"Today, class, we're welcoming a new student. Everyone say hello to Jung Taekwoon~!"

"Hello Taekwoon!!"

"A-ah, h-hello," the shy boy nervously bowed, uncomfortable with the amount of attention on him. His teacher had encouraged him to introduce himself to the class, but he wasn't sure how. He followed her advice: name, age, and hobbies. "I-I'm Jung Taekwoon. Uhm, I'm fifteen... I-I like baking and singing..." he trailed off, unsure of what else to say. Taekwoon wasn't a very talkative person by nature, and found introduction's difficult as a result. He looked over at his teacher hopelessly, indicating he was finished with his introduction.

She raised her eyesbrows, a little surprised by how short his introduction was. "...Well, everyone, be nice to Taekwoon~" she smiled, placing a hand on the nervous teenager's shoulder. "Taekwoon, there's a seat spare next to Jaewhan," she smiled warmly, gesturing towards a very excitable boy.

"Hey Taekwoon, I'm Jaewhan~!" he announced loudly, jumping up from his seat and causing a bit of a scene.

"H-hello," Taekwoon bowed, embarrassed by the amount of eyes watching him. He quietly took the seat next to Jaewhan, offering the boy a shy smile before taking out his notebook and stationary, eager to start learning. Taekwoon had always been a bit of a nerd - a student with straight A's, who would never miss a class or do anything to interrupt it. He felt somewhat guilty about having to introduce himself as it meant interrupting the class momentarily.

"Taekwoonie, you said you like singing, right?" Jaewhan loudly whispered as Taekwoon attempted to focus on what their teacher was saying, taking notes diligently. He glanced over at Jaewhan with a slight nod to acknowledge what he said before returning to his note-taking. "I run the music club~!" Jaewhan announced proudly, smiling brightly - it was clear he had a passion for music. "Preeeeetty please will you join it~?"

Slightly frustrated at Jaewhan for talking over the teacher, Taekwoon mumbled out a quiet 'I'll think about it' in an attempt to satiate him. 

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"Oh look, it's the new kid~"

Taekwoon flinched as he felt a firm hand grab his shoulder, stopping him in his tracks. It was lunch time, and he was trying to find a quiet place to eat when he found himself surrounded by a circle of older boys. It was a familiar scene to him, and he knew what was going to happen next. Sighing, he decided against fighting it as he felt the first punch hit him in stomach, winding him. Wincing in pain, he tried his best to think about something else to take him out of the moment as another one of the boys punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. He thought about puppies as he curled up into the fetal position, recieving punches and kicks from all directions.

"Hey, leave him alone!" 

"S-! Guys, come on, let's go- O-ouch! !"

Taekwoon hesitantly opened his eyes, only to see his bullies fleeing, one of them holding their jaw in pain.

"Hey, are you alright?" asked the boy who had saved him by punching the ring-leader in the face. The boy with the deep voice reached out a hand, offering to help him standing up. As Taekwoon studied the boy, his cheeks turned a faint shade of pink. Not only did this boy have an incredibly attractive voice - he was handsome too. Gulping, Taekwoon reached out his hand, taking the stranger's hand and letting him help him to his feet. "Those kids are a bunch of s," he scoffed. "Hey... wanna eat lunch together?"

"S-sure."

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Taekwoon's mysterious saviour lead him to the roof top, where they sat at an empty bench to eat together. Taekwoon was mesmerised by the handsome stranger - something about him had really caught his interest.

"My name's Wonshik, by the way," he smiled at Taekwoon, taking his lunch out of his rucksack. "So you're new here?"

"Y-yes," Taekwoon stuttered, a little caught off guard by the sudden question. "I..."

"Hey, you don't have to talk if you don't want to," Wonshik smiled, taking a bite out of his sandwich. "Don't force yourself. I'm just being nosy, sorry~"

Taekwoon couldn't help but smile. He'd never met someone who seemed to understand him, especially not so fast. As he thought about it more, it was kind of strange to him how comfortable he felt around someone he'd only just met. Wonshik had a very warm aura around him that made Taekwoon feel at ease for once. After a few minutes of comfortable silence, Taekwoon had strung together his thoughts.

"I... t-thank you. For saving me, I mean."

"Hey, it's nothing~" Wonshik shrugged with a grin on his face, leaning back against the fence casually. "Glad to help."

"Oh! I-I almost forgot," Taekwoon mumbled. "I'm... I'm Taekwoon."

"It's nice to meet you~" 

Something about Wonshik's smile made Taekwoon feel weird inside, as if he had butterflies in his stomach. He couldn't help but notice Wonshik looked even more handsome with his crooked half smile tugging at his pretty lips. Just as Taekwoon was getting comfortable with talking, the school bell rang, interrupting their conversation. Not wanting to be late to class, Taekwoon rushed off after promising to meet Wonshik by the gate after school.

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"Boo~" Wonshik surprised Taekwoon by giving him a back hug. He'd noticed how incredibly cute the new boy was, especially when he was embarrassed.

"Y-you scared me~" Taekwoon whined, flustered by the sudden physical contact. He felt funny when Wonshik touched him - a weird sense of longing that he couldn't understand. He found Wonshik's cheeky smirk strangely attractive.

"You like coffee?"

"I-I love coffee~!" Taekwoon announced excitedly, a little bit embarrassed afterwards. "S-sorry-"

"You're cute," Wonshik smiled, enjoying how red his new friend's chubby cheeks were turning. "Let's go~"

After a short, quiet walk together, the two wound up in a small coffee shop. Wonshik placed their orders - a vanilla latte for Taekwoon, and a hot chocolate and bluberry muffin for himself. Wonshik had a sweet tooth for baked goods, which Taekwoon took note of. He still wanted to repay Wonshik for rescuing him from the group of bullies, and decided that baking him something would be a great idea. As the boys waited for their orders, Taekwoon thought about what he could make for his handsome new friend.

"Here you go~" Wonshik smiled, handing Taekwoon his latte before taking the seat opposite him. "Are you new in this town, too? I've never seen you about before."

"Y-yes," Taekwoon nodded, taking a sip of his drink before setting it down on the table. "I just moved here with my big brother. He just started college here."

"What about your parents?"

"Ah... t-they passed on when I was little-"

"Oh, I'm sorry-"

"No, it's okay," Taekwoon smiled softly, taking another sip of his drink. "What are your parents like?" Taekwoon watched as Wonshik tensed up. Worried he'd hit a nerve, he changed the subject. "So, you like sweet foods?"

"Y-yeah," Wonshik half smiled, grateful for the change of subject. "I think my favourite would be... hm..." he pouted as he pondered for a moment, unintentionally drawing Taekwoon's attention to his lips. "I like red velvet the most, I think~" he smiled, taking a sip of his hot chocolate. 

"What else do you like?" 

"I like music," he grinned, sparking Taekwoon's interest once again.

"A-ah, can I... can I ask you something?"

"Sure, cutie~" Wonshik smirked, chuckling as he watched Taekwoon get flustered. Wonshik's deep laugh was infectious.

"Ah, uhm... a-are you, I mean... Are you a part of the music club?"

"Yeah~!" Wonshik nodded enthusiastically, finishing off his hot chocolate. "Why? Are you interested in joining?"

"M-maybe-"

"You sure it's not just an excuse to spend more time with me~?"

"W-what? N-no, I-"

"I'm just teasing," he laughed, placing a hand on Taekwoon's shoulder. "Relax a little, yeah?"

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"Do you want me to walk you home?"

"No, no - you've already done enough for me," Taekwoon replied without thinking. As he looked around cluelessly, he bit his lip, looking down at his feet out of embarrassment. "...Actually, I don't really know where I am," he admitted quietly.

"You're so cute~" Wonshik smirked, jovially placing a hand on Taekwoon's back. "Don't worry. I'll get you home safe."

Wonshik knew the town like the back of his hand. Using shortcuts, it only took around twenty minutes to walk Taekwoon home. As the boys walked together, they kept stealing glances at one another shyly.

"Catch you at school tomorrow, okay? I always eat lunch on the roof," Wonshik smiled, turning to walk home when Taekwoon unexpectedly grabbed his wrist. He turned to face Taekwoon, finding the way he turned so red and got so flustered really adorable.

"I-I.... t-thank you," Taekwoon stuttered out before running into his house, as surpsied by his sudden action as Wonshik appeared to be. 

Closing the door behind himself, Taekwoon leant against it, taking a moment to catch his breath. 

"...Who was that? He's handsome-"

"Shut up," Taekwoon mumbled under his breath, blushing a little as he walked towards the kitchen, ignoring his older brother's weird comment.

"Well, I'm glad you're making friends already~" Hakyeon sang, following his younger brother into the kitchen. "What happened to your face?" he frowned, noticing a light bruise forming around Taekwoon's eye.

"Oh, I... Some... s-some kids hit me, but, it's fine. Wonshik stopped them."

"Wonshik?"

"The boy I was with," Taekwoon mumbled, slipping his school bag off his shoulder and leaving it on the floor as he searched around the kitchen for ingredients to make red velvet cookies.

"Sounds like he's your Prince Charming~" Hakyeon teased, leaning on the counter and smirking as he watched his little brother's cheeks turn pink. "Looks like someone has a crush~"

"What? Shut up," Taekwoon whined defensively, shooting Hakyeon a glare as he gathered the ingredients together on the kitchen counter. "Can you make yourself useful and clean a bowl?" he frowned at his brother, who was still looking at him with that weird and annoying smirk he always had when he . "Please?"

"Fine~" Hakyeon oblidged, finding out a mixing bowl and washing it in the sink. "Seriously, though, I'm glad Wonshik saved you from those bullies," he sighed, drying the bowl and handing it to his little brother with a sincere smile on his face. "Don't let people pick on you, Woonie. Okay?"

"I-I'll try," he nodded, smiling back. "...Do you wanna help?"

"Sure. What are we making?"

"Red velvet cookies," Taekwoon smiled brightly.

"Are they for Wonshik, by any chance?"

"Y-yes," he admitted shyly, blushing a little. "J-just to say thank you! Don't get any more weird ideas..."

Hakyeon giggled, rolling up the sleeves of his white blouse. "Alright. What do I do first?"