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Choi Beomgyu had once spent a night in prision after drinking on the street. A dumb, naive mistake that seemed mandatory at that dumb, teenage time. It had been horrible—walls full of some sticky nameless liquid, dirt covering all surfaces and a weird, penetrating smell permeating his nose for a whole night before he and his friends where finally let out with a warning and a scolding full of condescension and insults.
That night, he had peed his pants a little bit the second he made eye contact with a bald, muscled guy sat by the corner of the room, and later had to swallow his own vomit back down his throat when a fight broke loose in the cell right next to his and droplets of blood made their way right in front of his feet.
It had been a terrible, terrible night.
Yet, he has never felt more scared and nervous as he is right now walking towards Choi Yeonjun, the best student in the Fashion Design department, whose agenda is full of photoshoots and comercial shootings, if not by assignments or frat parties.
Choi Yeonjun is famous around campus for his good grades, good manners and incredibly good looks.
And Choi Beomgyu is so, so in love with him.
Ridiculous, of course, since Beomgyu has only ever talked to him once in the past two years and shared a scarce three words during the encounter. (A lame "You too, sunbaenim" after Yeonjun had wished him a good morning).
Mostly, what Beomgyu feels is admiration. A strong will to put his best effort into being half as good and dedicated as Yeonjun is, pushing himself a little bit further every day in hopes to be on the same level of talent as Yeonjun. (Not necessarily to be noticed by him, though the attention would be totally welcome).
Then, as he kept watching and admiring from afar, Beomgyu started catching more and more details about his handsome sunbae, like the fact that he always has a cup of iced americano in his hand, no matter the time or the weather, or how he tends to match his beanie or his purse with his shoes, always going for shiny and pop-py colors.
Steadily but slowly, Beomgyu found himself falling hard for Yeonjun. For his dedication, his strength, his fashion, his kindness and gentleness and, obviously, his looks.
And so, after spending two years and four full semesters watching from afar like a stalker, Beomgyu has finally decided to so something about his feelings.
(Actually, Soobin has been pestering him about it for almost as long as Beomgyu has been crushing on Yeonjun, claiming to feel his ears bleeding internally the more he listens to hopeless rants and romantic poems.
Beomgyu is doing this, mainly, to end Soobin's suffering.)
So, here he is. Walking right onto Yeonjun. No matter that he is not facing Beomgyu. No matter that he is surrounded by a couple of his own friends. No matter that Beomgyu has no idea what he will say. No matter that this is probably the most idiotic idea he has ever had in his whole life.
Before he can regret it, Beomgyu finds himself just a few steps away from Yeonjun, looking right at his nape and catching a few of the words he is currently sharing with the rest of the guys around him.
The conversation stops when Beomgyu taps him on the shoulder and Yeonjun turns around to face him, eyes widening when they connect with Beomgyu's gaze.
"S-sunbaenim," Beomgyu starts, hands shaking against his chest, "Can I talk to you?"
Yeonjun, still wearing a perplexed expression, nods his head softly, throwing a brief glance to the side at his friends, who are looking at him with a smirk.
"Sure. You're Beomgyu, right?"
Someone in the background snorts, but Beomgyu could not care any less because Choi Yeonjun just said his name and, oh– it just sounds so good coming from his lips and said with that voice.
He nods dumbly, then clears his throat once: "Yeah, I am. I'm Beomgyu. I, uh, I just came here to–" Words feel stuck in his chest, clogging up any entrance for oxygen. So, following Soobin's instructions in case of panicking, he extends his arms in front of him in a motion that makes Yeonjun step back in the slightest. "Sorry," he mumbles, blushing, "These are for you, I, uh– I made them myself. They're chocolates."
The entire hallway seems to quiet down at that, all eyes boring into Beomgyu's soul with mockery and malice, pointing and laughing at him for being dumb enough to offer Choi Yeonjun a box of chocolates and for being delusional enough to think for even a second that he would take them.
But, of course, that is just Beomgyu being dramatic and anxious and thinking too highly of himself, as Soobin often says. Because in reality, there are only two people—Yeonjun's friends—laughing at him and one person—Yeonjun—staring astonished at him and making no moves to take the box from his hands.
Feeling shame burning throughout his veins, Beomgyu looks down and focuses on keeping his voice steady, set on finishing what he already started:
"I've had a crush on you for a while, sunbae, and I've been meaning to talk to you somehow, but I'm always too nervous to approach you, so–" He takes a deep breath, "I made these for you as a symbol of my... affection."
A couple more seconds pass in silence, Beomgyu still looking down to his own feet and those two guys snickering from behind Yeonjun.
Yeonjun, who remains quiet and makes absolutely no sign of acknowledging Beomgyu's naked heart beating rapidly in his bloodied hands.
Defeated and desperate to salvage at least a little bit of his dignity, Beomgyu talks one last time: "I'm sorry for bothering you, Yeonjun-sunbaenim. I know you don't feel the same way about me. You don't have to accept the chocolates if you don't–"
"Wait!"
A hand grasps his wrist suddenly, the touch soft and gentle on his skin just as he was about to retreat the chocolate box back against his chest. Beomgyu stills, sure that the hand wrapped around him is a product of his own imagination, and cautiously dares a glance upwards.
The sight freezes him on the spot.
Yeonjun—best student in the department, with model-worthy features and most perfect human being in the world—is looking at him—at Beomgyu!—with the widest, most sincere eyes. Eyes full of a soft emotion that knocks the air right out of Beomgyu's lungs and squeezes every organ in his body into mashed entrails that land right into the floor between them.
"Wait," Yeonjun repeats, softer this time. He licks his lips once, eyes never straying from Beomgyu, then: "I'll take the chocolates. It's such a sweet gesture."
Dumbfounded, Beomgyu extends the box again, watching as Yeonjun takes it from him after realising the grasp on his wirst and looks at it as though it held all secrets of the universe.
Behind him, one of the guys scoffs again, and Beomgyu looks at him for just a second—enough to grasp sufficient details for Soobin to draw a portrait to hang on his 'Mortal Enemies' list—before feeling his own set of eyes burn with tears. Tears of pain, humiliation and imminent heartbreak.
"Will you two shut it down, for fuck's sake?" Yeonjun snaps, voice totally void of the softness he had used to talk to Beomgyu. "You're not helping. Just give me my bag and leave, I'll catch you in a few."
Beomgyu listens as fabric shuffles against fabric and then as two pairs of footsteps walk further away into the hallway, leaving him alone with Yeonjun, totally exposed and vulnerable, but at least without someone laughing at his face.
"Please don't mind them," Yeonjun tells him, tone impossibly gentle. "They're just teasing."
It is Beomgyu who scoffs this time, unable to stop himself.
"It's fine. This was stupid anyways," he mutters, mostly to himself. Then, louder: "I really am sorry I bothered you. It wasn't my intention to–"
"Hey, hey, you're not bothering me," Yeonjun jumps in, leaning down a little bit to search for Beomgyu's gaze. He smiles when they make eye contact, and it feels like warm reassurance. "I appreciate the chocolates. I really do. It's just–"
Beomgyu tils his head to the side, looking curiously at the slight blush on Yeonjun's cheeks. Of course he looks even prettier with pinkish cheeks.
"It's just...?"
Yeonjun scratches the back of his neck, fiddling his the end of his hair. "Well, the reason my friends were laughing is– I don't–" He sighs, "I'll just show you."
Carefully placing Beomgyu's box under his armpit, he reaches for his own purse and looks inside for a second, closing his fingers around something without taking it out. He looks at Beomgyu for a moment, something close to fear dancing in his eyes, before his resolve builds and takes out a box very similar to what Beomgyu had given him.
Yeonjun offers it to a stunned Beomgyu and says, "I kind of had the same idea today. I didn't make these, though. Wish I had the idea before I bought them, but to be fair– I'm not that good at cooking, so I guess they'll taste better this way."
Beomgyu, who was barely able to make sense of the words, looks at the box with wide, unblinking eyes, looking from the chocolates to Yeonjun's hopeful face so fast it makes him dizzy, before reaching out to take it with trembling hands.
"What–?" He clears his throat, "What does this mean? Why are you giving me this?"
"Same reason as you," Yeonjun replies sheepishly, his smile shaking a bit when Beomgyu gapes at him, "I–I've seen you around sometimes. I've been watching you for a while and I think you're really interesting. And really beautiful, too." Beomgyu blushes at that. "I kinda have a crush on you too."
Beomgyu stays silent for hours—at least it feels like hours—trying to make sense of everything.
Choi Yeonjun notices him? Finds him interesting? Beautiful?! Brought chocolates for him? Has a crush on him?
Choi Yeonjun, the most perfect human being, has a crush on library-rat Choi Beomgyu?
"Woah," he says, voice barely above a whisper, "You're not joking, are you? This isn't a prank, a hidden camera video?"
Yeonjun chuckles—actually chuckles—at him, the sound so perfect and full of harmony.
And Beomgyu thinks he might be impossibly even more in love.
"It's totally real," Yeonjun affirms, "No pranks, no jokes. I'm totally serious about taking you on a date."
Beomgyu chokes on his own spit.
But, of course (and luckily for Soobin), he ends up going to a date with Choi Yeonjun.