Kibum gulped thickly, scuffing his shoes against the soft carpet beneath his feet as he kept his face hidden from the disappointed glares on his parent’s faces. He scolded himself internally yet again at his ignorance of the time, however his guilt didn’t seem too overwhelming with the thought of Jonghyun resting at the front of his mind. He had been reckless, and he knew that. However thoughts of Jonghyun had been plaguing his mind for weeks, and he would’ve regretted it deeply had he ignored the opportunity to stay and talk with the older male. He was beyond glad he had done so as well, because now he was on cloud nine despite the current circumstances and had even scored a coffee date with the gorgeous man.  Thinking too deeply about the present situation, Kibum was knocked out of his reverie by the harsh, disappointed tone of his father.

“Kim Kibum, how dare you leave this house without our permission? Do you know what could’ve happened to you, young man?” he began scoldingly, Kibum having no other desire at that moment than to run and hide beneath the thick blankets on his bed.

The student remained silent, having no want to worsen their mood, and opted for nodding his head gently beneath the shield of his fringe.

“Do you think that when we leave the house, that’s an express invitation for you to do the same? Where were you, Kibum?” continued Kibum’s mother, a softer tone to her voice as she reprimanded the boy.

“I-I was at Amber’s house,” he lied smoothly, worrying his lower lip between his teeth as he awaited their reply.

“And why on earth were you at her house to begin with? At this time of night, no less!”

“We were doing a project. A, um…group project for school.” Kibum responded, mustering as much confidence as he could into his voice so that they would believe the made up tale.

He heard his father sigh loudly, and could only imagine his mother rolling her eyes exhaustedly at his reply. Kibum crossed his fingers behind his back, the silence in the room thickening as each second ticked by on the clock leisurely.

“Alright, Kibum. Just please…tell us next time before you do something like that. We worry, you know?” spoke his mother gently, unknowingly provoking Kibum to breathe a huge sigh of relief.

“Thanks umma, appa; I won’t do it again. I’m a little tired so I’m going to go to bed…good night. Sleep well,” Kibum stated, nodding softly to the two of them before trudging his way upstairs and into his small, yet cosy bedroom.

Changing into his pyjamas which consisted of a tight, black tank top and pink, flannelette pants, Kibum then brushed his teeth and washed his face, doing so with a consistent smile beaming on his face. Despite the small scolding from his parents, and the fact that he had to lie to avoid serious trouble, Kibum was still giddy inside, the events from that night swimming in his mind and forming butterflies in his stomach. Finally sliding under the covers of his bed, he couldn’t help but let his thoughts drift elsewhere, tossing and turning in anticipation for the days to come. It was with the thoughts of coffee dates, handsome singers and couple selcas that Kibum finally drifted off, an unsettled excitement floating within him throughout all of his (satisfying) dreams.

Despite the fact that many stories convey waking up as a beautiful moment with sunlight peaking in through the curtains and fluttering eyelashes, Kibum’s awakening was quite the contrary. The calming silence in the room was disturbed only by Kibum’s light snoring, a peaceful atmosphere filling the room as the boy in question slept peacefully. The silence wasn’t to last much longer however, a loud ringing sound appearing out of nowhere and surprising the occupant of the soft, double bed. Grumbling angrily into his pillow, Kibum blindly reached out for his phone and disabled the aggravating alarm, rolling over and burying himself beneath the blankets.

“I forgot all about school,” he whined to himself hopelessly, all of a sudden pushing all of his blankets off whilst sporting an angry glare.

Practically falling out of his bed, Kibum stumbled over to his wardrobe and opened it with a new found determination in his eyes. He browsed through all of the clothing in his closet, being particularly picky with what he chose to wear. 10 minutes later, he had a fashionable outfit chosen out and a designer pair of shoes to go with it.

He trudged to the bathroom and turned the knobs of the shower, adjusting it to the perfect heat. Shedding his pyjamas, he hopped in and let the hot water fall on his back, releasing all of his built up tension and awakening him fully. He washed thoroughly with his favourite strawberry body wash, and shampooed his hair with the matching product. Brushing his teeth in the shower to save time, Kibum stood under the shower head for an additional five minutes before turning it off and wrapping a towel around his waist. He dried himself of each and every droplet before changing into his chosen outfit, spending another fifteen minutes adjusting his hair and gelling it into place.

Grabbing his school bag and a piece of toast on the way out, Kibum began the trek to school, still not having gone for his driver’s license. As he scuffed his feet along the sidewalk, he suddenly remembered yesterday’s events and stopped dead in his tracks. He blinked a few times before hurriedly fishing his phone out of his pocket. Scrolling impatiently through his contacts to letter ‘J’, he frowned at the absence of Jonghyun’s name. Kibum bit his lip worriedly, scrolling back up slowly through to the top just to make sure Jonghyun hadn’t made a mistake. The hope in Kibum’s heart was slowly fading away as he reached ‘A’, but all of a sudden his breath hitched in his throat at the newly saved contact.

‘❤ Jonghyun’

So it hadn’t been a dream. Kibum breathed a sigh of relief he didn’t even realise he had been holding before a huge smile spread over his face and a light crimson brushed his cheeks. He practically skipped the rest of the way to school, feeling too happy inside to care about what anybody else was thinking. He eventually reached the school gates and changed his demeanour immediately, walking inside casually as he suppressed his excitement.

He strolled through the hallway with his head down, reaching his locker and shoving his bag inside. He pulled out his textbooks for first period, closing it gently and making his way to homeroom despite the fact that he was twenty minutes early. He was met with an empty classroom bar his best friend Amber, who was carelessly roaming through the (usually locked) teacher’s drawer.

“Hey, Amber!” greeted Key warmly, dumping his books on his desk and shooting Amber a curious look.

“’Sup, Kibum.” replied Amber nonchalantly, giving her hand a wave as she continued her browsing.

“What the are you doing?” he asked with a laugh, raising an eyebrow as he made his way over to her.

“I’m looking for my god damn phone. That of a teacher took it for no reason yesterday,” replied Amber angrily, not shooting Kibum a second glance as she rummaged through the contents with haste.

“She probably took it because you were texting in class, but I mean, whatever suits you, I suppose.” commented Kibum, an amused smirk appearing on his face as he sat himself on the teacher’s desk.

“How’d you get the key, anyhow?”

“I got my friend Ailee to get a copy of it for me…she’s the year level representative so it wasn’t too hard.” responded Amber, cheering silently as she plucked her phone from the depths of the drawer.

“But my God, how much does she have in here? A hoarder, I reckon.” she added, shoving her phone in her pocket and locking the drawer once again.

“Anyway…how are you, Kibum?”

“Really good, to be honest…Oh by the way, if my parents ask, I was at your house last night doing a group project,” answered Kibum, avoiding eye contact shyly at the knowing look Amber was giving him.

“Kibum, the party animal? What on earth were you up to, really?” chuckled Amber, smirking mischievously as she raised an eyebrow in the male’s direction.

“Oh you know…Just at a local bar,” shrugged Kibum offhandedly, cowering at the shocked look on Amber’s face.

“A bar?! Kibum…you haven’t been drinking yourself silly, have you?” she exclaimed, a look of concern masking her features.

“Wha- God no! Of course not! I’ve just been watching some live performances, is all…” defended Kibum, waving his hands in front of his face with a look of horror upon his face.

“Oh…well that’s cool I guess. Better than doing drugs.” nodded Amber with a shrug, head turning to the classroom door as a group of students walked inside.

“Damn, class is starting soon…” mumbled Kibum, sliding off the desk and slipping into his own seat, Amber right in tow.

One by one, their classmates began to file into the room, taking their seats with a yawn as they chatted eagerly with the friends whom they hadn’t seen all weekend. Kibum made small talk with Amber, who happened to sit next to him, as he sorted out his desk ready for the first class of the day.

Homeroom went by without incident, as did English, and before he knew it Kibum was heading out to lunch with his cafeteria food safely in his grasp. Amber usually ate with her other friends at lunch, being quite the social bug and conversing with almost every student in the school. Kibum didn’t mind eating alone every lunchtime, as it gave him time to think by himself and just relax; however sometimes he missed the company and wished he had at least one person to talk to as he ate.

Unfortunately, despite Kibum’s confidence and friendly nature, he wasn’t very popular among the other students as he often kept to himself and was discriminated against because of his flamboyant nature. It was a known fact throughout the school that Kibum was very feminine, and because of that, people automatically assumed he was gay. Not to say Kibum wasn’t gay, because he very much was; but that didn’t mean he wanted his fellow friends, family and peers knowing about it. Kibum wasn’t ashamed of himself. Nor was he afraid to show his true personality. But Kibum knew that if people were to find out, they would judge him, only seeing him as ‘the gay boy’ who went to Jawoon High School. Not Kibum, the 19-year-old boy who studied hard and loved to dance.

The student walked silently to the dance studio, opening the door softly and slinking inside with ease. He sat himself away from the mirror, not wanting his loneliness to be rubbed in his face as he ate his lunch in solitude. Taking the chicken wrap out of his lunch bag, Kibum took a large, first bite, chewing softly as he retrieved his phone from his pocket. Turning it on and opening his contacts, Kibum smiled softly as his eyes landed on Jonghyun’s name, ironically the first one on the list. He contemplated texting the older male now instead of after school, however just as he was about to make his decision, a voice from behind caused his heart to just about jump out of his chest.

“Jonghyun, huh? Doesn’t sound like someone who goes to our school,” spoke the voice, Kibum whipping his head around quickly like a deer caught in headlights.

“T-Taemin? What are you doing here?” stuttered Key nervously, holding his wrap tightly and standing up in a flash.

“I came here to practice my dance routine…but I see it’s already occupied.”

“You know I always hang out here at lunch…why aren’t you with your friend, Kai, or whatever?” questioned Kibum, hastily shoving his phone back into his pocket before shooting the younger boy a glare.

“He’s hanging out with his new friend, Kyungsoo. But I really don’t see how that’s any of your concern.” responded Taemin, raising a slight eyebrow at Kibum as he strolled towards the stereo.

“Can’t you hang out somewhere else? Like, the tennis courts? Or the oval?”

“That eager to get rid of me, are we? Just so you know, it’s none of your business where I hang out. There’s plenty of room for both of us.” argued Taemin, pressing play on the stereo and adjusting the volume so it blasted out loudly.

Kibum exhaled angrily and crossed his arms over his chest. All he had wanted to do that lunch was eat his lunch in solitude and perhaps text Jonghyun whilst he was at it. Taemin however, seemed to have other plans.

It wasn’t as if he hated the younger boy; he barely knew him, after all. However, last year Kibum had been the only male dancer at their school and could often use the dance studio without interruption, freely breaking out into all kinds of moves without the worry of being caught. But now, ever since Taemin had become a first year, Kibum could barely use the room alone anymore as the younger seemed to be practicing there at every moment possible. And if that wasn’t enough to hurt Kibum’s pride, the fact that Taemin was a better dancer than him certainly was.  Kibum wasn’t the jealous type, and even acknowledged the fact that the Taemin was certainly very talented for his age; however it was the boy’s personality that angered him the most.

Taemin wasn’t a bully, and he definitely wasn’t mean to anybody. He didn’t bring any harm to the other students (or anyone for that matter), and he studied hard like everybody else. No… it was the cockiness in which Taemin possessed that got to Kibum, riling the older boy up every single time they interacted. The freshman knew very well he was a superior dancer to Kibum, and didn’t hide that fact very well at all, often making small remarks about their skill differences or acting as if he owned the place.

“I guess I’ll have to eat elsewhere then…” resigned Kibum with a sigh, trudging out of the dance room without taking a second glance back at Taemin.

If by chance, Kibum had looked back at the younger before he left, he would’ve noticed a mask of worry on the boy’s face as he watched Kibum open the door and leave.

Kibum chewed on his wrap half-heartedly as he made his way towards the oval, screwing his face up in distaste as he laid eyes on the many students chatting away merrily with their friends. Reaching a shady, secluded spot under a tree, Kibum plopped himself down gloomily, attempting to avoid the pitying and disgusted looks upon his classmates’ faces.

After what seemed like forever, the bell concluding lunch finally rang, and Kibum couldn’t be happier to leave the oval and head back to class where he wasn’t required to talk to anyone.

Maths and History went by like a breeze, and Kibum couldn’t hold in his excited grin as the end of day bell rang. The students hurriedly packed their things away and bustled out of the classroom with drained smiles on their faces, relieved for the day to finally be over so that they could hang out with friends and just relax. Kibum wasn’t to be excluded from this group of people, as he was equally as eager to get out of there and text Jonghyun (whom had been on his mind all day). He hustled towards his locker and shoved his books inside hastily, slinging his bag over his blazer-clad shoulder before leaving the school with impatience.

Jonghyun checked his phone for the umpteenth time that day, frowning at the lack of messages he had received. He had been waiting impatiently all day for Kibum to message him, and was beginning to worry that the younger boy had forgotten all about him. Burying his face into his hands, Jonghyun rubbed his eyes tiredly, not having been able to sleep the night before. His mind had been plagued with thoughts of Kibum until the wee hours of the morning- the boy’s beautiful face, his cute laugh, his cat-like eyes and his soothing voice. But most of all, the boy’s personality had resided in his head. His shy gazes, the unique humour he possessed, his infuriating lip bites and most especially his inner diva which had only appeared briefly throughout their conversation.

“Jonghyun-ah…why do you look so down?” spoke the concerned voice of his sister, causing Jonghyun to jump in surprise at the sudden company.

“Huh? Oh, it’s nothing. Don’t worry,” he replied casually, checking his phone once again only to sigh in disappointment.

“Don’t give me that bull, Jonghyun. There’s something on your mind. Could it be…a girl?”

Oh that’s right, Jonghyun was reminded harshly. He still hadn’t come out to his family. Yet another problem in his life he had to deal with eventually.

“Something like that, Seodam...” he mumbled, gaze flickering to her for a second before it returned back down to his phone.

“What on your phone could be so important that you’re ignoring me, huh?” she questioned mischievously, raising an eyebrow and crossing her arms over her chest knowingly.

“I’m just waiting for a text. That’s all, noona.” replied Jonghyun flatly, grumbling incoherently before lying flat on the couch and throwing his phone across the room onto the other sofa.

“Wah! That’s expensive, Jonghyun-ah…” commented Seodam disapprovingly, furrowing her brows as she made her way over to the couch.

Leaning over the arm rest, Seodam’s eyes widened before a cheeky smirk made its way onto her face.

“Ahem. ‘Jonghyun-ssi! I’m sorry I’m just messaging now; I had to attend school first. I had so much fun yesterday, thank you for driving me home! Are you still on for our coffee date?’” imitated Seodam in a particularly girly voice, Jonghyun sitting up immediately as she read the text message aloud.

“’Your biggest fan…Kibum?’” she finished, tilting her head to the side in confusion. “But Jonghyun…Kibum is a boy’s name.”

Jonghyun practically dashed across to Seodam, ripping the phone from her grasp frantically.

“You think I don’t know that?” he retorted, eyes unknowingly lighting up in joy as he read over the message himself.

“Jonghyun, you’re gay?!” she exclaimed, hand coming up to slap over in surprise.

“Wha- No! Don’t talk so loud, you idiot!”

“So you are?”

Jonghyun sighed in annoyance and gave his sister the best glare he could muster. He trudged over to the couch once again and practically fell onto it, burying his face into the pillow.

“No…” he grumbled, “Kibum just happens to be a very pretty boy.”