2014

 

 

 

Mozart’s piano pieces could make people smart.

 

Jongdae does and doesn’t believe it, anyway. He believes in it, because his father said his deceased mother played Mozart’s pieces when she carried him and then Jongin two years after, and look at the endless achievements trophies in Jongin’s glass shelf for snatching the first rank in his class every year. He believes it not, however, because how Jongin could be ing smart while he himself literally ed up his essays all the time? Maybe God had blessed his smart mouth when he talks – or quibbled for the most of times – and his cunning self, but his brain has never been smart enough to make his self proper academically. He could be proper in academics, but he’s never that normal to sit quietly and do everything seriously.

 

However, he loves Mozart pieces and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart himself nonetheless.

 

Just like this morning, as he stands before the iPod doc, smoothing his black-yellow checkered shirt, he hummed along the classical feeling melodies of Symphony No. 40 in a rather chipping way. He feels happy today. He could almost tell that he’s going to have a peaceful morning. He loves to wake up with a happy mood. It means he could do a lot of nice things along the day, like maybe perfects the song he has been practicing with his partner, meet up with a senior as usual and finishes the song they have been composing since last week, or even –

 

“JONGDAE HYUNG!!!!!!”

 

He blinks before he glances at the clock on the wall across his bedroom. He rolled his eyeballs as he sighed lightly. Seriously? It took thirty minutes for him to find out?

 

As what he had expected, footsteps are thundering along the hallway, mixed with dark aura and particles of anger seeping through the door. He counts from one, and the door opened by five.

 

“JONGDAE HYUNG!” it’s the obnoxious scream of his name again.

 

Innocently, Jongdae turns around and hissed at the new comer who’s enveloped in wrath. “Gosh, Jonginnie, are you really that excited to meet me in the morning?”

 

“What the have you done with my iPad??” Jongin barks, raising the lifeless electronic device with his right hand. “It won’t turn on and there are traces of water inside the screen!! What the , hyung???”

 

“Calm the down, Kim Jongin, we’re like two millimeters apart, you don’t have to scream like that. Look, your Red Monkey Face is showing.” Jongdae blabbed. “Do I look so criminal that you immediately thought it was me who got your iPad broken?”

 

“Because it was you!!”

 

“You are heartless, Kim Jongin.”

 

“I won’t be heartless if you didn’t ing touched my iPad in the first place!!”

 

“It’s just an iPad!! Jesus Christ you really whine like a hormonal teenager !”

 

“DON’T YOU FEEL SORRY AT ALL FOR BREAKING MY – “

 

“Okay okay, I’m sorry.” Jongdae raises both of his hands on the air. “My iPad ran out of battery and you know I need to get my daily dose of Yiruma’s River Flows In You every morning, so I took yours since my iPod doesn’t have the song.”

 

Jongin flails the iPad. “That doesn’t explain how there are traces of waters inside the screen!”

 

“You do know I always have my daily dose of Yiruma when I took a shower, right? Well, I kind of accidentally the shower and… um… shielded my head with your iPad since I was so shocked.”

 

And it’s always silent before the storm.

 

“YOU DID WHAT???”

 

Guess this morning won’t be peaceful at all, as usual.

 

===

 

Jongin just sulks and sulks.

 

Eventually laughing, Sehun put an elbow on the table and rests his head on the palm. “Must be Jongdae hyung’s doing again.”

 

“He shielded his head from the shower,” Jongin gritted through his teeth, “with my iPad.”

 

“He what??” Sehun gasps before he clapped his hands. “Damn, Jongdae hyung is so cool.”

 

Eyeing his bestfriend as he feels betrayed, Jongin huffs and glances towards the door of the classroom. “Kyungsoo is not here yet.”

 

“Kyungsoo hyung will arrive ten minutes before the first class starts, as always,” Sehun glances at his wristwatch, “which is like in three minutes. Why are you asking?”

 

“Because I need someone normal to console me.”

 

“… and just what do you think I am?”

 

“I refuse to acknowledge your existence.”

 

“Aw, meanie.”

 

It’s always like a scene of a Prince Charming entering the ball room whenever Do Kyungsoo walks in. Books being draped in his left arm, right hand holding a cup of milk tea, face looking so fresh and soft, shortly cropped jet black hair styled up, the buttons of his crisp looking shirt left opened revealing the t-shirt inside, dark colored jeans paired with rather bright colored sneakers. And the way Kyungsoo walks, really, it’s always like he spits pheromone along his movements. Sehun scoffed over the girls in the classroom who swoon over Kyungsoo as usual. Kyungsoo is already a second year student but somehow ended up taking one class in the first year schedule, which is actually why he ended up befriending Jongin and Sehun.

 

“And he’s even much shorter than me.” the boy adds. Jongin just stare at Kyungsoo like how Olaf in ‘Frozen’ talks about summer.

 

Oh yeah, Do Kyungsoo is the living proof of the saying that ‘sometimes smartness makes a guy ten times ier’.

 

“Good morning.” without a sound, Kyungsoo put the Styrofoam cup on the table next to Jongin’s. “What’s up?”

 

“Jongdae hyung was a pain in the this morning.”

 

“Again?” Kyungsoo chuckled ever so manly. “What did he do?”

 

“He shielded his head from the shower with my iPad and now it won’t turn on!”

 

Kyungsoo laughed, setting his backpack on the seat before he plops down along. “But you saved all the contents in your iTunes right?” Jongin nods like a kid. “Then there won’t be a problem. After all you said the thing took a lot of spaces, right? Just buy the Mini version instead.”

 

Eventually Jongin’s eyes sparkle. “You are the best, Kyungsoo!” he claimed before he sighed. “I wish I have a brother like you, so cool and just so cool.”

 

“Yeah, keep saying that. You’re lucky to have a brother who loves you so much despite his hobby of getting you on the edge of your sanity.” Sehun scoffs, glancing up over the high ceiling. “Unlike me who has to deal with a straight faced tall Eskimo every day. Damn, he’s not even my full brother.”

 

“Well, you’re also straight faced yourself, but I get what you mean.” Jongin innocently comments.

 

“Kris hyung is really a nice person.” Kyungsoo says casually after taking a sip of the milk tea. “I mean, he talks a lot once you’re close to him.”

 

“Lucky you, then.” Sehun faked a smile. “I spent like seven years living with him and he doesn’t even talk to me more than twenty sentences.”

 

“You counted?”

 

“Blame my sentimental heart.”

 

“I’m not saying that what he has been doing is right, but as what I would always say, he just didn’t understand yet.” Kyungsoo says softly to Sehun. “There will be a day when he will realize that his anger to what happened between you guys never worth it.”

 

“Easy for you to say, Kyungsoo, because you’re like the brother he always wanted. It’s like, well, like he wants to kick me out of the house and put your name on the family registration card instead.” Sehun rolls his eyeballs.

 

Jongin nods slowly. “I agree a lot with Kris hyung.”

 

“What I’m saying is,” Sehun eyed Jongin again, “you have to be thankful of what you have in your life. Don’t always point out the things you don’t have, but try to also recognize the things you have that someone else doesn’t.”

 

Both Jongin and Kyungsoo stare at Sehun in awe. Sometimes the boy could be so wise in certain times. Mostly in the morning or when he just finished a book.

 

 

 

“The intro is good.” Jongdae grins. “How could we never think about adding an intro for this?”

 

Zhang Yixing laughs, fingers playing with the notes on the keyboard. “Little things could be so important sometimes. Anyway,” Yixing stops his fingers and reached for the ON/OFF button, “where’s Baekhyun? I can’t wait to hear him sing the new part. It will sound so great I know it.”

 

“I know, right?” Jongdae grins again. He then checks his wristwatch. “I think he’s still in the class. It will end by ten minutes after all.”

 

“Well then, I’ll see you again at the recording room. I’m going to grab a lunch.” Yixing smiled at the junior as he stands up. “I’m always hungry after a nice session.”

 

“I’m hungry all the time.” Jongdae states dumbly.

 

Yixing laughs again, dimples showing visibly. He puts the purple headphone on his ears before he waves a hand at Jongdae. With that, the Chinese senior walks out of the room.

 

Humming randomly, Jongdae gathers his belongings and shoves them into his backpack. He sets it on his shoulder and walks out of the room too. It’s finally lunch time, and he has ten minutes before the cafeteria starts to get packed. He hates having to squeeze into the crowd. Like, ew, peasants.

 

Some girls passing him with squeals and excited whispers. Jongdae frowns. Is there an idol coming? He notices a few girls are doing the same thing too. He wonders along until his ears caught some sentences.

 

“ – they be so handsome like that?? How could they even be friends?? Oh my, did you see how Jongin smiled at Kyungsoo sunbae?? And Sehun was so plain as usual but oh my God he was so cool!!”

 

Jongdae cringes. Holy mother of God, not again.

 

The first year girls then stop when they notice Jongdae. They squeal again. “Hello, sunbae!”

 

“Hello, ladies.” Jongdae flashes his killer smile – girls girls girls – “Can you do me a favor, please?”

 

One with the curly hair nodded excitedly. “Anything, sunbae!”

 

“Well, nothing serious, actually. I just wonder if you guys could tell me where my brother is.”

 

“He’s in the cafeteria with Kyungsoo sunbae and Sehun!” curly answers immediately. “But sunbae, where is Baekhyun sunbae and Chanyeol sunbae?”

 

“I don’t know. Haven’t seen them yet.” Jongdae faked a pouty look. Then he smiles brightly again. “Thank you, by the way. See you guys around!”

 

Leaving the girls spazzing, Jongdae makes his way to the famous cafeteria. Just like what the curly one told him, Jongin is sitting in a table for six along with Kyungsoo and Sehun, trays of half finished foods in front of them. He happily skips to the table and hops on the seat right next to his brother, startling the three boys.

 

“Jongdae hyung!” Sehun greeted.

 

“Go away.” Jongin hissed.

 

Jongdae faked a hurt look, placing his palms on his chest. “Jongin, how could you be so mean?” he whispers before he turns to Sehun and smiles, reaches his arm across the table to ruffle the boy’s head. “Hello to you too, Sehunnie! Gosh, you’re really handsome now.”

 

“What did you do this morning, Jongdae hyung? Jongin is still PMS-ing over it even by now.” Kyungsoo smirked when Jongin huffs, stabbing his spaghetti murderously with a harmless plastic fork.

 

Jongdae shook his head before he points his index finger at Kyungsoo. “I like your choice of words.”

 

“I hate you.”

 

“Aw, Jongin, I already said I’m sorry. Hyung will buy you a new one, okay?”

 

“Don’t need it.”

 

“… you need it for your dance choreography videos. Don’t dare to think I’m a moron.”

 

“I’m buying iPad Mini.”

 

“Then I’ll buy it for you.”

 

Jongin’s face lightens up as he stares at his brother. “You will??”

 

Shrugging, Jongdae leans backwards on his seat. “Yeah, why not?” he says before he notices two boys walking towards the table they’re at. “Hoi, Trolls!”

 

The three of the youngers turns to the direction and find both Baekhyun and Chanyeol are already standing before them. “Hello fellas! Can we join in?”

 

Jongin blinks stoically. “No.”

 

“Thank you so much!” Baekhyun says sweetly as he slides into the nearest seat, leaving Chanyeol to have to walk around to occupy the seat across. “Gosh, I’m hungry but just too lazy to wait for the line. What is that, Jonginnie? Is that spaghetti? Kyungsoo’s spaghetti is thousand times better. Can I have a scoop?”

 

“Ssh, Baek, calm down and I’ll bring a tray of it.” Chanyeol reaches forward with his long limbs to flick Baekhyun on the forehead.

 

“Don’t do that!” Sehun exclaims. “It could make people stupid.”

 

Eyes widening in horror, Baekhyun put his palm over his forehead where Chanyeol had flicked him seconds before. He shots a look on Chanyeol. “No wonder why I became a retard after I befriended you!!!”

 

“Excuse me?? You were the one who approached me first at the New Year ceremony!”

 

“Well then it was a mistake!! I should’ve known that Jongdae was enough for me!!”

 

“What the ?? Then why hasn’t Jongdae become a retard yet?? In fact he became smarter and more genius after we’re friends!!”

 

“Uh,” Jongdae speaks up after he heard his name, “that’s because I’m fabulous?”

 

The rants and insults between Baekhyun and Chanyeol go on and on, leaving Jongin to continue his lunch calmly again while Sehun and Kyungsoo become so engrossed in watching the fun show in front of them. It’s a few moments later that Jongin realizes his brother has not been really taking a part in the unhealthy conversation, and it’s a pretty rare thing to find. His brother is looking at somewhere else. He followed the direction where Jongdae has been staring at, and then he furrows his eyebrows before a knowing smirk creeps its way on his lips.

 

Of course, of course, it’s Lee Hwangmi again. Jongdae has been over heels for her since the recent New Year ceremony. The petite Lee girl is like the flower of the first year students. How couldn’t she be? She’s petite that she could fit perfectly under a guy’s arm, she has this milky white skin that brings out the fresh strawberry scent especially in the morning (Jongin never understand how could Jongdae noticed such scent because hell it sounds creepy), her hair looks so soft and jet black and it reaches the middle of her back, her eyes twinkle all the time if it’s even normal and the fact that she’s one of the best vocals among the first years only makes Jongdae fall harder for her.

 

Jongin watches in amusement as Jongdae sighs softly, still staring at Lee Hwangmi from the corner of his eyes, keeping himself from getting caught but doesn’t want to waste any precious second of seeing his angel. Gone the troll face and the mischievous grin on his face, replaced with a face of a boy in love fever.

 

Well, in-love Jongdae is surprisingly normal.

 

“She’ll get burnt if you keep looking at her like that, hyung.” Jongin whispers before he stuffed the last scoop of his spaghetti, already reaching for the mineral water.

 

Jongdae sighs heavier this time. “I’m such a coward.”

 

“Nah. You just haven’t found the right way to approach her, that’s all.” Jongin says before he gulps the water. In cases like this, Jongin tries not to take advantages of a dilemmatic Jongdae. Yep, Jongin is just too good to be true.

 

“But I have every single way possible to do it! She was your schoolmate for long, she’s in the pop vocal club, she’s also Yixing’s favorite junior, and she’s neighbors with Chanyeol. Seriously, I have a lot of ways to approach her but I’m still like this until now.” Jongdae sighs in frustration.

 

Jongin chuckles. Instead of using all the perks of unintentionally – or rather luckily – being in the same circle with Lee Hwangmi, his brother chooses to approach the girl slowly through him. The first years are divided in two groups, Jongin is in the A one. Unfortunately Lee Hwangmi is in the B group, so she has different schedules with Jongin although they take the same classes. Jongdae uses him to give small presents to the girl, like a single stem of red rose, or a tiny jar of her favorite chocolate cookies – Jongdae had a hard time of squeezing that information from Chanyol’s mom –, notes of ‘good morning’s, and other cheesy things a Kim Jongdae could come up with. Jongin doesn’t mind at all. Instead, he’s like a satisfied spectator sitting back while watching a romantic journey of Kim Troll Jongdae in getting the girl he likes.

 

He’s so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn’t realize Jongdae’s desperate cries of his name. “Jongin, hey, Jongin, stop staring!!”

 

He shook his head unconsciously before he turns at his brother. “Huh?”

 

“Dammit, she caught you staring at her!” Jongdae hissed. “You’re so embarrassing, oh God!!”

 

“Oh?? Sorry.” Jongin grinned sheepishly, but unknowingly his head is already turning on the girl again, and he catches her also staring at him in a split of second before she waves slightly at him and quickly tilts her head away to talk to her friend – which is no other than Jung Soojung, his seatmate for four years in high school.

 

“What were you guys talking about?” Baekhyun’s curious eyes are glowing at Jongdae. “Don’t tell me it’s the Princess Lee again.”

 

“Shut the up, Byun.” Jongdae muttered.

 

“Princess Lee?” Sehun frowns. “Princess Lee who?”

 

Chanyeol grins. “You guys know about the first year student Jongdae has been crushing on since he saw her at the New Year ceremony, right?”

 

“Park Chanyeol I’m going to pull that big alligator mouth of yours off your face and shove it into your nose holes.”

 

“Ewh Jongdae that’s just too disgusting and psychotic!!”

 

“Princess Lee who?” Sehun asks again dumbly.

 

“You know Lee Hwangmi, right, Sehun?” Baekhyun says eagerly.

 

Sehun thinks for a while before he nods. “So she is the first year student Jongdae hyung has been crushing on since he saw her at the New Year ceremony?”

 

“Kid you don’t have to repeat the entire thing I said, seriously.”

 

“She was my seatmate for four years in high school. Practically my good friend.” Sehun states with an innocent expression on his usually bored face.

 

Four pairs of eyes are bulging out in shock at him – three, because Kyungsoo’s eyes are always seem to be bulging out of their sockets. Jongin just laughs, already knowing the fact since he was in the same high school together with Sehun, Hwangmi and Soojung – and he had intentionally hid the fact just to make his brother go insane like this – and oh how the look on Jongdae’s face worth it.

 

“You got to be kidding me.”

 

“Destiny is indeed an interesting thing.”

 

“You look like you have something to say.” Chanyeol points out at Kyungsoo. All eyes are on the cool guy again.

 

And coolly, Kyungsoo shrugs. “I was going to mention that she’s my cousin. Well, my mom’s cousin’s daughter, actually. Can I still count her as a cousin?”

 

There’s a few seconds of total silence in the table before Baekhyun and Chanyeol’s hysterical laughters filled the air and the sound of Jongdae slapping his palm against his forehead adds in. Jongin then joins the laughter, being so ecstatic. Sehun nods dumbly with an ‘ooh I get it!’ face at Kyungsoo who has this I-don’t-even-give-a- expression on his face as always.

 

===