Jihoon was at a loss for words. Head spinning, in the back of his mind all he could think of was that he had never seen Seungcheol so angry. The other boy was taut like a wire, fists clenched and neck an angry red, with anger so genuine that it sparked like fire behind his eyes.

“I don’t believe you.” Jihoon finally forced out. He roughly yanked his arm out of his grip and stepped backwards to put distance between them.

Seungcheol let him, his hand falling limply to his side with a sort of furious resignation. Like someone who had finally given up on a lost cause. “It doesn’t matter if you believe me or not. You just have to trust me.”

Jihoon knew the dangers of doing just that. He was in Pledis, a jungle of hunters and prey, and he had learned there was no one that he could rely on but himself. And yet, a small part in the back of his mind wondered if maybe he should just take the chance and put his trust in someone for once.

The bitterness in his heart reminded him that his trust had already been betrayed once.

“I don’t trust you,” Jihoon hissed, as if to remind himself. “There is no reason for me to, and I’m tired of playing games, Seungcheol. I don’t want anything to do with you, or Jeonghan, or the Golden Boys.  So please, leave me alone.”

Seungcheol watched him carefully, the tenseness in his shoulders, the tight grip on his bag, and the almost pleading look in his eyes. “Fine, if that’s what you want,” he said calmly, his tone so cool Jihoon almost forgot how angry he was moments ago. He stood and grabbed his bag and jacket, passing by Jihoon and making for the door. “But don’t forget. I promised I would be there for you. Anytime. And I don’t intend to break that promise.”

Jihoon watched as he threw open the door, shoulders squared like he was resigned for whatever fate followed him. “Seungcheol,” he called out once the other was down the hallway. Even he wasn’t sure why he had suddenly spoke, it was like something had taken over his body. But he suddenly felt like he needed to speak and say his words before Seungcheol left. “Thank you.” His words were so quiet he wasn’t sure if the Gold would even hear him. “I’m sorry that I can’t accept your words right now.”

There was a pause in which he didn’t turn around, but he did stop walking long enough to respond. “I know it may be hard to trust me right now… But reminder, I wasn’t the one who broke your heart.”

——

Jeonghan was waiting for him in the back hallway of the school, an older area that needed remodeling with paint chipping in areas and empty classrooms. Almost no students passed by these parts anymore. 

Seungcheol walked down the stairs right on time, jacket slung over one shoulder and a calm, nonchalant gaze without a care in the world. At that moment he looked like the Gold he truly was; well dressed, cold and determined.

“How did it go?” Jeonghan drawled, fixing the cuffs of his uniform with a small smirk tugging at the corner of his lips.

Seungcheol shrugged his shoulders, coming to stop in front of him. “It’s done.”

Jeonghan allowed himself to fully smile, looking incredibly pleased. “Good, I knew I could count on you.” He leaned forward and clapped his long time friend on the shoulder. “I think it’s about time we initiate phase two then, don’t you?”

——

“Wonwoo, can you explain how you got question sixteen again?” The two were sitting at a lunch table pouring over math homework with a pencil in one hand and chopsticks in the other.

Wonwoo sighed dramatically but leaned over to help anyway. “Mingyu, why don’t you ask Jihoon? He’s in your class, isn’t he?” He asked dryly, already knowing the answer.

Mingyu frowned, though it was closer to a pout than anything. “I normally would, but you’ve seen him, haven’t you? He’s been crazy distracted lately, I didn’t want to bother him.”

He had noticed. Ever since Jihoon had returned from his short vacation home, he had seemed to be growing more withdrawn by the day, and anyone could tell that it had to do with his interactions with the Golden Boys. He had been hoping to have Jihoon open up to him first, but it didn’t seem like that was going to happen anytime soon. They still didn’t know each other well, but Wonwoo thought they had grow quite close since the start of school. He had a feeling Jihoon was the type to bottle up his emotions so that he wouldn’t have to burden anyone. But Wonwoo knew first hand that it wouldn’t make the problems disappear.

“Hey, he’s here.” Mingyu elbowed him and Wonwoo followed his gaze. He spotted just the Gold he had been waiting for. The two boys exchanged looks and Wonwoo bid him goodbye before grabbing his bag to trek across the cafeteria.

“Kwon Soonyoung,” Wonwoo said once he stood in front of the boy. He threw his backpack onto the table and took a seat without waiting for an answer. “We need to talk.”

After all the years they had known each other, Soonyoung had grown not to express emotion in front of others, but Wonwoo could tell from the slight widening of his eyes that he was caught like a deer by a hunter. Wonwoo grit his teeth and bit back his annoyance. It wouldn’t be good to cause a scene in public. “I told you that we needed to talk last night, but you snuck out before I could speak to you.”

Soonyoung slowly put his chopsticks down, leaning back into his chair to regard him with a cool stare.  “So talk.”

Wonwoo resisted the urge to roll his eyes and instead placed his hands firmly on the table. “Why have you been avoiding me?”

“I wasn’t avoding you,” Soonyoung responded, tone cold and controlled. “Now get to the point. What is it you have to say?”

“What did you tell Jihoon?” He finally asked. At the sound of his name, Soonyoung seemed to retract uncomfortably. The action only made Wonwoo more curious. Soonyoung kept others at a distance, but yet there seemed to be some sort of relationship between him and Jihoon. He wasn’t sure what Jihoon had done to pierce Soonyoung’s cold demeanor, and if Jihoon wasn’t going to tell him than he would have to get it from the source.

It was all for Jihoon’s well being, Wonwoo convinced himself. The Golden Boys had already done so much harm already, they didn’t need to take another victim.

The Gold hesitated, which wasn’t a good sign at all. “I just told him about how the Golden Boys were formed. About freshman year.”

Wonwoo’s frown only deepened. Freshman year had been a dark time, one most people avoided talking about. It wouldn’t hurt Jihoon to know, but he wondered just how much Soonyoung had told him. “So Jihoon knows I was a Gold?”

“Not exactly,” Soonyoung responded. “I didn’t go into details. I just told him about Doyoon, briefly.”

His nose wrinkled at the name. It was one he saw often on the news, but was almost like a taboo at the school. Their past that was associated with the name left a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Now, are we done here? I’ve told you everything.” Soonyoung made to stand but Wonwoo grabbed his arm to stop him.

“Not yet,” he said coolly. “I still have some questions to ask you.”

Annoyance flickered in his gaze, but he reluctantly sat. Soonyoung didn’t listen to many others, but he held Wonwoo to a respectful level. Maybe it was because Wonwoo had done what Soonyoung couldn’t even think about doing.

“Did you lie at dinner?” His question was blunt and chosen particularly to watch his response. “About how you and Sowon met?”

Soonyoung tensed ever so slightly, shifting uncomfortably in his chair. “Yes, of course I did,” he grumbled. If Wonwoo knew better it almost sounded like he was bitter. “It was an arranged marriage by our parents and everything was set up for us. You know that.” His tone was accusing, like it was a thought he didn’t like to be reminded of.

“Then why don’t you seem happy about it?” Wonwoo asked. “She’s the heir to your rival company, and quite the catch herself. You should be lucky, there are worse girls to be promised to.” He didn’t really mean it. He knew well enough the weight of the obligation that hung over their heads. Even if she had been perfect, the fact that there had never been a choice to begin with would always be a reminder of the bars on their pretty cages.

“Would you be happy?” Soonyoung spit back. “Not all of us can run away and pretend like you can.” His words cut like a knife but Wonwoo didn’t flinch. It was something he’d heard often. The brown haired boy scoffed and made to stand again. “Are we done now?”

But before he could leave, Wonwoo had to ask him one last question. “There’s something going on between you and Jihoon, isn’t there?”

Soonyoung’s whole body froze. His jaw dropped, like he was trying to find the right response to recite, but the was grasping at air. His gaze darted around frantically, but thankfully no one was close enough to over hear.

Wonwoo held up his hand to interrupt before Soonyoung could spurt out some ridiculous lie. “Don’t worry, I have no intention of spreading rumors. Jihoon is an important friend to me and I don’t want him involved in anything more traumatic than he already has been,” he said sternly. His gaze was cold and Soonyoung faltered under his gaze. They both knew how protective Wonwoo was over his friends and to what lengths he would go for them. “However, I think you need to do better. People who see you from afar can’t, but I’ve known you for a long time. And I can tell there’s more than friendship underneath that mask you use to hide behind.”

“Don’t get involved, Jeon,” Soonyoung warned. He sounded angry, but there was unease in his tone. “It’s not your place.”

“You’re right,” Wonwoo shrugged. “But Jihoon is my friend. And he doesn’t deserve the torment you keep dragging him into. We both know that what’s best for Jihoon and that is staying as far away from the Golden Boys as possible.”

Soonyoung was silent. There was nothing he could say because they both knew what he was saying was the truth.

“You need to do me a favor Soonyoung, and if not for me, do it for Jihoon.” Wonwoo stood and leaned across the table until he could whisper in his ear. “Convince me that you don’t love Jihoon.”

Their gazes met. Soonyoung didn’t waver. “I don’t love Jihoon.”

Wonwoo stared at him for a few more tense seconds before slowly straightening up, grabbing his bag and taking a few steps away from the table. Soonyoung watched him cautiously, like he was a predator ready to stab him in the back the moment he turned away. “You’re a good liar, Kwon Soonyoung. Always have been. But not good enough.”

“I’m saying this because you were once my friend too,” Wonwoo said, voice suddenly quiet and almost warm. They had known each other for a long time, and had once been the closest of friends, but would the friendship they had long ago ever be able to be mended? “You should say how you feel before it’s too late. Because one day Jihoon is going to be gone and you’re going to regret it forever.”

——

Jeonghan checked the time on his gold plated watch, a gift from his parents for his sixteenth birthday. Most kids wanted a car, or video games. He had gotten a new suit with matching shoes. The time read 12:36pm which meant Joshua’s English class had just been dismissed for lunch, which meant the Class President himself was still in the classroom cleaning the whiteboards and organizing the homework alphabetically. Which also meant there was no chance of Joshua avoiding him unless he wanted to mess up his routine, which wouldn’t have happened if his life was on the line. Which meant that Jeonghan had caught him at last.

“Ah ha!” Jeonghan burst through the classroom doors. Joshua, who had been cleaning the whiteboard, jumped in surprise and dropped the pile of papers he was holding. “I knew I would find you here!”

Joshua looked like a deer caught in headlights. “Ah, Jeonghan… Fancy seeing you here. What can I do for you?” The other Gold quickly bent down to pick up his papers, avidly avoiding his gaze. Joshua had always been a liar.

“You’ve been avoiding me, so I decided to hunt you down before you could run away again,” Jeonghan frowned, making sure to position himself between him and the exit.

Joshua finally turned to his friend and leveled him with a dry stare. “What am I, four? Why would I be avoiding you?”

The long haired blonde stubbornly crossed his arms over his chest, and as if to enunciate his point he picked up a dry erase marker and drew an obnoxious line across the whiteboard. Joshua gasped as if he had been stabbed. “That’s what I would like to know. You haven’t had a proper conversation with me in days.”

“I’m busy, that’s all,” Joshua grumbled, quick to erase the line he had just drawn. “And would you stop doing that?”

“We both know that you’re not busier than you usually are,” Jeonghan countered, drawing another line and letting Joshua chase him across the board. “You’ve been avoiding me, and Seungcheol won’t tell me why so you’re going to tell me right now.” He then drew an obnoxious ‘x’ onto the wall. “Unless you want to be late for your next class…”

Joshua’s eyes flit across the room in fear. For once Jeonghan was thankful the other boy was such a stickler for the rules. He had him trapped. “Listen… I just have a lot going on at home right now. I’m not doing it on purpose, I promise.”

Jeonghan’s gaze narrowed. “Everyone knows you’re an awful liar, me the most. I know we don’t really talk about your family, but you would have told me if it was about your parents.”

Joshua sighed, though he looked uncharacteristically nervous. This was the boy who could have a two hour lecture in front of well known scholars, and he was trembling under Jeonghan’s gaze. “I’m being serious, Jeonghan,” he assured. It was hard to believe him though when he was acting like he had robbed a bank and was being interrogated. “I don’t really want to talk about it. Can’t you just let it go?”

Jeonghan merely frowned, taking a long time to merely stare the boy down. But when Joshua didn’t back down, the blonde haired boy finally sighed, straightening up to cross his arms over his chest. “Fine. If you’re one hundred precent sure that’s whats been bothering you, I’ll let it go.”

Joshua almost collapsed in relief, but Jeonghan wasn’t going to let him go that easily. “In return, you better start coming by the club room more often. We have a situation going on and I need your help initiating the game plan.”

“Jeonghan…” At his interruption, he turned toward him curiously. Joshua was usually quiet, but there was an almost pleading tone to his voice. “Can’t you just let Jihoon go?”

“What?” Jeonghan spluttered, flabbergasted. He had not been expecting such a response. Joshua knew the things Jeonghan did, and he did them so that he wouldn’t have to. “Josh, you know I can’t do that. This school relies on the hierarchy. If we don’t keep the rules, than no one will listen and everyone will start doing whatever they want.” He walked forward and grabbed his friend by his hands. He smiled, encouragingly. “You know this. It’s happened before. I’m not going to let one Bronze ruin everything that the Golden Boys have worked for. I’m doing this for us, Josh.”

The brown haired boy merely nodded, letting his limp hands slip from Jeonghan’s grasp. Jeonghan just had to make him understand. This wasn’t for personal gain or for pride and enjoyment. This was to protect his friends. “Right… For the Golden Boys.”  

——

Jihoon hadn’t stayed in the practice room for long after his conversation with Seungcheol. Even music, which had been his sanctuary and outlet for years, suddenly wasn’t able to comfort him. He felt light headed and confused, and it annoyed him how Choi Seungcheol was consistently able to throw him off guard. Jihoon wasn’t used to the sudden flurry of emotions, and the Gold’s words had hit him like a tornado.

Jihoon didn’t believe him. There was no reasonable explanation as to why Seungcheol would have developed feelings for him. He was still a Gold, and in a completely different class than Jihoon who came from a small town in Busan and only managed to get into the school because of his grades. Especially with the fact that Jeonghan was trying to ruin his life, it didn’t make sense why Seungcheol suddenly had a change of heart.

And yet, what if he had been telling the truth? Was Jihoon just scared because the last time he had opened his heart his hope had been turned to dust? Maybe Seungcheol was right. He wasn’t Soonyoung. And maybe Jihoon needed to give him a chance.

“What have you gotten yourself into, Lee Jihoon,” he mumbled to himself.

He had almost left the performing arts center when there was a loud crash down a back hallway and the sound of heavy paper thrown to the ground. Startled, Jihoon cautiously followed the sound, hoping someone hadn’t fallen and gotten hurt.

However it seemed to be completely opposite of an accident. Backed up against the wall was a young student desperately grabbing onto a camera bag, surrounded by photographs thrown onto the floor and a chair upended. He was a few years younger than Jihoon, with eyes widened in fear and messy brown hair that stuck up in odd places. He seemed to curl in on himself, pressing the bag into his chest to protect it.

“Lee Chan, I’m getting impatient.” It was a couple of upperclassmen Jihoon didn’t recognize. The one with the Gold name plate that read Wonho towered over the younger student, holding onto his backpack threateningly. “We’ve been over this. You deliver our homework at 8am sharp,and we don’t have any issues.”

“Sorry Wonho,” Chan said, a Bronze by the look of his tag. “I wasn’t here over the weekend so I didn’t have time…”

“Now, that’s not our fault, now is it?” Kihyun, the Silver snapped. “Tell that to our teachers, huh? We have a deal. You’re not thinking of breaking that deal, are you?”

“Of course not!” Chan said quickly. He lowered his head as Kihyun slapped him over the head with a pile of papers. 

“Why would you do that to us, Chan?” Kihyun asked, accentuating each word with a hit to the head. “I thought we were friends? Now I’m going to get into trouble because I don’t have my homework. That’s not what friends do to each other, is it?”

The Bronze stayed quiet, which only seemed to spur the upperclassmen on more. “What, you don’t want to be our friend anymore?” Wonho scoffed, annoyance flickering in his gaze. He reached out a hand and harshly pushed the boys head. “You think you’re too good for us, Bronze?”

Chan’s eyes went wide in surprise and he rapidly shook his head, curling around his bag even tighter. “N-no, that’s not it-”

“Listen kid. We’re the only friends you’ve got. Pledis is a scary school, if it wasn’t for us protecting you, who knows what would happen?’

He could only stare in shame at his shoes, his entire body shaking. “I’m sorry. I’ll do better.”

They finally seemed pleased after that. “That’s what we like to hear. Besides, what would you do if the whole school found out you were a scholarship student? Who would protect you then?”

Chan’s head snapped up and there was actual fear in his eyes. “But I’m not the scholarship student.” He was practically pleading.

Wonho shrugged, as if the idea of a lie or the truth didn’t bother him. “Doesn’t matter. If word gets out, who’s going to believe you anyway?”

Kihyun observed the boy who was lost for words before he held out his hand. “Give me your camera.”

Chan looked close to fainting, but his grip on the camera bag tightened. “What? Why?”

Kihyun rolled his eyes, shoulders tensing in annoyance. “I have a photography project due and I’m too lazy to go out and buy one. Just let me use yours.”

The Bronze could only clutch his bag tighter, lip quivering.

Kihyun reached out to forcibly grab the bag but Chan let out a squeak in surprise, trying to tug it back. “Wait, no, please, be careful-”

Jihoon had seen enough. The taste of bile in his mouth was rising up his throat, and he had never felt more disgusted in his life. So this was Pledis, where richer kids got to step on everyone else and threaten them without a care in the world. These were the people who would take over their parents corporations and make decisions for the country, but never have to deal with the consequences of their choices. Jihoon had thought the Golden Boys were bad, but it seemed like his actions were merely the norm within the school. 

“Leave him alone.”

Jihoon moved before he even knew what he was doing. Before he could rethink his decision he was walking out from behind the corner, heading towards the group with fire under his skin. 

The three looked up at him when he approached. The Silver and Gold didn’t seem to know who he was, but Chan’s eyes went wide with recognition. It seemed his reputation really did outdo him.

“Who the hell are you?” Wonho asked, cocking an eyebrow in his direction. He didn’t look the least bit intimidated. 

“Doesn’t matter,” Jihoon growled. He reached forward and grabbed Kihyun by the hand, giving him a hard yank and forcefully pulling him away from the bag.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Wonho stepped forward but Jihoon moved in between him and Chan, raising his hands out protectively.

“Listen, I don’t want trouble. Just leave him alone.” Jihoon snapped. His hands were shaking, so he clenched them together to hide his nervousness. The tension was palpable in the hallway. Jihoon had never been in a fight before, but he could sense things could get close to getting out of control. Jihoon didn’t want to fight, but suddenly the thought of possibly punching something might make him feel better.

They scowled. They didn’t like being threatened by someone like Jihoon. Before he knew what was happening, Kihyun grabbed him by the collar and shoved him backwards. He heard Chan let out a yelp and scramble out of the way before his back hit the wall.

“This is really annoying, you know?” Kihyun snarled, nearly spitting in his face. “Always having to deal with stupid Bronze kids stepping in the way. Haven’t you realized it yet? You’re nothing. There’s nothing you can do because no one is going to listen to a Bronze.”

Before he could respond a fist connected with the left side of his face and Jihoon’s eyes saw stars. All Jihoon had wanted them to do was to leave the kid alone, and yet here they were, doing whatever they wanted. Maybe they were right, maybe this was just how the world was and there was nothing Jihoon could do to change it.

Maybe he just had to accept being a Bronze.

But wouldn’t that make him the same as everyone else who stood back and watched?

Kihyun was going on, still sprouting nonsense of how the Golds were better than anyone else, when Jihoon ducked under his arm and slammed his fist as hard as he could against his jaw.

He stumbled backwards, clutching at his hand which throbbed painfully. He had never punched someone before and he hadn’t anticipated it hurting so much.

Kihyun straightened up, grabbing onto his face which was already bruising. “How ing dare you-”

Before Jihoon could straighten up to defend himself, Kihyun had grabbed his jacket. Jihoon struggled against his tight hold, trying to get out of his grip, but before he could retaliate Wonho grabbed him by the back of his shirt and threw him to the ground.

He scraped his hands on the ground, his shoulder taking most of the impact. The two stood over him, staring him down with equal looks of disgust. “Piece of ,” Kihyun snarled, enunciating his words with a harsh kick to the abdomen which sent the air whooshing from his lungs. “I’m getting real tired of this. Someone’s going to have to teach you a lesson.”

Jihoon curled in on himself, closing his eyes in anticipation of the next hit. But instead there was a loud crash above him and the sound of cursing. He looked up just in time to see Kihyun stagger away, clutching his nose as blood spurted through his fingers. Wonho had fallen over the chair, clutching his arm.

Soonyoung stood protectively over him, a look of pure fury on his face. He was seething, practically shaking in anger. His fists were clenched so tight his knuckles were turning white, and Jihoon could see some blood from where he had scratched his hand. And for once Jihoon was terrified because he had never seen him so angry.

Realization had begun to crawl onto their faces and Kihyun looked at Wonho in shock. “Kwon Soonyoung, what are you doing here?”

“Get out of my face,” Soonyoung snarled. There was ice in his voice and his fists clenched even tighter.

The two exchanged looks before Wonho carefully spoke. “Listen. I think there’s some sort of miscommunication. This Bronze was just getting in our way-”

“I don’t care,” Soonyoung cut him off mercilessly. “I want you gone, and I better not see you two around me for a long time.”

Kihyun hesitated, but Wonho grabbed him and the two finally began to back up. They cast dark glares in Jihoon’s direction as they left, and Jihoon could only watch in barely contained shock.

After they had long disappeared from view, Soonyoung finally turned to Jihoon. There was still anger in his shoulders and frustration in his hands, but once he turned to look at Jihoon concern began to settle onto his features. He leaned down to grab Jihoon’s hand. “Damn, are you alright?”

Jihoon removed his grip and carefully stood, wincing at the pain in his side. He barely cast Soonyoung a glance, instead walking towards Chan who was cowering agains the wall. The poor thin was shaking, holding onto his camera bag and watching them with wide eyes. When Jihoon turned to look at him it only seemed to spook the boy more. “Are you okay?”

He was concerned, but Chan only seemed to shrink away. “What have you done?” He hissed.

Jihoon was taken aback by his tone. “Excuse me?” He asked, confused. “I just wanted to help.”

“Help?” Chan’s laugh was cold and sarcastic. “You only made it worse. Not all of us are lucky enough to have a Gold protect us,” he snarled. “Now they’re going to come back and it’s going to be even worse. You didn’t help me, you made it worse.” He slid around Jihoon and grabbed his bag before he ran down the hallway.

Jihoon could watch in shock, the words taken from his mouth. The side of his face throbbed, and his shoulder and abdomen hurt, but it was nothing in comparison to the pain from the boys words. He felt like he had been hit by a car and left to bleed out on the streets.

He heard Soonyoung shift beside him. “Let me look at your face,” Soonyoung said, voice calm and quiet. He reached out to grab Jihoon’s chin, but the sudden touch snapped him from his shock.

Jihoon recoiled, ripping himself out of his grip. “What are you doing here?”

A frown settled on his features, looking equally annoyed and disappointed. “Helping you, obviously. You looked like you needed it.”

“I didn’t need your help,” Jihoon snapped.

Soonyoung cocked an eyebrow, making a show of trailing his eyes from the bruise forming on the side of his face to the way he was cradling his side. “Right, because you had it under control.”

Jihoon rolled his eyes, shoving past him. And then, because he didn’t want to look at him, he began to pick up the pictures on the ground. They were all quite beautiful, nicely shot pictures of portraits and nature. Even though some were ruined he made sure to salvage the ones he could.

“Listen, I came looking because I needed to talk to you,” Soonyoung said hesitantly, leaning down so that he could pick up some of the pictures as well.

“You had plenty of time for that,” Jihoon grumbled bitterly. “Besides, who said I wanted to talk to you?”

Soonyoung seemed unsure of how to respond, surprised by the sudden attitude. “Just because the Bronze wasn’t happy with you doesn’t mean you need to take it out on me, Jihoon. I thought we were friends.”

Jihoon surged forward at the comment, anger suddenly taking over him. “Friends? You keep saying that, but friends don’t lie to each other. Every time that I think that we can be friends like you want to be, I get hurt, and I’m getting sick of it.”

Soonyoung stepped back, ruffling his hair in frustration. “What are you even talking about?”

Jihoon pointed his stack of photos at his chest and glared. “You came to Busan so that you could be with your fiancé, but instead of telling me straight out, you kept it from me. Every time that I think you’re being honest with me, you end up lying. And I’m sick of your excuses.” He began to walk down the hallway, anger making him want to rip the photos to pieces but the rational part of his mind keeping his temper in check.

Soonyoung resolutely followed him. “What the hell, Jihoon? So what, I didn’t tell you. That doesn’t matter! I came to see you because I wanted to.”

“And that’s why I’m done, Soonyoung!” Jihoon snapped, spinning around and holding his arm out before he could come any closer. His palms were scratched and Jihoon cringed at the sudden pain from his shoulder. “I’m tired of getting my hopes up over and over again, only to be reminded that you’re in love with someone else. I realize now that we can’t be friends. I thought I could push aside my feelings and be there for you, but now I know. I can’t do it and I don’t want to continue torturing myself.”

Soonyoung was frozen, looking like his mind was running a mile a minute to comprehend his words. But Jihoon turned away before he could respond. He didn’t want to hear the answer because he wasn’t sure he would like what he would hear.

“Wait, Jihoon. I need to talk to you.” Soonyoung snapped out of his trance, reaching to grab his wrist but Jihoon spun out of his grasp before he could pull him back.

“No, Soonyoung. I think we’re done talking.” Jihoon threw open the doors of the performing arts center.

“Jihoon, wait!” Soonyoung went to follow him, but once he saw what was outside he shrank back.

Outside there was a line of reporters crowded around the doors, microphones in their hands and huge cameras on their shoulders. A limousine had pulled up outside of the building, and a crowd of students had gathered to watch. Jihoon saw Soonyoung backtrack, shoving his hands into his pockets and moving away from the windows. He rolled his eyes, never had he been more thankful for the papprazzi.

He made to dodge past the crowd, back towards the dorms where he could wallow in peace, but before he could someone screamed beside him and the crowd surrounded him. “There, that’s him!”

Instead of surging into the performing arts building, they cornered Jihoon, blocking his escape and surrounding him from all corners. Jihoon gasped at the sudden close proximity, feeling the heat rise to his face and sudden anxiety. “What-”

“That’s him, that’s Lee Jihoon!”

Jihoon spun around, shell shocked. The reporters who he had previously thought were for Soonyoung had surprisingly turned out to be for him. A mix of reporters and students had surrounded him, all trying to get his attention and waving cameras in his face.

“Is it true, you’re the Lee Jihoon?”

“Where have you been all this time?”

“Why have you surfaced now?”

“Is it true that you’re going to become the heir to the Lee Enterprises?”

Jihoon couldn’t comprehend a single word they were saying. He felt like he was drowning underneath the bright lights and the close proximity of the crowd. His head swarmed and he was suddenly afraid he would pass out. Maybe it was the blood loss, maybe it was because he was afraid.

Before he could faint, the doors to the limo opened and the reporters surged away from him, converging on the person in the limo so that they could take pictures.

In the back of his hazy mind, Jihoon could faintly recognize him. He had only seen him once, ordering seafood stew at his mother’s restaurant. He was as well dressed as the last time, with every silver hair in place and with a cold gaze behind his sunglasses that kept the reporters at bay. Two security guards flanked him, shoving reporters out of the way and parting them like the red sea.

The man came to a stop in front of him, and for a moment there was pure silence except for the clicking of cameras. All he did was look at him. The intense gaze captured him in place, and he seemed to take in everything from his pale pink hair to his haggard uniform. His eyes stopped on the bruise already forming on his face, but then continued on.

“Lee Jihoon?”

Jihoon didn’t know what to do but nod. “That’s me,” he said hesitantly.

The man nodded, like he had already known the answer the moment he had laid eyes on him. He motioned towards his body guards who walked forward to come by his side. Jihoon was momentarily afraid when they grabbed him firmly by the arms. “I’d like you to come with me, please.”

Jihoon stared at him like he was crazy. No way in hell was he getting into a random strangers limousine, especially not if they were intending to kidnap him in front of everything. “Who are you?”

The man took a long breath before removing his sunglasses. He impaled him with a sharp, clear gaze and pulled out a business card from his lapel pocket. Everything about him screamed rich and intimidating, and Jihoon could tell he was going to get into that car no matter what he did. “My name is Lee Eun, and I am the CEO of Lee Enterprises.” He handed him the business card and Jihoon could only stare in shock at the golden words imprinted on the parchment. “I’ve been looking for you for a long time.”

“Lee Jihoon, I’m your father.”

——

(WOWWWWWWWW

THE WRITER IS NOT DEAD, AMAZING.

Hi guys. Let me first just say... I’m so sorry!!! I never intended it to be this long since I updated, but it just got out of hand... I’ve been so busy lately. I just moved into my first apartment on my own, got a new job, and have been having some friend issues which have been stressing me out. Writing is usually a good outlet for me, but I’ve been so blocked lately I haven’t written anything. In good news, I finally finished this chapter and it is SO FREAKING LONG!!! Also, I have written some other chapters to my other fics, and will be updating those soon!

I want to thank you all for your support and I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! I’m such a jerk omg I torture my poor boys so much. HOW COULD THEY HIT POOR JIHOON? WHERE MY #TEAMJIHOON AT???

And in relation to the title. Who regrets this chapter the most??? Seungcheol? Soonyoung? Jihoon? Me???

Anyway, this chapter ends the FIRST PART of Golden Boys.Yes, that’s right. We’re only halfway there. Someone hold me, I never thought this fic would become the monster it is but it is... I hope you guys love this fic, and I’m so thankful for your support! I can’t believe we hit over 1000 subscribers. That’s insane. You guys are THE BEST. Stay tuned because there’s so many more plot twists and reveals in this fic you won’t even be able to comprehend. This fic rivals every kdrama out there I swear to god.

Once again thank you so much for being patient with me and thank you for reading!!! I love reading your comments and I hope you enjoy the rest of Golden Boys!)