By Your Side
Absolute Boyfriend“You’re smart.” Jeongmin stated, as sly smirk crossed his handsome features.
They were at the library, supposedly tutoring Lee Se Young, but it seemed like more of a stare-down than a study session. Hyunseong was uncomfortably sandwiched in-between the two. Jeongmin looked especially full of himself while Se Young kept a poker face.
“But I’m not smart.” She reasoned lamely, holding up her incomplete essay paper, as if it that was proof enough. “That’s why you’re helping me rewrite it.”
“Correction.” Jeongmin lifted up a finger haughtily. “We’re babysitting you while you rewrite your essay because you were too lazy to do it in class.”
“I wasn’t lazy.” Se Young shot back. “I was confused.”
“Right.” The boy with the tousled hair rolled his eyes, and leaned back in his chair.
Hyunseong tried placing everything back to normal. “So… what do you need help with?”
Se Young’s personality changed completely as she gave her full attention to Hyunseong. She pouted cutely. “Everything.”
Hyunseong leaned closer to Se Young, opening up a dictionary in front of her. “Okay, let’s start off with transition words. It’s good to start with—” Suddenly, he gagged, being dragged back by the collar by none other than Lee Jeongmin. “I’m helping her!” he argued, pretending to choke. “Stop!”
“She knows how to use a dictionary.” Jeongmin scoffed.
“What’s with you?”
Just when Jeongmin was about to answer, he felt a vibration in his pocket (yes, K.Will had bought them phones. It was a terrible Christmas present from him, considering that they were way more advanced than any kind of smartphone.) “Yeboseyo?”
“Jeongmin-oppa.” It was Seh Lyung, who had just sworn a few days ago to never call him ‘oppa.’ This was until now. Her tone was strained as she tried to keep it flat, her voice nearly cracking.
“Seh Lyungie?” he asked, not knowing what was going on, but tried to soothe her. “What’s wrong?”
“Come home.” She said.
“Have you been crying?” he stood up from his seat, quickly packing up his stuff. Whoever made his girlfriend cry was going to get it. “Kim Seh Lyung, tell me what’s wrong! Is someone hurt?” He could hear her trying not to tear up. If she had spoken one more time she wouldn’t have been able to hold it in. Jeongmin’s eyes flashed to Hyunseong’s, who heard everything, while Se Young continued to sit in confusion. “We’re leaving now.” He hung up, grabbed his stuff, and left the library without even a good bye.
Se Young’s arms were crossed as she looked expectantly at Hyunseong, who was fumbling for words. “I… uh, sorry.” He bowed twice, not meeting her eyes. “Family problems. I promise to help you as soon as possible.” He hurriedly ran off, catching up to Jeongmin.
```
“He’s only suffered a shock, automatic shutdown.” K.Will assured, reading off the results, which were warm and freshly printed.
“When will Kwangmin wake up?” Youngmin asked, watching his brother’s body through the glass capsule, which was newly placed for Boyfriend’s repairs.
Professor K.Will flipped back a few pages. “To be honest, I really can’t tell, all of the formatting I had installed was replaced with someone else’s.”
Trying to keep a straight face, Seh Lyung asked, “So you’ve known Youngmin and Kwangmin all this time? And keeping secrets from me?”
He shook his head. “It isn’t like that. Before their faces were constructed I sent two of my prototypes to Kronos Heaven in Japan… that’s probably why they kind of look like anime characters,” Professor K.Will laughed awkwardly, “the build is mine but their programming’s altered.”
“So you sold them, but they ended up as our neighbors.” She clarified, openly stating this unbelievable likeness.
“I didn’t know Youngmin and Kwangmin were 05 and 06. I’m only human.” He clicked on a few buttons on the glass case, causing it to open fully. “But,” he shot a look to Donghyun. “I bet that 01 knew about this longer than I have.”
“I’m sorry that I didn’t tell you sooner, hyungnim. I just wasn’t completely sure of myself.” Donghyun walked forward, holding a metal needle and copper wire. He was ready to stitch up Kwangmin’s body. “I don’t know if you should see this or not.” He said warily to Seh Lyung.
She swallowed. If she couldn’t watch horror movies with the lights on she couldn’t watch this, no matter how much she wanted to be there for Kwangmin. “Call me when you’re done.” She soundlessly drifted up the stairs, meeting the eyes of Hyunseong and Jeongmin. She didn’t even flinch away when Jeongmin dropped all of his bags and engulfed her in a hug.
“What’s wrong?” Hyunseong asked, his eyes drifting off to the open metal door. He walked over to it little by little.
Seh Lyung confided, “Kwangmin…”
Jeongmin stiffened at the name, but nevertheless attempted to recover. “What ‘s wrong with Kwangmin?” he asked tersely.
“And Youngmin…”
Why wouldn’t she answer? It was until Hyunseong tugged on Jeongmin’s arm. “They’re us.” He tried pulling him away from Seh Lyung, but wouldn’t budge.
“Just tell me already!”
“Go.” Seh Lyung urged. “You need to see it to believe it.”
Jeongmin looked at her for a good few seconds before dashing downs the stairs, leaving Hyunseong with her. He reached over and grabbed her hand, trying to lead her outside. “Let’s go find Minwoo.”
```
“Noona!” he laughed, being pushed on the swings by Ji Eun.
“Aish!” she wiped the sweat off her brow. “You’re heavier than you look!”
Minwoo jumped off the swing, swiftly landing on his own two feet. “Noona,” he said, urging her into the seat he had previously taken. “My turn to push you.”
The girl gently placed herself on the swing. Even when she sat down she still looked elegant doing so. When she was settled, Minwoo lightly rocked her. He was enjoying his time with her. “I should take you to the park more often, you seem happier.” Ji Eun said, kicking her legs slowly.
“It’s all thanks to you. You’re the best noona ever.”
She blushed. “Oh, not really.” She tried to be earnest, waving her hands around.
“My cutie noona.” Minwoo said sweetly. He was never taken out before. He always stayed home until now. Ji Eun always kept his best interest in mind, and it made Minwoo feel special. His phone buzzed in his pocket, and read the caller ID, flipping it open. “What’s up, Hyunseong-hyung?”
“Minwoo.” That wasn’t Hyunseong. He froze. “Come home.”
“I’m busy.” He replied curtly, his thumb hanging over the ‘end call’ button.
“But I need you.” She reasoned, her voice on the other line pleading. Minwoo ignored the little tug in his mind when Seh Lyung said he needed him. “Kwangmin’s—”
“Ask your boyfriends.” With that, he snapped his phone shut.
“Minwoo-ah.” Ji Eun asked with concern. “Who was that?”
“Nothing.” Minwoo said smoothly.
“You’re lying. Is that the girl you like?” she asked, almost hurt.
Again, Minwoo smiled, trying to convince her. “Used to like.”
```
Seh Lyung’s eyes began to water once again as she heard the flat ‘beep’ of her call being rejected. Why couldn't she pick out her words more carefully? It seemed like everything she said was wrong! Her relationship with Minwoo has been going downhill, she couldn't even carry on a five-second conversation without him running off. Combined with the current state of Kwangmin, she couldn't understand why two bad events had to happen in one day.
“Aish, pabo.” Hyunseong muttered, looking off into the direction across the front porch. “According to my GPS, Minwoo’s at the park and he’s not alone. I’ll go get him.” He gave her hand a tight squeeze. “Go back inside and tell Jeongmin to make you something to drink. You’re stronger than this. I’ll be back.”
```
“Minwoo-ah!” Ji Eun whined, her jog changing to a drag. “I’m so tired! Can we sit down?”
“Would you like me to give you a piggyback ride?” he offered. And as if there was nothing wrong, and bended down a bit.
Flustered, she shook her head. “No. Let’s go sit there!” a sudden burst of energy made her sprint towards the white-painted gazebo. They sat down, and Minwoo subtly tried scooting closer to her. “Looks like there was a party here.” She surmised, looking at a deflated pink balloon that was forgotten by her seat. She reached for the nearest one, smiling faintly. “I wonder what the occasion was.”
Minwoo lightly drummed his fingers against the seat, wishing to hold her hand. He looked down, and noticed that someone had written something in the wood. He removed his hand, and read the neat engraved lettering.
One month with Seh Lyungie! Boyfriend fighting!
Before Ji Eun could notice, Hyunseong appeared from the shadows, his smile not reaching his eyes. “Hyunseongie!” Ji Eun exclaimed, both surprised and happy to see him.
“Hi.” He said politely, but his stare continued to be focused on Minwoo. His shoes were sodden and dirty, just recently ruined. He must’ve ran here as fast as possible, going in a straight line. “I need to take Minwoo home, if you don’t mind. It’s his turn to make dinner.” He lied.
Minwoo shot him a warning gaze, as if to say to him, “We don’t eat.” But nevertheless, he listened to his hyung, and looked apologetically to Ji Eun. “Sorry, noona. I had a lot of fun though. I promise to take you out next time.”
Ji Eun gave a firm nod, looking eager. She also waved to Hyunseong, but it looked as if he didn’t notice.
The walk (or run) home was surprisingly silent; the only thing you could hear was the wooshing of the wind. Minwoo expected at least a little reprimanding for being with another girl, but was only greeted with a hollow atmosphere, which was even worse. It was painful to think about why it was so important that Hyunseong had to come out and get him. Was something really wrong with Seh Lyung?
On the other hand, Hyunseong at this point couldn’t even stand to look at him. He was almost disgusted by Minwoo; he couldn’t even look at him. How dare he abandon Seh Lyung, for the first time, when she actually wanted him by her side.
I am s0o0o0o0 sorry that there are so many scene breaks. I'm not too good in the art of urgency. Not saying that I typed this chapter quickly, but consistency and flow of this chapter is my problem. Anyways, the person who got the most hints was Lilmisschique! Congrats, I applaud your good eye.
Before I give her winning one shot, I'd like to thank all my commenters. There's a lot of stories out there with more subscribers than me but have less commenters. I'm very thankful to have such great inspiration and feedback from my readers! It means a lot!
Before reading, please note that this mini-story is completely irrelevant to the current fanfiction. You don't have to read it if you don't want to, this is just a reward for our winner.
“Kim Seh Lyung and,” the teacher read off the chemistry partners mechanically, with a calculated and an unblemished speaking tone. “Shim Hyunseong. Table eight.”
Collective gasps and murmurs circled the room. A random girl came up to Seh Lyung and patted her shoulder, earning her sympathy. “Good luck.”
Soundlessly, Shim Hyunseong got up from his original seat and moved to table eight. The only time he made noise was when he dropped his backpack, causing students to scurry away from the back and shift uncomfortably. Everyone looked back to Seh Lyung, who was minding herself and putting away her books. Her head held high, she took the stool next to Hyunseong and flashed a smile at him, who didn’t seem to notice.
“Geez, what is with that boy?” a blond-haired student scoffed, folding his arms. “Seh Lyungie just smiled at him and he ignored it! What a jerk.”
Seh Lyung turned and gave a glare to Kwangmin, who shook his head and pointed to his brother. Blushing, she bowed and turned to the right person, giving another grim expression. Youngmin pouted and stormed off, being called for his lab partner. She noticed Hyunseong’s head low, suppressing a grin. She couldn’t help but smile at that. She’ll never understand why so many people hated Shim Hyunseong.
He looked harmless, in fact maybe awkward. She noticed the way his hands were folded neatly in his lap, the way his legs were straight and pinned together. If he loosened up a bit, maybe people would start to acknowledge him. Hyunseong looked like a good friend.
“So, do you want to get started on the experiment?” she chimed cheerfully.
In response, she got a head turn from Hyunseong. It took him a while for her words to sink in but eventually he got a hurried nod, fumbling for his pencil case. Seh Lyung giggled, he was really cute.
“Hyunseong-sshi,” a few minutes later, they were all set up and ready to start their project. Seh Lyung carefully propped the beaker filled with water on the burner. “Would you like to light it up?”
The boy finally looked away from his paper. His eyes traveled across the black table until he found the lighter, which was placed so inconveniently on the other side of the burner. Sighing, he extended his arm to grasp it.
And that was enough. He grabbed the lighter too quickly, and his arm brushed the beaker. At the very least he was thankful that the thick glass didn’t break, but all of the water spilled on Seh Lyung’s skirt. In an instant she jumped off the stool and wiped as much water off herself as she possibly could. Her skirt rained uncomfortably, as the cold liquid dripped to the beige tiled floor.
“Oh my gosh!” Hyunseong exclaimed, his eyes wide. “I’m sorry!”
It was the first time Hyunseong spoke to her. Although she was more than excited to hear words come out of his mouth, she couldn’t say anything as Youngmin pulled her away and a teacher gave her a bathroom pass all at once. She was ushered out of the classroom before she could even have a change to breathe.
She looked down at the baggy red gym shorts self-consciously as she returned back minutes later. But she gave an eye smile to Minwoo, who was nice enough to let her borrow his pair since she didn’t have to attend gym that day. But that smile soon faded as she weaved through the desks, overhearing the gossip.
“I bet Hyunseong did that on purpose.”
“What kind of sick person would want to burn Seh Lyung?”
The water wasn’t even hot! “It was an accident.” She insisted tersely, forcing a smile at the ignorant students.
Returning back to her seat, she found everything surprisingly dry. Her paper wasn’t even damp, and it looked perfect. She did a double take and snatched the paper from her desk, examining the handwriting that scratched the surface. That was definitely not her handwriting. She looked to Hyunseong, whose face was flushed tomato red, looking away. “Did you do this?” she asked, pointing to her lab sheet.
Hyunseong lifted his head up slightly, his brunette bangs falling over his eyes. He gave a small nod. “I’m sorry.” He said again.
Even though she would’ve rather finished her work herself, she found it nevertheless sweet that he wrote down the answers for her. “It’s no problem, really. I was meaning to stretch my legs anyway. And thank you, your handwriting’s very neat.”
They ended up with another period of silence, with Seh Lyung digging through her bag and Hyunseong watching curiously. Finally, Seh Lyung’s eyes lit up like diamonds as she lifted up the pink handkerchief. She turned to a surprised Hyunseong. Her hand hovered over the sleeve of his blazer. “Uhm.” Hyunseong was at a loss.
Grinning, Seh Lyung shook her head. She lightly dabbed at his sleeve, which was still damp from the accident earlier. Had he not bothered to dry it? “Why do people not like you?” she asked casually, but in reality she really wanted to know. Hyunseong seemed so kindhearted.
No one had ever bothered to ask Hyunseong that question. He blinked, and cleared his throat. “Well, I guess I can’t say that I was held back. I—uh, maybe I am. But I’m actually really smart—but I’m not trying to be cocky!” he blew his bangs, smacking his palm to his forehead.
She laughed softly, patting Hyunseong’s arm and setting her handkerchief on the desk. Getting a better look to Hyunseong, she did notice that he was recognizably older than the rest of the class. It didn’t appeal to her before, but now that Hyunseong pointed it out it was obvious. “Well then, why were you held back?”
“Because,” he thought of the right words. “my job took too much time. I couldn’t keep up with my classes and…” he frowned, stopping in his thoughts.
“Oh,” Seh Lyung glowered along with him, trying to be a good person to confide in. “Well what is your job? I mean,” she ruffled her hair sheepishly, “Sorry if I’m asking so many questions.”
“No no, it’s all right!” Hyunseong waved his hands in the air. In fact, he liked the fact that he could finally start a conversation with someone. “I sing.” He confessed quickly, his voice low.
“You sing?” Seh Lyung said, marveled. The image of Hyunseong singing formed in her brain, and it seemed like a pretty cool image. “That’s so awesome. Maybe you can sing for me sometime.”
“It’s way better than everyone thinking I’m a delinquent.” He muttered under his breath, flashing a shy smile to Seh Lyung. “Friends?”
Their hands met in a brief handshake, but it felt more than brief. Seh Lyung felt a bit of electricity ignite through his fingers and to her heart. Her hands immediately snapped away, as if she was shocked.
Hyunseong was just as equally taken aback by her actions. But he was confused, and turned his head to the side. “What’s wrong?” he asked, suddenly feeling more comfortable around her.
Seh Lyung blushed, remembering the moment of contact that wasn’t even two seconds ago. “N-nothing.” She forced herself to look at her paper and take extra notes, though the only thing on her mind was Hyunseong. The sweetness he gave to her, and how special she felt being the only person. But how long could Seh Lyung remain friends with Hyunseong until she starts liking him?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I'm sorry if you didn't like it, it's on borderline friendship, if you wanted romance. But I was already writing more than my Minwoo one shot and I wanted to keep the length fair to the winners. I promise the next Hyunseong-user that I will continue this one shot with a better ending :) Sorry again to the people who didn't win.
ringgoB: Sorry again, hehe~
Lilmisschique: Winnerwinnerwinner! OMG, IF I KILL OFF MINWOO. Hmm, the possiblities. And let's all pray for fictional Kwangmin, ne?
Minkwang_: I hope you didn't think Kwangmin was suicidal or something, ahah. Absolute Boyfriend is six!
yeologist: Maybe I made that scene too dramatic? Maybe I'll edit it...
janlauricebautista: I'm sorry that I didn't reply to your message >.< But in the end there was a Hyunseong one shot, right? Oh, the love of the Jo twins<3
ELFyourface: Hey if you kill me, I'll really kill off Kwangmin XD I'd never kill off anyone, or would I...? That long? I'm glad that I scared you! If anything, they weren't around in 1995 or something.
B-HorromiChan: I really hope to see more Jo twins moments in real life ^^
chattykitkat: Kwangmin shall live! Hopefully.
bluedragon: Hopefully I'll end up answering all of your questions. I hate stories that don't clear up everything. Wahh, you had such good answers. I'm sorry >.< But don't worry, I'm definitely anticipating yourself entering in more contests in the future!
minwoo: No bother! I'm glad you like it so much!
Ranvadew: Thank you so much! I love new readers! I'm so excited, 80 may not be a big number to some famous users here, but it's definitely a lot for me! My goal was 100 subscribers, I didn't expect 80 to come so quickly!
ALSOOOO.
Well, would there be any way for me to watch Boyfriend W Academy livestream? If so what time? I live in the NYC area. Thanks! I really want to see Boyfriend work out and talk in English!
And I may be biased here, but I'm really hoping for a Jeongmin lover to go on and win a contest. I have a PERFECTTTT one shot idea in mind for him. And-and-and... read my friend's new fic! If any of you are Inspirits out there :) I'm her co author for her Jeongmin fic^^
~Camille
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