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As a human being, Kei With-The-Last-Name-No-One-Knows-And/Or-Cannot-Pronounce is fucking exhausting.
The boys from last semester had been calm, at least. Somewhat functional.
Seon knew that that group would finish their year-long intern period by the time he got only halfway through, but he sure as hell hadn’t expected to head back to the damned school after break and find this guy waiting for him, ready and excited to finish his final semester of interning abroad.
He’d seemed normal enough when they first met—quite like the boys of last semester, though Kei seemed slightly more indimidating than Soobin or Taehyun or even Yeonjun could ever be.
Seon decided to make the best of it, since it’s pretty obvious that two TA’s for a school of 500 boys is already a lot better than just one.
The only problem is that Kei is just as chaotic as the other boys, just another fucking child for Seon to look after.
Well, that isn’t the only problem. Half the school is in love with Kei, for some reason that Seon cannot fathom for the life of him.
None of this is to say Seon hates Kei, or even remotely dislikes him. His company is much appreciated and everything, but just sitting there and talking to him for an hour is nothing short of draining.
Today, Kei has taken to trying to figure out the dynamic between a select group of boys—those ones, the table group.
Seon doesn’t hate them either, but even just looking at them takes something out of him.
Maybe no one’s actually as annoying as Seon thinks. Maybe Seon just needs sleep.
That’s probably it.
“Real talk for a second here.” Kei tilts his head. “My personal hypothesis is that they’re all secretly afraid of the little one with the ears.”
Seon sighs. “He’s not actually all that little, you’re just, like, 2 meters tall.”
“You’re missing the point.” The guy looks like he’s just made a groundbreaking discovery, and Seon entertains it for a hot second because it’s cute. Misanthrope or not, Seon can’t deny that. “What if they all just hang around there because they’re scared that kid will murder them if they don’t, or something?”
“Okay, first of all, Heeseung couldn’t murder a single fucking fly if he tried. And second, that makes absolutely no sense. Jaebeom was the first to show up there, not him.”
Kei takes a bite of food and then waves his chopsticks in the air. “I was onto something, you can’t deny that.” He pauses. “Seon, do you think they know we talk about them?”
“They talk about us.” Seon shrugs.
They used to, at least.
Seon would have to be on another level of stupidity to not hear some of the shit those kids spew about him.
And them. Them as a singular entity.
(“The sexual tension is insane.” Kyungmin had insisted, not knowing that Seon was well within earshot.
Youngbin blinked. “You’re a sophomore, what do you know about that?” He had his usual somewhat scared smile on, Seon could see that even through the narrow window in the door, behind which he may or may not have been hiding.
“I dunno, guys. Kyungmin might have a point.”
Jungwon hid his face behind his hands. “You’re joking, right? Please say you’re joking.”
“It’s not our fault Heeseung likes to force relationships onto other people. He’s starved for drama, give him a break.” Nicholas grinned, prepared for the stream of profanity he’d no doubt receive in response.
Jaebeom groaned loudly after Heeseung had finished screaming. “Kyungmin, why do I even hang out with you?”
Kyungmin smiled sweetly. “You love me. Plus, I’m not wrong about this.”
“I know no one asked, but like, he kinda has a point.” Jay piped up from his place.
Seon almost laughed and gave away his location when he noticed that Jay had had his hands clapped over Taki’s ears for the duration of the conversation.
Daniel seemed to notice at the same time as him. “Alright, but why are we covering his ears? He’s not even the youngest one here.”
“Okay.” Euijoo replied, promptly placing his hands over Daniel’s ears.
“That’s not what I meant—“
“Can we please get back on topic?” Sunoo asked, smiling innocently and drumming his fingers against the table.
“Can we please not?” Jake sighed.
Sunghoon looked up belatedly. “Who are we even talking about?”
“No one, go back to daydreaming... Or whatever it is you do. This conversation doesn’t concern us.” Geonu barely looks up from his work.
“As I was saying,” Kyungmin started again, “Y’all should see the way that new guy looks at Seon. I’m not making this shit up, I promise.”
“I hate it here.” Taeyong groaned.
Seon took that as his cue to step in from behind the door and speed walk across the cafeteria to his usual table, trying his hardest not to look to his side at those boys’ expressions.
They’d gone dead silent.
Seon didn’t smile. He wanted to, but he didn’t.
Jimin burst out laughing after a minute. “Oh, you guys...”)
“Really?” Kei’s eyes widen to the size of saucers. “What do they say?”
“Oh, nothing.” Seon deflects a little hesitantly. “Nothing of substance, really. Anyways, what class are you in today?”
Kei ignores the second part of the remark. “Seon, tell me something honestly.” He takes Seon’s hand as though entrusting him with a secret, and it’s not really the other boy’s fault if he goes stock still. “Is anything I do or say truly of substance?”
In his stupor, Seon blurts, “Nope.”
That seems to be what Kei was expecting, since he nods and drops Seon’s hand back onto the table. “See? Then it makes sense that I’d want to know.”
Kei is fucking tiring to be around, Jesus Christ.
Or maybe that’s not why Seon’s heart feels so weak.
That should remain a mystery, Seon decides, rolling his eyes and offering a barely there, “It’s not even a big deal, just kids doing what kids do.”
“I know it’s not a big deal, I’m just curious.”
Seon doesn’t really know what to say to that. “Stay curious then.” He blinks, looking like a goddamn idiot. “What class are you doing today?”
The bell rings.
The next day, Seon finds himself assigned to World History. World fucking History, and Seon has to sit at the front of the fucking class and take attendance for four fucking batches of freshmen and listen to the damn teacher go off about religion four fucking times.
So far, that is.
After lunch, Seon will have to go back and do it four times over again.
And then he’ll have to do that (in different classes) for the rest of the week.
And after that, he’ll have to keep going until the end of the goddamned semester.
Then and only then will he be able to graduate and actually teach instead of sitting there and staring at walls for six hours a day.
In short, Seon is tired. Well, he usually is, but today is special.
All he really wants to do is get to lunch and sit there and let Kei bother him for an hour or so, as long as it distracts him from World fucking History.
In fact, he makes it down the hallway and just to the door when an exclamation cuts him off.
“Okay, but he’s hot!”
Seon squints through the tiny window.
Not this again.
“Really, Jaeho? I get that you hate literally everyone at this school, but you could have gone for one of the exchange students? Hanbin or Riki or whatever the fuck? Not.. Kei?” Says Yoonwon.
“He is attractive, though.” Sunoo hides a giggle behind his hand.
“He’s my brother!”
“Jay, cover Taki’s ears again.”
He does as directed.
Jaebeom rolls his eyes. “Either way—he’s old, guys.”
Seon tries not to take offense to that.
“Ugh, as much as I hate this conversation, they’re probably 22, 23 at most.”
“Geonu’s right. If we’re being technical, the age difference between a senior and a freshman and a senior and one of the TA’s are pretty close.”
There are footsteps behind Seon. “Hey, S—why are you just standing there?”
He shushes Kei quickly, and the other boy leans over to glance in through the same window.
“Hold on, ‘they’? When did we bring Seon into this?” Sungcheol looks around the table at a speed that would give anyone else whiplash.
Heeseung appears to be inspecting his hand. He squints. “If we’re on the topic, Seon’s pretty hot too.”
Kei’s glance goes to Seon as though he’s trying to figure out whether or not Heeseung’s right.
Seon gulps.
Jake slams his head onto the table. “Why are you guys so weird?”
Everyone ignores him.
“Bro, imagine if they dated.” Euijoo says quietly.
Jay looks at him passively. “Imagine if they did.” He deadpans.
“No, seriously...” Jimin grins. “That would be insane.”
“No one listens to me.” Kyungmin groans, looking away from the table group and directly towards the door.
His eyes widen, and Seon considers ducking down so that they can’t be seen through the window.
Kei seems to have a different idea. He grabs Seon’s hand before he can protest and hisses a “come on,” before proceeding to drag the poor guy into the cafeteria.
19 pairs of eyes follow them in silence.
Seon wants to die. Well, considering the grip with which Kei is holding his hand, he probably will. Soon.
Kei stops only to ruffle his brother’s hair (Taki still has his ears covered, poor guy) and to give the table group a tilt of his head. “Just out of curiosity, what would happen if we dated?”
Seon really wants to die.
No one answers. Kei nods, finally letting go of Seon’s hand.
Once they’re situated at their usual little table in the back, Seon gapes at Kei. “Are you insane? We’re stuck with those brats for another semester, they won’t shut up about this!”
Kei only shrugs. “That’s a later problem.”
Seon probably still looks mortified, because Kei laughs shortly and says, “It’s fine, it could have been a lot worse.”
“I’m leaving the planet. Goodbye.”
“Have fun!”