Jinyoung realized –maybe too late- that he hadn’t planned the tour he was going to give Gongchan. He just heard Shinwoo giving him the idea and then he couldn’t take it out of his mind. Now they were walking down the corridors, the older barely noticing the looks the girls were giving him, because that day his eyes were for the new kid only.

“This is the languages laboratory” he said, pointing to the classroom to his right “they theach English, Spanish, French, Chinese and Japanese there”

“I know Chinese” Gongchan seemed to leave his shyness aside “also Japanese”

“Really? I can’t even struggle with kanji”

“My family has lived in China and Japan, and other countries, too. The truth is, the only good thing I got from it it’s the languages” he said cheerfully

Jinyoung smiled “So you’re not only cute, you’re smart, too.”

Gongchan blushed instantly, luckily he went only a little pink, too light to Jinyoung to notice, but the older seemed ashamed, too. So they walked a little in silence, until they got to the courtyard and Gongchan felt like he had to say something, because there was something very peculiar in the middle of the field.

“Hyung. There’s a train in the yard”

“Oh, that” Jinyoung seemed relieved that they were finally speaking again “it’s the lunch wagon. You know, just an old piece of a train they got us so we can eat in there. I think it’s pretty original, don’t you think?”

“It’s great”

“Oh, I have an idea, why don’t you have lunch with me today? So I can show you the place”

Gongchan’s face lit for a moment, but it inmediatly went blue “I’d love to” he said “but-“

“But?” Jinyoung really wanted to have lunch with him.

“But I promised my brother that I would have lunch with him, I can’t leave him alone”

The older smiled, so that was the problem. “Tell him to come, I can bring a friend too”

Jinyoung felt a big relief when little Gongchannie said that it’d be perfect, thank you. When did his hook-ups get inside him so fast? He walked Gongchan back to his class, not even minding the fact that he was going to be late to his own, he took his head to lead their path, and Jinyoung thought that he had never felt a warmth like that.

“I see you at lunch, then Gongchannie” he said just a second after the bell ringed

Gongchan finally looked at him firmly in the eyes “I’ll see you, hyung”

The youngest Lee child got inside the classroom knowing everyone was staring at him, but for once, he didn’t mind a bit. Jinyoung had just left, running to his own class and he could still feel his hand sweaty for holding his. He barely noticed that some guys were giving him strange looks, the beating of his heart was too loud to even think of hearing any other thing.

To stop grinning like an idiot, he decided to text his brother.

Gongchan

Hyung! How’s your morning? I think I made a friend >-< he’s going to have lunch with us.

P.S: Did you see the cafeteria?

His phone rang with the answer a few seconds later, clearly, his brother wasn’t paying attention to his class, either.

Deullie-hyung

Yeay for the friend! I told you no one could resist your face! I made one, too. I’m taking him to lunch. Hey, what about the cafeteria?? Is it big???

The teacher gave him a warning look so Gongchan had to put the phone in his backpack. He was still smiling though, making friends as fast as his hyung was surely something to be proud about –he was never the one with successful human relationships- and even holding his hand… so thin and cold and delicate. And those fox-like eyes. Stop-Stop.

He had to quit thinking that way. Jinyoung was the president of the school committee, he surely was too popular, probably had a girlfriend, or was probably drowning in love declarations from cute-petite girls in high socks. Gongchan himself had witnessed how pretty much every girl in school stared at him. And besides, he didn’t have to be a genious to know that Jinyoung was only being kind to the new boy. That was all.

Anyway, no matter what he told himself, he had never been so anxious for a meal in his whole life.

***

Baro wasn’t sure why, but he really liked the chubby boy.

Maybe it was the way his face looked funny when he laughed. Or maybe –he soon discovered- how he didn’t seem to have a filter for what he said. Or maybe it was just the way he didn’t seem to care about him being the weird boy of the class. Whatever the reason was, he was glad he stood up for him when the bullies were messing with him.

The desk next to Baro’s was empty, and he told the new boy that he could sit there if he wanted to –they won’t mess up with you anymore!-, the real reason, anyway, is that Baro thought he may use some company, he had been spending too much time with the rapper idols on his iPod.

Last class before lunch was History, and Baro spent his time reading the same paragraph again and again and doodling in the margins of his text book. Sandeul, he noticed, was checking his phone every now and then, and if he listened carefully enough, Baro could hear his stomach growl. The guy with pink hair just smiled. Luckily for the both of them, the bell ringed soon.

“Baro-yah, move! I’m starving” Sandeul asked, desperately when a minute had passed and his classmate hadn’t show a sign of getting out of the way.

“You annoying kid, why don’t you just eat in your seat?”

“I want to go to the cafeteria” the boy said, almost hysterically “C’mon move!”

Baro sighed and stood up, making room for his friend to pass, but he didn’t follow him. Sandeul gave him a frowning look.

“What’s the matter now?” Baro asked

“I’m waiting for you” the boy said as it were the most obvious thing ever.

“I’m not going”

“Aren’t you hungry??”

“I can eat here, dummy”

“Then I stay, too”

“Didn’t you have to see your brother?” Baro raised an eyebrow

Sandeul seemed troubled. “I don’t even know where the cafeteria is” he tried.

“Go to the yard, there’s a wagon” the pink-haired boy said “There’s no way you can get lost”

“I’m going to get lost” he insisted

“Aigoo, really, what do you want?”

“You, to come with me” Sandeul said, smiling

“Fine” Baro said to his own surprise, and followed the boy downstairs.

Baro wasn’t sure why, but he really liked the chubby boy.

***

“The boy I told you about is coming to have lunch with us today” Jinyoung told his best friend as soon as he got to his class –late, but he didn’t care-. He let himself fall into his chair with an idiotic grin on his face, Shinwoo was still focused on his book.

“What?” he finally said “With us?”

Shinwoo got surprised; everytime Jinyoung was planning to hook up with someone –meaning, at least once a week-, he always ended up eating alone, or doing homework alone, or just walking home alone. He wasn’t used to hear the word ‘us’ involved in his best friend’s plans. It sounded nice, for once.

“What do I have to do with this?” he asked anyway, it was suspicious.

“I just want you to meet him. I think maybe this time is different.”

‘This time is different’ was Jinyoung’s favorite phrase; everytime he fell for someone he would tell Shinwoo the same thing, that he was really in love this time, that he was going to change for the best. Shinwoo knew this by memory.

“Okay” he sighed.

Shinwoo recognized him immediately. The guy his best friend had fallen for. It was pretty obvious for him at this day and age, even if Jinyoung had never liked a boy before. He was standing near the entrance of the lunch-wagon, looking around him, surely searching for them –for Jinyoung, really-. He was skinny and handsome in a way that reminded Shinwoo of a puppy, sorta cute and playful at the same time, and his brown hair was combed in a nice way to the side, casual but not undone. He was, in a few words, everything Jinyoung liked in a girl but… in a boy.

“That way” Shinwoo pointed. And he knew he was right when his friend’s face lit up in recognition.

“This is Lee Gongchan” Jinyoung introduced the boy to Shinwoo “and this, Gongchannie, is Shinwoo, my best friend”

“Nice to meet you, hyung” he did a small bow “Thank you for letting me join your lunch”

“Everything alright, little Chan” said Jinyoung “where’s your brother, by the way?”

“It’s weird because he’s never late for food” Gongchan said, but then he saw him “Oh, hyung, there he comes”

Shinwoo turned around and saw only familiar faces, the popular girls, the bullies, the goths, the weird kid with pink hair, and by his side, a boy whose face hadn’t seen before. But there was no way he could be Gongchan’s brother, he thought, until he started waving at them.

“Channie!” he yelled from the middle of the yard

“Hyung!”

Shinwoo looked at the boy again, clueless, Gongchan there was all classy and stylish, meanwhile the boy who was walking towards them was short and plump and noisy. He even looked like an elementary school boy. Judging by Jinyoung’s expression, he wasn’t the only one thinking that way.

***

Lunchtime was a blur on Gongchan’s mind by the end of the school day. He knew Jinyoung seemed to like his hyung, and he liked both Shinwoo and Baro, too, so it was good. But the thing that really got him was Jinyoung asking him out. Or something like that.

Gongchan wasn’t so sure about if going out for a walk was considered a proper date, but god, he was content with it.  And it was all thanks to the pink haired boy and his distracted hyung; the Baro kid probably noticed the love of his hyung for food –it was hard not to-, and asked him to go out with him and have ice cream after class. Sandeul hyung just said yes.

“But hyung, now I’ll have to return home alone” Gongchan had complained

“Oh” his brother had bit his lip, but he wasn’t willing to decline ice cream and Gongchan knew it.

“I can walk you, little Gongchannie” Jinyoung offered “If you don’t mind, of course”

The youngest of the Lees said yes, that’d be great, thank you.

Inside he was screaming.