Carrying his small lunch to Sungyeol's usual table, Sungyeol and Woohyun a couple of steps in front of him, both with trays filled with enough food to feed a small army, Myungsoo couldn't help but feel a little self-conscious about the lunch he had gotten. Not only had he spent a little bit more than usual on it, using more money than he should have, not realizing how much he had gotten when he had reached the end of the line to pay, but his tray still looked quite scarce compared to most students in the room. And compared to Sungyeol's and Woohyun's trays, it looked even worse, even if it was more than what he usually ate for lunch.

But with his father only allotting him so much money for lunch per week, the man being stingy and money-conscious on what he gave him, giving him just enough to barely get by, Myungsoo was used to the small lunches and hunger pains that would come every so often. Even if he sometimes wished that he could eat more than he did, being given enough money to have a decent sized lunch that would fill him up, instead of making him feel as if it was never enough. Even at home, he didn't eat that much, as the presence of his father was more than enough to curb his appetite most nights. The man's overbearing nature making it hard to eat sometimes, despite being an adequate cook.

So adding those feelings to the nervousness that was getting worse the closer and closer he got to Sungyeol's table, he couldn't help but bite his lip at the thought of Sungyeol's other friends not liking him or accepting him like Woohyun had done. Sungyeol's other friends and their thoughts towards him would be the second battle of the day, Woohyun having been the first. But as soon as the three of them had gotten close enough to the table, Myungsoo wasn't expecting for one of the boys already seated, a boy with pink hair and a huge smile on his face, to suddenly shoot out and grab Myungsoo's tray, intending to help him into a seat at their table.

Unprepared for the sudden movement, eyes widening at how fast the other boy was, he couldn't help but tense up at how close the other had gotten, almost as if he was afraid the other boy was going to hit him instead of taking his tray. But having none of the sort happen as the other just gave him an even bigger smile before setting his stuff down and beckoning him over so that he could sit in between him and a boy with red hair and a strong gaze, he almost breathed a sigh of relief when the other just excitedly exclaimed, "Hi, I'm Dongwoo! I'm one of Sungyeol's hyungs. Come sit down next to me, I promise I don't bite!"

Looking over to Sungyeol to see what his soulmate wanted him to do, only to see him give him a small grin and shrug, looking completely okay with what was going on, Myungsoo could only stiffly give Dongwoo a nod before he shakily made his way to that seat. Sungyeol and Woohyun quickly placing themselves across from him, Sungyeol making sure he was right across from him, that Myungsoo couldn't help but feel a little better about the arrangement. Even if Dongwoo seemed like a nice hyung, he still felt a little shaky at what was going on. His confidence levels acted like a rollercoaster at every little thing. 

Opening his red notebook up to quickly write down a greeting to show to Dongwoo, hands trembling a little as he did so, the other just smiled even wider, his eyes bright with warmth and something that made Myungsoo feel a little safe in his presence. The other didn't seem to care if he was speaking or not, Dongwoo quickly read what he wrote.

"Oh, Myungsoo, you have such a nice name, and your handwriting is so cute too! It's a pleasure to meet you and like I said earlier, I'm Dongwoo, and if you want, you can just call me hyung like the others at this table. So none of that -ssi and -nim stuff, okay?" Dongwoo gave before introducing him to the boy next to him, "And that's Sunggyu, and while I know he looks a little scary at first, he's actually really nice and isn't as tough as he tries to make himself out to be. He's a big softy at heart, so don't think you can't go to him or anything like that."  

Looking at the other boy beside him, the boy's perfectly pressed uniform fitting him much better than Myungsoo's did, while he wore it with this type of pride that Myungsoo wasn't used to seeing on some of the other students at school, he was quite surprised to see the other have pierced ears. Never mind the fact that the other's red hair was much redder than it had seemed at first and actually reminded him of red delicious apples. It was bright and red, so intense in color that it was almost as intense as the aura that the other gave off, that Myungsoo couldn't help but wonder if Dongwoo was being serious or not. Especially since Sunggyu actually looked tough enough to do some damage if he wanted.

But when he heard the other groan at Dongwoo's words, muttering, "Dongwoo... That just makes me seem scarier than I am..." 

"No it doesn't!" Dongwoo quickly shushed him before turning back to Myungsoo, smile still warm, "He's really nice, I promise and after everything that has happened for the past couple of days, he already likes you too. So you have nothing to worry about."

Nodding at what Dongwoo was saying, but a little confused at what was going on, but still feeling a little better that Dongwoo seemed to think that Sunggyu would like him and, Myungsoo didn't notice Sungyeol and Woohyun wince at the older boy's words. The two's faces started to redden a bit that it caused one of the others to hide a grin, especially since it wasn't often when Dongwoo was the one chastising them instead of Sunggyu. But when he did, his words usually had enough oomph behind them to have them rethink their actions, because if Dongwoo was saying something, than obviously something was going on. And hearing the pink-haired boy mention what happened the past couple of day, the two couldn't help but feel a little bad, Sungyeol a little bit more than Woohyun though. 

Especially since neither of their behavior had been the best and with how dense the two of them had been throughout everything, Dongwoo couldn't help but feel like the two of them had been in the wrong. It didn't take half a brain to realize that Myungsoo was Sungyeol's soulmate, but with how stupid Sungyeol had been and Woohyun going a little overboard with everything, Dongwoo found himself warming up to Myungsoo, despite not knowing him in the least. But with Sungjong telling them the few things that he knew about the boy, backing up his thoughts on what the other could be like, Dongwoo was quite taken with the freshman... Sunggyu too. 

Sunggyu's opinion didn't really surprise him in the least either, especially since Myungsoo seemed like a good kid, but most likely misunderstood by a lot of the people around him. Teenagers usually being jerks when it came to people that were different than them, especially when popularity wasn't decided on how nice someone could be, but on their amount of money and status they had these days. And with Myungsoo not being able to talk, it wouldn't surprise Dongwoo or Sunggyu if people treated him as if he was diseased instead of slightly disabled, but still able to do and feel the same things that other people did. 

And looking at the younger boy that had an air of innocence and naivety about him, it easily stirred some protective feelings within the both of them for the boy. And while it wasn't that hard for Dongwoo to feel that way, usually able to be friends with most people and connect with them, Sunggyu wasn't like that. He was more skeptical, didn't trust as easily as Dongwoo did, and was the type of person that you had to gain his care and trust from, despite him being the type of person that could give others respect. He may have had respect from most people in their school, everyone looking up to him due to his grades and accomplishments, but when it came to the people he truly cared about, barely anyone in school made it on that list. And when it came to new people joining their group or anything that could possibly endanger his friends or the group's dynamics, it took a while for Sunggyu to actually trust them. 

But after learning about Myungsoo's obvious shyness, his tendency to hang out by himself, holing himself up in the library and often times eating lunch by himself, as well as being the type to take his studies seriously, Sunggyu couldn't help but feel a soft spot develop for kid. Even now, with the kid right next to him, looking a little shell-shocked and unused to the company, but trying his best to deal with everything that was happening, a little overwhelmed, Myungsoo was definitely a good kid and the type of person the didn't like to rock the boat.

And when he looked at Sungyeol the way he did, almsot as if he hung the moon or something just as great, despite their rocky start and Sungyeol's obvious stupidity and overall terribleness to the other boy, Sunggyu couldn't help but feel like he could trust the kid. Unlike the others at their table who could easily hurt someone with words, their fists, or a combination of both, even Dongwoo who didn't really like hurting anyone but had the means to do so when absolutely needed, Myungsoo didn't seem like that at all.

He was different. 

And with Sungyeol being his soulmate as well, the boy already messing up and would most likely mess up again some time in the near future because that's how Sungyeol was, Myungsoo would need a few people in his corner and Sunggyu couldn't help but want to be one of them.

So turning to the other boy, putting a small smile on his face and hoping that the other would take his words well, he softly greeted, "I'm Sunggyu, the oldest at his table, and it's a pleasure to meet you, Myungsoo-ya." 

Blushing until the tips of his ears were red at the 'Myungsoo-ya' that came out of the older boy's mouth, Myungsoo couldn't help but quickly write in his notebook, heart racing as he did so. Meeting Sungyeol's friends was such a nerve-wracking thing, but with Dongwoo and Sunggyu both being okay with him, he felt a little bit better about things, even if he still felt awkward and nervous (and now embarrassed to be blushing so much too). But no one had called him 'Myungsoo-ya' in years and hearing someone say that, especially to him, who normally ruined things (which he was going to do his hardest not to do), it made his heart feel warm. Pulling his notebook to his chest so that Sunggyu could see what he written, teeth biting his lip and hair shielding his eyes, he quietly let Sunggyu read:

You too Sunggyu-ssi. It's very nice to meet you. Please treat me well. 

Mentally frowning at the slight shakiness to the other's relatively neat and somewhat cute scrawl, especially towards the 'Please treat me well' part, almost as if he didn't know if he should say that, despite it being the common thing to do when meeting someone new, Sunggyu couldn't help but store that information away for later. Dongwoo was going to have a field day with trying to get Myungsoo's self-confidence levels up, especially with how nervous he was around them all. But thinking that was more due to Myungsoo's disability and the people around him, especially students, were the reasons for his nerves and low self-esteem, instead of anything else, Sunggyu was quick to give him another smile, "Of course Myungsoo-ya, and no need to call me that, hyung works fine too, okay?" 

Nodding his head so fast, almost as if he was a bobble head, Myungsoo couldn't help but feel even more happiness spread through him at the thought of being able to call two of Sungyeol's friends hyungs. He was going to be the best dongsaeng ever, never burden them with anything, and make sure he didn't ruin anything for them. He had already ruined things for his family enough, he didn't need to do that to Sungyeol and his friends. Because if he ruined things with Sungyeol's friends, then it was just a matter of time until he ruined things with him as well, and Myungsoo definitely did not want that.

Hearing two more trays set themselves down on the table, Myungsoo turned his attention to see who it was, only to see Sungjong and his soulmate Hoya sitting themselves down right next to Sungyeol, he didn't expect to have Hoya quickly turn to him, smile on his face as he asked, "Kim Myungsoo right?" 

Slowly nodding towards the other's question, Hoya quickly went on, "Nice to meet you, I'm Lee Howon, but you can just call me Hoya if you want. I'm in a couple of Sungyeol's classes and we've been friends since grade school, but I'm sure we'll be fast friends." 

Giving another nod and writing something similar to what he had written for Sunggyu before, it didn't take long for Myungsoo to show him his answer, only causing Hoya to smile at him once again before taking a bit out of his food. 

While Sungjong could only introduce himself as well, despite Myungsoo already knowing who he was since the two of them had a few classes together. Sungjong usually being ahead of him in chemistry, while he usually had the top spot in calculus and English, Myungsoo had always found the other to be a little intimidating. Not only was the other freshman beautiful, but he was smart, popular, and was the type of person that seemed to do everything perfectly, almost as if he wasn't real.  Sungjong was a wonderful person and soulmate and while Myungsoo didn't know Hoya personally, he had seen the other walk Sungjong to classes and the two just seemed to be one of the best couples on campus. 

Myungsoo hadn't been jealous, because Sungjong deserved someone good and Hoya seemed like a good person whenever he had seen the two together, but it still hadn't stopped his heart from hurting whenever he saw them or other soulmate couples together. Myungsoo may have known that he didn't deserve to be someone's soulmate, but it had never stopped him from wanting to have one anyway.

But with Sungyeol, who was his soulmate and someone that had accepted him, despite his flaws (flaws that Myungsoo didn't want to show, because Sungyeol didn't deserve an ugly or worthless soulmate) maybe they could be like Sungjong and Hoya too. At least eventually that is.

But quickly giving Sungjong a smile and successfully getting himself through introductions and none of Sungyeol's friends hating him, he finally let himself take a bite of his lunch, feeling relief. And when Sungyeol gave him a smile a second or so later, teeth white and straight and a little bit of his gums showing, as he quietly gave, "And these are my friends, I hope you like them," Myungsoo's heartbeat skyrocketed as he silently nodded back. 

He had won a small battle today. 

∞

Setting down the stew in the middle of the table before scooping out some rice into a bowl from their rice cooker and placing it in front of his father, unable to keep himself from smiling, he was still on a high from the events that had happened earlier that day. Too wrapped up in his own thoughts that he had been unable to read how stressed and upset his father was, he didn't expect his father to slam his fist into the table, rattling the bowls in front of him. Eyes widening and jumping at the sudden sound, arms pulled to his chest and body trembling, good mood vanished in exchange for fear that literally ripped its way through his entire system. He almost fell over when his father turned to him with a glare as he yelled, "Forget about the food! Just get me a drink!"

Blood turning to ice at the thought of his father drinking, of him getting drunk, as he ran to the refrigerator to grab the bottle that they had, more than enough to get his father drunk, and a glass. Only for his father's yell to pierce through the house, almost cauing him to drop the bottle at how angry his father sounded, fear making him clumsy, "What's taking you so long? Do you not want me to slap you?"

Hurrying up, he could only make his way back to where his father was, quickly unscrewing the cap, pouring some soju in his glass, and setting the bottle down in front of his father. Watching his father quickly take the alcohol and down it, only to fill his glass again and do another shot, sighing once he was done, Myungsoo didn't see it coming. 

Feeling pain suddenly radiate from the side of his lower leg before loosing his footing, his father's leg reaching out just so to swipe Myungsoo of his feet, causing him to painfully crash into the ground and bite the inside of his cheek as he did so. Myungsoo could only stare up at his father, body painfully jostled from the sudden fall and mouth tasting of blood, with eyes so wide at what his father had just done, he could only tremble.

While his father could only peer down at him, eyes filled with anger and disgust, "Clean up this mess and go to your room, we'll talk later." 

Myungsoo could only do as he was told, smile completely wiped off his face and limping as he did so.  

[ A/N ] : Okay, here is chapter nine and things should start to pick up relationship wise with Sungyeol and Myungsoo as Myungsoo's crossed a pretty big hurdle. However, updates will be a bit slow, but I'll try to at least get a chapter or two up a month until next year where I'll be able to update more. But other than that, thanks for all the feedback you guys, it really does make my day to see you guys enjoying the story. Other than that, I hope you guys had a happy Halloween. As always, comments, upvotes, and subscriptions are appreciated. :)