The two partners-in-crime stare nervously at the older boy in front of them.

Yongguk looks up from the small screen on the video camera, eyes disbelieving. “Smart, aren’t you? Went to the amusement park and got on all the weird rides and all I get to see is earthquake-like videos.”

Sohyun gives an indiscreet cough.

“But hey, where’s the kiss?”

And when the girl starts coughing probably because she has choked on her own saliva, Junhong is fast to react.

“Hyung, it’s only the first date! And hyung, don’t try to wriggle out of this. When do you want to do your confession?”

Junhong grins with mild satisfaction when Yongguk’s cheeks tinge a mild pink.

“We will help hyung plan for his confession,” he adds on, smirking. “Do you need balloons or confetti?”

“Neither,” Yongguk scowls as his expression darkens, lifting his arm to swipe at Junhong’s head, who ducks precariously at the last moment.

“Hyung is getting old. You should confess fas— ouch!” Junhong cries out in pain as he staggers a few steps, lead on by the person tugging at his ear.

“Now who’s the old one?” Yongguk’s scowl turns into a truimphant smirk as he lets go of the whining boy. “See ya.”

Once the hyung is out of earshot, Junhong frowns, rubbing at his ear.

“Even if you’re a fake girlfriend you should at least help me when I’m in need!”

Sohyun shrugs, smirking. “Do you need me to pull on the other ear so that the pain is balanced?”

“No!”

It’s fake?

As the duo walks away, someone else steps out of the shadows, confusion written all over his face.

It’s fake...?

 

__________________

Kim Soyeon creeps up silently towards the only other person in the corridor, trying to keep her movements as silent as possible in order to not alert the boy.

Daehyun looks up anyway, from his camera. He spots her and nods in acknowledgement. “Hey.”

“How do you use that?”

The words are out of before Soyeon realises what she is saying, and she quickly tries to rectify her mistake but it is too late.

“This?”  Daehyun lifts his camera slightly.

She nods sheepishly, and then Daehyun gives her a grin— is it a grin or a smirk?— before taking off the neck strap and handing her the device.

Soyeon stares at it dumbly.

“Take it,” he urges, “although if you drop it you still pay. So wear the strap— yeah, like that.”

Somehow, the camera feels a thousand times heavier than the first time she’d handled it in her house.

“Is the camera ?”

Daehyun nods.

“Why is the screen black?” Soyeon feels her voice getting smaller.

“It’s not on live view,” Daehyun replies, in a /i duh kind of voice before he realises that she probably doesn’t know what that means. He changes his tactic.

“I didn’t turn the screen on. It’s to save the battery. You can see what you’re taking by looking through the viewfinder. Um, the...” He gives up trying to explain and simply points his way through, giving short explanations on how to use the zoom lens and where the shutter button is.

“Oh,” Soyeon says before lifting the camera to her eye.

“Try taking a picture.” Daehyun says, before he freezes.

There it is, again.

A picture perfect moment.

He doesn’t even think twice before he pulls out his phone and snaps a picture of the girl who is currently focusing on nothing in particular.

And just when Daehyun lowers his phone, Soyeon finishes taking her picture. He takes the camera, and briefly glances at the picture that she’d taken.

“It’s quite good for a beginner,” he comments.

“Really?” Soyeon asks, but the compliment spreads an automatic smile on her face. “Thanks.”

And when Daehyun smiles at her, Soyeon has to stop herself from checking if Victoria is still around.

 

__________________

When Sohyun spots Daehyun taking his time to stroll down leisurely to the school gates, she turns, getting ready to leave.

“Yah Jung Sohyun!”

She stops, turning back to face her older brother who has suddenly appeared right behind her.

“Well since you’re here, let’s go!”

“Wait!”

She stops again.

“Aren’t we waiting for Youngjae?”

And then Sohyun senses that something is clearly amiss. She frowns, turning again to face a flustered Daehyun.

“Oppa, since when do we wait for Youngjae?”

“Nevermind let’s just wait for him,” Daehyun blurts out his words in rapid succession, causing Sohyun to smirk slightly.

“Who are you guys waiting for?”

Sohyun starts laughing when Daehyun literally jumps in shock, causing Youngjae to stare at them weirdly.

“What?”

“We’re waiting for you! Why are you so slow?”

“Who, me?” Youngjae himself finds it ridiculous when he points at himself. “Why would you guys wait for me?”

“I don’t know. Why would I know? Ask Daehyun oppa.”

And when Youngjae redirects his gaze to Daehyun, the latter simply stares back for a moment before coughing indiscreetly, walking off.

Remember? You’re forgiven.

 

__________________

The house is quiet.

It’s not as though it hasn’t been this quiet before. But Kyumi has never felt this alone before.

She sits up properly, dropping her pencil in the crevice in her mathematics textbook, staring out of the window. It’s half past six, and the sun is setting. From where she is sitting, the sun’s last rays splash over the horizon, mixing yellow and orange with tinges of pink.

Is it over?