"How are you and your dad?" I asked Jongin as we were riding the bus to school early in the morning.

He pressed his lips into a thin line and leaned back on the seat. "He hasn't talked to me since yesterday. But at least he stopped bothering me for now." He said and shrugged nonchalantly. 

"You think that's a good thing or a bad thing?" I asked him, but he only shrugged again.

I leaned back too, our arms brushing against each other. "Well, let's just hope he's not talking to you because he's trying to consider all that you said." I told him and smiled.

He gazed at me and heaved a small smile. "He must be. To be honest, that's the first time I had an outburst in front of my family, so he was probably at least shaken by the seriousness in my words." I nodded my head in understanding and hoped for the best quietly.

We got off the bus when we finally reached our stop. Jongin instinctively tugged on my hand as we started to walk. But I was too flustered to even walk hand in hand with him that I had my head hung low all the time. Step by step felt like torture because I was afraid to see what reaction people may have seeing us together. Little by little, our hands were slowly slipping away from each other. His' getting lost in touch with mine as we neared the gate.

"Jongin." I muttered his name softly as I pulled away my hand from his completely. 

I wasn't looking at him, afraid that he'd get mad at me for being such a coward. Why am I even chickening out? There's nothing wrong with me holding his hand, right? But, I'm still afraid I'd get more hate. I'm scared.

What do I do?

I was anxiously stuck in my spot as I continued to look down. Why can't I hear his footsteps anymore? Did he perhaps really left me here? I closed my eyes while mentally wishing for someone to save me from my embarrassment. Seconds passed though, but nothing, no one came for me. I sighed inwardly and closed my eyes as my heart clenched. Silence. I tuned out all the noise around me and waited for the pain to subside. But then, suddenly, a warm hand reached for mine and pulled me. I looked up, shocked to see Jongin's handsome figure dragging me in wordlessly. His fingers were slowly fitting into the spaces in between mine, until it perfectly moulded in them. I gazed around consciously, and saw the indifferent and glaring looks from my dear school schoolmates. This is bad.

"Don't ever pull away from me again Kim Nana. I really thought I lost you there. What would you do if I didn't hold onto you?!" He tells me, a bit exasperated.

"I'm sorry, Jongin." I told him, but he only chortled and pulled me closer to him. His divine self walking side by side with me, while the rest around us are either gaping in disbelief and horror, or just gossiping with their friends while giving us strange looks.

"Don't look down when you are walking with me," He told me, and I obediently held my head high though I was still a bit anxious, "Don't listen to what others are saying about us either," I nodded in understanding while looking at his face, "And don't hide yourself from them as if you've committed a crime. Be confident about yourself, because you're my girlfriend. My girlfriend should be naturally strong willed. And that's your charm so use it well." I nodded repeatedly as a smile finally made it's way to my lips. I shouldn't be afraid after all, because Jongin is with me.

"If you say so." I told him and squeezed his hand.

"That's right." He beamed and ruffled my hair with his free hand.

"Whoa!" We heard someone exclaim. Tao appeared from nowhere, his face was filled with amusement as he points a finger at us. "What is the meaning of this?!" 

"No way." Another voice uttered out. And Chen jumped from behind and pretended to be surprised. "Are you two having some monkey business behind our backs?!" 

The rest caught up to them. Kyungsoo, Baekhyun, and Sehun stalled behind us, while Chanyeol joined Tao and Chen in teasing us.

"Everyone has been talking about the two of you, you know that?!" Chanyeol mused and chuckled as he slung an arm around my shoulders.

"Yeah! Yeah! Their reactions were totally priceless when they heard about Kim Jongin and Kim Nana dating! The girls were bawling their eyes out, while the guys were all celebrating. Man! You're the newest star couple!" Chen jabbered in flamboyance as he walks in front of us with backward steps.

Jongin swatted Chanyeol's arm around my shoulders, making some of the boys snicker at him, "Jealous, are we?" Tao , but Jongin only scrunched his nose and rolled his eyes at the said boy when he saw me throwing him a scolding gaze.

"Anyway, what's the real score, you two?" Sehun asked as he slung an arm around Jongin's neck and gave me a knowing look.

Jongin smiled dreamily at him before winking at me. "We're together." He says confidently, earning us wolf-whistles and shouts from the crazy bunch.

"Geez!" Kyungsoo suddenly uttered as he pushed Chanyeol forward and walked next to me. "I knew it! I swear I've foreseen this coming! Congratulations!" He told us with a merry tone as he ruffled my hair and showed me a smile.

"Thanks Kyungsoo." I told him with utter sincerity.

He bobbed his head and ruffled Jongin's hair too. Said boy hissed at him but showed his smile as he saw Kyungsoo chuckle. "Is it just me? Or Kai's changed a lot through the weekend?!" He beamed, making the others turn their heads at us.

"I think, he really did, since he's smiling a lot now!" Sehun beamed and eye-smiled as he slapped Jongin's chest playfully.

"Well, I guess, Kim Nana has mystical powers that made him transform to another being!" Tao blurted out making all of us chortle.

We had a crazy chitchat on the way to the lockers. And like the usual, they all settled at a corner when we reached the area. I, on the other hand, took the time to get my books from my own safe. 

"Need help?" Someone offered. I cocked my head to take a quick glance, but when I saw Baekhyun standing next to me, my eyes rounded in surprise and my mouth gaped at him. "You look like you've seen a ghost. Chill!" He said and chuckled heartily.

I looked away knowing that I was already blushing furiously because of him. "I w-was just surprised."

"Hmmm." He mumbled, before snatching away from my hands the books I've collected. "Hey, Kai, you don't mind me sending her to her classroom, right?" He asked Jongin who was having a chat with Sehun and Kyungsoo. His brows met and his lips thinned when he trailed his eyes from me to Baekhyun, but he shook his head in response.

"Just be quick." Jongin says briefly before turning his attention back to Sehun and Kyungsoo.

I spared him one last look before I turned around, and I was glad to meet his eyes for once. I gave him a small wave to tell him that I was leaving and Jongin smiled for me in return. Baekhyun and I walked together, side by side, in the hallway. It felt a little bit awkward to be finally doing this with him again when I'm in a relationship with his friend, but it seems the opposite to him. Baekhyun seems fine. Or is he?

"You've been looking at me for quite some time now. Do I have dirt on my face or you just think that I'm handsome?" His cockiness drove me out of my own trance. And all I can do at the moment was to laugh cause he looked so conceited with that attitude.

"Narcissist." I as I nudged his side, and he groaned, pretending that he was gravely hurt.

"Yah! Yah! You're making me look like I'm the bad guy!" I told him quite frantically when I noticed the occasional glares around us.

He chuckled and walked past me when we're finally in my classroom. He went in wordlessly with me tagging behind him, and placed my books on top of my table.

"Thanks." I told him and showed a grateful smile before taking my seat.

Instead of leaving though, Baekhyun pulled a chair from another table and placed it next to me. I panicked that he was being too close when he sat on it, but gladly only two other classmates, who didn't mind our presence, are in the room.

"You keep on panicking when you're with us." He uttered, ge