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Lee Jin Sung isn't very smart, he knows that. Spending time with Mi Jin to study was really the only way he got any studying done at all. But Jin Sung likes to believe that he's more observant that people think he is because after all these weeks he's finally beginning to understand Jae Yeol's wordless conversations with Hyungsuk. Maybe its because the blond bastard spends so much of his free time in class next to Hyungsuk, talking about everything and anything under the sun. In the earlier weeks of school, he could only figure out what they were talking about through context clues based on what Hyungsuk was saying. These days even without Hyungsuk around, he can kinda guess what Jae Yeol's saying.
Maybe now that he's watched the blond bastard more now, he can see a little bit of himself in him. He knows what a lovestruck fool looks like when he sees one, he's actually pretty surprised that no one has noticed it when it's so blatantly obvious. He has seen Jae Yeol literally drop everything just because Hyungsuk called him, has seen the blond's frantic expressions whenever girls were beginning to get too close into Hyungsuk's personal space. Jin Sung hates it too when boys try to get to close to Mi Jin, so he can understand the duress that Jae Yeol feels when his object of affection looks like its going to be stolen away.
Jin Sung makes a more active effort to shoo the girls away from Hyungsuk, getting mad at them by telling them that they're being too noisy when he's trying to catch a nap... When he finds a box of chocolate milk mysteriously placed on his desk now too, he can only assume that it's from the same person person who keeps leaving chocolate milk on Hyungsuk's desk. It's not difficult at all to connect the dots.
As soon as the bell rings for lunch Jin Sung stands up before anyone else does, which is odd within itself because Jin Sung liked to hang around a little bit after everyone's left so he can get a few moments of peace. But today he has a mission because now that he's noticed Jae Yeol and his seemingly hopeless efforts in getting Hyungsuk's attention, its frustrating to watch him flounder and struggle to get his feelings come across. Jin Sung isn't usually a busybody, he usually likes to stay out of other people's business, but he feels like he should step in this time out of some odd camaraderie that he feels towards the blond.
"Jae Yeol Hong," he says, one hand slamming a little bit too loudly onto Jae Yeol's desk. He catches the attention of everyone around them, but he doesn't notice that. Instead he looks at Jae Yeol's expression, the blond's lips parted slightly in awe and his head tilted to the side in question. "I need to talk to you," Jin Sung provides, pulling back and out of Jae Yeol's personal bubble. He starts walking towards the exit and looks back to see if Jae Yeol is following him. Mi Jin raises an eyebrow at him, but he just grins at her as if to reassure her that he wasn't going to do anything stupid. He looks over at Hyungsuk, who is hurriedly fixing his things to catch up. Jin Sung points a finger at him "Do not follow us, this is a private matter."
Hyungsuk's eyes are blown wide in surprise. He looks over at Jae Yeol who mirrors his expression. "But... Jin Sung—"
"Go have lunch with Basco or something," Jin Sung interrupts. Jae Yeol is close behind him, so he grab's the blond's arm with probably a little more force than necessary and pulls him out of the classroom.
Jin Sung drags him for a few minutes until they're at a more secluded area of their school. Most people have gone towards the cafeteria at this point, so they wade through a sea of hungry students before they finally reach the stairwell that leads to the rooftop. Jin Sung buys banana milk for himself and Jae Yeol before he sits at the stairs, tossing the other bottle of milk at the blond. As he expected Jae Yeol catches it effortlessly, his reflexes fast for someone he had always assumed was too much of a prince to be involved with any form of martial arts.
"...?"
"It's a thank you for the chocolate milk from last time," Jin Sung answers, stabbing a straw into his banana milk. "You left it for me this time, yeah?"
"..." Jae Yeol nods his head, and now that he realizes that Jin Sung really didn't mean any harm this time, takes a seat a few steps away from his classmate. He pokes a hole into his banana milk too with a straw. "...?"
Jin Sung looks up at the ceiling for a bit to think about how to answer Jae Yeol's question. They sit there for a few minutes in silence, both of them unaware of the attention they were garnering. After all, even though they were classmates it was still unusual to see them together and alone.
Fidgeting a little bit in his seat, Jae Yeol wonders what it is that Jin Sung wants with him. Though the first day the boxer had left a pretty bad first impression on him, he had discovered that Jin Sung was actually a pretty nice guy beneath his mean guy exterior. He was just hot headed, and didn't really know how to manage his anger when it came to him. Sometimes Jae Yeol was jealous of that— being able to express yourself so freely instead of having to regulate yourself all the time. Jae Yeol thinks to himself that his impression of Jin Sung also improved a lot over the last few weeks because he's seen how the boxer is protective of Hyungsuk too, and even though Jin Sung denies it when he's asked, he probably cares for Hyungsuk as a friend. Jae Yeol does feel a little more at ease when he knows Jin Sung is with Hyungsuk, because he thinks that Jin Sung is a loyal friend once you've become a person he considers precious—
"You like Hyungsuk, don't you?" Jin Sung finally says, interrupting Jae Yeol's thoughts.
Jae Yeol's mind comes to a complete stop at Jin Sung's accusation. He drops the banana milk in his hands, and it splashes on the floor and sends milk all over their shoes.
"Oi! What the hell!" Jin Sung yelps, jumping out of the splash zone quickly. Luckily, none of the milk lands on him. "I just got these Stan Smith's, you bastard!"
Jae Yeol's making a move to run, but Jin Sung catches his wrist before he can.
"Where the hell do you think you're going? We're not done talking, you know!" Jin Sung exclaims, pulling on his classmate's wrist before pushing him against the wall. He slams his hand on the wall to the side of Jae Yeol's head, trapping the blond between his arm and the stair well. No escape. Jin Sung has once again effectively kabedon'ed another one of his male friends.
Unknown to both of them, eyes were carefully watching the exchange. Murmured whispers drifted through the hallway. People were so excited about the hot new gossip that they didn't bother to hear what Jin Sung was trying to communicate.
"You like him, don't you?" Jin Sung began again once he knew that Jae Yeol wasn't going to try to escape.
"...! ...??? ........"
Jae Yeol is frantically moving his arms in explanation and carefully avoiding eye contact with Jin Sung. He's so happy his hair blocks Jin Sung's eyes from seeing how panicked his expression must be.
But Jin Sung can see it loud as day in Jae Yeol's body language. His blond classmate was freaking out.
"Whoa dude, chill out," he says, a nervous sweat trailing down his temple. He's never seen Jae Yeol like this before so it throws him off a little bit. "Why are you freaking out?"
Jae Yeol doesn't know why he's freaking out. He's usually so good at keeping up his calm persona. Someone finding out about his crush was surprising, but what was more surprising that it was Jin Sung who found out first, and that Jin Sung thought that the proper thing to do was to confront him about it. He could not have predicted this at all. A thousand thoughts run through his mind until finally JaeYeol.exe stops working.
He faints.
Jae Yeol feels warmth at his chest. It is a familiar feeling, and it's comforting, but it is a little different from what he remembers. His arms dangle over someone's shoulders and the overwhelming desire to hold this person close overtakes his logic. So he does, he pulls himself closer, buries his nose into the crook of the strong neck under him and he sighs in relief.
"Oh? You're awake. You scared me for a second there."
"...!"
Once again, Jae Yeol panics when he realizes that its Jin Sung carrying him on his back him instead of the person he wanted it to be.
"Will you just— Stay still!" Jin Sung hops in place, jostling the person on his back to forcefully have him settle down. It's kind of like dealing with a child, and Jin Sung's good at taking care of kids. "Relax, damn it! I'm not gonna drop you! I can squat more than you weigh," he reassures. "Actually, are you eating right dude? You're way too light."
Jae Yeol's arms are still around Jin Sung's shoulders. He taps at Jin Sung's forearms. "...?"
"I'm taking you to the nurse. You fainted out of no where."
Jae Yeol shakes his head and squirms a little bit. "..."
Jin Sung hesitates for a few seconds, but nods his head. He lets his classmate down. "If you're sure... Anyway, what the hell? Why did you freak out so bad? I was just asking if—"
Jae Yeol slaps a hand over Jin Sung's mouth to silence him.
They stare at each other for a few long seconds.
Again, unaware, people are watching them in curiosity. But because no one but Hyungsuk, and apparently Jin Sung now too, can understand what Jae Yeol is saying, no one can figure out what they're talking about. Still, that doesn't stop any of the other students from gossiping.
When Jae Yeol thinks that Jin Sung will shut up for a few seconds, he pulls his hand away. "...?"
"What do you mean? I'm not blind," Jin Sung says as he folds his arms over his chest. He raises a questioning eyebrow at his friend. "It's so obvious."
Jae Yeol blushes. He feels a nervous sweat trail down his cheek. "...???"
"I didn't tell anyone, that's not their business," Jin Sung reassures.
Jae Yeol gesticulates with his hand. He tilts his head to the side, a little more calm now because Jin Sung was finally talking a little quieter. "..?"
Jin Sung huffs at Jae Yeol's accusation. "Hey man, I have to see you try and flirt with Hyungsuk on a daily. I think I can make it my business now."
"...!!"
"It totally is flirting," Jin Sung rolls his eyes at Jae Yeol's denial. "It's getting hard to watch. It just goes over Hyungsuk's head."
Jae Yeol's shoulders shake in silent laughter, and the smile on his face is filled with affection. "..."
"Eww, you're sappier than I thought," Jin Sung grimaces. "The Prince title that everyone gave you makes more sense now."
Lost in their own little world as they held their conversation, they weren't aware that the topic of their discussion was now watching them from down the hall. The rumor that Jin Sung and Jae Yeol were possibly getting into a fight spread through the school hallways like wildfire, and quickly reached the cafeteria before Hyungsuk could even have a bite to eat. He didn't understand why Jin Sung and Jae Yeol would fight, he had thought they were all friends now, but it seemed the rumors were just rumors after all.
Jin Sung was leaning against the window of the hallway, the afternoon sun spilling in and over him and making him look golden. He was grinning in a way that wasn't malicious but warm, amusement sparkling in his eyes as he said something to Jae Yeol that Hyungsuk couldn't hear. Across from the boxer, Jae Yeol looked as warm as he always did with the sun shining on his face. His cheeks were red and his movements were a bit jittery but still relaxed. He looked at Jin Sung sheepishly, but his body language told Hyungsuk that he was actually comfortable talking to the boxer.
Hyungsuk let out a sigh of relief.
Though he did feel a bit of an ache in his chest. His stomach was doing weird and uncomfortable twists.
Perhaps he was just hungry. That must be it.
He turned around, deciding that there was no fighting going on between his friends. On his way back to the cafeteria, Mi Jin met him looking flustered and out of breath. "Jin Sung—"
"It was just a misunderstanding," Hyungsuk assures her. "I saw them just now. They were just talking," he explains.
Mi Jin lets out her own sigh of relief. "That's good," she tells him, turning back around to go back to the cafeteria. Ha Neul was going to scold them for leaving her alone so suddenly. Mi Jin tilts her head to the side to look at Hyungsuk who looks a little troubled. "You know, Jin Sung doesn't make friends easily even though he's so popular," she explains as they walk together. "So I'm really glad that you and Basco, and even Jae Yeol are friends with him. I think you guys are a good influence on him," she says with a grin.
"Friends, huh..." Hyungsuk echoes thoughtfully. Warmth spreads through him knowing that he has so many friends now but there is still something that bothers him about seeing Jin Sung and Jae Yeol chatting together like that so cheerfully. He doesn't know how to describe how he feels, but if feels like indigestion. "Oh! We should get food for them too."
"Oh, I'll message Jin Sung to go to the cafeteria as soon as they're done talking then!" Mi Jin starts tapping on her phone to do just that.
"Tell him to bring Jae Yeol," Hyungsuk tells her as he leans in to see her type away at her phone. "Jae Yeol doesn't eat that much, it worries me sometimes."
He was probably just hungry. That was it. And eating with friends made the food taste better.
Later, that weird feeling of indigestion goes away when Jin Sung practically drags Jae Yeol into the cafeteria, and Jae Yeol doesn't hesitate to take the seat beside Hyungsuk.
He had seen Jae Yeol fighting back when dealing with The Hostel so Jin Sung knows he shouldn't be surprised to find that the blond is keeping pace with him easily as the jog around the park. It's early in the morning, the sun is barely rising, and the air is still chilly from the previous night. They had agreed to meet up when most of their friends were still asleep so that they could have a talk in private, and Jae Yeol had picked their route because he didn't want to run into Basco or little Hyungsuk who went on regular morning jogs too. He didn't want little Hyungsuk to tell him after all. That would be a disaster.
"What do you like about him anyway," Jin Sung starts conversationally, turning his gaze slightly so he could watch his companion's expression. "Like, even I get that he's handsome but you're not shallow like the girls are you?" That was one reason why Jin Sung didn't like most girls that flocked around his seat mate. He personally couldn't understand liking someone without actually getting to know them personally.
Jae Yeol shrugs his shoulders lightly, a blush creeping onto his cheeks as he explained. "........."
Jin Sung wonders how the hell he managed to understand what Jae Yeol was telling him. Its like a Jae Yeol translator was suddenly installed into his mind while he was asleep. Maybe he's learned how to understand Jae Yeol because of how often Hyungsuk was there to interpret it. He must have picked it up or something. "Yeah, that brat... He's too nice for his own good. Way too naive, that's why he keeps getting into trouble."
Jae Yeol snickers at that and nods appreciatively. "..."
"Huh? It's not like I protect him because I want to," Jin Sung grumbles as a blush creeps up on his cheeks too. "Anyway, why are you thanking me? It just so happens that most times our goals align, that's all."
Jae Yeol raises an eyebrow. "..."
"I'm not being shy, fuck off," Jin Sung huffs, twisting his body to the side to throw a punch at Jae Yeol's face.
Jae Yeol reacts fast, his arm moving in a circular sweeping motion to push Jin Sung's arm outwards before it can even reach him.
"Bastard, you're fast," Jin Sung comments with a grin before turning back forward to continue running. He contemplates having Jae Yeol as a sparring partner but seeing Jae Yeol fight was genuinely a little intimidating. "Anyway... Are you ever going to ask him out?"
Jae Yeol slows down a little bit when he hears the question, then picks up his pace again when the gap between him and Jin Sung is getting a little too wide. "...!!!"
"You gotta be a man about it," Jin Sung huffs with a frown. For someone so strong, Jae Yeol was a bit of a coward when it came to the love department. "How will he ever know how you feel if you don't say anything?"
Jae Yeol frowns at him skeptically. "..."
Jin Sung stutters. "M-mi Jin knows I like her!"
"......" Jae Yeol's frown runs deeper. He raises an eyebrow.
"I tell her with my actions," Jin Sung protests. "Actions speak louder than words."
Jae Yeol rolls his wrist with an open palm a few times, then shakes his head. "......"
"Yeah, alright. You treat Hyungsuk differently from everyone else, that much is obvious," Jin Sung agrees. "But, see... The difference between Hyunsuk and Mi Jin is that Mi Jin is smart. Sorry dude, but your boyfriend is kind of a dumbass—" Jin Sung barely dodges the punch thrown his way. Jae Yeol's fighting style was a style he was unfamiliar with, and seeing it up close and personal startled him. "What the hell are you getting all mad for?!"
Jae Yeol huffs at him, and starts to jog a little faster. "............"
"He IS stupid," Jin Sung repeats. "Wait, hold on," Jin Sung jogs a little faster to catch up until he's beside Jae Yeol again so he can see his face. "Ohhhh, you're not mad that I think he's dumb. You're embarrassed because I called him your boyfriend," Jin Sung snickers, a wide and playful grin on his face as he doges yet another fist thrown his way. "It's pretty funny that you're getting so shy about it" he teases.
The two boys throw punches at each other as they jog. They dodge each other's punches easily, but neither of them are actually throwing serious punches to begin with. If anyone was bearing witness to their actions, it would have looked ridiculous.
But, actually, there was a witness. Three witnesses to be precise.
Basco and Bum Jae stood a little breathless, both of them having just finished a morning jog of their own. Their third companion, little Hyungsuk, finally caught up to them just in time to see Jin Sung and Jae Yeol disappear behind a bunch of trees.
"I didn't know they were close," Bum Jae comments with a smile. He crouches down and sticks one leg out to stretch his hamstrings. "But that's good for all of us if we're all united."
Basco smiles proudly, a single tear running down his cheek. He had thought badly of Jin Sung before he got to know him, and he's glad that his friend is forming new bonds now as well.
Little Hyungsuk was still struggling to catch his breath, but more than the burn in his lungs from the run, the ache in his heart he felt was more painful. Maybe he'd been pushing himself too hard? Basco did say he'd been breaking his personal records pretty regularly these days. But the heartache felt different, it made his stomach churn uncomfortably. Maybe he was hungry again?
Hyungsuk tugs at Basco's sleeve, raising his palm up to his friend wordlessly.
"Oh!" Basco hands him the banana he'd been holding the whole time on their run. "Good job, little Hyungsuk," he cheers happily, giving his friend his well deserved prize. "Bum Jae, what's his time?"
Bum Jae looks at the timer in his hand with a grin. "You were 10 seconds faster than last time!" he cheers too. "You're doing really well!"
Hyungsuk nods at their words of encouragement. The heartache was probably from all the effort he'd put into his running, and the churning of his stomach was probably because he hadn't eaten yet. That had to be it.
It's been a few weeks since Jin Sung and Jae Yeol started spending more time together. Everyone was starting to notice now and it was causing a stir in their classroom and throughout the whole fashion department. The Fashion Prince and The Fashion Department's Infamous Out Boxer were now friends. They've been seen going on morning jogs together, and sometimes after school at coffee shops in heated discussions— though to most people it only really looked like Jin Sung was scolding Jae Yeol, and Jae Yeol was just patiently taking it.
To Mi Jin, it looked like Jin Sung was trying to help Jae Yeol out. She didn't know what it was about though, and when she asked Jin Sung had told her that he promised not to tell anyone. She smiles fondly at her childhood friend as he wraps an arm around Jae Yeol to drag him out of the classroom for their usual morning discussion.
"Do you have any idea what they've been doing lately?" Hyungsuk asks Mi Jin suddenly. Mi Jin almost jumps out of her skin at Hyungsuk's question. She didn't even hear him sit down next to her.
Doo Lee, who had overheard them shrugs his shoulders. "Probably going for a smoke on the rooftop," he tells them, pantomiming smoking a cigarette. "I'm heading there right now, I could check for ya."
Mi Jin shakes her head and shoos Doo Lee off. "Jin Sung promised me he'd quit."
"Jae Yeol told me he's been trying to quit too," Hyungsuk adds, folding his arms over his chest.
Doo Lee shrugs again as he makes his way towards the classroom door. "Quittin' ain't easy, you know. Could be relapse!" he tells them. "I'll let ya know if I spot them."
"Thanks..." Hyungsuk concedes even though he doesn't want to agree that smoking could be a possibility.
"It's not that, really," Mi Jin reassures, patting Hyungsuk's arm comfortingly. The dots are beginning to connect in her mind as she watches Hyungsuk bite at his lower lip in worry. Hyungsuk worries a lot for everyone to the point that he sometimes forgets about his own well being... But this time he has this restless energy around him, and it's only ever apparent when Jin Sung and Jae Yeol disappear with each other. She smiles knowingly, but decides to keep her hypothesis to herself for now. "Maybe Jin Sung is giving him tips on how to stop craving the nicotine."
Hyungsuk twirls his bangs absentmindedly as he thinks about her words. "Jae Yeol did say he'd been using gum to help him quit..."
Mi Jin smiles a little bit. Maybe she can give Hyungsuk a little shove towards the right direction. "Maybe he's in love," she says, pretending not to focus on Hyungsuk's reaction.
"In... In love?" he asks in awe, eyes blown wide in confusion.
Mi Jin nods. "There's this saying that when you quit smoking, you'll end up getting yourself a lover," she explains. She saw some people talking about it on an online forum. She had mentioned it to Jin Sung some time ago and that was when he quit smoking too. "It's just a silly thing I read online, but you never knoooow....!" she teases, grinning widely to herself as she sees Hyungsuk's reaction.
His mind is racing. Jae Yeol in love? He'd never thought about that before. Most of their classmates were always talking about girlfriends and going on dates, but Jae Yeol never brought it up. Maybe he never brought it up because the girl he likes is one of the girls that likes Hyungsuk? Maybe Jae Yeol didn't want to get in the way of his crush' love life? Jae Yeol did have that sort of self sacrificing kind of personality so Hyungsuk wouldn't be surprised if that was the case.
His heart is aching again, and it almost feels unbearable.
"Hyungsuk...?" Mi Jin calls him, waving a hand in front of his face. Uh oh, maybe she'd gone too far. She didn't think he'd react so strongly to Jae Yeol being stolen away. "Hyungsuuuuuuuuuuk-aaah? Earth to Hyungsuk...!" she pats him on the cheek a few times to bring him back to the conversation. "Hey! Are you okay?I lost you for a few seconds."
"Mi Jin..." he mutters, lowering his head down to the desk as he wraps his hands behind his neck. He feels his face go red and warm, and he doesn't want her to see that. "How did you know you were in love with Jin Sung?"
This time, Mi Jin turns red. She mirrors Hyungsuk's actions and buries her face into her arms so no one can see her expression. "What are you talking about?" her voice is muffled as she speaks. "I'm not in love with Jin Sung..."
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Don't say it so loud," she grumbles at him at his silence.
"Just now," Hyungsuk says to her but his voice is also muffled. "I imagined Jae Yeol with someone else and it made me feel... bad," he says simply. "It makes my stomach hurt."
They sit in silence for a few minutes.
Mi Jin turns her head, the blush slowly receding from her cheeks. She looks at Hyungsuk from atop her folded arms on the desk and he looks at her with a mirrored position. "Are you jealous?" she asks him.
"Jealous..." Hyungsuk thinks. He'd been jealous plenty of times before. Jealous of people who didn't have to struggle to make ends meet, jealous of people who made friends so easily, jealous of people who were strong and true to themselves. He'd never been jealous of just the idea of someone else being with Jae Yeol. "I'm not sure."
"If for example," Mi Jin starts, quietly, the blush on her face finally gone. "Jae Yeol started dating Yui Kim, would that make you happy?"
Hyungsuk shook his head. Yui Kim was beautiful, but she was terrible. "Jae Yeol wouldn't—"
"We're just talking hypothetically," he interrupts him. "Pretend Yui Kim is an angel and they're in love and happy together. How would that make you feel...?"
"Terrible!" Hyungsuk says immediately. "But... But they... They'd probably be an attractive couple together," he says despondently.
"Okay..." Mi Jin starts slowly. "What if Jae Yeol and you were in love and happy together? How would that make you feel?"
Hyungsuk looks at his shoes as he ponders the image Mi Jin has given him. He doesn't have to try at all to imagine being happy with Jae Yeol, because Jae Yeol makes him happy all the time. Jae Yeol was always helping him in whatever way he could at all times. He and Jae Yeol even have a dog family together too.
At Hyungsuk's silence, Mi Jin continues. "Jin Sung does a lot of stuff for me, even if I don't ask him to," she says as she raises her arms above her head to casually stretch her back. "He takes care of me even at the cost of his own well being. Really, that stupid guy..." she says fondly. "He's so kind, even though he's kind of a jerk," she explains. "Even though people might misunderstand him, I know he's a good person... Though he still has room to grow too," she laughs.
"So, Hyungsuk..." she smiles widely at him when she sees that he's beginning to understand. "Do you know anyone who sounds familiar?"
Just as he's about to say something, the classroom door opens to reveal the people they were just talking about. Jin Sung looks unhappy at how close Mi Jin and Hyungsuk are, and Mi Jin giggles when she realizes that Jae Yeol looks just as unhappy as well. "Were you smoking?" she says to Jin Sung to break the silence and pull him out of the unhappy look he's making. "You promised me you'd stop!"
"I wasn't smoking!" he yells, practically jumping in front of her desk to get all of her attention. "Right, Jae Yeol?! We were—"
They barely see Jae Yeol get pulled back out of the classroom by Hyungsuk. Neither Mi Jin nor Jin Sung saw their friend stand.
Jin Sung blinks at the empty classroom doorway. He blinks at Hyungsuk's empty seat and at Jae Yeol's empty seat. He blinks when he looks up at the clock on the wall, because class is about to start again and his two friends left anyway. He blinks at Mi Jin who has an angelic smile on her face, but somehow it also looks a little bit less than innocent. "What just happened...?"
"Weeeeeeeeeeeell..." she says playfully. She twirls her hair in her fingers coyly. "You were helping Jae Yeol with a problem right?"
"Right," Jin Sung nods.
"Let's just say I was helping Hyungsuk out with a problem too."
The class bell has finally rung and students are skittering back into their classrooms before they can get scolded. Jae Yeol has never cut class before, but how could he possibly say no to Hyungsuk when his friend looked like he had something very important to say. They were at the rooftop this time, a few other students loitering around too to finish their cigarettes or to just cut class just like they were. They went to a more isolated area, where they wouldn't be disturbed.
"You and Jin Sung have gotten pretty close these days," Hyungsuk says with a friendly but strained smile. "What do you guys even talk about?"
Jae Yeol flounders a bit. Why is he being interrogated so suddenly? "..........."
"This and that, you say?" Hyungsuk echoes. "Can I come along next time?"
Jae Yeol hesitates for a few seconds, then shakes his head no. "............"
"It's a private conversation?" Hyungsuk asks. He bites his lip in thought again. He doesn't know what to say. He likes Jin Sung a lot too, but now that Mi Jin mentioned it he does feel a little bit upset that Jin Sung had been taking up so much of Jae Yeol's time. "Well..." he's shy now, but he has to say something. "I miss you."
"...?????!???!"
"Because I rarely get to spend time with you these days..." Hyungsuk explains. And it's true. "I think... Uh.... well," he scratches the back of his neck, abashed. "I think I'm jealous that you're spending so much time with Jin Sung instead of me..."
"!!!" Jae Yeol grabs Hyungsuk's hands in his own before he can even think about it. He shakes his head aggressively, as if to vehemently deny something. "....!!!!"
"You're not replacing me? You just wanted to get advice from him?" Hyungsuk asks. With a small dejected pout on his face, he looks away. "You couldn't ask me?"
"....!?" Jae Yeol's head is spinning. He's got a lot of feelings to tackle, and Hyungsuk making the cutest expressions he's ever seen on him is not helping his case. He feels like he might explode at any minute. "........"
"It.... You were asking for advice about me...?" Hyungsuk asks, awestruck. Blush is slowly creeping up his face, his cheeks tinted red. "U-uh... What about... me?"
Lost in their own world, the two fashion department students have yet again forgotten they have an audience. The last few students who were still lingering around were watching now, but again they couldn't hear the conversation that was happening. None of them could understand what was going on, because most people knew that Hyungsuk Park and Jae Yeol Hong were practically best friends. They couldn't possibly fighting.
Jae Yeol's face starts to turn red too. Maybe this was the chance that Jin Sung was talking about. Jin Sung had told him that to deal with Hyungsuk, you had to be direct because otherwise he would just assume any actions that Jae Yeol made towards him was only platonic. "............................................................"
".....?!" Hyungsuk was at a loss for words. "You... You mean....???"
Jae Yeol nodded his head, his face red. He held Hyungsuk's hands tighter.
Hyungsuk frees one of his hands from Jae Yeol's grasp, only so he could hide his blushing face behind his palm. "Do you really mean it?" he asks. "You like me?"
Jae Yeol nods vigorously, and adds "....!"
"You like me, more than a friend?"
Jae Yeol nods again, and adds just in case "...!!!"
"You want to be my.... my...." Jae Yeol didn't know Hyungsuk's face could get any redder. He thinks its cute. "My boyfriend?"
The rumors spread across the school almost instantly. Not even an hour has passed by and the whole school was erupted with murmurs and gossip. No matter how hard the teachers tried to bring attention back to the lessons, no one was listening.
Chaos began the moment the lunch bell rang. Girls all over the school started barging their way to the fashion department looking for answers. Hyungsuk and Jae Yeol's classmates had to barricade the door to their classroom to prevent anyone from coming in and ransacking the place. Girls were banging on the door, screaming for Hyungsuk to show himself and tell them it wasn't true.
"What the fuck happened?!" Doo Lee yells in panic as he and his boys struggled to keep their classroom door closed. "Why are we being attacked?!"
The other girls in the classroom frantically pushed their desks to the door to build a barricade to alleviate the boys' efforts. "Somebody posted a rumor online," Yui Kim screames in answer. "It said that Hyungsuk and Jae Yeol are no longer single!"
"They both got girlfriends?!" Doo Lee yells in jealousy. "Those damned bastards!!!"
"Hey, look on the bright side," one of the boys said comfortingly. "If both our princes are taken that means more girls for us, right?"
Doo Lee considers those words for a few moments and realizes that may be true. "Tch... A-anyway! Let's keep these girls from coming in right now!!! We can interrogate those assholes later!"
Mi Jin, from the classroom window, beckons Jin Sung to join her as their classroom is engulfed in chaos. Not one to keep Mi Jin waiting, Jin Sung joins her there just in time to see a motorcycle with two passengers exit their campus.
Jin Sung brushes his hair back with a wry but proud grin on his face. "The bastard finally did it."