What Might Have Been | JiKyu

5|Apart

Jihoon had no idea the two were together alone there.

He came mindlessly rushing in without a clue. So Junkyu and Mashiho noticed him immediately when he came in.

"Uh, is Ms. Rosé here?" Jihoon asked them.

He wanted to slap himself right now because it looked like he disturbed the two who were having an intimate conversation together.

"I think she's at her office." Mashiho replied.

"Okay, thanks!" Jihoon quickly left.

He exactly went straight to their teacher's office. When he got there it was empty and no one was there. Jihoon then heard Yoshi's laughing.

"Yoshi, Ms. Rosé isn't in the theater room or at her office." Jihoon explained but Yoshi just kept laughing.

He quickly realized why but kept quiet. Jihoon was not dumb enough to be blind of what was done to him. When Yoshi was done laughing he said he was sorry. Jihoon pretended to have no idea why he laughed. He pretended he was not hurt by witnessing Junkyu and Mashiho alone together.

He had no right to be hurt because he had his chance and he didn't take it.

A Christmas party was being held again this year. Jihoon has decided he was going to give Junkyu a gift this time. Junkyu had given him one last year so he was going to return the favor. Jihoon also has done something regretful. The stuffed animal that Junkyu gave him, he actually heartlessly gave it away to someone else.

That text of Junkyu which made Jihoon mad, led him to getting rid of it. His way of showing he doesn't have feelings for Junkyu and never will. And now, he really wish he hadn't done it. It was the only piece of Junkyu he had left. The only piece that had Junkyu's love for him in it and he just gave it away to someone who didn't know the great significance it held.

Jihoon sighed. He was at the store trying to look for the perfect gift. A gift that had the perfect balance which showed only his neutral feelings of wanting to be atleast good friends again. Even though in his heart he was miserably yearning for more.

When the day of the Christmas party came, Jihoon gave the gift to Junkyu himself. It utterly surprised Junkyu so much that Jihoon was giving him a gift.

"Is this for me?" Junkyu asked, carefully holding the beautifully wrapped gift.

"Yeah, you gave me a gift last year but I didn't. So take it as me returning you a favor." Jihoon said with a smile.

Junkyu smiled at him and was about to unwrap the gift.

"You don't have to unwrap it now. You can do that when you reach home." Jihoon said a bit panicked. He didn't want their classmates see the gift and have them pester Junkyu who gave it to him.

"Okay." Junkyu chuckled and tucked away the gift Jihoon gave him.

Jihoon nodded with a smile and left to go back to the others. Unknown to him, Junkyu was smiling so wide as he held the gift he gave him.

The end of their school semester as sophomores were coming to a close and a heavy news weighed Jihoon down.

His parents decided to transfer him to a different school for his next school year.

Jihoon had wanted to argue and asked them to let him stay in his current school but they were resolute in making him transfer. He understood their reasons though, the school he was in required tuition money to be paid. They couldn't afford it anymore and Jihoon had no choice but to obey.

Another news came to him was that Junkyu was transferring to another school as well. It sadly wasn't the same school Jihoon was going to transfer into. In fact, they were going to be a distance far away from each other.

"So you're transferring schools too?" Jihoon asked Junkyu.

"Yeah, we can't afford the tuition anymore." Junkyu explained with a sad smile. "I heard you were transferring too."

"Yeah." Jihoon nodded.

"I heard it's far away from the school I'm transferring into." Junkyu said.

"It is." Jihoon confirmed. "We'll keep in touch with each other?" he asked.

"Yeah, you have my number." Junkyu showed his phone.

"You won't change it will you?" Jihoon asked with a bit of dread in his voice.

"Nope, never. But if I do, I will tell you." Junkyu assured him.

The semester was almost over. Class periods at school now became more vacant as most of the teachers have finished their lessons and are preparing for the end of the school year.

At the moment, Junkyu and Jihoon's class were spending their vacant time to themselves.

Jihoon was with Doyoung alone in an unoccupied classroom next to theirs. He has no idea where Junkyu was right now.

Doyoung and him were talking about random things about life and their conversation turned to Doyoung asking Jihoon if he really does now have feelings for Junkyu. Jihoon admitted it to him but asked that he won't say anything to Junkyu.

"You know, Junkyu actually still likes you too." Doyoung admitted.

When these words passed through Jihoon's ears he swear he felt like he had gone deaf for a second.

"What?" Jihoon muttered in disbelief.

Doyoung gave him a look saying 'Do I look like I'm joking?'

"But I thought that Junkyu and Mashiho...and Mashiho and Junkyu...." Jihoon stumbled with his words.

He was confused. He was entirely sure that the two were at the most dating by now.

"They're like dating?" Jihoon finished but it sounded more of a question that a firm statement.

Doyoung simply laughed at Jihoon like he was stupid or said something really funny. His unique laughter echoed throughout the empty classroom and he kept laughing as he talked.

"Jihoon those two are just very close friends. Just like when you and Junkyu were back in 3rd grade." Doyoung explained to him.

"But what makes you so sure Junkyu actually still likes me? Did he tell you?" Jihoon asked. He needed confirmation.

He was desperate for confirmation. He didn't want to hope but it was futile to not hope when you're young and longing for love.

"He told me he wanted to court you." Doyoung said.

"What?!" Jihoon's cheeks were dusted with a pink blush.

"He said that he was really planning on courting you this year but he didn't want a relationship to get in the way of your studies. He decided to wait when you two are like done with school. He also just wasn't sure yet if you like him too." Doyoung put out.

"He wanted to court me...?" Jihoon whispered to himself.

The blush on his cheeks were still very prominent. His heart was racing under his chest as the thought of Junkyu still liking him and even planning to date him was just like an unbelievably wondrous moment for him. Jihoon felt happy by this. It was very kind and such a romantic for Junkyu to court him first rather than ask him out directly. If this were to truly happen Jihoon will give him yes for an answer. Then he remembered something, they were moving to different schools. They will be far away from each other. They won't see each other every day like before. The reality struck him hard enough to wipe off the blush and smile on his face.

Just how cruel was fate willing to be for these two?