"Lee Jaejin."

A boy seated next to the window stood from his desk at the sound of his name. He maneuvered briskly around a neat array of desks and around his fellow students as they chattered trivially with one another. When he finally reached his destination, the front of the classroom where his homeroom teacher stood calling out the names of other students, he took a deep breath, watching hawk-eyed at the menacing pile of papers in her hands until she handed him his test. This was it. Shutting his eyes and whispering a silent prayer in his mind, he flipped over the test.

96 out of 100. An ecstatic smile spread across his features as he exhaled in relief.

"Well done, Jaejin," the teacher offered genially with a grin after calling another name. "You never fail to impress."

"Thanks, sunsaengnim," Jaejin said happily, bowing slightly, then pushing his glasses back up. She smiled before continuing passing out the rest of the tests. Thank god, he thought. Jaejin hadn't studied a wink for this test, so he was sure it would end in failure. But he hadn’t a doubt in his mind that he would do badly; math was one of his best subjects. As he attempted to cross the frock of students again, he couldn't erase his silly smile.

"I know that face. How high?" a slightly anxious voice came a couple feet away. Jaejin stopped in his tracks and whipped his head around to see one of his friends, Seunghyun, staring up at him with fervent, impatient eyes. Jaejin smirked and turned away.

"I probably shouldn't tell you."

Seunghyun frowned in desperation as Jaejin tiptoed away with a childish grin on his face. "No, come back," he whispered, reaching for the black-haired boy, but Jaejin was already plopping down into his seat, still smiling like an idiot. Seunghyun reluctantly returned to face the front of the class and scowled, tapping his fingers repeatedly against the desk as he waited for the verdict. Jaejin chuckled to himself. He loved his friend, even if he could be a bit annoying at times. Jaejin reclined in his plastic desk chair and rested his head back, enjoying the sweet sensation of triumph. So far, he'd passed almost all of his high school courses with near-perfect grades, and he wasn't planning to stop now. He needed it if he planned to study at one of the more prestigious universities in Korea. It would help him one day. Somehow. Suddenly, he felt a light tap against his shoulder. He put on a jokingly but convincingly irritated expression before turning around to face his best friend, Key.

Jaejin pretend scoffed, then tilted his head back onto Key's desk, shaking it wildly from side to side.

"You're an idiot."

"But you love me, right?"

Key snickered in response. Jaejin grinned and turned around to face Key.

"I got an 85," Key whispered sourly as he leaned in closer to speak with Jaejin in a more secretive manner. Jaejin feigned interest by pouting his lips slightly and perusing his text messages; at this point, he'd tuned him out. Key, or Kim Kibum--he hated the name, and he encouraged everyone he knew to call him Key--was often like this. No matter how good or bad his grade was, he had to explore the assorted flaws. Then, he would blow it off, claiming it was "nothing" and that he "didn't really care". Jaejin had been friends with Key since middle school--he knew even the little-known, unimportant facts, like what he liked in his coffee and what he kept under his bed. He practically had him down to a T.

"... But really," Key said as Jaejin tuned back in to his redundant rant. Jaejin silently mouthed on cue the rest of what Key was going to say. "I don't really care."

Jaejin rolled his eyes and smiled. "You have until the end of the semester. Don't worry. You'll magically conjure up something. I know you."

Key sighed and pursed out his lips. "Yeah, maybe I’ll beg. Anyway, what'd you get?"

The two talked and joked pettily amongst one another until the bell finally rang, allowing everyone to leave school for the rest of the day.

"Ah, finally," Jaejin sighed, standing from his chair and stretching his hands to the ceiling. He squinted his eyes and began to yawn but, caught off-guard, hadn't noticed Seunghyun and his friend, Minhwan, creeping toward him. By the time he'd realized him there, Seunghyun had already jabbed the boy square in the stomach, causing the boy to grunt and double over. Seunghyun bolted out of the classroom, Minhwan tagging along closely behind, as they giggled like excited little girls to themselves.

"Yah! Yeah, you'd better run," Jaejin threatened, rubbing his violated abdominal muscles.

"Don't act like you could beat them up," Key said with a snort. The colorful-haired boy hiked his small bag onto his shoulders, poked his tongue out at his friend, and made his escape out the classroom door.

Jaejin frowned at him. Then, he walked briskly to catch up with Key and socked him in the arm. The two of them entered--or at least attempted to enter--the madness that was the main school hallway. The current of students walking to the right rendered it impossible to go in any other direction, so they decided to go with the flow.

"Ow."

"I could if I wanted to."

"Mm-hm."

"One day, I might beat you up. So watch your ."

"Oh man. I'm scared," Key said in the most disinterested voice humanely possible. Jaejin watched as he fixed the bangs of his hair, causing the tiny strands of pink and green to become visible against the forest of black. Key was always doing something wacky and nonconforming with his hair, no matter how badly it would damage it in the long run. Once the year before, Key had shaved one whole side of his head, arguing that "it was an impulse decision". But he liked it, and no one argued with him about it.

Jaejin always wondered how the two of them had stayed friends for so long. They weren't opposites, but surely no one would've thought that they were friends or that they even knew each other if they'd seen the two of them on opposite sides of a room. They were very different in character, style, everything. Key was a bold rebel type. He was quiet in nature, yet did whatever he wanted, and no one stopped him. He was straightforward and to-the-point about most things, but secretive when it came to personal matters. Jaejin, on the other hand, might have been what you call "hipster"; he donned thick-rimmed glasses, relaxed capris, and Toms. He had a fairly selective taste in music and a lifetime of thoughts and opinions on his mind, and if people were willing to listen, he enjoyed to sharing his thoughts. He was spunky and had a quick temper. And that might've been why the two clicked so well: Jaejin's sassy attitude brought Key out of his shell, and Key's quiet yet frank one hosed out Jaejin's fiery personality. It proved to be a surprisingly compatible combination.

"Are you going to cram school tonight?" Key asked just as they took a left into a less-crowded hallway where their lockers were. Just as Key said it though, he knew his words had passed right through Jaejin’s head. Suzy, the "just as beautiful on the inside as on the outside" girl of the school, and her friends had just passed in front of them, their long, unrealistically perfect hair seeming to billow in the nonexistent wind. Just as Key suspected, Jaejin had stopped in his tracks and had blocked out all possible distractions from his mind just to focus all his attention on her. Suzy. He'd had his eyes on Suzy since near the beginning of last year. It had been one of those unrequited, one-sided, admiration-from-afar kind of deals. Key rolled his eyes. Jaejin was so pathetic. Yes, she was out of his league, but he was such a coward.

As soon as they were out of sight, Jaejin snapped back to reality and grinned at Key. "What was that?"

Key glowered at Jaejin with sharp, cat-like eyes. Then, he nudged him in the arm. "God, just make a move already."

"What!? N-no," Jaejin mumbled, flustered. "No way. I can't do that. She doesn't even know I exist."

"Stop with that. Jesus," Key said as he rummaged around in his backpack for something. Finding exactly what he was looking for--an apple juicebox--Key unwrapped the straw from the can and stabbed it into the hole on the top. After he took a sip, releasing a long "ahh" sound, and giving the juice to Jaejin for him to drink too, he continued. "You're a third-year in high school for crying out loud. You haven't done practically anything risky your whole time here. You don't wanna live your life with regrets, do you? Thinking, "what if this", "what if that"?"

Jaejin contemplated his friend's words, resting the tip of the mini straw against his lips. Key was right. He was always right. Jaejin pouted and sipped some more juice. "Yeah..." He glanced longingly one more time in the direction Suzy and her friends had walked. Then, he returned the box to his friend and continued down the hall in the opposite direction. "Maybe another time."

Key groaned audibly and followed after Jaejin. "Does anything I say to you ever make it to your brain?"

“I have time,” Jaejin reassured coolly. Noticed Key approaching his side, he rested an arm on Key’s shoulder. “You going to cram school tonight?”

Key glared at Jaejin before rolling his eyes and walking away.

“Text me!”

---

Jaejin pushed the school exit door open, the sunlight stunning him and rendering him blind for a couple seconds. He rose a hand high above his head to shield out the sun and squinted at the clear, blue sky. Spring had finally begun, and at the perfect time, too. Jaejin hopped down the stairs of the school entrance with a spring in his step and accepted the gentle wind against his cheek. A couple girls Jaejin knew passed him and said goodbye genially, to which he responded with a smile and a head nod. He caught sight of some of his friends off in the distance upon hearing his name being yelled. Seunghyun and Minhwan waved exuberantly at him before entering the city bus. Jaejin rolled his eyes and offered a quick wave. What an embarrassing bunch. Hiking his bookbag higher onto his shoulders, he prepared himself for the daily trek to the city subway.

The farther he got from the school, the busier the streets became. Maneuvering through the throng of pedestrians walking through the sidewalk, he stepped into rhythm with the rest of them. The sound of humming engines filled his left ear, and shoes shuffling against the concrete floor sounded underneath him. Although not as crowded as it would be in an hour or so, the roads were still mildly congested. But being a city dweller all his life, the honk of a car horn barely ever registered in Jaejin’s mind. He had to make his way through this madness nearly every day since the year he entered high school. Everything had become second nature to him.

Eight minutes later--Jaejin had counted a long time ago--he noticed to his right the tiny, quaint coffee shop out of his peripheral vision. On days when Jaejin had time, he catered himself to a latte or pastry of some sort. Their food was quite addictive, and he had become acquainted with some of the employees. But he wasn’t much in the mood to indulge himself, so he passed on by. Maybe another time. As he entered the underground entrance to the subway, he glanced once more at the beautiful sky, grinning as if the sun would smile back. The vibrant colors seemed to fill him with an ambitious attitude. Something seemed different about today. He didn’t normally feel this happy. Maybe it was a premonition?

Remembering the time, he reluctantly tore his eyes away from the deep vast blue and returned his attention to the task at hand.

After swiping his card and entering through the gate, he let his mind wander. Today had been a great day; better than most days anyway. He got a near perfect grade on his math test, A’s in all of his classes so far, and he finished all of his college applications. He had a decent paying job over at Luigi's Pizza. Things were going his way lately. And before he knew it, he’d be in one of the top colleges in the nation, studying to be a doctor of some sort. As to what kind, that part needed some chiseling. But he knew he was going to be one. He had that down.

As thoughts of his future romped about in his mind, he barely noticed the subway train slowing to a complete stop in front of him. The speed of the machine caused a chilly gust of wind to sweep over Jaejin, causing the hairs on the back of the boy’s neck to stand up on end. He watched subconsciously as a couple of people got off, but was quickly snapped from his daydream when a small wave of frantic, impatient workers eager to return home shoved and piled their way into the train, and Jaejin let himself get swept inside. He scanned quickly for an open seat. Upon finding one, he shuffled speedily for the chair and promptly fell into it. He heaved his bookbag off of his shoulders and set it in the space in front of his feet with a heavy sigh. He adjusted his glasses and watched aimlessly as people gradually filed onto the train, moving his backpack closer to his legs to make room for other passengers. Finally a couple of minutes later, everyone had gotten on, and the train slowly began to move again.

Jaejin bent forward and dug around in his bag for his iPhone. He stuck one of the buds into his right ear, selected the “Shuffle” button, and immediately locked the music player. A deep, insane slap bass riff--an obvious characteristic of many songs by the Red Hot Chili Peppers, one of Jaejin’s favorite bands--filled his mind, and he briefly closed his eyes, letting himself get carried away with the music. If there was anything Jaejin loved the most in this world aside from fashion and food, it was music. As he let his thoughts wander again, Suzy’s face popped up into his head. His heart jumped slightly. She was so pretty. How could anyone be so seemingly perfect? Jaejin could only imagine what it would be like to have a conversation with her, or have her smile at him. He was too chicken to do anything about it, though. His heart sank. Key was right about the whole taking a risk thing.

He was quickly interrupted when the subway halted, signalling the next stop. Oh boy. Here it goes again. Jaejin groaned, knowing exactly what was coming. And he had a good reason to do so.

Just as he suspected, that guy was riding the subway today. The last one to board, as always. And wrapped around his arm was yet another nameless girl who Jaejin couldn’t be bothered to look at or remember her face. he knew they were always different, anyway. Jaejin glanced disgustedly at the girl’s skimpy cloth dress that barely covered her and her panda makeup that could’ve lasted her a month if she hadn’t slathered it all on in one go. Jaejin hated girls like these the most. Couldn’t they have a tiniest amount of modesty? He shook his head in scorn. Then, he averted his attention to the guy.

Jaejin didn’t know his name. He didn’t know his age, what school he went to, nothing. All he knew was that he’d begun riding the subway in the middle of the year, and almost every time he rode it for the past two months, he had a girl with him. From the minute he strutted into the subway, arm wrapped around some girl’s hip, a lazy smirk on his face, Jaejin despised his very guts. He always seemed to have this lazy attitude, like he couldn’t give a about anything. He wore his ebony hair in messy, wavy tuffs, kind of like he simply got out of bed, shook it up a bit, and walked out the door. Sometimes when he didn’t have a girl with him he would wear a high school uniform, which is how Jaejin knew he was still in school, but 80% of the time he was wearing some casual jeans and a lazy T-shirt or sweater. Today, in accordance to the weather, a shirt paired with khaki shorts. What defined him was a long, sharp, prominent nose. Which, of course, Jaejin despised as well.

As Jaejin stared, the player's eyes flickered in the boy's direction, noticing he was being watched. Jaejin's heart stopped. They held eye contact for much longer than Jaejin had intended to. They'd only made eye contact once or twice in all the times they'd ever ridden the subway, so he didn't know how the heck to react. . This is awkward. Just as he thought this, the corner of the player's lips slowly began to curve into a smirk. Then he turned back to face his girl-of-the-day and leaned in to whisper something seductively in her ear. She giggled.

Jaejin fumed like a steaming teapot.

Okay, Jaejin told himself. You can't let that dirty get to you. It's not healthy. He sighed, leaned back into his chair, and turned up the volume on his iPod. He scrolled through his Library until he came upon Rage Against the Machine and chose their angriest, most violent song. He didn't usually listen to metal, but this seemed to describe his feelings at the moment perfectly. He was so distracted by the music that he barely noticed the train book out of the stop.

Although he knew he shouldn't, Jaejin chanced another glance in the guy's direction. The girl now had her manicured hands draped over Jonghun's shoulder, pouting her lips as she tried to push herself closer to him like she was desperate for him. The guy barely moved a muscle, but maintained eye contact with the girl. God, why am I watching this? Jaejin whipped his head away a second time.

He couldn't understand how anyone would want to live a lifestyle like that. Running around and using girls as if they meant nothing. It was a waste. What could be so great about that? Wouldn't it be such a greater feeling to find someone you love with all your heart and experience all those firsts with them rather than wasting all that on some ? Maybe Jaejin was thinking too hard. He tended to do that a lot. And who was he to complain? This guy was getting girls left and right, and here Jaejin was, still pining after a girl he'd liked since the year before and had done nothing about.

Hmph. Just another reason to hate him more.

Jaejin subconsciously took another peek in the guy's direction, but he wasn't prepared for what greeted his eyes next. Now, the girl was pressed way too close for comfort against the guy, and they were making out. Like gross, disturbing PDA making out.

And, seeing this, the tips of Jaejin's ears burned a reddish color as he averted his attention to his iPod, embarrassed. He scrolled awkwardly through his songs. Did he really just see that? Jaejin scrolled some more with more vigor. Then, he started to become strangely infuriated. That nasty guy, Jaejin repeated endlessly through his mind. 

As Jaejin's resentment grew, a plan formulated in his mind. He wouldn't stand for this nonsense any longer. Some people had to know their boundaries, he convinced himself. If he and I are to ride this thing every day together, I deserve to have an enjoyable ride.

And so, from the inner workings of Jaejin's ingenious mind, he decided.

He was going to follow him out the subway and give him a piece of his mind.

---

Jaejin watched anxiously as the subway cruised into his usual drop-off. He took one last look at the player, who had stopped his makeout session a couple seconds after Jaejin looked away, thank god. The longer he waited for the train to stop, the more on his toes he got.

What the hell? Why was he so nervous? He shook his head in spite of himself. He waited cautiously until the couple got out of the train, and waited a couple seconds longer to let others get out as well. Finally, one of the last ones to get off, Jaejin lifted his backpack from the floor, swung it over a shoulder, and made his way out of the station, keeping a hawk-eye on the two in front of him.

He couldn't really believe he was doing this, following this guy and his girl as they walked through town. He was stalking them. This was stalking, wasn't it? Jaejin cringed at that idea. No. This wasn't stalking. He was merely going to talk to this guy and tell him what was up, and that he didn't like it.

Jaejin grumbled. This was undeniably stalking.

And there was something else. Jaejin couldn't deny it. He was extremely curious. Yes, he hated the guy, but something seemed... intriguing about it. This guy's lifestyle. Something was drawing him to this guy like a moth to a lightbulb.

Jaejin scoffed. Now he was sounding creepy.

Well, Key had said something earlier, hadn't he? About taking risks? Well, Jaejin was doing something risky right now. Although this probably wasn't what Key, or Jaejin for that matter, had in mind. Jaejin shrugged, dropping the subject. Thankfully his nerves had finally died down because of all his thinking. He returned his attention to the front of him, looking up at random times to make sure he was still a safe distance away.

Fifteen minutes passed. They were still en route to who knows where, and Jaejin was getting tired. The only thing they’d been doing for the whole time was... walking. Well, maybe the occasional small talk and a round of laughter, but that was it. Jaejin kept walking.

A few minutes later, the player and his girl paused in front of one of the apartment complexes in the neighborhood, so Jaejin dove for the nearest tree trunk to hide. He watched the two exchange some intelligible words, smile, and bow slightly. The boy kissed the girl lightly on the cheek. Jaejin scrunched his nose at the gesture; after that repulsive makeout session, that's how he was going to leave her? The girl said one last thing to the guy before she turned and walked toward the apartment, her hair floating behind her. Jonghun simply stared, strangely emotionless, as she disappeared into the building. Then he averted his attention to the ground and crossed his arms as he scuffed the toe of his sneaker against the rocky pavement.

Jaejin creased his eyebrows. So that was it. That was all he did. Well, it certainly wasn't anything Jaejin had in mind when he thought about a playboy's lifestyle. Briefly he remembered that he was supposed to be following the guy so that he could tell him something. Something about the subway and him making out with girls in public and how he despised it. Although he still hated the guy and wanted to tell him what he thought, he just couldn't bring himself to do it. He was too chicken anyway. He shrugged and took a step away from the tree. Maybe he'd do it some other time.

But before Jaejin could get far, a low voice pierced the silence.

"Alright, you can come out now."

Jaejin froze. Color immediately drained from his face. He stood unmoving, stiff as a board. He swallowed uneasily.

. .

What do I do? He asked himself a million times. Of course, there was nothing he could do. If he didn't run away, which would ensure the guy seeing him, the guy would eventually find Jaejin himself. He was done. He was dead meat. He surrendered and peeked warily from the side of the tree trunk, revealing his face to the player.

The guy squinted his eyes, and then smirked in amusement. He stuck his fists into the pockets of his khaki shorts and leaned on one leg. Jaejin could feel the burning sensation creeping up his cheeks. "I can't see you."

Blushing even more, he reluctantly walked completely away from the tree. He couldn't begin to comprehend how utterly humiliating this was. To Jaejin's surprise, the other boy drew closer, scrutinizing his face with peculiar interest. He gulped anxiously.

"Hey..." the player began, now standing only a couple feet away from Jaejin, "you're the guy from the subway, aren't you?"

Jaejin's eyes widened. . A giant load of embarrassment fell on top of him. He couldn't breathe.

"I thought it would've been a girl following me around and admiring me from afar, but I guess today is a little different, isn't it? Although I've had guys follow me out of jealousy before. Nothing new."

Jaejin's embarrassment gradually burned away with his new annoyance. Everything he'd presumed about this guy had been spot-on. Cocky, shallow, and self-absorbed. He clenched his fist and took a daring step forward.

"I am not like that, you sickening . I'm only here for one thing, so listen up." He took another step forward, causing the other to lean back slightly. "Your whole "bringing different girls every day on the subway" thing is really pissing me off, and I'm sure it pisses everyone else off. I sure would really enjoy it if I could look around and not see two ignorant people their faces off. So, if I could so kindly request, please have some dignity and consideration and practice your playboy games somewhere else."

Jaejin exhaled a long, shaky breath. The other one stood wide-eyed in complete shock. Jaejin panted slowly. Had he gotten to him?

Then, to Jaejin's surprise, one corner of the guy's lips curved into an intrigued smile. He chuckled. "Whoa."

Jaejin scrunched his eyebrows together, baffled. Now the taller one was smirking as he motioned a step closer to Jaejin. It was Jaejin's turn to stumble backwards. "You must pay an awful lot of attention to me, don't you?"

Jaejin's stared incredulously "What kind of assumption is that--?"

"You could've easily gone up to me and told me all of this to my face, but... you didn't. You could've told me a long time ago if my "playboy games" bothered you," he added with air quotations. "But you didn't."

"I--... That's..." Jaejin stuttered.

The guy grinned a genuine smile. Jaejin's heart thumped wildly in his chest as he cringed. "You're weird. But I like you. You've got spunk." He grinned more." I'm Jonghun."

"That's cool. Now leave me alone."

"Hey, let's not forget who stalked who. I think I deserve a name."

"Jaejin. Please leave me alone," he said louder. He averted his eyes down, refusing to make eye contact. He mentally slapped himself on the head. This was a dumb idea. This had been a dumb idea from the start. Sometimes Jaejin wondered where his common sense was.

"You're really cute, you know that? For a boy."

Jaejin's eyes widened again. The words lit his fuse like a match starting a big black bomb. This guy was playing him. This was all part of Jonghun's little game. The smell of his cologne wafted into Jaejin's nose, and before he knew it, he could feel Jonghun's hot breath on his mouth. They were inches apart. Jaejin grew dizzy. His heart pounded deafeningly in his ears.

Impulse took over as Jaejin delivered a swift uppercut square into Jonghun's jaw. Jaejin had erupted.

"You...! Y-you... You stay the hell away from me! You ing ert!" Jaejin yelled, backing away. His cheeks burned the brightest tomato red humanely possible. "Stay away! In fact, never show your face to me ever again, you hear me?! And keep your ing girlfriends, too!"

Jonghun smiled, still clutching his injured jaw, and waved nonchalantly. "Bye, Jaejin!"

He stared in wide-eyed astonishment. Then, appalled, he ran away. He ran as fast as he could, and as far as his legs would take him. He ran back to main street, the noisy hum of cars returning to his ears.

"Ugh!" He groaned as he slowed to a stop. He couldn't think straight. His brain was fried. He leaned against a random brick wall and slid down, covering his still-red face with his hands in shame.

Jaejin's stomach twisted and contorted within him. 

He didn't know what the hell had just happened. He didn't know what was happening, and he didn't know what was going to happen. But something dawned on him. Dawned on him like a pile of bricks.

He wasn't gonna get rid of this Jonghun guy. 

In fact, he was going to be seeing a lot more of this Jonghun guy.

Whether he wanted to or not.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Wow. Okay. Finally finished. （￣▽￣） 

I don't know why this took so long for me to finish lol... probably because I'm so nervous to start this ldsfjsdlksdlk I'm so scared this'll flop omg

Well anyway, sorry about that. Sob I hope this wasn't too weird for a first chap ಥ⌣ಥ 

Just so you know, the future chapters are NOT going to be nearly this long (although I wish I could write like the wind like that ;___;) I just don't have enough time, and I'm a really picky writer lolol. They'll probably be like half this long, if not a fourth. ;A;

Thanks for reading! ~ I'll update as quickly as possible.

Shout-out to my qurls you know who you are xx

❀