Hanbin.

He walks to school today, just like yesterday, the day before that, and the day before that too. He's been walking to and from school ever since it started, and honestly, he's getting really tired of this so-called "exercise". 

He could already drive, much more drive stick, but ever since that small crash against a fire hydrent last weekend, his mother isn't as keen as before on letting him drive their chevy again. 

"That was one time, mom!" he tried to argue but being a mother, she came up with other (ridiculous) reasons and excuses on why 16-year-old Kim Hanbin cannot drive and officially get his driver's license. 

It's still barely eight in the morning and Hanbin is already grumbling and complaining and kicking the pavement with the heel of his sneakers. 

He places his hands in his pockets and turns the volume of his iPod up, but not all the way because he swears he's already going deaf day by day.

Give a little time to me, or burn this out
We'll play hide and seek, to turn this around
All I want, is the taste that your lips allow,
My, my, my, my oh give me love 

He sighs and closes his eyes for a few seconds, just taking in the lyrics and the voice of the ever so wonderful Ed. 

He tells himself to cheer up and to stay positive when he opens his eyes and forces a smile on his face. He takes a whiff of the morning air, and almost gags. 

The air pollution is getting serious here these days ever since that new factory downtown has been built. He wipes his nose with the back of his hand, and sighs. 

He looks at his surroundings, at where he is because it only takes a little over twenty minutes for him to reach school. But sometimes, twenty whole minutes seem like over an hour for him which is another reason why he really needs to drive himself to school next time. Screw the principal and the teachers, it was his car. 

He huffs at the thought and when the chorus of the song in his head is playing, he looks to his right and finds himself stopping at the sight of the street.

Kwangmong St. 

Hanbin frowns and averts his eyes to a dark brick wall of a closed pub. It's been closed ever since last November. 

He stares at the wall, the pavement, the decaying oak door of the pub, the broken street lamp that is bent and has never been fixed ever since that night, much less, touched. 

His hands are deeper in the pockets of his pants because he tries to imagine it, he tries to invision a scene where her brother had actually killed someone, three someones, with his own hands.

He tries, but he just can't see it.

He looks away and starts walking. 

His frown deepens because he just doesn't get it. How someone so level-headed and calm like Hayi's brother cause such a commotion one November night with three drunkards and his dying girlfriend at the sides, telling him to stop. 

> ; <

The ball falls from his grasp and is now being dribbled by someone from the opposite team, and this is because he can't get his head straight and his thoughts together.

Or to himself, rather. 

"What's wrong?" Jinhwan jogs over to him, his polo completely ed and his forehead trickling with sweat because it's lunch and they decided to play ball out since it wasn't all that hot and the sun wasn't beating down on the city like before in the past few days. "What're you thinking about?"

Hanbin shakes his head, trying to shake the thoughts out as well. 

But he can't, it's a fruitless attempt.

He avoids Jinhwan's eye and notices how everyone is either staring or jogging at and towards him, probably worried and annoyed but perhaps most of them are feeling the latter of the two.

Hanbin tries for a smile, but Jinhwan is unconvinced. "Really, hyung, it's nothing. Let's go back to playing, come on." someone throws him the dusty, worn-out basketball and he catches it with ease. "Let's go again, come -"

"I have an idea," 

Hanbin looks to his left and feels his features harden. He's scowling a second later, and though it's not really his style (it's more of Hayi's) he can't help it because an annoying figure comes strutting towards him, cocky smirk, cheap cologne and all.

"Nobody wants to hear it, Junhong." Jinhwan says, rolling his eyes at the 6 foot one junior that was walking towards Hanbin as we speak.

Junhong ignores him and keeps his eyes on Hanbin. He tries to get the ball from his hands but Hanbin is quite quick and not a second later, the ball is on his other hand, resting firmly on top of his palm. 

"So Hanbin can actually focus on the game -"

"That's stupid." he finds himself saying, and everyone is agreeing. 

"Totally lame, man."

"It's just a game,"

"Oh, come on!"

"Why are you taking this so seriously?"

Junhong rolls his eyes at them all. "I wasn't done, you know." he snarls, and it's enough for the rest of them to shut up and take at least two steps back and away from him. His eyes are on Hanbin again and he might have grown an inch or two in the summer, but word has it Choi Junhong completely grew one freaking feet in the span of only three months. 

Puberty at it's best? 

Absolutely not. His face still seemed like a kid's.

"Let's have a bet, Hanbin." he says, smirking down at him. "What'd you say? We haven't played one on one since last year. What's the matter? Scared I might actually beat you for once? If you haven't noticed," he pulls himself up at this full height and Hanbin has to roll his eyes at this. "I grew a lot in the summer. You never played with me then, coward."

"Hey, don't call him that!"

"Yeah, Hanbin is the best at b-ball!"

"Yeah, right he is."

"Why doesn't he prove it then!"

He snorts. "Can it, moron." he says to the one who uttered the last sentence. He looks back at Junhong and something in him just bursts.

He wasn't going to be embarrassed like this in front of his boys, of Jinhwan, and half the population of the junior and senior boys combined. He didn't need to look around, he already knew a few guys had taken interest in him and Junhong.

And he was going to give them a show.

"Fine," he shrugs and takes a step back before dribbling the ball beside him. "One on one, me and you, just like old times, buddy." 

Hanbin knows Junhong, deep down like really deep, is good and means well, but sometimes he's just a bit of a push-over and well above the average cocky bastard that it's time someone taught this jerk a lesson.

And for Hanbin, that someone was him. Why wait when he could do it himself? 

Junhong rolls up his uniform's sleeve and Hanbin s his polo shirt down to the last button. The ball is under his arm and everyone is watching them, at least everyone that's in the courtyard at that moment. 

"Wanna bet?" Junhong says suddenly, smirking as he loses his tie and throws it to one of his friends. "Five points, if I win... hmm, let's see... you'll... confess your love to Lee Hayi." he says the last words so quickly that Hanbin doesn't catch them at first.

"Huh?"

Junhong snickers while the other boys laugh and taunt Hanbin in their heads. "Don't play dumb, everyone knows you have a crush on her, Hanbin. And, it's cute and all but when were you planning to admit it?" he says, shrugging. 

Jinhwan curses him, and Hanbin can feel himself getting embarrassed. That wasn't the truth, he didn't like her that way and he's probably the only one who knows this because as he glances around, everyone seems to believe Junhong. 

Hanbin wants to back out, wants to say something, but what good will that do to his pride? What change will it bring to Junhong? He needed to do this, and now, not because to teach Junhong a lesson but to avoid having a public confession that wasn't even true. 

He sighs, agrees with the consequence and opens his mouth. "Sure, I'll do that. If I win however, tell your girl, tell Kim Kyungmi, to stop ing around." 

The crowd that was forming under their noses react with "oooh"s and "buuuurn". Junhong looks livid now and he even has his fist clenched as he stares right at Kim Hanbin. "Don't drag her into this!"

"Then don't drag Hayi into this too," he dribbles the ball slower but with more force and power. He was exerting his frustration through the ball and into the game, and hopefully that'd be enough to win.

"Fine," Junhong says, a new kind of fire behind his eyes. "Fine, whatever, as long as you keep your end of the deal."

"Oh, of course I will." Hanbin pauses and nods at Jinhwan, throwing the ball over to him and the older one knows exactly what Hanbin wants. "I'm no snake like you, Choi Junhong."

Before Junhong can reply, Jinhwan steps in between them to act as the referee. "Alright kids, let's keep this game formal and clean. Five points to win it, okay?" 

Hanbin nods, Junhong scowls and Jinhwan throws the ball into the air. 

> ; <

​There was a crowd of boys behind him, all hollering and making a ruckus as they walked the halls of their school, and being the rowdy group of boys they are, they catch everyone's attention and some even follow them to where they were headed off to and all Hanbin wanted to do was crawl inside a hole until this was over.

Of course, he can't do that when Junhong is right beside him, and he's so close that Hanbin feels like choking on his cologne.  

Jinhwan is on his other side, being held captive by Junhong's friends and Hanbin almost feels sorry towards him, though he feels most sorry towards himself and Hayi.

His footsteps are long and full of dread as they walk closer to the cafeteria, where the other girls had told them where she was. If he was lucky enough, she wouldn't be there and the bell would ring and he'd have three more hours to think of a plan but in the end, he might cut class and escape school and perhaps be absent for the rest of the year because he can't do it. 

He can't ruin their friendship, but was it a friendship yet? It was from the start and maybe it is still now. 

"Come on, squirt, walk faster." Junhong orders, pushing him forward as the cafeteria doors grow larger like the nerves building up inside of him.

Hanbin scowls at Junhong and scolds himelf for even agreeing in the first place. Junhong kicked his out there, it was a 1:5 and he only had the ball once, friggin once.

The other boys who tagged along and were making such a scene move forward and open the double doors for them. Hanbin bites his lower lip and looks at Jinhwan for help, who is helplessly looking back at him.

"I'm -"

"Sorry, I know," Hanbin mutters."God, I'm so stupid." 

"You might as well do it," Jinhwan is released by the goons of Junhong and he walks beside Hanbin, talking in hushed voices. "Just tell Hayi about it later, explain it to her. If she is a friend, or if she even ever was, she'll understand."

"God, no!" Hanbin shakes his head, Junhong pushes him forward and he feels all eyes on him. "God, I feel like I'm walking a death march."

Jinhwan sighs. "It was nice knowing you, Hanbin." 

His eyes widen. "What? Hey, traitor, what did you -"

"There, go," he hears Junhong's voice and before he can even throw a glare his way, perhaps a dozen hands are on his back and shoulder and before he knows it, he's being pushed forward.

He trips over his own feet and laughter ensues all around him. He grunts and for a moment, he thinks of staying there in the cold, not to mention dirty tiled floor of the cafeteria. 

"He's so excited, he's stumbling over his own feet." someone says, snickering, but Hanbin knows for sure it's Junhong who said that. 

That remark made him get back on his knees, he turns his head to face Junhong, but a hand appears in front of his eyes.

He gulps, and he can hear everyone laughing, talking, shouting around him like wild animals. But when he looks up into the eyes that are similar to caramel, he knows he's screwed.

"Come on," Hayi says to him, worry lines showing on her face. "Take it."

He does, and she helps him up to his feet and some part of the crowd around them cheers. The boys behind him holler even more and they drown the sounds of the lunch ladies scolding them.

Nothing could stop the crowd now, and Hanbin is still too weak in the knees to turn around from her confused stare.

But Hanbin doesn't need to walk away, because Hayi's expression changes and his heart drops. 

Her lips stay tight and her eyes narrow and her nose crinkles by the slightest. She starts walking past him, and soon away.

The students boo, and try to call her back but it's no use really. Hayi is walking dead straight ahead and away from Hanbin, or at least he thought.

"Come on, Hanbin, it's so not like you to back down."

He turns around and his fists are clenched tightly together. Jinhwan says the words that Hanbin cannot, and the way they hold her makes him feel furious inside.

"Let go of her!" 

Hayi tries to do it herself, but it's no use, she's no use to Junhong's strong grip and grasp. "Finally proving to everyone you're a coward? That's what you -"

Instincts get the best of him, and soon he finds his knuckle connecting to Junhong's right cheek, and the crowd gasps, some even scream.

"Hanbin, no!" 

He can hear Hayi, but he doesn't see her because he feels a foot pushing him to the side. He falls and his elbows scrape the tiled floor, and his left hip is throbbing like crazy, and people are moving three steps back at a time away from them as they scream and shout and tell them to stop.

He gets pulled by his collar, and he chokes a little. He turns around, swings his fist blindly as he turns. He hits something, he hits skin and bones, although he doesn't know who it is, he feels fired up now.

He throws punches, kicks and other violent actions at those who dare to lay a finger on him ever again. He refused to be controlled like that, not now, and not ever. Why did he even agree in the first place, he didn't know. All he knows now is that he has to fight back.

Something stops him from punching and kicking and elbowing and dodging. His mouth tastes like iron, and he presses a finger to it despite the commotion going around him. Sure enough, blood trickles down his lip and his body is throbbing in all sorts of places. 

He catches sight of a limp, helpless Junhong being dragged by four of his goons. He's too tall and probably too heavy that they struggle.

He almost laughs, but when he turns to look the other way, a fist makes it way to him and his left cheek bursts in all kinds of pain. It's too much that he closes his eyes and drifts away to the darkness. 

> ; <

omg, hold up, wait up. wtf like jinhwan go into a dating scandal with aoa's jimin, and I just can't *insert laughing while crying emoticon here* so ikon hasn't even debuted yet and al three original members have had scandals now. like, whoa. *again the laughing while crying emoticon here*

that xx.