She took the university by storm.

A foreign girl who spoke Korean damn near flawlessly. She was trilingual, in fact, speaking her native English as well as French, too. She was studying music composition and production and, according to the music professors, was one of the most talented of her class. She was an extrovert who was immediately accepted and fawned over by the popular crowd. And she was beautiful. She had long strawberry blonde hair that fell down her back in waves, and blue eyes so deep that they resembled sapphires.

She was so beautiful in fact, that Yoongi thought Mckinlie Anderson might be the most beautiful girl he'd ever seen.

In contrast, Min Yoongi was a quiet introvert who only spoke one language, and thought he might be the most plain looking and boring person on earth. He was a loner, but not by choice. Sure, he enjoyed his "me time", but he'd have liked to have had friends. No one noticed him, however, and he spent his time concentrating on the same subjects Mckinlie studied. At least he was able to dedicate all he could to his music.

Studying the same subjects, of course, meant that they were in many of the same classes. And Yoongi didn't mind. It gave him a chance to admire her from afar. And he did admire her. She seemed personable and sweet on top of all of her other impressive traits.

She seemed to have learned everyone's names in the music program, and made it a point to say hello to everyone every once in a while. And that included Yoongi, who was so shy that he'd never actually spoken back to her. "Hi, Yoongi!" she'd say with a bright smile. "Beautiful day today, huh?" and he'd respond with a small smile and nod. It seemed to appease her, though. "See you around," she'd say, never pushing him to respond further.

Despite his deep fear of opening his mouth and saying something stupid, he lived for the times she'd address him. Just hearing her tinkling voice say his name made him weak in the knees. He found himself daydreaming about her often, imagining what it must be like to be her friend.

And, he imagined what it must be like to be Kim Junho. Junho was the most popular boy in school, and very close with Mckinlie. Yoongi was surprised they weren't dating, seeing as how close they seemed to be. He figured they would eventually, once Junho came to his senses and stopped being so obviously desperate to have her. Mckinlie seemed to be the type that wasn't impressed by desperation. But if Junho could reign himself in, Yoongi was willing to bet Mckinlie would give him a chance.

And despite how desperate it was of himself, Yoongi was jealous. He wished he had the nerve to approach her, let alone talk to her. But Yoongi wasn't popular. Yoongi wasn't even on the unpopular kids' radar. And so he spent his time admiring her from afar, lost in wondering about what it must be like to be able to not make a fool out of himself in front of her.

-

"Hi, Yoongi!"

Yoongi looked up from his textbook. It was one of the glorious days where she addressed him. He smiled shyly.

"Are you having a good day?" she asked.

And Yoongi, shockingly, decided that today would be the day that he spoke.

"I-It's alright."

Yoongi silently cursed at himself for stuttering, but Mckinlie seemed to be too shocked that he'd actually replied to have noticed.

A bright, beautiful grin spread across her face. "So you can speak!" she teased. "I'm glad to finally hear your voice!"

Yoongi blushed. "I-I'm sorry I've never spoken before."

He decided to ignore the fact that he'd stuttered again as he internally celebrated for having the nerve to say something else, even if it was a bit self-deprecating. Mckinlie smiled again.

"Why are you sorry? I know you're a bit shy. And that's okay! Like I said, I'm just glad to hear your voice. I hope we can talk again soon."

"I-I'd l-like that."

"Yeah? Well, great! I'll see you around, okay?"

"Sure."

Another celebration. He hadn't stuttered that time.

Mckinlie gave him one last bright smile before walking away and joining her friends at their typical lunch table. He was so enthralled by the events of the past few minutes that he never even noticed that, as he watched her sit down, Junho was glaring at him.

-

It became a routine after that. Mckinlie talked to Yoongi more often, and Yoongi replied. They were nothing more than niceties, but it meant the world to Yoongi anyway. He wondered if he hadn't taken so long to verbally reply, Mckinlie would have started talking to him more often before now. And he wondered if he should...

"H-Hi, Mckinlie."

Mckinlie looked up, surprised. She stared at Yoongi for a few moments before a grin spread across her face. "Hi, Yoongi! How are you?!"

"I'm okay," he replied. "H-How are you?"

"I'm great now! Are you headed to class?"

"Yeah, I've got Professor Park's class next."

"Aw, I've got Professor Cho next," Mckinlie replied. "I would've asked if you wanted to walk together, but they're in opposite directions."

Yoongi nodded. "That's okay. Well, I-I'll be going then."

"Okay!" Mckinlie said. They then parted ways, but just before they were out of each other's earshot, Mckinlie turned.

"Hey, Yoongi!"

Yoongi turned as well. "Yeah?"

"Feel free to say hi anytime!"

Yoongi blushed before he nodded shyly and hurried away.

-

"I did it!" Yoongi had finally made it back to his dorm after a long day of classes. He'd rushed back, hurried into his dorm, slammed the door behind him and leaned his back against it.

"I did it," he said again quietly.

His heart was racing. It had been all day since he'd talked to Mckinlie, and he was waiting for this moment to be able to relish in the fact that he'd managed to be the one to initiate the conversation. He was proud of himself, and so very excited because she'd seemed so pleased about it, too.

Yoongi threw himself onto his bed and stared at the ceiling, a huge smile on his face. He began daydreaming about what might happen if he ever got up the nerve to ask her out. He quickly pushed those thoughts away. There was no way he could ever do that, let alone believe she'd actually ever say yes.

Yoongi then decided to work on the project Professor Kang had assigned them that day. It was a huge undertaking, but everyone knew it would be coming sooner or later. They were finally going to be composing and producing their first song of the year. Yoongi was excited about it. He felt like he hadn't had a chance to actually do anything truly musical since they'd started the year and just been doing book work. He understood the importance of musical theory and such, but he was ready to get back to making music.

The only problem? Yoongi couldn't think of anything to write.

The song didn't have to include lyrics, and Yoongi wasn't sure he wanted to write any this time. But either way, it didn't matter because the problem was that he couldn't think of anything to write music-wise.

He sat at his desk, laptop open to his DAW, and MIDI controller to the side. He idly tapped on the MIDI, but still, nothing came to him. He was frustrated; it had never taken him this long to write something before.

He was distracted, and the moment he let his mind began wandering, it wandered to earlier that day, when he'd approached Mckinlie.

Mckinlie.

Suddenly, Yoongi sat up straight. Something was coming to him. The more he thought about Mckinlie, the more the music flowed.

'Wow,' he though as he began writing and mixing. 'I'm whipped.'

He shrugged. "I'm okay with it."

-

A couple of weeks later, Yoongi decided to approach Mckinlie again. It had gone so well the first time that he thought he should try again. Sure, they'd talked since then, but he hadn't been the one to initiate the conversation since the first time.

As he looked around for her, he wondered if he would ever be able to tell her that she'd been the inspiration behind most of the song he was writing for the project. He couldn't imagine he'd ever get the nerve to do so. But, a guy could dream, couldn't he?

He was just about to give up in finding her, when he spotted her being led by the hand by Junho toward the production booths. She was giggling, and Yoongi felt his chest constrict.

He watched as they entered a booth, and although he knew better than to eavesdrop, Yoongi couldn't help but walk over and stand outside the door.

He peeked through the small window on it. There was Mckinlie, perched on a small stool next to Junho, who was in the producer's chair. Mckinlie had a pair of headphones on and was obviously listening to something that Junho was obviously excited for her to hear. Her head was bobbing along slightly to the music, and she had a small smile on her face. After a couple of minutes, she took the headphones off and looked at Junho.

"That was nice," she said politely.

"I, uh...I wrote it for you."

Both Yoongi's and Mckinlie's eyebrows rose at the same time.

"You did?"

"Y-Yeah...you inspired me," Junho said shyly.

"That is very sweet of you," Mckinlie told him. "The nicest thing anyone's ever done for me, in fact."

Yoongi's face fell. He was too late. Junho had beat him to the punch. If she ever heard his song, it would seem like he was copying what Junho had done.

"So, you like it? It's still a rough draft, but you get the general idea."

Mckinlie smiled again, but Yoongi could tell it was forced. "It was very lovely."

Junho grinned. "I'm so glad you think so. I've been nervous to play it for you."

"Thank you," Mckinlie said. "Again, this is all very sweet of you."

They stared at each other for a moment until Junho suddenly leaned forward and crashed his lips onto Mckinlie's. Yoongi's heart dropped. He turned away; he couldn't bring himself to watch.

He was about to walk away, dejected and heartbroken, when he heard Mckinlie's angry voice. "What are you doing?!"

Yoongi paused, listening with a hammering heart.

"I thought – "

"Well, you thought wrong!"

"C'mon, Kinlie, you know we belong together!"

"And why is that?"

"Because we're the most talented and good looking people here. It's a no-brainer!"

Yoongi slowly raised his head to peek through the window again. Mckinlie had her hand against Junho's chest, keeping him back and away from her.

"That doesn't make any sense!" she said, offended. "How would you know we're the most talented? Have you listened to anyone else's stuff?"

"Well, no – "

"Exactly! And it's a bit presumptuous to say we're the most good looking. Looks are subjective, and attractiveness is in the eye of the beholder."

"But you know we're the most popular – "

"Who cares?!" Mckinlie said, her voice rising. "This is all a very disgusting thing for you to do! Kissing me without my consent, saying hateful things about others... If this is the way you act when no one else is around, then I don't want anything to do with you!"

"I wrote this song for you!" Junho roared angrily. "And you're not going to do anything to repay me for it?!"

Yoongi silently gasped and Mckinlie's face fell into an expression of slight fear. "I already told you that was a very sweet thing for you to do. And I meant it when I said I appreciate it. But I don't owe you anything for it."

Yoongi found himself, much like he assumed Mckinlie was, scared for her. If Junho was acting out like this, she could be in danger if he decided he wanted to take some sort of payment for his song. Yoongi's hand hovered above the door knob, just in case he needed to intervene.

Despite her earlier fearful look, Mckinlie stayed composed. "And not that it's any of your business, but I like someone else anyway."

Yoongi's eyes widened, and his heart began to race. He hated to admit it, but he'd always assumed, much as Junho had apparently, that she liked Junho. Obviously that wasn't the case, after what he'd just witnessed. But she liked someone else? That was unexpected.

It couldn't be him, could it? No, surely not. She never spoke to him unless she was generally being polite. But she was polite to him. No one else ever spoke to him, even as a nicety. She was the only one who went out of her way to do so.

But, she could like anyone else here. Hell, she could like a girl for all Yoongi knew. Or maybe she was lying to Junho to get him off her back. Maybe she was just so involved with her music, that romance wasn't even on her radar.

But a tiny part of Yoongi, deep in his heart, hoped. He hoped she wasn't lying. And he hoped she liked him. He hated himself for it, but he couldn't help it.

"Thank you again for the song, Junho." Yoongi was shaken out of his thoughts by Mckinlie's voice closer to the door. He looked around frantically for somewhere to hide. "It really was sweet of you, and it's a nice song." Yoongi's eyes fell on a janitor's closet and he threw himself into it just as he heard the door open and Mckinlie say, "See you around."

He heard her footsteps walk past the door of the closet. He sighed in relief, grateful he hadn't been caught eavesdropping. His heart leapt into his throat, however, as Junho's voice could suddenly be heard.

"She'll change her mind," he mumbled to himself. "I'll find out who she likes, get rid of him, and then she'll see that she should be with me."

Yoongi swallowed thickly. Junho did not sound like he was messing around. Yoongi couldn't help but feel a bit scared for whoever it was that Mckinlie liked. Junho's voice was serious and menacing.

-

"Hi, Yoongi!"

Yoongi was sitting outside the production booths the next day, waiting his turn, when a voice interrupted his thoughts. His breath caught in his throat as he looked up. It was her.

"Mind if I sit?" she asked, gesturing at the spot against the wall next to him.

He shook his head. Words were failing him.

She smiled and situated herself on the floor. "Waiting on a booth, huh?" she asked.

"Y-Yeah," Yoongi said, barely above a whisper.

"Same here," she told him. "But I guess that's kind of obvious, huh?" She giggled, and Yoongi stared at her, distracted by the tinkle of her laughter.

"I'm glad I ran into you, actually. I was wondering if you could do me a favor – "

"Yes!" Yoongi blurted. Mckinlie raised her eyebrows.

"Don't you want to know what it is first?" she asked, amused.

"Oh, uh...yeah. Yeah, that might be important."

She giggled again. "Well, I realized last night that my song is missing something. It took me forever to try to figure out what it is, but when I did, I realized it would sound so much better with some piano. Not keyboard – piano. Only problem is, I don't play the piano." She sighed slightly. "I asked Professor Kang this morning if he knew anyone here who did play, and he gave me some names, but insisted that you're the best."

Yoongi blinked. Their professor thought he was the best? He thought he was barely noticed, even by their teachers.

"So, I was wondering if you'd help me with that part of my song. I checked, and Professor Kang said it was fine for someone to help - and even be featured on the final product - as long as I composed the part myself."

"Y-You want me...to be featured on your song?"

"And help me tweak it into the final recording. I have a rough idea of where I want it, but I need to finish composing it first. Could you take a listen sometime, though, and see if you agree about where I think it'll fit?"

"You really want my help?"

Mckinlie smiled. "If you're available. If not, I totally understand. Obviously, I know you have your own song to be working on."

"I can help," Yoongi said quietly. "I came here to finish my song. I'm almost done with it, so I can help."

"Really?" Mckinlie asked. "You're not just saying that?"

"No, I swear!" Yoongi exclaimed hurriedly. He didn't want her to think he was lying to her.

Mckinlie's eyebrows rose. "Okay," she said with amusement. "I'm just surprised. You work fast, huh?"

Yoongi blushed. "I just get really into it sometimes, and get a lot done without even realizing the time."

"You're so dedicated," she said with awe. "I mean, I am, too, but not quite to that extent. Maybe that's why I need help," she suddenly said with a frown.

"I don't think that's why," Yoongi said. "I'm sure you're just as dedicated. It's not even a good thing that I do what I do. I forget to eat. I don't get enough sleep. I don't have a social life. I – "

He quickly stopped. He was rambling. And that last bit of information he'd blurted out was embarrassing. His cheeks burned, but Mckinlie didn't seem to notice.

"You should take better care of yourself, Yoongi. Music is important, but your health is more important. You know what I mean?"

Yoongi nodded, but didn't reply.

"I'm sorry," Mckinlie suddenly offered after a few silent moments. "That sounds pretty pretentious. I don't mean to be rude."

"I-It's okay."

"I've offended you."

"No!" Yoongi insisted. "I've just...no one here has ever shown any sort of concern for me, so I just am not used to it."

Mckinlie frowned again. "Seriously? What about your friends?"

Yoongi lowered his head. "Um..."

"Oh," Mckinlie said quietly. "I-I'm sorry, Yoongi. I feel like such a jerk. I'm just saying all the wrong things, aren't I?"

"It's okay," Yoongi replied. "It's my own fault. I don't exactly put myself out there. And like I said, I get so involved with my music that I kind of just forget everything else around me. And I'm kind of a solitary person anyway. I mean, I don't like being alone all the time..." he paused, embarrassed to have admitted yet another pathetic sounding fact about himself. "But I do like my 'me time'."

Mckinlie cocked her head in thought. "Well, maybe we could be friends." Yoongi whipped his head up to look at her. "While we're working on my song, let's get to know each other. Then, we can be friends!"

Yoongi furrowed his brow. "You'd want to be my friend?"

"Well, sure! Why not? You're quiet, but you seem like a sweet guy. I'll bet you're pretty likable. Maybe even fun?" She nudged his shoulder with her own, indicating she was teasing a bit. Yoongi froze at the contact.

"I-I don't know about that, b-but I guess you could decide for yourself."

Mckinlie laughed. "Don't be so down on yourself, Yoongi. I'm sure we'll get along."

Suddenly, the door to the producer's booth they'd been waiting next to opened, and a student they recognized from some of their classes walked out looking frazzled. Yoongi watched him walk away until Mckinlie nudged him again.

"Your turn," she said, sounding amused. "Pay attention to the time and don't get all caught up in everything. I don't wanna be here waiting all night."

Yoongi stared at her. "I-I wouldn't – "

"I'm joking, Yoongi," she giggled. "Take all the time you need."

Yoongi stood, then paused at the door. "Umm..."

Mckinlie looked up and watched him expectantly. "Yeah?" she asked after Yoongi didn't say anything else for a few moments.

"Uh, we...w-we could share it. I mean, work on your song. If you want to! If not, t-that's cool. But I just thought, you know, since you asked me to take a listen, maybe we could, you know...do that now. I guess?"

Mckinlie internally cooed. He was so sweet. "Are you sure? You can work on your own stuff. I know you were planning to finish tonight."

"Well, I-I don't really have much to do. I can come back any time."

"Well," Mckinlie said, standing up. "If you're sure you don't mind."

"Not at all!" Yoongi blurted out, a bit too excitedly. "I mean, it's cool."

Mckinlie smirked slightly. "Thanks, Yoongi."

"No problem."

And so they spent the next hour listening to Mckinlie's song and working out where exactly a piano part might fit in. This was both good and bad for Yoongi's heart. On one hand, he was getting to know her and realizing just how talented she was. On the other, however, he could barely think over the intoxicating smell of her shampoo and her tinkling laughter that itself sounded like music.

Before they finished for the evening, Mckinlie asked Yoongi for his phone number, and Yoongi nearly passed out. But, he managed to give it her before they filed out of the booth...and came face to face with Junho.

Junho narrowed his eyes at Yoongi. Yoongi immediately lowered his head. "Who's this?"

"Nice to see you, too, Junho," Mckinlie said, annoyance clear in her voice. "This is Yoongi. He's helping me with my song."

"Oh?" Junho raised an eyebrow. "You know, I can help if – "

"Can you play the piano?" Mckinlie interrupted, already knowing the answer.

Junho sneered at Yoongi before finally looking at Mckinlie. "No," he said.

Mckinlie hummed. "Then I'm afraid you can't help. I need a pianist."

Yoongi could feel Junho's eyes on him again. "Is this who – "

Yoongi barely peeked up at Junho through his eyelashes, nervous because he thought he knew what Junho was going to say.

"Yoongi's my friend," Mckinlie interrupted, and Yoongi couldn't help but feel his heart drop. "And like I said, he's helping me with my song. Now, if you'll excuse us, we've got to get going. Booth's all yours."

She grabbed Yoongi's wrist and pulled him along with her. Yoongi could feel Junho's eyes on his back until they turned a corner a few meters away.

"Sorry about him," Mckinlie said as they got on an elevator. "He – " She seemed to think better of what she was about to say. "He can be a jerk sometimes," she finally finished.

"I thought he was your friend," Yoongi said quietly.

"I thought so, too," Mckinlie muttered.

Yoongi, obviously, knew exactly what she was talking about, but didn't dare say a word. They stood in silence until the elevator reached the first floor.

"Well, I'll talk to you later, Yoongi," she said as she turned to the right outside the building's front doors to head to the girls' dorms. "Thank you so much for all your help. I'll let you know when I've got everything composed and ready."

"Yeah, sure, of course."

"Bye," Mckinlie said, her bright smile having returned.

"Bye." Yoongi gave a small wave as he turned left. He had taken about ten steps before something occurred to him. He should've offered to walk her to the dorms. It was getting dark outside, and she shouldn't have to walk by herself.

"Hey," he said, turning around. But Mckinlie was already walking with a girlfriend. Yoongi cursed himself for not having offered in the first place. He turned again to head to his own dorm, his head spinning from all that had happened in the past couple of hours.

-

Unknown Number Hey!

Yoongi stared at his phone, contemplating if he should reply. He couldn't imagine who it could be. Who would want to talk to him? Surely, it was a wrong number.

Yoongi I think you have the wrong number.

Unknown Number Really? Aren't you Yoongi?

Yoongi's eyebrows shot up. Now he was really confused.

Yoongi How did you get my number?

Unknown Number You gave it to me, silly! This is Mckinlie.

Yoongi began breathing very heavily. Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit. She was texting him! No one texted him, and now she was? He started to think he might hyperventilate.

Yoongi Oh. Hi.

Yoongi read and re-read the message he'd just sent, then facepalmed himself. He sounded uninterested. In reality, he was anything but.

Mckinlie Lol, hi! I realized I didn't give you my number, too, when you gave me yours. I figured it might be important for you to have it, since we're working on my song and stuff.

Yoongi Yeah, that makes sense.

Mckinlie So, how are you doing?

Yoongi Bored. Thinking about going back to the studio.

Mckinlie Yoongi! It's 11:00!

Yoongi And that's bad?

Mckinlie 😆 Yes! We talked about this! It's too late to be working right now! You should get some sleep!

Yoongi But I'm talking to you.

Mckinlie Oh, I'm sorry! I can let you go since you're trying to sleep.

Yoongi No! I wasn't trying.

Mckinlie Oh, okay! Just promise me you won't go to the studio.

Yoongi Okay.

Mckinlie You're a man of few words in your texts.

Yoongi I'm sorry.

Mckinlie Why are you sorry? You're funny, Yoongi!

Yoongi Thanks.

Mckinlie We'll get you talking more eventually! I'll let you go for now. See you tomorrow in class!

Yoongi Okay, see you.

Mckinlie Goodnight, Yoongi.

Yoongi Goodnight.

Yoongi laid back on his bed and held his phone against his chest. Just yesterday, he'd been dreaming of someday being able to continue to just say hi to Mckinlie, and now he was texting with her. It was unbelievable. How in the world had this happened?

-

"Hey, shorty!"

Yoongi cringed. He knew whoever had yelled that was talking to him. So he was shorter than most of the guys at the school; didn't give anyone the right to tease him about it. He didn't turn around, but he was soon flanked by Junho and one of his friends.

"I'm talking to you, shorty."

Yoongi sighed internally. "What?"

"You don't have very good manners," Junho said shortly.

'Says the guy who just called me shorty,' Yoongi thought. He didn't say anything.

"Kinlie likes guys who are polite, you know. Maybe you should work on that before you go chasing after her."

Yoongi paused. Junho and his friend walked a few steps further before realizing he'd stopped.

"I'm not chasing after her," Yoongi said quietly.

Junho snorted. "Oh yeah, you're just a sweet little guy that helps whenever she asks. Nothing in it for you, huh?"

"I don't want anything in return for helping her," Yoongi said, boldly looking into Junho's eyes. "She doesn't owe me anything."

Junho blinked. 'Probably trying to remember where he's heard those words before. Idiot.'

Finally, Junho narrowed his eyes at Yoongi. "I don't know who you think you are, but stay away from Kinlie. She doesn't like you, okay? She's with me, and you need to keep that in mind."

"With you?" Yoongi asked, feeling bold again. "Like, dating you?"

"Yeah," Junho smirked. "Jealous?"

Yoongi shook his head, knowing full well that Junho was lying. "I'm not jealous of you at all."

"Too bad," Junho said with a laugh. "I'd love an opportunity to rub it in your face before beating your tiny ass."

Junho's friend burst into laughter.

"Why are you looking at my ass?" Yoongi blurted before he could stop himself. Junho looked at him in surprise, then narrowed his eyes again.

"Shut the fuck up, shrimp. You know what I mean."

"Shrimp? Are we in middle school?"

"Who the fuck even are you?" Junho asked angrily. "You think you're brave? You better watch that mouth. Got no one to back you up when you don't have any friends, loser."

"Kim Junho!"

Junho's eyes widened before he slowly turned around. Mckinlie was standing there with her hands on her hips.

"Kinlie – "

"Save it," she said, holding a hand up to shush him. "Get out of here, and leave Yoongi alone!"

"But – "

"Did I stutter?"

Junho huffed, threw one last menacing look at Yoongi, then turned and walked away.

"You okay?" Mckinlie asked, walking up to Yoongi.

He sighed. "Yeah."

"I'm sorry about him," she said. "I – "

"You don't have to keep apologizing for him," Yoongi interrupted. "I know he's a dick."

Mckinlie looked shocked, then she giggled. "I heard what you said to him about your ass and being a shrimp. Who knew you had it in you?!"

"I'm not scared of him," Yoongi replied, his cheeks flushing as Mckinlie mentioned his ass.

"Good," Mckinlie said, linking her arm around his as they started walking. "You have no reason to be. He's all bark and no bite."

Out of the corner of his eye, Yoongi was staring at their arms hooked around each other. It felt like that required the entirety of his attention in the moment.

"Yoongi?"

He snapped out of his trance and looked at Mckinlie. "What?"

"I asked if Junho said anything else ridiculous."

"Oh," Yoongi muttered. "Umm...he said the two of you are dating."

"What?!" Mckinlie shrieked. "Oh god, no!"

"I know."

"No, I mean...seriously, Yoongi, we're not! I can't even believe he said that! And to you, of all people!"

"Me of all people?"

Mckinlie paused and Yoongi stumbled a bit as her arm pulled him back. "Uh, never mind. Sorry about that. I – "

"It's okay," Yoongi said, though he was curious as to why she'd reacted the way she had.

"I just...he's such a jerk," Mckinlie mumbled. "He's been acting delusional lately. I thought he was a nice guy, but... Well, now I know that's not the case."

Yoongi sighed. "I hate that this kind of bullshit still happens at university. One would've hoped everyone got it all out of our systems as children."

"Seriously," Mckinlie agreed. "I remember being teased relentlessly in high school, and – "

"You were teased?" Yoongi asked in disbelief.

"Yeah," Mckinlie said, as though it should have been obvious. "I mean, aren't we all? You know?"

"No," Yoongi said. "I don't know. I can tell you lots of people from my school that were never teased."

"Maybe you just thought they weren't," Mckinlie said. "I'm assuming you're talking about popular people, but no one's immune from the gossip and crap that gets thrown around."

Yoongi pondered that. "I guess you're right," he agreed. "I guess I could've just never seen it."

Mckinlie nodded. "Anyway, I kind of hoped that graduating and moving across the globe would've helped me leave this kind of stuff behind, but I guess no one of us can escape it, huh?"

"I guess not."

They'd reached their classroom, and to Yoongi's dismay, Mckinlie unhooked her arm from his. But he perked back up a bit when she said, "Wanna sit with me today?"

"Sure," Yoongi blurted a bit too excitedly. But Mckinlie simply grinned and led the way to a couple of empty desks toward the back of the room.

"You like sitting in the back?" Yoongi asked.

"Don't you like to?"

"Yes, but you've never sat back here."

"I thought you might be more comfortable if we sat back here. I know you're not much of a people person." Mckinlie smiled at him, and he knew she wasn't teasing him.

"That's true," Yoongi confirmed. "Thanks."

"No problem!" Mckinlie replied as they sat down.

Yoongi was getting his notebook and music sheets out of his backpack, when he started to feel eyes on him. He looked up and it seemed every single person in the class was watching him. Most turned away when he looked up, but not everyone. The ones who continued staring looked shocked, and then Yoongi realized...they were looking back and forth between him and Mckinlie. Mckinlie, who was humming as she drew music notes on her sheet paper, seemed to be blissfully unaware. But Yoongi could feel their eyes, as though they were burning holes into him. People were no doubt wondering why the most popular girl in school was sitting in the back with the silent loner loser.

"Let them stare," Mckinlie suddenly said without looking up. "They'll think what they want to think anyway. No use in paying it any mind."

Yoongi looked over at her, but didn't reply. But he did take her advice and stopped staring back at those who were watching him.

Yoongi and Mckinlie didn't have their next class together before lunch, but he'd agreed to have lunch with her when the time came. Unfortunately, Yoongi did have the class with Junho, however.

"You're making quite a name for yourself today, shorty." Yoongi groaned as Junho stood over him before class started. "You hoping to become popular now?"

"God, no," Yoongi muttered.

"What was that? Is your voice as small as you are?"

Junho and his friends erupted into laughter.

"You're not much taller than me," Yoongi finally said audibly, looking up. "A few centimeters, maybe? Hardly impressive."

"Trying to be brave again, I see," Junho sneered, trying to act as though Yoongi's words didn't affect him. "Have you given any more thought as to what I said about Kinlie?"

"What, that the two of you are dating? Yeah, she didn't seem very happy that you'd said that. But that's between you and her, I guess. Why don't ask her about it next time you see her?"

Suddenly, a fist slammed down on Yoongi's desk, right in front of his chest. "Watch yourself, shorty," Junho threatened.

"Yeah, yeah. I'll be sure to do that."

"Mr. Kim, please take your seat," their professor suddenly said from the front of the room. Junho shot Yoongi a threatening look before turning and stalking toward an empty desk.

Yoongi used the next hour to contemplate why on earth he was continuing to piss off Junho. Yoongi had never been one for confrontation. Like, ever. And now that's all he was doing. And to a bigger guy who was threatening to beat him up, no less. Was he going crazy?

He thought he probably knew the reason, but he didn't really want to spend too much time dwelling on it. He wasn't trying to impress Mckinlie, but he felt like he should stand up for her. Not that she couldn't do that for herself, because obviously, she could. But she couldn't control what was said about her behind her back, and Yoongi felt an obligation to stand up for her when she wasn't aware she needed to.

And well, if that happened to impress her, though, that wouldn't be the end of the world, Yoongi supposed.

But he didn't want to think like that. He didn't have a chance with Mckinlie. They were becoming friends, and he enjoyed being around her. But she liked someone else. So, that's all she wanted to be with Yoongi – friends. And he needed to accept that sooner rather than later.

He'd rather have her as a friend in his life than not have her in it at all.

-

"When's your next free period?" Mckinlie asked as she and Yoongi ate lunch together. Mckinlie's other friends were sitting near them, but it seemed like they didn't want to get near Yoongi. They sat down the table from the two of them. Yoongi thought this odd. It wasn't like he had a disease or something.

Mckinlie didn't seem to notice, nor did she seem to mind. She seemed happy to just be sitting with her new friend whether her other friends liked it or not.

"Um, next period."

"That's mine, too! Awesome! Do you want to go to one of the practice rooms with a piano with me?"

"Did you get your piece composed?" Yoongi asked.

"I think so! I'm excited about it, and want to hear it as soon as possible! Then I'll know if it needs any more adjustments."

Yoongi shrugged. "Then sure. I'd be happy to play it for you."

"You know, Yoongs... Is it okay if I call you Yoongs? You're starting to talk a lot more, and you don't seem as shy. I'm glad! See, Yoongs, it can be good to be around other people sometimes!"

Yoongi blinked at her rapid-fire response. "Uh..."

"Sorry," she offered as she was about to take a bite of rice. "Sometimes I get a bit overly excited."

"That's, uh, okay. So...Yoo-Yoongs?"

"Is that okay?"

"Sure."

"You can call me Mac," she said with a grin. "If you want to. Junho calls me Kinlie, so I'd rather you not use that. Besides, I prefer Mac. I'm used to it. It was my nickname in high school. Kinlie kinda makes my skin crawl since Junho's the only one that uses it. And he just decided to one day. Didn't even ask me if it was okay."

Again, Yoongi stared at her as she rambled on excitedly again. "Okay, Mac."

"Oh, are you talking about Junho?" Yoongi and Mckinlie looked over to see one of Mckinlie's girlfriends leaning toward them. "Where is he anyway? Why isn't he sitting with you?"

"Don't know, don't care," Mckinlie said with a wave of her hand.

The girl looked surprised. "Um, why not? You'd rather sit with..." she trailed off as she glanced furtively at Yoongi. "Than your boyfriend?"

"Junho is not my boyfriend!" Mckinlie said fiercely. "Why does he keep telling people that he is?!"

The girl looked surprised. "He said that you two kissed the other day and that now you're dating. Did you guys not kiss?"

Mckinlie's cheeks flushed bright red. She glanced Yoongi's way, but would not meet his eyes. She looked back at her friend. "He kissed me. Without my consent, mind you. And I told him I didn't want to date him. He seemed to think that we just would because we're both popular."

"Well, be careful," her friend said quietly. "You won't stay popular much longer if you continue to – "

"Jesus, you people are ridiculous!" Mckinlie wouldn't let her finish, but Yoongi knew what she was insinuating. And he knew it was true. The more time Mckinlie spent with the weird, awkward kid, the more people would start to view her as weird and awkward, too.

Suddenly, Mckinlie stood and grabbed his wrist. "C'mon, Yoongs," she said as she pulled him up and out of his seat. "Let's go practice."

They were almost to the practice rooms when Yoongi finally decided to speak. "She's right, you know," he said quietly.

Mckinlie dropped his wrist and spun around. "What do you mean?"

"You won't stay popular much longer if you continue to hang out with me."

Mckinlie rolled her eyes. "We're just working on a song together!"

Yoongi looked down and Mckinlie's eyes widened. "I-I didn't mean it like that, Yoongs."

Yoongi nodded, but he didn't look up. The damage was done. His heart had already dropped. He swallowed hard.

"Let's, uh...let's get to work on that song then."

He stepped aside and walked past Mckinlie toward the room closest to them.

"C'mon, Yoongs," Mckinlie said as she followed him. "That's not the only reason I'm hanging out with you. I promise!"

"It's fine," Yoongi said, sitting down on the piano bench. He then held out a hand for the music. Mckinlie sighed and pulled it out of her backpack. Yoongi placed it on the piano desk.

"Yoongs, please – "

But he started playing without letting her finish. When he was done, he finally turned to look at her and was startled to see tears in her eyes. He stared at her.

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "I really want to be your friend, Yoongi. Please don't shut me out."

Yoongi sighed. "Maybe it's better this way. I don't want you to lose all of your friends. You have so many – "

"I don't care about them," she insisted. "They're nice to me, but they're also all vapid and shallow. I mean, look at how they acted at lunch! Do you think that made me happy with them? It was so rude!"

Yoongi shrugged. "Same kind of bullshit from high school. We can't escape it. You said it yourself."

"But I don't want it to be the way it was in high school – "

"But it's not for you, right? You were teased in high school. Now you're popular. You've made it."

Mckinlie shook her head. "If it means I can't be with someone like you, then I don't want to be popular."

Yoongi blinked.

"I mean, be friends with someone like you!" Mckinlie recovered quickly. "Friends. You know?"

"Friends," Yoongi said quietly.

"Please?" Mckinlie said desperately as she looked down at her lap. "Give me another chance, Yoongi."

"I thought it was 'Yoongs' now?"

Mckinlie looked up into Yoongi's eyes. They were soft and forgiving. A grin slowly spread across her face.

"I won't let you down, Yoongs."

"Okay, Mac."

"Will you play it again for me?"

"Sure."

-

Mckinlie Hey.

Yoongi Hey. Is everything okay?

Mckinlie How'd you know something was wrong?

Yoongi You just said hey with a period after it.

Mckinlie You always text that way.

Yoongi Yeah, but you never do.

Mckinlie Fair enough. I'm just feeling really homesick.

Yoongi I'm sorry.

Mckinlie I love my life here, but I feel like I'm getting left behind back home.

Yoongi So stay here.

Mckinlie Oh, I plan to. I'm not going to transfer or anything.

Yoongi No, I mean forever.

Mckinlie Haha, I mean, if I had a reason to, maybe I would.

Yoongi What about your insane popularity?

Mckinlie Oh please.

Yoongi All your loyal followers.

Mckinlie You make me sound like royalty or something.

Yoongi You kind of are.

Mckinlie How do you do it, Yoongs?

Yoongi Do what?

Mckinlie Always make me smile.

Yoongi I wasn't aware that I did.

Mckinlie Uh-huh. You're too much, Yoongs!

Yoongi I'm sorry.

Mckinlie Stop! Now you're making me laugh!

Yoongi I don't understand.

Mckinlie I feel a lot better now. Thanks, Yoongs. 😊

Yoongi You're welcome, I guess.

-

The next day, Yoongi and Mckinlie were eating lunch when she asked a question he wasn't expecting to hear.

"Can I hear your song?"

Yoongi's head shot up. "What?"

Mckinlie shrugged. "You've heard the majority of mine. I just wondered if I could hear yours. You're done with it, aren't you?"

"Uh..." Yoongi was done with his song. But he still wasn't sure if he wanted to let Mckinlie listen to it. It was about her. And not that she would know unless Yoongi explicitly told her that, but it still made him nervous.

"If you don't want to, it's okay. Music is a deeply personal thing for people like us. I get it."

Yoongi nodded. "M-Maybe another time."

"Okay," Mckinlie agreed brightly. "Hey, do you think we could record your piano part for mine later today. If you're free, of course."

"Sure," Yoongi agreed. "After classes, maybe?"

"That sounds great!"

And that's how Yoongi found himself setting up recording equipment by a piano in a practice room a couple of hours later. Mckinlie was so excited; positively beaming. Yoongi, on the other hand, was inexplicably nervous. He wanted this to be perfect for her.

He need not have worried, however. Despite his nervousness, his skills and talent took over and he played flawlessly the very first time. They recorded it a second time, too, however, just in case.

"Gosh, Yoongs, you're so talented!" Mckinlie gushed as they made their way to the production booths when they were done. "How do you do it?"

"Lots of practice, I guess."

Mckinlie laughed. "I guess!"

Luckily for Mckinlie, one of the production booths was open. She turned to Yoongi.

"I better do this alone from here. I don't want Professor Kang to think you helped me any more than just playing for me."

Yoongi nodded. "I understand. I'll see you around, okay?"

"Okay," Mckinlie agreed brightly. "Thanks again for your help!"

"Anytime."

With classes over and nothing else to do, Yoongi decided to head back to his dorm. He was just settling in at his desk, planning to listen to his song again to make sure he didn't need to make any last minute tweaks when there was a knock on his door.

Confused as to who it could be, Yoongi headed to the door. When he opened it, he was immediately hit by a sucker punch to his left cheek. He stumbled back, falling to the floor as he tried to clear his head enough to get a look at his attacker. He felt dizzy, however, and could barely lift his head as he held his cheek. But he instantly recognized the menacing voice that suddenly spat at him.

"Stay away from Kinlie. She's mine. This is your last warning."

-

The next morning, Yoongi nervously stood outside the door to his first class. A nasty bruise had settled on his cheekbone and the corner of his eye overnight. He knew Mckinlie was going to ask him what happened, and he didn't really want to tell her.

Sighing, knowing he couldn't put it off any longer, he entered the room. He was slowly making his way toward the empty desk next to Mckinlie when she looked up. Her eyes widened to the size of saucers.

"Oh my god!" she shrieked, jumping up from her desk and running over to him. "What happened?!"

"I, uh...I tripped. In my dorm room. Hit it on the side of my desk."

Mckinlie frowned. "That doesn't sound like you."

"I guess I'm just a klutz."

"You're not a klutz," Mckinlie said, turning Yoongi's head gingerly to get a better look at his injury. "That Jimin kid is a klutz, always falling out of chairs and stuff. But you...you're so poised. Are you sure you tripped?"

Yoongi could barely think with her fingertips on his chin and cheek. "Uh..."

"Wait." Mckinlie's fingers slipped from his face. "Did – "

Yoongi looked at her. "What?"

"Did Junho do this?"

Yoongi swallowed. "What? N-No, of course not."

Mckinlie's hands became fists. "Don't lie to me, Yoongi."

Yoongi sighed. "It's not that big a deal – "

"It is a big deal!" Mckinlie shouted, jumping to her feet. "He did this in my name, didn't he? To scare you away from me!"

"He doesn't scare me," Yoongi insisted. "It's not going to stop me from talking to you."

"That's not the point!" Mckinlie raged. She picked up her backpack and slung it over her shoulder. "I'll see you at lunch," she said before stalking off.

Yoongi was worried. Worried that she was upset with him. He hadn't wanted to lie, but...well, he hadn't wanted to tell her the truth either. Had he ruined everything by not being honest with her? She had seemed so angry.

Yoongi fretted about the situation all morning. As he walked to lunch, he was looking around for her when he heard his name being called behind him.

He turned around and was met with the last scene he'd ever expected to see.

Mckinlie was marching toward him, dragging Junho behind her by the ear. When they'd reached Yoongi, she shoved Junho in front of her and crossed her arms over her chest.

"I, uh, I'm sorry," Junho said begrudgingly. Yoongi's eyebrows rose.

"And?" Mckinlie demanded.

"I'm not dating Mckinlie."

"And?"

"She doesn't belong to me. She's not an object."

"And?"

"I'll leave you both alone."

"You'd better. Remember what I said," Mckinlie barked, waving him away. Yoongi didn't miss the evil look Junho shot him before he turned to leave, but he didn't say anything further before walking away.

Yoongi stared after him. "What was that all about?"

"I threatened to report him to the dean for harassment if he kept acting like he has been."

"Wow," Yoongi said, thoroughly impressed. Then he turned to her. "I'm sorry I lied to you."

Mckinlie shook her head. "I'm not upset with you."

"Oh. You just got so angry and stormed off – "

"I was angry at him," she said, gesturing toward the way Junho had left. "Oh, Yoongs, have you been thinking I was mad at you this whole time?"

"I mean..." Yoongi suddenly became very uncomfortable. It didn't help that Mckinlie began to coo at him.

"Of course I'm not mad at you! I'm not sure I ever could be," she said with a laugh. "You're too sweet."

Yoongi's cheeks flushed. "Uh, t-thanks."

-

It was the day before their songs were due to be turned in, and Mckinlie had dragged Yoongi to the studio. She was ecstatic to have him listen to the final version of her song.

They sat down and Mckinlie handed Yoongi the headphones, He slipped them over his ears and prepared to hear the music. When he did, his eyes widened.

It was brilliant. He heard himself playing the piano, and Mckinlie was right that it added a little flair. But even without it, the song would have been perfect. Yoongi was amazed, and though he shouldn't have been after everything he'd heard about her skills, he was surprised at just how talented Mckinlie was.

When it was over, Mckinlie watched him eagerly as he took the headphones off and stared at her. When he didn't say anything for a few long moments, Mckinlie's smile started to falter.

"D-Do you like it?" she asked nervously.

"Wow," Yoongi breathed.

Mckinlie's smile returned, though it was smaller. "Just wow?"

"Wow."

"Anything else? Does it need any adjustments or changes? I thought that the piano part fit where I added it, but then I started to second guess myself and I – "

"It's perfect."

Mckinlie stared at him. "Yeah?"

"Mac," Yoongi said, barely above a whisper. "You... You're so talented. This is...wow."

Mckinlie's cheeks flushed red. "Thank you," she said quietly as a grin began to spread across her face.

"Wow."

"So, would it be okay if I heard yours now?" Mckinlie asked carefully. Yoongi blinked. He hadn't been prepared for her to ask again.

"Um... Sure. I guess that'd be okay."

"Really?!" Mckinlie asked eagerly. "Oh, I'm so excited to hear it!"

They switched seats, and Mckinlie put on the headphones as Yoongi pulled up his own song. He nervously pushed play and watched as a range of emotions flashed across Mckinlie's face while she listened.

He couldn't tell if they were good or bad emotions, however, and so his heart began beating faster. When the song was over, Mckinlie simply sat there, unmoving.

Yoongi waited for a couple of minutes before finally reaching over and slipping the headphones off of Mckinlie's ears. This seemed to shake her out of her reverie. She turned to look at Yoongi and he was startled to see tears in her eyes.

"Are you okay?" he asked, concerned.

Mckinlie slowly nodded, but said nothing.

"Is it bad?"

Mckinlie's eyes widened and a single tear slipped down her cheek.

"No," she said hoarsely. "It's... I don't even know how to describe it."

"And that's good?"

Mckinlie nodded. "It's beautiful," she whispered.

And suddenly, Yoongi felt a strong desire to tell her exactly what he'd been trying to avoid. He took a deep breath and, as his heart hammered in his chest, he gingerly turned her head to face him.

"It's beautiful because it's inspired by you."

Mckinlie blinked. "Wha – "

"I wrote it while thinking about you," he admitted. "I couldn't come up with anything and then...and then I thought about you and...this happened."

She stared at him, and the longer she didn't say anything, the more Yoongi began to believe that he'd ruined everything. He was sure that she was thinking about how to let him down easy. Finally, after many minutes of complete silence as she continue to stare at him, Yoongi decided it was time to leave. He'd embarrassed himself enough.

He collected his things and stood and headed to the door.

"Why are you leaving?" Mckinlie suddenly managed to say.

"It's okay," Yoongi said. "You don't have to respond. I'm sorry if I made you uncomfortable. I know you like someone."

Mckinlie froze. "What? How do you – "

"I heard you talking to Junho."

"You...eavesdropped on us?" Mckinlie asked incredulously.

Yoongi couldn't help the bitterness in his tone as he replied. "What does it matter anyway?"

"Because it's you, Yoongs!"

Yoongi's mouth snapped shut. "What?"

"It's you. Before we even started talking, I was enamored with you. Why do you think I always went out of my way to say hi to you?"

"I thought you did that to everyone."

Mckinlie shrugged. "To an extent, I guess. I don't ever want anyone to feel left out. But I started doing it so I had an excuse to talk to you."

Yoongi blinked. "So – "

"Yes," Mckinlie interrupted. "I've liked you from the very beginning."

Yoongi didn't know what to say. "But...why?"

"Are you kidding?" Mckinlie said. "Have you seen yourself? You're gorgeous, Yoongs."

Yoongi's cheeks immediately flushed bright red. "I – "

"And you were so mysterious. I knew you were shy, but that added to your aesthetic, you know? And it was obvious that you were so talented and smart. It's just...you're so enigmatic. And the whole package, you know?"

Yoongi stared at her, lost for words. He couldn't believe she felt about him the exact way he'd always felt about her.

"Mac – "

"I love you, Yoongs. Do you get it now?"

"I – " He looked into Mckinlie's desperate, scared eyes and his chest constricted. "I love you, too."

Mckinlie let out a deep breath. "You do?"

"I...well, yeah. Of course I do. I always have."

Mckinlie laughed a short laugh. "Really? Oh my god, why did it take us so long to figure this out?"

Yoongi chuckled. "I have no idea."

"We're both hopeless, aren't we?"

"I guess so."

Suddenly, in what was perhaps the boldest and most terrifying move he'd ever made in his entire life, Yoongi quickly crossed the distance between them, grabbed Mckinlie's hand and pulled her against his chest.

"Can – "

"Yes."

Then he pressed his lips to hers and she melted into him. She kissed him back and Yoongi smiled against her lips. It was a sweet, chaste kiss, but one that was perfect. And when they broke apart, there was a blush on both of their cheeks.

"I-I – "

"Don't start stuttering on me again," Mckinlie interrupted. "It's cute and all, but I think after that, it's time to move past it."

Yoongi suppressed the urge to stick his tongue out at her as he laughed. "No more stuttering, got it."

He reached out and ran a hand through her hair, pushing it away from her face. Then he leaned in and kissed her again. She sighed as they pressed their foreheads together.

"It's you, Yoongs. It's always been you."