RAVI'S POV:

Flashback ~
Jamsil-dong Pine Hill Small Library, 2010.

I watched her drown deeper in her books, as she flipped every page with a certain range of unspoken rage. Completely ignoring my presence as if I was invisible. She sat right in front of me in an eerie silence, without even throwing me an accidental glance. And honestly, it was making me anxious. Though I was well acquainted with her adamancy, her anger was a wholly different story.

It was something I will never get used to no matter how many times I face it. And sincerely, I don't think I will ever want to get used to it because it's stressful and severely terrifying. Knowing that she was not the one to back off anytime soon, not especially with that halo of extreme wrath burning bright above her head. I moved a little forward to make the first attempt.

"Yah... Choi Mira! It's been one whole damned hour! Till when are you going to do this?" I whispered as softly as possible because I didn't want to disturb the peace inside that quiet library. But she didn't even spare me a sight.

"YAH! CHOI MIRA!" My hollow voice came out hoarser than I expected and it almost sounded like a low roar. A few students who were seated near us threw me wary glares as I instantly held up my hands in defense.

"Mira-yah... don't be like this! Jebal..." I tried to reach out to touch her hands but right then, her head whipped up as she casted a deadly glare at me. And I immediately withdrew my hands as the intensity of her sight chained me up to my seat.

Okay, she is not angry. She is apoplectic.

Without saying a single word, she began to pile up her books and pack her belongings as I sat there, staring at the table in complete silence. After what felt like forever, I finally dared to glance at her face and she was already staring down at me. One of her eyebrows was arched inquiringly, as I grasped onto her unspoken question right away. I began to fumble from my seat and gather my stuffs in hurry as I caused obvious noise pollution. While attempting to avoid the annoyed glares of the others in that library, my eyes accidentally met hers. Right away, I captured the glimpse of amusement that gleamed on her face momentarily.

Although it was only for a very brief moment, I was still glad that I caught it before she switched it back to her previous predatory glares. Without waiting for me, she began to walk out from the library. And in no time, I found myself running after her like an ownerless pet. Once we were out of the small building, I could only walk at a cautious distance behind her, in another scary silence. Soon, we reached the nearest bus stop and to my utter demise, it was empty. I didn't know why but I was getting unnerving chills in my bones. Suddenly, I was recalling my dad's words of wisdom.

"Girls can be as cute as a kitten. But they can be as fierce as a panther too. Just make sure not to mess with the button that controls the switch, son."

Right now, Choi Mira was a panther. A petrifyingly predatory panther. I rolled my shoulders and simply wandered around her like a stranded prey, not daring to sit next to the scary predator. And when I stole a sideways glance at her, she was already gazing straight through me over an invisible whip. And that effortlessly made me to submit.

Cautiously, I took a quiet seat at an advisable distance from her as the edge of her lips crooked a little, slipping out an evident smirk. The last time I felt this much intimidated by a female was when I accidentally broke my mother's most favorite vase. And I feared that I'd broken something far worse than a vase this time, considering the prolonged presence of the iron curtain between us.

"Have you talked to your parents about this?" She spoke after what felt like an eternity and I exhaled a secret sigh of relief.

"Emm... I did..." My voice was low, but why? Honestly, I don't know either.

"What did they say?" She sounded less hostile than she seemed to be. So, I chose to take my chance and moved closer by an inch. Exactly, one single inch.

"They were not okay at all... what can I expect, right? But, they said they'll leave it to me since I'm pretty serious about debuting. So..."

"So, it's just me then, I guess." She let out a dry laugh without any trace of humor in her face. And the sight stung me.

"Aniya..." I tried to touch her but she moved away.

"Ani. I get it. I totally get it, Won-ah. I don't get a say in this because it is not my place to make the call. And looking at how even your parents don't seem to have any problem with it either, then I think I shouldn't too." Like an idiot, I freeze at the sound of disappointment in her voice. She was both hurt and hostile. A dangerous combination in every way.

Tearing away the curtain of cuprum that was cutting us apart, I braced myself and reached before her. Her head was hung low while she fidgeted with the keychain on her bag that I had gifted. The next moment, I was on my knees as I slowly grasped her wrists. Suddenly, I felt stupid for making such significant decision without coherent considerations. I should have talked with my parents or at least consulted her before deciding. It is something regarding my future after all. Our future.

"Mian-hae, Mira-yah. I should have talked about this with you instead of informing..." I was slowly starting to understand her concern for my tentative future. She was thinking like the considerate and clairvoyant girl she had always been, while I was simply being an unmindful boy driven by my immature instincts alone.

"Talk to me, please..." I tugged onto her wrist as she glanced at me through her glossy eyes. She was at the brink of tears. Anger always did that to her. "Do you think I should take the entrance exam, Mira-yah?" I tried asking about the obvious issue of discussion. Slowly, she began nodding.

"I know that you don't have any plans to further your studies now but if you take the entrance exam, it'll always be an alternative for you to enter higher education institutes. And maybe, in future, if you plan on making music instead of performing alone, this could be a huge milestone for that. You'll be much more qualified from an educational perspective in musical field instead of singing experience alone. I just don't want you to lack in anything, Won-ah... I want you to be the best. In anything you do..." Her tender voice trailed off as she spoke her mind in hesitance.

And her words enlightened a whole new world of wishful insights in my head. Until earlier, I hadn't seen past debuting and performing on music shows in my aspired career as an idol. But now that I've heard her, a sudden desire to produce music instead of performing alone, blossomed in my heart. I realized how she had once again gifted me with an incredible hint of hope for future and the extents of her forethought stunned me.

"You know what? I think I'll take the entrance exam. Who knows I might become a producer in the future and the knowledge from college might actually help." Her eyes instantly lit up in excitement.

"Jeongmal? But, I thought that you've already decided..." I shook my head, in a convincing manner.

"That was before I heard you, Choi Mira-shi. Now that you've told me, I'm going to do as you've said." I presented a modest and obedient smile as the excitement in her eyes was overtook by mischief at an instant.

"So you will take the CSAT because I said so, Kim Wonshik-shi?" She arched a possessive eyebrow with a domineering smirk dancing on her lips.

"Well, I would do anything if you'd say so, Choi Mira-shi." I replied humbly, earning one of her contented giggles. She reached out and petted my head ardently.

"Aigoo... That's right. Good boy..." She giggled. Chaining me up again, but this time to the serenity of that sound. And strangely, I found myself wanting to stay like that, if only she would continue.

"But then Mira-yah... what made you think that I won't stop at just performing?" I asked my obvious doubt but she simply shrugged.

"Well... I know you, Won-ah. And I know how greedy you can be with the things you love." She stated casually and I swore, she could never be more accurate.

★★★

I smiled to myself profoundly, as I waited at the same bus stop. And as expected, it was empty again. Just like the space next to me, which she used to occupy once. Suddenly, I was alert. Why would she need to go to the library in the middle of semester break? And what's the need to bring Jiwon and Sorim along? Yes, she's been hanging out with them in my house but a sudden day out was suspicious. A number of relevant reasons revolved in my head as I filtered for the correct answer with caution.

Maybe she really had something to do there.
Maybe she knew Jiwon would drag me alone.
Or maybe, she wanted to remind me of something.

Just when I was about to ponder over those dubious possibilities, I heard the faint sound of a few familiar voices from afar. I immediately squared my shoulders, to appear as unpretentious as one could. However, the ghost of that smug smirk that graced her face, clearly proved the failure of my attempt. Which also doubtlessly validated, how she was indeed working on the last possibility that I deduced earlier. Jiwon instantly rushed to my side as soon as she spotted me and having my little sister right there, only worsened my washed up state. Suddenly, I was worried.

What if Mira told Jiwon about us? They were pretty closer than I thought after all.

"Sorry we took long, oppa!" She clung on to my arm like the lovely sibling she was.

"It wasn't even shopping. Why did you girls take so long?" I ruffled my baby sister's bangs with care as I caught Mira looking everywhere but us.

"We're girls, Wonshik. Get over it!" Sorim exclaimed dryly like she always did as she reminded me of her equally bossy mother. As childhood friends, Sorim was just like Jiwon to me. Which means, it would be equally consequential if Mira tells her too. Maybe even worse.

"Eonnie! Oppa! Please don't start arguing. We need to eat before going to the playground and the canola field."

Jiwon stepped between Sorim and I, as she cooed eagerly. But the places of her mention shocked the hell out of me as my eyes immediately darted towards Mira. She was simply gazing at Jiwon's excited figure with a quite pleasant smile, and it somehow eased my tension. I didn't know if I should feel happy or hesitant about her affection for my sister, when in truth, I've always wanted this to happen. I was caught off guard when she glanced at me while I was lost in my old imaginations about Mira and Jiwon mingling happily. On cue, Jiwon linked arms with Mira and Sorim as they walked ahead, rescuing me unknowingly.

I followed the girls while quietly observing their animated and affectionate conversations from behind, clearly not noticing their place of choice for lunch. And when I did, my anxiousness only flared up a few more heights. Mira threw me an obvious glance of conceit as we entered the familiar restaurant where I used to take her, back then. Making me to wonder what game she was planning to play. And as the only person who knew the master prankster in her well, it was honestly unsettling. Once inside, she excused herself to go to the restroom while the rest of us got ourselves a seat inside one of the empty private cubicles.

"Oppa, I think you should stay here. Sorim eonnie and I will get our food. What would you like?"

"Cold vanilla latte please and I'm good with anything to eat, Jiwon-ah." I answered her as my eyes wandered in the direction of the restrooms.

"Arasseo. Then, I'll get the new KKanpung Saeu (sweet and spicy shrimp) on the menu for all three of us. Ji Ah eonnnie loves spicy food so much." Jiwon's exclamation alarmed me at once and I responded before my brain to mouth filter could process the words.

"Aniya! She can't eat shellfish, just get her a Kkanpunggi (spicy garlic fried chicken) with some tteokbokki (spicy rice cakes). And an iced green tea cappuccino too." I carelessly threw my words without thinking as I casted one more glance at the restrooms. When I turned around, I was welcomed by the suspicious stares of both Jiwon and Sorim. I mentally slapped myself for the slip, hoping they would let it pass but no. Not at all.

"Kim Wonshik, how do you know all these?" Sorim was visibly tapping her foot, as she folded her arms intrusively. I began to shuffle through the scattered pages of my now dysfunctional brain to come up with a credible answer but failed miserably.

"I was her roommate and even I don't know about it." Jiwon was getting wary as well. Suddenly, I was wishing N hyung was there, to save me from the conversational error that I carelessly caused. Right then, a bright bulb was ignited in my brain. That's right. N HYUNG.

"N hyung told us about it while we were on the Southeast Asia fan meeting tours because he can't eat shellfish like Gia too." I spewed all the words in one breath and involuntarily held onto the next, waiting for their response. In my whole damned career as a rapper, I'd never felt more satisfied with my talents than I did right then. And to my utter relief, Jiwon began nodding in approval but Sorim only narrowed her brows more.

"What about the iced green tea cappuccino? Did your Leo hyung tell you that?" Her emphasize over my other member's name, which I was precisely going to use next, caught me off guard again.

Okay, I'm screwed. With no other escapes left, I opened my mouth to admit defenselessly but I was crosscut.

"Because that's what I mostly ordered whenever I ate with his group and crew members. Not to mention, how I was continuously teased by Hyuk for having weird taste buds." Mira walked over to our cubicle a little too casually for my comfort. Though her presence was gnawing the living hell out of me, I still felt relieved as her statement was sold out to Jiwon and Sorim without a single suspicion. After which, both the girls left the spot to order our food. Leaving me alone, with her.

I took a hesitant seat across the table while she immersed herself in her mp3 player. The one that I returned to her not long ago. She was humming to herself, clearly ignoring me as it reminded another unforgettable piece of memory from the past. My mind repeatedly wandered back to my earlier assumptions about her hidde