It's the D-1. Finally, after preparing for several months, the time to show all the hard work came. The entire cast was gathering at the center of the stage and gave the final bow. Everyone in that theater gave them a standing ovation as if they were really performing. One by one they left the stage but not long after they were back again to the stage. Led by Jisoo as the director, the entire cast and staff gathered near the stage. She gave her final speech for today's rehearsal. Everyone was working hard, and she hope it could be paid off. Before she ended her speech, Haechan suddenly stood up and whispered something in her ear. He also handed her his phone and then went back to his seat.

“I just received such great news. Our ticket is sold out!!!” Jisoo couldn’t hold her smile as she announced it. The others were screaming in joy because of that news. It was such a nice thing to end today's rehearsal. After the announcement, Jisoo told them to go straight home to have enough rest. No matter how nervous they were they still needed to rest to give their best tomorrow.

Because they invited the treatment center patients as guests in this musical, they purposely held the rehearsal in the morning. It’s still 14.00 and they already finished. It was such a rare sight for other casts because usually they never saw the sun when they get back home after practice.

Following Jisoo’s advice, Lisa, Chaeyoung, and Jaehyun who used to hang out after practicing also get back home right away. They felt especially exhausted today, especially Lisa. Just like another director, she worked extra hard to ensure this musical went well. Gladly because of her hard work today's rehearsal went very smoothly just like she expected. Some small things need to be fixed but overall, she was satisfied with the result.

Even though Chaeyoung didn’t contribute as much as Lisa and Jisoo, she also works very hard for worrying about the casts’ performance. Not only monitoring their performance, but she also worked as their personal counselor. She was in charge of giving them encouragement and positive energy so the actors would be more relaxed and confident on the stage. According to Lisa, Jisoo, and Jennie, her role was the most important one. It’s useless if the actors were not in a good condition.

Feeling exhausted, Chaeyoung who used to save up her money by taking public transportation decided to take a cab home. As soon as she arrived home, she went straight to her room and took a nap.

The short nap was disturbed by a vibrating sound. With closed eyes, she was searching for the phone near her pillow. She grabbed it and put it in front of her closed eyes. Unwillingly she looked at it and saw that Americano was calling. Lazily, she slid the green phone icon and put the phone on her cheek.

“Are you sleeping?” was the first word Jaehyun said instead of a normal greeting.

“No,” she answered with a sleepy voice.

“Liar,” Jaehyun smiled when he heard her voice, and her answer wasn’t a match.

“What’s wrong?” Chaeyoung didn’t want to start a small bicker, so she quickly cut the intro.

“Nothing. Well… Ehmm… Have you eaten dinner yet?” Jaehyun suddenly asked a random yet normal question.

“What kind of question is that? Who in the world eats dinner at 5?” after the warm-up conversation, Chaeyoung was finally able to open her eyes and saw the clock on her desk.

“Ah, right. Then… Hmm… What are you doing right now?” Jaehyun sounds embarrassed and changed the question.

“Aren’t you know the answer? You guess it right away once I pick your call,” Chaeyoung chuckled but smiled. He seems so off, and it made her wonder what he tried to convey.

“That’s right. Well… ehmm…,” unlike his usual self, he seems to have trouble finding the topic

There was a short pause, but it was enough for Chaeyoung to figure out what was his purpose.

“It's okay. Tomorrow will be fine. You are doing great. Don’t be nervous,” she came to the conclusion that he might call her because he was nervous about tomorrow's stage.

Jaehyun smiled. She indeed knew him well. Earlier during the rehearsal, instead of being nervous, he was feeling so excited. But now, as he arrived home and take a rest, he suddenly felt so nervous. The reality came straight to him when he imagined he would perform in front of hundreds of people. Moreover, he was the lead actor which made all the eyes would put more attention on him.

“Are you free now?” she asked.

“Now? Yeah. Why?” he was a bit confused because she suddenly asked him to hang out.

“Let’s play! Meet me at Han River, the usual place, 30 minutes again. Dress warmly, it’s gonna be cold. I don’t want you to get sick. Then, see ya!” she abruptly ended the phone call without letting Jaehyun ask for further detail.

Right after she ended the phone call, she rushed to the bathroom, washed her face, put on light make-up, dressed warmly then lastly took her bag and guitar. She got out of her room and saw a toasted bread Jin was making was served on the dining table. She grabbed it after asking for Jin’s permission. Jin who was busy spreading the butter on the newly roasted bread looked at her with a frowning forehead. He asked her why she looked in rush. She smiled innocently and said she was going to Han River with Jaehyun. Jin was about to scold her because its almost dinner time, but when he saw the spark in her eyes and how excited she was, he didn’t do it. He then told her to eat slowly because he would give her a ride. She looked so happy and grateful for his offer.

There were still five minutes left before their appointment time and Jaehyun was the one who arrived first. Tonight, gonna be cold so he dressed so warmly. As a precaution, he also brought two hot packs in case the weather will drop. He didn’t want to take a risk to get sick since tomorrow was important. While he was waiting, he wondered, if Jisoo know he was hanging out on this cold evening would he get scolded? But, before he could guess what would Jisoo react, he saw a Chaeyoung was running towards him while carrying a guitar on her back.

“What’s with the guitar?” Jaehyun was looking suspiciously at her while naturally taking the guitar from her back.

Chaeyoung showed a mysterious smile and before Jaehyun wear the guitar case properly she already dragged him away. As soon as they arrived at the destined place, Chaeyoung told him to sit down. It still confusing but he did what she told him to do. After he sat down, she then walked a few steps away then stared at him from head to toe. After that, she came closer again and suddenly took off his beanie then fixed his hair. Done with hair, now her stare went to his face. Jaehyun felt a bit nervous being stared at with that intense and serious expression of her. She kind of looks scary. Lucky for him she didn’t stare for long. He finally breathe normally again when she took a seat next to him and was busy rummaging her bag. It’s his chance to figure out what was her plan. The place they sat down right now was not crowded but it was a place where people, mostly couples sat down and took a rest or enjoy the Han River night view.

“Jaehyuna,” called Chaeyoung and it made him turn his head.

A warmness suddenly felt on his lips, and it made him so surprised. After a few seconds, she took away the hot pack she put on his lips and handed him a lip balm. She told him to put it on because his lips would be dry due to the cold air. Once again, he did without asking the reason.

The preparation was completed. Chaeyoung opened the guitar case and started to tune it. While she was doing it, Jaehyun finally come to a realization. The reason she brought him here, must be because of his concern regarding tomorrow's stage.

“Don’t tell me… Are you asking me to…,”

“Yep. I will play the guitar and you will sing,” Chaeyoung cut him and innocently continued his sentence.

“Are you asking me to sing my line here? In musical tone? Right here, right now??” Jaehyun’s confidence suddenly dropped to minus especially when he was looking around. The not-so-crowded place he felt earlier now felt so crowded.

Chaeyoung was smirking and said he didn’t need to do it in a musical tone. Jaehyun was a bit relieved but still nervous. He was then asked whether she would accompany him. She quickly shook her head and said it was a part of training. He should be able to handle this much. Besides, he would perform alone on stage without her tomorrow. Just took it as a real practice.

“Fine, then I will sing while sitting next to you,” even till the end, he was asking for a special discount.

“I can’t hear your guitar well if I stood up. It’s your fault for not bringing a speaker,” he quickly found a reasonable reason before she rejected. Gladly, she agreed with that condition.

This kind of confidence-boost training was harder than he thought. Busking or street concerts were better than this. It was because people knew they were doing a performance. But this time, there was no speaker, no microphone, and no other equipment. It feels like they were really practicing singing. People won’t know whether they were doing a performance or just singing casually. That could also make people hesitate to watch them.

The guitar sound was heard and Jaehyun anxiously looked at Chaeyoung who purposely did not make any eye contact with him. Her attention only focused on the guitar, and it made Jaehyun feel more anxious and awkward. Could sense his nervousness, Chaeyoung decided to end her joke and finally looked at him and gave a warm and encouraging smile. She raised her eyebrows as a cue for him to start singing.

At first, no one was pay attention to them, but slowly, they started to gather around them and watch their performance. The collaboration of great voice added by soothing sound from a guitar, and overwhelming visuals of the singer and guitarist perfectly suit the ambiance. Each time they ended one song, one or two audiences would ask them a question or make a song request. Jaehyun who was so nervous at first slowly got comfortable and was even able to answer their question with some joke.

There were various questions, starting from their identity, whether they were a real musician, what their band called, their relationship, and even their personal life. Sometimes, when Jaehyun struggled to get away from the dangerous question, Chaeyoung would help him.

Without they realized, the night was falling. They already did the busking for an hour and a half. She thought it was more than enough for today. So, they wrapped their performance with Jaehyun’s musical song. At their goodbye speech, they were promoting their musical. Lots of people were asking about it because they were so interested but sadly the ticket already sold out. To not make them disappointed, Chaeyoung promoted the volunteer social media account to stay up to date. Who knows they might open another slot?

As soon as the busking end and the audiences dispersed themselves, Chaeyoung and Jaehyun also left that place quickly and head straight to the subway station. It was too cold and Chaeyoung had to go back home before Jin scolded her. Jin loved eating together. That was why he told her they will wait until she got home to eat dinner. Moreover, Jin was one of the executive producers on the musical, so he won’t let them play till late.

It’s not taking so long for them to arrive, thanks to the cold weather, they unconsciously walk at a faster speed. When they were walking down the stairs to the peron, they saw their train was coming. It made them quickly run so they would be able to catch the train. Luckily, they made it in time and got on the train. Jaehyun came in first and Chaeyoung was right behind him.

“BRUUG!!” a loud sound was heard, and it made Jaehyun, along with all the passengers on the compartment instinctively look towards the source of it. Jaehyun’s eyes got widened when he saw Chaeyoung was lying down on the floor. She was in a hurry when catching the train and once she got onto the train, she stepped on her loosened shoelaces and tripped. There were not so many people on the peron but Chaeyoung was so embarrassed. The loud bump sound successfully made her the center of attention. It's painful but the embarrassment was greater. She was too embarrassed to lift her head. Jaehyun wanted to laugh but gladly he could hold his laughter. Knew Chaeyoung might be so embarrassed, he quickly took the first aid by squatting down, taking off his scarf, and putting it on Chaeyoung to hide her face. He then helped her stand up and like a shy princess, they moved to another compartment to hide the embarrassment. Fortunately, this line wasn’t the line where the office workers take so there weren’t so many passengers.

“PUHAHAHAHAHA,” Jaehyun couldn’t hold his laughter any longer. He was laughing out loud when they arrived at the empty compartment. Chaeyoung felt so annoyed hearing his laughter but couldn’t say a word because of a great embarrassment. Although they were the only person in that compartment, she was still hiding her face with the scarf.

Jaehyun gradually stopped laughing as he heard a sniffling sound. He was looking at Chaeyoung who still hiding her face with his scarf.

“Are you crying? Are you hurt somewhere?” hearing her sniffling made Jaehyun worried whether she got an injury. He recalled that she was falling so hard earlier and it was worrisome.

“What’s the point of asking me now?” she jeered while still sobbing.

“Pfftt… Sorry… Sorry… But I am serious. Are you okay? Should we go see a doctor?” it’s still hard to get into his serious mode but he was truly concerned about her condition.

Chaeyoung didn’t want him to get worried, so she admitted she just crying because she felt embarrassed. She didn’t want to but somehow her tears just fell without her consent.

“HAHAHAHAHA,” Jaehyun was showing off his dad-like laughter again. But this time, it was because he thought she was very cute. Jaehyun patted and her hair and when there was a person who walked past them, he softly pushed her head into his arm to hide her crying face.

“Ah seriously, it’s so embarrassing. I want to leave quickly,” said Chaeyoung while still hiding.

“Don’t worry they don’t know who you are. You won't meet them ever again. They will only talk about you as someone who hilariously fell on the ground,” Jaehyun couldn’t let this chance slip. He loved to because her reaction was hilarious.

“Aaa aaaakkk,” Jaehyun screamed suddenly screamed in pain because Chaeyoung pinched his arm.

The embarrassing train ride was finally over. They should ride a bus again before they arrived at Chaeyoung's neighborhood. After they got out of the subway station, they entered the pharmacy which was located on their way towards the bus station. The pharmacist greeted them and as soon as she saw Chaeyoung, she smiled.

“This is better to treat the swollen forehead,” said the pharmacist after handing her the ointment.

Chaeyoung looked so surprised so did Jaehyun. The pharmacist smiled and told her to check on her forehead in the mirror. They both headed to the mirror. Once again, Jaehyun couldn’t hold his laughter and laughed out loud seeing the red lump on her forehead. She looked so embarrassed and tried to hide it with her hair. Sadly, she had no bang so she couldn’t cover it.

“Here, use it,” Jaehyun offered his beanie.

After paying for the ointment, and applying it, they left the pharmacy, heading to the bus stop. Because Chaeyoung still sulking, she didn’t talk to Jaehyun at all on their bus ride until they arrived at the playground near Chaeyoung’s home.

“Do you want to come over? Jin Hyung texted me and asked me to invite you for dinner,” asked Chaeyoung.

“Thanks for the offer but, I think I will pass. I promise my Mom I will eat dinner at home. Ah, well… I should order a taxi. You can go home by yourself from here, right?” Jaehyun refused her offer politely. He purposely did not her to the front of her apartment because he was afraid he won’t be able to refuse Jin in case they accidentally met.

“Then, you can wait for the taxi at our home. It’s pretty cold out here,” Chaeyoung felt a bit sorry for making him come all the way here.

“It’s okay. I will wait here. I always want to get on top of that slide whenever I pass it,” he made a reason but that’s not completely a lie.

Chaeyoung nodded then walked towards the swing and sat on it. She said she would wait until his taxi come. Jaehyun smiled. He then stood in front of the slide and was about to climb it. But, before he did that, Chaeyoung warned him to be careful because he could bump his head. It’s better to come up using the stairs, not the slide. He chuckled and told her not to worry.

A loud sound of something bumped was heard followed by the groan of pain made by Jaehyun caught Chaeyoung’s attention. She quickly looked towards Jaehyun who was rubbing his forehead. Seeing that made her laugh. Finally, she got her revenge.

Chaeyoung got up from the swing and stood in front of the slide told Jaehyun to come down. He did what she asked while still covering his forehead. With an annoying expression, Chaeyoung told him to show his forehead. Shyly, he took off his hand and it made Chaeyoung laugh even louder. It’s surely got so red.

“Let's put an ointment. I don't want our main actor to get a bruise on his forehead tomorrow,” Chaeyoung took out the ointment she bought earlier and then walked towards the slide’s stairs. Because the slide was slippery, she told him to move to the stairs. He then sat on the level that was adequate for Chaeyoung to put on the ointment.

While she put on the ointment, he was staring at her face. He didn’t know why he did it but his eyes just naturally staring at it. The surrounding was kind of dim, but Jaehyun’s eyes could spot the change in her face color.

“Why are you blushing?” he muttered what he thought unconsciously. He was a bit surprised because of his own words too. It seems like his rational mind wasn’t functioning well tonight.

Chaeyoung didn’t answer right away because just like Jaehyun, she was also surprised at his tease. Although they usually joke around by playing a role play as a couple, somehow, she felt a bit fluttered.

“It’s because a handsome man is staring at my face,” she answered casually although her heart was thumping. She knew it would be awkward if she didn’t respond like she usually did so she just play along with his joke.

Despite the sudden heart-fluttering joke, she continued to put it on the ointment. She even got bolder by exaggerating and purposely showing him that she was staring at his face. This guy was undeniably handsome. Even when she looked at it up close, his skin was flawless. It’s as white as milk and as smooth as porcelain. Not only that, but he also got thick eyebrows and a pointed nose. Her eyes then met up with his eyes. They were locking eyes and it made Jaehyun think his head was going to explode due to excessive blood that fulling his head.

“Why is your face turning so red?” this time it was Chaeyoung’s turn to . Not only his face but also his ears also burned red.

“Because you are too close,” he answered honestly out of nervousness.

“Huh? What do you expect then? Should I stay like this?” Chaeyoung giggled then moved a step away from Jaehyun, reached her arm out, and continually put on the ointment. Her witty response made the tension between them melt again and they continued to act normally again.

After she finished, she told him to go up to the slide. She said the night sky was so pretty when he looked it up from there. This neighborhood was surrounded by tall buildings and it’s hard to enjoy the sky view. This spot was her favorite because it was the only spot where they could see the distance sky view without getting blocked by the building.

“My brother is calling. It's time for me to go home,” Chaeyoung looked at her phone which was ringing because Jin was calling.

Jaehyun who was already on top of the slide then waved his hand to say his goodbye. She waved at him back and quickly left the playground. After she left, he continued to stare at the sky until he heard his name got called.

“Jaehyuna,” called Chaeyoung who already standing in front of the slide. As usual, whenever she said goodbye to him and was about to leave, she remembered what she was going to ask. That was why she came back again.

“What?” he answered from the top of the slide.

“Are you free next Saturday?” her face got all red when she asked it.

“Why though?” Jaehyun was a bit surprised. It’s unusual for her to ask about his availability before asking him to hang out. Usually, she stated the day and the event first.

“It's…,” she sounded hesitant and it made Jaehyun more curious.

“Do you want to be my prom date?” she felt so nervous once she uttered that question. It felt like she just confessing her love. Before her nervous system went wild, her brain ordered her rational mind to help calm down her heart by telling her to not get nervous because it's just Jaehyun. Her best friend, Jung Jaehyun.

“No,”

Chaeyoung flinched.

“Ah, you might be busy. Don't worry,” she quickly made a comment before he had a chance to speak another word. It's strange. Why did she feel so disappointed? No, it's more like she felt sad. What was she expected? Jaehyun might have a prior appointment. It's not like she was an important person for him, nor she was his only friend. How dare she assume he will always be available for her whenever she needs him?

“Hey, it's not good to cut people when they talk,” said Jaehyun while getting ready to slide down the slide.

“No need to ask. I will always be available if the one who asks is you,” he continued his sentence when he arrived at the ground and stood up in front of her.

“Why?” Chaeyoung’s heart was beating so fast when she heard his words and now instinctively asked him that simple yet difficult question.

Now, it’s time for Jaehyun to get fluttered. He didn’t expect her to ask that question. What kind of answer he should give her? It’s a dangerous question and if he couldn’t choose the word wisely, he was afraid he would make her feel uncomfortable.

Quick at reading the situation, Chaeyoung realized the impact of her question. She was aware it might be made him uncomfortable. That’s why she immediately fixed this situation by asking why his taxi hasn’t come yet.

“Ah, right, taxi! Hemm… Well… How stupid of me. I haven’t pushed the order button yet,” said Jaehyun when looking at the application. Truthfully, he didn’t forget, he just purposely did it because he will order it once she left.

“Well then. I think I should go home now,”

“Yeah, hurry go now! I don’t want to get scolded by your brothers,”

“Bye! Wish the musical will be a success! Fighting!”

“Eung. Wish me luck. Good night!”

***

The incoming message's tone was beeping. It made the audience who sat around the owner of the phone was turning their head. The owner of the phone then quickly took his phone out and put it on silent mode. While he was in the process to change the setting, he read the messages and for a second, he forgot about the musical play that he was watching right now.

“What the???” he was cursing in low voice. The cram school just sent him an announcement about the placement test that will be held tomorrow. They already did this test but due to the new system and a huge amount of newly enrolled students, they retake this test. He wanted to throw a tantrum because they sent it a day before, but he didn’t because he saw they already sent that notice a week before. It’s just him who never read what was written on it.

Jungkook put his phone back in his pocket and decided to not pay attention to tomorrow's test and just focus on Jaehyun’s acting on the stage. It’s just a placement test anyway. It’s better to not study so he could be placed in a class that matches his level.

The day change in a blink of an eye. The subjects they tested were the same as the suneung test. Of course, the level was different. With heavy steps, Jungkook walked towards his cram school from the bus station. His mind was wandering around that made him walk without any thought on his head. Finally, he arrived at his cram school but did not come in right away. He was standing in front of it and looked around. Right at that moment, he saw a familiar figure was running from the bus stop. Curious about what he saw, he was about to tail her but got stopped by his classmate. The test will start in 15 minutes and they better hurry to go to their classroom. Jungkook looked at the time and decided to do his test first.

Once the bell rang and the answer sheet got collected, Jungkook immediately left the classroom and went outside. He followed the path of that running girl he saw this earlier. He arrived at the last building in that area which was also the cram school building but for a middle schooler. Jungkook gave up and thought he might see it wrong. What would Chaeyoung do in this area? She clearly said she won’t enroll to cram school and just self-study for suneung test preparation. Before he turned around, he saw a coffee shop sign. It made him hesitate but decided to check on it. He needed caffeine to stay awake during the second session of the placement test anyway.

This coffee shop was so empty. There was no customer. Well, it’s not surprising judging from its location. But, since he already entered, he couldn’t just back off without buying anything. The bell on the door was ringing and the employee greeted him. He looked at the female employee but sadly it’s not her. After paid his coffee, he waited at the counter while looking around the café. Their interior and atmosphere weren’t that bad. It would be a perfect place for him to hide during break time. It was so quiet and it could help him to focus. But first, he needs to find out the taste of their coffee and their food before he decided.

“Here is your Ice Americano,” said the employee and it made Jungkook turn around to take it.

“OH SHI… YOU SCARED ME!!” Jungkook almost cursed because he was too surprised to see the face of the employee was changed. He was very sure the one who took his order was another person, but now the one who handed his coffee was Chaeyoung.

“What are you scared for??” Chaeyoung was confused at Jungkook’s unusual reaction.

Jungkook felt embarrassed so he didn’t reply to her question. He just shyly took the coffee and asked her why she was there. Chaeyoung smiled and said she worked part-time here. Since she didn’t enroll in any cram school, she will have nothing to do until the suneung test. Last week she went to this coffee shop and by chance, they were looking for a part-timer. After she finished her story, she asked Jungkook why he was there. As far as she knew, his cram school hasn’t started yet. He then said it was because of the placement test.

“Hey, is it better to study before the placement test?” Jungkook who was regretting why he didn’t study beforehand was asking for Chaeyoung’s opinion.

“Hemm… What about you?” instead of giving him an answer, she asked him back.

“I don’t know. But, since its purpose is to map your skill, I think, it’s not necessary to study beforehand,” he gave an honest answer but actually, he regretted it. He was afraid the result would turn out very bad.

“That’s right. So that they would put you in the class that matches your level. It’s a wise thought,” she agreed with him, and it made Jungkook feel at ease.

“Is there anything you need, sir?” the employee who took Jungkook’s order cut their conversation. Jungkook shook his head and shyly thanked them. He then said goodbye to Chaeyoung and left the café.

On his way to the cram school, Jungkook decided to make that café his hidden place during break time. Their coffee didn’t taste bad. Next time, he should try their food too. Well, even if the food didn’t taste good, at least he could order a cup of coffee. But, more importantly, there was a familiar face in there. At least, he won’t get bored.

“What time is your test end?”

Jungkook read the new messages before he put his phone in the bag before the test started.

“If you don’t mind, can you spare me some of your time?”

The supervisor was coming before Jungkook read the newly coming message. He hurriedly put it down in his bag and got ready to take the exam. After two hours of working on the exam that gave him a headache, Jungkook finally could stretch his stiffened body. When he was stretching, he remembered the text he received earlier. He quickly took his phone and read the pop-up messages that were on the notification bar.

“The newly opened ttokppoki stand is having a great review. Let’s go there,”

Jungkook read it and was a bit flustered. What was it? Does she ask him to hang out?

“JUNGKOOK!” someone called him. Jungkook looked at it and saw Chaeyoung was waiting in his cram school’s lobby. She waved at him, and he quickly walked towards her. Happily, she led the way to the tteokpokki stand. On their way, with so much enthusiasm, Chaeyoung was interviewing him about his cram school schedule. This was unusual and it made Jungkook smell something was off.

“This tteokpokki… Is it a bribe?” asked Jungkook who was suspicious about her unusual question.

“Hahaha… Am I that obvious?” Chaeyoung admitted without trying to hide anything.

Jungkook didn’t give any response and it made her quickly take this chance to tell her true intention. She said the café she was working in didn’t have many customers. Their food and coffee were tasty, it’s just the location that didn’t give them any justice. As an employee and a foodie, she felt bad about it and tried to help to advertise them. She already promotes it to her cram school friends and asks them to help. And because Jungkook was going to another school, he could help to spread the news. She then asked Jungkook to bring his friends to the café to buy coffee. Just once is enough. He only needed to make them know that there was a café in there.

“Ah, if sometimes you want to hang out with that handsome friend of yours, I am more than happy if you can bring him to our café,” said Chaeyoung with sparkling eyes.

“Which one?” asked Jungkook while giving her the cold look.

“That god-like one. Eunwoo,” she smiled shyly when she mentioned his name. She said the handsome man was the best way to advertise the café. More importantly, if he often comes. The rumor will spread, and they will come to prove the rumor.

Jungkook didn’t respond to it. He just took more tteokppokki and sundae to his cup. Suddenly he felt the urge to eat a lot and made her complain because of the bill.

“Oh, it looks like you love spicy food,” Chaeyoung was amazed by the amount of tteokpokki in Jungkook’s cup.

He only nodded to answer her question and continued to add more sauce to his cup. Chaeyoung nodded but felt a bit worried. His expression showed that he couldn’t bear more spiciness. His face looked unwell, it turned red, and he was sweating a lot.

“Drink it if it’s too spicy,” Chaeyoung handed the milk to Jungkook, and he quickly took it and drink half of the bottle. Chaeyoung worried Jungkook would get a stomach problem, looking at how sour Jungkook’s expression right now.

After drinking the milk, Jungkook continued to eat again. It made Chaeyoung giggle and think he might love spicy food so much. When they were busy eating, Chaeyoung got a call from her manager. The manager asked her if she could come to the café for a meeting. She nodded and said she was still around and will come right away. After ending the phone call, she told Jungkook, pay the bill and quickly say goodbye to him.

The meeting ended longer than she expected. The sun was already down. They were excitedly talking about the marketing strategy and the change of the café theme that made them lose track of time. After helping the manager make the minutes-of-meeting, she excuses herself to go home first. She walked down the quiet alley quickly. Most of the cram school except for some of the suneung preparation program was off. Usually, she didn’t have a problem walking down the street alone, as long as it was bright. But, since she had a bit of trauma, she took extra caution when she was alone in this area.

Now, she arrived at the bus stop. Luckily, there were not so many people in there. Most of them were also a woman. She waited at the bus stop and stuck close to the wall. That way she can prevent any unwanted action from behind. Unlike many other people who were busy playing with their phones, Chaeyoung was only standing and watching her surroundings. Although she was so itchy to take her phone out and put on an earphone, she managed to not do it. Jungkook once gave her advice to keep all her sense on standby to prevent any unwanted event.

Standing in the back made her able to observe more clearly. It also made her clearly aware there was a man who stand close to her. It made her uncomfortable. Slowly she moved away from him. No matter how strong her determination was, the trauma that she had still haunting. Although it’s not as worse as before, she still felt threatened. It made her decide to leave the bus stop and go to her escape route, the convenience store. On her to the convenience store and back to the bus stop, she kept looking around with full caution. Lucky for her, when she got to the bus stop, her bus come.

The familiar neighborhood made Chaeyoung feel at ease. Somehow, she felt safer whenever she already arrived at this neighborhood. Finally, she could lower her guard and walk comfortably. Sadly, it’s not lasting for long. The fear came and haunted her again as she felt someone was following her. It made her walk faster and once she arrived at the junction, she intentionally run and quickly hide. On her hideout, she already prepared her phone and was so ready to record that stalker's face.

The sound of a person was approaching made her put her guard up. Equipped with a phone, she was so ready to fight that stalker. She was so tired of being scared and she thought it’s finally time for her to fight it. Finally, that man comes passes her hiding place. But, she got so surprised when she saw his face. Before she recovered from her shock, her phone was ringing. Jungkook was calling her. She was too surprised and it made her reject his call. Now, her attention back to that man again. He looked lost and seemed like he was looking for someone. It was shown with his gesture who kept looking around. Silently, she stood up and got out of her hiding place, and approached that man.

“What are you doing here?” she confronted that man.

Jungkook looked so surprised and relieved when he turned around and saw Chaeyoung was standing there.

“Are you following me here?” she asked him carefully.

He didn’t answer right away because he was embarrassed. She caught him red-handedly. After thinking for a while, he decided to be honest to avoid any misunderstanding too.

Shyly Jungkook said he indeed followed her here. He accidentally saw her entering the convenience store and looking so anxious as if someone was following her. Out of worry, he followed her to the bus station but he was too late. The bus already left and it made him take a cab. When he arrived, he lost her and it made him worry.

Hearing how Jungkook was so concerned about her safety made her feel so touched. She didn't say anything and just showed a grateful expression. Feeling exhausted because of the hide and seek they both come over to the convenience store to buy some drinks. After that, Chaeyoung asked him to drink their warm beverages on the outdoor table.

“Remember when I told you I am in the middle of overcoming my trauma?” she opened a conversation.

Jungkook nodded then sipped his hot coffee.

“I was harassed when I was riding a bus. That’s why I was still scared of riding it,” she said it like it wasn't a big deal.

Her casualty made Jungkook hesitant about what he had just heard. He wanted to ensure it by asking her to repeat it but was scared if she would feel uncomfortable.

Chaeyoung then continued by saying she was scared but now instead of being scared she was tired. Tired of being scared. So, she decided to overcome it and fight back. She was sure, it's not only her who had this horrible trauma But also some other girls out there. If she didn't get strong and put an end to it, the victim list will get longer.

“I am aware I can't catch that only by myself. I need a trustworthy partner. That's why I decided to tell you this. I need your help to accomplish this mission,”

There was no way he would say no. But, before he agreed with her plan, he asked about the plan. Somehow he had a bad feeling that he won't agree with it. And turn out his feeling was right.

The plan was simple, Jungkook only need to record what that guy was doing. She didn’t say who will be the one who gets filmed but from that, Jungkook could know she planned to use herself as bait. That’s why she intentionally cut that information out.

“Give me your hand,” said Jungkook out of nowhere.

Chaeyoung had no idea what he wanted to do with her hand. His request was totally out of the blue because it’s not related to the topic they were just talking about. Despite that randomness, Chaeyoung still reached her hand out to him. Jungkook pulled her wrist gently to move it closer to him.

“Is that okay if I pinch you?” asked Jungkook.

Chaeyoung who was still in confusion just nodded without further thinking about the consequences.

“It’s gonna hurt a bit,” he gave her a warning before pinching her arm. Chaeyoung was in pain and reflexively pulled her hand and rubbed the place where he pinched her. Now, she was staring at Jungkook with an annoyed gaze.

“It’s hurt, right?” with innocent looks he was asking what was so obvious.

“Of course,” she answered while still rubbing her arm.

“But I already warned you before, right?” he asked again. It made Chaeyoung nod.

“See? Although I told you beforehand, you can’t resist the pain. It still hurt when you got pinched. That’s why I won’t help you with your plan. You know it’s hurt but why do you still want to hurt yourself? I know it’s for the other people’s sake, but you can find another way without needing to sacrifice yourself,” Jungkook expressed his disagreement explicitly. He could easily scold her but since it's a sensitive topic he choose to be more gentle.

It's not surprising that Jungkook was able to guess her plan. Personally, Chaeyoung hates this plan too. She was still traumatized but yet, she couldn’t just sacrifice other people. She didn't want to seek any help because she was still afraid of telling people about all of this.

So, he caught her red-handedly. She knew he can’t be fooled easily. She knew it was a ridiculous plan, but she couldn’t think of another way.

“I will help you. But, not with this way,” Jungkook could see the sad expression on her face.

Chaeyoung took a sip of the hot chocolate to calm herself. Hesitantly, she told Jungkook that he was the only one who know about it. People said the victim shouldn’t be ashamed and had to expose that perpetrator, but it was still hard for her. Even for telling her close friend, she had no courage. At least for this time.

Jungkook understood it wasn't easy to open up about this matter. It takes tons of courage to be able to tell someone else. Didn't want to make her sad and disappointed, Jungkook promise her that he would zip his mouth close and would never tell anyone.

***

The placement test was already over and the result was already out on the next day. As expected Jungkook was placed in the bottom class. He wasn't complaining and was satisfied with the result. The students who were placed in the bottom class had the privilege to enroll in preparation class before the official class began. Without further thinking, Jungkook gladly joined.

The most awaited time finally come. Hurriedly Jungkook put his book in his bag and checked on his phone. He was almost cursing when he read the messages and without waiting any longer he rushed out of the building.

Today he was going to meet up with Namjoon to catch the perpetrators. That night after he parted way with Chaeyoung, he called Namjoon and asked for his suggestion. Luckily, Namjoon's Mom who was a lawyer had experience collecting the proofs. Some of her interns were also willing to help. Namjoon also suggested they do the operation as soon as possible so there won't be another victim.

This morning Namjoon informed Jungkook that the friends who will help were ready and they gonna do the operation today. Namjoon would tell the detail after Jungkook's class ended. But, Jungkook didn't expect Namjoon wanted to meet up at the café Chaeyoung worked on. He didn't want Jungkook to meet up with Chaeyoung because he was afraid Namjoon could suspect her as the client who request this operation.

Because of the rush, Jungkook almost bumped into Bona when he was turned right on the junction. Bona greeted him and before he left she asked about the location of the café that her friend told her. She showed a picture to Jungkook and said she was circling around this area three times but couldn't find it. Jungkook was thinking for a second then said he was heading to that café and offered her to go together.

When they arrived, Namjoon waved his hand to notify Jungkook. He has then said goodbye to Bona and heading towards Namjoon’s table. As soon as he took a seat, Namjoon . This captain of him was insanely popular. Wherever he goes he was able to gain fans. Jungkook chuckled then quickly changed the topic by asking how the progress of the operation was. Namjoon said the preparation was done and it’s only a matter of time for them to execute it.

While they were focused on talking about the progress, Chaeyoung was coming over to greet them. Namjoon informed her beforehand that he would meet up with Jungkook in this area then ask about a recommended place.

“Anyway, it seems like you haven't ordered anything. What do you want to order, sir?” asked Chaeyoung to Jungkook after seeing there was only one beverage on the table.

Jungkook ordered the usual drink, which is Ice Americano, and Chaeyoung quickly back to the counter to proceed with the order. Not long after, she came back while bringing his order. She then said it's her treat so they didn't need to pay it.

“Thank you Noona,” Namjoon thanked her for the unexpected treat.

She smiled and quickly excuse herself because there was another customer. After she left they were drinking their beverages before continuing their conversation.

“Noona?” asked Jungkook to Namjoon after she left.

Namjoon was a bit panicked and immediately explain that she was his tutor. The one who lends the notebook to Jungkook. Jungkook was nodding while stirring his ice americano.

“Then shouldn't you call her ssaem rather than noona?” Jungkook lifted his eyes from the ice-americano to Namjoon eyes.

The chill suddenly sent to Namjoon’s spine through Jungkook's question. Somehow he felt intimidated so he carefully answered. Since Chaeyoung was living overseas for some years, she prefer to talk casually without using honorifics. Because of it, he called her Noona instead of teacher so it would sound more casual.

“Oh, the hyungs said we should standby in our post. Let's go,” could sense the atmosphere slowly became so tense made Namjoon quick to find an escape route. Lucky the timing was perfect for him. After gulping down their beverages, they then left the café to start their mission.

A few hours had passed. Now, it’s time for Chaeyoung to end her shift. After changing her uniform, she was ready to leave by saying goodbye to the manager and her co-worker. When she was out of the changing room, the manager and her friend were talking about something with a serious face. It made her curious and joined their conversation before going home. The co-worker said when she was heading here, she saw a crowd at the bus station. When she asked around, they said the perpetrator of ual harassment was caught. She ever said the gossip circling around that there was a ert that keep harassing a woman in that bus station but didn’t know about the truth.

“Unnie, you should be careful. You took night shift often,” Chaeyoung was worried about her co-worker.

“Chaengie, you too. You are so pretty so it would be more dangerous,” the co-worker also worried about Chaeyoung.

“Yeah Heejin, more than Chaeyoung, I am worrying for you more. You should follow Chaeyoung path,”

“What path?” asked both.

“Hiring personal bodyguard,” said the manager while looking at the café’s entrance.

“Ah, as for that… I think I can’t afford it. Where can I recruit a handsome bodyguard who always comes and check on his client every day,” Heejin also joined their manager to tease Chaeyoung.

Chaeyoung’s face was getting red when she saw who they were talking about. She wanted to explain the situation but seems like they won’t believe her. So, she just let them be and quickly said goodbye to them and walked towards Jungkook who already waited for her.

“Is that true? That guy was being captured?” asked Chaeyoung to Jungkook on their way through the cram school building to the bus station.

Jungkook nodded and began to tell her about the chronologist. He said he asked Namjoon for help. Namjoon’s Mom was a lawyer, and she had a special team consisting of the law students who were interning in her office. That team had experiences in catching the ual harassment culprit. Their method was simple. They would surveillance the area and put some equipment that could record the crime. Not only that, one of them would dress as a woman to lure the culprit. Once the culprit fell into their trap, they would record his crime.

“Well… It sounds unrealistic. But it indeed works,” said Jungkook who didn’t believe the plan will work at first. He then showed a picture to Chaeyoung. She saw it and got so surprised.

“Pretty, right? That hyung could tell anyone that he is a woman, and they would believe it,”

Chaeyoung laughed and said he was even prettier than her.

Now, the culprit was arrested, but there was still anxiousness on her face. It troubled Jungkook and made him wonder what made her worry. It reminded him about Namjoon and her request to make this case remain confidential. He could understand she might feel a bit anxious because she was close with Namjoon.

“Here, put this on, but don’t make any noise,” said Jungkook while handing her an earphone. She put it on and wondered what he was about to do.

Not long after she put it on, she heard Namjoon’s voice asking Jungkook whether he was already picked Chaeyoung up. Namjoon then apologized for asking this favor Jungkook. He knew they weren’t close, but he was worried about her safety. He wanted to walk her home but since he should take care of the things with the perpetrator, he couldn’t do it. After ensuring he was fine doing his favor, he ended the phone call and Chaeyoung gave her earphone back. Now, her face was way more relaxed than before. Knew Namjoon thought they weren’t close was a guarantee that Namjoon didn’t suspect anything.

“Thank you so much for helping me. I don’t know what to do to express my gratitude and how to return your kindness,” said Chaeyoung while they arrived in front of her apartment.

“Don’t mind it. You don’t have to give me anything in return. Wait… Instead of giving me something, I prefer you to grand me a favor,” Jungkook looked serious when he said it.

“Sure, what is the favor?” Chaeyoung was preparing her heart before listening to his favor because she couldn’t guess what it was.

“Next time. Whenever Jaehyun, Namjoon, Taehyung, Mingyu, or Dokyeom offering to walk you home, just accept it. I know you are strong and can take care of yourself, but, as friends, we won’t forgive ourselves if something happens to you,” said Jungkook with sincerity.

“Sure. I will,” she was scoffing when she heard it. She didn’t know Jungkook could show his caring side straightforwardly.

“All this time, I don’t know why Jiminie and Joonie look up to you so much. But, now I know. You are such a very cool guy,” the adoration grew bigger as she remembered the expression of Jimin and Namjoon whenever they talked about Jungkook.

“What do you mean you just know that fact now?” asked Jungkook while faking a confused expression.

Chaeyoung’s forehead was frowning when she heard Jungkook’s response.

“Aren’t you supposed to know it before them? If you are not, then, we shouldn’t be here, right? Well, precisely, if you didn't give me the notebook with the letter, we even would never know each other,”

Jungkook’s last statement made Chaeyoung’s face was growing red and let out an awkward laugh. She was too embarrassed and so she decided to run away after saying her a short goodbye.

***

Its been three years since the cute fresh graduated middle school student came to this school field decorated by the cherry blossom petals lying on the school ground. Time sure flies. Three years had passed in a blink of an eye. Now, they gathered in the same place again, but this time was to hold their farewell ceremony.

Just like when they first come to this school, the headmaster opened the ceremony. The boring ceremonial that they never know they will miss in the future were done and now it's come to the most awaited event. The award. Just like the movie or music award, the teacher came to the stage to read out the winner. The award varies from the good category to the bad category. From the student who has the least absent to the student who was late the most. Each time the good one came up to the stage, the audiences give them respectful applause, and each time the bad one come up, they become even louder because they were cheering on that friend. Not only the students but also the teacher got their awards.

“Now, it’s time for the grand prize. The most hardworking student award. He is always on the bottom of the rank. Out of all the students, he is one of the people who do the most exam. Because he always took the remedial test. Now, surprisingly he climbed up 100 ranks on his final exam. The reason why he received this award, he proved to all the parents that being active in school activity didn't mean they couldn't get good scores in academics. Please welcome our icon of hard work. Jeon Jungkook!” the headmaster announced the grand prize and invited Jungkook to the stage.

The auditorium suddenly got so noisy. All the students stood up and gave applause to Jungkook who still had not recovered from the shock. The statistic of Jungkook’s rank, as well as his achievement in the soccer team, was shown on the screen. It made him embarrassed and proud at the same time. Along with the thunderous applause, Jungkook shyly walked down the aisle towards the podium.

“Ehmm… Hemm… Honestly, I never expect to get this kind of award. I feel so happy, but also embarrassed. My poor rank is shown on that big screen. Moreover, I am more than grateful to receive this award. I'd like to thank all the teachers here who always give their best to teach us and never give up on lazy students like me. I am so sorry for giving you all the headaches and trouble.

“I also want to thank all my friends who always support me for my club activity and my study. Truthfully, I tend to love soccer way more than studying. Whenever I don’t feel like studying, I always think negatively by saying studying it's not my way of life. Until one day I decided to try to work hard on studying and got an almost-perfect score. There was an unforgettable incident during that time too, but I am so grateful to Teacher Kim. Because of him, I can break my stereotype.

“I am so happy because I can prove to all the students and teachers that if we try hard, we can do it too. It's a great title and I will try my best to carry it. I won't disappoint my teachers and friends who entrusted me with it. Thank you very much,”

The students give a loud applause to Jungkook as he returned to his seat. Now the ceremony was officially ended. The students started to get to their friends and take a picture together. Satisfied with the pictures now they went out of the auditorium to see their family and their friends.

“Congratulations!” was the trending word for today. That word was being said every second. The school was filled with people. It’s a bit hard for them to find their beloved family or friends. Jungkook was also one of them. As soon as he got out of the auditorium door, he lost contact with his friends. He already expected it so he told his parents to come a bit late so the school will be less crowded.

In the process of searching out his acquaintance, a girl's voice called out his name. Jungkook turned around and saw Yerin. She greeted him and congratulated him on his graduation. Because Yerin often joined their study group session and because he sometimes asked her for seventeen related kinds of stuff for his cousin, their relationship wasn’t as awkward as before.

“You come here alone?” asked Jungkook.

“No. I’m with Chaeyoung,” she answered.

Jungkook then looked around but he couldn’t find Chaeyoung. Yerin then said she lost her when they were looking for Yugyeom.

“Yugyeom?” Jungkook was wondering why Chaeyoung was looking for Yugyeom. Both of them never told him that they knew each other.

“Yes. He is her cousin. Wait, are you thinking I come with Park Chaeyoung? Hahaha… Sorry, sorry. I come with Son Chaeyoung. We went straight here from school. But I heard our Chaeyoungie will come too. I am not in the same class as her so I don’t know when she will arrive,” Yerin seems to catch the confusion on Jungkook’s face, so she explained the situation in more detail.

Jungkook nodded and was a bit shy after he was getting caught expecting Chaeyoung to come. When he was chatting with Yerin, he met some of his friends from another school. They just exchange the greeting and congratulating then his friends went to meet their other friends.

“Hey, won’t you introduce me to one of your friends? Someone that as handsome as seventeen’s member, but not Kim Mingyu,” Yerin was joking because she was feeling so amazed at the number of boys in this area. She was a bit scared because she was surrounded by boys but somehow, she couldn’t stop looking around to find some eye candy.

Jungkook’s mischievous side was woken up, so he decided to take her joke. He was looking around and found a nice target.

“Hey Yoon Jeonghan!” Jungkook called his friend and come over to him.

“, Jungkook, I am just joking. Don’t take it seriously!” Yerin was a bit panicking because Jungkook took his word seriously. She wanted to run away but she was too afraid to wander around by herself. That was why she kept sticking with Jungkook because he was the only person she knew.

Yerin cursed inside her head when Jungkook was chatting with his friends without even bothering to introduce her. She fell into his prank, and it was way more embarrassing. That was why she didn’t pay attention to their conversation. Instead, she was looking around trying to find someone she knew, the study group member.

“Ah, right, she is Yerin. Yerin, he is Jeonghan,” Yerin was a bit startled when Jungkook suddenly introduced her to his friend. She was getting way more surprised when she saw the guy named Jeonghan. Although she was amazed by his beauty, she was able to maintain her cool. Thanks to her experience meeting Seventeen’s members.

After their introduction, Jeonghan then told her to follow him. She was confused but then Jeonghan said he will her to where Yugyeom was. She nodded then looked at Jungkook who showed a thumb up with a mischievous smile. She scoffed then happily followed Jeonghan while trying to start a conversation.

Now Yerin was gone, Jungkook was left alone. He joined a small circle and say hi to his friends, took the picture, and continued to walk around. His journey finally ended when he saw a small circle formed by a familiar face.

Jaehyun, Dokyeom, and Chaeyoung were there. His eyes met Dokyeom and Dokyeom gestured him to quickly come over. It seems like, besides Dokyeom, the others didn't aware of his presence. They kept on talking or more likely arguing until he stood beside them. Jaehyun who felt his presence first waved at him then a second later Chaeyoung did the same.

“Congratulation on your graduation!” said Chaeyoung while handing him a paper bag that she carried.

Jungkook took it and thanked her for it. He opened the bag and took out what was inside. The corner of his lips stretched out when he saw a notebook with his face, drawn as caricature completed with his name written on its cover. It's his second time receiving this type of gift and both from the same person. Curious, he flipped the cover and some pages and unlike the previous notebook, this notebook was completely empty.

“It’s the second time you receive a notebook as a present, right? Sorry for not being creative,” Chaeyoung apologized for giving the same gift twice in a row.

“It’s okay. I prefer a gift that could be useful. Thanks. I will use it well. Anyway, are you designing it yourself?” Jungkook was playing cool although he was hardly holding his smile.

“Yeah… I am kind of like to draw, well even though it’s not as good as yours,” Chaeyoung was shy when Jungkook noticed that it was her drawing.

Jaehyun who was standing behind them saw Chaeyoung was handing a gift to Jungkook. Being curious, he came closer to them, and as soon as he saw the gift she gave, he was complaining.

“How come you give Jungkook a notebook as a graduation gift and give me sushi? It's my first time seeing this type of gift” Jaehyun showed a lunch box to Jungkook and gave a cynical stare to Chaeyoung.

“WHAT? DID YOU JUST SAY SUSHI???” before Chaeyoung gave her response, someone else had already cut her.

Taehyung who just come got so excited when he heard there was food. His big eyes were sparkling and immediately scanned each people's hand to find the sushi. Once he found the lunch box that Jaehyun held, like a well-trained puppy, he started to act cute in front of Jaehyun, begging him to share a piece of his lunch box. Before Jaehyun said something to Taehyung’s request, Chaeyoung snatch the lunch box from his hand, took out a chopstick from her bag, opened the lid, and took one piece of sushi then fed Taehyung.

“Whoa, it’s so delicious!” said Taehyung still in a mouth full of sushi.

It made Chaeyoung smile and be proud. She glared at Jaehyun and Jaehyun quickly looked away, avoiding her mocking eyes. Before she closed the lid, Taehyung asked for another piece, and she happily gave it to him.

“Chaaaeng!! Me too Me too!! Aaaaa,” Mingyu who suddenly appeared, line up beside Taehyung. He opened his mouth widely, waiting for his turn to get fed. That spontaneous queue attracted another person, Dokyeom. Now, they gathered around Chaeyoung like a chick waiting for their mother to distribute their food ration. It’s almost lunchtime no wonder their stomach already growling. They knew they would have a late lunch so having a snack time like this was a paradise. At least, they could endure their hunger for another half an hour.

“Do you want it too?” Chaeyoung offered Jungkook. Jungkook got startled and instead of answering her, he just stared at the sushi that she held up with a chopstick in front of his mouth.

“Aaa,” she instructed Jungkook to open his mouth. It made him a bit flustered but shyly opened his mouth.

“Hey Park Chaeyoung, isn’t that my gift? Why did you give my gift away to everyone?” Jaehyun who witnessed Chaeyoung giving out the sushi got a bit annoyed.

“I thought you don’t want it since you complained to me before,” she was replying to his complaint with sarcasm.

“I just complaining. I didn’t say I am not accepting,” he didn’t want to lose and stated his argument boldly.

“Noona, Hyung! Stop it!” Jimin who just arrived quickly mediating those two stubborn people. It’s a bit embarrassing seeing them having a quarrel in the middle of graduation day.

Thanks to Jimin’s intervention, the situation was back to being conducive. The study group was taking a picture together then one by one they excuse themselves because the other friends, family, or relatives were coming. Now, it’s only Mingyu and Jungkook left. They told their parents to come a bit late so it would be less crowded.

While they were waiting, Mingyu took out the gift Chaeyoung gave him. He was smiling when he saw the cover then laughed when he read the memo she slipped inside the book. She wrote the memo like a report card. Curious why Mingyu was smiling and laughing as crazy, Jungkook looked at the book that he held. He frowned and asked Mingyu who gave him that book. Mingyu close the book, looked at the front and back cover, lift it up, and put it beside his face as if he asked Jungkook to compare the drawing and his face.

“Isn’t it cute? Hahaha…,” asked Mingyu. He then looked at the cover once again before putting it into his bag. Mingyu then asked Jungkook whether he got a present from Chaeyoung. Jungkook nodded and foolishly just realized Mingyu also got it from the same person. Not only Mingyu, but all the study group members also received the same gift from her. So, he wasn’t the only person who got it from her. Well, that explains why Jaehyun got exceptionally upset when he was the only one who didn’t get the present.

“Jaehyunie…,” Jungkook mumbled out Jaehyun's name. He suddenly remembered the scene that kept bothering him since earlier. It made him deadly curious, but he was too embarrassed to ask Mingyu directly.

“What? Are you curious about Jaehyun and Chaengie?” like a fortune teller, Mingyu speaking up what was inside Jungkook’s head.

Jungkook quickly turned his head to him and stared at him with an amazed expression. Mingyu smirked and felt proud of himself. So, his guess was right. During that time, Mingyu kept observing Jungkook’s reaction. Jungkook was so pure and innocent that made him so easy to read because he was still in the process of learning when, where, and how to hide his emotion. Mingyu still remembered the confused, upset, curious, and wondering expression that Jungkook showed when he saw Chaeyoung and Jaehyun were bickering.

Jungkook knew it’s no use to lie to Mingyu. Besides, no one but him can answer his question. Without a doubt, he asked Mingyu whether both of them were close and if it was, then how? Jaehyun was not a part of the study group. Mingyu was smiling widely and said they were super close. He also teased Jungkook and said there was a lot of chance for them to get close, not only through the study group.

Seeing how upset and annoyed Jungkook look, Mingyu immediately told him the things that he wanted to know. He told Jungkook those two became close through the volunteer activities. It’s been two years since they knew each other. In addition, Chaeyoung was Jaehyun’s vocal trainer on the musical that Jaehyun was starring. That musical was part of their volunteer event.

“Do the others know about it too?” asked Jungkook, trying to find a company so he won’t be the one who felt betrayed by this fact.

“Yes. All the study group members knew… But, how come you are the one who didn’t know?” Mingyu just realized that fact and got confused. Mingyu said the others know about it because Jaehyun and Chaeyoung often mentioned that they knew each other. Chaeyoung often said that Jaehyun helped her with the material. Jungkook admitted he heard it too but didn’t think they were that close.

“AAAHH!!!” Mingyu suddenly remembered the cause why Jungkook was the only one who was left out of this fact. He told Jungkook during their first meeting with Chaeyoung, Jungkook absurdly left them to take a dump. Well, he didn’t know whether he really took a dump but he remembered he took so long to go back from the toilet. While he was gone, the members were having a casual chit-chat to get to know each other. That’s when Chaeyoung told them about her relationship with Jaehyun.

After hearing Mingyu’s discovery, Jungkook felt ashamed of himself. He thought they were keeping it a secret from him, but they actually didn’t. For a while, he thought something was going on between Jaehyun and Chaeyoung.

“They are just super close friends. Don’t worry,” Mingyu teased Jungkook.

“Why should I worry?” Jungkook felt a bit offended.

“Emm… Just in case you feel threatened. Ahahaha…,” after saying it, Mingyu slowly took some distance from Jungkook to avoid getting hit by him. Thankfully Jungkook only gave him a cold stare. Seeing his overreacting response gave Mingyu a brilliant idea. He was busy finding something on his phone and after he found what he made a few days ago, he sent it to Jungkook.

“Hey, check your phone. I sent something,” said Mingyu. Jungkook opened the messengers and click on the link that Mingyu sent to him. When he read the screen, his forehead was frowning and with an annoyed voice asking Mingyu what’s the meaning of this.

“Try it if you want to know whether you already raised a butterfly on your stomach. Anyway, my parents are here, I’ll go first. Bye!!” Mingyu waved and quickly ran towards the school gate.

Jungkook still had no idea, but he kept reading and answered the questionnaire that was popped up after he click on the link.

“Are you feeling shy when you are standing or sitting too close to her/him?”

“Do you want to spend more time and think the time is too short when you are with her/him?”

“Do you feel sad when she/he treats you the same as her/his other female/male friends?”

After answering about 10 questions, the result was out, and it made him scoff.

“Oh, no, it seems like you are in denial, or you are truly thinking of him/her as your friend. For a more accurate answer, you should fill another questionnaire. Click here…”

Before Jungkook click on the button, his mom called, and it made him forget about that until that day.

***

 

The long-awaited day finally came, the prom night day. It’s the signature event of Chaeyoung’s school that made all the students in Seoul envy them. Each year the applicants to this school were growing and based on the survey conducted by the school’s management, the prom night was the second-highest reason why they were attracted to enroll. The first one of course because this school had a great reputation for sending most of their students to the reputable university.

The prom night was first held three years ago when Jisoo became the head of the student union. She wanted to give her seniors a memorable memory and since they were girls, she purposed the prom night where the girls could dress up prettily. The school was against this at first but finally accepted it because the students agreed to only hold one festival in a year and allocated the fund to prom night. Before, they always had sports festivals in odd semesters and art festivals in even semesters. Now, they only had one festival every odd semester.

Because they only held festivals once a year, the theme was different each year. A year ago, they held the arts festival and Chaeyoung was the winner of the singing competition. Her outstanding performance was so memorable among the students. It made her popular in one night and the students fell in love with her charms. The beauty who was not only good at study but also talented in music. No wonder why she was able to win the beauty enquette. As for this year they held Sports Festival and Minju won the tennis competition. She was also an aspiring actress and became an idol trainee. It made her the pride of the first grader and with the slight differences was able to beat Chaeyoung on beauty enquette.

Unlike the festival where the students loved to enjoy, the prom night was the event that they were proud of. It made them want to make it as fancy as possible. The fund from the school wasn’t enough so that they tried to look for a sponsor. One of the ways to gain sponsors was to promote the Prom Night as much as they can. That was why they made an Instagram account for the prom night event. At first, they only used that platform to post pictures of the honorable students, such as the winner of the enquette or the prom night queen. Now, to gain more attention, they use that platform so that people could vote for the best dress and the most favorite student despite not being a student of that school. This strategy was successful as they got more sponsors for this year.

There was one similar thing that this school had in common with another school. They valued the ranking system. That was why, to push their students to do their best and also to appreciate the hard work of the students, the top 100 students and students with achievement were allowed to bring their prom date.

As the first rank for three consecutive years, the last year beauty queen and the winner of the singing competition, Chaeyoung had a heavy burden attending this prom night party. She was asked to give a speech and was forced by the organizer to compete in a singing competition. Her participation was the most anticipated of all the students. At first, she didn’t want to do it because the theme was a duet. She got no time to practice with her partner. But, after she saw the prize for the first place was a new camera, she changed her mind and decided to participate. Since the system selected the winner was by vote, so as someone who understand the audience well, she recruited Jaehyun as her partner. Handsome face, soothing voice, and outstanding visual, nothing can beat him. She was very sure she would win that prize.

She might think Jaehyun was the best choice but unexpectedly when she announced it to the Blackpink members, they weren’t agreed with her. They were all against her decision, especially Lisa. She felt betrayed because she didn’t get chosen. They all were having the same thought; they were able to attract the vote from the audience. Feeling bad towards Chaeyoung, Jennie who was couldn’t attend because she was in Paris took a role as a mediator. She said they would be arguing even more because Chaeyoung could only invite one person. Chaeyoung might felt bad if she could only choose one of them. Thanks to Jennie, they finally accepted Chaeyoung's decision.

Despite their little argument at first, Jisoo and Lisa were turned to be Chaeyoung’s biggest supporters in preparing the prom night. They planned the stage concept and even directed Chaeyoung and Jaehyun while they were practicing. On the d-day, they were turned into her stylist. Jennie, who physically couldn’t be there sent her a dress as a gift, Jisoo became her make-up artist and Lisa as her hairstylist. Those three were even more enthusiastic than Chaeyoung, the one who would attend.

“OH MY GOD LOOK AT OUR ROSIE!! YOU LOOK SO GORGEOUS, BABY!!,” Lisa’s eyes were sparkling when she saw Chaeyoung who already finished her make-up.

Chaeyoung got so shy accepting that compliment. Lisa quickly took her phone and can’t stop taking pictures of her. They also took a picture together and stopped while the door was knocked. Jisoo quickly ran and opened it.

“Rose-ya, if you are not going now, you will be late,” said Jin who was a bit grumpy because he was already standing by for one hour, yet the girls weren’t ready yet.

Jisoo smiled and said they were all ready. Just like parents who their child on the first day of school, Lisa, Jisoo, and Jimin also came to her.

“So, have you called Jaehyun? He will come, right? Geez as your prom date he should be the one who rides you here,” Jin was nagging, and it made Chaeyoung look at Jisoo. They were smiling when their eyes met each other. It seems like Jin was getting betrayed twice. When Jisoo graduated, she invited Joshua instead of him. Well, at that time they were still two friends who used to bickers a lot. They both like each other but they need a lot of time to realize it.

Chaeyoung then explained that the first thirty minutes of the prom night was the opening ceremony. Only the representative students would come along with the teachers and the committee. To put it simply, it was only a formality. Since it would be too hassle to invite all the students, they decided to just narrow down the attendee. The real prom night was started 30 minutes later. That was the reason why Chaeyoung told Jaehyun to come later. She didn’t want him to wait too long.

Finally, the long chatty ride was ended. Jin stopped his red car in front of the school gate. When Chaeyoung got out of the car, one of the staff came and her in. Before the car left, Jin opened the window and said he won’t pick her up. Chaeyoung laughed, nodded, and made a gesture to tell him to leave.

The prom night was held in the school auditorium. The student council and the organizer which consists of the first and second-year work so hard on decoration. The school looked completely different. They transformed the ordinary school into a set of movie awards. Once they passed through the gate, they had to scan their invitation to enter the red-carpet area located near the entrance of the auditorium. They purposely use that scanning system so there won’t be any uninvited guests. After that, they took a picture on the backdrop. The picture was also used to vote for the best dressed.

The next stage after the red carpet was an interview. The guests were asked a few questions regarding their time at the school. Later, this video would be concluded on the yearbooks video. Lastly, the guest was led to the auditorium where the prom night took place.

As an honored student, Chaeyoung got the special seat which was in the first row. She was supposed to give a speech after the head of the committee, the headmaster, the head of the organizer, and lastly as the representative of the third grader. She was glad that Jaehyun and the other guests besides her schoolmate weren’t there. It will be so nerve-wracking.

The opening ceremony was ended with a photo session. Some of the teachers and the committee went to the waiting room and some were staying to join their students. The first student who was coming to the hall was Sowon. Chaeyoung who saw her waved and she quickly ran towards her.

“Chaeeeng!! Woah how come you not winning the beauty queen this year?!! You are freaking gorgeous!!” Sowon came to Chaeyoung and hugged her.

Chaeyoung also complimented how pretty she looked tonight. Not long after that Eunha and Yerin came. They weren’t in the same class and it made them really miss each other. Everyone except Yerin was coming with their prom date. Eunha brought her sister and Sowon brought her boyfriend. They met at the cram school and just dating recently. Their eyes then moved to Chaeyoung, curious who will he bring. She smiled and said it was a secret that made all of them disappointed.

“Why are you still here? Aren’t you supposed to pick your prom date? He might be waiting for you outside,” asked Yerin who was sad because she would be lonely tonight as all her friends bringing their date.

“Hahaha… don’t be afraid, he will be late so I will hang out with you,” she teased Yerin.

“Count me in,” said Yuju from behind those two.

Yerin confusedly asked why Yuju came alone while she got the quota to invite her prom date. As usual, the cool Yuju said it was a bother to invite anyone.

“And you? Why are you alone? You’ve got a lot of handsome friends and handsome brothers,” Yuju teased Chaeyoung.

Just like Nayeon, Yuju and Yerin were close with the boys of the study group since they sometimes joined them. Yerin as a student and Yuju as a tutor to help Chaeyoung. It made Yuju wonder why she didn’t come with her prom date. Chaeyoung was giggling and said he will be late.

The first event of prom night was filled with the performance prepared by the third-grader from each class. Some showed a dance, music performance, and even short theater. Next, one of the students who can DJ-ing changed the school hall to become the dance floor. The highlight of this prom night was the dance battle. Anyone can join this just for a fun event, but usually, it became the battle of a hip-hop dance club, traditional dance club, and cheerleader club. They all got so hyped up when watching it. It was especially fun because they had to dance wearing a dress.

“He is still not here?” asked Yuju. The others were cheering and being excited while watching the dance battle but Chaeyoung looked so worried and constantly looking at her phone.

Chaeyoung showed a forced smile to hide her anxiety. The singing competition was about to start when the dance time was over. She wondered why Jaehyun hasn’t come yet. Earlier when the opening ceremony ended, he texted her and said he would be late, but he would be there before the competition started. But till now, he hasn’t come yet. She tried to call him, but he didn’t pick up.

The passionate dance battle finally come to an end. Now, they moved on to the next schedule. The singing competition. The MC announced to all the participants to come to gather behind the stages.

“Why are you alone? Who is your partner?” Nayeon asked Chaeyoung who came alone backstage. Chaeyoung purposely didn’t say who was the partner afraid Nayeon would scold him. She only said he will be late so she come here alone.

There were ten participants and Chaeyoung become the fifth to come on stage. Quietly Dokyeom and Nayeon came to Chaeyoung and told her to swap their number because they luckily got the last turn. She refused it at first but they insisted. After reporting to the staff their order, they were waiting for their turn. Yuju and Yerin who were worried about Chaeyoung come backstage and accompanied her until her turn.

“You should call him,” Yerin also got anxious after the third participant came off the stage. Chaeyoung agreed and followed Yerin’s advice. Since the auditorium was too noisy, Chaeyoung decided to go to a quieter place. She asked Yerin and Yuju to call her back when the 7th participant finished their performance.

“The number you are calling is not answering…,” said the woman on the phone.

It was the tenth time Chaeyoung tried to call Jaehyun but he still did not answer. She texted him with all kinds of applications but there was no answer. It made her extremely worried. Not because of their performance, but because of his whereabouts. The bad thought infiltrates her mind. Now she was thinking about all the worse things. What if Jaehyun got into an accident, what if something bad happen to him or his family? Jaehyun wasn’t the type who broke his promise.

“Chaeng, the 8th contestant is about to go up on stage. He still not answering?” Yuju asked the unnecessary question because she already know the answer through her face.

“Should I drop out from the competition?” she got so worried.

Yerin disagree and said the turn had already been announced and all the audiences were eagerly waiting for her performances. Even if he didn’t come, she still needed to perform. Yerin even offered herself to become her partner. She asked her what song she was going to perform and she said it was Best Part by Daniel Caesar. Yerin gasped and got worried because she didn’t know the lyrics.

“I know the lyrics. I will be your partner if he still not coming,” Yuju offered help.

“What? You can sing?” Yerin was surprised at Yuju’s offer.

“She is a great singer,” said Chaeyoung. As expected of Yuju, the master of disguising herself. No one knew her hidden talent.

Yerin couldn’t believe it and she gave a suspicious stare at Yuju and she stared at her back with her deadly stare. Yerin who had trauma when encountering Yuju quickly back off from that staring contest. Although Chaeyoung gladly accepted their help, she still looked so worried. Yuju could read that expression well and know she still waiting for him.

“Are you believe he would come?” Yuju asked her at the last minute as the ninth contestant was about to go up on stage.

“What? How can you ask her that? If he will come, then he should be here. Chaeng, just forget about him and go on stage with Yuju,” Yerin strongly refused Yuju’s idea to wait for Chaeyoung’s prom date.

“I… I don’t know… But… I know he is the one who won’t break his promise,” Chaeyoung still had faith in Jaehyun. She was deadly worry but she decided to believe Jaehyun will come. She put away all the bad thoughts and assumed he couldn’t be contacted because his phone was dead.

“Fine, then let’s change the plan. Yerin, you go wait at the front gate. When you see him come, you should quickly lead him here. Chaeng will stay on stage and I will stay here with the microphone. If he comes right on time, I will hand the mic but if he doesn’t come, I will use it,”

“But, there are two entrance gates. We need one more person!” Yerin got worried.

“We will help. I will standby backstage to distract the staff. In the worst-case scenario, I'll mess with the audio system if he hasn’t come. Kyeomi will wait near the stage to pass the mic. He couldn't wait outside and bring Chaeyoung's date in because he was clearly not a student,” like an oasis on the deserts Nayeon and Dokyeom appeared right on the crucial time and offered help.

“That’s brilliant! Chaeng, good luck!” said Yerin when immediately left and headed to the front gate followed by Yuju.

“Thanks, Nayeon,” said Chaeyoung. Nayeon smiled and told her to go backstage.

On backstage, Nayeon secretly took the mic and handed it to Dokyeom while the staff handed the mic and the guitar to Chaeyoung. After taking the mic, Dokyeom went to standby near the stage.

Finally, the most nerve-wracking stage she ever felt was coming. The ninth contestant left the stage and now the MC was introducing the next contestant.

“Now, it’s time for the last performance. I know you guys are so excited about her stage. After bewitched the entire school with her performances two years ago, now she is finally back to showings another amazing performance. Please welcome our unbeatable queen, Park Chaeyoung!!”

As the MC called her name, she took a deep breath and walked to the stage. The cheer from the audience made her more nervous. She was bowing to them and sat down on the chair the staff already prepared. She started tuning her guitar and tried to calm herself down. Now, as she was all ready to start the performance, she was looking to the audience. From some of the eyes, she knew they must be wondering why she was there alone without a partner. Her eyes now went to the side where Dokyeom was waiting hoping she could see a face that she desperately wanted to see. Sadly, he was nowhere to be seen. The light on the audience section slowly started to get dimmed and right at that time, her eyes caught that face!

Afraid the audience would wait long, she decided to start her performance by playing the intro with her guitar. Although she was doubted herself about what she had just seen, she was felt a bit rest assured that she won’t be singing alone. Well, if she saw it wrong, she decided to just perform and apologize to the audience later.

“Ngiiiiiiiiiing!” the sound of the mic creaking was heard right before Chaeyoung sang the first line. It made some of the audiences close their ears and some were moving their heads trying to find the culprit. Chaeyoung also getting surprised and stopped her performance.

“Tuk-tuk…,” the sound of the mic being knocked was heard after the creaking sound.

“Hemm… hemm…,” now the sound changed into a voice of a boy who was clearing his throat on the mic.

Because the sound was coming from the speaker, the audience had a hard time to found out where the sound come from. Including Chaeyoung. The staff behind the stage were panicking and checking who was their staff who mic testing in the middle of the contestant performance.

“Do you hear me? I am talking to you. Across the water across the deep blue ocean under the open sky, oh my baby I am trying,” that boy was singing with a slow tempo like he was in a musical. It made all the audiences eagerly look for the singer.

Just like the audience, Chaeyoung who was sitting on sitting on the stage got so dumbfounded. This wasn’t the song she was supposed to sing, but it would be awkward if she didn’t sing this song. Although her mind was still busy, her instinct took over her soul and she continued the song by singing the next lyric.

“Boy I hear you in my dream, I feel you whisper across the sea, I keep you with me in my heart, You make it easier when life gets hard,” as she was singing, she put down the guitar on the chair and walked towards the front stage to saw her duet partner.

“Lucky I am in love with my best friend. Lucky to have been where I have been. Lucky to be coming home again~~,” now they were singing together in acapella mode.

The split sea of the audience now stopped in front of the stage. Now, she finally saw the mysterious singer’s face. She was smiling at him walked to the edge of the stage as if she was welcoming him.

“They don't know how long it takes. Waiting for a love like this. Every time we say goodbye. I wish we had one more kiss. I'll wait for you, I promise you, I will~~~,”

Chaeyoung still had not recovered from the shock she received but as soon as she saw the sparkling eyes of the audience, she remembered her original goal. This unplanned performance was so great, and she still had a chance to win the first prize. With that mindset, she quickly turned into her professional performance mode. Now, she was acting like she was cast on the musical. Gladly, her partner wasn’t hesitating and playing along with that sudden stage play.

“Lucky I'm in love with my best friend. Lucky to have been where I have been. Lucky to be coming home again. Lucky we're in love in every way. Lucky to have stayed where we have stayed. Lucky to be coming home someday,” to not make it boring, Chaeyoung grabbed the guitar and now they were singing like her original plan.

“And so I'm sailing through the sea. To an island where we'll meet. You'll hear the music fill the air. I'll put a flower in your hair. Though the breezes through the trees. Move so pretty you're all I see. As the world keeps spinning round. You hold me right here right now,”

As they were finished those lines, they were standing up and walking to the edge of the stage and asking the audience to sing along with them. They sang the first lyrics and let the rest of the audience sing together while clapping their hands in the air as if they were in the real concert venue. Lastly, they closed the performance with the acapella.

The thunder of applause was echoing in this hall. She hold that boy’s hand and together they bowed to the audience. Before they left the stage, the MC quickly made an appearance and told them to stay a bit for the interview. The MC asked them to introduce and promote themselves.

“Hi, I am Park Chaeyoung, and…,” she was introducing herself and turned her head to the boy next to him.

“Hello, I am Jeon Jungkook,” he said shyly.

The MC was complimenting their performances and asked them whether they plan it beforehand. The entire performance was outstanding, especially the opening. It felt like they were watching a musical. They chose the right song that suits the concept well.

Didn’t want anyone to find out that he wasn’t her actual prom date, she lied and said they planned it to show an amazing performance. She received a lot of requests and wishes for performing the last time at this school so she wanted to give an amazing performance.

“Okay, so for the last question, hemm… the most anticipated question the audiences wanted to hear. Well so… Are you two…?” the MC purposely made the question hanging so she won’t get blamed for asking someone's personal life.

“Yes. Just like what you guys thought about us. It’s true. We…,” Jungkook took the initiative to answer the question.

“We…?” the MC got so excited at the next sentence.

“We are so happy if you want to vote for us,” the witty answer from Jungkook made the hall filled with a disappointing reaction.

The MC who got fooled by his words laughed because she loved this type of joke. Because the time was running, the MC finally let the duo get off the stage and proceed with the next event.

After giving back the mic, they exited backstage but intercepted with Nayeon and Dokyeom. They were demanding an explanation. Nayeon was so ready to fight Jungkook for making Chaeyoung wait for so long. People were gossiping about her because she was coming to the prom night without a prom date. She even had to wait anxiously for him to come.

“Nayeon, don’t get mad at him. It’s not his fault. There was some incident and right now, I should be grateful Jungkook come and did not make me embarrass myself on the stage. As for the detail, let’s talk about it later, okay. Now, Jungkook let’s go grab some food,” feeling bad because Jungkook took the blame for the thing he didn’t do, Chaeyoung quickly took him away. Gladly, Dokyeom understood the situation and helped those two to escape.

There were a lot of things going on in Chaeyoung’s mind. She was deadly curious about how her prom date suddenly changed? Not only that, out of all people, why Jungkook? What’s more important, what happened to Jaehyun? Why did Jaehyun send Jungkook in his place?

“There is so much food. Which one is tasty?” Jungkook’s question disturbed Chaeyoung’s complicated mind. She quickly grabbed her soul back to her body. She then told Jungkook the must-eat food on that table.

After picking their food, they went to find a spot there was less crowded. The next event was free time. The staff took this time to process the vote while most third-graders were taking this free time to take pictures or chit-chatting.

“Thanks for the rescue. Anyway, I don’t know you have such a beautiful voice,” Chaeyoung opened the conversation as soon as they found a comfortable spot to enjoy their food.

Jungkook then said his father was a vocalist in a band. Their family used to go to karaoke a lot. That’s where he learned how to sing. Practically he never had a formal vocal lesson.

“I am deadly curious about it, are you intentionally making that opening scene?” finally she threw the question that made her so curious.

Jungkook was grinning and said it was purely an accident. As soon as he arrived at the gate Yerin quickly pulled his hand and dragged him in. In the middle of the auditorium, he saw Dokyeom who suddenly handed him a mic. He was panicking and it made him drop the mic. That was the cause of the shrieking noise. Afraid the mic was broken, instinctively he checked the mic and was surprised while hearing his own voice.

“Jaehyun didn’t say anything about the song that I should sing. Since I couldn’t discuss it beforehand with you, so I just sing it. I remembered that you told the café’s grandpa that you love that song,” without being asked, Jungkook explained the origin of how he chose that song.

Chaeyoung was glad that he remembered it. If not, she wondered how messed this performance will be if he sings the song she didn’t know. The conversation paused for a while, and they were just enjoying their food while enjoying the music. Not long after, Dokyeom and Nayeon come over to them.

Nayeon still did not forget about her nagging agenda and started to interrogate Jungkook. Unlike Chaeyoung who looked restless, Jungkook answered all of it calmly. He lied by saying there was a traffic jam so that he had to run over to here. Lucky he was making the right decision. If he didn’t run here, he won’t make it on time. Nayeon was grimacing because it sounded a bit hard to believe, but then she gave up and decided to believe it. Fortunately, she didn’t stay for so long as the cheerleader club was calling her to take some pictures.

“I am sorry for making you look bad. You can just tell the truth though. I don’t mind it. I want them to know that you are actually not the bad guy here,” Chaeyoung still felt guilty for the criticism Jungkook received.

“Then let Jaehyun be the bad guy? There is no way I want to do it. Jaehyun is my friend and I don't want to ruin his reputation. Moreover, it won't look good for both of us too. People would think you got dumped by your prom date. And I would be the substitute because the main character couldn't make it,”

“Eww, why it sounds so pathetic? Hahaha… actually, nobody knows Jaehyun is my prom date. Actually, it's fine if he didn't come.  I can just say I am here alone,” her voice sounded a bit sad when she mentioned Jaehyun.

“Aren't you curious about him?” Jungkook asked the question he had been wanting to know the answer to. It's a bit unexpected that she seems not curious why Jaehyun couldn’t come.

Chaeyoung scoffed and said she was freaking scared when Jaehyun hasn’t shown up and couldn’t be reached. But, seeing he sent Jungkook here means he was all fine. There must be something urgent that made him couldn’t come.

When Jungkook heard a rumor that she was as kind as an angel, he didn’t believe it. Even after he hanged out with her, he hasn’t felt it yet. Now, he just realized how kind she was. People usually get mad when the person who asked to come does not show up until the last minute. How could she, instead of angry, get anxious? She could be lying by saying she didn’t get mad, but, from her relaxed and calm reaction, she seems to tell the truth. To be able to trust people that much, means they were indeed very close.

“Right, it is a bit strange if Jaehyun didn’t keep his promise. He is a man with words,”

“That’s why I feel guilty. I shouldn’t say that I wanted the camera. Because I said it, he sent you all the way here. Sorry,”

Jungkook didn’t get what she means at first, but after he looked at the corner where they show off the prize of each competition, he understood what she means. Jung Jaehyun was an amazing man. He deserved all that admiration and compliment. To make her achieve what she wants, he sent his friend here to replace him. To make her happy, he would do anything.

“Have you finished eating?” asked Jungkook while seeing at Chaeyoung’s empty plate.

“Oh, yeah. Why?” said Chaeyoung while putting her plate on the table.

“Let’s go. We should promote ourselves to gain their vote,”

“What? Hahaha… I no longer wanted that camera. Finishing the performance is more than enough for me,”

“Who says I do it for you? I am a competitive man. Once I play the game, I always want to win. You are the queen of this queendom, so I need your influence,” said Jungkook with a persuasive tone.

“Come on, stop with that queen jokes. It’s embarrassing,” Chaeyoung chuckled then lead him to the crowd to do some campaign.

The night was still long, but the party was scheduled to end at 20.00 PM. It was still early but that’s the school’s rules. As the event now almost come to the near end, they were busy interacting with their friends and taking pictures. As a good host, Chaeyoung and Yerin brought Jungkook to say hi to their friends. Besides making memories by documenting on the photograph, they also had a hidden mission. Promoting their performance.

“Geez don’t you guys be too cruel to me? I am the only one who has no partner. It's hard for me to take pictures because I have no assistant,” Yerin pouted when she saw the pictures on Sowon's phone.

“You have a partner too, right? Yuju. Anyway, where is she?” Eunha giggled then looked around searching for Yuju.

“She needs some fresh air so she went outside. You know, partying is not Yuju’s style,” Yerin felt more lonely because Yuju was taking a short break and now she was literally alone. She tagged along with other friends but she needs a loyal partner to get dragged anywhere.

Those friends were laughing at Yerin's whining. To comfort her, they took as many pictures as they can. When they were busy taking pictures with Chaeyoung’s phone, the incoming call was shown on the screen. It’s from Yuju. Chaeyoung picked it but since it’s so noisy, she walked to the side where was less crowded. Now, she could hear clearly and her face looked so surprised. Without further thinking, she went out and met Yuju. Yuju pointed at the bench in the garden beside and she quickly ran over to there.

Chaeyoung arrived at the garden and saw Jaehyun was sitting there alone while staring blankly into the space. It's pretty cold outside and it made her feel bad. He couldn’t enter the hall because he didn’t have an invitation. He had it before, but since he gave it to Jungkook he no longer had it.

Still, in a heavy breath, Chaeyoung came over to Jaehyun. He was wearing a black suit which looked so good on him. Chaeyoung could know he must be all ready to come here but he suddenly turned the wheel. Judging from his hair which looked a bit messy, he must have been in hurry heading to the solving his emergency situation.

“Am I late?” he stood up when Chaeyoung was standing in front of him.

“Yes, you are. But the white knight you sent to me, is not,” she was joking to make Jaehyun less guilty. She was glad he looked fine. She was curious about his reason, but she decided to wait for him. She took a precaution because something emergency might be something private that she was not supposed to know.

“The hospital informed me Naeun has woken up. She had been unconscious for three days after her surgery. The doctors told me it is better to have her company. Her parents couldn’t come right away because it took some time for them to reach Seoul. So, I had to go in their place,” without being asked Jaehyun opened up about the reason why he couldn’t keep his promise.

“Is she okay??” Chaeyoung couldn’t think about another thing but worried about Naeun's condition.

“Don’t worry. She is all fine. As bright as usual. Although she still looks weak and pale. The doctor said Naeun miraculously passed the critical condition after surgery. She will get better by the time,” said Jaehyun with a happy yet sad tone.

“Anyway, I am sorry, I can’t keep my promise. Naeun’s parents came right on time, but I couldn’t just leave. I didn’t know why she stubbornly wanted me to stay,” wanted to show that he actually did not forget about his promise, he continued to explain the situation.

“No, you are doing a good job. She needs you more than me. By the way, why are you here? You are already late for the competition. Besides, how did you get her permission?” Chaeyoung was curious at what reason he come all the way here in the not-so-good timing.

“That’s… Naeun wanted to meet you. She realized I am wearing a suit and asked me what my occasion was. I told her I had to go to a party with you. Hearing your name being mentioned she begged me to bring you there. She said she wanted to see you,” truthfully Jaehyun didn’t want to say it to her. Since it’s an important event for her, he didn’t want to ruin it further.

“It’s okay. I will wait until the prom night is over. You can go back there. Don’t mind me. I just come because she was insisted, and her parents also begged me. It’s kind of strange but, I just can’t say no…,”

“No, let’s go now,” Chaeyoung cut Jaehyun’s speech. Without warning, she stood up and walked towards the gate, leaving Jaehyun who was still processing what was going on.

Before she left too far, Jaehyun quickly chased her and stopped her by holding her wrist. Chaeyoung was a bit surprised but then Jaehyun said she went the wrong way. She looked at him confusedly, but he just smiled showing his deep dimples. Without words, Jaehyun led her in the right direction. Once again Chaeyoung was surprised when Jaehyun opened a car door for her.

“You have a license?” Chaeyoung looked at him suspiciously. He scoffed and took his wallet out and showed his license. She smiled then nervously got on to the car.

“Aren’t you going to inform Jungkook? My phone is dead so I can’t call him,” said Jaehyun while still focused on driving. It’s his first time driving for real on the street while usually just driving around his home complex.

Chaeyoung gasped and quickly took her phone. She then texted Jungkook, apologized for leaving abruptly in the middle of the event. Gladly Jungkook replied to her right away and ensure her he was fine with it. Moreover, he already finished his job and now it’s time to go home. She was glad but also felt sorry for leaving without noticing.

Jaehyun who secretly found the change of expression from Chaeyoung couldn’t help but feel guilty towards Jungkook too. He was the one who asked him for helped yet he was also the one who kidnapped her.

“By the way? How’s the competition going? Did Jungkook do a good job?” Jaehyun was trying to distract her mind.

The question was successful. She smiled as her mood quickly changed. Excitedly she told Jaehyun about that drama-like stage. It’s so cringy yet romantic. Unexpectedly, despite being cringy, people loved their performance. She also complimented how different Jungkook was when he was on and off stage. She didn’t expect Jungkook had that kind of side. Today was the first day she witnessed his artistic and musical sense. Not only that but he was also extremely friendly and easygoing. Unlike the gossip he had on her school, he was so friendly and funny towards her friends. Although she didn’t know whether he did that to promote or it was just him being himself. The story continued until they arrived at the hospital parking lot.

“Woah, it seems like rather than me, you like Jungkook better,” said Jaehyun while turning off the car’s engine.

 “Well, I had to admit, Jungkook’s stage was slightly better than yours. You know, teenagers love that cliché and romantic stage better than the cool and amazing stage. It’s a high school prom night after all,” it sounds like she said it to tease Jaehyun, but it was truly her honest opinion.

Jaehyun looked at her with a judging face. It made her laugh and ask whether he was jealous of Jungkook. Jaehyun didn’t say anything and just took off his seatbelt and told Chaeyoung to do so. Chaeyoung smirked then took off the seatbelt and get ready to get out. Before they got out of the car, Chaeyoung’s phone was ringing. It was from Naeun’s Mom. She picked it up and just nodded without saying anything until the end of the conversation.

“Who? Jungkookie?” asked Jaehyun who was still sitting in the car waiting for her to end the conversation.

Chaeyoung shook her head then opened the car door. On their way to the elevator, Chaeyoung once again tried to confirm Jungkook’s personality that she saw tonight. This time she was asking out of curiosity.

“Why? Does his reverse charm catch your attention?” Jaehyun finally responded to her question once they arrived in front of the elevator.

Chaeyoung smiled and said she was just curious. She didn’t explain any further, afraid she would leak their past unconsciously. She and Jaehyun were closer than before but somehow, she felt uncomfortable to tell him about Jungkook.

“Jungkookie has many fans. You must wait in the long queue to become the official fans,” said Jaehyun while pushing the elevator button.

“It’s expected. For someone full of charms like him,” Chaeyoung responded while busy reading the new incoming message from Naeun’s mom.

“Yeah. It will be harder for you. Even someone as gorgeous as Nayeon had a hard time handling his charm,” Jaehyun was giggling, happily teasing Chaeyoung.

The beeping sound was heard to announce the arrival of the elevator. The door opened and both of them got inside that empty box.

“You, do you hate me?” asked Chaeyoung once the door was closed.

“Oh, come on. I just tease you. Don’t be so serious,” Jaehyun thought Chaeyoung was upset due to his previous tease.

“No, I am being serious. Answer me, do you hate me?” her tone was changed and it made Jaehyun aware she wasn’t joking.

“Of course not. Why should I hate you?” Jaehyun felt a bit uncomfortable when replying. Somehow he felt something bad about to happen.

“Great,” she responded with one brief word. Jaehyun who was curious wanted to ask more questions but sadly the elevator was beeping and more people coming in. It’s too embarrassing and awkward to continue so he just kept it until they arrived.

The beeping sound was heard again and now they both got out of the elevator, heading to Naeun’s room. Before they reached the receptionist desk, Jaehyun stopped Chaeyoung by holding her wrist. Her last question still bothered him, and he couldn’t help but ask for an explanation. It will be awkward to have a conversation in the middle of the hallway, so he bought her to the waiting room area.

“What’s with that question?” asked Jaehyun while inserting some coins into the coffee machine.

Unlike what he wanted, Chaeyoung didn’t say a single word. It made him look at her, demanding an answer. She knew he was giving her an intense staring, but she still ignored him. The first coffee cup was made and now it’s Chaeyoung’s turn to insert some coins.

“Jaehyuna,” she finally opened while waiting for the coffee to be made by the machine.

Hearing his name being called gave him a chill. He remembered it. The way she called his name like that, means there was something big that going to be revealed.

“Eung,” he responded.

“You said you don’t hate me. So, it means you like me, right?” the coffee was already made but she still did not take it out from the machine. Rather, she was only staring at it.

“If there are only two options, then of course. I like you,” the last words weren’t easy to say but he tried to pronounce it as if was nothing.

“Me too. I don’t hate you,”

The air suddenly got heavier that caused Jaehyun to feel hard to breathe.

“Jaehyuna…,” this time his name was being called with a softer and sad voice.

“We… Let’s date,”