Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Youngjae is walking down the corridors, worried and absolutely exhausted. He had such a long day. Not especially bad, just long and stressful and so damn tiring. His very first day at the academy. They didn’t even have classes yet, they just visited a small part of this huge castle and met some of their teachers. They had a small meeting early in the afternoon, and although it hardly lasted a couple of hours, it was still enough for one of them to hate Youngjae already. He doesn’t even know why. After that, all students from all years gathered in the great dining room to eat their welcoming dinner. And it was good, the food was the best Youngjae has ever tasted, but it was so noisy and exhausting, just sitting down there drained Youngjae of all his energy. 

And now he’s here. And he’s so, so lost.

It’s not his fault. He’s sleepy and all the corridors look alike and this has to be the biggest building he’s ever seen. It’s even worse now that the sun has started setting, the sky getting dark and therefore, the corridors too. He knows where he needs to go. But how ? Hah. That’s not as easy as it seems. 

He just wishes the corridors weren’t so fucking empty, but of course all the other students went to sleep already. Who would want to do anything but sleep before their first day of real classes and after such a big dinner ? Youngjae dreams of going back to the dorms and laying down in those particularly huge and comfortable looking beds. He actually knows how to go there. But instead he’s here with no one to guide him. He already hates that teacher. So fucking much. 

It’s only exactly seven minutes after the first time he’s told himself “I don’t know where I am” that he finally, finally finds someone. He’s a blond man and that’s the only thing Youngjae can see, because he’s walking too, with slow and lazy steps and his hands in his pockets and all that Youngjae can see is his back. 

“Excuse me !” he calls, walking faster so he doesn’t lose his potential saviour. He can see the man startle a bit before he turns to him, with wide eyes and tense shoulders.

“Yeah ?” the man asks. His voice is deep and cautious, kinda intimidating. Youngjae knows he’s going to stutter before he even starts talking.

“Umh, do you… Do you by any means know where the office of the student council is ?” he questions. And the man, thank god, stares at him for just a second before he slowly nods. He nods. Finally. “Follow me,” he says, not harsh, not a demand, but not a soft advice either and then he turns around again and walks away. 

Youngjae catches up to him. “You don’t have to guide me there… I mean, you could just tell me where to go, I don’t want to bother you…” he says shyly. He really doesn’t want to bother anyone, not already. He’s only been in this school for a few hours. But the man looks up - yes, up, because he’s a little bit smaller than Youngjae, which is rare - as if he’s surprised and doesn’t understand what Youngjae is saying. And then he smiles sheepishly and takes one of his hands out of his pocket to scratch behind his ear. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, did I forget to introduce myself ?” Youngjae nods, wondering what this has to do with it. "I'm Mark Tuan, I'm part of the student council. I was actually heading there." Then he smiles. Not a wide smile, but definitely a gentle one. Youngjae likes it, Mark seems kind.

"Ah, thank you a lot then !" Youngjae smiles too. “I’m Choi Youngjae, I’m a first year, nice to meet you !” Mark just nods in answer, he doesn't look like someone who talks much. That's okay, Youngjae doesn't mind. He doesn’t, either. At least not with people he doesn’t know well. 

So they walk in silence through long corridors with huge windows and few torches, their steps echoing loud in the empty castle. Youngjae likes the vibes of it, everything is very pretty, but it’s starting to get really cold in there and he’s only wearing a thin sweater. He hopes it won’t be too long.

After a while Mark sends him a gentle smile and announces, “We’re here.” Then he opens a door at their left and walks through it. 

The room is small, bright and it’s an absolute mess, there are papers and boxes and unidentified objects everywhere, on the floor, at every corner. There’s a big desk against the back wall, a round table at their left and a few cupboards and closets that seem so full they’ll explode soon. There are also two boys, one leaning against the desk and the other, Youngjae doesn’t know what he was doing before they came in, because almost instantly he exclaims “Mark hyung !”, rushes toward him and Mark smiles wide. Youngjae watches them hug each other, standing there awkwardly on the side, not knowing what he’s supposed to do. 

“Jackson ! It’s been a while,” Mark chuckles, still smiling and the other man, Jackson apparently, nods against his chest. The third one, who hasn’t moved yet, smiles too and nods at Mark.

“Hi again hyung,” he says, and his voice is smooth and slow and his eyes are gentle when they, eventually, meet Youngjae’s. “You brought us someone ?” he questions, surprised, but his grin doesn't falter.

“Ah, yeah, that’s Youngjae. He was looking for us I think.”

“Yeah ?” The man gets up from where he was still sitting on the desk and gets closer to Youngjae, cocking his head to the side. Youngjae swallows, nervous. 

“How can we help you, Youngjae-ssi ?” he asks. Youngjae sends a quick glance to Mark, which is dumb because he hasn’t explained anything to him either, and also because he’s happily chatting with Jackson, having already forgotten all about him. 

“Umh, I… A teacher sent me here,” he mumbles.

“Why ?”

“I don’t really know actually… As a punishment, I guess ?”

At that, the three men turn to look at him as if surprised. “For real ?” Mark asks. There seems to be something really puzzling about it.

“Ah, so we have our first troublemaker of the year ?” Jackson adds with a smirk that kinda makes Youngjae turn pale. “What did you do ?” 

That’s the thing. That’s the whole thing. If only Youngjae knew. “I… I have no idea.” he admits, ducking his head down. They all look a bit perplexed, it probably has to do with the fact that, usually, people don’t get punished on the first day of the year without having done anything bad. Then why him ?

“Ah,” the taller man, whose name Youngjae still doesn’t know, makes, “I think I get it.” Youngjae looks at him again, doubtful, but he finds comfort in the soft gaze and the amused smile. “Which teacher told you to come here ?”

Youngjae watches Jackson look even more curious and Mark smirk like he understood something too. “I… Can’t remember his name yet, sorry…” he apologizes. 

“What subject does he teach, then ?” the man asks again. 

“I think… History ?” Youngjae answers, but he’s rarely felt more unsure. He can't remember every teacher he's met at that meeting... There were plenty !

The man's next grin is a bit cheeky. "Let me guess," he says, "Professor Kang ?" 

"Ah, yes !" Youngjae gasps, impressed. How did he even know that? "I think that's him, yes." Jackson makes a "Oooh" sound like suddenly everything makes sense and Mark chuckles lightly. The other man's smile widens. 

"Ah, well, congratulations !" he exclaims with too much enthusiasm. "I'm Jinyoung by the way, nice to meet you." and he offers him his hand. Youngjae shakes it very, very slowly and hesitantly.

"... Congratulations ?" he repeats, dumbfounded. 

It's Jackson who answers, with a wide smile that looks kinda cute. "Yeah, that's, like, a tradition. Professor Kang is like, the worst. He's known for being a teacher nobody likes."

"And he only ever punishes people unfairly." Mark's deep voice adds. "So, like, if you get him mad, then it means you're a great person. Congrats for that." 

Youngjae looks at Jinyoung again, feeling lost. Is it a joke ? But Jinyoung's smile is soft and warm and his eyes are extremely gentle. A bit amused too, as if he found Youngjae's shyness and hesitancy entertaining, but none of them are mocking him, which Youngjae is quite thankful for. "Oh, uh, thanks." he mutters dumbly, not knowing what to say. 

Jinyoung chuckles, he looks friendly when he does, and turns to Mark after having sent him one last reassuring grin. “Did you see hyung while coming here ? He said he had things to do after dinner, but it’s unlike him to be late…” Mark shrugs and shakes his head. 

“No, the corridors were empty, but he’ll be there soon I guess…” Jinyoung sighs, still smiling and he nods. Youngjae watches all of it quietly, not knowing what he’s supposed to do now that he’s here. Is he still punished even if the three men don’t seem to think he deserves to be ? Are they even the ones to decide his punishment, or do they only obey the teachers’ instructions ? What are they doing here when everyone else is getting ready to sleep anyway ? 

Jinyoung turns to him again. “Don’t worry,” he says softly. “We’ll just wait for hyung for a while and see what he’ll decide. Now,” he sits down on a chair, facing the backrest and crosses his arms over it, “Tell us a bit more about yourself.”

All three of them wear friendly smiles, and although Youngjae knows not to judge a book on its cover, they seem great enough for him to accept answering a few questions while they wait. Which doesn’t last, actually, because only a few minutes later the door suddenly opens again. Mark and Youngjae startle as a man, tall and fast, barges into the room. 

“Hey, sorry I’m late, I was- Oh, hey Jackson, I’m honoured to see you’re finally granting us your presence.” he says and it looks weirdly mechanical how he immediately goes to Jinyoung, giving him a short hug. 

“Hyung !” Jackson whines. He’s loud, Youngjae notices. “I would have been there in the morning if my train didn’t get delayed and you know that !” He’s complaining, but he still gets up from the chair he was sitting on to greet the newcomer with another hug. 

“Whatever, whatever.” the man rolls his eyes. “It’s not like we missed you anyway.” He says that, but Youngjae notes how he hugs back quite tight and how his lips very subtly stretch into something that looks like a grin. He wonders what it means. Do they dislike each other ? Or are they just playing ?

“Of course you missed me, you love me a lot,” Jackson answers with an audible smile, rubbing his cheek against the taller man’s shoulder, who is already trying to break the hug and step away. Youngjae thinks it’s a funny sight. 

“I’d like you better if you released me.” the other states flatly, trying to push him away, only making him cling even harder. 

But Jackson does free him when Jinyoung steps in and tugs at his sleeve to pull him away. “Hyung,” he says, and the man looks down at him with curious eyes. “Mark hyung brought us a troublemaker.” Then he looks at Youngjae and all the others follow his gaze and suddenly all eyes are on him. Which is awkward. And that’s only because Youngjae doesn’t allow himself to call it horrific. 

He sits straighter, tensed, as the man looks at him with sharp, but curious eyes. “...Already ?” he murmurs, then tugs Jackson away to walk up to him. He’s tall, and Youngjae needs to tilt his head back a bit when he gets closer. 

He’s also fucking intimidating. He looks at him with very cold and angry eyes and crosses his arms against his stomach. “What did you do ?” he questions, his voice way lower and way deeper than before, very dark and very very scary. Youngjae gulps, sending a panicked look to Jinyoung and Mark. Once again, Jinyoung saves him. 

“Hyung, he’s from professor Kang,” he chuckles as he puts a hand on the man’s shoulder, probably trying to get him to calm down. 

“Oh, really ? Congrats,” The man visibly relaxes, and he even smiles at him, and his voice is back to the soft tone he used with Jackson just seconds before. Youngjae can’t believe it. So it really wasn’t a joke ? They really… Do they really think he’s a good person just because he got punished by a bad teacher ? Is that how they judge people ? How they choose their friends ? Even this one man, who looks very serious compared to the other three ?

“Uh, thanks...” he dumbly answers, not knowing what to say. Then he remembers that he should probably introduce himself, but the other beats him to it.

“My name’s Lim Jaebeom, I’m the president of the student council. Please don’t hesitate to come to me if you ever need something.” And, to Youngjae’s absolute surprise, he bows, he actually bows to him although he’s so much taller and older and probably a lot of things better than him. Youngjae hurries to do the same, bending even lower. 

“I’m Choi Youngjae, it’s really nice to meet you Jaebeom-ssi, thanks a lot !” he declares, his brain already telling him that he made one hell of a bad first impression by not introducing himself first. He tries to tell himself that it’s okay, that it doesn’t really matter, but the thing is… Mark, Jackson and Jinyoung seem really cool, and Youngjae wouldn’t have minded getting along with them at some point. He hopes it would still be possible after having made a fool of himself like this. 

But when he looks up again he sees both Jaebeom and Jinyoung staring at him with the exact same amused and, if he’s not mistaken, kinda soft grin on both their faces. Then Jaebeom’s one turns into a smirk. “So you managed to make Kang mad during the very first day of school huh…” he asks, although it doesn’t sound like a question and he doesn’t give him enough time to answer. “You must be one hell of a good person then. Don’t worry, I’ll find you something easy to do as a punishment.”

Youngjae thinks it’s a bit dumb. “Umh…” he hesitates, “But if you know that I didn’t do anything bad, wouldn’t it be more logical to let me go… without any punishment at all ?”

He asked this softly and with a quiet voice, but he shouldn’t have asked at all, because all of them stare at him again, even Jackson and Mark who were actively talking about what delicious food Jackson missed while he was in his train, then they all turn to look at Jaebeom, as if waiting for his approbation. Jaebeom looks surprised though, taken aback even, blinking down at him silently, in a very dumb-looking, but also… cute way. 

“Huh, no.” he declares, still looking a bit confused. “No, no, that’s a very bad idea.” Then he frowns and puts his hands on his hips. “I don’t even know you, Youngjae-ssi, and I’m already very disappointed in you !” Youngjae's eyes widen. He can’t believe he’s getting scolded over something so unfair, but Mark and Jackson giggle, and Jinyoung hides his mouth very cutely as he laughs too, so maybe it wasn’t that serious. 

"Tell me, Youngjae-ssi…" Jaebeom takes a step forward, and another one, and there's a dangerous smirk growing on his face that makes Youngjae take a step back, and again, but then he can't anymore because there's such a mess of papers and boxes everywhere on the floor that he can't get any closer to the wall. Not that it would have changed anything though, he's pretty sure Jaebeom wouldn't have hesitated to crowd him against it, given how he gets even closer and his mischievous face looms over his. "Why would we let you go that easily..." he hums as if thoughtful, smirk widening, "...When we need your help so much ?" 

He's so close, Youngjae can hear his steady breathing, and he is sure he's blushing bright red all the way to his ears. He gulps and wonders why Jinyoung hasn't said anything yet, when he's so obviously getting… threatened ? Is that what's happening ? Honestly, Youngjae is just lost. Jaebeom seemed friendly just seconds ago. "H-Help ?" he repeats, voice unsteady, and even a bit squeaky, which is fucking embarrassing. 

Jaebeom smiles. A bright, amused smile and he even softly chuckles. Then, just like that, he steps back. "Hyung, could you explain everything to him ? I have a bit of paperwork to do very quickly, then we'll go." he says as he walks through the small room with a smile on his handsome face and he sits down at the desk. 

Youngjae is surprised that he calls anyone hyung. That's stupid really, of course he does, but Jaebeom looks so… so tall, so intimidating, so respectable, it feels weird to realize that there are students older than him, that such people exist. And that he respects them, too, when he's the president, and when he's so… so powerful. He looks powerful. But he does respect people, at least he respects Mark and Youngjae thinks that's great. It's nothing really, he doesn't know why he noted that, but it seems obvious to him that if Jaebeom wanted to be an asshole, disrespectful and snobby, he could. People would let him. And he's not. 

Mark was still chatting with Jackson though, and he pretty obviously didn't listen at all. He looks at Jaebeom, then at Jinyoung who just smiles, then he blinks at Youngjae. "Huh…" he makes, looking confused. "Huh, Jinyoung, would you mind ? I'm discussing very… important stuff with Jackson here…" 

Jinyoung covers his mouth again as he laughs, and Jaebeom, already focused on his papers, clicks his tongue. "Bad idea, hyung. You shouldn't discuss important things with Jackson, he doesn't have the brain capacity for that." He says that without looking up, so he can't see how it gets him an eye roll from both Mark and Jinyoung, although there are smiles on their faces. 

"I hate you !" Jackson exclaims in return, but he does with a lot of cheerful enthusiasm. Youngjae still can't decide if those two get along very well or very badly.

He doesn't have time to figure it out, because Jinyoung turns to him again. Youngjae thinks he flusters a bit again at the sight. Soft grin, soft sparkling eyes, soft voice. Very sweet. Very handsome. "Don't worry about them, they're just silly." he reassures. He looks happy, all of them look very happy actually. They've all been smiling non stop the whole time. "So, the first night of the year is actually one of the busiest ones." he starts explaining. "We have a lot of things to do and most of the members are settling down in their dorms, so there's just the four of us. We need to go clean the dining room, you'll come help us." 

"Clean the dining room ?" Youngjae repeats, taken back. "But… aren't there any… cleaning… staff ?" Is that really what the student council is supposed to do ? Cleaning ? That's so… boring. 

Jinyoung chuckles. "Yah, of course there are ! We won't be cleaning the plates or anything, we'll take down the decorations. You might not know that, but the student council organized the whole welcoming ceremony, so we bought everything ourselves. It's only logical that we help take it down, and we also don't want it to be thrown out. We might be able to reuse some of it. We can't just let it go to waste."

Ah, it makes sense. A lot more than before. That's also… pretty cool ? Youngjae doesn't know much about what people are supposed to do when they're student council members. But them being ready to spend their first night at school helping the staff tidying the room… It's nice. 

Jaebeom seems to think so, too. "Good, Nyoungie," he lazily says and when Youngjae glances at him, he sees him smiling at the papers he's filling, while he casually rests his cheek against his hand. He looks cool, not strict and boring like he thought a school prez would be. Jinyoung chuckles. It's such a sweet sound. 

"See that small grin of his ?" he asks Youngjae in a whisper that is still loud enough for Jaebeom to hear, which is probably intentional. "That's because he's proud of the way I phrased it. Hyung is really bad with words…" he teases. Oh, so he's a tease ? It's surprising, he's been super soft while talking to him, but now there's a bit of cute mischief in his voice. Youngjae would grin too if he didn't immediately see Jaebeom pull a face and look up from his papers with a frown, without lifting his head. He looks at Jinyoung with a sharp stare and he looks so fucking powerful like this. 

"Way less good than before, Nyoungie…" he warns, and his voice is lower again, deeper and darker. But also… There's also a weird sort of glinting in his eyes, that Youngjae can't make sense of. 

He seems to be the only one to take Jaebeom so seriously, because Jinyoung laughs. Louder than before, but still not that loud. Jinyoung seems like the quiet type, like Mark. Jaebeom clicks his tongue and looks back down at his desk. He shakes his head, but he's smiling, like he's amused, or even fond. There's fondness in his eyes. That was what the glinting meant ! 

Youngjae watches, curious, as they interact. This is way different from what he was expecting from a student council, really. Their dynamic, the four of them, they seem… really close ? And friendly ? Even to him, they're so nice and chill, although he's literally here because he's been punished… unfairly, yes, but still… should they really be so lenient ? 

"Anyway," Jinyoung states after a while, "We should go now, the sooner we start, the sooner we can go to sleep, right ? You'll join us, hyung ?" He turns to Jaebeom, who nods, looking more focused now as he keeps writing and turning pages. The sound it makes is soothing, even more so since the room smells a bit like a library, that weird mix of old paper and wood and dust. Youngjae likes it, he likes the vibes of the whole academy. It makes him wonder how it will feel to walk down long, empty corridors now that the night has completely fallen. Must be pretty spooky. Seems fun.

Jackson and Mark are already out of the room and Jinyoung signals him over with a tilt of his head and an inviting smile. Youngjae shouldn't, he doesn't know why he does, but he hesitates, sending a last glance to Jaebeom before he follows Jinyoung. At least for a second. He's barely gone through the door that he hears the clicking sound of a pen against the wood of a desk and Jaebeom's soft but deep voice echoing in the room. "Actually, Youngjae-ssi." he says and Youngjae turns around quickly, startled and a tiny bit apprehensive. Jaebeom's lips stretch into something that looks like a weird mix between a grin and a smirk, as if he can't decide if he'd rather reassure him or tease him for how strongly he reacted. "Hey, calm down, it's nothing bad." he chuckles. "I just wanted to ask you if you could just wait for a second ? There's something I need to do before you go there and I'm almost done with the paperwork." He raises his brows as he waits for an answer. Youngjae nods dumbly.

"Uhm, yeah, alright…" he mutters, glancing at Jinyoung for confirmation. He just nods and smiles reassuringly and pats his shoulder. Then the three of them leave. And Youngjae is left alone with a quiet Jaebeom filling forms. 

It's immediately way more awkward. Youngjae is left standing there close to the door, quietly and obediently waiting. Jaebeom doesn’t grant him another glance, already focused on his work again, so it seems pretty safe to stare at him. There aren't many interesting things to stare at anyway. Plus, Jaebeom looks quite cool when he’s focused. His eyes get a bit darker, his lips half opened and sometimes Youngjae can see his tongue pushing against his bottom teeth like he’s annoyed at something. He doesn’t know what kind of papers those are, but Jaebeom doesn’t seem delighted. Still, his breathing is slow and relaxed and his broad shoulders rise and fall with the rhythm of it. He’s very obviously in his element. Youngjae very obviously isn’t. 

He didn’t lie when he said it would be over quickly. Barely two minutes later he puts his pen down in a harsh gesture and sighs like he’s immensely relieved. Youngjae watches him stretch and run a hand through his hair, pushing it back, leaving his forehead uncovered apart from a very tiny rebel strand that slowly falls back onto his face, brushing against the bridge of his nose. Then he looks up at Youngjae, making him tense again. And he grins. 

“I’m done, sorry for making you wait.” he tilts his head and his smile turns a bit sheepish. Surprisingly he does look apologetic. Youngjae shakes his head, assuring him that it’s fine. “Right, come here for a sec then.” Youngjae does, getting closer as Jaebeom gets up and opens a closet. He searches through it for a minute, and the door prevents Youngjae from seeing what’s inside, no matter how curious he is. So he just waits. 

Jaebeom hums. "This one should be fine," he states then closes the closet. He wears a kind smile when he hands Youngjae something that looks really similar to… a jacket. A simple, dark blue jacket. Youngjae looks at it, appalled, then up at Jaebeom, and down again. 

"Wh… What ?" he croaks stupidly. Jaebeom tilts his head again and looks at him with a smile that is as soft and curious as it is amused.

"So you won't get cold," he explains. Youngjae can't believe it.

"You… You made me wait here so you could give me a jacket ?" 

"Seems like I did," Jaebeom confirms with a smirk, making it quite obvious that he finds his astonishment very amusing. Then, because Youngjae still hasn't taken it from him, he shoves the jacket against his chest. No, he doesn't shove it, he's actually quite careful and gentle, his movement soft and with no pressure at all. Youngjae still takes a tiny step back. It only makes Jaebeom smile wider, his glinting eyes again. "C'mon, put this on. It gets really cold in the corridors at night, wouldn't want you to fall sick for your first day of classes." 

Youngjae stares for a second before he slowly nods. He unfolds the jacket cautiously, feeling awkward when Jaebeom just keeps gazing at him. He slips his arms through the sleeves and lets the cloth rest on his shoulders. It's quite warm, quite heavy as well. Oh, and also, pretty big. "It doesn't fit me…" he mumbles, looking at the way the sleeves almost cover his entire hand. 

"Yeah well, sorry, it's my size. I don't keep all sizes of clothes in here just in case a small troublemaker like you forgets to bring a jacket." His voice is stern, and he just called him small, which is quite unfair since both Jackson and Mark are shorter than him, but… Somehow it doesn't feel insulting. It's obvious, by the teasing expression he wears, that he's only being playful.

Also, Youngjae discovers a new piece of information and he can't help the way his heart misses a beat. "Wait, so it's yours ?" 

Jaebeom, being currently putting on a jacket on his own shoulders, glances at him curiously. Then he smiles. "Well, yeah." he states. Like it's obvious. Youngjae doesn't know what to do with this knowledge, so he just dusts the jacket to make sure there's no hair nor lint nor any awkward folds on it. He also whispers a tiny "Thank you…", being too flustered by the unexpected act of kindness and care to speak any louder. Jaebeom, just like the three others, is… nice. And charming. Definitely charming. 

He hears him though. "Sure," he nods. "Don't worry, it doesn't look bad on you. Oversized clothes are cool, plus they're comfortable. Would wear them all the time if I could." Then he, too, walks to the door with keys in his hands and sends him the same kind of inviting grin that Jinyoung sent him earlier, except that on him it looks a bit more playful and a bit less sweet. It's still pretty though. "Kay, we're going now. Make sure to follow me closely, this school is a damn maze. Don't get lost." 

Youngjae nods absent-mindedly, wondering how Jaebeom would look if he wore oversized clothing. Would he look cuter, the way Youngjae does when he wears his big cream sweater, that he stole from his father, on top of his sleepwear ? No, probably not. He's pretty sure that even with more casual clothes, Jaebeom would still look just cool. And tall. And broad. And powerful. How unfair.

The way to the dinner room isn't as tense as Youngjae thought it would be. It's mainly because Jaebeom is walking slightly ahead of him, one hand in his pocket and the other playing with his keys and he's humming. He's actually humming. It sounds sweet and echoes in the empty corridors and he doesn't seem to give a fuck about being heard by someone else. He's so chill. The song is great, Youngjae knows it. He wants to join but… It's dumb, but he's not sure he's allowed. Maybe Jaebeom wants him to stay quiet, so his voice doesn't disturb his own pretty one. Either way Youngjae doesn't want to risk offending him, so he keeps his mouth shut and sings the lyrics in his mind.

It takes less time than Youngjae expected, Jaebeom must know the school very well. Which makes sense, because he's probably been living here for a few years already. He tells him in a light voice, "We're here," and gestures to the huge wooden doors at the end of the corridor. They're still open. Youngjae wonders if they ever close them. It's probably too much effort, they look heavy as hell, it probably takes at least four people to move them. 

This is the same room as before, but he barely recognizes it. It's so empty. When Youngjae was here there were so many people, he felt like he was going to go deaf. Now he can see the entirety of it, and it's huge, and he didn't notice before, but now that it's the only interesting thing to see he realizes that the decorations are very pretty. Everything in shades of blue, white and silver. They sure did a good job. 

"Could you go help Jinyoung and Mark hyung with the flowers, Youngjae-ssi ?" Jaebeom asks. Youngjae nods, of course he can. Jaebeom grins and sends him off with a last gentle push against his shoulder. Well, so be it. 

He has no idea what he's supposed to do with the flowers, and there are plenty of them. Jinyoung and Mark explain that the previous years, they always threw them away, but that they don't like wasting. So instead they bought a compost bin for the school gardener, and they're going to bring all the flowers to him the day after. They say that it's a great thing that dead plants can help new ones grow better. They also mention that they had to make sure the flowers weren't sprayed with pesticides beforehand, because they don't want any weird products in their soil. Youngjae is quite impressed. They really thought of everything. He also likes this mentality a lot. 

So he spends a while helping the two boys pick up all the flowers and putting them in cardboard boxes. Then he's dragged from one corner of the room to the other, helping them take off the tablecloth, storing the candles away after they've cooled off, and every other activity that he hasn't thought about. All the while he glances at them from time to time, watching how they look so used to it, and to each other, working together like the perfect team. 

He wonders, as he's busy carefully rolling posters so they don't get damaged, if there's a rule about being amazingly handsome to be allowed to join the council. Because, honestly. They are. The four of them are absolutely gorgeous. Mark and Jinyoung's faces are out of this world. So soft and pale and precious-looking. With big bright eyes and defined features, they kinda look like princes. Their smiles, their lips, their cheeks, their noses, everything about them is mesmerising. Jackson is shorter, but he's very muscular, his body and face look like they've been carved and painted by a god, it's noticeable even under his brown leather jacket. But he's got soft eyes that make his whole face look warmer. The golden hue of his skin also helps. 

Jaebeom's beauty is a bit different. While the others are all in shades of cream, chocolate and caramel, Jaebeom's hair and eyes are black, and he wears black pants, black shoes, and a black sleeveless sweater on top of a light greyish blue shirt and a dark grey woolen tie. His colours, just like his overall looks, are colder, darker. He's also taller, leaner. Sharper. It doesn't make him any less beautiful though. He's incredibly good-looking and charming and, dare he say… hot. Youngjae can't decide which one of them is the most handsome one. He sure likes all of their smiles. They are so… perfect. Is that how they choose their members ?

Probably not, for when Youngjae is helping Mark take off a very, very long and heavy banner from the wall, he hears a sudden voice behind him. "Hey there, troublemaker, having fun ?" Youngjae gets so surprised, he startles and jumps and the ladder on which he is sways a little. His gasp is probably loud enough to be heard by Jackson at the other side of the room. And he holds tight onto the banner as if it was more important than his own life. 

When he cautiously turns around, he expects a mocking Jaebeom. Instead he gets a worried one. Eyes wide, lips opened, right hand already on the ladder to stabilize it and his other one seems ready to reach out if needed. "Oh, god… sorry I didn't… Are you okay ?" he stutters. Youngjae ignores his shaky legs and pounding heart and nods slowly. 

"You scared me…" he complains. 

Jaebeom blinks at him a few seconds more. He really does look worried and also super sorry. And then, and that was what Youngjae actually expected, he smiles. And he laughs, throwing his head back and his black hair flies around. "I'm so sorry," he says, and surprisingly despite the laughter Youngjae knows he means it. "Here, come down for a sec." He holds the ladder still as Youngjae obeys, taking the last pin off of the banner and bringing it to the floor with him. 

"Do you need something ?" he asks when he's back on the floor. Jaebeom grins and shakes his head. He looks a bit relieved, like he expected Youngjae to be mad at him. Where did he get that idea ?

"Are you having fun ?" he asks again. It would be impolite to answer no, and actually he found out that he doesn't really mind being here instead of being nervous and alone in his bed, trying and failing to fall asleep. So it's not a lie when he nods again. 

"Would almost make you want to join, huh ?" Jaebeom smirks and stuffs his hands in his pockets, casually leaning against the wall. It's like he wants to look cool this time and it makes him a bit less cool than usual. Also. The words. Is he serious ?

"Are you really…" he mumbles in answer, flabbergasted. Jaebeom snickers and raises a brow. 

"Youngjae-ssi… Would you wanna join ?"

"Are you really so desperate for new members that you ask every student that the teachers send you ?" Youngjae retorts, he probably sounds a bit rude, but, well. He's shocked. 

Thankfully Jaebeom doesn't seem offended. At least he doesn't lose his smile. "Oh, Youngjae, Youngjae…" he sighs, shaking his head. "You have no idea." 

Youngjae can't help. The way Jaebeom said his name leaves him a bit flustered and it's also a bit funny. He bites his bottom lip and looks away so he won't laugh right at Jaebeom's face, but a very light giggle still makes its way out of his throat. He glanced back at Jaebeom to check if it was okay, and… he looks even happier than before. 

"Think about it, alright ?" He smiles and pats Youngjae's shoulder. "Weigh the pros and cons, but especially the pros. Keep on the good work, Youngjae-ssi." And then he gives one last grin and  casually walks away. Youngjae is quite glad, because had he stayed there and kept looking at him, he would have seen him flushing. He would have definitely noticed, how warm and red his skin becomes and how he looks down and chews on his lip, flustered and… surprised. Did Jaebeom… The school prez… Did he really… Invite him to join the council ? Him ? A first year who hasn't done anything yet except getting yelled at by a bad teacher ? He doesn't think he deserves that, but. He's quite flattered. 

He tries to hide his red cheeks when he folds the banner with Mark, thinking about Jaebeom's words and all the boys' kindness. He shouldn't… should he ? He can't join the council if he's got nothing to offer. There are probably a lot of people in this school who could help better. It would be selfish to accept.

But does he want to ? The four of them are so cool. And while he keeps being bossed around and the room empties little by little, Youngjae finds himself smiling more and more. And he allows himself to smile wider because it seems to make the others happy too. The mood is so great, honestly Youngjae doesn't regret getting yelled at earlier, it was definitely worth it. He didn't expect anyone to be so nice to him without even knowing him in the first place. Plus, Youngjae usually struggles to open up to people so soon after meeting them. What can he say, he's a bit shy. 

Time flies by, though, and soon enough Youngjae wonders if he'll be able to get any sleep at all. They're almost done luckily, all the decorations stored away in cardboard boxes. It looks cleaner like this, Youngjae is glad he'll get to study in such a beautiful academia for a few years. He likes it. 

Eventually Jaebeom calls for all of them and they gather close to the doors, where all the boxes are piled up. "Alright, we're done !" he exclaims with a wide relieved smile and claps his hands together. "We just gotta carry them up to the council room now !" At that, Jackson and Jinyoung groan. Youngjae understands. They're exhausted already and this seems pretty straining. He pulls a face, too, hoping it won't get noticed but… Jinyoung has his eyes on him. 

"I think we should let Youngjae-ssi go now," he tells Jaebeom after having sent a really really cute teasing grin to Youngjae. "He gotta get ready for tomorrow's classes." Jaebeom looks his way curiously and Youngjae straightens his back and tries his hardest not to look too tired. He doesn't want to look like he's lazy or slacking off. He's here because he was punished after all. He shouldn't complain. 

Ah, but he forgot about the part where all of them were angels. "Right !" Jackson exclaims. "I think we've kept him for too long already, he helped a lot !" Mark nods and all of them, Youngjae included, look up at Jaebeom pleadingly. Jaebeom just huffs a laugh and rolls his eyes. 

"Yeah, okay, no need to look at me like this. You're free to go, Youngjae-ssi. Thanks a lot for your help." he grins and then he bows a little, surprising Youngjae once more, before he straightens up and tells the others to get back to work. Jackson complains a lot. Jaebeom complains about Jackson complaining.

"I think he'll need help to find his way to the dorms," Mark very thankfully states, already carrying two boxes in his surprisingly muscular arms. And, hell yes Youngjae is going to need help. He doesn't have a single idea of where to go. 

"Oh, sorry we didn't think about that !" Jinyoung, he pouts, he actually pouts, how can he be so cute ? "I'll go with you then." And then, to Jaebeom, "Is it okay hyung ? I'll be right back." 

Jaebeom shrugs and nods like it's not a big deal. "Sure, sure," he confirms, and Youngjae won't admit it but he feels very relieved. And then, again, for the hundredth time of the night it seems, Jaebeom's eyes find his and he grins. He's got pretty lips, Youngjae notices (not for the first time of the night.) "Have a good night Youngjae-ssi. Please think a lot about what I asked you earlier, yeah ? Remember, focus on the pros." And he winks, he fucking winks before he leaves the room as if nothing happened at all. He winked, after talking with such a soft voice that for some reason made him sound really fond and friendly as if they had know each other for months and Jaebeom had a soft spot for him (all of them have talked that way to him at least once during the night, he really doesn't understand why). And then he had the nerves to wink and turn away as if it didn't leave Youngjae flushing all the way to his ears. How dare he.

"Did hyung give you the 'join the council' speech already ?" Jinyoung asks as they walk side by side, their synchronised steps echoing loud in the empty corridors. Youngjae nods, then hesitates.

"Not really a speech, he just told me to think about it ?" Youngjae mindlessly plays with the collar of his sweater. "Does he do that to anybody ? I mean, does he really, like… Ask random people to join without even knowing them ?"

Jinyoung's smile is so soft, so tender, it makes Youngjae blush again, although more lightly this time. The way they look at him and talk to him, it almost seems like they find him cute. But that can't be. Why would they ? They don't even know him. "If he thinks that they can be good for the council then yeah, he asks." Jinyoung answers with a shrug. 

"But… But how could I be good, I mean… I… Don't really have what it takes ?" Youngjae very, very hesitantly asks and keeps his eyes on the floor so he doesn't see Jinyoung's next surprised glance. 

"... What does it take ?" he retorts, as if Youngjae would know the answer, he doesn't ! He should be asking that ! 

"I-I don't know ! Something special I guess ? Something that could make me useful ? I have nothing to offer really and-" 

Jinyoung stops dead in his tracks and this time the way he looks at him isn't that soft. It's even a bit sharp. Shit, did he fuck up ? Did he say something bad ? "Youngjae-ssi…" Oh, but his voice is so, so soft, even more than before, barely louder than a whisper and so are his fingers when they brush along his arm. Youngjae stops walking, too, and looks at him with wide eyes. 

“I…” Youngjae starts, but he trails off, biting down on his tongue. He’s focusing on not getting too obviously flustered. Which is quite the struggle, really.

“Youngjae-ssi, you do have something special. I don’t know you enough to tell you what exactly, but I’m sure you do.” His eyes become a bit sad, and Youngjae curses himself. He didn’t want that, Jinyoung’s smile is so pretty and adorable, he didn’t want to make it disappear. “Please don’t talk down to yourself like this…” 

Youngjae adverts his eyes and distractly scratches his cheek, embarrassed. “Sorry…” he mumbles. “I’m just… Not sure why… Jaebeom-ssi… Or any of you…” he stutters too much, god, it’s so ridiculous, he feels like running away and hiding under a blanket for a few days. He’s so bad at meeting new people.

“Why what, Youngjae-ssi ?” Jinyoung asks again with his sweet voice and equally sweet eyes.

“Why… You… I mean you were so… Kind ?” 

“Because you were, too. Why would we be mean to you ?”

Youngjae doesn’t know. Jinyoung kinda has a point, neither of them look like people who would enjoy being mean for no reason. Still though… 

Whatever. Whatever anyway, who cares why they’re kind, it doesn’t matter, they are and Youngjae should just be happy about it instead of freaking out like this. God, he doesn’t learn, does he ? “Sorry.” he says more firmly this time. “You’re right. Thank you.” 

Jinyoung eyes him, surprised, blinks once, twice, then chuckles. “Okay.” he nods, grinning so wide his eyes start crinkling. “Great. Let’s go now, it’s getting late.” And he pushes Youngjae forward gently with a hand against his back. 

They make small talk on the way there and it’s great, Jinyoung is great, a good person to be with, he says wise stuff but he also cracks sassy jokes from time to time. Youngjae fails to spot the sarcasm the first two times, but then… he guesses this is just Jinyoung’s sense of humour. Who would have known that he'd be so cheeky ?

When Youngjae has arrived safe and sound in the dorms and Jinyoung has left after wishing him a good night, he realizes that he hasn’t given Jaebeom’s jacket back. It was so comfortable, both because of the garment itself and the smell, that is, honestly, quite a delight. He ended up completely forgetting about it. It was like it belonged to Youngjae, like he had always worn it on his shoulders. Jaebeom was right, oversized clothes are cool.

Ahh, how bad this is, it means that Youngjae will need to go back to the council office to give it back… And he’ll need to meet them again… And see their smiles again… Ah, what a pity, really… 

Youngjae grins as he idly plays with a button of the jacket. This year is starting well.

Chapter Text

Cons: 

-It will be time consuming,

-It will distract him from his classes,

-He'll only meet older people. It won't help him make friends with his classmates, 

-He still doesn't really think he has anything to offer,

-Maybe he'll disappoint the guys and they'll get mad at him and never want to talk to him again.

Pros: 

-He gets to help people. He likes helping people !

-It will distract him from his classes,

-The more time he spends there, the less time he spends with his roommates,

-He gets to see the boys again…

Focus on the pros. Focus on the pros, Jaebeom said. With a smile that made it so tempting. Youngjae taps his pen against the wood of his desk repeatedly and he very subtly glances at his bed. There it is, the blue jacket, still so simple and still smelling so good. Youngjae hid it all week. He doesn't really trust his two roommates, because they don't seem to be the best people he's ever met honestly, and he wants to give the jacket back the exact way it was given to him. Clean, immaculate, neatly folded and with the smell. Youngjae likes his own cologne, but Jaebeom's is on another level. He might need to ask him which one he uses. 

Today he took the jacket out of its hiding place when he was sure that his roommates were gone, because he plans on returning it now. It's Friday evening, he doesn't have class the following morning and he also knows for a fact that Jaebeom is currently in the council office, because he told him he always was, whenever he's not in class, eating or sleeping. 

So it seems to be the right moment, but Youngjae still can't decide. Focus on the pros, he said. Youngjae really wants to. If it was all up to him he would have come back right the day after. Wait, it is up to him actually. Still, he keeps doubting.

He tells himself that this is fine, that he doesn't need to be sure yet, as he gets up from where he was sitting at his desk to get closer to the bed. He very delicately takes the jacket in his hands, being extra careful not to damage it. He won't, he knows it, but he feels the need to take care of it extra well. Holding it like he's afraid it'll fall and break any moment, he leaves the dark room of his dorm and heads for the council room.

This time, and he's pretty proud actually, he knows how to get there. Not that he knows the castle better, no, he still gets lost all the time. But since this was planned, he made sure he would actually get there without too much difficulty. Yes, he spent a while studying a map of the school just to be sure. So what ?... 

The sun has barely started setting down this time and instead of dark and quiet corridors, he gets a beautiful golden light filtering through the huge windows and it's so pretty. Some people are walking and chatting there, paying no mind to him, but making the castle way more lively than last time. His steps and his breathing don't sound so loud now when people are murmuring all around him and birds are chirping noisily outside. 

When he gets closer to the council room door, he'll admit… His heart starts beating a little bit faster. He looks down to see the light filtering through the gap between the door and the floor. Oh, Jaebeom is so here. Just a few steps away from him. Probably sitting at his desk just like last time when he was waiting. How handsome does he look today ? Youngjae is so excited to finally see him again and find out, but also… he's still so shy. How can he face someone so… intimidating ? And sweet ? 

He rubs his own neck, mentally cheering himself on. And he only allows himself one deep breath before he raises his hand up and knocks. 

He doesn't need to wait. The answer comes right away. "Come in," Jaebeom's voice says through the door. Youngjae resists the urge to clutch the fabric in his hand because he still feels like he’ll damage it even with the most gentle touch. With his other one, he slowly opens the door. 

Just like he expected, Jaebeom is at the desk, once again filling papers. It’s like he’s back almost one entire week ago, when everything except the light was the same. Jaebeom is the same, same black hair and black eyes and black attire. And same voice, although a bit more polite and cordial than before, when he says without even looking up, “Sorry, I’m just finishing this real quick, I’ll be with you in a moment.” 

Oh, so he’s making him wait again, huh. Youngjae can’t help but grin at that. He could get used to it, waiting for Jaebeom here in silence and listening to him breathe and write. He still likes the vibes of the room. And he still likes how focused Jaebeom looks. And his lips. He wasn’t wrong back then, Jaebeom has pretty lips. His whole face is pretty of course ! But… Yep. His lips. very pretty.

When he does look up, Jaebeom already has a polite grin on his face, that completely disappears when their eyes meet. First it’s replaced by surprise, wide eyes and parted lips and short inhale, and then by another smile, that feels so much more real, more cheerful. It’s extremely flattering and Youngjae feels so very welcome. 

“Oh, Youngjae-ssi, you should have told me that it was you !” Jaebeom exclaims and he gets up, walking around the desk to get closer, although that wasn’t necessary. Youngjae answers with a timid giggle and a light bow. 

“Hi, Jaebeom-ssi,” he greets with a smile, happy to see how pleased Jaebeom is to see him again, too. He’s probably like this to quite anyone, but still… It feels warm.

“Oh, no, no need for that.” He retorts with a wave of his hand and, and, is he embarrassed ? He looks very slightly embarrassed. “Members of the council either call me hyung or Prez. You choose, but I like hyung better.”

“I can’t call you hyung if you still call me Youngjae-ssi though,” Youngjae complains. “Plus, I’m not a member !”

Jaebeom smirks, leaning back against the desk and crossing his arms on his chest. “Not yet.” he states while raising a brow. He doesn’t even give Youngjae enough time to protest. “I guess you’ll have to allow me to drop the honorific then…” he suggests. As if Youngjae would say no to that. 

“Ah, sure, yeah.” Youngjae nods. Jaebeom nods back, his smile showing how satisfied he is. It’s nothing, but the fact that Jaebeom is so honest with him, in the way he smiles and acts, it makes Youngjae feel accepted, in a school where he hasn’t befriended anyone yet. And it makes him feel like he matters. It’s good, but it’s bad too, because if Jaebeom keeps doing this, Youngjae will end up wanting to hang out with him and the other boys all the time and he doesn’t want to become clingy. They probably have a lot of better things to do than spending time with a first year. 

Still, Jaebeom shows no sign that Youngjae is bothering him right now, he just looks happy. "So, what can I do for you, Youngjae ?" he asks. And the way he says his name, fuck him. He knows what he's doing, he's doing it on purpose. It has Youngjae bite down on his tongue to stop his thoughts. Did he mention that Jaebeom's voice was very pretty too ? It's very clear, like crystal, like the transparent water of a small waterfall hidden in the forest. Very smooth and soothing. So soft for someone who looks so sharp. 

Youngjae bites harder, this is definitely not working well. "I'm here to return your jacket," he answers politely, extending the garment toward him. Jaebeom's eyes follow the movement, glancing at the blue fabric perfectly folded in Youngjae's hands, before they trail back up, looking him in the eyes once again. Youngjae watches him ponder, and then smirk slowly, like he just got a really good idea.

"I won't take it." he states firmly, arms still crossed against his stomach. He looks down at Youngjae like he's daring him to do something about it. 

"W-What ?" Youngjae stutters. Of course he'll take it, it's his. What is he even saying…

"I'm not taking it back unless you join the council." Youngjae can't. believe. it. He is so… so… ugh. 

"Oh, oh my god," Youngjae huffs, bringing his free hand up to rub at his forehead. He's not as frustrated as he makes it seem, he just really, really can't believe him. "I was going to talk about it. Afterwards !" 

Jaebeom hums, immediately his grin becomes more gentle. He keeps alternating between being so sweet and so teasing, Youngjae's not sure he can handle it. "Nothing's stopping us from talking about it now," Jaebeom murmurs, his voice slower and sweeter. He's smiling at him invitingly, he even uncrosses his arms to look less intimidating. Youngjae sighs again. 

"You're the prez, hyung," he ends up shrugging, totally expecting the chuckle and wider smile he gets in return. He totally doesn't grin back. Totally.

"I'm not sure yet," Youngjae admits. "But I'm considering it. So I was thinking… Of a trial period maybe ? Like, not being an actual member, but participating in the council's activities for a few weeks. To see what it’s like. Would that be okay ?" 

Jaebeom’s eyes shimmer with what Youngjae thinks is satisfaction. Then he extends his arm, palm up, waiting expectedly. No words needed. Youngjae gets closer, mentally saying goodbye to the jacket and its delicious smell, then he puts it gently into Jaebeom's palm. Except before he can fully release it, Jaebeom's free hand suddenly comes up to grab his wrist and press his palm back against the cloth. It wrinkles everywhere, Youngjae would pull a face and think about all of his hard work being so carelessly wasted, if Jaebeom wasn’t holding his wrist and looking at him so intensely right now. Of course he can’t actually think about anything else.

“One month.” he demands. Youngjae swallows, feeling his adam apple bob. He nods shakily.

“O-Okay ?” he stutters, tugging a bit to free his wrist. He really wants to put distance between them. It’s a bit much to take. 

Jaebeom lets him go with a pleased smile stretching his thin red lips. “Perfect,” he almost purrs. Youngjae watches as he walks to the same closet as before, putting the jacket away this time. He doesn’t need it, because today, Jaebeom is wearing a thick black turtleneck and fuck, Youngjae wishes he’d look that good in those. Because damn.

He kind of has a spring in his steps when he walks back to the desk, Youngjae notices. “Please take a seat,” he politely suggests as he himself sits down at the other side of it. He gestures to the chair and chuckles again when Youngjae raises a brow. “We still need to make it official even if you’re just a future member for now. I’ll need a name first.”

As he opens one of the drawer, probably to find the right form to fill, Youngjae hesitates between scolding him for calling him a future member although it’s no sure yet, or for how stupid his question is. “Hyung. You know my name,” he reminds him. Even if it’s quite obvious. Youngjae is confused about it. Why did he ask in the first place ?

Jaebeom very, very slowly looks up at him again, more serious, more sharp this time. “Youngjae…” he murmurs. His voice is low and dangerous, the way it was last time when he crowded him and almost threatened him. “This,” he starts and he taps the paper on the desk with the tip of his pen, “is an administrative paper. It needs to be filled according to the rules . Step. by. step. " He looks down at the chair, then up at him again like he’s appalled he even needs to explain this. “Your. name.” he insists. 

Youngjae would have been intimidated. He’d have run to the chair and hurried to tell him his name again despite how useless it is. He would have, had Jaebeom’s eyes not been glinting with so much amused mischief, even in the middle of such a stern face. Plus, he’s starting to understand a bit how Jaebeom works. He’s playful, yeah, but Youngjae is pretty sure that he never means bad. That he just wants to tease, not to scare away. That he jokes around. And Youngjae likes people who joke around, when they do it kindly.

So he allows himself to giggle, sitting down like he was asked to. He makes sure to keep his back straight and his palms flat on his knees when he answers. If it’s administrative, then… Better do it right, huh ? “My apologies, President-hyung. I’m Choi Youngjae. Do I need to spell it ?” he teases, faking innocence with a cute tilt of his head and big, expectant eyes.

“Smartass.” Jaebeom retorts with a click of his tongue. He's smiling again.

It goes back and forth for a while. Jaebeom asks, Youngjae answers, Jaebeom writes down. The mood is back to being serious, Youngjae likes how easily he can switch. Jaebeom is quite unpredictable, it makes getting to know him even more interesting. And it doesn’t make him any less of a good person to be with. Youngjae is sure he’s a very nice guy, he just needs to get used to him more. Then he’ll know how to handle Jaebeom’s quirks better. For now his heart is still struggling a bit. 

“Alright, that’s over. The rest is for me to fill. It won’t take long.” Youngjae doesn’t need any more words to understand that Jaebeom is planning on making him wait again. It’s still okay. He takes advantage of this moment to observe the mess of random objects on the desk. There’s a picture of a cat in a small frame. The colors are faded and the corner of it is ripped off, it must be quite old. Still, the cat is so cute, Youngjae can’t help but coo at it. Mentally, of course. He isn't about to make embarrassing squeaky noises when Jaebeom is working right before him.

There’s a frightening amount of elastics and paper clips in a box just next to it, it’s overflowing with it, the box is too small to contain it all. At the other side of the desk, there’s a thick pile of yellowish papers, probably what Jaebeom was working on earlier. A note is stuck on top of it. Due to Monday , it reads. Youngjae feels quite guilty for interrupting him while doing something with such a short deadline. One glance at his relaxed grin makes the feeling go away, though.

“Alright… Just sign there please,” he hands the paper to him after a while. Youngjae reads its content quickly before obeying and giving it back. He gets a nth smile in return. “All done.” Jaebeom stores the paper in a white folder. And once again he casually gets up from a chair in order to walk up to Youngjae and sit on the desk. 

“You can… You can stay in your chair if you want…” 

“I know, I just don’t like how strict it feels. I’m not trying to have power over you right now, I’m trying to get you to feel comfortable enough here to want to come back even after a month.” He looks so smug, but his words are so kind, Youngjae doesn’t know how he does that but it makes him happy nevertheless. And Jaebeom watches closely when Youngjae grins in response, one playing on his own lips as well. Like he enjoys making Youngjae smile.

“Sooo…" he starts, lazily leaning back onto his hands, "Do you have any questions ?”

“Actually, yes. Could you explain how the council works ? Jinyoung-ssi mentioned that you four were part of the administration, but that’s pretty much all I know.”

“Ah, right. So, I’m the president, Mark hyung is the vice president, Jinyoung the secretary and Jackson the treasurer. The four of us are the members with the most responsibilities, so we have to participate in and supervise every project, hence why we were the only present members last Sunday." 

"Mark hyung is vice president ? Really ?" Youngjae interrupts. He knows it's quite rude to be so shocked about it, but in his mind, Jinyoung was. It's okay though, Jaebeom just cutely tilts his head, no sign of offense on his face.

"What's so surprising about it ?"

"I- I don't know !" Youngjae panics. "I just- I just thought that if someone had to be the vice president it would be Jinyoung ? I don't know why I thought that. Sorry." He looks down in shame, he didn't want to make it seem like he had a bad opinion of Mark, it's really not the case. He likes him, even if they didn't talk much and he mostly spent his time with Jackson, he really did like him. He seems to be a really reassuring person. Quiet and intense but extra caring, you know ? Something like that. 

"No, hey, none of that. Look up." Jaebeom orders. Youngjae does, hesitantly, for once he couldn't read the tone of his voice at all and he really hopes he didn't anger him. But Jaebeom, of course, sports nothing but a reassuring smile as he lightly shakes his head. 

"I was a bit surprised at first too, actually hyung was already the vice president when I joined and he was just a third year back then. Hyung is discreet, I can see why you thought that way, but really… You'll see if you come on Monday. He's good at what he does. When people elected me the year after, I knew I wouldn't rather anyone but him at this post." 

Youngjae nods, he's sure Mark can be a really good leader too. He knows not to judge a book on its cover, but actually Mark's cover is good, he just thought, with their dynamics last time, and how Jinyoung was very quick to take care of him and make decisions… But that doesn't matter. 

“What happens on Monday ?” he inquires instead.

“We have meetings twice a week, every Monday and Thursday. On Mondays, we talk. New projects, new ideas, practical stuff, everything. If people have suggestions, we debate, we try to think of the best solutions… And on Thursdays, we vote, that way we can have half a week to think about it and make a choice. It’s that simple. Ah, and when there are projects, some members help organize it all. In that case we often have to work at night just like for the welcoming ceremony. Let me warn you though, the first month is usually pretty boring. People tend to focus on their classes at first, so there aren’t many projects to work on. Our meetings last at most an hour, but you might see me dismiss people earlier during your trial period. Just know that it isn’t always like that, we’re pretty busy the rest of the year.”

Youngjae hums, it makes sense. It’s okay though, it doesn’t matter if it’s busy or not, he just wants to know if he’ll feel comfortable joining the council, if he can really be useful, and if he’ll enjoy it. That’s the most important, it would be stupid to join on his first year if he doesn’t even like it here. 

“So,” Jaebeom gets up from where he was still sitting on his desk. “What do you say, troublemaker ? You’re in ?”

Youngjae is too content to even try to frown. “I’m not a troublemaker,” he retorts with a chuckle. “But, yeah.” 

Jaebeom smiles fondly at him the way they all did the other night. Youngjae gets that weird feeling of being found cute again. Then Jaebeom's small, cute hand lands on top of his head. “Good.” he states. Youngjae’s hair is so fluffy, when it’s pushed down it covers his whole eyes and tickles his cheeks. He’s blinded for a moment, and when the hand goes away Jaebeom is already walking back to his chair. 

"Now if you don't have any more questions, you could go back to your dorms and meet us right here at five on Monday," he suggests. Youngjae fakes a smile. He doesn't really want that. He's feeling great here as the sun slowly sets down, and he really doesn't want to go back to his roommates. Between them and Jaebeom… The choice is easy. But he won't stay there if he's only gonna end up bothering the oldest while he's trying to work.

He's about to get up when Jaebeom's voice interrupts him. "Or," he continues, taking the big pile of yellow paper in his hands, "You could get your first job as a future member and help me with that !" He beams, cheerfully showing him the papers, he looks more excited than he ever was. He's probably faking it, wanting to let him know how great it is to do some paperwork, how lucky he is that he even suggested it ! Little does he know, Youngjae doesn't need any convincing, if he can stay here then he will. The only reason why he's not answering right away is because he's stunned by Jaebeom's bright smile. His lips…

Jaebeom lowers the papers and his beam slowly turns into a more gentle smile that Youngjae knows of him, but that really isn't any less pretty. "I know you probably had a big week. You must be tired, that's fine. If you wanna go to sleep earlier, you can. I won't be mad." he affirms. But hell no. 

"Isn't that Jinyoung hyung's job, if he's the secretary ?" he asks instead of answering, gesturing at the papers in Jaebeom's hands.

"He already does lots of paperwork, trust me, but there are some that only the president can sign," Jaebeom explains and it seems that he understood that Youngjae wasn't planning on leaving, because he moves his chair to the left and pats the freed place on the desk. "C'mon, get your chair and come here, you'll fill them and I'll sign, okay ?" 

Youngjae does as he's told, a bit hesitant. "I'm not sure I know how to fill them right..."

"That's okay. I'll show you one example and I'll check every time before signing what you filled. If you really want to do it, that is." 

Jaebeom looks at him expectantly like he still thinks Youngjae is going to refuse. That's stupid, he isn't. He sits down next to Jaebeom, gives him a nod and takes one black pen from the pencil pot. He gets another smile, a warm one, Youngjae could get used to that, he wants to. And Jaebeom is so easy to make happy. That's pretty cute. 

He's also soothing, so soothing and soft when he explains how Youngjae should do it, when he points at each blank space and tells him what it's for. He's pretty quiet too, although he talks more than Mark, he never raises his voice, never speaks loudly. His voice really is so pretty, especially when he hummed last time. Now, in the quiet of the room he resorts to low murmurs and very discreet chuckles. That’s incredibly sweet. So is the way he occasionally leans in slightly, letting their shoulders brush together.

Eventually Youngjae gets the hang of it - it’s not like it’s hard anyway - and they get to work together. He understands why Jaebeom didn’t look delighted last time, it’s quite an annoying job to do. The papers are always the same and writing the same things over and again, a few hundred times, is more than tedious. But since it’s so easy, it allows them to chat while doing it and it would be super cool, it would be amazing, if Youngjae just knew how to keep his mouth shut. Instead he says stupids things, just because his stupid brain decided it was a good idea.

“So, is there a rule about-” he starts casually before he realizes what he was about to say and suddenly bits down onto his bottom lip. He scrunches his eyes shut, praying that Jaebeom didn’t hear that. But of course he did. He’s like, ten inches away from him. 

“A rule about ?” he hums, glancing up at him for a second before focusing back on his paper. Youngjae pretends he does so, too, but his eyes just zoom out and he stares at nothing.

“A-about… Being absolutely gorgeous… To be allowed to join the council.” he stutters, oh god, why did he even finish the sentence, why does he have to be so honest ? He could have just let it go…

This time Jaebeom does look up, his usually thin, cat-like eyes widened and his lips parted. “Being… What ?” 

He looks flustered. He looks flustered, that should be a success, a victory, but Youngjae is even more so, so it's more humiliating than anything else, really. “You know, because… Because the four of you, you’re all… You all look really…” He takes a shaky breath. “That’s- That’s nothing, forget it.” He finally tries to brush it off, like he should have done since the very beginning.

Jaebeom keeps silent though, so he has to risk a glance at him. He’s greeted by a sight that has his heart skip a beat. There’s a very, very shy smile resting prettily on Jaebeom’s gorgeous lips, a stark contrast to his usual confident behaviour, and his eyes are already on him, watching intently, and they’re so warm ! Youngjae stares, he should look away, but he’s hypnotized by this gaze, the intensity of it, its gentleness. He won’t look away, he can’t.

“Thank you,” Jaebeom breathes out so very softly, Youngjae’s heart flutters again at the tone of his voice. Jaebeom looks so pleased, elated, and amused too, yet so soft and timid… He’s so… Cute ?

Jaebeom stares at him a moment longer, before he quietly goes back to work, the only hint that anything happened at all being the grin still displayed on his lips. Youngjae still can’t look away, seriously, he can’t. “Y-you didn’t answer,” he points out. 

This time Jaebeom slowly puts his pen down. He looks back at him, quietly, and puts his elbow on the desk so he can let his cheek rest against his palm. “Why worry about it ?” he asks softly, “Since you meet the requirement anyway ?”

He- he didn’t. He didn’t just… No. He didn’t. It can’t be. Youngjae blushes and he blushes hard. He feels his cheeks heating up, he knows he’s getting red all over. Jaebeom just watches. He keeps staring at him, unbothered, watching him lose his composure and watching how his lips try to form an answer, but his lungs refuse to let him talk. Youngjae is getting more flustered than he ever was and Jaebeom just watches. 

“You blush easily,” he observes, his voice so casual, so calm, he almost sounds sleepy.

“You- You just indirectly called me-” he starts defending himself, but then he hesitates. What did he call him, exactly ?

“Gorgeous ? Yeah. So did you. Am I blushing ?”

Youngjae doesn’t answer. He can’t. He looks back down at his paper, biting the inside of his lip, cheeks still so hot. He wants to hide right now. It was bad enough that he complimented Jaebeom without even really meaning to, but Jaebeom returned it so casually, like it was nothing, he’s not even feeling flustered about it. Youngjae can’t. He just can’t. 

He hears a quiet sigh at his left, and he thinks that’s gonna be it, that they will both go back to writing the same words for an hour more, the mood now extremely awkward and Youngjae hates himself for that. But of course… Jaebeom wouldn’t be Jaebeom if he just let him blame himself like this. Barely a second before, Youngjae feels an arm landing on top of the backrest of his chair. It’s not even touching him, he only felt the shift of air against his neck. And Jaebeom - he’s left handed, Youngjae notices - keeps his arm there as he signs yet another paper. 

It’s nothing, he really isn’t touching him at all, but there’s meaning to this gesture. He’s comforting him. Reassuring him that he didn’t do anything bad, that they’re okay. Youngjae exhales, feeling the warmth emanating from Jaebeom’s arm, so close but untouchable. And he smiles.

They wrap it up like this. Sitting beside each other, Jaebeom’s arm on top of Youngjae’s chair, his thumb occasionally brushing against his shoulder from time to time. It’s barely there, hardly noticeable, but Youngjae is extra focused on it. 

When they’re done and he has to hand the very last sheet to him, he feels a little bit regretful. Jaebeom thanks him politely, signs it and eventually takes his arm back to order the pile of paper and store it away. 

“Do you know how to go back to the dorms ?” Jaebeom asks as he’s locking the door behind them, the corridors back to being empty and dark.

“Yeah,” Youngjae nods. Jaebeom adjusts the strap of his bag on his shoulder and turns to him again. He doesn’t look as happy as before. 

“Why ?” Youngjae asks, suspicious at the change of mood. Maybe he’s just tired.

“Ah, no, it’s okay, I was just about to suggest you accompany me to the library, I need to leave a message to the librarian, and then I could guide you back, but… If you know how to get there that’s fine, go ahead, it’s already quite late.” It is. They were in there for at least two hours and the sun has completely disappeared. He doesn’t mind though, he really isn't tired.

“I can totally accompany you to the library, hyung,” he confirms, nodding to show that he means it.

Jaebeom huffs a laugh, shaking his head, in amusement or in frustration, Youngjae can’t decide. He really does look tired. Youngjae wonders how many hours of sleep he can get each week, with the hours he spends in the council room. “You really don’t wanna go to sleep, huh ?” Jaebeom mumbles, smirking a bit. “Let’s go then.”

On the way there, Jaebeom plays with his keys the way he did back then, it must be a habit of his. This time they don’t walk in silence though. Jaebeom casually asks him, “So, how was your week ?” Youngjae considers that he probably asked that just to be polite, so he vaguely tells him what happened, the classes he had, no details. But Jaebeom asks again, always the right questions at the right moments, like he’s actually interested. It makes him wonder a lot. If Jaebeom is always that kind to people he barely knows. If yes, he truly is an amazing person. If not… Then Youngjae feels really, really flattered. He doesn’t know what he did for Jaebeom to believe he deserves his attention. But he’s very glad he did it.

They barely stop at the library, Jaebeom just unlocks the door, leaves a paper in the middle of the desk, and locks it again. When they leave, Youngjae feels as light and relaxed as he was on the way there. He notices, however, how Jaebeom looks more serious the more time passes. And he wonders why, asks himself what makes Jaebeom frown ever so slightly and look down at the floor. He would ask, had he known him better. But maybe he’s just that kind of guy who becomes really quiet and boring when they don’t have much energy left. And even though Jaebeom has been nothing but kind and lenient to him since they met, there’s still a risk of offending him by asking and he doesn’t want that. So he asks something else instead. Both because he wants to hear him talk again, and because he is actually interested. 

“So, is it also your job to punish students ? Do the teachers always send you their troublemakers ?” 

Jaebeom glances at him, lips pursed like he’s a bit taken aback by the question. “Uhm, no, and not really,” he answers slowly. “Mark and I can technically punish people, like, if we find them doing something bad and there’s no teacher around. But I mostly send them to the headmistress. I don’t think I’m qualified enough to decide who should get punished and how. As for the teachers, some of them know that most people don’t care about going to detention or things like that. They think it will both annoy them more, and help the community, if they send them to us. Others, like Kang, they’re just too lazy to decide on a good punishment. It’s a bit annoying to be honest, we’re here to help the good students, not to yell at the assholes that don’t listen to us anyway.” 

“Ah,” Youngjae answers, suddenly feeling a lot less welcome. He shouldn’t, Jaebeom wouldn’t have insisted on him joining if he hated him. But he remembers the way he looked angry at first, when Jinyoung called him a troublemaker, and how they all kept calling him that all along the night, and how even now, Jaebeom still does. So he’s one of those students. The ones they don’t like taking care of. 

“No, I…” Jaebeom suddenly stutters, and Youngjae startles and looks up when he feels fingertips brushing against his arm, but not quite touching it. “I didn’t mean that… About you. I don’t- I’m okay with you joining. Otherwise I wouldn’t have asked.” He averts his eyes, visibly hesitates, and meets his eyes again. “Actually, since we’re asking questions, I wanted to know why… I…” Youngjae lets him talk, he doesn’t pressure him, just keeps staring so Jaebeom knows he’s listening. He quickly realizes that it probably isn’t the right strategy however, because the oldest trails off, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly and stares at the floor while they keep walking.

He stops when Youngjae does, looking up curiously. “Hyung…” Youngjae chuckles. “Whatever it is that you wanna ask, do you really think it’s going to be more embarrassing than what I did ?”

At that Jaebeom does laugh. He smiles again, that’s a really good start, and shakes his head. “Nah, definitely not,” he answers teasingly. Youngjae smiles sideways, satisfied this time.

“Then go ahead.” 

Jaebeom sighs with the same fond smile as earlier. “I wanted to ask you why you wanted a trial period. Not that I think it’s not a good idea, I just wanna know what makes you so unsure about joining. You don’t have to tell me if you consider it too personal, but… Please be honest if you do answer.”

Youngjae looks down, his nails digging into the seam line of his jacket’s sleeve. That’s what he does when he gets a bit nervous, he’s already ruined several jumpers and shirts because of it. That’s also why he doesn’t like short sleeve clothes. Jackets are more sturdy, so his thumb nail catches against it and stays stuck there, somehow relieving a tiny amount of stress. That’s how he works, don’t ask questions, he himself doesn’t know why. “Jinyoung hyung told you about what I said back then, didn’t he ?” he mumbles timidly, pouting a little without even noticing it. He looks up just at the right time to see Jaebeom’s eyes shift from his lips to his eyes quickly. Huh. 

“...Yeah.” He answers, running a hand through his hair. Then he shrugs. “It’s just, y’know, he told you last time, that I’m bad with words, and I’m sure that what he told you was great…” His hand brushes down from his hair to his nape, where he rubs again. “But if you feel like you need some more convincing I could… do that. Because, Youngjae.” He gazes at him again, and his eyes are so… Deep, so meaningful, it feels like an important moment. Youngjae just stares back, not knowing what to expect. “You don’t need anything special to be part of the council. All the members, they’re normal people, like you and I.” Youngjae finds it very surprising that Jaebeom considers himself a normal person. “There are people who don’t even come to every meeting. Some only come on Thursdays, because they want to help make decisions, but don’t have time to come twice a week. Others only help with physical stuff, like, decorating a room, moving stuff… On the contrary, helping during the realization of projects isn’t necessary. You can come to the meetings and that’s it. And that’s okay.” He shoves his hands in his pants pockets again, looking at him intently. 

“What I mean is… You don’t need to worry about what you can or can’t offer. Do what you feel like doing. This is not a chore. It’s only good if you like it. And even if after a month you decide that you want to join… You can still quit whenever you want. You’ll be a member, not a prisoner. So please… Just don’t worry too much.”

He isn’t smiling. That’s rare, Jaebeom looking at him without a smile on his lips. He’s only ever met him once and yet he knows that this isn’t going to be the norm. Jaebeom smiles, grins, smirks, chuckles, and even when he’s pretending to be all dark and big and dangerous, the playful glint in his eyes gives him away. There’s none of that right now. He’s one hundred percent serious and one hundred percent intense. But that’s not scary nor intimidating. Against all odds Youngjae feels himself relaxing under this gaze. It makes him feel safe, somehow. Cared for.

“Thank you,” he murmurs lowly. He doesn’t know why, hushed words just fit the whole situation more than loud ones. “That’s very reassuring.”

“Ah, thank god,” Jaebeom huffs something that’s half a relieved laugh and half a relieved sigh. Either way, he’s very relieved. “I actually practiced that whole speech,” he confesses.

“Wait, really ?” Youngjae smiles incredulously. “Are you that bad with words ?”

“Frankly, yeah, I am. Most of the time when I have to make a speech I make it super short so Mark hyung has to do most of the talking. Anyway, yeah, let’s keep going, it’s getting really late and we shouldn’t be out of the dorms right now.”

Youngjae doesn’t believe him one bit. Not about the short speeches thing, but about him being bad at it, he doesn’t believe that. Jaebeom talked a lot back then, even if he wasn’t the one who explained everything (he did ask Mark to do it) he gave a lot of orders and it was pretty obvious already that he had amazing leadership skills. And tonight he was the one who explained everything, probably because they were alone and he didn’t have any other choice, but all of his words were pretty good. Nothing embarrassing about what he said, nothing bad, no stuttering  and barely any hesitations. He’s smooth.

But he can’t call him out on it, because in the middle of his last sentence Jaebeom had reached out to wrap his fingers around the end of Youngjae’s sleeve and he tugged . It was meant to pull him forward a bit, to get him going. But Youngjae can’t help how it makes his mouth dry out and his heartbeat fasten. There’s that thing about how Jaebeom acts around him, so friendly and teasing, yet very polite, getting so close physically but never actually, boldly touching him. That’s even more exhilarating than if he did touch him. His softness, his gentleness, the respectful distance he puts between them as if under the confident behaviour, he was actually hesitant. That’s thrilling.

Jaebeom was probably really just nervous about the speech. While they head to Youngjae’s dorm door, he’s completely back to his normal self. Playing with his keys and talking with a low voice. Youngjae feels light. What Jinyoung said back then, it was really cute… but so subjective. Whereas Jaebeom’s speech… It was practical. Down to earth. No matter what Youngjae will do he won’t mess up, because they don’t expect him to be amazing. Just himself. And that is what makes him believe that maybe, just maybe, he’ll end up joining the council in the end. If this is how Jaebeom describes it. He just might enjoy it.

Jaebeom walks him all the way to his room like it’s not a big deal, shrugging and brushing off Youngjae when he says that he doesn’t have to. Of course, Youngjae’s bluffing. He’s delighted. And when they’re just in front of the door, both whispering because they don’t want to wake Youngjae’s roommates (that would mean having to talk to them, ew), Jaebeom turns to him with a light smile. Youngjae just knows he doesn’t want the night to end yet. 

“I have one last question,” he whispers, pushing his thumb nail against the seam line of his jacket. Jaebeom nods silently. The way he’s looking at him, so soft and quiet, and the way he’s just barely taller than him, that’s so… God… Youngjae is hypnotized. “What cologne do you use ?”

Jaebeom raises a brow and chuckles so, so very lightly. The fond smile doesn’t leave his lips. “What ? Why ?” he questions.

“Y’know, your jacket. The way it smelled… I liked it.” he admits, grinning shyly. He gets, once again, that mix between a sigh and a laugh that only Jaebeom can make sound so good. This time it’s not relieved though, it’s half amused and half… Umh, something that Youngjae can’t exactly recognize, probably incredulous or something. 

“Youngjae…” Jaebeom murmurs, running a hand through his hair. “Do you do this on purpose ?”

Youngjae loses his smile, replacing it with utter confusion. “Do what ?”

“The indirect compliments, the… The innocent…” He laughs again, a bit nervously this time, brushing his hair back and once again, only a tiny strand falls back onto his face. He looks back up, expectant, visibly trying to gauge Youngjae’s reaction. When he doesn’t get more than a confused smile and a tilt of his head, he huffs another chuckle and closes his eyes like he can’t even believe it. Believe what though ?

“Oh god, okay, you don’t…” Jaebeom sighs, shaking his head. When he opens his eyes again, they’re full of mirth and warmth. He gazes at him, with that cute smile and those dark but warm orbs, all Youngjae can think about is how soft he looks. But then Jaebeom clicks his tongue. 

“I won’t tell.” he states.

“What ? Why ?” Youngjae whisper-yells, taking a step forward. Why not ?! 

“If you like my smell so much, then it gives you another reason to come back to the council room often. I won’t miss that chance.”

Youngjae looks down, flushing a little. He did it again huh, he wanted to compliment the perfume, but he ended up complimenting Jaebeom instead… And he’s taking advantage of it. “You’re mean…” he pouts, fiddling with his sleeves. Jaebeom takes a tiny step forward, too, and he speaks even more softly after that.

“I’m mean, yeah,” he admits, grinning down at him. “But I’m gorgeous and I smell good, that’s enough for me. One man can’t be perfect, you know, Youngjae ?”

This time Youngjae fully closes his eyes, bringing his two hands up to hide his face and he makes a weird muffled humming noise that has Jaebeom, once again, laughing. He’s embarrassing him on purpose, that asshole ! He’s having fun with it ! Then Youngjae has to pretend that he doesn’t like it, that’s annoying ! 

He freezes when he feels something land on his head again. This time the hand doesn’t just stay there and leave, it actually ruffles Youngjae’s hair, making it even fluffier. He stops hiding and looks up, lips parted and, yeah, of course, his eyes meet a very affectionate-looking grinning face that he kinda wants to get used to. “C’mon,” Jaebeom whispers, “It’s late and you had a long week, go to sleep. You better sleep in, if I see you out of that room before nine I’ll get angry. I’ll check, believe me.” 

“You’re tired too, hyung. You should sleep in as well.” Youngjae smiles in a way that makes him look cute, he knows it. Jaebeom sighs and looks at him fondly. 

“You gotta wake up half an hour after me. If you want me to sleep until nine, then that’s half past nine for you.” That’s a stupid rule that came out of nowhere, but it’s not like Youngjae would disagree to something like that. Plus, Jaebeom looks quite irresistible when he tries to be smug.

“That’s fine by me.”

“Perfect.” Jaebeom touches him again. There it goes. Not bold, very light. He pats his shoulder softly, like he doesn’t dare making it more obvious. “Sleep well, Youngjae,” he whispers. Just before he starts walking past him, he does it again. The wink. He winks cheekily and just like last time, Youngjae is left standing there all flustered, resorting to biting his lips so as to not make any embarrassing squeaky sounds. This time, it’s not the cat that he’s trying not to coo at. 

The thing is, Youngjae catches feelings easily and he knows it. But this time, it’s even faster than usual, way too fast. Fast enough to have made him want to get a kiss in the middle of an empty corridor after the second meeting. He knew he wouldn’t. Even if he had an effect on Jaebeom, he still wouldn’t kiss him that soon. But he can dream. It doesn’t have to be realistic, after all, what are the odds of him being Jaebeom’s type ? Jaebeom could have anyone, he heard girls talking about him between classes. A few times. Saying things like, ‘ah, he got even more handsome during the summer’ or ‘did you see the president of the student council ? He’s so hot, he could have me on my knees with just one snap of his fingers.’ Then Youngjae imagined Jaebeom watching him with that fake dark stare of his and snapping his fingers and, yep. Same. 

Point is… Youngjae is just another person who finds Jaebeom very datable, and there are very few chances that the feeling is mutual. But their small interactions, the way he treats him, it makes him happy and excited nonetheless. So he really, really doesn’t regret any of his choices from this night. 

Six days. It’s been six days since he arrived at the academy, six days since he met Jaebeom. And he already has a crush. He’s even allowing himself to be happy about it. God, he’s unbelievable.