"Are you jealous of her?" Luhan twisted the topic around. 

Chae Yoon's eyes immediately narrowed. 

"Everything I've heard from you so far is Namjoo this, Namjoo that," Luhan pointed out. "Are you that insecure? That threatened?"  

A long breathless laugh befell her.  

"Namjoo thinks you're the prettiest girl; that every man should fall for you; pick you over anyone else; that if they don't, they're shameless idiots. When she thinks of you so highly, you have the guts to treat her like this?" Luhan confronted. "You should be embarrassed, Chae Yoon."  

"Well she isn't wrong," Chae Yoon calmly shook her head, staring right into his eyes confidently, "I've always been better."

Luhan spitefully smiled and glanced down at the floor for a second to keep his cool and looked at her again, "Then, I hope one day you regret treating your only friend like this."  

As the sky slowly started dimming and the strong scent of meat cooking on the grill surrounded the whole yard, Luhan found himself sitting at the picnic table glumly. What exactly was he doing there again? Why...had he really come? What feelings did he have to sort out? Was there anything to sort out at all?  

Within a short moment footsteps eagerly approached and he looked up when someone set down a plate onto the center of the table.  

"It's really delicious, try it," Ki Chan urged.  

Luhan peered at the grilled asparagus while Ki Chan led Namjoo to sit in front of him while he sat beside her. 

"Drinks are here! They're fresh and cool!" Chae Yoon hurried outside from the door.

She set them loudly onto the table and sat down beside him shamelessly, smiling broadly. 

"Should we play a game?" Chae Yoon boldly suggested. 

"A game?" Namjoo repeated. 

"Sure, sounds fun!" Ki Chan added. 

Luhan had no heart to play games with them. He wanted to go lay down in his room and just sleep. He almost hated this. He despised how Namjoo remained with these people who she called friends. He wished she could see the bigger picture and perhaps, that was why he couldn't leave the table. They would gain up on her if he wasn't there and he wanted to make sure she was alright the whole way through. And maybe, he wanted to make sure Ki Chan wouldn't have her to himself. 

In the end, Luhan ended up half-heartedly playing with them. Their shouts filled isolated yard with the only light coming from the house and the blinking sky. 

"Namjoo, you lost! Punishment time!"

"Can't I not do it?" Namjoo asked, staring wide eyed at the can of beer Chae Yoon was handing her. "You know I can't do this. Go easy on me."  

"No way," Chae Yoon smiled, "you lost, so play fair. It's not that bad."  

"I bet you're used to it since you do it all the time," Namjoo commented. "Fine."  

"You'll get used to it and then it won't be so bad. Then maybe we can finally have some girls' night out sometimes," Chae Yoon raised her brows.  

Namjoo snorted at her before snapping the can open.  

"I," Luhan spoke up, "I can drink it for you."  

A silence overcame them all and there was a slight moment of awkwardness as the others turned to stare at him, surprised and shocked. Luhan felt his eyes waver.  

"Let me drink it for you." He said again.  

He expected Namjoo to incline, thank him and hand him the can.  

"It's ok, I can drink it." Namjoo insisted before lifting the can and drinking a gulp. 

Didn't she realize what he'd been doing? He was just trying to help. Instead, Namjoo was making him feel like a fool.  

He watched her make a disgusted face after she swallowed and drank some more. After a second he felt himself fall back. Maybe this was how Namjoo was trying to maintain her dignity and that was all right too. 

Luhan lifted his head up when Ki Chan said, "Let me have the rest." 

That hand formed a fist around his heart when Ki Chan reached over to grab the can from her and chugged the rest of it. What...had just happened? Maybe he was wrong, maybe Namjoo wasn't trying to maintain her dignity, but had been trying to look strong and Ki Chan had seen through it. Maybe that was it. 

Luhan's eyes ran between the two of them sitting right in front of him. Subconsciously, he gritted his teeth to withhold himself. Namjoo was just trampling on his feelings. He was an even bigger fool now.  

"Should we play another game?" Chae Yoon questioned. "Truth or dare?"  

Luhan quickly turned to look at her, but she obviously ignored him.

Continuing to stare straight at Namjoo and Ki Chan she went on, "If you can't answer truth or do the dare; have a shot; one-lip."

"Come on, Chae Yoon," Ki Chan tried, "one-lip is too hard, especially for Namjoo."  

"Ok, fine. Two gulps for Namjoo, but you guys have to do one-lip." Chae Yoon gave in.

"Wait here." She went inside and came back before setting a spoon down onto the table. "Since we don't have a bottle, lets improvise." 

"A spoon?" Ki Chan raised his brows surprised. "Well...that's something new."  

"That's all we can do for now." Chae Yoon smiled and raised her hand. "I'll do the spinning first."  

Reaching her hand out she twisted the spoon. It swung around in a circle like a spinning fan, slowed, and finally stopped. Luhan lifted his eyes when it stopped at him.  

"So Luhan, truth or dare?" Chae Yoon stared at him.  

He hated this. He should have gone to bed. Chae Yoon would do something meaningless. As the silence droned in around them he became even more conscious of the person sitting in front of him. Nervousness was becoming the best of him. Either way, no matter what he chose Chae Yoon woud force him to do something against his will.  

"I choose dare." He quietly answered, staring directly at the spoon he now detested.  

From beside him, he thought he could hear Chae Yoon snickering.  

"I dare you," Chae Yoon started, "to kiss Namjoo."  

His and Namjoo's eyes widened before turning to stare at Chae Yoon shocked.  

"Chae Yoon," Ki Chan called flabbergasted.  

"Well I also want to see how close they are," Chae Yoon replied coolly. "If he's a man, he can do it. Or else..." She flicked the sweating can beside her and smiled at Luhan.  

"Don't you think this is going a bit far?" Ki Chan asked.  

"No," Chae Yoon replied, "it's just a dare. If they're just friends, they're just friends and if not...something will come out after this."  

Luhan wanted to choke out a laugh at how Chae Yoon was testing them. This was really so much fun for her, wasn't it?  

If this was what Chae Yoon wanted, he'd show. If he didn't do it, she'd still find something to pick on him. He'd choose to enrage her then.  

He stood up from his seat surprising all of them and leaned over the table toward Namjoo, who immediately moved back.  

"Wait, Luhan..." it was...the first time he'd heard her say his name the whole time they were there in Haenam. For some reason...it melted his heart.  

Those eyes of hers stared back at him. The depths of their very core spoke something very true to her character and no matter how much he wanted to piss Chae Yoon off, he realized he couldn't do it. Not like this. If ever, he'd rather they kiss romantically than as a joke. And he knew, he should be very sorry for pulling innocent Namjoo into his and Chae Yoon's childish world.  

Gulping, he sat back down into his seat and grabbed the can from Chae Yoon. Popping it open he quickly drank the whole thing, feeling the acid swirl inside his stomach. This time he could literally hear Chae Yoon snort at him.  

When he spun the spoon this time, it pointed toward Ki Chan. What the hell was he supposed to ask that man?

Before he could ask Ki Chan said, "I'll choose truth."  

Without much pondering Luhan knew what he wanted to say, "Earlier, that was an interrogation, wasn't it?"  

"What? Something happened earlier?" Chae Yoon cut in.  

"Yes," Ki Chan confidently answered.  

A spiteful smile crossed Luhan's face as he stared at the man. So this man Namjoo considered friend also had hidden intentions just like Chae Yoon. Poor Namjoo couldn't even guess what her friends were up to.  

"My go, right?" Ki Chan asked before spinning the spoon.  

This time, it pointed back at Luhan. He stared at the spoon deploringly wondering if it had something against him.  

"So Luhan, truth or dare?"  

Lifting his eyes up he stared at the man beside Namjoo, "Truth."  

Pressing his lips together he nodded, "Chae Yoon told me you have an ex-girlfriend. Still miss her?"  

His brows narrowed. "No."  

Chae Yoon moved beside him, but keeping her cool remained quiet. Reaching forward Luhan spun the spoon and this time it pointed toward Chae Yoon.

"I'll go with dare." She told.  

"Good choice," Luhan commented. "I dare you to say you're sorry."
 
"What?" She turned to look at him.  

"You wanted the dare," Luhan turned to her.  

Biting her lower lip she laughed breathlessly and said without much sincerity, "Sorry to whoever."

Luhan bit his tongue still amazed by everything Chae Yoon tended to do without putting her heart in it.

The sound of the spoon fulfilled its rotating round on the table again and finally pointed toward Namjoo. Luhan immediately glanced at her feeling anxious about what dangerous thing Chae Yoon might do. 

"Truth or dare Namjoo?" 

"Truth."

Luhan found himself pressing his lips together hoping that Namjoo would choose to do something smart for once. 

"Who's your first love?"

Those wide innocent eyes of hers stared back as they all awaited in silence for her answer. The silence pressed the atmosphere around them dangerously. There was a very fragile air lingering around. 

Luhan silently pleaded that Namjoo wouldn't speak. As his eyes dug into her expression he recalled all those moments Namjoo had spoken to him very painfully about Kai, who was her hero; her most loved one; the man who never abandoned her and was always at her rescue; the man she could forever rely upon. And how she had cried to him that night as if her world had ended. He hated how she cried so mournfully as if everyone in this world had left her behind. 

"I'll drink for you," Luhan broke the endearing quietness and watched Namjoo look at him. "This time, I'll be your black knight."
 
They watched as he reached over for a can of beer, but Ki Chan grabbed it stopping him. 

"Enough," Ki Chan said. "The game's no longer fun. I think the meat's burning. Lets go check on it." 

He stood up to leave the table and another wave of silence splashed upon the three of them before Namjoo soon left too. 

"Black knight?" Chae Yoon repeated detestingly. "Are you kidding me?"
 
"Why? I can't be?" Luhan turned to her.  

"You want to be Namjoo's black knight?" Chae Yoon pulled on an exasperated expression.  

"At the very least, I'll still be something to her."  

"You're kidding me." Chae Yoon said. "What is it about her that you like so much?"

"Are you sure you want to hear it from me?"  

"Try me."  

"The way she carries herself is beautiful," Luhan spoke. "She doesn't need to act y or be hot. There's no need to try to flirt and draw attention. She's charming the way she is. I like her that way."

He became unnerved by the way Chae Yoon's eyes slightly widened with disbelief and indignation. She had never once looked like that to him. It was...perplexing and frightening how someone who was once so sweet and loveable could become someone so different.  

"You're lying," Chae Yoon accused. "You want me angry is all."  

Luhan just plainly stared at her.  

"Come on Luhan, that's not true. Those words mean nothing to you. You can just easily throw words around without meaning it. Anyone can do it." Chae Yoon shook her head. "If you meant it, you would have kissed her. I know you. You can kiss anybody even without meaning to. Kissing is such an easy thing to do and you're saying you couldn't do it?" She laughed, "You're kidding me."

"What are you talking about so passionately?" Ki Chan interrupted setting plates of grilled meat down.  

"You'd be quite surprised if you were here to hear it," Chae Yoon smiled. "We were just talking nonsense, right Luhan?"

From the corner of his eyes he saw Namjoo overlooking them both and couldn't bring himself to turn toward her.  

"I saw that there's a mountain behind us," Chae Yoon told. "Why don't we go hiking tomorrow?" 

"Hiking? That sounds like a good idea." Ki Chan nodded. 

"Are you sure? You usually don't go hiking." Namjoo said. 

"Since we're out here to have fun and relax, we should do something memorable." Chae Yoon smiled. 

By now Luhan really had nothing to say anymore. Ki Chan and Chae Yoon finished up the rest of the drinks on the table before heading inside first. He was sure that Chae Yoon didn't want to see the sight of him anymore tonight.  

When he walked inside Namjoo was at the sink scrubbing the grill rack. Looking at her made him feel all the more sorry. 

"Here," he started holding a cup of water in front of her, "after drinking you should always hydrate yourself." 

"Thanks," Namjoo said and took a sip of it before setting it down. 

Grabbing the cup he handed it to her again, "Drink it all." 

Namjoo stared at the cup and took it quietly. He stood beside her wondering if he should say something. 

"Thanks, for earlier," Namjoo said with a small, but bright smile. "Black knight." 

And for the first time during his whole time there he smiled gladly. Luhan was happy he'd stayed the night.         

***I'm glad Luhan chose not to kiss her then. I almost decided to make him kiss her, but then I figured it wouldn't be very true to their characters. Even though Lu is a bit of a person who still needs to rely on others, at the same time he's seeing the bigger world. He's starting to realize the way Namjoo's world runs and that she's the one who needs someone to be around now that she really has no true friend left. He's starting to act upon being the one protecting her instead of she who's protecting and allowing him to rely on her. This chapter is just about that. And he's starting to see that as much as she needs someone, he also wants her around or else his world has no true meaning. Namjoo gives him reasons. This chapter is just about that.

***But she's going to be so hurt later when she realizes Luhan and Chae Yoon have known each other all along.