Not A Bad Thing for EVERYONE (1/2)
Title: Not A Bad Thing
Recipient: None
Pairing: KaiSoo
Word Count: 16,211
Rating: PG (implied sex and a bit of cursing)
Warning(s) if any: Complete word vomit and seriously rushed
Summary: Kyungsoo doesn’t believe in love, but Jongin wants to prove to him that love isn’t really a bad thing.
A/N: Justin Timberlake’s Not A Bad Thing is just so beautiful it had to be written. Thank you to S, A, J and A for encouraging me throughout the whole writing process despite it being rushed.
“I’ve set you up with a really cool guy.”
Byun Baekhyun is always bad news.
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and continues typing his research. He has ten hours to cram a twenty thousand-word paper; he has no time for useless talk with his really nosy best friend.
“Come on man, he’s an Engineering sophomore practically brimming with testosterones.”
Baekhyun positions himself on the empty chair beside Kyungsoo, arms lazily hanging on the desk table and a smug expression decorating his face.
The time is 9 in the evening and the university library is filled with different students cramming for their exams and papers. Frustration and desperation hangs in the air like a bad odor that everyone just wants to get rid of immediately. The fir desk chair creaks with every jiggle of Baekhyun’s right leg - a clear indication of his excitement over the littlest of things. This earns him a glare from Kyungsoo because Kyungsoo has no time for this! He’s got a paper to submit before tomorrow’s lunch time and he hasn’t even written a single word!
“Baek, now’s not the time for this.”
There’s obvious frustration in Kyungsoo’s voice, but Baekhyun pays no heed as he pushes his chair towards Kyungsoo, making the chair’s legs squeak against the marble tiles of the library. Other students in the area sends a glare at the two, making Kyungsoo want to just hide beneath the ground.
“What do you mean? Love is important, Kyungsoo! You need to make time for it or else you’ll end up angry and alone!”
Can poking your best friend with a pen till his blood oozes out of his skin be considered a crime?
Because Kyungsoo badly wants to stab Baekhyun with his pen.
He shakes his head, not even caring to look at Baekhyun anymore, and continues with his research. So far, he’s gotten three books that prove to be worthy as reference for his paper, but he needs six more references to actually make his paper legit.
The Art of Paper Writing brought to you by Do Kyungsoo.
“Come on Kyungsoo, give love a chance.” Baekhyun picks a book from the pile on Kyungsoo’s table, randomly flipping through the pages and scanning it. “Not everyone is as evil as Yifan.”
A trigger.
“Baekhyun, we’ve been through this before. I don’t have time to date. I have deadlines to meet and Kai to take care of…”
“You do know that Kai is a bratty cat, right?” Baekhyun rolls his sleeves to show a small scar on his wrist. “Your cat did this to me the last time I visited your flat.”
“Oh good! Remind me to reward Kai with salmon.”
Kyungsoo’s not getting anything done and if this continues for the rest of the night, he might as well go to his professor’s house and beg for forgiveness in advance for a delayed and shitty paper.
“Seriously though, you need to get laid.”
Another trigger.
It has been so long since Kyungsoo last had sex with someone, he thinks he won’t be able to perform well when he actually (Right word: if ever) have sex again sometime soon.
“Could you just go away, Baek? You’ve taken up 15 minutes of my precious time already. This paper won’t write itself, you know.”
There’s obvious exhaustion in Kyungsoo’s voice and Baekhyun knows he’s about to get what he want.
“Just promise to meet the guy please?” Baekhyun pleads, his mouth slowly turning into a pout and his eyes crinkling. It’s his signature pleading form and he knows no one, not even Kyungsoo, stands a chance against it.
Kyungsoo is torn between giving in to Baekhyun’s wishes and holding on to his sworn statement not to believe in love ever since…that guy. But the way the empty Document 1.doc is practically glaring at him is signal enough to just let Baekhyun get what he wants so he can finally get something done.
“Text me the details and get out of my face. I’m going to murder you if I fail this class.”
Baekhyun responds with an annoying wink and a promise of “You’ll thank me soon for this, Kyungsoo!”
Kyungsoo heaves a sigh before making a face at the back of his best friend. There goes 20 minutes of his precious time. He only has nine hours and 40 minutes to cram a paper; he’ll need all the luck he can get.
-----
Kyungsoo barely passes the class.
But it’s okay. It’s fine.
He never really liked Professor Chen anyway.
It’s Friday, the last day of Finals Week, and Kyungsoo can already hear the chaos ensue outside his apartment flat, after all it’s the university apartment he’s living in. Students from different colleges roam around the apartment freely, as if inmates who managed to escape from a horrifying prison cell. There are howls and yells and cheers and beer - overall a very typical situation in the university every weekend.
Kyungsoo finds himself staring at his reflection in the mirror. He actually looks…human. It’s strange seeing how just last week he actually looked like death. Gone are the bedhead and the mismatched socks. Now his jet black hair is styled to perfection, making him look extremely hot. There’s lip balm on his heart-shaped lips (courtesy of Baekhyun) as his doe-like eyes scrutinize the outfit Baekhyun chose for him in the full-length mirror on his room. Red plaid shirt, denim pants and rubber shoes. It’s unlike Baekhyun to choose something so…simple, since his best friend is known for his outrageous fashion sense, but Kyungsoo’s not one to complain.
The sooner this date is over, the faster he can finally catch up on reading and spending time with Kai.
According to Baekhyun, the guy will meet him at the bookstore a block away from their apartment. It makes Kyungsoo think if the guy is also into books, but a part of his brain quickly shuts that curiosity down. The last time he became curious of a guy it led to a three-year relationship which only ended up as a major heartbreak and emotional breakdown.
Never. Again.
Kai mewls as he affectionately rubs his head on Kyungsoo’s leg. The cat is clingy as he stares with his huge eyes at Kyungsoo as if telling him not to leave him alone. Kyungsoo crouches down on the floor to pet the cat and the cat purrs because yes scratch that thing behind my ear yeeeees.
“Good job on scratching Baekhyun, Kai.” The cat purrs, pushing his head on his master’s palm. He’s a year old white Scottish Fold who has an attitude that can beat Byun Baekhyun’s. The only person he shows affection for is Kyungsoo, the rest can deal with his bratty attitude. “I’ll buy salmon for you as soon as the date’s finished, okay? We can eat midnight snack and watch Attack on Titans together.” The cat purrs, as if signalling his satisfaction on the plan.
Kyungsoo replaces the water on Kai’s bowl before he grabs his things and gets out of his flat.
Hopefully, Baekhyun didn’t set him up with a psycho.
-----
Shift Bookstore is oddly filled with customers on a Friday evening.
It’s a modest two-level bookstore filled with everything and anything, from textbooks to pocketbooks to fountain pens to sketch pads. It’s practically Kyungsoo’s haven for “instant happiness” whenever schoolwork took a toll on his sanity.
“Hey Kyungsoo!” Luhan, the oh-so-famous handsome owner of the bookstore, waves at him above the pile of books he’s arranging. Kyungsoo waves back at him before going to where Luhan is. Boxes and boxes of fresh, new books, paper backs and hard bounds, are littered beside the cashier counter. Luhan is seated on the floor, surrounded by books while his business partner, Minseok, is managing the cash register.
“Delivery day, huh?” Kyungsoo helps Luhan unload some of the books in a box.
“Yeah. The Ruth Ozeki book you want just arrived today by the way. You can get it from Minseok if you want.” Luhan winks at Kyungsoo before he excuses himself to coordinate something with the delivery crew.
Luhan and Minseok are husbands and business partners. Kyungsoo has known them ever since he started college at Hongik University. They were the first people he met when he got lost the first day of his classes. Luhan and Minseok were out on a date, drinking coffee at the coffee shop literally beside the gates of the prestigious university, when Kyungsoo shamelessly asked them for directions. It just took a 5 minute conversation and an official meeting at their bookstore to seal the blossoming friendship of the trio.
“Hey Minseok!” Kyungsoo greets the small-eyed, chubby faced man behind the counter. A gummy smile greets him back along with a hard bound copy of Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale of a Time-Being.
“Hi Kyungsoo! Did you manage to submit the paper?”
“Yeah, at 1 minute before cut-off.” Kyungsoo boasts proudly. Professor Chen judged him hard when the professor saw him running to his office one minute before the official start of his lunch time.
“Spending your first few hours of freedom in our bookshop, eh?”
“As much as I love you and Luhan, Minseok, but I’m here because I’m coerced to.”
“What did Baekhyun do this time?”
See? Everyone acknowledges that Byun Baekhyun is always bad news.
Kyungsoo rants about Byun Baekhyun and his latest evil experiment on Kyungsoo. Minseok nods every now and then as they both assist customers with Minseok handling the cash register and Kyungsoo wrapping the books. Soon, Luhan accompanies them.
Minseok offers his husband lemonade and a kiss on the cheeks.
(which makes Kyungsoo deathly envious of his friends, but of course he wouldn’t say it out loud)
“I think Baekhyun actually did something good this time.” Luhan says in between sips of his lemonade.
Kyungsoo pouts because is Luhan even serious? Sure, he hasn’t been in a relationship in two years, but there were flings! About three flings which ended quite positively! Who cares about love when it will just lead to heartbreak? Kyungsoo would rather waste his time and money on Kai. At least Kai won’t ever leave him.
Baekhyun soon messages Kyungsoo that his blind date is already at the entrance of the bookshop.
“Goodluck with the blind date!”
“Don’t be too stiff. Baekhyun only cares for your well-being.”
Man, sometimes Kyungsoo feels that befriending Luhan and Minseok is like having adopted parents.
-----
The blind date comes in the form of a tall, dark and handsome man.
His blonde hair falls on his shoulders, and his almond-shaped eyes crinkle as he checks his phone for the time. There’s a hint of mischievousness on his smile as the guy lets out a small laugh at something on his phone. He has big hands (which awfully reminds Kyungsoo of the ex who must not be named) and a broad shoulder. Kyungsoo could almost hear the song playing on the headphone hanging on the guy’s neck. The most outrageous part of the entire thing though is the fact that the guy is wearing the exact same thing Kyungsoo’s wearing.
Kyungsoo reminds himself to teach Kai how to bite so the cat can bite Baekhyun’s precious organ.
“Oh hey, are you Kyungsoo?”
Dark chocolatey voice entrances Kyungsoo to look at the guy. He is definitely much more gorgeous up close than a meter away. Kyungsoo can feel his heartbeat pound erratically and he doesn’t even know if it’s because of the shame of accidental couple outfits or the fact that he’s staring at an extremely gorgeous man.
“Ah…yes.”
Kyungsoo’s voice is laced with reluctance, but the guy ignores it as he takes something out of his bag and offers it to Kyungsoo.
“Didn’t know which flavour you like so I got two…” Banana and chocolate milk cartons are offered to Kyungsoo along with a sweet smile from the tall guy. “By the way, I’m Kim Jongin. Baekhyun told me to meet the guy with the same outfit. Honestly, didn’t expect to meet a handsome man.”
The statement makes Kyungsoo blush which he hides by quickly choosing banana milk and turning his back on Jongin.
Jongin’s smooth. Real smooth. He must have used that line to a lot of guys. Or girls. Even pets.
Kyungsoo alerts his senses up. Jongin is a flirt and with flirts come trouble. He wouldn’t want a Mental Breakdown Brought by Heartbreak Part 2. He’s so done with that movie ages ago. If Jongin wants to play the flirting game, then Kyungsoo can do it as well.
“You’re not so bad yourself.” Kyungsoo licks his lower lip with imaginary spilled banana milk and smiles at Jongin. Jongin smiles back, as if unperturbed by Kyungsoo’s acts, and sips on his own chocolate milk. The guy looks like an oversized kid and if Kyungsoo knows better, he would have taken an interest on the guy if his heart didn’t turn cold stone two years ago.
“So where do you want to go?”
“Uhm…I don’t really know.”
“We can walk while we think?” Jongin offers. There’s that heart-arresting smile again and Kyungsoo finds himself agreeing to the plan.
Hongdae is filled with the hustle and bustle of exam-free students and curious tourists roaming around the area. Shops of different purposes compete for attention with their blinding lights and raucous music. Kyungsoo’s and Jongin’s hair dances with the wind as they walk pass a group of student performers in the middle of the street. There’s a three feet distance between the two that gets shortened when a rowdy kid throws Kyungsoo off balance, making him awkwardly cling on Jongin’s arms.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, would you…” Kyungsoo sends a glare at the kid as he pushes himself off Jongin’s hold. Jongin’s arms feel so…nice and big, Kyungsoo can’t help thinking of thoughts he shouldn’t be thinking of. He shakes his head from side to side and murmurs his gratitude to Jongin.
The date only begun a few minutes ago and Kyungsoo’s already in a rollercoaster of emotions aka Kyungsoo should really stop thinking of tan, muscular arms.
-----
Do Kyungsoo did not expect an unconventional date.
He totally did not.
That’s why he’s currently staring at the hand-shaped candle in the middle of their table. It’s placed in a bowl filled with water with its palm facing upward and the fire melting the middle finger away. Kyungsoo can’t help cringing at the sight. Is he going to be offered to the devil now? Maybe become the next human-turned-zombie due to a massive mishap in an experiment? What if he becomes a Pokemon?! Kyungsoo only brought a swiss knife with him and he honestly think it’s no match with Jongin’s muscular (See: fabulous) arms.
The restaurant is called “The Witches’ Arena” and it’s located in the outskirts of Hongdae. Instead of a warm and inviting atmosphere, Kyungsoo is greeted with a haunted house complete with different plastic bats hanging from the oak tree in front of the restaurant. There is little to no light in the restaurant except for the dim light at the center of the restaurant where an oval-shaped structure showcases different sized jars filled with sex toys.
Sex toys and haunted houses for a first date.
Baekhyun really set him up with a cute psycho.
Cute, but a psycho nevertheless.
“I thought you’d like a change of scenery.” Jongin offers a piece of bread to Kyungsoo. “Baekhyun said you’re recently into the dark arts and BDSM, so I tried researching a few places.” Kyungsoo can’t see any hint of malice on Jongin’s face so he deduces another prank from his best friend.
Reminder for Kyungsoo: Buy a shovel and dig a 6 feet deep grave for his best friend
“Not really into the dark arts and BDSM, but I’d sure love to use a whip to strangle Baekhyun and possibly tie him up to feed him to the sharks.”
Jongin’s mortified by the sudden realization. His eyes turn big as he looks at Kyungsoo then at the sex toys displayed beside Kyungsoo. A silent sob escapes his lips as he hides his face with his hands. Just thinking of the shame he’s put himself through just makes him want to hide from the world. How could he be so stupid as to bring a guy to such an eccentric place for their first date?!
(What Jongin’s really thinking: How could he be so stupid as to believe Kyungsoo’s into BDSM and the dark arts.)
“Baekhyun lied to me, huh?”, he says beneath the comfort of his hands.
“Pretty much.”
“You must think I’m a psycho, huh?”
Jongin’s voice is shaky as he peers through his fingers to see Kyungsoo’s stoic facial expression. There’s no ounce of annoyance on his face, just a calm endearing one that makes Jongin guiltier for bringing such a fine man in such a weird place.
“Well, we all have our own things. I mean, I’m friends with Baekhyun so who am I to judge you, right?”
“I am not into the dark arts! Or BDSM!” Jongin hisses, his hands banging the table.
There’s a subtle change on Kyungsoo’s expression as he silently laughs at Jongin’s reaction. Jongin is at a loss for words; Kyungsoo looks utterly beautiful when he laughs. A part of him just wants to pinch Kyungsoo’s cheeks while another wants him to be the one that makes Kyungsoo smile for the rest of his life.
“Sure you aren’t.”
“I’M NOT!”
Jongin moans in frustration while Kyungsoo raises his hand to tell Jongin that he’ll finally stop playing with the guy.
“Do you want to go to another restaurant?” Jongin suddenly asks, seriousness evident on his face. “Somewhere more…typical?”
Kyungsoo takes a look around the restaurant once again. There are a few customers catching up with each other’s lives and the service crew actually looks quite decent. Despite the uncommon ambiance of the place, Kyungsoo thinks it’s a fairly safe restaurant. Plus, he can’t let Jongin’s effort go to waste.
“Nah, here is fine. It’s not like they’re serving human stew for dinner, right?”
“What a twisted mind you have, Kyungsoo.”
Kyungsoo snickers and Jongin smiles.
They talk about everything and anything.
Apparently, Kim Jongin is a Civil Engineering sophomore who works with Baekhyun at the convenience store a few blocks away from Kyungsoo’s apartment. He’s into the art of dancing and literature and has the biggest weakness for pizzas and dogs. He’s never been in a relationship since he’s still waiting for “The One”.
“You actually believe in “The One”, huh?” Kyungsoo says between mouthfuls of lemon ice cream.
The food at The Witches’ Arena is unexpectedly good, despite the weird names on the menu.
Kyungsoo ordered a “Please Be Careful With My Heart” while Jongin ordered a “No Boyfriend Since Birth” which turned out to be two pastas.
Weird enough, the two ordered food that seemed to depict their current predicament.
“Why wouldn’t I? We all have our “The One”. Some get lucky and meet them while some sadly don’t. They meet another that aren’t their The One, but is a perfect piece for the cracks of their own puzzle piece.”
“To be frank, I think that’s quite naïve.” Kyungsoo licks the last of his ice cream on his lips. “Maybe your thinking is like that because you’ve never been in a relationship, but believe me relationships don’t work based on who you think you’re the One is. You’re The One might even be the one who will hurt you. You give your all to him because you thought he’s The One, but then he’ll cheat you for another man or woman and you’ll feel thoroughly used and messed up and will end up having a mental breakdown for years.”
Jongin knows he’s hit a nerve. Kyungsoo’s expression is hard and the air around them is thick. Gone is the happiness they’ve shared a few minutes ago. He feels bad for Kyungsoo, but it doesn’t mean that he will stop believing in “The One” just because the guy he’s interested in doesn’t.
Jongin swears he will make Kyungsoo believe in The One.
“You’ll never know if you don’t trust, Kyungsoo.”
-----
“Can I see you again?”
Kyungsoo turns around just in time to hear Jongin’s question.
It’s almost 10 in the evening and they’re already in front of Kyungsoo’s apartment. After dinner, they went to an arcade to unwind and forget the awkward moment stirred up by the topic of The One. Kyungsoo has relatively loosened up the moment he held the puck at the air hockey machine, a wicked grin plastering itself on his face. Jongin lost, and lost, and lost, but it didn’t even matter one bit. Just seeing Kyungsoo’s heart-shaped lips lift itself up even just a little bit is more than enough for Jongin to be happy.
Jongin looks ethereal as the lamppost light shines above his head, his blonde hair strands moving ever so slightly with the gust of wind. It’s chilly and Kyungsoo finds himself shaking, but he doesn’t know if it’s because of the chilly air or Jongin’s question.
Does he want to see Jongin again?
Truthfully, yes.
But he doesn’t want his heart to be broken once again.
Their conversations have been nothing, but nice. Jongin seems genuinely nice, but then so was Yifan.
They’re always nice in the beginning, Kyungsoo. Then they get tired of you and treat you like crap, like a filthy garbage meant to be thrown in the trash can. Remember what Yifan did to you. For all you know, Jongin could do the same to you. Hell, anyone could do that to you. Don’t trust anyone with your heart.
Don’t trust anyone.
“I want to, but I can’t.”
Kyungsoo’s voice wavers as the statement finally escapes his mouth. He can see the varying expressions on Jongin’s face - a hopeful smile turns to a desolated frown. He feels bad doing this, but he’s doing it for the better good. Jongin can continue finding his The One and Kyungsoo can continue protecting his hurting heart. It’s good for everybody this way.
“Why can’t you?”
“I’m not you’re The One, Jongin.”
“Only I know that.”
Jongin leaves before Kyungsoo can even react. Kyungsoo stands there as he watches Jongin walk away. A small sigh escapes Kyungsoo’s mouth because what just happened? Why did he even agree to Baekhyun to meet Jongin? Ah yes, because of his paper. It’s all Professor Chen’s fault.
Kyungsoo sighs as he climbs the stairs towards his flat.
Kai must be starving.
And to think, he forgot to buy his precious cat some salmon.
That night before Kyungsoo sleeps, he receives a text from Jongin.
Kim Jongin: Goodnight Kyungsoo. ☺
-----
“So…how was it?”
Byun Baekhyun wiggling his eyebrows is the most annoying thing, Kyungsoo thinks.
He’s in the middle of feeding Kai when Baekhyun prances through his dorm. The cat hisses, entire body puffing up, the moment he smells Baekhyun. Both Kai and Kyungsoo are on the floor when Baekhyun joins them nonchalantly and tries to pet Kai only to be replied with a small scratch and a glare from Kyungsoo.
“Stop stressing him.” Kyungsoo spanks Baekhyun’s hands and stands up to clean the utensils in the kitchen. Baekhyun follows him and stands at the door.
“Seeing that you’re still being a miserable slob that you are, last night didn’t go well, huh?”
Sure he may look like a slob right now with obviously worn out shirts and jogging pants, but does a person actually sleep with their tuxedos on? Plus, it’s only 7 in the morning. It’s too early to be dealing with Baekhyun’s shit.
“Dude, it’s too early for your interrogation.”
Kyungsoo grabs some random clothing on his closet and goes to the bathroom to take a bath. Baekhyun wanders around the dorm and ends up checking out Kyungsoo’s food supply. There’s some spare ramen and hot water on the electric kettle. Kyungsoo wouldn’t mind if he takes one, right? It’s not like they’re not best friends for nothing, right?
“Pay for that.” is the first thing that Kyungsoo says the moment he gets out of the bathroom. Baekhyun is on his bed, eating a cup of ramen as he tries to pet an obviously annoyed Kai with his feet.
“Aw come on man, I thought we’re friends.” Baekhyun says as he wipes his mouth from excess soup. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and and puts his used clothes on the clothes bin. Why is Baekhyun still not leaving?
“Friends don’t leech off their friends’ food supply.”
“Ah yes,” Baekhyun inhales the remaining soup before dropping the empty cup on the floor. “But I’m not your ordinary friend. I’m your best friend, Soo. An upgraded version of a friend.” He grabs the bottle of water Kyungsoo gives and practically gulps it down.
“A pest, you mean.”
“Aha, but you still love me, right?”
Kyungsoo doesn’t want to spend his Saturday morning engaging with another one of Baekhyun’s stupid conversations. He wants to spend it feeding Kai, getting a decent breakfast at the restaurant down the block and then maybe visiting Luhan and Minseok at the bookstore. Nothing wrong with owning too much books, right?
“What do you want, Baek?”
“How was Jongin? Isn’t he a nice one?”
“Did you give him my number?”
Jongin’s text message to Kyungsoo even haunted him in his dreams.
“Of course I did, how else will your romance blossom?!”
Baekhyun attempts to play with Kai who’s fur are now stricken up.
“Nothing’s going to blossom. Sure he’s nice, but you know I can’t be in a relationship right now…” Kyungsoo’s about to start with his hour-long enumeration of reasons why he still needs more time to mend his broken heart, only to be cut by his best friend.
“I don’t get it, Soo. It’s been years. We’re juniors now! I’ve been in 4 relationships, Junmyeon already got a job at Samsung. Hell, even Professor Chen has a baby now. Why can’t you move on from Yifan?”
Kyungsoo hisses like salt have been rubbed on his wound.
“See, even hearing Yifan’s name inflicts pain on you. Why? Why can’t you move on from the guy? Yifan’s engaged now, Soo. You need to stop torturing yourself.”
Baekhyun is one of those very blunt friends. The one person where people have complicated feelings for - you hate his guts, but then you also recognize that he’s just stating a fact. A really harsh fact.
Kyungsoo flops down on the bed and exhales loudly. It’s really too early for everything. Can’t the bed just swallow him whole with all his shattered hopes and dreams? Is it his fault that it’s so hard to move on from Yifan because he thought Yifan is his The One? Because he thought that Yifan would be his past, present and future? Kyungsoo doesn’t know anymore. But one thing’s for sure, Byun Baekhyun who has never been in a serious relationship sure doesn’t understand the concept of The One and how deep its effect is on true believers.
It takes a minute and another deep sigh from Kyungsoo for Baekhyun to realize that what he just did is below the belt. He has always been a bit slow in processing the emotions of people. He sits beside Kyungsoo and rubs his back.
“Dude, you do know why I’m doing this, right?”
A muffled hmm means a yes.
“Tell you what…I’ll treat you for dinner later just to make up for this. At that fancy restaurant that sells overpriced ramen.”
Baekhyun ruffles Kyungsoo’s hair before leaving the room, leaving his best friend to nurse thoughts about what he just said.
Maybe, just maybe, he can finally let go now.
-----
There aren’t a lot of people in Shift Bookstore on a boring Saturday afternoon.
For the first time in forever, Kyungsoo honestly feels at peace as his hands touch one book to another. The fancy glossy cover and the thin light brown paper that houses the bright minds of authors alike are the most beautiful thing for Kyungsoo. The smell of old books along with the feeling of actually touching a paper is irreplaceable by staring at a gadget all day long.
Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto, Kenzaburo Oe…
It has been so long ever since Kyungsoo read stories from his favourite Japanese authors.
Kyungsoo spots Haruki’s Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage at the top most shelf of the area and curses the owners for being inconsiderate tall people. There aren’t a lot of people in the area and really what would he give to get his hands on the book?
Answer: his shame
He bounces up and down with his hands raised as high as it can only to be met with failure. From afar, Kyungsoo looks like a spoiled kid trying to reach for the cookie jar his mother placed at the most shelf.
“Why!” He puffs,
“Are!”, and huffs,
“You!”, like
“So!” there’s
“Fucking!” no
“High!” tomorrow.
Kyungsoo only ends up breathless and tired as he sits on the floor.
He’s going to give Minseok and Luhan a piece of his mind. What kind of owners in their right mind would place such a popular book at the top most shelf?! You put it where customers can readily get it. No need to make your customers go through hell to get what they want. It’s a fucking bookstore not a gym, for goodness’ sake.
Maybe he could just ask Luhan to get it for him. Sure, that would mean totally throwing his shame down the trash, but then so is bouncing up and down like a fucking retard.
He stands up, hands on his waist as he glares at the book.
One day he’s going to buy a ladder just for himself and put it at the back office of this shop.
“Oof!” A familiar chocolatey voice. “This is the book you want, right?”
Jongin’s bright smile is like a breath of fresh air. The way his eyes crinkle with every upward movement of his lips is intoxicating for Kyungsoo. His blonde hair is a fluffy mess and Kyungsoo just wants to touch it. John Legend’s All of Me plays loudly on Jongin’s headphones and some part of Kyungsoo’s delusional mind assumes its perfect background music for their second meeting.
“Tha-thank you...”
What does a person actually say when they meet the person they like, but can’t be together with?
They stand there and stare at each other, as if time has stopped for them.
What is Jongin doing here? Is this coincidence or a planned meeting? Why does Jongin look so so fine? Would it be okay to actually like Jongin? What if Jongin’s bad for him? Such questions race in Kyungsoo’s mind as he grips the book tighter, feeling the remnants of Jongin’s touch on it.
“I used to have a friend…” Jongin suddenly says. “who has a friend that liked a friend who then likes the brother of my friend…” It’s making Kyungsoo’s head ache. What? His friend’s friend likes his brother’s friend? What?
Jongin shakes his head vigorously, his ears turning red with each passing second.
“Basically, what I’m saying is, which do you like better: ramen or samgyupsal?”
“Are you trying to ask me out on a date?”
Jongin’s way too smooth it’s scaring Kyungsoo out of his wits.
Just like what Yifan did.
“Maybe?” There’s that soul-melting grin again. Ugh.
“I’m not hungry.”
A loud rumbling of the stomach. Man, why can’t his body cooperate with him even just once? First his height (or the lack of it) is a nuisance and now his stomach is rebelling against him? What a cruel world he lives in. A deep shade of pink dusts Kyungsoo’s cheeks as he lowers his gaze to the floor. How else can he look Jongin in the eyes, huh? Tell him, how else?
Jongin’s deep chuckle forces Kyungsoo back to his senses.
“Your stomach says otherwise.”
He suddenly holds Kyungsoo’s hands and it’s all going way too fast and everything feels very hot. What is Jongin doing? What is happening? Kyungsoo’s eyes become larger as panic strikes his veins. He attempts to get out of Jongin’s hold only to be arrested by the owner’s heart-constricting smile.
And it takes just that for Kyungsoo to lose all his defenses.
“Come on Kyungsoo, it’s just dinner. We’re not going to do anything bad.”
Dinner with the devil, Kyungsoo thinks.
“My treat. Ramen. Yixing hyung makes the most delicious ramen here in Hongdae.”
Really…who is Kyungsoo to say no to Jongin’s temptation when his stomach is practically salivating at the thought of yummy ramen?
Do Kyungsoo: Let’s postpone dinner later. Impromptu dinner with someone.
Byun Baekhyun: I know. > : ) Have fun with Jongin!
Sometimes Kyungsoo wonders how manipulative Baekhyun is.
-----
“Your Yixing hyung is a chef here?!”
The surprise is etched on Kyungsoo’s voice as he takes in the interior of his most favourite ramen shop in the whole of Hongdae. Ippudo is located at the heart of Hongdae; it’s one of those restaurants where you need to go a series of stairs (or elevators - whichever you prefer) just to get to it. It’s well lit interior is a huge difference with how Hongdae restaurants normally are. The service crew are busy as numerous bowls get in and get out of the kitchen. A tall lanky man says hello to Kyungsoo and he immediately greets him with a wide smile.
“Hi Chanyeol!”
The possessive part of Jongin wants to glare at the man, but then he remembers his current position in Kyungsoo’s life - neither a friend or a lover. Just a mere acquaintance. (For now anyway.) What is it with Kyungsoo and tall, pale man? Why can’t he like tall, dark, handsome men like everybody else in the world?
Chanyeol sits them in the best place in the restaurant, the one in the corner where no one can hear them talk, because “he owes Kyungsoo something” before winking at Kyungsoo and leaving the two of them together.
This Chanyeol guy just winked at Kyungsoo! When Jongin’s out in a date with him! The nerve of this…of this…dog!
Jongin balls his fist underneath the table as he offers a hopefully convincing smile at Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo looks effulgent beneath the lights of the restaurant. His jet black hair falls up to his nape and it looks so fluffy Jongin has to resist the temptation to just touch it and smell it. A smile decorates his face as he excitedly points one ramen to another, discussing how each one of them tastes good in their own ways.
It’s a huge difference to how Kyungsoo was yesterday; he’s more relaxed and comfortable now. Jongin would like to thank the heavens above for giving him a second opportunity to meet Kyungsoo again.
When Baekhyun approached Jongin that night he saw Jongin browsing through Kyungsoo’s Instagram account he was so sure he was going to bebeaten to a pulp. Byun Baekhyun - the overprotective guardian of Do Kyungsoo. Rumors has it he threatened the men who tried to make a move on Kyungsoo, but weren’t serious. After the Curious Case of Wu Yifan, Baekhyun has been overprotective of his best friend. That’s why Jongin found himself bidding his mother goodbye when Baekhyun approached him.
What he didn’t expect was the question that changed his life.
“Are you serious about Soo, Jongin?”
“Huh? What….Baek?”
“Stop feigning innocence. I’ve seen you stalk Kyungsoo since Day 1. You’re the kid who always throws rocks at Yifan whenever they fight.” There’s a huge grin on Baekhyun’s face as he gives a thumbs up to an obviously confused Jongin. “Gotta give it to you, Jong. You know your timing well.”
Was he super obvious all this time? Hasn’t he tried to at least camouflage himself? Does this mean Kyungsoo knows he’s his stalker?
“Wait Baek…does Kyungsoo know…”
“Of course not. He’s like a horse with blinders whenever he’s with Yifan. He only sees Yifan and nothing, but Yifan.” Baekhyun picks a random candy and pops it in his mouth. “Quite delusional, if you ask me.”
Not really delusional, just blindingly in love, Jongin thinks.
“I’m serious about him, Baek.” Jongin sees no point in hiding it to Baekhyun. What has he got to lose? Baekhyun already knows of his long-time crush on Kyungsoo. Why not get his permission as well? It’s definitely better than just watching Kyungsoo in the sidelines.
“I think he’s The One for me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well I wouldn’t risk my scholarship by hurting the Student Council President every now and then if I wasn’t serious, don’t you think?”
“You officially pass the test! I now welcome you to Operation: Save Kyungsoo from the Clutches of Yifan Memoriam.”
This was why Jongin found himself wearing the same outfit as Kyungsoo the first day they officially met and accidentally bringing him to a sex toy-inspired restaurant for their first date (a goddamn challenge from Do Kyungsoo’s ultimate protector, Byun Baekhyun, the King Kuppa of the Super Mario World).
Jongin has not expected getting a second chance in the form of Kyungsoo’s favourite ramen shop.
“What are you getting, Jongin?” Amusement lingers on Kyungsoo’s voice as he expectantly stares at Jongin. It honestly makes Jongin’s heart melt, but he must remain cool. Kyungsoo likes cool. (An assumption seeing how Yifan is the epitome of cool back then.)
“Shiromaru Motoaji.”
“Oh I’m getting the same.”
There’s those pink-dusted cheeks again. He can see Kyungsoo shyly smile as he motions Chanyeol to take their order. The tall man walks briskly towards Kyungsoo, like a dog excited to get a reward from its owner. Seeing him up close, Jongin thinks Chanyeol looks like a mad man with his scary big eyes and wide smile. Note to self: Get Kyungsoo away from the Chanyeol guy when they finally get together.
“Okay, 2 shiromaru motoaji and 2 extra tamagos coming right up.” Chanyeol glances at Jongin before he winks at Kyungsoo and leaves the table. It seems like a secret communication between the two and Jongin is just dying to know what it’s all about.
“He likes Baek.”
OH.
“Been trying to get Baek’s attention the moment Baek picked me up for lunch one Friday after our World Literature class.”
O H.
“He’s way too nice for Baek though, if you ask me.” Kyungsoo whispers to Jongin as he leans forward.
Anybody is too good for Baekhyun.
Jongin just smiles at Kyungsoo’s remark and changes the topic to safer ones like breakfast and the weather. Kyungsoo looks more pleasant now and that makes Jongin relax. At least Kyungsoo is finally having a good time now. Their orders finally arrive after 10 minutes. The aroma of yummy ramen fills their senses and it leaves both of them salivate on the spot.
Silence erupts in their table as soon as they dig on their ramen. A slurp every now and then could be heard along with a deep sigh due to hunger satisfaction, but never a conversation starter. It’s okay with Jongin. Just seeing Kyungsoo enjoy his ramen is good enough for him. A smile unconsciously crawls on Jongin’s face as he watches Kyungsoo hungrily slurp the soup off the bowl.
“Aaaahh, that was fulfilling.” Kyungsoo grins at Jongin the moment he puts the empty bowl down. A burp escapes his mouth and his eyes enlarge at the shame his traitor body keeps on giving him. “I’m sorry…”
More than Kyungsoo’s apology, Jongin’s more disturbed at the piece of tamago stuck near Kyungsoo’s lips.
“Kyungsoo…there’s something…” Jongin’s fingers work in their own accord. “near your lips…” They’ve touched Kyungsoo’s lips even before Jongin could process what his fingers just did.
“Oh? Where?” Kyungsoo attempts to lick where Jongin’s pointing only to lick Jongin’s finger instead.
Mayday! Mayday! Hard on spotted! Hard on spotted!
Brain, quick! Think of something!
And so the brain thinks.
This is why minutes later, Jongin finds himself running to the bathroom nursing a bad case of the blue balls.
To think that Kyungsoo just accidentally licked his middle finger, what more if he licked something else?
-----
So begins Jongin’s conquest to Kyungsoo’s heart.
What begins as accidental meet ups soon becomes casual dates in the form of date nights and lunch outs.
Kyungsoo finds himself yearning for more Jongin in his life despite warning himself not to completely let his guard down. It’s why he’s currently refreshing his Kakao Talk every now and then to check if Jongin has a message for him.
Okay, maybe the guy’s asleep. 11 in the evening is a nice time to fall asleep, right? But 11 in the evening is also a nice time to visit a girl or a guy even a good-looking neighbor’s pet. And Jongin normally messages him till midnight, so why not tonight?
Frustrated, he throws his phone on the bed and ruffles his hair. Who cares if Jongin messages him or not? He’s got a big exam on Biology and he still has 6 more chapters to cram before the sun rises. He sighs and puts his heavy Biology book on the desk. The highlighter is on his right and a pencil is on the other. Time to do some studying!
A V6 playlist plays in the background as Kyungsoo racks his brain with biological terms that is totally irrelevant to his Communication Arts course. Kai is cleaning himself in the far corner of the room while checking his stressed owner every now and then. The room is peaceful. Kyungsoo’s almost forgotten the internal struggle over Jongin’s lack of presence in his life today when a knock on the door is heard.
It’s past midnight. Why would Baekhyun even see him at this kind of hour? Doesn’t he have an exam himself?
“Baek, you need to stop pestering…”
“You know I’m starting to wonder if you’re only friend is Baekhyun…”
Kim Jongin, in all his glorious eye smile and tanned abs, has finally made his presence known in Kyungsoo’s life today. Before Kyungsoo could even control himself, a glare and a pout forms in his face as he leaves the door open to let Jongin come in.
Someone finally came. Took him so long, Kyungsoo muses. Jongin is dressed in sweats and a hoodie. The weather has rapidly turned frigid, leaving the students huddled together with their brimming hot coffee and thick sweaters and pants. Jongin huffs and puffs as he settles down on Kyungsoo’s floor before offering the coffee he got for Kyungsoo and the cat food he got for Kai.
“You sure know how to be comfortable in someone else’s home, huh?”
There’s snark on Kyungsoo’s voice, but he can’t help himself. Sure Kyungsoo has no right to get angry at Jongin just because the guy hasn’t talked to him for the entire day because they’re not boyfriends, but they’re friends! Friends worry about their friends’ life every now and then!
(Trivia: Kyungsoo has never made an effort to know what Baekhyun does with his life. Baekhyun regularly updates him with TMI messages anyway.)
Jongin only replies with a pleasing grin on his face and a plastic bag full of bread.
“What’s all of these?” Kyungsoo frowns.
“Cramming food! Don’t you have a Biology exam tomorrow? I’m here to join you cram.” Jongin fishes out a Trigonometry book from his backpack and waves it on Kyungsoo’s face. Kyungsoo is appalled. He’s torn in between wanting to tell Jongin off for readily assuming that he’ll agree, but then again he actually finds it endearing that Jongin remembered that he has an exam tomorrow.
“Only this time, brat.” He sips on the coffee. Caramel macchiato. Jongin remembered his favourite coffee.
Jongin chuckles and positions himself beside Kyungsoo. It’s a relatively long desk fit for two people, so Jongin uses this as an opportunity to be beside his The One.
It must be fun for Jongin, but it’s pure torture for Kyungsoo.
Instead of memorizing the photosynthesis process, Kyungsoo memorizes the way Jongin’s eyebrows crease when he doesn’t get the formula for Hermite's cotangent identity, the way he bites his lower lips whenever he flips to another page and the way his moist lips touch the lucky coffee cup.
Kyungsoo knows he’s got it bad the moment he envies Jongin’s coffee cup.
It’s just that, Jongin all hunched up and serious with his work is so…damn hot it’s hard not to be bewitched by it.
He shakes his head. He has no time for Jongin 101 especially when Professor Henry is one step closer to giving him that failing mark for not knowing enough about bacteria.
Kyungsoo gulps down the coffee and puts his headphones on.
Professor Henry has always been a huge cockblock.
-----
Jongin barely passes his trigonometry class, while Kyungsoo passes his biology class with flying colors.
The big, fat D on his card is fine. At least he managed to spend an intimate night with Kyungsoo.
Jongin had never imagined that Kyungsoo would allow him to stay the night in his room, but he did. Jongin would like to think its because Kyungsoo has feelings for him, but he highly doubt that. It must have been all the bribes he brought with him.
The look on Kyungsoo’s face when he’s studying is to die for. Jongin could almost remember how fast his heartbeat was when Kyungsoo didn’t shove him away when he attempted to sit beside the guy. He could almost smell the minty soap on Kyungsoo’s skin and could almost touch Kyungsoo’s hand if he wanted to. Hell, he could have even kissed him if he wanted to.
But of course he stopped himself.
He’s come way too far to destroy it with just one wrong move.
Hell no, Jongin will not risk his good relationship with Kyungsoo by moving way too fast.
“Daydreaming again?” Oh Sehun, Jongin’s best friend/best neighbour/best wingman, asks him.
They’re in Sehun’s favourite milk tea shop, waiting for his Chinese boyfriend to come when his class ends. Jongin mutters his gratitude to Sehun, grabbing the strawberry milk tea Sehun got for him. Sehun sits on the opposite chair of Jongin and calls his boyfriend.
“Tao, where are you?” Sehun asks in between sips of his favourite pearl milk tea. “Jongin’s daydreaming of his crush again.” This earns him a kick and a glare from Jongin. Jongin keeps forgetting that ever since his best friend became boyfriends with Zitao it immediately means that his secrets are shared by the two. Sehun snickers and bids his boyfriend farewell.
“He’d be here in 5 minutes, helping a cat climb down a tree.” Sehun says as if it’s perfectly normal occurrence. “So…how’s you’re The One?”
Does Jongin take the bait? Does he?
“I spent the night in his room.”
He does.
Sehun splutters a few pearls on his shirt and Jongin is thankful for the instant karma.
“You did what?!” Jongin offers napkin to a flustered Sehun who is now standing up, trying to get the pearl stains out of his shirt. “You slept with him?!”
A facepalm.
“I did not sleep with him, you dirty-minded deaf. I said I spent the night with him.”
“So you did sleep with him?”
The milk tea shop’s door opens and in comes a tall, masculine guy donning an all-black attire.
“I did not sleep-“
“What’d I miss?” The guy chirps - a huge difference to his domineering appearance.
“Zitao, he slept with Kyungsoo.” Sehun passes the extra strawberry milk tea to Zitao. Zitao puts a hand on his mouth in disbelief. Did Jongin really do it? With Kyungsoo? What.
“I DID NOT!!” Jongin roars, his face red and veins about to pop out. He glares at the two panic-stricken boyfriends who are now huddled together in their chairs. The last thing Jongin wants is a stupid rumor circulating in the campus to ruin his chances with Kyungsoo.
“We spent the night cramming for our exams.”
“Why didn’t you say so? Jeez, no need to get angry over it.” Sehun goes back to nonchalantly sipping his milk tea while stroking his boyfriend’s hand. Zitao smiles at his boyfriend before placing his hand on Sehun’s lap. Jongin makes a face at his friends; his situation with Kyungsoo is more important than their holding hands.
“That means he likes you.” Zitao chides.
“Yeah, as a friend. Not as a boyfriend.”
“No person in their right mind would welcome a man into their house at midnight if they didn’t feel safe with that man.”
Sehun nods vigorously. It does make sense, but then Kyungsoo and Jongin have been dating for a few times already, so it could have been because Kyungsoo finds Jongin comfortable to be with? It doesn’t necessarily mean that Kyungsoo likes him. Yes, there’s still a slim chance that Kyungsoo doesn’t like him…
“Have you tried officially asking him out?”
“Too scared.”
“Maybe it’s time you should, Jong.”
Maybe.
Recipient: None
Pairing: KaiSoo
Word Count: 16,211
Rating: PG (implied sex and a bit of cursing)
Warning(s) if any: Complete word vomit and seriously rushed
Summary: Kyungsoo doesn’t believe in love, but Jongin wants to prove to him that love isn’t really a bad thing.
A/N: Justin Timberlake’s Not A Bad Thing is just so beautiful it had to be written. Thank you to S, A, J and A for encouraging me throughout the whole writing process despite it being rushed.
“I’ve set you up with a really cool guy.”
Byun Baekhyun is always bad news.
Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and continues typing his research. He has ten hours to cram a twenty thousand-word paper; he has no time for useless talk with his really nosy best friend.
“Come on man, he’s an Engineering sophomore practically brimming with testosterones.”
Baekhyun positions himself on the empty chair beside Kyungsoo, arms lazily hanging on the desk table and a smug expression decorating his face.
The time is 9 in the evening and the university library is filled with different students cramming for their exams and papers. Frustration and desperation hangs in the air like a bad odor that everyone just wants to get rid of immediately. The fir desk chair creaks with every jiggle of Baekhyun’s right leg - a clear indication of his excitement over the littlest of things. This earns him a glare from Kyungsoo because Kyungsoo has no time for this! He’s got a paper to submit before tomorrow’s lunch time and he hasn’t even written a single word!
“Baek, now’s not the time for this.”
There’s obvious frustration in Kyungsoo’s voice, but Baekhyun pays no heed as he pushes his chair towards Kyungsoo, making the chair’s legs squeak against the marble tiles of the library. Other students in the area sends a glare at the two, making Kyungsoo want to just hide beneath the ground.
“What do you mean? Love is important, Kyungsoo! You need to make time for it or else you’ll end up angry and alone!”
Can poking your best friend with a pen till his blood oozes out of his skin be considered a crime?
Because Kyungsoo badly wants to stab Baekhyun with his pen.
He shakes his head, not even caring to look at Baekhyun anymore, and continues with his research. So far, he’s gotten three books that prove to be worthy as reference for his paper, but he needs six more references to actually make his paper legit.
The Art of Paper Writing brought to you by Do Kyungsoo.
“Come on Kyungsoo, give love a chance.” Baekhyun picks a book from the pile on Kyungsoo’s table, randomly flipping through the pages and scanning it. “Not everyone is as evil as Yifan.”
A trigger.
“Baekhyun, we’ve been through this before. I don’t have time to date. I have deadlines to meet and Kai to take care of…”
“You do know that Kai is a bratty cat, right?” Baekhyun rolls his sleeves to show a small scar on his wrist. “Your cat did this to me the last time I visited your flat.”
“Oh good! Remind me to reward Kai with salmon.”
Kyungsoo’s not getting anything done and if this continues for the rest of the night, he might as well go to his professor’s house and beg for forgiveness in advance for a delayed and shitty paper.
“Seriously though, you need to get laid.”
Another trigger.
It has been so long since Kyungsoo last had sex with someone, he thinks he won’t be able to perform well when he actually (Right word: if ever) have sex again sometime soon.
“Could you just go away, Baek? You’ve taken up 15 minutes of my precious time already. This paper won’t write itself, you know.”
There’s obvious exhaustion in Kyungsoo’s voice and Baekhyun knows he’s about to get what he want.
“Just promise to meet the guy please?” Baekhyun pleads, his mouth slowly turning into a pout and his eyes crinkling. It’s his signature pleading form and he knows no one, not even Kyungsoo, stands a chance against it.
Kyungsoo is torn between giving in to Baekhyun’s wishes and holding on to his sworn statement not to believe in love ever since…that guy. But the way the empty Document 1.doc is practically glaring at him is signal enough to just let Baekhyun get what he wants so he can finally get something done.
“Text me the details and get out of my face. I’m going to murder you if I fail this class.”
Baekhyun responds with an annoying wink and a promise of “You’ll thank me soon for this, Kyungsoo!”
Kyungsoo heaves a sigh before making a face at the back of his best friend. There goes 20 minutes of his precious time. He only has nine hours and 40 minutes to cram a paper; he’ll need all the luck he can get.
-----
Kyungsoo barely passes the class.
But it’s okay. It’s fine.
He never really liked Professor Chen anyway.
It’s Friday, the last day of Finals Week, and Kyungsoo can already hear the chaos ensue outside his apartment flat, after all it’s the university apartment he’s living in. Students from different colleges roam around the apartment freely, as if inmates who managed to escape from a horrifying prison cell. There are howls and yells and cheers and beer - overall a very typical situation in the university every weekend.
Kyungsoo finds himself staring at his reflection in the mirror. He actually looks…human. It’s strange seeing how just last week he actually looked like death. Gone are the bedhead and the mismatched socks. Now his jet black hair is styled to perfection, making him look extremely hot. There’s lip balm on his heart-shaped lips (courtesy of Baekhyun) as his doe-like eyes scrutinize the outfit Baekhyun chose for him in the full-length mirror on his room. Red plaid shirt, denim pants and rubber shoes. It’s unlike Baekhyun to choose something so…simple, since his best friend is known for his outrageous fashion sense, but Kyungsoo’s not one to complain.
The sooner this date is over, the faster he can finally catch up on reading and spending time with Kai.
According to Baekhyun, the guy will meet him at the bookstore a block away from their apartment. It makes Kyungsoo think if the guy is also into books, but a part of his brain quickly shuts that curiosity down. The last time he became curious of a guy it led to a three-year relationship which only ended up as a major heartbreak and emotional breakdown.
Never. Again.
Kai mewls as he affectionately rubs his head on Kyungsoo’s leg. The cat is clingy as he stares with his huge eyes at Kyungsoo as if telling him not to leave him alone. Kyungsoo crouches down on the floor to pet the cat and the cat purrs because yes scratch that thing behind my ear yeeeees.
“Good job on scratching Baekhyun, Kai.” The cat purrs, pushing his head on his master’s palm. He’s a year old white Scottish Fold who has an attitude that can beat Byun Baekhyun’s. The only person he shows affection for is Kyungsoo, the rest can deal with his bratty attitude. “I’ll buy salmon for you as soon as the date’s finished, okay? We can eat midnight snack and watch Attack on Titans together.” The cat purrs, as if signalling his satisfaction on the plan.
Kyungsoo replaces the water on Kai’s bowl before he grabs his things and gets out of his flat.
Hopefully, Baekhyun didn’t set him up with a psycho.
-----
Shift Bookstore is oddly filled with customers on a Friday evening.
It’s a modest two-level bookstore filled with everything and anything, from textbooks to pocketbooks to fountain pens to sketch pads. It’s practically Kyungsoo’s haven for “instant happiness” whenever schoolwork took a toll on his sanity.
“Hey Kyungsoo!” Luhan, the oh-so-famous handsome owner of the bookstore, waves at him above the pile of books he’s arranging. Kyungsoo waves back at him before going to where Luhan is. Boxes and boxes of fresh, new books, paper backs and hard bounds, are littered beside the cashier counter. Luhan is seated on the floor, surrounded by books while his business partner, Minseok, is managing the cash register.
“Delivery day, huh?” Kyungsoo helps Luhan unload some of the books in a box.
“Yeah. The Ruth Ozeki book you want just arrived today by the way. You can get it from Minseok if you want.” Luhan winks at Kyungsoo before he excuses himself to coordinate something with the delivery crew.
Luhan and Minseok are husbands and business partners. Kyungsoo has known them ever since he started college at Hongik University. They were the first people he met when he got lost the first day of his classes. Luhan and Minseok were out on a date, drinking coffee at the coffee shop literally beside the gates of the prestigious university, when Kyungsoo shamelessly asked them for directions. It just took a 5 minute conversation and an official meeting at their bookstore to seal the blossoming friendship of the trio.
“Hey Minseok!” Kyungsoo greets the small-eyed, chubby faced man behind the counter. A gummy smile greets him back along with a hard bound copy of Ruth Ozeki’s A Tale of a Time-Being.
“Hi Kyungsoo! Did you manage to submit the paper?”
“Yeah, at 1 minute before cut-off.” Kyungsoo boasts proudly. Professor Chen judged him hard when the professor saw him running to his office one minute before the official start of his lunch time.
“Spending your first few hours of freedom in our bookshop, eh?”
“As much as I love you and Luhan, Minseok, but I’m here because I’m coerced to.”
“What did Baekhyun do this time?”
See? Everyone acknowledges that Byun Baekhyun is always bad news.
Kyungsoo rants about Byun Baekhyun and his latest evil experiment on Kyungsoo. Minseok nods every now and then as they both assist customers with Minseok handling the cash register and Kyungsoo wrapping the books. Soon, Luhan accompanies them.
Minseok offers his husband lemonade and a kiss on the cheeks.
(which makes Kyungsoo deathly envious of his friends, but of course he wouldn’t say it out loud)
“I think Baekhyun actually did something good this time.” Luhan says in between sips of his lemonade.
Kyungsoo pouts because is Luhan even serious? Sure, he hasn’t been in a relationship in two years, but there were flings! About three flings which ended quite positively! Who cares about love when it will just lead to heartbreak? Kyungsoo would rather waste his time and money on Kai. At least Kai won’t ever leave him.
Baekhyun soon messages Kyungsoo that his blind date is already at the entrance of the bookshop.
“Goodluck with the blind date!”
“Don’t be too stiff. Baekhyun only cares for your well-being.”
Man, sometimes Kyungsoo feels that befriending Luhan and Minseok is like having adopted parents.
-----
The blind date comes in the form of a tall, dark and handsome man.
His blonde hair falls on his shoulders, and his almond-shaped eyes crinkle as he checks his phone for the time. There’s a hint of mischievousness on his smile as the guy lets out a small laugh at something on his phone. He has big hands (which awfully reminds Kyungsoo of the ex who must not be named) and a broad shoulder. Kyungsoo could almost hear the song playing on the headphone hanging on the guy’s neck. The most outrageous part of the entire thing though is the fact that the guy is wearing the exact same thing Kyungsoo’s wearing.
Kyungsoo reminds himself to teach Kai how to bite so the cat can bite Baekhyun’s precious organ.
“Oh hey, are you Kyungsoo?”
Dark chocolatey voice entrances Kyungsoo to look at the guy. He is definitely much more gorgeous up close than a meter away. Kyungsoo can feel his heartbeat pound erratically and he doesn’t even know if it’s because of the shame of accidental couple outfits or the fact that he’s staring at an extremely gorgeous man.
“Ah…yes.”
Kyungsoo’s voice is laced with reluctance, but the guy ignores it as he takes something out of his bag and offers it to Kyungsoo.
“Didn’t know which flavour you like so I got two…” Banana and chocolate milk cartons are offered to Kyungsoo along with a sweet smile from the tall guy. “By the way, I’m Kim Jongin. Baekhyun told me to meet the guy with the same outfit. Honestly, didn’t expect to meet a handsome man.”
The statement makes Kyungsoo blush which he hides by quickly choosing banana milk and turning his back on Jongin.
Jongin’s smooth. Real smooth. He must have used that line to a lot of guys. Or girls. Even pets.
Kyungsoo alerts his senses up. Jongin is a flirt and with flirts come trouble. He wouldn’t want a Mental Breakdown Brought by Heartbreak Part 2. He’s so done with that movie ages ago. If Jongin wants to play the flirting game, then Kyungsoo can do it as well.
“You’re not so bad yourself.” Kyungsoo licks his lower lip with imaginary spilled banana milk and smiles at Jongin. Jongin smiles back, as if unperturbed by Kyungsoo’s acts, and sips on his own chocolate milk. The guy looks like an oversized kid and if Kyungsoo knows better, he would have taken an interest on the guy if his heart didn’t turn cold stone two years ago.
“So where do you want to go?”
“Uhm…I don’t really know.”
“We can walk while we think?” Jongin offers. There’s that heart-arresting smile again and Kyungsoo finds himself agreeing to the plan.
Hongdae is filled with the hustle and bustle of exam-free students and curious tourists roaming around the area. Shops of different purposes compete for attention with their blinding lights and raucous music. Kyungsoo’s and Jongin’s hair dances with the wind as they walk pass a group of student performers in the middle of the street. There’s a three feet distance between the two that gets shortened when a rowdy kid throws Kyungsoo off balance, making him awkwardly cling on Jongin’s arms.
“Oh for fuck’s sake, would you…” Kyungsoo sends a glare at the kid as he pushes himself off Jongin’s hold. Jongin’s arms feel so…nice and big, Kyungsoo can’t help thinking of thoughts he shouldn’t be thinking of. He shakes his head from side to side and murmurs his gratitude to Jongin.
The date only begun a few minutes ago and Kyungsoo’s already in a rollercoaster of emotions aka Kyungsoo should really stop thinking of tan, muscular arms.
-----
Do Kyungsoo did not expect an unconventional date.
He totally did not.
That’s why he’s currently staring at the hand-shaped candle in the middle of their table. It’s placed in a bowl filled with water with its palm facing upward and the fire melting the middle finger away. Kyungsoo can’t help cringing at the sight. Is he going to be offered to the devil now? Maybe become the next human-turned-zombie due to a massive mishap in an experiment? What if he becomes a Pokemon?! Kyungsoo only brought a swiss knife with him and he honestly think it’s no match with Jongin’s muscular (See: fabulous) arms.
The restaurant is called “The Witches’ Arena” and it’s located in the outskirts of Hongdae. Instead of a warm and inviting atmosphere, Kyungsoo is greeted with a haunted house complete with different plastic bats hanging from the oak tree in front of the restaurant. There is little to no light in the restaurant except for the dim light at the center of the restaurant where an oval-shaped structure showcases different sized jars filled with sex toys.
Sex toys and haunted houses for a first date.
Baekhyun really set him up with a cute psycho.
Cute, but a psycho nevertheless.
“I thought you’d like a change of scenery.” Jongin offers a piece of bread to Kyungsoo. “Baekhyun said you’re recently into the dark arts and BDSM, so I tried researching a few places.” Kyungsoo can’t see any hint of malice on Jongin’s face so he deduces another prank from his best friend.
Reminder for Kyungsoo: Buy a shovel and dig a 6 feet deep grave for his best friend
“Not really into the dark arts and BDSM, but I’d sure love to use a whip to strangle Baekhyun and possibly tie him up to feed him to the sharks.”
Jongin’s mortified by the sudden realization. His eyes turn big as he looks at Kyungsoo then at the sex toys displayed beside Kyungsoo. A silent sob escapes his lips as he hides his face with his hands. Just thinking of the shame he’s put himself through just makes him want to hide from the world. How could he be so stupid as to bring a guy to such an eccentric place for their first date?!
(What Jongin’s really thinking: How could he be so stupid as to believe Kyungsoo’s into BDSM and the dark arts.)
“Baekhyun lied to me, huh?”, he says beneath the comfort of his hands.
“Pretty much.”
“You must think I’m a psycho, huh?”
Jongin’s voice is shaky as he peers through his fingers to see Kyungsoo’s stoic facial expression. There’s no ounce of annoyance on his face, just a calm endearing one that makes Jongin guiltier for bringing such a fine man in such a weird place.
“Well, we all have our own things. I mean, I’m friends with Baekhyun so who am I to judge you, right?”
“I am not into the dark arts! Or BDSM!” Jongin hisses, his hands banging the table.
There’s a subtle change on Kyungsoo’s expression as he silently laughs at Jongin’s reaction. Jongin is at a loss for words; Kyungsoo looks utterly beautiful when he laughs. A part of him just wants to pinch Kyungsoo’s cheeks while another wants him to be the one that makes Kyungsoo smile for the rest of his life.
“Sure you aren’t.”
“I’M NOT!”
Jongin moans in frustration while Kyungsoo raises his hand to tell Jongin that he’ll finally stop playing with the guy.
“Do you want to go to another restaurant?” Jongin suddenly asks, seriousness evident on his face. “Somewhere more…typical?”
Kyungsoo takes a look around the restaurant once again. There are a few customers catching up with each other’s lives and the service crew actually looks quite decent. Despite the uncommon ambiance of the place, Kyungsoo thinks it’s a fairly safe restaurant. Plus, he can’t let Jongin’s effort go to waste.
“Nah, here is fine. It’s not like they’re serving human stew for dinner, right?”
“What a twisted mind you have, Kyungsoo.”
Kyungsoo snickers and Jongin smiles.
They talk about everything and anything.
Apparently, Kim Jongin is a Civil Engineering sophomore who works with Baekhyun at the convenience store a few blocks away from Kyungsoo’s apartment. He’s into the art of dancing and literature and has the biggest weakness for pizzas and dogs. He’s never been in a relationship since he’s still waiting for “The One”.
“You actually believe in “The One”, huh?” Kyungsoo says between mouthfuls of lemon ice cream.
The food at The Witches’ Arena is unexpectedly good, despite the weird names on the menu.
Kyungsoo ordered a “Please Be Careful With My Heart” while Jongin ordered a “No Boyfriend Since Birth” which turned out to be two pastas.
Weird enough, the two ordered food that seemed to depict their current predicament.
“Why wouldn’t I? We all have our “The One”. Some get lucky and meet them while some sadly don’t. They meet another that aren’t their The One, but is a perfect piece for the cracks of their own puzzle piece.”
“To be frank, I think that’s quite naïve.” Kyungsoo licks the last of his ice cream on his lips. “Maybe your thinking is like that because you’ve never been in a relationship, but believe me relationships don’t work based on who you think you’re the One is. You’re The One might even be the one who will hurt you. You give your all to him because you thought he’s The One, but then he’ll cheat you for another man or woman and you’ll feel thoroughly used and messed up and will end up having a mental breakdown for years.”
Jongin knows he’s hit a nerve. Kyungsoo’s expression is hard and the air around them is thick. Gone is the happiness they’ve shared a few minutes ago. He feels bad for Kyungsoo, but it doesn’t mean that he will stop believing in “The One” just because the guy he’s interested in doesn’t.
Jongin swears he will make Kyungsoo believe in The One.
“You’ll never know if you don’t trust, Kyungsoo.”
-----
“Can I see you again?”
Kyungsoo turns around just in time to hear Jongin’s question.
It’s almost 10 in the evening and they’re already in front of Kyungsoo’s apartment. After dinner, they went to an arcade to unwind and forget the awkward moment stirred up by the topic of The One. Kyungsoo has relatively loosened up the moment he held the puck at the air hockey machine, a wicked grin plastering itself on his face. Jongin lost, and lost, and lost, but it didn’t even matter one bit. Just seeing Kyungsoo’s heart-shaped lips lift itself up even just a little bit is more than enough for Jongin to be happy.
Jongin looks ethereal as the lamppost light shines above his head, his blonde hair strands moving ever so slightly with the gust of wind. It’s chilly and Kyungsoo finds himself shaking, but he doesn’t know if it’s because of the chilly air or Jongin’s question.
Does he want to see Jongin again?
Truthfully, yes.
But he doesn’t want his heart to be broken once again.
Their conversations have been nothing, but nice. Jongin seems genuinely nice, but then so was Yifan.
They’re always nice in the beginning, Kyungsoo. Then they get tired of you and treat you like crap, like a filthy garbage meant to be thrown in the trash can. Remember what Yifan did to you. For all you know, Jongin could do the same to you. Hell, anyone could do that to you. Don’t trust anyone with your heart.
Don’t trust anyone.
“I want to, but I can’t.”
Kyungsoo’s voice wavers as the statement finally escapes his mouth. He can see the varying expressions on Jongin’s face - a hopeful smile turns to a desolated frown. He feels bad doing this, but he’s doing it for the better good. Jongin can continue finding his The One and Kyungsoo can continue protecting his hurting heart. It’s good for everybody this way.
“Why can’t you?”
“I’m not you’re The One, Jongin.”
“Only I know that.”
Jongin leaves before Kyungsoo can even react. Kyungsoo stands there as he watches Jongin walk away. A small sigh escapes Kyungsoo’s mouth because what just happened? Why did he even agree to Baekhyun to meet Jongin? Ah yes, because of his paper. It’s all Professor Chen’s fault.
Kyungsoo sighs as he climbs the stairs towards his flat.
Kai must be starving.
And to think, he forgot to buy his precious cat some salmon.
That night before Kyungsoo sleeps, he receives a text from Jongin.
Kim Jongin: Goodnight Kyungsoo. ☺
-----
“So…how was it?”
Byun Baekhyun wiggling his eyebrows is the most annoying thing, Kyungsoo thinks.
He’s in the middle of feeding Kai when Baekhyun prances through his dorm. The cat hisses, entire body puffing up, the moment he smells Baekhyun. Both Kai and Kyungsoo are on the floor when Baekhyun joins them nonchalantly and tries to pet Kai only to be replied with a small scratch and a glare from Kyungsoo.
“Stop stressing him.” Kyungsoo spanks Baekhyun’s hands and stands up to clean the utensils in the kitchen. Baekhyun follows him and stands at the door.
“Seeing that you’re still being a miserable slob that you are, last night didn’t go well, huh?”
Sure he may look like a slob right now with obviously worn out shirts and jogging pants, but does a person actually sleep with their tuxedos on? Plus, it’s only 7 in the morning. It’s too early to be dealing with Baekhyun’s shit.
“Dude, it’s too early for your interrogation.”
Kyungsoo grabs some random clothing on his closet and goes to the bathroom to take a bath. Baekhyun wanders around the dorm and ends up checking out Kyungsoo’s food supply. There’s some spare ramen and hot water on the electric kettle. Kyungsoo wouldn’t mind if he takes one, right? It’s not like they’re not best friends for nothing, right?
“Pay for that.” is the first thing that Kyungsoo says the moment he gets out of the bathroom. Baekhyun is on his bed, eating a cup of ramen as he tries to pet an obviously annoyed Kai with his feet.
“Aw come on man, I thought we’re friends.” Baekhyun says as he wipes his mouth from excess soup. Kyungsoo rolls his eyes and and puts his used clothes on the clothes bin. Why is Baekhyun still not leaving?
“Friends don’t leech off their friends’ food supply.”
“Ah yes,” Baekhyun inhales the remaining soup before dropping the empty cup on the floor. “But I’m not your ordinary friend. I’m your best friend, Soo. An upgraded version of a friend.” He grabs the bottle of water Kyungsoo gives and practically gulps it down.
“A pest, you mean.”
“Aha, but you still love me, right?”
Kyungsoo doesn’t want to spend his Saturday morning engaging with another one of Baekhyun’s stupid conversations. He wants to spend it feeding Kai, getting a decent breakfast at the restaurant down the block and then maybe visiting Luhan and Minseok at the bookstore. Nothing wrong with owning too much books, right?
“What do you want, Baek?”
“How was Jongin? Isn’t he a nice one?”
“Did you give him my number?”
Jongin’s text message to Kyungsoo even haunted him in his dreams.
“Of course I did, how else will your romance blossom?!”
Baekhyun attempts to play with Kai who’s fur are now stricken up.
“Nothing’s going to blossom. Sure he’s nice, but you know I can’t be in a relationship right now…” Kyungsoo’s about to start with his hour-long enumeration of reasons why he still needs more time to mend his broken heart, only to be cut by his best friend.
“I don’t get it, Soo. It’s been years. We’re juniors now! I’ve been in 4 relationships, Junmyeon already got a job at Samsung. Hell, even Professor Chen has a baby now. Why can’t you move on from Yifan?”
Kyungsoo hisses like salt have been rubbed on his wound.
“See, even hearing Yifan’s name inflicts pain on you. Why? Why can’t you move on from the guy? Yifan’s engaged now, Soo. You need to stop torturing yourself.”
Baekhyun is one of those very blunt friends. The one person where people have complicated feelings for - you hate his guts, but then you also recognize that he’s just stating a fact. A really harsh fact.
Kyungsoo flops down on the bed and exhales loudly. It’s really too early for everything. Can’t the bed just swallow him whole with all his shattered hopes and dreams? Is it his fault that it’s so hard to move on from Yifan because he thought Yifan is his The One? Because he thought that Yifan would be his past, present and future? Kyungsoo doesn’t know anymore. But one thing’s for sure, Byun Baekhyun who has never been in a serious relationship sure doesn’t understand the concept of The One and how deep its effect is on true believers.
It takes a minute and another deep sigh from Kyungsoo for Baekhyun to realize that what he just did is below the belt. He has always been a bit slow in processing the emotions of people. He sits beside Kyungsoo and rubs his back.
“Dude, you do know why I’m doing this, right?”
A muffled hmm means a yes.
“Tell you what…I’ll treat you for dinner later just to make up for this. At that fancy restaurant that sells overpriced ramen.”
Baekhyun ruffles Kyungsoo’s hair before leaving the room, leaving his best friend to nurse thoughts about what he just said.
Maybe, just maybe, he can finally let go now.
-----
There aren’t a lot of people in Shift Bookstore on a boring Saturday afternoon.
For the first time in forever, Kyungsoo honestly feels at peace as his hands touch one book to another. The fancy glossy cover and the thin light brown paper that houses the bright minds of authors alike are the most beautiful thing for Kyungsoo. The smell of old books along with the feeling of actually touching a paper is irreplaceable by staring at a gadget all day long.
Haruki Murakami, Banana Yoshimoto, Kenzaburo Oe…
It has been so long ever since Kyungsoo read stories from his favourite Japanese authors.
Kyungsoo spots Haruki’s Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage at the top most shelf of the area and curses the owners for being inconsiderate tall people. There aren’t a lot of people in the area and really what would he give to get his hands on the book?
Answer: his shame
He bounces up and down with his hands raised as high as it can only to be met with failure. From afar, Kyungsoo looks like a spoiled kid trying to reach for the cookie jar his mother placed at the most shelf.
“Why!” He puffs,
“Are!”, and huffs,
“You!”, like
“So!” there’s
“Fucking!” no
“High!” tomorrow.
Kyungsoo only ends up breathless and tired as he sits on the floor.
He’s going to give Minseok and Luhan a piece of his mind. What kind of owners in their right mind would place such a popular book at the top most shelf?! You put it where customers can readily get it. No need to make your customers go through hell to get what they want. It’s a fucking bookstore not a gym, for goodness’ sake.
Maybe he could just ask Luhan to get it for him. Sure, that would mean totally throwing his shame down the trash, but then so is bouncing up and down like a fucking retard.
He stands up, hands on his waist as he glares at the book.
One day he’s going to buy a ladder just for himself and put it at the back office of this shop.
“Oof!” A familiar chocolatey voice. “This is the book you want, right?”
Jongin’s bright smile is like a breath of fresh air. The way his eyes crinkle with every upward movement of his lips is intoxicating for Kyungsoo. His blonde hair is a fluffy mess and Kyungsoo just wants to touch it. John Legend’s All of Me plays loudly on Jongin’s headphones and some part of Kyungsoo’s delusional mind assumes its perfect background music for their second meeting.
“Tha-thank you...”
What does a person actually say when they meet the person they like, but can’t be together with?
They stand there and stare at each other, as if time has stopped for them.
What is Jongin doing here? Is this coincidence or a planned meeting? Why does Jongin look so so fine? Would it be okay to actually like Jongin? What if Jongin’s bad for him? Such questions race in Kyungsoo’s mind as he grips the book tighter, feeling the remnants of Jongin’s touch on it.
“I used to have a friend…” Jongin suddenly says. “who has a friend that liked a friend who then likes the brother of my friend…” It’s making Kyungsoo’s head ache. What? His friend’s friend likes his brother’s friend? What?
Jongin shakes his head vigorously, his ears turning red with each passing second.
“Basically, what I’m saying is, which do you like better: ramen or samgyupsal?”
“Are you trying to ask me out on a date?”
Jongin’s way too smooth it’s scaring Kyungsoo out of his wits.
Just like what Yifan did.
“Maybe?” There’s that soul-melting grin again. Ugh.
“I’m not hungry.”
A loud rumbling of the stomach. Man, why can’t his body cooperate with him even just once? First his height (or the lack of it) is a nuisance and now his stomach is rebelling against him? What a cruel world he lives in. A deep shade of pink dusts Kyungsoo’s cheeks as he lowers his gaze to the floor. How else can he look Jongin in the eyes, huh? Tell him, how else?
Jongin’s deep chuckle forces Kyungsoo back to his senses.
“Your stomach says otherwise.”
He suddenly holds Kyungsoo’s hands and it’s all going way too fast and everything feels very hot. What is Jongin doing? What is happening? Kyungsoo’s eyes become larger as panic strikes his veins. He attempts to get out of Jongin’s hold only to be arrested by the owner’s heart-constricting smile.
And it takes just that for Kyungsoo to lose all his defenses.
“Come on Kyungsoo, it’s just dinner. We’re not going to do anything bad.”
Dinner with the devil, Kyungsoo thinks.
“My treat. Ramen. Yixing hyung makes the most delicious ramen here in Hongdae.”
Really…who is Kyungsoo to say no to Jongin’s temptation when his stomach is practically salivating at the thought of yummy ramen?
Do Kyungsoo: Let’s postpone dinner later. Impromptu dinner with someone.
Byun Baekhyun: I know. > : ) Have fun with Jongin!
Sometimes Kyungsoo wonders how manipulative Baekhyun is.
-----
“Your Yixing hyung is a chef here?!”
The surprise is etched on Kyungsoo’s voice as he takes in the interior of his most favourite ramen shop in the whole of Hongdae. Ippudo is located at the heart of Hongdae; it’s one of those restaurants where you need to go a series of stairs (or elevators - whichever you prefer) just to get to it. It’s well lit interior is a huge difference with how Hongdae restaurants normally are. The service crew are busy as numerous bowls get in and get out of the kitchen. A tall lanky man says hello to Kyungsoo and he immediately greets him with a wide smile.
“Hi Chanyeol!”
The possessive part of Jongin wants to glare at the man, but then he remembers his current position in Kyungsoo’s life - neither a friend or a lover. Just a mere acquaintance. (For now anyway.) What is it with Kyungsoo and tall, pale man? Why can’t he like tall, dark, handsome men like everybody else in the world?
Chanyeol sits them in the best place in the restaurant, the one in the corner where no one can hear them talk, because “he owes Kyungsoo something” before winking at Kyungsoo and leaving the two of them together.
This Chanyeol guy just winked at Kyungsoo! When Jongin’s out in a date with him! The nerve of this…of this…dog!
Jongin balls his fist underneath the table as he offers a hopefully convincing smile at Kyungsoo.
Kyungsoo looks effulgent beneath the lights of the restaurant. His jet black hair falls up to his nape and it looks so fluffy Jongin has to resist the temptation to just touch it and smell it. A smile decorates his face as he excitedly points one ramen to another, discussing how each one of them tastes good in their own ways.
It’s a huge difference to how Kyungsoo was yesterday; he’s more relaxed and comfortable now. Jongin would like to thank the heavens above for giving him a second opportunity to meet Kyungsoo again.
When Baekhyun approached Jongin that night he saw Jongin browsing through Kyungsoo’s Instagram account he was so sure he was going to bebeaten to a pulp. Byun Baekhyun - the overprotective guardian of Do Kyungsoo. Rumors has it he threatened the men who tried to make a move on Kyungsoo, but weren’t serious. After the Curious Case of Wu Yifan, Baekhyun has been overprotective of his best friend. That’s why Jongin found himself bidding his mother goodbye when Baekhyun approached him.
What he didn’t expect was the question that changed his life.
“Are you serious about Soo, Jongin?”
“Huh? What….Baek?”
“Stop feigning innocence. I’ve seen you stalk Kyungsoo since Day 1. You’re the kid who always throws rocks at Yifan whenever they fight.” There’s a huge grin on Baekhyun’s face as he gives a thumbs up to an obviously confused Jongin. “Gotta give it to you, Jong. You know your timing well.”
Was he super obvious all this time? Hasn’t he tried to at least camouflage himself? Does this mean Kyungsoo knows he’s his stalker?
“Wait Baek…does Kyungsoo know…”
“Of course not. He’s like a horse with blinders whenever he’s with Yifan. He only sees Yifan and nothing, but Yifan.” Baekhyun picks a random candy and pops it in his mouth. “Quite delusional, if you ask me.”
Not really delusional, just blindingly in love, Jongin thinks.
“I’m serious about him, Baek.” Jongin sees no point in hiding it to Baekhyun. What has he got to lose? Baekhyun already knows of his long-time crush on Kyungsoo. Why not get his permission as well? It’s definitely better than just watching Kyungsoo in the sidelines.
“I think he’s The One for me.”
“Are you sure?”
“Well I wouldn’t risk my scholarship by hurting the Student Council President every now and then if I wasn’t serious, don’t you think?”
“You officially pass the test! I now welcome you to Operation: Save Kyungsoo from the Clutches of Yifan Memoriam.”
This was why Jongin found himself wearing the same outfit as Kyungsoo the first day they officially met and accidentally bringing him to a sex toy-inspired restaurant for their first date (a goddamn challenge from Do Kyungsoo’s ultimate protector, Byun Baekhyun, the King Kuppa of the Super Mario World).
Jongin has not expected getting a second chance in the form of Kyungsoo’s favourite ramen shop.
“What are you getting, Jongin?” Amusement lingers on Kyungsoo’s voice as he expectantly stares at Jongin. It honestly makes Jongin’s heart melt, but he must remain cool. Kyungsoo likes cool. (An assumption seeing how Yifan is the epitome of cool back then.)
“Shiromaru Motoaji.”
“Oh I’m getting the same.”
There’s those pink-dusted cheeks again. He can see Kyungsoo shyly smile as he motions Chanyeol to take their order. The tall man walks briskly towards Kyungsoo, like a dog excited to get a reward from its owner. Seeing him up close, Jongin thinks Chanyeol looks like a mad man with his scary big eyes and wide smile. Note to self: Get Kyungsoo away from the Chanyeol guy when they finally get together.
“Okay, 2 shiromaru motoaji and 2 extra tamagos coming right up.” Chanyeol glances at Jongin before he winks at Kyungsoo and leaves the table. It seems like a secret communication between the two and Jongin is just dying to know what it’s all about.
“He likes Baek.”
OH.
“Been trying to get Baek’s attention the moment Baek picked me up for lunch one Friday after our World Literature class.”
O H.
“He’s way too nice for Baek though, if you ask me.” Kyungsoo whispers to Jongin as he leans forward.
Anybody is too good for Baekhyun.
Jongin just smiles at Kyungsoo’s remark and changes the topic to safer ones like breakfast and the weather. Kyungsoo looks more pleasant now and that makes Jongin relax. At least Kyungsoo is finally having a good time now. Their orders finally arrive after 10 minutes. The aroma of yummy ramen fills their senses and it leaves both of them salivate on the spot.
Silence erupts in their table as soon as they dig on their ramen. A slurp every now and then could be heard along with a deep sigh due to hunger satisfaction, but never a conversation starter. It’s okay with Jongin. Just seeing Kyungsoo enjoy his ramen is good enough for him. A smile unconsciously crawls on Jongin’s face as he watches Kyungsoo hungrily slurp the soup off the bowl.
“Aaaahh, that was fulfilling.” Kyungsoo grins at Jongin the moment he puts the empty bowl down. A burp escapes his mouth and his eyes enlarge at the shame his traitor body keeps on giving him. “I’m sorry…”
More than Kyungsoo’s apology, Jongin’s more disturbed at the piece of tamago stuck near Kyungsoo’s lips.
“Kyungsoo…there’s something…” Jongin’s fingers work in their own accord. “near your lips…” They’ve touched Kyungsoo’s lips even before Jongin could process what his fingers just did.
“Oh? Where?” Kyungsoo attempts to lick where Jongin’s pointing only to lick Jongin’s finger instead.
Mayday! Mayday! Hard on spotted! Hard on spotted!
Brain, quick! Think of something!
And so the brain thinks.
This is why minutes later, Jongin finds himself running to the bathroom nursing a bad case of the blue balls.
To think that Kyungsoo just accidentally licked his middle finger, what more if he licked something else?
-----
So begins Jongin’s conquest to Kyungsoo’s heart.
What begins as accidental meet ups soon becomes casual dates in the form of date nights and lunch outs.
Kyungsoo finds himself yearning for more Jongin in his life despite warning himself not to completely let his guard down. It’s why he’s currently refreshing his Kakao Talk every now and then to check if Jongin has a message for him.
Okay, maybe the guy’s asleep. 11 in the evening is a nice time to fall asleep, right? But 11 in the evening is also a nice time to visit a girl or a guy even a good-looking neighbor’s pet. And Jongin normally messages him till midnight, so why not tonight?
Frustrated, he throws his phone on the bed and ruffles his hair. Who cares if Jongin messages him or not? He’s got a big exam on Biology and he still has 6 more chapters to cram before the sun rises. He sighs and puts his heavy Biology book on the desk. The highlighter is on his right and a pencil is on the other. Time to do some studying!
A V6 playlist plays in the background as Kyungsoo racks his brain with biological terms that is totally irrelevant to his Communication Arts course. Kai is cleaning himself in the far corner of the room while checking his stressed owner every now and then. The room is peaceful. Kyungsoo’s almost forgotten the internal struggle over Jongin’s lack of presence in his life today when a knock on the door is heard.
It’s past midnight. Why would Baekhyun even see him at this kind of hour? Doesn’t he have an exam himself?
“Baek, you need to stop pestering…”
“You know I’m starting to wonder if you’re only friend is Baekhyun…”
Kim Jongin, in all his glorious eye smile and tanned abs, has finally made his presence known in Kyungsoo’s life today. Before Kyungsoo could even control himself, a glare and a pout forms in his face as he leaves the door open to let Jongin come in.
Someone finally came. Took him so long, Kyungsoo muses. Jongin is dressed in sweats and a hoodie. The weather has rapidly turned frigid, leaving the students huddled together with their brimming hot coffee and thick sweaters and pants. Jongin huffs and puffs as he settles down on Kyungsoo’s floor before offering the coffee he got for Kyungsoo and the cat food he got for Kai.
“You sure know how to be comfortable in someone else’s home, huh?”
There’s snark on Kyungsoo’s voice, but he can’t help himself. Sure Kyungsoo has no right to get angry at Jongin just because the guy hasn’t talked to him for the entire day because they’re not boyfriends, but they’re friends! Friends worry about their friends’ life every now and then!
(Trivia: Kyungsoo has never made an effort to know what Baekhyun does with his life. Baekhyun regularly updates him with TMI messages anyway.)
Jongin only replies with a pleasing grin on his face and a plastic bag full of bread.
“What’s all of these?” Kyungsoo frowns.
“Cramming food! Don’t you have a Biology exam tomorrow? I’m here to join you cram.” Jongin fishes out a Trigonometry book from his backpack and waves it on Kyungsoo’s face. Kyungsoo is appalled. He’s torn in between wanting to tell Jongin off for readily assuming that he’ll agree, but then again he actually finds it endearing that Jongin remembered that he has an exam tomorrow.
“Only this time, brat.” He sips on the coffee. Caramel macchiato. Jongin remembered his favourite coffee.
Jongin chuckles and positions himself beside Kyungsoo. It’s a relatively long desk fit for two people, so Jongin uses this as an opportunity to be beside his The One.
It must be fun for Jongin, but it’s pure torture for Kyungsoo.
Instead of memorizing the photosynthesis process, Kyungsoo memorizes the way Jongin’s eyebrows crease when he doesn’t get the formula for Hermite's cotangent identity, the way he bites his lower lips whenever he flips to another page and the way his moist lips touch the lucky coffee cup.
Kyungsoo knows he’s got it bad the moment he envies Jongin’s coffee cup.
It’s just that, Jongin all hunched up and serious with his work is so…damn hot it’s hard not to be bewitched by it.
He shakes his head. He has no time for Jongin 101 especially when Professor Henry is one step closer to giving him that failing mark for not knowing enough about bacteria.
Kyungsoo gulps down the coffee and puts his headphones on.
Professor Henry has always been a huge cockblock.
-----
Jongin barely passes his trigonometry class, while Kyungsoo passes his biology class with flying colors.
The big, fat D on his card is fine. At least he managed to spend an intimate night with Kyungsoo.
Jongin had never imagined that Kyungsoo would allow him to stay the night in his room, but he did. Jongin would like to think its because Kyungsoo has feelings for him, but he highly doubt that. It must have been all the bribes he brought with him.
The look on Kyungsoo’s face when he’s studying is to die for. Jongin could almost remember how fast his heartbeat was when Kyungsoo didn’t shove him away when he attempted to sit beside the guy. He could almost smell the minty soap on Kyungsoo’s skin and could almost touch Kyungsoo’s hand if he wanted to. Hell, he could have even kissed him if he wanted to.
But of course he stopped himself.
He’s come way too far to destroy it with just one wrong move.
Hell no, Jongin will not risk his good relationship with Kyungsoo by moving way too fast.
“Daydreaming again?” Oh Sehun, Jongin’s best friend/best neighbour/best wingman, asks him.
They’re in Sehun’s favourite milk tea shop, waiting for his Chinese boyfriend to come when his class ends. Jongin mutters his gratitude to Sehun, grabbing the strawberry milk tea Sehun got for him. Sehun sits on the opposite chair of Jongin and calls his boyfriend.
“Tao, where are you?” Sehun asks in between sips of his favourite pearl milk tea. “Jongin’s daydreaming of his crush again.” This earns him a kick and a glare from Jongin. Jongin keeps forgetting that ever since his best friend became boyfriends with Zitao it immediately means that his secrets are shared by the two. Sehun snickers and bids his boyfriend farewell.
“He’d be here in 5 minutes, helping a cat climb down a tree.” Sehun says as if it’s perfectly normal occurrence. “So…how’s you’re The One?”
Does Jongin take the bait? Does he?
“I spent the night in his room.”
He does.
Sehun splutters a few pearls on his shirt and Jongin is thankful for the instant karma.
“You did what?!” Jongin offers napkin to a flustered Sehun who is now standing up, trying to get the pearl stains out of his shirt. “You slept with him?!”
A facepalm.
“I did not sleep with him, you dirty-minded deaf. I said I spent the night with him.”
“So you did sleep with him?”
The milk tea shop’s door opens and in comes a tall, masculine guy donning an all-black attire.
“I did not sleep-“
“What’d I miss?” The guy chirps - a huge difference to his domineering appearance.
“Zitao, he slept with Kyungsoo.” Sehun passes the extra strawberry milk tea to Zitao. Zitao puts a hand on his mouth in disbelief. Did Jongin really do it? With Kyungsoo? What.
“I DID NOT!!” Jongin roars, his face red and veins about to pop out. He glares at the two panic-stricken boyfriends who are now huddled together in their chairs. The last thing Jongin wants is a stupid rumor circulating in the campus to ruin his chances with Kyungsoo.
“We spent the night cramming for our exams.”
“Why didn’t you say so? Jeez, no need to get angry over it.” Sehun goes back to nonchalantly sipping his milk tea while stroking his boyfriend’s hand. Zitao smiles at his boyfriend before placing his hand on Sehun’s lap. Jongin makes a face at his friends; his situation with Kyungsoo is more important than their holding hands.
“That means he likes you.” Zitao chides.
“Yeah, as a friend. Not as a boyfriend.”
“No person in their right mind would welcome a man into their house at midnight if they didn’t feel safe with that man.”
Sehun nods vigorously. It does make sense, but then Kyungsoo and Jongin have been dating for a few times already, so it could have been because Kyungsoo finds Jongin comfortable to be with? It doesn’t necessarily mean that Kyungsoo likes him. Yes, there’s still a slim chance that Kyungsoo doesn’t like him…
“Have you tried officially asking him out?”
“Too scared.”
“Maybe it’s time you should, Jong.”
Maybe.