Because of Soojung’s unexpected declaration in the morning, Taemin had to suffer through the entire day.

Chanyeol hadn’t showed up. Taemin and Chanyeol had walked to the bus station together after that preposterous mayhem last night, as people showered them with disapproving stares. Taemin had thanked him, it was his fault that Chanyeol got involved after all, but the exhausted boy had just gotten on the bus after waving him off absentmindedly.

“Go ahead and date him, I’m going to shave all the hair off of that ’s head…”

Taemin muttered as he laid his head onto his desk.

Things almost seemed to be back on track with Jongin since last night, but Taemin wasn’t entirely sure. His body was aching nonstop and Taemin was too unmotivated move.

It was only when Taemin checked his text on his phone that he jumped up and read the four words over and over again.

[Meet me at the gym. –Jongin]

Perched on the edge of the gymnasium platform, Taemin dangled his feet back and forth. He checked the text on his phone again and smiled.

He had no idea how things were turning out, but one thing was for sure.

It made absolutely no sense to lose Jongin just because Soojung was screwing his life over. …And whatever the reason was, no matter how illogical the reason may be, he couldn’t lose a childhood friend like Jongin. Taemin was constantly persuading himself this way.

The door opened with a screech, and Jongin came in wearing his large backpack. He paced when he found Taemin sitting on the platform and smirked. Taemin saw the two marks he made on each side of Jongin’s mouth and smugly raised up his fists.

“Does it hurt?” Taemin smirked. 

“Like , you .” Said Jongin, dabbing at his wound. 

“So? Did you call me over for payback?”

Snickering at Taemin’s sharp tongue, Jongin took the backpack off his back. As he opened up the bag, he looked at Taemin watching him curiously and spoke.

“I’m sorry.”

“…For what?” Taemin asked after a pause.

“For neglecting helpless Lee Taemin when he needed Kim Jongin the most, out of a shameless revenge all for a girl.” 

Jongin responded and smiled apologetically.

Embarassed by the sudden change of atmosphere, Taemin looked away.

“…It’s fine.” He mumbled.

“So are we good?”

“Duh.”

Jongin smirked at Taemin’s childlike gruffiness and held his open backpack upside down.

About a pile of hundred candies and chocolates poured down from the bag and spattered onto the gym floor. Taemin’s jaw dropped, and Jongin flapped the empty backpack proudly as if he’d done the right thing. Eyeing the enormous mountain of chocolates, Taemin jumped down from the platform to the sweets on the floor.

You gotta be kidding me, trying to mend a fight with some chocolates…

Taemin sent Jongin a look and bent down to pick up a chocolate. When he straightened back up, Jongin was glowing proudly.

Taemin then wrote a mental note to get a hospital check soon, he had been tearing up a lot lately and this wasn’t normal for him. Taemin smiled at how Jongin had come up with something so much like him.

“Here, consume all the sugar and reflect on your doings.” Jongin said.

“...Reflect on what?” Taemin's eyebrows soared as crouched down again to sort out his favorite chocolates.

“You lied to me, didn’t you?” Jongin asked.

Without replying, Taemin slowly raised himself up. Afraid that he might blurt out the truth that even he found uncertain, Taemin started to unwrap the chocolate without meeting Jongin’s eyes.

At that moment, something passed in front of Taemin’s eyes and Jongin’s finger touched his lips. He gently touched the blood crust that was resting on Taemin’s bottom lip, and Taemin jumped back, startled by the sudden touch.

Jongin’s hand hung pointlessly in the air, and their gazes fell on each other. 

“…What are you doing?!” Taemin exclaimed, in hopes to mend the awkward atmosphere.

“Just checking to see how bad you got your kicked." Jongin replied, scratching his head. "I’m not going to jump you, chill…”

Jongin would never know.

How his every movement and words inflate and deflate Taemin’s heart, Jongin would never know.

And although Taemin had endured countless adversities, he has no idea how far he can bear this one.

“You stupid buffoon, I can’t eat all of this…" Taemin quickly changed the subject. "Is this all?”

“Of course not, there’s more…”

Putting on a really bad fake-villian voice, Jongin sneaked out two cans of beer from the front pockets of his bag. Taemin raised his eyebrows and Jongin smacked Taemin playfully on the shoulders.

“Let’s celebrate in secret, come.” Jongin said.

Then he skipped to the changeroom, leaving Taemin to collect the pile of sweets on the floor. Taemin watched Jongin disappear into the changeroom and gathered the heap of candies onto his uniform jacket.

“What an idiot. Chocolates and beer?”

Taemin smirked, and his chortle soon became a genuine laugh.

Soojung wasn’t wrong at all.

Taemin really really felt like he would die, if he didn’t have Jongin by his side.