"Are there any of you who is performing other than with the dance team?"

A few hands raised, Jeongguk being one of them.

"I have solo rap," Hansol said. Donghyuk is the vocalist in his band, Jihoon performs with the school choir, and Jeongguk is chosen as one of the vocal soloists in the Arts Showcase.

"Hmm... Gomsseul is going to do a duet with Wendy too. Wait, I'm performing with Namjoon and Yoongi-hyung. Who will be in charge of the dance team on D-day?"

Hoseok ponders for awhile before snapping his fingers. "Momo, you'll be taking care of things, is it okay?" Momo gives him an 'OK' sign from somewhere in front of the mirrors while helping the others perfecting the details of their movements.

Hoseok claps his hands in satisfaction. "Well, that settles it!"

Jeongguk feels a nudge on his forearm. Yerim. "You're a soloist?" A nod from him answers it. "Wow, you should really sing for me sometime!" Yerim said, eyes twinkling. Jeongguk laughs. "Maybe I'll even play the guitar for you, too."

Yerim's admiration is instantly elevated. "You play guitar too?! I never know you could handle a musical instrument."

Jeongguk grimaces before answering, "Yeah, Justin Bieber made me learn." When all he got was a questioning raise of her eyebrows, he sighs. "I thought he was cool, you know, he plays guitar, sings, plays the drums. So I learned how to play guitar."

Jeongguk is waiting for the burst of laughter he is sure to hear, but instead met with a silence. When he looks at Yerim, her eyes are judgemental and full of mirth.

"What?!"

"Nothing, nothing. I just find it extremely hilarious that Jeon Jeongguk's motivation to play guitar is because he wants to be Justin Bieber." Yerim snickers and starts to stand up, ready to continue the practice.

Jeongguk catches her wrist and pleads. "Don't tell this to anybody! Please? I'll buy you anything, I'll buy you any ring?"

Yerim stopped dead in her tracks.

"Did you just... quote Justin Bieber's 'Baby' to me?"

.

"What do you mean you're 'just friends'? Then what did I see yesterday on Snapchat?!" Wendy's eyes turn as big as saucers. "What happened on Snapchat?!"

"Nothing! Nothing happened on Snapchat! We were just hanging out on a Saturday, what's wrong about that?" Yerim interjected before Namjoon can show Wendy her and Jeongguk's Snapchat story. But he shows her Yerim's and Jeongguk's Snapchat stories nonetheless.

 

"You guys went on a date? Why don't you tell us?!"

"See! That's what I— wait, no, Wendy, that's not the point, though it's sort of important too that you never bothered mentioning it to us. The point is, why are you satisfied with the status 'just friends' if you're already out on a date like that with him?"

"It's not a date! Why can't two people with gender differences go out without having any assumptions made about their relationships? Plus we've done this since months ago. Why do you just noticed?"

The next thing that happens is practically chaos because Wendy and Namjoon are talking at the same time and they're both attacking her.

"Months ago?! You are practically dating him, how does this fact slip your mind? I've said it before, are you satisfied with being only friends with the one boy you've been pining for the past semester?"

"We're making assumptions because you raise them! If you didn't publicize going out with him we wouldn't even know you're out with him often."

Yerim shushes them both, completely frazzled and irritated by the noise around her. "Guys, I'm not dating him, okay? Nor do I have any relationships with him other than friendship. Jeez, is it that hard to understand?" It seems like Wendy is not ready to let this topic go because she gives a short cutting retort to Yerim's answer. "Okay, but do you want to?"

Yerim's spoon stopped mid-air, caught off-guard by the question. It's a question she asks herself a lot yet she doesn't know what to answer; follow what her heart wants or what her brain knows.

Maybe Wendy can sense her doubt or she is feeling a bit guilty for asking Yerim spot-on because she says, "it's

Mind telling what funny business is going on between you and my sister?"

Jeongguk almost spits his water back out, because should Taehyung, older brother of his crush, of all people, be the one who asks this kind of question? Sensing that he is about to experience severe difficulty of breathing from the lack of air going into his lungs, Taehyung pats Jeongguk on the back gently until he swallows his water down. Which then Jeongguk promptly answers his question with, "what funny business?"

"Funny Instagram business, perhaps it rings a bell?"

Oh.

That.

A few days ago, after practice, the dance team decided to get some refreshing time. Chan suggested the play dare or dare. In the process, Jeongguk was on the end of the bottle. He got a dare to post a selfie of Yerim and himself on Instagram and caption it with something that implicitly shows they're officially dating (when in fact, they're actually not. not yet, Jeongguk thinks). He should keep the post up for three days and then he could delete it.

The subjects in question aren't troubled by the dare, so Jeongguk is obligated to do it. Not that he's complaining, of course, because at least he can pretend to be dating her even if he may not be able to do it in real life.



"It was a dare, hyung, I swear. I would never do anything without your permission. You know that, right?"

Taehyung answers without looking up from the partiture he is studying. "Who says I'll be giving you any permission at all?"

Jeongguk resists the urge to glare at Taehyung. If Yerim's heart is a door, no matter how opened it is for him, Taehyung is the armed guard standing in front of it. It also doesn't matter that Taehyung is practically his favorite hyung in Student Council and he knows for a fact that he is Taehyung's favorite dongsaeng. All's fair in love and war.

Right now, they are practicing for the Arts Showcase which is only a week away. Jeongguk's performance as a soloist will be featuring Taehyung's saxophone in his first song, whereas in his second song he sings and plays the guitar.

"Hey, hyung."

"Hmm?"

"Does Yerim... ever talks about me?"

This time, Taehyung does look up. His brows furrowed in wonder, thinking about the answer to Jeongguk's timidly asked question.

"Japchae after practice and I'm an opened book."

Jeongguk groaned. Seriously, why do his hyungs like making him buy them food in exchange for favors? He's just a high school student that can barely feed himself! Hearing him groan, Taehyung shrugs in indifference. "No pain, no gain."

"Fine! Fine, japchae after practice. Happy?" Taehyung grins in his boxy way. "Food always equals to happy Taetae! Now, what do you want to know? Oh, does she ever talk about you! Why, you like her?"

"I won't be asking if not. So, does she?"

Taehyung suddenly turns serious. "Wait, you actually like her? Like, in a I-want-to-be-his-boyfriend-

and-cuddle-her-into-oblivion kind of way?"

Blushing furiously, Jeongguk faces away from Taehyung. "Uh— well, if you give me the permission to, then, um, yes?"

A look of surprise cross on Taehyung's face and the next thing Jeongguk knows, Taehyung starts shrieking.

"Oh my god, why don't you tell me earlier?! She likes you a freaking lot to the point it's starting to consume her! Do you know that her biggest motivation to study and practice nowadays is you? Not that it's a bad thing because her grades are immensely improving, but it's like she's obsessed with it."

Jeongguk is thoroughly dumbfounded.

Yerim likes him too? How does he never notice it?

"She— she likes me?" Jeongguk stutters after a minute of shocked silence between them.

It's Taehyung's turn to groan in frustration.

"You dimwit, you're basically the center of her universe right now! What are you gonna do about it, now that you know?"

In his state of shock, Jeongguk can only offer a meek shook of his head. Taehyung heaves an annoyed sigh.

"Okay big boy, let's go plan something up."