Tuesday - Two weeks after

Sungmin had once again arrived way too early in class, so he sat by the window and kept watching over the students arriving. He was already bored when he saw something that actually sparkled his curiosity, Kyuhyun had arrived together with Jongwoon and Youngwoon, but the couple had been holding each other’s hand. They had been talking about something but then Youngwoon pulled Jongwoon into a headlock and thus pulled the older boy away from Kyuhyun and Sungmin saw that they had actually been holding each other’s pinky finger.

From his desk Sungmin kept watching the interaction, feeling like he was inside a mirror, watching something that once belonged to him and that he could no longer touch, could no longer interact with.

“Minnie!” Sungmin stiffened once he felt a female chest being pressed against his back, and his nickname being shrieked on his ear. “Sunbae, what are you doing?” the younger complained as he turned his head to look as best as he could at Seoyeon. The girl looked at him for a moment before she lowered her head on his shoulder and just held him for a moment. “Now I know what’s going on, Sungmin. I know why you broke up.” She told him with a small voice, Sungmin felt himself growing cold.

As he said nothing to her comment, Seoyeon continued talking. “Come to practice today, Min. It felt so strange last week with you not there.” Sungmin felt his heart ache, the previous week he had sat outside the pool, staring at his record book and telling himself that he should finally stop, should finally give up everything that connected him to Youngwoon. “Why would I go there, Sunbae? There is no point, if I go, I’ll just creep him up. I am not supposed to be beside him anymore.”

Seoyeon felt like kicking both Sungmin and Youngwoon, but instead she let go of the younger and crouched down next to his desk, with a soft touch she held his chin and tried to make him look at her, he didn’t fight her. “You can go there exactly because he can’t remember. Now he only thinks of you as Kyuhyun’s best friend, but he also thinks that I have a crush on you. We can use that. You know that as swimming partners Youngwoon and I write down each other’s times, I can simply tell him that I begged you to help me double check his time, because between us he is the school pride, his time is the most important to be checked. I will give you another notebook, just in case he decides to get close and see your ‘job’, you know how diligent he is with his swimming, then you can update your own record book. I know you don’t want to give this up, I know you want to feel connected even if he doesn’t know. Stay beside him, Sungmin, it’s his last year, then you can truly give your best into giving him up, but for now, just keep watching over him.”

That heartfelt speech had gotten Sungmin by surprise, he didn’t know why Seoyeon would do such a thing. Why would she plan that? She should help him let go, not hold on even more. “Why are you telling me that? Don’t you think that, by going there, by keeping the record, I would just be hurting myself even more?”

Seoyeon shook her head. “You are hurting yourself anyways.” She countered. “Watching him from afar like this, greeting him on the corridors as if nothing had happened. You are hurting anyways. He can’t keep memories of you, Sungmin, but you can keep memories of him, you let go of him because you didn’t want your feeling to keep hurting him. You decided to be hurt alone, so why not watch over him to show yourself that you did the right thing?”

Sungmin looked at her for a while, but before he could reply she put her backpack on the floor and picked up from it a blue notebook. “I’ll wait for you.” She put it on Sungmin’s desk, stood up and left with a smile and a wave. Sungmin watched her go speechless.

Moments later Youngwoon appeared by the door but he didn’t look inside, he just waved at Kyuhyun pulling Jongwoon along and they disappeared from sight. What Sungmin didn’t know was that Youngwoon had wished to look inside, had wished to see if Sungmin had been there or not, but he didn’t, because he was afraid to see him there and once again feel like there was something wrong. Kyuhyun waved at them happily but then he was clearly startled at seeing Sungmin looking at him from his desk. Kyuhyun’s smile disappeared and the younger frowned worriedly. “Hyung, why are you so early again?”

Sungmin shrugged picking up Seoyeon’s notebook and putting it into his own backpack. “I just woke up early.” Sungmin lied, in truth he couldn’t really sleep the past night, every time he closed his eyes he would see Youngwoon looking at him with those unrecognizing eyes. Yet, before Kyuhyun could walk his way inside his head, Sungmin put out a smile. “Kyu, how exactly you got together with Jongwoon hyung? I wanted to play cupid for the both of you but you beat me to it.” he tried to change the topic.

Hearing that, Kyuhyun couldn’t help but smile softly and then chuckle. “If it’s any consolation, we got together because of you.” Kyuhyun admitted blushing slightly.

Sungmin’s eyes lit up with amusement and curiosity as he heard that. “How did I do that?” he asked as he watched Kyuhyun take his seat. The younger boy looked at Sungmin with a slightly sadder smile. “You know, hyung… when we first got to know each other I didn’t really like you... because of my crush on Youngwoon hyung… I could tell you were in love with him.” Kyuhyun mumbled and Sungmin’s smile disappeared, the older boy recalled how he also didn’t like Kyuhyun because Youngwoon could remember him, even if Kyuhyun had spent 3 years in England. “Kyuhyun… I…” Sungmin mumbled back but Kyuhyun shook his head.

“I already knew my crush was hopeless… it just didn’t sit well with me seeing someone else get his heart right under my nose.” The younger added without looking at Sungmin. “You know how you were always there making sure hyung was fine and happy? As I kept watching you, I slowly noticed that Jongwoon hyung was doing exactly the same for me, he was always there when I was sad or when I had problems, he was always the first to offer me his shoulder, to reach a hand, to do stupid things just to make me laugh.” Kyuhyun looked at nothing in particular as his smile became somewhat nostalgic, as if he was reliving in his head all those precious moments in which he was slowly falling in love.

“When I noticed I was only looking at him and no longer at you and Youngwoon hyung, I found myself wholehearted wishing you two to be together.” After saying that Kyuhyun looked back at Sungmin with a smile. “At first I only wanted to get together with Jongwoon hyung after I managed to get you two together, but well, I just couldn’t say no when he officially confessed his feelings for me.”

“And how exactly did he do that?” Sungmin asked with a raised eyebrow. Kyuhyun grinned like an idiot in love. “He actually used a math pick up line. I was studying at the library when he appeared out of no where, he crouched beside the table I was using, looked at me with determination and said ‘Simplify this.’ while putting a piece of paper over my notebook.” Kyuhyun pulled out a pen and his notebook, quickly he scribed down the same equation Jongwoon had given him. |1/3>((-1^1/5)/27U)^1/2| he crouched down next to Sungmin’s desk, the older boy just kept on watching as Kyuhyun quickly solved the problem getting to the result of |1<3U|

Sungmin coed at the cuteness of that. “He must have spent a while on the internet searching for that.” Sungmin mused while Kyuhyun crossed his arms over the desk and looked at Sungmin like that. “That was so sweet of him that I couldn’t help myself, I wrote him another equation back and told him to simplify.” Kyuhyun wrote under the first equation another one.

|9x-7i > 3 (3x -7U)|

Sungmin looked at the variable letters and the amount of threes, it only took a second for him to predict that the answer was practically the same as the first one. “when he was almost done, I shot a pick up line back at him. ‘If I move my lips half the distance to yours... and then half again... and again... etc.... would they ever meet?’” Kyuhyun laughed. “It took him a minute to understand what I said.”

Sungmin laughed along. “You kissed at the library?” he asked and Kyuhyun blushed still smiling. “Well he told me to test the theory, but nobody saw us.” Kyuhyun retorted. “I am glad I met you, hyung. Because you showed me how to actually love someone.” Sungmin blushed at the younger’s statement. He was about to retort to that when Donghae sat on Kyuhyun’s desk. “Sorry to bother the lovebirds.” He called out cheerily, earning himself two glares.

“Off my desk, Donghae.” Kyuhyun spoke annoyed almost in a growl. Donghae raised his hands as if in defeat but he didn’t move. “I am not here to pick up a fight, sorry for the joke.” he tried to defend himself with an apologetic tone. “I just want to talk with the rep of the second year students.” he added fixing his stare on Sungmin.

“What do you want with me?” Sungmin questioned, trying to set aside all the mixed feelings he had about Donghae. Sungmin was part of the student council and he couldn’t just ignore whoever came to him asking for his service.

“Just some clarifications. What do I have to do to request to use the auditorium for a stage practice for the festival?” Donghae asked seriously and the question had made Sungmin have ideas.

“You need to present an official requirement to the student council, who will vote its validity and if approved by the board, the student council would send an official request to the administration.” Sungmin answered professionally and he couldn’t help but think that the hopeless face Donghae showed him was just too cute. “Don’t bother with how you’ll make the request. Let me deal with it. Since I am partaking in the festival as well, I agree that stage practice would be very important. I’ll talk with Jungsoo hyung and present a proposal to benefit all students doing musical or dancing presentations for the festival.”

Those words had seemed to make Donghae happy. “Great! Thanks, Sungmin-ssi, next year we’ll demand you as president of the student council!” he cheered, standing up and allowing Kyuhyun to take back his seat. Sungmin though made a face. “Please, no! I accepted to representing the second year students because I would not have to stay after class everyday to deal with school matters. I am glad enough that I am only needed twice every month.” Sungmin retorted in half mock despair. “I accept the job of third year rep though.”

Donghae laughed nodding. “That works, I guess.” He said before going back to his own desk. Afterwards Kyuhyun looked at Sungmin interested. “What’s the plan?” he asked already expecting Sungmin to be writing the proposal in full detail in his head. Sungmin chuckled. “You’ll know during the break.” The older boy teased.

The two of them had all the intention to go back talking about the Yekyu tales, but their teacher arrived in class, and they had to focus on learning stuff they were sure they would never ever need in their life.

At lunch break Sungmin told Kyuhyun that he wanted to talk with Jungsoo and thus the two friends headed to the canteen where they sat at their usual table. Kyuhyun texted Jongwoon about their little change in plans and thus they were all sitting at their usual table again, just with two adds to the old crew.

For a moment the table became a brainstorm working group as all of them had liked Sungmin’s idea to help the ones partaking in the school festival, that was until Sungmin promised to write the request to present for the board and then called the two singers to practice for the rest of the break.

Youngwoon stared after his friends and wondered again how they could have been so comfortable like that, the way they had just interacted was that of a close group of friends, but he knew he was not close to Sungmin and Jungsoo, so why he felt so weird? For the rest of the break the conversation fell on them agreeing to study after class the next friday.

Later that day Youngwoon walked to the poll with Seoyeon discussing about which routine they would follow that day, to his surprise though Sungmin was by the door holding a blue notebook. “Noona!” Sungmin called happily once he saw them approaching, waving with the notebook.

Seoyeon smiled happily and without missing a beat rushed to Sungmin to give him an encouraging hug. “Sungmin-ssi.” Youngwoon greeted confused. The younger boy bowed his head in greeting, still wearing a small smile. “What are you doing here?” Youngwoon asked then, looking from boy to girl with a growing sense of loss, something felt heavy inside of him and it was pissing him off the fact that he didn’t know why.

“Noona said you are approaching a delicate moment on training, so she asked me to help her double check your times, she even got me this notebook.” Sungmin explained once again showing off the notebook. “Do you have an extra stopwatch, Seoyeon noona?” Sungmin fixed his attention on the girl who nodded and pulled Sungmin inside so she could give him the item.

Youngwoon followed them with a small frown. The feeling of having someone watching him was slightly unnerving. The swimmer changed into his swimming trunks and approached the water, one eye was kept on Seoyeon talking with Sungmin by the benchers, he elongated and relaxed his muscles waiting for her to come. When she did so, he couldn’t help but ask. “Will he know how to do it?” Instead of replying with a yes or no Seoyeon just ordered him to trust her.

Since she seemed so sure of herself, Youngwoon glanced one last time at Sungmin and then took place to jump. Somehow he didn’t really like how he landed, and he could tell his time had been the worst since a good time. He was proved right as the moment he resurfaced Seoyeon started to scold him, but he couldn’t really pay attention to her, the moment his arms landed on the pool side, his eyes landed on Sungmin scribing down on the notebook and he felt his stomach doing flips, why the hell was he having butterflies while looking at Sungmin?

Youngwoon took in a deep breath and tried to completely get his mind blank before his next lap, but focusing was somehow impossible. He was extremely relieved when Seoyeon called it a day. He picked up his towel, dried himself as best as he could before he picked up her record book to note down her times.

The feeling of having someone watching him was still unnerving but Youngwoon was also feeling conceited. When their coach called it a day Youngwoon felt ready to flee, but instead he finally did what he had been dying to do and looked at Sungmin, the boy was still scribing on his notebook. Silently he walked to the younger and sat down beside him, peering at the notebook. He felt amazed with what he saw, but he also felt a tug in his heart. “Wow. So detailed. Is this your first time doing this?” Youngwoon asked genuinely surprised.

Sungmin flipped his bangs out of his eyes before looking at Youngwoon with a small smile. “No, it’s not. I used to be part of the swimming club when I was in junior high.” Sungmin replied, his smile turning sad. “Why did you stop?” Youngwoon asked almost instantly, once again feeling that painful tug in his heart as he stared into Sungmin’s eyes.

“I have never been serious with swimming, as I am not serious with Taekwondo now. I like to challenge myself with new things, when I got into junior high I still didn’t know how to swim, that is why I joined the swimming club.” Sungmin replied feeling his heart break at having to say this, to tell him those same words a second time, and at adding in his head ‘And you taught me how to swim.’

“You should swim with us, one of these days, just for fun then. I would like to see how good you got.” Youngwoon replied, unable to look away, he felt like if he stared long enough into Sungmin’s eyes he would find out why he had been feeling so strange. But the next second Sungmin looked back at his notebook. “Maybe after the festival.” he replied.

A moment later Seoyeon approached and Sungmin handed the notebook to her. “You can give it back to me Thursday, noona. I am going home now.” and saying that Sungmin bowed with a shy smile and left. Youngwoon stared at Seoyeon then, at her happy grin as she held the notebook close to her chest.

Seoyeon had a crush on Sungmin. Why was Youngwoon having butterflies in his stomach for the guy his friend had a crush on? Youngwoon felt like slapping himself. There were no butterflies. He didn’t even know Lee Sungmin that well. Youngwoon groaned frustrated, because while looking into Sungmin’s eyes at that close proximity, he had felt like getting closer.

Later that day Youngwoon spent a few hours at the batting cages trying to understand what the hell was going on.