Chanyeol went to school extra early the next day—at least 30 minutes before the first class because he couldn’t sleep all that well, anyway. He was too exhilarated, nervous, agitated and even terrified.

The school janitor was perplexed seeing him this early, but Chanyeol only bowed at the ahjussi in greeting and whizzed through the empty hall, his heart pounding.

He went straight to Kyungsoo’s locker and slipped a blue-colored paper with 10 lines written on it, before he lost his nerve altogether. Out of pages and pages of feelings he had poured out in his notebook last night, he decided on a poem instead.

Then he proceeded to the men’s toilet, to try and calm down. He found a vacant cubicle and locked himself in it.

It hit him, then.

What have I done?

He buried his face in his hands.

He had just confessed to his best friend.

He didn’t sign it, though, and tried his best to alter his handwriting. He made it prettier, if that was possible, when it was usually messy and illegible by human standards.

Maybe he should wash his face. Maybe he would wake up and realize this was a dream.

Before he could exit the cubicle, he heard footsteps approaching and the toilet entrance door swinging open.

“I’m telling you, I did see them come out of the broom closet yesterday!” Chanyeol heard Jongin whine.

“You don’t think they were making out in there, do you?” Taemin’s voice teased, effectively riling Jongin up.

“Yah,” Minho warned in a hushed voice. “Don’t start rumors like that, unless you have evidence. You can get in trouble with Principal Oh Sehun.”

While Chanyeol didn’t hang out with these classmates of his, and for obvious reasons, he’d always thought Minho was the most logical among the three.

“Why are you worrying about Chanyeol, anyway? He’s just the best friend!” Taemin egged on, which made Chanyeol grit his teeth. “Aside from the girls from the senior class gushing over Kyungsoo, and Red Velvet, I hear the basketball team captain has it bad for your crush!”

Jongin groaned then, and Chanyeol could hear running water as the faucet was switched on. “So Peppero sticks won’t do the trick this time?”

“Just ask him out. Or at least find out if he’s interested in you.”

“Well, he did promise to help me with my Math after school at the library today, so I guess that’s sort of a date?” Jongin tried hopefully.

“Make sure you get the answers on the workbook right, so Kyungsoo doesn’t think you’re a complete idiot and that you aren’t wasting his time, then treat him to coffee or something,” Minho advised. “Try not to be creepy about it, araseo?”

Just then, the friends heard a phone ringing from inside one of the cubicles.

Chanyeol’s eyes widened in panic as he saw Kyungsoo’s name flashing on his screen.

Jongin, Minho and Taemin looked at each other and scrambled out of the bathroom, thinking that it was one of the teachers taking a dump early in the morning.

Chanyeol still wasn’t sure if the toilet was completely empty so he answered the call, whispering raspily, “Yeobosaeyo?”

“Chanyeollie?”

“Hmm.” Chanyeol cautiously unlocked the cubicle he was at, and was relieved that he was alone.  “Wae?”

“Are you in school?”

Chanyeol glanced at his wristwatch. It was 15 minutes before Teacher Kim Junmyeon entered their classroom. “A-Ani.” He pretended to yawn. “I’m just going out of the house.”

“Eh? You’re going to be late?”

“Uh, I’ll try my best to make it on time. See you!” He said hastily and went out of the toilet as subtly as he could, blending in to a group of sophomores going in the same direction.

Just as he was turning to the corner, he stopped short at seeing his best friend by his own locker, being chatted up by Tiffany noona and Jessica noona. He plastered his back on the wall, and yet popped his head out just enough to get a view of him.

Kyungsoo looked so adorable, smiling and giggling like that. He had never really seen the smaller one being this sociable and open, other than with him or with family.

This was Kyungsoo emerging from his shell, with gentle confidence and engaging energy. Chanyeol wanted to tell the world that his best friend was actually quite funny and interesting, once they got to know him. And it was through Chanyeol that people only learned of this endearing side of him.

But now, Kyungsoo was doing it on his own.

It was… entrancing to watch.

Just then, Kyungsoo turned to open his locker, and Chanyeol’s breath hitched.

There were significantly lesser letters in his locker now, and Chanyeol’s was among the smallest ones that tumbled on the floor.

Jessica noona picked it up, couldn’t help reading a few lines since it was unsealed, and gave it to Kyungsoo.

Kyungsoo thanked noona as he put the blue folded letter on top of the rest, placing them above the books in his arms.

Chanyeol’s heart pounded between his ears, until he couldn’t hear anything else.

Jessica and Tiffany noona waved goodbye to Kyungsoo as they went towards their classroom. Kyungsoo proceeded to the opposite direction, only a few steps left and he was about to pass by Chanyeol—as Chanyeol realized too late—as the smaller one opened his letter, his big, big eyes going through every word.

Suddenly, Kyungsoo’s head shot up, frantically looking among the students milling towards their classes, and Chanyeol inched himself away from his hiding place, only to crash into Kris hyung.

“Oi, Chanyeol-rah!”

Chanyeol had to shush Kris hyung in embarrassment as he went running to the farthest route to the junior class, hadn’t even bothered apologizing to hyung.

Kris was scratching his head in confusion as he turned to the corner and almost bumped into Kyungsoo, his wide, gummy smile unfolding instantly. “Annyeong.”

Kyungsoo jumped and nervously greeted Kris hyung back, still holding on the poem that he had just read.

“Uh, Kyungsoo-yah, about this Saturday…”

The first bell rang just then. Kyungsoo