Looking around to check if anyone was watching Hyunsoo, she peered through the window on the door only to find a rather cheerful Jinyoung waving at her as soon as he saw her face. Hyunsoo smiled back and waved excitedly. She looked behind Jinyoung and found that Jungkook too was watching her, but not like Jinyoung, more like a mean glare. Hyunsoo frowned. She felt different when Jungkook looked at her, as if something unexpected would occur, something that her heart was thumping hard and preparing for. She looked back at Jinyoung and began smiling again. There was a different and more joyful kind of sensation that Hyunsoo felt while Jinyoung looked at her, and the way he was laughing with Hyunsoo whenever the teacher’s back was to him made Hyunsoo feel somehow… special? Liked? She didn’t know. All she could think of was how Jungkook’s glare was distracting.

Unexpectedly, Jungkook reached his foot out to the front where Jinyoung’s chair was at and kicked the back really hard, making the teacher turn around at once to see what had happened. Unfortunately, Jinyoung wasn’t quick enough to realise what had happened and ended up getting caught making signals to Hyunsoo while laughing silently. To this, Jungkook started smirking and leaned back in his chair, as if his job of the day was finally done and he could relax.

Jimin suddenly tapped Hyunsoo’s shoulder, making her turn around. “Hey, I’m done. Shall we go home now?”

“Yeah… let’s go.” She replied softly, and then turned back to find Jinyoung being moved to the very corner of the classroom where she couldn’t see him anymore. She looked at Jungkook, who returned a ‘go-away’ glare and a smirk at the same time. Hyunsoo stuck her tongue out at that, even though she knew she would look childish, but she really disliked Jungkook even more each time they saw each other. Jimin was looking at Hyunsoo and followed her gaze towards Jungkook, who was wearing the same old smirk that everyone in the school was used to seeing, before tapping Hyunsoo by the shoulder again to indicate the time to leave. Hyunsoo nodded and gave Jungkook one final glare. Jungkook wasn’t planning on letting Hyunsoo go away that easily though. He stuck his tongue out at her, then his lips and winked. Hyunsoo scoffed and walked away from the door, surprising Jimin as he speed walked to catch up to her.

“Hey, wait!” Jimin shouted behind Hyunsoo.

“Let’s hurry, we might have missed our bus. Come on!” Hyunsoo shouted back to Jimin, who was taken aback by the sudden loudness in her voice.

Normally, Hyunsoo was quite shy, but then again it hadn’t been long from when they first met. Jimin had been curious since the first day about a lot of things, but thought it better to wait out and for Hyunsoo to open up.

“What happened? Did Jungkook do something?” Jimin asked confused at the sudden change of Hyunsoo’s mood.

He had caught up to Hyunsoo when they reached the school gates and they were now speed walking together towards the bus stop.

“What do you mean? Nothing happened.”

“Maybe I’m evaluating the wrong thing, but so far, each time you see Jungkook, you become a different person.”

Hyunsoo’s heart stopped. “I think I’m starting to hate him. He seems so… urgh!” Hyunsoo made a frustrated look at Jimin as she said the last bit.

“See!” Jimin stopped Hyunsoo in her tracks. “You’ve been shy and quiet since I met you. The only time I’ve seen you act like this was when Jungkook fought in the classroom, and then just now.”

Hyunsoo looked down. “Sorry, I just can’t stand people like him.”

“Don’t apologise,” Jimin smiled, “I was just surprised since I never expected this side of yours. I’ll protect you from Jungkook the cold mean guy.”

Hyunsoo laughed with Jimin, as he jokingly winked at her, imitating Jungkook, while they walked their rest of the way to the bus stop.

The next morning, Hyunsoo woke up with a text from Jimin containing an unexpected message:

Hey, I won’t be going to school today. I’ll tell you more later tonight or tomorrow but today I’m going to be ‘ill’ :D – Jimin

“Well, that’s just the best way to start a day,” Hyunsoo said to herself loudly, while trying to put the brightness to her phone down before sending a text back.

What! Why? I have no other friends to be with :( - Hyunsoo

She felt a ‘butterfly’ feeling at the thought of being in school and spending her day alone. What would she do? She didn’t want to end up being a loner, not like she was in middle school. She had to socialise and make friends.

The journey to school wasn’t so bad, though as soon as she entered through the school gates, all she could do was keep checking her phone for any replies from Jimin.

“Hyunsoo!” Someone gave a sudden shout, making Hyunsoo look up from her phone in surprise.

It was Jinyoung. He came running towards her with a big smile. She returned the smile shyly and saw he had been playing basketball with the other boys, only she hadn’t noticed him there before.

“Jinyoung…”