Episode 1 :  The Beginning of Bad Luck

Pairing [but not really a pairing] : Minseok X Kai

Word Count: 1,1K

Preschool Minseok wasn’t aware of all the parameters taking part in the equations of Love relationships.

At 5 years old, Minseok still had all his baby fat. Literally all of it and maybe a little more. Yes, he was a little chubby (some would say ‘round’) but he was the kindest of them all.

Preschool was the best experience. He waited so long to finally be there! All those game taught him so much primordial knowledge. It sure was useful to know how to lace his own shoes!

Minseok was learning many things at the same time of meeting new children and making friends. He never was the one to have many. He preferred calm activities (most of the time solo games) to trashing and yelling around in large groups. Being ‘the round one’ also made it a little more difficult to approach the other kids. He felt like he would be laughed at for the layers of fat he had around his tummy and cheeks. He often felt like the others were running away from him for no precise reason. Maybe he was a little odd and didn’t know it. Maybe it was just his imagination.

Though one day something happened.

It was snack time. Minseok was eating his apple at the big round table in the middle of the classroom. Beside hi sat Kai who was chatting mysteriously with one of his friends. Minseok paid no mind: he was used not to be part of those scheming. Then, Kai turned to him without any apparent reason, without any warning.

Kai was the exact definition of a ‘cool kid.’ He was ‘renowned’ to be part of the cutest, funniest, and bravest. He was one of those who could do about everything without being reprimanded. Even his parents were good-looking, which is a must when you are 5 years old and prone to be laughed at for any infantile reason. Needless to say that Kai was the ‘hot stuff’ of his time and being friends with him would lead anyone to be on the cool side too.

For Minseok, Kai talking to him was the biggest event of the month.

“Minseok?” Kai called after he swallowed his bite of cookie.

“Yes?”

“Do you want to be my boyfriend?” Kai asked directly, without any hesitation or flinch on his face.

“Yes.” Minseok answered instantly. He accepted without really knowing what it was like to be someone else’s boyfriend. He secretly hoped it would bring him more friends, more fun at school and at least a few hugs.

Kai then turned his attention back to his friend, plainly disinteresting himself from Minseok. Minseok should have known then that something was wrong with this story, but he was too excited from being asked the question that the fact didn’t cross his mind.

Minseok spent the rest of his day following Kai everywhere he went. That’s literally all he did: he followed. Kai didn’t really include him into his activities. Minseok vaguely remembers that time, but he thinks Kai even asked him to leave him alone during the afternoon recess.

“Mommy! Kai is my boyfriend now!” Is the first thing Minseok told his mom when she came to pick him up at the end of the day.

“Yes?” him mom asked, surprised.

“Yes! He asked me this morning and I said yes!” Minseok beamed, because the fact that he had been rejected the pretty same afternoon didn’t really killed the happiness he had towards being asked out. And he sure didn’t make the link between Kai’s lack of attention towards him and the weird conversation the latter had with his friend that morning during the snack time.

“Oh, wow! It’s great then! His mom cheered. Minseok’s smile shone brighter.

Minseok tried to follow Kai around the following day, and the one after, and maybe the one after too, always to be pushed away by his ‘boyfriend’

The more he was rejected, the less Minseok felt happy in his relationship. In fact, his poor self-esteem was creeping up his back, darkening his mood and destroying all his motivation to play with other kids. It’s only then that he realised that Kai didn’t ‘really’ want to be his boyfriend. He didn’t understand what happened. Kai asked him out and soon after they were not together anymore. Maybe it was a joke. Then it was not a funny one at all.

“How is it going with your boyfriend?” his mom asked about a week later.

“He’s not my boyfriend anymore, mom.” Minseok plainly answered, a bitter taste in his mouth.

“Oh, why so?” Mis mom was a little confused. It’s true that puppy loves can be hard to understand for grown ups.

“I don’t know, we’re just not boyfriends anymore.”

6^th grade Minseok is lively and has a considerable amount of good friends. His current best friend Luhan was in the same preschool group as him. They have known each other for almost 7 years now.

“Do you remember when Kai asked you out in preschool?” His friend randomly asked one day. Minseok briefly wonders how Luhan came to know it. Minseok ever told anyone except his mom…

“Of course I remember. Why are you asking?” Minseok inquired carefully. He kind of knew he wouldn’t like the answer he would get.

“Because I wanted to know if you knew that he did it as an example to teach another guy to ask someone out.”

“What?!” Minseok couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Yeah. Well, the other guy wanted to ask someone out. Kai taught him how, using you as a guinea pig.”

“Is it true?” Minseok was feeling his self-esteem drop more quickly than a roller coaster going down after a long ascension.

“Yes, he told me.” Luhan answered, not quite catching on Minseok’s uneasiness.

“Wow, I would never have guessed that. Thanks for telling me!” Minseok acted as if he was happy to know the truth.

In fact, he wasn’t at all. He would have preferred to ignore it until the end. Because now, h truly felt like a guinea pig: not worthy enough to be cherished as a precious animal, but enough to be used cruel experimentations and demonstrations.

Minseok likes to put his current incapacity to romantically trust or his too easy tendency to doubt everyone’s intentions on that episode. He was hurt in his deepest feelings from the kind of wound that doesn’t heal easily. He knows it won’t last eternally, but for the moment, the only thing he can do it wait for the perfect one to help him get through that trauma.