There is an important warning on the foreword. If you missed that bold, red text, then please go back and read it before continuing with this chapter.

It’s surreal.

Honestly, Donghae couldn’t quite believe that the popular ace of the swimming team, Lee Hyukjae, asked him out.

Him, Lee Donghae.

The unpopular, below average Lee Donghae.

It isn’t so much the fact that he’s so far down the bottom of their high school’s social ladder – not at all (though he is kinda in the bottom half, just not the most bottom).

Donghae knows Hyukjae is a sweet guy. The type of guy who turns down confessions with such gentleness and kindness it doesn’t even feel like a rejection, and the poor rejected souls would even end up elated over Hyukjae’s words. He’s the type of guy who doesn’t look down on people who are less popular compared to himself. In fact, he’s very friendly – always greeting everyone with a cheerful grin or a friendly wave of the hand. He isn’t like those cocky bastards from the basketball and soccer teams, who only know how to show off and pick on nerdy, less attractive kids.

And that’s why Donghae likes him so much.

What bewilders him though, is that out of all the unpopular kids who spend their free time swooning over Hyukjae’s perfect self, the said perfection chooses him, Lee Donghae, instead. Not that there’s anything totally wrong with him, other than being completely unknown to the general population of their school except to the teachers and the bullies who pick on him on a daily basis. No, he isn’t that bad. He’s rather smart, actually. It’s just that, compared to a good majority, Donghae is, well, what you would call... fat.

No, not just chubby or big-boned.

He’s fat.

Really fat.

As in the kind of fat where he has a slightly permanent double chin that only disappears when he is attempting to take deceitful selfies from an upper angle, plump cheeks that look like they’re constantly stuffed with food (like a chipmunk), and a pair of man s composed of flab and zero muscle. And these man s jiggle when he runs – a favorite sight to his bullies, really.

Not only that, but Donghae also has a round belly that forms numerous layers and folds whenever he sits. His big arms may have muscle (‘cause he’s good at carrying heavy things) but they’re also covered with fat. Don’t even get him started on his and thighs, oh no. Those are like his biggest assets – quite literally.

Basically, Donghae is very far from being the ideal guy. And while he isn’t totally obese, he’s still very much overweight. And he doesn’t get it, just what is it about his fat self that Hyukjae likes? Does Hyukjae even really like him? Or did the boy just pity him? Donghae would totally understand, considering that his supposedly secret feelings for the popular boy were revealed when the bullies found his math notebook filled with heart doodles around Hyukjae’s name.

That was a week ago.

The swimming ace had been furious when he saw Donghae sobbing pathetically, tears and snot rolling down his chubby face, while he chased and panted after the rascals who shouted out his secret to the world while waving around the pages for everyone to see. Hyukjae had yelled at them to stop, before trying to talk to Donghae who immediately squirmed away from him in total embarrassment.

Because seriously. How would you face your crush after your bullies practically exposed to the entire school that you had a crush on him?

And then today, after an entire week of lamely attempting to hide himself from Hyukjae (trying to fit himself into a locker that was already so full it didn’t have enough space for his arm alone was a lame attempt, and so was trying to hide behind a pillar when he was thicker than it), the popular raven-haired boy finally managed to corner him and, much to Donghae’s genuine surprise and disbelief, confessed to him.

Donghae sighs to himself, feeling his face burn as the familiar mix of embarrassment, disbelief, and utter glee returns. He the fur on the large brown Chowchow dog who is lying lazily on its tummy on the carpeted floor, its fat face staring forlornly at its equally fat owner.

“What should I do, Pudgy?” Donghae croons sadly to his pet, closing his eyes and sighing for the nth time as he works his mind through this headache.

Pudgy merely closes its eyes as well, as if close to falling asleep, and Donghae could only exhale once more as he thinks back, pondering on how everything happened and what had led him to this very crucial turning point in his life where his ultimate crush, Lee Hyukjae, had just confessed to him approximately two hours ago.

And how he had bolted away in utter embarrassment, his flabs bouncing along with his every step.

He hates himself, seriously.

There he was—his crush confessing to him, and the only thing Donghae could do was to run away?

What the was wrong with him?

Everything, basically.

Groaning, he leans down and buries the side of his face onto Pudgy’s fluffy, furry side, a sad, pitiful whine escaping his throat.

Truthfully, when he thinks about it, his mind couldn’t quite conjure clearly the memory of the first day he met Hyukjae. All he knows is that they’ve been classmates for as long as he could remember, way back when they were little first graders who only wanted to play outside. They weren’t friends – they never were. But Donghae does recall having talked to the skinny boy before, perhaps once or twice, when they were younger and things such as social status and popularity did not matter.

He didn’t like Hyukjae like that ever since they were kids. Not that he disliked him, it’s just that back then, they were just simple classmates to one another. Donghae knew who he was and vice versa, but he simply could not be bothered with anything Hyukjae, nor their other classmates, did.

He was too busy eating and getting fat.

It wasn’t until middle school that he began to take notice.

Hyukjae had grown taller. He used to be one of the tiniest boys in their class, always standing in front of the line during gym because he was so short. But then with second year of middle school came the growth spurt, and along with the other boys in class, Hyukjae also started to grow.

And boy, did he grow well.

It’s not that he was tall. In fact, his height was average. He wasn’t extremely muscular either. He was just… Hyukjae. Still skinny, but kinda lean, funny, confident, charming Hyukjae. His face was not average, definitely handsome, but it wasn’t what Donghae would call drop dead gorgeous. In fact, Donghae thought that if he himself would just freaking lose weight, he’d probably be the gorgeous one.

But alas, chicken is too delicious.

Ttukbokki as well.

And so is pizza.

And ramen.

But back