E

“Omo, the two of you look so cute together!” I blushed at the compliment by a kind, old lady. I opened my mouth to deny that we were together but someone cut me off.

“Thank you so much, halmeoni.” Se Hun grinned happily as he grabbed my hand tightly. My eyes widened and I turned to him in shock. “B-But-” Se Hun winked at me and the old lady squealed excitedly with her friends.

“Kids nowadays are so adorable with each other.” Another old lady cooed. I smiled awkwardly at the elderly men and women around us. As an act of revenge, I pinched Se Hun’s palm tightly. I felt him flinch next to me and I grinned victoriously. Serves you right, Oh Se Hun. I thought.

“Come on, Hunnie, let’s go exercise there!” I squealed and forcefully dragged him over to a corner where old men were doing Tai Chi.

“Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow!” He yelped in pain as I still didn’t let go of my death pinch on his palm. I smirked cheekily and let go of his hand. He wrung his hand from me and shook the pain off while jumping up and down. “Ow, look, it’s red!” He complained childishly as he shoved his red palm (courtesy of moi) in my face. I scrunched my face up in annoyance and pushed his hand away.

“It wouldn’t be if you didn’t run your big mouth off to the old lady! Now, they think we’re a couple!” I hissed harshly and glanced behind me. The old ladies were still watching us intently with wide, motherly smiles. I smiled awkwardly back at them and waved timidly. I turned back to Se Hun with a glare and he jumped back at my murderous expression.

“But I want them to think we’re a couple!” He whined back and I stiffened. My heart beat faster and I bit my lip nervously. I rolled my eyes, pretending as if his statement had no effect on me. “Sure, now hurry up! I didn’t wake up at five in the morning for us to be dilly-dallying. Start exercising!” I snapped at him and he pouted, quickly following the movements of the old men. The both of us started following the old men doing Tai Chi. The old men were quiet about it and didn’t make any statement about it but I could tell they were staring at us from the corners of their eyes.

“Why are you so snappy in the morning? I was just joking.” Se Hun muttered from beside me. I scoffed lightly and glanced at him from the corner of my eye. “Who wouldn’t be? I could be enjoying a peaceful sleep right now. And did I mention the fact that it was you, who basically woke me up abruptly?”

He pouted guiltily. “Well, sorry, I was just excited to see you.” He mumbled dejectedly and my heart softened. Since when did he become so cute? I mean, he must have learnt how to pout like that from somewhere.

Feeling slightly bad at how dejected he sounded, I sighed. “Sorry for snapping at you. I’m not a morning person.” I apologized and he huffed immaturely. “No way.” He drawled sarcastically.

I shuffled closer to him. “I’ll treat you. I’ll buy you anything you want.” I offered temptingly. He sighed and mumbled something lowly under his breath.

I furrowed my brows in confusion. “What did you say?” He straightened up and turned to me with a boyish grin (that got me swooning). “Nothing! You said anything right?” He cheered enthusiastically when I nodded.

“Yay! You promised me, okay?” He held his pinky out expectantly. I stared at it for a moment and let out a laugh.

“Yeah, I promise.”

Exercise with the old people – Complete! With a promise?

T

“Okay, when I said anything, I surely didn’t mean this.” I grumbled, standing on the roof of a building in the middle of the city. I knew I should have run away when he purchased those water balloons and gallons of water.

“Oh, come on, this is going to be fun!” Se Hun chimed as he filled up each water balloon with water. I sat on the ground, tying each balloon tightly. Truthfully, as fearful as the thought of being caught was, I was actually excited to see what would happen.

I sighed. “Fine, if we get caught though, I’m blaming it on you.” I pointed at him accusingly and he nodded absentmindedly. “Yeah, yeah, just tie these up tightly and let’s get started.” He grinned cheekily.

After tying up all the water balloons, we wore a snapback cap and our hoods over them. We placed our surgical masks on and sunglasses as well. We took extra precautions just in case we got caught. We couldn’t risk anyone recognizing us. We still had a life ahead of us. I still had a life ahead of me.

“You ready?” He glanced at me with an expectant grin and I nodded, biting my lip nervously. We bent over the edge of the roof and saw a few people walking below. Oh, poor people. I thought guiltily. But as soon as that thought had come and gone, Se Hun was already throwing down water balloons without a care.

My eyes widened as the people below us got drenched. They screamed and glanced upwards. Immediately, I was pulled down behind the wall by a laughing Se Hun. He grinned and carefully glanced below again. It seemed like the people had left fuming and soaking. As bad as I felt for those people, I couldn’t help but let out a small giggle. It was a little funny. Just a little.

“Your turn.” Se Hun nudged me and my eyes widened. Right, I have to go as well. I thought dreadfully. My hands shook as I held the water balloons in my arms. I hesitated for a moment, thinking of how much trouble I could get into.

You know what? What the hell! I gave up and threw down the entire bag of water balloons. I realized my mistake and ducked underneath the wall with Se Hun, who I could tell even behind the sunglasses his eyes were wide in astonishment.

A few shrieks and screams and angry growls were heard from below and we winced in fear. Se Hun shot me a knowing look and I nodded anxiously. We risked a look down and found several people drenched and splattered with burst water balloons. One of them caught sight of us and for a moment, we froze.

“HEY, THERE THEY ARE!” The man hollered and Se Hun dragged me to my feet, immediately running away. We rushed down the stairs and escaped out from the back but the man and a few other angry passer-byers managed to spot us escaping and quickly chased after us.

We ran out of the alley and into the nearly deserted streets. Se Hun cursed, “, why do the streets have to be so empty?!” We continued running, clearly aware that there were still a lot of people on our tail.

I spotted a park nearby and picked up the speed, dragging Se Hun with me. As soon as we mixed with the crowd, I threw off my sweater and the uncomfortable mask. Wrapping my sweater around my arm, I glanced behind me and found that there were still a group of people chasing us. How in the world did they find us?! I thought in panic.

“Come on!” “What?” Se Hun dragged me into a water fountain area where water sprayed up from the ground. I shrieked as I got drenched by the spurting water. Nevertheless, we continued running and running until we were far away from the people and the fountains. We stopped at an empty playground and fainted on the nearest bench.

We panted heavily. I was tired and drenched. That’s nice. I thought sardonically.

“Hey,” Se Hun nudged my arm. “You alright?”

I narrowed my eyes at him and growled. Immediately, he flinched at the scary glint in my eyes.

“Alright? Alright?!” I exclaimed incredulously, my voice ascending higher and higher. “I am not alright! I woke up at five a.m. to an annoying phone call. I exercised with old people only to be mistaken as a couple with you. I spent my money on water balloons and gallons of water. We just ran a hundred miles trying to escape from some angry people before they brought us to the police. I am tired. I am drenched. And you ask me if I’m alright?! Ugh!” I huffed indignantly and glared at him sharply.

Se Hun’s eyes weren’t meeting my face and I took that as an act of guilt. “Now, I have to walk home in broad daylight drenched and worn out. Thanks a lot, Oh Se Hun!” I threw my hands up in the air in frustration.

“Na Ri?”

“What?!” I snapped at him and he flinched, biting his lip. He pointed to my chest and I glanced down, gasping immediately.

Damn it! Why of all days did I have to wear white?! I groaned inwardly. I covered my chest with my arms and glanced down further only to realize that my entire white dress was soaked. That’s right. I was revealing the color of my undergarments to the entire world! I covered my face in embarrassment.

I felt a soft fabric being pulled over me and I opened my eyes only to realize I was wearing Se Hun’s shirt. I looked over at him stunned and he coughed, glancing away shyly. “I’ll just wear my sweater.” And he quickly pulled on his wet sweater. My eyes softened and instantly, I felt bad for yelling at him.

Darn you Oh Se Hun, why do you always make me feel so bad? I cursed internally. He chuckled in amusement. “Stop gaping at me. I’m just doing what a gentleman would do.” He blushed bright red. I giggled silently at his reaction.

I slowly stepped next to him and smiled warmly at him. “Thank you for being so considerate.” I thanked him gratefully and he nodded, averting his gaze away from me shyly. I shook my head, rolling my eyes at how flustered he was.

“You’re such a child.” I giggled, pecking his cheek lightly when he turned his head to disagree with my statement. He stood there stunned, staring at me like I had just grown two heads. I stepped away from him and calmly walked out of the playground.

Even though I didn’t seem very affected by my action –in fact, I don’t even know why I did that- I was about to explode on the inside. I didn’t think that that one little irrational action would set my heart on overdrive. I was about to go nuts because I couldn’t figure out why my heart was beating so erratically.

I guess I really need to see the doctor soon.

Throw water bombs from above at people – Complete! With a peck on the cheek?

V

It’s been a week since that day where we ran like mad men trying to escape the angry crowd. Oh Se Hun was out the next day and the day after that with a cold because of the wet sweater he wore. I visited him each day though to pass him his homework. He was back though before the end of the week and I felt better about that. I didn’t know why though.

“Ahem, sorry for the interruption but may I please have your attention?” My head shot up from my desk. I was done with my test and was about to take a nap when the announcement came in. It was our principal. Everyone stopped working and paid close attention to the announcement.

“It is that time of the year again to choose a new School President. As you already know, last year’s School President graduated and now it is time to pass the torch to someone else. This year, two second years out of the many who have applied have been chosen by the teachers. Second years Bang Yong Guk and Yang Mi Eun from class 2A have been chosen as the two candidates for presidency. Congratulations Yong Guk-ssi and Mi Eun-ssi! Please meet up with Mrs. Kim for more information on your next tasks.” Everyone turned to Yong Guk and Mi Eun, who stared at each other with wide eyes.

I let out a shocked silent laugh. We were still taking a test after all. Anyway, everyone knew that Yong Guk and Mi Eun were the high school sweetheart couple. Heck, the yearbook team was already ready to place their names under the ‘Most Likely to Get Married after Graduation’. They were the perfect couple. Smart, popular, nice, and attractive.

The bell rang and every student got out of their seats to hand in their tests. Some were congratulating the couple while others were throwing sympathetic looks at the couple. Everyone knew how competitive the both of them were. To be set up against each other for the position of School President is like asking a lion to fight a tiger.

Se Hun rose from his seat and stood next to mine with his backpack on his shoulder. I glanced at him, placing my bag on my shoulder as well. “Ready to go?” He raised a brow at me and I nodded. We both walked out of the classroom, leaving Yong Guk and Mi Eun behind to speak with Mrs. Kim.

“Hey,” Se Hun nudged my arm lightly and I turned to him curiously. “Who are you going to vote for?” He asked as we descended down the steps of the school. I shrugged. “Probably Yong Guk.” I answered back carelessly.

I had just walked out of the school gates when Se Hun pulled me back harshly. “Why?” I stared at him weirdly and lightly pushed his arm off of me. I continued walking while talking at the same time. “Because he’s a close family friend and I already said I’d help him if he got chosen for the elections.” I explained. It was true. Yong Guk and I were close because our families were close.

Se Hun scowled and he leaned his arm around me. I pouted in annoyance but made no move to remove his arm from me. After spending a few weeks with Se Hun, I had learned that this kid had a thing for skinship. I was a little uncomfortable at first but I didn’t care much about it anymore.

“Na Ri-ah!” I spun around at the deep voice that called my name. I grinned at Yong Guk, who waved enthusiastically at us with Mi Eun by his side, clutching on to his hand.

“Yong Guk-ah!” I called back and he stopped to catch his breath. Mi Eun panted and whacked his shoulder, glaring at him. “Seriously? You didn’t have to run.” She chided lightly but he merely ruffled her hair playfully and turned to me.

“Na Ri, you said you’d help me, right?” I nodded uncertainly. He grinned a smile full of gums. “Great, you’re on the team.” He showed me a thumb up and I stared at it in confusion.

“Geez, Gukkie, you need to elaborate a little.” Mi Eun rolled her eyes at him before turning to me with a friendly smile. “What he means is, Mrs. Kim said we needed a team behind us to help us campaign. So, Yong Guk is recruiting you into his team.” She explained to me and I nodded in understanding.

“Well, sure, I guess. I have time.” I agreed without a thought to it and Yong Guk smiled. “Thanks, Na Ri-ah. I knew you would accept.”

“And Se Hunnie,” Mi Eun turned to Se Hun with a warm smile. My eyebrows furrowed at how close they sounded. “If you have time, I also have a spot on my team.” She offered and I frowned disapprovingly.

“Maybe, Mi Eun, maybe.” Se Hun chuckled goodheartedly at her and my frown deepened.

“Well, we should get going. I need to get this troublemaker home before her stomach starts growling for food.” Yong Guk teasingly ruffled her hair and Mi Eun pouted deeply. “Hey, stop making me sound like a pig!” She protested and he laughed, pulling her closer and dragging her away.

“You’re my little pig.” He cooed and she groaned. “Ugh, you need to stop hanging with Him Chan! He’s passing his greasiness to you!”

I laughed at their behavior and turned to Se Hun, who was pouting at me. “What?” I questioned him incredulously.

“Nothing, other than the fact that you accepted to work for Yong Guk.” He huffed childishly and I rolled my eyes. “Seriously? That’s what you’re mad about? Yong Guk and I are just friends!” I argued and he rolled his eyes at me. “Sure.”

“Okay, then what about you and Mi Eun?” I countered and he turned to me with a weird look. “What about me and Mi Eun?”

I crossed my arms with a smug smirk. “Why are you so close to her? She has a boyfriend.”

He shot me an incredulous look. “I know she does. I’m close to her because we have worked on a project together before back when we were first years.” He explained and I averted my gaze from him arrogantly. “Sure.”

He scoffed. “You can’t be serious, right? I’m not that kind of person and besides, I already like someone.” He revealed. My ears perked up and I turned to him curiously. “Who?”

He smirked at me. “I’m not telling.” He sang and I scowled. “Oh, come on! Tell me!” I whined immaturely and he rolled his eyes, flicking my forehead. “No.”

“Why not?” I asked with a whine.

He grinned. “Because you’d disagree with me.”

My jaw dropped and I stepped in front of him, pointing at him accusingly. “Don’t tell me you like some girl who smokes and has tattoos everywhere?!” I gasped in shock.

“Wait, what?! No!” He quickly denied and pushed my finger away from his face. He dragged me back to the spot beside him and I stared at him confused.

“Then, why would I disagree with you?” I cocked my head at him perplexed.

He chuckled at me and shook his head. “You would.” He answered back simply.

“Does she go to our school?”

“Yes.”

“Is she in our grade?”

“Yup.”

“Does she know you?”

“I’d be offended if she doesn’t.”

“Does she like you back?”

“I hope so.”

“Is she nice?”

“Um…she can get a little violent at times especially in the mornings.”

“Is she pretty?”

“The prettiest girl in the world to me.”

“Does she have a pretty smile?”

“The best.”

“Is she popular?”

“I don’t know. Maybe.”

“Have you talked to her before?”

“Oh, yeah, many times.”

“Do have her number?”

“Yes.”

“Do you know where she lives?”

“Um, not yet.”

“Do you plan on asking her out?”

“I guess.”

“Are you going to tell me her name or at least her initials?”

“Nope.”

I groaned in irritation, realizing this was getting nowhere. He grinned back at me cheekily. “I swear, if you’re making her up-”

“She’s seems pretty real to me.” He shrugged with a smooth smile and I glowered at him. “What does that even mean?!”

He laughed at me and ruffled my hair. “I don’t know.” I sighed, glancing ahead and noticing that we already reached my house.

“Well, fine, don’t tell me who she is. I don’t care.” I huffed at him and he shook his head as we stopped outside my gate.

“You’re voting for Yong Guk right?” He asked and I nodded. “Okay then, I’m voting for Mi Eun.” He declared and I glared at him, still miffed that he won’t tell me a thing about who he likes. “Whatever.” I unlocked my gate and walked inside.

I locked my gate and walked to my front door when I turned to Se Hun once again after hearing him call my name. “What?” I raised a curious brow at him and he shot me a charming grin.

“Now, I know where she lives.”

Status: Currently exploding due to confusing feels

Vote for the elections – Complete! With confusion?