“Oh, Hae Ryung. Please stop crying,” So Eun pleaded as she caressed Hae Ryung’s back. Instead of stopping though, the girl just sobbed even louder. Chanyeol and Jongdae exchanged worried looks. “Will you talk to your ing friend, Park Chanyeol?! Tell him to stop hurting our Hae Ryung!” Suho suddenly snapped, pulling the giant out of his seat. Chanyeol shoved him away easily with a scowl.

“My friend?! Try acquaintance. I only tolerate him because Hae Ryung would stop talking to me if I beat that guy up!” Chanyeol snarled. Suho was already up on his feet, fists balled in anger, ready to attack. Seeing the older male take an ominous step forward, Jongdae cut in between them right away.  

“Stop it! Why are you getting mad at each other? You’re going to make her cry even more!” Jongdae scolded as he pushed them apart. “I’m sorry…” Hae Ryung sniffled, pulling away from So Eun and bowing her head in apology.  

“I shouldn’t be like this. I’m sorry I’m such a bother,” she murmured softly. The two boys softened almost immediately. They exchanged apologetic looks and rushed over to hug their friend. “Hey, don’t be sorry. It’s not your fault that you’re hurt,” Chanyeol said, rubbing her arm comfortingly. 

Fresh tears started to stream down her cheeks so she buried her face in Suho’s shoulder. “I don’t even have the right to be this hurt. I don’t have control over his life anyway. He can have a girlfriend if he wants to.” 

After suffering from all the boys’ teasing, Hae Ryung had finally gotten Sehun’s room number so she could speak to him. It’s been days but she was just itching to explain what happened last time and say sorry. 

Hae Ryung nibbled on her bottom lip anxiously as she paced back and forth outside Sehun’s classroom. She checked her phone for the nth time, impatiently waiting for the bell to ring. 

Noticing that it’ll be a few seconds until then, she finally moved aside. She stared at her phone, mentally counting down the seconds. “Yes!” she inwardly cheered as the students started to file out of the room. One by one, she watched them leave until it was finally Sehun exiting the door. 

“S-Sehun!” she called out. His eyes widened at the sight of her standing next to the door. He didn’t say anything though. He just moved to stand in front of her. Hae Ryung unconsciously gulped. Why? She didn’t know either. 

Because as far as she knew, she didn’t do anything wrong so why would she be this nervous when it was her who wanted to talk to him in the first place? Maybe it’s the boy’s eyes, the beautiful brown orbs that were now searching hers. 

“A-About last time…” she finally managed to choke out after a solid minute of silence and staring. Sehun still didn’t reply. He all but raised his eyebrows to inform her that he’s listening. Hae Ryung blinked at him, thinking of what to say next.  

“I-I didn’t actually call for you. It was just the boys teasing me. I’m sorry...” Hae Ryun bit her lip and looked away immediately. That’s all she wanted to say so she should just leave now, right? Right! That’s what she planned to do but then she heard Sehun chuckle. 

“You don’t need to apologize for that,” he finally spoke after being so quiet all this time. Hae Ryung felt relief wash over her, her heart feeling a lot lighter now that he’s smiling. As her lips started to turn upward to mimic his smile, his own had turned into a small frown. 

“But–” he suddenly said, brows pinching together in worry. “I think I should be the one saying sorry. Your boyfriend must’ve misunderstood.” Hae Ryung choked on her own saliva. Did he just call Baekhyun her boyfriend? 

“W-What?” was all she managed to reply. Sehun’s gaze dropped down to the ground, almost as if he was sad. “Your boyfriend, he saw me holding your hand and he looked furious. Was he mad at you?” Sehun looked up at the last sentence, worry painting his face. 

Hae Ryung shook her head immediately. “No, no! That was my best friend. He wasn’t mad. We just sort of had a–” Hae Ryung paused because she didn’t exactly know what happened that time either. Sehun stared at her, his eyes flickering to every feature of her face but it lingered more on her lips and that bothered her. 

“–problem,” she blurted out, making Sehun look up at her eyes again. Sehun looked brighter, she noticed. He looks quite happy about something. “Do you have any classes right now?” he suddenly said, his head tilting to the side. Hae Ryung’s brows furrowed and Sehun was back to his shy self. 

“I-I just figured we could talk somewhere else like the university café or anywhere else you’d like,” he stuttered out. Hae Ryung thought about it for a while. She actually didn’t have classes in the next two hours so she didn’t think it’d be a bad idea to stay with Sehun for a while. All her friends were probably already in class by now anyway. “Sure,” she replied, smiling. 

At first, the walk to the café was agonizingly awkward and silent but as they sat down and got their drinks, it gradually became better. Hae Ryung shouldn’t be as surprised that they got along well but she really was. He isn’t as timid as she thought he was. He’s actually very funny. She thought he was very manly. He looks that way and his whole aura basically screams manly man but he’s actually very... cute. 

His smile always cuts through his intimidating exterior and his eyes, they speak to her. The two hours of free time was spent with chattering and laughter, unlike the usual studying she spent in the library. She enjoyed herself so much that she walked back to class with a ‘creepy’ smile on her face as Jongdae said. 

But when he knew that her smile was apparently because of Sehun, the boy was ecstatic. “You’re meeting each other again, right? When is it? When’s the next date?” he eagerly asked, leaning over his desk. Hae Ryung poked his forehead. “It’s not a date,” Hae Ryung clarified, making Jongdae pout. “We just decided to hangout again when we have free time, that’s it.” She shrugged. 

Jongdae nodded, biting down a grin as he leaned back on his chair and started typing away on his phone. Hae Ryung watched him with a raised eyebrow because she knew that he’s probably telling the others about her apparent ‘date’ with Sehun but she decided to wave it off and just focus on the lecture. 

After all her classes, Jongdae left along with Chanyeol and Suho. Now that she was alone and free from three annoying boys, her mind drifted off to Sehun. She couldn’t seem to get over their time together. She felt excited to meet him again and she wished she could’ve had enough guts to ask for his number to tell him how much fun she had. 

For once, she suddenly noticed, she wasn’t thinking of anyone except the person she’s with. Before, whenever she was with other people, Baekhyun would always be lingering in the back or her mind and sometimes, she just completely spaces out and starts to think of him without even trying to stop herself anymore. 

But earlier, there was no trace of Byun Baekhyun in her mind. It was a foreign feeling but somehow it felt liberating as well. ‘So I can like other people as well,’ she nodded to herself as she walked to the parking lot to meet Baekhyun. It’s always been a routine that Baekhyun would take her home. They always had dinner together and he’d usually stay at her apartment until late. 

“What are you smiling about?” Baekhyun said with a light chuckle as he grabbed her bag and books. Hae Ryung flushed, laughing awkwardly as she shook her head. After dumping her things in the backseat, he opened the door for her.  

“Is my Nabi crazy now then? Smiling over nothing?” he joked and flashed her a cheeky smile before closing the door. He then jogged over the driver’s seat, a smile still lingering on his lips. Hae Ryung took a calming breath, heart thumping against her chest, eyes following her best friend. 

He looks like he’s in a really good mood today and she wondered why. “Did you attend classes today?” she suddenly asked, making Baekhyun frown for a split second. She didn’t mean to spoil his mood or anything but she cared for her best friend and she was worried about him skipping school to do who knows what. “Yes,” he muttered and drove off. 

Hae Ryung playfully glared at him. “How many did you attend?” Baekhyun winced. “Just two…” he mumbled through a pout. Hae Ryung could only shake her head. How was she supposed to get mad when he’s like that? 

Even if she wanted to scold him, she didn’t. She couldn’t. She just ruffled his hair instead. “Better than none. I’m proud of my little pup,” she giggled and wrinkled her nose at him. Baekhyun mimicked her and she looked away with a soft smile. His mood was back.

Hae Ryung actually fell asleep during the ride home, only waking up when she was already in bed. Her things were neatly placed on her study table like how she wanted it and he apparently even changed her into more comfortable clothing. Her face burned at the