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High school was pointless. So pointless, in fact, that Yeonjun really didn’t know why he had to show up five days a week before the sun came up and wasn’t allowed to leave until after the sun went down. He had a social life, lots of friends to hang out with and parties to attend, he didn’t have time for so much education. He knew enough about life to support himself that he really didn’t understand the value of logarithmic equations or what happened in Germany in the 1940s.
He was in his final year, so close to the light at the end of the tunnel he could almost taste it, and while his classmates and friends were busy applying for universities out of town, Yeonjun was focused on moving to the grandiose city of Seoul. His older brother already lived there, working at one of the top finance companies, and Yeonjun had big plans. He would move in with his brother and finally pursue his dream of becoming a professional dancer.
He had auditions lined up for the summer and he had been taking lessons since he was a little kid. He performed at the annual talent show every year and almost always got the most applause. He also started the first and only dance club at his school, and that was probably the only reason he hadn’t completely dropped out yet. That, and because he wasn’t quite sure he was ready to not see Choi Soobin every single day. It was the highlight of every single day when he did see him, and he tried to make that as often as possible. He didn’t even care if he was being obnoxiously obvious about it.
He was popular, okay? Like, one of the most popular students at school, and with that came a certain level of privilege. People followed him around, wanting to be his friend, and he was constantly doted on. He never had to work too hard to get someone to do something for him (not that he took advantage too much, just when he was feeling particularly lazy) and he always had the eyes of every single girl and boy on him, all the time. But his own eyes could only focus on one individual. The shy junior who spent his lunches in the library or with the counsellors because he was weirdly friends with them and his study sessions in the courtyard, away from the rowdiness of everyone else who just enjoyed the fresh air.
He kept to himself, only speaking when spoken to unless he was with his best friend (the wildly rambunctious freshman Hueningkai), and he was so fucking adorable Yeonjun didn’t understand how nobody else seemed to notice. He certainly did, since the very first day they ran into each other in the hallways. Since that moment, Yeonjun had tried his best to befriend the boy. It had worked partially, but never to the extent that Yeonjun was craving. He wanted to see Soobin outside of class. He wanted to see him in casual clothes and in a casual setting and he wanted to talk to him about casual things not to do with school.
But the boy was so shy, and Yeonjun was so popular, it was hard for the older to ever get a moment alone without someone overhearing what he was saying. Not that he was embarrassed, he was not. In fact, he probably could have been a bit more lowkey about his crush. Point was, Soobin always spooked when a bunch of people were looking at him, and since Yeonjun was always surrounded by a bunch of people, a challenge constantly arose. But Yeonjun had figured it all out. Fall break was nearing, and he was going to ask Soobin what his plans were. If he was still going to be in town, he was going to ask him out. No sense beating around the bush, Yeonjun reasoned, he liked Soobin in a romantic way and he had been friendly with him for long enough. He was tired of pining, okay?
He had divulged his plan in detail to his own best friend Beomgyu, and his trusty boyfriend Taehyun, who was in the same grade as Soobin. They had both been subject to Yeonjun’s incessant babbling about his crush for the past year or so, and they were both just relieved that he was finally going to do something about it. Taehyun warned him to be gentle and to not force Soobin to say yes, while Beomgyu encouraged Yeonjun to lose the ‘popularity act’ and just fully be himself. Yeonjun took the advice gratefully, understanding that he could be a bit too much sometimes. The absolute last thing he wanted to do was scare Soobin off.
The day before he was going to finally ask Soobin out, he leaned against his locker, pouting. “Beomgyu-yahhhhhh,” he whined, dropping his head dramatically. He heard Beomgyu sigh, rifling through his books to find the one he needed. “What is it now? Did you forget your lunch? You can’t have any of mine, I only packed enough for myself and Taehyunnie,” he said. Yeonjun narrowed his eyes, sticking his tongue out at Beomgyu. “I guess I’ll just starve then,” he said. Beomgyu rolled his eyes, grabbing the book he was looking for and closing his locker with a loud clang. He turned to actually look at Yeonjun, arching a brow. “If this is about Soobin you better not be having second thoughts,” he warned.
Yeonjun’s eyes widened, offended Beomgyu would think he would chicken out when he was so close. “I am not!” he screeched, causing a few people to look at him. He didn’t care, and only melted a bit as he gripped the strap of his bag and leaned against his locker. “Did you see him this morning, Gyu?” he said dreamily. Beomgyu pinched the bridge of his nose, looking up at the ceiling as Yeonjun continued on. “He was wearing a sweater and it looked so cute and big on him, and I think he put on some shiny chapstick or something, because his lips were literally shining,”. He sighed happily, staring at the wall as he thought about the boy, not for the first time that day and not for the last time.
At that moment, Taehyun appeared, pink hair and all. Beomgyu exhaled gratefully, lifting an arm so Taehyun could slot himself against the taller boys’ side. “Perfect timing, hyung was going on about how cute Soobin apparently looks today,” Beomgyu informed, giving the top of Taehyun’s head a kiss. Taehyun ‘ahhed’ looking at Yeonjun, who gave him a greeting smile. “Trust me, Taehyun, you’ll understand when you see him in class,” he said in lieu of a hello. Taehyun chuckled, adjusting his bag on his shoulder. “You still planning on asking him out tomorrow?” he inquired.
Yeonjun stood up straight then, glaring at his two best friends. “Why do you guys think I’m going to flake out?” he accused. “Yes, I am still planning on asking him out tomorrow,”. The couple only laughed, and then the bell rang and their conversation was ended. Yeonjun bid them farewell before spinning on his heel and dashing off towards his first class, running into a few of his classmates and slinging his arms around them as he always did. He turned on the charm and upped the jokes, and tried his best not to let himself get too distracted by thoughts of Soobin during his lessons.
He survived the day, and once the final bell rang he allowed himself to think freely about his crush without worry. He went over his plan in his head a few times, before imagining how great life was going to be when he and Soobin finally started dating. He wasn’t in a rush though, he would court the boy for as long as he needed until he was ready to make things official. Yeonjun loved the chase, but he looked forward to the destination even more. He knew he would be a good boyfriend. If he treated the kid as well as he did without having any obligations to, he couldn’t wait until he was allowed to do everything he always wanted to do.
He would cook for him, take him to the amusement park or maybe a museum if that’s what he preferred, smother him in kisses and make sure Soobin never doubted how loved he was for a second. Maybe Yeonjun’s feelings were too strong for an eighteen-year-old, but he didn’t care. He knew what he felt and what he’d been feeling for a year, and he knew that it was more than just some high school romance that would end after graduation. Soobin was worth more than that.
As he dropped his books off at his locker, humming to himself, he saw his (hopefully) future boyfriend talking to someone that was definitely not Hueningkai. Yeonjun stopped where he stood, backpack hanging off of one arm as he witnessed Jeong Yunho speak to Soobin. The boy was smiling at Soobin a little too much for Yeonjun’s comfort, and Soobin was nodding along to whatever he was saying. He stood a few feet back from Yunho, holding his books to his chest, and he looked a little out of his element.
Yeonjun knew Yunho, he was one of the other popular kids in his class, and he was known for his more…raunchy behaviour. Yeonjun was wild, but not in a sexual sense, and so Yunho was just like him, with that added attribute. With that knowledge, Yeonjun disliked the scene before him even more. Soobin was more than just his appearance. He was a remarkably compassionate human, going above and beyond for everyone around him, and he was so kind Yeonjun was surprised more people didn’t try and take advantage of it. He felt like a better person when he was around the boy, however brief those instances were, and he just wanted to protect him from people like Jeong Yunho.
And so he started walking closer, trying to keep his face smooth as he did. When he came within earshot, he heard Yunho asking what Soobin was doing for the break. Yeonjun had to turn away as his eyes widened because what the fuck? Why was Yunho asking Soobin what he was doing? Was he interested in him? Yeonjun supposed that he understood, he would be lying to himself if he assumed he was the only one attracted to Soobin. But still, he liked to pretend. He took a deep breath, pretending to be reading the announcement board as he continued to eavesdrop. He heard Soobin’s gentle voice tell Yunho that he wasn’t doing anything, which was both good and bad news. Good, because now Yeonjun knew he would be free, and bad because Yunho was going to beat him to the punch.
Yunho said something about possibly hanging out, and Yeonjun clenched his jaw as he heard the unmistakable sound of numbers being exchanged. That was supposed to him, goddammit. Fucking Jeong Yunho ruining his life. When he heard the boy walk away, he peeked over his shoulder to see Soobin staring at his phone, blinking a few times. He glanced at Yunho’s retreating form, a bit of a distraught look on his face. And Yeonjun had had enough.
He put a smile on his face and spun around, going straight up to Soobin. “Soobinie!” he cried out, flashing his teeth. Be yourself, Beomgyu’s voice rang in his mind. He immediately softened his expression, turning off the charm and smiling gently instead. Soobin’s head snapped up from his phone, and he blushed a little as he smiled back at Yeonjun. “Oh, hello Yeonjun-hyung, how are you?” he asked. Yeonjun smiled more, adjusting his backpack. “I’m really looking forward to break, honestly,” he said. If there was a double-meaning to that, only he knew it.
Soobin giggled, his dimples showing. Yeonjun did his best not to pass out. “Yeah, me too,” he said. Yeonjun just kept smiling, mind racing trying to find an appropriate way to ask Soobin if he was free considering his plan had been ruined by stupid Yunho and now he was having to improvise. It was okay though, he was good at improvising. He decided to just come right out with it, no sense in avoiding it for no reason. “Do you have any fun plans?” he asked. Soobin’s eyes widened a bit, no doubt in surprise from having been asked twice what his plans were within in a short time span. He blushed again, before shaking his head, looking down. “Um, not really,” he replied quietly.
Yeonjun nodded, looking around him at the sparse hallways. A few students still lingered, but most had cleared out already. That was better, after all. “Me either,” he said, making light conversation. “I was thinking of driving down to Seoul to see that one art installation they have but it’s kind of far,” he said casually. He wasn’t lying either, he really was wanting to go see it, but he also did kind of hope maybe Soobin would be interested too. He knew that the boy liked art, but he didn’t know how he’d feel about a two-hour drive with someone he was really just acquaintances with.
But Yeonjun’s heart soared as he saw Soobin’s face light up. The taller smiled brightly and nodded quickly, clutching his books tighter. “That looks so cool!” he exclaimed excitedly, voice raising in volume a bit. Yeonjun’s face split into a grin, and he jumped on the opportunity. “Wait, do you want to go with me? None of my friends care enough, plus they’re way too annoying to spend two hours in a car with,” he said, laughing a little. He settled his gaze on Soobin, trying not to freak out too much when he saw the boy turn red all the way to his ears, eyes wide. He blinked a few times, gulping enough that Yeonjun could see his Adam’s apple bob.
“Really? It’s okay, I don’t want to intrude or anything,” he replied, voice quiet again. Yeonjun laughed, shaking his head as he stepped closer. “You’re not intruding, Soobin-ah, I’m inviting you! I want you to come!” he said, the excitement growing in his voice. It was actually happening, he was actually asking Soobin out and he wasn’t getting rejected. And okay, maybe he wasn’t asking him out on a date per se, but it was close enough! The two of them alone on a trip to the city, Yeonjun couldn’t be happier. Soobin stared at Yeonjun, before smiling a little, and finally nodding. “Okay, then, yeah, I’d love to,” he said.
Yeonjun literally squealed, rushing forward and hugging Soobin despite all of the books between them. It was awkward, but his cheek brushed Soobin’s for a moment and that all that mattered. “Great! I’m so excited!” he said, withdrawing and clapping his hands. Soobin laughed, shuffling on his feet a bit. “Thank you for inviting me,” he replied, eyes bright. Yeonjun waved it off, pulling out his phone to check the time. “We can figure out a day and everything tomorrow, okay?” he suggested. Soobin nodded, still smiling, and wow Yeonjun couldn’t believe it had actually all worked out. He was going to Seoul and with the best person in the entire world. He didn’t know how he was supposed to survive the next few days waiting, but now that he had an excuse to text Soobin and make plans maybe he would be alright.
He took a step back then, holding up his hands. “I’ll let you go now, I’m sorry if I kept you from anything,” he said. It was only then that it dawned on him. He paled as he yanked his phone out, checking the time again. “Fuck,” he hissed, seeing how late it was. His head snapped up and he grabbed Soobin’s elbow without thinking about it. “You missed your bus, I made you miss your bus, I’m so sorry!” he shrieked. He was so stupid, there was a reason he had planned to ask Soobin out during lunch, because he knew the boy caught the early bus to get home. But in his crisis he was only thinking of himself and he had unknowingly kept Soobin for too long.
Soobin gasped, quickly shaking his head and stepping forward in Yeonjun’s distress. “No, hyung, it’s okay! I can just call Hyuka, it’s really fine,” he reassured. Yeonjun looked at him, before shaking his head, lifting his chin. “This is my fault, Soobin-ah,” he said nobly. “I will give you a ride, come on,” He turned, starting to walk towards the exits. He was freaking out again, not prepared for this, but certainly not opposed. He looked over his shoulder to see Soobin hesitating, and he giggled, waving his hand. “Come on! I have to see if you’re a good driving partner anyway!” he encouraged. He got an answering laugh, and he smiled to himself as Soobin sped up to walk with him. “Thank you, hyung, you really didn’t have to do this,” Soobin thanked again, looking over at Yeonjun.
Yeonjun shook his head, throwing his arm over Soobin’s shoulders. He cried a little on the inside because wow he had wanted to do that for so long. “It’s not a problem, so shush,” he said. Soobin smiled, nodding and letting Yeonjun walk them to his car. He unlocked it as they approached, and he tossed his own backpack into his backseat. Soobin carefully sat his books down in the other seat, before resting his backpack on the floor in front of them. Yeonjun fell into the driver’s seat, turning the car on and starting the heat. Soobin got in next, and Yeonjun giggled as the boy had to adjust his seat to accommodate for his very long legs. Soobin blushed, and Yeonjun knew he was going to apologise so he cut him off before he could.
“I love how tall you are, even though I am also very jealous,” he blurted out. And then he immediately put the car in reverse and backed out because why did he just say that? Soobin only laughed, buckling his seatbelt. “It’s an inconvenience more than anything,” he replied. Yeonjun scoffed, switching the gear to drive and accelerating forward out of the parking lot. “I hope I grow a few more centimetres before graduation,” he said. Soobin giggled, sitting up a bit. “Turn left at the light, by the way,” he directed. Yeonjun nodded, safely swerving into the turning lane. “Hey, hyung?” Soobin asked as they came to a stop.
Yeonjun hummed, looking over at him. He looked really beautiful in the sunlight, and Yeonjun still couldn’t quite believe he was in his car. Beomgyu and Taehyun were going to die when he told them. Soobin smiled a bit, leaning a bit closer. “How did you know what bus I took home?”
Okay, scratch that. Yeonjun was the one who was going to die.