The Heroes

Teach Me

Jooyeon settled into the passenger seat, observing the cars surrounding them. As Sunghoon joined him inside, he handed over a bottle of water. Jooyeon gratefully took a sip, feeling the cool liquid slide down his throat. Sunghoon's gaze followed the droplet that escaped, tracing its path down Jooyeon's chin and finally meeting his Adam's apple as he drank. Clearing his throat, Sunghoon started the car, and they set off on their journey.

🎤🎸

The wind tousled Jooyeon's hair as they drove through the city. He let out a sigh and reached to turn on the radio, but it blasted loudly, startling him. Sunghoon's grip on the steering wheel tightened, and they both reached for the car's volume at the same time, their hands briefly touching. Jooyeon pulled away, allowing Sunghoon to multitask and adjust the volume to a more manageable level.

"You're hands are cold," Jooyeon remarked.

"They always are," Sunghoon replied.

"I've noticed that," Jooyeon said. Sunghoon turned onto a quiet neighborhood road. "This is my block," Jooyeon said, and Sunghoon nodded in acknowledgment as the car rolled to a stop.

"I'm not drunk anymore," Jooyeon said, and Sunghoon replied with a simple "Good."

Suddenly, a feeling of déjà vu washed over Sunghoon as Jooyeon continued to talk. "Something tells me that you wanted my song to be about you," Jooyeon revealed. "But I didn't want to believe it," he confessed shyly.

Sunghoon looked intently at Jooyeon. "Why?" he asked. "Because someone like you, I just didn't think that you would like someone like me," Jooyeon explained with a hint of vulnerability in his voice.

"I've told you, many times," Sunghoon said, "you don't believe me?" he quipped. Jooyeon shrugged. "You're so perfect, reserved, beautiful. You're saying we don't clash?" Jooyeon smiled, and Sunghoon returned the smile. "I'm not perfect," he said, and Jooyeon looked at Sunghoon curiously. "Prove it," Jooyeon challenged with a smirk.

Sunghoon fell silent for a moment, then leaned over to Jooyeon, gently holding his chin. "Under the surface, I'm as messed up as anyone else," Sunghoon whispered. Jooyeon maintained eye contact, intrigued by Sunghoon's honesty.

"Do you trust me?" Jooyeon asked abruptly. Sunghoon furrowed his eyebrows, contemplating the question. "Maybe," he said cautiously.

Without another word, Jooyeon exhaled and leaned in, kissing Sunghoon. Sunghoon made a strangled noise but kissed back, his hand resting limply on Jooyeon's thigh. Jooyeon bit Sunghoon's lip, causing him to release his grip on Jooyeon's thigh in surprise and move his hand to Jooyeon's neck.

Sunghoon broke the kiss, inhaling heavily. "You bit me," he said blandly, touching his lip. Jooyeon glanced at his lip, and Sunghoon removed his finger to reveal a small smear of blood. "That wasn't very nice of you," Sunghoon remarked, and Jooyeon smiled mischievously. "Sorry, I can kiss it better," he quipped.

Sunghoon sighed and shook his head. "No," he said, "take me to your room." Jooyeon raised an eyebrow, intrigued by Sunghoon's request, and with a smirk, he led Sunghoon to his room.

🥁

Ni-ki yawned, feeling drowsy. "Tired?" Jay asked, and Ni-ki groaned, "Isn't your job done? It's 1 am," he complained. Jay smiled, "Mrs. Nishumara told me to stay until you passed your finals," Jay said. Ni-ki scoffed, "You're sleeping here too?" he said. Jay smiled, "I can if you prefer," he said, and Ni-ki quickly retorted, "Hell no, perv." Jay smirked, teasingly.

"One more question before I leave," Jay said, standing up. Ni-ki remained silent, curious about the question. "What stores the material within cells?" Jay asked. Ni-ki looked down at his lap for a moment, then he looked up, "Vacuole?" he said hesitantly. Jay smiled, "Clever boy," Jay praised, ruffling his hair, and as Jay left, he questioned to himself, "What's the obsession with calling me a clever boy?" he said, feeling a bit annoyed but secretly pleased.