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It wasn't supposed to be like this.
Cale Henituse hates attention. He would rather live in a secluded mountain – with his money – than getting unwanted recognition from his schoolmates.
Entering Roan Academy, he planned to stay as quiet as possible and stay away from being on the center of the stage where the spotlight lands. It failed.
Why did it fail? Being friends with the famous student, Choi Han, definitely did not help with his plan. And with grades that go through the roof, surely he wouldn't get attention – obviously sarcasm.
And now, he was forced to play a ridiculous game that provided little more than light embarrassment and entertainment while the teacher was away.
Truth or Dare. Such a basic game is frequently exploited in order to get under someone's skin. The class erupted in applause when the name was mentioned, and the bottle was spinned. They gathered around, secretly tilting chairs to the rear of the class, and the game began.
It started out simply enough. Minor truths and dares included letting other players go through your phone for a minute or act as a chicken until your next turn. The longer they played, though, the more daring the students became.
Fortunately, Cale has yet to be pointed at the spinning bottle. Or unfortunately, the longer he didn't get picked, the bolder the truth or dare would be when his time comes. Especially he doesn't want to reject as there will be consequences, which will be a lot worse, that he won't be able to refuse.
Then came Choi Han's turn. A lot of students gained more vigor and Cale is sure that in their minds, they are thinking of the most ridiculous questions or dares they can think of.
"Choi Han, truth or dare?" Cale raised his head from the desk, watching students flock to Choi Han.
It can't be helped. Choi Han is one of, if not the, most popular student in the Academy. He has the looks, is boyfriend material, and has great athletic ability that made him win multiple awards. Someone like that is bound to be in the center of attention like a protagonist.
The said student smiled brightly and said, "Dare."
Most students look at each other and have a smug and excited look on their face. Things will be interesting. Even Cale is interested.
A girl, then, raised her hand and shouted, "Kiss someone's girlfriend!"
"Argh. . ." A lot of people frowned. Some because of how ridiculous the dare was and some because they missed the chance to be the one to dare Choi Han.
Everyone looked at Choi Han who has a troubled face. "W-what? I can't do that." He refused, shaking both his hands.
Cale nodded, but it went unnoticed. Kissing someone might be okay but kissing someone's girlfriend is definitely over the line. That's cheating. Is that girl dumb or stupid? Maybe both.
"Right! It's disrespectful!" The girl who suggested the dare got pried on by the other students. She didn't care, though.
After a while, the students settled and a boy continued. "Since Choi Han refused, there will be a consequence."
Choi Han forced a smile, hoping it wouldn't be as bad as, if not worse than, the first one.
"Then how about kissing the person you like?"
Choi Han became flustered, cheeks turning slightly red, which caused students to scream to cheer him up.
"A-alright."
Girls, specifically those who like the student, started preparing themselves. As if thinking – or more like wishing – that it's them that Choi Han likes.
Choi Hain kissing someone. Just the thought of it makes Cale's heart ache. Yes, he likes the guy. Why? Because the said guy is always there for him and makes him happy. That's the reason he keeps being close with Choi Han even if it garners him the attention he dislikes.
He smiled bitterly, patiently waiting for the game to just end so that he could finally leave.
Choi Han stood up from his seat, started walking towards the person he likes. Cale didn't want to look. Thinking about it hurts, how much more would it be if he saw it directly.
At that point, he felt a rough but warm hand holding his chin, lifting up his face. There, Choi Han is standing, face red that seems to compete with Cale's hair.
Choi Han bent down and kissed him on the lips. All of his concentration was drawn to the push and pull of lips as he froze, the voices of everyone clamoring dropping dead ears. The sensation of being slightly chapped and warm sent him off.
His first kiss was stolen by the very same guy he wanted to give it to.
What felt like hours was just a few seconds kiss. When their lips separated, Cale couldn't think rationally. His lips felt warm, but his body was frozen in place.
Choi Han backed away and was swarmed by the boys that made them kiss, yelling in surprise by the sudden revelation that he likes Cale. It made them roar like wild animals that escaped from a zoo.
Cale then looks for the source of stares full of contempt that's directed to him. It was the girls who liked Choi Han. Especially the girl who dared the first dare. Ah, right, she's taken. Cale realized that the girl probably made that dare expecting Choi Han to kiss her.
He became aware of the satisfaction he's feeling but only for a short time when Choi Han's gaze met his. He gets up from his seat, the ends of it screeching against the floor. Ignoring the shouts of his name, he fled away from the room into the long hallways of school.
He hides himself in an empty classroom. After locking the door, his feet brought him to the small space underneath a table. He hugged his folded knees and placed his blushing face above it.
His heart keeps beating incessantly as if it wanted to rip and come out of his ribcage.
"Choi Han, you idiot."
He spent the next few days avoiding Choi Han. Just at the sight of the latter's black hair, he runs off to the other side of the building. He takes a long detour just to avoid walking the same way as Choi Han. And when they are in the same classroom, he sits very far away from him.
Rumors from what happened already started circulating around the school. The attention he's been getting doubled. Wanting to avoid even that, he spends his time in the empty classroom he used the day that happened.
At first, he wanted to stay at the Student Council's Room where his hyung, Alberu, at because students aren't allowed there but then he realized that the very person he's avoiding is part of the council.
Taking a bite from his food, Cale stares blankly at the air. He started thinking about anything just to keep himself thinking about that guy. He kept failing, though.
He heaved a sigh and decided to stop eating because he has no appetite. He then heard a 'click' sound. He flinched at the sound of the door opening. 'What? I'm sure I locked it.'
He stopped breathing, and squeezed himself. It must be a knight, checking each room. As long as he doesn't get caught, it will be fine.
He heard the steps getting louder, signaling that the knight is getting closer. His heart started beating fast, sweats formed on his face. He released the breath he held and closed his eyes tightly. Hugging himself.
The sound of footsteps stopped. He opened his eyes and what he saw was a pair of shoes. He wanted to cry. He brushed his hand against his face. He got caught.
He felt the stranger move which made him remove his hands away from his face to look at the guy. He didn't know what to feel. Relief or shock. He didn't expect to see Choi Han kneeling in front of him with a sad gaze.
His eyes widened, and he tried to push Choi Han, wanting to escape from here. But the latter used each of his hands to hold Cale's in place. Being the weak person he was, Choi Han didn't even budge when Cale attempted to release his hand from Choi Han's.
"Cale-nim." He relaxed a bit at the soft and warm voice. The hands holding him are slightly loosen.
Choi Han leaned closer but Cale tilted his face to the side, keeping his gaze away from the former's.
"Cale-nim, please. . stop avoiding me." 'Why? Why does his voice sound so sad? Does he really like me?'
"Why?" He thanked himself for not stuttering.
"Do you really not know?" He slowly stared at Choi Han. He felt Choi Han's hands freeing his hands and moving to cup his face.
"I like you, Cale-nim. Very much." They both stared at each other. Both faces are reddened. The sunlight passing through the window lands on them.
'Beautiful'. They both thought.
"e. . too." Choi Han leaned closer, not hearing Cale's response.
"Pardon?"
"M-me too. I. . like you." Choi Han leaned back, observing Cale's cheek became more tinted.
He can't help but smile. 'Finally.' He started liking Cale a long time ago. When they first met, his first thought was 'Pretty.' Cale's red hair really matched his pale skin and thin body. He's both beautiful and handsome. Choi Han never met someone as pretty as him.
His curiosity led him to observe Cale and his gaze never left the red-haired guy. He learned a lot of things about him. About how Cale has three adopted children. About Cale's likes and dislikes. And he learned that Cale is a good person, contrary to what others and the person itself say.
At first, he just wanted to become closer to him, that's why he befriended him. He's happy when Cale is happy. Being with Cale really made his life exciting and he felt content. He wanted to make the person happy and made an effort for that to happen. He realized that he likes Cale.
He decided to hide his feelings, not wanting to scare Cale away. But as time passed, his feelings kept growing and he started feeling jealous whenever some person confessed to Cale.
He can't even confess, so how dare they? He knows he sounds ridiculous but he can't help it. He really likes Cale. It might be more than just like.
That's why when the opportunity came, that being when he's dared to kiss the person he likes, he grabbed it. But it seemed that he just made Cale uncomfortable. He knows that Cale dislikes fame but he did something like that.
He didn't want Cale to keep avoiding him and that's what led to this love confession. Thanks to heaven that the feelings are mutual.
He leaned closer to Cale. "May I?" He did it a few days ago, but he wanted to kiss Cale more.
Cale nodded and Choi Han wasted no time and immediately pressed their lips together. A soft kiss, his lips brushed Cale's, softly, delicately, like rain, yet it sent sparks like lightning. Just long enough that he could inhale his breath, feel the warmth of his skin, and the sweet taste of his lips.
When they pulled away from each other, they both felt empty but satisfied. Their gazes to each other are full of warmth and love.
"Let's go, Cale-nim?" Choi Han offered his hand to help Cale stand up. The latter stands up and kisses the former's cheeks. Both the ends of their smiles are reaching their ears.
Really, it was just a dare to kiss but it ended up like this. It's not a bad thing, though. All hidden feelings started revealing themselves. And now, they are finally honest to each other. The truth of their feelings are now apparent to each other.