Woohyun’s POV

“No.”

We turned around to see Sung Jong, who was standing behind the both of us, frowning deeply at me.

“No?” I repeated disbelievingly. “Did you just say ‘no’?”

He nodded. “That’s right, I said no,” he confirmed.

Myungsoo looked back and forth between the both of us. “Uh, you guys, I don’t think —” he started to say.

I cut him off. “What right do you have to tell me what I can and what I cannot do?” I argued, glowering at this punk. “I’m your hyung, have some respect.”

Myungsoo sighed and waved his arms frantically in front of us. “Guys, seriously, will you just listen to —” he tried to say once again.

“I do have respect for you, hyung, believe it or not,” Sung Jong said.

I scoffed. “I don’t.”

The maknae just shrugged but he still looked displeased. “Fine, but, anyway, like I was saying, you can’t take her to class,” he told me. Then he smiled and beamed at me. “At least, not without taking me too!”

I sighed.

“No fair!” Sungyeol whined, stomping on his foot. “I want to walk Kasumi to class!”

“You can’t,” Sung Jong replied stubbornly and smirked. “Your class is all the way at the other side of the building. You will be late for your class if you walk her to my class because you have to go all the way to the other end of the building. Mehrong!” He poked his tongue out.

“I’m going to cut it,” he threatened.

“Hyung!” Sung Jong complained to Myungsoo.

“You’re not taking my sister with you to class,” he replied evenly and Sung Jong pouted and Sungyeol smirked at the maknae before Myungsoo rounded up on him as well. “Neither are you, Sungyeol. No one will be.”

“But I’m in the same class as her!” Sung Jong roared in protest.

I smiled smugly at them and began to lead Kasumi away when Myungsoo grabbed me back by my collar. “Where are you going, hyung?” he asked.

“Taking Kasumi to class,” I replied, baffled. I glanced over at her, who just shrugged, her eyes wide with confusion. “I did offer to walk her to class.”

But Myungsoo shook his head firmly at me. “No,” he replied. “I said no one was allowed to walk my sister to class, so that means you, too.” He glowered at me.

I frowned and took her hand firmly into mine, giving her a gentle, reassured squeeze. “Be reasonable, Myungsoo. If I don’t —”

All of a sudden, Kasumi’s hand was taken away from my grip and Sungyeol, Sung Jong, Myungsoo and I watched in astonishment as she allowed herself to be dragged away by Hoya.

“Hyung!” the other three all cried out.

“Lee Ho Won!” I yelled.

Hoya glanced over his shoulders and smirked. Then he put his arms around her shoulder and brought her closer to him. “We’ll see you guys later!” he called, waving his free hand over his head.

Kasumi looked over her shoulders and shot us an apologetic look before she disappeared inside the building with Hoya.

I tried to hold back my sigh as she left. I was hoping I would get to spend some time with her before school started.

But now she was gone.

Myungsoo rounded up to me and smiled at me and all of a sudden I had a bad feeling that this was all a set-up. “So, uh, when will you confess to her?” he wanted to know with an eager expression on his face.

“What are you talking about?” I asked, frowning. I craned over his shoulder to see if Hoya and Kasumi was still in sight.

Maybe I can catch up with them. Maybe I can snatch Kasumi away from him. Maybe I can drag her away so I get to spend some time with her. Maybe —

“Oh come on, you’re seriously still not admitting you have a crush on her?” Sung Jong wanted to know.

“I’ve got nothing to admit,” I shot back.

“So why do you look so constipated, trying to see if you could see them so you can catch up with them?” Myungsoo asked logically.

I gave up trying to look for them and scowled darkly at the three younger members of Infinite. “Don’t you kids have anywhere better to go?”

“Not really, no,” they answered in unison and I sighed.

“Hyung, seriously, you should confess to her before anyone else does,” Sung Jong went on.

“You do like her, right?” Myungsoo asked.

“Well, the Christmas season is coming up,” Sungyeol mused thoughtfully. “It’ll be really romantic if I confess to her on Christmas Eve, right?”

Myungsoo thwacked his head. “You, stay away from my sister.”

“But you let Woohyun hyung confess to her?!” he whined, tugging on his sleeve. “That’s not fair, Myungsoo!”

“Yeah, but he’s too much of an idiot to realize his true feelings.”

I ignored the three of them and walked away in the direction of where Hoya and Kasumi went, even though I knew that I would never be able to catch up with them. But I didn’t want to stay with the other two anymore. They were going to give me a headache.

But as I was walking to my class, grumbling to myself because I couldn’t see Hoya or Kasumi anywhere and cussing him under my breath, promising myself I will kill him later, I bumped into Seohyun on the way.

“Oh, hello!” Seohyun smiled warmly at me. “How are you, Woohyun-sshi?” She was the only one in Seven Heaven who actually respected the fact that since we’re not close, she’s not in any position to call me Oppa. But maybe she had an ulterior motive. I wouldn’t dare to risk it, if she did.

I smiled politely at her. “I’m okay,” I replied. “How about you?” Just keep the conversation short, so you don’t come off misleading, I told myself.

She nodded, falling into my steps. “I’m okay.” She paused for a bit. “I hear your tutee has been doing well,” she spoke up casually.

Now I’m suspicious. I glanced sideways at her. “Why do you care so much about my tutee?” I asked her. I knew that one of the girls from Seven Heaven had approached her so I was worried about Kasumi’s safety.

She shrugged. “What else can I talk to you about?” she replied calmly. “I have a dinner party my parents want me to attend and they want me to bring a date. I was wondering . . .”

I was guard. Was I thinking what she was going to ask me?

“. . . If you know anyone who might want to be my date?”

At least she didn’t ask if I wanted to go because I wasn’t sure how I was going to reject her. I shrugged, knowing she was looking at me. “A lot of guys,” I replied dryly. That is true. A lot of girls have a huge crush on her because she’s ‘hot’. I just don’t quite agree with them. I don’t think that having a crush on someone is based on just their looks.

“What about you?”

I didn’t know what to say. She should know that I didn’t like her, nor did I want to be with her in a relationship.

From the corner of my eyes, I saw her looking down to her feet and felt bad. I mean, even if I didn’t want to go out with her, I still am human and I still do know when I’ve hurt a girl and it still makes me feel bad. But that wasn’t going to change my mind.

We stopped at my class and I turned to her. “I’m really —” I started to say.

But she was already shaking her head. “I expected this,” she replied softly. “I mean, it was worth trying, but I already knew what your answer might be.” She smiled reassuringly at me. “Don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

I nodded and went inside my class without another word. I saw Sunggyu and Dongwoo staring quizzically at the door and knew they had seen Seohyun with me. Then they turned to me and frowned. When I sat down next to Sunggyu, he raised an eyebrow at me, expecting an explanation.

“We bumped into each other on the way to class,” I mumbled.

He scoffed. “Her class is not even hear ours,” he pointed out.

Dongwoo came over to where we were with a sceptical look on his face. We still had a few minutes before class started. “What did She-Witch want?”

“She asked if I wanted to be her date for some dinner party,” I replied. “Obviously I said no. I don’t wanna spend the entire evening with her and other fake people, pretending to be someone they’re not.”

Sunggyu shook his head as our teacher came in and Dongwoo hurried back to his seat. “That girl has issues,” he grumbled. “They all do.”

During break I was walking back to class from the toilet when I saw Lee Jungah, the leader of Seven Heaven, approaching Kasumi and p