.

monday

.

“Wake up.”

Jeonghan takes a deep breath, opens his eyes. He wasn't sleeping, but he could have been if not for Joshua. “What?”

“Class hasn't even started and you're already passed out,” Joshua sighs and hits Jeonghan over the head with the nearest book.

Mondays are hard. They're the least gentle reminder that responsibility exists after a lazy weekend. And Jeonghan hasn’t noticed it before, but today there's a tense energy in the air. A few rows up, girls huddle around the window and share frantic whispers. “Is something happening today?”

“It's Monday,” Josh shrugs, “Seungcheol gets a new girlfriend today.”

Jeonghan has to be missing something. “Who?”

“Choi Seungcheol,” It's Nayoung's voice this time. She's calmer than the rest of the room, and sits next to Jeonghan. “Do you seriously not know our class president? He's the most eligible bachelor in school.”

Jeonghan laughs. He’s not sure what qualifies an 18-year-old as an ‘eligible bachelor.’ “That would actually be me. What's so special about this guy?”

“You wish,” Nayoung scoffs, “I can't believe you haven't heard about this. For two years now, girls ask Seungcheol out on Monday. And the first person who asks, Seungcheol says yes to no matter what. It's pretty much a school tradition.”

“Sounds like a man-.”

There's the book again, this time slapping Jeonghan's arm. “Dude, come on. He's smart, handsome, and popular; I'd take advantage of it, too, if I were him.”

“I already have,” Nayoung gets this grin on her face, “I dated him last spring. Best boyfriend ever.”

“Seriously?” Jeonghan can't decide if they're making this up or not. Josh would definitely prank him like this, but he and Nayoung actually respect each other. “You date for seven days and he just breaks up with you?”

Nayoung nods. “From Monday to Sunday. It's the perfect amount of time, you know? Just enough to imagine it's real, without getting too serious. And he's a perfect boyfriend.”

This is interesting. Jeonghan wants to know more. “How so?”

“He waits for you after class, walks you home, sends good-morning texts...”

“Wow, Jeonghan, you should take notes.” It's too early in the morning to deal with Joshua's antics.

The bell ringing makes all three of them jump, and the huddle of girls all scramble to find their seats. “I guess Seungcheol's late today,” Josh whispers as their teacher walks in, Jeonghan lays his head back on the desk. Naptime. “Oh, and could you stop by the dance studio before lunch?” He pokes Jeonghan with a pen cap, “Soonyoung took my English notes to copy and said he'd return them if I went to the studio, but I have to meet up with—”

“Shhh!” Jeonghan kicks him beneath the desk, “Fine, I'll go for you.”

Someday, he and Josh are going to get in trouble for talking in class. Fortunately, their teacher is as oblivious as ever, leaving Jeonghan to sleep in peace.

The dance studio is near the front of the school, a short walk from the parking lot. Jeonghan rushed here immediately after his last class ended, but the place is empty. He sits with his back against a mirror and the ugly uniform slacks against the scuffed-up floor.

When someone does arrive, it isn’t Soonyoung. It's a different male student Jeonghan has never seen before, and he’s handsome in a charming rich-kid sort of way. “Hey,” he greets Jeonghan in a deep voice, “You’re not Joshua.”

Jeonghan smiles at him. “You’re not Soonyoung.”

The student laughs. It’s a good laugh, Jeonghan thinks. “Soonyoung’s my VP. I have Joshua’s notes right here, though, don’t worry.”

He’s handsome, Jeonghan’s never seen him before, and he has a VP. This boy checks off all the boxes to be the class president. “You’re Choi Seungcheol?”

“That’s me,” Seungcheol says, “And you’re Yoon Jeonghan.”

“Wow, didn’t know I had an admirer,” He stands up, and they’re exactly the same height.

“I have to know everyone in our class by face,” he tells Jeonghan, reaching into the bag at his side to produce a crumpled mess of English notes.

As Jeonghan takes them, he asks, “So who’s your girlfriend for the week?” It’s meant to be mocking; Jeonghan thinks it’s dumb to break hearts on a regular schedule.

Still, Seungcheol answers him: “Don’t have one yet. I slept through my alarm, so I just got here like ten minutes ago.”

Something plants itself in Jeonghan’s brain then, the beginning of an idea. He tries not to concentrate on it, instead heading toward the studio door. “Shame.” Then the idea grows into a twisted hypothetical, and as they both approach the door, Jeonghan can’t stop himself from blurting out the idea: “How about you go out with me?”

The shock on Seungcheol’s face is enough to make him smile. “What?”

“Go out with me,” Jeonghan repeats, “You say yes to the first person who asks you out on Monday, right? Well this week, that’s me.”

Seungcheol blinks, scrunches his eyebrows up like he has a lot to think about. They stand in silence for a moment, Jeonghan with the door half-open. He doesn't like wasting time. “Fine, I guess you'll be missing out,” Jeonghan steps out into the autumn air, “See you around.” But he'll probably never see Seungcheol around, not when they've been eluding each other for over two years.

He leaves Seungcheol shell-shocked in the studio, and heads to lunch like nothing happened.

Jeonghan doesn’t expect the rogue eraser to hit him right in the temple. He whips around, putting the blame on Joshua. “What was that for?” It’s the angriest whisper he can manage.

“I’m bored,” Josh shrugs, “Hey, what are you doing after school?”

He checks the clock. Only four minutes until freedom. “Just soccer practice and sleeping.” Like usual.

“Wanna hit the cafe with me and Jun?”

“Sure,” Jeonghan whispers back. Without Joshua, his own social life would be shameful.

The clock ticks by at a painful pace, and four minutes later, the school bell is the sweetest sound Jeonghan’s ever heard.

As he packs up his back, a delicate hand pats his shoulder. “See that guy in the doorway?” Nayoung asks, “That’s Choi Seungcheol.”

Sure enough, the class president is lingering just outside the classroom, a small gathering of girls whispering behind him. “Huh. Does he usually stop by here?”

“No,” She tells him, “Maybe his girlfriend is in our class and he’s waiting for her?”

So he did get a different girlfriend. Jeonghan smirks to himself; the guy doesn’t know what he’s missing. But when Jeonghan exits the room, it’s him who gets stopped by Seungcheol. “Jeonghan, hey.”

“Uh, hi.” Jeonghan shifts under Seungcheol’s stare. “Need something?”

“Yes, actually,” the boy digs a phone out of his pocket and hands it to Seungcheol. “Could I get your number?” This Seungcheol is different from the one Jeonghan left in the dance studio. More confident. Must have been a rough morning, Jeonghan thinks.

Automatically, Jeonghan punches it in. “What, in case our idiot friends make us run errands for them again?”

That earns him a chuckle from Seungcheol. He doesn’t seem like someone who smiles a lot. Or responds to people’s questions, apparently—”Well, I have to get going, unfortunately. See you tomorrow?”

“Yeah, tomorrow.” And Seungcheol leaves, just like that.

It’s 9:56 P.M when Jeonghan gets his first text from an unknown number:

Goodnight! Sweet Dreams

-SC

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tuesday

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Jeonghan’s vibrating phone wakes him up the next morning. He flops a sleepy arm out to feel around for it, and to Jeonghan’s shock, it’s another text from Seungcheol:

Good morning Jeonghan~ Are you on your way to school?

P.S. You didn’t wish me sweet dreams last night? I’m hurt :(

The text does a fantastic job of waking him up. Because Jeonghan is wide awake now, re-reading Seungcheol’s messages. He didn’t respond last night because Jeonghan thought the sender had the wrong number. It has to be Seungcheol, right? Why did he text Jeonghan? Does he want something?

He thinks up a million questions while getting ready for school, and after a quick shower, Jeonghan taps out a response:

sorry lol i was tired. leaving for school now.

-jh

It sounds like something he would text his mom. Maybe the message is too simple, but Jeonghan doesn’t think about it. He hurries out the door with a kiss to his aunt’s cheek and a good-bye to his cousin. Jeonghan’s been living under his aunt and uncle’s roof for four years, after getting accepted into this fancy high school on a soccer scholarship. Glancing back at the house, it’s obvious that his family isn’t well-off. But the house is close, close enough that he can travel to school each morning. And far away enough that on the subway ride there, Jeonghan can have some quality introspection time.

He’s taken this same path every day for four school years: over the bridge, on the train, and past the market. If Jeonghan were a somnambulant, he could get to school in his sleep. So this morning when he arrives, Jeonghan is concentrated solely on his thoughts, nearly missing the call of, “Jeonghan! Hey!”

It’s not a familiar voice; he’s only heard it a couple of times. Jeonghan turns around and there’s Choi Seungcheol. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” He puts on his snobbiest voice.

Fortunately, Seungcheol smiles. He has a weak sense of humor; perfect for Jeonghan’s personality. “Let me walk you to class.”

This is too weird. There has to be something Jeonghan’s missing. On a whim, he asks, “Why, did you decide to go out with me after all?”

The way Seungcheol squirms is awkward, but oddly cute. “You were the first person who asked me.”

That’s a yes. It’s a roundabout yes, but a yes, which means Jeonghan has a boyfriend. After the fact, he doesn’t feel at all like they’re dating. “Perfect,” If they are dating, then Jeonghan plans to take full advantage of it. “Carry these for me?” He transfers two textbooks from his arms to Seungcheol’s, and remarkably, Seungcheol takes them. Maybe he is the ideal boyfriend.

They end up in front of Jeonghan’s classroom just as the bell rings. “Wanna grab lunch together later?” Seungcheol asks.

“I’m eating with the soccer team today,” It isn’t a lie, and Seungkwan gets far too upset when Jeonghan skips out on them. Jeonghan has already decided, however, that he wants to maximize time with his arm-candy, and so he says, “but you can eat with us if you want?”

Seungcheol smiles, “Sounds great.”

It’s there, sitting in his human sciences class, that Jeonghan realizes he has no idea how to act in a relationship. He dated an underclassman last month named Minkyung, and they were a good-looking couple (Nayoung had set them up, even). But she broke up with him after three weeks because he was too bossy, too sarcastic, too lazy. Jeonghan learned a long time ago that he can’t be friends with everyone, but Minkyung made him think his attitude just doesn’t work in a relationship. He’s still friends with her; they work better like that. But what if everyone wants to be ‘just friends?’ What if Jeonghan will never hold a steady relationship? Once he starts thinking like this, it’s a steep slope downward and Jeonghan leaves for lunch convinced he’ll be lonely forever.

Just not this week. He sees what Nayoung meant earlier; a week is enough to feel like he has something real. A nice little security blanket.

There’s a small diner off a side-street from the market where the team usually meets once a week for lunch. It’s the perfect place for Jeonghan to get a greasy burger and for the team diet-fiends (namely Minghao and Wonwoo) to find something on the healthier side.

He’s never brought anyone to eat lunch with the team before, not even Joshua. Jihoon is team captain, and he looks disappointed every time Seungkwan brings his friend Vernon to lunch because it “interferes with the team dynamic.” Jeonghan thinks that’s bull, so today he walks Seungcheol to their usual table with his head held high.

“Hey guys,” he greets his teammates, sets his bag next to a chair. The entire team isn’t here yet, but those who are meet him with confused looks. “We have a guest today. Everyone, this is Seungcheol. Seungcheol, these are my idiot teammates.”

“Hey!” Seungkwan already has his face half-stuffed with a burger, “You’re an idiot teammate, too.”

Unsurprisingly, Seungcheol is met with a warm welcome. Some of the boys, like Mingyu and Dokyeom, are very good with new people. Even when the full team arrives, nobody questions Seungcheol’s presence. Except Jihoon, that is: “So Jeonghan,” he begins, “When did you start having friends?”

“ you, Jihoon,” he laughs, steals one of Seungcheol’s fries, “And Seungcheol’s not my friend.” Here it comes. He can sense Seungcheol stiffen beside him as he looks directly into Jihoon’s eyes— “He’s my boyfriend.”

There are mixed reactions. Gasps are heard, Wonwoo chokes on his water, Seungkwan’s jaw drops, and Mingyu blurts out, “You’re gay?”

“I am this week,” he jokes, but Jeonghan has never discussed his uality with the team. He’s someone who goes with the flow—when he had a girlfriend, Jeonghan genuinely liked her, but boys are hot. He’s known that since puberty.

Minghao speaks up: “Oh, you’re the one with the weekly girlfriend, right? I heard about that.”

“Good luck with Jeonghan,” Seungkwan rolls his eyes, “He’s a handful.”

To his right, Seungcheol’s shoulders relax and he glances down, almost shy. It’s something Jeonghan hasn’t seen from him. “Jeonghan’s not bad so far.”

“See?” He speaks around a mouthful of burger, “At least my boyfriend likes me.”

The waitress here is cute. Not his type, but cute. He expects Seungcheol to spare her a glance, for all his playboy status is worth, but all of Seungcheol’s attention is directed at him instead. It makes Jeonghan feel guilty that his expectations of Seungcheol were so low. He absently jabs at his pile of fries with his fork, shoveling some in his mouth without too much thought.

“You eat fries with a fork?” Seungcheol sounds surprised.

Dokyeom laughs, “It’s weird, isn’t it? Jeonghan does that all the time. And when there’s no fork, he uses chopsticks instead.”

“I don’t like the grease on my fingers, okay?” Jeonghan shrugs, “Even the best of us aren’t perfect, Dokyeom.”

Next to him, Seungcheol smiles gently and says, “I accept your flaws,” just loud enough for him to hear. Maybe it’s a joke, but his soft tone sticks in Jeonghan’s brain.

The rest of the meal is predictably spent talking about soccer. They have a big game on Friday and place bets on how badly they’ll lose. And Seungcheol laughs with them, and everyone likes him. It makes Jeonghan feel good.

“I paid for your meal, by the way,” he tells Jeonghan when they’re finishing up, “I asked the waitress when you weren’t paying attention. Sorry. Instincts.”

The sneaky bastard. Somewhere across the table, he hears Wonwoo mumble, “Cute.”

They walk back to class together with Jihoon’s official invitation for Seungcheol to “join us anytime.” It stings a bit, knowing he won’t be able to.

“What are you doing after school?” Seungcheol’s voice brings him out of his thoughts.

“Probably sleeping and watching Netflix.” On nights that Jeonghan doesn’t have soccer practice, he uses every excuse to be lazy.

That makes Seungcheol laugh. “Do you want to go out instead? To the mall, maybe?”

Jeonghan has no alibi (but honestly, he’s curious as to how a mall date with Seungcheol would go). “For you? I’ll make time, sweetie.”

He likes it when Seungcheol smiles like that, when all his gums show. “Great. We’ll head to the mall when school ends, then.”

The doorway to Jeonghan’s classroom comes into view. “I’ll take those,” he transfers the books from Seungcheol’s arms back into his, “See ya.”

He barely hears Seungcheol’s ‘bye,’ before Nayoung waves him over to her desk. “I thought you said you didn’t know Choi Seungcheol.”

Jeonghan shrugs. “I started talking to him. He’s pretty cool.”

He finds himself more eager than usual for class to end today. And when class does end, Josh catches him by the arm. “Hey, are you still coming tonight?”

. Jeonghan forgot—he has a study session lined up with some classmates, Josh and Nayoung included. As far as Jeonghan’s concerned, studying can wait. “Oh, yeah. I might be a little late, but I’ll be there.”

Joshua has never been good at masking his emotions, so Jeonghan can see the curiosity oozing out of him. Jeonghan doesn’t give any more details; he likes seeing Joshua squirm.

True to form, Seungcheol greets him at the door with a smile and walks beside him like a perfect gentleman. “To the mall?”

“To the mall. We can do some shopping, catch a movie…” Seungcheol pauses, “You like movies, right?”

They really know nothing about each other. But that’s what a date is about, right? Getting to know each other? “I love them,” he answers, “The tier the better. We’ll have to watch one together before…” he doesn’t finish.

Seungcheol picks it up for him: “Yeah, I’d like that.”

As soon as they leave school property, Jeonghan decides to try something new. There aren’t many people around (and if there were, he wouldn’t care). Jeonghan reaches between them and slips his hand into Seungcheol’s. The other boy flinches, almost moves his hand away, but then realizes what Jeonghan’s doing. “Something wrong?” Jeonghan smirks.

Seungcheol doesn’t reply. He seems shy, but that makes no sense. His hand relaxes in Jeonghan’s. The only other time they’ve made skin-to-skin contact is if their fingers brush in the book-transferring ritual, Jeonghan realizes. Seungcheol’s palms are rough, and his hands are bigger in the parts where Jeonghan’s are more slender. “You know, I thought you’d be better at this, for someone who dates on a clock,” Jeonghan comments.

Shifting his hand, Seungcheol locks their fingers together. That’s more like it. “You make me sound bad.” His lip sticks out in a pout, and while it’s adorable, Jeonghan wonders if the comment actually affected him.

“Sorry, I’m not the kind of guy who has to be in a relationship all the time.”

“Don’t tell me you’ve never been in a relationship.”

Jeonghan sighs, “I broke up with my girlfriend last month. We didn’t date for long, though. Other than that, not much.” And maybe it’s unnecessary, but Jeonghan adds, “And now, you.” Then a question slips into Jeonghan’s brain, and he asks it before he can stop himself: “So, you ever dated a guy before?”

Seungcheol coughs. “Well, no. Have you?”

“Nope.” Jeonghan’s wanted to. He’s always wondered what kissing a guy would be like. Girls are nice, but he needs rough edges in his life sometimes. “I’m honored.”

This can’t be a date. Yes, they’re dating, and yes, they’re going to the mall alone together, but there’s no way this is a date. No butterflies, no sweaty palms, no awkwardness—just Jeonghan getting to know Seungcheol. And for someone who seems friendly, Seungcheol is a bit hard to befriend right away (but then again, they’re dating. Being friends shouldn’t be Jeonghan’s concern).

The city is loud around them, but the air still feels quiet. Jeonghan worries he’s just another task. Like Seungcheol goes through the same schedule every week, and it’s Tuesday, so he has to go out for a date. But maybe he doesn’t want to be here with Jeonghan.

Then Seungcheol clears his throat. “So, how do you like being on the soccer team?”

“Oh, it’s a pain in the , but I love it. I’m a striker, with Dokyeom. You ever go to a game?”

He shakes his head, “Can’t say I have. I’m usually studying.”

“That’s no fun,” Jeonghan frowns, “We have a game on Friday—you should come.”

Seungcheol his lips, an action that sticks out to Jeonghan, “Do I need a ticket?”

“No way, just show up. Game starts at five.” Not many people come to their games, even home games. They aren’t the best team, but they try.

A few minutes later, the high roof of the mall comes into sight. Seungcheol’s hand slips away, leaving Jeonghan’s empty. He gets it—lots of kids from their school come here. Jeonghan just didn’t expect Seungcheol to care about the public eye so much.

Jeonghan only has a few dollars on him, enough for a movie ticket, but not for any real shopping. Seungcheol explains that he needs new shoes, so they start there.

The oddest thing happens: Jeonghan can’t stop looking at Seungcheol. No matter what store they’re in, no matter what Seungcheol’s doing, Jeonghan can’t stop staring and he doesn’t know why. It’s like Seungcheol is the permanent focal point of every room.

He isn’t surprised that Seungcheol lets him pick the movie. Jeonghan picks an action film (that ends up lacking in action) and Seungcheol insists on treating him to popcorn. There’s a fine line between the good kind of ty and the boring kind, and this movie is just so dull. Jeonghan sits there in the darkness beside Seungcheol (who also looks quite bored), failing at keeping his eyes open. At the end of the movie, Jeonghan wakes up without realizing he ever fell asleep. His head rests on Seungcheol’s shoulder and when he apologizes to Seungcheol, the boy gives him a timid, “It’s fine.”

They have fun. In fact, it’s the most fun Jeonghan’s had in a long time. And in the blink of an eye, hours have passed and Seungcheol doesn’t feel like a stranger anymore.

And he holds Seungcheol’s hand up until they go their separate ways.

Jeonghan only shows up to the study session half an hour late. It’s at Junhui’s house, which is very far from the mall. Unsurprisingly, there seems to be less studying going on and more hanging out.

About fifteen people from various classes are here, and some don’t have any binders or books out. Joshua spots Jeonghan immediately and waves him over. They study for a straight hour, but Jeonghan doesn’t gain any more confidence in the subject. His mind is on other things.

During a break, he asks Nayoung, “So I’m curious; you mentioned you dated Seungcheol for a week. What was that like?”

She smiles at the memory. “It was really nice. He’s so polite. He took me on dates, we ate meals together—it felt like a real relationship.” Nayoung thinks for a second, then says, “Minus the touching, though.”

“The what?”

“Other guys I’ve dated would have more physical contact. Put his arm around me or hug me or something. But Seungcheol—it’s like he avoids that. He never touches the girls he dates directly, except maybe one hug.”

Huh. “Why’s that?”

Nayoung shrugs. “I don’t know. It’s just a rule of his. Maybe so the girls won’t get too attached. Because he never does. Like he makes an effort not to fall in love.”

Jeonghan keeps this in mind, but he can’t erase the feeling of Seungcheol’s hand in his own.

Lying in bed that night, his heartbeat jumps when he gets a text:

From: Choi Seungcheol

I had fun today! See you in the morning~

To: Choi Seungcheol

night babe ♡♡ xoxoxxx see u before then in my dreams x

From: Choi Seungcheol

… Pretty sure you’re joking but just in case, sweet dreams

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wednesday

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To: ♡ Choi Seungcheol ♡

GOOD MORNING

To: ♡ Choi Seungcheol ♡

hA beat u to it muahaha

From: ♡ Choi Seungcheol ♡

Dang :( but I’ll beat you to school

From: ♡ Choi Seungcheol ♡

Also good morning!! 

For the second morning in a row, Seungcheol is waiting for him at the gates of the school. He takes Jeonghan’s books with no prompting today, and Jeonghan thinks he should have a full-time boyfriend if it means service like this.

His happiness lasts for an entire two minutes, before they enter the school and there’s a group of underclassmen girls waiting. He can practically see the hearts in their eyes; it makes Jeonghan feel queasy. “Hi, Seungcheol!” they say, “Good morning, Seungcheol!”

“Morning,” And that’s what Seungcheol’s weakness is: he cares. He’s smiling and kind to them, not realizing that it does something to Jeonghan.

“Are those his books you’re carrying?” one of them asks, “You’re so nice, Seungcheol!” He can’t respond before the girl continues: “By the way, who are you dating this week?” Jeonghan bristles; it’s just a question out of curiosity, but Jeonghan wonders how this girl would feel if she knew the answer.

He glances at Seungcheol. The boy doesn’t say anything, so Jeonghan responds for him: “It’s me.”

That gets the girls laughing. “What an adorable couple,” one of them says in a flat voice, and another, “You’re too funny! Who is it, really?”

Seungcheol stays quiet. His face is completely blank, like he has no plans to tell the truth anytime soon. “I wasn’t joking,” Jeonghan tells them, “It’s really me.” Why isn’t Seungcheol saying anything?

After a minute, the girls give up. They don’t believe Jeonghan. And the whole way to class, Seungcheol says nothing.

While the teacher drones on, Jeonghan thinks about what it means to be in a relationship. A text in the morning, one at night, a date in between—is that all? It’s only been three days, and Jeonghan can check off all the boxes of a perfect relationship. They’ve eaten together, watched a movie together, held hands… what else is there?

At break time right before sixth period, Nayoung hits him with a book. “There he is again,” she whispers.

Honestly, Jeonghan didn’t think Seungcheol would show up. He seemed upset this morning, but now he’s here like nothing happened. “Yeah, we’ve been hanging out lately.” And as soon as the bell rings, Jeonghan is the first one out. He and Seungcheol walk next to each other, an unspoken apology hanging between them when there was nothing to be sorry for.

They make their way to the courtyard, and Jeonghan is hyper-aware of every girl who stares at Seungcheol as they pass. He didn’t notice them before, but something makes their attention stand out now. “I have to watch my back, with all these girls checking you out.”

Seungcheol’s shoulder brushes against his, and Jeonghan wonders if it’s on purpose. “Do girls bother you?”

He laughs. “Nah. Are you asking if I like girls? The day that someone likes everything about me, inside and out, then I won’t care if they’re a guy or a girl.”

Seungcheol seems to think about that. “I have a student gov meeting after school,” he says abruptly, “You don’t have to wait up for me.”

He walks faster than Jeonghan. The back of his head is fine, but Jeonghan has to increase his stride to see his face more. “I have soccer practice, perfect. We can meet by the park, you know? I’m done at five.” There’s a park near the school, straight down the road. Jeonghan doesn’t go to the park often; it’s mostly a place where couples go, romantic and beautiful. This is the ideal week to meet Seungcheol there.

Sometime before they reach the courtyard, Jeonghan starts looking at Seungcheol. Really looks at him—the strong profile, dark hair grazing heavy brows.

And he notices Seungcheol has very long eyelashes. They’re like a girl’s, long and thick, and once Jeonghan notices this he can’t look away. He’s never seen a boy with such pretty eyelashes. It’s the smallest detail about Seungcheol, but it still captivates him.

Without thinking, he reaches a hand up to brush Seungcheol’s hair from his cheek. He’s beautiful; Jeonghan isn’t sure why he hasn’t noticed before.

Seungcheol jumps at the contact of Jeonghan’s hand, and stops walking. “What…” he starts a thought and doesn’t finish it. Jeonghan’s palm takes in the firmness of Seungcheol’s skin, the hard edge of his cheekbone. He just wants to stare at Seungcheol. Within seconds, Seungcheol is leaning into the touch and Jeonghan is pushing back on the space between them. Slowly, they draw close to each other, and Jeonghan can feel the fine hairs on the back of Seungcheol’s neck.

Then he stops. Something in Jeonghan’s mind shuts off, makes him jolt away and say, “Let’s, uh—let’s go sit down.”

Seungcheol blinks, then nods. And Jeonghan pretends the electricity between them didn’t exist the minute before, as walks quickly toward the nearest bench. Jeonghan doesn’t make it five meters before someone calls out, “There you are!”

It’s Junhui, waving a book in his hand. Jeonghan smiles at him, catches the way his eyes flicker to Seungcheol in curiosity.

Jun isn’t Jeonghan’s closest friend, but he acts like he is. Jun is touchy, and intimate, and flirtatious even with strangers. So when Jeonghan gets close enough, Jun sling an arm around his waist and says in a low voice, “You left this at the study meet last night. Thought you might need it.” They’re words that don’t sound y, but Jun gives it his best shot.

Jeonghan didn’t notice the book was missing; his mind has been on other things lately. Still, he sweeps Jun into a dramatic hug and says, “Thanks, you’re the best!”

To Junhui, a hug is like permission to make a show. He holds Jeonghan at arms’ length, kisses the air by his cheek until Jeonghan laughs. And then there are strong, rough fingers at Jeonghan’s shoulder, tugging him back into Seungcheol’s space. “What?” He shoots Seungcheol a confused look.

Seungcheol’s face—he looks embarrassed, red tips on his ears. “Don’t cheat on me, now,” the boy says in a soft voice.

Something warm blooms in Jeonghan’s stomach, something that makes him grin and run a reassuring hand down Seungcheol’s back. “Don’t worry. I’m not a cheater.”

It’s a moment shattered by Junhui, butting in to ask, “Who’s cheating on who?” with a wink.

Jeonghan just laughs. For the rest of the school day, he can’t stop smiling.

The bench is cold and empty. Seungcheol said his meeting would be over at 5:30, but now it’s 6:15 and Jeonghan is still alone at the park.

There are lots of couples here, pairs of boys and girls with arms linked. Jeonghan recognizes some of them from around school.

“Sorry I’m late.”

A low voice snaps Jeonghan out of his thoughts, and there’s Seungcheol. “I was starting to think you stood me up,” He says it with a smile.

Jeonghan leads him to shaded area, where they can look out over a pond surrounded by beautiful flowers and trees. It’s peaceful here. They don’t stand too close to each other. “This is a hotspot for dumb couples,” he thinks out loud, “But we’re one of them, aren’t we?”

Seungcheol chuckles, “We are.”

“Do you come here every week?”

There’s a pause before Seungcheol speaks. “Sometimes. It depends on what they want to do.”

He needs a backbone, Jeonghan thinks. It must be tiring, going where everyone else wants to go week after week.

It was like this a few hours ago, Jeonghan caught up in this odd spell of being captivated by Seungcheol. He’s farther away now, but Jeonghan can still look to the right and see the sharp curves of Seungcheol’s face, long lashes veiling his eyes. What would it feel like to have Seungcheol so close to him that he could feel those lashes against his own cheek? Before he can stop himself, Jeonghan thinks about kissing Seungcheol. That’s what people do here, right?

Nayoung said Seungcheol doesn’t touch any of the people he dates. He wonders how many girls have gotten a kiss from Seungcheol just in one week. Seungcheol is looking at him now. There’s something in his eyes, something deep that Jeonghan can feel. In that moment, Jeonghan throws caution to the wind. He lets his eyes flutter closed, lets himself lean into the gravity between them.

For twenty seconds, nothing happens. He doesn’t expect Seungcheol to do anything; there are people around. But then comes a sensation: the light fall of Seungcheol’s footsteps over the water sound, the brush of Seungcheol’s fingers at the edge of his jaw. And Jeonghan keeps his eyes closed, breath caught tight in his lungs.

When Seungcheol kisses him, it’s easy and soft. This is what Jeonghan wanted, but he can’t stop the shock running through him; Nayoung had lied, and in that second, Jeonghan doesn’t care. The warmth leaves his mouth as Seungcheol pulls back. He probably wants a response, but Jeonghan has nothing to give. So they lean in again, meeting in the lightest kiss, and then another, and Jeonghan feels long eyelashes so fleetingly on his skin that he could cry.

“I can’t believe I fell for that,” Jeonghan whispers when there’s some space between them. He knew it was too good to be true, that Seungcheol never shows affection like this.

Seungcheol clears his throat. “Fell for what?”

“Nothing,” Jeonghan gives him a wide grin.

Only a few hours are left until the sun sets. Jeonghan can see the time pass with every minute as the sky grows pinker at the horizon, and he still can’t shake the giddy feeling of Seungcheol’s kiss. Jeonghan doesn’t care how many girls he’s kissed before, right in the park—that was special.

It keeps him awake that night: the swell of his heart, knowing he’ll end up wanting too much.

.

thursday

.

Jeonghan doesn’t get a text that morning. It’s odd how he was expecting one, how the first thing he did when he opened his eyes was check his phone.

At school, Seungcheol is waiting for him again. He greets Jeonghan with a gentle smile. Just seeing him again reminds Jeonghan of their kiss yesterday. If he concentrates, Jeonghan can still feel the firm press of Seungcheol’s lips on his own.

“Good morning, babe,” He debates between handing Seungcheol his books or holding his hand. “Do I get a good-morning kiss?” The books sound like a safer move. “Yesterday didn’t count, by the way,” Jeonghan says, even though it was a significant moment for him, “Let’s call it an accident.” Maybe he shouldn’t apologize for the kiss they shared; they’re dating. He forgets that.

Seungcheol bumps Jeonghan lightly at the shoulder, “It was a trap, not an accident.”

“Hey! Don’t blame me for being kissable.” Any tension in the air is gone now—it’s nice to joke like this, to laugh with Seungcheol.

He doesn’t get the good-morning kiss.

At break time, they end up in a stairwell Jeonghan never uses. Hardly any students use these stairs, in fact, but Jeonghan has heard stories of couples coming here to make out during break. He tries not to be hopeful.

There’s a question pressing at the back of Jeonghan’s mind, so he asks it: “Hey, you know Im Nayoung, right?”

“Who?”

“She’s in my class,” Jeonghan explains, “You dated her last spring.” Not one sign of recognition passes over Seungcheol’s face. “You guys don’t keep in touch?”

Seungcheol takes a deep breath. “I don’t contact any of my exes.”

“.”

“Hey,” his voice takes on a tone Jeonghan hasn’t heard before, a harder one. “It’s a rule of mine. If I’m dating someone and contacting a bunch of girls at the same time, that’s not—”

Jeonghan sits up. “Seriously? You mean you don’t talk to any of them ever?” Seungcheol shakes his head no. “Not even if they call you?”

“I don’t answer calls from unknown numbers.”

Once the reality sets in, Jeonghan’s heart drops. In a few days, he’ll be just another unknown number. “I can’t believe it,” Jeonghan’s angry. He doesn’t get angry a lot, but he is now and he’s not sure why. “Do you know how much that makes you look like a ? And the girls don’t even care?”

They’re both skirting around the situation: after this week, they’ll never talk to each other again. It’s only been three days and Jeonghan didn’t realize how attached he was. He’s a fool to think it would be this easy, that he could have Seungcheol and not feel anything for him and leave him without looking back. Because no matter how hard he tries to deny, there’s already a spot in Jeonghan’s heart for this boy.

“What do you want me to do?” he can tell Seungcheol is bothered by this. “I can’t have it look like I’m cheating.”

Jeonghan understands. He knows this, but something still sticks under his skin like a splinter. Would he take it all back? Would he have asked Seungcheol out in the first place if he knew it would cut all ties with him? Last week, Jeonghan had never heard of Choi Seungcheol. This week, he’s all Jeonghan can think about and he hates it.

Suddenly, everything becomes suffocating and Jeonghan has to get out. “I’m gonna head back to class,” his voice is empty, “Don’t wait for me.”

 But after school, Seungcheol does wait for him. The atmosphere is thick and uncomfortable and yet they still walk side by side down the long staircase outside. Jeonghan speaks first: “I’m sorry I was a jerk.”

“You weren’t,” Seungcheol says, “I know you didn’t mean it. We’re fine. And I’m sorry, too.”

Seungcheol doesn’t even have to apologize. “Why was I pissed at you?” Jeonghan hops down to the same step as Seungcheol and pokes him in the cheek. “You’re too cute to be mad at.”

He seems to brush off Jeonghan’s comment and silently, Seungcheol’s arm comes to loop around Jeonghan’s own.

Seven days is too short. Maybe he’s greedy. In his mind, Jeonghan curses Seungcheol for creating this rule, this world that they can only exist together in for seven days.

It’s eerily realistic. The first day, they felt like nothing but strangers, and now Jeonghan really believes Seungcheol is his boyfriend. The dates are realistic, the conversation. And the feelings. Those are real, too, and they hit Jeonghan like a train.

He gets home that night, flops down on his bed and takes deep breaths. They don’t do much to clear his head. But nothing can compare to lying in bed, Jeonghan thinks.

There’s a tap on the door. “You’re asleep already? You just got home,” It’s his cousin, Chan. “Why were you late, by the way? You were home late yesterday, too.”

“I’m not asleep, just thinking,” Jeonghan rolls over onto his back. He makes eye contact with Chan, this young, innocent cousin of his. He has to tell someone. When he told the soccer team about him and Seungcheol, it hadn’t been serious. It’s serious now. Thoughts of Seungcheol itch under his skin and Jeonghan needs to tell someone. “And I’m late because I was with my boyfriend.”

The look on Chan’s face is comical. And the relief that comes with telling Chan feels amazing. “Boyfriend? Wow, uh, congrats.” Chan looks like he wants to say something, but all he says is, “Anyone I know?”

“You know Choi Seungcheol? Senior Class President at my school?” Chan shakes his head, but looks impressed anyway. “Yeah, he’s a catch.”

“Do you have a picture?” His cousin seems almost shy to ask.

Huh. Jeonghan does not have a picture of Seungcheol. They don’t follow each other on SNS, either, or have any mutual friends that Jeonghan knows of. It’s odd, how much of strangers they are. “I don’t, actually. But when I get one, I’ll show you. Or better yet, bring you the real thing.” It’s meant as a joke, but he thinks Seungcheol and Chan would in fact get along very well.

Everything comes back to that thought: this will end on Sunday. There are still so many things he wants to do with Seungcheol: bring him home, meet his friends, go on dozens more dates. Kiss him again.

Jeonghan can feel the time slipping away, can count the hours in his head. Three days until his heart gets broken.

Three more days.