Jihee's Pov

 

You watched jealously as Jongdae chatted with his girlfriend, Kim Taerin.

They've been dating for a while, and Jongdae's liked her ever since you started to like him. 

Sighing, you shook your head, pressed the books you were clutching tightly on your chest, turned around, and walked away.

Every time you saw them together, your heart hurt, and all you just did was shut your eyes tight and walk away; it's all you've ever been able to do.

You bit your lip as you stopped at an empty hallway, leaning on the wall dully. 

Jongdae was your best friend, and you were completely convinced that you were stuck in the friendzone. 

All he could ever talk about was Taerin this, Taerin that. 

You tried not to show your annoyance, but it was tough work.

When you heard that they got together, you practically choked as you wished them congrats and a good relationship together.

Taking a deep breath, you blinked, regained yourself, and quickly walked out, only to almost bump into Jongdae's little sister, Songdae. 

She was startled at first, but gave the same cheeky smile that resembled Jongdae's, and greeted cheerily, "Annyeong unni."

"Annyeong," You bowed slightly. "What are you doing here?" 

Songdae smiled softly, and replied, "Ah, nothing. Have you seen oppa? I need to give him something."

You slightly hesitated before replying, "Molla." 

Songdae gave you a sympathetic smile and a warm pat on your shoulder.

"It's okay Jihee unni," she said reassuringly. "He'll like you."

"Only as a friend, though," You laughed bitterly, making her frown. 

"Don't be so negative," she pursed her lips. "Anyways, I've got to find my oppa. Smile unni!" 

She smiled widely once more, before turning and slowly walked around the building, looking for her brother.

You sighed and nodded once more. 

Songdae was right. 

You should be happier for Jongdae, since he's happy. 

Taking a deep breath, you walked out into the hallway and made it to your first class of the day, which was physical education. 

This was the only class you didn't have with Jongdae, and you were relieved.

At least you didn't have to spend the morning with him immediately talking about how great dating Taerin is. 

You weren't sure what was better however; spending an hour running laps and doing strenous exercises, or sitting down comfortably, listening to your best friend and crush babble on and on about the same topic.

Sighing while you ran a mile, you were relieved as it was the last day of school. 

You had to do semester exams, and to pass P.E., you had to run a mile in twelve minutes and write a stupid essay about your favorite sport.

When it was nearly the end of class, you held your breathe as you knew that with every opportunity to talk, Jongdae would talk about how great Taerin was.

That wasn't the case, however, as you walked into your math class. 

Jongdae sat in the seat behind yours, sulking sadly.

To your surprise, Taerin was beside him like usual.

"Hey, what's wrong? Did Taerin not give you a goodbye-I-won't-be-seeing-you-for-an-hour kiss?" you teased mercilessly, just because you were feeling particularly evil today.

Jongdae glared at you before sharply responding, "No. Taerin told me she's moving overseas, and that there's no way we can keep a long distance relationship, so we had to break up."

Your eyes widened slightly before you softly replied, "Oh, that's terrible. Are you okay?" 

"Of course not!" he snapped, making you jolt in alarm.

You wanted to lash out at him, but thought better of that, and just sighed. 

"Well, I guess you want to be alone right now. I'll just leave you be." You muttered, before quickly getting out of your seat to get a quick drink, so that Jongdae couldn't reply.

When you got back, you narrowly escaped being tardy, as you were in front of your teacher, and although you tried looking cool while you walked, you were secretly battling to stay in front of him, so that he couldn't have the pleasure of marking you tardy.

Once you got into your seat, exams had already started, and Jongdae couldn't say anything to you.

Not that you were sulking about it.

At times like these, you've always wanted the upper hand.

You admit, you were competitive, even towards your closest friends.

Things like these didn't make you sad; in fact, they made you the opposite.

It was as if you were challenged, and you took up this challenge agreeingly.

There weren't many things that could stop you. 

Softly smiling, you just shook your head slightly, and continued on finishing your math test.

 

Finally, the day was over, and you stood up quickly, the first one out the door. 

Jongdae frowned as he saw you leave. 

He had wanted to talk to you, to find comfort in you, but he knew that you were giving him some space to get rid of his broken heart.

Sighing, he slowly walked out, not concentrated on anything, and he accidentally bumped into someone. 

Looking up from the ground, he noticed that it was his little sister, Songdae. 

"Song-ah," he mumbled quietly. 

"Annyeong oppa," she flashed one of her bright smiles.

"Annyeong," he answered dully. 

His little sister must've caught onto his mood because she cocked her head to the side, and asked, "What's wrong oppa? Did Taerin unni not give you one of her 'you're-the-only-oppa-in-my-heart' eyesmiles?" 

Jongdae rolled his eyes as he caught onto her teasing tone. 

He just ruffled her curled hair, which was normally straight, but she had it done for the day, and softly smiled.

"Ani," he answered. "She broke up with me."

Songdae, who was teasing a second ago, blinked and looked at him, surprised. 

"So quickly?" she asked in wonder. 

"Yah," Jongdae quickly punched her arm playfully, and she pouted as she rubbed the spot where he hit. "It was a long while, okay."

"Arasseo, arasseo, whatever you say," Songdae mumbled dismissively. "But why, oppa?" 

Jongdae looked at his little sister tenderly, before replying, "Because she's moving and she doesn't really want a long distance relationship."

Songdae pouted more, and replied, "I don't want to call the girl you like an idiot, but anyone who doesn't want to be in a relationship with my oppa is an idiot."

He laughed. 

"Arasseo, whatever you say. And thanks." Jongdae smiled. 

"Anything for oppa," Songdae grinned, then nervously said, "So what about Jihee unni?"

Jongdae looked at her, confused.

"Hn, it's nothing then," Songdae replied dismissively.

"Ah, arasseo," Jongdae answered, although not completely convinced that she was telling the truth.

He just shrugged it off, knowing how stubborn his sister was; she was practically just a girl version of him.

Except that she's not really a troll.

"Hey, since class is over, let's walk home together~" Songdae suggested. 

He raised a brow. 

"Don't we always walk home together?" he asked. 

"You don't want to walk home with me?" she pursed her lips, making an effective puppy dog face. 

"Arasseo, arasseo," Jongdae rolled his eyes and pat the top of her head. "Let's go."

 

It's been a week since school ended, and Jongdae was still upset over Taerin breaking up with him.

He was in the practice room with his fellow S.M. trainees, and they gazed at him helplessly.

Luhan opened his mouth, but closed it again, as he struggled with what to say. 

They just watched him inquisitively as he sat down and sighed, his eyes staring into nowhere.

"Um... Jong..." Minseok was the first one to break the silence.

"Yeah?" Jongdae sighed. 

Xiumin stared at him with pity. 

"Nevermind then," he answered quickly, and turned away. 

"He's still upset?" Yixing whispered, and Xiumin nodded. 

"Poor him." Yifan mumbled, frowning.

Jongdae sighed once more, and meanwhile, Songdae was sitting outside of the practice room area, and while she wasn't sitting, she was pacing around, with her arms crossed. 

"Eottoke?" she mumbled softly. "Oppa is sulking still, and Jihee unni still likes him. Eottoke?" 

Sighing, Songdae paced around some more and took another glance at her brother's direction. 

He was probably just sighing sadly and sitting there, staring into space.

"Yah, that's it!" Songdae pouted and put her hands to her side firmly, balling them into fists. "I'm not taking it anymore! I'm telling oppa!"

Songdae was pretty tired of her oppa looking sad and dishevled, and plus, her unni was sad and dishevled, making everything just sad and dishevled. 

She sighed loudly, and shook her head, but fixed her hair, before striding to the practice room.

 

It's been a week since school ended, and also a week since you've last talked to Jongdae.

Your parents were busy on a business trip, so you were home alone. 

Since you were hungry, but unmotivated, you just decided to cook ramyeon. 

You sighed as the only ramyeon to be found was a spicy one -- not that you didn't like spicy ramyeon. 

After preparing to cook it, you started to boil the water, and once it was hot enough, you carefully dumped in the dried noodles. 

It wasn't long before it soaked completely, and was half soft and half al dente, so you just shrugged and grabbed the spicy flavoring packet.

Because you were clumsy and absent minded, you accidentally slipped and all of the powder went in the water. 

You cursed under your breathe, and stood there, watching it, and deciding whether or not you should do anything about it. 

In the end, you just didn't bother to take the powder out, not because it was already mixed into the water, but just because it was 11 at night, and you were too lazy to do anything. 

Even cooking ramyeon took a lot of effort.

You sat down quietly as you waited for the ramyeon to finish cooking. 

 

Songdae stepped into the practice room angrily, and her brother, who was sulking, slowly looked up at her with dull eyes. 

"Yeah?" he asked, quietly.

The other members greeted hello, but Songdae was too busy being annoyed to reply. 

"Come with me," she hissed, as she grabbed her brother's ear and literally dragged him outside, leaving the members bewildered. 

"O-ow, ouch! Yah, Song-ah, what are you doing?" he groaned, as she let go of him. 

He rubbed his throbbing ear gently, wincing.

"You're the biggest pabo I've ever met, oppa!" she screeched, balling her hands into fists. 

"Bwoh? Waeyo?" Jongdae asked, confused. 

Songdae glared at him and sighed loudly. 

Jongdae took this as a signal to not say anything more, and just kept quiet.

"You know, you're sulking because you had to dump Taerin because she's moving, but Jihee unni's sulking too!" She snarled, poking her finger into his chest. 

"Y-yah..." Jongdae grabbed her finger before she could poke it into somewhere dangerous, like his nose. "What are you talking about?" 

"Oh, that's right," Songdae rolled her eyes, phrasing her sentence to suggest that he was the stupidest person in the world. "You don't know."

"Don't know what?" Jongdae was really confused, and if it didn't show on his face, then it was practically a lost cause.

"Jihee likes you, you pabo!" Songdae burst out, leaving her oppa both surprised and startled, that he jumped. 

Once he recovered from the scare, he blinked, registering what his little sister had said. 

"So..." Jongdae said slowly. "My best friend likes me?" 

"Yeah. That's pretty much what I've been saying." Songdae frowned.

"And... she still likes me?" 

"Yeah." 

"Then what am I doing here?!" Jongdae gaped, and immediately dashed the opposite way.

Songdae just stood there, smiling and laughed a little, before turning to meet Minseok, who poked his head out, right when her oppa had run off. 

"What happened?" the adorable, chubby cheeked member asked, his eyes focused on Songdae. 

She shrugged playfully with a smile, and replied, "Molla."

Meanwhile, Jongdae was busy dashing off.

He panted, but he knew he couldn't stop. 

He knew he had to see you. 

You sat at home, slurping the noodles like a man. 

Hey, you were home alone. 

Who was going to tell you what to do?

The spiciness of the ramyeon had caught you off guard and you were experiencing hot tears roll down your cheeks.

But since you were hungry and lazy, you didn't bother to throw the ramyeon away. 

Unexpectedly, the doorbell rang, and you hesitated to get the door because it was pretty late at night and you weren't sure who'd be sane enough to come to you at 11 p.m.

After hearing the continuous ring, you finally stood up, irritated at the person behind the door for bothering you at such a late time. 

Peeking through the peephole, you were surprised to see who had paid you a visit, at such a dark hour. 

Wiping up your tears, you opened the door to see a panting Jongdae. 

"What are you doing here?" you asked, confused. 

He looked at you, and gasped as he saw your face. 

"You cried...?" he asked solemnly.

"Um... what?" You furrowed your brows. 

"Mianhae, mianhae, mianhae," he hugged you and said that over and over and you were just about ready to hit him because you had no idea what he was talking about. 

"Um...?"

Finally, he let go of you, and you blinked at him. 

"Jongdae?" 

"Oh, yeah, um, I heard from Song-ah that you liked me..." He rubbed the nape of his neck awkwardly. "I'm sorry for making you cry."

It took a second for you to process this, and you burst out laughing. 

"Kim Jongdae, I swear, you are a huge pabo." You grinned. 

"What?" He looked at you, concerned. 

"I wasn't crying because of you," you teased playfully, sticking your tongue out. "My ramyeon was just too spicy."

Jongdae pouted. 

"You're lying!" he accused. 

"Ah! Anieyo! What are you talking about?" You pouted. "You wanna see?!" 

"Yeah!" he argued back. 

"Fine," you pouted, and let him in, shutting the door as he walked in. 

"Who's the pabo now?" Jongdae asked, turning to meet your gaze and you looked at him confused. 

"Bwoh?" 

"Hah, I tricked you to get in~" he teased.

You blushed madly as you realized how much of an idiot you were and wanted to slap yourself hard. 

"Well you're my best friend." You countered smoothly. "Why wouldn't I let you in?" 

"Because you like me~" he mocked you in a singsongy voice.

"Y-yah, shut up!" you mumbled, hitting his arm, making him laugh. 

Suddenly it grew silent between you two, and you stood there awkwardly, wondering what you should say. 

Jongdae was the one who broke the silence between you guys. 

"Jihee..." he said slowly. 

"Ne?" 

"I like you." He said softly. 

Your eyes shot wide open, and you stared at him in disbelief. 

"Bw-bwoh?" 

"I like you," Jongdae said quietly and slowly, sounding out each word. 

It's only been a week since Taerin left, so you were doubtful of this. 

"You're only saying that to make me feel better," you accused bitterly.

Jongdae frowned. 

"Why would I do that? I'm your best friend." He retorted.

You scoffed. 

"That's why. Friends are supposed to make friends feel better." You frowned deeply. 

Jongdae narrowed his eyes at you. 

"That's what friends do, but I'm your best friend," he said as if it made any difference.

"So?" 

"So I have to be honest with you no matter how painful it is." He answered boldly. 

You stood there, still in slight disbelief. 

You weren't sure if he was telling the truth or not because he really likes Taerin, and when people really like things, when it's gone, their world turns around and crashes into pieces, like eggs.

"How can I even trust you?" You pursed your lips, and crossed your arms. 

Jongdae looked at you, exasperated, but then he smirked evilly, and grabbed you by the shoulders, kissing you.

It wasn't a passionate kiss, nor was it was bad kiss... it was just a Kim Jongdae kiss.

You were in too much shock, and because you were in shock, your body didn't listen to you, and when you told it to close your eyes, it just made them shoot wider. 

So basically, you stood there with huge owl eyes, being kissed by Kim Jongdae. 

Not just anyone, but Kim Jongdae. 

You weren't sure if this was just a dream and that when you woke up, he and Taerin would still be lovey dovey, or if this was real life and it was telling you something.

But then he pulled away and judging by the way he looked at you, this was no dream and was absolutely real life. 

"I like you," Jongdae repeated again, and you felt your eyes water up, not because of the ramyeon, but because Jongdae was absolutely a jerk for making you so happy that you'd cry. 

"Y-yah, p-pabo," you stuttered, as you tried not to let the tears flow down your cheeks.

Instead, you decided to look down at the ground which seemed so interesting at the moment, and hit his arm with your fist playfully.

He laughed, and just hugged you, his arms resting comfortably on your lower back area, just right above your bottom.

"The ramyeon's still making you cry?" he teased.

"Troll," you pouted, looking up at him with glossy eyes.

He just chuckled, and raised one hand to wipe your tears away.

"I like you," Jongdae said, for the billionth time.

"I know that," you teased.

You certainly wasn't going to give him the satisfaction juuust yet.

"Don't you like me?" he frowned playfully, making him look like a puppy.

"Sure I do," you laughed.

"Why don't you say it?" Jongdae cooed.

"You say it first." You teased some more.

Jongdae frowned, but said it again.

"I like you, Han Jihee." He said loudly and clearly. "Do you like me, Han Jihee?"

You laughed, and smiled as you answered him.

"Yeah. I like you, Kim Jongdae."