No One’s POV

On Monday, Sung Jong was busy thinking about what he should pack for the year-end trip when he looked up and his eyes lit up. “KASUMI!” he shouted with glee and the other members looked up to see Kasumi behind Myungsoo.

Kasumi just beamed and waved at them before she hugged each of them (well, all except for Woohyun, that is). “Hi,” she greeted them.

“Wow, your hair,” Hoya commented. “It’s really nice. It suits you.”

Dongwoo touched a strand and let it fall back to place, nodding his head in agreement. “It makes you look more mature. You must’ve dyed it when you were away in Japan, right? Did you parents let you dye it?”

Myungsoo nodded. “Of course they did. Kasumi called them to ask them for permission,” he answered for her.

“It’s really good,” Sungyeol said, giving her another hug. “I’ve missed you so much! I cannot believe that you left without telling me! But that’s okay, I forgive you, as long as you tell me you love me and that you missed me, all right?”

“Sungyeol,” Sunggyu hissed.

Kasumi just laughed and nodded. “I did miss you,” she said. “I missed all of you.” She even looked at Woohyun when she said that and he wondered what she meant by that. “And I’m glad to be back.”

“Did you want to stay in Japan, though?” Sung Jong asked worriedly.

She hesitated. “I’m not going to lie and say that I didn’t,” she finally admitted, “but they can’t match up to the wonderful family I have with you guys. And besides, I have Myungsoo Oppa and my parents now.” She looked over at Block-B, where they were waiting for her. “I have Block-B too.” She turned back to Infinite. “I’ll talk to you guys later, all right? Don’t worry, I’ll sit with you guys during lunch.”

Hoya nodded. “Sure.”

She dashed away to Block-B and P.O immediately embraced her. The others, who still weren’t as close to Kasumi like he was, just smiled and patted her shoulders, telling her that they had missed her, and hoped she enjoyed herself in Japan for those two months she had been gone.

She looked over at U-Kwon and she smiled at him. “I won’t say I miss you because I saw plenty of you during the weekend,” she told him.

“Are you saying you’re tired of me?” he flirted playfully.

Kasumi pretended to think about it but then she broke into a wide smile and shook her head. “Nah,” she reassured him. “I could never get tired of you.”

Zico, overwhelmed with jealousy, frowned at U-Kwon. “What? What did you guys do during the weekends?” he wanted to know.

“I went round to her house every so often, and called her up so many times to talk to her,” he replied, smirking. He knew he was one point ahead.

Taeil, Jaehyo and B-Bomb raised their eyes at the intensity between the two of them.

Zico wasn’t going to let him win that easily. He draped an arm around Kasumi’s shoulders and brought her close to him. “Well, Kasumi and I had a lot of fun in Japan, didn’t we? We played at the beach; she also took me on a date.”

“Only because he couldn’t afford to take me on a date,” she retorted sarcastically and the others all cracked up except for U-Kwon who looked displeased.

“Well —” U-Kwon started to say but Kyung decided it was probably best if it was time for him to step in.

“Let’s get to class,” he spoke up. “We wouldn’t want to be late for the first class on the first day of the week, do we?”

“That’s only because you don’t want to blemish your perfect attendance record,” both Zico and U-Kwon snapped at him at the same time.

“Either way,” he said cheerfully, unfazed. He looked at Kasumi and smiled, pitying her that she would have to put up with those two. “I’m glad you’re back.” But at the same time, I wish you weren’t so you don’t have to put up with them.

Kasumi just smiled and to ease the tension, the three older hyungs thought it would be better if the three of them walked Kasumi to class rather than either U-Kwon or Zico, or both, so they wouldn’t bicker.

“What are you doing?” Kasumi asked as she looked at Taeil, who was looking at something in his iPhone.

“I’m looking at ‘why did the chicken cross the road’ jokes,” he replied.

“He’s obsessed with them,” Jaehyo sighed.

“Oooh, I’ve got a good joke!” Kasumi spoke up brightly and proceeded on to the joke while Jaehyo and B-Bomb’s eyes went wide with horror. “Why did the chicken cross the road, Taeil-sunbae?”

“Uh . . . to get to the other side?”

“No, to go to the idiot’s house,” she replied.

Taeil’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as Jaehyo and B-Bomb suddenly burst into laughter. They knew where the joke was heading. “I don’t get it.”

Kasumi smirked. “Knock, knock.”

“Who’s there?” Taeil humored her obliviously.

“Chicken.”

“Damn,” he cursed while Jaehyo and B-Bomb both exchanged high-fives with Kasumi. “I know that joke. I can’t believe I fell for it.”

They reached Kasumi’s class and Kasumi went inside. Sung Jong was waiting for her. He threw his arms around her neck and brought her to him. “I’ve missed you so much. Why didn’t you tell us you had to go?”

“I didn’t want to go without telling you but I thought it was better if I just left to get a new break,” she said quietly.

“You mean, away without telling any of us that would remind you about Woohyun hyung, right?” he asked just as quietly.

Kasumi didn’t say anything.

“Whatever,” he muttered. “I’m just glad that you’re back. Promise me that you’re not going anywhere without telling me, at least.”

She nodded. “I promised,” she solemnly vowed as they sat down the same time their teacher came in with a bright smile on her face.

“Welcome back, Kasumi, I’m glad that you’re back,” she said. “And right now, I also have very interesting news regarding the trip.”

“It’s next week!” someone in the class shouted and everyone cheered happily, excited for the upcoming trip. They could hardly wait!

“Yes, yes, and do you want to know where you kids will be going?” she went on. When the class chorused ‘yes’, she said, “To the beach!”

Everyone cheered, squealed and even wolf-whistled their approval and excitement about the destination of this year’s year-end-trip for the Year Seven students and someone even started a ‘To the beach!’ chant. Sung Jong and Kasumi exchanged glances and laughed, adrenaline rushing into them about the approaching outing.

“To the beach!” they joined in the mantra.

The whole week, as everyone excitedly talked about the time they were going to spend at the beach, U-Kwon and Zico battled mercilessly against each other to win Kasumi’s heart. She, as usual, was oblivious to what was happening.

They would fight to buy the nicest food there was selling in the canteen. They tried to walk her to class (although Jaehyo, Taeil and B-Bomb purposely made it hard for them to do that by walking her to class themselves). They would try to get as close as possible as they could to her, and to be their closest friend. They would do anything, including flirt with her, to make her fall for them.

Finally Jaehyo had had enough. He slammed his fist down the moment one day at lunch when Kasumi was sitting with Infinite. U-Kwon and Zico flinched; the others didn’t. “I have had enough with the both of you,” he snarled.

“What did we do?” U-Kwon wanted to know.