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^ relevant ^

CHAPTER WARNING: LIKE A TON OF CRACK. or maybe mild. i don't know. depends who's asking.

Ahh, finally, the holidays are over. Also, a new chapter update! Yeah, I may have lied about the thing, last time, but it shouldn't matter now that there's this chapter, right? Right? Mmkay, so maybe I have brought shame to the fandom. BUT! ...I'm sorry. T^T Just, please, enjoy this one. I promise we won't wrong you again. QuQ

maybe.

hopefully.

Usually, during lunch hour and recess, Sungyeol would pick on the pretty boy in his class. Not because he dislikes the boy or anything. In fact, he doesn't dislike him at all. Far from it, actually. He considers him to be an unresponsive friend and that's the only reason why he picks on the boy. Sungyeol doesn't like being ignored.

However, today is different. As were the previous days. It's different because he's done his homework—and no, not the stupid math homework that teachers give him; he means the one he gave himself. Sungyeol's been watching a lot of television shows and reading interesting books, all of which demonstrate how to properly make friends. So far, with comparisons to the situation he finds himself and the pretty boy in, he sees absolutely no problem.

He knows there is, though. He wouldn't be getting in so much trouble if there isn't.

Three days ago, Sungyeol had started with avoiding the pretty boy at all costs. He found that it would never have worked, considering Pretty Boy was everywhere he looked. The day after, he decided to sit and play away from him. It worked for two days, but Sungyeol got bored.

Today, he's doing the similar thing; he's playing nearby and watching over the pretty boy. Sungyeol doesn't really talk to or go near him, but he keeps an eye on him to see how the boy would react to Sungyeol turning the tables and ignoring him. Pretty Boy doesn't do anything.

Not even when a group of kids approach him.

At first, Sungyeol didn't do anything. He was content enough to surreptitiously watch over their interactions at the top of the slide, even when other kids were egging him to get off. Pretty Boy didn't even notice the three boys in front of him; he continued to draw images on soft soil with a large stick, not having a care in the in the world.

The boys took it badly.

Suddenly Sungyeol's witnessing something horrible: the biggest boy of the small group shoves Pretty Boy harshly. Pretty Boy falls on his side, on the ground, his hands and shorts staining with dirt. He was about to get up when the same boy shoves him back down and laughs at him.

Pretty Boy whimpers helplessly and tells the kid to stop, but then the big kid's friends are taunting him. Being mean to him. Calling him awful names and laughing at how he's always alone. Pretty Boy stays silent, as he always does. However, this time, there are tears swelling up in his eyes.

Sungyeol didn't like that. Because Pretty Boy doesn't cry. Even when Sungyeol's teasing him, Pretty Boy doesn't cry. Even when he's picked last for class games, Pretty Boy doesn't cry. Even when he's picked up late by his dad, Pretty Boy doesn't cry. Sungyeol has seen him frown, and that's okay, but Sungyeol never wants him to cry.

It makes him angry.

"Hey! You stop that!" Sungyeol yells. He slides down the slide and runs towards the commotion, pushing other kids out of his way to get there quicker. The boys just look at him with unreadable expressions. When he's there, Sungyeol points a finger and pulls a face at them. "You can't do that to him! That's mean!"

"What do you care?" One of the kids huffs. The other boy steps closer to Sungyeol, in attempts to intimidate him, but Sungyeol doesn't step back. He doesn't even flinch. Sungyeol stands there bravely, pointing and scowling, eyes hard and angry.

"Go be meanies somewhere else! He doesn't need to be pushed and told bad things. He wasn't even doing anything when you came over!" Sungyeol's look of pure judgment never falters, and neither does his finger.

"He was playing by himself like an idiot!" The kid in front of him snorts. From the corner of his eye, he sees Pretty Boy flinch and duck his head. Sungyeol's frown deepens; did he think it was bad to play alone? Sungyeol glares up at the older boy.

"It's better to play alone than play with bad friends!" Sungyeol's tone is accusatory and implicating. He figures that the boys he's talking to are as dumb as a roll of sticks. But they catch on.

"At least I have friends," the boy in front of him says.

"Nobody likes you and your friends," Sungyeol states and sticks his tongue out. Because it's true. People didn't play with either himself or with Pretty Boy, but they are well-liked by their classmates. Despite himself, Sungyeol has friends. And despite how quiet Pretty Boy is and how he spends most of his time alone, people like him.

The boy growls and punches Sungyeol in the face.

"That's what you get for talking back!"

"Hyung!" Pretty Boy gasps and crawls towards Sungyeol. He had fallen back, sitting painfully on the cold ground with one hand in the dirt and another at his cheek. The three bigger and older boys are pointing and laughing at him. Pretty Boy is at his side, dusting his hands off before grabbing hold of Sungyeol's face.

Sungyeol shakes himself out of Pretty Boy's grasp and gets up quickly. The three boys didn't even see him coming at them. It wasn't until Sungyeol let out a distinct and awfully loud battle cry that the boys turned to look at him. They weren't expecting the onslaught of kicks and punches directed at them.

"I AM LEE SUNGYEOL!!" He screeches.

The boys are screaming and swatting at him, telling him to stop it, but Sungyeol is all arms and legs. His limbs are flying and coming down hard. Pretty Boy tries to stop him but Sungyeol just doesn't want to. He's doing this for Pretty Boy's honour. He's doing this for justice!

"Lee Sungyeol!" An adult calls.

But a teacher stops him anyway.
 

"Yah, why does your son have to be so bad!?" Sunggyu becomes frantic beside Howon, his hands seemingly unable to keep still. Howon sighs, ignores what the elder has said, and focuses on the road before him. "Oh my God, my poor Myungsoo... He must be so scared, being called t