Jihoon awoke the next morning burning with determination. He hadn’t slept well the night before, tossing and turning in bed with the moon high in the air as he planned his whole confrontation with Choi Seungcheol. Every time he tried to close his eyes the image of that jerk and the other Golden Boys flashed in front of his eyes and he would wake up with his blood boiling. He knew his recent sleeping habits weren’t going to get rid of his eye bags but at least he was going to be prepared.

Feeling anxious, Jihoon was dressed and ready for school half an hour before he usually left. He was apprehensive and just wished the day would be over quickly. He wondered if he should meet with Seungcheol before school started but he didn’t know his schedule, and he was worried he would try more cheesy confessions in the morning.

If I don’t see that jerk all day I’ll find him at lunch, Jihoon promised himself, determined. He didn’t want to create a scene at the cafeteria but he might not have a choice.

Clutching at his backpack straps, Jihoon headed toward his morning classes, glancing around warily. He half expected some butler to come flying out of the bushes and present him with gifts but his commute was unusually quiet. The whole campus seemed deserted and it made him on edge, but Jihoon deduced that it was just early.

He arrived to his science class without trouble but as he walked down the rows of empty desks, his footsteps came to an abrupt spot.

His desk was completely destroyed.

Gone was the nicely polished wood. It looked like it had been through hell and back. It was covered in deep slashes imbedded by a knife and the sides were scratched and bent like someone had hit it with a baseball bat. Large, angry words were spelled out across every surface in dark permanent marker and the flowers from the confessions the day before had been pulled apart and the petals strewn across the floor like bloody tears.

Worthless scum!

You don’t deserve to be here.

Poor beggar.

Go back where you came from!

Bronze trash.

Who do you think you are?

Jihoon stood froze in the middle of the classroom, mind completely blank as he tried to process the situation. A pit of dread was pooling in his stomach, all encompassing. The class bell rang overhead like a warning and students began filing into the classroom, chatting and laughing, unbothered and uncaring.

“Oh, I wonder who would do such a thing,” one of the students chuckled as they passed. The students were practically buzzing. Mocking smiles were sent in his direction and cruel laughter filled the air. Not a single inch of kindness could be seen on their faces.

Someone else snickered. “It’s not like they’re lying!”

“I think the new upgrade matches Bronze Prince Lee Jihoon, don’t you think?”

“A throne for a beggar prince.”

“Serves him right.”

“Lee Jihoon, please take your seat.”

 The teacher had entered the room, barely casting a glance toward the vandalized desk. With a bitter taste in his mouth, Jihoon realized he shouldn’t even be surprised. Why did he think the teachers would care? They were the ones at the receiving end of the rich families pay checks. Turn a blind eye and they probably even got a bonus.

Jihoon couldn’t bear to turn around. His fists were clenched tight by his sides, hands shaking in anger or terror he wasn’t sure. “I apologize Mrs. Kim but I don’t think there is a place for me to sit.”

The class broke into laughter and the teacher looked up from her paperwork, casting the group a disapproving glare. She fully turned to glance at what was left of the destroyed desk and sighed. “Kids these days, causing trouble. Just take a seat for now and we’ll get it replaced after class.”

It took all his willpower to move. Light headed, like he was watching a scene from a movie, Jihoon walked to his spot in the back corner of the class. He could feel the weight of twenty gazes judging him as he traced a particularly nasty slash in the wood. Up close the cruel words were even clearer, shouting the insults into his face. Stupid, worthless, insignificant. There would be no way to remove them. Jihoon inhaled a shaky breath before he pulled out his chair and sat down. However just as he saw the sudden weight caused the chair to shake before he was sent crashing to the ground.

Jihoon hit the floor hard, the chair broken into pieces underneath him. He could only stare ahead in mute shock. He knew his face was probably burning of embarrassment but he felt empty, like his soul had left his body. He knew the other students were laughing, but he could barely hear them, like they were muted or he was underwater. Pathetic little Jihoon, the laughing stock of the entire school.

Someone grabbed him under his arms and yanked him to his feet, taking his hand and forcefully rolling up his sleeve. “Mrs. Kim, I think Jihoon’s bleeding.” He recognized the voice at Seokmin’s. Belatedly Jihoon realized there was a long cut down his forearm from where a piece of wood had broken off the chair and sliced through his skin. It stung and Jihoon hissed when Seokmin pressed a handkerchief to the wound.

The teacher sighed, looking like the whole situation was bothersome. She motioned toward the door. “Fine, Lee Jihoon, please go to the nurse’s office.”

Jihoon yanked his grip from Seokmin’s before grabbing his fallen backpack and leaving the room. The whispers and laughter followed him down the hallway.

The nurse’s visit was short. She stopped the bleeding, put some ointment on it and wrapped it with an ace bandage. The wound thankfully wasn’t deep but Jihoon wasn’t sure what hurt more, the cut or his pride. The nurse said he could go back to class but like the coward he was Jihoon faked nausea and curled up on the bed instead, staring at the wall.

He should have probably felt some type of anger or embarrassment, or at least something but his mind was eerily calm. The scene from the classroom played in front of his eyes like a broken projector but he couldn’t seem to muster up a reaction. He just wanted to go home.

Considering going back to the dorms to escape, Jihoon pulled out his phone to check the time when he was alerted of a text message.

From: Wonwoo

Come to class.

Jihoon exhaled slowly, staring at the phone screen. All his instincts urged him to run away as far as he could, but he owed Wonwoo to listen to him since he hadn’t the night before. And look where he had ended up.

When the bell rang for transition to classes, Jihoon shakily pulled himself to his feet and excused himself from the nurse’s office. His commute to class was slow and his feet dragged as he reluctantly treaded the hallways toward the Language Arts Building. He was snapped out of his fog when a sturdy shoulder connected with his side, knocking him to the floor.

Jihoon looked up from his spot on the ground, stunned. A few Silver’s chuckled as they passed him and another person kicked his book bag sending the contents spilling across the floor. Shocked, Jihoon unconsciously reached for his homework but the crowd stepped in between, throwing his papers farther down the hallway.

“Watch where you’re going, Bronze.”

Jihoon reached for his fallen textbook but stopped, hand frozen in midair. He was shaking. His memories from his childhood hit him like a bus, ripping the air from his lungs. He was suddenly seven again, falling into the sand because someone tripped him on the playground. He was nine and his seatmate had just put gum in his hair. He was twelve and his classmates hid his composition notebooks on top of the lockers. He was fifteen and a classmate knocked his textbooks into a puddle. He was sixteen and someone had just beat him up because he was gay. He was-

There’s no one I would rather spend my time with, Jihoon.

Jihoon jolted back to reality but there was no happy smile or blonde frizzy hair. The past, everything that he had just remembered was from the past. Heart aching, Jihoon tore himself from his memories, bad and good, and forcefully reminded himself where he was. The lion’s den, he couldn’t show weakness now. Gathering strength he didn’t know he possessed Jihoon quickly stuffed his belongings into his backpack and shoved past the students blocking his way.

Once he arrived to his language class Jihoon headed straight toward his shared desk with Wonwoo, but rather than the dark haired boy a small group of students crowded around the table. Steeling his resolve, Jihoon strode up to the group and plastered a scowl on his face that he hoped looked more intimidating than exhausted. “Please move,” he snapped, voice taut.

The group looked up at his appearance but after sizing him up they turned toward each other, exchanging wicked grins and laughing as they formed a tight circle around him.

“So you’re the infamous Lee Jihoon. It’s only your third day and you’re already so popular!” Their matching Silver and Gold nameplates shined mockingly in his face.

“What are they calling him now, the Bronze Prince?”

“More like prince of beggars. All Bronze are pretty worthless.”

Jihoon’s hands were clenched tight by his side to stop them from shaking. “I said, move.”

Someone reached out and grabbed a fistful of Jihon’s hair and the boy hissed in pain. “For someone with such girly hair you sure are bossy.”

“Look at this kid! He acts like he owns the place.”

“No wonder he tried to talk back to Yoon Jeonghan. He’s either cocky or stupid.”

“What a joke, maybe we should teach this Bronze some lessons-”

“Would you idiots shut up and go back to your seats?” The group stopped, the one boy letting go of Jihoon’s hair and moving out of the way. Rubbing his scalp, Jihoon turned and was surprised to see Wonwoo. The other Bronze stood a few feet away, arms crossed nonchalantly over his chest and face impassive, but Jihoon could see there was irritation in the way he clenched his teeth. Jihoon felt instantly relieved but he couldn’t help the pang of guilt that he was always dragging the other into trouble.

“Always standing up for the weak, aren’t you Jeon? What a hero, taking care of a pity case like this,” one guy snickered. Wonwoo fixed his dark glare in his direction.

“Shut up and leave the kid alone, Jooheon,” Wonwoo warned. His voice was icy cold but the group seemed to recognize their advantage in numbers and didn’t back down. Wonwoo leaned forward threateningly. “Or you’ll have to deal with me.”

Jooheon cocked an eyebrow. “Just because your parents are big shots doesn’t mean you can keep acting like you can get whatever you want.”

“Oh yeah?” Wonwoo mocked, tipping his head to the side. “Want to try me?”

Jooheon’s glare was nasty and he leaned forward, leering. “I hear they abandoned you. You sit in a hotel suite all by yourself because your parents are too busy making money overseas to come visit their one and only precious son.”

Wonwoo reacted before anyone could stop him. He grabbed the guy by the collar and yanked him forward, pure anger flashing in his gaze. “Keep your mouth shut if you don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Did I hit a nerve?” Jooheon laughed, though there was a hint of nervousness at the close proximity of Wonwoo’s fist near his face. “A little too close to the truth, Jeon? No need to lie to yourself. It’s not like I know if your parents don’t come back because they’re too busy, or if it’s because you’re such a disappointment.”

It was Jihoon who managed to stop Wonwoo from punching the Silver in the face. He fixed a tight grip on the other boy’s sleeve, alarm in his gaze. He could practically feel the fury radiating off the other but he knew if Wonwoo started a fight he would get in trouble with the school or even expelled. Even if Pledis didn’t give a about bullying they wouldn’t tolerate fighting. “Stop,” he hissed, almost pleading as he tugged on the taller boy’s arm.

Wonwoo didn’t look at him but he slowly relaxed his arm, releasing Jooheon’s collar who coughed to clear his throat. “Stay the out of my way,” Wonwoo warned before he grabbed Jihoon around the arm and pulled him physically from the room. “And stay away from Jihoon!” He shouted over his shoulder before slamming the door behind him. Jihoon had no choice but to follow.

“Here.”

They were sitting inside the home economics classroom, which Jihoon had never been in. It was as extravagant as the rest of the school with four fully furnished kitchens lining both sides of the room. Ridiculous, but Wonwoo had used the stove to boil tea so Jihoon couldn’t complain. Handing the steaming mug to the pink haired boy, Wonwoo took a seat across from him at the small table near the window.

Jihoon took a slow sip from the tea, feeling a bit better with the warm cup between his fingers. “Are we going to stay here?” Jihoon questioned quietly.

Wonwoo raised an amused eyebrow at him. “What, you want to go back?”

“No,” Jihoon responded quickly, “I just thought you wanted me to go to class. The whole text message and everything.” He considered Joshua’s warning about his scholarship requirements, but he had already missed one class today, what was one more? He could always blame it on feeling unwell, which wasn’t far from the truth.

“Ah,” Wonwoo nodded in understanding. “I just wanted to meet you at class. I didn’t actually want you to go in.”

At that Jihoon chuckled lightly, the first happy sound that had come from his mouth that day. “And here I had thought you were worried about my studies.”

Wonwoo smiled, but his face almost immediately fell. “I’m sorry, Jihoon,” he admitted. When Jihoon glanced at him his head was hung and his shoulders sagged down like he was carrying a weight of guilt. “I heard what happened this morning… I shouldn’t have let you come to school today.”

Jihoon carefully placed his cup of tea on the table. “Did you know?” He asked hesitantly.

The dark haired boy looked troubled. “I wasn’t sure,” he admitted. “The Golden Boys… Mingyu wasn’t exaggerating when he said they’re cruel. They’re a bunch of spoiled rich kids who don’t know limits. They like to play games and they don’t care what pawns they use. Bronze, even Silvers are useless to them. Seungcheol, Jeonghan, even Jisoo and Soonyoung. They live in a world where money answers all their problems and they have plenty of it. Their parents practically own this school, the words discipline and consequences aren’t even in their vocabulary.” He sighed and dropped his head into his hands. “Seungcheol though… I didn’t think it would get this bad. I’m so sorry.”

Rather than feeling betrayed, or hurt or angry, Jihoon felt strangely calm. He knew Wonwoo probably expected him to break down crying but Jihoon just felt tired. “It’s alright Wonwoo,” Jihoon assured, reaching over to gently lay his hand on his shoulder. “Nothing we can do about it now.” I don’t blame you.

Wonwoo seemed to understand the silent implication and the two shared a smile. “You should stay in the dorm for a few days,” he said, straightening up, all business. “Let this settle. I’ll talk to Jeonghan and Seungcheol, get them to leave you alone. Give it some time and all this drama will blow over and go back to normal. These kids love a good rumor but they lose interest fast. Soonyoung still hasn’t come back yet so that should keep them occupied.”

“You don’t have to do that,” Jihoon insisted. He felt guilty for even involving the other and he didn’t want Wonwoo to get into more trouble than he already was. He still didn’t understand the conversation with the bullies from earlier but it wasn’t his business to force himself into Wonwoo’s private life. Besides, the boy had been nothing but nice to Jihoon who wasn’t even sure he deserved his care.

“No. You’re my friend Jihoon, I want to help you,” he insisted. He stood up and stretched his arms. “Just trust me, alright? Go back to the dorms before class gets out. I’ll bring you dinner tonight so just stay in inside.”

Jihoon smiled blandly before nodding assent. “Yes sir,” he joked. Wonwoo cracked a smile but it looked pained as he watched Jihoon leave the room.

Now, to deal with the lions.

Exiting the obnoxiously large doors of the front hall, Jihoon found his feet moving him in the opposite direction of the dorms. He was exhausted, tired down to the bone, and knew sleep was probably the better decision for him, but with the thought of how much time he would be spending in his room in the upcoming days he couldn’t bring himself to go back.

Instead Jihoon found himself walking in toward the Performing Arts Center. He had never visited but his fingers itched to play a musical instrument just so that he could feel even remotely human again. He couldn’t go back to Busan but maybe the feel of piano keys under his fingertips would make him less homesick.

The music building was as hugely ridiculous as the rest of the school but Jihoon was able to find a line of small, isolated single rooms in the back of the winding halls. He chose the farthest room in the back with a grand piano and took a seat firmly on the stool.

Sitting in front of a piano again, Jihoon felt that this was the reason he loved music. It transcended languages, distance, it didn’t matter that it wasn’t his electric keyboard at home because it could still do the same things and make him feel the same way. But when he laid his fingers on the keys he couldn’t get himself to play anything. He pressed a key at random but no tune came flying from his fingers, nor did his mind supply him with any music from memory. He had known he was in a music block but finally faced with the chance to play music made realization hit him hard. Jihoon slammed his hands down on the keyboard and ill matching sounds screamed back at him. “What is going on,” Jihoon asked himself, raking a hand hazardously through his hair. “I haven’t been able to play in weeks.” He almost laughed at himself, finding the notion absurd. Even the one thing he was good at he couldn’t do.

There was a stack of sheet music in a pile on the table and Jihoon grabbed one at random, eyes barely tracing the notes as he pressed the keys. But his heart wasn’t in it. His fingers danced across the keys but he played the music like a robot, the motions from habit rather than inspiration. His mind was on other things.

For the first time in weeks, Jihoon thought of Hoshi.

Hoshi, with his stupid frizzy blonde hair and bright eyes. With his uncontrollable laughter and genuine smiles. With his childish antics but wise words. Hoshi who was stupidly rich but with the kindest heart Jihoon had ever met. Hoshi who had never treated Jihoon any differently because they weren’t in the same social class or because he hadn’t been born with a silver spoon in his mouth. Hoshi who had crossed barriers and broken down walls and had found similarities between them even though they were so different. Hoshi who never cared about the large space separating them. Hoshi who had somehow taken a piece of Jihoon and given Jihoon a piece of his own.

Jihoon’s heart ached for someone who wasn’t even there.

“If Hoshi was here, he’d think I was pathetic,” Jihoon laughed to himself, sounding just as miserable as he felt. It was probably better that the other boy wasn’t there. He’d be rolling around on the floor seeing the usual hard headed Jihoon sitting alone in an empty room, close to tears because of some stupid idiots who thought they were better than him.

Jihoon was startled out of his thoughts when the door was thrown open behind him. The keys on the piano crashed and a nasty note hung in the air as Jihoon turned around.

The last person Jihoon wanted to see stood in the doorway.

Jihoon froze on the spot.

Seungcheol recovered first, shocked expression schooling itself into one of indifference, a sly grin spreading across his face. He relaxed into the doorframe, varsity jacket sliding down his shoulder, and smirked in the pink haired boy’s direction. “Well look who it is! Unexpected to find you here, kitten. How’s your day been going?”

Jihoon jumped to his feet, body moving of its own accord. Before he even knew what he was doing he was standing in front of Seungcheol, fists clenched by his sides and eyes burning.

“Choi Seungcheol,” Jihoon said, voice low but menacing.

Seungcheol raised an eyebrow as he looked down at him, a light smile coming to his face. “Lee Jihoon-”

“Are you happy?”

Seungcheol merely smiled back at him. “Happy? I would say I am in a pleasant mood, especially after seeing your lovely face.”

“Don’t act stupid,” Jihoon sneered and Seungcheol was almost surprised. He hadn’t expected such a tone to be able to come out of the small pink haired boy’s mouth. “You know what you did. Are you proud of yourself, now that everyone knows I’m a ‘useless Bronze’?”

The black haired boy’s smile did not falter. “I did hear about your desk. It’s a pity, but hey, you can’t blame me. I’m not the one that did those things. I’d say I’ve been rather civil, cutie.”

Jihoon’s voice was cold. “This needs to stop.”

“What does?” Seungcheol asked curiously, almost mockingly.

Jihoon’s nails were digging into his skin so hard it could draw blood, but he didn’t back down. “Everything. This friendliness, this comradery. It’s so fake it’s disgusting.”

Seungcheol merely laughed but his tone changed. “I wouldn’t call it completely fake. Listen kid, it’s nothing personal. I actually rather enjoy your attitude, you’ve got spunk that’s for sure. But this school doesn’t need a rebel like you. We can’t have you giving them any ideas, now can we?” Seungcheol leaned down closer, “What this school needs a reminder. There’s a ranking system at Pledis for a reason and it’d be in everyone’s best interest if they followed it.”

Jihoon recoiled like he had been slapped. “You can’t honestly believe that!”

Seungcheol cut him off before he could continue. “You may be new but if you stick around you’ll learn fast. At this school, Golds are the hunters and Bronze are the pray. It’s like the food chain, if people forget that, then the whole ecosystem is out of balance. Just stay in line and we won’t have any problems.” He then chuckled. “I am surprised. Today’s performance was mediocre at best. Jeonghan’s not a big fan of yours so I expected something even… Grander. Just be glad today wasn’t worse.”

“Worse?” Jihoon’s laugh was hollow. He couldn’t believe what the other boy was saying. “Worse! Wow, why am I even surprised? Yeah, maybe I wasn’t beaten to a pulp, but you have no idea what it feels like to be bullied. What it feels like to be stepped on, humiliated, isolated, terrorized. How dare you act like my suffering means nothing to you? You think it’s all just a game, that because you’re rich you can use people for your own amusement and then get rid of them whenever you want. But you know what? No matter what you delude yourself into thinking, you’re not better than me. You’re nothing but a bully who hides behind his money. You’re the worthless one.”

There was fire in Seungcheol’s gaze. The room had dropped in temperature but Jihoon felt like his skin was on fire. He was panting, chest heaving as if he was out of breath even though he hadn’t moved. He didn’t know where the newfound confidence had come from but it was fueled by anger and Jihoon couldn’t stop until he had let it all out. With a cold glare Seungcheol stepped into the room and even though he towered terrifyingly over Jihoon, the pink haired boy didn’t back down.

“What they said today, it’s true. Those words written on your desk? The words whispered in the hallways? You’re not special, you’re just another Bronze. Replaceable and worthless. And nothing you do or say is going to change that. I’m still going to be Gold Choi Seungcheol, and you’re still Bronze Lee Jihoon. I suggest you shut your mouth and stay out of our way if you want to survive this school year.”

Jihoon was scared, terrified, because he knew what the Golden Boys were capable of, but he would not back down. “Threaten me all you want,” Jihoon snarled, “But everything I said was true. I’m not going to run and hide from you. Not anymore.”

Seungcheol’s laugh was bitter. “Your pride is going to get you killed here, Lee Jihoon. Everything would be much easier if you just did as I said.”

“Rather die like this than become like you.”

Seungcheol’s teeth clenched but before he could respond there was a loud commotion outside in the hallway and he turned, stepping out the door and looking down the hallway.

“Ay, look who we’ve finally found! Choi Seungcheol in the flesh.”

Seungcheol could feel a headache forming. He could recognize that annoying voice anywhere. It was the one he had been trying to avoid the whole day. Sighing, he glanced back to see Jihoon trying to peer around the corner. Oh hell no, he didn’t need this kid getting him into any more problems than he already had.

He stuck out his arm and Jihoon recoiled, turning to scowl at him. He was really more of a grumpy cat than a kitten. He ignored Jihoon’s glare and grabbed the door, pushing the pink haired midget back into the room. “Stay here,” Seungcheol grumbled, voice taut, before he shut the door behind him. He saw a look of defiance spark in the boy’s eyes but he hoped to god he would just listen to him for once.

There were five people coming down the hall. Seungcheol didn’t really care for the other four, but the one that would be a problem strode right down the middle of the hallway like he owned the place. Kim Jiwon, also known as Bobby, Gold, the son of a rival department store who absolutely hated his guts.

“We’ve been looking all over you!” Bobby sneered. Seungcheol could take on Bobby but against a group of five his odds didn’t look that good. “You’ve been pretty elusive today. Scared?”

Seungcheol’s chuckle was hollow, mind whirling as he tried to find a way out of the situation. “Scared of what. You? I thought you knew me better, Bobby.”

The boy’s eyes narrowed. “You should be,” he threatened. “I’m sure you’ve heard the news. Your older brother is trying to buy out my parents company.”

“Not my fault you’re poor,” Seungcheol shrugged and Bobby nearly surged forward at that moment. He sighed, it looked like escaping without getting his hands dirty wasn’t going to be an option. “Listen, it’s not really my problem what my family does or doesn’t do.”

“Right, cause you’re the outcast, aren’t you? Your brothers out shadow you, your parents don’t have any hope for you to actually do something with your life so they let you do whatever you want and ship you off to boarding school. Well, I don’t care about how much money you come from. You think you can look down on me? My family has money too!”

Seungcheol should have seen it coming, but Bobby had a tendency for lengthy bickering and it made him tired. A hard fist slammed into the corner of his mouth, Bobby putting all his weight into the first blow. Reacting quickly, Seungcheol ducked under his next punch and struck him across the jaw. Another student jumped into the fray, grabbing his arm and shoving him against the wall. Seungcheol ducked his head and rammed his shoulder into his stomach, throwing him to the ground.

Five against one was clearly unfair. Luckily Seungcheol was used to fist fights so he didn’t do as horrible as he could have. He dodged from one side of the hallway to the other, trying to keep one person in between him and the others so he wouldn’t be fighting them all at once. He saw a flash of pink behind him and he couldn’t help the slight sense of relief that washed over him. At least the kid wouldn’t be getting involved.

One guy got too close and Seungcheol kicked him in the stomach, throwing him against someone behind him. He threw his fist into someone’s face but he wasn’t expecting someone else to tackle him from the side, elbow slamming into his face until he felt blood dripping down his nose. A nasty kick to the abdomen sent the air whooshing out of his lungs.

“Everyone stop!”

The group froze, all simultaneously looking up.

Seungcheol didn’t think he had ever been happier to see Yuju. Their class president stood at the end of the hallway, arms on her hips and practically fuming. Jihoon stood quietly by her side, a look of concern on his face. Once they had stopped moving, Yuju strode down the hallway and forcefully yanked the one guy off of Seungcheol, grabbing him by the shirt collar and throwing him to the side.

“Are you guys insane?” Yuju snapped, fixing them all with her death glare. It wasn’t that Yuju was scary, but the threat of the school finding out about their fight made them all pause. “You think you can do whatever you want on campus just because your parents are paying your tuition? Well maybe you can but if the teachers get word of fighting then your asses are going go straight to detention and your parents are going to find out. And you know what that means? More paperwork for me!”

The group had gone silent, moving into a line with their heads down. They may have their differences but they would all be in the same place if the school found out; suspended.

Yuju fixed a pointed glare in Seungcheol’s direction. He was a bit better off, his parents didn’t particularly care what he did. “I know you didn’t throw the first punch,” she sniffed, not looking happy about it. “This is because I owe you,” she emphasized, “Get moving.”

Seungcheol flashed her a lopsided grin, saluting her. He winked at Bobby before he strode down the hall, passing Jihoon who quickly bowed gratefully to Yuju before she went on her scolding wrath. He had turned the corner when he realized Jihoon was following him.

The short pink haired boy looked stunned, like he hadn’t ever seen a fight. He probably hadn’t. As much as he claimed to have it worse he seemed like a pretty sheltered country kid. When they were a far enough distance Jihoon turned to Seungcheol, eyes wide when he saw the blood pouring from his nose. “Holy , you’re bleeding,” Jihoon said, stunned. Seungcheol was more stunned that he had even swore, he hadn’t thought he had it in him. Jihoon pulled a hankerchief from his pocket and pressed it against his nose.

Hiding his surprise, Seungcheol took the cloth from his hand and applied pressure to stop the bleeding. “Those bastards, messing up my pretty face.”

Jihoon would have rolled his eyes if he hadn’t caught sight of his hand. “Damn, your hand,” he reached up unconsciously and grabbed his hand, which had the skin torn on the knuckles and was bloodied, but Seunghceol gently removed his grip.

“Best be getting along, kitten,” Seungcheol said, voice gentler. “Class will be leaving soon and I think it would be best if you weren’t seen with me.”

Surprisngly Jihoon looked torn. Seungcheol thought the younger boy would have been happy to see him getting beat up but it seemed Jihoon looked honestly worried about him. He wasn’t quite sure what to make of that. What an interesting kid.

Seungcheol smiled, a grin coming back to his face even though it hurt to move his facial muscles. It was definitely going to bruise and he was not happy about it. “Run along kitten, I’ll be fine. As much as I would love to have a cute nurse like you patch me up, it’d probably be better if you left.” Seungcheol threw in a wink for added effect and Jihoon cringed in response. The boy reluctantly walked towards the front doors of the performing arts center, but paused near the doorway. Seungcheol pasted a large smile on his face. “Don’t worry, I won’t bleed out without you!”

Jihoon rolled his eyes before finally leaving through doors just as the bell rang. Seungcheol watched him walk toward the campus center before he winced and gently rubbed at his nose. He wondered where Jeonghan was, he’d be more likely to patch him up without the obnoxious questions that Joshua was sure to ask him.

Today was the day. Today Soonyoung would be proposing to the one he would be spending the rest of his life with.

As the limp pulled up to Pledis High, Soonyoung pulled down the mirror in the back seat and checked his hair, making sure every newly dyed strand of brown hair was in place. He fixed the collar of his brand new pristine suit and smoothed out the wrinkles. Beside him his manager handed him a velvet box with the ring inside and Soonyoung slipped it into his jacket pocket. Parked, Soonyoung took one last deep breath before he steeled his nerves and exited the limo.

There was already a crowd outside of the campus center. Reporters who had been tipped off about the event were lined up on the side of a long red carpet, cameras flashing and microphones extended. His bodyguards opened his door and Soonyoung stepped onto the pavement, waving to the crowd.

The school bell went off right on time and the students were leaving the building, crowding around at the scene as they recognized Kwon Soonyoung.

After a few pictures had been taken, Soonyoung strode down the crowd, the sea of students parting before him as he saw finally saw his soon to be betrothed.

He stopped in front of their shocked face and dropped to one knee.

“The first time I saw you, I knew you would be the one. The one that I want to spend the rest of my life with,” Soonyoung said clearly, each word perfectly rehearsed. The crowd went wild and the flashing of the cameras made him see stars.

“Will you marry me?”

(A/N: This took me two weeks to write. oops.

You guys probably want to kill me. Ah... #teamjihoon anyone?

And also, why didn't anyone believe the rumors? I told you guys Soonyoung was going to propose! >w>

Anyway, I recently made a tumblr account and a twitter! So hit me up and ask me questions (or yell at me because of all the cliffhangers and how I torture my biases). You can also expect some deeper details, edits and maybe hints about my fics there!

And is anyone else PUMPED about the comeback? Pledis posted teaser pics this morning while I was writing and I was just like -dead-

As always, thanks for subscribing and commenting! <3)