{TWENTY- NINE}

Month 05 Day 14

Kyungsoo never noticed the small things that made him happy, or how much of an effect love had on him. He realised ever since his childhood world came crashing down on him, he constantly worried about the future and regretted about the past. He wondered how he was going to live, how he would make a living, how he would even face the world with the past he had.

Neither had he noticed how Go Minjae carried such a big impact on him. He felt butterflies in his stomach (although it sounded a bit soft for him), whenever he saw her walking through the corridors. He would act as if he didn't care, but secretly sneak a glance at her back anyway. She made him smile so easily, just by flashing her attractive grin at him. Maybe he was exaggerating slightly, but Kyungsoo sweared he would pass out if she got any closer to him. He had to thank his cold demeanor for helping him pull through.

Kisses. He never reallly fancied them, because he'd never even thought of falling head over heels for someone before. His country had never exposed him to romance movies or anything of the like, so love was not a topic he excelled in. Sure, when he was young, he would walk in on his parents having a passionate kissing session, but he could never imagine putting himself in their shoes, in that situation. It was absurb.

However, he wasn't quite sure about that now. The number of times he couldn't stop himself from grabbing Go Minjae by the wrist and pulling her close to him, was uncountable. The number of their faces being so close to each other until they could hear their own steady breaths, was five. Their number of times his lips had pressed against hers, and how she'd responded with the same action was two, including this one, which was a feat since he hadn't confessed his feelings to her.

This was another magical moment in his life he thought he would never reach. 

He kept his lips pressed on Minjae's. The girl showed no signs of pulling back or pushing him off. She remained there, in her shocked state, before closing her eyes to mimic his actions. Just him being able to grab her petite frame by the shoulders without being rejected by her body made him feel so complete. He loved the way their lips felt together, and how she had her arms wrapped around his waist so comfortably.

Anyone would've thought this was the perfect time to confess, after such a tear-jerking moment. Kyungsoo's conscience was screaming at him to go for it, what did he have to lose anyway? It didn't appear impossible for Minjae to reject him; it was the right timing. 

But they both pulled back at the same time, flabbergasted looks on their faces. 

Minjae cleared , blushing as she scratched the back of her neck. "I... Um- um- I have to, head home, right now. My dad's probably looking for me, and I have things to do."

"Oh, really? Well, I can't stop you from leaving." Kyungsoo looked away sheepishly. "If you want to go, then you should hurry. I have things to do too." Damn it Do Kyungsoo! Why in the world did you say that? You make it sound as if you want her to leave quicker. 

"Alright. So... I-I'll be going now." Minjae slowly spoke before turning around to walk down the steps, but she turned back to face Kyungsoo, earning his stare of curiosity. The girl blinked. "Do Kyungsoo, you should apologise to them. You know, Baekhyun and the guys. They did it because they cared about you." She flashed him a reassuring smile before waving and descending down the steps, leaving Kyungsoo to ponder about his next actions.

That was how he found himself in front of the school gates when the hands on his watch were about to strike midnight, carrying a plastic bag of spicy rice cakes in his hand. It was the only available thing he could get at such a late time, and he knew those three would never reject food. 

There seemed to be no one in the building, because the school appeared to be pitch black. Even the dimmest of lights couldn't be seen from the distant classroom windows. The only person that was present was the security guard, who was dozing off instead of patrolling the area. Not to mention, the gates were carelessly left open, causing him to roll his eyes at the fact of how this place was supposed to be the most prestigious school in Seoul. 

Kyungsoo heaved a heavy sigh. Maybe they left already... He brought the bag of spicy rice cakes to his face, watching it swing around in the air lightly. He really really wanted to hand this over to them. Just as he was about to turn around, he heard some rowdy laughter coming from the gates.

"Damn! I'm tired!" From the gates emerged Baekhyun, Chanyeol and Sehun. Their bags were loosely slung over their shoulders and there were stains on their uniforms.

"A warm shower would be good for me for the night." Chanyeol laughed.

"We wouldnt've gotten so messy if you stopped playing with the water hose, hyung." Sehun frowned with disatisfaction as he stared at Chanyeol.

Kyungsoo took a deep breath. He wanted to approach them, but he realised he had no courage to all of a sudden. The guilt of punching Baekhyun was only growing on him, and he was considering about walking away at that moment. He closed his eyes. I can do this. We're like brothers, and I just want everything to back in place. 

Slowly, he found himself taking one step, then two, then three, then four - until he was face to face with his three friends. He tightened his hold around the plastic bag he was holding, the crackling noise filling the silence. He didn't like how they were staring at him as if he was some type of alien, plus the stillness in the air didn't seem to be helping out either.

"Kyungsoo..." Chanyeol's mouth was agape. The giant probably never expected him to show up until after a few days, but despite that, there was this unreadable expression on his face. "What are you -" He shut up when Baekhyun had shot him a piercing glare that could kill.

Baekhyun's laughter slowly died down. The look on his face was replaced with an indifferent gaze as he stared right at Kyungsoo's glassy orbs. Chanyeol was quietly anticipating for them to shake hands and bro-hug. There was a determined look in his eye once he realised what Kyungsoo was here for. Sehun watched from behind Baekhyun, his lips pressed in a firm line, and he was fully concentrated on the scene. The younger boy's legs were shaking impatiently.

"I... I'm sorry." Kyungsoo slid his foot on the gravel before looking up. He met eyes with Baekhyun. "About just now, I'm sorry. I didn't mean it. It was wrong of me to involve you guys in my personal life. Baek, you don't know how guilty I feel for punching you so suddenly like that. There were so many thoughts going through my head, and I just couldn't think straight. So, I was asking if we could forgive each other. If we could go back to how we were yesterday, weeks ago and months ago. You said we're brothers, right? Let's stay that way, yeah?" His arm holding the spicy rice cakes stuck out. "Here, my gift of apology. I know it's not much for future heirs like you guys, but it's what I can afford right now."