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Yoon Jeonghan and Hong Jisoo are inseparable. They're the sweetest children ever. The teachers love them as they seem to help each other study, and they always get to the top 10 every year. They've been friends since the first day of kindergarten and have always been deskmates ever since.
They silently hope it will be like that, too, today.
Today is the first day of the 2nd year. It feels like it's only yesterday that Jeonghan and Jisoo entered high school and surprised each other by going to the same school again.
Well, Jeonghan actually threw a tantrum at his mom that he would skip lots of classes if she didn't enroll him in the same school as his Jisoo. As for Jisoo, he loves Jeonghan's company, but being the sweetheart he is, he never really asks his parents which school he is going to study for the next years, nor forces them to enroll him together with Jeonghan. As the holiday started, they just played together without saying anything about middle school, then as the first day of school started, they surprised each other by seeing each other's presence at the school gate (it was a fake reaction from Jeonghan because he had known), and then giddily walked to class together after realizing that they will spend some years together again.
They often walk together to school, but today, their parents insisted on dropping them off. Jeonghan arrived earlier and decided to run to the class to hunt for the best seat for both him and Jisoo.
There were just a small number of other students when Jeonghan walked into the class. He saw Jihoon, who picked the middle seat in the first row, followed by Seungcheol, who picked the second row. Jeonghan decided to go for the third row since he is quite close to both of them, and Jisoo clearly wouldn't mind. The seat was relatively ideal as it is right in the middle of the 3x5 desk configuration, so they may focus in class, easily gain teachers’ attention when they have things to ask, but it is not overwhelmingly right in front of the teachers so they may be able to space out a bit if they don't feel like studying.
"Wow, Jeonghan, you picked the best seat!" Jisoo, who arrived ten minutes after him, exclaimed happily while walking to their desk. Jeonghan smiled proudly at the praise, but at the same time trying so hard to resist the urge to squish his best friend's cheeks. He looks pretty every day, but he looks way prettier when he smiles, especially if it is Jeonghan who made it happen.
Not long after, others started to fill the class. It is 100% the same faces from last year — they don’t have to introduce themselves or be awkward with each other. In fact, Jeonghan and Jisoo have befriended almost half of the class. There are Soonyoung and Seokmin, both being the class clowns. Seungkwan, who is actually as funny as they are, chooses to sit next to Jihoon so he can be more focused in class. Minghao and Junhui, who are from China. Mingyu, the school heartthrob, and Chan, the dance club's vice president. There are some other guys that they’re okay with, but not close enough to be included in the friend circle.
And one of them is Jeon Wonwoo. The politician’s son. The student who always arrives at class right when the school bell rings. If he comes, it is most likely that the teacher is right behind him. Likewise today.
“Okay, students! Holidays are over! Let’s sit nicely in your respective seats and have a little chit-chat before starting the lesson,” Mrs Kim said, gathering the students’ attention and at the same time observing the class.
“It’s your second year together, right?” The class collectively said yes. “Now, I bet you guys only choose to sit next to your close friends, am I right?” The class, feeling some sort of anxiety, only nodded silently.
“Well, I’ve been there. I know how you want to study comfortably with people you already know, but don’t you think it is quite unfair for one or two students who feel left out?” Mrs Kim continues. “I feel like you guys should be partnered with other friends outside your comfort zone, too, so all of us in the class can be friends, right?”
The class went very quiet after that. They quite know what their homeroom teacher is implying them to do. Jeonghan steals a glance at Jisoo, who seems not nervous while paying attention to Mrs Kim.
“Okay, now I want you guys to pack your bags neatly so you’ll be easier to move. I will assign your seats, you’ll have a new deskmate, and I would like to hear zero complaints.”
Damn.
Jeonghan is upset.
Not because he is partnered with Seungcheol. Well, part of him is glad that his new deskmate is someone he’s close with, a clever class president on top of that, but the fact that he is no longer sitting next to his Jisoo is somewhat upsetting.
Moreover, Jisoo is sitting next to someone he… loathes?
Maybe loath is too strong for a word, but he has never liked Jeon Wonwoo since the first day.
In his eyes, Jeon Wonwoo is a weird guy. He looks like someone who doesn’t need company. He is often seen reading books alone by the school garden every break time since their school doesn’t allow phones. He looks like someone who is good with numbers, which was later proven by his math and physics scores, but Jeonghan always thought his politician dad’s money might work for that.
The fact that Jisoo is now looking at Wonwoo with a soft, welcoming expression makes Jeonghan scowl. He is so close to flipping the table when the all-cold Jeon Wonwoo returns Jisoo’s warm greetings with a smile too big for Jeonghan’s liking.
He feels like there’s a warning alarm going off in his mind, signalling that someone might take Jisoo’s attention away from him.
Mrs Kim had left 15 minutes ago, telling them to spend the remaining time getting to know their new deskmates better and preparing for the first subject. The class is moderately loud; they make sure they don’t disturb the class next door, but they still enjoy the free entertainment by Soonyoung and Seokmin, who are happily celebrating being deskmates again.
“Even the loudest people are not being separated! What is so wrong with Mrs Kim?!” Jeonghan protests.
“So you hate being paired with me?” Seungcheol answers. They’ve been close since elementary school. “Prepare your books and be quiet, Jeonghan. Jisoo might get stolen for real since your angry face is so ugly now, you’re waaay uglier than Jeon Wonwoo” he continues, throwing salt over his wounds as he (is the only one who) knows Jeonghan’s dying crush towards their cute friend.
“Why are they smiling?!!! That jerk, why is he trying so hard to gain Jisoo’s attention??!” Jeonghan asked angrily. Seungcheol just laughed. He can’t understand why Jeonghan is all worked up just because Jisoo sat next to someone else. It’s not that they would date or something, he said. Jeonghan was about to calm down, before he overheard Mingyu, who was now paired with Jihoon, talk about something that worried him too much.
“Wonwoo must be over the moon right now,” Mingyu speaks slowly, he meant to say it to Jihoon only.
“I bet so too! Remember last week during Noona’s class, he said that it’d be easier for him to learn English if Jisoo were teaching him!” Jihoon answered.
Actually, Mingyu, a heir to a tech company, and Jihoon, the only son of a famous musician, live close to each other, and just found out recently that their house are on the same block as Wonwoo. Weeks ago, their rich parents, who were too busy to prepare for family trips, decided that it’d be better to gather their same-aged kids to enroll in a short English course since they’re all lacking in that during the last semester. Together, they called a private tutor to teach them during the holidays.
It was only then that Jihoon and Mingyu got closer to Wonwoo and found out that he undeniably has a fat crush on the half-American boy.
“Nah, we came together today, but do you want to know why he came later than I?” Mingyu asked, provoking Jihoon to ask. “He said he needed to prepare his heart before meeting the pretty Jisoo! I can’t believe him!”
That’s it. Jeonghan slammed his desk. Not too hard to make loud noises, but it still startled Mingyu and Jihoon.
“What the fuck?!” he said.
“Yeah, what the fuck to you too, Yoon Jeonghan…” Mingyu rolled his eyes.
“What do you mean by him calling Jisoo that?” Jeonghan asked.
“Well, apparently, Wonwoo find Jisoo pretty. It is cringy, but do you have to slam your desk?” Mingyu continues, “I think they would make a cute pair.”
“Ain’t no way I’d let him do that!”
Before Jeonghan continued to protest, Mrs Lee, the physics teacher, came to teach the first subject. With a heavy heart, Jeonghan take his book out of his bag and tries hard to concentrate during class.
It is 40 minutes into the class. Mrs Lee is busily writing and explaining some new theories for them, before Jisoo feel someone lightly tap his hand.
“Yes, Wonwoo?” Jisoo asked while giving him a soft smile. It is hard not to smile looking at that, so Wonwoo smiled back.
“Can you perhaps read me the letters she wrote on the top left of the whiteboard? I can’t see that clearly,” Wonwoo said. Instead of reading it, Jisoo passed his notebook, and Wonwoo rewrote it on his as quickly as he could.
“Thanks, Jisoo. I can’t read that for shit, her handwriting looks like dancing worms,” Wonwoo said, earning giggles from Jisoo.
That are sadly loud enough to be heard by Mrs Lee.
“Is Newton's law funny to you, Mr Hong Jisoo? Can you tell me which one is funny?” Mrs Lee asked, making Jisoo’s face turn red from embarrassment.
“S-sorry, ma’am, I didn’t mean to. I’m sorry,” Jisoo apologized. Mrs Lee told him to stay focused, and the class continued as usual.
Wonwoo nudges Jisoo again, this time handing a piece of paper instead.
‘Sorry,’ it said. Jisoo just smiled, nodded, and continued to pay attention to the class.
From his seat, Jeonghan frowns. His best friend is such a sweetheart that he still smiled even after being tricked by a troublemaker. He also finds himself hating Wonwoo more, as he seems to disturb Jisoo and make him look bad in front of the teacher.
Not long after, the school bell rang. Mrs Lee walked out of the class and let the students have a break.
“Jisoo, um.. Do you want to.. Emm..” Wonwoo hasn’t finished his words yet when Jeonghan steps in.
“Stay off him! Jisoo, let’s go,” Jeonghan glared at Wonwoo, grabbed Jisoo’s wrist and dragged him out of the class. Jisoo, confusedly followed Jeonghan while giving some awkward waves to Wonwoo, who later replied with a shy smile.
“Was he bothering you earlier?” Jeonghan asked as they sat on the cafeteria’s bench.
“No. He couldn’t read Mrs Lee’s handwriting, so he asked for help,” said Jisoo.
“He’s doing it on purpose! He’s trying to distract you from studying. He even made you laugh, oh God!” Jeonghan exclaimed, a frown drawn evidently on his face.
“No, he’s not, Hannie…” Jisoo replied. “It is my fault that I laughed at his jokes. It was so nonsensical that I just laughed. It’s fine.”
“If he does it again, I’ll surely punch him.”
“He will surely not, Jeonghan.” He then calmed a bit as Jisoo ran his fingers through his hair gently. “I’m fine, and I’m sure Wonwoo is not trying to disturb me, okay? Now, eat your food before the bell rings. Quick!!”
Jeonghan obediently grabbed a spoon, seemingly following Jisoo’s order. But, instead of eating, he’s just playfully swinging the spoon back and forth from the plate to his mouth, faking speed eating, and earned a heartfelt laugh from Jisoo.
“Hannie… you’re annoying!” Jeonghan then threw a mischievous grin.
The following weeks went quite smoothly, except for Jeonghan, who was still feeling bitter about the new desk arrangement. How can he not? As the subjects are getting more advanced day by day, there are lots of group assignments given to the students. On top of that, most of the teachers assigned the group members by deskmates.
Jeon Wonwoo, being his parents’ only treasure, told Jisoo that he is not allowed to be seen in a public space without adult supervision, as they find it dangerous, even when he is nearly 17 years old. So, for the previous three group assignments, Wonwoo and Jisoo did theirs in Wonwoo’s big house. Jisoo didn’t mind if only Jeonghan wasn’t so nosy about it. He kept asking him to share his live location, sending pictures, getting mad that Wonwoo is sitting NEXT to him instead of in front of him, and so on. In the end, Jisoo turned his phone off and made Wonwoo smile triumphantly.
Tomorrow is the deadline for their English speaking test. The topic is about descriptive text, and they have to present some detailed instructions about how things work or how things are made. It was a relatively easy task for Jisoo; he even got his script ready and meant to ask Wonwoo to practice during the break instead, so they won’t have to do any more assignments after school.
“Wonwoo, can you try to read this one?” Jisoo asked.
“Today we areee going toooo present you..” Jisoo encourages Wonwoo to keep going. “How to make… levian…”
“It is levain, Wonwoo. But it’s okay, keep going.”
“Levain cookies! Oh wow, that’s hard. And it’s just the beginning!” Wonwoo exclaims.
“You just need some practice. I’m sure you’ll do great tomorrow”
“We will… okay, let me try again”, Wonwoo said.
Before Wonwoo could retry, a voice interrupted them.
“Hey, Jeon Wonwoo, don’t you think you should let my friend enjoy his lunch instead of teaching you?” Jeonghan asked rudely.
“Jeonghan, no. I asked him to practice now so we can rest earlier today,” Jisoo explained, earning a frown from Jeonghan.
“Aren’t you hungry? Jisoo, you can’t skip lunch, your stomach is weak,” Jeonghan said worriedly.
“Don’t worry much, Wonwoo bought me some cakes and milk earlier today. See?” Jisoo smiled happily while showing what Wonwoo had given him earlier, making Wonwoo smile proudly as his kindness was mentioned.
Jeonghan frowns again. Wonwoo surely knows how to win Jisoo’s heart. How does he know that Jisoo secretly loves sweet things? Or did Jisoo tell him?
“But do you have to practice now? Don’t you want to have lunch with me? Your BEST friend?” Jeonghan said, emphasizing the best friend part. It kinda stings, but if it puts Wonwoo the “just” friend, in his place, then be it.
“Umm.. No, Hannie.. I’m good. Besides, practicing now means I don’t have to go to Wonwoo’s house after school. I can have a nap.” Jisoo answered, earning a big grin from Jeonghan.
“REALLYYYY??” Jeonghan asked, quite too loudly. “But, I was gonna ask you if you could help me and Cheol, instead. You know we’re both bad at English, right? We could come to your house after dinner so you can nap first, what do you think?” Jeonghan continued.
It is Jisoo who is now frowning. “After dinner? Then, when do you think you will finish? No way! I’d rather have zero afternoon nap, but going to bed right at 10 rather than helping you until midnight.”
“Okay, so you will let us come to your house right after school?”
“Yes, sure, but i hope you guys have a rough draft ready. I will kick you guys out if i have to help from blank paper!” Jisoo warned, sternly, if only that didn’t make him look like an angry cinnamoroll. Cute, cute, cute!
Jeonghan was going to say thank you, if only Wonwoo hadn’t interrupted.
“Well… Jisoo, can I come too? I can memorize, but I’m not sure about the pronunciation,” Wonwoo said, his eyes pleading.
“Sure! The more the merrier, right? You’re actually okay with grammar, so maybe you can help both Hannie and Cheollie with the script, what do you think?”
“Yes, of course-”
“NO WAY! He is practicing with you NOW, so why does he have to come again LATER?” Jeonghan protested.
“Oh, I guess your friend is not welcome with the idea…” Wonwoo (faked) a sad face. “Guess I’ll just ask Mr Smith, the librarian, to help me read this,” Wonwoo then tried to get up from his seat, before Jisoo stopped him by grabbing his left wrist.
“No.. noo.. Wonwoo, of course you can come, don’t mind him. We’ll walk together after school, okay?”
Jisoo smiled softly, Wonwoo grinned, while Jeonghan rolled his eyes as he lost, once again.
They have one more subject before school’s over, and most of the students were sleepy. It was biology class, but the teacher was not so engaging. Mr Hwang just stood there, writing in the whiteboard while explaining - more like mumbling to himself.
Wonwoo tapped his shoulder slightly. Jisoo then snapped his head towards Wonwoo and asked him what was wrong.
“I couldn’t catch what Mr Hwang was saying about joints. Did you perhaps write it down?” Wonwoo asked with a super low voice, completely aware that what he had done could harm Jisoo the last time.
“I, too, couldn’t catch that. But I did write that he said we need to get the previous year’s textbook from the library and find page 77, it was way much easier to understand there.” Jisoo answered quickly, then turned his attention back to the front of the class.
“What about the muscle part? Is that what he wrote on the right? I couldn’t really read that.”
“Oh yes, you could borrow mine, but I didn’t write it in order, so you-”
“Hong Jisoo, do you enjoy interrupting Jeon Wonwoo?” Mr Hwang angrily asked Jisoo. It made Jisoo pale.
“No, sir, I’m sorry, Wonwoo just want to ask about-”
“About what, Jisoo? You’re the one being noisy, but you try to put the blame on our sweet Wonwoo, huh?” his teacher didn’t seem to buy his excuse. “Out of my class, now!”
“What? Sir? I’m sorry, I promise I-”
“Out, now!” Jisoo lowers his head, feeling dejected, slowly walked out of the class while once again saying sorry to his teacher.
Jeonghan, who witnessed the whole event, got fueled with anger. He wanted to defend his friend by raising his hands, but Seungcheol quickly held him and said things like, Mr Hwang didn’t seem in a good mood to be debated.
Then, a seemingly bad idea came into Jeonghan’s mind. He huffed loudly and exclaimed.
“Waah, Choi Seungcheol, why are you breathing so loudly?”
Mr Hwang then threw him a pencil and forced him to leave the class.
“Jeonghan?! What are you doing?!” Jisoo was shocked to see Jeonghan come out of the class.
“Making trouble? I guess? Apparently, my best friend needs some company after making trouble, so I decided to follow along,” he answered.
“First of all, I don’t make any trouble! I was explaining! Second, why are you following me??!!” Jisoo protested, but Jeonghan then shushed him.
“Shut up, Jisoo, let’s just sleep until the bell rings,” Jeonghan said, while putting their heads together. Not long after, they fell asleep in the school garden.
“Jisoooo, you’re backkk!!!” Someone who Wonwoo didn’t know rushed into the front door and hugged Jisoo. Jisoo then explained it is his baby brother, Hansol. He’s turning twelve this year, but Jisoo is glad that he’s still clingy.
“Who is this?” Hansol asked curiously. Wonwoo then introduced himself.
“Hi, I’m Wonwoo, Jisoo’s new friend,” he said.
“I’m Hansol!! I’m almost twelve, and Jisoo said he’ll buy me some Nintendo games if I turn twelve!” Hansol answered with a big grin. Wonwoo then returned the smile. They then walked inside the house after taking off their shoes.
“Well, what games do you want to play?” Wonwoo curiously asked. He loves playing games, and having a fellow gamer is making him somewhat excited.
“I always wanted to play mario kart, but I broke mummy’s vase last month, so I can’t ask her to buy it. But Jisoo promised me he will, but later..” Hansol answered.
“Well, Hansol, you know what?” Wonwoo tried to gain the small boy’s curiosity. “I brought my switch with me.” He then took out his game console, showing it off to Hansol. “It has Mario Kart, and since I’m going to study with Jisoo, I’m going to lend it to you.”
“Woah!!” Hansol exclaimed. “Can I really play it?” he then asked, earning a nod from Wonwoo.
“Cool! Thank you, hyungie!” Hansol grinned happily and started to run to his room.
“Be careful of holding someone else’s belongings!” Jisoo reminded, and earned a loud yes, sir from his brother. “Thank you, Wonwoo. I’m still in the middle of collecting my money for his game,” Jisoo said.
“No problem, Soo,” he answered. “Consider it’s a sorry from me, for getting you in trouble again.” Wonwoo continued.
Jisoo laughed lightly. “Well, I slept after that. And I bet most of his lectures can be found in the textbook, so it’s really fine, Wonwoo-yah. I got to rest a bit because of it.”
“But still, I feel bad. It’s not just this time that you got scolded because of me,” Jisoo kept reassuring Wonwoo that he’s okay, or Wonwoo can just buy him some ice cream if he still feels really bad, to which Wonwoo agreed right away.
Ten minutes after they sat in the living room, Jeonghan and Seungcheol came. They were forced to stay much longer in school due to the basketball team’s briefing.
They just sat, but immediately, Jeonghan rolled his eyes when he saw Wonwoo comfortably helping Jisoo’s mom serve them some snacks to accompany them while studying.
The study session went… as awful as you thought it would.
It feels like a war to get Jisoo’s attention, Seungcheol said in his mind. They are two hours in, but their script is still halfway. Every ten minutes, Wonwoo managed to disturb them, trying so hard to make Jisoo correct his pronunciation. Before Wonwoo finished asking, Jeonghan kept grabbing Jisoo’s wrist, forcing him to pay attention to his paper instead. The event kept repeating a few times, and if it continues until another hour, Seungcheol might just grab Jisoo away from both of these maniacs.
Not long after, Seungcheol’s savior came in the form of Hong Hansol.
“Hyungie, your battery runs off,” Hansol said while clinging to Wonwoo’s back. “But I don’t want to play with it anymore, I want to play with you.” He continues.
“I can’t play right now, Sol. I’m studying with Jisoo, Seungcheol, and Jeonghan now. Look.” Wonwoo pointed at their other friends.
“I get it, my brother Jisoo is smart. Cheol Hyung is also smart. But why would you study with the devil Jeonghan?” Hansol frowned.
Jisoo’s eyes got bigger “Hansol! That’s not nice!” Jisoo exclaims in English. Hansol frowned harder. “ He’s a bad guy, Jisoo, don’t defend him! ” Hansol answered his brother, also in English, their mother’s language.
“He’s not, okay! Go back to your room or find Mummy, quick! We need to study here,” Jisoo tried to shoo his brother away, but Hansol’s eyes started to water.
“I wanna be with Wonwoo hyungie… Hyungie, play with me, please? Please?” Hansol pleaded, and Wonwoo’s heart turned soft.
“Hey, Hansol, what about you help hyungie with English? Hansol is a good speaker, right? Hyung needs Hansol's help right now”
It was 6 pm when Wonwoo thought he was all set and ready for tomorrow’s presentation, especially after Hansol’s help. The little guy flew away when he heard a car parked outside, his father’s car. He now clings to his father instead of Wonwoo.
Not long after, Mama Hong forced the boys to sit and have dinner since it’d be hard to study with an empty stomach, she said. While she was preparing to serve the dish, she asked her firstborn to pour some juice for his friends.
Jisoo was trying to give the first glass to Jeonghan when Wonwoo snatched it. The content splashed a bit, but he was thankful that he was able to catch it before Jeonghan.
“Jeon Wonwoo, what the hell?” Jeonghan exclaimed.
“Sorry, I just got too thirsty”, Wonwoo answered with a little smirk that Jisoo failed to catch. But Jeonghan saw it.
Jisoo then poured another glass and tried to give it to Jeonghan again. This time, Wonwoo tried to snatch it again, but he failed to catch it. The glass then shattered on the ground.
Jeonghan was seeing red. He was going to scold Wonwoo, especially after seeing Jisoo’s shocked expression. But before he did, Mama Hong came into the dining room.
“Hong Jisoo, what happened?” his mom asked.
“I-I-It slipped through my hand, mummy, I’m sorry,” Jisoo answered, gaining a shocked expression from his friends. It was clearly Wonwoo’s fault. Why didn’t he say that?
Mama Hong, seeing that there were many outsiders in the house, just playfully pinched Jisoo’s ear and told him to clean the mess.
“Hey, Jisoo, I’m sorry, I just want to be playful. Let me help you, okay?” Wonwoo offered, and Jisoo just smiled, accepting the offer.
Jeonghan wasn’t satisfied. He grabbed Wonwoo by his collar, causing another shocked expression from the others.
“Why did you keep bothering him, huh? What the fuck is your problem?!” Jeonghan asked angrily.
“Why do you even care, huh? Are best friends get all worked up like this, huh?” Wonwoo provoked him.
“Is this the way you do to get Jisoo’s attention? What do you want, really?!”
“Yes, it is! I like him,” Wonwoo answered, making Jeonghan’s face turn hard, and he grabbed his collar harder.
“Jeonghan, stop, get off him, my parents might get confused.” Jisoo tried to separate them.
“No, Jisoo, he needs to learn his place! What is he trying to gain with you, acting all annoying like this..?”
“Are you jealous, Yoon? You’re just his friend, why are you so jealous? I can see it right through your eyes.” Jeonghan is one second away before throwing his fist towards him.
“Hannie, please…” and Jeonghan let go.
Mama Hong filled the table with her food soon after, and she asked the others to sit and enjoy the food. Before Jeonghan could move, Wonwoo beat him by taking a seat next to Jisoo’s right. He was going to aim for the left side before he was once again beaten by Hansol.
Jeonghan sighed. Why is today so hard for him…
“You kept defending him,” Jeonghan said, with a slight pout.
Wonwoo got picked up by his driver at 9 pm sharp, while Seungcheol said it was hard for his eyes to stay open after devouring a luxurious banquet prepared by Mama Hong, so he walked home instead. Jeonghan, being the “bestest” friend, decided to stay longer and help Jisoo wash the dishes since the helpers had been dismissed and Jisoo didn’t have the heart to just leave them to wash it all tomorrow.
“Who?” Jisoo asked, and he didn’t feel like he defended anyone today. Jeonghan was just being harsh to Wonwoo, and he felt like he had to make sure Wonwoo didn’t get the wrong idea about his friend.
“Jeon Wonwoo. He disturbed you in class several times, but you keep saying you’re okay. He broke your mom’s glass, and you just took the blame. His words hurt me, but you defended him instead. I’m hurt!”
Jisoo laughed softly.
“Why are you laughing, Soo? Heck, even Hansol loves him, even though they just met once. It’s been 12 years since I’ve known Hansol, but he still treats me like I bullied him!” Jeonghan continued his protest.
“You did bully him, Jeonghan. It was engraved in his memory. You hid his favorite shoes,” Jisoo explained, his laugh just got progressively louder.
“It was ONE time. I even helped him find it” Jeonghan pouts again.
“You don’t know how a little kid’s brain works,” Jisoo answered while arranging the last plates into the rack, then walked Jeonghan to the front. It was quite late, they should sleep or they might be late tomorrow. Thankfully, Jeonghan lives just 3 houses away, so he doesn’t have to walk far.
“About Wonwoo,” Jisoo started to explain. “I really think he just needs help. We all know he is alone most of the time, and I think Mrs Kim made a point. We should befriend all of our classmates. I think it was really hard for him last year, as he had no one to discuss or to ask for help with during school tasks.”
“But he has a crush on you! Can’t you see that? He’s so annoying, he’s on my nerves, he is either disturbing you so you can’t study well, or he wants to make you look bad in front of the teachers, or if it’s his way to gain your attention, then it’s a war between me and him!” Jeonghan said that in one breath, making Jisoo laugh until his eyes formed an eyesmile.
“So what if he does? It’s not like I can control his feelings,” Jisoo then rubbed his friend’s shoulder gently. “I don’t like him that way, if that’s what you’re worrying about.”
Jeonghan sighed, “Yeah, you’re too good for that four-eyed fox.” Jisoo laughed again at his new pet name for Wonwoo. “I guess I’ll get going, huh? See you tomorrow, Soo.”
Before Jeonghan walked too far, Jisoo called him and followed him behind.
“Jeonghan..”
He turned back, and Jisoo leaned in, brushing his lips against Jeonghan’s cheek.
“Jisoo.. What..?”
“Um, thank you, Hannie, for today,” Jisoo said blushingly, his entire face turned red.
He meant to say thank you for caring about his feelings, of how he may have felt hurt after being scolded by the teachers, of how he’s going to make his mom mad, or how Jeonghan is always there for him. But he’s way too shy now.
“Jisoo, you can’t just..”
“I’m gonna close the door, you can now go away, shoo shoo!” Jisoo quickly run into his house and hides, clearly embarrassed to face Jeonghan after the sudden peck.
Jeonghan then touched his left cheek, grinned happily. Guess he can say that he won against Wonwoo.