"Are you available later?"

"24/7!"

24 minutes a day.

Yeah, Wonwoo has a crush.

Yeah, Wonwoo was able to take advantage and score time with him.

Yeah, they're next to each other right now.

But excuse you, Wonwoo has his self-care priorities straighter than him.

---------- W O N W O O ----------

"It's only been about two months but I see our teacher gave up on us." Hanbin told me, showing the sticky note our subject teacher left on the whiteboard.

"Answer page 20," I squinted at the messy handwriting, "I'll be back when y'all finish answering it."

So it's already our 3rd Period and I'm in History Class. For the fifth time, our history teacher just left a note in the class, not even visiting us before she leaves doing who knows what.

I sighed at the note; its color wasn't as bright as Mingyu's smile.

Yeah, I'm referring to the Kim Mingyu who practically worships Xu Minghao, the new student who got popular the moment Mingyu started following him.

I'm referring to the same Mingyu who tries befriending anyone and everyone, the same Mingyu who emcees the School Ceremonies every Thursday. I'm referring to the Mingyu who smiles at everything to the point that he could be locked up for looking like some addict.

I'm referring to Kim Mingyu: my crush.

I have horrible taste, I apologize.

"Oh wait, there's more!" I heard Hanbin exclaim while holding up the back of the neon pink note.

"It's a project," he sighed. I took it from him and read the wordy note.

"The ?" Why is my name written here?

"Better start assigning the pairs," Hanbin said, patting my back before he returned to his seat.

"Out of all the names Ms. Chuchu could have remembered to do her work, why me."  And honestly, she already added instructions on how to pair us up, why didn't she just finish it herself?

Oh well, might as well get it over with.

"Here we go..." I add the numbers next to each name.

"Oh my ."

------

"So how're you going to apologize to your 'seat mate'?" I asked Hanbin, who now had his face flat on his table while he cursed out something by the lines of 'I'm ed' and 'will I survive?'. Because of that, I can't help but question their 'seat mate-only' relationship.

Meanwhile right next to him is the root of Hanbin's stress, currently wearing a blank face and headphones. I just hope he's internally missing his favorite seat mate (mainly since this creates a sad - and slightly annoying - Hanbin).

"If you heard my 'oh my s' earlier, you can start to notice that I have no ing idea." Hanbin said with a muffled voice.

"Emo yet sassy," I commented.

"Just trying to be you for once."

I sighed and turned my attention back to the paper in front of me. I couldn't help but smile a bit as I look at the coincidence.

Thank heavens he's number 18.

"Well, you're gonna have to find a way soon." I told the moping boy in front of me. He looked up with a face still red from being plastered on his table.

"Don't tell me..."

"You aren't telling me what not to tell you so I'll say it: your partner's Jiwon."

" you and your word ."

"Woah, my word and I'd rather be ed by someone else."

"Who?"

"Someone that doesn't act like I don't exist the moment I'm not in the same class as them."

" you." And, there goes Hanbin's face.

"Pick your face back up and get your stuff ready; class ends in 3 minutes." I picked his head up slightly to show him my watch. He groaned, but still followed, gathering the mess he caused for the sake of a dramatic face-plant.

I stood up after and walked to the front of the class. To catch their attention, I hit the teacher's table with a whiteboard eraser.

Bam. Perfect, most of them shut up.

"Okay so this time Ma'am Chuchu decided to switch things up a bit and add in our quarterly project. Yay for us, she already 'assigned' the pairs" I announced monotonously, keeping myself from commenting on how I still did the damn work from her single-sentenced requirement.

"So here are the pairs..." I raised the paper up and placed it on the whiteboard with a magnet.

"The main topic is on the paper and deadline's the end of this month. Such joy." Soon enough, the bell rang, and I took my leave from the board. The students started rushing out, some in the common 'walking-but-nearly-stepping-on-everyone' way, while others used methods such as piggy-bank riding, or even slapping people's arms off.

I couldn't care less; I won't be the one in trouble if the principal sees this behavior anyways.

After all the others have gone, I walked a gloomy Hanbin out the door and headed for the cafeteria. I gave an occasional pat on the back whenever he started mumbling to himself on how idiotic it was for him to do 'that'... Whatever 'that' is.

I spotted Jun and Seungkwan walking to the cafeteria as well, oddly without Soonyoung.

"Help," I said to them the moment we were only a few inches away from each other. I gestured over to the seat mate-zoned person who I then pushed onto the nearest chair.

"What happened to him?" Seungkwan asked and sat next to Hanbin. The former suddenly started poking the latter's cheeks, which were probably puffy from all the loud sighs he was holding in.

"He did something to Jiwon and bam." I explained shortly.

"Well that was such an insightful explanation." Seungkwan commented, "gee, have you ever thought of being a writer? You say such detailed descriptions!" He continued with his signature sarcastic tone. I tsk-ed at him and sat down as well.

"Anyways, where's Soonyoung?" I asked.

"Doing his Bio homework," Jun answered.

"What makes it so important that he misses the time to eat?" Hanbin finally spoke up; his voice was, if possible, more monotonous than the voice I used earlier. In response, the two didn't give him an answer, instead they snickered like two moms from some book club.

"Poor Soonyoung," wherever he is, I wish him safety and sanity.

The subject was soon pushed away when we finally met up with the rest and found an empty table in the cafeteria. While Jinhwan and Chanwoo were in a mix of confusion and worry as they poked the lifeless Hanbin, Junhoe acted like the researcher who was in charge of taking down notes in their experiment (secretly because he didn't want to get his hands dirtied).

"Wonwoo?" I looked over at my right to see a pair walking over to our table, a popular pair I add.

I blushed as I heard the person who was calling my name, but the dramatic coughs from the other side of the table didn't go unnoticed. Of course, knowing who the perpetrator was, I slapped the back of that person's head - I knew there was only one friend with their signature horrible fake laughs. The aim was luckily precise since I heard Jun mumble about how I 'wasn't this harsh before', and how 'I used to be his golden child'.

" to be you," I turned to Jun and stuck my tongue out. He was about to talk back but I covered his mouth when I heard the popular pair talking to the pale Has-been. I meant Hanbin... It was autocorrect?

"You were calling?" I asked Mingyu.

"Yeah, you're my partner for the History project..."

If only I could be your partner forever.

Joke. Ish.

"Just wanted to ask if you were free after school? So we can start early and stuff?"

"Uh..." I turned to my friends to ask if we did have to do anything; I usually forget if we make plans.

"He's free, don't worry." Jun smiled and pat my shoulder. Knowing him, I wasn't sure if he was indicating that I didn't have plans or if I was single and ready to mingle.

"Great! Can't wait!" He exclaimed. "Talk to you later then!" And he simply left the table. Damn, I didn't even get to say good-bye.

"Honhonhon," Jun said idiotically, like the idiot he is.

"You are a ing idiot, but thank you for being a ing idiot," I said.

"What do you guys have next?" Jinhwan asked.

"Music?" I looked at Junhui to be sure.

"Guess I have arts then," Seungkwan said. For some reason he continued eating with a distracted look on his face.

-----

"Where do you think Miss is?" I asked Hanbin. Being the sad kid he decided to embrace, he simply grumbled and kept his head on his table. 

"Wonwoo!" I looked over to see Jiwon surprisingly calling me.

"Yes?" He walked over to my seat. At the corner of my eye I saw Hanbin turn his head to his left slightly.

"Did you understand the worksheet Miss sent yesterday?"

"What worksheet?" I frowned.

"We had a worksheet?" I heard Hanbin mumble.

"Yeah? Miss sent it to Pres to pass it on to us." Jiwon's eyes widened and said, "we were supposed to finish all 15 pages by tomorrow."

"As long as she doesn't check half today I'll survive," I sighed.

"Did you not get the email? Pres has everyone's email right?" He took out his phone to look at the forwarded message. "Look!"

I took the phone and checked to whom it was sent to. "Hanbin you !" I nearly slapped the phone at the guy who also should have received the email.

"Ooh..." He took the phone and looked at the email as well. "Let's be honest Wonu, we both know I don't check my inbox during school days."

"Mine should have an underscore here," I pointed at the mistake.

"Oh!" Jiwon exclaimed. "That's why he never gets replies from you!"

"And to think he would've asked why," I sighed again.

"Nah, he just thought you hated him."

"Thanks though," I smiled. He gave a smile back, and before it got too awkward Donghyuk called him over.

"It would've been a longer convo if we talked," Hanbin pouted.

"Better wonder if you'll get to talk again first."

------

"Hey Wonwoo!"

I was confused if it was crush habit of guilt I felt creep up as I saw Mingyu run to me. Maybe a tiny bit of the first option it feels special to not see Minghao being dragged along this time.

"Hi..." I awkwardly replied, but Mingyu's energy remained unfazed.

"Ready to go? I called my mom and she said dad will make extra food too!" And now here comes guilt topping the feelings chart.

"Uh, about that," I played with the tip of my notebook's cover. "Our Physics teacher gave this huge worksheet we're supposed to finish by tomorrow so I don't think I can today..."

"Physics? I can help you with that!" Mingyu said with the same enthusiasm.

"Don't you take Bio though?"

"Ah," he scratched his head, "I kinda had to take it."

"But still, it's a huge bundle and I don't want us to get distracted with this." There's also this high chance I won't even remember my physics worksheet with you.

"Oh..."

"Sorry, maybe next time?"

"Yeah," Mingyu smiles softly. "Ah!" He takes my arm all of a sudden and writes something on it.

Now, I don't want to be a slob, but I wouldn't mind skipping a few showers to keep whatever's on my arm.

"Call when we can meet up!" He quickly hugged me and waved goodbye - all of which I couldn't properly respond to.

This just hugged me?

What?

Every once in a while Wonwoo wonders what would've happened if he did go to Mingyu's. Alas, he sighs and continues to problem number 12 of his worksheet.

Because no, Wonwoo is not the type to abandon his academics for the crush he can meet up with another day.

Because Wonwoo prefers being alive in the long run - preferably with Mingyu.

Perhaps the right time would come soon.

Perhaps Mingyu now became his inspiration to finish everything in advance as well.

"Oh, the things you do for love."

It's late but Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays everyone!!​