"...and this was when Taecyeon pretended that he was a life guard and I made him do CPR on my dead fish!" Yoona exclaimed, sharing several childhood pictures with her friends, Sooyoung and  Sunhwa. They both squealed loudly and reached over to take a better look of the photo. Sunhwa bit her bottom lip to keep herself from giggling, while Sooyoung threw her head back and bursted into loud laughs.

"Oh my gosh!" Sooyoung exclaimed. "This is priceless! Im Yoona, why haven't you blackmailed him yet?"

"I already did," Yoona replied, causing the two to stare at her with shock, "but I got in trouble. Taecyeon was such a tattle-tale back then. I nicknamed him 'Tattle-Tale Taec.' He got mad and told hid mom again. Then I got in trouble twice, and things just rolled down from there."

"It's amazing how you two are friends," Sunhwa commented. "If I were you, I'd be in love with Taecyeon by now."

"You like Taecyeon?" Yoona asked, scrunching her nose. "Ew!"

Sunhwa flushed her cheeks. "N-No! I don't like Taecyeon! I meant that since you two are childhood friends and if I were in your position, I'd be hiding my feelings from him and have a major crush on him. You know, like those couples in dramas or comic books."

"There's nothing realistic about those dramas and nonsense," Yoona replied, waving her hand. "Taecyeon and I are just friends. Nothing more, nothing less."

"But what if there's more to it?" Sooyoung asked, her eyes glowing with excitement.

Yoona stuck out her tongue. "There's nothing between us. Honestly, we're just friends. Why should we like each other?"

"They say that a guy and a girl will usually fall for one another when they become close," Sunghwa told them, clasping her hands. "I want to have a relationship like that, too!"

Yoona rolled her eyes. "Guys, come on. We're just friends. Even ask him--"

"Ask who?" The three girls looked up and found Taecyeon with his hands in his pockets. He had a small lollipop in his mouth, causing Yoona to stare at him with begging eyes.

"Hey Taecyeon!" Sooyoung greeted him with a smile. "How are things going?"

"Fine," Taecyeon replied. He looked back at Yoona. "Want some of my candy?"

"You bet!" Yoona exclaimed, taking the same candy Taecyeon was eating. She every inch of the sweet snack, causing Sooyoung and Sunhwa stare at her with awe. Then, as she nibbled on the top of the red candy, Taecyeon looked down and spotted a picture of him in the past. He silently groaned and gently punched Yoona's shoulder.

"Are you showing them pictures of me when we were younger?" Taecyeon asked, frowning.

"What? They're cute," she said, defending herself. "Can I have the rest of the lollipop?"

"Idiot," Taecyeon scolded her, giving her another light punch. "Don't show those to people! It's embarrassing."

"Like this one?" Sooyoung asked, raising up a picture of him in a princess dress. Taecyeon's face turned red and he swiped away the photo from Yoona's friend.

"I... I didn't wear this because I wanted to!" he exclaimed, trying to defend himself. "I-I wore this for Yoona's birthday!"

"Mhm, sure. You wore this beacuse your mom made you wear it," Yoona blurted, smirking. Taecyeon narrowed his eyes and grabbed back the lollipop. "Hey, I wasn't finished with that--"

"You don't deserve any," he said. He heaved a sigh, then rubbed the back of his neck. "Anyways, I came here to ask you if you wanted to walk back home together. My mom wants me to do some grocery shopping and told me to bring you over for dinner."

"Dinner? What's for dinner?"

"Rice and fish. I think she's going to make that soup you like--"

"I'm there!" Yoona exclaimed. "Meet me after school in front of the gates, okay?"

Taecyeon raised an eyebrow. "Oh, you're not meeting that flower boy? What's his name again..."

"Myungsoo? No, I'm not meeting him. If I remember correctly, he said that he doesn't show up on Wednesdays since the sprinklers turn on themselves on that day," Yoona explained. Taecyeon smiled and nodded his head.

For some reason, when he heard that she wasn't going to meet Myungsoo, he felt kind of relieved.

And he didn't know why.

"That's called love." Kyuhyun said bluntly, his eyes glued to his smartphone. He was playing a game that involved constant tapping of his thumb and strategy. Taecyeon, who wasn't pleased with what Kyuhyun was saying, turned to his tall friend, Changmin.

"I don't think it was love," Taecyeon said. "Isn't it more like... a brotherly-sisterly bond? An older brother will naturally feel protective over his younger sister meeting another guy."

Changmin scoffed and rolled his eyes. "A brotherly-sisterly bond? Taecyeon, no brother does that anymore."

"No, that one kid in the next class is really protective of his sister," Kyuhyun defended. "So, in a way, Taecyeon could be right."

"But we all know that it's wrong," Changmin protested.

"Not all. Specifically, only the two of us and whoever else is eavesdropping knows that Taecyeon is in love--"

"Kyuhyun, you know what I mean. Stop playing around," the taller boy grumbled.

"I'm not," Kyuhyun said. "I'm just pointing out the truth--Oh my gosh! I lost a life because of you!"

"You already lost your life once you picked up that game counsel!" Changmin retorted. Kyuhyun shot him a glare, who let out a haughty scoff. Taecyeon, knowing where this was about to go, stepped between the two and tried to drive their attention to his feelings.

"I really don't think it's love, though," Taecyeon insisted. "I think it's just a childhood bond we have. I mean--"

"Dude. You see me and Kyuhyun around Yoona, plus a few other guys who're interested in Yoona. Why do you only react to that middle school kid?" Changmin asked.

"I don't know," Taecyeon replied. "Honestly, I don't know. I guess it's because I'm sure that none of you guys have a chance with her--"

"Ouch," Kyuhyun interrupted, snickering. "That's quite harsh."

"Shut up, I'm trying to convey my feelings, okay?" Taecyeon muttered. There was an awkward pause in the air. "Woah, that sounds really weird. I should stop talking about this."

"Okay, okay," Changmin said, nodding his head, "but before we end our conversation, I just want you to think for a moment. Just a second would be great."

"I'm thinking," Taecyeon responded seriously.

"Did you see a red lollipop lying around anywhere? I was going to eat it, but I can't find it."

"... If I tell you where it is, what are you going to do with the person who took it?"

"I don't know. Probably kill him or her or something. It was, like, my only snack that I could prepare myself before I got here. I'm starving!"

Taecyeon kept quiet. Then, he blew a whistle and dashed out of the classroom, knowing that he was going to get chased by Changmin for eating his lollipop.