-- Geum Min

It's been a few days. There's no school today and I decided to spend time with Min Woo. It's been a while since it's just been the two of us. We didn't do much today - it was a simple trip to hang out with each other, and we did various things like going to the playground, walking to the mall to eat a simple lunch, popping into Starship for an errand, and now we're sauntering along the streets at random. The late evening sun shines down on us as we do so, slowly warming our backs.

He looks excited as he drags me into all the sweet shops along the street. I love those little rainbow-coloured lollipops that they sell at really cheap prices - I think Min Woo knows me too well, because he bought me three of them already. I'm on one, having stored the other two in my bag for later. Right now, we're looking for treats for the rest of the family.

"Maybe we should buy a pack of sweets for Skye, since she's in hospital," he suggests, picking up a green-striped candycane.

"Good idea!" I grin, tugging him over to the chocolates. "I know she loves chocolates!"

He grabs a basket, and I put the sweets we've collected so far into it - gummies for the two boys, coloured lollipops for Hyunsun and Yoo Min, as well as a sour roll for my brother Jeong Min. Min Woo has his packet of cotton candy in his bag. Looking around, I spy a bar of chocolate, which I pick up and put into the basket. 

"That's not enough for more than a day," Min Woo chides, picking up a big packet of M&Ms and slipping it in as well. 

I put the basket down and look around thoughtfully. "Why don't we just get a whole bunch of different sweets and have a sweet party at the hospital?"

"We can bring board games and cards and stuff too!" 

So saying, Min Woo makes a dash for the gummies and dumps an armful of them into the basket. 

"Careful, don't go overboard with that," I giggle, taking a handful of the packets and replacing them with lollipops. "We need variety!"

A few minutes later and the cashier eyes us skeptically. "You are giving yourselves diabetes," she says reproachfully.

"It's not all for us both," I reply innocently, my eyes widening. "We're sharing them with friends and family!"

Tsking, she rings up our purchases and we walk out of the shop. A blast of biting autumn wind hits me in the face, and I shiver involuntarily. It's getting colder, and that just reminds me that winter is around the corner. I wonder how much snow we'll get this year. Uncomfortable, I shift my weight around on my feet as I wait for Min Woo to follow me out of the shop.

"Are you feeling cold?" he asks, as soon as he joins me on the sidewalk.

Hesitantly, I nod, wishing I had brought a hoodie or a cap with me. "Let's go home now, shall we?"

Min Woo glances up at the darkening sky and agrees, grabbing my free hand with his own. We're loaded down with sweets. Slowly, we begin to stroll back, swinging our linked hands back and forth like children do. We begin chatting like we normally do - about everything under the sun. Eventually, the topic swings back to Jin Ae, and how she was blackmailing Skye.

He's shocked. "Jin Ae blackmailed Skye? That's low, even for her."

"Well Yoo Min and Kwang Min found out about it, and we've dealt with Jin Ae so that she doesn't have anything left to hold over Skye's head. So now Skye's free to keep her friendship with us without damaging our careers!" I tell him, and he grins.

"That's good!"

I frown as I remember something Jin Ae said. "She claims she met Skye... before. I don't believe her, though."

"She's Jin Ae, and she's lied to you countless times already. I don't think you should think too much about it. I'm sure she didn't know Skye until she saw her at your house."

"I'm just so frustrated that she would try to do that to get closer to our fame! I mean, Skye hasn't done anything to her, and neither have we! I just want to be friends with her, why can't Jin Ae let that happen? And we gave her a place in our home - can't she be a little grateful for that? Why try and take one of my friends away from me?"

Min Woo sighs, and I know this is probably the millionth time he's heard me rant about Jin Ae like this. But I can't help it - the more time that passes, the more my dislike for her grows. 

"Listen," I turn and face him, troubled. "I know I've ranted to you a lot, and I'm sorry. I don't mean to load all my troubles on you."

Min Woo stops then, twisting to look me straight in the eyes. They look different than usual, but although I've known him forever, I can't tell what he's thinking at that moment, nor can I understand the foreign emotion in his eyes. It baffles me, but no matter how hard I try, I can't place the look in his eyes. It's piercing and hard, as if he's trying to tell me something, but soft at the same time, and deep, as if at any time I could get lost in his eyes...

"You know I don't mind. I'd rather you tell somebody so you can get it off your chest," he tells me, finally dropping his gaze. 

The moment is gone. He turns back and begins walking, and I take off after him, releasing the breath I never knew I was holding.

What just happened?

Yoo Min just laughs when I tell her about it.

"Oh, Jo Geum Min, can't you see it?"

I cross my arms and pout, frustrated at my sister. "What can't I see?!"

That just sends her into another fit of laughter, and I pound the bed with clenched fists, aggravated by her behaviour. Why haven't they invented a mind-reading machine yet? I could use it on my annoying sister and read the thoughts off the top of her head so that she doesn't have a chance to torture me like this. 

Or, better yet - I could use it on Min Woo to see what's gotten into him.

"Oh my goodness, you're so dense! I can't believe you can't see it!"

"See what?!"

"If you don't know, I'm not going to be the one to tell you!" she cackles. "Go figure it out yourself!"

Grumbling, I bury my face in my pillow. Min Woo's fiery gaze has imprinted itself onto the inside of my lids, and whenever I close my eyes, that image is the first thing I see. It's there to bug me at every instant that my mind is not occupied. And what he said... It was like there was an added meaning to his words - that was buried in his tone - which I completely missed. Min Woo has been acting weird around me lately, and for the life of me I can't figure out why that's so. But some gut instinct tells me that after today's incident, things are going to change between us.

Change. 

What a weird thing to think of. After years and years of friendship, it's hard to think that something could go wrong between us - but what else is there to explain Min Woo's behaviour of late? Obviously he's angry with me over something. He wouldn't be acting this way if he weren't. But the problem is,  I don't know what his problem with me is!

Oh, Min Woo.

I'm pulled from my circuitous line of thought by the opening of the door. Lifting my head, I see Young Min pop in to let us know that dinner is ready. Sighing, I pick myself up off the bed and lope downstairs. 

Yoo Min stops me before I'm out the door of my room. "Don't worry too much about Min Woo," she says, reading my mind. "He'll come around."

"But when?" I ask.

She smiles reassuringly at me. "Give him time."

Biting my retort back, I nod at her and meekly follow her down the stairs, my mind still stuck on his meaningful look. 

Downstairs, Jin Ae surveys me with an obvious smirk. An unusual spark in her eyes makes me wary - she's planning something. Immediately, I think of Skye and her injury. Is Jin Ae not satisfied with hurting her that much already? Does she want to do more than that? Meeting her gaze for gaze, I harden my expression, giving her a silent warning.

If she dares to do anything, she'll have me to contend with.

Nobody messes with my friends, and my life, and gets away with it.

Jin Ae turns to the table and slots herself into her seat, waiting for the rest of us to fill in the other empty places so we can eat dinner. Her eyes then wander back to me, the same steely glint evident in them as before. Suddenly I feel drained. As if today hasn't been stressful enough, I now have to deal with Jin Ae's latest plot...

Today hasn't been one of my best days.

A/n: Okay, this chapter is shorter than my usual, and it's a boring filler chapter. I'm sooo sorry. But I promise the next chapter will be heaps more interesting. Sorry for the irregular updates D: 

Dedicated to my 2/3. HWAITING. <3