She wanted to throw everything off and go submerge in a cold water. Her body itched with the amount of sweat it was producing and her face... well, let's just at the back of her mind, she knew that she would scream at herself for looking like a baby born just a second ago. Sarang looked at Ahreum who was red in her face as well. The latter's hair, which were braided in two, was in a mess. 

As if the summer heat wasn't enough, she had to bare the heat of embarrassment as well. Lee Chaekyun and Ahreum would leave no chance in teasing Baekhyun and her.

Baekhyun helps her? They tease them.

Baekhyun talks to her or even ATTEMPTS to? Theu .

She needs help? They call Baekhyun. 

And when the boy comes to help her, they tease them again. 

Being in the same group as Luhan didn't make it easy either. Whenever they would , her eyes would unconsciously travel towards Luhan as if he was a father whose consent she needed. In this process, whenever her eyes would meet Luhan, she would quickly look away. The smell of his shampoo still lingered around her nose and it would make her even more red.

"I should have brought a cap," Ahreum sighed. "Can I remove this gloves? It's uncomfortable!"

"We can't Ahreum. Rest time doesn't last forever." Sarang was reluctant to go back to their area to work. Currently, both of them were sitting below a tree's shade near their field. They could clearly see the students there. 

"Sarang, how long do we have to do this?"

"One hour more Ahreum," Sarang replied. "It was 11:05 when we came here. Oh, wait, how come you are so tired? Weren't you enjoying yourself back there?"

Sarang nearly flipped when her friend simply said, "Me? You are talking about me?" while pulling her innocent doe eyes.

"I hate you!"

"I am sorry. It's fun teasing you two," Ahreum chuckled. "You can't hate a person for enjoying a little in her sad, sad life, can you?" 

"If sad life includes coming to a village to learn how to plant pumpkins, then mine is sad life too."

As if on cue, both of them watched their classmates struggling under the heat.

Sigh. 

After that, silence filled between the two friends.

 

 

Sarang closed her eyes to feel the slight breeze. She could hear cicadas singing in the summer haze along with light noises from students.

 

 

She took in a deep breath.

 

 

When was the last time she felt this peaceful?

 

Probably before she met Luhan.

 

Necklace.

 

Her mind whizzed to the day when he had blamed her for stealing his necklace. Tsk. Because of him she stopped wearing rings. 

 

 

"Why are you smiling like that?"

 

Sarang snapped out of her daze. "Sorry, what did you say?"

Ahreum's eyebrows narrowed. opened and then closed as if she decided against whatever she was going to say. It made Sarang curious. 

Straightening her back, Sarang asked her dear friend if she had something to say. 

"Did you go to a library?"

"Ugh...w-what?"

"What's wrong Sarang? Did something happened that neither me or Bori knows? Something only Jieum has an idea about."

The conviction in Ahreum's eyes stirred her whole stomach in an uncomfortable way. 

What the hell, sooner or later they are bound to know. 

"Don't get angry, okay? I wanted to tell you guys, but things came up and i couldn't."

"Well, then what are you waiting for? Spill."

"Before the exams, i went to Youth Public Library to apologize to Luhan for that whole class fiasco," Sarang explained. "Well, technically it was Jieun's plan. She told me about how she was going to meet up with Luhan and Sehun and that i could come if i want to."

"Wait, why would you ask Jieun about that?"

"Remember last time when i rushed towards Luhan to apologize? She saw me and told me about the whole library thing."

Ahreum nodded like a wise girl that she is. "So that's it?"

"Yeah. Jieun and Sehun left after sometime. That was what Jieun was asking last time."

"Whoa!" Ahreum clapped. "You were left alone with Luhan? What happened?"

If it weren't for the dilemma Sarang was in, she would have rolled her eyes. She debated if she should tell Ahreum about the earphone incident.

"Something did happen, didn't it?!" 

The twinkle in her eyes made Sarang decided against it. She knew her friends too much to trust them with something like that. 

"No! Other than him tutoring me, nothing happened!"

"Tutor? Whoa Sarang you are a sly girl! How could you not tell us about that?"

Although Sarang grimaced at her friend's excitement, she was relieved that the interrogations ended.

Well, Sarang thought, it was giving one thing for the other. 

"You two," Chaekyung called as she came running towards them. "Mrs. Song is going to take attendance. She is calling everyone."

As said by Chaekyung, everyone had gathered around Mrs. Song. After she was sure everyone was present, she let them off for the day. 

"Remember to water your area at night. Did you hear me?" 

"Yes ma'am!" All chorused. 

"I am going to die!!!" Bori came groaning towards Sarang, Ahreum and Chaekyung. "You have no idea how much of a hitler Minhyuk is! Right Jieun?"

Just when the girl was about to respond, Sehun came bounching beside her. 

"Jieun, i have heard that there is a ramen stall nearby. Want to go?" 

Jieun was again interupted in her response when Luhan took him away by the ear. Sehun yelped.

 Baekhyun, who was with Luhan, shook his head seeing how hopeless Sehun was. 

"That was just for us, you moron," Beakhyun muttered loud enough for the girls to hear. 

"I just want to sleep," Bori whined once they were out of earshot. 

 

 

 

 

Something was fishy.

 

Chaekyung and Baekhyun were smiling at her creepily.

 

Wait...was Baekhyun even allowed in girls room?

 

"What? What do you want?" Sarang asked hesitantly. 

"We are on kitchen duty."

"I am not going to switch with any one of you," Sarang replied immediately. Jin Joo had asked her the same thing before. "I am doing the dishes and i am happy with that."

"No, Sarang. We are not asking you to switch," Baekhyun gently said with his sweet smile. "We just came here to request something."

"And what is that?" Sarang asked. Her eyes narrowed on them in doubt. 

"We want you to go with Luhan to water the field." 

Chaekyung announced it like she had won a lottery. Unfortunately, that lottery meant Sarang had to face her embarrassment again. 

"NO WAY!" Came her response. 

Her groupmate's smile dropped. They looked at each other before facing Sarang again, but before they could have said anything Jieun interrupted. 

"Have you guys seen Bori? She was supposed to go water the fields with me."

"I don't know. I am searching for both Ahreum and Bori as well." Sarang shrugged.

Not long after, Sehun came running inside their room carrying two watering jugs.

 

Sarang was honestly troubled by how easily boys were entering girls' room. 

 

"Jieun, Bori texted me saying she is busy. She asked me go instead of her." He then looked at Sarang quizically. "Aren't you going to go? Luhan hyung is waiting for you downstairs."

Her jaw dropped before she looked at Chaekyung and Baekhyun accussingly.

"You planned this!"

"What are you talking about," Chaekhyun laughed awkwardly.

"Yeah," Beakhyun said, looking everwhere but her. "How can we? Well, chaekyung and i have to go. Byes!" 

"Hey!!! Come back!"

"Thank you in advance!" Both of them chorused.

Sarang sighed, her head dropping in the process. Well, at least she had a friend. Jieun and Sehun will-

"Wha-" They had disappeared. "Where did they go?!"

In the end, she had to trudge her way downstairs. As rightly said by Sehun, Luhan waiting beadie the door, cooly leaning his back on the wall. 

Her heart skipped a bit when his shampoo smell hit her nose again. 

"You can't remember formulas, but his shampoo smell comes easily to you?" Sarang mumbled to herself. Pushing the thought at the back, she approached the guy. He seemed to have sensed her as well.

"I am sorry for being late," she mumbled. 

Luhan simply nodded. "It's okay. Let's go." 

He gave her a water jug while taking the other. Sarang eyed his back as he walked ahead of her. 

It's okay, she told herself. She has been mentally preparing herself to face him ever since exams ended. She may have failed till this moment, but not anymore. 

You can do this! 

"Sarang, we have to go this way. Our water jugs are empty." As if to prove his point, he lifted his jug and tapped on it. 

 

She blinked.

 

Oh, lord. There goes her determination. 

 

"Ahahaha...right. haha i ugh i haha." 

 

Sigh.

 

A smile crept up his face when he saw how she rushed past him like she was on fire. 

 

If he was the most hopeless person in Sarang's dictionary, she was was definition of hopelessness in Luhan's. 

The place where they were instructed to fetch water was just some steps away from their field. It was an open water tap built for the sole purpose of farming.

"Careful!"

Sarang yepled.

It happened too quick for the girl to comprehend. One minute she was about to fall and the next, she is being surrounding by the smell of Luhan's fruity shampoo. 

With this little distance, she noticed how fair his skin really was. It fit perfectly with his doe like eyes and his perfectly shaped features. It made her realize why he made many girls fall for him. He was talented-

 

 

Wait....

 

 

What?

 

 

 

Did i just describe him...? Doe like eyes?

 

...

 

 

Perfectly shaped features?

 

 

 

Her body reacted fast. Quickly straightening herself, she backed away. 

She felt like crying. This was history repeating itself! Her anxiety felt like someone was tickling her from inside. 

"I should have been careful," Sarang laughed, trying to lighten up the mood. But when she saw Luhan wasn't batting an eyeslash on her attempt, she gave up. 

"Let's just fill these up before someone come."

If only Sarang knew what Luhan was going through. She would have been proud knowing that she was better than him in recovering. Luhan was having a hard time comprehending why he felt like he was being squeezed inside. 

While this couple was having relationship problems without being in one, we have another couple who was in need of rescue. 

 

Meanwhile....

 

"Do you think something will happen?" 

"I don't know, but i have this really good feeling that something will happen."

"Why are we doing this? I feel bad."

"Sehun, we are helping Luhan hyung find love."

"But Baekhyun hyung-."

Chaekyung smacked Sehun on the head making him whim. "Shut up and pass me the pepper."

Chaekhyun, Jieun, Sehun and Baekhyun were in a ramen stall gobling their food. After leaving Sarang and Luhan, they had come to the ramen shop that Sehun had previously invited Jieun too. 

Chaekyung and Baekhyun had lied to Sarang about being in Kitchen duty and since they had nothing to do they decided to go there. They invited Jieun and Sehun too when they found out that the two had switched their work with their other groupmates.

"It's okay Sehun. You have nothing to feel guilty over." Jieun said, placing a comforting hand on him.

"Yeah," Beakhyun said with a smile. "At least you are familiar with Sarang. Look at us," Baekhyun laughed. "I wouldn't be speaking to Sarang if it weren't for my asthma."

Chaekyung nodded. "Ayeee! The legendary kiss!"

Baekhyun scoffed. 

"Jokes apart, I will bet you every money my brother gave me that Sarang knew about my existence AFTER i became her groupmate. Who knows, i wouldn't have appeared in her story until today. I was probably the "classmates"," Chaekyung said, air quoting "classmates". 

"That's not true! What about Chaerin?" Jieun pointed.

"Tsk. Chaerin and Sarang were close back in middle school. They grew apart after sometime though."

"Why?"

"Baekhyun, people don't need reasons to grow apart. Sometimes they just do. I don't think they even remember being close."

In all of this, Sehun was silently munching on his noodles. Jieun took notice of this and nudged the boy lightly. 

"Is anything wrong?" Jieun whispered so that she wouldn't disturb Chaekyung and Baekhyun who were deep in conversation. 

"Luhan hyung will kill me once he finds out."

"That's it? Don't worry. I will protect you."

Sehun couldn't stop his cheeks from tinting pink when he saw her smile. The way her eyes twinkles in myschief and warmth made him breathless.

"O-okay..." he managed to speak out.