‘We need to talk.’

‘Can you make it to school early?’

The new day begins with Sunggyu and Woohyun at the school gate early in the morning. Luckily, the guard just opened it, so they’ll be taking their conversation to the music room.

Unluckily, that meant walking in absolute silence for seven minutes. In those few minutes, the two looked back at the events, and practiced what to say once they reached the room where it happened.

“They wanna give both of us a chance to audition!”

Sunggyu remembers everything the moment Woohyun let out those words. How could he not? It was as if the boy knew exactly what to say to remind him of the turbulence from home. Not that he blames Woohyun for saying what he said - everything was just… too much.

Ever since his fears of the future hit him back with his parents reminding him about university, all the buzzwords would piss him off. Believe it or not, being in school was actually the reliever - he would only have to face the lessons he needed to face and talk to the people who didn’t need to shove the top thirty highest-paid jobs down his throat. 

So the fact that his safe space has intruded him with reminders of home leaves more than a bitter taste in the teenager’s mouth. It was more like the pungence slowly found its way into the crevices of his brain and showed that it was staying.

He can’t pretend that his reaction was justified however - it simply was not. He knew that, because the only way he could describe his response was ‘absolutely irrational and unnecessary’.

“What the actual Woohyun.”

And Woohyun wouldn’t have minded hearing those words, that is if it were paired with a big smile and his hyung ready to jump around in celebration. But the words were said in such monotony it terrified him. He asked the older, after all he was confused; why wasn’t he happy?

“I’m not doing it. Join it if you want, but I sure as hell won’t-”

“I can understand a ‘no’, hyung. Why do you have to be so aggressive? You were so excited for the talent show so I just thought you’d want to try this out.”

“Well that’s where you’re wrong.” Sunggyu could still feel the tension that rose from the exchange.

That was but one of the regrets he had.

“I just wanna know why you have to reject it so badly?”

Sunggyu remembered how easily he let a sharp exhale in irritation, along with rolled eyes.

“Why would I go so far to audition, Hyun? Yeah I convinced myself to join, it’s not like I’m investing into my whole future? To audition - have you seen the kids that go there? Actual children sign up and train for ages before they debut! I’m just a teen that wanted to sing, why the would I immediately think ‘Oh! Yeah I’d love to give away the rest of my years there!’, why would I-”

“It’s just an audition hyung! Also, how would you know if you didn’t want to join? I literally just dropped the idea, and you’ve only been prepping for a few weeks, you still have time to think.”

“... And if I took it? And if I failed? And then what?”

At that point, Woohyun was lost. At that point, he’s come to see so much pain in Sunggyu’s face and he wonders if it was all from him suggesting the auditions. 

At the time, Woohyun couldn’t help but feel defensive, questions about the student in front of him flooded his head, only fueling his defensiveness. Why was he so angry? Why did he take this so seriously? What did he do to be shouted at like this?

“The ’s wrong with you?”

Sunggyu agrees, what was wrong with him?

“We’re here… Sunggyu hyung.”

As Sunggyu takes the keys from his bag, Woohyun remembers his own ups.

If Dongwoo saw them, he would’ve definitely slapped the two of them to sit down and think before talking. He thinks this since he knew not one word that left him yesterday were words that depicted sensible thoughts. He remembers how well his emotions would only drive the two to a more difficult conversation.

“It must be nice to know what you want, hm? I’m sure your parents allowed you too-”

“D’you really have to bring up my parents?”

“Whatever. You probably think of this audition for fun? Probably have a whole plan in front of you-”

“What does that have to do with auditioning?” 

“I don’t want to want a world that I can’t be in!”

It was a confusing reason for Woohyun the first time. Too bad he was so focused on proving what he did was harmless; if he was calmer, perhaps he would’ve asked what the older meant.

“Then why the do you have to be mad at me? Is it my fault you can’t make up your mind?”

Only then did Sunggyu realize where he was going, and he wanted to stop.

“Leave me alone.” 

What Sunggyu took as a quick decision to stop their conversation from worsening, Woohyun took as the older childishly leaving before they properly talked it out. And while Sunggyu took the rest of the break to close his eyes and quiet down, Woohyun walked all around the room and said more words he wished the older would hear.

Luckily, the two wouldn’t stay the same for long. After school, Woohyun asked Kevin and Hoya if they had time to hang out and ask for advice, and Sunggyu drowned himself with silence until he couldn’t take it anymore and decided to reflect.

Now, both inside the quiet music room, both could feel the weight of each step they took. The stacks of chairs at the corner felt like they were hundreds of meters away, yet the two still somehow agreed to first set up the room (even if there was no fixed arrangement for them to follow).

As Sunggyu organized the chairs on the left side of the room, Woohyun took his time at the right. And, since the chairs were at the left corner, the latter took the chance to look at his silent friend whenever he’d cross sides.

He remembers Kevin’s first question.

“Are you sure you two would make up if he stayed?”

Well, he thought they would.

“I’m not saying you were wrong - you’re right, it’s important that you two communicate. But doing so when both of you were probably overwhelmed is counterproductive.” 

Howon nodded at the older’s advice, and Woohyun recalled the former’s words that followed.

“You know, Gyu hyung didn’t speak at all during break... Maybe he just wanted time alone? Like, you never know what else you could say when you’re riled up.”

“Take your time to think about what you want to tell him. And if you’re ready, ask him if he is - maybe you two can talk tomorrow.”

In the middle of his recollection, Woohyun realizes he was already at the last chair. Looking to the other side, he sees the older already walking around the organized set.

There was no other way to stall, he knew.

“Hyung?”

“... Yes?”

“Can we talk now?”

“Yeah, let’s.” Sunggyu ends his response with pursed lips and a few slow nods.

Woohyun tries to look at his friend, but settles with seeing the crown of his head.

“I’m really, really sorry hyung.” He noticed how the older’s eyes met his right after his apology. Maybe they should’ve also the lights, he thought, wondering if the eyes he saw were really glossy.

“I’m sorry Woohyun…” The boy holds back the tears building up, wanting to speak more before his eyes fight back.

“You didn’t do anything wrong - everything just got messed up in my head and it just got worse when you talked about it. I’m sorry Hyun…”

He remembered when he was still practicing the words to say today - how much would he explain at the moment, how long will he talk. In the end, at least he was able to get the most important part out, because his fiddling fingers could no longer distract his tears.

The teen broke eye contact with a sharp inhale, now staring harshly at the floor. He could feel his throat close up while his mouth felt dry, and he realized he definitely wouldn’t even be able to choke one more syllable. Woohyun took this as the signal for his turn; so, walking closer to him, he slowly wraps an arm around the quiet boy. When he notices how the latter leans into his side, he decides to take a step further and brings Sunggyu into a hug. 

To be honest, Woohyun didn’t know what to expect. After all, they had never argued to that point, and it was his first time to see him act that way. He never had such an explosive exchange with close friends and, right now, he did not expect to end up embracing Sunggyu, letting the latter rest his head on his shoulder. 

He didn’t know if he should ask the older about it, if he’s just more comfortable with crying, if he’s just used to doing this. And for that, he decides to focus on what’s more important now.

“No hyung,” he says softly, “I was wrong too. I shouldn’t have pushed when you were already mad.” 

He notices how Sunggyu reciprocates his hug slowly. The harsh words he dropped behind the older’s back after their fight creeped back to his memories, causing the younger teen’s heart to ache slightly.

“I should’ve been more patient hyung, I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.” With his voice slightly muffled, he continues to ask, “do you forgive me?”

“Yes hyung. Of course.”

----------

“No practice today?”

“Eh,” Woohyun smiles. “We just want a break.”

After making up this morning, the two decided to relax for a bit today. That’s what led to them appearing at the coveted seventh table, chatting along with their dear friends. However, while they finally came back, two other students were missing from the group.

“They said a teacher called them to help her with something? I don’t really remember,” Sungjong explained.

“They’ve been as busy as Gyu hyung and Woohyun, don’t you guys think?” Howon asked.

The rest nodded in response, though Sunggyu and Woohyun just went with the flow.

“Oh,” Sungjong turned to the confused students, “sometimes they also wouldn’t go here during breaks. When they do, sometimes Sungyeol would be walking back and forth, and Myungsoo would leave outta nowhere.”

“I don’t remember being that busy last year,” Woohyun says. 

“I don’t remember last year at all,” Howon comments. “Not a recommended year. Would give it a three out of ten.”

“You know what year is nice though? Grade 1. Wow, that was a beautiful time.” Sungjong sighs.

“Ah yes, pre-myungyeol fighting era. You’d think a kid can’t get stressed so early but if you saw Jjongie over here trying to break up their fights - a whole new world.” As Howon talks about their childhood, his younger cousin dramatically places the back of his hand on his forehead in woe.

“What happened before?” Sunggyu asks.

“Believe it or not, those two would fight over the simplest things when we were way younger. I would usually be the one breaking them up, and it worked for a while. But then at like sixth grade - or was it seventh? Anyways, they had a fight that was so bad I couldn’t fix it and my ing gosh can I just say, those were the worst days I’ve ever had.” Sungjong sighed as the memories of the big fight reappeared, but then shook the memories off.

“Luckily it worked out, obviously, and here they are stronger than ever.”

Today was but another day of Sungyeol praying he doesn’t bump into the trio yet. Honestly, it wasn’t how the PR candidate would normally react - usually he’d be communicating with them as much as possible since it’s always better to have more information.

But this trio wasn’t a group Sungyeol could give absolute trust in. There was something about them that made him want to avoid them as much as possible, but coming to that idea made Sungyeol guilty. After all, they were turning to him for help, which meant they gave him trust, so who was he to hold back?

Though, just in case, he decided on a common ground: he would mainly talk to them online unless they actually needed to meet up. It was useful; other people wouldn’t have to see him with them, especially Myungsoo. Sungyeol knows that they’re a shady group of friends, but he wonders what made his best friend hate them so much - it’s not like he knew them personally.

In the span of a day the four weren’t exactly able to go anywhere and with the mix of stress of knowing that the elections are less than a week away, Sungyeol was barely holding onto the hope of finding the perpetrator. All they knew so far was the same information they had from the start - it was someone that would benefit from Sungyeol winning PR.

That wouldn’t single anyone out - no one Sungyeol knows would obviously benefit from him winning, after all. There were no tricks up the sleeves of the people that favored him as a candidate; this is a school, not an overrated highschool gang drama.

The next option, brought up by Seungyoon, was that it'd be someone close to Sungyeol. This option, however, just didn’t seem practical. His friends that weren’t involved in the council had their own responsibilities that bombarded them in these busy weeks, and those that also ran in the council would be worrying about their reputation instead of his chances of winning.

Well, that, with the exception of Myungsoo. But he’s Myungsoo, why would he go that far?

That was what Sungyeol thought before shutting down Seungyoon’s speculation. They then thought that, if this was only directed at the three, then the unknown perpetrator may have something against them. To confirm that, they (or at least, Sungyeol hopes all of them put the effort) tried to check if any more popular or infamous students would be wary around Sungyeol or talk bad about him, but all were indifferent at the mention of the candidate. Concluding that it was only happening to the three, the next question was asking who had a grudge.

Perhaps Sungyeol thought it would’ve been the whole junior batch, but he decided to stay nice and not voice that assumption. Instead he asked them for their opinions, too bad he was only met with a bunch of vague answers like ‘i dunno, people just don’t like me’, and ‘maybe they’re trying to feel superior’.

All the more reason for him to hold back his trust on the group. 

Though, Sungyeol admits, this issue escalated way more than he thought it should’ve.

“You know Myung,” he says while they walk. Currently, they were walking back and forth to get a few things for their homeroom teacher.

“Hm?”

“Some of our seniors have been getting really weird messages,” he sighs. “ Someone’s been threatening them to vote for me.”

“... Really?”

“Yeah, honestly it’s stressing me out a lot. ‘Cause I can understand that they’re not the best, uh, people, but what’s the point of doing something like that?”

“Hmm…” Myungsoo hums. “Well, at least they have a bit of karma.”

“I guess?” Sungyeol sighs once again. “Should I ask the others? I really wanna find them.”

“What’ll you do if you find them?”

“What do you mean?” 

The two reach the teachers’ office.

“If you find them, what would you do?”

----------

“If they saw you right now they wouldn’t be saying bull.”

“That’s enough anger for today Myung,” Sungyeol chuckles.

After school, the two friends found themselves in the school’s clinic, one needing this place more than the other.

“Yeol! Don’t you get it? People actually spread and believe in these rumors! How’re you not affected?” Myungsoo attempts to stand from the bed he was on, but the pain on his lower back immediately signals him to stay down. Instead, he continues to grumble while staring at the clinic’s pristine white ceiling.

“Even if I was, I can handle it you know?” The taller stands up from his seat next to the bed, looking for the box of salonpas. Once he was able to get a few, he walked back to sit on the same seat. “Enough about me, you should really take care of yourself more - how did you not feel the pain when we were carrying those boxes the whole time?”

“This pain’ll be gone after some rest and salonpas. Your reputation, however? It’ll only go down, especially with the likes of Park Seungho.”

“That’s Seungho sunbae to you, Mr. council rep candidate.”

“Why would I have to care about respecting him? It’s not like our batch gives two s about his antics.” Myungso rolls his eyes. “But the newbies? Even the seniors? They’re listening to the bull and you know that-”

“Myungsoo,” Sungyeol was getting irritated. “That’s enough.”

Silence envelops the two as they stare at each other, neither understanding the feelings their eyes tried to depict.

“Okay, I think that’s enough rest, just continue when you get home,” Sungyeol says. His best friend nods, sitting up a bit more carefully before attempting to stand. Thankfully he didn’t have as much pain as he did a few minutes ago.

“I’ll just call Jjongie, let’s hang out at your house today, hm?”

“... Sure.”

After calling said friend, Sungyeol waits at the doorway for Myungsoo as he cleans up.

“Jjongie’s grounded, so I guess it’s just us too.”

“Really? What happened?”

“I dunno yet, he said he’ll just tell us tomorrow.”

----------

Later in the afternoon, Sunggyu arrives back at his house.

The moment he opens the door, he notices his mother at the living room, watching the news. Although he was just going to go straight to his room, he hears her call his name, so he ends up walking towards the couch.

“Come here,” she pats on the seat right next to her. He quickly puts his bag to the side and follows her. 

“Hm?” He attempts to voice something out, hoping that she wouldn’t think he was purposefully being quiet.

“You know I only want the best for you, right?”

He knows where this was going.

Honestly, he never gets mad at his parents, maybe he’d need to sigh a bit but he never went further. But ever since his mother has been reminding him back and forth that university is approaching, and how his older cousins have been getting international internships and research opportunities, he’s honestly lost the will to react. So, perhaps she noticed this and thinks he’s mad or something.

Nevertheless, he nods in response to her question.

“I just want to make sure you’ll be ready for university, hm? Please don’t be mad at mama.”

“I’m not mad,” he tries to say. And yet his throat felt dry almost immediately, stopping him from saying any more.

“Come on, give me a hug.” She spreads her arms welcomingly, and the young teen immediately leans into her embrace.

“I’m sorry mama,” he chokes out. He breaks into tears again, but tries to do it as quietly as possible, with the exception of a few sniffs.

“It’s okay Sunggyu,” she pats his back. And when she pulls away from the hug, the boy quickly cleans himself up.

“Just remember, it’s really important to think about what you wanna do, okay? It’s for your own sake too.” He simply nods and, thinking that they can move on from this now, he looks to his side for his bag. When he spots the item, he brings it close to him and, before he leaves, he leaves a question.

“Mama?”

“Hm?”

“I’m gonna be late from school nowadays for our music club. Is that okay?”

“Sure.”

lol hi so this is by far the longest chapter i've written - and idk if i might write longer skjdfjkds

i just wanna say - yeah so maybe this didnt go the way you mightve expected. honestly, ive been waiting to write this part cause i wanted to be able to finally delve into sunggyu's character, especially since it's something that i relate to personally (maybe it isnt obvious but a lot of the conflicts will be based on personal experience woooo) :DD from this point on, just gonna give yall a heads up, we'll be continuing into more serious topics. (i'll make sure to put warnings in case it'll be too much)

(pspspsps just saying - we've only finished 1/3 conflicts for the second arc lol)