The next monday, Il Sung waved good bye to Joon as usual at the gates of the school, and prepared for his normal hell. He supposed he should get used to it by now, he had been bullied his whole life. The pain should have dulled, but somehow, it didn't. It still felt like a fresh blow to the heart everytime he saw the looks of disgust on people's face as he walked by, or when they snickered and talked about him. 

"Il Sung!" A voice, that has grown familiar, called. Il Sung smiled, and looked up, to see Sojin cutely standing by the main doors, waving. A new bandage was wrapped around her knee, and at the sight, his eyes lost the little light that Sojin had ignited. 

"Are you alright?" He asked as he reached her. Sojin shook her leg around.

"Yep!" She giggled. Il Sung glanced at the watch on his arm.

"We should go. Can't be late for math." Il Sung wrinkled his nose, and walked forwards. Sojin grabbed Il Sung's wrist. Startled, Il Sung looked back. 

"I..have to tell you something at lunch. Meet at the bench, yeah?" She smiled, but it faltered. Il Sung felt slightly queasy inside, but nodded. 

"Come on. I don't want detention." He muttered, and Sojin obediently followed him into the school.

 

"Sojin." Il Sung greeted as he sat down on the bench, next to her. 

"Il Sung..." She started, voice fading out. Her shoulders deflated. Il Sung stayed silent, not knowing what to say. She finally looked at him.

"That secret..that you promised to tell me..I might not be here to hear you tell me." Her sad eyes travelled across Il Sung's face.

"Why?" Il Sung asked, even though he had a good sense of why she wasn't going to be there. Sojin took a deep breath.

"My parents were not happy when I came home with a bleeding knee. I'm not good at lying, so my parents found out that I was being bullied here..and now they're moving me to a different school." She looked down in shame. 

"Hey, look at me." Il Sung whispered. Her head slowly lifted.

"Don't bow your head in shame. It's not your fault. In fact, it's better than you're moving. Staying here with me is a horrible idea." Il Sung stated, matter of factly. Still, it didn't console Sojin. 

"You'll get hurt." She mumbled. Il Sung felt gratitude surge through his heart. She cared for him. Maybe she would accept his secret. Taking a deep breath, he made up his mind.

"I'll tell you now, then." He smiled. Sojin's eyes widened quickly.

"You don't have to. I didn't do this to pressure you!" She frantically waved her arms infront of her face.

"No, I want to. I didn't trust you before, but now I do." He stopped her arms, and folded them back on her lap. She clasped her hands together and looked intently at him.

"I...I'm not..not a boy." He didn't know how to confess. He had never told anyone. Hyunwoo had figured it out, and spread it around. Everyone believed him, and that's when the bullying started. His eyes scanned Sojin's face, waiting for her reaction.

"Not..a boy?" She blinked, not understanding. She gazed him over. He sighed.

"I look like a boy on the outside, but I'm not." He clarified. Sojin's mouth formed a small 'o' as she took in the information, piecing it together. Then she flung her arms around him.

"Oh my god. It must be so hard..so hard being bullied for that." She tightened her hold on his neck, trying to stop the flow of sudden tears. 

"There. I said it." Il Sung patted her back, feeling quite relieved now that she knew, and that she didn't run away. She loosened her hold, and leaned back.

"I don't want to move. I want to stay here with you." She steadily said. He shook his head.

"No. Go, change schools. You don't deserve being bullied." He said gently.

"You don't dserve it either." She shot back, eyes glinting.

"I hate this school. Everyone is a coward. They all have insecurities, but decide to prey on yours. It's pathetic." She growled. 

"I've gotten used to it." Il Sung lied quickly. 

"My parents won't let me stay..but..can we stay friends?" Sojin's eyes met his, hopeful. 

"Of course, if that's what you want." He nodded. A bit of her charming smile came back.

"It's what I want." She bent forwards again and hugged him. Her cell phone rang, and Sojin cursed.

"That's my parents. They're here to take care of school matters, and now they're taking me away." She glared at her phone screen.

"Answer, and go with them. I have to go back to class. Lunch is ending." He patted her head, and stood up. Il Sung waved once, and turned around, walking determindly back into the school. His steps were forced-he didn't want to face the school alone again. He realized he relied on Sojin to be there, making school less intimidating. Now she was gone. Il Sung's hands shook a little, and he jammed them into his pockets. *Looking weak will only make the bullying worse* he told himself. 

 

After school, he recieved a text from Joon. 

I have soccer tryouts today. If you're ok with it, come watch me.

Il Sung bit his bottom lip. He never stayed at school after dismissal. He was eager to get home to halmoni's warm home. But Joon seemed to want his support, and he couldn't deny him. After all, Joon was his anchor. Il Sung sighed and trudged towards the fields. He sat down on the bleachers, which were empty. Scanning the field, he found Joon.

"HEY!" Joon called joyfully, running up the steps. He plopped down next to his dongseang. 

"You didn't leave." he stated. Il Sung stared at him.

"Of course not. You wanted me to watch." He held up the phone with the text. Joon's eyes softened.

"But I know how much you hate school. Yet you came to watch. Thank you." Joon ruffled Il Sung's hair, before jogging back down. Il Sung settled into the hard bench, watching with pride as Joon skillfully kicked the ball from foot to foot. Joon was fantastic at soccer. It was his favorite sport, and he'd probably die if he couldn't play. Il Sung dutifully kept his eyes on his hyung, a smile naturally appearing on his face from watching his hyung do what he loved. 

As the tryouts ended, Il Sung gathered up his backpack, and stood up from the bleachers. His back ached from sitting straight. Joon came bounding towards him.

"I MADE IT" He enthused, eyes shining. Il Sung nodded.

"Of course you would, you're the best at soccer." Il Sung complimented. 

"No he's not." A new voice appeared behind Joon. Joon looked back, as Il Sung stared at the handsome face.

"Oh, Myungsoo! You made it too, didn't you?" Joon clapped his hand on Myungsoo's shoulder. Il Sung felt extremely vulnerable, as Myungsoo locked eyes with him. 

"Yeah I did. This your brother?" Myungsoo nodded at Il Sung. Joon stood proudly beside Il Sung.

"Kim Myungsoo, meet my dongseang, Lee Il Sung." Joon smiled. Myungsoo was new to the school, having transferred only a week ago. He had quickly formed a bond with Joon, and Joon knew he wouldn't treat Il Sung horrible. Myungsoo hated gossip and never believed in rumours. 

"H-Hi." Il Sung stuttered. Myungsoo smirked.

"Look here. I'm the best at soccer, not your hyung over here. Remember that." Myungsoo lightly flicked Il Sung's head, and chuckled. Rubbing his forehead, Il Sung had to bite back his smile. *He's nice*.

 

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He's finally here! Myungsoo has landed. Sorry it took so long for his character to show up, I wanted more development on Il Sung first. Please enjoy, and remember to subscribe and comment! It means the world to me whenever someone comments or subscribes