The day the world Minseok had hoped for began to break apart was when another rumor began to work its way the school.

Whispers among whispers had only one name on its tongue.

Lee Changsub.

Lee Changsub was suspended.

Lee Changsub was suspended for selling and using drugs on campus.

At first nobody could believe it, but then others began to whisper that he had changed. Particularly when he lied and said Park Chanyeol did not actually come and clean the school like he supposedly did.

And that’s when everyone stopped believing him.

Because everyone would rather believe the star of the school and not the jealous outcast whose top position in intelligence was taken by the very person he called out.

And when Changsub finally came back, he was immediately treated like he was invisible. Because, like Chanyeol said, one should never associate with someone who lies, cheats and deals with drugs.

And everyone listened to Chanyeol.

Except for Minseok.

Whose curiosity got the better of him.

So even when Chanyeol had warned against it, Minseok approached Changsub when he saw him exiting the administrative office.

“Changsub,” he called out.

And when the boy looked up, Minseok thought he was looking at a different person.

Changsub had changed from the introverted person that he was; Minseok already knew that.

But the Changsub he saw today wore all black, mostly leather. And his face was pale with sunken eyes like he hadn’t slept in days. His hair was long and black, his bangs covering most of his face.

A even more drastic change than he ever thought.

“Minseok,” he murmured. “Hello. Fancy seeing you here.”

Minseok looked at him and glanced down to where Changsub was gripping several sheets of paper.

“You’re leaving?”

Changsub raised an eyebrow. “How’d you know that?” He followed his gaze and let out a soft, “Oh.”

He sighed and shrugged. “Yeah, I’m leaving. I can’t stand the people here,” he muttered, his eyes narrowing at the thought of someone particular.

“Is is because of the rumors?”

Changsub directed his attention at Minseok again. “Rumors, huh? Well, I guess that’s what they are, yet everyone else seems to think them as facts.” He paused before glancing at Minseok. “Do you think they’re just rumors or the truth?”

Minseok stared at Changsub, looking straight into his eyes. “I don’t know. Because rumors are myths unless they are proven true. And the person of the rumors should always get a say in the matter. So Changsub, are you really the type of person who would do that?”

Changsub pursed his lips in a thin line, thinking hard, his eyes narrowing slightly. He had already told the truth too many times to count, and yet every time nobody believed him. And he had come to a point where he simply stopped trying and left his answer unspoken.

However, this was the last time he actually did try.

“I’m not. I was set up.” Another pause. “Do you believe me?”

And without a single hesitation, Minseok nodded.

Changsub stared at him with wide eyes before laughing bitterly. “I suppose having one person believe me is better than no one. But really, does that change anything?”

“But who set you up?”

Changsub stopped smiling, a dark grim snarl on his lips instead. “Even I’m not going to say who it is because I’m afraid you won’t even believe me then.”

He glanced at Minseok as he leaned in closer. “But I’ll give you a warning and a hint. Do not trust Park Chanyeol. He’s not who he seems he is. It’s all a façade. And under all that, he’s nothing but a manipulative liar who will do dirty tricks to get what he wants.”

He leaned back, looking away, a faraway gaze in his eyes. “Out of everyone in that group, I finally realized that you were the better one. You were blunt and a bit cold, but you are truthful, never sugarcoating anything. I just wish I realized it before all of this happened.”

His fist tightened, making the paper he was holding crinkle with noise. He sighed, aware of his rising anger and attempted to calm down.

“Whatever, I’m out of this hellhole. And I’m warning you, Minseok. Don’t make the same mistakes I did. Don’t trust that bastard.”

He gave a sad smirk and a salute, and Minseok watched as Changsub disappeared around the corner and out of sight.

Changsub had changed so much from the beginning that Minseok had to wonder what happened between him and Chanyeol to elicit such a change.

And even though Changsub gave him a warning, part of Minseok wanted to turn a blind eye. The part that hoped that Chanyeol really wasn’t like that and that Changsub was simply confused and accused the wrong person. The part that wanted to cling on his last hope.

But the other part knew that every word Changsub said was true. The part that had the same suspicions that Chanyeol really wasn’t as good as he thought. That he, too, was part of the corrupted society from the very beginning. That he had no hope from the very beginning.

But the Minseok now, who still had some hope, decided to give Chanyeol one last chance. And to finally put his mind at rest, to finally get the answers he so desperately wanted, Minseok decided to confront Chanyeol.

Chanyeol perched on top of the desk as he watched lazily at Minseok who was silently sitting in one of the desks in front of him.

“So, Minseok?” Chanyeol asked with a wide grin, his trademark grin, and arms wide open. “What did you want to talk about? It must be important if you took the liberty to find an empty classroom and specifically wanted to talk after school. And I’m a very busy man. But I’ll always make time for you.”

Minseok observed Chanyeol, his carefree nature that was still the same the day he met him.

But now, he wasn’t sure if that was the real him.

Minseok glanced at Chanyeol before staring out the window and then back onto the boy.

“Chanyeol, what do you think about me?”

Chanyeol gave him a look of friendly confusion, a look a friend would his friend when he spouts something odd and out of nature. Looks that only close friends gave each other.

“You okay, Minseok? This isn’t like you. Are you confessing to me?” he asked with a laugh.

Minseok wanted to laugh, but he couldn’t.

“Really, Chanyeol. Answer the question.”

Chanyeol saw the seriousness in Minseok’s demeanor and nodded silently while clicking his tongue in thought. With his hands stretched behind him and staring at the ceiling, he slowly said, “I like you, Minseok. Blunt, harsh, straight to the point. It’s easy to know what you think because you don’t hide behind any false words. You have no interest in anything, and you work at your own pace. It’s like you don’t care about the world except for your own little bubble and everything in it.” He chuckled cynically to himself. “Sometimes, I think that I want to be like you.” He turned and looked at Minseok. “Why?”

Minseok stared at Chanyeol, wavering in his next move. Everything Chanyeol said was right. He knew he was being truthful, but at what point does the truth deviate from the lies?

“I just want to you that I’ve always liked you. That I wanted to trust you.”

Chanyeol’s eyebrow cocked up with a smirk. “You don’t trust me now?”

Minseok gazed at the floor. “I’m starting not to.”

Chanyeol laughed. “See, always truthful. It’s easy being around you. That’s why I like to hang out with you. So? What’s making you distrust me now?”

Minseok looked up at Chanyeol, straight into his eyes. “Did you really do all the things you did? Like when you said you helped clean up the school?”

Chanyeol’s eyes flashed dark for a second, before he laughed. “Of course I did.”

Minseok frowned, looking away.

Chanyeol had lied to him. Lied to him, looking straight in his eyes without a single hesitation.

Out of everyone Minseok had talked to, everyone couldn’t look straight into his eyes while lying. But with Chanyeol, it seemed almost second-nature to him.

“And about Joohyun.”

“What about her?”

“You’re going out with her, right?”

Chanyeol paused for a second, his thumb and forefinger his chin as he mused over it. “Yes, I suppose we are. Did she tell you?”

Minseok nodded. “But you didn’t manipulate her feelings into dropping from president and running for vice-president instead, right?”

Chanyeol frowned. “Who told you that?”

Minseok shook his head. “Nobody did. Except that she told me that you started to approach her when the midway results came out. And you said you were going to ‘do something about it’ when you found out she was in the lead. It wasn’t this, right?”

Chanyeol’s fists tightened for a split second before he gave Minseok a blinding smile. A smile so fake that Minseok could tell it wasn’t genuine even without hearing his thoughts.

“That’s stupid, Minseok. I wouldn’t do such a thing.”

Minseok closed his eyes, trying to block out hearing his thoughts that were saying otherwise.

“And Lee Changsub.”

Chanyeol’s eyes narrowed. “What about him?” he asked, his voice now strained.

“You didn’t set him up, right? You didn’t set him up with drugs so that he would be suspended and then out-casted. And you didn’t do it because he was catching on to you? That he was starting to know who you really were.” Minseok stared at the ground, trying to hold his voice from shaking. “Like me,” he finally whispered out.

There was dead silence before Minseok dared to look up at Chanyeol.

And as he peered at him, he realized that Chanyeol was looking back at him, cold eyes judging his next move.

He suddenly jumped up and walked over to Minseok, leaning down and then giving a large grin. “Aw, Minseok. You have such an imagination. You must be bored to come up with such a theory,” he laughed as he ruffled Minseok’s hair.

Lies.

All were lies.

Minseok brushed Chanyeol’s hand off and looked directly at him. “Don’t lie to me, Chanyeol. Tell me the truth, or at least tell me why.”

Chanyeol’s hand hung mid-air as he pulled it back and jumped on the desk next to him to sit. He watched Minseok carefully, calculating his next move.

“I guess I really can’t hide anything from you.” He stayed silent before laughing, but not a cheery laugh, a darker sinister one.

“That’s right. I didn’t go to school to help clean. I left it to Baekhyun and Changsub to do it for me. I even told an elaborate lie of why I couldn’t. The real reason? I was lazy. And when I saw them again, I asked them if they could say that I was. Changsub didn’t like that, so I told him that I would tell the truth. But obviously I didn’t. And by that time, Changsub couldn’t do anything; everyone believed me rather than him.”

“Joohyun too?” Minseok mumbled.

Chanyeol laughed again. “Oh, Joohyun. Yes, her too. She was a lot easier to manipulative than Changsub. A girl who never received as much attention as I gave to her. And once I did, well, let’s just say it turned out for the best.”

“Do you even like her?”

Chanyeol shrugged. “I’m indifferent, but it doesn’t hurt that she’s pretty and smart.”

“And Lee Changsub.”

Chanyeol scowled at the name, no longer needing to pretend to be the perfect person that he was thought to be. “Changsub. He’s too smart for his own good. You know, I wouldn’t have to set him up to get suspended. If only he had listened to me, he wouldn’t be in such a state. But alas, he couldn’t handle it.”

“How…how did you set him up?”

“Hmm? Oh, I told Changsub I wanted to talk to him, finally set things straight, and he agreed. I told him what room to meet me in and when to meet me. What he didn’t know is I planted a bag of drugs in the room. And being the curious him, he probably picked it up to see what was inside. And I already sent administrative to that room to catch him in the act.”

“But that couldn’t have been enough. He could have explained that he found it.”

Chanyeol shrugged. “You don’t think I thought about that? I had other people on my side. Said that Changsub sold them drugs.”

Minseok stared blankly at the ground. “How could you?”

Chanyeol pounded his fist on the table. “How could I not? You don’t understand. My life depends on all of this. I have to show my father what I’m capable of. That I’m capable of being the best.”

“And you would do dirty tricks to get it?”

“I had to. There was no other way.”

Chanyeol got up and grasped Minseok by the shoulders, desperate eyes gleaming. “Don’t you understand, Minseok? I had to do what I do, or else I would be called a failure. My father will shun me, always comparing me to my brother. Always saying that I would never amount to anything. I had to prove him wrong. Even if it meant doing this.”

Minseok glanced at Chanyeol and then away. “I do understand. But that’s not everything.”

Chanyeol’s eyes flickered at him. “What do you mean?”

“Part of it is because you can’t be a failure. But every part of you enjoys it. The taste of manipulating others. The feeling of standing on top of everyone knowing that you pulled the strings in secret. You live for it; you thrive for it. Perhaps in the beginning it was to prove that you weren’t a failure. But not anymore.”

Chanyeol stayed silent as he removed his hands from Minseok. He pulled a chair near him and sat down so that he faced Minseok.

“You know,” he began lazily, “I’ve always found it weird how you always seem to know what I’m really thinking. But you’ve always had this impassive face that even I couldn’t figure you out at times.”

He propped an elbow onto the top of the chair, leaning his cheek on his fist. “So tell me, how do you know?”

“Is this who you really are?” Minseok asked first.

Chanyeol grinned. “Yes, I suppose it is. You’re right. It was at first because I didn’t want to be a failure that I started. But now, it’s normal for me. It’s too easy for me. Because all of them make it so easy. But you didn’t answer my question.”

“Why should I?” Minseok replied, eyes now cold. “It’s not like it matters.”

“Oh, but it does. You know why? Because we’re the same Minseok. Indifferent to the world, only caring about ourselves, selfish bastards. And I feel like we can work together. It doesn’t have to end badly. Because people like us stick together. Because we’re attracted to our own type. And that’s why we became friends.”

“Friends,” Minseok repeated hesitantly.

Chanyeol grinned. “Right, friends. So, tell me.”

Minseok hesitated, glancing at Chanyeol ever so often. He didn’t know if he could tell him or not. In fact, he had never told anyone before, not to the point where he thought anyone would believe him.

And yet, for some reason, Chanyeol seemed sincere. Like he really believed that he and Minseok honestly could be friends. Unable to make normal friends, they would have to support each other.

And at this point, Minseok knew how terrifying Chanyeol really was.

He was someone who could manipulate his own thoughts so that they mimicked what he said.

But if he observed extremely carefully, he could tell sincerity was all that Chanyeol let himself think. That he could make himself sound sincere even when he was not.

That his adaption to the situation was so quick and fluid that even Minseok had trouble catching up.

And Minseok realized that Chanyeol was blocking off his true thoughts with ease, something Minseok had never encountered before.

But even with all that, he wanted to believe Chanyeol.

Maybe it was because he felt like friendship was the real thing and wanted to give him a second chance.

Maybe it was because he thought that if he was trying to make Chanyeol his last hope, he might as well go all out.

Or maybe Minseok just wanted to.

But he hesitated once more before his mouth opened. “I…I can hear thoughts.”

Chanyeol frowned. “Like mind-reading?”

Minseok shook his head. “No. Not like mind-reading. I can’t tell what people are thinking until after they speak. As if to prove or disprove what they said is true or not.”

Chanyeol blinked at him. “What? Are you ting with me?” he growled.

Minseok shook his head. “You said I’ve always said what I meant, so believe me now.”

Chanyeol stared at him before leaning back as laughter erupted from him. “I can’t believe it!” he cried out in laughter. He looked back at Minseok, his hand to his forehead. “A monster. Like me."

Minseok frowned.

“You really are a monster. A true one.”

“I’m not,” Minseok mumbled.

“You are!” Chanyeol shrieked, still laughing. “I don’t know how people could stand being with you. Always knowing what they’re thinking. And can never hide anything from you. How scary.”

Minseok bit his lip, trying not to yell at him.

“Well, it’s not bad though. This is better than what I expected.”

Minseok’s head whipped up with a look of disbelief. “What?”

Chanyeol smiled. “Yes, someone like you is perfect on a team like mine. Think about it, Minseok. With you with me, no one can ever trick me.”

Minseok scoffed. “So, in the end, it’s all about benefitting you. Using people left and right.”

Chanyeol paused and grinned. “I would tell you that isn’t true, but you would probably know that I’m lying.”

“No.”

Chanyeol raised an eyebrow. “No?” he repeated.

“We’re not the same. You’re manipulative and selfish. I’m not like you.”

Chanyeol blinked at him before grinning, his teeth glimmering. “Oh, but we are. More than you know. Trying to blend in, but we know that we will always be different. That we’re monsters. I’m a monster. You’re a monster, Minseok.”

“Stop,” Minseok muttered angrily, his fists clenched tightly.

Chanyeol stood up, stalked slowly until he was behind Minseok, leaning towards his ear to whisper, “Why? Because you know it’s true as well? You don’t want to admit it, do you? That you’re afraid of getting close of people because of this monstrosity of yours. That you’re afraid that people will avoid you once they know. Afraid that they’ll call you the monster you are. I know, Minseok. I know because I’m the same. Though you’re much much worse than me.”

He swung around so that he was looking Minseok face-to-face, although Minseok couldn’t look him in the eyes.

Chanyeol grinned cunningly as he mocked, “Look at me, Minseok.”

Minseok refused with a small shake of his head.

Chanyeol frowned slightly before raising his voice, “Look at me, Minseok!”

Minseok flinched as he slowly and hesitantly looked at what he thought was his best friend.

And there like he always remembered was his ever-lasting grin.  A grin that will forever be etched in his memory.

“You’re a monster, Minseok,” Chanyeol said with a low voice accompanied with a smirk. “You’re nothing but a monster. Remember that Minseok. Always remember that.”

Minseok’s eyes were locked on Chanyeol’s desperately trying to escape them.

Was he really?

Was he really a monster?

He was, wasn’t he?

All those times Minseok tried to convince himself otherwise, that the reason why he avoided people was because they all had another agenda, cunning and sly.

But the real reason was that he was afraid of them.

Afraid that they would shun him, avoid him.

Because after all, what kind of person would be able to stand next to him as he knew what they were really thinking?

No one would be able to.

Not even himself.

And Chanyeol.

Chanyeol had so easily said it out loud.

The fear he had held for so long.

And because Chanyeol had said it, it was almost as if he confirmed it. Solidified it as the words left his mouth and into the air.

Minseok almost ran out of the room, unable to let himself think any longer.

“But monsters don’t have to suffer alone.”

Minseok looked at Chanyeol with eyes filled with disbelief. He didn’t know if he could trust anything that came out of Chanyeol’s mouth.

“Yes, if you continued to be at my side, I can promise you that you’ll be envied, revered, and loved. All you have to do is listen to me and follow me.”

“And if I don’t?” Minseok muttered distastefully.

Chanyeol’s eyes darkened, his mouth set in a tight frown. “If you don’t, I can assure you that I will make your life here a living hell. You’ll be unloved and avoided. A monster with no hope.”

Minseok stood up, glaring at Chanyeol. “Then I’ll take that instead. It’ll be much better than staying by your side.”

He walked firmly towards the door and right when he was about to close the door behind him, Minseok looked back at Chanyeol. “You know, I trusted you. I knew you weren’t perfect, and I liked that. I liked that you weren’t perfect and yet you seemed to accept everything as it is. And optimistic person who simply loved the world. Everything I couldn’t be. And I honestly thought we were best friends.”

Minseok shook his head, his eyes hardening with anger. “But that was all a lie too, wasn’t it?”

And with that he left.

Chanyeol watched as Minseok silently left the classroom, leaving the room to himself.

He sighed as he sat at one of the chairs, leaned back, and stared out the window.

“We were friends, Minseok. Our friendship was the one thing that was true. But I guess happy endings just don’t happen to people like us.”

True to his word, Chanyeol made Minseok the most avoided person at school. Rumors started to fly around, saying that Minseok was crazy, that he tried to kill a person, that he tried to kill himself.

But Minseok never cared for the rumors; he never did.

And that wasn’t the real reason why he asked for an early graduation from the school which they allowed him since he had practically filled all his required credits.

The true reason why Minseok wanted to leave was that he couldn’t stand being in the same place with these people.

People who lied, cheated, and sabotaged just to get what they wanted.

He just couldn’t take it anymore.

The world was a cruel and ugly place.

And if these people were supposed to be released into society in just a few months.

Well, Minseok didn’t want to think about it.

And from then, Minseok swore to never believe in anyone anymore.

He stopped caring about everyone.

He stopped interacting with people unless it was absolutely necessary.

Because he thought that if let himself believe in someone, they will do what everyone else did, what Chanyeol did, and prove him wrong.

They would prove to him that society is still the ugly evil thing it was.

And even with those few who truly had a good heart, he couldn’t trust them to always be like that.

Because in this society, the darkness creeps on you and overtakes you.

He knew it personally.

And that was the day that Kim Minseok stopped trusting the world.

And the day Kim Minseok stopped believing in himself.

A/N: Yay for very quick update. Only because I already had this mostly written out.

Yep.

And that’s the end of Minseok’s past.

Yep.

Not much more to say except:

Yep.