Chapter Text
Soobin was perplexed.
Growing up, Soobin always got along with people. Effortlessly. He had a certain charm most couldn't ignore—whether it was his soft-spoken demeanor or the gentle confidence he carried. And, of course, there was the matter of his looks. And the matter of his rather generous bank balance, courtesy of his father.
People came to him. That was just how it worked.
Soobin didn't mind. He never needed to chase anyone, never had to try. Relationships, friends, even flings—they all naturally floated his way.
Which is why, today... Soobin was perplexed. Because suddenly, he was asking himself a question he hadn't asked since he was a child:
How exactly does one make friends again?
He sat in the back of the classroom, chin resting in his palm, a slight frown tugging at the corners of his mouth. His gaze was locked on a particular seat near the window.
A petite boy sat there, sunlight pooling around him like it had a personal fondness for his hair. The wind drifted in from the open window beside him, ruffling the strands softly every now and then.
That was all Soobin could see from where he sat—the back of the boy's head. And yet, it was enough. More than enough. There was something about the quiet curve of his shoulders, the delicate angle of his neck, that stirred something in Soobin's chest.
Curiosity? Longing? A thrill he couldn't name?
He sighed, lips parting for just a moment before pressing into a line.
Something had to give.
Before he could talk himself out of it again, Soobin stood up. His steps were slow but certain, each one echoing in his ears like a countdown.
'It's not like anyone's here to see,' he reasoned silently, glancing around the empty classroom. 'It's just me and him.'
That should have been comforting, but it wasn't. If anything, it made his heart race faster.
Despite his usual calm exterior, Soobin wasn't used to this. This fluttering sense of urgency. This ache to know someone he hadn't even spoken to yet. It was ridiculous.
And yet, there he was, approaching the boy like he was drawn forward by invisible strings.
When he finally reached him, Soobin stopped.
Up close, the boy's features were even softer than he imagined. Pale lashes casting shadows under deep eyes. A nose that dipped gently toward a subtle curve of lips. It was too much. It was too unfair.
Soobin hesitated. For a moment, he forgot why he was even standing there.
And then—those eyes looked up. Slowly, they met his own.
Everything fell silent.
Soobin felt like he couldn't breathe. This was it. The moment he had dreamed of so many times—sometimes vague, sometimes vivid—but always ending the same: him walking away before a single word could be spoken.
But this time...
He didn't move. Didn't back away.
Something inside him snapped.
Not violently. Just—a soft break. Like the gentle shatter of glass under pressure. All his doubt, his careful restraint, his pride—it just spilled out of him.
Soobin leaned down, slow and deliberate.
And then, without a single word...
He kissed Beomgyu.
A brief, breathless press of lips. A confession made in silence. It was perfect— No eyes watching. No time rushing them. Just sunlight, and dust, and them.
But most importantly— This was not real. None of it was.
Soobin was dreaming.
Curled under his covers, legs tangled in a mess of blankets, Soobin was fast asleep. His brows furrowed ever so slightly, chest rising and falling in quiet rhythm.
And yet the dream lingered, vivid and unreal.
In the haze of that dream, he pulled away— Panicked. Even if it was just a dream, What did I just do?
He braced himself for the usual ending—Beomgyu staring back at him, blank and unreadable. Maybe fading like mist before he could speak.
But this time was different.
Beomgyu didn't vanish.
Instead, he looked amused.
No—more than amused. He looked like he'd been waiting.
A grin crept across his face, eyes crinkling in a way Soobin had never imagined before. There was something teasing in his voice as he tilted his head slightly and said, with visible mockery,
"So you grew a spine while asleep, Dreamer boy?"
Soobin's eyes widened.
The dream had never talked back before.