HOOBAE.

"Aish! Not again?!" Sandara groans when another bunch of gifts and letters pour down on her when she opens her locker. Then she heard a soft giggles beside her.

"Get used to it. I was like you before. It is really a hassle. Good thing Top banned his fangirls to give anything," Bom said beside her.

She lets out a deep sigh as she fixed her locker then she gathers Jiyong’s 'souvenirs' with Bom’s help.

"However, it’s really suspicious right? How come they got to put these stuffs on your locker if it’s lock?" the latter asked as they walked to their classroom.

She stills. Right. She just realized now.

"Aigoo! You shouldn’t put anything important on your locker, Dara. It might get stolen. It looks like someone is opening your locker without you knowing," Bom added.

"Do you think someone's picking at my locker?" she asked worriedly.

"Maybe?" she answered unsurely.

"Oh my God! I need to know who that person is. He/she has guts!" she said.

"What are your plans?" Bom excitedly asked. Oh-oh! She knew that look. "Are you going to corner the culprit? Kyaa! We're going to play spy!"

"What 'we'? You’re not going with me."

Bom pouted.

"Let me come with you, pretty please?" she pleaded.

"Fine! This is only between us. Just make sure no one should know this, arasso?" she firmly said

Bom smiled and zipped .

"My lips are sealed. Promise!"

***

Sandara was walking silently towards the library before lunch. She needs to research something for their upcoming preliminary exams. It will be next week so she needs to review.

Suddenly she bumps with someone upon entering the door.

"OMO!!! Are you okay?" she asked and helps the person she bumps with who landed on the floor feebly. How clumsy?

"Er...yeah," the girl nodded as she adjusted her glasses to steady herself.

Sandara looked at her. The girl is somehow familiar to her. She had seen her somewhere...

"I-I’m...oh! Sunbaenim!" she bows at her respectfully when she recognized her. "I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bump to you," she continued apologizing while bowing at her.

She chuckles and stops her from bowing.

"Stop! It’s okay. You didn’t mean it, right?" she smiled at her.

"B-But..." the latter protested and stiffens. "J-Jiyong sunbaenim might get angry if he learned this happened.” Petrify is evident in her voice.

Sandara furrowed her brows together.

"Jiyong is not that shallow. Besides he will never know because I won’t say anything. I’m not a tattletale. This is just a small thing."

"R-Really?"

"Ah-huh! Promise!"

"Whaa! Thank you, sunbaenim!"

Sandara smiled at her.

"Don’t call me 'sunbae'. That’s too formal. Just call me unnie," she said.

"Ha? But...I’m just a hoobae," she pointed out.

Sandara waves her hand in dismissing manner. "I don’t care. Call me less formal, okay? I feel old if you will address me like that."

"O-Okay, u-unnie..." she shyly conformed.

Sandara smiled. "Great! I'm sure you know my name, right?" the girl nodded. "But you I don’t know your name. What's your name?"

"A-Ah...M-my name," she stammered. Sandara just gives her a reassuring smile and urges her to go on.

The young girl nodded and takes a deep breath. Finally!

"My name is Gong Minzy, Sandara unnie," she finally introduced herself and smiled.

"Well, nice to meet you, Minzy-ah! 'My new friend'."

***

"Aren’t you going to eat, Ji?" Youngbae asked their leader who quietly observing around the canteen without even taking his food.

"Later," he shortly answered and continues what he was doing.

"Okay," Youngbae just shrugs.

They go on with eating their lunch and chatting but the latter remained quiet. They got used to their leader’s behavior in anyway. He is just not the talkative type of person.

"By the way, where is Sandara? She’s been missing since earlier. Bom-ah did you know where she is?" asked by Top who noticed the girl’s absence.

"She said that she’ll just dropped by the library. But I have a hunch that she was investigating without me! That sly girl! I thought we are partners in crime. So unfair," Bom turns out to monologue without even realizing that she was spilling her friend’s secret. And it’s already too late to take it back. When she looked up, everybody is looking at her, especially Jiyong. "Oops..." she sheepishly beams.

"What do you mean by that, Bom? What investigation are you talking about?" Top probes her.

"Uh..."

"Better spill it, Bom noona. You are already busted," Youngbae advised.

"Er—W-We have a feeling that someone is picking Dara’s locker. So w-we wanted to catch whoever that person is. Sandara had enough of dealing with those gifts and letters for Jiyong-ssi which being left on her locker," she finally admitted. "Please! Don’t tell Sandara that I told you. I’ll be dead if she knew. She will kill me,” she pleaded while clasping her hands as if praying and biting her lower lips in attempt to look pitiful.

The boys looked at Jiyong who had a dark expression on his face.

"What do you think hyung?" Seungri asked feeling worried for her noona.

"No one speak about this, understand?" he finally said. "I'll deal with this my own."

"How about Dara noona?" Daesung marveled.

"Keep her at bay until I figure it out myself. Don’t let her do anything stupid," he said bluntly.

"Neh!" they answered at the exact time Sandara came with someone new.

"Hey guys! Good thing, I catch you up!" her voice is full of enthusiasm and excitement as she greeted them.

"Hello noona! Thank God, you had arrived! Jiyong cannot eat without you." Jiyong glares at Seungri who had a stupid grin on his face.

"Shut up, Lee!" he warns him.

"You have someone with you. Who is she?" Daesung noticed the shy girl behind her.

Dara smiled widely and glanced behind her.

"Everyone! Meet my new found friend, Gong Minzy," she introduced the girl to them.

"Anneyeong!" they greeted back.

"H-Hi?" she shyly bowed.

"Aigoo! She's so shy. Come on! Seat beside me, neh? I’m Bom, by the way," Bom pulled Minzy beside her.

Sandara let Bom entertained Minzy. She trusts the latter will be okay on her hands.

She turns to Jiyong and as usual, he’s always poker face. What seems to be his problem? She glanced at his untouched food and sighs.

"Oy, why aren’t you eating?" she seat beside him.

He just glowered at her. And just like that, he walks out. She called his name a few times but he didn't glance back and continued to walk away. Dara could only shakes her head, following his retreating back by gaze.

***

Bom and Sandara were busy chatting in the corridor when they passed by class 3C. She noticed the sudden silence of Bom and held her arm. She turned to her in wonder.

"Bom? What’s the problem?" she frowns at her friend when she saw her turning pale. "Hey! What’s happening to you?! Are you sick? You’re pale!"

"D-Dara...just let's get out of her, please?" Bom said keenly instead as her grip on her arm tightens.

Although confuse, Sandara abides on her will. Her tight grip on tells her that she seems afraid of something. But what is it?

"Look who's here?"

They suddenly put into abrupt when a group of boys block their way. She is unfamiliar to them but base on their look, they are without a doubt gangsters too. Then she heard Bom gasps for air and trembles beside her.

"What a coincidence? How are you Park Bom-ssi?" one of them steps forward with a menacing smirk.

Sandara furrows her brows together and snapped at Bom. But the latter looks frightened and it seemed that blood has drained upon her face.

"You know them?" she asked her.

"A-Ah... let's go, Bom," instead she begs fretfully. "L-Let’s just leave."

"Aw...you are leaving already? You and Jaejoong haven’t seen each other yet. Don't you want to see him, Bom-ssi?" he said clearly enjoying her friend's distress.

Her friend stiffens beside her as she felt her grip got tighter. Dara almost cannot feel her own blood circulation due to her snug grasp.

"S-Sandara...please," Bom pleaded close to tears.

"So soon, Bom-ah?" another voice interrupted them coming from behind the boys.

"Jae, my man!" the guy who talked to them greeted the new comer.

"Junsu," the guy named Jaejoong gave the latter a high five and faces them with a wicked smirk. "Long time no see, Bommie!"

Bom gasped and let go of her arm.

"J-Jaejoong..."

+

That's it for now. See you next update! I'm going to (re)post another story of mine. Wait for it. It's fantasy myth genre. And of course daragon and the rest of the gang.

- CAMILLE.