"Here, Jun,” Donghyuck said gently, extending the water bottle that he had just bought from the vending machine near the classroom they had relocated to. “Drink up.” He watched wordlessly as Renjun silently raised the bottle’s mouth to his lips before the older put the bottle back down on the table in front of him. 

“I-I can’t,” Renjun whispered, loud enough for only Donghyuck and Jeno to hear. “It’s just…this is-“

“Renjun, everything will work out, okay?” Jeno piped up, sitting next to the other male, immense concern and care swimming in his eyes. The sight made Donghyuck smile - suddenly glad that Renjun had people other than himself to go to for comfort.

“Jeno, you don’t get it,” Renjun stated, frowning and furrowing his eyebrows. “I love her so much and she just-“ Donghyuck sighed when Renjun was cut off by his own hiccup, his breaths getting caught up in his throat. “I mean, you probably haven’t felt this way about anyone so-“

“Renjun,” he interrupted, glaring at his best friend who was simply just spewing whatever was on his mind, even if it was wrong.

“Hyuck, it’s okay, he doesn’t know,” Jeno reassured him, smiling tightly and patting Renjun’s head. “Trust me, Jun, I have someone I like a lot too. I’m pretty sure it isn’t love though.”

“Who?” Renjun asked, hiccupping along the way but since his tears had stopped, Donghyuck simply sat on the table in front of his two friends and watched on. “And not love?”

“S-Seo Hyein…” Donghyuck chuckled when he saw the slight blush bloom on Jeno’s cheeks. “And yeah…I’m sure love is more like…when you’re closer to the person…”

“Oh…her…” Renjun let out in awe, something akin to disappointment swirling in his orbs and Donghyuck made several mental notes to ask him about it later just as Jeno took out his phone.

“Mark-hyung is texting me, it’s okay if he comes here, right?” Donghyuck swallowed and eagerly nodded once he saw Renjun timidly nod and finally take a sip from the water bottle.

It had only been a few minutes of them talking about miscellaneous topics in an attempt to get Renjun to stop thinking so much about Soeun when the public announcement system chimed - signalling a news team broadcast. The static was overbearing (Donghyuck remembered Chenle hadn’t gotten around to actually fixing the cause of the feedback) but when it dissipated, the voice that came through was enough to make Renjun burst into tears again.

“Um…is this…is this on?” Her timid voice was quiet among the lingering static before the sounds of buttons being pressed resounded and her voice became clearer for everyone to hear. “Hello, SM High. I am…I am the one who could have stopped this before it all happened. So, in apology, I will say the truth and only the truth. Seo Hyein and Ko Eunji…you two are the worst people I have ever met.”

“Hyein?“

“Jun-“

“Soeun!” Renjun wailed, fresh tears in his eyes as he stared at the speaker in the art room.

“Forcing people to get pictures for you, lying to someone who would lend you the key to the broadcasting room if you had a valid reason and outing people who aren’t ready,”Soeun continued, scoffing and probably shaking her head behind the microphone. “It makes me feel sick. And honestly, I wasn’t going to say anything because I didn’t want to face consequences but maybe it’s time that everyone knows the truth behind your plan to make Mark Lee drop out of school…isn’t that right, Ko Eunji?”