Jackson squeezed her back tightly as he lowered her head to bury his nose in her hair, placing a gentle kiss on the crown of her head.

    “You’re welcome,” he said when he lifted his face and rested his chin atop her head. The two sat in each other’s embrace for a few more seconds before letting go and sitting across from one another.

    “And don’t worry, even when Youngji and I get married, I’ll still let you be my side chick,” Jackson said with a cheesy grin and Yejin yelled as she leaned over and tried to shove him off the bed, causing the boy to let out hyena cackles.

    “How thoughtful, now leave,” Yejin said as she pointed towards the door and Jackson’s laughter slowly died down as he caught his balance and stood from the bed.

    “You’re really kicking me out? I can’t spend the night?” Jackson said, still smiling as he stretched and took a step towards the door.

“Unless you want to clean the kitchen and stay in Areum’s room, then go home fool,” Yejin said as she closed the browser windows on her computer before turning the laptop off.

“Anything for the birthday girl,” the boy sang as he walked out of the room and Yejin could

hear his footsteps lead to the kitchen instead of the front door, to which she rolled her eyes and went after him. The two started picking up their mess and Yejin tried to convince Jackson that he really couldn’t stay the night.

“We could have a sleepover,” Jackson said with the excitement of a small puppy getting its first treat. Yejin just shook her head as she threw empty wrappers in the trash. “I mean everyone, we could all have a sleepover. We could stay at my house. It’s not like they have anything better to do,” the boy said and the idea grew fonder in Yejin’s mind. The girl opened to voice a thought but the boy unintentionally cut her off.

“We’d have to do it soon before Youngjae leaves,” he said, just being honest. Yejin closed as the memory of Youngjae’s harsh announcement came to mind.

“He hung up on me yesterday,” Yejin said as she walked past the boy, going to wipe down the sticky table. Jackson raised a brow.

“Youngjae?” he asked. Yejin nodded.

“He was probably nervous. He’s really sensitive even though he smiles all the time. I bet he cried when he found out,” Jackson said, knowing his friend. Yejin let the words enter her head and just shrugged.

“He doesn’t have to come if he’s busy. But we shouldn’t have it at your house, your room is a mess,” Yejin said, recalling the one time she went to her friend's house. That was almost a year ago, maybe he’s cleaned it up since then?

“Nuh uh, it’s so clean you could eat off the floor,” Jackson joked as he bumped his hip into her, catching the girl off guard and making her stumble. The boy let out a laugh as he put a hand on her upper arm to keep her steady.

“Youngji has a nice house. What if we tell her to ask her parents if we can go over there,” Yejin said, remembering the small palace her friend lived in. Since the Heo conglomerate was based in Seoul, the family's main house was also in the same city and it was a beautiful home. Jackson let out a ‘sure’ at this. The two continued to clean up the room when the stove top display read it was half past midnight, and Yejin still persisted Jackson go home.

“But it’s so late, what if I fall asleep at the wheel,” he whined as the girl tried leading him to the door.

“I trust that your never-ending amount of energy wouldn’t let that happen,” Yejin said as she stood with her arms crossed. The boy looked at her with a puppy dog pout and she rolled her eyes. Yejin’s father emerged from his room, clad in pajamas, and walked to the kitchen to get a midnight snack when he noticed the two in the living room.

“Hey boy, what are you still doing here?” The man said as he caught their attention. Yejin’s face brighten as she knew her father would side with her. “You need somewhere to sleep? We have a spare room since my eldest left for college,” the man said and Yejin whipped her head to look at him.

“Dad,” the girl whined as Jackson’s grin spread across his face and he wiggled his head back and forth to tease the girl.

“What? Youngjae slept over a lot. You know I don’t mind also long as you keep the door open. I wouldn’t mind having some grandkids though,” the man said, letting his voice trail off with the last sentence as he turned and waddled back to his room with snack in hand. The girl sighed in defeat as Jackson turned and let out a laugh in her direction before heading back to the empty room.

“Can you tuck me in?” the boy called out as the girl walked down the hall towards her room. She stopped and looked at the boy as he stood in the doorway, leaning against the wall before letting out another laugh. Yejin rolled her eyes as she went to her own area and closed the door, locking it to assure safety from the weird boy down the hall. The next morning Yejin awoke to someone knocking on her door, the person saying something she didn’t think was intended for her.

    “I just needed practice living with a girl for when you finally let me move in with you. Nothing happened,” Jackson said from the other side of the door. Yejin opened her eyes and grumbled as she sat up in her bed. The boy said a few more things and the girl became more conscious as she realized Youngji wasn’t too happy with her boyfriend spending the night at his best girl friend’s house. Yejin stood up and rubbed the crust from her eyes as she approached the door, unlocking it to unveil Jackson with a serious case of bedhead, listening to his girlfriend scold him from the other side of the phone. The two made eye contact and the boy wordlessly handed the phone to Yejin, knowing she would be able to diffuse the situation.

    “Hey Youngji, it was half past midnight once we finished cleaning up the mess he brought over,” Yejin said as she paused to let her friend respond, muffled sounds of Youngji speaking sounded and the other girl didn’t hesitate before speaking. “My dad didn’t let him drive home so he slept in my older sister’s room since she’s still away at college. By the way, do you want to have a sleepover with all of the guys at your place?” Yejin said, changing the subject before she forgot to ask, knowing Youngji could never stay mad at her. The red head’s tone lighten as she thought about the proposal and Yejin smiled, hoping the idea would come to fruition. “Okay, I’ll see you later, bye,” Yejin said happily, waiting for the other’s goodbye before ending the call and handing the phone back to its owner.

    “You’re like a magician,” Jackson said as he just watched Yejin settle the matter in less than thirty seconds. The girl shrugged as she looked up at him

    “Now get out of here before she comes over and skins you alive,” Yejin said as she turned back into her bedroom and closed the door behind her, blocking the boy out.

    Later that day Youngji came over to have a late birthday celebration with Yejin. She let her know that her parents agreed when she told them it could count as part of their own daughter’s present since Youngji’s birthday was just a few weeks away. The two girls laughed like little kids as they made plans for the event and decided who should come.

    “My parents never let me have anyone over besides you and Jackson. They are paranoid that it could be a rival who wants to learn business secrets or something,” Youngji rolled her eyes as she placed a spoonful of ice cream in and sunk further into the couch. The girls were lazing around, having decided to just stay in since outside was still muddy and no indoor places sounded better than laying in front of Yejin’s living room tv and eating junk food. Yejin remembered the hard glare Youngji’s mother gave her the first time she accompanied Jackson to his girlfriend’s house. It took awhile, but the raven haired girl was sure that the woman was no longer ready to slaughter on sight whenever she saw her.

    “It could just be us and Jackson and his friends, maybe not Youngjae. But the others should be fine, right?” Yejin said as she sat the remote beside her, giving up with finding something to watch. Youngji thought about it.

    “I’ll try to convince them. None of their parents are like...’ Youngji started, unsure of how to say it.

    “Rich? I don’t think so. It should be fine,” Yejin said as she took the spoon sitting in the tub and scooped some ice cream into .

    It was fine. A few days later, on the last Saturday of their break, Yejin, Jackson, Mark, Jaebum, Jinyoung , Bambam and Yugyeom all managed to pass into Youngji’s house without received any scoldings from the home owners. Youngjae was currently sitting in a moving truck as his family drove towards Mokpo, their new home awaiting them. The boy had tears in his eyes as his friends all lined in front of his empty home and said their last goodbyes. Even the basketball goal had been collapsed and packed away with the rest of the family belongings. He made sure to give empty promises of coming back to visit soon, but they all knew they could just text him whenever they pleased, so it wasn’t too heartbreaking. Yejin remembered letting herself cry as she gave a final hug to her friend while he kissed the crown of her head, trying to let her know it would be okay. Even though that all happened yesterday, Yejin still didn’t think it was real.

    “Hey, do you want some?” Youngji’s voice brought Yejin out of her daze. The girl fluttered her lashes as she realized where she was. Tonight was supposed to be fun and games she thought to herself as she suppressed the hurt in her chest.  

    “Sure,” Yejin said, not knowing what she would be receiving. The other girl just gave her a sympathetic smile as she told the butler to retrieve eight bottles of green tea. The group rested in a lounge area on the second floor overlooking the main balcony across from the front entrance. Youngji’s parents wanted the party to be kept in plain sight, letting the girl have just a bit of leeway but still keeping a layer of strictness over the night. The area was full of regal furniture that the teens all felt awkward to rest on, so they stood as they chatted, a few laughters here and there creating a more lively vibe.

    “Hey, are you joining the team again this year?” Jackson asked as he stood with a slightly annoyed Jabum and uncomfortable Yugyeom.

    “Sure,” Yejin said as she recalled how fun playing basketball was, even if her season was cut short last year.

    “See, we’ll be fine,” Jackson said and Jaebum held his head back and let out a sigh. Yejin watched this and grew curious.

    “What happened?” She asked while moving from her lone spot beside the banister and towards where they stood.

    “I won’t be on the team this year. I’m just too busy okay?” Yugyeom said. Jinyoung sighed as he came over from where he sat talking to Bambam.

    “The three of us are a forming dance crew,” Jinyoung said as Bambam nodded.

    “That sounds like fun,” Yejin said with a genuine smile. She knew her friends had various passions and was happy they would now be doing something besides studying and eating all day.

    “Yeah, and now there is room for both of us on the team,” Jackson said, trying to persuade the soon-to-be head captain Jaebum into not being worried.

    “Neither of you have the height we need though,” Jaebum said honestly, not caring how others took it. That’s something that always made him a bit intimidating, the way he just said whatever came to mind and didn’t care how stern it sounded. Even if he was harsh, Yejin knew he was a good leader and had what it takes to bring their team to victory in the upcoming season. The girl shrugged at his words.

    “There will probably first years who want to join, pick the best from the tall ones who tryout,” Yejin said, hoping that could be a solution. Jaebum just looked at her and clucked his tongue, hating that she was right.

    “What kind of pizza should we order?” Youngji said from across the space, Mark beside her as he leaned against the wall, a sheet of options in hand. All the guys were distracted by this as they started calling out their preferences and the butler beside Youngji struggled to scribble down all of their recommendations. After they ate out in garden while the sun set, they made way back upstairs and into Youngji’s second bedroom, where her parents said the boys could stay. Yejin was allowed to sleep in Youngji’s main bedroom with the girl herself.

    “Lights out by 10:30,” the chaperone her parents hired announced as he stood by the door, keeping an eye on the group. Youngji’s face lit up with embarrassment, hating how her parents gave her no trust nor freedom.

    “We really should have done this at my house,” Jackson said as he relaxed into the plush light pink couch.

    “Or Yejin’s house, her dad probably wouldn’t mind,” Youngji said, hoping to alleviate some of the awkward tension. The group let out sounds of agreement and Yejin laughed at the reputation her careless parent gave her.

    “What should we do?” Jinyoung asked as he hang upside down off the king sized bed clad in satin dark pink sheets covered by a plump dark pink circle patterned comforter. The boys all have air mattresses to sleep on, but the bed was so inviting that many of them became a mess of limbs as they currently shared the space. Jackson looked towards the stiff man who stood at the doorway, currently itching his nose. Youngji followed his gaze and thought up a plan.

    “You should go drink some medicine, don’t get us sick too,” The girl said, using a tone of authority that way the man would take her seriously. The poor guy just bowed as he let out an apology before turning to walk down the hall. The girl quickly got up and went to the door, peeking out before closing and locking it. The click created a sense of privacy and a thought came to one of the boy’s minds.

    “Truth or dare?” Yugyeom announced as he sat up from where his head rested against Bambam’s stomach on the bed. Yejin looked at a concerned Youngji as the boy’s perked up and spread out a bit, somewhat forming a circle from various spots around the room.

    “Penalty for declining a dare?”  Jinyoung voiced, wanting to make the game more fun. They thought of what to threaten each other with from the limited resources in the room.

    “Is that a bathroom?” Jackson asked as he looked towards the white door directly across from him.

    “Yep, it’s a full,” Youngji answered thoughtlessly. The girl walked towards the group and went back to resting in her spot beside Yejin on the plush furry circle carpet.

    “Swirly if you refuse the dare?” Jaebum said and Mark quickly called out a yeah, not wanting his friends to back out of the dares tonight.

    “What’s that?” Youngji asked.

    “Where you get your head held in the toilet while someone flushes it. We wouldn’t make a girl do it though,” Jinyoung said and the redhead let the look of horror fall off her face as she realized she was safe.

    “It applies to Yejin though because she acts like a boy,” Jackson called out, earning a yell from the girl.

    “You are on the boy’s basketball team,” Jaebum said from his lazy position as he sat on the floor beside the plush bed, head leaning on the comforter.

    “Fine,” Yejin said, not wanting to back down. “Who goes first?” she asked. With that, Jinyoung picked Mark, who boldly chose dare and successfully complete the challenge of a prank call to Heo headquarters.

    “My parents are going to ground me for an eternity if they found out you did that,” Youngji whined as she rested her head against Yejin’s shoulder.

    Next Mark chose Jackson, whom obviously picked dare. Youngji felt nervous for her idiotic boyfriend as he actually went through with the bottom of Yugyeom foot. The girl shrieked as the boy made kissy noises at her, causing the rest of the room to laugh.

    “Alright, I pick,” Jackson said as he looked in his girlfriend's direction, to which she was mouthing ‘please no’ at him. “Yejin,” Jackson said.

    “You owe me,” Yejin said as she looked at her friend. The girl thought for a moment and decide to go the safe route. “Truth,” she said and few groans emitted from the rest of the room. Jackson looked at her before kissing his teeth and asking the question.

    “Do you think I’m y?” Jackson said with a greasy grin and both girls rolled their eyes.

    “Of course not,” Yejin answered.

    “That was a lie! Now you have to do a dare,” Jackson said boldly in a rush where his mouth could barely roll out the words fast enough. Yejin prepared herself for the worse as she awaited Jackson’s challenge. “I dare you to kiss Jaebum,” he said as he cocked his head towards his friend, the other boy’s eyes widening as he heard what Jackson said.

    “Fine,” Yejin said as she got up and walked across the room. Everyone held their breath as she walked closer to the boy, soon passing him and heading straight to the bathroom. “Dunk me in boys,” she called out as she lifted the lid of the toilet.

    “Quit being dramatic,” Youngji called out as she straightened up to get a better view of