“Byeol, we're going to the bowling tonight, do you want to come?” Hongbin asked her.

“I... I've never played bowling before,” she admitted.

“Well, you can always learn. Just come.”

“Who's coming?”

“Hyuk and Wonshik.”

“Oh... alright, then I'll come.”

He smiled and shown her his thumbs up. He gave her just enough time to get dressed up that they left because the other boys were already waiting for them at the bowling center. It took them twenty minutes by bus to get there.

“You won't make fun of me if I lose, right?” she asked her step-brother before the enter the modern building.

“Obviously I won't, I'll even try to help you.”

“Thank you.”

Inside, they changed their shoes since they had to wear some weird shoes Byeol somehow liked a lot, it felt really comfortable, and then they met Hyuk whose smile grew wider when he saw Hongbin and they even shared a quite embrace. Wonshik rolled his eyes at them and greeted Byeol first.

“Is Taekwoon hyung coming soon?” Hongbin asked and Byeol frowned.

“Yep he should be there soon, he just had something to do before coming.”

She glared at her brother and when he felt her eyes on him, he shrugged and smiled not-so-innocently. They waited for the older boy while drinking sofa and non-alcoholic beverages since they were all underage anyway but despite how many water Byeol drank, remained dry. And when Taekwoon finally arrived, twenty minutes later, she felt even worst. She just bowed her head and he did the same, yet not of them actually said a word to each other and they even sat at the opposite.

Hongbin started first, then it was Hyuk, Wonshik, Byeol and Taekwoon but since she didn't know how to do it, she asked for her brother to just tell her how to position herself and how to hold the ball but she wasn't has strong as the boys and even the smallest balls seemed too heavy for her. She struggled a bit, walked toward the rail and threw the ball which rolled directly into the gutter. She cursed and shook her head while behind her, Hongbin was telling her that she had did great for a first time. Then Taekwoon played and he did a strike.

“Hyung! You never told me you were good at bowling!” Wonshik gently punched his shoulder.

Taekwoon simply shrugged and sat again, sipping on his coke while watching the others playing. When Byeol turned came again, she held her ball and walked toward the rail when Hongbin stopped her. She turned around and raised a brow.

“Taekwoon hyung can help you!” he smiled, his dimples appearing, “since he is the best player among us, just let him help you...!”

“Hongbin, you told me you would-”

“Because I didn't know he was good! Taekwoon,” he forced the older one to stand up and pushed him toward his sister, “help her.”

“But... what... I don't-”

“You know,” Hongbin smiled and sat down again next to Hyuk, his arms automatically curling around the younger boy's shoulders.

Byeol prevented herself from throwing the heavy ball on her brother and she just stood still, waiting for Taekwoon to actually tell her something.

“So, well... hum... it's really simple,” he said, “you see, you just put your fingers in the holes there and then you just position your hand the way you want the ball to go straight when you throw it. Do you understand?”

“I think I do... yes.”

“Try.”

She nodded, she tried to align her arm with the middle of the rail and threw the ball except that it went directly to the gutter once again. She tsked and shook her head and before she could move, Taekwoon just told her to stay where she was. He waited for

her light ball to come back and approached her again.

“Hold it,” he said.

She listened to him and when he moved behind her, she froze.

“You do like this,” he whispered in her ear and put one hand on her waist.

With his free hand, he gently seized her wrist and lead the motion so she had to let go off the ball when he told her to do so. Two pins fell down but since it was her two first pins ever, she felt happy.

“Byeol you did it!” Hongbin cheered behind them.

“It's... it's only thank you to Taekwoon sunbae,” she blushed, still feeling his hand around her body.

She bowed her head to thank him but didn't look at him, way to shy and embarrassed to do it. Since they were no places left, they had to sit next to each other though and he put his arms on the back of her seat and Byeol didn't even dare to lean against it. And while Hongbin was playing, her phone rang so she picked up, especially when she saw her best friend's name on the screen.

“Oh Yun, what do you want?” she asked but not to loud.

“Where are you? I wanted to see you so I went yo your house but your dad said you had left in town with Hongbin.”

“We are at the bowling center.”

“Oh really? Can we join?” the other girl shouted, just excited at the simple idea of coming.

“Wait a second, hey,” Byeol cleared to catch the others' attention, “Yun wants to come, can she?”

“Obviously she can,” Wonshik smiled.

“I agree,” Hongbin said too.

“Alright, you can come,” she then tell her best friend.

“Thank you Byeol!”

She hung up and sighed. The little group of five kept playing and just when they ended the first round, Taekwoon winning but with Hongbin not too far from his score, Yun arrived, dragging Jaehwan but also Hakyeon with her. They quickly all greeted each other and decided to create two teams of four: the losers had to pay the meal for the winners. Hongbin, Hyuk, Wonshik and Taekwoon decided to remain together and Byeol played with Yun, Jaehwan and Hakyeon.

“I didn't know you liked bowling,” Hakyeon sat next to her and smiled at her.

“I... It's my first time playing, in fact,” she shamefully admitted, “I'm just... really bad.”

“I'll help you, don't worry.”

He ruffled her hair and ignored her complains. Byeol felt really bad whenever she had to play, because she could feel the others looking at her from behind and guilt and shame where always coming to her mind before entertainment so she was more concerned about them judging her and making fun of her instead of them just simply looking at her to expect her score which was always weak anyway, but still a bit better then the first part. She was more at ease when she was sitting while watching them play.

“Hey, my little star,” Hakyeon sat next to her after he was done playing his turn and he put his arm around her waist, bringing her closer, “if I won, will you kiss me?”

“W-what are you talking about?”she blushed and shook her head, “we're in the same team.”

“I know, but there will be a winner and a loser in the team, so if I won, I want a prize.”

“Then ask someone else.”

“Oh come on Byeol,” he pinched her cheek, “I can't ask a boy to kiss me.”

“Don't ask me either.”

“Why? You didn't complain the last time-”

She sent him a deadly glare and pinched his hand to make him shut up.

“Don't,” she said.

“Why not?” Hakyeon wriggled his brow.

“Just... don't.”

“Because your brother and best friend are here? Oh come one Byeol! If one day we're dating they'll have to-”

“Stop saying bulls,” she frowned.

“What?! I'm only saying the truth and-”

“Byeol,” Taekwoon cut Hakyeon with his cold voice, “it's your turn.”

“O-oh really? Right,” she quickly stood up and ignored everyone.

*

Yun waited for Byeol to be playing to jump on her boyfriend.

“Hey! Did you hear that?!” she whispered, “Hakyeon sunbae and Byeol kissed!!”

“Hum, they did,” Jaehwan vaguely nodded.

“What do you mean 'they did'?! How come I don't know about it?! How long ago did this happen?!”

“Byeol didn't tell you?” her boyfriend frowned, “they kissed during Wonshik's Christmas party.”

“What?! But it's been a month now and she didn't tell me!”

“I thought you knew, that's why I never mentioned it.”

“You should have told me,” she slapped his arm, “I swear Kim Byeol is really annoying at times! This girl drives me crazy! I'm her best friend, why didn't she tell me about it?”

“Well, it's Byeol, she never says anything anyway.”

Yun frowned and folded her arms over her chest. She glared at Byeol who was now done and who sat once again next to the oldest of them all here, Hakyeon. She watched him curled his arm around her best friend's waist and Byeol didn't even seem to mind at all. Byeol, her shy and introverted friend, the one she had seen having panic attacks every times she had to go to the board in classes, the one who couldn't even speak to another human being without panicking, she was now being hugged and kissed by a boy and she wasn't panicking at all or and she wasn't even pushing him away.

Several questions remained in Yun's mind: what happened for her to be like this now? And should she be happy or sad about it? Was it a good thing if Byeol was more open now? Was the Byeol from the past coming back?

“Byeol,” she ran toward her best friend and sat next to her, pushing Hakyeon away, “should we go to the mall hall after that?”

“Why?”

“Yah! You know why!” she excitedly clapped into her hands, “the piano is still there! We should totally go there!”

“I'm not sure it's a good idea though,” Byeol wrinkled her nose.

“It is! It totally is! Right sunbae?” she turned around and winked at Hakyeon who smiled, “it would be a good idea right?”

“It is.”

“And more you know there's nobody at the mall at this hour, it would only be us... come on Byeol-ah!”

The concerned girl frowned, really thinking a lot about it, but she finally gave up a while after and nodded.

“Alright, let's go.”

Yun smiled, because she knew. Well, at least she knew Byeol was trying hard to surpass herself, but at least she was trying, not like she had done during the past five years.

*

When they arrived at the mall situated not to far from the bowling center in fact, Byeol smiled as soon as she spotted the old black straight piano standing alone against a miserable white wall. She sat on the seat and slowly caressed the keyboard before grinning at Yun.

“It's been a long time.”

“You remember? The last time we came here and you played, it was five years ago.”

“Five years?” Byeol frowned, “this long...?”

Yun nodded and sat on the seat next to her best friend.

“We used to skip classes to come and play here, well... for you to come and play here and for me to listen to you and to admire you.”

“Don't say that...” Byeol blushed.

“But it's the truth! People used to stop behind you to listen to you too and some always wanted to give you money but-”

“But I always refused because I wasn't playing for money, but because I wanted too.”

Yun put her arm around Byeol's waist and leaned her head against her shoulder.

“Why did you even stop, Byeol?” she asked with a sad smile, “why did you chose to waste your talent...?”

“It wasn't talent, it was just... you know, I just learned how to play and I used to practice a lot when I was younger...”

“You shouldn't have stop.”

“Maybe I shouldn't, indeed.”

“So just play, now, and not only now, just play whenever you want it, just spend your time playing like you used to do.”

Byeol rolled up her sleeves and looked at her scars.

“It doesn't even hurt you anymore, so what prevents you from playing?”

“So are you going to play or we came here just to see you seating at a piano?” Jaehwan shouted from behind them.

Yun was about to answer but Byeol prevented her when she stared playing. They wanted to see her play, so she was going to do it.

Happy new year everyone ! :D

I wish you the best, I hope you'll be happy and healthy in 2017 and I seriously hope this year will be better than 2016!

Concerning the chapter, I don't have much to say but if you have, leave a comment :)

Sakuza I saw your comment but i didn't answer since I didn't know what to say in order not to spoil too much ;)

Thx you to all of you !

xx

Mae