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there are people who are simply admirable. people who are effortlessly kind, handsome, smart, and the whole package. choi beomgyu had only one person in mind — kai kamal huening. he had all those characteristics.
no wonder he’s the golden boy of their school, the poster boy of a role model student, an angel sent down by heaven, beomgyu could go on and on. but it would be wrong; as kai was already taken by the one and only school pride, kang taehyun.
of course, they were regarded as the campus golden couple. afterall, they were perfect for each other. the student council president and the basketball team captain? match made in heaven.
who was choi beomgyu? he was a classmate of theirs, and also part of the basketball team — but he was far from being friends with kai. they were acquaintances at best. he knew he would just get his heart broken if he became his friend.
they were finally graduating high school this year, but beomgyu has had a crush on kai ever since the first day of high school. three years. three long years of crushing on someone unattainable.
it wasn’t like beomgyu was a loser or anything, he was decently popular, smart, and handsome — if he says so himself. he had things to offer to the table, but that didn’t matter. ever since the first year of middle school, kai and taehyun had been together. everybody knew they were going to get married after college. they were the perfect couple after all.
it was hard to get kai’s attention when he was already taken the moment he saw him. beomgyu doesn’t hold any grudge or bad feelings against taehyun, he was the perfect match for kai. they were neighbors and grew up together, it was like the stars aligned for them.
but he can’t feel a bit of jealousy. but he’s sure it’s not directed to taehyun and kai personally, it’s jealousy towards their actual relationship. he wants a love like the stars planned for them to be together.
“daydreaming again? lunch break is going to end soon.” choi soobin, his best friend, interrupts his train of thoughts.
“can you believe it’s already the start of our senior year? i still feel like a kid.” beomgyu says while looking at the carton of his strawberry milk.
“yo yo yo! why so gloomy?” choi yeonjun, beomgyu’s fraternal twin joins in the conversation.
“beomgyu just realized we’re seniors now.” soobin answers.
“maybe this is your chance to actually live life to its fullest.” yeonjun says.
beomgyu was more introverted than yeonjun — he was most likely to stick with a few friends and only talk when needed, whereas yeonjun had the reputation of being a social butterfly. the three of them were quickly called the three chois, and are decently popular among their batch and lower batches among them.
beomgyu was part of the basketball team, where yeonjun was the president of the theatre club, and has won multiple best actor awards in their campus, and soobin is the secretary of the student council. all three of them contributed to their school in their own way. not to mention, they were all smart and admittedly handsome.
“eh, i need to focus on my studies, it’s going to be college application season soon.” beomgyu answers.
“ever so studious, my dear twin! how about this, what if let’s go to a skate park later? you in, soobin?”
“well… it’s just the first week of school, there isn't much homeworks… and i don’t have any student council duties yet… i’m down.” soobin says.
“ugh, fine! i know you won’t take no for an answer anyway!” beomgyu says and playfully rolls his eyes.
“great, it’s settled then. see you later!” and just like that, yeonjun was off to who knows where.
“do you have practice later?” soobin asks.
“yeah, i do. first practice as a senior. you want to watch me?”
“of course. i’ll bring you water as usual.”
“will you ever let me pay you for buying me water for every practice?”
“nope. it’s just a water bottle. no need to worry, gyu.”
“but you’ve been buying me water every time ever since high school! i’m sure that already racked up a bill.”
“like i said, no need to worry. plus, you’re my best friend.”
soobin has been close to the twins for as long as they were breathing, being family friends and all. but him and beomgyu had always been much closer. soobin was the stability that beomgyu had in life, he honestly wouldn’t know what to do if soobin wasn’t around.
“come on, lunch break is going to end in five minutes, ms. park is going to have our heads if we’re late.” soobin reminds.
after two classes, it was time for beomgyu’s practice, it was also the first time that their practices were going to be led by their captain, taehyun.
“hey guys!” taehyun says casually.
beomgyu glances over the bleachers, soobin was sitting down while typing on his laptop, this was part of his routine. whenever he watches beomgyu’s practices, he makes sure to do his assignments before the actual practice starts. beomgyu looks over to the right side of the bleachers, kai was there, supporting his boyfriend, of course.
“thank you for your trust in me to be your captain for two years now. let’s continue being the pride of our school. let’s start by stretching.” taehyun continues.
beomgyu admires his humility, he was already their co-captain by the start of high school, and it was no surprise that he was their team captain for senior year.
“and by the way, we have yet to announce our co-captain for this year, please clap for choi beomgyu!”
beomgyu was taken aback, he was a good point guard, but he never expected to be a co-captain.
“me? really? i… thank you. thank you for your trust, taehyun. thank you guys!”
to say beomgyu was shocked would be an understatement. he was one of the senior players but he never expected an actual position and responsibility.
after an hour, their practice was finally over. the first thing he noticed was taehyun running to kai, and he hugged him with open arms. how lucky.
“here comes my co-captain! i’m proud of you, gyu!” soobin cheers as he hands beomgyu his bottled water.
“i can’t believe i’m the co-captain… that’s so unexpected.”
“you definitely deserve it. you’re a good player!”
beomgyu is unsure, he thinks he got the position because of seniority.
“i know what you’re thinking. you deserve this, okay? don’t overthink it.”
“you know me so well. i’ll just take a quick shower and let’s go to the skate park?”
“fine by me. take your time.”
beomgyu then goes to the shower room, while soobin finishes his remaining assignment while waiting for him.
“hi soobin!” kai greets.
“oh, hey kai! do you need something, mr. president?”
“yes actually. let’s have a meeting tomorrow about the school fair? i’ll tell the other council members.”
“sure sure, i’ll also write the minutes of the meeting.”
“i knew i could count on you. thanks, i’ll be on my way now. see you tomorrow!”
it’s not like soobin is oblivious to beomgyu’s huge crush on kai, but he prefers not to dwell on it. kai is a good person, their campus golden boy — it’s no wonder beomgyu would like somebody like him. he just wishes he could just look around and open his eyes.
a few minutes later, beomgyu returns with a rather gloomy expression. soobin immediately knew the reason. he absolutely hated moments like these. it was always the same reason, beomgyu wanted a relationship like kai and taehyun’s.
“you ready to go?” soobin initiates.
“yeah, let’s go.” beomgyu continues to have a gloomy expression.
while walking to the skate park, soobin tells beomgyu all about the homework that he did during his practice.
“oh by the way, our school fair is coming soon.”
“really? it’s going to be our last school fair before we go to college.”
“exactly. i feel honored to be part of the planning committee.”
“of course you’re part of it, you’re in the student council.”
“will you help me?”
“sure, why not? anything for my best friend.”
soobin knew he was beomgyu’s best friend, but on some particular days, that label stings a lot.
they arrived at the skate park and immediately saw yeonjun with a few snacks beside him.
“i call dibs on the chips!” soobin runs to yeonjun immediately.
“there’s enough food for all of us.” yeonjun chuckles.
“hey twinny, you’re talking to the new co-captain of the basketball team.”
“that’s nice! that’s a great achievement! i’m proud of you!” yeonjun proceeds to hug beomgyu.
“you should’ve seen him earlier, he was doubting himself!” soobin says.
“nobody likes a snitch, soobin!” beomgyu replies.
soobin sticks out his tongue like a kid, beomgyu proceeds to chase him around the skate park. moments like these really make yeonjun question why he chooses to hang out with two idiots. it’s not like soobin is subtle about his long time crush with his twin, it’s just that beomgyu is too oblivious to even see it.
after an hour of hanging out at the skatepark, the three chois knew it was time to call it a day. luckily, yeonjun had a car.
“oh yeonjun, will the theater club do something for the school fair? it’s coming up soon, it’s the first even of the year.” soobin asks on their way home.
“hmm… we were thinking of spicing it up with a marriage booth actually.”
soobin definitely noticed how beomgyu’s body tensed up after yeonjun’s answer. something in beomgyu just sinks. he immediately knew who would be the couple first in line for that.
“pretty sure the basketball team will sell cookies again. it’s yearly tradition.” soobin tries to change the subject — but it didn’t work, beomgyu was still staring at the window.
yeonjun was always against this little crush beomgyu had on kai. especially with soobin literally being there, and was the perfect one for him.
after driving soobin home, which was a street away from beomgyu and yeonjun’s house, they were finally alone.
“gyu, isn’t it time to stop?”
“what do you mean?”
“time to stop this madness.”
“huh? what are you talking about?”
“you know exactly what i’m talking about. it’s our last year, maybe you should stop yearning for someone you can’t have.”
beomgyu knew yeonjun meant well. between the two of them, yeonjun was the one who was blunt and direct with his words. he knew that he was right. he can’t yearn for kai forever.
“if you just open your eyes, you’ll realize the one that you’ve been looking for is literally there. don’t waste anymore of your time yearning for someone who’s taken, okay? i’ll go cook dinner.”
beomgyu stood still in their living room, yeonjun was right. he can’t keep living like this. it doesn’t help that he’s going to work closely with taehyun now. it’s time to stop this. it was rare when yeonjun had to talk to him about this, and it just shows how much this yearning for kai thing needed to stop.
beomgyu
just got home
soobin
that’s good
are you okay?
you were pretty quiet on the ride home
beomgyu
yeonjun just talked to me
i think i need to stop liking kai
it’s not healthy for me at all
soobin
that’s a great start
it’s our senior year after all
maybe you’ll even date someone this year
beomgyu
maybe
haven’t really thought of that at all
soobin
well you were pretty busy yearning for someone to notice
beomgyu
finally time to stop it
wanna play vr tomorrow?
soobin
after my meeting with the student council, i’ll go to your house
beomgyu
bring clothes before you come here
let’s have a sleepover
soobin
okay
see you tomorrow
beomgyu
have a good night, binnie
beomgyu woke up today, excited to finally change something in his life. he’s graduating, he has new opportunities laid out for him, it’s going to be his year!
as soon as he got out of his room, yeonjun was blasting music out loud from the shower.
If you could see that I'm the one who understands you
Been here all along, so why can't you see?
You belong with me
Standing by and waiting at your backdoor
All this time how could you not know, baby?
You belong with me, you belong with me
what an odd choice for a song, is yeonjun in love? beomgyu thought.
little did he know, yeonjun was helping soobin out. he needs to make sure that this will work out. an hour later, they were in school, and the twins had a pretty uneventful day.
“soobin is sleeping over.” beomgyu says as he buckles his seatbelt, ready to go home.
“noted, i’ll cook for three later. i’ll just drive you home and then i’ll go to the store for groceries.”
“thanks. can you get the chocolate candy that soobin likes?”
yeonjun couldn’t help but smile, finally! his ship is sailing.
“let me play some music.” yeonjun said with a grin.
All I know is this could either break my heart or bring it back to life
Got a feelin' your electric touch could fill this ghost town up with life
And I want you now, wanna need you forever
In the heat of your electric touch
“are you in love or something? why are you listening to love songs?”
“maybe… or maybe someone i know is.”
“that doesn’t narrow it down. you know the whole town.”
yeonjun just chuckled and proceeded to drive home. after dropping off beomgyu, he then proceeded to go to one of the local coffee shops first, giving soobin ample time to execute his plan.
about an hour later, beomgyu heard the doorbell, he quickly rushed to see soobin.
“hi!” he greets.
soobin then enters the house carrying two heavy bags.
“oh, you brought your guitar?” beomgyu asks.
“yep, i was tasked to do an intermission number at the school fair, so i thought it would be best to practice with you, as i knew how much you love music.”
“okay! let’s practice first before we play vr!”
“are you sure? i did came here to play with you…”
“nonsense, what song are you going to sing? when’s the school fair?”
“exactly a month from now, so the preparations are going to start early since it’s a three day long event.”
“and you got tasked to sing during the opening ceremony?”
“yup, kai too… but he’s going to sing a duet with taehyun.”
“i see…”
“do you… do you want to play the guitar while i sing?”
“like to the actual event?”
“yes. do you want to perform with me?”
“i don’t see why not. what song do you have in mind?”
“hmmm… i recently watched this musical and one thing has been stuck in my mind. do you know the song rewrite the stars?”
“familiar, why don’t you sing it first?”
“n..now? i’m shy.”
“nonsense. you have one of the best voices i’ve heard. it’s just me.”
but that’s the problem, beomgyu didn’t know how much he meant to soobin.
“okay… here i go…. i might be off-tune.”
What if we rewrite the stars?
Say you were made to be mine
Nothing could keep us apart
You'd be the one I was meant to find
It's up to you, and it's up to me
No one can say what we get to be
So why don't we rewrite the stars?
“as expected! the perfect voice! i’ll search for the chords online so we can practice.”
and so the two went on to practice for their performance, completely disregarding their original agenda of playing video games. it wasn’t until yeonjun arrived from the grocery market where they finally took a break.
“i’ll cook for the three of us. continue what you’re doing.” yeonjun said with a smile, he was actually the one who suggested that they should perform together.
beomgyu rested his head on soobin’s soldiers, due to their height difference, he fit in perfectly, it was like they were two puzzle pieces that belonged to each other.
“i could listen to your voice forever.”
“you’re making me shy…”
“who do you think is more introverted between the two of us?”
“it’s definitely me… you’re confident enough to be an athlete.”
“god gave you the height, but he forgot your athletic abilities.”
“eh, i’m not interested in sports anyways. just not my thing.”
“but you watch almost all of my practices?”
“watching you and actually playing sports is different. i enjoy watching you play.”
“tell me something i don’t know.”
“ever so humble, choi beomgyu.”
“your shoulders are made for me. i fit in with you.”
and i just wish you could see that.
“tell me something i don’t know.” soobin giggles, hiding his feelings.
“dinner is ready!” yeonjun shouts from the kitchen.
a week has passed by, and beomgyu was definitely feeling the senior year, especially when they were drowning in assignments.
“ugh! it’s the second week of school and i’ve done like fifteen assignments!” beomgyu rants while going home with soobin, they both got ice cream on their way home.
“so studious of you.”
“says you! you’re one of the top students!”
“i can’t believe a month after the school fair, college application season will finally start. have you finalized what you are going to pursue?”
“hmmmm… i’ll pursue my dreams of being a kindergarten teacher. what about you? do you still want to be a doctor?”
“yep, i want to help people.”
“you’re cut out for it. if anyone can survive medical school, i know it would be you.”
“ah gyu, you have so much trust in me.”
“what? i’m not lying! you’re going to be a great doctor.”
“that means a lot. i want to work in pediatrics.”
“our careers work hand in hand, maybe we should collaborate.”
“maybe.”
“yah, choi soobin! are you turning me down? why didn’t you say yes?!”
“to keep you on your toes.” soobin giggled and walked faster.
the school fair was fast approaching as the days went by, and everyone was busy. this school fair was important to all the seniors, as this was their last one.
“booths, check. varsity teams, check. food and drinks, check. all set, president!” soobin says to kai.
“thank you, soobin. can’t believe it’s going to happen a week from now. what about your performance?”
“beomgyu and i are ready. what about yours?”
“of course, taehyun and i are ready. the main attraction at this school fair is the marriage booth and the photobooth, no?”
“yes, correct. the early preparation really helped.”
“that’s nice to hear. see you tomorrow!”
soobin waved goodbye to kai, he then wondered what kind of song he would sing alongside taehyun.
the day of the school fair finally arrived, all of the efforts of the clubs, varsity teams, and student council were finally going to be paid off.
“ready, gyu?” soobin asked before they went backstage.
“you’re with me, so i don’t feel nervous at all.”
“that means the world to me. let’s go?”
the students clapped as soon as the beomgyu and soobin went on the stage. they were feeling a bit nervous as they were the opening act, but realized because they had each other. beomgyu started strumming his guitar and soobin started singing.
All I want is to fly with you
All I want is to fall with you
So just give me all of you
It feels impossible
It's not impossible
Is it impossible?
Say that it's possible
How do we rewrite the stars?
Say you were made to be mine?
Nothing can keep us apart
'Cause you are the one I was meant to find
It's up to you
And it's up to me
No one can say what we get to be
And why don't we rewrite the stars?
Changing the world to be ours
You know I want you
It's not a secret I try to hide
But I can't have you
We're bound to break and my hands are tied
the students diligently clapped their hands as soon as the performance was over, and beomgyu hugged soobin on stage.
“you nailed that!” beomgyu said before they went down, as kai and taehyun’s performance was next.
as soon as taehyun started singing, soobin could definitely recognize the song.
I'm lucky I'm in love with my best friend
Lucky to have been where I have been
Lucky to be coming home again
Lucky we're in love in every way
Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed
Lucky to be coming home someday
beomgyu just looked away from the stage. it has been a month since he started his process of trying to free himself from liking and adoring kai, but on some days, like today, it hurts more.
the opening performances were over, and beomgyu had to go to the cookie stall, as that was the yearly tradition of basketball varsities.
soobin went around to check if everything was going well, and yeonjun was busy being the head person handling the marriage booth.
and as if it wasn’t painful enough, the cookie stall was right next to the marriage booth, and everybody knew who was the first couple in line.
“oh! the golden couple kai and taehyun! as expected, first in line for the marriage booth!”
beomgyu was normally a strong person, but this was just a stab directly at the heart.
“hey, i need to go. i’ll come back later.” he said to one of his teammates and ran away.
soobin saw the whole thing and knew what he had to do.
beomgyu settled on going to the school’s rooftop area, it was close to the gym, which he often was, but this rooftop area was his special to him.
it wasn’t seeing kai and taehyun together that hurt him, it was the fact that he’s most likely never going to experience that fairytale type of love like theirs.
“strawberry milk?” someone suddenly offered.
“binnie…? how did you know…?”
“i’m literally your best friend. of course i know your special spots.”
beomgyu took the strawberry milk that was offered to him and started drinking it.
“does it still hurt?”
“seeing kai and taehyun? hmmm not really. more like i’m bummed that i can’t have what they have.”
“maybe if you just fucking looked at me, you’ll get it.”
beomgyu was taken aback, not only because of soobin cussing, but because he sounded so done.
“what…?”
“you know, gyu… i actually don’t know if you’re just that dense. but… maybe open your eyes. look around. the love that you want has always been right in front of you.”
“i don’t understand, binnie.”
“of course you don’t. this is hopeless.” soobin said and stood up.
beomgyu just continued to sit down and stare at the ground. what did soobin mean by that? could it be that… soobin had feelings for him….?
the school fair went by smoothly, with every plan and program going as planned. but there was one anomaly, soobin and beomgyu haven’t talked ever since that scene on the rooftop.
it was their first day of going back to school normally, and yeonjun noticed that beomgyu and soobin were not speaking to each other.
“beomgyu, are you and soobin okay? you’ve been avoiding each other’s glances.” yeonjun asked during their lunch break.
“would i be out of my mind if i suspected that he has feelings for me? something happened on the first day of the school fair.”
“i knew it! what happened?”
“he told me if i just looked around…”
“ugh! literally everybody with eyes can see it, gyu!”
“what are you saying? you knew about it this whole time?”
“for the love of god, just think about what we’ve been saying. i don’t want to get mad at you.”
hours passed by and it was finally time for beomgyu’s basketball practice, but he was definitely not in the right headspace, as he kept missing the ball or failing to make a shot.
“beomgyu, are you okay? you’re off today. are you not feeling well?” taehyun asks him during their water break.
“sorry captain, i’m having an off day.”
“it’s okay, i understand. you can just rest. let’s talk after practice, okay?”
beomgyu looked at taehyun, he felt absolutely guilty of his kindness.
“our co-captain isn’t feeling well, one more round and let’s all go home.” taehyun said to their teammates, saving beomgyu.
beomgyu proceeded to drink his water, glancing over the empty bleachers, where soobin would normally be. this was the first time he didn’t attend his practice.
the practice ended, and after the both of them have already took a shower, taehyun and beomgyu sit down at the rooftop.
“i didn’t know this place was popular.” beomgyu starts the conversation.
“it’s near the gym, so it’s mostly popular with us athletes.”
“look, i know we aren’t friends… but i can clearly tell that you’re not okay.”
“really?”
“of course. to be honest, you’re the best player among us.”
“nonsense. you’re the captain for a reason.”
“that’s two different things… but i didn’t pull you to chat about basketball. i know…”
“hmmm? you know about what?”
“the affection that you hold for my boyfriend.”
beomgyu’s eyes widened, he slowly looked at taehyun’s face, wishing the ground could just swallow him right there and then.
“your longing stares during our practices is a dead giveaway.”
“but don’t worry, i won’t make this a big deal. i get it, my kai is a catch. it would be selfish to think that nobody else would be able to notice that.”
beomgyu was speechless, he didn’t expect this conversation at all.
“but maybe look around you… and see that someone has always been there for you. i’m not even your friend and i see it. i hope you catch my drift. i’ll get going, it’s going to rain soon. see you tomorrow, co-captain.”
and just like that, beomgyu was sitting alone on the rooftop again. but this time, he finally realized what people were trying to tell him. it was finally time to end his foolishness.
he immediately grabbed his bag and ran to soobin’s home. this time, he’ll make it right. he absolutely can not believe it took kang taehyun talking to him to actually realize what people were saying.
as he was running, rain started to pour, but then he saw a tall figure walking, he immediately ran the fastest that he could and hugged soobin from the back.
“i’m sorry, binnie. i’m sorry. i’m sorry. i’m sorry. i’m sorry for taking you for granted.” beomgyu sobbed while hugging soobin from the back.
“you have always been there for me and i have done nothing but cause you pain. i’m sorry…”
soobin finally faced beomgyu, ignoring the heavy rain pouring, and cupped beomgyu’s face using his hands.
“it’s fine, gyu. i won’t hold grudges against you.”
“no! you should be mad at me! i’ve taken you for granted! i was dense about your feelings!”
“whatever you do, i’ll always love you.”
“you shouldn’t!” beomgyu continued to sob, his tears and the rain drops seeming to be one.
“who are you to tell me who to love, huh, choi beomgyu? i love you. i have for a long time.”
“and i’ve been blind for so long. i’ve always wanted a love like theirs… but you were right in front of me.”
soobin hugs beomgyu and pats him on the back, “well, it’s better late than never. i was too scared to confess anyway.”
beomgyu hugged soobin tighter, feeling the safest in his arms.
“we should go inside, gyu. you might catch a cold.”
“and what about you? you’ll catch a cold too!”
“okay, we’ll both catch a cold. let’s go inside.”
beomgyu and soobin decided to go to beomgyu’s house instead, and the moment they entered the house, they quickly went right in front of the heater.
“are you guys crazy? i’ll grab towels!” yeonjun said with concern.
“binnie.. i’m sorry…”
“shhh. let’s focus on good memories, okay? i’m not mad at you for not noticing me. there’s no logic to love at all.”
“then i’ll make sure to always look at you from now on.” beomgyu said and hugged soobin.