Milky Chance song that I'm absolutely in love with, featuring WINNER members.

WARNING: THIS SONGFIC CONTAINS MUCH MORE FOUL LANGUAGE THAN OTHER CHAPTERS. IF SWEARING BOTHERS YOU, KINDLY DO NOT READ THESE TWO CHAPTERS.

Past, freshman year.

♥

They met in a large private school for boys located in Gwangju. It was the beginning of the school year and they were just two sophomores lost in the crowd, trying to figure out the new school and the new people.

Myungsoo had been enrolled in private school since kindergarten, and he stuck with a small group of friends from junior high for the opening ceremonies and introductory days.

Sungyeol was completely new to the entire thing. He had grown up in a town so small that his school taught people from kindergarten all the way through to senior year. It just happened that he had done so well on his finals the previous school year that he had been offered a full scholarship to this prestigious academy, which took in randoms from all around the country to maintain a 'diverse' image. But he was different, and he knew it, and they knew it.

All of the other students were from wealthy, well-connected families, and they had been spoiled since birth with whatever they desired.

Sungyeol had been helping out in his family's restaurant since he could walk on his own, and over the years he had gained the biggest workloads, doing food preparation early in the morning, waiting tables after school, and cleaning up once the restaurant closed. He hadn't wanted to attend the new school at first out of concern for who would take over his job, but Daeyeol had promised to do all of it so that his older brother could get the education he deserved.

It took a while for Sungyeol to make a place for himself among the rest of the boys. They seemed to scorn him because of his background, but as soon as he had joined some of the less diligent boys in soccer, his skills deemed him worthy of being their friend. They were the boys who hated school and resented their parents for having such high expectations for them. They didn't want to become world renowned doctors or lawyers or businessmen or performers; they simply wanted to have fun and play sports and do all the things normal boys got to do, so they found joy in the time they spent playing and trying to be as normal as possible with each other.

It was on one of those days spent playing with a volleyball that Taehyun had somehow managed to smuggle into the school that Sungyeol had his first encounter with Myungsoo.

Sungyeol was trying to teach Seungyoon how to set the ball without breaking his fingers, laughing hysterically when the boy simply slapped it upwards with his palms. "Use your fingertips, not your palms."

"I am." The boy tossed the ball up in the air and slapped it with flat hands again.

"No, no, watch Jinwoo and me." Sungyeol rallied the ball with Jinwoo for a bit, still explaining to the other boys how it worked.

Seungyoon intercepted the ball, smacking it to the ground before grabbing it and demonstrating his method again. "That's what I was doing. Look." He slapped the ball again.

"Yeah, sure." Minho snickered.

"Volleyball is stupid. Let's play something else." Seungyoon sat down on the grass, dribbling the ball low to the ground.

"Hey, look. Seunghoon is with the snobs." Taehyun pointed at a group of boys walking along the path. They all wore their uniforms perfectly, shirt buttoned to the collar, tie fastened securely, and blazer wrinkle-free.

"Aren't all the students here snobs?" Sungyeol couldn't tell the difference really.

"Well, yeah, but those guys are the super snobs. Their parents practically run this place. Huge law firms, main medical offices, big corporations. You name it, they own it. They're the main source of school funding."

Jinwoo continued Taehyun's explanation. "One wrong move in front of one of those guys and you're gone. Out of the school, your family's connections are cut, and you're left wrecked."

"So they're the richest?"

"Exactly."

"And I thought that everybody here was already on top." Sungyeol grabbed the ball from Seungyoon. "Want to learn handball?"

Taehyun shrugged and nodded, still looking warily at the group of boys. Suddenly one of them is shouting across the field at them.

"What are you doing with that?" the boy yelled, smirking and guiding his friends over.

". Sungyeol, act rich." Seungyoon grit through his teeth, standing up and snatching the ball back.

"What?"

"Act. Rich." He put on a fake smile for the boys as they got into hearing range. "We're just playing a bit. It's good to get some fitness into your day, a healthy body makes a healthy mind and whatnot."

"Is that so?" he appeared to be the ringleader of the group. He was handsome, with a well defined jawline and plump lips. But Sungyeol doesn't even know his name yet and he already seemed like a major .

"Best to enjoy the outdoors before it gets too cold, wouldn't you say, Woohyun?" Jinwoo smiled grandly at the arrogant boy.

"I didn't think that sports equipment was permitted on school property. I'm sure you could make use of the running track for your daily fitness."

"Ah, is that so? Apologies, apologies, I never knew. We'll dispose of it immediately, come along boys, let's get rid of this and go for a light jog instead." Jinwoo took the ball from Seungyoon and made a move to leave, but Woohyun stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"I wasn't aware you'd gotten a new addition to your little group of friends." He stared at Sungyeol, analyzing the tall boy. Sungyeol didn't react, he simply stared back.

"Lee Sungyeol, nice to meet you," he offered a hand, but it was left hanging uselessly in the air.

Woohyun frowned for a moment. "And who might your parents be?"

Sungyeol chuckled lightly in response. "I'd much rather prove myself worthy with my own accomplishments than rely on those of my parents, so I would prefer to keep that information disclosed."

"Ah, so you're the son of a second-rate business man with good connections."

"Believe what you will."

"We really should go now." Jinwoo nudged Sungyeol.

"Wait," a boy stepped out of the group, stopping directly in front of Sungyeol and staring him straight in the eye. He was also handsome, with dark, intense eyes and bow-shaped lips. Jinwoo's grip on Sungyeol's arm tightened.

"Myungsoo, your father says you shouldn't speak to undesirables." Woohyun spat.

"Shut up for a second, Woohyun. You," he turned back to Sungyeol, "Where are you from?"

"Sokcho, Gangwon-do province." A few in Woohyun's posse guffawed.

"You're here on scholarship."

"Correct."

"Interesting. I'll see you around, I suppose." Myungsoo grinned, and wait, were those dimples? This guy had dimples.

"See you." Sungyeol responded curtly as the group trailed off behind Myungsoo, casting glances of confusion mixed with disdain back at him.

"Oh my God. . Do you know who he is?!" Seungyoon screeched.

"He's nicer than the Woohyun guy."

"You don't get it. He's the son of the school Chairman. His dad owns this school. You don't tell a guy like him that you're from a tiny tourist attraction town, no offense, but you just don't. Do you know what could happen to you if you get on his bad side?! Say goodbye to your family restaurant, it's gone. Gone as gone gets."

"Seungyoon, chill." Taehyun tapped the other's forehead with his knuckles. "Myungsoo either really likes Sungyeol, or really can't wait to mess him up. He smiled at him. Myungsoo only smiles at special people."

Minho scoffed. "The last time he smiled at somebody they were practically his slave for a week, then they dropped out."

Jinwoo smacked him. "Shut up, idiot. Sungyeol's gonna be fine. We've got him." He slung an arm around Sungyeol's shoulders. "C'mon, let's go pop this volleyball."

There was no sign of Myungsoo for a few weeks, only glimpses of him sitting with his friends during breaks or walking down the halls during class changes, but he seemed to pay no attention to Sungyeol.

Then, during a late night of last-minute homework and studying where Sungyeol attempted to help his delinquent friends memorize facts about the endocrine system since he'd already finished his own work ages ago, their room door swung open and Myungsoo walked in and sat down on the bed beside Sungyeol, leaning forward to look at the textbook in his hands. The boys gaped at him.

"Endocrine? For the biology test tomorrow? You didn't study?"

"Uhm, hi to you too? And yes, for the biology test tomorrow. Seungyoon and Minho didn't study."

"I studied, I just didn't understand it." the boy complained before seeming to remember Myungsoo's presence. "Of course we're almost done, and we'll be washing up soon so we don't disrupt any of the other students."

"Whatever. I'm spending the night here. Woohyun's being an annoying ." he looked up for the first time since his surprise entrance. "Oh, Seunghoon's here too."

"Uh, yeah. This is my room." the boy stared down from his top bunk, still attempting to understand the situation.

"Cool." he let himself fall back onto the bed he was sitting on, legs still hanging off the edge.

Sungyeol simply shrugged at his roommates and continued explaining the thyroid gland to Minho. After another half hour had passed, Myungsoo was sitting cross-legged facing Sungyeol, but the other boy continued to ignore him.

"Sungyeol."

"Yes, Myungsoo?"

"You're boring. I didn't come here to be boring with you."

"You said you came to sleep."

Myungsoo crossed his arms. "I'm still in my uniform. Offer me pajamas."

"Bottom drawer on the left." he replied dismissively. "Help yourself, I'll even let you keep what you choose if you'll be good and let us finish."

Myungsoo pouted and sulked over to the dresser, pulling out a sweater and a pair of shorts. He slammed the bathroom door behind him.

", man, watch what you say. He can destroy you." Jinwoo hissed, packing up his textbooks and grabbing a change of clothes.

"He's probably stealing my bed tonight, so I think I have the right to ignore him and help my friends study."

Myungsoo walked out of the bathroom with his uniform balled up into a pile in his arms. "Hang these up for me." he tossed them at Sungyeol, who rolled his eyes but proceeded to do so anyway.

"They're doing roll call soon." he pulled a hanger from the closet and began shaking out Myungsoo's blazer. "Are you gonna hide? Or maybe you'll just remind the teacher who your father is?"

Seungyoon coughed loudly, trying to get Sungyeol to shut up.

"The teachers here won't question my actions as long as I am the heir to this academy. But thanks for worrying, cutie." Myungsoo grinned and patted Sungyeol's cheek. He then proceeded to look for something on the floor, letting out a little "Aha!" in triumph when he found a pair of slippers. He then walked out the door, still wearing Sungyeol's hoodie and shorts, and now Taehyun's slippers.

"What the hell? Did he just take my slippers?" Taehyun jumped up from his bed and went to look. "The bastard took my slippers. Unbelievable."

"Did he just call Sungyeol cute? Are you guys dating now or something?" Minho frowned while stuffing his biology notes into a folder.

Sungyeol threw himself onto his bed. "I don't think so, but maybe he's decided that for himself."

"No, I think something's wrong." Seunghoon craned his neck to make sure nobody's shadows were visible through the crack under the door. "Myungsoo never talks to anybody that much. Even with Woohyun, he barely cares about their conversations."

"So the Chairman's son has the hots for Sungyeol?" Seungyoon snickered. "It's practically Romeo and Juliet."

"Shut up Seungyoon, you're gonna jinx me. I'm not dating Myungsoo."

"Well, not for now." Jinwoo shrugged.

The door clicked open again and Myungsoo entered with a toothbrush and toothpaste, humming to himself. He paused for a moment when he noticed the silence in the room. "Huh? Did I interrupt something?"

"We're talking about Sungyeol's love life." Seungyoon gave his friend an exaggerated wink.

Myungsoo scowled. "You're dating somebody?"

"No, I am not, and I don't plan to." he emphasized the last part a bit more.

"Oh," the corners of Myungsoo's lips quirked up a bit and he went on with his sleep routine.

By the time all the boys had finished washing up, the teacher doing roll call was making his rounds. They lined up outside of the room, and Myungsoo simply tacked himself on at the end, staring blankly into the opposite wall.

The teacher checked all of their names, did a double take at Myungsoo, and stopped himself before he could say something that would endanger his career.

"Mr. Kim, your own room is causing you problems? I'm sure the counselor could figure something out immediately if the current arrangements are bothering you."

"I just wanted to stay here with my friends tonight. Little changes in routine are good for people, yes?"

"Yes, of course. Please don't stay up too late. Rest up well for your studies tomorrow." the teacher checked Myungsoo's name off of his list and moved on.

"Wait, that worked?" Taehyun hissed once they had all gotten back into the room.

Myungsoo shrugged and turned to stare at Sungyeol.

Sungyeol looked up after a moment, holding eye contact and waiting for Myungsoo to break it first. He didn't. "Can I help you?"

"Which bed?"

Sungyeol sighed and pointed before catching the pillow and blanket Jinwoo tossed at him. "Can I turn off the lights now?"

"You're sleeping on the floor?"

"You're in my bed."

"So?"

"I'm not sharing a bed with you."

Myungsoo frowned and muttered something to himself before speaking up again. "I don't kick in my sleep."

They went back and forth for a few more minutes, both sides growing more and more frustrated.

"For God's sake, just get in the damn bed with him, Sungyeol." Seunghoon grunted. "You're going to argue all night at this rate."

Sungyeol huffed and flipped the light switch off, then climbed into the bed next to Myungsoo. It was too cramped for the two of them, but he rolled onto his side so that he was facing away from the other and eventually drifted off to sleep.

He woke up to something drawing little shapes and patterns on his back. Sungyeol grunted and rolled over, nearly crushing Myungsoo's arm in the process.

"Did I wake you up?" the boy whispered. "Sorry. You can go back to sleep if you want, there's still a few hours before they do the morning rounds."

"Why are you still awake?"

"I can't sleep. I'm too excited."

"About what?"

"Sharing a bed with you."

Sungyeol searched for a sign that he was joking, but he looked dead serious. He tried to crack a smile. "Is this a joke?"

Myungsoo frowned. "What?"

"This whole thing is a joke, right? You coming to my room and staying here and calling me cute. All of this has to be a joke."

He looked extremely unpleased. "It's not a joke." he rolled over to face the wall. "Sorry for waking you up. Goodnight."

Sungyeol paused for a moment. "Wait. You can't just leave it at that. If it's not a joke, then what is this?"

It was silent again for a few minutes, and Sungyeol was about to roll over and go back to sleep when Myungsoo gave a quiet reply.

"Meet me in the library after classes end."

In the morning Myungsoo was the first to wake up. As soon as the knock on the door came he was pushing the blanket off and climbing over Sungyeol. He had grabbed his uniform from the closet and his toothbrush from the washroom and in less than a minute he was out the door. The boys were confused for a bit, but decided it was just Myungsoo being Myungsoo, so they continued on with their day as usual.

After his final class Sungyeol went to the library and sat at a small table in the corner, pulling out his calculus to kill time while he waited for the last physics class to finish. After half an hour, Myungsoo came strolling in. He took his time, stopping to talk to a group of boys for a bit before heading over to Sungyeol.

"Let's go." he his heel and started walking back towards the doors.

"Wait, wait, what?" Sungyeol threw his things into his bag and hurried after Myungsoo. "Where are we going?"

Myungsoo didn't respond. They walked until they reached the main gate. The security guard merely nodded them through, reminding them to be back before curfew.

When they had walked for a while, Sungyeol reached out and tugged on Myungsoo's sleeve. "If you don't tell me where we're going, I'm heading back. My bag is heavy as hell."

"A park."

"A park?"

"By train." Myungsoo pulled Sungyeol's backpack strap off his shoulder, slinging it over his own before the other realized what he was doing. "Come on."

They were silent for the rest of the journey. Sungyeol stared out the window, marveling at just how big the city was. He got so caught up in himself that at some point he forgot why he was even on the train. "Look! It's the stadium!" he nudged Myungsoo, leaning closer to the window. After they had passed it, he turned to look at the other. "What?"

Myungsoo looked down. "Nothing." After a few more stops, Myungsoo was pulling him out of the seat. "We're getting off."

They were in what appeared to be a wealthy residential area. The houses were huge and new, and the streets were practically sparkling. Myungsoo lead him down a pathway lined with thick foliage. When they emerged, they were at a grassy riverbank with blue water gushing by and a bridge that connected to the continued path on the other side. Myungsoo walked beside the stream for a bit before sitting down in a lightly shaded area.

"Come sit." he grabbed Sungyeol's hand and pulled him down.

"It's really beautiful." he wasn't lying. The trees that lined both sides of the river had already turned from green to yellow, and now the leaves were beginning to crisp up and flutter to the ground with each small gust of wind that blew by. Orange and brown flecks drifted idly along the moving water, traveling without a particular destination, finally free from the branches that had bound them for so long. Sungyeol grabbed a handful of leaves and crushed them in his palm, watching the little bits fly off with the wind. "Why did you want to bring me here?

Myungsoo shrugged. "My nanny used to bring me here when I was little. Whenever I want to get away from school, I'll just come here. It's like... my secret place or something."

"Your nanny?"

"Yeah. She means a lot to me." Myungsoo sighed and leaned to rest his head on Sungyeol's shoulder. "My childhood consisted mostly of cramming as much knowledge into my brain as possible while I was still in my early development years and learning to become the perfect gentleman for formal events. My parents essentially had me for the purpose of continuing their business, so they had to make sure I would uphold it with prestige.

"My nanny didn't care about that. She taught me games. She would bring me outside after it rained so I could jump in puddles, or to this river in the fall so we could collect leaves together and press them in books. She was more like a parent to me than anybody else."

"Do you still see her sometimes?"

"I can't."

"Why not?"

"She's dead."

Sungyeol fell silent. "I'm sorry you had to lose her."

"So am I. She took care of me until I was in seventh grade, and even after she stopped I would go visit her. She died from liver failure last year."

He wrapped an arm around Myungsoo's shoulders and gave him a little squeeze. "Why are you telling me all this?"

"Because you're special." Myungsoo made eye contact with him for half a second before abruptly turning his head away to look at the river. "I've tried to grow close with other students before, but they were all just scared of being expelled. They didn't want to get on my bad side. But you don't care. You talk back and you don't let me do whatever I want just because of who my father is," he turned back to Sungyeol, lifting a hand and gently pulling the other's jaw to face him. "I guess that's why I like you so much." he leaned in and kissed Sungyeol gently, cold lips meeting for a moment before separating once more.

Sungyeol was left frozen and bug-eyed, a bright pink creeping up his neck and onto his cheeks. He opened his mouth to speak, then closed it again when he couldn't find the words.

Myungsoo smiled softly. "It's fine, you don't have to say anything right now. I just wanted to tell you, because it's been killing me." he cleared his throat, holding a hand over his mouth and mumbling, "Sorry, I got ahead of myself. I couldn't help it. Let's go."

♥

Soon enough it was the last week before winter break, and naturally, that meant teachers were cramming them with exams and homework to keep them busy.

"Two exams." Seungyoon huffed, continuing to click his pen obnoxiously.

"Three," Minho responded.

"Four, top it." Taehyun challenged.

"I'll tie it." Jinwoo scowled.

"Five, throw me out the window. Death is the less painful option." Seunghoon ruffled through a thick pile of paper.

"We're only on the second floor, study more physics. And six exams for me." Sungyeol lay down on the floor.

"What?!"

"I know!"

"Is that possible?"

"When you're some no-name from the country, apparently. Calculus, physics, biology, chemistry, psychology, history."

Jinwoo in a breath through his teeth. "That's rough, buddy. Aren't those courses dragging down your average?"

"I'm at a ninety-six."

The other gaped. ", man."

"But they'll find a way to kick me out soon enough. Woohyun's on my ."

"What for?"

The door swung open and Myungsoo stomped in, collapsing to the ground beside Sungyeol and scowling up at the ceiling.

"For this." Sungyeol rolled over to face the boy and poked his cheek. "Apparently having other friends is some sort of infidelity." Jinwoo made an o-shape with his mouth and turned back to his work.

Myungsoo scoffed. "Woohyun can preach somewhere else." He caught Sungyeol's hand and held it up, running his own fingers along the knuckles. "Six exams."

"Same."

"Study date."

"When?"

"Now." Myungsoo stood up and grabbed Sungyeol's bag, pausing before opening the door. "It's exclusive, in case anybody else was thinking of third-wheeling."

Sungyeol rolled his eyes, extending an offer he knew nobody would take up. "Come if you want. He can be the third-wheel."

They had a strange relationship to say the least. The son of the Chairman and heir to a law firm worth millions, and a boy who was working his way up from next to nothing. Sungyeol wasn't quite sure what they were to each other. He'd never given Myungsoo a proper response after his confession, but the other hadn't brought it up and Sungyeol still lacked an answer. They ate lunch together more often than not, and Myungsoo went out of his way to make frequent visits to the other's dorm room. Sometimes Myungsoo would grab his hand while they were walking, but by this point Sungyeol didn't think much of it.

However, despite the fact that they were getting along well, Woohyun wasn't fond of their relationship. He often tried to drag Myungsoo away during lunch and he always went out of his way to embarrass Sungyeol in the halls. From tripping to verbal teasing, he made sure the other knew his place in the school hierarchy. Nonetheless, the two continued their friendship.

"Done!" Sungyeol slammed his pen down onto the sheet of physics equations.

"Six forty-two. I'll get under six."

"Wanna bet?" he took the stopwatch and reset it.

"Hm, sure. If I do it, then..."

"Then?"

"Let me think. You go first."

"If you don't, then you have to ask Woohyun on a date."

Myungsoo gaped. "What the hell?"

Sungyeol cackled. "Imagine his reaction."

"You horrible, brilliant human."

"And you have to follow through. No ditching."

"Fine. But if I do it, you have to go on a date with me."

He paused. "We do lunch dates all the time."

"A real date. The whole day, all the sweet throw-up-in-your-mouth stuff."

Sungyeol pondered the options. "Deal. I'll watch you get six even."

Myungsoo raised an eyebrow. "You better stop that timer the millisecond I finish."

"Hey, I play fair. I'm not like half of our student population."

Myungsoo snickered and picked up his pencil. "Count down from three."

Sungyeol gawked, a giant grin lighting up his face. "Six minutes and ninety-six hundredths of a second."

"No fair! Your reaction time was too slow!" Myungsoo snatched the timer and glared at the frozen numbers. "Take away two seconds."

"Half a second tops. I'm not that slow."

Myungsoo pressed his hands to his head in despair. "No way in hell."

"Just pray that you get rejected."

Myungsoo ended up getting the threat of a chair down his throat and utter disgust in response to his invitation, which lead to him attempting to hug Woohyun in his gratitude. That earned him a large bruise on his shin and a story to rub in Sungyeol's face.

Exams ended fairly smoothly for the two of them. Most of Sungyeol's averages remained the same if they hadn't gone up. One-on-one study sessions with Myungsoo proved to be of great help.

Winter break was right around the corner. Sungyeol was hoping to take a train home and spend the holidays with his family, but money was tight and he didn't want to create any unnecessary expenses. He wrote letters to his family and called home, telling them he'd be fine on campus over the break and chatting with his mother for a good hour on the school's public phone.

While most of his roommates packed their suitcases to visit home with promises of smuggled treats and goods when they returned, Sungyeol told them not to miss him too much, saying he'd do some cleaning up around the dorm while they were gone. He was shutting the door when somebody pushed it back open from the other side.

"What the–?!" Sungyeol stumbled backward as the intruder slammed the door shut. "Woohyun?"

"I'm leaving soon, so I'll make this quick. Stay away from Myungsoo."

"What's it to you?"

Woohyun scowled and grabbed Sungyeol's shirt, slamming him against the door. "I promised Myungsoo's mother I'd keep him out of trouble. I'm not letting some boy toy ruin ten years of fighting off bullies and low-lifes. Do you know how many people tried to hurt him because of his background?! His personality doesn't really help, either." Woohyun paused and took a deep breath. "What I'm trying to say is that there's too much on the line. If you continue like this you're not only threatening his family's reputation, but his well-being, too."

"So he's not allowed to have friends?"

"He's not allowed to have friends like you. He was doing just fine before you came along."

"He's doing just fine now, too."

"If rumour got out that the Chairman's son was homoual, Myungsoo's future would be out the window. You know he likes you. Everybody knows."

Sungyeol hesitated, "I wouldn't date him. I don't see him like that."

"Obviously you haven't noticed for yourself. Do you know how you look at him? The way you hold hands when you walk, like you're boyfriends?"

He winced at the venom in Woohyun's tone.

"Or maybe you haven't noticed that you're already head over heels for him."

"What the hell are you saying?"

There was a knock at the door and Sungyeol shoved Woohyun away to open it.

"Myungsoo?"

The boy walked in like he owned the place (which, technically, he sort of did) and began chatting away. "There's three weeks of winter break now, meaning you can't use studying as an excuse to get away from me. As I assumed, you'll be remaining on campus, so–wha–Woohyun?" He looked at Sungyeol, who refused to meet his gaze. "Why are you here?"

"I was just leaving."

"Wait," Myungsoo's eyes narrowed, "Spill it."

Woohyun turned to Myungsoo and gave a broad grin. "We were just having a quick chat about feelings, and how we often forget to think before acting upon these feelings. Wouldn't you say, Sungyeol?"

"Yes, exactly."

"I'll be off, now." Woohyun slammed the door behind him.

Myungsoo turned to Sungyeol. "What did he want?"

"He says I'll ruin your future."

"Only if I don't ruin it for myself first."

Sungyeol cracked a half-hearted grin.

"I came because I knew you wouldn't be heading home for the break."

"Yeah, what about it?"

"I did a bit of digging into your background, I thought I'd tell you right off the bat, and I bought us train tickets to Sokcho. Your hometown. We leave tomorrow."

He took a moment to register what the other had just said. "Wait, to Sokcho? You bought us tickets?!"

"I wasn't going to give you a free trip if I didn't get something out of it. Besides, I'm sure that your family is much more pleasant than mine."

"I–I don't know what to say."

"Call your mother. Ask her if you can bring a friend home for the holidays. You can pay me back with home-cooking and personal tours of the city."

Sungyeol threw his arms around Myungsoo. "Thank you. A million times over, thank you."

The next day they were on the train, luggage in tow, ready to spend two weeks with Sungyeol's family. Sungyeol stared out the window, and just like the city disappearing from his view, Woohyun's words melted away from his thoughts.