“He did?” Hyunji’s eyes were wide as she stared at me. “He really did?”

“He did!” I confirmed, and Hyunji squealed and excitedly wrapped her arms around me.

I had told Hyunji about everything that happened yesterday, and she was more than ecstatic to join me in my celebrations. I daresay that I had held my own quite impressively throughout lunch and the ride back home, and, as always, Kim Joonmyun had succeeded in charming me once again. He had this easy-going manner with speaking, cracking jokes at unexpected times and voicing random observations that I never really be bothered to notice.

Sometimes, he would have that distant look in his eyes, as if he was drawn to some other thought and was absently pondering over it in his head, but then, when he suddenly turned to look at you, it was as if you were the only thing that held his interest in the room. I had to admit, the shimmer in his eyes and the occasional flashes of amusement that threatened to lift the corners of his lips made my heart flutter.

 “He definitely likes you,” she said, in a tone of triumphant confirmation.

I pulled back, blushing and shaking my head. “He didn’t really have much of a choice,” I reminded her. “Kris had something to deal with; Tao insisted to hang back to wait for him. So really, he just dragged me out because I was the only one who’s available.”

“But still,” Hyunji clutched my arm excitedly. “It’s you over Minhee.”

I couldn’t help but grin as I was once again reminded of that. The times when I triumphed over Choi Minhee were rare and could be easily counted with one hand, but of all the prizes she stole from me, this was the one trophy that I could relish as her open defeat.

“I wish I could have been there,” she said with a sigh, shoulders slumping in disappointment.

“By the way, how’d it go with you guys?” I asked, figuring that this was an opportunity as good as any to plan my escape.

Hyunji stuck her tongue out. “We settled on doing carwashes for Sungjae’s neighbours. God, the people there are so snobby, and don’t let me get started on their kids,” she scoffed.

“Right. He lives in one of those high maintenance areas, right?”

Hyunji bent her head closer to mine. “You should see his house. His brother drives a Porche,” she whispered.

“Really?” I asked, my eyes widening. “How much did you earn?”

Hyunji shrugged. “Yixing was the one who did the counting, but it just about adds up to how much we were supposed to earn for our share. If there’s one thing good I can say about snobs, it’s that they pay well.”

An arm suddenly s itself around her waist, tugging her away from me as a janitor carrying a tower of boxes made his way between us.

She blinked in surprise and tilted her head up to look at her saviour. “Oh. Thanks, Yixing.”

“Watch where you’re going,” Yixing said with a disapproving frown.

“How could I? He was behind me. I didn’t see him,” she argued, crossing her arms across her chest.

“You should learn to pay attention to your surroundings instead of living in your own little world,” Yixing chided her. I knew it sounded harsh, but I could detect that underlying tone beneath his words, the worry that surfaced in his eyes as he gazed her.

“I’m aware of everything around me, thank you very much. But still, sweet of you, Yixing, to care so much,” she said with a cheeky grin, reaching up to pinch him on the cheeks.

“Are you sure they’re not yet a couple?” a voice said from beside me, making me jump and almost stumble on my own feet.

He caught me before I could fall, pausing in his tracks to steady me. “Easy there,” Joonmyun said, flashing a worried look at me. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to do that.”

I could feel the heat travel up to my cheeks, but I managed to stand up straight, disguising the sudden rush of my heart with a cough. “No it’s okay.”

Joonmyun released me from his hold, and my arm and shoulder –the places he touched –felt cold. “So, anyway,” he said as we started walking again, “are you sure?”

“Quite,” I said, casting a quick glance at Yixing and Hyunji, who were already far away from us. Yixing had withdrawn his arm and had stuffed his hands in his pockets, but they were walking really closely to each other and I could tell from the playful nudging that Hyunji was teasing him.

“They sure act like it,” Joonmyun commented.

“That’s how it’s always been between the two of them. I don’t think Hyunji realises anything. All that Yixing does for her now, he’s done it since the past three years. She’s too used to it to realise that Yixing always gives her special treatment.”

“And he’s desperate to make her realise it,” Joonmyun observed. “Where do you stand in all this?”

“Me?” I shrugged. “I’m a helpless bystander, I guess, and I’m also partly Yixing’s wingman. I would help him you know, if he were to ever ask for it, but knowing Yixing, he never will.”

Joonmyun smiled at me sympathetically. “Stubborn guy, isn’t he?”

“The most,” I agreed.

“Hey,” Joonmyun said, surprising me once again by stepping in front of me and grabbing my shoulders, stopping me in my tracks. “I need to talk to you.”

My heart thumped again as I met his eyes; two dark and fathomless pools that shifted and shimmered with every flicker of emotion.

“About?”

His eyes twinkled when he smiled at me. “Something to do with our jobs.” He grabbed my arm. “Come on, it’s not very important but I’d prefer a little bit of peace and quiet.”

He tugged me into an empty hallway, deserted of humanity. The lunch bell had just rung, and everybody’s main priority was to get to the cafeteria before all the food was finished. The hallway he dragged me into was short and windowless. It had no lockers and was lined with nothing but doors, mostly to utility rooms.

“Kris said that he made a deal with Donghae-hyung,” Joonmyun started, leaning against the wall. “We have to work there for at least a month to get our pay, but Hyung promises that it’ll be worth our while.”

“So we have to go there every weekend?”

Joonmyun scratched the back of his head in a sheepish manner. “Yeah. Sorry to trouble you and all. You can quit if you have other plans. Kris doesn’t mind.”

I shook my head. “No, no. I’ll do it. I said I’d help anyway.”

Joonmyun smiled in relief. “Thanks. It’s great to know that there’s someone who has heart of gold like you.” He reached out and ruffled my hair fondly.

I ducked my head as a blush started to creep up my cheeks. I could still feel his touch lingering on my head even when he had already pulled away.

“Is that all?” I asked, glancing away to distract myself with something else.

“One more thing: our schedules.” Joonmyun straightened himself up and reached into his pocket for his phone, scrolling through his messages before reading it out to me. “We work every weekend, but on half-day shifts. Same time as last Saturday.”

I nodded. “Okay.”

“So,” Joonmyun said, putting away the phone. “What time do you usually arrive at the subway?”

I furrowed my brows in confusion. “8.00 o’clock. Why do you need to know?”

“So we can meet up. We live near each other anyway. Can’t hurt to go together.” He leaned forwards and beamed at me. “So 8.00 o’clock. Meet you there. I’ll look for you in crowd.”

He reached out and ruffled my hair again, uttering a goodbye as he rounded the corner and rejoined the hungry crowd. I was left standing there, blushing hard and biting my lip to keep myself from smiling too broadly.

A/N: A short chapter :)