The next day, I woke up with high hopes welling in me. I was anxious to see if I would meet him at the subway again. Alright, I do admit that I was acting like a lovesick puppy, but honestly, speaking, I couldn’t really help myself. That boy had casted a spell on me that I doubted I could free myself from.

Again, disappointment greeted me at the station when I found his figure nowhere to be seen. I reached for my phone and stared at it reluctantly. I had his number; I could easily call him to enquire him of his health and wheedle out of him a reason for his continual absence. But wouldn’t that just label me as desperate? I didn’t want him to think that I was being excessively clingy.

And so, I pocketed the phone with a sigh and embarked on my journey to school, quickly scurrying to an empty seat and stuffing my ears with my earphones to drown out all the noise around me. I dozed off a little while the train moved, but woke up just in time to leap out of my seat and out of the doors before they closed at my heels.

At school, I was pleasantly surprised to find that my advice had finally settled and rooted itself into Yixing’s head. I met him that morning with both Hyunji and Jonghyun, taking every opportunity it seemed, to intervene in their conversations. It seemed that Yixing finally had the sense to stop moping around and actually fight in the battlefield for a chance with Hyunji. Although I knew that was going to be a battle to the death, at least it was better than my fighting his battles for him.

The conversation that morning consisted mostly of Hyunji suggesting, Jonghyun agreeing, and Yixing countering. Although I was given the opportunity to insert a titbit of my opinions, I had to admit that I felt that I was feeling gravely left out. Of course, Hyunji listened to me, but Yixing’s attention was mostly on Jonghyun, ready to pounce if Jonghyun moved to initiate any form of physical contact with Hyunji, and Jonghyun, well, he was mostly stealing glances at Hyunji every opportunity he got.

And so, it was a great relief to me when I saw Huang Zitao lingering around the corners, a slight frowning creasing his features as he watched us. I sneakily detached myself from the group and headed towards him to say hi.

“You’re being really friendly with that WH kid,” he said, a little sharply.

“He’s nice,” I said with a sigh. “At least, better than the rest.”

Tao was still frowning. “But he’s –” He spluttered a little, unable to find the correct words to express his disapproval. “From WH,” he finally settled, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“Relax, Tao,” I said with a roll of my eyes. “He’s not on the basketball team, so technically, he didn’t do anything to you.”

Tao eyed the three figures walking ahead, all oblivious to the fact that I had slipped away. “Yixing thinks so too?”

I rolled my eyes. “Rest assured, they’re far from being friendly.”

At lunch time, I sat with Tao and Chanyeol. I had no idea where the other three went, but I wasn’t in the mood to question anything for the time being. I was just lucky that I chanced upon the two while I was looking for an empty table and they had the courtesy to pull out a chair for me to sit.

One could say that they were an odd pair, Chanyeol and Tao. Physically speaking, they were polar opposites. Chanyeol was cheerful with a mouth that was constantly upturned into a cheeky grin; Tao was dark and had a gaze that could electrify a person into place. But nevertheless, he did have a softer side, peppered with a tinge of mischief as well.

“It’s great that we finally get some new company,” Chanyeol declared as soon as I sat down. “Having just us two was getting boring.”

Tao shot him a look. “Excuse me, but the least you could do is show me some gratitude. I’ve been sitting with you during lunch for the past year; without me, you’d be miserably alone.”

“Hey, I’m just saying that having Aeri here adds a little bit of colour to our lives.” He playfully slung an arm around my neck.

“Cut the cheesy lines, you oversized giant,” I with an affectionate roll of my eyes.

Chanyeol laughed, but released me nonetheless to let me take hold of my chopsticks. “So, what brings you to this side of the town?”

“It’s a complicated issue.”

“Care to share?”

I smirked at him. “I think it’s best if you keep your nose out of this for once.”

“Alright, alright,” Chanyeol said, holding his hands up in a mock surrender. “I won’t ask.”

We settled into our food in silence, but that only lasted a few minutes. Chanyeol had a way with easing a tense atmosphere into a lively one, cracking cheesy jokes, straightforward comments, and making silly faces. I found myself having a hard time trying to finish my lunch, with all the laughing I did.

When the bell rang, we gathered our trays. Chanyeol offered to take mine away and I thanked him for it, saying that it was time I take my leave. As I was about to walk away though, something clicked in my head and I whirled around to face them again.

“Hey guys! Any of you know what happened to Joonmyun?”

“Concerned much?” Tao asked lightly, but I could detect a hint of a smirk on his lips. I shot him a quick glare and turned to Chanyeol for an answer instead.

“I don’t know. I saw him walking around with some guy. Not sure I’ve ever seen that kid around though,” Chanyeol said with a shrug.

I nodded and waved at them before I walked away. A boy, huh? Was it the same one I saw in the car with him that day?

 I spent that afternoon in the garden, alone, with a pen and paper in front of me as I pondered over the things I could say in my next letter. It had been two weeks since I wrote anything to ‘him’, and likewise, I hadn’t really received anything either. I couldn’t really blame him; there was a lot going on in my side and I could only assume the same for his.

I had lied to Yixing and Hyunji in order to attain this moment in seclusion, and I couldn’t say I regretted much about it. The Yixing-Hyunji-Jonghyun problem was really beginning to wear me, and although I enjoyed their cute interactions, I sometimes did need a break from it.

My pen moved across the paper and I scrunched up my nose as I reread the words. Shaking my head, I tore it out and crushed it into small ball, chucking it inside my bag to be thrown away later. I just couldn’t seem to find the right words to initiate my greeting. Should I tell him about the job I agreed to as form of favour to the basketball team, many of whom are my friends, or should I ask him for advice on how to deal with Hyunji, who, even until now, was perpetually oblivious to Yixing’s feelings? But how could I phrase it in such a way that I wouldn’t reveal their identities?

In the end, after about a dozen pieces of paper and a lot of cancelled sentences, I finally settled on the simplest letter possible.

Dear You,

Hey, how are you? It’s been a long time since I heard anything from you. Everything’s okay on my side, and I think I’m coping better now. Those songs you gave me really did help. They’re absolutely beautiful :). Thanks a lot.

From,

Me.

It was terribly uncreative, but I was desperate. I wanted to have someone to talk to.

I was just absently tapping my pen on the bench, pondering over my thoughts when I heard some voices coming from the wall behind me. I jolted slightly and rushed to shove the letter into my bag, pulling out a book that I could use as an excuse for my being here. There were two people speaking, but I was only familiar with the voice of one; it was semi-deep, but had somewhat a lilting quality, as soft and smooth as velvet.

“You’ll get used to it here, Jongin.”

“I still prefer home,” the other voice, the one I couldn’t recognise, said. I didn’t have to see his face to know that he was moping.

“It takes time, but I think you’ll be alright.”

“I miss my friends,” the other boy argued.

“You’ll get new ones. And I’m here aren’t I?”

They were getting nearer. I had just managed to compose myself into a decent sitting position, my head bent as I pretended to read the book I had opened on my lap.

“It’s easier said than –”

I heard a rustle and the voices paused, apparently having just realised that they weren’t alone in their conversation. I looked up and met their gazes.

“Aeri,” Joonmyun said, a look of surprise crossing his features. “What are you doing here?”

I smiled as I held up my book. “Reading.”

“Here?” he asked. “It’s more comfortable in the library.”

“I like it here,” I said, trying to sound convincing.

Joonmyun chuckled and stepped forward to peer at the cover of my book. I let him take it from my hands and flip it over to scan the synopsis at the back while I let my gaze wander towards the other boy lingering behind him.

He had dark hair and dark eyes, his tanned skin moulding itself into the contours of his features pleasantly to form an overall handsome face. His hair was cut in uneven layers, bangs falling over his eyes and shadowing his pupils as he gazed at me. The corner of his lip lifted into a smirk as he held my gaze.

“Hyung, who’s this?” he asked bluntly.

Joonmyun returned my book to me and turned to him with a disapproving gaze. He flashed an apologetic one in my direction before moving forward to introduce us.

“Aeri, this is Kim Jongin,” he said, gesturing towards the boy. “He’s my cousin.”

I nodded. This must be the relative that he was talking about, the one whose silhouette I saw in the car and perhaps the reason for his absence.

“Jongin, Aeri.”

Kim Jongin moved forward with an extended hand, the smirk still holding its place in his face. Up close, I noticed how different he looked compared to Joonmyun, how his eyes seemed to shift like a mysterious puzzle while Joonmyun’s were always set to look deep and fathomless.

“Hi.”

I took his hand and shook it. “Nice to meet you, Jongin.”

Jongin cocked his head at me, assessing me. He held my hand for a few seconds longer than necessary before he let go. “You’re close with my cousin?” he questioned curiously.

“He’s a friend,” I said, my gaze flickering towards Joonmyun for a while.

“Close friend,” Joonmyun corrected, surprising me. “We work at the same place.” He turned to flash an apologetic smile at me. “Sorry I haven’t been around. I had to handle him,” –he jerked his thumb towards Jongin with a playful roll of his eyes, “–and make sure that he gets settled in.”

“I appreciate that,” Jongin interjected with a cheeky grin.

“And you show your gratitude by complaining from morning to night,” Joonmyun retorted. There was a beep and he muttered a quick apology before scrolling through his phone.

“Car’s here,” he told Jongin, pocketing the phone. “Sorry, I can’t walk you to the subway,” he said apologetically to me. “I have to make sure that this kid doesn’t get into trouble.”

Jongin rolled his eyes and affectionately gave Joonmyun a punch on the shoulder.

“We should get going,” Joonmyun said, shoving him lightly away before ruffling my hair; a form of goodbye between us that he had gotten into habit of doing. It always left that fluttery feeling in my chest. “See you tomorrow.”

I waved, and as they were walking away, I heard Jongin say, “You know, Hyung, things might not be so bad after all.”