Third Person POV…

Daehyun stood still for a moment, staring at his feet and then the sky. A mix of relief and sadness lingered in his feeling of guilt. He combed his fingers through his hair and sighed. A single rain drop slipped down his nose bridge, he blinked and several more fell on his cheek bones. Soon enough it was pouring.

Sohee and Jongup rushed to find shelter. Suddenly stopping, the girl swung her bag in front of her.

Jongup halted and watched her for a moment. “What are you doing??” he asked as he lifted the ends of his jumper to shield the girl from the rain.

“Umbrella,” Sohee chimed as she pulled out a vibrant blue umbrella from her bag and opened it.

Without hesitation Jongup bobbed under the umbrella. He flipped his head around—it looked as if they had entered a little world tinted in blue. “Here, I’ll hold it.” He offered and shuffled around to lift the umbrella high enough for him to stand under properly.

Sohee stared up at him for a moment. She hadn’t noticed how much taller he was compared to her until then. Sure, he wasn’t as tall as Zelo but still she only came up to Jongup’s shoulder.

“Should we go find some shelter?” Jongup suggested as the rain began to fall harder.

Sohee quickly snapped out of her thoughts. Flustered, she was only capable of responding with a quick nod. She timidly walked beside Jongup. They were still behind the school so there weren’t many people around, yet Sohee felt somewhat embarrassed.

“Sohee, you should walk closer to me.” Jongup instructed as he pulled her closer. “You’ll get wet,” he explained. Sohee bit her lip to prevent herself from looking too flustered.

The rain began to fall lighter as they made their way to their last classes, not quite soon enough for Zelo not to have caught a glimpse of them from the top floor of the opposite building. He leaned against the window and pursed his lips, slipping an earphone into one ear. His eyes subconsciously flickered back outside. Jongup and Sohee were by the doorway. Jongup playfully messed with Sohee’s hair before they separated for their classes. A crease formed between Zelo’s brows and his fingers began to tense around the cell phone in his pocket.

To: Jisu

Subject: …

Can you help me out? –Zelo

Right after hitting send the bell rang and everyone wandered off to their last classes.

The rain stopped sometime during the last session. Relieved sighs were pulled as people noticed the clearing weather. The home bell rang and Zelo rushed to the gates. He glimpsed down at his phone; he had peeked at it earlier during class but felt like he had to make sure he had read it properly.

From: Jisu

Subject: …

I’ll help you as long as you don’t dare ask about what happened. Meet me at the gates after school—Jisu

The trees and buildings were dappled in dew, and small pools of water loomed in the gentle hollows of the pavement. Zelo’s feet tapped across the floor, hurried without the need to be hurried. Even with the immediate rush to the gates, a petite red headed figure was already standing there waiting.

“How’d you get here so fast?” Zelo breathed heavily on bent knees.

Jisu looked down at him and shrugged. Everyone else was still wandering in the classrooms or corridors, leaving the two of them alone by the gates.

“Let’s go before people come and make up weird rumors,” Jisu nudged and began walking, unbothered by the boy’s lack of breath.

After a good half an hour of solid speed walking they had reached the intimidatingly tall white door of the Moon residence.

“Wait,” Zelo interrupted as Jisu patted her backpack pockets for the keys. She paused and eyed him, waiting for him to continue. Zelo blinked cautiously, “isn’t Jongup hyung… uh, your brother… going to come later?”

Jisu unlocked the door and gave the knob an agile twist. “Nope, he texted saying he’s going out somewhere.” She shrugged and pushed open the door.

Jisu dropped the keys into the bowl next to the entrance, the chime of the keys resonated throughout the household. It was dead silent. The house was so quiet their footsteps echoed as the clambered up the steps into Jisu’s room.

“Are your parents never home?” Zelo asked cautiously as he took a seat on the bedroom floor.

“They usually don’t come home until late or they’re out on some business things... even if it’s a day off they practically live in their offices…” Jisu frowned and chucked an unopened packet of chips from her desk to Zelo. “So it’s pretty much like it’s only me and Jongup oppa living together.”

There was a silence as they carefully munched on chips. Zelo gave a subtle glance at every corner of the room; he hadn’t actually seen the girl’s bedroom at all during his recent stay—if you don’t count peeking at Sohee sleeping. Zelo gritted his teeth in shame as his face began to blush softly with the thought.

“So…” Zelo hummed loudly as if it could drown out his thoughts, “how did it go with Daehyun?”

“I said no questions,” Jisu growled, “that was part of our deal.” There was a pause as she took another handful of chips, “And you didn’t even do your job right! You make sure no one followed us but Kai—!!” Jisu paused and scrunched up her face. She briskly shook her head as she felt it burn in embarrassment with just the sound of his name.

Flashback… Jisu POV

“Go out with me.” Kai repeated.

I looked up at him blankly. “What?” I laughed awkwardly and averted my attention outside. The rain was beating gently down the windows, creating streaks so clear it looked as if the glass was broken. I glided a finger across the fogged glass. “I-I don’t think the rain’s going to stop, ay?” I stalled and glanced at Kai. My finger felt numb, I wasn’t sure if it was from nerves or the window. He was still staring straight at me with calm yet longing eyes, waiting for me to answer. I quickly looked back outside. “I didn’t bring an umbrella today so I should go look for Jongup op—”

“Jisu.” Kai interrupted firmly as he began to grow somewhat impatient by my wavering.

My body froze, heart beat raced and head spun. I felt weighed down by pressure and my neck seemed to creak as I forced myself to turn and face him. A million ways to get away from the topic zipped through my mind too quickly for me to get a good grasp on one. ‘Is this how Daehyun felt?’ I thought. I noticed my bottom lips had begun to fall so I pressed my lips together until they felt shriveled and unlip-like ‘...Would I hurt him if I say no?’ I gritted my teeth, ‘But I can’t say yes…’

Kai quietly waited for my answer. Our eyes dithered as silence bounded us.

“H-hey it’s your birthday soon, right?” I managed to stutter. “Next week is it?” I added regretfully.

Kai replied hesitantly and with a cut-off chuckle, “my birthday’s tomorrow.”

Awkward. I began to fiddle with the ends of my sleeves. “Uh—oh really… What do you want for your birthday?”

Kai shrugged. “A date,” he answered slyly, a cunning smile was lightly patted on his face. “Where do you want to go?”

I felt my face burn with either rage or embarrassment, or maybe both. “W-what? Don’t decide things on your own!” I muttered, “I’ll buy you something”

“I don’t want anything you can buy with money” Kai answered cheesily.

‘How can he say something like that?’ my mind cringed.

He paused and chuckled softly as the expression in my mind began to show up on my face, but when he lifted his eyes again he had a stone cold serious face on. “Jisu, I know you better than him and, even if it doesn’t seem like it right now, I can also treat you better than him.”

My face burned within a heartbeat. His eyes were locked onto mine. I couldn’t move. My heart began to drill into my chest numbingly and my head felt tipsy with pressure. I could feel my bottom lip quiver as I attempted to answer. “Kai… I—”

Kai boldly took a step forward, filling the little space we had left between us. “Just—!” he started shakily, “just say ‘yes’ for now, okay? After—After a week! If you don’t like being with me then fine I’ll go away… but I promise I’ll change your mind so…” Kai took a breath in. He lifted his eyes and took a comforting yet firm hold of my gaze, “so for now just give me a chance?”

Present time… Third Person POV

Zelo tilted his head and mindlessly continued snacking on chips.

Jisu tightened her fists, cringing in embarrassment. “N-never mind!”

“What?” Zelo blinked, missing out on the flashback.

“Shut up and listen to me!” Jisu barked.

Zelo’s eyes widened as he took a slight shuffle back, feeling that being any closer would put his life in danger.

Jisu heaved a sigh and continued. “I have a plan to get Sohee to talk to you,” she explained. “B.A.P is taking part in the dance competition, right?”

Zelo stopped eating and began intensively listening. He nodded.

“The winners for that competition are in charge of what plays on the school’s speakers for a month—”

“So?” Zelo frowned, unable to follow.

Jisu groaned. “You can’t apologize to Sohee face to face, right? So win the competition and tell her over the speakers that you’re sorry and stuff,” Jisu flung her hands to her sides as if the plan was all too obvious without her explaining.

“That’s so embarrassing though,” Zelo flinched, “can’t I just write her a letter or text or something??”

Jisu scowled in disappointment and rolled her eyes. “You really think she’d read that? It doesn’t take much effort to write a girl something! At least on the speakers she’ll have to listen—”

“Everyone else will hear too!” Zelo interrupted.

“So she’ll know you mean it!” Jisu urged as she chucked a handful of chips into the boy’s face. “Idiot! She’ll have to accept you’re not lying and that you want her back so much that you’d tell the whole school!” Jisu insisted and sharpened her words. “Yah! You asked me for my help so just do what I say!”

Zelo cringed. “It’s so cheesy!” After a few seconds of thinking it through he conceded. Zelo grumbled in defeat as he curled up in a ball and hid his face from the world.

Jisu rolled her eyes. “Just win the competition.”

He nodded, his forehead still plastered onto the ground.

There was a silence as the two’s individual minds began to drift off into deep thought. Jisu’s eyes wandered outside her window, at the swaying of damp branches and soft white beams that gently wedged themselves between the leaves.

“Hey,” Jisu started softly. “When did you decide that you wanted Sohee back?”

Zelo blinked and shuffled back into a normal sitting position, a warm look of thought on his face. “I don’t know,” he replied gently, “but,” he paused and took this moment to heave out a sigh. “I think I’ve been missing out on too much—”

“Don’t lie,” Jisu interrupted. “You don’t like seeing her with other guys, right?” she teased, grinning smugly.

Zelo’s face answered with full honesty—through gritted teeth and bright red cheeks, he was still in childish denial.

Meanwhile…

Jongup rubbed the back of his neck, stiffened by shock. “Maybe I should have gone after Jisu…” he grumbled, somewhat guilty for not acting in the moment.

Sohee looked up at him. “It’s okay, Kai went after her,” she assured him. “It’s probably best to not ask her about it either.”

The rainwater dawdled in the ground’s dimples and hung loosely on the leaves of trees and roofs of houses. The sun shone lightly against each pool and sprung a gentle spectrum of colours through the air.

Jongup sighed, “I wonder why she didn’t tell me…”

Sohee tilted her head, “tell you what?”

“That she likes Daehyun hyung.”

Sohee couldn’t help but give out a soft chuckle. Jongup furrowed his brows, staring at Sohee as if she was ill. She waved a hand. “You’re her brother and he’s your friend, of course she wouldn’t be comfortable telling you!” Sohee paused and then added, “Would you tell her if you had a crush on her friend?”

Jongup looked taken aback as if the idea had never occurred to him. Then he looked like he was taking the question into serious consideration, ‘A friend of Jisu’s…?’ He lifted his eyes and gazed softly at Sohee. “If I had a crush on you…?” he said in a small timid voice.

Sohee blinked, thinking it through she hadn’t seen Jisu conversing with other girls aside from herself. “H-hypothetically!”

Jongup’s eyes widened. He pressed his lips together and murmured something behind the back of his hand. “I-I guess I wouldn’t… tell her…” he said, glancing at Sohee. There was an uncomfortable silence welling between them.

Jongup coughed into his fist and blurted out the first thing that came to mind. “Does everyone know Jisu likes Daehyun?!”

Sohee pursed her lips and nodded vaguely. “I think people would have guessed… she made it kind of obvious…”

Jongup didn’t answer and looked to be in deep thought as his brows folded together. “I wonder if she’s ok…” Jongup sighed and gently rubbed his temples.

Sohee pursed her lips, not wishing to see Jongup so stressed she decided to change the subject. “Uh, thanks for helping me out. We need to go grocery shopping but it’s difficult for me to carry it all,” Sohee said sounding almost apologetically like she had dragged him into the situation. 'And it's not like I could've asked Jisu...' she added in her head.

Jongup nodded. “It’s okay," he insisted, returning to his usual self. "I have nothing else to do anyway. Are your parents too busy?”

Sohee shook her head lightly. “It’s only me, my brother and his friend. They’re busy at university or work so I need to do the shopping,” she explained dully as if it was a line she had rehearsed repeatedly.

There was a pause in the conversation. It wasn’t an awkward silence, just one filled with thought and anxiety. The girl’s footfall was a light tapping sound like trickling water; the boy’s, almost like a casual march, like a single beating drum, as they continued walking peacefully.

Jongup breathed in the scent of the chilled warmth of the weather, a sweeter scent wavering over his shut eyes. He opened them, alerted by the gentleness in the girl’s face as she walked silently. ‘Her hair…’ Jongup thought, gazing at Sohee with an empty mind before realizing what had caught his chain of though. ‘It’s long…’ Her hair was in long loose brown waves, floating lightly with each step. Jongup realized the first time he had seen Sohee was from the corner of his eye as she wavered by the practice room door, the day the club introductions were made. The other members were surrounding her and the new boy, but there was a gap—because of that gap, Jongup remembered missing a count while dancing and tripping over his foot at the sight of the girl’s flushed face. She had unflawed skin, big brown eyes hidden beneath overgrown bangs and her hair had been separated into two neat plaits. After a glimpse he had continued on practicing as if nothing had happened. ‘Did you notice me that time too?’ Jongup wondered. He felt his chest tighten and the drums in his ears beat.

“Jongup oppa?” Sohee chirped. Those same bright brown eyes he remembered...

“Hm?” Jongup smiled tightly.

“You were spacing out,” Sohee pouted. She tipped her head to the side, “Is something wrong?”

They were already standing in front of the grocery store. ‘When did we get here?’ Jongup thought, looking around with a confused face. He shook his head gently and turned back to Sohee. “Nothing,” he assured her before taking a trolley and entering the store.

The trolley wheels ran rigid; one wheel spun around and refused moving with the other three, making it difficult to smoothly push the trolley along. Even so Jongup pushed it along with a carefree glance at every aisle they passed.

“So what do we need to get?” Jongup questioned as Sohee stopped to check a list on her cell phone her brother had sent her earlier.

Her eyes flickered across the screen as her thumb slowly glided through the messages. “Eggs, milk, bread, butter, flour…” she began to list them until she couldn’t remember what the first item was.

Jongup laughed. “We’ll split the list into two,” he suggested and held out his hand. Sohee looked at him with a confused expression. “I’ll put my number in your phone so you can send me the list,” Jongup explained, gesturing to Sohee’s phone.

Sohee nodded and obediently handed the device, once she got it back there was a new name on her contacts. Sohee swiftly tapped the screen a few times and sent the list to the boy’s phone.

Jongup tipped his head to look down at his own phone as it beeped in his pocket. He pulled it out, tapped the screen multiple times and lifted it up. “Smile,” he chanted just before the camera clicked. “Contact photo,” he explained, still looking down at the screen. “Anyway… I’ll start buying the items from the bottom of the list, you can start at the top,” he said and swiftly slipped away before Sohee could take a firm grasp of the situation.

Sohee stood there dumbfounded for a second, ‘did I make a weird face?’ she thought to herself, slightly embarrassed and bothered. After some time she had shrugged it off and went to find a shopping basket.

Jongup continued strolling for a moment before coming to a sudden halt. He went into his phone contacts and gazed at the screen. Sohee had just looked up when the camera had clicked. She looked slightly surprised in the photo; her eyes a tad bit wider than usual, her cheeks slightly pink and her lips were faintly pursed. Jongup let out a coarse sigh. He instinctively covered his face with the back of his hand as his face began to feel hot. He dropped his head onto the trolley handles and furrowed his brows. ‘What am I doing?’ he muttered and lifted himself back up. Jongup ruffled his fingers through his hair. He rubbed his shoulder and shook his head, as if the action could erase the girl’s image from his head.

Jongup rolled carelessly around the supermarket as he reached the middle of the list. The trolley made chugging noises like a train on rails as he pushed it along. “Chips, chips, chips…” he cooed in rhythm as he strolled pass the aisles. He came to a halt as he spotted Sohee looking up hopelessly at the top shelf of the ‘chips and snacks’ aisle. She had a basket full of dairy and other products by her feet, her hands dangled by her sides and her chin was tipped up as she gawked at the top rack. She pressed her lips into a pout then took a breath in. Once she exhaled she took a step towards the shelf and, on the very tip of her tippy toes, reached out to the top shelf.

Jongup watched for a moment then swiftly appeared behind her, leaving the trolley astray at the end of the aisle. He reached up from behind the pitiful Sohee, extending an arm over her head. Sohee instinctively shrunk back, timidly tucking her arms in by her sides as Jongup caved around her.

“This one?”

Sohee looked up, immediately locking eyes with Jongup. Her eyes widened and she became too flustered to check and hurriedly dropped her gaze. “Y-yeah,” she stuttered.

Jongup effortlessly took the packet of chips from the top shelf and stepped aside. Sohee shuffled back a fair meter and thanked him with blushing cheeks.

“H-have we got everything?” Jongup questioned with a failed steady voice as he placed the chips into the trolley. Sohee nodded in confirmation as they waddled towards the counter, both just as flustered as the other.

Ta-dah! Hope you enjoyed the chapter :P by the way... any one know any good mangas or kdramas? it's the holidays and I don't have much to do ;;; maybe I should write more... merry (early) christmas !!