(a/n: a little too late but here's this week's update!! in case you guys don't know, youngji, previously a member of kara, and jackson were on roommate season 2 tgt and were pretty close also moonbin is a member of astro and he was a child model together with shinb and they're both from cheongju!! cute much there've also been witnesses of interactions ok i need to stop here's your chapter hehe)

chapter 7:

"좁혀지지 않아"

"The distance isn't closing in" 

___

"She what?!" Jackson winces and pulls the phone away from his ear due to Youngji's shrieking voice.

"Are girls always this loud?" he asks without much thought as a reply.

"Hey that's rude," Youngji says over the phone, "Is she loud as well?"

"Sort of, I guess," Jackson replies and Youngji laughs.

"But wait, let me get this right," Youngji calms down to clarify, "You think that she's seen us that day, and that she's affected by it," she slowly puts it out, "right?"

"Right," Jackson nods his head despite talking over the phone.

"You're an idiot," Youngji shakes her head. "How are you certain she saw us?"

"Well I think it was around the time she usually comes home on Fridays..." Jackson scratches his head. "Also, if she hadn't seen us things wouldn't be so weird now," he adds next.

"You really like her do you? You even know what time she comes home each day?" Youngji teases.

Jackson clicks his tongue. "I don't even know whether I like her," he defends himself immediately, "and of course I know, she's my neighbour and my life is so free I'm technically home all day."

"Are you that free?" Youngji asks, confused. "Aren't you in a dance school?"

"It's not taking up a lot of time though," Jackson casually replies Youngji.

"Okay wait let's not get distracted," Youngji decides to pull themselves back go topic. "So how are you certain she's affected after seeing us?"

"I mean, like I said, things have been weird," Jackson starts to explain. "She's been ignoring me and she doesn't even show me her face anymore."

"Okay, that makes sense but still, you're not specific enough," Youngji frowns and says.

Jackson does not answer, but remains in thought.

"Also, let's get your feelings right," Youngji does not stop. "You need to know what you're feeling for her, Jackson," she sounds like she's nagging, and Jackson gets a little irritated.

Still, her words put Jackson into thought. "She's nice and I like being around her," Jackson honestly reveals, "I think of her often."

"That's it, you're in love," Jackson's jaw drops at Youngji's answer.

"How do you know?" Jackson almost screams over the phone; he finds himself in disbelief, having not ever realising that fact.

"How do you not know?" Youngji replies with another question. "Have you seriously never been in love?"

"And you've been in love?" Jackson questions in return.

"Of course," Youngji answers without any hesitation, "with you, idiot."

"What?" Jackson feels like his heart is going to burst; he's been shocked for the second time that day and is beginning to get exhausted.

"I'm just joking," Youngji laughs over the phone, though it sounds somewhat forced.

Jackson sighs. "Stop it," he clicks his tongue after speaking.

"Ah I'm sorry," Youngji slightly laughs as she apologises, but Jackson does not reply.

"Seems like you don't want to talk any further?" Youngji chuckles at the other end of the line. "Anyway, I've got to go, I'm not as free as you," she seems rushed, "Sort things out with her okay! You can do it," Youngji says before a final "Bye!"

Jackson hears a loud scream next door and immediately stops his actions to listen.

"Moonbin is shifting here?" he hears Eunbi shouting, seemingly with joy. His heart starts to call slightly uncomfortable. Jackson's Korean isn't perfect, but he can actually guess that Moonbin is the name of a boy.

He hears some words that are perhaps her mother's speech, but they are not loud enough to comprehend.

"Okay so he's moving into Seoul?" Eunbi's excited voice irks him now.

He hears another scream from Eunbi and slightly jumps, startled. "And he's coming to my school?"

"What?" Jackson blurts as he is thinking out loud.

Jackson groans and buries his face in his hands. Once again, things don't seem to be going right. Frustrated, he kicks around on is bed and then lies down to face the ceiling.

He releases a huge sighs and frowns.

"Tomorrow?" Jackson hears another scream from the house next door. He sits up and releases a heavy sigh.

"Eunbi yah Eunbi..." he mutters before sulking further. It doesn't help that he's been thinking of her too much recently, and they haven't been interacting much ever since that day. Jackson wonders if Eunbi feels the pain he feels as well.

Jackson shakes his head and releases a short, bitter laughter. Then he remembers Youngji's words: could it be, that he's in love?

Eunbi steps out of her classroom during lunch break with an eager heart to locate her childhood best friend amongst the sea of students. She notices a crowd of girls at the end of the corridor, and tiptoes to look over the numerous heads in curiosity.

"Moonbin?" she mutters after hearing one of the girls calling for his name. Her eyes widen as she proceeds to manoeuvre a way to him.

It takes Eunbi about only five seconds to reach him, but more than double that duration to get his attention as she silently contemplates about how she ought to meet him, after five years of separation.

"Ah Eunbi, is that you?" her ears perk up to his voice and she lifts her head. The second she does so, their eyes meet and Eunbi's cheeks immediately flush red.

"A-Ah Moonbin," she stutters, suddenly feeling nervous, "you remember me?"

"How can I not?" she watches as he scratches the back of his neck and laughs.

"You know each other?" a few girls exclaim in disbelief.

"Yeah, for a very long time now," Moonbin replies with a smile and takes a step to stand beside Eunbi, the placing his arm on Eunbi's shoulder.

Eunbi stiffens from the touch but luckily, the anxiety does not overwhelm her. "I'm not your armrest," she moves aside and spits at him. She feels a few girls look at her with eyes of disgust but she doesn't care- she even feels a sense of victory, and part of her wants to laugh for being so childish (the girls are being childish as well so she finds that funny too).

Soon enough the girls back off and proceed to leave, and Eunbi is left alone with Moonbin.

"Hey, it's been a long time has it?" Moonbin first starts.

"Yes," Eunbi nods with a smile, refusing to look up at him.

Eunbi turns around to rest her arms on the window, and Moonbin follows suit.

"Um Moonbin-"

"Uh Eunbi-"

Eunbi looks up in surprise and turns to face him. They laugh it off simply, before Moonbin gestures for her to go on first.

"How have you been?" Eunbi asks for the sake of the lost five years.

"Been fine," Moonbin smiles as he answers, "my father got a job here so we're shifted here," he explains along the way.

"I see," Eunbi nods, "that's the reason why I came here too," she speaks with a hand on her chin, reminiscing her childhood.

"I thought so too," Moonbin chuckles. "Actually I was going to ask you the same thing," he says next, "how have you been?"

"Ah yes, I've been fine," Eunbi smiles. "It's nice seeing you again after five years," Eunbi adds, surprising herself. Silently she chides herself for speaking without thought.

"Yes, it's nice," Moonbin smiles in return.

It's nice, Eunbi thinks, as she realises how she used to have a small crush on Moonbin when they were nine, before they became best friends. But why is her heart feeling this way, after meeting him again?