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࣪ ࣪𖤐.ᐟ lost in syntax ✶ lhs

synopsis:

The morning sky is orange, the grass is green, snow is white, roses are red, violets are blue, you've liked Lee Heeseung since first year of high school, and that's a fact everyone knows to be true.

Well, except for the man himself.

Heeseung―bless his heart―is passionate about his major, specialising his projects in game development to spread the joy he feels when he plays a well-made game. That's great, admirable, even.

But what's not so admirable is the fact that it's the same passion that renders him blind to everything else other than code and syntax. You left him gifts and letters in your first year of high school, he didn't see them. You dropped hints in your second year of high school, he didn't see them.

Then, from the third year of high school, till the present time―second year of being together in the Computer Sciences department of Decelis University―you've been obvious as one can be.

To everyone but Heeseung, that is.

You're on the verge of giving up on your unrequited love, when your friends propose a last ditch idea―to have one of your mutual friends in the theatre department “confess” to you, and take you out on a few “dates.”

All of a sudden, Heeseung's everywhere, sticking to your side like super glue, arm wrapped around your shoulders, glaring at every other guy who approaches you―and perhaps, not everything was lost in syntax as you'd thought it to be, after all.

pairing: cs major!lee heeseung x cs major!f!reader (ft chem-eng major!riki, film & media major!jay, vet med major!jake, nutriscience major!sunghoon, drama & theater majors!yeonjun & beomgyu, cs major!chaewon, dance major!megan, childhood education major!fuma, interior design major!jo)

genre: obvious x oblivious trope, romance, unrequited love (for a majority of the fic), crack, slow burn

word count: 27.9k

warning(s): hee's as oblivious as a rock i'm so sorry; reader is easily ragebaited; PRE-SCHOOL TEACHER FUMA (yes, he's in training, but yes, he still needs a warning of his own); the gang lowk wants to empty sunghoon's bank account; jayke consider hee's obliviousness to be true & actual ragebait; riki likes making fun of reader for being horrendously down bad for heeseung; yeonjun will do ANYTHING for the love of the game; beomgyu just wants his idiot best friends to get together because he's TIRED of reader being sad and miserable over hee; beomgyu also likes to ragebait hee to make up for all the years he's had to listen to reader yap and wax poetics abt him; sunoo gets mildly violent from time to time, but only out of necessity; sunghoon is just there for the vibes™; jo is a confused sweetheart half the time but he's got the spirit; fumajo need their own label; heeseung becomes kinda possessive but he's hot so we can ignore that; beomgyu, in fact, does sell reader's likes to his fellow theatre majors for a bit of extra cash; heeseung cries a little; yeonjun is a respectful king; banter (LOTS of it); chaewon & megan are mildly evil masterminds LMAO

asher's annotations: wrote this fic with my favourite hee stan @heejamas in mind <3 half of my story notes for this was me mourning ur absence in the blr and having zero motivation to finish this fic BUT WAR IS OVER WE CHEER THANK U FOR COMING BACK TO US!1!11! IN RONNIE HEEJAMAS WE TRUST!1!1!1!1!1! please believe me when i say that i was wrote nearly 17k for this fic in the past few days as soon as i realised that i was, in fact, not hallucinating you making a comeback to enhablr after i sent in those few asks & u actually responded LMAOOO immediately had to change the notes for the fic where i was whining abt missing u for what seemed like an eternity, and i have sm to yap abt to you but i will spare u the pain of having to sit thru all that, so have this fic instead <33

ALSO a huge, huge thank u to @heetaki for being so enthusiastic abt this fic like,,, half of my encouragement to write comes from u ngl 😝 please enjoy both of ur biases in the same fic because i miss yapping to you abt how excited i was to write this fic for just about forever <333 i hope this wasn't too late for me to post it after teasing this fic to u for so long LMFAO imy sm my deer cutie!!

on other notes, writing some parts of this fic felt very, very bittersweet to do so, but ik that i'll always cheer for heeseung & support him on whatever path he chooses to walk. forever my bambi boy, no matter whether he's enhypen's heeseung, or evan the artist 💜 so happy to see enha win aoty recently, and very very excited for hee's upcoming album!

this story is a part of the ot7 EXTRA CREDIT series, and is interconnected to the other stories there, but can also be read as a standalone! also, here's the actual chats that were meant to be added to the cat café scene, if u couldn't get the post from the link in the story, bc i unforch ran out of image limits sigh :(((

hope u enjoy reading this baby—there's no use of y/n anywhere, but if i missed smth, please lmk! and as always perm tl & tl for the series are always open <33 reblogs and feedback are very much appreciated, and ily all cuties! thank u for being so patient despite how long this took to write, & thank u sm for reading xx

ᯤ ACT ONE: THE CIRCULAR SYNTAX OF OBLIVIOUSNESS

You hold the gaze of the chicken looking at you, its empty, soulless eyes staring back into your own.

“Good god,” Beomgyu groans, smacking the back of your head and breaking your moment with the chicken plastered on the ramyeon packaging, “it's just ramyeon. Pick a flavour and get a move on, woman.” You whirl around to face him, kicking him on the back of the knees, which he tries—and fails miserably—to dodge, moaning in pain as the hit lands.

“It's not just any ramyeon, it's Heeseung's ramyeon,” you hiss at him, shoving both the cheese flavour and the spicy one into your basket, “it is imperative that he likes my picks.”

Beomgyu rolls his eyes, throwing in a pack of sour gummies into the basket when you're distracted. “You said that about the flavoured milk at the school cafeteria too,” he walks next to you, adding more snacks to the basket in your arms that's steadily growing heavier by the minute.

“You got him both the strawberry and chocolate flavours, but turns out that he likes the banana one instead.” You glare at him, placing some of the extra packets of crisps back into their places on the shelves. “That was in the first week I knew him, you dunce! It's been five months since then! I'm more aware of what he likes now!”

He lets out a long suffering sigh, pulling out his Ponyo-themed wallet to pay for his share of the snacks. “He likes everything apart from you, apparently,” he mutters under his breath, but you hear it anyways, glaring hotly at him despite the smile you give the cashier.

“Are you that tired of living, Choi Beomgyu?” He makes a face at you, grabbing two of the four bags and heading out of the convenience store. “I'm not tired of living in general, but I sure am tired of living through your bad decisions.”

“I do not make bad decisions!” You huff, falling into step with his stride, elbowing his side. “You chose to fall for a guy whose internal processor—aka his brain—processes everything around him as friendliness and niceties. I'd call that a bad decision.” You grumble under your breath, and he bumps his shoulder into yours for it. “Being friends with you was a bad decision, I'd say.”

“I am a perfectly wonderful friend,” Beomgyu snarks, blowing his bangs away from his face. “You'd still be stuttering and eyeing him from afar if I hadn't become friends with him, you loser.”

You round the corner to Jay's home, hastening your steps as the sky begins to darken with the tell tale signs of an incoming storm. “I didn't ask you to be friends with him for me,” you pull your cardigan closer as a chilly breeze blows past you, “you did that all on your own.”

“I would've made sure he hated me if you'd asked me to be friends with him,” he snorts, adjusting his backpack to sit better on his shoulder. “You're so lucky I tolerate you enough to put in a good word or two for you.” You lunge for him again, and he yelps, skipping ahead. “Watch those hands, woman! This face is precious!”

You grab him by his uniform's collar, and drag him along as the large building that Jay called home comes into view. “I'll show you precious,” you keep a tight grip on him, even as he shrieks and flails around, “when I steal all your Ponyo figurines.”

“You... You monster!” He gasps, standing up straight again when you let go of him to push the gate open. “Not my Ponyo figurines!” You give him an annoyed glance over your shoulder, walking past the pathway leading to the Parks' doorstep. “I'll go after the Calcifer ones next if you keep getting on my nerves.”

Beomgyu immediately shuts up at that, pursing his lips as he stands next to you. Satisfied at his reaction, you huff out a chuckle, before knocking on the large front door.

Rapping your knuckles thrice against the wood, you wait for a grand total of three minutes, before Jay's mother pulls the door open, her face lighting up at the sight of you and Beomgyu.

“My darlings!” She coos, giving both of you hugs as she ushers you in. “I was just about to send Jay to fetch you both. Oh, you came right on time—it's raining!”

The pitter patter of the raindrops against the window panes joins the rustling of plastic bags, as you and Beomgyu organise the snacks for tonight's group study session.

Mrs Park hums, dropping in some of the chocolate you like into the pile, smiling at you. “Heeseung, Chaewon, and Jake are already upstairs with Jay. I'll call you kids down when dinner is done, so come down at once, alright? Don't make me call for you over and over again.”

Nodding, you give the older woman a mock salute. “Yes ma'am, we'll bring everyone down as soon as you call!” She laughs heartily, before shooing away the two of you so that she can work on dinner in peace. You trudge up the stairs leading to Jay's bedroom, as Beomgyu mutters complaints under his breath with every step he climbs.

After what seems like an eternity climbing the staircase, you finally reach the room you've come to know by heart to be Jay's, and kick the door open, not bothering to knock.

“We come bearing metabolic fuel,” you and Beomgyu announce in unison, and Jay groans loudly. “Why can't you just say you've got food like normal people do?”

“Where's the fun in that, Jay-Jay?” Beomgyu points a wafer stick at Jay, though it's more annoying than threatening. “Where's the whimsy in your life?” Jake grins, throwing his arm around your shoulders as he pulls you down to sit next to him on Jay's bed.

“Yeah, Jay,” he snickers, dodging the paperball Jay throws at his head, “where is the whimsy in your life?” Chaewon snorts into her glass of juice, giving Heeseung a grateful glance as he wordlessly hands her a tissue. “Probably flew away with his dreams. Or maybe it never existed in the first place.”

Heeseung snickers softly, sipping his drink, and your heart skips a beat unfairly at the sound. His eyes meet yours from across the room, and his expression softens into a warm smile. Jake and Beomgyu, catching sight of the two of you, nudge each other with knowing smiles.

He shifts to be closer to you, letting Chaewon get closer to Jay, so that she can bother him while he grouches about her ruining his hair. “Hey,” he grins at you, bumping your shoulder with his. “I hope Beomgyu didn't make you get an unnecessary amount of snacks.”

You shake your head, adjusting your uniform's skirt nervously. “Oh, no. Not at all. I put the extra ones back into their places.” Heeseung nods, carefully glancing at the way you shuffle, and pulls off his jacket to rest it on your lap.

Then, like he hadn't just wrecked all five of your senses with his close proximity, he goes back to having normal conversation with everyone again. “Hey, did anyone do the physics homework for Mr Kim's class?”

Chaewon groans at the mention of the homework, flopping onto the floor by Jay's feet. “Jake, let me copy off of you.” Jake throws a pillow at her instead, pulling his bag closer protectively. “Do your own. You'll never learn physics otherwise.”

Beomgyu and Jay lock eyes for a few moments, before turning to Jake and speaking in unison. “We'll buy Layla all the pup cups she wants for the next month if you let us copy it.”

“Deal.” Jake's handing them the binder from his bag before they even finish their entire sentence, a pleased smile plastering on his face as soon as Layla was mentioned. Chaewon stares at him, affronted at the sight in front of her, and you laugh at the look on her face. “So you'll give it to them, but not me?!”

Jake snorts, waving a pen in the air. “Difference is, they asked with a benefit for Layla. You, however, asked with a benefit for only yourself in mind. Of course I wouldn't give it to you.”

Beomgyu waves the binder up in the air like it's a trophy, before shoving it into Chaewon's face. “You gotta work smarter, not harder. Let this be a lesson for you.” He gives Jay a high five, the other boy looking incredibly proud of himself for having secured Jake's handiwork beforehand.

Heeseung shakes his head with a smile, and offers his own work to Chaewon. “Here, Chae. You can have mine instead. Not as accurate as Jake, but I wouldn't say I did terrible on it either.”

“Thank you! Thank you!” Chaewon squeals, clapping her hands as she looks at Heeseung like he'd hung up the moon and stars for her—all over physics homework—before puling out her own papers to copy. “As long as it gets done, I'm fine with how it happens!”

Snickering at the sight of your friends' antics, you pull Heeseung's jacket closer to yourself, and finally get to work on your own schoolwork.

As hard as it is to concentrate when Heeseung's fingers brush against yours when you're writing your reports, or when his thigh brushes against yours whenever he shuffles to get comfortable on the floors of Jay's room, or even when every lungful of breath you take comes laced with the scent of his cologne—something crisp and clean, like a late summer day in the woods—thanks to his jacket that you're wrapped up in, you somehow manage to complete your schoolwork.

The fear of your mother ran deeper than the fear of Heeseung not reciprocating your feelings, after all. Nobody was spared during exam week, hopeless crush or not.

Jake's the first one to break, Beomgyu following him right after. “It's been three hours,” Jake groans as he checks his phone, “I'm absolutely famished. What stuff did you two bring?” Beomgyu lists off the snacks you'd bought together, counting on his fingers.

“Uh... let me see... crisps, some sweet stuff, ice cream, cup noodles, chocolates, and oh yeah, she,” he points to you, “swept off an entire shelf of ramyeon for at least two of every single flavour they had in stock.”

Jake lights up at the mention of ramyeon, and from the corner of your eye, you see Heeseung perk up as well, his attention immediately caught by the mention of ramyeon. “Yes! Anybody up for a ramyeon break?”

Heeseung's already halfway towards the door when Jake finishes his sentence, nodding at Jake. “I'll cook it. Anybody else want some?” You and Chaewon raise your hands in unison, and he takes that into account.

“Jay?” He tilts his head at the younger boy, who's coming to stand next to him. “I'm only coming to make sure that you don't burn down my kitchen,” he says, shoving his hands into his pockets. “Nothing else.”

Heeseung ruffles Jay's hair with a fond smile, before pulling the door open for the rest of you to follow. The pitter patter of your steps down the stairs is quiet despite the excitement over a hot bowl of ramyeon after a long study session, with everyone being careful not to make noise to disturb Jay's parents.

“I call counter stool!” Jake all but launches himself onto one, with Chaewon following after as him as Jay yells at them to be more careful. You take a seat by the front of the counter, watching Heeseung's back as he moves around the kitchen with fluid grace, like he's been doing it for a long time.

Well, he really would've been doing it for a long time, considering the fact that he and Jay were childhood friends, but the sight of him doing something as simple as cooking still sent your heart tumbling and cartwheeling, and he didn't even know the effect he had on you. How unfair life could be sometimes.

Heeseung combs through the packs, before pausing at a particularly large one—and you feel your heart nearly stutter to a stop. It was the one you'd bought specifically for him—a special edition pack, featuring his favourite video game character (and a free figurine of said character), and he holds it up in the air.

“Did you buy this?” He turns to you with a wide grin, his fingers clutching the pack of ramyeon tightly, and your chest tightens just a little bit more at the sight of his wide grin, ears beginning to flush under your hair. “Y-yeah, I had to get it when I saw it, you know—”

“Perfect,” he breathes, unintentionally interrupting you, his hands already beginning to open up the pack, “it's the perfect amount for everyone to have! You've got such a good eye for noticing it!”

Your chest loosens right back up, and the flush dies back down the moment you register his words. Jay gives you a nod of his head from across the counter, and you sigh sufferingly at your crush's obliviousness.

Watching him get all excited over the figurine does makes it a little better, so you huff out a chuckle and nod at him. “Yeah. Perfect amount, isn't it? What figurine did you get?” He laughs brightly, showing it off to you. “Do you mind if I keep it?”

That's the whole reason you brought that brand, but whatever. As long as it makes him happy.

“Yeah,” you pat his arm, “you can keep it. You know more about her than I do, anyways.” He smiles wider, carefully putting the figurine into his pocket. “Thank you,” he breathes, “I'll take good care of it. And my offer still stands, you know?” He tilts his head at you, a lopsided grin tugging at his lips.

“I'm still open to teaching you how to play.” You nod at him, shuffling over to sit in between Chaewon and Jake, who comfortingly rubs your knee.

“During the vacations?” Heeseung chuckles, murmuring an agreement as he turns back to the bubbling water, carefully pouring in the contents of the seasoning packets.

At least the ramyeon would taste good with Heeseung making it for everyone.

The smell of ramyeon permeates the air soon enough, and Jake's stomach grumbles loudly. “Oof,” he groans, laying his head on your shoulder, “I'm so hungry I could eat cement at this point.”

You roll your eyes, pinching his cheek fondly. “It's only five more minutes, Jake. You'll survive.” Chaewon covers her mouth with her hand to muffle her laughter, as Jay quips in response to Jake's dramatics from the other end of the counter, nonchalantly scrolling through his phone for any new updates on the ongoing F1 qualifier. “I sure hope he doesn't.”

Jake lifts his head from your shoulder with a loud, dramatic gasp, looking much akin to a kicked puppy. “Jay! That was uncalled for!” Beomgyu pats his shoulder, a solemn expression on his face. “It's okay, Jake, it's okay,” Jake gives him a grateful look, which only morphs into a look of incredulous offense as Beomgyu continues, “we all know that you're a little sensitive, so we'll make sure to get a coffin from the highest quality wood for you—”

He doesn't get to finish the rest of his sentence, because Jake lunges at him with an offended roar. They chase each other around the kitchen, prompting shrieks of amusement and excitement from you and Chaewon, before Beomgyu pulls Jay away from his seat to use him as a human shield (“You're the one who started this, so you finish it too!”) while a very annoyed Jake swats at them both with a fly swatter, landing hits left and right, even as Chaewon cheers every time he misses his targets.

Wiping your amused tears at their antics, when you turn your head to the side, you find Heeseung looking at the three with some of the softest, fondest smiles you've ever seen on his face, and your traitorous heart ramps up its rhythm again, leaving you breathless at the sight of it.

As if feeling the weight of your stare on him, Heeseung turns to catch your gaze, and gestures to the pot of now-cooked ramyeon next to him. 'Wanna eat before it gets cold?' He mouths at you, and you slide off your seat to come join him in slurping them down.

You're halfway through your second bowl, when Beomgyu finally catches sight of you and Heeseung already eating, and raises an offended huff that gets the other three's attention.

You laugh loudly as Jake and Jay manhandle Heeseung for starting without them, while Beomgyu and Chaewon shake you by your shoulders as “punishment” instead.

Even when things begin to calm down, even with the fights that follow after over who gets to eat the next bowl and who gets to have more of the soup, the smile never leaves your face, as you tuck Heeseung's jacket closer.

He catches your eye again in the midst of the chaos, and gives you a mischievous little smile, like this is supposed to be a secret between the two of you alone, before Beomgyu pulls him into a discussion about Spirited Away.

Your heart seems to have made a rhythm of its own when it came to Heeseung, and you decide that fighting it is a waste of energy, letting the warmth of being with your friends curl up right next to it.

Yeah, you could definitely get used to having more of this around.

Sneaking a letter into the locker of someone who you knew all too well seemed to be a harder task than you anticipated.

It didn't help that Heeseung liked to linger a lot around you—especially since you, Jake, Sunghoon, and Jay were in the same class together—and Heeseung being childhood friends with Jay meant that his close proximity to you was a given, even if you were part of the same friend group.

It also didn't help that you and Heeseung had to take the same route home, and your classes often ended just around the same time, so he'd be by his locker before you could drop the letter in.

If you wanted to do in the morning, it wouldn't work out either, because Heeseung insisted on joining you on the way to school in the mornings too (“Safety in numbers, you know? I know it's just morning, but we'd all be free of worry if one of us came with you—and I live the closest to you, so it works out, yeah?”), and of course you couldn't deny him, especially when he asked you that with that soft, worried voice like he cared for you (even if it was the same voice he used for everybody else in the friend group when he was worried about them too). So mornings were off the table too.

Lunch meant that Jake had everybody show up to eat on time—and not doing so resulted in earning his wrath, which was surprisingly terrifying for someone as sweet as he was—so that went another opportunity.

Doing it between classes was next to impossible because of course Heeseung knew everybody's schedules by heart, like the wonderfully attentive person he was.

That meant that the last option you had was to do it right before the shared PE class on Friday you had with his division, when you knew he wouldn't check on his locker—which meant you could slip it in without drawing suspicions, or running late to class.

Sunghoon and Jay immediately agreed to distract Heeseung for you when you told them the plan on Monday, while Jake said he'd distract the teacher for a bit. Beomgyu and Chaewon were on watch duty, making sure that nobody from Heeseung's fanclub would spot you putting the letter in, because the last thing you needed was someone ratting out your feelings about your friend.

Friday arrives rather fast for your liking, but the way your friends seem to take their duties seriously brings you a little bit of comfort. At least you weren't alone with this.

As soon as class ends, Sunghoon and Jay herd Heeseung to the cafeteria under the guise of being hungry, while Jake flashes you a thumbs up and heads off to distract Mr Han, the PE teacher with nonsensical questions about volleyball that he'd prepared beforehand.

“Come on, come on,” Beomgyu and Chaewon rush you along the hallways, coming to a stop at Heeseung's locker. Beomgyu takes guard by the turn of the corner, while Chaewon accompanies you to the locker.

“Okay, you can do this!” She chirps encouragingly, patting your back, “all you have to do is drop it in. Did you write your name on it?” You shake your head, exhaling softly. “Okay, here goes nothing.... and it's in.”

The envelope sits by his books—not so obscure that he would miss it, but not so obvious that it'd jump out at him either—and you shut the door. Chaewon pats your back, dragging you over to Beomgyu.

“It's done~” She sing-songs, and he relaxes, looping his arm around yours. “Well, I suppose now we wait. Anyways, Jake's annoyed Mr Han enough, so we should head over before he gets told off.”

PE class is rather uneventful—spare the few stray hits and falls—and Heeseung brings the letter with him, joining your group as school ends. “Guys,” he says, holding up the envelope, “I got a letter, I think. But it's anonymous.”

“Oh,” you breathe, fingers flexing by your sides as you try your best to be normal. “Did... Did you read it?” Jake gives you a side eye, glaring at you for asking that question. Sunghoon echoes your question, leaning against Jay's side. “Yeah, Heeseung hyung, did you read it?”

“I did,” he nods, a shy smile on his face, the tips of his ears flushed pink. Beomgyu gives you a smirk at his reaction, while Chaewon teasingly nudges Heeseung's side. “Hey, what's with that reaction? What kind of a letter is it?”

Heeseung clears his throat, before speaking. “A very sweet one. The writer was very nice with what they wrote about me,” he says, before his expression turns thoughtful. “But I did find something interesting.”

“What would that be?” Jay leans in closer, looking awfully interested. “The way the writer wrote the letter seemed quite familiar, you know? Like I.... wait,” Heeseung turns his head towards you. “The writer had the exact same handwriting as you.”

You feel your hands go cold and clammy—of course he'd recognise your handwriting, he'd seen it a hundred times; you should've printed it out, not handwrite it because you wanted to be sincere—as everyone else apart from you and Heeseung tenses up, some better at hiding it than the others.

But the tension doesn't last any longer, as Heeseung himself breaks it, throwing an arm around your shoulders. “Crazy coincidence, right?” He laughs, and your tension dissipates like a deflating balloon, as everyone—you included—heaves a sigh of relief. “That anonymous writer has the same handwriting as my friend—what are the chances of that, truly? I'd love to be friends with them because they seem so sweet and nice.”

“Yeah,” you give him a tight grin, laughing a little too loud. “Absolutely crazy coincidence.” He grins brightly, already pulling you along the route leading to home.

Well, that was a dud. At least you still had other methods to try out.

The staring contest with the soulless chicken seems to continue, as it dangles in your face, almost as if taunting you.

“Why are you glaring at KooKoo like that?” Jay's voice whips you out of your (very much one-sided) staring contest with the plush keychain, as it hangs from Heeseung's bag above your head.

He grunts softly as he places his own bag overhead, before sitting down in the seat in front of you. “What did that poor ramyeon brand mascot chicken do to you?”

You resume your activity of glaring hotly at the chicken, crossing your arms over your chest. “Why does Heeseung like this guy, and not me?” Jay sighs, giving you an annoyed look. “Heeseung hyung does like you.” You raise an eyebrow at him. “As a friend.” He agrees, pursing his lips. “As a friend.”

You stare at him for a beat longer, before groaning out loud, your hands flying to your hair in frustration. “Ugh, Jay! Why's he so damn oblivious?!” Jay pats your head ruefully, sighing just as loud. “If I knew why, would I not have told you? But honestly... It's kind of impressive because every single gift and anonymous letter you gave him last year flew over his head, even if he did point it out himself that the letters had the exact same handwriting as yours.”

“You'd think he would've figured it out by then,” Jake cuts in, dropping into the seat next to Jay, “but he's denser than a black hole, and certainly just as good at swallowing all signs of your crush on him.”

He twists in his seat to offer you an encouraging smile, raising his fist in support. “But, we're second years now—new school year, new you! Maybe you could finally get it into his head that you're hopelessly in love with him this time around!”

“I am not hopelessly in love with him—ow!” You yelp as Chaewon pinches your cheek, while Beomgyu sings mockingly behind her. “Liar, liar, that chicken will set your pants on fire!” The two of them take the seat across the aisle from you, Jake, and Jay, quickly moving so that other students can also board the bus.

“That's the biggest lie to come out of your mouth that I've ever heard till date,” Chaewon lounges in her window seat, as Beomgyu snickers next to her in the aisle seat. “You have heart eyes even if he just walks past you. I bet you'd say 'yes' even if he asked you to marry him as a joke right now.”

You're about to retort in response to Beomgyu, when the words die on your tongue as Heeseung finally returns from wherever he'd run off to and boards the bus.

He and Jay had always been taller than most of your friend group, but whatever he'd been doing on his vacations with his family over the summer had done him a huge favour—he'd grown a good few inches in height, having to duck to enter the aisle.

He had also filled out in places that you knew he inevitably would, but the sight of the lean muscle and the veins crawling up his forearm are hard to look away from, but somehow, you summon all your willpower to raise your gaze and look at his face instead.

Apparently, that happened to be a worse idea.

His dark hair is tucked away under his grey beanie, a few wisps falling onto his face. Dressed in a dark grey tee and jeans—an outfit you do not remember fitting him so snugly—with his jacket slung over his arm, he looks a little too good, and you feel your mouth go dry at the sight of him.

He grins when he sees your group already settled in, eyes twinkling with mischief, the earring dangling from his ear swishing with every tilt and swivel of his head.

Jake reaches out a hand to close your mouth, muttering a soft “Stop staring” meant only for your ears, as he passes you to dap up Heeseung, who enthusiastically returns the greeting.

“Hello, hello,” he sings, handing the bag of snacks to Jake. “Good to see everyone together again.” Chaewon immediately moves to grab a pack of chocolates from the bag, thanking Heeseung with a satisfied groan. He smiles at the sight, ruffling Jake's hair, before finally sitting down.

Right next to you.

“Hi,” he murmurs, tilting his head with a smile. “What were you upto during the vacations? Apart from playing co-op with me, that is.” You blink, still trying to compute the fact that he's sat next to you. Out of every other seat on the bus.

The scent of vanilla, cardamom and musk hits you as soon as you take a breath, much, much different from the usual scent you associate with Heeseung.

“Did you change your cologne?” The question slips out faster than you can stop it, and he stares at you in confusion for a beat, before laughing warmly. “Oh, you noticed? Yeah, I did. It's a gift from my older brother. Is it nice?”

He holds up his wrist for you to smell the scent, and for a moment, you feel like Anthony Bridgerton catching the scent of lilies from Kate Sharma in front of an unamused Lady Danbury—except Lady Danbury happens to be all of your friends, who are staring at you with amused smiles, and your Kate happened to be a 6'0” teenager named Lee Heeseung.

“It's... It smells really good,” you croak out, leaning back in your seat, biting your cheek to stop the words “But only because it's you wearing it” slip out of your mouth. Heeseung gives you a bright smile, shuffling back into the leather of his seat, long legs stretching over in the space in the front to get comfortable. “I'm really glad you liked it,” he admits with the barest of smiles, “I've always thought you had really good taste in perfumes, so to hear you say that was such a relief.”

Then like he didn't just turn your world upside down, he goes back to conversing with Jay and Beomgyu, excitedly discussing about the activities at the forest resort this year's class trip was at.

Chaewon catches your eye, giving you a little encouraging raise of her fist and a look that screams 'Hang in there!' before she too joins the animated conversation as soon as zip lines were mentioned, squealing in joy.

You spend one of the four hours it takes to get to the resort staring out of the window. Jake and Beomgyu are already knocked out in their seats, Jay's reading a book, and Chaewon's watching one of her offline movies.

The passing greenery doesn't do much to bring you out of your daze from your earlier interaction with Heeseung, at least not until a gentle tap on your shoulder brings you back from the boundary of your imagination, even if it's just a little.

When you turn around, Heeseung's holding out an earphone for you to take, the other one already in his ear and plugged into his 3DS, with Pokémon X on the title screen. “Thought you looked a little bored,” he murmurs softly, and you're oh so conscious about the close proximity between the two of again.

“Want to do a playthrough with me?” Swallowing down the dryness in your throat, you reach out to take the earbud from his hand, fingers trembling just the slightest when his own brush against yours.

“Yeah, I'd like that,” you cringe on the inside at the way your voice cracks towards the end, but Heeseung either seems to be oblivious to it altogether, or simply pretends not to notice it for your sake, but either way you're grateful for it.

“Great,” he grins, his voice low so as to not disturb the others on the bus, “c'mon, pick your starter!” You blink at him, mildly flabbergasted. “You're really letting me pick the starter?” He nods, that same soft grin on his face. “Well, yeah. I did say that we were going to be playing together—and I already picked the male protagonist, so it only makes sense that you pick the starter in exchange.”

“... Alright, then.” You pick Froakie, and he nods in agreement with your choice. The both of you play together for the next two hours, building a team with three of his picks and two of yours (since you'd chosen the starter already). “Oh, Riolu's evolving into Lucario!” He exclaims, before lowering his voice as a few heads turn in your direction.

Giving them a sheepish smile, he holds up the 3DS to show you your newly evolved Lucario. “All that time brushing and playing really did work out in the end. He's so cute,” Heeseung giggles, watching the Pokémon enjoy the pets and brushing he gives it.

By the last hour of the journey, you've reached Lumiose City and prepping for the Gym Battle with Clemont, when Jake wakes up. “Is it Pokémon X that both of you are playing?” He asks, peering over his seat.

“Yeah, it is. We're playing together,” Heeseung gives him a small smile, waving a hand between the two of you, “we're at the fifth Gym in Lumiose City now.”

Jake blinks, nodding his head slowly as he settles back into his seat. “That's... remarkably fast,” he comments, and Heeseung gives him a proud grin, nudging you with his elbow. “Guess we just make a great team together then, don't we?”

“Yeah,” you laugh, bumping your shoulder against his gently, “we definitely do.”

Just... not in the way you wanted to be together.

It's mid afternoon by the time the bus arrives at the resort. Everyone is eager to get off the bus and explore their new surroundings, despite the way the teachers try to herd all the students together for a headcount.

Jay comes to stand next to you, his bag slung over his shoulder and a hand over his eyes to block out the sun. “You looked like you were having fun earlier,” he leans closer to you, “any progress with him?”

You whisper back just as low. “Apart from the one I made on the game? Zero. Still the same old Heeseung, even if he looks too good to be real now.”

Jay huffs out a chuckle, patting your head. “You'll get there... eventually. Hang in there—but I have to warn you, his growth spurt over the summer seems to have made the other girls bolder. Be careful, is all I'm saying.”

You sigh sufferingly, watching the way the other girls in your year giggle and eye Heeseung, shy flushes colouring their skin—not that you'd blame them for doing so—but it's frustrating all the same. Would you have had a chance if you weren't his friend? You're not sure if you want to know the answer to that.

The sound of Mr Han's whistle draws you out of your daze, as Chaewon comes to stand on your other side. “I'll partner with Sakura for the game,” she whispers conspiratorily to you, “so make sure to partner up with Heeseung, okay?”

You stare blankly at her, unsure of what she was talking about. “Uh... Quick question, what game are we talking about?” She facepalms, sighing out loud. “The one that Mr Han announced, and the one you clearly didn't listen to. Just... Just go find Heeseung before someone else does.”

She leaves to find Sakura before you can reply, and you stare the empty space she was occupying moments earlier, before tiredly rubbing your temples.

“I'm not strong enough for this,” you sigh, before trudging over to where Heeseung stood by a tree in the shade. “Hey, Heeseung,” you come to a stop by him, and he looks up from his phone. “Want to partner up for the game?”

“Yeah!” He pockets his phone, stretching all his long limbs, before stepping into the sun. “We'll do great at the scavenger hunt, I'm sure.” Oh, so that was the game.

“Come on,” he holds a hand out for you to take, and for a moment, you're not sure if it's the sun that's brighter, or his smile. “Let's go before we lose our shot at winning.”

You mirror his expression, taking hold of his hand as he walks you over to the table by the teachers, taking the map and the basket with his free hand, before finally heading into the woods together.

Sorry to the others, but there's no way you're letting them win. Especially not since Heeseung happened to be your game partner.

Beomgyu's offended shrieks happen to be absolute music to your ears.

“Who allowed the two of you to be partners in the first place?!” He groans dramatically, pointing at the rather full basket in your arms. “You've got like three quarters of the items in there! This has to be cheating!” He turns to Mr Han, stomping his foot. “This is cheating, right?!”

The older man only sighs, as if already exhausted by everything going on around him. “No, Beomgyu, it's not cheating if they found them fairly.”

“But—but,” Beomgyu sputters, greatly offended. “They had an unfair adavantage, sir!” Mr Han sighs louder. “And what would said unfair advantage be, Beomgyu?”

“They,” he points accusatorily at you and Heeseung, speaking with his entire chest so that everyone can hear, “have an incredibly good chemistry! What are the rest of us supposed to do to beat synergy like that, huh?!”

You roll your eyes as Heeseung snickers softly, while the other students begin to giggle and laugh at Beomgyu's “accusation.” Mr Han tips his head back, pinching his brows for a moment to compose himself, before turning back to your offended friend. “So let me get this straight... Their unfair advantage is that they're good teammates?” Beomgyu nods solemnly. “Incredibly good teammates.”

The teacher stares blankly at him for a beat, before pointing to the pathway rounding the large central garden. “10 laps around the garden for wasting my time, Choi Beomgyu. Don't complain, or I'll double them.”

Beomgyu gapes at him, somehow more offended if possible, before groaning as he heads off to start his laps. “Thanks for making me do exercise on a class trip, you two,” he glares at the two of you and Heeseung pats him on the back as he passes by. “You're welcome. I'll save you some chicken for dinner.”

“You better!” Beomgyu yells over his shoulder, before finally disappearing around the corner. You share a laugh with Heeseung, who shrugs innocently. “Well, he isn't wrong. We do make a good team. It's hard to beat something like what we have.” You sigh, willing your heart to calm down from the fast pace it had set as soon as the last part of his sentence left his mouth.

Get yourself together. That's not what he meant, dumb dumb.

“Mhm,” you hum, walking next to him on the way to the cafeteria. “That's good, isn't it?” He laughs airily, tilting his head, his skin glowing under the incandescent lights of the resort. “Of course it is! Very rarely do I ever find a player two as good as you are.”

Does he ever realise how easy it is to misinterpret his words? You don't think he does. But the compliment has you beaming, and you grin widely at him. “Yeah, where else would you find a player two like me?” You pat your bicep, teasing him. “Nobody else would be willing to carry you the way I do.”

He snorts, holding the door to the dining hall open for you. “Sure, darling, sure. Let's leave it at that.”

You nearly kiss the floor at the endearment, and he reaches a hand out to steady you. “Hey, easy there. Careful—did you get hurt?” You stare up at him, wide eyed and breathless. He looks down at you, his brows furrowed in concern as his eyes rove over you for any injuries. “What happened there? You were walking fine just a moment ago.”

You blink blankly, unable to find your voice for a few seconds, before finally speaking up. “Uh, it... it was the ledge! Didn't see it on my way in.” You point to the ledge in the doorway, and he sighs, before flicking your forehead gently. “You need to be less clumsy, you know? Don't be a liability to yourself like that.”

“Yeah, I.. I'll keep that in mind,” you nod, and he pats your head, his hand large and warm. “Good,” he smiles, eyes lingering on your face for a bit longer, before he turns away. “Now let's go get some of that chicken before it's emptied.”

You follow along, still in a daze as you join the queue. Jake and Sunghoon, who caught the moment earlier, give you surprised but happy grins, with Sunghoon holding up his phone to show you his notes app—a big, bold 'You're doing great!' typed into it. Shaking your head, you laugh and grab yourself a plate.

By the time you arrive at the table your friends are occupying, you find someone already sitting at the place meant for you. Isn't that Yoona from 2-B?

She's sitting next to Jay—who gives her a forced smile—but her attention is clearly on Heeseung, as she twirls a lock of her hair around her finger and laughs softly at something Sunghoon just said. She's pretty in the sense that you can't look away, and for a moment, you fear the worst. Oh, no. Will Heeseung like her?

But as if allaying all your fears, the Heeseung in front of Yoona is still your Heeseung—and it shows in the way he gives Yoona that same bright, friendly smile. “Oh, that's quite interesting!” He say, running a hand through his hair. “Thanks for letting me know. You're such a good friend, Yoona!”

It takes everything you have to not burst out laughing, as the girl freezes up in her place, the hand in her hair going completely still. “... Uh... What?” Heeseung gives her an innocent tilt of his head, blinking in confusion. “Um, did I get that wrong? Are we... not friends?”

His words have Jake biting his fist, while Sunghoon and Jay's shoulders shake with the force of suppressed laughter, even as they look away. Chaewon's staring up at the ceiling, her lips pursed, desperately trying not to laugh at the way Yoona's smile drops at the word 'friend.'

“Yeah, um, sorry,” Yoona says suddenly, giving Heeseung a tight smile, before hurrying off to her friends. Everyone's still trying to keep their laughter in check even as you sit down, while Heeseung looks adorably confused as ever.

“What... What was that about?” He asks, looking around at everyone's faces. Jake, still snickering, pats his back and wraps an arm around his shoulders. “Never change, Heeseung hyung, never change.”

“... Okay...?” Heeseung mutters, reaching for his dinner. Sunghoon and Jay grin at him, even as Chaewon cackles in the seat next to him. “Oh my god! That needs to happen more often!”

Yes, it should. To people apart from you that is.

But dinner finally gets a move on, and the sound of laughter joins the clattering and scraping of utensils against plates and bowls. Sunghoon and Chaewon argue about who gets to eat the last piece of meat, while Jay and Jake are trying to load more food onto your plate.

Despite the day you've had, everything is as normal as it can be. However, a nagging feeling that you've forgotten something still tugs at the back of your mind...

... and it comes to reveal itself in the next few moments.

“You guys promised me you'd save me some chicken!”

Beomgyu's voice rings out loud in the dining hall, and Mr Han yells at him to go run five more laps for being noisy instead.

Ah, so that's what you had forgotten. What an eventful day it was, indeed.

Graduation is a bittersweet thing, you realise, as you stand shoulder-to-shoulder with your classmates for one last class picture.

It's odd, to say the least—while you knew that these people, who you've laughed and cried with for the past three years would eventually part ways with you, it still feels rather odd to experience it happen in real time.

Your gaze drifts down the line, before coming to a stop at the spot where Heeseung stands in the second line. He looks rather radiant in his graduation gown, even if his hair doesn't allow the cap to sit correctly on his head.

Jay and Sunghoon are on either side of him, their faces bright but laced with the slightest amounts of nostalgia. “It's so weird, right?” Jake vocalises your thoughts out loud, and you turn to face him. “I still can't believe it's all coming to an end.”

“Yeah,” you give him a smile, placing your hand in his, as he helps you down from the step ladder. “I knew it was coming, but it all feels unreal. I think I'll still wake up tomorrow morning, panicking that I overslept and ran late for school.”

Jake laughs at that, the sound rich and warm, and he wraps an arm around your shoulders to lead you over to where the rest of your friend group is gathered. “I think I'll be in the same boat,” he chuckles, “but hey, that's why we're friends, right?”

... Just friends. That's how it's still ending.

“Yeah,” you come to a halt, grinning at him. “That's exactly why we're friends.” Jake exhales, looking up at the sky—it's a bright, sunny day. Would it have felt different if it had rained instead?

He turns to you again, and purses his lips as unshed tears shine in his eyes. “I'm gonna miss you. So, so, much.” You chuckle at that—though it slips out more a sob of your own than a laugh.

“Don't say that, you idiot. There's still a chance we could end up at the same university.” If things align, that is. He lets out a watery laugh, wiping his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, I know. But it just won't be the same, you know what I mean?”

“I know,” you breathe out, “but you'll still be Jake, and I'll still be me—just that we'll be learning to be new versions of ourselves.” Jake pulls you into a hug, patting your head. “I'll kick Heeseung hyung if he doesn't come to his senses soon, alright?” You roll your eyes in fond annoyance, but hold onto him tighter. “Violence doesn't suit you all that much, Sim Jaeyun.”

He pulls away with a giggle, eyes soft and hands warm. “I'm only letting you go today because it's graduation day, and I don't want you tripping on your gown. You're free game tomorrow.”

Sunghoon's voice draws your attention away, and you look to see him standing at the other end of the ground, waving at the both of you. “Oi! Come over here, you two! Some of us have hugs to give as well!”

Behind him stand Jay and Heeseung, who seem to be taking in the sight of your high school for the last time as students. Your gaze runs over Heeseung, watching the way his smile turns a little wistful, as he speaks in hushed tones to Jay.

When he turns his head, he catches sight of you and Jake, and waves the two of you over just as Sunghooon had done. “Over here!” You share one last look with Jake, before both of you make your way over to the rest.

As soon as you're in arm's reach, Sunghoon pulls you into a bear hug, lifting you off of the ground as you shriek. “Oh, I'm definitely going to miss annoying you,” he sighs, placing you back down.

“Please tell me we'll be in the same university, yeah?” You give him a wry smile, patting his arm. “... Hopefully we will, Hoonie. I'll really miss you too.”

If only your acceptance letter would arrive faster.

Jay's the next one to hug you, squeezing you so tight your breath escapes you. “Heeseung hyung will not hear the end of it from me if he fumbles you,” he mutters into your hair, “that guy better come to his senses, and fast.”

You snicker, bumping your shoulder with his. “Then that wouldn't be our Heeseung anymore, would it?” Jay laughs freely, a twinkle of mirth in his eyes. “No, he wouldn't really be our Heeseung hyung,” Jay grins, before stepping away from you to hug Jake.

Finally, you come face to face with the boy who's occupied your mind 24/7 for the past three years, with his gentle demeanour, slight mischievous streak and attentiveness like no other.

A giggle's already slipping past your lips before you even take the first step towards him, and Heeseung tilts his head, a grin tugging at the corners of his mouth as he watches you. “Are you really that happy to see me?”

“Of course,” you beam, wrapping your arms around him. “Who wouldn't miss the Lee Heeseung?” He shakes his head at your reply, but you catch sight of the grin he's trying to hide.

“You're impossible,” he playfully complains, “what will I ever do without you?” You pull back, reaching out to pinch his cheeks as he laughs warmly. “Probably failing at your games because I'm the one carrying you every time.”

He rolls his eyes in faux annoyance, pinching your own cheeks in retaliation. “If that's what helps you sleep better at night, then keep telling yourself that.” You gasp loudly, mildly offended. “Excuse me, Mr Lee?” He snickers, flicking your forehead gently. “Excused. Do you need a permission slip with that?”

You smack his arm, and he laughs louder, before pulling you into an one armed hug. “Okay, okay, I'm sorry. That was too much, wasn't it?” You huff, shaking your head at him. “You're lucky I like you.”

Heeseung's grin softens into something fond, as he adjusts the cap on your head. “Yeah,” he breathes, “that I am. Who else would tolerate me, if not you?”

Ah, it's all so unfair to your poor, poor heart. Why did he have to be so likable?

“Oi! Gather around, you peasants!” Beomgyu's smug yell brings you out of your head, and you turn your head in unison with the others to see him and Chaewon walking over with pleased smiles.

“Says the one who dresses like he's homeless,” Heeseung snickers, an arm still wrapped around your shoulders. Jake and Sunghoon nearly spit out their water, while Jay leans against a tree, thoroughly amused.

“I'm willing to look past that because it's graduation day, Heeseung,” Beomgyu sticks his index finger out in Heeseung's direction, before turning to face everyone with a dramatic flourish of his graduation gown. “But rejoice, my subjects, for I come as the bearer of good news!”

You raise an eyebrow as he suddenly points at you, while Chaewon's already stepping back to start filming with her phone. “You,” Beomgyu snaps his fingers at you, “step forward.”

Suppressing a sigh at your friend's antics, you step forward and into the center of the loose circle your friends have formed. Crossing your arms over your chest, you narrow your eyes at Beomgyu in a suspicious glance. “... What's all this about?”

He pulls out an envelope from his pocket, and presents it to you with an astounding display of grace he doesn't usually have. “For you, my lady.”

Chaewon's still filming as you take the envelope from him, while Jake, Jay, and Sunghoon step closer, their nosy selves clearly wanting to know what's going on.

You flip it over, and find the envelope to be addressed to you, with your name written in elegant cursive, and the sender being a DU. A little spark of anticipation begins to light up in your mind at the letters, and you carefully pull it open, despite the way your fingers are trembling.

It doesn't take you more than a minute to read through the contents, but the tears fall faster than you get them to stop. When you look up, you find Beomgyu looking back at you, a wide grin on his face.

“Well?” He raises an eyebrow, already stepping forward to pull you into a hug. “Care to share the good news with the class, my lady?”

You sob out a laugh, burying your face into his chest. “I got in,” you croak out in between sobs, “I got into Decelis!”

Everything is silent for a moment, your soft sniffles being the only sounds you hear. Then, a pair of arms wrap around both you and Beomgyu, as Heeseung's cologne wraps around you like a hug within a hug.

Chaewon—having stopped filming now—wiggles her way in to hold you close, with Jake following right after. Jay and Sunghoon are the last ones to join the group hug, but their embraces don't feel any less warmer as the others'.

“You did it,” Heeseung laughs, his breath tickling the hair at your nape. “You're coming to Decelis!”

Decelis. You'd be there with everyone. With Jake, Jay, Sunghoon, Beomgyu, and Chaewon.

Most importantly, with Heeseung.

“We're all going to be together at Decelis,” Jake and Sunghoon cheer, “we're all going to Decelis together!” You wipe the tears at the corners of your eyes, grinning breathlessly. “Yeah, we're going together. Told you guys that you wouldn't get rid of me that easily.” Jay gives you a proud smile, as he ruffles your hair. “As if we'd want it any other way, dumbass.”

You turn to Heeseung, holding out the letter for him to see. The words 'ACCEPTANCE INTO THE COMPUTER SCIENCE DEPARTMENT AT DECELIS UNIVERSITY' stand out against the paper, and he barely reads it, before crushing you into another hug, laughing excitedly. “We're going to be classmates?! Oh, I couldn't have asked for a better graduation gift!”

Mrs Park calls all of you over for another group picture, and you stand with everyone, just like earlier. But the grin on your face is brighter, and your laughter happier, as you pose and play around for the picture with your friends.

You truly couldn't have asked for a better graduation gift—seems like sunny days were quite nice, after all.

ᯤ ACT TWO: SYNTAX DISRUPTION IN ACTION

The sound of your forehead meeting the marble counter is rather loud, echoing in the room.

“Ugh,” you groan, turning your head to stare at Jo, who only blinks in mild confusion at your (mildly) drunken ranting. “Jojo, why is life so hard?”

His eyes dart around the place, looking for any sign of Fuma, who'd left to get more post alcohol drinks, before turning back to you. “Hey,” he smiles softly, patting the side of your head. “It'll all get better. Hang in there, hm?”

“Hanging in there is all I've been doing, and I've been doing that upside down,” you sigh, pulling the nearly empty bottle of beer closer to yourself. “If I hang in there any longer, I'm going to get dizzy and fall.”

Jo purses his lips, unsure of what to say to make you feel better, and continues to pat your head instead. “Do you...” He pauses, shifting in his seat for a bit, before continuing. “Do you want to see some videos of Mint playing to cheer up?”

You blink up at him, feeling a mixture of amusement, confusion, and fondness at your friend's offer. Was Jo seriously offering you videos of his cat to cheer you up? Yes, yes, he was.

“You know what,” you sit up, and scoot your seat closer to his. “Show me. Show me the baby, Jo.” Jo, just like any other cat owner when asked about their furbaby, lights up at your answer, and immediately pulls out his phone from his pocket to show you his favourite pictures and videos of Mint.

“Here,” he holds his phone up for you to see better, having found a video after scrolling down the photo album dedicated to Mint for a bit. “This was Mint's first time trying catnip. She almost ran into a door, you know?”

You're giggling over a few more videos, when Fuma comes back, his hands filled with bottles of cold drinks. “Oh!” He exclaims, his eyes softening along with his smile, as he offers you a bottle of cold lemonade.

“Good to see you feeling better. What did Jo over here,” he teasingly nudges Jo with his shoulder, “tell you that brightened you up immediately?” Jo shakes his head shyly, taking his bottle of watermelon juice from Fuma. “Oh, I just showed her some old videos of Mint's, that's all.”

“Oh, Mint. I miss her,” Fuma sighs playfully, “when are you bringing her over again?” Jo gives him a small smile, as he taps his fingers against the counter. “... Maybe this weekend,” he hums thoughtfully. “I still have to take her to her yearly checkup.”

Fuma nods in understanding, leaning back in his seat as he sips on his mocktail. “Let me know when you bring her over—I'll be there right away.” Jo laughs, the sound rich and warm, as he nods his head in agreement.

“Hello, my dear subjects!” Beomgyu's voice echoes loudly behind you, and you turn around to see him grinning deviously at you. “Gyu, I will throw this bottle at your head if you don't stop calling me your subject, I swear.”

He only laughs, sliding into the chair next to you, wrapping an arm around you (while dodging the attempts you make at shoving him off of his seat) and giving fist bumps to Fuma and Jo. “All you do is swear, sweetheart, but you never act on it. I'd never trust you to be a witness, you know? You'd be committing perjury the second they put you on that stand.”

Before you can hit him for that comment, someone else does it for you and Beomgyu yelps loudly as Chaewon comes to stand next to him, her hands on her hips. “I told you to wait for me, you idiot, not leave me behind in the car.”

She hits his arm next, clearly having overheard his comment to you. “And also, she wouldn't be the one most likely committing perjury—that's a title entirely for Fuma, given how easily he lies.”

Jo snorts into his drink, his shoulders shaking with laughter even as he turns away. Fuma, however, merely raises an eyebrow at Chaewon, a teasing smirk already pulling at the corners of his lips. “I do it for the love of the game—and that's something you don't understand.” Chaewon rolls her eyes, kicking his foot lightly. “No, you just like to lie. How are you going to be teaching kindergarteners with that kind of a tongue, huh?”

“Chae, he'll definitely need to be lying in kindergarten,” you snicker, watching as Fuma gives you a surprised look for coming to his defence, “he's going to have to lie to all of them and tell them Santa Claus is real.” Fuma rolls his eyes, smacking your arm gently. “I bring you lemonade, and this is how you repay me? Rude.”

Beomgyu cuts in, shaking a bottle of pineapple juice he'd stolen from Fuma's stash, snorting at his reply. “Toddlers are the most unintentionally rude people you'll ever meet, you know? She's just training you for that.”

You successfully manage to shove him off this time, and he goes down to the floor dramatically. “Traitor! I trusted you, and you turn on me like this?!” You stick your tongue out at him, stealing his seat for Chaewon instead. “That's for indirectly calling me a toddler.”

Chaewon laughs, snapping more pictures of Beomgyu's ungraceful descent to the floor, before sending it to Megan, who immediately makes a video call, solely to laugh at Beomgyu. “He looks like a mangled pretzel!” She cackles, her gleeful voice cutting through the calm music of the lounge. “Oh, now he's a starfish!”

“I'm eating every single pack of Haribo gummies I come across solely because of that.” Beomgyu grumbles, grabbing the phone from Chaewon to glare at Megan's face through the screen.

She only guffaws louder, flipping the camera to show him the box of 37+ bags of Haribo gummies sitting in her room. “I'm already prepared! You're not overtaking me as their number one consumer!”

“Megan,” you pull the phone away from Beomgyu, just as he flips Megan off, “we miss you here!” She laughs, blowing kisses through the phone. “I miss all of you as well—except Beomgyu, that is—but you know I had to give my hundred percent for this upcoming dance competition!”

Fuma leans over your shoulder, grinning mischievously at her. “Since you've missed so many of our hangouts, don't come back unless you win, alright? We're not going to remain friends otherwise.” You roll your eyes, pushing Fuma's face away. “Ignore him,” you huff, “and anyways, the boys were asking when you'd be back from the competition.”

Megan's voice goes out of range, and all you see is the white ceiling of her hotel room for a bit as she shifts places, before her face comes back into focus. “Tell Riki I'll be back soon! I miss dancing with him and Jake! How are Jay, Heeseung and Sunghoon doing without me around?”

Jo laughs softly, waving at her. “Terrible, I'd say. Nobody's got kicked out of MariCafé for staying too long these past few days. Jay's been drinking the healthier stuff, too.”

“I'll change that when I get back,” she grins, raising a can of an overly sweet, highly caffeinated energy drink. “They're not getting away that easily.”

Chaewon giggles, finally taking her phone back after it's been passed around. “Hurry back here, then. Jake and Jay might just turn green instead with the amount of vegetables Sunghoon's been forcing them to eat.”

Megan grins widely, before turning her attention back to you. “So Miss Lovergirl, what plan do you have next to woo your oblivious little darling beau?” You roll your eyes at her question, sighing softly. “Megan...”

Fuma sets his drink down, gulping down whatever of it he had in his mouth as he waves his index finger in the air. “No, she's so right for bringing it up,” he grins mischievously, giving Beomgyu a high five. “I've never seen someone so dedicated to a crush, and I've never seen someone so oblivious either. You're both truly a match made in heaven.”

You sigh even louder at his words. Fuma, Jo, and Megan were recent additions to your friend group, having joined when you started university—but they blended in with all your friends like they'd always been there from the start, even if Jo didn't speak more than four sentences a day (that you'd heard be said out loud, that is—you love the guy, but he could definitely speak up more in your opinion).

Just like the rest of your friends, they'd become rather acutely aware of your very obvious crush on Heeseung, and Heeseung's amazingly annoying ability to be oblivious to every attempt at flirting you make—Fuma especially found great amusement in your troubles, even if he did pretend to be annoyed when helping you plan for whatever new thing you were going to do next.

“Come on, Lovergirl, don't leave me hanging,” Megan's voice crackling through the speakers on Chaewon's phone brings you back out of your daze, and you sigh for what seems like the hundredth time that night. “I don't have any new plans, Megan.” Fuma and Jo blink in sync, sitting up straighter in their seats. Chaewon narrows her eyes at you, and Beomgyu stops speaking altogether.

You shift in your seat, mildly unsettled by the sudden change in your friends' energies. “Wait, hold on. What do you mean by that? What do you mean when you say “I have no plans”? What's going on? Is this a joke?”

Rolling your shoulders, you shake your head. “It's not a joke. I...” You pause, mulling the words over on your tongue. The thought had slowly wormed itself home in your head since the past few months, digging in deeper with every failed attempt. How long could you truly keep this up for? It's already been four years, and nothing has changed.

Sighing deeply once more, you exhale softly and say the thoughts plaguing your head for the last few months out loud. “I... I think I'll give up on pursuing Heeseung.”

There's a momentary pause, where no one—not even Beomgyu, and not many things could get him to shut up like this—speaks out loud, the only sounds you hear being everybody's breathing, and your own heartbeat, pounding loud in your ears.

Then, your friends screech in shocking sync (including Megan on the phone, and you swear this is the loudest you've heard Jo talk since the time you became friends with him), drawing the attention of nearly half of the lounge. “WHAT?!”

You wince at the loud sound, before hissing at them. “Quiet,” you glare at them, rubbing your ears. “Do you want to disturb everyone else?” They give sheepish nods and smiles to the other patrons, before turning back to you, an almost maniacal gleam in their eyes as they whisper over one another.

“What do you mean you're giving up on Heeseung?” “Hey, come on. I didn't raise a quitter!” “Any specific reason as to why you decided to quit now after four years, when you could've done it sooner?” “Babygirl, you're literally our friend group's Romeo, why would you give up on your Juliet like that?!” “Don't you dare quit when I'm already this emotionally invested in this hypothetical romantic relationship!”

Pushing away Fuma and Beomgyu's inquisitive faces, you make breathing room for yourself. “God, one at a time! And I'm tired! That's why I'm quitting!” Jo opens his mouth as if to say something, but closes it right after. “But—but,” Chaewon stammers, rubbing her temples, already beginning to look stressed. “You're still in love with him! Your feelings won't change even if you give up on him.”

Before you can answer her, three more faces appear next to Megan's on the phone screen, as it becomes a group video call instead. You figure someone must've dialed Jake, Jay, and Sunghoon the moment you'd told your friends that you were quitting—you'd be willing to put your bets on Beomgyu and Megan.

“Hey, what's going on?” Jay's voice comes in first, thick with concern. “Are you alright? What lead to this?” Jake's next, his brows furrowed in confusion. “Come on, you gotta talk to us. Tell us how you're feeling—you can't keep it bottled up like and then drop a bomb on us like this!” Sunghoon simply shakes his head, his expression thoughtful. “I honestly didn't think you'd stick it out this long. If I were you, I would've quit a long time ago.”

You make a face at his answer, glaring at him. “Are you trying to comfort me, or you trying to insult me, Sunghoon?” He flashes you a fanged grin, not entirely apologetic about his comments. “Let's say it's 50-50.”

Jay and Fuma cut in, blinking at you. “Are you serious about this?” Fuma starts, as Jay completes for him. “Because you can't go back from whatever you're thinking of doing.” Jake isn't all that helpful either, pointing out the obvious to you. “He'll never know that you like him, and are you really okay with that?”

No, in fact, you were not okay with that fact. But years and years of pining after an oblivious Heeseung had exhausted you more than you thought.

“I refuse!” Beomgyu finally speaks up again, having found his voice. “I did not sit through hours of you rambling about how much you like my best friend back in high school, just for you to give up now! I refuse your refusal to pursue Heeseung! You're closer than you think—and you haven't tried out everything else yet, have you?” Jo reaches out to try and get him to stop, muttering a soft “Beomgyu, wait, stop,” but he refuses to listen, staring up at you instead.

Seemingly emboldened by his declaration, Chaewon throws in her two cents on the matter as well. “He's right! You haven't truly tried everything out, have you? You've never actually confessed to him!”

You scowl at her, shifting to be more defensive. “And I never will! I don't want to make things awkward between us!” Fuma and Sunghoon face palm, groaning out loud. Jake and Jo sigh in exhaustion, shaking their heads, while Megan looks lost in thought.

Jay stares at you for a bit, before nodding his head. “Well, if that's your choice, then we respect it—” Megan's voice crackles in, interrupting him as she speaks. “Wait. Wait. Wait. I have an idea.”

Sunghoon deadpans at her words. “I love you, but I wouldn't trust your ideas even if I were to die the next minute, Megan.” She sticks her tongue out in retaliation, as Jake snickers, before continuing to pitch her idea. “Nobody said you had to be the one to confess, you know?”

You stare at the screen in confusion, blinking at her. “Wha... What do you mean? I don't understand.” Chaewon, however, does seem to understand what Megan meant, clapping her hands in excitement. “Oh my god! That could totally work!”

Megan squeals, nodding animatedly. “I know, right?! We can give this as a last shot!” The rest of you stare at the two of them in confusion, expecting a proper explanation.

“Um...” Fuma glances between the two women, relaxing in his seat again. “So, like, an explanation would be quite nice.” Chaewon clears her throat, before turning back to the rest of you. “Okay, so what we were thinking is that....” Megan joins in towards the end, her expression expectant. “You could have someone confess to you instead!”

“What?!” You exclaim, “why on earth would I do that?!” Megan looks at you like you're a bit slow, shaking her head. “To see if he truly has no feelings for you, duh!” Chaewon grins deviously at you, rubbing her hands in mischief. “Come on, think about it. We've tried all sorts of things—but we've never tried to make him jealous, have we? If someone else confesses to you, we can gauge his true level of interest.”

Jay hums, mulling it over in his head. “... It could work,” he says finally, as Megan and Chaewon cheer now that they have the childhood friend's approval, “we're all aware that the only way Heeseung hyung registers a romantic relationship is if he sees them doing couple stuff in front of him. So.. yeah, it might work.”

“But who would do the confessing?” Jake questions, on board with the idea, but clearly having doubts about it's execution. “If it's one of us, there's no way Heeseung hyung would believe it—and I wouldn't want to be confessing, either. I've never seen you as anything other a mildly annoying sister—confessing would feel like committing incest in theory.” He shudders, and Sunghoon mirrors him.

“You could've just said that you didn't want to confess to me,” you grumble, “there was no need for all those paragraphs.” Jo looks rather uncomfortable at the thought of “confessing” to a close friend as well, when Beomgyu speaks up.

“I know just the person for this,” he breathes out, and you're very much unsettled at the manic look in his eyes. “He'll do anything if it means he can get acting practice in—he'll definitely agree to this!”

Fuma blinks, before letting out a soft 'aah' in recognition. Smirking, he goes back to sipping on his mocktail. “If it's that person whom you're talking about, then I'm sure that it'll be a success. He'll be great at this 'fake boyfriend' thing.”

“No, no, no, no, not boyfriend!” Megan immediately protests, crossing her arms into an 'X' over her chest. “We don't want him to think she's completely off the market and lose any possible interest that he might've had!”

Chaewon agrees, shaking her head. “It's at the most a few dates to gauge his interest! We definitely do not want to be scaring him off instead!” The boys all 'Ooh' and 'Aah' in understanding, nodding their heads. “That can be arranged,” Beomgyu hums, “Yeonjun hyung will agree as long as he can practice his acting.”

“You mean he'll agree because he can be part of something interesting,” Fuma snorts, and Beomgyu grins widely. “Well, that too. Everything he does is for the love of the game.” Everyone turns to you again, their expressions expectant and hopeful. “Soooo....” Chaewon drawls, rubbing your arm. “Wanna give it a shot?”

You stare blankly at all of them, your gaze running from Chaewon to Jo to Fuma, Fuma to Beomgyu, Beomgyu to the phone in Chaewon's hand with Megan, Jay, Jake, and Sunghoon on the screen, and then finally back to Chaewon again, before sighing in exhaustion.

You hate how convincing your friends can be sometimes, but you hate the fact that you're intrigued by their idea even more.

“... Fine,” you huff, rolling your eyes. “I'll give it a shot. But, if it doesn't work out, I'm strangling both Chaewon and Megan.” Your friends cheer like they've won the World Cup at your response. Beomgyu and Fuma even do a little celebratory dance number, as Jake, Jay, and Sunghoon are already beginning to discuss plans with Megan and Chaewon.

Jo's the one who pulls you into a warm, comforting side hug, resting his head on top of yours, wrapping you into his denim jacket. “Thank you for being brave,” he simply says, the words so soft that you almost miss them. “We're all very proud of you.”

You say nothing in response, but the smile tugging at the corner of your lips speaks more than words would do at the moment for him.

He shares your grin, and the two of you settle back on your seats with your drinks to watch the chaos the rest of your friends are already planning to instigate in your love life.

Oh, these idiots truly did love you. Hopefully this idea really did turn out to be the one that works out.

Choi Yeonjun, in the nicest way possible, is the living embodiment of the word “extra.”

You were supposed to meet him at MariCafé on a Friday evening at 6:30 PM, along with Beomgyu (who was friends with Yeonjun, since they were in the same major). Yeonjun showed up at exactly 6:32, flipping his beach blond hair back, and still wearing sunglasses for some reason, despite it being late evening.

Dressed in a white button up, medium wash jeans, and black boots with a brown trench coat, he finishes the look with a red scarf around his neck that matches the red beret on his head.

He lights up when he spots Beomgyu waving him over from your booth in the back, and walks over leisurely, taking his time to greet the staff.

Flashing a charming grin at the barista, he twirls and spins around the café like he's always belonged there. He stops midway to speak with a waitress—an older woman, probably in her 50s—chatting her up briefly, before laughing as she tells him something in return (You only catch the sweetened drawl of “Honey!” she makes towards the end of the conversation, in the same way that all sweet older women do). People pause their conversations to stare at him as he passes them by, and you shrink further into your seat.

Holding onto your iced tea like a shield, you lean in to whisper to Beomgyu. “Is... Is he always like this?” He simply sighs, looking resigned to his fate. “Yes. He's always been this way. He'll actually combust if he doesn't get attention from more than three people at a time.”

You blink, continuing to observe the man who's supposed to play the Romeo to your Juliet for the next few days, watching the way he effortlessly commands and revels in the attention he gets. “... Drama and theatre are perfect for him.”

“Talk about a match made in heaven,” Beomgyu snorts, sipping on his strawberry frappe. “... What's with the sunglasses?” You whisper again, still unable to take your eyes off of Yeonjun. “That's part of his brand.”

“His brand's being the human equivalent of a disco ball?” Beomgyu nearly chokes on his drink, and coughs into his arm, before turning back to you. “His brand's being Yeonjun hyung,” he corrects, like that's supposed to explain anything to you. It does not.

When Yeonjun finally makes his way over to your table, he pushes his glasses up to grin widely at your friend. “Beomgyu-ah! Come here!” He wraps Beomgyu into an affectionate hug, attempting to kiss his cheek, but the younger man stubbornly refuses to accept it, eventually pushing Yeonjun's face away using both hands. “Agh, Yeonjun hyung, no!” Yeonjun laughs mirthfully, finally letting go of Beomgyu to face you next.

“Oh, and you must be the lovely mademoiselle I'm supposed to play the lover of.” He gives you a lopsided grin, settling down next to you. Much in contrast to your flustered countenance, he's completely relaxed and at ease, as he takes your free hand from where it's resting on your lap, and places a dramatic kiss on your knuckles. “The name's Choi Yeonjun. Pleased to make your acquaintance.”

You stammer out your name in return, and Yeonjun says it out loud a few times, as if testing the way it sounds on his tongue. “Pretty name for a pretty mademoiselle,” he grins, having found the way he wanted it to sound—and it surely does sound like an actual, affectionate lover speaking to you.

Beomgyu groans out loud, rubbing his temples. “Hyung, you're not French. Please stop flirting with my friend right in front of my precious strawberry frappe.”

“Sorry, sorry. I was trying to test out a few characters to see which would work best.” Yeonjun laughs, letting go of your hand to lean back into his seat. “Soooo... this is all to woo a beau with a chronic case of insufferable obliviousness, huh?”

You sigh, nodding your head. “Sounds about right. A case of chronic obliviousitis.” Yeonjun's smile grows wider at your answer, and he claps his hands in delight. “Oh, I quite like you already! So, how long have you been attempting to woo him, and how long has he remained blissfully ignorant of your efforts?”

“Four years now, right from first year of high school,” Beomgyu answers for you, stealing some of your tiramisu. “Four... Four years?” Yeonjun blinks in shock and surprise, and you feel yourself wanting to become one with either the ground, table or couch the longer his silence lasts. Oh, this was a bad, bad idea! Beomgyu seems rather comfortable, having already eaten half of your tiramisu because you haven't stopped him yet.

“This will not do!” Yeonjun snaps his fingers loudly, causing Beomgyu to choke on his bite of the stolen dessert. Ignoring your friend, the older man turns to you, holding both your hands in his rather tightly.

His eyes blaze with a passion that didn't exist there a few minutes earlier, and the determined set of his jaw tells you that you're not getting out of this predicament your friends have shoved you into rather easily. “I promise you, sweetheart, that I'll make sure to put on a performance that shall match the strength of your passion for this man for the past four years! Fear not, for I will make him open his eyes to all that he has been blind to for so long!”

Beomgyu chokes on his dessert for a second time, snickering loudly. “Oh, you have your work cut out with Heeseung, I promise you.” Yeonjun simply shakes his head, undeterred. “I'll make it work. Efforts and passion such as yours,” he whips his head back to you, his earrings shaking with the force of the action, “shall not go unnoticed, at least not on my watch!”

His dramatics begin to seem more and more ridiculous by the passing minute, but there's a part of you that you can't deny—the one that feels strangely warm at his declaration; he was a complete stranger to you, yet he immediately recognised the effort you've been putting in for the past four years—and a laugh bubbles out of you.

Maybe this could actually work. No harm in trying, right?

“Okay,” you chuckle, tilting your head at him. “I'll put my trust in you, then.” Yeonjun beams, nodding his head. “Thank you! I'll make your time worth it—my title as “Number One” in the department is at stake here!” He exhales loudly, and pulls out a pen and a book from the inside of his coat, ready to take notes. “Tell me more about this Heeseung guy, both of you. Don't leave out a single detail.”

The two of you spend the next hour explaining Heeseung's personality to Yeonjun, who attentively listens, writing down pages upon pages of notes as he does. “So... He's gentle, he's extremely attentive, kind of obsessed with ramyeon, likes cats, and is painfully dense?”

He summarises Heeseung as a person, clicking his pen to close it as he tucks the book back in. “I think I have a few ideas, but I want to listen to your boundaries first.” You nod, tapping your fingers against the wood. “Um, so I don't think I'm comfortable with kissing and stuff...”

When you trail off, unsure, Yeonjun pats your arm as he flashes you an encouraging smile. “Oh, don't worry. With this guy's personality, stuff like kissing in front of him would only have the opposite effect of what we want. We'll stick to hand holding and mild skinship only—we're trying to sell the nervous energy of two people who are trying to figure out if they're a good match, after all, and not an established couple diving head on.”

You sigh in relief, and sip the last of your drink. “Ugh, it's become warm,” you grimace, and Yeonjun takes note. “Shall I buy you another one? You know, as early practice, and as a gift for our partnership?”

Beomgyu rolls his eyes, kicking him underneath the table, but Yeonjun doesn't even notice it, already beginning to ramble away about possible plans that you could use.

You can't help but laugh at his enthusiasm, and Beomgyu leans in to whisper to you, a smug grin on his face. “See?” He raises a brow at you, “told you he was perfect.” You lean in even closer, watching Yeonjun in his element. “He is, and thank you for helping me out here,” you pause, frowning softly. “There's something else that I'm worried about.”

“What's wrong?” Beomgyu sits straighter, now frowning as well. “Just.... one thing,” you sigh ruefully, and he leans in closer, an eyebrow raised in question, hovering just under your chin. “Which is....?” You flash him a sad smile, before whacking him over the head harshly. “Which is.... My tiramisu that you stole with no shame, Beelzebub incarnate!”

He yelps loudly, as Yeonjun finally notices the commotion between the two of you, cackling loudly. “Give it back!” You grip his collar, and Beomgyu glares at you. “I'm never doing anything for you ever again!”

“I don't care, just get me my tiramisu, you shameless pig!”

“Never! You're never getting it back!”

You get your tiramisu, along with a new conspirator for your schemes. Beomgyu now sports a lump the size of your fist on his head, and Yeonjun's promised to put the plan in motion from Monday. Life is surprisingly good sometimes.

ᯤ ACT THREE: SYNTAX IN TRANSITION

On Monday, Fuma arrives to your usual hangout spot at uni covered in stickers from head to toe.

“What happened to you?” Jake blinks, looking him up and down. “Did you somehow manage to swim into a sticker book or something?” From the corner of your eye, you catch Chaewon quickly taking a picture, hiding her phone before Fuma sees it. “No, the kids happened to me,” Fuma sighs, sitting in between Jay and Sunghoon, taking off his glasses to peel off some of the stickers pasted on the lenses. “They were unusually energetic today.”

The sight of the Hello Kitty and Sanrio stickers in his hair makes you smile, and you reach out to swipe a Chococat one. “I'll take this one, thanks,” you grin at him, while he levels a mildly annoyed glare at you. “Hey! My kids gave those to me, you know?!”

Beomgyu shakes his head, rolling his eyes as Jo laughs softly at Fuma's response. “They have parents. I hope you remember that,” Beomgyu deadpans, dodging the balled up napkin Fuma throws at him. “Of course I remember that! But those kindergarteners are like my kids too!”

Jay pats his back, sliding a bottle of water to him. “Yes, yes, we're aware. You don't shut up about what little Jihoon did in class or what little Hana ate from her lunch box—drink this and calm down, please.” Fuma gives him a side eye, but takes the bottle of water anyways. “I am calm,” he grumbles, sipping on his water. Chaewon snorts at that, blowing her bangs out of her face. “Out of all the lies you've ever said, that's the biggest lie I've ever heard you say till date.”

“That's the most truthful thing I've heard all this morning,” Megan giggles, as she slides into the seat next to Chaewon. “You're not fooling anyone, Fuma.” Jo slides a box of baked goods he'd bought to her, and she lights up. “Joooo! Thank you so much!” He gives her a shy smile, rubbing his nape. The sound of loud bickering coming from the hallway draws your attention, and you turn to find an amusing sight—Sunoo has Jungwon and Riki in a headlock, while the two of them claw and flail at his arms to escape. “Sunoo hyung, let go of me, or I will scream bloody murder!”

As your eyes follow them, you spot Heeseung trailing behind them, a fond smile on his face at their antics. Now where was Yeonjun? Gulping softly to push down the bitter taste of dread in your mouth, you turn back to face the table, and Beomgyu catches your eye. He pulls out his phone to text you, with Sunghoon and Fuma reading the messages over his shoulder nosily. He levels both of them a glare, and pulls his phone closer, huffing softly. “I will smack you both if you do that again.”

[Gyudon]: relax omg. i can see u freeze up from here

[Gyudon]: also trust in yeonjun hyung he wont let u down

[Gyudon]: hes probs just waiting for the perfect opportunity rn

[Gyudon]: and dw the fetuses know too they're not ratting u out to heeseung

So Sunoo, Jungwon, and Riki knew too? Absolutely fantastic. That's three other people to embarrass yourself in front of.

Sighing, you nod and put your phone away, sipping on your orange juice instead. Jake wordlessly reaches out to place a calming hand on your bouncing knee, as the younger trio finally reaches your table. “Oh, is that a box of baked goods from Mari's that I see?” Riki finally pushes Sunoo off, shoving himself in between Jo and Jake to grab a sweet treat. “Just as good as I remember!” Jungwon clicks his tongue, returning the hug Megan gives him. “Riki, calm down a little.” Sunoo rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “The day Riki doesn't reach for a baked treat like it's the Holy Grail is the day we all die.” Then he catches your gaze, and a smile lights up his face as he hugs you.

“You can trust Yeonjun,” he whispers into your ear, “I'm sure Beomgyu and Chaewon have already told you that, right?” Sighing, you pat his head. “I know, I know. Just... kinda worried about how he'll take it.” He squeezes you tighter, muttering a soft “It'll be okay,” before stepping away just as Heeseung arrives to prevent any suspicion. “Heeseung!” Beomgyu, Chaewon, and Megan call out at once, all three of them being awfully cheerful.

Heeseung flashes them a grin, as he settles into the only open seat, which happens to be next to you. His shoulders brush against yours as he moves to get comfortable, shuffling around for a bit till he finds the perfect position. You glance at your watch, keeping track of the time. 10:05... Yeonjun said he'll come at 10:10, so that's five more minutes. This was all really happening. “Hey,” Heeseung's voice draws your attention away, and you turn to find him grinning widely at you. “You've been looking at your watch rather intensely. Are you that eager to get rid of us and head to class already?”

“Of course not,” you snort, stealing some of Jake's watermelon cooler. “I'm just trying to recall if I've missed an assignment or not.” He hums, taking an egg tart from the box, and turns his attention to Fuma. “Nice look, by the way,” he grins, “real high fashion right there, isn't it Sunoo?” Sunoo chuckles in agreement. “Yeah, it is. Might I be able to interview the esteemed designers of your look, Mr Murata?”

Fuma scoffs softly, but the grin he's sporting gives him away. Jungwon immediately comments on it, and the rest of the table—Heeseung included—joins in on the banter, teasing him for being such a softie when it came to the kids he's learning to teach. He doesn't even try to defend himself, only making slightly sarcastic comments whenever Jake and Jay point out that he even treats some of you like toddlers sometimes. “You guys behave like kindergarteners sometimes, I can't help myself.” He shrugs, pointing specifically at Beomgyu and Megan. “These two have zero sense of self-preservation—I know for a fact that you'd end up in jail somehow. Someone has to keep you baby chicks in line, so it might as well be me.”

Beomgyu stares at him, absolutely affronted at the declaration that's been made. He opens his mouth to reply, huffing loudly, when someone who isn't a part of the group at your table clears their throat behind you. It was show time. Licking your dry lips, when you turn back to look at your co-conspirator, your jaw nearly drops to the floor at the sight in front of you.

Standing before you is no longer the human equivalent of a disco ball Choi Yeonjun that you'd seen in the café last Friday, but shuffling awkwardly in his place instead is a much softer version of him—hair brushed down, a pastel orange sweater, khaki pants, and a simple pair of glasses sitting on his nose. “Hi,” he grins bashfully, and you swear you hear Sunoo stuff a donut into Beomgyu's mouth to stop him from laughing in the back. “... Hi,” you echo, shifting to face him better—Heeseung glances between you and Yeonjun multiple times, but you try your best to ignore him to concentrate on your performance instead.

For a moment, you're in awe of the way Yeonjun's able to act so effortlessly—he appears nothing like the flamboyant yet passionate person you'd seen at your last meeting, and if you didn't know any better, you really would've believed him to be just a shy, sweet boy in love. But this is all a performance, and the stakes are high (with the rewards being a Lee Heeseung hopefully becoming your boyfriend)—so you try your best to appear normal, and go along with the script he'd seen you on Saturday.

“... Can I help you?” You ask softly, and for the tiniest of moments, you see a flash of pride in Yeonjun's eyes—before it disappears entirely, and is replaced by a nervous, fond look instead. “I've been seeing you around campus for a while,” he says shyly, extending a cup of your favourite coffee order, “and I just think that you're really pretty.” The rest of your friends—to their credit—act like rent is due, with loud gasps and shocked expressions that almost border on too much.

Yeonjun skillfully ignores them, and continues to hold the cup out for you to take. His fingers brush with yours just the slightest as you do, and you pretend to turn it around to inspect it, before gasping in “surprise” at what you see. “How did you know that this was my favourite?” He shrugs, holding the straps of his backpack tighter. “You always order the same thing when you're at the campus café. It's not that hard to not take notice when you see that—that's how I've known it for a while now.” No, he didn't know until you told him exactly forty eight hours ago, but anything for the act, right?

“That's... That's very sweet of you.” Biting down on your lip makes it seem like you're being shy to an outsider, and it works—because you see Heeseung tense up next to you from the corner of your eye, when in fact, it was all to try and muffle your laughter at how ridiculous this entire situation had begun to seem. Megan and Chaewon's squeals of “Oh, don't you think that they'd look good together?!” and “That's such a cute confession!” don't seem to help either, as Heeseung sits up straighter, his brows furrowed in a frown that's only growing prominent with each passing minute.

Yeonjun doesn't break character even for a minute, as he continues to speak. “Ah, it's nothing. I.. So, uh, I was just wondering if I could take you out sometime? Maybe for lunch, if you're okay with that?” You nod, smiling at him. “Yeah. Yeah, I'd like that.” He brightens up, and grins wider. “Oh, really?! I'll see you around, then!” Then, as if he remembers a crucial detail, he clumsily pulls out his phone from his pocket, and hands it to you. “... You wouldn't mind giving me your number, would you?”

You punch in your digits, and much to your relief, your number is neither saved, nor appears in the recents tab, despite the way the two of you have been communicating. “This is me,” you finally hand it back, and he smiles like an idiot at the sight of it. “I'll text you the details, then. Are you free on Thursday?” You nod, and he pockets the device again. “Alright!” he chirps happily, “I'll see you on Thursday, then! I'd love to stay and talk some more, but I've got a class to run to. Take care!” Then he's off, giggling at his phone, and skipping away in a manner that seems awfully real.

The silence for the next few moments is deafening.

Then, as is wired in his DNA, Choi Beomgyu is the first one to break the silence. “Wow,” he says, and you're reminded why he's a theatre major too, but it takes everything you have not to giggle out loud. “Did we all just see the same thing?” Megan promptly kicks him under the table, as Sunoo shoves another donut into his mouth to muffle his pained yelp. Chaewon immediately grabs your hands, and squeals like she's actually excited for your upcoming “date.”

“I'm coming over after classes end!” She holds up your joined hands, a manic gleam in her eyes. “I'll have to pick out some cute outfits for you, and we still need to do a new set of nails for you—”

Heeseung interrupts her (something he never usually does), his brows knitted in confusion. “I'm sorry, but are we just going to ignore the fact the he said that he's been watching you for a while now?”

Beomgyu laughs good naturedly, but you can detect the slightest undertone of mischief in it. “Heeseung, oh, Heeseung. He's one of my seniors at the department—he's a nice guy, I can assure you.”

Heeseung's brows furrow further, and he sits up straighter in his seat before turning to face you. “You...” He says softly, running a hand through his hair (while the rest of your friends (Riki, especially) watch him with an intensity like they're watching a telenovela unfold right before their eyes), “... are you sure you want to go on that date with him? You're not agreeing because he confessed in public, and you feel pressured to accept it?”

Chaewon lightly pinches your side as she sees the wide grin on your face begin to form, and suppressing the urge to glare at her, you shake your head at Heeseung. “It's not a date, Hee. Not yet.” Riki, finally deciding that he wants to be a part of the fun, begins to add fuel to the little spark that's been lit. “But you want it to be one~” He sing-songs, wrapping an arm around Jake's shoulders. “You want to get your Mr. Right~!”

Jungwon extends the bait a little further, cat-like eyes twinkling with suppressed mirth. “I'd say he's a good fit for you,” he sips on his coffee, “he seems quite respectful.” Heeseung turns to glare sharply at him for that. “Respectful doesn't always mean nice, Jungwon. He could be a completely different person when we're not around.”

Megan throws an arm around Heeseung, while Sunoo takes his other side. “Oh, relax, you worrywart,” she rolls her eyes, as the blond flicks Heeseung's forehead. “She's a big girl, she'll be fine. Besides, didn't Beomgyu already vouch for him?” Sunoo almost lands the bait where it needs to, grinning sharply at Heeseung. “While we all know that Beomgyu is not trustable when it comes to food, we're all surely aware that he's very much trustworthy when it comes to people, right? I'm sure Yeonjun hyung will treat her well.”

Jo, who's been quiet till now, is the one who centers it, laying the last of the traps for Heeseung before the net is tightened. Shouldering his bag, he grabs your hand and gently tugs you to your feet. “Drop me off at my classes, please? I kind of pissed off Harua earlier, and now I need witness protection.” Laughing, you grab your own bag, as you wrap an arm around the taller boy's waist. “Sure, Jojo~ C'mon, let's go before you run late!”

“She's just running to hide how excited she is for her date!” Jay and Sunghoon grin, finally tightening the trap. “You don't have to make excuses for her, Jo!”

You flip them off over your shoulder as Jo giggles next to you, but even then, despite how much you try to ignore it, all you can feel is the weight of Heeseung's stare following you, the feeling only disappearing when you round the corner and end up out of his view.

After dropping Jo off at the Interior Design building, you skip off to class, unable to hide the wide grin on your face—the first time in four years that you've ever drawn out such a reaction from Heeseung, and it makes a little seed of hope germinate in your chest, nourished by the care and effort your friends are putting in for you.

Well, skeptical as you were of this plan, if you play your cards right, it might actually work out in your favour. Good thing you've always loved to play a game, yeah?

You tuck yourself into Yeonjun's side to avoid laughing out loud at the scene around you.

Thursday had been a whirlwind by itself, with Chaewon, Sunoo and Megan carefully coordinating your outfit and makeup for the “Big Day” as they called it (much to Heeseung's not so subtle displeasure, given how he shuffled uncomfortably in his seat every time they said it), but the way Yeonjun had shown up at the CS building—with a large bouquet and an even larger teddy bear—to take you out for your not-quite-actually-a-date “date,” surely must've done something, because you'd never seen Heeseung look that unsure about something before.

And while you have no idea what the rest of the idiots you call your friends must've told him to convince him to do this, you're definitely sure that whatever it actually was—whether just a request or straight up blackmail (you wouldn't put it past Riki and Fuma), did, in fact, work. Because there was Lee Heeseung—in a poor disguise of a scarf and beret, holding up a newspaper to hide his face—sitting exactly two rows behind you at the cat café Yeonjun had brought you to, sipping rather awkwardly at his water and not at all being discreet about the fact that he was sent to monitor your “date.”

“He's so bad at this,” you giggle, and Yeonjun takes the opportunity to wrap his arm around your shoulder. You hear Heeseung audibly choke on his water, and a flush creeps up your neck from the effort of holding in your laughter. “Is he still looking?” Yeonjun grins, making a performance out of showing the cats to you. “Yeah,” you whisper, snickering at the way Heeseung stares with laser-focused intensity at you, but pretends to look interested in his dessert the moment you turn around.

Your partner-in-crime smiles mischievously, before clearing his throat. “Hey,” he says loudly, and from your peripheral vision, you see Heeseung's head snap up to attention at the sound of his voice. “What do you think about adopting a cat together if this goes well?”

This time, you hear a spoon clatter to the floor, and your shoulders shake with the effort of not breaking character. “Sure,” you grin, “but we name it Butterscotch.” Yeonjun holds his hand out to you, and you give it a firm handshake. “Deal,” he snickers, “future cat will be named Butterscotch.” The sound of aggressive typing can be heard next, in the same characteristic way that Heeseung types when he's playing a co-op round of League of Legends. The next minute, a screenshot arrives to your phone in the group chat, one that you promptly show to Yeonjun.

[Gyudon]: (screenshot of Heeseung panicking)

[Gyudon]: i say the plan is working fantastically

[Gyudon]: let him suffer, rachel.

Yeonjun chuckles, leaning back in his seat. “Say,” he drawls lazily, despite the shy smile on his face. “What do you think about feeding each other dessert?” You pause, watching the way Heeseung goes still with you. Then, you turn to the theatre major, and lean in, smiling sweetly. “I'd say that's a fantastic idea, partner.”

Your (temporary) Romeo grins, before returning to the character of the shy, sweet loverboy, and holds up a spoonful of tiramisu for you. “Here, say aah~” The moment your lips close around the spoon, you hear dishes clattering to the floor. When both Yeonjun and you whip your head towards the source, you find that Heeseung's stood up in his seat, coffee spilt all over his shirt. You almost felt bad for him there.

Thankfully, he still seems to remember that he's spying (or more like his lack of subtlety in doing so), and he keeps his face covered with the scarf as he apologises to the staff, before heading out of the café—not even petting a cat on his way out. When his broad back finally disappears from view and into the busy street, you turn back to Yeonjun, who simply blinks at you.

For a heartbeat, the two of you simply stare at each other.

Then, the orange cat laying its head in your lap makes a startled jump as Yeonjun gives you a high-five that echoes in the small space of your booth. “We're getting under his skin!” He cheers, kissing all over a tortie's face in celebration, while the feline simply stares at him in disbelief. “A few more outings, and he'll definitely realise what he's actually feeling.”

Sighing, you go back to eating your tiramisu while petting the orange cat—named Butterscotch, according to his collar—who's purring and laying his head in your lap again, already beginning to fall asleep on your thigh. “Hopefully he does.”

“Don't worry, he will,” Yeonjun winks, holding the tortie up in the air to coo at her. “I've played a lot of characters, and the way he's behaving is very, very consistent with the behaviour I had to study for the role of a man beginning to realise he's in love.”

“I'll trust your word on that, Choi,” you brandish your fork at him, and he places his hand on his chest, finally letting go of the tortie who immediately jumps to the floor with an indignant meow. “My honour, mademoiselle. You shall find my words coming true very soon.”

He grins at you, and you find yourself mirroring it, before laughing as Yeonjun yells “Here, kitties!” as he dives for the cats by the table.

For now, you'll allow yourself to believe in Choi Yeonjun and his theatrical analyses. Anything else can be taken care of after that.

If murder was legal, you're pretty sure Riki would've been dead thirty times over by now. All by your hand, of course.

The six foot and two inches tall menace stands next to you, grinning widely as he acts out the scene of an imaginary (hopefully only for now) confession, awfully far too cheerful for a Wednesday morning. “Oh, Heeseung~! How long I have waited for you to realise that I've been the one for you all along!”

He doesn't falter at the glare you level him, but doubles down instead, raising his arm to rest on his forehead dramatically. “And then Heeseungie hyung goes “Oh, I've been such an idiot to have been so blind, that I have not seen thee all this time!” before he pulls you onto his white horse and rides off into the sunset with for a happily ever after, while the rest of us watch with popcorn and 3D glasses.”

“Okay, Shakespeare,” Jay pats Riki on the shoulder, as he comes to stand across you. “Leave some literary prowess for the rest of us too.” Riki grins at him, bounding over to tuck himself into the older boy's side. “Not my fault she's so pathetic about him that I have to wax poetics about it,” he ducks, his lanky limbs splaying comically all over the hallway's floors to avoid the book that you throw at him. “Oi! Violence is forbidden in these esteemed and prestigious hallways, missy!”

You throw another book at him, but the sly bastard dodges it again, and your book ends up coming to a rest next to a pair of black sneakers. Sunoo crouches down to pick up your book, and dusts it off, before whacking Riki over the head with it and returning it back to you. “What did we say about teasing her in places where He-Who-Shall-Not-Be-Named can hear?”

Riki pouts, rubbing the sore spot on his head indignantly, as Jay snickers next to him. “You kinda deserved that,” he says, and Riki stares at him like he's been personally betrayed by the very notion of Jay taking your side, and not his. “Jay hyung! I thought we had a thing going on! How could you betray me like this?!”

“Yoi, pipe down on the volume, you brat,” Jungwon appeared from behind Riki, gently pinching his side. “You want everyone in this hallway to know how much of a giant baby you are to us?” Riki hisses, glaring at the medicine major, though there's no real heat behind it. “I am not a giant baby!”

“You're saying all the exact things a giant baby would say,” Jake teased, still dressed in his dark green scrubs, with Chaewon, Jo, and Sunghoon in tow behind him. “Denial is only second to acceptance,” Chaewon ruffles Riki's hair, as Jo gives you a small, shy wave. Sunghoon nodded briefly at you, and immediately gets to questioning Jay about the meal plan he'd sent him right after.

Beomgyu and Fuma are the last to arrive, and another round of greeting passes between everyone, before they come to stand in between Sunghoon and Jo. “So,” Beomgyu begins, a mischievous glint in his eyes, as a familiar rhythm of footsteps reached your ears.

His voice grew louder just as Heeseung rounded the corner, and he leaned against Fuma, pretending to be inquisitive about a friend's developing romance. “How have the five dates been so far? Do you think you're at a point where he's going to ask you to be his girlfriend yet?”

You simply pretend to think about his question, when in fact, you were looking back at Heeseung's behaviour these past few “dates.” How your friends had convinced him to do it a second, third, and fourth time again, you're not exactly sure, but he was always there in that ridiculous disguise, watching you and Yeonjun with a quiet intensity that left you buzzing at the prospect of getting closer to your goal.

The second “date” took place two weeks after the first one at the cat café, and had been at the amusement park. He was a bit better at hiding his reactions by then, but Heeseung never strayed more than four feet from you and Yeonjun—and even willingly gotten onto the roller coaster, all so he could keep an eye on you.

Notable reactions of the day: he'd dropped his ice cream when you'd stole some of Yeonjun's, and had coughed rather loudly when on the shuttle bus, which made the people around the three of you maintain their distance for a bit, before he'd slyly slid close enough that you could feel his warmth through his jacket as he came to stand next to you.

The third “date” happened three weeks later at the local natural history museum, and this time he'd shown up with a pair of sunglasses, a large hat, and a false moustache that you're pretty sure that Sunoo made for him. While you were explaining the story and facts behind some of the specimens on display to Yeonjun, Heeseung had been furiously scribbling notes in a brown notebook that you'd never seen before.

Notable reactions of the day: he immediately tried to offer you his jacket when you realised that you didn't bring one and Yeonjun wasn't wearing one, only for your “boyfriend” to pull a hoodie out of his bag, while a sweet old lady took Heeseung's jacket instead. He also tripped over the stairs twice, because he was trying to keep you in his line of sight, and didn't see where he was headed.

The fourth “date” had been at a pottery class, another three weeks after the one at the museum. This time he'd shown up as himself, bringing Soobin (a mutual who was friends with Yeonjun and Chaewon) with him, and had “conveniently” been alloted the same time slot as you and Yeonjun. Soobin, who'd been briefed about the little gig by Yeonjun in advance, simply kept his head down and focused on his pottery, in fear that he'd make eye contact with the older man and give the two of you away.

Heeseung, in the meantime, had begun an one sided competition against Yeonjun, making more and more complex designs (and much to your surprise—and a little bit of that ever-growing attraction to him—he was actually pretty good at them, being praised by the instructor).

Notable reactions of the day: he'd huffed proudly, sending a subtle side eye to Yeonjun when his design was picked by the instructor for the title of “Star Student of the Day,” while the man under hypothetical emotional warfare himself and Soobin were rather busy clutching their bellies in laughter over Soobin's grotesque little creations. He'd also been whispering something to the person who was in charge of firing the ceramics in the kiln and walked away with a satisfied smile, but not before ruffling your hair and pulling you into a tight hug.

The fifth and most recent “date” had been three days ago, at a strawberry farm. Sunoo had been the one to “recommend” the spot, and you'd immediately “proposed” the idea to Yeonjun, who of course, had very enthusiastically “accepted” the offer. Heeseung, seemingly buoyed by his success with the pottery class, had shown up with Sunghoon and Jo, with the iron-clad excuse that the three of them were there to be chaperones for the kids in Fuma's Sunflower Kindergarten class for their trip to the farm.

You weren't quite sure how it happened, but somehow Yeonjun and you were also swept up with the kids and their chaos, which ended up with you playing house with them instead. Heeseung did try to be nonchalant and act like he usually would, but you definitely didn't miss the way he muttered a “Yes!” under his breath in victory, as the kids (probably bribed by Fuma with the promise of being able to paste more stickers on him) decided that he'd be your “husband” for the game.

Yeonjun was, of course, promptly made the dog—and much to his credit, he played the role of the disgruntled but agreeable “boyfriend” rather perfectly, which had Heeseung beaming with a grin he couldn't quite hide. Notable reactions of the day: his arm never quite left your waist, he acted like a proper husband would (much to Sunghoon's delight, who most definitely did not record the entire thing for future blackmail purposes, while Jo tried to stop him half-heartedly), and even kissed your cheek thrice.

Megan, who'd arrived from the other side of the building, was the one who brought you out of your little recollection as she whines to Chaewon about breaking one of her nails during practice for a chore. You finally answer Beomgyu as Heeseung comes to stand next to you, wordlessly picking up your bag that had been resting on the floor by your feet, while his arm wraps around your shoulders. “I think he's getting bold,” you hum, as Heeseung watches you with that same quiet, intense focus—hanging onto every word that you say. “I'd say he's not shying away from being affectionate in public.”

Beomgyu snickers as Heeseung's grip on your shoulder tightens for just the briefest moment—before it relaxes, as if it never happened. “That's good for you,” Fuma grins, stealing some of Jo's rice crackers. “We don't have to listen to you whine about him anymore.”

That last sentence seemed to have switched something in Heeseung, as he turns to you with a frown marring his pretty face. “You actually talk about Yeonjun to them? Why did I not know about any of this? You've never come to me about him.” The air shifts as everybody tenses for a moment—Sunoo stops tying his laces, Jungwon's hand pauses mid-air from where he was trying to steal some of Jake's lemonade, while Jay, Megan and Chaewon glance at you with wide eyes—before you offer Heeseung a small smile, squeezing his arm.

Thank goodness Yeonjun had prepared you for just about any scenario with the strictness of a drill sergeant.

“Sorry about that, Hee,” you murmur, looking up at his doe eyes. “It's just that... you didn't really seem to like him, and you're one of my closest friends, so I wanted to be a hundred percent sure about him, before I brought him up to you.”

He stares back at you, jaw clenching tight for a tenth of a second, before he's relaxing and giving you a slightly stiffer version of his usual smile. “Of course,” he breathes, “of course that's what it was. I'm... I'm really glad that you value my opinion so much.” His phone rings just then, and he steps away from you. “Sorry, I gotta take this call. Be back in a sec, alright? Then we can go to class together.”

Before you can reply, he's already disappeared around the corner, speaking softly to someone on the phone. As soon as he vanishes from view, Jake slaps your back, before shaking you by the shoulders. “Oh my god! Did you see that?! He was totally jealous for a second there!”

Jay nods, giving you a relieved smile. “He's definitely affected. Yeonjun hyung said that the last “date” two weeks from now should get him to confess, and seeing Heeseung hyung's behaviour today, I'd say he wasn't too far off in his observation.” Everyone gives you hushed whispers of ideas for the next and final “date,” but go back to acting normally as soon as Riki signs the signal that Heeseung's coming back.

“Alright, I'm done. Let's go, yeah?” He picks up your bag again, holding out his hand for you to take. You stare at it, and he looks back at you with an expectant raise of his eyebrow. Then your hand slips into his, and he gives you a pleased smile, before leading you to the CS building. “We'll see you guys later!” He calls out over his shoulder to the rest (who stare at him with wide eyes), his fingers lacing with yours as he walks confidently, slowing his pace to stay next to you instead of being ahead of you.

“Did you eat yet?” His question snaps you out of your daze, and you blink at him. “What?”

He huffs in amusement, flicking your forehead gently with his free hand. “I asked if you've eaten yet, you muppet.”

“Not yet,” you shrug, and he clicks his tongue in mild annoyance. “Do I not keep telling you not to be a liability to yourself? You should be taking better care of yourself. C'mon, we've got fifteen minutes before class. I'm sure you can at least eat a sandwich or two in that timeframe.” He immediately steers you in the direction of the on-campus café, a firm hand resting on your nape to keep you from escaping. He quickly navigates the both of you through the crowd of students—at one point, his arm ends up wrapped around your shoulders as he tucks you into his side, shielding you from the sea of people around you.

He makes quiet conversation with you, asking you about your opinions on the designs for the sprites of his latest game project, while one hand types away something on his phone that he doesn't let you see. When the café comes into view, his hand slips back down to hold yours, and he waits for you to pick the table you want to sit at. “That one?” He points to a spot three tables down from where the both of you stood, which was by the window—the sunlight seeped through the stained glass windows in hues of soft cyans and pinks and oranges, gently warming the wood.

His hand still holds onto yours, even as he places your bag on the other end of the seat, and helps you settle in. Heeseung finally lets go of you, smiling softly at you. “Wait here for a few minutes,” he pockets his phone, “they should have your food ready. I'll go get it.”

You blink at him in confusion, still holding the menu in your hands. “But Heeseung, I haven't even ordered anything yet.” He simply chuckles, adjusting the watch on his wrist. “I know,” he pats your head, “I already ordered for you on the way here. It's a Wednesday, so your go-to order is a Greek-style grilled chicken salad and a tall glass of lemonade. You usually skip your usual coffee on Wednesdays because you don't feel like putting yourself through a mid-week caffeine crash. You've been doing that since the second year of high school, when you'd make the salads yourself because, in your own words, you 'couldn't really find a place that made the tzatziki right,' in the way you liked it.”

As if on cue, the employee at the counter calls out your name with a tray in her hands, and Heeseung waves a hand at her. “That's us!” Then he's off, long limbs quickly covering the distance to the counter, while you stare blankly at the empty space he'd left behind.

You'd only made those salads for a grand total of three Wednesdays, before you gave up and stuck to the one from the café by the corner of the street leading to your home.

Even then, it was something you did at home, and had only mentioned it to your friends in passing conversation once.

Did he... did he remember that ever since then?

“What are you so lost in thought about, hm?” The soft noise of the plastic tray against the wood snaps you out of your thoughts, as Heeseung slides into the seat across from you, an amused smile on his face. “You looked like you were trying to figure out one of life's greatest mysteries.”

Yeah, you want to scream at him. You're the mystery I want answers about, because you care too much and too little at the same time.

But you bite your tongue, and grin at him instead. “Just thinking. Did you really remember that little thing all the way from high school?”

He raises a brow at you, eyes studying you in a way you can't quite decipher yet. “Mhm. I wouldn't have ordered it for you otherwise.”

“Okay, Obvious George,” you roll your eyes in faux annoyance, “I'm just saying you didn't have to remember that. I literally mentioned it once in passing and never again.”

“Well,” he sets his iced americano down, never quite breaking eye contact with you. “I remembered because I wanted to.”

You pause for a moment, as the words register in your brain. He remembered. Not because he had to remember something about a friend.

He remembered, because he wanted to remember.

And there was nothing else you'd want to do at the moment than curse your heart from the traitorous way it picks up its pace, the steady pulsing fast enough that you can hear it in your own ears.

“Oh,” you finally croak, cursing yourself for the way your voice cracks towards the end. “That's... Um, that's very thoughtful of you. Thank you.”

He stares at you for a few moments longer, before he reaches a hand over, brushing a stand of hair behind your ear, and your breath hitches at the action.

Then, he promptly flicks your forehead.

“I do things like that to take care of the people I like, so there's no need to thank me, you silly little muppet.”

Hissing at the slight sting of pain blooming across your skin, you place one hand on your forehead, while the other points the fork at him. “You did all of this... because you wanted to take care of me?”

“Yeah,” he shrugs, as if it's the most normal thing in the world to do. “Somebody has to take care of you because you refuse to do it yourself, so it might as well be me.”

Your mouth moves faster than your brain allows it to, and the words slip out of it, landing right between the two of you. “You'll make a great boyfriend someday.”

He freezes for the barest tenths of a second, and you're already scrambling to find an excuse, but then he does something you don't expect him to.

He tips his head back and laughs loudly. Not in a mocking way, no, but in pure, absolute joy. The one that causes his precious heart shaped smile to appear, and your heart resumes its self-imposed marathon, while you stare at him in confusion.

Heeseung wipes the tears forming at the corner of his eyes, and grins at you. Twinkling eyes and heart shaped smile and all.

“Yeah?” He picks up a tissue, and reaches over to wipe some of the tzatziki on your lip. “I'm glad you think so highly of me. Your opinion is one of the few that really matter to me, after all.”

He goes back to lounging in his seat, pulling out his phone to show you something while sipping on his drink.

It's then, that you come to a quiet realisation, as you watch him already beginning to ramble away about the most recent mishaps he's faced in his latest round of coding for his passion project—like he didn't just screw you over, all over again, just like the way he did in high school.

You don't just like Lee Heeseung.

You're also deeply, maddeningly, irrevocably in love with him, too.

Goodness gracious. You're absolutely doomed if this plan doesn't work out in the next two weeks.

Oh, it's absolutely ridiculous, the things love can do to you. All you can say to yourself now is “Good luck, babe!” and pray that the universe and Choi Yeonjun's little plan pull through for you.

ᯤ ACT FOUR: SYNTAX DEBUGGING IN EFFECT

As the current owner of the title of Choi Yeonjun's “not girlfriend but kinda girlfriend,” you'd expected some degree of attention. However, what you didn't know, was that you'd also be facing the strangest week of your life thanks to it too.

Yeonjun was quite a popular guy, after all.

But what you also didn't expect was that the moment Yeonjun disappeared to another city for a theatre show, you'd be bombarded by male attention.

More specifically, with attention from other boys in the theatre department—because apparently spending time with you had given Yeonjun some kind of inspiration that had made his acting even better (he had confessed by the fourth date that this little... operation had given him some ideas for his acting for a few roles, but those were completely different from the part that he was currently playing with you). How those two events were related to each other, you don't know, but what you did know through your sources in the theatre department (read: Choi Beomgyu) was that you were now being dubbed the “Theatre Major's Good Luck Charm.”

Oh, and not to mention the rumour spreading around like wildfire—that any guy from said department who got to go on a date with you would get a lifetime's worth of inspiration.

Which is why, now you're stuck by the entrance of your lecture hall, with a crowd of boys holding up various gifts into the air and professing their love for you in poetics that you nearly believe would put Shakespeare to shame. Now, on a good day, you might've joked around or even played along for a bit, but alas, for the not-so-little crowd, they were blocking your way into class.

On a Monday morning, nonetheless.

“Lovely to see your enthusiasm for acting, guys,” you give the lot a strained smile, spotting Chaewon who snickers at your predicament from where she's comfortably sat inside the room, “but can we clear the way? I've got a class to get to.”

Unfortunately for you, your little crowd of “admirers” seem to have been a little too passionate, and don't listen to a word you say. Instead, they double down, with one of the boys at the front going down on one knee, as he holds up a bouquet as large as your face. “One date is all I ask for, please!” He all but yells, thrusting the flowers into your face. “Be my muse!”

“I don't think I have to be—”

“The only thing anyone here will be is face down on the floor,” a low drawl sounds out behind you, as Heeseung stares down at the crowd, his jaw set in annoyance, “if you don't let her through right now. She's already told you to move once—she shouldn't have to do it a second time.”

The bouquet boy (as you've dubbed him in your head) blinks at him, flabbergasted at Heeseung's appearance. “Who are you? If you want to get your turn, get in line.” The crowd behind him echoes his sentiment, grumbling about maintaining etiquette and waiting for one's turn. Heeseung's eye twitches in annoyance, as he wraps an arm around your shoulders, drawing you close to his side.

“I don't have to wait for anything,” he huffs, using his height to his advantage as he stares the other men down. “I've been here from the start.”

This time, it's your turn to stare at him with wide eyes. But either Heeseung doesn't actually notice, or prefers to pretend not to notice the way you're looking at him, keeping his eyes ahead as he walks through the crowd with you, while they part for him like the sea. It's only when you're both safely inside with the door shut behind you, that Heeseung finally turns to face you.

Instead of the narrowed twist of his brows in annoyance and irritation, his expression by something much, much gentler, as it softens into a look of concern that he poorly tries to hide. “Are you okay?” His thumb brushes comforting circles on your shoulders, before he turns back to glare at the crowd. “What the hell was all of that?”

“That's the Choi Yeonjun effect, people,” Chaewon grins as she joins the two of you, throwing her arms around both you and Heeseung, who gives her an annoyed scrunch of his nose.

“Rumour has it that his acting—which was already good, mind you—improved even more during the five dates he's been with our little friend here,” she gently knocks the side of your head with her knuckles, “so much so that every man in the theatre department apart from Choi Beomgyu is now a firm believer in the notion that she's an actor's ultimate source of inspiration.”

Heeseung snorts, the roll of his eyes giving away his mild vexation with the situation. “There's literally nothing going on with her life that's worth creating all of this ruckus and drama for.” You and Chaewon share a fleeting look at that, quickly looking away from each other to hide the grins growing on your faces.

If only you knew, Lee Heeseung. If only you knew.

Clearing your throat, you pat Heeseung's arm. “Well, thank you for your assistance back there.” He softens up again, giving you a small smile as he ruffles your hair. “Anytime, you muppet. Only God knows how you get yourself into situations as ridiculous as these.”

Oh, you're well aware of how you ended up here. But instead of saying anything else, you simply grin at him, before heading off to your regular seat in the corner by the window. Heeseung takes his seat on your left, while Chaewon takes hers in front of you, just as your teacher arrives.

Old Professor Min's voice is rather adept at droning out any thoughts in your head other than what's on the slides in front of you as the lecture proceeds, even if Heeseung's arm rests protectively around the back of your chair the entire time.

Eventually, he just drops his hoodie into your lap when he feels you shiver from the aircon that's running two degrees lower than it should be, while he works on his own notes for CS 202: Data Structures and Algorithms.

You feel the tension in his shoulders leave when you put it on, and for the first time since you arrived at Decelis U that morning, he actually relaxes. The hoodie, which smells like his fabric softener and that vanilla and spice perfume he's been using since that summer in the second year of high school, becomes a welcome distraction from him for the rest of the lecture.

It serves its purpose well, especially when Heeseung glares at the other boys in the class whenever they look your way, accidental or not.

What a strange, strange Monday this was.

No, seriously. What the hell had you gotten yourself into?

If he ever gets his hands on one Choi Yeonjun, Heeseung's pretty sure that he's gonna do some things that are not meant to be spoken out loud.

Ever since the theatre major had left for a week-long performance with a bunch of other students, things had just kept going wrong. And much to his luck, they all orbited around you—his closest friend and confidante, all the way from high school.

Heeseung's always cherished your presence greatly. You've always been by his side, offering encouragement, solutions and a listening ear when he'd felt particularly frustrated by his studies, and took part in his joy like it was yours. He still remembers rather vividly, the way you'd hugged him when his acceptance letter to Decelis came in.

It had been a rather hot summer day, when the letter came in. You were splayed on Heeseung's bed like a starfish, while he sat on his bedroom floor and mashed the buttons on his controller, trying to beat the 45th level's boss for the sixth time in the past twenty minutes. “Ugh,” he curses, setting the controller down as 'GAME OVER' flashes on his screen again. “Why's he so hard to beat?”

You raise your head from where you'd been lying, and roll over to him, wordlessly extending your hand. He places the device in your palm, picking up his glass of the watermelon juice his mother had so kindly dropped off for the both of you. “What a pain.” You huff in amusement, and he already feels his foul mood begin to lighten, as he watches you land hits after hits on the Minotaur boss. “You just gotta,” you throw a knife at one of the monster's weak spots, “have a good aim. He's got a weak hide under the sapphire armour.”

Heeseung gives you a high-five just as 'LEVEL CLEARED' appears on the screen, and along with it, his older brother in the doorway. “Oi, you've got mail.” He all but throws the stack of envelopes at Heeseung's face, earning himself a glare from the younger boy. Snickering in satisfaction at the reaction he'd elicited from his younger brother, he gives you a sweet smile before sticking out his tongue at Heeseung, and finally shuts the door behind him, narrowly missing being hit by the pillow your best friend threw at him.

“Ugh, he's so annoying,” Heeseung grumbles, sorting through the pile on the floor, as you giggle next to him. “Promotions, flyer, promotions, another flyer, more promotions, and—OH MY GOD!” He sits up straighter, eyes wide as he stares at the envelope addressed to him. His sudden yelp has you sitting up as well, and you gasp softly at the letter in his hands—the one embellished with that elegant 'DU' that belonged to Decelis University. The two of you stare at the letter in silence for a few heartbeats, until he finally breaks it.

“I'm gonna open it,” he declares, and you scramble to get off of the bed and onto the floor next to him. “Okay, okay.” You hold up your hand. “On the count of five?”

Heeseung nods solemnly, and you begin the slow countdown. The moment you reach zero, he quickly tears through the seal, and pulls out the letter inside. “Together,” he says, holding it up to the light. Your eyes rove over the paper, taking in the words written on it, before the two of you turn to stare blankly at each other.

“You got in.”

“I got in.”

For a moment, there's nothing but silence.

Then you're tackling him into a hug, shoulders shaking from the way you're both laughing and crying at the same time, with the shriek of joy that he lets out echoing loud enough that his mother yells at the two of you from downstairs.

Not that he could care much for it at the moment—all that mattered was that letter and you, after all.

Which is why, your absence—although unintentional—from his side thanks to those dates you were on with Yeonjun, stings just a little more than it should.

“.... —seung? Earth to Heeseung?” Chaewon's face snaps him out of his little recollection, and he blinks.

He looks down and sees that your hand's resting on his arm, while both you and Chaewon stare at him in concern and confusion. “You okay?” Your voice is soft, squeezing his arm gently. He lets out a soft sigh, and nods at the both of you. “I'm okay,” he grins. “Professor Min's voice just had me distracted. I was trying not to fall asleep.”

Chaewon seems to buy it, already beginning to whine about how she's absolutely famished. And although the little knit of your eyebrows tells Heeseung that you don't quite believe him, he's grateful that you don't bring it up, and silently walk to the cafeteria next to him instead.

Just when he thinks that the weird incident from this morning was going to be the end of it, he's instantly proved wrong. Another overenthusiastic, overzealous little fellow from that accursed department pops up like a little mole, and God, does he wish he had a little hammer to whack him back in. “Hey!” The other guy chirps, far too cheerful for a Monday afternoon, as he hands you an order of your favourite coffee and a blueberry muffin. “Thought you'd like this!”

First Yeonjun, and now this idiot. Why the fuck did every guy in that department know what coffee you liked? Was someone close to you selling them info about your likes or something?

Heeseung watches with growing vexation as you refuse it at first, and then thank the guy when he insists that you take it. He really, really would've left it at that, but then that idiot just had to go and ask if you'd be willing to go out with him once. Heeseung's hand shoots out before the junior finishes his sentence, and he takes the coffee from your hand, and gulps it down himself instead.

Wiping his mouth with the back of his hand, he glares at the younger man. “She's not going anywhere—and if you had any respect for your senior, you wouldn't be asking the girl he's interested in for an outing while he isn't in town.” When he's not listened to, Heeseung steps forward, hiding your view of the way he glares at the junior. “Leave.”

The other person—now thoroughly intimidated by his height and glare—doesn't need to be told a second time, and immediately books it with a quick “Have a nice day!” that he all but yells at you when he runs past.

“Pfft—!” Chaewon's snickering starts out slow, before it snowballs into loud laughter. “Heeseung, you didn't have to terrify the poor guy like that!”

Heeseung rolls his eyes, aggressively munching on the blueberry muffin. “I'm just looking out for both her and Yeonjun's interests,” he huffs, mouthful of muffin. “It's a valid reaction—you only get people stuff like this,” he pauses to swallow, covering his mouth with his hand, “when you're close to them. He is not close enough to her to be doing this.”

Chaewon gives him an amused raise of her eyebrows, crossing her arms over her chest. “Really? Well, who's one close person who always brought you your favourite food?” Heeseung, without missing a beat, points at you. “All the time since high school.” She blinks in surprise at that, before shrugging. “Good point.”

He flashes you and Chaewon a triumphant grin, finishing off the last of the muffin, completely missing the look the both of you give each other as he walks ahead.

Hopefully, the rest of his day is peaceful with no interruptions from other little moles.

Unfortunately, much to Heeseung's displeasure, the rest of the week continues in the same fashion. The rumour, for some reason no one knew about, had also evolved—it went from having a date with you, to just having a single, romantic moment with you.

Which is why he was here now, sat next to Jay and Jo on a Sunday evening, with his head in his hands as he recollects the most absurd week of both his and your lives with great exasperation (something the campus gossip page had great fun poking fun at).

Tuesday, another junior tried sharing an umbrella with you during a walk back from your classes. While it was sunny outside.

He'd promptly taken the umbrella and chucked it into the nearest bin.

Wednesday, a fourth year senior tried his shot. Pinned you to a wall like the protagonist of a shoujo manga while he quoted Romeo and Juliet.

Heeseung pulled him off by the collar, then grabbed your hand and ran, before the two of you hid in the library from any stragglers for the rest of the day.

Thursday, some second and third years had managed to turn the common lounge into a dance party. Someone must've had a connection in the Music department, he's sure.

He'd never let go of you the entire time, except for when your friends had appeared. Nobody you didn't know by name and history had got to dance with you.

Friday, some guy had tried to “defend” you from a puddle of muddy water after the rain, while his friend was aggressively cycling towards the three of you (Heeseung, you and the nuisance, as he'd dubbed him in his head), throwing himself in front of you while yelling about how your “heavenly visage” could not be muddied.

Heeseung had simply held up his umbrella, covering the both of you, while the other guy got a face full of mud. Then, he'd shook off the mud from his umbrella, before closing it, and walking away with your hand tightly clasped in his.

Saturday, it was the gifts and the anonymous letters. Gifts and letters everywhere. Literally everywhere. Your desk, your bag (how that had happened, he's not sure, but he had a sneaking suspicion that it was related to one Choi Beomgyu and the unusually fat wad of cash he'd taken to carrying in his pocket), the common lounge, your friend group's usual hangout space. Now, thankfully, none of it was edible—it was just a mountain of plushies upon plushies, along with a bunch of... blankets? He didn't know why there were blankets, but they were there too, and simply assumed that it was another strange tradition of the theatre department.

He'd dealt with that in a variety of ways. The letters were dumped straight into recycling. The plushies, by offering some of them to Fuma's kindergarten class, while most of the pile went to a charity that helped kids in orphanages and hospitals. The blankets went to a few animal shelters that Jake had recommended, along with a sizable donation that the dean had asked the theatre department to make in exchange for all the chaos they'd created the past week.

“Hey, hey, something good came out of it,” Jay offers him a sympathetic smile, as he pushes the plate of fried chicken towards Heeseung. “The kids and the animals got a bunch of new stuff, at least.” Heeseung sighs as Jo pats his back, and gives both of the younger ones a tired smile. “Yeah... I'm just glad that the muppet didn't stress herself out with all that chaos and actually found all of it rather funny.”

Jo and Jay share a look, shaking their heads as they recall how delighted you had been for the entire week. They knew the true reason why, but they'd never say it out loud to Heeseung, of course—so they simply settle for laughing quietly instead.

“I mean, you did do all the stressing in her place,” Jay quips, sipping on his soda, “so I'm sure she must've found it hilarious to watch you slowly lose your mind.”

“Well, I'm just glad that at least one of us found joy in that absurdity,” Heeseung leaned back in his seat, stretching his long limbs as a small smile made its way onto his face. “It was absolutely exhausting to watch them behave like teenagers, really. I've never been more glad that Yeonjun came back and immediately put a stop to that nonsense.”

Jo giggles at his answer, and Heeseung's smile grows wider at the sound. While he's known Jay since his childhood, Jo was a recent addition to the group—courtesy of you, Jake and Fuma being friends with each other—and had only joined the circle last year. But despite that, he'd steadily grown fond of the underclassman, finding Jo's shyness rather endearing. “What's so funny, Jo?” He teases, reaching over to ruffle the younger's hair fondly.

“Oh, it's nothing. That entire week just reminded me of something that Sunghoon told me about your time in high school a while back,” Jo smoothes his hair down, “but you're quite close with our dearest “lucky charm,” right?”

Heeseung hums, relaxing again. “Yeah, she's one of my closest friends. Right after this one here,” he teases, pulling Jay into a headlock, while his childhood friend yells at him to let go. “I'm sure that she's never getting rid of that lucky charm title. A silly little title for a silly little muppet.”

Finally letting go of him after Jay had begun to fight back, Heeseung turns to Jo again. “But what did Sunghoon tell you about high school? I sure hope it wasn't about the time we accidentally set off all the smoke detectors because we were trying to sneak snacks into the chemistry lab, and had one of the candy wrappers catch fire.”

“What?” Jo's eyes go wide as saucers, and Heeseung gives him a sheepish grin as Jay groans out loud. “Whoops. I guess it wasn't that, after all.”

“Ah, seriously, Heeseung hyung,” Jay groans, before pulling Jo close to him by wrapping an arm around his shoulders. “Listen carefully, Jo. We were supposed to take that information to our graves—but since you know about it now, you are obligated to do so as well.”

The interior design major, despite his growing grin, mimics zipping up his mouth. Jay stares at him for a moment longer, before letting go of him with another ruffle of his hair. “I'll hold you to that, Jo,” Heeseung threatens in jest, crossing his legs at the ankles, “or we'll be seeing each other a lot more than we need to.”

“Not another soul will know about this,” Jo nods somberly, placing a hand over his heart, before bursting into laughter. “To answer your question, Sunghoon was just telling me a bunch of the sillier stuff you've done. But he did say that a lot of the things the theatre department did last week as “romantic” gestures,” he makes quotes with his fingers when he says the word 'romantic' out loud, “reminded him quite a bit of the stuff you and she would do too—on a much smaller and less ridiculous scale, of course.” Jay snorts into his drink, laughing at the reminder. “Oh my god! I kept wondering why it all felt so familiar, but that was the reason why!”

The two of them chuckle and snicker as they compare the incidents to each other, and how the theatre majors were more dramatic. And really, Heeseung should be joining in with them, making fun of the drama and absurdity of it all, but he finds that he can't.

His brain's too busy being stuck on the last part of Jo's sentence, trying to process it.

The chaos of last week reminded Sunghoon of the things you and him—well, mostly you—used to do. Usually, it would never be a problem, and he'd never give it much thought.

But the theatre department's antics were meant to represent romantic gestures.

Not platonic.

And you'd done so many of them over the past four years that he's known you.

Bringing him his favourite food. Sharing your umbrella with him, not caring about whether the weather was rainy or not. Showing him stuff you found funny and spamming him with memes at 3 AM in the morning because you knew he had trouble falling asleep sometimes. Sharing your food with him. “Protecting” him from puddles. Making him dance with you in the aisles of grocery stores that you'd drag him to when you showed up at his window at 11 in the night because you were bored and hungry. The anonymous letters that always had your handwriting. The gifts that he'd find in his bag, and were always stuff that he liked.

He leans back in his seat, laughing to himself—the sound not out of place with all the jokes that Jay and Jo were making—but it's more out of disbelief than joy, as a number of realisations click into place in his mind.

Well, shit. He's really been a rather blind idiot to it all, hasn't he?

ᯤ EPILOGUE: SYNTAX ERROR NO MORE

It's an odd feeling, really—being able to feel Heeseung's presence, while not being able to see him.

The aquarium is dim, with the blue light from the enclosures being the only source of light around the deep sea exhibit.

The place is calming, really—low, dim lights, people speaking in hushed tones, and the only other sounds being the ones of the animals in the enclosures swimming about—but right now, you're the most nervous you've ever been your entire life, shaking with anxiety because today's the day.

The one where this little performance you'd put on with Yeonjun ends, and you'd get your results.

He had picked it as the destination for your final “date” with him, on a Sunday—the one that would either get you the man you've pined after for four years, or end in catastrophic disaster. With how your luck can be sometimes, you think it might end in the latter, but some part of you keeps faith in the universe to keep things right for once.

“Relax,” Yeonjun's voice is low in your ears, as his arm remains wrapped around your waist while the two of you walk around the exhibit. “We've been through almost every possible scenario. You'll do just fine.”

You look up at him, and instead of finding exasperation at the way you shuffle and sigh every other minute, what you do find in his eyes as they're lit by the light from the bioluminescent jellyfish is sympathy. While his expression is still in the midst of a performance with that soft, lovesick look on his face, his eyes tell you what he really feels. Over the nearly three and a half months that he's been a part of this bizarre little plan with you, Yeonjun has grown to be much more than a simple partner-in-crime—he'd also proven himself to be a close friend, who tried his best to help you.

So, it may have been Choi Yeonjun the actor that you were looking at, but it was Choi Yeonjun the friend that was staring back at you.

That brings you some semblance of comfort—just enough that your shoulders lose the tight wind that had taken root in the muscles there—and you give him a shaky grin. “Yeah,” you exhale softly, “Hopefully it all goes fine.”

Yeonjun's face softens, and he pulls you into a hug, resting his head on top of yours as he rubs comforting circles into your back. “Mhm. We can hope that it'll all be alright. I can't promise you that it's gonna work out in the end, but at least you'll know that you gave it your all for your last shot.”

You stay in his arms for a little longer, despite the feeling of lingering eyes that follow you. Jay did tell you that Heeseung had come to the aquarium at Jake and Megan's request, and you'd caught just a glimpse of his broad shoulders before he'd melded into one with the crowd and disappeared from view. Every now and then, you'd feel the weight of his stare on you, or you would catch the faintest whiff of vanilla and spice, before it vanished like a fleeting breeze on a summer day.

The two of you walk around the exhibit for a while longer, and while some of the exhibits on display do genuinely interest you, the frown subtly growing deeper on Yeonjun's face strips it all away. “What's wrong?” You whisper, as the two of you watch a spider crab move about in its enclosure. “It's just that...” He trails off, as if searching for the right words to say. “It just doesn't feel right to me that he's being this quiet. Normally, he would've shown up at least once by now, or we would've seen him—but apart from that one glimpse you saw of him at the ticket booth, we haven't seen him again. At all.”

His observation had you gnawing on your lip in anxiety, because by all means, he was right—Heeseung was never really this quiet about something, unless he'd thought long and hard about it, then came to a conclusion and had already accepted it. He'd been a bit more silent and introverted for the past week, especially after the week with the chaos caused by the theatre department (something Yeonjun had laughed for hours about, joking about how chaotic his fellow students could be). You'd chalked it up to your plan beginning to work—only now, it seemed more like it had worked opposite of the direction you had wanted it to.

“Alright,” Yeonjun finally comes to a halt a few feet away from the exit of the deep sea exhibit, standing with his back facing it and a determined set to his jaw. “Here's what we'll do.”

He turns to you, and exhales softly. “I remember you said that you weren't comfortable with kissing, so we'll just pretend to do so, just the way it is according to script C, okay?”

Your heart thrums fast enough that you feel it in your throat instead of your chest. For a moment, you want to say no—but you know deep down, that if you didn't do everything you could, regret would swallow you up instead, if the 'what-ifs' didn't get to your head first. So you give him just the barest, slightest of nods, and Yeonjun gives you an encouraging smile.

He doesn't rush you, letting you take your time. When you tap his left arm thrice—a little signal he'd come up with for discreet communication—he finally raises his hands to cup your face. “I'll do it when you're ready to,” he reassures, his hands warm as they rest against your skin. “Take your time.”

Inhale.

The world quietens around you, fading into background noise as the weight of everything—from the past few months of this ruse to the four years before them—comes crashing down on your shoulders.

Exhale.

The wave begins to recede slowly, as Yeonjun leans in, angling his head so that it'd look like a real kiss from a distance, when in reality, it'd be your cheek that he was kissing.

Inhale.

You let your eyes begin to close, fluttering lashes just about to meet each other—when you see him.

Exhale.

Heeseung's standing a few feet away from you and Yeonjun, staring at the two of you blankly. From the distance and the darkness, you can't accurately judge what exactly he's feeling, but the tense set of his frame gives him away a little more than his face does.

Inhale.

His eyes meet yours, and for the first time that evening, you see him smile. But this isn't the wide, heart shaped one you've grown to be fond of over the years—instead, this one looks more like someone's taped up the corners of his lips to resemble a sad excuse of it, flimsy and about to fall off any second.

Exhale.

Then he's turning his back to you, walking away before Yeonjun even finishes leaning in—almost as if he couldn't stand the sight any longer.

Everything is blurry.

“Stop,” you say out loud.

Yeonjun immediately does, pulling back from you. “What's wrong?” He whispers in mild panic, as he wipes away some of the tears on your face.

“Heeseung,” you breathe out, holding onto him tightly. “He was there—he, he saw us. I—our eyes met.” He looks behind him, in the direction you point to, head swiveling around as he tries to find Heeseung. “Where is he?”

“He left.” Yeonjun's head snaps back to you, eyes wide. “What?”

“He left,” you repeat, and his lips draw themselves into a tight, grim line. “He saw us and he left, before you'd even fully leaned in. I didn't know if it was going to be a mistake, but I knew it was too late for anything to happen, why am I so stupid at times—”

“Stop,” Yeonjun interrupts you, hands firm on your shoulders. “It's never too late for some things, and this is one of them. If you weren't sure whether it was a bad idea or not, then run after him. Get to him before he leaves, and find out for yourself what the truth is.”

You stare at him for a few seconds. Then you run.

Shoes slapping against the linoleum, you weave your way through the crowd as you try to find him in the dim lights. Despite circling around the entire exhibit nearly twice, you still don't find Heeseung. Every time you think that you've found him, he slips away like sand through your fingers, and all of it worsens the knot of anxiety in your chest. Was it truly too late? You shake your head to get rid of those thoughts. No, think. Think, think, think, where could he be—

A woman bumps into you, and she apologises softly. You're about to reply to her, brush her off that it's okay, when you catch sight of it—a little sea otter keychain hung from her bag. Sea otters. You straighten up, already spinning on your heel to head in the direction of their enclosure. If he wasn't there, then there was no other place he could be.

Sea otters had always been somewhat darling little creatures to Heeseung—he'd always talked about how much he wanted to see them in person, even all the way back in high school. Their exhibit here had been recently opened, and you knew that he hadn't visited yet. So you force yourself to run just a little faster, despite the way you're tired in more ways than one—and you're thankful for it all, because right by the glass enclosure of the sea otters stands Lee Heeseung, a forlorn look on his face.

“Heeseung!” His head snaps up at the sound of your voice, and he stares at you in confusion. “Hey,” he mumbles, arms already coming up to steady you as you pant in exertion. “Why are you here? Aren't you supposed to be with Yeonjun?”

“No,” you finally huff, “I came here for you.” But Heeseung—dumb idiot that he is—still doesn't understand, and gives you a sad, watery chuckle that you immediately see through. “Oh,” he chuckles, “that's sweet of you, really. But you didn't have to leave your boyfriend to come find me. Congrats, by the way—I'm happy for you. You were right, he does seem like a good guy.”

The sound of it pisses you off. The acceptance in his voice pisses you off. In fact, everything about him pisses you off. The way he still looks so pretty despite the sadness in his eyes that he tries so hard to conceal, despite the way his fingers tremble just the slightest as they hold you, and the way he wishes you well despite the tremors lacing his voice.

It's all so frustrating, really. You didn't sit through four whole years just for him to give up like this.

Nobody said that he had to be the one to confess, right?

“No,” you hiss, breaking away from his hold. “Don't call him my boyfriend, because he's not.”

Heeseung stares at you in confusion, brows furrowed. “Wh—what are you talking about? You've been on dates with him, he likes you, you like him, he was kissing you—”

“Yeonjun is not my boyfriend,” you repeat, stepping forward to glare at Heeseung. “It's all fake. This relationship, those dates we went on, even that “kiss” that didn't actually happen—none of it is real. None of it.”

“What?” Heeseung blinks, staring at you with wide eyes. “What do you mean it was all fake—”

“I mean what I said,” you cross your arms over your chest. “It's all fake.” He gapes, mouth opening and closing as he tries to form a coherent response. “But—but why?”

“Because I'm in love with a dumbass who's oblivious to every form of romantic expression there is!” His expression twists into something between shock and betrayal, but you continue despite it. “And I yearned and yearned for four fucking long years, hoping he'd see through it himself one day because I didn't want to ruin our friendship, but it turned out to be the worst fucking decision of my life, and now here I am, standing before you—”

His expression shifts to something unreadable, something you can't quite make out, but you're far too deep in to stop now.

“—because you're the dumbass that I'm so incorrigibly in love with!”

The silence between the two of you stretches for a long time, the only sounds being the harsh pants you heave out, as the weight of the secret you've carried for so long finally melts away. Heeseung doesn't respond, still staring at you with that blank, dazed look in his eyes.

As your breath finally begins to even out, your heart sinks to the bottom of your chest. So this was what it had come to, huh? At least you'd tried.

“I've said my piece,” you try to swallow the lump forming in your throat, “but you don't have to say anything. I don't expect you to say or do anything, but I just had to let you know because I couldn't fucking keep it in any longer. I... I'll see you tomorrow, then.” Just as you turn around to leave, a hand wraps around your wrist firmly, and before you can process it, Heeseung's already pulled you into a tight, crushing embrace.

“I'm so sorry,” he sobs, burying his face into your neck, while his arms wrap around your middle tight enough that it hurts to breathe. “I'm so, so fucking sorry that I was blind to my own feelings for so long. I'm so, so sorry I made you suffer so much—I really am.”

“Heeseung,” you call, hit his shoulder lightly. “No,” he sobs harder, sniffling against your skin. “Please don't say anything—I... I'll spend the rest of my life making it up to you if I must, but please don't go.”

“Heeseung,” you try a second time, hitting him just a bit harder. He simply shakes his head, pulling you closer.

“Heeseung!” the third time, it's a whack to his head. “I can't breathe, you idiot!”

“Oh,” he breathes, finally letting go of you just enough that you can breathe normally again. “I'm sorry.”

“Stop apologising,” you glare at him, and he shrinks a little under the weight of it despite his size. “You'll have a lot of things to be sorry about later.”

He winces, nodding his head. “I know,” he admits, “and I want to make it up to you—really, I do. I'll do anything for it.” You raise an inquisitive eyebrow, and this time, it's your turn to stare blankly at him. “Really? Anything?”

He nods his head fervently. You stare at him a bit longer, and he sniffles. “Get rid of that stupid ramyeon mascot you carry around on your bag, for starters.”

He blinks once, twice, before frowning in confusion. “... You mean KooKoo?” You roll your eyes, nodding. “Yeah, I'm tired of competing with that stupid chicken for your love.” Heeseung blinks some more, flabbergasted, before he bursts into loud, free laughter, his shoulders shaking with the force of both it and the relief he feels. The sound of it has your lips quirking up as well, and before long, you're laughing with him too.

“Sure,” he wipes a tear from the corner of his eye, calming down. “What's next?”

You hum, pretending to think. “You take me on a date tomorrow.” He grins brightly. “Done. Next?”

“I'm not done with that date yet.” He tilts his head in that adorably confused way, and you huff out an amused chuckle, before pulling him down by his collar. “You take me to that date as my boyfriend, Mister Lee.”

“Yes to it all,” Heeseung breathes out, his eyes sparkling. “As long as you want me to.”

“Next...” you trail off, and he leans in closer to hear you better. “Kiss me. Properly. You've got four years to make up for, after all.”

His grin grows impossibly wider, before he's cupping your face in both hands—his skin warm against yours—and crushing his mouth against yours.

He kisses you like he's got a thousand things to tell you, but can't bring himself to say them out loud—so he pours it all into the way his lips move against yours and the way he holds you like you're his greatest treasure.

When he finally pulls away to let the two of you breathe, he rests his forehead against yours. “I hope you know that you're not getting rid of me any time soon, especially after that,” he whispers, and you roll your eyes playfully. “Wellll... That's gonna depend on your performance as my boyfriend, Mister Lee.”

Sea otters were a good choice from Heeseung, you'll admit. Not only were they cute, but they also formed pairs for life, and often stayed together as close companions for their entire lives. Something you know deep down, that you've looked forward to, ever since the first time you laid eyes on him in Classroom 1-A, as he slept on his desk, and took your heart with him.

“Well, in that case,” he grins again—with his real, heart-shaped smile this time—and leans in for a second time, capturing your lips in a sweet, gentle move that leaves you reeling, as he pulls away again, murmuring softly. “I'll just have to give you an award-winning performance, won't I?”

All you do to answer is pull him in for another kiss, and he laughs loud enough that you can feel it. One of his arms wraps around your waist, as his other one tangles into your hair, and when he finally reciprocates, everything finally feels right again.

The output you've wanted and waited for four long years appeared to be lost forever, thanks to a little bug that overrode your soulmate's romantic filters, but at the end of the day, there's nothing in a code that you can't fix with enough patience (and a fair bit of meddling from your friends).

Some things are lost in translation. Some in miscommunication, some in fights, and some to time. But luckily for you, you can show said output to the world loud and proud now.

Not everything remains lost in syntax forever, after all.

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