In the silence of his bedroom, Chanyeol still couldn't fall asleep even after reading an entire biography of some overachieving businessman. He looked at his alarm clock and it showed 2 a.m. Rolling over onto his back, he stared at the ceiling with wide eyes. He then slowly closed them and began counting sheep. But instead of sheep, images of Kyungsoo flooded his vision. Instantly, he propped himself up and groaned in despair. He had been suffering with this "Kyungsoo Syndrome" for a while now. The symptoms were sleeplessnes because of visions of Kyungsoo taunting him. Other symptoms included an increased heart beat rate, butterflies in the tummy and jellified legs whenever the sole cause of all this smiles sweetly at Chanyeol or laughs at his lame jokes or even if her elbow grazes him. And not to mention that tight, asphyxiating clench in his chest because of all the unnecessary jealousy he gets when Kyungsoo gives her full attention to Baekhyun and completely ignores Chanyeol (well, the "completely ignores Chanyeol" part was exaggerated but it still got Chanyeol moody).

Lying there awake, he wondered if Yifan and Sehun were right all along— what if Kyungsoo had poisoned him with some toxin which takes effect slowly? Or what if she's performing voodoo on his look-alike doll? Yet all that wouldn't be enough to stop him from talking to Kyungsoo and making himself a significant part of her life. Because that's the kind of idiot that he was.

The next day, Chanyeol decide to spend an hour after school with Kyungsoo and Baekhyun to work on some physics problems together. He kept pinching himself discretely to stop the overpowering envy whenever he saw Kyungsoo giving Baekhyun a little more attention than him. To distract himself, he grabbed Kyungsoo's backpack and opened it. The books were arranged according to height and they even had bookmarks between the pages. Typical of her, he thought amusedly. Rummaging through, he paused suddenly, hand hovering over a worn out journal. Wrenching it from underneath all that weight, he began flipping the pages. It held a beautiful collection of poems on nature, love, family and life itself. He was into his twelfth poem when a tiny hand snatched the journal from under his nose.

'CHANYEOL! STOP SNOOPING AROUND!!!' shouted Kyungsoo, clutching the book with one hand and hitting him with the other. But he swiftly caught her wrist and pulled her abruptly, causing her to fall straight into his lap. From his peripheral vision, he could see Baekhyun smirking notoriously. Blushing a furious red, Kyungsoo slipped off of Chanyeol's lap, secretly disappointing him.

Shrugging his shoulders, he told her,'I just wanted to know if you were going to publish this or not...'

'Of course not! It's just some silly stuff!' shot back Kyungsoo.

'Hey, isn't today the last day for submission of entries for the school's writing competition?' interjected Baekhyun.

'Oh yeah! Kyungsoo, you have got to go and shove this into Editor Kim Junmyeon's face. That's some good writing!' 

'Yeah Soo. Give it a try! You might even get paid!'

'B-but—' began Kyungsoo

'No buts! You're going up to give it. Right now,' stated Chanyeol, deadpan serious.

'Nobody will like it.'

'Everybody will love it!'

'I hate you...'

'Aww, don't pout Kyungsoo...' cooed Chanyeol, pinching her cheeks.

'If you two could just stop acting like a married couple for a second, I would like to point out that it's already 3:30 and Junmyeon would be leaving any time now,' put in Baekhyun.

Realising that he was right, Chanyeol got up, lifted Kyungsoo off her feet and carried her bridal style.

'Hey! I order you to put me down this instant! This is school premises for God's sake!!' came her protest.

'We need to get you to Junmyeon before he leaves!' he exclaimed back.

'I can reach there by myself, thank you very much!'

'Not with those short legs you can't!' retorted Chanyeol, speeding off with her to the school building, with Baekhyun in tow getting all the entertainment he needs to tease Kyungsoo for the rest of her lifetime. They stopped right in front of the main entrance where Kyungsoo was gently placed down.

'Go on Kyungsoo. He's in that office. We'll wait right here,' were Chanyeol's last words before she went in to submit her entry.

For the next fifteen minutes or so, Chanyeol waited in anticipation while Baekhyun lazily walked here and there. Finally, someone stepped out of the building— it was Junmyeon. With no sign of Kyungsoo.

Baekhyun looked at Chanyeol with apprehension and together, they went in for the missing person. Once inside, they saw her standing there in the middle of the corridor, clutching her journal to her side.

'I was late,' she explained in an ever so mild voice,'since they've already chosen the winning work.'

'Unfair! Today's the last day of submission and the judging can start only by tomorrow!' huffed Baekhyun.

'Did he at least read it?' questioned Chanyeol.

'What's the point? I told you it would never work...'

'Wait right there, missy,' he began , lifting Kyungsoo's chin up to look right at her, 'you actually think this is over?'

'Yes?'

'You underestimate my powers so much, don't you?' 

'What do you mean?' asked Kyungsoo, raising an inquisitive eyebrow.

'Just wait and watch...' 

In the evening, once Chanyeol got back home, he quickly dialled a familiar number. The ring went twice and a hushed voice said from the other end,

'Hello?'

'Hey Jongdae! Remember me?' beamed Chanyeol.

A muffled groan was heard.

'Of course. How can I forget my biggest, most problematic friend?'

'That's my boy...'

'Now tell me what you want... fast!'

'Why are you speaking so softly? Where are you?'

'Oh God... listen. I'm on a date with Sunyoung—'

'Wait! You mean Park Sunyoung from advanced calculus?'

'Yes—'

'The Park Sunyoung whom you were crushing on since kindergarten?!?'

'YES! Which is why I'm asking you to hurry up. She's waiting for me to return—'

'OH MY GOD! JONGDAE, YOU SLY DOG!!!!' screamed Chanyeol, making Jongdae pull his phone from his ears.

'Yeah yeah. Thank you very much. Now the request—?'

'Oh yeah. Uhh... what do you have about Kim Junmyeon?'

'You mean, the school magazine's Editor? '

'Yep,' affirmed Chanyeol, popping the P.

'I know for sure he had an affair with arts club President Zhang Yixing's girlfriend.'

'Really?! And you do have the photographic evidence for this, right?'

'High definition. From my very own DSLR. You do know that I'm not the best private investigator in school for nothing, right?'

'Of course, of course. Send the pictures to me soon, okay? Thanks for the help, mate.'

'Sure thing but may I ask why you're planning to blackmail Junmyeon?'

'It's to help someone...'

'You're going vigilante? Knew that would happen someday... Perhaps it's for a girl...?' teased Jongdae.

'Jongdae, aren't you keeping Sunyoung waiting?'

'Typical of you to change the subject. But I shall find out soon enough. No secret goes past me!'

'And you will, Sherlock Holmes. Got to go and finish business now.'

'Good bye and good luck.'

'Bye. And thank you.'

Now, all that Chanyeol needed was Junmyeon's phone number which was pretty easy considering how popular Junmyeon was. He could call up Sehun and get the number. And blackmailing Junmyeon into accepting Kyungsoo's entry.... that would be the easiest part. No matter how big of a name he had, Junmyeon was always frightened by the small petty threats that could probably damage his reputation. And Yixing would leave no stone unturned if the secret was revealed. He would probably design a million posters and stick it around school by hand just to defame the Editor.

By eight thirty, Chanyeol had everything he needed to put almighty Kim Junmyeon in a fix. Jongdae sent fifteen of the best photos and Sehun readily gave him the number. Armed with an impeccable ultimatum, Chanyeol punched in the number. It rang for a while and then it stopped.

'Hello. Kim Junmyeon speaking,' came a cheerful voice, the owner of which was completely unaware of the oncoming unfortunate turn of events.

The next day, Kyungsoo walked into school with Baekhyun, only to be intercepted by a flustered Junmyeon in the middle of the school ground.

'Ahahahaha! Hi, Kyungsoo! I was wondering if you could give me your entry for the contest so that I can look it over?' he cried.

Baekhyun and Kyungsoo exchanged confused glances.

'But yesterday was the last day for—' began Kyungsoo but was quickly interrupted by Junmyeon.

'Oh pish posh! I was just in a bad mood yesterday... So where's the entry?'

Slowly removing her bag from her shoulders, Kyungsoo pulled out the journal.

'BRILLIANT!' yelped Junmyeon, looking ten times more relieved with colour rushing to his previously ashen face, 'I shall leave now and give this a thorough reading. Good day, then.'

And with that, Junmyeon left as swiftly as he emerged. Baekhyun and Kyungsoo stared at his distancing form, bewildered.

'This calls for an icecream treat, eh?' came a deep baritone voice from behind them. Turning around, they saw Chanyeol leaning to his side against the compound wall. 

'You! You did something, didn't you?' accused Kyungsoo playfully, pointing a thin finger at him.

Feigning an expression of surprise, Chanyeol joked, 'Me? Do something? Whatever do you mean?'

'How in the world did you manage it though?'

'I have my ways. I did tell you not to underestimate me, right?'

Starting on her feet, Kyungsoo came crashing into Chanyeol's chest, pushing him down onto the soft,damp grass, hugging him by the waist. Chanyeol overcame the initial shock and patted her head. Adjusting herself to sit on his midriff, she beamed,

'You do have a way of getting things done, don't you?'

Chanyeol gazed up at Kyungsoo, her head blocking the harsh sun causing the rays to appear from around her head which gave her an ethereal look. And the Kyungsoo Syndrome struck again. His heart kept beating so fast he thought it would burst. He felt a rush of blood to his face. His whole body was tingling due to cutis anserina, more commonly called goosebumps. Chanyeol was pretty sure that he would've died there had Baekhyun not cleared his throat quite loudly to say,

'Guys! This is school premises, you know. We don't want a teacher walking in on your little private session now, do we?'

At once, Kyungsoo and Chanyeol jumped away from each other, blushing and unable to look at each other, while Baekhyun giggled like a maniac.

After school, they headed out to the nearby cafe for icecream. They then walked to the river banks with their icecreams in hand. The sun was setting and the whole sky had a rosy orangish hue to it. Baekhyun and Chanyeol sat down while Kyungsoo walked upto the edge, looking into the river. All of a sudden, a huge wind blew in, bringing along with it a hundred dandelions. The white feathery tufts drifted in the sky and Kyungsoo looked at it with so much adoration and delight that Chanyeol forgot to breathe. He was intrigued by the way she found happiness and beauty in the smallest of things and how she never took anything for granted. And that's what made her so precious to him.

Tearing her eyes away from the dandelions, she stared directly at Chanyeol, her eyes filled with the same amazement and something else that Chanyeol just couldn't point out. He felt his insides tightening and a fire shoot upto his heart. Normally, he would have said that it was the Kyungsoo Syndrome acting up. But not this time. This time, he was sure.

A hundred percent sure that he, Park Chanyeol, was madly in love with Do Kyungsoo.

'You've got it bad, Mr. Park Chanyeol...' crept Baekhyun's voice into the reverie of the addressed person's thoughts.

'What the hell are you even talking about?'

'Don't play dumb with me! It's obvious what's going on between you two. It's as plain as day to everyone else except you guys.'

Retiring himself to Baekhyun's truth, Chanyeol muttered, 'What does it matter when she doesn't feel the same way.'

'What?! Are you really that stupid, Yeol? Can't you see how much she likes you too? I mean, did you even see the way she looked at you just now?'

'So? What's the big deal?'

'God, you're daft! She would never give anyone a kind look. Yet you're an exception! And not to mention that she hugged you today and even held your hand after the picnic!'

'Wait— how did you even know that?'

Looking at his best friend observing a dandelion in the distance, Baekhyun whispered,

'Because she told me. She tells me such private matters of the heart. And lately... you've been mentioned a lot.'

Chanyeol didn't know what to say at that. He played anxiously with the hem of his shirt, only to resume,

'But she still likes you loads more.'

'Awww, is the boyfriend bitterly jealous of the best friend now? I've noticed you pinching yourself to keep the envy under control...' joked Baekhyun, to Chanyeol's utter embarrassment, 'You are just too obvious and Kyungsoo's just too oblivious. Ha! A match made in heaven.'

'But I am right...'

'That's because you don't know her. Sure, we joke and hug and fight. But it's always been in a way that's platonic. I can never see her more than a friend and I'm sure she feels the same way.'

'Then I don't see what's so special in the way she treats me... It's pretty much everything but special.'

'Listen here. Kyungsoo isn't the type to reveal her feelings that blatantly but I've learnt to read her well. Deep down, she cares the most for you—in a way that's completely different from what she has for me,' replied Baekhyun, silencing Chanyeol's doubts and fears once and for all.

'So you think I have a chance?' asked Chanyeol finally, grinning at the boy beside him.

'Of course! The only problem is in convincing her dad. But it's a thumbs up from me, which is all that's needed,' answered Baekhyun haughtily.

'Thumbs up for what?' came Kyungsoo's question from in front of them, as she made her way back, 'What did I miss out on?'

'Oh nothing! Chanyeol was planning on giving his sister a necklace for her birthday and I approved of his choice,' quipped Baekhyun swiftly to Chanyeol's relief.

The sun had set and the street lights flooded their way. Walking back home, Kyungsoo and Baekhyun bickered over some trivial matter but it didn't bother Chanyeol anymore. The jealousy had vanished totally and all he felt was pure joy. But everytime Kyungsoo turned to look at him or punch him when he mocked her for being short, he could still feel the attack of the Kyungsoo Syndrome. He knew the cure for it now, though.

The cure for the syndrome was the very root cause of it.

And Chanyeol was determined to have that cure for himself. 

Even if it killed him.