“…Good morning.” I stated slowly upon meeting the person in front of my gates.

“Is that the extent of your happiness?” Hanbin questioned once seeing my face. “I expected a different reaction.”

“Did you want me to run into your arms?”

Hanbin scoffed as if to demonstrate how ridiculous my words were but nonetheless, opened up his arms to welcome me if I was insane enough to actually do what I just asked. “Why? Do you want to?”

His question provoked a chuckle from me before I brushed past him. “I got a bus to catch.” I didn’t get far before Hanbin appeared beside me, matching my pace. 

“Nothing?” Hanbin peered at my face.

“What are you referring to?” I continued facing forward.

“I’m here…to walk you to your bus stop.” He clarifies. “Don’t girls like that kind of thing?”

“Aren’t you just bored?” A very valid question, if you ask me. “The last time you were here, you just wanted to piss Mino off.” I reminded him though it didn’t happen too long ago. 

“That was the past.” He remarked.

“Or – “ I stopped in my steps before turning to face him. “You’re obsessed with me.”

Hanbin stared back, taken aback by my reason. “…I’m just bored.” He gives me a look before walking on ahead while I followed along with amusement. 

I guess my mornings will be entertaining from now on. 

Once arriving at the bus stop and getting on the awaiting transportation – Hanbin and I found our spots towards the middle of the aisle – wherever space was available for us to stand. 

“It’s still not any less busy.” Hanbin muttered.

“I don’t think that’s ever going to change.” I responded, already accepting the simple truth. 

Feeling the jerking every now and then from the constant stopping and moving bus caused beginner Hanbin to shuffle back and forth to find his balance. I have said it but I will say it once more – my mornings are going to be a little more enjoyable from now on.

“Do you regret it now?” I questioned.

Not wanting to give up, Hanbin refused to admit it. “This is great.” Yet, his face said otherwise. His attention, which was once focused on making sure he didn’t fall over, was quickly stolen by the appearance of someone.

I looked away from him and over to my left – “Good morning, Mino.” 

“You’re making the bus more cramped.” The said boy eyed Hanbin.

“Then you get off to make space.” Hanbin quickly refuted.

And then, the weirdest thing happened – from the middle, I watched them share this strange silence before they looked away from one another. 

“Is it cool?” Hanbin asked while having his eyes set out the window to give off this casual air.

“Is what cool?” Mino questioned back in the same manner. Neither one of them bothering to make eye contact.

I wonder if they realize the changes in their behavior because it was quite obvious to me.

“You know.” Hanbin replied vaguely. 

“No, I don’t.” Mino retorts.

“…About me…towards Jiwoo.”

Both Mino and I snapped our heads around to look up at Hanbin. What is he going on about?

Hanbin darted his eyes from me to Mino. “Do you need me to spell it out for you?”

The both of us soon realize what he was referring to. “You two can do whatever you want.” Mino shrugged.

I couldn’t tell from his expression but I wonder if Mino appreciated the fact that Hanbin was trying to receive his permission. Surely, I wasn’t the only one that noticed the hidden meaning behind Hanbin’s not-so-random words.

“Really?” Before Hanbin could get the single word out of his mouth completely, Mino sighed heavily.

“I mean, that doesn’t make you better than me or anything.” He stated nonchalantly which only rubbed Hanbin the wrong way – maybe that’s what he was intending.

“What is that supposed to mean?” Hanbin brushed up against me to get closer to Mino, already riled up by mere words.

Mino looked back at him. “It means that even though you two may possibly start dating – I still have one thing over you.” A small smug smile makes its way onto his face.

“Which is?” Hanbin gritted his teeth.

This time, Mino leaned forward – which ended up squishing me between the two. “I kissed her first.”

Oh, my God.

The weight of Mino’s words nearly crushed Hanbin and I. I had totally forgotten about that and if I wasn’t mistaken, the memory has also probably evaded Hanbin’s thoughts. Before Hanbin could gather his sanity, the bus came to a halt and Mino sent him a taunting smirk (the cherry on top) before getting off at his stop. I watched Hanbin, who did not once lift his eyes of off Mino – I wonder how much self-control he was exercising at this very moment. 

In turn, I closed my eyes dreading the consequences of the boy’s fighting words. 

Why, Mino? Why?

Now he has left me with a ticking time bomb that is named ‘Hanbin’.

I flinch upon Hanbin taking a deep breath beside me –

“Shh.” I hushed him and he looked down at me in disbelief. “You didn’t hear anything.” For my sake, Hanbin, please pretend Mino didn’t just say those words. 

***

In the morning, I have this routine. I’m sure you all are aware. 

Once getting to school, the first thing I do is go to my locker to organize my things for the morning classes. I like this time where I can just mindlessly go through my supplies and the one thing I want is to do it in peace.

Then, tell me why I have to hear a sigh every five seconds.

And here it comes once more – 

I looked to my side to find Junhoe, the very person who is breaking the peace I so greatly wanted. Beside him stood Hongseok and Jinhyung – two of whom not bothering to notify their friend of his disruption.

“She looks so happy.” The sighing boy comments while not concerned enough to hide the fact that he is blatantly staring at my best friend and her beau. The couple were standing across the hall and if it weren’t for the fact that they only had eyes for each other, they would have noticed Junhoe’s obvious ogling. “I have everything he’s got – why isn’t it me?”

“You can’t have everything you want, Junhoe.” Hongseok remarks while sighing for his own reasons. His best friend has been mopey lately ever since he saw the pair together around school.

And knowing Junhoe, it could have gone both ways. One, he noticed the pair right away or he could have been lost in his own imaginations and barely found out until one of his friends told him.

“And you thought leaving notes was the best plan.” Jinhyung comments from the other side of Hongseok.

Again, why am I forced to listen to this?

Even as I kept my attention trained on my task, I can feel their eyes shifting onto me. “I can’t do anything about it.” I muttered instinctively. I just want to mind my own business – this is barely worth my time. 

“You said you were going to help me.” Junhoe shifts the blame onto me.

“I’ve never said that.” Never in a million years.

He’s nuts.

“Okay fine, you never did.” He admitted right away. “But, I asked you to help me.”

“I’m pretty sure I told you to be more straightforward, didn’t I?” I told him leaving notes wouldn’t impress Sanghee but for some reason, people like to ignore my wisdom (in this case, he even asked for it). “You didn’t listen to me.” 

Junhoe dropped his head in defeat. “I guess when you love someone enough, you only wish for their happiness…”

As I looked at him, it was like he was going to burst into tears.