“Do you have to go?” Junhoe grumbled for what seemed like the hundredth time. Hyebin resisted the urge she had to neaten his hair, which was flying in multiple directions. It was very endearing, really. She was leaving for America to view some colleges; her father had made it very obvious that he wanted her to achieve more than enough to make up for Yongguk’s lack of academic work. Not to say he was not a bright student- in his days of school, Yongguk was an excellent student who just did not give enough care into his work when he was already infatuated with the idea of becoming a composer and lyricist.

            “Of course I do. It’s only for a week. You can live without me nagging, can’t you? I already gave you our homework answers for spring break,” Hyebin scoffed gently, flicking his forehead. He looked tired, which was understandable because her flight was at 4:50 am, and he did not give up when he said he wished to see her off. It was currently 4:00 am, and Hyebin was delaying her entrance into the security check as long as possible to spend more time with Junhoe. A part of her wished to be able to just stay in Seoul with her friends- it would be the perfect time to continue to nurture her growing love for Junhoe, who was closer to Hyebin than ever before.

            “A week is a really long time. What if you get sick or something? Or I get sick?” Junhoe whined, and Hyebin rolled her eyes. He was becoming more like a child with every day he seemed to get older. Hyebin felt like she was babying him too much, and one could argue that she definitely was. She always gave him her school work to copy, and little snacks when they studied.

            “Oh give it up. I have to go now, or else I can’t get there in time to my gate. You have the boys to baby you. I already gave Jinhwan all your diapers and Bobby has your bottle and formula,” Hyebin teased, and he scowled at her. He ruffled her hair, deliberately trying to mess it up, much to her annoyance.

            “Fine. Be safe okay? And don’t get lost. Make sure you have your passport with you, don’t lose it, and don’t lose your wallet. If you do-“  Junhoe began to ramble about different safety procedures until Hyebin stuck her index finger in front of his lips, shushing him effectively in the process. She gave him a small smile, trying to calm her fluttering heart at his obvious concern for her wellbeing.

            “Just Kakao chat me, okay? It’s a 13 hour time difference when I get to Massachusetts. I’ll be in that area for a bit, and then I’ll be flying to California to look at some places there too. Don’t leave me too lonely, that’s what you can do for me.” He nodded, giving her a quick hug before nudging her towards the security check. She gave him a tiny wave, before turning on her heels and making her way through.

            The idea of traveling to a different country by herself was beyond her. It was roughly a 15 hour plane trip, and she was staying with her cousins, who she had met only twice in her lifetime. Hyebin was lost easily, and her main concern was even getting through to her gate without being stopped by security for some reason she could not even think of. Perhaps she would forget to take out something with metal, like her laptop. She had recalled doing that once, and it was a frightening experience to have been pulled over by the stern airport security men, and embarrassing when she realized what it was.

            It was a relief when almost 16 hours later she landed in the States correctly, and even more of a relief when she could see the smiling and welcoming faces of her family. One of her cousins was the same year as her, and their parents had arranged for seeing the most prestigious of colleges for the pair to visit. First was the one and only, Harvard University, with more such as MIT and Amherst College. Krystal greeted Hyebin with a quick hug and a smile.

            “I feel like it’s been forever. It has been quite some time. I hear you’re kicking some major in Korea with your grades.” A small smile quirked up on Hyebin’s lips, and she let out a long yawn and a tired nod of acknowledgement that Krystal herself was no joke in academics. Her aunt chuckled, tilting her head towards the exit of the large airport bulding.

            “Let’s get you home. Tomorrow you girls have quite a way to go with tours and such.” Hyebin could not even remember the rest of the day until she somehow found herself plopped in the back of her aunt’s Porsche Cayenne S with Krystal staring out the window in a thoughtful silence. It was quite a messy blur, but as she pulled up into Cambridge, the town of Harvard University, Hyebin could already tell she did not want to go here for college. Famous? Yes. Competitive? Yes. But the buildings seemed to reek of the prestige as well as the fierce battle for grades, and Hyebin did not want to face so many people this successful.

            MIT seemed to be the same, while Amherst College was much more likeable for Hyebin. It was more out in the middle of nowhere, and was quite a drive from Harvard and MIT, but the distance was full of peaceful travelling to Hyebin. Krystal seemed to like Yale University, and both girls had wrinkled their noses at Princeton University. The two were so busy discussing their plans and thoughts for admission processes they would have to face their following year, or in Krystal’s case just a few months, that it was a surprise for Hyebin when she checked her phone. It was already three days since she was in the US, and not a single message from Junhoe, who was in the back of her mind 24/7. There were constant questions from Youjung and Soorim, as well as Jinhyeong and the other boys, but Junhoe seemed to be missing from the list. Hyebin tried not to let it irk her, but she was in a grumpy mood for the rest of the day.

            When the two girls landed in LA without their watchful aunt (Krystal had absolutely begged for no adult supervision so she could have some shopping sprees and such with Hyebin), there was still nothing from Junhoe. Had he died? He couldn’t have- otherwise the other boys would have mentioned something. But no, they had not. And neither did Hyebin, because of her stupid pride that would not allow her to message him twice in a row to start a conversation.

            “I think Stanford is gorgeous. I like it much more than Yale, which is a surprise, don’t you think?” Krystal gushed as the two left one store in a mall. Bags were dangling from her wrist, and Hyebin had no idea how Krystal was going to bring it all back until Krystal confessed she had only brought outfits for their college tours and nothing more.

            “I liked Stanford, but I also liked UC Berkeley,” Hyebin said with a distracted smile. It was almost the end of their week, and still no sign of contact from Junhoe. The girls had visited too many colleges to count. “But it would be a real blessing if I could get into Brown University’s medical program. That would be cool,” Hyebin cracked a more genuine smile at the thought. It would truly be a dream come true. Krystal nodded in agreement. While Krystal was smart, she did not wish to pursue a career in medicine like Hyebin wanted, nor was it science related at all. She wanted to be an architect and own her own company, something that Hyebin was sure she could succeed in.

            “I’m looking for a school that can help me with what I want as a student, but Stanford and Yale are too pretty for me to just let slip by,” Krystal groaned as she thought about all the colleges she had to apply for. It was quite a migraine for the two girls, but there was an underlying agreement that Krystal was bound to get into a fine college, especially with her grades and resume.

            “I still like Amherst College a lot. It’s so quiet and peaceful, and it’s a good place.” Hyebin said aloud. “But I think Seoul National University caters to my needs well too. So do Yonsei, and maybe KAIST.” Krystal wiggled her eyebrows suggestively, knowing very well which boy was making her want to stay in Korea. Krystal had practically dragged the explanation from Hyebin’s lips the first time she caught her cousin staring at her phone screen, which would light up from Kakaos but not from the right person.

            “We’ll see what happens. Don’t let your dream slip by if it’s in Korea,” Krystal said. “Wishes come true.”

            Wishes come true. The words repeated in her mind as Hyebin returned to Korea two days later, while Krystal took a plane back to Massachussetts. There was some grief in Hyebin, as she was definitely sure that her friendship with Junhoe was not quite right for him to have not messaged her once, nor had he relayed any message to the boys for her. It was like he did not exist, and the boys just said he was busy when she finally dropped the pride to ask. Busy- so busy he could not stop for one “hello” to Hyebin? She felt her stomach twisting as she flew closer and closer to Junhoe, each minute bringing her much closer to Korea than the last.

            Was it betrayal she felt? Or was it plain resentment for his lack of ability to express any care for her? In truth, it was everything negative. It was her fears of him being with some other girl, and that he was too busy chasing after another ‘love of his life’ rather than noticing the absence of a girl who he called his “soul mate”, which to him was not necessarily connected to being in love. It was the bitterness that he could care less for her while she was in a completely opposite side of the planet from him, a full 15 hour fight from where he would be with a 13 hour time difference, and he still did not have the time to spare for a few messages. It was pure torture imagining how she was supposed to act.

            Would she just let it go? Krystal had told her not to let it slide so easily. If he had a crisis big enough for him to not be able to talk to her, she had reasoned to Hyebin, then the boys would have notified her immediately. No, she would not let it slide by either. There was a time when maybe she would, but this was plain wrong to Hyebin. Hyebin, who had done everything to make Junhoe happy. Hyebin, who threw away her sleep to study enough to teach him what he missed. Hyebin, who risked her private life by showing Junhoe who her brother really was. Hyebin, who did more than enough for the guy he loved, and spent almost three years of wishes at every 11:11 for him.

Wishes come true. Was this supposed to be a joke? If it was, then it had Hyebin laughing more sarcastically than out of joy if anything. She could not understand what to do as the pilot announced they would be landing in less than twenty minutes, along with the time of Seoul, the temperature and everything. It was only 7:20 am when she landed, and getting home would be an hour tops. How could she avoid Junhoe for a whole day, assuming he cared enough to try to find her? She put on her snapback, which Yongguk had bought for her birthday a while back, and pushed it down low so one could not see her eyes. She ducked her head, letting her hair become a small curtain between the outer world and herself. She made her way through the immigration path, and went to the exit.

Families were lined up with smiles, friends with signs with people’s names on it. It was loud, hectic, and hard to follow up on. And yet, Hyebin could find one person faster than she ever thought possible. Yes, there he was, with his own snapback on. All black, from shirt to shorts to sneakers. Even the tiny stud earring on his left ear was black. He was still oblivious to where she was, but she found him in an instant. And yet, despite seeing him for the first time in a week, Hyebin could not find a way for her to quite forgive Junhoe. She turned away instead to where she found a corner that Junhoe would not be able to see from his line of vision and dialed for Youjung on her phone. She just needed time to herself, and she was sure she could spring back to her previously obliviously ‘in love’ state.

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Hello my lovelies! I forgot to add this chapter as well- oops. I hope that even though these two updates were really short, it helps. And yes, I could not help but make Junhoe a little bit of a jerk in this chapter. I travelled abroad once, and my crush had never contacted me for the two weeks, even though he promise himself he would message me. While I can't say I didn't expect him to carry through because I know he's busy, I was a little butthurt and I thought it could fit into Hyebin's life as well. She is growing more dependent on Junhoe's smile and just Junhoe in general that she is forgetting who she is as a girl.