A knock on Wonshik’s door at seven in the morning usually meant Hakyeon had done something and it was up to him to get him out of whatever trouble or scheme he had been involved in. When the soft knocks on his door and aroused him from his slumber, he had cursed the day Cha Hakyeon was born. He thought about rolling over and ignoring it, but knew that with whatever was on the other side of the door, Hakyeon would never let him live it down.

“You ignored my distress signal,” he could already hear Hakyeon’s incredulous shrilling.

“What would you have done if I was dying and you ignored my call for help? That knock could have been my only saving grace!”

Wonshik could already feel a headache coming on.

When another soft knock came, he sighed and decided to answer whoever was there. He knew it wasn’t the man himself because there would have been yelling from behind the door and banging from Wonshik’s neighbors. He had one more warning before the RA had threatened to take the noise complaints to the housing department.

He blearily got up and made his way to the door, about to get angry at whoever would wake him up before his alarm, when he stopped, eyes going wide.

Jung Taekwoon.

“Uhm,” he started.

“Sorry for waking you up.” He said, taking in Wonshik’s appearance; hair everywhere, shirt loose, sweatpants hanging dangerously low.

When Wonshik didn’t say anything, Taekwoon looked away, down the hallway. He noted the pink hue starting to creep up to Taekwoon’s cheeks. He would have thought it was adorable, had he not been too tired and too surprised.

Wonshik shook his head to clear his thoughts before answering, grabbing Taekwoon’s attention again.

“Yeah, no. It’s okay. What can I do for you?”

Taekwoon looked at the floor for a minute and then met Wonshik’s eyes.

“Have you…talked to Hakyeon lately?”

Wonshik gaped at him. What was even happening right now?

“Yeah. I saw him last night. Everything all right? You…want to come in?”

Taekwoon nodded and when Wonshik stepped aside to let him enter, he stepped inside and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room. After closing the door, Wonshik turned and gestured to his computer chair by his desk. Wonshik sat down on his bed and turned to his guest.

When Taekwoon continued to sit silently, Wonshik tried to continue the conversation.

“So, everything okay?” He tried.

“Well, not exactly.” Taekwoon then sighed and rubbed his hands over his face.

“I know you were at the club on 2^nd Street a couple weeks ago when Hakyeon was there,” he started.

Wonsik acknowledge this with a hum.

“Something happened, with Hakyeon, and ever since, he’s refused to even look at me. I mean it’s not that we see each other all that often, but it’s weird not having him not holler my name across the courtyard or trying to get me to get coffee with him.”

Wonshik noticed Taekwoon fidgeting with the sleeve of his shirt as he spoke.

Hakyeon had started acting weird, his enthusiasm too forced, since the night at the club those weeks ago. It wasn’t his place to ask but Wonshik had been to the point of a total freak out not knowing what was wrong with him. That’s why he hesitated before asking.

“What happened with Hakyeon? He hasn’t been in the best mood since that night and I’m worried about him. He won’t tell me about it.”

“He really hasn’t said anything to you?” Taekwoon asked, watching him. As if checking to make sure Wonshik wasn’t lying.

“Not a word. When we left, he told me he embarrassed himself and needed to get out of there. We haven’t talked about it since. Well, that’s not because I haven’t tried. He threatened to maim me if I asked again.” Wonshik winced at the memory.

Taekwoon’s gaze dropped to the floor again. He sighed and started talking, but didn’t meet Wonshik’s eyes.

“We were talking and he asked me to dance, so I agreed. We went out to the floor and started dancing but the music was too loud and I couldn’t hear anything he was saying. We had to yell to be heard. Next thing I knew, the song stopped right as he was in the middle of saying something. Before I could say anything, he realized what had happened, and he ran away.”

“What did he say?”

The blush returned to Taekwoon’s cheeks.

“He…told me he thought he loved me.”

If Wonshik’s eyes could get any bigger, they would threaten to pop out of his head.

“He did what?” he nearly shrieked.

“He said, and I really think I’m in love with you. I don’t know what he had said before that. I don’t know if he was just rambling on because it’s not like we could really hear what we were saying. I just know that the color drained from his face and he literally ran away.” Taekwoon looked back up at him.

“He didn’t tell you any of that?”

“Not at all.” Wonshik shook his head.

Neither of them said anything for a long moment before Wonshik sighed.

“Wow.”

“Yeah.”

“Uhm,” he began.

“Say, hypothetically, he really did love you, what would you do?” Wonshik looked up to watch Taekwoon’s reaction.

“I don’t know. I’ve never been told that before.”

“No, I mean, Hakyeon specifically. If he confessed to you, how would you feel?”

Taekwoon stared at him a moment before answering.

“I guess I’d be happy. We don’t really know that much about each other, but I’ve never thought anything bad about him. He’s nice and incredibly sweet. He can be annoying but he’s that way with everyone.”

“Tell me about it.” Wonshik laughed and rolled his eyes.

“He’s not a bad guy at all. And he’s…not bad to look at either.” Saying that, Taekwoon looked away, unable to look at anything but the wall across the room.

“I just didn’t know if he had said anything to you. He’s actively ignoring me so it’s not like I could go to him about it. I’m sorry for dragging you into it.”

“Oh no, it’s fine. Really. It’s okay. I’m glad you told me. Like I said, Hakyeon’s been in a mood since that night at the club and it was starting to make me worried.”

Wonshik leaned on his elbow, chin in his hand.

“I’d say I could try to talk to him but I know that wouldn’t go over well. Maybe you and I could hang out some time and think of something? I mean you live down the hall.”

“Yeah, that sounds okay. I just don’t want him angry with me.”

“I don’t think he’s angry at you. I think the timing was weird and what he said took a lot of courage so it probably freaked him out.”

“Courage?” Taekwoon asked and Wonshik felt his heart stop beating.

Oh

“He really does like me?” Taekwoon asked, staring right at him.

“I think that’s something that Hakyeon should say to you himself.”

Taekwoon continued to stare at him with a level gaze, but nodded and looked away.

“I guess you’re right.”

Both boys jumped when Wonshik’s alarm started blaring.

7:00am.

Taekwoon stood and straightened his pants as he did so.

“I’ll leave you to get ready for your day. Again, I’m sorry for waking you. Thanks for taking the time to talk.”

“It’s no problem, man. I’m sure this will get figured out. It’ll be okay.” He smiled, standing from his bed and patting Taekwoon on the shoulder.

Taekwoon offered the smallest of smiles before he left Wonshik’s room.

When he was gone, Wonshik threw himself back onto his bed and rolled around in the sheet for a few minutes until his back up alarm went off.

Groaning, he got off the bed and started his day. Again. For real this time.

--

The next time Wonshik saw Hakyeon was later that day, sitting on the side of the fountain in the courtyard. He was sitting next to someone, talking animatedly about something. The person laughed and Wonshik knew who it was.

“What’s up?” he asked as he walked up to the pair.

“Hey, ‘Sik. I was sitting here waiting for you and Jaehwan walked up.”

“Hello, Ravi.” Jaehwan smiled at him, hand over his eyes to shield them from the sun.

“Hello.” Wonshik beamed at him. He noticed Hakyeon rolling his eyes in his peripheral.

“What were you going on about?” He asked, looking at Hakyeon before turning to Jaehwan.

“I’m sorry if he’s gone off on one of his tangents. He’s annoying but can’t help it. I’ve asked his mom if she dropped him as a child. She said no, so we don’t know why he is the way he is.”

Hakyeon kicked him.

“I’m the best thing to happen to you in the last five years of your life, Kim Wonshik. You’d be lost without me.” Hakyeon crossed his arms and glared at him.

“That’s what you think,” he said under his breath. Hakyeon’s glare grew as Jaehwan laughed at him.

“You guys are hilarious. I can’t believe he hasn’t come for your life, Ravi.”

“You’d be surprised.” Wonshik informed him.

The three of them talked for a while. Jaehwan was on campus to meet his friend again and Hakyeon had time to kill before his next class. Wonshik was pretty much free the rest of the day so they hung out by the fountain until Hakyeon had to leave.

They bid their farewells but then Wonshik remembered something.

“Hey, Hak!” he called.

“Yeah?” he turned back to them.

“Have you talked to Taekkyeon lately?”

He could see Hakyeon’s shoulders tense at the mention.

“No. I haven’t.” And with that, he turned and went back on his way.

“Poor thing.” Jaehwan whispered beside him, nudging Wonshik with his shoulder.

“What do you mean?” Wonshik asked, looking over at Jaehwan who was staring after Hakyeon’s fleeting figure.

“He’s so in love with this kid but he won’t say anything to him.” Jaehwan returned Wonshik’s gaze. They stared at each other a moment before Wonshik saw something move out of the corner of his eye and turned to look at it. A fallen leaf.

“Yeah, well, I think he already did tell him and he’s scared because he didn’t get to do it the way he wanted to.”

“Oh yeah?” Jaehwan inquired.

“Yeah. Taekwoon showed up at my door this morning and asked if Hakyeon had said anything. The night you and I met, at the club, Hakyeon accidentally told him he loved him and then ran away before he could get an answer.”

“Poor, sad child.”

Wonshik hummed. He noticed Jaehwan shift so his legs were crossed, facing Wonshik. Jaehwan was wearing capri cut sweatpants and Wonshik saw more ink sprawled across the back of his leg.

“Hey, you think I could get another tattoo story today?” He wondered, staring at Jaehwan’s leg. When Jaehwan noticed where he was looking, he looked too. He pulled up the pant leg and revealed a mandala elegantly placed on his calf.

“You like this one?”

“It’s beautiful.” Wonshik confessed before looking up at Jaehwan.

“Where did you get it?”

Jaehwan smiled.

“I got it in India. I was traveling through this town and I didn’t have any money and this guy saw me asking people for change. He asked me to help take care of an elephant at a rescue center and he’d pay me in return. I ended up staying for a month, helping take care of elephants. Every day I would get up and give them water and open the gates for them to go out and graze. They’re beautiful creatures. Fun to play with.” Jaehwan looked up at the clouds, seemingly lost in thought.

“So, how’d you end up with the tattoo?”

“Ah, well once the month was up, the man that hired me was sad to see me go so as a present, he got me this.” He gestured towards his leg.

“He just randomly got you a tattoo?” Wonshik said as he gawked at it, leaning forward to better see it.

“Pretty much. I got it and left the country with no issues soon after, so if he didn’t pay for it, then some dude in India gave me a tattoo for free.” He laughed. Wonshik couldn’t help but smile at him. The sound of Jaehwan’s laugh was quickly becoming one of his favorite sounds.

“You’re incredible,” Wonshik breathed.

Jaehwan’s head snapped up to look at Wonshik, who in turn was oblivious, too caught up in Jaehwan’s golden brown hair.

“What did you just say?” Jaehwan murmured as he goggled at him.

Wonshik looked up at him and realized he had slipped up.

“Uhm…I said you’re…you’re incredible.” Both of them stared at each other until Jaehwan turned his head away.

Wonshik was afraid he had messed up. He waited for Jaehwan to say something but he stayed silent. The silence began to bother him so, he spoke up.

“What are you thinking?” he wondered.

Jaehwan didn’t look at him when he answered.

“Sad thoughts.”

Wonshik didn’t know what to do or say as he watched Jaehwan for a moment.

“I’m sorry if I offended you?” It came out more like a question because he really had no clue what to do.

Jaehwan looked back at him, eyes flickering across Wonshik’s face. It made Wonshik almost uncomfortable under his scrutiny.

“You didn’t do anything so don’t worry about it.” Jaehwan said after a few tense moments.

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah,” he whispered, “it wasn’t you. I promise. I uh, I gotta go. I’ll see you later.”

When Jaehwan walked off, Wonshik felt his chest constrict. Something wasn’t right.

And he was unfortunately about to find out what it was.

*Taekkyeon – A traditional Korean martial art first recorded during the Joseon Dynasty.

Tell me what you think, my loves! Can you guess what's going to happen next?

Hint: I'm already dreading writing it even though my brain is what cooked it up ;)

Also, I was going to be cute about the title of this chapter but my mind runs on memes after midnight.

I edited this at 5:30am so my apologies for the mistakes that still remain.