It was finally our second month together and I was more than ready to head down to the town to buy another stalk of pink rose for Irene when my teachers held me back to discuss about the application for scholarship. According to them, I had done exceptionally well and was one of the top 3 instead of just top 3 percent. It took me by surprised as well and I texted Irene about it, she said we would celebrate it later at night. 

However, I was not the only one sitting in the conference room waiting for my teachers to come. I was very surprised when I saw Krystal walking in. "Hey." I initiated. 

She, on the other hand, did not look too surprised because I was known as one of the top students. "Hey." She smiled back sheepishly and bit her lip. 

"You did well too? Congrats!" I smiled widely at her as she took a seat next to me, but not too close. 

"I worked exceptionally hard. And I am not the top student. It is just that I am doing well as a leader too so the teacher recommended me for this scholarship." She explained as she pointed at the paper on the table. I glanced at the paper and saw that it was leadership award. 

"Wow still... you must have met their criteria to get this award." I awed and to be honest, Krystal is really attractive. She was the school volleyball team captain and the team always clinched first in any tournament. She was also in one of the top few percent in the school and boys were crazy over her.

"Hardwork paid off." She giggled softly and I smiled. "Heard that you got into the top 3 this time. Congrats." Her cheeks flushed as she extended her hand out for a handshake. I took it firmly and thanked her of course. "How are you?" She pulled her hand back quickly the moment my hand left her and she played with her fingers.

"Fine? Why?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I heard you've got a girlfriend." She bit her lip again and glimpsed at me for awhile.

"Oh... yes I have a girlfriend." I smiled proudly at the thought of Irene.

"How long has it been?" Her voice was so small.

"Today is the second month." I grinned.

"Is she from our school?" She asked and looked at me curiously.

I shook my head. "Nope. She works in the company near this area."

"She is older than you?" She sounded slightly surprised.

I nodded. "She is 25 this year. But she doesn't look like she is 25." I said and took out my phone, holding my phone in front of Krystal's face to show her a picture of Irene and me.

She looked away from the picture and stared at the wall in front of us. "She is really pretty."

"She is." I smiled. She just nodded.

"Do I have no chance anymore?" She suddenly asked after awhile. I sat back straight and looked at her, she was looking at me with an unreadable look.

"W-what?" I laughed nervously.

"You know that I still like you right?" She sighed.

"I... thought you didn't already." I tapped my finger on the arm rest nervously.

"I still do." She stated. "But don't worry. I won't ruin your relationship. If we were meant to be, we would be." She smiled softly and I heaved a sigh of relief knowing that she was not crazy like Tzuyu.

"Th-thanks Krystal." I thanked god that teachers came in shortly after that or else we would be dead awkward.

After the discussion, the teachers left first while Krystal and I were packing up. I was done packing up and I saw that she was still struggling to put the paper inside the file so I took the other document on the table to pass to her. Her fingers grazed against mine accidentally and she blushed, muttering a soft 'thank you' as she stuffed the file into her bag.

"Are you going home now?" I asked as I watched her carry her bag over her shoulders. She shook her head.

"I am going for tuition." She sighed as we walked to the door. I opened it and held it for her which she gave me a soft smile in return.

"Where?"

"In town." She replied and slowed down to wait for me to catch up.

"Town? I am going to the town too." I said. I noticed people were looking at us because almost everyone in school knew that Krystal liked me and this was the first time they saw us together in school.

"Really? Do you want a ride?" She asked excitedly and I raised an eyebrow at her. "I drive." She smiled and I chuckled. "Don't worry. I am really going to the town and not taking you back to my home." She joked when she saw that I hadn't replied.

I felt my cheeks turning hot and quickly nodded. "Thank you then."

"My pleasure." She chuckled and I laughed along too. "People are staring."

"I know. Just ignore them." I said as a matter of fact and she nodded.

"They probably ship us already." She joked again which made me fluster.

"W-what?"

"I am just kidding, Seulgi." She teased and I laughed along nervously.

"Very funny."

"It has been long since we talked." She pointed out as we walked to the parking lot.

"Yeah..."

"I missed you to be honest." She said and I bit my lip.

"Soojung..." I sighed.

"Glad that you still know my name." She chuckled quite sadly and fished out her car keys from her wallet. "Alright get in. I promise I won't make you feel uncomfortable again." She pointed at the car when she saw that I was just standing there without getting in.

"How is Sooyeon by the way?" I asked after I got into the passenger seat. She ignited the engine and turned up the volume of the soundtrack she was listening to. 

"Do you still care for her?" She adjusted the rear view mirror and then buckled her seat belt. 

"Well..." 

"She is fine." She replied and reversed out of the parking slot. 

Krystal and Sooyeon were twins, not identical one that's why they look quite different. Sooyeon was my ex girlfriend when I was just 12 and Krystal said that she had liked me too since then. 

"Is she still studying now?" I asked. 

Krystal shook her head but her eyes were focused on the road. "She doesn't like studying. She is working now. As a bartender." 

"Isn't she underage?" I frowned. We were all 17. 

"Not the club kind. It is the coffee shop one." She giggled. 

"Oh..." I scratched my neck as I felt quite embarrassed. 

"Anyway, why are you going to the town alone?" She asked when we stopped at the red light. 

"Hmm? I'm buying flower for Irene." 

"Irene? Is that your girlfriend's name?" 

"Yeah." 

"You're so sweet." She gave me a small smile again before focusing back on the road when the light turned green. "Is the large a problem?" 

"8 years difference is not a lot right?" I frowned. 

"It is quite big." She shrugged then checked the side mirror before turning to the right. "Is your girlfriend okay with that?" 

"The difference?" She nodded. "Well... she is quite sensitive about it. I don't really have an idea why." 

She chuckled and slowed down to stop at another traffic light. "You're quite a dense one in this area, aren't you?" I shrugged. "She is probably insecure about the fact that she will age faster than you. And basically, you are still a teenager while she is already a working adult. When you are 22, she will be 30. When you just turn 30, she will be turning 40 soon. Scary, isn't it?" 

"I don't see any problem with that." 

"You start to look older after you turn 25. So while you're still young and face full of radiants, she is already worrying about the wrinkles showing at the corner of her eyes." Krystal explained patiently and I looked out of the window. 

She stepped on the accelerater again and I sighed. "So this is what she is worrying about? Why is she so insecure." 

"I should be jealous that you are talking about your girlfriend but I think you seriously need some guidance." Krystal laughed. "Also the fact that you are still god damn young and the future is still uncertain." 

"Yeah she said that before." I pressed my lips together. I really appreciated Krystal for pointing all these out to me because I could never really understand why Irene was so sensitive about her age. 

"People might say stuff too. She is an adult after all and you are still a kid in people's eyes." She added when we reached the town. "Can I drop you here? My tuition centre is still 3 streets away and you might have to walk a longer way if I drive to my tuition centre." 

I nodded quickly and unbuckled the seat belt. "Really thank you so much Soojung. I... let's have lunch together someday." I smiled before going out. 

"Remember your promise then." She beamed a shy smile at me when I looked back into the car and she wound down her window. I nodded and waved good bye at her before she drove away. 

I watched until her car made a swift turn around the corner before it disappeared from my sight. "Alright. Let's get some flower." I shrugged and said to myself as I walked into the mall. 

"Seulgi-ah!" Irene chirped so happily and jumped onto me the moment the lift door opened. We were at the basement of her block as I waited for her to finish showering before meeting me. "I miss you so much." She said as she nuzzled to my neck. 

"You're such a big baby, aren't you?" I chuckled as I rubbed her back with my palms. Her legs were still clinging tightly around my waist and it looked like she was not getting down at all so I walked to the bench near the lobby and sat down with her sitting on my laps then. "You smell so good." I said as I took a whiff of her shampoo and she flipped her hair at my face. 

"I always smell good." She got off my laps and sat beside me. "Don't you... have something to give me?" She asked sheepishly, referring to the rose. 

"Oh... ...." I mumbled to myself and looked at her apologetically. "I forgot..." I made a sad pout and I could see that she looked quite disappointed but she still gave me a smile. 

"It is okay. You are busy with your school work." She assured me and patted my hand that was on my lap. 

"Are you sad?" I sighed. 

She bit her lip and looked at the floor. "Quite..." 

"Then do you want to visit the Kang's clinic to get medicine for your broken heart?" I asked with a playful pout and then she finally realised that I was acting like I had forgotten about my promise to her. 

"Yah did you lie to me?" She shoved my shoulder slightly and I bursted out laughing which made her send me punches on my arm for cheating her feelings. "Stop. Laughing." She said and still punched me after each word. 

"Okay okay ow ow. Stop." I said and wiped the tear from the corner of my eye. "You seriously looked so sad though like your world was ending." I stifled a laughter as I didn't dare to laugh out loud at her. 

"Your world should be ending for lying to me." She folded her arms and then slumped back to rest against the wall. 

"Are you angry~ Joohyun-unnie~ don't be angry at Ddeulgi~" I cooed and did bbuing bbuing at her which she could not resist to look at me. 

"Since when do you do aegyo?" She raised an eyebrow. 

"Do you not like it?" I said in my normal voice. 

"What?" 

"Do you not like it, Joohyun-unnie~" I made my pitch go 10 times higher again which made Irene giggle. 

"It is cute." She leaned in to peck on my cheek which made me blush. "Shall we go now?" She asked as she stood up, holding her hand out for me to take. I intertwined our fingers and she hugged my arm closer to her body again. 

"Are you on your period?" I asked while we were walking. 

"Are you seriously asking that..." she moved away slightly to look at me better. When she saw that I was just staring at her, she shook her head with a faint blush and I ruffled her hair with my free hand. 

"I have something special for you." I whispered into her ear and I could feel heat radiating from her. She was blushing madly and I found her so adorable. "Are you thinking sick? I meant our celebration." I knocked her head lightly which made her elbow me in the stomach. 

"You are the one who made it suggestive." She complained and puffed her cheeks. 

"But I also have something special for you in that area." I winked and she punched my arm. "Since when did you get this violent?" I frowned and she shrugged. 

"Since the day you started annoying me." 

"Oh so I am annoying now?" I asked with a hurt tone, acting like I was really affected by it. She saw it and became flustered as she thought that I took her joke seriously. 

"No no. I was just kidding Seulgi-ah. You are not annoying at all." She kept eyeing me worriedly until I flashed her my grin. 

"I was just kidding too." I giggled sheepishly and she pinched my arm this time. "That hurts, just so you know." 

"Good then. So that you will behave yourself." 

"I am very well-behaved, Joohyun-unnie." I used aegyo again and she giggled. 

"Did you end school early today?" She asked when we were at my block. 

I nodded. "I went to the town to buy you flower." 

"You went to the town just to get me flower?" She asked, quite surprised as I could have just bought it from some small shop in our area. 

"Yeah. I find the roses there prettier. But not as pretty as you." I said cheekily and her face grew pink. I pressed for the lift and as we waited for the lift to come, I felt the need to confess to her. "Anyway, I have something to tell you but do not be angry." 

She eyed me for awhile before nodding reluctantly as she knew that it must be something bad or something that would upset her. "Go on." 

"I... do you remember Krystal? The one who likes me?" I asked slowly and she blinked a few times before nodding. "Well... we talked today and she drove me to the town. But I swear we did nothing. We just talked." 

"Did you ask her to?" She asked, her eyes looking elsewhere as she was feeling sour about it. 

"Erm... she suggested so I just accepted?" 

"What did you guys talk about?" She fired another question due to her jealousy. 

"Some stuffs." I said as I remembered Krystal talking about Irene's issue with age difference. 

"Stuff?" She didn't go in when the lift door opened as she insisted on an answer from me first. 

"Yeah stuff. School stuff." I laughed and stepped into the lift. She pressed her lips together tightly before following me and then clung onto my arm tightly. 

"Anything else? Did you talk about me?" Her head tilted up to look at me and I saw the way her eyebrows knit so tightly because she was not pleased. 

"Yeah! I told her you are my girlfriend and showed her our picture. She said you are pretty." I smiled and patted her head. 

"She must be saying it for the sake of saying it. I bet she hates me." She mumbled and looked at her own feet with her head resting against my arm. 

"No she doesn't. She is not like that." I smiled at her sulky expression. 

"Girls get jealous easily and she is definitely jealous." She explained and we stepped out of the lift together. 

"Like you?" I teased and she bit my arm. "Ow! Hyun! Stop abusing me!" 

"Then stop making me jealous." She said and I just stared at her in disbelief. 

"You are unbelievable." I shook my head. 

"I am warning you first. Don't you dare let her touch you like Tzuyu." She pouted and stared at me as if she was threatening me but she failed because she looked so harmless and cute. 

"Yes Ma'am." I smiled and pecked her lips. "Now... for the surprise." I said as we walked to my house. "I hope you like it." 

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Taking some free time to write and here you go :) i am still quite busy though. See you guys soon!