“So uh .. I’m sorry for all the things I said and did to you before.” DaeHyun said as he was walking around the mall beside SungMi. After the incident at the book store, the two were just walking around the place while talking about random things that they could think of. And throughout the time SungMi had been the one who did most of the talking and little by little DaeHyun had started to open up to her.

Maybe, she wasn’t that much of a nuisance after all.

SungMi’s brows furrowed at his words as she could hardly understand and didn’t expect any apologies from DaeHyun at all. “What do you mean ?” She asked, while taking a sip of the ice blended mocha she had just recently bought.

DaeHyun looked around awkwardly and said, “Well, you know, all the harsh things that I said to you each time we ran into one another. And I often scolded you and raised my voice without listening to you first. How I always judged you so quickly without even bothering to get to know you first.”

It was actually quite hard for him to apologise but he knew that he had to eat crow. He himself was wrong in the first place for judging SungMi in a flash and often yelled at her each time she did something wrong, especially when he was involved.

SungMi then nodded her head in acknowledgement and her lips curved then into a sincere smile, showing that she had never taken any of that to heart. “Nah. That’s alright. It isn’t a big deal and I begin to clearly understand it now. I know that I was at fault too. I shouldn’t have acted the way I have but .. this is just who I am. And I am still trying to work on it.”

DaeHyun tilted his head to think for a  moment and said gently to her, “You know, you don’t really have to change who you are for the sake of others. At least you are just being you. And I myself begin to understand it now, too. But maybe you should just try to be more careful and be alert, and learn to take responsibilities for your own actions.”

SungMi nodded her head in understanding for the advice and grinned, “Yup. I’m certainly working on it. I’ve been thinking about it too on how I always run away from all the naughty things that I have done. Guess I’ve been a very bad girl, huh and only think of having fun.”

DaeHyun chuckled and said in amusement, “I’m impressed that you’ve realized your mistakes now. And so have I. Zelo and DanBi have been talking me down into it and I too now know what a jerk I have been all these while. But I just want you to know that I’m simply nagging at you because I want to help you. It just turns out not to be the way I want.”

SungMi frowned a little and couldn’t help but to ask, though she knew she shouldn’t, “I heard that you had a fight with JunHong. What was that all about ? I thought he’s really looking up to you.”

DaeHyun smiled sadly remembering that younger friend of his and how he actually regretted for creating a fight with him. To be honest, he didn’t mean to say the things he said and those words just slipped from his mouth maybe due to his moodiness. And the boy still hadn’t talked to him ever since that arguement.

“Well .. I don’t mean to put you in a hard situation but let’s just say that we had a little disagreement while talking about you.” DaeHyun answered carefully while looking at SungMi for her reaction.

As expected, SungMi was a little shocked and her eyes widened while looking at him in disbelief. “Yah. How was that even possible ?” She had her hands on her hips while glaring at DaeHyun. She hated the fact that Zelo and DaeHyun were fighting because of her, while she had tried so hard to keep out of everyone’s ways.

DaeHyun rubbed the back of neck awkwardly and contemplated whether he should tell her what they talked about or not. Well, he didn’t know what reaction should he expect from her. Knowing SungMi, she might laugh once she heard it or she might also get angry. Or had no reactions at all.

SungMi was about to force DaeHyun to tell her when she saw her parents were abling towards her, their hands full of their shopping stuff. Seeing her parents, SungMi jumped up and down while waving at them happily and DaeHyun couldn’t help but to laugh. It was as if she hadn’t seen her parents in years.

DaeHyun then found himself to be in a new kind of position. He couldn’t almost believe himself when he didn’t even scold SungMi about her childish attitude and just simply laughed while watching her. He always did that before, and now it amazed him that he didn’t. And that he didn’t feel like scolding her at all.

SungMi’s parents, Mr and Mrs Lee, walked closer towards their daughter with Mrs Lee shaking her head at her in disapproval while Mr Lee only smiled. “You are not to jump up and down like that, Lee SungMi. It’s embarassing and people are looking. Who knows if some of my friends are here ? What would they say if they see you acting like that ?” Mrs Lee hissed sternly and the smile on SungMi’s face fell almost immediately looking at her mother’s face which showed no tenderness at all.  

She was just a little excited to see her parents coming towards her and that she couldn’t help herself from showing her excitement. But then, she guessed it was wrong since her mother was angry about it.

SungMi nodded her head and said solemnly, “I’m sorry, mother. I won’t do it again.” DaeHyun’s heart went out to her a little and a part of him began to question himself regarding Mrs Lee’s treatment towards SungMi just now.

Well, he had to agree that maybe SungMi was behaving a bit too childish when she saw her parents but she did that purely because of excitement. And wasn’t it good to have your daughter smiled and waved at you once she saw the sight of you ? It showed that she clearly loved you and happy to see you.

Unlike some other teenagers who will pull of a face when they saw their parents coming towards them. Especially when they were hanging out with their friends and the parents happened to pass by. Some of them will even pretend that they didn’t know their parents.

Mr Lee, who probably had the same thinking as DaeHyun, shook his head at his wife and defended SungMi, “Don’t be so harsh on her. I don’t think it’s wrong for her to react that way. Rather than turning her back and pretend that she doesn’t know us, I would rather have her to smile and wave at us.”

Mrs Lee then pursed her lips and said to her husband, “You’re always being too soft on the girl. That’s why she’s like this. She can’t even act like a proper 16 year old. Compared to my friends’ daughters, all of them look more mature and know how to act properly like their age. Just imagine what will become of SungMi if this continues.”

SungMi flinched a little when her mother compared her to her friends’ daughters and as much as she tried not to show it, DaeHyun knew that she felt hurt by the comment. Nothing felt so much worse than to have your own parents comparing you to other people’s children and make you feel worthless.

Mr Lee sighed and said sternly at his wife, “She will be just fine. Nothing is going to happen to her.” Ignoring Mrs Lee who was about to say something more, Mr Lee quickly turned to DaeHyun and a genuine smile was formed on his face as he asked, “And who do we have here ? Is this your friend, SungMi ?”

SungMi cocked her head to the side and was asking herself on what to say. Were they friends ? Or were they still enemies ?

Noticing how long it took for SungMi to answer her dad, DaeHyun reached out a hand to Mr Lee and said, “Nice to see you, sir. I’m SungMi’s senior at school and one of her friends.”

Mr Lee’s eyes widened in amusement and said in disbelief, “One of SungMi’s friends ? Are you saying that our SungMi now has friends ? And more than one, even ?!” DaeHyun nodded with a sincere smile and couldn’t help but to feel pity towards both SungMi and her parents. Somehow he felt that her parents must have found this hard to believe that their daughter had finally to make some friends at school, after those years of being alone with no friends.

“Yes. She has more than one friend. Two from her class and uh .. six from different classes.” Hearing that, Mr Lee gasped and messed SungMi’s head. DaeHyun could see how happy her father was to hear that. And it was as if SungMi had broken the world’s record, when in fact it was only about her having friends.

Even Mrs Lee couldn’t believe her ears. She had always known that SungMi didn’t have any friends and to hear this had completely blown her away. However, that issue was not the one that had caught her attention fully. In fact, Mrs Lee was actually disturbed by DaeHyun’s presence there. She didn’t know why but her gut feeling was telling her that she didn’t like this boy beside her daughter. And she didn’t want him anywhere near SungMi either.

Mrs Lee wanted to leave that very instant.

“I think we should go now, the boys must be waiting at home.” Mrs Lee said while not taking her eyes off DaeHyun. Something was telling her that she had seen him before but she couldn’t actually fathom why was she resenting this boy so much. And yet that was the first time she met him.

SungMi shrugged and turned to DaeHyun to say goodbye. Right before she followed her parents who had continued walking, she said sincerely, “Well, I don’t know if you really meant it, but thank you for saying that you’re my friend. It actually means a lot.”

At DaeHyun’s house later that late afternoon, the boy was helping his mother in putting away the groceries that they had bought earlier at the mall. The both of them were silent and DaeHyun somehow could feel that something was actually wrong with ChanByul all of a sudden.

She was awfully quiet and was in a very deep silence. It was as if he