Secrets

     Jieun and Kyungsoo walked under the same umbrella, their shoulders touching every now and then. 

     Jieun smiled when she spotted a street vendor at the end of the street and tugged on Kyungsoo's sleeves, running towards it. The vendor was Soonie's Snacks and it sold her favorite snacks like spicy rice cakes, kimbap, and etc. It was closed for a few months because the old lady who ran the vendor had gone under a big surgery and was under recovery and she was now finally back.

"You're back Mrs.Oh!" Jieun exclaimed as the lady greeted her with a warm smile. "I missed you so much!"

"You've gotten prettier while I was gone," the lady smiled as she placed the rice cake on a plastic plate and gave it to Jieun.

"Is your back alright now? I've been so worried."

"It's so great I think I'll live for another hundred years!" the two giggled. 

     Kyungsoo watched as he folded the umbrella and stepped inside the shade of the vendor, watching as Jieun scooped some hot fish cake soup from the fish cake section and took a small sip, exclaiming in amazement. Jieun poked the spicy rice cake with a toothpick and gave it to Kyungsoo, who just stared at it with suspicion.

     "What is it?" he asked, staring at the red piece of food.

"Ddukbokki," she said as she munched on one. "You're going to love it!"

     "Isn't this carbs?" Kyungsoo asked. Having prepared for professional quidditch his entire life, his parents and his coach had never let him eat a single food of carbs for as long as he could remember. His entire life was all proteins and healthy diet food; it was the first time someone had actually offered him to eat something that smelled really... really good.

"What if it's carbs?" Jieun smiled and pushed the ddukbokki towards his mouth. "If it's good you need to eat it!"

     Kyungsoo opened his mouth and ate the first piece of ddukbokki, surprised at the taste. It was the best thing he had ever tasted in his life; he felt his heart palpitate as the sweet and spicy taste of the sauce emanated inside his mouth and the chewiness of the rice cake was the perfect cherry-on-top.

"It's good right?" Jieun chuckled as she watched Kyungsoo trying to hide the smile forming up his face. 

"Is your boyfriend from overseas?' lady Oh asked as she chuckled at Kyungsoo. "I've never seen someone who's never tried ddukbokki before."

"Boyfriend?" Jieun blinked twice and exchanged glances between the lady and Kyungsoo. "We're just-"

"I'm not her boyfriend," Kyungsoo said without any expression as he ate another ddukbokki. 

"Yeah," Jieun nodded quietly, glancing at Kyungsoo who only ate the food quietly. 

     "Hey I'm sorry I left early-" Jisoo raced to the door as Jieun came home and was surprised to see her all dry. He stared at her and watched as Kyungsoo followed behind with an umbrella in his hands. 

"It's okay," Jieun smiled faintly and walked past Jisoo. 

      Kyungsoo folded the umbrella and placed it near the door, glaring at Jisoo as he walked back into his room.

"Why did you guys come in together?" Jisoo asked as he shut the door behind him and crashed onto the sofa.

"I didn't know I needed your permission to be with Jieun," he glanced at him. 

"You know you're real funny," Jisoo said sarcastically. "Treating her like and then acting like the nice guy."

     "It was you who left her at school without an umbrella, Jisoo. I just figured she would still be there without an umbrella so I just decided to give her a helping hand. Is there something wrong with that?" 

"Is it fun?" 

"What?"

     "You come to this strange land and you find this girl who's head over heels for you," Jisoo scoffed as he scanned Kyungsoo up and down. "She's just so vulnerable before you. Even willing to take a bullet for you. You know that better than anyone and you treat her like dirt and when you're in a good mood you act like the saint sent from heaven. It's just so easy to toy with her however you want right? Whatever she'll do she'll come running to you like a little puppy."

"Shut up," Kyungsoo said sternly. "I'm just thankful to her and trying to make things right after-"

Jisoo snorted. 

"Why do I even bother with you?" Kyungsoo rolled his eyes and headed for the door.

"Cut your ," Jisoo grabbed his shoulder and pushed him. 

"Kim Jisoo," Kyungsoo looked into his eyes. "Do you like Jieun?" 

Jisoo's eyes shook for a second before he released his grip. 

"I knew it," Kyungsoo sneered. "Are all people here in this world so obvious?" 

"Shut the up," he said. "We're just friends."

    "You know when the best feeling is?" Kyungsoo asked as he stared right into Jisoo's eyes. "It's right after a quidditch match, when I see the misery in their eyes after they've lost the game against me during Scouting season. The seniors are the best because that is their last year to get recruited into the national team. My blood boils of excitement seeing the rancour in their faces as they watch me get recruitments from the best teams in the world while they probably just uh...  go into trial camps or something."

Jisoo stared at him contemptuously.

"I don't really like losing," Kyungsoo said lightly. "And I don't intend to this time."

"You-"

     "Before you tell me what to do with one girl, maybe you should sort out your priorities." Kyungsoo said as he glanced at Suzy and Jieun sitting in the living room. Jisoo watched as Kyungsoo limped down the stairs and joined the two girls in their chatter, putting on an innocent smile that sent chills down Jisoo's spine.

Jisoo was surprised at himself though; he didn't like Jieun.

They are friends.

How could friends like each other?

---

     Kyungsoo laid on the floor and stared at the moon through the glass ceiling. 

     Ever since the moment he came to this strange world, he was so focused on getting back home he didn't stop to think about anything else. But today, getting back home wasn't the first thing on his mind. For the first time since being here, he had a good time. A smile leaked from the corner of his mouth as he thought about the ddukbokki he had with Jieun earlier today. Watching her eat was like watching a chubby hamster with its mouth full of seeds. 

"What the heck," Kyungsoo noticed himself smiling and snapped out of it.

He stared at his broken arm and sighed. 

There were so many thoughts on his mind. 

     Perhaps Jieun wasn't such a bad kid after all, but Kyungsoo felt a lurking discomfort in his heart each time he was with her. His dreams were the biggest reason and he couldn't shake it off. His mother worked for the department of divinations and after regular visits to her office when he was young, he learned from the side the dangerous effects of dreams. 

His mother taught him advanced divinations from the back of her hand and Kyungsoo had no choice but to learn.

     Of course he didn't believe divinations or predictions, but after learning the connections between each dream he couldn't help but believe.

Especially after that incident during middle school with Suzy and Eun-bin. 

-Flashback-

     Kyungsoo watched from behind the tree as Eun-bin walked across the grass-field with a load of books in her arm. 

     Everything about her was so beautiful; the way her brown hair rested just above her shoulder and the way her eyes created a small crease when she smiled with her eyes and the way her dimples showed itself when she heard a lame joke that nobody else would laugh at. 

"Do you like her?" A voice popped up from behind as Kyungsoo flinched and spun back. 

"Who are you?" he stared at her, pushing his spectacles up. 

"She's really popular you know," she said as she chewed her gum and messed with her unkempt hair. "She's probably going to date Oh Sehun."

"Oh Sehun?" Kyungsoo replied, a little discouraged. 

     "He's a third year. He's the jock of the school and the youngest seeker on the Quidditch team. I heard he's so popular that any girl will agree to date him with just a single glance. "

     Kyungsoo bit his lips as he watched Eun-bin surrounded by a lot of students. 

     "You're a first year, aren't you?" the girl said as she scanned him up and down. The boy who was short for his age and his oversized robe that came all the way down to his ankles was enough to show that he was a first year at Exelcius. The girl cringed at his white shirt buttoned up all the way to his neck and his pants tucked so tightly into his pants that it came all the way up to his chest.

"How did you know?" he asked. 

"You're reeking freshman stench." 

"Whatever," he muttered, annoyed. 

"Do you want to be her boyfriend?" the girl asked, walking towards him. 

"Yes-" Kyungsoo's face lit up. "I mean..."

"I can help you," she grinned and stuck out her hand. 

"Why would you help me?" he asked, suspicious. 

"If you refuse, so be it." 

"No no-" Kyungsoo grabbed her arm, releasing in awkwardness.

"My name's Bae Suzy. What's yours?"

"I'm... Do Kyung-soo."

The two shook hands and smiled, Kyungsoo's eyes still on Eunbin.

-Flashback end-

     Kyungsoo chuckled bitterly at the memory.

Everything should have ended there he thought; or he should have never shook that hand in the first place. 

     It was funny; he had never met someone who was even close to Eunbin after all these years; but Jieun was like a replica of her. The way she talks, smiles, walks, everything was so similar to Eunbin that when he was with her, it felt like he was with Eunbin. He couldn't shake the feeling of comfort that he got; it was so strange that he couldn't recognize what it was. 

     He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. 

     He grieved so long for the comfort that he felt when he was with Eunbin because he wasn't able to find that kind of comfort from any girl he ever met in his life. And after all these years, he found a girl who gave off similar vibes but she was a dangerous figure in his dreams. 

It was like the forbidden fruit. 

"Don't think too much Do Kyungsoo," he sighed and closed his eyes. "It'll get better."

---

     Kyungsoo opened his eyes to the sound of clanging and chatter outside the room.

      He got up and saw that no one was in the room and forced himself up. Grabbing his crutches, he slowly walked downstairs to see Jieun running around in the kitchen preparing a table full of food. Suzy was on the side as she awkwardly helped Jieun set the table while Baekhyun and Jisoo sat at the table staring at Jieun prepare everything. 

"You're up!" Jieun smiled brightly as she skipped towards Kyungsoo and helped him sit at the table.

"W..hat's this?" he asked, surprised at the big breakfast table. 

      "I figured that I never made you a real meal ever since you got here," she said as she placed the last dish on the table and poured water into Kyungsoo's cup. Kyungsoo looked at all the food, internally surprised. He glanced at the clock; it was so early in the morning and Jieun was already dressed in her school uniform making all this food. 

"You didn't have to-"

"You've got an uncomfortable arm and leg," she said. "Until you get better I'll take care of you."

    Kyungsoo stared as Jieun gave him his spoon and pushed all the dishes toward Kyungsoo. 

"I have a mouth too you know," Jisoo glared as he pulled the dish back with his chopsticks.

"Shut up," Jieun said in annoyance. "Your arm's not broken." 

     Kyungsoo grinned awkwardly and began eating the food.

Although he wasn't looking, he could feel Jisoo's brutal glare across the table.

     The first parts of Kyungsoo's past story is slowly being revealed :D
Thanks for reading!

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