The 1 Rule - haobin

small things

As I walk next to Cho, I feel her smile on me. I look at her, and she immediately turns her head away, smiling. I chuckle and take her hand in mine, intertwining them. Hao told me to do that, just yesterday before I left their house

<flashback>

"You want me to walk you outside?" Cho asks

"No, it's fine. You continue studying, ok?" I say. Cho looks up at me surprised but nods. I smile curtly and leave, skipping down the wooden stairs. As I open the front door, I spot someone behind me, and I turn around to see Hao

"Hey?" I say. Hao looks up from his phone and nods at me, not bothering to say anything to me "I'm leaving," I say

"Hm," Hao hums, looking back at his phone. I watch him take a sip of a glass bottle he has in his spare hand and as he looks at me from the side of his eyes "Why are you staring?" he asks, once he finishes gulping down the water

"I'm not," I say "just wondering when you can start helping me" Hao sighs and shrugs

"Now, if you want. Not here though, Cho will hear us" Hao says in a whisper, to the point that I can barely hear what he said. I nod, feeling guilty for doing exactly what Cho didn't want me to do, and all of that behind her back. 

Hao nods as well and loudly calls out to his sister

"Cho! I'll be going out for a while!" He says. Cho hums loudly in return, and Hao signals me to head outside. I walk outside feeling even more guilty. Can I really do this? Will Cho really not find out? 

"Where do you wanna go?" I ask, once Hao places himself by my side

"Let's just go somewhere close to the school"

"Why close to the school?" I ask, puzzled

"I sometimes go there to study at the library," He says. I hum in response. I never truly understood people who go study at the library. I feel like it's way too quiet in there. Silence makes me feel horrible most of the time, and studying in silence will probably make me uncomfortable.

"Why don't we just go to the library then?" I ask. Hao nods

"Library it is then"

---

We sit across from each other. I watch Hao as he opens a book and starts to read it. Puzzled, I look at the cover of the book, and see that it has something to do with the Persian Gulf War.

"You like history?" I ask, surprised. Now that I think about it, Hao does seem like someone who would enjoy history

"Yeah. Why?" he responds, not looking up from the book as if he doesn't care about my presence

"No reason. I was just asking," I say. Does he know that I like history as well? No, he obviously doesn't. Why would he? "Cho hates history," I say. Hao nods and looks up for the first time in a while

"Well, that's a start." He says

"What?"

"I mean that at least you notice some of the things she dislikes"

"Oh," I say, nodding, unsure. I've always noticed those things. She doesn't notice even the things I like.

"Hanbin," Hao speaks out

"Hm?"

"Even if you notice those things, you need to do more. You know that right? Do smaller things, with your words, and with your actions"

"Like what?" I ask. Hao adjusts himself on his seat and closes his book

"Tomorrow, do something for me. Hold her hand, but not in a forced way."

"So, I just take her hand randomly?" I ask

"Sort of, but do it in a more... normal way? Don't make it awkward. Maybe go as far as intertwining your hands" He says, tapping a pencil onto the wooden desk of the library.

"Alright? That sounds easy"

"It does, doesn't it? What's not easy is making it in a normal way. Something that won't make it awkward at all" he says. I nod.

"Now, what you have to do after that is give her a compliment. Just a small one, nothing too much. Overwhelming her won't be too good" He says. I nod.

"Is that it?"

"Yeah. Those things are a lot more than enough for tomorrow. I'll tell you more things after" He says. I nod.

Hao opens his book again, not minding my presence and acting like I was never there in the first place. Curiosity comes over me. How come he's never dated and he has experience in these things?

"Hao?"

"Hm?"

"How come you know these things if you've never dated?"

"That doesn't mean that I don't have experience when it comes to liking someone,"  Hao says, and turns his back slightly to me, leaning against the wall on his seat, ending the conversation completely. That's my sign to leave. I stand up, taking my bag, but as I turn away, Hao coughs loudly, making me look at him. He's already looking at me.

"What?"

"Another thing. Always say thank you to the person who helps you" He says, face expressionless, once again. I chuckle under my breath.

"Right, sorry. Thank you, mister perfect" I say, letting my chuckle out. I see a small smile appear on Hao's lips, but once I spot it, in the blink of an eye, it's already gone. 

And that's when I leave.

<end of flashback>

"I like your smile" I mumble out, embarrassed. Cho looks at me and lifts an eyebrow.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah"

"Why?" she asks. I freeze, not knowing what to say. Hao never told me that I would have to explain my compliment. That motherfucker.

"I don't know. It's just really sweet" I say awkwardly. Cho lets out a laugh

"It's sweet?" She asks, between laughs. I nod hesitatingly, unsure of what to do.

"Thanks, Hanbin," she says, patting my back. I nod. He told me to not be awkward, but here I am acting like a literal statue. He was right, it's not as easy as it sounded. I don't tend to give compliments if anyone hadn't noticed. 

As Cho and I walk through a few hallways aimlessly, we pass by the classroom that I had seen Hao walk out of a few days back, exactly at this time. I glance secretly through the transparent windows, and surely, there he is. He is writing something profusely in his notebook, and his partner looking over at what he is writing. I've never seen a boy being so concentrated on something.

No wonder Cho says that he has good grades...

After all, he is mister perfect.

♡♡♡

kbjhgccvjkbljh I hate this chapter lmao

I don't really have anything other to say bc I have no life at the moment other than studying, working out, writing, and listening to music. Yes, a very boring and busy life I have atm lol. I don't even have time for my friends 😭

Hope you enjoyed this chapter though!