Jangmi sighed for the nth time as she tried to walk as fast as she could with her groceries on her arms. After having tea while chatting with Kai’s grandmother, she was trying her best to get away from Kai who insisted on walking her home. His grandmother was more than happy to let her grandson accompany her.

“There’s no use in running Rose. Are you even running in that condition?” Kai asked with a joking tone and Jangmi started running faster. Her fast running is compared to Kai’s fast walking.

Damn that monkey and those long limbs! Jangmi cursed as she took in a lungful of air.

“Stop running. You’re not that good with anything that has something to do with stamina anyway” he commented. Jangmi glared at him. He was just a foot away from her when she turned her back.

“Are you looking down at me right now?” she asked as she raised a brow.

Kai stared at her for some time before a smile crept on his face. He nodded. “I’m literally looking down at you. You’re like this tall” he replied before putting his hand on top of her head – emphasizing that she’s shorter than him. Jangmi felt her blood boiling.

She swatted his hand before kicking him on his shin which made him yelp in pain. But he was able to recover fast and before she could even leave him, he pulled the back of her shirt which made her step back.

“What the hell are you doing?!” she asked and he let go of her shirt before swiftly taking the bag of groceries on her hands.

“Your arms are barely hanging on Rose” he said with a grin.

She rolled her eyes in disbelief. She stretched her arms before trailing the thin marks that were made by the grocery bag on her arms.

“You’re really impossible, you know that?” she asked as she walked beside him.

He smiled brightly and looked at her. “I know. And I know that you can’t resist my charms” he replied and that made her raise a brow.

“That’s it. Give me that” she demanded as she extended her arms to get the grocery bag from him. He shook his head and stepped away from her. She huffed and grunted at how he can make her go angry, flustered and back to angry with just a conversation.

They continued walking in silence before Kai spoke.

“Rose, thanks for keeping my grandma company”

“No big deal. She’s fun to be with unlike you” she said without much thought.

He smiled after looking at her for a second.

“I didn’t know you were the girl who she talked about endlessly whenever she visits our house. From her stories, you sounded like a very kind, fun and energetic girl” he said and Jangmi looked at him. He was smiling to himself and Jangmi couldn’t help but admire his features. He really is good looking.

“Wow, your grandma knows how to tell stories”

“Well she’s actually telling the truth. You’re a kind, fun and energetic lady”

She made a face before hitting his arm. “You know what? You always remind me of a cheese ball” she commented.

“Why? Because you want to eat me?” he asked with a playful smile. There was a meaning to that and Jangmi just grunted in frustration.

“Forget it. I’m not doing this conversation with you” she said while folding her arms in front of her chest.

Kai was barely controlling himself not to burst into a hearty laughter. He’s enjoying every flustered expression on her face.

“Unnie!” someone called and they both turned to their right. Jangmi brightly smiled and waved at the girl who was walking towards them.

Kai, on the other hand, was frozen beside Jangmi. His eyes were on the dog that was leading the girl towards them. It was a big German shepherd.

“Yoojung, where are you going?” Jangmi asked. The girl pointed at her dog. “I’m taking Leon for a walk” she replied before looking at Kai. Before she could even ask, Jangmi introduced Kai as her classmate. That is to prevent the kid from making assumptions.

Kai smiled at the girl before stepping behind Jangmi, trying to keep a wider distance from the dog. Jangmi noticed how awkward and stiff Kai was while hiding behind her.

“Unnie, can you tell Jeno that we have a practice on Wednesday? I broke my phone so I cannot call him” Yoojung said and Jangmi quickly nodded. “Okay, no problem” she replied.

“Thanks unnie”

“You’re welcome”

“We better get going. Thanks again unnie” Yoojung said as she waved her goodbye. After she left, Jangmi looked at Kai.

“What are you doing?” she asked. He immediately shook his head. “Nothing” he replied.

“Really? Don’t tell me you’re afraid of dogs” she commented and Kai just kept quiet. She looked at him and snorted. “You’re afraid of dogs?” she asked before bursting into laughter.

“Is that funny?” he asked.

She nodded while wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes.

“Do small dogs also scare you?” she asked.

“I guess so” he softly replied.

She laughed again and he just sighed. “Hey, I can’t help it. I was traumatized when a dog bit me when I was a kid. That’s not even funny” he reasoned out but she just kept on laughing.

Kai looked at her in disbelief before an idea came to his mind.

“But you know what dog cannot scare me?” he asked.

“What?” she asked while still in the process of calming down. When she turned to look at him, she found him leaning towards her. She found herself staring at his eyes closely. They were just inches away.

“You” he replied.

She blinked before that word was fully processed inside her mind.

What? Me? What does that- Wait, did he just describe me as a dog?

She forced a believable smile before kicking his shin. “Ah! What was that for?” he asked as he rubbed his shin with his free hand.

“For calling me a dog” she replied.

“I am your owner for heaven’s sake. That hurts” he whined before catching up with her.

She pointed at him while glaring.

“Keep your distance or I’ll skin you alive!” she warned him.

“That’s mean Rose. You’re the one who said that you’ll be my dog if-”

He stopped when she glared at him.

“Okay, relax” he said in surrender.

 Jangmi doesn’t know how he can make her burst into anger and into fits of laughter. She looked at him again just to see him staring back at her. She felt her face flushed when he smiled at her.

“Quit staring” she said while trying to calm her nerves.

He smiled even brighter.

“You really have some temper issues” he commented.

“And so?”

“You look even prettier when you’re angry. It’s hard not to fall for you, Rose”

That’s it! Kai just turned into a big cheese ball.

The whispers along the lobby were getting louder and louder as Jangmi made her way through it. The students were flocking on one corner and she knew right away what they were there for - the result of the mock exam.

As she made her way towards that corner, the students automatically made way for her to pass.

She stared at the chart and her eyes stopped on her name. 2nd – Ryu Jangmi.She raised a brow when she read that. 2nd? The who would be-

1st – Kim Jongin

The sound of thunder was ringing in her ears and she felt like everything was so distant.

She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. She shook her head and forced a smile. It’s just the mock exam. It’s just the mock exam. It’s just the mock- Oh! For Pete’s sake! This is really getting on my nerves!

She turned away and stomped away from the crowd. She couldn’t help but feel her face burn out of self consciousness. Pulling all the pride and confidence, she held her head high as other students stared at her. She eventually made it alive inside their room but even there, she was not spared by her classmates’ stares.

She quietly sat on her seat and pulled her book from her bag. She could see from the corner of her eyes that Baekhyun and Krystal were bickering and it looks like it’s about asking her or not about her thoughts regarding the result of the mock exam. Jangmi kept on flipping the pages of her book, not really sure why she’s doing it.

“Hey”

She felt her heart skip a bit because of surprise when Chanyeol’s deep voice broke her musing. She looked at him and he casually pulled his seat before asking a question that she actually dreaded to answer.

“Did you see the results?”

Jangmi sighed and nodded in reply.

“That’s some surprise, huh?” he asked, more of asking himself. Jangmi stopped for some seconds then continued flipping the pages of her book.

“Not really. He’s Sangin’s Golden Boy to begin with” she replied. She wished she was able to believe what she said. She was really surprised by the results. She never felt defeated before. As long as she could remember, she always came in first since grade school.

Trying to calm her nerves was hard. Oh, c’mon Jangmi, it’s only the mock exam! Stop whining like a baby and get over with it. You just need to study harder and you’ll come first on the real test.

She began to repeat words of encouragement as a mantra and not long after that, she felt a little better but not until Kai came inside their classroom with a bright smile of his face.

“Good morning!” Kai greeted while waving his hand towards her.

He just destroyed Jangmi’s morning and the mantra is not working anymore.

Catching his breath, Kai wiped the towel on his forehead. He was sweating furiously and he could feel the heat in every inch of his skin. He grabbed his bottle of water and downed it in matter of seconds.

The sound of the whistle made him look up. Seungkwan immediately plopped on the shaded part of the court after throwing the ball towards Wonwoo. The latter walked towards Kai and sat beside him.

Kai leaned back with his arms supporting him behind. “Are you okay?” Kai asked when he saw Wonwoo holding his leg. He nodded in r