AVOID;akh
Ahn Keonho x FemReader
Warnings: none.
You were smart. Really smart. The kind of person who could look at an advanced math problem and solve it in seconds while everyone else was still looking for their pencil. Your brain worked fast, processing everything with flawless logic, and there wasn't a single equation you couldn't crack.
But there was one thing you couldn't solve: the existence of Ahn Keonho.
Keonho was the most popular guy in school. Tall, handsome, with that big smile that melted anyone and a way of walking that looked like it was in slow motion. Always surrounded by friends, always laughing, always the center of attention without even trying.
Everything about him made you nervous.
It wasn't that you hated him. Not at all. The problem was exactly that: you didn't hate him.
Every time you saw him, your pulse would speed up and your logical thoughts would turn into a mess. You, who could recite formulas from memory, would go completely blank if he was nearby. So your strategy was simple: avoid him at all costs.
If you saw him in the hallway, you changed direction. If he walked into the classroom, you focused so hard on your book you almost devoured it. If by chance his eyes met yours, you looked away so fast it seemed like you'd seen a ghost.
But Keonho didn't get it.
He had noticed you since the first day of class. Well, actually, since the day the teacher put an impossible problem on the board and you solved it in less than a minute, without even lifting your head much.
That left him intrigued.
And when something intrigued Keonho, he couldn't let it go.
He started watching you. Watching you without his friends noticing. He liked how you furrowed your brow when you concentrated, how you chewed on the cap of your pen when you were thinking, how you pushed your glasses up your nose when they slipped down. All of it seemed adorable to him.
But every time he tried to get closer, you bolted.
And that, for Keonho, became a challenge.
. . .
One day, in chemistry class, the teacher announced a partner project. Keonho saw his chance. He turned toward you with that smile of his and opened his mouth to ask you to be his partner, but you, faster than ever, were already pulling the arm of a classmate who was farther away.
You literally crossed the room to avoid being with him.
Keonho was left with his mouth open and one eyebrow raised.
"Did you just get rejected, bro?" one of his friends whispered, holding back a laugh.
"I didn't get rejected," he answered, crossing his arms, his pride a little wounded. "They just... beat me to it."
But inside he was frustrated. Why did you always run off? Did he have something on his face? Did he smell bad? He sniffed his shirt discreetly. No, he smelled fine. So what was the problem?
But even after that, he decided not to give up.
. . .
Over the following days, Keonho looked for you without his group noticing. He'd sneak away with any excuse to pass by your classroom during periods you didn't share and see you through the window.
He pretended he was going to the bathroom or that he needed to talk to some teacher, all just to watch you sitting at your desk, oblivious to everything, solving problems that probably had nothing to do with the class.
One day he saw you helping a classmate with an assignment. You were explaining things with a patience he had never had, pointing with your pen and gesturing with your hands. Keonho stood leaning against the door, watching you with a dopey smile.
"What are you doing just standing there, Keonho?"
His friend's voice startled him. He turned around fast, scratching the back of his neck.
"Nothing, nothing. I was going to the bathroom.
"I didn't know they moved the bathrooms to classroom 2-C."
"Oh, they didn't? How dumb of me. Well, I'm going." And he walked off quickly, feeling his ears burning.
. . .
But Keonho wasn't the type to give up easily. If he liked something, he went for it.
And he liked you.
He liked your intelligence, your concentration, that way you had of being in your own world. He wanted to get to know you, talk to you, find out what you liked besides math.
So he planned a more direct attack.
One day, during literature class, your eyes met by accident. You were looking at the time on the wall clock that happened to be right behind him. Keonho took that second to smile at you. When you realized, you turned bright red and looked away so fast you almost gave yourself whiplash.
Keonho smiled wider. He liked seeing you all nervous like that.
That same afternoon, after the bell, you saw him again in the hallway. He was walking your way with his hands in his pockets and that carefree stroll of his. Instinctively, you turned around and started walking the other way.
"Yah!" he murmured to himself, and started following you.
You noticed. You clearly noticed. You picked up your pace. He did too. You were almost running when you turned a corner. He turned right after, but you were gone. You had disappeared into some empty classroom.
Keonho stood in the middle of the hallway, hands on his hips and a smile somewhere between amused and resigned.
"Unbelievable..." he said under his breath.
. . .
Keonho understood he needed a more drastic plan. Something that wouldn't give you a chance to escape. Something that would force you to stay put.
And then, a crazy idea crossed his mind.
That week, during history class, Keonho sat right in the seat next to you. It was the first time he had been this close to you without you being able to run off. You felt the air grow thicker. Your heart was pounding so hard you were sure he could hear it.
You tried to focus on your notebook, but it was impossible. Especially because Keonho started doing something you didn't expect.
He stained your desk.
He grabbed his marker and drew a little line in the corner. You ignored him. He made another one. You kept focusing on your book. He drew a little star. You clenched your jaw. He drew a smiley face. You closed your eyes, praying for patience. He drew another smiley face next to it, this time with heart eyes.
It was too much. You turned to look at him, brow furrowed and lips pressed tight.
"What are you doing?" you whispered, trying to sound annoyed, though your voice came out more nervous than anything.
Keonho looked at you with those big, expressive eyes that made you forget even your own name. He pouted. One of those pouts that left you completely defenseless.
"You just won't pay attention to me," he answered, with an almost childish tone.
You felt your face burn. Damn it. He was way too cute for his own good. And for yours.
"I'm busy," you said, going back to your book, even though you couldn't read a single word.
Keonho didn't give up. He started drawing more things: a sun, a cloud, a cat that looked like some weird creature. You pretended not to see, but your cheeks gave you away.
Then, suddenly, you felt a weight on your shoulder. Keonho had rested his chin there. Right on your shoulder. Like it was the most normal thing in the world.
Your brain went blank. Your whole system collapsed. The equations, the formulas, everything you knew vanished in that instant.
"What are you doing?" you asked, your voice barely a thread. You meant to sound firm, but it came out more like a strangled squeak.
Keonho, with his chin still on your shoulder and his eyes looking up at you from below, lifted his gaze. You were so close you could count his eyelashes.
"Tell me, what are you doing?" he asked. "You're always solving weird equations. What are they?"
You swallowed. You tried to regain your composure. You cleared your throat. "They're... equations," you answered, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, even though your brain could barely form words. "Differential equations."
Keonho blinked. "And what's that for?"
"To... solve problems."
"Ah..." he said, without lifting his chin from your shoulder. "So you're solving problems?"
"Yes."
"Well, I have a problem I can't solve." You looked at him, confused. Keonho smiled that lopsided smile, the one you liked so much and avoided so hard. "The problem is that I've liked you for months and you always run away," he said, with a casualness that left you breathless. "Can you solve that?"
You felt the world stop. Literally. The sounds of the classroom faded out. It was just you, Keonho, and his chin on your shoulder.
You didn't know what to say. You, who always had the right answer, were completely blank.
And then, the teacher cleared his throat. "You two. Stand up."
You turned around so fast you almost hit Keonho with your head. The teacher was standing in front of you, arms crossed and a look that said he was not happy.
"You've been talking for a while now. Do you think I don't notice?" he said sternly. "Detention. Both of you. You're staying after class to clean the classroom."
Keonho stood up without protesting, with a smile he was trying to hide but couldn't. You, on the other hand, were red as a tomato and wishing the ground would swallow you whole.
Detention? You? You had never gotten detention in your life.
You were the perfect student. The one who never talked in class. The one who always paid attention.
And now, thanks to Ahn Keonho and his chin on your shoulder, you had detention.
The worst part was that he didn't seem sorry at all.
. . .
The classroom emptied out when the bell rang. Everyone rushed out to enjoy their freedom, while you and Keonho stayed behind, surrounded by desks and with brooms in hand.
The silence was overwhelming. At least for you. Keonho, on the other hand, was sweeping like it was nothing, quietly whistling a tune you didn't recognize.
You tried to focus on cleaning, but your thoughts were elsewhere. Specifically, on what he had said right before the scolding.
"I've liked you for months."
Was he serious? Was it a joke? Some kind of social experiment? Because, honestly, you didn't understand why someone like him would notice someone like you.
"Hey," Keonho said, breaking the silence. "Are you mad?"
You glanced at him sideways. He was leaning on his broom, head tilted and wearing that pout you both loved and hated at the same time.
"No," you answered, dryly.
"You seem like you are."
"Well, I'm not."
"Then look at me."
You took a breath and lifted your gaze. Keonho was staring at you intently, and a light blush covered his cheeks. It was the first time you'd seen him nervous.
"Why do you always run away?" he asked, his voice softer. "Do you not like me or something?"
You shook your head. "No... it's not that."
"Then what is it?"
You pressed your lips together. How were you supposed to explain that he made you so nervous you'd rather flee? That you liked him so much you couldn't look him in the eye?
"It's just..." you started, searching for the words. "You're you and I'm me."
Keonho raised an eyebrow.
"And what's that supposed to mean?"
"It means we're not on the same level, Keonho. It might sound cliché, but you're the handsome guy, and me... I like solving differential equations."
Keonho stayed quiet for a moment. Then, he let out a little laugh.
"You're the smartest person I know and you say the dumbest things." You felt a little offended. But Keonho kept talking. "That's exactly why I like you. Because you solve equations in seconds. Because you furrow your brow when you concentrate. Because you chew on your pen when you don't understand something. Because you get all nervous and run the other way when you see me. I like all of that."
You felt your heart was going to explode. Keonho took a step toward you. His broom lay forgotten in some corner.
"So stop running," he said. "Because I'm planning to follow you until you pay attention to me."
You were about to answer something, anything, when Keonho leaned in and planted a quick kiss on your cheek.
It was barely a brush. A second, maybe two. But enough for your brain to shut down completely and your cheeks to burn like fire.
Before you could react, Keonho had already pulled away and was running toward the back of the classroom. He dropped into the last seat, a nervous laugh escaping his lips.
And you saw it. You saw how his ears were red. Red just like yours. He was blushing too, even though he tried to hide it with that awkward laugh.
You shrank a little in your seat, hands on your cheeks and heart racing a million miles an hour. You couldn't believe what had just happened.
Keonho, from the back, watched you and laughed softly, amused and nervous at the same time. He had acted on impulse. Without thinking. But he didn't regret it.
Because he had liked it. He had liked it a lot.
