“Of course he looks familiar, Oppa,” Iseul exclaimed. “Doesn’t he look similar to the famous singer Taehyung Kim?”

Hoseok nodded after a moment’s thought. “Yeah, you’re right. I bet he’ll be really popular with the girls in his new classes.” He faced Iseul with a teasing glint in his eyes. “You’re not going to fall for him because of his looks, are you?”

Iseul laughed. “Oppa!” she whined, cutely. Hoseok ruffled her hair and she made an adorable pouting face.

Eunkyung rolled her eyes. ‘Just confess to each other already,’ she thought. Beside her, Jin quietly chuckled to himself.

They all ordered the lunch special, which was a bowl of rice noodles, and began talking about campus life in a cheerful manner. Taehyung was surprised at the peacefulness he was feeling. The students were laughing and bantering with one another in between the bites of noodle. With a pang, he realized how much he had missed by entering the life of an idol.

He turned his head slightly to the side to see Jin. The male student had a soft smile on his face as he stared down at Eunkyung, who was currently the one talking. Taehyung felt something burn in his chest. For some reason, his peaceful mood was disrupted by irritation and another strange feeling that was new to him.

Eunkyung suddenly turned to face Taehyung, with a glowing expression. An hour of talking with close friends had liftened her mood drastically. Taehyung nearly jumped in shock from the unexpected action. He froze, mesmerized by the change in the girl’s complexion. “V, would you like to go with us to take a walk around Han River? It’s really close to here, and it’s a favorite haunt of ours.”

Taehyung’s lips parted, but no words came out. His eyes still fixed on hers. Eunkyung stared at him quizzically, and he snapped back to attention. “Um, if you don’t mind?” he managed out. He quickly pushed his glasses up again. Eunkyung smiled at him and he thought that his heart would stop. It was the first time that girl had actually given him such a bright look.

Unable to contain his blooming happiness, he gave her a small smile back. Inwardly, the girl was just as surprised at the boy’s gentle expression. ‘He’s nothing like Taehyung Kim,’ she decided. ‘He’s much too shy and nice. I feel sorry for mistaking him for that annoying idol.’

As the four students walked towards Han River Park, Taehyung followed right behind them. His gaze was focused on Eunkyung the whole time. His sharp eyes caught every moment she smiled, laughed, and chattered cheerfully. He realized that the girl had the word “friendly” rooted inside of her, along with her friends. He wondered if she had been that annoyed when he bumped into her the other day.

Iseul and Hoseok wandered a few feet apart from the other three. They began teasing each other in the manner young couples joke around. Eunkyung turned to face Taehyung, making him nervously push his glasses up on his nose again and brush his bangs down to make sure they effectively covered most of his upper face. “V, you don’t have to drag along at the back. Don’t be shy,” she said, kindly. Stunned, the boy widened his eyes. He walked faster to be able to walk side-by-side the girl. He pressed his lips together to prevent a smile from appearing.

He looked up to see a wide stretch of water in front of him. The ripples on the surface glinted under the afternoon sun. A wide grin formed on his face. It had been such a long time since he had visited this river. “It’s still beautiful,” he whispered.

“Hmm?” Eunkyung turned to look up at him.

“When my parents weren’t busy, they would take me for a quick walk around the river in the morning when I was young. I used to enjoy running the trail in the morning,” Taehyung found himself telling her. He stopped in his tracks. He hadn’t been thinking when he told Eunkyung about his true past, although it had felt natural to do so.

“What’s wrong?” Eunkyung asked. She stopped walking also.

“Oh, nothing.” He sighed and gazed back at the body of water again. “I guess I miss those memories. My parents are now busy all the time. I’m also busy, too, so I haven’t seen them for a couple of years.” He found Eunkyung staring at him queerly. “That is, I was too busy with my studies at the university in China,” he quickly added.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “You must miss your parents very much.” He turned his head to stare into her eyes. They were full of sorrow, astonishing him. It was the first time in a long while that someone actually felt sympathy for him, save Manager Song.

“You don’t have to be sorry,” he said. He tore his gaze away from her eyes and looked down at the ground. Eunkyung kept her eyes on him. He looked like a lost soul, wakening warm compassion in her heart. She wanted him to open up more and stop brooding.

“You know, I’m going to Norangjin tomorrow to interview some of the students attending the hakwons there in order to finish up an article for homework. Would you like to come with me?” Eunkyung asked. “I can give you a tour around one of the busiest places in Seoul. Have you ever been to Norangjin?”

“No, I haven’t. Umm…” Taehyung thought for a moment, pushing his glasses up again.

“Should I go with you?” Jin voiced out. Eunkyung looked up at her sunbae’s smiling face.

“But you’re busy tomorrow! I don’t want to bother you when you’re helping out in creating a short film with the other sunbaes. It’s fine.” Eunkyung gave him an understanding smile. She turned back to Taehyung, just missing the disappointment passing by on Jin’s face.

“We can meet up at five in the morning at the entrance of the subway station line nine. That is, if it doesn’t overlap with your personal schedule,” Eunkyung added quickly, catching onto the hesitation on Taehyung’s face.

“I can’t go,” Taehyung finally said. “Sorry, but I have to visit a relative that day.”

“At five in the morning?” exclaimed Jin.

“Well, my uncle lives in Busan so I have to take an early train,” Taehyung answered. Eunkyung nodded and continued walking. Taehyung snuck a glance at her. He had a different plan in mind.

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