It was late and I should've gone to bed, but I would've been lying if I said didn't feel something after seeing Taehyun's text message.

 

It wasn't sent to the group chat, it was sent privately to me. He only wanted me to see it.

 

 

Before I could stop myself, I hit the dial button.

 

He picked up on the second ring.

 

 

"Soojin?"

 

 

Oh. Oh no. His voice sounded deeper through the phone.

 

 

"H... hey," I answered. "I got your text."

 

 

He chuckled.

 

"Sure, so shall we meet at the front gate? 11am?"

 

 

"Okay."

 

 

"Okay."

 

 

 

It was getting too awkward for my taste so I laughed. He laughed too.

 

 

"So why'd you call me instead of just texting back?"

 

 

"Oh, I don't like texting. Calling is easier for me."

 

I lied. I didn't know why I called him either. "Sorry, I know it's late. Did I disturb you?"

 

 

I heard a shuffle and a hum. "No, I actually just got in bed. But I normally read for a bit before I go to sleep."

 

 

"Oh."

 

 

"You?"

 

 

I unplugged the charging cable from my phone and went to my bed, slipping under the covers to keep warm.

 

"I just got in bed too. What are you reading?"

 

 

"Just an American novel."

 

 

"...and? What's the title?"

 

 

"Oh, it's the Great Gatsby, do you know it?"

 

 

"I've seen the movie."

 

 

"The movie was okay. The book is so much better."

 

 

"No, really??"

 

 

Taehyun laughed and I could almost visualise him nodding with that all-knowing smile on his face.

 

 

"Yeah. But I want you to convince me that the movie's better. Let's watch it together."

 

 

 

"Kang Taehyun..." I covered my mouth when I couldn't hold back a grin. But it wasn't like he could see me anyway. "Is this..."

 

 

His brief silence made me almost regret ever saying anything. It was only a brief pause, but it was too long for me.

 

 

"A date?"

 

 

"It can be. If you want it to be."

 

 

 

 

My cheeks were hot when I finally fell asleep. They were still hot in the morning when I woke up. I didn't dare check if I was blushing or not, so I really just hoped for the best. School was almost out, but classes and extracurriculars still dragged on. It did help me take my mind off all the things that were happening.

 

 

By fourth period, my cheeks finally started to cool down. It was only just by a little, but I could manage.

 

 

 

Volleyball tournaments were starting in the Spring term, so Jisu and Dahyun and I still trained every other day after last period. I think I was getting better because I could finally start keeping up with Jisu. Dahyun was... still another story. She still raced on ahead and overlapped us whenever she could.

 

Sometimes Kai would sit out on the bleachers to wait for me, and he had been doing it a lot more lately. I guess he finally gotten sick of 'trying' to study with the afterschool homework help club. If I wasn't training so frequently, I would go with him. After all, Mr Hong monitored those sessions.

 

 

 

 

 

It was getting really cold out, so I dropped by Soobin's locker to grab his jacket before going to meet Dahyun and Jisu. Again, it wasn't locked. Soobin never locked his locker, but somehow he never loses things. (Or maybe he has and just forgot about them.)

 

His varsity jacket was still in there. I had seen him wear it a few times this semester, especially during volleyball team practice. Sometimes I'd see it draped over Yeji's shoulders or lap during lunch time. I've never seen him take it home, though.

 

Has... has this even been... washed?

 

 

 

 

 

"Uh... Why are you... sniffing..."

 

 

 

 

My giant of a brother stood a few feet away. I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn't even noticed him approach. He nudged me aside and his fingers closed around the soft fabric of his jacket. I held onto it tightly.

 

"What are you doing? Let go."

 

 

"You don't need it, right?" I pouted, trying to tug it out of his grasp. He didn't let go either, so I quickly slipped my arm into a sleeve. Volleyball Captain, '18-'20 printed on Soobin's jacket sleeve stared mockingly up at him, who eyed it before letting out a long sigh.

 

"Take it off."

 

 

"Why? You don't have training or any games today, do you?"

 

 

"No. But–"

 

"Then let me borrow it? Please? It's so cold and I forgot to bring my sports jacket."

 

Soobin stared at me with a gaze that yelled are you kidding me?!?!

 

 

"Darn it. Fine, take it."

 

He let go and I immediately took a step back, slipping my other arm into the other sleeve. I knew I could believe in Soobin. He wouldn't let his baby sister shrivel up and die out in the harsh winter air.

 

"But I need it for the winter festival. Bring it home."

 

Soobin looked done with me already and I didn't really want to pry, but I couldn't resist poking a bit of fun at him.

 

"You're finally gonna wash it, huh? When's the last time you washed it? 2018?"

 

"Yes... and no..." He coughed lightly into a fist before mumbling the rest of his sentence. "Yeji washed it a few times."

 

I raised a sleeve to my nose and took a long whiff, simultaneously hiding a grin I couldn't hold back. Oh gosh, cute. He wasn't kidding. I could pick up hints of Yeji. The calm, soft cotton scent she always wore. The essence of clouds and the warm afternoon sun. 

 

 

"Why do you so desperately need it, then? You never needed it–"

 

I covered my mouth before I gave myself away even more. But it was too late. A scowl spread across my brother's face as he shut his locker.

 

"So, not the first time you've stolen my jacket, huh?"

 

"Uh... I borrowed it a few times..."

 

Soobin looked mad at first, but he just sighed again. He was becoming more and more like our dad with his big dad sighs. He looked like he had more to say but he waved me off.

 

"Whatever, just go. I can see Dahyun coming our way to get you and I don't have the energy to keep up with her."

 

I turned around to indeed see my teammate jogging towards us, waving big waves. Before my brother left, I squeaked out a tiny "thank you."

 

He didn't reply. He didn't even turn around. He dismissed my meek gratitude with a nonchalant wave of his hand. Then, he shouldered his bag and headed off.

 

 

 

 

 

Kai stuck around till after my training session so we could go home together. He temporarily left his post at the bleachers to buy snacks from the snack bar before it closed for the day.

 

 

Today, he cashed out on sour worms.

 

As annoying as he was, he really was my best friend. We either shared some kind of BFF telepathy, or we just spend so much time together to the point of sharing the same snack cravings.

 

We kept to ourselves for a while before we got on the bus and I debrief-ed him on what I learned about Jisu. Or more like, I was trying to talk about Jisu, whereas he was more interested in talking about Taehyun.

 

 

I really shouldn't have told him about the phone call. But how could I have kept that from him? He was my best friend. We never kept things from each other.

 

 

 

"My eyes are rolling to the back of my head and they're not coming back." I deadpanned.

 

 

Kai smirked at me so gleefully as if he had everything figured out.

"Loverboy's so into you and you could be into him too. Otherwise, why would you call him?"

 

I grimaced. "Stop calling him that. Why are we talking about him anyway, let's talk about Jisu–"

 

 

It was Kai's turn to roll his eyes. "God, it almost sounds like you have a crush on Jisu or something."

 

 

 

I grabbed a handful of sour worms from him angrily. It wasn't the first time we talked over each other and definitely not the first time I've gotten mad at him. But it felt very different this time. I feel like he wasn't even listening to me.

 

 

"I just don't get why you're so riled up. You seem to be into Taehyun too, I can kinda tell. You avoid his eyes."

 

I popped a sour worm into my mouth as I stared at him, saying nothing.

 

 

"He's not bad looking too. He was handsome since grade school and all but he hasn't changed that much. Whereas you..."

 

I slapped his arm with all my might and he dodged it as much as he could, both of us cracking up as if we didn't want to strangle each other just seconds ago.

 

"Seriously though, I wouldn't mind if you two started dating."

 

"Really?"

 

"Yeah."

 

I raised a brow at him. "Then why did you avoid him when he joined us for lunch that one time?"

 

Kai snorted. "Such an amateur."

 

"Excuse me?"

 

"I wasn't avoiding. I was observing him. And you. He kept glancing at you, and you kept glancing at your phone, how rude. And then when Yeonjun and Hyunjin came, you kept looking at Hyunjin. Sometimes Yeonjun. Anywhere but Taehyun."

 

I pulled a face. "And what did you gain from oogling at me?"

 

 

He looked disgusted. "Oogling at you? Nah dude, you weren't even looking back at me. Yeonjun caught me watching a few times, though. I think he was oogling at me. Freakin' weirdo."

 

"Yeah okay, it doesn't matter who was oogling who." I cut in quickly. Kai snorted again, so loudly that the whole bus would've heard. "We can stop talking about Jisu after I hear what you think about something."

 

"Fine, let's hear it."

 

 

"What if Yeonjun and Jisu are secretly dating?"

 

"What's your hunch?"

 

 

"Well, Jisu keeps trying to deny that the two of them are close, right? So whatever it is they have going on – it has to be kept a secret. I swear Yeonjun is catching on that I'm up to something, so he brought me along to find Jisu's cousin when he knew that we'd bump into Jisu. It's almost as if he was teasing me.

 

"And also, when two people like each other, they would text a lot, right? This is just something I've observed from Soobin. He's always texting Yeji."

 

 

"Doesn't he text Yeonjun a lot too? His best friend?"

 

 

"Well... Yes, but either way... I've been noticing Jisu sneaking glances at her phone a lot these days. Sometimes she'd be texting someone when Dahyun slows down to talk to me. I don't know if it's Yeonjun she's texting, but what if it is? Maybe they're secretly seeing each other."

 

 

"Isn't that good for us? Mission accomplished?" Kai was studying me quite intently. "Why do you seem so concerned?"

 

 

"I'm not. I don't know." I mumbled. "I just..."

 

 

We shared everything with each other, but for some reason I didn't want to tell Kai what I was thinking.

 

 

I think I felt a little betrayed. I thought I read Yeonjun well. I thought I'd be able to understand him as much as he understood me. But if my hunch was really correct and that he was already dating Jisu but still made me look like a fool trying to set them up... I guess I'm really not as special to him as he is to me.

 

 

If Kai felt my sudden mood drop, he didn't ask. He vaguely said that he wasn't feeling the sour worms anymore and shoved the rest of the pack into my hands.

 

 

I looked down and saw that he had eaten everything except my favourite blue and pink worms.

 

 

 

"Anyway, so when are you gonna date Taehyun?"

 

He dodged for his life as I swung at him.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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A/N: Double update this week because last chapter was a bit short! :)