“We really shouldn't be doing this you know.” Chunji pointed out, from where he lay on Ricky's bed. “Why not? What harm is it going to do us?” Ricky enquired, with a loud yawn accompanying his statement, from where he lay beside Chunji. “Plenty. I'm here for a reason, not just to laze about.” Chunji informed the other boy, but despite his arguments, he himself made no attempt to get up from his current position. “We've done plenty of work. Taking a break for a few minutes isn't going to kill us.” Ricky countered.

“Did the thought ever occur to you that perhaps the reason you needed my help in the first place is because of your lazy attitude?” Chunji questioned, tone accusatory.“Nope.” the other boy informed him with a cheesy grin. Chunji scoffed at the typically childish response, giving the other boy a light shove, but otherwise didn't respond.

“I don't see why you even asked me to help you with this in the first place.” Chunji complained. Ricky turned to face the other boy, propping his head up with his arm. “Are you seriously asking me that?” he questioned, sending the other boy a shocked look. “Maybe” Chunji muttered, crossing his arms.

“Because you're like the top kid in your grade, and you're my friend. I've got to take advantage of that when the time is right, or there's no point in me putting up with you all the time.” Ricky stated plainly. “Hey! What's that supposed to mean?” Chunji demanded, angrily.

“Just that you're grumpy, self absorbed and completely gaga over CAP. Nothing you didn't already know.” Ricky informed him, cheekily, grinning. “Why does everyone insist on calling him that these days? None of us even knew he had that nickname until a few months ago.” he grumbled, lowly.

“Because that's what L. Joe calls him. Why do you insist on calling him Minsoo all the time?” Ricky asked, slyly. “Because that's his name. He only wants his friends to call him by that nickname.” Chunji murmured, demurely.

“So, you guys hang out enough to be friends. Besides, he's not even here, how would he know?” Ricky pushed. “We don't hang out, I help him study, like I'm supposed to be doing with you.” Chunji scoffed. “And if I started calling him that in private, not only would I feel mega guilty, but I might do it in his presence too, and that would be horrible.” he explained.

“What makes you say that?” Ricky enquired, confused. “Because, he told L. Joe about his nickname. He wanted L. Joe to call him that name. If he wanted me to call him that, don't you think he would have told me to start calling him that by now? But no, he seems perfectly content for me to call him Minsoo, so I will.” Chunji sighed.

“Do you think that's a bad sign or a good one?” Ricky asked, flipping back onto his back, to stare up at the ceiling of his room. “I'm honestly not sure how to take it anymore. At first I thought it was a bad sign: that he must like L. Joe more. But now, I don't know.” Chunji answered.

“You think CAP doesn't like L. Joe anymore?” Ricky asked, his tone almost sounding hopeful, though whether that hope was for his own sake or for L. Joe's he wasn't sure. That irked Chunji a little. “No. Minsoo is practically in love with L. Joe. He always asks L. Joe to sit with him, and is always asking him to hang out and stuff. If it weren't for the fact that he keeps going out with Minyoung all the time, I'd think he'd turned gay for him or something.” Chunji commented, with a laugh.

“No wonder you were so bitter about L. Joe back at the start of the year. How do you feel about him now?” Ricky enquired. “I'm not sure. I can't really ascribe any particular feeling towards him other than charged.” Chunji answered puzzled by his own words, and feeling frustrated by his lack of a suitable way to explain himself.

“Charged? Is that good or bad?” Ricky asked, clearly at least as confused by Chunji's answer as Chunji himself was. “It's not really either. Sometimes it's good and then it's so good that it makes everything else seem toned down and unimportant. But then other times it's bad, just filled with anger, that just keeps escalating, getting worse and worse, until I worry we might stop speaking to one another, and it'll be all my fault, because despite how much he annoys me, I do love having him around.” he tried to elaborate, but still the words didn't seem to do justice to his feelings.

At least Ricky could understand what he meant better this time, judging by his sudden nodding. “I see. Charged.” he mumbled, seemingly filing the term away for future reference. “Still, I'm surprised you don't spend every second hating his guts, since he's so close to CAP and all.” Ricky commented.

“You know anyone listening in would think that you wanted me to hate L. Joe.” Chunji commented, sending his friend a questioning look, given the uncharacteristic thread to the conversation. Ricky was always trying to make others happy and keep the peace. It was part of the reason he and Niel got along so well.

“What? No way. I'm just saying, normally you hate everyone that gets within 2 metres of CAP, but now you're kind of sort of friends with L. Joe, despite the fact that he's practically CAP's best friend nowadays. That's all. It's not like you.” Ricky explained himself hurriedly, an anxious look plastered across his face.

“I don't do any such......I guess I do, don't I?” Chunji responded, realising the accuracy of Ricky's statement even as he tried to defend himself against it. “Definitely. You loathe the rest of the team, because they're always exchanging hugs with CAP, not to mention his girlfriend.” Ricky chuckled.

“Oh, they're back on again, huh?” Chunji questioned, a light frown marring his boyish features. Ricky nodded, but stopped himself to look at the other boy, “You didn't know?” he asked. Chunji flushed, shaking his head, quickly from side to side. “No, I hadn't realised.” Chunji murmured, his tone turning soft. Ricky was certain that he could see the beginnings of tears forming in Chunji's eyes, and he hurried to reassure the other boy not wanting to make Chunji cry.

“But I wouldn't worry about it. Minyoung's been secretly flirting with his friend, Minho. They've even gone out a few times, while they're going out. It won't take long, before he breaks up with her again.” Ricky assured the other boy, hopeful that the news might calm the other boy down somewhat.

Unexpectedly, however, his news drew a small smile to Chunji's lips, and the tears were blinked away so quickly he became convinced that he must have imagined them in the first place. Chunji never recovered from one of these upsets so easily: he always had to have a good cry about them.

“I see.” he mumbled, brightening up again, as though his little depression had never occurred. “You know I think you're lying to me.” Chunji continued, eager to change the topic. “About what?” Ricky enquired, having long since learned there was no point trying to work out what Chunji was talking about with a statement he just threw out at random like that.

“I think you really do like L. Joe. I mean, Niel's told me about how you're always hanging out together.” Chunji confided. “As if.” Ricky scoffed. “He's just a cool guy who happens to be my friend, that's all.” he explained.

“Sure he is. That's why you're phone's full of photos of the two of you together.” Chunji countered, edgily. “Okay first off, when did you look at my phone? And second of all, you know the camera loves me. Its not my fault that he's the only one of my friends prepared to be in a lot of photos I can put everywhere.” Ricky responded.

“We've been over that a thousand times already. I don't want to risk the possibility that Minsoo will see a bad picture of me, and hate me.” Chunji countered with a huff. “He won't see.” Ricky argued. “Please you post every photo you take on your Facebook account.” Chunji retorted. Ricky paused for a moment, “But there's no guarantee that he'll see it.” he tried again. “He's one of your friends!” Chunji exclaimed. “So? Half the school is too you know.” Ricky grumbled. “Not helping your case.” Chunji shot back, sounding annoyed.

“If you're such good friends with L. Joe, why didn't you just get him to help you with your work?” Chunji demanded, arms crossed tightly across his chest. “Because I always come to you when I need help. You're the best.” he answered, easily. His plain words seemed to drain some of the strength from Chunji, his body seemingly relaxing at his answer.

“ I take it your plans to dominate the grade aren't working out too well at the moment?” Ricky enquired, knowingly. Chunji laughed, slightly, “How did you guess?” “Just a hunch. Care to elaborate?” Ricky asked kindly.

“L. Joe's trouncing me in the two subjects we take together. I'm doing well in my other two subjects. But Minyoung's doing well in her units too, from what I hear. Long story short, unless I do really well on the final exam, while everyone else, and especially L. Joe do really bad, I don't stand a chance. And with the way things are at the moment, I would rank that actually happening as pretty much impossible.” Chunji groaned.

Ricky tried to comfort the other boy, with a reassuring pat, but Chunji wasn't finished yet. “It was always supposed to be Minyoung that was my main competition, and even though I'm fairly certain I'm going to beat her, now I'm being beaten by someone else instead. And L. Joe of all people!” he exclaimed.

“It just isn't fair! L. Joe didn't even care about his grades until recently. Now he's out to steal first place from me, for no reason whatsoever! He was always falling asleep and ignoring the work and even the assessment tasks until the last exams, then suddenly he decides to undermine everything I've been working towards all year. How is that fair? I thought he was supposed to be my friend.” Chunji complained.

“He is your friend. And he isn't doing it for no reason.” Ricky countered. “He's looking out for your best interests.” Ricky explained. “Oh yes crushing all my hopes and robbing me of first place is really looking out for me, isn't it?” Chunji scoffed, sarcastically.

“Maybe so, but he was worried about you putting in so much work all year in the hopes of winning CAP at the end. He was afraid that if things didn't work out you'd be crushed. If he beat you, then it would mean that you wouldn't have to think about CAP, once and for all.” Ricky explained, compassionately.

“What's that supposed to mean?” Chunji asked, feeling a little sleighted at the implication that he was helpless and needed rescuing from his feelings for CAP. “Well think about it. How many times have you decided you wouldn't like CAP anymore, only for him to decide right at that moment to throw just enough attention and affection your way to keep you trailing along behind him? Face it, you always fall for his tricks.” Ricky explained.

“I suppose I do, don't I?” Chunji agreed, quietly, mulling over what Ricky had said to him. “I didn't realise... You mean he's going through all this effort, for me?” Chunji questioned, looking guilty. Ricky nodded. Chunji's guilt only doubled with his confirmation, “Why would he put himself through all this, for me?” he asked, hesitantly.

“Because he likes you.” Ricky answered with a shrug. Chunji looked alarmed at Ricky's response, “Is that something he's told you as a friend, or something you're reading into it or what?” “Both.” Ricky answered simply, puzzled over Chunji's uncomfortable reaction. He looked like he didn't want to believe what he was hearing. “Now when you say that he likes me, do you mean as a friend, or as in he really likes me?” Chunji asked, his nerves making his tongue move so quickly that Ricky could barely understand what he was saying.

“As far as I know, as a friend.” Ricky stated, realising that he'd been a little vague when describing L. Joe's feelings towards Chunji. But he couldn't help but wonder why Chunji looked so scared by the thought that L. Joe might like him romantically. He'd spent over a year chasing after CAP, why should he feel uncomfortable about boys liking other boys?

“Oh.” Chunji sighed, relieved, his whole body relaxing into the bed, at Ricky's answer. “It makes me feel bad, to know that he's got to do so much to stop me trailing after Minsoo like a lost little puppy. I should be smart enough not to fall for that sort of thing, let alone to do so repeatedly.” Chunji whined.

“Well if it makes you feel any better, you don't seem to be overly hung up about CAP these days. Maybe you're getting over him.” Ricky suggested, pleased by the stunned reaction he got from Chunji. “Really?” he sounded so proud of himself, depsite the fact that he hadn't noticed the change himself.

“I guess I've just been a little preoccupied these days.” Chunji mumbled, but waved the matter aside, “But I shouldn't be talking your ear off about my problems. I'm older; I should be helping you with your own problems.” he stated, shoving the other boy off the bed, “So our break's over. Let's get back to work.”