Aunt Mijoo who took leave today made the whole house crowdy in noise. Even just the three of us but the present of Aunt Mijoo turned everything around like we were having family dine. Chanyeol ate his Sundubu-jjigae (Soft Tofu Stew) with his chopsticks while I eyed him who was happily eating. As he looked up, our eyes met with each other and made my heart stop from beating. He gave me a smile before both of us giggled in funny ways.

“What’s so funny here?” Aunt Mijoo just came back from adding more soup from the kitchen, and sat down again beside Chanyeol.

I shook my head. “Nothing. We talked about you just now.” I lied before pouring some soup in my bowl.

She narrowed her eyes on me and Chanyeol made Chanyeol burst into laughter. “Aihh… Channie yaa, you are now on Hanseol noona’s side?” Aunt Mijoo asked as Chanyeol nodded in teasing.

I laughed to see Aunt Mijoo was pouting her lips like a kid. Well, that was my aunt. Cute, cheerful but loving. As we had done our dinner, Aunt Mijoo was washing the plates while I was being asked by her to play with Chanyeol in the living room. I sat beside Chanyeol as he was playing with his dinosaur toys. I kept an eye on him, trying to understand what he was playing right now. “Chanyeol ah…”

He faced me.

“Did you wait for noona at the shopping mall last time?” I asked hesitantly.

Chanyeol was stiff for a while before nodding. “Noona asked me to stay there. I wanted to stay but ahjussi told me to go out.” he said with his lips ducked making him look like a boy complaining.

I smiled as I remembered Lee Chan. Oh yes. I shoved my hand into my pocket pant and took out the dinosaur toy that Lee Chan gave me just now. I looked at Chanyeol before I fixed my position. “Chanyeol ah, if I give you something, will you…” I thinned my lips. “Forgive me?” I asked him as he blinked his eyes a few times and seemed like he was confused with my words.

“I mean, last time we went to the mall and I made you scared at the police station. Remember I told you that if we did something bad, we need to say-”

“Sorry.’’ he cut as I smiled proudly. “But I was the one who didn’t listen to you. You asked me to stay but I went out.” he explained.

He is a smart boy. I was surprised by his words before I slowly put my arm around his shoulder. “This time, it’s my fault okay?” I told him to nod in gullible. I sat in front of him before bowing to him politely. “I’m sorry, Park Chanyeol.” I apologized since I taught him before this so I should do the same. Chanyeol stared at me as he giggled with his teeth gritted in cheer.

I sat straight again once I heard him giggling. “Am I looking funny to you?” I asked in stern make him stop from laughing faded. Now, I was the one burst into laughter. “Aihh… you are the one who is funny here.” I chuckled before he smiled along with me. “Now, give me your hand.”

Chanyeol looked at me as he handed out his hand to me. I put the dinosaur toy on his palm and made his eyes rounded in surprise. “Oh it’s Ankylosaurus!” he gleefully shook the toy happily.

“That’s my present to you.” I said.

His eyes were all on the dinosaur that I gave as Aunt Mijoo came up without our notice. “You guys having fun without me?” she asked, trying to pull a joke and make both of us ignore her. “Ya…” she whined before I laughed at her glum face. Aunt Mijoo shook her head as she took a seat on the couch. I moved from the floor to beside her and laid my head on her thigh instantly.

“You are getting better now with him.” Aunt Mijoo suddenly said while her eyes plastered on the TV’s screen.

I nodded slowly. “It looks like that.” I answered.

“That’s good though.” She caressed my hair before planting a kiss on my hair. “Thank you.”

I smiled, missing my parents instantaneously. How I wish that they were the one who kissed me instead of Aunt Mijoo.

The next day came as I went to school as usual. I entered the school area before someone stopped me with her arm widened in front of me. I scrutinised that person which was a female student with the same school as me since we were wearing the same uniform. “Yes?” I asked in a strange way before she gripped my arm and without warning, she pulled me with her to the school’s barn behind the school’s building.

There were a few more female students and some of them were familiar to me. Aren’t they the one that stopped me yesterday? I looked at them nervously before they came closer to me and surrounded me with their huge numbers. “So Gong Hanseol…” one of them said.

I sighed. “How many times should I say? My name is Park Heeseung.” I told them as another one of them dug her hand into my skirt’s pocket and took out my name tag and I rounded my eyes in surprise.

“Anything you want to say, Park Heeseung?” she showed my name tag as gulped a few times.

“What do you guys want from me?” I asked bravely but deep inside my heart, I was shrank in fear.

They smirked at me and left suspense to me. “So you are close to Monsta X?” a girl asked and now I knew why they were looking for me. But why didn't they seek Seunghee instead? She was closer to them rather than me. I was quiet since I didn’t know what I should do? Should I say yes? Or no? Will it make any difference? “Ya! We are asking you!” the girl raised her voice, making me flinched in surprised.

I cleared my throat. “I only know them but we are not that close.” I told them the fact. Hope they will believe it.

“What about Hyungwon?”

Oh no. I my dry lips while my tongue seemed frozen like an ice. Are they Hyungwon’s fans? Why now they disturb me? I thinned my lips before eyed them one by one. Well, I was not a scaredy cat like they thought. “What about him?” I asked them back and made all of them laugh like a choir team. Well, at least they know what funny means.

The girl glared at me with her cold-fierce face. It was quite scary actually but Aunt Mijoo’s face when she was mad was scarier than her so I felt less nervous with her. “Who are you to Hyungwon? Are you his girlfriend?” she questioned.

Soon-to-be girlfriend, girl! I calmly looked at her. “We are friends.” I replied shortly.

“Everyone was talking about you and him.So we are here to warn you. Stop looking for Hyungwon or Monsta X. They need us to get focus for the competition.” she threatened me and I had been waiting for this moment. Like you see in drama and of course I held the heroine position. “Or you will regret it if you are against us.” She added more to make me think for a while. Should I feel threatened now? Ugh…

I crossed my arms upon my chest as they looked at me in astonishment. “What you want to do to me huh?” I asked them back, making them all gather close to me, perhaps wanting to make me feel small but nah…

“You seem not to be scared of us.” she said before suddenly pushed me roughly and I fell down on the grass like a weak person. They all laughed hysterically, making me heaved a sigh of boredom.

I stood up while dusting away dirt on my skirt. “Well, don’t make me do this, girls.” I said before fist my hands as I pretended like ready to punch them one by one.

They looked at me and made them ready to fight with me. Well, one versus eight of them. Of course I will be the first one who dies first. I put on a smug smile before fixing my position like a fighter. I didn’t know anything about martial arts but I probably can make it if I have a lot of confidence now. As I was about to attack them, I turned around before I ran away in speed. Okay, what should I do now?

I looked at my back to see they were chasing after me as I ran faster. The students who were there staring at us running around the school. I stopped for a while to gasp for breath. “Hanseol, you should do something!” I insisted myself as I could, they started to reach me.

However, a hand wrapped around my shoulder shocked me. I looked aside as Hyungwon was the one who did that. The group of girls stopped once they saw Hyungwon. “H-Hyungwon?” they startled.

“What are you guys doing?” he asked before they looked at each other nervously.

Seunghee who suddenly appeared as she held my hand. “Hanseol ah, are you okay?” she asked in worry make me nodded, reassured her.

“W-We were just playing around.” answered one of them.

Hyungwon sighed. “She is my friend and I hope you won’t do this anymore to her.” he said and was relieved that he came to save me but his word ‘friend’ really gave me an ‘auch’. Only friends?

I removed Hyungwon’s arm from my shoulder before I came closer to them. “I told you guys right. Me and Hyungwon are only friends.” I said to make them speechless. “And if Hyungwon has a girlfriend one day, you can’t stop him. It’s his life.” I added more as they all looked down. Now, this scene perfectly matched the teacher scolding her students for being unmotivational with their life.

They were ashamed I thought since one by one of them slowly walked away in embarrassment. As they were about to go, I stopped them. “And I will make sure that Hyungwon and Monsta X focus on their next competition.” I told them to make them carved into a smile, each of them. So they want Monsta X to win their competition. What great fans!

Once they went away, Seunghee and Hyungwon got me quickly. “Ya Gong Hanseol, are you really okay?” Seunghee asked while cupping my face, checking if they hurt me.

Meanwhile Hyungwon studied my condition in anxiety. “Hyungwon ah, I am okay.” I replied as they relieved their breath. “Wait. How did you guys know that I was with them?” I asked and this suspicion was playing in my mind since I met them just now. You know, I mean like they were coming in accurate and perfect timing like it had been scripted.

“Seunghee told me that some girls were looking for you yesterday so Seunghee and I decided to come early and look after you.” explained Hyungwon made me nod in understanding.

I smiled. “Aihh don’t worry. I’m not afraid at all.” I proudly said as Seunghee knocked my head, making me grieved in pain. “Ya Hyun Seunghee!”

“You know how worried I am!” she complained and made the hurt turned into a smile. I cuddled her in my arms while Hyungwon snickered at us. “What if I come late? They will punch you.” she whined with her lips curved sadly.

I giggled. “Before they punch me, I whack them first. I’m a boxer you know~” I before hugging her tightly. Aigoo Hyung Seunghee…