The social hierarchy of Daejeon High School was forever changed the minute Han Sanghyuk entered the building on his first day. He was the tallest guy during the welcoming ceremony. His bright charming eyes and well-sculpted jaw line also helped turning a few heads. Within an hour upon his arrival, "Han Sanghyuk" was on every freshmen girls' and noonas' tongues, ready to swallow him alive.

 

"Have you seen him?!"

 

"Who?"

 

"The really tall kid from Seoul!"

 

"Han Sanghyuk?"

 

"Gasp! You knew his name already? I'm so jealous!"

 

A cacophony of dying-pig squeals followed.

 

The guys were equally intrigued by the new talk-of-the-town transferred kid. Unlike the opposite , they were confident to approach him. However, the girls were not too jealous of their one-minute conversation.

 

"I don't see what's so great about him," one of the guy testified his brief encounter with “Prince Sanghyuk”.

 

The girls booed and retorted, "You're just jealous of him."

 

The prince went through the first week in commotion, packed with random strangers approaching him. He belonged to everyone and not anyone.

 

"He's so mysterious!" the girls concluded dreamily.

 

***

 

Hyuk was completely worn out by the end of first week. His mom had signed him up for another supplementary math course, which he thought was unnecessary. It was a well-known fact that Hyuk was superior in math at school. To the girls, Hyuk was indeed the perfect boyfriend material.

 

The neighbourhood was casted by a giant shadow by the time he was released from the prism of trig function. He dragged his tired body behind him. His mind was consumed with the thoughts of rice and beef stew that he was unaware of where he was heading. An arm swung around his shoulders caught him off guard.

 

"Hey, baby. I've heard so much about you," someone breathed under Hyuk’s ear. He squeezed his shoulder, keeping him close to his side.

   

Hyuk turned to see the guy in the same school uniform as his, but he was older. He failed to recall meeting the upper classmate before.

   

When he got no reaction from the freshman, he drew his face closer to Hyuk’s neck. His lips almost touched his skin, “You fancy coming home with us? We’ll have a lot of fun.”

   

Until someone else laughed then Hyuk noticed two other guys’ presences. “Look, Sungjae. He’s blushing!” one of the guys pointed out. Another guy pinched his reddened cheek.

   

Hyuk continued walking, but Sungjae’s arm was still around him. The trio followed.

 

“Or we can come home with you, baby.”

   

Hyuk tried shrugging him off, but the older guy was relentless, “Why are you playing hard to get? We are the coolest seniors at school. You can’t say ‘no’ to us.” He squeezed Hyuk’s buttcheek to make his point clear.

   

Hyuk’s face only turned redder. He was too confused  to even comprehend the situation, but he was positive that he did not like their company at all. He spotted a bus arriving to its bus stop on his right. When the last person in line was getting in, Hyuk ran as fast as he could. He hopped onto the bus right before it pulled out to the traffic, leaving the other guys on the other side of the door. Hyuk could barely hear them swearing at him as the wrong bus sped down the road.

   

Hyuk’s heart was still accelerating. He had a sudden recollection of who those guys were. He vaguely remembered them staring at him at the hallway. However, Hyuk had paid no attention to them. He had assumed that they were one of the many nameless students who were curious about him. Unlike the guys who had approached him before, those three were the exact people who Hyuk did not wish to be friends with.

 

***

 

Hyuk had adopted a routine of survival methods ever since the incident at the bus stop. He would duck his head into his locker whenever he spotted Sungjae from afar. Or he would walk into a random classroom to get out of his way. He dodged all of his hangout places like the soccer field and the front of the school.
 

Sungjae was not a fool. He would grab Hyuk's whenever he past his locker, making Hyuk a laughingstock. Hyuk would walk into other people's classroom to dodge the bullet, then a group of screaming fangirls would make him running out and then he would find Sungjae waiting at the door, smirking down at him. He would also find "love letters" in his locker from him everyday. Hyuk's nervous system had been rewired to look out for Sungjae. Still, the harder he tried to avoid him, the more prominent was his presence. Sungjae was always so subtle, and Hyuk was always in the open field for the scavenger to pick up his corpse.

 

The long day was not over yet. Hyuk still had half of a day left before the bell would release him from Hell. The cafeteria food was his only companion for lunchtime right now. He did not blame his classmates for walking away from their conversation after the duration of one minute. He had always ran out of things to say to them. Hyuk did not have a special interest. He was just like any other ordinary kids. He woke up at six in the morning, walked to school like the majority of his classmates, going through the day like a zombie (asides from being chased around by fangirls), and went home at ten o’clock after cram school. Hyuk did have had a phase of gaming back in middle school, but ever since he had passed out from playing Street Fighter for twenty-four hours straight, he was forever prohibited from his game console. He had even tried sports, but he was definitely better in math than shooting hoops.

 

Maybe Hyuk could talk about his dream like some of his classmates did. “I want to be a corporal lawyer” or “I want to be an office worker” would have been a safe standardized answer coming from Hyuk, but he would be at loss for words for an occupation that he had zero interests in. His parents were not like the normal parents who forced a career onto their kids either. “Just study hard and get a well-paying job, okay?” his mom always told him. That’s the only wisdom he could get from his family. So Hyuk would shut up and listen to the other kids his age raving about being an idol, a nurse, a military general, etc. What was there left for Hyuk to talk about? Except complaints about teachers, homeworks, lessons, classmates, weather, and cafeteria foods he was chewing right now.

   

A wave of obnoxious cackle from the far side of the cafeteria broke Hyuk's solitude. He did not have to turn his head to see that it was Sungjae and Co., laughing at some inside jokes about Hyuk. Hyuk shut them out. He knew that they would not dare to lay their hands on him in a crowd, not when there were eyes and ears that were monitoring Hyuk twenty-four seven.

 

A sudden metallic thud slamming on the table interrupted Hyuk's eating. He looked up to an uninvited guest sitting across from him. His black hair was clipped short to his skull. He was not outstanding looking at all, except for his droopy eyes that made him look like a sleepwalker. He was just another older kid who had heard about Han Sanghyuk. Hyuk probably would forget his face the second he would leave him alone.

 

"Hi. I'm Kim Wonshik. Want to have lunch with us over there?"

 

Hyuk looked at where he was pointing at. It was indicating Sungjae's direction. "No. Thank you," his voice was far from thankful.

 

Wonshik was not taken aback by his answer at all, as if he had expected his rejection, "I'll stay here with you then."

 

Hyuk stole another glance at Sungjae's table. He obviously looked pissed. Hyuk dropped his eyes on his foods again and secretly wished that the other guy would go back to Sungjae's side.

 

"I heard you're from Seoul. Which neighbourhood?"

 

"Jamsil dong," Thirty seconds had passed already. Hyuk already had the full conversation predicted.

 

"No way! Me too!" Wonshik hit the table excitedly, making Hyuk jumped. "Did you go to Jamsil Middle School too?"

 

For the first time since Hyuk had arrived, he finally heard someone relating to his hometown. A small smile slipped, "Yeah. I did."

 

"Dude, how's Miss Kim?” Wonshik could hardly contain his excitement now. “You know that really hot home ed teacher? Did she quit after that happened?"

 

Hyuk leaned in, anticipating a good story, "What happened?"

 

Wonshik was already grinning, "We peed all over her desk to mark our territory," a loud throaty laugh escaped which he covered with his fist.

 

Hyuk first cringed at the disgusting imagery, but Wonshik's high-pitch laugh was too contagious for Hyuk to resist laughing with him. Their laughters probably lasted more than one minute. The kind of laugh that was more hilarious than the story itself that they only stopped when it was too silly to go on.

 

A silence followed the short-lived merriment. Hyuk could feel all eyes on them now, whispering and questioning.

 

"Are you sure you don't want to join us?" Wonshik asked again. "My friends are nice."

 

Hyuk fidgeted. He shakily grabbed his tray before standing up, "It was nice talking to you, but lunch is almost over." He hurried away without giving Wonshik nor Sungjae a second glance.

 

***

 

The autumn leaves painted the school ground gold with one neat . The dark green school cardigan was hanging loose on Hyuk. Nothing much had changed for him after three days since he had talked to him at the cafeteria. The only difference was that he had learned to devour his lunch quickly to avoid breathing the same air as Sungjae. He looked up from his novel to feel the light breeze ruffling his hair. The moderate sunshine was closing his eyes. His conscious and sight slowly drowned out the birds chirping and the sound of people playing basketball.
    

“Heads up!” someone shouted at Hyuk, but he was too late.

 

The book flew out of his hand as the flying basketball collided his right shoulder. Hyuk winced, rubbing the bruise. Someone came running to him to retrieve the ball.

 

“Sanghyuk, are you okay?” a deep male voice asked.

 

Hyuk now faced someone familiar - the guy from Jamsil dong. “I’m okay.”

 

He was not convinced and insisted to bring him to the school nurse.

 

“Really. I’m fine!” Hyuk responded, sounding rather irritated. He immediately regretted snapping at a stranger when he saw his injured expression.

 

Wonshik gathered the ball and walked away, then he stopped in his track. He turned to Hyuk again, “If you are ‘really fine’. Want to play?”

 

Hyuk caught the thrown ball. Wonshik waited for him to follow him back to the court. Hyuk

sighed and moved towards him out of guilt, though his shoulder was throbbing. The closer he was to the court, the more restless he became. Why had he consented again? First of all, Hyuk was a sport-free person. Most importantly, what if Sungjae was there? Hyuk’s shoulder screamed in pain.

 

Wonshik put his arm around him before Hyuk could change his mind. He waved at the two guys waiting for him at the court, “Look who I’ve brought? Sanghyuk, meet Jongin hyung and Taemin hyung.”

 

Hyuk did a half bow which caused a round of laughter.

 

Hyuk was not sure if he should laugh with them or stand awkwardly, so he chose the latter.

 

Wonshik passed the ball to one of his friends and he passed it back to Hyuk, "Loosen up, kiddo. It's just a friendly game of basketball."

 

The shorter guy wearing a pair of thick lips charged towards the taller one and wrestled the ball from him. The friendly game was off to a brutal start.

 

Hyuk did not remember much about the match except for the shovelling and the yelling and the sweating and the dribbling. His stamina could barely keep up alongside with three fit guys. Hyuk was panting harder when his checkmate was Wonshik. The older was stronger and faster than all of them. No matter how much Hyuk intruded his personal space, Wonshik would dodge and turn his back on him. At one point of the game, Hyuk was desperate enough to throw his arms around his waist to scratch his arms. Wonshik dropped the ball, laughing from the ticklish sensation. He hit Hyuk's head afterwards, threatening a foul next time he cheated.

 

The four players were finally worn out as lunchtime was ending, especially Hyuk. He was sweating profusely against the fence. Jongin passed the water bottle around. When it got to Hyuk, he was amazed that the water shared between four guys would taste like exiler.

 

Wonshik had plopped down in the centre next to Hyuk, "I told you they are nice people. You should have leapt for joy when I asked you to have lunch with us.”

 

“Yup!” Jongin seconded while wiping his forehead with a white towel. “He was so worried about you. You look like a lost puppy, just like the first we met our Wonshikkie!”

“Yah!” Wonshikkie reached over and punched him in the arm.

 

Hyuk was blushing from hearing the outburst. So that’s why he approached me… he thought back to the first time he had talked to Wonshik, "I thought you were... never mind."

 

Wonshik glanced at him, interested, "You thought what?"

 

Hyuk could not avoid his fixed gaze, "I thought you were friends with Sungjae."

 

The three friends exchanged enlightened looks.

 

"Why did you think that?" Taemin asked, "We don’t really get along with him."

 

“Nope. We never did,” Jongin confirmed. “We are not like him”

 

Wonshik raised a suspecting eyebrow, "Is he bothering you?"

 

Hyuk nodded.

 

Wonshik flared, "I knew that douche is up to something! The way he stares at you all the time is so damn creepy!"

 

Hyuk found his face heated up even more. He did not think that anyone would pay close attention of what's going on between him and Sungjae. Wonshik threw a protective arm around him, making Hyuk want to lean on him just a little bit, "Don't worry. You are with us now."

 

Taemin reached over to ruffle Hyuk's wet hair and Jongin shot him a lopsided smile. Hyuk was not bothered by the sweat sticking onto his back too much at the moment. The song birds started another chorus. The boys sat by the fence chatting idly until the bell summoned them back to their respective classes.

 

***
 

Ever since Wonshik and his friends had taken Hyuk under their wings, he stopped slouching as he strode down the hallway. He tried not to flinch when Sungjae was leering at him from afar. A thought tugged at the back of his mind that someone was watching out for him too, the way Sungjae stared at him. He smiled at the reassuring thought. For once, he was no longer walking down the dark alley of life with absolutely no direction.
 

Hyuk had not noticed that Jongin was in his math class before. Hyuk was less alone now comparing to few weeks ago. Under the guidance of Jongin, Hyuk slowly opened up to his classmates too. The class initially was shocked by his friendliness, but they learned to include him in their conversation. Surprisingly, school gossips was more entertaining than Hyuk had expected. He could not help but hoped that one day they would treat him as equal.

 

After school, when Hyuk was gathering his bag from his locker before going to cram school, someone jabbed a finger at his waist. It was Wonshik who was followed by Taemin and Jongin.

 

“Did you see his face?” Taemin re-enacted his exaggerated surprise face.

 

Jongin slapped his back, “Don’t be mean to our Hyukkie!” he joined in Taemin’s laughter nonetheless.

 

Hyuk laughed with them too. It was the sort of jokes that he was comfortable to laugh it off.

 

His friends escorted him out of the building, but then he got dragged away from the direction to his cram school. Wonshik held onto his arm, “Come on, Hyukkie. Let’s go to the arcade.” He moved on to hugging him from the back now, afraid that he would run away. “No! Wonshik!” Hyuk giggled, which sounded quite disgusting to his own ears. “I can’t walk like this!”

 

Jongin and Taemin just laughed at them, saying how adorable they looked together, instead of helping the freshman out of his senior’s grasp.

 

Hyuk could not suppress his own mischievous smile. His subconscious had been waiting for an excuse to run away from his responsibility. Plus, Wonshik’s clinginess made it hard to resist the invitation.

 

 

The hyungs’ favourite arcade was located between a small corner store and a games’ store. There were other students from their school hanging out in the afternoon. The only light source they received were the artificial lights on the screens. The sounds of machines humming, clashing, and beeping were interwoven into one great orchestra. Hyuk and Wonshik headed towards the Street Fighter straightaway. Taemin and Jongin wandered to the car racing simulation.
  

The game box was a time machine transporting Hyuk back to the good old days as a gamer. His kickass kangaroo K.O.ed Wonshik’s bulky boxer under three seconds. Wonshik punched the panel, calling it unfair. Hyuk took it as a praise given to the game prodigy. Wonshik suggested switching characters, the result remained the same. To Hyuk’s surprise, his self-righteous hyung was gripping Hyuk’s hand that was controlling the console, trying to make him lose. Their upper bodies ended up pushing each other off of the small stools, bringing Street Fighter into real-life actions.

   

By the time Taemin and Jongin came back for their friends after three hours, Hyuk and Wonshik were battling for a free meal of gopchang. Taemin and Jongin looked at each other, completely baffled at their mutual enthusiasm for old game like Street Fighter. “It’s not old! It’s classic!” Hyuk and Wonshik reunited, breaking off from their fight temporarily.

 

Eventually, Hyuk and Wonshik were being carried out of the arcade, away from the machines, which was a very bad idea. They ended up fighting about who had won the bet. Who should buy the gopchang now? They were so busy arguing and shovelling that they almost crashed into the people coming towards them. Sungjae and co. blocked the sidewalk.

   

“Aren’t you having too much fun flirting?” Sungjae pushed Hyuk on the chest. “Did you forget about me already?”

   

Hyuk only had time to scoff. Wonshik took a step in front of Sungjae and shoved Hyuk to the back, “Don’t mess with him.”

   

Sungjae smirked, “South Korea is a free country. I can with him however I want. Right, guys?” two other morons snickered as if Sungjae had told the dirtiest, funniest joke.

   

“The law doesn’t say any freedom. It says that harassing others can get you to jail.”

   

Sungjae’s smirk vanished. The two guys stared down at each other, or more accurately, only Wonshik was staring down at the shorter opponent. Millions of death threats and warnings passed amidst them wordlessly. A friend of Sungjae tried grabbing Hyuk  Jongin blocked the advancement and shoved back. The third guy started taunting and swearing at Taemin. In a second, Hyuk was caught in the midst of pushing, yelling, and swearing. He covered his head in his arms, anticipating for a fist fight breaking out.

   

“Yah! What are you hooligans doing in front of my business?!”

   

Seven heads whipped towards an angry ajussi holding a giant broom. He waved the thick wooden stick at them, causing all of them flinch, “Scram or y’all gonna get a good ol’ beating!” He swiped the broom one last time to cause a crystal-sounding stir in the air.

   

The old man smiled triumphantly as the group of delinquents broke off. He muttered something about young people with dyed hair looking like gangsters before marching back to his store.

 

Sungjae turned his cutting gaze back to Wonshik, "I'll come back for that kid." He was referring to Hyuk but he was glaring at Wonshik. He did not even spare Hyuk a look before he and his friends walked on.

 

Wonshik lifted Hyuk up on his feet by the arm. He checked him over for any scratches. Hyuk was not injured, nor did anyone else. Hyuk only lost his appetite for his beloved gopchang.

 

The party of four decided to break off for home. Wonshik and Hyuk left together since they lived close. Hyuk shoved his hands into his pockets as he shivered in the cold autumn night. Wonshik held him close and rubbed his hand along his goose-bumped arm.
 

Hyuk was grateful for his silence as he was sorting out his mind. Surely, Sungjae's intrusive behaviours were far from appropriate. What could Hyuk do about it? Report him to the principal? No. Bullies like Sungjae would not bend his ways just because of a suspension. Turning him to the police? Hyuk shook his head. He held no solid evidence against him. All effort would only anger the bully more. He tried to shake his threatening look directing at him and Wonshik from his mind. He stole a worried glance at the older guy. The street lights lined up the residential area were dimmed, like Hyuk’s ambiguous fate.

 

Wonshik watched the younger sigh multiple times. He was as lost as he was, not knowing what to do to make his situation better, and it was infuriating. It was like the first time when he had came to Seoul. Like the first time he had found his lifetime goal. He had been at loss about the direction he was heading and was alone still. He held Hyuk closer to his heart.

 

Hyuk and Wonshik walked on until someone stepped out of the shadow directly in front of them. Sungjae sauntered to them. All of his amusement vanished in the dark.

 

Wonshik turned both of them away from him, only found themselves facing Sungjae's friend Minhyuk.

 

The two were closing onto them. The trapped ones were eyeing the executors fleetingly. Wonshik’s grip on Hyuk became tighter, “Leave him alone!”

 

“I need some entertainment tonight,” Sungjae tried touching Hyuk, but Wonshik drew him back in time. “Awe. Don’t be a spoilsport.”

 

The lights in the houses were disappearing and he could feel Hyuk shaking in his arm. “I will do the ‘honour’ of entertaining you,” Wonshik said through gritted teeth.

 

Hyuk fixed his scared eyes on Wonshik. He mutely begged him to not do something stupid for him. Wonshik would not look at him.

 

Sungjae cackled. Minhyuk automatically followed the cue. He grabbed Wonshik’s shirt collar to yank him away from Hyuk. Wonshik struggled against his capturers but to no avail. Minhyuk was holding onto his arms in place while Sungjae pulled him forward. Hyuk watched them dragging Wonshik to a lightless alley. His heart was banging in its cage.

 

Hyuk wanted to run after them or shout for help. He could do either. His brain was jumbled up into knots, nothing seemed to be a viable solution. He took a step towards their direction and was halted by Wonshik’s gasps and grunts and cries. His feet refused to carry him to face the reality, so he was rooted on the spot. He could not leave Wonshik nor see him at the moment. He did not want to see the worst of him, yet he could stand imagining the worst of him.

 

The moon rose higher in the sky, and it seemed like Hyuk would never see Wonshik again. When he was finally returned to him, he was hobbling on his right leg. His hand pressed on his left abdomen, wincing from pain. His nose was bloody, accompanied with drips of blood hanging off the corner of his lips.

 

“They’re gone,” Wonshik wheezed. He frowned at the sudden wave of discomfort.

   

Hyuk was still frozen on the spot. His eyes were busy taking in his injuries. He took a step back as Wonshik advanced a step. Hyuk turned away from his injured eyes, fully aware how pale he looked in the dark.

 

***

 

 

“I wish for your boyfriend’s speedy recovery,

                        Sungjae.”

 

Hyuk crumpled the note he had found in his locker. Nothing had changed since that night in the alley, except that Hyuk had stopped being frequent at the basketball court and Wonshik’s house. He even stopped talking to Jongin when they had math together. The world Hyuk had once dreaded was returning. He had nobody with him besides a train of googly-eyed fangirls tailing him everywhere he went. And of course, he always had Sungjae. He balled his fists upon the thought of him, imagining him writhing between his fingers.

 

Hyuk was exiting the school ground while checking his phone. As expected, his mailbox was only jammed with messages from Wonshik. Jongin and Taemin had long given up contacting him. He checked the missed call. One from his mother and eleven from Wonshik. Who did he think he was? He was more annoying than his nagging mother. Hyuk shoved the phone in his pocket. He was unconscious of the way leading to his cram school. His mind wrapped around Sungjae and no one else. The thought of him persisted throughout the next three hours in class, almost to the point of being obsessive. Most of the time, he thought about that night. About what he could have done instead. He imagined himself tearing Sungjae off of Wonshik or banging on a neighbour's door, anything but standing still like an idiot.

However, a murky thought was eating him alive. He knew that even if he could go back in time, he would have done the same stupid nothing.

 

Hyuk finally escaped the droning lecture from his tutor at ten o'clock. The sky was cold navy blue and he did not wear warm enough. He was too busy rubbing his hands together. If Wonshik was here, he would stole his chilly hand into his warm one and Hyuk would protest, telling him that he was not a child anymore. He would only tug on his hand tighter. Hyuk was so entrenched thinking about his heat that he was caught off guard when someone collided into him. He had his arms wrapped around his waist.

 

"Let me go, Sungjae!" Hyuk yelled without looking.

 

"Sungjae?" Wonshik's arms fell to his sides. He was not pleased to hear his name from Hyuk's lips. "That bastard did something to you?"

 

"It's none of your business!" Hyuk blurted.

 

A faint hint of hurt crossed Wonshik, "Hyuk, aren't we friends?"

 

"Of course we are,” Hyuk did not expect his attitude towards Wonshik would soften once he did talk to him again. He just could not stand how pathetic Wonshik looked because of someone useless like him, “but you don't need to interfere with my problem."

 

Wonshik pulled out two folded pieces of papers from his pants' pocket. He shoved them into the younger's hands.

 

Hyuk took a glance at the papers, "Self-defence class?"

 

A first real smile found Wonshik, "Yup! I signed us up for self-defence classes. It's not your business anymore after they beat me up. It’s mine too. Don't stop me from retrieving my man pride, 'kay?"

 

Hyuk cocked his head in doubt. He tried to take in the invitation and Wonshik’s inviting smile at once.

 

"Really! I'm doing it for myself! Not for you! You think you're that important?" Wonshik gasped. “No. I take that back. You’re important to me too.”

 

Hyuk felt heat rising to his cheeks despite of the cold. He could not let him go now that they talked again. He wanted to believe Wonshik's excuse. "You should’ve signed us up for taekwondo, not self-defence," a small smile crept onto his lips.

 

Hyuk did not chase Wonshik away this time as they were walking towards the bus stop going home.

 

***
 

The first taekwondo lesson was alright, Hyuk supposed. He ran his hands over his body to find any new bruises. Wonshik laughed, "C'mon now, we only did the warm-up."
 

Hyuk looked over at him. The white cotton combat outfit hung loosely on his toned body. Hyuk shyly averted his eyes from his half-exposed chest. "Hyung, I'm sore," Hyuk pouted instead.

 

Wonshik chuckled again before rubbing Hyuk's shoulders loose. He whacked him in the back to finish off the brief but wonderful message. Hyuk complained loudly, saying his pain was now worse than before.

 

Hyuk looked forward to the lessons happened every Friday. He liked the exclusive attention he received from Wonshik, without Jongin or Taemin hanging around. Even after the lessons, Hyuk and Wonshik naturally hung out more. They could be walking home together or dropping by the bakery for some delicious treats for their tired bodies. They would always be laughing at some inside jokes or anything dumb that did not involve Sungjae. After every lesson, they knew that they were more prepared for any future attacks. Hyuk and Wonshik were bonding like war comrades.

 

"Okay, class. Let's partner up for some basic sparring," the instructor called.

 

Hyuk and Wonshik paired up immediately. They were tucked in the corner of the room, watching the instructor's demonstrations and then mimicking his actions.

 

"No grabbing your partner. This isn't wrestling!"

 

Wonshik shot his fist out. Hyuk barely sidestepped to avoid the offense. His feet did a random dance before he fell on his . Wonshik was doubled over with laughter, along with other younger kids who had witnessed the clumsy trip. Wonshik watched Hyuk’s cheeks becoming flamingo red.

 

"Hey!" Wonshik yelled and stunned the laughing crowd with his booming deep voice, "Don't laugh at my bro!"

 

His yelling seemed to be working, until another “pfft” escaped Wonshik. A simple incident was turned unnecessarily hilarious as the crowd was roaring with laughter.

 

Hyuk slapped Wonshik’s hand away. He was not clumsy enough to fall the second time. He swore to himself to work harder the next hour.

 

"Hey," Wonshik caught hold of Hyuk's arm, "are you mad?"

 

They were outside in the chilly open air, walking past the streets of vendors. Wonshik became more and more unsettled when Hyuk became more and more quiet.

 

"No. I'm just tired," Hyuk replied curtly.

 

Wonshik was not convinced. He threw his arm around him, trying to warm himself up, "You're not too tired for some Street Fighter, right?" Wonshik rejoiced from getting Hyuk's attention. He dragged him to the direction to his house. "How are we not related again? We can totally be real brothers."

 

Again, Hyuk fell into silence for the rest of the way.

 

Hyuk sprawled his tired body on Wonshik's bed as soon as they got to his house. He was listening to the water running, instead of setting up the game like Wonshik had asked before stepping in for a shower. Hyuk had lost his appetite for gaming since a while ago. He was thinking of… He rolled onto his side, his scent was as vivid as his blanket lying beneath Hyuk. He sat up straight and felt his cheeks burning. He needed to stop his mind from wandering, so he let his feet wander in the place of his heart.
 

Wonshik's bedroom was disorganized in an organized fashion, in a way only Wonshik knew where to dig up useful things. Notebooks and an array of papers littered the small desk. Hyuk was curious about the derivative functions Wonshik had been complaining about, so he took a peek at his "class notes". His heart jumped into his throat when he saw his name on top of the page. His hand shook as he read on. It seemed like the red on his cheeks would never go away.

 

"What are you doing?!" a demanding voice startled Hyuk out of his trance. Wonshik was already out of the bathroom, water was still dripping over his bare chest. He marched over to Hyuk and snatched the paper out of his hand. "Please don't touch my stuff."

 

There was a lump stuck in Hyuk’s throat, "So I'm a weak whiney who's good for nothing but  being a burden?"

 

Wonshik's eyes dilated. He looked at the paper in his hand, "Oh. . No. It's not what I meant."

 

"It's your handwriting! That’s exactly what you think of me!"

 

Wonshik's mind drew a blank and nothing came to his tongue. He watched Hyuk’s eyes turned watery. He did not stop him when he marched past him and out of his sight forever.

 

***
 

Hyuk felt the full weight of the note in his hand. He was leaning against the same dirty side alley with the half moon waning behind his back.

   

“Character’s traits: weak, timid, shy, reserved, quiet,” Wonshik’s description of him had drilled into Hyuk’s brain. He was sure that he had more bad names branded, but the list was too long for him to memorize. He breathed in the heartless stinking air. He understood fully why he was angry with Wonshik, because what he observed was indisputable. Hyuk was weak and timid and quiet, but tonight, he would erase all of the negative adjectives.

   

“Sorry for being late, baby,” a lecherous voice sent goosebumps all over Hyuk. He watched Sungjae stroll towards him as if he owned everything, including Hyuk. His cheeks was alighted with anger.

   

Sungjae pinched his chin to draw him closer, “You drive me crazy looking so cute blushing.”

   

Hyuk grasped his wrist and bent his arm backward, a small yelp escaped Sungjae. Sungjae slammed Hyuk against the brick wall with the capable arm. A shot of pain from the shoulder made Hyuk cringe.

   

“So this is the game you want to play?” Sungjae hissed. He drove his fist into Hyuk’s stomach, making him gasp.

   

Hyuk kicked him in the ab in return. Sungjae doubled over. Hyuk flaunted himself at him, but Sungjae was faster. He grabbed Hyuk’s neck in a lock and drove his knee cap to his midriff repeatedly. Blood rushed to Hyuk’s  eyes and he struggled to stay conscious. In vain attempt, he fell to the ground, bringing Sungjae down. Hyuk hovered on top of him to connect his fist to his jaw. Then he gave Sungjae a bloody nose.

   

The strikes and kicks were exchanged briefly until the two boys collapsed to the ground. Their breathings were faint. Hyuk felt his eyelids growing drowsy. He hardly made out the sound of Sungjae shuffling onto his feet. Sungjae spat out some blood next to him, “All I wanted was to know you…”

   

Hyuk would have laughed at his ridiculous statement if he was fully conscious. In his dreamlike haze, he saw double figures walking in and out of the alley.

 

"Hyukkie, can you stay awake?"

 

Hyuk lolled his head to one side. Wonshik took it as a nod of consent.

 

Hyuk saw him running off. Don't leave me, Hyuk's begging was stuck in his throat. His head fell back onto something hard.
 

When Wonshik got back to the park bench where Hyuk was lying, he gently lifted the younger up. He let him lean on his left shoulder while he rubbed some antiseptic on his bruised cheekbones. He relentlessly talked about random things about his day to keep him conscious. Some water down the throat seemed to revive Hyuk.

 

"I'm sorry, Hyuk," Wonshik choked, "if it wasn't for me you wouldn't have gotten into a fight with Sungjae."

 

"It's not because of you,” the world seemed to be held in one place for Hyuk to think and speak properly. “ It's all about me. You shouldn't have involved with me and Sungjae in the first place."

 

Wonshik looked at him sternly, "No. I can't see my friends being bullied and not doing anything about it. It's not right."

 

Hyuk's tug of the lips was cynical, "And it's right to write bad stuff about your friends behind their backs?"

 

Wonshik heaved a sigh of frustration, "I'm really, really sorry about the character profile. I've never told anyone about this, but screw it, I will tell you what’s that all about."

 

Hyuk was still mad, but he was also intrigued. He leant in to hear his gruesome secret.

 

"I'm working on a screenplay right now for college entrance. I based one of the characters on you... I'm sorry that my imagination about you went wild..." Wonshik's eyes were down-casted. "It might sound like an excuse to you, but I really think you are way, way better than my creative version." He grabbed hold of Hyuk's hand, desperate for him to believe him. "I've always stood by your side, haven’t I? Hyukkie?"

 

Hyuk was staring into his familiar earnestness. He did not know what to believe anymore. Wonshik was a writer who could make any lies convincing. He had stayed by his side just to use him for inspiration, right? On the other hand, Wonshik had taken undeserved beatings from Sungjae and his friends in his place. He could not overlook his protection over him before the fallout. "It doesn't matter now. I've proved to you that I'm not a , right?"

 

Wonshik broke into a relieved smile, "You were really brave. I'm a coward compare to you."

 

Hyuk raised an eyebrow at him. He was about to protest, but Wonshik continued, "I still haven't told anyone about my goal of being a screenwriter yet. You have the confidence to face Sungjae's punches, but I can't face any hurtful criticisms."

 

"I will be your critic," Hyuk volunteered, "You'll get used to other people's comments if you can get used to mine."

 

Wonshik hesitated on the suggestion. Hyuk insisted, "Don't worry. I won't be too harsh."

 

"No,”  Wonshik assumed a serious face. “Be as harsh as you can be."

 

Hyuk wanted to tell him that he would be more upset than he was if he hurt his feelings. He cleared his throat, trying to match his seriousness, "Wonshik author-nim, the first thing you need to revise is the character Han Sanghyuk. He's a changed man now." He gave him a big sultry wink which earned a laugh so heartfelt that Hyuk could listen to forever.

 

***

 

Hyuk and Wonshik embraced each other and jumped up and down in joy right after the fifty-pages script had disappeared into the belly of the mailbox. The passerby were staring but they could care less. It had been a hard work being an editor as much as being a writer. Hyuk had consumed a lifetime of coffee when he had been staying up with Wonshik and his precious baby for the past months. Wonshik suggested to celebrate the grand finale at a cafe, a suggestion which Hyuk gently rejected.
 

Wonshik was ever so grateful for the support from Jongin and Taemin. They had been skeptical about his career choice at first. Thanks to Hyuk's undying persistence, they had finally been convinced that screenwriter was the best job in the world. "Hyukkie, you should be a politician," they had simultaneously concluded. Hyuk had just shaken his head: No. I’m not like Wonshik. I don’t know who I was yet. Unlike before, there had almost been no hint of deject whenever he talked about dreams. The only emotion he felt was pride. Hyuk was proud to be a supporter of bleak dreams. Hyuk could only sleep peacefully when Wonshik was smiling everyday, despite of his energy that was burnt out from all the creative work. All Hyuk could do besides tending to his work was guarding his self-esteem. He needed the whole world to stay by Wonshik’s side, before the time was up when Hyuk would not be around anymore.

 

***

 

Hyuk shuffled his feet, standing awkwardly in front of Wonshik at the bus stop. They were both waiting for the giant bus to carry Wonshik off to Seoul. To his dream school. Hyuk could only stare at his white shoes for his eyes were obviously watery. He lifted his face up as Wonshik placed a hand on his shoulder and pulled him into the last embrace.
 

"It's good that Sungjae stopped bothering you. I could never leave if he's still harassing you."

 

Hyuk wanted to tell him that he rather have Sungjae bullying him than seeing him go, but they both knew it was not true. Things needed to be changed. Sungjae had moved on, so would Hyuk and Wonshik. Hyuk returned the hug for only a few seconds. Any longer than that would become selfishness. His greed for him would show. "I-" Hyuk had always thought he knew what to say to him when the time was up. He got nothing else to say to him now except for "good luck" and "don't go".

 

As if the older could read the longing in his eyes, "Don't. You're just confused." It pained him to say those words as much as the person who heard it. "There are greater things out there than just high schools and bullies. You'll find your goal too. Then we will meet again at our best. I’ll be a famous screenwriter and you’ll be the best man alive," his smile was flat. He had nonetheless tried.

 

If it was a year ago, Hyuk would follow his hyung's advice like a good dongsaeng would, "I like you a lot, Wonshik! More than just a dongsaeng!" His mouth hung open, amazed that he had actually confessed.

 

Wonshik's smile at last reached his eyes. He patted Hyuk’s blushing cheeks, keeping him in suspense. At this moment, the Seoul bus rolled besides him, snapping them both back to reality. Instead of doing something irrational, Wonshik thanked Hyuk for being with him and cared for him in his last year in high school. They exchanged the last goodbye. Hyuk watched him boarding the bus and sinking into his seat, and disappeared.

 

Hyuk only realized how numb his legs were once Wonshik was gone. Maybe Wonshik was right. Hyuk was confused about who he would become just yet, without a solid goal about the future. But Hyuk had his passionate moment as the better version of himself, completely different from when he had first met him. Hyuk would never regret taking that risky step to the person he loved.

 

 

 

---

 

Author's note: TBH, I'm not the biggest Rahyuk shipper, but after writing this one-shot, I can't get enough of them! Where can I find more of them? I only knew that they became closer after Eternity era... >< Anyway, I do ship them the most in term of all the VIXX one-shots I've written so far. What do you think? Please do comment, subscibe, and upvote.

 

Until the next VIXX one-shot.