Kyungsoo put in applications everywhere- the local drugstores, grocery stores, convenience stores, fast food restaurants, sit down restaurants- no one called him back except for Starbucks.

 

He still maintained singing lessons here and there. It was the perfect excuse to reduce time with his friends and girlfriend and it gave him a chance to clear his head. 

 

He enjoyed making overpriced coffee for his patrons and toasting their expensive baked goods. He didn’t think much about Jongin. Sometimes he’d have a memory of their time in detention when someone would order a vanilla latte or a pink cake pop with the sprinkles on top. But they rarely ordered them together so when someone did, Kyungsoo had to look up from the espresso machine, but immediately ducked his head back down. He placed the coffee on the counter without removing his eyes from the appliance. 

 

“Kyungsoo, is that you?”

 

Kgungsoo was practically crouching down on the floor while Jongin was bent over the counter looking at him in amusement. 

 

“I think I dropped something.”

 

“Did you find it?”

 

“Yes, I think so…”

 

“Do you have a break coming up?”

 

Were things looking up for them? Kyungsoo liked to think so. “My break is in fifteen minutes.”

 

Jongin waited at a table in the lobby for Kyungsoo to go on break. 

 

“Have you forgiven me yet?” Kyungsoo took the chair across from Jongin, turned it around, and sat down. 

 

“I was never really mad at you.” Jongin stirred the coffee in the plastic cup. “I was more upset you didn’t chase after me.”

 

“I thought you may have felt a little down that I may not have had enough time to hang out with you because of my girlfriend and all…”

 

“How’s that going by the way?”

 

“We’re still together. Four months on the 14th.”

 

“Four months? Man. Long relationship.”

 

Kyungsoo placed his right hand on the table, wanting to reach out to the other boy. He didn’t know if Jongin was being sarcastic or if he was being serious. “I miss you. My family misses you. My dogs miss you.”

 

Jongin grabbed Kyungsoo’s hand and traced his veins. Old habits die hard. He didn’t look up, too shy to admit what he was about to say. “I miss you, too. Like crazy. I- never mind. It’s stupid.”

 

“Nothing you say is stupid. This is a safe space…”

 

Jongin compared the size of his hand to Kyungsoo’s. “I asked your friends what you were doing this summer. The only one

who would tell me was Chanyeol. And I kinda, sorta memorized your schedule.”

 

“You looked for me on purpose?”

 

Jongin was touching Kyungsoo’s finger tips with his own. “Mhmmm.”

 

Kyungsoo was stunned but not entirely surprised. “I want to kiss you so bad right now.”

 

Jongin looked into his eyes. “Then do it. I’m not stopping you.”

 

Kyungsoo took his hand back. “My shift isn’t over yet. I have to go back in a few minutes.”

 

Jongin took a book out of a canvas tote. “That’s okay. I can read until your shift is over.”

 

Kyungsoo recognized the title from his sophomore English class- ‘Lord of the Flies.’ He smiled. Jongin was getting a head start on his homework. 

 

Kyungsoo kept glancing over at the boy to make sure he was real and not a mirage brought on by the summer heat. Every time he looked, Jongin was there turning a page from his book. 

 

“Could you even concentrate on the rest of your shift? You continued looking up at me.” Jongin giggled. 

 

It was 2 p.m. Kyungsoo couldn’t wait to take Jongin home with him. 

 

“Awww, Mr. Paddington is still here. Hello, old friend.”

 

Kyungsoo smirked. “Of course, he is. He brings me good luck.”

 

“Does he now?”

 

“He brought you back, didn’t he?”

 

Jongin sat in the car quietly. He was uneasy about where things were going. He should have played harder to get when he was with Kyungsoo. But that was the thing- he was extremely easy to get when he was with Kyungsoo. “Ksoo, can we maybe take things slow and not go to your house right away?”

 

“Of course. What do you want to do?”

 

“Let’s stop here.” 

 

The two were at a park with lots of trees. They walked along as they caught up on what they had been up to the past four months. Kyungsoo was holding Jongin’s hand as he walked on fallen tree barks. 

 

“Have you made any progress on your crush yet?”

 

“What? Oh yeah… I thought things were going well, but things got a little bumpy. I decided to give it another go,” Jongin disclosed. “How about you? How’s your ‘relationship.’”

 

“It’s going well, I guess.”

 

“How far have you two… you know… gotten… physically?” Jongin asked curiously. 

 

“Pretty far…” Kyungsoo confessed. 

 

“As in all the way?”

 

Kyungsoo stayed silent. 

 

“You have. I should have known. You’ll her, but you won’t me?”

 

Kyungsoo helped Jongin off the tree bark. “It’s not like that. She’s…”

 

Jongin’s feet settled on the ground. “A girl?”

 

Kyungsoo wanted to say meaningless, but he felt terrible admitting so. “She’s not you.”

 

Jongin hid behind trees so Kyungsoo could catch him. “And what does that mean?”

 

Kyungsoo caught up to Jongin. “It means you’re unique. And if we’re going to do anything, I want to make you feel amazing. I want to do it better than anyone else could ever do it.”

 

Jongin was speechless.

 

“Maybe I’ve said too much.”

 

Jongin pushed Kyungsoo against a tree and started making out with him. He wrapped his legs around him while Kyungsoo held him up. 

 

Kyungsoo knew they needed to stop. He could feel it turning him on way more than the times he was with Seung-wan. “We should go to my house,” he suggested. 

 

“You’re embarrassed to be seen with me?” Jongin teased. 

 

“No, it’s the opposite. You should be embarrassed to be seen with me.”

 

Jongin laughed. “Being caught dead with you would mean everything to me.”

 

Kyungsoo grabbed his hand. “Let’s go. Four months has been too long.”

 

He missed Jongin playing his music in his Tercel. ‘Loveeeeeee Song’ by Rihanna and Future played through the speakers on their way to Kyungsoo’s house. 

 

——————————-

 

“Ahhh, here we are. My humble abode. Not much has changed since you were last here.”

 

Jongin walked through the threshold and removed his shoes. He was about to sit on the couch when-

 

“What are you doing? Don’t you want to come up to my room?”

 

Jongin was nervous. “I’ve never been inside your room.”

 

Kyungsoo led him up the stairs. “It’s not as quaint as your room.”

 

The room was muted. It represented Kyungsoo well. It was clean, minimal, and it was evident that it was occupied by a male presence. 

 

Jongin sat on the bed hesitantly. 

 

Kyungsoo sat next to him. “Can I kiss you now?”

 

Jongin granted Kyungsoo permission to take his lips to explore his mouth. Kyungsoo’s arms were around his waist. Jongin felt more comfortable putting his around Kyungsoo’s neck. They dipped into the bed. Their kisses became more frenzied. Kyungsoo desperately wanted to go further, but he knew he didn’t want it to happen like this. Not when he was with someone else. Not when Jongin’s heart belonged to someone else. 

 

Instead they lied down face to face and talked about school. 

 

“I passed all my classes because of you,” Kyungsoo bragged. 

 

Jongin shook his head. “I want you to pass your classes for you, not for me.”

 

Kyungsoo held Jongin’s waist. “How about you? How did your semester go?”

 

Jongin shrugged. “It was really hard not having you around, but I managed. I would really like if we had classes together next year. I want to see you even when we’re not together.”

 

Kyungsoo kissed him again. “I don’t want to lose you anymore. I want to work things out. This will only work if we talk it through.”

 

Jongin hugged Kyungsoo and rested his head on his shoulder. “I’m gonna have to get used to sharing you. I came back because I know you’d have more time now that we’re not in school for the moment. I don’t know how it’ll be next semester, but I want to take it day by day. I know we’re not together. I try telling my mind that, but my heart says otherwise. I’m being petty for wanting more.”

 

Kyungsoo lifted Jongin’s head so he was looking at him. “I want to make you a priority. I want to show you off. Please let me take you  out on dates. We don’t have to limit ourselves to staying home. It’s not a need anymore. It’s a must.”

 

“What about your girlfriend?”

 

“What about her? She can’t be on my and balls all day.”

 

Jongin pondered the offer. “Okay. You swear you can juggle everything at once?”

 

Kyungsoo kissed him on his nose. “I swear it.”

 

—————————-

 

Kyungsoo prided himself in being a good boyfriend, employee, and friend. He still organized a four month-saversery gift for Seung-wan. He took her out to a nice restaurant…

 

“You brought me to a Red Lobster?” 

 

“Of course. You don’t have to choose between land and sea. You can have both! I know my girl loves her surf and turf.” He pinched her cheek. Kyungsoo couldn’t have been more insincere. Some would say he was overdoing it with his girlfriend to make up for the time he was spending with Jongin. “Please. Get as many cheddar bay biscuits as you want.” He scooted the basket over to her. 

 

Their ing session was in the backseat of Kyungsoo’s Tercel. He was physically there but his mind was focused on when he’d see Jongin next. 

 

He came up with an airtight timetable that left very little wiggle room. He kept his shift at Starbucks from 5:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., giving him the rest of the day to alternate spending time with Wendy, Jongin, and his friends. Afternoons were reserved for his friends and Seung-wan. He preferred ending his day with Jongin so they had an infinite amount of time to be together. Kyungsoo didn’t have a curfew. His parents trusted that he’d be home at a decent time. Jongin’s mother was more protective. She wanted him home by 10:00 p.m. 

 

Kyungsoo did his best taking Jongin on dates. He didn’t want to treat Jongin like a bat. He deserved to be with him during the daylight. He took advantage of being with Jongin during his days off and when  neither his friends nor Seung-wan could hang out because of their responsibilities (many of them having jobs and summer school).

 

They did everything couples would do- Kyungsoo would buy him iced coffee just the way he liked it,  they’d go to the movies, they’d go to concerts, and Kyungsoo would treat Jongin to (actual) nice restaurants. They loved trying different foods. They would go on day trips and festivals when they had more time together and would hang out at each other’s houses when they didn’t. Mrs. Kim begrudgingly forgave Kyungsoo and allowed him inside the house in her presence. But only barely. He was still on thin ice. 

 

It that they couldn’t hang out in their town out of fear of getting caught by someone they knew. They weren’t ashamed about what they were doing. They were friends with benefits. They merely wanted to enjoy their time together without the prying eyes of others. Integrating each other into their friendships would complicate things. They didn’t know how long their arrangement would last and they didn’t want to go through the trouble of splitting custody of their friends. At least not until they knew where their relationship was headed. However, they didn’t feel like they were missing anything. Every day that they were together felt like a new adventure. 

 

It went on like that for a good month until Kyungsoo started losing stamina. Getting up for work became grueling and he was beyond exhausted by the time he got off work. It took a lot of effort for him to shower and get ready, much less enjoy someone’s company. Jongin must have noticed because he rejected Kyungsoo’s invitations to go on more dates, maintaining it would be more cozy hanging out at home with him.

 

Kyungsoo could tell staying in was more suitable to Jongin’s tastes. He didn’t feel like Jongin wasn’t entertained by going out, but there was something intimate about enjoying each other’s company at their houses. Nap dates became a common theme. They’d cuddle and watch reality television- everything from Master Chef to RuPaul’s Drag Race. The content didn’t matter as much as their time being spent together. Having Jongin lay on his chest while they fell asleep felt euphoric to Kyungsoo. They’d cook for each other. Play games. Converse about each other’s day. Jongin would show Kyungsoo his sketches of outfits he designed. In turn, Kyungsoo would play him songs that he had written. Kyungsoo taught Jongin how to drive. He would have him drive along the back roads to give him a feel of how to steer. Sometimes they didn’t have to do anything at all. Jongin would sift through Mrs. Do’s magazines while Kyungsoo played the guitar. On days when they were especially lazy, they’d send each other meme’s back and forth- even if they were in the same room. 

 

They’d pepper in kissing into their routine. They’d punish each other with kisses. They’d reward each other with kisses. Often times they would kiss for no reason at all except because they really wanted to because twenty-four hours was too long of a waiting time to see each other again. But their relationship became much more than that. Kyungsoo’s schedule revolved around work and Jongin fairly quickly.  Unknowingly to them, Seung-wan and his friends took a backseat to him. They assumed Kyungsoo was busy at home or working. That didn’t stop Kyungsoo from pushing boundaries. 

 

Technically, if Jongin never left the house, there was no reason for Kyungsoo to leave by 10:00 p.m. 10:00 p.m would turn into midnight. Midnight would turn into 2:00 a.m. until Kyungsoo would spend the night at Jongin’s house altogether, making sure to leave before Mrs. Kim woke up. He barely stayed at his own house anymore. He had a set of toiletries at Jongin’s house when he needed to shower. It got to the point where the only time Kyungsoo would show up at home was to do laundry and pick up a fresh set of clothes. 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Do weren’t troubled by the lack of his being there. They knew he wasn’t at Wendy’s. He could have been at one of his friend’s place for all they cared, but they knew most likely he was at Jongin’s. They were keen on Jongin based on the days he would spend at Kyungsoo’s place, walking the dogs, and doing chores around the house. Very mundane things that probably meant nothing to the average person but meant the world to Kyungsoo and Jongin. 

 

The highlight of their summer wasn’t anything lavish or extravagant. Actually, it was their time at Mrs. Doh’s salon. Jongin was her favorite test subject for her to experiment with dyes and various hairstyles. Jongin would get the works there. Estheticians would perform facials on him and would use his face as a canvas for their makeup artistry. Nail technicians would ask to do his nails and feet- something he tried to talk Kyungsoo into doing but Kyungsoo flat out refused. Mrs. Kim couldn’t deny how happy Kyungsoo made Jongin feel. It was every parent’s dream to have someone treat their child the way Kyungsoo treated Jongin. If only Jongin was actually his to spoil. Jongin was still Kyungsoo’s fiery little secret despite Kyungsoo treating him like he wasn’t. 

 

———————————-

 

“What’s up with your hair?”

 

It was the beginning of August and the guys were planning one final hurrah before the semester started. Kyungsoo showed up to their favorite sushi restaurant with brown hair as opposed to his usual jet black one. Baekhyun was the only friend with the balls to bring it up. 

 

“You haven’t dyed your hair since middle school when your mom gave you an undercut with red hair,” Chanyeol prompted. 

 

“Yeah, my mom was getting bored seeing me with the same hair so she dyed it.” As if it wasn’t Jongin’s idea to lighten it in the first place. 

 

“We’re planning a party at Junmyeon’s,” Sehun informed him. “We want to invite as many people as possible like the people we with and the people they with.”

 

Kyungsoo wondered if Jongin would make the list of invitees. He needn’t had to worry. Sehun invited Lisa who would then invite Jennie who would invite her friends and hopefully it would trickle down to Jongin. 

 

 

Or maybe not. After his successful balancing act that summer, Kyungsoo didn’t know how convoluted it would be having his girlfriend and his… lover?… there at the same place, at the same time. He’d want to be with Jongin, but he knew he needed to be with Seung-wan. He owed her that much. 

 

The party would be that weekend, the weekend before orientation. All they had to do was bring themselves, some bottles, and swimming gear. 

 

Kyungsoo didn’t know if he should bring it up to Jongin later that week. 

 

By Friday, it was inevitable. Kyungsoo wanted to work out the logistics beforehand. He wanted to know how he should prepare. 

 

He touched on it when he and Jongin were in bed in Jongin’s room. 

 

“Do you have any plans tomorrow?” Kyungsoo was drawing circles on Jongin’s chest, his head was propped up by his elbow. 

 

“Are you asking if I’m going to Junmyeon’s party? I am. The padding crew wants to go.”

 

“Do you know what time you’ll be there?”

 

Jongin shook his head. “I’m guessing when everyone’s ready to go. We don’t have a set time. I know you don’t want to bounce between Wendy and I. You won’t have to. I’ll stand back while I watch you two being a couple, wishing that was me.”

 

“Nini, don’t be like that…”

 

“I’m not like that. Am I lying? Noooo. Have you considered us being a throuple so we can split our time with you evenly?” Jongin was kidding. 

 

“I don’t want to. I like spending more time with you than I do her…”

 

“I won’t get in your way tomorrow. I promise,” Jongin said in a more serious tone. “Can we go to bed now? I don’t like talking about things that make me sad.”

 

Kyungsoo gave him an Eskimo kiss. “Anything for you…”

 

“Except .”

 

“Right.”

 

“And except leaving your girlfriend and telling your friends about me…”

 

“I thought we agreed…”

 

“Yeah, yeah, whatever…” Jongin turned over and slept facing the wall. 

 

Kyungsoo wanted to sleep in but he knew Mrs. Kim would murder him if she knew he had been spending the night the past few weeks. He left Jongin’s at 6:00 a.m. and went back to bed when he got home. He didn’t wake up till 11:00 a.m. The party started at noon. He ate breakfast, showered, got ready, and picked up Seung-wan. 

 

“This is exciting!” She exclaimed when she got inside Kyungsoo’s car. “Our first official party after being together for almost six months. This makes up for you forgetting our five month mark.” 

 

It was true. Kyungsoo was slipping toward the end of his summer. He had been neglecting her. She came last in his social totem pole. His friends, family, and coworkers were above her. Of course, Jongin came first. The summer was almost over and he wanted to make the most of his time together with Jonginnie. 

 

She kissed him on the cheek. Kyungsoo hated when she did that. His body wasn’t hers to manhandle. went from a couple times a week, two one time a week, and lately it wasn’t happening at all. 

 

He walked into Junmyeon’s house with a bottle of Casamigos in one hand and Seung-wan in the other. Junmyeon’s house was huge. His parents were wealthy and since he was the only child, he pretty much had it to himself. His friends were drinking with their lady friends when he got there. 

 

“Look what I got,” Sehun said holding up a bottle of Hennessy. 

 

“Look what I brought!” Baekhyun had bought a bottle of Bacardi. 

 

They had all sorts of colorful bottles on the counter. Kyungsoo chose a sky blue one- Hpnotiq. Wendy chose… what Wendy chose. He honestly wasn’t paying attention. He looked at the door every time a new person walked in to see if it was Jongin. 

 

The padding crew didn’t arrive till about 2:00 p.m. By then, some people were OBLITERATED. The music was way too loud. Junmyeon’s parents would probably get noise complaints. Sehun was acting like the deejay and only played trap music so the girls would shake their asses. Kyungsoo’s friends had at least one girl in their arm. Some had two. People were hooking up in bathrooms and bedrooms. It was… a lot.

 

After an hour of not acknowledging each other, he saw Jongin pour himself whatever was left of the Hpnotiq. They had a topic of conversation. He left Wendy at the gazebo with Junmyeon and Irene. 

 

“Fancy seeing you here. I see we’re drinking the same thing.” He clinked his red solo cup with Jongin’s. 

 

Jongin’s  eyes widened. He and Kyungsoo weren’t supposed to be talking. “My friends… and I prefer my alcohol sweet.”

 

“Do you want to get away?” Their friends were preoccupied dancing and playing king’s cup. They wouldn’t see them sneaking off somewhere private. 

 

Kyungsoo took Jongin’s hand and led them upstairs. The only room unoccupied was the guest bathroom. 

 

“Where is she?”

 

“With friends…” Kyungsoo slammed Jongin against the door. He was a little tipsy therefore a little braver than his usual self. And he couldn’t help it. Jongin looked so cute and out of place with his button down with flamingos on it and pastel colored pool shorts. Kyungsoo was shirtless and was only wearing his black board shorts with nothing underneath, having swam in the pool earlier. Kyungsoo’s mouth was everywhere- on Jongin’s face, on Jongin’s neck, on Jongin’s collarbone. His intoxicated state convinced him to spread hickeys on Jongin. He was sure Jongin could feel his in his pants. He was about to take off Jongin’s shirt so he could kiss his chest, somewhere he’d never kissed before, but someone was banging on the door while he was simultaneously getting a phone call from Chanyeol. He answered Chanyeol’s call first. 

 

“Hey, Chanyeol. What’s up?” 

 

“Yo. I don’t know where you’re at, but you need to come get your girl. She’s hella ed up and I think she needs to go home. She already threw up in the bushes.”

 

“. I’ll be right there.” He hung up his phone. “Goddamn it. She’s always getting in the way. I gotta go back down and take her home.”

 

“Someone’s outside. If they see us leaving the restroom together, they’ll know we were hooking up in here,” Jongin was getting worked up with nerves. 

 

Kyungsoo looked around. “Hide in the tub. Come out when the person leaves.”

 

“Kyungsoo, I’m ready to leave. There’s no point in being here if you’re not here.”

 

“You have your friends…”

 

“Yeah, but they get stupid when there’s free alcohol around. They take it too far and drink to the point of blacking out. I’m scared.”

 

“And you can’t call one of your sisters?”

 

Jongin looked down at his Saltwater sandals. He looked like he was about to cry. “I’m not supposed to be here,” he whispered. 

 

He could have told the boy his sisters could easily cover for him. But honestly, Kyungsoo personally wanted to see that Jongin arrived home safely. “Fine. Meet me me by my car. Let me get Seung-wan.” Kyungsoo handed him the keys to the Tercel. 

 

Kyungsoo prayed Jongin would make it out of the bathroom in time. He didn’t want to leave him behind with drunk teenagers. He didn’t want anything happening to him. He didn’t want Jongin getting taken advantage of by their aggressive peers. 

 

“Okay, let’s get you home.” Seung-wan was outside, passed out on a lawn chair. She was in her bathing suit. “Where are her clothes?” 

 

“They’re in the washer. She threw up all over her dress,” Irene informed him. 

 

He carried her bridal style back to his car. 

 

“Want us to help you?” Jongdae offered.

 

“I think you helped enough.” Kyungsoo didn’t mean to be rude, but he was irritated. He couldn’t get enough of Jongin and somehow the universe knew that and would purposely send obstacles his way. 

 

It took Kyungsoo a minute to get to his car thanks to Wendy’s dead weight. This felt nothing like the times he had to carry Jongin because his feet were hurting. 

 

Jongin was already in the passenger’s seat by the time he reached his car. 

Kyungsoo laid Wendy down in the backseat. 

 

“Is she okay?”

 

“God, I hope so. I don’t want her throwing up in my car. . My mom is gonna be pissed. I think I’m gonna have to take her home with me. .” Kyungsoo banged on the steering wheel. 

 

Jongin stayed quiet. He was crying.

 

“Hey, Jonginnie. Baby, don’t cry. I’m just frustrated. I’m not lashing out on you.” Kyungsoo was consoling him. Jongin was last person he wanted to upset. 

 

“I can’t do this. It’s too much.” Jongin hiccuped. 

 

Kyungsoo massaged his back. “Okay. If you don’t want me to drive you home, I’ll   wait here till your sister comes to pick you up.”

 

“No, Soo. I can’t do this. I can’t do us. This happened because you were with me. Who knows what else has happened because you chose me over her? Not only her, but your family and friends, too,”Jongin said between tears. 

 

Kyungsoo was bewildered. “I thought you liked it.”

 

Jongin nibbled on his lip. “I do and I don’t. I like it at the moment but seeing this ,” Jongin rarely cursed. “…this stuff. I can’t help but think you’re not where you’re supposed to be when you’re with me.”

 

“I love being with you. It’s what I look forward to the most.”

 

Jongin looked at Kyungsoo. “Do you love her?”

 

Kyungsoo laughed. “I do love her. As a person. I can’t say I’m in love with her because I’m not.“

 

Jongin was serious. “Do you love me? Not as a person. I mean, are you in love with me?”

 

Things were getting heavy. “Nini, that’s too much to ask of me. We just started back up a couple months ago after not talking for four months. We didn’t know of each other’s existence until last December. I sincerely hope you share my sentiments. Do you realize how psychotic you would have to be to be in love with me so soon?”

 

Jongin wiped his tears. “I see. I was taught that love didn’t have a timeframe. You can fall for someone in a matter of seconds if you find the right person. I guess that’s my naïvety speaking.” He paused. “I’d like you to take me home now.”

 

No words or music were exchanged during the drive to Jongin’s house. 

 

When they arrived at the front gate, Jongin sighed. “I don’t want to say it’s over. I don’t know what the future holds for us, but I know it’s not a good time right now. This summer is the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Thank you.” He kissed Kyungsoo on the forehead and walked out. 

 

Kyungsoo was dumbfounded. The world was spinning. It was the mixture of the alcohol, figuring how to deal with Seung-wan, and Jongin leaving him (again).

 

He experienced his mom’s wrath when he got home. She showered and dressed Seung-wan and made her sleep on the couch. She blatantly told Kyungsoo to drop the girl off first thing in the morning. Not after breakfast. Not after checking his phone. Immediately after he woke up. 

 

The next morning, he walked Seung-wan to her door and explained to her mom how the party went late, leaving out her daughter’s drunken stupor. 

 

He checked his phone when he got home. Jongin hadn’t blocked him on anything meaning the door was open, but he wasn’t being let in. 

 

—————————-

 

Kyungsoo and Wendy grew closer after the party since he took care of her in a respectful manner. 

 

He drove her and Sehun to their orientation to get their pictures taken for their I.D.‘s and to pick up their textbooks. 

 

Incoming juniors had their orientation the day before. He had waited in his car till Wonsik, Kwonho, Moonkyu, and Krystal left so he could pick up his books and take his picture. 

 

He was sitting in his car, in his feelings, and listening to some Drake while Wendy and Sehun were in the gymnasium. Jongin appeared out of nowhere. Kyungsoo wanted to lower his seat to remain unseen, but he didn’t. He wanted to see how Jongin was doing. Jongin appeared peppy, talking to his fellow incoming sophomores as if nothing happened. It didn’t bother Kyungsoo. He was grateful that Jongin was doing well. 

 

Suddenly, Seung-wan and Sehun got into the car. Kyungsoo looked over at Seung-wan’s textbooks. “You’re missing your family and consumer science book.”

 

“Yeah. I thought I told you? I didn’t sign up for it. I chose choir instead.”

 

Great. Now Kyungsoo had to drop a class and replace it with another. The perils of being a high school student.