“Who do you think it’s from?”

Seungri pushes his mouth into an excited smile as Jiyong turns over the card that was delivered with the item that lies like a delicate maiden across his desk – a single red rose.

“It says To Kwon Jiyong… I like your laugh more than I like mac and cheese… Happy Valentine’s Day.” Spitting out incredulous laughter, he brings it to his face and squints as if that would make more words appear. “That’s ridiculous!”

Seungri peers between the card and the lopsided smile dangling on Jiyong’s face. “That’s pretty funny.”

“But it’s like a ransom note, with letters all individually cut out from magazines.”

A few more names of recipients are called before the group of students in charge of rose deliveries files out of the classroom, one of them strumming a pink ukulele and singing a cheesy love song in a nasally voice. Seungri waits until the music fades in the corridor.

“Wow. Creative.”  

“Wow indeed.” He wrinkles his nose. “I am flattered. I just don’t get who it would be.”

Seungri chuckles and mindlessly picks up his pen to doodle swirls in the corner of his science book. “Oh Jiyong, you’re underestimating yourself. I’m sure you have some idea.”

“Well… I don’t know. But I’m determined to find out.” He picks up the flower and brings it to his nose, inhaling with a small smile. “I’m intrigued by her card.”

Seungri’s pen stops and he tosses it onto the desk with a clatter. “Let’s go on a secret admirer hunt then!”

The bell rings at that moment and chairs grate backwards against the tiled floor before students pour out the door to lunch, some clutching roses while grinning and some looking on in dejected envy.

They head to the cafeteria and take seats at their usual table at the corner. Instead of unpacking his lunch, Jiyong sets his elbows on the table and leans forward with elevated eyebrows. His eyes scan the room like a searchlight in the dark.  

“Who do you think it could it be? Who seems like a mac and cheese girl?”

Seungri doesn’t have the appetite for his lunch either, so he racks his brain for faces of their female classmates. “Could be plenty of people. Kiko? Nana? Dara? …Jooyeon?”

Jiyong laughs in genuine surprise. “Oh god, no way. They’re all friends.”

“Friends doesn’t mean they can’t be in love with you.” Seungri shrugs and takes his water bottle out of his bag to drink in gulps.

“True. I can’t rule out anyone.”

Seungri hums as he keeps swallowing water.

“Don’t drink so much so fast, you’ll choke.” Jiyong tears his eyes away from the crowd to turn to him, voice mellowing from analytical to affectionate concern.

Seungri likes that about Jiyong, that when he speaks to you it makes you feel like the only person in the room.

“Why are you so thirsty anyway? Give me some.”

Snatching the water from him, Jiyong drinks straight from the bottle and tips the last drop into his throat.

“Thanks for that, thief,” Seungri mocks.

“You’re welcome, o generous one.”

Passing the bottle back, Jiyong flashes his brilliant grin and Seungri can’t legitimately be mad at him. Jiyong frowns.

“Gosh, don’t you know how to wipe your mouth?” Before Seungri can open his mouth to retort, Jiyong has taken his chin between his thumb and index and swipes the dribble away. “Such a baby.”

Seungri blinks and punctures the beat of silence with a laugh, shoving his shoulder against Jiyong’s. The latter reaches up habitually to ruffle his hair. Seungri smiles and laps it up like a puppy.  

“Oh look, it’s Jooyeon!” Jiyong points towards another table, already halfway to his feet. “Let’s go say hi and suss the situation out.”

Seungri’s eyebrows tick but he grabs his bag and follows after Jiyong who navigates through the chatter and laughter of the cafeteria.

“How should we do this?”

“Just walk past and say hi since she’s your friend anyway.”

“That’s so not going to work. Oh god, what do I say thisissoawkward.”

But it’s too late to plan as they’re almost at the table where Jooyeon is eating with her friends. Jiyong catches her eye and she waves at him with a smile. He squeaks a hi and Seungri stops for a conversation but Jiyong zips straight past her.  

Glancing at his back in confusion, Seungri rolls his eyes and is about to call his name, but someone else does.

“Jiyong!”

The said boy spins around at Jooyeon’s voice and retraces his steps back to them, lips pressed into a taut smile. Seungri stares at him with eyes narrowed questioningly and Jiyong shoots him a glance. Jooyeon swings her legs around the bench so she’s facing them.

“I saw that rose in your hand.” She points and smiles. “Who is it from?”

His shoulders slacken. “I… I don’t know. I’m trying to figure out.”

“By the way, hi Seungri.” She throws a smile at him suddenly, tipping her head so that her soft hair tumbles down her shoulder, and he stutters a greeting in response. “Has Jiyong enlisted you as his co-detective?”

“Enlisted… Coerced… Same thing, right?”

Jiyong turns to him with his face painted in offense and elbows his upper arm. “Hey, you enthusiastically agreed to help me!”

Seungri pokes his tongue out at him.

“Well best of luck with your investigation, you two!” She pauses before adding, “Maybe you don’t need to search that hard.”

Before either of the boys can question what she means, Raina butts in. “Oh-em-gee, Jooyeonie here got a rose from a certain boy of her dreams and she’s been giggling all day about it. My ears are sick of the sound. Just be grateful you received one!”

“Hey!” Pink blooms in Jooyeon’s cheeks and she smacks a palm over Raina’s mouth. “I said don’t tell anyone!”

Jiyong and Seungri share a glance.

“Ew! Don’t me!” Jooyeon shrieks and pulls her hand away to smack her.

“We’ll uh, see you around then,” Jiyong says and tugs at Seungri’s arm to lead him away.

“Byeee!” she calls out from behind them.

They stop once a distance away.

“Definitely nope,” they conclude simultaneously.

Their gazes snap together. “Jinx!”

Mouths curl into smiles. “Jinx again!”

“Jinx again again!” Seungri says as Jiyong laughs, the sound thin but still velvety to the other’s ears.

“Okay, who’s next?”

The smile drops off his face. “Why’d you walk straight past Jooyeon just then, you weirdo?”

“I don’t know!” Jiyong tosses his hands in the air. “I realised I didn’t know what to say but then she called me over and it was all fine. Plus, um…”

“What?” Seungri raises an eyebrow.

His voice lowers. “I felt awkward because I remembered yesterday in class Jooyeon and I were messing around, and Mr Park told us to take our “romantic business” outside the classroom but I swear to god we weren’t flirting! I just find it easy to be with girls in a strictly platonic sense!” He huffs and combs his fingers through his hair. “I don’t like people having the wrong impression.”

“It’s okay, I believe you.” The words leave a trace of bitter on Seungri’s tongue.

“Mr Park is blind in one eye, I swear.” Jiyong glimpses at him. “Anyway, where are we headed now?”

He strains a smile. “The library’s closest from here and I’m pretty sure Nana hangs out there?”

“Let’s go go!” Jiyong slings an arm around his shoulder and drags them to their next destination.

Nana is sitting by herself in the corner of the library, nose buried in a novel. Jiyong plops down on the cushioned seat beside her. Seungri sits beside him.

“Hey, Nana. What are you reading?”

She startles and looks up. “Oh hi Jiyong. And Seungri.” She lifts the book. “It’s Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. I’m reading the series for the fifth time.”

Jiyong lets out a low whistle. “That’s pretty intense.”

She chuckles, long eyes smiling prettily from underneath her fringe. “Everyone has been so hyped up about Valentine’s Day so I kinda wanted to escape from all of that, you know? I’m just not interested in that stuff.” She waves the book side to side a little. “This is my Valentine.”

“Right. I guess we won’t bother you on your date then.” Jiyong smacks his palms on the seat to push himself up and Seungri follows.

“Bye guys.” The syllable fades, as if she is absorbed back into book world before sounding the rest of the word.

Stepping out of the library, Jiyong laughs. “Don’t even know why we checked with her, I should have known she’s like that.”

“Yeah, she’s so innocent.”

Jiyong heaves a small sigh. “Where to now?”

“Dara’s probably in the oval?”

He groans.

“That’s faaaarrr.” He wiggles his shoulders with a pout.

Seungri bites back a smile at the cute scene. “Still wanna go?”

He nods, cheeks lifting in a smile. “Let’s make a run for it. Ready?”

Seungri could swear that Jiyong’s eyes sparkle at him. Without another word, he grabs his hand and breaks into a run. Yelping because he was totally not ready, Seungri has no choice but to run with him, feeling a little stupid that everyone is probably staring at the two running boys hand-in-hand, but not enough to care. He’s grinning hard against the wind in his face as his school bag bounces painfully against his spine, and Jiyong’s grip is solid and unrelenting.

They don’t stop until their soles land on spiky grass. Seungri’s heart is pounding heat all over his body as he puffs hard. His lungs burn a little but he’s laughing with every exhale, and so is Jiyong. They share a smile as their fingers come apart.

Jiyong’s eyebrows jump and he swings his bag to the front to and dig around its contents.

“What’s wrong?” Seungri asks.

His face relaxes. “Nothing. Just um, worried my food spilt or something. It didn’t but I can say that my bibimbab is thoroughly mixed.”

Seungri smiles like everything Jiyong says is amusing. “Okay.”

“Jiyoooooong!”

A figure in the distance grows bigger as she approaches, golden hair almost metallically reflecting the sunlight whipping behind her.

“Chae…rin…?” Jiyong raises an eyebrow at Seungri.

He tips his head in thought then shakes it. “Nah, too sisterly.”

“True.”

In one fluid motion, Chaerin collides into Jiyong and has him in a headlock.

“Ow ow! Let go!”

“You!” She rubs her knuckles against his scalp and Seungri winces. “My little bro never comes down here to hang out with me anymore!”

“Ouch, seriously, cut it out! And I’m older than you!”

“You’re still a baby to me!”

She releases him. “Seungri!”

And promptly envelops Seungri in a bear hug. The air is knocked out of his lungs as he pats her back. “Hi CL.”

“What brings you here after 200 years? I haven’t seen you step foot in this place in ages because you guys always hang out together every single recess and lunch and before school and after school…”

“Yeah yeah, sorry-not-sorry.” Jiyong waves a dismissive hand. “We’re looking for Dara. Where is she?”

Chaerin snorts and sticks her thumb over her shoulder. “You’ll find her by that tree. But maybe you don’t want to right now.”

Seungri and Jiyong shift their gazes to the direction of her finger. They both gasp.

“Is that…”

“Mmhmm…” Chaerin hums, suddenly very interested in her fingernails. “Park Jongwoo A.K.A Bajowoo.”

“Woah, his mask is off for once,” Jiyong remarks.

“God, they’re practically eating each other’s faces.” Seungri shudders and turns away.

“Maybe we’ll come back at another time…” Jiyong scratches his head. “When is less occupied…” His eyebrows jump. “And her– hands.”

“Good idea!” Chaerin chirps.

“We’ll be going then.”

“I would ask you guys to stay and keep me company but since it’s Valentine’s Day I’m letting you two celebrate alone.” She flips her hair over her shoulder, scrutinising them from under her expertly winged eyeliner. “Just for today though. Next time I’m not letting you off so easy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Jiyong cries but Chaerin has already walked away, hair swinging like a magic pendulum behind her.

He stomps his feet in frustration. “Great. What now?”

Seungri fixes a lock of Jiyong’s hair that’s been blown out of place. “There’s Kiko left.”

“Alright, she should be by the basketball courts.”

“We don’t have much time left till the bell, aren’t you hungry?”

“Nope, all this adrenalin is blocking hunger signals in my brain. I have to find out who it is.” Jiyong clenches a determined fist before it flops to his side. “Wait, do you want to eat? We can stop.”

Seungri purses his lips. “Oh no, I’m fine. Not that hungry either. We can keep going if you want.”

“Alrightie.”

As soon as Jiyong waves to Kiko, she hops down from the railing she is sitting on, peeling away from her group of friends, and strides towards them. She has the gait of a model, the tips of her hair barely sweeping the top of her narrow shoulders like fringes of a curtain skimming the rug, and long neck stretched powerfully with her small chin jutted forward, as if to show off her crimson lips.

“What’s up?”

“Wow, you are no joke.” Jiyong glances behind her at her schoolbag left on the ground. From it pokes out several roses almost as red as her lipstick.

She shrugs. “I’m glad to know I have options.”

Seungri is impressed but he doesn’t voice it. The confidence in her voice is intimidating – bordering on cocky but never crossing the line to come off as uncouth – and he is in awe at Jiyong’s ability to be so relaxed in her presence. Except that means they’re close enough for him to feel so unaffected by her aura…

“Well, I received a rose…” Jiyong begins.

“It’s not me, that’s for sure.” The immediacy of her reply makes Seungri’s eyebrows tug together.

“Of course! I’ve just er, been very lost trying to work out who would send me one.”

“Well.” She puts a hand on her hip, long fingers splayed. “Have you looked at the person beside you?”

Seungri’s heart leaps to his throat.

“Seungri? What about him?”

“Yeah, what has he said about this?” she drawls.

Seungri doesn’t like the way she seems to look into and through him at the same time. He can’t muster a single word.

Jiyong rests his arm on his shoulder. “He’s been helping me in my investigation and suggesting possible people. My trusty sidekick.”

“My first guess would be that your trusty sidekick is the culprit in this investigation.”

“What do you mean?” Jiyong’s voice is laden with confusion.

“Come on, it doesn’t take Sherlock to work it out.”

“Wait… what?”

Kiko’s brown eyes appear almost bored. “Look.” She sighs. “Seungri, did you receive a rose?”

He drops his gaze, feeling heat rise from underneath his cheeks. “No.”

“See? It’s because everyone knows you’re practically taken by Kwon Jiyong that they don’t even bother trying.”

Fidgeting between his feet, Jiyong glances at Seungri who keeps his eyes on the ground. “Oh my god duh, he’s my best friend.”

“Yeah but you guys are like, exploding with chemi–” She cuts her sentence and takes a deep breath. “You know what? I’ll let you guys figure it out yourselves. I’m out.”

Her footsteps die away. Seungri sinks his teeth into his bottom lip. He still can’t look up. His whole body burns.

There’s an elongated silence.

“What the hell was that about? God, she can be so… callous sometimes.” Jiyong massages his shoulder softly. “Hey, it’s okay you didn’t get a rose. I still think you’re hella attractive.”

Seungri’s mouth pulls into a twisted smile and he glances up finally. His gut is still bubbling, and when Kiko’s voice echoes in his head again, it boils into anger. He steps out of Jiyong’s touch.

“Can we stop with the stupid ‘secret admirer hunt’? Why are you so damn intent on finding this so-called girl who sent it to you? What’s it to you, huh?”

“Seungri, I–”

“Are you going to date this mystery girl once you find her? Is it important enough that you have to drag me around the whole lunchtime to track her down? Will it kill you inside if you never find out who it is?” Seungri can hear the stinging friction in his own tone, but his words bulldoze out like a runaway train. “Why do you care so much about some dumb cowardly secret admirer?!”

Jiyong flinches, eyes glassy. Seungri knows he is only dousing himself in gasoline so that flames of rage can burn away the big paper ball of hurt in his heart. Lashing out is the only way to hide his vulnerability right now.

“I just… Well… The thing is…” Jiyong’s eyes are still blown-up and a little lost. “She clearly put so much effort into making that message, so I guess she must like me quite a bit, huh? I just… I just want to…” He his lips. “I just want to let her down gently, because I already like someone.”

Seungri freezes.

His heart constricts.

“I sent it, okay! It was me, so what are you going to do about it now!”

The words flutter uncertainly in the open like lost birds released from their whole lives in a cage, and Seungri immediately regrets. Jiyong doesn’t react for a moment, his lips parted in silent horror, before realisation dawns in his eyes. Seungri tries his best to brace his heart for what is to come. But not this.

“You… ing… pranked me?!”

The words are knocked right out of Seungri’s mouth.

“I can’t believe it. I went through all that effort and confusion and the whole time you played along but you were laughing your off on the inside, and then you get mad at me for– what?! I don’t ing believe it!”

The bell picks the perfect time to shrill.

Jiyong storms off without another word, leaving Seungri and shards of his heart on the floor.

The next two hours are purgatory for Seungri. He’s thankful that they’re in separate classes for the last two periods of the day. Time blurs and he passes it like a cat on a hot tin roof, heart jumping incessantly and blocking his ears and eyes from absorbing any information in class. He feels like he could faint, or scream, or just die any moment.

He needs to clear things up with Jiyong. Otherwise he will go home and never dare to cross the threshold of his door again in fear of facing him.

The final bell of the day jars him out of his misery and he seizes his bag to zoom out the door. It’s a blessing that he knows Jiyong’s timetable like the back of his hand. He sprints towards the classroom, panic propelling his legs forward.

It’s just his luck when he smashes into something – or rather, someone.

“I’m so sorry!” he calls out behind him, having no time to spare.

“Seungri!”

He whips around. It’s Jiyong–

“I was just looking for you!” they blurt at the same time.

“Jinx!”

The anxiety settles like dust and Seungri grins. “Jinx again.”

They meet in the middle, mirroring each other’s smiles where the face is all taut and the mouth curves downward in attempt to suppress a laugh. The people and noise passing them by are blurred and faded, like a motion picture playing in the distance as they stand rooted to the spot in the middle of the corridor.

“I’m sorry,” Seungri says, pressing down the lump in his throat.

“No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.” Jiyong takes his hand and rubs circles into the back of it. “I actually had lots of fun on our investigation, even though it was all for nothing.”

Seungri’s mouth is clamped shut.

“And though I’m still very annoyed about it, it was a good prank. I admit it.”

Seungri furrows his eyebrows. He parts his lips and takes in a breath to say something, but all that comes out is an airy syllable. “But–”

“Wait, I’ve actually got something to give you. Let’s move out of the way.” Jiyong slips his fingers into his and tugs him to a quieter corner.

Seungri chews on his lip, wondering if he’s better off letting Jiyong believe the rose was a prank and not an admission of his feelings.

“Here.”

Jiyong holds out a plain black box. Seungri takes it gingerly.

“What is it?”

“Open it.” He clears his throat and scratches behind his ear. “I made it and I just thought it’d be nice to give you something on Valentine’s Day… you know, as my best friend.”

Seungri can’t help the minor squeeze in his chest at the word friend. For a moment he had almost let himself believe.

He lifts the cover to reveal a green string bracelet. It’s knotted in an intricate pattern and on it hangs a charm, a small silver disc.

“You made this?”

“Uh, yeah.”

His mouth hanging open in surprise pulls into a grin. He reads the word etched into the charm. “You?”

Jiyong flips it over to reveal the other word. “Me.”

“You and me?”

“Yeah. You and me. We’re like two sides of the same coin.” He pulls out an identical red bracelet from his pocket. “I made a matching one.”

Seungri’s heart swirls and he’s at lost for words. “I– Thank you. I love it. That’s so sweet.”

“Oh good. I thought you’d get weirded out or something.” Jiyong chuckles, red tinging his cheeks.

“Why would I? Really, I love it.” Emotion colours his voice.

Seungri pulls him in for a hug, squeezing him to his chest, and Jiyong’s hands slide around his back. His hold is so comfy Seungri could fall asleep like this. Eventually he lets go to slip the bracelet on his wrist, which Jiyong does too.  

“Looks like you put in a lot of effort. It looks so complicated.” Liking how the bracelet hangs around the bone of his wrist, Seungri fingers the charm, his heart hammering. “It’s pretty.”

“It wasn’t effort at all. I had fun making them.” He pinches the other’s cheek. “Also, you went through all that effort just to prank me!”

Seungri pries his hand off his cheek but doesn’t let go of his hand. His own palms are dampening and he decides it’s now or never.

“It wasn’t a prank.”

“What?”

“It’s not a prank. I sent the rose because I wanted to.”

Jiyong clearly still doesn’t comprehend, because his eyes are wide in very adorable confusion.

“So like, you sent it as a friend? But then didn’t tell me it was you?”

“No.” He hopes his beating heart doesn’t make his voice wobble. “Not as a friend.”

“What do you m–”

“I mean I like you! Like in a romantic way!”

For a moment Seungri feels like his soul has abandoned his body.

“Wait– really?”

Jiyong withdraws his hand and Seungri struggles to breathe through his tightening chest. He can’t read the other’s expression except as utter disbelief.

Painfully silent seconds stretch into hours.

“But you don’t even like mac and cheese!”

Seungri blinks. Out of all the responses Jiyong blurts that one.

“I don’t! And you know that. That part was kind of a joke. But it could mean I like your laugh just a little more than mac and cheese, or a lot a lot more!” He’s shouting now and the words aren’t really being processed before they fly out of his mouth. “And the answer is I love it infinitely better than mac and cheese, or any other food for that matter!”

“Wow, okay that was misleading!” Jiyong is shouting too. “Why couldn’t you have been clearer!”

“I thought you’d be able to guess! After all I cut out the letters from your favourite music magazine! Don’t you recognise the font! I don’t think anyone else knows what you read!”

“You cut up those magazines! How could you! If they were my copies I’ll strangle you!”

“They weren’t! I went to buy them myself! I even bought the latest issue and it’s in my bag to give to you!”

“Gee thanks! I can’t wait to read it!”

“You’re welcome! But seriously did you not guess that it was me! Even Kiko knew!”

“Maybe the dots were in my mind but they refused to connect! I don’t know everything Seungri!”

“And you thought you’d be able to figure out the sender of the rose!”

“Well– argh! I don’t know! Why are we shouting!”

“I don’t know! This is ridiculous! You’re the one who started it!”

“You’re the one who confessed to me!”

Seungri’s mouth snaps shut. His nerves are sparking – in embarrassment, in hurt, in exasperation. Jiyong’s face is flushed and his shoulders rise and fall with each shallow breath.

“Yes, I do like you okay! And now I’ve said it I don’t know if I’ve just ruined years of our friendship because you said you already like someone and that someone can’t possibly be–”

“Seungri I freakin’ like you. You. YOU!” Jiyong shakes him by the shoulders like a rag doll.

“What? Are you kidd–”

The rest of the sentence never makes the light of day because Jiyong grasps Seungri’s face between both hands and kisses him.

A choked noise escapes his throat. It takes a moment for his brain to register the lips pressing against his before he can wrap his arms around the other’s waist and kiss him back.

It’s a little over-enthusiastic because Jiyong’s nose digs into Seungri’s cheek and Seungri’s fingers dig into the flesh of Jiyong’s waist but it’s inevitable that the bulging tension between them should explode like fireworks.

They pull apart but still cling onto each other, and Seungri is positive that his breath has been stolen away. Jiyong threads his fingers through his hair, his scalp with his thumb, and Seungri shudders at the feeling of the bracelet brushing against the side of his face.

“Sorry I was so oblivious.” Jiyong’s eyes draw him in like a pool of quicksand, impossible to escape.

“Sorry I was such a coward.”

There’s a stretched silence as they let their rapid hearts calm down, sharing hot breaths in the small distance between their faces.

“We’re idiots.”

Twin grins bloom on their faces.

“Jinx,” Seungri whispers.

“Happy Valentine’s Day, Seungri-yah. At least we figured it out in the end.”

“Took long enough,” a voice snorts and they turn their head to the receding figure with shoulder-length hair and strutting long legs.

“Kiko!” Jiyong calls. Without turning, she flashes them a thumbs-up.

He rolls his eyes and turns back to Seungri with flattened smiling eyes.

“You, me and ice-cream. What d’ya say?”

“I’m down.” Seungri’s lips already tingle with sweetness.

“Or maybe some mac and cheese?” Jiyong teases, pulling their interlocked hands towards the exit.

“Gross. I just want a large order of Kwon Jiyong with extra kisses on the side, please.”

“Coming right up!” Jiyong plants a kiss on his lips and Seungri beams.