It was on a Wednesday of the third week of high school that Junhong had had enough. By this time, he’d memorised Junhee’s schedule by heart and was having quite a difficult time at school.

Firstly, the giggling girls have become imaginably brave over the course of half a month, and by then, they kept asking whether he was really dating Junhee. It annoyed him to death because that was apparently the only thing that was in their heads. He could already imagine what Junhee would say to this. Probably a sad sigh and something along the lines of, ‘humanity is degenerating’ or ‘they have grey fluffs in their skulls instead of brains’.

Either how, he was grateful he had at least one desk mate who made his life easier: Eunkyo. She was blunt with her words and she was a total brusque when it came to giggling girls. During classes, Junhong considered her the best insect-repellent ever. Eunkyo was becoming his fourth favourite existence, right after Junhee, his mum, and his dad. Somehow, Jonghoon had never really made that list.

Secondly, Junhong was perceptive. Perceptive enough to realise that something was up. Especially when he kept receiving curious and even smirky looks from the older students. He’d asked Eunkyo and she was reluctant to tell him that, “It’s because they think you’re going out with your best friend.” Junhong had frowned then and asked, “What’s wrong with my best friend?” and received a silent shrug. “You’re missing the point, Junhong.”

He decided he didn’t really want to know what the point was nor how he was missing it. Junhong couldn’t quite bother, not when he had something exciting planned.

All he had to do was trick Junhee skillfully enough that she would not suspect a thing and make no objections against it. At least not until it was too late to object. She could object all she wanted then and it would be amusing to watch her get all worked up because of him.

It swelled warmly in Junhong’s chest, this lovely feeling of knowing that only he could do things to her and get away with almost anything. That Junhee allowed only him and him alone. He thought the pleasant feeling in his chest must be what people called pride.

“Junhee, come on!” he hissed excitedly during lunch, pulling her onto her feet and hauled her schoolbag over his shoulder, along with his own.

The girl resisted as she tried to sink back down in her seat with a small whine. Students were staring at them; they always stared and Junhong was getting both frustrated by them because he didn’t understand and, on the other hand, he was becoming used to it.

“Come on, this is important,” Junhong whispered into her ear and tugged harder at her arm. She let out a strangled noise, like an annoyed cat but allowed him to drag her out of the mess hall and down the school corridor.

One good and moot point to note about his best friend was that, she was not quite as self-conscious as a normal girl should be. That would be a nice way for Junhong to say that Choi Junhee was socially incompetent. She was completely oblivious and unbothered by other people as well as her surroundings, that sometimes, he wondered what alternate universe she was living in. What could she see that he could not? And what could she not see?

It didn’t bother Junhong—not as long as Junhee still had him in her eyes, no matter which world.

“What exactly are you doing?” she asked in a skeptical tone as she watched him climb up the big elder tree at the back of the school, just beside the wall that barred them from the outside world.

Once settled on a branch, he looked down with a grin.

“Come on, I’ll tell you,” he said, extending his hand. “But we have to do this now. It’s important.”

Junhee rolled her eyes because his hand was unhelpful. Junhong had already climbed up too high. So, the girl sighed and, within a few seconds, climbed her way up the tree with the ease of an expert.

Well, they were both experts here, thanks to their childhood adventure days.

“What now?” she asked, balancing herself on the same branch, facing him.

Junhong chuckled and nodded towards the wall.

“The ledge,” he said.

“Out?” she asked suspiciously.

He bit back a grin and said in the most serious tone he could muster at the moment (which was not serious in the least), “This is important.”

Junhee probably saw right through him, but it didn’t matter. Not when she said, “Okay.”

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