Breathing heavily, He stumbled into the bathroom stall, quickly locking the door behind him. Ryan sat down on the toilet, lowering the lid first, his face burning with embarrassment. Covering his flushed face with one hand, he felt like he was going to explode from sheer humiliation. God, this is so embarrassing. All he wanted was to bury himself somewhere, to disappear from the world entirely. His heart pounded violently in his chest, as if it was trying to break free. It had only been two days since he first saw him, and yet… This was the first time someone had looked at him with such confidence, without fear or hesitation.
And not only that—he k-kissed me.
He groaned inwardly, not knowing how to process any of it. Jihoon probably didn't know who he was, which would explain why he wasn't scared. But still, the entire thing felt so surreal, so… strange. Ryan's body still tingled from the memory of that kiss.
After a moment of trying to calm himself, he left the stall, washed his hands, and headed to his next class. As usual, people avoided him like the plague, their faces showing a mix of fear and disgust. Yeah, that's how it's always been. He probably just didn't realize who I was yet. He felt his heart sink with disappointment, though he didn't understand why? He should be used to this by now.
Sliding into his usual seat at the far back corner of the room, he slumped down in the chair, trying to disappear. He stared straight ahead, his mind still racing as the professor started the lesson. Something about ancient diplomacy or the politics of the royal family. Not that it mattered. Ryan wasn't paying attention. How could he, when Jihoon was sitting just a few seats away, talking to Jake and acting as if nothing had happened?
Ryan glared at the back of Jihoon's head, annoyed by how calm and unaffected he seemed. How could he act like nothing was wrong? Meanwhile, He was falling apart over here, his mind going in circles, trying to figure out what was real and what wasn't.
Halfway through class, Jihoon turned around, catching his eye with a mischievous grin. Not again. "Hey, Ryan," Jihoon whispered, his voice carrying just enough for Ryan to hear. "Got a question for you."
My heart sank. Please not now. Just leave me alone.
"What's your number?"
Ryan blinked, caught off guard. "What?" he whispered back, frowning.
"Your phone number," Jihoon repeated, a smirk tugging at the corner of his mouth. "You know, so I can text you. We need to hang out more."
His face flushed again. Text? Hang out? No way. I am not giving Jihoon my number. "I'm not interested," He muttered, turning away.
Jihoon chuckled softly. "Not interested? In me? That's cold, Ryan." He leaned a little closer, his voice dropping to a playful whisper. "Come on, it's just a number. What's the worst that could happen? I promise I won't spam you… much."
Ryan shot him an exasperated look. "No."
But Jihoon wasn't letting it go. "Aw, come on, don't be shy," he teased, winking. "What, are you scared I'll flirt with you over text? I'm not that bad."
Ryan groaned internally, sinking deeper into his seat. The more Jihoon teased him, the harder it became to focus on anything else. Why did he have to be so persistent? Jake, who was sitting next to Jihoon, leaned over with a grin. "Yeah, Ryan, just give him your number. It'll make your life easier. Besides, what's the harm?"
Ryan shot Jake a glare. "You're not helping."
Jihoon held out a pen and a scrap of paper, his grin widening. "Just write it down, Ryan. You'll thank me later."
With a dramatic sigh of defeat, he finally grabbed the pen. "Fine," Ryan muttered, scribbling down his number and shoving the paper into Jihoon's hand. "There. Happy?"
Jihoon beamed. "Very." He stuffed the paper into his pocket like he'd just won some grand prize.
Class dragged on after that, but He barely heard a word of it. His mind kept wandering back to Jihoon—his teasing, his smirk, the way he had casually asked for his number like it was no big deal. Why is he doing this?
Finally, when the lesson was over, Ryan packed his things as quickly as possible. He needed to get out of there before Jihoon had a chance to say anything else. But just as he was about to make his escape, Jihoon called out across the room, his voice loud and clear.
"See you later at the palace, Ryan! I'm serious about being interested, by the way!" Ryan froze, face heating up once again as the entire class turned to stare at him. Why does he have to be so loud?
Before he could react, Ryan grabbed his bag and bolted out of the classroom, the sound of Jake's laughter echoing behind me. His heart pounded as he sped down the hallway, desperate to escape the stares and whispers following him.
I can't believe just what I got myself into?, He thought, mind spinning as he disappeared around the corner.
To be continued...