Hyukjae smiled when he finally entered the school gate and saw the familiar green surroundings of their school ground, it matches the sunny weather.

"Good Morning, SM University." he muttered and went on walking to the building, he was busy exploring his eyes for any familiar face he could greet when—

*BADUMP!

Don't ask, it's just him running onto someone again.

"What the—why are you always bumping into anyone?!" The boy he collided with shouted.

Hyukjae looked up and saw Shin Donghee, making him nervous. This guy would probably hit him already, a thing he failed to do last time.

"I-I'm sorry." He bowed.

Shindong's eyes rolled as if he had enough. "Ugh! If only not for Donghae, I would have teach you how to walk straight and knock some sense into your stupid brain! You piece of—argh get lost!"

Hyukjae was about to apologize again when he realized something.

He said Donghae, right?

"Wh-What?"

"I said get lost!" the guy repeated.

"N-No... you said Do-Donghae."

"D*mn! I got into a fight with him only because he saw me following you the other day, after class. As I've told you then, we weren't done yet."
Hyukjae's heart suddenly beats in a rapid face. The fight, was it the reason why Donghae hurt his leg the other day? And why Shindong has a bruise on his face? 

"Your bruises, are you... are you saying that he—"

"Look, Lee Hyukjae, I don't know what the fck's going on around you and that boy—and I don't really fcking care but he was such a pain in the a*s and I don't want anything to do with him anymore! If I will hurt you right now, that guy might transform into a devil and chase me."

"I don't understand."

"Jack, how clueless are you?!" Shindong gasped in disbelief. "You don't understand? I perfectly do, that boy obviously likes you! This is what I'm saying, you are really stupid."

"H-How could you say that? He isn't gay... is he?"

"Why would you ask me? We aren't close friends." Shindong pointed on his face. "He just punched me, remember? I don't know if he's gay but I'm not naive, I think he likes you. Ok Taecyeon? Then that one time I caught him with that overly cheesy Strawberry milk? And now, me?! He wouldn't do anything like that if he doesn't like you."

Hyukjae tilted his head, doesn't know if he's just slow and stupid or Shindong really talks in riddles. He can't seem to understand a damn thing! And what does Donghae have to do with Ok Taecyeon that includes him?

Then about the Strawberry Milk Shindong was saying, is there a chance that he was talking about that same carton he gets everyday above his locker? But if it's Donghae's deed, the guy must have told his older brother, Sungmin to keep it a secret from him. 

Maybe that was the reason why when they were talking about his unanonimous source of Strawberry Milk, Sungmin slipped and said 'he' instead of 'she' because his friend actually knows that it was a guy behind all of that?

"Ugh! I'm right, you're totally clueless." Shindong said while observing his reactions before sighing. "Look, I need to go. Think of whatever you want but don't ever think I'm scared of Lee Donghae. I just got some ty problems to deal with these days and I don't want another problem and another bruise on the face that's why I'm letting you guys off the hook."

Shindong threw him another glance before walking away, entering the school building. Hyukjae was left there in a daze.

Lee Donghae... does he really like me?!

Hyukjae bit his lower lip to suppress himself from smiling too wide while muttering "Don't assume. We aren't sure yet." in repeat while heading to the locker area. 

Just thinking that Donghae is his secret admirer and the one who pastes sticky note in every Strawberry Milk he gets makes him want to vomit rainbow. He felt his stomach getting fluttery at the thought.

But once Hyukjae reached his destination, the butterflies in his stomach quickly died at what he witnessed. He even squinted his eyes and rubbed them, hoping that it was just hallucination. But then, he still saw it! Kim Kibum, putting the familiar pink carton over his locker.

Seeing that it's Kibum instead of Donghae, Hyukjae was disappointed. He felt guilty for feeling that way but it's not something he can control.
And just like that, his little hope just got tarnished once again.

***

"Hey! Sungmin!" Hyukjae caught his best friend's attention, making the other look up to him with raised eyebrows. "Yesterday, I saw Shindong with a bruise on his face and you said someone was acting like a knight. It was your brother, right?"

Sungmin's face lightened up and he straightened from his seat. "Good guess, where did you heard it from?"

"Shindong told me."

The older nodded, looking entertained. "And what other things did he tell you?"

Hyukjae sighed and crossed his arms, trying to think how on Earth would he tell his friend without embarrassing himself and coming off as assuming.

"Aww, c'mon! You can tell me whatever~" the older chanted.

"He said that..." He gulped. "He said that your brother likes me and—" Hyukjae was cut off when he saw a smile, slowly forming into Sungmin's lips.

"Yah! Don't laugh at me!" he threatened, a tint of red spreading across his face. "It's not like I was the one who assumed that. Shindong just told me and I—I didn't even become hopeful or anything like c'mon! I know Donghae wouldn't like me..."

"You sure, sweetie?" Sungmin wriggled his eyebrows as if teasing him.
Hyukjae rolled his eyes and crossed his arms like a sulking child. "Fine! I had my hopes a little high—I mean, if you think someone likes you out of your own instinct it could mean you're just assuming things b-b