The day before the high school festival…

‘Ok, here goes nothing,’ Hyoyeon took a deep breath.

The wires taped to her temples were freaking her out a bit, but knowing that Luhan was holding her hand made her feel oddly safe. Although really, now was not the time to notice that it was the first time he had held her hand since they were back in high school.

‘Concentrate on the picture, ‘ Yewon reminded her gently.

Hyoyeon looked at the picture and looked to Luhan, it was their second year of high school while she was an exchange student in his school. In the picture was the two of them, plus their other friends Kris, Chen, Lay, Xiumin and Tao.

She’d had a crush on almost all the guys in their group at one point in time, but in that particular picture her eyes were only for Kris.

She remembered that it was the day before the school festival and they had stayed after school because they hadn’t finished the preparation for their class activity.

That afternoon all her female friends had gone on a group date that was set up with a prestigious all boys’ school. They had one girl too many though and she’d drawn the short straw and was forced to stay behind and help out.

Suddenly the world began to shake and she gripped Luhan's hand tightly as she felt everything go hazy…

The smack on the back of her head caused her to jolt upright.

It was Luhan, looking incredibly young (or at least five years younger with that horrible hair cut), having hit her with his empty water bottle.

‘You sleep too much! Get up and help out!’

She looked down at her school uniform and felt the tendrils of her hair—it was brown, rather than the blonde she was now used to. She turned her head to her reflection in the mirror and quickly turned away, noticing the teenage pimples on her face and the bushy eyebrows. Maybe she’d have more confidence if she couldn’t see herself.

‘Why you…’ she lunged for Luhan.

‘Hey, picking a fight again?’ a hand landed on her school jacket, holding her back.

She looked over her shoulder to see Kris grinning at her with his trademark lopsided smile. Hyoyeon felt her heart thud. Somewhere deep down, the fifteen year old Hyoyeon was deeply in love. It shocked her that her feelings could be so strong.

‘No…?’ she replied unconvincingly.

Popular, good-looking, talented and nice, Kris was the student council representative for the second years. From what she remembered he would be student council president next year although by then she would have moved back to Seoul…

‘I need to tell you something,’ she said, feeling none of the courage she thought she would have being five years older (mentally). But she didn't know just how much time she had in the past-- and she was feeling a bit phobic-- as though she was suffocating being in a place where she didn't belong.

‘Hey we’re out of blue paint—can someone grab it from the store room?’ Chen asked from the floor where he was busy concentrating on his painting with Xiumin.

‘Yeah I’ll go,’ Kris said, ‘You can tell me what you need to on the way?’

She nodded and grinned, ‘You’re just going to make me carry the paint aren’t you?’

He laughed, ‘Maybe…’

They walked along the corridor side by side. She wanted to say so many things, but in the end apparently five years had not changed her much at all… she was still helpless when it came to him.

She looked discreetly at his hand… wishing she had the courage to hold it or something.

Knowing that if she didn’t— in a few weeks he would be someone else’s boyfriend.

Finally they got to the store room and he went to the pile of paints.

‘Hey what are you doing? I was just joking when I said I'd make you carry it...  can you come here and help me look?’ Kris asked, looking back at her and calling her over.

Wordlessly, she went over and started to rummage through the different can sizes of paint. She remembered this scene as if it was just yesterday-- how many times had she relived it again and again and hoping she'd done something else?

Realising she wasn’t tall enough to see the label on some of the cans, she took a tentative step on one can and found herself slipping… before strong hands caught her by the waist.

 ‘Aah!’

This was it…

‘Hey!!’ she turned in his arms as he almost roughly turned her to face him and shook her lightly, ‘why would you do something so stupid? You could’ve been hurt.’

‘I’m sorry—my mind was somewhere else…’ she apologized before the next moment she felt the pressure of his lips against hers.

Her first kiss…

She remembered it being exactly like this—the late afternoon sun beaming down at them from one of the ceiling windows… she relished the smell of his breath—the sweet scent of the strawberry milk that he liked to drink. Even five years later she thought of him every time she saw strawberry milk.

As a gentleman though, he waited—applying just enough pressure to allow her to push him away or to deepen the kiss.

The first time this had happened she’d shoved him roughly and ran out. She’d known that she was going to be moving back to Incheon, having gotten a phone call from her mother that morning. She had stupidly avoided him for days after... until eventually news got back to him that she was leaving.

It was the stupidest way to have done it. She didn’t even have the guts to tell him herself—and they’d barely spoken a few more sentences until she left a few weeks later.

This time she placed her hands around his neck and pressed her lips firmly against his.

This was her first kiss. No matter how many guys she ended up liking after him—this was the memory she wanted to make perfect. Without saying it she wanted him to know that she did like him.

But when he tried to deepen the kiss even more, darting a tentative tongue out, she pushed him away lightly.

Breathing heavily, he watched her and she watched him.

Her first love… it had to end well.

‘I’ve always liked you,’ the words came simply, ‘You’re so cool—’

‘—You’re pretty awesome too,’ he grinned.

‘—but I’m moving back to Korea.’

Kris’ smile faded, ‘What?’

‘My mum wants me to come home at the end of the term.’

‘But that’s only three weeks away!’

‘Yeah…’

They stared at each other, ‘Maybe we can…’ her heart lept at the possibility. She knew that he would try his best. That he would make things work somehow. He was so capable and amazing.  But somehow it didn’t seem right.

She remembered Seohyun, her good friend and the other student council rep, who was so nice but unbearably shy. She’d taken every ounce of courage when she confessed to him a few weeks after this moment… just before Hyoyeon would leave. Compared to Hyoyeon who was outgoing and yet the biggest coward ever.

She didn’t know how they ended up—she’d lost contact with Seohyun and Kris—but she didn’t want to change their future.

‘I don’t think so. But thank you—for an awesome first kiss,’ she grinned at him, ‘Now every time I think of blue paint, I’ll think of you.’

Finally Kris realised he was fighting a losing battle, she’d made up her mind.

‘Friends?’ he stuck his hand out.

‘Friends,’ she grinned, her own hand wrapping around his.

The world started to shake again… startling Hyoyeon. Everything went blurry until she returned to the present.

‘What happened?’ Luhan was looking down at her, shaking her.

‘How long was I out?’ Hyoyeon grabbed her head, the throbbing pain nearly unbearable.

‘Ten minutes.’

‘Wow… that’s pretty good then. I was there for one hour—so it’s a 6:1 ratio,’ Yewon said, scribbling into her notebook, ‘how did it go?’

‘Good,’ Hyoyeon grinned.

‘Good?’ Luhan repeated in disbelief, ‘that’s all you’re going to say?’

‘I think so…’ Hyoyeon grabbed her phone and started to scroll.

‘What are you doing?’

She grinned.

There in her friends list was Kris. And Seohyun… and apparently they were still together. The only different thing was that she was now still a part of their lives.

A/N: Hi everyone, I'm so sorry to be missing for so long! But I will be back... at least for the next few months and hope to update a bit more regularly. Who do you want to hear about next-- except for Luhan-- because he will be one of the last few stories. Please drop me a line!! I hope you enjoyed the bittersweet HyoKris! xKei