Or did it?

Chan Yeol and Ji Yeon arrive in school

Ji Yeon’s section

“Good morning Noona”

“Oh, hey there Kai. Good morning.”

“… Noona… you’re not feeling well right?”

“Huh? What makes you say that? (smiles) I’m perfectly fine.”

“You’re not Noona. I’ve noticed that when you’re happy, you look outside the window like usual, except smiling. But when something’s bugging you, you sleep on your desk.”

“Wow, you’ve hit the bull’s-eye Kai. (-_-) Just how long have you been observing me?”

“Ahahaha (^_^) It’s not that I observed you on purpose, but because we’re seatmates I couldn’t help but notice your mannerisms and how you act. Now I see why Chan Yeol hyung is so amused with you (^_^). You have a variety of facial expressions, from when you’re bored to when you’re interested, Hahaha. ”

“(-_-) Amused huh?... Well, I can’t say that I’m not I’m amused with him either…”

“Say Noona…”

“…what’s wrong?”

…

“Well… are you going to the Exotic’s birthday party too?”

“Ah, the one in the ice cream shop? Yeah, we’re all going (^_^) If I remember correctly, Chan Yeol hyung is the birthday celebrant’s favorite.”

“(-_-)... weird... that’s great I guess, but I don’t know what she sees in that talkative puppy… he’s always barking and following me around… wagging his tail and smiling all the time… he’s more creepy than he is attractive…”

“Ahaha (^_^) Noona’s pissed off because someone likes Chan yeol hyung.”

“… Hmm… do you think so? Lately, ever since he kept talking about the Exotics I get an uncomfortable feeling... I can’t quite explain why it’s like that.”

“Aren’t you just jealous Noona?”

“Me? Jealous? Chan Yeol has always been with me, and it looks like it will continue to stay that way so I’m pretty sure I’m not jealous. Besides, bluntly speaking… I value him very much, but not in the romantic way. He’s been a best friend to me all these years, and I love him for that. But anything beyond friendship… I don’t think so. He’s not even my type (-_-), he’s more like the opposite.”

“Oh… That’s quite sad Noona... I thought maybe you started developing feelings for him by now. He’s been trying so hard too…”

“Trying so hard? At what?”

“(-_-) Noona are you serious? You don’t know?”

Just then, Baekhyun and Sehun arrive

“Hyung, Sehun! Good timing! (-_-) Tell Noona that Chan yeol hyung likes her as more than a friend.”

B: “It’s true Ji yeon (^_^)”

S: (Nods)

 “(-_-) Nice try guys, I’m not falling for a joke like that. It wasn’t even funny.”

…

S: (face palm)

K: “(-_-) See? You guys see the problem here?”

B: “Ahaha (^_^) Seems like a tough road ahead for Chan Yeol. But anyway, it’s not like it was ever easy to begin with.”

“Guys, please. I know that Chan Yeol takes care of me a lot, but that’s only because we’re so close now, that we’re almost siblings. So maybe the uneasiness I feel is that of having a brother who’s starting to date someone… how’s that theory Kai?”

“Noona (-_-), I told you you’re just jealous.”

“Or maybe this is the uncomfortable feeling when a pet dog suddenly stops playing with you because he’s busy playing with a new chew toy…”

B: “Kai, what is she talking about? (^_^)”

K: “Ask her yourself! (-_-) she’s a crazy woman… aish (-_-) Why couldn’t Chan yeol hyung choose someone who had eyes?”

B: (^_^) Ahahaha. Poor Chan Yeol. Any ideas of what to do Sehun?”

S: (shrugs shoulders)… (I think Chan Yeol hyung has done just about everything) (-_-)

Chan Yeol’s section

Suho: “Chan Yeol, what’s wrong? Aren’t you excited about ice cream?”

“Well… I would be… if Ji Yeon was coming with us…”

D.O.: “She’s not coming? Why? She loves to eat.”

“I… don’t know… She didn’t want to tell me…”

S: “Oh… then maybe it’s not that important (^_^). After all, she shares to you everything that matters, right? From when she’s annoyed to when she’s completely irritated, she has always told you. So maybe, this just wasn’t something important enough to talk about (^_^)”

“I don’t know hyung... it seemed pretty important to me…”

D: “One thing’s for sure, you hid your emotions pretty well. Just before you two separated sections a while ago, you were smiling at her like usual. But as soon you sat down, there was an aura of gloom around you. I guess that smile of yours really is useful (^_^)”

“Yeah… but everything has its limits… if I start to smile less and less, (-_-) you know who to blame.”

S: (pats Chan Yeol’s shoulder) “Don’t worry about it too much. You’ve been beside Ji Yeon all these years, and understood her the best among all of us. You have that one special place no one else can take (^_^)”

“I know… I know I should be happy… but I feel that if I don't tug at her heart, someone else will… and I've been trying long and hard for around 4 years now... with not much improvement”

As class began, Ji Yeon was acting normal but Kai could sense that something just wasn’t right… There was loneliness somewhere in Ji yeon’s face. She’s trying to hide it, but since he’s her seatmate this isn’t something new to him. When class got boring or when Ji Yeon didn’t like her results on a test, she could express her feelings silently; acting normal but deep inside she was bothered by something. She keeps bottled up the whole day and waits until dismissal to tell Chan yeol everything. Today was one of those times again. Except this was something she couldn’t tell Chan Yeol, because she didn’t even know why she was uneasy herself. Kai felt he had to do something about it. Somehow… this was similar to how he and the guys were before...

Dismissal

“Baekhyun hyung, Sehun, (bows) I’m sorry but I can’t attend the birthday party today. Please apologize to the celebrant on my behalf. I’ll make it up to her tomorrow by treating her to lunch.”

B: “It’s fine Kai (^_^) I’m sure she won’t be too upset. And even better, she’ll get a treat from you tomorrow. But what’s up? There’s something you have to do?”

“Noona can’t walk home with Chan Yeol hyung today. So I’ll her.”

Baekhyun and Sehun got surprised and looked at each other

B: “Wow. That’s really nice of you. But don’t you think… Chan Yeol would get jealous of you? You do know that his morning walks and home walks with Ji Yeon are 2 of his most cherished moments with her ever since they got into different sections. To be alone with Ji Yeon for a walk home… he won’t like it that much because he’ll think that you’re taking his place.”

S: (nods)

“I know… that’s why please keep this a secret from him, because I’m sure he won’t attend the party if he finds out Ji yeon walks with some other guy home. (-_-) It wouldn’t be a problem if I were a girl, but since I’m a guy he’ll get jealous.”

B: “I see… Why doesn’t he just unattend the party so that he can be the one to bring her home?”

“He’s the birthday celebrant’s favorite. He’s pretty much the highlight of the whole surprise. It’s not much if I don’t attend, but it’s something else if Chan Yeol hyung doesn’t go; it will be too disappointing.

B: “… I guess you’re right. If he wasn’t the favorite, it would’ve been ok for him not to attend. But since he is, we’ll just leave Ji yeon to you for today Kai. (^_^) Please cheer her up for us.”

“I will. And don’t worry; I don’t like Noona. It’s just that she’s lonely; even if she doesn’t say so, I know she is… we all know that feeling more than anyone. It would be alright if she could tell Chan Yeol hyung on their usual walks home, but hyung won’t be around today plus this is something she can't really explain herself (-_-). So for now, someone has to be there. Noona has to learn to tell other people too and trust in God more. Also (-_-) if she just accepted the fact that she’s jealous of the Exotics we wouldn’t have to be worrying about her like this. Well, I’m off. See you guys tomorrow, maybe by then Noona can explain herself to you too.”

Kai leaves

S: “…hyung…”

B: “What is it Sehun?”

S: “… This has trouble written all over it…”

B: “ (sigh) … I get what you mean… I don’t really like the fact that Kai is sending her home in secret, but we can’t just leave her alone either.  You know how it was like for us before... we too once needed someone to talk to, and now look at us; we're closer than ever... So I don't think it's bad of Kai to go and help Ji yeonie for a bit. Well in any case, if we let Chan Yeol know about it, no doubt he’ll immediately leave the party and run after Ji Yeon… let’s just pray to God about it. I’m sure he’ll find a way to work things out. But Sehun, just be prepared for what’s to come (^_^) haha. I feel like we'll have to retell our stories soon. I feel that Kai will be telling his today.”

S: "... No kidding..."