It was another usual practice for the boys, and of course, Minsun was there too. However, she wasn’t alone today. It was the day for the Mathematic Club meeting again, and Gohee with her classmate, Junsu, and two more female juniors all gathered at the gym for their meeting. In the beginning, the coach of the basketball team thought it was weird to see people study there, but he was fine with it when Taecyeon said they were his friends; well, as long as they don’t interrupt the practice, unlike those rabid fangirls.

“Here you go,” Munhwa handed Wooyoung a water bottle when he sat by her side at break time. Wooyoung didn’t even thank her but downed the water in big gulps right away. Jaebum and Taecyeon too sat nearby and quickly qunched their thirst after sweating so muchs.

“Gohee doesn’t bring you anything today?” Taecyeon asked Jaebum as he stole a quick glance at Gohee, and Minsun. He smirked at Jaebum, teasing him.

“Why should she? It’s not like she’s my wife,” Jaebum brushed it off casually.

“Well, from the way I look at it, she’s going to be one anyway, sooner or later,”

Even after all those years Jaebum still got embarrassed from being teased with Gohee and thus pulled Taecyeon into a headlock as a punishment. But he had been together with Gohee since middle school; even a jealous fangirl couldn’t deny that they were just perfect together.

“What about you? I thought you were asking Minsun out for real? Huh?” Jaebum still wasn’t letting Taecyeon go. The team captain with the bigger build struggled like a fish being pulled out of water from Jaebum’s strong strangling, contrasting from his small body.

“Wh-What are you talking about?! It was just an acting, okay? Acting! How many times do I have to tell you that?!” Taecyeon finally broke free of Jaebum’s deadly headlock. 

“As if I never caught you stealing looks at her in every game she attended,” Jaebum muttered under his breath. Taecyeon heard it, but pretended like he didn’t despite the obvious sign of his ears slowly turning into a redder shade.

Wooyoung and Munhwa who couldn’t hear Jaebum just now was wondering why did Taecyeon turned quiet all of a sudden.

“What was it again?” Munhwa asked.

“Uh, nothing important,” Taecyeon quickly answered. Wooyoung and Munhwa could clearly smelled something fishy and then looked at Jaebum, hoping for details. The latter just shrugged with a small smile playing on his lips.

“Does Taecyeon sunbae likes someone?” Munhwa asked again.

“Impossible!” Wooyoung in. “It’s like he has allergy towards girls. He’s always running away from his fans and then told me how scared he was. He only looks tough outside but-”

Taecyeon quickly cupped Wooyoung’s mouth with his hand, “Say that again or I’ll make you run 50 laps at the track field!”

Munhwa laughed lightly. “Yah, Jang Wooyoung. It’s not like you’re any better. You treat girls like boys,”

“Yah, I only do that to you, because I think you’re actually a boy in disguise!”

Munhwa gasped.

“And you actually like me too, don’t you?” Wooyoung smirked before he was being smacked by Taecyeon on the head.

“Stop being mean to Munhwa, will you?”

“I was just saying the truth! Yah, Yun Munhwa, don’t come to school wearing skirt starting from tomorrow!” Wooyoung finished his sentence and then quickly ran away.

“Jang Wooyoung!” Munhwa yelled, looking frustrated. She looked as if she almost burst into tears. Her day couldn’t go on without Wooyoung being mean at her for at least once. She used to wonder if he was always mean like that because he didn’t really hang out with girls, but then, Wooyoung was kinder to Minsun.

Wooyoung giggled to himself as he joined within Minsun’s club meeting. Minsun looked at him, and then at the sulking Munhwa, and then at Wooyoung again sending him a ‘Again?’ look.

“What are you doing here? We’re having a meeting,” Minsun said. Wooyong ignored her and then looked at Gohee, smiling like a happy little kid.

“Gohee nuna, can I join?” Wooyoung asked.

“Sure, why not?” Gohee smiled softly at the cute boy. He was like a mischievous, yet adorable dongseng to her already. She continued watching him as he turned to Minsun to give her a ‘I win!’ look. Apparently, Minsun wasn’t all that happy to have that troublemaker nearby when she’s having a serious discussion and revision with her friends.

“Wooyoung, why don’t you join our study circle as well? Taecyeon had been telling me that he’s worried about your grades,” Junsu, a school prefect who was also a classmate of Taecyeon said. Wooyoung made a face, the kind that looked like a whining baby.

“Ugh, no thanks. I can’t stay awake after the first 5 minutes doing those stuffs,” 

“You do know that the principal might forbid you from playing if you perform poorly in your studies, don’t you? You should be a little bit more responsible for your studies,” Gohee reminded him.

Wooyoung sighed as he massaged his nape. Studying was a sensitive issue to him. He wasn’t good at it to start with, and now that the basketball matches were around the corner, he neglected his studies even more for his practice. He couldn’t understand how did Taecyeon performed so well in both sports and academic. 

Never join the geeks’ club again next time, Wooyoung quietly noted himself, unless he wanted people reminding him about his studies. 

However, Wooyoung continued watching Minsun solving math problems in her books. Her fingers were writing down the answers so quickly, she didn’t even take a pause to think for every question, as if the whole textbook of mathematic formulas were embedded in her brain. Imagine how much studying she did to reach that level of expertise in Math. Wooyoung’s jaw literally dropped watching her.

“What?” Minsun asked upon noticing Wooyoung’s blank stare on her.

Wooyoung slightly shook his head, and looked more alive this time. 

“Don’t you get sick of studying?” He asked. Ever since Minsun stayed at the gym after school, Wooyoung never saw her doing other things apart from studying, and group studying whenever she had her club meeting.

“Why should I?” Minsun smiled smugly. Wooyoung’s expression fell flat at her answer, as if studying was the most enjoyable activity in the whole wide world.

“But I never see you do anything else. You’re always reading thick books and solving math questions. Don’t you have hobbies?”

“Studying is my hobby,” 

Wooyoung gave her a ridiculing stare. He reached up for his hair, messing it up in frustration. Minsun and the rest of the Mathematic Club members laughed at his exaggerated reaction.

“Of course I have a hobby. It’s just that you’ve never seen it,”

Wooyoung instantly lit up. Of course people couldn’t live with only studying. So it wasn’t wrong for him to hate studying so much.

“Really? What is it?”

“Dancing,”

“Really?” Junsu asked, surprised. He looked up from his book and fully paid his attention to Minsun.

Minsun nodded. “I’m pretty good at it,” she said confidently without a hint of boasting.

“Really? As in SNSD’s Hyoyeon, or Kara’s Nicole, or 4Minute’s Hyunah? Really?” Wooyoung’s small eyes rounded.

Minsun just smiled. “Well, similar. After all, I have been going to classes and practice sessions since I was four,”

“You couldn’t be good… You must be SICK at it! Show us some moves!” Wooyoung suggested.

“What… Now?”

“Why not?” Gohee showed some support.

“I’m not showing it here. But you can come to Miryung Cultural Centre on Friday night. I’ll be performing there.”

“Cool! I’ll go!” Wooyoung said excitedly.

“Bring along the others too,” Minsun said, lightly smiling.

“Alright! Set!”




8.00 p.m.

“Are you sure we are at the right place?” Chansung asked as he stared at the scene by his eyes as soon as they entered the main hall of the Miryung Cultural Centre as invited by Minsun couple of days ago.

“Of-Of course,” Wooyoung stuttered and took out his phone again, to check on the message sent by Minsun, stating the address of the event. Munhwa was there with them too, and she stretched her neck to see Wooyoung’s phone screen.

“Look, there’s Jaebum,” Taecyeon pointed to Jaebum who was sitting together with Gohee at one low table. They both were waving at the bunch, telling them to come over.

Awkwardly, they made their way through the cowd towards the table Jaebum and Gohee were sitting at, surrounded by elders.

Yes, elders.

In fact, the whole hall was filled by elders, with some adults serving them dinner and talking to them. The only youths there were them.

“What’s going on here? I thought this was supposed to be some gig or whatever?” Wooyoung said as he awkwardly sat by a really old-looking woman. The woman smiled at him, which he smiled back at out of courtesy.

“Who said it was a gig? I was here only because Gohee asked me to,” Jaebum said casually.

Gohee laughed at the confused boys and thus explained while she flipped the grilled meat meant for the elders. Unlike the boys, Munhwa seemed to adapt herself well at the surprise and looked excited to be there. She was already seen having a conversation with an old lady there. 

“Today is a special celebration for the elders for Parents’ Day. They were all from the Paradise Folks Home. Minsun will be performing for them today,”

“I see,” Taecyeon replied and nodded.

“Wow~ Minsun is so amazing. She is smart and kind too,” Munhwa said in admiration. 

“There goes my hope hooking up with some hot chick,” Chansung sighed.

“Well, you never know. They might be keeping some gorgeous granddaughter under their sleeves, so you better be nice to them,” Gohee said, smiling. Soon, a few people came from an alternate door from they entered before. They were probably from the kitchen since they brought along with them large trays of salad, meat, and side dishes. Those people came towards Gohee. She stood up, with Jaebum too. Gohee and Jaebum each took the large tray with them.

“Hey, Chan! Wooyoung! Taecyeon hyung! Glad you guys made it!” Junho said cheerfully. He was one of the people who came from the kitchen just now. Standing by his side, also carrying those food trays was another familiar person. He arrived earlier, together with Gohee since they were from the same neighborhood.

“Junhooo!” Chansung lit up instantly at the sight of his best friend. He quickly ran to Junho’s side and forced a hug on the smaller guy, even though the latter complained and tried to avoid him.

“Eh, Junsu? You’re here too?” Taecyeon asked in surprise.

Junsu nodded. “I have always been involved with these things together with Gohee and Minsun. So now, what you guys should be doing is to take this tray, one for each of you, and start serving the elders,”

“What? I’m not here for some voluntary works!” Wooyoung protested, which soon earned him a smack at the back of his head, from Taecyeon. The younger boy turned around to see Taecyeon while rubbing at the painful spot with his hands. Taecyeon already had a tray on his hand. Wooyong then looked at Chansung to ask for backup, but the boy who wasn’t agreeing for this event previously changed his mind as soon as he saw his best friend. 

“C’mon, guys. Let’s do it for Minsun. Good things come around. Have you ever heard of Karma? This is good for our matches in the future,” Taecyeon emphasized on his captain authority.

Wooyoung and Chansung each took a tray while speaking ill behind Taecyeon.

“Geez. Is he always superstitious like that?” Chansung whispered to Wooyoung.

“You have no idea. From blood type to zodiac, you name it,”

“I heard you guys. Get the work started, now!” Taecyeon said from a little distance away from them.

Woyoung sighed. There he was acting all bossy again just because he was the captain of the basketball team. Taecyeon was a nice guy in general, if you minus the captain part. Strangely, he followed whatever he was being asked for. Maybe Taecyeon was really made for a leader or maybe he was just scary. Wooyoung headed towards a table anyway to start serving the elders. Gohee was serving the elders at the table beside him.

“Where is Minsun?” Wooyoung asked.

“She’s preparing for her performance backstage. I think she’ll come out soon,”

“What kind of dancing is she going to perform in front of these elders?”

“Just wait and see. You’ll love it,”

It wasn’t long until the trot music that had been playing in the background died down for the MC to take the stage and made an announcement. It was time for performance, and the first performer was a lady in her 40’s playing the gayageum. The elders seemed to enjoy the performance a lot when Wooyoung felt like falling asleep anytime. The only thing that was keeping him awake was when his cheeks were pinched by the halmeoni and harabeoji at every table he passed or stopped by. Let’s say he wasn’t enjoying the pain, despite feeling a bit better being liked by the elders.

Taecyeon and Chansung also became the star of the night. All the halmeoni were praising how good looking and tall Taecyeon was. Taecyeon being the gentleman he was made the halmeoni thinking of making him as their grandson-in-law as they started interviewing on his type of girl and his exam result. Of course, the elders were satisfied to know that he was single and was one of the smartest students at school. 

On the other hand, Chansung stole the halmeoni’s heart with his Casanova charm, good looks and buff body. He swore that these ladies acted no different than those young fangirls, especially when they started feeling up his bicep with their fingers.

However, all attentions were directed at the stage as a group of 7 young ladies filled the stage in colorful hanbok. Right in the middle of those ladies, was none other than Minsun, probably the youngest out of the bunch. 

All eyes were concentrated on Minsun now. She was dressed in white and pink traditional clothes, similar to gwanbok which were worn by the kings and queens; and a simplified traditional hairdo, without glasses, and full make-up. In short, she looked gorgeous.

Gohee took a peek at the boys’ reaction, and she chuckled to see their jaws dropped open, especially Taecyeon and Wooyoung.

Once the shaman music started, the ladies on the stage started the Taepyeongmu dance by swaying their arms around gracefully, waving the exaggeratedly extended sleeves of their robes as they increased the number of their steps and walked around the stage. As the performance went on, the steppings increased in number and speed, which made them appeared light and agile. From time to time Minsun would make eye-contact with the audience, and flashed them her charming smile, a smile she rarely shown to others. Big chance that most of her schoolmates there saw that smile for the first time.

Taecyeon and Wooyoung seemed to be unable to take their eyes off Minsun until the very last moment of her performance. The audience gave them a loud applause, satisfied with their quality performance. Minsun gave them one last smile; nobody knew whether it was on purpose or not, directly at Wooyoung before she bowed in respect and left the stage with the other girls.

It wasn’t long until Minsun entered the hall again, this time in casual attire. She had a pair of knee-length skirts and a thin cardigan on her, her make-up now cleaned up and her straight hair fell free, a little way past her shoulders. Her eyes caught Gohee and the rest of the basketball team and walked towards them.

“Minsun, you were really awesome just now,” Munhwa said, again, amazed at her new friend.

“Thank you,” Minsun smiled at the sincere compliment.

“Liar!” Wooyoung popped in between the girls.

“What?”

“You lied to me! I thought you were talking about some poppin’ and booty shakin’!”

“But I never said that didn’t I?” Minsun smiled as she took a seat by a table and greeted the elders there.

“I never knew you were into taraditional dancing?” Jaebum asked casually. Jaebum had known Minsun ever since he was together with Gohee, just wasn’t as close because she tend to stay out of others’ conversation and being quiet.

“I’ve always love dancing. I just don’t like showing it off much,”

“Aigoo, if you have something really good, don’t keep it to yourself! Flaunt it! And the the boys will all come running!” One halmeoni whom Minsun was attending to slipped in her comment, which made the kids laughed. Minsun just smiled at her.

“Actually, Wooyoung have been keeping something to himself too,” Chansung added. Wooyoung mouthed something to his teammate, probably some threat or something from the look of his expression. He kept poking Chansung’s bicep.

“That’s right, Woo. Show it to us, the elders would love it I bet!” Junho added.

“Wait, are you guys referring to ‘that’ dance?” Taecyeon joined in the gang attack against Wooyoung, and then laughed to his heart’s content.

“What? What? What is it?” Munhwa got confused. She spent every single day with these boys, what other secret could they possibly kept from her?

“Show it Wooyoung!” Jaebum shouted.

“Do it! Do it!” Chansung chanted, and later followed by Junho and Taecyeon.

“Do it! Do it! Do it! DO IT! DO IT! DO IT!” More people followed and the chant got louder. Even the elders joined together requesting for Wooyoung’s ‘special’ dance. Wooyoung who seemed uncomfortable before started to smile shyly at the celebrity treatment. He got up in the middle of the crowd, massaging his nape. He spread his ten fingers and shook it a bit, up and down, telling the audience to calm down.

“Music please!” Wooyoung snapped his finger, and an upbeat trot was played immediately. Automatically, Wooyoung swayed his hip left and right, dancing with full effort. Not enough with that, he combined a little moonwalk with some booty shaking, playing cheap. The audience cracked up so much that the trot music was barely audible anymore.

Minsun wiped a tear from her eye and then looked up again, only to laugh again until a new tear formed. And then, her eyes caught someone familiar from one corner, holding a camera, and smiling and waving at her.

Minsun too smiled at him.

Taecyeon who was sitting closely by her side noticed her getting distracted and then looked at the direction she was looking at. Minsun stood up and walked to him. Taecyeon kept his eyes glued on her.

Khun and Minsun? They knew each other? The thought never crossed his mind. Khun was also a classmate of his, and was a better student than him. He was far better looking than him, smarter, and more popular. Plus, he was the president of the student’s body too. Compared to a basketball team captain, Taecyeon was nothing. They had always been rivals to each other though. To know that Minsun could smile and speak so casually to Khun sparked a little jealousy in Taecyeon, which he never thought could happen to himself.

Despite the loud laughing, cheap dancing by Wooyoung and all the noise in the background, Minsun managed to hold a conversation with Khun.

“Since when have you been here?”

“It’s been a while,” Nichkhun showed his camera at Minsun. “I took a lot of nice pictures,”

“Can I see?”

“Nope. I’ll show you if these photos get selected for the contest I’m entering,”

“You’re not taking funny pictures of me aren’t you?”

“Hm, let’s see. I think I caught a picture of you tripping over your skirt when you were stepping down the stage,”

“No!” Minsun tried to reach for the camera but pulled it away, stretching his hand upwards. Of course, being the tall guy he was, Minsun could never win over his little prank.

“Don’t worry, I’ll just keep the pictures to myself,”

Minsun laughed. “Why would you keep pictures like that?”

“Just because,”




As Wooyoung pranced around, making people laughed, he turned towards the teenagers bunch where Gohee, Jaebum and the rest were. Strangely, Minsun wasn’t in sight. He scanned around the area and found Minsun sitting at a table quite far from the rest of their bunch, with the president of the student’s body, Khun. They both seemed friendly with each other, and the elders seemed to like him much even though all he did was smiling and sweet-talking. Well, from his point of view, he seemed like he was sweet-talking his way through those halmeoni’s and harabeoji’s.

And here he was dancing so hard and Minsun wasn’t even looking. He was watching her the whole time when she was performing just now! He never thought that Minsun was just like the other girls. 

That was so disappointing.




11.50 p.m.

Finally, the event ended. The boys and girls stayed a while after the folks left to help a bit with the clean up and what not, and then gathered at the bus stop outside the building. Taecyeon, Chansung and Junsu left with Munhwa. Junho will be walking with Gohee and Jaebum. Khun wanted to send Minsun home, but she insisted that she took the bus because their route weren’t in the same direction, so Khun left with his luxurious car. So only Wooyoung was left there. And of course, they took the same bus.

The last bus came right on time when the clock twelve midnight. The two climbed up and paid for the fee. Minsun quickly sat on her favourite seat, the most front. Wooyoung was about to walk further, but stopped and then turned and went to the front again. He chose a seat right behind Minsun.

There weren’t much people on the bus. Just them, a woman in her thirties, and anothers guy at the back; so it was quiet when the bus started moving again.

“Uh…” Wooyoung leaned slightly forward so that he was closer to Minsun.

“Yes?” Minsun answered without turning back.

“So… You know Nichkhun?”

“Yes,”

“Since when?”

“Since long ago, since we were small,”

“Wow…” Who would have thought?

Silence.

“Do you like him?” Wooyoung asked again, and his question this time almost made Minsun laugh. She held it in with her smile though.

“As a friend, yes,”

“I mean, if you have a crush on him,”

“No. Besides, we aren’t as close as we used to,”

“Do you have a boyfriend then?”

“No. But I guess right now Taecyeon sunbae is my boyfriend,”

“So Nichkhun is not your boyfriend?”

Minsun finally laughed. “No. Why? Do you have a crush on him or what?”

“NO! I mean… I was just curious, I mean…”

“You never think a popular guy like him would never be involved with someone whom existence is ignored like me, is that right?”

“No, no, no! I mean… uh, yeah…”

Silence. Wooyoung thought Minsun was angry at him but in fact she was smiling the whole time. She thought Wooyoung was really funny. Nobody ever care about such thing for her.

“Are you mad at me?”

Minsun chuckled, “Not at all,”

“I see, so why do you not have a boyfriend?” Wooyoung continued his interview right away.

“I don’t know. I never thought about having one,”

“Are you lesbian?”

“No,”

“Do you probably been hurt because of love before?”

“I never have a romantic relationship with anyone before,”

“Then, do you probably have a crush on someone who’s taken?”

No answer.

“…No,”

“Ahah! You’re lying.”

“…I’m not.”

“There you go.” Wooyoung smiled proudly at his ability of digging up secrets. “You hesitated before you answer, and your voice didn’t sound convincing, which means you’re lying.”

Minsun sighed. Mr. Jang was starting to get annoying. Noisy Woo, Minsun secretly made up a nickname for him.

“So what if I do?”

“Tell me who it is?”

“I’m not telling,”

“Is he someone from our class? Or the basketball team? C’mon, tell me!”

“Why do you want to know about it so bad?”

“Because you’re always mysterious.”

“That’s not a reason,”

“Tell meeeeeee~”

Minsun sighed.

“Is it me?” Wooyoung grinned like an idiot.

Minsun shook her head in regret, for getting involved in one of his sneaky inteviews. But then, everything that Wooyoung did was sneaky and fishy.

Minsun reached for the buzzer and pressed it. The bus stopped soon after.

Minsun got up.

“Mind your own business,” she said to Wooyoung, giving him a strict glare before she took off. Wooyoung was still grinning as he watched her walked further away from the bus. Minsun paused and turned around, and saw Wooyoung still watching her with an annoying grin plasterd on his five-year-old-look face.

Wooyoung waved at Minsun, who later ignored him and continued her walk.

Even after the bus left, Wooyoung was still smiling to himself. He never knew teasing Minsun was almost as fun as teasing Munhwa.