8:15 AM - School Gates
The second Jiho walked through the school gates, he felt it—that prickly sensation of being watched.
Everyone was staring. Not just glancing, but full-on staring. A group of girls by the lockers whispered behind their hands, pointing in his direction. Some guy from his chemistry class actually waved at him. Another kid nodded like they shared some inside joke.
What the hell?
Jiho adjusted his backpack straps and tried to ignore the weird looks. Maybe he had something on his face. Maybe his hair was sticking up funny. Maybe—
"JIHOOOOOYA!"
The shout echoed down the hallway like a battle cry. Jiho's stomach dropped.
Seungwoo came barreling toward him, phone clutched in his hand, looking like he'd just witnessed a miracle. Or a car crash. With Seungwoo, it was hard to tell the difference.
"You," Seungwoo panted, jabbing a finger at Jiho's chest, "are in so much trouble."
"What did I do now?"
Instead of answering, Seungwoo shoved his phone directly into Jiho's face. "This. You did this."
The video was already playing. Jiho watched himself—face flushed, clinging to Minjae's back like some lovesick protagonist from a drama. The way Minjae carried him looked effortless, protective even.
The way Jiho looked... well, he looked completely gone.
The caption made his soul leave his body:
Witnessed a live BL-Drama today and I'm emotionally unprepared 😭💘 #blcouple #boylove #chaoticlove
"When—" Jiho's voice cracked. He cleared his throat. "When did someone film this?"
"Yesterday, genius. Behind the convenience store. You know, when you were too busy being carried like a princess to notice the girl with her phone out."
Jiho grabbed the phone, scrolling down to the comments section. Big mistake.
He said 'hold tighter' and I SCREAMED- 34K likes
I don't know who they are but I ship them harder than my own parents
WHO'S THE TOP THO 👀
Heat crawled up Jiho's neck. "They think we're dating."
"Aren't you?"
"NO."
Seungwoo's grin was pure evil. "The internet disagrees. You've got 200K views, by the way. Congratulations, you're TikTok famous."
Jiho's phone buzzed. A text from Minjae.
Woke up to us trending. Feel famous yet? 😉
Jiho typed back furiously: YOU KNEW?!
The response came immediately: I liked the video five times 😌
"He's enjoying this," Jiho said weakly.
"Of course he is. Meanwhile, half the school thinks you're the main character in their new favorite love story." Seungwoo patted his shoulder. "Better start practicing your couple poses."
"I want to die."
"At least die photogenically. Your fans would appreciate it."
Seungwoo glanced around the hallway, then back at Jiho with a frown. "Wait, where's your boyfriend anyway?"
"He's not my—" Jiho caught himself before he could start that argument again. "Minjae didn't come today. His little brother had a fever, so he had to take him to the hospital."
Seungwoo's eyebrows shot up. "You... know that?"
"Yeah, he told me last night."
"Last night?" The grin that spread across Seungwoo's face was downright predatory. "As in, he was at your place last night?"
Jiho's face heated up. "It's not what you think. He just stayed for dinner . Nothing happened."
"Oh my god, Jiho." Seungwoo looked like Christmas had come early. "You're really going to sit there and tell me that Mr. Carries-You-Like-A-Princess stayed for dinner at your house, and you think there's nothing going on?"
"There isn't!"
"Right. And I'm sure he texts all his friends about his family emergencies."
Before Jiho could defend himself further, Seungwoo was already walking away, muttering something about "hopeless romantics" and "denial."
The rest of the morning was a nightmare. Every class felt like being in a fishbowl. People kept stealing glances, whispering, some even taking pictures when they thought he wasn't looking. His English teacher gave him a knowing smile that made him want to crawl under his desk.
By lunch, Jiho was ready to transfer schools.
The cafeteria was the worst. Conversations died down when he walked by. People pretended to eat while obviously watching him. Even the lunch lady winked when she handed him his tray.
"This is insane," Jiho muttered, stabbing at his rice.
"This is fame," Seungwoo corrected, looking way too pleased. "You should be grateful. Some people would kill for this kind of attention."
"Some people are idiots."
"Hey, at least they're not saying anything bad. You're trending for being adorable."
Before Jiho could argue, a nervous first-year appeared at their table. "Um, Jiho- sunbae? The teacher wants to see you."
Great. Now the teachers were getting involved.
Jiho left the cafeteria, grateful to escape the stares. The hallway was blissfully quiet compared to the chaos behind him. Maybe he could hide in the library for the rest of lunch, wait for this whole thing to blow over
Someone grabbed his wrist.
"What the—"
Jiho spun around to find Hyunwoo, tall and serious, his grip firm around Jiho's wrist. There was something in his expression that made Jiho's stomach twist—not anger exactly, but something cold and calculating.
"Hyunwoo? What are you doing?"
Without a word, Hyunwoo started walking, pulling Jiho along. They headed for the stairwell, climbing past the third floor, past the fourth, all the way up to the rooftop access.
"Hey, let go of me," Jiho said, trying to pull free. "What's your problem?"
Hyunwoo pushed open the heavy door to the rooftop. Wind hit them immediately, cool and sharp. The school spread out below them, students like tiny dots in the courtyard.
The door slammed shut behind them.
"Seriously, what's going on?" Jiho demanded, finally yanking his wrist free. "Why did you drag me up here?"
Hyunwoo just looked at him. His eyes were flat, unreadable. The silence stretched between them, uncomfortable and thick with tension Jiho couldn't identify.
Then the door opened again.
Three more guys stepped out—Hyunwoo's usual crowd. Jiho recognized them from around school, the type who thought they owned every space they walked into. They were laughing, loose and cruel, like they'd just heard the funniest joke.
"So this is the famous TikTok star," one of them said, looking Jiho up and down like he was examining a bug.
Another one snickered. "Maybe we should make our own video. What do you think, Jiho-ya? Want to go viral again?"
The words hit different than the stares and whispers. These weren't admiring fans or curious classmates. The laughter was sharp, mean. The way they looked at him made his skin crawl.
Jiho took a step back, closer to the rooftop railing. "I don't know what you want, but—"
"We want you to understand something," the first guy interrupted. His smile was all teeth, no warmth. "Just because you're internet famous now doesn't make you special."
The wind picked up, making the silence that followed feel even more isolated. Up here, no one could hear them. No teachers, no other students. Just Jiho, and four guys who clearly had something to prove.
And Hyunwoo, still saying nothing at all.
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