Hae Ryung’s legs are over Baekhyun’s lap, the man rubbing circles on her knee while Hae Ryung talked to him excitedly and rubbed her own thumb on the butterfly tattoo he has on his neck. Baekhyun’s face is illuminated with a love-struck smile. He nodded at what Hae Ryung had said and she responded with grin.

He bit his lip cheekily, inching closer to Hae Ryung to kiss her but the girl rolled her eyes and sighed. Baekhyun blinked in confusion. Did she not want to be kissed? The girl swung her legs off his lap to sit properly and narrowed her eyes at the three boys grinning their faces off, looking like they would burst into a squealing mess anytime soon.

They automatically snapped their heads away with Kai suddenly craning his neck as if he was looking for someone, Chanyeol looking up at a tree as if it was of a new plant species and Jongdae looking down on his book with an awkward cough. Baekhyun chuckled behind his fist at this. “Must you always do that?! It’s getting really annoying,” The girl said, her nose wrinkling as she pulled her notebook closer to her.

The three boys finally stopped being idiots and turned to Hae Ryung. “We’ve waited long enough! Can’t we enjoy this relationship too?” Chanyeol said in a huff. Hae Ryung gave him a deadpanned look. They want to enjoy this relationship too? What is he even saying?

Baekhyun gave him a look of disgust. “Sorry, Chanyeol but I only want my Nabi, not her and the rest of you. Polyamorous relationships aren’t my thing and I only think of you as a–” Chanyeol groaned loudly. “That’s not what I meant–” Laughter erupted almost immediately, making Chanyeol cross his arms and pout like a toddler.

Hae Ryung playfully punched Baekhyun’s arm and he responded by winking at her. Suho then walked over to their table, his eyebrow raised at them. He asked what was so funny that had them all laughing so obnoxiously loud and why Chanyeol’s face was so red.

Hae Ryung craned her neck to see if anyone was behind him but it was only him. She frowned. “Where’s So Eun?” As Suho settled down beside her, his brows furrowed in confusion. “I don’t know. I thought she was with you guys actually. That’s why I came.” Hae Ryung sighed, her shoulders deflating. So Eun hasn’t been hanging out with them lately. It’s been about a week.

She sees her around campus sometimes and they talk, but not as long as they used to before. She just suddenly has to leave for some reason. Everyone else in the group had also been wondering where she’s been going or what she’s been up to if she isn’t with them. “Is she perhaps dating someone?” Suho proposed, earning himself some gasps from the three idiots.

“So Eun?!” Jongdae uttered in a scandalized tone. “No way!” Chanyeol firmly shook his head before continuing and saying, “She doesn’t have a life outside of uni and we’re her only friends.” Suho only shrugged. “But why else could she be missing all the time?” Hae Ryung unknowingly started to pout as she listened to the boys’ speculations about So Eun, her eyes darting towards whoever was talking.

Baekhyun, on the other hand, was just staring at her side profile and not listening at all. He was trying to get her attention, tapping her thigh, nudging her cheek with his nose and even biting her neck but the only thing she managed to do was hum.

“Nabi?” Finally, Hae Ryung turned to him but her eyes were still on Chanyeol who was now the one speaking. Baekhyun’s eyes seemed to narrow that she wasn’t paying attention to him so he kissed her on the lips to get her to look at him. Her eyes widened and they finally look his way like he expected. His grin broke though the kiss.

As he pulled away, he wrinkled his nose at her. “You weren’t paying attention to me,” he said in a childish whine. He was pouting at her like a kicked puppy and Hae Ryung wondered how a face like that used to be a damn womanizer and bad boy. He’s such a baby sometimes. She chuckled at her own thoughts and rolled her eyes good naturedly.

She grabbed his jaw with her small hand and peppered kisses all over his face, making him grin even wider and chuckle at the ticklish feeling. “Better?” Hae Ryung said, she pulling away and smiling at him. Baekhyun nodded happily, his fingers finding their way between the spaces of hers and interlocking them. Baekhyun’s a very touchy and clingy boyfriend, she noticed.

Well, he was kind of was touchy as a best friend too but he’s even touchier now. Especially since they’ve already been intimate. It’s like he feeds off of skinship sometimes. “Are you guys done staring?” Hae Ryung suddenly said, catching the four boys off guard and making them do a repeat of what happened earlier but this time with Suho looking down on a nonexistent watch on his wrist.

She chuckled at them even if her eyes were on Baekhyun’s. She sent him on last smile and finally turned to the boys again. They were goofily grinning at her and Baekhyun, teasing written all over their faces. They then continued to talk about So Eun, every now and then glancing at the materials they were supposed to be studying.

Hae Ryung was humming in agreement, quickly scanning through her notes as she listened. Baekhyun, who has now completely neglected his book, kept trying to get her attention again. Hae Ryung would chuckle, teasingly rolling her eyes at him before she’d tilt her head and look at him. Baekhyun wouldn’t even say anything. He’d just search her orbs and grin, his eyes curving into adorable half-moons.

He also seems to have a thing about them just staring at each other. She always wondered why he sometimes just trails off from what he was saying just because he was staring at her or why he calls her name just so she would turn to look at him. They could be doing absolutely nothing, not saying anything at all or even moving but if they just stare at each other, they end up smiling, a million and one things rushing through their minds.

To Baekhyun, her eyes are just so captivating and he can see all her emotions in them, the way they twinkle at the sight of him and he just loves it. Hae Ryung could probably say the same for Baekhyun. She wondered why he never gets tired of just looking at her but then again, she wouldn’t have felt any of that if it were Baekhyun. She could probably stare at him all day if she could and perhaps, Baekhyun felt the same.

After a short while, the bell rang. The lot of them quickly packed up, bid their goodbyes and started to disperse. Of course, despite still having to go to another building for his class, Baekhyun still walked Hae Ryung to hers. “Our professor for my last class would be absent for today and tomorrow so we won’t be having classes then,” she casually said as they walked slowly to her room.

“Really? That’s perfect! Let’s go visit my grandmother. She’s okay now.” Hae Ryung smiled just as Baekhyun did. She told him she’s happy that she was okay now but then she felt nervous all of a sudden. Her bright smile faded and she blinked, her heart thumping anxiously against her ribcage. If she visited his grandmother, in their old house, his home town where he grew up, she’ll be visiting as his girlfriend, no longer a mere best friend.

“Dad finally has a day off and my brother’s going to visit today too so the family will be complete,” he said excitedly. It made her even more nervous. She’ll be meeting his entire family! She couldn’t help the nervous laughter erupting from and the way she so suddenly looked down, looking as though she was deep in thought about something.

Baekhyun’s own smile started to fade into a worried frown. He wondered why she had suddenly gone silent, why her eyes were fixed on the ground and why she was now nervously nibbling on her lip. “Nabi? Are you okay?” Hearing that, Hae Ryung’s eyes snapped up to look at him. She was obviously going to say that nothing was wrong but the anxiousness swirling in her eyes were enough for Baekhyun to figure it all out.

He should be worried but he oddly found it very endearing. He couldn’t help but bite back a chuckle. Hae Ryung frowned at that. “What’s so funny?” she sneered adorably. Baekhyun laughed. He wrinkled his nose at her and squished her cheeks together, making her whine and squirm.

It only made him laugh even more. He pecked her lips and finally let go. “Nabi, are you nervous about me introducing you as my girlfriend?” His smile is small and warm as he said this, his eyes so soft that it made her heart jump a little. Hae Ryung shouldn’t even be surprised that he figured out what was wrong right away, but she still was.

She still blinked in surprise. Baekhyun raised his eyebrows in question and she sighed, nodding her head. Baekhyun laughed again and shook his head. “C’mon! You’ve all met them already and they love you. Come to think of it, they probably love you more than they love me.” A tiny frown appeared on his face, making Hae Ryung chuckled as she looked away.

She then bit her lip in thought. It is kind of true. They were very welcoming of her and they did seem to like her right away when they had first met but that was probably because she’s his best friend. They might react differently if she was his girlfriend.