sixteen;

“Hungover?”

Daniel jumps a little when he feels a hand wrap around his shoulders and a weight now clings to his upper torso. He doesn’t need to turn before he recognises her voice. 

“You could say that.” She snickers, removing herself from him and he hides his disappointment when her scent of sweet jasmine leaves with her. 

“The trio caught me up with drunk Daniel stories. Seems like you had A LOT of fun.” Daniel mentally curses at his friends, already imagining the embarrassment of whatever they could’ve said. He was pretty much more than wasted that night.

Did they perhaps tell her about how he got up on the table and started singing?

Or maybe they told her the coming out of the toilet with only one shoe on incident.

Eunseo chuckles again, brushing her hair to one side and his eyes trail the movement, snapping him out of his clouded and rather embarrassing thoughts.

“Yesterday… I-…. Um, just wanted to say-“ 

“You’re welcome.”  She cuts him off with a fond smile that was almost beaming in Daniel’s opinion. 

Daniel sheepishly rubs the back of his nape in embarrassment as he tries his best to recollect any memory left that hasn’t been erased by the amount of soju he had sculled. 

‘I got my year’s worth of weight exercise having to get you home. So thank YOU” She teases, pinching his arm. Daniel rolls his eyes but doesn’t fail to laugh along the female who’s beaming next to him.

“I didn’t say anything weird did I?” Eunseo slows her pace a little at his sudden question, making Daniel to whip his head in suspicion. 

“Nope. Not at all.” She answers quickly with a small shrug. 
 

But Daniel wasn’t convinced.

“I could’ve sworn I heard something before I knocked out.” He pushes once again for an answer, watching as the girl nonchalantly waves off his question. 

“I don’t remember saying anything.” 

Daniel squints his eyes suspiciously at the girl who stares back with innocence filled in her eyes, almost mockingly.

He doesn’t buy it. Not one bit. 

“Yeah right, I could’ve sworn I heard you say it.”

“Say what?” She challenges, the two still walking through the academy’s hallway.

“That you like me too.” 

Eunseo’s eyes widen for a spilt-second and Daniel could’ve sworn her ears had turned pink. He was sure he had caught her, even though it was merely a hunch at first. The boy couldn’t hide his smile as he grins widely knowing that perhaps that did really happen. 

He really didn’t remember. 

Before he could say anything, she shoots out her hand, cupping his cheeks in her warm palms. Daniel feels his heartbeat doing flips as she stares at him intently.

“Daniel.” 

He almost melts as his name softly rolls off the tip of her tongue. The ash-haired boy could never tell what she was thinking of as he stares right back at her. He could hardly breathe under her stare. 

“Are you still drunk?” She whispers, pretending to be concerned as she continues to .

Daniel scoffs, before playfully pushing her hands away and he knows he lost when her laughter bounces from one wall to the other of the corridors. She had played him right into her trap and the boy shameless falls for it every time. 

“You should’ve seen the look on your face. PRICELESS” She sneers, clutching her stomach in tears. Daniel glares at the girl before she sprints off. The boy shakes his head but a smile seems to plaster itself on his face. 

# # #

Eunseo’s staring mindlessly outside the window, watching the clouds move ever so slowly and she yawns out of boredom. The girl whips her head to the front when she hears tapping and her eyes meet with an annoyed homeroom teacher. Sheepishly smiling, she lowers her head and mumbles a quick apology, ready to get an earful but she thanks god when the bell rings then and there. 

The teacher sighs, dismissing the eager kids with a flick of the wrist before proceeding to collect his own belongings.

Jiyeon leans over to the girl’s desk and snickers.

“I was anticipating a lot more trouble but of course you were saved by the bell.” The black-hair girl nudges. Eunseo rolls her eyes and laughs in return. 

“I’m glad my misery brings you joy best friend.” The girl swings her bag over her shoulder and follows Jiyeon out of the dreadfully boring classroom, any second longer and she swore she would’ve fallen asleep.

“Hold on, I need to go to the bathroom real quick, you can go first.” She ushers the other before sending her off. Jiyeon offers to wait for the girl but the brunette only argues that Jiyeon should line up for food, purely so she