There was a sharp knock on the door.

"Go away." Soyeon's words came out muffled. With her face planted between two pillows, she found herself sulking.

Tap, rap, rat-tat, rat-tat-tat-

Abruptly grabbing the new novel sitting on her nightstand, Soyeon carelessly flung the piece of literature at the door before viscously growling, "I said go away!"

The concerned figure standing outside jumped at the sound of his little sister's shrill voice and aggressive attitude. Disappointed at his failed attempt to lure Soyeon out of her bedroom, Sehun stepped away from the door and sighed in defeat. Folding his arms across his chest with an unreadable expression clouding his face, he tried to figure out the many possibilities of what might have gone wrong for her to behave in such an appalling manner.

With his grappling anger issues, could it be that he had said or done something to upset her feelings without even realising it? Since it was a common occurrence ever since their father passed away, the thought alone caused a whirlwind of guilt to erupt inside him.

Frustrated with no one but himself, Sehun leaned against the wall staring blankly into the atmosphere. The last thing he wanted was to damage or tarnish relationships with the people he cares about the most. Why did he have the incapability to express emotions calmly and healthily? No wonder his blood sister preferred Jongin's empathetic personality over his temperamental one.

"Hey," A voice called out, breaking Sehun's anxious train of thoughts. His gaze travelled enough for him to notice Jongin approaching his side. "You are still here?" He questioned, sounding irritated at Sehun's presence.

"Don't you have a dealership appointment to attend?" Glancing at his vintage wristwatch, Jongin did not hesitate to interrogate his friend. "You know, I would have gone myself, but after what happened the previous time-"

Sehun did not reply and instead stared at his friend with an exhausted expression, and that was enough for Jongin to understand and take control of the situation.

"Don't worry about Soyeon!" Jongin ushered, adjusting his sleeves. "I will take care of her." Reaching out, he gave Sehun a comforting pat on his shoulder with a reassuring smile that hinted at trust and loyalty. In that moment, Sehun felt lighter, knowing that he had someone endearing as Jongin by his side.

"You can still make it to the dealership in time for the appointment." Jongin laughed, his strong voice echoing through the corridor before adding, "If you run, that is."

Sehun put his hands up in defeat, grumbling, "Okay, okay! I am leaving." He gave in, walking away; he swung his set of keys around his index finger and disappeared out of sight.

Jongin squatted to the floor and noticed the crack at the bottom of the door. A cheeky smile played on his lips with an idea in mind. Of course, only he could think of something like this.

In the depths of her bedroom, Soyeon continued to whine dramatically like a seven-year-old child asking for a lollipop in a candy store and had been strictly told no. "God, please, how could you allow me to embarrass myself like that in front of Major Kim Junmyeon?" Moreover, she felt her stomach churn as the scene played out in her mind for the millionth time.

"I like you!" Soyeon uttered those words with as much force as she could, her jaw practically chattering.

It felt like a pin had dropped in the room. Silence.

Junmyeon's breathing suddenly turned ragged, jaw almost hanging. "P-pardon?" He managed to say as he stood before her like a deer caught in headlights.

Soyeon's heart crazily thumped out of control, afraid he could hear it. "I-" turned dry, and she took a step back, followed by another until she hit the wall with nowhere to sink deep within. "Uh-" Her brain had suddenly stopped working, unable to put words together. 

Junmyeon blinked, eyes locking with Soyeon's for a brief moment. As he took a step forward, almost as if he was going to approach her, Soyeon bolted to the other side of the room, escaping through the door. She ran as fast as she could, leaping up the stairs, racing down the corridor and jumping into her bedroom.

"I'm so dead." These were the first words that left Soyeon's lips as she slammed the door behind herself and slumped to the ground. 

They say A crush is nothing more than lust for someone. Except that didn't change anything in Soyeon's mind. He was always her first and last thought. And when his eyes locked with hers, it felt like she had been staring at the sun for too long. He was her crush, but he would never be hers, that much she already knew. 

Sitting up with her legs hanging at the side of the bed, Soyeon rubbed her watery eyes until they turned dry. She could see something moving when her gaze flittered to the ground. 

₩ 1,000?!

Soyeon's eyes lit up like flashlights at the sight of a bill in her perimeter when suddenly she began to grow suspicious. Why couldn't she remember being given any extra money by her brother recently? She had already used this month's pocket money to purchase a summer dress and a poster of Kim Wan-sun. Unless her brother had slipped her a bill to cheer her up, that sounded very plausible, and she ran with the idea to avoid any guilt if it did not have her name on it. 

Sniffling, Soyeon crouched down to the floor to grab the bill, which had magically swept away a few centimetres. Stepping forward, she quickly tried clutching it, only for it to fly further away. Grinding her teeth, she stumbled forward to catch it when it slipped underneath the door's crack.

Soyeon waited a moment before slowly turning the knob, her little head peeking outside to glance at the floor, only to see Jongin standing in front of her, waving the ₩1,000 in her face with a look that told her that she was caught red handed. She looked at him sheepishly before composing herself.

Clearing her voice, she said, "I don't want it."

"I know how badly you want volume 7 of this is love," Jongin taunted.

Soyeon's ears perked up. That did sound very tempting. 

"You can have this-" Said Jongin passing her the bill before pulling it towards him again, and she pouted. "Only if you come out of your room and eat breakfast." 

Soyeon scowled, snatching the money off him. "Fine." She mumbled.

[2]

The warm summer sun shone through the window, illuminating the kitchen in an orange glow. Sanghee had been awake for a while, her eyes fluttering open and reaching for the space beside her. No matter how early she woke up, Jongin was usually up earlier. 

Thumbs twiddling, Sanghee paced restlessly around the kitchen diner. Biting her lip, she glanced at the vintage-style wall clock above the door that leads into the yard. 

"It is past 9 am," Sanghee hopelessly sighed, her thoughts pondering out loud. "Where could he be?"

On a typical day, Jongin would always be the first to seat himself at the table, reading a fictional book whilst waiting for the others to join him. Joyfully devouring his breakfast like the morning person he claimed to be, Sanghee preferred to sleep in (till midday) but mostly until Jongin knocked on the door, calling her downstairs to eat breakfast before it got cold and soggy.

She had been here since sunrise for the first time in forever, yet there was no sign of him. Could it be that he left to do his errands with an empty stomach?

Leaning over the sink, Sanghee tip-toed to take a better look outside the window. Peering over at the stable from afar, Sanghee attempted to look for any signs of life. Other than horses and chickens, there was nothing.

Frowning, Sanghee balanced her feet on the ground, shoulders drooping in disappointment.

She knew nothing about him, but in 10 days, he was the first thing she thought about in the morning and the last thought at night. 

"Good morning."

Sanghee whipped around, her hair sprawling everywhere. "Good morning," She replied to Jongin, leaning on the counter as if she wasn't waiting for him.

"So," Jongin said almost dumbly as he stared at the woman before him. She was dressed in a lovely, frilly yellow top and blue high-waisted jeans. "I better go check up on Romeo and Juliet." He said, turning to leave.

"Take me with you!"

Jongin stopped in his tracks, head-turning to meet Sanghee's eyes. Did he hear her right? 

Jongin's question was answered not a minute later when Sanghee followed him to the barn. With her hands resting behind her back, she kept a few steps between them, not because she felt shy but because there seemed to be a lot on Jongin's mind. She could tell how he walked briskly, with his hair swept away by the wind. 

Jongin found himself second-guessing his interaction with Sanghee last night. He could have been sure that she told him about her fear of horses, or had he imagined it all? 

As they reached the barn entrance, Jongin faced Sanghee, "Miss Ahn-"

"Quite frankly, I would prefer if you called me by my first name," Sanghee suggested. "Please drop the honorifics."