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Lee Minghao never expected that as soon as he returned to school, he would hear rumors about Kim Seungmin seemingly being in a relationship. At first, he dismissed it, not only because he was generally annoyed by such gossip, but also because the subject of the rumors was Kim Seungmin.
Lee Minghao understood Kim Seungmin's feelings, which is why he couldn't believe that his little puppy would seek someone else.
Lee Minghao saw Kim Seungmin sitting in the cafeteria with someone he didn't recognize. When Kim Seungmin handed a napkin to the other person to wipe their mouth, Lee Minghao frowned, and the previously confident thoughts began to crack.
The person grabbed Kim Seungmin's hand, and Kim Seungmin shyly pulled his hand back, lowering his head as if embarrassed. This made a surge of anger rise in Lee Minghao's heart.
So Kim Seungmin not replying to his messages is because he found someone new?
Lee Minghao doesn't know when the person around Kim Seungmin appeared, nor does he understand how he could become so close to someone else in just over half a month. Kim Seungmin isn't the type to be casual about relationships.
Perhaps too absorbed in his own thoughts, Lee Minghao only realized after sitting down with his roommate that the table directly across from him was occupied by Kim Seungmin and others.
Kim Seungmin had already noticed Lee Minghao.
Their gazes met in the air, and Kim Seungmin's eyes were still bright, filled with a hint of confusion, while Lee Minghao directly averted his gaze, lowering his head to start eating.
"Seungmin, what's wrong?"
Han Zhicheng noticed that Kim Seungmin's mood was clearly off again when he lowered his head to eat. It was as if he sensed something, and he put down his chopsticks, his gaze fixated on the bracelet on the other person's wrist. It was the one he had given him a few days ago, and Kim Seungmin had been wearing it ever since.
"Everything's fine..."
Kim Seungmin shook his head and looked up, trying hard to smile at Han Zhicheng.
Kim Seungmin recalled the indifference in Lee Minghao's eyes just now, feeling a bit wronged, as if he had returned to that summer after the college entrance examination when they were in a cold war. At that time, Lee Minghao had also looked at him with such eyes.
When did Lee Minghao come back? Why didn't he tell himself?
Whenever Kim Seungmin encounters Lee Minghao, his thoughts start to multiply.
He even realized that he felt more familiar with Lee Minghao than he had imagined. It was just that someone passed by him, carrying a hint of a familiar fragrance, but at the moment he looked up to lock onto the figure, he confirmed that it was Lee Minghao.
Han Zhicheng felt a pang of heartache as he watched Kim Seungmin's forced smile, yet he still smiled and held his hand, winking at him.
"Then let's go."
Kim Seungmin knew that Han Zhicheng was comforting himself in his own way. He nodded, picked up his tray, and followed him outside.
Lee Minghao, who witnessed all of this, was so upset that he almost broke the chopsticks in his hand. He completely lost his appetite, picked up his plate, and left after saying, "You guys eat, I'm going back first."
"Hmm... What's been going on with him lately?"
His roommate, who went to the competition with Lee Minghao, looked at Lee Minghao's back, feeling puzzled by his recent inexplicable bad mood, and asked.
"Maybe his child is in a relationship and feeling upset about it."
"Kim Seungmin? Does he have a partner now?"
"When we came over, that table must be Kim Seungmin and his boyfriend; everyone at school has been talking about it lately."
"Who is that person?"
"A new transfer student in the music department, he's in the same class as Kim Seungmin. I think his name is Han Zhicheng."
"Oh, hey, how did Minghao's meal card end up here?"
Lee Minghao's roommate just saw the meal card on the chair and it was swiftly taken away by a pair of hands, accompanied by a casual remark.
"Thank you."
Lee Minghao's roommates looked at each other, not knowing when Lee Minghao had returned.
Lee Minghao's hand holding the meal card began to turn red. If it weren't for the meal card dropping, he wouldn't have realized just how many things had happened in the half month he was away.
Kim Seungmin actually started dating behind his back; that's impressive.
When I think about how Kim Seungmin didn't reply to my messages recently, it feels like he's dating the new transfer student, and a wave of frustration rises in my chest.
Did they celebrate Kim Seungmin's birthday together as well?
On Kim Seungmin's birthday, Lee Minghao not only sent blessings and gifts but also waited for Kim Seungmin's reaction. However, after receiving a reply from him, there was no further response.
Kim Seungmin wouldn't do that; he probably just didn't see it.
Lee Minghao tried hard to act indifferent, but the moment the dance rehearsal ended, he checked his messages. The chat box still showed his reply from five hours ago.
That "good night" was Lee Minghao's greatest attempt at probing, yet it fell into silence, and there was no further response. Kim Seungmin never replied to him again.
Lee Minghao let out a cold laugh; his little dog had really become much bolder.
Kim Seungmin, seeing the worried expression on Han Zhicheng's face, reassured him for the third time that he was fine and told him to return to the dormitory first. He then stood under Lee Minghao's dormitory building, waiting for him to come down.
The waiting time seemed to stretch infinitely. Kim Seungmin both wished for it to end quickly and hoped that time would slow down until he could organize the right words.
Based on Kim Seungmin's understanding of Lee Minghao, he knew that the other person was angry. Although he didn't know the reason, it likely had something to do with him.
Perhaps others couldn't tell that Lee Minghao was angry, thinking he looked no different from usual, but it was quite obvious to Kim Seungmin.
"What are you doing standing here?"
Kim Seungmin wasn't sure how to speak up yet when Lee Minghao arrived.
"Brother Minghao..."
Kim Seungmin looked closely at Lee Minghao, whom he hadn't seen for more than half a month. His thoughts were complicated; he felt longing, awkwardness, and an indescribable emotion all at once.
Lee Minghao clicked his tongue and pulled Kim Seungmin to the small garden behind the dormitory, making him sit down while he looked down at him.
Just now, Kim Seungmin looked at Lee Minghao with his tearful eyes. Although he didn't want to admit it, Lee Minghao's heart softened a bit. The harsh words he originally intended to say could not come out, and he could only coldly utter one sentence.
"Is there something you want to tell me?"
Lee Minghao felt a growing sense of anticipation in his heart as he saw Kim Seungmin come to find him, fueling the fire of the answers he longed for.
Kim Seungmin simply looked at Lee Minghao, then realized his own lapse in composure. He wiped the corner of his eye and averted his gaze, feeling embarrassed in front of his older brother.
"I'm sorry..."
With just those words, Lee Minghao's anger was doused like cold water, and his gaze darkened. He held Kim Seungmin's shoulder and slowly asked a question.
"Are you really together with that person?"
Kim Seungmin was startled by Lee Minghao's sudden closeness, leaving him no time to think about the other person's words, and a blush rose to his cheeks.
In Lee Minghao's eyes, this was undoubtedly a form of acceptance, but he still couldn't come to terms with it. How could it be possible? How could Kim Seungmin like someone else?
"Are you really with someone else?"
Kim Seungmin was taken aback when he heard the question. Seeing Lee Minghao's almost defeated expression, he realized there seemed to be some misunderstanding. Unable to bear Lee Minghao's disappointment, he instinctively denied it.
"No!"
"Really?"
Lee Minghao's eyes lit up again, and he didn't even know that his tone was filled with joy.
"Um..."
After the words left his mouth, Kim Seungmin began to feel nervous. Although he and Han Zhicheng were not together at the moment,...
"Then why didn't you reply to my message? Why did you wipe that person's mouth?"
Lee Minghao began to question Kim Seungmin after receiving a satisfactory answer, sitting beside him and staring intently.
Kim Seungmin was already nervous, and he couldn't handle Lee Minghao's piercing gaze. He lowered his head in defeat and began to explain.
"I'm sorry, hyung. I didn't know if I should message you; I was afraid of bothering you... I wiped his mouth because... because there was something stuck on it, so I just helped out a bit..."
The former's response was sincere. Kim Seungmin knew that Lee Minghao did not like to be disturbed when he was focused on something, although he also did not believe he could affect the other person. As for the "good night" message he received, he didn't know how to respond because he selfishly hoped it carried a different meaning, yet he was afraid of being overly sentimental.
The latter's response was clumsy. Kim Seungmin certainly could not tell Lee Minghao that wiping Han Zhicheng's mouth was an unconscious action, something he often did back in Italy. However, Lee Minghao asking about it—did that mean he actually cared about himself as well?
Lee Minghao found Kim Seungmin's flustered explanation adorable, feeling as if the other resembled a little dog trying to please its owner—obedient and sweet-talking. He didn't delve deeper into what Seungmin was saying.
"Your message is fine, just send it to me. Also, don't get too close to the newcomers all at once; there have been rumors around school lately."
Lee Minghao patted Kim Seungmin's head, giving him a boost of confidence while also seeking a sense of stability for himself.
Kim Seungmin nodded; Lee Minghao's words were like a surprise that descended from the sky, taking away all his unease. His mood began to bubble up like a carbonated drink.
"Go..."
"I'm not afraid, take me with you..."
As Lee Minghao was saying goodbye to Kim Seungmin at the dormitory entrance, the latter's phone rang. In that moment when Kim Seungmin picked it up, Lee Minghao caught a glimpse of the contact name on the screen: A Han Zhicheng. It was an unusual name.
Kim Seungmin didn't expect Han Zhicheng to call him at that moment, leaving him in a dilemma of whether to answer or not.
On the balcony of the third floor, Han Zhicheng was chewing on a lollipop, watching Lee Minghao's expression fall as he looked down. He chuckled softly, still dialing a number on his phone, labeled: A Seungmin.
Lee Minghao suddenly hugged Kim Seungmin tightly, not caring if anyone saw. At that moment, he connected the call and pressed the phone into the other person's embrace.
Kim Seungmin was completely stunned; today, Lee Minghao seemed so different.
"Xiao Min, what is your relationship with Han Zhicheng?"
Lee Minghao called him Xiao Min again, and it was outside of his birthday. This was Kim Seungmin's first reaction, and then he realized what the other person had said. His heart skipped a beat, but thinking the call was about to end, he spoke up without even having time to consider why Lee Minghao would ask that question.
"It's a friend..."
Han Zhicheng put away his smile, bit into the lollipop, and the sound of the phone was familiar yet piercing.
Lee Minghao On purpose.
Han Zhicheng hung up the phone and looked at the two people embracing each other, his expression darkening.
Kim Seungmin seemed to care too much about Han Zhicheng. Lee Minghao lay in bed at night, reflecting on the situation when he sent Kim Seungmin back to the dormitory in the afternoon, and he reached a conclusion.
A silent sense of crisis enveloped Lee Minghao completely.
Kim Seungmin rarely experienced significant emotional fluctuations and did not easily get close to others. Why was he so special towards Han Zhicheng?
Now, under the guise of friendship, what comes next?
Lee Minghao must admit that an unexpected situation has arisen, one he could not have imagined or controlled: Kim Seungmin is being attracted to someone else. This was something he absolutely could not foresee in the past decade.
For the past ten years, if you were to ask Lee Minghao how he feels about Kim Seungmin in any year before he turned eighteen, he would disdainfully say it was affection—something he didn't want to derive from his younger brother.
Thus, the Lee Minghao before turning eighteen had been avoiding Kim Seungmin, even though he knew that Seungmin liked him. It was precisely because Seungmin had feelings for him that he couldn't give a negative answer; he couldn't bear to part with their bond and kept evading it.
Kim Seungmin was like a lively little puppy who would never give up. No matter how distant Lee Minghao was towards him, he would still approach, allowing his older brother to pat his head, smiling foolishly at him and chasing after him.
During their teenage years, when everyone around them joked about their romantic relationships, Lee Minghao became quite annoyed. He started dating a boy to fend off the gossipers, which caused the sparkle in the puppy's eyes to dim.
Kim Seungmin started to take the initiative to keep his distance from him, no longer playfully calling him Lee Minghao pabo, but instead respectfully addressing him as Brother Minghao, and he no longer smiled at him.
At first, Lee Minghao didn't think much of it; he just thought that the puppy needed time to adjust. However, gradually he began to feel that something was off.
Until the summer vacation after Kim Seungmin's college entrance examination, their strained relationship erupted due to an unexpected incident.
Lee Minghao never thought that a senior from the dance troupe actually liked him. On his way home, the senior attempted to kiss him, but coincidentally, Kim Seungmin caught them in the act.
Until now, Lee Minghao still remembers Kim Seungmin with red eyes, shouting at him for the first time.
"Isn't it enough that I'm not bothering you anymore? Can you just stay away from me?"
Lee Minghao was not as happy as he had imagined; his mind was filled with thoughts of Kim Seungmin crying and how to comfort him. In the end, he pulled him into an embrace and gently kissed the top of his head, awkwardly using a soft tone to soothe him.
After that, Lee Minghao suddenly realized that his feelings for Kim Seungmin were indeed different. Otherwise, why had he felt no desire for intimacy when he was dating that other boy? They had never kissed, and even holding hands or hugging felt forced. With Kim Seungmin, everything seemed natural.
Kim Seungmin was really angry. Not only did he run off to Italy by himself, but he also ignored calls and texts.
Lee Minghao, aware that he was in the wrong, could only keep trying to reach out through calls and messages despite the time difference, gradually breaking down Kim Seungmin's defenses. After years of being together, he knew exactly what would work best on Kim Seungmin.
Fortunately, three months later, Kim Seungmin returned, just as fond of sticking to Lee Minghao as before, and they both got accepted into the same university.
Eighteen-year-old Lee Minghao's birthday wish was for Kim Seungmin to always be by his side and to attend the same university together.
This wish came true. Lee Minghao felt that both Kim Seungmin and the gods played a part in it, so he looked forward to his nineteenth birthday.
On the day Lee Minghao turned nineteen, he lit the candles, and Kim Seungmin urged him to make a wish. He pretended to be aloof, saying there was no need to rush, but with his hands pressed together in sincerity, he closed his eyes and earnestly made a wish.
I hope Kim Seungmin is always by my side, and that we can be together happily soon.
Now, Lee Minghao's twentieth birthday is just around the corner. I wonder if I can fulfill my wish for his nineteenth birthday before that.
Lee Minghao saw Han Zhicheng at the basketball court and was reminded of the note he saw that day. At that moment, Han Zhicheng also glanced over. Their eyes met, and sparks flew.
Lee Minghao leaned against the basketball hoop, wearing headphones, and walked over to Han Zhicheng.
"Hello, senior."
Han Zhicheng waited for Lee Minghao to approach before taking off his earphones and greeting him, a smile playing at the corners of his mouth but not reaching his eyes.
"Han Zhicheng?"
Lee Minghao When not smiling, his eyes turn cold and distant, his tone indifferent.
"Do you need something, senior?"
Han Zhicheng adjusted his headphones, ignoring Lee Minghao's hostile glare. His round eyes rolled slightly as he slowly began to speak.
"What do you think of Kim Seungmin..."
Lee Minghao Considered his words for a moment, then decided to stop there, staring into the other person's eyes to observe their reaction.
Han Zhicheng Smiled and tilted his head, Lee Minghao was more direct than he had expected, so he might as well be direct too.
"I like him."
Lee Minghao Even though I anticipated it, I was still surprised by Han Zhicheng's words.
Lee Minghao returned to his indifferent demeanor. It’s perfectly normal for someone as outstanding as Kim Seungmin to have admirers, but Kim Seungmin doesn’t like them, so he doesn’t care.
“He just sees you as a friend.”
Han Zhicheng smiled again, this time with a mocking tone. He straightened up and looked directly into Lee Minghao's eyes, speaking with a forked tongue.
"Are you deceiving yourself, Senior? Or did Seungmin not tell you?"
"What does it mean?"
Lee Minghao keenly sensed the stark pride in Han Zhicheng's tone, a kind of confident control over the situation.
Han Zhicheng took out the phone from the pocket of his hoodie, unlocked the screen, and placed it in front of Lee Minghao.
"Senior, do you understand?"
Two teenagers with their heads together on the lock screen, the blond-haired teenager kissing the side of the black-haired teenager's face, and the black-haired teenager smiling at the camera. That smile is too familiar to Lee Minghao.
Lee Minghao's pupils suddenly contracted, his whole heart immersed in the depths of the sea, exuding a chill from the inside out.
Lee Minghao knew that Kim Seungmin was in Italy, as he had seen photos of Kim Seungmin dressed like that.
"You met in Italy?"
Lee Minghao's voice trembled involuntarily. In that moment, the pride he had in their more than ten years of friendship was shattered by this intimate photo. It turned out that Kim Seungmin had really dated someone else.
"Yes, Seungmin told you we were just friends, but that was actually a lie..."
"I am his first love, and he is my first love. We were together."
Han Zhicheng's words cut into Lee Minghao like a sharp blade, leaving him speechless. Lee Minghao never expected that Kim Seungmin, who had been by his side for so many years, had already run toward someone else.
"And..."
Han Zhicheng smiled as he looked at the disoriented Lee Minghao in front of him, delivering a fatal blow.
"I have not only kissed and hugged Seungmin, but we have also been intimate."
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