Eun Gyeol’s POV (In his dorm at Genie High)

“Let’s meet at ABC Steak House for dinner tomorrow at 7 pm,” I texted Krystal, a new friend I made online. She was a student from Serin Girls’ High, which was just beside my school at Genie High.

“Sure. But may I request something?” Krystal replied.

“Hmm… what is it?”

“Well… it’s not that I don’t trust you. The thing is we have only chatted online and tomorrow is the first time we meet up. So may I bring along a female friend?”

“Why not? The more the merrier. One on my left, and one on my right…” I texted back, laughing to myself.

“YAH, you have to bring along a male friend too, so that my friend would not feel left out.”

“LOL. Got it, cya. Good Night.”

“You too. Sweet dreams.”

It did not take me long to decide who to bring along for the double date. In fact, he was the reason why I started chatting up with girls online. I had always considered myself a straight guy. Like any hormones raging teenager studying in a boys’ school, I would not pass up the chance to trace my line of sight along the curves of the waitress noonas in my school canteen. Occasionally I deliberately dropped my utensils on the floor just to see a little bit more (A trick I learned from my sunbae). Yes, I was that type of guy.

That was basically how I passed my freshman year. Then he came along. Hailing from the USA, he transferred to our school because his father had a job posting in South Korea. Pretty flower boys were nothing new at Genie High. However, he was more than pretty. His silky straight hair looked attractive even with a simple bowl cut hairstyle, framing his delicate features that aligned perfectly on that flawless milky white complexion. All these reminded me of that awkward moment when you thought a random male friend was more beautiful than the cheerleaders from the neighbouring girls’ school.

Initially, everyone questioned his gender. He quickly dispelled the ongoing rumour about him being a crossdresser by changing in front of everyone after his first PE lesson with us, thus revealing his slender physique with slightly toned lean muscle. I remembered how disappointed some of his fanboys were after his masculinity was confirmed.

Flashback...

“With the help of implants, you make a gorgeous tranny,” Sangchu, the bully, d his flat chest while making that remark.

“F*** off,” offended by the gesture, he elbowed Sangchu violently, causing the latter to fall backward. Sangchu’s pants were caught onto the ledge of one of the cubicles, ripping the back of it apart to expose his boxer. Everyone roared with laughter. Embarrassment soon turned to rage as Sangchu kicked him at the stomach so hard that he was sent flying into one of the cubicles. Raising both his hands as a sign of victory, Sangchu declared, “Whoever dares to laugh at me would end up like…” As Sangchu turned around to point at him, a toilet plunger was shoved into his face.

Wow, he was cool, I thought. I admired his determination in not going down without a fight, even in the face of a much stronger and bigger adversary. After a tug-of-war effort by his friends, they managed to pull the plunger of Sangchu’s now reddened face. Whether it was caused by the suction force of the plunger or his fury, I did not care. In a reflex, I lunged forward to block Sangchu’s deadly punch that was about to land on him.

“What’s going on?!” Mr Baek’s voice boomed across the shower room. While I was ready to block any blows, I was thankful for our PE teacher timely appearance.

“Are you ok?” I asked out of concern.

“Don’t worry. Despite what all of you have in mind, it does not alter the fact that I am a guy. I can take it.” Then he broke into a smile, so did his eyes. His eye smile accelerated my heartbeat. His ethereal beauty messed up my sense and sensibility. His name was Goo Jae Hee.