Kyungsoo hated Kim Jongdae the moment they met in kindergarten. Up until that day Kyungsoo had been the star pupil, the one Teacher always smiled at and used as an example for the rest of the class. While Chanyeol was eating paste (and commenting that Elmer’s was the best because it tasted like sunshine - no, Kyungsoo didn’t get it either) and Baekhyun was asking the teacher how she got her eyes to look so big and pretty, Kyungsoo was carefully coloring inside the lines. His skies were blue, his grass was green, his umma and appa looked like the stick people they should look like and he always got the gold star of the day - the ultimate sign of approval. He kept a collection of the sticker-bedazzled papers on the refrigerator at home, his mother removing the oldest as she replaced it with the newest treasure he brought home.

Kyungsoo always got the gold star - until a new boy named Kim Jongdae moved to town. It didn’t make any sense to Kyungsoo - Jongdae’s pictures weren’t perfect. Sometimes they were smudged, splashes of color crossing over the preprinted black lines. His skies weren’t even blue! Instead they were a mishmash of blue and purple and pink and yellow, something the other boy called a sunset. His umma was a fairytale princess and his appa was the frog. To Kyungsoo it was ridiculous! But Teacher always smiled and called Jongdae a new word - creative. Kyungsoo figured it had to be a bad word but for some reason the new boy got the gold star and Kyungsoo went home that day empty-handed. The thing that made it even worse was that Jongdae never bragged or boasted. It would be easy to turn others against him if he did that. No, he just smiled that stupid smile that reminded Kyungsoo of a cat and he hated it - just like he hated Kim Jongdae.

It went like that for several years, through elementary and junior high and into high school. True, there weren’t actual gold stars given out anymore but the equivalent was found in the class rankings, where Kyungsoo found his name second almost as many time as it was first. He led the standings in math and science but that hated smile got the best of him in literature and history. His friends didn’t understand why he had such a dislike for Kim Jongdae. “He’s really a nice guy,” Baekhyun would say at lunch, his now perfectly kohl-lined eyes a tribute to how much he paid attention to that kindergarten teacher so long ago. Kyungsoo would just shrug and go back to picking at his salad. He wasn’t jealous, really.

Really.

Fortunately he and Jongdae didn’t share many classes together. The only one was music and it made Kyungsoo feel like he was back in kindergarten - except for the Chanyeol and paste part. Like in every other class he was praised for his diligence and focus on perfection. His pitch was perfect and his notes were clear and true, every note placed perfectly where it was supposed to go. Staccato was staccato, andante was andante. When he sat back down he smiled to himself in satisfaction, pleased with the approval he got from teacher and classmates alike.

Then it was Kim Jongdae’s turn. Kyungsoo crossed his arms in front of himself, schooling his face into a look of impassivity. The chair scraped against the floor as Jongdae stood, uniform slightly rumpled, tie askew. If he felt the weight of Kyungsoo’s stare he said nothing. Instead, he took a deep breath, eyes closing as he opened his mouth and began to sing.

Jongdae’s voice wasn’t perfect - sometimes he was slightly pitchy and occasionally he held a note a second too long or too short. However, the same song Kyungsoo sang was very different coming from Jongdae’s lips. It was like the vocal equivalent of those chaotic pictures from years before - his voice was like those multi-colored sunsets, richness of tone and timbre replacing the vivid hues. Kyungsoo found himself closing his eyes as well, the notes washing over him, wave after wave. He could feel the almost tangible emotions in the song, something he had never quite been able to reach himself. No, it wasn’t perfect but, then again, Jongdae wasn’t trying to be perfect - and it was the first time Kyungsoo realized that.

It was beautiful.

It was a Gold Star.

Kyungsoo opened his eyes as the song tapered to an end, just in time to meet Jongdae’s. The other boy smiled but this smile didn’t seem stupid at all. This time it was happy and gentle and his eyes crinkled at the corners. Kyungsoo found himself smiling back.