♡︎|31

chapter thirty-one—✧♡︎✧—

It had been three days since the hair-dye incident. Three days since Felix had giggled in his bathroom, hands buried in his hair, eyes all crinkled and bright.

And now, Hyunjin was spiraling.

Because the thing was—Felix looked really good lately.

Not that he hadn't always looked good, but now he was glowing, exuding confidence, and for some godforsaken reason, Hyunjin could not stop staring at him.

It was driving him insane.

And to make matters worse, Felix had fully embraced his newly unlocked Instagram influencer era, thanks to Jisung.

Every time Hyunjin opened his phone, there was another photo. Felix at a café. Felix in a hoodie that was definitely stolen from Hyunjin. Felix looking all soft and pretty under the afternoon sun, smiling like he had no idea he was sending Hyunjin into a full-blown existential crisis.

So now, Hyunjin was stuck in the worst mental state of his life.

And he was taking it out on Jisung.

"What do you mean you're out of Sour Patch Kids?" Hyunjin glared across the convenience store aisle, arms crossed.

Jisung, unbothered, stared at him. "First of all, I don't work here. Second, why are you acting like I just kicked your puppy?"

Seungmin, who had been spectating, sighed. "Oh my god, he's actually going insane."

Jisung snapped his fingers. "Wait. No. He's going through it."

Seungmin narrowed his eyes. "This is Felix-related, isn't it?"

Hyunjin froze.

Jisung gasped. "OH MY GOD, IT IS."

Hyunjin immediately turned away, grabbing the first snack he saw. "Shut up."

Jisung was grinning like an idiot. "No. This is great."

Seungmin smirked. "So, how long have you been staring at him like he's the Mona Lisa?"

Hyunjin physically malfunctioned. "I HAVE NOT—"

Jisung giggled. "Oh, you totally have."

Hyunjin clenched his jaw, shoving his hands into his hoodie pocket. "I'm straight."

Seungmin raised an eyebrow. "You broke up with your girlfriend and immediately started acting like a 1950s closeted gay man."

Jisung doubled over laughing.

Hyunjin desperately tried to stay composed— "I AM STRAIGHT."

Seungmin hummed, inspecting his nails. "Yeah? So if I asked you what Felix wore yesterday, you wouldn't be able to answer?"

Hyunjin opened his mouth.

Then closed it.

Seungmin smirked. "Gotcha."

Jisung collapsed onto the snack aisle, wheezing.

Hyunjin groaned, covering his face. "Ugh! I hate you guys."

Seungmin patted his shoulder. "No, you hate how much you love Felix."

—

By the time they got to school the next day, Hyunjin had decided to fix himself.

He was just going to act normal.

Totally fine. Unbothered. The straightest man alive.

Then he saw Felix.

Standing by the lockers. Wearing his hoodie again.

Felix beamed when he saw Hyunjin, completely unaware that Hyunjin was currently experiencing a catastrophic identity crisis.

"Hyunnie!" Felix chirped, tugging the hoodie's sleeves over his hands as he practically bounced over.

Oh, great. He was being cute.

Hyunjin immediately looked away, pretending to dig through his bag. "Hi."

Felix tilted his head. "Why do you sound like that?"

"Like what?"

Felix narrowed his eyes. "Like you're avoiding me."

Hyunjin let out a forced laugh. "I'm not avoiding you."

Jisung and Seungmin, who had just walked up, exchanged a knowing glance.

"Ohhh," Jisung grinned. "This is gonna be fun."

Felix blinked. "What?"

Hyunjin shot Jisung the deadliest glare he could muster.

Jisung ignored him completely. "Hyunjin is just—"

Hyunjin slammed his locker shut. "—Really excited for chemistry class!"

Felix snorted. "Why are you lying so aggressively?"

Jisung cackled. "Dude, you literally hate chemistry."

"Well, not today!" Hyunjin exclaimed with unearned confidence. "Today is a new day! Maybe I'll love chemistry!"

Seungmin gave him the most unimpressed stare. "You need therapy."

Felix, still adorably confused, just shrugged. "Well, whatever makes you happy, I guess."

Then he wrapped his arms around Hyunjin's waist and rested his chin on his chest.

Hyunjin stiffened.

Jisung gasped dramatically. "Oh my god."

Seungmin smirked. "Uh-oh."

Felix peered up at Hyunjin, blinking innocently. "You okay?"

Hyunjin's brain was short-circuiting. "Y-Yeah."

Felix smiled and nuzzled against him.

—

By the time chemistry class rolled around, Hyunjin had barely recovered.

Felix was seated next to him as usual, oblivious as ever, doodling tiny stars in the margins of his notebook.

Hyunjin was trying so hard not to look.

"Hey, Hyunnie?" Felix said suddenly.

Hyunjin nearly jumped. "Yeah?"

Felix tapped his pencil against his chin. "Do you think I should dye my hair again?"

Hyunjin furrowed his brows. "What? You just dyed it."

Felix pouted. "I know, but I kinda miss my blonde hair."

Hyunjin made the worst mistake of his life.

He glanced at Felix, fully taking in his face—his soft features, his freckles, the way his pinky lips curved when he spoke.

Then, before he could stop himself, he blurted out, "You look good in any color."

Felix froze.

Hyunjin froze.

Felix blinked at him, cheeks going the faintest shade of pink. "...You think so?"

Hyunjin's soul left his body.

He cleared his throat aggressively. "I mean—yeah. Objectively. I guess. Whatever."

Felix just stared at him for a second.

Then, to Hyunjin's absolute horror, a tiny smirk appeared on his lips.

"Ohhh," Felix grinned. "Hyunnie, are you flirting with me?"

Hyunjin choked on air. "I AM NOT—"

Felix giggled. "You're so cute when you're flustered."

Hyunjin died instantly.

Felix just kept smiling, completely unaware that Hyunjin was about to have an actual heart attack.

The second the bell rang, Hyunjin shot up from his seat so fast that his chair nearly toppled over.

He grabbed his stuff in a hurry, shoving notebooks into his bag without bothering to zip it up properly, and bolted out of the classroom before anyone could say a word.

"HYUNJIN!" Felix's voice rang out behind him. "You forgot your notebook!"

Hyunjin didn't stop. He couldn't stop.

He needed to get out of there.

Felix had smirked at him. "You're cute when you're tired."

That was illegal.

Felix could not do that.

Not when Hyunjin's entire existence was already crumbling before his eyes.

He sped through the hallway, pushing past groups of students, his heart hammering like he'd just run a marathon.

But apparently, running away from Felix was impossible.

Because just as he turned a corner, a hand grabbed his wrist and yanked him to a stop.

Hyunjin spun around, breathless, as Felix stared at him, glaring.

"Why did you run away?" Felix demanded.

Hyunjin's eyes darted around, looking for an escape route. "I didn't."

Felix scoffed. "You literally sprinted out of the room."

"I was in a hurry."

Felix narrowed his eyes. "In a hurry for what?"

Hyunjin panicked. His brain scrambled for an excuse, and the only thing that came out was—

"Lunch!"

Felix blinked at him.

And then, as if the universe itself wanted to embarrass him, Hyunjin's stomach let out the loudest growl of all time.

Felix clapped a hand over his mouth, eyes sparkling with laughter.

Hyunjin closed his eyes. "I hate my life."

Felix giggled. "Come on, let's go eat." He linked their arms together and began dragging Hyunjin toward the cafeteria like nothing had happened.

Hyunjin let him.

Which, in hindsight, was a terrible idea.

Because the moment they stepped into the cafeteria, Jisung and Seungmin were already sitting at their usual table, and both of them immediately started looking suspicious.

Hyunjin tensed.

Felix, still blissfully unaware of Hyunjin's spiraling emotions, plopped down next to him, stealing a fry from Hyunjin's tray like it was his own.

Seungmin's eyebrows raised slightly. "Huh."

Hyunjin narrowed his eyes. "What?"

Seungmin smirked. "Nothing. Just thinking."

"Thinking about what?" Hyunjin pressed, already regretting asking.

Jisung grinned. "Ohhh, I like where this is going."

Felix, chewing happily on Hyunjin's fry, finally looked up. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Nothing you need to worry about," Seungmin said smoothly.

Jisung snickered.

Hyunjin sank lower into his seat, feeling like a walking disaster.