It was late at night and Gongchan was staring at the ceiling of his new bedroom, he had been trying to sleep for a while now, but his mind wouldn’t stop spinning in circles.

“Aren’t you nervous, hyung?” he asked, turning around to face his brother.

“Not at all” the boy answered. He was munching a cookie, an empty plate by his side, his lips full of crumbs. “Why?”

“Is just that you’re too quiet”

“I went blank for a moment” he said “Are you? Nervous, I mean”

“A little bit” he wasn’t even going to bother himself lying “I’ve been the new kid enough times to know that is not always nice”

“Don’t you say”

Mr and Mrs Lee worked for a big transatlantic company, this was the reason of him and his brother Junghwan always switching not only schools, but also countries, many many times. This time, though, they were in Korea to stay, even if their parents were going to work in their motherland for just a couple of weeks, the boys were already old enough to take care of themselves –or that is what they’ve said one time and another to their parents-, so they could finally stay in one place to finish school.

The hours passed and the sleepiness got over Junghwan, who was snoring loudly in his bed next to the window. Gongchan didn’t mind, they’ve shared a room long enough for him to be used to it, in some way, he even found it amusing. He finally gave up on the idea of getting some sleep and put on his earphones, losing himself in music.

Or so he hoped.

It was one of those nights were music didn’t work. Not loud music, not quiet music, not funny music. Gongchan was only thinking about how scared he was, about how lonely he was going to be. ‘You can’t see any boys. I don’t want you around anyone’ his father have said. Probably his worst mistake was admitting he was gay.

He had opened up to his parents a couple of years ago, when they were living in Japan, and things got complicated since then. They didn’t let him be friends with any boy, because they lived in fear of his son being in a gay relationship. Gongchan was always alone, always haunted by the rage of his father, always scared. It wouldn’t be different this time. He found himself shaking his hyung, trying to wake him up.

“Mmmmh” Junghwan mumbled, Gongchan shook him more until he finally opened his eyes “It’s still dark what the hell Chan-ah”

“Move, I can’t sleep”

“It’s my bed and I’m sleepy” the hyung complained

“I’m nervous about school” Gongchan said, not listening to him “about people”

Junghwan turned to his side, there wasn’t enough space for the both of them, but they always tried, sleeping together was a bad habit they carried from when they were little kids and they weren’t giving up on it now.

“Me too, do you think there will be a lot of pretty girls?”

Gongchan rolled his eyes, his hyung was always talking about girls, but he’d never really been with one, he was just a hopeful dork. “I’m sure there’ll be” he sighed “And boys, hyung? Do you think I’ll have an opportunity?”

Junghwan could see the puppy eyes in his brother’s face, begging for him to say yes.

“Of course” he smiled “There’s no way you can go unnoticed with that fantastic face of yours. Besides, with dad out of the way, imagine all the dirty things you could do!”

“HYUNG!”

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry” Junghwan said laughing “Now open the drawer of my night table and give me a chocolate bar would you? I’m hungry”

“It’s 2:00 AM”

“Perfect time for a midnight snack, be nice”

Gongchan didn’t bother in arguing with him, and after a while –and a chocolate bar- his brother fell asleep by his side. He didn’t have much space in with the two of them in bed, his hyung wasn’t especially small either, but he didn’t want to come back to his own bed that night. Maybe, just maybe, this school was going to be something good: he could start again, with nobody knowing or criticizing him and with the opportunity of a first love.

He felt asleep thinking about sunrises.

He woke up to the sound of an angry mother and a sore shoulder.

“Lee Gongchan” she was saying “I’ve been trying to wake you up for the last ten minutes”

The boy, still dizzy, rubbed his eyes and looked around, confused. His mom was all dressed up for work in a two pieces suit and make up, she’d been clearly up for a while now.

“But, what about the alarm clock?”

“I got tired of it anf turned it off. Do any of you have ears?” he sighed “Wake up your brother before the breakfast gets cold”

Sandeul was hurled in bed, occupying almost three quarters of the bed, his mouth wide opened in a funny way and his chubby belly exposed because of his lifted shirt. Gongchan threw a pillow at his face.

“First day of school” he said as good morning

“I’m gonna kill you”

“Breakfast’s ready” tried Gongchan

“You could’ve started there” Sandeul said getting up

Gongchan and Sandeul parted at the school hall, each one trying to find his locker but making plans to have lunch together at third period. The youngest brother felt his confidence boost while walking down the aisles, some people smiled at him and he smiled back, it was going to be okay.

Or that he thought until he got to his locker.

He wasn’t expecting finding a boy like that just next to him.

He had his wine coloured bangs carefully combed to the side, his eyes reminded Gongchan of a fox: stealthy, secretive, mystical. His profile was sharp, his whole body thin as wire, even his lips were a merely pink line on his pale face. . He noticed too late that he’d been staring for too long.

“Hello” the boy said, closing his locker “are you new?”

“Yes” Gongchan managed to say and made a small bow “I’m Lee Gongchan”

“Jung Jinyoung, president of the school committee” Gongchan noticed how his smile was charming and flawless “Welcome to the school, Gongchannie”

“Thank you very much, hyung”

Jinyoung looked at him again, like checking him head to toes and smiled “I gotta go, see you later, arasseo?”

“Arasseo”

***

“I think I’ve fallen in love” Jinyoung said as soon as he sat down on his spot next to Shinwoo in their classroom.

Shinwoo didn’t respond right away, he was studying after the class begun, like he did every day since they were on elementary school. Besides, Jinyoung falling in love was an everyday thing, so he didn’t pay much attention to it anymore.

He finished his math problem before looking at his friend.

“Who’s the girl this time?” he sighed.

“Well…. It’s, it’s a boy actually”

If Shinwoo were speaking to any other guy, he must have been surprised of hearing this. But Jinyoung was different, he didn’t care about those things, he was in love with love. That’s why he always was in love with different people, that’s why Shinwoo could never take him seriously.

“A boy?”

“Is it too weird?”

“I’m not surprised of anything at this point. Well, who is it, then?”

How could you just not love Shinwoo?

“Is just a boy, to be honest. He’s new at school”

“Then you should give him a welcoming tour”

Really, how could you not love Shinwoo?

 ***

Sandeul was deadly bored in his English class. He didn’t understand a thing of it; he already had enough problems with Chinese and Japanese and he didn’t want to fight with his neurones anymore just to try and learn another language he was probable never going to use. –Something in his head was telling him he was wrong but he didn’t listen-. Besides, the hair of the boy in the front row was a permanent distraction.

It looks like cotton candy. Who on earth would dye his hair like that? It only reminded him how hungry he was. He could feel his stomach growling, and if he didn’t eat something soon he was sure the whole class will be able to hear the sounds of his needy tummy. Cotton candy is so good. He surely has a great hair.

Slowly, he got a chocolate bar from his bag and tried to open it carefully under his desk, but the envelope was too noisy and the professor had a super hearing sense.

“Who made that noise?” he asked, looking at the group, daring them to speak up.

Sandeul gulped and looked out the window, his hands well hidden under the desk. Maybe if he focused on something else no one would focus on him and so he could get his way. If only.

“It was the new guy” a blonde girl said. So much for being nice to new people.

“Lee Junghwan, right?” the professor asked, looking at him sharply.

Sandeul had a knot in his throat “Yes, sir”

“Mr. Lee, show me your hands if you may”

Then he knew that he had got caught. It was okay, anyway, these kind of things kept happening in every school he went to, it didn’t embarrass him that much anymore. He raised his hand with the bar in them.

“Hungry, Mr. Lee?” the professor didn’t seem too upset

“A bit” Sandeul replied, a little too honest.

“It is forbidden to eat and drink in my class, Mr. Lee”

“Yes, sir. I’m sorry, sir” he said and bowed.

When he sat down he found the cotton candy boy’s eyes fixed in him, so he smiled. He just smiled back.

“Eating in class, fatty?”

A group of nasty boys surrounded Sandeul when the bell ringed, he didn’t notice as first, because he was too busy checking his phone and picking food out of his bag, but they got too close, and he realized he had too much food over his desk. . It wasn’t the first time someone messed up with him because of his physics, and he really wasn’t looking forward to it.

“Are you going to swallow all of this?” said one of them picking his cookies

“What about this?” asked another, taking the chips

“Don’t you think it’s too much, Mr. Lee?” mocked the first

Junghwan was about to tell them to leave when the pink-haired boy got between them. “Leave him alone, it’s enough”

The boys laughed “Uhh, the freak just decided to join the fat prick, how scary”

“My name is Baro” the pink-haired boy said, defiant “and you better leave before I all your girlfriends while you’re away, trio of ladies”

“ you, freak” said one of them, but they finally left.

***

Gongchan sat in the front of the class, longing to fill his head with all the new information he could get just to see if he could get the locker guy out of his mind, but nothing seemed to work for him. The day passed slowly and heavy, with Gongchan’s mind spinning with impossible scenarios where him and the guy talked and flirted and even held hands. That’s why he was so astonished when at the first recess, his imagination turned out to reality and the fox eyed prince appeared at his classroom door.

“I’m looking for Lee Gongchan” he announced, speaking louder than anybody in the whole place.

Gongchan could feel the colour going up his cheeks as he rose up and walked towards the door, every pair of eyes fixed in him.

“Hyung” he greeted the older “is there anything wrong?”

“Wrong? No” the only idea of something being wrong seemed to amuse Jinyoung “I’m here to show you the place”

“Really?” Gongchan’s childish side asked

“Really”

It was only when they were getting out of the classroom when Gongchan noticed the devilish glares from the female students. Yes, things had started out just fine.