[A/N: please be prepared for this chapter to be boring... i'm so sorry asdfgjkl; the rest gets interesting afterwards I KINDA PROMISE ;A;]

The look that passed Saejin’s face as she snipped off the last of her long hair wasn’t as vulnerable as she assumed it would be. Her precious, shiny long hair that she’d taken almost a year to grow out was now lying in a pile on the ground. She glanced down at it, gulped, and returned her gaze to the mysterious person that stared back in the mirror.

Her hair hung below her eyebrows and skimmed her eyelashes, a careful flick of her head tossing it out of her vision. It tickled the back of her neck, the freshly cut ends feeling odd as they didn’t hang lower than shoulder like she was used to.

Instead she had the haircut of a boy with messy scissor skills.

It wasn’t horrible and it wasn’t amazing but Saejin didn’t care much. Her logic was that the closer to perfection her hair was cut to, the more unrealistic it would seem.

Of course, guys didn’t care that much about their hair, right?

At least not as much as girls did, their morning routines consisting of hour long banishments inside the bathroom fuming over disobedient hair that refuses to curl into perfect locks.

Saejin assumed that guys didn’t do much to their hair. Maybe a comb through it once stepping out of the shower with their fingers, maybe some hair gel in the morning to keep the oil away from their forehead, but that’s it. A glance in the mirror every morning was the most Saejin assumed a guy would do when it came to fretting over their hair.

I don’t know, she thought, her teeth, I’ll just ask Chanyeol later.

Saejin huffed her cheeks and stood up, checking her watch. She gripped the handle of her suitcase and yanked it down the stairs, walking outside and not once turning back to glance at the place she called home for eighteen years.

---

Saejin’s opinion on leaving her home and school was more or less bipolar, her fear of being away from the comfort of her room and friends stronger than all other feelings. Nonetheless she was excited to be on her own, even if it meant pretending to be a part of the opposite gender.

Saejin wasn’t excited for the challenge of pretending to be a guy but attempting it was worth it if it meant she could play soccer.

Saejin decided to undergo the odd choice of passing off as a guy to play the thing she cherished close to her heart.

The sport that she held close to her heart, the thing that connected her to the father that she missed much too dearly.

Soccer was one of her last connections to her father.

He went to every single one of her games and surpassed all the other parent’s cheers, his screams making her chuckle quietly to herself as she’d dribble along the field, not a hint of embarrassment within a mile radius of her.

There was nothing to be embarrassed about when her father supported her choices.

The lack of a girls’ soccer team at her school displeased her and the principal’s strong disapproval of a girl playing on the guy’s team frustrated her even further. The only opportunity, the principal joked, was if she became a boy overnight.

And that’s just what Saejin did as she cut her hair goodbye three days later, hopping into her childhood best friend’s car and not feeling an ounce of regret as Chanyeol gasped at her new hairstyle in utter shock.

“Whoa.”

Saejin rolled her eyes, not expecting any other response from the clearly shocked boy who sat next to her. His jaw was a foot down and his eyes wider than the moon, his hair falling in his eyes as he refused to move. She pinched his cheek and he frowned, whacking her arm away.

“Come on. I still have to do all the paperwork stuff.” She said, nodding at him to move the car rather than let it rot on the side of the street.

Chanyeol obliged and started the car, pulling into the middle of the road. Saejin pulled down the mirror in front of her and examined her hair, fixing every strand here and there. He watched out of the corner of his eye with an amused smile.

“Do guys care about their hair?” Saejin asked.

Chanyeol lifted a finger, directing it at the soft curls that fell across his forehead and stopped just at the rim of his glasses. “What do you think?”

Saejin chuckled, shutting the mirror compartment. She sighed but stayed quiet, watching the trees through her window meld together into a blur of sprinting green.

“I look believable right?” She asked, her eyes not leaving the mural of colors passing by outside.

He glanced at her and nodded, his eyebrows scrunched together. “I think so,” He said. “Just don’t be… girly.”

“No , Sherlock.”

Chanyeol frowned, looking away. “You act like a guy, that’s for sure,” He grumbled but Saejin’s bat ears picked it up and she scowled at him, a playful grin responding on the dorky boy’s face.

The drive to the school wasn’t too far but it wasn’t conveniently close to her home either. The car led them through a small valley and into a bustling city, the school sitting just on the border of the populated area and a quieter, more peaceful town.

“Alright,” Chanyeol said, taking his keys out of the engine, “Out we go.”

They both got out of the car and he took her luggage out of the trunk, setting the dismal black suitcase on the ground. The only sign of femininity on the thing was a small keychain, an adorable Totoro plushy clutching his usual leaf. It wasn’t completely feminine either, but Saejin doubted a guy would own such a thing.

If I find a guy who does like Totoro,Saejin thought, her eyes on the sidewalk as her suitcase trundled along behind her, I shall call him perfection and he shall be mine and he shall be my perfection.

Saejin chuckled to herself at her stupid Finding Nemo connection and Chanyeol glanced at her, his lips pulled up into a small smile. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and led her to the office, a grey speckled building with the school flag tackily stuck at the top.

The process of turning in paperwork was dull and boring and thankfully didn’t last as long as she assumed it would. The school already expected her and had her dorm, uniform and schedule prepared but the simple task of entering in records hadn’t been finished yet. Saejin slumped in the much too comfortable chair, her eyes fixated on the fingers of the principal as they tapped away at the keyboard. He jabbed at the enter button a few times before sitting up straight, nodding.

“Alright Mr. Bae,” Mr. Lee gathered a stack of papers together, tapping the edges to perfect it, “Welcome to Seoul National School for Boys and I hope you enjoy your time learning here.”

Saejin had the feeling that he repeated this many, many times, the bland expression that hung on his face resembling the face of a person who worked at a toothpaste manufacturer.

He handed her a packet and a box filled with multiple identical uniforms, each one pressed to the last crease. Saejin took it and stepped out, bowing one final time.

Chanyeol leaned against the outside of the building, his hand shielding his eyes from the sun that shamelessly attacked him. He didn’t notice the short male approaching him with a large box until Chanyeol felt a kick to his knee, a much too familiar soft alert for him to stop losing his concentration.

His eyes focused on the person and he smirked when he realized he didn’t recognize Saejin. I’m going to have to get used to her new hair. It doesn’t look bad on her, though. Not at all.

“So you’re officially in?” He asked, already aware of the answer as he dragged her suitcase behind him. Saejin nodded anyways and he took her schedule, adding small comments here and there about the cockiness of this teacher or the cluelessness of that one.

“Where are you rooming?” Chanyeol asked, passing the paper back to Saejin. She shuffled through the papers that she had placed on top of the box and skimmed over the light blue one with the perplexing map of the school on it. Mr. Lee had circled a building and below the map was a small paragraph describing which room was hers and if some roommate problems occur, contact him immediately.

“Uh, here.” Saejin jabbed at the map and Chanyeol looked over her shoulder, frowning.

“What’s wrong?” She asked hesitantly and he shook his head, smiling.

“Nothing, I was just hoping he’d put you in my room.”

“Why? You have a roommate already right?”

Chanyeol shrugged, picking up the suitcase as they ascended a few steps that opened up to a large paved area, a gorgeous fountain sitting in the middle. Guys sat on the edges, either studying or laughing at something displayed on their phone.

“Yeah… I like Baekhyun and all but I think it’d be easier for you if you were with me and not some ert.”

“Aw. Jealous already?” Saejin joked, elbowing him lightly. He smirked and elbowed her back, his eyes dragging along the path ahead of them. Something like that.

---

Chanyeol led Saejin along the campus, pointing here and there at the occasional building that she attempted to familiarize herself with, noting each individual uniqueness that each structure had. The small tour ended with their entrance into the second dorm building where Saejin’s room was located while Chanyeol was in the building right next door. They climbed a staircase that had a formal air to it, converse stepping on metal steps that brought her to a hall of beige walls and carpeted floors. Her room was in the dead center of the hall on the right side, a door with a metal engraving appliqued next to it, “202” boldly stating its address.

Chanyeol opened the door for her, a door that led them into a large and well-furnished dorm that seemed much too fancy for high school students. It was bright and welcoming, colorful accents spotting the room and Saejin noted to herself to compliment whoever decorated the place later on.

“Wow,” Saejin breathed, her eyes picking up on the smallest details that made her smile stretch. I can’t seriously be living here, this is built for a queen…

Chanyeol shrugged, looking around. “All dorms are the same but your roommate must like colors or something. Our room’s a dump compared to this,” Chanyeol added, pouting. “I think I’m going to clean it later. This place is intimidating me.”

Saejin merely nodded, her feet taking small steps around the place. She ran her fingers along the olive sofa that sat against a wide window, the scenery outside making her happy and energetic.

A long arm stretched over her shoulder and she followed the finger that pointed out the window. “That’s my room across the lawn. We can wave like idiots at each other,” Chanyeol grinned.

“Weirdo,” Saejin muttered, her mind preoccupied by the comforting aura of the room that surrounded her.

A buzz broke her out of her dream-like thoughts and Chanyeol frowned at his phone, sighing.

“I have to go,” He mumbled, rubbing his forehead, “Baekhyun broke… lots of things.”

Saejin chuckled and watched the tall boy jog out of the room and she returned her attention to the view. She laughed when she saw Chanyeol come into sight as he ran across the lawn, her laughter becoming louder when he waved in her direction. She returned the wave, grinning. Silly idiot.

The soft click of a handle unlocking itself caused Saejin to jump and she put a hand over her pound

ing heart, looking around. Maybe my roommate’s here.

But rather than the front door opening she saw the handle of another door across the room move, the handle twisting as the door became ajar. The door widened and Saejin held in the gasp that attempted to escape when a boy resembling a porcelain doll stepped out, a towel loosely wrapped around his waist, his hair dripping small drops of water onto his bare and very toned stomach.