"Because I like you."

At the hearing of the words, Mingyu turned around and ran inside his house. He closed the door, sliding slowly on it. 'Stupid Wonwoo' he thought as he saw the boy kick a rock a few times before walking away with small steps. Mingyu realized what he did. How could he run away just like that, leaving without getting any explanations from Wonwoo. How was it even possible? Since when all of this happened? All this time, he thought Wonwoo was only joking. 

Mingyu swung the door open, glad Wonwoo wasn't too far. He yelled for the boy's name before running towards him. He had so many things to ask, yet now that he was in front of him, Mingyu lost his words. 

"Can you...explain it?" Mingyu asked, mentally facepalming when he heard how weird his question was. Did Wonwoo even understand it? 

"Explain what? Why I like you?" Wonwoo received a nod from Mingyu, signaling him to continue. "You are interesting, Mingyu. I didn't pay attention to you a lot before because you seemed too boring. But now, it looks like you have a charm to you. I want to know more about you, Mingyu. And I mean it. Don't think I am just saying random words, because I am not. But don't worry, this is not love. It's just, let's say, less than it." Wonwoo let out a sigh, waiting for the tall boy to process everything. 

"Do you want an answer from me?" Mingyu asked.

"Maybe." Wonwoo wasn't too sure of his answer. To be truthful, he was scared. There are many chances Mingyu will turn him down. And Wonwoo didn't want that to happen. 

"Give me one day. I will answer tomorrow." Wonwoo was ready to leave before he turned his head towards Mingyu one last time. 

It was Wonwoo's turn to ask Mingyu a question. "Do you want this to become love?" The question took Mingyu by surprise, not knowing what to answer. 

"I-," he didn't have the chance to finish, Wonwoo turned and walked away. He knew the answer could hurt him. A lot.

"Maybe," Mingyu whispered to himself. 

Mingyu went back inside the house. The lights were closed, signaling no one was home. Like the usual. Mingyu turned the lights on, giving the house a more welcoming look. He changed into his house clothes, throwing himself on the bed right after. 

Wonwoo's words were running inside his head. What was he supposed to say now? 'Yes I like you too?', 'No, I don't like you?'. Would Mingyu regret his decision? He didn't want to make the wrong choice. 

What if, in the end, he likes Wonwoo? What if deep down, he just doesn't want to accept his feelings? What if he will hate himself for saying no and throwing the boy away, when actually, the boy is all Mingyu needs? The fear of losing everything was tormenting Mingyu too much. He can destroy everything with only a few words. At the end of the story, he was the one deciding. He had the power and control over this. He could break Wonwoo apart with one word.

But he could also break himself. And that what he wanted to avoid. But could he? Would his choice be the right one? He wasn't the only one in this story. There was also Wonwoo. And even if Mingyu used to see Wonwoo as a person he didn't want to be seen with, he couldn't lie Wonwoo was someone nice to be around. Yes, be around sounded like a good thing. But Mingyu knew this 'be around' wouldn't happen if he breaks Wonwoo's heart. 

The boy left his room, making his way to the kitchen and got himself a glass of water. The house was silent, even more than the other times. The TV wasn't open on his favorite show, the music wasn't blasting in the background, and the lights were dim, giving it a gloomy atmosphere. In moments like this, Mingyu wished to have a younger or older sibling. He wanted to have someone next to him. His parents were gone most of the time, and Mingyu would find himself lonely. His mom would pass more by, just to check on her son. But his father was another story. He never, ever tried to make some time for Mingyu. The only thing the man was caring about was working. The only person Mingyu needed around him the most wasn't giving a about him. And that could only make Mingyu even sadder. 

Lost in his thoughts, Mingyu didn't hear his phone ring. He totally forgot about Wonwoo too. He climbed the stairs, going back to his room and answered his phone in time. 

"What is lover boy doing?" the voice on the other side said, making Mingyu sigh. 

"Jun, nothing happened. And how do you even know it?" he was sure Wonwoo told everyone, including his friends. Mingyu couldn't hide the fact that he was slightly irritated by that. Wonwoo makes things harder if he told everyone about it.

"Saw the two of you outside your house," Jun could feel Mingyu's change of mood. 

"Jun, are you...stalking me? That isn't nice of you."

"No, you idiot," Jun spat out, bringing Mingyu back to his normal state. "I was just passing by to see if you are okay. I know your parents weren't home today, so I didn't want to leave you alone. But I saw you with Wonwoo, so I decided to give you guys some time alone." The grease in Jun's voice couldn't be more obvious. It was still nice of him to think about Mingyu. Jun was a great friend. 

"Don't worry, nothing happened," Mingyu stopped for a moment, not knowing if he should tell Jun why Wonwoo was there. But Jun might help him find what to tell Wonwoo. "He was there just to walk me home, and tell me he likes me."

Mingyu waited for Jun's answer, scared of what the boy might say. "You lucky bastard," Jun let out, receiving a laugh from the younger. 

"And why am I lucky?" How was Mingyu lucky?

"Wonwoo likes you. You got chances with him. Do you know how many people would fight for that?" Mingyu was confused at his friend's words. After getting Mingyu's silence, Jun started telling what he learned earlier that day. "I had my little talk with Soonyoung today. The kid is awesome by the way. Spend more time with him, he might teach you how to get people to like you." 

"I am the one who got confessed to," Mingyu cut right through, making Jun scoff. 

"Moving on. So, from what Soonyoung told me, Wonwoo used to be the heartthrob in his previous school. And to that, add player. But he wasn't the kind of player to go out with everyone. He just loved to...play. Like, flirting. You know, you used to tell us how he made you blush every time, well he is like that. That is his real personality." Mingyu was a little confused on why was Jun telling him all of this. 

"Yeah, well, I kinda knew this before. Tell me something new."

"I wasn't even finished. Shut up and listen to me." Why was Mingyu so impatient? "Leaving out all of the details on how Wonwoo was a little by winking and sweet talking everyone, you should know that when it comes the time to like someone, Wonwoo is the best at it. That is the only time he is true to himself. And you, Kim Mingyu, won the lotto. You hit the big prize by getting Wonwoo to like you. But that also means you can hit rock bottom. I will not help you in finding the answer because we are not talking about me here. But I am telling you one thing. Be sure of yourself. I want you to wake up tomorrow morning and know what your choice is. Mingyu, you make one wrong move, and everything is over."

Jun ended the what seemed like a motivational speech, letting Mingyu get in everything. "Jun-ah," Mingyu let out after a few minutes of silence. "You didn't help at all. Now I am more afraid than before." Mingyu was more than confused. 

"Glad I could help." The joy in Jun's voice was too much. "Unlike others, I have a charged schedule." The statement made Mingyu laugh. 

"Yeah sure. Please tell me what happens in the movie you will see and just letting you know, there is no way you can beat my level," Mingyu could sense the storm that will come his way from Jun after saying the last words. Nobody can tell, but Jun is a sore loser. 

Mingyu ended the call, leaving Jun yelling all alone into his phone. The put his phone on the desk and sat back on the bed. His thoughts about Wonwoo were back, and now, he was even more confused. 

Mingyu closed his eyes and let his ideas fly around. He imagined a life without Wonwoo. It was normal. Way too normal. It looked sad, for the both of them. Nothing was happening, nothing was exciting and to Mingyu, there seemed like there was no hope to be happy. 

But, the idea of them, being together, made Mingyu's heart warm. He could felt at ease. But the idea wasn't anything great. It was just them, together. Them, watching movies and laughing at everything. Them, running around Mingyu's empty house. 

Empty. That how his days and life felt without Wonwoo. After spending time alone with the boy, Mingyu could feel Wonwoo was better than both of his parents, and they only knew each other for a few weeks. Maybe that's why Mingyu felt okay with Wonwoo next to him. Well, with the idea of Wonwoo next to him. Because the boy could take care of him. And, maybe, that's what Mingyu needed. Someone to take care of him. 

His fear was gone, leaving Mingyu with his beautiful thoughts. Now, he was sure of himself.

On the other hand, Wonwoo still wasn't. Did he do the right thing? What if Mingyu doesn't feel the same way? He has all the chances to get rejected by the tall boy. But Wonwoo still had a little hope. He wanted, with all his heart, to get Mingyu to like him. He knew he could do his little tricks and put Mingyu to his feet, but that was his past life. He didn't want to play dirty anymore to get what he wants. He wants to be fair. And if Mingyu rejects him, he will have to it up and live with it. It will just mean they aren't supposed to be together. 

He remembered when Soonyoung told him the fact that Jun knew how he was before. And he was sure Mingyu knew it too, Jun must have told him. And that increased the chances of  Mingyu rejecting him, or even hating him. No one would want to date someone like that. But, even this, he will accept it. Because Mingyu might think Wonwoo is playing him off. And Wonwoo doesn't blame him, he would think the same thing. Plus, he couldn't lie, he was his past self the previous weeks. His flirty personality was still here, and he had a hard time toning it down, especially around Mingyu. 

"You know, you should worry less. After all, there are others on this planet," Seungcheol told him before his friends left his house. 

He was right, Mingyu wasn't the only one on this planet. But he was the only one for Mingyu. The boy was special. And Wonwoo could see how miserable his life would be without Mingyu. He could say he had fallen hard for the tall boy. And he couldn't blame himself, Mingyu was just too perfect. 

Wonwoo from one month ago would laugh at those words. Mingyu? Perfect? He must be crazy. But, Wonwoo from today, can't get Mingyu out od his mind. 

Would he be okay without Mingyu? Would he be able to come to school every day and see the boy's happy face? Would he be okay accepting the fact that he isn't the reason Mingyu smiles? He could see his world breaking apart, but he wouldn't let it show. 

He was getting ready to walk away when Mingyu would reject him. He just wasn't prepared to close himself off. He knew it would be hard to hear Mingyu say those words, but he had to be strong. He will, after many years, put his blank face up. 

Wonwoo could feel his head hurt from all the thinking. And he was sure he had more to do. But just not now. He just wanted to let his body hit his bed, and making him fall asleep right after. He didn't even want to dream because he knew someone will haunt his dreams all night. 

And so he did. Wonwoo went to sleep, all his worries gone, leaving behind a much-needed peace. 

 The day after wasn't how Wonwoo expected it. He thought Mingyu would tell his answer in the morning and leave Wonwoo alone for the rest of the day. But, the boy wasn't on the same page as him. Yes, the boy ignored him all day, but he never gave an answer. And that made Wonwoo more anxious. Maybe this silence he was giving him was the answer. Mingyu probably already gave the answer. And all that Wonwoo understood was to leave him alone. So he did. For the entire day, the two boys acted like strangers. 

When Mingyu woke up that day, he already knew the answer. But he wanted to be very sure about it. He wanted to see how he will feel when he will be away from Wonwoo for the entire day. He wanted to see how his heart will react when he would finally decide to speak with the boy after not even looking at him the whole day. And until now, everything was going according to his plan. 

Deep down, Wonwoo still had a thought that Mingyu might accept. His heart was going crazy every time Mingyu would walk close to him. He thought that maybe the boy will finally say it. But every time, he would just walk past him, leaving Wonwoo with false hopes. 

That's what he thought until the end of the day. The students were slowly making their way out of the classroom and going home. Wonwoo was putting his books in his backpack, hopes of being with Mingyu already gone. 

He felt a little pat on the shoulder, making him turn around and face a tall figure. Mingyu looked at Wonwoo, his face a little bit tense. Was that sadness in Wonwoo's eyes? He pushed his hair back, getting ready to let everything out. 

"Can I talk to you?" Mingyu asked. Wonwoo gulped down all the fear he accumulated today and followed the boy outside the classroom. Wonwoo was now happy that Mingyu decided to do it at the end of the day. He could just walk away right after. He didn't need to stay around Mingyu anymore, for that day at least. The nervousness took over him, making his heart beat faster. He has never been like this, and it looks like Kim Mingyu is the first to make him feel it. Wonwoo was ready for the rejection. 

"I am sorry." The words that left Mingyu's mouth made Wonwoo lower his head. 

Mingyu smiled to himself, knowing what the boy might think now. He took Wonwoo's chin between his thumb and index finger, making their gazes meet again. "I am sorry," he said again, "but you will have to stick with me from now on."