2006

Early March, where winter ends and the start of spring. Where a new school term will be starting, for the incoming new students and seniors at SUJU University.

A week before the school term, the campus was full of students, as it was a day for freshmen orientation. A traditon for seniors of the university, voluntarily basis though, to welcome the freshmen of the new academic year.

The cold weather did not damage the passion of the hyperactive students. Seniors who can't wait to prank their freshmen, and the freshmen to start a new stage of their lives.

"ATTENTION ALL FRESHMEN!" A bubbly voice filled the entire campus through the public address system, "Aloha!! Welcome to SUJU University! I am Lee Hyukjae, your deejay/commentator of the day! I am actually a 3rd year senior, studying business management, and I am the current chairperson of the dance club, for your info to those new pretty freshmen who want to know more about me! Hahaha!"

"Anyway!! All freshmen, please proceed to the campus hall, to kickstart our event today!! We promise fun and excitement for today! Gather around now! Yes I mean NOW!!!"

Done laughing at Hyukjae's words, the freshmen started to move themselves to the campus hall. Some were already in clique of friends, engaging in conversations as they walked. And some were alone, mixture of looking lost and hopeful.

Among them, one was extremely alone. In dull grey coat and blue jeans for the cold weather, with a sling bag across his body. He was following the crowd, with a rather curious face, hands clinging the strap of his bag. 

So this is what a university looks like...

--------------------

At the campus hall, a group of seniors were doing the necessary preparation last minute for the event. However, amongst the busy seniors, a torso was lying on the floor, with newapaper over his head, covering from the lights of the hall, with his hands over his head.

"Where is Choi Siwon?" Someone asked.

"Over there. He said he needs a break, as he had been preparing these for the past few days. Guess he must be over tiring." One answered.

"But the freshmen are heading here now! Yah Choi..."

"Jung Yunho!! Don't you dare wake him up!!" A girly voice appeared and slammed the back of Yunho's head.

"Hey...!" Yunho held his head in pain, "It hurts, Jessica Jung! Don't think that we bear the same surname, I will forgive of what you did to me."

"You can go ahead and complain to my mother, cousin. Now stay away from Siwon. He needs his sleep." Jessica stuck out her tongue and flipped her hair as she walked away.

"Tsk. As if he will like you for a change..." Yunho mumbled. He turned his attention to the others, and saw a senior was running out of the hall.

"Hey Lee Donghae! Where are you going?!" Yunho called upon the familiar face that he knew from the dance club.

"Out for a minute!!" Donghae shouted.

"Tsk these people! One sleeping away, One drooling over the sleeping man, one running off... I can't trust anyone here, isn't it?" Yunho sighed.

Donghae ran out of the hall, and bouncing around at the group of freshmen walking towards him. He looked among the freshmen intensively, like a hawk hunting for preys, and there he found the person he was looking for.

"He came!" Donghae beamed.

He ran in the crowd, squeezed himself through, and finally reaching the person who was wearing the grey coat, and slammed himself to hug the shocking man.

"Kyuhyun ah!!" Donghae exclaimed, "You came you came!"

"Hae hyung... I can't...breathe..." Kyuhyun gasped.

"Oh sorry!" Donghae released Kyuhyun, "But you came!" And he grinned wide like a 5 year old at the bored-looking face.

"Yeah... I came. Because I don't think I want to listen to your nagging later at home." Kyuhyun pouted.

"Come on, Kyun ah! It will be fun! University is about fun, making new friends, trying out new things, and maybe you are lucky to find someone you like..." Donghae babbled non-stop, while Kyuhyun just remained calm.

"My ears hurt, Hae hyung." Kyuhyun complained, using his finger to dig his ear, but at the same time, a smirk was plastered on his face.

Donghae chuckled, and pinched Kyuhyun's chubby cheeks, "Come, lets go into the hall! I bet the events will make you get more interested with university!" And he dragged Kyuhyun into the hall.

In the hall, Siwon who was sleeping earlier, was awake and annoyed with his friends who did not wake him up beforehand.

"Jessica told us not to bother you." One defended himself.

"And the freshmen were just in time to see me looking dopey. Well done." Siwon frowned.

Yunho appeared out of nowhere and sighed, "Exactly. She thought she will impress you, by giving you more time to rest."

"Haha Yunho. Not funny. I told you many times, your cousin is just a friend. And because the Jung family is close with my family..."

"That doesn't means you and her will be together." Yunho finished the sentence for Siwon, "I get it. But you know how stubborn the adults in our families are."

Siwon sighed, "I know Jessica don't think that way too. She has been dating around, isn't it?"

"So do you, I know. But, you never know what that girl is thinking up in her brainless brain..." At least I know, she is not that simple...

"You are just thinking too much." Siwon arranged his slightly wrinkled tee shirt and khaki shorts, and at his fringe to fall nicely over his forehead.

"Well, who would want to miss such a handsome guy, ideal height, perfect well-built body." Yunho squeezed Siwon's bicep as he spoke, "And not to mention, rich family background. Any, I really mean, ANY girl or even guy would want a taste of you."

"Whatever. I just want to live my own way. Damn, I must have look ridiculous now." Siwon's eyes wandered around, seeing the crowd of freshmen combing in the hall, "Let me go wash up a little, be right back."

Not waiting Yunho to reply, Siwon dashed off towards the nearest toilet.

Probably, he didn't open his eyes fully while he did his power dash, or he was distracted by the people calling after him, he knocked onto the 2 people in front of him.

"Ohhhhh sorry!!!" He apologized immediately.

"Oh! Its you Siwon!" One of the person, was Donghae, whom he knocked onto.

"Hey Donghae!" Siwon slapped on Donghae's arm, "I am sorry I didn't see you there."

"Haha its ok. Actually he is the one who got more of your body slam..." Donghae pointed at the person next to him.

"Oh I am....sorry..." Siwon drifted off, upon seeing a pretty face next to Donghae.

Kyuhyun arranged his hair and coat before shaking his head, "I am alright."

"Oh... You are a guy!" Siwon gasped, hearing the charming-but-sure-a-man voice from Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun exclaimed, "What? Of course I am! As you can see. I have no s!" And he touched his flat chest to prove that he is a man.

Donghae laughed, while Siwon flushed with embarrassment.

"I thought you are a girl...because you are beautiful..." Siwon had to cover his mouth before the things in his mind just spilled out without thinking.

And dorky Donghae laughed even harder, clenching on Kyuhyun's shoulder, "HAHAHAHA this is funny man!!"

"Donghae hyung, you are laughing way too much..." Kyuhyun swept Donghae's hand away, and frowned especially at Siwon's words.

This is the first ever time he got mistaken as a girl. No wonder Donghae finds it amusing as a joke...

"And... I am not beautiful. I am not a girl, beautiful doesn't describe me." Kyuhyun glared hard at Siwon and corrected him with his lips protruding out showing his displeased, "I appreciate handsome, if you insist in praising me."

Siwon had his eyes bulged out, first at how direct this freshman was, next at his pretty doe eyes, and lastly at...his cute pout.

Big round doe eyes, burning with determination in correcting Siwon, yet adding a cute expression with a pout that made his chubby cheeks even more outstanding...

Siwon was stunned. He wanted to pinch those cheeks so much...

"Erm... Sure... I am sorry..." Siwon apologized again.

"Hey hey lets don't make the atmosphere so sour huh?" Donghae regained his usual self from the laugh, "Where were you rushing to earlier?"

Siwon gasped as he remembered his destination, "Toilet!! I need have a wash up to freshen up myself, though I don't think I need it now... But still... Sorry got to go! See you around!" Siwon turned and dashed again towards the toilet.

Not forgetting to turn around to take another glimpse of Kyuhyun, who was lecturing Donghae again as he was laughing once Siwon was out of sight.

--------------------

"HEY HEY WELCOME EVERYONE ONCE AGAIN!" Hyukjae's voice appeared once again, over the PA system, "So! This is where all the fun begins. In this hall, there are many game stalls, planned and operated by the seniors all by themselves. Lets give them a round of applause first!" 

Loud claps filled the hall, thanking the seniors for the great effort.

"Freshmen, I believe each of you got a play card on your hand. So! You will move around in this hall, to play the game against the seniors at their game stalls, and at each win, you will get a stamp on the play card. Easy, isn't it?! BUT!! The seniors are not that easy to win against! So be sure to put up your best effort to defeat! The one who got the most stamps on the play card, you will win the best prize ever! Which is a kiss from me!!"

"Boooooooo!!!" Many laughed and boo-ing away at Hyukjae's joke.

"Just kidding, people. Just kidding!! The prize is a secret, till the end. So lets BEGIN!!"

Kyuhyun was again alone, once Donghae was away to handle the other stuffs of the event. Having no other choice, he wandered around on his own, looking at other freshmen having fun playing the games prepared by the seniors, having no intention to play the games. Moving from one event to another in the hall, he did not notice that he had reached a particular spot, where a pair of eyes were looking at him excitedly.

"Hey, its you again." Siwon beamed.

Kyuhyun looked up, he recognised it was the person who mistook him as a girl earlier.

"Yeah hi." Kyuhyun greeted lazily.

"Hey, I am sorry about earlier. I didn't mean to be rude, really." Siwon explained again, hoping Kyuhyun will not take in to heart.

"I get it." Kyuhyun replied, and was about to move on, when Siwon stepped out to stop him.

"Hey, want to play a game with me?" Siwon asked.

Kyuhyun looked at him curiously, as if using his eyes to ask, What do you want this time?

"Come on, just a game?" Siwon tried again.

Kyuhyun sighed, "Ok fine. So does this game works?"

Siwon's game area, was a big tic tac toe game, where the players have to stick the spongey circle or cross on the standing board.

"Simple, right?" Siwon grinned.

"Way too simple." Kyuhyun couldn't agree more.

"But I never lose a game before." Siwon said proudly.

"Oh really?" Kyuhyun arched his eyebrows, and smirked at Siwon.

"Haha are you trying to say, you too?" Siwon chuckled.

"Well, we shall see..." And Kyuhyun moved to make his first move.

"Hey that is cheating!"

Not far away from Siwon, Jessica was looking at him attentively.

"Cousin, what are you looking at?" Yunho appeared out of the sudden, and placed his hand over Jessica's shoulder, "Oh. Choi Siwon."

Jessica rolled her eyes at Yunho, "I was just being concerned over my friend, is there a problem?"

"Ya right, humour me cousin. You and I know that who you are truly interested in, afterall." Yunho released his hand, and attended to the freshmen who were playing the games.

"Haha. Very funny. You are not the worm in my stomach, how would you know what I am thinking about?" Jessica answered back, "Besides, I just treat him as a good friend of mine. So nothing wrong to be concerned over him, right?"

"Ya, explain all you want. Just don't get OVERLY concern, when the time comes for him to fall in love deeply with someone." And Yunho turned all his attention on a pretty freshman in front of him, "Hey what is your name?"

Jessica frowned, as she turned to look at Siwon again, who seems to be having a great fun with that freshman with fluffy brownish hair.

Fall in love deeply with someone? My foot... He never get serious with anyone at all. There is nothing to worry about, anyway. Tsk...

After a full 15 minutes, Siwon had no choice, but to admit his defeat with Kyuhyun. For Kyuhyun had won every single set of the games.

"You are really good!" Siwon wiped his sweat after the last game that he lost to Kyuhyun.

"Well, you are not bad yourself. Truly a good opponent." Kyuhyun smirked, its been a long time since he had a good game playing tic tac toe.

"So, you are not angry with me anymore?" Siwon beamed, flashing a pair of deep dimples.

"Wow... This is the first time I see such deep dimples..." Kyuhyun widened his eyes and get himself closer to take a good look of the deep dimples on Siwon's face.

Siwon had to hold his breath, when Kyuhyun leaned closer to him, to inspect on his dimples. And was stunned again, by the chubby cheeks...

"Are they even real?" Kyuhyun asked.

"Of course they are!!" Siwon poked at his own dimples.

Kyuhyun laughed hard at the silly action from Siwon, "Hahaha ok fine. I believe you. And I am not angry with you."

"Really? So we can be friends?" Siwon grinned, "I mean, you are friend of Donghae, and I kinda know Donghae too, so that makes you my friend as well...right?"

"Whatever. I am not a fan of making friends, but yeah, we can be friends."

"Nice to meet you friend, I am Choi Siwon, 3rd year of Business Management." Siwon raised his hand, wanting to get a handshake from Kyuhyun.

Kyuhyun did the same, and shook firmly on Siwon's hand, "Cho Kyuhyun, 1st year of Mathematics Studies."

"Ohhh no wonder you could do well in tic tac toe! You hid your ability! Not fair!" Siwon pouted, "Lets play again!" And he pulled Kyuhyun for another round of tic tac toe.

"You will still lose, no matter what." Kyuhyun smirked, as he was fast to put the circle in the middle of the board.

"You are cheating again! I want to be the first to move!"

For the next 1 hour,  the pair spent the entire time, concentrating totally in competing on the game.

An innocent friendship, building up over a game of tic tac toe. A blooming friendship, blossoming through the mocks that the pairs gave each other.

A growing friendship, that made both feeling extremely amused, as the end of the day, where none could stop thinking of another...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry for the long wait. I have been thinking of the flow for the plot, so was changing here and there till I finally got satisfied with what I have now. *phew*

Still building up the characters and their backgrounds, so bear with me in the process. And no angst (yeah!), at least for the first few chapters, except that prologue. ><

Hope you like it so far!