“Don’t.”
“Why?..”
“Lee Yunho, why do you even like me?”
“Because the weather is nice. Because I can't stop thinking of you when we are alone.” Lee Yunho paused and then stepped foward slowly one hand in his pocket. He reached out and brushed Woojin's hair away.
“So can’t I say it? Say the words that have been weighing in my heart since forever?”
Woojin bristled, knowing what was coming next. He couldn’t help it, the hairs on the back of his neck raised. They were ready to run away.
He was ready to run away.
“I love you Kim Won.”
Woojin watched him carefully. ‘Yah, is this really happening? Do I really have to kiss… for a class project? Do I really have to lose my first kiss to Lee Songki?’ He thought.
“Cut!”
“Cut cut cut… Kim Woojin! Why are you so frozen? Are you a fish in the supermarket? It’s just acting, do it right! You are playing Kim Won. Kim Won kisses Lee Yunho, and they are in love. Is it really that hard to do?”
Woojin bowed his head. “Sorry. Sorry.” He said bowing repeatedly as the people who were working on the film together in his group collectively sighed.
“This is the fourth time this week, we are so behind. Why do you keep freezing up while we film? Are we even going to finish this by the time everyone else has been graded? Jeez... What is wrong with you Kim Woojin?” Somi asked, clearly aggravated. Songki held her back, resting his hand on her back, comforting her.
“We have all worked so hard on our parts Song Ki is doing his very best as Lee Yunho. Can’t you just behave long enough to finish this, Are Kim Won's parts really that hard? The script isn’t even as long as some of the other groups. And you joined this class just like the rest of us. You had to have known we would have to do actual acting at some point.” She snapped. Her anger clearly getting the better of her.
“Director, it's okay, we can still finish it in time,” Songki reassured her.
Woojin frowned. ‘I hate this.’ He rubbed his hands through his hair as the four of his classmates talked openly about his inadequacies.
‘You all are awful. Do you think I don’t want to finish this too? I hate it. It counts for so much of my grade. Why did I have to get the unlucky draw and end up as the other lead... with him? Does it even make sense that we both failed the stick drawing, and not once but twice! But…But… How can I give my first kiss to Lee Songki? We are not dating. I wanted my first kiss to be with someone who... He is handsome, but I wanted my first kiss to be with someone who cared about me. Someone who had only me in their head and in their heart.’ Woojin sighed, deflated.
“I’m going home. Let’s finish tomorrow, Aish? Okay?” He said before he grabbed his bag, flung it over his sweater, and walked out of the classroom.
The halls were empty and through the windows, he could see the sun setting over the tops of the trees. He pulled out his phone and opened the door to the building at the same time, then walked out into the warmth of a beautiful day.
The time on his phone showed six-fifteen.
They had really been filming for four and a half hours. ‘How much of that was usable? I wonder?’
“Woojin!”
“At least the weather is nice,” Woojin said, tucking his phone back into his pants pocket satisfied he would be walking home in such great weather. He wrapped his hand around the shoulder strap of his bag and stopped as it occurred to him, that he was grinning and saying stupid things aloud “Wait, why am I saying such cringy and trash lines in real life?”
“Yah, Kim Woojin, do you not hear me calling you?”
Woojin turned around to see Songki running towards him.
‘Ahhhh, Lee Songki, why are you always in my view?’
‘He had to admit it wasn’t a bad view when he looked at it objectively though. If he got past the awkward fact that he had been picked to go on camera.’
His partner was not lacking. Songki was handsome. Model type handsome, tall lithe figure that looked like a flower if you dressed him delicately. Or looked dangerous if you put him in idol-like clothes. His plump lips were small even for his small face. And he had eyes that some would say made him look hard, maybe even scary to some.
But he thought it made him look edgy, with his long blonde hair and the way he styled it. Songki could definitely have been an idol if he wanted to. But he had chosen to be an actor. Which fit him perfectly too. A face and body like his weren’t kept off a screen that's for sure.
A laugh broke his concentration and Woojin came to, with Songki’s face a foot from his own.
‘Really doesn’t belong anywhere but on a tv scene. He feels unreal.’
Songki smirked. And Woojin felt his heart palpitate in response.
“Wow, a fairy,” Woojin said and paused as it occurred to him that he had spoken the words out loud.
Songki blinked his face, breaking out into a big smile.
“Do you like me that much, Woojin?” He asked.
Woojin’s mouth fell open. “Ah… No, I mean, sure, you. I, um.”
Songki laughed again. “Sorry, you were staring so intensely, I couldn’t help teasing you a bit. Sorry.”
He leaned over the railing on the side of the sidewalk. Pausing in between the trees to take a break. Songki wrapped his hands on the railing, and let out a long and wistful sigh. Woojin walked over and copied his pose, the silence filling up the space between them. It felt nice. Just being with someone like this.
“What were you thinking so intensely about?"
"Just now? Or before?" Woojin asked. 'Although both were the same thing.'
"Both?" Songki asked.
‘You… my precious first kiss… you and my precious first kiss put together and what that might feel like. Not like I can tell you that though.’
“Were you stuck because you really hate filming with me that much?”
Woojin’s head snapped up. “No!” He said firmly.
Songki turned and looked at him, surprised.
“No, it’s not that,” Wookin said, cautiously.
“Mhhm, then what is it Mr. Kim Woojin? Because I feel like we have been doing well filming together all week. Even Somi was happy with our acting and chemistry the first two days. And Somi has hated pretty much everything about this group project. ” Songki chuckled under his breath.
Woojin sat for a bit, and Songki seemed as if he might be waiting patiently for him to answer.
He squeezed his eyes shut, physically pained. ‘Am I going to have to tell him such a lame thing aloud? Will this be the third embarrassing thing I say today? How will I face everyone in class tomorrow if this gets out? How will I face everyone in class if I make them all fail because of this, though? Is there really no winning?’
“It's... It's just, I kinda thought my first kiss was going to be special, not on camera for the rest of the class to see.” He said and closed his eyes in embarrassment. What a thing to lament about in front of the most handsome guy in class. He betted there was no way Songki could see his whining as anything other than pathetic. He hunched his shoulders forward.
‘Wait for it, here it comes, the laughing, the ridicule.’ But nothing happened.
Woojin turned tentatively, almost scared to see what had happened. In the best-case scenario, Songki had walked away and heard nothing at all. Worst case, he was rolling on the ground laughing.
Woojin blinked up at Songki.
He had moved in closer, but his face was gentle, and he had tilted his chin sideways. He reached his left hand out towards Woojin’s face. Woojin paused as Songki's hand brushed the hair out of his face but remained tangled in his hair instead of falling down.
“If I hold you tightly while the sun is setting and the weather is nice. If I tell you how fast you make my heart beat because I like you. Can I kiss you right now?” Songki asked seriously.
Woojin’s blood flowed like a river. He felt it rush to his ears, his neck, and even a warm tingling in his toes. ‘Ah, those kinda lines really do work to make your heart melt and quicken in real life…’ He thought. 'I never thought they could work on me... I'm that kinda sucker, huh.' His heartbeat in his chest mocking him.
He could only nod once, he was so stunned by the offer. One nod was all Songki needed, he reached out and pulled Woojin in. Woojin felt Songki’s lips fall against his own, gently, their plump warmth pressing sweetly. And his eyes fluttered shut.
‘My first kiss… It’s yours Lee Songki.’ He thought. And this time, instead of wanting to run away, his stomach filled with butterflies. A happy looping feeling that sent him floating from the ground.
Songki pulled away and for a moment he stayed waiting for more. Wishing that he could have seconds. But he opened his eyes when Songki didn’t come back and the cooler air of the evening greeted his face instead.
Songki smiled at him. “I didn’t kiss you just now, just so your first kiss wasn’t on camera and you would be able to film tomorrow. I want you to know it has nothing to do with that. I like you Kim Woojin. I have all year. I am confessing to you.”
Woojin blinked stupidly. ‘Ah, is this a dream? He likes me? I just had my first kiss with someone who likes me.’
“You like me.” He commented, almost unable to wrap his brain around it.
“Mhhm. I like you.” He repeated.
Woojin looked at the ground but couldn’t hide the smile that spread across his face growing bigger and bigger.
He scratched his neck nervously, then looked back up catching Songki’s eyes.
“Ah, my heart is going to burst if you look at me like a happy puppy.” Songki commented, beating on his chest lightly with his fist as if he had indigestion.
Woojin rolled his eyes at his playfulness.
“Can I walk you home?” Songki asked, changing the topic smoothly.
Woojin nodded, feeling a bit to shy to answer. He raised his hadn to swipe away his bangs out of nervous habit but Songki caught his hand on the way up to his face and his fingers intertwined with Woojin. Woojin looked at them, a moment of surprise donning on his face, before he settled on pure joy.
Woojin walked toward home, and Songki kept pace with him so that he was never a step ahead.
‘Is he matching my pace despite my short legs…Cute.’
“Do you think you will still be too shy to film a kiss with me tomorrow for the project? Should we practice a bit more on the way home?” Songki asked.
Woojin turned blinking at Songki stupidly. His face was beaming with good humour, those magnetic eyes of his, were sparkling and bright.
“Yah!” He started, unsure what else to say.
But before he could respond, Songki interrupted. “You are so adorable Woojin, and I have been waiting impatiently four times this week for you to kiss me. Let me play a bit now that it’s happened. Hmm?” He asked sweetly.
‘I wasn’t the only one nervous.’ Woojin realised. Woojin started walking again this time matching Songki perfectly without trying. After a few moments.
“When I am home, kiss me goodnight,” Woojin answered and then pulled his hand free and ran ahead before Songki could respond.
Songki’s laughter followed behind him closely. “Yah, Woojin, Are you that excited to kiss me again?” He called.
Woojin turned and looked over his shoulder, Songki was all smiles, his hair bouncing with every long stride he took as he chased after him.
“Yeah! Yeah I am.” He called back, laughter bubbling up freely.
"Let's practice lots." Songki called after him.
Woojin laughed too happy and shy to turn back around and face him.
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