Three months had passed since Hoya moved next to Yoomi and Woohyun. Woohyun and Hoya had clicked marvellously with the help of Battlefield and football. Honestly, guys were much easier in making friends, since they all fooled together and TADAA they're friends.

Yoomi had been secretly observing Hoya and she found him a nice boy. He was nice to girls and entertained them politely when they asked him to play.

He was one hot topic in school as well, since he was rather good-looking and had an air of coolness around him. The girls were just attracted to his emotionless character, much to Yoomi's surprise.

Hoya on the other hand, found Yoomi rather interesting. She was shy around him, not really daring to talk to him unlike the other girls who would strike a conversation whenever they had the chance.

He found her as someone he could really be close friends with from what he observed and from what Woohyun told him about her being a cute and adorable girl. He wanted for them to get close as well, but whenever he approached Yoomi voluntarily, Yoomi would find some excuse to run away.

The only times when Yoomi and Hoya spent time together was when Woohyun was around with them. Hoya realised that Yoomi didn't want to be left alone with him, and only stayed when Woohyun stayed.

*Does she dislike me?* he thought.

Truth to be told, Yoomi would really like to be friends with Hoya as well, but she didn't know how to. She was afraid to talk to him when Woohyun wasn't around. It was then that she realised how important Woohyun was in her life, by reccomending her friends. Her friends were all introduced by Woohyun, and she was really dependent on him regarding such social issues.

Without him, Yoomi didn't dare do anything.

Woohyun noticed this strange behavior of his best friend, and decided to do something about it. He already told Yoomi that Hoya was fast becoming one of this closest friends, and he wanted his best friend Yoomi and Hoya to be close as well.

He grinned slyly as he approached Yoomi after school. "Yoomi ah!" Woohyun pretended to panick.

Yoomi's eyes rounded. "What happened Woohyun Oppa?" she asked.

Woohyun paced around in front of her. "I forgot to bring my Math Homework today!" he shrieked. "Mrs Park wants it by today or she'll deduct marks. But I have club duties now and I can't go home to get it! Can you and Hoya go home to get it for me? Pleaseeeee~~" he pleaded.

Yoomi gulped. "Eh?" she coughed. "Me and...Hoya?"

Woohyun nodded. "Please please pleaseee~~ You're my best friend aren't you?" he whined with puppy eyes that were comparable to Puss in Boot's aegyo. "Help Woohyun Oppa? Oh?"

Yoomi her lips. She really couldn't say no whenever it was Woohyun who asked.

Hell, she got scolded for stealing cookies from the cookie jar at home everyday, but she just couldn't say no to Woohyun who asked for cookies.

"Fine." she mumbled. "But can't I get it myself?"

*NO! How then will you and Hoya bond!!* Woohyun shook his head. "I don't trust you going home yourself, Yoomi ah. You're a girl. Make Hoya go with you and protect you! Go now! I need it by 4pm!!"

Yoomi puffed her cheeks and dragged her feet to the school gate. Hoya was already waiting by it, and looked surprised when he only saw her. "Where's Woohyun Hyung?" he asked, looking behind her.

Yoomi quickly explained the favour and Hoya agreed, only because Woohyun was his closest friend since he moved here. Both of them quickly walked in silence that was horrifyingly awkward.

Yoomi stared at the ground till it would have blushed in embarrassment, and Hoya just played with his fingers behind his back. He glanced at Yoomi the same time she peeked and him and they met eyes.

Both turned away awkwardly, red in their faces.

"Errr.. Yoomi ah." Hoya rubbed the back of his neck.

*Think Lee Howon! Think!* Hoya reprimanded himself. *This is a good chance for you to get closer to Yoomi. You always wanted to be closer friends with her!*

"Err.. Do you know where Woohyun Hyung put his Math homework then?" Hoya blurted. He mentally smacked himself. *Good going Hoya. You're such a dork.*

Yoomi nodded. "He puts it in the red file on his desk." she mumbled without a moment's hesitation.

Hoya glanced at her. "You seem to know Woohyun very well. You two are really close, aren't you?" he asked, a little longing in his voice. He really didn't know what he was lacking as a friend for Yoomi to keep pushing him away.

"Yeah." a small smile came onto Yoomi's face. "He's my first actual friend you know. I was always bullied in the past, or people used me when I just started to trust them. Woohyun Oppa was the first person to stick around long enough to prove to me that he could be trusted."

"I can be trusted too, you know." Hoya whispered in a small voice.

Yoomi stiffened. She looked back at him. "What?" she blinked.

Hoya reddened. *She heard it? Man that wasn't supposed to happen!* He avoided her curious gaze. "Uh." he swallowed. "I mean, I can be trusted too."

"I don't make friends easily either, unlike Woohyun hyung who can practically talk to anyone." Hoya admitted. "I had my fair share of friends who aren't loyal to you, so I choose my friends wisely. I can understand that you want to know me better before deciding whether to trust me, but if you don't let me get close to you, you can never know me and we'll never be real friends."

Yoomi bit her lip, contemplating.

"I hope you can give us a chance." Hoya shrugged. "I hear from Woohyun Hyung that you're a great friend, a cute and adorable girl. I'd like to see that side of Shin Yoomi too. If only you'd- HOLY CRAP!"

Yoomi's eyes widened as Hoya yanked her towards him. A man riding a bicycle whisked past both of them, just inches away. Yoomi's heart was pounding when she realised that she could have been knocked down by that bike if not for Hoya.

"Are you okay?" Hoya asked in concern. "Hurt anywhere?"

Yoomi shook her head, still in shock.

Hoya softened and met her curious gaze. "As I was saying, I will protect you like Woohyun hyung does. I hope we can be best friends too, Yoomi ah."

Yoomi smiled a small smile. "I think we can be, Hoya Oppa."




Woohyun punched his fists in the air when his two friends came back to school with his Math Homework. "So what's that I hear? Hoya OPPAAAA??" he teased.

Yoomi puffed her cheeks. "What?" she asked. "Me and Hoya Oppa decided to be friends. CLOSE FRIENDS!"

Woohyun cheered and pinched her cheek. "Aigoo Yoomi ah you don't know how long I waited! You kept avoiding Hoya and I thought you didn't like him or something!" he looped his arms round Hoya's and Yoomi's shoulders.

"This is great!" he announced. "Now three of us can be best friends together!!!" as he pulled both of them out of school and back home.

...

"Hey... what about your math homework? Don't you need to pass that up?"