The following account happened before the seven weeks, thus, this is a bonus chapter :-)

When Noona wasn’t around, Onew-hyung would tell us stories about their childhood together. He was the raconteur, of course, because Noona didn’t like to talk about anything that happened before High School.

“She and I were destined to be friends, you know. My mother and her mother were college buddies—roommates, actually. Years after their graduation, when they had married, they discovered that their husbands were co-workers. They met again in the company’s annual Christmas party. At that time, my mother was already pregnant with me, and her mother had just been wedded. Because my parents lived in a town that was quite far from the office, they were looking for a more proximate home. As luck would have it, her parents just moved in a newly built subdivision, thus, there were still a lot of vacant houses. A few weeks later, when all the papers were signed, my parents and her parents became neighbors.”

Onew-hyung laughed. “Okay, I’ll fast forward it to when we met.”

“The very first time I saw her was when she was, of course, a baby, an infant wrapped in white sheets in the hospital. I was hardly one when she was born, so I don’t remember much, duh, but the warm feeling that enveloped me is still crystal clear. It was amazing, seeing the miracle of life face-to-face. Of course, I didn’t understand what it meant at that time, but today, I have an appreciation for it, because my best friend was born from that miracle.”

“She entered the same preschool after a year I did. We didn’t see each other due to our difference in levels, but because we were neighbors, we always went home together. A lot of memories are a blur, but I do recall the time I passed by the cafeteria to get some snacks, and saw her sitting all alone. I went up to her and asked where her friends were, and she answered, ‘I don’t like people, Hyung. I only like you.’ Naïve as we were, I didn’t comprehend, but looking back, that was when her misanthropy started. Anyway, I didn’t ask why, I didn’t ask how; I just grabbed her hand and waited outside in the waiting shed for our parents.”

“She attended an all-girls school during elementary. She told me that she begged her mother for it because she absolutely hated boys. Again, I didn’t ask why, but it probably had something to do with the fact that, in preschool, she got into a lot trouble thanks to her involvement in fights because some kids—the huge boys—thought that they could bully her. Thought, because she was already learning Taekwondo at that time, and she knew how to defend herself.”

“Anyway, I was pretty sad that we’d be apart for a lot of years. Then again, I told myself, we were neighbors, so there was nothing to be depressed about. Plus, I relished in the fact that I was the only boy she ever accepted and did not harm. Every Sunday, our families would have a barbecue at the front yard; it was alternating: sometimes we would host, sometimes they would. Thus, even if we didn’t attend the same school, we were still close. Our families were just so clingy.”

Onew-hyung gave us a nostalgic smile, as he reminisced the days of his innocence, when everything was just so simple. I envied him because one, I spent my childhood under the protection of my mother who pampered me to bits; and two, he’s known Noona for such a long time. They were just like siblings.

“We entered the Junior High department of this academy. She protested since it was co-ed, but her parents were adamant about it, determined to let their daughter’s hatred for people, especially for men, diminish. When I was in third year, and she was in her second, she was sent to the USA to study there for a year. She showed exceptional skills in English, so she, along with some others, was given the opportunity to travel there and learn. I was offered, too, during my second year, but I refused because I just loved Korea so much. Haha.”

Hyung chuckled at how much of a patriot he was.  

“Anyhow, she told me that she was hesitant about joining the program because money had always been an issue with her. We both belonged to the middle-class, bordering, truthfully, so we were innately very frugal. Her parents appealed to the school, and the institute approved of the scholarship, provided that she kept a consistent high grade while in the USA. While she was there, we chatted during the weekends. She ranted to me at how hard she was studying, and how sleepless her nights were because of the pressure. It wasn’t really an emotional breakdown, because you know how heartless she was. But it fascinated me to know how staunch she was on proving that she deserved that scholarship.”

“When she came back, I was already in High School. She hadn’t changed, really. She was still aloof, and she said that although her schoolmates were kind, it just wasn’t her to befriend them. She had acquaintances, and a few friends here and there, but it was not like the close bond that the other Koreans had developed with the Americans. I felt bad, because I honestly thought that by being exposed to people of other nationalities, she would, perhaps, be forced to open up and socialize with them. Obviously, that didn’t happen.”

“When she entered High School, well, you already know, but I still want to say it: that was when people started to notice how handsome she was. She’s always been like that, really—athletic and boyish—but her coldness and gruffness overwhelmed those. Ironically, that’s what drew girls to her. And it is quite funny, because even though she hated men, all of us, her only friends, are men. The reason why she never had girl friends was because she always suspected them of being erts out to get her. She didn’t want that; she didn’t want a relationship.”

Noona entered the rooftop just as Onew-hyung finished his story. We all looked at her with twinkling eyes, and she stared at us with narrowed, suspecting ones.

“I don’t know what Hyung told you, but forget about it, all right?” she said, crossing her arms.

I got up and hugged her, “How can we, Noona? We just love you so much, and we will love you no matter what you do!”

Besides the usual topic of Noona’s past, Onew-hyung and Jjong-hyung would often say how much Noona has improved in her relational skills. Ever since she was compelled to be involved in student affairs, she has gotten a little better at being with people, and slowly found herself enjoying the busy life of an officer.

“Even though it burned my skin, I’m thankful that the explosion happened. If it weren’t for that, the two of us would never have formed a friendship. We might not have even discovered that we both knew Onew-hyung!” Jjong-hyung laughed, flashing us his sharp canines.

“She really objected. She was downright outraged at what the principal was imposing on her, but seriously, what could she do against his orders? He was still the principal.” He combed his hair with his fingers. “I swear, that principal is really crazy, but he just really wants her to spend her high school life with friends, and not alone. I saw right through him, so, even if I treated her as my rival—which was really stupid, because, come on, we hardly knew each other, and I looked at her as if she were my life-long enemy—I dissolved that thought and wanted to reach out to her. I realized that she just really needed a friend, and I wanted to show her that us boys could be decent, too.”

Jjong-hyung grinned at us. "I don't regret anything."

Onew-hyung and Jjong-hyung knew so much about her. I grew jealous of the two because Noona could open up to them, even though it wasn’t exactly a very open divulgence; she was just so secretive. Still, they knew what went inside her head.

I, on the other hand, was always the one going up to her and confessing all of my feelings of depression, frustration, anger, happiness. It was never the other way around. Noona was such a good listener, and even when I went on and on, blabbering for hours, she would patiently listen and pat my head after.

It was never the other way around.

One day, to my delight, I discovered that I could also be someone Noona can confide in, a privilege that she granted to only Jjong-hung and Onew-hyung.

“It’s weird,” she told me as we sat on a bench in our favorite park.

Because our routes were the same, Noona and I would often walk together to and from school. Even though mother was initially against the idea of me going by foot, she eventually agreed provided that Noona be with me.

Sometimes, we’d stop by the park and get ice cream. I would get either chocolate or strawberry or banana. Noona's favorite was pistachio, but because the ice cream parlor in the park didn't have that flavor, she would get vanilla.

“I still hate people, but somehow, it’s not as bad as it used to be. Being involved, doing this and doing that—every bit of it is refreshing and revitalizing. It’s like no matter how tired I get, I just keep on moving, never stopping until the task is done. Plus, the amount of satisfaction I get for accomplishing something I never really expected to achieve, is mind-blowing. It’s amazing, Taemin.”

I wrapped my right arm around her left, and snuggled into her relaxing warmth. “Noona, Onew-hyung did say that you used to be so distant that kids in the playground would avoid you.” I giggled, remembering Onew-hyung's stories.

“I really was a loner until high school, when Jjong came and caused a storm in my life.”

I beamed. “Well then, I’m really glad that I didn’t meet that Noona, and met the nice one, instead!”

She laughed, as if what I said was a joke. “Taemin, I still don’t think people would consider me as someone who’s nice. I guess I’m just an anti-social person who just happened to have a few friends.”

“They don’t know how awesome you are, Noona!”

“Thank you, Taeminnie, but I’m comfortable only when I'm with the five of you. Anyone else, and it just won’t do.”

Four years later, I would discover that that was a lie.

The five of you became seventeen. 

Author's Note:

Hello, everyone!

Another update, hoorah! This time it's protagonist-centric. Now we know a bit about her past! Yay! 

Anyhow, thanks for reading, subscribing and commenting! 

Comments are appreciated!

Till next time~

Quick edit: I had to delete some of Onew's "memories" (lol, that sounds weird), because I realized that given the small between Onew and the protagonist, those events would have been impossible. I miscalculated and forgot that Onew's birthday in in December T.T