^ relevant for like one part ^

warning(s): return of cracky unver/overtones; lee sungyeol's existence; embarrassed!namu; jealous!yeol; dongwoo's gal pals. maybe other things but i don't know.

ANNOUNCEMENT/SHAMELESS SELF-PROMOTION: so we warned you about this. but it was a vague warning that nobody would have gotten (because writer sister is a dummy and forgot to add a few more details to the warning smh), so here we go: we, the author sisters, have been working on another fan fiction/story for you to enjoy. this time, it's going to focus on the myungyeol couple. if you're interested in reading a myungyeol from us, please visit call me mister princely and subscribe~. we'll try our hardest to make it a good read. uwu

okay, now that that's over...

about this chapter: so, it's very much known, at this point, that our precious little myungsoo has a big crush on his hyung. yes? yes. writer sister wanted to explore a little on sungyeol's side, if only for a little while, to better understand his feelings. but it did not turn out that way because sungyeol is a stubborn character to write and he ended up having his own way. also there's a bit of turmoil between hyunnie and gyu and just. yeah. but let's all be happy for yadong's progress, shall we? in terms of writing; brain sister was with me through and through for the writing, so it wasn't so much of a strain to come up with this update. in fact, we're more than halfway through the sixteenth chapter! yay. <3

alright. i've taken too much of your time. please enjoy the chapter~. uwu

Sungyeol comes to school, one day, to find Myungsoo talking to another boy.

It wouldn't have bothered Sungyeol, had it not been for the specific boy he's talking to. Sungyeol would have been more than okay if Myungsoo took up talking with the other smart kids in the class, or if he started talking to kids from other classes—because Myungsoo needs friends and Sungyeol has enough to go on. But, no, he had to go talk with that one big kid from the grade above them. The one that icky girls in their class like sending yucky Valentine's letters to the year before.

Lee Changsun, or better known as Lee Joon, is Sungyeol's friend; they used to hang out with each other by the slides and the sand pit, talking about toys they got from their parents, collecting bugs and telling each other how stupid math is as a subject. They haven't been playing together much since Sungyeol's become best friends with Myungsoo, but he still considers Joon to be one of his closest friends. That is until this very moment.

Sungyeol can see, from where he's standing at the gates of the school, that Joon is making Myungsoo smile and giggle. It makes Sungyeol feel angry because that's typically his job. Sungyeol is the hyung who's responsible for making Myungsoo happy and cheerful. Not Lee Joon. Not a big kid from the third grade. Lee Sungyeol owns that job!

Myungsoo's handing Joon a little black book—the one with Myungsoo's name written in silver ink, the one that Sungyeol and Sungjong borrowed for the receptionist lady to fill up for their dad—and Sungyeol's face is red. He watches Joon fill up a page or two of the book from afar, and his fists clench harder whenever he sees Joon and Myungsoo look at each other and giggle to themselves.

“Whoa, whoa, whoa, Sungyeol-ah! Did the bitter bug bite you, this morning?” Sungyeol looks up to see Mr. Nam looming over him—wow, how could he not notice such a creepy face hovering by him?—but he really can't care. Sungyeol just looks up at his teacher with the same angered expression he's been holding for the past few minutes. Mr. Nam quirks a brow, “Something the matter, kid?”

“That snake is stealing my best friend,” Sungyeol grinds out, finger pointing towards where the two traitors sat. Mr. Nam looks up and spots the two children Sungyeol is pointing at, frowning slightly. Sungyeol's lips quiver from a suppressed growl, “Joonie hyung is in my territory and I don't like it.”

“Sungyeol-ah, they're just talking! Being friends with other people's best friends isn't bad,” Mr. Nam tries to tell him but Sungyeol can't hear anything but blood-curdling rage.

“Well Myungsoo's my best friend and the rules are different,” Sungyeol crosses his arms and pouts, “Tell Joonie hyung to stay away from my best friend.”

“Why should I do that?” Mr. Nam asks, stunned.

“Because Myungsoo is mine, that's why,” Sungyeol's arms tighten against his chest. The stunned look stays on Mr. Nam's face for a moment before it changes into something scandalized. That, mixed with something akin to interest. The man hums a disturbing tune for a minute.

“Myungsoo's yours, you say?” Mr. Nam presses with a wiggle of a brow.

Sungyeol snorts, “Yeah,” he says surely, “He's my best friend, and I'm the only best friend he needs.”

“Are you sure you're referring to yourself as a best friend, or something else?” Mr. Nam sounds like he's hinting at something, but Sungyeol can't understand or see past his blind rage. When Sungyeol doesn't react the way Mr. Nam wants him to, the man pouts and lets his head sway from side to side, thinking of what to do, “Tell you what,” he begins, crouching down and putting his arms over his knees, “How about I tell the both of them to go to class and you walk up there and walk Myungsoo to the classroom? Is that good?”

“...will it keep Joon hyung away from Myungsoo?” Sungyeol asks warily.

“For the time being,” Mr. Nam says with a nod, “But it's up to you if you want to take my offer.”

Sungyeol looks on at the two other boys, and his stare lingers for a minute or longer. His anger softens to something akin to guilt and his eyes no longer burned with rage. Mr. Nam watches as the boy's jealousy ebbs away and turns into something rather pitiful; when Sungyeol looks back up at him, Mr. Nam wasn't sure on whether he should feel heartbreak or pride for the boy.

“If Joon hyung makes Myungsoo happy, then it's okay,” he says softly albeit solemnly, “It's not fair if Myungsoo only has me as a friend and I have others. So if he wants to be friends with Joon hyung, then I'm okay with it.”

“That's very noble of you,” Mr. Nam blinks quickly.

“Myungsoo is a really nice boy and he deserves attention!” Sungyeol perks up suddenly, and Mr. Nam just doesn't know what's causing this sudden surge of excitement, “I'm going to tell everybody I know that Myungsoo is awesome. Thank you for helping me, Mr. Nam!”

Sungyeol's sprinting to the opposite direction of where Myungsoo and Joon were seated at, Mr. Nam watching him with a severely puzzled expression. Mr. Nam stands up straight and cups his hand beside his mouth, “Lee Sungyeol, I didn't even do anything!” He calls out.

“YOU'RE RIGHT,” the boy stops in his tracks to turn to his teacher, Sungyeol waving his arms to better attract his teacher's attention. He begins to yell; “YOU WEREN'T VERY HELPFUL, MR. NAM, BUT I'M SMART SO YOU DON'T NEED TO BE!”

The hundred students and staff, as well as parents, who have been standing around the gate and entryway look up at Mr. Nam with expressions that make him want to bury a hole into the ground and crawl into it. Lee Sungyeol merely beams at his teacher's distressed state, then running off to where a small group of children, his friends, are standing with their parents.

Mr. Nam turns around to see Myungsoo and Joon looking his way, as well. While Joon breaks into fits of laughter, Myungsoo could only really smile apologetically in his direction albeit wanting to laugh at him as well.

Ah, the humiliation.

“Don't worry, Mr. Nam!” Myungsoo calls out, “My Appa already thinks that of you!”

Mr. Nam sobs internally.

He wants Lee Howon dead.

Sunggyu trusted him—though, okay, that's Sunggyu's fault and he should have never trusted the spawn of evil in the first place—but Howon had to betray him like this. By giving his number to that person he never wanted contact with again—that thing. Sunggyu's been conversing with that person for a little over a week now and he's only just found out this—this act of treachery.

“You liked him before you found out,” an oddly chirpy and cheery Howon told him when he finally came to work, that very morning of discovery. Sunggyu was about ready to shove Howon's entire body through the shredder in his office and he was pretty sure the look on his face showed his intent. But Howon was never one to fear another person, “Lighten up. The guy saved you from embarrassment when you got drunk, one night, and you repaid him by bolting out of his door. Some weeks later, he asks me for your number because he likes you enough to do it—that should say a lot.”

Sunggyu just wasn't pleased with anything anymore.

Mr. Nam sends him some more texts, during the day, but Sunggyu doesn't look at them. He doesn't give them a spare second of his time to look over them. Now that he knows who he's talking to, Sunggyu doesn't reply anymore. Doesn't talk to him.

Sunggyu found out about him, accidentally.

He had sent Myungsoo off to school for the day.