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~ Soobin’s POV ~
Being the smartest first-year at Hybe High School is no easy feat.
Like any top student, Soobin pours his body, mind, and heart into studying. Fortunately, he often finds himself enjoying his classes more than others. He is, as his best friend Huening Kai calls him, the typical class nerd whose nose is always buried in a book. The tall boy with thick-rimmed glasses always listens to his teachers, even during the most boring of lectures.
One would think his classmates would call him names like a smartass and the like for being such a know-it-all. But luckily, he receives nothing but praise and respect from his peers for being not just smart, but also undeniably kind, gentle, and benevolent.
He always offers a helping hand to anyone in need, making almost everyone fall for his generosity and shy nature. The girls noted that his introversion further adds to his charms. If anything, he was the ideal boyfriend. However, he isn’t perfect because he has one major weakness - Mathematics.
Kai is always baffled by his best friend’s juxtaposition. Regardless of how smart Soobin is, his mortal enemy is one with numbers. Even Soobin himself couldn’t explain it.
For Soobin, he hates numbers almost as much as he hates Physical Education. Still, he tries to at least appear interested in both but most often, his mind floats around and ends up staying there for the rest of the class.
Today was no different. Soobin could do anything but focus on the Math lecture happening in front of him. Fortunately, the tall boy developed an interesting activity to pass the time while making it look like he was taking down notes.
Soobin pulled out a sky-blue notebook from his bag and started scribbling. Specifically, a name.
Choi Yeonjun.
The moment he wrote out his name amidst the multitude of CYJs already written on the page in different sizes, fonts, and colors, Soobin couldn’t help the smile that teased his lips.
It felt like it was only yesterday when he started this little pastime of his. When in fact, he’s been doing this for the past month.
And he had a very good reason. After all, Choi Yeonjun was Soobin’s secret crush since Day 1.
– Opening Ceremony –
Of all the days to wake up late, Soobin just had to pick the day of his high school’s opening ceremony.
Upon realizing that he only had twenty minutes left to get to school, Soobin scrambled out of bed and took the quickest shower of his life, all while cursing at himself for setting his alarm to PM instead of AM last night.
As soon as he got dressed, he just grabbed a piece of bread and slapped some jam on it before bidding his parents goodbye and running out of his house.
Like the devil was hot on his tail, Soobin sprinted to get to Hybe High School, cleverly maneuvering his large stature amidst the busy crowd on the streets. Fortunately, his school was relatively close and his legs were exceedingly long for a 16-year old so his strides took him far.
The moment he stepped past the school’s metal grill gates, the deafening ring of the bell blared across the courtyard, announcing the beginning of the ceremony. Cursing for good measure, Soobin took in a deep breath before he broke into a run once more to get to the gymnasium.
There is one major problem though. Soobin absolutely has no idea where the gymnasium was located! It was his first time on campus after all. His original plan was to arrive early and just follow where everybody was heading, but that went down the drain the moment he woke up late.
Great. What a way to start your first year in high school, Choi Soobin , the tall boy scolded himself as he stood in the middle of the main building. How is he supposed to get to the ceremony now?
“Hey, are you lost?” a silky voice said from behind.
Soobin quickly whipped his head back like a burglar caught red-handed. The moment he did, he met the most handsome boy he has ever laid eyes on.
Sporting a thick tuft of black hair with blond streaks parted in the middle and two silver hoops on both ears, the handsome boy stood in front of Soobin with a confident stance, looking at him with an amused glint in his fox-like eyes and a lopsided grin on his plump cupid’s bow lips.
Wow . He looked like he was ripped straight out of a teen model magazine, Soobin thought. He was just that good-looking. Everything about him screamed gorgeous. Surely, the universe had its favorites.
Soobin had to blink at least ten times to realize that the person standing in front of him was real and not a figment of his imagination. He then noticed a beat later that the boy was wearing the same uniform as he was.
Relieved that he wasn’t the only one in the empty hall, Soobin visibly relaxed and faced him entirely. Just as he opened his mouth to reply, he suddenly couldn’t find any words to say to the handsome tall fellow for some reason. (Yes, he was tall. Not as tall as Soobin, but tall nonetheless.) As a result, his mouth just opened and closed like a fish.
Soobin heard the boy chuckle and the sound was so deep, it had Soobin biting the inside of his cheek. He found it so adorable yet sexy at the same time. How is this gorgeous specimen a high schooler like him?
“Gonna give me an answer, dimples?” the stranger asked, pocketing his right hand on his pants.
Soobin was taken aback by the sudden nickname. Was he showing his dimples while standing dumbstruck? Frazzled, Soobin unbit his cheek and pushed his glasses up, averting his eyes from the intense gaze of the handsome fellow.
“Um, yes, actually. I’m, uh, heading to the gymnasium for the opening ceremony, but I don’t know where it is. I arrived late so I couldn't follow anybody. I’m a freshman so it’s my first time here,” Soobin admitted, feeling his cheeks get warmer at his admission.
Soobin heard another chuckle but was by no means condescending. He snuck a quick peek and saw that the handsome boy was still staring at him with an amused expression. Soobin had to swallow and avert his eyes once more, knowing full well that he was now blushing like a ripe tomato.
“The gymnasium is just behind this building. Come on, I’ll take you there,” he said as he turned around and gestured to Soobin to follow him. And follow him, Soobin did.
They walked in comfortable silence with Soobin trailing behind him like an obedient dog. Within two minutes, they arrived in front of a large building with a dome-like roof.
“Here we are,” said the handsome boy as he turned back to face Soobin, pointing to the double doors with his hand.
“Thank you! You’re a lifesaver,” Soobin blurted, a wide grin on his face.
The beautiful stranger flashed him a smile and Soobin thought the boy couldn’t get any more handsome. He was wrong – so wrong .
With nothing but a genuine smile on his already gorgeous face, the fellow really looked like he belonged in a fashion magazine, posing with his perfect features and physique.
Soobin couldn’t help but stare at his beauty, which the latter noticed as his brows rose up.
“Got a name, dimples?” he asked, gazing at Soobin like he found him interesting.
There’s that nickname again. Not used to getting attention from a handsome boy like him and talking to them for more than five minutes, Soobin cast his eyes down to prevent himself from combusting then and there. “My name’s Choi Soobin,” the tall boy replied with reddening cheeks.
“Choi Soobin,” the boy repeated, almost as if testing it on his lips. And Soobin wouldn’t dare admit it to himself, but he liked his name on the beautiful boy’s mouth. “I like it. It suits you,” he said grinning.
A corner of Soobin’s lips lifted up at the boy’s comment. Mustering up the courage to ask him for his name, Soobin lifted his gaze to meet the boy’s eyes.
“May I know yours? Only if that’s okay with you, of course. I just want to thank you properly,” Soobin rambled nervously, wringing his hands in front of him.
The boy’s grin got wider as he took a step closer to Soobin until he was only an arm’s length away. “I’m Choi Yeonjun. Nice to meet you, Soobin-ah. And that’s sunbaenim for you,” he said as he ruffled Soobin’s hair before beginning to walk away.
Soobin stood frozen in place after receiving the unexpected gesture. His heart began to beat faster in his chest as warmth spread all across his body. Snapping back into reality a heartbeat later, he turned around to thank his savior. “Thank you, Yeonjun-sunbaenim,” he said in a hurry.
Yeonjun waved goodbye without turning back. “See you around, Soobin-ah.”
Soobin waved back even though the older boy had already rounded the corner, disappearing from his sight.
“You too, Yeonjun-sunbaenim,” replied Soobin, almost like a whisper in the air. He could still hear his heart thumping loudly in his ears. Soobin placed a hand over his pounding heart to calm it down before he entered the gymnasium, albeit secretively.
From that moment on, Soobin has developed a crush on Hybe High School’s most popular It boy.
– Present Day –
“So, when are you going to ask Yeonjun-sunbaenim out?” Kai asked Soobin innocently while they were eating lunch in the cafeteria.
Surprised by his friend’s sudden inquiry, Soobin couldn’t help but choke and cough out bits of food he was chewing. Kai offered him a glass of water while laughing hysterically at Soobin’s reaction. The taller boy pounded on his chest and downed the water to regain his bearings.
“I-I d-don’t know w-what y-you’re talking a-about,” Soobin stuttered, all while blushing with worried eyes as he scanned the room, hoping that no one heard what Kai just asked.
“Relax, Soobinnie. No one heard me,” Kai quickly assured him with a teasing smile. “And you know exactly what I’m talking about. I saw you writing in your private notebook during Math, which could only mean one thing – Choi Yeonjun.” Kai wiggled his brows playfully, a grin plastered on his cherubic face.
“Will you keep your voice down?” Soobin hissed. Kai, that punk, just shrugged his shoulders as his grin got wider.
Heat began to blossom in Soobin’s cheeks as he continued. “For your information, I have no intentions of asking him out,” he said in a hushed tone while averting his gaze, shoving a spoonful of rice into his mouth.
His best friend looked at him incredulously. “Why not?”
“Because he’s the Choi Yeonjun, and I’m just… me,” Soobin replied as if that was the most obvious answer in the world.
Kai frowned at him as he asked, “What’s that supposed to mean?”
It was Soobin’s turn to look at Kai in disbelief. “Oh please, you know exactly what I’m talking about.” He used the exact same words that his best friend said a minute ago.
Genuinely confused, Kai shook his head. “I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about. You’re not going to ask him out because you’re you? The top 1 in our year who’s not only smart, but also kind, humble, and handsome? You mean that you?”
Blushing from his friend’s sudden praise, Soobin cleared his throat as he schooled his expression. “While I appreciate your vote of confidence, Hyuka, I’m a nobody to people like Choi Yeonjun-sunbaenim. Not only is he the captain of our school’s basketball varsity team, but he’s also Hybe’s most popular It boy. He literally has the whole school in the palm of his hands. He commands people with just one look and a crook of a finger. Plus, he’s most likely to surround himself with people like him, and I’m clearly not one of those people. Heck, I doubt he even remembers me at this point,” said Soobin with a sad smile, biting his cheek at the end out of nerves.
His words seem to have rendered his best friend speechless as he just stared at Soobin unblinkingly. Just as Kai was about to say something in return, the bell rang loudly in the cafeteria, signaling the end of their lunch break.
Both boys quickly shoved their food into their mouths and hastily picked up their bags and trays to deposit the latter at the station before exiting the cafeteria with the rest of the student body.
Unbeknownst to Soobin, his sky-blue notebook fell from his backpack while he was hurrying back. Now, it lies alone on top of the table he was occupying mere moments ago.
That is until someone picked it up.
~ Yeonjun’s POV ~
Sitting on one of the benches in the gymnasium, Yeonjun flipped through the pages of a sky-blue notebook he picked up from the cafeteria.
On a normal day, Yeonjun would’ve left it at the lost-and-found box near the faculty to help the poor soul retrieve his belongings. However, the moment that Yeonjun saw the name Choi Soobin written on the cover, he decided to keep it for the day and return it himself once classes end.
Ever since the Opening Ceremony, Yeonjun grew more and more curious about the tall first-year with dimples and glasses. He later found out from Taehyun, a first-year student who recently became part of their basketball team, that Soobin was the smartest one in their batch.
It suited him , Yeonjun thought when he heard about it. One look at Soobin and anyone could tell he holds so much intelligence in his eyes.
But, it doesn’t stop there. Taehyun also told Yeonjun that Soobin was the nicest and frankly, the shyest person he’s ever met. Although they weren’t from the same class, the first-years have the same PE schedule and Taehyun noted that Soobin would always be the first one to offer any kind of help to his batchmates
Could he get any more adorable? Yeonjun thought with a smile.
Yeonjun promised himself that he wouldn't read the contents of Soobin’s notebook because it might contain some private thoughts that the latter wouldn’t want anyone to know. But, curiosity got the best of him.
So now, the older boy was scanning the pages of the notebook with as little interest as he could. But when he reached the last few pages, he stumbled upon a particular section with some very interesting scribbles.
Scribbles of his name to be exact – all in different colors, fonts, styles, and sizes.
This got Yeonjun feeling giddy all over. His heart picked up pace as he traced his fingertips across the doodled page with nothing but his name.
Not to brag, but Yeonjun knew he was attractive. Everyone says so. Hence, it wasn’t new for Yeonjun to have a couple of admirers here and there. And truth be told, Yeonjun had little to no interest in any of them. He never entertained their advances and did his best to gently reject them without hurting them or downplaying their feelings.
But knowing that the dimpled boy he couldn’t get out of his mind since day one was scribbling his name in his notebook had Yeonjun feeling something new – something he never felt before. Like ocean waves crashing into the shore, strong and consistent.
Did Soobin think of him as much as he did? Was their first meeting just as memorable for Soobin as it was for him?
His thoughts were interrupted by none other than his best friend, Beomgyu, who plopped down beside him, sweating furiously after several rounds of shooting hoops.
“Whatchu reading there, Junnie?” he asked, tilting his head towards the notebook to get a better look.
Not wanting to divulge Soobin’s private thoughts to anyone but himself, Yeonjun immediately closed the notebook and placed it on his lap. “Nothing that concerns you,” he replied with a wide smile.
Beomgyu just rolled his eyes as he leaned back and rested his elbows behind him. “I already saw Soobin’s name on the front cover so there’s no point in hiding it, Choi,” he commented teasingly. “Is he the same Soobin you’ve been eyeing since the start of the semester?”
While Yeonjun was utterly surprised that Beomgyu already caught on to him, he didn’t let it show on his face. As passively as he could, he replied nonchalantly with his signature smile.
“To recruit? Yes. I mean, have you seen how tall he is? He’s definitely going to make a great asset to the team,” replied Yeonjun, wanting to divert his friend’s attention from his apparent attraction to the younger boy.
“Riiiight~ And this has nothing to do with how cute you find him or how you once said he resembled a bunny with dimples?” Beomgyu drawled playfully, quirking a brow in Yeonjun’s direction.
“Soobin being cute is a bonus. His dimples make it more so,” noted Yeonjun, a smile teasing his lips at remembering how deep Soobin’s dimples were when they first met.
“Whatever you say, Junnie. Let me just ask you this then, why haven’t you asked him out yet?” Beomgyu shot him a serious look, his eyes unblinking as he waited for his best friend to answer.
“Believe me, I want to,” Yeonjun quickly retorted. The sophomore has been contemplating approaching Soobin and asking him out for quite a while now, but he didn’t want to scare the younger boy away with his intensity. They’ve only met once and Yeonjun hardly had any encounters with Soobin, except for times when he sees him passing by the hallways. “He’s just too pure that I’m afraid I’ll corrupt him if he gets involved with me.”
Yeonjun was staring at the notebook in his hand with a longing look and a ghost of a smile, not realizing Beomgyu was regarding him with a bemused expression. His best friend wanted nothing more than to contradict his words.
Beomgyu has known his best friend since childhood and he knows him all too well. While Yeonjun may appear to be the most confident and perfect ace in the whole school, he has the softest heart that deserves a pure soul like Soobin. And Beomgyu was determined to help him get just that. All he needed was to push him in the right direction with a few words that he knows will rattle the formidable Choi Yeonjun.
Beomgyu let out a low hum in acknowledgment of Yeonjun’s answer. “Well, if you say so, but I wouldn’t stall too long if I were you. If you don’t make a move now, Soobin may be taken off the market sooner than you think.” He dropped the bait and waited for Yeonjun to bite.
Much to his expectations, Yeonjun snapped his head in his direction, his eyes ablaze with a certain glint – a look Beomgyu had only seen when Yeonjun was growing serious. A frown formed on his face as he asked, “What do you mean?”
Beomgyu smirked mentally as he riled up his best friend once more with sensitive words. “I’m just saying, Taehyun mentioned before that every freshman more or less wants to get into Soobin’s pants. Who knows? Someone confident may come along and swoop the innocent Soobin away,” taunted Beomgyu as he shrugged his shoulders.
The whole bit did not sit well with Yeonjun. Call him selfish but he didn’t want anyone imagining doing things to Soobin in that manner. Soobin was an angel-incarnate. The younger boy deserves nothing but sweet words, gestures, and treatment. Nothing of the carnal sort.
He may not be worthy of Soobin, but he sure as hell knows anyone who thought of Soobin as only someone to conquer did not deserve a grain of Soobin’s time and attention.
Soobin should be with someone who gives him hugs and kisses, makes him laugh, pokes his dimples, and bask in his gentle alluring presence. All of which Yeonjun wanted to do with Soobin. And he’ll be damned if he lets anyone do that to Soobin.
A deep green emotion planted itself in Yeonjun’s mind as he gripped the notebook tight in his hand, his knuckles turning paler with how tight his grip was. His frown deepened as his thoughts ran wild.
Beomgyu noted Yeonjun’s reaction with a victorious grin. “I see that gleam in your eyes, Junnie. What are you going to do now?” He baited once more as a final push to get Yeonjun acting.
Yeonjun stood up with a strong determination blooming in his heart and mind. “I need to go see Soobin.”
Beomgyu flashed him a toothy grin and patted his shoulder for encouragement. “Go get your bunny, tiger.”
With a nod to his best friend, Yeonjun headed towards the first floor to where the freshmen rooms were and waited outside of 1-A, his mind dead-set on asking Soobin out before regret and what-ifs consumed him.
~ Soobin’s POV ~
The dismissal bell rang and everyone in the class let out relieved exclaims as their final class ended.
Soobin was stuffing his notebook and pens in his bag when he noticed that his sky-blue notebook was missing. He rummaged through the entirety of his bag and came to the realization that his notebook was missing – his notebook filled with his private thoughts and pages of Yeonjun’s name scribbled all over it.
It felt like his heart stopped beating for a split second before it came back with a painful vengeance. Soobin was now panicking as he looked once more inside his bag, hoping that his notebook would somehow miraculously appear out of thin air.
Oh, god. What if it fell from my bag when we were rushing back to class from the cafeteria? Soobin froze at this sudden thought.
Kai noticed his anxious behavior, coupled with his strained expression, and walked up to him with a concerned look. “Soobin-ah, what’s wrong?” he asked tentatively.
Soobin looked up at him with glossy eyes, tears threatening to spill at any moment. “Hyuka, my notebook. I-it’s m-missing, I-I can’t f-find it a-anywhere,” he managed to say, all while trying to keep his tears at bay as he bit his lips. Kai knew exactly what notebook he was referring to.
What if someone picked it up and read it? Nobody in the school knew of his orientation nor his crush on Hybe’s famous Choi Yeonjun.
Soobin’s name is literally on the cover so if the stranger decides to broadcast his writings, Soobin can kiss his normal high school days goodbye. Then Yeonjun would know and end up resenting him.
Soobin thought he might as well crawl under a rock if that were to happen. The last high school memory he wanted to have was for his crush to remember him as the weird gay admirer who obsessed over him in his notebook.
It was getting harder to breathe now and Kai noticed this immediately. He tried calming Soobin down with a firm grip on his shoulders. “Bin-ah, calm down. Breathe with me. In. Out. In. Out. That’s it. Long deep breaths, come on.” Kai tried his best to keep Soobin’s focus on breathing instead of going into a panic attack.
Thankfully, Soobin listened to his best friend as he took in long gulps of air and let them out slowly and steadily, his heart beginning to return to its normal pace.
“Here’s what we’re going to do. We’ll head straight to the cafeteria to check if it’s there. If not, then we’ll go to the lost-and-found box near the faculty. Someone is bound to stumble upon it and have the decency to put it there. Sounds good?” Kai asked Soobin in a calm yet resolute manner.
Soobin could say nothing but nod at his best friend’s suggestion. Now was not the time to have a breakdown. He could have that later but right now, he needed to find his notebook. And fast.
Kai gave him a reassuring squeeze on his shoulders and instructed him to pack up the rest of his things and get going. Soobin moved as fast as he could. In under half a minute, he was ready to run and dash as soon as he exited the room with Kai.
But his pursuit was immediately halted when he came face-to-face with the last person he was hoping to bump into right now.
“Soobin-ah,” Yeonjun greeted him with his ever-confident smile.
Soobin blinked once. Twice. Is this real? Why is Yeonjun-sunbaenim here? And is he really talking to me right now?
He didn’t realize he fell silent and didn’t acknowledge Yeonjun’s greeting until he felt a sharp pinch on his arm. Soobin let out a tiny yelp as he glared at the perpetrator of the inflicted pain.
Kai glared back before pointing his eyes toward Yeonjun, clearly relaying a silent message with his eyes. Soobin didn’t quite understand the pointed look Kai was sending until a few seconds later.
Soobin dragged his eyes back to Yeonjun and saw that the older boy held a sky-blue notebook in his hand. His sky blue notebook, as a matter of fact.
All the blood drained from Soobin’s face as he quickly realized that of all people to pick up his notebook, it was Yeonjun who did. Soobin wanted nothing more than to bury himself right now.
“Sunbaenim, I…” Before he could offer a quick explanation, he was interrupted by Yeonjun.
“Can we talk? Just you and I?” Yeonjun asked, glancing at Kai when he said the last few words.
Soobin was a nervous wreck without Kai by his side, but he figured that Yeonjun wanted to talk to him alone to spare him from embarrassing himself in front of his best friend when the older boy rejected him.
Kai looked at Soobin expectantly as he waited for his reply. Soobin offered a tiny smile at his friend and said, “You go on ahead. I’ll talk with Yeonjun-sunbaenim alone.”
“Are you sure?” Kai asked, eyeing Yeonjun-sunbaenim with a suspicious look as he took a step closer to Soobin, clearly bent on protecting his friend from the upperclassman if need be.
Soobin’s heart swelled at the gesture. And while Soobin loves Kai for being so loyal, he knew he needed to do this by himself.
“I’m sure, Kai-yah. Yeonjun-sunbaenim must have something important to tell me.” He glanced back at the older boy who only offered him another smile and stood silently.
Kai stared at him and Yeonjun once more before he backed down. “Alright, if you say so. But, I promise I won’t be far. Shout if you need me, okay?”
“Okay okay. Go on now,” Soobin told him as he gently pushed his friend in the other direction. Kai took one more look, or rather glare, at Yeonjun before turning the corner with a tight expression.
“I’m sorry about that, Yeonjun-sunbaenim. My friend is usually not that rude. He’s actually a sweetheart,” Soobin immediately said as soon as Kai disappeared from sight, defending his best friend’s behavior towards their senior to prevent any misunderstandings.
Soobin was half-expecting Yeonjun to scold them for being rude and disrespectful to an upperclassman, but what he received instead was the complete opposite.
Yeonjun just looked at him with a warm expression, clearly amused by their short display of friendship. “That’s alright, Soobin-ah. He was just looking after you, and I respect him for that,” he said gently, his eyes staring straight at Soobin.
Soobin was surprised that the older boy didn’t take offense to his friend’s action. He knows that upperclassmen were strict in keeping a boundary between themselves and the younger students. Soobin thanked him for understanding.
“Anyhow, would it be okay if we talk somewhere more private?” Yeonjun asked, a determined tone hinting at his voice.
Soobin nodded his head vigorously. If Yeonjun was going to reject him, he didn’t want an audience to see him cry from the pain. “Of course, sunbaenim. Lead the way,” Soobin replied as he gripped his backpack on his shoulders.
“Great, follow me,” said the older boy before turning on his heel with Soobin right behind his tail.
It felt like deja vu. The memory of the first time they met resurfaced in Soobin’s head as he followed the older boy to the other end of the building.
Soobin realized that Yeonjun brought him to a hallway filled with closed-off lockers. Clearly, they were alone with the lack of people and bustling conversations that Soobin usually encounters in a locker area.
“This should be fine.” He heard the older say before he turned around to face Soobin. “First of all, I believe this is yours.” Yeonjun handed him his notebook back and Soobin all but snatched it from his hands, clutching it close to his chest.
“Thank you, Yeonjun-sunbaenim. Um, you didn’t read it though, did you?” Soobin asked anxiously, hanging on to the tiny hope that the older boy hadn't discovered his secret yet.
Yeonjun stared at him blankly which gave Soobin nothing. At least until he asked, “Should I not have?”
Those four words were all it took for Soobin’s hope of a normal high school life to come crashing down. He felt his heart tighten at the thought of the older boy discovering his feelings for him. His heart began beating faster again. He knew at that point that he needed to do some damage control before it got out of hand.
“It’s not what you think, sunbaenim!” Soobin blurted out loudly.
The older boy looked at him with an expression Soobin couldn’t quite understand. “Oh?” he said, “What do you mean by that, Soobin-ah?”
Soobin didn’t know whether or not Yeonjun was teasing him or just wanted to confirm it. Regardless, Soobin mustered up the courage to try and lie about his feelings for the older boy. “I… I was just practicing my writing and your name just happened to be the subject for it,” he blatantly said, trying his damndest to sound as convincing as possible, his eyes locked with Yeonjun’s.
Taken aback by his answer, Yeonjun just blinked at him for a few moments before a toothy grin appeared on his face. He took a step closer to Soobin. Then some more until he had Soobin backed up on one of the lockers, their bodies barely a breath away from brushing against each other.
Soobin gulped at the sudden invasion of his personal space. He would have felt extremely anxious if not for his blood rushing to his cheeks and his heart now thrashing hard against his ribcage at his close proximity to Yeonjun.
Soobin was taller by a few centimeters but under Yeonjun’s intense gaze and intimidating aura, he felt smaller than ever before. And with Yeonjun placing a hand beside his head, Soobin knew he wouldn't be able to form a coherent thought even if he wanted to.
“That’s too bad, Soobin-ah. And here I was hoping you liked me too so I could ask you out,” Yeonjun stated forlornly, his eyes boring through Soobin’s dark globes.
“I…” Soobin stopped. Wait, did he say too? TOO?!
“W-what do you m-mean by t-too?” Soobin asked, albeit stuttering, as he needed to hear the words from the older boy once more to confirm if he heard him right the first time.
Yeonjun chuckled at his cluelessness, his eyes filled with amused laughter. “I basically just asked if I could ask you out, but you chose to focus on the word too ? You’re torturing me, bunny,” he said, feigning hurt with a pout of his bottom lip.
To say Soobin is speechless was an understatement. He was this close to losing his mind trying to comprehend what the older boy just said. Is he for real?
There is no way in hell that Yeonjun just confessed to liking him back and asking him out. Also, did he just call him by a new nickname?
Afraid that everything was too good to be true, Soobin clutched his notebook tighter with both hands before dropping a very serious question.
“Is this some sort of prank, Yeonjun-sunbaenim? Because if it is, you’re just being cruel.” A pout, followed by furrowed brows, decorated Soobin’s face as he tried to calm his pounding heart. He needed to make sure that he wasn’t being played by the upperclassman lest he wanted to get his heart broken later on.
Yeonjun stared at him intensely, the playful demeanor dissipating in a matter of heartbeats. He leaned his head closer, their noses barely brushing at this point. “I assure you, this is not a prank, Soobin-ah. I would never joke about something like this,” he said in a low tone, almost like a growl of sorts.
Soobin had to swallow the lump in his throat as he poked once more. “Then why on earth would you want to ask me out?” There it is. The question he needed to hear the answer to because he absolutely can’t wrap his head around why Yeonjun, the Choi Yeonjun, wants to date him.
A split second later, a gentle expression painted Yeonjun’s face as he pulled back a little but continued to stay close, his hand still planted on the locker behind Soobin.
“As I said, I like you, Soobin-ah. Ever since I saw you looking like a lost bunny in the middle of the hall, I knew I wanted to become your friend. I even asked around about you and when I heard all the things they said about you, I desperately wanted to get to know you better. If you go on a date with me and end up liking it, then I’ll gladly take you out more. But if not,” a sad look passed over his face which Soobin wanted to wipe away, but Yeonjun quickly schooled his expression before continuing, “then I’ll walk away. But I would really want to take you out first so I can prove myself to you,” said the older boy with a hopeful glint in his eyes and a nervous smile.
At this rate, Soobin was sure he was going to combust from the thrashing of his heart to the heat blossoming all over his body. He honestly couldn’t believe that Yeonjun was standing in front of him, confessing his feelings for him, and looking damn fine and hopeful at wanting to prove himself to Soobin.
If anything, it should be Soobin who needed to prove his worth to Yeonjun. But he no longer wanted to ponder over useless thoughts. Here and now, Yeonjun was waiting for his reply. And so, he said a single word that had the older grinning like he won the jackpot.
“Yes.”
“Yes? Yes, you agree to go out with me?” Yeonjun asked incredulously, a grin teasing his lips.
Soobin nodded and the older boy whoo-ed victoriously, spinning around and pumping his fist in the air before turning back to Soobin.
“When are you free? I’ll make sure to prepare everything beforehand. You don’t have to worry about anything,” Yeonjun said excitedly as he basically panted at the thought of going out on a date with Soobin.
Soobin bit his lip as he tried, and failed, to keep a grin from forming on his lips. He also couldn’t stop the giggle that bubbled in his chest at seeing the older boy’s enthusiasm. Knowing the boy he had a major crush on shared mutual feelings brought a new wave of tingles coursing through his body like no other. He couldn’t help but find Yeonjun all the more charming because of his innocent side.
“Are you free right now, sunbaenim?” Soobin asked with a smile.
“Now?” Yeonjun was surprised by his question.
Nodding his head, Soobin responded with gusto. “There’s this really great tteokbokki place just a block from here. That is if you eat tteokbokki.” As soon as the words left his mouth, Soobin felt extremely nervous as his mind was bombarded with doubts.
What if Yeonjun-sunbaenim doesn’t like tteokbokki? What if he thought he was being cheap? What if…
“I love tteokbokki!” the older boy exclaimed, his eyes turning into crescents as he grinned.
“Oh, okay, then. Um, are you free to go there now, sunbaenim?” asked Soobin, his fingers dancing on the notebook he was holding.
“There’s nothing I want more, Soobin-ah,” Yeonjun replied with a genuine smile. “Also, sunbaenim sounds too formal. Just call me hyung. Try it.”
Even though Yeonjun offered, Soobin knew he would be a blushing mess if he called Yeonjun hyung, especially now. Instead, he ducked his head and murmured incoherently, throwing the hyung at the end of his sentence as a trial round.
Yeonjun came closer once more and tilted his ear towards Soobin. “I didn’t quite catch that, Bin-ah. Can you say that one more time, please?”
“I said, let’s eat tteokbokki, Yeonjun-hyung,” Soobin blurted, barely a cut above a whisper, but audible enough for the older boy. Heat crawled to his face, painting the apples of his cheeks a pink hue.
“My pleasure, bunny,” Yeonjun replied as he took a step back and offered his hand. “I know I’m already coming off strong right now but by any chance, may I hold your hand while we walk?”
Soobin noted that Yeonjun appeared to be slightly anxious when he asked. And he loved it even more because Yeonjun was such a gentleman for asking his consent about something so simple and innocent like holding hands.
Preening at the attention and care that the older boy was showering him, Soobin smiled merrily as he placed his hand over Yeonjun’s, his dimples showing in his cheeks.
“Of course, hyung.”
Yeonjun looked at their joined hands and grinned widely, causing butterflies to erupt in Soobin’s stomach. With their hands clasped, Soobin now initiated to close the distance between them as he took a few steps closer. “Ready to have the best tteokbokki in the world, Yeonjun-hyung?”
Yeonjun smiled at him and squeezed his hand. “For you, I’m always ready.”
Both boys walked out of the school holding hands and laughing at each other’s antics, all while leaving a trail of completely shocked students in their wake. They hardly noticed them because all they cared about was going out with their high school crushes who, by fate, are each other.
If all it took was for Yeonjun to see Soobin’s notebook to ask him out, Soobin wonders how Yeonjun would react to the poems he wrote about him.
Maybe I should drop that next time and see what happens , Soobin told himself, grinning all the way to the tteokbokki place with Hybe’s It boy by his side.