We were once Woolim School's most famous and desired couple.

Just like reading a romance fiction or watching a romance movie, we were just like the main leads in the story - some fawned over how great we, as a pair looked together; some said we were the sweetest to see.

Alas,

that was the both of us until the "Ji-Hyuk" couple ceased to exist.

And that was a few months ago.

He was one of Woolim High's best and strongest athlete that specialized both in basketball and football. Nobody, exactly nobody, could bring him down. Well, except for the WOLF, who was led by Park Chan Yeol, the basketball team's captain and the club's president.

The said man was Lee Min Hyuk.

He was the typical jock that girls fell hard for, fight for and go crazy for. Being the vice-president for the basketball club, and captain of the team BTOB, he was Ji Eun's boyfriend and they had been in a strong relationship for almost a year. The relationship is all pure and clean, without any skinship except for holding hands and cuddling, and maybe a little kiss on the cheeks.

Hey, you can't blame on Ji Eun. That was her first relationship and she was... well, kind of new to this thing.  

Chan Yeol, Ji Eun's older brother, though, didn't like Min Hyuk very much. But seeing his little sister heads over heels on the said guy, he had to give in and put up with it.

June 2016

"You like him?" Chan Yeol looked at his sister with a frown, mouth full with soggy, chewed ramen. Ji Eun only looked at him, palms folded underneath her chin, and a cherish grin on her face.

Chanyeol had cooked them both some seafood ramen to eat in the cold weather, self-serving being their responsibility since their parents had gone out for some wedding function. He counted himself lucky for escaping his cooking duties only with a minor splash of hot water on his hand.

"Do you really, really like this Lee Min Ho-" He asked again with eyes looking up then to the right, trying hard to remember if that was the right name. "...Lee Min Hyuk guy?"

Ji Eun fiddled with her chopsticks and gave her brother a kittenish smile. He is asking the obvious. "Oppa, I like him a lot. You wouldn't believe how much I really do."

He heaved a sigh seeing his sister pinking at the utterance of Min Hyuk's name. "Still, I don't trust this guy," he shook his head rapidly while picking up another scoop of ramen with his excellent chopstick skills. "He doesn't seem like the type who takes relationships seriously."

"You worry too much." Ji Eun huffed. She knew her brother loved her a lot, but sometimes he gets overbearing protective. "I really like him. He's kind and smart, and he makes my stomach feel like there's a rampant zoo in it." She gestured a sign to her stomach as evident. 

"All you have to do is help me tell him my feelings, okay? For your cute sister, please?" She emphasized the word cute in an attempt to woo her brother.

"Ugh, I'm annoyed," He rolled his eyes good-naturedly. "You always make me give in, don't you? Alright, I'll tell him." Chan Yeol pinched Ji-Eun's cheeks a little hard (secretly a revenge for making him talk to dudes he doesn't want to talk to), "for my cute little sister."

Ji Eun squinted at him. "You pinky promise?"

Chan Yeol scoffed at his sister's act. "Yah, how old are you? Six?"

"Ah, just do it!" 

"Min Hyuk-oppa," Ji Eun greeted him, feet tap tapping on the ground, and fingers twisting around each other in excitement. It would seem that Min Hyuk had wanted to talk to her personally the next day. "Did you ask for me?" She secretly wished Min Hyuk had asked her out to reply her confession.

Min Hyuk scratched his neck shyly. "Uh, I heard that you might have feelings for me," he lifted his head and eyed Ji Eun, her cheeks the same shade as his. "I mean, from your brother? Yeah, I heard it from him."

She was too shy to say anything. She didn't know how a love confession felt like, this was the first. She's at the shy age of sixteen, and she's never had experiences to understand what having butterflies in your stomach actually meant. Does blushing in front of person also signify love? She wasn't much sure. She looked at Min Hyuk, "uh, you don't have to reply now-"

"Actually," Min Hyuk interrupted her. "I kind of like you too? I've been concerned about you ever since I first saw you." He tried to get his words out correctly but ended up almost in a whisper. "I remember seeing you come to the basketball court looking for Chan Yeol sunbae-nim often. I-I like how you smile, it looks very pretty."

Her heart thumped again. She didn't know why her heart was beating rapidly, nor did she know why she was turning tomato. 

Oh god.

"Ji Eun-ssi," Min Hyuk continued, looking carefully at Ji Eun. "How does being my girlfriend sound like?"

"Oppa!"

Chan Yeol sputtered out the soda he was drinking, Lay ran off with a disgusted shriek to wash off the soda that managed to splatter on his arm.

Ji Eun's house was brimmed with twelve guys. All charming and muscular though, so she didn't really complain. They were all her brother's best friends and were all sprawled across the living room watching re-runs of a basketball match. They hollered when a player hooped the ball.

"What?" Chan Yeol whined, taking off his drenched shirt. Ji Eun covered her eyes and threw a shirt for her brother to put on. "Oh my god, MOM can you ask Ji Eun to stop annoying me when I'm with my friends?"

Ignoring her brother's attempt to shoo her away, Ji Eun squatted down next to her brother upon seeing him fully clothed. "Min Hyuk said he likes me too," she beamed at him. "He asked me out." Her smile slowly turned to a goofy one that nearly touched the edge of her eyes.

Chan Yeol looked at his sister, eyes wide and unblinking. "Oh." He wanted to curse that the confession should have failed but upon seeing his sister's smile, he put away the evil thoughts. "Damn, good going. My little sister has grown up, huh?" He ruffled her hair.

"Min Hyuk? Lee Min Hyuk?" Kris turned to face the Park siblings, pausing the match. The boys groaned at the interruption. "That ?"

"No," Se Hun replied, looking at Kris with a cheeky smirk. "That loser." He nudged Kris repeatedly and they started giggling. It's sometimes hard to believe that they were both six-foot giants, when they squeaked like girls.

"Yah," Ji Eun sent them a dirty glare. "Why are you guys being mean? He's really nice, okay? And to make things clear, he's my boyfriend now." At the mention of the word, boyfriend made her blush even harder though she wasn't sure what to address him yet.

Lu Han laughing unceremoniously, choking on his spit and punching at Kris next to him in joy. "Yes madam, he's your jerk now."

"Hey!" Ji Eun hit Lu Han's head with a couch pillow. "Don't you dare bad mouth him."

Lu Han whined, rubbing the back of his head. It better not leaves a bump. "Ouch. Where do you get all that strength in that four-foot body?" He faced Chan Yeol with a frown. "Dude, you sure she's your sister, or did your parents pick her up from the streets?" 

The boys burst into even boisterous laughter.

Chan Yeol chuckled and shrugged. "God knows, maybe from the dumpster."

"Hey!" Ji Eun picked the pillow and abused her brother repeatedly. "You're not helping."

They loved teasing her. Being Chan Yeol's only little sister made them want to look out for her and love her. They were really just a bunch of soft cheeseballs on the inside.

So that's how it began, dating the infamous school jock, Lee Min Hyuk. They both adored each other and were always pleasing nice to look at. It spurred some too, but a wide number loved how the two looked compatible with each other.

Which also spurred everyone to come up with a ship name for them-

the Ji-hyuk couple.

AUTHOR'S NOTE +

This chapter was previously named as "chapter one | the past" but I decided it was more of a prologue than a chapter so I changed yeah - don't get confused! Don't forget to vote and comment :)