40;

 

The ride towards the club's very first (of the many more to come, says Sungyeol) team-building trip was pleasantly loud. Mostly, it's because of Sungyeol's never-ending jokes about Woohyun and Hyomin and Myungsoo's playful banters here and there.

 

Woohyun is behind the wheels and somehow, Hyomin ended up at the shot-gun seat.

 

"So now, you're gonna be all lovey-dovey and not leave each other's side huh? Aigoo. Noona, I thought you're better than this." Sungyeol shook his head playfully through the backseat, Suzy looking at him happily and Myungsoo looking at Suzy—oh wait.

 

"Ya, Lee Sungyeol. What do you mean by that?" Woohyun asked, acting offended. "I am totally a catch you know!" ah, the ego is still intact so I see. Hyomin chuckled quietly but it still reached the boy's ears. He shot her a sharp look.

 

"Eo? Are you laughing at me right now? Why? You don't think I'm worth a shot?"

 

"And there you heard it ladies and gentlemen, player Nam Woohyun had tossed the decisive question. Now we wait as to how player Park Hyomin would react," Myungsoo played as a reporter, using his water bottle as his mic. Sungyeol played along right after, getting his lollipop off his mouth and used it as a mic as well.

 

"Player Hyomin is not saying anything my dear viewers, but oh? Is that a blush that I see in her cheeks?"

 

"That is definitely a blush reporter Lee," Myungsoo supplied.

 

"YA!! Are you two not going to stop!?" a flustered Hyomin faced them. The two boys laughed and covered their mouths that Suzy can't help but laugh with them.

 

"Not you too Suzy!" Hyomin huffed and crossed her arms across her chest. "I can't believe I have idiots in my club."

 

"You love us anyway," Sungyeol snickered while munching on the chocolate Suzy had kept in her bag. Somehow the glass eyed boy found it and is now devouring it in his own delight. Sungyeol flashed her an apologetic smile.

 

Hyomin just smiled and looked ahead on the road. She silently thinks that Sungyeol is right. They may be idiots and immature brats but they are perfect in their own accord. Sungyeol and his childish antics, Myungsoo and his jokes, Suzy and her bright smiles and Woohyun.

 

Hyomin looked at him stealthily and was surprised when she sees that the boy was already looking at her, a smile on his face.

 

Hyomin thinks that yeah, this is definitely worth a shot.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Suzy looked silently at the road before them. Everyone is quiet now, Sungyeol is sleeping soundly, his head rested against the window. If Hyomin is awake she doesn't know, but the girl is staying quiet as well. Suzy released a deep breath.

 

"You not sleeping yet?" someone asked her from the side. It was Myungsoo. His eyes closed but definitely awake. Moments later, the boy is already opening his eyes looking at her.

 

Suzy smiled and gently shook her head. "I'm not really tired."

 

"I didn't think you'd come," Myungsoo said after a while.

 

"I figured, I needed time for myself. It's just for five days anyway, I can always go back to how I was living after this." if Myungsoo senses the hidden fall in her voice, he doesn't say anything. Instead he looks at her and smiled gently. Suzy thinks this is exactly what she needs. Myungsoo smiling at her as though telling her that things would be alright. For just five days, Suzy will believe that things would indeed be alright.

 

"So you're talking to me again right?" Myungsoo said, his face lighting up so visibly that Suzy chuckles.

 

"Why? You don't want me to? I can always start ignoring you, you know." Suzy looked playfully at her watch. "I can start now actually. I can just close my mouth and—"

 

Myungsoo flicked her head and ruffled her fringe like how he does before that Suzy feels pleasant warmth rushing through her chest. "Of course not silly." he smiled gently. "I can live with this. I mean you, talking to me."

 

Suzy smiled. Yeah, me too, she says in her head.

 

"Sleep a little. We still have a long way to go," Myungsoo says before tucking himself again and closing his eyes. "And please try not to drool on me,"

 

Suzy wanted to answer back but then it would ruin the moment, and so she decides to lean back. Her head inches away from his shoulders. She would surely be touching him if she leans down further but she decides not to. Instead she dwells in the familiar warmth coming from Myungsoo and thinks that this would be enough.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

"I take it back,I prefer the silent Myungsoo over this piece of dumb," Woohyun said to Hyomin as he watches the boy grill bananas in the bonfire. I repeat, bananas. It was already dusk when they reached the sea and they decided to start their unwinding session with a quiet bonfire, in which Suzy squealed since she never really had once experienced such before.

 

Hyomin just snickered as she picks up sticks that they could use to maintain the fire and then snuggled close to Myungsoo.

 

"Hey," she greets him, face slightly upturned as she looks at the gross outcome of Myungsoo's little experiment. She kinda feels bad for the banana.

 

"Hey," he greeted back. "Wanna try my banana lava?" he asks but Hyomin shooks her head in no time. Myungsoo just shrugged and continued toasting the poor fruit.

 

"So, I guess Suzy is talking to you again." she asks casually. Myungsoo seemed lost for a moment but then smiled almost spontaneously and nodded his head. Hyomin took note of the glint in his eyes.

 

"What are you gonna do about it?"

 

"What do you mean?" he asks her.

 

"You know, about the fact that you still have that project you haven't passed me and you've been missing a lot of deadlines and the fact that you actually like her," she says as though she wasn't saying anything bizarre or something Myungsoo already knew but decides to ignore anyways because it just couldn't be.

 

"Oh," he put his head down, "that." he figures there is no point denying it to Hyomin. It's not like the girl would announce it for the whole world to know.

 

"So, now what?"

 

"I'm not doing anything," he says. The thing that catches Hyomin's attention is how tired and how confused the boy sounds. It was as though he's sacrificed a lot of his happiness for the sake of others that he doesnt mind sacrificing again. "It's just—it's just too complicated."

 

Hyomin hums in agreement. Why, the boy is in love with his girlfriend's sister; if that isnt considered complicated, she doesn't know what is.

 

"I don't know the entire situation and I know me telling you this probably wont change anything but," Hyomin placed her hand on Myungsoo's shoulder and gave him an assuring pat. "it would be better if you try and be honest with yourself sometimes." she said. Myungsoo chuckled cause the advice could be said to her too.

 

"Yeah right. Like how you are honest about your feelings with Woohyun?" she smirks and Hyomin finds herself wanting to rip off that smirk out of his face.

 

"Ya, we're not talking about me here. I'm just being the nice and responsible leader that I am alright." she says through gritted teeth. "And besides this is mainly why we are doing this trip. You know, team building and all that crap."

 

Myungsoo smiled at her. "Thank you noona. I'll, I'll think about it." he says and Hyomin thinks it is a good start.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They sing their asses off and played really well that night, the bonfire their sole witness for their ridiculous behaviours. Somehow, Sungyeol ended up doing a dance solo, Woohyun discovered his talent in crumping and there is Suzy taking everything in film with her camera.

 

"Hey, you're stealing my job! I am supposed to be the photographer here." Myungsoo exclaimed as he put his guitar at his side. Hyomin's bizarre rendition of Gee just came to its close after repeating the chorus for seven times. Sungyeol slumped in the sand, completely exhausted after dancing through all those damn choruses.

 

"Shut up and just continue playing. I already have blackmail materials that could last me a lifetime." she says happily as she flips through every photo.

 

Myungsoo laughs at her. Choi Suzy can be really scary if she wants to, but hey, at least she's smiling at him now right? Everything is fine.

 

They end their session a few hours later when Sungyeol literally can't stand anymore, Hyomin is coughing blood and Woohyun complains of stomachache (I told you not to eat too much, Hyomin says).

 

They all scamper their way to their rented villa and took time in fixing their things. Suzy and Hyomin shared a room together while the boys occupy the room across the girls'.

 

"Hey, don't you girls dare creep up on us in the middle of the night alright. We have pepper sprays, and we put up a good fight." Woohyun tells them before closing their doors. The girls scoffed and glared at the three boys.

 

"Ch, in your dreams! Breaking our moral codes just for you guys is definitely not worth it!" Hyomin retaliates.

 

"Just making sure," and Woohyun has that same smile on his face and Hyomin finds herself looking away. "Well, goodnight girls. Wake up early tomorrow okay, we need to have our breakfast."

 

"What? You mean, we'll cook? Why not you guys?"

 

"Well, if you really think that leaving me and Myungsoo inside the kitchen would be a good idea then maybe we could—"

 

"NO!!" the girls cut Sungyeol. "I understand. We, we'll cook." Hyomin says. Thinking about the disaster that may happen if the two gets in he kitchen alone makes her head throb in unbearable ways. She thinks waking up early is better than spending the night in jail for arson.

 

Moments later and Woohyun bade goodbye. Sungyeol followed right after shouting something about Woohyun to stop touching his things. Hyomin had also bid goodnight saying that she needs to set her alarm for tomorrow. Suzy was also about to enter her room when she heard Myungsoo call her.

 

"Ah, Suzy,"

 

"Hmm?" she looks at him and she sees him fidget his feet.

 

"Ah, nothing just," Myungsoo looked at her through his lids and Suzy smiles because he looks like a little child lost and wanting to ask for a candy. "Thank you, for deciding to come with us." he says.

 

"No problem.