Donghae always loved sports though he was never exceptionally bright in studies. The place where he managed to shine the most was the soccer field. For him, making into the school soccer team in the first year of high school was a dream come true. Soon, he became popular as the ‘cute soccer guy’.

 

SM High School’s soccer team had the best players. Their team was always praised for their excellence on the field and trophies that added to the grandeur of school. The group of hunks was always famous among the other school students too, gaining attention from both boys and girls. Within the group, a secret was hidden – a club called ‘Plying the Field’ or simply ‘PTF’.

 

Five years ago, the popular soccer players decided to form a PTF club to test their limits at playing hearts. In simple words, they were heartbreakers. Undoubtedly, the soccer team had always ridden high on the waves of popularity and several girls fell for them almost instantly. One particular day, a crazy head thought of turning it into a game of breaking hearts. The knowledge of the club existed only within the team and not every member of the team was a part of the club but those who were earned money by placing bets.

 

When the team manager, Heechul, started telling Donghae the rules of the club, he was at loss. Forget breaking hearts, he was too scared of getting his own heart broken. He noted that there were nine members in the club – Heechul, Leeteuk, Hyukjae, Kangin and he didn’t know the names of the rest.

 

“I think you will make a perfect heartbreaker,” Heechul observed Donghae’s face with a smirk. “Forget girls, even angels will fall for a face like that. You are the second most handsome guy I’ve seen. The first is me, of course.”

 

“I agree with you. Girls are a er for this sort of face. I bet hundred dollars, he’d get Im Yoona flanking at his side in a week.” Kangin joined.

 

Donghae’s eyes widened at hearing the name of SM High’s most beautiful girl. She’s like a goddess and he has only ever admired her from afar. To have her flanking at his side sounded impossible to his ears. Besides, he liked guys more than girls.

 

Wanting to make a good impression on his seniors, Donghae didn’t mention about his hesitation over joining the club or his preference in a partner. Im Yoona wasn’t bad though. In the end, he had to break the things off anyway. Maybe, he’d be able to accomplish this mission.

 

“I don’t think he’ll be able to do this.” A voice cut sharp through the light atmosphere and Donghae’s nervousness rose. Leaning against the locker stood Lee Hyukjae. Hyukjae was in the same grade as him and one of the best players in the team. He had always admired the star player.

 

“Why? I think he’s just perfect.” A black haired boy whose name he didn’t remember protested with a frown.

 

“Because he’s too innocent and not just by face,” Hyukjae turned his single lidded intense eyes on him, making him squirm at his place.

 

“You mean he is a ?” Hearing that coming from another boy’s mouth made Donghae flinch. He did treasure his virtue as well as his heart. But he treasured soccer too.

 

When he joined the team, he had never thought problems would come in the form of teenage boys. They were all excellent at playing soccer but their talk about the group or club or whatever it was called made him wonder where he stood – among hard working talented players or cocky teenagers or both. Anyways, he had to focus on remaining on their good books.

 

“That’s even better. Who do you want to lose your ity to?” This time, it was Kangin who asked him with a smirk.

 

He stuttered meaningless words while darting his eyes over the dull floor. At moments like these, he just wished his mind worked fast enough to muster up a plausible reply. But he had never been the one to socialize and come up with smart or even satisfactory answers when he was at a disadvantage. He absolutely, absolutely hated that.

 

“He’s cute.” Heechul cooed with an amused chuckle. “He really is innocent. Hyukjae, I think you should teach him a thing or two.”

 

“Why me?” Hyukjae frowned with displeasure evident on his face.

 

“Because he has to court Im Yoona. There’s no better choice than you.” Heechul smirked, his eyes gleaming with mischief. Hyukjae decided he didn’t hate anyone else more than Heechul at the moment.

 

** **

 

“Why are we here?” Donghae inquired quietly as they stood outside Class 1-A. He was nervous for an unknown reason and Hyukjae’s presence wasn’t settling at all. The elder didn’t even smile, just gave him a look of disdain through dark single-lidded eyes.

 

“Don’t talk!” Hyukjae shut his words and curiosity with a clipped tone. Feeling awkward on being dismissed coarsely on the first words he spoke directly to the man, Donghae felt rather small and hugged himself.

 

Because Donghae came from another town, it wasn’t easy for him to get used to city lifestyle and most definitely not anyone’s rude behavior. Back in his hometown, no one ever talked to him like that. He remembered always being pampered by elders, teachers, and classmates. For that, he had to blame his tears. He always cried easily. But when he arrived at the city, he learned not to cry anymore when a group of unruly delinquents bullied him because he cried. He decided that he won’t cry at the school or he’d get bullied again. He concluded that people in the city were quite heartless. ‘PTF’ club proved him right again.

 

Donghae and Hyukjae were standing side by side, leaning against the wall. It might have looked awkward as none of them spoke a word. While Hyukjae stared off in the space, Donghae’s eyes were trained on the ground. He could feel stares on him. There were murmurs as he heard students wonder why they were standing there. He wondered the same.

 

He was contemplating about excusing himself somehow when he heard a sweet voice calling Hyukjae’s name and his head snapped to the owner of the voice.

 

Wide-eyed, he stared at Im Yoona, the prettiest girl he had laid eyes on. Realizing that it was rude to stare, he immediately looked away. He wasn’t interested in her or anything but he had to admit that the girl was beautiful and really, really cute.

 

“What are you doing here?” She asked Hyukjae with a smile. Hyukjae didn’t find it necessary to return that smile, something the girl didn’t seem to mind at all. If made him wonder if the two knew each other.

 

“Just wandering around with my friend,” Hyukjae replied nonchalantly and Donghae tensed. “Meet him, he is Lee Donghae. He recently joined our team.”

 

“Hi Donghae,” Yoona noticed the young boy and smiled at him. “I’m Yoona.”

 

At that instant Donghae hated himself again. He had no idea what to say. But he knew he needed to say something, anything.

 

“You’re beautiful,” He smiled rather awkwardly and then his eyes widened visibly at what he said. He mentally cursed at himself. Nothing could prevent the sign of sheer embarrassment already forming on his cheeks. He wanted to dig a hole and bury himself in there.

 

Yoona laughed in amazement while Hyukjae tensed at his stupidity. He felt rather relieved at her laughter but knew he was going to get an earful from Hyukjae later on.

 

“Thank you, Donghae. You are so cute.” She patted his shoulder, a sign of comfort, interest, he didn’t know. But hearing her call him cute was a relief. At least he didn’t already repeal her with his stupidity. Either he wasn’t that bad or she was too kind. Judging from Hyukjae’s tense stature, he put his bet on the latter.

 

Before the conversation could proceed any further, the bell rang, signaling the start of the next class. Donghae was already ready to scurry off. He thanked heavens for creating the timely route of escape. It’d be better if he told Heechul that he won’t be a part of the club. There was no way he could make Yoona fall for him. He couldn’t even utter a coherent sentence around her without making a fool out of himself.

 

The brown haired Donghae was ready to bolt out of there but right at that moment; he felt a strong and intimidating grip on his wrist that had him rooted to the ground. The hand belonged to Hyukjae who wasn’t looking at him even from the corner of his eyes. He kept his confusing eyes on the taller man when he saw a very blinding, very bright, very beautiful sight.

 

Hyukjae’s mouth twisted to show off a gummy smile, eyes wrinkling at sides, a face so charming that had Donghae stare at him in fascination. He wondered if he had ever seen someone smile so brightly ever before. At that moment, for the first time in his life, he felt extremely fascinated with something.

 

He was so busy observing Hyukjae’s smiling face that he didn’t take notice of the words exchanged between him and Yoona. Only when Hyukjae started dragging him out of there did he break out of the daze. He was silently dropped in front of his class before Hyukjae walked to his.

 

During the class, he wondered why he was unable to forget that smile.

 

** **

 

When classes ended, Donghae made his way to the gym, changed from tight uniform to comfortable clothes and joined the rest of the team at the soccer field. Few students present there cheered for the practicing players.

 

Donghae had to admit, the team was amazing. He was always praised for his skills back in hometown but the city, he was nothing compared to other players in the team. That made him realize how much he still needed to learn and he won’t miss the chance.

 

After practicing vigorously for two hours and showering, Donghae found Hyukjae approaching him. The man simply asked for Donghae’s number who abode by the request, more like order, readily. He wondered why Hyukjae needed that as he made his way towards the school gate to accidently run into Yoona who smiled upon recognizing him.

 

“You were with Hyukjae, right?” She asked him, angelic smile intact on her face, “Donghae.”

 

She said his name with more confidence and he nodded rather bashfully. He wasn’t used to talking to girls casually. Not to girls who were pretty and he had hardly ever conversed with before.

 

“Do you know where Hyukjae is?” She inquired and he frowned. The boy in question had left right after getting his phone number.

 

Donghae shook his head in denial and Yoona pouted. “That’s strange. He told me to wait for him and now he isn’t coming.”

 

Before Donghae could say anything or even think about saying anything, his phone started ringing. An unknown number flashed on the screen. He decided to reject the call. Yoona was standing in front of him and he thought it would be rude to talk to an unknown person while she looked slightly distressed.

 

“That bastard,” Hyukjae grunted from behind the tree where he was hiding and dialed Donghae’s number again. He won’t let that innocent jerk mess up his plans.

 

This time, Donghae answered the call when Yoona told him to. When he pressed the phone to his ear, a growl greeted him.

 

“You better not reject my call ever again or I’ll break your bones,” were the words an unknown person said to him. He grimaced in anger and displeasure.

 

“Who the-,” Donghae was about to curse but he glanced at Yoona and modified his words. “Who are you?”

 

“Hyukjae. Now go and walk Yoona to her house.”

 

“What?!” Donghae was shocked. First of all, hearing Hyukjae’s voice coming from his phone was surprising. He wasn’t expecting the older man to call him anytime soon. And secondly, he had to walk Yoona at her house? He didn’t know where her house was.

 

“Yoona is looking at you. Give the phone to her.” Hyukjae ordered. Donghae couldn’t even comprehend that Hyukjae was watching them. He simply handed over the phone to Yoona telling her that it was Hyukjae.

 

“Hyukjae, where are you?” She said in her sweet voice, in a slightly pissed off tone. “I’ve been waiting for you for fifteen minutes.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Hyukjae said. “I injured my foot. It hurts so I won’t be able to talk to you today.” He lied smoothly.

 

“What?! Where are you?”

 

“You don’t need to worry. Go home now before your mother gets worried about you. I’ll talk to you tomorrow. And Donghae will walk you home.”

 

“But you are injured. How can I not worry? And I can go home on my own.”

 

“Thank you for the worry. I swear it’s not serious. Just first degree sprain. And you need to take Donghae with you. You are so pretty; I don’t want random boys hitting on you. Your mother will kill me.”

 

Yoona pouted cutely. “Alright, but tell me what happened tomorrow. I’ll see you later.”

 

“Goodbye,”

 

“Goodbye and take care of yourself,”

 

She handed the phone back to Donghae. “So you are going to walk me home?”

 

“I guess I am.”

 

“You don’t have to,” Yoona said hurriedly. “I’ll be fine on my own. I don’t want to burden you.”

 

“It’s no burden at all,” Donghae quickly said. “Besides, Hyukjae will kill me if I let you leave on your own.”

 

Yoona chuckled at those words and Donghae felt light on hearing that sound. Maybe it was the first time since he arrived in the city that he was able to make someone laugh that way.

 

“Fine, let’s go.” She said and they started walking side by side.

 

There was silence at first but then Yoona broke it by talking about a common topic – Hyukjae. While Donghae told her that he knew Hyukjae because they were on the soccer team, she told him that she was his neighbor and a childhood friend. They had gone to the same schools throughout the years. Donghae was surprised at hearing that. He wondered why Hyukjae was willing to get Yoona heartbroken when they were so close.

 

Then they started talking about school and Donghae talked to her about his homeland, Mokpo and how different and colorful city life was. When they finally reached Yoona’s house, she showed him Hyukjae’s house right next to hers. After saying goodbyes, they departed their ways.

 

Hyukjae let out a sigh of relief as Yoona reached home safely. He had been tailing the duo, making sure Donghae didn’t try anything with her. He believed the guy was innocent but that didn’t stop him from being wary. He can’t just trust the boy with Yoona after knowing him for only a day.

 

He was leaning against the wall, so lost in his own that he didn’t realize something was standing beside him. It was only when a hand tapped his shoulder tentatively, he jumped in the air, heart almost jumping out of his chest, that he noticed the presence of the short boy, looking sheepishly at him.

 

“Were you following us?” Donghae asked Hyukjae who didn’t answer but only glared at him. “So it was your plan?”

 

“Yes, it was.” Hyukjae found his voice. “Now she has started trusting you. It won’t be long before she falls for you.”

 

“But why are you doing this? She is your friend.”

 

“You don’t need to know that. Just do what you are supposed to do.” Hyukjae gave him a condescending look.

 

Donghae cowered. He ducked his head but didn’t move. Hyukjae turned around to leave but was stopped by Donghae’s hand on his arm.

 

“What?” Hyukjae pulled his arm away.

 

“I-I don’t remember.” His voice was small as he spoke.

 

“Don’t remember what?”

 

“The way to go back,” his reply left Hyukjae shocked. He gave the younger boy a look of disbelief.

 

“To say I trusted you to protect Yoona. It looks like you are the one who needs protection.”

 

Donghae didn’t meet Hyukjae’s eyes, too ashamed to even look at him.

 

“Why don’t you find your way back? I’m tired after all the practice.” Hyukjae decided to be heartless and just leave the shorter boy there.

 

“No, please.” Donghae quickly reached for Hyukjae’s arm again. “I’m new here and I don’t know anyone.”

 

Hyukjae wasn’t planning to give in but that pleading look managed to soften his stone heart for a short time.

 

“Fine, I’ll give you directions,” Hyukjae told him and Donghae nodded and took out a notebook and pen from his bag. When Hyukjae told him what way to take, Donghae jotted down in his notebook and then thanked the older not wanting to bother him anymore.

 

Hyukjae left and Donghae started following the way just as he had been told. It wasn’t easy but Donghae managed to see the school after forty-five minutes of supposed twenty minutes walk. By the time he reached home, he was dead tired and dropped on the bed. When he closed his eyes, he saw that gummy smile before his mind became blank.

 

** **

 

It didn’t take more than a day for rumors to fly around the school. Because Donghae was handsome and Yoona was pretty, everyone already thought of the two of them as the ‘it’ couple. Of course, Hyukjae was the secret cupid who immensely hated playing the role. Moreover, the more he thought about it, the more pissed he got.

 

“Hyukjae, are you okay now?”

 

He was so busy bouncing the ball on his two feet alternatively that he missed the approaching girl. The distraction made him miss a step and the ball rolled away from him.

 

He recognized the voice easily. Turning around, he saw Yoona eyeing his foot.

 

“I’m fine,” he muttered, not really in the mood to talk, especially not with her.

 

“You injured your foot yesterday,” she stated, looking back into his eyes. “How many times have I told you to take care of your body? Seriously, you never listen.”

 

He sighed. “Listen, I’m sorry. I’m not injured badly. It wasn’t even a first-degree sprain, just pulled some nerves. I’m sorry for worrying you.”

 

She relaxed on hearing it wasn’t anything serious. “Still, you need to take rest if it hurts.”

 

“I will.” He smiled at her, glad she still cared enough about him.

 

“Where’s Donghae?” She looked around. Hyukjae’s face twisted with displeasure on hearing that.

 

“He hasn’t arrived yet,” Hyukjae replied. The morning training wasn’t something usual. Not all the players came in the morning to practice. But Hyukjae always had time for that. “Why are you looking for him?”

 

“Nothing important.” She shrugged. “There are rumors floating around.”

 

Hyukjae cocked an eyebrow. “You heard them already?”

 

“Yeah, it’s kind of weird. We just met yesterday and students already think we’re gonna get married or something.” She rolled her eyes.

 

“Yeah, you won’t date someone like Donghae. He’s too much of a kid for you.” He provoked her.

 

“Well…,” she dragged. “I think it might not be such a bad idea.”

 

Hyukjae gave her a look of complete surprise and then he frowned. “What do you mean?”

 

“I think it might not be bad to date him. Everyone thinks we are together after yesterday. And he is a nice guy.” She said while he kept quiet, looking for the ball. He needed to divert his attention somewhere else.

 

It was supposed to be that way. Yoona had to fall for Donghae. Everything was going the way it was supposed to go. Then why did he hate it so much.

 

When Donghae entered the gates of the gym, he thought that he hated the boy too.

 

** **

 

The rumors became true. Yoona and Donghae were dating. Donghae was over the moon when Yoona asked him out. He had never thought it would be like that. He had never thought that she would be the one to pop the question. Moreover, he was even thinking of quitting the club. But everything seemed to fall in its place perfectly.

 

For the first class, he was sitting idly, not even hearing what the teacher was explaining. The diagrams on the blackboard didn’t look anything different than doodles. He was too lost in the thoughts. Luck was on his side or what could have been the reason for things to turn out the way they did.

 

Oh yes, there was one reason – Hyukjae. It was all because of him. It had to be because of him. Otherwise, it wouldn’t have been possible for Yoona to magically fall for him overnight and ask him out the next day.

 

He knew she didn’t love him. How can one fall for someone so quickly? Maybe she just liked him. If things escalated further, maybe she will fall for him or him for her. Before that happened, he needed to end it. He decided that he will date her for a month, not take things further, and then break it off. It was the perfect plan. He would be accepted in the eyes of the club and not break her heart.

 

He thanked heavens for having Hyukjae at his side or he wouldn’t have been able to accomplish anything. While waiting for the class to end, he made a mental note to thank Hyukjae once the class was over.

 

As soon as the siren signaled the end of the torturous study hour and teacher left, Donghae dashed over to Hyukjae’s class to find the man perched on his chair, head resting on arms crossed over the table. He walked over, silently, aware of the eyes looking at him. His heart started beating fast at the attention he received. When he reached Hyukjae’s desk, he tapped the sleeping boy’s head with the index finger.

 

Hyukjae shot up, startling Donghae, who managed to compose his expressions as the older boy looked at him in confusion.

 

“Donghae?” He asked in a husky voice. That was nice to hear. Donghae thought that his sleep voice was so nice. Maybe one of the best sounds he had ever heard.

 

“Hyukjae,” he leaned down slowly, not wanting other students to hear. “Thank you for helping me.” He whispered.

 

Hyukjae was still bewildered but when he understood, he pulled the shorter boy’s head down and whispered back in his ear. “You should be in your girlfriend’s class not here, you BASTARD.”

 

It didn’t take long for Donghae to run out of the class and into Yoona’s class after that. His right ear was still ringing from the scream. But when he reached there, Yoona was nowhere to be seen. Relieved, he headed back to his class, because honestly, he didn’t know how to interact with his girlfriend.

 

He’d rather avoid her than talk to her. Besides, nothing was serious. It was just a game.

 

Donghae didn’t get any chance to talk to Yoona for the rest of the day. She was busy elsewhere and he couldn’t even find her. It was only after the practice that he saw her waiting for him. They walked together to her home. Again, Hyukjae followed them and again he had to tell Donghae the way to go home, apparently, he had left the notebook home and he was too consumed in conversation with Yoona that he didn’t pay attention to where he was going.

 

This continued for about a week until Heechul suggested something Donghae had never tried before.

 

“Why don’t you go on a date with your girlfriend?” Heechul’s eyes glinted when he said that.

 

“But hyung, I’ve never been on a date before.”

 

“Then it will be your first. That too with Im Yoona. You are one lucky brat.” He punched Donghae on the shoulder.

 

“I don’t wanna go.” He whined. “What if I mess up?”

 

“Take Hyukjae with you.” Heechul said, making Hyukjae snap his head towards them.

 

“Hell no!” His answer was straight forward. “I won’t go. I won’t, won’t go. A date is between two people. I don’t want to be a third wheel.”

 

“You won’t be together with them. Just watch over them from afar. Besides, it’s their first date and Donghae has to kiss Yoona. Make sure nothing goes wrong because I think this guy,” he pointed at Donghae, “will faint before their lips meet. It will scare her.”

 

Hyukjae became quiet but then agreed.

 

** **

 

For a first timer, Donghae was even worse with the dating business. Not only was he running late, but he also forgot to compliment Yoona. Moreover, he hadn’t brought his wallet. If it wasn’t for Hyukjae who met him in the toilet, he would have run off somewhere. The man not only provided him money to pay dinner bills but also taught him a couple of lines to say, which he didn’t. He was grateful nonetheless. He knew he could always rely on Hyukjae who was more mature than him.

 

As they sat through the movie, Donghae had already started to tear up as Titanic hit the iceberg. He knew what was coming and no matter how many times he watched the scene, tears would come out every time. He tried to keep the moisture in his eyes back, not willing to let a bored looking Yoona see his weakness.

 

Why was she looking so bored anyway?

 

He managed to survive without crying by closing his eyes at the last scene, pretending to fall asleep. He was waiting for Yoona to wake him up. But he didn’t wake up on his own in case she was staring at his sleeping form or something. Time seemed to stretch as he grew impatient. At that moment, he could have opened his eyes but he waited. Only when he felt a tap on the back of his head was he able to wake up, and the tap was not any light tap. It made a sound as if metal had struck his skull.

 

Pissed off, he looked back at the person, knowing well it couldn’t have been Yoona, he hadn’t felt her moving at all, only to meet a set of dark eyes belonging to Hyukjae. That made his own eyes widen and he almost jumped back. But then he saw Yoona who was soundly sleeping. Hyukjae disappeared right away and Donghae carefully woke her up.

 

Because it was already late at night, they walked back home. Donghae was nervous. His insides kept on trembling. He remembered Heechul’s words very well. When they reached Yoona’s home, Donghae already felt like leaving. He had to kiss Yoona. He had never kissed anyone before. In all honesty, he wasn’t looking forward to it.

 

He had always imagined kissing someone he liked. Yoona was nice and pretty but he just couldn’t find himself liking her in that way. She could be a good friend to him but a lover…? He couldn’t think at all. He couldn’t imagine himself kissing her. He didn’t want to. Yet, he had to.

 

“I had fun today. The food was delicious,” Yoona said. “Sorry for sleeping during the movie though. I was just tired I guess.” She said with guilt in her eyes.

 

“It’s alright. I slept too.” He lied. “Maybe the genre doesn’t go well with us. We should try an action movie next time.”

 

“Already planning our next date, huh?” Yoona raised a teasing eyebrow at him.

 

“Don’t you want to come?” Although Donghae felt shy at her comment, he managed to ask.

 

“Of course I do. I’d go anywhere with you.” Yoona chuckled.

 

Donghae felt laughter bubbling inside him. He didn’t. Those words were comforting but didn’t make his heart race. It was like a casual exchange between two friends.

 

“Next time then,” Donghae said.

 

“Sure, next time. Goodbye ,Donghae,” Yoona said and he took a step back, bidding her goodbye too.

 

But then he remembered what he had almost forgotten during their small conversation.

 

“Yoona!” He called her as she had already turned around. On hearing her name, Yoona tilting her body and gave him a confused look.

 

He glanced at her lips and then looked away.

 

“Good night,”

 

“Good night,” she smiled at him and left. He couldn’t do anything but stand there like a fool, cursing himself.

 

As his girlfriend disappeared from the sight and he turned around to leave, his phone started ringing. The number displayed on the screen was new. He frowned and received the call, only to hear Hyukjae’s voice.

 

“Come to my house now. And don’t make it too obvious. Stay out of Yoona’s sight.” The boy spoke and hung up.

 

Donghae knew he was going to get an earful from Hyukjae for not kissing her. But he didn’t want the older to get even angrier at him so he had to follow the order. Silently and cautiously, he entered Hyukjae’s house, surprised to find the boy waiting for him at the door.

 

He entered the cozy house and waited for the scolding to come. He heard voices from the kitchen, probably his parents while Hyukjae silently dragged him to his room. He didn’t get any time to observe the surroundings but noticed how homely it was while he had to stay in an apartment with his brother. He missed his parents.

 

He was pushed inside the room and door was closed as Hyukjae glared at him while he stood in the middle of the room. Feeling like a specimen under scrutiny, Donghae prayed heavens to do something and distract the older boy. He could no longer bear the burden of that burning gaze.

 

“Do you remember what the whole point of going on a date with Yoona today was?” Hyukjae asked, voice calm but threatening.

 

Donghae flinched. “I’m sorry.” He apologized right away knowing very well what Hyukjae was talking about.

 

“Apology won’t suffice. Why didn’t you do it? What’s wrong with you?”

 

“I can’t kiss her. I haven’t kissed anyone before. I don’t know how to.” Donghae applauded himself for coming up with that excuse. For,it sounded quite reasonable. But Hyukjae didn’t seem to share the same thought.

 

Donghae was shoved against the wall, Hyukjae’s face hovering over his. Heart beating wildly inside his chest, Donghae froze. It was the first time the shorter man noticed that Hyukjae was a few centimeters taller. His eyes were dark brown, darker than his, shadowed by long eyelashes connected to single lids, nose round and cute and lips thick. His jaw was sharp, body slender and skin a shade paler than his. He was extremely aware of the proximity between them.

 

“Should I teach you how to kiss then?” Hyukjae asked in a husky voice, sending shivers down his back pressed against the wall.

 

He stared at those intense eyes fixed on his lips. He opened and closed his mouth but no words came out. And then, before he could even register what was happening, plump lips pressed against his in a hard kiss.

 

Petrified, Donghae didn’t even move. His eyes were wide open in surprise, brain failing to respond, heart beating wildly and body unknowingly leaning back. Before he could register what had happened, Hyukjae pulled away.

 

“Such a passive lover,” he commented, “You needed to kiss back. Move your lips against mine.”

 

Donghae’s eyes closed as he felt the other’s breath melting with his and their lips connected once again, this time in a gentle kiss. Instinctively and hesitatingly, Donghae started moving his lips, following Hyukjae’s movement, , tugging and biting. If his brain had frozen a few seconds ago, it had ascended to heaven then. The kiss was something he had never imagined. More than a slow comfort, it was a sharp thrill.

 

And he loved every second of it.

 

Their lips parted after a minute and met again and again and again. Donghae had no idea how long their lips found each other. But it felt like a few seconds. His fingers were wrapped around Hyukjae’s t-shirt, pulling him closer while Hyukjae’s palms were against the wall at either side of his head. He didn’t know how long it could have lasted if not for the knocking at the door.

 

** **

 

Standing outside the gym, Donghae was contemplating whether he should enter or not. Friday night’s kiss was still fresh in his mind, recorded and replaying all the time. He couldn’t stop thinking about it. His feelings – he could call them a mixture of confusion and thrill. The first kiss of his life felt special, he couldn’t stop thinking about it. But he needed to forget. Hyukjae only taught him how to kiss not asked him to be his boyfriend. He would never. Hyukjae didn’t sound like someone who liked boys. So he should stop thinking about it.

 

It took massive amount of courage to open the doors. He scanned the place with brown exploring eyes and sighed in relief when there were no signs of the boy who had kissed him.

 

“Are you going to move or not?” A deep voice asked from behind him and he let out a shriek and jumped in the air, moving away from the source of the sound.

 

On the doorway, stood Hyukjae with his passive face, eyes narrowed in the usual manner. Donghae should have bowed and apologized but he found his eyes fixed on those plump lips. He saw them moving but heard nothing as the kiss of that night’s flashed in front of his eyes again.

 

When those lips tugged in an uncharacterized smirk did Donghae stop staring at them, and tried to make an eye contact with dark, single-lidded eyes but failed and his eyes moved frantically to look around the room. He felt stupid, just like what he was doing. Scolding himself mentally and managing to do a slight bow, he scrambled out of Hyukjae’s way.

 

Entering, he made sure not to come even five meters close to the guy who kissed him that night, a kiss he couldn’t forget. No matter how much he practiced, sweated and ultimately almost fainted, he couldn’t get rid of that memory etched  permanently inside his brain. He was never good at studies but if he started remembering study text like that kiss then he’d get his doctorate in no time.

 

By the time he had to head for classes, his whole body was drained from intense exercising. Even showering didn’t make him feel energized. He swayed into the class, mechanically walking to the place he deemed as absolute hellhole for the day for he badly wanted to sleep and that was the place where he always felt like sleeping but couldn’t. Classes went by in a blur. The instant he felt awake was when Hyukjae was around him.

 

The only other time when he felt his body stirring from anticipation and anxiousness was when Yoona came to see him, in his class. How was he supposed to tell her that he had cheated on her right after their first date? She was so sweet and cute and he felt like scum for doing that to her.

 

She had come to inform him not to wait for her as she needed to be at school for extra hours. He merely nodded, his mind still a jumbled mess. He collapsed back on the desk when she left. His classmates asked him about his beautiful girlfriend but he didn’t have any strength to utter a word. Drained mentally and physically, he waited for the day to end so he could go home and sleep.

 

Although the day passed excruciatingly slowly, Donghae couldn’t have avoided or prepared for their after-school practice. It hadn’t been long since he joined so skipping, a very tempting idea, was out of the question. It was one of those days when practice included passing the ball to another person while they played in pairs. And the couch just had to pair him up with the person he wanted to evade the most.

 

Hyukjae was focused on their training, receiving the ball just fine. Donghae, on the other hand, was having the hardest time of his life. He hadn’t slept well last night and expended most of the energy in the morning. No rest and mental torture made his movements sluggish and he hardly managed to catch the ball a couple of times.

 

The blazing sun wasn’t on his side either. His head spun as ball barreled towards him. He tried to focus and missed it again. But he didn’t miss a very pissed off Hyukjae heading in his direction. Pretending he didn’t see the older boy, Donghae turned to find the ball only to be stopped by a hand on his arm.

 

He knew love, like, infatuation was magical. He had heard and read enough. But when goosebumps rose on his skin and electricity shot from the site of contact, Donghae wondered if he possessed those feelings for the owner of the hand. His face, already red, burned with embarrassment, pleasure, he didn’t know. He just knew that he was in big, big trouble as Hyukjae’s dark cold eyes stared his soft brown ones.

 

“What’s wrong with you?” Hyukjae asked, keeping his voice low and harsh.

 

Donghae desperately tried to shake away from the older boy. A slight pang to his heart was felt at Hyukjae’s tone. He didn’t care about anything except for getting that hand off his arm. But Hyukjae didn’t think the same. He was aware of the stares thrown in their way. Before it could attract the attention of the couch, he forcefully tugged at the struggling boy’s arm and dragged him back to lockers. There were spectators, he knew. But arguments weren’t particularly uncommon among players. It was good enough that Donghae hadn’t struggled more to escalate it into a fight.

 

When they reached their destination, Hyukjae glared at the only couple of students present there and they scrambled out reluctantly on seeing a scared Donghae’s pleading gaze. No doubt he didn’t want to be alone with the angry boy. As Hyukjae grew angrier with every passing second, Donghae felt even more hurt.

 

Just like that night, Donghae was pressed against the wall where lockers ended. The small space accommodating his body and Hyukjae’s almost pressing against his. With a sharp intake of breath, he realized how fast his heart was beating. He tried to avoid looking into the scary dark eyes but Hyukjae caught his face harshly and made him meet his gaze.

 

“What’s wrong with you?” The words were spat out of his mouth again in an angry whisper.

 

When Donghae didn’t reply, Hyukjae laughed in a rather mocking way.

 

“I know what’s wrong with you. You can’t stop thinking about that bloody kiss.” If it wasn’t embarrassing and Hyukjae wasn’t saying those words with such a furious face, Donghae might have agreed. He only stared wide-eyed at the taller boy, not saying anything.

 

But his expressive eyes gave it away and Hyukjae caught on easily.

 

“If I knew you’d start acting like this I’d never have kissed you.” He was keeping his voice low, in case anyone was standing outside and listening. “Forget about breaking hearts. You’re incapable, incompetent and just a waste.”

 

With every word that came out of Hyukjae’s mouth, the brown-eyed boy felt like sobbing. Tears stung at the back of his eyes and he hastily looked down.

 

Don’t cry. Don’t cry, Donghae.

 

“If it bothers you so much then I’m going to stay away from you. Just spend your time with your girlfriend. Kiss her, marry her, do whatever the hell you want. I will stay out of your way from now on.”

 

As Hyukjae stomped away, Donghae wondered what happened. Was he interpreted in the wrong way? Because he didn’t understand what the other boy said. He was sure that Hyukjae was angry. But what exactly was going inside his head?

 

When Donghae waited for Yoona outside the gates like always, his mind was still stuck back at the locker. He rubbed the spot on his chest, right above his heart. He really needed to cry, to make the pain lessen. But first, there was a role of a caring boyfriend he had to fulfill. Only then could go home and wallow in self-pity.

 

When there were no signs of Yoona fifteen minutes later, he decided to go inside and check on her. He headed towards her classroom to find a couple of girls. They informed him about Yoona’s whereabouts. He learned that she had left for the library. But when he reached there, no signs of the said girl were found.

 

He was almost getting worried and that’s when he really thought about his girlfriend, just his girlfriend. Because his mind had been constantly focused on a certain dark-haired boy, he had completely forgotten. Yoona would be late. She had told him. Yet he had forgotten.

 

Feeling foolish, Donghae was about to exit the library when a voice stopped him.

 

“Listen, boy,” the voice belonged to the middle-aged librarian. “I’ve sent a girl to get a register from history teacher Lee Seung gi but she hasn’t arrived yet. I need to enter data in the school computer. Can you go and get it from him?”

 

Nodding politely, Donghae left in search of the history teacher. He knew where the said man was and headed there in a hurry. He really wanted to go home. So when he found the room that belonged to the teacher, he didn’t bother about knocking and opened the door without any notice.

 

His eyes widened with what he witnessed. On the chair sat the young teacher and on his lap sat Yoona doing what they hadn’t done after their date. They were kissing really heatedly. He just looked at them wide-eyed for a few seconds.

 

They were so busy that they hadn’t noticed someone entering. It was only when the door was shut with a loud thud did Yoona jump away from the history teacher.

 

“Oh no!” Yoona cried out. “Someone saw us?”

 

Lee Seung gi was mirroring her expressions.

 

** **

 

When Donghae arrived at the school next day, he looked like hell. Though he didn’t cry yesterday, the emotional burden was too much for him.

 

He hadn’t attended the morning practice session and headed to the classes. Yoona didn’t come to school. He figured she must have been scared. It didn’t matter anyway. Donghae had got his heart broken in the end. He couldn’t even get loyalty from her. Not that he was loyal to her. But he had felt like hell after kissing Hyukjae, a part of him guilty over cheating.

 

He didn’t know what to think anymore. Soccer was one thing but these games of heart, he hated them. He even wondered if he was be