“Why am I feeling gloomy today?” Suho asked himself, but they heard it.

D.O nodded, agreeing what Suho just said before—about gloomy thing. Well, it wasn’t cloudy though. The sun shined so bright, but they just couldn’t feel that shine.

“And why is Kai not showing up?” Chanyeol asked lazily and didn’t feel like eating.

Baekhyun came with a bowl of bibimbap and a carton of grape juice. He didn’t greet or even look at them. He just sat and started eating his food quietly. Luhan sniffed Baekhyun’s body who was sitting next to him. He nudged Baekhyun’s arm and grinned, showing his sharp-white-teeth to Baekhyun. Baekhyun gave his are-you-trying-to-mess-with-me look to Luhan.

“You smell like Haruka.” He whispered. At first, Baekhyun didn’t want to tell him, but he finally said, “I live next door.”

“Gosh, no one answers me? Why isn’t Kai showing up?” Chanyeol repeated his question. D.O swung his chopstick again to Chanyeol’s face. “Just eat your food and don’t be too noisy, Chanyeol-ah…”

“That ‘wingardium leviosa’. Hyung, where is Kai?” he then asked Suho.

“Not feeling well—”

“And where is Haruka? Why she isn’t eating?” Sehun cut Suho’s answer.

“Also not feeling well.” Instead of Chanyeol nor Luhan, Baekhyun answered that. Luhan glared him, even closer. “Don’t stare at me like that, Dog. What do you want to know exactly?”

“Just—curious. Why do you smell like her? Did you bump each other this morning?” Luhan asked suspiciously.

“Rather than bumping me—I bumped her. She cried this morning.” Baekhyun took a spoonful of rice to his mouth. “Minhwa surely exploded—accusing Haruka that she is trying to steal ‘Chanyeol’ from her. Minhwa even compared Haruka to Jenny—how nice and trusty Jenny is.” He purposely emphasized Chanyeol’s name.

“I see, I see. I’m about to meet Minhwan after lunch. Stop giving such faces to me.” Chanyeol then looked at Luhan. “You too.”

“It’s Minhwa!” D.O shouted. “Yeah, I mean Minhwa. Aish, stop it already. It’s sickening really.” Chanyeol ruffled his hair so it became a mess.

“That’s why I’m feeling so gloomy. Kai must be feeling the same too.” Suho said.

“Those two really have very strong connection, huh? You know, Kai told me this morning that he suddenly didn’t feel like going to school. His face was covered with sorrow. Something just wasn’t right, I thought.” Sehun revealed.

“Don’t you realize?” Chanyeol quickly swallowed his food. “Kai and Haruka—they both like the same things and also hate the same things.”

Sehun finished eating. “Of course! It would be funny though if they love and hate different things. Anyway, is she in the class now?”

“She might be. She isn’t shining much though.” Luhan replied. “I mean it.” He added to make them believe him.

“That’s why you’re not into her?” Chanyeol snorted in disgust.

“Well—”

“Luhan-ah,” Suho called and shook his head slowly. “Control, control, control…” only his lips were moving. The voice just didn’t come.

“Come and take look at her sometimes. I’ll go meet Minhwan—”

“Minhwa.” Suho corrected her name. “Yeah, I’ll come to visit her later.” He added.

“Sure.”

“Don’t forget to explain it, Chanyeol-ah. If you once again make Haruka into trouble, I won’t let you off, understand?” Suho threatened him. Chanyeol was getting more frustrated as Suho said that. “Ah, Hyung—don’t be that harsh. It’s not my only my mistake, but also Luhan’s mistake. Aigoo—”

“Are you a coward? I know you said that because you’re embarrassed to meet her by yourself, right? Do you want me to accompany you?” Luhan already pushed his seat and stood up neatly, waiting for Chanyeol to get up.

“It’s even more embarrassing, you know?” D.O harshly commented.

“Just don’t talk to me, Kyungsoo-ya, just don’t.” Chanyeol put his pointed finger in front of his lips. “Oh, isn’t that Minhwa?” Chanyeol caught a sight of Minhwa who was walking with Jenny, Sera, and Yumi. Chanyeol hurriedly grabbed Luhan’s wrist and dragged him to come towards Minhwa.

“Excuse me,” Chanyeol scratched his head—actually it wasn’t itchy.

Minhwa almost jumped in shock when she saw Chanyeol who suddenly appeared in front of him. She had never seen him this close. Well, it somehow made Minhwa’s heart beat even faster. That guy was definitely not a human. He was a fairy—at least that was what Minhwa was thinking of. Minhwa could see every detail Chanyeol had—fairy-like ears—they were like elf’s ears, inhumanly!

“Oh, Chanyeol—are you looking for me?” Jenny stepped forward.

Luhan crooned soundlessly, but Chanyeol held him back with his long arm.

“Ahaha—well, nope. To be honest, I’m looking for—Minhwa-sshi.” Chanyeol smiled sweetly to Minhwa. Minhwa was quite startled. She pointed herself to make sure that Chanyeol was really looking for her.

“Yeah, you—Minhwa-sshi.”

“Why—why are you looking for me?” Minhwa stuttered.

“Are you busy? Can I talk to you for about—five minutes? I assure you it’s really five minutes.” he asked. Minhwa looked at Jenny first, getting the signal from Jenny through her you-can’t-do-this-to-me look. She felt sorry, but in other hand, Minhwa couldn’t refuse Chanyeol’s request. She automatically nodded her head.

“Let’s talk somewhere.” Chanyeol suggested.

Minhwa nodded and followed him to—Minhwa wasn’t sure where Chanyeol would bring her to, but after some time, she realized that it was rooftop. Minhwa knew very well about this kind of place. Usually popular guys in the film would bring their girlfriend here—enjoying the Seoul scenery from this height, confessing his feeling, and such.

“How to say this—” Chanyeol scratched his head again. Luhan stepped forward. “Don’t be mad at her again—Haruka—I’m talking about her.” Luhan bluntly said with his flat expression. Minhwa was dumbfounded, confused.

“Why—why would I get mad at her? We’re just—”

“You have to know that it was totally misunderstanding. You asked her to deliver a chocolate cake to me but suddenly Luhan bumped her and destroyed the cake.” Chanyeol gave a sign to Minhwa by giving a slight glare to Luhan.

Luhan took a turn to explain the real situation to Minhwa. “I was so sorry for that and promised her that I would buy another cake. In case, I knew that it was a chocolate cake, but—I told Haruka—no one of us likes chocolate and offered to buy another flavor.” Luhan sighed. “She didn’t want to tell me, whom she wanted to give the cake to at first, but in the end, she said it was for Chanyeol. So, I told her that I would buy strawberry cake because Chanyeol likes strawberry.”

“This brat didn’t say anything when he gave me the cake, even didn’t give the letter.” Chanyeol rolled his eyes.

Luhan quickly said to clarify it. “She asked me to slip in the letter in the box, but—ya—I know you so well, huh? You don’t like such a thing. That’s why I told her not to slip in the letter.”

Chanyeol hit Luhan’s firm arm, but he was the one who was in pain. “Ya—don’t say nonsense.” Chanyeol whispered in Luhan’s ear. His words seemed threatening.

“And—Baekhyun just told me about another matter—about I gave the cake to Haruka. Well, actually, because I thought that Haruka gave me the cake, she should at least eat a piece of it. She even didn’t have appetite to eat because of you. So, I’m begging you—” Chanyeol took a deep breath. He just didn’t believe his attitude right now, begging to someone whom he didn’t even know? He ought to be really insane. “Just don’t be mad at Haruka anymore. She felt wrecked.”

Minhwa turned away her face to the ground. She relieved her sigh. “I will not be mad at her anymore. Thanks for clarifying this misunderstanding between me and Haru, but—” Minhwa looked at Chanyeol, then Luhan. “To be honest, I’m really tired. All these 17 years, I’m tired and burdened.”

Luhan tilted his head, but he still listened to her very well.

“I can’t play with my friends after school. I have to go home with her because she can’t—”

“See in the dark.” Chanyeol added on the sidelines of her words.

Minhwa looked very surprised as she knew that in fact Chanyeol—and maybe the rest of his friends—acknowledged Haruka’s disability. But she hid her expression, pretending not to be too shocked.

“I’ve always wanted to play with other friends—sleep-over at my friend’s house—eat ddokbokki in the street while doing window-shopping at some stores there. Even—I’ve never attended my class farewell party. She’s just too—burdensome. I need some time to have myself free. I want to have fun. I want to do what teenagers usually do, having fun with friends at café, watching movies while eating popcorn—I just want to do that.”

Chanyeol felt his tongue freeze. He was taken aback by Minhwa’s words.

“About this matter…” Minhwa inhaled in relief. At least, she had said what she really felt. “I will regard this as if it never happens before.” She said.

After that, she left the two guys in daze. Their expression seemed bitter. Well, actually, it was because they were afraid that Haruka could hear what Minhwa said just now. In fact, Haruka was hiding behind a pile of broken table at the corner of the rooftop. She just heard everything.

Luhan approach Haruka, finding that girl was already burst in tears. Chanyeol was no longer blocking him from Haruka. He knew that Luhan would not harm Haruka as long as the sun still shined.

Luhan squatted in front of Haruka, staying still for a while before he finally wiped Haruka’s overflowing tears with his warm thumb. Haruka lifted her head and looked at Luhan into his eyes. Luhan smiled warmly to her, trying to comfort her through his glare.

“I’m alright. Minhwa—it’s much weirder if she isn’t tired taking care of me. I know her feeling better than anyone else. She has suffered a lot. She must be burdened.”

“Haruka,” Luhan called and so that the breeze came and hit her face softly. “If you know her feeling better than anyone else, why are you crying now? What are these tears meant for?”

Haruka sobbed. “I just—feel bad. As her best friend, I should have understood it since the beginning. Now, it’s just too late.”

Chanyeol who stood not far from Haruka and Luhan’s spot, felt his heart sliced with a very sharp knife into pieces. It was just too hurtful.

Luhan smiled.

As she saw his smile, she felt a little bit comfortable. So she smiled although it seemed constrained.

“Don’t cry. You’re not even shining now…” Luhan said as he wiped the last tears that flowed on her cheeks.

“Shining—” she snorted, laughing at Luhan’s joke. It somehow reminded her with Baekhyun’s words this morning. He also said about that shining thing, but she didn’t remember.

“You don’t believe me? I’m saying the truth. So, don’t cry, Haruka. C’mon, let’s go to class.” Luhan helped Haruka got up, and walked together along with Chanyeol.

They went to class silently in mixed feelings.

Don’t cry, Haruka. You will lose your shine if you keep having your tears flow down like that although it seems hard for me to endure it, but I’ll overcome it.