A chuckle escapes his lips as he lifts me off the swing and sets me down on the ground.

 

“Not so much the independent woman Park Sera already, eh?” He teases as he elbows me. I wrinkle my nose at him and walk off to sit on the grass away from his tools.

 

Sniffing, I tell him, “You really can’t be giving in to me all the time.”

 

“How else will you need me?” He asks, the rhetorical question sparking doubts in my mind. Surely I haven’t been that bad of a friend, calling on him only when I need him?

 

“Sera?” The call of my name breaks my train of thoughts. Nowhere in my short line of sight do I see anyone and I’m certain Namjoon hasn’t spoken. Namjoon looks equally surprised as he turns towards the source of the sound. Following his gaze, I see Taehyung strolling up to us.

 

“Taehyung!” I wave at him. “What are you doing here?”

 

“How did you find this place?” Namjoon’s voice is hostile towards the new presence.

 

Taehyung regards him sceptically. “I was exploring the area and found this outside leading me in.” Turning to me, he brandishes a card – my transportation card, to be specific. He throws it to me and I struggle to catch it from where I’m sitting. The card flies over my head and lands somewhere behind me.

 

“Hey!” Namjoon strides up to him to give him a solid shove on the chest. “Where are your manners?”

 

Taehyung looks at him in confusion.

 

“Jjun, what’s wrong with you?” Standing, I step over to where my card landed and pick it up, keeping it into the back pocket of my jeans.

 

“He-” Namjoon stops mid-word and shakes his head. 

 

“Is this your boyfriend?” Taehyung asks suddenly, tilting his head at Namjoon. I almost choke on my saliva.

 

“Taehyung, this is Kim Namjoon. He’s a senior at our school and also my childhood best friend.” Turning to Namjoon, “Jjun, this is Kim Taehyung and he’s my neighbour. He will officially also be my classmate starting tomorrow.”

 

Taehyung dips his head in an insignificant bow as he acknowledges the older boy. “Hello.”

 

“Hm.” Namjoon nods curtly at him.

 

Noticing the increasing tension in the atmosphere, I try to break the ice between both boys. “Ice cream, anyone?” I mentally slap myself at the irony of my words.

 

“Call,” Taehyung agrees at the same time Namjoon says, “You have a cold.”

 

I cuss under my breath.

 

Taehyung narrows his eyes at me “You have a cold?”

 

“It’s not a big deal,” I say.

 

“You should have stayed at home.” Taehyung shakes his head at me. By the side, Namjoon glares daggers at Taehyung.

 

“Uh, how about lunch, then?” I smile at the boys. “I’m hungry.”

 

“What do you want to eat?” Namjoon asks, his expression softening.

 

“I walked by this shop just now that sells soup and rice,” Taehyung suggests. I know exactly where he’s talking about and I just happen to have a craving for hot soup. Namjoon looks to me for response.

 

“It’s a nice place,” I tell him.

 

He nods. “Let’s go then.”

 

Two steps ahead, I stop him. “Aren’t you going to keep your tools first?”

 

“There’s so much to keep,” he complains with a pout on his lips. “Can’t we come back later?”

 

“Hyung,” Taehyung chips in, “I think it’s better if you keep your things first.”

 

Namjoon ignores him. “Who’s your ‘hyung’?” I hear him mutter under his breath. Raising an eyebrow, I punch him lightly.

 

“We’ll wait for you. Hurry pack up.” That said, I plop down onto the grass again. Taehyung settles down beside me.

 

We sit in silence for a short moment.

 

“So, childhood friend?” Taehyung asks, his gaze fixed on a busy Namjoon.

 

I nod. “He flew off to the states many years ago, though. Only came back recently.”

 

“He seems pretty protective of you.”

 

“Is he?” I focus on a blade of grass before me. “It’s probably because I’m like a little sister to him.”

 

Feeling eyes on me, I look up to see Taehyung studying me. “And you’re upset because he sees you only as a little sister?”

 

“Kim Taehyung!” I smack him a bit too hard on the arm. “What are you talking about?”

 

Namjoon comes over at this point, his tools packed nicely into a duffel bag. “What’s going on? Ser, why is your face so red?” Immediately, he plants his hand into my forehead.

 

“I’m fine.” Clearing my throat, I pull myself up and dust off my jeans.

 

“The cold must be getting to you through the holes in your jeans,” Namjoon mutters. “You have a slight fever.”

 

“You should go see a doctor,” Taehyung says.

 

I shake my head. “I ate medicine. Can we please just go get food now?”

 

“Let’s go.” Namjoon reaches for my hand but I avoid him. Walking ahead of the boys, my steps are wider and faster than usual as I escape the awkwardness. 

 

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