Kibum knew life wasn't a fairytale and that would never change.

He met Lee Jinki during a school festival in his third year of high school and Jinki was in his last year. They became friends to the point in which they greeted each other with a rushed hello and a smile in the hallways. If they ended up talking for more than a few seconds, they talked about school until they had to part. In the blink of an eye, the school year ended, Kibum's senior year started, and Jinki had left for a university. None of his friends knew Jinki and he wasn't about to go asking around so the feelings that he had been developing for the older boy died in between homework, tests, and college applications.

He graduated knowing what university he was attending, got the information of his dorm arrangement, and he spent a few hundred dollars of his parents money in the things he would need at the dorm. His parents insisted on helping him settle in and his grandma tagged along the first day the dorms opened. All of his belongings were in place a few hours later and they ate together in a restaurant before dropping Kibum off once again. This time he took the elevator alone and walked into his room to find that his roommate had arrived. Choi Minho was just a few months younger than him and the first week between them were awkward until he had walked into the dorm to hear Minho rapping in the shower. Minho had squeaked in surprise when he noticed Kibum sitting in his desk and Kibum hadn’t been able to contain his laughter at the sound. He told the younger male that he was actually pretty good but that he didn’t recognize the song. With embarrassment, Minho told him that it was a rap he was trying to come up with to help one of his friends and Kibum smiled before asking him if he could help.

He met Kim Jonghyun a few weeks after that incident during dinner. Jonghyun was a year older than Minho and him and he was the friend Minho was trying to help. Minho told Jonghyun that his roommate had helped him with the rap and Jonghyun had wanted to meet him. Kibum liked Jonghyun the second he saw the older man. The older man had a friendly aura, a goofy grin, and when he playfully made fun of Minho’s big eyes, Kibum almost declared him his new best friend. Jonghyun started to invade their dorm room on a daily basis until it was late at night since they lived in the same building and suddenly, Jonghyun was spending more time with him than with Minho.

The school year passed by slowly and by the time it was winter break, Kibum was almost sure he liked Jonghyun as more than a friend and he was frustrated about this development. Jonghyun was the first to leave for his home and Kibum hoped that the nervousness he felt every time he saw Jonghyun would disappear during the break. He figured that a month and a half of distance would do well. The train he was taking home was comfortable and warm and halfway there, his phone woke him up when it vibrated with an alert from KakaoTalk. It was a simple “Kibum~” from Jonghyun and they spent a great amount of time texting each other during the day up until the night which came with what had become a mandatory good night call according to Jonghyun. The pattern continued until they had both returned to school grounds. When he had lunch with the older man for the first time after their return to school, the old saying of “absence makes the heart grow fonder” crossed his mind and he could not deny (at least not to himself) that his heart sped up every time Jonghyun was close. Jonghyun would always seek his company and their friendship (and his feelings) got stronger by the day.

Three weeks before finals, he broke down in between the stress of studying, activities, meetings, and the thoughts that were reserved for Jonghyun in his head and told Minho (whom, all jokes aside, had become his best friend by now) about his feelings. The younger male had listened to him until his sobs had died down and gave him one piece of advice; confess to Jonghyun. Kibum immediately refused and that was the last thing they spoke about the subject, but he felt so much better now that someone else knew…

Summer vacation was almost a repetition of the winter break except for the fact that Jonghyun called him more than once a day. They talked about everything and nothing while their texts weren’t much better. Minho visited him for a few days a week before school started again and his texting with Jonghyun decreased drastically for those three days. He tried to show Minho everything and he would laugh every time Jonghyun sent him a “So boring~~” message. He replied a few times with a “Sorry I have to entertain Minho. You should have tagged along”. A grinning face was attached to the last sentence. Minho’s next stop would be Jonghyun’s house so Kibum sent him off with a bunch of souvenirs and a gift he was sending the older man. Jonghyun let him know that Minho arrived tired but safely, sent him a thank you for the gift, and that he would open it at home. He sent Jonghyun messages and didn’t receive a response even after three days which is how long Minho had planned to stay.

Minho told him that they would go from the older man’s house directly to school, that Jonghyun was just busying packing and buying things, yet the fact that their texting stopped there made Kibum uneasy. He was sure that something was wrong and returning to school made him anxious. He was rooming with Minho again (because he had seen the mess Jonghyun called his room) and had been happy to see Minho until the younger male glazed at him with a serious face. There was a single rose in his bed and a note was attached to it. The note was short. It contained Jonghyun’s new room number and “Minho is a tattletale but I might be in love with you too.” He looked at Minho with watery eyes to see a huge grin on his face. He took the note and rose before leaving his room and setting out to find the older man.

Kibum knew life wasn't a fairytale and that would never change.

And that was why he was holding the invitation to Kim Jonghyun and Jang Sooyun’s wedding six years later.