I’m content with sitting in my chair and watching the students scuffle and skulk around as they wait for the teacher to come. He’s already ten minutes late and it seems as a party for my folks. Meanwhile I just stare at them, bored, as I click my fingers on the smooth, clean table of mine.

A head pokes itself inside the classroom and past the door and my eyes widen instantly when I realize who it is. I stand from my chair right away and passes by my oblivious classmates to stand against the door, the wide eyes of the poking head lifting up to meet mine through the ajar opening of the door.

“Kyungsoo-ssi?” I wonder out loud, even though I’m pretty damn sure it is Kyungsoo. With his small stature, his wide eyes, his pouty lips and his sharp jawline. There’s no way I’d mistake anyone else for Kyungsoo when he’s already so divine and ethereal. 

He brightens when he sees me; his whole face shifting into glamour and happiness. He lifts himself up to his full height and beams at me, “Yuji-yah!”

I open the door fully and welcome him inside, which he manages to politely decline and merely stands outside. Seeing this, I exit the classroom myself to meet him outside, closing the door behind me, and he gratefully shoots me a smile.

“What are you doing here?” I ask wonderingly and also quite naturally happily because this is Do Kyungsoo and he’s here in front of my classroom! “This is the first time I’m seeing you in this hallway.”

His facial expressions shifts into a sheepish expression, and he raises his hand to the back of his neck nervously. I almost squeal out loud at how adorable he looks. “Ah, well, I have some sort of a mission. Do you know anyone that isn’t in a club?”

“A club?” I ask questionably. 

“Yeah,” he sighs out loud and the sigh seems so miserable that I just want to tuck him in a warm blanket and hide him from the world. “I’m responsible for the Music Club and we still have plenty of spots available for students to sign in,” he sighs again. “Nobody really wants to sign in with us. I have no idea why.” 

I wonder if he’s capable of pouting and suddenly feel rejuvenated to watch him pout in the future despite looking like someone who doesn’t naturally flaunt his pouting face around. 

“Music club?” I raise my eyebrows up. “You’re the president of the music club?”

He looks a little flustered at the exhilaration in my voice. “Maybe it doesn’t look like it because I’m more academically inclined but I like to sing sometimes,” then, as if he’s not used to be talking about himself at all, he jumps to add. “Chanyeol actually is the Vice President of the club. Did you know that?”

I raise my brows in stupefaction and surprise. “Park Chanyeol is a Vice President for something? Didn’t think he’s capable of responsibility.”

Kyungsoo laughs in surprise at my tutting response and I’m taken aback by how nice and low-pitched his laugh is. I almost want to hug it. Man, my Kyungsoo amazement phase doesn’t seem to be on any road to be made clear. In fact, I’m feeling more and more content in being around him and I don’t know if it’s a bad or a good thing. 

Kyungsoo responds after his laugh, still having a delightful smile on. “It doesn’t look like it, but when he’s passionate about something, he goes all out. Anyway,” he clears his throat, suddenly looking shy and positively timid. “Are you in any clubs for extracurricular activity? If not, will you join our club or find someone who does? We really need more students.”

“How percent of our grades does it contribute to?” I go straight to business. 

Kyungsoo smirks, and his expression resembles mine so much that everyone would instantly know the top students of this school. “Ten percent, twelve if you’re the president or the vice.”

“Count me in.” I instantly agree, even though I’m not exactly a big fan of clubs and being around people more than necessary. But grades are important and if I’d get ten percent bonuses to attempt and be in clubs then I’d be a part of them, no matter how much I have been avoiding them since the start of the new school year. 

Kyungsoo beams, and quickly writes my name on a form he’s been holding. “Great! Got any instrument you’re good at? Or is your voice good?”

I blush like an apple and scratch my nails against my cheeks self-consciously, suddenly shy at being put in the spot like that. “I, uh, I used to play the violin. Hadn’t been doing it for years.”

“That’s fine,” Kyungsoo lifts his head from the form to sends me a kind smile. I go even more ridiculously red and I scratch on my cheeks harder. “You’ll quickly get reminded of it when you hold it again. Learning the violin is one of the courses in the club anyway, so you’ll be back on your feet in no time.”

“That’s great.” I have it in me to beam right back.

He takes a card out of his pocket and hands it to me. “Here’s my number. You can tell me if there’s someone from this class that wants to join in. I’ll still look around the other classes for someone to join in the meanwhile. Thank you for joining! I’ll see you at lunch!”

He rushes away from me before I can comprehend that I now have his number — on a damn business card, too! — and the fact he told her he’ll see me at lunch.

Damn, I forgot that I eat lunch with them as if now. 

-

I secretly poke my head inside the club room — exactly the way Kyungsoo had done when he came into my classroom — and my eyes widen when I see the room so stuffed with Chanyeol’s friends. I only remember Kai and Baekhyun’s names and I’m taken aback a little to see them in the room amongst their other friends. I wonder silently if they’re here because they’re interested in the music club and they were actual members, or because they were just here to hang out with their friends.

I notice that Kyungsoo is among them, which doesn’t come as a surprise considering Kyungsoo’s friends with them. Chanyeol’s no where to be around and I flicker my eyes around, searching for him. I’m frazzled out of my state when I hear the boy’s voice coming from right beside my ear.

“What are you doing?”

I whirl around in surprise, gasping. “Chanyeol. I—“

“Here to look at my amazing bod and my amazing talent in rocking all of these instruments like putty in my hand because I’n just that amazing?” He brags like the moron he really is, smiling widely at me and looking so ridiculously amused. He’s standing tall behind me with his strong arms held at his hips, his wild golden hair looks white in the reflecting light of the sun between us, and he suddenly looks out of this world; ethereal, and all of my words choke in my saliva. I don’t know what to say. 

I triy to sigh, collecting myself and all of my intense emotions, and then reaches over in a revenge-induced gesture to smack him over his built chest. He exaggerates his pain by placing his arm over his wounded chest. “Firstly, you used amazing three times in a sentence. That’s repetitive. Secondly, don’t do that!” I smack his arm next, going momentarily shocked at how puffy it is. “If I were a cat my tail would turn bushy.”

He laughs out loud, and his booming voice catches the attention of every other person inside. Kyungsoo stares curiously at us before walking away from his friends, and in a none too conscious movement, I lift my hand upwards to fix my bangs. Chanyeol watches me amusedly. 

“You made it right on time!” Kyungsoo cheers loudly upon seeing me. His eyes flicker over towards Chanyeol and they darken just a little. “You too. Wow, I’m surprised. I was ready to counterattack a new excuse of yours but I’m glad there is nothing for today. Honestly, I got sick of your foolish justifications.”

Chanyeol’s lips twitch in a pout and I’m baffled with how different the two friends are. Kyungsoo never pouted since I got to know him despite being an expressive person whereas Chanyeol’s pulling the dangerous guns all so easily all the time. 

“Why do you love having me look like a loser in front of gorgeous girls like Yuji, Kyungsoo?” Chanyeol whines, wiggling in his spot like an earth worm. 

Kyungsoo looks cooly back at him. “I don’t have to do anything for you to look like a loser. Your quirks do that enough for you.”

My eyes widens a little at the rude way Kyungsoo responded. I haven’t considered Kyungsoo to have a simple bone in him to be mean and uncivil; now he’s retaliating to Chanyeol as if he’s always been the type of person to have sarcasm as a weapon under his sleeves. I couldn’t believe it. This makes me think that despite all these years admiring the boy from afar, I actually don’t know him. I don’t know how to think about this. 

“Kyungsoo-yah,” Chanyeol whines again, his baritone note lower than usual and bordering on husky. I turn to stare at him with poorly concealed amusement. It’s funny to see a boy so big act like a three year old. “You’re so mean to me nowadays. I hope you’re not considering to be mean to me in front of Yuji, too.”

Kyungsoo’s eyes flicker from between us, as if he’s gauging my reaction to his words — I stare back in what I hope is a cool expression; nonchalant — and then looks back at Chanyeol with a snort. “I’m not mean to you. I just simply describe you. Now get inside. The drums have been dusty lately, and I can almost swear I told you to clean them when you’re done with them.”

Chanyeol curls his lower lip upward in another massive pout; eyes resembling a pair of soft pug eyes. “I did clean them. I don’t need you to boss me around to know when things need to be cleaned.”

Kyungsoo sighs and he sounds as if he’s doing it because of Chanyeol’s repetitive excuses, feeling helpless and surrendering. I wonder how these two are even friends. “I just imagined the dust, didn’t I? And I imagined the day I saw them dusty, too.”

I couldn’t help but let out a small giggle, which immediately catches their attention. They snap their heads towards me and I cover my mouth with wide eyes; pooling redness the shade of rosy strawberries coating my cheeks. Kyungsoo raises an eyebrow but his eyes are clearly sparkling in entertainment, whereas Chanyeol’s lips twitch into a smile.

“Can we go inside now?” I ask in a way to divert their attention away from me, especially Chanyeol’s. Whenever he pulls his lips to smile at me, and I feel something dangerous coil in my stomach. Now I don’t know what it is but I’m smart enough to grow weary of it. 

“Oh, right. This is your first time visiting a club, Yuji, right?” Kyungsoo asks as he turns inside to walk in. I follow timidly, giving Chanyeol a cautious look to see if he’d follow, too. Thankfully, he does.

Chanyeol’s loud voice booms beside me before I can reply. “Y’know, Yuji-ah, for someone so dedicated to their school grades, I’m surprised about the fact you never been in a club.”

I blush and ducks my head underway, little bit exasperated at the fact he found out this fact about me without telling him. “I, uh, I don’t do that well around people.”

He gives me a ‘duh’ look. “No , and here I thought all of your awkwardness around me was cute.”

I smack him in his stomach this time and he holds my arm in his cage, stopping me from my frivolous attacks. He laughs at me measly attempt and I pull my arm out of his grip, my whole body tingling at the texture of his rough, calloused skin against mine. 

“.” I mutter under my breath, but it wasn’t malicious. If anything, it sounded almost fond. Wow, look at me; being so fond and enamored around Chanyeol, who I once considered stand-offish and rude. 

Once I enter the club after Kyungsoo, I’m flabbergasted with how wide the classroom actually is. Besides the boys and girls hovering around a corner; there are tons of musical instruments strung around the classroom. My eyes instantly flicker over the violin cases opened wide on one corner, and I can hear the echo of my furious heartbeats reverberating across my eardrums. I walk with a little more strength in my steps than before, and I play to ignore the tentative stares that follows me from Chanyeol’s friends as I do so.  

Kyungsoo takes me to a corner where at least three violins are stacked against the wall, the corner I already scooped; they’re all shining like they’re still brand new. He bends over and takes one in his hands before giving it to me. “Here you go. I would like to hear you play someday. You can keep this violin with you; we’re allowed to take instruments home as long as we take care of them, so I give you permission to take it home and practice there if you’d like.”

Chanyeol’s eyes pop out in surprise, and I can practically hear them as they go wide from behind me. He shoots his head towards me, having to crane his neck forward so his face can enter my peripheral vision. “You play the violin?”

I’m even more flustered now with his attention on me, and my hands shake as I go to accept the violin from Kyungsoo, hoping I don’t end up tumbling it down the floor or something. “I, uh, a little?”

Chanyeol whistles. “Damn, that’s y. I like a girl who’s good with her fingers.”

Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and shoots his hand to smack him in the head so fast I wonder how he even reached him. Chanyeol yelps in exaggeration, covering his head with his large hands like a solider wounded in war. “Ignore him. I’ll get you the case of this violin at the end of class. Usually we stay around here and practice so you’re free to do that whenever you like.”

I smile at him, showing the world my two deep dimples. “Thanks, Kyungsoo.”

He blushes and awkwardly places a hand on the back of his neck. “Uh, no problem.”

He goes to his friends — more like rushes as if his pants were on fire — and Chanyeol sits on the ground in front of me, watching me with a still puzzled expression as I place the violin over my shoulder and tweak some of the chords with my fingers.

Chanyeol breathes. “You really