Zico’s POV

The following Monday, my friends were all still talking about the fun we had with f(x) and Kasumi at the pool last Saturday. As we walked to the school gates, we saw Kasumi. We were about to wave to her when we saw that she was with her friends. Of course. She was always there with them every morning.

We walked past them just as Kasumi and Woohyun shared a passionate kiss. I grinned and shook my head slightly at the corniness. I glanced over to see what my friends reacted. They all looked normal.

But U-Kwon looked down, uncomfortable.

Huh, that was odd.

Then I remembered how he had pulled her close to him that day at the pool. I also saw how he had looked at her when it was her turn and when they were talking to each other outside of the pool.

Hmmm.

We walked to class. I waited until I was alone with him before I cornered him and bluntly asked, “Do you have a crush on Kasumi or something, hyung?”

His eyes grew wide. “W – What are you talking about? Don’t be silly! Of course not!” he said blatantly. “No way.” He gave a nervous laugh and scratched his head — something he always did whenever he was lying.

I raised an eyebrow. “Was that why you pulled her close to you last Saturday?”

“No.” He shot me an irritated look. “I don’t like her, okay. She has a boyfriend, remember? You said so yourself. And you saw how they kissed just now.” U-Kwon adamantly shook his head. “No way, Jiho.”

“That never stopped you from liking girls who had boyfriends before. Seriously, don’t lie,” I replied, unconvinced. He did like her. I could tell. I raised an eyebrow again. “I know you do. Stop lying and just admit it.”

“I don’t,” he said stubbornly and walked away.

I sighed, pinching the bridge of my nose. Oh, U-Kwon hyung, what are we going to do with you? I thought helplessly as I walked to my own class.

Woohyun’s POV

“I don’t like her, okay. Kasumi has a boyfriend, remember? You said so yourself. And you saw how they kissed just now. No way, Jiho.”

“That never stopped you from liking girls who had boyfriends before. Seriously, don’t lie. I know you do. Stop lying and just admit it.”

“I don’t.”

I heard footsteps fading and another pair of footsteps walking away before I realized what the conversation was all about.

U-Kwon has a crush on Kasumi. My Kasumi!

My heart stopped. So . . . what? U-Kwon had a crush on her but I don’t even think they had a conversation before. But I guess that didn’t stop him from liking her, since Zico was her tutor. Hmmm . . . this can’t do.

I’m going to need a spy to make sure of this piece of information. I don’t want people getting in the way of Kasumi and my relationship.

I took my phone out and began to text Myungsoo. After all, he was in the same class as that U-Kwon. Maybe he could pick something up.

During lunch, I was eating my food, enjoying my girlfriend sitting next to me with my friends when Kyung and Taeil walked by us and smiled at Kasumi as if they all had been friends for so long.

“Last Saturday was awesome,” Kyung said to her. “We all need to do it again sometime soon.” With a wave, he and Taeil walked away.

All eyes turned to her and she cringed, her cover blown.

“Weren’t you with the f(x) girls that day? You said you were with them, that’s why you could not go roller-skating with us,” Sungyeol pointed out. “What were the Block-B boys talking about, Kasumi?”

I watched fearfully as she nodded slowly. I frowned.

“I was with f(x),” she said in a slow voice. “. . . But I was also with Block-B last Saturday as well. . . .” She looked down.

“What?” everyone gasped.

Dongwoo looked at Myungsoo and I turned in time to see the guilty look on his face. “Of course,” Dongwoo said, “of course you would know. She would have to ask your parents for permission.”

Myungsoo winced. “I knew,” he confirmed.

“Why were you with Block-B?” I asked my girlfriend brusquely.

“They had a barbeque and they invited f(x) and I to go. . . .”

“Why didn’t you tell me? Why did you leave that part out? Why didn’t you tell me that you were hanging out with them?” I fired at her.

Sung Jong stood up and looked at everyone. “Uh, I think we should leave them alone,” he said and the others followed him elsewhere.

“I didn’t want to tell you because I knew you would react like this,” Kasumi spoke up once they were gone. “Oppa, look, I’m sorry I didn’t —”

“Did anything happen between you and a certain boy?” I asked, remembering U-Kwon.

She blinked, startled. But then she nodded, avoiding eye-contact with me. “Well . . . U-Kwon-sshi did touch my waist while we were playing Marco Polo. But it was only for a brief moment,” she replied honestly.

My eyes slit together. Someone else touched my girl’s waist? It was unacceptable, especially if it was him. “I want you to stay away from them,” I told her. “I understand you cannot stay away from Zico because he’s your tutor, but you are going to have to stay away from the other members of Block-B.”

“What?!”

I nodded sternly.

She frowned. “They’re friendly. And you can’t tell me who to see and who not to see, Oppa. Why do you hate them? I know that Infinite and Block-B hate each other but I don’t understand just why.”

“It’s complicated.”

She stared incredulously at me. “You’re not going to tell me, are you?”

“No.”

Kasumi frowned deeply. “Fine. Then I won’t stop hanging out with them until you tell me why — and it must be a valid reason, too,” she snapped.

My jaws set. “I just want to know why you didn’t tell me that you were going to hang out with them,” I said, trying to keep my cool.

“You mean, like how you didn’t tell me you spent Christmas vacation with Seohyun’s family at the mountains?” she retorted heatedly.

I felt blood rushing out from my face as I processed her words into my mind. “How . . . did you know about that?” I whispered.

Kasumi looked away and I could see she was trying to blink back tears. “I overheard her talking about it with her friends,” she said quietly. She refused to meet my eyes. “I also heard something a kiss . . .”

“I . . .” I didn’t know what to say. I can’t deny everything because it was true. My family and I did spend Christmas with her family. And, well, yes, she kissed me, but it wasn’t like I kissed her back, right?

Kasumi stood up. “It’s almost time for class,” she said quickly before I could defend myself. Without waiting for an answer, she stood up and walked away so fast as if she couldn’t stand being with me.