Update 2 of final 4

"Sup, my man!" Chanyeol slid in the seat beside kyungsoo and the latter looked at him in confusion. He turned to look forward at the seat where Chanyeol usually sits and saw that Jongdae was sitting there. So odd, Kyungsoo thought when Jongdae just kept looking forward or talking to people around him, instead of turning around and whining for his seat.

"Why are you sitting here?" Kyungsoo asked Chanyeol.

"You don't want me here?" Chanyeol countered, but despite his smirk, faint frown lines appeared on his face when Kyungsoo gave him an annoyed look. "I wanted to sit here because I wanted to talk. You looked troubled... so does- nevermind that, whatsup?"

"Where did you go while we were talking?"

"You didn't see me leave?"

"Um.. no?"

"I saw someone, and so I decided to follow them."

kyungsoo scowled, "That is the most vague answer anyone has given me ever."

Chanyeol laughed, "I'll tell you later."

---x---

Later meant after school. Kyungsoo had almost forgotten about the subject too, since his mind was too preoccupied with how Jongdae seemed to be avoiding him. He spoke with other people for the rest of the day, gave short one word answers to kyungsoo when he tried talking to him, didn't meet his eyes, and as soon as school ended, he ran away to karaoke with some other guys. Did he feel uncomfortable about kyungsoo choosing him that afternoon as potential boyfriend? 

In the end, it was just him and Chanyeol walking back to his house.

"It was Poe! I saw her and thought I should go talk to her."

"The super smart and awfully sarcastic girl from our class? What did you want to talk to her about?"

"I have a crush on her. So, I am trying to get in her good books, but she doesn't treat me as anything more than a friend. It is so frustrating."

Kyungsoo couldn't get over the shock no matter how hard he tried, "What? Why? She doesn't even notice you like that."

Chanyeol looked thoughtful as he tried to pick his words correctly for what he was going to say next. "I know she doesn't notice me, but that doesn't mean anything, Kyungsoo. A lot of times, what we look for in our partner is someone who notices us, and knows everything about us. This is a romanticized ideal that people come up with, but its not humanly possible. Instead, you should aim  for someone who can understand you, who you can share your mind with and rely on. They don't need to know or notice everything about us. We should tell them things ourselves."

In the silence that followed that comment, Kyungsoo did some thinking, and before they knew it, they had reached Kyungsoo's place. "Hey Chanyeol, have I been blind to things around me?"

"... Maybe"

"So, it wasn't my imagination.. How long?"

"For quite some time now. He is just as stupid as you though, so it never goes any further."

"Why is he avoiding me?"

"Seriously, try putting yourself in his shoes for once. He almost kissed you today, even though he believes with all his might that you don't see him in that way. It must be so awkward. You had been chasing after Baekhyun afterall. Who knows what exactly might be going through his head, but he probably fears for your friendship with him."

Kyungsoo watched as Chanyeol dumped his bag near Kyungsoo's bed and sat down on the floor with his phone. "What should I do next?"

"I told you before too, I won't spoonfeed you. Figure it out by yourself... But I'll tell you this, try to stay true to yourself."

---x---

The next day at school, Kyungsoo watched Jongdae walk into the classroom. He noticed Jongdae flinch slightly when their eyes met, before he put on a half assed smile and walked towards their seat.

"Morning Kyungsoo! How was yesterday? Did you miss me since I wasn't there??" Jongdae asked laughing as he stiffly pulled stuff out from his backpack and put them in his desk.

"I did!" Ano