As I entered the apartment building, I was welcomed by Mr. Oh’s warm greeting. He was the designated security guard in charge of the night shift.

“Good evening, Seohyun. Busy day, today?”

“You have no idea, Mr. Oh.”

“Good thing someone was willing to drive you here,” he answered cheekily, subtly implying something else. Mr. Oh’s pretty observant – he knew Leeteuk was my cousin, and more often than not, Leeteuk usually brought me home after my part-time job.

“He’s just Leeteuk-oppa’s friend,” I refrained from elaborating further.

“What’s his name?” He probed.

“Kyuhyun-ssi.”

“I’ll bear that in mind, you know, for future reference,” he replied with that knowing smile. For a middle-aged guy, he was a romantic who hoped that I’d fall in love like what people my age did. I told him if ever that happened, he would be one of the few people I told first.

I shook my head, changing the course of our small conversation, “Take care, Mr. Oh.”

“Have a good night, Seohyun.”

I went towards the elevator, heading to my unit, preparing myself before the night ends. Today was indeed a busy day. The one person that played the most part was Cho Kyuhyun. I got to know him slightly better after all the interactions we had today.

First, I figured he was the type who does not take school seriously. From what I’ve heard from Leeteuk, math comes easily to him. If his attitude during Biology was any indication of how he treated his studies, his ability would have been such a waste. Leeteuk told me of all his friends that have the most potential to excel, it would have to be Kyuhyun - his grades were average even if Leeteuk hardly saw him studying. What more if he studied?

I wasn’t in the position to pester him into studying but I envied people who were naturally smart. A lot of my peers told me how excellent my grades were but the only reason I ever got far was because I worked hard. Still, hard work can only get you through so much that sometimes you have to accept that there were things that you cannot fully hope to master. I imagined that if Kyuhyun and I were to work with the same amount of effort, he would probably best me.

Second, I have known Leeteuk-oppa and his friends for more than half of my life and yet Kyuhyun being able to play piano with that level of skill came as a surprise to me. I had to admit that when he volunteered to take Henry’s place, I thought he was joking like he usually does. All the more when he didn’t asked me to practice with him for my solo. I have always believed that the secret to success was preparation and here was a person asking me not to worry and just enjoy myself. When we started creating music together, my worries drowned away and I felt more at ease. Maybe it was because I enjoyed working with him or maybe it was because he was good in adapting to my singing. I knew the main reason was because of the latter when I heard him play Bohemian Rhapsody.

Before he started playing, a lot of people were still whispering about my solo. In the instant he pressed the keys of the piano, the whispering ended and the audience was captivated, myself included. I saw a different sparkle in his eye as he was playing and I knew that he truly enjoyed playing the piano. It was then that I understood what he meant when he told me to enjoy myself as I was performing – for him, all else were secondary as long as he enjoyed the music that he produced. I was pretty sure that the sentiments he had with music was heavily influenced by his older sister.

Lastly, Kyuhyun had a good support from his friends. I found it funny and cute when his hyungs were cheering for him when he was about to perform. I guessed that he was the type of person who shrugs it off on the surface but deep down he truly appreciated it. I had my own fair share of friends but the bond that he has with his hyungs was something I always wanted to have. It was intimidating to be around Leeteuk and his friends especially if they stood out in a crowd without any intention of doing so. But when you were with them, there can never be a dull moment. The brotherhood that they shared was enough to last them a lifetime and I envisioned them in their old age, already retired, still doing that Sober Club thing. The thought made me laugh.

After taking a bath, my phone suddenly rang and I knew who the caller would be. He always called me at 10 pm every single day.

I smiled after seeing his name appear on my phone. “Hello, Oppa.”

“Seobaby! I’m glad you arrived safe and sound. Just checking since I wasn’t the one who brought you home,” Leeteuk said. I heard the engine of his car turn off.

“Yes, I did. You just got back as well?”

“Hmm. I had to drop the devil off at his place. The stupid idiot got himself drunk on a school night and it’s not even the end of the week. He’s going to suffer from a severe hangover and I bet I have to drag his to school tomorrow,” he complained. I laughed. Nobody insulted them the same way that they insulted one another.

“So I’m sorry if –“

I interrupted him, reading his thoughts, “It’s okay. I’ll just walk to school tomorrow.”

“Seobaby is a mind reader. Daebak!” It was really amusing whenever he acted childish, shedding off his leader image.

I smiled “Only with you, Oppa. Is there any other reason why you called?”

“I just wanted to make sure that Kyu brought you home. Who knows may be he suddenly thought of kidnapping you and we wouldn’t be having this conversation right now,” he teased. I knew he was joking but at the back of my mind I couldn’t help but to remember a memory I had been repressing.

I swallowed and shook my head, thankful that he and I were not having this conversation face-to-face. “H-he wouldn’t do that. You should place more trust in your friends, Oppa. You’ve been with them for a very long time.”

“I’m only kidding, Seo. You know I trust them with my life,” he answered sincerely. Once again, I was reminded of the friendship I wished I had.

“Anyways, I know you’re going to do your homework until you feel sleepy.”

“You know me too well, Oppa. Please force Heechul-ssi to attend school tomorrow and that I said ‘Hi.’”

I could hear him laugh on his end, “I will. Good luck and good night, Seobaby!”

“Good night, Oppa!” I told him, ending our phone call.

I studied until 1 am before deciding to sleep. I didn’t understood why I was looking forward to Biology on Thursday.

- - - - - - - -

Tuesday and Wednesday passed by like a daydream. When Thursday came, I expected Kyuhyun to be present for Biology but he didn’t show up. Being the diligent seatmate that I was, I took notes which I intended to share with him during lunch break since I knew where their little group would hang out.

When the bell for lunch break rang, I had a quick lunch before heading to their usual spot. I saw Kyuhyun finished eating his spicy ramyun beside Heechul. It was a struggle to approach them when you’re alone. I took a deep breath before calling out his name.

“Kyuhyun-ssi.”

“Oh, hey Seo. What brings you here?” I was still trying to figure out what made him skip Biology. He didn’t look like he was sick.

I handed him my notes from Biology. “Here, notes from this morning’s lecture since you were absent.”

There was a collective laughter coming from their group. The only one not laughing was Kyuhyun who glared at me and I didn’t understood the reason why.

“Yah, Kyu, you owe each of us 5,000 won. Can’t believe you would skip a class so early in the semester. I’d usually do that by the end,” Ryeowook replied, grinning while doing so.

I still had a perplexed look on my face when Sungmin turned to me. “You see, Seororo, whoever skipped class first had to pay the group 5,000 won each. We’d do it by honesty system but since maknae here is being dishonest, we’re so glad that you helped,” he explained, putting a hand on my shoulder.

“Good work, Seororo! We’re so proud of you.” Yesung added.

Kyuhyun replied sarcastically, “Yeah. Good work, Seo.”

I pleaded, “I-I d-didn’t mean to reveal you were absent, Kyuhyun-ssi. I thought you’d tell your friends about it. I’m sorry.”

“Obviously not. You know what? Forget it. What’s done is done,” he said, trying to drop the subject.

Ryeowook eased my worries when he added, “Don’t fret, Seo. Money isn’t an issue for the Evil Maknae.” Kyuhyun scoffed.

Siwon probed further and asked, “Why were you absent, Kyu?”

“I got my hands on a new game and I just couldn’t sleep until I had an adequate amount of closure. Did I mention that I woke up late?” he mocked.

Leeteuk was rubbing his temples and shaking his head before he reprimanded Kyuhyun, “Please avoid doing this again, Kyu.”

“Yeah whatever, Boss.”

Leeteuk was ready to scold Kyuhyun some more so I interrupted and asked “Kyuhyun-ssi?”

“Yeah?”

“I’d appreciate it if you could return my notes before the weekend starts so that I can study them.”

“Sure. Consider it done. Thanks, by the way,” he answered genuinely. I may have caused him to lose 30,000  won but I think he appreciated the effort I put in when I kept my end of the bargain of being a good seatmate.

“I wish I had a classmate like Seororo here,” Yesung praised and the others nodded in agreement, making me blush.

“Oh it’s no big deal. We need to lend a helping hand, right?”

“You know,” Heechul began and I think I knew where this was going. “If it wasn’t for your encouragement, I wouldn’t have attended my first period last Tuesday, Seo. Or else, I’d be the one owing others 5,000 Won.” The others laughed while Kyuhyun deadpanned.

Heechul stood up from his seat, positioned himself next to me, and put an arm around my shoulder. “Thanks, Seo.”I blushed at the contact, no doubt he was trying to embarrass me. He once told me I looked cute whenever a blush appeared on my chubby cheeks. I removed his arm on my shoulders.

“Y-you’re very welcome. If you’ll excuse me, I have other commitments to attend to. See you around guys!” I replied bowing, ready to leave their presence.

“Anytime Seobaby!” Leeteuk answered and the others waved their goodbyes.

- - - - - - - -

I returned to where I usually had lunch with Taeyeon, Tiffany, Hyoyeon, and Yoona and they greeted me as I approached them. When I met them last year in a Philosophy elective, I did not think we would be this close. We were grouped for a project and our friendship developed from there. I was the youngest since most of them are 2 years older except for Yoona who was a year older than me.

Apparently, they have been observing my interaction with Leeteuk’s friends.

“Hyunnie, I admire how courageous you are for approaching them like that. It’s easy to feel shy around them,” Yoona admitted. Hyunnie was an endearment they came up for me.

“Of course that’s what you would expect from being Leeteuk-ssi’s cousin,” Hyoyeon followed. They were all aware of my relationship with Leeteuk so it did not come as a surprise for them whenever he was being affectionate.

“It’s difficult at first but once you start, you’d realize that they’re easy to get along with.”

Tiffany asked, “What were you handing out to Kyuhyun-ssi that made the others laugh?”

“Oh that,” I replied remembering the little incident earlier. “He skipped first period so I handed him my notes. The guys had a bet that whoever was the first person to skip class had to pay each of them some money. Kyuhyun-ssi didn’t want to admit that he skipped.”

My unnies chuckled at their silliness. They usually appeared cool, laid-back, with swagger here and there in the eyes of many. Once you really knew what goes on in their gang, you’d realize how they’re not very different from your average group of guys. Silly yes, but not that far-fetched.

“Boys will be boys,” Taeyeon added as an afterthought. How right she was. We all agreed to that

Tiffany decided to switch the topic. “Hyunnie, you think any of them are dating?” It was no secret to us that Tiffany harbored a crush on the gentlemanly Siwon. It was a question most girls in the university asked. When you have a group consisting of 7 guys, each with their own unique charms, it became so easy to wonder if they had girlfriends.

During the time that I knew them, I think most of Leeteuk’s friends have had girlfriends at one point. The person who I knew had the most girlfriends, and the rest confirmed this, was Kyuhyun. He had a lot of nicknames, one of them being “one-month-Kyu” – one month referred to the duration of how long a relationship lasted with him. After military, I think he sobered with his dating style.

I confessed, “I’m not sure about the rest but as far as I’m concerned, Sungmin-ssi is arranged to marry someone.” They were amazed to hear this. Even though I disagreed with the concept of an arranged marriage for all the obvious reasons, I was beginning to accept the one concerning Sungmin. Being the heir to a well-known business corporation, his father saw it fit to marry him off to a woman belonging to a family of the same social status. I found out that he was arranged to marry one of my co-workers in a coffee shop I work at part-time. When their marriage was announced the previous year, they both rebelled at the idea. For now, their story was your typical enemies-turned-friends – lovers may be too strong a word but at least they’re getting there.

I don’t get to talk with Sungmin quite often but from what I heard from my friend, he seemed to be an agreeable fiancé candidate. Among Leeteuk’s friends, I considered him to be someone who was husband material. He was very responsible in his self-management. Also, iIt wasn’t difficult to imagine him playing with kids since he’s pretty good with handling them. As for my friend, she may be coming from a wealthy background but she’s always been humble in her way of life. When I asked her why she opted to work in the coffee shop, she answered that she wanted to experience having a part-time job. She also said that the smell of coffee soothed her. I smiled at that thought.

“Wow, I didn’t think he’d already be engaged at this age,” Hyoyeon said in disbelief.

“True, but I assure you it’s a smart match,” I convinced her.

Tiffany questioned, “So most probably, all except Sungmin are single?” I pondered for a bit before nodding.

Taeyeon warned me, “Then you should be careful of Kyuhyun, Hyunnie.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You said you were seatmates in Biology which happens to be on Mondays and Thursdays. He’s also part of your theater guild,” Taeyeon began.

“Let’s not forget that wonderful duet you two had together at Org Fair Showcase! I saw the way he was looking at you, Hyunnie.” Yoona playfully added. The others began teasing me as well.

“Nonsense,” I replied in embarrassment. I felt the heat rising on my cheeks. “You’re all exaggerating, unnies.”

Hyoyeon elaborated, “We’re just warning you, Hyunnie. Besides, he screams bad boy from every angle. If the rumors were true about him, then we’re worried if you were on his radar.”

“You don’t need to worry then since he’s not on my radar. I’m not looking for a relationship right now.”

“That’s right, our Hyunnie is very studies-oriented. Even so, I do hope you consider to date soon,” Yoona encouraged. I faked a smile – I knew my unnies always had my best interests at heart.

Even though I had good friends, I wasn’t ready to share everything with them.

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A/N: There you have a chapter in Seohyun’s POV :) Nothing spectacular but I hope it gives insight on what Seohyun is like. I actually wrote this while I'm sufferring from diarrhea and fever (not a good combo) :(