The bus they sat on was fairly empty apart from a few elderly people minding their own business. She noticed the bus entering into the suburb areas of Seoul, and she hasn’t been here before. However, for some reason, she felt safe. She didn't know where they were going, but she didn't ask either.

After passing rows of green fields and crops, she felt Sehun shifting in his seat. Turning to him, he nodded his head to the door, signaling it was time to get down. Following his footsteps, they got off the bus and arrived at a deserted bus stop near a few old houses.

Without any words exchanged, Sehun walked towards a white house decorated with miniature flowers in the garden outside. Halting in his steps in front of the house, he rang the doorbell and waited for an answer patiently, while Jihyun stood beside him.

A few minutes later, an old lady walked out of the house slowly, and when her eyes saw Sehun, Jihyun could see the sparkle in her eyes as her face lit up.

“You’re here.” She stated happily and Sehun gave a smile, “Grandma.” He acknowledged and she patted his head. She turned to Jihyun and let out a warm smile, “And you are?”

“Jihyun, Kim Jihyun.” She said respectfully and bowed. “Nice to meet you, Jihyun. Would you like some tea?” She asked caringly and she turned to Sehun, while he shrugged, “Sure.”

Entering the house, Jihyun scanned the surroundings and everything looked antique. The design was fairly simple as its walls were white, and the furniture was mostly made of wood. The table laid a few photo frames, and Jihyun could vaguely recognize Sehun in most of them.

“Grandma, I’m going to change.” He stated and she nodded, “I have some of your old clothes in your room.”

“Make yourself at home.” Sehun said towards Jihyun while she nodded her head slightly and sat down on the sofa gingerly. Unaware of what to do, she sat rigidly in her seat while Sehun’s grandmother went to the kitchen to get tea.

“Have some tea.” She motioned towards Jihyun and smiled. “Are you a friend of Sehun?” She asked and Jihyun let out an awkward smile. She didn’t know whether she was friends with him, was she even friends? Were they just acquaintances? Or was she his girlfriend?

“He never really came here with anyone before.” She said as she took a sip of her tea.

What?

“Hasn’t any of his friends come here with him?” Jihyun asked and she shook her head. “Not that I know of. He’s always here alone, said here’s his thinking spot and he doesn’t want anyone to disturb him. I was surprised to see him with someone this time.” She let out a chuckle and Jihyun gave a small smile.

Why did he bring her here then?

Just then, Sehun came down from the stairs in a fresh pair of clothes, decked in black jeans and a white shirt. Motioning to Jihyun, he walked towards the front door and she followed.

“Stay for dinner tonight?” She asked the two of them as she brought them to the door. Glancing at his watch, it was 3pm and dinner wasn’t till 6pm, “If she’s fine with it.” He shrugged and looked over to Jihyun, who didn’t voice her opinions.

“Fine with me.” She shrugged and Sehun’s grandmother smiled in delight, “I’ll cook some simple dishes. You two can run along now and come back around 6.”

With that, the two headed out of the door with Sehun leading the way. They walked in silence for a couple of minutes more before arriving at a small field of flowers overlooking mountains and rivers. Jihyun couldn’t help but admire the view beneath her, and let out a satisfied sigh when she felt the wind blowing through her hair.

Taking a glance at Sehun, she realized he was looking right at her, and she quickly whipped her head back to the front when their eyes met and she swore she saw him smirk before she turned.

“Your grandmother said you never brought anyone here before.” She commented suddenly and he remained silent.

Why had he brought her here? Even he didn’t know why. This was his thinking spot, a place even the boys didn’t know of. Whenever he felt troubled or frustrated, he would take a bus to his grandmother’s house without telling anyone, and if they asked, he would just say he was doing his thinking at someplace they didn’t need to know.

So why had he brought her here this time?

“I just thought some company today would be good. You just happened to be beside me.” He shrugged and Jihyun frowned, “Can’t you say something nice for once?”

“That wouldn’t be like the Oh Sehun you knew, would it?” He rebuked and Jihyun rolled her eyes, “I’m giving in today because you brought me to such a beautiful place.”

He liked the fact she didn’t bombard him with questions even though his actions were so surprising and sudden. Despite her curiosity, she respected him, and she gave him the space he needed, which made her different and unique from other people who did nothing but constantly suffocate him with questions and reasons.

Appreciating the silence, Sehun immersed himself in his thoughts. He didn’t mean to pull Jihyun into the whole situation, he was just shocked from Minjung’s appearance and wanted to show him he was doing well without her, so he pulled Jihyun into the picture by saying she was his girlfriend.

She surprisingly took it well, and he was glad she didn’t reject him downright on the spot and played along, which was something he didn’t expect at all.

“Thanks.” He muttered softly but Jihyun still caught it. “Anytime.” She smiled, feeling like the gap between her and Sehun had lessened a bit.

--

Heading back to Sehun’s grandmother house which was a few minutes away, Jihyun could smell the aroma of food from the gates and her stomach growled in anticipation. Entering the house, she quickly helped Sehun’s grandmother set the table and settled down in the seat opposite Sehun while his grandmother took the seat beside him.

“It’s not a lavish fare of food, but I hope you like it.” She said and Jihyun smiled in appreciation, “It’s more than enough, I’ll enjoy the meal!” She said happily and tucked in. Jajangmyeon and Kimchi soup had never tasted so good for Jihyun, and she comfortably took a second serving, which Sehun’s grandmother happily obliged seeing as how the young girl loved her cooking.

“Thank you for the meal!” She said in satisfaction as she cleared the last sip of her kimchi soup, while Sehun’s grandmother let out a toothy grin. “You can come back here if you want another meal.” She said caringly and Jihyun smiled, “Sure, I’ll eat even more in future!”

“Greedy pig.” Sehun teased which made Jihyun frowned, “Yah!” she said with a hint of annoyance which made Sehun let out a chuckle as her reactions amused him.

Offering to wash the dishes, Jihyun brought the cutleries to the kitchen with Sehun following her at the back, helping out as well. The two stood by the basin and Sehun washed the dishes while Jihyun cleaned them.

“Your grandmother’s really nice.” Jihyun said. “Of course, she’s my grandmother.” He said proudly and Jihyun chuckled, “Well, you’re not that nice though.”

“How could you say that to someone who fed you with good food?” He said with a slight frown and Jihyun raised her eyebrows, “Technically, your grandmother was the one who cooked, not you.”

“You wouldn’t have met her without me.” He stated and Jihyun thought for a moment, “Right. But that doesn’t change the fact that she’s nice and you’re not.”

With that, he splashed a speck of water onto Jihyun’s face, “Say that again and I’m going to splash you.” Instead of obliging, she stuck her tongue out at him and splashed a handful of water onto his face, leaving him shocked.

An evil smirk played on his lips and Jihyun knew that meant trouble, he was going to attack. Widening her eyes, she turned to leave but Sehun pulled her back and smeared soap on her face, causing bubbles to form.

Looking at her face, Sehun laughed loudly while Jihyun fumed, “You did not just do that!” She shrieked while squeezing soap onto her hand and smearing it on Sehun’s face before he could react, causing her to smile in satisfaction.

“Yah! Come here you little-“ He shouted as he cupped Jihyun’s cheeks with the soap on his hands and chuckled again while Jihyun shrieked and laughed as she tried to get away.

Splashing more water at each other, the kitchen turned out to be a slippery mess and they ended up running around and skidding through the puddles of water as they escaped from each other, only stopping when Sehun’s grandmother entered.

“You two better clean up this mess.” She simply said and left the kitchen with a smile. Regaining their senses, the two looked at each other with their wet hairs and bodies, and both of them couldn’t help but let out another chortled laugh.

“We better go and change. I have some old clothes, you can wear them temporarily.” He said while she nodded. After clearing the dishes and cleaning up the kitchen, he headed up to his room and got an oversized jersey with a pair of basketball shorts.

After changing into them, she felt more comfortable as they the clothes were comfy and oversized, allowing her to feel warm and dry.

Settling down on the couch, she waited for a while before Sehun’s grandmother sat down in the seat opposite her. “He looks happy with you.” She said suddenly, while Jihyun rounded her eyes. “W-what?”

“I was observing you two in the kitchen just now; I’ve never seen him smile this way for a long time.” She said with a sad smile while Jihyun cocked her head to the side, “What do you mean?”

“Ah, I see he hasn’t told you. He’ll tell you soon, I guess.” She patted her head with a smile, leaving Jihyun burning with curiosity.

“It’s getting late, do you want to stay here for the night?” Sehun’s grandmother asked as Sehun came out from the bathroom. “We have school tomorrow, Grandma.” He declined and his grandmother merely nodded. “Alright, do come and visit soon. Especially you, Jihyun, you can come alone, even without Sehun.” She said playfully while Sehun whined, “Grandma, now you’re favoring her over me.”

It was a new yet funny sight for Jihyun, she had never seen him whine like a kid and this new sight was actually cute to her. “I’m tired of you. Now run along!” She teased while she knocked his head lightly and hurried the two of them to catch the bus.

Running to the bus stop, they caught the last bus back to the city. The bus was empty as usual, and this time, Jihyun knew it will take at least 45 minutes before they could be back at the dorms.

Leaning her head against the bus window, she made no attempts for a conversation as she slowly drifted to sleep after the long day.

Meanwhile, Sehun gazed at her angelic face while she was asleep. Thinking back, he didn’t know why he hated her, when she was nothing but kind and nice to them. He had thought wrongly of her, she wasn’t the type of girl to make friends with them for fame and popularity; she wasn’t like the other girls who caked make up just to impress them. She was Jihyun, a simple girl who meant no harm and does her best for the people around her.

Maybe she wasn’t so bad after all.

Furrowing her eyebrows, she looked like she wasn’t in the most comfortable position as the bus jerked over the curbs and swayed at the turns. Slowly and carefully, he placed her head on his shoulder and put a loose strand of hair behind her ear, “Sweet dreams.” He muttered as he looked out of the window to ensure they didn’t miss their stop.

--

Arriving at the bus stop, he wanted to wake her up, but she seemed too tired to even get up. Placing her on his legs, he carried her in bridal style as he slowly walked down the bus while the bus driver smiled at the sight. “Young love.” He muttered while Sehun blushed in embarrassment and bid a goodnight before getting down.

Walking to the dorms, she was still sound asleep and Sehun chuckled as she slept like a log. When they arrived at the dorms, he rang the doorbell and Hyorin flung the door open immediately, relief washing over her immediately when she saw Jihyun asleep in Sehun’s arms.

“Oh my god, I was going to call the police already!” She shrieked and Sehun hushed her immediately when he saw Jihyun fidgeting. “Fine, I’m not going to ask any questions for now, but prepare yourself for an explanation tomorrow.” She narrowed her eyes at him and let Sehun into the room as he placed Jihyun down, after which leaving the room quickly.

Entering his dorm, he saw Luhan on the bed reading a book, and he gave a nod in acknowledgement before plopping onto the bed. Sensing his tiredness, Luhan looked up from his book. “Long day?” He questioned and Sehun nodded, “Yeah.”

“But it wasn’t actually that bad.” He whispered softly and let out a small grin as he thought about Jihyun.