▍ ▎CHAPTER 1: Distracted.

“ Do you think of those days like I do sometimes?

Do you remember? “

-So Long, A Pink

“Mic check?”

“One, Two, Three…”

♫ Geudaega doraseomyeon du nuni majuchilkka?

           …Oh, .

Simjangi Bounce Bounce dugeundae deullilkka bwa geomna ♫

…Did our eyes just really meet? . That means… I got caught looking. , sh—

“Baek?” I’m pretty sure it was Xiumin-hyung’s voice. He was just beside me after all.

“Yo, Baek!” It was a thick, deep one this time. Chanyeol’s?

I heard a few more various voices calling me out, hands tapping and shaking me on the shoulder, and bodies pressed onto my back as they tried to push me forward.

“YAH BYUN BAEKHYUN!”

“Oh?” Finally, I managed to snap out of my trance and looked beside me. Everyone was sure giving me looks. Some were confused ones. Some show complete annoyance. Ha! I sure piss them a lot.

“And you still have the muscle to grin like that.” Chen, being his usual meanie self to me, rolled his eyes. “Why not use your leg muscles instead and move the hella forward? You are dragging the rehearsal!”

Rehearsal? I took a scan of my surrounding. Damn, and I sure also am the epitome of embarrassment.

It was KBS’ Gayo Daechukje’s opening rehearsal and all dead tired, sleepy eyes were on me. Probably pissed that I had to lose my consciousness in the middle and drag the rehearsal a bit longer, meaning cutting less time on their beauty rests. I smacked my forehead, dipped my head into countless of bows and muttered apologies to every single one.

It was that Gorilla’s fault! Argh, if she would just stop being a distraction and mind her own business and not look at me with those pretty, mesmerizing eyes and ignore me like what she usually does—

“Baek, you alright? You’ve been spacing out lately.” Suho-hyung came by my side all of a sudden, draping an arm on my shoulder as he looked at me with eyes full of concern.

I forced out a smile then nodded in response. No point of telling him anyway. I mean, he’s dating that Gorilla’s close friend. If I tell him what’s been bothering me all this time, he’d tattle it on his girlfriend and his girlfriend will tattle it on her and then everyone will eventually know. It’s the least of all things I want to happen. Not for my members or any who to tease me—I’m used to that, duh—but it’s…  for her to know that I still care.

After years of avoiding me, his longtime childhood best friend, and making me feel like I am a complete stranger, a no one, it’s only right for me to payback now. Ha, two can play this game Yoon Bomi. I can play this too! And I bet, I’ll even do a much better job than you—just ignore today’s happenings. This day’s an exception. I was a bit distracted. Damn. Why did she have to tie her hair up into a bun? She looked so simple yet—hate to admit this, but she totally looked so much better now too, not that she wasn’t before. She has always been pretty in my eyes—ew, not really. But what I’m really trying to say is... this is how much she can be a distraction to me and I was totally drop dead pawned today. Seeing her so simple brought back memories of the past…

You all don’t know this—of course, since no one really said something and that Gorilla’s acting like she doesn’t know me but yes, I am Yoon Bomi’s (ex) best friend. We’re both from Gyeonggi-do, that you all probably know, and we’ve practically known each other for years now. Our families being tightly knitted given that our houses are just right next to each other. We went to the same school ever since the world began too. Well, until she decided to change her path and leave for Seoul to be a trainee. That’s when everything changed.

See, we were extremely close before. We we’re inseparable. People even often mistook us as twins.

○ ○ ○

“Ah and here comes the twins. Yo, Baek! Bbom!” All our friends started to turn their heads, waving their hands with bright smiles on their faces as they saw us skipping towards. It was just the end of class and I decided to give Bomi a tour around the campus.

“Hey, freshman! Welcome to hell.” Jaehwan, with his soccer uniform on, started twirling the ball on his hands. His lips tugged at an end into a smirk.

“Don’t go discouraging the freshman on her very first day now, Jae.” I laughed a bit, placing an arm around Bomi’s neck to pull her closer.

She hit me right on my abdomen, making me let go and stumble back. Though I was pretty sure I saw her laughing quietly before that.

“Such welcoming words from you, Jaehwan. Thank you. Totally appreciated.” She feigned a smile as she walked towards him then in a matter of seconds, swiftly snatched the ball on his hands. “Shouldn’t you guys treat me out as a welcome gift? I prefer food more than words.” She flashed us a challenging smirk, dropping the ball onto to the grass before passing it from one foot to another.

I looked at her in awe. Most girls in school wouldn’t actually dare go to the soccer field and play ball. Unless, they’re trying to make moves on one of the varsity players which is hundred percent sur