10: Pabo

   [ ❉  F L A S H B A C K   C H A P T E R  - One Month before the Great War - August 26th 2006]

   It was the last weekend before the summer would be over and school would start again. The air was cool, the breeze was light, and the skies were clear. It was just about perfect in every way. Jeongri sat outside, watching the stars twinkle faintly in the summer night. She didn’t want to go back to school. School meant having to get up early, getting more coursework and not being able to hang out with her friends every day doing whatever they wanted.

   “Hey, Jeongri!” came Chanyeol’s voice.

   Jeongri turned her head. She could see him hanging out of the window of Baekhyun’s bedroom, a goofy grin plastered on his face as he waved to get her attention.

   “Yeah,” she replied.

   “The movie’s about to start. Are you coming up?”

   “Yeah,” she nodded, “I’ll come up in a sec.”

   “What are you doing out there anyway?” he asked, “Are you alone?”

   She nodded again, “Yeah, it was getting hot inside. I just needed some fresh air. I’ll be back in a sec though, I promise, you can start without me.”

   Chanyeol gave her a thumbs up before disappearing back inside. She wasn’t very good with heat; she preferred the cold because at least then you could layer it up and stay comfortable. And besides, she thought as she laid down to see the stars, it was worth the view tonight was worth it.

   Suddenly, a face popped into her view, blocking everything.

   “Hi!” said Baekhyun, grinning broadly.

   Jeongri rolled her eyes and reached out to push his head out of the way.

   “God, you always get in the way of everything,” she grinned.

   “I’m sorry, what?” Baekhyun replied, lifting his head so that it was just out of her reach, but still blocking her view, “Did you just say ‘God, you’re so amazing and everything?’ Why thank you. I know I’m pretty awesome, you didn’t have to point out such an obvious fact.”

   Jeongri laughed and got up, chasing him around the garden, Baekhyun was so insufferable sometimes. But he was too fast, every time she reached out to grab him, he managed to stay out of her reaches. They laughed loudly, almost too loud for so late in the evening but they didn’t care.

   Finally they collapsed back at her original spot, side by side on the lawn, out of breath but still laughing.

   “I hate you, sometimes,” she said, playfully punching him on the arm.

   He feigned pain, “Yeah, me too. You can be so annoying, right?”

   “Shut up!” she retorted. She hated how easy it was for Baekhyun to , but she knew everything was done in jest. That was just the type of person he wasm it was how he showed he cared, “What are you even doing out here? Chanyeol said the movie was about to start.”

   “Well, I had the great ‘honour’ of making the popcorn and fetching the stragglers,” Baekhyun said before looking pointedly at her, “Just like a certain little miss straggler over here.”

   “I just told him I’d be up not even a few seconds before you came over, you pabo,” Jeongri replied indignantly.

   But he wasn’t listening to her. Instead, he stretched out, yawning a little, “Why am I the one tasked with all the menial jobs anyway. It’s my house. I should have made Sehun make the popcorn.”

   “Well… We both know that if you made Sehun do it, Luhan would end up cleaning the mess,” she said, giving him a knowing look.

   Baekhyun laughed, “That is a valid point, miss straggler.”

    “Stop calling me that, you pabo.”

   Love him or hate him, Baekhyun sure could be annoying when he wanted to. It’s like he knew exactly what to say to wind her up and then to calm her down after. Perhaps she was just too easy to tease. Jeongri sighed a little and closed her eyes. Being around him was exhausting at times, but honestly, she couldn’t