CHEERLEADER, woosan

eight

with a smile full of comfort, chanhee starts, "yunho didn't tell me everything, actually... all i know of is what mrs bitchy kim said, and then how you ran out of class after. i'd like to know the entire story — only if you're comfortable with it, though."

"oh... i'm surprised yunho could keep his mouth shut, but i'm glad he did. i'd rather you hear it from me," san admits. "anyways, it all started in science class. we have a project again, and mrs kim said that she'll choose the partners this time. i was a little upset over that,  but it's nothing, really. coincidently, i was paired with, um, wooyoung, and—"

"come again?" chanhee interrupts san, just to make sure he's hearing things correctly.

"i was paired with wooyoung, which—"

chanhee gasps. "wooyoung? like, jung wooyoung? the most popular guy in the school? the one who you're always swooning over?"

"mhm," san confirms. "can i go on with my story now?"

"how are you so calm about this? isn't this something you've been fantasising about for, like, the past three years?!"

san shrugs his shoulders. "i guess. but since i forced myself not to panic when he was basically just an inch away from me, i suppose you could say i've overcome my fears," he says smugly. "okay, where was i? oh yeah, so wooyoung was my partner and god, he was so, so, so nice to me, i could've cried. and he even mentioned my poster about feminism that everyone hates me for, then he called my writing pretty, and—"

"stop," chanhee interrupts san once again, but this time because of his babbling that didn't seem as if it would ever come to an end. "you can rant about your love for jung wooyoung later. for now you need to continue on what happened, little choi."

"but hyung~" san huffs, lips forming a pout. "can't i just adore wooyoung now, and tell you all the bad stuff later?"

standing up, chanhee only has to move about three steps forward to take the space besides the younger, wrapping an arm around him. "i could never judge you, san-ah. you know that, right?"

"i know," san mutters, dropping his head onto chanhee's shoulder comfortably as a sigh leaves his lips

"whilst me and wooyoung were talking, mrs kim called for him. he faced me, and looked really, really confused about it. i was, too, since we were meant to be getting on with our projects independently. then, she told wooyoung and hakneyon — who was yunho's partner — to swap. he tried arguing with her, but she didn't let him. but wooyoung ended up fucking shouting at her... something about how he wanted to be my partner and wasn't going anywhere without a proper explanation.

"then, er... she said- well, yunho told you that part already, didn't he?" chanhee swiftly nods at san's question. "i-i don't think i can r-repeat it," the blond whispers, feeling like such a coward when he notices tears swarming his eyes once more.

"and that's okay," chanhee assures him. "but i want you to know that none of her words are true."

san sniffles, picking his head up. "they-they aren't?"

"no, little choi, they aren't. i promise you."

"h-how do you know that? what i-if she's right? what if i am someone who p-puts people in danger? and about what she said to wooyoung... he probably does need to be protected from—"

"san!" chanhee yells. "stop it! what are you saying?! do you even hear yourself right now?"

"b-but—"