Description

In which Chaeyoung receives candy grams from a mysterious man and Junhoe isn't amused.

-🌷-

4/4 of the just friends series

-🌷-

The seat wasn't warm yet with my but Junhoe was already annoying me. He was stealing my fries! The cafeteria food wasn't going anywhere near tasty lane so I dropped by at a fast food chain for a takeout, only for him to eat it? I didn't buy it for him nor is there a policy of mine where it was legal to share food. Strictly no sharing!

"No!" I exclaimed as I nudged his arms away but he still got some.

He shrugged, not having the least bit consideration for my feelings, even looked at me in the eyes while munching on the golden goodies. Ugh!

My sight swept over the round table, eyes pleading, hoping that it'd move our friends with my cutie plea. "Can someone exchange with me, please?"

"Mhm, no can do," Jisoo responded, didn't even sound that she put much thought to it because she was too busy devouring her rice meal.

I got two eye rolls from the remaining girls, while Yunhyeong took the time to pause eating and smile at me. He didn't say anything and I doubt he wanted to exchange with me but with the others' lack of response, it was much better.

"If I get malnourished, I'll blame it on you guys. Seriously."

"Why will you be malnourished?" Junhoe pinched my cheek, making me wince at how hard he pressed on it. I slapped his hand away but he dodged it in time. "Chubby cheeks baby girl is my favorite kind of baby girl."

"June, can you please stop flirting in front of us? We're eating," Donghyuk chimed, bored eyes glazing over with unhidden annoyance.

"I wasn't flirting." Junhoe leaned his chin on top of his hand, elbow propped beside his plate, and wriggled his eyebrows at me. "Unless, of course, baby girl here thinks otherwise. Are you charmed with my charm yet?"

"If anything, I'm more creeped out." I pushed his face away. "Do better, baby boy."

I said the endearment as an insult but it produced reactions I didn't expect. A chorus of, "Ooooh..." came from the boys while the girls squealed. Most of all, Junhoe gasped like he flatlined or something.

"What? It's an insult!" And a disgusting nickname, I wanted to add.

Hanbin nodded while grinning. "Yeah... sure, sure. We believe you..."

Lisa grinned too. "I knew they already have the endearments down."

Junhoe tried to steal some fries again. This time, it escaped his evil clutches because I hit him on the chest. I scoffed when he yelped like he was hurt bad. Waving him off, I said, "You're all overreacting."

"The day this happen..." Jennie pointed her spoon at the two of us. "You'll hear us say, 'we told you so,' every single step of the way."

I brought out my cheeseburger from the takeout bag, too happy about my lunch choice to be bothered. With careful movements, I unraveled the paper wrapping and took a huge bite before Junhoe could do so. My free hand pushed his face away while saying, "Seriously! Get your own food!" in between chews.

Junhoe was the worst seatmate during lunch, EVER.

The cheeseburger I ate had too much ketchup that in my haste to eat it, some got on the sides of my mouth. I was too in my lalaland to care because it was so delicious, plus, if I didn't finish it on time, Junhoe would swoop in like a scavenger.

He stopped attempting to take a bite when he frowned and looked at my mouth. He reached out for some napkins from Chanwoo beside him, napkins which were clamped between his plate and the table. He used it to wipe the ketchup stains on my mouth, albeit ungently. I felt the ba-thump-thump in my heart without warning. His face was so close to mine and with him staring at my lips didn't help.

"Goodness, why are you so clumsy?" he muttered, his forehead knotting with concentration. His dabs weren't gentle, like he didn't want me to think he was taking care of me, but I can feel his warmth behind it. Unaware, a hand went to the front of my chest, feeling how much my heart was racing fast.

Even though it was a struggle, I found my voice, albeit a bit shaken. "W – what are you doing?"

He lifted his sight at me to answer with a grin, "Taking care of my baby girl, of course."

His grin... so charming... what? Why did I think of that? Stupid Chaeyoung! He wasn't charming, and he definitely wasn't handsome! Gosh. Why did it feel so hot all of a suddden?

I didn't know if it was his plan all along, but he made me distracted enough that I couldn't defend my cheeseburger when he leaned and took a bite. When I realized what was happening, I yelled, "Hey!" and pushed his chest away. He leaned back with a laugh. My cheeseburger...

From the corner of my eye, Jennie threw her hands up. "When are you guys gonna get together?" She waved her hand in circular motions, pertaining to us. "This you two have going on is unhealthy.  And an eyesore."

"She's right, you know? At least when you get together you'd have your ual desires satiated but in this setting?" Jisoo drew her tongue out, face contorted in disgust. "You're blatantly showing how you want to snog your faces off."

I covered my ears. My poor, poor, innocent mind. "You're so disgusting!"

"Trust me; by the time you get together, disgusting will mean a lot of things, if you catch my drift." Bobby winked.

Catch my drift? I didn't know what he meant but it was coming from him, so I know it was something dirty. Gosh, why do I have such friends?

"You know, this conversation will be good as over when you two finally admit it," Jinhwan butted in as he set aside his spicy noodles and interlaced his hands together, putting his chin on it.

"Admit what?" I asked, even though I knew what he was talking about.

Jisoo rolled her eyes. "That you two like each other."

"I don't like her," Junhoe quipped, too hastily. He shifted from facing me to face the table. The ketchup-stained tissue was aimed at Yunhyeong's bowl of beef stew, right across from us, but failed short. Still, Yunhyeong was pissed as he sighed in frustration and told Junhoe, "Don't be like that..."

Yunhyeong's outburst wasn't enough to waver Jinhwan's concentration beside him as he narrowed his eyes. "The fact that your voice pitched higher proves how much of a liar you are, liar."

Chanwoo laughed at that, which Junhoe stopped when he threw a glare at his way.

"I'm saying the truth!"

"Really? 'Cause we hear you lying all the way up here," Hanbin said and took a big bite out of his sandwich.

"Okay, so let's say I do like her—"

"You do," they all chorused. It gave me chills when they did. How could they do that? It was like they were sharing one brain.

Junhoe, quite determined, gave them a pointed look and continued, "As I was saying, if I do like her, it'll be no sweat because I know she likes me all along."

"I do not!" I fussed. How dare he?

Okay. Maybe he was right, but that didn't mean he can go around saying stuff like that! Wait, did he know already? Oh my gosh, did he? Did he?

Junhoe put a hand on his chest and put a mock-pity expression on his face. "Oh, baby girl. Denial will only get you so far."

"I'm not indenial," I grumbled under my breath as I wrapped up the cheeseburger and put it away for the meantime. "It's the truth." The last part was more of a dumb attempt to cover that my tone was anywhere near convincing. Even I found myself asking, 'Really?' I was indenial but that was alright, as long as Junhoe didn't know. From the way he was teasing me, I could tell he didn't believe it was the truth.

"You're not even trying to consider me dating you—which should be considered a blessing already. I'm the blessing, in case it isn't clear yet."

Such a funny guy... But he was right, considering about dating him, I mean. Not the other part. Every single second of the day, I was considering it, even in my stupid dreams. In those dreams, it felt so cute and happy and everything mushy, but if it happened in reality, he'd just tease me to no end until I explode, all riled up and seething. Then he'd like, turn into serious mode and apologize, making it up by hugging me in the back or kissing me on the cheek...

Oh my gosh, Chaeyoung! Why were you thinking of that now?

Feeling my cheeks grow hot, I covered them with my hands and propped my elbows on the table. Junhoe was starting to get suspicious, so I said, "If and only if, I'm dating you, I'd say no before you can ask me about it. You don't even know what I want."

He raised a brow, a confident smirk on his face. "Really? Even if I give you teddy bears and flowers?"

"I wouldn't accept, especially if you give me teddy bears and flowers," I replied with a deadpan expression.

The smirk dropped on his face almost immediately.

Chanwoo laughed, his shoulders shaking with mirth. "Hope you still have the receipts, idiot."

I turned to the youngest sitting at Junhoe's other side. "What do you mean?"

"It means, Junhoe here b—"

A thud was heard under the table, Chanwoo trying hard not to wince as he shot me a smile, which looked like he was constipated, by the way.

"Don't mind Chanu. He's being a prick," Junhoe said.

It was my turn to be suspicious. "Really, huh?"

"Can we hurry up eating and go?" Donghyuk glanced at his wristwatch. "I need to check the festival preparations." Pointedly looking at me, he continued, "You have to hurry up too. Our class deco is nowhere near anything done."

"It would've been done a long time ago, if a certain someone's helping." I threw a glance at my gluttonous seatmate.

Junhoe raised his hands while twiddling his fingers. "I have butterfingers."

"You're just lazy," Lisa said. "Come on, man. Help the class. It'll earn you some points with Chaeng." She ended her sentence in a hopeful tone.

"Fine. But baby girl has to give me her fries if she wants me to help."

Glaring at Junhoe, I hugged my fries close to my chest. "You know what, on second thought, we're good."

"That's what I thought."

-🌷-

The year-end school festival began after three days. Our class agreed to do face paints, something simple and wouldn't take too much energy. It was the perfect setup since the only thing we'd have to do was paint and paint well.

The armchairs were all backed in the wall to give way for the tables containing tools for the face paints. Jihyo, Chaeyeon, Junhoe (Donghyuk forced him, after much persuasion) and I were assigned for the main job. Lisa was part of the welcoming crew and Donghyuk was busy running off everywhere because of his duties as a member of the student council.

As soon as the festival started, students were coming in our room endlessly. I didn't know if it was because everyone wanted to have their faces painted or it was because of Junhoe's surprising popularity with the lower classes. Girls were just lining up to get painted by him.

Junhoe's worktable was beside mine so I could blatantly see how he was flirting with those girls. Flirting as in, he'd flash them his irresistible smiles, ask them if they were getting uncomfortable with his brush (that they'd usually reply with giggles), or compliment his artwork by saying it looked good on them. Seriously, it was infuriating to watch!

Figures. He was expert in flirting. It wasn't hard to see how easy they'd melt because of him. I wish he didn't do it in front of my face because goodness, it was an eyesore. Such an eyesore...

Okay, fine! I was jealous. Stupid Junhoe and his flirting antics...

"Sunbaenim," the girl Junhoe was serving chirped. "Are you free after the festival?"

My workplace's free of clients so paying attention to Junhoe's table was an interesting decision. I soon regretted it.

Junhoe gave the girl a momentary glance while working through a curve on a sunflower design she picked. "Yeah. Why do you ask?"

Ugh. Why are their faces close to each other?

"Uhm... well..." She twiddled her fingers on her lap, eyes shifting anywhere but Junhoe's focused gaze on her cheek. "You see..."

"Hm?" Junhoe absentmindedly hummed.

"I was hoping if you can go out with me for some coffee? There's a popular coffeeshop nearby..."

Since I didn't want it to be obvious I was tuning in on their conversation, I pretended I was lost in my thoughts by propping an elbow on the table, my chin resting on top of my palm, humming some random songs. Right as I heard what she said, the humming stopped and I couldn't resist sending Junhoe a glance, eyes widening over the girl's courage. I regarded the girl's features carefully; fair skin, wide, innocent eyes, and cute dimple smile. I pouted. Surely, he wouldn't say no to that, would he?

Junhoe leaned back, putting his brush down, and gave her an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry but I have to decline your offer."

She looked pretty dumfounded. "W – What?"

I almost echoed her sentiment if I didn't catch myself at the last second. Why would Junhoe refuse something like that?

"See that pretty girl over there?" He pointed to me. Jumping a little on my seat, I composed myself and pretended I was busy ruffling through my art tools. "She's my baby girl and she would be jealous if she hears you saying those things."

I stared at the templates as if they were the most interesting thing in the world. In reality, my insides were creating havoc, like pretty little butterflies were unlocked from their cage. It was incredible too, that I was sitting yet my heart was beating so fast. What nonsense was Junhoe saying now?

"Oh, is she your girlfriend?"

"Not yet. But I'm planning to."

My insides grew more restless. It didn't feel like butterflies anymore. Gosh, if Lisa was here beside me, I'd slap her arms so hard. Instead, I surpressed my emotions by biting my lower lip, all the while keeping a well-hidden grin from breaking out. Stupid Junhoe...

"I see... good luck on her, sunbaenim. I'm sorry I asked you out on a date."

"Don't be. I admire your guts actually."

A customer arrived on my table and I was more than thankful for the distraction. She sat on the chair in front of me, picking a design from the template pamphlet after. Right away, I started working on it. I didn't know if Junhoe knew I was eavesdropping on their conversation because he didn't bring it up. There wasn't any time to bring it up anyway. Compared to us, he was requested the most so he was too busy to bother anyone. A nagging feeling crept to my chest. Somehow, I wanted him to tease me about it.

Wow... I was hitting a new low today. Why would I want Junhoe to tease me? I think my head was hit pretty bad, maybe that'd explain why I fell for him. After all, even if I already accepted it, I still couldn't believe that it was him, him, of all people. Compared to the other boys, Junhoe would fall into the spectrum of boys who 'innocent girls should stay away from'.

Soon enough, every artists got busy. After I finished painting my nth customer, I set down my brush and stretched my arms wide. I was sleepy, hungry, and most of all, tired after doing it for a lot of times. My wrist was already having a cramp. In the short break I squeezed in, I heard someone shouting my name.

"Candy gram for Park Chaeyoung! Candy gram for PARK CHAEYOUNG!"

Everyone was looking at Yunhyeong who seemed unbothered that he got their attention. I slinked farther in my seat, hoping that he wouldn't see me. But he still did, his face brightening as he walked to my table. No one even stopped him. Lisa, who stood beside the doorway, gave him a quick, "Hello, oppa!" that he returned with a wink and did a gun-thingy by pointing at her.

"Candy gram for Park Chaeyoung," he said as he held something in front of me, a red cellophane wrapped in white ribbon and a folded red card stuck on the body. Since the container was transparent, I could see the heart-shaped candies inside.

Yunhyeong's senior class, or specifically, the oldest ones out of our group's class, opted for candy gram, a courier service of sending messages with candies. I didn't know the whole semantics since I wasn't interested in it, but I knew candy gram messengers were running around the school since the festival began. From what I heard—Lisa being my source of course—there had been a rise of 'confessions' between grade levels, mostly coming from freshmen to the upper classes. I wonder who sent me one?

"Do you have to shout so loud, oppa?" I muttered.

The exuberance on his face didn't fade. In fact, he looked more charged up. "I'm just excited. Open the card, quick!"

Junhoe directed an incoming customer to Chaeyeon and scooted his chair to us without standing up. He pointed his brush at the red packet I held. "What's that?"

"Oh, it's a candy gram for Chaeyoung," Yunhyeong answered.

He furrowed his brows and nipped the brush behind his ear. "Candy... gram? What the heck's that?"

"People come in our class to send secret passages to others with candy. Look, Chaeyoung's about to read hers."

Junhoe ushered his chair beside mine, leaning so close that our shoulders brushed against each other. I tried not to think too much about the sudden contact by moving away. Yunhyeong, on the other hand, went behind me. I glanced at the both of them, seeing the expectant look on their faces, as I wedged the card between my thumb and index finger. "Aren't you two supposed to be somewhere else?"

Junhoe shrugged like it was nothing, nothing meaning that the line in front of his table was nothing, while Yunhyeong smiled like a kid on a Christmas morning. "Open it!"

With a sigh, I did. They hovered over.

You and I
Will be a match made in heaven
A couple personally picked by Cupid himself
Why are you so pretty in my eyes?
If you give me a chance
I'll be worth your time

"Huh?" I couldn't help but utter. I sounded dumb but I guess it was the most acceptable reaction.

"What nonsense is that?" Junhoe commented as he leaned back on his seat, eyebrows almost meeting.

I flipped the card close to inspect the back but nothing indicated who wrote it. "Oppa, who sent this?"

Shrugging, he answered, "Dunno. I'm only a messenger."

Junhoe reached over to flip the card, also searching for clues. I felt the tingles on my skin as his hand brushed against mine. He inched closer, his face so close I could see how his lashes fluttered when he blinked. Not wanting to be caught staring, I turned the other way. It didn't help that his faint scent invaded my nostrils like I stumbled on a field of roses. Ah... why was I acting like this?

"I think it's a prank..." he concluded and with him close, the husky vibration it sent in the air sent a pleasing whim in my ears.

"How can it be a prank, Junhoe? That's as genuine as it can get. Just admit Chaeyoung here has a secret admirer—"

Junhoe scoffed and leaned back on his chair. "Yeah, secret admirer, my ."

I tried to cover the fact that I missed his warmth by clearing my throat. "I think it's cute."

I ran my fingers through the handwriting. The writing was unfamiliar but whoever it was had good penmanship. Who could it belong to? I bet they smell nice too...

"Cute? I can do better."

This time, Yunhyeong was scoffing. "Really? Remember when you b—"

Junhoe stood up and sealed his mouth with one hand. "I'd appreciate it if you don't bring it up every chance you get," he said through gritted teeth.

I narrowed my eyes at them. "Is there something that I should know about?"

Junhoe looked like a gaping fish as he struggled to answer me. "A – ah. Uh—"

"Candy gram for Park ChaeyooOuung~! Chaeyoung, my pretty lady, you there?"

Startled, the conversation between us hung in the air. I covered my face with my hands all the while muttering, "Please don't tell me it's Bobby oppa..."

"Bobby!" Yunhyeong called as soon as he removed Junhoe's hand on his mouth. "Here!"

Bobby strolled in and when he was in front of me, he got down on one knee and held the red package on his palms, his head bowed down. People were looking at us funny so I slapped his shoulder, telling him to stand up and stop fooling around. He did with a grin and gave the package.

Now three people hovered over my shoulder. It didn't take a Sherlock in me to guess they were all curious. Even though I knew it was an invasion of privacy, I gave them what they wanted by opening the card. It couldn't be helped anyway since they'd bug me in the end.

Even if you're holding someone else's hand
My heart will hurt
But your happiness is as good as mine
Until then, until you're still holding his warm hand
I'll wait for you

Yunhyeong moved away and pointed at the letter. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but that sounds like it's pertaining to Junhoe."

"How in any way is it talking about Junhoe? He can't even get close to Chaeyoung—" Bobby was cut off when Junhoe punched his arm.

"Bobby oppa, do you know who sent this?"

He held his hands up. "Sorry. Only a messenger."

Frowning, I inspected the card again, hoping I'd see something different. Like the first card, it had a similar penmanship and no name, not even a secret code or something. Just who was it? And what did the note mean by 'someone else'? Was it really Junhoe? How could that be him if we haven't even held hands—

Oh. Right. We did.

Yunhyeong pointed at my cheeks like it was nice for him to do that. "Look, she's blushing!"

I placed the two candy packets on my table and held both of my cheeks, hoping it'd hide my predicament. "I'm not!"

"Why are you even blushing? They're all stupid notes anyway," Junhoe said.

Bobby punched his chest lightly, making Junhoe look more annoyed. "Don't mind June. He's just jealous—"

"I'm not!"

"Yeah, kid. We heard you the first time."

Junhoe was sure acting... different. His annoyance was limited to the times our friends would gang up on him or if someone was acting stupid. I had a hunch but I didn't want to hope it was because... because, you know? That there was a possibility he was... jealous. Hoping was a dangerous thing, even more if it wasn't clear how Junhoe saw me, if he considered me as a friend, or someone else entirely.

Maybe I was overthinking about Junhoe's motive behind his negative reactions. Maybe he was just looking out for my heart's safety as a friend. That was what friends do, right? Look out for each other.

Lisa went to our table, eyebrows almost meeting, hands perched on her hips. Usually, she was a ball of sunshine so she startled me a bit. "Alright, give me one good reason why you're huddled together like this. You're holding the line!" Her face smoothed out when her sight trailed on the red packets on my table. The change was so sudden that it caused Bobby to chuckle. "Is that – Is that candy?"

"Candy gram," Bobby and Yunhyeong supplied simultaneously.

Without asking for my permission, she unraveled the ribbon holding it together to get some heart-shaped candies, popped some in after. Her eyes widened in delight, now no trace of her irritation. "It's good!"

Junhoe rolled his eyes. "That's not for you."

Lisa dropped the package back on the table and threw her arms up. "Fine." She sent the older ones a look. "If you're not here to get your faces painted, get out of our booth. The line's getting longer and moneymaker Junhoe's gaining impatient fans."

Bobby gave her a tight-lipped smile, a smug glint adoring his eyes. "Fine. Our booth's a lot cooler anyway."

"Hey!" I exclaimed.

"Messing on our own turf, man?" Lisa probed as she folded her arms in defense.

Bobby tapped Yunhyeong's shoulder and clicked his tongue, doing a two-finger salute after. "Whatever. See you around, kids."

Before the two could exit, someone appeared on the doorway again, holding a similar package they gave me. It was Jinhwan, a frown etched on his lips. He may be small but his gaze was packing a punch.

"Candy gram for Park Chaeyoung," he grumbled while walking inside the room. Bobby and Yunhyeong looked around nervously, hoping to find a way out, but couldn't. In the end, they came rushing back to their spots behind me. Covering my mouth with one hand, I let out a giggle. They looked comical when they tried to avoid our shortest oppa.

As Jinhwan walked to my table, he narrowed his eyes at the two who were giving him bright smiles and peace signs. "Seriously? We were looking all over for you!"

Yunhyeong waved him off and took the package from his hand to give it to me. "Open it, Chaeyoung!"

Now Lisa was curious. "There's a letter?"

Junhoe rolled his eyes, now sitting back on his seat. "You got that now after eating the candies?"

I opened the card, effectively shutting them up. More people hovered behind me and I sent them looks, hoping that they'd get the message I was uncomfortable, but they were too immersed in reading the content. I sighed, deciding to let this go.

One of the things I love staring at is
Your face that fills my eyes
Your smiles that look like a thousand stars
Every time you glance my way
I'd always say, 
'I wish time would stop right now'
And it does feel like stopping
Like fate orchestrated our meeting
Everything has aligned
The only missing piece
Is your sweetest 'yes'

Lisa squealed, jumping a little on her heels. "Oh. My. Gosh. Who's the cutie, Chaeng?"

I shrugged. "I don't have a clue. The oppas don't know too."

Junhoe folded his arms and I caught him glaring a little at the red card I held. "So what? He knows how to put words together. It's not romantic."

Hugging the card close to my chest, I said, "Shut up."

Bobby shrugged. "It's working though. Look at how lovestruck Chaeng is."

Lovestruck? Do I look like I'm lovestruck? Psh. As if.

Fine. I find it kind of sweet. It wasn't everyday I would get something like this. Just thinking that someone was thinking about me... it was thrilling.

I turned to Lisa, a pout on my lips. "Do you think it's from a classmate?"

"Could be Junhoe for all we know," she answered and glanced at the man beside me.

Junhoe held his arms up. "Just a moment ago I thought candy gram is a fancy word to call scales measuring candies."

"Okay. You're dumb enough for us to believe that. It isn't him."

"Jinhwan oppa, do you have any idea?"

"Jisoo's the one handling those things. I was the cashier until these two idiots—" Jinhwan sharply turned to the guys at his side who smiled once again. "—didn't return immediately."

Lisa wedged her chin between her index finger and thumb. "So Jisoo unnie knows?"

"Maybe," Jinhwan answered and scratched his nose. "There's a good chance she does."

I fetched my phone on my pocket. "I'll give her a call."

"There's no need for that." Yunhyeong tapped my shoulder. "Look."

Following his direction, we looked towards the doorway. The same person we were talking about just arrived, the red package sitting on one palm while another hand held the upper part.

"Park Chaeyoung for candy gram!" Jisoo announced in a cheerful voice. As soon as she saw us, went in an 'O' shape, all the while walking close. "You're all here?"

"Who's handling the requests?" Jinhwan asked.

"The others. We're thirty-six in the classroom. They can handle it." Turning to me, Jisoo held the package in her palms. "Your Majesty."

I laughed a little at her antics. Bobby and her were just so alike.

Taking it, I asked, "Do you know who's the sender?"

"Maybe. Maybe not. You'll find out in due time." Jisoo winked. "Now open the final letter!"

My forehead creased. "Final... letter...?"

Yunhyeong held my shoulders, shaking me a little in the process. I didn't know if it was because of excitement or whatnot, but it sure proved how much he was enthusiastic about this. "Never mind her. Open it!"

My love as time goes by, baby
You look more beautiful in my eyes
You're a sunshine on a cloudy day
Like warm spring in a middle of cold winter
I can only wish one thing
Don't forget this song

Junhoe snatched the letter away from my hand, sending looks of daggers at it. "Hell no. He's using my endearment!"

I grabbed the card back, pouting a little since he managed to crease the edges. "Don't be rude."

"It's something stupid. Why are you so attached anyway?" he grumbled.

The others exchanged looks. Some "pft," came from Yunhyeong, covering his mouth after when he realized his mistake. Jisoo and Lisa were grinning, pointing at Junhoe and gossiping behind his back by saying things like, 'fool', 'stupid' and 'idiot'. Jinhwan and Bobby, on the other hand, shook their heads.

Undeterred, I answered, "Quit saying it's stupid. Even if you have a lot of girls hanging around you, it doesn't give you the reason to diss my secret admirer."

He arched a brow. "Secret admirer? What makes you so sure it is one?"

I grew flustered at his words. "I – I just know! Who gives out handwritten letters with candies if they don't like the person?"

"Now, now, kids. You're all adorable and what, but this fighting is making me queasy." Yunhyeong shifted his footing, his voice taking a serious note. "I wonder what song the letter's talking about though. Has anyone sang for you recently, Chaeyoung?"

Negative. Suddenly, Bobby snapped his fingers, startling Jinhwan beside him. He didn't mind as he went on to say, "Talent show. Whoever sent these letters must be performing today."

"That's stupid... and embarrassing..." Junhoe grumbled yet again.

Lisa tapped my back, wanting me to get out of my chair. I did what she wanted me to do, albeit I was clueless why. "You know what, why do you go over the auditorium and check it out? I'll find some of our classmates to fill your spot."

Junhoe stood up as well. "Why don't you do that for me too? I'll go with her."

"No way. You're the biggest moneymaker—"

"This is a matter of life and death!" We all looked at Junhoe after his outburst. What a strange man... Clearing his throat, he continued in a calmer way, "I mean, I'll check out if the sender's ugly or something. Then I'll laugh at Chaeyoung."

I felt weird that he called me Chaeyoung after calling me 'baby girl' for so many times. He usually did this when he was serious. Shaking those thoughts away, I retorted, "So what if he looks ugly? At least he had the guts to confess."

"Oooh..."

"Whatever." He took my wrist and the sudden contact made me gasp. I hoped he didn't hear that. "Let's go. I can't wait for you to get disappointed so hard."

"Yeah. As if." I acted indifferent, even though him holding me was making me feel anything but indifferent.

Behind us, I heard Jisoo cheering, "Good luck!"

-🌷-

The auditorium was packed with the faculty and students watching the spectacle. The ninth graders were in the middle of their dance-pop routine when Junhoe and I arrived. Keeping his hold on my wrist tight, he led the way towards the swarms of bodies in the middle, until we went to the very front, a perfect spot to see the stage.

The performers took my full attention that I didn't notice Junhoe slipping away from me. By the time I did, the emcee was already announcing the next performer. The words faded in my ears as I turned around, hoping to find a familiar black mop of hair in the crowd. I wanted to yell his name but I thought that'd be too scandalous.

Just where did he go? He wouldn't disappear like that, would he? He was the one who dragged me here in the first place.

"Good afternoon, everyone." I froze on my spot. That... "This song's dedicated to my one and only, baby girl. Shoutout to her. Stop looking for someone else and look only at me."

I turned around to face the stage again. In the middle, I could see Junhoe with Jinhwan, both holding wireless mics. It was evident by the way their chests pumped and their flustered faces that they ran their way there. Even though Junhoe looked tired, he sent a wink on my direction. Oh my gosh...

"Yo, DJ. Let's get it," Jinhwan said through the mic, still quite breathless as much as Junhoe.

The instrumental began. Junhoe held a hand over his chest in an attempt to pace his breathing, and as soon as his cue went on, he started singing.

"You and I, even if someday we become strangers, even if we could never meet each other again, don't forget me... don't lose me..."

His exhaustion was still evident on his voice but he did his best to stabilize it. Even then, I was in awe. I'd always be, ever since I knew how much he was good in singing.

Jinhwan nodded to the beat while Junhoe sang. When his turn came, he raised the mic to his lips, Junhoe serving as back-up. "Even if you're holding someone else's hand, Even if you're somewhere I can't ever reach, Don't forget me... don't lose me..."

Junhoe took over, his eyes only at me, and it was enough for my heart to go wild."Your face that fills my eyes, your face that's fast asleep in my arms, I wish time would stop right now, never let go of these hands..."

Hearing his husky timbre hitting the right notes, now without any trace of tiredness whatsoever, made me remember this side of him. It was no secret that the two people on the stage had hidden talents in singing but they didn't show it much. Whenever we'd have karaoke nights, they'd demolish everyone by singing duets, most of the time comical that involved a lot of shouting, so it was a rare moment to see them singing seriously for once.

Junhoe's eyes grew more tender, a hint of a smile playing on his lips. Seeing him like that made me smile too. I couldn't help it. It was too infectious."We're looking at each other right now, I hope this moment lasts forever, I'm worried that time would get jealous of us..."

Now they both sang at the same time, voices blending in a perfect medley. Jinhwan glanced at me then to Junhoe and back to me, a teasing glint in his eyes. I was too flustered to be affected by it, too captivated by Junhoe's gaze."Oh my love even after time passes baby, you and I, even if we become strangers some day, don't forget me, don't forget me..."

Sending me a wink, Junhoe ended the song with, "Don't forget this song."

Wait... that sounded familiar... Oh!

Realizing what just happened, I placed a hand over my mouth. So the sender of the letters... it was him all along.

My heart couldn't calm down even if they already finished singing. Junhoe walked towards the edge of the stage, in the process of crouching, when a teacher went in front of him.

"You!" The teacher pointed at Junhoe, the other hand perched on his hip. "You have time to flirt in front of the whole school?! Come down here, you punk!"

The two on the stage looked alarmed. Jinhwan looked like a startled rabbit since he jumped back a little but Junhoe had fast reflexes, like he was used to scenes like this, as he hopped down the stairs and ran for his life.

"Hey!"

Not giving up, the teacher followed chase. He was quite sluggish about it though. Maybe it was because of his age? Jinhwan and I shared looks. Still looking lost, he scratched his nape.

The emcee entered the stage and tried to laugh it off by poking fun about it. In order to dispel the awkwardness in the air, he hurriedly introduced the next performer, which signaled Jinhwan to get out of the stage.

I waited for Jinhwan to come down but then, someone grabbed my wrist, forcing me to move. For a moment, I resisted since I was not sure why I was dragged away, but then I recognized the back of the person. It was Hanbin. I could recognize him anywhere, even under the dim setting of the auditorium. His strides weren't anywhere leisurely so I forced myself to catch up with him.

"Oppa! Where are you taking me?"

He looked at me over his shoulder, a smirk adoring his face. "You'll see."

-🌷-

Hanbin and I went out to go to the open fields. I was a patient person so I didn't ask him where we'd go after asking the first time. Okay, maybe on the way I might've asked about three... five... six times? I couldn't count. But he didn't lose patience by answering each time that I had to see it for myself. The unknown scared me so it made me more restless.

"Here we go," he muttered as we sat at a bench beside the walkway, a spot quite far from the entrance since it was secluded with bushes and trees that gave us shade.

This time, my question has evolved. "Why are we here?"

"You'll see." Same answer again.

"Come on, oppa. At least some hint—"

"Oh!" Hanbin exclaimed as he pointed at something in the distance. Squinting my eyes a little, I saw someone running towards us, his steps getting heavy as he drew closer. In no time, he covered the distance and I realized it was Junhoe. I was a bit dazed. He was panting so much that he had his hands on his knees, sweat running on his skin, dampening even his white undershirt.

"Junhoe...?" I muttered in amazement. "You didn't get caught?"

As of the moment he couldn't talk so he nodded.

"Chanwoo!" Hanbin shouted at nowhere in particular. I just looked at him like he had gone crazy.

The bushes behind me rustled and I angled my torso to check it out. Chanwoo popped out with a bright smile. It was too sudden that I let out a squeak. "Hi noona!"

I massaged my chest to calm my startled heart. "Geez..."

Chanwoo went beside Junhoe's hunched figure and held out the contents in his arms for him to take. Even if he was still out of breath, Junhoe stood up straight and took them.

Hanbin tapped my hand on my lap and stood up, before gesturing a, 'peace out' with his two fingers. He slung an arm around Chanwoo and followed the walkway leading inside the school. My sight was taken away when Junhoe called me, my real name, this time.

"Chaeyoung." He stepped closer. Clearing his throat, he held the items Chanwoo gave to me. I laughed out loud when I realized what those were and clapped my hands, disbelief racking my whole body. He held a bouquet full of fries and a pot of gummy bears with a white ribbon tied on the pot itself.

"You got these for me?" I asked but not really asking since I was pointing out a fact. I took them out of his hands. It was quite funny but at the same time, I was amazed. "Thank you."

"So this was what you all meant days ago... Why the talk about receipts and whatnot then?" I asked as I started munching on the french fries, mixing it up with gummy bears too. It tasted strange at first, the saltiness with sweetness... but I figured it was quite okay. It was food and food made me happy.

Junhoe took a seat beside me on the bench and reached out for some fries. Expecting this reaction, I let him be. Who was I to deprive him of it, right? He was the one who gave me these in the first place.

"It was to... throw you off any suspicion you'd get when you receive the letters." He shrugged, exhaustion still evident in his voice. "Plus, it's fun messing with you a little."

"So everyone's in on this?"

Junhoe grinned. "Of course."

"Even Donghyuk and Jennie unnie?"

"Donghyuk suggested underlining the lyrics on the letters while noona helped oversee everyone's acting."

I pouted and crossed my arms. "You're all mean. And just when I thought I have a secret admirer..."

"Oh, but you have one, right here." He pointed to himself like the proud man he was and gave me his signature smirk.

"You're more of a stalker since you always hang around with me it's almost creepy."

"I thought it's the other way around."

I wasn't having it. "You even gave me a cringey nickname!"

He furrowed his brows and wiped the sweat on his face using his forearm. "Baby girl is not a cringey nickname. It's romantic as hell."

"Okay, so we have a different definition of romantic."

"Well, now that I think about it, I'd hate it if you start calling me baby boy after we get together."

I grinned, leaning my elbow on top of my lap to prop my head on my hand to send him a look. "What makes you think we'll be together, Junhoe?"

"Baby girl, I'd be lying if I said you weren't obvious that you're all over me."

My blow wasn't effective since he deflected it with ease as easy as him exuding confidence. It was me who brought it up first yet I found myself being flustered in the end. I leaned away to prevent him from seeing me unravel in front of him.

"R - Really? I – I wasn't – I didn't—"

Now he was laughing. Unlike the other times it'd annoy me to death, it seemed like he did that to make me feel comfortable. "Relax, it's okay. I know we started as friends, but if you still think like that after me flirting with you for numerous times, plus what happened today, you need classes on flirting 101 since you're bad at picking up signs."

"Hey!"

He chuckled for a while before continuing. "Baby girl, I like you for a long time now and I admit I flirt with you to make you feel the same way. When you ignored me for a week, you gave me a lot to think about. I want to do what couples do and with you close to me, it gets increasingly hard for me to not do that. I don't want to push you either so tell me if you don't want this..." He waved his finger between the two of us. "—then I'd understand."

Junhoe said those things like he was telling me the weather today, like this wasn't a big deal at all! How...? I tried to disregard the things he was making me feel by ignoring them, but it was increasingly hard not to, not when he was like this. Based on the smirk appearing on his face again, I knew I was blushing hard. I cupped my cheeks and looked away. "Don't look at me!"

"Eh, it's cute," he teased as he took my wrists and put them down to replace my hands with his own. By then, the tinge of arrogance evident on his smirk faded into a sincere smile.

My heart felt like exploding. It was a series of gestures and words from him that I felt like my insides were in chaos. And then, he had to smile at me. Smile! It was my weakness, didn't he know that? If he kept this up, I wouldn't know how to handle it anymore.

"Aaaah! Your cheek fat's eating my hands!"

And of course, he just had to ruin the moment. Typical Junhoe.

I pushed his face away just as he started his signature high-pitched laugh. "Seriously, Junhoe..." Could we live a moment where he'd be serious for five straight minutes?

Okay, I do admit. Him doing that calmed me a little. He got me so excited that I didn't know how I'd organize my thoughts, much less reply to him.

When I breathed deeply, he stopped laughing, sensing that I was getting serious. Emotions betrayed his face as he looked quite... worried? for what I was about to say. I knew he didn't have to anymore as soon as I let him know what I felt.

Smiling a little to alleviate the nerves, although I got the sense it looked awkward since he blinked, I admitted, "Junhoe... I also like you and I don't want us to go back being friends. I – is that... Does that make sense?"

Junhoe broked out in a full grin, one that shaped his eyes into crescent ones until they disappeared into view. As if that wasn't enough, he was chuckling to himself. Confused, I asked, "What?"

He shook his head as if it was something stupid. "I was kinda expecting you to tell me we should stay as friends, then that'd be really grand."

"Is – Is that what you want?"

Staring at me with a different kind of intensity, he replied, "I can't stay friends with someone I want to kiss, Chaeyoung."

Unable to hold out my feelings any longer, I let out a squeak. Embarrassed, I looked away and covered my mouth. Ah... stupid Chaeyoung! Why did you do that?

Junhoe laughed as he took my hands away from my face. "Chaeyoung..." When I wasn't listening, he repeated it. "Chaeyoung, hey. Look at me."

I did what he wanted me to do but still struggled maintaining my gaze. How could I? He was so charming, smiling like that... capturing my heart... I looked down on our hands, of him holding my wrists. When he noticed, he moved so that our fingers interlace together. I couldn't help it anymore and grinned like an idiot.

"So... what now?" I asked, quite breathless for an unknown reason.

"I think this is the part where we have to kiss."

Biting my lip, I shook my head. He raised a hand to move away hair that fell in front of my face. Continuing in a gentle tone, he asked, "You don't want that? Okay."

"No, uhm..." I looked around. "My breath..."

Getting what I meant, he threw his head back and laughed aloud.

I frowned. "Geez... it isn't funny!"

"Sorry, just... Chaeyoung. You're really..."

"Really what?"

"Really cute." Junhoe held the sides of my face and kissed my forehead, enabling me to feel tingly at that spot. When he leaned back, his twinkling eyes made me giddy inside. "Is that okay with you?"

I stifled a laugh and hit his chest but hugged him in the end. "Sneaky."

end.

Reference video: June x Jay cover of Crush's 'Don't Forget' ft. Taeyeon

you know about ikon's japanese song, 'perfect'? lyrics goes something like, 'i was wrong, baby come back to me' and i kept hearing baby girl instead of 'baby come' before i knew that. i think it's the closest you can hear junhoe say 'baby girl'