Jisoo stopped pretending. He started following Seungmin everywhere. Not secretly. Not carefully.
Openly.
To the cafeteria.
To the ground.
To the staircase where no one ever went.
Even outside the washroom, leaning against the wall like it was normal.
Seungmin noticed.
Of course he did. But he didn't say anything.
That silence was worse than shouting.It meant tolerance, not acceptance. One day seungmin went to the washroom on purpose.
Jisoo followed without hesitation. The moment the door closed behind them, Seungmin turned.
His hand shot out, grabbing Jisoo by the collar and slamming him against the wall so hard the tiles rattled. Jisoo's breath left his lungs. Seungmin shoved him into a stall, kicked the door shut, and locked it.
Then he pulled out a pen.
Not slowly.
Fast.
The tip pressed against Jisoo's neck just enough to hurt.
"Stop following me," Seungmin said quietly.
Jisoo swallowed.
His hands were shaking, but he forced himself to meet Seungmin's eyes.
"What do you want from me?" Seungmin asked.
The pen pressed harder.
Jisoo inhaled sharply. "I just… want to be close to you."
Seungmin's eyes narrowed.
"Why?"
Jisoo didn't think.
"Because I like you."
Silence.
Not shock.
Not anger.
Nothing.
Seungmin stared at him like he was trying to dissect the sentence, piece by piece. Then he stepped back. Unlocked the door. And left. No reaction. That hurt more than the pen. Jisoo slid down the wall, breathing hard.
Like father, like son, he thought bitterly.
Back in class, Seungmin sat down and opened his notebook like nothing happened.
But Jisoo was still in the game. He spoke quietly to the boy beside Seungmin.
"Can we switch seats?"
The boy nodded immediately. Because he was annoyed by him. Jisoo sat next to Seungmin. But he didn't look at him. Didn't even acknowledge him. But he stayed. That changed everything.
Jisoo stopped confessing.
He started doing.
Notes.
Homework.
Math explanations scribbled in the margins.
Seungmin never asked — but he never pushed the notebook away either.
At break, Seungmin didn't eat.
He slept.
Head down. Arms crossed. Like his body was conserving energy.
Jisoo noticed.
His mother's words echoed in his head.
He barely eats at home.
That night, Jisoo made a decision.
He went home early for the first time.
Waited until his mother left.
The kitchen felt foreign.
He burned the first batch of noodles.
The second was too salty.
The third… acceptable.
He didn't own a phone, and he also didn't wanted to disturb princess. he went to a net café, wrote down instructions by hand, and tried again.
It took a week.
His hands were covered in small burns.
But he learned.
Finally the moment came during break, Jisoo sat beside Seungmin, heart pounding.
"I brought lunch," he said casually. "Will you eat with me?"
Seungmin hesitated.
He knew rejecting Jisoo wouldn't work.
So he nodded.
Jisoo opened the box like it was something sacred.
Seungmin took one spoonful.
Then another.
Jisoo watched him like he was witnessing a miracle.
"What?" Seungmin asked.
"Do you like it?" he asked softly.
Seungmin nodded, head still down.
And then Jisoo started crying.
Not loud.
Not dramatic.
Just tears falling straight down.
Seungmin froze.
"Why are you crying?" he asked, genuinely confused.
"It's my first time cooking," Jisoo said, rubbing his eyes. "You liking it just… made me happy."
Seungmin stared at him.
"You're crying… because I ate?"
Jisoo nodded weakly.
Seungmin pulled out a tissue and handed it to him.
He wiped his face — then returned it.
Seungmin hesitated.
Then folded it and put it back in his pocket.
When he went home that night, Seungmin ate more than usual.
Mrs. Hong noticed immediately.
"You're smiling," she said gently.
Seungmin blinked. "Am I?"
"Yes," she smiled. "You look handsome while smiling Do it more often."
His smile faded.
"I don't have a reason to smile," he said quietly.
She looked at him for a long moment.
"But you're smiling right now," she replied. "Maybe you just haven't realized the reason yet."
Seungmin stayed silent. And continued eating. Jisoo took all of his mind. All he could think about was jisoo. He even started to dream about him.
The next morning, Seungmin spoke first.
"Jisoo."
Jisoo almost fell off his chair.
"Yes?"
"When is the science test?"
Jisoo stared at him like he'd just heard music for the first time.
"You just said my name," he said stupidly.
"If you don't like it," Seungmin said flatly, "I can stop."
"No," Jisoo blurted. "Please speak more. I like your voice."
Seungmin looked away.
But he didn't stop talking after that.
They started eating together.
Studying together.
Walking together.
Not close.
Not intimate.
But side by side.
The class noticed.
Everyone did.
And for the first time, Seungmin didn't feel completely alone.