Jinyoung watched as his brother pigged out on his food. Frowning, he pushed away his half-eaten breakfast and took a sip of water. “ You eat like a pig, “ he muttered but his brother didn’t bothered and continued eating feverishly.

Glancing up to the wall clock, he stood up from his seat and grabbed his backpack, hanging it to one side of his shoulder. “ I’ll be going now! “ he informed as he strode toward the front door. He waited for his mother to respond before twisting the door knob and exiting the house.

The bus stop he usually takes is a few corners away from his house and to get there he usually passes by the Old Okhwa house.

The Old Okhwa is a nickname he created for an elderly man who owned a book store that he often dropped by. The name of the book store is ‘Scarlette’ and the reason he always dropped by is, well, because Mark works part time there.

He would dropped by every Tuesday and weekend just to observe his crush. He’s not stalking. He would just stare at him for a long period of time and ran away when ever Mark notices his presence.

When Jinyoung arrived at the bus stop, there was already a bus ready to drive off. He ran for it and it luckily stopped for him. Sighing in relief, he entered the bus with a smile on his face.

Why is the bus so early today? He asked himself. Oh, maybe it’s the bus scheduled 10 minute before. Maybe it’s late.

He was sure of it when he saw his usual seat being occupied by another student from his school. After searching around the bus, he decided to sit next to another student who was napping with his face covered with a snapback.

He knows who it was immediately. It was Jackson Wang.

Jinyoung doesn’t exactly hate Jackson, he’s just feeling intimidated by him. A little intimidated and a little jealous too, because he’s always around Mark and it irked him.

The ride was bumpy and half way to the school, Jackson woke up. He stretched, probably not noticing the presence of Jinyoung beside him.

It was when his fist touched Jinyoung’s cheek that he straightened up and look at him. “ Oh, I didn’t see you there. “ he said.

Jinyoung managed a small smile and shook his head, “ it’s alright. “

Right at that moment, Jackson’s phone rang. A soft hip hop beat filled the bus but it was cut short as he answered the call.

“ Hello? Oh, Mark! “ Jinyoung shoot his head toward Jackson and looked away soon after.

If a mention of his name can already make Jinyoung feel all ticklish inside, can you imagine the hardship he get through whenever he sees him?

Trying to hide his rosy cheek, Jinyoung avoided eye contact with Jackson through the entire ride, creating a rather awkward silence between them.

When he arrived in his class, he was greeted by a beaming Jaebum who slammed his hands on his table. Surprised, he stared at Jaebum with wide eyes. “ We’re accepted! “ Jaebum exclaimed.

“ Who is accepted to where? “ asked Jinyoung. “ The talent competition Youngjae and I joined the other week. We’re through to the next round! “

Finally remembering it, Jinyoung returned the beam and stood up to hug his friend. “ Congratulation buddy! “

Jaebum and Jinyoung had been friend since childhood but even now; Jaebum is still taken aback whenever the slightly shorter guy gets all close to him. Not that he hates skinship, he just felt a little weird whenever Jinyoung is invading his personal space.

But nonetheless, he manage a small smile and hugged him back. “ Thanks. “

“ So, when’s the next round? “ Jinyoung asked, taking more interest in the subject more than he did before. “ We have 2 weeks to sharpen our skills. “ Jaebum answered.

They started talking like they usually does, hands still hung loosely around each other.

When another insuperable duo Mark and Jackson entered the room, Jackson’s eyes fell on them almost instantly. “ Woah, I guess he doesn’t like you anymore. “ Jackson chuckled but Mark wasn’t paying attention to him. He was furrowing his eyebrows, reading into his phone.

Once noticing the tense expression on his friend’s face, Jackson asked him if he was okay. “ I’m sorry, Jack. I need to go. “

“ What? Where? The class is about to start! “ Jackson exclaimed as he grabbed Mark’s arm just as he was about to dashed off. Mark’s expression was unreadable but Jackson knows it was a really urgent thing, so he let go of his grip and watched as Mark ran out of the room.

Mark tried to sneak out of the school building without being noticed by the teachers or the staffs and caught the bus.

He dialled a number and waited for the line to be connected without much patience. “ Why isn’t he answering? “

Just as he was about to lose his little patience, the phone call was answered. “ Hello? “

“ Bambam, it’s hyung. Is it true? “ Mark asked, his voice thick with anguish – the anguish of grief. A soft sob can be heard from the other end of the line and without anymore explanation, he sighed. “ Please don’t cry. I’ll be there in no time. “