Chapter Fifteen

His Beauty.

***

Kibum has noticed Taemin’s silence on the way home, the younger not even sparing him a glance when he left the car, marching straight to his room.

“Is Taemin okay?” His Dad asks as he watched the youngest leave, “he’s been quiet all through the ride. Usually, he’ll be a chatterbox about what happened during the school event.”

“Maybe he’s tired.” Kibum supplied, exiting the car before entering the house himself.

“Hello, Kibum-ah. How did your school event go?” Sooyoung smiles at him, lifting her head from the paperwork spread out on their dinner table.

“It went well, Auntie. Where’s Taemin?”

“Oh, I think he already went to his room.” Sooyoung answers, “probably tired from all the performances he keeps on yapping about in the past days. Are you hungry, I can make something if you like?”

“No thank you, Auntie. I’ll be heading in bed. Good night.” 

“Okay. Good night, Kibum.”

The blond made his way upstairs and stopped at the room before his, breathing in a bit of courage before knocking. “Minnie?”

Taemin looks up from his sprawled position on the bed, biting his lip before turning away from the door, keeping his silence. He doesn’t want to talk to his hyung right now.

“Um, we’ll just talk tomorrow, okay? Good night Minnie.” He retrieves his hold on the doorknob and proceeded to his own room.

Lying in bed, he can’t help but feel conflicted with what is going on with his life. The fact that he’s keeping Taemin in the dark about Jonghyun’s interest on him and his own say on the matter at hand.

What do you mean ‘your say’ on the matter? You also have feelings for Kim Jonghyun. Just say you like him back. End of discussion.  A part of his mind articulated, Kibum facepalming himself.

“It’s not as easy as that, you idiot.” He muttered to himself, contemplating whether he is obviously losing his mind ‘cause he’s out here arguing with his own self.

What about Taaemin? Another voice pops up, this wouldn’t happen if you declined to help him out in getting close to Jonghyun in the first place.

“Aish! This is such a mess.” He glares at the ceiling of his room, imagining it as Jonghyun’s face. However, his mind loses its track once again as he remembers Jonghyun performing in front of the student body earlier, the whole serenading thing Nicole kept on insisting rushing back.

I don’t wanna be someone who walks away so easily,

I’m here to stay and make the difference that I can make.

“Damn it.” Of all the lines of the song he heard, those two sure caught his attention. Kibum can see the efforts Jonghyun made. How he makes sure Kibum is eating on time, providing snacks if need be during the whole preparation and period of the school festival, messaging him words of encouragement whenever the blond will also perform for their own club activities. He notices all of it. Kim Jonghyun sets on staying and doing the difference that he can make to prove that he’s serious about his feelings for Kibum.

His phone vibrated beside him, indicating a message being received.

From: Kim Jonghyun

are you asleep yet?

His heart skipped a beat when saw who it was from, biting his bottom lip before typing out a message.

To: Kim Jonghyun

Was about to, y?

From: Kim Jonghyun

just checking, did you get home safe?

To: Kim Jonghyun

Yeah, how about u?

It’s common courtesy to ask the same, right?

From: Kim Jonghyun

yes. it’s really late now, you can go to sleep.

good night, bummie

Kibum blushes at the nickname he got ever since he was little. He was used to being called like that from his Imo but coming from Jonghyun feels different, like he’s someone special.

To: Kim Jonghyun

Good night Jonghyun. :)

His hand hovers at the screen if should he send it or not. Is the smiley over the top? Should he erase it?

“Whatever.” He mumbles before hitting send, immediately locking his phone and burying his burning face at his own pillow.

***

It was a bright Monday morning and Kibum chuckled at the way Taemin was using him as a block from the penetrating rays of the sun. They’re on their way to homeroom class with few other students milling to their respective classes.

The older male tried to talk to Taemin the day after the open-ground concert. The younger just smiled at him, saying he was alright and he was just really tired from the different performances they provided. Kibum didn’t press more on the topic especially when Taemin went back to his usual self and gushing about how Jonghyun looked really cool when he sang that night.

Kibum noticed that even with his bright smile, Taemin’s eyes held a different emotion, a feeling Kibum cannot seem to place in order to know what the other is thinking about.

They arrived at their classroom eventually, Taemin releasing a sigh of relief at the cool breeze that greeted him inside, closing his eyes to feel it more.

“Seems like the coolness of my presence leaves you in a better mood.” A voice reaches out to the younger male and he opened his eyes to come in face to face with the annoying athlete with bug-eyed face; the same one who saw him crying in the dark last week.

“Wow. The audacity of those words never fails to amuse me.” Taemin glared, wrapping an arm around Kibum and dragging him to their seat. His older step-brother not knowing whether to laugh at Minho’s words or scolding him for setting his baby brother’s mood on another level of annoyance.

The bug-eyed alien just laughed.

There was a slight commotion on the door a few moments later as Jonghyun arrived with a mussed hair, glaring at something behind his back.

“What’s wrong?” Minho asked his best friend as Jonghyun sat by his side.

“Some female seniors are following me, giggling like idiots.” Jonghyun says in a flat tone, eyes immediately tracking the room to spot a certain blond.

Their homeroom teacher hasn’t arrived yet and Jonghyun pulled out his phone to type a quick text to Kibum.

To: Bummie

wanna grab lunch this friday?

He looks up to see the blond reaching for his phone, before a red hue adorn the other’s high cheekbones, typing back a reply.

From: Bummie

Is this about the preparation for Imo’s bday this sunday?

To: Bummie

among other things.

also, I just wanna take you out on a date.

The gradual reddening of Kibum’s ears was a welcome view for Jonghyun, placing his chin in the palm of his hand as he enjoys watching the other boy’s expression. A beep pulls him out of his thoughts and saw the blond’s reply.

From: Bummie

Okay.

Jonghyun was smiling to himself all morning, even Minho