"Hey!" Daehyun called from the other end of the school cafeteria. I waved him over, seeing him look shyly at the other boys. 
    "Hey, Daehyun. Here, you can sit next to me." I said, patting the chair next to me. I shoved Jong Up's science homework gently to the side, making room for Daehyun's tray. 
    "You probably know everyone, but this is Jong Up, Zelo, Youngjae and Himchan. Everyone, this is Daehyun. Himchan, be nice." I warned, making Himchan nod sheepishly. 
    "Hello, everyone. Nice to meet you." Daehyun bowed, sitting next to me cautiously. He looked at me, drawing in a deep breath and nodding slightly. I was glad he was trying to make friends, and wanted to make it easier for him. 
    "Hyung, what's the answer to this question?" Jong Up asked Youngjae, tapping a problem on his science homework. Youngjae paused, looking at the problem carefully, and shrugged. 
    "I have no idea. Our class doesn't have that page yet." Youngjae said apologetically. Jong Up pouted, tapping the page and sighing. 
    "Five." Daehyun said softly next to me. He quickly looked down, shoving another bite of food in his mouth shyly. 
    "What did you say, hyung?" Jong Up asked, looking at Daehyun with an encouraging smile. Daehyun looked up, meeting everyone's eyes carefully, and cleared his throat. 
    "Uhh, five. There are five kinds of joints: fixed, hinged, ball and socket, gliding and pivot." Daehyun said, a little clearer this time. He tapped Jong Up's paper gently, looking at the younger boy's eyes warily. 
    "Ahh, thanks hyung!" Jong Up lit up in a smile, hurriedly scribbling down the answer and patting Daehyun's back. Daehyun flinched at first, but then gave Jong Up a smile of his own.  
    "No problem, Jong Up." Daehyun said, looking bashfully pleased with himself. I smiled, glad Jong Up had helped Daehyun break the ice.     
    "You really are good at science!" Himchan said with a smile, making Daehyun blush. From then on, my friends accepted Daehyun, and got more and more comfortable around them. 
    "Hey, Tao and Kris want to meet at a restaurant for dinner. Do you want to come?" Daehyun asked when we were walking off to class. 
    "Sure! What restaurant?" I asked, smiling. I was excited, Daehyun hadn't asked me to do anything with him before this.  
    "I'll just pick you up. How does 6 sound?" Daehyun asked. I nodded, swept up in the tide of students. 
    "See you then!" 

    I examined myself in my mirror, making sure my hair was in place and my clothes were spotless. The weather was starting to warm up, and I had chosen a soft blue t-shirt with jeans and the bracelet Daehyun had bought. 
    The doorbell rang, and I rushed to open it before Yong Guk. I cringed, seeing my brother had beat me, and walked up slowly. 
    "Daehyun? What are you doing here?" Yong Guk asked, sounding surprised but not unfriendly. Daehyun shrugged, his hands in his pockets, and offered Yong Guk a small smile. 
    "I'm here to pick Hyowon up." Daehyun said, and I could tell Yong Guk was shocked. Whether it was by Daehyun's smile or his words, I wouldn't wait to find out. 
    "Oppa, I forgot to tell you. Daehyun's taking me to dinner." I said, making Daehyun smile wider when he saw me. Yong Guk looked back at me with an 'are you kidding me?' look, and I shrugged. He sighed, nodded, and opened the door wider. 
    "Thanks, oppa! I'll be back later." I gave Yong Guk a peck on the cheek and walked out to Daehyun. 
    "It's not far, is it okay if we walk? I don't like cars." Daehyun asked shyly, shrugging again. I nodded, smiling. 
    "It's fine. The weather's nice!" I said, and Daehyun looked relieved. He was glad I didn't complain about not having a car. 
    We had been walking for a few minutes when I found myself wondering if this was a date. It could be, he had asked me out to dinner. But he had asked me to come with mutual friends, so it might not be. I got tired of wondering, and decided to test it. 
    I held my hand out, making the bracelet catch the light, and offered it between us. Daehyun looked up at me with a smile, looking unbelievably happy, and took my hand warmly. I knew it was a date, and I was happy. 
    "You wore my bracelet. I mean—not my bracelet, the bracelet I gave you. It's not my—" Daehyun broke off, turning red and stuttering. I laughed, swinging our hands, and he laughed too. 
    "I am such an idiot." Daehyun said. I shook my head, and looked up when we reached the restaurant. 
    Daehyun held the door open, and we looked around. Tao and Kris waved enthusiastically from a table, Tao jumping up happily to give us both hugs. He danced in place, smiling at me. I laughed at his excited antics, sitting down across from Tao. Daehyun took the chair next to me, Kris smiling and greeting us. 
    "How have you been?" Tao asked. I laughed at his instantly attentive manner, leaning towards me across the table and staring at me. 
    "Calm yourself!" Kris admonished, smacking Tao's head with the menu. Tao rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue, but obediently took a deep breath. 
    "I've been good. How have you two been?" I asked. Tao opened his mouth and started talking, not closing it until Kris eventually shoved a potsticker in it. 
    "Mmm...this is super good! Baby, try one!" Tao exclaimed, making Kris roll his eyes. Quite the opposite effect wanted. 
    Thankfully, Tao calmed down gradually, and Daehyun opened up more. He became much more animated, talking about his hobbies and where he had lived before. Unlike a few nights ago, Daehyun didn't seem sad. I watched him tell a funny story about one of his childhood friends, smiling widely and using his hands to talk, and realized I really liked him. 
    "So how's school going?" Kris asked me. I shrugged, and answered it was going well. Tao playfully punched Kris' arm and admonished him. 
    "She doesn't want to talk about school, she wants to have fun!" Tao said. He turned to me, his eyes twinkling. "Have you heard there's going to be a carnival in a few weeks?"
    "No, that sounds like fun!" I said, sharing Tao's excitement. I'd loved carnivals and fairs since I was little, delighting in going multiple times. 
    "Daehyun, have you ever been to a carnival?" I asked. Daehyun shook his head  and I vowed to take him to one. 
    "Wow, we should get going. It's already 10 o'clock." Daehyun said in amazement, looking at his phone. 
    "It feels like it's been five minutes!" I said, smiling at Tao. He shrugged, Kris yawning slightly. 
    "Are you tired?" I asked with a smile, making Kris nod sleepily. He had been somewhat quiet, and Tao wrapped his arm around the taller man's shoulders. 
    "Poor thing was up late studying all night last night." Tao said sympathetically, poking Kris' cheek gently. Kris swatted his hand away and Tao laughed. 
    "We should do this again. Sorry to keep you so late, your brother will be worried." Daehyun apologized, standing up. I shrugged, not minding, and Tao looked up concernedly. 
    "Kris and I drove here, we'll give you a ride." Tao said. I smiled, thanking him, and saw Daehyun looking uncomfortable. 
    "We'll be perfectly safe. Look, it's even started raining; we don't want to walk home in that." I said, taking Daehyun's hand and giving it a squeeze. He squeezed back gently, giving me a soft smile. 
    "Okay." Daehyun said. Tao and Kris paid the bill, despite our protests, and we walked outside. 
    "I'll drive." Kris climbed into the driver's seat and Tao took shotgun. Daehyun and crawled into the back, talking quietly. Daehyun relaxed a little when Tao the radio, and the car ride was actually quite soothing with the sound of the rain on the roof. 
    "There. Not so bad." I said, and Daehyun nodded. He smiled, asking me how Jong Up's homework went. 
    "Oh, he told me to tell you thank you. He got 100% on the assignment. It was his first perfect score, and he's so happy he 'could kiss that hyung' right now." I smiled. Daehyun also smiled, making his eyes turn to crescents. 
    "Please tell him not to." Daehyun laughed, and Tao jumped in on the conversation. He turned around from the front seat with a smile, looking at Daehyun. 
    "Ooh, Daehyun's getting kiss offers?! You y thang!" Tao shrieked teasingly, and Daehyun rolled his eyes. 
    "Yeah, yeah, face forward," Daehyun said, and Tao turned around. He started rocking out to the next song, and before we knew it, Kris was braking hard. 
    "Whoa, there! Easy, cowboy." Tao said, looking at Kris. The roads were slippery, and Kris had skidded a few feet into the next lane. Daehyun still looked relatively relaxed, and I was happy Kris had been able to break in time. 
    Everything changed in the next 10 seconds. None of us had been able to see the truck that hit Kris' car and sent us flying across the road. None of us had been able to see the pothole that made us flip over. None of us had been able to see anything.