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Saturday nights were special to Woojin.
On those nights Woojin would usually catch up on his favorite netflix series, have some well earned gaming time or maybe even read a book if he was feeling like it.
Sure, sometimes his precious and chill Saturdays were interrupted by his mom telling him to study on his tests but the formula for his usual perfect Saturdays was almost always the same.
Until that night.
Having his bestfriend's lips on his own was not how Woojin imagined his Saturday going.
Woojin's and his bestfriend's hands intertwined as Woojin could clearly taste the cherry lipbalm on the other's lips was not part of Park Woojin's Saturday nights.
This is how Woojin's Saturday night changed:
Woojin didn't even have a bestfriend for a long time. He had friends, yes, but he wasn't sure if he could pinpoint just one of them and be like "yup, that's my bestfriend!".
Not until Park Jihoon came around.
Now Jihoon, being the one of the most popular kids in their school, (which he managed to become only days after transfering to the school), he was perhaps not the usual type of person Woojin would hang out with. Sure Woojin wouldn't mind hanging out with the most gorgeous boy in the whole school, but Woojin wasn't really sure how that would work.
"Hi, all of your other friends look like they just came back from Seoul fashion week and I didn't even wash my hair this morning but do you want to hang out sometime?"
Not a long after Park Jihoon had transfered to their school he made friends and Woojin had to admit he was a little jealous. Because being the awkward and shy boy from Busan, it took Woojin almost a month to befriend his close friends, Daehwi and Jinyoung.
And not only was Jihoon faster at making friends, he almost always only hang out with the seniors. Which all seemed a little too intimidating and scary to Woojin.
So clearly Woojin knew from the start that Park Jihoon played in a whole another league.
Also Woojin was maybe 48% sure he had a teeny tiny crush on the said boy. He wasn't really sure how he managed to have crush on the boy only a month after he transfered though. Because it was not like they talked much or anything. But there was something about Jihoon that intrigued Woojin. Jihoon didn't seem like the typical guys in Woojin's school and Woojin couldn't help but get drawn towards the new boy with the pretty eyes and a smile that Woojin felt like could heal all the problems in the world.
But he could never admit it. Not to himself, and definitely not to his friends.
Not even when Jihoon catches Woojin staring at him during class and Woojin wants to literally die on the spot because in the moment of panick, Woojin doesn't do the smart thing which is turning away and pretending like he was never even looking at that direction. Instead, Woojin stared straight into the boys' eyes and he's ready for the floor to swallow him and crush him but Jihoon shots Woojin a tiny but visible smile and Woojin feels his cheeks go even more pink so his brain finally sends him the message to look the other way.
He hears a chuckle from Jihoon's direction a few seconds later and small part of him hopes that he was the one who made the new pretty boy laugh.
It's not like Woojin didn't have the opportunities to get closer to this new boy. Because he had plenty. Jihoon was in the same class for crying out loud. He saw him from Monday to Friday, every day from 7.30am to 3.45pm minus lunch breaks (which was when Jihoon would disappear with his senior friends that were as gorgeous as him).
Well maybe not as gorgeous, because Jihoon's looks were on another level.
Not that Woojin had ever analyzed Jihoon's looks or how his nose was the perfect shape and how sparkly his eyes were and how his hair —
Okay, maybe he had stared at Jihoon too much. Just maybe.
But Woojin thinks he's good at staring without anyone noticing.
But he's wrong.
( "So when are you going to tell me that you have a crush on Park Jihoon?"
"What the fuck Daehwi?" Woojin nearly chokes on his salad but his friend in front of him just smirks.
"Oh c'mon! Everyone knows it." Daehwi humms as he takes a sip of his peach flavored ice tea.
Woojin gulps.
"E-everyone?"
"Okay, only me and Jinyoung."
Woojin exhales in relief.
"How though?"
"Don't know if you remember but I happen to sit next to you in class. And all you do in class is scribble on your notebook and pretend you're taking notes when you're actually staring at Jihoon?"
"Excuse me? I do take notes!"
Daehwi can only chuckle.
"Last time I saw you take notes was in 2017 and that's strangely just before Jihoon transfered to our class."
Woojin stays quiet after that because he knows Daehwi is right. )
But how Woojin imagined getting closer to Jihoon and how he actually got closer to Jihoon are way different from each other.
It all starts with volleyball.
Or with P.E class to be exact.
Now, Woojin isn't that bad at volleyball.
He's pretty good actually.
So when he's playing with his class during P.E he doesn't miss any shots. Which is a miracle, because Park Jihoon happens to be standing on the other side of the net and Woojin wouldn't normally be able to stop staring at the boy but this was P.E and Woojin didn't want to fail the one subject he was good at.
And even if Woojin wasn't paying attention to the sparkly eyed boy in front of him, that didn't mean the sparkly eyes boy wasn't paying attention to Woojin apprently.
Because as Woojin is putting on his school uniform's jacket on after P.E, he feels a light tap on his shoulder and the said boy with the sparkly eyes is staring right at him.
"Hey, you're Woojin, right?" the boy says with a little unsureness in his voice and Woojin has to mentally slap himself to realize that Jihoon is in fact talking to him.
"I, uhh, yeah."
"You were pretty good out there, Woojin."
Did Park Jihoon just compliment me?
"Oh. Thanks?" Woojin scrathes the back of his head as he offers the slightly shorter one a small smile.
"Listen, me and my friends play volleyball on fridays and I was wondering if you want to join sometime?" Jihoon smiles, "because to be honest, most of my friends suck and I really want someone skilled to play with us."
Woojin is sure his ears are lying to him or that his brain is having some type of malfunction because Park Jihoon did not just ask him to play volleyball with him.
"Uhh, I — "
"It's fine if you don't want to! I wanted to ask just in case." Jihoon says before Woojin even manages to finish his sentence.
Jihoon starts to leave and Woojin panicks.
"I'll come!" he yells, maybe too loudly in the half empty locker room. But it makes Jihoon to turn back to face Woojin.
"Great!" Jihoon smiles and takes a step closer to Woojin, putting his hand in front of Woojin.
Woojin smiles at the hand Jihoon is offering and shakes it.
But Jihoon laughs loudly.
Huh?
"I was asking for your phone, not for a handshake." Jihoon laughs and Woojin can feel the familiar warmth of embarrasement on his cheeks.
"M-my phone?"
"Yeah, so we can exchange numbers and so I can text you the details about Friday?" Jihoon raises his brow and Woojin hurriedly lets go of Jihoon's hand to grab his phone from his pocket. He hands the phone which Jihoon takes with a smile.
"Here, that's my number. Send me a text right now so I can save your number." Jihoon says as he gives the phone back and Woojin is sure Jihoon can see his hands shaking as he takes back his phone and opens Kakaotalk to send other boy the text.
He decides to send a handshake emoji.
Jihoon laughs at his own phonescreen as he recieves the text and Woojin laughs with him.
"See you later, Woojin!" Jihoon is already walking away from the locker rooms as he turns around with a wave and just like that Woojin is left alone, still a dumb smile on his face.
________________________________
"Park Jihoon asked me to play volleyball with him and his friends." Woojin tells Daehwi later that day while walking home.
Daehwi has to stop in his tracks to gasp.
"Park Jihoon? The popular, extremely gorgeous new guy Park Jihoon?" Daehwi has never looked this shocked and Woojin is almost offended by the surprised expression on his friend's face.
"Don't look so surprised!" Woojin whines, hitting Daehwi's shoulder lightly.
"You said you'll go, right?"
"Of course I did. I'm not stupid."
"You kinda are Woojin." Daehwi teases which makes Woojin hit Daehwi's shoulder for the second time.
"Well I'm not that stupid."
"I hope not. You do have a habit of making a fool out of yourself when you are nervous." Daehwi hums with a teasing tone and Woojin can't even get annoyed at his friends because he is absolutely right.
Another occasion where Woojin usually makes a fool out of himself is while texting. So when Jihoon sents him a text Wednesday evening, it takes Woojin nearly seven minutes of just staring at his screen before he starts typing a response. It wasn't even a difficult text to reply to, but Woojin feels strangely nervous about the fact that Jihoon is even texting him.
Jihoon
hi! are you still coming on friday? :D
11.23pm
Woojin
yes
11.29pm
Jihoon
great! our P.E teacher lets us use the school gym after 6:30pm so we are usually there at around 6:45pm. My friends are looking forward to seeing you on friday!
11.31pm
Woojin smiles at that, but a part of him wonders if Jihoon is looking forward to seeing him on Friday as well.
So, "What about you?" is what Woojin would reply if he wasn't such a coward, but he replies with a smiling emoji instead.
Friday comes a little faster than Woojin would have liked. Because when he steps into the locker rooms and sees Jihoon and all of his intimidating senior friends, all he wants to do is to run away.
"Woojin!" he hears the boy with the sparkly eyes say with a smile and Woojin suddenly doesn't want to run away anymore.
"Guys, this is Woojin." Jihoon says to the rest of the group and they all greet Woojin with a smile.
Maybe these intimidating seniors aren't that scary after all.
Jihoon's friends turn out to be not as bad at volleyball as Jihoon had said. They are actually pretty good but Woojin doesn't mind. He enjoys the small competitiveness in the air as they all run for the ball and strike it over the net.
But what he likes more is when he sees Jihoon without his school uniform, in his regular clothes for the first time. He had always wondered what type of clothes the boy liked to wear outside school. Woojin had imagined that maybe Jihoon likes something oversized, perhaps something more colorful.
So when he sees Jihoon put on a oversized pink hoodie after the game, Woojin can only smile.
"So, do you think you'll come again next Friday?" Woojin flitches as Jihoon puts his hand on Woojin's shoulder after they exit the building.
"Um, yeah I think so. Your friends seem cool and unlike you told me, they are pretty good." Woojin tries to crack a smile.
"And what about me? Am I any good?" Jihoon smirks and Woojin thanks god that the sun has set so it's probably too dark for Jihoon to see the small blush forming on his cheeks.
"Oh you're g-great! You're great!"
Jihoon can only laugh at the panicked answer Woojin gives before smiling one more time towards the slightly taller one.
"Not as good as you."
Woojin nearly chokes on his spit as he feels his cheeks go redder.
"I'm not that good." Woojin plays with the sleeves of his hoodie while cracking a shy smile.
Jihoon pats Woojin's shoulder a few times before turning to leave, "whatever you say, Woojinnie."
Okay, maybe Woojin is more than 48% sure that he has a crush.
The "Volleyball Fridays" become a regular thing and Woojin loves it. Not only does he get to play one of his favorite sports, but he gets to spend time with particular someone.
He learns that he and Jihoon happen to have a lot in common. They like the same games, movies and even the same songs.
And somewhere between may and june Woojin starts to go on dinners with Jihoon and his friends after playing. Which is great because he learns that he and Jihoon have the same type of tastebuds because while all of the others wanted to eat one thing, Jihoon and Woojin would always agree with what dish they wanted to have.
"I wouldn't have guessed you like sashimi too." Woojin says on one of the friday nights as they arrive at a famous sashimi place next to the sports center.
"My family is originally from Masan so I enjoy all type of sea foods." Jihoon smiles as he takes another bite of the salmon in front of them.
"Really? My family is from Busan." Woojin sounds maybe more enthusiastic than he had intended to and Jihoon chuckles.
"No wonder I thought I could hear teeny tiny bit of dialect when you were playing earlier."
"Yeah, it comes out if I'm excited." Woojin says shyly.
"It's cute." Jihoon says while taking another piece of fish from his plate.
Woojin feels the warmth on his cheeks and decides its the best to look away from the smiling starry eyed boy.
And turns out Woojin isn't that bad at texting. Because eventually he and Jihoon begin a regular texting schedule that they both didn't really plan.
It usually starts with Jihoon texting Woojin. With a link to a funny video or just Jihoon talking about something funny that happened during the classes.
Woojin has never been good at replying to texts. Sometimes it takes him hours, weeks or sometimes he just simply doesn't reply (which is probably why Daehwi gave up texting with Woojin). It's not that Woojin doesn't want to talk. He actually does enjoy talking, a lot. But Woojin can't seem to find the right words at times and apparently replying with just an emoji is not good enough so Woojin doesn't really bother.
But it's different with Jihoon though.
So when Jihoon starts talking about a discourse their class had had in the morning, Woojin replies as soon as he can.
Sometimes they talk for hours. Until 11pm, midnight or one time until 2am (which was due to Jihoon arguing with Woojin about the plot of Shrek).
And Woojin doesn't mind the their texting "schedule", and sometimes he finds himself waiting for Jihoon to text him after 8pm. Which he then realizes is foolish and that he shouldn't be so attached to someone texting him every night.
But he can't help it.
Because it's Jihoon who's texting him after all.
Besides the volleyball fridays and the regular texting, Woojin and Jihoon start hanging out more often.
Sometimes it's just during lunch break, sometimes they go to a arcade to play games together or grab pizza together. Whetever it is, Woojin likes it. Not only because he likes to play games or eat pizza, but because he's with Jihoon.
Woojin loves how being around Jihoon makes him feel calm. How it makes him feel almost like, at home.
He can't really pin point the exact moment he starts feeling this way. And he can't help that he starts feeling like he'll die if he doesn't spend time with the other boy, but it happens.
And to Woojin's luck, Jihoon seems to feel the same way, because it doesn't take long until they become inseperatable.
"So, Jihoon. When are you going to give me my friend back?" Daehwi says with a teasing tone after class as Jihoon and Woojin get up to leave to grab some snacks from the 7-eleven nearby.
"What do you mean?" Jihoon chuckles, putting his arm over Woojin's shoulder and looking at the now pouting Daehwi.
"You two are always together. Me and Jinyoung barely see Woojin outside of school anymore!"
"Daehwi, I literally got pizza with you yesterday." Woojin sighs, trying his best to ignore his fastly beating heart which is due to Jihoon being dangerously close to him.
"Which was only because Jihoon had plans." Daehwi crosses his arms while sitting back on his seat.
Jihoon pinches Daehwi's cheeks and smiles softly.
"Don't worry. You'll always have Woojin as your friend." he says and Daehwi smiles.
"I know." Daehwi says with a smirk and winks at Woojin which makes Woojin to turn fast to walk away with Jihoon.
"I'm sorry about Daehwi. He gets clingy." Woojin apologizes as they step outside of the school building but Jihoon just chuckles.
"It's fine. He's cute."
"He is." Woojin agrees.
It takes them maybe 20 minutes to pick out the snacks they want and Woojin is ready to take out his wallet but Jihoon does the handmovement which translates to "I got this" and Woojin can only sigh loudly.
"Knowing you, you're going to use it against me if I let you pay again." Woojin whines when Jihoon takes the money out of his wallet to pay both of their snacks.
"Relax, I got this." Jihoon laughs as he pays the cashier and grabs the plastic bag full of snacks and hands Woojin the ice cream they had picked for each other earlier.
"You always pay for my snacks." Woojin whines some more as they step outside and get greeted by the cool spring wind.
"That's what bestfriends are for, though." Jihoon says like its nothing as he puts the popsickle in his mouth.
Woojin stops in his tracks and just stares at the shorter one who walks a few steps forward before turning around to look at Woojin with a raised brow.
"What?"
"You just called me your bestfriend."
"Jesus christ, you're shocked because I called you my bestfriend?" Jihoon laughs in disbelief as he walks toward the boy.
"You can't just drop the B-word bomb on me like that and expect me to not react to it!" Woojin laughs with him as they continue walking together and Jihoon sighs.
"What do you want me to call you then? Bro?"
"Please don't ever call me bro." Woojin gives Jihoon a disgusted look and Jihoon laughs.
"Alright, bestie."
"Bestie is not allowed either."
"Sorry, bestfriend."
"That's better." Woojin smiles and Jihoon rolls his eyes.
Woojin burries the small sadness deep deep into his heart, because this is not the time to feel sad about crushes.
He finally has a bestfriend.
But Woojin learns fast that no matter how deep he burries his feelings, they always come back when he leasts expects it.
It's when he and Jihoon are laying on his bed watching some stupid youtube video and Woojin makes the mistake of taking a glimpse at Jihoon's lips.
Only one thought comes into his mind.
But he knows he can't.
The feelings also comes back when he's just sitting next to Jihoon at the cafe and Daehwi is going on about school or whatever in front of them and Woojin feels his hand brushing Jihoon's. He glances at the other but Jihoon just smiles. And for a moment, Woojin feels as if there is something there.
A spark.
A mutual feeling perhaps.
But how can there be.
Woojin and Jihoon got close as friends in the beginning. Thats what they ever were. So as much as Woojin hates being in the so called “friend zone”, it's his own fault he never implied that he liked Jihoon.
So Woojin knows he should stop having feelings for the sake of their friendship, or should he say bestfriendship, but how can he when Jihoon is right there being everything Woojin could ever ask for.
"How do you stop having a crush, Jinyoung?"
Jinyoung turns his head slowly from the tv screen in front of them and he gives Woojin a confused look.
"Is this about Jihoon?"
Woojin doesn't move his gaze from the tv.
"Maybe."
"I don't know." Jinyoung sighs, "sometimes it just goes away I think?"
"Well I need it to go away, as fastly as possible." Woojin probably sounds super desperate right now, but maybe that's what he is. Because he know he can't throw away his and Jihoon's friendship away like this. Not when everything is so perfect.
Well, almost perfect. Because perfect for Woojin would mean that they would be more. More than just bestfriends.
But he's too scared to risk it.
"Maybe just get some distance? Spend less time with him?" Jinyoung suggests and to be honest, Woojin hates the idea of not being around Jihoon.
But he decides to listen to Jinyoung. Because what else could he do?
So, Woojin figures it's better to take a break from his bestfriend for a while. Just for a few days.
Maybe by that he could calm down his feelings and continue being Jihoon's bestfriend.
But well, it turns out that in order to stop liking someone, you need more than two days. More than four or even five days actually.
By the sixth day, Woojin is sure Jihoon knows that something's up. It's not normal for Woojin to come up with excuses everytime Jihoon wants to hang out after school. And it's definetly not normal for Woojin to ignore his texts.
Woojin even decides to skip volleyball on friday, which even Woojin knows is way too suspicious.
Jihoon
woojin???? where were you today????
9.00pm
Woojin should answer. He knows he should.
But he doesn't.
Jihoon
you know i can see that youre ghosting me right?
9.02pm
Jihoon
Park Woojin, if you don't reply this instant i'm going to kick you
9.07pm
Woojin knows that Jihoon probably knows something is up. Because months of spending time together has made Jihoon know Woojin better than anyone.
So when Jihoon turns up at his house on Saturday night, Woojin immediately knows why.
"You have been avoiding me." Jihoon starts as they both sit on Woojin's bed.
"I've just been really busy."
It's an excuse, a bad one and Jihoon can probably know that by just the sound of Woojin's voice.
"Why?" Jihoon sounds sad and Woojin doesn't like it one bit.
"I've been just cathing up on some school work and-"
"Please don't lie to me, Woojin." Woojin can see with the side of his eye that Jihoon has turned to look at him but he's too afraid to look himself.
"Jihoon, I h —."
Woojin regrets it the second he turns to look at Jihoon in the eyes because he sees the familiar sparkle in them. But this time it's tears.
Woojin never wanted this. He never wanted to make Jihoon sad. He just wanted to take some time. Take some time to figure out his feelings so he and Jihoon could continue being bestfriends without Woojin feeling like he'll explode if he can't kiss Jihoon.
Woojin gulps down as he takes a better look at his bestfriend and takes his hand to wipe the single tear on Jihoon's cheeks and Woojin sees Jihoon's gaze shift a little lower from Woojin's eyes. Woojin isn't sure what Jihoon is staring at, but it doesn't take long before he finds out.
Because seconds after he feels Jihoon's lips crashing on his.
Now this was not what he had expected.
But Woojin is feeling unsure.
This is Jihoon. This is the same boy he has been spending time with almost every day for the last few months.
This is his bestfriend Jihoon.
But he's also the boy who Woojin had been staring in class, who he had had a crush on and who he had dreamed about kissing.
Jihoon moves his lips as if hoping for a response and Woojin decides to go for it. So he kisses Jihoon back. He feels Jihoon wince as he takes Jihoon's hand into as he leans forward and he wonders if he had made a mistake.
That thought fades away into the air quickly as Jihoon squeezes Woojin's hand and deepends the kiss.
Woojin can't believe any of this is really happening. He can't believe that the new pretty boy in his class who had just been a stranger to him at the beginning of the school year was now sitting on his bed and kissing him. The same guy who had become his bestfriend.
But the more he thought about the more confused he got.
If Woojin was the one having a crush, then why was Jihoon the one who kissed him?
"Jihoon..." Woojin's breaks the kiss moments later and Jihoon gives him a confused look.
Jihoon is still extremely close to him and Woojin is tempted to just kiss him again.
"I know why I kissed you back but why did you kiss me?" Woojin looks down at their intertwined hands but looks quickly back the boy in front of him as he hears him laugh.
"Do I really need to explain it to you?" Jihoon laughs and Woojin just sits there, blinking his eyes rapidly.
"Yes. Yes you do."
Jihoon sighs but then smiles.
"I like you. And not just in a bestfriend kinda way. I like the way you make me feel at eaze and how you make me laugh with your jokes and pranks. I like how you never judge me and how you always listen to my silly stories. I like you, Park Woojin. I really like you." Jihoon confesses like he had kept all that in for months and Woojin swears his heart just exploded as his chest as he sees a shade of pink on Jihoon's cheeks.
"I-I like you too." Woojin then confesses shyly.
"That's it? I let out my whole heart to you and that's what you say back?" Jihoon laughs and Woojin feels his cheeks go red too.
"I like you. I like you a lot. You make me feel at home. And I could listen to your silly stories for days." Woojin adds shyly.
Jihoon laughs again.
"I know."
Wait —
"You know?"
"Unlike me, you are kinda obvious about it." Jihoon giggles and god how Woojin just wants to kiss the hell out of him right now.
"I am not obvious." Woojin's says quietly, playing with Jihoon's fingers.
"Woojin. I could literally count the times I caught you staring at my lips."
Woojin blushes.
"Okay, maybe I was obvious." Woojin chuckles shyly and peeks at the starry eyed boy in front of him, “can we go back to you kissing me so I don't need to be embarrassed about how I obviously whipped I am for you." Woojin adds a few seconds later and Jihoon giggles again.
"Okay, boyfriend." Jihoon takes his hands from Woojin's and wraps his arms around Woojin's neck instead.
"Hmmm, I might like this B-word even more than the other one." Woojin smirks, pressing his forehead on Jihoon's.
"Me too." Jihoon says before connecting their lips again.