Archive of Our Own ^beta

1.

“Haaah, just today of all days,” Baek Cheon murmured.

His hand reached out from the safety of the eaves of the school's main gate, being struck by the small droplets that began to fall just a few minutes ago.

Normally, Baek Cheon was the kind of cautious person who checked the weather forecast to bring all his things according to the occasion. However, these weeks he was busy studying for final exams at the same time he balanced the responsibilities of him as student council president.

Wearily, he rubbed the corner of his eye, blinking at the blurry landscape before him. He had barely had time to sleep more than two hours, considering all the things he had to do. And now he would probably have to jog in the rain to the train station.

This was not his lucky day...

Waiting any longer wouldn't make things any better, as he watched the dark clouds closing in on the city. Taking a couple of steps forward with resignation, the rain began to hit Baek Cheon's body, who weakly covered himself with his school bag.

The water soaked through his clothes despite his best efforts. By the time he reached the shelter under the eaves of a small convenience store halfway up the road, the fabric of his uniform vest clung to his body, his white shirt became see-through, and his hair flattened over his face, giving him a look abandoned puppy general.

Walking out of that convenience store, a man who wore the same uniform as Baek Cheon seemed to take pity on him.

"What are you doing here, President?" he asked, nibbling leisurely on a roll.

Baek Cheon sighed. "I guess it's just taking a break, since the rain won't improve. What are you doing here?"

"Me? Fortunately, I was skipping classes at this location when it started to rain."

“Student…” Baek Cheon scolded weakly. "It might not be wise to admit it in front of the student council president."

"Classes are over, President," he shrugged. "Also, it's not like i lied in school or anything."

"While wearing the uniform you represent the school, that's why," Baek Cheon replied. "Forget it, what's your name?"

"Why, are you going to accuse me?" He smiled. "It's Chung Myung, President."

Actually, Baek Cheon could recognize this particular student due to his striking personality. Often times, he could be seen getting scolded around school for raising his voice too much, putting his feet up on the desk, or punching some poor bastard who decided to pick on the relatively harmless-seeming exchange student.

That was a pretty common mistake, back then. When Chung Myung had transferred, the students were taken in by his small stature and feminine face. Baek Cheon had noticed his physical characteristics, and back then, he prepared to chase down any students who might try to intimidate the new boy. But what a surprise it was to find the pretty boy beating up five seniors without breaking a sweat.

"Not at all, isn't it more strange to talk without me knowing your name?"

“I thought I'd be pretty well known, given my history."

Weren't most of the rumors about him? Local gangs had begun to gather outside the school gates to catch a glimpse of what was rumored to be a legendary ex-gang leader. Baek Cheon had had a hard time driving those hooligans away, but fortunately for some reason people thought that his figure was quite imposing and reliable, unfortunately this led to him being the first to be called.

"More your nickname than your name..."

'The mad dog', he thought. The students went from fear to admiration quickly. Every day they must have studied hard, with no room to breathe, but here was a person who lived freely according to what he wanted to do. Even Baek Cheon was a bit jealous of his attitude.

"That ridiculous name," Chung Myung muttered. 'What divine dragon? I just beat up those brats who kept chasing me around."

He wasn't referring to that nickname, but perhaps it was better that he didn't know.

“Those brats looked like former prisoners with criminal records”, Baek Cheon pointed out with a weary sigh. "It would be a relief if you would stop making trouble for me as president, but... It doesn't matter, do what you want."

Deep down, Baek Cheon was also one of those who secretly supported the new student to continue living as he pleases. Chung Myung somehow seemed more self-conscious with those words than on those occasions when he was reprimanded by the teacher.

“Anyway, President. You're headed to the station, right? He muttered without making eye contact. "Then we could go together, since I was also heading home."

From his briefcase, Chung Myung took out a small folding umbrella. It didn't seem to be very wide, just barely large enough for a man with the athletic build of Chung Myung. Fitting two of them under that little umbrella was an impossible task, they were both more likely to end up half soaked.

"Thank you, but I don't think it's enough for two." Baek Cheon politely declined, a small smile playing on his lips." I'm already drenched anyway, a little more rain won't hurt."

Chung Myung snorted, clearly annoyed.

“Just take it, you stubborn fool."

His hands suddenly full, Baek Cheon stared in a daze at the back of Chung Myung who hurried away from him in the pouring rain.

“H-hey! Chung Myung!"

The silhouette didn't turn around, it continued on its way until it disappeared among the crowd of well-wrapped people and the mist that rose from the ground. Taking another look at the umbrella, Baek Cheon noticed that the name wasn't even Chung Myung's. Instead, 'Jo Gul' was carved into the wooden handle.

"This hooligan, who did he steal it from?"

2.

“I wasn't too sure about the person I should return this umbrella to,” Baek Cheon began. "I received it from a troublesome student named Chung Myung, but fellow Jo Gul's name was carved on the handle. I wonder, should I worry?"

Chung Myung crossed arms, leaning back in his chair to make eye contact with Baek Cheon. The student council president was standing in front of his desk, this time dressed from head to toe in his immaculate uniform, not a wrinkle in sight. It was much more natural to witness this sight, with the president looking as if he was about to give a lecture on national television, than that pitiful appearance of a sodden puppy.

"Should I be offended by your assumptions?" Chung Myung wondered aloud. "My good friend lent me that umbrella, and I, in an act of selfless kindness, lent it to you."

In the distance, Jo Gul exclaimed, "That's a lie, you took it from me yesterday!"

Baek Cheon patted his face, hiding the smile that automatically formed on his face. He pretended to cough, looking away with slightly pink cheeks but his serious face.

“Anyway, you were a big help yesterday, so I brought something back as a thank you."

A weekend had passed in which he thought he would rest pleasantly. However, the more relaxed he felt, the more he stopped at the umbrella resting innocently on the table in his room, remembering that scene.

During those days he wondered to himself: should he just give it back while he thanked him? But then, won't it be a short exchange? Baek Cheon wanted to talk some more with that troublesome student with a soft heart. Finally, he decided to make a gift in return, couldn't the next time they meet ask what he thought of him in that case? It was the perfect plan.

Although now that he was to present the gift to him, the level of confidence with which he reviewed his plan dropped considerably. For heaven's sake, exactly what was he doing acting like a lovesick schoolgirl and where was his dignity.

Chung Myung watched Baek Cheon sigh as he took out a small bag of cookies. "I don't know what you like, so I thought something generic would be nice. Here, it's my thanks."

“Oh President, not bad at all,” Chung Myung immediately replied with joy, taking the small package for inspection.

They seemed homemade, but he couldn't say for sure.

Baek Cheon immediately withdrew, nodding to Chung Myung and Jo Gul. "In that case, I will retire. Don't skip classes in my absence, ah."

Jo Gul responded immediately, shoulders tense, "We won't, President!"

Chung Myung nodded with full cheeks, punching Jo Gul absently.

"...What was that for?"

“Find your own nickname, idiot."

"Nickname? Eh... If you mean 'president', that's his title!"

3.

"Hey, President!" Chung Myung exclaimed, approaching the gym door with an animated smile. "What brings you here?"

Baek Cheon nodded towards Chung Myung, diverting his path to meet him. The manager of the basketball club, Chung Jin, followed the president as he sighed to himself in resignation.

"Student council business," he said. "I only need to collect the activity report to make the club monthly budget."

“Heh… That sounds boring. How about you stay to watch the game?"

Chung Myung looked at him with bright eyes, absently wiping the sweat from his face with the towel one of the team members threw him. Baek Cheon looked between the clipboard and those expectant eyes, weighing his options before giving in without further words.

"I guess I could use a break."

"Then follow me!"

Chung Myung led him towards the stands, carelessly pushing aside some of the team members' bags. Among the things, he took out a thermos  and a box of food, placing it carefully next to Baek Cheon as he took a seat.

"You can have some snacks while he watches," he suggested, tapping the box. "I made them myself. And look there? My team is on this side, when you see me shoot that basket, you can yell my name."

Baek Cheon took the thermos, letting the icy metal tip touch the skin of Chung Myung's arm, which had overheated.

"Better drink some water since you're at break. It's the first game I've seen, so give me a good show,” he chuckled, a spark of defiance in his eyes. "I'll be cheering you on from here."

When he finished, the box Chung Myung had handed him had been opened, revealing a simple lunch packed into small sections depending on its contents. Chung Myung looked nervously between the content and Baek Cheon's expression.

"You know, you can try to taste a bit and tell me what you think, i also accept suggestions for next time.x

"Oh, is it homemade?"

Chung Myung leaned against the seats in front of them, averting his gaze to the teammates who were impatiently waiting for his return.

"I usually cook breakfast in the morning for my family, and while I was at it I packed an extra lunch just in case."

Baek Cheon's eyebrow twitched.

"I see, it is fortunate that I have the opportunity to taste it."

"Tell me at the end what you think!" He exclaimed before running towards the court as if Cerberus itself was on his heels.

"... Did you notice that the cookies were homemade?" Baek Cheon murmured with some sorrow, picking up the chopsticks between his fingers to reach for a piece of chicken. "It's tasty."

As soon as Chung Myung met with his classmates, they started pushing him around with mocking comments. Chung Myung's face went from irritated to bright red.

Finally, unable to take it any longer, he exclaimed, "Let's get started or I'll hit you all!"

“Ah, should you say that in front of the president, Chung Myung-ah?"

Chung Myung punched Jo Gul in that instant, only giving a sideways glance to where Baek Cheon was waiting as the only show of self-awareness. 

Baek Cheon smiled in his direction, nodding.

"Okay, let's get started guys. And work hard, since in the future your performance will help me get more funds,” Chung Jin intervened. "Same rules, to your positions!"

The members divided into two groups that faced each other like a mirror, with the coach making a signal for the start of the game. At that moment, Chung Myung took two steps forward, reaching out his accurate spear hand to slap the ball away from the opposing team member's grasp and towards Jo Gul. Back and forth, the ball bounced rapidly under the legs, shoes creaked on polished wooden boards, and people moved from place to place with the ball as their center of gravity.

Finally, Chung Myung got his hands on the ball again, and once he held it, no one else could get a hand on him no matter what techniques they used to chase or trick him. From hand to hand, dodging people in a quick half circle, then shooting the ball toward the basket from midcourt, Chung Myung was like a predator in his natural habitat.

Agile, confident and determined. Baek Cheon watched Chung Myung shine in his favorite activity in the way that school activities failed to motivate him. This new side of him was intriguing, even charming, as if he couldn't take his eyes off him for fear of missing the way his body moved with practiced ease, as well as the expressions of utter joy and enjoyment that graced his face.

As the ball dunked, Baek Cheon could only feel a hint of admiration until he caught Chung Myung's piercing gaze in his direction and his heart skipped a beat.

Because...? Oh!

"G... Nice shot, Chung Myung!"

The smile the player returned was dazzling, full of pride and boast. Really, that brat would do well to learn a little humility.

4.

"Skipping class again?"

Chung Myung jumped on his seat, feeling his heart stop for a moment. The sounds of the gaming machines mostly drowned out the conversations going on around him. With people coming and going, how could he notice the student council president's surreptitious footsteps?

Still, once he was over the shock, Chung Myung smiled cheekily. “However, I have followed his advice. This time I made sure to cover my uniform jacket, and it has served me well. No one thinks of calling the school to report me anymore."

Baek Cheon brushed his hair back with his fingers, thinking to himself that lecturing a wall would be more fruitful than trying to instill some responsibility in this boy's head. Chung Myung's eyelashes lowered, darkening his eyes.

"I'm glad it served you," he replied, raising the corner of his mouth in a parody of a smile. "After all, my advice was in the hope that you would enjoy a better future... And you are certainly enjoying it, huh?"

Chung Myung laughed, looking away from him to give himself the task of shuffling his butt to the side, making room for someone else to sit. He even gave the leather seat a few pats.

“Haaah,” Baek Cheon sighed, taking a seat. "Tell me, how do you spend your time here?"

"Well, I see that the president's life has been quite busy these days, so he won't know about these hobbies", he gestured at the machine in front of them, several buttons and a controller resting on Chung Myung's lap. "Or maybe it's just that you're too old for the hobbies of the young?"

"Hey brat, if age matters to you then treat me with respect."

"I'll treat you with respect if you pay for me!"

Baek Cheon's lower lip stuck out a bit, looking at the screen in front of his eyes with a frown.

"I'll pay if you make it worth it, tell me how this thing works."

Chung Myung snapped his fingers in a completely intentional dramatic gesture.

"You've asked the best. You see, you just have to hit the heads of everyone you see, with that button, yes, and with this..."

5.

The distinctive purr of the engine along with the sounds of the horn caught the attention of the students, who turned their heads in the direction of the road in front of their school.

Yoon Jong, a member of the baseball team, was helping to pick up balls on the field with members of his team when motorcycles came through the front gate of the school.

"Oh no. Looks like it's a gang again…” One of the team members said, frowning. "It seems that the president will have to be called in to take care of this."

Yoon Jong sighed. "However, they're coming for that thug, I mean, they're coming for Chung Myung, shouldn't he be the one to…?"

His partner shook his head. "It doesn't matter who they're coming for, but by storming through the door, aren't they defying the president's authority?"

Yoon Jong saw this classmate who normally behaved like a shy student clenching his fists in frustration.

"They dare to question our president, after having done so much for us...!"

"No, wait, if you're talking about authority, wouldn't it be the director's authority that's in question?"

Hyun Jong sneezed in his office.

"Who cares! Our president is going to sweep the floor with them, not the director..."

Another of his classmates intervened: "Ignore him, he's just a fan of the president since he rescued him from bullying."

The gang members had already formed up, moving their motorcycles in two parallel lines that surrounded a couple of unsuspecting students, blowing out billows of smoke that blanketed the scene inside. Only the screams of the students could be heard from outside.

"Bring Chung Myung here!"

"Hahaha! If they keep taking their time, I don't know what will happen to them..."

As if he had descended from heaven, the imposing figure of Baek Cheon advanced towards the gang members who were threatening to disrupt the school peace. However, his angel did not seem very well prepared for the occasion. As he strode forward, he removed the dirt-stained gardening gloves he was wearing as well as the dark apron he had covered his uniform with.

With a sigh, Baek Cheon crouched down in the middle of his march, picking up one of the bats the baseball team had laid out for his later transport.

Yoon Jong saw his classmates stutter. "President...?"

Baek Cheon smiled gently. "Looks like that punk has rubbed off on some bad habits, you see... I'm not in a very good mood today."

The gang leader removed his helmet slowly, letting his long hair fall. "Oh, so the virtuous president plans to fight us? We are not like the scared kittens that came in the past only to run away with their tails between their legs... We are different, we are the 'mountain tigers'!"

Baek Cheon was silent.

"Mountain tigers?" He murmured. "Mountain tigers... who are they? I've never heard of it, but it's so... Common."

Baek Cheon felt a hand on his shoulder, squeezing hard as the man in charge tried not to fall to the ground laughing. Chung Myung gasped, struggling to breathe.

"Pre-President, come on, don't be so cruel... Is it now your hobby to hit some kittens?"

His hand moved down from his shoulder to his forearm, from forearm to wrist, covering Baek Cheon's hands that held the handle of the bat.

"What would the director say if he saw our blameless president act so rudely? Leave these simple matters to me."

Before Baek Cheon could reply, the gang leader charged forward on the motorcycle, looking to run over the pair who dared to ignore him.

"Look," he blurted out hastily.

He wrapped his arms around Baek Cheon's waist tightly, dragging him two steps to the side as the vehicle got close enough to them, reaching out with the bat in his hand to strike the gang member's face.

“People like this are easy to provoke."

"Isn't it just that you like to insult people?"

“It was you who insulted them in the first place, President. Don't try to blame me now."

"Now, I wonder what you're talking about," Baek Cheon sighed, glancing at the man sprawled on the ground. "Chung Myung-ah, this one isn't moving anymore..."

Chung Myung corrected his stance, advancing with his new weapon towards the group that had lost their leader in one blow.

"And soon there will be two!" he announced loudly, swinging his bat with a feral grin.

Someone shouted.

6.

Baek Cheon crossed his fingers on his desk, striking a professional, attentive pose as soon as he heard a knock on the door.

"Come in."

Chung Myung poked his head in, his curious eyes flickering inward before settling on the student council president. Baek Cheon's lips parted in a small semicircle before gently pressing together again in a friendly smile.

Chung Myung entered the office with a bright smile, waving the papers in his hand in greeting. "Hey, President! So here you are. I was already worried that I would have to go through all this paperwork with Baek Sang."

Baek Cheon didn't comment on the direct disrespect towards the student council treasurer which he comically contrasted with his own position.

"Chung Myung-ah, are you here to drop off your travel permit?" He asked, narrowing his eyes at the letters on the sheets Chung Myung was holding. "It is not very difficult to do, you just have to have all the signatures."

Reaching out a hand quickly, he caught the papers in the air, flipping from page to page mentally crossing off the requirements for granting travel permission. Chung Myung settled on the couch across from his desk, resting his ankle on his knee, one arm draped over the back of his chair.

“It seems like they make this whole process unnecessarily complicated, you know?" He began to ramble. "This has taken me several days just because I needed to go home to get more documents, why don't they say up front everything I will need?"

"It seems to me that everything was in the document that I gave you, but your documents were already obsolete."

"Yes, well, that's why they should ask for less documentation. Think of this complaint as one of those comments for the suggestion box outside."

"I'll take your advice into consideration, I'm sure the council would be happy to have less paperwork to go through. They're not dying to see your face every day either, you know?"

"Yeah, yeah, that Baek Sang boy seemed pretty scared to see me, who knows for what reason," he snorted. "But that is another matter. Our president does like my visits, right?"

Baek Cheon couldn't help but smile at Chung Myung, who had inched closer and closer to sit on the desk next to him. He raised his head, looking directly into those bright eyes of hers.

"Of course, it's a bit boring when I'm just here going through the accounts and reports."

Chung Myung laughed, ruffling the president's hair. Then, with a fond smile, he began to circle it carefully to return it to its neat state.

"Well, we can't afford to let our dear President die of boredom. It's a problem I've been thinking about since the game room and bar weren't good enough for you. They just opened a cat cafe not far from here..."

Baek Cheon gently removed Chung Myung's hand from his head in mock annoyance.

"You just want to take advantage of my wallet. I can see right through you, Chung Myung-ah,” the president sneered, sounding more affectionate than annoyed. "Okay, shouldn't I be careful so you don't starve yourself, considering how many of your lunches you spend outside of school just playing?"

Chung Myung made an annoyed expression. "I've already given up on classes, president, I definitely won't attend anymore just for you."

"Oh, but in the most recent reports of your classes the teachers have been talking about the increase in your attendance, is it a collective hallucination?"

Chung Myung went from trying to stroke the silken hair to directly hitting the back of that head. He maybe felt that he was too conceited, so he had to hit him before Baek Cheon broke his back by twisting his neck back, that's right, it was just correcting his posture as an orthopedic treatment.

"Why are you smiling like you're responsible? It's just that exams are coming up so they started talking about some important topics."

"Since when do you care?" Baek Cheon laughed. "I wasn't even trying on pointing it out, isn't it your conscience that makes you react?"

"Just shut up and give me my travel permit!"

7.

"So this is what you were doing," Chung Myung whistled in awe.

Baek Cheon wiped the sweat from his forehead with a fluffy white towel. The gardening gloves and apron that he had previously discarded had been neatly folded to continue his work later.

"The environment in which people work is equally important, not just the conditions in which they do it," he explained. "These years I have worked on changing the curriculum to add small breaks, some activities that can help students relax and have a good time. Now, I hope to work on the aspect of the garden."

Some trees had been planted around the perimeter of the school, and next to the building, several bushes with white and red flowers.

"Is seeing the flowers on the way to the classroom important? Put some benches so that they can at least enjoy them while studying or something else."

Baek Cheon waved his hand. "That will be after gardening, or it will get in the way when we plant the lawn. Do you prefer plums or peaches?"

"Plums," Chung Myung replied without hesitation. "Aren't you already planting the trees?"

"I just wanted to know if I guessed correctly. It seems that i was correct."

"Hey, that sounds like you planted them for me."

Baek Cheon choked on his saliva, furiously coughing the air out of his lungs.

"I, no, it wasn't like that, I wanted to know your tastes, just your tastes!"

The students who passed by them gave them suspicious looks. This pair of students was the most unexpected, considering the reputation they had carefully cultivated in their years of study.

One of them was the delinquent who skipped classes, beat up people without fear of being reprimanded by teachers, and it was even rumored that he used to run his own gang of delinquents. On the other hand, the other was the student with the best grades, known for being an advocate of justice and the role model of many students. The teachers encouraged them to be the opposite of the first one and as similar as they could be to the second one.

Seeing Chung Myung hanging on Baek Cheon brazenly, the teachers felt as if they were seeing the scene of a pig poking its nose through the dirt rummaging for his precious cabbage.

"Actually, shouldn't you be in class?"

Chung Myung pointed to a room on the second floor.

"I saw you from there, so I went over to say hello. I guess I should go back now..."

Baek Cheon was disappointed to see Chung Myung walk away with a lazy wave behind him. Wasn't he supposed to be known for skipping class? He could have fooled Baek Cheon with how quickly he decided to go back to class without trying to spend more time with him…

Wait, is that the right way to think?

8.

"Hoh, President..."

"Good morning, Chung Myung-ah."

"Looks like you're in a bind. Our dear president is very popular, huh."

Baek Cheon let out an ambiguous laugh, glancing towards his shoe locker in dismay. The poor locker had been filled to the brim with letters and gifts of various sizes until it failed to close properly, with papers sticking out between the grates. It certainly wouldn't be easy to open it without spilling all its contents.

“Strange, it seems our top student doesn't have the same problem, although I thought you were quite popular,” Baek Cheon complained.

Chung Myung had achieved the terrifyingly simple goal of changing his slippers without a problem. Actually, in his locker there was only a wrapped package of chocolates with no return address, which was better than nothing, he supposed.

“There was an incident last year…” Chung Myung admitted, embarrassed. "I confused a love letter for a challenge letter."

"This thug..." he muttered. "Who mistakes a love letter for something else on the fourteenth of February...?"

"It's not like I've gotten any before! I didn't even know what day it was..."

No, Baek Cheon knew the customs anyway, so wouldn't it have been a pink letter with a heart stamp on it or something? If after that disaster someone else dared to give him something, he would be surprised.

“Looks like you still have a brave admirer."

The package of chocolates that Chung Myung consumed with great pleasure received the combined gazes of the student council president and the resident school delinquent.

"It had no sender. Maybe it was the way they made sure there were no consequences..."

Baek Cheon sighed. "Do you like receiving these things?"

Chung Myung nodded slightly. "Well, who would complain about getting free stuff? If you don't have a sender it's even better, since I don't have to return anything."

"Although you should worry a bit about its contents, what if there's something strange about it?"

"Nothing will happen, President. Worst case scenario, I'll find the brat who did it and beat him up."

Baek Cheon patted Chung Myung on the shoulder. "Never change."

"Okay, do you need help?" He pointed to the locker. "Knowing you, you wouldn't want to throw the cards on the floor or some similar nonsense."

"Wouldn't it be rude to throw them away?" He replied. "Each one of the things in here was put by someone with a lot of effort and dedication. If he just dropped them without me caring..."

“Yes, yes, you are a manhua gentleman, I know."

Baek Cheon was embarrassed under that critical look and the flat tone of Chung Myung's voice. He seemed like he couldn't act with manners and common decency in front of this delinquent without feeling a little ridiculous.

"Don't worry about it, I'll ask the council guys to help me later."

Chung Myung didn't seem too convinced, but he agreed anyway. The two of them took opposite paths to head to their classrooms, and as he walked along the corridor, Baek Cheon's heart finally calmed down.

'He seems to like it,' he thought.

It was a struggle to figure out what Chung Myung liked and disliked, then finally having the courage to leave the present in the locker in fear that someone would look at it, Baek Cheon being as renowned as he was. Thus, the night before he had stayed up late under the pretext of finishing the outline of the activity plan for the coming week until most of the students had gone home. His fellow student council members seemed exasperated by their president's workaholic habits without suspecting any ulterior motives.

Will he like it or, on the contrary, will he throw it away without taking into account the setbacks Baek Cheon had gone through just to leave this little detail? Questions like those had haunted him from the moment the idea had sunk into his consciousness, and it hadn't left him until this morning either.

Knowing the roller coaster of feelings he had to go through, Baek Cheon appreciated the gifts left in his locker today. If each of them carried moments like his, feelings like his, and a fraction of the fear of rejection he experienced, then he dared not be careless. If one of those people was looking at him… Then he wished they knew that Baek Cheon cared, even if he had already chosen someone else in his heart.

Ever since he met Chung Myung he just keeps getting more and more revelations, gradually changing to accommodate these new feelings.

That afternoon, while he was arranging the letters in a box lent to him by the student council secretary, Yu Iseol, his eyes fell on the outer message of one of the letters for some reason. "To our most beloved president," the letter said, and he inevitably linked those words with the crutch of that person who never left his mind. Carefully, he opened the letter, a sheet of paper folded in three pieces with apparent simplicity.

[To our dearest president.

You'll probably get a lot of letters this year too, so one more won't be remarkable. But I have a feeling you're the kind of fool who appreciates these things anyway; Still, don't let it go to your head.

I didn't intend to write either, why would I want to do it on this date when I can say it on any other day?

It must be because of the content.

Years ago we first met when I was still a middle school student, while some bullies tried to take advantage of me because of a certain rumor going around about my family. I wasn't much appreciated back then. There were no people who wanted to defend me, students or teachers. But you, a meddlesome seemingly righteous and noble upperclassman, decided to intervene.

"If they bother you again, just give them a good punch to the face. I'll make sure to cover you."

So you said, although unfortunately I ended up moving in a short time. By then, I thank you. I like to watch where the president goes, seeing you loved and respected makes me happy. If someone bothers you one day, don't be afraid, I will definitely beat those hooligans to a pulp.

Ah, President, I know you aren't the smartest, but you should know who I am by now.

I like you.]

Baek Cheon's heart stopped. His trembling hands smoothed the paper on his desk over and over again, scanning his contents as if he was afraid it would disappear as soon as he looked away.

There is only one person who can be so disrespectful, bold and loving in this world. There is only one like him in this world. So it could just be him.

Baek Cheon repeated this reasoning to himself, trying to convince himself of a situation that seemed unreal. As if his dreams decided to come to life, the letter looked directly at him, igniting the spark of hope he was hiding in his heart.

When he was still a high school student, had Baek Cheon ever said such bold and irresponsible words? With the weight of responsibility he had come to feel since he became president, that kind of free behavior seemed like a dim memory.

He only knew one thing.

He had to find Chung Myung.

0.

The buildings of the school that Baek Cheon attended until a year ago brought him a sense of nostalgia and incongruity. It was nice to relive the moments he went through, which appeared with each new landscape like an open book in which he turned the pages as he reminisced about the past.

Despite having been the class representative and taking the initiative among his classmates, Baek Cheon had taken a lot of his energy to pretend to be confident in his own actions and maintain his own image that others admired. He couldn't easily show the negative feelings he experienced towards others nor the difficulties he experienced with school work, eager to achieve excellence in this place when at home there was already out-of-the-league competition in the form of his older brother.

But hadn't Baek Cheon been rewarded? After his hard work, there were people who recognized him and supported his growth, personally recommending him to one of the best schools in the country after his graduation.

And now, in said school, Baek Cheon did not falter either. The proof of that was in his hands, a manila folder with important documents that the director of his old school had to sign himself to approve the promotion of cultural exchange between students through the activity plan that was detailed in the file.

"In a few moments the director will be free, then we will call you."

Baek Cheon kindly thanked the school administrator, taking a seat in the waiting room overlooking the courtyard where he used to spend his lunch time instead of the cafeteria. The stone tables on the grass and under the trees brought a sense of tranquility that chatter in the crowded cafeteria could not recreate.

Inside that courtyard, a solitary student took the place that Baek Cheon used to prefer, the most discreet one that allowed him to get away from the other children. The student nibbled on a dumpling, his eyes wandering among the flowers in the garden. Baek Cheon didn't know that the teachers could observe him so easily from this point, but then he would make sense of how they found out that he used to read books in his spare time.

Other students came up to the table, surrounding the younger one like a lively group. Baek Cheon watched the group with a nostalgic smile, thinking of the friends he had lost from years ago and those he had kept. Time could bring people together or separate them without their own awareness of the inevitability of their fate.

One of the children who had just arrived, the tallest, violently threw the food out of the hand of the youngest student. Wait, wasn't this friendship but bullying?

Baek Cheon quickly stood up, sticking his face to the glass window with narrowed eyes, checking the situation. The younger one had stood up, looking at the group that surrounded him with annoyance but not doing anything about it, and the group couldn't stop laughing as they pointed at him.

This was definitely bullying!

Without hesitation, Baek Cheon strode towards the children with his back straight and shoulders back, giving off his best authoritative demeanor that he had honed throughout his years as a class representative.

"You there, what are you doing?" He exclaimed, interposing himself between the kid and the group of children. "I hope you all have a good reason to throw away someone else's belongings and laugh at him, because I can only see an act of cruelty."

The children's face changed rapidly upon seeing an 'adult'. To them, the Baek Cheon who was barely a year older than them but a head taller and even wore a different school uniform from his old school was quite intimidating.

"No, it's not like he's bothering us…" one of them muttered.

Then the tallest one exclaimed, "It was just a joke! We do this with each other..."

"Even he's done it before!"

"That's right, tell him, Cho Sam!"

Baek Cheon tilted his head to look at Cho Sam out of the corner of his eye. The boy had his head lowered, covering his facial expression with his bangs. His lips moved slowly, saying softly, “Liars."

With that word, Baek Cheon had enough.

"If you don't do what is right, you must be prepared to accept the consequences of your actions. Why do you, as a group, harass just one person?" He lifted his chin, looking down at this group of children. "Maybe i should just call the director to expel you all."

"E-expulsion?"

"They wouldn't!"

The children's eyes went to the taller of them. He probably had some connection, so his actions had been overlooked, huh? But children were children, after all. Baek Cheon knew how to fool a couple of brats.

"Why would not? My father is an influential politician. If I suddenly made a suggestion, then you guys... Ha. Hey, you, Cho Sam, come here. Why don't you hit that brat for once? Don't worry, I'll take care of talking to the teachers."

Cho Sam's eyes flashed, the only warning before he pounced on the children who ran in fear, screaming.

"You will definitely repay us!"

"I'll be watching you brats!" Baek Cheon yelled back, feeling a little childish and a little vindictive in equal measure. "If they bother you again, just give them a good punch in the face. I'll make sure to cover you."

Cho Sam nodded, his face was serious.

“Hey, ahjussi, but wasn't that a bunch of bullshit you said back there?"

"Who's an ahjussi!... Ahem, maybe I embellished things a bit. But those brats won't know, you can say that you know me or something."

Cho Sam's expression was flat at best, disappointed at worst. His eyes softened after taking in Baek Cheon's face.

"It's not like i couldn't hit them, anyway," he replied.

"It's okay to avoid them, I just took advantage of my position as their senior."

"...So you admit it. You're quite a pushy ahjussi,” Cho Sam pointed out. "It's not like I wanted to avoid them, but I also didn't want to get kicked out."

"Why did I come to help...? I already knew it would be something like that, but they won't do anything if you hit them a few times. As long as others don't see it."

Cho Sam laughed. "They wouldn't believe me if i told them it wasn't me, they've been watching me because I left one of them in the infirmary."

"You're not as shy as you pretended to be. Perhaps not mere intimidation, but revenge?"

"Haaaah? Those brats were definitely asking for it! I tried to be patient but they continued to annoying me, why do you blame me for breaking a bone or two?"

"..."

“Hmmph, okay, I didn't actually break any bones. I was just being a bit dramatic, aren't you being too rigid? A moment ago you were the one who urged me to hit them."

"I admit that I am a little worried about your future, Cho Sam."

"Cho Sam-ah! You haven't gotten into trouble now, have you?"

"Hyung!"

Baek Cheon recognized him as the instructor with whom he had been talking about the exchange project. However, the physical characteristics of this pair of brothers were not too similar, so the possibility that they were related never crossed his mind.

"I haven't done anything, why is that the first thing you assume?"

"It's because of your history, brat."

Baek Cheon exchanged a few polite phrases before leaving, heading back to the waiting room. He was fine to retire now, wasn't he? The boy, Cho Sam, was already in good hands. 

When he opened the office door, the teacher was waiting for him with an annoyed expression.

Oh right, the project...

The talk lasted for almost an hour in which Baek Cheon was forced to present all of his best arguments as well as employ all of his persuasion strategies. He had forgotten how strict the administration of his old school was.

As he left, the familiar face of Cho Sam's older brother greeted him. Baek Cheon looked at that older brother who seemed worried about Cho Sam's future, and took pity on him. Rather than walk out the door finally disregarding his self-imposed moral obligation, he decided to go a step further and talk to him.

"Are you fine?" Baek Cheon began, approaching the man carefully, as if he didn't want to scare a small wild animal. "I know that supporting your brother can be a big responsibility, but you are doing a good job."

Chung Mun let out a tired sigh but a sincere smile formed on his lips nonetheless. “Thank you very much, Baek Cheon-ssi. It's been hard getting used to taking care of Cho Sam."

They were both outside the office. Chung Mun probably also had some matter to take care of, and he could more or less guess that the reason was related to Cho Sam.

"Excuse my rudeness, are your parents alright?"

Chung Mun bowed his head. "No, it's okay to ask since I hinted it myself, although the situation is not what it seems." Chung Mun grimaced. "My parents are fine, but Cho Sam's parents recently passed away. Since then, I've been taking care of him as much as I can, although there are some limitations with what I can do given my age..."

“I see,” Baek Cheon replied, nodding encouragingly. "It must have been difficult for you and Cho Sam to adjust to the change."

"It's not that hard to take care of him, actually, he's a good boy," he admitted with the embarrassment of a father who knows he sounds biased. "But as school personnel I am in a difficult position to help him. Of course, I would like to adopt him when i reached the age of majority."

After uttering that wish, Chung Mun's eyes turned to the sky as he thought of all the good things that would come with it.

"It's more frustrating for me not being able to do something for him, but I don't know if he would agree to come with me. If he did, what kind of name should i choose for him? There are so many good words i could choose, but only one of them should represent him... I just want him to like the one i chooses to usher in his new life, if he accepts it."

Chung Mun's worried older brother look touched a part of Baek Cheon that unknowingly still cherished his siblings and missed those times when they used to get along as well as any family.

“Cho Sam appreciates you greatly, he will treasure any name you choose because it comes from you,” Baek Cheon said. "The names are important for the person who wears it, more than the meaning of the word itself. For example, the name 'Sam' did not bring me any more memory than the number three, but now I can think of an apparently shy boy who punched a student a head taller than him."

Baek Cheon laughed happily when he finished, feeling satisfied with the outcome of the story.

Chung Mun's gaze softened. "Actually, he's not shy. It's just that circumstances could push us apart, so he's cautious. Being tolerant is not like him."

"I know he's not shy. His gaze was lively" Baek Cheon thought that he shouldn't worry about Cho Sam after all. "For him? A free and limitless name, something like the sky, so that he can walk without limits and never allow himself to be restricted by anything again."

After all, children should be happy without worries that don't correspond to them due to the oppressive expectations of society. If his name, every time he hear it pronounced from someone else's mouth as a constant reminder, could be of help as an amulet that ward off sadness, then that would already be an excellent name.

Better than those ugly names that should protect children from evil, he thought viciously to himself.

Chung Mun looked at the clear sky, contemplative. "A cloudless sky is a good omen," he answered at last. "Baek Cheon-ssi shouldn't worry about Cho Sam. I'll make sure to have someone watch over him until he can take him with me to a new city, I hope the change of surroundings can help him make new friends who aren't blinded by his past."

Baek Cheon smiled politely, agreeing that he could do no more nor would it be appropriate to continue meddling in this matter. "In that case, I'll leave it to you, Chung Mun-ssi."

The folders in his hands, which at first seemed as important as the imperial edict, now felt mundane. It was an important task that demonstrated the trust that the top officials placed in Baek Cheon as a reward for his efforts, but at the same time, perhaps those efforts were misdirected.

If Baek Cheon became the student council president as he had aimed to achieve all along, would it be good enough to just do the paperwork to get the club activities going and improve the school's infrastructure with innocuous changes? Perhaps the kind of change he was looking for was something with a bigger impact, the kind of actions that lingered like a fond memory and were sometimes even forgotten within a few decades.

Something like having a nice school life, where you could just be happy and have a good time.

9.

The bell rang, announcing the interval between periods for each class. Unusually, the local delinquent was found walking out of his classroom like some run-of-the-mill responsible student, lugging his briefcase over his shoulder listlessly.

Chung Myung yawned, blinking sleepily out into the hallway. He rubbed his teary eyes with a frown, thinking that he started to rave in his sleepy tin, but after blinking hard several times, the student council president was still there.

Suddenly alert, Chung Myung straightened his back, throwing his shoulders back in an unconscious gesture of self-awareness. Perhaps he was being a bit paranoid, given how much they frequented each other's paths just for the chance to share idle chat.

The world proved him right in caring for him as he approached the president, who was flushed-faced in the cold January winter, even absentmindedly undoing his tie with a trembling hand.

"Ah, Chung Myung-ah!" The president exclaimed in a low voice when he noticed him staring at him. "I'm glad to see you attending classes."

Chung Myung balanced the briefcase on his shoulder a few times, listening to the sound of the books hitting his back with a calming rhythm in an unconscious gesture that helped him organize his thoughts.

"Of course, even I have to attend some classes or I should just give up on school."

Baek Cheon nodded like a chick pecking at rice.

"Of course," he repeated.

With a sigh, Chung Myung grabbed the sleeve of the student council president, who had gone a little goofy, gently dragging him through the halls until Baek Cheon took the initiative to walk beside him. Once they arrived in front of the well-tended garden they had helped plant, they stopped their march.

"Chung Myung-ah..." Baek Cheon called softly, steeling himself.

"It's not like you to hesitate, President. If it's a no, just say so."

"That would be simple, if the answer were no," he replied, feeling the teasing and mocking rhythm they had maintained since they met return to his place as if to remind him of the way they danced around each other. 'It took me a while to remember what you meant, you seem to have grown quite a bit. You are not shy at all, huh? You didn't even waver when you stole my heart."

Chung Myung was silent for a moment, his face slowly turning red.

"What trashy novel did you get that line from?"

Baek Cheon laughed, embarrassed. "I like you too. So would you would you go out with me?"

“Hmmph, I guess I wouldn't mind."

This hooligan, wasn't he much more honest in his letter? Even now, he pretends to be aloof as he blushes enough to embarrass the crabs.

Baek Cheon moved a little closer to Chung Myung. "Then, say it," he lowered his voice. "Say it, while looking into my eyes."

Pale green and dark pink met, connecting glances that betrayed the depth of these two people's feelings.

“You've suddenly become quite bossy,” Chung Myung complained, wrapping his arms around Baek Cheon's waist. "Is it because I have become lenient with you? Maybe i should be rougher."

Baek Cheon's eyes narrowed, a soft laugh escaping from his lips. Carefully, Baek Cheon wrapped his arms around Chung Myung's back.

"I wasn't the one who was blushing without being able to make eye contact, but now you're a delinquent?"

Chung Myung's hands clenched Baek Cheon's sides.

"You, impertinent brat..." he grumbled, his eyes glittering with hidden menace.

"What are you, a grandfather?" He replied hypocritically. "Maybe I should show you who's the oldest here."

Chung Myung started to laugh.

"Don't try it, President. You sound pretty ridiculous trying to be dominant."

"Chung Myung!"

-Hahahahahaha! Your-your face...!

10.

"Ah, Baek Cheon-sii! So you were that person Chung Myung kept talking about.” Chung Mun quickly recognized him. "I should have guessed."

“Chung Mun-ssi, it is a pleasure to meet you again. Seems like it's been a while, i'm glad everything went well."

Chung Myung pouted, looking at these two people who recognized each other immediately.

"Our esteemed student council president is quite sought after, he knows so many people that I was just one more, how could he recognize me? Or so I thought, however, now he recognizes my hyung so well..."

Baek Cheon coughed into his fist, not sure if he should directly point out this argument that seemed like an abandoned husband's complaints when they were in front of Chung Myung's brother or just ignore it. 

'I remembered after you told me about how we met,' he wanted to say. Outside, he kept his mouth shut for fear of offending Chung Mun with that careless comment.

"I reminded you as Cho Sam, besides, you've grown quite a bit since then," he excused himself, reaching the palm of his hand up to Chung Myung's stomach to point out the difference in height.

Chung Myung snorted. "How could I have been three heads smaller than two years ago?"

Chung Mun raised his eyebrows. "I told you that you grew up fast, but you didn't believe me."

Chung Myung pouted. "I'm being bullied by my hyung and my boyfriend..."

"YOUR WHAT!?"