ex·change

Give something and receive something of the same kind in return.

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August 10 (Friday)

Kyung Mi nearly tumbled out of bed when she was trying to switch off her alarm clock. It showed nine in the morning. Kyung Mi smiled and remembered that she was to go to Gongchan's place today. Well — he didn't specify what time and how confirmed it was, so she sent him a text message. 

"Gongchan!" stated her text. "I think I'll be at your place about half past ten. Try to think of something fun to do by then? It's our last free day." She ended the text message with a cheeky emoticon.

Kyung Mi proceeded to go and shower; and by the time she was done she had a text reply from Gongchan. 

"Come along," stated the reply. "I might not be able to accompany you until later, but you don't need to feel worried. My house will be entertaining enough for you. Just don't break things, Kyung Mi." His message ended with a beaming emoticon. Kyung Mi laughed. She agreed that it would be fun for her to go over to his house since she didn't do that often. Gongchan explained that the distance between their households were a considerable amount and he would rather be the one walking to her house than the other way round.

So, that was one of the many reasons why Gongchan was close to her family. He came over really, really often. Kyung Mi proceeded to eat her breakfast, picking up a casual chat with her mother and father; her sister Min Jae already busy studying in her room. Kyung Mi sighed slightly at the thought of it. 

"I hope I wouldn't be cooped up in my room next year then," mused Kyung Mi silently. Sometimes it was just so easy to forget that the both of them were only a year apart.

After breakfast, Kyung Mi began her journey to Gongchan's house. He said that he always took roughly fifteen minutes from his place to hers, but it probably differed for Kyung Mi. She wasn't there often. She probably went to his place less than ten times in her whole life. She did hope she wouldn't get lost on the way as it would seem so ridiculous. Chuckling quietly to herself, she skipped in her steps, always thinking of the test. Euphoria was a vast theme that was full of possibilities. Such an ambiguity.

Kyung Mi pondered as she journeyed by a park full of people, a distinctive coffee shop and other respective places. 

"Maybe his house will give me some sort of inspiration," thought Kyung Mi hopefully. She scrunched up her face a little though when she accidentally stepped on some leftover food on the ground. How careless and wasteful. Picking up the object to dispose of it, Kyung Mi was glad at least it wasn't some shard of glass. That would hurt innocent kids.

Finally arriving at Gongchan's supposed housing area, she meekly rang one of the houses' doorbell. No one seemed to reply her when a voice spoke. It was Gongchan's. 

"Kyung Mi! Well, uh, it better be you because if it isn't you, it wouldn't be a good thing to say that actually my house gate is unlocked so you can just walk right in..." The automated message ended with a crackle. Kyung Mi shook her head as she smiled. Silly guy. He could have just sent her a text message about it, couldn't he?

Anyway, Kyung Mi entered the house and placed aside her feelings of being a foreigner in the house. She blinked hard upon entering. It seemed like the house had been repainted recently since the tone looked darker now. It definitely complemented the furniture, at any rate. 

"I wonder if Mr Gong is around," pondered Kyung Mi. "I haven't spoken to him in a while now." Like her father, Gongchan's father wasn't around often either because of his work. She then decided to do some exploring.

It has been a few months since Kyung Mi's last visit. Pacing slowly along the living and dining room, they had decided to remodel their kitchen and hang pictures on the wall. She smiled fondly when she saw a picture of Gongchan and his parents. He looked like he was around a mere age of five or six only. 

"You were cute," chuckled Kyung Mi to herself. There were a few more pictures around the place, varying from just food, family times, and inspirational quotes when the sight of something caught her breath. Kyung Mi walked towards the picture that had caught her eye.

It was not placed in the most obvious spot, but it wasn't exactly hidden. Kyung Mi gingerly touched the surface of the framed painting and was nearly brought to immediate tears. It was one of her earliest paintings and she had given it to Gongchan just because he had jokingly asked for it when she wanted to throw it away instead. 

"To think that he actually framed it," she barely whispered. She stared at it for a bit, numb even. Did his father approve of this painting being placed around the house? It was a little odd after all, among the collection of food and quote pictures. Even so, she was touched by his indirect gesture.

She ambled around the house — not going upstairs because that was disturbing people's privacy — when she saw a guitar case lying near an indoor bench. Kyung Mi was interested in it almost instantaneously. 

"Since when did Gongchan try to play the guitar?" laughed Kyung Mi in an amused tone. She carefully opened the guitar case and brought it out. The guitar was just an ordinary one, not having any features that would make it stand out. Kyung Mi looked around for a guitar pick but her search was a zilch.

"It's not like I can play anyway," thought Kyung Mi as she began aimlessly strumming on the guitar; carefully not to snap the strings. Kyung Mi was not aware of another's presence until the said person approached her from behind. He casually sat beside her and placed his arm around her waist so that he could reach the neck of the guitar. Chuckling slightly, he looked at Kyung Mi in a lazy drawl. 

"That's not how you do it, Kyung Mi," remarked Gongchan as he then began strumming on the guitar. Kyung Mi flushed, also feeling indignant since it seemed like her friend wasn't doing all that well either on the guitar.

“… Can you actually play the guitar?" asked Kyung Mi doubtfully. Gongchan had a good laugh at that remark. 

"Nope," answered Gongchan quite cheerfully. Kyung Mi gasped. 

"Then why are you even pretending to be skilled at it!" exclaimed Kyung Mi. "And whose guitar does this belong to anyway?" Gongchan's head tilted imperceptibly at that query. 

"Hmm, my father's," replied Gongchan. Kyung Mi's eyes widened. "Then why are we even messing with it—" said Kyung Mi when Gongchan interrupted her. 

"As long as we don't break it," mused Gongchan.

Kyung Mi didn't know how long they were like that. The hours at Gongchan's house was a blur as they did several silly things, made fun of each other and even had a tickle fight that Gongchan's father accidentally witnessed. 

"Oh, Mr Gong," Kyung Mi had said sheepishly. The son had also given a rather sheepish greeting. 

"What a sight," was all Gongchan's father responded and he went up to his quarters. Well, at least they had already kept his guitar properly.

Kyung Mi and Gongchan laughed tiredly as they lay down on the floor. 

"I don't know how would I have reacted if you did take guitar classes without notifying me at all," said Kyung Mi randomly, poking Gongchan's cheek. The male rolled his eyes and then smiled. 

"I don't keep my secrets from you, Kyung Mi," murmured Gongchan. "We won't let secrets come between us, right? We know each other so well anyway so any attempted secret would be futile." She smiled sparingly, and Gongchan took it as her recognition towards the spoken promise.

Watching him close his eyes for a while due to mild fatigue, the smile Kyung Mi wore on her face eventually faltered. 

"But that's where you're wrong, Gongchan," thought Kyung Mi quietly. "You don't know the fact that I like you."