Chapter Text
Wonwoo would like to think he handled conflict well.
Being the president of the school paper meant that he had to be prepared for conflict. Whether it was conflict with the words he wrote or his fellow writers hating their own articles, he had to be able to handle it. He considered himself well prepared for every possible stone college threw his way.
Unless that stone was six foot two and captain of the soccer team.
As the sun seeped through the windows of the library, Wonwoo flipped another page of his textbook. A golden hue flowed through the windows and reflected off of the pages. The library was cast in an amber haze, similar to that of a fire.
But it wasn’t a fire.
Rust-colored leaves fell from the trees in the courtyard. Numerous students laid under the trees and were covered in the classic signature of fall. Some students laughed, some pouted. And some simply closed their laptops and began to pack their things.
Fall was such a beautiful season. A season filled with pumpkins and every shade of orange, red, and brown. Every store would begin to sell copious amounts of candy along with horror toys. Songs about falling in love in the fall would be released. The students soaked it up.
It was also when students came back to class and the school press went into full-drive.
A whiff of pumpkin spice greeted his nose, dragging Wonwoo out of his focus. He looked up and bumped his nose against plastic.
“My god,” his friend groaned. His blonde hair fell over his eyes, shielding him from the harsh glow of the golden hour. A white oversized hoodie hugged his small stature. He was smiling, a sight that Wonwoo hadn’t seen in a few days. “Why are you staring? Take the damn coffee!”
“Hello, Jihoon,” Wonwoo chuckled as the latte was dropped onto the table. Jihoon took the only remaining chair left at the table and sighed, relaxing into the cushion.
“That was quite the article you wrote. I applaud you for it. No one really knows how to react.”
“Let’s start it with that,” Wonwoo sighed. He knew that he would have backlash. He would have annoyance and anger. It was expected: targeting the campus sweetheart with an opinion piece was a bold move.
“He tested me. What was I supposed to do? Sit back and do nothing?”
“Yes!” Jihoon yelled. A loud ‘shut up’ came from somewhere in the building’s 14th floor. Jihoon leaned in. “You deal with it like an adult. You don’t go and write an article about how two-faced he is!”
“It’s not about him being two-faced. I don’t want someone who didn’t read it to try and lecture me.”
“Yes, it is about him being two-faced! You literally wrote,” the younger started. He pulled out his phone and began to read. “Kim Mingyu, a second-year soccer captain, is known for stealing hearts across campus. After all, being a two-faced imbecile has its perks.”
The blonde shook his head and stretched his neck.
“You’re only making it worse on yourself. What he did made him a dick. I agree. But I think you took it too far.”
Jihoon’s hoodie dropped an inch, revealing pink and purple bruises around his collarbone. Wonwoo smirked. His paper wasn’t the only reason why Jihoon was looking for him.
Jihoon was in his second year with Wonwoo. When the younger approached him at his table during orientation, it wasn’t the kindest greeting. Jihoon had slammed his textbooks against the table with a wail and a ‘you’re my friend now’. Two years later, Wonwoo couldn’t imagine life without him.
“Like how you took it too far during your first fight with Soonyoung?”
Soonyoung came into Jihoon’s life shortly after their first semester in their first year. Being a dance major, Soonyoung was the epitome of unexpected. He was chaotic and annoying. Too loud. He made it his monthly task to anger Wonwoo in some form.
But if Jihoon ever needed him, Soonyoung would run through barbed wire to get there in time.
“That is not my point, Jeon Wonwoo!”
“Remember when you and Soonyoung fought every week,” Wonwoo said. He looked back to the window to see a group of girls throwing leaves at each other. One of the girls began putting the leaves in bags, giving her friends a mischievous smile.
“You say the most random things,” Jihoon replied. He put his head on his hand and joined Wonwoo in gazing out the window. “But yeah. We didn’t fit well at first. I’m glad that’s changed.”
“I’m glad that you’re glad.”
Jihoon left shortly after the sun had set. Wonwoo considered joining him, but he couldn’t. He had a stop to make before he decided to enter the dormitories of Carat University. Perhaps the stop was a bad idea, considering the article he had published the day before.
It’d be fine.
The ebony haired man pushed the door open, revealing a room filled with bean bags and couches. A table with microphones and a lamp sat in the center of the room. The school paper occasionally had podcasts with famous professors, but it had not happened recently.
He kept the lights off as he searched the room for his computer. It had to be under one of the beanbags. If not there, then under the table.
Nowhere.
His breath began to come out in sharp pants. His hands shook as he tossed items on top of eachother, desperate to find the electronic. The rose gold laptop stuck out like a sore thumb; it shouldn't be that hard to find.
Wonwoo shoved the couch against the wall to reveal a tan note, taped to the floor. He adjusted his glasses and brought the note up to reading level.
Two can play at this game.
Love, Mingyu
“This bitch stole my computer.”