Jieun uncomfortably played with her bracelet, asking herself if she should start talking or not. There was no change on Sehun’s facial expression. He was just casually playing with his phone.

What should I say to him? Should I ask him to keep it a secret or-

“I don’t have a loose lip. It’s none of my business in the first place,” Sehun suddenly said, lifting his head and meeting her eyes. “Your secret’s safe with me,” he finished, pushing himself up. He dusted his pants and gave her a small smile.

She did not know why but she felt better because of his words. “Thanks,” she squeaked. He just nodded as he pocketed his phone.

“Your friend must be really dense,” Sehun commented.

“W-What?”

“It’s so obvious that you like him.”

Jieun narrowed her eyes. “I-It’s obvious?” she asked, almost inaudible. Feeling the sudden warmth on her cheeks, she’s sure that they were turning red. Sehun’s presence couldn’t just be shaken off. And when a small playful grin came to his face, Jieun was sure that she wanted to disappear there and then.

“When he’s around, you can’t take your eyes off of him. Sometimes your voice goes a bit higher than normal. You try to hide your smile whenever he smiles at you. You pinch your thigh whenever you’re about to squeal and when he’s with his girlfriend, you always sigh.”

She pursed her lips into a thin line after hearing those words from Sehun. She couldn’t help but paint a bitter smile on her face. It’s funny how a stranger could observe those small things when Jongin couldn’t.

“I…I’m so pathetic…right?” she asked, voice shaking a bit. She’s embarrassed that Sehun could see that side of her. She lowered her head, not daring to meet his eyes. She’s been judged by people before, being judged by another is no big deal. Jieun’s already prepared to hear the same words from Sehun.

“No,” Sehun flatly replied. That single word rang in her head and when she met his gaze, she’s sure that sparks just flew in front of her. “You’re not pathetic – not at all.”

Everything that’s happening felt so surreal. They were just standing there, staring at each other. She couldn’t believe that his words could affect her that much. And when she felt tears rolling down her cheeks, she snapped back to reality. Wiping them away as fast as possible, Jieun tried to hide her face. You’re embarrassing yourself in front of Oh-range-y!! She started scolding herself.

Jieun cleared before coming to a decision that she should play it cool. “Promise me that you’re not going to tell anyone about this.”

Sehun slowly nodded.

There was a moment of silence and Jieun felt conscious about herself once again. What am I supposed to say in this kind of situation? This is really embarrassing. She wanted to slap her own cheeks for getting herself in that situation. I should just play it cool – like nothing happened. He said he’d keep it as a secret so I’ll just trust him. He looks sincere and trust worthy so it will not be a bad idea to trust him…right?

Her breath hitched when she caught Sehun’s eyes. The corners of his lips were curved upwards and he looked like he’s amused. It’s the first time for her to see him smiling like that. Jieun wasn’t really sure if she should also smile or not. There’s something about his smile that was making Jieun feel a bit jumpy. Why is he smiling like that? Do I look funny right now? Why is-

“Your secret’s safe with me. Is it that hard to believe?” Sehun asked, still with that small smile on his face.

“A little,” Jieun answered honestly.

“I’m not really good at convincing people to believe in me so I guess you just need to hold on to what I just said,” he remarked, shrugging a bit before coming to a pause. “By the way, what happened to you? Are you okay?” he added, obviously asking about the patch on her head.

Jieun lightly touched her head before nodding. “I’m okay. I just…got into a little accident,” she replied, smiling a bit.

Another moment of dead silence followed.

“Choi Jieun.”

“Huh?”

She was actually startled when he called her that way.

“Nothing.”

What was that about? Is he playing a joke on me right now? Why-

“Just remember…that you’re not pathetic.”

And upon hearing those words, Jieun saw fireworks.

Damn…Oh-range-y.

“Stop staring,” Jieun remarked, darting her eyes towards Chanyeol who has been staring at her for the last 5 minutes. She’s alone with the giant flower boy on their usual table inside the cafeteria because the other boys were busy with other things.

Kyungsoo and Junmyeon were called into the faculty room for some school stuff inquiries. Jongdae, Baekhyun and Minseok were having their group meeting for their respective school projects. Yixing caught a bad flu so he’s not in school. Jongin, of course, is with his girlfriend.

“Are you really okay? Your head does not really hurt?” Chanyeol asked, still staring. That was the 4th time that he asked the same question. Jieun sighed before tapping her own head.

“I’m okay. My head’s a bit harder than other people so it didn’t really hurt me a bit,” she replied, smiling, assuring Chanyeol that she’s really okay. Chanyeol gave her a lopsided smile after a while.

“You’re really something, Choi Jieun. You threw yourself to save someone. What if you really got hurt? What were you thinking?”

Chanyeol’s really concerned and she could hear that from his voice. Out of the rest of the flower boys, she could say that Chanyeol’s the kind of guy who has a warm personality. He’s a bit clumsy but he’s affectionate. You could just feel that aura when you’re with him. He’s a bright ray of sunshine when Jieun needed light.

“I wasn’t really thinking of anything when I did that. I guess I did it by instinct,” she answered. “Anyone would do that if they’re in the same situation as I was.”

“I’m not really sure about that. There are people out there who will just stare in times when others need help. There are people out there who would rather stay put than save others,” Chanyeol said softly, shaking his head. “That’s why you’re amazing. You’re not like other people.”

A smile came to her face and she nudged Chanyeol’s arm lightly. “And with that flattery, I will treat you with some sweets,” she chimed, smiling cheekily. Chanyeol laughed, nudging her arm in return. The two went on with their small ta