“Hello, my name is Lee Jihoon, seventeen years old, second year student at Kyonggi High School. I will be auditioning with my schoolmate, Kwan Choyoung, fourteen years old,”

“We will be auditioning for Beauty and Beast respectively. The song we will be performing today will be Kiss Me or Not. Please look forward to our audition,”

Jihoon and Choyoung bowed ninety degrees, before he went to the back to grab his guitar he put in the back earlier. When he came back from behind the heavy velvet curtains, he resumed his position next to his junior, giving a small smile. Leaning over, he let go of the fretboard and watched as she replaced his hand with hers. She was in changing between chords while he played. Exchanging glances, Jihoon began strumming the guitar and she began to sing, “We were sittin' up there on your momma's roof, talkin' 'bout everything under the moon with the smell of honeysuckle and my perfume. All I could think about was my next move,”

“Oh, but you were so shy, so was I,” Unconsciously, Choyoung recalled the first time she had ever talked to Soonyoung at her locker, the day after their little accident. Him telling her he was guilty. That’s what started their friendship, after all. Keeping up with the changing of chords so Jihoon wouldn’t mess up, the corners of tugged into a grin, thinking about how goofy Soonyoung was, “Maybe that's why it was so hard to believe when you smiled and said to me,”

“Are you gonna kiss me or not?” Jihoon chimed in with her, “Are we gonna do this or what?”

His eye smile appeared on his face as he looked down at the pink cheeked Choyoung. Originally, Soonyoung and Choyoung originally planned that they would audition together with the song Jihoon would choose for them. Unfortunately, Jihoon had to step in and take Soonyoung’s place after his injury. Looking back up, Jihoon couldn’t bring himself to wipe the still-growing smile off his face; he knew something she didn’t and it was only a matter of time until she figured it out for herself, “I think you know I like you a lot, but you're 'bout to miss your shot. Are you gonna kiss me or not?"

“It was the best dang kiss that I ever had, except for that long one after that,” Jihoon remembered Soonyoung fanboying to him a few months ago about a practice kiss he shared with Choyoung. His face fell slightly as he recollected another memory of when he caught Seunggwan and Choyoung practicing for their theatre scene from behind the bushes. He knew Soonyoung well enough to know that Soonyoung was jealous after that, but of course he would never admit it out loud, “And I knew if I wanted this thing to last, sooner or later I'd have to ask for your hand. So I took a chance, bought a wedding band and I got down on one knee, and you smiled and said to me,”

Slowly, Jihoon stopped strumming and Choyoung tilted her head upwards to meet his eyes. Their eyes were both warm, and inviting; the unspoken bond was obviously there. At this point, the judges were whispering amongst themselves and writing down their evaluations on those worn-out clipboards. Choyoung let her hand drop to her side when he leaned in to press his forehead to hers as their voices started to trail off, “Are you gonna kiss me or not?”

“I wonder if they’re done with auditions yet,” Soonyoung wondered aloud in his empty hospital room. He was going to be discharged on Wednesday but he was instructed to stay home for the next week or two. Choyoung’s parents were returning from Japan in four days. The fact that Jihoon was auditioning with Choyoung, the audition he had spent that entire Saturday preparing for, made him a bit irritated. Sure, he trusted Jihoon, but he just couldn’t help but feel terrible inside knowing that he had let Choyoung’s hopes up only to not audition with her in the end. He threw his head back onto his pillow and turned his head; what was taking them so long?

Reaching over his bed, Soonyoung snatched his phone from the lamp table, opening up his messaging app. He was ridiculously bored and needed someone to talk to. He decided to leave a message in Jihoon’s inbox so when they were done with their auditions they would know he was available to talk. It hit him in the head that he needed Chyoung’s number too in case of emergencies. It was just up to her whether or not she would give it to him. Soonyoung bit his lip as he typed, “How did the audition go?”

After turning his phone off, within minutes his ringtone flooded into the room. It was Jihoon. Eagerly, he answered the call, “Hello?”

“Ayo man, I was just about to call you! What’s up?” Jihoon’s voice came over the speaker, “How’s the leg looking?”

“Beautifully violet, thanks for asking. How about Choyoung?”

“Ew. Still gross. And, your girlfriend’s fine,” this was followed by a slight yelp on the other end from Choyoung hitting his friend. Jihoon held the phone away from her outstretched hand, using his free hand to push her down by the head, “She can’t wait to see you, actually,”

“Shut up, Jihoon! Give me the phone!”

“She says she loves you,” he lied. Soonyoung laughed, knowing what she actually said but started protesting as well when he heard Jihoon say, “He says he loves you too,”

“Hey, don’t go putting words in my mouth!” he yelled, “C’mon man, my blood pressure!”

The speaker was silent for a while before he heard Jihoon’s voice again, a bit more distant now, “What? You’re cold? Here, take my jacket,”

His…jacket? Soonyoung’s eyes doubled in size, knowing what was going on. It was like one of those Korean dramas his mom religiously watched. He heard Choyoung thank him from the other end and immediately, he heart the beeping of the heart rate monitor speed up again. Cursing at the monitor under his breath, he spoke once more, “Hey Choyoung! How about next time, you bring your own jacket?”

“And that’s why you’re still single!” she countered followed with an explosion of laughter from the two of his friends. If they sounded great laughing together, Soonyoung could only imagine how amazing they were at auditions. Probably much better than he would have done, that he’s sure of.

Rolling his eyes, Soonyoung lied and told them that he had to go because the doctor was there to give him his painkillers. Sad, they exchanged goodbyes and he hung up, irritated once more. Sliding further down in his blankets, he pulled it above his head. It wasn’t fair. Both his friends were having fun without him, and if he wasn’t mistaken, they sounded like they were on a date together. And not just any date, a pretty good one too. Not just acquaintances for play auditions. It bothered him and he didn’t like the feeling of being bothered. Thank God his parents were the ones picking them up otherwise who knew what his player of a best friend would do?

Hours later, there were whispers coming from the outside his door. If Soonyoung wasn’t mistaken, visiting hours were finished about an hour or two ago. At least, that’s what he knew. Maybe he knew wrong. Looking up from the Sports Illustrated magazine he was reading, Soonyoung raised his eyebrows, wondering who was on the other side.

“Can I please change into some normal clothes?” he heard a faint girl’s voice, “I don’t feel comfortable wearing this!”

“C’mon, just really quick! You can’t get all dressed up without showing him!”

“Fine, but are you coming in with me?”

“Nope! Incoming!” The door suddenly burst open and Choyoung stumbled inside with a shocked expression plastered on her face. Swiftly closing, she grumbled under her breath calling Jihoon a brute before nervously laughing when she saw Soonyoung awkwardly smiling. She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and held her arms out to the side, “Well, what do you think?”

“It looks good on you,” Soonyoung found himself struggling to say. It was weird to be saying that to her, especially since she looked different from what he was used to. She definitely looked more mature, but it didn’t strike him as much as he thought it would. Something about her expression and body posture didn’t seem like she was comfortable in it. Choyoung presented it well, but it lacked something. Whatever it was remained a mystery to Soonyoung. Choyoung forced a smile onto her face, “Glad to hear that. I’ll be changing now, if you don’t mind. Jihoon, come in here!”

“Soonyoung, can I come in?”

Choyoung stood outside Soonyoung’s bedroom struggling to keep the large pile of textbooks she was carrying in her arms from sliding. She blew her fringe up, annoyed that the sweat was making them stick to her face. Her school uniform was definitely not suited from inside his house; it was way too hot. It had been about a week since Soonyoung was discharged from the hospital and now he pretty much lived in his room like the Hunchback of Notre Dame with his Cathedral.

Once Soonyoung gave the okay, she cautiously turned the handle and poked her head into his room. He was propped up against the wall on his bed, his outstretched legs supporting a comic book on his lap. Soonyoung looked up and started to get up from his bed with a concerned tone in his voice, “Is that too heavy?”

“No, it’s fine! I got it,” Choyoung turned her back away from him so that she was looking at him over her shoulder, “You won’t get them until you’re sitting down,”

“But-!”

“Sit,” she sternly said, eyes narrowing to thin lines.

Soonyoung followed her orders, immediately setting his bottom back onto his bed and opened his arms wide like a toddler asking for a hug, “Can I have my books now?”

Carefully, she placed the books on his lap, making sure that he wasn’t going to flip tables or anything if too much pressure was applied on his leg. He supported the last textbook on his arms and set them down on his bed, watching as they toppled onto his sheets rather thankful they didn’t get his leg. Choyoung sat down on his desk chair the other way around, setting her head on the back seat, “You must be feeling better after a week,”

“Are you asking me a question or are you telling me?” Soonyoung brushed his bangs away from his face before rubbing the spot just below his jaw. The two of them had just gotten their braces tightened again, and like last time, they chose each other’s colors. The two decided to sport the same colors: neon purple and lime green. She smiled uncomfortably, “I’m telling you,”

“Don’t think I’m cheesy or anything,” Choyoung’s smile faded away as she transitioned into a more serious tone, “But I don’t like not living with you,”

Soonyoung’s heart skipped a beat. Did she just say what he thought she did? Did she really just admit that she didn’t like living in her own house again? Her parents had come back a few days ago, and she moved back into her own home. Of course, they brought back souvenirs from Japan and the new game they had just released but Choyoung just wasn’t satisfied. The mornings were now bland and boring, and at night, her bedroom was cold. Soonyoung grinned like an idiot, “So you’re saying that you miss sleeping with me?”

“That’s not what I said,” she rolled her eyes. In the bottom of her heart, she knew she was just lying to herself. Soonyoung, though he was pretty skinny for her taste, was really soft and cuddly. Very much like her teddy bear, Kipsy, which she used to sleep with when she was younger. Kipsy helped her go to sleep when she had nightmares, and Soonyoung seemed to play that role perfectly. She puffed her cheeks out, “I said I miss living with you. It’s hard for me to fall asleep nowadays without you there. There’s a difference,”

Soonyoung chuckled and leaned over to poke her right cheek, making her pull her head back and wrinkle her nose at him. He patted the spot on the bed next to him, where Choyoung dragged herself over. When she leaned her head against his shoulder, he brought his head down pressing his forehead onto hers, “Hey, cheer up. I miss you too,”

Ugh, the feels. Choyoung felt her face burning. If she were the one with that heart rate monitor, she probably would have sent it into overload mode. What was up with him and his cute actions? It made her head spin like crazy! She could barely make out Soonyoung’s calm and steady heartbeat; how the heck did he stay calm in a position like this? Turning her head, she didn’t say anything back. Soonyoung snickered at her embarrassed reaction, “Your feelings are showing, Choyoung,”

“What feelings? I don’t have feelings!” she snapped, but not as strongly as she normally would. This time, it was choppy and flustered which made Soonyoung more amused, “Who said anything about liking you? I like someone else!”

“Who, Chan?” Soonyoung rolled his eyes with a sly smirk playing on his lips, “I doubt he even makes your heart race like I do yours,”

author’s note: hey guys! I can’t believe it’s almost the end of the school year for me. in three days, I get off from school and I won’t be going back until I come back as a sophomore! I’m so excited~ also, in regards to jihoon and choyoung's audition song, i just wanted to say that they obviously didn't speak english all that amazing and they didn't have the country-esque accent either. and no, the cover artists' voices don't have to be jihoon and choyoung's if you don't want them too because that's not the point i'm trying to get across.

anyways, expect to see more frequent updates from me soon especially since summer is just around the corner! but for now, i hope you enjoyed this chapter and have a great rest of the day! ( or night. or maybe even afternoon. it depends on where you are. )