February 12, 2014

Class was about to start soon. Some students were still fooling around the hallways, while others headed towards their lockers to retrieve their books to go to class soon. As the large hand on the clock soon approached 12, the front entrance doors burst open loudly with two students panting from running. Almost all students' attention diverted towards the door. Many looked at those two students as if they were well-known celebrities. This isn't entirely wrong though. The two students who almost came in late were Kai and Woo Ji Eun.

    "I told you we should have left early! We were almost late AGAIN!" said Kai.

    "Hey, it's not my fault you take over 10 minutes to shower!" Ji Eun eyed Kai. "We had more than enough time to come back; you were just too darn slow! I'm not giving up soccer time for you to fix your hair."

    "Ji Eun, I swear, you're sometimes too obsessed with soccer. I don't even know how you manage to look so presentable in such short time. It's not like you didn't break a sweat at practice; you gave it your all." Kai said shaking his head at how crazy this girl was when it came to her favorite sport.

    "That's simple; I don't look at myself in the mirror so long. You really should stop that bad habit of yours you narcissist. One day or another, you'll be late for something important because of that," she stuck her tongue out to .

The two of them didn't really seem to notice the numerous pairs of staring and admiring eyes. This was their everyday routine. Kai and Ji Eun would come to school early and use the soccer field to practice. It was always the two of them, since many students were too lazy in the morning to practice. Because of Ji Eun, both of them always had to sprint back to school before the teachers locked the doors. What can we say? Ji Eun is very passionate about soccer. It was practically her life, so when she starts playing, she tends to lose track of time, leaving not much time to shower and change back into the school uniform. Kai always complained, but she never changed her habits.

    "Oh my god! It's them!" a girl squeaked like a fan-girl.

    "It's the soccer king and queen…" a guy admired them.

    "Kai oppa! Can I shake your hand please?" another one yelled.

    "Jong In hoobae, do you want to eat lunch with us later?" a senior male student asked.

    "Ji Eun unnie, my friends and I would really like you to come shopping with us later!"

Kai and Ji Eun weren't disrespectful people. They simply smiled awkwardly at their crowd of fans while declining their requests. Even though they did not accept any lunch invitations or such, the people who asked were still beaming with a wide smile on their faces due to the fact that they managed to attract the king and queen's attention.

"Later Kai." Ji Eun said to him. He waved and they headed their separate ways towards their respective classrooms. It's so sad sometimes when your best friend is not in the same class as you, but Ji Eun didn't really mind that. She was so used to being alone since she was young; it got incorporated into her personality as she grew. Her parents always flew around the world, so she became an independent girl at a really early age. She never really made an effort to make friends. How does Kai enter the picture? He's simply her next door neighbor. As many years passed by, they became really close and they are now best friends.

Ji Eun sat in her seat and rested her head on her arms. Her classmates used to approach her to befriend her, but after several tries and failed results, they understood she's not interested, so nobody really bothers her in class anymore. They don't hate her, they just respect what she wants. The teacher walked into the classroom and the noise immediately turned into very low whispers.

    "We'll start the exam right after the principle makes the announcements of the day," she said. Right on cue, a voice blasted out of the classroom's installed speakers.

    "Hello all students. The principle isn't present today, so I will be the one making the announcements!" the activity planner of the school said with a dynamic voice. "As many of you may have noticed, Valentine's Day is approaching really quickly. This year, the school's annual tradition still continues: send cards, roses, chocolates, and cookies to your special someone. For the new students who have never heard of this tradition, every year at SM high, boys and girls send each other these small gifts to show their affection towards each other. For the young men who want to confess, most guys send a card, a rose or chocolates. As for the brave young ladies who want to confess, we don't exactly follow the Valentine's Day and White Day traditions. You can send a card and cookies to your crush too if you want! Place your orders at lunch time in classroom 6A and the gifts will be distributed on the 14th during the last class of the day. That is all for today. Thank you."

Girls were squealing excitedly. Guys tried to act like it was nothing special, but on the inside, some were trying to think of nice things to write for their girlfriends, or to their crush.

    "I wonder if Luhan oppa will accept my confession letter…" a girl said nervously.

    "I don't know, but you should definitely send it! Me, I'll be send cookies, and a card to Kris oppa!" another girl said excitedly.

    "Dude, don't forget to buy Yoona roses this year. She got pretty mad at you last year for forgetting." a guy warned his friend.

    "I know, I know. I remember this year." he said, while brainstorming in his head Valentine ideas and plans.

The popular soccer queen, Ji Eun, must be excited too right? She must have a boyfriend.Wrong. She is still single, and instead of feeling squealing excitement, she is feeling total annoyance instead. She was trying to block out all the things her classmates are saying. Excitement about Valentine's Day is roaming throughout the classroom, and she is trying really hard not to yell at someone.

    "Arg…" she thought. "This day comes quicker and quicker by the year. This is pure torture! Why make such a big deal out of this stupid day?"

    "Class," the teacher tried to calm her students down. "Quiet down. You have till lunch time to finish this exam, and I warn you, this isn't an easy one. For some of you, every single minute will be as precious as gold."

Finally, the students started to calm down, and Ji Eun can finally sigh in relief. "Thank God we have an exam, or else these people might not even shut up!" she thought. To Ji Eun, the exam wasn't hard at all, so she was pretty much done an hour before lunch time. As she doubled checked her answer, she swore she saw girls smiling and giggling as quietly as they could to themselves. "Either they really love math, or they have gone completely mad from the V-day syndrome. Oh my God… Even Haneul, one of the brightest people here is daydreaming during an exam," she thought while shaking her head disappointedly at her classmates' behavior.

Since Ji Eun was done, she got up and handed the teacher her exam.

    "You may leave the classroom if you wish. I don't have any work to assign… Most students finish this right on the three hour mark. Go to the library or the computer lab; you can do some school work from your other classes," the teacher said.

Ji Eun didn't have any other work to do, so instead of going to those places, she decided to head over to the school's roof top to take some fresh air and relax. She may be a very smart girl, but that exam still used a lot of her energy. She went to her locker, grabbed her jacket, her phone and earphones, and walked over to the stairs leading to the roof. It was slightly snowing outside, so Ji Eun sat down on the dry concrete ground under a canopy-like thing. She put the hood from her jacket over her head. After selecting her playlist, she puts on her gloves, closed her eyes and relaxed as the music started playing, while breathing fresh winter air.

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In the meantime, Kai was stuck in English class. At least all of Exo shared this class with him. The teacher wasn't here, so it was a free period.

    "So Jong In, are you doing anything on the 14th? Any special plans for a special girl?" D.O. .

    "Are you seriously asking me this question?" he grimaced at his friend.

    "I was just checking if you changed this year," D.O. laughed.

    "Since we're all single guys, how about we just spend the night watching movies and eat junk food?" Chen suggested.

    "Dude, that makes our lives seem so sad… We do this every year, but sure, why not? It's better than being completely alone." Baekhyun said.

    "This year, I won’t be joining you guys. I might have a date." Kris said.

    "Might? Why?" Tao asked curiously.

    "I'm going to ask Mi Sun out later. I'm sure she'll say yes." Kris said confidently.

    "As for me, I'm going out with my girlfriend that night. This is going to be our first Valentine's Day together!" Luhan proudly. "I'm going to make this epic, and be the best boyfriend ever. Do you guys happen to know a fancy, but not too pricey restaurant that's good?"

    "There's a restaurant close-by my dad's café that isn't too bad, and it looks really fancy schmancy. My dad's friend owns it, so if you want to make a dinner reservation there, tell him you know Park Chanyeol and his family. He's a nice guy; I'm sure he'll give you a discount." said the proud son of a café owner.

    "That's not a half bad idea… Write me down the number, and I'll call later." Luhan handed him a pen and a piece of paper.

    "How about I just bring you there later after school? It'll be so much simpler." Chanyeol said.

    "Cool, thanks man," Luhan smiled. 

    "Luhan, you really should let the girls in the school know you have a girlfriend. There are a bunch of girls who like you, and want to buy you Valentine gifts," Lay said. 

    "Let's see… I ordered the bouquet," Luhan started talking to himself, completely ignoring whatever Lay said. "I already bought the box of chocolates; I got the teddy bear too…. Maybe I should—"

    "Shut up already!" Kai exclaimed. "And you guys too! Is Valentine's Day the only thing you can talk about now? Valentine's Day this, Valentine's Day that. You’re really annoying the hell out of me!"

Well that outburst sure did the trick. Luhan pretended to zip up his mouth as if it had a zipper and remained quiet.

    "Don't mind him, he's always been like this. Even back in elementary school, he's always a grumpy guy near Valentine's Day. Don't take it to heart," Suho explained.

    "He's always kind of heartless around this time of the year." Baekhyun joked, and shrugging as if this outburst was no big deal. It's not entirely wrong, Kai always acts this way every year.  

    "Yeah, don't mind him hyung!" Sehun said. "And I'm sure he's just pissed off because we're being too loud; he needs quietness to think of what to do with Ji Eun that day!"

Kai shot him a glare.

    "What?" Sehun said innocently and raised his hands defensively. "Aren't you going to confess to Ji Eun or ask her out? Don't you like her?"

    "For the last time," Kai let out a sigh. "Ji Eun is just my best friend; there's nothing more between us. So stop asking me every year if I'm going to confess to her. It's getting really annoying."

    "Sure thing hyung…" Sehun said. As soon and Kai turned his back to him, he rolled his eyes. "Someone is in denial!" he said not too loudly, but many members of Exo heard it, and started laughing.

When Kai left the classroom to use the washroom, his friends started another conversation.

    "I'm sure something will happen this year to this Valentine's Day hater." Xiumin said confidently.

    "Nah, I think you're wrong. Nothing can melt that guy's icy heart." D.O. said and a few nodded in agreement.

    "How about we make a little bet?" Kris suggested. "20 000 wons each. The ones who guessed right will share the money the losers give."

In the end, all eleven of them grabbed their wallets and put out their money. Suho, Kris, Chanyeol, Baekhyun, Luhan, and Tao bet that nothing will happen on Valentine's Day, while Xiumin, Sehun, Lay, D.O. and Chen bet against the opposite.

    "What are you guys doing?" Kai approached his friends, startling them.

    "Eh… nothing," the boys said the same time, making them even more suspicious than before. Luckily, the bell signaling lunch saved their butts.

    "Anyways…" he eyed his friends weirdly, "I'm going to eat lunch with Ji Eun. Later."

Kai walked down the busy hallways towards Ji Eun's class. From the door's little window, he noticed that her classmates had just finished their exam, and Ji Eun is nowhere to be seen in the classroom though. The doorknob suddenly twisted, startling Kai.

    "Oh, Kai sunbae," a female student looked at him in surprise. "If you’re looking for Ji Eun, she left an hour ago."

    "Oh I see, thanks Hana," Kai flashed her a friendly smile, making the girl feeling weak in her knees. The king remembered her name! 

Knowing Ji Eun, she should be on the school's rooftop. Kai went to the cafeteria and bought two sandwiches, and headed towards the stairs leading to the roof. "Damn… Is this girl crazy being in the cold like this?" Kai thought as he spots Ji Eun under the canopy. Her eyes were closed and she had her earphones on. He tiptoed towards and made a small snowball with his free hand. "This will be a fun way to wake her up…" he thought.

    "Throw that snowball at me, and let’s see what happens. I'll make sure to kick the soccer ball in your face next time we practice." Ji Eun's eyes shot open making Kai's jaw drop.

    "How did you even know it's me?!" he asked, taken aback from her reaction.

    "Nobody else comes bother me when I'm here. You're the only one," she said, while yawning and stretching her arms. "I am also a very light sleeper. And, even with my earphones on, I still have ears like a bat."

    "Well I can definitely scratch off startling you off the list," Kai mumbled. "Anyways, here's your lunch." He threw her one of his sandwiches.

    "Thanks man. I'll treat you next time," Ji Eun smiled and took a bite. "Why aren't you with your friends today?"

    "Oh don't get me started! They wouldn't shut up about Valentine's Day. If I eat lunch with them today, one of them is going to end up in the hospital."

    "How do you know I won't rant on and on about my V-day plans?" Ji Eun teased.

    "Please, you're most likely the queen of Valentine's Day haters," Kai rolled his eyes.

    "You know me so well."

    "Oh yeah I almost forgot to ask, do you want to come over to my place to watch a Premier League match?" he asked.

    "It depends… Which team vs which team?"

    "My favorite team vs Arsenal." Kai said.

    "You're still rooting for that team? Manchester United !" Ji Eun laughed.

    "No they don't! Chelsea !" Kai argued back. Chelsea was Ji Eun's favorite soccer team.

   "Oh really? Last time I checked, Chelsea is ranked first place, while your Manchester United is 7th place. Oh and, a few weeks ago, didn't your team get owned by mine? You lost 3 to 1. Losers! Who's the one that now?" Ji Eun stuck her tongue out. Kai was lost at words, so he decided the throw a snowball at his friend, instead of counter-arguing the truth she mentioned. She wipped the snow that hit her in the nose, and grabbed a fist-full of snow of her own. Luckily she had gloves.

   "So it's a war you want right…" she smiled evilly.

Chaos broke free on the roof. Snowballs were flying from one end to the other. After twenty minutes of snowball fight, the two friends sat down on the dry ground under the canopy and started laughing their silliness.

   "I sometimes even wonder if you're really older than me," said Ji Eun.

   "Oh shut up, you had as much fun as I did," said Kai, who still can’t stop laughing. "Are you planning to stay here for the rest of the lunch time? You're been here for over an hour and a half already. Aren’t you cold?"

   "Nah, I'm fine," Ji Eun assured him. "It's better than being downstairs. Heart shaped decorations, the rose ordering classroom… Urg… Disgusting."

   "Good enough reason for me, I'll keep you company, but…" Kai said and took off his scarf and wrapped it around Ji Eun's neck. "Wear this though; you'll catch a cold."

   "Oh thanks. I may be younger than you, but you don't need to baby me."

   "Hey! I'm just being caring here! If you're sick, who's going to practice soccer with me?!" Kai exclaimed. "So are you coming to my place later?"

   "Sure, why not? I got nothing else to do anyways." Ji Eun shrugged.

   "Cool. And for your information, I'm positive my team will be able to rise back up to the top," Kai smirked.

   "Sure, sure, whatever you say," she said while rolling her eyes.

The bell signaling the start of class rang, and the two best friends reluctantly got up and went to their respective classes. 

Hello! Last minute change of plans, instead of being a one shot, this is going to be a short story. I'm announcing right now that there will be 4 chapters only. It seems nicer when it's organized this way. It may not be 2/14 in certain countries, but it still is here XD This chapter basically introduces the relationship that Ji Eun and Kai has. I hope you guys didn't find it too boring! Anyways, there will be another update tomorrow! 

Please comment, subscribe, and upvote (if you think the story is worthy enough to do so)! 

-ellemoo :)