When Junhoe paid me back, I grabbed the chance to ask what his next class was. It was pure coincidence that I had the same one, so without room for his refusal, I dragged him with me. I didn't care if we weren't that close, all I knew was that I had to put him inside that lecture hall. My teacher senses were tingling, okay?

Soon after that incident, he'd avoid me because he knew I'd drag him to his class again. It was funny to watch him running away from me, like I had a contagious disease or something. But I didn't give up. I knew it came in handy because soon, he began attending the class, even without the dragging.

Junhoe would annoy me in the middle of the lecture—his own way of payback—but it was okay. At least I got him attending, right? Ever since then, we hang out. Okay, maybe because I want to keep him in check too. He has to attend his classes.

After snacking at the food stalls in front of the university, we're walking on the sidewalk, letting our stomachs digest the food we ate. We have fifteen minutes to spare before our next class so we're not rushing or anything, enjoying the brisk air of summer. It's quite sunny but not to the point it'd burn our skin.

"So why boyfriend-less?" Junhoe asks. One thing I learn from hanging out with him is he's real chatty, if he wants to. Kinda a surprising fact since he exuded this 'silent guy' vibes when we first met.

I glance at him, finding his question a bit ridiculous. He's not the first person to ask me that. "Why does everyone assume I have to have a boyfriend? There's more to life than being tied to someone, you know. I know I have a pretty face, but this pretty face doesn't need a man."

He throws his hands up in the air. "No need to be defensive. Geez, I was asking..."

"Well, is it that weird? That I don't have a boyfriend, I mean."

Shrugging, he answers, "Surely you have someone keeping you busy."

"You're keeping me busy. Does that count?"

"Well, I'm flattered but—Wait..." Junhoe turns to me. "Is that you indirectly saying you like me?"

"Ha-ha. Please don't flatter yourself."

He looks like he'd say something in return but I stop on my tracks. He also stops and throws me a look, asking why I did that. "Hey, Junhoe. Do you have some spare change?"

"Is that your clever way of changing the subject?"

"Look." I nod towards a tanned middle-aged man wearing ragged clothes. He's lying on his chest on top of a woodboard, a small box in front of him. His face is strained with pain but every time someone passes by, he puts a smile. My heart lurches at the sight. I want to drop some money but all my money is in one bill. A part of me regrets spending a lot more than I should on snacks, then I'd have some spare change.

"Okay, why should I be concerned?"

"Do you have spare change? I don't have for the mean time but I promise I'll pay you back—"

"Chaeyoung, they make a living off your kindness. Most of the time, it's a scam."

My heart drops at that. "Gosh, Junhoe. What's the matter with you?"

But he continues to look oblivious. "What? Did I say something wrong?"

I shake my head. He doesn't understand so I leave him be and go to the nearest pedestrian lane. There are more arrays of shops if I go to the opposite side.

"Chaeyoung, we have class in fifteen minutes—"

"Go on without me," I cut him off without looking back, too busy watching for incoming cars as I start walking on the white lines.

I know Junhoe isn't exactly a saint and I know there's some truth in what he said. But I can't help it. What he said makes me sad. The thing is, a small act of kindness can mean a lot to an individual. I have a roof over my head, I can eat three meals a day and more than that, so it doesn't hurt if I give a little bit to others. Moreover, it's a summer day, imagine how many hours that man's under the heat.

Entering the nearest bakery I can find, I buy some varieties of bread and water. After the purchase, I turn around and almost yell when I spot Junhoe's behind me. I don't notice him following.

"I thought you went inside?" I ask while massaging the middle of my chest. Gosh, he scared me.

He places his hands inside his jean pockets and shrugs. Expecting him to answer, I wait, but he just stares at me. I shake my head, wondering why I waited for him in the first place, and push past him. He follows behind.

After crossing the street and covering some distance, we arrive in front of the old man. I crouch in front of him, offering one of my best smiles as I hold out the plastic bag. The man looks at me for a second, then to the items on my hands, before his eyes fill with gratefulness when he takes it.

"Thank you," he timidly says.

The smile on my face grows bigger. "No problem."

He puts the plastic bag down and tries to unscrew the cap off the water bottle. My sight leads down to his hands, of his fingertips that are deformed, shortened, you can say. He wedges the cap between his index finger and thumb to open the bottle but it's obvious he's struggling. I resist the urge for pity to creep in my eyes by smiling once again. Holding out my hand in front of him, I say, "Can I?"

The old man tips his head down before giving the bottle to me. After opening it, I give it back.

"Thank you," he says again.

After making sure he's well, I stand on my feet. Junhoe's behind me, too lost in his own thoughts that he doesn't see me in front of him.

"Junhoe?"

My voice sends him out of his reverie. He blinks for a lot of times before shaking his head, as if chasing away a thought. "Let's go?"

It's no use being upset at him anymore so I nod. The walk back to the university is filled with silence from the both of us, but strangely, it isn't awkward.

When we pass the gates and follow the walkway, Junhoe is the first one to break the silence. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"That man you helped, I saw men dropping him off from a bus. Scams are pretty rampant 'round here. I know you know that too."

"What's the question there?"

"Why did you help him even if you know that?"

Tucking my hair behind my ears, I reply, "All I see is someone who shouldn't be out on a hot day. We're more than capable to help others, Junhoe."

Junhoe smiles but doesn't say anything. I look ahead, hoping he won't see, when I feel myself smiling too.

-🌸-

I can't believe Mino hyung dragged Chaeyoung to our table.

It's lunch when Mino spots her and calls her to sit with us. She can't refuse either because he's a senior.

I know he's trouble, the boys are, ever since they find out I'm hanging out with a girl. They're curious because I'm not saying anything—what am I supposed to say? We're friends and it stays as that—and drags Chaeyoung here for their own enjoyment. Pricks.

Chaeyoung sits in the middle of Jinwoo hyung and Mino hyung, me in front of her, Seungyoon hyung and Seunghoon hyung beside me. She's fidgeting in her seat. I want to kick everyone for pulling something like this—except Jinwoo, of course. Chaeyoung doesn't come off as the type to hurt anybody but I get the impression she's gonna kill me if I do that.

I admit, seeing Chaeyoung tongue-tied is interesting to watch. Mino's firing questions while Jinwoo pacifies him for her. She's flustered, it's obvious in her reddish cheeks. I get the sense it's not because of Mino's stupid questions. She's stealing glances at Jinwoo when she thinks he's not looking.

While Mino's having his Q&A, Seungyoon opens a tupperware with chocolate cake. "It's from Yunhyeong. Said they had lots of left-overs at his sister's party," he explains as he distributes paper plates and plastic forks for each of us. "The others on their vacant will come too."

My forehead crease. "The others are coming?"

Knowing the others are coming spells more trouble. I glance at Chaeyoung who's doing her best to answer Mino. It may come off as heartless that I'm not helping her but she has Jinwoo anyway.

Seunghoon's curious about another thing however. "Yunhyeong's sister? The hot one?"

I see Hanbin coming behind Seunghoon. He hears what he says and buts in, "Hey, dibs on me!"

Seunghoon turns around just as Hanbin sits on the nearest chair. "Thought you're into Junhoe's friend?"

"Who?" Hanbin glances at Chaeyoung. "Are you talking about her?"

Seunghoon rolls his eyes. "Not that one. The other one. You know, the one who punched you in the face?"

Seungyoon, who's serving cake, laughs at that.

I sneak out a smirk. I know who they're talking about.

Lee Hayi; a scary noona who's my next-door neighbor. Even the name makes me shudder. No one bullied me because I'm living next to her. I didn't know what she did in high school but everyone was scared.

It's even a mystery why Hanbin likes her. He met her on a math enrichment class they took once. He bugs me to drag her to a group blind date ever since. Not gonna happen though. I value my life more than anything.

Hanbin shrugs and pretends his ego isn't bruised. "I'm keeping my options open."

Donghyuk's arrival cuts our chance to more. He drops his backpack on the chair opposite Hanbin and sweeps his gaze on the table. "Hey, who's that—" He gasps when his eyes land on Chaeyoung. "Park Chaeyoung?"

She stops in mid-sentence and turns to Donghyuk. When she does, her eyes light up in recognition. "Oppa! What are you doing here?"

Huh. She's calling him 'oppa'. What's this?

Mino looks back and forth between the two. "You two know each other?"

"We went to the same cram school." Donghyuk sets aside the plate Seungyoon brings him. "These are my friends and seniors, Chaeyoung. Why are you here too? I don't mean to take offense, of course."

Mino grins. "She's the girl, Donghyuk-ah. Junhoe's girl."

"Girl?" Donghyuk face brightens. "Oh, that girl... Wait. It's Chaeyoung?!" Now he's gripping the table and turns to me in panic. What is this guy even...?

Chaeyoung shakes her hands in front of her. "No no no. I – I'm not anybody's girl. We're friends, you see?"

She glances at me for help. I sigh. Fine.

"Can you all drop it? We're friends. How many times do I have to say that?"

"Sure..." Mino prolongs the word. "Considering you didn't contact us for a while and forms a friendship with her, it's not suspicious at all."

"I was going through some stuff. You know that."

"Mhm. You're not convincing me otherwise." Mino taps the side of his head with his index finger. "I know these things." He leans closer. "So, going back to my initial question; are you guys dating?"

They ask me this when I'm alone. It's only Mino who has the guts to ask the same thing with Chaeyoung around. I know Mino's older but he's starting to piss me off. He's asking the wrong questions. Can't a guy and a girl stay friends without being questioned?

Fed up with this circus, I stand up. "Whatever. We're going." I nod towards Chaeyoung. "Chaeyoung."

Somehow at the time I spent arguing with an idiot, she's having a conversation with Jinwoo. She didn't even hear me. Jinwoo brushes his hair back and it causes his elbow to nudge her arm. So he says sorry. She tells him it's nothing, although with the way she purses her lips, I know it's not nothing. She wants to smile but doesn't want to let it show. Even the most oblivious person in the world can see how much she likes him.

I roll my eyes. I love my privacy but I don't like interrupting a moment either. So I sit back down. "We're going. After we finish this cake."

-🌸-

From the corner of my eyes, I watch Junhoe leaning on the wall, forehead creasing more as he stares at the papers on his hands. The expected reaction comes from him when he groans aloud and puts the papers down. He's sitting cross-legged on the floor but unfolds it to kick his feet like a kid.

I let out a little laugh, unbothered by this reaction. The tapping sound my fingers make on Junhoe's laptop doesn't falter. Some people glance our way and if it isn't because of that, I would've kept quiet.

"Keep it down. You're disturbing the other customers."

He rolls his eyes and reaches out an arm to grab some tacos on the table. After munching on it, he comments, "I hate school."

"You're being a drama queen."

"Don't pretend you don't hate it either."

I shrug and press enter to start another paragraph. "I do, yes, but a little less than you. You should learn to love the things you hate. It's like math but—"

He waves me off. "Tell me something I don't know."

Deciding to annoy him for a bit, I say, "If you study hard and endure it a little, you'll catch up on missed classes and—"

Junhoe groans aloud again. "You're annoying, you know that?"

"That's the idea."

He scoots closer, his feet nudging my thigh in the process, and props an elbow on the table, leaning the side of his head on his palm so he's facing me. "I hate school."

"We already established that." My fingers stall on top of the keyboard. Biting my lips, I look at the ceiling as I figure what I'm supposed to type in the first place. Ugh. Junhoe being noisy is breaking my concentration.

In my haste to conjure the idea out of my head, I see him staring at me. My eyebrows rise for a second, asking him why. He moves away from the table in response. "Sorry about my friends."

"That's quite... random."

It is. Three days already passed since that incident at the cafeteria. After spending a lot of time with Junhoe, I forget that he has many friends, and hot ones too. When I told Jennie unnie and Jisoo unnie about it, all I received were slaps on the arm, then asked why I didn't call them. Why would I think of that? It sounds like his friends are big shots or something.

Looking back, it's an amusing memory. Besides being overjoyed that I got to spend time with Jinwoo, what Mino did was something else. It felt like I was on a hot seat and he was a talk show host with questions like, "Are you two dating?', 'When did you meet?', 'Did you know you're his first girlfriend after the break up?', 'Is this a fling thing or nah?'

"I told you, it's nothing," I reassure him. "They seem like good friends, especially Mino sunbaenim."

"That guy's an invasive prick. Remember the stupid questions?"

I giggle. "Instead of talking behind your friend's back, why don't you help me with our paper?"

Junhoe covers his mouth when he yawns and leans his head on my shoulder. "Later."

"Wha – Hey! Are you sleeping on me?"

As he crosses his arms, he nods, the movement felt against the fabric of my shirt. He closes his eyes and although I'd love to argue, I don't because Junhoe looks a little tired. Ugh. Why am I such a nice person?

"This is why they don't pick friends for partners..." I mutter without thinking.

"Are you saying something?"

"N – Nothing!"

Junhoe doesn't say anything after that and I take it as a cue to resume my work. Because of the silence on his end, my head clears and I can think better.

After a few minutes though, I can't resist not looking at him. He smells good and it's disturbing my focus. Traces of lemon and mint peppers his hair. I wonder if it's his shampoo? His clothes always give off a flowery scent, something that's similar to a detergent mom used before. Perfumes aren't really his thing. Not that he ever needs it, of course. I don't know what it is with guys, but they always smell good. Well, at least most of the guys I know.

My eyes wander to his closed ones. His eyelashes are longer than I thought. I'm kinda envious.

Junhoe shifts on his position, scooting closer to the crook of my neck. My shoulders tense up. It's something that tickles me a bit. I'm kinda sensitive on the neck part and with him brushing his hair... why am I affected about this?

Shaking my head, I continue my work on the laptop. Maybe it's because he's close to me. It'll pass, I know for sure. It's not everyday a guy leans on me after all.

"Chaeyoung," Junhoe speaks out of the blue.

"Y – You're not sleeping?"

"I'm trying to." He taps my arm twice. "Relax. My pillow's kinda bumpy."

"Oh..." I stop tensing my shoulders and bite my lips instead. I hope he doesn't call me out for acting weird. "Sorry."

After a beat passes by, I thought he's going back to sleep, but he speaks again.

"Hey. This will sound weird, but that one-sided love you told me about... is it Donghyuk?"

I stop typing to send him a glance. "No. We just met in cram school. Why'd you ask?"

The ends of his mouth curve a little. "Nothing."

Blinking for a while, I shrug it off. He's being weird too.

-🌸-

"Junhoe, my man. Just the guy I was looking for!"

I walk faster in the crowded hallway when I see Hanbin approaching. With the way he's smiling, I know he's up to no good.

He catches up anyways. "Woah, easy. I'll not do anything bad."

"What is it? What do you need? I don't have money and most of all, I don't have time."

He chuckles although it sounds like it's forced. "I'm not asking any of those things." Hanbin folds his arms behind him. "There's this group blind date and we're short of one girl—"

"No. I'm not asking Hayi noona in your stead. How many times do I have to say this?"

"Which is why I'm not asking her," he says with a grin. "I'm asking about your other friend. You know, the tall and pretty one?"

"Chaeyoung?"

"Yeah... Wait. Is that her name? Is she the one we ate cake with?"

Why, of all people, does it have to be her? Frowning, I say, "She's unavailable. Sorry."

I walk away from him and possibly, this conversation, but he blocks my way. Damn people walking around. If it isn't crowded here, I could've escaped this annoying hyung.

"Okay. Let's be clear about something else. Are you dating her?"

"What – Stop speaking nonsense, for goodness' sake."

"Courting her?"

"No."

"Like her?"

"No!"

"Then why are you adamant in refusing? If you aren't dating her, not courting her, don't like her, then you shouldn't have a problem asking her for this blind date."

"Because..." My brain fumbles for a reason to reply. "I know she'll refuse right away. She doesn't like those things."

Hanbin's going to leave it at that, he should, when he grins again, not at me, but at something behind me. "Why don't you ask her yourself?"

I turn around and see Chaeyoung emerging from the crowds. She isn't hard to find with her white blouse and jeans. Why does she look pretty today? Is she wearing make-up? That can't be right. She only wears lipgloss because she's too busy for that. Wait. Why am I thinking like this? Chaeyoung doesn't strike me as pretty before.

"Hello," she greets and bows at Hanbin while keeping the books close to her chest. "Good afternoon, sunbaenim."

Hanbin sends me a look and nudges my back. I don't want to do what he wants me to do but to prove a point, I ask her anyway. It's not like she'll accept it, right? She's too cool for—

"Call. When's the meeting?"

What?

Hanbin throws me a 'told you so' look and beams at Chaeyoung. "I'll chat you the details. What's your contact ID?"

She hovers over him as he brings out his handphone. "Oh, it's..."

I can't believe this. This is not happening.

"Why in hell's name are you going?" I can't resist to ask.

She glances at me. "Well, I remembered you saying I should have fun in college. I haven't been to one before. Isn't it exciting?"

Damn it. This is not the time to use my words against me.

"It isn't exciting." To entice her out of it, I say, "There's a lot of booze involved."

Hanbin pats my chest using his phone. "Hey. Are you her boyfriend? Who are you to say when she should go and shouldn't go?"

Chaeyoung joins in as she places her hands on her hips and mock-glares at me, all the while grinning. She looks cute, damn it. "Yeah, Junhoe. Are you my boyfriend?"

Scoffing, I reply, "I'm being a good friend and this is what I get?"

"You're not a good friend if you're hindering me from my happiness," Chaeyoung replies and looks at her watch. "Shoot. I'm gonna be late for my class." She looks at me then to Hanbin, to which she bows again. "I'll get going."

Hanbin hums a response and waves her goodbye when she walks away. Both of us share looks. Have I already said that he looks stupid when he grins?

"Hyung."

"Oh?"

"Let me join too."

"Where?" He's smiling again. I hate this.

"The blind date."

"Why?"

I restrain myself from smacking his head. He's making it hard for me. The worst part is, he's enjoying every second of it.

"Because..."

"Because what?"

"I'm interested."

"Just interested?"

I scratch my head. "Yeah."

"But we're already complete. Three on three."

"Then... give me your slot."

"What's in it for me?" he challenges me as he crosses his arms.

Hanbin isn't a hard man to please. Give him food and he'll be happy for a week, will even remember you bestowing kindness after a lot of years. But it's not enough. I need something that will make him say yes...

Got it.

"I'll give you Hayi noona's number."

Wincing at my life flashing before my eyes, I hope this is the right decision.

"Yes!" Hanbin cheers and does a victory dance while pointing at me. "No take backs, okay?"

"What...?"

Why does he look relieved... Oh.

I've been duped. Damn it. Hayi's gonna kill me.

-🌸-

It's the first group blind date I'll be attending. I even prepared everything extra special. My clothes, my make-up, even the things that I should say and ask. I'll be surrounded by strangers. It's not a good idea to set off a bad impression, right?

Not until I discover Junhoe's there too. Hanbin sunbaenim had an emergency so he's his replacement. I don't know if I should be relieved or not. Junhoe's ruining it for me, seriously. In our drinking game, I lose again and again but he's taking my shots like it's his own in the first place. What's wrong wth him?

"Ooooh, someone wants to be a black knight, huh?" Yunhyeong sunbaenim teases on the far end of the table. He belongs to Junhoe's big group of friends, someone who's real handsome. He has the looks of an ulzzang, exudes this royalty aura around him and acts like one, not in a bad way of course.

Junhoe downs my shot in one go and sets it down. Wincing, he wipes his lips with the back of his hand. I send him a disapproving look across the table. Why is he even here? He's seriously...

The girls sitting on the same bench as mine, giggle. Dahyun who's right next to me, nudges my arm as she sends me a suggestive look. Nayeon, on the other hand, is displaying a cute gummy smile. It's the first time I meet them but they're already giving me weird vibes.

Bobby sunbaenim, also one of Junhoe's friends, pats Junhoe on the shoulder with a proud smile on his face. "Really... Junhoe's the man."

When it's my turn to drink up, Junhoe's reaching for the shot glass for the nth time, not when I nudge his hand away. It's an action that's received negatively.

"You can't drink. You'll hate it," he says as an explanation, like that's already enough.

I look at him, my resolution unwavering. The last part's true but he's making me look like a girl who needs some saving. "I'm more than capable of handling my liquor, thank you very much."

To prove a point, I raise the glass on my mouth and gulp everything down. When I do, I start regretting it. The liquid feels warm down my throat and the taste... ugh. How can people drink this? This is... this is so unpleasant. I hate this. I hate this. I hate this.

A groan cannot help escape my lips when I place the glass down. The bitter taste settles on my tongue even as time passes by. Why does it feel unpleasant? TV people make it look like it's fun...

Another round begins and I lose again. I'm so unlucky, why? The alcohol... Half of me wants to let Junhoe keep drinking in my place. At the same time, I don't want to because what will that make me look like? Nayeon can hold her liquor as much as the other guys. She already downed five shots of soju like it's water.

It's a first that I'm in an event involving alcohol. My seniors offered to take me to one but I always have the parents excuse. It's true anyways. They set a strict curfew for me, nine in the evening to be exact. I don't get it. After high school, you'd think I'd gain more freedom, but I didn't. To attend, I made up an excuse, said I'm going late out for a study group. It doesn't feel good lying but I know they will not agree. Now that I think about it, I'm feeling guilty...

I grab the filled soju glass before I can hesitate. I should have fun for tonight. It'll help make me feel less guilty, I know for sure.

Junhoe's looking at me helpless after I down one shot after another. I feel lightheaded and everything's starting to get hazy but I fight it off. I'm okay. I know I'm okay.

In the middle of the haze, I see Junhoe standing up in front of me. "That's enough. Let's go home."

"Stop being a killjoy, geez," I mutter when he reaches out to grab my wrist that I slap away.

His eyebrows are almost meeting at the way he's looking at me. What? What did I do wrong?

"You're drunk. Let me take you home."

There's some struggling between us that ends up with the others kicking us out. Well, they didn't exactly kick us out but I think Junhoe's persuasive enough for them to let us go. Where's the fun in that?

My eyesight is wavering? What's this? Why can't I maintain my balance?

I almost trip over Junhoe who crouches in front of me. To stabilize myself, I grab hold of a railing on the bridge we're in. Woah. I look around and realize it's the bridge near our apartment. How – How did we get here fast?

"W – Wha—"

"I'll carry you on my back. Goodness, you're a handful..."

Patting his back, I say, "No need. I can walk myself, thank you very much..."

I get on his back anyways. I can't help it. His back looks inviting. Junhoe stands up when I do and holds my legs, my arms around his neck. Mmm... He's so warm... Did I say he smells real good? Like good good. I'll sniff him until all of his scent is gone. Why does he smell so gooood?

"Stop eating so much. You're really heavy."

Well, that's rude. I slap his back. "I'm not heavy!"

He chuckles but doesn't say anything. Closing my eyes, I listen to the only noise of the passing cars. The night air is cool against my skin and it helps me sober a bit. Junhoe adjusts his hold by hoisting me up a little, something that made me giggle.

"Am I that heavy?"

"Heavy as a truck."

I slap his back again. "I only weigh forty-six kilograms, thank you very much."

"You'll never reveal that to me if you're sober," he says with an amused tone.

"I'm sober..." I grumble under my breath. "Why are you taking me home early? I thought we were having fun."

"You have low tolerance, Chaeyoung. How can you get drunk with only three shots?"

Pouting even though he doesn't see it, I argue, "I'm not drunk."

"Yeah, right. You can't even stand properly."

"I'm not drunk. Seriously! I'm perfectly fine."

He sighs, the movement felt against my chest. "What'll your parents say when they find you like this? I know you didn't tell them."

"How did you...?"

"They'll never say yes to a night out like this, unless you told them it's school-related."

"Wow. Are you a mind-reader?"

"You're just an open book." He pauses for a while, as if gathering his thoughts, something that I know he does to reorganize his words to a milder one. "College is a ground to experience a lot of things. Doesn't mean you have to lie to them."

"Junhoe..." is the only thing coming out of my lips. What can I say? Even in the middle of my hazy mind, he's making sense. I mean, it's Junhoe we're talking about. He's nailing the rebellious son vibes.

"Thanks... For that. And also for taking care of me."

He goes silent and I think he didn't hear. I'm not in the mood to repeat it for him so I don't. Instead, I go off in a tangent. I don't know why. It feels like if I don't, I'm gonna explode.

"I'm a strong independent woman..." I hiccup. "But I want cuddles too."

Before I give him a chance to reply, I continue. "I've never been in a relationship. What if they think I'm boring in the long run? How... How does it even work? It's scary. For someone with no experience, it's scaring me."

Junhoe will likely tease me because he always do that, but then he surprises me, a good kind of surprise.

"It doesn't feel boring when I'm with you."

"Really?"

He nods. "But don't get into a relationship yet."

"Why? That's no fun."

"You're too young to be thinking of such things."

"Yet here you are, a man who had three relationships already. All in high school, mind you."

"You're extra annoying when you're drunk, you know that?"

"It's not annoying when I'm saying the truth."

"See? You're doing it again."

I laugh a little. I don't know what it is with Junhoe but my heart is at ease when I'm around him. I thought he'd be this intimidating cold guy but the more I get to know him, the more I find reasons why he's different. He's, I don't know, it feels right, I guess. At this point, I'm finding out the answer. He's a special friend. That's all I know of. It's not wrong to have a special friend, right?

-🌸-

"How's our loverboy doing?" is the first thing Yunhyeong says when I arrive at our table.

I sit beside Hanbin who's wearing an identical grin and I resist the urge to hit them both. I start eating from my tray instead. Ignoring them is more feasible. If I don't, I'll be caught in a rumble of stupid accusations.

"So we heard something interesting," Jinhwan starts as he sets aside his own tray.

"Very very interesting," Donghyuk quips.

Damn it. I don't have time for this.

Grabbing my tray, I say, "I'm out of here," and would've stood up if Hanbin didn't hold my arm. He forces me back down, his grin sending off annoying vibes.

Hanbin lets go of me. "No one's going anywhere, Junhoe."

A sigh escapes my mouth. "What the hell are you on to?"

Yunhyeong shrugs. "Nothing. Just, you know... what we saw at the meeting yesterday... surely, something's going on. Don't you think so, Bobby?"

"It was like a TV drama before my eyes," Bobby says.

Jinhwan sends me a look, identical to the one the others are sporting. This is annoying. They're all annoying. "Really, huh?"

"Guys." Bobby taps the table in jolly intervals, like he'd always do when he gets too excited. "If you were there, the sparks... it was flying nonstop, man!"

"Right, right! Junhoe was like, 'Lemme take you home. You're drunk,' and I saw the girls were trying hard not to squeal. We had to let them go because he was so insistent about it like, if we didn't, he'd carry Chaeyoung-sshi out of the restaurant in his arms and run away." Yunhyeong leans back with a thumbs up. "Junhoe's the man."

As always, the hyung who tells over-the-top stories. What lies did this man feed the others?

"That's not true," I grumble. "I had to send her home because it was late."

Yunhyeong points at me with his widened eyes. "See see? Junhoe cares. About a girl. He said so himself."

"What? I didn't say that—"

They jeer before I can finish that sentence.

Jinhwan's chuckling. "So what's the deal with this girl? You never did that to anyone before."

Hanbin almost splutters the rice out of his mouth as he buts in, "Junhoe would never even do that to Hayi."

"Hayi will kill me first before I can think about it. I value my life, okay?"

"Sure..." Hanbin prolongs the word while nodding. There's the stupid grin on his stupid face again. I'm this close to smack him on the head.

"Are you sure it's because she's not Chaeyoung?" Bobby asks while grinning too. Why the hell are they meddling with my business?

"Whatever you're implying, it's not true. She's a friend. How many times do I have to drill that in your brains?"

Donghyuk claps. "That's great then."

I pick up my spoon again, deciding it's time for me to eat, but Donghyuk's worrying me. I send him a glance. "What do you mean it's great?"

Donghyuk sweeps his gaze over the table and leans close. "I hesitated saying this because I thought you like her. But you said it yourself that you don't. Chaeyoung..." He his lips before smiling. "Well, I had a little crush on her before. Now that we're in the same school, I'm thinking..."

Yunhyeong nudges him on the arm while chuckling. The others do the same too. They're acting like giggling schoolgirls, seriously.

Meanwhile, I'm left in the dark so I give Donghyuk a pointed look. "What? Thinking what?"

Bobby throws his arms up. "Isn't it obvious? Dong here wants a piece of that—"

I narrow my eyes at him. "Don't you dare continue that sentence."

Hyung does a gesture of zipping his mouth, putting a lock on it, and throwing a nonexistent key in the air. I roll my eyes at him.

"What, Donghyuk?" I continue. It's better if it comes from him. "What are you planning to do with Chaeyoung?"

"I'm saying, Chaeyoung's pretty, kind, and on top of that, single. Please help me set a date with her?"

What the heck?

Before I can stop myself, I say, "No."

Jinhwan looks confused. "What do you mean no? I mean, this is Donghyuk we're talking about. He's every girls' dream guy. I'm sure your friend's interested."

"No as in no, I'm not setting him up with her. And no as in, stay away from her."

"Why?" Donghyuk asks in obvious curiosity. "You know I'll take care of her."

Bobby nods. "He has an impressive track record, cleaner than the rest of us. What's the deal?"

"I get it. You were like that with Hayi too, but I think Chaeyoung's too sweet to beat you to death. Surely, nothing should hold you back," Hanbin says and points his spoon at me on the last sentence.

I purse my lips. "Chaeyoung... is not ready to start dating anyone yet."

My statement is received with guffaws along the tone of ridiculousness. Yunhyeong looks close to choking. "What? That's like, the biggest lie I heard from you. The girl attended a blind date, Junhoe. That's her flashing a sign of, 'Come at me, boys.' She's more than ready."

"Group blind dates are mostly an excuse to get drunk. Not to hook up," I say through gritted teeth.

"If you're not interested in her, why are you riled up about this?" Hanbin narrows his eyes at me. "You really like her, do you?"

Ugh. "Fine. I'll help Donghyuk or whatever. Anything to keep you off my back."

Donghyuk claps once again. "Perfect. I'm thinking of a coffee date. Is she fond of coffees? Wait, how about I take her to an amusement park?"

I pick on my food and nod at everything Donghyuk says. "Yeah, sure. She'll like it."

"Try the aquarium. I heard it's the rage these days..."

Their conversation fades in my ears. Dread creeps in but I shrug it off. The last thing I'd want is for them to know how much this is affecting me deep inside. So I keep my mouth shut. Donghyuk's perfect. He's real good with girls. I'm sure Chaeyoung will like him—

this. Who am I kidding?

I sigh, loud for everyone to hear, and stare at Donghyuk. "You know what, no. I'm not helping you with Chaeyoung. I don't approve of this."

The conversation between them stops. They're looking at me, then to Donghyuk, but don't say anything.

Donghyuk cooly shrugs. "Okay. Just give me an acceptable reason why, but not that 'not ready to date' crap."

"Fine." I lean back and equal the intensity he's showing in his eyes. "It's because I like her. Stupid idiots... you satisfied?"

Stifling silence comes in the table as Donghyuk and I stare at each other, neither wanting to back down. Even if Donghyuk's a lot better than me—something that I'd be caught dead admiting out loud—he can never have Chaeyoung. He doesn't stand a chance. Mostly because I'll never let him.

Then slowly, a grin slides on his face. He breaks eye contact first and looks at Jinhwan across from him. As if on cue, they start cheering.

Donghyuk taps the table and does a 'come at me' gesture. "Pay up. We won."

The others bring out their wallets, all the while groaning, and slam bills on the table.

"I should've seen this coming," Bobby grumbles.

"This is stupid..." Hanbin mutters while keeping his wallet back in his jeans.

My forehead knots. "What the hell's happening here?"

Jinhwan grins as he counts the accumulated bills. "We were betting when you'll admit it. Donghyuk and I bet we can make you say it now. Hanbin says a month while the two idiots said next week."

Wow. I knew my friends are dumb s. I didn't know it's to this extent. They're... wow. I can't believe this.

"Why are you my friends?"

Donghyuk receives his share from Jinhwan with glinting eyes. "We're too busy drowning in money to hear you."

I scratch the back of my ear. "So that thing with Chaeyoung..."

"All a ruse to get you," Yunhyeong answers for him. "Smart kid. As expected of Donghyuk."

I massage my head. The more I find out, the more I feel more stupid. They'd always play tricks like this. But I'm relieved. At least my friendship with Donghyuk's safe.

In the middle of their banter, my phone vibrates inside my pocket. When I bring it out and see the message preview, something whirls in my chest, something that I thought is long forgotten. At the corner of my eyes, Hanbin sends me a worried look. He must've caught the expression on my face.

"What is it?"

With my thumb hovering over the message, I answer, "Hanna wants to meet me."

-🌸-

"I'm telling you, you're crushing on him," Jisoo says the moment I finish my story, of what happened at the group blind date, and how Junhoe took care of me. We're en route to our next class and they kept bugging me to tell, so I didn't have a choice but to do that. They're real persuasive, okay?

"And hard," Jennie giggles.

"I don't!" I refuse as I keep my books close to my chest. I don't realize I said that louder than intended so I stare at my sneakers, avoiding the looks people throw our way.

Jennie rolls her eyes. "We all know for a fact that he's the only guy you keep close."

"That's because—"

"That's because you wanted him to go to his classes," Jisoo finishes for me. "Seriously, this is the nth time we heard this excuse. Grow creative, Chaeyoung."

I pout. "Unnie..."

"How many times are you sleeping on the fact that you have a hottie in your hands? I would've grabbed the chance. Hell, I'd never let go," Jennie says.

"We're friends," I reason out. "And he doesn't like me that way."

"Again with the 'we're friends' crap," Jisoo groans and looks almost close to tearing her hair out. "You're frustrating to hear, you know that?"

"I'm saying the truth. I'm not..." I stop on my tracks, making the others do the same. My heart is beating fast all of a sudden and for a reason I know I will not like.

"What's up—" Jennie covers as she catches the scene I'm looking at. There, sitting at the bench below a tree is the person we're talking about, alone with some pretty girl. There's something intimate with the distance between them, of Junhoe's knee colliding with hers, of his hand that is clutching hers, and most of all, the looks they're exchanging with each other.

"I love you and I will always do," the girl says.

Junhoe's smiling at that remark and I can't help but linger my eyes on the way he holds her hand tight. "It's the same for me."

My breath catches in my throat. It's like I'm knocked out of oxygen and the only thing to do is gasp for air.

Jennie sends me a glance. "Chaeyoung..."

What's this? Why do I feel like this? Why do I feel like crying? It's like my mind's on auto-pilot mode that when I have the urge to flee, I act on it and run away. It's the most sensible thing to do at this point, I think.

I'm confused. I know I don't like him, but why do I feel my heart breaking?

~🌸tbc.