Baekhyun stays behind after another meeting regarding the year-ender activity to discuss his participation in the said event with his coach. It’s usually a showcase focused on the graduating students, mostly led by the members of the performing arts club, before they go. Baekhyun isn’t really a part of any organization. Having made a name for himself in the singing category in his first year, he doesn’t necessarily need to be a member of any org under the club. Furthermore, he’s been an icon of the group. So his participation is one of the most anticipated points of the show.

Sehun has left before him; said he's going to grab something from the cafeteria, so Baekhyun is left back at the music room with some of the participants.

Baekhyun is on with his dare with Sehun but it doesn't seem like he's going to put a lot of effort to it at the meantime. Chanyeol seems busy with his band members about something serious they've been discussing for over 30 minutes now that he hasn’t noticed Baekhyun standing by the door yet. He isn’t really watching them the whole time, he tells himself, but he could just tell it's really important. Especially when Chanyeol's eyebrows meet at the center, his lips parted the whole time with worry as if to say "what are we going to do now?" But Baekhyun tears his eyes away when he receives a message from Luhan.

Baekhyun doubles over in shock, creating a noise in the softly buzzing room, and he catches Chanyeol's eyes at him for a brief moment. Not intending to get his attention, he hastily turns for the door, praying the giant wouldn't chase after him because he's just not going to lose the dare with Sehun this fast, and... well, there's Luhan to think about.




 

Rushing lightly, Baekhyun finds Sehun leaning on the wall near the entrance of the infirmary, quite amused at how he coincidentally meets Sehun in the same place he's headed to at such a convenient time.

"Sehun!" He calls, a laugh ringing in the corridor before he enters the clinic doors clutching his stomach as he does. Both of them walk inside at the same time, a grin spreading wide on Baekhyun’s face.

"Shh." The guy at the desk silences them.

"Oh hey..." Baekhyun knits his eyebrows together at the sight of the current assistant manning the desk. "...Junmyun. You work here too?"

Junmyun points to his nameplate that says “Assistant (School Infirmary)".

"I thought you're stationed at the library." Baekhyun wonders.

"I work here on Thursdays during my breaks." Junmyun proudly announces while he adjusts his lab coat, looking all professional and trained despite being just a clerk in the clinic.

"O-kay." Baekhyun finds it weird how Junmyun seems to take the words ‘student assistant’ quite literally; must be a very hard-working guy. He turns back to Sehun.

"Sehun." Almost as if Baekhyun remembers why he's there, he laughs again. "You don't know what I just found out."

The other doesn't move an inch and continues to look at Baekhyun with his arms crossed over his chest, waiting.

"This is so funny. Really. You definitely don't know this yet." Baekhyun couldn't stop snickering he has to support himself by putting his palm against the wall.

"I bet you still don't know this. Luhan... ha ha Luhan..."

Sehun raises his eyebrows.

"Luhan joined the basketball team?" Sehun fills in for him with a patient confirming nod.

"Yes! Ha ha ha ha ha Luhan joined the-" Baekhyun stops halfway through laughing and pulls a straight face. "How did you know?"

"Did just now." Sehun points his thumb to the wall behind him that keeps the visitors away from the patients.

"He texted you too." Baekhyun frowns, realizing he's the one to receive the news late. "What exactly happened?"

"Ask him." The youngest rolls his eyes as he moves to the other side of the wall and they both enter the ward Luhan is currently admitted.

"Aw, aw, aw-" Luhan wants to hit his nurse for pressing too hard on his sore muscle because his ankle really hurts like hell.

"It's just a really minor sprain. It'll heal in 2 to 3 days. You can actually walk with it already." The nurse advises patiently.

"Excuse you, this is a major injury. If I don't get to wear my favorite shoe I will report you to the admin for your wrong findings. I swear to my USA styled Jeremy Scott Wings." Luhan threatens the school nurse irritably.

"Guys, I'm hurt." Turning to his friends, the injured one says sadly when he notices their presence, the tone of his voice making a 360 degree turn.

The nurse only excuses herself, shrugging. Sehun rolls his eyes while Baekhyun stares at Luhan as if he grew a second head.

"Don't I get get well hugs or anything of the sort?"

"Did you really join the basketball team?"

Baekhyun is still staring at Luhan.

"Well, yes I did." Luhan places his injured foot on the bed.

Baekhyun stares at him more in disbelief.

"Since when did you like sports?"

"Since Kris Wu became captain of the team of course." Luhan answers nonchalantly.

"Is this why you've been missing since yesterday?" Sehun finally speaks. The ridiculousness of the situation lingering in his voice.

"Yeah." Luhan lets himself plop onto his bed, finally feeling the exhaustion. "I went for the tryouts."

"And you passed?" Baekhyun urges, taking a seat at the foot of his bed. Contradicting Sehun’s expression, he seems to be curious and excited about it. Not because he’s interested in the sport as well, but because he couldn’t fathom how Luhan allowed himself to join such a violent form of game. He knows he would never do that. Not until now, at least.

"Of course not. In the end, I had to talk the coach into taking me. I might have mentioned a few influential people in the process."

"Wow Luhan you sure have some serious business here."

"For me, everything is a competition. If I don't win, I don't deserve being born as Lu Han."

Baekhyun admires his friend's determination, silently laughing at the back of his head.

"So what are you gonna do now?" Sehun interjects.

"Now? Why?"

"Clearly the training doesn't stop here. You will have to attend again tomorrow. Can you handle that?"

Luhan sits up, looking as challenged as ever.

"You don't underestimate me, Sehun. I'm just starting." Luhan smirks at him before it turns into his famous boyish smile. This is probably what everyone likes about him. Luhan is overly passionate and doesn't just back out. His obsession over himself is too far above the ground.

And then he crosses his legs and stretches his limbs on the bed. His ankle looking perfectly fine. "But for now, please tell Jongdae I need my beauty sleep. I have to miss the student council meeting. Goodnight guys! I feel so tired. Ugh!"



Baekhyun and Sehun exit the infirmary together after saying bye to Junmyun. They know Luhan won't get up even if Jongdae storms into his ward now, so either one of them has to end up informing him that Luhan will be absent in the regular meeting.

"Why do I feel like I have to take this dare as seriously as Luhan?" Baekhyun simply says out of the blue.

"Maybe his competitiveness has rubbed off on you." Sehun pockets his hands as they walk on the stoned path to the next building.



"Please be my boyfriend, Kim Jongin."

Both Sehun and Baekhyun whip their heads to the side to see the scene ahead of them. The girl has her head bowed down and her arms stretched towards the campus playboy, holding what seems to be a confession gift.

Jongin smiles up at her kindly.

"Okay."

The girl blushes as Jongin accepts her gift, as well as her heart, for a certain period, however Jongin does it.

Sehun looks away.

"I wonder if I would ever have a problem with this dare if I were the campus playboy."

Baekhyun voices out his thoughts next to Sehun, still thinking of the dare. Then he shakes his head, obviously not approving of the idea. But Sehun doesn't really hear him. It's unfair how everyone gets treated by Kim Jongin like his special flower while he doesn't even spare a single glance at him.

But Sehun just shrugs. He pushes his thoughts away.



"Hey Baekhyun."

Sehun speaks up just before they part to go to their respective cars. He glances at his driver to tell him he'll be getting in in a moment.

"Hmm?"

"I've made my pick too."

Baekhyun creases his forehead for a second before understanding dawns on him.

"You found someone?" Baekhyun asks in astonishment. Clearly, he's the only one who doesn't have his head in the game among his friends yet.

"I have." Sehun answers truthfully. He's always have him in his mind, but he doesn't really think he'd have the courage to make it happen.

"Who's he?" Baekhyun asks out of curiosity. Apparently Sehun has never shown any spark of interest in anyone, nothing Baekhyun has heard of. So gathering this information makes him really interested.

"I guess you'll find out in time. Wouldn't it be a lot more challenging if you do not know who you're up against?" The smile Sehun gives doesn't reach his eyes but Baekhyun doesn't notice. He's too preoccupied with his own thoughts, how he can't seem to have seen this coming too soon.

"This is serious, huh?" Baekhyun laughs a little after a few short minutes. His friends are too into this dare that no one seems to be willing to back down.

"I guess." Sehun looks past Baekhyun, his mind wandering to somewhere he isn't aware of. "I guess you can say that."






 

Morning comes too fast the next morning. Thoughts come pouring out the moment Baekhyun opens his eyes. He's been thinking about the dare endlessly over night. And there's nothing. He can think of no one. It frustrates him that his friends are already on the move while he's expertly lagging behind. He will not be the loser this time. That, he has promised.

His resolve crumbles down as they drive past the school gates, deeper into the campus. Earlier in the morning, as he took his filling breakfast, Baekhyun was as determined as ever. But as he looks out his car window presently, driving past faces and faces of students, he can feel his determination deteriorating. There's no way he's doing it with just any of them.

He is Byun Baekhyun.

And they are... who are they even?

"This dare is stupid." He rolls his eyes in annoyance.





"This is stupid." Sehun says as he looks at Baekhyun for support. The other guy just looks as lost as him while Luhan drags them both to the gym.

"What? You two are gonna act like just because you're gonna miss your classes?" It's only been a few minutes since Luhan appeared in front of their classrooms with an excuse slip for the both of them. As vice president of the school, he has such privileges to pull such an uncalled meeting. What's more annoying the two found is that in the slips, he reasoned he needed them to talk about their behavior problems.

"Never mind missing classes. But why are you pulling us out of our classes and saying you need to talk to us about discipline when you are actually dragging us to the gym to watch Kris Wu's game?" Baekhyun tries to pull his arm away from Luhan but the other grips it tighter and walks faster; his ankle seems healed enough.

"I need you to be there for me." Luhan stops midway, resulting to Sehun bumping on his back. "I, Lu Han, is going in there with my two best friends who will be my support and my witnesses as I, again, Lu Han, sweeps Kris off his feet."

Groans follow his not so heartwarming little speech.

"Remind me again why we’re friends?" Baekhyun dramatically puts the back of his hand on his forehead as if he's going to faint at the idea of him being friends with a person like Luhan.

"Well, it started when you came in to see us in our glory and-"

"Stop." A hand appears inches away from Luhan's face. "I don't need to be reminded of the details and the image of Mr. Small."

Baekhyun's gaze falls down to Luhan's pants with a roll of the eyes. Feeling insulted, Luhan opens his mouth to give a wittier comeback but Sehun steps in between them.

"Never mind Mr. Small." Sehun dismisses the idea to stop them from bickering but not before Baekhyun gives a small grateful nod as if to say 'thank you for acknowledging my fine judgement'. "But Luhan, I still don't know why you're dragging us out to the game. It's not like you need our help in..."

He trails off, words left hanging in the air. Luhan never asks them for help. If anything, Luhan always taunts them about losing. With a teasing smile, Sehun rephrases his sentence. "Or you do need our help?"

A shade of red immediately spreads on Luhan's cheeks. "It's not help. I told you, I needed support."

"Wait, so Luhan, that sassy vice president of our school is needing these popular and good looking, might I add, students' help for a boy business." Baekhyun whistles condescendingly. He gets a glare in return.

"I said it's not exactly help I'm needing." The vice president says hotly. "I just want you guys to be there."

"What's damaging your confidence, hmm?" The youngest quirks a brow at him. It's rare to see Luhan chickening out at something. As rare as a rooster laying eggs, at least that's what Sehun has in mind.

Luhan scoffs. "Please. I just wanted you guys to learn from me. Now if you're both going to be ungrateful then it doesn't matter. Whatever. Miss my awesome, I'm going there alone."

The oldest walks away, brushing past his friends nonchalantly.

"And to think you guys might take interest in other players. I was just helping, geez." He continues to murmur but Baekhyun catches this.

A gasp escapes his lips at a realization. He's right; he could meet someone in there. Even though players don't really impress him that much since they sweat a lot, he remembers how their varsity team is composed of eye-candies.

"Gosh, Luhan. We were just kidding." Baekhyun runs after him after he takes Sehun's hand with him. "We're with you. We may be opponents in this deal, but I support you. Fighting!"

"Oh, this guy is desperate." Luhan wrinkles his nose at him but he slows his steps for them to catch up with him anyway. At least now he feels better with them behind him. Because, just a day ago, he realized one thing.

Kris Wu is intimidating as .