“SHIM CHANGMIN KISSED YOUUU?!?!” Yuri shouts out loud.

"Yah, Yuri do you think I'm deaf or is this some kind of miraculous news that needs to be declared to the entire world?"  Sooyoung drags her little sister out to the living room, anywhere that's farther away from the guy hiding underneath the bed.

"Yes it is. I thought you didn't like him."

"The brain works in an odd way. What do you want me to say? It was just a kiss..."

"Do you want me to replay the footage? Look it's already at five thousand views and it hasn't even been an entire day yet. More than half the view count have given the video dislikes...do you know what that means? Fan girls will be watching your every move unnie!"

"You're taking this to new heights...it's nothing big, really."

"The second your lips touched his, accident or not, it turned into something big. No not even, more like massive unnie!!"

"Well you've been around the guy for years now and I don't see girls attacking you with pitchforks as if you're a witch or something."

"Exactly because it's been years since I’ve been his friend. I was there when he was still in the awkward stage, where he and Eunhyuk would think it's funny to fart in each others faces...I was already there.”

“…”

“Girls think of me as their friend and nothing more; maybe even thinking that I’m just like one of the guys."

"So what you're saying is...?"

"They think of you as a cougar, a girl that can't get a man your own age so you take away their own. They'll either love you through association with hopes of getting closer to Changmin or they'll fully hate you."

"Korea has changed a lot since I've been living in Australia..."

"Just answer me this one question unnie. Are you falling in love with him?"

"Well I uhm--"

~!@#$%^&*

A loud noise echoed throughout the household coming from their joint rooms. Sooyoung knows exactly what it is ---the little fidgety six footer just can't stay still underneath the bed. Although panicking for a split second, she pushes her sister out the front door and followers her from behind.

"I think that's a sign for us from Mother Nature telling us to go get some fresh air. This whole Changmin talk is clouding my mind." She lets out a deep breath, thankful for the perfect timing of his sudden actions.

He hears the pair of footsteps gradually disappear before he fully crawls out from the cramped area space. Sooyoung's room always fascinated him in the time he has known her, but he didn't quite want to be familiarized with the bottom of her bed rather than the top. Shim Changmin after all is a guy, prone to such deep interests. He sighs at the vision of the empty bed which was so close to being used in terms that he so often wanted, but he brushes it off as the tingling vibration of a text message pours in.

"Yuri knows. Someone uploaded the video of us at the club kissing online and let's just say I've got a bit of explaining to do thanks to your abrupt actions. You really need to learn how to control your hormones young boy ~merongggg! I'll make you that porridge some other time, I promise. --SYoung."

He smiles at the message as his fingers tick away at a response,

"You should learn how to listen to your hormones, since I know for a fact that you enjoyed it haha. Yes, madam I will listen to your words. Remember, a promise is a promise! Stay safe and I'll probably catch you back at school. --Your C'Min."

He pulls himself up straight and begins fixing all that he has knocked down previously. Carrying the picture frame in one of his hands, he knows what he must do as the question of how exactly they know each other keeps running in his head. A part of him is jealous, mixed with anger and betrayal, so he shoves the hand made picture frame into his pocket with no intention of ever admitting what he has stolen.

--

Sooyoung watches her little sister skip happily back into the school premises, her school uniform dancing along with the brisk gusts of wind. She smiles happily with the remembrance of receiving her sister’s enthusiastic approval to her relationship with Changmin. A comfortable life, she repeated in her mind…that is what her life would be like with her sister and him by her side. But as her footsteps grow closer to school, a lingering feeling of an unknown essence builds up inside her.

 The shadow watches her from a near distance. Standing with firm feet placed on the ground, the Gingko tree drapes over him as he continues to watch her without blinking.

“Sooyoung noona~”

His bright and cheerful voice catches her attention immediately. She sets off running furiously in his direction hoping that Yuri, who is only a few steps ahead of her, didn’t hear one word.

“Minho-ah, you can’t just show up here and start screaming my name you pabo.”

Sooyoung pulls the guy and shoves him behind the tree’s trunk. Her eyes wander left and right as she peeks through the sides making sure that the area is clear.

“Kyeopta (cute),” he whispers slightly as he watches her getting all anxious from his arrival.

“Is there a law that says I can’t come and visit you?”

“Technically no, but I doubt people would scream in excitement throwing confetti with me and you meeting like this. After all, I’m not sure if the majority of the school is in good terms with me right now.”

“Then should I come every now and then and make sure you’re alright?”

“I think I’d be dead if these girls found out that I’m close with the DongWon high stud.”

“So you agree with them? That I’m good looking?”

“Well my eyes don’t bleed when I look at you…” She playfully answers back.

“You’re beautiful Sooyoung, do you know that?”

Sooyoung’s face grows tense and her lips tremble with the failure to think of a response. With palms sweaty and fingertips shaking, she softly says, “…and that’s because your eyes don’t bleed…”

Sarcasm is the only way she knows how to dig herself out the awkward rut they are in. Oddly though, his words are soothing.

“Thank you Minho-ah, truly thank you…but you shouldn’t be saying these things to me. You see, I’m kind of--”

He smiles at her briefly before pulling her into his arms. He embraces her lean frame with both hands before drawing one up to her head. Lightly, he brushes her hair; the softness of it sending a familiar vibe to his body.

“Minho-ah…” Sooyoung doesn’t understand what is going on as she stands there frozen from his actions.

“Just know that no matter what, you’ll always be inside my heart. Make sure that you welcome me inside yours as well…even if it’s a small bit. Nothing will change…”

He gently pulls apart from her and looks deeply within her eyes before flashing that innocent smile of his and departing off into the horizon once more as if nothing had ever happened.

Sooyoung stands in the same spot, motionless and dumbfounded. For some reason that hug of his felt all too warm as well--very familiar…

--

“Hey, poodle head!”

Changmin shouts from the semi far distance. Pressed up against the brick wall of DongWon High, the six footer examines the other with a daggering stare.

“You shouldn’t be here Changmin. You always said that our own schools were our own territory. Although I happened to be coming back from yours…and surprisingly, you didn’t have lunch with Sooyoung.”

All that Changmin could think of was how the guy has an uncanny resemblance to the kid in the picture frame. Such a thing itches his every nerve inside his body.

“First off, Sooyoung is mine…so get that through that thick curly hair of yours.”

“I knew her first. I’ve known her for a while.”

Minho’s lips curl upwards, into an odd smile. There was something about his smile that was disconcerting, as if hiding something that should never be spoken of.

“How the do you exactly even know my girl?”

Minhopulls out his leather wallet from within his pocket; a treasured item he never leaves without. Inside, he flips over to the picture of a young girl who brightly smiles back at the camera before displaying the image to the unexpected visitor at his school.

Right away, Changmin recognizes the resemblance of the young girl as she has the same features of that of his girlfriend. The photograph was indeed her. The duo captured in the picture frame which he had found in his girl’s room was indeed them.

Sooyoung and Minho…

“HOW THE DO YOU KNOW MY SOOYOUNG?!”

“I love her. I’ve loved her for a long time.”