***

The bell rang, school finished. Everyone went to their clubs, except for Hyunra. She forgot about the club because she was too tired and planned to drink a stress-relieving drink so she went to get one.

 

“What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to join the club's activity?” A random woman from the shop asked her.

 

Hyunra narrowed her eyes. It takes a few seconds for her to register that woman's word.

 

“Club? Ah!” She said as she put her hand on the forehead. She bowed to the woman and said, “Thank you for reminding me,”

 

She ran in a rush, afraid that the coach will give her a punisment or something else. As she ran, she thought of an excuse. She could just say that she wasn't feeling well, it wasn't a lie anyway.

 

Hyunra took a deep breath when she stopped in front of the sports hall. She walked in normally because she was tired. She felt like if she ran again she would faint anytime soon.

 

This, it happened again. Two eyes was on her, looking at her with such a gaze. Even if she never experienced it before, she knew it from the way Miyeol looked at her crush—Ricky—everyday. She knew that that boy had a crush on her.

 

It was not like she felt uncomfortable, but she just didn't want to be disappointed if that boy actually didn't like her so she quickly went to the voleyball's section. When she got there, no one was actually there.

 

She blinked a few times trying to understand the situation. In her mind, the coach was supposed to be there ready to get angry at her and her friends would just look at her awkwardly. Then, she felt her cellphone was ringing. She picked it up after looking at the caller ID.

 

“Miyeol?”

 

“Hyunra, you don't have any activity, right?” She asked.

 

“How am I supposed to know that?”

 

“A sunbae said that to me. I thought you knew it already. Anyway, can you come here? My activity has just ended now because we were only given a recipe and told to try it at home,”

 

“You're a few minutes late. You know what? I wasted my energy to run from the canteen to the sports hall, I noticed no one was on the voleyball's section, and you called me,”

 

“Oh, ok, but I didn't ask it. Come here now,” Miyeol said as if she had the right to demand Hyunra everytime.

 

“Ok. I'm hanging it up. Bye,” Hyunra ended the call as soon as she finished with her sentence.

 

She walked out from the hall. But before she stepped outside, someone called her name.

 

“Nam Hyunra-ssi,” a voice called. It was a boy's voice.

 

Hyunra turned around. She checked if there was another person named 'Hyunra' there. It turned out that the boy really called her. And the boy was the one who had his eyes glued on her all this time.

 

“Ah, yes, sunbae?” Hyunra quickly responded. She did know that he was her senior, but she knew nothing other than it.

 

“Um, so,” the boy paused. “Why there's no activity for voleball's club?”

 

Hyunra noticed that he bit his lip and play with his own hand. He looked obiviously nervous, so did her.

 

“I don't know, my friend told me about this just now,” she explained, trying to look normal.

 

The boy nodded. He looked better and not so nervous, but still. Then, he looked at her pale face. He noticed it.

 

“Wait,” he said.

 

Hyunra stayed at the place. She did it even before he told her to because it was just too awkward.

 

“Here,” he handed somekind of isotonic drink. “I think you're tired, are you okay? Just drink this, it will make you better,”

 

She took it nervously.

 

“Thanks, sunbae,” Hyunra smiled and bowed.

 

“You're welcome. By the way, I'm Lee Byunghun or L.Joe. Call me with my name, without 'sunbae'. You don't have to introduce yourself, I know your name already,”

 

***

 

L.Joe was just playing by himself. He was on his ten minutes break time from his soccer practice. He looked at the voleyball's section. It was empty. His heart felt empty too.

 

Suddenly he heard fast steps entered the hall. It was her. It was Hyunra. She came in. Why did she even came? No one knew. She reached the voleyball's place and her face turned blank. In a short time, she got a call and picked it up.

 

After her call ended, she walked outside. L.Joe thought something crazy but still made sense. He wanted to talk to her, once. He was tired to just looking from a distance.

 

She was near from the hall's door. L.Joe's mouth did something out of his mind. It opened.

 

“Nam Hyunra-ssi,” he unconsciously called.

 

Hyunra stopped, so did L.Joe's breathe. His heart skipped a beat. His hand sweat.

 

It looked like she was stunned to see a boy with soccer clothes with wavy hair in front of her. Her mind was not there—just like L.Joe's—until she remembered that she had not answered him yet.

 

“Ah, yes, sunbae?” She responded after a few seconds.

 

L.Joe successfully brought them into a short conversation. In the middle of it, he noticed her pale face. She looked tired. Luckily, L.Joe brought another drink that maybe would be useful for a person who was in a tired condition so he gave it to her.

 

“Thanks, sunbae,” Hyunra smiled and bowed sweetly, in L.Joe's eyes.

 

“You're welcome. By the way, I'm Lee Byunghun or L.Joe. Call me with my name, without 'sunbae'. You don't have to introduce yourself, I know your name already,”

 

“Ah, haha, okay then. I have to go now, um, Byunghun,” she waved a little and ran.

 

***

“What took you so long?” Miyeol asked Hyunra when she arrived.

 

“I met a sunbae earlier. He asked me about the club,” she explained.

 

“Who?” Miyeol asked cutely.

 

Hyunra made an 'ew' face to her cute action.

 

“You don't have to act cute. I will answer you even if you ask in a disgusting way,”

 

“Okay, just answer,” she ignored Hyunra as always.

 

Hyunra stayed silent. She snatched Miyeol's hands and pulled her to sit on the nearest chair. Hyunra sat beside her.

 

“I will talk seriously,” Hyunra said as she checked around if there was a person listening to there conversation. As if there was any. “Don't you think there's someone who actually likes me? I'm not being cocky but I'm sure there is,”

 

“I thought about this before, I swear. I was going to tell you but, yeah you know. Is it the sunbae you talked with earlier?” Miyeol guessed.

 

Hyunra nodded.

 

“You know who he is, right?” She made sure. Miyeol nodded so Hyunra said, “let's say his name together,”

 

“L.Joe,”

 

“Byunghun,”

 

They said in a same time. Both of them narrowed their eyes, but then they realized it was the same person.

 

“Why did you say 'Byunghun' when his nickname is 'L.Joe'?” Miyeol asked.

 

“'Why'? Isn't 'Byunghun' his name too?”

 

Miyeol rolled her eyes.

 

“You are so last year. Lee Byunghun is his formal name. He only uses it for filling a regristration form,” Miyeol explained.

 

“Is he that popular?” Hyunra carefully asked.

 

“Not really, but I thought everyone in this school knew his name,”

 

Hyunra never knew about this fact. Even she knew his name just when he introduced himself to her. Isn't it weird for him to introduce himself in fron't of me when everyone knows him? She tought.

 

“Okay, just forget about it. Let's go straight to the point,” Hyunra said.

 

“Wait,” Miyeol stopped her and added, “there must be something if he introduced himself with his formal name,”

 

“That's what we were talking about,”

 

“Oh, hehe. Shall we continue?” She grinned with a silly face. Hyunra couldn't do nothing but nod. “So, I saw him looking at you when you were playing voleyball,”

 

“He still did that until I got out of the hall,” Hyunra added.

 

“The conclusion is... he likes you! Now it's my time to tell what just happened,” she impatiently said.

 

“Up to you. This is my first time to tell my story but then you interrupted it just to continue yours when I have been listening to them since last year,”

 

Miyeol grinned at Hyunra who just rolled her eyes on her action.

 

“So it was like this, I was at the canteen and sat alone. Suddenly he approached me and we had a conversation, again!” Miyeol said happily.

 

“Really?”

 

Whatever Miyeol answered, Hyunra didn't pay attention to her because she saw two boys walking to their direction. They were Ricky and L.Joe. She stared both of them and then she looked at Miyeol. It seemed that she didn't notice it yet.

 

She continued talking without Hyunra listening until Ricky tapped her shoulder. Miyeol almost jumped from it.

 

“Ah, sorry. Did I scare you?” Ricky apologized.

 

Miyeol just blinked her eyes a few times. Ricky waved his hands in front of Miyeol's eyes until she responded.

 

“Yes, I mean no,” she answered stuttered.

 

Hyunra chuckled at how nervous Miyeol was. Miyeol punched Hyunra's shoulder lightly.

 

“Do you want to go out somewhere with me the day after tomorrow?” Ricky asked without hesitation and straight to the point why he was there.

 

Miyeol stunned with open and stared Hyunra for a few times. Hyunra put her teasing face on. Miyeol couldn't help but smile. She lost her words.

 

“It's okay if you want to go with Hyunra, right, L.Joe?” He teased L.Joe and elbowed him as he raised his eyebrows.

 

“O-okay, sunbae,” Miyeol agreed.

 

“What did I told you? Don't call me with 'sunbae'! Just 'Ricky' is enough for me,” he reminded.

 

Miyeol chuckled shyly and followed by Hyunra's laugh. Once again, she hit Hyunra. Suddenly, Ricky snatched Miyeol's wrist and took her somewhere.

 

“I'm borrowing her. Stay with Hyunra, okay,” he said to both of the people who are left there.

 

After being dragged away until L.Joe and Hyunra couldn't see them, they stopped. Ricky stared Miyeol .

 

“You know it, right?” He grinned.

 

“W-what?”

 

“That L.Joe likes her—Hyunra—since almost a year ago,” Ricky stated.

 

Miyeol nodded.

 

“That's why you said Hyunra can go with me?” Miyeol made sure.

 

Unexpected situation, Ricky shook his head and smiled.

 

“Actually, if I could, I would say you can't go with any of your friends. But since L.Joe is my best friend, so I helped him,” he hinted his feeling.

 

Miyeol couldn't help but smile again. Her face turned hot. She was sure she was so red because of this. She immediately put her hands on her face to hide it.

 

“Don't hide it!” He laughed and tried to remove Miyeol's hands from her face.

 

“Ah, I don't want to,” she refused.

 

They were acting as if they were couples. Everyone who passed by would misunderstand that they were dating.

 

***