“Alright guys, that’s about it for the day. Remember to schedule some time outside of club activities to work on your set job with your partner. See you next week,” Gaeun announced.

Nari inwardly sighed in relief and frantically began packing her things into her bag. Once everything was inside, she flung it onto her shoulder and was about to leave when a voice stopped her.

“Wait for me, Nari,” Kyungsoo started.

Nari stopped instantly in her place, knowing now she had no chance of escape. She turned around to him with a soft smile and he came next to her with his gleeful one. They started walking to the door, Kyungsoo taking a few steps quicker than her, holding the door open for them both.

“I’m really happy we got partnered together, Nari. I’ve never sung with you before,” he stated in withheld excitement.

She nodded anxiously, feeling as if a sandbag had just been placed on her shoulders and her knees would buckle under the pressure any second. Responsibility wasn’t something she could say she had and the fact that she’d been given so much in such a short amount of time, wasn’t helping her mentality at all.

“Don’t worry too much though. I know you’ll do well. And if you need help, I can always try,” Kyungsoo suggested.

She gave him another soft smile, “Thank you, sunbae.”

He nodded. Nari turned back to focus on walking when she spotted Baekhyun walking directly towards her with great purpose. She stopped.

“Come on, Nari. Chanyeol asked me to walk you home since he had to rush home,” he explained, getting ready to leave.

Nari’s eyes widened.

That was not an option she was prepared to accept. Walking home with Baekhyun was one of the last things she would think of doing in that moment. If anything she’d prefer walking home with Kyungsoo, only because she knew he didn’t talk much so she wouldn’t need to make awkward conversation. But with Baekhyun, he’d be spouting nonsense every five seconds and make her feel ten times more uncomfortable than she could feel next to him. But, she had to do it, knowing that if she didn’t Chanyeol would take it as a personal offense to him rather than think Nari was indifferent to Baekhyun.

“I can take her,” Kyungsoo stated suddenly, causing Baekhyun to turn back around.

Baekhyun smirked. Nari suddenly wanted to be anywhere but there.

“Don’t worry. Chanyeol asked me to do it,” Baekhyun retorted.

“But if you don’t want to then you don’t have to because I can,” Kyungsoo argued.

“I never said I didn’t want to,” Baekhyun responded. He chuckled but it didn’t seem very cheerful.

Nari watched both of them stare at each other with the most unsettling expressions. She wished that the words she needed to break up the argument could be the ones that made her the least uncomfortable. But, her luck never turned out that way.

“I think I should go with Baekhyun sunbae. I’ll see you later,” Nari said suddenly, quickly walking away from the scene.

She walked as fast as her self-consciousness would let her, not even letting herself glimpse at the disappointed look Kyungsoo was sure to have. She knew her heart would crumble under it straight away.

Baekhyun caught up to her, smiling smugly.

As soon as Nari thought it was safe enough, she slowed her pace and the both of them walked casually. To her surprise, Baekhyun didn’t speak a word to her for at least five minutes into their walk. She would’ve felt grateful at any other time but when the thought of Kyungsoo standing at the school gate as she walked away kept rushing through her mind, she was in need of a distraction.

It was too long before Baekhyun spoke, “I wish you wouldn’t call me sunbae.”

Nari said nothing. That wasn’t what she needed to hear. She focused on the road in front.

“It makes me uncomfortable.”

Her eyes didn’t move an inch from the path.

“I thought we were closer than that.”

Nari knew they weren’t close, and she kept it that way on purpose. Hearing him speak those words, however, made her stomach twist like a knot being tied.

“What do you want me to call you then, sunbae?” Nari asked softly. She looked up at him, not at all surprised by his cheeky smile.

“Oppa,” Baekhyun said simply.

Nari looked away. What was I expecting… she thought.

“Does it make you uncomfortable?”

You know the answer, she thought dejectedly.

“Just try saying it once to see how it feels.”

She took a deep breath, shuddering as she exhaled.

“What do you want me to say, oppa?” she asked gradually.

Nari felt her insides shrink together and chills through her spine like a million ants crawling along her back as the words