.

"You're really not gonna try to invite your brother to have lunch with us anymore?" asked Hongbin, one of Wonshik's friends, who took a peek at Taekwoon sitting alone at the corner of the cafeteria by the windows eating.

"Yea," Wonshik sighed. "If he really doesn't want to I'm not gonna force him to." He glanced over at his step-brother, who was stuffing his cheeks like a chipmunk. "Plus he seems to like being by himself and eating by himself."

"Did you two get into a fight or something?" asked Sanghyuk, his other friend.

"No. I just realized if he continues playing hard to get then I'm give up."

"You make it sound like you had been trying to court him." Sanghyuk laughed. "Is there something between you two we should know about?"

"No way!" Wonshik said defensively. "It's my step-mom who wanted me to look after Taekwoon since he just moved to our place and entered a new school. Said he's the type that takes time to adjust. That's all." He explained.

"So, is it still weird having a step-mom and a step-brother?" Hongbin asked.

"Well, she's nice. I'm fine with her. It's her son that's odd." Wonshik paused for a second. "I thought finally having a brother would be fun. But, he doesn't go out, he stays in his room most of the time, and he doesn't talk much. I've tried to be nice and friendly but he just ignores me."

"So, he hates you?" Sanghyuk chimed in.

"Maybe?" Wonshik said, as he looked across the cafeteria again. This time he actually caught Taekwoon looking directly back at him. No surprise, the other quickly turned away, stood up with his tray and belongings and leaves.

Wonshik frowned. "I don't know," he groaned. "Anyway, let's talk about what are we doing after classes today instead?"

Since Hongbin and Sanghuyk had after school activites Wonshik was on his own. So today, for a change, he decided to take a stroll through the school field and track before leaving the campus by the back gates.

He was going through his phone when he noticed a group of boys scuffling behind the boys gym lockers. He didn't want to be nosy, so he was going to quietly walk by. Afterall, they might just be clowning around.

But curiousty got the best of him. He took a peek to see who they might be and noticed a familiar face among them. Suddenly he felt a rush through his body. He wasn't sure what it was. Without a thought, Wonshik bull-rushed towards the group and snatched the hand of one of the boys. Then made a run for it.

He looked back once to make sure he got the right one. And indeed he was met with a stunned looking Taekwoon, being pulled along behind him.

From there he confidently ran into the nearest structure he could find and shut the door. He peeked out the window. Seemed the others had dispersed.

Relieved, Wonshik turned back to Taekwoon. It appeared they were in a storage room, the lights were out but he could still see the other staring at him intently and biting his lips. 

After a long pause Taekwoon shook his hand out his, which Wonshik wasn't even aware he was still holding on to.

"Why'd you have to do that?" the older asked, knitting his brow.

"To save you," Wonshik replied, straightforwardly.

Taekwoon hesitated. "I-I didn't need saving. I could have taken them on my own?"

"It was three against one."

"I'm fourth level in taekwondo."

"Still, there was..." Wonshik stopped. "Wait, you know taekwondo?"

Taekwoon nodded.

"Well, how should I know. You never say anything to me." Wonshik was starting to his patience with this guy. "Anyway, starting fights on school campus is against the rules." 

"They started it first. They were calling me a fa-." Taekwoon stopped himself, becoming noticably uncomfortable. "Nevermind. It's none your business."

"None of my business?" Wonshik closed his eyes and took a deep breathe to calm himself for a moment. Then he took a step towards Taekwoon, who shuffled back. "For your information, we're brothers now, wheather you like it or not. And our mom asked me to look after you. Of course, I need to care for you." He was trying to be sincere.

Taekwoon turned away, to avoid the other's gaze. "I don't need you to care for me like that. And I'm older than you, so I don't need you to look after me like a child. And she's my mom, not ours," he finally said, then made his move to the exit.

"Hey, wait just a minute." Wonshik turned Taekwoon around, backing him up against the door. He stretched his arms out on either side of the older's head. "What are you really trying to say? Do you really hate me being your brother that much?" he said the last part beside his ear, almost in a growl.

Taekwoon turned his face away, closing his eyes and whispered, "Please. Let me go." Voice, weak and vulnerable.

Wonshik felt Taekwoon trembled beneath him. It suddenly felt hot all around them. It felt strange, yet exicting. But scary at the same time. He shook his head from these thoughts and stepped back.

Taekwoon took this chance to escape.

"Hey, Wonshik. Wakey, wakey."

Wonshik lifted his head up from his desk, and squinted up at Sanghyuk, who appeared out of nowhere. "What?"

"Did you hear?" Sanghyuk asked anxiously.

"Heard what?" Wonshik was still trying to wake up, rubbing his eyes. He couldn't sleep much last night after his moment with Taekwoon in the storage room.

"He's been half dead most the day," Hongbin said, sitting on a desk beside them. "Thankfully, he didn't snore today or the teacher would have flipped the desk on him, again."

"Anyway," Sanghyuk wanted to continue. "There's a rumor going around about your step-brother."

"About what?" Wonshik said, as he tried to fix his bedhead.

"About why he left his last school in the middle of the semester to come to our school."

Hongbin cut in. "Wonshik, didn't you say it was a surprise to you too when he decided to come to our school."

"Yea, he went to a really prestigious school compared to ours. But one day he just said he wanted to come to my school without a reason." Wonshik was scratching his head. "But the family didn't want to push him to explained why so they just let him transfered."

Promptly, Sanghyuk waved his hands to get the other two to huddle in. "Well, according to some people," he was speaking in a hushed tone, even though there was no one else in the classroom at this time, but them. "They said Taekwoon-hyung transfered, because he had an affair, with a teacher... who was male."

"What!?" Wonshik shoot up, exclaiming.

"OWW!" Sanghyuk and Hongin both shouted in pain, holding their foreheads, from being accidently head-butted by Wonshik's sudden reaction.

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Can't decide if Wonshik should be gentle or rough with Taekwoon, hmm... Look out for more close encounters in the next chapter. And another new character thrown into the mix.

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