So what if she dated him? Hadn’t he always suspected it? He’d even about it, pushed her to admit it. So why should it matter to him now? To the point of disrupting his sleep every single night since he started his vacation? To the extent of him, the most mischievous and bubbly member in their clan, affording the time to stare into space and earning himself a string of boos and hoots from his family? To the extent even—heaven help his soul—of him itching for classes to finally resume.

“Ahh!” Baekhyun screamed into his pillow as he rolled around in his wrinkled bed at two in the morning. He had never wished for sleep to devour him so much. Glowering up at the ceiling, he exclaimed, “The heck, man!”

“Baek, shut up! People are actually trying to sleep here.” His brother, snuggling in a bed by the opposite corner of the room, balled his blanket and dramatically set it over his head. “Seriously, keep your nightmares or whatever fantasies to yourself.”

“Hyung!” He cooed in a prolonged, whiney tone. He crawled out of bed (literally) and crossed the room on hands and knees. When he had reached the slumber throne of his brother, he leaned over the edge and tugged hard upon the sleeve of Byun Baekbom.

The ancestral home of Baekhyun’s grandmother was grand, but with an even grander family (which surprisingly grew every year), many of them were thrown into sharing rooms.

It had been over five weeks since break started, but for Baekhyun, it had felt like five years. He didn’t think he could survive the next five or so weeks without hearing news of his friend and that friend’s possible boyfriend.

Why on earth should I care in the first place? He had asked himself that question numerous times—every time the likeliness of Aya accepting Sehun slipped into his mind.

That’s right. You shouldn’t care. This would be his answer. Every single time.

Slithering back towards his bed, he forced his mind to think about all the places they were going to junket for tomorrow and the day after that and the day after that and the day after that.

Until classes finally resumed.

He groaned, dropping his limp body onto the mess of covers and pillows. He wanted to give her a call, but he hadn’t asked for her telephone line. Perhaps he should just write to her?

But it would take days before it would reach her, and besides, there’d be no guarantee of her responding. Or worse, Sehun would see it and read it and maybe tear it to pieces?

He groaned again, slapping himself on the forehead for even fussing over such nonsense.

Before finally drifting to sleep, a crazy idea lit up his mind. He should visit her. No, he should visit the school. Yes, indeed, to check on the pupils taking up either remedial or advance classes. Yes, he should check on them and assess how they were coping. Yes, he decided it was a necessity—to visit school. Yes, he was going to do it within the week. And yes, he could finally, peacefully, retire to sleep.

The sun rose and the sun sank. Thrice it did before Baekhyun resolved it was the perfect time. So on a bright Friday morning, when the rest of his family were still in dreamland, he got up extra early, cooked (quite successfully) some eggs and bacon, washed up and dressed himself in comfortable clothing. He never could go wrong with a pair of dark, denim jeans, a black shirt large enough to sag over his broad shoulders, a cap worn the opposite way and sneakers.

His grandmother met him by the porch. He immediately spread his arms to embrace her and the fond smile curving up her lips every time she looked at him.

“Oh, look at you,” she said, a certain tenderness in her voice that spoke of love and pride for the boy within her arms. “You’re so big already.”

Baekhyun laughed, shifting his arms so that he was side-hugging his grandmother and walking with her across the verdant lawn. “I’m one of the smallest in class still, but they say I’ve got a big heart so” —the older one chuckled— ”that ought to compensate for physical size?”

“Where are you headed to this early anyway?”

“School,” he replied. He had to get going before his grandmother dug deeper into details. “Just gotta check on something and thanks for reminding me because I gotta run.” He kissed her on the forehead before relinquishing their embrace. “See you later.”

There stood a few hours between his ancestral home in the countryside and the inner town where his school was. He tried to grab some sleep, but he ended up devising excuses to explain his presence. To no avail.

What, for the love of Pete, am I doing? It was too late to back out now. In a few minutes, he’d be walking the grounds of his high school. And then he’d be searching for her. And then he’d find a way to discover if she already had a boyfriend without sounding too curious and eager. And then…

And then what?

If she had accepted, what would that do to him? And if she hadn’t, how would that affect him as well? It wasn’t like he was attracted to her in that way. She was a friend. She was a kind girl. She was an excellent student. She was a responsible authority. She was simply perfect. But somehow, her acceptance of the queer, cold-hearted boy might spell a lot for who she really was beneath the perfection.

It was rare for pupils to start dating in high school. Or rather, it was rare for them to seriously start dating in high school. People went out, boys and girls hanging around, sharing dinners, teasing each other and matchmaking just for the sake of leisure. But no exclusive pair seriously dated each other. High school was a time to make good friends. It was a venue for (hopefully) more mature friendships, especially between opposite es.

In light of that belief, Baekhyun decided he would discover a big chunk of the puzzle that was Aya once he knew how she had responded.

Still, the deeper question persisted: why did he bother so much?

School was surprisingly packed for break season, Baekhyun mused. To his right, he could see the field teeming with life; two different games were in progress. To his left was the park, which was decorated with stalls; outdoor cooking classes were ongoing. Up ahead, the lounge in the students building was also crammed with people. They were huddled together in circles while a counselor kept hovering above them and peeking into their discussions, like a hawk preying on his next meal. But they weren’t in trouble. Baekhyun knew because the air around them exuded fun and excitement. Maybe they were competing as groups?

To answer his