"I'm Do Kyungsoo," he had said. 

Do Kyungsoo? No way. So that's why he had a familiar air lingering around him. 

Jongin had heard the same name once before. Could it be the same Do Kyungsoo from fourth grade? 

_______________

An uncomfortable cloud of silence settled in the classroom and the only sound that could be heard was the shuffling of feet. Head down, hands fidgeting at the hem of his shirt, he made his way to the front of the classroom. The whispers that crowded the air disappeared as soon as he turned around to face the audience of expectant grade schoolers. 

"Introduce yourself now," Mr. Kang encouraged.

A wide- eyed nervous mess, he managed to stutter out, "M-my name is.. I'm Do Kyungsoo."

"Class, say hi Do Kyungsoo." 

"Hi Do Kyungsoo." A clutter of unsyncronized voices distorted the steryeotypical uniform clarity. A few mocking voices were mixed into the greeting. One boy in the back snickered and the teacher shushed him. 

Mr. Kang pointed to an empty seat in the left corner next to the window, "Kyungsoo, you can sit there next to Jongin. Get to know everyone who sits around you. "

Coincidentally, Kyungsoo's table was conveniently in front of the boy who had snickered at his introduction. That was the fourth grade bully, the one that everyone steered clear of. Jongin groaned inwardly; he already felt sorry for the newcomer. Being an optomist though, Jongin approached this as an opportunity to make a new friend. He hoped. 

Immediately after Kyungsoo settled in his seat, he felt an aggressive tap on his shoulder. He turned around, anxious about what would happen next. 

"H-hi, my n-name is K-kris," the bully jeered. His feeble voice completely contradicted the smirk that reached his ears. A few classmates around him giggled. 

"That's enough. Kris, stop unless you want me to tell your parents," the teacher boomed. 

Kris sewed his lips shut that instant. A higher authority figure was the only thing that could impede his derogation. 

Kyungsoo and Jongin both knew that this was going to be a very long year. 

_______________

As the days passed Jongin often tried to make an excuse to talk to Kyungsoo. Kyungsoo was good at math. Whenever Jongin didn't understand a math problem (and that was quite often), the first person he would turn to was Kyungsoo. The topic gradually broadened. If a new movie or comic book was released, Jongin would blabber on for ages while Kyungsoo nonchalantly nibbled at his egg rolls. Oblivious Jongin never realized how antisocial Kyungsoo was; he was never approached by the latter. Words kept prancing out of his mouth and Jongin was blind to the situation. But he did notice the first day Kyungsoo asked him a question.

"Did you watch the new movie yesterday?" 

Jongin almost didn't catch the soft words drowned by the chatter of his classmates. When he looked up Kyungsoo was standing next to his desk, seemingly shrinking from embarassment. Jongin stared in awe for a good five seconds before snapping out of his trance. Mark the date! he mentally noted.

"Not yet, wanna come with me this weekend? I need a buddy to scream with." Jongin internally laughed imagining a frightened Kyungsoo shielding his eyes and hiding behind Jongin's arm. 

Ironically, when Saturday came, the arm became Kyungsoo's and their roles were reversed. Jongin had never been particularly scared of horror films beforehand, but the new presence of Kyungsoo caused Jongin to want to be afraid. Kyungsoo felt... sturdy. For someone with such a small frame, there was an abundance of composure and calmness in his disposition. Kyungsoo never once flinched or jumped, in comparisson to the jittery and alert boy who hung on to his arm for dear life. The former almost seemd bored at some point, even though he insisted that he had an enjoyable time. Jongin was satisfied. 

That's when he started noticing the feelings. The excitement with a slight tinge of heart throb, the fluttering that tugged at his heart, the tingling of his nerves traveled through his whole body when they touched. These were all the feelings that Jongin experienced with Kyungsoo. And Jongin was very attentive; he realized that he never felt this way before around any of his other friends. He couldn't explain it, but he liked it.

The two started spending more time together, be it at school or outside, and Kyungsoo started opening up. Although he still seemed an unmovable challenge at times, he talked more when they were alone. 

One day a few weeks later, Kyungsoo seemed especially blue and melancholy. During break, he reverted back to the Kyungsoo that Jongin first met, reserved and serious. At lunch, he picked at his picked at his sandwich yet only ended up taking one bite before throwing it in the trash. At one point when Jongin looked over to ask Kyungsoo a math question, he looked like he was on the verge of tears. 

Jongin couldn't fathom why his best friend had a sudden change of mood. He assumed Kyungsoo was simply having a bad day. Yet the strangest thing that occurred happened after school. While the two strolled down the empty hallway, side by side, all of a sudden Kyungsoo stopped in his tracks and heaved a sigh. 

Now Jongin knew something was wrong. He turned around with a concerned bite of his lip, eyebrows scrunched, "What's wrong? You know you can tell me anything, you're my best friend." 

Kyungsoo ignored the question and looked Jongin straight in the eye. Black met black and Kyungsoo responded with the line that would never be forgotten, "Jongin, you know I really appreciate you right?" 

Jongin stared in confusion for a couple of seconds proceeding a flustered laugh. "Of couse I know that, we're best friends. But why are you saying this now?" 

"Just wanted to make sure you knew," was the short answer he received in return. That explained nothing, but Jongin decided not to push it. Being the optimistic child that he was, he focused on happy thoughts instead and continued to attempt to cheer his friend up. 

The very next day, Jongin obtained the explanation he was searching for yesterday. However, Kyungsoo was not the one to tell him; in fact, the absence of Kyungsoo was the best explanation in itself. It was the end of semester one, and his best friend was not there to celebrate. The teacher eventually struck a chord and instilled his fear. 

"Do Kyungsoo, the transfer student, will not be attending our school anymore due to family issues." 

It was then that Jongin realized he had no way to contact Kyungsoo. He was dismal, but even more so, Jongin felt betrayed. There had been no proper goodbye, and there might never be. What Kyungsoo did to Jongin was not appreciation. Jongin was a cocktail of emotions and Kyungsoo was the bartender. 

_______________

In recalling his bittersweet memories, Jongin had completely forgotten about the book. 

 

---

This is a super super late update I'm so sorry! (Wow it's been like half a year??)

I've been really busy with school and I finally found some time to sit down and write. 

I probably should have prewritten this whole story but I was stupid about it and didn't. T.T sorry~

But the CBX debut was so catchy I feel so proud. Xiumin and Baek rapping... NEW RAPPER LINE INCOMING WATCH OUT.