From : Kai

Hey are u sure u don’t wanna go home together? I can wait for u tho, I’m still in school rn

 

To : Kai

Huh I thought u went home already? It’s okaaay I’m fine. The student council’s meeting probably gonna finish late

 

From : Kai

I got held up a bit. Somehow I feel it’s useless to argue with u now-_-

 

Soojung can’t help to let out a chuckle as she typing ‘then just agree with it and go home you fanboy’ and quickly taps the send button. Few minutes later, she got Jongin’s ‘okay okay I’m going home now’ reluctant answer.

It’s been a week after the last time they went to hangout together, and even until now Soojung still can’t stop thinking how warm Jongin hand was or how bright Jongin’s smile was. And that time, all of that was only for Soojung, and she’s happy. At least Jongin ever put his full attention for her only, eventhough he only mean it as a friend.

Soojung’s finger unconsciously play with her hair a little bit while she takes her time to walk to the meeting room. Sometimes, she feels a little bit regretful that she applied to student council since it means she needs to sacrifice her time after school with attending meeting like now.

“Really?! He said that?! Today?!”

Soojung swears she almost jumped in surprised when she heard the loud girl’s voice out of nowhere. She quickly takes a good look of the said person, then she sees two girls who walking far ahead her, seem so serious with their conversation.

Gossiping huh, Soojung thought as she starts to move her feet again. Seems like a useless gossip tho—

“Hu-um, I think it’s the first time Jongin sunbae ever rejected someone with those reason!”

Soojung almost jumped in surprised again at the mention of Kim Jongin.

Really? Is he that popular that even their junior talk about him too—

“I think so too... I never heard he said he already have someone he likes when he rejects someone.”

Huh.

“Yeah, I heard he always say that he doesn’t have any thought about having girlfriend and suddenly he said he already have someone he likes. It’s quite surprising—“

“Excuse me, will you two move a little bit, please? I need to hurry but you two are walking slowly and blocking the hallway?”

It takes few seconds before Soojung realized that it was her voice. The two girls look at her in surprised, then muttered a small ‘sorry’ before moving to the side of the hallway a little bit.

“It’s okay, sorry for bothering you two,” Soojung says before she takes the opportunity to walk pass the two girls, and her feels her feet starts to walk faster too.

Somehow it feels like she’s running away from those two girls, and she also trying to run away from the reality.

Jongin already likes someone else.

Soojung doesn’t think she can focus on council’s meeting later.

--

Soojung lets out a big yawn as she waiting for the morning’s bus to arrive. ‘I’m so sleepy,’ she thought while rubbing her sleepy eyes.

Well it was her fault that she ended up thinking about Jongin to the point she couldn’t even blink her eyes to sleep. She couldn’t help to think whether Jongin was saying the truth that he likes someone right now. Jongin never talked about it, so Soojung can assure that it was a lie, but then again, Jongin is always blunt so why bother saying some false information?

She lets out a another yawn again, her eyes unconsciouly close by their own but few seconds after that they are forced to be open again as the bus finally arrived. Soojung quickly moving with the rest of the passenger to hop in, but once she’s inside the bus, she then realized something weird currently happen and she’s only aware of that the time she quietly stares at the empty seat on the back of the bus.

Jongin is not here yet.

Since his stop is before her, she always find Jongin already sit at back on the bus so—

Suddenly Soojung feels the bus is starting to move slowly, making her quickly takes the empty seat—mind starting to be full with various questions. Is he sick or something? Or he’s still sleeping? Did something happen? He didn’t text me yesterday...

She pulls her phones from her skirt’s pocket and types a short message to the said boy.

 

To: Kai

Did you wake up late? You missed the bus

 

Usually Jongin will reply right away, so when Soojung’s still waiting for his reply fifteen minutes later, she starts to wonder if he’s still sleeping right now. When she just about to call him, there’s a new notification pops out on her phone’s screen. A new message from Jongin.

 

From: Kai

Hey sorry I forgot to tell you something :/ I can’t go to school with you for a week because the dance club is currently preparing for competition so we will start to practice from early morning before class

 

Huh?

 

To: Kai

Why so sudden? But we still going home together right?

 

Soojung has a bad feeling about this.

 

From: Kai

There is a member who broke his leg so he can’t participate so yeah I replace him. Going home... I don’t think so....

 

To: Kai

Wait so you gonna practice after school too? For a whole week??

 

From: Kai

I guess so... sorry tho :/

 

Soojung quickly types ‘it’s okay’ before she shoves her phones to her pocket again. She lets out a sigh and the same ‘it’s okay’ to herself too as she stares to empty side beside her. Just when she’s already used to Jongin’s presence, the said boy suddenly seems far away again from her.

“I think so too... I never heard he said he already have someone he likes when he rejects someone.”

Soojung unconsciouly lets out another sigh when the girl’s voice from yesterday starts to haunt her mind again. In the end she didn’t even have any chance to ask about that directly to Jongin, and it makes her feel more anxious than before.

She pulls out her phones again and see no new notification. Maybe Jongin already busy with the practice.

Another sigh left again—such a nice way to start her morning.

--

“Soojung-ah, are you okay?” Jinri’s voice startled Soojung, her friend’s face is a little bit too close to her liking.

“Y-yeah, sure, I’m just sleepy. Did you say something?”

Judging from how Jinri’s eyebrows scrunched up, she believes that Jinri doesn’t believe with her excuse but she doesn’t push any further as she asks again, “I asked if you want to accompany me to the book store today? It’s been a while since we go home together.”

Ah right, it’s been a while. Soojung doesn’t even realized it because she’s been spending her time after school with Jongin for three months already.

Why suddenly I thought about him again, Soojung can’t help to lets out an airy laugh, and she also can’t help to feel pathetic.

She likes Jongin already, doesn’t she?

“Soojung-ah?” Jinri’s voice once again startled Soojung.

“Oh yeah! Of course I can, I’m free anyway today.”

“Good thing then!” after giving Soojung a big smile, Jinri quickly pulls out her phone, she probably wanted to text Taemin that she will spend her time after school with Soojung. Soojung feels slowly forms a smile, at least Jinri’s big smile succesfully wash away her worries a little, cause seriously she doesn’t want to think about Jongin again—

“Oh Sehun, you bastard! You skipped our practice this morning!”

That voice.

Soojung turns her head a little bit to the said voice, her eyes meet the figure of boy that have been clouding her mind since yesterday. Although she certainly didn’t think that Jongin’s annoyed face will the first thing she saw from him today.

Rather than scared with the outburst, Sehun’s face is more relaxed as he pats Jongin’s shoulder, “Hey don’t be so mean dude, I woke up late today so I couldn’t help to skip—ouch!” Jongin nudges him hard in the rib before he could finish his words.

“Explain it to Seulgi instead. She couldn’t explain few of the new formation dance because you didn’t show up this morning,” Jongin says, his thumbs pointing at someone at his back.

Soojung’s eyes follows it and she found a long hair girl behind Jongin, laughing at the scene in front of her. ‘Ah that’s Kang Seulgi,’ Soojung thought as she recall the name of the girl who is from different class.

“Oh didn’t notice you were there Seulgi. Good morning, by the way! Sorry I skipped this morning’s practice,” Sehun says sheepishly, “Although now I thought that it’s a good thing that I skipped this morning, I should have leave the love birds to have their time alone~”

Huh?

Soojung can see clearly how Seulgi’s face slowly reddening, and Jongin nudges Sehun once again before he says, “Quit teasing Seulgi, will you?”

Why?

Why suddenly Seulgi’s face turned red? Why Jongin seems so troubled over Sehun teasing Seulgi?

Why?

The minute Soojung catch another glimpse of them again, she saw Jongin waves his hand at Seulgi who walks out the class door, she probably go back to her classroom. Soojung can’t help to notice how bright Jongin’s smile is.

Suddenly it hits Soojung hard.

“Although now I thought that it’s a good thing that I skipped this morning, I should have leave the love birds to have their time alone~”

Jongin went to practice this morning, and Seulgi too... and Jongin seems troubled by how Sehun teasing Seulgi... does this mean they are—, a poke on her arm completely cut her busy mind, and she found Jinri’s face a little bit too close again.

“You look pale,” her friend’s palm found it way to Soojung’s forehead. “You look better few minutes ago....”

Soojung brush away Jinri’s hand gently before she flash a quick smile to her, “I tell you I’m okay, just need more sleep I guess.”

Jinri doesn’t ask any further.

And Soojung doesn’t want to think any further either about her prediction.

...does this mean they are dating?

--

Soojung can’t help to notice how the Jongin practically glued to Seulgi’s side for a week now.

She also notice that suddenly it becomes Jongin-Sehun-Seulgi. In the morning, they will walk to classroom together, Seulgi will wave to Jongin after they arrived at Jongin’s and she proceed to her own class. Or how they will have lunch together, sometimes both of them will leave Sehun alone and Soojung saw him ranting about finding a new friends he can trust. Or how they will walk to the class they use for dance practice after school.

But then two days ago, it was like the moment from eveything that makes Soojung feel heartbroken. It was when she went home late after the council’s meeting, and she was all alone in the bus, at the back seat where she always sit together with Jongin for past few months. When she realized how lonely she is, she saw him. Kim Jongin.

Soojung almost knocked the bus’ window to get the boy’s attention, but her hand stopped by themself as she saw Seulgi stood beside him. Seemed like they just done with the dance practice.

But the thing was Jongin didn’t hop into bus that time. Instead he was busy talking animatedly to Seulgi, and completely ignored how the bus started to move slowly.

Why?

Soojung found the answer for it when she arrived at her home. He probably... walk her home first, like what he always do to Soojung.

Maybe... they really dating each other..., Soojung thought as she putting all her stationary to her bag and get up from her seat.

“Are you gonna go to council’s meeting again?” Jinri asks.

Soojung simply nods her head. Believe it, she didn’t have any intention to ignore her bestfriend, but her mind is quite a mess right now and she needs time to think by herself. But then Jinri grabs Soojung’s hand before she ask, “Are you okay? You know you can talk to me if you have any problem....”

Soojung obviously taken aback when she heard that. Jinri never try to meddle with her problem before because she truly respect Soojung’s decision if she doesn’t want anyone to know her problem, and usually it ends up with Soojung tell her the full details about it after she solved the matter. So Jinri simply never ask about it and she will wait for Soojung patiently to tell it by herself.

Seeing Soojung doesn’t give any answer, she then lets go of Soojung’s hand as she mutters, “I’m sorry, Soojung-ah. I just thought that you look pissed off of something for past few days, and I don’t recall you ever looked like that before so I figured out that I should ask about it this time... but i-it’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it!”

Soojung suddenly feels guilty that she makes her bestfriend worry with her behavior, but she couldn’t help it.

She finally realized that after a week she didn’t spend time with Jongin like she used to, she does like the boy. She likes Jongin, so it’s not a weird thing that she feels hurt everytime she looks at how bright Jongin’s smile to Seulgi. It’s like she doesn’t stand any chance right now.

She lets out a chuckles—it’s not like she stood a chance since the first time, since she’s only Jongin’s ‘secret’ friends.

“I’m okay, I will talk about it after I feel better. See you in Monday, Jinri-ya,” she says before she quickly walking out of the classroom to council’s meeting room. She hopes Jinri will understand her decision this time.

Suddenly she feels a vibration from her pocket. ‘Must be Jinri’s text saying sorry again,’ she thought as she pulls out her phone and see a new text notification.

 

From : Kai

Heard that today there’s council’s meeting again, do u want to go home together? I can wait for u after I finished with dance prac

 

Soojung lets out an airy laugh. It’s not like Jongin never text him again since he was busy with the dance practice, in fact he kept texting Soojung although sometimes it’s only a simple ‘good night’ or he would ask how Soojung day was. But Soojung only reply to it ocassionaly, or she didn’t even reply it since she didn’t want to bother him. He must be tired with the dance practice so he would obviously have more time to rest if they didn’t end up texting with each other until midnight.

And now, it’s not that Soojung doesn’t want to go home with him, but shouldn’t he go home with Seulgi? Afterall they are dating so Soojung doesn’t want to meddle into it.

She almost send ‘I’m okay, you can go home with Seulgi as usual’  out of anger, and she relieved that she doesn’t send it yet and change it too ‘I’m okay, I can go home by myself since you must be tired after dance prac’ and send it.

There, that’s better. Afterall I’m always alone and never talk to him before, so going back to those situation agan it’s not shocking at all. It’s completely normal that he will get a girlfriend and spend less time with his ‘secret’ friends like me, Soojung says it over and over again like a spell, to the point she doesn’t realized how teary her eyes are.

--

When the council’s meeting finished later than usual, Soojung feels more ty than usual too since she hasn’t eat anything.

“Hey, why do you look so pissed off?” Kim Junmyeon, the student council’s President, asks her as they walking together to the school’s gate.

“It’s your fault that the meeting ended up this late and I’m hungry,” Soojung answers, completely restraining herself from strangling her senior.

But the boy only laughs before he asks, “Do you want to grab something to eat? I know a good place near here, and I can walk you home too.”

“Really? That’s a good idea—“

Soojung forgot what she wanted to say the moment she caught a figure of Kim Jongin who is leaning over the school’s gate.

“Oh, Jongin-ah!” She suddenly remembers that Jongin and Junmyeon are friends since middle school so it’s not a weird thing that Junmyeon quickly walking toward Jongin in excitement, and she ends up following after him.

Jongin, who didn’t notice Junmyeon and her presence at first, seems startled a little bit before he stands up straight.

Why?

Why Jongin’s still here?

“What are you doing here? Are you waiting for someone?” Junmyeon asks.

Jongin nods his head. “Yeah, I was waiting for the person behind you, hyung.”

The council’s President then turn his head to stares at Soojung in confusion, before he asks Jongin again, “Soojung? I didn’t know you two are close.”

Jongin doesn’t say anything after that, only staring to Soojung before he grabs her hand and says, “I’ll go first, hyung. See you later!”

And he’s running, while grabbing Soojung’s hand. And Soojung left with no choice than running with him too.

Junmyeon’s confused face still lingers in her mind.

--

The reason they ran was Jongin trying to catch the bus, and after they hop in, they sit side by side in silence. It’s more awkward than the first time Soojung sat one meter away from Jongin at the back seat on the bus.

And Jongin doesn’t let go of Soojung’s hand. At first Soojung thought he wasn’t aware that he’s still holding onto her hand, but it was obviously wrong because when they just sat at their seat, Jongin took a clear glance over their hands clasp together and instead of letting go, he gave her hand a squezee before holding tightly onto it.

Soojung keeps telling ‘it’s okay you can do it don’t drop right now please stay strong’ over and over again to her heart that pounding a little bit faster than usual.

When the bus arrived at Soojung’s stop, Jongin stands up from his seat and pulls Soojung along with him. Both of them get off of the bus and walking towards the familiar way that Soojung hadn’t gone to for a week.

“Where... are we going?” she asks hesitantly, although she kinda already figured out where are they going.

“To Vanilla Drop cafe. You’re not hungry?” Jongin asks back.

“Well yes I am—“

“Then let’s walk faster cause I’m hungry too,” the boys continuously pulls Soojung until they finally arrived at their hideout place. Once they step aside, the same’s loud voice welcome them with “Welcome to Vanilla Drop!”

A big grin shows in Chanyeol’s face once he recognized Soojung and Jongin and it seems like he wanted to say something but instead he asks, “Dine in or takeaway?”

“Dine in, hyung,” Jongin answers. “What do you want? My treat.”

Before Soojung can answer, Chanyeol asks her in advance, “Mango smoothie?”

Soojung laughs but she nods her head anyway since she wanted that. She hadn’t drink it for a week after had the same thing for few months already.

“And of course one ice chocolate mint without whipped cream for Jongin,” Jongin laughs at Chanyeol’s remark but nods his head too, “And for the food? You two obviously can order couple menu this time.”

Chanyeol’s witty remark and his stares to Jongin and Soojung’s clasp hands is obviously boiling the blood in Soojung face—she must be blushing hard right now. She almost pulls her hand away from Jongin but before she can do that, Jongin holding onto her hand more tightly then he says, “It’s okay if you wanted to order couple menu, but it’s also okay if you don’t.”

The man behind the counter continues giving them a big grin and Soojung feels the urge to slam her bag square at Chanyeol’s face, but she says nothing and answers instead, “It’s okay we can order couple menu, it’s cheaper for student like us.”

Jongin gives her hand a gentle squezee, “Okay then—“

“Adds one couple menu consist of Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Fettucine and Spaghetti Aglio E Olio with Beef Bacon!” Chanyeol cut off again with excited voice. “I can give you guys extra dessert as a congratulary gift—“

“You can go find a table,” Soojung couldn’t be more thankful when Jongin cut Chanyeol back before he can say something dumber, but she also feels sad over the lost warm as Jongin lets go of her hands.

What am I thinking, she wonders before she clears her mind from dumb thought and looks for their usual sit by the window. Once she found it empty, she quickly walking towards it and takes the seat. Soon after that Jongin joins her again, the boy takes the seat beside her.

“Chanyeol hyung said he will deliver our drink cause she doesn’t want you to sit here alone while I wait for it,” he says.

“O-okay then... thank you though, for your treat.”

“Don’t mention it, just take it... as my apology.”

Huh?

“Apology for what?”

Jongin scratches the back of his neck nervously before he mutters, “You seems like... you were avoiding me for a week already. Like you were mad with something.”

...Huh?

“I-I’m not!” Soojung answers in disbelief. “Why do you think like that?”

“Because you didn’t reply to my text that often again, and at the class you didn’t even glance at me. You even rejected my offer to go home together but you and Junmyeon hyung walked out from the school together and seemed like you two would go home together—“ Jongin abruptly stops, his palms found it way to cover his face, “I-I’m sorry I’m babbling like a kid.”

Soojung swears she doesn’t know what to say, but she understands it well that it was her fault that Jongin thought about if that way. “I’m sorry, Jongin... I didn’t mean it that way. I didn’t reply to your text because I thought you need more rest, and we shouldn’t stay up late. And when I didn’t glance at you, it just happened to be that way and I swear it wasn’t my intention! I didn’t know it would bother you....”

Soojung clears . “And today, I just have feeling that council’s meeting gonna finished late again so I didn’t want you to wait long for me. For Junmyeon sunbae, it just happened that both of us were hungry and he said he knew a good place near school and he would walk me home—“

“You can do that with me too!”

Soojung’s eyes grow bigger than usual as she heard Jongin’s outburst. She swears—once again—that it was the first time she heard Jongin lets out such a desperate voice like that.

“If you want someone to eat with you and walk you home, I can do that. I don’t mind waiting even for an hour, or more than that,” he continued with the same desperate voice.

Before Soojung can mutter anything, Chanyeol already stands beside their table and he puts down their drinks. “Your food will arrive in few minutes, please wait patiently.”

Soojung nods her head again, and Chanyeol left them behind. She kinds of aware that Chanyeol seemed to be confused, like he could sense that something’s wrong with Soojung and Jongin right now.

Jongin seems to be hesitant after that, but he’s still saying ‘I’m sorry I said something like that’ before he goes on a complete silent—like he tries to arrange his sentence first before he says something again.

If Soojung wanted to be honest with herself, she is tired already with being passive, and she already holding back for a week now and she doesn’t think she can have herself accepting their situation right now and only hoping Jongin will settle it for them.

“I heard that someone confessed to you a week ago,” Jongin lifts up his face in surprised, “and you rejected her, you said you already have someone you like.”

Still taken aback by it, Jongin stutters his answer out, “Y-yeah, I said that.”

“You never say that you like someone.”

“I just... don’t find a time to tell you about that.”

“Then who is it, the one you like?”

Jongin doesn’t answer right away.

And Soojung takes the bravest step she ever do. “Is it Seulgi?”

Jongin’s hand almost accidentaly hits his drink off of the table in result.

“...are you serious asking me that?” Jongin sees Soojung’s face as serious as ever so he answers in disbelief, “I didn’t know why you can think like that but it’s not her. She’s only a close friend like Sehun, beside she already has a boyfriend, Soojung-ah.”

HUH?

“Y-you lied!”

“Huh?! Why do I need to lie about it? I’m telling the truth!”

“...really?”

“Yes, yes and yes, Jung Soojung.”

Soojung is too dumbfounded to even answer so she’s only ranting inside ‘stupid soojung stupid getting worked out over false thought’ and the urge to run away from her seat is bigger than her hunger.

“I thought it was Seulgi... since you completely glued to her for whole day in a week. And I accidentaly overheard what Sehun said that morning... that he should have leave the love birds to have their time alone. I thought it was you and Seulgi... and I saw you went home with her too so it was natural that I misundestood it—“

She suddenly feels hands—Jongin’s hands—pinching both of his cheeks playfully, and he flashes his usual tooty smile before he says, “You’re jealous, right?”

“N-no, I’m not!”

“Usually the one who answers in irritates way like that is a liar,” he says in cheeky way. “That time, Seulgi just got herself a boyfriend, and it’s our senior in dance club. I also thought the same thing but since Seulgi was still shy about it, I asked Sehun to stop teasing her like that cause it wasn’t nice. And I only went home with her because we’re from the same neighborhood and her boyfriend couldn’t accompany her that time. Satisfied with my explanation, Krystal?”

Soojung only nods her head slowly and goes for complete silent. So who is the girl that Jongin likes?

Jongin suddenly cup Soojung’s face with his right hand, his thumb caresses her cheeks gently to the point Soojung feels she can melt right away if he keeps doing that. His left hand takes one of Soojung’s hands and clasp their hands together again.

“You know...” Soojung feels that Jongin sounds a little bit nervous, “I thought it’s a little bit faster than I planned if I say this now... but I can’t help it, Soojung-ah.”

He takes a deep breath. “I like you.”

Soojung freezes, and Jongin can’t help to laugh again at that. “Why do you seem so surprised? I thought it was already so obvious?”

“...really? It was obvious?”

“...are you sure you’re asking me that?”

Soojung shrughs. “I dont know, I just thought that you only look at me only as friend. And one day you will get yourself a friend and you will gradually forget me.”

“You make me sound like a mean person.”

“I-I’m sorry....”

Jongin chuckles. “It’s okay, I guess it was my fault that it took me long to confess to you. I was thinking that I can talk about this with you after I’m done with the dance event, I’m not busy anymore and we can spend our time after school like usual again. It will be more relaxed, at least I wouldn’t babbling like what I did few minutes ago,” he gives her hand a squezee, “But it was only a week—I didn’t spend my time with you for a week and I felt lonely. Like... something was missing. And I realized that the missing piece was you. Your smile, your text, your harsh words, your eveything. And when I saw you together with Junmyeon hyung, I just... lost it. I teased you, asked if you were jealous or not... but the truth that it was me who couldn’t help to feel jealous. The moment I took your hand, I thought ‘I’ll be a fool if I’m letting this hand go’ so I held it selfishly... like what I do right now.”

Jongin seems to have more to say, but instead he settles with, “What do you feel toward me, Soojung-ah?”

Soojung wishes she can ask Jongin to pinch her cheeks once again, to help reassure her that it’s not a dream. That she’s currently not imagining things, that she’s not trying to make herself happy with a ‘fake’ reality. But she realized, the warm from Jongin’s hand is enough.

It’s real.

“I—“ she hesitates but once again Jongin’s hand gives her hand a gentle squezee, “Like I said, I always thought that you only look at me as a friend... and so do I.”

Soojung can see the disappointment in Jongin’s eyes, but she only smiles and gives Jongin’s hand a little squezee. “But I was wrong. I did feel jealous when I saw you with Seulgi, and I wouldn’t let you caress my cheek or holding my hand like now if... I don’t like you.”

Bright, that’s always be the only way for Soojung to describe Jongin’s smile. His faint smile, his cheeky smile, his tooty smile, it’s the same—it’s always bright for her. And the smile Jongin has right now is the brightest one she ever seen.

“So... will you be my girlfriend?”

Soojung almost answer it, but Chanyeol comes between it with his loud voice, “Love birds, this is your Creamy Chicken and Mushroom Fettucine and Spaghetti Aglio E Olio with Beef Bacon!” as he puts down the foods in front of them.

She clearly sees how annoyed Jongin is because Chanyeol appeared at the wrong timing, but in the end he lets out a laugh and mutters, “Thanks hyung.”

“No problem, love birds~” and he goes back to the counter again.

“You know... he almost like Sehun. Cheeky and shameless.”

This time it’s Soojung who laughs. “Isn’t that the same thing?”

“...is it?”

Soojung manages to nods between her laughter, she lets go of Jongin’s hand and takes the fork instead. “Let’s digging in, I’m hungry after talking too much.”

Jongin, a little bit disappointed that they need to untangled their hands again, says nothing as he also take her fork and mix his spaghetti a little bit. He then put down the fork and proceed to take a sip of his ice chocolate mint first.

Now, Jung Soojung! her mind says.

“Let’s go to school together again,” she smiles, “and please take care of as your girfriend from now on.”

Once again Jongin’s hand almost accidentaly hits his drink off, and this time it almost fall right onto his spaghetti.

Soojung can’t help to laugh with how clumsy her boyfriend is.

--

Soojung is queuing to ride the bus as usual when she notices an old woman behind her. She quickly walks backwards to give a space for the old woman before she says, “You can go first, halmeoni.”

The old woman seems to be surprised at first, but then her face turns into a pleased one as she says, “Thank you so much! Your parents must be proud to have a well mannered daughter like you.”

Déjà vu.

Soojung says ‘you’re welcome’ before she continues queuing.

She still remembers how another old woman said the exact same thing like that few months ago.

When it’s finally her turn to go, she quickly hop into the bus. Her eyes unconsciouly go to the seat on the back of the bus, and there he is. A boy that she always see in the bus and also in her class, named Kim Jongin.

She suddenly remembers again that time she averted her gaze once Jongin’s eyes met her, and she quickly took her seat before the bus started to move again.

But now, it’s different.

Once Jongin’s eyes meet her, the boy gives her a bright smile and Soojung gives a smile back too. Instead of her usual seat, she will take the seat on the back of the bus, right beside Jongin.

“Good morning, Krystal,” he says in teasing way.

“Pfft, good morning... Kim Kai.”

The boy doesn’t pinch her cheeks as a revenge, but his hand found it way to Soojung’s hand then he holds onto it tightly.

It’s different from before, and Soojung couldn’t be happier than now.

--