“If I get to score higher than ken Hyung, go out with me”

“huh?”. Areum blinked her eyes and nodded,

“Aren't you used to go out with a kid?” Hyuk shrugged and smirked at the girl who was ten feet away from him.

After a while, Areum could finally say something “Ooooh!” and felt rather relief, stupid, of course that's what he meant!. “But a little correction, I’m used to go out with an infant not a kid”

“Great so at least you know the difference,” A hand waved from the boy wrapped their meetings, “See you later, noona” as he made an attempt of running his best to school within 15minutes.

Eunju slid a piece of paper to the guy in front of her, “Just fill in the blank” She muttered as she got up from the chair.

Write an essay about your partner whom you got to know for these past three days, with a minimum of 500 words. 

It seemed that Eunju's definition of fill in the blank was to fill 3/4 of the paper. “Really?” Ken put away the paper as soon as he got to read the title, “do we still have to play this stupid game?!”

“Does knowing a person counts as a game to you?” Eunju folded her arms, and waited for ken to touch the pen in front of him.

“Tsk, but it's not even three days yet” 

“Does it matter? Aren’t you the one who said that you know enough about her?” 

And with that being said, Ken felt like he had no other choice but to once again, follow her rules. “Are you really going to check the amount of words I’ll put in here?”

“Yup”

“Woah, thats more than 500,” Ravi sat next to Ken and took a look in the paper, “Is that your second page?”

“Third,” Ken answered the question without moving his eyes from the paper, “She’s right, no matter how stupid she is, it was never a game”

Ravi rested his chin on his right hand and decided to keep his friend accompany “What? you and areum?”.

“She might be loud and noisy, but she’s also a good listener,” After almost two hours of writings, Ken almost reached his last paragraph, “To the things she is interested, of course”

“Like what?” 

“Like how I see my brother and—“ Ken dropped the pen and looked at the paper again, “Oh …”. In a second, Ravi moved his hand to snatch the paper and took a look, “I was rambling about me and my brother for the whole three pages…”

Ravi returned the papers to Ken, “I know that you love your brother but—“

Ken hit his head into the table “Cause that was literally the only thing that we were talking about,” and teared the papers, “Ravi, she never said a word about herself” 

“You’re not going to teach?” Leo turned around and found hakyeon stood in front of the porch with his house clothes, “Taking a day off?”.

“Oh, I’m going to teach, of course,” He moved closer to Leo, and the baby on his arms, “I’m going to teach this kid how to art”. He reached for Kyunggi and let him jump onto his arm, “Kyunggi, lets do something fun together!”

As if he didn't like it, Leo just glared at Hakyeon and Kyunggi who were sitting in the yard, surrounded with paints and brushes. Together, they were doing a collaboration on a 1x1meter of canvas. The oldest and the youngest always filled their faces with  laughs and joy, meanwhile Leo, “paints are dangerous”.

“Well, these are safe for children” Hakyeon chuckled at the frowning guy on the porch, “Kyunggi-ya.. Can that pouty hyung join us?”

Kyunggi who had his body covered in paint got up, and walked towards Leo.

 By reflect, “Eh?” Leo jerked up and moved to make sure that his favorite shirt won't be stained by any chance. “Ah, Kyunggi, Hyung can't paint..”.

“hahahahaha, Kyunggi, come here, that Hyung is too chic for art,” Hakyeon got up and picked up the baby, “He can be our curator you know!” and brought him back to the space that allowed them to be messy with paint.

“Aren't you going to tell me?” 

Leo, who was almost asleep on his sit opened his eyes, “hmm?”

“About your text,”

Hakyeon reclined, and wanted to enjoy his next nap. “Hongbin and his pride is like the worst combination ever” but then the thought of his brother kept waking him up, “But what can I say, he’s on his own—”
 
 
The phone in his pocket ran and it made him reach for it in a matter of seconds. 

To: Hakyeon

How do you help someone who is very sad, but doesn't want a help?. 

From: taekwoonie ^^

To: taekwoonie ^^

If that's the case, then, I don't think that there's anything you can do :( ~

From: Hakyeon

To: Hakyeon

But it kills me to see her like that.

From: taekwoonie ^^

Eh?

To: Hakyeon

*them

From: taekwoonie ^^

“So,” Hakyeon went straight to the point, “does anything bad happened to her while I’m away?” as he started to clean up the space after Kyunggi went to Leo’s arms for a nap.

“How do you know— oh, right, my bad” Leo remembered the fatal mistake of him typing the gender pronouns. “You haven't seen her today, right?”

Hakyeon nodded.

“Well, last night, she locked herself in the room and cried—“

“Okay, now what kind of drama that she marathoned last night?” He raised his hand, not letting his friend to finish. “Woobin’s? jongsuk’s? is it really a tearjerker one?”

“She cried soundlessly”.

Hakyeon put down his hand.

“And this morning I asked her why was she like that, but then she said that it's none of my business” Leo continued, “It's not her, hakyeon, its really not her”

“None of your business, huh?” As if he knew what the answer is, Hakyeon just nodded and went inside the house. “Then its between her and whom?”

“What did you do to her?” Hongbin went inside the room that once belong to him, and confronted the girl who was sitting in front of her computer, with the tablet  that played on a video on his hand, “Eunju, please this is not funny—“

“If you really think that it was my doing, then I’m so disappointed at you,” Eunju just stole a glance at the figure next to the door, “closed the door”

Hongbin narrowed his eyes, “What?? Of course I won't do that!” as he awkwardly took a step back.

“for sake,” without having a single percent of patience, Eunju got up from her chair and closed the door, “First of all, I didn't do anything to her, and i rather helped her last night” then stayed in front of it. “she just broke her phone and—“

“Wait, her phone is broken?” ah, so that's why she can't reply my text.

“And for once she became a selfish bi—“ A sighed and a stared from Hongbin made her changed her tones, “She wanted some time alone with herself, so For once, she became a selfish human being and just owned the room for the night. I never let my eyes off the screen and I watched her crying for the rest of the night. And where were you? Skipping a day and having some throw back time in Busan? Cause I found it stupid”

The reality hit him right in the heart. She was right, Perhaps, “I— I—“ he was just being mad for not being there when the person he loves needed him the most. “I’m sorry for accusing you— and“

“Stop saying sorry cause that's pathetic,” Eunju took a step closer to him, and landed her head on his shoulder, “and the fact that I know her more than you do is even more pathetic,”

 For hongbin, what she said weren't really the things that he wanted to hear. “Are we going to talk about your six sense again?” 

“No, no, Beanie, I don't need a six sense to know her,” Eunju raised her head and pecked his ear, for a whisper., “I just need to remember, and everything will become crystal-clear”

Being the good sunbae he is, “You were crying,” Inguk noticed the face that his friend had, “Try to put on some make up, it will cover your eye bags”

“Well, unfortunately, there's no one to teach you on how to use a makeup when you lives with a bunch of boys— wait, but there's Eunju… damn it!” Areum leaned on the counter, “I should've asked for her help!”

“And now, who’s this Eunju person?”. A guy from the other side of the counter joined in, “Good afternoon, Noona”

“Ah! Hyukkie’s friend! Right on time!” Eunju smiled and offered the guy a high five.

“Yes, and this friend of Hyukkie also happened to be called Sungjae” He replied with a smile, “Hi Hyung, how's work?”

“Woah! Sungjae, what are you doing here??” Inguk was surprised to see his cousin with his uniform on an afternoon in a weekday, “Don't you have your final test for today??”

Sungjae rolled his eyes and sat on one of the stools, “I do, but because of it, we’re free to do anything after we finished the test and I did. Then, that noona over there wanted me to come here for no reason”

“So, how’s your test??” While making a cup of coffee, Areum still wanted to be in the conversation, “Oh, and by the way I got your number from your cousin, so,”

“Well of course you got it from Hyung,” Resting his head on the counter, Sungjae patiently wait for his unspoken order, “Oh, and if you still curious about my test, then, its great, I guess I’m good but of course, not as good as Hyuk”

Areum placed a cup of latte, and a frappuccino in front of the boy, “Is Hyuk really that good?”

“Oh, he is,” Sungjae took a sip of his latte and felt energized, “He’s placed second as the best student of the whole decade, after his brother”

“Wait,” Areum widened her eyes, “So Ken is—“

“Ken  hyung, is the best, and I think soon to be was, the best student Hanlim ever had” 

Inguk felt a little lost, “Wait, which one is Ken?”

“The one who called you handsome sundae” Areum reminded him.

“ooh— Oooh! That guy!” Inguk could finally remembered, “Well, damn, but I thought he’s taking business”

“He does, and that's kinda disappointing cause everyone thinks that he could become a singer— wait, okay, Noona, I need to go now so, is there anything else?” Sungjae got up from his seat and grabbed the two cups of coffee in front of him.

“Oh! Wait,” Areum snatched the frappuccino and wrote something on it, “Here, now you can go” before she gave it back to him.

“ ‘Park Sanghyuk Fighting…..’ “ Sungjae just sighed at the writing, “So I guess that's the use of me…”

“hey, I gave you extra syrup for free, even your cousin won't do that”.

Sungjae smiled at the Noona and the Hyung a crossed the counter, “at least you care about my friend, that's good”  and excuse himself.

“Well, I have to be supportive, it's an important day for him,” She mumbled, “Oh, you know what sunbae, he even asked me to go out with him if he got to—“

“He what?!?” Hyuk was already an inch away from touching the knob when his ear told him to return to the counter, “Hyuk did what?!?”

Areum just frowned for being confused with the sudden aggression of Sungjae, “Hyuk asked me to go out with him—“

“As a boyfriend and girlfriend?” with an obvious eagerness written in his eyes, Sungjae almost jumped over the counter.

“Sunbae,” She pointed at the boy, then move her eyes on inguk, “Your cousin is weird…”. On the other hand, Inguk just chuckled and let them be. “Well sungjae, of course we’re not going out as a couple”

“Then, as what?”

“As an adult and a kid”.

Sungjae dropped the coffee on his left hand, “you know what,” and it spilled on the floor “I’m done, Oh my god, really noona, you really are something”. He just raised his hand, and walked his way out with only the frappuccino left on his right hand. Rest in Peace Park Sanghyuk, Your noona is hopeless.

While mopping the floor, Areum stole a glance at Inguk who never got his eyes off her, “What?”.

“How old is this Hyukkie guy?” He wondered.

“The same age as your cousin, of course” 

Inguk shook his head, “And to you, that counted as a kid’s age?”

“Huh? Ooh, well, he's the one who told me that it's going to be like me going out with a kid, so—“

“Are you really this dense? Or you just don't wanna know the truth?” Inguk ruffled her hair as he secretly used it as a cloth.

“None of the above,” Areum shrugged and sat on the chair, “I just don't want to think about anything, of this time being”

“Wait, why? its not about knowing Park Jaehwan, it's about knowing each other” Ravi and Ken were still on the table and talked about the paper and the days that kens spent with Areum. “Well, come to think of it, I’m closer to her rather than you, but, like you, I probably know only the thing that we all know,”

“Really? So we’re the same?” 

“And that's the problem,” Ravi patted his back, “The goal is that you can't be the same with us, you have to look like her boyfriend”

“But— but yesterday my teacher thought we're an item! And that's a good thing, right?” Ken recalled what happened yesterday at hanlim. 

Ravi shook his head, “Have you made anyone in this house jealous?” as he felt dissatisfied with ken’s justification. 

Jealous? Well Hyuk said that he is—

“Have anyone in this house told you to stop?”

Eh? no—

“Cause I think that will only happen if someone see you as a threat, that you guys looks real”.

Oh god….

“Hakyeon oppa,” Eunju sat herself on the couch, next to Hakyeon. “How’s Busan?”

While he had his eyes on the tv,  “It's nice, nothing really changes, ” Hakyeon tried to not making a lot of contact with her.

“Busan, huh? It's been a while since I visited that place, so many things happened—“

“Okay, what do you want?” as he pressed the red button on the remote, He couldn't find another way but to talk with her, “Come on, say it”

“I am not part of this house, and never will I so, you can't push me to talk” She turned around to face Hakyeon from the side, “Actually, I just wanted to see how you would react, and, now I’m glad”

“Eunju, If you still want to be with hongbin then you better not pissing me off”

“Oh, Oppa, do I get your blessing?” With enthusiasm, Eunju leaned closer, “What? Why won't you be more supportive towards your own brother?”

Hakyeon shook his head and made a space between them, “I give you no blessing nor warnings, okay, I am not his parents”

“But oppa,” Eunju stayed in her seat, but spread her her leg to push him away with the tip of the couch, “I have a feeling that you like Eunju-Hongbin instead of Areum-Hongbin, and why is that?”. That was it, Hakyeon got up as he wanted to stay away from the ‘kid’. “It's not because of that, right?”

He almost reached his room, but somehow, Eunju managed to stop him, “Eunju, please, I don't know what are you talking about—“

“Oppa, what if I said that It wasn't me?” as if she was hiding, Eunju fell back on the couch and just let her voice be heard loudly, “Will you still prefer eunju-hongbin?”.

There was no response, and Eunju just had to get up “Oppa—“

 And  “Yes” watched him entered the room with the cloud above his head.

, “Why are you here?” During her walk back home after she ended her shift, Areum made a sudden stop in front of the bus stop, “Hongbin,”

“I’m back” He was sitting there, alone. 

Areum nodded “i know… I’m not blind….”  and made her way to the bench and sat next to him. “Still, don't you have classes to attend?”

“Even If I do, I’m just going to skip it anyway” He pouted and rested his head. 

They just silently sat next to each other for about a minute, until “Areum,” Hongbin continued his words. “I’m not going to ask about what happened last night cause I bet Hyukkie have asked you already”

eh? is he a psychic?

“But would you like to come with me?”. At that moment, a bus just stopped in front of them.

“What? Now?”. Areum narrowed her eyes, “I can't, Tomorrow is the dinner date so I think it will be better if I get to discuss the plan with ken—“

“Even if I know so, and still begging for you to come, will you?” By offering his hand, he reassured.

“Sure”