Out of all things that could happen, this outcome was impossible to foresee.

How did this happen again?

Oh yeah. Howon kissed you in front of Myungsoo, surprising not only him, but yourself as well. You were in too much of a shock to react and before you had a chance to come to your senses, he was already pulling away, stumbling over his words as he voiced his profuse apologies. Myungsoo had been long gone by then.

You repetitively assured him you weren’t angry or upset, only confused beyond belief about many things – some you mentioned and others you kept to yourself. For example, why had he kissed you out of the blue, why you found yourself enjoying – never mind.

He was quiet for a while and you weren’t particularly certain on what to do. You inwardly prayed he would speak up and rid the tense atmosphere. Maybe you were over-thinking and judged the silence wrongly – you weren’t sure about anything at the moment. Luck seemed to be on your side when he did speak first. However, what he suggested was completely unexpected.

And that’s how you found yourself walking around school with Howon… your fingers interlaced with his. Was this the right thing to do? It wasn’t like you and Howon were flaunting off your new relationship to the other students – there was occasional hand-holding while walking to class, but mainly just standing or walking in closer proximity. The more you thought about it, the more wrong the whole suggestion felt and seemed. It wasn’t fair to anyone – Myungsoo, Howon, you.

You were a coward. No one had to say it. You knew. At this point, you couldn’t find it in you to care – Howon’s suggestion left you with an opportunity and excuse to avoid being around L and right now, that’s all that mattered. Until you found a solution to your dilemma or found yourself able to approach Myungsoo, you’d take refuge in this arrangement.

Every student at Woollim seemed to mind their own business, not bothering to gossip about your sudden attachment to Howon and detachment with Myungsoo. Despite the school being in total uproar when you and Myungsoo first announced your relationship, their reaction to your new one with Howon was quite calm.

Surprisingly, the members of both Eternity and Infinite weren’t up in your face demanding answers to their numerous questions; the ones that normally did held themselves back today. Even though they weren’t directly questioning you, the weight of their stares was enough to know the extent of their curiosity. Throughout the day, the only thing you could do was meet their stares guiltily before turning away. Except for Myungsoo, whose direction you avoided looking in at all costs -- not including the times where you unconsciously did so.

It was lunch time and you were waiting for Howon at your locker so the two of