He walked down the vacant, narrow hallway, ready to escape the hell hole called "school." It was five in the afternoon, two hours since school has been released, but Jongin was stuck finishing up his latest piece of art.

 

Normally, he'd take his work home and finish over the weekend, giving him all the time he needed to perfect whatever his project was, but this time he wanted to stay late and finish the deed at school.

 

The young man strode down the hallway, keeping his eyes glued to the double doors at the end that lead to freedom. A few more steps until he was outside, but he stopped short when he heard a familiar voice call his name.

 

"Jongin-hyung!" A boy a few months younger than him shouted, nearly out of breath from chasing him.

 

"Oh, Sehun. What are you still doing here? I thought you went home already?" Jongin questioned as he turned around to face his friend. The two boys had known each other since birth and were inseparable. Complete opposites they were, yet they somehow managed to get along and become each other's rock despite their differences.

 

"Jongin," Sehun panted out, placing his hand on the elder's shoulder as he leaned over slightly to catch his breath. "I heard from Jongdae, who heard from Mir who was told by Leeteuk that there is a party tonight. Jongdae said that Mir said that Leeteuk told him to invite everyone," Sehun spat out rather quickly before running out of breath and gasping for more air. Jongin quirked an eyebrow and smirked at the younger.

 

"Did you really have to add all that information? You could've just said Leeteuk invited us to a party, which he actually did personally," Jongin replied, wrapping his arm around the younger's waist to help him walk towards the outside world. Sehun wasn't out of shape, he was just dramatic, making a big scene out of he littlest things, whereas Jongin was calm and collected.

 

"Wait, what? Leeteuk asked you today?" Sehun perked up, forgetting that he couldn't breathe seconds before. Jongin smiled and nodded as he continued walking wrapped around the younger.

 

"Yeah, he asked me in our last period. He said he wants to celebrate his 18th birthday lavishly. Go big or go home was the expression he used," Jongin recalled as he thought back to the way Leeteuk whispered into his ear, trying to keep his voice hushed so the teacher wouldn't separate the two in frustration.

 

"So? Are we going?" Sehun asked impatiently. The elder shook his head as he walked to the driver side of his car. "And why not?!" Sehun demanded as he opened the passenger side door and slide into the empty seat.

 

"I just want to sleep. I've had a hectic week and I just barely finished my project so I could sleep all week," Jongin explained.

 

"Lame," Sehun boomed. "Come on, hyung! I heard cute lunch guy will be there," Sehun coaxed with a small smirk on his lips and a wiggle of his eyebrows. Jongin paused for a second, letting Sehun's words sink in for a second before continuing on with starting up his engine.

 

"Like it really matters," the elder replied as he peeled out of the parking lot and headed for home.

 

"You know it does. We never see him outside of school. You never see him outside of school. Tonight could be the night," Sehun pressed on. This was his first tactic, appealing words. His next move would be puppy eyes, then his very last move: begging via whining like a baby.

 

"You can go. I'll be at home sleeping. This is my first Friday night off of work in a while. The last thing I want to do is go out and party all night."

 

"Hyung," Sehun said with his puppy eyes. "Don't make me beg," he warned with a small pout on his lips. Jongin smiled and shook his head, turning right to enter the freeway that lead home. Sehun's gaze burned holes into the side of his head, with each passing second he holes got bigger.

 

"Fine. But I'm leaving at eleven exact, with or without you," Jongin concluded. Sehun perked up and began bouncing in his seat. The elder knew he was going to have a crappy time, but if Sehun was content, then so was he. He just hoped Sehun wasn't lying about cute lunch boy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"Jongin," Leeteuk slurred as he found the younger in the kitchen looking for something to drink other than alcohol. "You came! Mir bet me 10,000 won you wouldn't show."

 

"It's nice to see you too, hyung," Jongin greeted with a smile on his face as he held up the elder. It wasn't even 9pm and he was already a lost cause. "Yah, where is your boyfriend?"

 

"Oh, my baby! Oh, I gotta find him. Honey!" Leeteuk shouted as he stumbled out of the kitchen and into the crowd. Jongin chuckled beneath his breath as he opened a soda. Leeteuk had the biggest crush on a guy one grade younger than him, but they weren't dating. Jongin may be nice but he loved seeing Leeteuk suffer when it came to Heechul.

 

Jongin grabbed his drink and made his way through the crowd, settling for the vacant back porch where he could enjoy the party without being a part of it. It was fall in Seoul, a gentle, cool breeze kept the night refreshing. This was the most wonderful time of the year, no matter how magical christmas is.

 

"Oppa, are you really doing this to me?!" A shrilly voice called out, pulling Jongin back into reality and making him want to slap whoever ruined his moment.

 

"Minah, it's been over. Why are you trying to drag this out?" A familiar voice responded. A voice so familiar, it sent tingles down Jongin's spine. It was the voice he craved to hear all day and dreamt about all night.

 

"Oppa! You know that's not true. We were meant to be together," the voice cried out. Jongin felt a twinge of irritation with the way Minah said 'oppa.' It didn't sound right coming from her.

 

"Minah, you cheated. That's it. Stop crawling back to me," the voice responded solemnly. Even though Jongin couldn't see them, he could sense that the guy was getting frustrated and on the brink of yelling.

 

"But oppa-"

 

"Goodbye, Minah," he cut off, stomping off around the side of the house and came in view for Jongin to see. Luckily Jongin was sitting in the shadows, undetected, when the cute lunch guy walked up the widen stairs and sat down on the other side of the porch.

 

From a distance, Jongin watched as the attractive man leaned back in his seat, placing his feet up on the railing as he pulled out a pack of cigarettes. The hidden man watched the red haired boy place one between his lips and light the end, creating a bright red-orange glow before he puffed out a cloud of smoke. It was mesmerizing with the way his plush lips perked out a little as he created a small o with his mouth to release the smoke.

 

In a quick second, Jongin accidentally dropped his coke can, creating a loud thud that caught the other man's attention. He felt the blood rush to his cheeks and he looked down then scrambled to pick it up before more liquid leaked out onto the wooden floor beneath him.

 

"How long have you been there?" The boy asked before taking another drag from his cigarette. Jongin felt himself turn redder at the question.

 

"Uh, not that long actually," he replied before placing his can on the railing. The other guy simply nodded before puffing out another cloud.

 

"Girls can be such pains at times, you know?"

 

Jongin didn't really know, but still he nodded in agreement. It was clear to those who knew him that Jongin was far from straight, but to those who didn't know him, they simply fell to the default and assumed he was heteroual.

 

"Why aren't you inside with the rest of the crowd?"

 

"There's a difference between a crowd and an overpopulated area. That," Jongin pointed to inside the house, "is an overpopulated area. I can't breathe in there."

 

The guy simply nodded before flicking the ashes off the end of his cigarette. "She always calls me Oppa. I'm younger than her, it actually gets annoying," he huffed out, running his free hand through his hair. Jongin felt his heart sink a little, but it picked back up when the other man looked at him with a small smirk. "I'm done with girls for awhile. How about you?"

 

Jongin felt his stomach flutter and his heart beat quicken. His palms get sweaty the more the other looked at him and waited. Maybe he knew, or maybe he was truly interested in Jongin's personal life.

 

"Yeah... Me too," he said quickly, tearing his gaze away and looking far off. He could feel the hard stare the other was giving him, making him begin to have cold sweats. "I'm gonna go," Jongin said quickly, hoping up and scurrying towards the door, abandoning his drink on the railing.

 

"Yah!" The man shouted as he put his feet down on the wooden floor and leaned over the arm of his chair. Jongin stopped in his tracks and ly his head to the side to peer down at the other. "I didn't catch your name," he said with a grin.

 

"Jongin," he stated plainly.

 

"Nice to meet you. I'm Kyungsoo," the red haired boy said with a smirk. Jongin felt like he was melting away, any second more of this and he'd be a puddle. "I'll see you around," he added before turning back and assuming his position from before, placing his almost burnt out cigarette between his smirked lips.

 

Jongin didn't respond, he just continued on with leaving. Their first conversation and Jongin ran away, but he didn't regret it. Too much of Kyungsoo and he'd probably die of a heart attack.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"So you guys talked?" Sehun asked surprised as he and Jongin walked through the lunch line, loading their trays down with all the junk food their mother's refused to keep in the house.

 

"Yeah, but it wasn't much. Mainly about his new ex-girlfriend," Jongin answered with a frown. It was still something though.

 

"He knows your name now at least. Maybe he'll recognize you today," the younger chirped with a smile, mainly aimed at the last piece of cheesecake he was about to get his greedy hands on, but also at Jongin.

 

"I doubt he'll say anything though. He has all his friends surrounding him all the time. If he talks to me, they all will look at me and silently judge."

 

"At least it's silent. They could say something," Sehun offered. Jongin just laughed and gave him a small nod. There was always a bright side to things, Sehun made sure it was known.

 

The boys walked to their normal table and sat down with the rest of their misfit friends.

 

"Yah, Jongin," his friend, Sungjae called out. "Where has Taemin been?"

 

Jongin shrugged in response. He himself hadn't seen much of Taemin and they were brother's, but then again it was because Taemin was preparing for college and upcoming auditions that he rarely saw him. He kind of missed his hyung, but he wouldn't dare make him stop his preparations just to spend time with him.

 

"Did you guys see awkward Heechul looked last night? It was hilarious," Amber spoke. Heechul was one of them, a misfit, but they loved how crazy Leeteuk was for him. It was their constant entertainment to send Leeteuk to him and watch how hard he tries to win Heechul's heart.

 

"Yeah, thanks guys. I had to deal with a drunk Leeteuk, which is not fun," Heechul spat out with a small frown.

 

"Yah, be glad a third year liked you and wants you. Plus, he's a popular third year, don't whine," Seolhyun retorted. Heechul only ever whined because he secretly liked the attention, which annoyed Seolhyun and her younger sister, Hyeri, only because it seemed as if the boys in their school were either taken or gay.

 

"We are we forgetting another feat? A certain red haired boy that spoke to a certain blond haired boy?" Jongdae busted out, drawing attention to Jongin. The young man simply began eating, ignoring all the stares and jaws dropped.

 

"So is he gay?" Hyeri asked the million dollar question everyone was waiting to hear. No one knew whether he was gay or not only because he never seemed interested in anyone at school and he kept his relationships private.

 

"I don't think so..." Jongin spoke slowly as he remembered their encounter three nights before. "He broke up with his girlfriend a few seconds before speaking to me."

 

"He had a girlfriend?! Seolhyun practically screeched. Amber slapped her across the cheek in an attempt to calm her rage.

 

"Calm yourself, child. It's not like everyone we know is gay," Amber replied. "Continue on."

 

"So to quench everyone's curiosity... No, he's not gay," Jongin admitted defeatedly.

 

" please," Heechul piped in. "That gay gives off more gay vibes than Amber!" he stated with a thumb jabbed in the girl's direction.

 

"Yah! I'm not lesbian!" she retorted with a small snort.

 

"You'll come to terms with it eventually," Sungjae smiled sympathetically. Amber merely rolled her eyes and began stabbing her food roughly before shoving it into and chewing forcefully.

 

"There is now!" Sehun rushed out as he nodded in the subject's direction. Everyone turned to look, watching as he and his posse walked to their seats with their trays in hand.

 

"I wish an oppa would notice me," Seolhyun wept out, laying her head on her sister's shoulder pathetically.

 

Jongin watched as Kyungsoo sat down in his normal spot next to his best friend, Hyunsik. He wasn't jealous of the elder, he just wished Hyunsik wasn't so close to Kyungsoo, a secret he kept to himself.

 

The group turned back and began eating and chatting away, but Jongin kept his eyes low as he continued to finish his lunch. One thing did happen though. When Jongin happened to glance over at Kyungsoo, he found the latter' brown eyes staring him down without quivering. Jongin looked away and pretended to be interested in Jongdae's story, but he was secretly trying to keep the butterflies calm in his stomach.