Chapter 52 

"Jungeun!" 

Jungeun turned around by the familiar call of her brother running towards her in the hallway, carrying two pieces of bread and a bottle of banana milk, which Jungeun found to be tasty. On the other side, Sanghyuk hated the taste of banana milk. Not that he's lactose in tolerance, he just didn't like it. His gag reflexes would act up if anyone forces to make him gulp it down.

"Here, I bought some snacks for the two of us." the older twin states out before lovingly handing his twin sister the other bread. A soft smile was paid to the other as she stretches out her smaller hands. Together, the twins walked down the hallways, eating their own piece of bread and chatting with slightly filled mouths. 

"Were you serious that Ravi actually snored at the back?" 

"Definitely! He was snoring so bad that I saw Hongbin flashing him worried looks." Sanghyuk retorted in between light giggles. "I saw it through his eyes." he grins. 

"Like something'll be different." Jungeun sighs, gulping down her banana milk drink. Sanghyuk could only flash a disgusted look as his twin intook the liquid so easily and smoothly. "What?" she asks, noticing the look her brother was firing her with.

"How can you like that disgusting drink?" Sanghyuk groaned, sticking his tongue out to show his extreme disgust over his twin's drink. "I mean, hey, not to be mean, but banana blended with milk is just... urgh."

"And I wonder how you get to be tall without drinking milk." Jungeun snickered. "And this is my way of likes and dislikes, buzz off."

"We're twins! We should and must like and dislike the same thing because we came from one embryo!" Sanghyuk began to whine, stomping his feet as he scooted closer to his younger twin. "We were originally and supposed to be one entity!"

"I am pretty sure you got Biology class all wrong, hyung. Really, really wrong."

"Ah, shut it!" the older continued to whine before he hits his twin playfuly on the arm, who manages to return back the attack. Within seconds, the two were hitting each other playfully and running down the halls. Jungeun forgot lunch and hunger quite faster than expected, her attention averted on her brother. Sanghyuk eventually catches up, wrapping his arms around his sister, a large grin patched on his face. 

"Caught you!" he giggles before trying to carry his light sister with his lean arms. Jungeun ends up struggling free though, kicking her feet and flailing her arms while producing a rather high-pitched squeal. "You are to remain silent!"

"We stopped playing that game since second grade, hyung." Jungeun smiled before she feels Sanghyuk unwrap his arms from her. 

Ravi and Hongbin were busy doing a partner task assigned to them two days ago by their History Teacher. Jungeun and Sanghyuk, being one flawless duo team, finished it in one sitting. With Sanghyuk's creativity skills and Jungeun's brainy skills, the task was rather a perfection. Thus, the two had lots of free time as long as their sharing one amazing tandem. 

The two were out in the soccer field again, this time, just the two of them. No Ravi nor Hongbin and most definitely, no seniors. They are the seniors themselves anyway. "Jungeun," Sanghyuk calls out, making the younger twin turn her head around, blinking her eyes for a few times. "Do you actually think Lay'll even get an answer?"

"Hyung, we've been through this, remember?" the younger heavily breathed out before she fixed her extensions and fringe. "As of now, that's something we can agree to be neutral. Remember? I told you that my main priorities are studying–"

"I never said that you'll answer him right now in High School, Jungeun." Sanghyuk sighs, ruffling his twin's hair. "Maybe around college. Or after that. Or maybe when we're both working already. I generally asked you about the fact of you answering Lay."

".. I–"

"You kind of have a light feeling for that guy, right? You two have some chemistry. Is he a candidate for your ideal type?"

"Well yeah– wait, no–!"

"Oh~ My sister is having an ideal type! You're becoming a lady!"

"No! It's just that... ideal types are supposed to be people who're of the opposite and someone you feel extremely light and comfortable with?"

"Puh-leese, you're smarter than that. You definitely know what an ideal type is." Sanghyuk giggles before he nudges the scarlet-faced sister beside him.

But within seconds, Sanghyuk sat straight and changed his expression, turning from a bliss-filled facial expression into something stern. Jungeun was even surprised on the sudden change of his twin's facial expression. "Hyung?" she calls out, snapping two fingers in front of her twin's face. "Something wrong? What's up?"

"It's just that..." the words trailed off from Sanghyuk's lips. "Well... what if I told you that someone likes you too?"

"Aside from Lay?"

"Aside from Lay."

"Who? Ken? Hyung, that guy just played along with one of N's sick plays. Something they can tease me off, you know–"

"No, no. Someone really likes you." Sanghyuk seriously stated out, shocking Jungeun more, even creeping her. "Someone close to us. Someone you try to push away but keeps on coming back. Someone... someone you won't expect to like you. I just... it's just that–"

"Hyung, that's not a nice joke." Jungeun replied in a stern tone. "Really, you're scaring me."

"But I'm not." the older answers. "I heard it myself. His confession. I heard it, Jungeun. He likes you."

"Who? Who is this guy you're telling me about? Who likes me aside from Lay? N?"

"Erm, um... N-hyung is the who–"

"Hyuk! Jungeun! There you two are!" the roaring voice of Ravi echoes through the field. The Han twins hurriedly spun their heads around to see who was calling them, only to be revealed that Ravi and Hongbin darting towards them. Sanghyuk hurriedly stood up and dashed towards the two, childishly clinging onto Hongbin, which made Ravi gasp dramatically. Jungeun could only sigh as she stood up and walked towards the trio a few meters away from her. Still driven by curiosity, she only hears Sanghyuk's trailed off words over and over her head.

"Tell me."

"No~ Never will I attempt again!"

"But you began it, therefore, it'll only be fair to finish it."

"No it won't!"

"Come on, don't act childish."

Since that lunch break earlier, Jungeun never moved on from the words trailing off of Sanghyuk's lips. It drove her curious if her hunches were rather true. Besides, her hunches enver lied. Based on the charactersitics Jungeun heard from her twin, it matched N. She always pushed N away whenever he tries to engage skinship with her, but eventually, he'd return. He's close to everyone, especially towards the twins. N always saw the two as something precious to him, more than the value of any treasure in earth or in space. More than the importance wielded by gold or diamonds. The two were more precious than anything the human mind can rather imagine. 

He is extremely close to them.

Someone who she pushes away but eventually returns. Someone dear to them. Someone close. Someone she wouldn't expect to like her...

N rather suits all of those. N is the only guy she can think of.

"Hyung, I can't take any more jokes." Jungeun groaned, running fingers through her silky hair. "Ken was too much already. When he 'faked' courted me, it rather drove me nuts! I found it awkward to even get close to him by one meter! If I don't confirm it this time, I'll–"

RING!

That familiar tone coming from Jungeun's skirt pocket cut her off. The music was something everyone, especially the twins, were rather familiar of. It's one of those popular music breaking numerous music charts one by one as days swing by. When Jungeun looked at the contact name of the caller, her heart nearly dropped.

Cha N. He's calling her. 

"Hello?" her voice was rather shaky, rather nervous upon answering the caller.

"Jung-Jung!" N chirpped sweetly on the other line, making chills run up and down her spine within seconds. "Hey, are you free tonight? Around seven in the evening or something?"

"... Yeah, I guess me and hyung are."

"I'm asking about you alone, Jung-Jung."

"Well... yeah. I am. Why?"

"Let's meet up! My treat for dinner, but let's meet up!" N instructed. Jungeun can actually hear N smile on the other line, making her doubt this small invitation from the tanned senior. 

"Why? Is something gonna happen?" Jungeun questioned, which actually sounded like a dumb one. No. It is a dumb one. "I mean, why'd you suddenly want us to meet up? Is something serious going on?"

"Nope. I just want to talk about... something." N's voice changed slightly at the word "something". Being a smart individual she is, Jungeun decides to accept the offer, which N was glad about. A happy "bye" was given to her before Jungeun hears the other line cut the call off. Sanghyuk didn't actually get the idea on who or what the call was about, so Jungeun had a nice and easy way lying to her twin.

"So?" Sanghyuk blinks, scooting closer to his twin sister.

"Nothing important, hyung." Jungeun smiles softly. "It was Ken. He was... asking if N has called me about this thing. I said no, so he dropped the acll with a simple 'thanks'. That's all." she says.

"Ken-hyung? Called? Really?"

"Yeah. Nothing important."

"So.. what's this 'thing' he was asking about?"

"Must be something important. He didn't tell me... or at least wanted to tell me."

"Alrighty then." he smiles before the twins walk together back home.

Six-fifty.

Ten more minutes and it's the exact time when N and her should meet up at this restuarant. Jungeun didn't actually find sneaking out that hard. Yes. She's sneaking out. Sanghyuk would most definitely ask her where she'd head off by this time so she has to sneak out. Sanghyuk slept early due to extreme exhaustion. Jungeun only waited for her brother to fall into a deep sleep before she slowly made her way out of their apartment room. Wearing a hoodie in case she gets spotted by her beloved brother, she hurriedly and carefully snuck out.

At exactly seven twenty-one, she arrived at the meeting place. N was dressed rather nice, that collared shirt and his y black jacket adding up into his charms. His hair is obviously grown longer by his own will, based on the fringe nearly covering his eyes. "Oh! Jung-Jung!" N waves his hand excitedly upon spotting the female junior. "You're late."

"I know, I know." Jungeun sighs before she takes a seat offered by N himself. "I had to wait for hyung to sleep. I couldn't tell him that I'm meeting you at this time obviously." 

"I can agree." N smiles before he nods. "So, I ordered us this dish." he says before he shows the picture on the menu. "Is this okay for you? Are you... you're not allergic to seafood, right?"

"Defnitely not."

"Alrighty then~" he smiles happily. 

"So," the junior coughed awkwardly before leaning forward and blinking a few times, her eyes changing into something serious and cold. "What'd you call me here for? It better be something serious, okay?"

"It most definitely is, but I doubt that you'll accept it as is." N worriedly sighed before he leaned forward as well, staring back at Jungeun with much serious-vibe. "Look, this information I am about to tell you will be something shocking. Dumbfounding in an extreme level. I am sure that... something bad will definitely happen afterwards between, well, your relationships with others. And with the person we're about to talk about."

"Wild guess." Jungeun cuts off. "Is it Lay?"

"No." N answers quickly. "Not Lay. Lay wouldn't be in this conversation."

Jungeun scowled before she breathes out, leaning back and crossing her arms once more. "Then what is it about then? Hurry up because I want to go have dinner, leave and pretend nothing ever happened before my brother wakes up."

"Alright." N breathes out. "Someone likes you."

Jungeun glared back before she narrows her eyes. She rememebrs the exact words her brother had told her earlier this day. Something about someone liking her, excluding Lay of course. Another guy who likes her. Lay's competition in love, to be exact. "What is this?" she felt the words choking out of her. "Is this some kind of sick joke?"

"It's not, Jung-Jung." N replies before his eyes changed. They changed into something similar to those kinds of eyes Jungeun fears. The last time she saw those eyes were back then when Leo stole her first kiss while being drunk. That murderous smile and those murderous eyes flashed brightly when the moon shone his face as he hid within the shadows. It scared her and now, she's looking at them again. "Everything I'll say and is saying will be a hundred percent true."

"... No. I refuse to believe." Jungeun snickered. "Who on earth would like me aside from Lay that I am close to?"

"Wait, how'd you know that he's someone close to you?" N askedin astonishment.

"My brother told me so. He told me the same things you're saying now. I don't know if you two teamed up with the rest to prank me and I must say, this is definitely not funny. So if I were you, drop the play and–"

"Hyukkie knows?" N gasps before he shot up. "Tell me, Han Jungeun," his voice became shaky and terrified before he glared down at her, worry and anxiety flashing through. "Did your brother state any name?!"

"If he did, then I would know as of now who's my other admirer." Jungeun replies in a cold tone. "Why do you look so terrified with the fact that my brother knows?"

"... It's just... how did he learn so?"

"Dunno to him. So, yeah, who is it? Drop it and tell me."

Unlike before, N's sudden self-confidence died down before he sighs heavily, eyes averted from Jungeun. Based on the way his eyes flash a different vibe by this time, Jungeun can tell that something's running in the tanned senior's mind. Something she fails to read nor predict. "Hey, Cha N. I'm talking to you. At least give me a legit answer." she began to growl.

"... If I told you, will anything change?"

"Most definitely, it depends.

N breathed in before he slowly made eye contact. His stance was slowly falling down. Voices echoed in his head. Voices of hesitation and fear. When was the exact last time he heard them? When he was in that familiar state of depression when Leo's father died? When Leo tried to push him away when they were younger? When he learned about his best friend locking his world from the rest of things? When?

"N, promise me one thing. Whatever is told to us must stay between us, alright? Promise that." Leo's voice rang in his head.

"Hey." he hears Jungeun call out, impatience evident in her voice. "Well? Aren't you going to answer my darn question, N? I'm waiting. Time's ticking, you dark-skinned idiot." she growled angrily.

N's lips slowly parted. 

He knew... that he promised.

But this is Leo.

He should help a best friend.

But what if he gets hurt instead? What if he... ruins everything?

"N?" Jungeun's voice echoed once more.

N had decided. He's doing it no matter what.

"Hey, you're getting pale. Sure you're okay?" Jungeun asks as she eyes the latter.

"Jung-Jung, listen to me carefully, okay? And whatever I'll say, I hope nothing will ever change." N said with a worry-filled smile. Jungeun would be considered stupid not to notice that. It was too obvious. The female saw this and worry was slowly traced to her face. "Look, the person who likes you is actually..."

Seconds slowly grew slower and slower.

As N's lips parted..

And formed this one word that can change everything.

"Me."

[A/N] "hu-----whaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat?!"

                      I bet your reactions were that, huh?
                       Well~ It looks like we've got a new OTP on the deck! /insert maniac-like laughter here/ I broke your ships, haven't I? Fufufu
But for that, I'm sorry. The ships I once sailed (LayXJungeun & LeoXJungeun) will be broken... or will it be?
Stay tuned for the upcoming chapters... because something'll really drop down.

GUILTY N IS GUILTY.