It was nearing ten on the Sunday night before the next school year began when a knock sounded on the door of apartment 371.

Sarang’s mother sat up from her seat at the dining table, at which she was typing up a report, and opened the door. “Luhan!” She blinked in surprise, noting that they were nearly the same height now, and she paused to admire how fast these kids were growing. “What brings you here at this time of night? Shouldn’t you be in bed for school early tomorrow?”

“I just wanted to invite Sarang out for a walk around the playground.” He beamed cheekily. “I don’t have trouble getting up in the mornings, ma’am.”

She chuckled. “If only Sarang were more like you. Wait just a second.” She turned to call into the apartment, “Sarang, Luhan’s here to invite you on a walk.”

The door to Sarang’s room opened even before her mom had finished saying the sentence, dressed for a breezy evening walk. She hurried to the door and beamed at Luhan.

“Ready to go?” Luhan asked, and Sarang nodded, slipping into a pair of Adidas slides.

“Yep.” She turned to face her mom right before the door shut. “I won’t be out too late.”

Her mom nodded and waved. “Be careful.” Sarang left, making sure the door swung shut behind her, and her mom returned to the kitchen. She’d long accepted that she would never understand the strange ways that Luhan’s mind worked, but she’d observed the influence he’d had on her daughter; whereas she was still the introverted girl who hardly had words to spare in any situation and feared the judgment of others, she’d begun changing in little ways ever since she’d befriended the boy across the hall; most noticeably, she’d begun smiling more, was far less afraid to speak her mind, and had even made a couple friends.

The greatest fear of Sarang’s mom when it came to her daughter was the possibility that she’d be unable to form lasting roots in any one place out of habit; after all, she’d had to move so often that she could no longer count the number of districts she’d temporarily called “home.” Who knew that Sarang would find a friend who would be able to open the long-sealed door in her walls in this tiny suburban neighborhood that seemed nothing out of the ordinary?

It was both amusing and spectacular, the ways in which life seemed to work itself out.

Sarang’s mom chuckled and pressed “Submit” before rolling her neck and heading into her room to turn in for the night.

“How do you feel about starting your last year of middle school tomorrow? Nervous about high school at all?” Sarang asked as she and Luhan walked side-by-side to the playground beside their apartment building.

He shook his head with sparkling eyes. “No way. I’m so excited. It’s a huge shame that you won’t be there with me for the first year, but I’m looking forward to it. Minseok hyung says it’ll be fun and he has a sunbae who’s graduating this coming school year. He says that middle school soccer is nothing compared to the high school’s soccer programs and I have a good shot at becoming a varsity member my freshman year! It’ll be great for my university applications if I can play for one of the best teams in the district!”

Sarang watched as her favorite person in the world talked passionately about something he loved so much and she felt her pulse quicken. He’s so passionate about the things he loves.

There was something so inspiring about the way his eyes lit up whenever he spoke about soccer, the way his words tumbled out of his mouth so fast that she struggled to keep up, though she wouldn’t dare interrupt.

He was so captivating.

She could listen to him talk about soccer—despite her own lack of knowledge and interest in the sport—for hours on end.

“What about you?” he asked, eventually turning the topic of conversation to her. “Are you scared for eighth grade?”

Yes, a little bit. Because this is my last year of middle school with you. But she knew that he wanted her to be okay, even when he wasn’t there to keep her company, so she shrugged. “Not too much. I’ll have you and Eunji and Jongin and Sehun. And who knows if I’ll make another friend this year?”

Luhan laughed in pleasant surprise. “Really? You think you can do that?”

“Why not?” She flipped her hair over her shoulder. “I’m irresistible.” Luhan laughed at the bravado, and Sarang grinned. But I really do want to make sure I’ll be able to enjoy my last year of middle school without you by my side, even if it’s just for your sake.

Eventually, the pair of friends reached the playground, and they ambushed the swings first. Sarang took a seat on the left one.

“Do you want me to push you?” Luhan volunteered.

Sarang scoffed with no malice. “I can swing myself, oppa.”

He shrugged with a cocky smirk making its way across his face as he settled into the swing beside her. “Don’t regret it later; I’m a professional swing pusher.”

Sarang laughed, kicking herself off from the ground and ing her legs out in front of her. “I’ll be sure to collect your autograph before the end of the night.”

Luhan chuckled at her spunk and struggled to get very high; his legs were now a little too long for the swing set, which had been designed for kids. Eventually, he gave up and remained on the ground while watching Sarang as she had the time of her life every time her toes came closer to kissing the stars. “You can kick all you want, but you’re not going any higher than these chains allow,” he pointed out, gesturing towards the very chains he had his fingers wrapped around.

“Doesn’t hurt to try,” Sarang answered breezily, eventually slowing down and joining Luhan on the ground. “Besides, whether you’re way up there or down here…” She gestured towards the now-immobile swings, “the view stays the same. Don’t you think?”

Luhan nodded in acquiescence. “I suppose so. But don’t you go and become Icarus; the closer you get to those stars, the likelier it is that you’ll burn up and die.”

“Icarus didn’t burn up and die,” Sarang pointed out. “The wax on his wings melted, and he plummeted back to the ground.”

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