"Someday, Kihyunnie. Someday I will grow big so I can protect you. I promise I'll protect you forever!"

 

 

Kihyun's unconscious smile turns into a grimace as his head suffered a rather forceful hit with the glass. He blinks his eyes open at the pain, "Ouch,"

"Sorry about that, baby." His mother's gentle voice tries to soothe him from the front seat of the car. "Can't you slow the down, though?" her calm, elegant voice betrays her frugal language, as always.

"Haha, no. Sorry, Kihyun! I'm just excited. It's my first time seeing you off for school, after all." Kihyun's father chuckles, grip on the steering wheel loosening.

Kihyun groans and stretches his arms to shake away the remains of his 30 second nap. "Which is unnecessary. Because you know, the school is just two blocks away,"

"Oh hush, dear." His mother laughs, tucking a stray gray hair on her ear, "Your father just wanted to show off his car in the neighborhood. Let's just let him be. Wouldn't it be a waste to not use it?"

"Wouldn't it be a waste to not use my legs?" Kihyun sighs in defeat and chooses to just stare outside the window. His parents wouldn't listen to him, anyway. As long as it's not something that they could benefit from or make their names prettier, they would not hear it.

You see, Kihyun's family is... ridiculously wealthy. Like, Korean drama wealthy. His family owns a chain of shopping malls across Korea and other minor businesses like clothes brands and restaurants. And his parents are also old because, he'll admit it now so you don't expect any drama from it later on, his father and mother are unable to have a child of their own and decided to adopt him when he was still a child.

This brings him back to present time, with Kihyun sulking while observing the streets and his parents chattering about business matters nonstop.

Due to something of the nature of his parents' jobs, they often move and Kihyun always finds it difficult to separate with his built relationships. This time though, his father promised that this move will be the last so that Kihyun can enjoy his youth. And that promise made him really happy. But not the way that his father clamped a firm hand on his shoulder and said to him "But you really need to stop being so upset all the time. They're just friends, y'know? We're rich. You could have any friend you want".

Kihyun shakes his head, dismissing his negative thoughts. He is here for a new, positive start, after all.

He lets his eyes roam over the clean sidewalks with its early morning jogging old women with their dogs, food and other shops opening their doors, and people greeting them as they pass by the streets. He smiles; the place is still the same as he remembered it 10 years ago.

Will he still be the same as 10 years ago?

"We're here!" His mother cheers.

"Why are you more excited than me?" Kihyun opens the door of the car and waits for his parents to get out. Her mother hastily fixes Kihyun's hair and smooths his tie, "Aigoo, my baby is not a baby anymore! Our Kihyun is a man now. You look so handsome in your uniform!"

"Your mom's right. You've grown well," his dad smirks and looks at him proudly.

Kihyun smiles a small smile, "Thanks," his eyes wander over the students who were whispering and pointing at them and their shining car, "I'm going now. Your car is already getting the attention you wanted, Dad,"

His father cackles while entering the car and his mom kisses both his cheeks. "'Study harder!"

Kihyun breathes deeply, pushing his embarrassment of being treated like a child in front of others into the ground. "Bye,"

"Come home with a chick, okay?!"

"Oh my god," Kihyun covers his face, "Leave already, Dad!"

The car takes off and Kihyun lowers his hands on his face after a few minutes, relieved that now that his parents are gone, no one is paying him any attention. Okay, the day is still fresh, Kihyun. Let's go make this a good yea- "Oof,"

"Ah," a deep voice says, "Sorry,"

Kihyun massages his hurt, sharp nose, "Oh no, no! It was my fault, so--"

..Woah.

The taller man walks past him, as if not intending to listen to whatever he has to say at all. But it's not like Kihyun still has anything left to say after catching a glimpse of someone as unreal as him.

Soft, blonde hair, beautiful, almond shaped eyes, pink, pillowy lips and a body carved by Zeus or whatever mythical god out there that Kihyun must have called out to when he choked out an "oh my god".

Kihyun's eyes follow the most gorgeous man his eyes had set upon, watching as the man's white shirt stretched perfectly across his back muscles. What the hell? What was that? Is he real???

The man comes to a halt and Kihyun's eyes drift off to the man's companion. He swears his eyes almost fell off when he sees the guy, thinner and taller, but just as beautiful. 

Is everyone here like this? Kihyun frowns. If so, he wants out.

His frown unconsciously deepens and he starts to feel uncomfortable when he sees the two majestic children of God reach out to each other and... hold hands.

Kihyun closes his eyes. Okay, he shouldn't be quick to judge. What if they were just really intimate friends who hold hands and stare at each other so sweetly on a regular basis?

But then Kihyun opens his eyes and he sees the blonde one tiptoe to kiss the taller's cheek and oh, okay. Okay they are clearly not just friends. Okay.

He looks around and sees the other students ignore the public display of affection as if it was normal to see two beautifully grown men hold hands and kiss cheeks.

Kihyun's chest clenches lightly and he sighs. "Was this really normal? This school must be full of homos, huh," he wonders to himself, identifying the pang in his heart as surprise and nothing else.

--

Introductions were made and he is pretty sure he made a decent impression (If girls squealing every time he speaks with his soft, angelic voice is anything to come by) and he was doing just fine socializing with his classmates. Thank God, he wasn't a spoiled rich mofo with no social skills. He was kind of normal.

But then he had been missing a few calls from nature that he really needed to go now.

"May I go to the restroom?" he raises his hand curtly, his mellow voice earning a schoolgirl giggle or two. The teacher nods and he goes out of the room to walk aimlessly.

You got that right. Aimlessly. Kihyun highkey ed up and went out not knowing where the bathroom is. He really can't go back now. Wouldn't it be too embarrassing? And he really needs to out with it now. 

He's in a garden because Kihyun also s up his directions a lot of times.

"Someone help me," Kihyun whispers brokenly, holding his crotch while walking to wait for any chances of hope. It'd be rude to just pee in the mop washer and as a rich kid, he had never gone through that before. But here he was, slowly ping his zipper, until he hears a sob.

His hair stands and goosebumps spread all over his flesh. Where was that?! What was that???!!!

He whips his head around. Okay, calm down, Kihyun. It's just um, a crying child. Not a ghost. You can't possibly encounter a ghost in your first day, right? Moreover, with half ed pants, right?! That's not how horror stories go!

He hears another, louder sob and he decides, his bladder. Ghosts and lives are more important. Bladders can come later.
He walks towards his left (yep, still pressing into his crotch) and sees a roof and hallelujah! It was a bathroom! Kihyun feels tears prickle in the corner of his eyes as he runs to his eternal relief (read: urinal). 

A broken sob echoes through the spacious bathroom.

Kihyun, again, decides to it. Ghosts can come later. Bladder and the urinal in front of him first.

The sobbing pauses as Kihyun finishes his business, zipping up and washing his hands on the faucet, hands shaking while deciding between just going back to class or being stupid and confronting the crying ghost. Guess what a genius like him chooses.

"Uh, hey?" Kihyun his chapped lips. Ghosts weren't real anyway, or at least, that's what his father always told him. It was just his urinal-need induced thinking that he made himself so scared. Probably.

A few seconds of silence and Kihyun gives up. He takes one step until he hears the words.

"Go away," a gruff voice whispers.

Kihyun shouldn't be, but he weirdly finds himself worried, "Are you okay?"

The voice laughs, "No. Nothing is okay. None! Go away! I don't need your help! You'll just leave me, anyway!"

Kihyun raises an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"I'm right, aren't I?" the man starts to cry again. "You'll leave me alone. Look! You're already leaving! I can see your feet!"
Kihyun was taken aback by the presumably man's rage. "No? I'm just getting you tissues,"

"..."

Kihyun sighs, his counselor persona taking over him. "Open up wherever cubicle you are,"

"..Are you.." a cubicle door creaks, "Are you really going to comfort me?"

Kihyun shrugs, "Well, yeah. If you need it, I guess?"

A cubicle door slams open and out jumped a tall man who immediately clung onto Kihyun. He wraps his arms around his neck.

"I'm M-Minhyuk," the black haired cried onto the juncture of Kihyun's neck and shoulder. "Thank you for your comfort. I really need a hug right now,"

And that is how he met his first friend in this academy.

 

--

 

"I hugged you once," Kihyun whines, "Now you're acting like we've been best friends for years. Please let me go. I need to breathe,"

"No complaints, Kihyunnie." Minhyuk hums, latching onto him tighter. "I made you go away earlier and you didn't. You're my official best friend now,"

"I'm okay with being your best friend as long as you let me breathe. Please," Kihyun gasps out.

Minhyuk begrudgingly lets him go, "You're exaggerating but fine, there's no helping it. I'm not touching you any more than how I do now since you're not used to it!"

Kihyun pales. Does that mean there's stuff worse than that bone-crushing hug?

They were in the cafeteria and Minhyuk pulls him towards a table occupied with thug-like student.

"We're here!" Minhyuk shouts at Kihyun for no reason and the scary man glares at them while pulling out his earphones from his ear. Kihyun unconsciously tugs on Minhyuk's hand. 

"Minhyuk? Let's not go there. That guy is glaring at us. You're too loud,"

"What? Minhyuk snorts. "Don't be ridiculous. Hey, Jooheon! Meet my best friend,"
"Wait, uh?" Kihyun gasps when he sees the frightening guy, Jooheon, give him small, friendly smile and reach for his hand to shake. Kihyun snaps out of his focus on the gorgeous dimples and prays that Jooheon will not be bothered by the clamminess of his hands.

"Don't worry, Kihyun. Jooheon looks really scary but he can't even hurt a fly! He'd rather run away from flies, not hurt them. He's puny that way." Minhyuk grins, swatting Jooheon's slap away perfectly. They get their trays of lunch and sat back down on the small table.

"So," Minhyuk hums, playing on his salad with his fork. "Has anyone caught your interest?"

Kihyun chokes on his water.

"Geez, hyung. Can't you have more tact?" Jooheon shakes his head, handing Kihyun several tissues, "But seriously Kihyun hyung, someone caught your eye?" Jooheon prods.

Ah, sorry.

Kihyun blinks and shakes the thought of the man he earlier met. No. He is not interested in that godlike guy! He sighs, "Nope. None. I've just been here for a few hours and those are your questions for me?"

Minhyuk shrugs, "I mean, there are a lot of good-looking guys here. You should have at least liked a face,"

Kihyun unnecessarily remembers the blonde man with the sparkling eyes. Too bad he was taken- wait, Kihyun what?

"Guys?" Kihyun wipes off his lips the remnants of lunch. "Why do you assume that guys will interest me?"

Minhyuk halts his fork midway from his mouth, "..They don't?"

"Not particularly, I guess?"

"Oh," Jooheon hums in understanding,  "It doesn't really matter to us. ual preferences and all that, um."

Kihyun raises an eyebrow at their silence, "I'm the straight one here, why am I the one being looked at weirdly?"

More silence. "Uh. I don't really think much about that, okay? I'm cool if you two are cool. So please make this awkward air disappear," Kihyun flaps his hand as if really fanning away the awkwardness.

The two visibly eases up and Minhyuk grins at him, " Anyway, I told you I'd introduce the different kinds of students here, right?"

Kihyun nods, Jooheon rolls his eyes.

"You see, there's the bacon," he points towards the direction of girls with too short to cover skirts and thick dapples of make-up on their skin. Said girls waved towards Minhyuk when they noticed him.

"Jooheonie here is not popular with the ladies but with men. He's that cool,"

"It's not like I'm interested with women anyway," Jooheon shrugs.

"Meanwhile, there's me." Minhyuk interrupts, waving back towards the bacon, "I like girls,"

Kihyun tilts his head. "You do? What's with your reaction earlier?"

Minhyuk giggles, "It's not that. I was just wondering if I offended you by assuming you were gay!"

Kihyun quickly covers Minhyuk's mouth as he felt other students look at them, "Minhyuk, lower your voice, damn it."

Minhyuk Kihyun's palm and Kihyun slaps him with his other hand. The eldest of the three continues, "There," he points towards a group of rowdy boys, "They're ham. They're your typical friendly high school boys who live for sport and girls,"

"Those bunch are hotdogs," Minhyuk points at a mixed group of genders. "They're special in the way that they have no special traits. They're the crowd. They like following people and have no minds on their own. Some of them like music,"

"Over there are the chicken nuggets. They're first years or new ones so the awkwardness is visible. Hi, Changkyun!" Minhyuk waves on a sleepy guy on the group. "Most of them are air-headed and will probably just be hotdogs,"

Kihyun tilts his head, "Aren't you being a little mean?"

"Nah," Minhyuk shrugs. "They know me and how I talk anyway. We're pork chops, Kihyun. From now on, you're a pork chop," Minhyuk points his chopsticks at him. "You, me, Jooheon: we're the pork chops,"

Kihyun snorts, "Why do you classify people as meat?"

"Every animal is a meat. Humans are meat," Minhyuk states as if it was a great fact.

"Okay," Kihyun nods with a disbelieving smile, "Why do we have a class of our own? Can't we just be ham?"

"Nonono, no." Minhyuk declines quickly. "Pork chops, Kihyun. Pork chops! We're not mediocre. One good look and I know you have whatever special talent. Your looks are not average. You're rich. People love you,"

"..Thank you?"

"Pork chops, Kihyun." Minhyuk holds onto the brunette's shoulders, "We're somewhere in between ham and," Minhyuk turns and points in an exaggerated, snappy way. "Them,"

Kihyun could literally feel light emanating from where Minhyuk is pointing. He gasps.

"What meat are they?" Kihyun whispers. Are they Olympians or something?

"Steak," Minhyuk whispers back. "Medium-rare steak,"

Kihyun had never agreed for their label more than anything in his life.

The people were glowing. They looked as if they were supermodels, all with their amazing visuals and physique. They look like they were in a photo shoot when in actuality; they are just conversing and eating normally on a rectangular table. Kihyun's eyes halt on a familiar, perfect face.

"They say birds of the same feather flock together," Minhyuk explains, "Pretty people tend to hang out with even prettier people. Damn, they look unreal. I've always seen them but I still think all of them are unbelievable. School idols, indeed,"

Kihyun nods, no words registering on his mind. "Minhyuk, who's that? The one with the black hair and thick lips?"

"The tall, thin, standing one?" Kihyun nods. "That's Hyungwon. He's actually a model. He.. doesn't have the best personality so it's best you don't get on his bad side," Minhyuk pats his shoulder. "You really shouldn't get on his bad side,"

Kihyun wants to ask why he needs to be warned but at the same time he doesn't. "Lunch will be over soon, right? I'm gonna take my tray back first,"

Minhyuk pouts, "No wait, I'm almost done! Wait for me," and he continues to chat with Jooheon. Kihyun dazedly walks away from their table.

Hyungwon, huh. Kihyun wonders absentmindedly. Where was the other guy? Minhyuk pointed out everyone in the canteen and he didn't see him. Where was the other guy and why does he seem so familiar?

"Oof," Kihyun bumps into a person the second time that day.

Kihyun bumps into that person the second time that day.

"Um, are you okay?" The blonde man speaks uneasily with Kihyun's gaping mouth and lack of response.

"I-I'm fine," Kihyun stutters. Where was his calm, elegant, composed self when he needed it the most? MIA, of course.

"Kihyun!" Minhyuk shouts and Kihyun jumps in surprise, "I told you to wait for me-- Hi, Wonho hyung."

Kihyun turns towards Minhyuk, "Oh, sorry. I didn't hear you say that. Let's go together," he smiles and follows Minhyuk until he feels a tug on his wrist.

"Kihyun.." The blonde man his lips, "Your name is Yoo Kihyun?"

Kihyun's heart was beating loudly in his chest so hard he had to swallow a lump in his throat to speak. "Uh, yeah?"

 

Wonho's eyes brighten up and then it clicked.

 

His shining eyes, large pointy ears, soft cheeks, weird giggle and unmistakable dopey smile.

 

"Kihyun!"

Kihyun finally found him.

 

 

**

 

unbeta'd bc school !! pls read lol its boring at first but!! just but haha it's my debut mx work pls enjoy maybe I'll edit this on saturday

nag at me on twt @chaelattae or @_choochun