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Park Woojin has been staring at the sky for a long time now. It’s summer, and the sky is as blue and clear as it gets. It isn’t very hot, though, which Woojin is thankful for, since he’s wearing his thick school uniform.
Not for long, he reminds himself, a small smile playing on his lips. It’s his last week in high school, and he’s so ready for it to be over. He can’t wait to run around in shorts, ignoring all his responsibilities at the beach. Finals were quite hard and he needs some rest. Well, he did spend more time dancing than actually studying, but those few hours of working stressed him out just enough.
Unfortunately, the current week is taking just a bit too long to end. Woojin’s graduation is Saturday and everyone’s nervous about it. His teachers and his classmates haven’t stopped running around and even his parents seem anxious. Woojin, to be honest, doesn’t see what the big deal is. If anything, it is a big relief.
Sadly for him, none of his friends share his opinions. They are all too occupied planning stuff and buying their graduation clothes to pay him much attention, and so Woojin sits at the side, watching them go on their busy lives. Organizing is not really his forte. So, he usually collaborates by encouraging his friends with silly jokes while they write lists, make phone calls, stress out.
But today. Today, he is so incredibly bored.
Almost all of his friends have some sort of duty regarding the Graduation Ceremony, and today they all had to go and resolve some sort of complicated situation. Woojin doesn’t know what it is. He doesn’t really care either, or he didn’t, until it became clear that they’d be absent the entire day and Woojin would be obliged to attend classes and stay at school. Without them. Which is a total injustice, except that it isn’t because they are probably working at the moment and Woojin is laying on a bench on his school’s playground, sun hitting his face, as he listens to younger kids running around.
He sighs and gets up, as he hears the bell ringing. Geography class. Yay. He really should have saved a few of his allowed abstentions from class to the last week of school. Looking at it now, were those times he skipped class just so he could take a nap really worth it?
Woojin slowly walks up to his classroom, and in the short time it takes him to get there, he thinks about at least a dozen ways to manage and skip the class without failing the subject. Including throwing himself out of the window. That’s just how desperate he is.
Despite this, Woojin surprisingly scores a bit of luck. As he enters the classroom, their teacher tells the class the Yearbook Team is short on people today, and need a few more students. Woojin promptly offers to help, perhaps a bit too fast, judging by his teacher’s look.
He exits the room quickly, immediate relief taking over him. He strolls happily through the corridor. Whatever the Yearbook Team needs help with can’t be half as bad as listening to his teacher’s monotonous class.
They are all at the gym, and Woojin has to admit the whole team does look very busy. He quickly scans the perimeter with his eyes and soon spots a well-known face.
“I can’t believe they’re actually making you do this. You’re 16, for god’s sake.”, Woojin comments, as soon as he approaches Daehwi, who’s very intently examining something on his laptop.
The younger boy is sitting on the ground, back resting against the wall, with his MAC Pro on his lap and a huge camera next to him. He raises his eyes upon hearing Woojin’s voice, but only for a fraction of a second, before he returns his attention to his work.
Which, honestly, Woojin doesn’t even need to check to know what it is.
“They’re not making me do anything. I want to do this.”, Daehwi answers simply.
Woojin rolls his eyes. “Of course. You are the only 16-year-old I know who’d prefer to work on someone else’s yearbook instead of playing games.”
Woojin does mean it. It’s true, Daehwi is extremely talented at photography. But, seriously, he is two years too young. Him being on the YearBook Team is a bit strange, to say the least. Even stranger is the fact that Daehwi wants to do it. Go figure kids these days.
“I’m the only 16-year-old you know.”, Daehwi states.
“And you wonder why?”, Woojin teases, earning him a soft kick on his right knee. Woojin chuckles before suddenly remembering why he is there.
“Hey, my teacher said you guys needed help. What can I do?”, he asks, looking around.
There are about 30 people scattered around the gym. Some are setting up the stage, others are designing banners, a few are preparing the yearbook’s cover. And then, at the farthest corner of the gym, Woojin notices the School’s Newspaper Team. Or, more precisely, he notices a certain member of said team. A certain, very cute member of the team.
In Woojin’s defense, it is very hard not to notice Park Jihoon. Just like him, Jihoon’s a senior and Woojin really wishes their connections stopped at that. Unfortunately for him, Jihoon is also on most of Woojin’s classes and is in the same dance crew as him. Which means Woojin has no choice but to see him every single day.
Don’t get him wrong. Jihoon is an eye-candy for anyone who, you know, has eyes. Soft hair, soft eyes, soft skin. When he first entered their dance studio, Woojin genuinely thought he had just seen an angel. He could barely look anywhere else but at Jihoon.
But, now. Now, he has seen Jihoon dance. Now, he has witnessed first hand what it is like to look into Park Jihoon’s eyes as he moves to the rhythm, as he feels the music. And now, Woojin’s pretty positive Park Jihoon is no angel. Anything but an angel. It makes Woojin intrigued and it also makes him pissed, because even now, he still can barely look anywhere else but at the boy. He distracts him, and Woojin doesn’t like to be distracted.
“Woojin? Are you listening to me?”, Daehwi inquires, waving a hand in front of Woojin’s face.
Woojin blinks and turns to Daehwi promptly. Gosh, had he been daydreaming?
Daehwi looks amused as he hands Woojin his expensive camera. “Don’t break it.”
Woojin looks at the object, confused and still a bit out of his mind. Daehwi notices and sighs.
“Go ahead, take a few pictures around. Some of them may even make it to the yearbook.”, Daehwi explains, for what it feels like the second time, if his tone is any indication of that. Woojin nods and quickly takes off, before Daehwi starts making fun of his obvious embarrassment.
Woojin’s no photographer, but he does enjoy trying out new things, so he tries his best to take interesting and dynamic photos. He also tries his best to stay away from Park Jihoon, which seems like an easy task, but after fifteen minutes of walking around and photographing even the most boring things, is just ridiculous. He has an inner debate, weighing the pros and cons of photographing the Newspaper Team, the cons being Park Jihoon and the pros being Park Jihoon. It’s a tough choice, but he would just feel bad if he ignored the whole team for selfish reasons, so he makes his way towards them, hesitantly.
When he is about ten steps away, the person he assumes is the leader of the team sees him and starts beckoning him to get closer, excitedly. He calls for all the members and announces that a picture will be taken and Woojin, obviously, has no choice but to do what he’s told and watch as Jihoon and the rest pose for the photo. After a couple are taken, Woojin removes the camera from his face and wipes the lenses. When it’s done and he raises his head, Park Jihoon is standing right in front of him.
“Oh.”, Woojin lets out, involuntarily. Goodness, what does this boy have that makes everyone else uncool just by being near him?
Jihoon is smiling, softly, like everything he does when he is not in the studio drenched in sweat and learning a new choreography. Woojin’s known Jihoon for almost a year now, and he’s seen quite a few of those smiles, but he feels particularly weird upon seeing that one. A kind of weird that gives Woojin complicated feelings. He wonders how can one make him want to pat his head and punch him in the nose at the same time. It’s dangerous, Woojin concludes. It’s dangerous how fast he can get under my skin.
“I didn’t know you were a photographer.”, Jihoon said, pointing at the camera. Woojin notices there is something in Jihoon’s eyes as he says it, as if they are twinkling with interest. He soon discovers why, upon glancing at what’s dangling from Jihoon’s hand. A smaller, vintage camera. Jihoon is the Newspaper Team’s photographer.
Woojin, as pathetic as it sounds, feels bad to let Jihoon down. “I’m not. It’s my friend’s. I’m just… filling in, temporarily.”
Jihoon does not look disappointed, though. He stares at the camera with a little bit of awe and reaches for it, pausing just in time to ask Woojin, in a kind of shy, adorable voice, if it’s alright to touch it.
Woojin, being the weak ass that he is, barely hears the question and just promptly nods, grinning reflexively, and he can’t help but think that he would have still said yes to that voice even if Jihoon had asked him to run around naked, right there and then.
Gosh, who even made this kid? With those looks and that voice, he should be… illegalized.
Jihoon examines the camera thoroughly and Woojin watches his face as he does. It’s definitely interesting to see the boy’s look of delight as he plays around with Daehwi’s camera. Like a little kid with a new toy.
After a few seconds, Jihoon hands it back and smiles, wider than before. Woojin tries his best not to smile back. “Make sure to take good pictures!”
Woojin scratches the back of his head awkwardly, feeling a bit of pressure. “Nah, probably not. It’s my first time.”
Jihoon doesn’t miss a beat. “Then, take some pictures of me. They’re bound to come out great.”
Woojin can’t even reply, mouth hanging open as that angelic face scrunches up in the most beautiful and innocent laugh he’s ever heard, before turning away and going back to his friends.
This is the duality of Park Jihoon. How can anyone say that and still look like a puppy while saying it? It was an arrogant remark, it should be interpreted as an arrogant remark, but all Woojin can hear in his head is Jihoon’s bubbly laugh, as if he knows he can say whatever and still get away with it.
And Woojin can’t even get mad at him because he knows it’s true. He is absolutely aware that Jihoon is the most attractive person in a radius of 2km and that pictures of him are likely to look good. He’s seen it before. The guy is just amazingly photogenic.
He wonders what he should do. Should he just take pictures of the others and not him? That seems petty but it also seems just like what he deserves. He knows, without a doubt, what he would have done if anyone else had said that. But for some reason… Park Jihoon is not like anyone else.
So, he decides to take pictures just like he had been doing so far. Trying his best not to show what he’s feeling, keeping a neutral face, especially when he knows Jihoon is watching.
But, obviously, his mind doesn’t give him a rest. Why would Jihoon say that? He’s known him for a while, sure, but they barely talk at school because of different friend circles, and at the studio, their conversations are mostly about the choreography they’re learning at the moment. They are both friendly with each other, but not close, at all. Jihoon teasing Woojin feels… new. And not exactly a bad kind of new, either.
Woojin takes more pictures of the team than he wants to admit. And he takes many more pictures of Jihoon than he was planning to. He tries to take them when Jihoon’s not looking, but he catches a few amused looks from the boy, once in a while. He just… looks so good. It’s frustrating and confusing and it catches Woojin off guard every time he takes a new shot. It’s also a great excuse to be able to watch him closely. He makes a mental note to thank Daehwi for his great lens, later.
After a while, he takes off. He finds Daehwi still hunched over his laptop and gives him the camera.
“That corner over there must be really fascinating.”, Daehwi comments, pointing at where Jihoon is, a smile tugging at his lips.
Woojin raises his eyebrows and pretends not know what he’s talking about. “Hm?”
“You spent the last forty minutes over there.”, he elaborates, looking at Woojin like he knows something is up.
Woojin shrugs. “The Newspaper Team is cool.”
Daehwi is full on grinning now. “Sure. It’s the Newspaper Team that is cool.”
Woojin attempts at hitting Daehwi’s head, but his friend dodges, while laughing. Woojin turns to leave, not before saying “Whatever you’re thinking, it’s probably wrong.”
“Sure, whatever you say!”, Daehwi calls from behind him, as Woojin walks away.
The next day, Woojin wakes up to his house phone ringing insistently at 9 in the morning. His first class is only at 11h30, and so he is quite annoyed at having to get up so early to take a goddamn stupid call. Who even uses house phones, nowadays?
Well, apparently Daehwi does.
“Park Woojin, why the hell are there 204 photos of Park Jihoon on my camera roll?”, Daehwi demands to know as soon Woojin picks up.
Woojin is still half asleep and so is reaction is a bit delayed. “W-What?”
“And that is only the solo pictures. I am not counting the other countless photos of him with his friends.”, Daehwi adds.
Woojin shakes his head abruptly, in an attempt to wake up. He’s feeling like a zombie. Woojin getting out of bed early plus someone talking loudly right at his ear is not a good combination. “God, Daehwi, just delete them. Did you really need to call me this early to complain?”
“Woojin, I’ve already uploaded them to the Yearbook Team cloud.”, Daehwi announces.
Woojin sits down on his couch and he really is about to hang up, because gosh, does Daehwi know nothing? “You just need to delete them from the cloud. It’s not that hard, you idiot.”
Daehwi scoffs. “I was just calling to give you a heads up in case he approaches you, and that’s how you repay me?”
“He?”, Woojin repeats, because he really is slow upon waking up and because he isn’t liking where the conversation is headed.
“Woojin… you do know Jihoon is a part of the Yearbook Team, right?”, Daehwi carefully asks.
“WHAT.”
Woojin is startled and surprised and low-key panicking.
“Has he seen the photos???”, Woojin asks, urgently.
Daehwi almost laughs. “Oh god, I can’t believe you didn’t know that. I can’t know for sure.”
“TAKE THEM DOWN, DAEHWI.”, Woojin pratically screams. Jihoon can’t… he can’t see those pictures. They are too… focused on him, there is too much of his face and his hands and oh god, Woojin remembers taking a shot of his lips. Why the fuck did he do that?
“I have, Woojin, but there is a possibility that he has seen them.”, Daehwi explains.
Woojin starts walking around, trying to think. “Jesus Christ, just ask him about it. No, no, never mind, don’t. What if he hasn’t seen them? Maybe, just, pretend that never happened. I’ll do the same. Actually, I don’t think I’m up for school today. Maybe I’ll just skip it.”
Daehwi interrupts Woojin’s rant. “You will not. You think I don’t know if you skip one more class you’ll fail? Just… go to your class and then leave. You’ll probably won’t even see him. Well, unless he is on your class. Is he?”
Woojin rubs his forehead. “I… don’t know. I don’t… I can’t think right now. Oh my god. Oh my god.”
Daehwi sounds a bit worried, now. “Are you okay? Look, it isn’t that big of a deal, I’ll just ask the other members of the Yearbook Team not to tell him. He probably didn’t even see it, it was only up for like, half an hour.”
Woojin lets out a groan. “Why do these things only happen to me?”
They hang up after a few more minutes because Daehwi has to go get ready for school and Woojin should eat something before he passes out from the stress. Woojin, to be honest, can’t even recognize himself. He is not the type to get nervous, especially not regarding social situations.
But the prospect of Park Jihoon, the school’s cutest guy, who knows exactly just how charming he is and often uses it to get what he wants, being aware of Woojin’s little (and it pains him to admit it) crush on him, is just too awful to think about.
Because there is no way on earth that whoever sees those pictures will think anything besides that. Woojin, unfortunately, was too careless and too in awe when he took the photos. Like he always is when he is around that little demon that goes by the name of Park Jihoon. Damn him.
He decides to go to school, in the end. What convinces him is imagining having to explain to his mother the reason he missed the last Math’s class and thus failed the subject. He’d rather take the risk of seeing Jihoon, to be honest. And even if he does see him, he can just pretend he’s late for something. Or ignore him altogether. Yeah. It’s fine. It’ll be fine.
Thankfully for him, Jihoon is not in class. Despite knowing that, Woojin still doesn’t listen to a single thing his teacher says during the entire class nor does he do the required class work. He’s too distracted, his nerves are on edge and he can’t even talk to his friends about it because he’s too embarrassed and they’d definitely tease him about it. It’s bad enough that Daehwi knows.
After an hour and a half the class ends and Woojin is ready to go home. He walks quickly towards the bus stop and checks the time. His bus will be here in about five minutes and he manages to huff a breath of relief, upon seeing that. He will soon be home, temporarily away from the school and the possibility of running into Park Jihoon. Thank God.
He’s leaning against a nearby tree, thinking about how he’s going to spend his stress-free afternoon, when his bus arrives. He promptly approaches it, but the bus is so full that he has to wait for a few people to get out before he enters. He’s waiting patiently by the side, humming to a hip-hop song he’s listening to on his earphones as he waits. He watches people hopping down the bus, the majority of them wearing uniforms, some listening to music just like him, others chatting among themselves, most with those relaxed smiles that only the sun and the last week of school can originate. And then out comes one with a different kind of smile, a different kind of vibe, his uniform’s sleeves rolled up to his elbows, his tie loose around his neck and his light brown hair slightly messy, as he flashes Woojin a cheeky grin and waves his hand, before heading towards the school.
For a few seconds, Woojin is frozen, wondering if he really did just see Park Jihoon right in front of him and then he’s going inside the bus and dialing Daehwi’s number like his life depends on it.
Daehwi picks up at the third ring, but there is so much noise wherever he is, Woojin can barely hear his friend’s voice.
“Daehwi, has Jihoon spoken to you about it?”, Woojin asks.
Daehwi seems distracted but after a few seconds he answers. “No, no, he hasn’t said anything. Why? Did you see him?” When Daehwi says these last words, Woojin can almost see his mocking smile and it sounds a bit too much like he’s enjoying this situation.
“Yes, but he just smiled and left. What the hell am I supposed to get out of that?”, Woojin wonders, his voice getting higher subconsciously.
“I don’t know, maybe he really didn’t see them. Look, I’ve got to go, now. But please, keep me updated. This is too funny.”, Daehwi says, before letting out a laugh.
Woojin hangs up immediately. Relying on Daehwi is probably not a very wise choice. The kid even has the nerve to mock Woojin, despite knowing all too well he is two years younger than him. God, he should really get better friends.
For the entirety of the afternoon, Woojin can’t think about anything else, as expected. Was Jihoon’s smile a teasing smile? Did he really see the pictures and is just waiting for the right moment to talk to Woojin about it, making him suffer all the seconds he doesn’t? Is this his plan? To torture Woojin slowly? Or did he not see the pictures, and his smile was genuine? Every time Woojin thinks he’s reached a conclusion, he gets all confused again.
At 5pm he has a rehearsal for an upcoming dance stage, so he heads down to the studio. Seongwoo and Daniel are already there, and they attack Woojin with questions about the routine, as soon as he arrives. Woojin choreographed this one, so he happily explains. After a while, Sungwoon shows up, and the team that will perform this dance is complete. They do it over and over again about a bazillion times, and after three hours, Daniel and Seongwoo go buy coffee for the four of them and Woojin is so tired he lays down on the floor.
“Hey, what are you doing?”, Sungwoon asks him, as he wipes down his sweat with a towel. “If your boyfriend saw this, he’d be so disappointed.”
Woojin raises his eyebrows at him, surprised. “Boyfriend?”
Sungwoon smirks. “Oh, Daehwi told me all about it, I hope you don’t mind.”
Woojin almost chokes on his own breath. He quickly gets up, flustered. Daehwi is Sungwoon’s cousin, but they’re more like brothers. And it’s not like Woojin doesn’t trust Sungwoon, he does. They’ve been friends for a long time and Sungwoon has always had Woojin’s back. But Woojin honestly can’t believe Daehwi couldn’t even stay quiet for a day. That boy gossips like a goddamn old lady.
Sungwoon continues. “Honestly though, he didn’t need to. We’ve all seen how you look at him.”
Woojin can feel his skin heating up. “I don’t stare.”
“No, you eat him raw with your eyes, instead.”, Sungwoon states, matter-of-factly.
The worst thing is that his friend doesn’t even seem to be teasing him. He’s being sincere.
Woojin shakes his head vigorously. “I’m not bloody in love with the guy.”
“Never said you were.”, Sungwoon shrugs, with a tiny smile playing on his lips. “But it’s definitely the biggest crush I’ve ever seen.”
Woojin stares at his friend for a few seconds, before deciding to give in. He doubts he would be able to convince Sungwoon that he is wrong, anyways. He knows Woojin way too well to be fooled like that.
“It doesn’t matter.”, Woojin says, waving a hand around. “As long as he doesn’t know, it’s fine. Which I’m still not sure about.”
“Even if he hasn’t seen the photos, shouldn’t you tell him?”, Sungwoon suggests, before chugging down a bottle of water.
Woojin widens his eyes for a moment, and then snorts. “No, I would like to leave whatever is left of my dignity intact, thank you very much.”
Sungwoon sits by the window. He’s staring at Woojin like a parent would, and Woojin almost rolls his eyes. He doesn’t need to be taken care of, for god’s sake. It is not that deep.
“Well, what if Jihoon likes you back?”
Woojin scoffs. As if. “Let’s not be unreasonable, okay? That’s really not helping.”
Woojin hears something behind him and turns. He sees Daniel and Seongwoo coming inside the building and heading towards the room.
“I’m just saying, it’s a possibility. I may not know him as well as I know you, but I’m not blind either. I’ve seen-”
Sungwoon gets cut off as the other two guys enter the room, chatting loudly about something they saw outside. Woojin shares a meaningful look with Sungwoon. As much as he loves Daniel and Seongwoo, he’d rather have as little people as possible knowing about this silly crush.
“Let’s do it one more time, alright? I have to go home afterwards, my sister’s birthday party is in a few minutes.”, Sungwoon tells them.
They all nod and start stretching once again. Soon enough, the music is playing and they start moving their bodies to the rhythm. Woojin gives it his all, letting himself go as he dances, nothing inside his head besides the lyrics of the song. And it’s such a good song. Woojin still feels proud of himself for picking it and managing to choreograph a routine that suits it fairly well.
When the performance is done, they all struggle to catch a breath. It is a very demanding dance, after all, but Woojin would be lying if he said he doesn’t like a good physical challenge. Then, they hear clapping.
The four of them look to the left, where the glass door is. The group scheduled for the next rehearsal is already there, waiting, and it seems like they watched a part of their routine. Seongwoo bows, as a joke, and Woojin smiles. They take a bit to gather their things and then they head towards the door.
Now, Park Woojin is definitely not the biggest fan of cheesy metaphors. Not the most romantic person, at all. But right then, he swears he feels like time slows down. He’s leaving, backpack on his shoulder, right hand ruffling through his wet hair. And then he locks eyes with him, with no previous warning. Jihoon is there, among the ones who watched their performance, and he is not smiling, this time. He’s serious and looking right at Woojin. His eyes are big, focused and Woojin can’t even begin to phantom what is going on with his mind during that moment. They have a certain intensity – and it makes Woojin’s heart beat faster. Did Jihoon watch Woojin? What did Jihoon think of his dancing, of his choreography? Woojin knows he’s a good dancer – he’s confident about it – and he finds himself wishing that Jihoon too thinks that. Is Jihoon’s look because of it? Or is Woojin just imagining things? Either way, that look… is something. It’s like Jihoon’s seeing something else, something beyond all that has ever been seen when one looks at Park Woojin. It makes Woojin tremble.
And then, the moment is gone. It lasts about two seconds, that Woojin is sure of, but he is also sure that for him, those seconds feel like hours. It’s weird and strange but Woojin has no time to think about it as he continues walking, side by side with Sungwoon, towards the exit.
He gets on the bus, after saying goodbye to his friends, and as soon as does, he sits down on a chair and grabs his head with both of his hands.
He is so fucked.
Woojin sees Jihoon at school the following day. They have a class together, so it’s pretty hard not to, but that’s not when Jihoon approaches him. Jihoon waits until the bell rings to head towards Woojin. Luckily, Woojin spots him in time and manages to escape – he goes straight to the cafeteria with his friends and tries to blend in the crowd. It’s childish, he knows. He’s being a coward and he’s not proud of it. But every time he closes his eyes all he can see is Jihoon’s lovely ones and all he can hear is his stupid laugh. He doesn’t even know why. Yes, he has a crush on Jihoon, but this seems a bit too much. What the hell is it? Why can’t he just ignore Park Jihoon?
It’s just when he and his friends all sit down at a round table that Jihoon shows up. He goes straight towards them, and before Woojin can do anything about it, Jihoon is right there, in front of him, his typical and unnerving smile making an appearance on his face.
His friends all shut up upon seeing them. It’s not everyday that Park Jihoon goes to their table. They may see him constantly, but it is not like they are friends with them.
Jihoon, though, only has eyes for Woojin.
“I need to talk to you. Think you can spare me a minute?”
Woojin finds himself nodding. Jihoon’s smile widens and after a minute or so they are out of there, standing in an empty corridor.
“So, when are you planning on doing it?”, Jihoon asks him after a few minutes of them walking together slowly, down the corridor. With every step they take, the quieter the school gets, and there is almost a familiarity between them that Woojin can’t bring himself to overlook. He finds himself relaxing a little. It’s good, to walk besides Jihoon. To be besides Jihoon.
“Doing what?”, Woojin inquires, genuinely confused. He thought the conversation would be essentially Jihoon laughing at him because of the photos. This is not what he had pictured.
“Oh, you know”, Jihoon says, as he comes a bit closer and they brush their arms. “When are you asking me out?”
The words roll off his tongue so easily, Woojin thinks he may have misheard him. He raises his head abruptly and finds a very happy-looking Jihoon staring back at him. With a mischievous expression that leaves no room for doubts about what he just said.
“W-What?”, because surely Woojin is dreaming this. There is no way on earth this is happening.
Jihoon stops dead in his tracks. The corners of his lips are up and he is eye-smiling. Woojin stares at the way the sun that comes through the nearest window makes Jihoon’s face glow, and is mesmerized.
“I saw the pictures this morning. My phone saves all pictures uploaded on the cloud automatically, and so even though I didn’t have the chance to check them yesterday, I did today. And as you can imagine, I was very happy to find 200 photos of me there.”, Jihoon explains, his cheerful tone and genuine expression taking Woojin by surprise.
“That… that was a mistake. Daehwi wasn’t supposed to…”, Woojin begins, flustered.
Jihoon interrupts him in the nicest way possible. “Oh, I know it was a mistake. But I’m really glad that mistake was made.” He finishes with the sweetest smile and Woojin is confused.
“You… liked the pictures?”, he tries to reason, not knowing why Jihoon is acting so adorably excited.
“That’s… an understatement. The pictures you took of me were so raw, I could see right through you. I stared at them for a long while, you know? I was so happy. I was so eager to talk to you.”
And he does look eager, he does look pleased. When Woojin doesn’t answer, Jihoon keeps going. “It’s not about the photos. It’s because you were the one who took them.”
Woojin blinks. Once, twice. Jihoon waits, patiently. Does he mean what Woojin thinks he means?
“Hum…”, Woojin mutters, not knowing what to say. What if he’s reading this whole situation wrong?
Jihoon takes his hands at once. “Because you, Park Woojin, look lovely when you’re flustered and hot when you’re dancing and beautiful when you blush.”, he pauses and laughs. “Jesus Christ, Woojin, I like you too.”
It hits Woojin like a brick. A solid, hard, beautiful brick. The loveliest brick ever. He can’t even breathe.
Slowly, he begins to smile. Jihoon is still holding his hands, they are closer now and he smells so good, Woojin is getting dazed. He can’t believe this. He can’t, he can’t, he can’t.
“So”, Jihoon says, after a while, “when are you asking me out?”
This, all of this, is too good to be true. Woojin is having a hard time coping, and Jihoon’s soft skin on top of Woojin’s is not helping. But he doesn’t want to pull away. In fact, he wants to do everything that does not involve pulling away. And for the first time ever since he met Park Jihoon, he does exactly what he wants.
He kisses him.
The kiss is short and hesitant. It’s also sweet and Woojin has a hard time ending it. Jihoon is looking at him with those eyes, the same eyes that were staring into his soul when Woojin got out of the dance studio the previous day. They are darker and Woojin wants to kiss him again. And again. And again. Jihoon, though, is faster. He gives him a quick peck, and Woojin feels himself smiling afterwards.
Jihoon entwines their fingers together and grins. Woojin feels so happy right then, so blissful and warm inside he wants to scream. Because he knows Jihoon’s smile is for him. Because Jihoon likes him back and that sounds ridiculous, that is ridiculous but it’s also the truth.
“So, I’m guessing you still have to think about that date. It’s okay, though. You already know my answer.” Jihoon winks as they head down to the cafeteria again.
Yes, Woojin thinks, grinning. The answer is yes.