Hanbin

He's sweating from head to toe and the way the afternoon sun is beating down on them doesn't really help that, and it gets too hot and warm later on for them to continue playing that eventually they stop at the thought of possibilities they might pass out any second. They've been playing basketball all day, perhaps all summer now, it's the only thing they can do without really getting bored.

The boys are disappointed about the way things turned out for this summer, but not as much as Hanbin. 

This summer was to be different, at least that's what his father said. They'd go to Seoul (Freaking Seoul!) and he'd take Hanbin with him for a day or two, or perhaps even a week and he got the privilege to do whatever he wanted when we was there. He thought of everything he wanted to do when he'd be in the city, a face in the millions of people, he even made a list - sort of like a bucket list - of all the things he'd tried to do once he'd be there. He was so psyched for it, he never even imagined about the worst part - cancelling the trip.

His father is in Seoul, still working as a CEO and still very much sending them money for their daily needs but he feels bitter towards his father now. He had to cancel the trip because he got promoted. Like, what the heck? That's make it all the more reason he should go! But still, he didn't. He couldn't. But he wanted to. He really did. 

Now all Hanbin has for the summer is music, basketball and sweaty guy friends who smell ten times worst on a hot summer day.

It's great.

And that was obviously a sarcastic remark.

But he has one thing going for him, which is nice. And that "thing" happens to be bugging and annoying the soul out of Lee Hayi. 

It doesn't really make him all that happy, but it does amuses him and satisfies him to the point where he forgets about the Seoul trip that never happened in the first place. Only for a little while, she's like a short (and nice) distraction. But Hanbin doesn't say that to her face because then she'd finally lose it. 

Besides, he's bugging her because she still hasn't placed her pride down after he practically saved her life that one day. She still hasn't said thank you, not verbally, but he sees it in her eyes sometimes, when the subject changes and her features softens. Still, he's trying to make her say it even if it's long over-due by now. 

"Hey, Hayi." he remembers the face she made when he greeted her yesterday while she was outside, tending to the flowers outside their new left window. It was noon and it being summer, the sun was up high on the sky and the flowers couldn't handle that kind of radiation. She had to water them, which meant she had to go out, which meant Hanbin could greet her without knocking on the glass door of their flower shop and wave "hi" from the outside.

She scowled and stopped watering the flowers at the same time. "Go away," 

He didn't make much fun of her, and he didn't want to push his buttons or luck further. So he just saluted, a two-finger salute, at her before walking away, walking back home.

The memory of yesterday is brought up due to the boys teasing Hanbin as they sat on the stone benches of the court. There's a tree above their heads, and it shades them a little bit from the angry sun up in the sky. It's not even noon yet but the sun is already blazing at them full force.

Hanbin misses the rain now, and he's not even a rain-type person. 

The boys make it hard for him to imagine the sound of the soft pitter-patter of rain.

"We saw you talking to Lee Hayi yesterday, and it sort of looked like you were joking around with her." one of them say, and the rest snicker because it's obvious they all saw it too. God, they must think he looked ridiculous being with her. "She looked annoyed, but I guess she liked it, deep down, how there's still someone there who pays attention to her. You know?"

All Hanbin really wants is rain right now.

"Anyways," he clears his throat because Hanbin doesn't say anything. Just sits there with the rest surrounding him. "I don't really know what your intention was Hanbin, I mean, I know you guys used to be friends and all, but... I don't know, I guess you should just be careful with her?"

He clenches fists, snaps his head to face the offender. It's Kim Jiwon, of all people. Open-minded, practical, reasonal, rational Kim Jiwon. It makes Hanbin sick how even someone like Jiwon can think so lowly about someone he doesn't even know. 

"What's that supposed to mean?" 

Jiwon has his hands up and leans back, as if saying a casual 'hey, don't look at me.' The rest of the boys fall into a silence of uneasiness that is caused by Hanbin, but he's too annoyed now to pull back and make a joke about it all. He's supposed to be the carefree one after all; the one who doesn't give a about others. 

But this was different. Jiwon had no say in who he should or shouldn't be acquainted with. 

"Nothing," Jiwon defends, probably a little startled at Hanbin's reaction. "I-I'm sorry, I guess you really still are friends with her. I was just saying how you shouldn't tick her off or anything, or -" 

He's had enough, well not really, but he's not going to wait around for when his blood will really boil. "It doesn't run in their family, you know. Just because he did wrong doesn't mean all of them will. Stop talking bull." he leaves then, and he doesn't even flinch or turn around when Jiwon and the others call for his name.

He's just thankful they don't run after him and laugh it off.

He didn't want that. 

> ; <

The way they met was as cliche as other childhood best friends stories. He was at school, the new kid, nobody wanted to be friends with him. Some said their greetings, but they were too polite and too uptight and snotty around him. He ate lunch alone that day, and he was about to conclude that the first day of his first year in middle school totally and utterly , but then Hayi came and walked home with him.

She had a toothy grin on her, and her uniform was stained with something Hanbin was too shy to ask about. She wore both straps of her backpack on her shoulders, and she walked dangerously close to him. She greeted him first and he didn't need to greet back. Everyone knows about you by now, she said. Really, he replied. Yeah, she said back.

They weren't really "best friends", but they were close ones. They walked home together even though her house was farther from their school, he accompanied her sometimes to her house and she'd say no but he knows she actually wants to say yes. He made other friends, he hung out with other people. But Hayi was always there, she had always been there from the start.

He knew stuff about her, and there was a point where he thought he knew everything about Hayi. Perhaps he doesn't these days.

But one thing he was sure of was that she was a blabber, Lee Hayi was. She talked for Hanbin, and that sort of changed when they were nearing the end of middle school. Hanbin talked for Hayi, and they liked it that way better. She always smiled when he greeted her, too.

Which is so not the case right now.

Because she's scowling at him again.

"Why do you always have to bother me?"

"You don't have anything better to do than just water those flowers."  

Hayi rolls her eyes. She tips the watering can forward and water comes out (well duh) from it's nose in small sprinkles, and she strategically moves it up and down and all around for every flower to get a taste of the water. "Make fun of me all you want. Sure, yeah, whatever. I don't care," the words come out bitter and harsh. 

It makes Hanbin frown. "Hey, that's not what I initially meant, you know that right?" he says, trying to light up her mood. He wipes the side of his head with the small towel he brought with him. But he knows the smell - or perhaps stench - is still there. But he doesn't mind, it's not like he's aiming to impress Hayi or anything.

She snorts. "Can you stop?"

"Stop what?" he feigns innocence. He stands beside her, arms crossed. 

A sigh escapes her lips. "Bothering me. Stop bothering me. You know," she straightens up her posture and looks at him, and it took him a week ago to figure out that they're almost the same height but he's still taller by a few inchs so they're not exactly eye-to eye. More like, nose-to-eye. "Ever since that bastard -"

"Mr. Jeong," he corrects.

"- ran into the window, you've always been bugging me. Do you see happiness in my misery? Are you a sadist? Can you just leave me alone for once, Kim Hanbin?"

Her tone is harsh still, and cold, but he doesn't mind because the last two words she said - his name - caught his attention and he instantly perks up. "Hey, you finally said my complete name. I always thought you've forgotten it, you know. But -"

"Oh, ha ha." she sarcastically laugh while rolling her eyes. "How can I ever forget someone like you?"

It comes out accusatory from her, but he can't help but soften. He feels himself still smiling. 

She rolls her eyes again.

She didn't do that back then, at least not very often.

"You know if you keep rolling your eyes," Hanbin places his towel around his neck, letting it absorb all the sweat. "One day they're going to be stuck at the back of your head."

"Yeah, right." she's unable to say anything more because her eyes are not on his. She looks at something behind him, and from the hollers and noise he distinctly hears, he knows it's the boys. Hanbin sighs at this, and Hayi looks uncomfortable.

For the first time in a long time, she's showing him an expression other than annoyed and disdain. Except for that one time when she reached for his hand, letting him take her away from the oncoming car. She looked scared, then. 

"Your friends are calling for you," Hayi says, her eyes back on his again.

"Yeah, well," he shrugs and tells himself not to turn his head. "They're getting on my nerves, and I don't want to talk to them right now."

"Oh?" she looks mildly surprise. Mildly, genuinely surprised. But she doesn't ask "why" like he hoped she would. Because asking why would mean she cares, and when she still cares, that's a door for him to go through because all Hanbin wants to do with her is to help. She has no one, he knows that much.

He feels like his smile is more of a grimace now and when he doesn't hear any noise from behind him, he finally turns around to look at the other side of the street. Sure enough, they're not there anymore.

"You have to go," it's a statement, not a question.

He nods. "Yeah, bye." he even waves, but she doesn't wave back.

She only nods and it's the first time she's acknowledge his farewell for the last two weeks he's been trying.  

> ; <

He got something out from bugging her, and it satisfies him as he said. But today, he doesn't go out with the other boys to play basketball even when some of them personally asked him to come and play. They went to his house and all and stood at the front steps, telling him to go out and play with them. Hanbin wasn't even that good at basketball. What are they? Nine? 

He declined by telling them he had chores to do and stuff to attend to. And Jinhwan - Oh God bless this hyung, Hanbin thought - said to not worry about it and he was welcome to play ball with them any time he wanted. He even shooed the boys away from his house for him. 

"Don't mind Jiwon next time." he said before smiling and trotting down the steps to join the others.

Hanbin didn't want to dwell on that, and what he said to them wasn't really a lie.  He did have chores to do, and he was falling behind on them too. He got to work that day. He cleaned the living room, and even his own room after much pestering from his mother.

"If you're being good, might as well be a saint by cleaning your room too, Hanbin." she said.

He cleaned the tables and changed the water of the flower Hayi gave them. The Alyssum were beautiful, but they smelled funky though. Hanbyul loved them at first sight, and his mother was touched. 

He was doing well in cleaning and then his mother asked him if he was going out.

"Not today, nope."

"Did something happen, Hanbin?" 

Hanbyul give him a look, as if wondering he'll tell the truth or not which was ridiculous because he didn't even tell her why he wanted to stay in today. He broke eye contact from his sister and shook his head. "No, nothing." 

His mother left him alone until she called him again later at noon, when she tasked him to go to the convenience store near Hayi's neighborhood to buy an ingredient for today's meal. She was running out of soysauce and white onions and it wasn't going to be enough for the dish, so Hanbin had to go if he wanted to eat his mom's cooking.

"How many onions do you need to buy?"

"A dozen."

"No, Hanbin just six! Six!"

"Alright, alright. Half a dozen, then. That was close enough." he covers his ears from his mom's screeching, but his hands retracts back to his sides when he sees the look she's giving him. He shrugs in return. "Six onions, and a big bottle of soy sauce."

"Right,"

"Can I add in a pack of gum? Or a gallon of Chuckie? And maybe oreos for Hanbyul and I too, or just any snack, but oreos -"

His mom groans. "Hanbin," 

> ; <

He had the onions and soy sauce in a plastic bag which he was holding as he walked back home. He was chewing on gum since his mother said he could buy the cheapest thing in the convenience store for himself. The gum was actually the third cheapest thing he found, he's a rebel like that. 

He's not suppose to pass by Hayi's house, but for the sake of trying to annoy her and the actual intention of being her friend again (like it'll ever work sooner or later, ha!) he turns the right and finds himself walking along her street. The flower shop is just in his sight and he finds himself thinking of things to say to her now.

The bag stops swinging back and forth and his feet stop walking. He stops chewing his gum as well.

"I don't want to go with you. I want to stay here,"

There's Lee Hayi, watering the flowers again like she does every noon these past few days. The sun is being very violent about it's UV rays lately and the flowers are suffering but there isn't much space for them inside, Hanbin knows because he's been around the flower shop too much these days. 

And there's her mother, standing behind her with a look on her face she can't really decipher clearly as to what it is. She has her arms crossed and she's looking at Hayi with that expression. "It's not a suggestion, Hayi. You should come with me."

"You ask me that now?"

Hanbin can't help but turn around and flinch at the tone she was using to her own mother. Sure Mrs. Lee wasn't around that much for her, because she worked in Incheon as a travel agent. Hayi doesn't get to see her in a daily basis or even a weekly, or perhaps monthly basis... kind of like Hanbin with his dad. 

He wishes he brought his earphones or headphones with him, because he didn't want to eavesdrop. 

Hanbin walks away and feels something tingling at the back of his neck. He feels weird all of a sudden and it feels like he's being watched...

But when he turns around, Hayi and her mother aren't even there anymore. 

He only sighs and continues to walk home. His mother must be worried over him now. 

But he can't brush the thought of how Hayi's changed so much. 

Like he said, Hayi was there. She had always been there from the start.

But then one day, just like a while ago, she wasn't there anymore. 

here's the third chapter and there is probably little progress in the story, still. but comment your thoughts and opinions okay? Also, there are probably some spelling errors here because this was not proof-read. If there are any mistakes, tell me! and oh, by the way if hayi's chapters have quotes then hanbin's will have songs. so here's the song for this chapter, thanks for reading! 

probably perfect.