UPDATE

• Do note that I have changed the stage names from their real names.

               *Sang Hyun=Thunder

• Also, I changed Taemin from a red-head to a blonde.

Soojung has known Taemin for three months. In the span of those days, they have been friends, enemies and acquaintances. She has cried, smiled, talked, raged, scowled, and laughed with him. For someone who she only had met, they became close. Soojung isn’t the type to associate with unfamiliar people but it seems that Taemin was becoming an exception. So one day, she tells him:

“I don’t really know much about you.” She twirls a loop of hair around her finger, abandoning her studies all together. Pens, papers, books scatter her share of the coffee table but she hardly gives regard. Instead, her focus is on Taemin. She plans to uncover the mystery surrounding Taemin.

“Could say the same thing about you.”

“Uh,” she rolls his eyes and sips his mango juice. He doesn’t mind her finishing his drink. Usually, he will go on complaining about his precious mangoes but he doesn’t want to disturb the peace of the late afternoon. “No. You know a lot about me. You know my house and my sister and my school… Need I go on?”

Taemin shakes his head with a smile, closing his notebook and keeping it away. The small chime in the door has been ringing consistently and that means more people coming in, chatting and laughing. There’s no use studying if he can’t concentrate. Besides, Soojung was practically craving for his attention. He snickered at the thought. If she found out he was implying that she was his (for the lack of a better word) , he would have a beating later. Right now however, as she narrowed her eyes at his sneering, his beating later would become now. “Whatever. What do you want to know? Ask away.”

Soojung’s eyes beam and sparkle. She perks up and leans in, her mind wiring to form questions. She has this look of a child getting answers of her million questions. “Well for starters, where do you live?”

“You’re not very subtle at stalking are you?”

Soojung purses her lip, not finding his insinuation funny. “You wish.”

“I do~” Taemin laughs.

Soojung doesn’t. Her brows draw in the middle and her voice becomes strained. “You’re not answering the question, Taemin.”

He mumbles something under his breath. “I live nearby. I’ll even bring you around some time if you want.” He wiggles his brows, innuendo and all. Soojung merely snorts and waves his allusion away with a roll of eyes.

“You should be serious sometimes…” Despite her claim, she isn’t really sure if she wants Taemin to be serious. It will be hard for her to adjust to his hidden behavior if he does have one. Then again, what was the point of trying to know Taemin better if she would not accept all of him? He had accepted what she was so why couldn’t she?

“Then I’d be like you,” he points out and with a hint of mischief written on his eyes, he adds, “and that would be too boring.”

Soojung gasps. She tries to swat him but he evades quickly. “And what does that mean?”

“It means that I’m a fun person.”

“Whatever.” Soojung continues on with her interrogation. “How many are you in the family?”

Taemin sighs and places his head on his hands, shaking. She doesn’t see the frown on his lips. “You’re quite a something, Jung Soojung.”

“What?”

“Nothing. Just your imagination.” Taemin grins but there’s something very wrong about it, Soojung thinks, she doesn’t know what though, so she ignores it. “Just my mom and me.”

She frowns, pouting. He raises a brow. She clicks her tongue. “That’s strange. I’ve always thought you were a part of a big family.”

Taemin just shrugs. “Anyway, quit your asking. It’s getting annoying.”

“How are my questions annoying? It’s like the standard questions when you want get to know someone.” Soojung points out. “Besides, they aren’t even hard.”

“I’m not ready yet.”

“What? Ready for what?”

A smirk is playing on Taemin’s lips. Soojung belatedly realizes that he was going to pull some kind of pun again. “To meet your sister. Isn’t it what this is about?”

She proceeds on throwing sticks of fries at him.

Jinri likes spending time with Soojung. Although everyone thinks of Soojung badly, she thinks they just don’t know her better for them to better. Soojung is soft and gentle even when she denies it. Her movements are fluid and graceful and her beauty is incomparable. Her heart is as big as the blue sky that expands to all sides. She may act cold and distant but Jinri knows that it’s just that—an act. Soojung is just cautious and careful and she thinks it’s admirable. While she is everything Jinri has ever wanted to be, Soojung is too wary of her. She thinks she can’t be trusted—that Jinri, the perfect girl everyone loves, will steal every boy Soojung will ever associate with. That’s always been the case anyway.

Jinri can’t help it though. It’s not like she wants hoards of boys following her. All Jinri wants after all is Soojung’s friendship.

“Soojung!”

Soojung turns to find Sang Hyun running towards her. She frowns, noticing him wearing the tennis uniform he wears during practice. It’s raining. “What’s the matter? And why are you wearing your practice uniform? Wasn’t the practice cancelled?”

Sang Hyun smiles shyly. “Ah yeah, I got the memo late. Are you going home?”

Soojung resumes on walking but not before noticing the tips of Sang Hyun’s hair curling. She smiles at that. “Yeah. I’ll probably drop by a bookstore though.”

Sang Hyun walks with her. “I see.”

The walk is quiet. Soojung and Sang Hyun’s friendship has always been like this. Subtleness envelops their friendship like a bud on its way into becoming a beautiful flower. There is a silent understanding between them. Soojung likes it that way. She’s not one to talk and neither is Sang Hyun. Often, they go on tennis training or lunch with Jinri without actually talking. Just the hushed company of each other gives them comfort.

Today is no different. While the rain falls, they go peacefully. Soojung almost hums. She does. Sang Hyun notices, and usually he would ignore her, but something’s very different with Soojung lately. She seems to be smiling now. Physically, nothing has changed. But she’s radiant. She has become more beautiful. Also, Soojung hates it when it rains.

“You seem happy.”

Soojung shrugs, a smile playing on her lips. “Not particularly.”

Sang Hyun hums his reply. He turns his head to her. He notices it. He stops. He hears ringing of chimes and smells freshly baked bread. “That’s weird.”

Soojung doesn’t know he has stopped at first. When they are four feet apart, she pauses and angles towards him. “What?”

Sang Hyun tilts his head and clucks his tongue. “You hate the color green.” He gestures at her umbrella. She looks up to it, twirling. He doesn’t miss the way her cheeks flush lightly.

“I still do.” And when Soojung answers, Sang Hyun knows it is a lie. Sang Hyun knows the way her smile broadens and her eyes become timid as if she is telling a secret.

In front of a bakery, the rain is ceasing.

This is where and when their friendship starts to crumble.

NOTE

Hi updated really fast aren't u guys proud of meeeeeee?

Anyway this is a really short update but it is one of the most important chapters in the story.

This is the turning point of several characters and their developments in relation to Krystal and her relationships.

Also I love you guys because you seem to like this story and don't worry I like this story as well so I won't abandon this and wow look at all the grammatical errors i'm committing but welp i dun a

BTW I NOW WORK AT A KOREAN COMPANY WHICH REQUIRES ME TO BE AT THE OFFICE AT 5AM LIKE WGAT IS THAT RIGHT BUT THE KOREAN MANAGERS ARE NICE AND I GET TO TALK TO KOREANS EVERYDAY SO YES I NEED MAH SLEEP

BAI

ENJOY

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