i. the stupid cause

"We're opening a kissing booth. Cheek-kissing, of course. You and I are one of them."

Kyungsoo whipped his head at Jongin. "One of them?"

"One of the booth-attenders, aka kissers," Jongin grinned devilishly, waggling his eyebrows. "Chu," He added, pouting his lips and aiming them at the general proximity of Kyungsoo face, to which the latter feigned extreme disgust, pushing Jongin away with a scowl.

"ert," He accused. He pretended to be busy noticing other things, craning his neck to the side excessively so he could hide the blush clawing up his neck.

Damn it, Kyungsoo. Why are you still not over him?

It's been two ing years. Get over it!

Kyungsoo cleared his throat. "Who else?"

"Sehun, Luhan. Xiumin might contemplate."

"Oh, so he can contemplate and I get forced to do it? What if I don't want to do it, ?"

"Jeez, it's nothing complicated. You stand at the booth and look attractive," Jongin assured, patting Kyungsoo on the back. "In which case, your looks would attract all the middle-aged ladies and little girls asking for your hand, so there's also no need to be nervous."

" you," Kyungsoo muttered, and Jongin laughed obnoxiously. He knew Jongin was just teasig, but it was true, Kyungsoo thought glumly. Kyungsoo wasn't dashing and easy with words. He wasn't a ladies' man, wasn't masculine, wasn't tall or dark or handsome. He wasn't cool or suave. 

All of that was Jongin, not Kyungsoo. 

Kyungsoo was foul-mouthed and straightforward; he was cynical and he barely smiled. Kyungsoo was in love with Jongin. Either way, Kyungsoo definitely wouldn't attract teenage girls on hormone rampages.

Needless to say, Jongin would attract the girls. Lots of them. Lots of girls. And he would be kissing them. On their cheeks, granted, but nonetheless he would still be kissing them.

And the thought made jealousy burn bright in Kyungsoo's chest.

"What are you thinking about? My awesomeness? Oh well, no one could ever not think about my awesomeness, right?," Jongin smirked self-contentedly, as if knowing what Kyungsoo was thinking and Kyungsoo smacked the back of his skull, explaining it was needed because Jongin's head was getting a bit too big for Kyungsoo's liking.

ii. reluctant development


"A dollar for a kiss," Kyungsoo read out loud, glaring at the banner in incredulity. He turned to Jongin, who looked busy tying up a piece of pink ribbon onto one pole of the booth. "Isn't that too expensive?"

"No," Jongin replied, distracted enough to not spare Kyungsoo a glance. "We have a bunch of hotties lined up. People would come, trust me."

"You call Sehun and Luhan a bunch of hotties? They're dorks!" Kyungsoo gestures at Sehun and Luhan bickering about who would wear which lip gloss. It was between Strawberry Sleek Shine and Fresh Lemon Delightness, and Kyungsoo rolled his eyes as Jongin snorted but otherwise did not argue.

"Xiumin would attract all the Chinese," Jongin reasoned, and Kyungsoo shut his eyes closed to calm himself because that had to be the most idiotic justification anyone could ever motion.

"Okay,” Kyungsoo sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose forlornly. “First of all, we're in a Korean school where the chance of there being a Chinese is second to none. Second, just because Xiumin looks like a steamed bun doesn't mean Chinese would be attracted to him, you blithering idiot. Third, that's ing racist you piece of ."

Jongin pressed his lips together in contrition. "Okay, fine, bad joke. But there's me! People would so want a piece of Chocolate Jongin. It's a once in a lifetime opportunity!"

"I can't believe you called yourself that."

Jongin shrugged. "Believe it , I'm chocolate and I'm y."

"I'm not doing this. It's humiliating."

"Kyungsoo," Jongin whined, finishing up the last of his knots and coming over to where Kyungsoo stood in front of the booth. "Please? Pretty please?"

"Shut up, Jongin, your puppy eyes are disgusting and you know it." Yeah, right. Disgustingly adorable would be painfully accurate.

Jongin groaned. "For me, Kyungsoo? I'm not wiping this puppy look off my face if you don't say yes. Say yes, please? Yes? Come on, say it. Don't make me make you. Come on. Are you feeling it now, Kyungsoo? Are you feeling it now?"

Kyungsoo averted his eyes, knowing Jongin was all up in his face, trying to steal his heart again in the most ridiculous of ways.

No, correction, Kyungsoo didn't have a heart anymore.

It had voluntarily leaped into Jongin's arms the very day they met.

Kyungsoo sighed. What was the point of resisting? What was the point of anything anyway? So he rolled his eyes, groaned disgruntledly and huffed out a somewhat compliant, "Okay, but you owe me for this , Jongin."

iii. complications
 

"That's the third guy in the past half an hour," Jongin deadpanned, hawk-like eyes following the teenage boy who had blushingly handed a dollar to Kyungsoo, only to walk away hurriedly after Kyungsoo pecked him timidly on his cheek.

Kyungsoo felt awkward giving a boy a kiss, more so a stranger, but at the same time it felt pretty good. He felt oddly wanted.

"Seriously Kyungsoo, what is with you?"

Kyungsoo turned to Jongin, frowning. The taller teen looked disgruntled, arms over his chest as he stared Kyungsoo up and down. "What is it about you that attracts the male species?"

Kyungsoo blinked, then blushed. There had been an increase in male customers ever since his shift, and the increase was from zero to about ten. "I don't know. You tell me." 

"Your face, maybe," Jongin leaned close too suddenly, making Kyungsoo stumble back a bit. "You've always had this pure look about you. Like you're untouched. Like...a ." Jongin finished, before bursting out laughing hysterically.

Kyungsoo muttered a curse to himself. He knew Jongin was up to no good. But why did he hope Jongin would kiss him? Why did he fantasize about it? Why did he have to think of things he couldn't ever be able to reach?

"Or it's your lips," Jongin continued, apparently not having enough of his fun yet. He was staring at the general area of Kyungsoo's mouth, and Kyungsoo over it self-consciously, hoping against hope a customer would arrive and distract them both. "It's moist and... probably soft. Because. Well, it looks soft so I mean..."

Jongin's tone had gone all weird as he trailed off suspiciously. He cleared his throat loudly, making Kyungsoo jump. "You have a customer." He announced coolly, and Kyungsoo turned around to see that yes, he did have a customer.

And he was gorgeous.

 

iv. those green monsters
 

"How much would it be if I wanted a kiss on the lips?"

Kyungsoo his once again dry lips and for some reason, Jongin scoffed from beside him.

Mr Hot was hot. He wasn't only hot, he was smoking.

He had to be an actor or model or something, because normal people don't prance around with massive egos and blonde hair.

"Read the banner," Jongin interrupted just when Kyungsoo was about to speak. "It says cheek-kissing, doesn't it?"

The blonde man smirked, raking Jongin up and down with his eyes. " And who are you? The over-protective boyfriend?"

Jongin sputtered helplessly, and Kyungsoo sighed.

"I'm sorry sir, but this is not a lip-kissing booth."

"And if I pay you fifty bucks for it?"

Now it's Kyungsoo's turn to sputter, and he's thinking this guy was super rich or he's super into Kyungsoo's lips. Either way, he's a creep, but--

"Fifty bucks?" Kyungsoo repeated, stammering. Suddenly, the kiss didn't seem like a big deal anymore. Heck, his whole damn shift would be over if he got that money now. He’d be free of Jongin and the disastrous repercussions that came with him, for the day at least. "Do you mean that?"

The guy took out his wallet and placed fifty-note bill on the counter, leaning forward on his elbows and smiling saccharinely at Kyungsoo. "I meant every word, sweetheart."

Goosebumps raised on Kyungsoo's skin at the gross ing term he used. But still, fifty bucks was a lot for a kiss. 

"Okay," Kyungsoo said tersely after a while. "But just on the lips, no tongue, no groping, no--mmffph?!!"

Kyungsoo scrambled to release himself, but the guy was a great kisser, and even when Kyungsoo had said no tongue, his got into Kyungsoo's mouth easily, mapping out the inside meticulously.

His hands slid up the side of his face tenderly, cupping his cheeks. At that moment, he didn't even think of the fifty bucks.

He was thinking he's definitely in love with this guy. 

v. end

"What the , Jongin?"

Because that guy had been Jongin, and Jongin had kissed him.

 

vi. other fun stuff

"Pay me," Kyungsoo demanded, although he could feel his cheeks reddening as soon as he brought the topic back up. Jongin stared at him dumbly, because he's dumb, silently asking Kyungsoo to elaborate. Kyungsoo, undeterred, extended a palm glamorously. "You kissed me that day. Give me a dollar."

Jongin blinked, then snorted, before rummaging into his pocket and flinging Kyungsoo a crumpled one-dollar bill. "Thank you for your service."

Kyungsoo blinked, then gaped in disbelief. "Are you implying something?"

"Well, did you ask me for money after your service?"

Kyungsoo flared instantly. "YOU ER!"

"What--hey, Kyungsoo--AH! I'M SORRY, I WAS KIDDING, BABY, I'M SORRY! STOP, AGH!"
 

"What happened to him?" 

"Apparently his boyfriend choked him until he passed out."

"Oh. Why?"

"He tried to call him a e."

"Wow, that's a dumb one."

"Tell me about it," Kyungsoo agreed, kicking Jongin's temporarily lifeless form on the floor then shrugging when it didn't seem to stir. He then turned to Luhan, smiling. "Wanna go grab lunch?"