"Why can't you be like Ilhoon oppa? Nice at the start, and nice all the way through?!" I crossed my arms and pouted.

 

"Because I know who you truly are..." Zico put his hand on my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic look. "A clumsy, childish nerd."

 

"YAH!!" I screamed, leaping on him and pinning him to the ground. He easily stood up, grabbed me (who was clinging to his back like a koala) and walked into the kitchen with me over his right shoulder.

 

"And Zico takes the win!!" He yelled, doing a quick jog around the kitchen.

 

"Hey! Stupid! Put me down!!" I shouted, slapping him on the arm.

 

"Yeeeeaaahhh, no." He looked back at me and smirked.

 

"One of these days, I'm gonna put a bear in your closet and laugh at you when he shows up in your bed at night and you scream like a little girl!!" I glared at him.

 

"Where in the world are you gonna find a bear?!"

 

"Canada!"

 

The phone began to ring and Taeil picked it up.

 

"Hyorin-ah!! Phone for you!!" He yelled.

 

"Oppa!! I'm right here! We are literally right next to you!!" I crossed my arms as Zico put me down.

 

"Oh, yeah... Here." He passed me the phone and walked out of the kitchen.

 

Zico, on the other hand, leaned in so he could hear what was going on. Even my attempts of pushing him away were useless.

 

-Hyorin, is that you?

 

"Ilhoon oppa! What's up?" I leaned against the wall and a smile began to form on my face.

 

-Are you busy this weekend?

 

"No...why?"

 

-I was wondering if you would like to come with me and my group of friends on our leader's boat.

 

"Leader?"

 

-Yeah. I'm in a group of seven guys, and we call ourselves BtoB, Born to Beat. Everyone else is bringing their girlfriends, but Sungjae and don't have one. And you're our only female friend here, so...

 

"Sure! If it's alright with everyone else! I wouldn't want to be a bother..." I was slapping Zico to get him away from the phone, but he kept persisting.

 

-So, I'll pick you up at your house at around eight tomorrow morning. Is that ok with you?

 

"Yeah! Totally! Thanks for ask-" Zico grabbed the phone from me and pinned me against the wall with one hand. Effortlessly.

 

"Hyorin really loves you! She has pictures of you all over her wall. She dedicates a shrine to you in the living room and she has a picture of your face stuck to her teddy bear that she kisses goodnight!!" Zico said into the phone.

 

-Um, pardon?

 

"Ilhoon! I swear it's-" before I could say or do anything else, Zico hung up and smiled evilly at me.

 

"Hyorin has a boyfriend~! Hyorin has a boyfriend~!" He sang, running away from my deadly slipper in hand.

 

"ZICO!!" When I get you, I'm gonna kill you!!!" I screamed.

 

•  •  •

 

"Hey, buddy! Wazzup man?" Zico put an arm around Ilhoon's shoulder and led him inside. 

 

I sat on the stairs, hidden from view in the front foyer.

 

"Nothing much... Is Hyorin here?" I heard Ilhoon ask.

 

"Yeah! She should be upstairs in her room! Just go up the stairs and it's the door at the end of the hallway..."

 

"Thanks..." Ilhoon rounded the corner and started walking up the steps when he noticed me. He began to smile, which made my heart flutter for a split second.

 

'What's wrong with me?!' 

 

"Hyorin! Good morning! Are you ready?"

 

"Um, yeah, but I didn't think you would still come after what Zico said..." I looked down, avoiding his gaze.

 

"Is it true?"

 

"No!!" I snapped my head to look at him. "Definitely not! He was just joking! You're one of my closest friends!!" I smiled and stood up.

 

"Cool! Then let's go!" He walked back down, said goodbye, and walked out the door.

 

"You be good, ok?" B-bomb waved his index finger and looked at me.

 

"Yes oppa!" I rolled my eyes. We all said our goodbyes, and I hopped into the back seat with Ilhoon.

 

"You must be Hyorin! Ilhoon and Sungjae always talk about you!" Said the man sitting in the drivers seat.

 

I looked at Ilhoon, who was blushing and trying to look out the window.

 

"I'm Eunkwang, the leader of our group!"

 

"Really? Cool! So, it's your boat?" I looked at him through the rear view mirror.

 

"Yeah."

 

"Thank you for allowing me to join you!" I smiled.

 

"It's no problem! Another pretty girl only makes a boy happy!" He smiled and parked the car.

 

"Noona!!" In a flash of colour, Sungjae ran and bear hugged me, lifting me off the ground.

 

"You're acting like we haven't seen each other in ages!" I smiled when he put me down.

 

"It's been more than twelve hours!! I need my noona!" He whined, stamping his foot on the ground.

 

"Don't worry, Sungjae! You'll always see me again! I'm very stubborn!! I lifted my head and pointed to myself.

 

"I hope you know you know that being proud of being stubborn is weird..." A man I didn't know walked up to me and chuckled.

 

"Being weird is who I am! Talk to my lawyer if you have a problem with it!" I shot him a look that said challenge-me-if-you-dare.

 

"Who's your lawyer?"

 

"That random polar bear with the neck tie that lives in the North Pole!"

 

The guys standing around burst out laughing.

 

"I like you! What's your name?"

 

"The name's Hyorin. Park Hyorin." I put on my best James Bond voice and wiggled my eyebrows.

 

"The names Minhyuk." He smiled and we shook hands.

 

I was introduced to the rest of BtoB. There was Hyunsik, Peniel, and Changsub. When their girlfriends arrived, we got on Eunkwang's  boat yacht.

 

When Eunkwang drove out a bit into the water, we stopped the yacht and talked and did whatever.

 

It was a blast.

 

Of course, everyone older drank wine while Sungjae, Ilhoon, Eunkwang and I drank sparkling non-alcoholic whine. I tried really hard not to gag at the smell. I'm really weak against it.

 

At around six pm, we drove the boat back into the harbour and Eunkwang and Ilhoon drove me back home.

 

I slumped down on my bed, grabbed my teddy bear and buried my face into it. I couldn't stop thinking about Ilhoon's smile, and the way he blushes when he's embarrassed, or the way he likes to act cute. He makes my heart flutter when he smirks, and how he stops my heart altogether when he touches my hand. I can't stop thinking about him.

 

I can't fall in love with someone I just met! I can't fall in love at my age! I can't fall in love with a good friend!! ARG!!

 

I kicked my feet around and threw a miniature tantrum. I sat up and looked in the mirror.

 

From now on, he is, and only will be, my friend! I can't destroy this friendship with pathetic infatuation. I must push my feelings aside!

 

I held my fist up and mouthed the word 'fighting'. I nodded my head in approval, fell back on my bed, and fell right to sleep.

 

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