Chapter Text
CHAPTER 1: TH͟E͟ BL͟O͟O͟M͟
The classroom existed in a strange pocket of time.
Sunlight filtered through the tall glass windows in thin, golden lines, slicing the room into quiet sections—past, present, and something in between. Dust floated lazily in the air, glowing whenever it passed through the light, as if even it had decided to pause and listen. The clock above the whiteboard ticked softly, each second stretching longer than it should have.
Yang jungwon sat near the window, pen in his hands, note book open but left untouched.
Around him, the low murmuring and mumbling of collage life continued, paper scratching, pen clicking, chairs shifting, and the continues hushed conversation of the students. The room smelled faintly of paper, coffee, and something breezy that u can just end up sleeping on. It was just another lecture hall, yet it felt like the kind of place where something important was about to begin.
"Alright, everyone."
The professor's voice cut though the wide class hall.
Professor Han stood at the front of the room, sleeves rolled up, glasses resting low on his nose as he scanned the class. There was something sharp in his eyes today—curiosity mixed with quiet excitement.
"Guess what, this semester" he continued, turning toward the board behind him. “you will not be working on a theoretical project.”
Few students straightened in their seat, showing their interest on the professor's.
"You will be conducting a live psychological study.”
The projector flickered to life, illuminating the wall with the title of the project in bold letters. Jungwon finally lifted his pen.
"This project requires interaction,” Professor Han said calmly. “Observation. Analysis. Participation.”
The room grew quieter as professor han continue speaking.
“You’ll be working with students from other courses—people you don’t know, people who don’t think the same way you do. Your task is to study behavior under controlled social conditions.”
A hand went up somewhere from the back of the class. "Sir… does that mean they’ll know they’re being studied?”.
"That,” he said, “depends on how you make your approach.”
A ripple of whispers spread across the room.
Jungwon felt something shift in his chest—not fear, not excitement, but a strange awareness. Like standing at the edge of a door you didn’t remember opening, yet knowing you were already halfway inside.
“Choose carefully,” Professor Han added, his gaze lingering on the class. “People react differently when they feel seen… and even more so when they don’t realize they are.”
“Choose carefully,” Professor Han added, his gaze lingering on the class. “People react differently when they feel seen… and even more so when they don’t realize they are.”
The clock ticked again saying the lectures are done for the day.
Outside, the campus buzzed with life—students laughing, footsteps rushing past—but inside the classroom, time stayed suspended. As if this moment, this project, would quietly weave itself into their lives and refuse to let go.
As jungwon was puting his things in his bag,
someone approach him and tap his right shoulder.
"Haii, Wonniee,” a cheerful voice greeted him. “How was the lecture? Are you excited for this new project?” he asked.
“Hi, Taehyunii-hyung,” Jungwon greeted back in a happy but calm tone. “Hmm… I guess,” he replied reluctantly.
“I mean, we’ll be studying other people’s behavior and stuff lik
that—”
“Yuhh, I got you,” Taehyun replied. “I mean, some other courses think our course is creepy since we study human psychology,” he said with a small pout on his lips.
Jungwon Laughed softly upon seeing his older cousin pout so cutely.
"That's true--- Creepy but helpful".
As Jungwon looked at the table the girls were crowding around, Taehyun suddenly spoke in an irritated tone.“Ahhh, it’s them again,” he said, his mood clearly souring as he stared at the scene.
He then glanced to his side, trying to find something else to focus on—but his eyes landed on Jungwon’s curious, big, boba-like eyes, staring intently at the table.
Jungwon kept looking, as if trying to identify who they were, picturing them in his head. As he stared, his gaze met one of the boys’ eyes. At that point, they were practically having a staring contest.
Lost in his own thoughts, Jungwon didn’t realize Taehyun had been calling his name.
"Jung..."
"Won...."
"JUNGWON!!"
Hi eyes snap open as he turned to look at teahyun.
"Ahhhh...sorry, hyung...i got distracted a bit," jungwon said with a bit guilty like expression.
"Yuhhh i can see that" teahyun reply with judging like expression. "Why? Are you interested on them?, or perhaps you like them hmmm~," he teased.
Jungwon’s face turned red at his hyung’s assumption.
"I am not!!” he said firmly, his voice loud but still controlled. “I—I was just curious about why those girls are acting like that toward them… that’s all.” He added, still staring at the table, glaring at them a bit—cutely.
Ohhh, right. Our Jungwooniee is known for being in his own world. You wouldn’t even know what’s happening on campus,” Taehyun continued teasing.“You like being alone all the time, yet you’re still one of the most talked-about people here.”
"Ohhh, shhh, hyung. Just answer my question,” Jungwon said, clearly amused.
“Well, basically, they’re what you’d call the popular guys,” Taehyun explained. “Not only girls, but boys too are into them.”“They’re seen as having the ‘perfect image’… or something like that.”“That’s their fans’ words, not mine,” he added quickly.
"Perfect image....in what way?" jungwon a question that pop up in his head.
As sensing the younger question teahyun explain farther more.
"A perfect image of a boyfriend, a man, and as a human" he said and didn't stop there.
The one on the right—that’s Lee Heeseung, course: Sound Engineering. He’s gentle and dependable, that's why people are drawn to him, and he has really good music taste.”
"The one sitting in front of him is Park Jay, course: Business Management. People say he’s respectful, loyal, and a ‘boyfriend material.’ Again—people say that, not me.”
“Next, sitting beside Heeseung, that’s Sim Jake. Now he’s the real deal. If girls had to vote for the most boyfriend material, I bet he’d win.”
"Why is that?" Jungwon ask
“Because he’s the ideal image. Kind, gentleman-like, and charming. His charm even manages to catch my interest sometimes—I almost approached him once,” Taehyun chuckled.
“Next is Park Sunghoon, course: Sports Science. He’s the most nonchalant in the group, but girls still like him. They always say,
‘We like a challenge,’ or A stoic kind of a guy". “They call him the Ice Prince because of his cold but beautiful face. He’s also prone to dating rumors".
“And next is Kim Sunoo, course: Communication Arts—the sunshine of the group. He’s innocent and friendly look made people drawn to him. We both share one subject and yeah… I kinda agree.”
As taehyun keep on remembering that one time where he walk in to his lecture room, and saw how many people surrounding sunoo seat just to talk to him.
“And lastly, Nishimura Ni-ki, course: Performing Arts. A talented guy—and an athlete too. Guys admire his skills, while girls go crazy over his playboy-like aura.”
"Sheshhh, why would girls even want to have a play boy of a boyfriend or a stoic kind of a guy" teahyun said with a hint of irritation. "Tsk".
After taking a long breath, Taehyun finally looked at Jungwon, expecting another question. Instead, he saw a nonchalant expression on the younger boy’s face.
".....What?" Teahyun ask.
“So how does that make them ‘perfect’?” Jungwon said. “You can’t just assume someone is perfect just because they show one side of themselves… that’s absurd.”
"Eyyyyy don't question me, i only here those from some people goosiping about them" teahyun said defending himself playfully.
Jungwon gave his hyung an eye-roll and said "ahh so it was just a rumored," and start to walk away from the cafeteria.
“Hey! Where are you going, Won?” Taehyun asked
"The garden,” Jungwon replied, waving goodbye as he walked away.
Taehyun bid farewell as well and headed into the cafeteria—unaware of the six gazes following them, or more specifically, him.
____________________________
"So that’s him, huh?” one of them said with amusement.
“Yup, the famous psychology student,” another replied nonchalantly, though interest was clear in his tone.
“Now that’s a trophy worth having,” someone smirked, not even bothering to hide it.
“He has a good image too,” one said with a charming smile, eyes fixed on the boy walking away.
“What an interesting fella,” another said cheerfully, like a child eyeing a new toy.
"What do they call him again?," the older one ask.
"Hmmmm...ahhhhh i remember now," he said as he smirk.
"The blooming flower, Yang jungwon" a tone that holds a kind interest, but thorns hide beneath their words."
Some people might see it as them just admiring the boy. But in reality, they were plotting something. Something that no one knows of.
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{TIME SKIP}
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Midnight settled quietly over the campus, wrapping the empty hallways in silver light as the clock struck twelve, and the world seemed to pause—awake, yet hushed.
As moon light illuminate in the school garden, Jungwon stared at the flowers that are planned in the campus garden, Admiring the beauty of each petals. As soft breeze of wind past through the garden, Jungwon to emerge in admiring the flowers, didn't realize that he wasn't alone.
"It's way past midnight," a sudden cold but smooth voice interrupted the quiet hall. "Why are you still here at this hour?." a figure suddenly emerge from the garden entrance.
Jungwon from some reason can't seem too take his gaze away from this invader. As he keeps on thinking that his face seems a bit familiar.
"( Ahhhhh his one of the guys from earlier, i think.....sun.....sung........ahhhhh!! Sunghoon )". Jungwon said inside his own head.
U-um… I was just admiring the petals,” Jungwon said, breaking eye contact as his gaze returned to the flowers in front of him.
Sunghoon hummed in response. Instead of stepping away, he moved closer—then crouched beside Jungwon, close enough for their shoulders to nearly touch.
"What about them so pretty?" He ask, while reaching one of the flowers.
For some reasons Jungwon couldn’t quite explain, but a faint tingling crept up his spine. Maybe it was Sunghoon’s voice. Or the quiet, heavy presence that seemed to follow him everywhere.
“The colors,” Jungwon replied softly. “And how each petal adds something different… together, they become beautiful.”
His gaze softened as he spoke, fingers brushing lightly against a leaf.
"Flower's represent many things," jungwon said.
Oh?” Sunghoon tilted his head. “Like what?”
“Bright emotions,” Jungwon said after a pause. “And sullen ones, too.”
Sunghoon let out a quiet chuckle. “A flower that represents sorrow?”He tilted his head. “That sounds like a bad representation.”
Jungwon smiled faintly, eyes never leaving the bloom.
“That’s what makes it beautiful,” he said. “Flowers aren’t just positive or negative. They can be both.”
A quiet moment passed.
Then Sunghoon spoke again, his tone unreadable.
“Hm… do you think a flower can stay bright,” he asked slowly,
“even when it’s surrounded by a bad soil?”
Jungwon’s fingers tightened slightly against his knee.
He lifted his gaze just enough to smile again—soft, calm, unchanged.
“I think,” Jungwon said gently,
“some flowers learn how to bloom anywhere."
________________________
Sunghoon watched the way Jungwon spoke—slow, careful, as if even his words needed permission to exist.
The boy’s gaze never left the flowers. Not once.
Too gentle, Sunghoon thought. The kind of person who didn’t realize how easily the world could bruise him.
"A flower blooming anywhere,” Sunghoon repeated softly, almost amused. “That sounds exhausting.”
Jungwon only smiled, small and polite, like the comment hadn’t reached him at all.
"Flowers don’t get tired,” he said. “They just… adjust.”
Sunghoon studied him then—the lowered lashes, the quiet posture, the way Jungwon’s hands rested loosely in his lap. There was no sharpness there. No resistance.
His lashes flattering, lips forming a sweet smile, and cheeks turning a bit red.
Fragile. Sunghoon thought.
Sunghoon straightened, brushing his knees as he stood.
“Be careful,” he said lightly. “Not every place is kind to things like you.”
Jungwon looked up at him, eyes wide and soft, almost surprised by the concern.
“I will,” he answered obediently.
That was enough.
Sunghoon turned away feeling oddly satisfied, convinced he’d seen through the boy completely. A bloom too trusting for his own good. Something that needed guidance. Protection.
Behind him, Jungwon’s smile lingered.
When Sunghoon was gone, Jungwon reached out and gently touched the petal Sunghoon had hovered over but never dared to touch.
Naïve, they always thought.
Fragile, they always assumed.
Jungwon lowered his hand.
Flowers didn’t survive by being delicate.
They survived by learning when to bend—and when to let others believe they were harmless.
This is where it all started.
________________________________________END OF CHAPTER ONE__