Thursday - Two weeks after

The next day Youngwoon walked to school trying to come up with an excuse to talk with Sungmin, he wanted to understand why the younger messed up so much with him. Every excuse he came up with, though, was lamer than the other. He was about to kick the nearest wall out of frustration when he looked at his sports bag. He had club activities that day and Sungmin would be there noting down his times. He found his excuse.

The first thing he did when he got into school was rush to Sungmin’s class, he sighed in relief as he saw that Kyuhyun had not been there yet. “Sungmin-ssi.” He called happily and the younger boy looked at him from his desk quite surprised.

Sungmin had been cramming for the test he would have that day and he had not expected Youngwoon to show up like that. Yet he still stood up and walked to the older boy with a curious expression. “Another notebook for Kyuhyun?” the younger asked good natured.

At hearing the enquire Youngwoon chuckled, shaking his head. “Nope. I wanted to talk with you. Did you note down Yeonnie’s times last Tuesday? I know she hired you to help her with my times, but I don’t want to slack off with hers. She’s our female star after all.” The older boy tried to pass his point.

The younger male frowned at the enquire. Last Tuesday Sungmin had been that tad bit paranoid Youngwoon would not want someone from outside the club to take notes of his times, so he took Seoyeon’s times as well just to fill in and prevent Youngwoon to be suspicious of anything. “I did but…” Sungmin started off but Youngwoon cut his reply. “Great! You have tests today too, right? If you finish yours early let’s meet at the pool? I want to double check her times too.”

There was a moment of silence between them after those words. Sungmin was gotten off guard, he had never expected Youngwoon would come call him to spend time alone like that, on the other hand Youngwoon was rendered motionless because of the absurd fluttering feeling he felt at seeing the younger blush.

“I… was planning to go to the music room after the test… rehearse with Jongwoon hyung and Kyuhyun.” Sungmin tried to reject the offer, but Youngwoon wouldn’t have that, he wanted to be alone with the younger. He wanted to see for himself who Lee Sungmin was. “Sungmin-ssi. We both know Kyuhyun will probably not even finish his test and the teacher will take it from him at the last minute of the limit time. There is no way Kyuhyun will finish early a literature test.”

Sungmin couldn’t help but blush even more. Youngwoon couldn’t help but grin at seeing that. The sight made him giddy, he felt like that because he was taking Sungmin out of his cool, he liked teh idea that somehow he also messed up with Sungmin's feelings. “I don’t have the notebook.” Sungmin suddenly said and Youngwoon remembered that the younger had given it back to Seoyeon. His plan was about to go downhill if not for said girl showing up, out of the blue, beside him.

“Morning, Minnie! Here. Don’t be late.” She piped giving him the blue notebook. “What were you two talking about?” She asked happily as she clung to Youngwoon’s arm. The older boy was too satisfied to get annoyed with her closeness. “Nothing much.” He dismissed her, grinning back at Sungmin. “See you later, Sungmin-ssi.” And Sungmin knew which later the older boy was talking about.

Without another word, as to not allow Sungmin to refuse him a third time, Youngwoon pulled Seoyeon along saying he would help her cram for biology before the test and so she was ready and set to go. Sungmin looked at the two in dismay, but then he felt like struggling Seoyeon because he received a text from her a few minutes later. |Don’t you dare not go.| it was clear she had overheard them.

What was he supposed to do? He couldn’t get any closer to Youngwoon, he couldn’t risk get the older boy to, in the span of a week, consider him a friend, Youngwoon had to remember him the next week.

Later, while doing his test, Sungmin sneaked a glance at kyuhyun, noticing how his friend was nervous, how his eyes were telling him that he was in doubt of what to answer. Kyuhyun was always a practical kid, having in the numbers his biggest friends, he was so to say genious when it came to exacts, but whenever facing things like literature he would become a little lost creature.

Sungmin looked back as his test, he was not like kyuhyun, he was emotional and prefered those subjects that he could discuss about subjectivities. He dealt with things as they came his way. With a sigh he answered his last question, he had decided what he would do.

The teacher received his test with a small grin of acknowledgement, and told him he had the rest of the morning off, though he would still have classes in the afternoon. With a nod Sungmin left his class and slowly made his way to the swimming pool. Youngwoon's class was also having the first test of the bimester, but his was of biology, a subject Youngwoon, didn't like, but that he also didn't despise, so he wondered if the older boy had already finished it or not.

When he opened the door to the swimming pool, the place was still empty. Sungmin sat down on the benchers and picked up the record book from his backpack. He wouldn't be Youngwoon's friend, he would though interact with him in the most professional way possible.

It had been about thirty minutes later that Youngwoon actually showed up. He had been afraid that Sungmin would not come, his two tries in rejecting him had stung and made him worry, so he felt overly relieved when he opened the door and saw Sungmin reading on something.

"What's that?" Youngwoon questioned softly, trying not to scare the younger boy. Sungmin looked up with a small smile, "I was cramming for tomorows's test." The younger answered easily, closing the notebook he had at hand and picking up the record book. "These are noona's time from last tuesday, she had done better than the last time I saw her swimming." Sungmin commented showing off the record.

Youngwoon felt slightly disappointed at how sungmin was so down to business, but he figured that was probably just how he was. "Yes, she is improving fast, but her conversion is still not good enough." Youngwoon replied picking up his own notebook to compare the times.

Sungmin agreed. "I think she just needs to train more her legs, to be able to push her body further." He commented already telling Youngwoon what was her first time. Both of them went down the list methodically, always making small comments about her performance, Youngwoon noticed that Sungmin really knew what he was talking about because he made comments about the posture, about the angle to hit the water, about the seconds that should be needed on the conversion.

"Where do you think I should improve, Sungmin-ssi?" Youngwoon asked slightly out of the blue and sungmin had to think for a second on how to reply to keep things professional. He decided to just turn back a few pages and show off what he had written about Youngwoon the last Tuesday. He had always done that, written down his impression after the day was over so Seoyeon could latter talk things down with the coach. As everything was written there, he simply handed the notebook to Youngwoon.

The action made the older boy feel at first slightly rejected, as it seemed Sungmin was not willing to talk to him, but as he read the detailed comments he once again felt something flutter inside of him, Sungmin was very perceptive and most of the things he noted were things Youngwoon himself had also felt as he was swimming. He simply agreed with everything the younger had written there.

"Are you not interested in start swimming again?" Youngwoon asked next, once again surprising the younger, who had to think extra carefully about his replies. Sungmin shrugged. "Not really. I had joined just to learn how to swim, then it was fun to try and swim faster, but when I reached my limit it started to get frustrating, so I decided to try something new."

Youngwoon nodded understanding about the frustration he was talking about, but he also tried to catch Sungmin's eyes, that move was something Sungmin didn't really had the will to fight, so he stared back into Youngwoon's eyes.  As they looked at each other, Youngwoon felt a strange pull, a fluttering and demanding feeling to get closer, his eyes fixed at Sungmin's lips and before he knew it the words were rolling out of his mouth. "Why did you go for martial arts?" With that question Sungmin understood what Youngwoon was doing, he was trying to befriend Sungmin, he was trying to know him.

Sungmin panicked. "That's something I believe doesn't concern you, it's fine to talk about my time swimming, because it's a related topic, but I would appreciate if we do not stray." He found himself replying with a slightly harsher tone than necessary.

A frown appeared onto Youngwoon's expression and the older boy appologised, not expecting the small outburst. "I'm sorry, I guess I was being nosy." There was another moment of silence between them that made Sungmin sure that the older boy didn't know what to do next. "I guess we're finished, Youngwoon-ssi. Next time you can just ask, noona for the notebook, it's hers after all." Sungmin ended up saying picking up his things and standing up.

Youngwoon stood up in reflex, trying to come up with a way to make Sungmin stay, but before he could say anything Sungmin was already questioning softly if he believed Jungsoo would have had finished his test as well. Youngwoon felt hopeless at the question, Sungmin was faster into finding ways out. "I don't know, I believe so." He answered the question, hatting how it sounded as if he was allowing Sungmin to escape him.

The younger bowed. "I'll go to the student council then. If he is not there, at least maybe someone else would be able to tell me how my request was taken. I'll leave first." And after saying that Sungmin walked away. Youngwoon stayed there looking at his notebook, he had hoped he could get himself closer to Sungmin, but he ended up feeling overly rejected, Sungmin was clearly putting a wall between them and he wondered if it was true that he would build that wall against everybody but Kyuhyun. Yet that feeling of wanting to know so bad, of wanting to be close, but be forfeited, was something new to him, it left him bitter in a way he couldn't really understand.

Instead of going to the student council, Sungmin ended up running to the rooftop, locking himself there and allowing himself a moment just to groan out his frustrations. Why Youngwoon wanted to befriend him? Why was he so interested in him?

Lunch break came and Sungmin didn't show up at the canteen. Kyuhyun had noticed the downcast eyes of Youngwoon and wondered if anything had happened, the younger looked at his hyungs in search of someone that could share his worry, but they were completely oblivious to the small glint in Youngwoon's eyes. He was about to push his plate aside and excuse himself to look for Sungmin when Seoyeon asked cheerily. "So, Youngwoon, did you manage to double check my time with Sungmin-sii this morning?"

Kyuhyun didn't know if Seoyeon was an angel disguised as a devil, or if she was a devil disguised as an angel, he just knew he was thankful that she was on his side of the battlefield. Before Youngwoon could reply to that, kyuhyun did excuse himself, pulling Jongwoon along so they could find Sungmin and rehearse.

Outside the canteen Kyuhyun asked Jongwoon to please look for Sungmin at the music room, while he would check the rooftop. The couple divided themselves in worry for Sungmin. It happened that Sungmin had managed to compose himself and thus he was already at the music room by the time Kyuhyun had decided to look for him, so it was Jongwoon who found him.

"Jungsoo told me that the request went through and that the auditorium is already reserved for this Sunday. We are in the list for the first test, they want you to make sure the first day goes well, so you were appointed as coordinator." The older boy started off, the moment he entered the music room, on what he hopped was a safe ground. Sungmin hummed in reply, but then he turned to Jongwoon with a frown. "He really doesn't know who I am, right?" Sungmin questioned some panic coming back to him.

Jongwoon sighed sadly. Before he said anything he sat beside Sungmin and held the younger boy in what he hopped was a comforting gesture. "He doesn't remember you, we did everything we could to make him believe you are not close to him, but I guess he can't help but feel curious of Kyuhyun's best friend."

“I tried so hard when I joined high school to make him befriend me again, why this time it seems so easy?” Sungmin mumbled hiding his face on Jongwoon’s neck. Jongwoon pat Sungmin’s head. “There are so many different things between then and now. For a start, this time you were not complete strangers, and I hope you know you can’t turn into strangers, Sungmin, because for that you would have to give all of us up, and I want to believe that you cannot do that.”

The younger sighed disclosing themselves. Jongwoon smiled down at Sungmin, before he picked up his phone and sent a message to Kyuhyun, to let his boyfriend know he had found Sungmin. “Let me tell Kyu you are here. He was worried when he didn’t see you at the canteen.” Jongwoon explained as he noticed Sungmin’s eyes on his phone. Sungmin smiled. He couldn’t for the life in him give them up.

A second later though Jongwoon looked at him with a frown. “Sungmin-ah… Kyu told me that Youngwoon had left you a voice mail, did you listen to it?” Sungmin though he was getting tired of being asked questions he was not expecting. The younger frowned back. “I didn’t. I didn’t want to hear excuses, I didn’t want to hear his voice. I was a mess that Saturday.”

Jongwoon pondered his reply for a moment. “Did you delete it?” he questioned softly. Sungmin didn’t think much his reply. He shook his head and confessed. “I’ve been feeling like listening, but I always give up. I don’t feel ready to hear whatever excuse he had.”

Sungmin was once again caught off guard as Jongwoon held his shoulders firmly. “Min, promise me that you won’t delete it. Promise me that you will keep it but will not listen to it. Promise me, Sungmin.” The question was so obvious in the younger’s face that Jongwoon couldn’t help but add. “If you listen to it now, it will only hurt you so badly, but I promise you, soon you will be able to hear it and it won’t hurt you that much. Promise me, Min.”

Sungmin nodded still confused, but out of all his friends Jongwoon had always been the one most cautious of his feelings, so he decided not to push and just believe his friend. “I promise, hyung.” And after saying that, not a second later, Kyuhyun opened the door and walked in, without saying anything he marched to the piano bench and squeezed himself between Jongwoon and Sungmin, a pout on his face.

“Kyu?” Sungmin asked with a chuckle. Kyuhyun looked at the slightly older boy before he pointed at Jongwoon without looking back at his boyfriend. “Mine.” He stated and Sungmin outright laughed at the younger. At seeing his best friend smiling Kyuhyun smiled too. “I don’t like people taking up my job, even if the person in question is mine.” At his words all of them laughed together. Sungmin really couldn’t give them up, he would find a way to stay close to Youngwoon, but far enough as to not keep on pressuring his mind.

For the rest of the break the three of them kept on rehearsing, after the afternoon classes Sungmin made his way to the swimming pool and did his best on taking note of the times and his impressions in the most professional way possible. Youngwoon though was still feeling disappointed.