Using the knife when there's a perfectly good fork in his left hand.

Same, Won Woo, same 😂

 

“Do you get it now?” Daniel asked and looked up to see Won Woo more focused on eating his breakfast than the help with his study guide. “Yah~!”

“Sorry!” Won Woo apologized, his mouth was full. “What was the question?” His friend just looked at him before looking to Jihoon who gave a sorry laugh before dropping his head in defeat. There was no way you can study a whole week of notes in twenty minutes, it’s been proven now.

 

“Is the food good?” Daniel decided he might as well think about what he’d eat before class too. Aron had left the table to answer a call and headed towards the cafe counter. Daniel wondered how much more food the guy was going to order at this rate!

 

“It’s delicious.” Won Woo replied after properly chewing his food and swallowing. He drank some of his water before sighing and dropping his head in defeat as well. “I’m screwed, aren’t I?”

 

“Hey, it’s okay. I might tank the midterm too, and I wasn’t absent and studied all weekend.” Daniel tried to say positively but got a disappointed look from Jihoon, which prompted him to give a sheepish laugh. “There’s always extra credit, right?”

 

“Right.” Won Woo was just going to accept it. Even if he didn’t want to make excuses… which seemed pretty valid at the moment, he should have tried harder.

 

“I hope everything’s okay with you. You don’t have to tell me anything like I said before… I’m just worried about you.” Daniel gave him a gentle pat on his shoulder.

 

“Things will be okay, don’t worry.” Won Woo assured him with a small smile. “Just a lot of family drama going on, that’s all. It’ll be situated soon.”

 

“That’s good.”

 

“You remember Ren, the guy’s house we went to on the weekend?” Won Woo asked a moment later. Daniel nodded. “Well, turns out he’s my half brother.”

 

“Really? How?” He didn’t expect that. “He’s the son of a popular fashion designer, right?” Because he’s heard Hyungwon talk about him before not too long ago.

 

“That’s where all the drama is…” Won Woo frowned.

 

“I see.” His friend got the hint loud and clear, he didn’t want to talk about it. “Well, should I congratulate you or what?”

 

“I guess. Even though I had Soo Min around growing up, I really was an only child up until now. I’ve always thought about having another sibling but after my parents moved I assumed there was no chance.”

 

“Well, you got your wish now?” Daniel said in a cheery tone, hoping it would help bring Won Woo’s depressing mood up.

 

“I did. I’m happy.” Won Woo said with a small smile. “Even if things are rough now, I’m happy it turned out this way.”

 

“That’s good. Hope things get better with the family.”

 

“Me too.”

 

“And as cliché as is sounds, don’t worry if things don’t work out because you have a family of friends who will be there for you and love you just the same.” Daniel pointed out with a warm smile. Won Woo really appreciated those words.

 

“Thanks.”

 

“No problem.” He gave a small chuckle and gave a few pats to Won Woo’s shoulder. “Now… back to studying.” He snapped his fingers and pointed at the study guide. Won Woo groaned and Jihoon laughed, though he felt sorry for his friend at the same time.

 

“You got this.” He at least gave encouraging words to him. Won Woo gave a cute smile before it vanished when he looked at the piece of paper in front of him. Jihoon swore he could see Jeon Won Woo’s soul leaving his body…

 

…

 

When both Minhyun and Seungcheol pulled into the campus lot, they somehow managed to park next to each other. They didn’t notice until everyone started to get out of the car. Seungcheol was the first to call over a greeting while Ren and the SoonSeok couple got out. Since Junhui opened the back door to get out, Mingyu and Soo Min couldn’t get out just yet and had to wait, but not for too long and she proceeded to open the door and give it a push open. She lost her balance in the process and fell forward and almost kissed the asphalt but she didn’t thanks to Mingyu who reacted quickly and grabbed onto her waist before she could actually fall out of his lap, Seungkwan managed to catch her knee. lol. Junhui was the first to witness it and gasped. He rushed over to help her up.

 

“It’s too early to be this reckless!” The older scolded and easily lifted her up into a standing position by her underarms.

 

“Who are you talking to?” Jeonghan asked behind the backdoor and got his answer when he saw Junhui lift his girlfriend up to stand. “What happened?!”

 

“I’m okay.” She gave a sheepish laugh and stepped back so Mingyu and Seungkwan could get out of the backseat. Minhyun’s car probably looked like a clown car at this point, so many people coming out of the backseat that typically seats only three people. When backing up, she bumped into someone and turned to apologize. It was Jisoo.

 

“It’s okay.” He assured her but failed to give her any kind of smile, he seemed in a bad mood and she started to worry because her boyfriend also seemed to be in a bad mood as well. There was so much going on at once and she didn’t have the chance to ask since Jisoo already started heading off without everyone on his own.

 

“Noona, are you really okay?” Seungkwan asked, worry clear in his expression.

 

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” She assured him and lifted her left arm to wave dismissively. Then she felt it, her elbow hurt. “Well, I guess I did hit my elbow on the bottom of the car, but I’ll be fine!”

 

“Let’s see it.” Jeonghan spoke up and gestured for her to check on it.

 

“Uh…” she was curious so she tried to roll up her coat sleeve but… it was no use because of her layers. She was pinched on her cheek by her boyfriend and she knew why and pouted. “It was really cold this morning!” She defended.

 

“As long as you can move your arm, you should be fine.” Mingyu said and demonstrated for her to move her arm up and down so it bends at the elbow, he did it with his right arm and suddenly winced when he felt the pain in his wrist again.

 

“Is everyone just getting injured these days?!” Junhui blurted out and stepped over to examine it.

 

“Well, she’s been prone to injuries growing up.” Seungcheol pointed out.

 

“Mingyu, too!” Soonyoung chimed in. “Gosh, these kids just want to make me worry!” He added while pinching the bridge of his nose dramatically.

 

“I hate to interrupt, but should we head inside already?” Minhyun asked and gained their attention. “Your breakfast is probably getting cold.”

 

“Food!” Both Soonyoung and Seungkwan were already rushing to the building entrance without them all.

 

They really should head inside since they don’t have a lot of time to spare this morning, so they all started to head over to the main entrance. Mingyu walked with Seokmin and the MinRen couple while Soo Min walked with Jeonghan and Seungcheol. “Hey…” she didn’t plan to ask about Jisoo but betrayed her. “Did something happen with Jisoo?”

 

“Huh?” Jeonghan asked and looked like she interrupted his thoughts. “What?”

 

“Did something happen with Jisoo?” She repeated.

 

“Oh… uh…” he glanced towards Seungcheol who shrugged, implying he didn’t know if he should tell Soo Min what happened last night, telling her what Jisoo confided in him with. Maybe it’s not his business to tell… He shouldn’t have told Seungcheol but he did since he always tells his best friend everything. He can trust him with secrets.

 

“Did you guys fight?” She frowned, she didn’t like that reaction.

 

“No.” He quickly clarified. “It’s… possibly not my place to tell.” Since it was still a shock to him that Jisoo actually had feelings for someone, he must’ve been hiding it for a reason, so it was probably best he doesn’t go around telling everyone, including his girlfriend. He was still bothered at the thought that Jisoo might have been talking about Soo Min as the person he doesn’t have a chance with. As far as he knows, it’s just his theory and might not be true at all.

 

“Oh… okay, sorry for asking.” She understood but was a little hurt at the same time. She really wanted to know what was wrong with their friend, saying it wasn’t his place to tell reminded her of her cousin who said that to her when she asked for the truth about her father’s affair. Her mood started to drop, she was tired of being lied to. It’s not really a lie, though. It was merely Jeonghan respecting Jisoo’s personal business. I already have other things to stress over. She reminded herself. Her dinner with her parents later, the trip to L.A, finding time to test if she might be pregnant. She glanced at Jeonghan when she thought about the pregnancy test.

 

“What is it?” He asked. He noticed her get startled and she quickly played it off like it didn’t happen. She unknowingly crossed her arms around her stomach, too. That only made him think about his talk with Jisoo last night, about how he worried if she was pregnant. Seungcheol noticed the couple start to get quiet and tense. He wasn’t sure why though but he didn’t get to investigate since they were already entering the building and would be reunited with everyone else in a moment. Her mood changed drastically when she spotted Won Woo and Jihoon at the table and she did a small sprint over to greet them.

 

“Heeeey, I’m here, I’m here! I’m ready to cheer you on!” They heard Soo Min’s voice and they looked over to see her rushing up to their table with Jeonghan and Seungcheol following behind shortly after. “May luck be on your side!”

 

“Where were you?!” Won Woo blurted out and stood up, causing his chair to scoot back and hit someone behind him, it was Daniel who got up to refill his drink. He doubled over at the sudden impact. “Damn, I’m sorry!” Won Woo turned quickly to help his friend stand straight. Jisoo wasn’t in sight and they were informed that he headed to class early. Jeonghan felt bad but understood maybe their friend just wanted to be alone right now.

 

Mingyu and his friends were seated at another table eating the breakfast Ren had Aron order during the drive earlier, everyone had greeted each other already and got the memo that they were all on a time crunch! “It looks like everyone is all here?!” They suddenly heard Aron say among the small crowd of people, he was standing between the two tables. “Who’s ready for midterms?!” He added and everyone groaned in response, none of them were ready.

 

“If only we had more time!” Soo Min pouted, even though she can’t changed the past and shouldn’t want to change it, if they could just get another chance of studying for midterms, she’d take it for sure, for her friends sake.

 

“Speaking of time!” Seungcheol blurted out. “Gotta go!” He said before hurrying off to his class. Jeonghan groaned and didn’t say anything and turned to head to his own class. Since they weren’t among Ren’s crowd, there was no breakfast ready for them. Even so, they were out of time anyway.

 

“Wait for me, hyung!” Mingyu called after him with his mouth full and jumped up to follow after. He waved to the others and gave a cute smile to Won Woo before running after Jeonghan. Junhui took his leave as well, and headed in the same direction.

 

“We should get going too.” Daniel spoke up and Won Woo sighed.

 

“Alright.” He got up along with Jihoon who would be heading off a different way for his class. “Later.” He waved to Ren and Soo Min, Mingyu’s friends too.

 

“Bye, good luck~!” They cheered after everyone who left the table, including Mingyu’s friends. It seemed like everyone left just as quick as they arrived, hopefully none of them get sick for eating so fast. Now it was just Soo Min and Ren since his friends also had to leave for their morning classes. “ to be them.” She joked after taking a seat at the table.

 

“Right?” Ren agreed with a small laugh as he passed over the food Aron handed off before leaving, their breakfast.

 

“Hopefully they do okay. I know the weekend was pretty busy.”

 

“It was. I feel guilty, but I can’t always just blame myself now can I?”

 

“You shouldn’t.” She disagreed. “We said we’d think more positively from now on, right?” She added before digging into her food. Now she had more of an appetite.

 

“I’ll try.” He sighed and poked around his food. But he didn’t have his appetite.

 

“You should take care of yourself, eat, even if you’re not hungry.” She reminded him. “You can’t get sick again.”

 

“Sorry.” He gave a weak smile. Then he noticed a familiar face approaching their table, along with two other guys.

 

“Soo Min~!” Min Ji greeted and attacked her friend with a back hug, startling her the second time this morning, first Minhyun and now Min Ji? Next will probably be Jeonghan after school. “You’re here early!”

 

“I came to wish everyone luck on their morning classes!” Soo Min explained.

 

“That means Won Woo was here?!” Suddenly her expression soured when she was faced with Buffy.

 

“What is he doing here?” She asked Min Ji and then noticed Kyong Tak was present too. She greeted him kindly but ignored Buffy who pouted. “Have you made friends with the enemy?”

 

“Be nice!” Min Ji laughed before noticing Ren. “Oh, Hi there! You’re that model that came looking for her in class a while ago, right? Her brother?”

 

“You have a brother?!” Buffy gasped and invited himself to sit at their table. He stared at the two siblings who were sitting side by side and his mouth dropped. “You look like twins!”

 

“Who is this?” Ren asked, already bothered but this guy’s presence. Soo Min chuckled, she understood how he felt.

 

“I’m Won Woo’s future husband~!” Buffy beamed in his delusional way like always. Kyong Tak sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose while apologizing.

 

“Doesn’t he already have a boyfriend?” Ren was confused and looked to Soo Min for an answer.

 

“Buffy is insane, ignore him.”

 

“That’s no way to speak of your brother-in-law!” Buffy feigned being hurt.

 

“He’s not serious, even though it seems like it.” Kyong Tak assured Ren who looked protective suddenly.

 

“What are you saying, my feelings are real!”

 

“Buffy, it’s too early for this. Why aren’t you in class?” Soo Min interrupted.

 

“Class was cancelled, our instructor didn’t show up so we went to your computer lab to see how your projects were doing. Min Ji was there so you know, they got to talking.” He explained and gave a nonchalant expression while pointing with his eyes to Kyong Tak and Min Ji. He was chewing gum and started to blow a bubble but he was smacked by Kyong Tak who didn’t think it was funny.

 

 

Both girls and Ren held back their laughter while Buffy looked at his friend, he looked betrayed. “That’s interesting.” Soo Min spoke up and eyed her friend who suddenly looked nervous. “But I thought you had eyes on Dani-” Min Ji copied Kyong Tak and smacked her friend on the mouth! Soo Min whimpered and tried to hide behind her brother who still tried to hold his laughter back.

 

“Min Ji?” They suddenly heard a voice ask and they turned to see Daniel standing there. Soo Min went wide eyed and immediately looked to Kyong Tak who seemed to already be one step ahead of her. He started to drag Buffy away as fast as he could before Won Woo came into the picture. Close call! Crisis averted! “Uhm?” Daniel asked and Soo Min hushed him before smiling at Won Woo who approached them.

 

“Class over already?” She asked.

 

“No, it was cancelled.” He explained with a frown.

 

“Ah, isn’t that good?”

 

“Yeah, but I stressed about it for nothing now, I didn’t even get to finish my food earlier.” He added and looked to the table, he saw his siblings were still eating their breakfast. Ren beckoned him to sit beside him and offered to share his food. Won Woo was sitting next to him in two seconds flat. Daniel thought it was cute and so did Min Ji by the way she giggled, That caught his attention and he faced her.

 

“Well, since you’re here, why don’t you join us?” She asked, her invite was towards Daniel and Min Ji. “You can have the rest of my food.” She didn’t eat much since they were interrupted earlier.

 

“You need to eat.” Ren scolded. She turned to see he had given his food to Won Woo. She frowned at him and pointed. “We’ll order more food!”

 

“That’s okay, I was gonna go off campus to eat. I came extra early, need some fresh air.” Min Ji assured her friend.

 

“Then why don’t you go with her, Daniel?” Soo Min grinned.

 

“Oh uh… I mean… if you don’t mind?” He stuttered and Min Ji blushed.

 

“Sure. I don’t mind.” She nodded and managed a small smile.

 

“Great! I’ll see you in class later~!” Soo Min waved and the two did the same before heading off for the front exit.

 

“Cupid Soo strikes again.” Won Woo chuckled when Soo Min tried to contain her small squeal while watching their friends leave the campus together.

 

“Now, finish your food so you have energy to shoot more arrows later.” Ren said in a warning tone.

 

“Go order more food first.” She gestured to the cafe counter.

 

“I’m full.” Ren simply said in response.

 

“Me too.” She did the same and saw his expression sour.

 

“Yah, you barely ate anything!”

 

“You too!” She pointed out.

 

“Sorry.” Won Woo apologized, since he ate the rest of Ren’s food, even though he was offered it.

 

“It’s fine.” Ren assured him before sighing and faced Soo Min once more with a warning tone. “You have class soon, so please finish your food.”

 

“I don’t… want to.” She frowned and held her stomach.

 

“What’s wrong, are you feeling sick?” Won Woo worried.

 

“Not really, I just don’t have much of an appetite this morning.” She explained, it was true, but she wasn’t sure if it was because of all the stress or... “I guess you don’t either.” Her words were for Ren. “I ate a bit, but I don’t want to force myself.”

 

“Ren?” Won Woo asked and already his brother could tell what he was thinking. Was he still on a diet?

 

“I met her mother this morning.” Ren decided he should tell Won Woo about it, so he can understand. “It went okay, but it still stressed me out.”

 

“I understand.” Won Woo gave him a gentle pat on the arm. He too had lost his appetite a few times over the weekend because of the stress. “It’ll be okay.”

 

“You not eating is adding more stress.” Ren turned to Soo Min.

 

“Ditto.” She gave him a bothered look, he means well but he was being too persistent for her liking.

 

“She doesn't really eat breakfast in the first place.” Won Woo pointed out. “But I don't think you ate dinner last night, did you?”

 

“I fell asleep early.” She nodded. “I woke up and talked with Jihoon for a few minutes before going back to sleep again. I was too busy resting to eat last night.”

 

“Just make sure to eat later after classes.” Won Woo said and Soo Min listened. Ren seemed bothered by that, possibly because he felt like he didn’t have any real “authority” over his younger sister like he should. He also felt slightly jealous that she listened to Won Woo so well, but he knew it was because they’ve spent practically their whole lives together… he’s only been in her life for over a week now, of course she wouldn’t listen to him all the time. But still… it just bothered him. He was being the older brother and telling her to eat, but she only talked back to him.

 

Won Woo noticed Ren’s expression and worried about what his brother could be thinking. He supposed he was just worried about Soo Min, he was too. Something seemed off with her today but it could be from so much happening so quickly in a short amount of time. Maybe the visit with her mother earlier was still on her mind and stressing her out. Ren admitted he’s stressed about the encounter from the morning so it must be the same for Soo Min. Won Woo wished he could have been there to help, though instantly he knew he wouldn’t have been much help since he was hurt by Soo Min’s mother’s reaction to him yesterday at Jihoon’s parents place. He held in the sigh that wanted to escape and the table started to get quiet after that and he thought of what he could say or do to stop it from getting tense or awkward. “Hey, you two want to go get ice cream after classes are over later? You can bring your boyfriends, too?”

 

“Oh… that sounds fun.” Soo Min managed a small smile. “Like a triple date?”

 

“Something like that.” Won Woo chuckled. “Are you up for it?” He looked to Ren.

 

“Sure.” His mood was getting better. He supposed spending time with his siblings and their boyfriends could help before the dinner later. “What about Jihoon?”

 

“Oh, he can come right?” Soo Min looked to Won Woo.

 

“Of course! Just… he might be the odd one out since he doesn’t have a girlfriend or anything.”

 

“That’s okay, it’s not like we were going to be all lovey dovey in front of each other, right?” Soo Min gave a quiet laugh before frowning, Jeonghan would definitely do something, she knows it. Ren knew Minhyun would do the same too…. Won Woo knows Mingyu is understanding and careful, but might take after his siblings boyfriends in time. “It’ll be fine! I’ll ask him when I’m out of class later!”

 

“Then we should meet at the park, around 4pm or so? We can head to the dinner afterwards...” Won Woo suggested and the other two were in agreement. “Good. It’s a plan.” He smiled, he hoped things would go smoothly from this moment on until the dinner later, just for once… let them have a break.

 

“So you won’t eat the breakfast I had Aron buy you but you’ll eat the Choco Pies you stole from my kitchen?” He heard Ren scold and he looked to see Ren reaching over to confiscate the snacks from his sister. She only laughed and avoided him. Won Woo shook his head and chuckled before getting up to help his brother with the Choco Pie delinquent.

 

...

 

Time was moving slow for Ren who had no classes to worry about or to attend for the day. Soo Min left for her noon class shortly after their little Choco Pie fight, and some of the others returned for a short bit before they had to go to their next class. Eventually, Won Woo had to leave for another afternoon class and told Ren he’d meet him again at the park for the ice cream. Once he was gone Ren started to get bored real quick. He thought about going to the park early, but after seeing that person earlier with a camera, he figured he should stay put until everyone else is out of class he didn't want to get caught if he was walking around alone. It was a long waiting period but Jihoon was the first to return to the table after short while. “Still here?”

 

“Yeah.” Ren said with a small chuckle. “How’d midterms go?”

 

“Not sure, I think I did fine.” Jihoon shrugged after taking a seat next to him.

 

“That’s good.” Ren hoped everyone was able to do well despite what happened over the weekend. He’d feel bad if they didn’t, but there wasn’t much he could really do, he really shouldn’t blame himself all the time. “Won Woo invited us to ice cream after classes at 4pm, wanna go?”

 

“Ice cream?” Jihoon snickered. “What are we, 5?”

 

“Yes.” Ren laughed along. “He said we can go to the dinner afterwards.”

 

“Fine, sounds good.” Jihoon agreed.

 

“He invited our boyfriends… will that be a problem for you?”

 

“I don’t see why it would be?”

 

“Just didn’t know if you would feel left out of not? You don’t really have a girlfriend to bring… so…”

 

“Right.” That made Jihoon think about it. “I don’t need a girlfriend.” He muttered while playing with the pen in his hand he was holding from the midterm.

 

“A boyfriend, then?” Ren teased but got a glare from his friend. “Sorry.”

 

Jihoon was quiet for a moment before he sighed deeply. “If I can be honest, I don’t even know what I want…”

 

“Oh? Are you talking about… for a relationship?” Ren was a bit confused and wanted to be clear on what they were talking about. “You don’t see yourself getting into a relationship?” His mom was like that, so he could possibly understand if Jihoon turned out to be aromantic.

 

“Well, I don’t picture myself with someone that often… but it’s not like I don’t ever want to be in a relationship. I just don’t know if I’m really cut out for it after what happened between Soo Min and I. I don’t seem to have my priorities straight sometimes… maybe I’d be too irresponsible to keep my relationship afloat. If I can’t even be there for my friends, what makes me think I can be there for my relationship?”

 

“Maybe you hook up with someone who understands all the things you’re going through?” Ren pointed out. “Like Minhyun, he understands how crazy my life can be… he understands there are days when I just can’t be with him because I’m too stressed about other things. It’s only as long as you do make the efforts when you can to be with that person… you’ll be okay.”

 

“You make it sound so easy.” Jihoon leaned back in his seat with a frown. “You already have it figured out...about who you like, I don’t.”

 

“It’s okay, we’ve all been there.”

 

“Then how do I figure it out?”

 

“What do you want to figure out?”

 

“... I don’t know.” Jihoon sighed once again and leaned forward with his head low. “Nevermind.” Ren felt bad for him, he could tell he was struggling with talking about this and he soon was getting the hint, Jihoon must be confused about his feelings like Ren was once before back in high school. Not knowing who you truly like was stressful, he knows it. But he wasn’t sure how to help his friend if he wasn’t willing to discuss it further.

 

“Jihoon, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it.” Ren managed to say a moment later. “I support you no matter what.”

 

Jihoon looked over at him a bit confused until it made sense about what he was alluding to. It made him feel a little irritated at first, possibly because Ren was just assuming wasn’t he? But then he realized he was possibly in denial about how he feels… so he was getting angry for no good reason. How does someone even talk about this kind of thing? He felt horrible. But I can trust Ren… I know I can.

 

“Let’s head to the park early?” Ren suggested after a moment of silence.

 

“Sure.” Jihoon felt like maybe he could talk to him more privately this way instead of out in the open with the chance of others returning to the table. He thought they would be going in Ren’s car, but apparently he didn’t bring his car this morning.

 

“Ah, well, after I dropped you and Won Woo off, I went looking for Soo Min. I called my mom to keep a look out for her, but turned out that Soo Min went to visit her mom. She somehow got a flat tire so I went straight over to give her a lift. Then I met her mom… it went okay and then we left. On the way to their apartment, I noticed paparazzi and had to go straight to my house because I didn’t want them following me to Soo Min’s place. We came to campus in Minhyun’s car today.”

 

“I see. That’s a lot going on before school.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Walking is healthier.” Jihoon pointed out. Ren snickered and they continued to walk. By the time they made it a block from the campus, Jihoon decided he should try to talk to Ren about his feelings. He wasn’t really that nervous or scared to talk about it, more just really confused. “Hey, Ren…”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“About earlier… at the table.” He quiet said and kept his eyes locked onto the sidewalk in front of him. “About relationships…”

 

“Yes?”

 

“I’m not really sure how to talk about it?”

 

“It’s fine. Don’t stress about it too much.” Ren assured him. “If you really don’t know what to say, don’t force yourself to say anything.”

 

“But…” Jihoon trailed off. “This morning on the car ride… when you mentioned morning boyfriend texts…”

 

“Is there someone you already like?” Ren gave a warm smile to him and Jihoon didn't feel as embarrassed as he did before, maybe because it was easy to talk to Ren, his best friend.

 

“Yes, I think so.” He nodded and recalled how he felt seeing Seungcheol’s text. “It's strange, I wasn't sure if I'm just confusing my feelings for something common, like being happy, but I've noticed I feel differently when I'm around this person compared to others…”

 

“Sounds like you might really like this person?” Ren thought it was cute how Jihoon started to explain, almost like he was a little frustrated, his face scrunching up when he thought about it, the confused tone in his voice when he spoke. “And you don't think they feel the same?”

 

“Yeah, which makes it even more difficult.”

 

“It's okay.” Ren gave him a few pats to his back with a light chuckle. “It's up to you whether or not you choose to be more open to this person, what I mean by that is, get a little CLOSER to them and observe if they're interested or not?”

 

“How the hell do I know if they're interested?” Jihoon pouted at them.

 

“Good question, everyone is different.” Ren gave a sheepish laugh. “I don't know who this person is, if I did, maybe I could think of a few scenarios.” He gave a small shrug. “Oh well.”

 

Jihoon suddenly stopped walking while Ren continued on without him. He was really debating if he should confide in his friend about who he likes or not. Maybe Ren could really help him figure it out then? He'd probably tease me about it! He was very conflicted now. “Jihoon?” He snapped out of it when Ren called out to him several feet ahead. “Something wrong?”

 

“No.” He quickly caught up to him. “I was just thinking…”

 

“About who you like?” The older grinned. He's already doing it! Jihoon should have known better.

 

“If I tell you who it is, promise you won't tease me in front of them?”

 

“If won't say a word! Even though it's fun to tease, I won't do it with your feelings, okay?” Ren looked sincere and Jihoon felt like he definitely made the right choice in talking with him.

 

“Well, there person I like is…” Jihoon started but trailed off because he was getting nervous. “It's Seungcheol.”

 

“I knew it.” Ren beamed.

 

“What? How?” Jihoon was confused again.

 

“I've seen the way you look at him, it's quite obvious, honestly.” Ren explained and poor Jihoon covered his mouth in shock before covering his face to hide his blush.

 

“It's obvious?!”

 

“Well, to me at least!” Ren assured him. “Even if it's been years, you haven't changed that much when it comes to looking at others. You tend to look at Soo Min and Won Woo with kind and caring eyes, even when you're glaring!” He laughed. “And when you look at others, it's more plain and normal… but when you look at Seungcheol I see the admiration and fondness, maybe even a twinkle in your eyes.”

 

“My eyes don't twinkle!” Jihoon blurted out and turned away, he felt embarrassed.

 

“Neither do mine.” Ren played along. “You do seem happier and more relaxed around him… sometimes you look nervous, too.”

 

“I don't understand how you see all of this?” It was a surprise to him to say the least, how could someone know how a person felt on the inside by simply looking on the outside. Sure, Jihoon could tell if someone is sad, mad or happy just like the rest of the world, but to see things like a twinkle in your eye… Ren isn't human. He concluded. He’s from planet Venus, of course.

 

“Some people just don't notice these things as much as others, unfortunately. Growing up alone I observed others quite a lot and it's stuck with me ever since.”

 

“I see…” it made sense to him now. While he would be locked away in his studio, he failed to have that human interaction with others, he failed to observe others around him until it was too late. “I understand now.”

 

“Good!” Ren was happy to hear it. “Sometimes we can't always be right about others feelings by simply observing, some people can be really good actors, so be careful.”

 

“Right.” Jihoon nodded. “Seungcheol’s expressed he'd like to be an actor someday…”

 

“Wow, making you work 10x harder to figure him out, how rude!” Ren pouted and earned a laugh from Jihoon. “Don't worry, I'm sure you'll be able to figure it out in time. Just go at your own pace on figuring things out, alright?”

 

“Alright.” Jihoon nodded. “I'll start SEVENTEEN years from now.”

 

“... whatever works for you!” Ren gave a sheepish smile.

 

“I'm kidding.” Jihoon chuckled. “Three years from now.”

 

“Finish your studies first, that's a good plan!” Ren gave two thumbs up. “Smart!”

 

…

 

It was a long hour and a half for Won Woo but he managed to survive midterms and he was dismissed from class after finishing his early. He double checked all his answers before handing it in and was a little confident that he did okay, maybe not well or great but at least okay. Stepping out of the classroom felt like he was stepping out into freedom. Not entirely since there were three more days of midterms to go, but he was pretty much done for the day at least. I’ll be sure to study a lot before bed tonight! He thought to himself before he turned around the corner and bumped into an unfamiliar face.

“Sorry!” Won Woo apologized and picked up the notebooks the other person dropped and handed them back.

 

“It’s okay, thanks.” The person replied kindly before they locked eyes with each other. “Won Woo?!” The guy blurted out, startling him. “I finally get to see you in the flesh!”

 

“I’m sorry, but who are you?” Won Woo was very confused at the moment.

 

“I’m a friend of Soo Min’s! From Spring semester, we never got to properly meet, that’s why.”

 

“I see, then it’s nice to meet you, uh…”

 

“Buffy!” The blonde beamed. “Did you just get out of class?”

 

“Yeah, just now.” Won Woo nodded with a small smile. “So glad it’s over for the day.”

 

“Tell me about it! I just got done with my second class of the day as well. Too bad there’s more to come but once it’s all over we can finally relax!”

 

“That’s true. At least there’s something to look forward to at the end of the week.” Won Woo managed to say and forced another smile, but thinking about the dinner and L.A had him thinking maybe his fall break won’t be as fun as the other students breaks. But he really didn’t want to avoid or put off things any further.

 

“Are you heading home for the day?” Buffy asked curiously and followed Won Woo who was heading for the main exit. He planned on waiting for Mingyu to get out of class.

 

“Not yet.” Won Woo explained and didn’t mind Buffy walking with him, at least it wouldn’t be too lonely. “I have plans with someone after classes.”

 

“Ah I see,” poor Buffy looked disappointed but he more or less expected it. “Then please have fun! You’re looking a bit down right now.”

 

“Sorry. I’m okay, don’t worry.”

 

“I’ll trust you on that.” Buffy gave a warm smile. “Hope to see you around more often!”

 

“Sure, see you.” Won Woo managed a less fake smile this time and waved when Buffy took his leave. He was still a bit confused by the encounter. That was one of Soo Min’s friends? How come I never knew about him? He was a bit bothered by that. It felt like she was keeping secrets from him and he didn’t like that. It’s just a friend from class, that’s all. I can’t possibly know about all her college friends. He reminded himself. That would be overwhelming if he had to meet every single classmate she has. But after everything that’s been going on… he really didn’t like the idea of others keeping secrets from him and he supposed that was him being selfish now. I don’t need to know everything… but at the same time it would be nice if they didn’t keep me out of the loop. He recalled Daniel asking about what was going on, and how he didn’t really say much about it. I at least said something about it.

 

“Won Woo?” Mingyu’s voice snapped him out of his negative thoughts. He realized he had passed Mingyu’s class room and was almost at the end of the hallway when Mingyu stepped out of class.

 

“Oh, hey.” Won Woo gave an embarrassed chuckle and started making his way back over. “Done with class?”

 

“Yes! Finally! Thought it would never end!” Mingyu complained while shoving his class binder in his bag. “Obviously you’re done with class too, right? Shall we go eat now?”

 

“About that, do you mind if I don’t eat?” Won Woo asked after they started walking towards the exit. “I still have that dinner to go to later and I’d hate it if I was too full to finish my food at the table.”

 

“Ah, yeah, that would be awful.” Mingyu understood that Won Woo didn’t want to be rude to Soo Min’s parents later if he didn’t eat. “That’s okay~! I won’t eat either so I can eat with my friends later.”

 

“But if you’re hungry, at least eat a snack.” Won Woo scolded.

 

“You too!” Mingyu laughed.

 

“How about ice cream then?” Won Woo suggested. “I asked Ren and the others about getting ice cream after classes… how about it?”

 

“That sounds like fun, sure!”

 

“Good.” Won Woo was getting excited about it, it’d be the first time that they’re all together like that, of course he’d look forward to it. Though he hadn’t heard if Jihoon would be tagging along in the end or not. He’d find out later when they meet up. “I set the time for 4pm so it’s still a bit early to meet up. Let’s do something else for now?”

 

“Like?”

 

“The arcade?”

 

“Wah, you read my mind! Let’s go~!” Mingyu was just as excited now and grabbed onto Won Woo’s hand to lead the way. At least they could get their minds off of things for a bit and have some fun before life tries to in again.

 

…

 

“Earth to Soo Min!” Min Ji’s voice snapped her out of it once she was nudged by the shoulder. “Mind explaining what you’re doing?” Her friend added and pointed to her laptop screen in front of her. When she looked, she saw she had been searching up about pregnancy stories and symptoms. Somehow she started to zone out after reading about some of them and picturing herself in those situations.

 

“Oh, uh…” Soo Min didn’t know how to explain herself. “Curiosity!”

 

“I see.” Min Ji narrowed her eyes before leaning in CLOSER and whispered. “Are you pregnant?”

 

“No!” Soo Min blurted out and caught everyone else’s attention in class. “Sorry!” She quickly apologized before pouting at Min Ji. “I was just simply curious, that’s all!”

 

“I’m having a hard time believing you, Miss Nervous Soo.”

 

“So, how did brunch go with Daniel?” That definitely got the other girl to stop talking, or so she thought.

 

“Don’t change the topic!”

 

“What were you two talking about?” Suddenly they heard a familiar voice chime in from behind. The two were startled and turned around to see Jeonghan standing there with his mischievous grin.

 

“Don't sneak up on us like that!” Min Ji complained while Soo Min calmed her racing heart.

 

“But it's fun!” He chuckled and knelt down beside Soo Min's seat and glanced towards her laptop screen to see what she was working on. “Are you finished with your portrait yet?” He was saying until he noticed the search results on her browser, pregnancy symptoms.

 

“Oh uh, that's not until tomorrow's class.” She explained before catching him staring at her laptop screen. She reached out and quickly shut it with a nervous laugh. Min Ji also gave a nervous laugh when she felt it get awkward.

 

“So, uh…” Min Ji did her best to change the topic but struggled miserably. “Midterms, am I right?” She nudged Soo Min who frowned in response, it was definitely because she was caught by her boyfriend and didn't know how to explain herself.

 

“Class is over for you two, right?” Jeonghan asked before standing. Min Ji nodded and he reached out to tap on Soo Min's shoulder to get her attention. “Let's go.”

 

“Dun dunn dunnn!” Min Ji whispered and got and elbow to her side. “Good luck!” She added after Soo Min packed her things up.

 

“For what?!” She whispered back. Her friend just gave her a nervous chuckle and gesture for her to call later, to keep her in the loop. She sighed and caught up to Jeonghan who had headed out of the classroom without her. She figured maybe he didn't notice her lag behind and was deep in thoughts.

 

She didn't want to snap him out of it because she wasn't sure what to say to him now that they were alone, so she let him be, but once they got near the elevator she had to stop him from wandering off past it. She had grabbed him by his hand and pulled him into the elevator with her. Once they were inside she pressed the 1st floor button and let go of his hand, which disappointed him, he didn’t like this weird tension between them. Without a word, he grabbed a hold of her hand again.

 

She wasn't too surprised and didn't reject him, but she be lying if she said this didn't make her 10x more nervous. “Where are we going?” She asked once they made it to the first floor.

 

“Let's go to your place.” He answered and led the way. “You brought your car, right?”

 

“Uhm, I got a flat tire earlier, so no.” She explained and gripped onto her messenger bag strap. “Ren's mom said she'd handle it.”

 

“His mom? Did you go somewhere this morning?”

 

“I went to see my mom. His mom showed up right when I was leaving.”

 

“Ah, okay.” He nodded. “So how did you get to school today, did you walk?”

 

“Ren's boyfriend took us.”

 

“Alright, makes sense.” He nodded again. “I don't know if Cheol already left campus or not…”

 

“We can walk?”

 

“Right, we can walk.” He gave a tired smile.

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“I'm just tired, that's all.” He was honest. “I didn't sleep that well last night.”

 

“That's not good. Why?”

 

“Just had a lot on my mind.” He said softly while they started their journey from campus to her shared apartment. When they made it out the main entrance, they bumped into a familiar face.

 

“Hello, Soo Min!” Baekho greeted. “Hello, Jeonghan!”

 

“Hello!” She greeted back with a bright smile, his positive energy was contagious.

 

“Were you just leaving?”

 

“Yes, we're were on our way to my apartment.” She explained.

 

“I heard about your car from Ren, do you need a ride?” He offered and she looked to Jeonghan before making the decision on her own.

 

“If you wouldn't mind?”

 

“Of course, I don't mind!” He smiled and gestured for them to follow him to his car. She tugged on Jeonghan’s hand to follow, she could tell he was zoning out again.

 

He sat in the backseat with her and Baekho brought up if the two ate yet and that maybe they should pick up something on the way home. Since Jeonghan wasn't paying attention to most of the car ride, he didn't come back to Earth until he was being nudged to get out of the backseat. They were at her apartment now.

 

“Thanks for the ride!” She said to Baekho through the passenger side window while Jeonghan got out of the backseat.

 

“You're welcome, take it easy!” He gave a supportive smile. “Until next time~!”

 

Author-nim: ...

Baekho: UNTIL NEXT TIME!

Ren: The chapter isn't even over, stop!

 

They waved and watched Baekho drive off before heading up to the apartment. When they made it to the door it finally dawned on him that she was holding a bag of food and a back of snacks from the convenience store. When did that happen?

 

Shortly after arriving, they sat down on the couch together and ate since their appetite did come around by then. Soo Min turned the TV on so it wouldn’t be so silent, but despite that, they ate in silence and barely talked. There was that weird awkward tension again between them and he didn’t like that. He knew they needed to talk about earlier so he was the first to speak.

 

“What was it that you were looking at back in the computer lab?”

 

“Oh, uh… well, you saw it, didn't you?”

 

“I did, but why were you looking at that stuff?”

 

“Well, I was just curious.” She said softly. “I mean when you reacted like that yesterday about my late period, it got me thinking.”

 

“Sorry…”

 

“It's okay.”

 

“So you're not…?” It was a little hard for him to say the word, it made him nervous.

 

“Pregnant?” She said it for him. “No, or well at least not that I know of.” She gave a slow shrug. “Got to understand condoms can fail too.”

 

“I know.” He looked away and felt even more nervous and worried. He told Jisoo before, it wouldn't be such a bad thing… it's just bad timing if it turned out to be true.

 

“I plan to take a test soon, it's just a matter of when I have the time. Too much is going on already.”

 

“One thing at a time.” He warned her. “Just one thing at a time.”

 

“I know, don't worry.” She gave him a cute smile. “Anyways, Won Woo suggested we all meet up for ice cream later at 4pm, do you want to go?” She thought to at least give him the option to decide if he’d like to go or not.

 

“Sure, that sounds fun.” He gave a tired smile, which she noticed.

 

“You look really tired, maybe you should take a nap first?”

 

“Yes please.” He groaned and she chuckled before getting up and helping him stand. She led him to her bedroom and gestured for him to lie down on her bed for a nap. “Can you lie with me for a bit?” He asked and made room for her.

 

“Sure.” She still had a lot of time before she'd go meet the others at the park for ice cream. She made another decision on her own about letting Jeonghan rest instead of dragging him along for that.

 

He pulled her CLOSER so he could rest his head on her shoulder. “Have you thought about it?” He asked moments later.

 

“Thought about what?”

 

“About our future?” He said and propped himself up on his left arm so he could look down at her. He reached out to caress her face with a loving look in his eyes, but his lips wore a nervous frown. He seemed worried and dreading her answer, like he knew what she was going to say.

 

“I haven’t.” She was honest. He seemed disappointed but understood. “At least… not in full. Just a few thoughts here and there.”

 

“That’s okay.” He assured her with a small smile. “I think about it… every day.” He said with a small sigh, not a negative one, but a happy one. “I dream about it too.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Yes.” He rested his head on her shoulder again. “I dream about us, you and me… together forever.”

 

“That’s so cringey.” She giggles and he pulls himself up again to pout at her but chuckles with her in the end.

 

“It is.” He agreed. “You know I… love you a lot.” His expression changed and she can see his true feelings in his warm smile. “Do you love me the same?”

 

“Sometimes.” She teased and he laughed. “I do love you, a lot.”

 

“Good.” He’s happy with those words and leaned in for a quick kiss to her lips. “You can get up now.” He playfully nudged her to get off the bed. “You should finish your projects before you have no time. The dinner is soon.”

 

“Right.” She sighed and pouted at him. “Rest a lot so I don’t worry about you.”

 

“I will.” He assured her.

 

“I’ll work on my project in the living room so I don’t disturb you. Just sleep as much as you can! Don’t worry I’ll wake you when it’s time to meet the others, you have at least two hours!”

 

“Okay.” He smiled and gave her two thumbs up from his position on the bed. “Work hard!”

 

“I will! Sleep well.” She said in an adoring tone and left the room with her laptop and its charger.

 

She shut her door so Jeonghan could sleep peacefully and made her way to the couch. “How am I gonna do this?” She asked herself and thought of a comfortable position to work. She ended up sitting on the floor in front of the coffee table and began working on the finishing touches for her portrait of Kim Mingyu.

 

…

 

Playing in the arcade with Won Woo again was a lot of fun now that things have changed a lot. The first time they came here, they weren’t even a couple, but regardless Mingyu still had a lot of fun back then too. They made a good team and won several tickets like last time. “Pick something this time!” Mingyu teased.

 

“Okay, okay.” Won Woo laughed and scanned his options. It didn’t look like there was anything he really wanted, like usual, until he found it. “That one, please.” He pointed and the male clerk left to go fetch his prize for him. It was a medium sized black stuffed plushie in the shape of a cat.

 

“It’s so cute!” Mingyu gushed and poked at it. “It definitely suits you!”

“Thanks.” His boyfriend grinned.

 

“There’s enough for one more prize.” The clerk informed them.

 

“Really?” Won Woo was surprised and looked to Mingyu. “Pick something.”

 

“Right, okay!” Mingyu seemed excited and Won Woo thought it was adorable to watch him scan his options. After a moment, he told the clerk what he wanted and before he knew it, Mingyu was holding a big stuffed plushie in the shape of a dog.

 

“Of course.” Won Woo snickered. “Why did it have to be bigger than mine?” He muttered quietly. It made him think of their height difference, but it wasn’t like he hated that. He actually found it pretty cute, it was like the plushies represented them in a way. He felt like he resembles a cat with the way he keeps to himself and usually avoided social interactions. Mingyu on the other hand resembled more of an energetic dog who just wants to be friends with everyone and play.

 

After picking out their prizes, they decided it was time to head to the park to meet up with the others, it’d be a long walk from where they are so they needed to get a head start so they wouldn’t be late. When they exited the mall, they started on their path to their destination and it was Won Woo who was the first to reach for Mingyu’s hand to hold while they did so. He expected to turn and see a shy and flustered Won Woo but instead he saw a relaxed and happy Won Woo, with love in his eyes and a warm smile on his lips. It had Mingyu’s heart beat pick up in pace and flutter, his cheeks began to feel warm as well. He felt overwhelmingly happy. He gave Won Woo’s hand a small squeeze in response and they quietly made their way to the park just like that.

---

Chapter fifty-seven~!

 

Happy 3 Year CLOSER Anniversary!!!

Wow three years. Hoping next year we’ll be on part two, we got a lot to get through!

Er, time is ticking so I’ll keep this A/N short so I can post it on time!

See ya soon~!