Wonwoo grimaces; he knew it was ridiculous.  If Soonyoung saw him right now, he knew the other would never let this go. He already dropped this class last week because he didn’t want any 8am classes. But why did he keep on going?

    He knew why. It was because of Kim ing Mingyu. The guy who could walk inside the huge, stuffy lecture hall filled with annoying, loud university freshmen  at 8am in the morning with a huge stupid grin on his face. The guy who would search the entire hall just to sit next to him (or so he would like to believe). The guy who asked him to be his ‘study buddy’, while asking for his number at the same time.

    He keeps telling himself, on the way to class each morning, that it would be the day he’d finally tell Mingyu he’s not in the class. But every time, he chickens out. He’d keep practicing it while walking: “I dropped the class, so there’s really no point on meeting up to study together, but I think you’re really interesting so can we still be friends and meet up sometime?” or maybe, “Hey I’ve been going to this lousy 8am class for a week now even though I’m not even enrolled here anymore, but I’m cool with meeting up without the studying part if you’re okay with that- please tell me I did not creep you out.”

    “No. No. No,” Wonwoo stopped walking, out of frustration. It’s been a week now. Of course it would creep Mingyu out. Hell he even creeps himself out. They barely met, and Wonwoo is so awkward, and it’s been a whole week now. It would’ve made more sense if it was the day after he dropped the class. Or maybe a couple days after. But not a whole week.

    Suddenly, he jolted up when he felt the phone in his hand vibrate and ring. It was Soonyoung. .

    Soonyoung? Kwon Soonyoung? Awake at 8am? Impossible.

    With a last second hesitation, Wonwoo pressed the answer button. “Hey.”

    “What do you mean hey? Were you awake? Come out, I’m outside your dorm. Let’s go grab breakfast, I’m so hungry.”

    .

     .

    “Go have breakfast yourself. It’s 8 in the ing morning, Soonyoung,” Wonwoo tried his best to sound as if he had just woken up. This was really bad. He shouldn’t have answered this. Kwon Soonyoung would never get up on 8am unless it was because of food. He should’ve known that by now.

    “But. C’mon, Jeon Wonwoo, they’re serving french toast  and bacon. Get up and come out, it’s freezing out here.”

    Wonwoo clicked his tongue. “Go by yourself, Soonyoung. I’m not going.” Why was he friends with such a stubborn person?

    “If you don’t come out in five minutes I swear, Wonwoo, I will find a way to get inside. I’ll phone Jihoon if I had to.”

    . He’s really in trouble now. Jihoon was the guy who lived at the same hall as him, and supposedly, he had almost all classes but one with Soonyoung. They were really close, Wonwoo could tell. Sometimes too close that Wonwoo would even think that maybe- maybe his annoying best friend is actually beginning to like someone for the first time in a long while. It’s been two years since Hansol left Soonyoung- he guess it was just a matter of time for moving on.

    But that was besides the point. He really can’t have Soonyoung or (especially) Jihoon barging in there and learning about his little rendezvous every morning. He didn’t even want Mingyu to meet Soonyoung- at least, not yet. Soonyoung gets too protective sometimes.

    “Fine, I’ll be out in fifteen minutes,” Wonwoo said after calculating how much time it would take to sneak back in his dorm room through the backdoor, change back to his PJs, and get out.

    “Fifteen? Seriously just wash up quick and go out. Or at least let me in,” Soonyoung complained.

    “I can’t. Jeonghan have someone over,” Wonwoo reasoned out, and hung up before Soonyoung could even protest.

    Wonwoo faked a laugh, sounding sarcastic as he did so, while picking up his phone from the table. He swore it was because it was stuffy at the dining hall that he’s feeling hot, but he knew deep down what the real reason was. He didn’t even expect a message from Mingyu at that time.

    From: Mingyu

    To: Wonwoo

    Message: (8.10am) Hey where are you? I didn’t see you at the usual spot. Did you not go to class today? You okay?

    Wonwoo felt himself about to throw up what he just ate because Kim Mingyu who always walks in class with a stupid smile on his face noticed his absence. He didn’t even know how to respond without sounding like a lame teenage girl who just got her first text message from a cute guy in class.

    “Who’s that?” Soonyoung’s question brought Wonwoo back to reality.

    “Who’s who?”

    “That. The one who texted. Your smile is so creepy.”

    “I’m not smiling,” Wonwoo denied, smiling.

    “You’re even smiling while saying you’re not smiling. Seriously, who’s that?” Soonyoung’s curiosity grew.

    . Was he? “Nobody.”

    Soonyoung made a face. “Seriously? You’re telling me that Jeon Wonwoo, who is an avid hater of morning, is smiling at-” He stopped to look at the time on his phone. “-8:10 in the morning because of nobody?”

    Wonwoo hated how observative Soonyoung gets sometimes. “Yes, nobody.”

    “I don’t believe you. What’s her name?”

    Wonwoo blushed. "It's not.."

    Soonyoung quirked an eyebrow, slowly curving his lips up to a smile. “What’s his name?”

    “I’m not telling you any name, Soonyoung. Seriously, he’s nobody,” Wonwoo’s voice trailed off, as he finally started typing up a response. He didn’t know what the hell he was supposed to say- a part of him wanted to confess that he didn’t really have that class, but another part, that nagging part, wanted him to just avoid that and tell Mingyu that he slept in so he wouldn’t be coming to class that day.

    Soonyoung watched his best friend continuously type up a response and delete it all over again. “You’re pathetic,” he finally says. “Just send the goddamn thing.”

    And Wonwoo, being stupid in the morning, did.

    To: Kim Mingyu

    From: Jeon Wonwoo

    Message (8:14am): Sorry, I slept

    He didn’t even get to finish the message. Jesus, he sounded so lame.

    To: Wonwoo

    From: Mingyu

    Message (8:14am): Yes, it was night. Most people sleep at night, Wonwoo. lol

    Message (8:14am): I’ll take notes and make sure to send them to you.

    Message (8:15am): Or do you want to meet up so you can copy?

    Wonwoo’s blush just deepened at the embarrassment, even though he could tell Mingyu probably got what he was trying to say. But what he didn’t get was why he replied he’d prefer they met up. Maybe it was because he missed Mingyu; maybe he was just naturally stupid.

    Either way, that stupid thing happened to be the smartest move he made that day.