My heart was beating so fast I swear it's going to jump out of my chest soon. I could feel my heart beating in sync with the basketballs on court.

After a rest of a week, the basketball guys have their finals today. Today was the big day, not only for the guys but also for our school. If they win, it would be their sixth championship in ten years. Of course, it'll be a winning streak from last year.

I was so nervous yet excited for the guys. This time round, there were more students who came down to watch and support. Of course, this being the finals and all.

Students were everywhere and our team was facing our usual rival, the same team that had gotten into the finals last year. Before the game started, the guys were busy warming up on court. I kept my promise to Woohyun and chose a more visible spot. Well, I think it's more visible but I'm not sure if it is for Woohyun. Anyways, so we were sitting in the middle of the stands, not too high and not too low. I must say we have really good seats.

Just like what Woohyun said, he kept looking towards the stands trying to find us. But this time, there were more people. Every time he looked over, the girls will squeal just a little and his teammates were nudging him to pay more attention to their warm up. Woohyun looked… nervous. Like a kid trying to find his mom in the grocery store.

Coincidentally, sitting beside my friends and I came a familiar voice. I remember that voice. It was those girls who sat in front of me previously. This time, they were sitting next to us. We were sitting in the order as such: Howon, Bomi, me and Myungsoo. The girls were sitting next to Myungsoo.

The timer continued counting down and the guys continued their warm ups but Woohyun still didn't manage to find us amongst the large crowd.

I remembered Woohyun's words. This was the finals. He said that by seeing me there supporting him, it gives him motivation. I promised to stay right where he could see me anyways so I don't what made me do it but I stood up. I could feel Myungsoo, Bomi and Howon staring at me.

"Nam Woohyun!" I shouted out really loudly, trying to put my voice above all the noise to get his attention so he knows that we were seated right there. "Nam Woohyun!"

Despite it being noisy, it was as though Woohyun had heard my voice and he turned. He spotted me standing there and I could feel the stares all around me. The people from behind, the people from in front and the people by my side. Gosh, this is so embarrassing!

Woohyun looked at me and gave a wide smile. His smile lit up the world. I did mention he has that charm right? He gave a small nod and I knew by then, he'd gotten his motivation. I sat down, feeling embarrassed by my own actions and Myungsoo was staring at me with those deep eyes of his.

"W-what?" I said nervously that my voice cracked.

I then realize it would be weird if I only cheered on Woohyun so I immediately shouted out another cheer.

"Kim Sunggyu! Fighting!"

There. That should be it. Sunggyu looked towards the source of the voice and he saw us sitting there as well. He gave his classic Sunggyu eye smile and continued with his warm ups. He still had that wrist guard on and he occasionally had to massage his wrist. Maybe it was hurting again.

It wasn't long until the counting down timer buzzed and it marked the end of warmups. Both teams went back to their respective benches and the coach gave them a briefing and pep talk before the actual game starts.

The whistle blew, signalling that the starting players have to gather on court now. The starting players consisted of Woohyun, Sunggyu, Dongwoon for the tip off, Woohyun's classmate Yang Yoseob and another guy from some other class I didn't know.

The referee stood in the middle, as both teams got ready. The crowd was going wild just cheering when it suddenly died down so that the game could start.

The referee then threw the ball straight up. The game begins.

Even though the opponent's centre guy was slightly, just slightly taller than Dongwoon, Dongwoon had jumped higher and so he managed to tip the ball off into Woohyun's arms. If Woohyun was a really good player usually, which he is, he is a monster in this finals. Within the first two minutes, our team drew first blood as Woohyun scored. The crowd cheered once more.

If I said the semi-finals were intense, I would be wrong. The finals was ten times more intense that the semi-finals. Even though I wasn't playing, my heart is literally beating out of my chest. Imagine how the players would feel!

The situation was tense because every time we scored a goal, the opponents will take the points back and they'd score as well. The scores were tied half the time. However, we were still the ones to lead in the scoring before the opponents caught up.

The first quarter soon ended with a tied score of 10-10. That's just how intense the game was. They only managed to hit a ten.

We were just sitting and chatting with each other as we waiting for the next quarter to start. Howon was busy talking basketball because he did know how to play and he did get into the team. He just didn't want to play. Bomi, Howon and I were engaged in a conversation when I realized Myungsoo wasn't in the conversation. I turned to see Myungsoo talking to other people instead. Who? He was talking to the girls sitting next to him. Are they hitting on him or something?

I listened in on their conversation and the girls were asking him about the game. They were just asking him about the rules of the game and I just sat there trying to listen into their conversation. Myungsoo was patient and he explained things really well.

Just as I was listening, the whistle blew and the second quarter is about to start. Some other players had subbed Yoseob and the other guy whose name I didn't know and the second quarter began this way.

The other team started with their possession of the ball and our team started defending. The opponent's centre got hold of the ball and he was trying to get past the defence, which was Dongwoon. With a fake and a cut in, the opponent had caused Dongwoon to fall on his . There were gasps heard because we all thought Dongwoon would be down but he got up immediately to defend the opponent once again. However, it was already too late and the opponent had scored.

The other side cheered and our side was quiet. Dongwoon had showed great defence but the fall had given the opponent an opening. For the first time in the game, the opponent had the upper hand.

I felt my breath stopping after seeing the guys lagging behind and my hands accidentally reached out to touch Myungsoo's. Feeling embarrassed about it, I retracted my hand as quickly and I reach out. It wasn't long until the guys caught up but this catching game starts again. There was just no getting out of that loop. Both teams were equally capable and great.

Five minutes into the second quarter, our team was on the offensive and trying to score. The ball was passed to Dongwoon and he tried to drive in despite there being a lot of people in the baseline. He decided that he couldn't penetrate their defences and he passed the ball back out, into Woohyun's hands.

With no opponent guarding him, Woohyun made a shot at the three-point line. I held my breath as his hands left the ball.

The ball went straight in the net. A perfect shot. The crowd went wild because this meant that we had taken back our lead by one point. Woohyun made a small punch in the air at his perfectly executed shot and went to take his place as the opponent starts the ball.

The second quarter then ended perfectly, with our team keeping their lead of a whopping three points ahead of the opponent. It was a great lead if you consider how close this match has been. It was now halftime, where the break is longer than the normal breaks and the cheerleaders from both schools came out to perform. I was just busy talking to my friends instead of watching the cheerleaders perform but I noticed that the girl sitting next to Myungsoo had started talking to him again. Once more, I listened in.

"Why was that score worth three points?" She asked.

Seriously? Does she not know anything about basketball?

"Woohyun shot from the three point line, it is worth three points if you shoot from there since it's also further away." Myungsoo explained.

I was basically just eavesdropping on their conversation.

"Then why are those worth only one point?" She pointed to the free throw line.

Myungsoo then explained to her patiently about how it is only worth one point if the opponent had made a foul. The conversation kept going and I couldn't stop myself from listening until I heard her giggle. I looked over at the both of them, particularly Myungsoo. He was keeping his gaze straight and looking at the court while I saw the girl looking right at him. Was she trying to flirt with him?

Myungsoo could feel me staring I suppose and he turned to face me. "What?"

I looked away, pretending it didn't even happen at all. "Nothing," I said as nonchalantly as I could. "Nothing." I muttered out the second time.

The third quarter started abruptly after our conversation ended and I could feel my palms sweating. I was nervous for the guys too.

Woohyun and Sunggyu remained on the court and they substituted the other three players. Sunggyu's fringe was drenched in sweat and he rotated his wrist while waiting for the opponent to get ready on court. Is his wrist hurting again? Is he alright?

The opponent was on the defensive and I could tell that their defence has gotten tighter. They didn't spread out too far and they had marked their men closely, so as not to lose the person they are guarding. Woohyun was having trouble breaking through due to the tight defence and he kept controlling the ball on the outside of the three-point line, unable to breakthrough.

He went to the left and did a fake. Spotting an opening in that slight moment, he charged in but the opponent was fast too. Not faltered by the fake for too long, the opponent stepped in to block Woohyun's path and Woohyun tried to avoid a horrible collision by moving right. Unfortunately for him, another opponent nearby had read his moves and came to block his way. Woohyun is trapped. The whole scene was so fast and so messy that after the opponents trapped him, he tripped and fell with one of the opponents.

There was a lot of commotion and gasps heard. Since he fell, he lost possession of the ball and the opponent had used this chance to make a score and closed the gap. The referee then blew the whistle because after the fall, both Woohyun and the opponent were still on the ground. Teammates sitting on the benches rushed out to help both Woohyun and the opponent. Woohyun could still walk, wait no, limp back to the benches but the opponent couldn't even walk. He must have injured his ankle more than he thought.

Everybody in the crowd was frantic because the star on the court was out of the game. Will Woohyun get to play again? Is he alright? Nobody knows except for the guys. The coach had substituted Woohyun and continued with the game.

"Oh no, is Woohyun going to be okay?" I asked Myungsoo anxiously. I really hope he's fine.

"We can only hope that he'll be fine." Myungsoo replied me and I nodded, still worried over my best friend.

The third quarter then came to an end. The opponent was in the lead now. By two points. My face fell. But this isn't the end yet, there's still one more quarter to go! They can do this!

Just as I was talking to Bomi about Woohyun's condition, I heard Myungsoo taking to someone again and I heard the girl's voice. Again. Why is she always talking to him? It's not like they're friends or anything right? Wasn't she into Woohyun the previous time? Why is she trying to hit on Myungsoo now?

It just irritated me but I didn't want to be rude or anything so I just sat there, waiting for the last quarter to start and I not-so-secretly eavesdropped on their conversation.

The last quarter was going to begin soon and Woohyun stood up from the benches. He got ready to get on court and the crowd cheered because it just means that he's going to play once again. Hopefully he's fine since he was limping just now. Woohyun then faced the crowd and his eyes scanned the crowd once more. Once he saw the group of us, he stopped. He looked right at me and then he broke into a really wide smile. Using my arms, I gave him a silent 'fighting' and he stepped on the court. Our Nam Superstar is ready to fight again.

The final round began really quickly and the chasing game continued. The opponent had fouled someone from our team and he had two free throws, the ones that were worth one point each, but he was so nervous he had only managed to score one. Hence, our team was still lagging behind by one point.

They can't just lose the championship title like that. Please please oh please.

What started out intense had become fierce. Each and every one of the players on court was thirsty for victory and neither is backing down.

Woohyun's fall earlier meant nothing, as he was fiercer, faster and sharper than before. We managed to pull the score back up to match the opponent but the opponent suddenly had a clean three point shot and they were four points ahead of us now.

C'mon, please let them win! They worked so hard for this, please!

Just as I was hoping for that in my head, Woohyun had done his magic once again and made a clean three-point shot, closing the gap and now we were only lagging by one point. However, no matter how we catch up to the gym opponent, there was that one point difference.

Just a mere three minutes left on the clock. My hands were shaking and I didn't even realize it until I felt another pair of hands on mine. It was Myungsoo's.

"You're shaking." He said, clarifying the reason why he took my hand.

"I'm nervous."

"Me too." Even though he said he was nervous, he still looked calm. How is that even possible?

The clock ticked and we were down to the final minute. The opponent seemed to relax a bit because they were in the lead with one point ahead of us. Our side was anxious. Despite the last minute left, our guys didn't give up. Ten more seconds.

Nine

Eight

Seven

Sunggyu got hold of the ball and tried to cut in, past the defence.

Four

Three

He made a layup but the opponent got anxious and made a foul. The whistle blew and the time stopped. There were two seconds left on the clock.

Sunggyu was awarded with two free throws as penalty. If he scored both, we would win the championships. If he didn't, it could go both ways. Either they tie and go overtime, or they lose.

Sunggyu stood in position as he waited for the others to do so. He was massaging and rotating his wrist now. Even though it wasn't his master hand but it still affected him. Can you imagine the amount of pain he has to bear?

The ball was passed to him and he was aiming. I couldn't breathe so I held my breath, as if my breathing will affect the wind direction, which will affect the ball or something. I was so nervous that I held onto Myungsoo's arm tightly.

There was a nice swoosh sound and the ball made it through the net. Our side cheered super loudly including me. One more shot left.

Sunggyu bounced the ball and he aimed. I gripped onto Myungsoo's arm even tighter. He aimed and he shot. I couldn't bear to look so I turned away, waiting for the reaction of the crowd.

There again, was the clean swoosh and the crowd stood up and cheered. I looked back at the court and I saw our team cheering. We are now in the lead, one point ahead.

"He did it! He did it!" I exclaimed as I stood up, jumping with joy while swinging Myungsoo's hand back and forth.

Myungsoo was grinning ear to ear when there was a sound asking the crowd to be silent. There was still two seconds left on the clock.

Woohyun was shouting at his teammates to guard tighter than ever so that the two seconds will pass and the game with end in their victory. The opponent passed out the ball and Woohyun gave his all to prevent the opponent's point guard from using those two seconds to make a comeback. And it worked.

The final buzz went off and the whistles blew for the last time this season. We had won. We had won! The crowd went wild and the basketball guys who were sitting on the benches all ran out to give those on court a hug. They had all gathered for a group hug on court. Even the supporters ran down to congratulate the basketball guys. Of course, we did too.

I was running past all those people and I remembered my promise to Woohyun. It was hard finding him in this crowd considering how popular he is. There were so many people who went to congratulate him and asking him for a photo but he once he saw me, he immediately apologized and came running in our direction.

"Our Nam Superstar! Congrats! Where's Gyu?" Howon asked as he congratulated his buddy.

"I think he's with his classmates, there!" Woohyun pointed out as Sunggyu was taking photos with his classmates. "He's the real star." He said and we all know what he meant. If it weren’t for Sunggyu's penalty free throws, they would have lost.

Woohyun then turned his attention to me and he held out his hands. I laughed and I found myself walking towards him to give him a hug despite his sweaty and wet jersey.

Honestly, it was kind of gross but then I had to do if because I promised him. Besides, the thrill of knowing they came in champion took away all the disgusting thoughts. I was just so proud of them. Woohyun didn't hug me for long and he let go soon after.

Sunggyu then came to join us immediately.

"Yah Kim Sunggyu!" Woohyun shouted at him and caught him in a headlock. "Who's the real superstar now!"

Sunggyu could only chuckle under his arms.

"How's that wrist feeling?" Myungsoo asked out of concern.

"Yah Gyu, that last two shots was amazing." Howon winked at him and even Bomi congratulated the both of them.

Sunggyu looked at his wrist and just smiled. "I'm sure it'll heal fine after the finals."

"Yah!" I shouted at him. It meant that he's not fully healed yet right?

We then took some group photos before Woohyun and Sunggyu had to go for their prize presentation and then they'll be heading out to celebrate with their teammates instead.

I noticed that Bomi had secretly lagged behind so she could talk to Woohyun. She must have congratulated him personally.

--

The basketball guys went to celebrate on their own because this is their victory. As much as I would like to be an overly attached friend, I agree that this moment, they have to celebrate it with the team, which they spent so much time training together with. Which is why the four of us decided to head out to grab some food together.

We went to a fast food chain nearby and there were many of our school's students in there as well. Seems like they had all decided to just eat nearby.

"Yah, what do you want? I'll go order you can just wait here." Howon said as we found a seat, which is really hard to find considering the amount of people here.

"Hmmmm…" Howon waited for a while more and he gave me a stare that totally meant 'seriously?'

"You always end up getting the same thing. I'll just get your favourite." He said and then he proceeded to look at the rest for their orders.

"I'll go with you, I need to use the restroom." Bomi stood up and she headed with Howon to order, leaving Myungsoo and I behind.

Myungsoo was busy checking his phone for any messages when I nudge him. He looked at me with a really blank stare and cute puppy eyes. His blank stare will always remind me of a puppy, I don't even know why.

"What?" He asked and I found that I was staring at his face for too long. What in the world were you thinking Jin?!

"Aniya, just wondering why that girl kept talking to you just now." I blurted out. It's because he's handsome right? That junior must have been fascinated by his handsome looks.

"What, you're jealous?"

"Aniya!" I said immediately. No way am I jealous, I'm just irritated. Yes, irritated. Why does all the girls only talk to him just because he's handsome? I'm afraid that someday some girl will eat him alive because of that cute puppy stare. Did I just call him cute again? No I did not.

Myungsoo just laughed at my reaction when said girl came strutting over with her friend.

"Aren't you the sunbaenim from earlier?" She started to talk to Myungsoo again. Again?! "Annyeonghaseyo sunbaenim, I'm Choi Jiyeon." She introduced herself.

Myungsoo bowed politely back and introduced himself as well. "I'm Kim Myungsoo."

"I know." She giggled with her friends and then she waved him a goodbye before walking further into the fast food chain.

"Heol." I muttered out and looked at Myungsoo. He just attracts all the girls like honey. "I told you you have many admirers. She even knows who you are." I told him.

Myungsoo just shrugged. At the same time, Howon and Bomi had come back with our orders.

"That was fast." I said as Howon set down the tray and started handing out our burgers and orders. After we were done giving out the food, Howon then tossed me some tomato sauce right in my face.

"Yah!" I pouted as the tomato packets his my face and I saw him giving me that sly grin of his as he ate his fries. I then smiled back, thankful for his thoughtfulness since I couldn't take spicy food.

After we were done eating, we then went back and then reality hits us all over again. We have to start preparing for the carnival again and also try and manage our time to study for the college entrance exam. Life goes on.

For once, I was actually studying. I don't know why I just had that sudden motivation to study. Maybe it's also because I have a goal in mind now. I've researched more about the art courses in Seoul National University and I made that my goal since that day I talked about it with Myungsoo.

It was getting late and I was slowly nodding off while studying because really, studying isn't all that interesting. Shinee is definitely more interesting. I was dozing off on my table when suddenly my phone rang, jolting me awake.

I saw the caller and I picked up right away.

"Jin! I'm outside now! Come out for a while!"

"What? Okay l'll be there." I immediately went out of my house just to see that silly boy standing over there. He had his arms open wide, signalling for yet another hug.

"Yah, Nam Woohyun, I thought I gave you one already?"

"That one doesn't count! I was sweaty! Now I'm all showered and clean." He said with a smile on his face. Seeing that I didn't move, he moved in and gave me a hug instead. I didn't run away from him, I just stood there and I returned the hug.

"It's getting late, what are you doing here anyways?"

Woohyun didn't break apart the hug, he kept his hands around me and rested his chin on my shoulders. "We won. I want to celebrate the victory with you."

I froze. I was stumped and then I was the first one to pull away. "You're a silly boy you know that?"

He gave me that charming smile of his and he reached for something in his bag. He then took out two bottles of my favourite grape juice and handed one to me.

"I wanted to get ice cream but they would have melted on the way here."

I stared at this silly boy standing in front of me and drank the grape juice. I didn't know what to say. Regardless, I am touched and appreciative of his efforts and kindness but deep down, there was this guilty feeling because I really don't want to hurt him.

"If you're thinking about hurting my feelings again, please stop." He said, as if reading me. "I don't want you to feel burdened or anything, I just want to show you how much I like you."

I drank the grape juice in silence and nodded.

"Also, we won the championships today. Celebrate with me." He grabbed my free hand and ran off in a different direction.

We then went to a convenience store because all the other shops were closed and even the street stalls as well. The both of us got ramen and eggs and we just sat under the moonlight eating such sinful food.

"You did well today." I congratulated him as I slurped my ramen in as though I hadn't had dinner even though I did. "Oh, how's your leg! You were limping just now and then you still played in the last quarter."

"It's just a minor twist, I'll be fine." Woohyun said with a smile on his face. I swear that smile never leaves and I hope it never has to.

"Please take care."

"I will."

We then had our ramen and talked and laughed about funny things and Woohyun was telling me all the stupid jokes Dongwoon had played. He's really a super funny person except that he likes to tease me. A lot.

After we were done, Woohyun said he'll walk me home because it's already so late and we still have school tomorrow.

"Thanks for celebrating this victory with me Jin. And also for being there. I couldn't have done it without you." He said right before we parted.

"You guys deserve it. All that sweat and hard work. You guys deserve that trophy."

Woohyun was smiling again. He sure is smiling a lot now. "You know, I was so anxious and worried that I wouldn't be able to see you before the finals started. I'm glad you called out my name."

"Yah, if you guys lose because of that, you would never stop reminding me of it."

"You're like our lucky star." He winked and I lightly hit him on the chest because it was so cheesy.

He then ruffled my hair and signalled for me to head in now. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, bye." I waved him goodbye but he called out my name for once last time and grabbed me by the wrist. I was being turned around to face him and he pulled me closer to him. Woohyun then leaned in and planted a kiss on my forehead.

What just happened?

He pulled away and started moving backwards with a shy smile on his face. He then waved me goodbye and then turned around before he ran off in the dark. I stood there frozen to the ground.

Did that really just happen?

"Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh. Oh my gosh." I quickly ran back into my room and hid under the blankets. I touched my forehead and felt my face reddened because of that kiss. I know it's not even a kiss on the lips but this is the first time a guy has ever kissed me? I then reached out to find my phone and immediately texted Myungsoo about it. I couldn't tell Howon because he didn't know about Woohyun's feelings. I couldn't tell Bomi because… of course I couldn't tell her. She would be hurt. There was Sunggyu too but Sunggyu is probably tired from today's game. There was only Myungsoo left.

I was typing my message halfway when I realized that I didn't know how am I going to express this in words so I thought I'd just call him instead.

Hoping that he hasn't fall asleep, he picked up within a few rings.

"Hey, what's up?" He said calmly.

"Woohyun just kissed me." I blurted out.

"What?!" I swear his voice raised an entire octave.

"I mean, he kissed me on the forehead, not on the lips." I clarified in case he was thinking about the other kiss.

"Oh…" I could hear him sigh in relief.

"What am I going to do tomorrow? What if things become awkward between the both of us?" I sat up from my bed, in a position where I'm hugging my knees.

"Jin," Myungsoo started in his 'wise Myungsoo' voice again and I sat up straight to pay more attention. "It's only awkward if you let it be. Woohyun's the kind of guy who's comfortable around everybody. I'm sure he wouldn't make things awkward with you so it's up to you."

I breathed, realizing that I was holding my breath for as long as he spoke. "You're right."

I mentally slapped myself for being such a pabo. Why didn't I think of that?

"You're right." I repeated to him and I broke into a laugh. I could hear him laughing from the other line too. Probably laughing at how dumb I sounded.

"Alright, see you tomorrow." I said before I hung up. Myungsoo was right. It's up to me. Woohyun isn't the type to be awkward around people, especially around me. He wouldn't have wanted that either. I then washed up and got ready for bed.

--

The next morning, as per what Myungsoo had predicted, Woohyun didn't make things awkward. Not at all. All I had to do was just act normally and things will be normal. But there was just this burning guilt in me because of Bomi as well. Even so, I tried my hardest to act like nothing happened at all yesterday. It was for both Woohyun and Bomi.

Woohyun had actually worn a guard on his ankle today because he said he might have twisted it slightly yesterday during the match. Sunggyu too, wasn't spared from the injuries. His wrist had apparently acted up again and he would have to go see a doctor today. Poor Sunggyu.

The basketball finals were actually one of the last few sports competitons left and now that it's over, the guys would have to help out with the carnival preparations, which are almost done as well. The committee did a good job this year on planning things early so that they can leave the last week to do the actual set up. I still remember last year we have to stay still really late just to help out and make sure our booth was up and ready to run for the carnival.

Now, we have about a week or so left to finalize everything and make sure our class booths are ready for the big day. There's going to be so many people. Parents, families, siblings, relatives, neighbours, just everybody. There is going to be such a crowd and the thought of showing them my artwork scares me. What if they didn't like it? What if they didn't appreciate it? How did Howon even face such pressure last year anyway? It's just scary to think that all eyes will be on you when you're up the stage.

Just like the past week, the whole school sprang into work mode after lessons ended and started preparing for the carnival. I was almost done with my painting and I just had some minor adjustments to do. Myungsoo has already submitted his photos for printing and are now ready to showcase.

Just as I was about to finish off the last touch in my painting, someone had knocked on the door.

"Come in." I said as I finished up the last bit of painting. I was done with my work and ready for the showcase next week during the carnival.

I looked up and saw a familiar head peaking in the room.

"Just come in, there's no one else." I said and the person emerged from behind the door.

"Why does it seem like it's always you that's in the room and no one else?" Myungsoo said, just out of curiosity.

I wonder why too. Good question, Myungsoo. Good question.

I shrugged and went to put away my art stuff.

"Why aren't you helping the class?" I stared at him just sitting down not doing anything.

"I thought you were just slacking off so I came to find you." He said jokingly.

"Yah!" I whined. I was definitely not slacking off. "I'm almost done. Help me clean up and we can go."

Cleaning up is such a chore. I love painting but I really hate cleaning up especially when the paint has dried. It's just really hard to get rid of the stain and I had to keep the area clean as well. Thank goodness there's Myungsoo here to help me or else I would have procrastinated about cleaning up. Also, I tried my best to hide my painting from him and he agreed not to see it as well until the showcase itself. Since he didn't let me see his, I didn't let him see mine as well. It'll be a surprise.

After we were done, we then went to help our classmates who were at out class booth preparing to set up the area and finalize the decorations. According to Jaeyoung, the setup will only be delivered in two days time so we could only prepare and once the setup arrives, we will start setting up for the actually booth with our spinning wheel and all.

"Why are the both of you always together?" Jieun said loudly when she saw the both of us arrive.

"Yah!" I shot her my death glare and I saw Krystal turn around to look at me. Okay, that was awkward.

We then helped out for awhile and I was put in charge of most of the decoration even though I just arrived but because my class said that I was an 'artsy' person, hence I should know best. And so I did. I somehow became the one in charge and directed them about the decorations and what to do with them. I was about to go up to speak to Myungsoo who was at one corner trying to decipher what to do with the decoration when Krystal came to talk to him. Seeing Krystal talking to him, I immediately turned away, not wanting to disturb the both of them. Krystal would appreciate that right?

I continued doing my work as usual but Krystal and Myungsoo were distracting me. The both of them were near me so I could see them from the corner of my eye and I found myself looking up every now and then to glance at the couple. The weirdest thing was, the both of us had eye contact so many times but we just kept it that way. If it weren’t for Woohyun who has now come to talk to me, I would have still been distracted by the both of them. I guess it was just weird to see one of my closest friends with another girl.

Anyways, so Woohyun got sick of doing whatever he was supposed to do in his class and he just left to talk around. I was basically scolding him for being so irresponsible. His classmates may be panicking because he just left what he was supposed to do but he assured me that he didn't have anything else to do as he finished his job. So there I was, trying to get the decorations right and perfected whilst Woohyun was busy talking to me and adding yet another distraction.

"I saw all of you guys except for Howon. Where is he?" Woohyun asked.

"He's probably in the studios." I said grumpily because if he was in the studios, it'll also mean he's with Hyuna. Oh, the agony.

But then, Howon had usually come out for a break and a breather but today he was nowhere to be seen. As if planned, I saw Hyuna walking towards my class but Howon was not here. I wanted to ask her where he is so badly but I just couldn't do it. I don't even know why. Hyuna then went to talk to her friends, leaving Krystal all alone because she's with her favourite boy right now.

The corner of my eye kept spotting the couple as Krystal was being all chatty and talking to Myungsoo and she had even moved his fringe out of the way so that he could see clearly what he was doing. Okay, they're just too distracting. I then took up the pieces that I needed to correct and headed somewhere else so that I could focus.

"Where're you going?" Woohyun said as he stood up and followed me like a little cute puppy.

"Somewhere nicer." And I went out to the area behind the classrooms where the gardens are to finish up the rest of the decorations and Woohyun followed me as well. He didn't do anything but he just sat there with me until he had to go back to help his class clean up and call it a day.

The five of us, excluding Howon who was nowhere to be seen, were done with the day. I tried calling Howon so many times but he didn't pick up. Is he still practicing? Finally, at the fifth time I called him, he picked up.

"Hey," he said as he breathed in really hard. He must have been practicing.

"Hey. We're all done and heading back now. Are you ready to leave yet?" I said, hoping that he'll say yes.

"Tell the guys I'm sorry. I'll stay and practice awhile longer, you guys go ahead."

"Oh… okay." I said, disappointed.

The five of us then walked back home together but there was just something strange between Myungsoo and I. I don't know what it is but the both of us just had this awkward atmosphere, which we never had before. Usually even if we had silence between us, it was a comfortable silence. It was never awkward. Until now. It was as though he didn't want me to mention about the whole Krystal thing earlier and neither did I want to mention it. He knows that I've seen her with him anyways. What else is there to say? He's going to say that he doesn't like her anyways.

When we parted ways, we finally said goodbye to each other and Myungsoo gave me this stare that I couldn't quite comprehend. He's just too hard to read sometimes.

The day then ended just like that and I wondered what exactly did that stare mean. The more I thought about it, the more my eyelids fell and I slowly fell asleep.

--

Thankfully, the next day things were back to normal. I was acting normal with Woohyun and also Myungsoo. He was my usual sidekick all over again. We didn't speak about yesterday at all, we just focused on the now. Whatever happened yesterday, happened yesterday. There was no need to mention it anymore.

As usual, this day was spent preparing for the carnival. Heck, we spent every other day of the week preparing for the carnival. The sad thing is, I hardly ever see Howon except for in the mornings when we head to school. He would text us everyday and tell us not to wait for him because he's going to be practicing till late in school. I don't think I've ever seen this little of my best friend. He used to be there all the time and now that he's not here, I really miss his presence. I miss talking to him. I miss his really horrible jokes and pranks. I just miss him.

By the end of the week, the things that we had to set up for the carnival had arrived. There were workers coming in to help set up the showcasing booths for each club as well. Today, I had to stay at the art club booth because we had to be there to direct the workers about how we want to showcase our pieces to be placed and they will help set up the temporary stands so that we can hang up our pieces.

I was so busy that I didn't even have time for a breather. Basically even after the workers left, we still had to prepare the signs and labels, making sure that people don't destroy our precious art piece and also make sure the placing was right.

After we were done setting up, the sun was already setting. What an irony. I took a step back to have a good look at my art piece. It was perfect. Or at least to me. I just hope that it would be appreciated by the public.

The six of us ended up being so busy that we didn't even have time to meet up or even go home together. Woohyun and Sunggyu were done first because all they had to do was help their class out with the setting up and they were done pretty quick. Bomi was soon done because her poetry club didn't have as much as my art club or Myungsoo's photography club. So it was just the two of us  and Howon left in school and I was helping my art club friend with her art piece. Hers was not a painting but rather, a sculpture and it was really hard to move from one place to another. We had to be super careful so as not to hit it onto anything that will cause it to break apart into pieces. It was the most challenging thing I've done all day. Needless to say, Howon will definitely be going back late as he needed to practice.

The sun had already set and I'm famished. I then waved to the other art club members goodbye as I decided to just go home so that I can sleep. Wait, I'm hungry too. But I'm tired. Which do you satisfy first?

I was thinking about eating some ramen with cheese but I also want to just lie on my soft and comfy bed and call it a day. This is such a huge dilemma.

Just as I passed a corner, ready to head out of school, I knocked into someone and a phone went flying, straight to the ground.

"Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry!" I bent down immediately and picked up the phone and when I looked up, I almost had a shock of my life. It was Kim Myungsoo.

"What were you doing there?" I asked him, still recovering from my shock earlier.

He just shrugged and walked ahead and I followed after him. "I was done and then I saw that you were almost done too so I decided to just wait for you."

"Oh." I said, sounding disappointed but I don't even know where that disappointment came from. What was I expecting? Him to wait for me? Psh Jin, just because you're his best friend doesn't mean he has to go out of his way for you.

"I'm famished." I pouted as we walked. I could literally hear my stomach rumbling and I just hope he didn't hear that because it was so embarrassing.

Myungsoo looked at me with a smile on his face and I knew from that look that he’d given me, he'd heard me. Gosh, way to go Jin.

"Let's go have ramen?" He said but it came out sounding like a question instead.

"Yes!" I shouted really loudly as we walked out the school gates in the dark.

Just then, from afar, we heard someone shouting out our names and the footsteps were fast. Really fast.

"Jin! Myung!" The footsteps came closer and I turned to see Howon running towards us.

"Relax Howon! We're not gonna run away." I patted his back once he caught up with us and he started panting really hardly. He was in his training attire—a black tank top and training pants. In short, he looked really hot. Bless my eyes.

"I saw you guys… walking… and I had to… had to… catch up." He was panting really hardly, still.

"Breathe Howon, breathe then talk." Myungsoo cooed at him while laughing.

"We're about to go have some ramen, wanna come?"  I asked cheerfully. I haven't even seen him often much less spend time with him so I'm hoping he'll say yes.

"Are you kidding?" He gave me a look. "Why would I say no to food? Let's go." He then proceeded to shove himself in between Myungsoo and I and put an arm around each of us as we headed to the ramen place together.

Just like that, the three of us had ramen together late at night and I felt really happy to be able to spend some time with Howon again. He'd been so busy that it was even hard to see his face but now I get to eat with him, it was time well spent.

Howon had gobbled down two bowls of ramen, cleared the soup and he's well on his way to order his third one.

"Ahjumma! One more ramen please!"

"Yah!" I scolded him. "How many do you want to eat? You want to devour the entire ramen shop?"

Howon gave me a face but kept drinking his second bowl of soup without a word.

"He's trying to break a record." Myungsoo said as he handed me a cup of water. He'd been handing me water this entire time because even with the cheese, the soup is still spicy, or at least for me and I kept needing to drink water to soothe my burning tongue. I know, it's just ramen but I really at eating ramen I guess. Or anything spicy. But I love ramen too. I mean, how can you not love it?

After Howon was done eating his third bowl, he then left to go to the washroom, leaving Myungsoo and I behind.

"I'm sorry I interrupted you from having a one on one moment?" Myungsoo teased me with a smile on his face.

I glared at him. What if Howon hears that! "Aniya!"

"If it was anyone, he barged in on us." I said but I realized that came out wrong. Myungsoo was sending me confused stares.

"I mean… we were supposed to have ramen but he came along right? So he crashed our dinner." I tried correcting myself but it still sounded wrong. It sounded like Myungsoo and I were on a date? No way. "I mean he… you know what I mean." I gave up and Myungsoo broke into a laugh.

"It's just nice to spend time with him again." I muttered out quietly and Myungsoo nodded in acknowledgement. He's the only one who knows about the secret of mine anyways.

Howon then came back from his toilet break and he started gathering his things. "Let's go!" He clapped his hands together.

"Wait, don't we need to pay?" I stood up.

"It's my treat. Let's go." He gave his cheeky smile, leaving both Myungsoo and I puzzled.

"Eh?" Myungsoo said unknowingly.

Howon turned around, that cheeky smile never left his face. "I paid already guys. Don't worry. Let's go!" He motioned to the door and we followed him out.

When Howon stepped out, he started stretching as though he's had a really full meal. Which he did, in fact.

The three of us then headed home happily. Especially me. I mean, I finally got to spend time with Howon, I feel kinda happy.

When we got back, I had received a message from Howon.

I'm sorry I didn't get to spend much time with you the past week, I hope that makes up for it. Do look forward to my performance during the carnival, arraso?

I smiled like a silly girl at the text message but the last line gave me a sour feeling in my heart. I did want to support him but I don't know how I'll feel about watching him and Hyuna doing a dance together.

Of course I'll be there. Do go see my painting too!

I texted back, not wanting him to hear my disappointment.

The both of us texted awhile more until I finally fall asleep. The next week is going to be the carnival and we are all going to be so busy even though it's only for a day. I can't wait how things are going to turn out, also because it's our last year in high school. Myungsoo and I had even promised each other that we would go see each other's work even if we are busy with the class booth and club booths.

I just can't wait to see how things will turn out on that day.

I hope I didn't bore you guys too much with basketball hahahaha! I tried to make it sound as exciting as possible so pardon me if it bored you! Unlike Jin, I never did art in school but rather, I did sports. I did basketball for all my schooling years and it is the very sport that I fell in love with :') which is why I can't help but add the rush and excitement of basketball in this story! 

I hope those Woojin supporters squeal at that super sweet Woojin moment! (becuase I did, even though I'm the one writing it hahaha I just found that so cute and so sweet!!!!) 

Also, I hope I didn't bore you guys by confusing you all with the character's feelings and all!!! I know it may seem a little draggy but I don't want to rush into it. I want to sowly develop each character's role with the main character and then progress into the love part (I hope it's not too draggy or anything!!! hehehe) And the whole point of confusing you guys with Sunggyu's, Howon's and Myungsoo's feelings is because Jin doesn't know so if Jin doesn't know then we wouldn't know! I wanted to make it more like you guys are experiencing this with Jin and going through her life with her! I hope you guys don't kill me for this and I hope it's still an enjoyable read for everybody!!! ^^

Let me know what you think in the comments and I will reply to every one of them! Thank you to those who suscribed, upvoted, commented and have continously given me your support. Kamsahamnida. *bows* 

P.S Happy belated birthday to my ultimate bias Kim Sunggyu!!!!!! <3 I love him so much that I just have to wish him a happy birthday on all platforms hahahahaha