“Hongjoong can be pretty annoying, but…he’s harmless.” Chaerin said as Ahyoung sat down beside her, Kevin glanced at the girl.

“Just annoying. He’s not pretty.” She pointed out, Chanhee stifled a laugh just as Juyeon joined them.

“What did he want?” Changmin asked the male as he started eating.

“He wanted Ahyoung to join them at their table, to meet new friends.” Juyeon mused back, and Ahyoung’s cousin let out a laugh.

“Right, I don’t know if you heard about professor Seon will be handing out grades this afternoon, and he’s going to announce regarding that joint project thing.” Chaerin spoke, Ahyoung opened her sandwich and took a small bite.

“Joint project?” She echoed, she looked at Chaerin.

“Three subjects, one project. Like that.”

“Is it..a..group thing? Or.. not?” She asked, Chanhee laughed at her question and brushed the bits of bread from her cheek.

“Sadly, new girl, it’s usually done by twos.”

Ahyoung frowned and continued eating, she glanced at Juyeon and she blinked t him.

“What is it?”

“Your teammate is annoying. How do you put up with him?”

“Like Chaerin said, he’s harmless. Just annoying.” Juyeon supplied as he leaned over to open her fruit cup and pushed it back towards her.

“He smells bad.”

“Like…rotten bad?” Kevin grew curious.

“No, like..he tried drowning himself in cologne kind of bad, my nose feels~” She stopped when a hand landed on her shoulder, Chaerin paused, recognizing the male behind her friend.

“Oppa,”

“I forgot to tell you that I have training this afternoon, and it might run late, so,” Younghoon reached for his pant pocket, Chaerin grinned and elbowed Chanhee.

“Take my car. I know you won’t ride with your brother.” He supplied as he put the Audi’s keyfob on the table.

“Then, how will you get home? I can go back and~” She tried to stand, but Younghoon gently pushed her back.

“I can take a cab, enjoy your lunch.” Younghoon smiled, he cupped her cheek briefly before moving away. Ahyoung went back to eating, not noticing her friends’ curious stares.

“Ahyoung-ah,” Changmin spoke in between bites, the girl looked up from her fruit cup.

“They’re all thinking about you and Younghoon hyung, and not in the way you would want them to.” He finished, her brows rose, and she chuckled.

“Oh god, no, he’s like a brother to me. Probably the better brother.” Ahyoung snorted, Juyeon grinned at her.

“What now, Lee Juyeon?” She sighed at her seatmate.

“I think Hyunjae sunbae probably thinks the same, you are quite a pain, Lee Ahyoung.”

“Hey!”

“Thanks for meeting up, I know I should have texted first.” Ahyoung said as they crossed the street, Haneul looked up from her ice cream and grinned at her.

“It’s fine, I was starting to get bored at class, and, I miss hanging out with you.” She said as she hooked arms with the girl.

“So, any progress on your new friends?”

“Hmm, actually yes. I mean, there’s this girl, Chaerin. She’s really nice, but…you know those cliché…group in school? The ones in movies.”

“What do you mean?”

“Those mean girls, they always wear ridiculously dark lip tints and .”

“Oh,” Haneul let out a laugh as she fixed the strap of her backpack, Ahyoung rolled her eyes before continuing.

“There’s a group of girls that are giving her a hard time, and I hate it.” Ahyoung stated, Haneul glanced at her friend and smiled.

“You may be a pain in the , but you never were never a mean girl. That’s why I love you, Ahyoung-ah, and of course, you always have ridiculously good-looking guys around you.” Haneul hummed, Ahyoung grimaced and shook her arm away.

“Your brother..and his best friend…just…chef’s kiss!” Haneul added, Ahyoung quickly waddled away from her friend, the latter laughed and jogged after her. They were already near her new school, Ahyoung had offered to drive Haneul to her home.

“Please, I don’t understand why,” She started as they reached the school’s parking lot, it was already filled with students, rushing to go home.

“Why, what?” Haneul asked as her friend took out the Audi’s keyfob, the car beeped twice, and they both looked up.

Ahyoung smiled as she spotted the car, but Haneul stood frozen, her eyes weren’t on the car. They were on the male standing by the car, she didn’t notice the Chucky backpack he was holding.

“Hey, what are you doing? Let’s~” Ahyoung paused as she saw Juyeon, and then she broke into a sheepish smile.

“Hi.” She beamed at him, Juyeon scrunched his nose at her and slowly raised her bag.

“The next time you skip class, please don’t do it when a big group work is being announced. Kevin was about to lose it. I had to cover for you.” He chided as he helped the girl to her bag and deftly fixed the straps on her shoulders, gently tugging her hair out of the way so it wouldn’t be stuck under the straps.

“Oops. I’m sorry.” Ahyoung grinned at him, she glanced around her, searching for Haneul.

“Thanks for bringing my bag.”

“I had to, I told our teacher you were at the infirmary.”

“Oh, why did I had to go there?” She asked, Juyeon sighed and she nudged his arm.

“You were having a migraine.”

“True, Hongjoong’s cologne could cause one you know.” She countered, and then she felt Haneul tug on her arm. Ahyoung turned to her and she grimaced, her friend was blatantly staring at Juyeon, she could almost see pink hearts shoot out of her eyes.

“Anyway, I hope you had fun today. Because, we didn’t.” He said as he opened the driver’s seat for her.

“You have practice?” She asked, noticing the duffel on his other shoulder, Juyeon nodded back.

“Drive safely.” His lips curled up slightly as he took out a granola bar from his pocket.

“…Ball safely?” She tilted her head at him, he let out a chuckle and turned away from them. Ahyoung tossed her bag into the R8 and she looked at her friend.

“Haneul~”

“Oh my god, that’s your new friend?”

“W—Well, I~”

“I wanna transfer here too!”

“I don’t have a game this weekend, no..classes too. Why?” Juyeon looked up from his plate, his mother nodded and smiled.

“Are we going out?” He asked, his father shook his head and dabbed the sides of his lips with a napkin.

“Usually, I would send one of our directors to attend events for us, but this is quite important, and the board suggested that we attend, as a family.”

“Ah, a company party?” Juyeon grinned and continued eating, his mother hummed back.

“Your father wanted to take you, but it would be better if we ask you first, right?”

“I have no problem with it, eomma. Will Chaerin be there as well?” He asked as he finished his water.

“I’m not quite sure, I’m not sure if the Gus are in business with GukJe Group.”

“GukJe? The banking company?” Juyeon continued, his brows went up and he looked at his mother.

“Eomma, you’re friends with the…chairman’s wife, right?” He said to her.

“We are, Jaehee and I go way back. I believe you were introduced to her son, right? You go to the same school.”

“He’s a senior. Lee Hyunjae.” Juyeon said as he picked up his steak knife.

“She mentioned that she has a daughter, and I haven’t seen Jaehee in a while. After…that very public divorce, she’s been withdrawn.” She continued with a small sad smile.

“She’s out of town, eomma. On a cruise.” Juyeon said in between bites, his parents stared at him.

“She left…maybe three weeks ago.”

“Y—You, how do you know this?”

“I just heard.” Juyeon shrugged and he continued eating again.

“Should we be worried?” Mr. Lee looked up from his meal, Juyeon let out a laugh and shook his head at his father.

“I met her daughter, eomma. We’re in the same class.”

“Really? What’s her name?” Mrs. Lee was stunned and then she started smiling.

“Lee Ahyoung. She just transferred.”

“Are you two friends? Is she nice? How does she look? I bet she’s very beautiful, Jaehee was campus crush back then.”

“Which question should I answer first?” Juyeon chuckled, his father shook his head and continued eating. Mrs. Lee sighed at her son and slapped his arm.

“You should be nice to her, she’s basically family.”

“How will I be nice to her if she’s barely in class?” Juyeon mused to himself, but he was smiling as he started eating again.

"You two should be friends, son."

"I can see where this is going, don't do this to him, wife." Mr. Lee joked, but one glare from his wife made him shut his mouth.

"Friends, right? Friends?" His mother repeated as she patted his arm, Juyeon nodded back at her.

"Yes, we're friends. I'd like to believe we are."

Ahyoung grimaced as she adjusted her left Airpod, she was fixing some stuff in her room when her mother had called. And she’d been on the phone with her for over an hour now. The lady wouldn’t even let her end the call so she could do some homework.

“I know you may never accept her~”

“I will never accept her. Because I don’t have to.” She automatically corrected as she picked up another box of her old books and notebooks.

“Yes, yes. But, baby, your grandmother wants to see you. And I know it’s been so long since you last went to a family event.”

“Eomma, I have no problems with seeing halmae, I can visit her anytime. I know where she lives.” She commented as she picked up a couple of her old exam papers.

“So, what are you going to do? Are you going to continue being disrespectful to yoru father while you live there?”

“Disrespectful? What did I do? Did I talk back? Did I raise my voice at him? What did he tell you, mother?”

The elder grew quiet and Ahyoung exhaled, she reached for the bookshelf and paused as bunch of envelopes landed on her feet.

“I have no problems with him and Seonmi, eomma. Because I know you both have moved on, but the thing that I cannot do is,” She said as she picked up the items and tossed them to her desk.

“Being around her and having to act like she’s family. Because she’s not and she will never be.”

“Baby, I know. Trust me, I understand, but it would make your father happy and~”

“No one asked if it would make me happy. I’m the child here.” She pointed out as she walked to her desk, she halted, seeing the photos that had spilled across the white wood.

She walked towards her desk and her fists tightened.

“Your father would appreciate if you attended, Ahyoung.”

“He knows that I would come, eomma. If Ji Seonmi isn’t there.” She muttered as she picked up one of the photos, she studied her smiling face for a moment then her eyes went to the male beside her. He was smiling as well, his nose pressed against her cheek.

“Okay, subject has been dropped.” Her mother sighed, she dropped the photo and turned away from her desk.

“How’s the new school? Did your brother show you around?”

“It’s fine, Changmin and I are in the same class.” She mumbled as she walked to her laptop and checked her messages. Chaerin had emailed her regarding the groupwork they needed to finish before Friday.

“Made new friends? Met any cute boys?”

“Friends, yes. Boys, ew.” She countered, her mother chuckled and she could hear the chatter in the background, that made Ahyoung smile. At least her mother was having fun.

“Well, I may not know why you and~”

“Eomma, please,”

“I don’t know why you two broke up, I thought he was really nice and he could put up with your sunny personality. I liked him, you know.”

“Well, now I don’t.” Ahyoung muttered, her eyes went to the photos on her desk again, she stood up and gathered her in one hand. She wordlessly tossed them into the trash bin and puffed her cheeks.

“I won’t keep you long, baby. You take care of yourself. Be nice.”

“You too, have fun, eomma.”

Ahyoung removed her Airpods, she took the pitcher of water by her nightstand and poured it over the photos.

“I don’t like him. I never should have.”

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