Drama at school was always entertaining to watch, if you weren't part of it. As students gathered in the school cafeteria for lunch with their yellow trays, Hanbyeol saw Suho and Seojun glaring at each other, the former holding his lunch. Although they shared identical blazers, they were polar opposites as Suho wore a tie around his neck and the other sported a chain around his neck atop a black t-shirt.

Hanbyeol was surprised that they were standing that close together for more than a few minutes. The line of teenagers just swerved around them to cross over to the tables, hardly noticing them.

"Hey, Lee Suho," Seojun finally acknowledged, his hands shoved in his pockets and venom spitting from his words. "After killing a friend, you must be happy."

Hanbyeol's eyes widened from her spot at a middle table, the spoon frozen in her hand. Due to the distance, she wasn't sure if she heard him right but she could read his lips. She swallowed from the intense tension she felt from them. The steam of hot meat and satisfying aromas no longer interested her.

Crash!

Hanbyeol jolted back. With a harsh shoulder bump from Seojun, Suho's tray had went tumbling down, the food splashing and the cutlery clanging to the floor. This attracted everyone's attention. The mess on the ground only touched Suho's black shoes, but Hanbyeol felt sorry for the cleaners.

Narrowing his eyes, Seojun headed straight to Jugyeong by the centre of the cafeteria. Students paused eating or choosing food at the steel benches; they were watching a TV show in real life. The handsome boy pulled out the chair next to Jugyeong with one hand and claimed the seat. Although he didn't have anything to eat, Hanbyeol was sure that he didn't come for a meal.

Han Seojun's half smirk would have anyone running laps. The girl beside him was glad that her makeup covered her cheeks, but her eyes were out in the open.

"Excuse me, is it because of the helmet?" Jugyeong carefully asked with a lowered voice, nearly trembling from the hundreds of eyes on them.

"No," Seojun stated with a look that aimed at her soul. "I want to eat with you."

Hanbyeol, sitting opposite Seojun, felt her heart deflate. Her grip on her spoon tightened. She didn't want to feel this way, but she wished that he would look at her like that and sit close to her instead.

After seeing Jugyeong with Suho often, Seojun decided to annoy him by using her – at least, that's what he told himself. He blamed their friend's death on Suho, and he couldn't bear to see him be as happy as he has been lately.

"Han Seojun!" Suho shouted, marching over and grabbing the other boy's collar.

Suho could tell what his ex-friend was doing, and he didn't want to drag an innocent girl into this mess. Pulling Seojun up, everyone witnessed round two of the stare down. Suho was breathing heavily with anger as his grip stayed strong.

"This bastard, really," Seojun muttered, clicking his sharp jaw.

Everyone gasped. It was a scene straight out of an action movie, tinged with a high school backdrop. Out of nowhere, Seojun had launched a punch at Suho, who fell to the floor with a skid. Suho's hands hit the cold tiles, but he ignored the dirtiness from the pain. Springing up and grabbing the other boy's collar again, his fist was in the air and ready to strike back. Blood dotted his lips. Hanbyeol didn't realise she was holding her breath. In the large room, no one was eating or talking.

"Hit me," Seojun provoked. "I said hit me."

Everyone collectively gasped again when Suho reeled his arm back. Hanbyeol's face was frozen in worry, scared that he was actually going to hit him. She begged for someone to stop them, and it seemed that her prayer came true.

"Hey!" a teacher shouted. "What are you guys doing over there?"

When they didn't move, he yelled again, "Are you not going to separate?"

Suho pushed Seojun away, their fierce eyes still shooting lasers at each other. After they reluctantly headed to the teachers' office, the cafeteria resumed motion, but Hanbyeol lost her appetite.

Waiting outside the office, Hanbyeol fiddled with the ends of her hair. The lecture seemed to be going on for a while. Truthfully though, Hanbyeol had no idea what she would say or do to whoever came out the door. Mumbling to herself, she counted the flowers on the yellow wall – a pattern she could draw in her sleep.

Hanbyeol walked to the left. She walked to the right. She walked to the left. She bumped into a body. Looking up, Hanbyeol was surprised to see Suho's face right there. His charcoal black hair was neat as usual, but there was still the stripe of red on his lips.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, glancing down at her.

Hanbyeol took a step back as concern covered her smooth face. "Are you okay? Are you hurt?"

The corner of Suho's mouth lifted up ever so slightly but he tried to hide it. "Were you worried about me?"

"No, I just... I'm just worried that you won't be there for class, and we need you for our group project."

"We had that class this morning."

"I meant for tomorrow," Hanbyeol stumbled, her eyes fluttering around and her fingers playing with the cuffs of her shirt. "Anyways, what happened between you and Han Seojun?"

Suho started walking down the corridor without answering. The memory was not one to be relived, but it also didn't seem like he had the right to say it. Accepting his privacy, Hanbyeol kept him company by his side. The narrow, custard walls matched the spring weather beyond the windows.

Hanbyeol stopped, and Suho followed suit when he noticed, looking down at her from his height. The quietness didn't help her nerves, and the little, plastic tube in her pocket felt heavy. Taking out the ointment, the girl put it in Suho's hand, brushing against his soft skin for half a second.

She cleared her throat. "Use this and stop getting punched."

"Okay," Suho promised, as if it was his habit to get hurt.

Hanbyeol then turned and continued heading back to their room, Suho catching up with his wide strides. Her heart was beating faster than normal, but it eventually calmed down as she wiped her palms along her grey skirt. It was a kind gesture as a friend, she told herself with her gaze trained forwards. Next to her, Suho smiled to himself as he clutched the ointment.

* * * *

Outside their classroom, a bunch of girls stared through the windows like they were at the zoo. Their necks craned to get a glimpse of the so-called beauty in there as rumours flew about.

"I heard the top two fought because of her," one student gossiped.

"A love triangle?"

"Daebak."

Swarming in, dozens of teenagers surrounded Jugyeong as she sat in her seat in the middle of the room. The place now felt smaller. People were talking all at once and she felt her cheeks warming up. Swallowing, she tried to focus and stay composed, though she wanted to be anywhere but here.

"Jugyeong, I heard you got confessions from both Lee Suho and Han Seojun," someone commented, leaning close to her. "Who are you going to choose between the two?"

Jugyeong's mouth went agape as she tried to take in all the faces. One name crossed her name, not that she was going to say it. The rumours started spiralling and she modestly denied them. As the storm grew, Sua finally shooed the students back to their classroom. A sea of maroon and grey filed out. Jugyeong let out a breath. In return, Suho and Hanbyeol walked in, wondering why their room had more people than usual.

The second that Suho sat in his seat next to the bright window, Kim Chorong and his gang called him out. He stared at them and followed without protest while Hanbyeol watched him from her seat. She nervously chewed on her lip, but she was sure he could handle himself.

"Hey Hanbyeol," Sua turned in her chair to face the girl behind her curiously. "Doesn't Lee Suho have a thing for you? You two were staring at each other the other day, and you sit next to each other in class. Romance is bound to happen. You guys would look so cute together too."

Hanbyeol's eyes widened as she waved her hands in front of herself defensively and shook her head.

"No, we're just friends," she explained. "Just friends. He didn't say anything to me, and we hardly talk."

"Are you sure?" Sua was still suspicious. "The way that he looked at you though..."

"Of course!"

In the chair right behind Sua, Jugyeong's heart sank. She never imagined herself with such a handsome and kind guy, but her hopes had risen lately. Jugyeong tucked her hair behind her ear and pretended to read the book on her wooden desk.

After school, Hanbyeol was walking home late due to band practice. She decided to detour through the park, reminding her of the basketball game the other night. Her mouth lifted up without her realising.

Bark crunched under her shoes as the twinkling sky sheltered her. The numerous flowers provided scenery in the peacefulness, not that they were easy to distinguish. As the slide and play equipment came into view, she spotted a figure on one of the swings. Though his head was down, Hanbyeol recognised Suho's well-defined figure.

The boy was still in his dark blazer to keep warm, and his bag lay next to him. His legs were lifeless as his shoulders seemed to droop. Hanbyeol frowned. Contemplating for a while, she changed direction and headed to the bright convenience store down the block.

The electronic bell sounded as she searched the aisles for some food. She decided on a triangle gimbap for each of them, Suho's favourite red ginseng drink and a banana milk.

Heading back to the lonely boy, like feeding a stray dog, Hanbyeol slowly approached him with the treats in her hand. Suho was staring at his shadow on the ground but looked up at Hanbyeol when he heard her soft footsteps. Lightly smiling, she sat down on the swing on the left of him and dropped her backpack on the floor. They both faced forward to the empty playground spotlighted by the street lamps, a comfortable silence coating them as the wind caressed her styled hair.

"Did you eat?" Hanbyeol asked.

"No," Suho replied.

She passed him a triangle gimbap and his drink, which he denied at first, but she held them out until he took them. Poking the straw in her milk, they both took a sip at the same time.

Hanbyeol gently swung her legs, her lips restless with contemplation. She didn't know how to comfort him, but it didn't seem like hugs and sweet words would work on him. Everyone had their own secrets, and she didn't want to pry. The fight at lunch seemed quite serious.

Eating his cold snack and crunching down on the seaweed, Suho's heart was dancing due to her presence. He cleared his throat but couldn't find any words. His fingers tapped the red ginseng drink, a soft beat that slowly faded away.

"I hate my looks," Hanbyeol stated, feeling a surge of confidence overcome her.

"As you can probably tell, my hair's usually a mess but I always style it because I wish I had nice, wavy hair like a model. And my skin's horrible – I wanna cover up the disgusting red on my face and the mole. But I don't know, things seem better now, and I have friends who are here for me. So, just know that you have people who are here for you, and you don't always have to keep things bottled up."

It wasn't the same as Suho's stress, but she felt a weight lift off her shoulders. She let out a breathless sigh, hoping her ramble served its purpose. Then, she dived back into her gimbap to pretend nothing happened. Glancing at her, Suho was grateful for the attempt as it made him think about something else.

"I think you look beautiful whether you do your hair and makeup or not. It's nice that people can see your eyes now, and your beauty spot helped me recognise you," Suho slowly said. "It's what's on the inside that matters most – don't worry about the people who don't act on this. You're kind and down-to-earth. You're like... a star in the morning sky."

Hanbyeol's cheeks turned red. She wasn't expecting him to say anything like that. Indeed, she didn't expect him to say more three words. However, her eyebrows furrowed as she replayed what he said.

"But you can't really see stars in the morning," Hanbyeol tilted her head at him, the angle mimicking her banana milk in her hand.

"I mean, you're bright as the sun, you know, with your light eyes, like the stars. And you're warm like the morning," Suho somehow seemed to still make his fragments sound sure as usual.

He quickly took a sip of his dark drink, a long sip. Hanbyeol didn't understand what he meant but it made her giggle. Trying to cover her yawn, she turned to the side a bit, but it didn't go unnoticed by the boy.

"I'm tired, I'm heading home now," Suho stood up, his blazer smoothing out with the help of his hands.

Hanbyeol stopped swinging her legs and jumped up as well. Quickly licking her lips, she made sure no pieces of seaweed were stuck on display. Creaking whispered through the breeze as the swing settled down.

"Me too," she replied as she swiftly finished her drink. "See you tomorrow."

She picked up her backpack and waved cheerily at him. Under the starry night, they parted ways like the tide leaving the shore, but they were known to meet again soon.

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Surprise! Here's another chapter today! I wrote these eight chapters a while ago, so I could upload twice a week. Sadly, it'll now take longer to write and I have work as well, cries. At least it's nearly the holidays!

And ooh, what do you think so far? Seems like a complicated love square~ (Sorry if it's not your thing.)

Thank you for reading, hope you enjoyed it! Please vote and comment! :)