Soobin was exhausted when he arrived to school on Monday morning. He was always worn out lately, his best friends always asking him what he was up to during the night. Sadly, Soobin couldn’t tell them. He was Ladybug, a superhero who was protecting Seoul. Lately there had been a lot more attacks from the Hawk Moth, the villain Soobin was fighting. Soobin wasn’t the only superhero in Seoul though. There was another one, a boy, like him, who was called Cat Noir. Cat Noir was the very flirty type, not hiding the fact that he was attracted to Soobin – or more to Ladybug – and always made some comments to fluster him. Soobin found him attractive but he couldn’t let himself fall for him. He didn’t even know him for God’s sake! They were a great team though, always defeating the evil Hawk Moth but that was it. They were only “colleagues” and even if Soobin wanted to know who was Cat Noir, he knew he couldn’t reveal his identity just like Soobin wasn’t allowed to.

Soobin always hung out with his best friends. His first best friend was named Kang Taehyun. He was kind of popular at school because he was the captain of the basketball team. Out of the court though, he was lethargic, always seen sleeping somewhere or just lying down, his eyes closed, minding his own business. Soobin always found it funny when someone came to confess to Taehyun. He would say “thanks, I really like myself too” and take whatever gift they brought him before going back to sleep. Soobin remembered the time he himself had confessed to Taehyun when they were in high school, it had been very embarrassing but that’s how they’d become friends.

Soobin’s second best friend was called HueningKai. He was also in the basketball team and his fan club called his KIB which mean Kai is The Best. HueningKai always made fun of Taehyun’s lack of enthusiasm out of the court, he couldn’t go one minute without making fun of the captain. Soobin loved HueningKai because he was always there when he needed to have fun, closing his eyes when he saw his friends having a hard time until they decided to talk about it.

Soobin was the “mom” of their little trio but his friends loved babying him because he was just so cute sometimes. Soobin loved them, of course, but sometimes he couldn’t bear the way they were babying him, mostly in front of Yeonjun.

Aah, Yeonjun. The cute, sweet, handsome Yeonjun. Yeonjun had been Soobin’s crush since they met in high school. Soobin always saw him wherever he went and as time passed and he questioned his uality, he developed a crush for the other. Well, that’s not a problem, right? It’s just a crush. If only! Soobin grew up and Yeonjun did too and they entered university (“Oh my God, why is Yeonjun on the same campus as us?” whisper-shouted Soobin; “Because he was admitted here too, dummy! Didn’t you know?” Taehyun replied). Yeonjun began to build up his body and Soobin’s crush became more, much more than just a crush. He could confidently say that he was in love… not that he would admit it out loud to anyone but Taehyun or Kai but still. Yes, Choi Soobin was desperately in love with Choi Yeonjun.

 

Yeonjun had been very shy throughout middle school but in high school, he met Choi Beomgyu. Beomgyu had been very nice to Yeonjun the first day they met as they were sitting next to each other and they quickly became close. Beomgyu listened well to Yeonjun’s concerns and vice-versa. They couldn’t always help each other but they did find comfort.

But Yeonjun had a secret he couldn’t tell his friend. He was Cat Noir, the second super hero protecting Seoul. His acolyte was Ladybug, who was, despite his name, a guy, just like him. Here’s the thing though: Yeonjun had the biggest crush ever on Ladybug. He found him so cute and y in his red close-fitting costume. What he liked the most about Ladybug was how flustered he got every time Yeonjun complimented him, becoming a cute blabbering mess.

The Thing™ was: Soobin and Yeonjun were also friends. Close friends at that. They often hung out together with their other friends but also just the two of them, alone. It wasn’t awkward as it could be. As you already know, Soobin had a soft spot for Cat Noir but his Real Love™ was Choi Yeonjun. Yeonjun, on the contrary has a big crush on Ladybug but can’t help being attracted to Soobin no matter how hard he tries not to; he’s just so adorable.

 

Everyone was sitting in the cafeteria. Soobin was sleeping on the table when HueningKai arrived, waking him up by shaking him.

“Bin-ah, you should sleep during the night instead of watching animes.” He said, sitting down in front of Soobin, immediately beginning to eat.

Soobin had been up all-night saving Seoul from the Hawk Moth. The latter had been very active lately “akumatising” someone different each day. When he was lucky, Soobin only had to fight during the night. Being Ladybug during the day was very hard because his friends were always searching for him. Hiding the truth from his friends was really the worst thing about being a super-hero.

“I have to know the end before going to sleep, I can’t help it.” Soobin muttered.

“I know, I know. But you need to take care of yourself. I don’t like seeing you all tired,” HueningKai said, pouting.

“Don’t worry, I won’t begin another anime right now. I’ll wait for next week.” Soobin joked, earning a punch on the arm.

“Anyway, Hyunie won’t be able to join us today, he’s stuck in History.”

“Mr. Song is always such a pain in the .” Soobin muttered as someone sat down next to him.

“You’re right,” Beomgyu said, plopping down next to Soobin, “I skipped lunch because of of him yesterday. If Yeonjun hadn’t been there, I would have died from hunger.”

“And I unfortunately couldn’t let that happen,” said Yeonjun, appearing from nowhere and sitting down in front of Soobin. “Hi, Soobin. You look dead tired. Are you okay?” Yeonjun asked, looking worried.

Soobin almost groaned out loud. He must look so ugly in front of Yeonjun now and it doesn’t help when Yeonjun looks as fresh as a flower.

“He’s fine, he stayed up all night to watch an anime.” HueningKai said, laughing.

“Aaah, I get that! I do that all the time!” Yeonjun exclaimed, clearly empathising with Soobin.

Soobin almost went blind because of how dazzling Yeonjun’s smile was.

“Anyway, why were you talking about Song?” Beomgyu asked.

“Hyunnie isn’t joining us today because of him. I took an apple for him so he can eat something before his next class, I hope it’ll be enough,” HueningKai replied, showing the green apple on his tray.

“It’s actually super strange that we all manage to have lunch at the same time,” Yeonjun said and they all looked at him. “I mean, in high school it’s easier but in college lunch time is a bit random, I know some people who got their lunch break at 3P.M but we always get together at around 12P.M. Isn’t that weird?” he asked.

“I don’t know. I guess we’re just lucky,” Soobin replied.

Yeonjun stared at him for a few seconds and just when Soobin felt himself beginning to blush, Yeonjun smiled.

“I guess so,” he replied and began to eat.

 

“Damn, that hurts…” Soobin muttered when he woke up the following morning.

Last night, he and Cat Noir had to save Seoul by someone who had been akumatised, again. As he was trying to save his and Cat Noir’s lives, he fell from a good 15 meters and hurt his ankle. Thanks to his superpowers, it didn’t break but it still hurt like hell and he had difficulties walking.

Groaning, he got up and made his way to the bathroom. He took a quick shower to wake up a little more and applied an ointment and bandaged his ankle before getting dressed. He greeted his mom as he entered the kitchen to take his breakfast when she noticed he was limping.

“What happened to you?” she asked, trying to take a closer look to his ankle.

“Oh, um… I slipped while getting out of the shower and injured my ankle. But it’s alright, you don’t have to worry, it’s nothing…” Soobin replied, trying to dismiss his mom with a wave of his hand.

“It’s not nothing, Soobin! It’s all red and swollen, were you planning to go to school like this?” she scolded him.

“Well, yes?” he answered, hesitating.

“No, young man, I’m going to drive you to and from school today. That’s the least I can do for my clumsy son,” the woman stated, determined.

“Don’t bother –” he began.

“It is not a bother, honey. Eat your cereals and then we’ll be on the way.” she stated, handing Soobin his favourite cereals.

“Thanks, mom” he said, knowing he wouldn’t be able to get out of this.

 

“How come your mom drove you?” Taehyun asked as Soobin’s mom drove away.

“I hurt my ankle going out of the shower,” Soobin explained “and she insisted on driving me. She’ll also pick me up.”

“You’re always so clumsy, Bin!” Taehyun exclaimed, laughing.

“I really don’t know why I’m like that” Soobin replied, smiling as they began to walk to their first class.

When lunch time rolled by, Soobin’s ankle was better but he was still limping. He wondered how he could still be limping if his superhero powers had begun kicking in to heal his foot. He shook the thought away and entered the cafeteria, followed by Taehyun and HueningKai. As he looked around the place, he noticed that Yeonjun and Beomgyu were already sitting, waiting for them. The three boys made their way to the table and sat down, greeting the two others.

“Soobin, why are you limping?” Yeonjun asked, looking concerned.

“He suffered a clumsy incident in the bathroom this morning” replied HueningKai before Soobin could even open his mouth.

“I hope you’ll get better soon” Yeonjun sincerely told Soobin.

“It’s really nothing, I’ll be better tomorrow. Thanks though.”

Yeonjun smiled warmly to Soobin who felt his cheeks heat up.

“You’ve brought a lot of food on your trays, are you that hungry?” he asked Beomgyu, trying to hide his blush.

“Actually, we thought of sharing our food with you, Soobin. Kai and Hyun bring their own food and always share anyway, disgusting as they are,” Beomgyu answered, receiving a flick on the head by Taehyun, “so you can either share with me or with Jun, you pick.”

Soobin looked at the two trays in front of them. Beomgyu had chosen spicy rice cake. It was Soobin’s favourite food lately but he was very bad with spicy food. On the other hand, Yeonjun had chosen kimchi fried rice. That was spicy too but not as much.

“I think I’ll share with Yeonjun because I don’t feel like eating too spicy today. Sorry,” Soobin apologetically told Beomgyu who smiled.

“Aah, I knew you’d choose Yeonjun. I went for your favourite food but he went for the classic.”

“You owe me 10 bucks” Yeonjun stated, giving a spoon to Soobin.

“I don’t have 10 thousand won! I can give you 3000 won so you can either take the bus home or go to the coin karaoke but nothing more!” Beomgyu exclaimed, making all everyone laugh.

“I’ll take that, right, Soobinnie?” Yeonjun asked Soobin.

“Well, you’d be an idiot to pass on an opportunity to go the coin karaoke” Soobin replied, laughing.

“Now, that’s settled, let’s dig in!” Taehyun said and they all began eating.

Yeonjun looked at Soobin and smiled widely.

“Enjoy, Soobinnie” he softly said.

“Thanks, Yeonjun-ah.”

 

As Soobin was leaving the building, already spotting his mom’s car in the distance, he felt someone grab his arm. He turned around to see Yeonjun smiling at him.

“Hey, Soobin. You’re not limping as much as earlier,” he began.

“Yeah, thankfully I stayed seated for quite a long time so it doesn’t hurt anymore” Soobin stated, lifting his jeans a little to show his ankle.

“I’m glad. So, do you wanna come to the karaoke with me?” Yeonjun asked.

Soobin looked to his mom’s car. They were coming closer to it and he wondered if his mother would let him go enjoy some fun time with Yeonjun.

“Well, my mom has come to fetch me but I can still ask her” Soobin replied. “I’ll tell her my ankle doesn’t hurt anymore, I’m sure she’ll let me come with you.”

“Just in case she says no, I’ll come with you. I’m sure I’ll be able to make her change her mind” Yeonjun said, smiling.

They got right in front of Soobin’s mom’s car and Soobin opened the passenger’s door.

“Hi, mom.”

“Hey, angel. Hi Yeonjun-ah, how are you?” she cheerfully asked.

“I’m fine and you, Mrs Choi?”

“I’m fine, darling. Are we going Soobin?”

“Actually, I wanted to go to the karaoke with Yeonjun. My ankle doesn’t hurt anymore and I’ll be able to walk back home. Is it okay with you?”

Mrs Choi seemed to ponder about it for a moment.

“Well, from what I see, you can walk properly now and if it doesn’t hurt anymore, I guess you can go have some fun with your friend. Plus, it’s a Friday. And you’re not a kid anymore” she sighed. “Okay, you can go. But don’t come too late, okay? My house, my rules.”

“I promise! Thanks mom!” Soobin exclaimed, kissing his mom on the cheek.

“Thank you Mrs Choi!” Yeonjun exclaimed as well.

“No need to thank me!” she said, laughing. “Go enjoy yourselves, I’m going.”

She then drove away, leaving the two friends on the sidewalk.

“So, where are we going, Yeonjun-ah?” Soobin asked.

“I was thinking of going to 10000 karaoke? Since it’s a coin karaoke, it’s cheaper and thanks to what Beomgyu gave me, I now have 15 thousand won.”

“That’s fine by me. I haven’t been there in a long time.”

They began walking towards their destination in a comfortable silence, Soobin ofen glancing at Yeonjun. After some time, Yeonjun talked.

“Have you seen what happened last night? About Ladybug and Cat Noir?”

“Um, no,” Soobin replied, uneasy.

“I feel like they get a little too much work lately, don’t they?”

You don’t say Soobin thought.

“I mean, they’re superheroes, right? It’s their job.”

“Yeah but they’re also humans. I mean, I’d be damn tired if I were one of them.”

I am tired but I can’t just let Hawk Moth do what he wants.

“I think they can’t stop,” Soobin began and that caught Yeonjun’s attention. “I mean, they can’t just let the villain win, right? That’d be the end for the citizens. I think they feel a kind of responsibility towards us. We don’t have superpowers like them, we can’t protect ourselves so, they have to do it for us.”

Yeonjun stayed silent for a few moments before smiling.

“You’re right. I think they do feel some kind of responsibility. They’re superheroes after all, that’s their job to protect us.”

Soobin nodded. They finally arrived to the karaoke and made their way to the booth the owner told them was empty.

Yeonjun took his jacket off, throwing it on the little couch and took his wallet out of his jeans’ back pocket while Soobin picked up the remote.

“What do you wanna sing first?” he asked Yeonjun.

“I don’t know… Stay by Justin Bieber?”

“Okay, put the money in and I’ll search for it.”

When Soobin found the song, he put the remote down and sat on the couch, facing the screen. Yeonjun began to sing and he got lost in thoughts.

Soobin was Ladybug, a superhero. He had meant every single word about feeling responsible for the citizens’ security but he also was tired lately. He still loved being a superhero but he had been wondering what it would be like to have a normal life. He couldn’t remember when was the last time he had been out with his friends without having to worry about the Hawk Moth akumatising someone. His life had been hectic since he entered high school. It was hard to combine his real life with his superhero life. Lying to his friends and family was the hardest thing not being able to tell them who he was or how he really injured himself was hard. They were all he had and Soobin was tired of lying to them.

“Soobinnie? It’s your turn.”

Yeonjun was waving the remote control in front of him, a blinding smile on his face. Soobin smiled back and decided to leave all his thoughts aside and to enjoy his time with Yeonjun. He took the remote from Yeonjun’s hand and searched for 2PM’s Go Crazy.

“Soobin-ah, I didn’t know you had so much energy in you!” Yeonjun exclaimed as they got out of the karaoke.

Soobin had been singing and dancing to the craziest songs, wanting to enjoy himself to the fullest. When would be the next time he’ll be able to have so much fun, and with Yeonjun out of all people?

“Well, I really wanted to enjoy myself. I hope you had as much fun as I had,” Soobin replied, smiling so wide his cheek hurt.

“I had a lot of fun, thanks to you! It made me happy to see you let loose. It had been some time since I’d seen you like this to be honest” Yeonjun stated, his face reddening.

Soobin got a bit closer to Yeonjun and grabbed his arm, making him stop walking.

“Thank you. It means a lot, you know?”

Yeonjun’s face became redder and he cleared his throat, resuming on walking.

“You know, I had a question earlier but I didn’t have the opportunity to ask you.”

Soobin nodded, urging Yeonjun to ask away.

“Who’s your favourite between Ladybug and Cat Noir?”

Soobin didn’t even hesitate.

“Cat Noir.”

“Really?” Yeonjun asked, sounding surprised. “Why?”

“I don’t know. He’s cool and powerful. His secret power is the destruction one but he uses it to help people. I like it,” Soobin admitted. “And he’s got a great body too,” he added after some seconds of reflexion.

Yeonjun blushed at the last comment but Soobin didn’t notice as he stared right ahead.

“Who’s your favourite?” Soobin asked.

“Ladybug. He’s so sweet and, like you said, powerful too. He’s like… the embodiment of kindness. You know, I might even have a crush on Ladybug,” Yeonjun admitted.

“But you don’t even know him,” Soobin said.

“I know. That’s just how I feel.”

Soobin was rendered speechless. It was actually crazy how his crush had a crush on his superhero side. How many chances was there for it to be actually real? Not much since everyone wasn’t a superhero but taking the fact that Soobin was a superhero… there were a lot of chances for it to happen to Soobin and Soobin only.

“Soobinnie? We’re home” said Yeonjun, pulling Soobin out of his reverie.

“What? Oh, thanks.”

“Are you okay?” Yeonjun asked, seeming worried.

“Yeah, just a bit tired I guess. Thanks for walking me home. I’ll see you Monday, then?” Soobin said.

“Yeah. Maybe this week-end if the boys wanna hang out.” Yeonjun replied.

Soobin hated how awkward it began to feel between them, he was such a loser.

“Right. Well, see you.”

“See you,” Yeonjun replied and, for the first time in a while, he hugged Soobin.

Soobin had just understood what was happening that Yeonjun was already walking away, taking his heat with him and leaving Soobin as cold as he ever felt.

 

“Bin, what’s wrong with you?” HueningKai asked Soobin as he they were hanging out at Soobin’s on Sunday.

“It’s nothing. Nothing’s wrong with me,” Soobin replied, reaching for the popcorn.

“Don’t lie to me. You invited me over and prepared all kind of junk food plus a horror movie. You hate horror movies and you always do this when something’s on your mind. Now, you have to tell me or I won’t be able to help you.”

Soobin groaned. His best friend knew him too well.

“For me to tell you what’s going on, I need to tell you a secret. It’s something I’m not supposed to tell anyone and it mind sound totally ridiculous but I need you to believe me.”

“Okay. I’m ready to hear anything you have to tell me,” HueningKai said, putting on comforting hand on Soobin’s arm.

Soobin took a deep breath.

“I’m Ladybug.”

There, I said it. Gosh, that feels quite relieving.

“The superhero?” HueningKai asked.

“Well, yes.”

“Okay. That makes sense.”

“What? You believe me?” Soobin asked, nonplussed.

“You told me to believe you, didn’t you? I do.”

“I thought you’d have like some proofs or something.”

“Nah, I have all the proofs I need. You’ve been exhausted lately and you always tell me it’s because you stay all night watching animes and you used to do the same in middle school but never looked that dead, no offense.”

“None taken.”

“Also, you hurt your ankle the day right after everyone’s seen Ladybug make a terrifying fall. I mean, I would never have guessed it but now that you say it, it all makes sense now.”

“Well, thank God you believe me. And also, I’m sorry I couldn’t tell you before –”

“It’s alright, I get it. But what’s the real deal?”

“Well, it’s about Yeonjun…”

“Oh, it’s been a while since we last talked of him,” HueningKai said, giggling. “Spill the tea.”

“Friday we went to the karaoke together and he walked me home – stop doing this with your eyebrows! – and he told me he has a crush on Ladybug.”

“I see. That’s good news!” HueningKai exclaimed.

“What? No, it’s not!”

“He’s got a crush on you! Superhero you but it’s still you.”

“But he doesn’t know it’s me. I bet if he knew he’d reconsider,” Soobin muttered.

“Look, you’re not allowed to talk so lowly of by best friend. You’re so kind and funny and brave and just amazing without having to be a superhero. You’re wonderful and if Yeonjun can’t see it, then it’s his loss, okay?” HueningKai determinedly said.

Soobin’s eyes well up with tears and he smiled.

“I love you,” he said, his voice wavering as he hugged HueningKai.

“You too.”

“But I still think that Yeonjun having a crush on Ladybug is quite sad,” Soobin said, pouting.

“Look, if it bothers you that much, just confess.”

“I can’t! Especially now that I know he fancies Ladybug…” Soobin trailed off.

“Well, you decide what to do, bro. Until then… I want us to watch Notting Hill, it’s been so long!” HueningKai exclaimed, taking the popcorn from Soobin’s hand and searching for his favourite movie on Netflix.

 

“I really don’t know what got into me to be honest… how stupid can I be?” Yeonjun muttered.

“You told Soobin you have a crush on Ladybug. I don’t see the problem there,” Beomgyu stated, taking a sip of his coke.

“The problem! The problem is that – that –” Yeonjun stammered.

“Exactly. There’s no problem. Unless there’s something you don’t tell me” Beomgyu said, putting his drink down.

“Look, it might sound crazy as hell but I think Soobin is Ladybug.”

“What?”

“I know, it seems unbelievable but listen to me. This past week, Ladybug and Cat Noir had to fight off a villain every night. Soobin’s never been this exhausted like, ever. And, on Friday, his ankle hurt. The night before, Ladybug fell from a good 15 meters and what happened? He injured his ankle. I saw it, Soobin’s ankle was all red and swollen, he could hardly stand straight! But the same day, after all our classes had ended, he was suddenly totally better and he came with me to the karaoke. He wasn’t limping anymore! If that’s not thanks to his superpowers, I don’t know how he could have recovered this fast” Yeonjun explained.

Beomgyu stayed silent for some time before talking.

“Okay, it makes sense. Let’s say it’s real, Soobin’s Ladybug. What’s the matter?” Beomgyu asked, still confused.

“The matter is that I told Soobin I have a crush on Ladybug!” Yeonjun exclaimed, frustrated that his best friend didn’t get it.

“Mate, I still don’t see it. Soobin’s your friend and okay, you may have told Ladybug himself that you like him but why does it matter that you told Soobin, who might not be Ladybug?”

Yeonjun looked at Beomgyu, suddenly speechless. It was all beginning to make sense. If Yeonjun had a crush on Ladybug, it meant he had a crush on Soobin, his friend, the one he didn’t want to have feelings for because he was his friend.

“. I like Soobin.”

“You mean Ladybug-Soobin?”

“No, I mean Soobin Soobin. Choi Soobin, my friend since high school. I’m still convinced that he’s Ladybug but that doesn’t matter right now. It’s his personality that draw me to him but if he’s Soobin then I like Soobin, not Ladybug. Do you get it?”

“No. But if you like Soobin, great, because he likes you too.” Beomgyu stated, matter-of-factly.

“What?!”

“Didn’t you know? Soobin’s had a crush on you since forever.” Beomgyu said, resuming on sipping on his coke, smirking at the look on Yeonjun’s face.

 

The next day, Soobin was avoiding Yeonjun and Yeonjun was avoiding Soobin. HueningKai had filled Taehyun in on everything and by lunch, they were both fed up with Soobin acting like a teenager: it was so childish to avoid your friend/crush because said friend/crush had told you they had a crush on somebody else.

“It’s actually you he likes! He just doesn’t know it,” Taehyun scolded him. “You need to stop being a total child and actually talk to him about it.”

“Of course, that’s easy for you to say, it actually worked out! But guess what? Everyone’s not almighty basketball team captain Kang Taehyun who can get anyone he wants!” snapped Soobin, immediately regretting it.

Taehyun looked like he had been slapped in the face. He stayed silent for a few seconds before frowning.

“You’re an absolute dickhead, Soobin,” he almost whispered before standing up and walking away, HueningKai right behind him.

“I am, I really am,” Soobin muttered to himself.

 

At the end of the day, Soobin was walking home when HueningKai caught up to him.

“Soobin-ah, are you okay?” he softly asked.

“Is Taehyun alright? I really didn’t mean what I said, you know?”

“I know and he does too. He only wants you to be happy and he admitted that he went overboard as well.”

“No he was right. I need to talk to Yeonjun,” Soobin replied, shaking his head.

“Really? You’re gonna talk to him?” HueningKai asked, surprised.

“Yeah. I think I’ll talk to him tomorrow, he doesn’t have class in the afternoon and I’m free too.”

“Will you still be joining us for lunch?”

“I don’t know. If Yeonjun does. If he doesn’t, I’ll just ask him to talk and follow him to his house.”

HueningKai lunged forward to hug Soobin.

“I’m proud of you, Bin. Thank you for being my friend.”

Soobin suddenly felt like crying.

“Thank you for putting up with me,” he said, hugging his friend back.

 

The next morning, Soobin came early and apologised to Taehyun.

“It’s okay, I admit I kind of asked for it in a way,” he said, giggling. “But if that helped you to take a decision, I don’t regret it.”

“Thanks, Hyun-ah. I love you.”

“I love you too.”

 

When it was time for them all to meet up for lunch, Soobin waited by the entrance of the cafeteria. When he saw Yeonjun and Beomgyu come towards the cafeteria, he straightened up, trying to make it clear in his posture that he was there with a purpose.

“Hi, Soobin-ah. Aren’t you going inside?” Beomgyu asked when they finally stood in front of him.

“Well, it depends,” Soobin turned to Yeonjun. “Are you going inside?” he asked.

He noticed Yeonjun didn’t look at him. he looked somewhere over his shoulder.

“I’m not. I was thinking of going home,” he replied, his voice just above a whisper.

“Can we talk then?” Soobin asked and Beomgyu took this as his cue to leave.

He squeezed Yeonjun’s shoulder and went inside the cafeteria to join HueningKai and Taehyun who were already sitting and eating.

“I guess,” Yeonjun answered before turning around and making his way out of the building.

Soobin silently followed him, suddenly nervous. Well, suddenly even more nervous. It would be the first time he’d find himself alone with Yeonjun after the latter’s confession and it would probably be his turn to confess. About his feelings or him being Ladybug, he wasn’t sure.

He quietly followed Yeonjun out of the campus and on the streets, one step right behind him until they reached his house. Just like him, Yeonjun was living with his parents, not too far from the campus. He entered the building and took the elevator to his floor. He entered the code and the door unlocked.

Soobin had been to Yeonjun’s apartment only a couple of times since they met in high school. One time was for Yeonjun’s birthday. The few other times had been for study sessions. He followed Yeonjun through the living room to his bedroom. In all those years they’d been friends, he never entered his bedroom. It wasn’t for any particular reason, it was just because every time he came, they always stayed in the living room or the kitchen. It was a bit weird for Soobin to enter his bedroom.

One big window was letting the sunlight in and the whole room was coloured in different shades of blue and purple. It looked soft and Soobin felt all warm inside as he looked around the room. Right above Yeonjun’s bed were pictures of him and Beomgyu, him and HueningKai, him and Taehyun and, lastly, him and Soobin. Soobin stared a short moment at the picture and snorted.

“I know you don’t like that picture but I couldn’t find another picture to put up there,” Yeonjun spoke like he had read Soobin’s mind.

“It’s your room, you can do whatever you want,” Soobin replied, turning to look at Yeonjun’s desk.

On the desk were two framed pictures. One of all of them when they graduated from high school and another one of Yeonjun with his parents. The Yeonjun on this picture was one Soobin had never met. He looked so young, younger Soobin had ever known him and he smiled. He wondered if he would still have fallen for Yeonjun if he had known him back then.

“You wanted to talk. Are you finally going to tell me what I did wrong?” Yeonjun asked, getting Soobin’s attention.

“You did nothing wrong. It’s actually me who did something wrong and I apologise.”

“What for?” Yeonjun asked again, sitting on his bed.

“Yeonjun-ah, I have some things to tell you but I don’t know where to begin to be honest,” Soobin admitted, rubbing the back of his neck in embarrassment.

“Was it such a shock to hear that I have a crush on Ladybug?” Yeonjun boldly asked.

“A bit, yes.”

“Why?”

Soobin didn’t know how to answer. Should he tell Yeonjun that’s because he is Ladybug or because he likes him? But before Soobin could even begin to decide about what he should tell him, Yeonjun spoke again.

“Because you’re Ladybug?”

Soobin was stunned. He stood there, looking blankly at Yeonjun, his lips parted, finding it hard to think or even breathe. He knows?

“H-How…?” he stammered, panic slowly taking over him.

“Kinda hard to miss it after seeing how badly your ankle was injured and how fast you recovered,” Yeonjun simply answered, getting up and taking Soobin’s hands in his. “Calm down. Your secret is safe with me. I know damn well how to keep a secret.”

Soobin frowned. He had already heard this somewhere.

“Hey, you can tell me! I’d tell you who I am too! You can trust me! I know damn well how to keep a secret!”

Those words were the same Cat Noir had told him the first time they met. Soobin had found him cute, the way he wanted to convince him to tell him his real identity. But he hadn’t fallen for it.

“Ca-Cat Noir? What the hell…” Soobin mumbled, disbelieving.

He retrieved his hands back, closed his eyes and brought his hands to his head.

“How is that actually possible? What kind of sick joke is this?”

“Soobinnie,” Yeonjun tried.

“No,” Soobin said. “If I’m Ladybug, you can’t be Cat Noir.”

“Why?”

“Because,” Soobin took a deep breath, “because I can’t like you and your superhero side, how ridiculous is that? Falling for the same person twice? Is my life a ing anime or something?”

“If it makes you feel better, I can tell you that the same happened to me.”

“What do you mean?” Soobin asked, confused.

“I mean that I like Ladybug, which is you. But I also like my friend, Choi Soobin. The kindest, funniest, loveliest person I know. I’ve fallen for you and your superhero side. But it’s actually the same person. I fell in love with you twice because you’re you. I fell in love with a personality. You being Ladybug doesn’t matter to me. Behind the mask, you’re still Choi Soobin.”

Yeonjun smiled the warmest, most dazzling smile ever and Soobin melted. How could he not when his crush looked at him like that?

“Jun-ah. I really want to kiss you,” said Soobin, his voice so low he didn’t recognise it.

“I really want you to kiss me, Soobin-ah.”

And they were kissing. Soft lips against even softer lips, electricity rushing through their bodies, making every cell in them go crazy. Something so simple as lips touching but so powerful at the same time, it made them dizzy and crave more. Was it Yeonjun or Soobin who pulled the other closer to him? They didn’t know and didn’t care as they kissed deeply, eagerly, only now realising how much they have wanted to feel each other in a way they hoped no one else would ever be able to.

When oxygen became too necessary, they broke apart just enough to look at the other while still being in each other’s personal space. So close yet so far. They knew they’d never get enough of the other, ever.

“You look like a mess,” Yeonjun giggled.

“You look beautiful,” Soobin replied, beaming.

Their lips puffy, their faces red and their pupils blown wide, it was no mystery what kind of tension was between them. But it was far too early to deal with it, they knew it and held hands to fill their urge to touch.

“So, we’re together now, right?” Yeonjun warily asked.

“Yes, if that’s okay with you,” replied Soobin, earning a slap on the arm.

“Of course that’s okay with me!” Yeonjun exclaimed. “But we should do something about this superhero thing.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know about you but I don’t feel at ease knowing you’ll be put in danger every so often. That fall a few days ago… I was so worried I actually felt sick. I don’t want to see you in such danger again.”

“Neither do I. But how are we gonna tell Master Fu? Will he be able to find a new Ladybug and Cat Noir soon?” Soobin questioned and Yeonjun shrugged.

“Well, we can still go ask him, it’s still early.”

After a long conversation with Master Fu, they were able to give their miraculous back. Master Fu having sensed something of this kind coming, he had already began searching for new superheroes and had luckily found them.

 

The next day, Soobin and Yeonjun were sitting in the cafeteria, waiting for the others to come. Taehyun and HueningKai were the first ones to arrive.

“Well, I see that my scolding paid off in the end. I’m happy for you,” he said, sitting across the new couple.

“I am too,” HueningKai said, winking at Soobin.

When Beomgyu arrived, he sat beside HueningKai.

“So, is Soobin really…” he looked around and lowered his voice. “Ladybug?”

Soobin laughed.

“I was. Yeonjun and I gave our miraculous back.”

“Why? That was so cool!” Beomgyu asked, pouting.

“We didn’t want any of us to be put in danger ever again,” explained Yeonjun.

“Understandable. You did the right thing, guys. I’m proud of you,” stated Taehyun.

They all stayed silent, smiling at each other before HueningKai spoke up, unable to stop himself anymore.

“Okay, I need to know how it all happened! Who confessed?”

“Who do you think confessed?” Yeonjun and Soobin asked with one voice.