Kibum gave the teacher a hasty glance before returning his gaze back down to the phone within his lap, frowning in worry at the lack of text messages he had received throughout the day. He scolded himself mentally for the umpteenth time that day, vehemently wishing once again that he hadn’t sent that text to Jonghyun. What on earth had he been thinking to send something as improper as that to begin with?

‘I obviously hadn’t been thinking at all.’ his conscience jeered, and Kibum dejectedly turned his phone off and looked back up at the scrawl upon the whiteboard.

Biting his lip, he risked a peak over at Amber, smiling reassuringly at her curious look.

”I’ll tell you about it later.” he mouthed, shooting the girl a thumbs up as she nodded eagerly and turned her head back to the front with reluctance and anticipation.

The lesson seemed to drone on for what felt like a year, and Kibum found himself unconsciously doodling within his notebook as the teacher’s words flew into one ear and spewed immediately out of the other. His pencil glided over the page without thought, and after he had finished he stared at the result with a mixture of glee and embarrassment.

A roughly sketched drawing of Jonghyun’s face now lie upon his paper, and although he took pride in the accuracy of the image, Kibum nonetheless turned the page to prevent anybody sneaking a glance at the singer he happened to fancy. It was humiliating enough to have the older boy not reply to his risqué texts, but for his fellow peers to witness that he’d been daydreaming and drawing another man in class? He just wouldn’t have it.

Seconds ticked by dully, and Kibum’s gaze bore into the clock fiercely in hopes of causing it to move faster. His attempts were futile however, and soon enough Kibum could feel his eyes become heavy with exhaustion and threaten to droop. Before he’d met Jonghyun, it was safe to say that Kibum had a much simpler time paying attention during class, but now it seemed as though the older boy had absorbed all of his attention and there was nothing left to share.

Kibum didn’t mind entirely. Although he did enjoy studying and discovering new things, he certainly didn’t want to be a mathematician or a scientist after graduation. Dance was what intrigued him the most, however the idea of his parents investing in dance classes for him was laughable. And undoubtedly impossible. So Kibum made the most of the studio at school and practiced whenever possible, spending his lunchtimes dancing away his thoughts and worries in lieu of socialising with his fellow peers.

These thoughts were consuming Kibum so profoundly that he didn’t even recognize the persistent tapping on his shoulder until a loud voice sliced through his ears and reverie like a steel blade.

”-rry up, Kibum!” urged Amber, her impatient face appearing clearly before Kibum as his eyes finally managed to focus.

Kibum blinked and looked around himself in a daze. Like expected, the classroom was empty bar from him and Amber. Hurriedly, Kibum began to shuffle his books together in order to speak to the tomboy as soon as possible, however he was halted as a calloused yet gentle hand placed itself on his rounded shoulder.

“No point in going somewhere else. We’ll get more peace in here.” stated Amber with a grin, pulling over a nearby chair and placing it across from Kibum.

Swirling the seat around so the back of it was in front of her, Amber plopped herself onto the chair and rested her head on the backrest in anticipation. “Spill the beans, Kibum. What’s got you in such a stupefied daze?”

Kibum sighed deeply, and looked up at Amber through his lashes with furrowed brows. “I’m so stupid.” he muttered.

Amber quirked an eyebrow with incredulity. “You confessed?”

The older student’s eyes widened and he shook his head vehemently. “God, no. I’m not that stupid.”

“Hey, what else am I meant to think when you say that?” she defended with a whine, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly. “Seriously though, tell me what’s happened.”

Kibum rolled his eyes at her persistence, yet chewed his bottom lip between his teeth nervously nonetheless. He reached into his pants pocket and plucked out his phone unsurely, raising his gaze to Amber as though he were contemplating something.

“C’mon Kibum!” she urged, almost bouncing on her seat in anticipation. “You can trust me, ‘Bum…we’ve been friends forever. I’m sure it’s not that bad.”

Kibum exhaled with the realization that she was perfectly correct. “I know, I know. Just…let me put it in context for you.”

“…”

“So last night I went to Jonghyun’s house, and because I spent so long there, we ended up falling asleep on the couch together.”

“Kibum, you didn’t do the nasty did you?!” interrupted Amber with a gasp, dramatizing the situation far more than it needed to be.

Kibum laughed and shook his head. “Calm down, Amber. No, I did not do the ‘nasty.’ Anyway, when I woke up this morning I could’ve sworn he was singing or something, I don’t know, but that wasn’t the embarrassing part. My limbs were, like, draped over him like an old rag or something, and when I went to move, he just stopped me!”

Amber clapped her hands together in excitement and leaned even closer to Kibum if possible, resting her chin on her open palm. “You’re getting in there, Kibum! He so likes you!”

 Kibum pouted. “I don’t reckon so, Amber. This morning, I thought that he did too! We were being flirty and stuff all morning, and I could’ve sworn he was checking me out at some point. He kept making all these ual references after I cooked breakfast and—“

“You cooked him breakfast?! Oh my god, Kibum, that’s adorable!” exclaimed Amber joyfully, sitting back down in her seat hurriedly at the pointed glare Kibum was directing at her.

“Is that all you gathered from that?! Did the ual reference part not pique your interest in the slightest?”

Amber gulped thickly. “It did, it did, I swear! I just thought the cooking part was extra adorable. Please, continue.”

Kibum rolled his eyes but continued nevertheless. “Anyway, so after I cooked, I was all like, “Did you gather anything from that?” as a joke, and out of anything he could’ve replied with, guess what he chose to say.”

“Um, perha—“

“”How to turn someone on, I suppose”!” continued Kibum breathlessly, not even giving Amber the opportunity to respond.

Amber blinked once, then twice. “He really said that?!”

Kibum nodded vigorously, and then without even pausing to take a breath, resumed. “So as you might’ve guessed, I was beyond fangirling at that point. I was practically having a seizure in my brain, and I figured that if he was being all brave and stuff then it wouldn’t hurt if I was too.”

Amber looked intently at Kibum but made no motion to comment.

“And then right before I got out of the car at school, he was joking about being unsatisfied and stuff, so I worked up my nerves after he left and sent probably the worse text I’ve ever conjured in my entire life. Here.” rambled Kibum, unlocking his phone and sliding it over to Amber in order for her to take a read.

The room was completely void of any noise for a few seconds; so silent that Kibum could even hear himself breathing. Finally, Amber rose her gaze to meet Kibum’s and stared into his eyes intently, leaving no warning whatsoever before bursting out into a fit of laughter.

Kibum’s eyes widened considerably, an immediate worrying mask clouding his feline features. “Stop laughing and help me!” he whinged, poking out his bottom lip and quivering it for extra effect.

Amber’s laughter seized but the large smile adorning her face remained inevitably. “I’m sorry ‘Bum, but you’re just too funny. This is pure gold, why are you panicking so much?”

Kibum crossed his arms over his chest and screwed his face up in distaste. “He hasn’t replied since I sent it and the day’s nearly over! I came on too strongly and now he probably thinks I’m a gay freak.”

Amber frowned sympathetically and slid her fingers through Kibum’s in solace. “He does not think that, Kibum. He probably hasn’t even seen the message. Besides, if he didn’t reply because you came on too strong then he’s a hypocritical loser and you should slap his sorry . Face, I mean. Don’t slap his .”

Kibum offered a brittle smile at Amber’s attempt to enliven the mood; the light not quite reaching his eyes. “Yeah…maybe.”

“Leave it ‘til tonight, and if he hasn’t replied by tomorrow or doesn’t come over, it means he’s probably seen it. But maybe he’s never been a relationship with another guy and doesn’t know how to react.” started Amber, gasping suddenly as though an epiphany had suddenly struck her out of the blue. “Maybe…Maybe he thinks you’re straight and is trying to distance himself because he doesn’t want to get his heart broken!”

Kibum’s smile grew slightly and a glint of joy sparked in his eyes. “You’re looking too far into it! I guess I’ll wait until tomorrow, and then if nothing happens we can start looking into your little theories.”

Amber flashed a broad grin and scratched the back of her neck bashfully. “Sounds good! As of now, however, I’m super hungry. Come eat with my group today.”

Kibum shot Amber a sceptical expression, raising his eyebrow in doubt. “We both know your friends don’t like me.”

“They’re just jealous your fashion is better than theirs. It was worth a try, I guess.”

Kibum laughed and flicked his hair out of his eyes in agreement. “They think I’m gonna steal their man or something? I reckon I’ll pass for today, Amber, but thanks for the offer.”

Amber poked her tongue out and stood up from her chair. “I figured you’d say that. The offer’s always there, Kibum. Catch ya later!”

Kibum waved in farewell and smiled as the tomboy made her way out of the classroom and down the corridor, grin fading slowly once she was out of sight. Looking at his phone once more out of spite, Kibum frowned in expected disappointment and shoved the device back into his pocket with a dejected sigh.

Reluctantly standing from his seat, Kibum followed Amber’s footsteps with a trudge and slowly shuffled his way towards the lockers aimlessly. Offhandedly, he swiped his lunch from his bag and continued on down to the dance studio, poking his head through in greeting once he had arrived. However, a wave of melancholy engulfed his delicate form as his eyes landed upon the empty room, his reflection in the mirror being the only type of company nearby. With a begrudged sigh, Kibum stepped foot inside and closed the door behind him nevertheless, thinking to himself that he should be elated at the lack of presences.

He wasn’t though, and sat down heavily by the mirror with furrowed brows adorning his sharp features whilst twiddling his phone between his long fingers. Kibum chewed on his sandwich half-heartedly with his eyes locked on the bright screen that seemingly glared up onto his pale skin. So preoccupied with the device within his palm, he took no notice of the door opening or the light footsteps which made their way up behind him. The mirror should’ve been a dead giveaway, but Kibum couldn’t be bothered raising his head merely to see how forlorn his expression was.

“Jonghyun, huh?” came the voice of Taemin, and Kibum couldn’t prevent the jeer of ‘deja-vu’ clipping at his memory.

Kibum, with a fright, tilted his phone to the ground and flicked his head to face Taemin. The younger boy, not fazed in the slightest, continued speaking and plopped down beside Kibum without a worry plaguing his youthful face.

“Sorry I wasn’t here earlier; Minho wanted me to check out this new soccer trick he learnt. Anyway—why’ve you got your phone like that, Kibum? Tryna hide something?” he laughed, reaching his hand forward playfully in attempt to snatch Kibum’s phone from the elder’s grip.

Kibum retracted his hand back quickly as though the younger’s touch stung, before smiling lightly at Taemin in defence of his strange actions. Despite his grin of reassurance however, Taemin frowned.

“I was just kidding…but seriously though, what’s wrong?” he questioned carefully, slowly bringing his hand back to rest in his lap whilst giving Kibum’s phone a curious study.

Kibum faltered for a few seconds and fumbled on his words. “N-nothing. I was just a bit shocked, that’s all.”

Taemin quirked an eyebrow dubiously, genuinely not believing an ounce of junk that spilled from Kibum’s mouth. He alternated his gaze between Kibum’s eyes and the phone that lie in the third year’s fisted hand for a few, silent seconds, before out of the blue, he lunged forward and swiped the device from Kibum’s unsuspecting grasp.

“Yah!” Kibum exclaimed furiously, jumping onto his feet hastily in attempt to tackle Taemin to the ground.

It seemed that Taemin was quite swift however, for he had already managed to sprint to the other end of the room with phone in hand, fingers tapping at the screen frantically in hopes of stumbling across the cause of Kibum’s grim mood.

Kibum’s face flushed a bright shade of crimson as he tried feebly to halt Taemin; to no avail it seemed as the younger curled himself up in a ball by the corner of the room with the phone concealed tightly in his clutch. “Seriously, stop! It’s none of your business!”

Taemin furrowed his brows and poked out his tongue in concentration, ignoring Kibum’s cries entirely as his mind became absorbed with the task at hand. “I don’t wanna see you slumping around all day because of some petty thing on your phone.” he defended, eyes all of a sudden jolting wider in delight as they landed upon Jonghyun’s contact name.

Kibum’s hands clenched tightly by his sides and his legs visibly shook in nervousness, looking almost on the verge of tears as a thought of horrific realization invaded his mind. Amber was the only one who knew about Kibum’s infatuation with Jonghyun, and he didn’t think he would be able to cope from the embarrassment if anyone else; especially a newfound friend such a Taemin; found out.

“T-Taemin…nothing’s wrong I swear. You d-don’t need to worry.” he reassured shakily, taking tentative steps forward towards Taemin’s sprawled body without an ounce of amusement clouding his face.

Although Taemin’s features were adorned with an expression of pure, innocent mischief, Kibum was far too worried and anxious to be optimistic and take the situation lightly. Oblivious to Kibum’s desperation however, Taemin continued humorously, voice laced with hearty laughter.

The young dancer grinned, and poked his tongue out at Kibum in cheek. “Tut tut, Kibum. You can’t lie to me!”

Flashing a bright smile, Taemin’s gaze returned to the phone within his hand and he tapped on the name of Kibum’s affection with anticipation. And just like Kibum had expected would happen, an unsettling silence engulfed the room before Taemin’s jaw dropped to the floor in astonishment.  His eyes awkwardly lifted to meet Kibum’s insecure ones, brow furrowing at the sheen of tears that were threatening to fall.

Taemin cleared his throat and, out of respect, turned Kibum’s phone off. “I-I’m sorry.”

An unintelligible sound emitted from Kibum’s throat before he hastily whipped his head around in order to avoid the younger’s intense gaze. Taemin watched the older boy intently, and felt his heart clench in sympathy and repent for what he had intruded on.

“I’m really sorry for invading like that Kibum…I shouldn’t have.” he began unsurely, twiddling his fingers around each other in awkwardness. “If it makes you feel any better…I really don’t mind if you like him like that. I kinda suspected it anyway.”

Kibum slowly peaked back around to take a glance at Taemin, and although his cheeks were slightly stained in dried tears of humiliation, he took solace in the younger’s words and kind smile. “You did?”

Taemin laughed heartily upon the floor, and his eyes crinkled in mirth as he looked at Kibum. “Until yesterday I actually thought you dating him…so yes, I definitely did.”

Kibum’s eyes widened and he looked at Taemin sceptically. “You thought we were dating?!” he exclaimed.

Taemin giggled behind his hand and nodded vehemently. “Oh c’mon, Kibum. All the signs were there, what else was I meant to think? But on a more serious note, what about our little Jonghyun has got you in such a crappy mood?”

Kibum groaned into his palm and sat upon the panelled floor with a heavy thump. “Did you happen to read the last text I sent? I can’t believe I actually did that, I’m so stupid!”

Taemin rose an eyebrow, and reached his hand over to grab Kibum’s phone back off from the ground. Unlocking it swiftly, his eyes skimmed over the last message sent and felt his lips automatically quirk up into a smirk.

“Don’t you dare laugh at this, Lee Taemin.” chided Kibum from his ball on the ground, voice screaming in embarrassment.

Taemin snorted and shook his head in amusement. “What on earth, Kibum? What gave you the courage to send this?”

“I honestly have no idea. We were low key flirting all morning, so I assumed it wouldn’t be that bad if I sent something like this, but…he hasn’t replied all day!” rambled Kibum desperately, voice adapting a whinging tone the more he spoke.

Taemin’s eyebrows rose suggestively, and ignored the woes Kibum spoke of. “So you slept with him last night, then?”

Kibum exhaled loudly in exasperation. “Did you listen to a word I just said? And no, I did not sleep with him. I slept next to him. There’s a difference.”

“I was listening! You guys were flirting all morning, after you slept next to him. Isn’t that the important part here?” defended Taemin, scrambling to his feet before plopping himself down closer to Kibum.

“And the part about him not replying all day?! That didn’t register through your mind at all?”

Taemin breathed out deeply. “Kibum, Kibum, Kibum. You’re the one meant to be giving me advice, not the opposite way around. Listen; when I came over yesterday it was obvious to see that you’re both head over heels for each other. You confirmed that by mentioning the flirting and everything, so you really have nothing to worry about. Besides, it hasn’t even been quarter of a day yet. He probably hasn’t even looked at his phone.”

Kibum screwed up his face and picked at his fingernails in doubt. “You reckon?”

“I know he likes you Kibum. He was looking at you as though you were the moon the whole night.”

Kibum failed in trying to conceal his smile, a slight shade of crimson brushing itself over his sharp cheekbones. “And you sure you’re not grossed out with me liking him and all?”

Taemin smiled in reassurance. “Positive I’m not. It’s pretty cute, if I must say. And I’m pretty sure deep down, Minho agrees too.”

Kibum tilted his head confusedly, and narrowed his eyes in Taemin’s direction. “What the heck have you and Minho been saying about me?”

Taemin threw his head back and laughed loudly, “You don’t wanna know, Kibum. Anyway though, the bell’s about to go and my locker’s on the other side of the school. You better keep me updated about what happens with Jonghyun, and I wish you luck!”

Kibum rolled his eyes and pushed himself up from the ground. “Yeah sure, whatever. If he never replies though, I’m blaming you for getting my hopes up.”

The younger student scoffed as he opened the dance room door, responding with a mere two words as he left the brightly lit room. “You .”

The third year student snorted, before picking his phone up off the ground and trailing behind soon after.

As the end of the day approached, Kibum felt his mood noticeably increase because of the talk he’d had with Amber and Taemin. It was as though a gigantic weight had been lifted from his shoulders, and despite the fact that he still inwardly feared what Taemin was thinking as of now, he generally felt so much lighter now that he’d gotten this secret off of his chest.

He made the trek home with a slight bounce in his step, and promised himself that he wouldn’t even take a glance at his phone until he’d reached his house and climbed the stairs to his bedroom. With an earplug resting within his ear, his footsteps synced to the beat of the song playing, and he inwardly noted that it would probably sound much better if Jonghyun were singing it.

Although the idea of that haunting text still plagued his mind, he tried to be optimistic about the subject and think about what Taemin had mentioned instead. Was it true that Jonghyun looked at him as though he was the moon? He had never really noticed it before, but maybe that was because Kibum himself was far too busy admiring the older male in all of his glory when they were together.

Kibum had never really pegged Jonghyun as someone who would be with another guy, but he was rather touchy around Kibum and he definitely didn’t have a filter when it came to flirting and speaking his mind. So many different ideas and theories were easing their way into his thoughts one by one, and before he knew it, he was already trudging up the driveway to his house and unlocking the front door with an audible click.

Hurriedly grabbing an after school snack from the pantry, Kibum clenched his phone tightly within his grasp as he raced upstairs to his vastly decorated bedroom. As he set foot inside, his eyes were immediately drawn to the picture of Jonghyun and him on the wall, and a befitting grin spread over his face in joy. Practically throwing himself onto his bed, he impatiently turned his phone on and hurriedly swiped to his view his messages, chest once again tightening in anticipation for the umpteenth time that afternoon.

Kibum inhaled sharply, and felt his breath catch in his throat. Jonghyun had seemingly replied, and Kibum’s eyes ran over the message as quickly as possible, taking in every aspect of the message as he read it.

I left my phone in the car all day, and I missed out on a message like this? Damn Kibum, I didn’t know you could be so blunt. But I must say…I like it ;)

Now I’m even more excited! See you tomorrow Kibum, I’ll be anticipating it! :’)

Your idol, Jjong x

Kibum’s heart went wild in his chest, and he felt himself grinning so wide in a way that threatened to split his face in two. Rolling onto his stomach, Kibum buried his face into his pillow and screamed loudly, unable to control the overwhelming happiness that had immersed his mind.

He read the message a few more times just to etch it into his mind and confirm he wasn’t dreaming, before turning his phone back off and jumping from his bed. All of the worries that had accumulated throughout the day immediately flew from his mind, and he mentally thanked Amber and Taemin for having faith in Jonghyun and himself despite his doubts.

The older male’s straightforward attitude towards these kind of things unnerved Kibum, yet the excitement that went along with it was thrilling, nonetheless. Every time Jonghyun would say something suggestive or even make a low-key flirty comment, Kibum found his legs turning to jelly and his heart melting to goo, unable to control the cage of butterflies that were released inside of his pleasantly churning stomach.

Suddenly overcome with the urge to dance in delight, Kibum bounced his way over to the CD player and pressed play, knowing fully well that his favourite song was already loaded inside. Kibum flinched slightly as the first beat of the song blasted out of the speakers, adjusting the volume slightly as to not to disturb the neighbours – or his eardrums.

It wasn’t often Kibum found himself dancing in his room like this. These types of moments were usually conserved and saved for the dance room at school, being able to utilise a large space such as that much better than the expanse of his bedroom floor. However at that moment, it would suffice, and before he knew it Kibum was flowing between the walls, punctuating his moves sharply yet remaining elegant and graceful at the same time.

He didn’t know how much time had passed, but it was with sweat dripping down his forehead when Kibum decided to stop, grabbing a towel from his bathroom and wiping away the sheen of moisture gently. And it was quite beneficial that Kibum had decided to stop when he did, because within a few minutes his ears could scarcely pick up the sound of the front door opening and a pair of light footsteps making their way onto the kitchen tiles.

Kibum allowed a breath of relief to escape his lungs. It was only his mother. Although the student still feared his mother’s reaction to his disappearance the night before, he figured she was much more lenient to this kind of thing in comparison to his father. Making the decision to kill two birds with one stone, Kibum worked up his minimal courage and began the slump downstairs, poking his head around the kitchen wall in anxiousness once he had arrived.

He braced himself before taking a tentative step forward into the kitchen, offering his mother a sheepish smile as her head whipped up to greet him.

“H-hey, umma.” he stuttered awkwardly, digging his toe into the floor beneath as he stared at his feet in forged interest.

Kibum’s mother stood and stared in silence, and Kibum could practically feel the anger building up beneath her harsh gaze.

“Kibum.”

He gulped.

“Would you mind telling me why on earth you didn’t come home last night?”

He trapped his bottom lip between his teeth and gnawed on it apprehensively, more petrified by her calm tone than anything. “I-I was at A-Amber’s house…f-for that project. Remember?”

Kibum mentally praised himself for his fast thinking and lying skills, and his face morphed into a more confident façade. “We had so much to do that it was midnight before we knew it…I thought it was better to sleep there instead of coming home so late and my phone has no credit, so I assumed you guys would be okay with it.”

It was strange. His mother never really questioned when he stayed with Amber despite the fact that the younger girl was not a good influence in the slightest. And although he knew personally he wasn’t going to make some kind of move on Amber, it still befuddled him that his mother didn’t doubt what they were doing with their time together.

And his mother suspecting his uality was out of the question. He might be quite flamboyant, and he might have different interests than most of his other male peers, but Kibum knew ‘gay’ wasn’t in his parents’ vocabulary. It was quite a taboo topic to them and the rest of South Korea, and Kibum was perfectly fine not making a fuss out of the whole concept. Honestly, Kibum was just excited to move out after he’d graduated high school and have the freedom and joy of merely being himself. Thankfully, there wasn’t too long to go.

Kibum didn’t hate his parents. Really, he loved them. But there’s a difference between loving someone and loving their morals and what they stand for. And Kibum definitely didn’t agree with anything his parents had to say. In all honestly, they were bigoted, biased and belittling towards anyone who landed outside their standards of normativity, and Kibum often nearly laughed at the mere thought. If only they knew.

He heard his mother exhale loudly and looked up from his gaze on the floor just in time to see her run her hands through her hair in exasperation. “Kibum, Kibum, Kibum. What are we going to do with you?”

“Send me to the asylum?” he joked, earning himself a brisk slap over the arm.

She continued, not an ounce of amusement spiking her stern tone. “Be serious, Kibum. Last year you were such a disciplined boy, and now here you are running off every night and not even telling me where you’re going! I don’t mind if you’re staying at Amber’s house or whatever, but it’s the fact that you don’t tell me anything! How am I supposed to know you’re not going to run off and get yourself killed tomorrow when me and your father are out?!”

Kibum blinked and felt his brows furrow in guilt. He was reminded once again why he preferred his mother over his father. “Umma,” he whined, slouching down onto the kitchen stool.

“It’s not as if I’m going out and doing drugs…All I’m doing is hanging out at my friend’s house to do school work. You talk as though you don’t trust me at all.”

Kibum definitely felt guilty for blatantly lying to his mother, however he physically couldn’t allow his mother to find out the truth about Jonghyun. And so he continued to lie, bending the truth only slightly in order to give his mother what she wanted to hear.

It worked. Soon, she was wrapping him up in a tight hug and apologising softly for doubting her beautiful boy, Kibum’s face remaining stoic as thoughts of Jonghyun and deceit plagued his mind. Their chat was over quickly, and Kibum began the trek back upstairs, mind alternating between the guilt he was experiencing and the overpowering excitement the thought of Jonghyun supplied.

The latter seemed to outweigh the negative, and so Kibum decided to begin and finish his homework as soon as possible, satisfied with the idea of not having to do it later. He seized his books from his school back and got to work, surprising himself significantly as he ploughed through the questions he was assigned. Dinner was nearing by when he finally completed his workload, standing up from his desk with a crack or two before reluctantly making his way downstairs.

Although his mother was quite lenient and biased when it came to her only son, Kibum’s father was quite the contrary, and never seemed to be fazed by anything constructive he had achieved. Unlike with Kibum, his father’s negative feelings always outweighed his affirmative ones. He hoped that his mother had managed to put some decent opinions into his head, and held his breath as he turned the kitchen corner.

His gaze met his father’s, and the both of them remained silent, diverting their gazes almost immediately after making contact. Kibum sat down hesitantly and fiddled with his cutlery in an awkward manner, hoping to God his father wouldn’t ask any questions. He didn’t.

It felt as though a year had gone by when supper finally finished, and Kibum breathed a huge sigh of relief as he entered his room once again for what seemed like the millionth time that day. Collapsing onto his bed, Kibum allowed a wide grin to etch itself onto his worn face, and he fell asleep with a feeling of eagerness swimming around in the pit of his pale stomach. 

A/N: God I'm a sinner. I'm really sorry I take so long to update but I've had writers' block recently, but I think I'm good now! SUPER EXCITED FOR THE NEXT CHAPTER GUYS, so stay tuned!