— Almost half a year after Kai and Mira first met —

Almost a week has passed and there was still no word from her best friend, Jongin. Either the fight they had earlier that week was the last string for him or he had simply lost interest in their friendship.

It was his fault that they even got into a fight – it was during a play date between her and him set up by their parents and they were both content with playing a card game. It was game that the two enjoyed playing and never got tired of, although this time around, she found herself hating the game and anything that dealt with Jongin – especially since he was found playing unfair and cheating in the game.

He swore up and down that he did no such thing, but things led to yelling, throwing the cards onto the floor, and her calling her parents to ask them to pick her up from his house because she 'couldn't stand being in the same room as him'.

As she sat on a park bench alongside with her friends, Sehun and Baekhyun, she looked at the younger kids running around the playground. One child was playing tag with another girl, while others were trying to go across the monkey bars, and another crying as she was covering her scraped knee, waiting for her mother to attend to her.

"Can you believe that we're going to be in middle school soon? We're officially big kids now, you guys," Sehun said in such confidence.

"Yeah, you wish. We're not there yet," Baekhyun sounded defeated. "But at least we'll all be together, right?" The three of them agreed in complete unison.

"So, how are things with you and Jongin, Mimi?" Sehun leaned forward a little so he could see her since Baekhyun was sitting in between them.

Mimi sighed and pouted, not even close to being content. "We haven't talked this whole week, and I don't want to hear anything about him so don't start."

Baekhyun shrugged, "He misses you. He seems lonely."

"Yeah, what he said," Sehun replied.

Mimi covered her ears, "I said I don't care and I don't want to hear! Now shut up!" The two boys laughed and found enjoyment in her annoyed state.

"I'm being honest though. He isn't quite the same when you're not around. He has always been happy and cool even before you guys met, but I feel like his happiness doubled the moment you entered his life. Now his happiness has decreased by so much now that you guys aren't talking," Baekhyun noted, half-smiling at Mimi.

"Well, maybe if he hadn't had cheated in that game, we wouldn't be like this..." Mimi rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms across her chest. Sehun and Baekhyun both sighed like as if they knew they couldn't reach Mimi's mind. The three remained on the bench and continued to sit within each other's silence as they watched the kids on the playground – a small reminder of how they all used to be so careless and free like them.

—

"I don't even know what I did!"

"You're doing it again, dude."

"Who is she to accuse me when I didn't do anything wrong?"

"Dude, he's going crazy again."

"And why is she suddenly the victim? She has cheated more than I have!"

"He's officially psycho."

"I heard that, Soo!" Jongin pointed at a caught Kyungsoo whispering into their other friend's ear. "And I'm not a psycho or going crazy. I just feel so– ugh! Annoyed and frustrated!"

"You miss her, we get it. Just talk to her, dude," Chanyeol suggested.

Jongin, this time, didn't make another remark but instead just stared with a blank look at his bedroom wall. "I can't."

"You can't? Or you won't because you're scared?" Chanyeol snickered with Kyungsoo.

"I shouldn't be the one to give up to her and apologize first when I didn't even do anything wrong."

"You ignoring her is wrong," Kyungsoo stated.

"But she ignored me first! And she told me to stay away, so what I'm doing isn't wrong, but more of a favor!" Jongin shouted. He plumped himself onto his bed and hung his head as he stared at the floor.

Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and shook his head, not understanding his friend. "That doesn't mean that she means it. It's what you call reverse psychology. Her saying she wants you to stay away actually means that she doesn't want you to leave. Stupid."

"That doesn't even make sense! Then she shouldn't have told me to stay away! Girls are so dumb. I hope other girls aren't as this confusing in middle school," Jongin mumbled.

"I heard they're worse as we get older," Chanyeol shrugged his shoulders. "At least that's how it is with my noona."

"Great. Not even the hottest girls are an exception?"

"Nope. They're even worse."

"Well, crap."

—

"But I don't want to see him! Can't I have a sick day?"

"Mimi, come on! It's my birthday today and you have to come with us! It won't be the same without you," Lay pouted as he hugged Mimi.

"But Xing, I don't want to see Jongin. He'll ruin my mood. I'm already mad just thinking about him!"

"So you do think about him," Lay smiled.

"Ew, not like that!"

"Not like what?" Lay smiled innocently.

"Like that!"

"I didn't say anything and I have no idea what you're talking about, Mimi, but you still have to come."

Knowing she couldn't win, she slumped in her place and felt defeated. Seeing her in that condition made Lay smile bigger because he knew he had won, and she reluctantly agreed.

Lay grabbed her hand and kissed her on the forehead. "And this is why I like you, Mimi. Thank you."

Mimi tried her best not to smile but eventually cracked, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. You're not that special. I just felt like you needed someone awesome at your birthday, aka me."

Lay pinched her cheek gently with a smile, "I feel like the second most special person in the world knowing that the ultimate special person is blessing me with her presence at my birthday party."

"Cheeseball," Mimi giggled.

"Nope, that title is saved for Luhan," Lay laughed.

He was right. Their friend, Luhan, was the ultimate cheeseball, indeed.

—

"Okay, everyone smile! Wait, who's tha– Jongdae! Stop doing bunny ears on Tao and Kyungsoo! Okay, ready? One, two, three!" Mrs. Zhang, Lay's mother, snapped what may have been the tenth picture already of the group of friends.

Family and friends of Lay from both China and Korea were here for his birthday and he couldn't have been happier. Even if some of his family and friends couldn't come to celebrate him, he still made sure to personally call them and thank everyone who greeted him with a birthday wish and told them how much he missed them.

As for Mimi, she couldn't stop smiling. Despite the troublesome situation she had with Jongin, she couldn't help but feel happy for Lay. He's very humble, modest, and sweet – very hard traits to come across in a bundle like that in a person. When Lay turned around and caught her eye, she immediately glanced away and felt her cheeks warm up.

Lay arrived by her side in seconds and grabbed her hand. He squeezed hers in his firmly, yet softly.

She looked up at him and wondered what was bothering him. Like a telepathic message was sent from her mind to his, he replied, "Nothing's wrong. I'm just really happy and feeling blessed."

"You're so perfect, you know that?" Mira realized what she had originally thought in her was said out loud and she immediately cupped . "I'm sorry, I don't know why I said that."

"Thank you, Mimi. I'm nowhere near p