'Doshio'. Just like Toshio from The Grudge. A little boy whose skin is white and cold, eyes big and curious, hair black and surprisingly soft looking. That's what Kyungsoo's nickname has been ever since elementary school.

He doesn't really have any issues with owning up to this nickname, really, because he has to admit, other than the fact that his skin isn't really as white as snow, he kind of reminds himself of the little boy too. His black hair often falls over his forehead, and his eyes are fairly large and wide even when he doesn't try to make them any bigger. Combine that with his problematic eyesight which forces him to sometimes unintentionally glare at people for the sake of properly seeing them at all, and you get yourself a nightmare.

The only problem he does have with being called Doshio, is that it comes with further consequences, becoming the school's ghost boy. He knows it because he always hears it, because he's been hearing it ever since elementary school.

Does he have any 'special' abilities? Is he able to communicate with supernatural beings? Can he summon ghosts? Will one be cursed with bad luck by looking into his eyes for too long? Will he haunt whoever speaks to him in their sleep? No. No to all of these. But it's still stressfull.

At least nobody is being actively mean to him. Nobody's spreading any bad rumours about him, nobody's bothering him. Almost like he's living in a separate dimension than everybody else when they always clear him a path to walk through without even touching any of them. He's never been bullied or hurt by anyone. He's just, the ultimate outcast. 

He doesn't hate people. In fact, he really wants to make some friends and experience a happy cheerful youth just like he sees his classmates do around him ever since junior year of highschool began. But at the rare times he manages to power through, gather enough courage and actually approach someone in order to help them in something and possibly make a connection, they always apologize to him in fear and run away from his sight.

At the beginning, when the nickname just began spreading in elementary school, he wondered if it was solely because of his weak eyesight, or maybe it came about because of his black smooth hair. Only later in middle school he found that it was simply a pair of teachers joking about it in the hall. Other students heard it, and it turned into law at school and continued from there.

More than anything, he is just lonely. He doesn't have any special activities to embark on with any friends, since he has none. He doesn't have the mental capacity to become an incredible student even if it seems like a person with so much free time would be able to do so. But for him specifically, being a not-so-great student is not as much of an issue.

Kyungsoo always agrees to take any school related tasks upon himself. The tasks where the teacher asks in class if any student would like to help with something, and nobody raises their hands because nobody wants to do it? Those. Kyungsoo always does these things to help his teacher and classmates because that way he could become at least a little useful for them. Since he cannot be of any use when it comes to the social aspects of being a part of the class.

He cannot do anything for them without causing them to fear him in one way or another. Even when he tries to be polite and smile, or bow, or compliment. It feels pretty bad, to be unable to connect with anybody else. But more than that, Kyungsoo feels bad that he is, actually, unable to do any of the things everybody expects him to be able to do.

He doesn't have any special abilities, he cannot communicate with supernatural beings, he canno summon ghosts, and nobody really gets cursed when looking into his eyes. He's unable to haunt anybody when they are sleeping either. He needs to sleep at night as well.

But to cover up for all of these expecations which will result in disappointments if his classmates knew, he tries to make it up for them by doing everything else he can. So days at school are often way longer than anybody else's due to constant extra tasks teachers give the class and he takes it as his own responsibility to see through to completion.

Junior year of highschool was pretty much nothing different than what Kyungsoo had expected it to be. Since they're nearing the end of the year already, he's been having a lot of conclusive thoughts about the pros and cons of the year, about how successful he'd been at what he had set up as a goal to achieve, and general self reflection.

Clearly, on the social aspect, he's been failing. But he expected that to happen, so he isn't terribly regretful about it. It's very hard for him to successfully communicate with people around him since he's been quite an introvert his entire life.

One good thing he has will be coming to an end, when it comes to social skills. His only friend in school is going to graduate at the end of this year. A childhood friend who's been with him in elementary school, middle school, and now, highschool as well. Kim Junmyeon. A beloved student well known for his graceful beauty and behaviour. When this year ends, he will leave, and Kyungsoo will be left all alone again. 

He really tried to be nice and kind, be respectful of people's space, keep himself calm and collected when speaking to others, in order to make friends through the years. Junmyeon had tried to give him many tips of this sort about making friends. But he came to the conclusion that he's too shy, and even when he feels like he's doing well, he only later realizes that everyone else still finds him scary.

It was such a relief to have Junmyeon around all these years. He's very thankful to the fact that regardless of his own 'rank' in the social hirarchy at school, he always made sure to check up on Kyungsoo and spend time with him when the opportunity arose. Thanks to that, Kyungsoo felt like he was still fine, like he was still able to get through the long days without feeling the heavy burden of his own loneliness.

That's why, now that he's finally forcing himself to come to terms with the fact that Junmyeon will not be around anymore, he starts worrying that the rest of his highschool experience will be very sad, distant, and lonely. It's going to be a whole lot more difficult without Junmyeon around.

Leaving the classroom during the day for Kyungsoo was a big event that happened pretty rarely. Normally if he'd spend the entire day inside the classroom until it was time to go home. The only things that made him leave were tasks given by the teachers, and Junmyeon inviting him to eat lunch out in the garden together. He knows that from next year onward he wouldn't be invited to eat outside by Junmyeon anymore. Which means, a lot more time spent alone in class.

It's really going to be tough. But he'll continue doing his best like he always has, and maybe one day it'd be good enough for someone.

Although, other than Junmyeon, there was only one student that actually treated him with decency. Park Chanyeol.

The tall, fit, handsome, smart, multitalented classmate of his, that everybody in this school facility has fallen for. Students and teachers alike, love and adore him and everything he does. Kyungsoo included. He's always admired Chanyeol a lot ever since the beginning of the year.

Chanyeol is just so, lively, compared to Kyungsoo's own death surrounding aura. He laughs a lot, talks a lot, only saying things worthy of hearng. He's always at the center of other people's interests and always looks like he's having so much fun just existing and being alive. Kyungsoo was really impressed when Junmyeon told him about how even seniors have been falling for Chanyeol's charms after only a single year of being in the same school as him.

He's the total opposite of Kyungsoo. Chanyeol is considered royalty, and by that, it means Kyungsoo is considered that one dirty insignificant villager that'd be the first to get blamed if anything goes wrong in the kingdom.

Which is why it was nearly impossible for Kyungsoo to understand why would someone as impossibly perfect as Chanyeol would put any effort into being nice to him. That question in Kyungsoo's heart was also the reason he'd decided to actively not react to any of Chanyeol's good intentions at all. It'd just bring him down, it must have been a mistake, it wasn't for him, are the excuses he'd given himself. Chanyeol is just too good for this.

There was barely any time left in the year, only a few last weeks. Kyungsoo could feel the heat of summer tingling on his face when he went to school every morning. He could also feel the buzz of his classmates' excitement about the many plans they have made for this break period with no school. He heard them speak of going to trips, visiting family, spending time with each other, while he sat quietly with fantasies about how such experiences would feel if he'd gone through them himself.

He knew he won't be getting any of it, he knew he will never get invited to the end of year's party, he knew he wouldn't be welcome to join any of the activities his classmates plan even if they're right within his reach. That's alright. He will work harder so that if he manages to make friends with them next year, he will be included. 

"So, who's going to help me prepare the lessons for those who have to come to the summer school program? That includes mostly office work and maybe a bit of school maintenance." Their teacher asked at the end of the last lesson of the day. Since Kyungsoo's seat is at the front of the class, he could only assume that the lingering dreaded silence behind him only meant that none of the other students were willing to take over the task. 
"Anyone?" The teacher probes, the silence only grows more uncomfortable.

Alright, this is his chance. Kyungsoo decided he will take this task, along with all the others he has done through the year, and that way he will be able to become useful for his classmates yet again. That way he will be approved by them, and they'll accept him eventually, right? And since he hasn't been invited to anything, that means his summer is empty and cleared.

It'd be too boring to stay at home all day every day during the summer, and by taking this job for himself he'd not only be occupied, but also benefit from knowing that his classmates know he had done it for them. Just like he always has. So quietly, he raised his hand high enough for the teacher to notice him. The teacher looked pretty displeased by seeing Kyungsoo's hand being the only one rising for yet another task, but Kyungsoo could see the way he shrugs that feeling off immediately. 
"Alright then, we've got a generous volunteer, so---"

"That's unfair. Why do you agree to let him do all of these tasks all the time? Just because other classmates don't wanna do it, doesn't mean he has to take responsibility for them." A deep voice spoke from the center of the classroom. Kyungsoo was extremely surprised to hear anybody interrupting the teacher like this, let alone surprised that it was none other than pcy who spoke.

He didn't understand why he'd say such things, first of all, Kyungsoo wanted to do it. This is another chance given to him to become useful. It'd be best if he took it when it's available. But at the same time... He couldn't help but be pretty baffled from the fact that Chanyeol, who he admires the most out of all the people he's seen in his life, actually paid enough attention to him to notice that he's been given to do all of the 'unwanted' tasks through the year.

It was quiet for a few moments, until other classmates suddenly began talking as well. "If you're so bothered by Doshio doing them, why won't you do them yourself?" One of the guys with a joking grin. "Nooo! Don't do it, we had plans, rememeber?" Another friend of his said in a nervous tone, turning to Chanyeol in an attempt to stop him from proceeding in that direction.

"I'll do it." Chanyeol eventually declared after the many teases coming from his classmates "Guess I don't have a choice." He shrugged and leaned back in his chair. 
The classroom has been thrown into chaos, students are trying to convince him to decline it and take back his decision again. It was quite amazing, how the entire class was trying to protect him like this. But... No. Kyungsoo wouldn't let it happen. Chanyeol should have listened to his friends better.

He quickly rose up to stand in his seat and looked at the teacher with determination. The class turned silent. 
"I will do it, I want to do it. I don't have any plans, please let me do it instead or I'll be bored during the summer and---" The teacher seemed to have understood the message, with quite a lot of fear from Kyungsoo's serious determination towards him, he agreed to let Kyungsoo be the one to do it.

Kyungsoo sat back down relieved as he heard the little mumbles of classmates passing behind him. They must also be relieved, knowing that Chanyeol was free from this mission. Now that he's free from the burden of having to do this during the summer, he'll be able to fulfill is role as the amazing friend that he is towards all of the classmates. He is needed by so many other people, it'd be awful if he had to waste his time doing something Kyungsoo is used to doing on his own.

He was glad though, because by pretending that he cares about Kyungsoo's fairness in the class, Chanyeol was able to raise the amount of love and admiration everybody has for him. A person that cares about justice is considered strong minded and brave. Kyungsoo felt grateful that he was able to provide Chanyeol with an opportunity to show even more of his charm to others.

The next day, luckily for Kyungsoo, Junmyeon has come to his class to pick him up and eat their lunch outside in the garden. This was one of the few days that haven't had any summer rain in them, so sitting outside in the shade of the trees while the skies are clear and blue was really nice.

Junmyeon spoke for a while about how he's been accepted to the college he wanted, and that he already has a friend there that will show him how things are done. He explained that the college is so nearby that he wouldn't even have to rent a dorm, but stay at home with his parents instead. It made Kyungsoo start thinking about his own future, but quickly after the subject had changed when Junmyeon spoke about his plans for the summer.

"I thought I wouldn't have any plans at all," Kyungsoo began sharing. "But when the teacher asked for a volunteer I realized it'd be a good chance to spend the time while also being useful to my classmates." He smiled, and Junmyeon gave him a small yet not whole smile in return.
"They still didn't invite you to anything...?" Kyungsoo shrugged, but then remembered what had happened after he accepted the task.

"Nobody expected it at all, but suddenly Chanyeol decided to stand up for me... He said it was unfair that I end up doing everything nobody else wants to do, then he wanted to do it himself." Kyungsoo continued, shaking his head with a small pout. 
"Chanyeol is so foolish for thinking he was doing anything good by trying to take this job on himself." He complained, knowing that deep down he's very thankful for it, but on the practical level it simply wasn't a smart decision for Chanyeol to do this himself.

Junmyeon sat in front of him in silence, looking at Kyungsoo in a suspicious way while nodding his head to the side. 
"Mmmh? What do you mean?" Kyungsoo asked, cluelessly, before noticing that Junmyeon's eyes weren't looking at him, but at something beside him. So he turned around to check what made his friend go quiet.

He froze in his spot, eyes wide. Oh no. How long has Chanyeol been behind him? Has he heard anything of what he said about him? According to the face Junmyeon made, Kyungsoo realized that he must have been there for quite a while. And according to the face Chanyeol was making while staring at them right now, he knew it was the correct guess.

"Hey, how should I interpret it? Your words?" Chanyeol asked with no particular expression of any emotion on his face. Ah, the way his ears peek through his fluffed hair was so adorable--- Focus, Kyungsoo. 
He shut his mouth tightly and lowered his eyes down nervously. Should he apologize and explain it's a misunderstanding? Should he be honest about it and explain what he really meant?

Maybe this would be a good chance for him to try his best and possibly make a good connection with someone, like he always tried yet failed with anybody else. Chanyeol was his inspiration after all, his muse, his ideal of goodness. Chanyeol has always been treating him fairly, too. So the least he owes such a great person is the truth, right?

"It's a compliment." Kyungsoo said eventually. "Because... Because you were being too selfless. And it resulted in your suffering." He tried to sound confident, but even he himself could hear the way his voice shook a little when he explained the reasoning. He shouldn't ruin it, this will his first proper interaction with Chanyeol after a whole year of bluntly ignoring his good intentions.

Chanyeol stood there at the edge of the tree's shade silently for a while, staring at Kyungsoo before suddenly laughing . Kyungsoo couldn't do much other than stare at him in awe. He was so beautiful when laughing. Even his laughter's enough to spread happiness to his surroundings. However the laughter was short lived, since one of Chanyeol's friends began approaching him and calling him over and away from Kyungsoo and Junmyeon's location. 
It was good while it lasted... Surprisingly though, opposite of Kyungsoo's expectations, Chanyeol dismissed his friend away, and walked towards him and Junmyeon instead.

Kyungsoo's entire energy suddenly spiked into nervousness as he turned back to Junmyeon, only to see him already standing up with his packed lunch and smiling at him. "I'll see you later." Junmyeon said softly and walked away. 
"A-Ah..." Kyungsoo mumbled, turning his head back to Chanyeol. He was waving at someone behind Kyungsoo with a smile, before stopping and standing right in front of him.

Did he make a mistake? Did he do something wrong? Maybe the fact that Chanyeol laughed is a sign that he'll just be teasing him? Or maybe he'd actually done something right?
"Thank you, I appreciate your honesty." Chanyeol began, his voice deep and husky and simply spectacularly pleasant in Kyungsoo's ears. 

"Actually..." He rubbed the back of his head and looked sideways, averting his eyes away from Kyungsoo's as if he's nervous. His chuckle sounded nervous, at least. 
"I was sure you hated me... Since everytime I look at you, you turn away. And everytime I try to talk with you, you end up slipping away before I can say anything." He admitted, sounding more like he has some regrets about these instances. 
"So I'm relieved to know I didn't get on your bad side." Chanyeol then smiled at Kyungsoo with warmth. The dimple forming on his cheek making him look youthful and charming.

Kyungsoo felt his heart doubling in speed. He couldn't take his eyes off of Chanyeol's magnetizing beauty. This was wonderful. This was really big. Finally, he was able to tell Chanyeol what he thought with honesty. It was so difficult to talk with anyone when people keep running away from him all the time, so being able to speak honestly with someone like this made him feel accomplished. And more than that, Kyungsoo was incredibly happy that Chanyeol had agreed to trust his words and believe him instead of staying with the feeling of being hated by him.

"I'm thinking of planning a sort of 'test of courage' event this weeekend in the park. Since next week is our last before summer break begins and all... Will you come as well?" Chanyeol then asked, smiling at Kyungsoo. This time along with the dimple at the side of his cheek, the smile was filled with enthusiasm and confidence, as if he was trying to instill some courage into Kyungsoo so he'll accept. But more than anything, Kyungsoo was pretty dazzled from the realisation that this beautiful smile he's seeing was actually directed at him and him alone.

Wow. Chanyeol really was something special. No wonder he became Kyungsoo's idol. This was the first time Kyungsoo's being officially invited to join a group activity with his classmates by someone's free will, and not because their parents forced them to invite him along. He was pretty excited. Kyungsoo deals fairly well with fear, so it should be a pleasant experience for him. He took a breath opened his mouth to answer, but before his voice came out, another one of Chanyeol's friends came running and grabbed onto him to pull him back. 
"Come on, man!" He sounded both impatient and excited at the same time. Chanyeol just chuckled lightly and waved goodbye at Kyungsoo while being dragged back by his friend. 
"I hope I'll see you there!"

Indeed, later on as class began, Chanyeol announced the event will be taking place, and hung a sheet of paper on the classroom's notice board for the people to sign their name in order to confirm their arrival to it. Kyungsoo watched how everyone hurried to write down their name, and started building excitement within himself about knowing that he has been individually invited by Chanyeol himself to participate as well. He was so enamored that he knew he has no choice but to come.

Of course he wouldn't be able to write his name when everyone else are around, so he waited until the end of the day, after finishing his usual extra activiting of helping the teacher after school hours. He saw everyone leaving the classroom earlier, so he hoped he'd be able to sign his name in secret before leaving school as well, but when he entered the classroom he found two classmates sitting and talking right by the wall where the sheet is hanging.

He was quite surprised to see them there, not only because he didn't expect anybody to be in class, but also because these two are the students who are usually the fastest to leave school whenever possible. His well known classmates, Byun Baekhyun, and Kim Jongdae.

Guess he'll have to come to school early in the morning the next day in order to sign the sheet in private instead, before Chanyeol will take it down. He grabbed his bag and prepared to leave the classroom, but heard that the two of them were actually discussing some of the rumours about Kyungsoo, or rather, 'Doshio' being supernatural in one way or another. He also heard Jongdae jokingly suggest that he should just be the ghost himself for the test of courage, because it'll scare everyone properly and make it a memorable event.

That... Was actually an amazing idea. Kyungsoo lingered by his seat for a while, battling his own shyness, before stepping towards them and making them both jump when they realized he was there. Maybe the fact that he was tense added a few scare factors to his usual apparently scary appearance.

"U-Uhm. Will it be alright if I will play the ghost at the test of courage?" He asked them quietly. It would be so much fun, actually. He often goes for walks in the park during the evenings anyway, especially during the summer. So it would be even better if he could put his knowledge of the park's grounds into something useful for the rest of his class to enjoy. It'll definitely kick the event up a notch when it comes to the fear factor, if there's anything to judge from the way even just the two of them reacted to seeing him pop beside them like that.

There is one flaw, however. 
"Ah... But--- I'm sorry, I can't summon real ghosts." Kyungsoo held his hands together and looked down at the table between them apologetically. He could feel that Baekhyun and Jongdae were staring at him in surprise. "I can't talk talk with them either..." He admitted, fiddling with his fingers a little. "I hope that's still alright..." Kyungsoo really wanted to help somehow. Even if just a little, he knew he could make the experience better for his classmates.

"Huh~? Are you sure?" Jongdae asked him with a curious expression on his face. Kyungsoo could only nod sadly as a reply. It was probably very disappointing to hear that he is unable to do what everybody expects him to know how to do well. 
"Not at all?" Kyungsoo nodded again. He started feeling a little bad about it. Maybe if he actually had any supernatural abilities he could be of more help, and actually satisfy everybody's expectations of him. But right as he began sinking into thinking this might not go as well as he hoped, Jongdae suddenly started laughing loudly and wholly. It caught him off guard, so Kyungsoo stared at him in confusion. Why is he laughing?

"And it took you this long to admit it?!" Jongdae asked through the laughter that lasted a little longer, before he stood up and headed over to Kyungsoo with a warm smile. Both his hands were placed on Kyungsoo's shoulders to express friendliness. 
"Of course you can be the ghost! It'll be incredible!" he smiled at him reassuringly, and Kyungsoo could feel how all the nervousness that began building inside him was slowly fading and turning into excitement. Enough excitement to actually raise a small smile across his own lips. 
"Yes, I will do my best." He stood up straight and bowed formally in the pair's direction.

Then suddenly, Baekhyun approached Kyungsoo as well, biting onto his own lip with teary eyes. He placed a hand on Kyungsoo's shoulder and used the other to dramatically cover his nose. 
"Y-You're such a sweetheart...!" He mumbled through tearful of emotions. Jongdae stepped back and away from Baekhyun in weirded surprise. 
"What the... Why are you crying all of a sudden?" 
"B-Because he's so cute... And brave... It's okay, we already knew that nobody has such powers in real life... Ahhh... Adorable... You've got my heart..." Baekhyun half sobbed at him.

He was overwhelmed to say the least, from how much he had succeeded with his attempt to befriend the two of them. He certainly didn't expect to be accepted into their honest selves this quickly when all he knew was the way everybody always fears him.

Jongdae then hit Baekhyun's shoulder with a pout. 
"Are you an idiot, you're the one who nearly s himself when there's even a glimpse of horror on TV." He rolled his eyes as Baekhyun sniffled. 
"Not true--- I mean, sure, these things freak me out, but he's so adorable, not scary at all!" Baekhyun pouted at Jongdae, then turned to Kyungsoo again and waved, still dramatically allowing his eyes to become teary again. 
"Good luck, little cute brave one..." He said, before getting pulled backwards by the collar.
"Right. We'll see you there!" Jongdae greeted Kyungsoo goodbye and the two have left the classroom.

Kyungsoo stood there a little stunned for a while, but once a smile snuck up to his lips, he wasn't able to wipe it off. Not while signing his name at the corner of the sheet for the event, not even when he was on the way back home. 

Baekhyun and Jongdae... He never really got to see the two of them often because they're barely ever in class other than to fulfill their student duty during lessons. But maybe something nice will blossom. Overcoming his shyness to speak with the two of them was successful, so he will do his best for the rest of his classmates too.

It was time for Kyungsoo to fulfill his duty.

The evening of the test of courage has arrived, and Kyungsoo, after being buzzed all day and preparing himself mentally, practicing different scary looking faces in front of the mirror, was already hiding in the thicker part of the park's forest. He was pretty excited to be useful for his class by fully embracing his 'Doshio' image and becoming the ghost everyone always expects him to be.

He wasn't sure when the test was supposed to begin, but once he heard a pair of classmates arrive in his area, he did his best to find new original ways to stand and pose so that when they see his figure looming from the shadows of their flashlight's range, they'll get scared. 
And it worked. It worked perfectly. Every pair that came by ended up running back in screams of fear. Each of them looking even more scared than the last after seeing them return all scared. Kyungsoo felt so proud for his success. He even heard one of the pairs talk about 'the ghost' that the previous couple must have mentioned. The ghost being him. He was very happy, which helped him get pretty into it as well.

It went on for quite a while. More and more pairs of classmates got spooked by the oh so evil 'Doshio' in the park's dark forest. Until eventually, Kyungsoo noticed that there was only a single person walking in his direction with a flashlight. It was a little difficult to tell who the person might be in the darkness, so Kyungsoo just stood in the usual scare spot and prepared himself to give that person a glare from hell.

The glare didn't actually come into life, as Kyungsoo blinked surprised when he realized the person appearing in front of him is none other than Chanyeol, alone. He really didn't expect Chanyeol to enter the forest alone. Was he supposed to try and scare a single person? That'd be a little too much. 
Regardless, by the time Kyungsoo could decide, Chanyeol had already jumped lightly when his flashlight met with Kyungsoo's feet. But then he seemed to have recognized Kyungsoo right away and stepped closer to him instead.

"Huh? Were you here the entire time? What are you doing here?" Chanyeol inquired immediately. 
"Yes, I'm playing the ghost so I could scare everyone." Kyungsoo explained, and raised his white sleeved hands up like a haunting ghost would. He was just wearing an oversized old thin hoodie that used to belong to his dad, so it was nothing truly scary once seen from up close. 

Chanyeol stared at him for a bit, then began laughing lightly. 
"Ah man. You should have told me! I felt so awkward going in here on my own... I made sure everyone were perfectly paired up, but since you were nowhere to be seen, I was sure you decided to not show up, and had to walk in here alone instead." Chanyeol explained with a smile of relief. 
Kyungsoo was quite confused from Chanyeol's words. So he just stared up at him. What does he mean? If he made sure everybody were paired up... But Kyungsoo's absence made him go in alone... Does it mean Chanyeol was supposed to do the test of courage with... Him? As his pair?

No way. No way. Chanyeol probably just volunteered to go alone even though he's scared, just so that the other poor classmate that had to go with Kyungsoo wouldn't be left alone. Kyungsoo will never be anybody's first choice in social events. Especially not Chanyeol's.

"Why did you decide to play the ghost? How long have you been out here alone? Aren't you hot, or scared?" Chanyeol continued questioning him, sitting down on the overgrown grass behind the tree where Kyungsoo was originally waiting for the pairs to come up. 
He placed the flashlight standing upwards, so that they'll be able to see each other in the darkness caused by the thick tree tops above them. The flashlight reflected on the bottom of the leaves and branches of the trees, giving their spot an almost mystical feeling.
"I wanted to be of use. I wanted to do it." Kyungsoo answered, sitting down beside Chanyeol and looking towards the direction people were supposed to come from. 
"I'm not scared at all. I love walking through the park at summer nights like these. The air feels nice, the breeze... The sound of the leaves rattling in the wind and the little insects, too, they're all very soothing to listen to." He explained calmly. Kyungsoo's years of loneliness have taught him that there's a comfort in silence. 
"Oh, shouldn't you go on? More classmates will arrive soon." Kyungsoo suddenly remembered the reason he came here this night to begin with. "Nah. I'm the last one." Chanyeol shrugged.

"Was I scary? Did I succeed?" Kyungsoo then asked after a few moments of silence, looking directly at Chanyeol curiously for a while. Chanyeol just stared back for some time until he suddenly jerked aside and hugged around his knees, hiding his face in them while his hand landed on top of his own head, as if to cover him even further than necessary. 
"Ahh! Don't look at me like this!" He sounded nervous, was he scared? Either way Kyungsoo got quite startled, but managed to return to his senses fast.
"I'm sorry! I will make sure I only look at you for no longer than three seconds at a time! Ah--- I'm sorry, my eyes don't really curse people if you look at them, it's probably disappointing, but they don't do it. Uh--- should I stop looking at you? Uhm---" Kyungsoo panicked, struggling to express himself well. He mumbled his words out, hands gesturing different things with uncertaincy through his stutters. 
"It's not that." Chanyeol stopped him that easily with a soft voice. And made everything turn silent again. For longer this time.

Kyungsoo couldn't shake the nagging feeling that perhaps he had done something wrong.

They spent some more time in the silence together. It was actually quite relaxing for Kyungsoo, the contrast between having the person that represents everything he idols in people beside him, and the heated silence of the park's forest in this clear summer night. They could only hear the crickets singing around them, and the way the leaves above them danced in the light wind.

After a while, Chanyeol finally raised his face and looked at Kyungsoo, who looked back at him questioningly. Oh, right. Kyungsoo remembered his one sided three second agreement he suggested to Chanyeol, and turned to look away quickly. He heard Chanyeol laugh, then felt a gentle smack on his shoulder. 
"Hey, it's fine. Don't worry. You can look at me all you want." Chanyeol reassured him, and Kyungsoo was very relieved that he wouldn't have to uphold to his own words, because looking away from Chanyeol at any given situation is pretty tough for him as is. He turned towards Chanyeol and looked at him again.

"Thank you, for becoming a ghost just to make the event more---" Chanyeol began talking again, but out of the bushes came two figures with a flashlight, talking loudly to one another. As they've come a little closer, Kyungsoo recognized who they were. Baekhyun and Jongdae.

"Ahhh! There you are! Wheeew! The event was a total success! I'm pretty sure some of our classmates will be scarred for life!" Baekhyun called out cheerfully, walking towards the pair sitting on the ground with the flashlight between them. 
"Yeah, you've worked hard and done well!" Jongdae added with a smile and threw a cold bottle of juice at Kyungsoo's direction.

Kyungsoo successfully caught the bottle as the two of them then came closer and stood right in front of Chanyeol and himself. 
"What?! You two knew that he's going to play the ghost? Why didn't you tell me? I'm the planner of the event?!" Chanyeol rose up to his feet immediately and began chattering playfully with the two of them. 

Kyungsoo just watched the three of them in complete awe. They're so kind... They brought him this juice to refresh himself on their own... Ahh... He's so grateful. They are such an amazing pair. He was so happy at that moment. 
"Baekhyun, Jongdae, thank you!" He stood up on his feet and bowed to them deeply, rising up just to see the two of them tangled in a strange physical hold with Chanyeol, and all three of them staring at him in surprise.
The first one to change his expression was Baekhyun, whose face turned into the dramatically emotional tearful face as he freed himself from the tangle and ran towards Kyungsoo, wrapping around him and nuzzling his cheek against his head. 
"Awwww you're so, so cute and precious! Little baby boy!" Jongdae came to them right after and hit Baekhyun's shoulder, grabbing him away from Kyungsoo and waving goodbye as he dragged Baekhyun away. Leaving Chanyeol and Kyungsoo on their own again as he disappeared with fake sobbing Baekhyun into the bushes.
Kyungsoo just stood there, holding the bottle of juice in his hands like it was the greatest treasure he'd ever gotten. His heart feeling warm and nice from the act of kindness towards him. Did it mean they were friends now? He could only wish. There's no way something as small as this would bring him high enough to be considered anywhere near a friend to them. But he was still feeling extremely grateful to them for thinking about him and bringing him this juice. It was indeed quite hot outside with a sweater like this, even though it's thin.
"You look happy." Chanyeol then said, as if stating exactly what Kyungsoo was thinking about. He tightened the grip on the bottle and nodded. 
"It's all thanks to you." Kyungsoo replied and finally looked up at Chanyeol again. 
"Me? I haven't done anything, I didn't even kno---" 
"Because you invited me... I was able to gather the courage and do any of this." he spoke with a smile and began walking towards the path of which Baekhyun and Jongdae came from. "Ah..." He heard Chanyeol hum behind him as they left the park's forest.

The weekend had passed, and there came the next school day, the very last school day of Junior year. All of the ending ceremonies have already taken place, so today would be a final goodbye only to the students and their homeroom teacher. Kyungsoo has had such a wonderful mood through these days, thanks to being able to bond with Chanyeol a little bit, and of course, thanks to Baekhyun and Jongdae's kind gesture towards him. He's been thinking about them a lot, and remembering these little things made him very happy.

But it all faded out of his awareness when he entered the classroom and heard the way everyone were teasing Chanyeol. Calling him out and claiming that he had lost the test of courage because he didn't even complete it. Which was not true... Kyungsoo was there, he knew that Chanyeol walked the whole way on his own and reached him.

"Aaah! For losing such an easy challenge you'll have to complete a penalty!" One of the girls suggested with laughter, and Chanyeol, being as laid back as he is, just went alone and joked about it. He probably didn't really care what kind of penalty it'd be. He'd do it. If it meant it'd keep his friends amused he'd do pretty much anything. So admirable.

"Well~ Since everybody already knows that instead of completing the test you spent the night together at the park with Doshio, your penalty would be to kiss him on the lips!" Another student suggested, and it seemed to have been accepted happily by the rest of the classmates who cheered, looking forward to seeing highschool's most beloved prince Chanyeol kissing highschool's wretched cursed peasant 'Doshio'. 
"You guys bonded so much it shouldn't be a problem, right?" A different student puckered their lips out teasingly as the others laughed.

Kyungsoo froze from hearing it. Did any of them even notice that he was right at the classroom's entrance? Most likely not, their attention was directly solely on Chanyeol, who was standing near the teacher's stand. The bell hasn't rang yet, but Kyungsoo felt like something was very wrong. He really didn't mind being considered the worst of the worst. Being the punishment for other people was his general state of existence for years.

Before he could detect what it was that set him off, before anybody could do or say anything else, Chanyeol slammed both his hands on top of the teacher's table and looked at the classmates' surprised expressions with an angry frown. 
"If there's one thing I refuse to do, it's this." He said seriously. Which made everyone shut up in shock. Especially Kyungsoo, as his mind started rolling out thoughts of Chanyeol possibly being so grossed out by him that he would refuse to do such a miniscule thing with this much determination.

But yet again, before his thoughts could run too far, Chanyeol began speaking again. 
"This penalty is way too cruel. I'm the one receiving it, not him. So it would be awfully unfair and morally wrong to force myself upon him like this for no reason. It's too disrespectful." He said, with just as much seriousness as he had before. 
Unlike before though, was Kyungsoo's surfacing worry that Chanyeol's strong refusal to agree to this sort of joking punishment will result in his reputation being tarnished. It was just a simple penalty, but answering in such seriousness would cause everyone else to think he wasn't cool enough to comply to a dare he was given.

After clenching his fists and coming to a proper conclusion, Kyungsoo stepped through the circle surrounding Chanyeol, and stood beside him, turning to the class.
"It's a misunderstanding! Please don't drop it on Chanyeol like this. I was acting as the ghost in the forest that night, and I didn't tell him even though he's the one who organized the event..." He spoke clearly and made no mistakes.

"It's true that I... That he inspires me, and makes me feel like a person... Like I exist. I appreciate his honesty and liveliness, his kindness and selflessness. I admire him so much--- Like an icon. So please don't force him to do such a thing with a nobody like me!" Kyungsoo continued, right in front of everyone. All eyes directed on him, but he didn't sway. He was confident and secure with his opinion about Chanyeol. He said the truth, and only the truth. 
This would definitely save Chanyeol from an awkward situation of having his reputation possibly harmed. The classroom was silent as everybody stared at Kyungsoo turning back and walking towards the door.

"Now if you'd excuse me... Have a nice day." He bowed to everyone deeply and exit the room. Suddenly all of the stress released in his body at once. So in breathless steps, he made his way out of the building, and out of the school's grounds as a whole. He practically ran back home before the day even began. All the while staring up at the sky and repeating to himself that he had done the right thing, and that he shouldn't have any regrets.

Summer vacation began. 

Kyungsoo's parents seemed surprised to see him getting ready to leave the house so early in the morning while there's no school. 
"I've gotten the task to help out my teacher during the summer." He explained while while putting on his shoes. 
"Ah~" His mother sighed with relief, and pride. Of course they will be proud of him. He was proud too. It's just... He wished he had any other option at all.

"Take care then, honey." 
"Thanks, mom." He got greeted a goodbye, and was out under the morning sun. It will be fine. It's better to have to do this, otherwise he'd be just be spending all summer at home alone.

He tried to convince himself that it was all fine, but when he stared up at the sky on his way to school, all he could think of was the way he had greeted everybody at school goodbye before leaving the school until the end of summer. He couldnt really call it a greeting though, could he?
Will they hate him for his confession? Will Chanyeol hate him? Was he disappointed? Disgusted? Will he ever talk with Kyungsoo again? 
He really didn't know what he'd do if Chanyeol wouldn't talk with him anymore... If he'd start to fear him like everybody else always had.

The truth is that Kyungsoo was so lonely. So, so lonely. And he was scared that even though he made this much progress in the last weeks, being active and friendly with others, it'll all be wiped out and reset back to nothingness. To the usual cold fear everybody has of him. Or even worse, it'll turn into something that will keep people even further away from him they they used to be.
He didn't want to lose Chanyeol... Well, the little bit that he had with him.  He was so wonderful. Chanyeol is his icon, his muse, the source of power that helps him push forward and encourage himself to keep going on and trying his best even when things seem impossibly hard.
He wishes he could be a little bit more like Chanyeol. He also wished he will become a better person so that he would deserve to become someone worthy enough of having the position of being Chanyeol's friend. But now after what happened... He might have ruined it all. What will he do if Chanyeol hated him...?
Only then, right before the turn he has to take under the turned off streetlight to get in the school's direction, he stopped walking, and realized that his vision went ablur with tears that he hasn't noticed continously streamed down his face. 
He was scared... He really didn't want to lose all that he had gained. Even if it might not seem like much, it meant the world to him. It was more than he was able to achieve in many years before. He didn't want to be all alone again... Even Junmyeon won't be there anymore after the summer. 
Helplessly Kyungsoo tried to wipe the streaming tears with his hands, and sniffle back the wetness into his nose, until he heard steps approaching him from the front.
There, right in front of him, stood Chanyeol with hands in his pockets. He was looking directly at Kyungsoo. Now he felt embarrassed and ashamed for crying like this. Chanyeol will probably come over and scold him, tell him he will never forgive him for what he said. 

Hah, it was almost like he actually has supernatural powers, his prediction came true. At least a part of it. Chanyeol started approaching him, stopping really close up front. He couldn't read Chanyeol's expression at all. 
"This is from the rest of the class, they said they are sorry. And they hope you can forgive them." Chanyeol said in a quiet tone. He grabbed onto Kyungsoo's hand gently, and held his palm upwards. Then he took out a small package of candies from his pocket, and placed it in Kyungsoo's held out palm gently. 

Quietly, Kyungsoo stared at it, feeling relieved, but not a whole lot. He noticed that there was a little note on the candy bag saying 

[ 'We apologize, please have a good summer! - Your classmates.' ]

Ah... That's actually sweet of them. 
"Oh... Thank you. I'm sorry, you had to come all the way here to give this to me, it must have been a burden. I caused you a lot of trouble." Kyungsoo quickly said, planning to bow towards him, but Chanyeol placed a hand on his shoulder and smiled down at him gently.
"What are you saying? I'm here to help the teacher, remember? I knew you would come as well. I'm glad that you did. I wanted to thank you for your words back in class..." He began talking, rubbing the back of his head a little.  
"I am very honored, and... Flattered, to be an inspiration to you." Chanyeol admitted with a small smile. "But I have a request in return." Kyungsoo's eyes widened a bit as he looked up at Chanyeol curiously, feeling a whole lot relieved now that he knew no hatred was involved. But mostly, he was intrigued. What could Chanyeol possibly want from Kyungsoo in return for admiring him?
"Will you teach me how to be as brave as you? Like when you spoke in front of everyone in class? We have all summer for that and I'd love to spend it with you. So I hope you could teach me well!" Chanyeol smiled wider and smacked both his hands together into a begging gesture. He bowed lightly after finishing to word his request, too. A breeze of wind brushed his hair sideways slowly, and Kyungsoo couldn't help but feel he was about to get himself into something he wouldn't be able to turn back from. 

Somehow, that was kind of exciting.
After a lengthy while of silence topped with a single sniffle, Kyungsoo's wet eyes turned into shiny crescents as he began laughing and nodding at Chanyeol's request. How the hell does someone like Chanyeol think that Kyungsoo is anywhere near brave? He didn't know. But hell, how can anybody say no to such a face. 
"Okay." He said, watching the way Chanyeol's eyes began shining towards him with warmth. 

Suddenly, summer didn't seem to feel so lonely anymore.