"You didn't ask him, huh? I knew it. Are you going to tell me that you forgot?"   With his house phone receiver held by his ear, Chanyeol listened to Jieun's accusations wordlessly, though not a bit of it was true. He wasn't one to simply forget something or not keep the promises he made. It was just that he had no idea what to tell her.   He recalled his cousin Junmyeon's response accompanied by a skeptical scoff: "Jieun? Isn't that your baby friend? Why would I go on a date with her? Totally not my type."   Jieun really liked Junmyeon. That, he knew. Her feelings for him began as a small childhood crush, but she never got over it. Now, the mere mention of his name was more than enough to get her bursting up from her bed at three in the morning. So how was Chanyeol supposed to relay the message of cold cut rejection to her?   He chose to lie. A white lie wasn't going to hurt anyone, he assumed. "Junmyeon said yes. He'll meet you up at my place today for dinner. Get dressed nicely, okay? Don't end up here with your school uniform on, like you always do."   After having thought it through all of last night, he was confident that his plan was perfect, and that it would work out smoothly. He'd taken Junmyeon's bike keys earlier—if the elder wanted the keys, he would be forced to come pick it up. Chanyeol would then beg, bribe, threaten, or use any possible method possible to make the other stay, at least for a couple of hours.   As he'd hoped, Jieun was ecstatic. He was sure that he had never heard her squeal so loud before. "Oh my god! Chanyeol! You're the bestest friend ever, you know that?! I have no idea what to wear-- Mom! Can we go shopping? Quick!" Without even saying goodbye, the call was dropped to an end, leaving Chanyeol chuckling and possibly deaf.   Once the whole date ruckus was through, Chanyeol hoped that Jieun would see what kind of a person Junmyeon was--in the nicest term possible, a jerk. He hung out with the wrong crowd and liked making those cliché "bad" decisions. Jieun would be much better off with her fantasies, whatever they were, about him completely shattered.   But as for now, all that was left to do was waiting.   ---   Jieun was the first to show up at Chanyeol's doorstep--though he barely recognized her in the first place. When he opened his front door greet her, he saw a girl—maybe more of a lady. There were traces of make-up on her face. She had on a pretty silk white blouse and a skirt, along with new shoes and a set of earrings Chanyeol had never seen before. It was as if Lee Jieun became an entirely new being.   He couldn't even manage to hide his shock. "Woah. What happened to you?"   Scowling, she replied, "They say a woman's changes are innocent. So don't even think of making fun of me." Jieun then did a little in what seemed to be a new pair of clothes. "What do you think? Dazzling enough? Or is it burdening?"   Chanyeol nodded. "Yeah, kind of..." His voice trailed off as his eyes scanned her figure from top to bottom and back up again. "The skirt length seems a bit short. And your blouse is a bit too—"   "Oh, shut up." Jieun let out a sigh as she kept back the urge to roll her eyes at him. "You know, Chanyeol, when a girl asks you a question like this, she’s silently hoping you’d tell her the answer she wants to hear, not what you really think. Gosh. How are you a fifteen year old guy? You sound like a total geezer with the nagging." With a cluck of her tongue, she then invited herself in and made herself feel at home. Chanyeol's place was practically her very own; she'd visited more than hundreds of times over the course of the last ten or so years of her life. Throwing herself on his couch, she asked, "So, do you know when Junmyeon oppa is coming?"   Lightly kicking the door to a close behind him, Chanyeol shook his head. "No. He kind of shows up whenever he wants to—" When he heard a voice outside the door, however, he paused. "Speak of the tiger," he muttered, opening the door again.   Junmyeon stood in front of the other, a look of distaste apparent on his face. He spread out his palm and cocked his head, silently demanding for his bike keys.   "Hyung, can we talk for a sec?" Chanyeol asked in a hurried, hushed tone. Glancing back at Jieun, he begged, "I know you said no, but please please please. Do me a favor. Just this time. I've never asked anything from you before. Please?"   Junmyeon sighed. As if he was talking to a mentally handicapped child, he said slowly, "Look, Chanyeol. I'm not interested in—"   Thankfully, when Jieun came up to them to see what was going on, the elder didn't continue his words. "Hi oppa-" The shy tone of her voice and reddened cheeks almost made Chanyeol snort, but Jieun was too preoccupied in staring at Junmyeon's face that she didn't notice. "Long time no see?"   "Uh…" Junmyeon blinked. By the turn of the situation, it was obvious that this girl was Jieun. Jieun was Chanyeol's "baby" friend--but she didn't look too bad at all. In fact, she was pretty cute. "Jieun. Right?"   The fact that he had called her by her name sent bursts of joy to every corner of her mind. Reminding herself not to be embarrassing, however, she tried not to let her emotions show too much. She nodded quickly, a smile spreading across her face. "I'm sorry for bothering you and all…"   As if he'd never even thought of rejecting her, Junmyeon's attitude changed 180 degrees. "No, no. What do you mean, bother? I'd be honored to be able to spend some time with you." He then walked past Chanyeol, pushing him aside as he approached Jieun. "Is there anything you had in mind for doing with me today?"   But as Junmyeon walked past him, Chanyeol had managed to catch something strange. It was the smell of alcohol. In surprise, he found himself reaching out for his cousin, grabbing his arms and pulling him.   "Did you drink?!" he asked sharply, his voice a bit too loud to keep it quiet enough for Jieun. "You... You stench of alcohol, hyung!"   From the corner of his eyes, Junmyeon noticed that Jieun's expression had turned into that of concern, maybe even worry. He cursed his idiot of a cousin under his breath before shaking his head, acting innocent. "No, kid. I didn't. Some of my friends earlier did, and when I went over, they spilled some on my clothes. It dried, but I guess the smell's still there."
"But—"   "Oh, come on. Do I sound drunk to you? Or look like it? There's no reason why you should be so accusatory of me, little brother." He flashed Jieun a nice smile. "Don't worry, cutie. If this bothers you, I'll get changed."   Chanyeol frowned. He was right. Junmyeon didn't particularly seem drunk; he walked and talked fine, not to mention his skin still as white as ever. "Okay… Sorry, hyung."   "It’s okay, I guess.” The older cousin sighed. “I guess that’s all you see me as, a delinquent. Is that what you’ve been telling Jieun about me, too?”   Feeling a wave of guilt wash over him, Chanyeol bit down on his lips, lowering his head. “No, that’s not it. I wouldn’t think that about you that way, I swear! I’m sorry.”   It took effort for Junmyeon not to smirk or let out a snort. I got you, he thought. The younger had always been easy to get a control of, for as long as he could even remember. Without ever having to raise his voice or make things physical, Chanyeol had always given in to his ways and demands. “It’s fine, man,” he told the other, along with a pat on the shoulder. “No harm done. But if you feel that bad, do me a favor, ey?”   At t