“You... You kissed me!” Confusion and surprise flashed across his face. He touched his lips for a moment. He shook his head. “Slap me, kick me, punch me, do whatever you want...” He stared at me. “Park Jae Hee... am I dreaming?”

“Umm...” I chewed on my bottom lip. My face burned with embarrassment. You swore not to kiss him. Why did you kiss him?! I knocked myself on the head.

“Yah! I didn't ask you to hit yourself!”

“I choose to...” I looked up at him, then to the houses behind him. I spotted Bom's house. “... RUN!” Within seconds, I pushed past Kris and ran towards Bom's house as quickly as I could.

“W-what...?” Kris still looked baffled from the kiss. By the time he realized what had happened, I was already inside the house. “YAH, PARK JAE HEE! COME BACK HERE!”

I tried to catch my breath as I slumped down against the door. I placed a hand against my chest and breathed heavily. I wasn't sure if my heart was racing because of the running or because I kissed Kris and liked it.

Does that mean I like Kris? My eyes widened at the thought. “NO!” I shrieked and tousled my hair with my fingers. No, you promised Yeollie you wouldn't fall for Kris Wu. You swore that you were never going to kiss him back. I calmed myself down and swallowed the tiny lump of guilt in my throat. “Park Jae Hee, what have you gotten yourself into?”

*****

“Xiumin... What does it mean when a girl kisses you even though she hates you?”

Xiumin let out a tired laugh. He laid on his side on the couch. “Duizhang, that's stupid. Why would a girl kiss you if they hate you?” He yawned and hugged a cushion to his chest. “It's obvious that girls only kiss you if they like you.”

Kris was deep in thought. He narrowed his eyes at nothing in particular. “Maybe she kissed me to get revenge on me... for forcing all those kisses on her...”

Xiumin rolled his eyes and sat up. “What kind of girl sacrifices her own lips for revenge? Why are you even fretting over a simple kiss?”

“Xiumin gege is right...” Tao rolled over onto his stomach and looked at Kris with a tired gaze. “You got kissed plenty of times by plenty of girls, gege. One simple kiss shouldn't matter that much.”

“...Right,” Kris mumbled and continued to look deep in thought. His fingers gently touched his lips. The memory of Jae Hee's soft lips lingered there. He never noticed how her lips felt soft and gentle against his until today. Kris sighed.

“Hyung, you're just acting plain stupid right now,” Xiumin mumbled in a drowsy voice before rubbing his eyes with the back of his hand.

Kris immediately looked up and glared at Xiumin. “Did you just call me stupid?”

“NO!” Xiumin shot up from the couch and dropped the cushion. “I DIDN'T! I WOULD NEVER DARE CALL DIUZHANG STUPID! OKAY, GOING TO SLEEP RIGHT NOW!” He ran up the stairs and locked himself in his room.

Tao groaned. He threw a cushion at Xiumin's direction and missed. “Why are you shouting in the middle of the night?” Tao pouted and got up from the couch unwillingly. He slowly trudged towards the stairs. “I'm going to sleep, gege. Don't stay up too late.” He yawned and made his way up the stairs.

Kris looked at Tao and nodded.

I want more of your kisses, Jae Hee. Kris thought as he bit his thumb nail.

*****

It was near the end of the school day. I had cleverly avoided Kris Wu throughout the entire day. Where he went, I didn't go. If he looked my way, I would cover my face or look away. If he tried talking to me, I would ignore him and talk to someone else. If I hadn't avoided him the entire day, I might have died from a heart attack or passed out with a nose bleed. That was how Kris Wu affected me: racing heartbeats and flaming, red cheeks.

I sighed as I walked towards the direction of my locker. I was more than ready to go home, spend the rest of the day convincing myself that I did not love for Kris (and that the kiss was all a big mistake), and then snuggle in my bed until the next morning. I nodded to myself and continued walking with a slouch.

Then, I spotted him.

My face brightened up. “CHANYEOL!” I shouted his name as I ran towards him. People moved aside in the tiny hallway. I ran a short distance before I jumped onto his back and wrapped my arms around his shoulders. “Yah! Stop ignoring me!”

Chanyeol furrowed his brows and frowned. “I wasn't ignoring you, Jae Hee-ah!” He groaned and slouched a little, “Did you get heavier?”

I narrowed my eyes at him and hit him on the shoulder. “I haven't talked to you in so long, and that's how you greet me?” I hopped off his back and straightened my uniform.

“Actually, you were the one that was too busy to call or text me back.” Chanyeol squinted his eyes at me and poked my forehead with his index finger.

I felt the guilt build up in my chest. I muttered a simple “Mianhae”. I frowned and pressed my palms together, bowing my head slightly. I looked up at him with a slight pout. “I'll treat you to whatever you want to eat to make up for it!”

Chanyeol crossed his arms over his chest and pointed to something behind me. “Are you sure you'll have time?”

“What do you mean?” I raised my brows. I turned around to see what he was looking at. I gulped. Kris Wu was walking towards me. My cheeks began to heat up again, and my heart raced. “I-I'm sure. The bell's going to ring soon... Let's go... Quickly.” I wrapped my arm around Chanyeol's, and dragged him towards the school's exit.

The bell rang to signal the end of school. Kris cursed under his breath as the students came out from their classrooms and flooded the hallway. He glanced around the crowded hallway. Crap, I lost her. Sighing, he slung his backpack over his shoulder and squeezed his way through the crowd.

*****

“Is there something that you're not telling me?” Chanyeol gave me a suspicious look as he poked into his dukbokki with a chopstick. He scrunched up his nose slightly as he examined the rice cake carefully. I watched as he gave it a sniff before shoving it into his mouth.

I couldn't help but giggle at his weird ways. “It's just dukbokki, Yeollie. I'm sure the ahjumma didn't poison it.”

Chanyeol squinted his eyes at me and spoke with a mouth full of dukbokki. “Shhtah-op changin' duh subjeff, Jae Hee!” He swallowed and downed his dukbokki with a glass of water. He reached his chopstick out for more.

His stomach must be a bottomless pit.

“I know you well enough to be able to tell when something's bothering you!” He pointed his chopstick at me. “So you better spit it out before I force you to tell me!”

I pressed my lips together. There was no way I'm telling Chanyeol that I may be slightly in love with Kris Wu. I stared at him for a long moment. I took out a few crumpled bills from my pocket and placed it on the counter. I dragged Chanyeol to his feet. “Thanks, ahjumma! We'll come back again!” I spoke to her with a smile and pulled Chanyeol away before he could protest.

“Yah! Park Jae Hee!”

*****

“Y-you--- W-what...?” Chanyeol's expression dropped. His mouth remained open. “You're... not serious... R-right?”

I looked down at my hands and bit my lip. I nodded. My grip on the chains of the swings tightened as I rocked back and forth gently.

“Y-you... I can't believe you, Jae Hee...” He stared long and hard at the ground. His shoulders slumped. He forced a laugh. He turned to face me. “Ha, ha, ha. You are hilarious.”

“I-I'm sorry, Yeollie... I might actually do like Kris.” I pressed my lips together. I mumbled, “And I kissed him...”

“WHAT?” Chanyeol got off of his swing in an instant. He gripped my shoulders roughly. I winced. “No...” He stared at me for a long while before softening his grip. “You do know that today was the last day of the bet, right?” I nodded. “What is he going to do with you after today? He'll throw you away, Jae Hee. He'll throw you away and pretend like nothing happened. He'll stomp on your feelings.”

“That's not true! Kris would never do that!” The words fell out of my mouth. I didn't know why I was defending Kris. I didn't know why Chanyeol's words made my heart ache. Maybe it was because I knew Chanyeol could be right. What if Kris never liked me at all? What if he played with my feelings all along?

“Park Jae Hee...” Chanyeol got down on one knee in front of me. His eyes were no longer harsh and angry, but soft.

And maybe, sympathetic?

“When will you ever look my way?” He sighed and looked me in the eyes. “I like-- No, I love you. I loved you since the beginning, and I always will.” His gaze then dropped to the ground. “...I've always been there for you... and you've always been there for me. Jae Hee, you make me happy...” He looked back up at me. His eyes were moist. “And I'll make you happier than that jerk ever will...”

“Chanyeol-- I--” I got up, and he got up as well.

“I love you,” Chanyeol whispered softly and pressed his lips against mine.

...Why is my life so complicated?

author's note;

I said I would update on Wednesday, but I never did... SOBSSS. Forgive meeeee ~ :c

So in return, I give you a somewhat longer chapter (though this chapter , in my opinion)....

Once again, thanks for commenting and subscribing! c: ♥