Wonwoo was floating. He was living what he once considered a nightmare but has now become a dream. It's amazing what a few weeks can do to a person.

Not even remotely tired, he pulled his phone from off his charger and snuggled up beneath the covers.

Wonwoo
Hey

Mingyu responded almost immediately. Wonwoo hadn't been expecting that. He just kind of texted on a whim.

MG♥️
Hey. I'm surprised you texted first.

Wonwoo
I couldn't sleep.
Besides, I thought you'd be asleep by now.

MG♥️
Couldn't sleep either. What you said has been playing on repeat.

He knew exactly what the other was talking about. He contemplated playing dumb, but he knew Mingyu would somehow make him admit it again.

Wonwoo
It wasn't that big of a deal.

MG♥️
You basically said you loved me.

Wonwoo
Did not.

MG♥️
"LOVE of my life"
I think you did 🥰

What was with him and emojis? Why did such a simple image make Wonwoo's heart soar?

Wonwoo
Good night

MG♥️
No come back 🥹

Wonwoo
You should sleep

MG♥️
I would rather talk to you tho
Wanna call?

Wonwoo
It's almost 3 in the morning. We have school in a few hours

MG♥️
If I must remind you, you're the one who texted first 🧐

The phone rang in Wonwoo's hand and he nearly fell out of his bed. He released a sigh before swiping the green call button.

"You had to have known texting me would resort to this," was the first thing Mingyu said.

"I don't know. I'm starting to think texting you might have been a bad idea," Wonwoo replied. He turned on the speaker and set the phone on his pillow.

Mingyu's soft voice came from the device. "Come on, I heard midnight calls are romantic."

"You're such a weirdo."

"I heard from a little birdie that you love this weirdo."

"And? You're still missing the point."

There was the sound of Mingyu shifting and then there was nothing. "Are you still there?" Wonwoo asked.

"You did it again," was the response he got a minute later. "I'm dying here."

"Kim Mingyu--died because he couldn't handle flirting."

Wonwoo could imagine Mingyu alone in his room, face a deep shade of red. The elder felt achieved that he, a virgin in everything romantic, could have that affect on someone. Yes, he's done it before, but this time, it felt different.

"That wouldn't be a bad way to go if it was by your hands," Mingyu said.

"Wow. You sound like you want me to be a murderer."

The other laughed. "Jeon Wonwoo--wanted because he knew exactly what to say."

"Like I said: Weirdo," he yawned. Mingyu's voice was so soothing, it was making him tired.

"Hey, Wonwoo?"

"Hm?"

"Thank you, for you know, accepting me."

And thank you for loving me, Wonwoo almost said but swallowed it down. Suddenly, he wasn't feeling so great. He couldn't seem to get enough air underneath the blankets. He threw them off and sat up. "I'll see you tomorrow," he said.

"Good night," Mingyu replied.

"Good night." Then he hung up before Mingyu could notice anything wrong.

🌈

"I so totally knew it," Seokmin said as he sat down in the seat next to Wonwoo's.

For the past few days, Wonwoo managed to avoid his gossiping friends. There was no way to avoid them in club unless he skipped. He wasn't about to skip one of the only good things about school.

"Whoop-de-doo," Wonwoo said unenthusiastically. "Would you like an award?"

"Look, I promise I haven't said anything or spread any rumors since the news came out," Seokmin told him. "You're my friend, so I'm willing to respect your wishes."

Wonwoo looked at him then. "You really haven't said anything?"

"Not even to my boyfriend. We vowed that we would never say anything about our friends after the whole Mingyu kissing you in the hall thing."

"Thank you," the other said, genuinely surprised and grateful.

"I'm glad you found someone," the younger said. "I thought you were going to be alone forever."

"That was initially the plan," Wonwoo said, resisting the urge to roll his eyes at Seokmin's bluntness.

"Okay guys," Mr. Min said throwing a stack of folders on his desk. "Graduation is in less than two weeks. Winners will be revealed at the ceremony, but there has been a slight change of plans."

Wonwoo pressed the power button on his camera then placed the device on his desk as he turned his full attention to the teacher.

"Originally, there was only one prize. An internship and five hundred dollars. Now, there are two. That one prize is for second place." The teacher grabbed a piece of chalk and wrote 2nd then next to it wrote internship and $500. Above the 2nd, he wrote 1st. "The first place prize is a 2 year scholarship in America at a top arts school." He wrote 2 year scholarship, America next to 1st.

Wonwoo's excitement lasted less than 2 minutes. A 2 year scholarship. In America. The United States. Mingyu was going to be here. In South Korea. He couldn't leave Mingyu behind if he was to get over his trauma and truly love Mingyu.

"There's a trick, though," Mr. Min continued. "For both the scholarship and internship, it's either both of you in the partnership or nothing. Take for example, Seokmin and his partner, if Seokmin doesn't want the scholarship, then his  partner can't have it either."

"That's stupid," someone yelled out from the back of the classroom.

"I know it isn't the best situation, but the articles were a joint project, so the prizes are joint together as well."

More students grumbled, others didn't seem to care. Wonwoo cared. If he and Jisoo won, if Jisoo wanted to go to the U.S., then Wonwoo wasn't going to take that away from him. Besides, a long distance relationship can't be that bad, right? Plenty of long distance couples work out.

Rationalizing was just making him more stressed.

"Are we allowed to know the scores as of right now?" Seokmin asked.

"I can tell you the scores, but you are not allowed to share them outside of the classroom. If any of you do, you are disqualified from earning any of the prizes." The teacher erased what he'd written and grabbed the chalk again.

1 - Sebin and Xen

2 - Seokmin and Soonyoung

3 - Wonwoo and Jisoo

The list went on, but Wonwoo let himself feel relieved. He was in third. Sure, second would be better because of the internship, but it means that there's less likely of a chance he'll end up in first.

"But remember, there's still a couple of weeks left," the teacher added. "Anything can happen."

--------------------

a/n: a somewhat happier chapter in the aftermath of what's happened lately. be safe everyone, and remember, if you need someone to talk to, i'm here for you. love you guys 💜🫰