Save me.. ||MINSUNG HIGH SCHOOL AU

The start of it all

Minho was always the top student at Seonghwa High. His grades were immaculate, his teachers loved him, and his peers both admired and envied him. He didn't care much for popularity or praise, though. Minho was driven by one thing: being the best. For as long as he could remember, he'd always been at the top, always one step ahead of everyone else—until Han Jisung  transferred in.

Jisung was like a whirlwind that blew through the school on his first day. He had a sharp, bright energy that drew people to him effortlessly. Where Minho was meticulous, quiet, and calculated, Jisung was loud, spontaneous, and quick on his feet. Within a month, Jisung had already made a name for himself—class clown, musical genius, and, most annoyingly to Minho, the only person who had ever tied with him on an exam.

It started small, with a shared top score in physics class. Minho had breezed through the test, but when the teacher announced that another student had gotten the same score, his blood boiled. He glanced over to see Jisung, smirking like it was no big deal, casually twirling his pen in his fingers. Minho's competitive instincts flared. From that day forward, the quiet satisfaction of being the best had been replaced with something new, something he didn't like to admit.

It was a rivalry.

"Hey, Minho Jisung said, catching up to him after class one day. He had that annoying grin plastered on his face. "Heard you tied with me in chemistry too. Must be tough, huh?"

Minho didn't stop walking, his eyes fixed ahead. "Not really. It just means I need to work harder.

Jisung laughed, the sound light and carefree. "Good. Maybe it'll finally make you break a sweat."

Minho stopped in his tracks, turning to glare at him. "You think you're so smart, don't you?"

Jisung raised an eyebrow, his smile never faltering. "I don't have to think about it, do I? The scores speak for themselves."

That was the start of what the rest of the school began calling the "Minsung Rivalry." It was like an unspoken war, and everyone watched with bated breath to see who would come out on top. In every subject, Minho and Jisung were neck and neck. English, history, even P.E. (where Jisung would sometimes throw a cocky wink in Minho's direction after beating him in a sprint).

Minho hated him. Or at least, that's what he told himself. He hated Jisung's attitude, his ease with people, the way he could make everyone around him laugh with just a few words. But most of all, he hated how Jisung always acted like none of this mattered—as if it was all just a game.

But Minho knew it wasn't a game. He'd worked hard to be at the top, and he wasn't about to let someone like Jisung—who barely even seemed to try—take that from him.

One afternoon, Minho was sitting in the library, pouring over his calculus homework, when Jisung plopped down across from him, sliding into the chair with the kind of casual ease that made Minho want to scream.

"Studying again, huh?" Jisung said, leaning back in his chair. "You know, there's more to life than just numbers."

"And yet, you're still here," Minho muttered, not bothering to look up.

"Yeah, well," Jisung shrugged, his tone light, "maybe I wanted to see if you were struggling. It's nice to know even the mighty Minho has limits."

Minho's eyes flicked up, narrowing at the other boy. "If you're just here to gloat, you can leave. I don't have time for your distractions."

"Gloat?" Jisung looked mockingly offended, placing a hand on his chest. "Why would I do that? We both know I'm going to win the next test anyway."

Minho felt a surge of anger rise in his chest, but he forced it down, not wanting to give Jisung the satisfaction of a reaction. "We'll see about that."

For a moment, they just stared at each other, the tension between them thick in the air. It wasn't the first time they had exchanged words like this, but today felt different. There was something about the way Jisung was looking at him—like he wasn't just sizing him up as an opponent, but seeing through him, past the rivalry, past the competition.

Minho didn't like it. Not one bit.

Just as he was about to say something to break the silence, Jisung leaned forward, his voice quieter than usual. "You know, it doesn't have to be like this."

Minho blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "What?"

Jisung shrugged, looking a bit more serious than usual. "You. Me. We don't have to be enemies."

Minho felt his heart skip a beat at the sudden shift in tone. "What are you talking about?"

"I'm just saying," Jisung said, leaning back again, his usual playful smirk returning. "There's more to life than always trying to beat each other."

Minho scoffed, shaking his head. "Maybe for you. But some of us actually care about being the best."

Jisung didn't respond right away, his gaze lingering on Minho for a moment longer than usual. Then, he stood up, sliding his hands into his pockets. "Suit yourself, Minho. But you'll figure it out eventually."

As Jisung walked away, Minho watched him go, his mind racing. What did he mean by that?

For the first time in a long while, Minho didn't feel a sense of victory after their exchange. Instead, there was something else, something unfamiliar. A question he wasn't ready to answer yet.

And that was the problem.

Because deep down, Minho knew that no matter how hard he tried, Jisung was more than just a rival.

But admitting that? That was a battle he wasn't ready to fight. Not yet.

-----

TO BE CONTINUED