A quick notice, please read the A/N. Also, everything in the K-Pop world is normal except for the fact that A-Pink and Infinite are not idols. Enjoy!

Howon looked down at the gravel before he sighed. Eunji was late.

Again.

He took out his phone from the back pocket of his black pants and looked at the time: 7:02 AM. If she wasn’t here in eight minutes, she was going to be late and would have to write an apology letter for the nineteenth time in their four years of high school (yes, he counted). And that too on her eighteenth birthday, which also happened to be on the second day of classes.

He looked around the gates of the school once more before turning around to go in so he could head to class on time, since his best friend was nowhere to be seen, when he heard a voice.

“Howon-ah!” He turned around at the sound of his voice and smiled at the sight - a small girl running towards him.

“Yah, Eunji, hurry up! We’re going to be late thanks to you!”

“No one,” she replied, taking a break to breathe as she came to a stop, “said to wait for me idiot,” she grumbled, but smiled anyway at the thought of her best friend waiting for her.

“It’s your birthday present, idiot,” he replied, ruffling her golden brown hair. “Happy birthday.” She just punched his bicep lightly as she laughed before taking a hold of his elbow to drag him inside the gates of school before speaking again. She often initiated skinship with him— whether to hug him or to punch him or to drag him along with her.

But it wasn’t like he minded.

“You better have gotten me something good, you ,” she spoke, jokingly.

“Happy birthday, dear baby sister,” sang Chorong as she, Woohyun, and Myungsoo made their way into Howon’s and Eunji’s class. The three went straight to Eunji without bothering to greet Howon or their other friend, Naeun. The three were a year older than them and somehow had managed to end up in the same class in their respective grade, and by some of fate, the three younger ones ended up in the same class in their grade as well.

Out of the six friends, Chorong was the mother of the group, though Woohyun could definitely take on that role once in awhile with his greasiness.

Myungsoo was the quiet, shy guy— the one that every girl crushed on at least once in their high school career thanks to his anime style visuals— with a secret playboy side.

Not that it was a secret to the other five. They all knew the reason why the boy had a big computer monitor. He had said it was for gaming, but the three anti-virus programs proved otherwise.

If Myungsoo was the pretty boy of the group that all the girls crushed on, Naeun was the pretty girl of the group that all the guys wanted, but unlike Myungsoo who was quiet in public, Naeun could definitely let loose when she wanted to.

“Thanks unnie,” Eunji replied as she wrapped her arms around the girl while Woohyun sent her his signature finger heart over Chorong’s shoulder, forcing Myungsoo to join him, jabbing an elbow into his chest.

“We are giving you your presents during break, but what did Mr. Dancing Machine get you?” Woohyun asked.

“His time, apparently. He waited for me to get to school this morning and that was it,” Eunji said, glaring at the mentioned boy who was pretending to ignore the conversation with earbuds in his ears that weren't actually connected to his phone and with a book laid open in front of him on the desk.

“Oh please, you aren't even listening to music, Hoya.” Eunji spoke, using Howon’s dancing stage name as she reached over to pull out the earbud from his ear. She placed it in her ear under Howon’s gaze and as expected, there was no music. She smirked as Naeun reached over to smack the back of his head.

“Yah!” he whined, as he rubbed the back of his head.

“You deserved being caught for ignoring your best friend’s birthday. You’ve been friends longer than the rest of us,” chided Naeun.

“I haven’t ignored her birthday, okay. I did get her a present,” he replied, glaring at the two males behind Chorong that were giggling at his misfortune. Chorong followed Howon’s train of sight and turned around to find Woohyun and Myungsoo’s shoulders shaking as they silently laughed at the turn of events. She pushed the two of them into each other, and they groaned in pain when their foreheads banged against each other.

“You mean, the fact that I was blessed with your presence early in the morning wasn’t your birthday present for me?” teased Eunji, poking Howon in the shoulder. He shook his head at her and smiled.

The bell that signaled the start of class rang and the three older friends said their goodbyes and walked out of the classroom, Woohyun wrapping his arms around the shoulders of Chorong and Myungsoo. Eunji and Naeun went back to their textbooks to prepare for class, and Howon sighed.

His hands were beginning to get clammy and his heart was beating quickly in his chest as he thought about how close break time was.

She didn’t know that he had been planning her birthday present for a week now.

She didn’t know that making this present was one of the most important things that he had ever done.

She didn’t know that his present was his confession.

But she was about to find out.

The bell for break rang, leading to a mob of students flowing out of the classroom doors, filling the hallway with chatter and gossip with the occasional, accidental shoving that resulted from the overflow of students in the hallway.

Eunji, Naeun and Howon stayed back for a few minutes, waiting for Woohyun, Chorong and Myungsoo so the six could head out to the courtyard to hang out, like they did everyday.

Naeun and Eunji idly talked about a boy who had confessed to Naeun the week before. Howon was pretending to read— again— as he listened to the complaints Naeun had about the way Taemin had confessed to her, his own hands getting clammy yet again.

He was unbelievably, undeniably nervous. He didn’t have the courage to give her the present in front of their friends.

He barely had the courage to give it to Eunji.

Howon and Eunji had met seven years ago, when she had first moved to Seoul from Busan into a vacant house on the street Howon lived at. The families had immediately connected, both originating in Busan and migrating to Seoul for the future of the kids.

Eunji had a younger brother while Howon was the middle child, but being the same, young age of 11, the two had naturally started spending more time with each other.

At first, the two were just friends.

Then best friends.

Then, once they entered high school, something changed. Howon started seeing her as a girl. When she took off her glasses and started wearing contacts, she was pretty.

But when she put her glasses back on, she was even prettier.

Slowly, he realized that to him, she was more than just a best friend to him. But he didn’t know if she felt the same way, he could only hope she did.

At the very least, he hoped that if she rejected him, their friendship wouldn’t become awkward. He wouldn’t want to lose a best friend if he tried to gain a girlfriend.

Howon took her present out of his folder and stood up. Naeun’s eyes followed his movement and he could see the curiosity in her eyes.

“What’s the paper for?” Howon shook his head at her and poked Eunji in the back.

“What?” she asked when she turned around.

“Come on.”

“Why?” She looked at him with suspicion. One too many pranks on her had made her question the intentions behind the male friends she had as they tried to take her out alone.

“Just come on,” Howon replied, rolling his eyes.

“No.”

“Eunji.”

“Nope.”

“Yah, do-” Howon started speaking, but Eunji cut him off.

“No.”

“Oh, so you don’t want your birthday present? Okay. Fine. I’ll just go throw this out.” He moved to recycle the piece of paper in his hand, hoping Eunji would stop him because he spent way too much time on this to throw it out.

And sure enough, Howon had only taken a few steps before Eunji had caught his hand and wrapped her arm around his.

“Don’t throw it out! I want it,” she batted her eyes up at him, and he smiled.

He was already so whipped.

Eunji let go of his arm but took his wrist so she could drag him out to the courtyard where she knew no one else would be there.

“Naeun-ah! Make sure no one follows!” Eunji hollered, as the two best friends walked out of the classroom.

Their walk was a silent one with Howon’s heart hammering in his chest. Eunji had let go of his wrist and was typing away on her phone. Once they reached the door to go outside, Howon opened it and walked into the courtyard. Eunji followed, her eyes now focusing on the piece of paper in his hand.

They walked towards a tree in the side of the courtyard and sat down underneath it. Eunji turned to Howon first with her hand out.

“Give it.” Howon looked at his best friend wearily at her blunt attitude but handed her present to her.

“Birthday Crossword for Jung Eunji” she read outloud. “A crossword puzzle made for the birthday girl from her best friend.” She looked at Howon as if she were asking if this was it.

“Yeah. This is your present.” She