It’s been a year now, the boys are still as close as ever. Only hyungseob was rarely seen whenever woojin was around, but the others were still close and hung out alot with hyungseob. Only the two younger ones know why, but they don’t force hyungseob to come along if he doesn’t feel like it. Jihoon had noticed and asked, but hyungseob told him not to worry. Woojin noticed as well, he did asked but hyungseob just smiled at him saying he’s overthinking things. It’s just schedules that don’t match, he says. They still play at the park like usual though, all of them.

Also, there has been a new addition in their group somehow. Jihoon had brought in the new guy when they went to the park one day. The boy looked like a shy kid, hiding behind jihoon as he introduced him to the rest.

“Guys, meet jinyoung! Bae Jinyoung.” Jihoon smiled widely as he took a step to the side, revealing the boy behind him.

Jinyoung lifted his head slightly and gave a small smile, softly saying hi to the others.

“He’s my mom’s friend’s son! Now also my new friend! Right jinyoung?” jihoon nudged jinyoung’s side playfully. Jinyoung nodded. “He just recently moved here.”

“Let’s be friends too!”

“Yeah! Can we be friends too? We’re good i promise!”

“Yes yes jinyoung! A friend of jihoon’s is also our friend!”

“Yea, you can join us every time we play! So we can finally have an even 3:3 match!”

“Come on jinyoung, answer them” jihoon smiled at jinyoung.

Jinyoung looked at jihoon, then at the other four looking at him, patiently waiting. He answered in a soft voice, smiling “Yea, we can be friends.”

Then seonho and hyungseob right away had crash into jinyoung, hugging the new boy in a tight hug. While the other three boys were laughing at jinyoung being attacked. After a while, they helped out the poor boy and continued onto introductions. They found out Jinyoung was nine years old, older than the two young ones, younger than the three ten year olds.

They all enjoyed playing around that day, they had gained a new friend and jinyoung had gained four more new friends thanks to jihoon.

Woojin hadn’t thought much about the effects later on, he enjoyed the new kid being in their circle.

That is, until the week later. Little by little, as the days go by, woojin started feeling a tiny bit unsatisfied with the effects of having someone new in their circle. Especially when it looks like jihoon was paying more and more attention towards jinyoung. The said two sometimes hanging out by themselves without the rest. Also, woojin found it slightly unsettling with how jinyoung was somewhat stealing his spot beside jihoon whenever they hung out altogether.

Jihoon had said that he just wants to help jinyoung get used to the place since he was new. Also said that it was normal that jinyoung was sticking to him more than the rest since jihoon was the first friend he had before meeting the others.

That weekend, the boys decided to hang out at jinyoung’s house instead. Since jinyoung’s family had just finished settling in, furnitures and all out of the boxes and at their rightful places. The boy’s were at awe when they stepped in jinyoung’s house. It was huge and looked really good.

They looked around, careful not to accidentally break anything. Woojin had went over to the shelves, there were alot of pictures of jinyoung and his family. Scanning all of the frames, until his eyes stops at three frames near the end. One of them was a picture of jihoon. Just jihoon. The other two other were pictures of jihoon and jinyoung. Just the two of them. When did they take this? And why does he have a picture of jihoon alone. Woojin thought.

He called over jihoon to ask. “Look at this, jinyoung has a picture of you” he chuckled.

“Ah, this. I gave it to him actually!” jihoon laughed as he picked up the frame.

Woojin was confused, why would he give jinyoung a picture of himself. He hadn’t given the others and woojin a picture of him. He shrugs it off. “What about this one, when did you guys take this? Without us?”

Jihoon smiled sheepishly, putting the frame back down. “It was when i took jinyoung around on a tour to get familiar with the places. You guys were busy so i didn’t ask.”

Woojin would have gone with them either way if jihoon asked, but he doesn’t voice this out.

Once they were in jinyoung’s room. They started discussing on what to play that day.

“I know! Let’s play soldiers! In war! With all the forts and stuffs. We can go three against three!!” seonho had suggested enthusiastically.

The boys nodded and decided to play war.

“How do we split though?” woojin asked.

“Scissors paper stone! The last two standing are the leaders and the winner gets to pick first.” seonho smiled widely.

They played and the final two results were jihoon against guanlin. In the end, guanlin won, so he gets to pick one of the other four first.

Laughing happily at his win, guanlin tugged seonho to stand beside him. “I take seonho!”

Seonho clung tightly onto guanlin “I knew i could trust you bro. Chicks staying strong!”

The other four shook their heads at the youngests antics and laughed. Now it was jihoon’s turn to pick. Jinyoung had been waving his arms around saying pick me, telling jihoon to pick him. However, woojin was pretty much sure jihoon’s gonna pick him, because like how guanlin and seonho are close, jihoon and woojin are that close as well. Both of them picking each other eversince.

So when jihoon had tugged jinyoung to his side, saying he chooses jinyoung, that was when woojin felt jinyoung had stolen his best friend away from him, much more stolen his crush from him in just a week. Woojin felt replaced and that slight growing dislike towards jinyoung surfaced. Now he was aware of what that unsettling feeling during the week was. Woojin felt mad and betrayed. Mad that jinyoung stole his best friend in a week, betrayed that jihoon chose jinyoung over him when he always chooses woojin for anything they do. His brows scrunching up abit as he stares at the two. Jinyoung smiling happily and jihoon laughing when jinyoung hits him.

Hyungseob at the side was silently staring at woojin, noticing the change in his mood and expression. He wonders why, what happened for him to suddenly change. Guanlin called hyungseob next, claiming him as his team. Hyungseob hadn’t noticed until seonho had tugged him over, saying they had to go build a fort now. One last worried glance at woojin, hyungseob then followed the younger ones out of the room.

With hyungseob completing the other team, woojin was now left to automatically be in jihoon and jinyoung’s team. If woojin had been chosen first, he wouldn’t have minded being with jinyoung. He would have still felt happy being in jihoon’s team knowing that jihoon still has his back. But right now, woojin didn’t want to be in the same team as the two. He watched the two laughing and whispering while they build the fort. Great, do they even realise i exist? Woojin thought. Crossing his arms he sat at the corner far from the two.

“Woojin! Can you get those pillows? Please? Pass it over” jihoon called out.

Woojin would have gladly ignored him, but he couldn’t. Begrudgingly, he took the pillows and walked over to them. He dropped them near jihoon, and jihoon thanked him.

“Woojin, hold this for me.” jihoon asked, tugging woojin’s hand and placing it on top of the fort wall.

Woojin had wanted to return back to the corner, but now he had no choice but to sit here. He can also clearly see the two of them laughing as jihoon pinched jinyoung for hitting him with a pillow.

When can I go home.

Woojin hated every minute he had to look at the both of them.

Woojin’s dislike toward’s jinyoung was also growing with each laugh the two shared. Woojin was beginning to think the dislike might grow into hate soon at this rate.

When can I go home.

Notes:

wheezes, hi its been a while. forgive me, i was dying from assignments and i still am tbh. what are deadlines really.
and DUN DUN DUN a new kid. what else could happen really.
also unedited. forgive me if there's any mistakes, please do tell me.

hopefully i'll be able to update next week after i hand in my assignment wheezes. stay with me guys. and wooop, is that a rival we have now?