Not Even A Fraction 2; Jonghyun/Onew
Title: Not Even A Fraction
Author goobers
Rating: PG-13
Chapter: 2 / ?
Pairing/Focus: Jonghyun / Onew ; Onew / Key
Summary: Onew has decided that he wants a girlfriend! So he decides to ask advice from his classmate Jonghyun. Things start off simple enough until their emotions suddenly change. What happens when Onew no longer wants a girlfriend, but instead wants a boyfriend?
Author Note: The second chapter is finally finished! Sorry that it took so long, hopefully it was worth the wait! ke ke ke! Thank you soooooo much for my lovely beta pilipinagrl ! ! ! <3
Love lesson One
Why is it that things never went according to plan?
Nibbling on the corner of his pencil’s eraser, Jinki didn’t care that his classmates were giving him strange looks. Jinki believed that he had every reason to be disappointed right now, since he wasted his whole morning for no good reason. The entire thing was frustrating him to no end. Everything was supposed to go according to his plans. He followed his half of the plan to a “T”, so why wasn’t the other person doing the same? Jinki left home earlier than normal this morning with hope twinkling in his eyes, since he was going to wait quietly inside of the classroom for that guy to come today. As the students started to pile in, Jinki watched the door from under his bangs. Before he could believe it, it was almost time for class to start and that guy still wasn’t here. Talk about frustrating! Everyone seemed to arrive on time other than the one guy that Jinki needed to talk to. It made Jinki want to explode in frustration by the time the professor arrived and began the lecture.
Time felt like it was passing by slower than normal, seconds ticking by as slowly as they possibly could. Time wanted Jinki to join in the agony of waiting. It should have bothered Jinki more that the guy never showed up for class, but there were more important things to worry about for a responsible student like Jinki. He needed to focus on taking notes and it didn’t take long for him to become engulfed in the lecture. He was so engulfed that he didn’t even recognize when the classroom door suddenly opened and a student attempted to sneak into the room.
The professor turned his attention to the guy in the door, cocking his eyebrow at the guy’s failed attempt at sneaking by. Knowing that he had been caught, he stopped in his steps and turned towards the professor. The professor wasn‘t amused as he cleared his throat, stopping in the middle of his sentence as he turned and everyone else’s attention focused on the lone student.
“Kim Jonghyun, again? Out of everyone you should know by now that you aren’t permitted into the lecture hall an hour after class has began. Unless you have a logical reason for why you are arriving so late?”
With a lollipop in his mouth, a cheeky smile came on Jonghyun’s face as he looked at the professor. Clasping his hands together, he bowed quickly as he looked up from under his blonde bangs.
“Seon-saeng-nim, can’t you let it slide this time? Please.”
Jinki watched the scene unfold quietly, his dark eyes drifting from that student (who he knew was called Kim Jonghyun) back to the professor‘s frustrated face. The professor’s expression was rather easy to read, since he didn’t appear to be forgiving of the shorter man’s behavior or accepting the attitude, which meant that Jonghyun would be forced to leave the classroom. Raising his arm quickly into the air, the professor turned to look over at Jinki with a puzzled expression. Jinki stood up in his chair, nearly hitting his legs on the desk as he kept his eyes glued on his desk.
“Seon-saeng-nim…”
The words didn’t seem to want to leave his mouth as Jinki stood there mouth opening and closing like a fish not a word coming out. Jinki’s words are caught in his throat as he tries to speak. The professor turned to Jinki with a sigh.
“If you have a question, wait for this distraction to leave.”
“D-distraction?“ Jonghyun had moved away from the wall, eyes budging from his eye sockets as he tried to control his facial expressions. “Yah! You shouldn’t speak to your students like that. I‘m here to study so just let me.”
“Kim-“
Everything was happening so fast and the reality of the ordeal was that Jonghyun would be forced to leave and Jinki would lose his chance to confront the short snappy guy about his proposition. If Jonghyun left, then how would he get another chance to confront him and ask for help? It made Jinki’s stomach toss and turn. Standing there, forgotten by the professor already, an idea suddenly came to his mind. He decided to act out and help out Jonghyun, even though it was for someone he didn’t know. Jinki would generally try his best to not lie, but this was for the sake of his future girlfriend! He must do it. The professor’s lips tightened into a line and he was about to snap at Jonghyun when Jinki’s voice suddenly broke the silence. His entire face was flushed as he looked around the room embarrassed, not wanting to focus on anyone‘s face in particular. His arm was raised tightly against his ear.
“Seon-saeng-nim, it was my fault that he was late. Jonghyun-sii went to get some notes he borrowed from me… that’s why he’s late.”
Everyone’s attention suddenly feel on Jinki with mass confusion, they looked from Jinki’s flustered face to the face of the dueling student and teacher. No one seemed to know what to say. The professor almost dropped his notes at that moment, looking at Jinki and back to Jonghyun, trying to figure out how those two were friends. Eventually his voice broke the silence, returning to Jonghyun’s face without a happy expression on it.
“Kim Jonghyun. This is the one time I will allow you inside. Since… you were getting papers for your classmate. Return the borrowed papers and take the seat next to Lee Jinki-sii before I change my mind.”
The tone of the professor voice caused goose bumps to climb up Jinki’s arms, as he nodded his head to the professor. The professor slowly returned back to the front of the class, grabbing his notes. He looked frustrated and embarrassed from Jonghyun’s words earlier, but there were more important things to worry about than one trouble maker.
“Understood!”
Jonghyun’s face brightened up into a bright cheesy smile, his bad mood vanishing just as quickly as it had come. Moving across the classroom, Jonghyun flashed the professor a characteristic peace sign before heading over to the unoccupied desk. His eyes looked over to the guy who spoke out for him, and he wasn’t entirely sure what to think. Jonghyun couldn’t help but admit that this guy, this Jinki, wasn’t very interesting or else he didn’t stand out in a crowd. Quiet and nerdy, he looked like the type that valued grades above everything else. The complete opposite of Jonghyun, Jinki wasn’t someone that he was friends with, so why did he stand up and speak out? Maybe his brain had a few loose screws? Oh well, no need to think about it anymore. So with a shrug of his shoulders Jonghyun returned to doing what he did best, texting under his desk.
Although Jonghyun was ecstatic, his fellow classmate was a quivering mess beside Jonghyun. The older boy’s sienna orbs gazed blankly towards the front, trying to determine what he should do next. Jinki wanted to speak to his classmate, say anything. But no words were coming out. It was stuck in the back of his throat, unable to escape from his mouth. Hanging his head low, it took all of his energy to make his lungs breathed in and out deeply. He forced himself to focus solely on breathing until he forgot about everything else.
It was working out pretty well until Jonghyun tapped him roughly on the arm. The sudden contact wasn’t expected and it nearly scared him. With his heart pounding in his ears, Jinki sat up straight almost knocking all of his papers off of his desk again. Looking around the room with a puzzled expression, it didn’t seem possible that Jonghyun wanted to talk to him. The possibility seemed slim. After what felt like hours, his attention fell upon Jonghyun and it was confirmed that he was the one his classmate meant to interact with. When he heard a chuckle come from beside him, Jinki attempted to spy on Jonghyun from under his eyelashes. His eyes took in every detail of Jonghyun, from his body language to the fact that he wasn’t even wearing their uniform correctly. Instead of having his uniform buttoned up with the correct tie, Jonghyun looked like he just woke up and threw his clothes on. He really didn’t seem to care what he wore. Even stranger than that, Jonghyun was leaning on his desk, his head being propped up by his hand as he gazed directly at Jinki with a smirk on his face.
“Hey, did I borrow notes from you? I can‘t remember or anything. If I really did, then I lost them… just so you know.” Jonghyun explained to Jinki, as the older shook his head in return.
“No, no. You never borrowed any notes. It was the only way that I could think… to make Seon-sang-nim let you inside…at the time…” Jinki responded meekly, his eyes focused on the floor instead.
“You’re kidding me! Why didn’t I think of that? Smart thinking, although I have no idea why you would want to help me out. Well- Thanks, none the less. What’s your name again, Jin-something right?” Jonghyun asked, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
“Jinki… I mean, my name is Lee Jinki but my friends generally call me Onew.” he announced with a smile.
It made Jinki feel really happy that Jonghyun had already remembered his name (to a very vague degree), and he couldn’t stop himself when his face lit into a bright smile from cheek to cheek. Was it stupid that something as simple as the other knowing his name made him happy? He really didn’t care at this moment. Even if they were in the middle of the class, talking with a softer voice than normal, he couldn’t help but be happy.
Jonghyun was puzzled by his classmates’ sudden happy expression, but Jinki’s bright smile was contagious. Jonghyun couldn’t stop himself smiling next to the cheerful nerd. “Onew-sii? On-yu-sii? That’s weird. I’ve never heard that name before.”
That shouldn’t have bothered him to hear that his nickname was weird, but it did. Jinki knew that Jonghyun’s expression would have been even worse if he learned of Jinki’s other nicknames. Onew was a much better nickname than some of the names that his amma and Taemin would make up for him. Taemin loved calling his hyung “dubu”, claiming that Jinki was as soft and ad squishy as tofu. Letting out a small sigh, Jinki’s lips tugged down ever so-slightly from the comment.
Jonghyun looked puzzled at his older classmate, seeing Jinki’s face drop a little. It wasn’t like he said anything rude, right?
“Don‘t worry, it kind of fits you. Onew. Since I’m going to call you that, make sure to call me Jjong as well, okay? ” Jonghyun reassured him.
That was enough to reassure Jinki as the two of them lost themselves in their own world. While it would have been wiser to listen to the professor‘s lecture and take detailed notes like always, Jinki never got the chance. Every single time that Jinki would start to take notes a finger would prod him. Jonghyun didn’t want to behave today, especially since the class was almost over. What’s the point in being quiet and listening to the teacher when Jonghyun was leaning all over his desk? And before Jinki could blink he was talking with Jonghyun the entire class period. It felt natural between them, strangely normal.
As the class came to an end, Jonghyun stretched his arms above him as he stood up. Grabbing his phone and shoving it back into his pocket, he turned to his classmate. “Well, I’ll catch you around Onew. Okay?” With a wave, he started out of the room.
“Okay, Goodbye”. Waving goodbye to Jonghyun with both of his hands, Jinki looked kind of stupid as a smile radiated from face. It felt like he just won the lottery, since everything was working out in the end. Not only was Jinki able to make a new friend, but it was Jonghyun. This was the guy that captivated Jinki by a simple friendly gesture of picking up his glasses. It was stupid even to Jinki, but he was really happy to have a new friend. Well, close enough to a friend in Jinki’s mind. He was smiling from ear to ear as he grabbed his unused papers and put them away.
As he put his notes away, Jinki couldn’t help but feel like he was forgetting something. Like there was something important and useful that he needed to ask Jonghyun but he hadn’t. Making his way out of the classroom, his thoughts were racing as he tried to remember what it was. It suddenly hit him as he passed by his instructor. Slowing down in his steps, Jinki pointed at the instructor and his mouth was suddenly gasping open. Confusion and panic crawled onto his face and he couldn’t even find the strength to speak.
“Seon-saeng-nim! I forgot to ask him to be my Seon-saeng-nim!”
After a few seconds of standing there and pointing, Jinki hit his knuckles on his own head before rushing out of the room as quickly as his legs could carry him. The professor could only stare, puzzled and confused, as one of his best students suddenly spoke to him, pointed, and consequently ran off in the opposite direction nearly tripping on his own feet.
This wasn’t good at all. Jinki didn’t have the slightest clue as to where Jonghyun could have gone. Although his classmate had only left the room a few minutes ago, he had no idea where he should head to look for Jonghyun. Letting his feet carry him without any certain destination in mind, it felt like hours before he recognized a familiar streak of blonde in the crowd. Getting closer to that person, he could recognize that it was indeed Jonghyun leaning against his locker, talking with one of his friends. Smiling from ear to ear, Jinki couldn’t believe that he really did it. He found Jonghyun, without a doubt. There was only one person with that tri-colored hair!
Slowing down, Jinki’s breath came out in huffs. It was strange how his nerves had begun to buzz in something, but a good something, when he had finally found Jonghyun. It was stupid, it was idiotic, but he wasn’t exactly sure what to do now. It was going to be kind of awkward whenever someone suddenly runs up and begs his classmate to become his teacher on how to get a girlfriend. Not the most normal of conversations, especially in front of a the entire school (well, it felt like that to him.) Luckily, Jinki wasn’t going to let a fluttering stomach stop him from completing his goal. Exhaling all of the air in his lungs, he forced himself to walk straight over to the chatting duo. Arriving so close to the two of them Jinki’s eyes focused on the locker instead of the two attractive guys.
“Jjong…”
Speaking just above a whisper, it was impossible to not look at Jonghyun and his friend. This was the first time that he’s ever seen this mysterious friend of Jonghyun’s, but Jinki was starting to think that all of Jonghyun’s friends must be as handsome and as attractive as him. In his entire life he hasn’t ever seen a guy with such an exquisite appearance as this guy. Narrow feline-like eyes watched from under angled bangs, defined cheekbones turned to his attention and Jinki couldn‘t help himself from looking at those kissable lips. Just looking at the way he leaned against the lockers, there was an air about him. Even with the way that he wore his uniform gave off an attitude that Jinki had never seen before. Even when he was wearing the same uniform as everyone else, he was able to make it look more stylish than normal. It looked like it was made for him, not like the baggy version that Jinki was wearing. In that moment, Jinki knew that this guy must have a lot of luck with dating. Anyone would need to be blind to not say yes to someone like him.
Looking up, Jonghyun’s face seemed to twist seeing Jinki approaching.
“Onew-sii, what’s up?”
“Yah, Jjong-ah. Who’s this guy? Do you know him?“
Jonghyun’s friend asked, resting his hand on his hip as his eyes looked Jinki up and down with a disapproving look. It was like he didn’t approve of Jonghyun being friends with a dorky looking guy like Jinki.
“Yeah, he’s the guy that I was telling you about earlier. The one who said I owed him a note, Onew-ah.“
“Ohhh- so you are that guy! The nerd!” Jonghyun’s friend’s mouth was hanging open, gasping as if he just figured out something amazing. “What did you say your name was Onew right? My name is Kim Kibum, but you better call me Key. Understood?”
Listening to Kibum speak, it was too much for him. With someone like Kibum rambling on and on, he couldn’t even get a word out. Kibum just kept talking like he was the only person whose words mattered, but it didn’t really bother Jinki since it was better than Kibum and Jonghyun ignoring him. They were treating him well, which was more than he could have expected a few hours ago. The only problem was that Jinki couldn’t even get a word out as he stuttered and slurred his words.
“Ye…Key-sii.”
“Don’t worry Onew-ah, as long as you don’t get on Key’s bad side it’ll be fine.”
“What are you talking about Jjong-hyung? I don’t have a bad angle.” Kibum explained, clicking his tongue as he stared at his best friend.
“Aish, that’s not what I meant and you know it!” Jonghyun’s hand was pressed against his face, his head shaking back and forth like a wet dog.
“Whatever. Don‘t be jealous of my good looks.” Rolling his eyes in a diva-like manner, it was amazing to Jinki that someone could be acting as vain and cocky as this guy. Did a guy really need to check on their appearance in the metal lockers this often?
Feeling eyes boring into him, Kibum turned those narrow eyes straight at Jinki. Instead of staring straight at the nervous nerd, he was staring into the soul of the oldest of the three. Licking his lips, Jinki couldn’t seem to shake that nervous feeling as he tried to look anywhere but at Kibum or Jonghyun. His palms felt like they were starting to sweat. A nervous sweat. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, going over here and bothering Jonghyun whenever his friend’s were present?
“Jjong-sii…”
“Huh? What is it? You don‘t have to stutter so much, we‘re not going to bite you. Not too much.”
With that comment, Key moved forward to poke Jinki‘s cheek lightly with his finger. There wasn’t any reason for Jinki to become flustered or nervous because of that simple action, since he didn’t like guys like that really, but he couldn’t stop it when his face hardened and became stiff in an attempt to hide the embarrassment that was rushing through him. That was enough to give Jinki a heart attack. This really wasn’t something that he was expecting and he tried his best to calm down his racing heart. He wasn’t really sure why his heart was pounding so fast, only the fact that his blood was racing straight to his head giving him a crimson glow. Breathing in and out as slowly as he could, Jinki tried to calm himself down as Jonghyun rolled his eyes at his best friend Key.
“Yah, what are you doing Key? Can’t you see that you’re scaring him? Gosh, can‘t you ever keep your hands to yourself?”
The two best friends lost themselves bickering and arguing with each other, leaving a puzzled Jinki watching them. Next to the lockers, it was easy to notice that Jonghyun and Key didn’t care who they bothered. If they wanted to argue and talk with each other, then they would without a care. They seemed to be caught in their own world. Although it was very interesting and strange to watch the pair bicker with each other, Jinki could only take it for so long. How long has it been that he’s been forgotten about? He stood there awkwardly, watching them and waiting for a time to interrupt them. After a while, he finally lost it and blurts out the words he’s been trying to holding in.
“J-JONG! L-LET ME TALK!” He yelled, making the two stop in the middle of their words. Feeling both pairs eyes begin to burn into him, he bowed formally to Jonghyun. “I need you to teach me how to get a girlfriend, please!” Jonghyun and Key exchange a few glances after a few minutes and Jinki knew that they were unsure about what to say. The silence was broken eventually.
“Onew-sii, can you repeat yourself…”
Taking in a deep breath, Jinki’s face was getting considerably redder as the seconds passed. He never thought that it would be this embarrassing to ask for help, but it was. The only good thing was that he was asking Jonghyun for help. He wanted Jonghyun to help him learn how to get a girlfriend, no one else.
“I’m… not very good with talking with people. Especially girls. I mind tends to stop working whenever they talk to me. So, I think that I need some help getting a girlfriend since it’s never going to work out if I‘m a stuttering fool like this. How can I go on a date if I can’t even look at them? And… You look like the type of guy who would have the ladies all over you. So, who would be a better guy to teach me? Please… I … need the help.” He didn’t care if people would laugh at him for throwing away his pride, but he knew this was the only way to get the help. Jonghyun seems to stand a little straighter after that comment, as he tried to decide what to do.
The diva was standing there with his hands crossed tightly over his chest, eye balling Jinki from head to toe. It wasn’t the way that Jinki would like for another guy to look at him, but there had to be a reason so he stood as straight as he could. Keeping his attention focused on the youngest student, it was strange to have those narrow eyes bore into him. Eventually he couldn’t hide his nerves as Jinki’s finger fumbled with the cuffs of his jacket in an attempt to distract himself.
“Jjong-hyung, why not? I mean he doesn’t look that hideous, so it shouldn’t be hard to get him a girlfriend. Come on, it’ll be a lot of fun as well. We can go pick out some new clothes, maybe even change that hideous hairstyle of his. No, we will have to change that hairstyle. Center parts are never in style. Never.”
Watching Jonghyun‘s face for any sign of his hidden thoughts, time trickled by slowly. He now knew what Key‘s thoughts on the matter was, but Jonghyun was the one that he needed approval from.
“Key. This is stupid… you’re agreeing with him just because you like to do makeovers!” Jonghyun complained with a sigh, scratching his neck once again. “Ugh, this is stupid… But, I guess you need someone like me to help you out. I don’t have anything better to do, so why not. I’ll do it. I‘ll show you the way that Bling Bling works.”
It felt like the world had stopped spinning, everything was fuzzy like his glasses were off. But, it was fuzzy in a good way. Everything seemed to go silent around the three of them. This was too much good news of Jinki’s brain to take in, so it instantly shut off as pure happiness came over him. Letting out a breath that he didn’t even know he was holding in, Jinki’s face instantly brightened into a dazzling smile. Key’s mocking chuckles didn’t even matter to him anymore, and he was too happy to even notice that Key kept going on and on about needing to tame and manage the wild head of hair on his head. It just didn’t matter when or where they’ll be changing his look, since this was one step to getting that dream girlfriend.
Author goobers
Rating: PG-13
Chapter: 2 / ?
Pairing/Focus: Jonghyun / Onew ; Onew / Key
Summary: Onew has decided that he wants a girlfriend! So he decides to ask advice from his classmate Jonghyun. Things start off simple enough until their emotions suddenly change. What happens when Onew no longer wants a girlfriend, but instead wants a boyfriend?
Author Note: The second chapter is finally finished! Sorry that it took so long, hopefully it was worth the wait! ke ke ke! Thank you soooooo much for my lovely beta pilipinagrl ! ! ! <3
Love lesson One
Why is it that things never went according to plan?
Nibbling on the corner of his pencil’s eraser, Jinki didn’t care that his classmates were giving him strange looks. Jinki believed that he had every reason to be disappointed right now, since he wasted his whole morning for no good reason. The entire thing was frustrating him to no end. Everything was supposed to go according to his plans. He followed his half of the plan to a “T”, so why wasn’t the other person doing the same? Jinki left home earlier than normal this morning with hope twinkling in his eyes, since he was going to wait quietly inside of the classroom for that guy to come today. As the students started to pile in, Jinki watched the door from under his bangs. Before he could believe it, it was almost time for class to start and that guy still wasn’t here. Talk about frustrating! Everyone seemed to arrive on time other than the one guy that Jinki needed to talk to. It made Jinki want to explode in frustration by the time the professor arrived and began the lecture.
Time felt like it was passing by slower than normal, seconds ticking by as slowly as they possibly could. Time wanted Jinki to join in the agony of waiting. It should have bothered Jinki more that the guy never showed up for class, but there were more important things to worry about for a responsible student like Jinki. He needed to focus on taking notes and it didn’t take long for him to become engulfed in the lecture. He was so engulfed that he didn’t even recognize when the classroom door suddenly opened and a student attempted to sneak into the room.
The professor turned his attention to the guy in the door, cocking his eyebrow at the guy’s failed attempt at sneaking by. Knowing that he had been caught, he stopped in his steps and turned towards the professor. The professor wasn‘t amused as he cleared his throat, stopping in the middle of his sentence as he turned and everyone else’s attention focused on the lone student.
“Kim Jonghyun, again? Out of everyone you should know by now that you aren’t permitted into the lecture hall an hour after class has began. Unless you have a logical reason for why you are arriving so late?”
With a lollipop in his mouth, a cheeky smile came on Jonghyun’s face as he looked at the professor. Clasping his hands together, he bowed quickly as he looked up from under his blonde bangs.
“Seon-saeng-nim, can’t you let it slide this time? Please.”
Jinki watched the scene unfold quietly, his dark eyes drifting from that student (who he knew was called Kim Jonghyun) back to the professor‘s frustrated face. The professor’s expression was rather easy to read, since he didn’t appear to be forgiving of the shorter man’s behavior or accepting the attitude, which meant that Jonghyun would be forced to leave the classroom. Raising his arm quickly into the air, the professor turned to look over at Jinki with a puzzled expression. Jinki stood up in his chair, nearly hitting his legs on the desk as he kept his eyes glued on his desk.
“Seon-saeng-nim…”
The words didn’t seem to want to leave his mouth as Jinki stood there mouth opening and closing like a fish not a word coming out. Jinki’s words are caught in his throat as he tries to speak. The professor turned to Jinki with a sigh.
“If you have a question, wait for this distraction to leave.”
“D-distraction?“ Jonghyun had moved away from the wall, eyes budging from his eye sockets as he tried to control his facial expressions. “Yah! You shouldn’t speak to your students like that. I‘m here to study so just let me.”
“Kim-“
Everything was happening so fast and the reality of the ordeal was that Jonghyun would be forced to leave and Jinki would lose his chance to confront the short snappy guy about his proposition. If Jonghyun left, then how would he get another chance to confront him and ask for help? It made Jinki’s stomach toss and turn. Standing there, forgotten by the professor already, an idea suddenly came to his mind. He decided to act out and help out Jonghyun, even though it was for someone he didn’t know. Jinki would generally try his best to not lie, but this was for the sake of his future girlfriend! He must do it. The professor’s lips tightened into a line and he was about to snap at Jonghyun when Jinki’s voice suddenly broke the silence. His entire face was flushed as he looked around the room embarrassed, not wanting to focus on anyone‘s face in particular. His arm was raised tightly against his ear.
“Seon-saeng-nim, it was my fault that he was late. Jonghyun-sii went to get some notes he borrowed from me… that’s why he’s late.”
Everyone’s attention suddenly feel on Jinki with mass confusion, they looked from Jinki’s flustered face to the face of the dueling student and teacher. No one seemed to know what to say. The professor almost dropped his notes at that moment, looking at Jinki and back to Jonghyun, trying to figure out how those two were friends. Eventually his voice broke the silence, returning to Jonghyun’s face without a happy expression on it.
“Kim Jonghyun. This is the one time I will allow you inside. Since… you were getting papers for your classmate. Return the borrowed papers and take the seat next to Lee Jinki-sii before I change my mind.”
The tone of the professor voice caused goose bumps to climb up Jinki’s arms, as he nodded his head to the professor. The professor slowly returned back to the front of the class, grabbing his notes. He looked frustrated and embarrassed from Jonghyun’s words earlier, but there were more important things to worry about than one trouble maker.
“Understood!”
Jonghyun’s face brightened up into a bright cheesy smile, his bad mood vanishing just as quickly as it had come. Moving across the classroom, Jonghyun flashed the professor a characteristic peace sign before heading over to the unoccupied desk. His eyes looked over to the guy who spoke out for him, and he wasn’t entirely sure what to think. Jonghyun couldn’t help but admit that this guy, this Jinki, wasn’t very interesting or else he didn’t stand out in a crowd. Quiet and nerdy, he looked like the type that valued grades above everything else. The complete opposite of Jonghyun, Jinki wasn’t someone that he was friends with, so why did he stand up and speak out? Maybe his brain had a few loose screws? Oh well, no need to think about it anymore. So with a shrug of his shoulders Jonghyun returned to doing what he did best, texting under his desk.
Although Jonghyun was ecstatic, his fellow classmate was a quivering mess beside Jonghyun. The older boy’s sienna orbs gazed blankly towards the front, trying to determine what he should do next. Jinki wanted to speak to his classmate, say anything. But no words were coming out. It was stuck in the back of his throat, unable to escape from his mouth. Hanging his head low, it took all of his energy to make his lungs breathed in and out deeply. He forced himself to focus solely on breathing until he forgot about everything else.
It was working out pretty well until Jonghyun tapped him roughly on the arm. The sudden contact wasn’t expected and it nearly scared him. With his heart pounding in his ears, Jinki sat up straight almost knocking all of his papers off of his desk again. Looking around the room with a puzzled expression, it didn’t seem possible that Jonghyun wanted to talk to him. The possibility seemed slim. After what felt like hours, his attention fell upon Jonghyun and it was confirmed that he was the one his classmate meant to interact with. When he heard a chuckle come from beside him, Jinki attempted to spy on Jonghyun from under his eyelashes. His eyes took in every detail of Jonghyun, from his body language to the fact that he wasn’t even wearing their uniform correctly. Instead of having his uniform buttoned up with the correct tie, Jonghyun looked like he just woke up and threw his clothes on. He really didn’t seem to care what he wore. Even stranger than that, Jonghyun was leaning on his desk, his head being propped up by his hand as he gazed directly at Jinki with a smirk on his face.
“Hey, did I borrow notes from you? I can‘t remember or anything. If I really did, then I lost them… just so you know.” Jonghyun explained to Jinki, as the older shook his head in return.
“No, no. You never borrowed any notes. It was the only way that I could think… to make Seon-sang-nim let you inside…at the time…” Jinki responded meekly, his eyes focused on the floor instead.
“You’re kidding me! Why didn’t I think of that? Smart thinking, although I have no idea why you would want to help me out. Well- Thanks, none the less. What’s your name again, Jin-something right?” Jonghyun asked, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand.
“Jinki… I mean, my name is Lee Jinki but my friends generally call me Onew.” he announced with a smile.
It made Jinki feel really happy that Jonghyun had already remembered his name (to a very vague degree), and he couldn’t stop himself when his face lit into a bright smile from cheek to cheek. Was it stupid that something as simple as the other knowing his name made him happy? He really didn’t care at this moment. Even if they were in the middle of the class, talking with a softer voice than normal, he couldn’t help but be happy.
Jonghyun was puzzled by his classmates’ sudden happy expression, but Jinki’s bright smile was contagious. Jonghyun couldn’t stop himself smiling next to the cheerful nerd. “Onew-sii? On-yu-sii? That’s weird. I’ve never heard that name before.”
That shouldn’t have bothered him to hear that his nickname was weird, but it did. Jinki knew that Jonghyun’s expression would have been even worse if he learned of Jinki’s other nicknames. Onew was a much better nickname than some of the names that his amma and Taemin would make up for him. Taemin loved calling his hyung “dubu”, claiming that Jinki was as soft and ad squishy as tofu. Letting out a small sigh, Jinki’s lips tugged down ever so-slightly from the comment.
Jonghyun looked puzzled at his older classmate, seeing Jinki’s face drop a little. It wasn’t like he said anything rude, right?
“Don‘t worry, it kind of fits you. Onew. Since I’m going to call you that, make sure to call me Jjong as well, okay? ” Jonghyun reassured him.
That was enough to reassure Jinki as the two of them lost themselves in their own world. While it would have been wiser to listen to the professor‘s lecture and take detailed notes like always, Jinki never got the chance. Every single time that Jinki would start to take notes a finger would prod him. Jonghyun didn’t want to behave today, especially since the class was almost over. What’s the point in being quiet and listening to the teacher when Jonghyun was leaning all over his desk? And before Jinki could blink he was talking with Jonghyun the entire class period. It felt natural between them, strangely normal.
As the class came to an end, Jonghyun stretched his arms above him as he stood up. Grabbing his phone and shoving it back into his pocket, he turned to his classmate. “Well, I’ll catch you around Onew. Okay?” With a wave, he started out of the room.
“Okay, Goodbye”. Waving goodbye to Jonghyun with both of his hands, Jinki looked kind of stupid as a smile radiated from face. It felt like he just won the lottery, since everything was working out in the end. Not only was Jinki able to make a new friend, but it was Jonghyun. This was the guy that captivated Jinki by a simple friendly gesture of picking up his glasses. It was stupid even to Jinki, but he was really happy to have a new friend. Well, close enough to a friend in Jinki’s mind. He was smiling from ear to ear as he grabbed his unused papers and put them away.
As he put his notes away, Jinki couldn’t help but feel like he was forgetting something. Like there was something important and useful that he needed to ask Jonghyun but he hadn’t. Making his way out of the classroom, his thoughts were racing as he tried to remember what it was. It suddenly hit him as he passed by his instructor. Slowing down in his steps, Jinki pointed at the instructor and his mouth was suddenly gasping open. Confusion and panic crawled onto his face and he couldn’t even find the strength to speak.
“Seon-saeng-nim! I forgot to ask him to be my Seon-saeng-nim!”
After a few seconds of standing there and pointing, Jinki hit his knuckles on his own head before rushing out of the room as quickly as his legs could carry him. The professor could only stare, puzzled and confused, as one of his best students suddenly spoke to him, pointed, and consequently ran off in the opposite direction nearly tripping on his own feet.
This wasn’t good at all. Jinki didn’t have the slightest clue as to where Jonghyun could have gone. Although his classmate had only left the room a few minutes ago, he had no idea where he should head to look for Jonghyun. Letting his feet carry him without any certain destination in mind, it felt like hours before he recognized a familiar streak of blonde in the crowd. Getting closer to that person, he could recognize that it was indeed Jonghyun leaning against his locker, talking with one of his friends. Smiling from ear to ear, Jinki couldn’t believe that he really did it. He found Jonghyun, without a doubt. There was only one person with that tri-colored hair!
Slowing down, Jinki’s breath came out in huffs. It was strange how his nerves had begun to buzz in something, but a good something, when he had finally found Jonghyun. It was stupid, it was idiotic, but he wasn’t exactly sure what to do now. It was going to be kind of awkward whenever someone suddenly runs up and begs his classmate to become his teacher on how to get a girlfriend. Not the most normal of conversations, especially in front of a the entire school (well, it felt like that to him.) Luckily, Jinki wasn’t going to let a fluttering stomach stop him from completing his goal. Exhaling all of the air in his lungs, he forced himself to walk straight over to the chatting duo. Arriving so close to the two of them Jinki’s eyes focused on the locker instead of the two attractive guys.
“Jjong…”
Speaking just above a whisper, it was impossible to not look at Jonghyun and his friend. This was the first time that he’s ever seen this mysterious friend of Jonghyun’s, but Jinki was starting to think that all of Jonghyun’s friends must be as handsome and as attractive as him. In his entire life he hasn’t ever seen a guy with such an exquisite appearance as this guy. Narrow feline-like eyes watched from under angled bangs, defined cheekbones turned to his attention and Jinki couldn‘t help himself from looking at those kissable lips. Just looking at the way he leaned against the lockers, there was an air about him. Even with the way that he wore his uniform gave off an attitude that Jinki had never seen before. Even when he was wearing the same uniform as everyone else, he was able to make it look more stylish than normal. It looked like it was made for him, not like the baggy version that Jinki was wearing. In that moment, Jinki knew that this guy must have a lot of luck with dating. Anyone would need to be blind to not say yes to someone like him.
Looking up, Jonghyun’s face seemed to twist seeing Jinki approaching.
“Onew-sii, what’s up?”
“Yah, Jjong-ah. Who’s this guy? Do you know him?“
Jonghyun’s friend asked, resting his hand on his hip as his eyes looked Jinki up and down with a disapproving look. It was like he didn’t approve of Jonghyun being friends with a dorky looking guy like Jinki.
“Yeah, he’s the guy that I was telling you about earlier. The one who said I owed him a note, Onew-ah.“
“Ohhh- so you are that guy! The nerd!” Jonghyun’s friend’s mouth was hanging open, gasping as if he just figured out something amazing. “What did you say your name was Onew right? My name is Kim Kibum, but you better call me Key. Understood?”
Listening to Kibum speak, it was too much for him. With someone like Kibum rambling on and on, he couldn’t even get a word out. Kibum just kept talking like he was the only person whose words mattered, but it didn’t really bother Jinki since it was better than Kibum and Jonghyun ignoring him. They were treating him well, which was more than he could have expected a few hours ago. The only problem was that Jinki couldn’t even get a word out as he stuttered and slurred his words.
“Ye…Key-sii.”
“Don’t worry Onew-ah, as long as you don’t get on Key’s bad side it’ll be fine.”
“What are you talking about Jjong-hyung? I don’t have a bad angle.” Kibum explained, clicking his tongue as he stared at his best friend.
“Aish, that’s not what I meant and you know it!” Jonghyun’s hand was pressed against his face, his head shaking back and forth like a wet dog.
“Whatever. Don‘t be jealous of my good looks.” Rolling his eyes in a diva-like manner, it was amazing to Jinki that someone could be acting as vain and cocky as this guy. Did a guy really need to check on their appearance in the metal lockers this often?
Feeling eyes boring into him, Kibum turned those narrow eyes straight at Jinki. Instead of staring straight at the nervous nerd, he was staring into the soul of the oldest of the three. Licking his lips, Jinki couldn’t seem to shake that nervous feeling as he tried to look anywhere but at Kibum or Jonghyun. His palms felt like they were starting to sweat. A nervous sweat. Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea, going over here and bothering Jonghyun whenever his friend’s were present?
“Jjong-sii…”
“Huh? What is it? You don‘t have to stutter so much, we‘re not going to bite you. Not too much.”
With that comment, Key moved forward to poke Jinki‘s cheek lightly with his finger. There wasn’t any reason for Jinki to become flustered or nervous because of that simple action, since he didn’t like guys like that really, but he couldn’t stop it when his face hardened and became stiff in an attempt to hide the embarrassment that was rushing through him. That was enough to give Jinki a heart attack. This really wasn’t something that he was expecting and he tried his best to calm down his racing heart. He wasn’t really sure why his heart was pounding so fast, only the fact that his blood was racing straight to his head giving him a crimson glow. Breathing in and out as slowly as he could, Jinki tried to calm himself down as Jonghyun rolled his eyes at his best friend Key.
“Yah, what are you doing Key? Can’t you see that you’re scaring him? Gosh, can‘t you ever keep your hands to yourself?”
The two best friends lost themselves bickering and arguing with each other, leaving a puzzled Jinki watching them. Next to the lockers, it was easy to notice that Jonghyun and Key didn’t care who they bothered. If they wanted to argue and talk with each other, then they would without a care. They seemed to be caught in their own world. Although it was very interesting and strange to watch the pair bicker with each other, Jinki could only take it for so long. How long has it been that he’s been forgotten about? He stood there awkwardly, watching them and waiting for a time to interrupt them. After a while, he finally lost it and blurts out the words he’s been trying to holding in.
“J-JONG! L-LET ME TALK!” He yelled, making the two stop in the middle of their words. Feeling both pairs eyes begin to burn into him, he bowed formally to Jonghyun. “I need you to teach me how to get a girlfriend, please!” Jonghyun and Key exchange a few glances after a few minutes and Jinki knew that they were unsure about what to say. The silence was broken eventually.
“Onew-sii, can you repeat yourself…”
Taking in a deep breath, Jinki’s face was getting considerably redder as the seconds passed. He never thought that it would be this embarrassing to ask for help, but it was. The only good thing was that he was asking Jonghyun for help. He wanted Jonghyun to help him learn how to get a girlfriend, no one else.
“I’m… not very good with talking with people. Especially girls. I mind tends to stop working whenever they talk to me. So, I think that I need some help getting a girlfriend since it’s never going to work out if I‘m a stuttering fool like this. How can I go on a date if I can’t even look at them? And… You look like the type of guy who would have the ladies all over you. So, who would be a better guy to teach me? Please… I … need the help.” He didn’t care if people would laugh at him for throwing away his pride, but he knew this was the only way to get the help. Jonghyun seems to stand a little straighter after that comment, as he tried to decide what to do.
The diva was standing there with his hands crossed tightly over his chest, eye balling Jinki from head to toe. It wasn’t the way that Jinki would like for another guy to look at him, but there had to be a reason so he stood as straight as he could. Keeping his attention focused on the youngest student, it was strange to have those narrow eyes bore into him. Eventually he couldn’t hide his nerves as Jinki’s finger fumbled with the cuffs of his jacket in an attempt to distract himself.
“Jjong-hyung, why not? I mean he doesn’t look that hideous, so it shouldn’t be hard to get him a girlfriend. Come on, it’ll be a lot of fun as well. We can go pick out some new clothes, maybe even change that hideous hairstyle of his. No, we will have to change that hairstyle. Center parts are never in style. Never.”
Watching Jonghyun‘s face for any sign of his hidden thoughts, time trickled by slowly. He now knew what Key‘s thoughts on the matter was, but Jonghyun was the one that he needed approval from.
“Key. This is stupid… you’re agreeing with him just because you like to do makeovers!” Jonghyun complained with a sigh, scratching his neck once again. “Ugh, this is stupid… But, I guess you need someone like me to help you out. I don’t have anything better to do, so why not. I’ll do it. I‘ll show you the way that Bling Bling works.”
It felt like the world had stopped spinning, everything was fuzzy like his glasses were off. But, it was fuzzy in a good way. Everything seemed to go silent around the three of them. This was too much good news of Jinki’s brain to take in, so it instantly shut off as pure happiness came over him. Letting out a breath that he didn’t even know he was holding in, Jinki’s face instantly brightened into a dazzling smile. Key’s mocking chuckles didn’t even matter to him anymore, and he was too happy to even notice that Key kept going on and on about needing to tame and manage the wild head of hair on his head. It just didn’t matter when or where they’ll be changing his look, since this was one step to getting that dream girlfriend.