A Fox In A Wolf Skin

"Jun-hyung...!!!"

"Minjun-sunbae..."

Seungjoon tore his eyes away from his textbook to check what the commotion was. The whole class was stirring, and girls were giggling silently, looking toward the corridor. The tall figure of Minjun stood in the middle, looking overwhelmed by his admirers. His friend tried to calm down the crowd, and Seungjoon's class monitor dragged others away, apologizing to Minjun. Minho and Jaewon, who were in the basket ball team, were chatting with Minjun animately. 

"Joon-ah, pass me the eraser." 

Seungjoon gaze shifted from Minjun to Taemin, who was looking at Minjun and others with a bitter look on his face. 

"Let it go, hyung. You know Jaewon can play better than you. He has to do what's best for the team." 

Seungjoon said as he passed the eraser to Tamin. Taemin snatched it, still unable to let go of his sore mood. For a few seconds, Seungjoon watched Taemin erase his wrong answers like a manic, muttering to himself, and then his eyes darted back to Minjun. He observed Minjun's chocolate brown eyes come to life as he talked with his teammates.

'Now, did you really come to meet them or...' Seungjoon thought, and as soon as he did, he saw Minjun's eyes looking into the class. Seungjoon turned away and pretended to look out of the window. But by the reflection of the open window pane, Seungjoon could see everything Minjun did. Minjun's eyes were fixed on Seungjoon. 

When he first came to notice Minjun, Seungjoon thought Minjun's popularity came from his status and his looks. Later, he began to realize that his fame mostly came from his easygoing, down-to-earth personality. Seungjoon found it a bit hard to believe. Most of the students who attended School A* were rich, and almost all of them had quite arrogant personalities. 

Ever since he met Minjun at the infirmary for the second time, Seungjoon has been observing him closely and was surprised to discover his extremely emotional and sensitive side, which fascinated Seungjoon immensely. Seungjoon had noticed that despite Minjun's status, he still had an unblemished, childlike heart. It was amusing to see how he often misread situations and unintentionally rejected many girls. Seungjoon was amused to find out that Changmin was also entertained by Minjun's unassuming character. Unfortunately, Minjun's innocence left him vulnerable. Anyone could easily manipulate him as they pleased. Seungjoon observed that Changmin was the one who protected Minjun from getting into troublesome situations.

Seungjoon was intrigued by Changmin's affection and attentiveness towards Minjun. It was remarkable how Changmin went above and beyond his comfort zone to protect Minjun. The level of care and attention he gave to Minjun was truly exceptional. Seungjoon couldn't help but admire the bond between Changmin and Minjun, and he wondered what made their relationship so unique and special.

"Taemin hyung, do you know anything about Cho Changmin?"

Taemin was the secret gossip king of the school, and he knew almost every piece of gossip that circulated around it.

"He is the stepbrother of Han Minjun."

Seungjoon was lucky that Taemin said this without raising his head from his textbook. Seungjoon couldn't hide the surprise on his face for a few seconds. 

"Really? Hmmm…. Well, that explains a lot." Seungjoon mumbled to himself. 

"Why are you interested in Cho Changmin?"

Seungjoon turned his head to the left. Taejon was looking at Minjun with cold, steely eyes. 

'Damn. He already knows.' Seungjoon thought, but aloud, he played the innocent card.

"Well, he seems really attached to Han Minjun. I was just curious."

Seungjoon replied nonchalantly and started marking down answers with a bent head, making sure Taejon could not see his face directly.

In the past few weeks, Seungjoon had noticed that Minjun frequently visited his class. He would often linger outside, in the corridor, waiting for a chance to catch a glimpse of Seungjoon. Minho and Jaewon always kept him company. Thankfully, the troublesome twins were not present for most of these visits. However, on the few occasions when they were there, Changmin would swiftly intervene and drag Minjun away before any trouble could ensue.

Seungjoon was aware of the feelings behind Minjun's visits. He couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction in being the center of Minjun's attention, and he could see the confusion in Minjun's eyes.

'I bet you never thought of falling for a guy. What would you do if I liked you back, Han Minjun? Will you be able to handle it?'

Seungjoon thought as he looked at Minjun's reflection in the classroom window.

Seungjoon was aware that a romantic relationship between him and Minjun was not possible, and Minjun's family would strongly oppose it. He knew that if they were to date, Minjun would suffer due to his family's disapproval. Besides, there were also the twins to consider. Suddenly, Seungjoon had the urge to look into Minjun's big chocolate-brown eyes.

'Han Minjun, will you ever take the responsibility for disturbing peace of my mind?'

Seungjoon watched Changmin drag Minjun away as the bell rang to mark the end of recess time. He watched the tall figure of Minjun disappear around the corner with an unsettled heart. Seungjoon slowly banged the back of his head on his chair.

'Eomma, why couldn't you pass me the rest of abeoji's genes? I'm way too short for a guy.'

Seungjoon looked at the sky through the classroom window.

'That's the least of your worries, fool.'

He wanted to scream from the top of his lungs.

'Han Minjun, why are you a fox in wolf skin?'