[A/N]: This is a REUPLOAD of a chapter that got wiped out during maintenance.

If you already read this, I again apologize for the update. If you haven't read it yet, enjoy. ^^

[GONGCHAN POV] - ((This chapter is dedicated to Channie as he recovers from surgery. Get well soon, bb <3 ^^))

Friday afternoon when I got home from school, the first thing I made sure to do was call Sandeul.

In the bathroom that day, he had cried for the first time since he told me about his home life back in October. It's been nearly six months since then, and our friendship has grown so much stronger that I swear I was about to rip someone's head off when I heard what that bastard did to him.

After lunch, I was just sitting in English and trying to take notes when the kid sitting next to me tapped me on the shoulder with his pencil. I looked up, expecting him to ask me for an eraser or to help him translate a sentence, but when he snickered and asked, “Did you see what happened with Sunwoo and Sandeul in the hallway earlier?” I turned livid.

What the hell did that insolent do to my Sandeullie?

My hand was immediately raised in the air, and before I was even called on, I asked to go to the bathroom. The teacher sensed my urgency, I guess, and with wide-eyes, nodded, almost as if he were afraid I'd hurt someone if I wasn't able to leave the room.

And if that's what he was thinking, he wasn't far from the truth.

My senses were on high alert, and I probably scanned half the building, poking my head in closets and bathrooms, hoping to see my best friend's little brown head of hair somewhere. I was out of breath, nearly running up and down the hallways. Maybe I was overreacting. I didn't even ask what went down between the two. Maybe Sandeul was fine, just sitting in class and listening to the teacher as attentively as he always does. But something was telling me he wasn't okay, and as I heard sniffling to my left and rushed inside the bathroom, I found I was unfortunately correct.

He was curled into himself, hugging his knees to his chest as he held his cellphone in one hand. He was covered in some kind of... food? His hair was damp with whatever substance it was, and he was covered in bits of meat and vegetables and ramen. But the worst part... worst of all was his face. His eyes and nose were red and puffy, and his cheeks were tracked with tears.

I've never seen him look so weak.

And despite the fact that I'm younger than him, when he looks up at me with shiny eyes and a sad expression, I quickly bend down and hold him like he's my own little brother.

That ing Sunwoo. I'm going to kill him.

That afternoon, I'm on the phone with Sandeul, and as soon as he starts talking, I'm trying to decode his voice, trying to tell if he's okay. But the second I bring up Sunwoo, I don't have to try anymore, because he's on a rant and he's telling me his every thought.

“Oh, god, Gongchan,” he says through the line, and I can tell he's probably fuming over at his house. “I want to kill him just as much as you probably do, if not, more.” Yeah right, I think, but I don't interrupt him. “I let him make me cry once, but I swear, it's not going to happen again. That bastard's not going to get away with anything anymore. He pushed me over the edge, just like he wanted to, and now I'm going to make him regret it.”

My eyebrows raise. “Oh? How are you going to do that?” I reply, kind of amused at this new side of Sandeul.

“I... I don't know...” he grumbles, and I laugh. This kid is so stubborn and clueless sometimes. “I'm just not gonna take his anymore. I'll snap those stupid remarks right back at him.”

“Just don't get hurt,” I warn.

“I won't,” he says assuredly. “I think that if anything, this will be fun,” he adds with a giggle.

I roll my eyes. Again, he's completely clueless. “Whatever you say, hyung. But remember, if anything happens, I've got your back, okay?”

“Okay,” he chirps from the other end, and I smile.

“Oh,” I add, changing the subject, “I was going to go to the mall tomorrow, because I have to get a few things. Wanna tag along?”

Sandeul contemplates this for a minute, “Hmm.. I have to come up with an excuse for my mom.”

“Just tell her you're going to the library. We can meet up at the end of your block,” I suggest.

“Okay, that sounds like it'll work. What time should I be outside?” he asks.

“One o'clock is good.”

“Okay, I'll see you then, Channie,” he cheerily exclaims, and I smile.

“See ya, Sandeullie-hyung.”

The mall is surprisingly empty for a Saturday afternoon, and the sun shines through the glass ceilings above. Sandeul and I are both in a good mood, and act like eight year olds, running through the median and playing in the stores.

His fashion sense in unbearable, and I'm trying desperately not to offend him as we look through clothing racks in my favorite store. Eventually, I give up and just tell it to him straight.

“Sandeul, those pants are unruly,” I state, and he goes from looking at the awful tye-dyed jeans to giving me a cute, confused pout.

“I think they're cute,” he pronounces, rolling his shoulders back in confidence.

“Yeah, and you thought that obnoxious duck hat back in the toy store was cute, too,” I snort, raking through a rack of clearance tees.

“It was!” he snaps, offended, and I chuckle.

He sticks his tongue out and me and turns back to the jean rack, flicking through a few more pairs. His face lights up and he pulls out a pair of deep magenta plaid skinnies, giving them a once-over. I roll my eyes, and I'm just about to give him another lecture in basic fashion when all of the sudden there's a crash nearby.

Sandeul and I both turn our heads, and my eyes meet the sight of a red-headed man, probably seventeen or eighteen years old, sitting flat on his next to a dismembered mannequin that he obviously just knocked over.

The look on the guy's (very attractive, I noted) face was priceless. He looked completely dumbfounded, his dark eyes wide and darting around to see if anyone saw. He quickly stands up and tries to put the mannequin back together, but fails halfway through and the whole thing falls apart again and lands on the floor by his feet. I watch from behind the clearance rack as he tries a few more times, but just ends up falling on his again. I'm laughing at the situation, because this guy is pathetically hilarious.

I glance over and Sandeul's watching him, snickering as well. “What a loser,” he giggles, and I laugh with him.

A cute loser, I add in my head.

An hour later, we're still shopping for clothes, and Sandeul's fashion taste isn't improving in the slightest. If anything, it's getting worse.

“Channie, what do you think?” he asks, and I turn around to see my hyung wearing a hibiscus-covered Hawaiian themed shirt, a pair of way-too-short shorts, and sandals with socks. I give him a once over and cringe.

“Uh... do you really want me to answer that?” I asked, one eyebrow raised, and I turn back to the rack I was just looking through. I hear him sigh behind me, so I decide to help this clueless guy out. I pick out a pink shallow v-neck and a pair of dark wash skinnies from a shelf nearby, and turn around to give them to him.

“Here,” I say, “try this on. This is something that might actually look half-decent on you.”

He takes the clothing from me, hesitantly, and retreats back to the dressing room, but not before sticking his tongue out at me like a little kid. I roll my eyes and follow him, deciding to just wait outside the dressing room because I've finished my own shopping.

I'm sitting on some artsy bench thing that's really just a giant curved piece of plastic and it hurts my . I'm kind of just sitting there waiting, staring at the wall and letting my thoughts wander. Then an object blocks my vision of the chipped paint I was studying, and I look up.

It's that guy from earlier, the red-head who knocked over the mannequin. He's looking down me, so I give him a confused look, my expression asking, Can I help you?

He smiles, and I ignore what my heart is doing at the moment as he begins to speak.

“Uh, excuse me, but do you know if this dressing room is taken?” he gestures towards the door Sandeul's behind, and gives me an expectant look.

“Oh, um, yeah, my friend's in there right now,” I reply.

He raises an eyebrow at me. “Are you sure you're just friends?”

...What the ? I give him a confused look. “Um... yes?”

He sighs in relief (relief of what?) and smiles again, his eyes crinkling up. “Good. I actually know he was in there, because I saw him go in, but uh,” he glances at the floor before continuing, “I wanted to make sure he wasn't your boyfriend.”

I almost snort. Is this guy trying to hit on me? I decide to play stupid. “Oh, um, no. He and I are just friends...”

“Well, then,” he suddenly holds his hand out towards me, “I'm Jinyoung,” he says, and wiggles his eyebrows.

I can't help it. I burst into laughter and ignore his offer of a handshake.

This guy was smooth.

When I finally recover from my laughing fit, I look up to see he's already lowered his arm, and now he's giving me a confused, disappointed look. I raise an eyebrow. “That was very subtle of you,” I quip.

He scratches the back of his head. “Am I that obvious?”

 

I laugh again. “Yes,” I say bluntly.

He sighs, and that's when Sandeul comes bursting out of the dressing room stall, nearly trampling over Jinyoung as he exclaims, “Ta-da! You were right, it does look good on me!” Then he glances over at the wide-eyed boy standing next to him. “Oh! You're that guy who knocked over the mannequin!”

Jinyoung pales and takes a step back, and I can tell he's embarrassed that someone saw his complete failure.

I laugh, and nod my head towards Sandeul. The jeans are tight and the v-neck shows off his collar bone. He could easily get in that outfit, but it's a hell of a lot better than the duck-hat. “You do look good, hyung. You should buy that.”

He gives me an appreciative eye smile, then turns toward Jinyoung. He looks as if he's about to say something, but then he shuts his mouth and squints his eyes just a little bit, looking Jinyoung up and down. He turns back to me, analyzing me as well, and then his head is swinging back and forth between the two of us. Jinyoung still looks frightened, and I just wait patiently for Sandeul to explain whatever the hell he's thinking.

He points a finger at me and then moves his arm to point at Jinyoung. “What were you guys talking about out here?”

I shrug, “Nothing,” and Jinyoung nods frantically in agreement.

Sandeul seems satisfied enough, and shrugs as well, then saunters back to the dressing room.

Jinyoung lets out a relieved sigh, and I just watch him. Hell, the guy's cute at first sight, but he's awfully awkward.

I stand. “I'm going to go pay for these clothes,” I tell the red-head, holding up my fistful of clothes-hangers to show him. He nods, and I turn around and begin to walk off.

“See you around, Gongchan!” he calls after me, and I ignore him, pulling out my wallet and paying for the items.

Sandeul and I are walking home after nearly five hours at the mall. The sun is low in the evening sky and it's beginning to get darker.

He's rambling on and on about nonsense – obviously feeling much better than he was yesterday. This is the Sandeul I know and love, and I'm glad this day out has made him happier. I'm mostly tuning him out, though, my mind wandering around random subjects as the day comes to a close and I'm starting to get tired.

Then he brings up a new subject.

“Hey, Channie?” he asks.

I turn to face him. “Hm?”

He looks ahead of him as he talks. “I actually did hear what that Jinyoung guy said while I was in the dressing room. And well, he's a really good-looking guy, at least I think he is. Right?”

I nod, though honestly, after interacting with the guy for a few more minutes, his good looks began to fade and he was just plain strange.

“Well,” Sandeul continued, “If you ever see that guy again, what are you going to do if he really goes after you?”

I snort, “Hyung, I don't think that's going to happen. He was just being desperate, trying to pick up some guy he happened to see at a mall.”

He looked up at me. “But I mean, hypothetically speaking. I know you like guys, obviously. Would you give up on Shinwoo-hyung if someone else went after you?”

I furrowed my eyebrows. I hadn't thought about Shinwoo all day. “Um, I...”

Could I give up on him? I never even considered it. For a minute, I thought about the possibility, then sighed. “No, I don't think I could.”

Sandeul pouted and looked forward again. “That guy doesn't deserve your love,” he muttered under his breath, and I'm not sure if it was meant to be heard or not.

My mind flicked through memories of Shinwoo, landing on instances full of heartache and depression. I didn't really want to think about it, and I wish Sandeul wouldn't have brought it up. So instead I focus my mind on all the fun I had today with Sandeul, and the new outfits I bought, and that strange guy that hit on me.

And as I'm walking and the sun is falling lower and my best friend's footsteps fall in line with mine, I realize something I overlooked earlier today.

When I went to pay for my things earlier, Jinyoung called out, “See you around, Gongchan!”

...How does he know my name?

[A/N]: So what do you think of Gongchan's POV? (:

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