Ji Soo slumped more on Syae Ri’s bed. She buried her face on the pillow, muffling her protesting whines.

“How did it happen?” Seun Yoo asked interestedly.

Ji Soo reluctantly sat up on the bed but still hugged the pillow tightly. Her eyes were red and tired, a clear indication of what she had been doing last night. Ji Soo looked at Syae Ri and Seun Yoo, who were both standing up and intently looking at her. She sighed.

“It was last night.” she said softly as she recalled the memory she wanted and did not want to forget. “I went with Changmin-sshi to the mall that afternoon and helped him pick out a present for his umma. When it got dark, he walked me home. I was about to go inside our house when he…” Ji Soo hesitated. Her cheeks suddenly turned into a rosy shade. She looked down and twiddled her thumbs nervously. “He… He suddenly went closer and then… he, he kissed me… on the lips.” She said almost breathlessly.

Syae Ri opened widely, appalled. The idea of a guy suddenly kissing a girl was something she disapproved of. Syae Ri didn’t like the idea. “What the hell? Is he on drugs? Why the hell would he do that to you?” Syae Ri asked irately.

Seun Yoo, on the other hand, had a different reaction. She smiled widely. Her hands went to her chest. “Omo!” she exclaimed. “That’s so romantic!”

What Seun Yoo said incited stares from her unnies. Syae Ri raised an eyebrow at her while Ji Soo blinked a few times, as if she can’t hardly believe what the younger girl had said.

“You actually think that’s romantic?” Syae Ri asked. “How can that be romantic? He forced her to kiss him.”

“It wasn’t actually FORCED.” Seun Yoo replied.

“He didn’t give her any choice. It still related.”

“They’re not the same thing.”

“Whatever.” Syae Ri rolled her eyes.

“Aish! Enough about that.” Seun Yoo said, turning to Ji Soo who was still lost in thought. “Unnie! Why are you reacting this badly at that? You also like Changmin-sshi, don’t you?”

“Oh yeah.” Syae Ri commented, suddenly changing her expression. “Isn’t he the reason why you go to that bookstore regularly? I remember you call him then ‘that really, really cute and dreamy guy’.”

Ji Soo choked. Her cheeks glowed a brighter shade of red. “Y-yah! I, uh, I don’t remember calling him that.” She said uncomfortably as she looked down at her palms.

Seun Yoo and Syae Ri exchanged amused glances.

“Aigoo!” Syae Ri exclaimed. “Someone’s in denial.”

“Definitely.” Seun Yoo chimed in. “Geez. Ji Soo-unnie, since you seem to have forgotten, let me refresh your memory… Let’s see… You used to joke around then that you would ‘stalk’ that guy. Every time you go to that bookstore you would secretly take glimpses of him. And, mind you, they weren’t just any other ordinary glimpses…”

Seun Yoo smiled mischievously and looked at Ji Soo, whose cheeks were turning from a bright rosy red to a bright tomato red shade.

“Also,” Seun Yoo continued. “You had been overjoyed when you found out that that guy was actually a friend of your brother’s. Your reaction was quite subtle, actually. You screamed, jumped around and then blushed madly as if all the blood in your body went up to your face.”

Syae Ri chuckled as she watched Ji Soo’s expression. The latter was now redder than the reddest tomato. She grew really quiet and really uncomfortable.

“I, uh… That was then.” Ji Soo tried to defend, though she wasn’t looking straight at them. “You guys know I have this habit of getting over a crush whenever I get close to them.” She said.

The two other girls rolled their eyes.

“Aigoo…” Syae Ri sighed. “We noticed that with the OTHER ones. But it’s obvious Changmin-sshi’s different.”

“Yeah!” Seun Yoo added. “With those other guys, you just acted normally once you got to know them. But it’s now different…You always look at Changmin differently. You act differently when he’s around. Even your facial expression’s different when he’s around. You always . You always take pictures of him. I’m also pretty sure that you use his pictures as your phone’s wallpaper.”

Ji Soo involuntarily placed her hand in her jeans pocket where her phone was. The other two didn’t miss her action.

“I think you’re right on that one.” Syae Ri said.

“Y-yah! I don’t use his pictures as my wallpaper.” Ji Soo said, half-lying, half-saying the truth, as she still had her hand on her pocket.

The others just chuckled.

“Aigoo… Whatever. It’s really clear that you like him. Why all this nonsense of getting upset about the kiss?” Seun Yoo asked.

Ji Soo sighed. She slumped back down again on the bed and whined.

“Aaaaaiiiiiiiisssssssisshhhhhhhhh…”

“Maybe because of the fact it was sudden and shocking.” Syae Ri pointed out.

Seun Yoo looked at her and raised an eyebrow.

“It’s not that.” Ji Soo said simply.

“Then what?”

Ji Soo took a pillow and placed it over her face. She balled her fists and started to pound the mattress again and again, like how a toddler would do when throwing tantrums.

“Aigoo! I dooooonnn’ttt knooooowww!” Ji Soo wailed rather childishly while the other two girls just watched her and shook their heads. “I’m not really sure. It’s just that… Well… Maybe it’s because it was sudden… But… Aigoo… I’m really confused.”

“What are you confused about?” Seun Yoo asked.

Ji Soo sighed. “I don’t know… It’s the first time a guy I like liked me back.”

“And finally she admits it!” Syae Ri said.

“But…” Ji Soo started to say but seemed to hesitate.

“But what?”

“Well, would you think this could continue on? I mean, would there be any guarantee that Changmin-sshi and I would still be friends from now on?”

Seun Yoo and Syae Ri went silent.

“See.” Ji Soo said. “It’s already awkward thinking about it, imagine if I were to come face to face with him now.” She sighed hopelessly. “I may like him but… I think it would be better for us to just be friends… nothing else.”

“What are you worried about, unnie?” Seun Yoo asked. “Why are you so scared if Changmin-sshi wants the two of you to be more than just friends, huh?”

Ji Soo didn’t say anything.

“Is this because of the vow we made?” Syae Ri asked, recalling what the five of them had promised then.

“The vow?” Seun Yoo asked and she finally remembers it after a long time.

Oh darn! I almost forgot we had that. Seun Yoo thought. Aigoo… I think I’m the first one to break that thing. Aish.

“It’s not that.” Ji Soo said in response. “It’s…” she started to say but her voice trailed off. “…something deeper than that.”

Their conversation got interrupted by the loud sounds of the gates of the Park house being opened. Syae Ri looked out and down from her bedroom window and saw three figures going towards their garden.

“Oppa’s here.” She said. “It looks like he has company and… Omo! Changmin-sshi’s with them.”

“B-bwo?” Ji Soo said loudly and she instantly stood up. She went to the window and instantly noticed the tall form of Changmin. Her hands started trembling.

“O-omo! What am I gonna do? I need to hide!” she said, alarmed.

“Hide?” Syae Ri asked incredulously. “Are you really that desperate for him not to see you?”

“Yes!”

“Aigoo, unnie! Don’t be too worked up about this.” Seun Yoo said concernedly.

“You don’t understand! I-I c-can’t face him!” Ji Soo tried to plea as her eyes began to glisten. “P-please… You have to help me. There must be another exit here or something!”

Syae Ri and Seun Yoo both exchanged inquiring glances. They sighed.

“Fine.” They both said.

More than a minute later, Ji Soo was creeping silently through the hedges around the house as she headed towards the gates—which were thankfully open. Pollen and dirt got through her nose and she wanted so badly to sneeze but she held her breath.

From the inside, she could hear Syae Ri and Seun Yoo trying their best to distract Yoochun and the others—which she saw, from the corner of her eyes, were her brother, Junsu, and Changmin. She was about to step out of the bushes and towards the gates when she heard his voice.

“Syae Ri-sshi, where’s Ji Soo?” Changmin asked in what sounded like a melancholic voice.

Ji Soo stopped in her tracks. She took a peak through the window and saw him with a sad expression on his face. Her heart leapt out from her chest.

“Oh, uh, she left just a minute ago. You just missed her.” Came Syae Ri’s response.

“Oh…” Changmin said softly as he gazed down, clearly problematic.

Ji Soo tried her best to ignore the furious beating of her heart. She wanted to walk away but she couldn’t keep her eyes off of Changmin. She stayed there in the bushes breathing heavily. A mistake. More pollen and dirt came in through her nose. It itched more as her allergies acted up.

A small “achoo” came out from her and she instantly covered her nose and mouth.

“Uh-oh.” She thought to herself and she instantly went down.

“What was that?” she heard Yoochun ask.

“What was what?” Seun Yoo added.

Silence for a moment then Yoochun finally spoke up. “Nevermind. I guess it was nothing.”

Ji Soo cursed herself as she crawled out of the bushes. When she finally reached the gates, she stood up and sprinted as fast as she can.

Meanwhile, Changmin stared fixatedly at the window near Ji Soo’s hiding place earlier.

Yoochun-hyung had heard it too, he thought.

There was no mistaking Ji Soo’s signature sneeze. Changmin had heard it clearly a minute ago and when he looked out, he saw the bushes shaking like someone had just moved pass them. He then saw from the corner of his eyes dark brown hair flying swiftly through the gates.

She was just here, he said to himself. But why would she run off like that? Is she… avoiding me?

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Comments are LOVED!
ChangSoo chap dedicated to Jaejee (once again) lol.