The school cafeteria teemed with non-stop chattering and loud laughing students that were freed from their exams. Compared with the nervous chatter in the school grounds and the silence that filled the classrooms this morning, everyone was more relaxed now that they had nothing to think of, all except one.

Wonwoo watched Mingyu from the corner of his eye. The tall guy has been silently typing on his phone since he saw him from the hallway and has not uttered any word at all. Usually, he would be one of the loudest, most likely asking the others about their answers or recounting the times he almost forgot about that one question he studied about. He doesn’t look like it, but be it at school or playing outside, consider him to be one of the voices you will hear loudly. But today wasn’t one of those days. He’s been acting different lately. All he did was smile at his phone, sometimes asking Wonwoo random stuff like where would be the best dating place to go to or what was his type of girls.

Wonwoo threw Minghao a confused look. Being in the same class with him, he’ll know for sure. Minghao met his eyes and took a quick glance at Mingyu before smirking and mouthing your name. Seeing the confused look on Wonwoo’s face, Minghao shrugged before setting his spoon down.

“Kim Mingyu,” Minghao said.

“Hm?”

“Your hands glued on your phone or something? It’s Y/N isn’t it?”

Mingyu threw Minghao a panicked glare before noticing everyone else looking at him. He cleared his throat and shook his head.

“Then who are you texting?” Junhui asked.

His lips tugged upward, his eyes practically smiling before setting his phone down. “It’s a secret.”

“It should be Y/N,” Seungkwan said. “She’s the only one who can make him smile stupidly like that. He doesn’t even let us see her messages like some protective boyfriend or whatever.”

“Like a what?”

“I’m not!” Mingyu denied though his ears gone-pink and the small smile on his lips said otherwise. “We’re just talking.”

“Really? About what?”

“I can’t tell.”

Seungkwan inched closer and tried grabbing Mingyu’s phone only for Mingyu to beat him to it. “See?”

“What are you doing??” Mingyu demanded.

“Ohhhh. So defensive. Hey Wonwoo. What do you think about being Mingyu’s bestfriend-in-law?”

“I told you that’s not it.”

Sounds of teasing filled the table making Wonwoo shift uncomfortably in his seat. Now that you’re involved, Mingyu actions aren’t just weird. It’s a level 10, code red type of weird. Just what were you two talking about that he had to keep it a secret from everyone?

“You do realize you have a weird expression on your face right now, right?” You looked up from your phone just as Wooshin sat next to Soeun with his tray.

“And she’s been typing quite furiously for the past minute,” Soeun added. “Who’re you texting exactly?”

“It’s a secret,” you said typing in a quick reply.

“Is it your boyfriend?”

You looked back up at them again and studied their faces. Sometimes, you can’t help but think just how many parents you have. You shook your head and placed your phone down. “Nope.”

“You hesitated.”

“I thought of lying but I know I can trust you guys.”

“Trust us with what?”

“Wonwoo likes someone.” You chewed on your food some more before looking up. Wooshin and Soeun shared a look of befuddlement, the exact reaction you thought they would have. “I know. Weird huh? The thing is, I don’t know who she is.”

“Okay…so what’s that got to do with you being on your phone all day?”

“Mingyu’s helping me investigate. It’s not going so well though. We can’t find any tactics that won’t make Wonwoo suspicious at all. And since he hasn’t told Mingyu anything about it, we can’t even ask him casually about it. I can’t even ask Jeonghan or Joshua. I’m sure they know but they probably won’t tell.”

“You’ve thought really hard about this haven’t you? Spying on him.”

“Oh come on. I’m investigating. I need someone to be my second eyes and ears. I’m not exactly in the same school as them anymore right? Mingyu might find who that person is.”

“Why don’t you just ask him then?”

“I told you. He won’t tell. That’s why I’m getting worried. Have you seen him lately? He’s like a zombie. He’s spacing out a lot, I sometimes catch him making really pained expressions, he sighs a whole lot more…it’s just…it’s like he’s sick. Really sick.”

Soeun shared a look with Wooshin. “I don’t know. Is it alright to do all this? I mean, I’m sure he can take care of himself…right?”

“I don’t expect you guys to understand but trust me. Doing this is necessary.” You sighed seeing the look of disbelief in their faces. “I have to go. Club stuff.” You grabbed your backpack and picked up your tray leaving them behind. If they have been Wonwoo’s best friend for years, they’d understand.

You walked down the hall and headed to the other end of the campus. The computer lab, the one nearest the stairs, also served as the club room. It wasn’t exactly the most popular club there was at school explaining why they didn’t have a separate room but it was alright. Most outsider students don’t go there during club time anyway.

Soeun was part of the club as film editor. She had to withdraw because of her already packed schedule and she hoped for you to take her place at least temporarily. “Access and control to practically everything” were the words that helped seal the deal. All these years, you were content with minding your own business. But after seeing it from her view, it wasn’t so bad after all. Directing and editing turned out to be a lot of fun.

“Y/N! Just in time!” The club’s facilitator greeted you as you went in. “The video was great! There were a few rough patches but not bad for a beginner.“

"Thank you. Soeun taught me well.”

“Yes. That was why I was thinking…why don’t you join us officially? There’s still a few months before this school year ends. We can train you and catch you up on everything. And after that, we can even help you pick out a good college for film,” she said excitedly. “Of course, that’s if you have nothing else in mind yet. But you have potential and I’d be more than happy to take you under my wing. What do you say?”

You continued to stare at her, realizing you had your mouth slightly opened as you let her words sink. “Are you serious? I mean, do you really think I’m qualified to do this?”

Her smile softened as she nodded and answered with so much pride in her voice. "I really do. In fact, we have another project and this will help you get comfortable with the team. Are you in?”

You bounced on the balls of your feet, almost skipping as you walked down the road. You’ll have to wait until later to tell your mom about the news but Wonwoo should be home by now.

“Wonwoo!” you called out at the door. Loud sound effects and protesting were heard from inside, some familiar voices standing out from the noise. The door opened with Chan on the other side. “Hey kiddo! What’s this?”

“End of exams celebration!” he yelled against the noise. “Come on in!”

The house was a mess whenever the whole group present. And with the guys constantly shouting, you wondered if any of the neighbors would call the police any time soon.

Seungcheol, Joshua, Jihoon, Mingyu and Chan were playing video games competitively while Seungkwan, Junhui, Jeonghan, Wonwoo, Minghao, and Hansol were busy eating and laughing. Like always, Soonyoung and Seokmin took care of the entertainment and this was how the group usually worked.

“Y/n!” Mingyu exclaimed when he saw you, passing the controller to Chan as he got up from his seat.

“Hey Mingyu. That test must’ve been hard if everyone is here.”

“Actually, it was Seungcheol that thought of it. He said he was too stressed with university and needed to relax so he called for everyone to have fun.”

“Really? We should’ve went out then.”

“He’s saving,” he laughed. “Oh right. Hey. I have something to ask you,” he said, leading you far from the noise.

“Yeah?”

“I was wondering. Do you want to go to the aquarium with me? Some of my friends went there recently and it sounded really fun. So…you know…I wanted to check it and I thought of inviting you. Kind of like a friendly date.”

“A date… a date…” you repeated, your eyes wandering around the room until you felt something click. “That’s it! Mingyu you’re a genius! Wait here.”

Mingyu watched as you walked away towards the other end of the room. “So…was that a yes or a no?”

“Hey tall guy.” You smiled at Wonwoo who was now busy eating in the kitchen. “Wanna go on a date?”

“Sure,” Wonwoo nodded mindlessly before throwing you another look. His eyes were wide and busy. His mouth was slightly agape much to your disgust. “Wait. What?”

“A date,” you enunciated, a smile growing on your face. “Let’s go on a date. But please finish chewing your food first. Gosh Wonwoo how old are you?”

“Us?”

“Yeah. It’d be fun!”

“You’re…you wanna go on a date? With me?”

“Yeah, you. Well technically I’m going with Mingyu since he asked me and you’re going with that girl you like and–”

“Wait. You’re going with Mingyu?”

“Yeah. He just asked me a while ago. And since I’m such a kind, nice, and helpful best friend, I decided to tag you and your date along with us. Am I the best or what?” you bumped shoulders with him before seeing the frown on his face. “Look I’m doing you a favor. If you’re not sure about that person you like, we can help you during the date. Besides, I told you I want to meet her.”

“You’re trying to set me up with her??”

“Yeah. It’s called helping. You’re welcome.”

Wonwoo shook his head and walked towards the sink to grab a glass of water while you followed him.

“What?”

“No. You don’t need to do that.”

“Why?”

“Look. I can take care of myself. Okay?”

You knitted your eyebrows and frowned. “Fine then. Mingyu and I’ll just play by ourselves and have fun.” You turned to walk away when Wonwoo called you, his face scrunched up and his hand frozen, halfway on reaching out to you. “You know, you look really weird right now.”

“But–”

“Oh come on. Just say yes already. It’ll be fun.”

“Alright. Let’s say I do invite her. What if she says no? Or if she’s busy that day? What if she doesn’t want to go with me? Can you do something about that?”

“Oh please. How can she say no if you haven’t even asked her yet? Just work on asking her first. You’ll be fine. Just use your Wonwoo magic charm or whatever. I’ll tell Mingyu it’s a go okay? We’ll tell you the details later.”

Wonwoo watched in despair as you left and went back to the living room acting normal and light-hearted. He groaned, messing up his hair and buried his head between his hands. What was he supposed to do now?

“Hey sunshine. What’s wrong?”

Wonwoo shot a scowl at the newcomer the moment he recognized the owner of the voice before burying his head back in his hands. Jeonghan stood at the other side of the counter with Joshua, mirroring worry-free smiles on their faces.

“Wow,” Jeonghan said. “You looked really scary and by scary I meant weird scary don’t ever do that face again.”

“It’s because of you two!”

“What did we do?”

“This is such a mess,” he groaned.

“What is?”

“She heard us talking the other day and demanded to know who I liked.”

“And you told her? She seems excited though.” Joshua glanced back at you who was now laughing at whatever Hansol was saying.

“No. I…I told her I liked someone but I didn’t tell her who it was. And now she’s trying to set me up with her and I’m supposed to bring her in a double date with her and Gyu. How messed up is that?”

“Her?”

“Her who?”

“Which her?”

“Wait. Back up.”

“Her! Y/–” Wonwoo caught himself as he scanned the room for any eavesdroppers. “Me and the person I like and Y/n and Gyu. For a double date,” he hissed.

“That’s…that’s a problem.”

“Thanks Captain Obvious.”

Joshua set his glass on the counter, tracing its rim thoughtfully. “Why is she so excited to meet her anyway?”

“If only I knew,” Wonwoo answered. “I’ve got enough things to think of.”

“Any plans?”

Wonwoo shook his head. He couldn’t ask anyone to pretend for him. You knew all his friends. He could try to cancel last minute but that would be too obvious. And as far as he knows, no amount of talking you out of it would put a crack on your obnoxiously thick wall of stubbornness.

Wonwoo looked back at you who has now taken over one of the game controllers, envious of how carefree you’re being. If there’s any other excuses he could think of, all it could do is to delay the inevitable. He had to decide and he had to decide fast. He couldn’t lie forever. He read too many books and watched too many shows to know where that will lead. But what was he to do?

Wonwoo stood alone at the bottom of the stairs right in front of the park, busily tapping his foot on the ground. Mingyu talked Wonwoo into going with you separately from Wonwoo and his date. Though Wonwoo tried to reason that it wasn’t needed, in the end, he somehow agreed.

He held his phone in his hand, his eyes scouring the area for a specific bus every now and then. He had a plan…half of a plan. He just had to find the right timing and he had to act perfectly. As for the rest of it, well, he’ll think about it once the first part succeeds.

Finally, a bus slowed down in front of the stop just a few feet away.

Show time, Wonwoo thought as he brought his phone to his ear. “Oh hey! Where are you? Are you on your way now?” he asked loudly as he watched you get off the bus with Mingyu right behind you. You were smiling, grinning, same as Mingyu.

Wonwoo furrowed his brows. Acting disappointed wouldn’t be hard. “You can’t come?” He met your eyes just as you got nearer. Wonwoo turned away and rubbed the back of his neck. “No it’s alright. I understand. Take care.”

“So…”

“Where is she?”

Wonwoo breathed deeply. Here he goes. “She can’t make it,” he said, trying to sound natural as he turned to face you. The moment he met your eyes, a cold sweat ran through his body as your smile dissolved into a frown, your eyes narrowing at him, “She just called and said there was an emergency at home.”

“An emergency? How convenient,” you said folding your arms.

“Y/n, it’s an emergency. It’s not like she can schedule it or anything.”

You frowned, muttering words under your breath. “So defensive. How annoying.”

“So…should we just cancel for today? I mean, isn’t the point of all this is to meet her?”

The frown on your face deepened. “Well, everything was last minute. We could just meet her next time. What do you think?” you turned towards Mingyu.

“I’m staying of course. It’ll be a waste to just go home.”

You nodded and turned to Wonwoo, raising an eyebrow for more effect. “Are you coming or not? We’re about to miss the stingrays you know.”

Wonwoo stared at you in disbelief. Stubborn. Pushy. Always suspicious of others. If he would dare to think slightly delusive, you might even be acting jealous. But of course, that was just his wishful thinking. His shoulders slumped as he sighed in defeat and shook his head. “Fine. Let’s go.”

Pet shops and books about aquatic animals don’t do justice to all the sea creatures that lived in the aquarium. Creatures bright and dark, striped or spotted, pretty or not so pretty floated about in the water. There were fish that had eyes bulging out from their sockets, there were fish that looked like sticks floating side up, and there were special sea creatures that made you look more than twice for you to spot them.

Wonwoo walked in awe, staring up, left, and right, watching all the fish mind their own business, not caring about the hundreds of faces and hands pressed on the glass. Past the large tanks with really big fish and shipwreck props was the tunnel leading to the dark rooms.

Jellyfish of all sorts and sizes floated by in their tanks with different-coloured lights illuminating them. Cute and round small ones, almost like bouncy mushrooms, were on one side while the more common ones with long stingers and thinner skins are on the other side.

Wonwoo’s mouth hung open as he watched them swim lazily when his phone rang.

“Where the hell are you?” Jeonghan’s voice asked impatiently as soon as he answered. "I have a solution for your problem!”

“What? Please tell me you’re not coming here dressed up as a–”

“Why would I do that?? Now where are you?”

“Uh, the aquarium? I’m sure I told you this m–”

“No. Where specifically?”

“Jellyfish area.”

“Stay there!” and the line died.

Wonwoo creased his eyebrows. Just what was Jeonghan planning? He looked around again and saw you, your hands pressed on the glass as you watched the jellyfish dance. He smiled, seeing the look of pure fascination and awe in your face. You were too engrossed with everything, you probably already forgot why you were all here in the first place. He shook his head lightly when he heard someone behind him.

“Jeon Wonwoo?”

He turned and before him was a girl he’s never seen before. Even with the poor lighting, he saw that she was nicely-dressed, looked mature and was definitely beautiful looking.

"Yes?”

“I finally found you,” she smiled and held out her hand. “Hi. I’m Jeonghan’s friend, your date for today.”