"No." The owl-eyed freshman shook his head emphatically. "I'm not going. You can't make me."

His friend, though much taller and ganglier, was also a first year student at Seoul Normal University and he really, really wanted to make the most of it. "Oh, come on, Soo," he pleaded with a pout that was more terrifying than persuasive, "Think of how much fun you'll have!"

"No." Kyungsoo repeated firmly. "There's nothing fun about catching meningitis from swapping spit with half the senior class. Besides," he added logically, raising an eyebrow slightly at his more adventurous companion, "I'm just getting the hang of this college thing. It's a lot of change all at once, you know? I don't need any added complications."

Chanyeol huffed in annoyance, but he wasn't surprised—his best friend had been that way since they were kids. "Getting out of your room for some fresh air doesn't count as a complication." Kyungsoo's eyebrow went even further up on his face so Chanyeol hurried on. "And if there's a little kissing involved too, what's so bad about that?"

Kyungsoo grumbled a little more, but he'd always been a er for Chanyeol's begging—scary pout or no—so he soon found himself changed into black jeans and a cool button up. Blushing, he brushed off his friend's comments of "I didn't realize there was y under all that nerd" and "Why did I bother with anyone else in high school? I should have dated you!" but still took particular care with styling his hair and rolling up his sleeves just right. "Shut up," he muttered—more than once—to Chanyeol as they walked out of their shared dorm room and down the building stairs toward the quad.

"Well," Chanyeol said excitedly in his defense, "People need to know about how attractive our Kyung-ie can be! Who knows," he added, his voice lowering to a reverent stage whisper—which, in Chanyeol's case, was basically a yell—"you could meet the one."

Kyungsoo didn't have the heart to remind his best friend that he was the much less romantic of the two; instead, he let Chanyeol have his fun and only offered non-committal hums when necessary. "How about you meet the one." He suggested as an alternative, hoping that the idea would capture Chanyeol's attention enough to remove his focus from Kyungsoo's meager love life. It's not that Kyungsoo didn't want a significant other, he just hadn't really had a lot of opportunities to find one. Gender wasn't really a deterrent for him—more like he'd yet to find a lot of people that he was ually attracted to, regardless—and most high school students were put off by Kyungsoo's advanced level of ual clarity.

He didn't know this, but a lot of people at his school would have dated him if he'd given them the chance. Kyungsoo had a small face, round eyes, heart shaped lips, and sweet cheeks that just fostered all types of dirty thoughts. But he was as unintentionally aloof as he was attractive, so he walked away from high school with the idea that people thought he was nice but definitely not dating material. The only person on his radar at all was Chanyeol, but that was when Kyungsoo had first been figuring out his preferences and the crush had long since been overcome.

That Kyungsoo had gotten over his crush on his best friend ages ago didn't make Chanyeol's comments sting any less. Especially since he'd never realized that Chanyeol had actually liked him first and the two friends had just missed their moment. Unlike most, though, their friendship didn't fall apart like most did in similar situations, and actually improved because of it.

The increasingly loud pump of music pulled Kyungsoo from these thoughts and he smiled up at Chanyeol indulgently when the latter shot him an overly enthusiastic grin. "Let's do this!" Chanyeol trumpeted, and Kyungsoo merely shrugged, following his friend out onto the crowded grass and scanning the outskirts for the tables that were rumored to hold free alcohol—and mouthwash. Kyungsoo didn't plan on kissing anyone, but he knew that Chanyeol did and he was not about to let his roommate get any form of a contagious disease.

"I'm going over there," he shouted toward a bouncing Chanyeol, once he'd located the alcohol. His friend nodded and waggled his eyebrows when he realized that his straight-laced Kyungsoo wanted to get drunk.

"Go for it!" he mouthed in response, unable to speak over the blaring music. He gestured toward the center of the quad to where the congregation of people was thickest, and indicated that Kyungsoo would find him over there. "Bye!"

Kyungsoo resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Chanyeol's antics, but he was as used to Chanyeol as the other was to him, so he didn't. He had a bit of a rough time making his way to his destination—this whole event hinged on consent, but there were always a few who didn't think they needed it—but he eventually got to where he was going. Instantly grabbing some of the free dental hygiene products, Kyungsoo made sure to wash his mouth out thoroughly before getting something to drink.

"Not your scene, huh?" A voice said in front of him. Kyungsoo, who'd been looking down at his alcohol options, glanced up to realize that the makeshift bartender had actually been speaking to him.

"Me?" He asked, gawking a little—the man was attractive, and even Kyungsoo could admit that bartending was a pretty y job. The man laughed and nodded, prompting Kyungsoo to titter nervously. "Um, yeah. No." He agreed. "My friend dragged me here against my will."

The other student's gaze turned appraising. "You don't look like someone who doesn't want to be here," he commented passingly. Kyungsoo blushed at that and the man chuckled again. "I'm Suho," he introduced himself, looking a little embarrassed. "Actually," he admitted after a beat, "my name's Junmyeon, but my friend Jongdae thought I needed a cool name if I was going to be a bartender. He said I'd need it to pick up hot chicks."

Kyungsoo nearly choked when Junnyeon winked at him and added, "But I think I'd rather have you."