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Everyday was a different struggle for Huang Renjun.
Most days it was figuring out how to tame class 4-C (that came with his responsibility as Class President,) sometimes it was figuring out how to control his face around Haechan and the rest of his friends, but today’s struggle was trying to talk to the class president of Jisung’s class (Class 4-A).
Last year, she and Renjun were classmates, and although unsaid, were the biggest rivals behind toothy grins. None of both admitted that the other gave them a run for their money in terms of one-upping each other, but everyone else saw how competitive they got, especially when they were each other’s opponents. They both competed for Class President (she won), for Best Art Piece of Class 3-B (he won), for MVP of Class 3-B (none of them won but Jisung Park did), and other various competitions. Why? Renjun enjoyed the sense of competition, of course, but seeing her get her fight spirit on was more amusing than anything.
Not that he had a huge high school crush on her though. That never even crossed his mind.
A few hours before that fateful event, the president of the student council, someone by the name of Lee Taeyong, approached him and said: “Hey, Renjun! Can I borrow you for a second?” while proceeding to drag him out of his lunch table and from his friends, who could only spare Taeyong and Renjun a questioning look.
Taeyong drags Renjun back to the Student Council Office while talking about his own busy schedule as a senior high school student, and how he was so thankful he had a few more juniors to count on for things like this, so on and so forth. Once they arrive at the office, Taeyong pulls a few folders from the bookshelf out of place until he finds a green clear folder. He mutters a little ‘Yes.’ Renjun watches silently until he asks what he needed to do for him while Taeyong flips through it.
“I just need you to bring these to a certain someone,” he places the tip of his pointer on his tongue and flips the plastic again, “because I need some more files in exchange before my schedule ends. That’s all.”
“ . . . And who exactly—”
“Aha!” Taeyong exclaims, pulling out a somewhat thick wad of papers from the clearfolder, and proceeding to find something again. “Sorry, Renjun. What were you asking?”
“It’s okay, Taeyong. I was just asking who I needed to give it to.”
“Oh,” he fishes a clean, new paper folder from a file organizer, “______, the class rep for 4-A. I knew you guys were close last year and now that you’re both the Class Presidents for your classes I knew you were just the right person to ask. Y’know, you both can reminisce and . . . maybe talk a bit? Or not at all. Haha. I just need this folder back when you end school for today,” Taeyong finally hands him the folder and places a hand on his hip and one at the table. “Okay?”
All while Renjun was listening his heart thumped at the mention of her name—so sweet, succulent, rolled off the tongue like a lick of honey—he didn’t know a mere say of her name was enough to send him into a flurry of emotions.
He couldn’t wait to see her.
“Okay,” he replies even though his insides are being turned to mush, and Taeyong sighs in relief.
———
Once he gets back to his lunch table carrying the folder, he knows that his friends know what’s up.
“So, Huang Renjun,” Chenle leans towards him with a knowing grin on his face. “What class rep activities will we be doing today?”
“Nothing that concerns you, secretary.”
“Oh,” Lee Jeno smiles. “Stingy, are we? I bet this involves a certain someone.”
The way Renjun flushes while he glares at Lee Jeno is enough for everyone else to get the hint.
“You have to do something with _____, don’t you!” Jaemin asks with fervor, even though Renjun doesn’t know where that came from. He groans and places his head in his hands, nodding slowly while the rest of the boys squeal and clap Renjun’s back. “Ah, you’ll be alright, Renjun. It’s not anything extreme!”
“Here’s something extreme: if you look her in the eye and confess your sincere, undying love for her, I’ll buy your lunch for one whole year.” Haechan muses, earning a slap on the back of the head from Mark: “Are you crazy Donghyuck? Leave him alone.”
“If you actually tell her your feelings one day though, I’ll be the first to flip.” Haechan laughs, along with the others.
“What’s with the folder though?” Their youngest friend asks, pointing to the ivory object on Renjun’s lap. Even Renjun questioned what it was.
“I don’t really care enough to find out,” he exhales after stiffening, “but what I do care about is how I’ll approach her.”
“Oh!” Jisung chirps. “She mentioned the other day to her friends that she likes guys who were cool and intelligent.”
“Oh my go—if she wants to talk like that she could’ve just hung a sign around her neck that said ‘I LIKE GUYS LIKE HUANG RENJUN!’” Chenle says, and everybody laughs, including the stressed Renjun.
“Thank you. I’m flattered you think I’m cool and smart.”
“Oh not me Renjun. You’ve been mistaken.”
This earns another chorus of laughter from the boys.
“Seriously though,” Jaemin speaks up after the laughter has died, “just walk up to her and say, ‘hey babe—’”
“JAEMIN!” Mark chides, and they laugh again.
“Just be yourself!” Mark adds. “But… try to be cool.”
“I’m filming you from inside the classroom,” Jisung says. “So if you mess up or give her too much heart eyes you know about it.”
“Talking to her is already embarrassing in itself, Jisung, but thanks! I’d rather you didn’t.”
The bell rings, and for a moment the boys are left in a moment of silence.
“Well, I think it’s time to return to our respective classrooms,” Jisung says.
They all stand up and head down their hallway together, Jisung leaving for classroom A, Jeno and Haechan for B, Chenle and Renjun for C, and Mark for E.
———
“Renjun,” Chenle calls to him during free period, “when do you plan to hand over those documents to _____?”
Renjun nearly swears in surprise. “Oh my god. Chenle. Thank you for reminding me. Don’t we have the same free period as them?”
“Yes. Now go. I’ll text Jisung your on your way.”
“You better not, Zhong Chenle,” Renjun grabs the folder from beneath his chair and fixes himself before asking, “Do I look good?”
“When do you not?” Chenle replies. “Go. You look fine.”
In less than a minute he feels several emotions—nervousness, happiness, so on and so forth—and he doesn’t think he’s ready for seeing her again.
_____, in all her pulchritudinous glory. Perfect hair, perfect smile, cutest nose, prettiest body, best brain. Everything about her made Renjun’s heart shake. She was his kryptonite.
Even though he managed to enrage her a few times before.
He couldn’t wait to see her. In just a few more steps he’d see the love of his life—
“GO HUANG RENJUN!!” Haechan bursts the door for 4-B open.
Renjun hides his face behind the folder as the students of 4-B peer at him with a look. Jeno laughs from inside the classroom.
He finally reaches the door for 4-A. He knocks a few times, albeit he doubts anyone heard him from the noise coming from inside. The door slides open though, and he is met with a camera to his face. “God Jisung Park,” he greets cooly, not minding the camera. “Could you get your class president for me? And get that camera out of my face, boy.”
Definitely not minding the camera.
“Alright, lover boy, I’ll give you what you want.” Jisung calls for the class president. “_____! Handsome Renjun is here to see you! He’s got a gift!”
“Handsome Renjun?” Her head pops up from the corner of the classroom, behind a few chairs where she was seated on the floor with some more people, probably working on some project during free period. She gets up and walks over to the two. “Get back to your seat Jisung. And stop using that phone!”
“It’s free period,” he shrugs, but keeps filming while going back to his seat.
She pushes Renjun by the chest softly, just enough for him to understand he needed to get out of the classroom. He still felt giddy though. He had to bite his cheek to keep himself from bursting into a laugh.
“So,” she closes the door behind her. “What’s up, Renjun? Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Yeah, we’re not classmates now, are we?”
“Stingy as ever,” she takes notice of the folder in his hands. “Is that from Taeyong?”
He blinks for a bit. “Oh. Yeah, it is. Told me he needed it by dismissal though.”
“It won’t take long, I just need to sign some things and you can get going.” she pats around her skirt. “Oh god… I didn’t bring a pen.”
He slides out the one clipped on his tie. “Here,” he hands it to her, and while she grabs it from his hand their hands touch, and he feels giddy again.
“Do you mind holding the folder while I sign?”
He shakes his head, and balances the folder on both his forearms while she bends down a bit to sign. Even if she just flips some papers she still looks so stunning.
“Am I that attractive, Renjun? That you stare at me while I bend down in front of you?” She says with a joking smirk, and turns the paper she’s signing over to the back page and places it on the other side of the folder and gets on to the next.
“Probably. Maybe you’re just too assuming. Maybe you’ve got some glue on your hair. I don’t know.” He replies playfully, and she lets out a breathy laugh.
“Still the same stingy, cute, witty Renjun I know.” She regains her posture and looks through some other files and stops for a brief second. “I forgot the other papers I needed to give him. Hold on, cutie, won’t you?”
DID SHE JUST CALL HIM CUTE TWO TIMES IN A ROW?!
Renjun is standing there, dumbfounded.
The door for 4-B opens, and Jeno’s head peeks out. “She’s definitely flirting with you,” he rolls his eyes and smiles. “but you didn’t hear it from me.”
He closes the door and Renjun is confused even more. She was flirting with him?! So what in hell was his game plan?! Let her do all the work?!
No. This was a competition.
A few moments after Renjun figures out what to say to her, she comes out of the room and hands him some more papers. “Here are the rest of the files, cutie. You’re free to go.”
“You think I’m just going to let you call me cute?” Huang Renjun raises an eyebrow and proceeds to close the folder.
“So you’ve noticed.”
“What exactly are you letting on to me, _____?”
“Well, simply put,” she inhales, “I like you, Huang Renjun, but I want one last competition with you before this school year ends.”
Renjun was not ready for this. He was not ready for this sudden confession, he was not ready to be absolutely flustered in front of the girl he’d been admiring for 2 years—
“Looks like you’ve already lost the bet before it even started,” she lets out another breathy laugh, “is that how we’re going to play, Huang Renjun?”
“Stop that,” he shakes his head and looks her into her eyes, “stop playing with my feelings. That isn’t right.”
“Playing with your feelings? What do you mean?”
“You don’t like me. You’re mistaken.”
“. . . how exactly do you think I’m mistaken, Renjun?” She folds her arms over her chest. “If you give me one plausible reason on how I could be playing with your feelings, then I’ll admit I am. If you can’t, you’ll have to play along to my game.”
For once, Renjun has nothing to answer her. She smirks and continues.
“I’m certain you harbor some feelings for me too. So, whoever makes the other one blush the most by the end of this week wins.”
“Wins what?”
“Whatever the winner wants. That simple. Make me flustered, Huang Renjun, and everything you’d ever wanted is yours.”
She opens the door to the classroom, but before she can get inside, Renjun gets brave.
“What if everything I’ve ever wanted is you?”
She stops in the middle of the doorway and looks at him over her shoulder. Renjun still thinks she’s the most beautiful person he’s ever met.
“Then you’ll have me.”
She closes the door without a second say, and Renjun is standing in front of the classroom for 4-A, dumbfounded for the third time.
———
“Renjun hasn’t been himself this week,” Jisung approaches _____’s chair. “do you happen to know why?”
“He seemed perfectly fine last student council meeting,” she proceeds to fix her stuff into her bag. “Why? Is something the matter?”
“He hasn’t been the same since you talked to him,” he replies, and she gives him a knowing look. “So you think I had something to do with Renjun’s behavior.”
“Yes.”
“Well . . . I probably don’t. Sorry to burst your bubble. He’s probably just stressed over exams.”
“. . .our exams aren’t until next month?”
She pauses for a second, seeming to realize her mistake.
“So you do have something to do with it, don’t you?!” Jisung resists the urge to smirk. “What’d you do to him, _____?”
“Nothing that concerns you, Park Jisung,” she finishes cleaning up her desk and stands up to leave. “Now if you’ll excuse me, I have to get going.”
“I will find out, _____,” he says to himself as he watches her walk out of the classroom. “And when I do, you’re screwed.”
———
“Can you . . .” Haechan speaks up from the silence. “Can you please give me a small recap? I’m confused.”
“They have a bet on who can make the other blush the most by the end of the week,” Mark sighs, “and so far he’s losing.”
“Huang Renjun . . .” Haechan gives him a pitiful look. “For why. . .”
“I do have a master plan, okay! I just need to wait until tomorrow.”
“So Mr. Huang what is your ‘master plan?’” Chenle asks. “I bet it involves a very elaborate expression of love from you.”
“It absolutely does not. Shut your mouth, boy.”
“Oh stingy!” Lee Jeno smiles. “This means his master plan’s better than we think.”
“It’s always better than you think,” he retaliates, “you guys just have absolutely no faith in me being romantic.”
“Then let us hear it!”
“No. It’s not something I can tell you guys.”
“Ey,” Chenle muses. “we’ll know it anyway, so just tell us!”
“Exactly. You’ll know either way.”
“Okay, this is where we part,” Mark stops his group of friends at the intersection. “It’s time to go home. See you all tomorrow!”
“Be safe,” Renjun waves to Mark, Jaemin and Chenle, who walk away from the rest.
“So . . . your master plan tomorrow?” Jeno says.
“Yes. Tomorrow.”
———
At the dawn of tomorrow, Renjun is scared as he reviews his master plan while tying his tie around his neck. Will he really push through with what he’s about to do?
Renjun reviews the many times she mad him blush:
1) The time she winked at him during the weekly student council meeting,
2) When she passed by him and held his waist for one second, and said, “excuse me, baby.” (He went wild telling his friends)
3) While he was sitting with his friends for lunch she walked into the cafeteria looking like a goddess. She didn’t even have to do anything to make him blush. She just had to be herself.
And so Huang Renjun has formulated a plan to get her to blush far more than he had this whole week.
“Chenle,” he calls right when the teacher dismisses them for lunch, “I’ll be a bit late to lunch, okay?”
“Oh my go—are you gonna do it?!”
“Hell yeah.”
“But I want to see—”
“Not this time, Chenle,” he says, and fixes himself in the mirror. “Do I look good?”
Chenle’s face softens into a look of admiration to Renjun as he looks at him with an expectant smile.
“Always.”
He sighs in relief and goes to find the love of his life.
After grabbing her by the wrist and dragging her into the empty gymnasium, Renjun is sure there is nothing he can’t do anymore.
Except one thing, of course.
“Huang Renjun, what do you think you’re doing?” She lets out her always attractive breathy laugh as he backs her up to the wall slowly.
“Shh. Let me end this competition once and for all, baby.”
“Baby?!” She laughs. “Wow, getting cocky, are we?”
He places his hands on her hips cautiously, “Is this okay?”
“It’s good.”
“Alright, here’s a question, baby.”
“What’s the catch?”
He laughs as he steps closer to her, his eyes only focused on her lips. “If you get the answer right, you kiss me and I’m yours. If you get it wrong, I kiss you and you’re mine.”
She grins at him and shakes her head. “Shoot.”
He can see her hands take place on his arms. He can feel her draw small circles on him. He can feel her.
“Where did we first meet?” He says, and he’s sure she’ll get the answer wrong.
“In the classroom, year 1.” She answers. Renjun shakes his head.
“In the hallways . . . you dropped your hairtie and I picked it up for you. Don’t you remember, baby?” She shakes her head and he smiles softly before closing his eyes and starting to kiss her.
As they kiss, he feels her hands crawl up slowly from their place on his arms up to his neck, making sure to bring him down to eye level. Even though their height difference isn’t much, it felt like she wanted both of them to be even closer than they already are.
And Renjun was all for it.
As she pulls away for a breath of air, Renjun places a chaste kiss on the apples of her cheeks. “They’re warm,” he laughs, as he pulls her into a hug. “So I win this time, don’t I?”
She places her chin on his shoulders, and he can feel his girl smile. “To me, Renjun, you always won.”
Not always, he thought, but this is definitely my best victory yet.