Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Intelligent, sensible, talented, tall, pretty-handsome, and responsible at such a young age. Kang Taehyun being the best kid around the town where every parent wants their sons and daughters to be more like him.

Taehyun was raised to follow his parents' orders and laws believing that he would have a good life in the future if he does so.

As the only child in the Kang family, all of his parents' attention was poured at him, giving him the best things that he needs and wants. Although Taehyun was never a materialistic person, not even as a kid, his parents tend to spoil him with toys and such.

In exchange, he wasn't allowed to play outside because the kids there would never be a good example for him, fearing that Taehyun might grow rebellious like the other kids.

The school where Taehyun attends was known for having kids that are well-mannered, skillful, and smart. His parents think that they would be a good example for their son, especially because most of them are years older than Taehyun.

Yes, Taehyun is younger than most of his classmates. As a kid with a higher IQ than the average, he started going to school at the age of 3. He was a few months old, less than 6 months, when he learned his first word. At the age of 1, Taehyun can construct a full sentence to converse with his parents, he can already construct 3–4-word sentences leaving his parents in surprise for having a very bright kid.

At the age of 3 to 4, he already knew how to read, write, and do math with a bit of struggle, making him at the age 5 reading, writing, adding, subtracting, multiplying and dividing smoothly with no worries. Him skipping a whole year made him younger than most of his classmates in his primary years.

A genius indeed.

No wonder other parents love him so much. In addition to his lovable characteristics, Taehyun's also a social butterfly. He helps his classmates who struggle without asking for anything in return, just being his friend is enough as a payment.

He became the school's favorite student for he also works harder than any other kids because being a genius was not enough without a little effort. 

Even at such a young age, Taehyun values his grades but that never hinders him from playing with his primary school friends and discovering things that might also be his talent.

Just like how he discovered he was actually good at singing, dancing, and drawing. The school of course knew these kinds of things. They made Taehyun compete with other schools and as expected, Kang Taehyun kept on giving them the glory they wanted. 

He graduated from his primary school as a valedictorian, entering his 7th grade at the age of 12 which is one year younger than the usual middle schooler age.

As he grew older, Taehyun suddenly craved for more freedom. He always sees his classmates and schoolmates play basketball and soccer after school, they go to pc cafés to enjoy their middle school years, go out on weekends to hang out and such. It made Taehyun realize that his parents were more uptight than he thought they were.

He wasn't allowed to hang out with his friends after school, he had to go home if he didn't have any school activities left to do. 

He also wasn't allowed to go out on weekends because he had to use those days reviewing his lessons for the whole week.

As a social butterfly, he craved more socialization with his classmates. He wanted to make more friends and hang out with them. 

One day, during their final semester, one of his friends invited him to hang out after school, although he was reluctant on accepting his friend's offer, deep inside, he wanted to say yes. But his friend was way more persistent than he thought, he pestered Taehyun until he said yes.

For once in his life, he acted a little bit rebellious and it was also the first time he had so much fun. He loved everyone's company and he learned that hanging out inside of the school feels different when you hang out with your friends outside. 

That day, it was also his first time lying to his parents.

When his mom asked him why he went home late, he lied and told her he had a sudden training session in his glee club because the competition is getting near. But the glee club never had a training session after school, it was always in the morning before their first subject start, but no one in their house knew that and his parents didn't need to know.

His rebellious act became a lot more frequent. He kept lying to his parents just to go out on weekends with his friends. 

As a prodigal son he is, he still feels guilty whenever he does this kind of act, but the fun he experiences makes him forget about the consequences he might face.

Well, a 12-year-old young boy would definitely risk things for fun, after all, despite almost being perfect, Taehyun is just a human, moreover, just a kid.

His shenanigans lasted almost for the whole final half of the semester. He stopped for a while to not make any more suspicion and next week would be their final exam. He is very much determined to get the highest grades so he decided to use his week to study.

Other than his enthusiasm to get good grades, he is much more excited to finish his exam weeks because he promised his friends that they would hang out again after the exams, making it their last hang out before the end of their school year. 

He also planned to ace his tests to use it as a bribe so he can convince his parents to let him have a little bit more freedom.

The last day of their examination week happened and he was about to hang out with his friends after acing the tests. They just finished answering their exams but Taehyun knows he nailed every single one of it as usual.

When he was about to exit the school to join his group of friends, specifically, their whole section, he saw his parents waiting for him in front of the main gate. He felt shiver in his whole body and he wasn't feeling good.

He felt something off and he wished that his parents were only there to take him out to eat after finishing their exam week. But the look on his parents' face doesn't scream 'proud' at all, it was 'anger' to be exact.

He approached his parents and forced a smile. "Hi mom, hi dad. What are you doing here?" Taehyun thanks the heavens for not stuttering because hell knows he is very nervous right now.

"Get inside." The only words his dad told him while pointing at the car's door at the back seat. He glanced at his friends nearby the entrance, worried plastered on their faces. Taehyun just smiled apologetically for not being able to come to their last hangout.

He went inside of the car and for the whole ride, there was a lingering uncomfortable silence, making Taehyun feel a lot more nervous. 

He was internally praying that he hasn't been caught by his parents yet. He's not yet ready to explain everything to them. He clenched both his fist to control his anxious feeling inside of him.

As they arrived at their house, Taehyun walked behind his parents who were about to enter the place, wishing time would stop so he could run away. He felt like crying and trying to stay positive doesn't help.

When he stepped his foot inside of the small building, his mom shut the door with a loud bang that made Taehyun flinch from the deafening sound behind him. His fist clenched tighter to the fabric of his school pants making his knuckles white.

His mother walks to his father who's facing Taehyun with rage in his eyes, "I'll talk to him", she said as she tries to calm his husband down by rubbing her hands in his crossed arms. Taehyun's dad left and another loud sound was created as he slammed their bedroom door shut.

"Kang Taehyun", the way his mother called his name in her cold tone made Taehyun's body shiver in fear. If only stare could kill, Taehyun bet he's already dead as his mother's stare is like a drill piercing through his skull.

"Look me in the eyes," his mother continued. He slowly lifts his head that was once facing the wooden floor. He gulped hard as he tried his best to meet his mother's fierce gaze. He bit his lower lip to suppress his tears that were about to escape from his eyes.

 "Did you have fun tricking your parents? You really think this is a joke?" His mother said, raising her tone a bit. Taehyun wasn't able to form words as his mind is in jumble right now, he just shook his head.

"We've been giving you everything you want, feeding you food that other kids rarely eat, giving you the education others can't attain, and this is how you repay us?!" This time, her voice echoed through the whole house. Taehyun let his tears run down his cheeks as he cannot contain his emotions anymore.

He tried to open his mouth to defend himself, "B-but mom, I just want to play—"

"Silence Kang Taehyun! You have no right to talk back to your mother, you ungrateful child!!" Sobs can now be heard while Taehyun cries harder. He can't even defend himself anymore after his mother cut him off.

"I-I'm sorry", Taehyun can only apologize as he was having a hard time forming the right words. His body's getting more tense and his sobs were starting to get louder, "I-I won't... I won't do it.... A-again... I'm sorry", he shut his eyes tight as he prepared himself for more deafening shouts.

"How many times do I have to tell you how these kinds of kids can ruin your future, huh!!? Look what they have done to you!! You've learned how to talk back, lie, and sneak behind our backs!! You were not like this Taehyun!! You've never defied our rules!! You're not like them!! Taehyun you're different and you're supposed to follow what we say!! Just how many times do we have to tell you, we're doing all this for you!! How dare you act like an insolent brat huh!!? I raised you and I've taught you good manners, did you magically forget all those!!?"

Unable to speak, his mother's rebuke can only receive a loud sob from his son as a reply as Taehyun's breathing became unsteady. She released a heavy sigh, trying to calm herself down.

 She walked closer to Taehyun and spoke in a low voice in her son's ears, "Be thankful that I'm the one scolding you here. If I let your dad face you right now, god knows what he'll do to you", she stated in her stern tone making her son feel his fear growing inside him.

"Go to your room and reflect on your actions," his mother ordered and he immediately complied.

Taehyun lets his body fall on his bed and weep as he covers himself with his blanket while he hugs his knees, forming himself into a ball shape.

He felt exhausted and devastated. He wasn't able to go out with his friends for the last time and he got scolded big time. He's scared about the punishment he'll probably receive later.

As he cried for the whole hour, his body started to feel tired and he drifted off to sleep still wearing his crumpled uniform as he did not bother to change his clothes.

A knock on his door disturbed his short slumber and woke him up. He tried to open his eyes and face his bedroom door. There, his mother was standing and looking at his curled-up body on his bed.

"Dinner's ready. Come out after changing your clothes", she left after her short statement. Taehyun tried to shift his body on his right side where his wall clock is located.

He squints his eyes, trying to read the time in the dark room. It's already 7:30 in the evening and he slept for almost 4 hours. He stood up from his bed and changed his clothes, and as he checked himself through the mirror, he saw how awful he looked. 

Swollen eyes with tear stains printed on his face, a pale complexion, his always-present eye bags, and a bit sunken cheek.

He doesn't look like his age at all. Taehyun looked rugged and worn out, his exhaustion from studying planted an evidence on his face. 

Despite playing around and sneaking behind his parents' back, he never missed out on the time to study. He believes he had to because that's what his parents told him.

'You can't get lower than 89. Getting a line of 8 might affect your future someday' they said. Don't get him wrong, he enjoys learning and studying, but he hates the feeling of pressure and high expectations. 

He wants to get the highest grades because he learned something, not because he needs to get it to avoid punishment.

It's not that hard for him to get 90 and above, but just like a normal human being, he forgets things sometimes. Just because he is deemed to be that 'genius kid' doesn't mean he can't space out in class or experience mental block while taking his exams.

He is just a kid, a 12 years old boy for Pete's sake. He should look healthier than this. He should be playing with his peers, not carry the weight of his parents' unattained dreams.

Taehyun sighs from the sight he saw in his mirror. He washed his face before going out of his room and walked through the dining room where his parents were eating. He sat on his usual seat and started eating his food as well.

Another uncomfortable silence was present at the dinner table until his father broke it, "you'll be transferring next school year", Taehyun's eyes grew bigger from the shocking punishment he received.

"B-but dad isn't that too much?"

"It isn't too much Taehyun. What you did was too much." His father sternly said.

He gulped down the lump that's stuck on his throat as his father continued, "You did this to yourself kid and you're just facing the consequence. You'll be transferring and that's final, do you understand?" The tone of his father sent shivers to his body.

He replied to his father's command with a nod but the man seems to be discontented. "I want a verbal answer kid", by that, Taehyun gathered his remaining energy and courage to answer properly but it wasn't enough to be delivered in the right amount of loudness, so a weak "yes dad" can only be heard.

Fortunately, the man seems to be fine with it and does not scold him furthermore for answering in a quiet manner.

The remaining days he had in his school were only spent helping on the graduation practice for the 9th graders since the teachers asked for his assistance. 

He apologized to his classmates immediately after ditching their last hang out but they at least understand where Taehyun is coming from so they just assured him that it was fine.

His last days in his beloved school were dreadful to be exact. He had interacted with his classmates and friends on a bare minimum. His parents kept checking on him, bringing him to school and taking him home at the exact time when the practice ended.

Things continued that way until the graduation happened and the day of release of grades came. He saw his name on the printed paper that was posted on the board in front of the admin office. 

'Kang Taehyun' as expected, was written at the top, but Taehyun doesn't feel any sense of achievement unlike what he expected. He values his grades so much but he was unhappy this time.

He was unexpectedly wishing that he wasn't there. He wished that his name remained unknown and normal. The now 13 years old kid was slapped by the reality of how much pressure he was carrying. 

How the expectations were killing him slowly and how he hated the eyes of the people that was always expecting something good from him like he is somewhat a prophet that would create a miracle.

However, no matter how much hate he feels towards these people, he cannot change the fact that he is currently caged by his parents' ideas. He hates to admit, but a big part in him still says that his parents were right.

For someone like him who doesn't have a blooming dream, getting good grades and having a stable job with a high paying rate would secure his future. He doesn't have anything to fight for anyway, so no matter how he feels, he would still comply.

Taehyun spent his break in his usual way: studying. 

Another school year came and he is now enrolled in a different school.

He's not gonna lie, Taehyun is scared. Never in his entire life transferred school and this is his first time. He seems to cannot push off the feeling of distress, thoughts suddenly flooding his mind and he doesn't know why. He had no plan on befriending anyone anyway, so why is he so agitated?

He swore to not do the same thing he did last school year. He doesn't want to make friends anymore since after the unfortunate event, his parents kept on blaming his friends and he doesn't want his future friends to be blamed just like that.

He promised himself that he would finish his middle school years and high school years and gain his freedom when he turns college. Of course, he would still study hard, that literally runs in his system by now.

Taehyun sat at the back of the room to avoid attention. He doesn't know what will happen with his remaining middle school years since he transferred in his second. Moreover, unlike the elite school he attended ever since kindergarten, this new school he attends is a semi-public one.

He heard from his mother that students in state schools tend to be wilder and most of them are bad influences so he wonders why his parents transferred him to a school that they didn't want Taehyun to attend back then.

'You'll see how you will become if you keep pushing that freedom agenda of yours', those words from his mom don't make any sense for him.

His first class started not without making him introduce himself. He might be too nervous but he's good at faking his confidence.

Few hours had passed and no one tried to talk to Taehyun. Every single one of the students had their own little group making him feel more like an outsider. 

His past class also had these small groups of people but they still treat each other as friends, not like this. The division that this class has is too much. They only talk to those they consider as their friends.

It's his first day and he's having a hard time fitting in, especially since his classmates knew he came from an elite school. They perceive Taehyun immediately as an arrogant person. It's his first day but the judging looks were already there.

Though Taehyun was used to it. If you have an admirer, it's just normal to have a hater. People are either idolizing him or hating him for being at the top. 

He can't blame some of them though, he heard some parents comparing their kids to him, making Taehyun the most hateable person in those kids' eyes.

Taehyun might be a social butterfly but he doesn't like initiating the conversation, what he can do is to keep it going so talking to his classmates becomes a lot harder. His first day ended with no one to talk to and 2 homework to do; math and science, his favorite subjects.

The next day, he attended his class early as usual and after many minutes, his classmates started coming inside of their room. The sight shocked him a bit as he saw his classmates that aren't from the same group of friends huddling in the corner, copying each other's assignments.

Don't get him wrong, he knew his past classmates did those too but they never huddled like that to make it obvious that they were copying each other's. His past classmates did it smoothly without anyone knowing except them. 

It's the style that only their class knew, although Taehyun never participated in those cheating shenanigans, he just let them be since it got nothing to do with him.

Their first teacher entered their classroom but the students that were huddling at the corner didn't stop from the teacher's presence. 

He is indeed a bit culture shocked by the sudden changes that he'll be seeing in his everyday life. He knew he'll be seeing a more obvious cheating agenda like this.

Their first class ended and they're having a small 5-minute break before the math teacher comes. Taehyun was minding his own business until this one boy came and talked to him.

"You're the new student, right? I heard you're smart. Did you finish your homework?"

Taehyun glanced at the boy then looked down to see his name tag, his name is Kim Junseok.

"Yeah," Taehyun answered sparingly.

"Cool, can I copy yours?"

"No", he answered without hesitation. He lets people do their thing but you can never make Taehyun participate in such an act. He worked hard answering his homework and he feels ridiculed if someone tries to copy his work since he exerted some effort to get the correct answers.

Junseok huffed at how brave Taehyun answered him. "Come on, new kid. It won't hurt letting me copy yours. Besides, it's only homework."

Taehyun was about to snap from how this guy irks him so much until someone called the big guy's name.

"Junseok! Let the new kid be," a voice interrupted them both. He looked at the direction of where the voice was and Taehyun probably saw the most beautiful guy he has ever seen in his entire life. He wasn't there on their first day, the guy was probably absent yesterday.

He handed his notebook to Junseok and the guy's eyes widened, "How the hell Choi Beomgyu? You weren't here yesterday."

"I asked Ah-young about it. I did it on our first subject."

Junseok chuckled in amusement and sat back in his seat. Taehyun was still looking at the boy named Choi Beomgyu and the beautiful boy returned his gaze.

"No 'thank you'?" Beomgyu said with a smirk.

The smirk on the boy's face annoyed Taehyun for some unknown reason so he just looked away and replied in his usual cool tone, "I never asked you to do it." He received an offended scoff from the boy.

Thus, Taehyun concludes that he and Beomgyu won't be getting along that easily.

Chapter Text

Choi Beomgyu. Once you heard the name, the first word that would come up in your mind is "troublemaker". Coming from a family of 6, the middle child Choi Beomgyu was hated by his parents.

They never liked Beomgyu's mischief. They have 3 sons and 1 daughter and the three of them always give their parents academic achievements, but the third child never did. 

They always scold Beomgyu for slacking off in his school and no matter how many times they transfer him, he just doesn't change.

When he was in elementary school, Beomgyu joined every single club he could be in and he always went home late from club practices. His parents would always get mad at him from not using his precious time studying rather than use it for some club he would ditch after he gets bored.

And in that early age, Beomgyu always gets compared to his 2 older siblings. When he entered middle school, he had a younger brother but he didn't feel any thrill. 

He thought that it'll just add to his parents' collection of 'children that would give them glory' and it'll just be another person to compare to Beomgyu.

He was deemed as the black sheep of the family ever since he started going to school. Don't get him wrong, he isn't dumb. 

Beomgyu is actually a smart person and he could top every single quarter only if he wants to, but he doesn't like prioritizing his studies, instead, he loves doing things that are music related.

He would rather waste a whole day practicing his guitar skills using the guitar that he would borrow from the music teacher and practice his writing skills so he can apply it in lyrics composition. His dream is to become a music producer and that's one of the things they hated about Beomgyu.

Just like one time in his 7th grade when Beomgyu got home late, he was welcomed by his mother's scolding.

"Why are you late again!? Did you try staying late at school to practice the damn useless guitar you were borrowing from your teacher!!?"

Beomgyu didn't answer and just continued to walk off. When he was about to go upstairs in his room, a hard punch from his father hit Beomgyu's cheeks.

"You disrespectful and useless child! Just when are you gonna learn Choi Beomgyu!?" He caresses his throbbing cheekbone and jaw and gets up from his fall wearing an expressionless face despite feeling a bit pissed.

He ignored the old man as always and ran upstairs to lock himself up to his room. Annoyance grew inside him as his father kept banging his door and telling him to open it.

The physical abuse started in his 6th grade. At first it was just a slap, but a year later, he started to receive punches from his father.

This kind of situation isn't new anymore and he knows that the occurrence of this scene will increase as he grows older.

They wanted him to become a lawyer and make lots of money. Their parents had already set their children's future profession and course. His oldest brother would be an engineer someday, his eldest sister would be a successful business owner, him as a multi-millionaire lawyer, and their youngest as a well-known doctor in the country.

'Ridiculous', that's what Beomgyu thinks about his parents' dreams for them. He never liked the idea of being caged in a single path that was created by the others, he wants to make his own, thus, resulting in a rebellious kid he is now.

And when I say rebellious, he really is. He learned how to skip classes when he was in 6th grade, he didn't listen to the teacher's lesson, he would just laugh around with his rowdy peers who love to bully their other classmates in the middle of the class. 

He talks back when the teachers' scolds him and sometimes he would ditch his classes just to play in a pc café with his friends.

One of the reasons why the teachers hate Choi Beomgyu. Other than his disrespectful mouth, he always managed to pass all of his subjects and he never had a failing grade, but his grades were always enough to pass. 

He never did his homework and projects but at the end of the day, he has something to submit like magic.

Another trait that they found annoying is how Choi Beomgyu rarely cheats.

Compared to his classmates who almost copy every single homework and seatwork through their class president, Beomgyu cheats twice or thrice in the whole quarter. 

He does his assignments in a last-minute manner though, making him also the source of answer as he lets his classmates copy his and if we also count the times Beomgyu let them copy his works, then that's where it would be more than twice and thrice.

To make it short, the 2 reasons why he became an unruly student and child is one: because of his parents' controlling attitude, and two: the influence in his environment, and Choi Beomgyu is the type of guy that Taehyun's parents fear for their son to become.

And for Beomgyu, meeting Taehyun was like a big slap in his face. 

Being like Kang Taehyun would be his endgame if he followed his parents' rules, he would become like the boy who has no resistance to adults as he always does the teachers' requests and commands despite looking tired and drained everyday.

So, seeing the boy on a daily basis makes him annoyed. It reminds him of every single thing his parents told him; 'act proper', 'study harder', 'stop slacking off', and many more phrases his fingers couldn't count. 

 Although they don't really talk to each other that much, there is this invisible barrier that makes it hard for him to like the guy.

Yes, Taehyun did talk rudely to him on their first meeting but he didn't take it that seriously. He also felt that the boy is somewhat annoyed by his mere existence, making the feelings mutual.

The guy seems to be aloof since he doesn't really talk that much and he never actually made friends for the whole semester. 

His friends, Junseok and co., never liked Taehyun so they tried bullying him, but the boy seemed to be a fighter. He fights back whenever Junseok tries to do something to him.

Despite looking scrawny and restless, the boy can actually gauge your eyeballs out and his mouth can spit hurtful and insulting words that would make your knees shake in fear and in shame.

Beomgyu thought that at least the boy knows how to resist at some point despite being the teacher's pet. He finds that side of Taehyun a bit amusing.

Surprisingly, for the past 2 years in their middle school life, Beomgyu and Taehyun never interacted despite being in the same class, and when they did, it never went right. 

They also became part of the rotary, choir, and dance club together but they rarely spoke to each other. Although Beomgyu tried at first, the boy would just give him a sharp look and a rude response so he just stopped trying.

They're also both part of the volleyball team and that activity probably got the most interaction between them. Counting the calls of 'mine' and 'yours' inside of the court, with the hand signs that Beomgyu makes to plan out who would attack next inside of the court since he is the setter. Other than that, non-sports get no interaction at all.

Their middle school years ended and Beomgyu finally graduated. He saw their class rank list and his name was written in the middle. 'Choi Beomgyu- Rank 15 out of 30'.

'Not bad. If I actually attended all of my classes, I might be at the rank 1', his smug attitude showed as he knew to himself that he can do better, though he just chooses not to. 

He was about to leave the board when a name caught his attention, 'Kang Taehyun- Rank 1 out of 30'. His eyes travelled through the average scores and boy, he aint joking when he said it made his jaw dropped when he saw how damn high the guy's average is.

"Average of 97.5, are you freaking serious? Is his grades on drugs?" He whispered to himself as he stared at the younger boy's unbelievable average. 

He's been attending this school for 4 years and never in his entire life saw an average that high in any year level, and in their 8th grade too, Taehyun didn't get that high-ass average, it was just around 93 or something.

'I changed my mind. The first place is all his.'

He finally left the board with the only thought of how thankful he was that he didn't become like Kang Taehyun. He doesn't want to pressure himself to maintain such a ridiculous high grade.

 Being at the rank 15 was enough for him, he at least got to graduate and he'll finally become a high school student.

Chapter Text

Taehyun finally graduated from middle school and he was expecting to transfer back to his past school where he went to.

But some things really won't go the way you want it to be.

Their family business went bankrupt and they were forced to sell their one and only car. Because of this unfortunate event, he cannot transfer back to his past school, making him stuck in his current school.

'He could have been a scholar student so he can transfer back without any problem', Taehyun also thought about that but his family takes pride in being well-off, so they cannot stomach the idea of Taehyun having a free education.

His parents have this superiority complex, especially his dad. They look down on those who are less fortunate than them, calling them lazy people in the society that's why they remain at the bottom of the food chain. 

Now how the tables have turned. They're now one of those people they always insult.

He doesn't mind though, living in this kind of way. At least his parents don't need to bring him to school every day and that gave him a bit of sense of freedom.

They won't also get to monitor him every single time because they already sold their car. Knowing his parents, they hate walking so Taehyun knew they won't bother going to his school anymore even if it's only a walking distance from their home.

He at least gets to appreciate their town as he gets to walk through its street by street and that made the idea of being stuck in his current school bearable.

His first day in high school is about to start and reality is starting to sink in. He doesn't like this school at all. Those rowdy boys kept trying to make fun of him and most of the people in that school think that he's arrogant and a stuck-up brat like his parents.

Well of course, those people knew their family. They are well-known for having a perfect son and an unlikable attitude so they will just conclude that Taehyun acts the same as his parents. 

The only people who don't find that problematic are the people at his past elite school since they have the same level of wealth.

Although Taehyun was known as a nice kid in his past school, people in his current ones think it's only a façade and they were waiting for Taehyun to show his "true colors". Talking about inferiority complexes.

After walking for 15 minutes, he finally arrived at his school and entered the high school building. He searched for his classroom and sat at the front part of the room since he learned from his middle school years in HYBE, that the back seats were the seat for the rowdy boys.

As usual, Taehyun is too early so he took out his newly covered science book and read the first lesson so if ever their teacher would ask a random question, he can answer it immediately, and besides, he's bored.

He waited for many more minutes and the room started to get filled with students. The bell rang and all of them went down to the gym where their flag ceremony and the principal's welcome speech were held.

It was, of course, another boring speech so Taehyun didn't actually listen. He attended the student's orientation so he doesn't need to listen to the principal's nonsense blabber at 7 in the morning.

Finally, the boring speech ended and they can now go to their respective classrooms. When Taehyun entered the room, he saw one of their teachers, probably their adviser as he guessed, looking at the paper he was holding.

When all of the students were there, he told them to get their belongings so they could follow the sitting arrangement easily. He started from the back side of the room up until he reached the front rows.

"Kai Kamal Huening", their teacher announced an unknown name and pointed at the third to the last seat, leaving Taehyun the only student standing at the side.

"Kang Taehyun", his name finally got called and sat beside the unknown boy. He wonders why there is an extra seat at his left side if all of the students were already called.

"Choi Beomgyu", oh now he doesn't wonder. The mere mention of that name rang in his ears. He didn't check the class list completely so he didn't know he's, again, classmates with the said boy that made him irritated by just his mere presence.

"Choi Beomgyu?" Their teacher called the name again but no one responded. The students weren't confused though, Beomgyu never attended the first day of their classes and Taehyun also knew that.

"I guess he's absent for today. For anyone who knows Choi Beomgyu, kindly tell him he sits beside Mr. Kang", Taehyun's eyes twitch from annoyance as he was wishing to have a better year but no.

Choi Beomgyu as his seatmate already ruined that fantasy. He wished to have a quiet and peaceful high school days but having that rebel beside him would make it impossible to achieve.

The boy is loud and he moves too much. He loves distracting people in the middle of the class with his group of friends and he's sure that Beomgyu will take this chance to make fun of him. He genuinely hates that group of boys in general.

He was busy with his inner thoughts until their adviser cut him off, "Sorry for the sudden seating arrangement. I forgot to do it yesterday so we had to do it just now."

Taehyun didn't mind, his first adviser in HYBE also forgot to take care of their seating arrangement and just remembered to fix it one week after the school year started so he had to endure the loud chatters of the rowdy boys with him at the backseat.

Their advisor continued and called the boy beside him. He instructed him to introduce himself so the unknown boy from his right stood and complied. 

He immediately sat back down and the teacher started to ask some general questions that they also asked to Taehyun when he first transferred.

It was the type of questions like what school you went to, what talents you have, what past academic achievements you had, your age, and many basic questions with basic answers.

Apparently, Taehyun won't be the youngest in the class anymore. Kai Kamal Huening, also known as Huening Kai, is months younger than him. He is a scholar in HYBE and he has many talents and one of them is singing and playing many kinds of instruments.

The fact that someone like him, a young genius, exists in their class didn't bother him at all. What bothers him is when Junseok approached the boy after the advisory period and told the new guy that he will be their new answer source, he just agreed with no resistance.

A hint of fear and worry was obvious in the young boy's eyes but he just smiled at the rowdy boys and agreed to them. It pissed Taehyun off.

Taehyun might have no resistance against adults because his parents taught him to always respect elders but when it comes to people just near his age, he won't give them the respect that they want if they can't give it back to him.

Just because they cannot break the tough shell, they're now targeting the soft ones. Although it shouldn't be his business, he can't remove the irky feeling of someone being bullied and they let those bullies do whatever they want without a fight.

Taehyun isn't a loser and he hates losers like Huening Kai. He sees the boy as a weakling, wasting that height of his to fight back. He bet this Huening Kai guy can topple Junseok's big body frame if he fights back.

'What a waste', Taehyun thought.

The next day, Junseok and co. approached the new kid and told him to hand out his homework so they could copy it. Huening Kai handed it out with a smile on his face and the boys left and went to Beomgyu's side.

They all gathered a bunch of seats on Taehyun's left side where Beomgyu sat and they all huddled to copy the new kid's homework.

Taehyun just wants peace in his life but these boys have just decided to gather near him. This is why he doesn't want any of the rowdy boys to be his seatmate, the whole group would gather in the same place and there is no way you could feel peace when they're near you.

"Lame", Taehyun whispered and the boys at his left side were too busy to mind what Taehyun had just said but the guy on his right didn't miss that out.

Huening Kai looked at him with confusion and he gave back the gaze to the new boy, side-eyeing him, making it look like he's glaring.

"Why are you letting them do this?" Taehyun continued with a hint of coldness in his tone.

Huening Kai suddenly looked ashamed. He pursed his lips and looked away to Taehyun. He released a small smile that was obviously filled with sadness as he stared at his shoes.

Taehyun suddenly felt guilty, he didn't intend to say it in a rude and cold manner, but he guessed that being indifferent and aloof for 2 years took a toll on him. He needs to practice talking nicer again as he feared that he might start to get ruder and ruder each day.

Taehyun wanted to apologize to the sad looking puppy beside him but he doesn't know how to. Curse his pride, it won't let him apologize easily and he hates how prideful he can be from time to time.

Weeks had passed and his seatmate on his right being bullied, specifically by Junseok, became a routine. He pesters Taehyun less as he starts to make the transferee his new target.

Huening Kai still lets Junseok and his friends do whatever they want to do with him. Sometimes they would make the boy buy their lunch but not with his money, fortunately, they seem to just like commanding Huening Kai like a pet dog or something.

But for Taehyun, it was unbearable to see. It annoys him so much and he just wants to punch Junseok and the others in the guts. He also made Taehyun do those kinds of things in middle school but we could actually guess what happened.

It's Friday and their class hours ended a few minutes ago. Taehyun's volleyball practice will be held in 20 minutes. He stood and took his things with him and went to the gym to change his clothes in the men's locker room.

After changing, he noticed that he forgot to bring water with him so he exited the gym to buy water at the school canteen but then a bothering sight took his attention.

Huening Kai and Junseok were standing near the gym, the taller boy looking threatened and scared. Taehyun took a step closer to the two so he could hear their conversation a bit. 

Don't get him wrong, he isn't the gossipy type of person, but seeing the face Huening Kai is making, he thought that he might need actual help.

"Come on beanstalk, just a little money won't make you broke. And I promised I'll pay back, right?" Junseok's voice was heard in the distance.

"B-but the money you borrowed last time... You said you'll pay... Y-you haven't—"

"Shut it, new kid! I need money now! Just lend me some!"

Huening Kai gulps down his creeping fear inside him. "But I-I don't have—"

Junseok huffled in anger and impatience and cut the speaking boy off, "I know you're a scholar in this state school but it's just impossible not to have a single penny. No one goes to school without money in their pockets", he took a step closer that made the frightened boy hit the wall as he stepped back.

"'No one goes to school without money in their pockets' you said. Then why are you trying to squeeze his wallet out? Doesn't that make you a lot more broke than him?" Taehyun finally stepped in as he couldn't control his anger towards Junseok anymore.

"Scram, Kang. This is none of your business", Junseok glared at Taehyun and Taehyun gave the look back, making it seem like they're in a staring contest.

He then looked at Huening Kai and asked the boy, "If you don't want me here, I'll scram for good. So, do you?" He cursed himself internally as it came out in a rude tone again, wishing the tall boy won't misunderstand him.

Huening Kai hesitated to answer Taehyun's question. He glanced at Junseok and he received a glare with an obvious threat behind them. He was about to say 'he's fine' when Taehyun spoke again.

"Huening, just so you know, I can kick that motherfucker's ass." Stated in a monotonous voice.

Junseok scoffed at the insult he received from Taehyun, "What did you just call me?"

Taehyun cocked his eyebrows at Junseok and replied, "a motherfucker", he fearlessly delivered his message.

Junseok was about to walk towards Taehyun to punch him but Huening Kai suddenly spoke, "...elp."

The two boys who were in the middle of fighting gave the tall boy a confused look as he spoke in an inaudible way.

Huening Kai looked at Taehyun and his eyes screamed 'SOS', "Help, please!" He finally delivered his desperate message in the right amount of loudness.

Junseok grabbed Huening Kai's collar and was about to hit him when Taehyun pulled the back part of the collar of his shirt, making him lose his footing. As Junseok was still trying to retrieve his balance, Taehyun was suddenly there, right in front of him, ready to land his punch on his face. He lost his balance completely and fell on the floor. 

He felt his knees wobble from the sudden fear he felt. He's not gonna admit that his life flashed before his eyes for a moment.

Taehyun glared down at him like he's some kind of dirt, "you scram", his frightening tone sent shivers not only to Junseok's body, but also to the guy behind them who was somewhat the reason for this ruckus.

Junseok hurriedly stood and ran. He shouted at Taehyun after he created a big distance between them, "I'm not done with you Kang! I'll fucking get you next time!"

Junseok disappeared from the two boys' sight and Taehyun whispered under his breath but Huening Kai didn't miss it, "What a chicken."

Taehyun was about to walk out of the scene to buy himself his forgotten water when Huening Kai stopped him by grabbing his shoulder. He quickly retracted his hands as he felt Taehyun's icy glare at him.

"Uhmm..."

Taehyun waited for Huening Kai to speak his thoughts so he tried to compose himself first since the boy seemed to be willing to wait for him.

"Thank you Taehyun-ssi," he gave Taehyun a genuine smile as a sign of gratitude. He just felt a bit bad he cannot offer anything to the boy who saved him from his school bully.

"Save that. Thank me when you started to learn how to fight back."

The taller boy pursed his lips and looked down.

Taehyun released a heavy sigh and looked at the boy in front of him, "When did he start doing this?"

Kai looked up to meet Taehyun's eyes, giving him a confused look, "Huh?"

"I mean Junseok. When did he start stealing your money?"

"He's not stealing, he's just borrowing. He promised to—" As Kai tried reasoning out, Taehyun spoke to intentionally cut him off. He hates hearing bullshit.

"He's not gonna pay you back and you know that. Stop acting dumb and naïve because you're not, you're just letting him do these things to you," Taehyun retorted back.

"It's not like I have a choice you know. I can't involve myself with troubles, I'll lose my scholarship. And besides, I'm used to it", Taehyun nearly didn't catch the last line since the boy said it in a weak manner.

Taehyun massaged his temples as he's having a headache because of the younger, "You don't have to use the method that I did to fight back. You can just tell him you'll tell it to the office and if he told you 'you won't', make sure you'll shut his mouth by really doing it."

Taehyun paused for a bit then he continued, "And I'm not gonna actually hit him. I also can't get myself involved with big troubles, heck not even small troubles. Even if he didn't lose his balance, you saw me stopping midway, I won't land my punch on him even if I badly want to."

Huening Kai was staring at Taehyun with admiration and replied, "Did you actually fight back like that?"

"Well yeah, you already saw him trying to pester me from time to time and you already witnessed how I speak towards him. And trust me, it works."

"I thought it's just your personality."

Taehyun scoffed in an offended way and Huening Kai only giggled and released a small 'sorry'.

Taehyun was about to tell Huening Kai he had to go to the canteen to buy water but then, someone called Taehyun's name from the gym.

Taehyun groaned as he wasn't able to buy his water and he had to go back because their practice will be starting within 5 minutes.

But before he left the younger one, he asked him one last question, "Did his friends bully you too?"

Huening Kai shook his head, "I can't say they didn't but if you mean going below the belt then no, it's only Junseok."

Taehyun nodded and replied, "That's good. It'll be easier since you only have to fight back to one person. The rest, you can actually use empty threats and they'll leave you immediately, though I don't guarantee that they'll leave you alone for good."

Huening Kai giggled and thanked Taehyun for the last time. Taehyun walked back to the gym to start their practice session.

The encounter was the start of the two boys' blooming friendship. Taehyun discovered that Huening Kai was a bubbly person and he likes touching people's bellies. He's also very loud but Taehyun can at least tolerate that since he secretly loves the company. He was also bullied in his past state school making him used to mistreatment.

And good news, as Huening Kai started to hang out with Taehyun at school, he started to learn how to fight back in a way that wouldn't get him into trouble. 

The two were deemed as the 'teacher's pet' but neither of them minds it. Junseok's friends started to make fun of Huening Kai less when he started to stick beside Taehyun. Although Junseok never stopped, Huening Kai at least fought back from time to time.

And oh, yeah, Kai also noticed the invisible tension between Taehyun and his seatmate on his left side. Taehyun warned him about Beomgyu since he's part of the rowdy boys but Huening Kai was wondering why Taehyun hated the guy.

All of Junseok's friends laugh whenever Junseok trips him, but Beomgyu never did, instead, he kept reminding Junseok to not go below the belt and that made Junseok mad at Beomgyu.

'He seems like a nice person, why is Taehyunnie so mad at him?', Huening Kai thought.

He shrugged it off and thought that maybe he'll ask Taehyun about that next time. What's important right now is he, at least, finally made his first friend at HYBE and that goes for Taehyun too.

Chapter Text

Midterm week came to an end and the only thing Huening Kai could think of is how he can finally be free from Taehyun's harsh tutoring.

Ever since the two boys became friends, they started looking out for each other, trying to avoid the walking chaos aka 'the rowdy boys'. Taehyun was also helping Kai in his studies since the younger sometimes can't come to school when his father needed some extra hand.

Knowing that Kai should be extra careful not to fail anything because he's a scholar student, he secretly worries about the younger's grades, but for Huening Kai, it's a pure torture. Taehyun is a strict one when teaching, he only gives Kai a 10-minutes break, very opposite to his usual 2-3 hours break when he studies

"You've been reading this book for 1 whole hour Taehyun, why not make out with it eh?"

He once made a commentary about Taehyun reading their English book to teach Kai the lesson he missed out and he received a smack on his shoulder with the book Taehyun was reading.

It was painful. It was a thick ass book. And Taehyun hits hard. But well, that didn't stop him from pestering his best friend every study session.

Kai released a sigh in relief and his seatmate looked at him and said, "You shouldn't feel relieved yet, we still need to see the results next week."

Kai rolled his eyes from Taehyun's statement and retorted, "Oh please, I know I did well. I have the smartest and the strictest tutor around here you know."

"Pshh, you barely listen to me when I'm teaching you. You're not fooling anyone here."

"Taehyunnie calm your ass, I won't fail. I didn't pass the scholarship program here if I'm that dumb."

"I'm not saying you're dumb, and you were literally panicking an hour ago because you can't answer than one question in Math. Did you at least put a solution to it? It was worth 5 points and Miss Yang always gives us 1 point for effort."

Kai averted his eyes from Taehyun and nervously laughed. "Hehe... About that..."

Taehyun's eyes widened, "You idiot! Don't tell me you didn't—"

Before he could scold his best friend more, he was suddenly cut off by their president shouting, "Ok everyone! Please take a seat, we have an announcement!!"

No one complied to their president's plea until their adviser came. "Alright settle down. I know you guys are excited to go home after this hell week but we still need to make an announcement. It's about the Literary and Music competition so please listen."

Everyone took a seat as they heard the last line from their adviser. As the room turned calm, Mr. Baek continued talking, "I heard from the faculty that half of our class are part of the teams that will be competing for the LitMus. Next week, your clubs will be conducting a meeting so you'll be able to know your practice schedules. The choir club's meeting will be held at 3 right after class, rotary club at 3:30, dance club at 4, then the other meetings don't matter in this class since you guys are not participants. That's all, you may now go home."

Every student started fixing their things and hurriedly went out of their room. Taehyun picked up his bag as he finished putting everything inside and walked towards the exit of their room with his best friend.

The two boys were about to leave the school gate when someone called Taehyun, "Yo Kang!"

Taehyun and Kai turned their heads and saw Beomgyu walking towards them. "Let's go to the meeting together next week."

The two boys looked at Beomgyu with a confused expression, Taehyun with an additional hint of irritation as he cocked his eyebrows at the older. He finally faced Beomgyu completely and replied, "Why? Can't you go alone?"

"I'm just saying since we both have to go there."

Taehyun rolled his eyes and said, "No. I have no reason to go with you." After his statement, he pulled his friend's arm and walked away.

Huening Kai was really confused on why Taehyun hates Beomgyu so much. What's wrong with going with the older? It's not like he asked him out on a date.

"I've been wanting to ask you this. Why are you so mad at him? Did Beomgyu-ssi have done something wrong to you?" He asked as he raised his brows at his best friend.

Kai received a sharp glare from Taehyun and he replied, "He's one of those boys who loves to bully people Kai, isn't that an enough reason to hate him?"

"He never bullied me though."

"What?" Taehyun looked at the taller with confusion planted on his face. "Did he blackmail you to say that or something?" he continued.

Huening Kai shook his head, "No, why would he? He won't gain anything from it. I've never seen him bully anyone before, I mean, not to that extent if you know what I mean. And he seems really nice, you know. One time, I saw him and Junseok fighting at the back of the school when he heard that Junseok was stealing money from random students. It seems like he was defending the bullied ones. Don't get me wrong Taehyunnie, I don't gossip, I just heard my name being mentioned so I peeked."

He took a peek at the older one, trying to find a reaction but Taehyun wasn't reacting so Kai took it as a sign to continue, "And you know that Junseok likes tripping me whenever he has a chance. Every time he does that his friends always laugh but I never saw Beomgyu-ssi laughing. Well, he does when they throw paper balls at me in class but I noticed that when I seriously get hurt, he doesn't laugh at all."

"And what are you implying?" Taehyun scoffed as he shifted his piercing gaze from the road to his best friend.

"What I'm trying to say is, he might be an unruly student but I don't think he enjoys hurting other people. He also asked me back then if I was alright after Junseok pushed me in the hallway, he even apologized on behalf of his friend so I don't think he's as bad as you think. Well, that's just based on my experience and observation."

Taehyun was baffled and irritated. It should be good news that Beomgyu at least doesn't bully his best friend, but there is something inside him that made him feel more irritated.

Maybe his ego can't accept the fact that the guy he was hating since forever was actually a nice guy and it became harder for him to find a reason to hate the older.

"Whatever, that won't change the fact that he loves annoying people around him." He rolled his eyes once again and received a sigh from Kai.

"Alright. Whatever that helps you sleep at night Taehyunnie."

The conversation ended when they had to part ways since their houses were in a different direction.

The week finally came where the club meetings will be held. Clock strikes to 3 and every member of the choir club was in a hurry to attend their first competition meeting in high school.

Taehyun bid his best friend goodbye as he rushed out of their room, Beomgyu following him behind unnoticed.

As he was getting near to the meeting location, he finally felt the presence behind him. He looked at his back and saw Beomgyu walking 2 feet apart from him like a stalker.

"Stop following me", Taehyun stated.

Beomgyu scoffed and raised his eyebrows to him, "Are you gonna say that to me at the next meeting location, then? Kang, we're literally both part of the same clubs", he retorted.

Taehyun just groaned from irritation. The talk with Huening Kai last week didn't help as his annoyance towards the older grew bigger. He hates Beomgyu. He hates how unruly he is, uncontrollable, and too carefree.

The very opposite of him.

He hates how Beomgyu can laugh out loud without anyone judging him, he hates how the boy can sleep in the middle of the class when he feels like it, and especially, he hates how he can decide for himself. 

It was very clear on why Taehyun hates him, he just doesn't want to admit that he feels this massive jealousy towards the other.

The growing self-hatred and jealousy towards the other boy turned into irritation so Beomgyu's mere presence ticks him off so much. 

And as stubborn as he is, he's not gonna admit why he hates Choi Beomgyu to himself, because admitting the fact that he wants to be free would only mean that he already lost the fight that's happening inside of his head, still trying to convince himself that it's fine like this.

Their meeting started and there is nothing different from what they have done in middle school. It ended earlier than they expected and some choir members, just like Taehyun and Beomgyu, rushed towards the next meeting which was for the rotary club.

Fortunately, for their schedule, the choir and rotary are both in the same practice days since Taehyun expects their dance practice to be a lot more physically draining than the other two.

Clock finally strikes 3:57 PM, Taehyun's last meeting for the day. 3 minutes before the start of their meeting, he and the older went to the next meeting location since they're the only ones who passed the dance audition from their section.

Beomgyu and him came inside of the meeting room, the other 8 members already there waiting for them. They apologized for being late before they sat down to the remaining vacant seats.

There, they saw the 2 well-known dancers in the high school department named Choi Yeonjun and Choi Soobin, seated in front of them as they received a warm smile from the two boys that they replied with a smile and a small bow.

Taehyun explored his eyes around the room and tried remembering the faces he saw in the video he watched last night from the last year's competition but since no one stood out from the video except the two seniors in front of him, he failed to recall and match the faces of the people around him.

The meeting was ongoing and as expected, their dance practice doesn't have the same schedule as the chorale and rotary except every Friday. They were discussing important things such as the competition rules and criteria.

30 minutes had passed and the last meeting finally ended. Just like the other two clubs, they would be starting immediately this week since they only have a whole month left to prepare for the competition. 

Taehyun was expecting a win from the three clubs he was in but he really got a higher expectation for the dance competition and he was very much excited to practice.

The next day, after bidding goodbye to Hyuka, they parted ways as Kai needed to attend his student council meeting as the representative of first year and Taehyun immediately changed his clothes that's appropriate for their dance practice.

He entered the practice room, the all-in-one room for every club practice, and waited for the other members to come in.

15 minutes had passed, and Taehyun's not gonna lie, he's a bit irked by the fact that there are still 3 more members that's not there yet, obviously late for the practice. 

He thought that they were wasting their time so he came to their leader, "Excuse me. Sunbaenim, when are we going to start practicing?"

Dohyun, their leader, remained seated and didn't bother looking at the junior in front of him and kept tapping his phone, "We're still waiting for the three members."

"Oh ok. Uhm, can I ask another question?"

Dohyun lazily hummed in response.

"Do we already have choreography to learn? Who's gonna teach us? Can we just learn it in advance while we're waiting?"

The senior finally looked at Taehyun and cocked his eyebrows at the younger, a hint of irritation in his face, "We don't have choreography yet and we'll be teaching each other what we can contribute."

"Then, do we at least have a remix already or...?"

Dohyun huffed in annoyance and answered, "Kid, would you stop asking questions? I know what I'm doing and just because you're known in the middle school department for being on the dance team then I'm telling you, we don't care about that skill of yours."

Everyone looked in their direction as Dohyun's loud voice, nearly shouting, echoed through the closed space. The members' and Taehyun's eyes widened from the shock.

Where did that even come from? Taehyun asked himself. It's not like he's trying to prove something already, he was just genuinely concerned that's why he was asking.

"I'm sorry sunbaenim but I'm not trying to prove anything. I just thought that we're wasting too much of our time so might as well do something while we wait for the others, right?"

The leader scoffed and stood from where he was sitting, looking at Taehyun, eye-to-eye level, "If I want to wait for the others before starting, then sit your ass down and wait. You don't get to tell me what to do, you know-it-all kid."

Taehyun was about to say something but was stopped when the door opened. The 3 late members were carrying an iced coffee in their hands and still wearing their uniforms.

The boy turned his gaze to their leader again and saw the senior glaring at him, "There you have it kid", he walked away from the younger, intentionally bumping his shoulders that made Taehyun stumble a bit. 

"Change your clothes! We're starting!" The leader shouted at the 3 late comers.

If Taehyun's gonna be honest, the ongoing practice doesn't feel like a practice at all. They just created a choreography for the first part then rested for 30 minutes. The only people who continued creating the choreography were the two seniors at the corner of the room.

Taehyun's eyes also landed on the dancing figure in front of him, Beomgyu trying to create some steps for some parts. He roamed his eyes again and saw everyone sitting and scrolling through their phones, some laughing and chatting with each other.

He sighed in disappointment and stood up so he could try creating his own choreography too, wishing that they at least create some progress today.

Finally, the practice seems to continue again after the two seniors who were at the corner of the room a few minutes ago approach the leader. Everyone took their comfort places and the two seniors started teaching some of the parts they did.

"If you guys have better ideas, you can tell it to us so we can adjust the choreography as soon as possible."

One of the members raised her hand and whined, "The other half was too hard. Can we atleast make it easier?"

The smaller one, Yeonjun, nodded, "Sure. Can you suggest a step we can use instead?"

The girl started doing the steps she was trying to suggest and the only thing Taehyun could think of is that it's not competition worthy. It was like a step from a mass demo, not very hip hop-y, and very lame and too simple. Even a kindergarten can do better.

Taehyun seems to not be the only one who has that kind of perspective as he noticed the two seniors in front looked at each other. Soobin couldn't stop his facial expression from showing his sincere feelings towards the suggested steps while Yeonjun was just pursing his lips.

On the contrary, Dohyun and the others agreed to the suggested steps. True, the steps that the pair made were a bit difficult but they haven't even tried their best to understand the step completely. If they practice for 3 days, Taehyun bet he could dance it with no problem at all.

He heard a loud sigh at his back so he turned his head and Taehyun saw Beomgyu shaking his head in disappointment. Taehyun danced with Beomgyu for 2 years already so he kind of knew that the older was also disapproving of the suggested steps.

Their middle school team was always going for the extreme, so no wonder they think lowly of such steps. Well, can you blame them? They're joining a competition, not doing an intermission number.

"Alright, well do that instead", Yeonjun said in defeat and just continued teaching the next part.

As the practice was going smoothly, someone interrupted it, "Wait wait wait! Can we change that too? We know you guys are too good to be in this team but at least consider us who can't do such a difficult move."

"You haven't even tried doing it yet—" Yeonjun hit Soobin's side with his elbow, telling him to not talk back.

"Well, you can ask them. It's hard, right? And it's pretty troublesome and tiring to do", the boy who interrupted the practice said as if he's trying to convince everyone in the room to agree with him.

Most of the members nodded their heads and the boy's glance landed at the first years on his left.

"No. I personally don't think it's hard to do." Taehyun responded nonchalantly.

"Yeah, it wasn't that difficult," Beomgyu followed.

The sophomore who was complaining furrowed his eyebrows at the two youngest, his glare threatening the two boys, but Taehyun and Beomgyu weren't fazed at all. 

Beomgyu looked at their seniors who were teaching the choreo in front and said, "Can we continue now?"

The pair was a bit taken aback from the two youngest's brave response to their seniors and they were unsure if they had to change the choreography because of the demand or not change it because someone didn't find it difficult which is true, these people who complained just wanted an easier choreography so they don't have to move around a lot and it's easier to memorize.

"Uhm... Alright... Let's at least try it first? Then if you still find it hard after 3 days of practice then we'll revise the choreography. Would that be alright?" Yeonjun asked hesitantly. 

"Ok, we'll try it first", Dohyun replied and the complaining sophomore groaned in defeat.

Time was running too fast and their practice ended with a bit of progress at the very least. There are tons of complaints from the other members but can't even contribute to the choreography, and so, the pair had to revise many parts for the whiny and annoying members, Beomgyu and Taehyun contributing some steps to make their frustrated seniors' job easier.

Taehyun went home mentally and physically drained. He went to his room after greeting his parents, just wanting to plop on his bed but his homework says otherwise.

As he was trying to answer his homework, another sigh escaped from his mouth. He's been sighing for the rest of the day and it's not a good sign at all. 

His hand stopped writing as his thoughts wandered when reality hit him. How is he gonna survive the whole month with these people?

Taehyun hates them. He hates people who work half-assed. 

He was always deemed as a genius and a natural at everything, but despite the praises he gets every day from other people, they didn't know the effort and dedication he exerted in every single thing he does. He works hard every time so he deserves every praise he gets.

He can only wish himself luck and long patience to bear with those slackers. He'll just probably try not to react every time he sees something wrong. 'Try to get along even if it's fake', his soon-to-be motto at every dance practice.

Chapter Text

"I can't fucking stand them."

"Language, Taehyun."

It's already been 3 weeks and surprisingly, Taehyun's holding well albeit the fact that most of the time, they annoy the hell out of him.

"I can't stand their annoying ass, seriously."

Huening Kai released a chuckle as he listened to his best friend's rant for the nth time who's looking at their dance team group chat.

"You're at least trying not to show it to them, right? If that's the case then you're doing great."

Taehyun rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he kept his phone inside of his pocket, "I am holding it in. But goddamn do they really have to attend late again? The practice always gets affected. What I don't understand is why Dohyun-sunbaenim keeps on insisting on starting the practice when we're complete? Can we just start at exactly 3 then let those late comers catch up?"

"Chill child, just hold it in. And to remind you, don't call out your leader again, you're gonna get yourself in trouble for the fifth time already. You know he really gets pissed when you do that and his inferiority complex will eat him out . And you know better Taehyunnie, let them be. They'll get tired eventually so calm your ass now and unclench because you have to attend your practice and see them again later."

Taehyun groaned and rolled his eyes while his brows furrowed from the infuriating feeling.

 "Whatever. I'm not the one who's gonna be humiliated at the competition for slacking off anyway."

A buzzing sensation in his pocket captured Taehyun's attention. He grabbed his phone and fished it out again and he saw tons of notifications under their dance team group chat. He opened it and saw a numerous message flooding the gc.

Choi_B:
and what exactly is the reason why?

Ahn_S:
what do you mean why? Why are we gonna be late?

Park_K:
and why is it your business?

Choi_B:
because the practice keeps getting affected and it's already been 3 weeks and we still haven't perfected the choreography yet. Aren't you all bothered by our progress?

Park_K:
are you trying to say that it's our fault?

Choi_B:
well, who else's fault it is? Did I ever attend late for it to become my fault?

Kim_J:
Whoa whoa kid. The disrespect in your tone. You might be forgetting we're your seniors.

Choi_B:
a freshman, senior, or junior, or whatever you may call it. Aren't we all responsible as a team? If you don't know what discipline is then why don't you just quit?

Park_K:
how ironic. Talking about being responsible coming from a problematic student like you. You don't get to tell us what to do.

Taehyun stopped reading the left messages in their gc. He doesn't know how to react from what he's seeing. True, he was used of Beomgyu mumbling something in practice when the members get aggravating, but this is the first time he popped off and called them out.

He did notice it though, the whispers and murmurs while their gazes pierced through the 2 freshmen, their seniors obviously despise them.

Well, he wasn't surprised at all, they probably heard the rumors about the two freshmen when they were in middle school. Choi Beomgyu, the unruly kid, and Kang Taehyun, the know-it-all.

And his first day impression didn't help at all. Beomgyu's endless (good)suggestion and silent eye rolls at their annoying seniors also became part of it. 

They instantly became the talk of the town in the dance club but Taehyun kept brushing it off, he's used to it anyway.

He glanced at Beomgyu at the back part of the room where the older is currently sitting, leaving his seat beside Taehyun. Annoyance and fuming anger obviously printed on his face while typing like a madman on his phone. 

Taehyun turned his head back in front of him, shutting his phone down, not wanting to know how the practice would turn out later.

All he knows is it'll be a complete disaster. A lot more chaotic than usual.

Beomgyu was mad. And when I say mad, I mean, mad MAD. After the fight in their group chat, their leader interfered and cancelled their session. 

The annoying seniors cursed at him and blamed him for the cancelation of practice as if he didn't hold back his irritation for the past 9 meetings.

He furiously took his backpack and went to the practice room after their school hours. He took his practice clothes and changed into them. If they didn't want to practice, then so be it. He'll do it on his own.

Despite being so carefree, Beomgyu is a perfectionist. He gets frustrated when he makes mistakes in dancing and singing. 

He could care less when it comes to academics, but he always puts pressure on himself when it's about music. So, he decided to practice even on his own so he won't humiliate himself on the day of the competition.

He was stretching on the floor while a random song was playing in the background and as the third song came, the sound of the door opening interrupted him. He turned his head towards the opened door and saw Taehyun standing there in his usual practice clothes.

"What are you doing here? Practice is cancelled."

Taehyun entered the room and responded in his usual snarky way, "Well take a guess. What exactly do you think I'm doing here?"

He didn't answer back as he's already used to the younger's way of responding to him. They rarely talk to each other, but when they do, he always gets rude answers from the younger.

He just continued stretching, not minding the other person's presence inside of the room. If it weren't from the music, the room would be filled with silence. 

Beomgyu was doing the blockings of the choreo while Taehyun was recalling the choreo at the same spot he was standing for the whole time. They were moving synchronously but with a big space between them.

It was doing fine not until the certain part came where Beomgyu felt frustrated and confused with the choreography he was doing. He knows he was missing a single step that made his counting off and the reason why he kept making mistakes countless times. 

Taehyun took notice of it and spoke.

"You keep missing this part," he said as he demonstrated it to Beomgyu.

Instead of being thankful and just ask Taehyun about it to end his confusion, his frustration and not-yet dying anger inside of him took over him and Taehyun correcting his mistake snapped his last thread of patience.

"I know that. You don't have to rub it on my face, Mr. Know-it-all." Retorted while rolling his eyes.

His chest felt an unexpected clench giving him a painful feeling, he wasn't supposed to feel insulted. After all, he was used to being called like that by other people, except, Taehyun suddenly felt dismayed by Beomgyu's retaliation.

The older never responded in a rude way to him despite him being overly nasty to the older for the past 2 years.

Putting the offense to heart, Taehyun retorted back, "At least I'm not an uncontrollable son of a bitch. A bully."

There was suddenly a loud ring inside of Beomgyu's ears after hearing it. Taehyun was rude, but he never called him names. It was always a snarky comment but never offensive. 

The name calling fed his not-yet-dying anger and faced the younger, "Well at least I don't act like a goody-two-shoe like you. I know how to say 'no' to the teachers. Unlike you, I don't act like a puppet."

"That just shows that I care about my future. And what about you? You're too unmanageable and disrespectful, even the grown-ups around you gave up trying."

In disbelief, Beomgyu suddenly felt a sting in his eyes. That was too much. But no, he can't cry in front of this boy, he had to counter it even with the prickling feeling on the back of his throat.

And so, he abruptly said, "Not giving people the respect they don't deserve doesn't make a person disrespectful. I'm not like you who can't even retaliate for your own sake."

Taehyun scoffed as he felt personally attacked. 'How dare he' kept swirling in his thoughts as he retorted back, "I don't uncontrollably retaliate like an ill-mannered child like you because I know how to act proper and decent, and I believe you also don't deserve the respect you were looking for anyway."

Being pushed too far, Beomgyu eliminated the space between them as he grabbed the younger's collar, tempted to punch him on the face. 

His eyes quivering in rage as he glared at Taehyun, he spoke in a low voice that was cold enough to serve a threat, "Watch your mouth Kang. You don't know anything about me."

"You don't know me as well Choi, but just like any other students around here, you guys are so good at judging other people." Taehyun countered with the same exact tone filled with hatred.

"You're no different. Don't try to come clean on me now."

Taehyun forcefully removed the hands of the older that had been clenching his shirt's collar, though the intense glaring never left each other.

"If only you hadn't started it then maybe we wouldn't have spoken to each other like this. Remind you, you called me names while I just corrected your mistake."

He turned around after his riposte, grabbing his bag to fetch his water container. The heated feud with Beomgyu made his heart beat rapidly, his 'fight or flight' instinct ramped up as the feeling of exasperation clouded his mind.

Taehyun took a good drink of his water to calm himself down while Beomgyu was left standing at the spot. A rush of guilt suddenly hit him, he never intended to call him names in the first place. 

The intense dispute between the younger wasn't supposed to happen but because of the frustrating feeling that was eating him for the whole time after everything that happened, from the fight at their group chat to his frustration towards his small mistakes, he wasn't able to handle his anger when the younger spoke. It was bad timing.

A creaking sound interrupted his thoughts, his gaze landing on the opening door. Yeonjun and Soobin entered the practice room with wide eyes as they heard their music piece being played inside of the room and disbelief from the sight of their juniors practicing despite their session being cancelled.

Both were oblivious about the tension inside of the room since Taehyun acted like nothing happened while Beomgyu was just there standing. Beomgyu was a bit thankful for their unexpected appearance because he doesn't know if he could still stay in the room for longer, alone with the younger.

When the seniors settled themselves, the boys started practicing as if the four corners of the room didn't just witness an intense verbal fight between the two.

The four people in the closed space room stopped practicing after 3 hours, 1 hour earlier than their usual practice time. With four people, it was easier to practice, especially the part where the four of them are the only one dancing. 

They spent their time perfecting that part and doing some blocking for the whole dance choreography, Beomgyu finally getting every single step with the help of their seniors.

Well, of course, he didn't miss the eye roll of the younger when he asked Yeonjun for help in the part where Taehyun corrected him. 

He was planning on apologizing to Taehyun after the session but the younger took his backpack and left immediately, not bothering to change his clothes nor saying goodbye to his seniors and to Beomgyu.

He released a deep sigh, his plan on getting along with Taehyun ever since they became seatmates seems to be not happening anytime just because of a single mistake.

 Well, it's not like Taehyun actually ever bothered responding in a normal way to him. He blabbers at Taehyun from time to time but he just seems to irritate the boy more. 

He tried asking him too to come to their volleyball training together back then but Taehyun always said no. He also tried asking him to come with him in their club meetings but of course, he got rejected harshly.

They're already in high school and Beomgyu just wants to let go of that nonsense hatred they had for each other in their middle school years. 

He just wants to settle things nicely with Taehyun but now, he made the younger mad and upset. Things just turned way way worse and he doesn't know how the guy supposed to unclench a bit around him after what he did.

Beomgyu doesn't know anymore. He changed his sweaty shirt into a clean one, picked up his bag and said goodbye to his seniors after thanking them. 

Give up and ignore him for the rest of the remaining years like usual, Beomgyu thought. That was his last resort, besides, he never cared if people hated him until the end of their lives and for him, Taehyun isn't an exemption.

Chapter Text

Taehyun was eating alone at the cafeteria after Huening Kai got called at the office by their teacher to help her with her stuff. 

He was peacefully minding his own business, eating his sandwich while reading his notebook filled with notes, reviewing for their quiz at their next subject until a familiar voice called out his name.

"Taehyun-ssi!"

He looked up and saw his seniors, Soobin smiling at him while Yeonjun waved his hand as they approached him.

Taehyun raised his eyebrows in confusion and said, "yes?"

The two seniors smiled at him and the oldest spoke, "you alone?"

Taehyun nodded in response.

"Mind if we sit here with you?" Soobin asked.

He shook his head and put on a friendly smile as he replied softly, "No. Go ahead."

The two seniors sat in front of him and settled their lunch boxes after the younger nicely let them sit with him. 

Taehyun was about to go back from reviewing his notes until Yeonjun's loud ass voice took his attention, "Ah! Beomgyu-ssi! Come sit with us!"

Taehyun's eyes grew bigger and looked at Yeonjun who was already dragging Beomgyu's arm to their seats. He was still upset and mad about what happened yesterday, and now he had to sit with the walking headache on lunch. 

Since he let his seniors sit with him, he just defeatedly released a sigh as he cannot do anything about it anymore as Beomgyu was sitting beside Yeonjun already, not giving the dragged boy any chance to say 'no' to his offer.

As Taehyun tried to put his focus back on his notes, trying to ignore the presence of Beomgyu, Yeonjun, again, spoke to them, "Sorry for dragging you here Beomgyu-ssi, and if we invaded your personal space Taehyun-ssi. Actually Soobin and I need to talk about something to you guys."

The two freshmen looked at their seniors with a hint of confusion in their eyes. Glances turning to each other then going back to their seniors again.

"So.... We're not gonna waste your time anymore so we'll get straight to the point. Are you guys alright?" Soobin asked the two.

Taehyun raised his eyebrows, confused from having no idea what their seniors were talking about and Beomgyu responded to the older's question with a simple 'hmm?'.

"We saw the group chat Beomgyu-ssi." Yeonjun interjected.

"Ahh. That." Beomgyu nonchalantly said.

"It must have been hard for you two. Being constantly picked on by your seniors."

Taehyun huffed with a smirk on his face and said, "Rather than being picked on, I think it's a lot more appropriate to call it 'freshmen who pick a fight with their seniors'."

The two seniors giggled at Taehyun's statement and Yeonjun replied, "You're one hella brave boy for 'picking a fight' at the leader."

"Can't blame you though. They were all annoying and sensitive", he continued.

"You think?" Beomgyu asked Yeonjun.

"Of course. This is our second year being with them and the lazy attitude has always been there ever since."

"Wow. I thought we're the only ones."

"You mean we weren't obvious about it?" Soobin responded with a hint of disbelief.

"Not that it's not obvious sunbaenim, rather, you two just don't talk back." Taehyun answered while reading his notes.

"Not like we have a choice. They will literally say our opinions are invalid even if we're the ones who created the choreography." Yeonjun scoffed at Soobin's statement, "GaY PeOpLe'S oPiNiOn ArE IrReLiVanT", the eldest mockingly imitated those people who said that.

Taehyun snapped his head to face his seniors, a bit stunned from what he had heard,  "Wait-- you guys were what?"

Soobin and Yeonjun were left  still from Taehyun's reaction. A short awkward silence before they asked Taehyun, "You didn't know?"

Taehyun had his eyes still widened as he shook his head and breathily answered, "No."

The two seniors turned their head at Beomgyu, wanting to ask the same question, "And you?"

"I do," Beomgyu responded in an unconcerned manner and continued, "Literally everybody knows except for this guy who lives under a rock," he said as he pointed at Taehyun.

Not wanting to start a fight again, Taehyun could only scoff at the offending statement from the older.

"Who wouldn't know the infamous gay couple in high school department? Only those who don't care about their surroundings don't and apparently, there are only, I guess, 5 out of 300 students out here who have no idea about it."

Taehyun was staring at the 3 with perplexity, not knowing what Beomgyu was talking about.

"Taehyun-ssi, you seriously don't know?" Soobin asked him slowly.

"No. really. I don't." He softly confirmed.

"Don't be surprised. If you find the most outdated person in this school, it's him. He literally doesn't know any single gossip around this school except for his. Nothing new about that."

"So when are you gonna stop dissing me for being a decent person who doesn't talk about other people's lives?" Taehyun finally retorted back as Beomgyu continued talking shit about him as if he's purposely trying to test the younger's patience right in front of his sandwich.

Beomgyu only looked away and shrugged in response giving Taehyun a mixed feeling whether to feel relieved because the older didn't retaliate or feel annoyed from Beomgyu's smug reply.

"So uhm..." the hesitant Yeonjun took Taehyun's attention. His eyes lost it's playfulness from earlier, distraught taking over.

"Are you not cool with that? I mean, by our sexuality", he asked Taehyun in a wary manner.

As a straightforward person he is, Taehyun replied truthfully, "I don't know. I have never encountered one not until you guys came. My parents said that gays are, you know, leeches in society or something but I don't think I personally feel any hatred towards gay people unlike them."

Yeonjun looked down and started fidgeting his fingers. Soobin held his hands whispering 'it's okay' to his lover. Taehyun immediately noticed the uncomfortable air around them as he suddenly felt sorry about his poor choice of words.

Cursing his bluntness, he said in panic, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you! I just don't know how I would feel about it. But you two seem cool and very nice. I don't feel uncomfortable at all. I guess, mostly just confused? Sorry, sunbaenim. That was insensitive of me."

Pursing his lips as he looked down, the gushing guilt slowly ate him for making his seniors upset.

"It's ok. Junnie's just a bit sensitive with it, but we're used to it now. Well... Kinda. And thank you for calling us cool and nice. I hope we don't make you feel uncomfortable as time goes by."

Soobin softly said with his usual gentle tone, a small smile imprinted on his face to ease the boy's guilt.

Taehyun now carefully responded to reassure the seniors about it, "I don't think you would. I might have never encountered gays in my entire life except you two but what I know is you're nothing different from heterosexuals. We're all humans at the end of the day after all, and I think people with shit personality sucks more that nice gay people."

Yeonjun finally laughed a bit from the younger's last statement, Soobin too, released a chuckle, and an unnoticed Beomgyu chuckled also.

"And when I say shit personality, I meant him", Taehyun continued as he pointed his fingers at Beomgyu. The small smile that was formed on the older face disappeared as the irritation took place and cocked his eyebrows at Taehyun.

The younger was giving him the same look, he's not gonna back down anytime after all.

"Are you picking a fight, Kang?"

"You started it, fucker."

The lovers finally noticed the tension they were brushing off every time the two boys were together. 

Soobin and Yeonjun diverted their gazes at the two freshmen and asked them, "What's up with you two? You don't get along or what?"

"We don't." "We don't." said simultaneously.

"Wow. We thought you two get along really well. I mean, you've been in the same club and in the same class for? I don't know, is this your 3rd? 4th? But anyway, you two really fell in sync every time so we just concluded you guys are friends or something," Yeonjun stated.

"Not to be rude sunbaenim but 'friends' is the least thing we are," Taehyun spitefully said as if Beomgyu was the most disgusting creature on Earth while proceeding to glare at the older who's glaring at him back.

"If only you know how to let go of that undying grudge of yours then maybe we are already."

"Pardon me Choi but I have no intentions of being associated with you. I'm not into headaches and troubles. And I don't do 'forgive and forget'." the loathe on his voice came out so naturally, it actually kind of scared the seniors. 

What goes on? is what they're asking to theirselves.

"Okaaay...." Dumbfounded by the head-on exchange of words, Yeonjun could only react.

"We don't know what happened between you two but as long as you don't kill each other, then I guess that's fine?" Soobin interjected before the growing tension got too heated.

Taehyun just huffed and continued reading his notes that he nearly forgot while Beomgyu propped his chin on his hands and looked away, each individual's eyes spoke the same language— hostility with a hint of bitterness(?)

The lovers exchanged glances, eyes enough to communicate and to understand what the other meant.

"Junnie, no," Soobin said in a low and soft voice so the two juniors wouldn't hear. Yeonjun was smirking and his eyes became smaller so his foxy features became prominent. 

The taller sighed and grabbed Yeonjun's arms. He excused them both to their juniors before dragging the older out of the cafeteria.

"No, Yeonjun."

"I haven't even said anything yet." He whinely said.

"I know that look. We're not betting on people's lives for fun. Again." The taller said in a stern manner while his arms were crossed.

"Come on Binnie, you saw it, right? The tension was something, something. The bitterness between them says so." 

"Maybe because something happened between them that we don't know. Let's not conclude things, ok?"

Yeonjun rolled his eyes as his boyfriend was trying to kill the fun. "I swear Binnie, I told you, the bitterness said so. It's like they wanted to say something to each other but can't at the same time. If they really end up with each other—" Soobin cut off Yeonjun's whining.

"You are delusional. We don't even know their sexuality, not everyone you see is gay, Yeonjun", The taller rubbed his temples from his boyfriend's delusions before he continued, "In fact we shouldn't conclude someone's sexuality in the first place."

Yeonjun pouted and whined, "Ok, alright! Then just friends! I mean, very close friends. The clingy ones. I bet they'll become very close and clingy to each other soon. I can sense it." He said with a smirk while rubbing his hands like he was planning something sly.

Soobin sighed from his lover's shenanigans but either way, he'll still go along with it. "Not that I'm saying they can't be friends but I don't think they'll become like that. The two were literally biting each other's head off minutes ago. Ooohh I hope they're not killing each other right now."

"And if they did become very close? You owe me 2 boxes of ramen."

"And if they don't, you owe me 10 tubs of ice cream then."

"Ok deal is sealed," Yeonjun skipped towards the cafeteria to go back and eat, his happiness cannot be contained.

They've been playing this deal game since forever and no matter how many times Soobin tells him that it might cause them trouble one day, the older never listens.

He likes seeing his boyfriend happy though, so he just gets along with the child's play every time as long as nobody gets hurt.

He just wishes the two juniors won't get mad at them if they get caught betting on their relationship.

Chapter Text

A week left before the competition, Taehyun, Beomgyu, and the two seniors became naturally friends. 

Although the almost cat-and-dog-like pair still bicker every time they get a chance, they don't take it personally anymore unlike what happened last time at their practice room, instead, it became their daily routine.

Though, their words are far more careful now to not go too far. Let's say, they became closer(?)  as they kept verbally fighting each other.

Surprisingly, after the cafeteria incident, the two seniors came the next day to eat with Taehyun, but his best friend's presence was now present.

Soobin and Huening Kai knew each other since Soobin was also part of the student council committee as the second-year representative so getting closer to the seniors wasn't that hard and they became a regular in sitting with Taehyun and Kai in their usual seat at the cafeteria.

About Beomgyu? He gets dragged by Yeonjun every single time so he rarely eats with the rowdy boys every lunch nowadays, hence, Kai and Beomgyu growing closer and becoming friends as they should and that made Taehyun a lot more irritated at Beomgyu.

'I told you he isn't as bad as you think', that line Huening Kai said after having a conversation with Beomgyu made Taehyun really salty and also the sole reason why their occasional banters became frequent until the boys' day won't be complete without hearing the two throwing words at each other left and right.

And back to the present where everything is hectic for the two freshmen. Only one week left, three activities to try to achieve perfection.

Their dance practice seems to have better progress considering the competition is like days away resulting in Taehyun overworking himself to balance out his studies and his activities.

He was always dead tired. He experienced this twice when they were in middle school but his body never got used to it. And also, by the fact that he's now in high school where everything became one step harder than his early years.

Recently he's been trying to fight dozing off in the middle of his classes. Huening Kai had to tap him every 5 minutes so he wouldn't unintentionally sleep in the middle of the class.

He sometimes also uses their lunch hours to take a very short nap, resulting in short banter and insults with Beomgyu but more of a heated one since Taehyun was sleep deprived and can easily be pissed.

Last three sessions for their dance club and the school allowed the students to stay longer for practice.

Soobin, Yeonjun, Beomgyu and Taehyun of course stayed behind to practice more, striving for perfection in their part and praying that their part can carry their whole score points in the competition since if you ask them about the final choreography, they would say it's a 'so-so' since it's been altered by the other members to make it easier for them.

Or atleast the winning team would scout dancers from other schools this year because even with the synchronization criteria, they doubt that they'll get a good score from it.

"Do you think we're not wasting our time here practicing our asses off? I mean, the others still dance lazily like the competition isn't days away. There's no way we'll win this." Beomgyu stated when Yeonjun gave them a 10-minute break.

"Of course we know we won't win but at least the four of us can follow the beat and can dance in sync, it's just for compensation. You know, so we don't atleast embarrass ourselves." Soobin deadpanned answered him.

"And there's also a rumor that the winning team should scout some dancers from the other schools. It's just a rumor but who knows, it might be true. We can atleast get scouted, it's a chance", Yeonjun followed.

The two seniors left the room to fetch some water at the cafeteria after getting a hum as a response from their junior. Beomgyu sat beside his bag and took his bottle to drink some water, savoring their 10-minute break. 

He put down his bottle and rested his head on the wall, about to close his eyes to take a short rest when he suddenly felt his tired body slumping with the extra weight that was pinning on his right shoulder.

He moved his gaze from the heavy weight, side-eyeing the source of it and saw Taehyun's head resting on his. His face formed a grimace and called the younger's name, "Kang. You're heavy."

No response.

He let out a deep sigh and tried pushing Taehyun's head gently off him. "Kang, your head", irritation finally creeping on him as he wasn't that fond of the weight Taehyun was adding to him.

He released a sound of annoyance and was about to rudely push the boy's head off but he halted when he turned his head properly to face the boy's side and saw Taehyun's feature up close. 

Oh, wow. He's pretty. 

Beomgyu shook his head from the random thought, What the fuck am I thinking? Anyway, he noticed how extra tired the younger is. The bags under his eyes got bigger and his lips became a bit pale, probably from lack of sleep.

He made a piteous face as he felt bad for Taehyun. He doesn't know what's happening inside of the younger's home but Beomgyu does know that Taehyun tends to overwork himself. 

How does he know? Probably from his 2 years of observation on him.

He watches their reflection on the wall mirror in front of them, seeing Taehyun like this is a bit new. He seems peaceful unlike the usual 'ready to fight him' Taehyun. His eyes landed on the younger's feature that has been reflecting captivatingly on the mirror.

Despite the good distance between them and the other ends of the wall mirror, Taehyun's perfectly angled nose can clearly be seen, his plumpy lips on his small face, his soft hair sitting pretty at the top of his head, letting his bangs fall from his forehead and Beomgyu's shoulder, and his delicate lashes on his half-closed eyes despite being asleep.

They knew each other for 2 years but Beomgyu never really got a chance to look at the younger's face properly since he had always met the sharp gaze from Taehyun. 

Not gonna lie, I bet this guy is gonna grow finer when he grows older. Since Taehyun still has his baby features, Beomgyu just knew Taehyun can be more handsome than he is now and he's not gonna deny that.

So much for his thoughts, his tiredness grew in him, his eyes begging to shut and body begging to relax, so he closed his eyes while he rested his head against the wall and also, letting the younger male's head rest on his shoulder.

Minutes later, Soobin and Yeonjun entered the room to continue their practice but stopped at one point when they saw their juniors cutely resting at the side. 

Yeonjun hurriedly took out his phone to take a picture of the two because why not, they look cute and they surely find their juniors, including Kai, very adorable.

After getting tons of shots with different angles, Beomgyu opened his eyes from the moving presence he sensed and frowned at the sight of Yeonjun taking photos of them shamelessly.

"What? It's for memories", Yeonjun whispered while grinning. 

Beomgyu could only roll his eyes as he doesn't want to argue with the older since he can't ask Soobin for help as he's also giving the same look his boyfriend gives to them.

Soobin crouched down and tapped Taehyun's shoulder to wake him up because unfortunately, they had to continue their practice, "Taehyun, break time's over."

The younger didn't wake up, instead, he repositioned himself and snuggled his body to the older. 

Beomgyu's body stiffened when Taehyun almost buried his face to his neck and he swore he definitely felt Taehyun's breath brushing on his skin.

Yeonjun and Soobin tried to repress their laughter as Beomgyu's cheeks and ears turned red from embarrassment.

"Too comfy huh, teddy Gyu", Soobin said teasingly.

"Shut up." He retorted.

Yeonjun finally released a laugh he couldn't restrain that woke Taehyun up. The younger sat up, his eyes still closed and he seemed to be half asleep.

"Taehyun-ah, just hang in there a little longer, ok. Just one more hour and we can finally go home", Soobin said in his gentle tone. Taehyun nodded in tiny while rubbing his eyes, not aware of what's happening and why was Yeonjun laughing out loud.

"Shut the fuck up Yeonjun-hyung," he saw Beomgyu stood up from his side, brows furrowed and a pout on his face, Taehyun completely missing the detail of how red Beomgyu's face was.

The practice continued like nothing happened as if Yeonjun didn't have 100+ pictures of Beomgyu and Taehyun on his phone but anyway, Taehyun doesn't need to know that.

"Do you think he doesn't remember?"

"No. Hundred percent sure he doesn't."

"And he doesn't need to remember so both of you should stop talking about it before he hears you."

The 3 Chois were whispering with each other about what happened during their practice last night while Taehyun was trying to explain something to Huening Kai about their latest Biology lesson.

Too embarrassed, Beomgyu didn't mention it to Taehyun, he doesn't need an apology from the younger anyway so it's better to forget about it, but these hyungs seem to think the opposite way and they kept reminding Beomgyu about it just to tease him.

"Be honest, do you guys hate me or what? I know I'm annoying and loud but you don't have to do this to spite me, alright?"

"What do you mean, we love you, ya know", Yeonjun said with a kissy face, very obvious that he was just doing it to piss Beomgyu off. 

"I even took hundreds of pictures of you because you're an adorable Teddy Gyu." Yeonjun emphasized the last two words to tease the youngest Choi.

Beomgyu's eyes were twitching from irritation and he's one snap away from punching Yeonjun's precious face, but of course that was just a joke, Yeonjun can literally throw him in the river if he wants to, "If that's how you show love then I would rather be hated by you forever", he retorted.

"Meanie", the eldest acting offended while pouting and crossing his arms.

Grimace formed on Beomgyu's face and so did Soobin. "Jun, stop", Soobin said to Yeonjun.

Yeonjun gasped dramatically and said, "I thought we're on this together. And for your information, I'm cute."

"I know you're cute, but please don't do that again."

"It's not cute, it's cringey", Beomgyu said as he was wrinkling his face more to show his disgust.

Yeonjun playfully slapped Beomgyu's shoulder but Beomgyu, with his usual dramatic ass, overreacted and screamed.

"AAAAAHHH!"

"Shh!" A loud hush from Taehyun was heard, "It's either you shut your gob or I'll do the honor to tape that loud ass mouth of yours, pick one", he continued before he went back from teaching Kai.

"Not gonna end your day without picking a fight with me huh, Kang."

"That's literally our lunch everyday actually", Kai commented.

Usually, Beomgyu wouldn't go down without a fight but after the exhausted sight he saw from the boy's face yesterday that seems to look worse today, his hoarse voice in addition, he let it slide off and not fought back.

He complied and turned silent for a moment while having a kick fight under the table with Yeonjun, Soobin joining after Beomgyu accidentally kicked him too.

The school bell rang as a sign of the end of their lunch break, the five boys were about to go upstairs to go back to their respective rooms. 

Taehyun, if he's gonna be honest, he isn't really feeling well since last night. His head feels like splitting into two pieces and his body feels heavy and burning.

One step, two step, three step, as he climbs up to the stairs, his world dividing into two in his sight and his legs finally giving up, but before he feels himself hitting the uneven ground, an arm catches his body before it rolls downstairs.

"Taehyun! Are you alright?!" Him almost passing out grabbed the attention of his friends and Kai's tone is filled with worry.

"Yeah. Sorry, it's just a bit hazy", he tried standing up straight but his weak legs said otherwise, good thing the arm wrapped around his waist is still there to support him.

"Be honest with me, how many hours did you sleep?" The usual lovely Huening Kai let out a loud huff and had this stoic tone in his voice as if he's scolding his best friend while his arms were crossed.

"I'm fine Hyuka", he said with his hoarse voice while removing the support in his waist when he saw whose arm was those.

"That's not the answer I wanna hear Tae."

He released a deep sigh and responded, "3 hours."

"Taehyun I think you should go to the clinic." Just like Kai, Soobin had this worried tone in his voice.

"I'm fine, really." He reassuringly said.

A hand reached out to his forehead and then to his neck, obviously trying to check his body temperature. The owner of it spoke, "You're not. You're sick." 

He slapped Beomgyu's hand away and when he said nothing, Beomgyu grabbed his arm and put it around the latter's neck while his other hand was supporting his waist, "I'm bringing you to the clinic."

He pulled out from the grip and said, "No thanks, I'm going alone."

"Stubborn ass", Beomgyu hissed under his breath but Taehyun heard it.

"What did you say?"

Before another fight breaks out, Yeonjun interrupts the two, "Alright, enough fighting. Hyuka, bring Taehyun to the clinic, the three of us will go back to our classrooms. Tae, you'll stay there until the dismissal, and Hyuka, go back to your room after bringing Taehyun there, okay?"

Huening Kai held Taehyun to support him while the three finally went up towards their rooms.

"No buts Taehyunnie", he authoritatively said before dragging Taehyun to the clinic.

Chapter Text

After a good half an hour, a knock was heard in their classroom and the creaking sound of the opening door caught everyone's attention. Huening Kai and Beomgyu stared in dismay at the person who opened the door.

"Oh, Taehyun. Kai said you were sick, what are you doing here?" Their teacher asked.

"I'm fine now, Miss Han. If you don't mind Miss, may I attend the rest of the remaining time in our class?"

"Sure. You can ask your seatmates for the parts you missed out on."

Taehyun bowed in gratitude and entered the room to take a seat.

Huening Kai rubbed his temples while shaking his head, "I should have locked you in there. I just know you're gonna leave the clinic immediately."

"You know I can't skip any class, right?"

"You are excused for a reason Tae, and I can give you my notes to copy, you don't have to be here."

Taehyun did not respond, instead, he just took out his notebook and started writing the notes that's written on the board. Kai let out a sigh in defeat, he knew he can't convince Taehyun no matter what he says.

He and Beomgyu made eye contact as both of the boys were worried for the sick person in between them.

The school dismissal came in a flash and the rotary and choir practice will be held in a minute.

Taehyun rushed out of the room before Huening Kai could say anything about him attending those practice sessions.

Helpless, Kai turned to Beomgyu with pleading eyes after a sigh escaped from his lips.

"Yeah, I know, I got him." Beomgyu patted Kai's shoulder in reassurance.

"If you need to tie him on the bed, do it hyung please." The older released a giggle and responded with a smirk on his face, "oh you know I'm the best candidate to do that."

"Just don't be too rough on him, we don't need a fist fight here, ok?"

"Can't promise you that." Beomgyu followed as he picked up his bag and went out of their room, not forgetting to exchange goodbyes with Huening Kai.

He went to their practice room and saw Taehyun sitting in the corner. He abruptly grabbed the boy's arm and bag and dragged him in front of their instructor.

"Hey! What the hell is wrong with you?!" Taehyun hissed at him.

"Miss, please excuse Taehyun for today's practice. He is sick and useless because as you can see, his voice is also a bit hoarse."

Taehyun forcefully released himself from Beomgyu's grip and whispered under his breath, "Nosy bitch". Beomgyu could only roll his eyes in response.

Their instructor placed her palm on Taehyun's forehead and then the back of her hand on his neck after, just like what Beomgyu did to check Taehyun's temperature.

"God, you're burning! Did you go to the clinic already?" A worried tone plastered in her voice.

"He did but he sneaked out to attend our remaining class." Beomgyu answered on his behalf immediately before Taehyun could spout lies just to attend their practice.

"Gosh Taehyun! Go back to the clinic and rest! You're excused for today. If you keep pushing yourself, you might not be able to attend our dry-run on Friday." Taehyun frowned and looked down on his feet.

"Beomgyu, take him there and watch him over if the nurse has already gone home. I'll excuse you too for today if no one's there. Again, IF NO ONE IS THERE. Don't ditch him to go home early or else I'll hold you accountable." 

The instructor emphasized some of her words and Beomgyu could only roll his eyes for the nth time. What do they think of him? He's not that mean to ditch a sick person.

Taehyun wasn't delighted by their instructor's next statement so he whinely complained, "No! he doesn't need to be there."

"He's watching you over because I know you're a stubborn one. Now go, we don't want to delay our practice."

He pursed his lips and his brows were furrowed. Feeling defeated, Taehyun walked out the room with Beomgyu with a heavy heart but nothing compares with how heavy his head feels.

He immediately laid down on the bed when they reached the clinic. Immediately closing his eyes trying to get the rest he needed.

"Did you drink some medicine when Kai brought you here?"

"Yeah." He sparingly answered.

"You can go back to practice. You don't have to watch me over." Taehyun added.

"Then what? So you can attend the choir practice later? No thanks." 

He heard a shuffle beside him as Beomgyu took a chair and sat, his back facing Taehyun.

"Why do you even try acting like you care?"

"Because I do." Taehyun opened his eyes and looked at Beomgyu who's looking out the window, watching the tree branches sway with the wind.

He scoffed from the male's answer, feeling disbelief from what he had just heard. "It's just the two of us here, you don't have to lie around me."

"Believe what you want to believe, Kang." Beomgyu responded.

Silence filled the entire room but it was surprisingly calming. No arguments, no killing intentions, not the feeling that they usually have in the space where the two exist, it was just silence, and unexpectedly, comfort.

Beomgyu looked at Taehyun who's not yet sleeping, or rather, who can't sleep.

"Why aren't you sleeping yet?" He asked.

"I can't", another short answer from the younger who was staring at the ceiling.

"Why?"

"I..." Taehyun hesitantly tried to answer. His face started to frown and he started playing with fingers.

He released a deep sigh as he turned his back on Beomgyu and continued, "Nevermind."

"You what?" Beomgyu asked.

A moment of silence again, Beomgyu was patiently waiting for Taehyun to answer his question.

"I... I feel anxious."

"Why?"

No answer again from the younger so he continued.

"Missing a class or practice won't hurt as much as you risking your health. You don't have to be perfect from every angle. And in case you forgot, you're a human and humans get sick and tired."

"And what do you know about what hurts for me or not? If you personally don't need to be perfect, then you might be missing the fact that your life isn't exactly the same as mine."

Beomgyu turned and sat on the chair in reverse to face Taehyun who's facing his back on him.

"Do you even want to do this?" He, again, asked.

"I have to", and Taehyun answered but not really exactly answered his question.

"That's not the answer to my question." Beomgyu paused for a moment.

He rested his arms on the top rail of the chair before repeating himself, "Do you really want to do this Kang?"

It took a moment for Taehyun to respond, but nonetheless, he at least finally answered properly, "Does anyone want to do this? Like what you said, I'm a human and I get sick and tired."

Taehyun sighed and turned, his stomach resting on the bed, "why am I even telling you this? It's not like you can help me with it."

"What if I can?" His body stiffened, baffled by the older's response. He turned his head to face Beomgyu, "How? By dragging me into danger like how you drag yourself into it?"

"No. You won't get in danger and I can promise you that. And I can also promise you, I'll guarantee you'll have fun. I can make your high school years the best years in your entire life." A smirk visible on Beomgyu's face.

"Seeing that smirk on your face makes it less convincing", he turned his head and buried his face on the pillow. Taehyun heard a giggle that was surely from Beomgyu.

"Come on Kang, you have to loosen up! And besides, we're at the right age for a rebellious stage. This time of our lives is where we should learn how to have fun. Just, you know, enjoying our teenage phase and youth."

"And I know how much you value your name, I swear I won't let you get in trouble and I'll be responsible for everything," Beomgyu added.

Taehyun turned his head to face Beomgyu again and released an incredulous chuckle, "You? Responsible? That's contradicting. Are you purposely making me laugh right now?"

"Rude", Beomgyu pouted that made Taehyun giggle. 

Ah, what a rare sight, Beomgyu thought. He never imagined making Taehyun smile or laugh but the sight in front of him made him feel good. Being the reason why Kang Taehyun giggled, an experience he never thought he needed.

"What's the catch though? You're not gonna help me without anything in return, right?" Taehyun asked as he shifted again on his side to face Beomgyu properly.

"If asking you to accept me as your friend is a 'catch' then that's probably it."

"Why are you so obsessed with me? You like me that much?" Taehyun asked in a teasing manner.

"Oh please, don't get ahead of yourself. And if there's someone who's obsessed here, that'll be you. You never missed a chance to show how much you hate me."

"You hate me too so it's a mutual feeling."

"Look, I don't hate you, I just don't like you in some situations but that doesn't mean I don't want to be your friend."

"Whatever Choi." Taehyun rolled his eyes and adjusted his position to lay on his back, he swears his uniform's already crumpled from moving too much.

"I'll accept that offer of yours IF and only if, you'll let me meddle with your life at some point. If you're gonna make me just like you, I'm gonna make you just like me too." Taehyun added as he stared at the ceiling.

Beomgyu huffed and rolled his eyes playfully from the younger's proposal, though he still responded, "fine, I can't promise I'll follow everything you'll say though."

"Don't worry, I'm not gonna act like your mom and nag you all day. Just some minor changes, like how you speak and act to the teachers, and how you let your friends copy your test answers. You can still help them, but tolerating them to cheat every time is just not the only way to do it."

"Alright alright, I get it. Whatever you say, dollface." Beomgyu said while reading the things that were written on the painkiller bottle that he picked up from the small table beside him.

"Wh-what did you just call me?" Taehyun turned his head on Beomgyu with his eyes wide open after hearing the older's last statement. His face grew hotter, not really sure if it was because of something other than his fever.

"So we're friends now, right?" A wide grin on Beomgyu's face while saying it, finally looking at the blushing boy.

"Seeing you grinning like that makes me regret it immediately." Taehyun tried concealing his flush red face by responding in a deadpan manner.

"Eyyy!! Don't be like that Taehyun! You'll change your mind once you experience the fun I'm talking about." Taehyun looked away and turned his back to the older, feeling a bit weird since it was the first time Beomgyu called him by his first name.

"Don't make me regret this for real", he said.

He heard the chair screeched as the older stood, and then he suddenly felt the other side of the bed dipped from a heavy weight. "What the hell?"

"Oh come on, let me rest for a while. I'm beat too you know, and I have to go back for choir practice, I ain't excused for that." Beomgyu said as Taehyun tried to push him off the bed.

"Just use the other bed. And I'm not excused for choir practice too. Let me have my rest!" He hissed at the older.

"I'm already laying here. Besides, the bed's big enough for us. You don't have to worry, I'm not a hugger when sleeping. Unless you are." Beomgyu smirked with a teasing tone on this last statement, making the younger more annoyed.

"I'm not!!" Taehyun shouted with his hoarse voice that earned a giggle from the older.

"Then don't stress yourself. It's not like we're gonna do anything bad if we sleep on the same bed, and it's just for a few hours, We'll leave soon." Beomgyu immediately closed his eyes so the younger would stop bothering his rest. 

Taehyun should be the one resting right now but he's tired too and he's too lazy to get up to use the other bed.

Taehyun sighed in defeat and just laid on his side, not facing the older. His head was too heavy to continue arguing with Beomgyu anyway. 

He doesn't want to use the other bed too, he liked the sunlight hitting on their side from the window making it warmer than the other beds.

As silence engulfed the room, Taehyun fell asleep and his body finally got some rest.

Taehyun opened his eyes, feeling a bit better. There's no more intense sunlight passing through the window, instead, an orange and purple hue with a bit of pink was painted on the sky. 

He took out his phone from his bag at the side and saw the time, 5:53 PM. Shit, he slept through the choir practice.

He turned his head to the door as he heard it opening. "Oh, you're awake. Good timing." Beomgyu walked inside of the room and started rummaging the cabinet shelf, trying to find something.

"Why didn't you wake me up? I missed the practice", he said while massaging his temples, his head still feels a bit heavy.

"I don't recall you telling me to wake you up, and even if you did, I still won't. You needed that rest." 

Beomgyu answered and walked towards him and sat at the chair, handing him the medicine he took from the shelf and a bottle of water that seemed to be newly bought from the cafeteria.

"I wasn't excused though," he said before popping the pill in his mouth and swallowing it with the water.

"You were. I told the instructor you were sick. Ah, and Yeonjun-hyung and Soobin-hyung visited you here before I left for practice. They left you something on that table." 

Taehyun turned his head on the other side of the bed and spotted a piece of bread that's probably from Soobin and a sports drink that's definitely from Yeonjun.

"There were three people here yet no one woke me up", Beomgyu rolled his eyes from irritation, this kid is just too stubborn.

"Tae you're not gonna die from skipping one practice, and how many times do I have to tell you that you were excused. Stop beating yourself up." Taehyun pouted as he was unexpectedly scolded by his mortal enemy slash now his friend.

"If my parents found out that I stayed here at school just to sleep, they would flip."

"They won't, unless someone will tell them. Are you gonna tell them though?"

Taehyun shook his head and said, "No."

"Then you're good. Nothing to worry about. Besides, you didn't sleep here to slack off."

The younger sighed as he felt helpless and defeated. He took the bread and the drink and put it in his bag to get ready for leaving. The sun was already disappearing, giving a way for the moon to rise.

Both boys left the school after locking the clinic. It felt surreal to be honest, this is the first time Beomgyu and Taehyun walked together on their way home. It was a bit awkward if you asked them.

They were about to separate their ways but not until Beomgyu had to remind him about drinking his medicine after another 4 hours and getting some good sleep when he gets home.

Beomgyu said his goodbye and walked away but Taehyun called him that made him turn around, "Hyung!"

Taehyun paused and started fidgeting his fingers while looking down, his lips were pursed and the tip of his ears were red, Beomgyu thinks it's from the younger's fever.

Taehyun finally looked at him and said, "Thank you!", and that made Beomgyu smile from ear to ear.

"I didn't know Kang Taehyun could say that." He said to tease the younger and he succeeded as Taehyun groaned and rolled his eyes from irritation.

"I'm so not thanking you for the next time!" The younger's furrowed brows and annoyed tone made Beomgyu laugh. He bet that annoying the younger would be his next hobby since he finds Taehyun's reaction adorable.

"You're welcome dollface", he responded to tease and irritate the younger more, also giving him a wink for a full package of aggravation.

The boy with a visible red tint on his face picked a stone and threw it in Beomgyu's direction but he unfortunately missed his target. 

"You lack accuracy darling! And by the way, red suits you!" He turned around while laughing, leaving the blushing and vexed boy.

"Fuck you!!" Beomgyu laugh out loud as he heard Taehyun cursed at him from afar. 

He took a glance from his back to see Taehyun walking at a fast pace, fury obvious in the way he walked.

An unexpected large smile formed on his face, he couldn't believe he found being friends with Taehyun amusing. 

If you told the middle school Beomgyu that he'll be looking forward to another day interacting with Kang Taehyun, he would scoff.

But yes he is, he really is looking forward to this budding friendship of theirs, curious how it would turn out. 

Beomgyu's gonna be honest with himself, he's excited to see how the complete opposite people and what they all called the "perfect" and the "black sheep" would get along and he's about to find it out when the fun starts.

Chapter Text

Taehyun's life went back to normal. His random days of training in volleyball was back in his schedule as the litmus competition ended.

Fortunately, their choir club won gold while their rotary won silver. But as expected, their dance club earned nothing that made him feel disappointed but not surprised.

He was used to winning the dance category but what can he do? It's not like the other members except for the four of them exerted 100% of their effort.

Speaking of the four of them, his seniors, Soobin and Yeonjun got scouted by the winning school hence leaving Taehyun, Huening Kai, and Beomgyu alone at the cafeteria for weeks. 

He's not gonna lie, it was a bit awkward. Yeonjun and Soobin were usually the one talking to Beomgyu but now, the older was left to their company.

It's not that Beomgyu was being ignored. In fact, it was him being left out of the conversation. He doesn't want to join in, that's why.

Kai and Beomgyu chat about random things, sometimes the two try to pull Taehyun in the conversation by asking him some questions. He was indifferent though and the two undoubtedly noticed that.

Well, nothing is helping him to warm up to the older completely. Since the competition just ended a week ago, his and Beomgyu's deal about the fun thing still hasn't started yet. 

Taehyun wonders if the older really meant it when he said he'll help him with his concern about being too uptight to himself. 

He knows he shouldn't be thinking about that, he wasn't really into that idea at first so he shouldn't feel hopeful at all. After all, it's not like it should matter, right?

But still, his curiosity gets into him. He wonders how fun the older's life is and he's about to get dragged into that. Is he scared? Yes. But he still feels a bit excited nonetheless, and disappointed since it's like Beomgyu forgot about that deal and left Taehyun with his bits of hope.

Well, guessing that's why he's a bit awkward and sulky around Beomgyu. 

Taehyun propped his chin on his palm as he rested his elbow on the table while he read the book he brought at the cafeteria with him, as per usual, trying to ignore the two boy's presence. The two chatty friends noticed Taehyun's sulky look so Huening Kai tapped him on his shoulder.

"Are you ok, Taehyun?" The youngest asked with concern.

Taehyun took a glance at him and gave him a simple nod as an answer. He was about to go back from reading his book until the eldest at the table spoke.

"It seems like you're still not into the idea of me hanging out with you two. Are you really ok with me being here? I thought we're friends already." Beomgyu said, jutting a pout. His upset mood was visible on his face. 

Taehyun gave him a quick glance before he put his gaze back on his book, it was just a second but the disappointment that was displayed on his eyes got noticed by the older. 

I thought we were too, the thought lingers at the back of the younger’s mind.

"What's wrong with you?" Beomgyu asked, a hint of perplexity and irritation mixed in his tone.

Taehyun didn't respond to his question and the younger's childish action just made him shake his head in dismay.

"I don't get you at all."

"I'm not trying to make you get me." Taehyun finally opened his mouth but of course, what did Beomgyu expect? Never a normal response. 

He was about to reply to the snarky remark but Taehyun put on his earbuds to avoid talking to the older, continuing to read his book without giving Beomgyu a glance.

Feeling disrespected, Beomgyu scoffed at the rude attitude of Taehyun, also wanting to walk out of the cafeteria from how offended he felt.

"Gosh dang, that attitude." He said as he released a sound of annoyance.

"Sorry hyung. Taehyun really gets grumpy at times. Don't worry, he's gonna be ok in a few minutes, just give him time." The tallest of the group apologizing on behalf of his best friend.

"What's he so grumpy about anyway? He's been like that for days." Beomgyu said as he furrowed his eyebrows.

"He's probably just tired. Didn't get enough sleep?" Hyuka shrugged as he tried guessing why. Well, it's a normal occurance for Taehyun to act grumpy at times and Huening Kai knows Taehyun just needs some personal space to recover.

Beomgyu isn't convinced though. The younger seems fine when he's with his best friend but he gets grouchy whenever Beomgyu's around. Well, not like it's new, he just thought that maybe their relationship had progressed a bit after the deal. Guess he was wrong.

Their lunch time ended and just like their usual routine, Beomgyu left his seat beside Taehyun and had a chit chat at the back of the class with the rowdy boys. 

The day just went on and ended with Beomgyu and Taehyun interacting at bare minimum.

Beomgyu just wished the litmus competition didn't end, at least those were the days he got to interact with the younger even if most of the time they were just bickering and throwing banters.

He would hate to admit this but the way Taehyun acts bothers him so much. He hates how the boy gives him silent treatment.

He prefers the time when Taehyun never misses to throw sarcastic responses to him, not like this. It felt like talking to a brick wall. Gosh, is getting along with him this hard?

Another day came, Huening Kai's presence was gone as he couldn't attend the class again to help his father, and that left Taehyun with Beomgyu. He didn't need the older's presence though. He was used to being alone anyway.

He still ignores the older most of the time no matter how many times Beomgyu tried initiating conversation and to be fair, Beomgyu was getting more and more frustrated so he decided to confront the younger after hours of putting up with Taehyun’s childish act.

"Taehyun, can we talk?" He faced the younger who refused to give him his attention, Beomgyu's hands resting on Taehyun's desk.

He groaned in frustration from the lack of response and crouched in front of him to meet him at eye level.

"Just tell me what the hell is wrong. Did I do something stupid that made you mad again? We were literally fine a week ago." 

Oh there was a progress, Taehyun finally met his eyes, catching the distress that's visible in Beomgyu's face.

"You really are obsessed with me aren't you? Just leave me alone." Taehyun averted his gaze again making Beomgyu want to cup the younger's cheeks just to meet him eye to eye.

"Cooperate will ya. I wouldn't know what's wrong if you're not gonna tell me." A loud huffed escape from his lips, he's not bothering to hide his distressed feeling anymore.

"For fuck's sake Beomgyu, I'm tired so please leave me alone!" Taehyun finally snapped and raised his voice, gaining some of their classmates' attention.

Beomgyu sighed in defeat and said, "You could have just said that from the start, dumbo." He stood up and went to the back seat with the rowdy boys again, leaving Taehyun's sight and seat beside empty.

Lunch time came and Taehyun went out of their classroom to buy some sandwiches to eat. He was about to settle himself in his usual seat until someone's grip was placed on his arm as he got pulled towards the stairs.

"What the fuck Beomgyu!" He forcefully released himself from the grip and he glared at the older, his brows furrowed in annoyance.

"You told me you were tired so I'm requiring you to come with me."

"Why would I?" Taehyun asked while cocking his eyebrows to the older.

Beomgyu rolled his eyes and responded, "I was about to give you the fun I was talking about. Even if you try to ignore my existence, you still made a deal with me."

What's with that? So he hasn't forgotten about it. Jutting his lips from his thoughts, a small hope (and happiness) lightened up in chest, yet to keep his pride, Taehyun continued acting annoyed to the older.

"You speak like you're some kind of a devil."

Drained from the younger's rebuttal, he just grabbed Taehyun's wrist, this time, pulling him gently.

Surprisingly for him, Taehyun wasn't resisting anymore. Beomgyu swears this boy has some issues. A few minutes ago he called him a devil and kept resisting but now, he remained silent and let Beomgyu lead him the way.

What the older didn't know was that the younger just had these tiny little thoughts that explains his sudden shift of attitude.

Few more steps, they finally reached the top where a locked door is located. It took Taehyun a few minutes before everything digested to him.

The boys are now at the top stairs and there is only a door that separates them from the forbidden place— the rooftop.

It didn't take too long for Taehyun to enter his panic state. He was expecting this "fun" thing to be troublesome and dangerous but why does he still feel scared and surprised? It's Beomgyu for fuck's sake, of course this would lead him to principal's office if they get caught.

This place was supposed to be restricted for many years. The school locked the door to forbid students from climbing up, avoiding the occurrence of the students jumping off of the building that happened years ago that has now become a horror legend around the campus.

But there they are, in front of the door, Beomgyu picking the lock with a pin like a professional burglar. 

"Uhm, Beomgyu. Can we go now? I'm having a bad feeling about this." Taehyun said as his uneasiness was eating him up, his body trembling, eyes looking back and forth at Beomgyu and the stairs behind them. Oh good lord, he felt like throwing up and he's starting to feel light-headed. 

"Shh. Just give me a sec." Beomgyu keeps picking the lock until he finally hears a click. He turned the doorknob to make sure he completely unlocked it but he left the door closed just so Taehyun could open it himself.

"Go on. Open it." The older said.

Taehyun was really reluctant at doing the offer. Why does he have to be the one to open it? Well, let's just take it as his first step from his temporary freedom.

Once he touches the doorknob, there is no turning back. He will be breaking a rule and there is a big chance that they get caught by the principal and tell his parents about it. 

But nonetheless, his shaking hand speaks for his inner desire. He shook off his hesitation and he kept repeating the words 'this is my first step' in his head to convince himself to do it. He reached out for the knob and finally opened the door.

Chapter Text

A gush of wind suddenly hits his skin and the blazing sun intentionally blinding his sight.

Taehyun's eyes slowly adjusted from the blinding light of the afternoon to see the whole view from the rooftop and when his sight finally adapted to the high exposure scenery, Taehyun could see every single thing from the above.

His eyes widened on how astonished he was from their unexpectedly beautiful town. Trees were placed randomly at the small park near the campus, some tall buildings that one of them he could identify as their mall, aka the town's supermarket. The houses with different levels and the perfectly aligned ones at the subdivision he lived in. 

Some really seemed small from being too far from their spot but it never failed to make Taehyun feel amazed by the sight.

His adoration from the scenery was suddenly interrupted when the older spoke from behind, "Liking the view?"

Taehyun turned his head to the boy who spoke and saw a victorious smirk plastered on his face. His eyes twitched from the irritating facial expression that the older made. He could just roll his eyes and avoided Beomgyu's irking gaze.

"Isn't it too hot to come here though? It's literally 12 in the afternoon." Squinting his eyes as the clouds made its way for the blinding sunlight to pass through, uncovering the too lively sun, he used his hands to block some of it, acting it like a hat.

Beomgyu started walking after locking the door and went towards the storage room at the side where the sunlight hit it on it's east, creating a big shade on the big block's west side. 

"The shade exists for a reason", he sparingly said as he sat in the shade.

He looked at Taehyun and patted the cold floor, a sign for Taehyun to sit beside him. The seemingly lost kitten complied to Beomgyu's request and sat beside the older before uttering a word.

"Say.. Why sneaking at the rooftop out of all the things you've done? You went extreme with the fun thing already."

"Extreme? This is literally the first stage of breaking you free from your routine."

"Well, sorry. I thought we'll start from something mild", Taehyun retorted as he rolled his eyes.

"And your 'mild' probably means spitting in the hallway", an annoying response was received from the older.

"It's called 'mild' for a reason. What even is your definition of 'mild' to do something extreme?"

"This is my definition of 'mild' Taehyun. We just snuck out, we ain't skipping class yet. If you're looking for 'extreme', you have to wait for it."

"Oh I don't want to imagine your 'extreme' fun." Taehyun acted as he fakely shivered from the idea.

Beomgyu chuckled from the younger's action and responded, "The closer to danger the better, you know. What is deemed wrong feels right at times."

"If the school found out about this and told my parents, my dad would definitely kill me without hesitation."

Taehyun playfully glared at Beomgyu and pointed at him before continuing with his jutted lips, "and I am gonna blame you for that!"

Beomgyu released another chuckle and held the younger's hand and made it's pointing finger touch his chest, "Blame me for it. Throw me under the bus if that could save your ass", he said with a smirk on his face.

Taehyun released his hand from the older's grip and rested his back again against the wall. "I will absolutely throw you under the bus so make sure we won't get caught," he said.

"You really dont trust me, don't you?"

Taehyun scoffed before he responded to the older, "And when did I ever trust you?"

"Touché," Beomgyu sparingly said.

After the short banter, a seemingly comfortable silence enveloped them as they let the breeze hit their skin, the reviving wind taking away their worries and exhaustion for a moment.

He admits, Beomgyu’s choice of location is not that bad. He loved the calming, quiet place compared to their clamorous, bustling cafeteria. The rooftop might be the best choice to rest.

He wonders, did Beomgyu consider his mood before deciding to drag him in there?

Now that thought kind of sounds ridiculous, why would Beomgyu do that? It’s not like he’s the most attentive person Taehyun has ever met, or maybe he’s wrong.

The gentle wind caressing his face made Taehyun feel serene, resulting in him feeling sleepy. His eyes were about to drop not until it was interrupted by a soft voice asking him a question.

"Hey Taehyun. Why were you so angry at me these past few days? Did I do something wrong?"

The younger looked at Beomgyu and saw the dejected face of the older, head down and pouting as he stared at his hands while playing with his own fingers. 

Feeling better than before with his thoughts clear, the sight of the downhearted boy beside him made him suddenly feel ashamed for acting like a spoiled kid having his tantrums just because he thought Beomgyu forgot about the deal.

Why does it feel like there was never a day where he did not offend the older in any way?

"You... You didn't do anything wrong." Taehyun said with a bit of hesitation as he was embarrassed from his actions. He hugged his knees and rested his cheeks on it while turning his head away from the older to hide his shame.

"Then... What were you so mad about?" Beomgyu asked.

Again, this is where he curses his pride and ego, it just doesn't want to admit that he felt sulky when he thought that the older forgot about their conversation last time.

He heard a sigh escaping from Beomgyu's mouth before speaking again as he did not receive an answer from Taehyun.

"I guess you hate me that much huh."

Taehyun turned his head to face the older, guilt in the younger's eyes were visible.

Come on Kang Taehyun, tell him you don't hate him anymore! It's not that hard! The boy's mouth kept opening and closing as his pride was battling his thoughts and emotions.

Beomgyu lifted his head that was once looking at his own hands, "Well, at least I didn't do anything to offend you then. That’s better than unintentionally upsetting you.”

He turned his head to face the younger, a small smirk then formed on his face as he was suddenly full of determination, he added, 

“You may be hard to please but you faced the wrong opponent. I like challenges so I won't stop pestering you until you call me ‘hyung’ just like you did last time."

Eyes were buried in each other's, the guilt that Taehyun was once feeling turned unnoticeable as his beet red face masked his true emotions. Beomgyu's intense gaze unintentionally made him feel flustered.

"Now you just have to remind me why I hate you so much." Taehyun retorted to cover up his embarrassment, furrowing his brows and squinting his eyes, kinda regretting calling Beomgyu "hyung" after the older took care of him when he got sick.

"No, seriously. What did I even do to make you hate me like that?" Beomgyu giggles while asking Taehyun the question.

Taehyun's gaze landed on the bright blue sky as he sighs, again, unable to answer the question. His inner turmoil forbids him to decide whether to admit the reason why he hated Beomgyu or keep hiding it in the corner of his mind.

But why does he need to do the latter? Beomgyu said he'll help him, right? He shouldn't feel afraid about the idea of freedom anymore. 

Maybe Taehyun should start opening up. And his first step is to admit his real feelings towards his situation and start to address it consciously.

So much for Beomgyu's patience, the younger finally opened his mouth to speak, "I would be lying if I said it was for no reason."

Beomgyu tilted his head in confusion as he needed more context for what the younger had said.

Taehyun breathed in and out heavily, internally praying that his pride would vanish for a moment so he could tell the older why.

After calming himself down, his mind finally turned clear as he successfully set aside his raging pride and ego.

"Maybe I really do know why I hated you." A hint of dejection can be heard in his tone while Taehyun remained staring at the blue sky.

Beomgyu wished that the bright scenery would reflect on Taehyun’s lovely doe eyes as it was failing to mask the sentiment behind it.

"You know... There are many people who think that I have this perfect life..." He pauses. Rethinking again and again on how he could say it in a way he won't overshare but won't leave the context up to Beomgyu's mind.

Taehyun then continued, slowly patching up the pieces of his thoughts, "Well-known parents, lives in an exclusive subdivision, gets recognized wherever I go, gets praised on whatever I do, has enough money to feed the greed, and a complete family."

Taehyun then enumerated every single thing he heard from other people. His classmates back then kept telling him they felt jealous, wishing that they had a life like his or wishing that they were Taehyun instead.

A small sigh escaped from his lips, the young boy now feels like he is doing it wrong. After enumerating every single thing he has that other people dreamed of, maybe he was really wrong for feeling that way. Am I just complaining? Do I even have the right to complain?

Well, they do have a point. His life was good enough to be called perfect in this unfair world.

Unlike him, they are people who can't even afford a single meal for their day. There are kids who don't have a complete family to begin with. And people who don't get appreciated for whatever they do.

Feeling the need to shut his mouth, Taehyun suddenly forgot how much he tried to remain perfect just so his family name could keep its good image. The sleepless nights and heavy pressure became a little issue that he created in his head. 

An irrelevant concern that pushes him at his limit just so he won't disappoint his parents. And just so he could make his father proud. The other side of the story where people don’t need to know nor understand. 

He kind of now regrets opening up. He wasn’t miserable enough so why can't he appreciate a single thing in his life?

An ingrate.

He felt like an ingrate.

He can't believe he felt envious of someone despite living in a worry-free(?) environment.

His line of sight and head went down as he focused on the ground just like his courage to speak backing out, him shutting off again. He shook his head to indicate that he won't continue his rants anymore.

"Forget it. I'm just having a senseless complaint here." With a weary face, he weakly spoke.

Eyes wavering with worry, the atmosphere speaks itself. Beomgyu sees the hesitant young boy slowly shuts down just like a turtle taking a cover in his own shell. He just knew there were more unspoken words, yet Taehyun suddenly decided to stop talking.

He asked in a gentle and slow manner, "Are you okay?"

Only a small nod was received from Taehyun.

An eerie silence filled the air. Beomgyu knew he wasn’t that good with words, it was the younger boy’s forte, but as much as possible, he wants to make Taehyun feel validated despite not knowing any context.

He carefully thought of the things he could say as he opened his mouth to speak again, “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me if you’re not comfortable with it...”

“But whatever you’re feeling or whatever concerns you have, I think that’s valid. You… You wouldn’t be feeling that way without any reason. It’s not a senseless complaint Taehyun.”

Beomgyu felt a pair of doe eyes shifted its gaze on him. He then met the soft gaze and offered a sweet smile, wishing that the boy understood his unspoken message from his small gesture.

A rush of blood suddenly came up to its cheeks. Taehyun averted his gaze from Beomgyu while feeling a bit weird from the older's words and actions.

"You being nice is making me feel uncomfortable." A murmur from the younger.

"Hey! I heard that!"

Taehyun chuckles from the older's retaliation as he replied, "But it's so unusual of you. You're supposed to be the annoying, evil being who tells people they deserve to suffer."

"Wow! You hate me that much to the point that I have this image on you?"

"Yeah. You really are annoying and insufferable. And I just know your new hobby is to pester me every single day."

"And we barely talk these past few days? You literally keep ignoring my existence. And for your information, you're the evil one here you small young man. Aren't you too mean for ignoring me too much? That stressed me out, you know?"

Taehyun's forehead instantly creased as he heard an insulting word, "Hey! You're only a few centimeter taller than me so don't get too cocky!"

"Seriously? That's the only thing you remembered from what I've just said? Wow, you're really mean, Taehyunie." 

With jutting lips and crossed arms, Taehyun fakely gagged from the older's cutesy act.

As dramatic as he is, Beomgyu exaggeratedly whined to piss Taehyun more. "Meanie meanie meanie!"

"Uurgghhh! Stop it! You're really annoying! This is why I hate you!" Taehyun complained while covering his ears but the loud ass boy didn't stopped until he felt satisfied pissing the younger boy off.

"You wont really stop until you felt satisfied huh." Was said with a grimace on his face.

Taehyun swore he saw the older wearing a devilish grin like he just felt victorious from vexing the boy more.

"I just like irritating you in general." And that's the cue that it was intentional.

"Yet, you whine when I give you the silent treatment." Retorting since the younger never liked losing an argument.

Beomgyu rolled his eyes, his offended act failed as the smile on his lips never left. "If I annoy you, I expect some reactions, not an A.I robot who doesn't even flinch."

Ahhh... At last, Beomgyu finally saw that adorable giggle from the younger again. His doe eyes crinkling, the lone dimple sitting pretty on his right cheek, and of course, his tiny little fangs peeking through his own plumpy lips. 

It was like an instant serotonin boost and he admits it was way better than the cool breeze that never stopped brushing on his skin.

"So it's either I handle an annoying brat or a whiny bitch, is that what you're trying to say?"

Beomgyu and his dramatic ass, again, gasped in the most dramatic way possible, showing that he was insulted, "I'm not a whiny bitch!" With a higher pitch voice, his eyes wider than usual.

"Oh yes, you are. You're doing it right now."

"When will I ever win against you?" the older huffed and whined, another short argument lost from Taehyun.

"Never." Taehyun responded followed by a chuckle.

The time went by faster than they expected, the alarm that Beomgyu set on his phone rang, a sign that they only have 15 minutes left before lunchtime is over. 

He turned off the alarm before speaking to Taehyun, " Let's go. Lunchtime is about to end." 

The younger stood and dusted off the dirt on his pants before they made their way downstairs. They sneaked under the staircase when they saw people roaming around some floors, trying to avoid getting caught.

Successfully, they both went to their room without anyone noticing they were from the rooftop. Minutes passed by, the bell rang and one by one, their classmates filled the room to start another subject.

Before the teacher entered the room, Beomgyu spoke in a whisper so only Taehyun could hear, "Hey, next time, you'll be the one to pick the lock."

"Wha--!" The sound of an opening door interrupted Taehyun. He was forced to shut his mouth when their teacher walked in, also forcing the thing that's stuck in his throat called anxiousness.

Oh god, just like the last time, Taehyun felt like he regretted his decision on agreeing to the older. Again.

Chapter Text

"It's not working Beomgyu."

"It's really not gonna work if you keep talking. Just keep trying."

"I've been picking this lock for 5 minutes and it's not working!"

Just like what Beomgyu said, the next day, he made Taehyun pick the door lock. The boys have been standing in front of the door for a solid 5 minutes but the inexperienced Taehyun can't seem to open it despite Beomgyu teaching him how to.

Retaliating, Taehyun can't help but shout in a whisper as he doesn't want to get caught. He just wants to chill on the rooftop, can Beomgyu just open it for them?

A sigh escaped from the older's lips as he rubbed his temple, sick of Taehyun's complaints. "Calm down first alright. You really won't be able to open it with your trembling hands. The longer we stand here, the higher the chance we get caught so concentrate!"

Just wanting to get over it, Taehyun released a groan as his hands didn't stop trying to open the door lock. A bit of concentration, ignoring the anxiousness that's been staying in his chest rent free, he finally heard a click and his eyes brightened from the small achievement.

"I did it! I did it!" He cheers after releasing a small gasp while jumping in tiny.

The way the younger cheers and how his hair bounces with him made Beomgyu internally coo from how adorable Taehyun acted.

Taehyun immediately opened the door as he didn't want to stay on that spot where they could get caught.

As soon as he stepped foot on the rooftop, he closed his eyes and savoured the fresh air, a small smile tugging his lips.

This is what he needed, a small break again from the stressful environment below the floor he was standing on. He internally thanked Beomgyu for bringing him there yesterday, he now treats the rooftop like a forbidden treasure.

He wished Kai came to school today though, a small mischief won't hurt them both, right? Besides, Beomgyu is there to back them up.

After Beomgyu locked the door, they went to the same spot they once were the first time they came to the rooftop, sitting in the shade as their minds slowly found peace.

"Beomgyu, when did you start coming here?" The younger broke the short stillness, curious about how Beomgyu managed to think about coming to this forbidden floor.

The older placed his fingers to his chin, trying to recall the first time he went there. "Hmmm... I think it was in my 1st year of junior high? I was curious about what the rooftop would look like so I just kinda sneaked in?"

"So you did that out of curiosity?" Wide and curious eyes, Taehyun was left in disbelief, unable to comprehend how the 13-year old Beomgyu actually thought of something so troublesome.

The older simply nodded and said, "yeah."

"You risked getting caught just because you were curious?" Still sounded baffled by the older's recklessness.

"Well, not entirely from my curiosity. As far as I can remember, I wasn't entirely feeling well at that time so I thought of doing something rash and fun so I could get things off my mind."

"Wow. You... are an idiot."

"Pfft. Just because you don't do the things I do doesn't mean its idiotic."

"But it is, though. You were a first year middle schooler."

"And I think beating yourself up as early in the age of 12 with academics is idiotic for me."

A bit offended, Taehyun cocked his eyebrows as both boys playfully glared at each other.

"Now you get me?" Beomgyu added with a small smirk on his face.

"I don't. What's so good about getting into trouble?"

"It's not about the consequences, it's about the fun you experience. And don't you think it's very hypocritical of you to say that? You're literally here with me."

"Well--yeah-- I--" Beomgyu giggled at the younger who's stammering with his words.

Unable to throw a comeback, Taehyun sighed in defeat.

"Alright, you win. I get it now."

And then, silence again after their usual banters- a situation that usually occurs especially when being left in each other's company.

So much time to waste, Beomgyu started entangling his earphone that he fished out from his pocket, plugging it on his phone after fixing the knots, and playing one of his playlist that you would usually use to fall asleep.

Seemingly bored and as always, dog-tired, Beomgyu offered the right part of the earphone to the younger who was raising his eyebrows, giving him a quizzical look.

After staring at the offered object for a whole 5 seconds and the older also giving him the "Are you gonna take it or what?" face, Taehyun finally understood the assignment and took it from Beomgyu's grasp.

The wire was much shorter than they expected so Beomgyu had to move closer to the younger, oblivious to the awkward air that Taehyun was emitting. For someone who values personal space so much, Taehyun had never been so physically close to someone, especially to Beomgyu.

Oh.

Wait.

Maybe he did.

A sudden memory creeped out from the corner of his mind, reminding him that he, once, (forcefully)shared the bed with the older at the clinic. Ughhh, what a terrible memory.

But surprisingly to him, the awkwardness he felt from Beomgyu faded, instead was replaced by a not-so-surprising and way worse feeling which is embarrassment. He shifted his gaze to the older, catching a glimpse of him as he wondered if the boba-looking boy noticed his slight discomfort.

Squirming on his seat, of course Beomgyu finally took notice of it. "I have no idea why you're squirming there but please stop, you're tugging on the wire." Was said deadpanned by the older.

Flustered by the harmless statement, Taehyun mumbles with a creased forehead, furrowed eyebrows, and jutting lips that the wired earphone was too short for his liking and such. Very unknown to the fact that Beomgyu actually heard him muttering something under his breath.

Beomgyu certainly made sure that he would respond to the almost inaudible whispers from the younger, "Well, sorry Mr. Ex-rich-kid, I can't buy a new one because I'm broke and this earphone is only a hand-me-down from my sister. If you want to use a longer one, go fetch yours downstairs."

Not wanting to make another argument between them, Taehyun could only release a scoff.

Ignoring the overwhelming presence of the older beside him, he could finally recognize the soft music that had been almost whispering in his ear. The specific song that was playing gave Taehyun a calming and comfortable feeling, making him forget his discomfort towards the proximity between him and the other boy.

"You got a nice playlist here, huh."

"Of course, I have an exquisite taste."

Taehyun could only huff as a reply. He couldn't deny the superiority Beomgyu has in the field of music. The boy could literally play any instrument while he was stuck at learning piano and just gave up at the end because his elementary teacher sucked at teaching the said instrument.

As the songs in the same genre on Beomgyu's playlist kept on singing softly in his ear, the easement immediately sent him into dozing off. Passing 2 homeworks, answering 3 quizzes, countless words and numbers overloading his mind today also didn't help at all.

Taking advantage of the serenity and cool breeze, the fatigue that he has been feeling slowly took over him as his eyesight quickly blacked out, his lids helplessly shut tight.

While Beomgyu, on the other hand, found Taehyun's tiny struggle adorable as he watched the exhausted boy's head wobble from fighting the urge for it to fall. He chuckled softly while watching the endearing young one's head slowly losing his battle and ended up falling on Beomgyu's shoulder.

He will not lie to himself, the feeling of the younger's head resting on him didn't feel that bad at all. Unlike the first time it happened, he wasn't exhausted from practice, hence sending him an unexpected good feeling.

Like for real. Can you even imagine the "Kang Taehyun" looking so soft? No? Well then, Beomgyu is one of those people who has the privilege to see that side of him. Unintimidating, gentle, vulnerable, and his "you'll never catch me slipping" switch turned off.

He was just a sleepy Taehyun who bares his weakness and how weary he was from acting all tough and perfect all day. Just a normal high school boy. The most normal form of Taehyun.

Minutes passing by quickly but not as hasty as his drowsiness. He felt his body slowly relaxing from the slight tension he releases to keep his sitting posture and just let gravity do it's own work. Beomgyu rested his head at the top of Taehyun's and just like the younger, he shut his eyes and quickly drifted off to sleep.

A loud ringing screaming in his left ear interrupted Beomgyu's nap as he jolted from the loud noise. Oh, it was his alarm.

He took his phone out of his pocket and turned off the alarm, and when he was about to stand, a weight on his shoulder came to his senses as he forgot the resting head on it.

Even after the loud ringing, Taehyun was still soundly asleep, snuggling at the warmth he was feeling nearby. If he finds out he is snuggling me, I'm pretty sure he'll riot, Beomgyu thought.

The younger still wanted to stay there but sadly, the time never stops and they're about to get late in class if he doesn't get up so Beomgyu has to wake him up by tapping his shoulder and calling his name softly.

Finally, Taehyun opened his eyes and asked Beomgyu in a half-asleep manner, "What time is it?"

"We're 12 minutes away from getting late."

A surprising turn left beomgyu astounded, he didn't expect Taehyun to act like a kid.

The younger grumbled and snuggled more, he even clung onto beomgyu's arms before speaking, "Can we just skip class? I wanna sleep more." A cute pout displayed on his face as he said it in a whiny tone.

"I can't believe I'm hearing this from you." He released a sigh as he removed the clinging arms on him and stood up from his seat, receiving a mewl from the younger before adding himself, "Get up now. We'll be late." He pulled Taehyun's arm to stand up and he fortunately removed the younger from his sitting position.

The pouting was still there as Taehyun rubbed his eyes from the sleepiness, grabbing Beomgyu's sleeves in tiny while he followed him to the door that would lead them downstairs.

Beomgyu turned the knob and opened the door but before his cautious instinct turned on, an unpleasant sight welcomed them right in front of their faces.

Taehyun's sleepiness went away too fast and was replaced by a familiar and unwanted feeling called fear.

Their guidance counselor was standing there just right below them, the few steps between them made Taehyun's anxiety grow more.

A bizarre expression can be seen on their councilor's face but Taehyun was way too preoccupied feeling the bits of panic in every corner of his body to notice it.

All of his thoughts were in shambles and the only thing he could think of were the worst case scenarios he was creating in his head.

Beomgyu. Beomgyu is still here! He'll help me get out of this! A small hope was slowly building up in him as he remembered the statement from the older.

He gave Beomgyu a hopeful gaze who seemed to be unfazed by the event, very obvious that it wasn't the first time the guidance counselor caught him doing something against the school rules.

"Kang Taehyun. Choi Beomgyu." The firm tone from their councilor sent shivers down his spine, unable to meet the superior person in front of them eye to eye.

Despite in a pinch, a small smirk and a scoff came out of the older boy's lips. He suddenly pulled Taehyun's arm to reveal the boy that was hiding behind his back and tossed him towards the counselor that caught the younger and the superior off guard, both stumbling from the loss of their balance.

But what made them more baffled was the stunt that Beomgyu pulled off when he quickly climbed on the stair railing and jumped off 9 steps further from the two and ran off downstairs leaving Taehyun alone with the counselor.

Uhhh...What just happened?

Taehyun thought as he tried to process what Beomgyu just did.

Did Beomgyu just sell him off?

Yes, Beomgyu just sold him off.

Yes, he did run away.

And yes he left Taehyun with the guidance counselor.

He was a bait so the other boy could escape.

He. fucking. ran. away.

The small hope inside him and the trust that he carefully built came crashing down in an instant.

Beomgyu used him.

The fear that he once felt was replaced by a burning rage. He shouldn't have listened to Choi Beomgyu. He shouldn't have trusted him in the first place.

Again, Taehyun regretted his decision on agreeing to the older. And he swore that this would be the last time. He will never let Choi Beomgyu trick him again.

Chapter Text

Beads of cold sweat and the feeling of bile rising up in his throat. The numbing chill never left Taehyun's body as he paced back and forth in front of the principal's office.

The mix of negative emotions swirling inside of him, his forehead muscles feeling tired from being creased for a good 15 minutes as he waited for Beomgyu and the counselor to appear from the guidance office just a few doors away.

Beomgyu was with the superior after being caught by him and left Taehyun confused as to why he wasn't dragged into the office with them.

He felt his heart racing like he just ran 10 kilometers for half an hour, wondering what kind of bullshit Beomgyu is probably spouting right now just to shift all the blame to him.

That damn trickster!

At long last, after the nerve wracking 15 minutes and so that felt like a whole hour for Taehyun, the counselor and the boy that lost his trust came out of the room as they walked towards his direction.

Taehyun's thin thread of patience being challenged by a provoking smirk from Beomgyu. If the counselor wasn't there, he might have probably strangled the older by now.

As the gap between them got smaller, Beomgyu made eye contact with him and smiled in a sickly sweet manner that made him cocked his eyebrows.

Is he mocking me?

While he can still taste the bitterness tinged in his mouth with a little extra spice, Taehyun was suddenly left stunned for a moment as he tried to read the boy's lips that were moving as if he was trying to say something to him.

I?--  O?-- A?-- I?-- What??

"Hey brat, stop glaring at him and just go inside the office." The counselor cut them off. The older shrugged and replied in a squeaky voice while he rolled his eyes, showing off his attitude "Alright, alright."

The boy went inside the principal's office leaving Taehyun visibly quivering from the uneasiness. He suddenly flinched from the weight of the man's hand that rested on his shoulder as he spoke again.

"Beomgyu told me everything."

Freeze.

His body froze from the man's statement.

Shit shit shit! What the hell did he say? Did he really put all the blame on me? Fuck! Whether he told the truth or not, I'm still doomed!

Swallowing the thing that is stuck on his throat hoping his shaky voice won't be too obvious, the boy tried speaking, "M-Mr. Oh--"

"You don't have to worry. He can't hurt you and your friend anymore."

Huh?

Rather than feeling lighter like a boulder had been lifted off of his shoulder, another rock fell on his grasp adding to its weight as he struggled to comprehend what the counselor had just said.

"That kid. I really don't know how to fix him! I never imagined he could be this worse to the point that he'll blackmail his innocent classmate just to cover up all his wrong doings!" Shouting in whispers, the counselor bursted out his frustrations.

Hurt me? My friend? Blackmail? What? Baffling and confusing, Taehyun's face speaks for his current emotion. Full grimace formed and eyes filled with questions.

"Sir?" The only word that came out of his mouth. He wanted to ask. He wanted more context but the perplexing situation left him astound and speechless.

A knocking sound from the other side of the door was heard yet it didn't stop him from trying to organize his messy thoughts.

"Kang Taehyun? The principal asked for you." Said the school maintenance who was apparently cleaning the office way before they appeared in front of the room.

Mr. counselor rested his hand on the boy's back as a sign of support, telling him to come in and that he shouldn't be scared.

Taehyun entered the room with the counselor, roaming his eyes around the room as he easily spotted the principal in the middle of the squared space, Beomgyu sitting in front of him on his left side.

As the principal asked him to take a seat, he, again, made eye contact with the older boy who was sitting in a lousy way. His elbow resting on the principal's table, his chin also rested on his palm, while he wore his irritated look and his legs crossed.

The annoying feeling came hitting him back again as he remembered the betrayal the older boy did. A crease on his forehead instantly formed, both boys glaring at each other with spite.

The man in front of them cleared his throat to catch the two boys' attention. Taehyun sat in front of the principal beside Beomgyu, eyes not leaving each other as they had to sit facing one another.

"So I've heard." The principal said and paused for a moment, building up suspense that made Taehyun's heart race more at an abnormal rate before continuing again.

"Beomgyu told me that he blackmailed Taehyun, is that true Mr. Oh?" Question directed to the counselor who was standing beside him.

"Yes sir. That's what Beomgyu told me too." The counselor politely answered.

"Please tell me more about what Beomgyu told you."

"Choi Beomgyu admitted that he blackmailed his classmate, Kang Taehyun, if he didn't agree on being used as his bait. Apparently, Choi used Kang's friend, Kai Kamal Huening, saying that he would hurt the other to shake him off. As we all know, Kang has always stood up for himself but he actually cares for his friend. And Choi Beomgyu had become worse from the time being to actually do that to those innocent students."

Sounding despicable towards Beomgyu, it was pretty obvious that the counselor hates him after being sent to him many times in the 4 consecutive years of the older's stay in this school.

Beomgyu could only scoff from how the elder phrases it. He knew that no one likes him and the school just kept him because of his irreplaceable talent.

On the contrary, Taehyun, the oh-so-called victim in the made-up story couldn't utter a word. He had no absolute idea on what the hell their counselor was talking about.

He wasn't blackmailed by Beomgyu. Hyuka wouldn't be dragged like that, the older has a better relationship with their youngest compared to him and Beomgyu. And despite not trusting the older completely, he just knew that he wouldn't do such a thing.

What the hell did Beomgyu just say while he was at the counselor's office?

Before he could connect the dots, a grab from his collar surprised him as the mad expression of the older dawned on him right in front of his face.

"Useless bait, if only you did your job well, I wouldn't be here right now!" Beomgyu shouting at him made him shiver from fear. He hates being shouted at and Beomgyu had never raised his voice on him.

I--  O-- A-- I-- WAIT.... WHAT??!

Those words that he barely understood when Beomgyu mouthed something at him were finally deciphered by Taehyun.

The made up story, the shouting, the sickly sweet smile and Beomgyu actually mouthing "It's showtime".

Fuck!

A rushing guilt started to cover his heart as he finally made an expression that badly wanted to ask Beomgyu tons of questions as he why did he do this, the older's lips formed a small smirk that left unnoticed to the principal and the counselor who was separating him to the older's grip, but was made for the younger to notice.

A smirk that indicated that Taehyun finally understood what he meant.

The acting was so convincing that Taehyun could only hear a muffled shouting sound in his background, surely from the principal and Mr. Oh who was scolding Beomgyu, but the younger could care less.

Beomgyu was saving his sorry ass the whole time while he was cursing him in his head.

The older fulfilled his promise yet he didn't trust him enough.

Beomgyu would be in big trouble all because of him.

Beomgyu, again, took care of him and was left responsible for his mistake.

The older had to carry the weight of his wished mischief just for his temporary freedom.

Taehyun couldn't take it. He wanted to cry. He thought that he wouldn't be able to meet Beomgyu anymore eye to eye. He was too ashamed from his actions yet he couldn't utter a word to defend the boy in front of him.

And he hates himself for fearing for his life in this kind of situation.

"Can we just finish this quickly? Just give me the suspension already, I wanna leave now!" Said with a raised voice.

"You and your disrespectful mouth Choi. I'm warning you!" The principal retorted as he tried to compose himself.

"And don't you ever do that again to your classmates! A violent child like you should be reported in disciplinary education! If only you didn't carry the school's name, I would already have done that a long time ago!"

"Then go ahead and do it! I bet you can't! You don't even have the guts to kick me out in this school!" A vexing grin formed on his face that tests out the principal and the counselor's patience.

A mocking scoff came out of his mouth, smugly taking it as the elders' defeat. Since Beomgyu knew his worth in this school, things won't go sideways with him.

The principal who couldn't do anything about Beomgyu's out-of-control dauntless personality, sighed to control his emotions. "That's it. 10 days suspension for you."

He could only give Beomgyu a long suspension, praying that the boy would at least reflect from his actions and words.

"10 days?!" A loud voice from the distressed Taehyun was heard. That's too long!

"Don't worry Taehyun. Just say so if you want more days of suspension for him." Mr. Oh, the biased counselor said with a smile on his face.

"Wha-?! No! I--!" Unable to take control of the situation, Taehyun could only feel his frustrations reaching sky peak.

"I'm off now. Just send the suspension letter to me later." Beomgyu butted off, a cold stare was spared on each person involved in this chaos before he stood up and left the room.

At last, Taehyun couldn't contain it. The scared and frustrated boy finally let go of his tears.

Mr. Oh, of course, misinterpreted it as fear from Beomgyu while in fact, the younger cried for feeling bad for him.

He wants to apologize quickly and tell the principal that it was his fault. That Beomgyu doesn't deserve such long suspension days.

He should be sharing it with the older, it should have been him getting the other half of it yet Beomgyu took it like a madman and went off.

It's my fault.

He couldn't help but think that way.

The counselor and the principal tried to comfort him by saying good words and such but he couldn't hear them completely. He doesn't want to either way.

They are probably just praising Taehyun or telling him how bad of a person Beomgyu is to make him feel better while in fact, he felt way worse when they talked to Beomgyu as if he is the most hateable student in the campus.

Taehyun stayed at the principal's office with the 2 elder people until he cried himself dry as he reflected on all of his words and actions that he showed to the older.

If he should have just trusted him more then maybe he wouldn't feel this too much guilt and regret from the start.

Chapter Text

Most people love dinner time. Dinner time means eating with your family and talking about your day while everyone savors the taste of their mother's cooking.

In this case, Taehyun doesn't like it a bit. For him, dinner time means scolding time, especially right now when he knows he did something wrong.

The clanking sound of the utensils hitting the bowls and the plate echoes through their whole dining room yet the tensing silence hurt his ears the most.

He just knew that the news about him being sent to the principal's office spread like a wildfire, and his home is not an exemption.

Taehyun swore that he could feel his dad's piercing gaze so he just kept his head low as he busied himself to munch down his food.

He won't deny it. He is certain that he can feel the tension around the small space and he is not that oblivious to not notice that his mother also feels that way.

As he continues putting food in his mouth, Taehyun's mind constantly thinks of the worst case possible to lessen the impact of the fear in his senses. Creating scenarios in his head and trying to predict the punishment he will get later on.

He should be already used to this yet these familiar emotions swirling inside him had never succeeded in training his poor heart properly, but what he is sure about is the fear is definitely buried deep in his system.

"T-Taehyun!" His mother called him in a stuttering manner, probably choked a bit from her food, that's what he thought.

"You know what you just did, right?" A cold follow up from his mother.

Taehyun nodded without meeting any of their eyes, avoiding more arguments on the dinner table.

"We'll talk after this." She said in a firm tone. His lips twitch to control his tears that's attempting to escape from his eyes. Yet, again, he disappointed them.

"Are you going to cry?" A low and hard tone that they never wanted to anticipate can finally be heard.

Taehyun had no choice but to meet the man eye to eye because he knew he'll anger him more if he appeared weak.

He dropped his utensils on the table and placed his clenching fist on his lap, hiding his mechanism from his father's sight. He grabbed a handful of cloth on both of his grip until he felt a crawling pain in his palm, crumpling his shorts as well.

He internally prayed his tears wouldn't come out at the wrong time and inhaled all the air his lungs could ever take to calm his raging heart and nerves down.

"No." He sparingly said after mustering all his courage to reply, trying too hard to make the tone of his voice firmer.

"Don't cry. A man shouldn't cry." With a strong gaze that intimidates him throughout the years, he gulped down his frightened emotion to try and take his father's words into heart.

Although that didn't work out fine, he still managed to comply and respond.

"I won't." This time, his voice almost broke. The young boy's body was still stiff from the horror and the threatening words and fearful gaze is making it worse.

Good thing his father didn't notice and his mom finally interrupted.

"A-anyway, let's continue eating. The food is getting cold and we still need to talk later after this." Her voice got smaller as she spouted her words.

The three continued eating regardless.

Usually, Taehyun can finally breathe when he enters his room, but this time, he went in with his mother to continue their conversation.

He sat on his bed as he heard his door closed and his door lock clicked.

An eerie, unwanted silence filled the room since both of them waited for each other to speak.

His mom finally broke down the silence and started it with a heavy sigh.

"Just what in the world did you get yourself into?"

With his head down, Taehyun knew not to speak too early. Every time he does something that would disappoint them, he knows that he'll have to wait for his mother's rant to die down.

"You disappointed us for real."

I know.

"Your dad didn't even want to see you when we heard that news."

I know.

"Why, out of all people, would you let anyone do such ridiculous things to you? You are not that weak Taehyun. Why did you have to let that rascal manipulate you?"

Sounding so frustrated and angered, Taehyun could only wear a grimace. None of those happened. He wasn't manipulated. Beomgyu did nothing wrong.

Although the part where he became weak was true, still none of the blame should be put to Beomgyu.

"God, Taehyun! What would our relatives think when they hear about this!? Your dad would be humiliated! And you know how much he hates that!" Her tone of voice slowly gets higher each passing time.

Taehyun's mom was grabbing her hair from the obvious frustration, looking at Taehyun as if he killed someone.

"I'm sorry. I'll make up to it." It was just a miracle that his voice still hasn't cracked yet but he will not lie to himself that he really wanted to cry.

Now that his dad is out of sight, Taehyun can finally have his freedom to express his distress in front of his mom.

A heavy sigh again was released from the woman's mouth as she tried to calm herself down.

"I know it's not entirely your fault because you just care for your friend but you should have at least fought for yourself more. Don't let this happen again or else I wouldn't know what your dad will do to you. Learn from this Taehyun, do not and never ever let this happen again. Understood?"

A firm tone that usually makes the young boy's body freeze from the fright echoed through the small space of his room.

He didn't even notice how his fist was clenching his bed sheet and how his body slightly shakes visibly to control his anxiousness.

The thoughts of the punishment still never left his mind as he tried to measure the possibilities of each punishment depending on the level of his mistakes.

"Yes mom." He said weakly.

"I'll try to talk to your dad. I won't let you get punished today. I know you were just trying to be a good friend, it's in your kind nature."

A small beacon of hope finally lit up inside of him. His eyes are also finally meeting his mom's and the young boy wanted to cry.

It was the first time she became so considerate. The story that Beomgyu made up definitely saved him today. If the older told everyone what really happened, he might get the worst punishment like not meeting Huening Kai, who is basically the only person that his parents approved of as his friend.

And by that, an idea hit his genius mind.

"Mom! I think I know how to make up with this!"

His mother looked at him with confusion.

"Beomgyu hyung... We all know he's uncontrollable and reckless. I know he did me and Hyuka wrong but... I don't think he's really that helpless. Maybe... If I can make him my friend... Maybe, just maybe... I could fix his bad habits and make him a better student and person."

Oh how Taehyun wants to throw up. Beomgyu doesn't need fixing. Maybe he's a bit different from Taehyun, different from what seems to be perceived as a good son and student. The older does have a bad habit and needs a sense of respect but he also knows that he is a good person and he'll grow out of that immaturity when the time comes.

Taehyun can be his little guide just like how he became one for him but in this case, he needed to make it exaggerated and appear like a perfect child he is in front of his mom.

For the sake of convincing, he took the made up story as an opportunity to make Beomgyu as his friend with his parents' approval.

This might backfire and it has a 50/50 chance but this is the only idea he could come up with to compensate for the mistakes that he did to the older.

And probably, he just badly wanted to make the people around him see how much of a great person Beomgyu actually is, and one of them is his parents.

Their everyday banters and Beomgyu's irritating responses may have turned him a bit crazy but Taehyun's not gonna admit that he also noticed the good light from the older because why would he admit that Hyuka was right all along, he still got his pride attached, you know.

And yes, he's also done hearing bullshit getting thrown at the older so Taehyun decided to end this. If sticking around with Beomgyu has an effect on Taehyun's image, then that should also work vice versa.

It's not the best plan but all he could do is hope as he watches his mom think about it with his anxiety looming around inside him as his freebie.

"I know you have a great and strong influence towards other students but are you sure you can also do that on that kid? We have never heard anything good from him. All he does is create a mess and ruin his life. What if he drags you instead? The same scenario that happened to you two years ago will just repeat."

Taehyun knew it wouldn't be that easy, thus his brain suddenly works like he's calculating math in his head as he tries to come up with a rebuttal from his mom's dispute.

"Mom, that's because he's with the wrong people. If he starts to hang out with students who have an excellent record, he'll be able to do that too. And I've also learned from my mistakes and I'll never do it again. Can you at least trust me a little on this?" The young boy pleaded.

A heavy sigh again as she tapped her foot on the ground, indicating that she was thinking deep. Her eyes wandered around the boy's room aimlessly.

Taehyun could only wait with his non-calming nerves. He isn't very religious but he swears he already prayed in 100 languages in his head.

His eyes never left his mom as he tried using his puppy(kitten) eyes to at least thaw his mother's cold heart.

Not expecting it would work but boy, that sure worked today. A sudden small smile tugged on the woman's lips as she softly gaze on her own son that was visibly pleading like a hungry pup.

"Fine. Just make sure you don't get dragged instead. And you sure are very nice for forgiving that rascal after what he has done to you." Small hint of anger was there but not for his son anymore. The woman surely got mad from hearing the news of his son getting bullied all of a sudden.

A sigh of relief as he couldn't help but form a big smile on his face and jump on his mother to attack her with a hug which startled the woman from the unexpected sweetness from her son.

"Happy" is an understatement from how Taehyun is actually feeling. He thinks he will never forget this day where he finally convinces his mom to do something on his own and of his own accord.

"Thank you mom." His hug got tighter as he also missed hugging his mother. As from the way he received the same energy from the woman, the boy knows his mom feels the same way.

Pulling out from the hug, it felt nice that he was being reassured that she'll do anything to convince his dad about his plan and supposed-to-be punishment.

After the tensing conversation that became a small light hearted session, his mom left his room and told him he could continue studying.

It usually is just a normal statement from his mom but the simple hug made his day already so he went to his study table and settled himself happily.

Oh boy he sure knew this is new. It was never this exciting to study. He literally does this everyday without taking a break but his mood puts him in a special time and place.

Taehyun was supposed to open his book that he fetched out of his bag when he suddenly heard a muffled sound at the other side of the wall.

He slowly stood from his seat and went closer to the door to hear the muffling sound in a clearer state. His guess that it was his parents' probably arguing due to his selfish request, he felt his guilt building up in him.

He rested his ears next to his door just to get a clearer understanding of the conversation that was happening.

"You're out of your mind." A voice obviously coming from a man.

"Come on, Taehyun's old enough for this. Let's at least trust him this time, he already learned from his past mistakes."

A scoff, "that boy humiliated me and you're letting this happen?!"

"But he apologized already--"

"Don't fuck with me Hara. You know what I can do to that boy!"

"I-- I'm sorry. I'll d-do something about this. I'll scold him more just please don't hurt him." Pleading with all her might, Taehyun doesn't need to see just to know that his mother was probably kneeling right in front of her husband.

"If things go sideways, I'll put all the blame on you."

"Yes. Yes please, it's my fault, I'll discipline him more."

Taehyun's conscience couldn't eavesdrop anymore. He left the door and lied on his bed to rethink his decisions.

He wished that the euphoric feeling lasted for some time but his mood to study had immediately turned sour.

Another disappointment from him. He disappointed his mother by dragging her again into his mess, and he disappointed his dad by just breathing.

The young boy's tears couldn't help but finally spill from his eyes and that he has been holding for too long.

Every time he does something that would upset his dad, his mom always gets dragged. That is basically their routine.

His mom will scold him on behalf of his dad, and his father will start an argument with his mother because of him.

This becomes an endless pit whenever he keeps failing so Taehyun always aims to be the perfect son his parents wanted.

It doesn't matter how tired he is, what matters for him is how to make his dad finally proud of him and keep his mother away from the pain.

He promised himself that one day, he'll stop this recurring issue. And because of that, he'll make sure his plan with Beomgyu will certainly work and he'll surely make it work.

Chapter Text

Fighting the Monday sickness that no students love at all, Beomgyu isn't an exemption despite the fact that he just had his suspension for 10 days.

His heavy feet unconsciously lead him to his room to his disappointment, grimacing from the fact that he has to go back to school.

Yet albeit the unavoidable compliance, inside of Beomgyu still feel a bit curious on how the other boys' are doing, also mainly focusing his curiosity on that one person after the huge act scene from that godforsaken office.

Finally reaching his destination, once step his foot inside of the room, a sudden hug attack on his belly welcomed him like a warm hug from the morning sun.

"Hyung! You're back!" A jolly greeting from the tall boy as if Beomgyu just had a legal vacation.

"Hi Kai!"

He greeted back with a smile at the younger one before his eyes wandered around the room, trying to look for the missing presence.

"Where's Taehyun?"

"He's in the teacher's office like usual. He was asked to do an errand."

"Hmm." He hummed as an answer.

As Beomgyu finally settled his things and sat on his chair, he felt a tap on his shoulder and faced the person who was pursing his lips with a playful glare.

"I heard everything from Taehyun. Why didn't you invite me?!" The young boy whined.

"Invite you in what? In my suspended days?"

"Noooo!! You two were hanging out and having fun behind my back! I wanna go to the rooftop too!" A harsh tugging on his uniform sleeves from Kai as he whined harder like a baby who didn't get his candy.

Despite the baby act, the young boy is definitely way stronger than he looks so Beomgyu swears that his uniform was about to be ruined.

"Stop that!" A slap to his hands. "You're literally brushing off the fact that we got caught and I was suspended for 2 weeks. You still call it fun?" The older added.

"And you don't even care don't you? Because if you did, you wouldn't make up such a hard-to-believe story. And yes I already heard that part too. Bully my ass."

A scoff from the youngest with an eye roll.

"It's to save your best friend's ass. And I promised him that I'll take responsibility if we get in trouble. I just did what I thought I could do. And hey! It worked!"

"Whatever hyung. You still had fun without me." Crossed arms and a pout, Beomgyu could just chuckle at the cute sight of the youngest. He just adores this boy so much. Well, who isn't?

Seconds only had passed but the tallest already changed expression as he remembered something that he would want to tell the older.

"Ahh! Hyung! Did you know about this already?"

Raising his eyebrows as he responded with curiosity, "What is it?"

"Taehyun went to the principal's office for more than... Hmm... 6 times, I guess. But that's not the point. He went there to ask the headmaster to cut out some of your suspension days but they just kept brushing him off and telling him that he was just too kind to forgive you. That shitty counselor also said mean things about you and you know what!? Taehyun finally talked back! He defended you hyung!"

Seems to be the most excited, Kai told the story with sparkling eyes as if he was a kid who got 10 star stamps on his arms and was proud to show it to his parents.

On the contrary, the older was dumbfounded. Taehyun talked back? That is something Beomgyu would never ever, so as every single person who knows Taehyun, wouldn't ever think about.

Someone like Kang Taehyun would never say no to elders if it isn't anything that can be explained scientifically.

Taehyun is the type of kid who would keep quiet and nod in agreement despite having a different opinion or belief.

He will never talk back, not to the teachers.

Preoccupied with his thoughts, dazed in nowhere, the said boy finally showed up and made known of his presence.

Taehyun walked inside of the room with their teacher and sat on his chair immediately, ignoring the older who just came back from suspension.

"Hi." A small greeting with a slipping smile from the boy's lips.

"Hello." And a short reply from the younger who had no plan meeting his eyes.

Weirdly enough, Taehyun doesn't look mad nor irritated. He responded to Beomgyu but he seems to be avoiding him at some point.

The older isn't dense. He already sensed that something was wrong and that is the thing he couldn't decipher but will surely figure it out once he gets a chance.

Finally lunch time! Everybody loves that. This is one of the most favorite "subjects" of the students next to after-school hours.

It is the time that they can finally relax and take a break for a while before welcoming the next half of their school hours.

The least tensing time for most of the people inside the campus.

Not today though.

Not in the certain table where it has been populated by five boys more than often.

It is pretty usual to have tension at their table every single day. The bickers and thrown words were, of course, the source of it.

But would you actually believe it if I tell you that silence is way worse than a heated nonsensical debate?

It was so awkward. Very uncomfortable.

It felt like there was a wound that should not have been opened. The air was too heavy and no one could comprehend why, yet everyone knows whom it came from.

Taehyun was obviously avoiding Beomgyu at this point. He has been giving Beomgyu short and cold replies even after being teased.

The older even tried pushing his buttons and usually, the younger would instantly glare at him but this time around, Taehyun couldn't even look him in the eyes.

And everyone does know that something might be wrong and guessing the reason doesn't help.

Hence, Beomgyu decides to call the younger to talk in private, avoiding the prying eyes and gossip-ready ears that are also known as their "friends".

Fortunately, he doesn't need to drag Taehyun to come with him, guessing that the younger might also want to talk about something too.

Back to their now-empty room, Beomgyu spoke immediately, facing the younger, not wasting too much of their time.

"What's wrong?" Asked in a gentle manner.

Taehyun visibly frowns, still not meeting Beomgyu's eyes. He bit his bottom lip as he chewed on it, eyes wondering elsewhere and fingers fidgeting.

Few words yet it was enough to send the usually-calm boy into a dilemma.

a suffocating silence as his question floated with the empty air. It lasted for a few seconds before he noticed how the younger was now taking deep breaths. Is he anxious?

"Hey. Are you okay? Did something happen while I wasn't around?" He leaned closer on the latter and rested his hands on both of its arms as he caressed them to calm him down. Beomgyu couldn't help but crease his brows from worry.

The younger vigorously shook his head in denial. Still breathing heavily, he shut his eyes tight and lowered his head, as he squeezed both of his hands until he felt his nails digging into his palms.

"Hey, talk to me. It's okay, Taehyun. I'm here." The older continued to caress the younger's arms and used his soft and low tone to show the gentleness in his words.

A moment of time given to Taehyun, Beomgyu refuses to rush the latter from speaking until he heard a one last heavy huff and then,

"...m sor..."

Inaudible, Beomgyu asked in a hum.

"I'm... I'm sorry... hyung..." his eyes still shut tight, his breathing slowly became normal but Taehyun's hands squeezed harder, pain seething through his skin and his knuckles turning white.

"It's my fault... I– I couldn't do anything. I'm... I'm a coward... I'm so so–rry." The voice broke. Taehyun was about to cry and Beomgyu knew that. Yet not a single tear left the younger's shutted eyes.

"Is this about the last time?" He carefully asked.

"I should hav– I should have told them... the truth... I– I– I couldn't and I'm sor—"

A finger felt being placed on his lips, Beomgyu succeeded in making the younger stop talking. Taehyun and him weren't friends for a long time but he knew him long enough to know that the poor boy was already breaking in every word that came out of his mouth.

The stutter and sudden pauses to breathe and composing himself says it all.

"It's not your fault Taehyun. None of it was your fault. Don't blame yourself, I did it because I wanted to and you know that I could care less about it, right?"

"But st–ill.." another crack.

"Hey, it's okay, hmm? It's not your fault. I wasn't careful enough either, that's why we got caught."

Beomgyu left Taehyun's arms to place both of his hands on the younger's cheeks, tilting the floor-facing head to meet him head on.

Taehyun slowly opened his eyes and Beomgyu noticed the shimmer on the younger's lids as the light reflected on the slightly damped skin. The pretty face still frowning as he carefully avoided the older's gaze.

"I know you feel guilty and I can't just tell you how you should feel but I just want to let you know that I don't blame you. No one is." Beomgyu continued, now caressing the younger's cheeks.

Taehyun finally slowly met his gaze as Beomgyu offered him a small smile. "It's okay." He quietly added like it's almost a whisper.

Cheeks flushing pink as Taehyun felt something hot rushing on his face, he quickly released himself from the older's gentle cradle and faced the floor again, his eyes focused on his shoes.

His tightly squeezed hands are now playing with his own uniform hem, fidgeting it to distract himself.

Beomgyu's gazes are too gentle, he knows he can simply melt from those.

"You're too nice hyung... It makes me wanna puke." Taehyun retorted to change the topic. It was also the indication that they're finally okay now.

The older whined and jutted his lips as he spoke to respond, "Why do you always say that? You're really so mean to me."

He exaggeratedly crossed his arms and playfully glared at the younger as he added, "I'm not gonna be nice to you again."

Taehyun threw a fitting giggle and retorted jokingly, "I prefer that way."

"If that makes you feel less guilty then I'll be less nicer from now on."

All of that oozing playfulness from his words was not enough to conceal the hint of seriousness and Taehyun didn't miss that, not that Beomgyu tried hard enough to hide it anyway.

And well, maybe from those simple words, he made Taehyun rethink his perspective. The past Taehyun was wrong. Maybe Beomgyu really is the most considerate person he met in his life.

After the stunt he did to save Taehyun's name, maybe his perspective towards Beomgyu's consideration tweaked a little.

Just a little.

A small smile couldn't help but appear on his lips, he felt way better after apologizing. Especially knowing that the older is not even an ounce mad at him.

"Are we good now?" Beomgyu, who is also wearing a gentle smile, asked. Wearing the soft look in his eyes, Taehyun, again, couldn't look straight.

It's just that, it's the look where he can instantly melt into the older's gazes and there is something inside him that says that it was a dangerous thing.

He only nodded as a response as he's still trying to wait for the right time to say the words he wanted to say.

But before he could get his timing right, Beomgyu already blurted out the word "Let's go" and was already walking out of the room, expecting Taehyun to follow him out. He panicked a little and mindlessly called for the older.

"Ah–! Hyung!"

The older looked back at him and asked in a hum. He cannot blow off his chance to say this. He finally got the courage to speak and it would take him another century to gather the said courage.

"Stick with me."

A short sentence.

Without any context, Beomgyu threw him a confused look.

"I--I mean, people are already looking at us after what happened and I just thought that it would be weird if we both keep covering up for each other while they see us as enemies or whatever they may call it so... S-stick with me?"

A chuckle was heard from the latter. Taehyun had never felt embarrassed in his entire life. Goddamn Choi Beomgyu, managing to break some parts of the wall he built for himself.

Everyday, he faces an embarrassing moment, feeling flustered and getting caught in his vulnerable state and what annoys him the most is the fact that Beomgyu is the only one capable of doing it.

And another fact that a simple chuckle caught him off guard already, another wave of heat can be felt on the tip of his ears as he tried to cover it with his hand.

"You want me to hang out with you every time?"

A simple and harmless question yet Taehyun felt mocked. He's not forcing the older to stick with him 24/7, he just wanted to suggest something so people would finally see them as "friends" so it wouldn't be too hard to defend him when things go wrong again.

"I'm not forcing you or anything. And I'm not saying that you should follow me every single time. You can still go with your friends and continue doing random annoying stuff with them. It's just--- I mean, sticking with me to an extent where defending you won't be a problem. If things happen again just like last time, everyone will think that I'm just getting dragged and involuntarily coming with you. If I try to talk to them again, they won't listen nor believe what I'll say, concluding that I'm just being nice to you or whatever, you know."

He explained. Well, overly explained.

Rather than dropping an explanation, he felt like he just rambled and spoke whatever that's in his mind. He blew it off, he guessed.

He couldn't help but bite his bottom lip from restraining himself from talking, and also averting his gaze from the embarrassing act he's showing in front of the older.

He heard a giggle and felt a fondness that was directed in him.

"Okay." Beomgyu said in a soft and small voice, not teasing the younger further. Taehyun might explode from being all red from his neck to his ears and crawling up to his cheeks.

Cute.

"I was thinking of laying low too. The teachers' eyes are on me again. For sure, they won't let me get near you so if you insist me to stick with you, that might work." Beomgyu stated, deliberately brushing off the tempting-to-tease sight.

Taehyun, again, could only nod. A bit thankful that Beomgyu didn't push him further, instead, acting like he didn't notice Taehyun looking like a ripe strawberry. He is being considerate again, another thought.

"Let's go now. I'm pretty hungry. It's Math's fault for feeding me too much information that won't make my stomach full." Beomgyu frowned from the last statement that earned a small chuckle from the younger.

Taehyun followed him out as they casually chatted while walking, talking about the days Beomgyu missed out, especially the days where their 2 seniors came back from their dance practice from another school.

They were nearing the cafeteria until the older opened up about something to finally tease the younger, missing the usual reaction.

"Kai told me you begged the principal to cut off some of my suspension days. You missed me that much huh, Hyunie?"

"Wha–?!"

Again. He was caught off guard. This is why Beomgyu and him never get along. He is always on the spot at hitting Taehyun's weakness. Well, at least they also get along in that way.

"Excuse you, I did not!? And don't call me that!" Taehyun retorted with a blushing face.

"Eyy! I know you like it. Hyuuuunie!"

"Shut up, will you. You're really making me wanna cut off your tongue sometimes."

"Just sometimes? That's a big character development you got there."

Silence.

A sudden silence.

Beomgyu knew it was the "calm before the storm". He glanced at Taehyun and the latter's eyes were twitching from irritation. Here it comes.

The younger raised his arms to grab Beomgyu but the older's fast reflex avoided the strong grip from the younger. He bursted out laughing as he sprinted in the cafeteria and took cover from Soobin who was once peacefully eating his lunch.

"Come here! I'll kill you!" Taehyun shouted, going rounds from the table to get a hold of Beomgyu to put him in chokehold.

The two continued chasing each other off and their boisterous laugh and shouts added to the usual noise from the other students at the cafeteria.

"Welp, I guess we're back to normal." Huening Kai stated nonchalantly as the two older watched the two with a fond look.

Soobin's laugh was heard when Beomgyu screamed. Taehyun finally caught him and he's on a chokehold.

"One more word." Words full of threat.

"Hnggh– I'm sorry." The older playfully apologized.

Taehyun tightened the chokehold but not to an extent where he'll literally harm the older.

"Say that again. With conviction."

"I'm sorry, Taehyun-hyungnim."

And alas, he finally let go. Beomgyu caressed his neck and spouted, "That was harsh of you, Hyunie."

Taehyun, who was settled on his seat, halted for a second and glared at the older again. A warning sign.

"Hehe." A short response to the glare and literally made a peace sign for a peace treaty.

It's lunch time and everybody loves that.

It is the time that they can finally relax and take a break for a while before welcoming the next half of their school hours.

The least tensing time for most of the people inside the campus.

And thankfully, everything came back to normal.

Especially in the certain table where it has been populated by five boys more than often.

Five boys finally present with their usual chats and bickers with each other.

Taehyun still has so many worries in his head. Eyes were still on them especially to Beomgyu. His parents still feel skeptical about the older, yet right now, he doesn't want to fill his thoughts as he casts aside his worries at the back of his mind.

They're okay, they're complete, and for now, that's what's important.

Chapter Text

Suffering.

For the last 2 days after Beomgyu came back to school, the older had called those past few days, "suffering".

For someone who barely studies and is used to wasting time at the class, Beomgyu suffered under Kang Taehyun's hands. Well, that's how he perceived it.

Not Taehyun tho. In the younger's perspective, it's called "helping" and "catching up". Taehyun gave him the notes to every activity and things that the older had missed on for the past 10 days and of course, told Beomgyu to copy the notes that he made for him.

The older never failed to whine and complain about how much things he needs to study but Taehyun retaliates by saying he already summarized the notes to make it shorter and easier for the older.

Those 2 days were pretty traumatic for Beomgyu and very productive as Taehyun calls it.

And as for the third day, it seems like the older had already given up. Clock strikes 7:17 AM, 17 minutes since the time their first class started, yet the presence of Beomgyu is still missing. Taehyun can only release a sigh. Maybe he was too harsh on the older.

He had promised Beomgyu not to nag him like a mother hen to its chicks but sometimes he just goes overboard. He thought of taking it slow so the older can have the time to digest everything he needs to know in particular classes, and yeah, also apologize for being too much.

Speaking of the devil, when he was about to give up on pursuing the older, Beomgyu came inside of the room. Good thing Mrs. Lee wasn't here today, leaving the students unattended on their first subject.

Walking like an undead, the latter went towards their direction and plopped on his seat without a greeting. Hyuka and Taehyun made eye contact, feeling something odd on the older, or was it from exhaustion?

Beomgyu buried his head on his arms that he rested on his table, not even trying to hide his distress and didn't even bother removing his bag from his back.

"Hyung, you okay?" Kai asked as he leaned closer so the older could hear him.

Beomgyu just shook his head and remained silent.

Not knowing how to approach the older, the two youngest left him alone for some space since he also radiates the "don't talk to me" energy.

Silence.

Just silence for the past few minutes.

Hyuka started fishing out his phone to play cookie run as Taehyun remained buried in his notebook, waiting for the opportunity to apologize for being too harsh on him.

Taehyun was currently reviewing some of their past notes to teach Beomgyu some other things he missed to make the life of the older easier, then he felt the presence beside him move so he turned his head in that direction.

Alas, an opportunity. Taehyun releases a heavy sigh and faces the older.

"Hyung." A soft call.

The older slowly turned his head in his direction, eyes screams "not okay" as he stared at nowhere as another wave of guilt crashed unto the younger.

Taehyun chewed his lips before continuing, he's been apologizing a lot these days, he noticed.

"I'm sorry. I should have been a little bit more considerate. I'll teach you things slower."

Beomgyu's gaze met his and a small forced smile slipped on his lips as he nodded slightly.

He diverted his gaze again in nowhere, his head seemingly currently not in this world, line of sight turned again at his front, tilted down for some unknown yet familiar reason.

Taehyun stared at him for a good second, studying how Beomgyu looked so wrecked early in the morning before the older spoke.

"Taehyun, can I skip class?" Sounding so tired and loomed– it was almost inaudible, Taehyun could only ask in a gentle hum.

"Can you let me go off? Just this once. Please." Soft and weak, the younger knew something's really wrong.

It's not like this was the first time he saw Beomgyu in this state. Way back then, whenever Beomgyu emits this low energy, he'll be gone a minute after.

To make it simpler, the older cuts class and Taehyun already noticed this a long time ago so he knew what was the older trying to actually say, so he leaned closer and asked in a whisper,

"Do you need something, hyung?"

"It's suffocating here. Please, Hyun." A pleading eye met his' again. They said they'll lay low but if Beomgyu leaves, the office will definitely know he cut class and that's not a good thing.

Few seconds of trying to think of a way to help the older while minimizing the damage if ever they get caught as he takes his half assed idea into consideration– the first and last idea he has in his mind, he decides to give it a go.

"Stay here, hyung. Wait for me." Left confused and dejected Beomgyu was, Taehyun stood from his seat, whispered something to Kai as the latter nodded before Taehyun left the room.

He averted his gaze to the tallest and Kai gave him a smile and a thumbs up. Beomgyu couldn't help but smile back despite feeling heavy inside. Kai is the epitome of happiness after all.

He faced his front again as he felt his 5 senses getting stronger, bothering him when he's not distracted. A heavy sigh was released, that's the only thing he can do.

He buried his face in his palm. The rowdy class irritates him, the limited space in the square-shaped room made him felt restricted, books and notepads laying around in every table felt suffocating, his senses were too hyper active to the point where he can clearly hear the scratches of the pen on the paper that's driving him insane little by little.

He badly wanted to leave.

He knew he couldn't stay any longer as he felt the prickling feeling in the back of his eyes threatening to get out. He is feeling the most vulnerable and Beomgyu's not having it. He has his thoughts engulfing him and later on, it will break him completely.

He felt a hand laid on his back that made him come back to reality. It was Kai. The youngest stood from his seat to face Beomgyu as he sat on Taehyun's chair temporarily to comfort the older.

"It's going to be okay, hyung. Just come with Taehyun when he gets back." Laced with softness, it made half of Beomgyu's lost sanity come back.

Oh, right, he has friends. He finally has friends that would be there for him. Friends that would not call him dramatic nor judge him for being too aloof for a moment. Well, he hopes so.

It's not like he already knew Kai, Soobin, Taehyun, and Yeonjun completely, but knowing Beomgyu, he'll bare his weakness and wear his heart on his sleeves. He trusts too fast, that is why despite accepting the fact that vulnerability makes him very human, he still doesn't like feeling that way.

And also the reason why he deals with it alone. He never felt comforted in his whole life so it was pretty understandable.

He had never opened up his problems with his siblings as he wasn't close to them, and they already knew what was happening inside of their house so it's kind of pointless to open up.

His group of friends with Junseok? Whenever he feels this way, they call him "scary" for not being in his usual "high energy" and the stripped-off jolly smile he always wears on his face. Never actually asking how he felt, they just assumed he woke up at the wrong side of the bed.

Beomgyu was so used to it that having someone's comfort made him feel different things.

A little later, Taehyun came back and tapped Beomgyu's table. Both boys made eye contact,

"Let's go, hyung." The younger said.

He glanced at Kai as he only received a nod from the taller boy. The two youngest also exchanged glances and a thumbs up. So much from Beomgyu's confusion on what's happening and what was the two boys' plan, he just complied and followed Taehyun.

The two left the chaotic classroom as they walked down the hallway.

It was quiet.

Beomgyu likes it better than the noisy chatters, believe it or not.

It is the middle of the ongoing classes so the hallway looked pretty neat and literally empty. A sight where Beomgyu usually sees when cutting classes and a sight he prefers albeit the fact that the resemblance that it has to his feelings felt like a mocking statement.

Speaking of that, he can't believe Taehyun is letting him off the hook and even assisting him in sneaking around. He isn't entirely sure about the latter's plan but that's what it seems to him.

Mindlessly walking around the hallway, they finally stopped in front of a room. A familiar locked door was being opened by the younger with a key.

"Wait– Where did you get the key?" He perplexedly asked.

"Maintenance, of course." the latter sparingly responded as if it was the most obvious answer.

The door opened and both boys entered the room nonchalantly. Not in a sneaky manner nor cautious in any way.

Don't they seem sketchy though? It was literally in the time of the middle of the first classes yet there they are, not in their designated rooms. Confused he is but he did not have enough energy to ask.

"I know what you're thinking. I asked for permission." Words from the younger echoed through the empty space as he walked passed Beomgyu to lock the door. So it's possible to skip class in a legal way huh.

"Wow. To have that kind of privilege." A scoff followed. He spouted some few words yet he already felt drained. He left his spot as he didn't want to get rooted on it. Beomgyu went closer to the familiar object that was on the guitar stand, caressing it carefully like an expensive vase.

Taehyun settled himself on one of the tables that was placed in a linear manner on each side of the room and opened the window to let the cool morning breeze in.

The younger averted his gaze at him and tapped the table in front of his own, an indication that Beomgyu can take a seat.

The older took the guitar in his grasp and did what the younger told him to, settling himself in front of Taehyun as he mimicked the younger by opening the window on his side.

The brushing breeze passed through the window, easing the running thoughts he had in his head. The cool air winded some of his negative emotions away, although it was not capable of washing away everything. Only if it could, he wishes.

A sigh escaped from his mouth as he strummed the guitar on his hand. He doesn't know if it was just a mere coincidence but Taehyun took him to one of his sanctuaries– the music room.

He stays at this place from time to time after school whenever he feels like not going home, indulging himself to the sound of the guitar or sometimes he plays the keyboard and let the vibration pierce through his brain and the rhythm dance in his ears.

Every single strum on the string makes his heart ache yet he couldn't help but do it, his reflexes tells him to do so. He isn't playing the instrument properly but what he was doing was enough to make a pleasant sound.

He looked at the boy in front of him whom he caught red handed from staring, diverting his gaze outside. He would like to tease the younger but he's currently not in the mood to do it so he just turned back on the guitar that his hand stopped playing around with.

Halting from his action, his mind did too as another tide of thoughts hit him, his face visibly formed a frown.

Do I deserve this?

I just want to stop.

Why do I even keep on trying?

It hurts.

No one thinks I can.

I give up.

"Hyung."

A light voice snapped him back from his trance. He met a pretty face that was forming the same frown just like his. A single call was laced with worry and all the owner of the voice could do was release a deep sigh as he kept his eye contact with Beomgyu.

"Spill. I'm here."

I'm here. Oh to hear those words from someone while he feels the most vulnerable. The feeling of comfort felt so unfamiliar yet nice. He secretly wishes he'll be able to have that in the long run.

Beomgyu couldn't help but feel more weak. He hasn't said anything yet, but he already felt heard in a way.

Though he badly wanted to tell him a story, he doesn't even know where to start. His mind is in shambles and his thoughts are like a ball of yarn that has been played and tangled by a cat.

"I don't know, Hyun." Shaking his head as he lowered it, feeling his breath shake from the overwhelming emotion.

"Tell me anything. It doesn't need to make sense. Just tell me, I'm listening."

Beomgyu just knew he wouldn't be able to hold it any longer. The stinging in his eyes couldn't help but want to be released. God, It's near.

"We'll fix your thoughts later, but for now, just say anything. It's okay, I won't judge." The younger added, and thus, here it comes.

Droplets of tears came flowing way before his words and another drop landing on the polished guitar he was holding. Despite the pain he was feeling from the mere sensation of cradling the said object, for the first time of his life, he somehow felt comforted, safe, and heard.

Cries and howls out of frustration, dejection, anger, gratitude, and so much more. His mangled thoughts and mixed emotions made it harder for him to start speaking, and so, his first words were,

"Ahh.... I hate this." His tears were harshly being wiped off from his cheeks. He sniffs as he keeps trying to dry off his skin from his nonstop streaming tears.

A pained chuckle was released as he added, "Hey Taehyun, you think I deserve this, huh?"

Full of bitterness, that's what Taehyun could get from Beomgyu. Both of their gazes did not leave each other as Beomgyu met his– not a sign of challenge, but a sign of genuinity.

Taehyun is listening, Beomgyu knows from the way he didn't avert his stare like usual.

"All I did was dream, Taehyun-ah. Is it bad if I want to make my own path?" He bursted with a higher tone, frustration obviously painted in his voice as he let himself cry out for more, harder and louder.

"Do you think I deserve this? Because I've been fooling around? Because I've been a bad student? A bad son?"

Still would feel loss even if he bawled his eyes out, yet he knew it was enough to make his baggage lighter, and so, he did.

A few more minutes inside of the closed space room with the not so silent cries echoing in every corner, Beomgyu gave up trying to look decent. His voice was already shaking and he started hiccupping as well. He just knows he looks pathetic and a whole mess, yet he did not care a single bit.

"I did try Hyun. I tried making them proud. I tried to become the son they want me to be. But no matter how I tried, I just kept getting compared. No matter what I do, I will always be the loser in the family. Everyday was a battlefield Taehyun-ah, I had to fight for their attention and praises. I had to fight my brothers and sister, and efforts were never counted. But that's all I had Hyun. I could never be the smart son they want me to be, I could never be the lawyer they visualize. It's not for me and I never wanted to fight for something I'm not happy for.

I just wanted to do the thing that makes me happy. I just wanted to be free from that goddamn battlefield! All I wanted was to make something out of my passion and effort. Why did they have to take it away from me every single chance they got?! I– I just want to..." he halts, letting himself continue unleashing his misery in the forms of heavy tears and wailing sounds of pain.

Live free?

A déjà vu.

Taehyun felt a swelling tedious familiarity.

It felt like a friend yet a stranger. An open book but still a mystery.

How could someone like Beomgyu, a free-willed child, have almost and probably the same exact feeling that he was carrying for the past years?

There is not much context but it was enough to tell him so.

The constant fight for approval and the battlefield he had to face every single day, but unlike Beomgyu who had his siblings as his opponent, Taehyun had himself.

The restless idea of him failing and becoming a disappointment, his own mind became the battlefield itself.

Yet all those efforts and sleepless nights, he was still the same child who seeks for validation. He could never be the perfect child his parents want him to be no matter how hard he tries and he could never be the proud son they visualized him to become.

And yet unlike Beomgyu, he doesn't have anything to fight for. He does not have something that could make him happy, so he'll continue to comply, do the usual, and act like a broken record as he tries to impress his parents like an act itself in the circus.

Taehyun couldn't help but feel bad for the older. The self pity looming inside him conveys to Beomgyu as he watches the latter openly cry in front of him for the past minutes.

A lone soul that has no complication at baring his flaws, another thought, the older showing a willful act that is far too foreign for Taehyun.

The younger snapped out of his trance when the latter shuffled from his seat, reaching something out from his bag– the carrier was being worn at his back and long forgotten that it was there.

Beomgyu took out pieces of torn papers, his eyes still watering and nose sniffing as he laid them all in front of the younger, good thing the breeze was mellow enough to not carry the weight of the light object.

"They– they ruined it. I've worked hard for it... for years. I've composed so many songs there... and they destroyed it. They rummaged through my cabinet just to destroy it... Just– just like how they destroyed my guitar years ago."

Another wave of tears came flowing out of the older's eyes. Loud sobs echoed through the small spaced room. Despite the feeling of unconnectedness from the said passion, Taehyun felt the older's pain.

How cruel.

When he and Beomgyu were just merely acquaintances and classmates, the only thing he knew about the older was how music meant to him. Destroying his guitar was like taking a piece of soul out from the latter then ripping it apart in front of him.

The recently ruined notebook was the last piece of living soul he had, the only thing he could possess without screaming that it was about the thing he loves, yet to exert an effort to go through the boy's possession just to tear each page into tiny pieces, it was just too cruel.

"Am I a bad person, Hyun? Do you think I deserve this? D-do you think... I should just give up?"

A sudden frown formed on his face. He felt something churning bitterly inside his chest as the older's lips dropped his last question.

His voice lace with dread, he sounded hopeless and anxious, and Taehyun knew Beomgyu wasn't kidding.

An empty scoff was followed as the older added, "That was a stupid question. Sorry, you don't have to answer that."

Beomgyu blinked his tears away as he avoided the younger's gaze. It would pain him more to see the pity look that Taehyun was giving him, he knows he's being pathetic and he doesn't need to see that image reflecting on the younger's orbs.

"If I give you my 2 cents, will you listen?" A soft voice was heard. The obvious gentleness in the tone made Beomgyu finally meet his stare for a second before averting it again.

"I know I shouldn't meddle but... I atleast want you to hear this."

Silence.

It was all silence as Beomgyu never responded. He wasn't avoiding the question, more likely, he was thinking. He was thinking what can a single opinion do? What if Taehyun says that he deserves it? What if Taehyun thinks he should really give it up? Would he quit doing music then?

Nevertheless, Taehyun opened his mouth and voiced out his thoughts.

Thoughts that Beomgyu never imagined he badly needed.

"Do you know how butterflies can see their own wings? They are pretty amazing creatures with big, round, and compound eyes yet just like other beings, their vision limits them from seeing its beautiful color. It restricts them from seeing their own beauty.

And humans are usually just like them. You are just like them, hyung. You don't probably know how amazing you are at what you're doing but I can see it. We might have not paid attention to each other that much back then but no one can ignore how much you're good at doing music. And in all honesty, it was the most genuine part of you.

You are the Choi Beomgyu we know not because you're unbearable to teach in class, but because once you hold that guitar, you become the most honest person you can be, and I think that's the beauty of Choi Beomgyu."

Finally, a smile slipped out. A genuine one.

God he felt like crying again. Who would have thought that this boy can be so honest. Taehyun has his way with words and Beomgyu is an emotional person to begin with, and the latter's words simply touched his gentle heart.

He couldn't help but release a giggle. The "Kang Taehyun" just praised him with his skills with the straight face he could ever have. It felt really nice.

Taehyun, of course, unavoidingly smiled from the sweet sound of the giggle. He felt a warmth swathed in his heart as he finally saw the latter smile for the first time today.

A sniff followed with a small playful pout, he finally felt a bit dry for crying hard for too long. Beomgyu wiped his tear-stained cheeks as stated in a light hearted manner, "How could you say so though? You never watched us play every battle of the bands."

"Yeah, I never went." The younger responded nonchalantly.

"Hey! Then you just lied to me!"

"I didn't lie! I never said I've never heard you play!"

"Then when?" The older retorted, curious how the younger could sound so honest without really seeing him play.

"I've heard you play... here... in this room." his voice slowly turning almost like a whisper with flushing ears and cheeks, the redness slowly crawling onto his neck next.

Taehyun averted his gaze for the first time, a pout habitually forming on his cherry lips, finding the thin branches and leaves dancing with the wind interesting, making it a form of distraction.

"H–here?" A single word with slightly wide eyes. Beomgyu never let anyone see him play inside of the music room. Not that he can remember letting someone inside while he pours out his frustrations every single time he visits the said space.

If Taehyun heard him play in this same exact place, then the younger must have heard the rawest music that Beomgyu could possibly play.

The idea was too intimate, Beomgyu couldn't imagine accidentally baring his soul just like that to someone, yet he doesn't feel like complaining at all.

Maybe he wouldn't really mind if it was Taehyun. Or maybe it's because of his transparent personality. Either way, can you really blame him? Being under the sincere gaze of the younger made him trust the latter a bit more.

"Yeah..." another small, shy response.

"How?"

"Well, I was doing rounds one time after school when Ms. Lee asked me to. Then I saw you here... and I heard you play... Th–the way it sounded. It felt like I shouldn't interrupt so... I didn't kick you out and let you stay."

Biting his blush back, the younger started playing with his fingers, a habit he built to hide his embarrassment, his head laying low.

"The way it sounded what?" A bit taken aback from a harmless question, it wasn't hard for Taehyun to reminisce about the feeling of hearing it the first time.

It's a bit weird. That was a long time ago, yet he still remembers how he felt that day. Maybe because he finds the resemblance between the past and the current situation.

As easy as it is to remember the feeling, he found the struggle to verbalize it yet. He remembered how it sounded light yet felt heavy in the chest. The sound was pulling him close, however an underlying emotion was pushing him away. All that contrasting things mixed in a single sound the guitar made, all he could say was "Painful, I guess... I'm not really good at interpretation."

He scratched his neck, a bad habit he built, and still unable to meet the other's gaze. It was silent for a moment. All was heard was the white noise from the leaves and branches outside hitting the window and each other as it sways with the light breeze.

Awkward. Taehyun gulped down the awkwardness he felt that was buzzing around him and he doesn't know if it's just him or is it really awkward just now.

Maybe it's just him. Maybe the soft gaze that was directed to him was the reason why. And maybe the small smile that he could see in his peripheral vision causes it.

Not knowing to break the intense gaze, he cleared his throat and continued,

"Ahem! Anyway! The choice is still up to you. If you feel like really giving everything up, then go ahead. Or if you just feel burnt out then of course, you can rest. You said so yourself hyung, we get sick and tired, we're not perfect beings after all."

It's true. He now agrees. It's been a while since he heard those words, yet he couldn't help but embed it in his head. He's still having a hard time giving himself a break but that line Beomgyu said back then, Taehyun knows it will forever etch in him. It wasn't impactful, don't get him wrong. It's just that, it was the mere truth.

Followed by another silence yet compared to the one they had earlier, there was no heavy tension or awkwardness, it was just... pure comfort.

Weird. When did he feel this too comfortable with the older? The fact that it feels way too normal like they were childhood friends who sought each other's presence when needed. Beomgyu's presence that was once he hated the most, now feels like eternal rest. Too calming that it becomes a bit alarming.

No no no, maybe it was because they've been hanging out more often, each other's presence was more welcomed like a home for the both of them. Yeah, nothing wrong with that, they're friends now after all.

Fighting off his own thoughts, the silence finally broke by the latter.

"You know, all I heard these past few years were painful words, telling me that I wouldn't make it, that I won't get anywhere from making music. You already probably guessed it right but I'll confirm it to you, yes it's my parents. They're against me choosing this path and to be honest I've never felt genuine support from anyone, that's why...

Thank you Taehyun. Everything you've said, it means so much to me." With the soft gaze that can make the younger melt, Beomgyu released a big smile that shows the cute dimple sitting on his cheek.

pit-a-pat.

What was that? Oh, he didn't like that feeling just now. It feels like someone just squeezed his heart for a second and it kind of hurts. A warm, fuzzy feeling slowly creeped in in his chest and it felt way too foreign. He hates it. He really hates feeling too unfamiliar.

Taehyun forcefully buried whatever feeling that was and focused on being truly happy to see Beomgyu finally smiling like his usual self. The sadness beneath it wasn't really concealed though, but at least the gratitude behind those soft gaze is true.

He feels a bit overwhelmed by the older's honesty with his emotions and being on the receiving end of gratitude, he doesn't exactly know how to respond to that so Taehyun chooses to keep silent and just gives him a small smile.

"You know Hyun, I've been thinking. All those times I tried my best to impress them, it never really went right in their eyes. Like how I used to join every single club when I was still in elementary because my older brother always brings them medals from individual events, especially in sports. Yet my parents told me to stop wasting my time trying to get invested in those clubs because it won't lead me anywhere."

He didn't know what came to him but Beomgyu started speaking again, thoughts now unfiltered and he couldn't feel any form of hesitation or fear of oversharing. His mouth just kept on talking his thoughts out like an honest sinner in a confession room. The freeing feeling of finally sharing your burden to someone slowly coarse through his body as he continued.

"I've heard this countless times, they always tell me to stop slacking off and be a better student. It's like they're unknown to the fact that I had already tried that. You see, I'm not their smartest child, my sister is, but I can probably achieve higher ranks if only I have someone who could help me if I'm having a hard time.

Yet whenever I've done that, whenever I tried asking for their help to solve some difficult questions they always brush me off and kept asking me why am I too dumb to not know the answer. I guess I will always be stupid in their eyes. As long as someone is better than me, I could never be the best."

A bitter chuckle after the rant filled the room. Taehyun continued to look at the boy in front of him, listening attentively as the latter fidgetly played with the guitar string that he laid in front of them.

"Maybe I still care. I keep saying that I don't, keep convincing myself that the way they see me doesn't bother me at all, but I guess I still do. Always have been. Maybe a part of me still wants to be recognized. After all, everyone wants to be recognized at some point, right?"

A gentle follow up from the unfiltered rant, question directed to the younger, but as soon as Beomgyu met Taehyun's eyes, a heavy sigh was caught slipping from his lips as he scratch his nape and continued,

"I shouldn't be asking you this, everyone has their eyes set on you. Out of all people, I shouldn't be asking you that", then there's an awkward chuckle.

Wrong.

Beomgyu was wrong on that part in many ways.

Taehyun was about to open his mouth when a strong breeze passed through the open window, blowing away the torn pieces of paper that was left lying on the table.

"Aahh!! Oh no!!"

The older jumped off the table and immediately kneeled on the floor, frantically picking up each torn piece on the floor. Taehyun stepped down from the table and helped the poor boy collect each piece since the latter will definitely take forever to do that alone.

After the silence while their eyes and hands automatically work on collecting and looking for the paper scraps on the floor, Taehyun finally opted to ask him the question that has been lingering in his mind for a few minutes.

"Why are we collecting these, hyung? You're gonna keep it?" A simple question from the younger and it wasn't even an interrogation yet it made him stop and think.

It's a piece of trash beyond saving, why does he keep on holding onto it as if it'll be fixed by the power of his passion and love. It ain't no fiction, yet it was hard to deny that some part of him maybe isn't yet ready to let it go.

With a frown being worn on his face, he answered, "I– I don't know... I'll throw it away, maybe."

A clear hint of hesitation in his tone as if the pouting isn't enough as evidence already.

Of course he'll hesitate. The now torn notebook was a prized possession of the older. It wasn't just any notebook. It consists of his blood, sweat, and tears. Every emotion poured onto it— a journal for Beomgyu.

The older stood after collecting every single piece on the floor and hesitantly went in front of the trash bin, about to throw every piece away, the younger followed as he was also holding some of the scraps he collected.

A few more seconds as both of them stood still, Beomgyu having his arms semi outstretched, a frown was formed and lips pursed.

Taehyun isn't that dense. A soft sigh escaped, his eyes searching for some unused notebook or anything that can keep the pieces of paper in one place, unmoving and easier to carry, and finally found a newspaper at the corner of the shelf. Probably from their music teacher who loves being old school, reading newspapers on Friday mornings.

He faced Beomgyu once again and spoke, "Hyung, can you give that to me?"

The older's gaze directed to him with a confused look on his face. "Why?"

"I know you can't throw it on your own, I'll do it for you. Maybe later when you're not looking so it'll hurt less, and it'll be a bit easier to let it go."

The corner of his lips dropping and so as his eyes, a look that is yet, again, about to cry. A hint of courage as Beomgyu's gaze, at least, fixated on Taehyun, the younger commend him for that.

He carefully transferred the torn papers unto the younger's hold, treating it as if it was his heart being served on a silver platter; it is, of course, shown vulnerable, yet a decision was made to show trust to the younger, expecting him to still handle it with care despite knowing that Taehyun will just throw it away later on.

Taehyun reached his expectation as he slowly waltzed to the corner of the room where the wall shelf was located, laid down the pieces and took half of the page of the left outdated newspaper, tucking the torn papers and finally folded it thrice to be secured from falling.

Beomgyu felt warm from the gentle action. He needn't remind Taehyun to handle it with care. It isn't just a piece of trash for him of course, the ripped journal was his best friend. When he had no one to talk to or rant about his issues and problems, all he had to do was to pull out the said object from his bag and write it down on the piece of paper in a poetic manner– a Beomgyu behavior, he calls it.

Then alas! A newly composed lyric with a newly composed melody. That's just how it works in his little creative factory in his mind. A single line comes with chords.

A bell ringing interrupted his train of thoughts. An indication for their next subject to start in 5 minutes. Time surely flies fast.

Taehyun put the folded newspaper inside of his pocket, closed the window they opened and took Beomgyu's bag as he stretched his arm for a reach for the older to get it from his grasp.

"Let's go?"

The older nodded and took his belongings as an answer and followed Taehyun from behind who started walking towards the door but not before he put the guitar back from where he took it.

The younger looked around to check if they left something and when it's all good, both boys finally left the room and left it the same way it was before they came, all locked and clean.

Walking at the same pace on the hallway, not too fast because they're not trying to race with the time, and not too slow so they don't have to race with it.

Although the distance was a bit different. The proximity of one-man apart became lesser, Beomgyu slowly closing it some more as if he's asking for the latter's warmth in a cold, winter season.

As they were about to reach their designated room, a call from their back made them stop.

Both boys slowly turned around and met eyes with their teacher for their subject. It made Beomgyu's heart race a bit, his mind automatically thinking of some words he can say to make their educator let the younger off the hook.

But before he could open his mouth, a pleasant greeting was heard.

"Good morning Ms. Wang. What can we do for you?" Flashes the signature smile that every single person in the school had seen. It wasn't the genuine one, eyes not crinkling and his cheekbones barely moved. Just the corner of his lips turning upward and that was enough.

"What are you two doing outside? Students are not allowed to go out if it's not yet break time." She stated. "Beomgyu, if this is again one of your ridiculous ide—"

And before she continued her accusation, Taehyun jumped in between them and cut her off, "We're sorry miss, it was actually my idea. Hyung and I went to the music room because I left my wallet there yesterday and he offered to help me look for it, and thanks to hyung we actually found it." And showed his wallet for proof, "we're about to go back to our class for your subject so if it's alright miss, can we give the keys back first to the maintenance? We'll be quick, I promise."

And there it goes again. The professional smile caught in act– just a better version for additional persuasion. And why of course, if it came out of Kang Taehyun's mouth, they would expect it to be true, so Ms. Wang believed them and let them be.

The skeptical glare on Beomgyu was still too obvious though, but at least, she gave him the benefit of the doubt this time.

Now, doing a bit of a speed walk towards the maintenance room, away from the eyes, Beomgyu can't help but flashes a smile. He still couldn't believe Taehyun lied with a straight face. The boy he knows would hyperventilate in fear and anxiety, unable to utter a word to make an escape, yet Taehyun just did that.

A giggle slipped out from his lips and the younger looked at him with perplexity, one of his eyebrows raising.

"What are you laughing at?"

He shook his head, "Nothing. I thought you couldn't lie for your life. I was expecting you to say that with a shaky voice or something."

Taehyun rolled his eyes before responding, "Well news flash, I'm somehow already trained at lying and I'm getting better each time I commit this sin." Beomgyu tried to stop his loud laugh as it came out in a stifle.

"Ahjussi!" Taehyun called. Good thing the old man who lent them the keys was close to their room so it wasn't so hard to find him.

Both boys thanked the maintenance person and immediately turned back, avoiding coming late to their next subject. A bit of speed walking again and they finally reached their room, settled on their seats after greeting Ms. Wang for the second time.

Beomgyu felt a soft gaze in his way so he met it with his. Kai shoots him a thumbs up with his eyebrows obviously asking a "you good bro" question. The older smiled and nodded his head as an answer as they're not allowed to chat in the middle of the class.

He really thought this day was already ruined and his mind was set in auto-flight mode, cutting class as his usual response. A flight indeed. His mind and body was set to run away when he's hurt. Keeping all his thoughts all by himself.

But unexpected things happen nowadays, he guessed. All of a sudden, he had friends who were more than willing to help and understand. All of a sudden, there is someone who he can confide in, and 'happy' is an understatement to express how he feels right now.

He never actually thought that someday, he'll finally at least fight off his unkind thoughts and feelings. It never occurred to him that he deserves to have this kind of privilege, the privilege of being heard.

Beomgyu knows those were just small gestures but those were enough to make him feel a bit special.

He tore a page in this literature notebook, scribbled something on and slid it on his seatmate's side.

The other looked at the small note and read it,

'Thank you for today :>'

A small smile couldn't help but slip out. He took his pen and wrote on it for a response. It wasn't hard to be subtle, he is left-handed so he didn't need to scoot the paper on Beomgyu's side for him to read it.

'Anytime hyung. You owe me one though :P'

Anytime huh. Well that felt really nice.

The smile on the older's face never left and it just grew bigger. He didn't need to write a response, he knows that Taehyun knows he'll make it up to him in some way.

He guessed he didn't need to immediately resort to his past habits anymore, although it'll be hard to get rid of, Beomgyu knows he has some people around him that would be willing to help, and he will never be more thankful enough to finally have friends who will listen to his cries and calls.

Chapter Text

Catching up has always been Beomgyu's thing. He passes his projects on the exact date and time of the deadline and answers his assignment at the last minute.

He likes feeling his blood pumping in his veins as he rushes to finish one task after another. For him, it's like playing a chase game with the time where he runs with all his might to go after the clock arm before it strikes to 12.

Beomgyu also believes that he only functions when under pressure of having no other choice. It's a typical thing for him. Nothing new. Nothing surprising.

He's used to reading the borrowed notes from their class president before the exam starts, never to study ahead of time because what for? Luck will always be by his side to make him barely pass anyway.

But today, this is not it.

This is not the adrenaline he likes. Not the time pressure he was used to. And absolutely not the help he expected to get from his friends (or from a specific someone) when he mentioned a study session between them.

Finals for their 1st semester are about to come and time passed by like a snap. He barely remembered any of their past lessons since he was far too immersed in practicing for their litmus last month, then there goes his 10 days suspension with a 10 days worth of lessons to catch up.

And this isn't the catch up that he wanted.

Another groan was released, a not so soft thud was heard when his forehead met the hard wood of the table and they swear they'll get kicked out of the library because of Beomgyu.

"I don't think I can do this anymore."

They could only roll their eyes after hearing the boy groan for the nth time, responding to Beomgyu won't change anything. No words can stop the dramatic boy from whining.

Well you see, knowing Beomgyu, he wouldn't really care if he can't fill half of his exam papers with the correct answer. Heck, he will never flinch even if he can't fill his exam paper with any answer at all, however, the air shifts to a different direction like a whole 180 degree and he just made himself caught up on something he regrets agreeing on.

Taehyun really had to bait him with a bet.

The boys had been asking Taehyun if he can go out in his free time so they can finally hang out outside of the school vicinity. But knowing Taehyun's parents, "if it's nothing important, why would you go outside then?", yeah, he is not allowed to go.

It was a bit strange, everybody would see it as strange. A 15 years old boy is not allowed to go out and walk around their town or even at their subdivision and such. Believe it or not, Taehyun himself, also finds it strange at some point. It's not like he is the missing prince of South Korea, right? So why hide him from the world? Maybe because he is. Who knows.

Kidding aside, at the very least, Taehyun is thankful that he is at least allowed to go to Kai's house. For study purposes of course. Kai had Taehyun's parents' seal of approval when they (courtesy of Taehyun's mom) found out that Kai is a smart kid and a good companion for their son.

He rarely goes out and takes good care of his twin siblings when their parents are not around. A good influence over all. Well, it's Huening Kai, who doesn't like him anyway? Taehyun bets even the devil of all devils would like him.

Going back to the topic, about the bet. They somehow made it a bet. They had proposed possible things to make Taehyun say yes to their unplanned agenda. Yeonjun already proposed to him free lunch for the whole month, yet the younger rejected it.

Then here goes Kai, "How about I'll let you have my 2 liter grape juice in the fridge?"

"Tempting, but no", rejected too and was answered without a second thought in contrast to his own words.

"It's okay Taehyun, we don't want you to be in trouble. We can just hang out at Hyuka's anytime anyway." Well, at least Soobin has a better understanding of the situation.

"No!!" A shameless loud bang on the table was heard and every single student at the cafeteria trained their eyes from the source of the startling sound.

You can't really take Beomgyu anywhere, can't you?

"You are coming Kang Taehyun and we'll do something about your parents." Added in retaliation.

"Like what? Tie them on a chair, blindfold, and cover their mouths?" Yeonjun deadpanned.

Beomgyu rolled his eyes from the sarcasm, "Haha ain't funny hyung. And no, no one is going out if we are missing one person. That's no fun." Lips forming a pout as he crossed his arms, Beomgyu throwing a fit like a kid.

"Hyung's got a point though." Finally, someone on Beomgyu's side.

"It's okay, you can hang out without me, I won't take it personally." Taehyun responded.

"We are not going without you!"

The 4 boys retorted in sync. Taehyun could only release a sigh and a small "okay" as a reply.

"I'll do as you say, come with us." Another offer was made by Beomgyu, way too obvious he didn't think much about it before saying it.

With that, that at least piqued the young boy's interest, and so he asked.

"Like what?"

"Like... uhh– I don't know. Maybe, like... A servant for a day or something?" The forming frown on Taehyun's face definitely says 'no' and so he quickly pushed the idea back and shuts the younger down who was about to refuse his offer.

"Hold on, just– just let me think for a sec." A bit panicky in his tone as he rested his chin on his knuckles, thinking about something that could make Taehyun finally agree.

The boys' swear they can see an image projection on the top of Beomgyu's head as if he was calculating an advanced calculus, but so much for thinking, no thoughts crossed his mind.

A sigh escaped and he finally sat defeated. "I have no idea. I'm a no brainer."

"Yeah right, it's really hard to try to use something you don't have", Yeonjun spouted and received a scowling expression from the latter, a bit offended by his words but of course, won't back down either.

"Yeah, you can definitely empathize because you and I are the same." The eldest could only stick his tongue out as a reply, cutting the banters off short.

"How about..." Taehyun, again, finally spoke.

"Entering top 5 in class and top 20 overall, what do you think?"

Taehyun swears each single pair of eyes on that table stared at him for a moment like he just grew three horns on his head but one face expressed more than that.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Beomgyu scowled, expression crumpled like a piece of paper. He is smart but everybody knew Taehyun was asking for too much.

A small sigh escaped from his lips as he looked at Beomgyu with those bored huge eyes of his, while sitting with his back straight and both hands intertwined together as if he was ready to interrogate Beomgyu, "Yeah, maybe I am. Let's trash that idea, I won't bother pushing you to do something impossible based on your ability." The condescending tone was surely visible and he knew Taehyun didn't even try to hide it.

He swore to god, he is pretty sure that he is mocking him.

"Are you telling me I'm dumb?"

"No, I didn't say that. YOU said that."

Beomgyu released an offended scoff, feeling his ego and pride being crushed down. He narrowed his eyes and glared at the younger's bored ones, closing their proximity as he rested his weight on his left arm that was placed on the table, "you are underestimating my intelligence."

"Nope, I'm just stating some facts, that's all.'' The latter declared with a nonchalant tone acting like an A.I robot and that made Beomgyu's blood boil a bit more, making him sweat in fury under his uniform.

And just like a kettle that has been sitting on the top of the open stove, he loudly whistles his acceptance of the younger's challenge, "Fine! I'll take your challenge! I'll prove to you that I can and I'm not as stupid as you guys think."

And there you have it, that smug smirk on the latter's face screaming, it worked and you fell for it, and Beomgyu knows.

He knows that Taehyun was purposely aggravating him and that made him feel even more worse, and now, all he knows is he just wants to wipe off that smugness on the younger's face.

And so it begins. The doing of the impossible deed.

Chapter Text

Beomgyu absolutely regrets his decisions. He should have just thrown his ego and pride aside and agreed that he was dumb and average. Top 5 in class can be a miracle but top 20 overall is just impossible.

If only he had been a bit more tolerant that day, maybe he is not sacrificing his life and his sleep that he values and loves more than anything else.

Why did he even let his impulsiveness appear at the wrong time? Now he couldn't back out and say no anymore. Not when Taehyun himself is helping him out and everyone is cheering for him.

He doesn't even know if he should feel delighted from the support he was receiving from his friends or be pissed that he was doing something he doesn't even wanna do. It was a trap that Taehyun set and he fell into it. It wasn't his fault, is what a part of him wants to believe although clearly it was his.

He should have just offered a simpler task like dragging Taehyun out and helping him escape from his house unnoticed but sometimes his pea-sized brain, as he may call it, just doesn't work when it's needed.

And now he is currently stuck at Hyuka's room, receiving a long lecture in physics for their science subject with Kai while the two seniors are having their minds burst from trying to understand general mathematics.

Beomgyu can definitely hear Taehyun spouting things about electromagnetic fields and he honestly doesn't give a zero care about those so the younger's voice seems to be hazy in his mind. He can feel the words coming in from his right ear then coming out to his left. Beomgyu can almost hear Soobin's annoyed mutters more clearly about using a calculator rather than solving problems he wouldn't even use in his daily life.

And that's when he knew, his brain was shutting off, he was taking too much information and even if he tries, he just can't follow anymore. Believe it or not, Beomgyu was listening attentively for the first 2 hours but after that, all the knowledge being stored in his head was starting to spill off of him.

It's no use trying so he just had to voice out his struggles rather than wasting the younger's time teaching him then at the end of the day, he learned nothing.

Beomgyu released a groan and let his head slam on the coffee table in front of him. "Taehyun, I'm sorry but I can't listen to you anymore. One more word and my head is gonna split in four."

Not a single movement was made in the room as all of the attention that was once on their notes and books, quickly diverted to him.

Few seconds of silence had passed, Yeonjun finally broke the stillness, "maybe we should take a break. We've been torturing ourselves that we might have also forgot to breathe."

A small groan from Kai as he stretched his body and laid on the floor to straighten his back and legs that had been cramping from the past hours. "Yeah, just a few minutes. My head and my body is having a race of which one of them would give out first."

"I can't really see the reason why we need to learn this. Why would you learn math when you have a calculator?" Soobin finally protested his all-time concern while he also rested his body down on the floor, sprawling like a starfish.

"Take a break too Hyun, it won't kill you, I promise." Beomgyu spoke to Taehyun in his half joking manner when the older guessed he had no plan on letting go of the pen he was holding as he took down notes while he was helping the two out. Taehyun could only roll his eyes half heartedly as well.

Outnumbered by mentally exhausted people, Taehyun opted to agree on taking a break as well, seeing his friends slash classmates slash students breaking their own skull, trying to comprehend every word he says as he teaches.

He finally released his tensed back and shoulders, dropped the pen on the table, and sat lazily on the floor, legs spread apart as he leaned all his weight on his rested hands on the hard, smooth ground. A small sigh that he had been unknowingly holding escaped from his lips, all muscles loosening up to refresh his whole well being.

Few moments of silence from the mentally exhausted boys, a small gurgling noise from Soobin, almost hushed, broke the still air. From the sound of it, eating seems to be one of the options. They've been burying their noses on their books way too long, they even forgot to acknowledge that they needed some energy replenishment.

And thus, Yeonjun decided to buy food and maybe some candies and jellies on his way too. Kai left the house with him as he wanted to tag along and to decide for the food they're going to eat. It's 5 PM so maybe some tteokbokki would work.

Soobin stayed saying he's too hungry to get up and Beomgyu refused to come with the others, grumbling from how mentally tired he is and dramatically stated that his physical body was getting affected, not wanting to admit that he just felt lazy to stand up and walk around outside.

Taehyun of course, stayed inside of the vicinity too since seeing him out with his friends might cause a big misunderstanding when he gets home if ever someone who knows his family spotted him.

He doesn't want his curfew hours to be cut off from 7 PM to 5, especially now, it's their finals and he needed this extra hour that was given to him to help out Beomgyu and Kai. The time in school is not enough. They already practically ate up their break times and lunch time just to study.

Hence, explains how Beomgyu started to act gloomy these past few days. Adding the fact that he was also frustrated with himself. He learns slower than Hyuka and he needs someone to repeat the explanation to him, probably twice or thrice in a baby language to actually make him understand.

Taehyun's pacing is still too fast despite the younger already adjusting for him since the last time. Beomgyu is way too ashamed to ask Taehyun for another favor so he tries to deal with his own learning problem alone. If he needed to sprint just to catch up with the other two on a jog, he would.

Despite his crumbling determination, a part of him still wants to prove the others he can win the bet they made. His mind has been set to win the bet no matter what method he uses and ways that the world offers to him.

Cheating is not included of course, he doesn't want to experience Taehyun's wrath, and that would be really shameful on his part since the younger is literally investing his time to help him out. He doesn't want anyone's effort to be wasted but his. And so he continues studying even after they left Kai's home, re-reading every single note he jutted down.

It was all in vain. The time he spent on re-reading and reviewing everything he learned these past few days was all wasted.

They are currently in the library again, occupying 45 minutes of their lunch time as usual to study another lesson and subject. And as of today, Taehyun made a small quiz for the two to answer just so he could check if Kai and Beomgyu remembered anything they've learned.

Unlike Huening Kai who had 7 mistakes in a 20-items small quiz, Beomgyu got them all. Incorrect. As in zero correct answer.

He can't believe he confused every single thing in the unofficial quiz. It was identification and all of the correct answers were there, it's just that, it's in the wrong question number. His memory got all jumbled up and god, he feels so utterly stupid.

His frustration just increased tenfold to the point that he just wanted to cry. Hyuka continued doing his self study without Taehyun's help this time while he couldn't simply move on from those small pop questions.

He was still indulging himself from self pity as he suddenly felt a presence getting closer on his left side. Taehyun, who was once in front of him and Kai, is now beside him. Beomgyu knew he was about to get confronted. Is he mad? Is he gonna tell me i'm dumb? Am I gonna get scolded? All these thoughts ran through his mind in the short span of time until all his sentiment broke out when the younger spoke.

"Hyung, it's okay. It's not the official test, we're just testing the waters here." muttered in a soft, gentle tone. The low volume was quite understandable since they're still in the library.

"Sorry." Beomgyu wanted to say many things but all he could muster to speak out was a short, genuine apology. He wasted the younger's time and effort and he feels like a dead weight. Beomgyu covered his face with both of his hands, hoping he could hide the shame looming inside him. He just feels so small.

"I should be the one apologizing, hyung. I have never really asked about your learning method. We've been using Kai's all these time."

Puzzled, he slowly removed his hand from his face and shifted his gaze to Taehyun, looking so lost.

"Method?"

He received a nod, "Everyone has different ways of learning. Kai is an auditory learner while I'm a reading and writing learner."

Beomgyu's face visibly scrunches. Don't get him wrong, he knows what the younger was talking about, it's just that he didn't fall in any category, that's what he thinks.

A sigh escaped from his lips as he felt like trying to grasp tightly on a handful of water. He simply doesn't know what method, way, or whatever it may be called, he has for him to learn. He grabbed his hair as frustration slowly built in him. He felt extremely dumb and slow—this is probably why his parents never helped him out when studying. He was frustrating to teach.

Taehyun must have probably caught up with his self resentment as the younger assured him it's gonna be fine. No, it's not. Nothing is fine. They only have a week left and he can already feel the pressure of cramming. Beomgyu wonders how did the others actually manage to brush the stress off.

"You good, Beomgyu-hyung?"

"No." He admits. He felt like breaking down right there, right now. Another turmoil was added to his self-pity hours. How the hell is he supposed to figure things out if even a simple learning method was deprived of him?

"Nothing is fine. I feel stuck. I am slow-witted and pathetically dumb. I hate what I'm doing and I hate being a lamebrainer. I just want the ground to eat me up and never resurface again." And there he confessed. Beomgyu finally spoke his mind.

As much as he wanted to keep it for himself, his expressions all gave it out, and the fact that he still hasn't let go of his hair and just rested his elbows on the table, finding something he could lean on to somewhat control his frustrations became a dead giveaway. Taehyun wouldn't have asked him if his turmoil wasn't too obvious.

"Sorry, hyung, I should have asked you your preferred way before I taught you."

"That's the thing Hyun, I don't have one." Dismay was all over his tone and he doesn't have any plan to conceal it anymore.

"But that's impossible. You should fall in one of the categories. And if not, then you're probably a multimodal one."

"Ughh, Taehyun please! Any more words other than baby language will break me into pieces." Beomgyu utter the words much louder than it was supposed to be resulting in him receiving a loud hush and a warning from the librarian that he barely takes notice as he was busy being mad at himself.

"Okay, alright. I'll stop. But we gotta do something about this."

"Leave it be. It's no use. I'll just try to run the walking race. I can do this, I know I can memorize these in time. I'm just being way too whiny about it." So much for self-pity, he also started gas-lighting himself. Anything he will do to get through this.

"And struggle until you break down? No, we have to find a way."

Silence it is, and silence wasn't helpful at making Beomgyu feel better to himself but he can't argue with the younger anymore. He felt the lack of vocabulary to counter the latter.

Taehyun is, yet again, helping him and he just felt like he can't bother him anymore than this. He is already grateful that Taehyun lends him his time, and putting more effort in teaching him feels embarrassing on Beomgyu's part.

Beomgyu felt like he needed a break, that's what he needed so he could restart again and re-memorized everything so he gave himself some few moments of pondering, wasting his time listening to the ticking clock instead of doing what he was intended to do.

"One question. How do you memorize song lyrics?" Taehyun broke the still air with the most random question he had heard. What's that got to do with studying? Is this another pop quiz?

"Why are you asking?"

The latter shrugged and responded, "I just thought that maybe the reason why nothing is working is not because you don't fall in any learning category but because you hate what you're doing. Unbearable to the point where your body and your mind rejects any of the information."

Well, that made zero sense for Beomgyu. A short pause was there before responding to the younger's earlier question despite being unable to comprehend what he just said, "I play the song many times."

"Melody." Taehyun whispered to himself but Beomgyu caught his words.

"What if... What if we make these notes into a song?" He added.

"And why would we do that?" Beomgyu swears he doesn't know where this is leading to and if Taehyun was making fun of him or he is just way too slow to understand the younger's point.

"To make it fun for you."

"But that just sounds stupid." He demurs.

"Yeah, but it might work. No hurt in trying, right? Besides, music is what you enjoy so I'm just thinking, if we incorporate something you enjoy to some things that you don't, it might make it bearable for you. Then maybe, just maybe, your body and your mind would start accepting the task so you can absorb the information easier."

Ahh... So that's what he was talking about. Beomgyu finally gets the point now, and as stupid as it sounds, nothing is far more stupid that knowing nothing despite trying so hard. He will take any opportunity he could get, to win the bet and to finally prove something to himself.

"Alright, I'll try that." Maybe this is it, Beomgyu badly wishes it is.

Chapter Text

Coming home in a rush as he threw all his notes on the floor, locked his door and sat on the hard ground. Beomgyu didn't even mind the fact that he was still wearing his school uniform. All he could think of was how to divide his notes to make a song out of it.

It took him an hour of brainstorming and reviewing until he finally figured out how to divide it all: one song per lesson. He had to paraphrase it again to make it shorter than as it is, put some rhymes too so it would at least won't sound that bad.

After all the revisions he made, he then started on the first lesson, inserting some already existing melody he randomly created in his head a long time ago, just stuck in his memory bank so he could perhaps use it in the future, and finally, was used for a greater purpose. He needn't any finalization since it's just for his notes, he can't really invest that much on one song since he has tons more left on his hands.

He finally finished the first lesson for his social studies and tried singing it out loud to himself. Not bad, Beomgyu's final assessment. It didn't sound as stupid as he thought it would be so he tried to sing it repeatedly a few times and at last! Something finally worked!

Now he kind of gets why people make nursery rhymes for babies and kids. It's way easier to memorize things and it is much more convenient for younger people, and Beomgyu believes that his brain capacity is the same with toddlers, sometimes his comprehension too.

Don't underestimate kids, they are way better at memorizing than adults, these little spawn of devils are amazing in their own way.

He now memorizes every single word he incorporated in his newly made academic-purposed song. And so, he concluded, Beomgyu's gonna stick with this.

The process of doing it is fun for him, there is no much difference when he makes real music, except for the sense and purpose of it of course, but the point is, Taehyun was right. He just needed a little love from what he was doing.

He continued making music out of his notes, a bit thankful to his memory bank for having so many stocked melodies. Trash melodies or not, he would definitely use it. One song per lesson, several songs per subject until he made so much, he swears he can already perform a whole concert using these songs as his setlist.

Beomgyu spent the rest of his night doing god's work and he immediately told the younger how it actually worked the next day. He's so enthusiastic that even Taehyun couldn't help but praise him for doing great and for being consistent with his effort despite the fact that studying is Beomgyu's mortal enemy.

It was a big progress for him and Beomgyu thinks he can cram all these in a week, now that Hyuka offered his help on making more melodies as helping hands are always better, they said. It was a lot more fun doing it with someone, Kai even brought his guitar one time just to make it with him and as an auditory learner he is, the songs helped him a lot too.

The days went fast and the final examination for their first semester also passed like a blur. All Beomgyu remembered that day was how nervous he was on taking the exam and that was the first time he felt that way towards a test. He once never cared, but now he cares a lot.

And you thought you'll be free after taking it but the result will always hold you off from celebrating. Knowing Beomgyu's personality, he'll be the one to initiate the celebration, but the time where they actually survived the examination week, he couldn't help but not enjoy their mini party.

Sure he was there too in Hyuka's room with the others, the coffee table filled with snacks that they like, yet Beomgyu couldn't afford to take a breather. He had probably adapted Taehyun's overthinking skills. He wasn't even that eager to win the bet, he just wanted to prove something to the others, or rather, prove something to himself.

He wishes that the days of waiting for the result will pass as fast as when he is enjoying his particular days. And so much for holding on stand by, feeling the anxiousness where he nearly wants to sleep for those days straight and ought to wake up when the announcement of grades starts.

Beomgyu thought that he wouldn't feel worse anymore than those waiting periods but boy, he was wrong. The announcement day was the most nerve wracking part as Mr. Baek stared at the class for a whole minute or two while holding the paper of destiny filled with red marks- unknown if it was a cross out or a big check mark.

Mr. Baek will be handing it to them in an alphabetical manner and he sure is thankful that his surname starts with "Ch". He doesn't need to see his test papers immediately, giving him time to prepare himself.

Kang Taehyun, being the first one to be called, of course got praised by their adviser for having the highest scores. Beomgyu took a peek at the younger's papers and good lord, three digit numbers were all present on each sheet he was holding. How could someone never miss a question in every subject?

"Wow, this is probably my luckiest exam." Nonchalantly spoken by the owner of the full-marked papers.

"Luckiest?! You call that 'luck'?! That is literally a miracle, a once in a lifetime happening!" Beomgyu protested.

He heard a cackle from Taehyun's other side as if Huening Kai found his statement ridiculous.

"Haven't you heard, hyung? Taehyun also did a full-mark on all subjects last year. I don't think it's a miracle for him to get those marks now."

Mouth leaving agape like a fish and forehead creased from the absurdity, Beomgyu's annoyed gaze that was directed to Kai shifted back to Taehyun. The younger only reciprocated his stare and cocked his eyebrows at him.

"I hate you", Beomgyu jokingly spouted and received a stifled laugh from the latter.

Names were being called and his time was running out. It finally reached the surnames with "Ch", starting from their classmate with the surname "Cho", after that, it's Beomgyu's turn to take his papers.

He couldn't help but still get startled when his name got called, and as he slowly stood from his seat, delaying the time intentionally while he walked towards Mr. Baek, waltzing as if he was dancing in with the slowest music that ever existed, yet as much as he buys his time, his turn was inevitable.

He took his paper of destiny from Mr. Baek's grasp gently and immediately put it down, not wanting to see the results. He accidentally met his adviser's stare and Beomgyu couldn't really comprehend what look Mr. Baek was giving him, making his face scrunch much worse than before.

He averted his gaze and immediately sat on his chair, the two youngest promptly turned their heads in his direction, all eyes burning towards his papers.

"I don't wanna see it." He stammered.

"It's just the test hyung, it's not the class rankings yet." Hyuka affirmed him as he tried to calm the older.

Beomgyu took a deep breath and heavily sighed. Hyuka's right, he still has a chance even if he failed one of his subjects. He then slowly laid his test papers down on his table, eyes closed.

He hadn't opened his eyes yet when he heard a loud gasp from the two.

"What?! What is it?! Did I fail?" He babbled.

"Open your eyes, coward!" He felt a harsh tug on his arms as he heard Kai's voice dissing him.

He slowly unshut his left eyelid that covers his vision followed by the right, sluggishly diverting his gaze downwards where his papers are located.

And there he goes, his vision scanning through his papers as his brain starts to short circuit for a moment, the mini Beomgyu in his head acts like a mechanic when it tries its best to make his brain work up and running so he can absorb what he is currently seeing.

Usual marks with lines of 5 and 6, his highest with 75, now replaced by numbers that start with 8 and one paper that start with 9.

Huh? Did Mr. Baek handed him the wrong papers?

"Mr. Baek, I think you handed me the wrong ones." He exclaimed, grabbing his adviser's attention.

"I handed in all the papers now. That's definitely yours. As much as I don't want to believe it, but congratulations for the high marks Choi, keep it up." Mr. Baek concluded, as Beomgyu is still not believing in what he is seeing.

He tried to double check the names that are written in every single paper and heck, Mr. Baek really didn't make a mistake handing him his papers.

His marks finally sinking in, he released a delayed loud gasp making Hyuka laugh from how surprised he looked, Taehyun chuckled beside him and offered him a huge smile that screams 'you did it hyung!'.

Beomgyu never knew the exhilarating feeling from getting high marks, he never had those for a long time, but now he quite understands why good grades make other students happy.

The blood, sweat, and tears they poured into it, every single effort they exerted, every breakdowns they experienced in the process, they are all worth it when you finally see the results. Seeing your hard work being paid off is one of the most amazing feelings.

He was about to celebrate his first win, as what he considers it, when the small announcement from their adviser brought him back to reality.

This is not what they betted on. He needs to know his class rank and overall year level rank. And it is time for them to know the cream of the crops this semester.

Their ranks will be posted later in their classroom pinboard after announcing the top 10 students this time. And so, Mr. Baek proceeds on announcing names that start at 10.

Anticipation was building up in the part of their classroom where the three of them sat. They surely knows Taehyun and Huening Kai would be on the same rank as their midterm, which is in the first and third, but Beomgyu was usually on the top 15 and lower, lucky if he is placed on the 11th just like his midterm rank, so if ever the top 4 was announced and his name still wasn't mentioned yet, that only means Beomgyu failed and lost the bet already.

He clasped his hands and desperately prayed to whoever is there to grant his wish. Another first time he felt, chasing after something, some ranks he once never cared about. There is this feeling of high expectation from his own self, knowing how much frustration he gathered from it. Beomgyu badly wants his efforts to be sweetly rewarded.

Then he can prove to himself that he also can be academically inclined. Prove others he isn't unbearable to teach and is also willing to do any method he could think of to actually learn.

Rank 7.

Oh no, his nerves are attacking again. Beomgyu tries to brush off the feeling but having the standards high, needing to enter the rank 5, forbids him to set his expectations low.

He felt like screaming his lungs out from the stress. His whole body agitated to hear the top 5 results. 3 more ranks then it's over for him.

Rank 5. Now here we go. The battle is on and the battlefield is set. The shared suspense from the three boys were visible as Mr. Baek met his stare. Is he really looking at him? Is he seeing this right? What does that look even mean?

"Choi Beomgyu."

A short pause. Then everyone gasps. Eyes all wide open, attention directed to him, mouths all agape, a big question of 'WHAT?' painted on their faces, and some murmurs of questions started to be heard one by one.

"Congrats kid. That's 6 ranks higher than last time. I trust you did things fair and square." With a dubious tone, Beomgyu finally comprehended the look that their adviser is giving him all this time.

Oh... So that was doubt and suspicion.

He may have thought that Beomgyu did something to get such a high grade, acting as if they didn't know that he is a smart student ever since, his actions just refused to be labeled as one.

And now that he did something to show beyond doubt, he must have hit somebody's nerve. May it be a student, or perhaps, a teacher.

It makes Beomgyu feel so much thrill. Seeing their doubtful faces and arching eyebrows, the not so subtle discrediting whispers, and the threat he now possesses to some students who aim at the top. Enthralling at some point.

Yet his two friends beg to differ. Taehyun and Huening Kai's eyes narrowed from the way people reacted, especially their adviser who looked at Beomgyu as if he is someone with less value than the others. And damn, they were pissed. The once smiling face of Taehyun and the usual angelic Huening Kai, frowns from the vexing reactions.

But for someone who cares about his image and someone who is known to be an obedient scholar, the two youngest could only make faces and scoff. They can't make a scene, can't they.

"Leave them be, what matters is I put a check mark on the first goal", he followed it with a wink that seems to make his friends' faces much more annoyed than before. If he only studied to brag, then he would have already made a scene, but they can't be distracted, he still has a massive bulletin board outside of their room to dominate. And when he does dominate it, then maybe he can finally brag about it. Just a little.

Two of their classes ended and the students finally can have their short break. However, for Beomgyu, it is hardly a break. All of the first year's names are already written on their pinboard right in front of their faculty.

The three boys rushed to the location, seeing the board being flocked with students who wanted to take a peek at their overall first semester ranking. Taehyun and Kai automatically went to the left side of the board to see their names written at the top 10, and Beomgyu's body unconsciously looked for his name at the middle part.

Usually, his name would be written around rank 50 to 60 so he started to scan in that area, looking for 'Class-A Choi Beomgyu' just to be safe from the disappointment.

Yet, no matter how many times he re-read the names in those ranks, even roam his eyes near rank 50s and 60s, his name was still nowhere to be found, not until he felt a harsh tap on his shoulder- basing from the heaviness of the said hand, he guesses in was from Hyuka.

He diverted his attention to Huening Kai's direction as the taller signalized him to come with him. Beomgyu pushes through the pack of students, squeezing his big body (since his height is not the average) to fit through the small gaps just so he could reach the other end of the board.

Finally reaching the left edge, his heart beat loudly again, bringing him back to reality. This other end is where the top ones are written. Oh god, did he actually win their bet?

Before his eyes could hover around the pinboard, Hyuka pointed at a certain rank as it reads:

Rank 23. (Class 1-A) Choi Beomgyu

Exactly at the third column, third row, a wonder manifested. However, as astonishing as it can get, it seems like reaching for the so-called miracle is far too early to happen. So close.

A bummer to be exact. Beomgyu was 3 ranks away from winning their bet so as much as he wanted to celebrate his current high rank, his shoulders couldn't help but sag from dismay.

In a flash, Beomgyu's memories look back from times he didn't pay enough attention in class. Times where he played around instead of answering his homeworks ahead of time, sat at the back of the room with his other friends rather than staying on his designated seat beside Taehyun, and chatting and messing around while the lecture was ongoing.

A tinge of regret hits him. His 'if's filled his mind as he felt like all of it was a misused opportunity. What a waste, the only thing he could think of.

Knowing Beomgyu who just goes along the tidal waves, never expecting anything from everything, suddenly felt another thing that he finally understood- the feeling of being so close, already in your reach, and all you need to do is grab it and never let go. Yet a small mistake could make a slip out from it until you can't turn back time and all you feel is regret. And with dismay, that's what's currently happening.

Like how a student who worked all day and night to get the perfect grade, got a 97 after making a small calculation mistake. It was an anticlimax. A full mode of disappointment.

He released a deep sigh, a visible discontentment plastered on his face as he muttered under his breath, "I guess I lost."

His vision averted from the board, his feet took him away from where he was once rooted. The famous line "better luck next time" continuously chants a thousand times in his mind since he is not the type to dwell into something no matter how disappointing it was.

Only his thoughts got interrupted when a strong force from behind hit his back. It's the usual don't-be-sad back hug attack from Kai, as he rubs his target's belly to console them. "Congrats hyung! Your efforts were not wasted!"

A soft huff couldn't help but slip out from Beomgyu's lips, "I lost the bet Kai. My efforts were wasted. Argh! If only I did my activities properly and nailed the midterm test, then I would have gotten a higher average score. I am this close!"

He whined finally facing Kai while his hand formed a pinching gesture. His forehead crinkles as his eyebrows meet in the middle with obvious small frustration seeping out of him.

"You still did great hyung. Jumping 20 to 30 ranks isn't a joke, I think you did amazing." Taehyun who finally joins the conversation appeared behind the youngest's back with a big proud smile on his face.

"But still..." he pouts.

"Still it's not something other people can do. Trust us a little bit here Beomgyu-hyung, you really did well." The latter insisted, his words wanting to convince the older.

He turns his feet around again as the bell rings- an indication that all students must go back to their respective classes, another small huff slips out, "Alright fine. But it seems like we won't be planning our hangouts outside of this building huh. I guess rank 20 is still a bit far fetched."

"Yeah. Better luck next time. Not until you reach that rank in overall, the bet is still on. We still have our second semester, and if you keep that slight determination in you I'm sure you'll get a higher rank next time."

Well, that is, if Beomgyu still has any determination left after everything that happened. He felt drained like an already squeezed out lemon, what determination is Taehyun even talking about? But despite the opposing thoughts inside of him, he manages to respond in a hum with a compliant tone.

Well, he sure enjoyed some part of it. Maybe he can still slowly build up this slight resoluteness they are talking about.

Chapter Text

Students rejoice as their last day before summer break ends with a ringing bell. Rushing out of the school vicinity is their first and only thought as they pick up their scattered books and pens on their table and place them inside of their bags in a clutter.

The three freshmen did the same while Beomgyu and Taehyun listened to Kai chattering about wanting to leave immediately so he wouldn't miss out on their family date, happily telling a story about his sisters who made a mess with milkshakes last time their family went out.

Taehyun wanted to listen attentively to his best friend's story yet a thought has been occupying his mind more than his liking. The object's presence inside of his bag was calling for him to be noticed while he contemplated if this is actually the right time to do it.

But he knows that the thoughts won't leave unless he does it. He just needs to tuck the embarrassment at the corner of his mind and heart to execute it without making another mortifying core memory for Beomgyu to use against him in the future.

Because what was he even thinking? He doesn't know what came up to him to actually do the opposite of what he was supposed to do.

Well fuck it.

Taehyun interrupted Kai's short story telling time before their feet were able to leave the 4 cornered room, "Hyuka, can you go ahead first? I just need to do something before leaving."

"Are you sure?"

Taehyun hummed in response and it was enough confirmation for his best friend to sprint out of their classroom after he bids them a jolly goodbye with the 'see you after summer break!' they've been hearing left and right the whole time.

Seeing no Kai in sight, Taehyun takes a deep breath when he tries to prepare himself for any sort of reaction he is about to receive once he does his last job before leaving the school premise.

Good thing Beomgyu opted to wait for him so the younger could at least have someone to walk with him until they reached their own stops.

"Would it take a while?" The older pry.

"Uhh, no. Not really." It was a miracle he didn't stutter but the way he said those few words wasn't impressive either. And now he thinks Beomgyu caught up from his idea when he just sounded so unconfident.

Then there was a short silence that grew longer as the time ticked and no one to break whatever awkwardness Taehyun emits. Can Beomgyu just respond or something? He wishes he'll start talking rather than stare at him right now.

Taehyun cleared his throat to break the still air when he realized that the older wasn't going to react any other way, "Actually, I just need to give you something."

"Me?" Beomgyu pointed at himself as he asked.

Taehyun nodded his head and opened his bag to finally grab the object that had been bothering him the whole time, almost whispering his response as if he was trying to avoid anyone hearing their conversation in a space where he knew that it's just him and the other man in the room.

"I know you lost the bet but... I think you still at least deserve something for your effort."

"What do you mean?"

He finally took out the reason for his dead weight and showed it to Beomgyu who took his time to study the entire thing's appearance.

A yellow covered notebook and almost tattered looking sent the older wonders. It doesn't look special yet the size and the feel of it seem so awfully familiar.

Taehyun handed it to Beomgyu so he could further inspect, "Uhmm... This is not much but I did my best", with a bashful face, the younger directs his gaze to the ground to avoid seeing the man's reaction to his awful work of restoration. Well sue him, he is just creative enough to actually make it look like a notebook.

Still perplexed by the said object, Beomgyu opened the first page of the pad, and then the other, until finally he saw and realized the dearly familiar handwriting. It suddenly felt like meeting an old friend.

The once torn pieces of paper that were beyond saving is now all taped up. The orange notebook cover was long gone and was replaced by an exaggerating amount of yellow pad, bunched up with each other to make it thicker— serving its purpose as a new cover. The once torn pieces finally became pages again, and leaf by leaf, sheets were collected like a notebook—the way it was supposed to be—sewn up with the yellow-colored pad. The reconstruction of the notebook was a mess but Beomgyu thinks it's perfect.

Taehyun did pull an all-nighter at some time, wasting his precious hours assembling it like edgeless puzzle pieces put together. Although he, himself, objected to the idea of trying to put it up again, telling the other part of him that he won't gain anything from trying to restore it, but the idea of seeing Beomgyu finally smile when he sees his once-torned journal whole won the mind battle that resulted to where he is now.

It was ridiculous. He still thinks it was a ridiculous idea. Taehyun was supposed to throw it away but when he tried to, he remembers the face that the older made when the latter showed it to him as he also revealed his scarred part of his soul. And so, he still did... No matter how ridiculous the idea could get, he chose to try and do something about it.

Now seeing its physical appearance seems like broken glass. It was somewhat still serving its purpose yet quite obvious that it wasn't in its best condition. Despite that, despite how terrible it was constructed, and despite the said object's material beyond retrieving back from its old glory, Beomgyu knew that Taehyun surely healed a part of his heart.

God, he felt like crying in front of the younger again. No words could describe the sense of gratitude he was feeling towards the latter. He just couldn't believe Taehyun considered trying to save the unsavable.

He remembers how Taehyun mentioned throwing it away on his behalf to make it less hurt on his part. He really thought Taehyun had thrown it after that day. Well... and so did Taehyun.

It took him a lot of time and patience, a familiarity too since it's not a picture that was written on the papers but words so he just wishes that he pieces some of it correctly.

And no doubt for Beomgyu that Taehyun actually did most of it right. The older thought that the younger must have also tried reading every single lyric composition written in each piece to make it make sense.

A small overjoyed laugh couldn't help but escape Beomgyu's grinning lips while he scans the whole shabby-looking notebook page by page.

"I hope I got some of it right. I tried to put everything together correctly but I'm not really sure about some other parts."

Beomgyu shook his head heartily, the smile never left his eyes and lips as he met Taehyun's shy gaze. No words could exactly convey what he is currently feeling so he settles in an impulsive hug that surely startled the younger– feeling Taehyun's body freezes from the sudden action.

"Thank you, Taehyun." He whispers in the shell of the younger's ear, his hug tightens from the overwhelming pleasing feeling in his heart as he ignores the part where his actions earned him a flushing tip crawling onto the younger's ears.

After some seconds passed, the entire incident sinking in Taehyun's head, he reciprocated the hug, feeling something inside him churning that made him regret hugging back the older. Him envisioning the smile getting bigger from Beomgyu's face from the returned action just made it completely worse. God, he should probably stop doing things that made him feel so weird. It's pure torture.

And for pete's sake, it was literally the sole reason why he did all these to an extent, it isn't supposed to become a problem to him.

And so, not too long, he removed his hands that once rested on the older's back and made space between them, ceasing the too intimate gesture they shared. Don't blame him, Taehyun thinks he isn't one to be clingy and hugging is another part of intimate gestures in his list.

The younger then met the careless grin on the older's face and oh boy, not that look again. Please, not those fond gazes. Taehyun is not in the right state of mind to melt in front of Beomgyu who outwardly studies him and his expressions.

Averting his eyes from the older's face– his usual defense reaction, is the only way to fight shy of whatever's burning in his inside as he mumbles nearly inaudible words under his breath, "I think we should go home. Mom knows we're only spending half a day here. Don't wanna get scolded first thing in the break."

Taehyun grabbed his bag and immediately turned his heel towards the door, not even waiting for Beomgyu to do the same before he took those steps. He hopefully prayed that the older hadn't noticed his slight agitation yet and so as the loud pounding in his chest, his heart jumping a thousand times more than usual under his ribcage.

Well, Beomgyu is way too busy feeling cheery to notice whatever inner turmoil the younger is having. He couldn't help but feel all giddy up from the "small" prize he received and Beomgyu thinks that if ever he ranks higher in their 2nd semester, would Taehyun reward his hard work again other than the one that comes with the bet.

Not that it matters though, a simple recognition from them is enough, but a small gift wouldn't hurt, right? If this is the winning treatment he'll get, then well, perhaps, he'll partially add his academics to his priority list.

Great results come for those who suffer after all, and he trusts Taehyun and his friends that they'll recognize all his obviously strained diligence.

Beomgyu made a big leap to close the widening distance between them as the younger continuously makes it bigger from speed walking, jumping on the latter's back as he comfortably rests his arms around Taehyun's shoulder while he still wears his stupidly huge grin on his face.

He purposely ignores how the latter stiffens every time they get physically close and focuses on annoying the hell out of the boy after seeing a displeased face plastered on him.

"Get off me! You're heavy!" Taehyun protests while he swats the older's arms off him, making Beomgyu laugh from his riled up reaction.

"I like it when you get flustered. As expected, red really suits you."

"Just say you enjoy my misery. And for your information, I am in no way flustered because you are maddening." The usual doe eyes narrowing, perfectly shaped brows creasing, and the whole face all scrunched up.Taehyun conceals the whole embarrassing feeling, masking it with annoyance.

It's so easy to get worked up on Beomgyu's jokes nowadays. Both of them grew accustomed to each other's presence, making the older feel comfortable messing around Taehyun that sometimes he thinks the older does it purposely to get his attention like a young elementary boy pulling his crush's hair just so he could get a quick glance from the girl.

But of course Taehyun knows Beomgyu is just naturally insufferable. Even the two oldests get really annoyed at the group's prankster, it's just that Taehyun is his current favorite target. Probably also his way of revenge for giving him a hard time from the study weeks that they had.

He could only roll his eyes from the thrown banter of the older, letting Beomgyu's cheekiness get to him. At least he's happy, and Taehyun thinks that's what's important especially after seeing him being too distressed and anxious these past few days.

He just responds with his usual snarky remarks to keep their playful exchange going, seemingly enjoying Beomgyu's melodic laugh and ridiculous but hilarious replies a bit too much. It's their last encounter during summer break so slightly indulging with the older's presence won't hurt.

Few more steps once they're out of the school grounds and they'll part ways. Hardly any meter left and they'll arrive near the bus stop– Beomgyu's turn opposing to his. A little more time and he'll lose the unidentifiable warmth inside of his chest.

That's okay, he persuades himself. It's okay to lose what he feels. It would be a breathe of fresh air for plucking out the strange looming emotions roaming around his system. He would feel relief.

Busy from his thoughts, he felt his walking companion halting his step that also made Taehyun stop from his feet. "My stop", finally offering a small gentle smile, far from the playful grin he had a few minutes ago.

"Oh, yeah. Uhm, bye." If he could be much more embarrassing now, he talks as if he just lost all his vocabulary as he is unable to construct a full normal sentence, rather spout words separately with short pauses.

Beomgyu chuckles as he watches the almost lost looking boy in front of him having a server maintenance inside of his head.

"Don't miss me. We'll still see each other after a week or two."

"You and your thick face", followed by a playful scoff.

Beomgyu's giggle never fails to make the corner of Taehyun's lips curve upwards, and as much as he hates to admit it, he's recently having a hard time holding back his reserved smiles.

The short chat was halted when Beomgyu took a glimpse of the bus, coming in their direction. They quickly exchanged goodbyes as the older had to rush running towards the bus stop to avoid missing his ride.

A week or two. Just a few days without the presence of any of his friends. He can live with that. Taehyun swears to himself he can definitely live with it. He has to, no matter how cold and lonesome it feels like. He just gotta live with those few days without any warmth.

Chapter Text

Walking through a familiar pavement, meeting the few meters of cobblestone right in front of their porch, Taehyun's body systematically did its routine as he opened the door of their house greeting his mom and dad when his eyes took a glimpse of his parents in the living room.

His day was expectedly welcomed by the same old 'where are your grades?' after the last day of his school right before the summer break, and he is also presumed to show it to them. Taehyun took out his grade card all together with his latest exam results, handed it over and made his way to his room to change his clothes before eating lunch.

After changing to his comfortable t-shirt and shorts, he immediately went downstairs to eat and have that usual conversation.

"You did well Taehyun! I was right to cook your favorite food today. Now chow down dear, let's talk about your day in school", his mom enthusiastically praised him.

Before he opened his mouth to start a light conversation about his old-boring day, his eyes diverted to his dad as he tried to grasp any reaction from the old man, wishing he'll praise him or maybe recognize him just a bit after getting a perfect exam scores and for maintaining his top position in their class ranking and in their overall.

Yet, waiting was in vain and the old man remained silent so he just gave up again for today. Not enough huh, he guessed. Rather than being all disappointed and sulky from his dad's fixed reaction, he averted his sight to his mom and wore a huge grin on his face.

"Good as usual. Nothing special to me but my friends do have some."

"Oh, did Kai rise to the top 5 overall?" His mom asked.

Beomgyu is a bit of a badshot to his parents but talking about the older today would be the best. A little flex would work out from building trust as he proves that Beomgyu could be someone they could trust to be Taehyun's friend and that would also mean they can finally be given the certainty about Taehyun's decisions so he shook his head and delighted,

"It's Beomgyu-hyung. He's part of the class rank now and he almost entered the rank 20 overall." With a cheery tone, his dad's reaction contradicts him with a scowl while the woman had her eyes widened from the news.

"Re- really?" the woman doubtfully quired, her eyes shifting from her son to her frowning husband.

Taehyun excessively nods his head and continues, sticking up on his truthful narrative.

"It was a hard month for him. Hyung tagged along with us to study, and sometimes he was the one who initiated our group studies. It actually helped me too, teaching hyung and Hyuka made me memorize things easier. He was really diligent too. And smart. And goal oriented. I knew he had what it takes."

As he rambled continuously, the fact that he was genuinely proud of Beomgyu slipped out and now he couldn't remove the glowing beam on his face. Before his mom could talk, Taehyun continued to show Beomgyu off.

"And you know mom, he honestly had a hard time learning but he always asks us when he doesn't get a part. Can you believe it? Choi Beomgyu just showed some dedication to his studies! I felt somewhat surprised too." Leaving out Beomgyu's whining and complaints, Taehyun made sure that the only thing that would come out of his mouth is pure praise.

"Isn't that good to hear? Your good influence is really pretty strong. I'll be waiting for the day where you two can help each oth–" His mom beamed but a sudden interruption ruined the whole mood.

"Don't get too chummy with that rascal. I'm sure that boy can't maintain what he started. He'll go back to his old habits. And if you let him influence you, you are going down, Taehyun. Remember that."

Taehyun suddenly felt his lips dry and his throat squeezed. His eyes couldn't meet the man's as his tone never failed to make Taehyun visibly cower and his whole body freeze. He needed to speak. He has to say something and defend his friend. He needs to at least take a stance on this.

"I... I think... hyung can do it. K-kai and I.. We're helping him out." His last bit of courage used from forming a simple sentence, yet he couldn't help but still stutter while he tries his best to mask the shaking in his voice.

The man didn't utter a word and a simple glare and a cocking eyebrow is enough to speak for himself. Taehyun made sure to finally meet the man's eyes, wanting to prove to his dad he meant what he said.

The air was still and thick enough to suffocate one's lungs. It was getting harder to breathe as seconds passed by without anyone speaking. The clanking of utensils also stopped and Taehyun could nearly hear his own shallow breath. Before anyone could get hurt from the painful tension, the only woman in the place finally spoke.

"I think it's worth trying. Besides, Taehyun can leave the boy if ever he goes back to his old habits, right baby?" Her stare was firm and Taehyun knew that look. He was given no choice but to agree to his mother so as much as it was hard to comply, he could just try to lie under his teeth.

Taehyun nodded and muttered a small 'yes'. He continued eating to escape from the straining atmosphere, filling the space with clanking sounds he very much preferred than the stifling air.

Fortunately, the old man didn't press any longer. His mom asked another light question that can build the ruined mood again and Taehyun answers them, riding along with the woman's attempt.

After taking his afternoon meal, Taehyun went to his room like usual, taking his favorite favorite fiction book out of his shelf that he recently received as a gift from his mom after his graduation. He rereads the book for the nth time to entertain himself while laying on his stomach on his bed with the sound of the small gadget beside him buzzing like crazy; he is definitely not ignoring it, he'll join their group chat later.

But before his eyes could lay on the first word on the said book, a knock on his door disturbed his leisure time. He loudly vocalized "come in" as he stayed still laying on his comfy mattress.

A woman appeared behind the open door and entered his room. It's not usual for her to come and check on Taehyun so he thinks it might be something important. Maybe about the conversation downstairs earlier, although he wishes it's not, he doesn't wanna be on a hot seat this time.

He sat from his lying position to join his mom who made herself comfortable at the edge of Taehyun's bed.

"What is it?" He started with a small smile on his face.

His mom shrugged, "Nothing. I just want to give you something", there she showed him a rectangular object on her hands, gift-wrapped with a cute blue ribbon on it.

"What's that?" Taehyun pried despite having a clear idea on what the said object is. It was the only thing he received as a gift since he never really asked for anything. Not that he is complaining, he enjoyed it very much.

Taehyun took the allegedly new book on his mother's grasp and finally ripped out the wrap that was covering it.

"Oh my god mom! This is the series 2, right?! I've been dying to know what happened next after that cliffhanger they did in the first book!"

"And I assumed you loved my gift." His mom beamed.

"Absolutely! When did you get this for me?"

"A long time ago. I bought it with the first book I gave you on your graduation. I was waiting to finally give it to you."

"I can't believe you kept this from me. Don't tell me this also has series 3?" With a playful glare directed to the woman, his mom chuckled and teased the boy, "You'll see."

With a pout on his face, he responded in defeat knowing that his mom wouldn't budge even if he asked many times, and also he wouldn't like to be spoiled, "Fine, I'll finish this first. Thank you mom."

"No, problem sweetie, you deserve it. And maybe, if there really is another series, I can give you the next one if you do well on your midterm exams next semester."

"Nothing hard about that", and a playful arrogance was there.

And as Taehyun thought he escaped the dreadful feeling of conversing about what they talked about earlier at the dining table, the immediate silence after their exchange said so.

He internally wished his mom would get up from his bed and leave his room with a last 'congratulations again, Taehyun', but the woman remained seated at the edge of his mattress.

No awkwardness Taehyun could handle so he willingly cut off the almost turning long hush in the space.

"This is not just about the book, right?" He lowly spoke.

Finally, the woman's eyes showed a hint of uncomfortableness, giving a dead giveaway that he was right. Taehyun knew none of them would want to talk about it and she obviously didn't want to lose the comfort her son gained around her, but some things really needed to be addressed, and so she finally voiced, "Actually, I also came here to talk about your friend."

"Is this about hyung?" a fast response.

"Hmm."

"Is there something wrong?" Taehyun doesn't remember saying anything bad about the older, doesn't he? Or did he?

"No I just... The way you talk about him, it reminds me of the way you talked about Huening Kai. You're really fond of him, aren't you?"

He could only do a gentle hum as a response, he has no idea where this is going but Taehyun wishes it's nothing bad.

"What is he like?" His eyes widened in surprise as the woman asked a question he never once thought of leaving her mouth.

Usually, she would judge the person first, telling him the bad things he might adapt over time, and she did that not just to Kai, but to every kid Taehyun wanted to befriend with. She considers those just a warning so his son wouldn't stray far from the right path they chose for him.

So asking him directly what kind of person his friend is is something he never actually expected from his mom. Come to think of it, his mom had gone softer and her presence doesn't intimidate him as much as it was back then.

Maybe after the mistake they made about who Kai really is as a person gave his mom a little shake in the head.

"Beomgyu-hyung is really nice. He is the type of person to set his eyes on his goal and never turn back from it. He's really loud and a bit annoying but that was also somewhat his endearing charm. He just never shuts up", Taehyun released a stifled laugh as the woman had a gentle smile on her face, a sign the boy can continue talking and she has no plan on interrupting.

"He is pretty smart. Sweet too, that's a guarantee. He really cares about his friends and to be honest, sometimes we think he prioritizes us more than himself. Well, between the three of us, he's the oldest so maybe he just has this feeling that he kind of has a responsibility of taking care of us.

I wish people were open to getting to know him more. Hyung is more than what people think of him." Spouting all these words and praises, Taehyun somewhat knows it was directed to his mom, wishing that she can also be open on getting to know his dear friend rather than sticking to the narrative like any other adults who knew the older as the good-for-nothing kid.

He hopes that his father will be one too. But what hope does he have if he can't even trust his own son? So here he is, convincing his mom again like usual, like how he had done it a long time ago, for his past friends and for Kai— wishing it would work for Beomgyu too especially out of all the kids he befriended, Beomgyu was the only one who have a bad record and image.

"You really are fond of him and I don't doubt that." Taehyun finally met the woman's gentle gaze and saw his mom smiling at him full of genuineness. Maybe it worked.

He beamed at his mother also before she spoke in addition.

"I'm really happy that you have that kind of friend but..."

The smile faded from both faces and the corner of the woman's lips turned downward, her forehead creased in worry, and her eyes looking directly at her son who imitated her expression.

"Your father has a point."

And there it goes.

Taehyun averted his gaze and his eyes landed on the floor, lips pursed while trying to suppress how upset he was as he contemplated whether on wanting to cry or roll his eyes. Just how much effort does he need to exert just to gain some little trust? For one boy, maybe a thousand wouldn't be enough.

"I really want to trust you on this son, but I simply can't trust that boy. Look, I'm just concerned for you, you know that, right?" His mom explained as it was laced with worry.

Taehyun wants to understand. He really wants to. But how could she say she trusts him if she can't even trust his words? Which part of 'Beomgyu is a nice person' and 'He is more than what other people think' are hard to understand?

He badly wanted to retaliate yet something clogged his throat that prevented him from speaking, which a part of him is thankful for since it's not really him to talk back to his parents.

So he mustered a nod, still wanting to try understanding that what his parents just said was the best for him. After all, they were never wrong.

"I just don't want you to get in trouble. You know your dad wouldn't tolerate that. I don't want you getting hurt Taehyun."

Taehyun's heart unavoidably melted a little from his mother's tone. It was gentle and full of care. Yeah, that's right. She just cares so much for her son. It was never her intention to upset him.

And so, Taehyun took a silent deep breath and finally managed to meet his mother's gaze again and plant a small smile on his face.

"Promise me you'll help the boy out, please?"

"Huh?" All that he could muster with a widened eye, as if his doe eyes can still get any bigger.

'Help the boy out' is again, something he never expected. Taehyun was much more expecting it to be 'promise me you'll stay away from him if things go south' or something in between those lines.

It felt so weird, having the woman being so soft around him. What had really gotten to her to act and speak like this? Are all parents this confusing?

But not wanting the focus of their conversation to divert into somewhere else, although still baffled by his mother's statement, he finally at least uttered a response.

"Uh. Yeah. Oh yeah. I promise you that." Taehyun managed to show a grin despite feeling so conflicted between happiness and doubt from the way the woman spoke. Nevertheless, what matters is at least she seems to partially accept Beomgyu now.

"And swear you won't get yourself into trouble. If you have to detach yourself from Beomgyu, then do it. There are plenty of people you can still be friends with. Someone who drags you down isn't worth it."

Oh.

Alright... This is the woman he knows. The mother he grew up with. So everything is normal it seems.

"Yeah."

"That's good to hear. Keep up the good work okay? Rest well." And finally, she got up from her comfortable position to leave the boy's room but halted as she heard her son speak.

"If I do all that, would it finally make dad proud of me?" Spoken from a low tone, sounding so unsure if it was right to say it. It was a sudden thought that he unintentionally voiced out, thinking if all of these efforts would finally be worth it.

Her eyes softened from looking at her son who was playing with his own fingers, unknown to the fact that the boy was a bit agitated, "Of course. You can make us proud. I know you can."

And a small relief by the given assurance. A smile slipped out of lips as he reciprocated the kind stare of his mother, and utter with his almost hushed tone, "Okay then."

The woman gives him a sincere beam before she shuts the door, making Taehyun finally release a deep sigh.

All will be worth it.

A little more trust and all will surely be worth it.

Chapter Text

Drained souls and dragging steps, visible black circles around the eyes that once were the home of stars– almost like the galaxy itself, shining brightly and beautifully, now voided and empty.

The prim and proper boy who always went to school the earliest was walking on the pavement near the campus, hair uncombed and his uniform not yet buttoned up, revealing his crumpled plain white undershirt.

If it's not yet visible enough, his left eye twitching and brows furrowed as early as 6:45 AM would speak for itself.

Taehyun is damn stressed right at the first day of their second semester because darn that History quiz last month. If only he kept it hidden safely under his mattress, then maybe his mom wouldn't have to see it and punish him by confiscating his phone and books then making him study that particular lesson during the last 2 days of his summer vacation.

It wasn't his fault he almost messed it up. It happens. It's normal. He didn't mean to blank out that time from lack of sleep and skipped a whole back page of the quiz paper. It wasn't intentional. Yet of course, she just had to ruin Taehyun's last days of rest.

Absent-mindedly walking towards the campus– his body already automatically generated to do so, entered the school gate and glanced at the wall clock in the guard stall. Surprisingly, he's 10 minutes early. Nearly late but hey! At least he's still early for his own good.

Reaching his classroom, Taehyun immediately sat down and dropped his bag on the side, opting to take a short nap while he ignored all the commotion inside and outside of the 4-cornered room. He checked the time on his phone and saw he still had 7 minutes left before assembly so he took the opportunity and quickly drifted off to sleep as his body screamed rest.

His exhaustion was about to engulf him as his body slumped harder on his desk like a puddle of jelly melting under the sun, not until the school bell rang for the flag ceremony to start off the week.

Taehyun couldn't help but release a groan then curse under his breath from the interruption, but as much as he wanted to stay inside of their room and just continue his nap because no students wanted to listen to their principal's speech early in the morning, he still got off his chair to head down to the gym, rolling his eyes hard for that's the only way to express his distress.

Dragging his own feet and body towards the designated location, his steps wobbled from lack of sleep and the impact of someone jumping on his back. He guesses, it's Beomgyu, right? It can't be Hyuka, he said he won't be attending school on their first day, his father needed a helping hand.

"I made it." Said the guy while heaving for air.

"Good morning to you too and you're still technically late, the school bell rang already." Taehyun deadpanned.

"Still made it to the ceremony." And a huge grin greeted him face to face while the arms around the younger's shoulder remained resting on his already heavy body.

The usual prim and proper Taehyun would dread to be at the back of the line. There, where most of the rowdy students and particularly latecomers are placed to keep the front rows quiet and disciplined.

He hates the loud noises they make as it never fails to make his head hurt so seeing him in the back would be as rare as finding a living and breathing leprechaun. Yet here he was, right beside Beomgyu at the very back. Avoiding the curious eyes to be directed to him as his current appearance is not the best to flaunt at the front.

"Wow... You look like shit Taehyun, and you're at the back of the line with me." Beomgyu's eyes scanned the grumpy boy beside him as he received a low growl and a scowl with his arms crossed on his chest, back humping like he's carrying the whole world's biggest problem.

"Not now hyung."

Judging from the dark circles and pissed expressions, things may not have turned out great on the younger's summer break. He could only guess for now since Taehyun had been "ignoring" them for 2 days in their group chat and even went to the extent of not replying to their direct messages.

"What happened?" He pryingly asked.

"Shit happened."

For the very first day, early in the goddamn morning, you can't even talk to him properly without snapping, so Beomgyu didn't retaliate as he tried to avoid making the boy more pissed than he is now so he could only slowly nod his head, not pushing anymore.

Their principal finally appeared and started spouting his speech that no students give a single attention as most of them just stare in daze at the stage yet some teachers would weirdly find it interesting and inspiring no matter how many times their headmaster tells them the same exact story he mentioned every year.

Taehyun, was also staring in thin air, waiting for the long ass speech to finish just so he could finally take his wonderful nap on his own seat, until his daydreaming was interrupted by a call of attention.

"Psst."

He ignores.

"Hey." Another call. Taehyun's eyes can't help but twitch from irritation.

He quickly turned his head towards the older and met him with a sharp stare, whispering back that sounded more like a hiss, "What now?"

Beomgyu scooted closer to Taehyun so he could whisper in a lower volume but enough for Taehyun to hear, "I have an offer to make, wanna get outta here?"

"Hyung if you're gonna do something ridiculous, don't drag me into this, I'm too tired for this bullshit." His big doe eyes turned small from squinting and from furrowing his eyebrows, now averting his gaze from the older.

"Chill, darling. There will be no class today anyway. It's literally our first day for the second semester."

"Whatever. You're crazy." He spouts with a venom in his tone, still wearing the scowl in his face.

Beomgyu released a low chuckle from the boy's statement, "You know I am."

And so the opening ceremony continues as it nearly comes to its end. Taehyun already knew the principal's routine in every speech he makes and once he drops a quotation straight out from a famous philosopher that he couldn't find any correlation to the things the headmaster just said, it's a clear sign that his nonsense morning ceremony will finally end.

A yawn escaped from his mouth and heard another word from the boy beside him.

"Stay here and wait for me", left confused and his mind wandering elsewhere, Taehyun could only cock his brows from perplexion until he realized that the older left the line and disappeared into thin air.

He slightly panicked as the ceremony was ongoing and his bastard friend did something that might get himself in trouble, clearly not thinking about the consequences that might come later. He could only release a huff, I'm not gonna cover up for him anymore.

A minute and two passed, the ceremony finally ended and the students were slowly starting to dissipate from the gym to get back to their designated rooms, but Taehyun was there rooted in his place, vainly waiting for the older to appear again as he roam his eyes around to look for Beomgyu. Where did that dumbass go?!

Then a sudden harsh pull to his arm was felt as he got tugged with a sprint towards the other exit at the back of the gym where no one could see them leaving.

"Hyung what in god's name are you doing?!" Taehyun shouted in a whisper as they finally got out of the backdoor. "Breaking you out", is the only reply he received from Beomgyu. They ran towards the back gate of the school since the guards aren't there to patrol, probably too lazy to roam early since they don't get paid enough to do shits like this, it's a school, not a jail after all.

Helplessly being dragged, he had no any other choice but to follow and turning his back would definitely give him troubles now. The teachers would surely send him tons of questions on why he came from the gym's back door.

While his feet walk with the older like a sheep being herd, his gaze trailed from Beomgyu's other hand that was holding something that made his eyes widened when his field of vision finally deciphered the object.

"Hyung is that my fucking bag?!" He raised his voice but not enough to get caught. Beomgyu put his index finger to Taehyun's mouth, "Shhh! You're gonna get us caught."

If Taehyun was tired, he couldn't feel it anymore. In a snap, he felt his chest tightened and fear creeped up on his body as he started to panic. His hands started to shake as well when they finally stopped in front of the school's backgate.

"No no no no! We're not cutting classes like this! Hyung let's go back please, what if we get caught? I'll be punished again, please." Taehyun desperately pleaded while tugging Beomgyu's uniform sleeves and hands. Questions be damned, he'd rather lie under his teeth once again than facing much bigger consequences.

Beomgyu felt a slight hesitation from the way Taehyun reacted, and the anxious-filled looking eyes and trembling hands made him feel guilty but the mere thought of the other staying in that hell hole is unbearable for him. He, himself, doesn't want to be caged in this school and he knows the younger felt the same so he firmly held Taehyun's shoulder, wishing that it would give the younger a bit of sense of security.

"Hey, calm down. We're not gonna get caught, I swear, trust me on this." Beomgyu uttered gently to not agitate Taehyun more.

"But hyung..." Taehyun whined as he saw tears in the corner of the younger's eyes, all frightened at the moment as he was about to cry right in front of him.

Taehyun was genuinely scared. He knew this action holds a bigger consequence, and if his parents found out, they would surely make him stop interacting with any of his friends. Not even his classmates. This time, they'll lock him up alone in his own little bubble and be the elite kid he is– all hated and envied.

"Hey, Hyun, relax. I promise you, you won't get into trouble, okay? Trust me. I'll take care of you." Words never gave him a sure affirmation with things, he never really let his emotions get ahead of him and made his head lead when it comes to decision making, and currently, his mind tells him to go back and just make a cheap excuse as to why he was late. But there is something lacing in Beomgyu's voice that made him suddenly follow what he feels.

And Beomgyu had always given him some sense of security that even his mere words with no solid proof would melt some of his anxiousness away. And thus, not his first time following the older with his mischiefs, Taehyun again, agreed.

"Okay...." A deep breath, "Okay." Muttered in a much firmer way.

And there, a single smile washed over his panic state. Beomgyu's hands trailed from his shoulders back to his hands as he squeezed them a bit tighter, sending the younger warmth in his once clenching chest.

"But I swear hyung, I'll kill you with my own hands before my parents kill me." Taehyun added half jokingly that made Beomgyu let out a small giggle from the threat he received from the younger.

"Tackle me on the floor, headlock me, or even run me over with a ten-wheeler truck, I won't complain." His grin got bigger to reassure the boy in front of him that he would take responsibility if something bad happens, as always. And Taehyun knew what that meant, words don't need to be said.

Beomgyu let go of his hands to grip the metal railing of the gate. His foot stepped on the horizontally lined metal as he pulled his whole weight upwards, climbing over the divider. His other hand that was holding their bags finally dropped it on the other side as he offered his hand to Taehyun. The younger took his hand and did the same as Beomgyu, both jumped off from the top of the gate and grabbed their own bags.

It wasn't hard to actually escape. If ever, it was too easy, Taehyun swore the school needs to change their gate designs.

Both of them finally got out without anyone noticing. Thank the god of fate, the CCTV at the back gate was not working so it was a clean escape, although Taehyun had doubts that Beomgyu actually knew that part as well, so as to why they used the said route to get out.

The two ran off until they couldn't see the prison-like school anymore, stopping in front of the bus station, panting and trying to catch their breaths. He still felt his legs shake from nervousness but at least his hand stopped trembling.

"Well, that was fun." A hard smack to his shoulder was received, sending him fits of laughter from the younger's aggressiveness.

"Fun?! You call it fun!? I nearly died from a heart attack." A scowl was worn while he unbuttoned his uniform. Leaving him with his plain white shirt. He doesn't need to be told everything to remove every single evidence that screams he cut classes, and the wittiness of the younger made Beomgyu smirk.

"You sure this is your first time skipping class?" He playfully asked while he did the same and put his uniform inside of his bag leaving him with the same white undershirt, though his had a colored printed design on it that usually can be seen under his uniform.

"Fuck off." he hissed.

"Where are you planning to take me anyway? Everyone in this area knows us, they might see me cutting classes and they'll tell my parents." he added.

"Don't worry, I'm planning to take you to the neighbouring town, in that way, no one would know who we are." Beomgyu said confidently that send Taehyun some sort of relief. The older also handed him a black mask that serves as a disguise although it wouldn't be a fool proof one, it's better than nothing.

The two boys finally sat on the bench and relaxed their slightly exhausted bodies as they waited for a bus to stop. Silence covered the whole area with a comfortable stillness before Beomgyu broke it when he saw Taehyun yawning, "it's gonna be a 30-minute ride, you can sleep on the bus. Rest assured I won't leave you there."

"Now that you've said it, I'm quite skeptical about that, you might leave me on the bus for real."

"Hey! I'm not that mean!" Beomgyu retorted and slapped Taehyun's shoulder, finally a revenge from earlier. The boy released a chuckle and slightly smiled– his first smile for today, and it made Beomgyu beam as well as Taehyun eventually released the tension on his face and body.

Minutes had passed and the bus came. The two boys took a seat and Beomgyu let Taehyun had his quick nap after putting on the black mask.

10 minutes later, Taehyun's head that was resting on the window was about to fall off. Beomgyu took a quick notice and caught it to rest it on the top of his shoulder, giving the younger a much more comfortable position to rest.

The gesture wasn't something new yet he felt his heart skip a few beats from his own action. Weird, it was a weird feeling for him, maybe he just didn't drink enough water this morning. He'll definitely get something to drink when they get down from the moving vehicle. Heartburn is the worst.

The ride lasted for more than 45 minutes, longer than Beomgyu expected, though Taehyun got a longer nap time so the ride isn't that bad, and the sleeping kitty seemed to be too comfortable to actually wake up. Then the two pairs of feet finally set foot on the other land when the bus came to their stop, removing the masks on their faces as the worry of being identified disappeared.