Chapter Text
Cheol dragged his feet toward the school gates, shoulders heavy, every step weighed down by the long day. His bag hung low, his eyes half‑lidded, and the only thing keeping him upright was making sure Miae got home to her mom early. The last time she was late, her mom was waiting, furious, and dragged her by the ear into their house.
He stood behind the gatepost gloomily, zoning out, lost in the dull hum of fatigue. A crunching sound broke through his haze. Jisu appeared, Walkman clipped to his side, earphones dangling, munching on some snack with infuriating leisure. He spotted Cheol, slowed his pace, and deliberately came to stand right next to him.
He still had those stupid hair clips in his hair, skewed and slanted… Cheol could just imagine Miae cheerfully fixing them on his head, looking into his eyes lovingly.
Cheol stiffened immediately, his jaw tightening, shaking that thought away from him. He kept his eyes forward, refusing to acknowledge Jisu, though the irritation prickled under his skin.
“You waiting for Miae?” Jisu asked casually, leaning forward slightly.
Cheol’s eyes flicked toward him reluctantly, his reply low and quiet. “…Yeah.”
Jisu smirked, leaning back with a lazy confidence. “Me too.”
Before Cheol could even process the jab, Miae’s voice rang out. She popped into view, waving her arms wildly, her bangs obscuring her vision, which she quickly brushed off.
“Hurry up, you two! If I’m late, my mom’s going to scold me!” She glanced between them - Cheol’s face dark with moodiness, Jisu smirking as if nothing weighed on him.
“Ah! Jisu, your hairclips are falling off - lemme fix them!” Miae started to hop up and down, motioning him to bend down.
Jisu bent down without hesitation, lowering his head with that same insufferable grin tugging at his lips. He was already moving, falling into step beside her, his grin widening at her chatter.
Cheol trudged forward on her other side, his silence heavy, his bad mood obvious. As they walked, Jisu tilted his head just enough to catch Cheol’s eye. He smirked smugly, then turned back to Miae, nodding along to her words while his earphones dangled, snack still in hand. He offered her some, and she gladly took a handful of what seemed like chips - Miae’s favorite flavor too.
Cheol’s fists clenched at his sides, the simmering frustration threatening to spill over. But Miae’s voice filled the space between them, and for now, he swallowed it, his glare burning holes into the back of Jisu’s head.
“Welp, this is where I head off now…” Jisu announced abruptly. He looked at Cheol, then Miae, then back at Cheol and gestured Miae to come over to him.
Cheol stood upright as he watched Miae skip over to Jisu so willingly, then cup his hand over his mouth, whispering something to her. Miae gasped softly, then looked at Cheol with the most devious look that almost made him shiver in suspicion.
Then, Miae turned to Jisu, mirroring the action he did to her and started to frantically whisper something back - all the while looking back at Cheol. Then Miae grinned at Jisu and waved goodbye animatedly. She said goodbye to Cheol briskly and hopped through the door to her house.
Huh? What in the world is happening?
“You were way too obvious today!!!” Jisu winced, pulling the phone slightly away from his ear as Miae’s voice rang sharp through the receiver.
“Obvious? Please. I was subtle. Like… a ninja. A very handsome ninja.”
“Don’t joke about it!” Miae snapped, though her tone wavered with worry. “If he figures out we hang out at your place, it’ll ruin the whole plan! You literally winked at me in front of Cheol!”
“That wasn’t a wink,” Jisu shot back, sarcasm rolling off his tongue. “It was… dust in my eye. Very romantic dust.”
She huffed, but he could hear the faint laugh she was trying to hide. “You’re so annoying.”
“Annoying, but effective,” Jisu teased, twirling the phone cord around his finger. “Cheol looked like he was about to combust. Deal’s working perfectly. You get home safe, I get to keep my house hangouts a secret, and Cheol gets free cardio from all that glaring. Win‑win‑win.” He counted each “win” with a finger.
Miae paused, her voice softer now. “Still… don’t overdo it, okay? I don’t want him to hate you.”
Jisu leaned his head back against the wall, his expression - even if Miae couldn’t see it - fading into something gentler. “Relax. He already hates me. I’m just making it entertaining.”
There was a beat of silence before Miae burst out laughing, the sound warm and bright through the static. Jisu’s smirk returned, but this time it carried a quiet fondness he’d never admit out loud.
Miae woke up groggy, her hair sticking out in every possible direction like a startled hedgehog. She groaned, flopping back onto her pillow. That’s what I get for arguing with Jisu until midnight…
Dragging herself to the window, she squinted at the house next door. Cheol’s window loomed back at her - and then she gasped.
A giant piece of paper was taped across the glass, marker strokes so bold they looked like they’d been carved in anger:
“I’M GOING EARLY, YOU BETTER NOT BE LATE.”
Miae’s jaw dropped. “He actually… wrote it out?!” she sputtered, clutching her blanket like it had betrayed her. “What kind of neighborly good morning is that?!”
She puffed her cheeks, muttering indignantly as she stomped away from the window. “Like I’m the one who’s always late… Cheol thinks he’s my personal alarm clock!”
Still, the note did its job. She scrambled to her desk, brushing her bangs with one hand while trying to zip her bag with the other. Socks mismatched, shirt half‑tucked, she darted around her room like a whirlwind.
By the time she rushed out the door, she was still grumbling under her breath - but a little smile tugged at her lips. “Hmph. He could’ve just said ‘good morning’… but I guess this is Cheol’s version.”
Miae shuffled into class, cheeks still pink from her teacher’s scolding. She hurried toward her usual seat, already bracing herself for Jisu’s inevitable smirk - but froze mid‑step.
Cheol was sitting there.
Her eyes widened, darting between him and the empty chair. Jisu was nowhere in sight. After a hesitant pause, she slid into the seat beside Cheol, her bag thumping softly against the desk. The teacher droned on at the front, chalk scratching across the board, but Miae’s mind buzzed louder than any lecture.
She cracked open her notebook, shielding it with her arm, and scribbled furiously:
“Why are you here?? Did the teacher move you because you were making your seatmate feel uncomfortable?”
Cheol glanced at the note, his expression unreadable. He tapped his pen against the desk, thinking, before finally scrawling back in his blunt handwriting:
“I asked the teacher to move me.”
Miae blinked at the reply, her lips parting in surprise into a perfect “O” shape. She tilted her head, staring at him as if the words might explain themselves. Cheol kept his eyes forward, jaw tight, refusing to elaborate.
She puffed her cheeks, tapping her pencil against the notebook. That’s it? No explanation?
Quickly, she scribbled back in bold letters, adding a mischievous little doodle of a smirking face:
“Are you trying to be obvious? >:)”
Cheol’s eyes flicked down at the note, his brow twitching ever so slightly. He hesitated, pen hovering above the page, before scrawling back with his usual bluntness:
“No. Stop overthinking.”
Miae grinned smugly, leaning her chin into her hand as if she’d won some secret victory. She tapped the notebook again, whispering just loud enough for him to hear, “Sure, sure… totally not obvious.”
Cheol’s grip on his pencil tightened, but the faintest pink dusted his ears.
The classroom was already restless when the teacher clapped his hands, chalk dust puffing into the air. “Alright, everyone. Today we’ll begin group projects. I’ll be assigning partners randomly.”
Groans rippled across the room. Miae slumped forward, her bangs falling into her eyes. She had barely recovered from her morning scolding, and now this?
The teacher scanned his list. “Miae… Cheol… and Jisu.”
Miae’s head shot up. Cheol’s pen froze mid‑stroke, his jaw tightening like stone. Jisu, meanwhile, leaned back in his chair, Walkman clipped to his side, grin spreading like he’d just won the lottery.
Miae buried her face in her notebook. “Why do I feel like I’m babysitting two toddlers instead of doing a project?”
Cheol muttered, low and sharp, “This is going to be a nightmare.”
The three dragged their desks together, the scrape of wood against tile sounding like a warning bell. Cheol immediately began outlining the assignment, his handwriting precise, his posture rigid. Jisu, of course, pulled out his pen and started doodling.
“Relax, Cheol,” Jisu said, twirling his pen with mock elegance. “My cats make it more authentic.”
Cheol’s glare could have burned holes through the page. “We’re supposed to be writing an essay, not drawing cats in sunglasses.”
Miae peeked over, her lips twitching despite herself. “Actually… the cats are kind of cute.”
Cheol’s glare deepened, but her laughter softened the edge. Jisu smirked, clearly pleased with himself, leaning back like he’d just scored a victory.
The teacher’s voice cut through the commotion. “Jisu, are you contributing?”
Jisu sat up straight, feigning innocence. “Of course, sir. I’m contributing… visually.”
The class erupted in laughter and snickers. Cheol pinched the bridge of his nose, muttering something inaudible.
By the end of the period, their “project” was half‑finished, covered in doodles, and punctuated by bickering. Cheol’s notes were neat and rigid, Jisu’s margins filled with unnamable stains, and Miae’s handwriting scattered somewhere between the two.
The bell rang, students spilling into the hallway. Cheol stood first, storming ahead with his bag slung over his shoulder. Jisu followed at his own pace.
Miae lingered for a moment, watching the two boys walk in opposite rhythms - one heavy with irritation, the other light with mischief. She sighed, a small smile tugging at her lips.
“Everything is going to plan..."