Chapter Text
Fifty-seven days.
Felix had fifty-seven days until the chess tournament at the end of the semester.
He grabbed the marker and erased the countdown on the board, replacing it with the remaining number.
He sighed and put on the cap before staring at the white surface with its daunting black markings.
He had been studying and practicing for weeks, even during classes when he should have been paying attention. His new chess coach, Lee Minho, the best chess player in the entire country, was meeting with him on campus at six today.
He was nervous but extremely excited to meet him.
Felix had chosen this university for that reason. He joined the chess club Minho had started nine years ago, wanting to be part of the organization his role model had founded. He attended every one of Minho’s tournaments, watching in awe, inspired by the way he played and his incredible ability to read through his opponent’s strategy.
He aspired to be just like him—number one.
Felix had been playing chess since he was six years old. His grandparents were always playing, and he would watch them in their sunny backyard, learning what he could just by observing. His grandfather must have noticed his curious eyes because, for his birthday, he gave Felix a chessboard he had bought at an antique store.
His grandpa then sat him down and taught him how to play—without mercy, even against a six-year-old. Maybe that was why Felix became so determined to learn. One of the best feelings in the world was finally beating his grandfather in chess at the age of fourteen.
Since then, he had trained all over the country, competing in tournaments and playing chess every single day. He worked hard for his rank, and even though he wasn’t anywhere close to being number one, maybe someday, he could be.
But to reach that goal, he had to defeat his longtime rival, Hwang Hyunjin.
The first time he met Hyunjin was at the annual Youth Chess Championship, a competition for players under sixteen. He still remembered the way Hyunjin shook his hand—stiff and rigid. Felix had been the same, knowing that whoever won their match would take the title.
Felix had never seen him before, and he was pretty sure it was Hyunjin’s first time playing in a tournament. Maybe he had been too confident, thinking there was no way he would lose to a rookie who had never competed. But the next thing he knew, Hyunjin had smiled at him with the biggest smile he had ever seen on someone’s face.
“Checkmate,” he said, and Felix’s heart sank.
He didn’t say anything as he stared at the board. He hadn’t seen it coming or even anticipated it.
“How...” he whispered in disbelief. He wasn’t expecting him to hear him or actually answer.
“It’s the Kiss of Death. Are you not familiar with it?”
Felix blushed, glaring at him instantly. It almost sounded like he was talking down to him.
“It’s when the Queen—”
“I know what it is,” Felix snapped, and Hyunjin blinked at him with wide eyes.
It was true. He did know it. He had just miscalculated. And he felt the tears well in his eyes, knowing his grandfather was watching from the crowd.
They shook hands again since the match was over. Felix hated losing, but he wasn’t a poor sport.
“Congratulations,” he said with a soft smile before quickly packing his things and racing for the exit.
Felix sobbed in the parking lot. He couldn’t help it. He had trained hard, studied for hours every single day, and it was his fault for thinking he could win so easily.
His grandpa told him to keep his chin up.
“In order to win, you have to lose, Felix. Let this be a learning opportunity—just like all the times we played together. You lost a lot, but eventually, you beat me.”
Felix wiped his tears away when his grandfather placed a firm hand on his shoulder. He nodded, knowing he would just have to work harder—and he was going to study the Kiss of Death like crazy.
After his loss to Hyunjin, it felt like he kept running into him at every event. Felix could have sworn Hyunjin appeared out of thin air at every championship and tournament. And every time, he had that same bright smile whenever their eyes met.
They competed against each other again and again, and every time, Hyunjin beat him. Because Felix hadn’t miscalculated in their first match, and it wasn’t beginner’s luck—Hyunjin was just an amazing chess player.
It infuriated him. He wondered if Hyunjin had an incredible chess coach or if he was part of a chess academy where they played nonstop, seven days a week. But he quickly learned that wasn’t the case.
After he lost to him in another tournament, he had to ask.
“I only play with my friends at school sometimes, and I play a lot online. Hey—would you want to play together sometime?” he asked, flashing that same ridiculously bright smile.
Felix squeezed his chess bag in his hands, feeling the anger bubbling in his chest. He was that good, and he barely even played chess. He didn’t say anything. He didn’t even look back when Hyunjin called after him.
He just needed to study even harder. If he was going to beat Hyunjin, he had to focus.
So for the next three years, that’s exactly what he did.
Chess became Felix’s entire life—from the moment he woke up early in the morning until he went to bed late at night. He got up hours before school, studied different strategies in class, and spent his evenings downtown at the chess association, playing against experienced older players who taught him many things.
It pissed him off when he noticed Hyunjin had started coming around. Once again, he had appeared out of nowhere, wearing that same stupid smile.
To be fair, anyone who played chess was allowed to come. But hearing everyone chatter about how amazing Hyunjin was made Felix’s blood boil.
Felix did his best to avoid him—until Hyunjin tapped his shoulder, biting his bottom lip with a smile.
“Hey, Felix.” His tone was sweet. “Want to play a game with me?”
Of course, Felix couldn’t refuse when he smiled at him like that, even if he wanted to tell him to get lost.
He had never played with him casually since he only saw him at tournaments. And every time they did play, Hyunjin would tell him to let him know if he ever wanted to meet up and play. Felix never took him up on the offer, though.
But maybe the best way to beat him was to learn about him—study his moves, observe his strategies, and figure out exactly what made him so damn good.
“I win again,” Hyunjin said, and Felix glared at him.
“I can see that,” he snapped, and that made Hyunjin chuckle.
“Can we play again?” he asked hopefully, and Felix sighed, setting up the pieces.
“I’ll keep playing with you until I win,” he mumbled, and Hyunjin nodded at him. He really did have the sweetest smile Felix had ever seen. He quickly looked away when he felt his cheeks heat up.
“Sounds fun,” Hyunjin said.
They quickly became rivals. Whenever Hyunjin showed up at the chess association, Felix was always the first person he sought out for a match. Unlike Felix, who was there every day, Hyunjin came only occasionally—but when he did, he always played with him first.
No matter how many games they played, though, Hyunjin always won.
He also loved to tease him whenever he pouted, especially when he got annoyed after losing multiple times in a row.
“You’re really cute when you pout like that,” Hyunjin said, and that made Felix blush incredibly hard.
“Shut up. And I’m not pouting,” Felix grumbled.
He almost lost it when he poked his nose.
“Don’t do that!”
“Then don’t be a sore loser,” he teased.
“I’m not. I just...thought I had you...”
But every time he played against him, he was left dumbfounded, checkmated, and beaten—again and again.
It frustrated him to no end, but he promised himself he would never give up.
So, he registered for the annual chess tournament and applied to a college where he would get lessons from one of the best in the game. He was going to beat Hyunjin by any means necessary.
Then, he nearly fell over when Hyunjin walked into the club room on campus. In fact, he ran into a desk, knocking a few chess pieces to the ground since he was so surprised.
“What—What the heck are you doing here?” he asked, his eyes wide in disbelief.
“To play chess, duh,” Hyunjin said with that infuriatingly pretty smile. He didn’t seem the least bit surprised to see Felix.
Felix, on the other hand, was still reeling when Hyunjin casually tossed his bag over a chair.
“Wait a second,” Felix said, rounding the desk and nearly slipping on the fallen chess pieces. “You—Do you go to college here?”
“Sure do,” he said, still grinning.
Felix’s mouth dropped open.
“Since when?”
Hyunjin laughed.
“Um, since I enrolled here over the summer?”
Felix blinked at him, trying to remember if he had ever mentioned it, but he was sure he hadn’t.
“You never said anything at the chess association,” Felix accused, getting frustrated.
“I don’t think you ever asked me which college I was attending,” he said, grabbing his chessboard from his bag and setting it on the desk.
“But—I definitely told you which college I was going to,” Felix argued, knowing he had talked about it with some of the other chess players. He must have mentioned it to Hyunjin as well. He hadn’t shut up about it since getting early admission.
“Did you?” he asked, tilting his head like he was trying to remember.
Felix bit his lip.
“Did you enroll here because I enrolled here?” he asked, and
Hyunjin froze as he was setting up his chessboard.
“No, weirdo,” he answered quickly. “I enrolled here because I heard they have a kick-ass chess club.”
Felix blushed. Maybe that was a ridiculous accusation, but he wouldn’t put it past Hyunjin to make sure he wasn’t getting any better than him. It seemed like wherever Felix was, Hyunjin was, too. And if Felix was his biggest threat, keeping an eye on him only made sense.
Or maybe Felix was just being overly self-conscious, and Hyunjin simply wanted to be part of the well-known chess club everyone always gushed about.
“Now, get over here so I can beat your ass,” he smirked.
Felix’s eyebrow twitched in irritation. Hyunjin loved to tease him, to constantly remind him that he would never win against him. It was like he had sworn an oath to never let Felix beat him—no matter what.
Felix picked up his fallen chess pieces from the floor, and when he sat down to play Hyunjin, he ended up losing. Again.
But now, with his new chess coach, learning from the best of the best, he was going to beat Hyunjin. And he was going to win the tournament at the end of the semester.
Felix jumped when he heard the door open. It was only five, and Minho wasn’t supposed to be there until six. He was surprised when he saw Hyunjin walk in with takeout in his hands.
“Hey, Lixie,” he greeted, and Felix blushed, hearing the nickname fall from his lips. He had heard his grandpa call him that once at a tournament last year, and ever since then, he would tease him with it every now and again.
“Don’t call me that,” Felix huffed. “And I thought you weren’t coming?”
Felix had been talking about meeting Minho all week. Since Minho had founded the original chess club, he offered free lessons through the university once a week for its members. Felix had been starstruck just thinking about it, gushing nonstop—until Hyunjin’s usually smiley face changed into a soft scowl.
Maybe he had annoyed him with his endless rambling, which was why he originally said he wouldn’t be able to make it.
“Yeah, I know,” Hyunjin shrugged. “But I changed my mind. And you had late classes today, and I know you never stop to eat in between.”
Felix pouted with a soft blush. Even if they were rivals, he supposed they were kind of friends. Since Felix was so busy playing chess his entire life, he didn’t really have time for friends in high school.
Hyunjin, on the other hand, had tons of friends. Sometimes they even came to the chess association to play. They weren’t very good, but Hyunjin still played with them. It kind of bothered him when Hyunjin would ignore him to play with them instead. Or maybe he was just jealous that he had friends, skill, and charm.
Not that Felix would ever admit he was jealous.
“Well, I don’t have time right now. I’m really busy,” he said, turning back to the desks where he had several chessboards set up. Minho had asked him to provide at least three of them and to make sure they were perfectly set up. He knew Minho struggled with a severe case of OCD, and he just hoped that everything was to his standards.
“Oh, yeah?” Hyunjin pressed, placing the food on an empty desk. “With what?”
“I’m setting up the room like he asked, and I need to focus and be mentally prepared before he gets here,” he told him, and Hyunjin hummed in response.
“You can take a minute to eat something,” he said, opening the boxes and stabbing a fork into a protein bowl he must have picked up from the cafeteria. Felix could tell it was his favorite kind, too.
Felix bit his lip but grabbed the carton, shoving a mouthful of food into his mouth. The smell had been making his stomach grumble, and Hyunjin was right—he hadn’t eaten between classes.
Hyunjin grabbed his own container and hopped up on the desk, smiling at him widely as they ate their dinner.
“Thank you,” Felix said shyly when he caught Hyunjin watching him. “I’ll send you money.”
“Nah, don’t worry about it.”
Felix was definitely going to send him some money anyway. He didn’t need to buy him dinner.
They ate together in silence, and Felix was starting to feel anxious as it got closer and closer to six.
“What’s wrong? You look stressed,” Hyunjin mentioned, and Felix let out a deep breath.
“I’m just…a little nervous,” he admitted, folding the box and deciding to finish the rest later—once the thousands of butterflies in his stomach settled.
“Nervous? Why’s that?” he asked, shoving another bite into his mouth.
“He’s the best chess player in the country, Hyunjin. What if…What if I’m not good enough? What if he thinks I’m not worthy of coaching?” he asked anxiously. He tilted his head towards the floor, feeling extremely insecure admitting that to him.
Hyunjin looked shocked at his words.
“Hey,” he said, setting his container down and leaning in. Felix’s eyes flicked up to see that wide, sweet smile he always beamed at him. “You know that’s not true. You’re a great chess player.”
Felix blushed, hearing his soft tone. But he quickly looked away, unable to take his gaze.
He wanted to thank him, but his words were stuck in his throat. He wasn’t sure Hyunjin had ever complimented him like that on his game before, and it made him feel a little embarrassed.
But he was probably just trying to be nice, knowing he was feeling anxious. How could he think he was a good chess player when he had never once beaten him?
Hyunjin kicked his legs back and forth as he took a swig of water, then picked up his container again.
“Don’t worry about it, okay?”
And somehow, those soft words actually calmed him down.
Felix was sweaty as he paced the room, and as soon as the clock hit six, the door opened.
Felix immediately turned to see Minho walking into the club room right on time.
“Hello,” Minho said, adjusting his glasses on his face. Felix’s heart was in his throat. He couldn’t believe that Lee Minho, the number-one best chess player in the entire country, his role model, his idol, his hero, was standing right in front of him.
He bowed immediately, greeting him maybe a little too loudly.
“Mr. Lee, thank you so much for coming today,” he said.
Minho gave him a soft smile as he made his way inside.
“Oh, you can call me Minho,” he said, and Felix couldn’t believe how giddy that made him feel. “You’re Felix, correct?”
Felix nodded quickly.
“Yes—Yes, that’s me. Lee Felix.” He glanced over to see Hyunjin with a blank face, staring at Minho, who was fixing a desk that wasn’t perfectly aligned with the others.
Felix shuffled over with a glare, grabbing Hyunjin tightly by the arm and forcing him off the desk.
“Ow,” he grumbled as Felix elbowed him in the ribs. But he was being so rude. He didn’t greet him or even bother to get on his feet.
“And this is Hwang Hyunjin,” Felix introduced him since Hyunjin was still looking at him with an annoyed expression. But Minho must not have noticed or cared since he didn’t look bothered by his lack of a friendly face.
“You won the Seoul Chess Tournament last year,” Minho stated as he carefully placed his bag on a chair. Felix bit his lip, feeling a bit of jealousy taking over as Minho’s eyes briefly rested on Hyunjin.
“I did,” he replied, shrugging his shoulders.
“I was impressed. You beat your opponent in ten moves.”
Felix glanced between them, noticing both of them lacking any kind of emotion.
Hyunjin didn’t say anything, he just shrugged again.
Felix had played in the tournament too, but he hadn’t done as well as Hyunjin. He hadn’t even gotten the chance to face him, having been knocked out in an earlier round.
He had no idea Minho had attended that tournament. The realization made his face heat up—he hadn’t been good enough to catch the attention of his idol, but Hyunjin had. He clenched his fists.
“How long have you been playing?” Minho asked, and Felix felt his heart sink.
“Since I was fifteen.”
That was another thing that bugged Felix. He had nearly ten more years of experience than him, yet Hyunjin was still so much better than him.
“How about you, Felix?” Minho asked then, and Felix felt the life reenter his body.
“I’ve been playing since I was six,” he said, smiling widely as he caught his eye for a slight moment.
Minho nodded and sat down at one of the desks Felix had set up. He quickly adjusted the black pieces in front of him, making sure they were all perfectly centered.
“Who would like to play first?” Minho asked. Suddenly, Felix felt terrified and completely nervous. He wanted to jump with his hand in the air, begging to go first, because this was an absolute dream, getting to play against him. But he was frozen. He couldn’t seem to move.
He let out a soft gasp when he felt hands on his shoulders.
“Felix wants to,” Hyunjin said for him.
Felix blinked at him over his shoulder with wide, scared eyes as Hyunjin gave him that sweet smile.
Hyunjin guided him toward the chair to sit down. He accidentally knocked the table with his knee, making the pieces wobble. Minho corrected them immediately before fixing his glasses again and looking up expectantly.
“Alright. White moves first.”
Felix took a deep breath.
From the corner of his eye, he saw Hyunjin hop onto a desk to watch. Somehow, that only made him more nervous.
His hands were damp with sweat and slightly unsteady, while Minho remained still and stoic, his eyes fixed on the board as he waited for Felix to make his move.
He carefully picked up his pawn and placed it on the square. Minho responded instantly, moving his knight without hesitation.
Felix wasn’t sure why that made him so nervous.
He was also incredibly aware of Hyunjin swinging his legs back and forth, his eyes scanning the chessboard as Felix contemplated his next move.
He took a deep breath and settled in, grabbing another pawn and moving it into play.
They played in silence for a while, and Felix couldn’t help but notice the way Minho occasionally bit his bottom lip and nodded after Felix made a move. He wished he knew what he was thinking, but he was incredibly quiet.
As the game progressed, Minho began glancing up at him after every move, making Felix even more anxious. He hadn’t expected to win, but he had hoped to put up a good fight.
That hope quickly disappeared.
“Checkmate.”
Felix sighed, wondering if he was so nervous that he hadn’t seen it coming or if Minho was just really that fucking good. It was probably both.
Minho immediately began resetting the board, and Felix helped him, even though his hands were still sweaty.
“Your ability to adapt and switch strategies is weak,” Minho stated. Felix winced at his bluntness, looking up to meet his intense gaze.
“My…strategy?”
Minho nodded.
“You started with a solid opening, but your tactics became predictable. I could read through them. I even gave you an opportunity to notice that I was onto you, but you were so confident in your moves that you didn’t.”
Felix blushed, lowering his head. He was right. He hadn’t noticed at all.
His words were a little harsh, and his tone was hard to read. He knew he was here to coach him and should have expected honest criticism, but it still hurt to hear his idol call his game weak.
Hyunjin had stopped kicking his feet, and when Felix looked up, he saw him scowling at Minho.
“Your turn,” Minho said as he fixed the final piece in place.
Felix stood up, clenching his teeth to hold back his tears. If there was one thing he was really weak at, it was controlling his emotions when he was frustrated.
He flinched when Hyunjin placed a soft hand around his wrist, his scowl changing to a sweet smile for a moment. He always did that when he knew Felix was upset. The first time had been after a tournament loss, when Hyunjin found him crying in the bathroom. Felix had even chosen a restroom he knew few people used, but Hyunjin had walked right in, catching him sobbing into his sleeve.
He had grabbed his wrist softly, telling him not to cry. Felix wasn’t sure why his touch made him feel better either.
Felix pushed him off and took Hyunjin’s spot on the desk while Hyunjin took his seat. His glare returned, and he crossed his arms as Minho nodded at him.
“White moves first.”
Hyunjin opened with the same move Felix had, but Minho responded differently this time. Felix watched them play back and forth, noticing how Minho nodded occasionally while Hyunjin maintained his glare.
Hyunjin clicked his tongue in annoyance when Minho won. Honestly, Hyunjin didn’t lose very often. Felix had only seen it happen a handful of times.
“Not bad. You had me thinking there for a minute,” Minho admitted.
“Don’t worry, I’ll beat you next time,” Hyunjin declared, not helping Minho put the pieces back like Felix had.
Minho blinked at him for a moment before giving him a smile.
“You analyze and learn quickly,” he said, and Hyunjin just stared at him. “You even tried to use my tactic against me. Have you seen it before?”
“You used it in the chess tournament two years ago against your third opponent,” Hyunjin answered, and Felix’s eyes widened.
“You have a good memory,” Minho stated.
Hyunjin shrugged again.
“Let’s play once more,” Minho said, and Felix couldn’t help but feel jealous again.
He tried not to pout as Hyunjin accepted the match.
But he swore when he lost a second time. Felix almost laughed—now he knew how it felt.
Minho grabbed the pieces and started setting up the board again.
“You struggle in the endgame. Your strategy and tactics are strong, but you have to study every part of the game—even endgame theory. The endgame can make or break the result of a game—as you just learned.”
Felix could tell Hyunjin was trying not to roll his eyes. When Minho looked down, he rolled them slightly. Felix almost wanted to smack him. He had no idea why he was being so rude.
“Felix,” Minho said as he fixed the chess pieces on the board, even though they were already perfect.
“Yes?”
“Let’s work on analyzing and adapting. I want you to be able to understand when you need to change your strategy and recognize signs when your opponent might have seen right through your tactics.”
Felix nodded immediately, unsure of where to even start, but he was determined to do exactly what Minho said.
Minho quickly grabbed his bag, and Felix couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed that their lesson was over already. He was frustrated that Hyunjin had taken up seventy percent of their time.
“We’ll meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays at six. This Thursday I can’t make it, though. I’ll be out of town for a soccer game,” he told them, a soft smile on his lips.
“You like soccer?” Felix asked, his eyes sparkling with excitement to know more about his idol.
“No—well…maybe a little. My boyfriend plays for the Seoul Soccer Club,” he said with a huge smile on his face.
That must be nice. Felix had never had a boyfriend before. He was way too busy playing chess every single day of his life. But that was the biggest smile Minho had on his face all night.
“You’re dating a professional soccer player?” Hyunjin asked, sounding like he couldn’t believe it. Felix elbowed him hard in the ribs again.
“Ow,” he complained, just like earlier.
Minho nodded with a slight blush.
“I’ll see you both next week,” he said before closing the door behind him.
Felix let out a deep breath before immediately turning to Hyunjin and smacking him on the arm.
“Hey!” Hyunjin yelped.
“You were being so rude,” he said, hitting him harder. Hyunjin grabbed his wrists and pinned them to his sides.
“What? How was I being rude?”
Felix scoffed.
“He was just trying to help you, and you rolled your eyes at him!”
Hyunjin pouted again.
“Well—what the hell does he know? My endgame is fine,” he grumbled, and if Hyunjin hadn’t been holding his wrists, he would have hit him again.
“What does he know? ” he repeated incredulously. “He’s only the best chess player in the entire damn country, Hyunjin. He knows everything. He’s amazing.”
Hyunjin scowled even deeper.
“He’s not that great,” he mumbled, squeezing Felix’s wrists.
Felix realized then they had never been this close before. He tried to rip his arms out of his grasp, but Hyunjin wouldn’t let go.
“You’re kidding, right?” Felix asked, noticing his irritated eyes. “Are you pissed because he beat you?”
Hyunjin scrunched his nose, running his fingers through his short blonde hair, his hand ghosting over the locks he used to have. He had just buzzed and dyed it last week. His long black hair that Felix was used to was completely gone. Felix couldn’t stop staring at him after he walked into the club room. Hyunjin had noticed because he poked at him until he admitted out loud that he looked good.
He actually looked really good, but he hated it when Hyunjin had that smug smile on his face—the same one he wore after beating him in a game of chess.
“No.”
He was lying. Felix could tell by the way his eyes flicked left and right multiple times.
“You couldn’t have seriously expected to beat him. He’s been the reigning champ for years now. And you thought you were just going to take him down? He’s literally the best chess player ever.” He was gushing, and Hyunjin seemed to be getting even more annoyed.
“I didn’t know you liked him so much,” he muttered, finally letting go of Felix’s wrists. He walked over to where the chessboards were scattered across the desks and started putting them away.
“He’s my idol,” he told him, hoping his eyes weren’t sparkling too much. “That’s why I wanted to attend college here. And now I get to learn from him.”
He still couldn’t believe it. Minho had absolutely demolished him, and his feedback had crushed his soul a little, but Felix was determined to improve. He wanted to prove that he was worthy of coaching. He was finally going to win the chess tournament, beat Hyunjin, and finally take home the trophy.
“I’ll beat him someday,” Hyunjin declared then, and Felix couldn’t help but laugh.
“Yeah, sure,” he said, shaking his head as he helped pack away the chessboards. It was already almost nine, and they had class in the morning.
“What? You don’t think I can?” he asked, and Felix shrugged his shoulders.
“My money’s on my idol—the best chess player in the entire country, may I remind you—since you seemed to forget.”
Felix gasped as Hyunjin grabbed his wrist again, pushing him until he was backed up to the desk. Hyunjin was about three inches taller than him, and he towered over his body with a smirk on his face.
“Well, if I win, then I’ll be the best chess player in the country,” he said smoothly. “And then I’ll be your idol.”
Felix blinked at him with wide eyes as he leaned in closer. His heart hammered, and he felt his cheeks burn.
He was teasing him again.
“You…” He had no idea why he couldn’t get any words out or why he couldn’t stop staring at his eyes.
“Then you can gush about me like that all day,” he said, poking his nose.
Felix’s senses came rushing back, and he immediately shoved him away.
“There’s no way I would ever do that,” he snapped, but Hyunjin just chuckled.
“We’ll see,” he said with a smirk.
Felix had no idea why his heart was racing so quickly. It almost made him feel dizzy. Hyunjin was insane. He always teased him, but he never got this close. Felix tried to brush it off. He was probably just extra annoyed that for once there was someone in the room better than him at chess. It was probably annoying him that Felix kept talking about Minho constantly and how good he was, and he wanted to shut him up.
They finished putting everything away, straightening the desks, and grabbing their bags.
Usually, they would say goodbye to each other as they hit the lamppost at the end of the street, but Hyunjin didn’t change direction. He kept walking in rhythm beside Felix.
“Isn’t your dorm on the north side of campus?” he asked, and Hyunjin nodded.
“Yeah,” he answered simply.
“Then what are you doing?”
“Walking you back to your dorm.”
Felix shifted his backpack on his shoulder and turned to look at him. “What? Why?”
Hyunjin had never walked him back to his dorm before. He was acting weird tonight. First, he brought him dinner, then he got all pissy when Minho showed up, then he kept getting too close, and now this?
Hyunjin just shrugged, not giving him an answer. But Felix wasn’t about to press him about it. If he wanted to take an unnecessary trip and make his night longer, then that was on him.
Neither of them spoke as they walked to Felix’s dorm. Honestly, Felix wasn’t sure what to say. They usually only spent time together when they were playing chess or talking about it. This felt almost awkward—he had expected Hyunjin to say something. He always spoke so freely with their friends, so Felix wondered if he was still annoyed from earlier.
But when he looked over at him, there was a soft, content smile on his lips.
Felix hated how self-conscious the silence made him feel. He had nothing to talk about besides chess, and he was pretty sure Hyunjin didn’t want to hear him blabber about Minho or his latest strategy ideas.
He had been spending a lot more time with Hyunjin recently now that they were in the chess club together. Sometimes, Hyunjin would show up with his friends from campus, but he always waved goodbye to them before stepping into the club room. Hyunjin had a way of making friends everywhere he went, and by the second week of classes, he already had a crowd around him.
Felix had no idea why it made him jealous, but it did.
They ended up saying nothing as they made it to Felix’s dorm.
“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Hyunjin said, and Felix nodded awkwardly.
“Yeah…see you tomorrow,” Felix mumbled, but before he could turn to head inside his room, Hyunjin grabbed his elbow.
“Hey—get some rest tonight,” he said.
Felix blinked at him, confused.
“What?”
“I know you’re gonna stay up and practice all night, obsessing over what that guy said. But you have classes all day tomorrow, so don’t wear yourself out, or you’ll get sick.”
Felix blushed, biting the inside of his cheek. Hyunjin’s soft, worried tone made his heart race again.
“I won’t,” he lied.
Hyunjin must have seen right through him, just like Minho had during their chess match, because he placed a gentle hand on his shoulder.
“Sleep,” he said.
Felix pouted and tried to avoid his gaze, but Hyunjin didn’t look like he was going to let it go.
“Promise?”
“Fine,” Felix grumbled.
Hyunjin chuckled, his laughter warming Felix in the cool night air.
“Good.” He poked his nose, and Felix quickly swatted his hand away. He hated it when he did that.
Hyunjin gave him that big, pretty smile before waving and jogging back in the direction they came. Felix lived on the south side of campus, so Hyunjin had at least a twenty-minute walk to his dorm now.
He sighed and closed the door, his eyes flicking to the stack of chess books near his bedside.
He hated that he was right. He was going to obsess. But all he wanted was to impress Minho—and to win.
If spending countless hours studying and practicing was what it took to achieve his goal, then he would do it.
Felix was going to win. He was going to beat Hyunjin and win the annual chess tournament. He would prove that hard work and dedication always prevailed—no matter what.
And when the moment came, he would look Hyunjin in the eye and finally say—“Checkmate.”
He had fifty-seven days.
Felix yawned as he sat in his history class. He hadn’t listened to Hyunjin and had broken his promise to get some rest. He had planned on going to bed earlier than normal since he had made a promise, but the next thing he knew, it was almost four in the morning, and he had to be up by eight.
They had chess club later too, but as long as he had his energy drink, then he would be alright.
But as he waited for Hyunjin to show up, reading through his chess book, he somehow ended up falling asleep.
His eyes slowly blinked open to find Hyunjin leaning on the desk, his soft fingers brushing Felix’s bangs out of his eyes.
“Hey,” Hyunjin said softly, his voice barely above a whisper.
Felix instantly sat up, but Hyunjin still leaned on his arm, smiling as he glanced up at him.
“Shit,” Felix cursed, looking at the clock on the wall. He had been asleep for over forty minutes.
“Someone broke their promise, didn’t they?” Hyunjin asked. Felix rubbed his eyes and cheek, feeling embarrassed when he realized he had drool on his face.
Felix sighed, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he quickly grabbed his bag and pulled out his chessboard.
“Can we play?” he asked, trying to ignore his words.
“Lix, if you’re tired, we can cancel for today—”
“No,” he interrupted. He hadn’t meant to sound so aggressive, but he had already wasted too much time. Minho would be back on Tuesday, and he needed to improve enough for him to notice.
“I have to practice. I have fifty-six days and…I need to refine my strategy. I have to be less predictable,” He was stressed as he quickly set up the board.
“Alright, don’t get all worked up,” Hyunjin said gently. Felix knew he had tears in his eyes, but he was just frustrated.
“I’m not,” he lied. “I just…I just need to practice. So…let’s play. I’ve been studying, and I want to try something.”
Hyunjin let out a soft sigh but nodded.
“Okay,” he said, taking a seat across from him. But before they started playing, he reached down into his bag and took out a sandwich and a canned espresso drink.
Felix was surprised when he slid it over to him.
“I’ll play, but I want you to eat,” he said, and Felix blinked widely at him. “You didn’t eat today, did you?” he asked, and Felix wasn’t sure why he blushed.
“No,” he mumbled, knowing he couldn’t lie. Hyunjin smiled, even cracking open the drink for him. He quickly grabbed it and took a sip. The caffeine hit instantly, and it tasted like heaven.
“You’re gonna get sick, Felix,” Hyunjin said then, his voice worried. “I know you love chess, but you need to make sure you’re sleeping and not skipping meals, okay?”
Felix sighed. He wanted to argue, but Hyunjin’s sweet tone threw him off.
“O—Okay,” he said, his eyes awkwardly shifting to the chessboard.
He flinched when Hyunjin poked his nose.
“Stop that,” he grumbled, but Hyunjin just smiled widely at him.
“Alright, let’s play,” he said, helping Felix unwrap the sandwich before moving his first piece.
Felix munched on it, and he was definitely grateful, feeling some energy come back to him. The caffeine helped too.
He wanted to thank him, but his words got stuck in his throat when he caught Hyunjin’s pretty smile on him.
He shook his head and chugged his espresso before locking in, hoping the strategy he studied would finally work.
Playing with Hyunjin was frustrating, because no matter how hard Felix studied or practiced, he could never beat him. Even when he thought he had him in a trap, Hyunjin would always somehow find a way out of it. Then, the next thing he knew, the game was over. It was the same every time.
And he sighed deeply when he lost to him again.
Hyunjin leaned back with a satisfied smile.
“Checkmate.”
His eyes studied the board, replaying his last few moves, trying to pinpoint the moment Hyunjin had him beat.
Sometimes, he made Felix feel like it was all useless. He wondered if he would ever be as good as him. He studied ten times harder and practiced ten times more, but Hyunjin was just effortlessly perfect. And not even just at chess—his personality and looks too. He had tons of friends, and his grades were excellent. It seemed like everything just came to him naturally. And Felix hated that he was so jealous.
“Do you think I’m predictable?” Felix blurted out.
Hyunjin looked at him, surprised. Felix never usually asked him for advice or comments. Maybe it was because of the way Felix had shut him down when they first played against each other. Hyunjin never tried to give him advice or explain anything after that day.
“Are you still worried about what Minho said?” Hyunjin responded with a question instead of answering. Felix’s heart clenched.
“Is that why you always beat me? Am I…really that obvious with my strategy?” He didn’t mean to sound upset, but he couldn’t help it.
“I mean…I know the way you like to play. So…I guess to me, you are a little predictable.”
Felix wasn’t sure why that hurt so much.
“Honestly, to anyone other than me, I don’t think you’re as predictable. But I know you really well, so I usually know how you’re going to move. You have specific patterns, and…I guess I just know them.”
Felix blinked at him, and he realized he had never thought to ask Hyunjin just what he was thinking when they played chess.
“Patterns?”
Hyunjin nodded.
Felix bit his lip, then he remembered Hyunjin mentioning yesterday that he had recalled a game Minho had played years ago.
“So…how did you learn my patterns then?” he asked, wondering desperately. Because Felix wasn’t sure if he could predict every move Hyunjin would make. Sure, he knew he had options, but sometimes he was in the dark, and he swore no amount of studying ever helped when he played him.
“I can remember every game I’ve ever played,” he said, and Felix’s eyes went wide. “Since the first time I played—if you give me a date and my opponent, I can replay the game from start to finish.”
Felix was kind of stunned.
“Wait, so…”
“When we play, sometimes you’ll play very similarly to games we’ve played before. I can probably predict ninety percent of the time what move you’re going to choose. Sometimes you surprise me or mess up, but… yeah.”
Felix wasn’t sure if he was impressed or annoyed.
“So you don’t study?” he asked, trying not to sound irritated.
“I read sometimes. And I’ll watch others play,” he said, though he knew he really meant, not nearly as much as you.
Felix huffed and sat back in his seat.
“Minho is incredible at predicting his opponent’s moves,” he added, and Felix rolled his eyes.
“I thought you said he wasn’t that great,” he reminded him of his words from yesterday.
“Well, since you have a huge crush on him, I ended up—”
“What? Are you insane? I do not have a crush on him,” he interrupted him, a huge blush on his face.
He didn’t have a crush on him. He was just his idol, his role model. Besides, Minho was a lot older than him and had a boyfriend, and Felix had absolutely no experience with that kind of thing. He never had time for crushes.
Hyunjin rolled his eyes, ignoring his words and continuing.
“I ended up watching some of his matches that were online. And like you said, he’s the best chess player in the country, so of course he’s good at seeing through your moves.”
Felix sighed, grabbing the chess pieces and setting them back up. He kept quiet as he messed with the board, unsure of what to even say.
He felt a little defeated, knowing that if he was to beat Hyunjin, he had to study even harder and hopefully learn a thing or two from Minho.
But Felix wasn’t going to give up.
“Well—I’m not going to be as predictable anymore. And I’m going to beat you in fifty-six days.”
Hyunjin let a big smile come to his face.
“We’ll see about that.”
Felix couldn’t help but extend his hand. Hyunjin stared at it for a moment before shaking it firmly.
“Let’s play again,” Felix said.
Hyunjin smirked.
“You’re on.”
Of course, Hyunjin won. And Felix sighed deeply. He went to take another sip of his espresso, but there was nothing left in the can.
Both of them were yawning now, and Felix was seconds away from falling asleep at the desk. But he couldn’t go to bed just yet, he still had some classwork to finish, and he needed to read his chess book for at least a little bit longer.
They packed up their things and threw their bags over their shoulders. As they reached the lamppost, Hyunjin stopped Felix by gently grabbing his elbow.
“What are you doing this Friday?” he asked, and his face looked a little uncertain.
Felix blinked at him with wonder.
“Probably studying and playing chess,” he replied, blushing slightly when Hyunjin chuckled.
“Guess I should have known that.”
Felix couldn’t help but notice he still had a hold on his arm.
“Why?” he asked, and Hyunjin’s smile was so wide he thought it might split his lips.
“There’s a festival this weekend near campus, and I was wondering if you… would want to go with me,” Hyunjin said, his voice hopeful. But Felix immediately shook his head. He had way too much to focus on, and there was no way he could attend some silly festival.
“I can’t,” he told him, and Hyunjin pouted.
“Come on,” he whined, a sound Felix rarely heard. He wasn’t sure why his heart skipped a beat.
“I can’t,” he repeated. But Hyunjin clearly hadn’t heard him—or he was just ignoring him.
“Let’s go together. It’ll be fun,” he suggested.
Felix shook his head.
“I have to study and practice.”
“We’ve been playing chess a lot lately. You study every day…you can take one day off. Let’s go to the festival. We can get food, and then after, we can play chess and practice for a bit if you want,” he offered. Felix wanted to sigh again, but he held it back after seeing the excitement on Hyunjin’s face.
He definitely had no time for this, but it felt like the words were stuck in his throat. He wanted to say no, but the only thing he could do was nod his head.
“Fine…but promise we’ll practice after,” he mumbled, and the widest smile broke out on Hyunjin’s face.
“I promise,” he said, and Felix couldn’t believe he just agreed to it.
But Hyunjin had never asked him to hang out before, so maybe, just maybe, a small part of him was happy he did. It had been a while since he’d done something fun. He quickly shook his head, flicking his eyes away from the pretty smile on Hyunjin’s face as he waved goodbye.