"Jungsu hyung told me that you went to his cafe with Choi Siwon the day before?"

"Yes, we needed to discuss about the research paper but we can't talk at the library so we went there instead."

"Did Jungsu hyung stay with you all the time?"

"Huh? How did you know that? But yeah, he kept us company even though he didn't have to."

Kyuhyun nodded in satisfaction. The day before, Jongwoon told him after their vending machine routine that he had to meet Siwon to work on the research paper. Unfortunately, he had a class at that time so he asked the cafe owner to keep an eye on Jongwoon in his place. He was very satisfied knowing that Jungsu hyung took his side and did everything in his power to Siwon. See? This is how you play the game! He really is a genius!

"By the way Jongwoon, how long will you keep doing this? I told you that it's impossible!"

"As long as you're here, Kyuhyun. I told you that I'm going to succeed and prove it to you, right?"

As usual, Kyuhyun watched Jongwoon inserting a bill into the machine with fear griping his heart. He held his breath when Jongwoon pressed the buttons, and only released it when one canned cola dropped down.

"See? It's been almost two months already, just give up."

"No. Never. Ever. Underline that."

"Jeez, you're so stubborn, Jongwoon, does your crush even know that you exist?"

"You're being rude again," Jongwoon pouted at him, "of course he knows!"

"What kind of a person is he? To make you fall head over heels like this?"

"Well... He may comes across as rude at the first glance, but he's actually very considerate. He has a sharp tongue and he's very sarcastic, but his actions are all gentle and kind. He seems to enjoy my failure too, for some reason, but he still accompany me in my silly mission anyway."

"What? Isn't he just a jerk then? Jongwoon, I'm so disappointed in your taste in men."

Jongwoon stared at him with eyes so wide that he was afraid they might fall off. Then, Jongwoon suddenly laughed heartily. He laughed so hard that he couldn't keep standing straight. Jongwoon literally dropped down on his knees while still laughing, his small fist banging on the poor vending machine. While Kyuhyun admitted that Jongwoon's laughter was really charming, it still annoyed him because he was the one who Jongwoon laughed at.

"What's so funny about your terrible taste in men?" Kyuhyun couldn't help but sulk.

"Hahahaha! W-What's not funny about this? Kyuhyun, you really are unpredictable! Hahaha! Just like that time y-"

Jongwoon stopped talking all of sudden causing Kyuhyun to frown curiously.

"That time what? What time are you talking about?"

"Nothing! Forget what I said just now..."

Kyuhyun felt like there was something more to that statement but no matter how hard he tried to pry, Jongwoon tightly sealed his mouth and refused to speak. In the end, he couldn't do anything but give up.

"Fine. Keep your secret to yourself. It's not like I want to know anyway."

"Kyuhyun, are you sulking?"

"Like hell I'm."

"Really?"

Kyuhyun scoffed and turned his back at Jongwoon. He ignored the poking at his back and continued to sulk.

"Kyuhyun~"

"..."

"Kyuhyun~ Let's go to Jungsu hyung's cafe together~"

He perked up at that invitation but still didn't turn back.

"Come on Kyuhyun~ I even cancel the meeting with Siwon so I can spend time with you~"

"You what?" Kyuhyun immediately turned around, "did you just say that you turned down Choi Siwon to be with me?"

"Yep, we made a lot of progress the day before so we have a free day. At first, Siwon asked me to go to see a movie with him, but I know that we haven't spent time together for a while so I turned him down."

"Well, I'd be a meanie if I turned you down after you graciously clear a schedule for me so let's go."

Kyuhyun finally turned around to face Jongwoon. He maintained his straight face but deep down he was actually really happy. Jongwoon chose him over that guy! Just this fact alone was enough to make him feel giddy like a kid in the Christmas morning. Whistling in a good mood, Kyuhyun casually grabbed Jongwoon's hand and pulled the man to walk with him, heading to their favorite cafe with light and joyful steps.

**************************************

A war.

A war was going on in a once peaceful cafe.

"Jongwoon, here, let me show you how to solve this problem."

"Don't listen to him. I study in science major so I know my way around this better than him."

"In case that you forgot, I study in accounting and finance major so actually, I'm suitable to be his tutor than you."

"What'd you know about formula and stuff? That's my field, not yours."

Kyuhyun said through gritted teeth as he tried to get Jongwoon's attention, but the man who sat at the other side of Jongwoon was also trying to do the same. Siwon smiled oh-so sweetly at Jongwoon and reached out to Jongwoon's hand that was holding a pencil. However, before it even getting near that small hand, Kyuhyun harshly stomped on Siwon's foot with the heel of his shoe from under the table. The corner of Siwon's mouth twisted up for a second but otherwise he looked perfectly normal. Kyuhyun seized the chance to hold Jongwoon's hand but had to stop and cursed under his breath when he felt something kicking harshly at his shin, probably Siwon's doing.

"Get lost. Jongwoon already got me so no need to have you here."

"I refuse. He asked me to help him so I'll stay. I'm sure I can be of use to him than you."

Kyuhyun sneered at Siwon who smiled mockingly back at him. At the same time, Jongwoon who sat in the middle of the war fidgeted nervously while looking back and forth between the two men.

"G-Guys," Jongwoon whispered softly, "don't fight, pretty please? I need both of your help if I want to pass this retest..."

"I'm willing to help tutor you so why did you have to ask this horse too? This is redundant."

"Jongwoon, you won't let a guy who doesn't understand your struggle even a bit to teach you, right?"

The truth was, Jongwoon failed a mid-term exam of his basic mathematics class. He had to retake it in a week so he came to ask Kyuhyun to help tutor him. Problem was, Jongwoon also asked Siwon to help him, not knowing that both men had a bad blood going on between them. Ever since Kyuhyun knew that Siwon also had a crush on Jongwoon, he didn't even bother to hide his hatred toward the man. The same could be said for Siwon who openly antagonized him and did everything to be a third wheel whenever Kyuhyun hung out with Jongwoon. Unbelievably, Jongwoon didn't seem to realize that he was the reason behind their hostile. The shorter man somehow believed that Kyuhyun and Siwon just 'hadn't found things to their similar liking yet'. Ha, if only Jongwoon knew that exactly because of "similar liking" that was why they were here, arguing about who would be Jongwoon's tutor.

"I won the gold medal from the Maths Olympiad so I'm better than you."

"Actually... Siwon can teach me some tricks regarding how to quickly do a calculation..."

"Awards don't matter when it comes to teaching. What you need is patience and understanding, of which I believe I'm better than you."

"But Kyuhyun is the perfect choice of who can teach me how to remember math formulas..."

"Jongwoon, get him out of here or else I won't teach you."

"Kyuhyun..."

"See how unreasonable he is? Jongwoon, you're better off without him."

"Siwon..."

Kyuhyun and Siwon glared at each other with no sign of backing down. Jongwoon, on the other hand, looked like he wanted to disappear from the place. The tension in the air was so thick that you could cut it with a knife.

"Now that's enough."

"Ouch! / Ouch!"

Jungsu finally took a pity in Jongwoon's situation and stepped in to stop the childish war. The older man pinched the younger men's arm causing them to yelp in pain. Standing at their table, Jungsu had one hand on his waist while his another hand pointed at the door.

"Jongwoon-ah won't be able to study at this rate, so, get out now."

"B-But hyung!" Kyuhyun whined, "if you chase me out then who'll teach Jongwoon?"

"I can't believe I'm saying this but, he is right, Jungsu hyung, Jongwoon has to retake the exam in a week so we shouldn't waste time."

"By not wasting time, do you mean pointlessly arguing with each other? And don't worry about that Kyuhyun. It might be a while but I still graduated from accounting and finance too so I'm more than capable of tutoring Jongwoon-ah. Now, go cool your head and don't come back until you learn to act properly."

Jungsu wasn't the only one who reprimanded the two men, even his dog also barked at them as if she was helping her owner throwing them out of the shop. In the end, Kyuhyun and Siwon had no choice but to obediently get out.

.

.

.

"Choi Siwon, this is your fault!"

"Ha, as if this isn't your fault too "

Kyuhyun scoffed and turned away from his sworn enemy. Currently, they were standing in front of the shop after being chased out. Looking through the shop window, both of them had their eyes fixed on the inside of shop where Jongwoon was listening attentively to the cafe owner. There was no trace of hostility in Kyuhyun and Siwon's expression when they stared at Jongwoon, only fondness and adoration. As if sensing that he was being watched, Jongwoon looked up from his book and smiled at them, waving his small hand at them cheerfully.

"What do you like about Jongwoon?" Siwon suddenly asked.

"Why should I tell you?" Kyuhyun sneered back.

"Fine. If you don't feel like talking then I'll do it. I like Jongwoon's kind heart the most. He is brave and courageous, he won't let anyone hurt people whom he considers as friends. He is very sincere. He doesn't mind speaking out if he finds something unjust. He is also very friendly and talkative, it never gets bored with him around. Overall, Jongwoon is a really good person. That's why I genuinely like him."

The more Siwon talked, the deeper Kyuhyun frowned. Jongwoon? Brave? Talkative? Straightforward? Kyuhyun agreed with the kind heart part but apart from that, he couldn't believe that the man was talking about Jongwoon. Sure, Jongwoon talked quite a lot after they had become friends but he wouldn't call that as talkative, not when Jongwoon still spoke softly, barely audible to him most of the time. He had to lean in closer to hear what the man said. And when that happened, Jongwoon would immediately become mute and just turned his back at Kyuhyun. Brave and straightforward? Jongwoon still refused to look directly into his eyes to this day! And if he accidentally did, Jongwoon couldn't even hold eyes contact longer than ten seconds before running off! Also, he still remembered that time they watched a horror movie together at his home. Jongwoon was hiding his face in Kyuhyun's shoulder throughout the movie! And when he held Jongwoon's waist hoping to comfort the man, Jongwoon literally jumped up in his seat and dashed away from him and hid himself under a blanket! Brave and courageous? No, he didn't think so!

"Are you sure you're talking about Jongwoon? Not some random guy?"

"What?" Siwon frowned, "don't tell me you don't even know what kind of person Jongwoon is? Should I praise you for having a gut to compete with me even though I know him more than you?"

"What stupid reason was that? I want to be Jongwoon's boyfriend, not a freaking encyclopedia. Most importantly, why should I worry about you who obviously have no chance winning Jongwoon's heart when there's this biggest enemy?"

"Who are you talking about?"

"What?" It was Kyuhyun's turn to frown now, "don't tell me you've never heard of Jongwoon and his undying royalty to whoever he has a crush on?"

For some reason, Siwon stared at Kyuhyun as if he just said something stupid. Then, the man burst out laughing. His laughter and his gaze were full of pity that it triggered Kyuhyun. Even though Siwon didn't say anything, just laughing, Kyuhyun still felt that he was being mocked.

"Of course, it must be pretty funny knowing that you're not Jongwoon's number two, but three, right?" Kyuhyun said sarcastically.

"You're right. This whole ordeal is ridiculous and funny, but, thanks to you, I know now that I still have a chance in this." Siwon smirked smugly.

"Where did you get that false confidence from?" Kyuhyun continued to ridicule the man, but his heart secretly skipped a beat faster in panic.

"And why should I tell you?" Siwon threw Kyuhyun's words right back at him, "just know that Jongwoon will never give the free drink he got from that vending machine to you."

"Wha-"

Not waiting for Kyuhyun to finish his sentence, Siwon turned around and stepped back into the cafe. Kyuhyun stood in place unable to move a muscle. His mind was busy replaying what Siwon said. He clenched his hands so hard that his knuckles turned white. He knew it. He knew that Jongwoon would eventually get the free drink from that vending machine and confessed to his crush.  He already knew that, but having someone else reminding it made him feel even more annoyed.

"Still, I'm not going to give up on Jongwoon. Never."

Unclenching his fists, Kyuhyun quickly stepped into the cafe just in time to stop Siwon from shamelessly flirting with Jongwoon.

******************************************************************

Before long, four months had already passed since the day Kyuhyun first saw Jongwoon fighting with a vending machine. To this day, Jongwoon still failed his mission of getting two drinks in one bill. Ultimately, Jongwoon still had yet to confess to his crush. During that, Kyuhyun waged war with Siwon basically every day. Surprisingly, Jongwoon still somehow didn't realize that these two guys were fighting all the time to gain his attention, and he preferred it that way. The less Jongwoon knew about Siwon, the more chance for him to win. Actually, Kyuhyun was pretty confident that the odds were in his favor, because most of the time Jongwoon would choose him over Siwon. The superior feeling he got whenever that happened was so damn addictive. Though it didn't last long as Siwon always brought him down by repeatedly reminding him that Jongwoon would never give his second drink to Kyuhyun. Outwardly, Kyuhyun might appear confident and easily shot Siwon's words down, but inwardly he was actually scared. Even though they only knew each other for four months, Kyuhyun had already witnessed how stubborn Jongwoon was. The fact that Jongwoon hadn't given up yet was the best proof of that. He still didn't know who was Jongwoon's crush but he knew that he would never give up on Jongwoon. If Cho Kyuhyun had set his goal, he would do everything in his power to succeed.

That included interrupting Jongwoon when the man was about to confess to his crush while holding two canned drinks in his hands.

.

.

.

.

20 minutes ago...

Kyuhyun was heading to the garden where he always met with Jongwoon when he ran into Siwon. Not wanting to waste his energy, he pretended to not notice the taller man and simply walked past him. However, Siwon raised his arm and blocked the way, so Kyuhyun had no choice but to stop.

"Move. I don't feel like arguing with you today."

"Even though I have something interesting to share?"

"Ha, do I look that easy to deceive? Move."

"Even though what I want to share is the fact that Jongwoon is currently with another man?"

Kyuhyun looked up at Siwon for the first time since they started talking. Siwon seemed serious than usual. Actually, he even felt like he saw a glint of sadness in the taller man's eyes so he decided to hear him out for once.

"...Go ahead."

"I wanted to ask Jongwoon to go to the cafe with me so I went to that garden. However, he was with someone else when I arrived. They seemed suspiciously close so I hid nearby and secretly watched them. I've never seen Jongwoon smiling so happy like that before. Then, then..."

"Then what? Spit it out!"

"Then," Siwon looked at Kyuhyun, "they kissed."

Kyuhyun felt like all energy was drained from his body. His legs felt so lifeless that he almost collapsed to the ground, but he held his chin high. No, no way he would act pathetic in front of his enemy!

"No, I don't believe you. Jongwoon would never do that!"

"Actually, I don't want you to face the same fate so I kindly shed some light on you, but if you don't believe me then suit yourself."

"What do you mean...?"

"After I saw them kissing, I stepped out of my hiding place and confronted them. I confessed my feeling to Jongwoon but he turned me down, right in front of that stranger. Trust me Kyuhyun, save yourself and don't confess to Jongwoon unless you want to be a laughingstock like me. One popular freshman being rejected is pathetic enough, we don't need another one added to that, right?"

"..."

Kyuhyun didn't say that he believed what Siwon said, but he didn't outright deny it either. He stood in silence and glanced at the direction leading to the garden where the vending machine was. The scenery that he used to like so much, today it wasn't as beautiful as he thought. If anything, looking at it only made his heart sink lower. Did he... really lose without even getting to put up a fight? He knew that Jongwoon already had someone in his heart, someone whom the man held so dearly in his heart that no one could ever replace him. Still, Kyuhyun kept trying, hoping that he might be able to change Jongwoon's heart. Sadly, it was all in vain. Maybe... it really was time to accept the reality?

In the end, Kyuhyun turned around and walked away from that direction, away from where his heart yearned for, away from Kim Jongwoon.

.

.

.

Siwon watched after Kyuhyun's retreating back with unreadable expression. Then, when Kyuhyun was out of his sight, he smirked.

"Well, I did say that it was a kiss, but I didn't specify where the kiss was."

Chuckling to himself, Siwon turned around and left the place too. A satisfying smile could be seen clearly on his face.

If I can't get his heart, then I won't let you dare to even just thinking about it.

***********************************

Kyuhyun retreated to Jungsu hyung's cafe to mope around. It was his first time seriously falling for someone and he lost without even knowing who the heck the winner of the game was. However, after pondering about it, maybe it would be better for his wound heart and ego to not know who Jongwoon's crush was. He didn't need any more scars than what he already had.

"Eh? Aren't you supposed to be with Jongwoon-ah at this time of the day?"

Jungsu who appeared from the back of the shop asked the younger man. Kyuhyun shrugged nonchalantly but refused to say anything, not trusting his voice to not shaking. Jungsu frowned but didn't inquire anymore. The older man left Kyuhyun to himself and began to sweep the place while humming happily. Seeing the man's contrasting mood from that of his, Kyuhyun couldn't help but ask out of curiosity.

"Hyung, did something good happen to you? You seem to be in a good mood."

"Oh, of course I'm! That's because my fiance is about to visit me soon!"

Jungsu hyung's smile effectively lightened up Kyuhyun's mood a bit. Fiance, huh? How wonderful would it be if he got to date Jongwoon long enough to use that title too? Kyuhyun quickly brushed the silly idea out of his mind. After all, there was no use imagining about something that would never become true. But...

"Kyuhyun, look! That goose chases after the bread I threw, so cute!"

"Kyuhyun, help me with my math homework, pretty pleaseeee?"

"Kyuhyun, let's go to Jungsu hyung's cafe!"

"Kyuhyun... This damn vending machine ate my money again!"

"Kyuhyun, Koongie says hi to you!"

"Kyuhyun, your face looks pale, are you alright?"

"Kyuhyun, please keep watching over me, I'll definitely succeed next time."

"Kyuhyun, I'm so happy you approached me that day."

Was he really going to give up on Jongwoon without doing anything?

"Bark! Bark! Bark!"

"Koongie?"

Kyuhyun looked down and saw a white dog pacing around his legs. Koongie, Jungsu hyung's dog, barked non-stop at him and looked out of the window. When she saw Kyuhyun still showing no response, the tiny dog bit Kyuhyun's jeans and pulled it.

"Are you telling me to go after Jongwoon?"

Koongie didn't bark this time. Instead, she ran to the cafe door and scratched at it with her front paws. Looking at the white dog, Kyuhyun suddenly felt courageous. Right, since when did he become a cowardice who was scared of taking a risk? No, Cho Kyuhyun was many things but coward!

"Koongie, thanks!"

Kyuhyun stepped to the door and ran out of the shop. He didn't forget to close the door behind him so Koongie wouldn't accidentally wander out by herself.

.

.

.

"Bark! Bark! Bark!"

"Koongie-ah? What happened?"

Jungsu came back from the restroom to see his dog pacing in front of the door. Looking at the time in his phone, he immediately understood it.

"Ah, it's your time to take a walk! Sorry, appa was busy cleaning the shop. Let's go!"

Jungsu opened the door and left the shop with his dog after changing the sign at the door to 'Close'.