When lunchtime comes around, Taehyeon grips his tray tightly enough that his fingers feel numb. He can't help but peer into the dinner hall to see if Minjun is really waiting for him to sit together. Scanning the noisy room for the main character in his daydreams (and other types of dreams too if Taehyeon is to be questioned under oath) hasn't ended in success yet. Taehyeon isn't sure whether or not he wants to see Minjun waving him over.
Would it be cool to be able to say that he turned down lunch with one of the hottest guys in school? Sure! Would Taehyeon be able to tell anyone about it? Nobody beside Bada. Would Taehyeon feel bad about having to tell Minjun that he has changed his mind? Absolutely. Taehyeon is a coward. He has never had to hurt anyone's feelings before and he'd rather not start now.
The fact that Minjun isn't waiting for him is a good thing. It was just a joke or a prank, just like Bada assumed, and it is a relief not to be laughed at. The thing is, Taehyeon still feels a bit down about it. His hopes had rocketed into the stratosphere when Minjun suggested they eat together. Even now, he still keeps hoping that he will see Minjun sitting alone somewhere behind the herd of around fifteen girls migrating around the dinner hall.
"Ouch!"
"Hurry up. The line is moving," grumbles the assailant who saw fit to jab him in the ribs. He pulls a face at the person behind him before realising who it is.
Taehyeon should be glad he made it eighteen months before showing Lee Dongmin what he would look like if he was ugly. Great. Fantastic. The only upside is the fact that Taehyeon doesn't have a crush on Dongmin from class 5 anymore. It doesn't matter that he has totally shattered his handsome and beautiful image for this one person.
After shuffling forwards to close the gap in the line, the strangest thing happens: Lee Dongmin (the guy whose family apparently had to move house three times just because too many girls from all the schools in the county found out his address and set up camp outside his house) speaks to Taehyeon. Bada will never believe this.
"I almost feel lonely seeing all those girls over there instead of here," he says. He gazes wistfully out towards the dinner hall. His profile is as elegant and beautiful as ever, his straight nose and his sharp jawline in all their glory as Taehyeon glances up at him.
"Yeah," Taehyeon says. After a moment he realises that Dongmin was obviously talking about himself. His brain begins to work. "It's like the migration of humans out of Africa seeing them hopping from table to table."
Lee Dongmin laughs and his eyes crinkle only slightly, dark lashes clustering together, and his pink lips parting to show his gleaming white teeth. Taehyeon can die a happy man.
"I should be relieved, I think," Dongmin sighs. "If things stay like this, my glamorous and sophisticated university girlfriend won't feel so jealous anymore."
Taehyeon doesn't know how to respond to that. Like most people, he is sick of hearing about this alleged glamorous and sophisticated university girlfriend. He is also beginning to believe Minjeong's theory that the glamorous and sophisticated university girlfriend doesn't exist. For starters, Dongmin apparently gives a different name whenever he is asked what she is called. It seems a lot like a big, massive lie.
Taehyeon spends half a second wondering whether his determination not to be charmed by a compulsive liar would believably look like the hostile jealousy of a man whose exclusively female crushes have all fallen for Lee Dongmin. Apparently that is half a second too long because Dongmin hits his shoulder with his lunch tray.
"What are you—"
"There are girls looking. If you're going to be rude and ignore me, the very least you can do is pretend to be dazzled by all the wonderful things I'm saying."
"Those girls could be looking at me. I'm handsome too."
"I know," Dongmin says, "you're a certified hottie."
Wow. Taehyeon could die happy twice!
"I just don't think they'd be that interested in your type," Dongmin continues as though unaware of Taehyeon's ascent to nirvana. That just about puts a stop to Taehyeon getting ahead of himself.
"What is that supposed to mean?" he asks. He doesn't need to be pushed forwards again. He knows the queue is moving. Dongmin continues to follow way too closely.
"A gay boy."
Well. That just about does it. Taehyeon wishes someone would have warned him that he would be on the idiot end of two Twilight-inspired 'I know what you are' moments in one day.
"What? Who has been saying weird stuff to you like that?"
"Kim Bada," Dongmin says easily. He turns to wave at some girls before shuffling Taehyeon ahead so they can both hold out their trays for whatever the kitchen workers are going to give them.
Taehyeon is going to need to have a long conversation with Bada about the definition of a secret.
"He must have been joking," Taehyeon insists. "I like girls."
"Sure," Dongmin says. "But I'm right too. You know, after that time I made out with Bada I really wanted to do it again. He's a really good kisser. But he told me that couldn't do it again because his best friend was in love with me."
Taehyeon offers the dinner lady a pained smile as he shuffles over to the braised fish.
"How does that relate to me being… that?"
"I'm not an idiot," Dongmin says. "Nobody has ever seen Kim Bada talk to anybody at this school except for you. Are you going to tell me that he has another best friend? Anyway, we're visually in the same league. If you didn't embarrass yourself so often you could probably have been as popular as me. I don't think popularity is the problem between you and girls. I reckon you got the better end of the deal. Nobody has broken into your house to steal your dirty underwear and nobody is going to care so much that you daydream about kissing boys all day."
"Right." Taehyeon has no idea whether he is meant to be embarrassed or flattered. He decides that he will disregard all of that and be annoyed at Bada. That seems like the best option here. "I am sure you will get your usual entourage as soon as you sit down."
"Wow, you're not going to react at all?" Dongmin laughs. "I see. Well I am in a loving and committed relationship with my glamorous and sophisticated university girlfriend so I won't be able to kiss you."
"I don't want to kiss you," Taehyeon grumbles. He is so close to freedom but not close enough. "I don't like you like that."
"When you tell your best friend, make sure to go into detail around the part where I was the one to reject you, okay?"
Taehyeon is never talking to this man ever again. Taehyeon doesn't even have it within himself to repulse Dongmin at all. He is just going to ignore him until he can find Bada.
Taehyeon takes a carton of milk to complete his lunch and makes it three entire steps before a stampede of girls is moving his way. Describing the mass shifting of girls towards him as a stampede is obviously hyperbole but he is feeling incredibly threatened!
"Taehyeon! Over here!"
And then it gets much worse.
"Wow," Dongmin says from right beside Taehyeon in the path of the collective of girls. If Taehyeon had noticed Minjun in the midst of the girls, he would not still be standing here, but now he is too late and it would be weird if he runs away now. "What does Lee Minjun want with you? How does he even know your name?"
"If I try to make my escape, will you distract him for me?"
"Nope. If you try to run away I'm going to trip you and then you'll spill your lunch all over your gross, brown shirt."
"It's not a brown shirt, it's mud from outside."
"What kind of animal are you?" Dongmin asks before schooling his face into the one everyone loves and admires. "Lee Minjun, it is nice to meet you. My name is Lee Dongmin. I am a second year just like your apparently good friend Motae. How did you meet?"
"We just met today," Minjun says awkwardly. His red t-shirt is showing underneath his school shirt but that happens when someone only fastens two shirt buttons. Taehyeon doubts there will be an explanation for why he isn't wearing the majority of his uniform. This whole thing is awkward. Taehyeon doesn't know what has overcome him to stare at Minjun's body in public. Minjun picks at one of the corners of his milk carton and tries to smile. "It is nice to meet you, Dongmin. If you aren't Bada are you his—"
"No! No way. Not him. Let's go!"
As he stalks away, Taehyeon can pretend the coos of the girls attaching themselves to Dongmin drown out his very smug musings.