"Jihoon, did you hear?" This was the first thing the young man heard in the morning. 

Lee Jihoon, Junior.

It was a new school semester and everyone seemed different. Good and bad. Lucky for him, his best friend, Kwon Soonyoung, was still the same old dork he met when they were in elementary school. 

"What did I hear, what?" He asked, obviously confused as he glanced at his best friend by his side. The look in his eyes. He wanted answers.

"Our senior, Seungcheol, I think, left during the holidays," Jihoon quickly decided to play the 'I-don't-care' card.

"Really? Do you know why?" He clearly failed to do so. 

"Mm, nope. No one knows. Probably Jeonghan knows why. He /is/ the best friend, after all." With that said, their schoolmate left, leaving Soonyoung and Jihoon even more confused. 

Especially Jihoon. 

He didn't want to start the new school semester like this. He planned on working hard so that his overall results would at least look nice on his report card for once.

Jihoon knew this wasn't going to affect him in the long run so he just decided to brush it off right there and then. 
Or so he thought.
He continued to do his things normally. Go to his classes, laugh and walk around with Soonyoung after and during school and went back home. 

This went on for a whole month. 

However, in that whole month, when he wasn't doing anything, he found himself thinking about the boy and couldn't help but to feel hurt. 

'Why are you even hurt? Stupid boy.' He scolded himself mentally.

His brain was right. Why was he hurt? It's not as if the two shared or did anything special during the 2-month break. Pfft, of course not. 

It's not as if he had a chance with him from the start. Heck, the dude had a girlfriend. 

So why was he hurt? Why did he care? 

He was upset with himself and he knew he needed to let himself be upset in order to stop thinking about the older boy in the future. 

So he did just that. The next day, after school, he locked himself  in his room and wondered.
Ignoring his mother's calls from time to time to ask whether he wanted to eat or if he was feeling alright. 

He wondered why Seungcheol couldn't have just told him how he was feeling. 

Seungcheol had a tendency to become very cold towards the boy whenever he was upset, so he learned from the 2 months they spend together. It didn't have to be because of him. 

But he would apologize after and that was fine for him. 

What hurt the boy the most was the fact that the two weren't even talking anymore towards the end of their holiday. 

It wasn't like Jihoon didn't trying reaching out to him. He did. So many times. 

To: Seungcheol :-)

Hey, you there? 

To: Seungcheol :-) 

R u ignoring me 

To: Seungcheol :-)

Yoyoyoyoyoyoyoyo

To: Seungcheol :-) 

Ok, serious. Whats up. Did I do something to upset you? 

Ah! Finally, a reply! 

To: Jihoon

Not really. 

By then the boy didn't bother replying back anymore. Because for one, he texted so many things and only got that as a reply. Jihoon can be petty this once, right? And two, school's starting the next day so he might as well ask him face to face. 

After wondering for the whole day, completely shutting off everyone who tried to talk to him, even Soonyoung, he finally felt better. 

And Jihoon wasn't hurting anymore when he thought of the former basketball captain. He finally, genuinely, didn't care. 

Bless. 

3 months later, when their end-of-year exams were finally over, their report cards came out. 

Jihoon's  grades didn't change much but that's fine as long as he was going to be a senior the next year. 

It was the last day of school and everyone didn't give a damn about anything anymore. 

"Jihoon!" Soonyoung called out, running towards the boy. "Everyone's going to Boo's place later to celebrate the last day of school, wanna go?" 

He thought about it for awhile before shaking his head, "Nah, I'm good. I just wanna go back home and sleep, honestly." Jihoon frowned, thinking about the days he missed sleep to stay up and study. He can finally pay his sleeping debt!

Soonyoung groaned and held his hand, shaking it. "Please? Oh, pretty pleeeease?" 

Jihoon couldn't help but to laugh and give in. "Fine, fine! I'll go but you're buying me lunch!" 

That night, the infamous duo stepped into the house and were immediately bombarded with greetings coming from the left and right. 

"You guys made it!" Seungkwan cried in delight, seeing the Soonyoung and Jihoon enter his house. 

"Yeah, I even had to buy him lunch so he would come," Soonyoung rolled his eyes playfully, making the three of them laugh. 

Soonyoung suddenly pulled his small friend close and whispered into his ear, "I heard Seungcheol's back."

Suddenly Jihoon got reminded of what happened during their summer break. Everything that had to do with that particular boy, he remembered on the spot. 

He cannot let this get to him. After a month of trying to forget about him, Jihoon finally did it and now he's back. 

It's just not fair.

He cannot and will not allow this get to him. 

"Oh, really? That's great for him then,"
"Wait– What? This is the same guy that left you confused for a whole month!" 
"I know and that's all over now. I'm over him. He has a girlfriend." 

The two were talking with the rest who were there in Seungkwan's house. There weren't a lot of people, just half of their clique so far. Unfortunately, (for Jihoon) Seungcheol was in their clique too. 

One by one the others arrived and just when Jihoon thought that he wasn't going to show up, two knocks were heard from the door. 
 
"Knock, knock! Guess who?" That voice. Anyone that knew Seungcheol would know that that was his voice. 

All of them cheered in delight as Seungcheol came in to view. 
"Aye, Seungcheol!" 
"It's been a while!" 
"How've you been?" 

He was attacked with questions and all he could do was answer with a wide smile on his face. That stupid smile. Seungcheol went around hugging his friends and then it was Jihoon's turn. 

"Hi," 
"Hey." The two stared at each other for awhile before hugging each other. Obviously awkward towards each other in everyone's eyes even though they tried not to make it so. 

God, the atmosphere was suffocating. 

Seungkwan coughed in the background and clapped her hands together. 

"Alright, let's get this movie marathon going! And Seungcheol, it's good to have you back again!" 

They decided to watch the movies in the host's room and during the movie, Seungkwan got up and excused himself to the bathroom. Slowly, one by one, left Jihoon and Seungcheol in the room. Jihoon wasn't aware but Seungcheol was.

These crazies. 
 
Jihoon only realized that the rest of his friends were missing when the movie ended. 

My goodness, the atmosphere again. 
It was dark and the black screen wasn't helping their situation. 

"How've you been?" Seungcheol broke the ice first but Jihoon didn't want small talk. He wanted answers and this was his opportunity to get it from him.

"You left," Jihoon mumbled softly but Seungcheol heard it. The two were quiet again. 

"Why?" 
"...I'm sorry,"
"I don't want your sorry. I want to know why you left, I want to know why you acted the way you did, I want to know everything." 

"And I will tell you everything if you could just listen first," Jihoon got quiet and the elder took it as the boy wanting to listen. 

He heard the sheets rustle and felt a dip next to him. Seungcheol was close to him now. 

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry I just left you like that, I really am. You didn't deserve that. I know that now. Something was going on with my girlfriend back in Daegu and I had to go back to check on her. I was dumb, even I don't know why I acted like that towards you. I know you probably hate me but I hope you can forgive me." Silence filled the room again. 

"I don't hate you," Jihoon said quietly. "I've already forgiven you a long time ago. I don't hate you. I just wanted answers and you gave them to me so.. Thanks." 

Jihoon didn't want to be in the same room as the older boy anymore and decided that he wanted to leave the place and go home. 

But before he could even get off the bed, Seungcheol pulled the younger boy close by the wrist, cupped Jihoon's cheeks in his large hands and kissed him. Deeply. 

Jihoon couldn't help but to kiss him back. He liked him. God, he liked him so much. 

When they finally pulled away from the kiss, Jihoon mumbled softly against Seungcheol's  lips, "You have a girlfriend." 

"And that will never happen again." 

Seungcheol let go of the boy, got up and left the room, leaving the blonde with his thoughts once more. 

Jihoon heard some soft murmuring going on at the other side of the door but he didn't mind. 

All he had were thoughts.

(Jihoon remembered a quiet summer night where the two have snuck out from their houses to meet each other in their 'secret hiding spot'. Under a tree at the park. He was a carrying a sheet of gold star stickers from the music school for kids he was helping out at in the day. They were playfully putting stickers on each other's cheeks and arms when Seungcheol took one and lightly placed the gold star on his nose. "Boop," he softly said.)