A Spring Story

II

Taeyang dreaded the morning, remembering his promise to show Youngkyun around. It's not the guy that he's worried about, it's the fact that the entire school would probably still be ogling him and Taeyang would be dragged into it and his peaceful highschool life might not be peaceful any longer. 

Still, a promise is a promise and so he steeled himself for the big ordeal ahead.

He slid the door open, expecting to be the first one in class as always but someone was already there. Youngkyun waved at him from his chair, that huge smile on his face.  

"Good morning, Taeyang!" he greeted. 

"You're early," Taeyang said as he walked towards the guy. 

"Well, you know, I was actually trying to find my way around and I figured that if I go this early, no one would really bother me," the guy replied. 

Taeyang glanced at his phone, checking the time. "Well, we have about 15 minutes more before the whole school arrives. Would you like to see some of the other places now?" 

With the limited time, Taeyang was only able to show one part of the school to Youngkyun. Surprisingly, he had a very good time. Youngkyun was easy to talk to, very down to earth and his eyes were shining brightly and full of curiosity the entire time. Taeyang was quiet and he thought his silences would feel awkward but it was the contrary - Youngkyun seemed comfortable in his silence and really, that's all Taeyang could really ask for. 

Almost half of the student population have arrived as they were walking back to their classroom. The stares and whispers were starting to make Taeyang uncomfortable that he didn't realize he had started to walk a little bit faster, unconsciously putting a distance between him and Youngkyun.

"Hey, is everything alright?" it wasn't the question that made him stop in his tracks. Youngkyun's hand was warm on his skin, his long fingers lightly gripping his wrist. 

"Taeyang...?"

Taeyang didn't know how it happened. Youngkyun was suddenly right in front of him, eyes filled with concern and that warm hand that is holding him in place felt like it was burning through his skin. 

"I-I'm fine. Let's go," he answered, gently shaking Youngkyun's grip on him and walking into the classroom. 

Taeyang plopped down on his chair and looked out the window, determined to ignore Youngkyun for the rest of the class. His heartbeat was ringing wildly in his ears and he felt warm and giddy and excited just like the first time he went to visit his grandmother's flower farm. 

**********

"Yow, Hwiyoung-ah!" 

That deep voice belongs to only one person and that person is probably his only friend in this entire school. But instead of calling him, Chani was calling the new kid. 

What is happening? Taeyang thought to himself as he turned in his seat to watch what was happening. 

Youngkyun stood up and walked towards Chani. They high-fived each other which made Taeyang a lot more confused. How did his friend know this new person?

"Taeyang-ah, let's go eat!" Chani called, waving him over. Youngkyun was also looking at him expectantly. 

Having no other choice, he followed the two towards the cafeteria, curiosity eating at him as he watched how the two interacted. 

Taeyang couldn't keep quiet any longer and as soon as they were seated, started his questioning. 

"How did you two know each other?" he blurted out. 

"Oh, didn't I tell you? We're trainees in the same company." Chani replied. "We actually spend a lot of time training together and I heard that maybe, we'll get to debut in the same group," he continued. 

Youngkyun nodded. 

"Wait, why are you calling him Hwiyoung?" Taeyang asked once more. 

"Oh, that's my stage name. The company thought of it. They said it sounded more, chic or something," Youngkyun replied. "They're asking the members to practice calling us by our stage names so it will be easier so..." 

"Okay," Taeyang answered. "Should I start calling you Hwiyoung then?" he asked suddenly unsure. 

"Please no. Just call me Youngkyun." the guy answered. 

"Oh, you know I've been asking Taeyang to audition at FNC. He can sing and he can dance he can do a lot of things," Chani said while spooning mouthfuls of food. 

Taeyang rolled his eyes. Chani kept on bringing up this audition thing and he's not really interested in it. If Chani wasn't his friend, Taeyang would have stopped talking to him months ago. 

"Yes, I heard him singing during my first day here," Youngkyun replied and then proceeded to tell Chani how he got lost and found by Taeyang. 

**********

Days and weeks passed and Youngkyun the new student became Youngkyun a regular student. He still gets the looks and the whispers from time to time but it wasn't the same during the first week. 

He didn't really expect to be friends with the new guy but that's exactly what happened. With Chani and Youngkyun being trainees in the same agency and Chani being Taeyang's friend, it's bound to happen. And really, they all get along very well. That is until the two guys start to talk about their training and sometimes practice dance moves. during those times, Taeyang always takes a step back and contents himself with watching them bicker back and forth. 

He wouldn't admit it but during those times, which are starting to get more frequent, he feels out of place.