Giggles of nostalgia bounced off the walls of the small flat as the pair took a mental stroll down memory lane, revisiting their adolescent selves. Somewhere along the evening of fried chicken and beer, and the baring of emotions, Jongin had dug out their high school graduation book which Soonbok was not even aware was hiding in her bookshelf.

“Look at Bokkie-bok dearest in her baby form~” Jongin cooed, pointing unabashedly at a teenage Soonbok who’s features were softened by her baby fat.

Soonbok rolled her eyes in an exaggerated manner to mask the blush of embarrassment creeping along her neck, onto her cheeks and towards her ears. She purposefully bumped her shoulder harshly against Jongin’s and took over the year book, promptly finding his picture.

“Look at you Mr. Popular,” Soonbok smirked, pausing on a double spread page showcasing the basketball team in all its glory — Jongin being at the centre whilst holding a trophy.

“Aren’t you honoured to be besties with Mr. Popular?” Jongin offered a toothy smile. “Don’t give me that look, my popularity points made up for your deficit social skills.”

Soonbok’s mouth snapped open, ready to rebuke Jongin’s statement. However, upon contemplating on the matter, there was very little the girl could say in her defence. Sensing his victory, Jongin beamed from ear to ear. His eyes then travelled to another male in the basketball team and his gaze dimmed momentarily, recalling memories of the past that had faded with the passing of time. Nonetheless, this was an existence that Jongin would never fully forget, not if he wanted to savour and reminisce on how he and Soonbok first met and eventually became friends.

・・・

Jongin was never one to lack friends whilst growing up. Friends were something he had in abundance for his cheerful and easygoing personality easily attracted the attention of everyone around him. Jongin was proud of being so well received and liked by his peers, though this also created an unspoken pressure onto his young shoulders; the fear of disappointing those around him and not living up to expectations. After all, he was Mr. Popular, he was the cheerful one, he was the one that was always accepting people’s requests for help. With such a persona, how could he bear to say no to people?

For this exact reason, Jongin found himself becoming the vice-president of his class during his second year of high school. For this exact reason, he was sticking closely to Seungwoo, the class president. Both of them were members of the school basketball team, and were therefore already on friendly terms to begin with. When Jongin was recommended to run for class president, he was reluctant and was ready to turn it down. Seungwoo was running already so what was the point of creating unnecessary discord and competition? That was until Seungwoo proposed for Jongin to become the vice-president. The former looked at the latter with such strong expectations. How could Jongin refuse someone who viewed him in such high regards?

Without much dispute, the president and vice-president of class 1 were decided. Jongin found himself acting as mediator between his classmates and the school’s management. He was the one who gathered students’ opinions and rallied their support. He was the one who compiled the paperwork and kept up-to-date with the tasks assigned by the teacher. He was the one doing the grunt work and building the strong foundation for Seungwoo to stand on and shine brightly as the almighty and perfect class president.

“Hey Jongin, is it me or has that girl from class 5 been passing by our classroom a bit too frequently?” Seungwoo whispered with a smirk.

Jongin who had his nose buried deep in drafting the agenda to bring to the next student council meeting lazily glanced out the door before turning towards Seungwoo. Jongin raised an eyebrow, erasing the fatigue emanating from his haggard face and snorted at the male.

“You mean how she is throwing heart eyes at you and pacing back and forth waiting for you to leave the classroom and ‘casually’ run into you?”

“Ah-ha!” Seungwoo exclaimed whilst snapping his fingers. “I knew you’d get me. So I’m right, she into me. Well then, I’ll go fulfil her wish then. Do you still need me around to complete the agenda or are you done with it?”

“Huh?” Jongin blinked slowly, he stared down at his notebook then back at the male next to him who was already standing up. “Erm yeah sure. You go do your thing.”

“I knew I could count on you.”

Seungwoo squeezed Jongin’s shoulder before retracting his hand to readjust his hair. He gave Jongin a playful wink and waltzed out the classroom. His timing was impeccable as he bumped into the girl, coincidentally pulling her by the arm to stabilise her and prevent her from falling. A high-pitched nervous giggle could be heard and just like that, the two disappeared round the corner to who knows where.

A petite figure emerged from the classroom 2 next door and stared questionably at the pair who just walked past.

“Can’t they flirt somewhere less public?” Soonbok frowned before sighing heavily.

The class president of class 2 was not one for gossip and she appreciated her peace and quiet. At the same time, she had had her fair share of encounters with class 1’s president and simply did not see what appeal the girl saw in him. But who was Soonbok to judge? Remembering that she was needed in the staff room, Soonbok resumed her journey, inadvertently glancing into class 1 where the tan-skinned male she recognised as the vice-president slouched in his chair, his hands scribbling non-stop.

Sensing someone’s gaze on him, Jongin looked up and locked eyes with class 2’s president. Jongin froze momentarily. He had noticed as of recent that she would often pass by his classroom and proceed to observe him and the class president. Every time, her eyebrows would be furrowed together in deep thought. The girl appeared unperturbed about being caught in the act of blatantly staring at someone and merely nodded her head in acknowledgment before taking her leave. Jongin’s eyes widened in surprise, uncertain of how to process it all.

Jongin wondered whether he had offended the girl in the past but could come up with anything. Although it was not made apparent, this thought tugged him from the back of his brain for the next few days. He had not yet come up with an answer when he found himself facing the girl directly again with no means of escape. All class presidents and vice-presidents had been gathered to discuss the school festival. Class 1 and 2 had been assigned to collaborate on a haunted house, thus the two pairs of class representatives now sat across from each other to plan for the event.

“Haunted house huh?” Seungwoo groaned. “This will require a lot of planning and preparation. Man, this will really eat into my free time. I was looking forward to an afternoon free from basketball practice today.”

Jongin smiled uncomfortably at Seungwoo as he peeked wearily at class 2’s representatives. The class president Soonbok stared directly at Seungwoo like a bored puppy waiting for the chance to bite at the mailman’s trousers while the vice-president Baekhyun wore a frozen smile.