COLOURS ✓

SIX

"Come on, let's find your boy." Jeongguk tugged Hoseok further into the first floor cafeteria at dinner that day. Hoseok approached an empty table, looking around the room. The boy wasn't here yet, it seemed.

"Black hair?" Jeongguk asked again.

Hoseok nodded, sitting down with his tray of food. "I don't see him."

"Maybe he's at the upper cafeteria?" Jeongguk suggested, sitting on his left. "Wanna look for him there?"

"I don't know. . . " Hoseok stopped talking, catching of sight of the boy. "He's right there!"

"Where?" Jeongguk followed Hoseok's line of vision, eyes wide. "Oh!" he said. "You're talking about Kim Taehyung!"

"You know him?" Hoseok craned his neck to watch as Taehyung sat down next to the blue haired boy that Hoseok had bumped into earlier. Taehyung was grinning, his mouth forming into a boxy smile as he laughed at what Hoseok assumed was a joke.

"Everyone knows him," said Jeongguk. "He's sort of a big deal around here. Plus, he's my Photography partner."

Hoseok tore his gaze away from Taehyung to look at Jeongguk. "Big deal? What do you mean?"

"He's the heartthrob of the school," Jeongguk answered. "Rightfully so. I think almost everyone has tried to ask him out at some point."

"Even you?"

Jeongguk blanched. "Absolutely not! He scares me! He's so intimidating!"

"Is he mean?"

"Not at all, but . . . just look at him. I can't look him in the eye."

"So. . . " Hoseok glanced again at Taehyung. "Is he dating anyone?"

Jeongguk grinned, but still answered without any teasing. "No. He's turned down everyone who's ever asked him out. Nicely, of course."

"How come? He looks like he could get anyone he wanted."

Jeongguk shrugged, digging into his food. "Well, y'know, most people here have pretty wealthy families. The entry fee wasn't cheap, yeah? I can't remember exactly, but Taehyung once said something about how his family isn't as well-off as everyone else here. He had to work, a lot, to get into this school. I don't think he wants it to go to waste. No distractions, I guess."

Speaking of distractions, Hoseok hadn't touched his food ever since Taehyung entered the room. When he finally looked down at his tray and began to eat, Jeongguk started slapping his arm repeatedly.

Annoyed, Hoseok said, "What—"

"He's coming this way!"

Hoseok's head shot up. Jeongguk was right; Taehyung and the blue haired boy were walking in their direction. Hoseok scooted closer to Jeongguk and looked down at his food again, trying not to make himself known because that would be so embarrassing, especially if Taehyung remembered his face from earlier.

Hoseok felt a tap on his shoulder. Slowly, he looked up into the face of SSOA's Official Heartthrob™.

"You forgot these," Taehyung said in his deep voice. He held out Hoseok's pens in front of him. Hoseok was at a loss for words. When Jeongguk elbowed him in the ribs, he said, "T-Thank you." He took the pens from Taehyung's hands (he was right, his hands were soft).

"Next time, please don't run away. I don't mind if you watch. Although, I haven't shown anyone that song yet, so if you could keep quiet about it, that'd be great." He moved his bangs out of his eyes and Hoseok wondered how the hell he could look that good while doing something so normal.