The ROOKIES

Kim Minseok had nothing to do that night. His brother had banned him from coming to his club for a week and he was bored as . His nightly escapades were now an impossibility with the weather unless it was his wish to die freezing so really… Nothing in this world interested him anymore.

Except… wasn’t that Kwan, Chanyeol, and Baekhyun? Where on earth are they going with those long faces? Is there a drama? BOY! He was going.

Aside from all those, he actually wanted to catch up with Kwan as well given that he had met her just twice and the first time, he had been above the table, drunk as so honestly… just once.

She was cool, legit cool as ice and he liked cool people. She was a good player and an even better drinker… What more could he ask for? In his books, she was already a bro and he wouldn’t mind forging a brotherly relationship with her.

So on that cold December day, he silently followed the three people who were walking together. The two of them looked like a proper couple with their mismatched clothing pieces and colors just thrown together while the other looked a little out of place with a clean-cut long coat and a matching muffler, pants, shoes, and even socks.

Gee. That boy needs to loosen up a little.

He pauses a little when he sees Sehun following behind with Yixing, like always talking his ear off. The younger guy looked rather done with the Chinese dude judging from his expression.

Ah! Oh Sehun. Another cool guy he liked to hang with. He was easy to please once booze was around and he was a cool guy without much attachment to it.

He slows down to follow the three who were being followed by the two.

He pauses again when he sees some younger ones following behind the two again. GEE! They organized a parade and failed to mention it to him?

If he wasn’t wrong, the taller dude was from the publishing house, and the other two… Haven’t seen them before. Most probably freshers.

He chuckles a little though when they all reach a chicken shop and disappear into it one by one. His chuckles turn into a burst of hyena laughter when a biker shows up all of a sudden and disappears into the shop as well.

Ah! Truly… he made a good choice of coming out today and walking behind Kwan and her gang of boys.

With a fluttering heart of excitement for the drama, he takes a huge gulp of air and disappears into the shop as well.

* * *

Kim Kai did not expect this much of a crowd to ‘accidentally' gather.

The chicken shop was filled to the brim with people from college. On one table, there were Byun Baekhyun, Park Chanyeol, Kim Junmyeon, and Kwan. The other table had Oh Sehun, Zhang Yixing, and Kim Minseok and lastly, it was him, Jongdae, and Kyungsoo.

Apparently, Kwan had told them that Junmyeon wanted to settle everything once and for all so obviously it had piqued their interest and it was lucky that he had chanced upon them as they were coming.

What he truly did not expect was the other table filled with the trio. They looked so out of place in this tiny chicken place.

Normally, this shop wasn’t opened at this time of the day but since Kwan was working here, it seemed like they opened it for them.

“I came with Kwan Chay…” Kyungsoo had said when they were told they cannot enter earlier. “You’ve always seen me with her, right?”

They had been let in and he was glad because firstly there were no more free tables and secondly, he did not want the news to leak out before it is in their forums first. Of course, he was going to be the one who leaks information later on but not the juicy bits… only the crumps to get people excited enough to click the main page.

The table with four people seems tense enough to not even notice them but of course, nothing crosses Baekhyun’s gaze as he sends a warning look.

Damn it. Is he supposed to hold back all the news?

Chicken isn’t available but it looks like the drinks were so they all get some soda, some with soju, and waited for whatever was going to happen.

* * *

Kwan took a sip of her alcoholic beverage feeling like she needed that now much more than ever. Coincidently she had become a little more involved in a series of dramas that she thought she was avoiding.

“So…” Byun Baekhyun spoke up joining his hands at the table, the end pointed towards Junmyeon seated opposite of him. “It is to my knowledge that you’ve been the one who paid Lee Jongsuk to write that article whilst making sure to get the required materials from Oh Sehun? Of course, not mentioning those girls you paid to trick him.”

The biker scoffs at that but says nothing.

“Why?” This time it was Chanyeol who speaks up and surprisingly Junmyeon began to grin.

“I hate…” Junmyeon raised his hand and points at Baekhyun, “him… that’s why. And the best way to get to him is to get to you.”

Kwan did not intervene even though she wanted to scream out all the questions she had in her mind right now.

Here’s the funny thing. Chanyeol and Junmyeon were actually seated side by side because he did not want Kwan to sit with Junmyeon. It was almost funny how they had dragged the chairs far away from each other and still being at the same table.

Chanyeol turned towards Junmyeon at that looking highly pissed. “So you paid all those girls to come… to me and wrote all those things and even made Sehun take photos simply because you wanted some stupid revenge on Baekhyun?”

Junmyeon though did not seem bothered rather he happily nods. “Impressive, isn’t it?”

Kwan side glanced at Baekhyun to gauge his reaction while nervously sipping her drink. He was simply seated there not even giving off any reactions. Kwan wonders how he does it.

At that moment, she sees Kyungsoo and blinks in surprise. What is Kyungsoo doing here? In fact, she frowns even more when she sees Jongdae and Kim Kai seated together with him.

Wait a minute… What?

Minseok sunbae? Even Yixing Sunbae and Sehun as well? What on earth happened? Did someone call them here? What are they all doing here?

And why were they all looking at them like they’re part of the conversation?

She gasps when someone lightly touches her arm making both Junmyeon and Chanyeol turn to her with confused faces. Baekhyun had softly touched her arm as though telling her to calm down. Maybe he saw all the questions in her eyes… Did Baekhyun Sunbae call them here?

“I thought I spilled my drink. Sorry.” She managed to mutter making the two nod their heads and resume their conversation.

The glaring continues and the air is thick with tension.

Why wasn’t anyone speaking up anymore? Kwan thinks that maybe there were some things beneath the surface that they all sort of knew but she just couldn’t help it anymore. She was too invested to shut up anymore.

“Why do you not like Baekhyun Sunbae? He’s a good person.”

Baekhyun turns to look at her with a grateful smile as well as Chanyeol while Junmyeon literally growls.

“Good person, my . He’s a liar who manipulates people for his own good!” He spits pointing a finger at the said man.

“Why would you say that?” Kwan asks back not to back up Baekhyun or anything. She was actually curious about what happened.

Junmyeon grumbled at that mumbling some words like he did not really want to say. “Well…” He finally begins, angry eyes still on Baekhyun. “Let’s just say our family sponsors him for education and he took advantage of my dad’s obvious favor on him and decided to backstab me by lying to dad and mom which ultimately lead to them thinking I am some weirdo.”

At this Baekhyun was the one who frowned. “Whatever you mean by that? Surely you do not think I would spill unnecessary lies to your parents for my benefit. I did no such thing.”

But Junmyeon was rolling his eyes while Chanyeol looked between them with a confused look.

“You ing liar. You’re still denying it? Don’t tell me that it wasn’t you who spilled to my dad about me dating Sobin and not just that you told them about what I was doing in college. I agree that I did bully you a little but that’s it!”

“You what?” This time it was Chanyeol who speaks out looking absolutely livid. “Bullied Baekhyun? I thought we were all friends… What on earth- Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

Kwan in a nervous breathe as the air turns even tenser than before.

“I mean he was easy to bully given that he wanted to hide something so important from you.” Junmyeon gives a small smile to the two males, even winking at her making her frown. What on earth was wrong with this man? He is so twisted.

Chanyeol looked at Baekhyun at that, his eyes full of questions. “What really happened? I thought we were doing okay and that we fought because of the prank that made you cry.”

At that Junmyeon burst out laughing.

“Poor boy knows nothing!” Junmyeon cackles. “He has a HUGE secret and it was so easy to bully him with that, you know and by the way the secret involves you.”

Junmyeon’s eyes were almost glistening as he says that making Chanyeol gulp and turn to Baekhyun with worried eyes. Kwan also turns to look at Baekhyun who visibly looked uncomfortable.

From her point, she noticed the others as well. The table with younger students looked visibly