“I'm going to need you to take care of her for a while, okay? Can you do that for me?”

“Sure, but until when?”

This particular Tuesday morning in August marked the first day of school at TDF High. Luhan took notice to unfamiliar faces (he assumed they were incoming freshmen) as he walked to the main building, where most uniformed students crowd around to find the classes they’ve been assigned to. The male adjusted his bronze-colored side bag, holding onto the strap as he tip-toed to find his family name written in bold in the 11^th graders’ section.

He felt someone nudge his side, “You have the same first period as Jongin, 7-1.” Sehun said unenthusiastically, then immediately hepped up. “Remember how the counseling office asked sophomores what activities we wanted to do when we were juniors? They decided on our request and we’re going camping next semester.”

Luhan loves anything and all things that have to do with outdoor activities. To him, it was an aberration of escaping stress and pressure. Aside from the positive things going on in his life, he thought it was getting more troublesome, and it was. The tension of responsibility builds up as one matures. If good grades no longer satisfy his parents, what will? What advanced matter can he accomplish to gratify them? The moment he reaches the top the only course is to drop. He’s walking, but he doesn’t know where he’s going. He’s alive, but he’s not really living.

He needed something more than nature to push him forward.

By the time students were dismissed to exit the campus, Luhan headed towards the nearest café, a twenty minute walk from school. The stroll was fairly short, considering the fact that he would visit the hangout at least once a week. It was a custom for Sehun, Jongin, and him to meet up exactly six times a month (that was decided by Jongin). He didn’t mind, of course. Jongin has been his friend since the beginning of high school and the elapsed time with Sehun starts back in middle school. They were Luhan’s two best friends that he puts first before others and himself.

But honestly, even the two most important people in his life can’t motivate him.

As Luhan steps into the venue, without hesitation, he spots well-known faces sitting at their usual spot in the farthest corner away from the entrance. “You guys are here early,” he says, walking up to them. The café wasn’t as crowded as he expected it to be.

“We both have study hall last period so we just… left.” Jongin smirked when Luhan threw a menacing glare at him after sitting down next to Sehun. “Hey, this isn’t the first time I’ve skipped the last thirty minutes of school.”

Luhan rolled his eyes and set his bag on the table, strap still on his shoulder. “Soccer practice got canceled for this whole week,” he says, sighing after.

Luhan dreamed to be a professional soccer player. He wondered, what was better than playing in a stadium for your country? To others, this didn’t seem like a big deal, but to Luhan, it was something that took him away from reality–something that made him forget all his worries. Sehun once had the audacity to comment he was being too abstract about his future. That argument lasted a little over an hour.

Eventually, after witnessing Luhan play at his first game for their middle school, he learned that soccer was not just Luhan’s dream, but also his passion. He recalled when soccer was taking too much of Luhan’s time to the point where he couldn’t  complete his homework because he’d be too exhausted when he came home. He remembered Luhan’s dejected face when he said: I’m not allowed to play soccer until I get my grades up. He noticed how the struggle to balance schoolwork and soccer genuinely affected Luhan’s attitude. The least he can do is support his friend emotionally.

Jongin looked at Sehun across him, and then the male next to him, “Maybe a taro bubble tea will cheer you up?” He half smiled and left the table.

Sehun’s eyes followed Jongin to the cash registers, yawning as he turns back to Luhan. “Do you know why they cancelled it?”

“Coach said all the fields are going to be taken for tryouts,” he pauses for a moment, “but I don’t understand why we can’t just practice at a park or something.”

Sehun realized Jongin came back when the chair across him made a sound. “Taro boba for you and a chocolate boba for you,” Jongin slid the drinks to the appropriate person then hauled his backpack onto his lap, pulling out a bottle, “and water for me.”

“Alright I have something to tell you guys,” Sehun announced, “I’m joining the school’s swimming team.”

Small chuckles from the two turned into intense laughing, “Our school has a swimming team? Do you even know how to swim?” Luhan asked.

“Sehun, you’re the type to drown in a pool half your height.” Jongin pointed out, catching his breath, “When are tryouts? I need to see this.”

“First, both of you are horrible people. Yes, our school has a swimming team and yes, I do know how to swim. I actually learned last summer. Tryouts are tomorrow after school.” Sehun answered.

“You at every sport you play. Do us all a favor and don’t humiliate yourself.” Sehun reached over the table and grabbed Jongin’s water bottle, hitting him in the head right after. “Hurt me all you want, you still won’t improve in sports.”

“Didn’t you want to be a poet before?” Luhan asked before taking another sip of his drink.

“Yeah! Even my drawings were better than his poems!” Jongin laughed again and earned another smack in the head.

“I hate you both.”

The next day at lunch, Luhan thought his day was getting a bit better. A member from his soccer, Kim Minseok, told him they’re going up against Inchang High School in a couple weeks and asked if he wanted to practice this week. Surely, Luhan accepted his request. (More than 24 hours of no soccer makes Luhan uneasy.)

When Luhan reached the indoor cafeteria he only saw Sehun at their table, “Where’s Jongin?” Sehun jutted his chin, signaling behind him. Luhan turned around and saw Jongin bidding farewell to a female.

Jongin’s hand found its way to Luhan’s shoulder, but Luhan didn’t notice. His attention was glued onto the female who sat with a table full of the opposite gender. He watched how the male with straight dark brown hair that just about covered his eyebrows pass her a food container. He recognized him as Byun Baekhyun. He never had any classes with him, he just knew him.

“What’s for lunch?” Luhan heard Jongin ask and snapped out of his daze.

“Doesn’t matter, you’d still eat it.” Sehun said with a mouth full of his lunch.

“Who was that?” Luhan asked.

“The girl?” Luhan nodded, “That’s Lee Sumin. We’re in the same art class.” Jongin grinned.

“Lee Sumin.” Luhan repeated. He turned his head and stared at the girl once more.

Little did he know, someone was staring at him with the same growing feeling.

When Minseok and Luhan met at the park nearby they didn’t bother wearing their soccer uniforms. They both wore plain shirts and dark shorts. Minseok’s original position on the team was a goalkeeper but later switched to being the second best offensive midfielder, first being Luhan.

“Do you have a ‘Lee Sumin’ in any of your classes?” Luhan asked, kicking the ball towards Minseok.

“Lee… Sumin?” He paused and backed up to send the ball flying in the air, “Maybe. I’ll check tomorrow,” he mused. “Why?” Luhan shrugged.

For the next two hours, they played one-on-one games until Minseok received a call that rushed him home, leaving Luhan to take the bus back to his house.

“Stop moving. And smile.”

Lee Sumin has been an artist since birth. Baekhyun wanted a self portrait of himself so he could post it in his room along with many other portraits on his wall. He sat on a chair he had taken from the dining room and set it a foot across Sumin’s leather office chair.

When people first look at Sumin and Baekhyun, they think they’re a couple. A cute couple. Sumin finds it embarrassing when she has to say, We’re not dating, we’re cousins. Sometimes, Baekhyun would play along and wrap his arm around Sumin’s waist, pulling her closer replying, Thank you, with his winning smile. Not having parents of her own to provide a roof over her head, Sumin lives with Baekhyun and his parents. She doesn’t remember much of her childhood, but she knows one thing for sure. Her biological parents had deserted her. Although she doesn’t know exactly when or why her ‘mother’ did what she did, she was uncertain if she wanted to hear the truth. Sumin believes she’s doing absolutely fine without her parents and she’d rather stay with Baekhyun’s family than meet up with them. She didn’t know if they were still alive or not. She couldn’t remember their names.

Talking about her real parents always caused Sumin to completely break down and cry. She couldn’t stop it, either. They don’t deserve her tears. They don’t deserve her. They didn’t want her, anyway. What if she had been an accident? What if it wasn’t her parents’ fault, but Baekhyun’s parents’ fault? What if she was kidnapped when she was younger and lived her whole life as a lie? Unnecessary and incomprehensible what if’s clouded her mind when she thought about her parents.

Baekhyun leaned forward, trying to peek at Sumin’s sketchbook, “Are you almost done yet? I’ve been sitting here for an hour,” he whined.

Sumin stared at him with disbelief, “It’s only been twenty-five minutes.” She explained, setting the book on the desk beside her. “But since you can’t take it anymore, we’ll stop here.”

“Thank you.” Baekhyun said through a groan and dragged his chair back to its original area. He was on his way to the bathroom to take a shower when he saw Sumin on the reclined couch, remote in hand, tuning on the TV. “Oh, by the way, I’m entering the talent show at the mall near our school. You’ll be there to cheer for me, right?”

She glanced at Baekhyun, “Of course.”

Sumin was the artist, and Baekhyun was the singer that also played piano. He had won countless medals and trophies from singing contests and piano recitals. He was also offered to be signed by many record labels, but all of them were denied. A performing artist wasn’t what Baekhyun wanted to be, although it was always a second career choice if being a doctor didn’t work out.

Sumin heard the shower running and Baekhyun’s singing followed shortly after.

I hope this chapter contains enough words and information to get this story started heh. Questions and feedback are always welcomed! Please do not hesitate to ask! I sound like Tom Nook from Animal Crossing... If you don’t know who Tom Nook is, the following pictures are for you and only you.