“Noona …” Sehun looked at the girl seated across from him on the table in the bubble tea shop they were currently in. The girl with long, dark locks and deep, big, brown eyes that never fail to make his heart beat irregularly looked into his own “Hmm?”. Keeping his straight face despite his racing heart, like he had done countless times now, he leaned back on the chair and continued what he was saying “… do you really plan on NOT telling Luhan hyung? It’s been forever, really”

At that, the girl blushed and looked down “T-that’s none of your business, Sehun … I-I’ll handle that myself” she mumbled. “Psh …” Sehun scoffed “You’ve been saying that exact same sentence for the past, what, 10 years? And where has it gotten you? Nowhere.” He stated, matter-of-factly.

“Geez. Just leave me alone. I wouldn’t have told you about that 10 years ago if I had known you’d nag me about it every day since then” she pouted. “Uhh … Correction” Sehun raised a finger “you DIDN’T tell me, Noona … I found out on my own” he smirked, making her flinch and shrink in her seat, embarrassed. “Well, ANYONE would have figured it out since you’re blaringly obvious.” He rolled his eyes “Then again, Luhan hyung is the most clueless dense-boat on the planet so … ” he sighed.

Soojung frowned deeper “I said just leave it alone, Oh Sehun …”

The younger guy was about to say something else but was cut off when Luhan came with their drinks and the same cheerful smile on his face.  “Sorry to keep you waiting, my lovely dongsaeng-deul” he sat down and distributed the drinks: taro bubble tea for Sehun and himself and chocolate cereal milk for Soojung.

Sehun and Soojung poised themselves and smiled back at Luhan as if the earlier conversation never happened; something these two have perfected over the years.

“So, Sehunnie … want us to give you a tour of the campus?” Luhan asked, sipping on his drink. “I’d like that, Hyung …” Sehun replied with an eye smile. “Uwaaa … seriously, it’s hard to believe that my cute, baby cousin is now in COLLEGE!” the eldest wiped a fake tear off “… how could you grow up so fast? huhuhu”. “Aish! You’re being too dramatic, oppa!” Soojung threw a spare straw at Luhan.

Sehun smiled as he watched his favorite Hyung and Noona laugh together. He was happy to be together with them like old times. One year away from them while he stayed in high school made him miss them so much. Especially …

…

Her.

Sehun couldn’t remember when he started liking Soojung. He just woke up one day to realize that he did.  

He had always thought of her as a beautiful girl. He thought she was beautiful when she got made up and dressed up for prom back in high school and still thought she was beautiful when she wore her favorite pink cotton pajamas and tied her hair into a messy bun on top of her head. Yes, to him, Soojung was beautiful no matter what.

He liked how her lips and eyes curled upwards when she smiled. He liked how her laugh would always ring in his ears like the sweetest music. He liked how she would pout and frown whenever she couldn’t get what she wanted. He liked how she would complain about the smallest and most random of things. He liked how her eyes would sparkle whenever she talked about a good book she read or a good movie or drama she watched. And he liked how her eyes would stare deep into his whenever they talked.

He realized, at some point, that he stopped wanting to be with her just as a younger friend but as a man. He wanted to monopolize her in a way that only HE could receive her sweetest smiles, her happiest laughs, her biggest complaints, her best stories, her saddest tears, her angriest blows and her greatest love.

He liked her.

He loved her.

But he would never let her know.

Why?

Because she liked someone else.

She liked Luhan.
Luhan, his beloved cousin who had always treated him as a real brother.
Luhan, the hyung he looked up to the most out of anyone in the world.
Luhan, the goofy and dorky guy who never failed to make him smile even when he didn’t feel like it.
Luhan, the lucky idiot who can’t even see that Soojung had been vying for his affections for the longest time.

Sehun could never compete against Luhan. He wouldn’t.

So instead, he always had to hide his feelings from both of them. He would put on his usual poker face and act as if it wasn’t affecting him how Soojung would unconsciously give Luhan more attention than him.

Just like now.

“Ehem! Will you two elders stop acting like children and finish your drinks? Geez! You guys are embarrassing me on my first day!” Sehun