Dasom's POV

“Woah what is this?”

Myungsoo opened his mouth in awe as he stared blankly at the mountain pile of gifts placed in front of his locker.

“Girls these days are really rich huh…” he exclaimed as he picked up the presents on the floor. Chocolates, handmade pastries, letters, isotonic drinks (a carton of it), pain relief patch… people might even mistake today as valentines’ day!

“The competition date is nearing, isn’t it? Your fangirls are rooting for you,” I as I help myself to a packet of cookies.

“But there’s too much! All these can last me for more than a year! Moreover, I don’t even like sweet stuffs.”

And clumsy Myungsoo never fails to drop his presents in the middle of the hallway as his walked towards his classroom, and I was trailing behind him, picking up all his stuffs.

“Yah help me bring all these to my classroom!”

I really wanted to say no to his order but I guess he really needs some help—

BOOM

Clumsy Myungsoo strikes again while he knocked himself onto his classroom door because all those presents blocked his view in front.

Upon hearing the loud sound, his classmates came and help him. And when he looked over to his desks, he realized there are more presents placed neatly on his desk. “W-wow,” he stuttered. It wasn’t his first time receiving gifts from girls, but this time round there is really a lot.

“Isn’t that the fat girl from Lee Hana’s class? Why is she following Myungsoo around? Who does she think she is?” I heard whispers coming from Myungsoo’s classmates. Honestly, at that instant, I felt like shutting their mouths up with masking tapes but that will be too uncivilized. I suppressed my anger and rolled my eyes at them.

“Hey Sunmi ah, don’t say that of my friend. She is Dasom, my childhood friend,” Myungsoo immediately defended me and threw his arms around my shoulders. I jumped at his gestures, while earning some weird looks from his friends, and some boys went “oooooh~”. I don’t know how I should feel about this sweet move of him, especially after last night’s awkward encounter. In fact, it took us quite some time this morning to break off the awkwardness. I blush a little as I thought about his defensive act. Even though I didn’t show it on my face, I was actually feeling very happy deep down inside.

I shook him off and threw him a glare. “Gotta leave for lessons, see you at home later,” I bid him farewell before leaving the classroom.  

Hmm presents… should I make one for him too?

“Hey Dasom!” I entered my classroom and I was soon greeted with Hana’s warm greeting. But… why do I have a bad feeling about this?

“Hey Hana-ssi, good morning! Do you have anything to ask me?” I chirped, pretending to look cheerful.

“Please don’t be so formal, just call me Hana,” she replied. “Dasom, you are good friends with Myungsoo oppa right?”

Best friends, actually.

“Yes, what do you want to ask about the both of us?” I answered, sounding a little bit harsh, probably because of what happened just now.

“Oh I want to make a present for oppa, but I don’t know what he likes, so,” and she blinked her sparkling eyes a few more times in shyness before continuing, “can you tell me what he likes?”

I guess I was feeling a little bit jealous and I wanted to tell the whole list of things that Myungsoo dislike, but that’s not me. I will not harm other’s happiness.

“Umm, well he likes the colour black and basketball.”  I told her frankly.

“Oh… okay! Thank you so much! I know what to make for him!” She thanked me continuously as she wandered off to her lala land. It was evident that she hasn’t been listening in class today because she was so occupied by the thought of making Myungsoo’s present.

Will Myungsoo like my present more than hers?

At night, I took out my knitting kit and started working on the basketball wristband that I want to give Myungsoo as a present.

“Okay now I have to poke this into this —”

I started murmuring to myself as I started to do “magic” on the wristband. Well, I went to youtube and look up for tutorials, and I thought they look kind of easy, but they are not!

“OUCH!” I accidentally poked myself with the needle and blood oozed out from the small wound.

Damn it, I know I am a girl, but knitting is really not for me. I don’t have the skills, nor the patience for it. And so, after much struggle (and constant curses), I managed to complete my present for Myungsoo. I have to admit that it doesn’t look good, but it doesn’t look too bad either. It has got a few random strings poking out from here and there, but it’s the thoughts that matter, right? (laughs) I have also sewed his initials ”M.S” on the wristband. I wanted to do it in hangul but I decided to drop that idea because it’s too complicated.

It was already 3am, and I slowly drifted off to sleep.

The next morning, I woke up feeling like due to the severe lack of sleep last night. Nonetheless, I felt excited about giving Myungsoo the present that I have made. But Myungsoo wasn’t at the dining table!

“Myungsoo already left for school early in the morning because he said he had to do something. And you lazy pig, I’ll be surprised if you can it to school in time today,” my mother chided me. 

Damn it. I looked at the clock and cursed. I quickly stuffed a piece of bread into my mouth and left my house immediately.

Thankfully, the bus came swiftly and I managed to reach school in time. I walked past the lockers and saw two people hiding suspiciously behind the lockers.

Guess who.

“Myungsoo oppa, I made this for you, hope you’ll like it,” Hana handed her gift to Myungsoo. I took a peek at it, and was shocked to find that she made the same gift as I did. Except that hers was a little prettier and delicate than mine. She had sewn a figure of a man playing basketball and Myungsoo’s name in hangul on the wristband.

“Thank you Hana, I will wear this on my competition day.”

I took my wristband out from my pocket and compared it to Hana’s. There’s no way Myungsoo will prefer my present over hers. Feeling dejected, I turned around and walked back to my classroom.

“Your shoulders are hanging so low, they are going to touch the floor soon,” I turned to stare at the voice, it was Sungyeol.

“Hi oppa,” I greeted Sungyeol listlessly.

“What’s that? A basketball wristband? M.S… oh a present for Myungsoo?”

“Hmm yeah, but I guess he wouldn’t want it. It’s so ugly.”

“Aniyo! It’s handmade right? It’s the thoughts that matter!”

“It’s the thoughts of the receiver that matters,” I retorted.

“Hmm well, however you want to read my words as,” he grinned, “now where’s mine?”

I looked up at Sungyeol apologetically, “ahhhh, sorry I didn’t make yours!”

“You didn’t even have any thoughts for me,” he said sadly, but the frown later turned into a cheeky smile, “aha! I got you!”

Sungyeol is true. I should make something for him too, after all he was the one who cheered me up when I cried over Myungsoo. “I get it, I’ll make a present for you too!”

“Woah really?? Thank you Dasom!!” He then did a victory punch in the air like how he did when I agreed to be his friend. I laughed at Sungyeol’s foolishness as the both of us walked back to our classrooms. The feeling of disappointment was then replaced by a cheerful and airy feeling.

Myungsoo’s POV

“Ahhhhh I can’t do this anymore!! I need her help!!”

I have been staring at my calculus assignment for more than 2 hours and I still can’t do the questions. Learning calculus just makes me feel more stupid than what I already am.

I crept up to Dasom’s room. I knocked lightly on her door (in case she accuses me of barging into her room again), but there was no response. I knocked slightly louder this time round, but she didn’t answer the door.

“I’m coming in, Dasom ah!” I turned her doorknob, “dear mathematics goddess, please teach me—”

She was sleeping on her study table. It’s only 9pm, and she usually doesn’t sleep so early.

I walked nearer to her table and studied her sleeping face. Her long eye lashes, her luscious lips, and her fair skin… even though she always says she is fat and unattractive, she is still the most beautiful to me. She has been like this since young. What made her even more beautiful was her strong and pure personality. Even if people about her weight, she never cries. From what I have remembered, she never speaks badly of anyone. I thought, only I can see her beauty.  I poked her chubby cheeks lightly, and murmured to myself, “I’ve always loved this.”

She looked so peaceful while sleeping, and it has been a long time since I saw her peaceful expression. I knew she had to take many criticisms from other people because of me. Many people often question about our friendship, saying we are too different to be best friends. But then again, we are not that different. We share the same childhood, we share the same memories, we share the same friendship. We are not so different to begin with.   

Her head was bobbing up and down from all the breathing. She then shifted uncomfortably from her sleeping position. I placed a small pillow underneath her arms so that she can rest her head on it. I took another blanket and covered her. And then I realized she was holding on to something, a wristband.

A basketball wristband to be more exact. And then I looked around her table, knitting kit materials were lying all around. I flipped over the wristband and read the words on it.

이성열

“Eh… so the person you like is Sungyeol hyung,” I muttered to the sleeping girl.

Well, she did tell me that hyung made friends with her, and from what I see, hyung seems to treat her very well too. They would make a good pair, wouldn’t they?

But why am I not feeling happy about this?

I shook my head and tried to laugh away the ridiculous thought I had in my mind, “it must be the protective feeling.”

Yes, that brotherly protective feeling. I tried to convince myself.

I placed the wristband back to her hands, and she clenched it tighter. I tucked a loose strand of her hair behind her ears, and I slowly traced my hands down her cheeks, and then her lips.

I went nearer to her, and I don’t know what has gotten into me at that moment…

I kissed her.

I kissed Dasom.

I kissed my best friend.

I shook my head, not wanting to believe what just happened. I immediately left the room.

I touched my lips gently, and my heart is beating fast. There’s nothing I can do to stop this havoc in my heart.

I can’t believe I took my best friend’s first kiss.

A/N:

Hello dear readers! I think this is by far the best chapter! Loving this so much! Anyway, I’ll be updating “Apartment” next. So it’ll be quite some time till the next update for “My Best Friend”, but please wait for me patiently, thanks!!

SISTAR is doing so well on the music charts! Congrats to our girls!!~