Summer break was approaching and the chaotic atmosphere instigated by deadlines had died down, leaving behind sighs of relief and cheers of celebrations from the students who managed to survive.

Like always, Nari was inside the art studio, concentrating on sculpting. She had already handed in the assignment for the semester and was currently working on something personal: her own interpretation of the Hokage Rock — or in her situation more aptly named as Hokage Wood. To no one’s surprise, what Jaehyun had mentioned as a passing joke had been turned into reality, only that the faces Nari was sculpting showed eerie resemblances to herself and her group of friends. Thankfully she had not committed to a life-size sculpture.

Leaning against the doorframe of the art studio with two bottles of cold barley tea in hand, Taeyong raised an eyebrow at the supposed ‘miniature’ sculpture that occupied a whole table. A second pair of feet appeared next to Taeyong in that moment, and when he glanced sideways, he locked gazes with Johnny who was holding two cups of iced coffee. The two childhood friends exchanged an amused smile before directing their attention back towards Nari who was still unaware of their presence.

“Stop blocking the doorway,” Jaehyun interrupted them, purposefully elbowing the both of them as he waltzed in.

Johnny silently followed while rubbing his stomach. Meanwhile, Taeyong made sure to not-so-accidentally kick Jaehyun’s shin when he sat down. Biting back a yelp of pain, Jaehyun poked his tongue out at Taeyong but stopped when he noticed the extra drinks the other two males were holding and let out a small squeal of appreciation as his throat was parched due to the heat. Jaehyun’s eyed bounced from Johnny, to Taeyong, to Nari before shrugging his shoulders and aiming for the bottle of iced tea only to be intercepted by a pair of familiar calloused hands.

“Mine,” Nari stated curtly in a gruff voice.

Chuckling to himself, Taeyong twisted open the cap and handed the drink over to Nari who gulped half of its contents down in one go before clumsily handing the bottle back to Taeyong and returned to her sculpture. Carefully putting the cap back on, Taeyong wiped the droplets of condensation from the bottle before placing it on a nearby table.

“So rude.” Jaehyun pouted.

“You know what she’s like,” Taeyong stated as if mocking Jaehyun for purposefully stoking the fire. “Especially while she’s sculpting.”

“Yes, her pati