Archive of Our Own

Zhang Hao.

He was turning eighteen, in the last year of his high school journey in a foreign country not quite far away from where he came from but far away enough that he had proclaimed this place his home away from home. He spoke with a foreign twang, and his tongue struggled to wrap around a few enunciations more unique to Korean, but beyond that, he had assimilated well into the culture, much to the relief of his mother who had brought a young Zhang Hao, who only had a single digit to his age, along with her when a better position in her company had opened—overseas.

For a foreigner, Zhang Hao had fitted in quite well. He had done so well that he found himself becoming the student council president in his senior year, popular to the point his name had preceded even his glowing presence and his perfect grades. As an individual that had self-proclaimed himself to be attuned to his strengths and weaknesses, he had known that he had been close to what perfect would have been if manifested in a human being who led an equally just as perfect life, but if there had been one thing to be known about the world, then it would have been that things never quite went the way anyone truly wanted them to.

“Stuck in your daydreams again, Zhang Hao-ssi?” A voice sounded out, causing Zhang Hao to curse faintly underneath his breath as soon as he had recognised just who it had been. It was not difficult, not when his nemesis had always approached the designated desk—that Zhang Hao had been rightfully bestowed in the student council room—as if it had been his own, hand placed comfortably on atop the neat (?) stack of papers that Zhang Hao had yet to go through for the day.

Zhang Hao had gritted his teeth faintly, trying his best to hold in his annoyance when he had whipped his head up to look at the offensive human—in fact, the only human that had been daring enough to antagonise Zhang Hao in this manner.

Sung Hanbin.

Vice-president of the student council, a year younger than Zhang Hao yet annoyingly in the same academic year as him, making them both seniors that, to Zhang Hao’s luck, had been classmates all at the very same time. He had good grades, was well liked by students and teachers alike, and had been the constant thorn in Zhang Hao’s side. His academic rival that had somehow managed to win Zhang Hao once, topping the school’s ranking board on their first semester in their sophomore year, making Zhang Hao too acutely aware of the existence of a certain Sung Hanbin that had dared to break Zhang Hao’s perfect streak that he had been keeping up ever since middle school had started.

Ever since then, he had worked hard to become the best again, sweeping every first place right into his open arms for their second semester, and by some grace of some god out there that had hated Zhang Hao, had been placed in the same class as Sung Hanbin in their senior year, forced to be within the presence of this glowing personality with his stupidly handsome features, a sweet smile, and—

He was going off topic. Zhang Hao had barely caught himself before he had committed something stupid in midst of his annoyance, like admitting that Sung Hanbin had indeed been conventionally handsome, attractive, and all around easy for the eyes. Though, even if he did, could he be blamed? It had just been facts. Zhang Hao was a factual person before he was a petty one!

“It’s called resting before I start with my tasks, Sung Hanbin-ssi. Is that a crime?” grumbled an all too disgruntled Zhang Hao through gritted teeth, eyes narrowing into faint slits as he glared at the man that stood before him. Hanbin had only moved away with a light laugh and a simple shrug of his shoulders.

“It’s not entirely a crime, Zhang Hao-ssi. It’s just that you’ve been doing it for so long that I was afraid you’d never return to earth.”

Zhang Hao huffed at that. Like as if it had mattered to Sung Hanbin if he had been on earth or otherwise—in fact, he had a perfectly justifiable assumption that the younger man would actually be glad that Zhang Hao were to disappear. After all, they had declared themselves rivals in front of the whole class the moment their eyes had met—Zhang Hao more than Hanbin—though Hanbin did feel quite faintly amused by Zhang Hao’s zealous declaration and had accepted it with laughter in his voice as he said ‘sure, why not’.

And for some screwed up reason or another, when the two of them had come head to head with each other as they competed for the position of president in their student council, the only thing Sung Hanbin had said when they had reached the end of the whole campaigning process and ended with Zhang Hao only triumphing narrowly by a few votes (that could be counted in a single hand) was a soft smile and an outstretched hand.

“I’ll be in your care, President Zhang Hao.” Ha. Accepting his defeat this smoothly? … As much as Zhang Hao would hate to admit it, Sung Hanbin had accepted defeat far better than Zhang Hao would have been, if losing out on his perfect first place streak had been anything to work with. Some people just had everything and then ended it with being a perfect person right down to their personality, didn’t they?

It was the one thing Zhang Hao had admittedly lacked. Even if just as popular as Hanbin had been, Zhang Hao was rough around the edges, hated talking to people more than he was already forced to on occasion and was all-around just less kind than Sung Hanbin had been. He was not someone who would stop in his tracks and then completely deroute from his route just to help a child find their parents, or a grandmother to shuttle her groceries back home instead of just ending it at helping her cross the road. All things which Sung Hanbin had done, meeting Zhang Hao’s befuddlement with apologies that he was holding up their way to the cafe to discuss student council affairs when the room had gotten too stuffy at times, after the insistent begging from the rest of the student council body—namely their secretary Taerae and the treasurer, Gyuvin. Although Zhang Hao was horrified that they had been late to the student council's meeting at the cafe all thanks to a certain Sung Hanbin, Taerae and Gyuvin had both seemed all too accustomed to Hanbin’s antics, meeting his gaze and apologies with equally as toothy grins and a dismissal.

“Typical Hanbin hyung,” they would both say.

Completely atypical behaviour, in Zhang Hao’s eyes.

“Ha. You wish I wouldn’t return to earth, but too bad. My resting has its limits. Now, would you mind taking your hand off? You’re kind of blocking me from accessing my work for the day,” Zhang Hao soon whined, hand moving in faint swatting motions as if to encourage Hanbin’s hand to move off. It seemed the man did not need much encouragement though, lifting his hand up soon thereafter and freeing Zhang Hao’s stacks of papers underneath, except not without creasing the first few pieces of paper. Zhang Hao had been able to do nothing but groan at that.

“I can hear your sounds of displeasure all the way from outside the room, Hao hyung. Is Hanbin hyung bothering you again?”

With that deep of a voice, there could not have been anyone else but Taerae stepping through the door, his backpack slung haphazardly across one shoulder and hanging precariously on it. Zhang Hao was about to open his mouth to say something about having to be prim and proper especially as students that made up the council, but it seemed Taerae had enough sense to catch Zhang Hao’s tendency to want to nag all thanks to his prior experience by tossing his bag quickly on the empty couch a stone’s throw away from the door before flashing a smile as if he’d been absolved of his crimes. Whatever—it’s not as if Taerae’s casualness and lack of consideration had been worse than Sung Hanbin at this point. He’d just cut his losses here and close his eyes. If he saw nothing, then he wouldn’t have to say anything.

Right? Wrong.

Unfortunately for Zhang Hao, his ears had still pretty much functioned, which meant he was entirely subject to the conversation that flowed between Taerae and Hanbin. It would have been okay—of course it would have, if only for the fact that they were talking about him.

Zhang Hao. Right in front of, and would you guess it? Zhang Hao.

“Cut your Hao hyung some slack, Taerae-yah. He’s a little tired and I disturbed him enough, as it seems. As you so smartly pointed out.”

“Again, Hanbin hyung? At this point I’m convinced it’s your hobby to do it. Why, does Hao hyung look cuter when he’s all angry and upset?”

“Now that you mention it, he does look—”

“Okay! Enough, enough. You two, get to work yourselves too or I’m going to trap you both in the room for the night until we’re all done,” Zhang Hao snapped. He had stayed quiet for too long, enough for Taerae and Hanbin to discuss… what, his cuteness? Like as if that was something to be discussed! He was cute, if you asked the right people. He just didn’t need to know if Hanbin had been part of those people that had found him adorable, nor did he want to.

“Pfft. You’re afraid, Hao hyung, You’re afraid Hanbin hyung doesn’t find you cute.” Taerae had added with a faint snicker underneath his breath. He’s not sure if the sudden flush he felt coursing through his body was due to embarrassment, anger, or perhaps both, but had not hesitated to throw a piece of eraser Taerae’s way in an attempt to shut him up, where he’d only been met with nothing but laughter from both boys. Great, he had now been the main subject of bullying. He wondered briefly if the teachers would do anything about this, or would they side with Hanbin…

“To all three of my precious hyungnim, I hate to burst your bubbles, but we should really get to discussing the budgeting for this year’s event before Hao hyung and Hanbin hyung… you know,” another voice sounded, from the door as well. Gyvuin had peeked into the small opening of the door, stepping in all gangly arms and legs and looking a little awkward with how ill-fitted the uniform had been on his too-tall body. Zhang Hao had felt bad at times, but he supposed it had not been time to continuously feel bad for Gyuvin at this very moment. The younger man, and perhaps, the only one who was responsible enough to remind them of the reason why they had all gathered in the student council room today—a day where they would usually not have done so, if not for an increased workload.

“Gyuvin-ah’s right,” Zhang Hao had declared with a soft sigh. He supposed the rest of his documents had to wait—he would need to focus on the pressing task at hand. Now that he had served a whole year of pure perfection as the president, there was no way he was going to allow his own perfect streak to be broken just because he could not properly handover his responsibilities to the next batch. Not even if Sung Hanbin was bent on antagonising him, oftentimes ganging up with Taerae who seemed to find quite a lot of joy in making Zhang Hao flustered. The only safe person had been Gyuvin, but then again… that man was Hanbin’s best friend, despite the difference in their ages. Trustable, or not? Only time would tell.

For now, though, Gyuvin was his favourite.

“Well, since Gyuvin-ah and Zhang Hao-ssi are both in agreement to commence the meeting, I guess we shouldn’t drag on any longer,” Hanbin spoke, sounding a little more serious this time around—there had been no teasing lilt to his voice, no laughter that clung to the ends of his syllables as he looked at Zhang Hao with that annoyingly sparkling eyes of his, no smile that would cause the dimples on his whiskers to show up. It was like a switch had flipped inside of Hanbin with the man easily slipping into a more serious mode.

Zhang Hao would ignore the sudden quickening of his heartbeat at the sight and settled on the armchair surrounding the meeting table in between (it was just a coffee table, honestly), with the rest of the men that made up the student council settling around in either the other armchair or on the couch to commence the meeting.

Budgets… they were the bane of Zhang Hao’s existence, as many other things had been as well.

Holidays? Hated them. Zhang Hao believed they were the very basis of evil capitalists. Special occasions? When every single day was just as fleeting as the next, shouldn’t every single day be special? And not to mention, the crowds? Evil. The restaurants and food places that he liked to frequent getting more crowded the closer they approached said special occasions?

Even worse, much like their agenda at hand.

There were two major activities that they were preparing for; one being Zhang Hao’s favourite considering it was to plan their school’s festival come spring, the other one had been… Valentine’s. Good lord. If there had been one event he hated the most, it would have been this stupid thought up holiday, designed only for corporations and money grubbers to take as much money as they could from unassuming (and admittedly quite shallow) couples that readily played into such frivolous activities, pinning so much importance into a single holiday as proof of their love for one another. Call Zhang Hao a pessimist, but he never believed love could be thought about this shallowly. Valentine’s Day should just be a very other day—just as loving as the other days if you were in a relationship, too.

Yet, in their high school, there was this long-standing tradition that Zhang Hao knew would get eggs, and maybe even kimchi, pelted at him if he had tried to abuse his authority as the president and attempt to remove that event. Everyone seemed to look forward to it, and it was by no means anything too intricate, but of course, once again, it was just the whole student body falling into the poor hands of capitalism.

Affectionately coined (and badly named) ‘Gift Your Crush a Chocolate— Anonymously!’, it was exactly what that tacky name had promised—an anonymous chocolate delivery service that had included students submitting their requests to have a chocolate—yes, one singular chocolate—delivered to their crush, courtesy of the student council members and their group of volunteers that would go around the school finding the recipients lucky enough to receive this chocolate from their secret admirer. Some people would end up with one or two, and spend the rest of their remaining semester left in the academic year to find their admirers, some would have none and either be dejected or entirely accepting of their fate, and then there was… Zhang Hao and Sung Hanbin.

Immensely popular and greatly admired, it had come as no surprise that the president and vice president of the student council would be two names that appeared many times when it came to this event. With almost half of the requests being directed to either Zhang Hao or Hanbin, or an evil third option of both from the same sender, both Zhang Hao and Hanbin had agreed to not accept the chocolates simply to reduce the costs of financing this event, lending more to finance the school festival that Zhang Hao had preferred so much more that it was almost an insult for the two events to be compared with one another.

This was one of the first things Zhang Hao had set in stone ever since becoming president. He had no idea what to do with the amount of chocolates he received in both his first and second year of high school that he swore he could find them still if he looked around his room, and it was why he had proposed it to begin with—and with Hanbin following along, chipping in that he had also faced the same predicament and it did not make sense for the student council’s funds to return back to the student council. Level-headed as always, yet annoying all at the very same time that Sung Hanbin had suffered the same fate as Zhang Hao with way too many admirers and their own popularity. It was decidedly rather petty and childish of Zhang Hao to feel competitive over even this, but could he blame himself?

Ever since he had found out about Sung Hanbin’s existence, he could not help but want to win him in everything ever. Rhetorical chocolates received included.

In theory, their meeting was supposed to end quickly. It was getting late, and with it being near the end of January where winter still had its unforgiving claws dug deep into the city of Seoul with its sudden cold spikes and knife winds, it had also meant that the days were still considerably short. The skies were dark out, and Zhang Hao had already felt an impending headache coming from the fact that he probably had to stay up studying and getting the rest of his student council work in order.

They should have been packing up by now. Or rather, they were doing exactly that, wrapping up what had been an entirely fruitful meeting, until the voice of Zhang Hao’s beloved favourite had cut in and completely shattered all the love Zhang Hao had for the man.

“Say, who do you think will get more gifts this Valentine’s? Hanbin hyung or Hao hyung?”

Gone. Just like that, a hushed silence had fallen in the student council room, with Gyuvin’s hand cupped over his own mouth, as if he had finally realised what dangerous words he had uttered. What used to be a room filled with soft white noises of people packing up for the day was now so silent that it felt static—Zhang Hao wished Gyuvin would learn to not poke a sleeping bear just like this, because now, the sometimes ugly competitive side of Zhang Hao, usually tucked deep inside unless if it was for academic pursuits and Sung Hanbin, had the chance to surface.

Sure, Sung Hanbin was part of the equation as he always was—much to Zhang Hao’s chagrin. What had been different, though, was that Zhang Hao actually had not cared just how many dedications he received on a frivolous occasion much like Valentine’s Day. This time, however?

“Of course I will,” Zhang Hao scoffed, only to hear a light laugh in amusement from his side. Hanbin. He’d been laughing at Zhang Hao. With his eyes narrowing, the president had flicked his head to meet Hanbin’s gaze, teeth gently gritting together, “Yah. Do you think I’m incapable of that?”

A part of Zhang Hao had wished that Hanbin would look shocked at that accusation. That he would look like anything other than his usual smiley self, radiating sunshine and warmth almost as if it had been as easy as breathing for him. It was unfair that Zhang Hao had always been the one who reacted this strongly, especially when it came to their competition—but it was always like that. It had always been the case, when Hanbin would simply just go along with every of Zhang Hao’s declaration of war. Even now.

“No, I do not, Zhang Hao-ssi. I just think it’d be a difficult fight for you either way,” Hanbin replied, lips curled into that same bright grin that seemed to be a mainstay on his features, “... but if you really want to compete over this, then sure.”

“Of course I do. It’s war, Sung Hanbin-ssi,” Zhang Hao had gritted out, huffing right after as he shoved the remainder of his belongings haphazardly into his backpack, standing up right after.

“You two…” Taerae spoke, a little sigh leaving his parted lips, “Will you two ever stop competing with one another?”

“Over my dead body, Taerae-yah,” Zhang Hao replied without hesitation, leaving the rest of the three behind to continue packing up, “You’ll see. I’ll emerge victorious even for this!”

Although Zhang Hao himself knew that there had been no need to actually compete over something like this, he couldn't help it either way. Sung Hanbin was always the thorn in his side, the annoying mainstay in his life because he was always second when Zhang Hao had been first, the vice-president when Zhang Hao was president. The accompaniment to Zhang Hao, when he believed that he could have, and already did, exist peacefully even without Sung Hanbin entering into his life the very semester he decided to triumph Zhang Hao and disrespect him in such a manner.

So, even if he felt oddly childish as he shoved his earphones deep into the cavity of his ears to block out the residual noises and the conversation that had ensued after he turned to leave the room, Zhang Hao’s mind was set.

He would win the Valentine’s Day competition no matter what. This was his pride on the line, and Zhang Hao had always hated when his pride was forsaken.

···········• ·❪ ❋ ❫· •···········

To make this a fair competition (and to torture Zhang Hao further), Taerae and Gyuvin had taken it upon themselves to be the ones in charge of ‘Gift Your Crush a Choclate— Anonymously’. It was two weeks until Valentine’s Day, falling on a Friday, much to Zhang Hao’s dismay. He’s spent the entire time leading up to Valentine’s Day biting on the end of his nails and peeling at his cuticles, the dried skin around his fingers all thanks to Seoul’s dry winters only making things worse for him. It was so subconscious that he did not even notice that he’d been doing it, a nervous response that had started and never quite ended. Not until Sung Hanbin would come to his desk during homeroom break, gently tapping at the plastic surface with his knuckle.

“Are you stressed about the results, Mr President? It is Valentine’s today, after all,” Sung Hanbin teased in his usual fashion, causing Zhang Hao to let out a quick whine before he reached over to gently smack the man’s arm, earning laughter from Hanbin once more.

“Go away. There are much more evil things at hand that I’m worried about! Why would I be concerned about something as stupid as winning that silly little bet,” Zhang Hao grumbled, glaring up at the man that stood so annoyingly close to his desk.

“You’re being awfully defensive. I think you’re a little more concerned than you’re putting yourself out to—”

“Sorry, Zhang Hao-ssi?” This time, it had not been Hanbin speaking, considering he had been talking before he was cut off. The voice was a little shriller, higher in pitch rather than the usual deeper voice of Hanbin that Zhang Hao had been used to, which made sense. Hanbin wasn’t the one talking, nor would he ever be the one to apologise to Zhang Hao…

“Oh?” He asked softly, turning to look at the source of the voice, blinking rapidly afterwards. Who was that dense that they couldn’t even read the room, anyways? He was in a heated argument with Sung Hanbin, and was probably about to win…

“Zhang Hao-ssi!” The female called out once more, lips curved into a bright smile as she held out a small bag towards Zhang Hao. He could not help but glance down towards it, noting how the clear plastic was dotted with small, pink hearts, with a box of chocolate wrapped within it. It did not take too long for Zhang Hao to figure out that it had been for him, from a female classmate that…

What was her name again? Zhang Hao quickly glanced towards the female’s nametag, squinting as he tried to read the blurry black characters reflected on the bright yellow tag.

“Oh, Sohye-ssi!” Hanbin called out softly, “I shouldn’t disturb you and Zhang Hao-ssi anymore, right?”

Zhang Hao hadn’t been sure of the cause of the flush that was steadily working over Sohye’s cheeks, but didn’t question it much more. Leave it to Sung Hanbin to know everyone, too…

“It’s okay, Hanbin-ssi! I’m just here to give… give Hao-ssi chocolates,” Sohye quickly responded, voice softer. Before Zhang Hao had time to react, though, the chocolate had been shoved into his hands along with a letter before Sohye had turned to run away, turning around the corner and sprinting down the hallways. What? Were people that dramatic these days?

Nevermind that. Instead, what had been more important to Zhang Hao was to declare his victory, whipping his head around to face Hanbin instead with a bright grin on his features.

“Ha! Sung Hanbin! This is one for me and zero to you. You’ll see that I’m going to…”

… win. For some reason, when he looked over at Hanbin, the usual smiley disposition that the younger male had possessed was long gone and all that had been in place was something quite… new. Foreign, if Zhang Hao had been speaking the truth. Instead of looking at Zhang Hao, Hanbin’s gaze was directed towards the now empty door, past where Sohye had run past earlier on, eyes subtly narrowed and jaw tightening so much that Zhang Hao could see a smidgen of the man’s veins protruding on his neck—not that he’d been looking into it with much detail. This was the first time he saw Hanbin like this, though, but before Zhang Hao could question the change in the man’s demeanour, Hanbin had snapped back into his usual self as he turned to look at Zhang Hao, the same smile spread across his features this time around.

Odd.

“The day has just started, Zhang Hao-ssi. We wouldn’t know who wins until after the tally by Taerae-yah and Gyuvin-ah.”

To Zhang Hao, it had been easy to return back to his competitive state without thinking too deeply into Hanbin’s actions, especially when Hanbin had seemed so apt in bringing his attention back to their little competition. Ha, so he did want to compete, despite acting as if he hadn’t been too enthused about it. Hanbin sure hadn’t been honest with himself. Did he then look at Sohye leaving because he was upset that he did not receive chocolates from her, then? Zhang Hao could not help but wonder, but it seemed that his gloating could not last much longer at all.

The gods must have favoured Sung Hanbin more than him. His victory awfully short-lived, because two students had approached where the both of them had stood in the classroom—two people from the other class over so it seemed, and had rushed to gift Hanbin with chocolates and letters, running away in a fit of giggles after Hanbin had apparently accurately remembered their names and accepted their gifts with ease, even going as far as to thank them. It’s something even Zhang Hao had failed to do earlier on with Sohye… so Hanbin had to triumph over him even in manners, huh? Rude.

The feeling twisting in his chest right now must have been ‘annoyance’, and nothing else. For some reason, Hanbin had always been intent on making sure Zhang Hao had been acutely aware of the fact that he had been far more polite than the president could ever hope to be, that perhaps, Zhang Hao had only lucked out that one time he had won as president and that Hanbin was always the people’s popular choice. It had filled him with the sour taste of jealousy, too, though Zhang Hao could not linger too long about his feelings at all.

“So, Zhang Hao-ssi… that’s, what, two for me, and one for you, right? Maybe the win you thought you’d have would be further to reach than expected,” Hanbin dared to add, causing Zhang Hao to gasp and smack his arm once more, only to be met with laughter once more.

Oh, Sung Hanbin… he would pay for this.

···········• ·❪ ❋ ❫· •···········

The rest of the day had been exhausting, if Zhang Hao had been frank. Atop the competition that had him on the edge of his seat, there were still proper lessons that he had to sit through. One time, Taerae and Gyuvin had come in in the middle of history class to drop the chocolates for the lucky recipients. Taerae was admittedly a little dramatic about it too, citing that he had taken inspiration ‘Mean Girls’ style—whatever the hell that meant—and had left after grinning and patting both Zhang Hao’s and Hanbin’s shoulder with a hum.

“And you two will find out who’s triumphant at the end of the day! Gyuvin and I will be waiting in the council room.”

All of a sudden, dread had filled Zhang Hao’s entire body. He wasn’t too sure if he had been emotionally able to take the blow if Hanbin had been the one who won. Even though Zhang Hao knew he had been popular, it wasn’t as if he hadn’t seen the amount of admirers that continued to drop chocolates on Hanbin’s desk even without the stupid anonymous gifting system. He had greeted them all well, though a part of him wondered if Hanbin had only accepted the chocolates because he was just being polite, or if he was intending to actually return the feelings of at least one person—to which, what the fuck! How dare he accept all these chocolates if he had someone in mind already?!

… He was exaggerating. He needed to calm down. There had been no certainty that Hanbin had actually liked anyone enough to accept their feelings like this, and if he didn’t, then it should have been perfectly fine for him to accept all these chocolates and letters. There were so many of them, though, which had Zhang Hao wondering what he’d eventually do with them—though he supposed he had that same predicament himself, all the chocolates he received now safely tucked in a bag along with the pile of letters he had gotten, too. If Zhang Hao had been honest, he knew that the chocolates could be eventually finished—or thrown out if he hadn’t been too careful with where he kept them at home. The letters, however, Zhang Hao knew that he’d have to simply tuck away, all because he had not had anyone that he actually had feelings for. There were many admirers, yes, but Zhang Hao only cared about his own academic prospects and getting into one of the SKY universities come graduation. Things as frivolous as relationships and having feelings for someone? It was out of the question, to say the least. Either way, he had been more or less focused on beating Sung Hanbin to the point he really did not have time to care about anything else.

Whatever. Zhang Hao could win this if he tried his best… except this wasn’t based on effort alone, was it not? It was not as if he could suddenly appeal to more people all of a sudden, or doctor the results such that he would win even if he might not have been the winner for the stupid event. Curse Taerae and Gyuvin for deliberately leaving Zhang Hao and Hanbin out of this whole event—now, all Zhang Hao could do was hope that his popularity as the president would not betray him.

The bell had rang eventually, signalling the end of the school day—everyone was let off early in lieu of club activities, and that meant that Zhang Hao’s impending doom was fast approaching. By the time he had been ready to leave, Hanbin had already stood beside his table with his bag slung comfortably over his shoulders, which had pleased the president quite a bit as opposed to Taerae who never quite listened to him. A part of Zhang Hao had wondered why Hanbin was waiting for him, but he supposed they were still classmates at the end of the day and part of the same student council. It wouldn’t make sense for Hanbin to leave before him.

“Let’s go,” Zhang Hao soon declared with a small sigh, slinging his arms past the two loops of his backpack before adjusting it lightly, making sure it rested easy on his shoulders, “I’m beating your ass, by the way.”

“So crude. We’ll see about that, Mr. President,” Hanbin replied, chuckling shortly after his words as they moved out of the classroom together. They did not get too far though before they were stopped by another person—this time, it was a male student who had blocked their path, trembling hands holding onto a bag of chocolates… great, now, was this going to be added to Hanbin’s steadily growing list of senders? For the first time, Zhang Hao had also recognised the person that stood before them. He was in the same year as Taerae, the younger man’s classmate, but most importantly, a junior in the symphonic orchestra that Zhang Hao had been a part of until he had stepped down earlier in the semester.

Park Hanbin. A nice boy, perhaps nicer than another person also named Hanbin, stood beside Zhang Hao at this very moment. Zhang Hao was about to greet the younger Hanbin before he was immediately cut off, with the bag of chocolates thrust his way as the younger man’s head tipped in a bow.

“Zhang Hao sunbaenim! Please accept my heart!”

“Wh-what? Hanbin-ah? What’s all this?” Zhang Hao had sputtered out, flabbergasted, as his eyes grew wide. The soft gasp that left his lips had not been properly hidden, too, considering just how shocking this whole situation had been. Park Hanbin had lifted his head up then, eyes widened as he looked at Zhang Hao.

“Sunbaenim. I know it’s very sudden, but I just wanted you to know before you graduated… I’ve liked you since the moment I’ve seen you. You’re also really nice to me, so… my feelings for you only seemed to grow,” Park Hanbin replied, voice earnest. Zhang Hao hadn’t a clue what to do still as he clutched the bag of chocolates weakly to his chest, blinking rapidly. Park Hanbin liked him? Now, what was he supposed to do about this situation?

“Zhang Hao-ssi,” came another person’s voice. This time, it was one that had been far more familiar—Sung Hanbin had called out for him, and just like it had multiple times in the day by now, his gaze had darkened just a tad, though this time, there was the faintest smile that was spread across his features. The divide in the expression had caused a small shiver to run down Zhang Hao’s spine.

“We should probably get to the student council room soon. We don’t want to keep our friends waiting, right?”

That much was true, but still…

“Wait a moment, Sung Hanbin-ssi. I need to,” Zhang Hao muttered, his voice soft as he spared a glance towards Park Hanbin, who had seemed expectant, waiting for a response from Zhang Hao that he supposed he had to provide somehow. To Zhang Hao, though, Park Hanbin had always been the nice little junior that he liked to take care of. He was bright-eyed, cheerful, and a joy to be around whenever they would gather for the orchestra, but for him to be the object of the younger man’s affections? It was not something Zhang Hao had expected, to say the least. Not now, and not in the future either. And… he felt bad somehow. Zhang Hao knew what he had to do.

“You can go ahead first, I’ll catch up with you later,” he added soon enough, nudging Sung Hanbin to move ahead first.

“Why must I go ahead first? You can just give Hanbin-ssi his response right now. I’m able to wait at least for a short moment.”

“Sung Hanbin-ssi. Do not be ridiculous here,” Zhang Hao hissed, feeling that it had been entirely too incredulous that Sung Hanbin was so intent on staying. Zhang Hao felt as if he had to give Park Hanbin the respect he deserved anyways—even in rejection, he had to ensure that he would be able to let his junior down lightly. And ‘lightly’ did not entail having someone standing right beside Zhang Hao as he rejected the wholehearted confession.

“I said I’ll catch up with you later. Now, go.”

Zhang Hao watched as Sung Hanbin’s lips seemed to part in desire to say something. Instead of words, though, all he got was Hanbin pursing his lips and then nodding before he moved to walk away—though not before he witnessed a narrowed gaze towards Park Hanbin originating from the vice-president. Well, that was… odd. Zhang Hao just hoped that Park Hanbin had not noticed the sudden hostility directed towards him.

After ascertaining that Sung Hanbin had fully left, Zhang Hao had finally turned his attention to his junior, a soft, and apologetic smile making its way to his features afterwards. Although Zhang Hao knew what his answer would have been, it was still an awfully awkward position to be in—the rest of the people that had given him chocolates had not even sounded half as sincere as Park Hanbin had been, especially considering how he had not taken off running after he had delivered the chocolates to Zhang Hao.

“Hanbin-ah,” Zhang Hao called out softly then again, holding up the chocolates with the same smile spread across his features, “Thank you for your chocolates, but I’m afraid I can’t…”

“Oh, it’s… it’s okay, sunbaenim,” the younger man quickly interjected, smiling, though to be honest, it looked more like a grimace than anything, “I understand entirely! You have someone else you like already. I hope he treats you well!”

“Huh? Wait, what? I… I don’t like anyone? And who is this ‘he’?” Zhang Hao asked, sounding more confused than he was before they started this conversation. Was Hanbin simply trying to come to terms with his own rejection by cooking up some unknown scenario? When did Zhang Hao like someone? And when did he need someone to treat him well?

“Sunbaenim, you don’t need to hide,” Hanbin spoke, laughing a little afterwards before he turned to look behind his shoulder. Zhang Hao had glanced over, too, to find nothing but an empty corridor, leaving him even more confused than ever, “Hanbin sunbaenim… you like him, don’t you? And he likes you too. He looked like he was about to murder me just now…”

Zhang Hao supposed he did… wait, what?!

A loud gasp easily sounded through the corridors. Zhang Hao’s voice had been boisterous enough that it bounced off of them, echoing just slightly whilst his eyes widened to the size of saucers. What was Park Hanbin even trying to say?!

“I don’t! I mean, I do, but I don’t in that way! Oh my god, Hanbin-ah. That guy? Sung Hanbin-ssi? I’m just always in friendly competition with him! Why would I like him that way? No, no, Hanbin-ah. You’re mistaken. I don’t have anyone I like, it’s why I have to reject you,” Zhang Hao reasoned, still sounding completely flabbergasted that his junior was suggesting something as ridiculous as that.

“Oh…? I thought the competitions were just the two best students’ way of flirting with one another,” Hanbin muttered, now sounding just as confused as Zhang Hao had been. He had been flabbergasted, shocked and shaken beyond his core. Him, and Sung Hanbin, flirting?! Out of the question.

“No, that’s… that’s not it, Hanbin-ah. I’m just really competitive! Yeah, he’s healthy competition!”

“Okay, if you say so,” Park Hanbin replied, though it was as clear as day that he had been nowhere near convinced. Zhang Hao wasn’t even going to try to defend his case anymore—he was smart enough to know that the more he spoke right now, the bigger the hole he would dig for himself.

“Oh well,” the younger man started out once more, sighing out softly, “I’m just glad I took my chances and confessed, anyways. It’s like a whole weight lifted off my shoulders. Taerae told me not to because it would be pure stupidity to do so, but… I’m glad I didn’t listen! Although this will hurt for a bit more. Thank you, sunbaenim, for being so nice. Keep the chocolates and enjoy them!”

And with that, without even waiting for Zhang Hao to respond, Park Hanbin had walked off, leaving behind a very stunned Zhang Hao that was more confused than he was anything else.

When he resumed his path towards the student council room, in his dazed state, he was thankful that he had not spotted Sung Hanbin on the way.

···········• ·❪ ❋ ❫· •···········

Opening the door to the student council room was overwhelming. There had been no other way to describe the feeling that was coursing through Zhang Hao’s veins at this very moment, because he had been greeted with boisterous laughter and loud chatter—noises that did not exist usually when he was in the room, and it seemed to be exactly the case when the three men had noticed his presence and had quietened down almost immediately. It was appreciated, yet odd all the same—were the three of them constantly quieter because of Zhang Hao?

He didn’t want to think too deeply about it though, especially considering what had happened earlier on. All he could think of was the fact that he had to reject Park Hanbin, somehow had his junior thinking Sung Hanbin had a thing for him, and then being accused of having feelings for the very same man that he had declared his rival time and time again. It was a lot to take in at the end of the day, but there was also the pressing issue of their current competition at play, and if Zhang Hao had been honest? He just wanted time to pass by quickly so that he could finally return back home after a tiring day ahead of them. Especially when a lovely weekend was waiting for him.

“So? What’s the result?” Zhang Hao asked, tired as he settled onto the armchair reserved just for him, gaze shifting between the three of them expectantly. For some reason, when their gazes had met, Hanbin had quickly turned away, almost as if he was avoiding Zhang Hao. A small frown appeared on his features soon thereafter, but was quickly interrupted with Taerae grinning and patting Gyuvin’s arm a few times.

“Gyuvin-ah. Pull out the little slideshow we prepared!”

Great. A slideshow. Just the thing he needed to make things go faster.

“Please end my suffering as quickly as possible, the two of you,” he whispered, a deep sigh leaving his parted lips, “I’m tired.”

“Well, if Zhang Hao-ssi is tired, should we just..”

“No, Hanbin hyung! Taerae and I put so much effort into this,” Gyuvin had protested with a huff, brows knitting together, “You won’t ignore our efforts right, Hao hyung?”

Now, if Gyuvin had been so insistent… Zhang Hao had shrugged soon enough, his lower lip jutted into a small pout, “Fine, fine… but make it quick!”

“Geez, Hao hyung. You act as if you have a boyfriend to return home to. Why, found love already?” Taerae asked, teasingly. Except it wasn’t that teasing to Zhang Hao at this very moment, eyes widening as he gasped once more and reached over to gently smack Taerae’s arm—no one’s arm was safe from his smacking, so it seemed, especially when Taerae was tackling a really sensitive spot at this very moment.

“I did not! Yah, you knew about Park Hanbin didn’t you,” he hissed out, voice a strained whisper as he glared daggers at Taerae, who had only continued laughing loudly, as if taking joy in Zhang Hao’s suffering. Then again, Park Hanbin did tell Zhang Hao that Taerae had warned against confessing to Zhang Hao, but why..?

“Off topic,” a soft voice cut through. Sung Hanbin. Zhang Hao wasn’t even sure if he should be thankful or not, but Hanbin had not even looked his way when he said that—all he saw was the back of the younger’s head as he focused all his attention on the laptop that was now balanced on Gyuvin’s lap.

“... fine. Please start,” Zhang Hao muttered, utterly defeated. He wasn’t going to think too deeply about it.

With the cue to start, Gyuvin and Taerae had excitedly started to present, the title page a poorly designed rendition of the event’s name with painfully glittery GIFs of chocolates and hearts littered all over the page. It was almost as if he had been transported right back to the past where everyone could only make shitty PPT slides that were more decorative than functional. If a migraine was a physical image, then it would be whatever he was staring at on Gyuvin’s laptop screen, but thankfully (?) for him, the slide had moved on to the next—but not without a tacky slide animation once more. Ugh.

“How long did you guys take to make this again?” Zhang Hao asked, rubbing his temples.

Taerae and Gyvin simply ignored him and continued on.

“So, this is the total number of dedications you two received this year. Crazy how it’s more than half the dedications right now,” Taerae announced. Okay, fine, whatever. It didn’t matter to Zhang Hao, what mattered was just what it had been now. He had to win Hanbin somehow.

“We also factored in the number of confessions you all received atop the anonymous dedications. Thankfully Hanbin hyung kept a tally, so, in total…”

At this point, the words had failed to register in Zhang Hao’s head. Hanbin had kept score? And why would he? For some reason, it did not make too much sense in Zhang Hao’s head, but he tried not to question it too much either. Perhaps Hanbin had been more competitive than he thought the man to be, even if the younger always claimed otherwise and made Zhang Hao feel as if their competition tended to be one-sided. It sure did not feel that way if Hanbin was keeping score, though.

“The results are shocking! I mean, it’s not impossible, but it’s shocking!” Gyuvin declared, eyes widening, “After tabulating the scores, Taerae and I couldn’t even believe it! Hao hyung, Hanbin hyung… you’re both tied!”

That woke Zhang Hao right up. Tied?! Him? And Sung Hanbin?!

“Oh, hell. You have to be kidding me! What do you mean, a tie?!” Zhang Hao gasped out, eyes growing wide as he turned to point an accusatory finger at the two younger men—both of which were quick to raise their arms as if to shirk all responsibility, “That’s not possible. This is a lie!”

“Now, why wouldn’t it be possible, Zhang Hao-ssi? It just shows that we’re both equally as popular,” Hanbin spoke soon enough. Zhang Hao’s head had whipped to look at the man, but had noticed that he had not looked his way one bit. Ugh. What happened to the Sung Hanbin that always came too close, that always wanted to stare straight into Zhang Hao’s eyes as if he could take a peek into his soul just from his gaze alone? The lack of eye contact had been bothering Zhang Hao even more now, but the shock of them being equal in the number of confessions and dedications that they had received for Valentine’s had been straight up diabolical. What kind of stupid, twisted game was this?

“I mean, think about it! How can the results actually end like this? You know what, maybe we should just remove the in-person gifts we received and just count the dedications—”

“You’ll lose that way, Hao hyung.”

“Ugh! Fine! We’re tied!”

Hanbin had laughed at that, finally turning to look at Zhang Hao at that very moment. The president had been sure he had not painted the prettiest sight—with his brows knitted together and lips puckered into a pout at the face of either his imminent defeat or the inevitable tie between Hanbin and himself, he was sure he looked nothing short of childish, kicking up a fuss over something as menial as wanting to triumph over Hanbin even in something like this. But yet, all he saw from Sung Hanbin as he turned to look was that same dazzling smile he had grown accustomed to from the man as he continued laughing, a far cry from how he looked like the last time he had seen Hanbin—which was with the other Hanbin as he confessed to Zhang Hao. It was this sunny disposition of Sung Hanbin that Zhang Hao had been more accustomed to, so in a sense, there was relief just from seeing Hanbin like this, but… what the hell! He looked this happy when he was laughing at Zhang Hao?! How dare he!

“You three are the worst,” he whined, “I’m going to tell on you three.”

“And to whom, oh dearest Hao hyung? The last time I checked, we were your only friends.”

You know what? Fuck Taerae. He had been nothing but pure evil.

“I’m leaving!”

“Are you going to go find Park Hanbin, Hao hyung?”

Fuck Taerae, times two. That man was nothing but evil.

“I’m not going to find him! Why would I find him,” Zhang Hao hissed, smacking Taerae a few more times on his arm for good measure, in a useless attempt to shut Taerae up. All he did was take pleasure in Zhang Hao’s suffering and laugh, though, and Zhang Hao had soon grown too tired to even continue smacking him, falling back into his armchair with a whine.

“Not going to find your boyfriend, Zhang Hao-ssi?”

This time, Zhang Hao’s head had snapped forward, staring at Sung Hanbin like he’d grown a second head all of a sudden when he wasn’t looking, briefly. There it had been again—the same icy look, the level gaze and his pursed lips, almost as if he’d been holding back about something. Zhang Hao had frowned and then shook his head, confusion tinged in all of his actions, “If you’re referring to my junior, Hanbin-ah, then no. I am not going to find him and he isn’t my… boyfriend.”

“No way! I was right. See, Gyuvin-ah? I told him it was going to be useless and he still did it!”

“True, you did tell him… at this point, he’s asking for it,” Gyuvin muttered in agreement. Though, to Zhang Hao, the two’s commentary hadn’t mattered as much as Hanbin staring at him as if he’d been looking at something distasteful. How could he easily shift between his two moods, from that sunny smiley boy that everyone loved, to this cold, dismissive creature that looked at Zhang Hao like he was akin to trash, or worse? This was straight up evil.

“Anyways, even if he was, it doesn’t concern you, does it, Sung Hanbin-ssi? Or are you just upset that I’m going to end up getting into a relationship faster than you? Didn’t know we were competing over that now.”

“Only you are capable of getting into such silly competitions, Zhang Hao-ssi. I’ve been playing along only because it’s hilarious to do so, but I don’t care if you were to get together with anyone, or faster than me, for the matter—”

“Okay, okay, the two of you! Calm down!” Taerae quickly intervened, clapping his hands together loudly enough that it had caused Zhang Hao to jolt subtly from the suddenness of it all.

Calm down? Him, calm down? Zhang Hao had been calm a moment ago, but now he had been fuming. Who did Sung Hanbin even think he was for acting out like this? For calling Zhang Hao and his competitiveness out like he even deserved to do so when he could have just said no from the very beginning? It was all Hanbin’s fault for deciding to play into Zhang Hao’s desire to compete since last year! Beyond that, however, why was… he upset over the fact that Hanbin did not care if he were to get together with someone..?

“Whatever. I’m not going to argue with you,” Zhang Hao declared and grabbed his bag soon enough, swinging the bag over a single shoulder—manners and properness be damned at this point when all he knew was that he had wanted a quick and immediate out, far, far, far away from this stupid man called Sung Hanbin. Especially when he was being so frustrating throughout it all.

“And just to set the record straight, I don’t even like Park Hanbin in that way!”

If Zhang Hao had at least been the slightest smidgen of truthfulness, then he would admit that arguing with Sung Hanbin in this manner had been a little hurtful. It did not matter that they had been rivals for the longest time, they always had a cordial relationship with one another either way—Zhang Hao had not hated Hanbin, but now that they had come to a head and argued (?) in front of Taerae and Gyuvin like that, Zhang Hao could not help but be inclined to believe that Hanbin had actually hated his guts. That perhaps, the friendly competition between the two of them was truly one-sided.

He should have been angry. Zhang Hao had huffed down the corridors, steps heavy and slightly echoing in the empty hallways as rushed to the front gate, eager to return home and just escape from everything. He would learn to keep his distance from Sung Hanbin if that man had detested him to that degree, he supposed—he wouldn’t be upset nor kick a fuss come tomorrow, but for today? What had filled his eyes were tears, red hot and angry, unable to believe that this was the way he would end up being ridiculed.

In fact, he had been so absorbed in wallowing in his own pity party that he was currently throwing that he had failed to notice the other pair of rapidly pattering footsteps that was quickly approaching him until it had been too late. A grip to his shoulder, and then a yelp from Zhang Hao right after, he found himself turned around, standing face to face with a Sung Hanbin whose cheeks flushed an intense shade of red in what Zhang Hao knew had been exertion. His eyes were blown wide as he looked at Zhang Hao, lips parted to pant heavily as his other hand came to grip at his other shoulder too, leaving Zhang Hao frozen in shock.

“Zhang Hao-ssi,” Hanbin had panted through the heavy breaths he had taken, as if trying to level his breathing, “Do you like winning that much?”

What the fuck? It was the first thought that had come to his head when Hanbin had asked him that incredulous question. He wasn’t even sure if he voiced it out loud, judging from the way Hanbin had frowned, and even if he did, then so be it. Hanbin deserved to hear just how ridiculous he was sounding right now.

“Just answer the question,” Hanbin added, sounding more exasperated than he did moments before.

“Of course I do. What the hell, I’ve literally been trying to win the whole time we knew each other, do you think I was doing that for sport? For fun? What, are you going to make fun of me now for being so absorbed with winning? Are you going to laugh in my face—”

“I like you, Zhang Hao-ssi.”

Zhang Hao hadn’t even been sure if he had heard right to begin with. He blinked rapidly, lips unable to stay shut as they parted in the residual shock of Hanbin’s uttered words that sounded awfully like a confession, directed at none other than Zhang Hao. He could not say a single word, eyes widened as he looked at Hanbin, convinced that this must have been Sung Hanbin’s evil (?) doppelganger at play. There had been no way Hanbin had suddenly…

“What?”

“I said I liked you. That makes me the last confession you need for you to win,” Hanbin replied softly. Zhang Hao hadn’t been sure if his eyes were playing tricks with him underneath the fluorescent lights, but he swore that the man’s cheeks had only grown redder, though Zhang Hao had believed he had been no better. He felt as if he’d been flushing too much for his cheeks to remain a neutral shade at this moment, yet nothing quite made sense beyond Hanbin’s confession—and his confirmation of his confession. And.. the fact that it was the last one Zhang Hao needed to break the tie?

Wait. Seriously, what the fuck?

“Sung Hanbin-ssi. Confessions aren’t supposed to be taken lightly like this, and if you’re just doing this to rub it into my face that we’ve tied, then—”

“Shut up and stop thinking I’m just out here trying to antagonise you, Zhang Hao-ssi. I take things like these seriously,” Hanbin whispered, an edge of desperation evident in his voice as he squeezed Zhang Hao’s shoulders, causing the elder male to let out the softest sound in surprise.

“I’m afraid I don’t understand…” Zhang Hao admitted, teeth sinking down onto his lower lip as his brows knitted together, all as he felt that this situation had been nothing but completely… illogical. Why would the Sung Hanbin, Mr. Perfect personified that Zhang Hao had to struggle just to keep up with how amicable and sweet the man had been, even like him? Zhang Hao, who really only had his grades and his good looks to fall back upon? Hell, he didn’t even know half of the people that had confessed to him today. That must have been a good, prime example of how much he had been worse than Sung Hanbin. He won, then. Hanbin had won, so why was he acting as if he was doing Zhang Hao a favour? And such an ill-intentioned favour, like confessing to Zhang Hao, even going as far as to lie and say that he took things like these seriously when it had been so painfully clear that Hanbin was just lying to get a reaction out of Zhang Hao?

“... you’re just making me repeat this on purpose at this point, aren’t you?” Zhang Hao really wasn’t, if he had been honest.

Hanbin had leaned closer then, enough such that Zhang Hao could catch the faint whiff of deodorant and the smell of fresh laundry lingering on Hanbin’s skin, a smell so different from Zhang Hao’s it was unfortunately all he could think about at this very moment. Hanbin’s gaze was piercing as he looked at Zhang Hao, lips slightly parted the way the elder’s was, but unlike Zhang Hao who felt like cowering away, Hanbin had shifted closer. So close that he swore he could feel the younger’s heat radiating off of his body, causing Zhang Haos’ body to flush even more, his heartbeat accelerating so much that he swore he could hear it right in his eardrums. Hanbin… he was so, so close. Too close.

“You rejected Park Hanbin-ssi, right, Zhang Hao-ssi?” Hanbin asked softly, leaving Zhang Hao sputtering as he scrambled for a response.

“I mean, I did say that in the council room, didn’t I? I rejected him… I don’t like him that way. He’s a nice junior, but that’s it.”

“Then, do you like me more than him? Am I the better Hanbin in your eyes?”

None of this made sense in Zhang Hao’s eyes, was the actual truthful response that he could think of right off the bat. Hanbin had begun asking questions as if he’d been jealous, but surely not, right? All he was doing was trying to get right underneath Zhang Hao’s skin, to shake him up as much as he could possibly manage just because it was probably funny for him to do so. Yet…

If he thought about it, then it had been true to a certain degree. Sung Hanbin in Zhang Hao’s eyes had been better than Park Hanbin—he adored his junior, of course he did, but even the widest of smiles the young man could muster had not held a single candle towards Sung Hanbin’s. Whilst Park Hanbin struggled academically to the point that he had to beg Zhang Hao for help to tutor him and get him through the mid-term exams, Sung Hanbin was someone who had been so apt at keeping up with Zhang Hao academically that he felt as if the only way to stay ahead of the game was study harder than Hanbin did. And in terms of time spent together, he did spend more with Sung Hanbin, by virtue of the fact that they had been classmates and then, part of the student council together. In all aspects, Sung Hanbin had been better—but why did it even matter to the man before him what Zhang Hao thought?

“You’re being ridiculous,” Zhang Hao had opted to reply, nose scrunching up, “I mean, of course you’re the better Hanbin, but that doesn’t even mean anything!”

“No, it means everything to me, Zhang Hao-ssi,” Hanbin replied softly. For the first time, when they had been so close to one another, Hanbin was smiling faintly. It was as if all of the tension had slowly dissipated from his frame, fingers loosening their grip on Zhang Hao’s shoulders, though warm palms still cupped over them, the corners of his lips curved into a smile so sweet that Zhang Hao could not help but feel his heart skip a beat—unwittingly—at how handsome Sung Hanbin had truly been. He was… after all, rational and truthful before he was a petty man. Zhang Hao could recognise a handsome man if he had to, and Sung Hanbin was (unfortunately) too good-looking for Zhang Hao to even try to have plausible deniability.

“I still don’t get it.”

“Zhang Hao-ssi. Are you usually this dense when it comes to people’s feelings?”

Well, yeah. Sort of. Zhang Hao had never dated before, never liked anyone before, and of course, even if he had been confessed to multiple times, a lot of the confessions would end before it would be fully said out when the other party realised Zhang Hao could not even remember their names, nor the fact that he’d seen them before. The only person he had truly rejected in his entire life had been Park Hanbin, but only because he actually knew the person confessing for once. So yes, he was dense. Sue him!

“Kinda?”

Any residual tension had seemed to dissipate just like that. Zhang Hao’s met with laughter from Hanbin, light, airy, and so annoyingly charming. Zhang Hao did not know what had caused his heart to squeeze, but whatever it had been, he knew that it was… all Hanbin’s fault. He was the one that had made Zhang Hao feel all these strong emotions, emotions so foreign that Zhang Hao had difficulty wrapping his head around them. Was this proof that he had somehow bore some semblance of like towards Hanbin?

“I don’t know if I should be happy or sad that that’s the case, Zhang Hao-ssi,” Hanbin muttered after he had calmed down from laughing that much. He’s smiling once more, so sweetly that Zhang Hao found his cheeks flushing even more as he turned to look away, huffing a little.

“Like as if I’d know. You can decide all for yourself.”

“Well, Zhang Hao-ssi. I just need to know…” Hanbin’s voice trailed off soon thereafter, pausing enough for Zhang Hao’s gaze to return back to the front, to Hanbin, who he realised then was staring at him rather expectantly. Zhang Hao found that what he stared into were deep pools of warm chocolate brown, and it seemed to be the cue for Hanbin to continue speaking, “... how do you feel about me liking you? And do you like me back?”

Zhang Hao had thought about it for the longest moment then. He deliberated, contemplated, and had made sure to properly imagine the scenario once again—of Sung Hanbin liking him, of Zhang Hao somehow liking the younger male back. For some reason, it had not felt… wrong. He thought about what he had heard from Taerae as he droned on about what couples did when they were dating, from going out on study dates, having subtle matching couple keychains, spending time with one another, and… physical contact. Hugging. Kissing.

Zhang Hao’s rightfully horrified when he could imagine a scenario where he’d been hugging Sung Hanbin, of all people, and when their lips would meet, would Hanbin’s lips taste of the neutral lip balm he’s seen him put on whenever his lips had gotten a little too chapped? It would taste like Zhang Hao’s own, because they were somehow ridiculously in sync enough that their lip balms were the same exact brand. He could not respond, not when he had been struck with the sudden, almost harrowing realisation—

He liked Sung Hanbin.

“I knew it,” Hanbin breathed, one hand of his moving to cup at Zhang Hao’s cheek. Surprisingly enough, it had been the first time Hanbin’s hand did not feel searing hot on his skin—perhaps Zhang Hao had been flushing so much that he had become the warmer one this time around, but he was still shocked. What did Hanbin know?

Maybe Zhang Hao shouldn’t have been curious.

“You like me too.”

“What?! How did you get to that conclusion, you presumptuous tw… thing!”

Hanbin laughed softly then. Zhang Hao could only feel the soft pad of Hanbin’s thumb brushing over the apple of his cheek as he remained woefully frozen in place, unable to properly register the world around him still.

“Can you say I’m wrong?”

“Of course I can! You’re… you’re…” Zhang Hao bit on the inside of his cheek then, glaring at Hanbin, as he tried to ignore just how soothing Hanbin’s thumb had felt as it brushed over his cheek in such a repetitive motion, “... you’re…”

“See? You can’t.”

Curse Zhang Hao and his inability to lie.

“Fine, but what does that change? So what if I like you too?!”

Hanbin smiled then, shoulders lifted into a slight shrug.

“A lot of things can happen after we establish mutual feelings, Zhang Hao-ssi,” he whispered softly, his hand regrettably (?!) leaving Zhang Hao’s cheek to instead reach between the both of them, Hanbin’s steady hand grabbing onto Zhang Hao’s trembling one, holding it between both of their faces and subjecting Zhang Hao to looking at their hands, fingers intertwined together as if it had been second nature, “We can become boyfriends, but if it’s too sudden for you, then I’m more than happy to just start with courting you first. We can go on a few dates until you decide whether you want to be… exclusive. As in, if you want to be my boyfriend.”

Zhang Hao swallowed thickly then. It’s ridiculous just how natural everything all felt, especially when he had never come to terms with his feelings for Hanbin in this manner before. Was Park Hanbin right? Did he have feelings for Sung Hanbin all along and was simply too blind to realise it atop of his complete and outright ignorance towards Sung Hanbin’s feelings for him, as well?”

“I… um. When, when did you start liking me?” Zhang Hao asked, his voice sounding more like a few strained squeaks than proper words. But Hanbin understood him, and smiled as he squeezed Zhang Hao’s hand just once.

“Ever since the day you came crashing into my classroom, asking for a ‘Sung Hanbin’, and subsequently waging war on him,” Hanbin replied, laughing after, “You were too cute for me to not end up developing a crush for, but all you wanted to do was compete with me, so…”

Right. Right. Zhang Hao had found himself growing more embarrassed, turning away once more—though he did not move his hand away from Hanbin’s at all.

“You can’t blame me… I was just born to be competitive,” he admitted, voice soft, “I… I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay, Zhang Hao-ssi. At least I know you don’t hate my guts. And, hey,” Hanbin began, grinning as he used his free hand to gently guide Zhang Hao to look back at him. As embarrassing as it had been, Zhang Hao had not put up a fight and turned, coming face to face with the same smile that he realised he liked seeing on Hanbin all too much that it was a little disconcerting to witness it wiped from Hanbin’s face that many times just today.

“... you like me, don’t you, hm?”

“You want me to admit it,” Zhang Hao replied, deadpan.

“Yeah, of course. I admitted it, didn’t I?”

“Ugh. Fine! I like you too!”

Hanbin grinned then, eyes twinkling as he leaned even closer, the tip of their noses almost touching. Zhang Hao could not help but screw his eyes shut, whining out loudly.

“Cute,” he heard Hanbin breathe out, light chuckles following the male’s words. Great, he was being teased now? After baring his heart out to this asshole? Oh god, Zhang Hao wanted to take his words back entirely. He didn’t like Sung Hanbin. Man, actually, fuck Sung Hanbin!

“Last request, Zhang Hao-ssi. Can we finally drop the formalities? Can you call me Hanbin-ah, the way you did with Park Hanbin?”

All at once, Zhang Hao’s eyes had opened, gasping loudly as he pointed an accusatory finger against Hanbin’s shoulder.

“You’re jealous!”

“Of course I am. Do you know how tortuous it was to have my crush call someone that familiarly? With my own name, no less?”

Well, Zhang Hao wouldn’t know. He was the only person named Zhang Hao in this school, after all, considering they were in South Korea and he was technically considered a foreigner despite all his years in here—

“You’re thinking too much again. So, can we?”

“... fine.”

Hanbin smiled then, leaning in even closer. Zhang Hao’s eyes had shut once more, as if in preparation for their lips to meet in a kiss—maybe people just moved that quickly in relationships nowadays, who the hell knew—but instead of that, all he had felt was the soft pillowy feeling of Hanbin’s lips pressing against his forehead in a chaste peck. Zhang Hao’s… oddly disappointed, but he could only hope his expression would not betray him at all. And if it did, then hopefully Hanbin did not find it in himself to call Zhang Hao out when he’d already been embarrassed enough all by himself.

“You haven’t answered my questions, Hao hyung,” Hanbin whispered, sounding so… natural just calling Zhang Hao like this. His heart warmed up immediately, though he did feel as if he needed to hide somewhere, anywhere. His next course of action?

Hugging Hanbin, of course. Zhang Hao would think about the repercussions later on, face buried against the male’s shoulder as he tried to cool down lest he would overheat, or explode. Or both. Probably both. Thankfully for Zhang Hao, all that met him was the curling of Hanbin’s arms around his frame, holding him so close, encasing Zhang Hao in Hanbin, Hanbin, and Hanbin that Zhang Hao wasn’t sure if the hug would save him or be his eventual end.

“... what,” he grumbled, voice muffled against Hanbin’s shoulder. He’s met with a slight resistance, a soft whine. Zhang Hao sighed, and then eventually, “... Hanbin-ah.”

“Do you want to be my boyfriend now, or should I start trying to court you?”

“... do I really have to answer this question?”

“Kinda. It changes what we can do together at this very moment, you know.”

As much as Zhang Hao had not wanted to admit it, he knew that Hanbin had been right. Did he, then, need to be courted? He wanted Hanbin to suffer a little, if he had been honest—perhaps it would make up for the emotional rollercoaster that Zhang Hao had gone through today, but he also knew that it would have been entirely too ridiculous to put himself through the courting stage. Especially when he himself had not been the most patient of people out there. Who knew how long Hanbin would take to eventually pop the question about being boyfriends again, if he took so long to come clean with his own feelings to Zhang Hao? He wasn’t going to take his chances. Zhang Hao didn’t want to, either.

“Boyfriends,” Zhang Hao grumbled with a soft whine, hugging Hanbin tighter.

“Well then, my dearest boyfriend Hao hyung,” Hanbin whispered—Hao swore he sounded a little happier than usual, breathy and light as he spoke—a little laugh leaving him as he gently nuzzled his cheek against Zhang Hao’s head, causing the elder man to hum softly in content as well, briefly distracted, “... you do know we ended up in a tie still since you confessed to me too, right?”

“... yah, Sung Hanbin!”