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While Hyun-Beom and Tae-hyun were studying together in class, when a sudden announcement came on the speakers, “good morning students! Now, I’m sure you remember, but in case you’ve forgotten tomorrow will be the Supreme Quiz. Make sure to study up and participate!” The speaker then cut off.
Chatter from classmates immediately filled the room, both of anguish and excitement. Which led to Tae-Hyun whispering to Hyun-Beom, “what’s the Supreme Quiz?” Hyun-Beom thought aloud to himself “oh right, you weren’t here for last year’s Supreme Quiz.” He pointed at a flyer, “the class with the highest participation and points rounded up will get a field trip to the beach.”
Tae-Hyun asked curiously, “Do you ever participate?” Hyun-Beom shook his head, “only once. I wanted to practice for midterms.” He could only roll his eyes, of course Hyun-Beom would only use it for studious purposes.
Multiple students were whispering in excitement, planning out strategies in order to win. Before, a class had every classmate participate to at least gain a large collective sum of points. Another studied day and night for the quiz.
To Tae-Hyun, it was a little ridiculous what these people were willing to do just to go to the beach. After all, you could just go yourselves!
Even Min-Woo was giddily tapping his foot, before he knew it Min-Woo was begging for Hyun-Beom to participate. It naturally made sense everyone was turning to Hyun-Beom for help, after all he was the top student. However, Hyun-Beom viewed this as unimportant, even if he did get a 10/10 score (which was guaranteed) The students would miss a day of school and responsibilities. The way he saw it, the system was only helpful in encouraging students to study, and that their studies will grant them rewards. If he were to just give it to them, what would the point be in having this reward?
Uninterested, Tae-Hyun returned to studying with Hyun-Beom.
He was later approached by Min-Woo after class, who almost scarily begged, “please Tae-Hyun! You have to convince Hyun-Beom!!” While dangling on Tae-Hyun’s arm.
Before, Min-Woo would’ve never done something so brazen, however he and Tae-Hyun were able to look past their differences. Min-Woo didn’t realize just how ridiculous and silly Tae-Hyun can be, almost more than Hyun-Beom. Scratch that, he was a lot sillier than Hyun-Beom, that guy was like a block of wood.
Tae-Hyun let out a yell, shaking Min-Woo off his arm, “god damn it Min-Woo!” he exclaimed, snatching his arm back. “Why do you want that beach trip so badly?!” Min-Woo pleaded his case, “because no school!” Tae-Hyun paused, Min-Woo continued, “think about it, an excuse to skip class!”
Hearing Min-Woo, a practical honors student talking about skipping class was a shock to Tae-Hyun. However, Min-Woo had a plan, he knew how much Tae-Hyun’s relationship with school changed, however he also knew Tae-Hyun still disliked going to school. He’d use his enemy’s weakness against him!
After a long pause of Tae-Hyun pondering the trade, Min-Woo’s hope that his unwillingness to be at school wasn’t as vast as Min-Woo had anticipated. Attempting to pull at his heart strings, Min-Woo winced out, “also I’ve never gone in all my years..?”
…Well fuck, that did it. Tae-Hyun would never admit to being a pushover for words of emotion and hatred.
On their way home, Tae-Hyun casually asked, “Hyun-Beom, when you studied for the quiz, did your class ever get to go out?” Hyun-Beom was a little surprised by the sudden question, he had figured Tae-Hyun wouldn’t concern himself with such subjects. With a swift answer, he told him, “no. When I participated, it just so happened to be while a whole class collectively earned points.” Quietly, Tae-Hyun glanced away and questioned, “would you want to?” Sensing his next question, Hyun-Beom looked back and asked, “do you want me to?”
Tae-Hyun jumped to the defense, denying his interest in participating in a “silly activity”. It was extra embarrassing considering the fact he showed no further interest earlier, but now all of a sudden he’s intrigued? His poor ego couldn’t fathom the shame.
Although, he was a flair for the dramatics socially.
Hyun-Beom calmed the other down, saying simply, “I was just wondering, I wasn’t judging.” With a huff, Tae-Hyun said, “well I was also wondering! I mean— Min-Woo was begging for me to ask…” With a chuckle, Hyun-Beom commented, “sounds like him.” He then patted Tae-Hyun’s head like a cat.
As much as Tae-Hyun hated the gesture, he never fought Hyun-Beom over it. It was his subtle way of letting Hyun-Beom know that he was okay with touching again. Not that Hyun-Beom would ever know, that guy was denser than a black hole. To Hyun-Beom though, he merely found it cute. After all he did see his boyfriend as an angry cat, he always wanted one. Instead he got a boyfriend, which was a better deal in his mind.
The day the quiz arrived and unsurprisingly Hyun-Beom got everything correct. Shockingly… So did Tae-Hyun! It was all thanks to Hyun-Beom’s studying, if he had to participate in the quiz, naturally Tae-Hyun had to as well!
“Wow, you’re totally #whipped.” Min-Woo commented casually during lunch. Hyun-Beom shrugged, “it’s my responsibility as a boyfriend, no?” Min-Woo could only roll his eyes in response, as much as he was happy how “#whipped” Beom-Hyun is, it was sometimes a little cheesy.
Though, he had no right to be talking when he began to pray to whoever was above that their class won the reward. He didn’t even believe in any deity!
Slowly, the announcements listed all the students who got 100% on the quiz, steadily working their way to the winning class. They announced on speakers, “for the winning class of this year’s Beach… Class 3-B!” Everyone erupted into cheers and applause, clinging to Hyun-Beom and Tae-Hyun excitedly. They congratulated and gave the two their gratitude, making sure to title them princes in exaggeration.
With one scowl did they finally pry their hands off Tae-Hyun. While he was proud of himself, he wasn’t happy with all the generous exaggerations by his peers.
Hyun-Beom gave a smile, resting his arm on the other’s shoulder, and subtly praised Tae-Hyun. As much as he hated to admit it, the action made the other blush madly.
It was the day, the day of the beach. Many of the boys wondered how many hot girls in bikinis they’d spot, their conversation was immodest at worst, but Hyun-Beom wouldn't let them off the hook. “Hey, mind your words.” There was a familiar threateningly strict presence from the student council member. The boys quickly shushed their conversation.
Hyun-Beom hummed in delight, sitting back down beside Min-Woo. With an exasperated sigh, Min-Woo praised Hyun-Beom for his actions, “thanks Hyun-Beom, seriously, I don’t understand why they gotta be such creeps sometimes.” The other shrugged, “goofing off is okay, but they were taking it a bit too far.” Color Min-Woo impressed, “I never thought you’d be saying that.” “Saying what? Hyun-Beom looked puzzled. Min-Woo chuckled, “I never thought you’d say goofing off is okay! You’re so strict usually.” Hyun-Beom shrugged again, “it’s acceptable at times, people need breaks, right? I’m no monster.” Min-Woo teased, “I beg to differ.”
A little bit later in the bus ride, a lingering thought of the experience before entered Hyun-Beom’s mind. He was a bit curious about why the boys were interested in seeing the opposite sex in swimsuits. Maybe he could use it as a way to support student studies? It definitely had to do with attraction, Hyun-Beom wasn’t that dense. They like looking at girls in swimsuits because they find it attractive?
A thought of Tae-Hyun flashed in his mind, and he squeezed his bag with the essentials; perhaps he was equally as creepy.
When the class arrived, the beach was practically empty. There were no girls in bikinis, not even a life guard. It was pretty pathetic of a beach honestly. It looked as ugly as a movie’s beach, about a teenage girl with vampires and wolves. Tae-Hyun was not impressed, “this is what everyone throws a fit about?” Hyun-Beom nodded, “not very impressive, is it?” Tae-Hyun grumbled, “you got that right.”
As everyone departed from the bus, they all ran out to quickly change to take a dip into the water. Hyun-Beom stopped them though, “Wait! We need to go over the rules!” Reluctantly, the boys marched back to the teacher who explained the safety procedure.
After he finished, everyone was back to running to the changing rooms. Tae-Hyun followed behind Hyun-Beom, who once again had the awful thought flash through his mind. It was a hard sight to ignore, in his opinion at least.
The boys had to take turns because there was no more room for all of them to change. Tired of waiting, Tae-Hyun turned to Hyun-Beom and suggested, “let’s sit by the shade while we wait. I’m tired of standing here.” Without much complaint, Hyun-Beom followed along.
Finally within the cold sand from the scorching sun beating them down, Tae-Hyun relaxed, the sand filling into the gaps of his clothes. Hyun-Beom warned, “you shouldn’t relax so easily, sand is already filling up in your clothes.” He kneeled down to speak to Tae-Hyuyn’s level but because of the uneven density of the sand he slipped and fell face first into Tae-Hyun’s chest. How he didn’t break his nose, both were unsure.
Tae-Hyun jumped up and checked on Hyun-Beom, exclaiming in a panicked voice, “Hyun-Beom! Oh my god, are you okay!?” He cupped Hyun-Beom’s face gently, checking for any bruises and such. His face was fine, and he didn’t seem in pain. Just a little disoriented.
Hyun-Beom sat up and caressed Tae-Hyun’s hands that were pressed against his cheeks. They felt warm, they felt soft (which lowkey made him feel weird describing it as that but god forbid he loves his boyfriend). Hyun-Beom quickly looked over his shoulder to make sure they were unseen from other classmates before leaning in and kissing Tae-Hyun. Tae-Hyun flinched, worried classmates would notice.
He pushed away from the kiss, sputtering, “what the hell!?” Hyun-Beom’s brows furrowed, looking dejected. “Were you displeased? I’m sorry.” He quickly said, wiping Tae-Hyun’s lips. The other blushed at the gesture, quickly explaining himself. “N-No, it wasn’t that. I didn’t want anyone else to see us…” Hyun-Beom nodded in agreement. He explained, “I already checked that. Don’t worry, no one saw.” Tae-Hyun rebutted, “how would you know! Min-Woo saw us the first couple times we did…” Hyun-Beom’s eyes widened, “really?” He inquired, Tae-Hyun nodded, sighing out of exhaustion as he stood up. “I’m just glad it was only him and no one else.” Hyun-Beom chuckled lightly, agreeing with Tae-Hyun, “that would’ve been bad.”
Once the two returned to the stalls, everyone had already finished changing and were wondering where the two had gone. Min-Woo saw them and waved sporadically, “where were you two?” He questioned, the two looked at each other and shrugged. Min-Woo was quite confused by the display.
After changing, the two slowly submerged themselves in the water, relaxing within its cold embrace. Tae-Hyun hated to admit it, but this was a lot better than what it appeared. Even though it still looked equally as pathetic, the cold temperature of the water prevented him from dying due to the sun. Summer was almost over, and the two were going to graduate soon.
Multiple of their classmates ushered over, almost as if they were hiding something. Tae-Hyun and Hyun-Beom looked over to see what they were plotting, the boys had all their hands individually underwater. It almost looked like they were carrying something. One by one, they lifted their hands from beneath to reveal water guns.
“Y…” Tae-Hyun muttered out. Hyun-Beom’s attention turned to him, curious about what he was to say.
“You better not!!” He yelled, running off as fast as he could. Every step in the water was like an extra set of weights, and with his classmates carrying live ammunition, he couldn’t escape. All of the boys laughed as they began spraying Tae-Hyun with water, forgetting about Hyun-Beom completely.
Suddenly, Hyun-Beom grabbed a water gun from one of the students, catching everyone’s attention. Noticing water no longer being sprayed at him, Tae-Hyun hid in the water and observed. Hyun-Beom held a water gun, sternly looking at the boys. A sigh of relief left Tae-Hyun, leave it to his boyfriend to—
Mphff!
Cold wet water was sprayed at Tae-Hyun’s face. The culprit? His own boyfriend.
Everyone ran around chasing Tae-Hyun for an hour.
Once everyone was finished with the water, the teacher called them over to eat. Everyone gathered around to collect their own hot dogs, one per person of course.
When Min-Woo sat down with Tae-Hyun and Hyun-Beom, he couldn’t help but laugh, “haha, I’m shocked you joined Hyun-Beom.” He took a bite of his hot dog, “you must really like—” Said hot dog was shoved down Min-Woo’s throat as Tae-Hyun scrambled to shut his mouth. “Shut up! Can’t you be a little quieter about that!?”
“Tae-Hyun.”
A commanding and stern voice spoke, making even Min-Woo flinch. Hyun-Beom scolded, “don’t shove food into other people’s mouths, it’s bad manners.” The other merely huffed, annoyed only he got a scolding. Hyun-Beom continued, “and Min-Woo, remember to be more quiet about that. Tae-Hyun is sensitive about it.” “No I’m not!” Tae-Hyun slammed his hands onto the table angrily.
Everyone’s heads turned toward the three, all gawking at them. Tae-Hyun blushed, quickly mumbling an apology and sitting back down.
The class still had some daylight until school ended, so they all went into their own groups. Some chose to play with the water guns they brought, others chose to relax on the beach. Tae-Hyun was one of the few who stayed by the shore to watch.
Hyun-Beom approached him, sitting down beside the other. Quietly, he questioned, “earlier, why did you get angry?” Tae-Hyun was a bit taken aback by the blunt and obvious question, but he was used to Hyun-Beom’s straightforward attitude.
With a dust of pink coating his cheeks, Tae-Hyun admitted, “well… I was worried you’d think I see our relationship as something shameful…” Hyun-Beom nodded, before his face twisted to confusion, “wait what?”
Tae-Hyun couldn’t help but huff in annoyance, getting through to Hyun-Beom made him want to rip his hair out. “Sometimes I hate you.” Tae-Hyun grumbled, it was a half hearted declaration of hatred. Of course, he didn’t mean it, however he forgot how literally Hyun-Beom takes things.
“Seriously?” He asks, leaning closer. Sensing Hyun-Beom’s nervousness, Tae-Hyun shook his head in a panic. “Nononono! I didn’t mean that I actually do!” Hyun-Beom couldn’t help but pout at his confusing words, first he says one thing and now another? Especially after the commotion from before.
Noticing Hyun-Beom’s dissatisfaction, Tae-Hyun awkwardly wrapped an arm around Hyun-Beom. With a flustered expression, Tae-Hyun apologized, “I’m sorry, I— I meant…” There was a pause before he rubbed his forehead, “god…” He looked around quickly, making sure nobody’s eyes were on them. Quickly, Tae-Hyun leaned up and gave Hyun-Beom a peck on the cheek. “Sometimes you aggravate me, and annoy me.” Hyun-Beom wanted to jump. “But I really love you because of it.” Tae-Hyun confessed, rolling himself into a ball and peeking out at Hyun-Beom.
There were little sparks of joy bursting through his heart, he never felt more joy than at this moment. While Hyun-Beom felt a sense of pride for helping students in need, he’d never felt such delight compared to this moment. It was strange experiencing these emotions all at once, relief, joy, adoration.
Hyun-Beom knew why Tae-Hyun was so private about their relationship, yet he couldn’t help but want to show him off. Not as a trophy, but as a representation of how much Hyun-Beom loved him. Hyun-Beom recalled the bus ride and the students talking about their attraction towards women without shame. They did so out of a sense of adoration as well, in his mind. Hyun-Beom wanted to express his attraction to Tae-Hyun the same way the boys in the bus were to women.
Perhaps that wasn’t the best example, but it made sense in Hyun-Beom’s mind, and that's all he cared about. Hyun-Beom kissed Tae-Hyun’s ear, relishing in his soft black locks.
Tae-Hyun blushed, silently scolding Hyun-Beom, “hey! They’re gonna see..!” “It’s okay.” Hyun-Beom said simply, his head falling to Tae-Hyun’s shoulder. Hyun-Beom inhaled his scent as he kissed his neck, Tae-Hyun argued, "what do you mean okay!?” He tried to push Hyun-Beom off of him, before anyone else noticed.
To his horror, someone did. Though they didn’t give the reaction Tae-Hyun was expecting. A classmate approached them and looked concerned, “whoa, Hyun-Beom, you okay?” Hyun-Beom turned away and gave a weak nod, feigning sickness while he embraced Tae-Hyun’s presence. The gall he had..!
The student ran off to get the teacher, who checked in on the two. After giving a lame excuse of just being dizzy, the teacher and everyone else left.
Min-Woo was possibly the only one who knew what they were doing, but who was he to care? At worst, they’d get caught and at best? None of his business! So he continued messing around with everyone else at the beach.
On their way home, Hyun-Beom overheard the boys complain about not seeing any women on the beach. Min-Woo again complained, “gosh, will they ever let it up?” However, this time Hyun-Beom couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. In a way, Hyun-Beom was very similar to the boys. How could he dictate what they say?