy since the morning. There was no doubt
at this point, it was Yoo Joonghyuk's backpack for sure.

Kim Dokja grabbed his forehead. 'I've left my phone in mine...'

He realized that the popular boy may have his bag too.

'Well, I hope this bastard will take care of my stuff' He tore a paper from the notebook, and took a
pen from a black pencil case.

'What a day.'
___

Somewhere else in the school, Yoo Joonghyuk too, had discovered that the backpack he was
carrying was not his. It had the same color as his own, black. But it hadn't any particular feature he
could recognize. He finally decided to check inside it. Some Notebooks, pencils, a Strawberry
flavored chewing-gum pack, a fantasy novel with a bookmark in it. But what caught his attention
was a phone.

'Who would be careless enough to lost their bag when there's a phone in it?'

His curiosity was too strong not to turn it on. The lockscreen was a simple wallpaper, a night sky
filled with shooting stars. A notification suddenly popped up. It was a message from someone
named "Yoo Sangah"

'Isn't she the president of the student council ?' He continued to read.

-Hey, you disappeared during lunch time, are you okay Dokja-ssi ?

Yoo Joonghyuk immediately turned the phone off, and put it back into it's original place. So the
owner of this backpack was Kim Dokja.

'Kim Dokja, what a strange name' he had first thought, when he had heard it from some random
students. A lot of rumors had spread around this name. But he didn't really cared about them.

But this morning, when someone shouted this name, he had realized that Kim Dokja was actually
the boy who had helped him with his literature homework. He was the boy who had thankfully
found his beloved keychain, when he had lost it in the crowd. He was also the boy he had
accidentally bumped into, on the first day of school. Now, it was this boy's backpack he had carried
until now.

Yoo Joonghyuk made a complicated face. He felt a bit bad for having searched into someone else's
stuff without authorization.

'It's always this guy'

From now on, he took well care of this backpack.

___

When the end of the day came, and it was time for people to study or come back home, Yoo
Joonghyuk immediately began searching for Kim Dokja. He was walking fast not to waste more
time. He was heading toward Yoo Sangah's bureau.

When he arrived at the right place, he opened the door without knocking. A draft of wind made the
papers laying on a table fly in the air.
"I need your hel...I need informations about someone." Asking someone's help was impossible for
him. Maybe his ego was too big to ask such a thing. You Sangah was trying to catch the flying
papers.

"What kind of informations do you need ?" Yoo Joonghyuk tried to formulate an answer as clear as
possible.

"About Kim Dokja." Simple and efficient.

She was surprised at first, but then, she smiled.

"You are Yoo Joonghyuk right ? He told me that he would wait for you in the library."

"What ?" He didn't expected that. The boy was literally waiting for him ? Did he exchanged their
backpack on purpose ?

"He said that you may have taken his bag by mistake."

So it was Yoo Joonghyuk's fault now ? If the guy dared accuse him...

"Please be kind with him, he isn't a bad person." She had a serious expression. It was clearly a
warning.

Yoo Joonghyuk understood that she was saying this partly because of the rumors. He just nodded
and left.

When he entered the library, he directly searched for the boy with bandages on his face.

Surprisingly, he was waiting at the table Yoo Joonghyuk usually studied on. There, Kim Dokja was
peacefully reading a book. He then rose his head with a tired smile.

___

From the corner of his eyes, he saw a tall boy entering the library. Dokja closed the book he was
reading to look at him. He tried to smile in case he would be angry. Because his face clearly
showed that he was mad against him. A bag was wisely waiting on the table.

"Here, your bag..." He looked up at Yoo Joonghyuk, and jumped a little when he placed a
backback directly on his lap.

The next moment, the tall boy was checking if nothing was missing in his stuff.

"I haven't searched anything, apart from a paper and a pen to write." He stopped his verification
and straightened.

"You shouldn't let your phone in your bag like that."

It was so sudden that Kim Dokja's anxiety rose up at once. His hands started to shake a bit. The guy
wasn't looking at him, as if he had something to reproach himself for.
"Did you look at my phone ?" He tried his best to keep a steady voice.

Yoo Joonghyuk finally faced him. "I wanted to know whose backpack it was, that's all."

What could he answer to that ? Nothing. The popular boy tried to add something, but Dokja
stopped him with his hand.

"I understand." He was looking at the ground, with a sad expression. His phone was his own
private world, and it was impossible to explain how awful he felt about someone looking in it.

On his side, Yoo Joonghyuk was feeling very guilty. He never knew what to say, or how to behave
to comfort people. But, he knew one thing. Talking wasn't his forte, he much preferred to act.

Dokja was lost in his thoughts. 'What did he saw ? I'm so stupid...I blamed him but its not even his
fault' When he looked up, Yoo Joonghyuk had disappeared from the library. But there were still
two backpacks on the table. 'Don't tell me he forgot it'.

He catched the hanging dumpling keychain and played with it. Then someone came next to him.

"I shouldn't have looked at your phone without asking." Yoo Joonghyuk was handing him a pack
of snack.

Dokja was taken aback. His eyes were wide open, he was hesitating to take it. The tall boy shook
the pack a little, "It's for you, take it."

No one, apart from Yoo Sangah, never gave him something like that. The only thing he had
received from others before were hits.

He slowly took the snack from Yoo Joonghyuk's hands, in case he would take iy back. But he
didn't. The guy frowned.

"Why are you so suspicious, is it the first time you receive a gift ?"

There was an awkward silence.

"Nevermind."

Dokja's eyes were burning, but it would be ridiculous to cry right now. He looked away from the
pack of snack to meet Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes.

"Thank you." He wore his best smile.

"It's nothing." The popular boy turned his head away with a weird expression. It made Dokja
chuckle.

"It's starting to get late, I should go back home now."

Like the last day, he was leaving the library. But when he was opening the door, he heard
something from behind.

"See you tomorrow." Kim Dokja's heart skipped a beat.

"Oh, um, see you !"

And that's how he gained a new friend on the second day of school.
 Wednesday
Chapter Notes

Hi!!!

I tried to improve my spelling for this chapter. It's also longer than I expected, so I
hope it's okay.

Their relationship is starting to progress hehe~

Also ⚠️TW virtual blood⚠️(violence in a video game)

Have a good reading!!

When Kim Dokja woke up the next morning, he felt a bit different.

'Did I just made a friend by myself ?'

He shook his head, It was too soon to say so. He left his house without eating breakfast.

The lollipop girl was not in front of the school today. Not that he was complaining.

His first class was literature, which was normally his favorite one. But when he sat down and was
ready to listen, the teacher announced bad news for him.

"I know school started a few days ago, but you should be trained as soon as possible, if you want to
get better. So, you are all going to prepare a group presentation."

'I'm gonna die.'

Kim Dokja felt as if he was becoming a puddle of water.

"I already chose the different groups. I will call your names and you will pair up."

'I wanna be alone please please please please.'

"Kim Dokja." Called the teacher.

'No.'

"You will team up with Song Minwoo."

Time seemed to stop. He bit his lips.

Why? Just why did it have to be him? What had he done to deserve this? He squeezed his eyes
shut.
'I'm really gonna die.'

Song Minwoo, was none other than the boy who bullied him last year, and the year before. He had
already beaten him up several times. Kim Dokja remembered he even had to take some days to rest
because of his wounds. He touched his face. the bandages which were covering it these last days,
were hiding the marks Song Minwoo had left on him.

He spent the end of the hour overthinking about his current situation. He hadn't heard the bell
ringing. Song Minwoo, seeing it as a good occasion to speak, approached from his desk. He noisily
slammed his hands on the table.

"Well, we meet once again Kim Dokja." His smile was terrifying. "I hope we'll get along and..." he
got closer from his face. "And I hope you will bring us a good grade, huh?"

"So you're planning to exploit me? Do you think the teacher will be stupid enough to think you
wrote your part by your own?" In class, Kim Dokja could speak without thinking about the
consequences, because he wasn't alone.

"I already told you not to run your mouth like that." He gritted his teeth.

"I don't listen to what a moron like you could tell me."

Song Minwoo placed his hand on Dokja's shoulder, and tightened his embrace.

"Next time we're alone together, I'm gonna punish you."

Kim Dokja snorted, "It sounds so bad."

"You little-" he was cut off by the teacher.

"You two, I know you are excited about the presentation, but it's not the right time to talk about it.
You should be in break now."

Song Minwoo let go of him.

"You're lucky this time. See you later Kim Dokja."

'Yeah, see you in hell.'

___

Kim Dokja had left his classroom and was walking in the hallways. He was still upset by his class.

Thankfully, he noticed Yoo Joonghyuk, not too far from his location. He was still suspicious of
him, but felt somehow relieved to see his face.

The guy was staring at him. It looked like he wanted to say something. Kim Dokja wasn't moving,
until someone behind him hustled him, and pushed him toward Yoo Joonghyuk.

"Um...Hi." He didn't knew what to say.

"For the literature homework last monday, I wanted to thank you."

'Ah?'

"I'm glad it helped." He made a clumsy smile.

It had been a while since someone was grateful to him.

"Maybe I can help you with something in return." It wasn't sounding like a question.

He didn't expect he would want to return the favor.

The usual Kim Dokja would have immediately refused, because he saw himself as a burden for
others. But it wasn't the usual Kim Dokja who spoke. Plus, he was still startled by what happened
earlier in his literature class.

"Sure, i've got a presentation to do and I would be happy to have a moral support." Now that he had
said it out loud, it sounded awful.

Even Yoo Joonghyuk was surprised by his words. Well, he couldn't tell if he was really troubled or
not because he had the same face when he was angry.

"Are you...okay?" Asked the tall guy.

What? Wasn't he looking okay?

"Yeah...yeah I'm always ok. I'm fine. I'm not lying." He was talking to much. "Well see you later
at the library then."

"Sure..."

Kim Dokja walked away, before starting to act too suspiciously.

'We'll see if he shows up or not.' He thought. It would for sure be a good occasion to see if he had
really made a friend.

---

Morning went by, as well as lunch time. But his peaceful day was soon disturbed again. The
lollipop girl spawned right in front of him.

'I have no time to rest...'

"What's up Kim Dokja? You didn't stumbled today?" She was either being serious or sarcastic.

"As you can see, my face and clothes are fine." He turned around to show her. "Aren't you
supposed to be writing another of your plagia by the way?"

She took out her lollipop.

"Have you ever been so cheeky before?" She got closer from him. "Are you the real Kim Dokja?"
She poked his cheeks.
"Stop that."

"If you ask so kindly, Cheeky boy." She laughed at the surname she just gave him.

"Ok, what do you want from me?"

Finally the question she had been waiting for. She started to smile.

"Can I borrow some of your precious time?"

"What would you need me for? I'm useless and bad at everything. I won't be of any help." The girl
didn't seem to care. She kept staring at him. It was almost becoming embarrassing.

"Fine, I'll help you. Twenty minutes, no more."

She jumped in excitement and tugged him by the arm.

She opened a door, and entered in a room she described as her bureau.

"Here we are! This is my OWN room." She crossed her arms with satisfaction.

The place was a complete mess. Some papers were laying on the ground, and some were hooked
on the walls. A ton of pen and pencils were scattered here and there. How could she write so well
when her workplace looked like this?

'What did I get myself into?'

Han Sooyoung managed to cross the room without tripping, and sat on an armchair. "You can sit
there." She pointed at a weird looking chair in front of her. He sat down. "Don't be afraid, i'm not
gonna eat you." She had sensed his nervousness.

"So, you already know that I'm a writer. And as a good writer, I need a good reader who would
notice an eventual mistake. Which are not common, but still."

"You just want me to read your books? Fine I can do it. Can I leave now?" However, he didn't get
up.

"In fact, yes. But there is something else." She made a short pause. "How is it going between you
and the grumpy man?"

"What ?"

"Yoo Joonghyuk if you prefer."

He was really confused, he couldn't have guessed she would ask him about this.

"How are you doing with the scary guy ?" She thought that maybe she hadn't been clear enough for
his brain to understand.

"Why do you want to know?"

"So not so well. I see." She rested her hand on her hands.

"It's not that..." Kim Dokja didn't knew if he was truly friend with Yoo Joonghyuk. They had just
met two days ago after all. "I...I don't know." He played with his fingers, not knowing what else to
do with them. "Just tell me why you want to know ?"
Han Sooyoung closed her eyes and her usual mischievous smile appeared.

"About that..."

---

Yoo Joonghyuk was lost in his thoughts, 'Why is Kim Dokja always disappearing?' Maybe he was
just reading somewhere, between two bookshelves, alone... Maybe he was in trouble?

"Hey Joonghyuk-ah are you sleeping?" Kim Namwoon's voice brought him back to reality. "Stop
dreaming we are loosing because of you !" Right, he was playing video games with his party. His
HP were slowly decreasing because he had remained AFK for a certain time. Lee Hyunsung was
standing in front of him, doing his best to protect him with his shining shield.

He quickly took control of his character again, and they were back in track.

"Our Supreme King is making his entrance !" Shouted Lee Jihye.

"I'm happy to be your faithful shield !" Declared Lee Hyunsung.

"I thought you had become weak for a sec." Said Kim Namwoon while swinging on his chair.

The four of them were participating to a guild battle in the Role-play club room, during their
pause. Their guild was one of the bast ranked, at least in the top five. They had to level up their
characters in order to become even more powerful. They had even recruited the strongest players
they could find, such as "God of drinks", "Coin Master" or "Asmodeus". They didn't knew each
other in real life, but they were united by this sole game, and the same desire to get stronger.

A message popped up in the chat as they were fighting :

[Asmodeus] : Too bad that you didn't die. I would have been honored to take the lead of your guild
:)

Yoo Joonghyuk rolled his eyes. This guy was as strong as he was annoying.

[Supreme King] : sh■t up.

How witty of him.

[Asmodeus] : As you wish Supreme King

[Asmodeus] left the chat.

"Wow, I see this jerk is still sensitive." Grumbled Lee Jihye.

"We don't need him. Let's clear the stage." His group nodded.

Yoo Joonghyuk's blade was cutting his enemies like butter. Virtual blood flowed and splashed on
the screen. Heads fell on the ground, and the corpses laying at his feet disappeared into ashes. The
players witnessing this bloodshed from afar were staying at a great distance from him. From their
point of view, he was truly a demon.
Some were trying to run away but the Supreme King activated his skill "Red Phoenix Shunpo" to
catch up with them, and slicing them down. His companions were watching him from the side.

"It's so..." started Lee Jihye.

"Terrifying? Violent?" Suggested Lee Hyunsung.

She shook her head. Her eyes were glowing.

"No, it's so impressive ! Master is the best !"

The Supreme King was covered in blood which wasn't his. He wiped his cheek, and cleaned his
sword.

"Good job everyone !"

They were excited by their victory, but it wasn't the moment to let off their guard. The ground
started shaking under their feet. Some opponents who managed to survive until now, were crushed
under falling rocks.

"Everyone stay focus. The boss is coming" Declared Yoo Joonghyuk with a cold voice.

[Apocalypse Dragon is awaking]

"Finally some action" Kim Namwoon licked his lips and stopped swinging on his chair. Lee Jihye
rolled up her sleeves, and tightened her ponytail. Lee Hyunsung rubbed his forehead and stretched
his neck.

They were so focused on their game, that they hadn't noticed the two idiots spying on them from
behind the door.

___

"Are you crazy?! Why do you need me for this?" Shouted Kim Dokja.

"Think of this as a repayment for the time you stumbled on me."

"I didn't even hurt you!"

"Maybe, but you soiled my shoe."

He made a dumbfounded expression.

"You really are wicked."

"Oh come on ! It's not like you would die!"

"..."

They had been arguing like this for about twenty minutes, maybe even more. Still Han Sooyoung
wasn't giving up on her plan.

"Listen, I absolutely need to know everything about their characters and strategies." She wanted to
steal informations about Yoo Joonghyuk's guild.

"Well, I couldn't expect anything else from a plagiarist after all."

Han Sooyoung clenched her fists, "it's not plagiarism, its inspiration. Learn to make the
difference!"

Kim Dokja chuckled, "Nonsense."

He still couldn't escape from this situation. He didn't want to disappoint Yoo Sangah by being rude
with one of her friend.

"Fine, I'll do it." He sighed, but Han Sooyoung was brightly smiling.

"Then let's go !"

And that's how they ended up hiding behind the door of the Role-play club.

"So you're playing at "StarStream Quest" too?" Asked Kim Dokja.

"No...Yes...shut up."

"How mean, I said nothing wrong!"

"Yoo Sangah, you better return me the favor..." Han Sooyoung was thinking out loud.

"What ?"

"I said yes I play it." She gritted her teeth

Kim Dokja had a bad feeling, and it was never wrong.

"And in what guild are you ?"

The girl looked away.

"I'm a lone wolf."

"Pff" Kim Dokja tried hard not to laugh.

She glared at him.

"Okay. Fine"

She hissed, and then pointed at Yoo Joonghyuk's computer screen. He was casually cutting down
other players. Kim Dokja was about to ask what she wanted to show him, but instead, he squinted
his eyes. The guy was playing alone against a whole horde, without taking any hit. 'This guy really
is the damn protagonist' he thought.

"I wanna know how he became so strong, that's all. I suspected that he was maybe cheating, but he
doesn't seem to."

"And you want me to ask him about that ? It's stupid, he has surely played for a huge amount of
time-"

"Shut up and go !" She pushed him inside and closed the door before he could say anything else.
'Dammit what did I do this time ?' He looked forward. They still hadn't noticed him. He took a deep
breath, and gathered all his courage. He quietly walked behind Yoo Joonghyuk.

"Hum...Hi..."

The guy turned around, removing his headphone. He was surprised to see Kim Dokja here and
didn't knew what to respond. Because it was becoming awkward the boy shifted his gaze on the
screen.

"You seem really good at this game..."

'Awkward. Stop being awkward Kim Dokja.' He thought to himself.

Yoo Joonghyuk was confused so he turned around without putting his headphone back. When Kim
Dokja started to think that he was certainly bothering him, he finally spoke :

"I can do even better." His tone was neutral, but felt weird.

'Oh? So you wanna play it like that?'

"Show me then." His cheeky side was showing.

Yoo Joonghyuk stretched his fingers and was playing again. His enemies didn't stand a chance
against him. Everytime he swayed his sword, his kill counter rose.

"Hey don't kill them all, there will be no one left for me! Oh, Kim Dokja you're here too?" His
presence was finally being noticed. He waved at Lee Jihye.

"What is happening now?" Asked Lee Hyunsung as the screen began shaking violently. An
explosion occurred, and lava emerged from the torn ground.

[Apocalypse Dragon has Awaken !]

A giant red dragon made his appearance on top of a mountain. The beast spat fire toward the sky
and took off, deploying its majestic wings. Thus creating a massive draft of wind, which paralyzed
every players.

"It's time."

The party members where all ready, and rushed together toward the dragon. Lee Hyunsung used
his shield to protect his friend from the fire breath. Lee Jihye, on her side, was invoking her ghost
fleet on the lava. Kim Namwoon was doing his best to destroy the rocks falling in their direction.
Yoo Joonghyuk was using his skills, to gain as much speed as possible. He jumped high in the sky,
propelled by Lee Hyunsung's shield. He rose his sword upon his head, and was about to slice the
dragon, when it's tail swept him away. He harshly met with the soil.

Kim Dokja grippped the back of Yoo Joonghyuk's chair.

The Supreme King stood up in the dust, blood was dripping from his forehead. His life bar was
emptied by more than half.

"Master what's his weakpoint ?"

He didn't knew. He had never faced this kind of monster before. And he couldn't think about a way
to kill it, because the dragon was fully covered by an iron armor. He seemed invincible.
Kim Dokja gathered all his aknowledge about fantasy stories to help them. While the team was
being overwhelmed by the flames heat, he took a closer look at the screen. He finally found an
opening.

"Have you ever heard of the saga named 'The Hobbit'?"

Yoo Joonghyuk turned his head. "I've seen the films."

A smile grew on Kim Dokja's face.

"Look at the dragon scales, near the heart. What a well-inserted reference."

The lost party members stared at the dragon.

"There, he's right !" A scale was effectively missing.

"I have an idea." Yoo Joonghyuk looked back at Kim Dokja. "I don't have enough hands to defeat
it. Will you lend me yours ?"

'It sounds so weird...he really is shameless.'

He clumsily agreed.

"When I tell you, just click on this key. Understood ?"

"Understood." He placed his hand on the keyboard.

"No pressure but don't fail this." Blurted Lee Jihye.

His hands started sweating "um ok..." he focused on the screen. "I'm ready."

Then the Supreme King started to rush again. A spear made of light appeared in his hands.

"Is it the legendary [God killer spear]?! You never told us about that!"

"It's almost time." Said Yoo Joonghyuk, ignoring Kim Namwoon's statement.

He hadn't enough stamina left, so he jumped on falling rubble. Higher and higher.

The dragon was now close from him and he prepared himself to throw his weapon. He was already
using all his fingers to maintain his character steady.

"Now."

When Kim Dokja pressed the key, the spear was launched at an unbelievable speed, reaching the
heart of the beast. The Supreme King watched the dragon dying, as he was falling into the void.

[Apocalypse Dragon is falling apart!]

[Congratulations, you're the first player to defeat the Apocalypse Dragon!]

As greeting messages popped up on the screen, Yoo Joonghyuk relaxed on his seat.

"I told you I could do better." He was clearly showing off.

"Master you're the best!"

He glanced at Kim Dokja. "I just followed his instruction."

"Right, thank you Kim Dokja !"

Something warmed up in his heart. Receiving two thanks in the same day was a lot for him.

"It's nothing. Yoo Joonghyuk, is not the Supreme King for nothing after all. He uses his skills at
the right time, and reacts quickly when he has too. In fact he's unbeatable..."

The guy was staring at him with an unknown expression.

"Well...don't get used to receiving so many compliments from me after that." He looked away in
embarrassement.

"If you wanna join our guild one day, the door is open." Declared Yoo Joonghyuk.

"I'm not really good at video games, but, I will think about it, Thank you." The popular boy had
asked him to join his guild. How? Anyway Kim Dokja smiled.

"For how long are you gonna stare into each other's eyes ?" Said Lee Jihye to break the silence.

Even if Kim Dokja was looking at her with a disgusted face, Yoo Joonghyuk could swear that his
cheeks had become slightly red for a moment.

"You told me you had homework this morning. Should we go to the library before it's to late ?"

"Oh, yes, sure...wait, you remembered ?"

Yoo Joonghyuk frowned. "Why would I forgot when I proposed to help you?"

"Fine. I see. We are gonna leave you. Together. Alone. Come on guys !" Lee Jihye tugged Kim
Namwoon and Lee Hyunsung by their sleeves and left. "Bye Master !"

And so, they remained there. Alone, together. Yoo Jonghyuk mumbled something to himself.

"Umm...Let's go, I guess." Suggested Kim Dokja.

The guy nodded.

---

They were now heading to the library. As always they were staying silent. But they both sighed
when they met Han Sooyoung on their way. The girl had a gift to appear everywhere they went.

"Oh, you're here. You had fun with them cheeky boy?"

"Yes. And about their guild...wait a minute."

She wore a mischievous smile. It didn't take him any longer to understand what was going on.

"You...from the start ?"

Her grin said everything.

"It was all her plan. She's really a good friend you know?"

So, Han Sooyoung had lied to him from the beginning, only to make him play with Yoo
Joonghyuk's party. And of course, it was Yoo Sangah's plan.

Surprisingly, he wasn't that mad against them. He had spend a good time after all.

"It looks like you don't need my help anymore. See ya cheeky boy!"

He watched her walking away, still processing all these new informations.

"What's the matter with her ?"

"Nothing she's crazy."

___

Yoo Joonghyuk sat down on a couch, and Kim Dokja sat besides him. He felt relieved as soon as
he arrived in the library. The two boys took their notebooks out. First, they did their own
homework, eventually helping each other when they had difficulties.

"How did you manage to get that wrong?? Looks like you need my help again." Said Kim Dokja.

"Says the one who confused a multiplication with a division."

"Shut up, it was a careless mistake. I'm better at math than you okay!?"

As the afternoon progressed, Kim Dokja was being more comfortable with Yoo Joonghyuk.

"Have you ever been so talkative before ?" Asked the guy.

"Only when I'm with you apparently." It was true.

The fact that he was the only one seeing his friend like this pleased Yoo Jonghyuk.

"Did you have another homework to do or was it all?"

"Um...I don't think so..."

While searching in his memories, he remembered this morning and lost his will to speak. He felt
sick just by thinking about it. It was so ironic, having to do a presentation with his bully.

"Hey, are you ok ?"

He was pulled out of his thoughts by Yoo Jonghyuk.

"Oh yes. I just have a little presentation due for next monday." He tried to smile, but he was too
tired to make it look true.

"If it's due for monday, then you must be in a group am I wrong?"
'Insightful bastard.'

"No you're right, and my partner is lovely."

"Is it sarcastic ?" He had guessed he had a partner but he couldn't understand sarcasm?

Kim Dokja sighed , "Yeah, no shit."

Yoo Joonghyuk took a serious expression.

"Does he bother you? Should I have a talk with him?"

'What?'

Was he worried about him? No it had to be something else. How could someone like him worry
for someone like Kim Dokja?

"No it's fine, i'm fine." Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him as if to detect a lie. Then he took out a paper.

"What's the subject?" His pen was ready to write.

"You don't need to-"

He glared at him.

"We have to talk about the importance of the main character in books." Said Kim Dokja. "But it's
fine, you really don't have to-"

"I will help you period. Just think of us as companions working for their presentation."

Kim Dokja snorted. "Companions? Really? Are you stuck in a video game or something?" His sly
grin appeared on his face.

"Shut up and write."

Yoo Joonghyuk was really hard to get. One time he was rather kind, and another time he was rude.
But it didn't bother Kim Dokja, because he knew he had a soft side.

---

They worked for more than an hour, together. Sometimes, they had to discuss about how to
organize their paragraphs, or how certain things should be said. And sometimes they just had to
write on their own side, to find more ideas. And in those moments, Yoo Joonghyuk could secretly
stare at Kim Dokja.

The bandages hiding his face were gone, revealing his features. He had a pale skin, and dark
brown hair covering his murky eyes. He had soft and squashy cheeks, which were only asking to
be squeezed. He looked down at his paper before raising his head again. His face would look even
better if he hadn't always this weary and sad expression.

"What do you want?" Asked Kim Dokja, still focused on his paper.
"You are not injured anymore. It's the first time I can clearly see your face."

Kim Dokja touched his right cheek. "Really?"

Before Yoo Joonghyuk could stare at him even more, he handed him his work. "There, it's done. I
don't want to brag, but I've done a pretty good job." Yoo Joonghyuk read it, and stopped.

"You wrote your partner's part?"

Kim Dokja tried to justify himself. "Um, well, you see... it's easier this way." He gave up on
finding a good excuse because he couldn't think straight.

"You can talk to me you know? If there is anything that's upsetting you." The kind Yoo Joonghyuk
was back.

"Yes. yes I know..." he looked at the guy's backpack.

"Where's you keychain from?" Yoo Joonghyuk sighed. If Kim Dokja didn't want to talk about it,
then he wasn't going to force him.

"It's a gift from my sister."

Kim Dokja felt suddenly interested, so he moved closer from his friend.

"You have a sister?"

"A little sister. Her name is Mia."

"And why a dumpling especially?"

"Because it's my favorite food."

Kim Dokja was happy to learn about him. He was even more happy because he had found a new
way to tease him. Yoo Joonghyuk realized his mistake too late.

"For real? Can I call you dumpling boy then?"

"Don't you dare." He glared at him without anger. "And stop making puppy eyes, it has no effect
on me."

Kim Dokja leaned back in his seat. "As you wish Joonghyuk-ah."

Yoo Jonghyuk's eyebrows twitched and Kim Dokja didn't miss it. A sly smile grew on his face.

"What's the matter Joonghyuk-ah? Does it embarass you when I'm calling you by your first name?"
He tilted his head toward him.

"Too close." Warned Yoo Joonghyuk.

Instead of listening to him, Kim Dokja casually leaned on the guy's arm.

"Just what the fuck are you doing?!"

"Huh? Annoying you, isn't it obvious?"

"Take off me, or else..."

"Or else?" Kim Dokja was impatiently waiting for an answer.

"Or I'm gonna spoil you the end of the book you're carrying in your bag."

Kim Dokja dramatically gasped as he moved away. "Don't you dare do that."

"Then stop me."

"Bastard." Kim Dokja tried to cover Yoo Joonghyuk's mouth, but he was too slow and he grabbed
his wrists before he could do anything.

"Are you trying to stand up to me ?"

The boy was squirming in order to free himself from his grip.

"That's not fair, I'm a leaf and you're a whole ass mountain!"

"What the hell are you saying?"

Kim Dokja tried to push the guy.

"Stop, that's not gonna work."

The boy laughed. "Are you sure about that? I know your weakpoint Jonghyuk-ah!" The way he
called him startled Yoo Joonghyuk, who accidentally released his grip.

Kim Dokja grasped his friend's shoulders to keep from falling. And at the last moment, Yoo
Joonghyuk restrained himself from catching him by the waist. They stared at each others with wide
eyes, still stunned by what happened. When he realized he was almost sitting on the guy's lap, Kim
Dokja quickly got away and turned his back to him. He hid his red face.

"I'm sorry that was awkward."

Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't speak.

"I should get some sleep, I'm loosing my mind."

"..."

"Um...thank you...and sorry again."

He had turned around, but was still covering his face in shame.

"It's okay, I shouldn't have let go of you."

Kim Dokja spaced his fingers, only letting his eyes showing.

He was being sassy most of the time. But right now, Yoo Joonghyuk thought he was really cute,
hiding his face like that. Cute as a friend of course. Calling a friend cute was normal. Right?

As Yoo Joonghyuk was having an internal crisis, Kim Dokja was packing up his stuff. He yawned.
"I could die of tiredness, i'm gonna go home." Yoo Jonghyuk stood up when he heard the word
"die".

"Do you want me to escort you?"

"Why? I'm not five anymore. And I'm used to late walks."
"But it's really dark outside."

Kim Dokja frowned "yeah I know, I'm not blind." He made a pause. "If your goal is to know were I
live, just ask me instead of beating around the bush." He had figured out his plan.

"It's not..."

Kim Dokja sighed. "If you wanna walk me home so bad, then I can't say no."

Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't believe he had accepted his request. He hid his joy, and followed the boy.

They left the school side by side.

---

It was particularly dark tonight. Stars were flickering in the sky, and the full moon was watching
over them.

Kim Dokja was afraid to look at Yoo Joonghyuk. 'Was he worried about me going alone?' This
thought wouldn't get out of his head. 'I must be wrong.' He was oblivious.

A cold draft of wind brushed his cheeks. Even if he was confused by the way his friend was
acting, he had to admit that it made him happy to work with him today.

"Kim Dokja."

He jumped because he wasn't expecting him to talk first.

"Did I scare you?"

"No no I just got shivers. Its a bit cold." He wasn't completely lying.

They stopped walking. At this moment, Kim Dokja could swear Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes were
shining yellow. But maybe it was just because of the moon light.

"I can lend you my jacket."

"Oh, I..." he couldn't finish his sentence because the the guy was already taking it off. He then
handed it to him.

"But you will be cold!"

"I'm fine, and you are shaking." Yoo Joonghyuk looked at his hands, which were clasped together.

"Touché."

Kim Dokja had no other choice but to put the jacket on.

The sleeves were just as he thought, too long, and could even hide his hands.

"It's too big, I'm literally floating in it. It's keeping me warm tho." He put his hands in the pockets.

"You're small." Blurted Yoo Joonghyuk.

'And cute.' He had to get a hold on himself not to say it out loud.

"Yeah, sure. I'm small compared to the mountain you are!" Seeing Kim Dokja smiling like that, in
his jacket made him happy.

"Are you smiling? Or are you laughing at me because I'm ridiculous?" He was still grinning.

"No I'm not. I just think it looks like a pyjama on you." Yoo Joonghyuk's voice had a different tone
than usual. He was trying to hold his laugh.

"I'm sure of what I saw, and I saw you smiling!" He made a pause, before adding. "Thanks."

Kim Dokja wore the purest smile Yoo Joonghyuk had ever seen. He wasn't easily startled by this
kind of thing, but he could sense the heat on his cheeks. He instinctively put a hand in his hair and
looked away.

"We should keep going now. Where do you live?"

"This way." He pointed at a street.

"...I take the same way."

"What? For real?"

He nodded. Yoo Joonghyuk took his time to observe the scenery, before continuing his
interrogation.

"Do you live alone?"

Kim Dokja's smile faded away. "I live with my loneliness."

"..." He wasn't expecting this kind of answer.

"Just kidding. I live alone, by my own."

It wasn't any better.

"Do you eat well?" Being tactful wasn't part of what he did the best.

"Why these questions all of sudden? Is this your way of communicating with me?"

"..."

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No. Forget about it."

"Huh?" Kim Dokja was dumbfounded. "You can't just say that! Hey look at me!"

Without giving him a proper answer, Yoo Joonghyuk just kept walking alone. "Joonghyuk-ah!" He
ran by his side. "You're acting strange. Should I be concerned or will you finally say something?"

"My house is this way."

"I swear-" started Kim Dokja.

"I wanted to ask you if you would come at my place to eat someday." He didn't look at him. The
boy chuckled.

"Don't be afraid and just ask me directly next time, instead of acting like a dumbass." Yoo
Joonghyuk directed his gaze on his friend. "But why not, I'm not against your proposition. If it
doesn't harm your reputation of course."

A gentle breeze played with their hair, and so, both Yoo Joonghyuk's eyes were visible. 'He has to
look handsome all the time.' Kim Dokja so noticed that his look was different from the first time
they met.

"See you tomorrow." Yoo Joonghyuk was already walking away.

"Good night Joonghyuk-ah!" He had spoken without thinking, and he wasn't expecting the guy to
actually stop.

"You too."

Kim Dokja grasped the fabric of his shirt "I'll give you back your jacket tomorrow !" He nodded
and they finally parted ways.

___

Kim Dokja closed the door of his dwelling behind him, and got rid of his shoes. He didn't even
turn on the lights. He crossed his house, and fell on his bed. He recalled Yoo Joonghyuk's face
under the night sky. His shining eyes, and his twirling soft hair.

"I don't deserve him."

These words were stuck on his mind since the library scene, and it pained him to say them out
loud. He thought about the jacket he was still wearing. It's smell was comforting. He felt less alone
just by having it with him. He buried his head in his pillow.

'I'm such a fool.'

He fell asleep, overwhelmed by his thoughts.

 Thursday
Chapter Notes

Hi again!

Sorry for posting the chapters randomly, I can't help it. (I normally post once a
month)

Anyway, things are starting to get interesting in this chapter, I hope you will have a
good time reading it!

Kim Dokja had a hard time sleeping. In fact, he woke up several times. It was because of his
thoughts, which were half occupied by his presentation, and half occupied by Yoo Joonghyuk.

He buttoned up his shirt, and folded his friend's jacket before putting it in a bag. When he looked at
his phone, he had to rub his eyes to believe at what he was seeing. He had received a message.

-Did you eat this morning?

It was from an unknown number, but he knew really well who was behind it. Kim Dokja tapped on
the screen.

-Yoo Joonghyuk?

'How did he find my number? What a creepy bastard.'

It was Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't it? And most importantly, who gave him his number? As Kim Dokja
was trying to find an answer to his questions, a notification popped up.

-Yes.

-I see... But I don't remember giving you my number, did I?

Read

"Seriously?! Answer you moron!" He sighed and looked at the bag he had left near the entrance
door. He took it, and when he was about to go, he recalled Yoo Joonghyuk's message. He
grumbled and took an apple before leaving.

---

"Yoo Sangah."

"Yes ? Oh, Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi."

It was yesterday after having left Kim Dokja into Han Sooyoung's clutches.

"I need more informations about..."

"About Dokja-ssi, is that right ?" She always wore a soft smile when talking about him.

Yoo Joonghyuk nodded and put his hands in his pockets. He couldn't believe what he was about to
ask.

"I need his... his phone number."

She raised an eyebrow, "Why don't you just ask him? I'm sure he would give it to you."

He wanted to answer but he closed his mouth. Yes, he could have asked Kim Dokja directly
but...he was scared? No it couldn't be.

"I see. Here his number." She showed him her phone. "Don't be afraid, Dokja-ssi can seem
inaccessible, but he's really kind!"

She had smiled and left.

He had stared at his phone for a while, wondering if he should send a message right know.
"Master!" But when Lee Jihye found him he immediately hid his phone in his pocket. "Let's kick
some as- no butts!" Lee Hyunsung had challenged her to stop swearing. After that he had forgotten
about the phone number.

But, now that he was facing his phone and Kim Dokja's questions, he couldn't answer. He turned it
off.

'I'm fucked.'

---

Kim Dokja ate his apple on his way to school. 'Are you happy now Yoo Joonghyuk?' He sighed in
annoyance. 'When should I give this back to him? This bastard is nowhere to be found when you
search for him-' He had barely put a foot in the main hall, that two people grabbed his arms.

At first, he was scared to death. But then he recognized the two student's voices.

"Kim Dokja." A cold guy.

"Cheeky boy!" And an annoying girl.

They looked at each other.

"Hey! I saw him first, let go of him!" Said the Han Sooyoung.

"I don't think so. I have to talk to him. He's my companion."

"Your what?! You're crazy man!"

Kim Dokja was shook by their conversation, and by them pulling on both of his arms. He tried to
calm down the situation.

"I have my say-"

"SHUT UP!" They cried together.

'And they say they wanna talk...'

"You spend all your afternoons with him! Just lend him to me this morning!"

Yoo Joonghyuk frowned deeply. A fight of glares was occurring. Kim Dokja thought he would be
crushed under the pressure.

"Fine. But he will eat with us afterward. Deal?"

She glared at him a bit more, before closing her eyes. "Deal." They agreed without shaking hands.
"Let's go cheeky boy." She was now dragging him away.

"Oh, wait! Joonghyuk-ah catch!" Kim Dokja had the time to throw a bag, which Yoo Joonghyuk
caught as if it was a simple ball. He opened it to check on what was inside. When he tried to thank
the boy, he had already disappeared. He stared at where he last saw Kim Dokja.

"Joonghyuk-ssi we're gonna be late."

He followed after his party.

---

"Where the hell are you taking me? I'm gonna be late!"

She stopped before a door. "Don't worry your teacher is absent."

"Huh? What, how do you know?!"

She smiled with a lolipop stuck between her teeth. "I have good acquaintances you know?" She
opened the door.

"Girls, Look who I bought!"

Yoo Sangah and Jung Heewon stopped writing and looked their way.

"Dokja-ssi! Come in!"

He slowly sat down on a chair. The three friends were cautiously looking at him. He had never
been alone with so many girls. It made him nervous.

"Jung Heewon-ssi, I present to you Kim Dokja. But I think you already know his name."
She bowed her head and Kim Dokja did the same.

"Pleased to meet you, I hope we'll be good friends."

Kim Dokja looked down in embarrassement. 'So you were serious with your plan Yoo Sangah-
ssi...'

"Um, yes..." he coughed to get rid of his awkwardness. "So why did you call me?"

"We need your help. Since you don't have class this morning, I thought it was the right time to ask
you." Said Yoo Sangah. The other girls nodded.

"How can I help then?"

She took out a pile of papers.

"There's a mistake somewhere in the school bills, and I'm not really good at math... I'm sorry to ask
you this, but I don't know someone else who could help us..."

"Don't worry, I can do this in no time." Kim Dokja started to write the calculations one after one,
and really fast. Everyone focused on his writing.

"By the way Dokja-ssi, it seems that you're getting along well with Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi."

He broke his pencil lead. He stared at his paper. 'Was it a trap again?'

"What makes you think so?"

She slightly laughed, and Han Sooyoung answered instead of her.

"Well, you two are always together, always searching for each other, always teasing each other, I
could go on like this for a long time."

Kim Dokja was actually surprised to hear that.

"Was it so obvious?"

"Yes!" They answered all together.

He nervously laughed. "But I'm not sure if he sees me the same way I see him."

Jung Heewon sighed in disappointed. "Sangah-ssi told me that you were lacking confidence, but
it's worst than what I thought."

Kim Dokja felt that something was wrong. Han Sooyoung was giggling.

"You really are blind Kim Dokja!"

"Are you making fun of me?" He glared at her, but she couldn't stop laughing.

"Yes absolutely! You think the guy doesn't like you, but he appreciates you so much that he even
asked Yoo Sangah to give him your number-" Yoo Sangah covered her mouth too late. She had
already said too much.

"Uh?"

"Dokja-ssi don't be mad. I know I should have asked you, but he was looking so desperate..."

He shook his head.

"This guy...is he shy or is he just a coward?!"

Yoo Sangah wasn't expecting this reaction.

"In my opinion he's a coward." Said Han Sooyoung, while eating snacks which came out of
nowhere.

Kim Dokja was clenching his fists, when the bell rang. At the same time, he received a
notification.

-I'll wait for you to eat.

His messages were always short and emotionless.

"You're waiting for me huh?" Muttered Kim Dokja. He took his stuff, ready to leave, but was
stopped by a flood of voices.

"Who's texting you? Is that your lover?" Asked Jung Heewon.

"How cute! That scary guy is missing you!" Han Sooyoung couldn't finish her sentence without
laughing.

"Dokja-ssi, are you seeing someone?!" Yoo Sangah was just confused because of the two other
girls.

"What are you all even talking about?!"

Before getting more embarrassed by their statements, he promptly fled away from them.

"Go get your charming prince." Calmly blurted Han Sooyoung after his departure.

---

Instead of searching for Yoo Joonghyuk, Kim Dokja directly sat down in the cafeteria with his
tray. ' I too can play dumb.' He stretched his arms with his eyes closed. And when he re-opened
them, a tall student was standing in front of him.

"Kim Dokja." Said Yoo Joonghyuk, looking at him from above.

"Ah, Joonghyuk-ah." He grasped onto the table to prevent himself from falling, and managed to
behave as if he wasn't frightened at all.
"Hey! It's the guy from yesterday! Hi mate!" Yelled Kim Namwoon.

'Looks like he came with his gang.'

"Kim Dokja were you avoiding me?"

"No, why would you think that?" He swallowed as he tried to be convincing. He failed miserably.

"Because you left me on read."

"Ah, yes, maybe. Sorry about that, I panicked." He smiled blankly.

Yoo Joonghyuk said nothing more, and just sat down in front of him. Lee Hyunsung sat next to
him, and the other two followed. The guy glanced at Kim Dokja, and began eating as if nothing
happened. An awkward silence settled, so he tried to relax the atmosphere.

"What an honor to sit in front of the popular boy." Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him as a response, but
Kim Dokja wasn't startled. Instead he smiled because he was amused by his reaction.

On her side, Lee Jihye was struggling to find something to talk about. Yoo Joonghyuk had asked
them to act friendly and she couldn't disappoint her Master.

"So Kim Dokja Sunbae, you like books?"

He stopped eating. He couldn't tell them about his web-novel addiction.

"Um, yes."

Everyone's gaze was on him. He hadn't did enough to satisfy their curiosity. His palms became
sweaty.

"I'm fond of Korean literature. Oh and you can speak casually to me, I don't mind."

Yoo Joonghyuk made a noise that sounded like a laugh. Kim Dokja frowned, he was silently
making fun of him. He remembered he had searched into his backpack. 'This bastard.' He felt
vulnerable everytime the guy said or did something.

"So you're the one who helped Master with his literature homework, right?" She stopped speaking
because of the sinistrous aura emanating from Yoo Joonghyuk. She was as insightful as her Master.

'So he talks about me to his friends?' This fact made him happy for some reason.

"So you're a book nerd?" Blurted Kim Namwoon. It was clumsily said and it didn't fail to hurt Kim
Dokja. It made him remember his former school years, which weren't very good. As he was
looking down in discomfort, Yoo Joonghyuk glared at Kim Namwoon who understood his
mistake.

"Ah! I didn't mean that in a bad way! um, we're nerds too after all."

Kim Dokja rose his head. These words wouldn't be enough to erase his painful memories, but they
were enough to tease Yoo Joonghyuk. He glanced at him.
"So, you're a nerd Joonghyuk-ah?"

He stopped eating to look straight in his eyes.

"Shut up, you bookworm." It made Kim Dokja smile even more than he already was.

"How refined of you, gamer boy."

Yoo Joonghyuk posed his flatware, and looked down on him. Kim Dokja ignored him by drinking.

"You two should get a room." Said Lee Jihye with her mouth full of rice.

Kim Dokja almost choked on his glass of water. Yoo Jonghyuk could just stare at the girl,
dumbfounded.

"What?" Finally asked Kim Dokja between two cough.

Lee Jihye swallowed her food. "If you wanna flirt, just tell us to go or get a room." She couldn't
face them, because she knew she would burst out of laugh the second she would do so. Right now,
she tried her best to keep a straight face. But seeing Kim Namwoon giggling until tearing up by her
side, made things harder. Even after all her efforts, she couldn't resist anymore and turned her head
toward the two boys. She almost fell of her chair when she saw their faces.

"What nonsense-" started Yoo Joonghyuk before turning his head toward Kim Dokja. His face was
redder than a tomato, and he was hiding behind his hands.

"Kim Dokja are you okay? Do you have fever?" Worried the oblivious Lee Hyunsung.

Students around them started to notice the disturbance they were making.

"I'm ashamed..."

Yoo Joonghyuk sighed. "Finish your food quickly."

Kim Dokja took a breath, and ate as fast as he could. "I'll go first." He stood up and left the
cafeteria without turning back.

---

He was now wandering in the corridors.

'What just happened?'

He leaned against a wall, before sitting down and burying his head in his arms. "What a shame.
What a shame." He repeated to himself.

He tried to calm down, when something touched his foot.

"For how long are you planning on miserably sitting on the ground?"
"Until I disappear from Earth."

"You..."

Yoo Joonghyuk was loosing patience.

"Get up."

"I don't want to."

"Then I'll get you up."

Kim Dokja quietly chuckled. "You can always try. Do you think you're strong enough to do that?"

"..."

Without any warning, the guy put his hands under Kim Dokja's knees and behind his back.

"What the hell are you-"

Yoo Joonghyuk lifted him up as if he weighed nothing. The boy instinctively held on his neck.
"Put me down! You!!! You're too tall! I feel sick being so far from the ground!" He was
confusedly yelling, and grasping on his friend's head.

"Shut up, you're so loud."

"Then put me down!!!"

The bell rang upon their head.

"I'm gonna be late because of you! Let me go you sly bastard!" He was struggling.

"Where's your class?"

"On the first floor so let me go- wait no. I know what you're thinking about, and I swear if you dare
doing it-"

"Hold on tight."

Right after finishing his sentence, Yoo Joonghyuk started to walk quickly. He climbed the stairs,
taking two steps instead of one. During all this time, Kim Dokja could only pray not to fall.

"Here we are."

Kim Dokja opened his eyes and jumped on his feet. He was still shaking because of the adrenaline,
but he was fine.

"Tss, kiss me goodbye while you're at it." He checked his backpack, in case he would have lost his
stuff on the way.

"You're welcome." The guy turned around before adding. "After class, at the library. Don't be
late."
"Stop acting like the protagonist!"

It's only when Yoo Joonghyuk had completly disappeared, that Kim Dokja realized that other
students were looking at him.

"A nerd like him is friend with this handsome guy? No way, he must be playing around."

He closed his eyes.

'Don't listen to rumors. Easy to say when you're the popular boy everyone loves.'

He sat down in class.

'He really is shameless.' He recalled the way Yoo Joonghyuk had carried him. How easily he had
lifted him up, and how his hand was firmly gripping his shoulder... he blushed without realizing.
'Why am I thinking about that?!' He shook his head to chase this feeling away.

He had almost forgotten about his presentation.

---

After class, Kim Dokja came to the library as agreed. He had waited all the afternoon, and had
overcome all the boring classes in order to meet with Yoo Joonghyuk. It was the only good
moment of his day, so why? He couldn't tear his eyes away from the paper hooked on the door :
"Due to work, the library will remain closed until next month. We apologize for the inconvenience
occurred."

And obviously, Yoo Joonghyuk was nowhere to be seen.

'Right, he must have already gone home by now.' Kim Dokja was disappointed at first, but then, he
was surprised to find that the guy was waiting outside the school.

"You're still here?"

"You never look at your phone?"

Kim Dokja was confused. He took out his phone. "Jonghyuk-ah~ sent you a message."

-I'm outside.

"Why does your messages always sounds so rude?!"

"The library is closed." He straight up ignored the question.

"Oh really? I wasn't aware of that!" He tried not to sound too mean.

"Maybe we can head to my place."

Right, he wanted to invite him over. And now was the good time to do so.
"Um, yeah? I mean, if it doesn't bother you?"

"It's fine."

Deep inside of him, Kim Dokja was grateful, because he wouldn't have to spend his night doing
homework alone. But on the other side...

'Yoo Joonghyuk is inviting ohmygod ohmygod what am I going to do?!"

And so they were heading together at Yoo Joonghyuk's place.

"It's the first time a friend is inviting me, so it's kinda new for me... I mean, you're my friend right?
I don't wanna seem stupid if you see me differently..."

"You're my companion." He was confident about it.

Kim Dokja chuckled. "This again? Are you calling your friends like that too?"

"No, only you."

He was taken aback by his answer. The wind blew on his hair. He bumped into Yoo Joonghyuk as
he tried to fix his bangs.

"Is the wind enough to make you fall?" Asked the guy to tease him.

"Bastard..."

"If the wind is too strong, you can always lay on me." Kim Dokja felt that he was meaning
something else behind these words, but he decided not to dwell on it.

"Oh... okay."

The silence remained until they reached Yoo Joonghyuk's place.

"What a pretty house." While Kim Dokja was admiring the dwelling, Yoo Joonghyuk was
searching for his keys. When he finally found them, they fell on the floor. They both bent down to
catch them, and their fingers brushed. But Kim Dokja was faster, and picked them up.

"Here. Sorry."

"Why are you apologizing?"

"Why not?"

Kim Dokja looked away and Yoo Joonghyuk unlocked the door. He stopped in the entrance.

"My sister is here so behave well."

'Is this some kind of family introduction?'

"Dont worry i'm always wise." He smiled.

They got rid of their shoes, and Yoo Joonghyuk walked away as if Kim Dokja wasn't there.

"Mia, I'm home."

He heard the sound of small footsteps getting closer.

"Oppa!"

A little girl, looking exactly alike Yoo Joonghyuk, appeared to hug her brother.

"Oppa you seem happier today, is it because of-" She spotted Kim Dokja in the entrance. "Oppa,
who is this Ajhussi?"

'Ajhussi?? Do I look that old?'

"Um... Hi, I'm Kim Dokja..."

She approached him to study him better.

"More like squid Dokja."

"What?"

"Oppa, is he the boy you're always talking about?"

"I have never talked about no one. What do you want to eat?"

"Fried chicken!" She completely forgot about what she was talking about. Food was more
important.

"Got it."

Seeing them acting like siblings made him a bit nostalgic. As an only child, Kim Dokja had
suffered a lot from loneliness during his childhood. On another side, he was glad no one had to
endure the same things as him.

"Don't stay in the entrance, come in Ajhussi!" The little girl grabbed his sleeve, and dragged him
into the living room.

"Maybe I should help him?" He looked at the guy who had already started to cook.

Yoo Mia made a cross with her tiny arms. "Oppa doesn't want people to touch his kitchen. He
would kill you, even if you only put one foot in."

'So he's a kitchen maniac...'

"I have an idea, play with me while Oppa is occupied!"

"Um, sure. What do you want to do?"

"Truth or Dare!"

Kim Dokja was surprised by her choice. "Aren't you too young to play this game?"

"I may be young, but I'm more mature than you. I'll go first truth or dare?"

It hurts more when someone younger is telling this to you. "...Truth."

She pointed a finger a him. "How do you find my Oppa?"

He made a stunned face. "Why would you ask me that?"

"You said you would play with me!"

He sighed. But if he told her the truth... he looked at the kitchen to see if the guy wouldn't hear
him. He was completely focus on his task. "Well, don't tell him but, it would be a lie if I didn't
found him...if I didn't found him...handsome..."

She nodded with satisfaction. "Good answer. Your turn now!"

He was still disturbed to have confessed such a thing. He shook his head. "Truth or Dare?"

"Truth! I like to tell the truth!"

"Then..." he closed his eyes to think. The smell of food helped him finding a question. "Does he
really talk about me?" The little girl frowned the same way Yoo Joonghyuk did.

"He talked about a boy with a weird name, and you look the same way Oppa described him. It's the
truth, I'm always sincere." Kim Dokja already knew she wasn't lying.

But this guy, did he really appreciate him that much? Kim Dokja was puzzled. The Yoo Joonghyuk
he knew was cold and difficult to approach, but he knew he also had a kind side. Could it that he
liked hi-

"Dinner is done."

"What? Already?"

"I'm coming! You too Ajhussi!"

They all sat down around the table.

"Thank you Oppa!" Yoo Mia had a strong appetite, and was happily devouring the fried chicken.
Unlike Kim Dokja.

"Eat or you will get sick." Yoo Joonghyuk was filling his plate.

"I will get sick if I eat too much." He took a piece of chicken. He glanced at the guy before taking
a bite.

His eyes widened, and he covered his mouth. 'How can it be so good?' He looked back at Yoo
Joonghyuk. "You really cooked it by yourself?"

"You doubt it?"

He took another bite of his food. "It's so tasty." He muttered.

Yoo Joonghyuk felt proud. He finished eating with a satisfied expression.

After this deserved meal, and having said good night to Yoo Mia, the two boys headed to Yoo
Joonghyuk's bedroom.

A computer was knowingly waiting on a bureau. Novels and mangas were filling the shelves, and
there was a huge bed near the window. Oberall, his room was well kept while Kim Dokja's whole
apartment was a mess.

"Your room looks really cozy."

Yoo Joonghyuk took his stuff out of his backpack, and put it on a desk, next to his computer.

"So what do you have to do?" He asked.

Kim Dokja didn't answer. He was fascinated by the amount of books gathered in a single bedroom.
"I didn't knew you were a bookworm too." Yoo Joonghyuk grumbled behind him. He looked at the
manuscripts one by one, and his hand stopped on a novel entitled "The Hobbit". He remembered
the eve, when he had played video games with his new friends. 'So he bought the books after all.'

"You want to practice for your presentation?"

Kim Dokja grunted and fell on the bed. "Don't make me think about it." He was looking at the
roof. Fluorescent stars were sticked on it. Another childhood reminder. He closed his eyes. "Your
bed is so soft and comfy." He felt the fabric of the sheets folding under his fingertips. "I'm too tired
to remember my speech."

"Take some rest then." Suggested Yoo Joonghyuk. He would be the only one doing his homework
tonight.

---

An hour passed. Then, two hours. And finally, midnight struck.

Yoo Joonghyuk was finishing writing, while Kim Dokja was still laying on his bed.

"Kim Dokja it's getting late."

No answer. He turned around.

"Kim Dokja?"
The boy had peacefully fallen asleep, without a noise. One of his hand was resting on his chest,
and his breath was slow. He seemed relaxed for once.

Yoo Joonghyuk drew himself closer from the boy. He pushed aside a strand of hair hiding his face.

"You look better without those bandages."

He carefully covered him with a blanket, to keep him warm. Kim Dokja was in a deep sleep. Yoo
Joonghyuk hesitated a moment, before leaning to leave a kiss on the boy's forehead.

"You wanted a kiss earlier..."

He stepped away and switched the lights off. He left his room, and closed the door behind him. He
then stopped moving. He closed his eyes and sighed. 'What am I doing?' He put a hand on his
blushing face.

Meanwhile, Kim Dokja was dreaming.

 Friday
Chapter Notes

Heyyy I'm not dead yet! I know I should have updated the fic sooner but I'm too busy
with school

First of all, thank you so much for all the kudos and comments!! I'm really happy y'all
like the story even if it's wonky lmao

To apologize I made this chapter VERY long. I think the next chapters will be a bit
shorter so don't worry I just went mad with this one.

Anyway, I hope you will enjoy your reading!

⚠️warning : very slight violence and blood⚠️ (idk how to gauge violence but I believe
it's really slight.)

See the end of the chapter for more notes

Kim Dokja was running in the school hallways. Green colored lights were flickering upon his
head. He felt like he had been running for hours, and he still couldn't find the exit. He couldn't
even look behind because something was chasing him. The ground was vibrating under the heavy
footsteps following him. And he didn't want to find out what was producing that. So he ran.

He tried to trick the thing, and turned at a corner. Unfortunately, he stumbled on a bunch of
dumplings stacked on the floor. He grunted and got on his knees to search the culprit of his sudden
fall. "Who the hell spilt that on the way?!"

He stood up on his numb-feeling legs to run again, but a wall had appeared right in front of him. It
was a deadlock. How unfortunate.

"Dammit why??" He stuck his back against the cold wall.

A huge shadow was slowly approaching him, and big claws sticked out from the dark fog
enveloping it. Kim Dokja was stunned, unable to move. He swallowed his anguish back. He tried
to resist against the pressure forcing his body to sink down.

His eyes shook when a 8 feet tall werewolf revealed itself. It was staring straight into his eyes, as if
he was a defensless and delightful prey. It was craving for blood, for his blood in particular.

[Kim Dokja, you aren't saying hi to an old friend? Don't be afraid, you'll feel nothing when I'll tear
your throat apart.]

The beast licked it's lips. It's creepy smile reminded him of the one Song Minwoo made before
beating him until he collapsed. His body ached just by thinking about it.

"Then what are you waiting for you fucking coward!" He still managed to talk, despite being
completely terrified. He thought that maybe he was the coward for not daring fighting back. He
clenched his shaky fists. All he could do now, was to wait for his death to come.

The werewolf showed it's sharp teeth, and leaned slowly toward him until he could smell it's awful
breath. Kim Dokja squeezed his eyes shut.

I'm dead again.

But when he thought everything was over, something brushed past him, and soon he heard the
sound of flesh being cut.

He opened his eyes, but his vision had become blurry. Still he could see someone wearing a full
black outfit and holding a black sword, standing right before him.

[You! How dare you interrupt my meal!?]

The werewolf was holding it's bloody arm, from which it's hand had been cut off.

"Get lost."

The sword danced in the air and snatched the monster's head without any difficulties.

The voice that he heard was feminine, but the rather cold tone was strangely familiar. The girl
turned around.

"You should have stood up to him, or at least tried to defend yourself." She wiped the blood off her
blade without being grossed out. "You're lucky I was there." She looked him up and down, before
offering a hand to help him standing up. Which he gladly took. Her grip was strong and firm so he
wouldn't fall again.

"Thank you..." Now he could see her face from closer. She was truly pretty. She had a sharp
jawline, lengthy dark and wavy hair, thick eyebrows, long eyelashes, and unreadable black eyes-
wait, it somehow felt like déjà vu. When he thought that she would make a good protagonist,
something clicked in his head.

"Joonghyuk-ah?" He stretched his fingers to reach him, or rather her, but she was suddenly
standing far away from him. Why was she he suddenly appearing out of nowhere? "Joonghyuk-
ah!" He tried to walk toward him, but his feet were stuck into the muddy ground. He didn't want it
to end here, he wanted to ask him why on earth he was helping him. Kim Dokja tried to call out his
name one last time but no sound came out of his mouth.

"Kim Dokja, you fool. Wake up."

His eyes shot open. He woke up in his cold sweat. He was finally back to reality. He sighed, while
wiping the sweat away from his face. "So much trouble because of a stupid presentation."

Kim Dokja sat on the bed, which felt abnormally soft. He frowned but didn't mind it at first. He
rubbed his eyes and laid back on the bed. He extended his arms, but they couldn't reach the borders
of the mattress. He sat up and urgently looked around him. He barely recognized the surroundings.
Now that he thought about it, he didn't come back home last night.
He reached out for his phone, which was waiting on a bureau. "7.17am"

He sighed. At least, he wouldn't be late for school. Kim Dokja suddenly hid his face behind his
phone, realizing he may or may not have shouted Yoo Joonghyuk's name for real. He quickly
glanced at the entrance of the room and tried to focus on the sound. He couldn't hear anything so
he concluded he was safe for now.

He finally found the courage to stand up and he quietly pushed the door. A nice food smell
emerged right from the opening. He took a step out.

The closer he got from the kitchen, the more he could hear bribes of voices.

"...Oppa, did you let him sleep in your bed?"

"..."

"..."

For Kim Dokja, the voices sounded muffled so he couldn't understand clearly what they were
saying. He tried to get rid of his sleepiness. "Hi."

The two siblings turned their head in synchronization.

"Good morning Mister squid, come take your breakfast with us!" Yoo Mia was the first to greet
him with a big grin. She pointed at an empty sit on her left.

"Good morning." Yoo Joonghyuk averted his gaze while drinking something that certainly was
coffee inside a "best-brother" mug.

Kim Dokja sat at his assigned place and withdrew a bit on himself. He felt ashamed to have taken
his friend's bed. He lowered his gaze. "I'm really sorry to bother you... You should have put me on
the couch, I mean you should have woken me up and i would have went home... I'm sorry." He
was just hoping he didn't talk in his sleep.

"It's nothing Ajhussi! Right Oppa?" Her brother nodded ever so slightly. Yoo Mia pouted at his
reaction. "Oppa!"

He put his mug down and glanced at Kim Dokja. "We have P.E today so eat well. I don't want you
to pass out on the field." Yoo Joonghyuk was always worried about his diet it seemed.

"I don't usually eat for breakfast. And I already stole your bed..."

"Then repay me by eating the breakfast I made."

Kim Dokja closed his mouth. He looked at the fresh made pastries placed on a plate. He couldn't
not take a bite in one of those."I hope they are worth it." He took one and brought it to his mouth.
He didn't expect them to be filled with jam, but it was even better this way. He didn't realize that he
was smiling.

"How is it?"

"Are you really asking?"

Of course, it tasted perfect.

"They are delicious Oppa!" Yoo Mia held another pastry to Kim Dokja. "You're thin Ajhussi so eat
one more!" He didn't knew if he should be outraged or thankful. Anyway, this morning he ate
breakfast to his heart's content.

The corner of Yoo Joonghyuk's lips twitched. He quickly hid the lower half of his face when Kim
Dokja glanced at him with his cheeks full. The boy huffed a laugh and drew his attention back on
Yoo Mia who was asking him weird stuff.

Yoo Joonghyuk relaxed at the sight of Kim Dokja's face, which was seemingly more serene than it
was earlier this morning. He couldn't get the image of Kim Dokja struggling and whimpering in his
sleep out of his head. That's when he began to wonder if he was used to have this kind of bad
dreams. He couldn't bring himself to wake him up back then, so he had just slightly pressed his
shoulder, maybe to give him some support, or just not to feel completely powerless. But he wasn't
expecting Kim Dokja to actually react to his touch.

Yoo Joonghyuk clenched his hands on the border of the sink. He stared back at Kim Dokja who
was laughing with his sister. Somehow, he felt like he needed to protect this smile.

---

"See you Monday Mia."

"I'll miss you Oppa!"

The little girl hugged him a last time, before entering the school with her friends. Yoo Joonghyuk
watched her until she disappeared into the building.

"Monday?" Kim Dokja was suspicious, he would never let his sister go so easily.

"My tutor wanted to take her to the beach during the weekend. She was happy about it so i couldn't
say no." Even if it wasn't showing, he was worried to let her go.

Kim Dokja blinked. "You have a tutor?"

Yoo Joonghyuk finally looked at him.

"It's just that you never mentioned them before-"

"Yes. I have a tutor. " Seeing that Kim Dokja was a little confused he added. "She took care of me
when I was a child. When my parents left without Mia and me." He was disgusted to pronounce the
word "parent", and Kim Dokja noticed it by the way his brows twitched.

"I'm sorry." Kim Dokja recalled his own childhood memories. The green bottles laying on the
ground. The bruises on his mother's arms. He tugged his sleeve. No, it wasn't the right time to think
about that.
"How did... how did they found you? Your tutor I mean."

"... I don't really remember." He made a pause to dig in his past. "I think I was playing video
games. And she appeared out of nowhere. She bought me a lot of video games afterward."

"So you've always been a gamer huh." teased Kim Dokja to appease the atmosphere. Yoo
Joonghyuk didn't mind his joke so he closed his mouth. That's when an idea popped in his mind.
"Can I meet her someday?"

The guy was genuinely startled by his question. "No way."

"Come on Joonghyuk-ah!"

"No."

Yoo Joonghyuk began to walk away without waiting for his friend.

"Hey!!"

On their way to school, eventually, Yoo Joonghyuk gave up and told Kim Dokja he would may be
able to greet his tutor when she would take Mia back home on Monday. He wasn't happy with the
idea, but he didn't really have a choice. He knew Kim Dokja would have annoyed him all the day if
he didn't accept his weird request.

He sighed and shoved his hands into his pocket. God, what was he doing.

---

Kim Dokja looked up at the sky. The weather was surprisingly nice today. The breeze felt cold on
his skin but he didn't mind. And because Yoo Joonghyuk was by his side, he felt invincible and he
wished it could be like that forever.

He discretly glimpsed at the guy on his right, to notice that they were standing pretty close from
each other. Kim Dokja took the opportunity to elbow him, which made him look his way. He
smiled to Yoo Joonghyuk, hoping that he would do the same, but instead he just stared at him with
confused eyes before looking forward again. It made Kim Dokja chuckle. It was cute to see that he
didn't knew how to react to this kind of thing.

---

Some times later, they were stepping inside the school main hall.

"Yoo Joonghyuk."

"Kim Dokja."
He wanted to thank him again for the night, but he got lost mid-way in the process. Maybe he just
wanted to hear the guy calling his name. He grinned, and his eyes formed crescents. His smile
wasn't fake when it was meant for Yoo Joonghyuk.

"Master! Kim Dokja!" Then, out of the blue, Lee Jihye ran toward them. Followed by Kim
Namwoon and Lee Hyunsung.

"Hi!" He waved at them.

"Hey I was searching for you all the morning! I have to tell you about something and- Did you
come together?"

Kim Dokja innocently nodded. Lee Jihye gasped and winked at Yoo Joonghyuk, with her thumb
up. He confusely frowned and chose to ignore her.

"Anyway, as I was saying, we had an idea with Kim Namwoon." She slapped his back, and seeing
his face, it must have hurt. "Tomorrow we're hanging out and we wanted to know if you would tag
along. And Kim Dokja you have to come with us too of course, you're a part of the gang now!"

"But my sister-" Yoo Joonghyuk couldn't finish his sentence.

"I know Namgung Minyoung-ssi is taking care of her this weekend. Don't try to run away Master,
you have no excuses!"

"What?"

"Say yes! You have free time for once! I'm sure Mia would want you to come!"

"I'll think about it..." he was confused. How could she know his sister wouldn't be home
tomorrow? He was sure all of this was a conspiracy.

"It sounds good you should go Joonghyuk-ah." Kim Dokja tapped on his shoulder. "You deserve a
break for sure." He smiled and tried to leave, but Yoo Joonghyuk retained him by the wrist. He
blinked of surprise and stared at the guy.

"I'll go only if you come too." Unlike his voice, his eyes were begging. Kim Dokja raised an
eyebrow.

"Are you sure? I mean, i'm always monopolizing you so, maybe it will bother the others. And don't
you think you're grown enough to take care of yourself?"

"Just come." He squeezed his wrist.

"Fine, Mister I'm so stubborn. But you will regret it, I'm going to annoy you with my webnovels all
day long." He swallowed back his fluster, and tried not to think about the way he was holding his
arm.

Seemingly satisfied with the response, Yoo Joonghyuk let go of him.

"See you for lunch then." Kim Dokja awkwardly smiled at him and walked away. Again. Yoo
Joonghyuk could only look at his small back moving away from him.
The first thing he had observed when he first met Kim Dokja, was his frail look. He remembered
seeing him rubbing his arm in pain with shaking eyes, avoiding his. He thought that if he had
bumped into him just a little bit harder, maybe he would have broken him into pieces.

'If only we were in the same class.'

He had thought a lot about it. If they were in the same class, maybe he would open up a bit more.
Maybe he would tell him why his face was always covered in bandages, without hiding the truth.
Maybe he would tell him about what was going on inside his head, when he would bit his lips until
they bled. Because he was the only one noticing these little things about Kim Dokja, he felt
responsible for him.

"Is it what we call love at first sight?"

Yoo Joonghyuk glared at Lee Jihye, and immediately averted his gaze back on Kim Dokja, worried
that if he didn't look at him he would disappear forever.

"He can't tear his eyes away from him since the first day they met. So yeah, i guess it's love at first
sight, i would even say he's madly in love." Stated Jung Heewon who had popped out of nowhere.
Luckily for her, Yoo Joonghyuk wasn't listening.

"Since when are you here?!" Kim Namwoon jumped behind Lee Jihye.

Jung Heewon placed her hands on her hips and glanced at Lee Hyunsung ont the side. He
immediately straightened. "Hyunsung-ah, should we eat together today?" He mechanically nodded.

Lee Jihye winced.

---

'He wants me to come. With him. What is he thinking about?'

No matter how much he thought about it, he couldn't understand why Yoo Joonghyuk desperately
wanted him to go with them. Kim Dokja saw himself as an annoying kid, with books as his only
topic to discuss about. And yet, Yoo Joonghyuk had not ran away from him. He wouldn't gain
anything by hanging out with him, and he had nothing to offer in return. So why?

"Take that too you son of a bitch!"

A shout coming from the room next to him caught his attention.

'A fight? Wait, isn't it Han Sooyoung's bureau?'

He was too curious not to take a look inside. More shouts welcomed him in.

"I WON AHAH!!! Yoo Joonghyuk you better watch out, 'cause I'm gonna beat you ass." She
suddenly turned around. "Who's there?"

He wasn't expecting to find her doing something else than writing her questionable stories.
Anyway, how was it that people always knew when he was around?

"Han Sooyoung, what on earth are you..." he looked at the computer in front of her. "I thought you
weren't playing this game." The screen was showing the familiar interface of the so famous video
game 《StarStream Quest》.

"Well, turns out it's pretty good. I hate to admit it, but this grumpy guy got some good taste after
all..."

She was busy smashing the keyboard, and her character multiplied itself. Now that there was 5
copies of it, she could take her opponents aback. A sly strategy, in her image.

"Your way of playing reflects your personality so perfectly..."

"Take that bastard!!! I'm the Abyssal Queen the best novelist of all time, y'all should kneel before
me!"

Kim Dokja made a disgusted face. Her everyday vocabulary was totally different from the one she
used when writing. "Fine I'll leave you alone... with your new gaming addiction."

"Yeah whatever. See you tomorrow then." She sucked on her lollipop and focused on her game.

He frowned. "Huh? Tomorrow? I mean i have nothing to do, but I'd rather stay away from your
fishy plans I didn't even consented to."

She turned around with a pissed expression. However she contained her desire to smack him in the
head. "The grumpy guy's party planned an outing, and I'm invited. And if he's coming, then you're
obviously coming too, you're always glued to each other after all."

He was confused. Wasn't it only concerning Yoo Joonghyuk's group?

"But who invited you? I'm not sure that you're the type of person they would be friend with."

"Wow it's rude, I'm a really endearing person." She clicked her tongue. "Anyway, the answer is
simple, I know Jung Heewon, who knows Lee Hyunsung, who's very close from her. And so, me
and Yoo Sangah are joining too."

"Isn't it... too much people?" He was weighing the pros and cons of coming with them, but it
seemed there was more cons than pros...

"Hey, don't try to forsake us, you'll become a true nerd if you just stay at home under your blanket,
reading some kind of rotten webnovel. Going out with friends is good for people like you."

"If they consider me as a friend." His serious tone was annoying Han Sooyoung. She crushed what
remained of her lollipop between her teeth, and glared at him with sharp eyes.

"How many times do I have to tell you to open your eyes?! Listen, I know you're an anti-social
moron, but for once, look away from your phone and have a good time! It's not that hard dammit!"
She shoved a brand-new lollipop in her mouth, and stared back at her screen.

He couldn't believe he had been lectured by a plagiarist. He opened his mouth just to close it in a
thin line. "Fine! I'll step out of my cave geez..."
"Glad to hear it. Now let me play in peace cheeky boy. I can't baby-sit you all the day"

He wanted to tell her that she should step out of this crusty bureau of hers too, but he gave up. He
sighed in frustration and left because that's the only thing he could do.

---

After class, Kim Dokja wanted to skip lunch, in order to process everything he was going through
at the moment. It was too much at once. Unfortunately he had met Yoo Sangah on the way. She
trapped him with her warm smile and locked arms with him so he couldn't run away. He felt uneasy
at this sudden physical contact but tried to get along with it.

"How are your new friends Dokja-ssi? Are they nice? Are you excited for tomorrow?" He was
already overwhelmed by her intrusive questions.

"Um...yeah, I guess."

"Dokja-ssi are you worried about something?"

"No everything is fine." He made a distorted smile and Yoo Sangah noticed it.

"You know you can speak to me Dokja-ssi? If you have something to get off your mind, I would be
happy to listen to you."

"I know. Thank you." But he was too scared to talk. What if people couldn't understand? What if
all the persons around him started to ignore him all of sudden? Would he be able to endure it? He
preferred to keep it for himself. Even if they didn't see him as a friend, even if it meant to suffer
alone. He just couldn't afford to loose anything else. He didn't even knew how to put his feelings
into words in the first place.

"I'm fine Sangah-ssi."

He wanted to believe he could be easy to love too. So he kept everything for him.

She smiled. "Let's go to the cafeteria."

---

When they arrived at the cafeteria, Kim Dokja was surprised to find a table full of people he knew.
The duo Lee Jihye and Kim Namwoon playing on their phone under the table not to get caught,
Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon casually having a conversation together, and even Han Sooyoung
with her legs crossed on the table.

"Hey cheeky boy!"

"Kim Dokja! what took you so long?"

They greeted him, and made some space for him to sit. They were eating all together. Kim Dokja
had never taken part in that kind of lunch before. He was usually either alone in the canteen or
alone in the classroom. So it was like a cultural shock.

He took a look at the scene to engrave every single detail in his mind. On his right, some of them
were laughing at Lee Jihye's jokes, which were about Jung Heewon and Lee Hyunsung flirting.
And the poor guy would turn red everytime. On his left, some were arguing about which Star Wars
film was the best. He stared at Han Sooyoung yelling that the last trilogy was absolutely shitty and
Kim Namwoon defending his point, saying it wasn't that bad. He knew this discussion would
perhaps end in a bloodbath. He met Yoo Sangah's eyes in front of him. She chuckled. He quickly
looked away.

Caught in this strange atmosphere, Kim Dokja could swear the food tasted better. Okay it was
school food, but still. He felt his smile sliding off his face. Everything would have been perfect if
this guy was here too.

"Where is Yoo Joonghyuk?" His tone deceived his concern.

The joyful chatters faded away. They focused on him. Even Han Sooyoung who was previously
about to climb on the table to strangle Kim Namwoon.

"He said he was busy." Replied Lee Hyunsung.

"Yeah, busy my as- um my butt." Declared Lee Jihye. "I saw a girl with him this morning, i'm sure
she's confessing to him while we're here talking."

"Oh. Ok."

Only Han Sooyoung noticed something weird in Kim Dokja's tone. Something that was almost
imperceptible.

"Don't worry Kim Dokja, Master would never accept to date one of these girls." It felt as if she was
personally telling him that the way was clear. He laughed nervously.

"Oh shit look at the time! We have P.E in twenty minutes!"

He had forgotten that today was special. Indeed, three classes would be mixed together during P.E.
It was an attempt to help students making friends, that's what they said. Kim Dokja knew better
than anyone that it wouldn't work for him. But he didn't care, he already had people around him.
Right?

"Let's all go together then."

As they were cleaning up their trays, Han Sooyoung came across Kim Dokja to whisper something
in his ear. He jumped a bit but she grasped his shoulder to make him stand still.

"If you want to find the grumpy idiot, you should search near the science lab." He looked at her,
confused. "Don't ask me how I know, just go." She left as if nothing happened, discretly taking his
tray with her.

Kim Dokja took advantage of her diversion, and left the cafeteria the opposite way from his
friends. They wouldn't mind his disappearance anyway.
---

He was now running in the science building's hallways. He felt a bit uneasy when he remembered
his dream from last night. He shook this idea off his mind immediately. It wasn't the right time to
panic.

He stopped, leaning on his knees to catch his breath. He really had a bad stamina.

'Why am I even looking for him in the first place? I'm just gonna be a bother.'

He stopped breathing as soon as he heard a girl's voice coming not too far from his location.

"Joonghyuk-ah! I thought a lot about it, I know it's all sudden, but I have something to tell you!"

Kim Dokja hid behind a corner. He knew it wasn't right but, his invasive curiosity was too strong.

"Then tell me quickly, I'm busy."

He couldn't mistake that cold voice.

He took a peek at them. The girl standing there had short and curly blood hair, and a determined
look. Well, it was hard to identify her as a girl because of her masculine outfit. Kim Dokja had to
repress a laugh, because she just looked so tiny in front of the huge and scary looking bull which
was Yoo Joonghyuk. Then he remembered he was also looking small besides him...

"Joonghyuk-ah I..." she shook her head and clenched her fists. "I started liking you since I saw you
playing baseball some days ago, and I needed to tell you about my feelings even if they're
unrequited."

The guy was unflappable. There was a huge silence, heavier than when Yoo Joonghyuk was angry.
"It's brave. but I can't..." he moved his head, and Kim Dokja couldn't see his face anymore.
Something felt weird. So, he leaned a bit forward to be able to hear his voice. "...I already like
someone."

Kim Dokja gasped and covered his mouth. He would have fallen on the floor if he wasn't leaning
on the wall. He calmed down and rested his head against the wall, convinced that he messed up.
Fortunately, the girl didn't notice him.

"Oh really?" She said without looking sad at all, despite her feelings having been deflected. "Then
I wish you good luck with her... or him I don't know. Oh, and if you need any advice to ask them
out, I'd be happy to help! Fighting!" She patted his arm, and hopped away like a bunny. It was the
kindest and weirdest reaction the two boys had ever seen. The girl was definitely crazy.

But Kim Dokja quickly forgot about her reaction to focus on a more something more important.
Yoo Joonghyuk liked someone. This Yoo Joonghyuk. The guy who rejected nearly thirty girls
during the first week of school. This same guy had actually feelings for someone. It was harder to
believe than all the nonsense he had read in his webnovels.

"Kim Dokja?"
Shivers ran down his spine in an instant. Yoo Joonghyuk's voice wasn't threatening, but how did he
knew he was there? Ah yes, he gasped like an idiot just a minute ago and he heard him with his
protagonist powers. The boy stood out of his hiding spot, covering his face, hoping not to upset his
friend.

"Who's that Kim Dokja you're talking about?"

Yoo Joonghyuk rolled his eyes, but he couldn't see it. "Dumbass."

Kim Dokja uncovered his face. "Hey, I know I'm dumb, there's no need to remind me. But more
seriously, how did you knew I was there?" He kept a safe distance just in case.

"Because I feel annoyed whenever you're around." Yoo Joonghyuk quietly chuckled when he saw
Kim Dokja's expression.

"How funny. Now if you're done with your blathering, we should go before we get late. Come on
Mister popular boy who's having a crush on someone despite being a total jerk to everyone and
most particularly to all the girls in this school."

"What?"

"Nothing. Let's go. Hurry." He responded while pushing Yoo Joonghyuk from the back.

"Kim Dokja..."

"You hear that? They are playing without us!"

---

As predicted, they arrived late.

"Let me guess, you were playing around with girls or fooling around, and you didn't see the time?
We're not in kindergarten anymore gentlemen, it's time to grow up. Go to the changing room and
hurry, or we'll start without you." They both bowed to apologize, and reluctantly did as they were
asked.

Kim Dokja brutally threw his bag on a bench, before opening it.

"People are so smart and kind in this school." He sarcastically said while putting on his sport outfit.
"Seriously." He sat and sighed with his eyes closed.

"You'll be able to let your frustration out. We are playing dodgeball today."

Kim Dokja snapped his eyes open. "Oh really?" When he realized he was staring at Yoo
Joonghyuk's bare back, he quickly looked away to hide his flustered face. "You're too slow, I'll
wait for you outside." He closed the door behind him.

'He's handsome and well-built. Lord have mercy-' He smacked his face. "Shut up stupid thoughts!"
He ignored the two students mocking him from their location.
"As you can see, three classes have been gathered here, to compete in a dodgeball tournament. This
event has been planned to help you meet new people, so don't focus only on winning! Now we're
gonna put you into mixed groups. Get over here when you hear your name!"

Students were called one after one, and teams were forming under his eyes. He wondered with who
he would end up. Deep inside of him, he wished to be paired with someone in particular. Then,
Yoo Joonghyuk appeared by his side.

"Will it be alright?"

"I know I look weak, but I'm not that bad. I know how to dodge at least. And if I get hurt I know
you will take care of me, so I'm not worried. "

Yoo Joonghyuk didn't answer.

"Kim Dokja!" Called a teacher.

"It's my turn, do your best Joonghyuk-ah!"

He used his fake smile, and joined his team. 'Please give me nice people'. He didn't really care
about his teammates, but he hoped to be paired with students who would leave him alone and not
yell at him if he failed to dodge.

"Hey! Kim Dokja over here!" Lee Jihye ran in front of him. "Looks like we are together, we're
gonna beat them all! I'll protect you from the naughty ball if you're scared!"

He softly laughed. "Okay."

"Dokja-ssi! I'll look forward to play with you!" Yoo Sangah joined them and placed a hand on Kim
Dokja's shoulder. "We are gonna do our best!"

He was saved. For now.

"Everyone has a team? Fine! Now let's meet with your opponents before we start the match!"

Kim Dokja was now surrounded by a lot of people. He grasped his t-shirt's fabric. Hopefully, Lee
Jihye and Yoo Sangah were with him, it relieved him a tad. He took a deep breath.

"Looks like we're enemies now cheeky boy."

"Jihye-yah! I'm gonna win this time, you'll see!!!"

"Arg, stop yelling like that you little brat."

Han Sooyoung and Kim Namwoon were apparently stuck together. Even if they didn't seem to get
along well, Kim Dokja believed they had more in common than what they thought. First, they
shared the same kind of exasperating temper.

"I'm gonna be merciless, get your ass ready Kim Dokja!" Grimly declared the dark haired girl.

"Why me...."

"Everyone is ready? Start!" The sound of a whistle was heard, and everything rushed in. When
people were restlessly throwing the ball, Kim Dokja dodged it. He dodged it, again and again.
After a moment, it even became fascinating. His moves were surprisingly smooth, like if he was a
professional dodger.

"Wow you're so good at dodging!"

Not sure whether it was a compliment or not, he went on for the next three minutes. His job was
only not to get caught. "Dodgeball", it was this sport's name after all.

On his side, Yoo Joonghyuk was doing the opposite. He was throwing the ball. And everytime he
did, someone was eliminated. His aim was as good as if he was playing a video game. He was
gifted, it was as simple.

"It isn't human! This guy is a freaking monster!"

"Well done Yoo Joonghyuk-ah!"

He had been paired up with Lee Hyunsung and Jung Heewon, but he was doing all the work.
Mostly because he wouldn't give the ball to anyone else. He just wanted to end it quickly and find
Kim Dokja.

"Hey throw me the ball!" He ignored Jung Heewon's request, and hit the last opponent. "How
stubborn."

Girls on the side were amazed, praising his godly skills as they usually did. They were all cheering
for him, even he if had just eliminated them.

"God he's so hot when he's doing sport!"

"He threw the ball at me with less strength, what do you think it means?"

"And look at his biceps! I wonder how it feels to touch them."

Jung Heewon was disgusted by their comments. How could they act so shamelessly? She glanced
at Yoo Joonghyuk to see his reaction, but he seemed rather indifferent.

"Is he showing off on purpose?" She cringed.

In reality, Yoo Joonghyuk was trying to contain his rage by throwing the ball.

"Let's switch opponents!"

Lee Jihye elbowed Kim Dokja. "We make a good team! Don't you think so?"

"It's true." He smiled. Never in his life he thought he would have fun like this, just by doing sport.

"Dokja-ssi!" Yoo Sangah, who previously disappeared after they won their match, was waving at
him. Han Sooyoung was by her side, as well as a blood girl with curly hair.

'Mmh? Isn't she the one who confessed to Yoo Joonghyuk earlier?'

They were coming in his direction.

"Dokja-ssi, I'd like to introduce our new friend! She's in our class and she's a transfer from Busan,
her name is Jang Hayong." The girl bowed and grinned at him.

"Nice to meet you Kim Dokja!"

"Ah, nice to meet you too." It was hard to do as if it was his first time seeing her.

"Oh, and Dokja-ssi, we also invited her for tomorrow's outing. I thought it was a good idea to
introduce her to the whole group!"

He just nodded as an answer. 'And one more person.'

"Hey cheeky boy, be careful she's really good at sport. Jang Hayong, please smash him with the
ball for me. And as hard as you can if it's possible. "

The blond girl laughed and turned toward him. "Don't worry, I'll be kind since we are friends now!"

She was really nice and pretty. She had a boyish style it's true, but she still managed to look
feminine. She pushed a golden lock of hair out of her face. Her clear blue eyes were locked on him.

"You're staring." Suddenly stated Lee Jihye.

Kim Dokja jumped on the side. "Shit, you scared me!"

She gasped. "Language!"

"I'm older than you, don't lecture me."

"Really? Should I call you Ajhussi then?" She sneered, proud of her response.

"Can you repeat that to me?" He gritted his teeth. He wasn't looking that old.

"Hey, the match is starting watch out!"

The match was progressing very fast. Jang Hayong was aiming perfectly at all her targets. And
surprisingly, Kim Dokja was still standing up against her, alone. All his teammates had been
eliminated and were watching him with dazed faces.
"You can do it Kim Dokja! Just keep running!" Lee Jihye was cheering from the side.

Jang Hayong squeezed the ball. She was in the sports club of her previous school, and was ranked
first. Her pride was on the line.

"You're fast, but i'm not gonna give up so easily! I'm sure you're pretending to be alright, but you're
already tired of running around, you're not that fast anyway!"

"Are you trying to upset me? You'll have to try harder then! Come on, just give up while you can
instead of making a fool of yourself!" Shouted Kim Dokja, trying to catch his breath. She was
correct, he was at the end of the line.

"It's your last throw Jang Hayong-ah!" Cried out someone.

The matches weren't supposed to exceed a limit of seven minutes, and time was running out. She
took a deep breath, placed her feet correctly, and adjusted her arms.

"Don't make a big deal out of it! I'm here, just throw the ball already!" Kim Dokja couldn't always
dodge the ball, and he wasn't feeling as fresh as before. But there was something else he was really
good at : Annoying people. And Jang Hayong fell right into his trap.

"I thought you were good at sport, I'm sooo disappointed." He shrugged cheekily. "You were
bragging about being the best in your school, but you're not even half as good as Yoo Joonghyuk,
and I'm being optimistic here-"

"How dare you!!!" She threw the ball out of anger with all her strength. She wasn't even looking at
her target.

The speed of the ball was so unbelievable that Kim Dokja just stood still. Even in tip top shape, he
couldn't have dodged it. The ball brushed past his ear, and generated a draft of wind at the same
time. The teammates from both sides fell silent. Jang Hayong realized what happened, and covered
her mouth.

"Oh my god are you okay?! I'm so sorry!"

Kim Dokja blinked several times to make sure he was still alive. He was still startled, but he
managed to regain his wits. He shook his head. "Wow, you're really strong ahah." He knew that if
the ball had touched him, he would certainly have had a concussion.

"I'm sorry! I'm so sorry!" She ran by his side and kept apologizing.

"Don't worry I'm fine! I was provoking you it's my fault. I'm fine I swear." He patted her shoulder.
He hated being the center of attention, and all the gazes on him right now felt too onerous. He was
fine, so why were they staring at him?

"Are you sure you're okay?"

He nodded with a smile. "Yup."

"Everyone, we're gonna make a short pause. Don't forget to drink water!"

The weight of the gazes disappeared thanks to the P.E teacher, and he could finally breath again.
'Ah, I forgot my bottle at home.'

"Sorry I'll be right back."

So he headed for the bathroom.

---

After drinking, he washed the sweat off his face with the fresh water. He rose his head to look at
his reflection in the mirror. He felt as if someone was watching him...

"Joonghyuk-ah you startled me! Next time, speak instead of just staring at me like a creep. My
heart will explode one day."

The guy looked him up and down, as if to verify he wasn't injured. "You are not angry anymore?"

'What's with this look?'

"Yeah I feel better. But on the other hand, running all the time is pretty exhausting, my whole body
is going to ache badly tomorrow. Oh, and my legs are shaking. See." He shook his leg in the air as
if it was numb. "Anyway, are you having fun on your side?"

There was a silence. Kim Dokja tilted his head to encourage him speaking.

"It would have been better if we were in the same team." He was looking disappointed, and... sad?
Apparently Yoo Joonghyuk could make such a face.

"Huh? Don't say that, I'm sure your teammates are lovely and would be happy to play with you if
you opened up a little! Now you go have fun with them, or I'll be angry again. Understood?" He
smiled brightly, and patted his friend's arm. Yoo Joonghyuk looked at him in disbelief and sighed.

"Fine. But don't talk to me as if i was a toddler." He slowly left the bathroom without saying
anything more.

"Fighting!" Shouted Kim Dokja before he was out of reach.

He looked back at the mirror. 'What would he do without me... well, I'm sure he would be fine by
his own.'

He suddenly felt someone staring at him again.

"Joonghyuk-ah I told you to..." His smile instantly disappeared. He held his breath.

"Look who's there! It's my great friend Kim Dokja. I hope you missed me because I did!"

"Not really, Song Minwoo."

He got closer. Two boys were guarding the doors, not to let him escape. He was trapped.
---

Yoo Joonghyuk dragged his feet back toward his field. A ball rolled until his feet. He picked it up.

"Hey can I have the ball?" Asked Jung Heewon from afar.

He stared at her and recalled what Kim Dokja just told him. "Mmh..." he looked at the girl. She
was still waiting. Why was he acting so rude anyway? He threw the ball at her, and she was
surprised by his action. "Oh thanks!" She smiled and passed it to Lee Hyunsung who wasn't ready
to catch it.

He looked back at the bathroom were he just came from, before joining his team.

---

Song Minwoo slammed him against the wall.

"My friends are waiting for me. Let me go." He bit his lower lip not to wince. The wall behind him
was made of really hard concrete, and he felt like he was being sucked into it.

"Oh? You have friends now? That's new."

He put a hand on Kim Dokja's shoulder.

"I'm sure they will not mind if you stay with us a little bit longer, we're just starting to have fun.
And we're friends too right? Oh I almost forgot, I wanted to talk about our little presentation."

He tightened his grip. Kim Dokja frowned.

"I read it. You did a good job, really. But I have other plans for you." He grinned, revealing his
sharp teeth. "Don't come Monday, I'll do it alone. Just pretend you're sick, you're used to it after all.
Could you do that for me?"

"I don't- ack!" He was stabbing his shoulder with his thumb.

"It wasn't a question."

Kim Dokja was staring at the ground. He was petrified. There was no escape, nothing he could use
to free himself, no one around to help him. He was alone. Maybe if he called Yoo Joonghyuk? No,
he didn't want to drag him into his personal problems.

"Hey hey, maybe I should hit you hard enough to make you stay at home. You're healing quick
anyway, it isn't a big deal for you right?"

Kim Dokja mumbled something.

"What? I can't hear you."

"Let me go!" He shouted. He was shaking from the adreline coursing through his whole body. And
he couldn't move at all, his feet were buried deep in the ground, and his back was glued to the wall.

"You want to die?!" Song Minwoo raised his fist, but he couldn't land it into Kim Dokja's face.

"What are you doing in here?" Instead of a girl in a black suit just like in his dream, a girl with
golden hair was standing at the door.

Song Minwoo released his grip, and turned around with a grin.

"Oh, I was just congratulating a friend for having won his match, that's all! See ya my friend! And
don't forget about our presentation." He licked his lips and smiled as if it was a funny situation,
before grabbing his colleagues to leave.

Jang Hayong didn't hesitate a second to get in the boy's bathroom. "Are you alright Dokja-ssi?" He
was still in shock, and didn't dare to move. Because he wasn't reacting, she tried to reach for his
hand, but he avoided it.

"Oh, um, yes." He made a clumsy smile while holding his sore shoulder. It worried the girl.

"I don't know who they are, but call me if they bother you again. I'll teach them a good lesson! I'm
the strongest of my school remember."

Kim Dokja nervously laughed. "Don't worry, it's not a big deal. Let's find the others, they're
certainly waiting for us."

He made sure she couldn't see his face, distorted by pain, when he left the bathroom.

---

"We searched everywhere for you! What took you so long?" Asked the upset Lee Jihye.

Jang Hayong opened her mouth, but Kim Dokja answered first.

"She was teaching me how to throw a ball."

"What, really? You don't know how to do that? Anyway, let's discuss about our strategy for this
match."

"Sorry Dokja-ssi, she's like that." Yoo Sangah shrugged and prompted him to follow her.

Jang Hayong just stared at his back with a confused expression. Why wasn't he telling the truth?
He suddenly seemed like a stranger, out of her reach. Her eyes grew wide when she saw who was
standing not too far from them.

"Hey! What a coincidence!"

The threatening voice stunned him for a moment. Kim Dokja felt suddenly overwhelmed. Song
Minwoo was playing with a ball, without tearing his eyes away from him. He wanted to run away,
but his friends would worry about him. He saw Jang Hayong approaching but he stopped her with a
sign a the hand. She confusely blinked but obeyed.

"So the others told me you're good at dodging? With hindsight, you were always good at avoiding
facing things back then."

"What nonsense-"

Song Minwoo stopped bouncing the ball. "Don't act like you misunderstood me. You know, for
example, you avoided me when I kindly asked you to buy us some snacks. Or... when you avoided
going to see your mother in prison because you were miserable."

Kim Dokja clenched his fists. Why was he mentioning her? He wanted to tell him it was his fault
that he didn't visit his mother very often, because she would question him about all the bruises on
his body, and he didn't want her to see him like that. No, he didn't want her to do as if she cared
about him. A lot of things when through his mind, but one thing was sure, this bastard would ruin
everything If he didn't stop talking now.

"Shut up right now."

Instead of doing as he said, the guy laughed and spoke louder. "What? Are you afraid people would
hear the truth?"

One after one, students drew their attention on them. The noise of balls hitting the ground was
slowly stopping too.

"Kim Dokja who is this Bitc- annoying guy?" He remembered Lee Jihye was on his side.

"Dokja-ssi? Is there a problem?"

There was Yoo Sangah too. She had sensed something was wrong.

"You..."

"Hey, if your mother is a murderer, doesn't that mean you're one too? It's obviously in your genes.
You know it's a thing from mother to son." He slyly grinned. "I'm just asking." He glanced at the
crowd which started whispering things.

The atmosphere was heavy. Everyone was waiting for an answer. Kim Dokja knew he was just
provoking him, he was waiting for him to do somethings bad.

He recalled his dream from last night. "You should have stood up to him." That's what Yoo
Joonghyuk, or rather his feminine version had said. He took a breath, and calmed down. Standing
up to him? He couldn't fight because he would loose, but his best weapon were words.

"Do you think that's how genes works? Then it would mean that you're from a family of bullies
right? I don't think a police officer and an attorney would like to have such a reputation. So before
mentioning my mother, you should at first learn how to act like a good and wise son. What would
be your profesional life like if you happened to be a bully?"

He wouldn't let him win this time.

Song Minwoo put a finger on Kim Dokja's chest.

"You little shit, you think you can openly talk to me like that? You're confident only because
people are looking at you. But are they on your side? Do you think anyone would believe your
bullshit?"

Kim Dokja didn't look at the students. He knew they probably thought the same about him. That he
was nothing more than a parasite, a miserable child whose violent dad was dead and buried, and
who's mother was a criminal.

"Are they gonna fight?" A whisper here. "We already know who would win. Do you think this kid
has a chance to survive?" A murmur there. But he didn't care about them at all.

"Song Minwoo. I know you're craving for people's attention, for a reason I'm not aware of. But I'm
not gonna play along your little games, not anymore. If you want to do the presentation without me
so bad, then do it by yourself and leave me alone you jerk!" He had never done that before. His
heart was pounding hard, and he had to catch his arm to stop shaking. But it was better than doing
nothing.

He watched Song Minwoo's face slowly crumble down from rage. He frowned so hard that deep
wrinkles appeared between his brows.

"You fucking bug! I'll kill you!"

The guy was out of him. He raised his arm.

Time suddenly seemed to slow down. He understood what was about to happen, but he couldn't
move. Kim Dokja couldn't react soon enough to protect his face. Song Minwoo used all his hatred
to smash him with the ball.

The next moment, he harshly fell on the ground.

Everyone gasped, not knowing what to do or what to say in front of such a violent scene. Kim
Dokja curled up on himself. He was clearly in pain. But no one bothered to ask if he was fine.

"Dokja!" Yoo Sangah sat on her knees next to him. She didn't dare touching him, in case she would
hurt him even more. Lee Jihye on the side urgently looked around "Why are you all standing
there?! Call the teacher quick!" She altered her gaze between the crowd and Kim Dokja.

"Dokja-ssi!"

"Kim Dokja!"

However, he couldn't hear a thing, their voices were muffled.

People were progressively gathering around him. "Oh my god is he okay?" He wasn't budging. "I
don't think so, did you hear the sound the ball made when it touched him?" He wasn't making any
noise. "He must be badly hurt. I kinda feel sorry for him."

'Leave me alone.'

The shooting pain left by the hit wouldn't go away. His ears were ringing, every little noise was
amplified and he felt dizzy just by opening his eyes.

"...Isn't he the murderer's son... It's deserved... karma got him it seems..."

He covered his ears with trembling fingers.

"Are you okay boy?" It was an adult voice.

He didn't answer.

'Leave me alone.'

"Kim Dokja, are you conscious?"

He curled up even more instead of answering. His eye was sore. All he could do was hiding his
face until the pain went away. The only thing he wanted right now was to faint so he wouldn't have
to hear anyone anymore.

"Move!" A muffled cold voice came to his ears this time. Then, he felt someone crouching besides
him. He held his breath.

"Kim Dokja."

He didn't move until a gentle hand seized his arm. "Look at me." He quivered in pain. "No..." He
didn't want to face him right now, and no one could blame him for that. The hand reassured him
with a soft squeeze, prompting him to let his guard down. "Show me were you are hurt." His voice,
which usually was cold, had become abnormally soft.

After a moment thinking about if he should obey or not, he slowly rose his head. He focused on
Yoo Joonghyuk's face, to forgot he was surrounded by curious students.

Yoo Joonghyuk was concerned by his state. His left eye was closed, and a huge bruise was
covering it. He noticed his nose was bleeding too, making the lower half of his face red. Kim
Dokja wasn't crying, but his soreness was showing on his face as he winced.

"How bad is it?"

He couldn't tell him yet.

"Open your eye."

"I'm not sure if I can..." Kim Dokja glimpsed behind his friend with his remaining eye.

Yoo Joonghyuk didn't need him to speak to understand what was bothering him. Without removing
his hand from Kim Dokja's forearm, he turned around. "You're too close, let him breath." He glared
at the crowd to chase them away. They all followed his order, fearing for they life if they didn't.

"Did you see his face..."

He looked back at the boy, who was carefully opening his eye. He suppressed a whimper and
stared at Yoo Joonghyuk. The white of his eye was tainted by a bright red. His blood vessels must
have exploded under the pressure of the ball.
"It's blurry."

Yoo Joonghyuk was about to reach his face with his other hand, when he was stopped by sudden
shouts.

"Kim Dokja!"

"What happened?!"

One by one, his friend's came to check on him.

"Oh, hi everyone, I'm fine. Don't worry too much." Kim Dokja waved his hand but couldn't hide
the fact that he was shaking.

"What the fuck are you saying now? Did the ball hit you hard enough to make you loose your
mind?! You're obviously not fine!" Han Sooyoung pointed at her own left eye. He still didn't
understand what could be so alarming about his face.

Then, something warm dripped on his lips. He brought his hand to his numb nose to find out what
the liquid actually was. "Ah..." He stared at his fingers which were now tainted red too. He blinked
dumbfounded.

Yoo Joonghyuk reacted before anyone else could. "I'm taking him to the infirmary."

He lifted up the boy, and without adding anything, he ran while holding him tightly. Kim Dokja
passed his hand around his neck, being careful not to stain his clothes by mistake. He was less
scared than the last time he had been carried. And he had to admit that he felt relieved to be held
like that by Yoo Joonghyuk.

---

When they arrived at the infirmary, no one was there. Yoo Joonghyuk carefully sat Kim Dokja on
a spare bed. He gave him some tissue for his nose, which he took immediately. He then searched
for ice to put on his eyes to prevent him from getting a too nasty bruise. He rolled the ice in a thick
piece of fabric not to burn him with the cold.

"Put that on your eye."

He took it with his other hand and hissed when the cold tissue touched his temple.

"Don't press it too hard." He helped him to put the ice correctly on his bruise.

Then he glanced at Kim Dokja's hand. They were a bit scratched due to his fall, but it wasn't too
bad. Yoo Joonghyuk found a disinfectant and sat on the bed beside his friend. His tissue was
almost fully red but it seemed that the bleeding was slowly starting to stop. He took the tissue,
checked if his nose was fine, and threw it in a bin before focusing back on Kim Dokja.

"Your hands."
"I'm already holding the pack of ice, and it's not that serious anyway."

"Kim Dokja."

At the cold tone, he reluctantly gave his right hand. His palm was a bit red and scraped but not
enough to leave a big mark. Yoo Joonghyuk examined it, before applying some kind of ointment. It
didn't hurt, because he was being as gentle as possible. But there was something bothering him,
and he wouldn't let it go until he got a clear response to his question. Who the hell did that to him?

"Can we talk?"

"Sure. Mother nature granted us tongues after all."

Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him in disbelief. He pressed a tad harder on his scratches.

"Ouch! You bastard."

"It's nothing, you're overreacting."

When he was finally done, he put a bandage over the injury and made sure it wouldn't come off by
rubbing his thumb over it.

"You didn't need to do that much. Can I have my hand back now? I really need it you know?"

He tried to remove it but Yoo Joonghyuk seized his wrist, pulling his sleeve up a little.

"I said I was fine, you can let go." But the grip got even stronger.

"What are you hiding from me?"

He shut his mouth tightly. "Being stubborn and distrustful is a big part of you it seems."

"If you don't tell me." Yoo Joonghyuk started to roll up his sleeve.

"No wait!"

He dropped the pack of ice but it was too late. Yoo Joonghyuk took a breath as if he was about to
talk, but stopped. He slightly turned his forearm around, ignoring Kim Dokja who was shaking his
arm to free himself. "Yoo Joonghyuk."

He passed his thumb over one of the several scars covering his arm.

"This is not what you think." He blankly stared at Kim Dokja.

"Did you do that?" He was scared to hear the answer.

"No!" He lowered his voice. "That's what I'm trying to tell you. It wasn't... me."

"Then who? Who was it?"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Don't you trust me?"

Kim Dokja didn't want to fight. He didn't want things to go like that. He cursed himself for having
been so careless.

"I... it's not that."

He just couldn't tell him. He couldn't tell anyone about it. That he was a poor child who just stood
at the wrong place at the wrong time. Images of green glass shattered on the floor flashed before
his eyes.

"I just want to know if you're okay. I want to hear the truth."

"Yoo Joonghyuk, please..." he jolted his arm to inform him that he was hurting him.

He withdrew his hand from his wrist immediately, and sank his fist into the bed. Kim Dokja stared
at his forearm and the marks left by Yoo Joonghyuk's fingers, before tugging his sleeve back over
it. The extended silence was becoming awkward and tense.

"I can't give you an explanation I'm sorry. I know it must be really frustrating, but I just... I can't.."
He took a shaky breath. "If I told you the truth, you would just run away. And I don't want to loose
you." He huffed. " Wow it's really cheesy to say it out loud." He chuckled to calm down the
atmosphere.

"Are you assuming I would throw you away?"

"I don't know, I'm not in your head." He lowered his head, ashamed that he just insinuated that he
couldn't trust his friend.

Yoo Joonghyuk thought he was about to go mad. He glanced one last time at his sleeve before
putting aside the "scars" issue. Now, he had the answer to why he did sport with a long sleeved
shirt. He sighed and massaged his temples.

"Can you at least tell me who hurt you like that?"

Kim Dokja frowned before understanding that he was talking about the ball incident. "That... just
some clumsy student."

Yoo Joonghyuk rolled his eyes in annoyance. "Can you be serious for once? You're really-"

"Stubborn, I know. We have that in common."

"Tell me, or I swear i'm gonna-"

"Dokja-ssi!" He was cut by Yoo Sangah, who was at the door.

"Hi!"

Yoo Joonghyuk glared at him and whispered. "We're not done."

To what Kim Dokja whispered back : "One day you'll be able to finish your sentences don't worry."
He was openly making fun of him.
Then, the room was invaded by 8 more worried students. The air was soon filled by a lot of : "How
are you?" And : "Are you okay?" And Kim Dokja's answer was always yes. "I'm used to it guys,
don't worry."

This sentence startled Yoo Joonghyuk, but he remained silent.

"I'm sorry Kim Dokja, I said I would protect you, but I failed." Said Lee Jihye with teary eyes.

"You did everything you could. It's okay."

She rubbed her face with her sleeve. "But look at your face! You're all swollen like big dumpling!
This guy was a d*ck, if I ever see his face again i swear I'll-"

"LANGUAGE!!!" Shouted Lee Hyunsung from behind. She had finally given up on his challenge.

Yoo Joonghyuk rose his head and got closer from her.

"What guy? Who are you talking about?"

Kim Namwoon answered first. "I saw an ugly guy smashing the ball right in his face."

After hearing this revelation, Yoo Joonghyuk's anger issues started acting up. The party members
swallowed. "Who was he?" It seemed as if a threatening shadow was growing upon him.

Han Sooyoung was the first trying to calm him down...

"Hey! don't talk like that. It's scary you crazy bastard!"

...in her own manner.

"Hey, we are all pissed off okay? But you need to calm down before doing something wrong.
Understood?" Calmly asked Jung Heewon.

Everyone tried to reason with him, but their attention was drawn on something behind him. The
angry guy turned around to find Kim Dokja making a cross with his arms. It was the last straw.

"You."

Kim Dokja hid his hands behind his back. A drop of sweat rolled down his forehead, and he
grinned like a dumbass to avoid getting beaten up again.

"Please Yoo Joonghyuk-ssi we should talk to resolve the problem. You're not going to fight with
Dokja-ssi, are you?" Yoo Sangah was being the responsible person she was. "And you Dokja-ssi,
don't you think you can get away with that so easily."

"What? But I'm obviously the victim in this story!"

"You seem fine for a guy who was dramatically laying in his own blood earlier." Stated Han
Sooyoung.

"I'm still hurt you know." He pointed at his red eye.

Then he drowned into the flood of questions and worries again. He glimpsed at Yoo Joonghyuk
who hadn't moved since he got lectured. He gave him a deadly glare and he answered with a
distorted smile. He then saw him sighing and leaving the room. He wanted to call out his name but
he was already out of view. He gave up and swore to himself he would apologize later, when he
would be calmer.
---

Yoo Joonghyuk was frustrated. Kim Dokja did everything to annoy him since he met him. But he
was even more hurt to learn that he didn't trust him enough to speak to him. He knew they didn't
knew each other for too long, but still, he let him sleep on his bed and fed him handmade food.
Okay, maybe it wasn't enough- But still. Maybe he was being to hard with him.

He was about to get back into the room when a hand touched his back. It was Jang Hayong. She
wore a serious look. "Yoo Joonghyuk-ah, actually I saw a guy bothering Kim Dokja in the
bathroom earlier. I thought I should tell you, since you seem worried to death."

His eyes grew wider at her unexpected declaration. "Tell me everything."

---

"Is it still okay for tomorrow? I know it was a rough day, but I planned this event a long time ago
and i don't want to give up on it..."

Everyone stared at Kim Dokja.

"Oh, yes i'm still in."

"And you Jang Hayong-ssi?"

"Of course I'm in!"

After a long discussion and no clear answer from Kim Dokja, they all left school with a bitter taste
on the tongue. They really needed to take a break, and tomorrow was just perfect for them to relax
a bit.

"A karaoke, we must go to the karaoke!"

Of course they had to agree on the planning, but everyone seemed satisfied with the original one.
Only Yoo Joonghyuk was sulking in his corner.

"You want a lollipop grumpy man?" Teased Han Sooyoung. He grumbled and she laughed at him.
"It's hard to love an idiot huh? I feel you brother." She put on a sly smile. At this point, Yoo
Joonghyuk didn't even react.

Kim Dokja was laughing, ahead with the others. Then, he turned his head and their eyes met. Yoo
Joonghyuk held his stare until someone walked between them and cut their contact.
Kim Dokja took a breath and ran by Yoo Joonghyuk's side. "Hey! Joonghyuk-ah!"

No answer.

"Ah, it hurts soooo much! Maybe I'll lose my poor eye... And you don't even care, what a friend.
Would you still like me if I was half-blind mmh?"

No answer.

He really hurt his feelings it seemed. But he couldn't give up so easily.

"Hey! I saw you looking at me just now!"

"I didn't."

"Right you didn't, but you talked. I'm relieved to finally hear your voice, i missed it. How can I
soften your mood? Let me think... Should I tell you a joke? Or maybe, should I call you...
Joonghyuk-ah~" He said in a provocative manner, tilting his head toward him.

"Is being annoying your specialty?"

"Ah! Yes, you finally get me!" He elbowed the guy and smiled silently.

"Ugh." Han Sooyoung made a disgusted face.

"What?"

"It's disgusting to see you flirting so openly right before my delicate eyes."

"I beg your pardon? Yoo Joonghyuk say something please."

"Always asking the help of your boyfriend I see."

"Stop that!" Kim Dokja lightly slapped her forearm and she laughed. Yoo Joonghyuk grabbed him
by the collar and dragged him away from her, because he was ashamed by his reaction. "Let me
go!" He tried to push the guy but ended up punching his chest weakly. "Man you're too strong, are
you working out?" As if it wasn't obvious.

"Stop messing around, you're giving me a headache." Said Yoo Joonghyuk with a frown.

"So guys, See y'all tomorrow! And if one of you decide to skip our outing, we'll come get you at
your house okay? I'm not joking, I know where everyone of you is living." Warned Lee Jihye.

They all nodded.

"Perfect then! Now who's taking the bus with me!"

Their voices slowly disappeared in the distance. Most of his friends were taking the bus to come
home. And soon, the two boys were left alone.
The moon wasn't visible today, but the stars weren't missing. It always was a reassuring sight for
Kim Dokja. If he could see the stars, then he wouldn't be lost. He had this strange habit of
associating the people he loved the most to these stars since he was a child. That way, he wouldn't
feel alone, even during his baddest nights. He took his eyes off the sky to enjoy his walk with Yoo
Joonghyuk while he still could.

"I feel like crying when I see everyone together. It makes me happy, I don't know why. I'm weird
right?"

Yoo Joonghyuk was surprised by his sudden speech. He looked at Kim Dokja and furrowed his
brows. "Are you drunk?"

Kim Dokja burst out laughing, which made his friend even more confused. "No, I'm just tired." He
wiped the tears away from his eyes. "Ouch, don't make me laugh or I'll tear up, and it hurts."

Tiredness had a weird effect on him. He couldn't see where he was walking while struggling with
the tears in his eyes. So, tripped on his untied shoelaces. He was ready to protect his face, but
hopefully Yoo Joonghyuk caught him and brought him closer from his chest, in case he would slip
away from his grip. "You must be really tired then." He crouched to lace up Kim Dokja's shoes.

"You don't have to do that for me, I can do it myself huh?"

But he was already done, and stood back up.

"Thanks." Kim Dokja looked away in embarrassement.

"Hold onto me. You're already half-blind, I don't want you to get hurt even more." He offered his
arm.

'Should I?'

His hesitant hand finally grasped on him. He waited a little before fully enclosing his arm around
Yoo Joonghyuk's. Now, they were tied together, just like his shoelaces. Yoo Joonghyuk was
wearing his usual black jacket - the one which wasn't enough to keep an average person sheltered
from cold - while Kim Dokja was wearing a big white coat. This time, he wouldn't need to borrow
Yoo Joonghyuk clothes, much to his disappointment. He squeezed the fabric of his friend's jacket,
hoping he wouldn't notice how fast his heart was pounding. Why was he so nervous? It was driving
him crazy.

"Where's your house?" Asked the guy.

"Oh, this way. But you really don't have to come with me. It's late and you must be busy"

"I want to go with you."

At this rate, his heart would break out of his ribcage. 'The handsome and popular boy is walking
me home for real.' He discretly glanced at Yoo Joonghyuk. His side profile was perfect, as
expected from a protagonist-like person. And he was so firm, no wonder why he was so good at
sport with such a sturdy body. Everything about him was so... immaculate. There was no stronger
word he could think of. For a split of second, he recalled what he saw earlier in the changing room
and instantly reddened.
Yoo Joonghyuk felt him tightening his grasp and looked down. "You look kinda red. Do you have
a fever? Is it because of your eye? Let me check."

Kim Dokja pushed away the hand aiming for his forehand. "I told you, I'm not sick I'm exhausted!"

His reaction was cute. Yoo Joonghyuk smiled.

"Don't look at me like that you psycho!"

He averted his gaze from Kim Dokja, but his slight smile didn't disappear.

---

Kim Dokja finally let go of the arm he was holding to tap his code on the locker of his entrance
door. Yoo Joonghyuk felt a void.

"There."

It was hard to press the right buttons, because his hands were shaking of wearyness. But he
succeeded anyway.

"Home sweet home. Want something to drink?"

He nodded.

Yoo Joonghyuk put a foot in and removed his shoes. He had never seen Kim Dokja's apartment.
The boy turned the lights on, and threw his backpack on the ground. "I know it's a bit small, but it's
cosy, I guess. Don't mind the mess, I hadn't the time to put everything away. Oh, you can sit on the
sofa if you want."

Yoo Joonghyuk put his own backpack down, and sat on the couch. There wasn't a lot of decoration,
but he thought it reflected well Kim Dokja's personality. Simple yet interesting. When he looked on
his left he saw some cardboards with furnitures sticking out from it. Just as if he had moved in not
to long ago.

He looked around, and a picture caught his attention. In it, a woman and a little boy were smiling.
He was looking happy as he was holding a book in his small hands. They had similar features, such
as their eyes or their dimples. Kim Dokja appeared out of nowhere and flipped over the picture
frame, before putting a glass of water on the table. Yoo Joonghyuk was asking him why with his
eyes.

"Because I don't want people to tease me about it." He sat on the edge of the couch.

"I wouldn't have teased you about it. It's just a family picture, nothing to laugh about." He took a
sip of his drink.

"Sorry."

"For what?"
"It was rude of me. I don't want to make you uncomfortable. And also... sorry for earlier in the
infirmary... I didn't mean to hurt you. Its just a sensible subject."

"..." Yoo Joonghyuk glanced at Kim Dokja's intertwined hands. "I should apologize too. I raised
my voice and forced you to talk even when you clearly said you didn't want to. I shouldn't have
behaved this way, I'm sorry."

"... we're even then?"

Yoo Joonghyuk nodded. But Kim Dokja's smile was still reported missing. "Smile." He blurted
without thinking.

"What?"

He clarified his point. "I like it better when you smile. You have a pretty smile."

It didn't fail to make Kim Dokja laugh. "What nonsense are you spewing now?" He covered the
lower half of his face with the back of his hand.

Normally, Kim Dokja wasn't comfortable with company, especially in his place. But it seemed that
Yoo Joonghyuk was an exception. He drank his own glass of water and wondered if they would
stay friend until the end of the year. He prayed they would. He was placing his glass down when
his eyes grew wide. "Oh shit I completely forgot I have homework to do for tomorrow, and I
should probably make another presentation... I should finish that quickly if I want to get some
sleep."

Yoo Joonghyuk was watching him walking in circles and got dizzy. "Did you eat?"

He stopped moving. "Right. I'm sorry, I shouldn't keep you here when you haven't eaten yet!"

Yoo Joonghyuk was dazed to see that he was more concerned about someone else's hunger than his
own. "I'm gonna cook."

"But... I don't have anything left to cook."

"Just lend me your kitchen while you're working."

"Um... are you sure?" The guy blinked, he just needed his approbation. "I mean, yes sir! The
kitchen is all yours." He made an embarrassed smile and disappeared in his room.

When Yoo Joonghyuk opened the cupboards in the kitchen, everything that he could find were
pasta boxes and microwaving food. No wonder why he was so weak and tired all the time.

He half opened Kim Dokja's door to make sure he was still there. He had put earphones on, and
was completely focused on his paper.

I guess he won't notice if I go out to get proper food.'

---
He wanted to do it quickly so he ran to the closest street market he could find. He took everything
he needed, and even bought some supplies in addition, because he knew Kim Dokja would never
buy true food by himself.

He wandered in the shop's aisles, verifying he had everything he needed. He stopped in front of a
stand full of ointment and aid kits. No need to specify that he filled a full bag with those.

"Thank you, have a good evening!"

He stepped out of the store with two full shopping bags.

---

"I'm done!" Shouted Kim Dokja while stretching on his chair. A delightful smell caught his
attention. 'Am I dreaming?' He slapped his cheeks. 'I'm definitely awake.' He snuck his head out of
his room. "Who are you to cook so well? A cooking chief? A God maybe?"

"Stop playing and come."

They sat down in front of each other around the small desk.

"What are you waiting for?" Asked Yoo Joonghyuk.

"Let me enjoy this moment. I feel like a rich heir about to eat something prepared by the best cook
of all the country."

"Just eat already if you want to sleep."

"You're ruining the moment." Kim Dokja seized his chopsticks and took some kimchi first because
it's been so long since he had some.

They ate in silence. Yoo Joonghyuk would feel proud when he would see Kim Dokja's shining
eyes, everytime he took a mouthful of food. Again, he had succeeded in feeding this boy well.

But just as he was taking another bite, a sniffling sound broke the silence. Yoo Joonghyuk rose his
head. Kim Dokja roughly rubbed his eyes.

"Hey, don't do that you will hurt yourself. Are you... are you crying? Are you hurt?"

He hid his nose. "I'm just tired, that's all. I will do the dishes tomorrow. You can leave whenever
you want."

"Such a neglectful person can't stay alone."

"Mmh..." Kim Dokja wasn't even listening. He was dozing off, and trying to keep his head straight.
Yoo Joonghyuk suddenly realized something.

"How much sleep did you get this week?"

Kim Dokja tried to count on his fingers. "Sleep you say? I don't know him, is he another friend of
yours? You know so much people..."

"I see... I'll get you to your bed."

He helped Kim Dokja standing up and brought him to his bedroom. Knocking into some furnitures
on the way.

"You have to put this on your eye." He held a cream tube he had previously bought at the market.
The boy blinked while looking at it. "Since you're disabled, I should apply it myself." He sat on the
bed, next to him.

"Hey I'm not a child!" Kim Dokja tried to push him away, but all he did was punching the air.

"Stop squirming as if you were one then."

"Fine, you won."

He closed his eyes. "Don't frown, I can't apply the cream correctly if you do that." He obeyed. "I
was just imitating you. You know, the face you're always making-" Then, something cold touched
his bruise. He stiffened because of the soreness, before starting to relax, little by little. Even if he
was strong, Yoo Joonghyuk knew how to be gentle. He carefully spread the cream over his eye,
softly enough not to hurt him. When he was done, he took his time to see if there wasn't any other
injuries on his face.

"You're staring..." mumbled Kim Dokja. "That's what she told me..."

'What the hell?' Yoo Joonghyuk was startled for a moment. But he was even more when the boy's
head fell on his shoulder. "Good night..." he mumbled.

"That's not the right place to sleep." He settled him under his blanket, and made sure he was in a
comfortable position.

"What about our story reading before going to sleep..." It didn't seem to, but Kim Dokja was
already sleeping.

Yoo Joonghyuk stared at him for a bit. He hoped he would recover well and quickly. He couldn't
stand seeing him hurt like that. At least, he could take care of him without having to justify it. He
sighed and got up to leave the room. "Sleep well." He got a growl as a response.

He gathered all his stuff in the living room and was ready to leave for real. He glanced behind one
last time before placing his hand on the door handle. His eyes landed on the upside down picture
frame. He got closer to take a look at it. The little boy with long bangs could be identified as Kim
Dokja, and the woman behind had to be his mother. His thumb brushed over the photo before
putting it back at it's original place.

He felt bad to leave when he wasn't aware of it. So he left a note prominently displayed on the
living room's table. He switched the light off and opened the door. He wondered why it was so
hard to close the door, but he had to do his homework too. With a determined step, he walked
 outside.

*click*

He was back home. Alone. He fell like a stone on his bed. It took a lot of energy to take care of
Kim Dokja. But it was worth it.

He looked at the time on his phone. It wasn't as late as he thought. He tapped a message on his
screen. He erased it several times before finally sending it. He rolled on the side and closed his
eyes.

"You like him right?"

Han Sooyoung elbowed him to capture his attention.

"Hey don't glare at me like that when you were hypnotized by Kim Dokja's back 2 seconds ago. Are
you planning to confess someday? I can't stand seeing you two acting like oblivious idiots."

His eyes shot open.

'What is he doing to me?'

Chapter End Notes

Oh no, what is he doing to Yoo Joonghyuk??

Hehe I wonder...

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