Jeonghan is a high school student of just eighteen, he's in a class he particularly likes because he has his friends from one and also he likes everyone, well except one. He doesn't know why, but the current is not pleasant between him and this boy, he's more electric than passable, so Joshua avoids him simply to avoid quarrels exploding between them.
At the moment, the blond is sitting in his chair, bored out of his mind, writing song lyrics on a sheet of paper that used to be white, but is now filled with black marks. Jeonghan is so engrossed in his creation that he forgets he's in English class. It's one of the longest classes I've ever taken, because the teacher is so uninspiring and dynamic.
" As a project, I propose an oral exam for two on the subject of your choice. " Says the teacher
It's only then that Jeonghan lifts his nose from his paper, looks at his classmates and thinks it's bound to be fun.
" To avoid your anger, I've decided that it's up to fate to choose your partner. " Explains the teacher.
All the students dream of either being with Hong Joshua, the little American in the class, or Seungcheol, because he's friends with Seungcheol and therefore speaks the language very well, or with Jun, because he's interested in all subjects and especially languages, so English is incredibly simple for him. The first pupil goes to the blackboard and says he's going to team up with Seungcheol. The second student says he'll do his presentation with Jun. Now it's the third person's turn to get his paper. Jeonghan looks at him out of the corner of his eye, then when he passes by he gives him a cold, contemptuous look. It's physical and definitive. He doesn't like him.
The young man arrives at the painting. Then he plunges his hand into the hat.
" Teacher, can't I pick another paper ? " Says the dark-haired man
" No."
" Jeonghan - the young man sighs - it's Yoon Jeonghan I have to do my presentation with. "
The interpellant grunts and shakes his head, rising from his chair to go to the blackboard.
" If my hand catches your paper, I accept, otherwise it's dead. " Says the boy.
And just like that, the blond plunged his hand into the hat, shuffling all the papers, and pulled one out not seconds but minutes later. What a surprise when he saw that on the paper was Joshua.
" Destiny likes to see you together, apparently," said the teacher, laughing.
The blond's only reply was a grunt, and he returned to his seat. His gaze plunges to the board with the oral rules.
" Why do I have to end up with the person I hate most on this earth ? " Jeonghan says in dismay.
- One month later -
You're not dreaming, a month has passed between the announcement of the project and today. In the early days, perhaps the first few days, the two boys hated each other, doing their project on their own, but eventually they realized that if they wanted a good grade, they'd have to communicate with each other, share ideas and make sure that everything ran smoothly.
So it was that every evening, Jeonghan crashed at Joshua's, and if during the first days of this new habit the two boys kept a distance and instead of talking face to face they sent messages to each other to communicate, finally they decided that cooperating properly was the best thing to do. So that's how they became friends, very friends. Even inseparable.
Of course, fights do happen, because both their characters are so explosive, but they never stay mad at each other because they really have this emotional need for each other. They're so tactile with each other that their friends suspect they're more than just friends. But every time they say the opposite, or simply ignore their friends' questions.
Today is the day of the oral, and they're the ones who start. If at first all goes well, the stress catches up with Joshua and he begins to lose his words. Gently Jeonghan grabs his hand and nods gently to help him continue, as if by magic the cadet calms down and carries on with the oral as if nothing had happened. In the end, they are allowed to leave the room, receiving the magnificent mark of nineteen.
" If I hadn't stressed, we'd have got twenty." Says the American
" Stop beating yourself up."
" Jeonghan if I hadn't-"
To silence his youngest, the blond moves closer to him and sticks their two torsos together, the brunette blushing completely panicked by the closeness between him and his elder. The tension between them is electric, but doesn't give off the same electricity as a month ago. This electricity is much more pleasant - it's an indescribable tension, the two are drawn to each other, as if magnetized by each other, the two boys draw even closer together, Jeonghan ends up pinning Joshua against the wall behind them. His hands joined the wall, while his lips came to meet those of his younger brother.
At first, the latter doesn't react, but in the end he knows deep down he wants his eldest more than anything, so he places his hands on his elder's back and lets him deepen the kiss.
Even though they're in the middle of the corridor and anyone can see them, the two boys don't care; they just listen to their hearts and that indescribable electricity between them.
It's the very definition that there's only one step between hate and love.
<3-------------<The end>------------<3