Third Person POV…

It had been raining the night before but now the sun was scorching the gravel dry. Students would cross the road and walk under the shade of a line of trees before crossing again. Jisu and Jongup walked together as usual. Jisu walked with a hand glued to her forehead, shielding her eyes from the sun.

“Jisu!” a voice called just as she entered the campus.

Jisu immediately lifted her head, a smile forming on her face as she called back. “Sohee!”

Sohee ran up to her. She glanced up at Jongup to greet him. “G-good morning,” she managed stuttered.

He pulled apart his lips. They hung open for a moment before he was able to reply with a plain “Good morning,” and nod indifferently.

Jisu frowned. It was obvious something had happened between them but she assumed neither would tell her voluntarily. She shrugged and shooed her brother away, hoping to force it out of Sohee.

Sohee and Jisu wandered around the school gates for some time waiting for the bell to ring. Jisu looked around as if she was searching for something. Out of habit she was looking to catch a glimpse of Daehyun. Once she had found him her heart ran through adrenalin and came to a sudden halt just as he lifted his head. Jisu hastily averted her eyes—the hand glued to her forehead begins to slip as her eyes lock onto someone else. She flipped her head back around. Sohee stared back at her cluelessly. ‘I really need to talk to him about her,’ Jisu decided. “One sec’ I’ll be right back. I just need to talk to someone,” she announced.

Jisu began weaving pass some people before disappearing from her friend’s sight. She slipped pass Daehyun, her eyes barely grazing his face as she continued walking. She popped back out on the other side of the crowd. “Zelo!” she called, blocking out the thoughts of the other boy calling in her head.

Zelo was leaning on the wall of the entrance, coldly paying no attention to the girls who buzzed around him. He broke through the swarm of girls and approached Jisu. “What is it?” he muttered, ignoring the beckoning calls of his fans. He definitely wasn’t a morning person—his tie was lousily done limply around his neck and his hair was tossed here and there after being scruffily towel dried that morning.

Jisu sighed as she changed face, scrunching her face during the transition. “I think something happened between Sohee and my brother,” she started, “Something’s been bothering him but he won’t tell me,” Jisu informed Zelo, squinting as the sun hit her eyes causing her to readjust and re-glue her saluted hand.

Zelo looked troubled, frowning with his whole body.

Kai walked into the gates, catching a glimpse of Sohee behind a group of upperclassmen, he slid pass the crowd and tapped her on the shoulder. “You’re alone?” he confirmed looking slightly disappointed yet relieved.

Sohee was looking somewhere pass the crowds. As the people waved to and fro she could catch glimpses of Jisu then Zelo, Jisu then Zelo. She frowned, still not realising the boy behind her.

Kai tipped his head to the side, he followed her gaze but only hit the backsides of other students. He turned back to Sohee, dazed and upset. He tapped on her shoulder a second time.

Sohee flinched and glanced over her shoulder before spinning around. Kai repeated his question. “Huh? Yeah. Jisu just went somewhere,” she shrugged, “Good morning,” she added as if it was a must.

Kai opened his mouth to ask if she was okay but Sohee quickly cut in exclaiming “Oh yeah!” She didn’t know what was happening between Jisu and Zelo and she had told herself she didn’t want to know or need to discuss it. “What happened between you and Jisu?”

Kai looked around nervously as if he expected to see Jisu around a corner, but once again missed them as they waddled further away. He shrugged, “I asked her out but—y’know.” He shrugged.

“I don’t know…” Sohee frowned back, not following. She arched a brow, her eyes dragging away with Jisu and Zelo. Her expression became sour but quickly recovered.

Kai pursed his lips. “I don’t either—But I think I’ll take her on a date after school.”

“So she agreed?”

“No, not really.” Kai frowned, finally relaxing his shoulders after satisfyingly confirming Jisu not around. “So do you know where she would want to go?”

Sohee tilted her head so that an ear almost touched her shoulder. She tried to recall a time where Jisu might have suggested wanting to go somewhere. “Ah!” Sohee chirped, “The beach!” She grinned triumphantly, “Jisu said she wanted to go to the beach.”

“The beach?” Daehyun echoed, leaning back. ‘That’s right… Jisu said she wanted to go to the beach last week…’ He caught himself smiling while thinking back and had to frown to prevent the ends of his lips from curling up. He press his lips together blandly, his mind drifting off by itself. ‘Where is she anyway?’ he thought, reassuring himself it was only out of curiosity. He skimmed the crowd, his eyes easily locking onto the short red headed girl. She was looking up chatting to someone much taller than her like she would to him. Before that of course. In truth, He had noticed. When she had passed him, glimpsed up at him but didn’t spare another second on him. She hadn’t spared a word on him after he let that first tear streaked her face. “It couldn’t be you won’t talk to me again…?” Daehyun murmured under his breath as he came to the conclusion. And somewhat bitterly accepting the possibility, He curled in his shoulders like it was some kind of inverted shrug and watched Jisu talk cheerily at the boy as if it were him. “I guess she won’t be smiling at me for some time,” He concluded out loud, somewhat pitying himself. He couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed and upset.

Later…

“The school’s radio?” Yongguk repeated in doubt. Bags clutched under his eyes, tugging them down into his somewhat sullen face. The pressure had been piling up with the upcoming exams and competition, every lunch break would be stuffed with either study or practice—today it was practice.

The practice room was as rotten as always. The smell of sweat clung to the walls and reflected through the mirrors. The lights had been replaced but were already about to die out. Likewise the member’s stamina had been diminishing, they had been in through books, endless note taking and rigorous study. It had only been half an hour and they had already begun slipping to the ground like their bones had become sweat.

Zelo pursed his lips, nervous to hear whether or not the information Jisu had given him was true.

Yongguk nodded. “Yeah, that’s right.” He replied after some thought. He seemed to continue wondering about it and added, “Right?” as he turned to Himchan.

“It’s not much of a prize.” Himchan muttered into the mirror, complaining to the leader’s reflection rather than his face. Himchan leaned in closer to the mirror, he squinted his eyes and peered into the back ground. Jongup was at the far end of the room looking anxiously around his feet, then the walls, then his feet again. Himchan scratched his head—usually Jongup wouldn’t take a break from dancing until one of his legs were about to pop off.

“Don’t get too excited though, Zelo.” Yongguk grinned confidently. “We still have to win.”

Zelo nodded and after some thought asked, “Hey, since the after school activities ban has been lifted… can I borrow the practice room after school?”

Yongguk looked taken aback. He scratched the back of his neck and nodded. “Sure,” he said in a sort of questioning tone, as if he was unsure he had the authority to lend the room. He reached into his back pocket, handed Zelo the keys then called it a day.

The members all headed for the door, relief written in their expressions. Light slipped through the room as the door was wedged open, tearing the floor into two separate areas. Jongup stood as if he were frozen, trapped in his given boundaries. The rest stepped out as if they had never seen the sun before, stretching their limbs and greeting the fresh air.

Himchan looked uneasy as he approached the door, peeking over his shoulder at Jongup who was still unmoved with his mind elsewhere. He tapped Daehyun’s shoulder who was waddling in front of him. “Do you know what’s wrong with him?”

Daehyun halted; his eyes wide with confusion, making his face seem closer than it really was. He popped his head over Himchan’s shoulder. Jongup had just trudged out of the shed and was lifelessly dragging the door behind him. Daehyun frowned and placed a hand on Himchan’s shoulder, asking him to go on ahead as he took a step towards Jongup.

“Jongup?” Daehyun chirped and his head popped up. Jongup’s expression looked tired, like something had kept him up all night. ‘Is this because I turned down his little sister?’ Daehyun wondered. ‘Is he mad?’ He gulped in and opened his mouth to speak only to be interrupted.

“Oh hyung.” Jongup exclaimed as if he had just realised Daehyun’s presence.

Daehyun blinked. He didn’t seem mad. Or was he giving him the cold shoulder? Ignoring, no, delaying his existence for a few seconds. Daehyun closed his eyes for a moment and sighed. “Is this about Jisu?” he asked, bracing himself.

Jongup looked shocked. His eyes fluttered somewhere else for a while, maybe at the birds in a nearby tree, then returned and began rubbing the back of his neck. “Ah right,” he exclaimed in the same tone as earlier as if he was rehearsing lines. “No, she seemed fine enough last night to bug me about staying over at—” He paused, his face crumpling into a fresh pink raspberry. “Uh, yeah she’s fine.” He concluded and began to walk off.

Daehyun lifted a brow and followed after him. Curious and slightly relieved he decided to press on. “Over at…?” he waited for an answer and when none came he came to only one conclusion. “Lee Sohee’s?” Bull’s eye. Jongup stopped walking. His following expression confirmed it, though Daehyun could only see the back of his ear flashing red.  Daehyun let out a comforting chuckle and patted the boy’s shoulder. “Ahh,” he exhaled as if he were reminiscing pleasant memories, “I told you I wouldn’t tell anyone, right?”

Jongup turned his head, lifted his eyes and nodded timidly. His hair fell loosely over his face as he backed down and dropped his head in admittance. His muscles un-tensed as he nodded shyly, admitting to himself that this was the answer to his sleepless night.

Jongup seemed so much smaller like this, Daehyun thought. When he’s not glaring into the audience or the mirror, dancing with all the effort necessary to fill a room of whatever size with his charisma—he seemed much smaller.

“Ah, so Kai asked you out?!” Sohee exclaimed acting surprised.

Jisu nodded then look up from her meal. “Did you have something to do with this?” She frowned at her friend’s weak acting.

Sohee briskly shook her head. “No, I had no idea!” she denied.

Jisu lifted a brow then decided to let it go. “Argh. Seriously? What am I going to do…”

Sohee blinked. Jisu looked troubled, even in class she had looked like she was unable to concentrate. Sohee pursed her lips and slid on the bench to get closer to Jisu. She tilted her head down and went on cautiously. “What did you tell him?”

Jisu lifted her eyes. They flickered and took a while to adjust over her friend’s peering face. She blinked. “I said…” She paused. ‘What did I say?’ But she didn’t answer him, she had abruptly left Kai without answering him. “I couldn’t say ‘no’ because he’s my friend—”

“So you said ‘yes’?”

Jisu cringed. “No. Not really…” she mumbled, stretching the ‘ee’ of ‘really.’

Sohee shrugged and sat back upright. “So you haven’t answered.”

“I can’t.”

Sohee didn’t reply for some time and waited for her to go on.

Jisu sighed. “He knows I like Daehyun. He was there during the confession, so of course he knew. But he still asked me out right after I was rejected—I mean, like, seriously!? How insensitive can he get?!” Jisu gritted her teeth, churning them for a bit before releasing the tension in one breath. She exhaled. “But…he’s my friend and he really…”

Sohee was now leaning on her elbow, hunched over and listening, starry-eyed, to Jisu. She quickly broke out of it. “Do you have any feelings for him?” she stabbed.

“No!” Jisu snapped.

Sohee frowned. ‘Then tell him you don’t like him…? No! I can’t say that. I said I’d help Kai…’ “W-why don’t you just go on a date with him?” Sohee stammered. “If you can’t reject him what about you give him a chance?”

Jisu’s eye whites grew. “I don’t know…”

“It can’t hurt, right?” Sohee interrupted, pretending to act carelessly as she looked ahead of them. She cautiously turned back to face Jisu. “Might as well give him a chance, right?” she repeated.

“Why?” Jisu frowned. “Why are you on his side?” She pouted childishly.

Sohee denied and reasoned, “It’ll take your mind off of Daehyun.”

Jisu felt her heart hit the bottom of her stomach and roll up to the back of where is sat there, motionless, leaving her chest empty and hollow. Her eyes looked dimmer, as if the lights in her head had been switched off. She dropped her gaze and stared at her empty palms. “I guess so…”

After school…

Kai leaned against the gates, it seemed to get colder against his back as more people passed him. He had his hands stuffed in his pants pockets and a cool expression on after his nerves had washed away. Some girls would glance at him giggling and would hang back a bit just to stare at him a little longer but Kai would only continue to watch the people who trickled out of the school building, waiting for that one person.

It had already been at least fifteen minutes when he finally caught a glimpse of Jisu’s red hair burning in the hot weather. His face immediately lit up and, while attempting to contain his nervous excitement, he walked calmly towards her.

Sohee was walking beside Jisu but at the sight of Kai began peeling herself away. “Uh— Um— Sorry, I’m in a bit of a hurry so I’ll go on ahead!!” she stammered and began to pick up her pace, calling out “See you tomorrow!” over her shoulder before Jisu could intervene.

Jisu stood there dumbfounded and scowling for a moment before realising Kai had already appeared in front of her. She jolted back. “U-uh…” she stuttered, tucking stray strands of hair behind her ear. “Happy Birthday…” she said awkwardly, not daring to look up at him. “I guess…” Jisu added after a moment.

Kai chuckled almost triumphantly before saying, “I know if I ask you you’ll refuse so I’m not asking. Go on a date with me.”

Jisu tipped her head back and sighed. “Yeah.”

Kai looked taken aback. “Yeah? Uh,” he looked around a bit, “Yeah, okay!” He chuckled and shuffled a step closer to Jisu to take her bag. It was obvious Kai hadn’t planned on her coming voluntarily but it looked like he was trying to keep from looking so pleased.

Jisu tugged at her bag straps, refusing to give up her independence. “Give it,” Kai frowned and pulled it off her back. Wriggling off one of his own bag straps he chucked her bag over his free shoulder. He turned and began to walk towards the gate, looking over his shoulder to check if Jisu was following. “C’mon,” he called.

Jisu looked up hesitantly then nodded, obediently following after Kai.

B.A.P are making their korean comeback! they never rest o n o anyone planning to buy the album?
School starts next week... It's my last year > < scared..

Anyway-- what do you thinks going to happen? and who do you ship?