Kim Jongdae walked alongside his best buddies to the school gates. He was already sued to the girls staring, or following them. So, he didn't mind at all. While his mind was elsewhere, thinking of something else, he didn't quite hear his friends talking and planning out what they were going to do. 

"I've got this new racing game, Tao, you want to try it out?" Xiumin asked to the tall and scary-looking boy beside him. "It has great visual effects, and it's in Chinese. Wanna play it one on one?" he challenged. 

"You know I at racing games, hyung," he complained. 

"Yah! I'll take you on, Baozi," Kris nudged him and wiggled his eyebrows. "I can definitely take you on," 

Xiumin, who was a lot confident nowadays, grinned in an arrogant manner. "Joh-ayo," he said before turning to the three other boys. "You guys want to come to my place too?" he asked. 

Lay shook his head immediately. "We have dance class today, remember, hyung?" he clicked his tongue and sighed. "Luhan hyung and I can't go today, maybe we can try the game on, say, Friday?" 

"Alright," he turned around and face front again, they were getting nearer to the school gates. "What about you, Chen?" he asked. 

But, Jongdae wasn't really paying attention. He only realized that his hyung was talking to him because of Luhan, who pushed him lightly. 

"Ah, mian hae, hyung," he said and scratched the back of his neck. "What was that?" he asked and when Xiumin repeated what he said, Jongdae looked away and shook his head. "Aniyo, I can't. I have to go somewhere?" 

"Oh!" Xiumin snapped his fingers, making Kris and Tao, who were at either side of him, flinch. "I forgot! you have a date with that girl!" 

Jongdae resisted the urge to actually blush! "An-an-aniyo, hyung! It's not a date!" he complained. "She's-we're just going out to the internet cafe for research on our homework, and-and we're partners!" 

"Why are you stuttering, Chen?" Luhan laughed along with the other kingkas. He placed and arm around him and smiled brightly. "Who's the lucky girl, hm?" 

Jongdae pushed Luhan's arm off of him and scowled. "It's not a date!" he said loudly, that the students nearby gave him curious and weird looks. It wasn't usual for Jongdae to raise his voice in public.

"Alright, alright," Xiumin said, laughing a little at how his friend was acting. "Mian, dongsaenggie," he poked Jongdae's cheek, and his scowl soften. "We'll see you tomorrow then?" 

He looked at him, then at the other four boys and nodded. He forced on a smile. "Sure, I'll see you guys tomorrow." 

The boys parted ways with him as he stood by near the gates, waiting for his partner, waiting for the girl he knew as 'Sunnie', but he didn't have to wait longer because she was already exiting the school and she was already in his sight. 

"Ah, he really came? jinjja?" I spoke to myself when I saw him, my partner, my ex-neighbor; the Kim Jong Dae. 

He was standing there by the corner, just a few feet away from the gates. Backpack on his back, hands in his pockets and a varsity jacket on.  I never thought he would actually come. Come to think of it, I thought he was fooling with me and toying me. Making my hopes high and then crushing them, just like that. But, then again, I knew this guy. I knew him since we were in diapers, and Jongdae was anything but a player. 

I saw the girls by the gates, they were peeking at him and giggling to each other. When I passed by them, they stopped whispering and I could feel their eyes at the back of my head as I walked towards Jongdae. I ignored it though, I always ignored people staring at me. When Jongdae saw me, he directly smiled. When he turned his head, when he landed his eyes on me, the smile that I've grown to like appeared on his face. "Annyeong," he said and waved cheerfully. I hesitated as I placed my hand up and stifly waved back. I pulled the scarf around my neck higher so it would touch my bottom lip. "Hei," I said shyly. 

"Ready to go?" he asked. 

"G-go where? Where are we going to research exactly?" I surprised myself there. I can't believe I spoke so confidently to him. Well, the second sentence anyway.

Jongdae actually chuckled at that. "At an internet cafe of course! We can't really use my house since my parents are having a cocktail party there," he made a 'tsk' sound with his mouth and shrugged. "You don't want to attends those . . . but, anyway, going to your house is okay too, but can we just use the internet cafe for now?" 

I blinked twice. He's such a gentleman. At least, he sounded like one. "I-umm, alright, sure," 

He smiled wider. "Great, then, let's go?" he asked, his smile turning into a questioning one. 

I forced on a smile, but dropped it a second later. "Ne, of course. Let's go," I beckoned him to lead the way, and once he started walking, I followed right beside him. 

"There's this cheap internet cafe right around the corner, it's near and well, yeah. . . it's cheap, so you need not to worry, Sunnie," he looked down at me and smiled briefly before facing ahead again. 

I pulled my scarf closer to my mouth to hide my smile. 'Sunnie', huh. I haven'heard that in a while from him. It's nice. It's nice to finally talk to him, be with him and to say my nickname again.