Taeyong had taken them to Subway for lunch. He suggested somewhere else but Seulgi insisted on eating sandwiches. She said she'd been craving for sandwiches which weirded Seungwan out because Seulgi had sandwiches earlier this morning for breakfast. She pointed this out loud to Seulgi who replied, "Those are the college's sandwiches. This is Subway." And Seulgi threw a dirty look to Seungwan who didn't get the hints.

It seemed like Seungwan and Taeyong got along so well because they talked to each other as though they've known each other for years. They've already talked about their tastes in music and movie preferences and how do they like they eggs done in the morning. Something Seulgi could never talked about with someone she's just met. 

"So I told them, I don't like baked beans since I was a kid and they all looked at me like I've done something terrible. Like I've broke the rule of life or something," Taeyong said which Seungwan laughed at. Seulgi didn't find which was the funny part so she kept munching her honey oatmeal sandwich.

They stayed there for a whole 40 minutes even when they've done eating their sandwiches because the two of them always had something to talk about. And to be frank, Seulgi couldn't believe that Taeyong was one to talk a lot. He didn't talk much when the first time they met. He didn't talk much when they were in the car. 

Did that mean... he liked Seungwan?

Seulgi gasped. No way. They've just met! He didn't know who she was and she didn't know who he was! She looked up at the two back to back — Taeyong sat in front of her, Seungwan sat on Seulgi's side — as they were happily conversing with each other, seemed to be forgetting she was there too...

She shook her head. Stop thinking nonsense, Seulgi. They were just the type to get along well. That's all!

"Is everything alright, Seulgi?" Taeyong asked. She looked up and saw his concerned look. She shook her head. "Nothing. Everything's fine. How about we leave now, hm?" 

Seungwan looked at her watch and gasped. "Oh my, look at that time! I have prep class after this." She stood up and said goodbye — Seulgi was making faces and giving hints asking her not leave her alone with this man — but stopped by Taeyong (in Seulgi's relief). 
"I can send you there," Taeyong said.

Seungwan rejected it saying she could take the bus but Taeyong insisting on sending her. "It's okay! I can send you. Besides, I'm sending Seulgi home to." Seulgi almost choked at that. He what?

"Unless you have prep class too?" Taeyong asked Seulgi. She fake a smile and said no. Taeyong smiled genuinely at her then looked back up at Seungwan. "Come on, if you wait for the bus you might be late."

Whether Seungwan wanted it or not she had to accept because of Taeyong's persuasion and Seulgi's plead. 

Aftet sending Seungwan to her prep class, Taeyong asked Seulgi if she wanted to go somewhere else. Seulgi, not wanting to spend another minute with him as it was really awkward with just the two of them in the car, said she didn't want to go anywhere. She wanted to go home and rest. Taeyong listened to her and sent her home.

This kind of surprised Seulgi because he knew where she lived but then again, obviously her brother had told her where they live since he asked Taeyong to pick her up from college.

Did he really though?

"Did..." she muttered.

"Yes?" Taeyong asked. "You were saying something?"

"Did my brother ask you to pick me up?" she asked him while avoiding his gaze.

Taeyong chuckled. "Yeah. He asked me to earlier because he had some work to be done by today. He's really busy nowadays."

Seulgi nodded. Busy, huh? "It's weird, though," she suddenly said. She watched how a woman was walking with her dog. The dog was really cute.

"What is?" asked Taeyong. He saw the dog too and he smiled a little. It was really adorable. Then he averted his eyes back on the road.

"My brother never tell us he has a job. All this while he always in his room doing god knows what. Then suddenly he wasn't in the house much," she didn't know why she suddenly talk about her brother to him. "I didn't even know what he's doing now."

Taeyong chuckled again. Seulgi turned to him and gave him a glare. "What's so funny?" she asked.

He shook his head. "Nothing. It's just that... that's so him. He never tell people things until people find out about it on their own," he said. And this hit Seulgi so much because of how true it was. "He never tells you what he gets for his grades that you thought he did badly. But then, turns out he ranked 2nd in the whole school."

This was true. Because her brother went to an all-boys school, she didn't know how well he did in school. No one in the household knew he was ranked 2nd during finals until the report card arrived home. Mom was so happy that day.

"He never tells you he ever had a girlfriend until the news they broke up were all over the school," Taeyong continued.

This Seulgi never heard of. "What?" she asked in shocked.

"Yeah, he met her on a field trip. They exchanged number, dated three months after that, broke up a year later. No one knew why," Taeyong answered with a smile.

"What field trip!?" she asked louder. Even more shocked. Her brother never went on any school field trip. When did he — !?

Taeyong laughed. "Oh my god. I can't believe he didn't tell you about this. I knew he forged those signs."

The hell — ???
Seulgi can only gaped, couldn't believe what she just listened to. "So what he's doing now?" before more secrets being told, she changed the subjects.

Taeyong turned left to a junction and the car moved smoothly up to a hill road. "He's a game developer. All this time he's been staying in the room was because he's been developing a game. He worked hard on it." Taeyong said sounding so proud. "Today he had to present it to the board, I hope he's doing well."

Seulgi went quiet. She didn't know this. She didn't know anything about her brother. 
Or was it her who didn't want to know him?

Taeyong's car stopped right in front of the Kang's residence. She unfastened her seatbelt and got ready to leave. But she turned back and said, "Thank you... for sending Seungwan to her class and sending me home." Taeyong smiled her.

"No worries. We are friends now," he said. "If you need help, I'll be there. Just call me." 

Seulgi smiled softly and got off the car. This time, she waved him goodbye and watched his car leaving the neighborhood.

***

"Hey, Tall Man!" a voice of a female called out from his back. He turned around and saw Seulgi was making her way to him. A grin plastered on her face making her cheekbones looking cuter than ever and her crescent eyes more adorable than ever. He smiled back.

He threw the ball to her which she quickly caught in her hands. "Why are you alone, Johnny," she said then giggled. Johnny was his English name that everyone else but Seulgi and Seungwan used. Johnny was the name he had on his jersey which he's wearing now. 

Youngho shrugged. "Thought I need some time to practice alone."

Seulgi bounced the ball once before trying to shoot. She missed the net. Youngho jogged to get the ball. He bounced it while making his way back to Seulgi.

There were the two of them now in the basketball hall. Youngho was here earlier to practice alone. Or maybe he needed the time alone. Just for himself.

Youngho stood next to Seulgi and positioned himself. He then shoot after a few seconds. The ball went inside the net. This time Seulgi was the one who jogged to get it.

"You okay?" she asked as she threw it to him. He caught it perfectly then got ready to shoot again.

"Yeah, I'm good," he said as he made a shot. The ball hit the board and bounced off back to him which he didn't make it to catch. He ran back to get it. Seulgi shook her head. If this small distraction already threw him off the guard...

"You're clearly not okay, Youngho," she said as she made her way to the bleachers where his bag was. She sat down and retried a towel from his bag. "Come here."

Youngho scratched his head and went to her. Of course she can see through him. They've known each other for too long now. Of course she knew something been clouding his head. 

They sat side by side in silence for a few minutes before Seulgi asked, "What's wrong?"

Youngho was reluctant to tell her because it seemed petty now he thought of it again. "Come on, just tell me. It'll be okay," Seulgi inched herself closer to Youngho and looked at him straight in the eyes. That made him ever more nervous.

"N...nothing really..." he muttered, looking away. "But since you insist..." He gathered some confidence before muttering softly, "There's... a lot of great players these days..."

"Pardon? I can't hear you."

Youngho sighed and repeated what he said. He slowly adverted his eyes to her. She was pouting, looking a bit upset. "Why...?"

"Youngho, listen to me," she said. Her eyes full of purposes. "You're the still the best player here. You. Johnny Suh. You." She nudged his chest softly with her index finger. "I know you are feeling a bit down seeing at everyone else but you're still and always the best! Please know that. You've got people around you supporting you." Seulgi put her hand on top of Youngho's. "I know it's hard but nothing's ever come easy in life. If anything I will always be there for you. Seungwan will be there for you and your friends too. Okay?" 

Youngho sighed and his lips formed a soft smile. He turned his palm so he could hold her hand. She gripped his hand as though giving him some strenght. A minute or two he nodded his head and stood up taking Seulgi along with him. "Since you're here, you have to help me practice." They let go of their hands, Youngho took out his phone amd connected it to his speaker and played his playlist.

They both ran to the middle of the hall and started to play — more like joking around, playing chase and tag — with smile so wide on their faces. This was the happiest they can be and they silently wished it'd stay like this forever. They hoped silently nothing between them will change.

***

Seulgi shut down her laptop and leaned back on the chair. Shr massaged her tired shoulder and neck and stretched to some relief. She had been pulling an all nighter to finish her assignment. It's Saturday, she always finished her assignment before the sun rose on Saturday morning. It had been a habit. She did so, because then she can enjoy her Saturdays peacefully.

She glanced at the clock, 7 A.M. She stood up from the chair and streched, followed by a wide yawn. Putting on her thin cardigan, she left her room and went downstairs for a drink. She can go to sleep after that.

There was no one else in the house as her parents always left to the market every Saturday morning. Her brother she didn't know where he was all the time. 

She went straight to the kitchen. She got herself a mug of cold milk then she found some chocolate cookies on the kitchen counter, her mom must've made it.

Seulgi was to leave the kitchen when she saw it. A figure of a man, standing in the living room, bending down to see the pictures on a shelf. Her eyes went wide. She had lost her voice to scream. Her hands that were holding the cookie and the mug shook. She took a step back in the kitchen slowly hoping the man didn't see her.

But how wrong she was. The man suddenly straightened up, she whi was shocked chugged the mug at him and turned to run through the back door.

As she reached the back door, it suddenly opened and in her brother. She yelled and dropped to the floor. "Seulgi, what's wrong?!" he quickly went to her.

"There's.... there's someone...!" she said pointing to the living room. She buried her face in her brother's chest. She's really scared.

But shockingly, she heard her brother chuckled. She pulled back and stared at him with wide eyes. "Why... are... you laughing!?"

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Seulgi jumped as she heard another voice not too far from her. A voice of someone she knew.

She turned and saw Taeyong standing across the hall, his side was wet and he's holding his forehead. "That was a good throw," he said.

Feeling guilty, she volunteered herself to tend the wound of Taeyong's head. Her brother left the two of them in the kitchen to take a shower. He and Taeyong just finished their morning jog earlier. Taeyong sat on a stool in the kitchen and Seulgi stood on his side.

She really threw the porcelain mug to him it hit directly on his temple. There was a small wound but luckily wasn't that bad. It was bleeding though but still not bad.

"I'm so sorry," she said softly. She really was sorry. 

Taeyong grinned. "It's okay. It was my fault anyway." 

"No, it's mine!" Seulgi protested.

"Come on, I should've waited outside instead of coming inside."

"Still... I shouldn't have throw anything at you," Seulgi said with much guiltiness in her voice. She's done cleaning the dripping blood.

Taeyong chuckled. "Seulgi, you didn't know it was me. If I were to be you I'd he doing the same." 

If only Seulgi saw him earlier when she came down from upstairs, she wouldn't throw anything at him. She'd probably just screamed then he'd say it's him not burglar.

But the thing was, the stairs was placed in between the kitchen and the living room. There's a small hall separating these two rooms together which ended at a toilet. Seulgi knowing no one would be in the house, didn't care to peek into the living room where Taeyong was earlier looking at the photos on the wall before moving to the shelf.

"I thought you were sleeping," he said after a while. "Your brother said on Saturdays you will be sleeping until noon."

Seulgi gasped and accidentally pressed the cotton soaked with iodine liquid. Taeyong winced. "Sorry, sorry!" she quickly apologized. Taeyong then again said it was okay. 

"Is there anything about me he didn't tell you?" she asked, sounding a bit angry. She put down the cotton and looked for band aid in the first aid kit.

"Not much, he just tells me about your daily routine. That's all," he said. Seulgi glared at him which only made him laugh. "I swear, that's all." She rolled her eyes, she proceeded to put on the band aid on his temple. She was careful not to hurt him again.

"There, we're done," she said. 

"Thank you," he replied with a smile, he brushed his fingers on the band aid.

His assuring smile kind of made her feel better. She was glad he didn't get angry at her. She was honestly a bit scared because when he wasn't smiling he looked as though he was upset and angry. But when he did, she knew he wasn't mad at all.

It was from this moment, something might bloom in her heart. Something to learn to accept him, knowing he wasn't a bad person at all. It was from this moment, something new will start in their lives.