It’s been a few days since I came back and things are going along pretty normally save from the fact that Jun, Xiumin and Lay seemed to stick closer to me, probably for protection purposes. One thing has changed though; I had to go to private tutorials with Mr. Yun, my brother and Jessica (because she wanted to) to advocate for my absence and of course protect me.

Although this should be a good thing that I'm receiving private tutions to catch up on my learning, I couldn’t help but feel like it’s not enough. Enough of what? I have no inkling. I felt like I wanted or should be at the frontline facing my problems, to be strong and lead everybody alongside my brother. I could already sense the tingles snaking up my body with the thought of it.

I was seated with my brother beside me and Jessica on the other side in the living room of my dorm. We occupied one side of the table while Mr. Yun the other side. Have I said that Taehyung, Namjoon, Jungkook and Hoseok are in the kitchen either goofing off or chilling with their non-alcoholic fruit punches? Well, they are. Oh yeah, just so you know, another teacher that the Principal trusts is teaching the other guys in a proper classroom.

“What is the Pythagoras’ Theorem rule again, Bomin?”

“Uh, c²=a²+b².”

“Correct, now let’s move on to problems.”

I heard silent groans of either side of me. I let out a sigh. This is gonna be a long day.

―――

After all eternity, the school bell rang for the third time, signifying the most missed time of the day; the one hour long lunch. All of us including the guys and Mr. Yun cheered that we can finally eat what we longed for. Sir whipped out his bag and dug inside it for his food while I, Bowan and Jessica strutted to the kitchen to find some snacks.

“Hey there, people!” Hoseok being the overly cheerful guy he was, waved his arms crazily when he saw us.

As I hugged him to give his arms another job other than being mental, he moved his head forward and whispered in my ear, “They’re coming.”

I broke the embrace and flashed him my confused face before hearing a thumping sound from the living room. I twisted my head in that direction. Since nobody seemed to have paid attention to that apart from Hoseok and me, my legs took me to the door where I could sense people outside. With a frown, my hand clutched the knob and pulled harshly. I was met with a soft breeze from the force of opening the door and masses of familiar faces.

“Just wanted to drop by,” Yongguk said with is gummy smile. I just love that stupid grin.

“That’s fine. We only have one hour to kill.”

It was like something from a military-themed movie where there is a long line of soldiers walk pass someone of an official title. That’s what it seemed like to me.

I think it was Daehyun who suggested the idea that we all compete in the ‘Challenge’ where we verse various people on the Wii. The winner’s prize is to choose what punishment the losers have to endure. Of course rules applied. No cheating was a huge thing as everybody found out with Luhan but not Bowan and I though. Remember our telepathy? Some people noticed us doing the forbidden but they were quick to make deals with in a beneficial way for both parties. Obviously, we couldn’t go through everyone if it was just two people battling at the same time, so I came up with the solution of multiplayer… yeah, nobody thought of that apparently. Anyways, we ended up playing Mario Karts and now it’s just my brother, Namjoon, Luhan (very suspicious) and Jongup versing each other for the winner’s spot.

“Let’s do this!” Yongguk shouted with his loud as voice. I was pretty sure he ruined half of everybody’s ears.

I gave my brother words of encouragement and patted his shoulder. I kept a sharp eye on Luhan should he do anything that was counted as cheating.

“Go Namjoon!” Jungkook called out like a fangirl right before Bowan hit the start button.

It was tense. More tense than it should be because we have two minutes left till the last class starts. The players shouted profanities whenever and wherever they could. The remaining losers betted on the final winner to gain some cash in their pockets. Well, it was a tough one. Loads of playful punches were thrown because of insults; no violence intended for young audiences. At times, it was obvious who the winner was, then the plate flipped over and everybody was tied, but now they were on their last lap. Money was flying across the room in hopes of encouraging the players on and only succeeding in distracting them. The four guys, however, said nothing to stop those disruptions, focusing their whole on the game and the future consequences. Surprisingly, nobody tried to fling their arms into an opponent’s face to have their attention slip away from the screen and hopefully slow them down. That wouldn’t work anyway. I just sat with my homes (Jessica, Kris, Jun, Sehun and Hoon) plus Mr. Yun, who didn’t seem to mind our behaviour, at the back and watched everything. I know; we’re such anti-socials.

“Holy !” Namjoon swore in English as he slammed the buttons to gain speed for his character who is my all-time favourite, Yoshi. He nearly saved himself from the doomed edges of Rainbow Road. I think most of you know how hard it is to go through the course without driving over the cliffs.

At this stage, not one person was looking anywhere other than the TV screen. The karts swung here and there, dodging whatever things they could as well as not falling off. Rainbow Road, remember people. It hurts to recall those moments when I lost against my brother. That’s why I was rooting for him. I could feel the intense determination to win coming from Bowan and the energy he was using just to win the game. Tiring yourself seems to be the best idea to skip class… NOT.

His character, Toad, zoomed past everybody else. Everybody saw who dominated the course. Well, it was pretty obvious that my brother had won first place. I swear we shook the whole dorm with our cheers of victory and defeat. I wouldn’t be surprised if the complaints start flying in again.

Right there and then, the bell shrilled. I couldn’t help but laugh at the echoes of groans that followed soon after.

“I win, es!” My brother threw his controller to the couch and did a short-lived victory routine.

“Language, Mr. Yang,” Mr. Yun (who everybody forgot was even there) scolded as he placed his hands on his hips. “You students should get going now.”

“But, sir…”

Here come the stupid whines. I could feel the mature people rolling their eyes, including me.

“Go, I have a lesson to teach.” He ushered the guys out the door before they could even say anything else.

I heard some yelling outside, and then Mr. Yun spun around and clapped his hands in excitement. “Time to start English!”

We haven’t opened our mouths when sir spoke, “I know that you all are native English speakers; that’s why I’m just going to give you your assessment although it’s too early, and I’ll provide help wherever you need for the topic. Now on to Geography.”

Well, okay then…. That was very abrupt. I thought as my eyes connected with Jessica’s and then Bowan’s. All of us shrugged our shoulders once Mr. Yun had his back turned.

Seeing the concentration of Jessica and my brother, I must say that I was the only one who doesn’t favour Geography as much as the other subjects so I just settled to talking to Luhan. Apparently, the rest of the guys are going through the same lesson too and Luhan also dislike it. So…. Whoop!

Hey, Luhan

Yeah?

You’d be the one helping Bowan and I, right? In our powers and all that.

Um… You can say that.

Okay… Did―

Jun asked―

I would’ve died if I didn’t cover my mouth at the right time to stifle the laugh that was stuck in my throat. The two people beside me noticed my behaviour and rolled their eyes discretely.

I heard Luhan chuckling in my head; probably at my near disaster or our simultaneous interruptions.

What did Jun say?

He wanted to ask you before if you could meet him in the music room after school ends to catch up. You know what happened with Mr. Yun and all that. He’s still a man. I felt his enormous disappointment when he couldn’t inform you and I had to tell you.

I understand.

I’ll tell Jun that you’re waiting for him; the rest is yours, but I’ll be there to protect you.

Ok.

Don’t worry I won’t listen to your conversation.

So after three o’clock, I wait in the room. I should bring some games or something.

I brought my attention back to the teacher after feeling Luhan disconnect his mind from mine.

“Name twenty countries that start with the letter ‘A’ and their capital cities.”

.

―――

“Bomin, where are you going?” Jessica asked me when I came out of my bedroom dressed in casual clothing. My brother directed his focus to us, leaving the TV alone.

“Meeting a friend outside. Luhan’s coming too.”

“Okay, have fun.”

I pulled the door open and before I shut it, Jessica and Bowan both shouted, “Don’t get !”

What the hell?

“Shut up!”

Slam!

I felt myself pout at their teasing, but the thought of spending some time with my next best friend, Junyoung, brought an unbreakable smile to my face.

“Enjoying yourself?”

“, Luhan! You shouldn’t scare girls like that!”

I would have punched him in the face if I didn’t know that he would barely feel anything and if my body didn’t paralyse on the spot. In response to my reaction, Luhan guffawed with his hands on his knees, bent over to emphasise the entertainment he gained from scaring me like that. Derpy much.

“Oh my gosh, Bomin. You really are something.”

“Humph!” I turned around sharply to walk (with a little sass) to the music room. I could feel that Luhan was following closely behind me so I paid no attention to him and focused on not becoming lost.

It was at that moment, I savoured the intense alleviation in my body because I spotted Jun jogging towards me, the brightness of his smile almost knocking me over figuratively.

“Jun!” I called out, running for his arms and knowing that Luhan disappeared to someplace hidden.

“Whoa! Excited aren’t we?” He laughed as he tightened his hold on me when I was about to topple over. I had to admit; I felt a delightful tickling sensation in my chest.

“Of course! We haven’t caught up for so long!”

“Well, c’mon, let’s go.”

Somehow on the walk to the music room, our arms managed to wound around each other much like a couple. But since I felt pleasant like that and Jun didn’t seem to notice it, I pretended to converse with him as if nothing major happened.

We were still giggling at Jun’s story―where he was caught by Kevin eating Nutella from the pantry at 2am and acted like a squirrel (you know, NUTella) so he couldn’t receive punishment because Kevin would be too busy laughing to notice that Jun ran away. That’s like my life goal.

I spotted the door to the music room down the hallway.

“Race you!” I yelled before running full speed ahead, obviously with a head start.

“Hey! That’s not fair! I’m gonna get you!”

Unfortunately, I was too slow. Jun seized me by the waist when I was about to grab the door knob. He swung me around the other way and I heard the door click shut behind me.

“Jun! let me in!”

I could hear muffled laughter from behind the piece of wood. And that boiled my strength.

My hands bashed against the door. “ing―Jun! Open the door!”

More laughter and swearing came from me and the culprit on the other side. I almost gave up when he opened the door slowly to tease me. Immediately, I jumped in and tackled him to the ground.

“I will make you pay for that.” And I sat on his chest facing the other way. If I could see his face, I would not be able to hold on and give into those adorable puppy eyes.

The weird thing, however, was that Jun didn’t seem to resist me. He just lied there. Well, I couldn’t look at his face to see what he was thinking about so I stayed on him for a few minutes or so before standing up and turning around. I noticed that he was staring at something. I whipped my head around the room for anything that would have taken Jun’s attention.

“What are you staring at?” I asked after seeing nothing and giving up.

He shook his head violently before replying, “Nothing.”

Hm, strange child.

Jun beckoned me towards him while smiling radiantly. “Anyway, do you wanna play on the piano for a bit?”

Hell, yeah.

―――

I swear mashing songs up with the Asian theme song is totally the best thing ever. Take the wedding march for example; right when the arrives, which is where the bride and groom are flowered with the traditional rice grains or flowers, the Asian theme song interrupts it which makes anyone who hears it, laugh to death.

After settling down, Jun once again laid his fingers on the keys. We shared a gaze, silently communicating our thoughts before Jun started to play a piano piece. It was one that I recognised. It was one that was dear to me. I played it when times were tough for me. I cherished the moment with Junyoung. My eyes closed as my ears absorbed the notes that were flowing off the piano so perfectly, not one was off. When the last of the notes were played, I was already in my own world.

“That was beautiful, Junyoung,” I managed to say despite being all dreamy.

He grinned and it was so painfully cute. ”Thanks.”

It was then when I remembered the vision I had of him and me. Weird timing for my memory. “Hey, Jun, you know I had a dream you and me.”

That certainly gained his attention because his eyes were wide with curiosity. “Really? What was it about?”

I couldn’t answer his question. I was stuck in a dimension. Jun and I were running along the banks of a river, having the time of our lives together. We stopped at a spot and sat down with our legs and arms entangled. The moment our skin came in contact, the whole earth glowed with a pleasure-filled sensation as if it was greeting us and acknowledging our presence. We stared into each other’s eyes, floating aimlessly inside our heads. It was so beautiful. Jun’s soul literally filled my whole being. Both of us were connected… we became one. It was an experience that I do not want to forget.

I was looking out towards the sparkling water, watching the life teeming inside it. I felt a hand snaking around my waist and didn’t fight off the smile spreading across my face and the butterflies in my stomach. Jun pulled me in closer as if we weren’t already. I could feel his breath skimming over my neck. My heart started to palpitate as fast as it could. I glanced at the boy beside me and returned my stare back to the river. Another exhale at my ear had me looking at Jun in the eyes.

“What is it?” I asked.

He didn’t reply. Instead Jun’s body leaned in closer to mine. I liked the proximity, but my body thought otherwise. My hearts was beating faster than before. Sweat started to dwell within my palms. I could tear my gaze away from Junyoung.

I snapped out of my trance when the resounding slam of the door echoed loudly through the room. I knew my brother was in the room, but I didn’t push Jun off me. My limbs were tingling with delight at the sight of Jun’s face so close to mine. At the same time, a blush took over my face.

“You asked for it.” I heard my brother say.

Nausea filled my body. My head spun. And it was all because of my brother. I’ve had this happen to me before but it has never been this overpowering. I swear, I passed out for a few seconds. Bowan felt it and his rage instantly diminished.

“Bomin, are you okay?” his hand flitted around my face.

“Don’t worry,” I grunted out when it passed.

Jun was at the side, staring at us with an unreadable expression.

“Junyoung, I don’t want you anywhere near my sister.”

That was something new.

∙•∙•∙•∙•∙

Hi HI!! So I updated on this specific day because guess what?....
It's my 15th birthday!!! Hahaha! /throws laptop across room and pop confetti/
LOL. Do you know that this is the first time in my entire life to celebrate my birthday without my twin sister. 
I do feel kind of lonely in Sydney here. T^T 

Well, all that aside, comment or upvote if you enjoy my story!
That's all Conflictors!!! <3

Your Author-Nim,
kevinoppa

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