Park Jihoon was highly regretting his current situation. Out of all things, why did he have to agree to play some sort of daring game with his friends? But you couldn’t really blame Jihoon for accepting. Jihoon was a top student in his high school, the perfect role model in the eyes of teachers. However, as a boy at the age of eighteen, that age when everyone wanted to prove themselves as a man who could do anything, there was no way Jihoon could turn down the game.

 

So when Park Woojin and the other boys wiggled their eyebrows and asked if he dared to skip out on self study class that evening to go to the old gym at the back of the playing field, Jihoon had consented immediately.

 

“Wait, am I really going in alone?” Jihoon asked as he stood outside the old gym, slightly shocked.

 

“Of course, what else?” Woojin chirped with a smirk. “You agreed just then when we played scissors, paper, rock. Don’t tell me our baby Jihoon is scared now?”

 

For the first time in his life Jihoon realises how bad he is at scissors, paper, rock. Even playing with five people, he managed to lose on the first round. Jihoon rolls his eyes.

 

I just have to go to the basketball court on the top level of the gym and take a selca. I-I’m not scared at all.

 

“Geez, stop laughing you guys. I was just asking. I didn’t say I wasn’t going.”

 

“That’s what I’m talking about. I knew our Jihoon was brave! Brave enough to enter the haunted gym.” Woojin cheers.

 

“...”

 

No one will think you’re mute if you don’t speak. Jihoon thinks with a huff as he walks into the old gym. Although he gulps as he disappears, he leaves his friends with a view of his confident back.

 

-

 

Jihoon didn’t believe that being a top student automatically meant he was a scaredy cat. That was completely a stereotype. Following the rules and completing all his homework and quizzes was simply something he was supposed to do. He didn’t want to get himself in trouble or inconvenience his teachers and parents.

 

Besides being a top student, Jihoon was also quite popular in school. The girls all loved to talk about the handsome and smart senior, while the boys regularly invited him to play ball to relieve stress. But whenever he was hanging out with his close buddies, they always pinned him as a scaredy cat which made Jihoon feel wronged. As a result Jihoon, who never skips class, had decided to use this opportunity to prove himself and make his friends shut up about him being a chicken.

 

Jihoon shudders as he makes his way up the gym levels. Why is this place so gloomy though? It’s the only the beginning of autumn but it already feels so cold. Jihoon lets out a small breath of relief as he reaches level two and just sees the lights out. Nothing scary. But then he sees the lights in the volleyball court flash eerily and Jihoon stiffens. Without looking back Jihoon hurriedly goes up the final level and beelines for the basketball court.

 

The door to the court was open, luckily, and Jihoon pushes it open softy. He’s surprised to see a flash of light in the otherwise dark room. The light is coming from a corner opposite Jihoon, too far for him to see anything but a dark shadow.

 

Should I run now? Jihoon thinks as his eyes dart around the room and his heart speeds up. I don’t want to get killed by a ghost but if I leave now then Woojin and the others are never going to let this go.

 

As Jihoon contemplates his two choices, he slowly makes his way towards the flame of light and unidentified dark shadow. He pulls his phone out to light his path and he tries his best to not look scared.

 

Once Jihoon draws closer, he realises the shadow is actually a person sitting on the bleachers. The light came from the cigarette the boy was currently smoking. Getting within metres of the boy, Jihoon recognises him as Lai Guanlin, who was in the grade below him.

 

“Oh, I’ve been caught.” Guanlin says without the slightest bit of panic when he catches sight of Jihoon watching him.

 

Instead Guanlin laughs and blows smoke into Jihoon’s face. “Are you going to tell on me, sunbae?”

 

Jihoon, who was not used cigarette smoke, coughs as it went through his nose. He furrowed his eyebrows as he spoke.

 

“How come you’re here?”

 

Jihoon and Guanlin actually didn’t know each other. They’ve heard of the other before but that’s about it. One of them a sunbae due to graduate at the end of the year and the other the centre of the basketball team. Jihoon’s heard teachers talk about Guanlin before; he never gets into trouble and is an obedient kid. However that image greatly contrasted with what Jihoon saw before him, which was a cheeky bad boy who was secretly smoking a cigarette.

 

Jihoon hesitates as he stands there. He is currently a prefect and it is in his duty to report to teachers this sort of behaviour. However Jihoon decides he’ll let Guanlin go this time. After all, Jihoon himself was here because he had skipped class and he didn’t want to out himself.

 

Not to mention, Jihoon had always been kind of interested in Guanlin. He had purposely chosen the window seat this year in class so he could watch the basketball team practice every Friday afternoon.

 

Clearing his throat, Jihoon stops his line of thought before he could turn into a blushing mess.

 

“I’ll let you pass this time. You should stop hiding here to smoke though.”

 

Guanlin scoffs. “If I don’t smoke here, where should I go? There are teachers watching inside the classroom buildings and on the field.”

 

Jihoon doesn’t know how to respond to that. This was the first time he had ever spoken to Guanlin, and it just had to be in this sort of situation. He didn’t want it to get awkward so Jihoon continues.

 

“Just… Just don’t smoke in the future. Students aren’t supposed to be smoking. Uh I-I’ll be going now.”

 

Before Jihoon could dash out, Guanlin grabs Jihoon’s wrist and pulls him back. Taken off guard, Jihoon stumbles forward and hits Guanlin’s chest, leaving only a few centimetres between their faces. Jihoon thanks the skies that it was dark in the court, because his face was turning a bright shade of red.

 

“I won’t say anything. Don’t worry.”

 

Jihoon breathes out and he’s surprised his voice didn’t waver, given that his heart felt like it was going to jump out of his chest.

 

“I don’t believe you.”

 

Guanlin’s breath hits Jihoon’s forehead, making a few strands of his hair fly up. Jihoon suppresses a shiver.

 

After those words leave his mouth, Guanlin takes another pull from his cigarette before dropping it to the ground and snuffing it with his shoes. With his now free hand, Guanlin moves it to Jihoon’s cheeks and squeezes them, forcing Jihoon’s mouth open. Before Jihoon could even react, Guanlin’s lips ghosted across his own as he blew smoke into Jihoon’s mouth and in the next moment a blinding flash goes off.

 

Once Jihoon had gotten his bearings back, coughing from the smoke, he sees Guanlin waving his phone around and showing the photo he just took. In it, Jihoon was surrounded by smoke and it clearly looked like he had been smoking.

 

“You!”

 

Jihoon shouts indignantly. He couldn’t believe this boy.

 

“Don’t get angry, sunbae. This way I can make sure you won’t tell anyone.” Guanlin says with a smirk, stuffing his phone away and letting Jihoon go.

 

“Lai Guanlin, you are too much!”

 

Guanlin continues to smirk, mouth twitching. “You have soft lips.”

 

Jihoon is left speechless and he curses as he blushes once more before turning and making a run for it. He doesn’t look back, leaving Guanlin to smile in amusement at his exit.

 

-

 

Ultimately, Jihoon forgot to take a selca at the old gym but he couldn’t tell his friends that instead of seeing ghosts, he got taken advantage of by his junior. That afternoon’s events had shaken Jihoon up and he was still out of it the next day in the morning study class. Jihoon sat in his spot with no expression, eyes unseeing as he turned the pages of his textbook automatically. Woojin and the others sent him weird looks and kept bothering him but Jihoon just ignored them.

 

“Jihoonie,” Woojin called once again.

 

Jihoon didn’t stop what he was doing only snapping at his friend. “Shut up and read your textbook.”

 

“Jihoon, someone’s looking for you outside.”

 

Hearing that, Jihoon lifts his head up and sees none other but the guy who played with him yesterday. Jihoon purses his lips and exits his classroom docily. After all, the other had that photo of him.

 

“What?”

 

Guanlin has his hands in his pocket as he grins down at Jihoon who is half a head shorter than him.

 

“I wanted to see you, hyung.”

 

“...”

 

What is this? We’re not even close, so what’s with the hyung?

 

“You don’t need to worry, I didn’t tell anyone. What do you really want?”

 

“Actually, since I have such good blackmail material, it’d be a waste if I only ask you to keep it a secret.” Guanlin says, eyes disappearing into crescents and smiling so wide his teeth showed.

 

If people saw them now, they’d think the two of them were close when actually it’s the opposite.

 

Jihoon grits his teeth and gives Guanlin a blank look. “So, what’s your condition?”

 

“How about you come wa