goingtreasure✧

From the time you moved on, you had a bunch of different roommates: girls, boys, non-binary, you really felt conected and amused by all of them, everything was fine and smooth until a new boy started to live with you.

His name was Hamada Asahi. A really, really handsome japanese boy. The type of person who caught everyone’s eyes as soon as they stepped in the room. It’s cliché, but you think he looked like a shoujo manga character who escaped to the real world. But this is not about his beauty. What had truly intrigued you about this boy was the fact that, unlike every other person you knew, you couldn't understand him.

It was a habit of yours. You liked to predict what your friends would do, what they were about to say or act. However, when it comes to Hamada, you just got it wrong every single time, even after months living with him.

It infuriated you, but somehow made you feel more and more interested in him.

So it didn't take you so long to realize you had developed feelings for him… romantically.

That was not the first time you felt attracted to someone, you dated plenty of people before, but none of your previous boyfriends were Asahi. You could read them, you knew how to talk to them and you knew if they liked you back, but you couldn't tell if Asahi had even a little spark for you and that uncertainty was killing you inside. To make it worse, after the end of the year, the other two roommates you shared the apartment with graduated from college and only you and Asahi remained. There was nowhere to hide anymore, soon or later he would get to know about your crush.

It was a rainy Sunday when you decided to tell him your feelings. You did not care if he was going to reciprocate, you just felt like he had to know and you were not planning to stop yourself, even if deep inside you still wished you had a little idea if there was a possibility of him liking you back before you said it. Suddenly an idea came into your mind: If you could not read him, why don’t you make Asahi tell you himself? All you had to do was ask him… indirectly.

"Hey." You coughed, staring at Asahi from the other side of the table. You had cooked something he liked, so maybe he would be happier and more considerative about your future confession. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." He mumbled.

"H-How do I know if a boy is interested in me?" You asked, expecting the boy to be surprised about your sudden question, but you knew you were wrong.

"Hum… That's complex." Asahi said, scratching the back of his neck. "I think every single person is different from each other, but usually when a boy likes someone, he just wants to be with this person all the time, so he must give you lots of attention."

Lots of attention? That was definitely not how Asahi treated you.

"Oh… A-are you sure?" You stuttered.

“I think so.”

So that was it, your hopes were massacred. He probably had no feelings or romantic intentions towards you, but you promised to yourself that you would get this knot out your throat.

“Asahi, listen-”

“-Y/N.” He unintentionally interrupted you. “Sorry, you can continue.”

“No- it 's fine. Keep going.”

“Oh, well, my mother bought me a ticket to fly back to Japan.” He said.

“Wait? What? You’re leaving?”

“No, no! It will be only for a couple of weeks.” He explained, making you feel way more relaxed. “But I was thinking about paying you for the next month's rent in advance. Is it okay?”

“Oh... of course. Yeah, of course.” You nodded, giving him a light smile.

“So, what were you saying?”

“I… Was saying that I…” You looked down. “I still have no clue if we'll be able to find new roommates. I have announced it online, but no one has contacted me yet." You gave up. That was not the right time for a confession. "I'm afraid we'll have to move for a smaller apartment."

He listened to you while he salted his food.

"I wouldn't mind moving to a smaller place with you."

You blinked, his response caught you unexpectedly. "You wouldn't?"

"We live comfortably together, don't we?" He said casually, while taking a bite of his food.

"Y-yes, we do."

You know the phrase 'I wouldn't mind moving to a smaller place with you.' did not mean 'Let's get married.', but that's exactly how you absorbed it. And now you couldn't get it out of your head. It was always like this. When you think you got the right answer, he says something that contradicts himself and confuses the shit out of you once again.

He went to Osaka the next week, leaving an envelope with money and the keys to his room. That was probably the moment you felt the loneliest since you moved to Seoul. You had no one to see and talk to, meeting your friends face to face became more difficult because of adulthood.

You never noticed how empty the house could be when he’s not around. Asahi is not one of the talkatives and loud ones. He liked to read books, discuss music and take photographs of people, especially people like you, who loved to show themselves to the world.

You remember turning on the radio and dancing around the living room as he walked around you with his camera lenses, almost like you were dancing together.

"You should drop this camera and actually dance with me! Don't you like this song? I think I heard you singing it before!" You said.

"Maybe later." He said, focusing on you through the viewfinder. "Just keep doing it. The photos are great."

You turned around and jumped over the mat. Smiling broadly as you sang the lyrics.

"You know what? Forget what I said."

"Hum?! Why?" He asked, moving his camera away.

You stopped yourself for a little to face him. "I can't assume you wanna do something just because I like doing it. This is who you are! You like to take pictures and I like to dance! I don't wanna be a brat."

Asahi looked down and gave you a side smile. He placed his camera over the table and, for your surprise, started to spontaneously move along the beat, taking a few steps towards you as he funnily danced like a robot. You laughed out loud, because this was a side of Asahi you had never seen.

“You’re not a brat. Please, don't ever say that again...”

You couldn't believe this was the same introverted boy who struggled to ask you if there was a free room in your apartment. He was smiling and being the weirdest version of himself and that made you genuinely happy.

You didn't know exactly when you fell in love with him, but if you were to pick one moment, you would choose this one.

Back to the present, the sky in your city was cloudy and gray. You hated days like this, for you it was a warning for thunderstorms, and you were right after all, because soon enough a storm started to fall. You wrapped yourself in your blanket and made a mug of hot chocolate. There was nothing interesting airing on TV. It was a boring and tedious day, just like every other day since Asahi left.

Two weeks had passed since he flew back to Osaka, fourteen days without any texts or news from him. You wondered if he had arrived safely and if he was having a good time with his family, but mostly, if he was thinking about you as much as you were thinking about him.

As you were about to fall asleep, your doorbell rang unexpectedly. It was late at night, so you got concerned, but you looked through the peephole, just to find your roommate standing there completely covered in rain.

“Asahi?” You opened the door as fast as you could.

“Hey…” He smiled warmly.

"Oh my Jesus, what happened to you?" You asked, pushing him inside. "Why are you back?"

"I missed home."

"Asahi, you're freezing!" You hardly paid any attention to what he said because of how worried you were. you never saw it that way.

"I bought gifts."

"You should have stayed at some hotel!" You said. Asahi was a meticulous person, he would never go out in the middle of the storm and so late at night. “Did you eat?”

"No but-"

"Go clean yourself, okay? I'll prepare something to warm you up." You ordered. "Go!"

Once again, Asahi made no sense. He spent weeks ignoring you, making you feel like he never even thought about you while he was away, just to return out of nowhere saying he missed home. If he missed home, why didn’t he call you? Does he love his room that much? Because it surely seems like he liked the building more than he liked you.

“I’m sorry I forgot to say I was coming back.” He laid over the kitchen door when he was done showering. He looked so beautiful and you hated how you coundn't get mad at him.

"Here's your food."

You felt stupid for making him food when he treated you like that, but as always, your empathy was too strong to leave him hungry.

He looked down at the single plate over the table. "You're not eating?"

"Already did." You brushed over him. You didn't dare to look at his face.

Believe it or not Asahi knew you more than he showed, so in the moment he saw you dismissing food and avoiding his gaze, he was sure you were mad at him. But why would you? The boy asked to himself. He didn't remember doing anything wrong. He was with his family and then he came back. Maybe Jaehyuk spilled his embarrassing secrets to you or maybe you found out he broke the dishwasher. There was no other reason you would be acting like this. You were not the angry type, you were the nice and funny type.

"I broke the dishwasher." He popped by your side in the living room. Asahi thought it would be better if he confessed that he broke it, so he could look innocent in your eyes.

You blinked twice as you looked away from the window to stare at him. "It was you?"

"You didn't know?"

"No."

"Oh…" His brain went blank, he wasn't sure what to do in that awkward situation.

Asahi sat by your side. The storm was still going on and you watched it quietly, even if you felt scared. He remembered one time you were so anxious that you asked if you could sleep in his room.

"What are you doing?"

"Uhm?"

"Why are you sitting with me?"

"Sorry." He got up. "I know you're scared of storms… I was just making sure you-"

"I'm okay, Asahi. You don't have to act like you care." You said it, but how could he not care when you're jumping with every thunder lighting.

"Act? Why would you think that?”

"I think that’s pretty obvious since all you've done since you went to Japan was ignoring my texts.” You finally got up to look at him. “Well, I don't like hiding stuff and I've been planning to tell you this for a while, so..." It took you a deep breath to say the following words. "Asahi, I have feelings for you. I know it's platonic, but I hate secrets and hiding it’s suffocating me, but I couldn't find the right time so... I just wanna make it clear for now."

"Y-You…. like me?" He asked.

"Yes… but please, don't reject me. I know you don't like me back, but if you say it out loud I will get more hurt than I already am."

Asahi couldn't believe in how stupid you were. How could you not see how in love he was with you, how nervous you make him feel and how he always avoided your gaze trying not to blush? He thought he was being obvious. However, he was sure to himself that you would never think about him that way, cause you were just so nice and supportive of everyone. Well… After all, both of you were stupid. Hesitantly, the boy took a step forward and held your neck, pressing a kiss on your lips. It was light and fast, but enough to take your breath away.

How could he do this again? How come he could mess you up when you least expect it? Even when you thought you had the answer he was there to prove you wrong again.

"What…. Was…. That?" You spoke, feeling like your face was thrown on fire. "How can you kiss me all of sudden as if it's nothing?"

"It’s not nothing. I'm actually shaking inside." He chuckled..

"Wait… Does it mean… you're not rejecting me?"

“Y/N, my phone is broken… That’s why I couldn't answer your texts.”

“Oh.”

“See... My mom wanted me to stay in Japan. She said it would be better if I lived in my own country and in my own home." He reached your hand. "But I came back because I’m already home… with you."

“I- I thought you didn’t- I figured... I don’t know what to say…” You were embarrassed by yourself.

“Maybe you should stop trying to figure things out by yourself. You can always talk to me. Well not texting since I haven't fixed my phone yet.” He giggled.

Something about the way Asahi talked felt heartwarming to you. He was right. You didn’t have to know everything about everyone. Maybe that’s what you liked about him, he surprised you and everyday you discovered something new. You were feeling so happy with his hand holding yours.

"I still couldn't find new roommates." You added.

You were deeply scared that Junkyu could possibly replace you with Jihoon. So damn scared that you started to despise Jihoon for life. Of course, despising him wouldn't make Junkyu despise him as well, and to be fair that wasn't your intention at all. Even if you hated their friendship, you knew Junkyu really appreciated him. So it was more like a self defense mechanism. The less you think about Jihoon, the less anxious you would get.

Ignoring him was hard task though. Cause as soon as Jihoon met your other friends, they became drown to him too. You never knew why he was so popular and why everyone found him so cool and funny to be around. In your perspective, he was just annoying and full of shit. 

As the time passed by, your antipathy for Jihoon only increased. It was so obvious that all of your friends and Jihoon himself knew about it, but they always thought it was just the two of you being childish so they never cared enough. Jihoon didn't make anything easier for you as well. He would always show up at your home or wherever you and Junkyu were to tease you and start random conversations as if you were friends. And every time Junkyu and Jihoon were together, you felt like the third wheel.

Friday nights were different though. You and Junkyu would forget about the whole world, get your popcorn and drinks ready and lay down with a fluffy blanket for an exciting movie night. Just the two of you. No interruptions. It was the only time you felt like Junkyu wouldn't abandon you. 

In a specific friday night you decided to watch Harry Potter, since Junkyu had never seen it before. He only had a general idea about the plot because of what he saw on the internet. When the two of you were in the middle of the scene were Sirius Black was getting killed by Bellatrix when the doorbell suddenly ring. 

Junkyu got up. Wiping the tears off his eyes. He went to the door, echoing a tiny "oh!" when he saw who was there. He slightly looked at you before opening it up, knowing you wouldn't be so happy with a certain pink haired boy walking trough your house.

Jihoon jumped inside, holding your friend by his shoulders, "Kyu, get rea-",    but stoping himself when he saw him crying. "Wait- why are you crying?" His voice startled you and you pressed play on the movie, trying to ignore his presence.

"They killed Sirius Black!" Junkyu explained, pointing to the TV.

"Uhm... Anyway." He laughed. "Go get yourself ready!"

"Ready?" Junkyu squeezed his face, confused by the sudden offer. “For what?”

"Jaehyuk is throwing a blast party right now! We need to go!" He exclaimed.

Usually when Jihoon showed up, you would lock yourself in your room till he left, but in that very moment you weren't giving enough fucks to get out of your comfortable couch.

"Me and Y/N are watching a movie right now..." He pouted, not sure what to do with his invite.

Jihoon took his hands off Junkyu's shoulders, bending his head to the side, finally noticing your presence. "Oh man, I forgot it's friday… but Y/N can go too!  It will be fun!" He smiled.

You laughed ironically. "You know what, Kyu? Go. I'm kinda sleepy anyway." You lied.

"But what about Harry?" Junkyu asked. He was lowley curious to finish the movie.

"To be honest, this movie is kinda boring. I just realized that." You gave him a half smile.

"Are you sure?" Junkyu asked and you nodded in response. The boy took his time to examine your reaction, just to make sure you were telling the truth. "If you say so..." He mouthed, leaving you and Jihoon as he walked to his room.

Jihoon stood up at the door, eyeballing you with a very suspicious expression. He did that a lot, and you hated it.

"Why do you always do that?" You asked, your eyes not leaving the TV. 

"Do what?" He groaned.

"The weird stare. It’s like you always find your silly ways to annoy the fuck outta me." You rolled your eyes. "By the way, I know that you know that it's friday."

"So what?! I invited you!" He walked to the couch, jumping on the other extremity of it. "Why don't you go with us?"

"Thanks for inviting me, what an honor! But I don't wanna have to look at your face for the rest of the night." You took the remote control, increasing the TV's volume.

"There will be a lot of girls there, you know?" He mentioned, trying to convince you in some weird way. "Aren’t worried with that?" At that moment, you definitely regret not going to your room before.

"I'm not into girls, I'm sorry." You said.

"That's not what I'm talking about! There will be a lot of girls there chasing cute guys like me and Junkyu. Will you be at peace knowing that?" He leaned back on the sofa, hands behind his head as he teased you.

"Ew! I'm not jealous of you, Jihoon." You laughed.

"Well, I wasnt talking about myself, I was talking about Junkyu." As Junkyu's name was mentioned, you paused the movie and looked at him.  "But if I'm the one who makes you jealous, we can do something about it. Just kidding. What I am saying is: I know he's your crush." 

"I have literally no idea what you're talking about." You tried to cut him off.

"That's why you hate when I'm around, right? You fucking like Junkyu and you want him all to yourself!" He said it like he was a detective solving a mistery, so stupidly, but so loud that you had no other choice besides jumping on him and closing his mouth with your hand.

"Don't you dare saying that again! He's gonna hear us!" You ordered.

The boy slowly moved your hand out of his lips. "You like Kim Junkyu." He whispered this time. 

"Yes! I'm jealous, okay? But not that kind of jealousy!" You stated. "I don't like you because I used to be his favorite friend! Well, until you came out of nowhere to took my place." At this point your patience was almost gone.

"Took your place? That’s dumb. I’m not convinced. You’ll have to prove it. " He shrugged.

"I don't need to prove you anything!"

"Go to the party, and help him get with someone. Then I will believe you." Jihoon continued, completely ignoring what you said.

"No way, that's gross." You wrinkled your nose. 

"It’s not! And just so you know, if you dont help him, I will anyway. The girl he's interested is going and asked me to do so. That's why I ran here so fast." He said, quite surprising. That was something you didn't know about. Junkyu never told you he was interested in someone.

You took your hands out of Jihoon's face, moving away in shock.

"Does he like someone?" You murmured. "He never told me that." 

Jihoon quieted himself. It was a surprise to him that you didn't know about that.

Junkyu emerged in the room, fully dressed and ready to go. "How do I look?"

"Are you really wearing this outfit again?" Jihoon fired when he noticed Junkyu wearing the same shirt as always. He's never been thoughtful with his choice of clothing.

"You know this is my favorite!” Your best friend said in a whiny, childish voice.

"You will never get Dahee's attention dressed like that!" He jumped out of the sofa to talk do Junkyu.

"Hey!" You interrupted them, receiving two curious looks. "Wait for me. I'm going."

Jihoon gave you an evil grin.

Was it a good idea? No. Were you gonna regret it later? 100% Yes. But you did it anyway. And now you were wearing a purple tiny dress and a pair of black boots at Yoon Jaehyuk's house (aka your ex boyfriend’s house!!) surrounded by drunk and wasted people. And the worse part is that you were doing exactly what Jihoon wanted. But the idea of your best friend hiding secrets from you made you so desperate, that staying home right when he could’ve possibly be telling more secrets to your rival was enough to motivate you to go. 

You and the two boys went straight to the kitchen to get some drinks and food. Junkyu was preparing some drinks while Jihoon was gossiping about someone you didn't care about.  You looked around, admiring the ambient. Jaehyuk’s house was large and full of luxurious artifacts. You remember when you went there for the first time and how easy it was to get lost among all of the rooms.  But after dating him for almost a year, you knew this place better than anyone.

"Here’s your cocktail, Y/N!" Junkyu said, offering you a red cup full of alcohol.

"Thank you, Sir!" You grabbed it from his hand and drank it all, feeling the bitterness down your throat.

From the other side of the kitchen, you spot Jaehyuk. You had this weird impression that he was always glaring at your direction. You didn’t broke up on bad terms, but the atmosphere would always be strange wherever you were in the same place because you knew he still felt physically attracted to you, after all, your relationship with him was pure based on looks.

"So what about Dahee?" Jihoon questioned, while taking a sip from the vodka bottle. 

"I don't know, guys... I don't think it will work." Junkyu shyly said, looking down at his feet. Poor baby, you knew he wasn't very confident, so even though he kept it from you, you still felt empathetic for him. “I haven’t told you about her yet, Y/N. Cause I’m not actually sure about what she thinks of me...”

"Y/N said she'll help you." Jihoon said, pouring the rest of the vodka on your cup.

"Oh, really?!" The raven haired boy eyebrow’s popped out.

"Uhm, yes. That's why I came after all..." You glanced over Jaehyuk again, his eyes still glued on you. He's not gonna come over, right?, you whispered to yourself.

"So you guys are friends right now?" He pointed at the two of you. 

"Not really." Jihoon answered, about to drink more of his vodka bottle, but before he got the change you grabbed it away from his hand, tanking a sip from it and then another sip, and another one and another one. Everything to avoid yourself from freaking out. 

"Shouldnt we go find Dahee?” You got up from your seat, looking at Jihoon.”I think we definitely should go find Dahee!" You smiled, pulling Jihoon by the shirt. "Wait for me, Kim Junkyu! Tonight is the night!" You shouted, leaving your friend alone on the kitchen. At first he was confused, but as soon as he saw Jaehyuk watching you from afar, he understood your hurry.

You guided Jihoon through the dancing crowds and the marijuana's smokes, already feeling dizzy due to the great amount of alcohol in your body, but luckily you succeeded to find what you were looking for: the gaming room, one of the rooms of the house locked with a digital password. You stopped in front of it, trying to remember what the passcode was. Jihoon was way too confused, but watched you in silence, you pressed the first numbers that popped into your head and the door lock opened. You walked straight to the sofa, throwing yourself between the big orange cushions.

"Are you okay?" He asked, confused. "I thought we were looking for Dahee."

No, you were definitely not okay.

"I can't do it, ok? Ugh! I think I need to go home." You confessed, brushing up your hair. An immeasurable amount of thoughts running through your mind.

Seeing Jaehyuk was definitely not good for your mental health right now. When you broke up, you felt like it was too easy for him to forget you. He made you feel like you were nothing besides a body. That your relationship was nothing but a fetish to him. And your thoughts were confirmed some time after you broke up, when he started chasing atfer you again in order to have friends with benefits relationship with no feelins involved. Now you realized that maybe he was the reason why you started to feel so insecure, all of this happened right when Jihoon came to your college.

"So I was right? You do have a crush on Junkyu and can’t stand the feeling of him with someone else?" He asked.

"If I like Junkyu? I don’t know. How could I know? I mean, he's the only person I have by my side, so maybe yeah it is possible that I like him!" You said feeling very emotional even if that was not the reason why you were anxious. "Maybe I do have a crush on him, but it's weird, because I never thought about it before. I mean, Yeah! I think he's cute! But everyone thinks he’s cute, right? it's like common sense " You looked at the boy. "Do you think he’s cute?"

Jihoon laughed. "You're drunk."

"Yes I am!" You stated. 

"Hey, you—" Jihoon was just about to say something, when the sound of the door being unlocked interrupted him. "Wait, are we allowed to be here?"

"I don't think so." You grabbed the boy and conducted him to a locker in the back of the room not even knowing if it was big enough for the two of you. Spoiler allert: it wasn't. You and Jihoon were practically glued on each other, you could even feel his breath on your hair.

"Wow! Jaehyuk, your house is so big." You heard from a female voice that you were not familiar with... And she was talking to Jaehyuk?!

"Who is that?" You whispered.

"Fuck shit. I think it's Dahee!" He answered, holding the same face expression as you.

"No way..." You said silently.

"Yes way! It's definitely her." He whispered back.

"There's a lot of other things I can show you." You ex added. Fortunately, you couldn't see anything from that tiny locker.

"So Junkyu’s crush is about to make out with my ex boyfriend?! Yup, That's weird..."

"Ex what?!" He furrowed his brows.

"Jaehyuk and I used to date, stupid."

"Oh, so that's why you know this house so well?" His eyes widened. "Even the passcode!!" You have to assume. He was kinda cute sometimes... but it was Jihoon after all.

"Shut up, oh my god!" You rolled your eyes. "Let's hear them."

The couple were flirting a lot in a very cringy way. The weirdest part of it all is that Jaehyuk used to use those same pick up lines on you and it worked. How lame. Jihoon seemed to be really entertained by this horror show, seen by his amused face expression.

"You know what would look good on you?" Jaehyuk asked.

"Uhm, what?" She said softly.

"Me." 

Jihoon and you switched looks, holding yourselves to not burst into laughing. He mimicked a silence sign, and comically, almost like if everyone had obeyed him, the whole room went silent. He frowned for a few seconds, then opened the locker door to see if the couple was gone, but they weren’t, in fact the two of them were lying on the sofa you were before, looking like they were in the middle of "something". Luckily the back of the sofa was against you, so it was impossible to see any disgusting detail.

"Do we have to stay here til they leave?" You looked at him with drunk puppy eyes.

"Hum... I don't know. We can try to run away, but what will you say if he sees us?" He asked. 

“That we got lost?" You sent him a playfull glance, knowing that was a terrible idea.

"Yup. you're really drunk." He said. 

"Excuse me?!" You said. "You are as drunk as me! I can smell the alcohol coming out your mouth."  

"You're smelling yourself, dummy." He chuckled.

"Oh, right." Incredible as it sounds, you were having a really fun time with Jihoon. Who would believe that? You didn't know how Jaehyuk and Dahee haven't heard your conversation yet.

At this very moment, you finally became aware how close you were to each other and how awkward this was. His torso and yours were touching, the palm of his hand was slightly brushing your thigh, his body was warm in your skin. You were not used to that. It was dark at first, but as your eyes got used to it, you could see his face very well, even noticing the tiny moles around his cheek. You've never been so close to him. Maybe it was the vodka, but when you noticed his lips were right in front of you, centimeters apart, you spaced out, silently exploring his traits.

"It's so hot in here." He whispered.

"What?" You asked, surprised by his deep voice tone.

"It's so hot, I'm even sweating right now." He clarified himself, bringing you back to earth. "Sorry about that."

"Right.. Yeah, I'm literally melting too, don't worry..." You blinked, knowing that in fact you were melting for him, not the temperature.

You were in complete shock. What kind of feeling was that? It was like  you were in a roller coaster, but without the roller coaster part, mixed with a feeling of denial and an immense desire, but mainly the need to run away from him immediately.

Suddenly, you could hear a click coming from the outside of the locker, like a door closing.

"I think they're gone!" The boy said, "Let's get out of here." Jihoon opened the door carefully, bursting it as soon as he he confirmed that Jaehyuk and Dahee were gone. "Yup! We are free!" He exclaimed, welcoming the freedom with open arms.

"Finally! I was going crazy!" You shouted, jumping around like a little kid. Jihoon watched you in amazement, you and Junkyu were very alike, even if sometimes you sounded more serious, you were nothing but a baby in disguise.

You turned back to him after your little celebration. "Okay, now I’ll go find Junkyu! To tell everything about that Dahee girl." You said about about to run through that door, but Jihoon suddenly held your hand before you could tresspass it.

"Wait." He said in a serious tone, making you stop your feet and look back at him. "Earlier, you said that Junkyu is the only person you have you have in your life. I know this is not the moment and we aren't close or anything, but I want you to know that if you ever need someone, you can count on me, okay?" He spoke sweetly, not waiting for your response before he let go of your hand and left you behind.

You were so touched you couldn't move for a minute. This was even more confusing. Your mind spun and spun trying to understand what his hidden intentions were. After all, it was Park Jihoon, he wouldn't just be nice to you.

"Uhm, Y/N?!" You turned around, seeing Jaehyuk right in front of you. "What are you doing here?"

Your eyes doubled the size as you realized you were still in the gaming room. "I- I got lost!" You screamed, running outside as fast as you could.

When you found Junkyu, he was surrounded by your friends. Hyunsuk, the blue haired one, was a clingy guy, he was always hugging and kissing everyone, like the mom of the group.  You approached the guys and Hyunsuk immediately acknowledged you, lifting his cup and placing an arm around your shoulders.

"My sweetie Y/N! I haven't seen you all night!" Said Hyunsuk, the blue haired one. He was a clingy guy, who was always hugging and kissing everyone, like the mom of the group. He also had a very special nickname for you: sweetie.

"Hi, Suk." You said placing a peck on the boy's head, as you usually did. 

Besides him, there was Junghwan, he just turned 18 and was new in your friend group, he met Hyunsuk through a close friend. Yoshi was a japanese boy who went to Korea to study.

You looked at your best friend, noticing he was still drinking. Thankfully he wasn’t the type of person who gets drunk easily. "Hey, Kyu, can I talk to you?" 

"Sure, but where's Jihoon? Weren't you together?" He asked loudly, catching everyone's attention and curiosity. You wanted to kill Junkyu for that.

"What?! Y/N and Jihoon are dating?" Junghwan arched his eyebrow and lowered his sunglasses, you didn't see the point of him wearing sunglasses if it was dark.

"No way! You and Jihoon are fucking?" Hyunsuk yelled, eyes popping open.

"Ew, what the hell? Obviously not!" You scolded them, disgusted by their assumptions. "Junkyu seriously! We need to talk!" You demanded, pushing him to the backyard.

Your time at the party didn't last long after that. You told the boy everything everything that happened (except the locker thing, of course), and honestly, you didn't expect Junkyu to be so sad about it. You thought he only had a tiny crush on Dahee, but seen by his reaction, it was a lot more than that. You decided it was time to go home. 

Jihoon didn't show up again that night, but the next evening, he was at Junkyu's room trying to cheer him up.

Unfortunately, Junkyu's disappointment didn't end up in just one day, for the rest of the following weeks, he was still feeling low-spirited and unmotivated for everything. Seeing that cute baby like that was letting you down as well. However, because of that you realized that your assumption of having a crush on him was indeed not real, because even though Dahee broke up his heart, you still wished things went differently and she had given him a chance, so Junkyu would be jumping around like he usually did.

On the other hand, as soon as you realized you didn't like your best friend that way, you started to notice that you may or may not were starting to develop some kind of spark for Jihoon. Yes, that was weird and it didn't feel right at all, but you couldn't help but think about what he said to you. And now you were paying attention to certain things about him that you never did before, like his athletic body contrasting his cute face, his honey sounding voice, the moles distributed all over his body, not only his face. He was really cute and he cared a lot about Junkyu, just like you. You always thought he was annoying but lately you found it funny. 

Things have really changed in a short period of time. Now  instead of avoiding him at all costs, you walked around looking for him, just to see his face from far away, and when he showed up over your apartment, you stayed in the living room, hoping he would start random conversations with you.

"Kyu, you can't stay like this forever." Jihoon was there to cheer Junkyu again.

The boy didn’t want to get his ass off the carpet and Jihoon, as a responsible friend, felt deeply annoyed by that. So he was constantly trying to make him go to class, but Junkyu was too strong headed. "Here. I bought your favorite Boba Tea, why don't you drink?"

"I don't want it." He muttered, laying on his arms in the coffee table.

You were sitting on the couch, right behind the space Junkyu occupied on the carpet. Jihoon was sitting next to you, he offered you the drink Junkyu just denied.

"Hey, Y/N, do you want it?" He asked.

"Sure, thanks." You picked it up, your fingers slightly touching, causing tiny shivers through your spine. 

"Dahee is just another girl!" Jihoon continued the previous topic. "And she's into Jaehyuk, so she's tasteless!"

"Oh so you're calling me tasteless?" You asked.

"Oh, shit, I forgot." He smiled. "Well, you used to be tasteless, not anymore I hope. Dahee is still tasteless!”

"Please don't say her name..." Junkyu cried.

Jihoon rolled his eyes at the younger one. "You know what?! Dahee, Dahee, Dahee, Dahee, Dahee, Dahee..." He screamed, dancing around him.

"Oh my god stop!" Kyu taped over his ears to stop his suffering.

Right when Jihoon was about to say Dahee again, his phone rang, he took it from his jeans' pocket and picked up the call. You and Junkyu stopped to listen him with attention.

"Hey, how you doing?... Right now?!... Yeah, of course I can!... Ok, see you in ten minutes." He turned off the phone. "I need to go now."

"Who were you talking to?" Junkyu asked.

"No one. Let's play league of legends tonight?" He asked, in an attempt to change the subject. You were scrolling through your instagram, listening to everything.

"Let me see!" Junkyu stretched his hand, trying to catch his smartphone.

"No!" Jihoon exclaimed.

"Come on!" He got up and held the boy's arms, finally reaching the object. He unlocked the screen cause he knew his password. "Chae Hana?" He read it out loud. "So I am suffering and you are seeing someone behind my back?" Your finger stopped scrolling, when you heard that.

"Hey, it's not like that, ok?" He took his phone back. "I’m helping her with something."

"Sure... Helping with something." The dark haired boy said with malice. "I hope you're having fun while I'm not." 

"Don't be overdramatic." Jihoon took off his stuff and stuck into his bag. "See you guys later." He said, leaving the apartment.

Your blood boiled watching that scene. You had no idea who that person was, let alone that Jihoon was seeing someone. You couldn't control yourself. You felt the absolute need to know what that was about.

"Who's Chae Hana?" You turned to Junkyu, asking him innocently.

"Chae Hana? She's a girl from Jihoon class. The one with blonde hair and bangs. I don't think you know her." He answered, with a suspicious expression. "Why're you asking?"

Your looked arount trying not to make it obvious cause you weren’t  ready for this type of question. "No reason... I just wanted to know." You shrugged.

"Sure... but why?" His expression made it regret asking that question.

"I already answered."

"Why though?" He insisted.

"Geez, it's nothing! I just think I heard that name before. That's all." You said, checking your clock on the wall. "My class is starting soon. Will you skip yours again?" You sent him a worried glance.

"Yep." He shrugged.

"You're being irresponsible, Junkyu! You know that!" You took your books as you walked out before he could come back to the previous topic.

"Whatever." He murmured. "Anyway, if you see Jihoon, punch him for me." 

"I would love to do that! Bye!" You closed the door, leaning on it after you locked it. Now you would rather punch yourself for being such an idiot.

Okay, so Jihoon was having a fling with a girl. So what?  You were not friends, nor did you get along. He only were nice to you once, it doesn't mean he cares about you or anything, yet you were there suffering just like Junkyu. You knew you should never develop those kinds of feelings towards him and you hoped it was just a phase. All you needed to do was finding a distraction and to focus on yourself. Maybe attending your favorite class would be enough to make you forget about it. 

Well, unfortunately you were deeply wrong.

Your class passed so slowly that some hours felt like days. You just couldn't concentrate properly. Your mind was prowling around the same subject the entire time. When it was finally time to go home, you left the classroom and strolled around campus hoping to find a little pink dot among all those students, then maybe you could talk and maybe his irritating way could make you remember why you despised him so much. For your disappointment, you've only managed to find Yoon Jaehyuk's dumb face.

"Y/N, there you are!" Said the least person you wanted to see, with a lollipop on his hand and a history book on another.

"Hey." You said, already feeling your energy being drowned.

"You know, I haven't talked to you later cause I was busy, but I still wanna know what you were doing in my gaming room that night So… What were you doing?" He questioned. You did not expect that, but Jaehyuk always had his ways to make you incredibly uncomfortable. You should've prepared yourself for this moment.

"Which night? Which room? I can't remember..." You scratched the top of your head, pretending to not understand in an attempt to fool him.

"You can't remember Park Jihoon?" He mocked.

"Wait, what's up with Jihoon?" You frowned your face. 

He licked his blueish lollipop before talking again. You were so fucking anxious.

"Well, people saw you together." Jaehyuk said. "They told me he left the gaming room right before you did. I even heard that the two of you were running around the house holding hands and stuff. Is that true?"

You opened your mouth, but no words were able to leave. Jaehyuk looked at you like he was so superior and the worst part is thate you really felt like he was.

"So it's true..." He took a step forward, slightly nodding. "You and Jihoon are a thing right now?" He laughed. "Wow. That's unexpected…" He moved his lollipop to his mouth again. It infuriated you.

"I don't know who told you that, but they must be lying. We are not a thing and Jihoon is even seeing someone at the moment, also you know we don't get along. You thought you knew me better than anyone." You said, in the most serious tone ever.

"Hey, I'm just messing with you, okay?" He laughed, pretending he was kidding all of the time, so it would make him feel like he knows it all. "But, yeah, I have an idea of ​​who he is seeing." He said, observing something behind you.

"You do?" You squeezed your eyebrows. Jaehyuk gestured for you to turn back and you did.

At the entrance of the campus you could see a blonde girl with bangs in a beautiful white dress leaning against the wall, next to her was Jihoon with a smile that almost made his eyes disappear. He seemed entertained by the young woman, you couldn’t help but feeling strange.

"Jihoon and Hana?! I’m not surprised. I always thought they had a good chemistry." Jaehyuk commented. "That's good for you, you know, maybe he'll finally let you breath." 

Hana laughed so loudly that you could hear from where you were standing, she withdrew from her position and caressed Jihoon's arm, gesturing goodbye after that. Jihoon continued to smile while he watched the girl get in her car. When he walked back into the campus, he saw you facing him, your eyes met for a split of second, before you turned to Jaehyuk again.

"Well. That's good." You smiled, crossing your arms. "Now he can leave me and Junkyu alone." 

"Yeah." He grinned. "Anyway, are you busy this weekend? I was thinking of throwing another party since my parents are still on vacation. It will not be as big as the last one though, just a few close friends. You should come over."

"I will think about it, thanks... I have to go now." You patted his shoulder, heading home right after. Obviously, you had no intention of going to his stupid party again.

Once you got home, you saw that Junkyu was completely focused on playing online games with some of his friends. You walked right past him without even saying hello and went straight to your bedroom. Your mind kept asking if you should let him know or not, but maybe it was not the right time. So you decided to keep it to yourself until you were sure. He had always been your comfort shoulder when you went through such confusing times. You knew you could trust and tell him everything without the fear of being judged. But this time it was different, after all Jihoon was his best friend too. And he didn’t tell you abou Dahee at first so now you were even. 

The day after was a warm friday evening. You were gathering with your friends on the cold cement floor of a skate park. Hyunsuk made you and Junkyu leave your home for some picnic and skate near his house, he said some fresh air would be good to heal the boy's lovesickness. He didn’t knew about your own situation though, so inviting Jihoon was not a problem for him. So now you had to pretend it wasn't a problem for you as well. And to make it way more difficult, Jihoon was looking really, really good with his recently dyed black hair. You didn't remember him looking so fine with dark hair, the sun was reflecting on his head, making the blueish sub tone on his hair pop, you found it stunning, he should have done it before.

You watchend Hyunsuk and Yoshi as they got walked in your group’s direction, holding two bottles of wine each. Junkyu really loved wine, it was the only thing that could calm down his childish self. You, on the other hand, didn't like it at all, grapes were not really your thing in general, so when you saw Hyunsuk's bright green sunglasses and Yoshi's big smile coming over your direction with wine and nothing else, you knew you were in trouble.

"I didn’t know we were drinking today!" You pouted. The sun burned your eyes when you looked up at them. You didn't plan to get drunk, not only because wine was the only option, but mostly because you were too afraid of looking messy in front of Jihoon. 

"Sweetie, I don't know about you, but I surely am drinking." Hyunsuk chirped, placing the bottles in the middle of the circle the six of you were forming. He sat between Junghwan and Jihoon while Yoshi kneeled down on his skateboard right by your side. "It's saturday! Exams are over! Let's enjoy it!"

Junkyu playfully poked you in the shoulder. "Guys, don't mind Y/N, she is acting weird these days." he mocked you. You rolled your eyes, grinning at him. 

"I'm not being weird, you're just too sensitive these days!" You leaned over him, pinching his puffy cheeks. Your eyes switched to Jihoon in the process, only to find him fully focused on his phone screen. 

Yoshi picked one of the bottles and easily opened it.  "Geez, we forgot to bring cups!" He said.

"Just drink straight from the bottle. Who drinks wine in plastic cups anyway?" Junghwan protested, taking the bottle from the japanese and sipping directly from it.

"I do! What are you talking about?!" Junkyu contested. You leaned your head on his shoulder.

"The feeling is not the same! The taste is different…" They continued the argument. 

Usually, Jihoon was the one leading these arguments and conversations in your group, usually making fun of everyone, but today he was quiet. You wondered why he was so distracted on his phone. Probably talking to Chae Hana. Your smile unconsciously faded at the thought.

"Guys, no one will need to share saliva with me today. I'm not drinking." You raised your hand, joking.

"Oh, you're not into wine, right?!" Hyunsuk remembered. "Damn, I totally forgot!" He cried.

"No! It's fine, really!" You said. "It's not because of the wine, I just don't feel like drinking alcohol." 

"Well, then at least let me buy you something else, Sweetie. The convenience store is near-"

"I can go." Jihoon finally opened his mouth, interrupting the older boy. "I won't drink either." He tucked his phone in his pocket as his got up up on his feet. 

The boys stared at him in shock. Jihoon declining alcohol was very unusual.

"Now, what happened with our Jihoon?" Yoshi pointed out.

"I know exactly what happened and it starts with a 'H'?" Junkyu laughed. "He wanna get clear for her tomorrow."

H as Hana... Okay, you get it.

"Yeah, it does start with a 'H', meaning my Head Hurts a lot." Jihoon said, then turned to you. "What would you want from the store, Y/N?" 

To be honest you didn't want anything, but as he looked at you waiting for your response, your mind felt obligated to choose something to drink even if you couldn't decide. It would be better if you went there with him so you could choose it yourself and make him company in the process, but wouldn't it be suspect if you offered yourself to do so? What would the boys think?

It was so confusing. How do people act when they're interested in someone? Should they step back and wait for the other person to take actions or should they step forward and take actions themselves? And what if there is a third part?

"Y/N?" You blinked twice when your name was mentioned again. "What will you have?" He repeated.

"Uhm…" You hummed, thinking about your final decision. "I'm not quite sure... I think it’s better if I go with you so I can choose myself." You finally said getting up while brushing the dust off your clothes. 

Jihoon nodded at your response, but didn't mind it at all. "Fine." The boy shrugged, walking away. It felt weird that he didn't make a joke.

You quickened your step to reach the him walking in front of you. He seemed looked distracted staring at the skaters around. Something you have noticed about Jihoon that evening is that he didn't bring his longboard to the park, which was unusual because you knew skating was one of his favorite hobbies since he tried to teach Junkyu more than once, but it never worked out since Junkyu was not interested enough. Maybe that's why he looked so hypnotized by wathcing the other skaters surf around.

"Watch out!" Someone screamed as they passed by you, almost hitting you.

"Hey!" You screamed back. "Damn it…" 

The convenience store was indeed close, just a few more steps and you arrived there. Jihoon greeted the employee and went straight to the freezer, you followed him quietly as he chose what to pick. His expression was closed up and he seemed distant. Something was off, you could tell, and it was making you freak out inside. He shouldn't be acting like that, he shouldn't be sad.

"Where's your longboard?" You decided to ask, trying to change the mood a little bit.

He searched through the beverages, taking an orange juice. "I broke it." He answered, playing with the can, throwing it in the air and catching it with his hand.

You pressed your lips together. "Sorry about that…" That was definitely not the right question to change the mood.

"It's fine, I don't even like it that much." He shrugged. You knew something was wrong, and it could’ve only be that.

"I don't believe in you." You snorted. His eyes keep focused on his soda going up and down, avoiding making eye contact with you.

Again, he threw it up and down.

"Why?" He arched one of his eyebrows. At some point you started to follow the can as well.

Up and down.

"Because you were watching those skaters like a little child who wants to join them." You pointed it out.

Up.

"Since when do you pay attention to me?" He inquired with a straight face.

Down.

"I don't, you were just too obvious." You shut your face as well. Jihoon was trying to provoke you, but you would try your best to not fall for his tricks.

Up.

"Am I that easy to read?" He continued, still looking at the juice flying in the air.

And… do-

You extended your hand, catching the can before it could land on his palm. 

"No, you're just an asshole who's not being yourself today." You spoke seriously. 

Jihoon's vision finally slided from the can to your face. Your muscles tensed as he advanced towards, placing his hand above yours.

"Am I the only one though?" He asked, gently taking the soda back from you, with your fingers slightly touching just like the day prior on your living room. He proceeded to the cashier, without waiting for you.

You quicly opened the freezer on your left and took the first item on the shelf, running torwards the register and placing the product on the balcony. Jihoon took it in his hands and place it with his orange juice.

"Let me pay for it!" You told him.

"No." Jihoon said, immediately handing the money to the worker. He flew away out of the store before you could protest.

"Hey, I wanted to pay for mine." You told as you closed the door and ran to the tiny parking lot. Jihoon was standing there waiting for you.

"Don't worry." He stood against the wall, taking a few sips of his drink.

You quieted yourself, thinking about the words he said. Was him feeling something wrong about you too? You knew you were feeling different, but did other people notice that? You mirrored Jihoon as you leaned through the wall.

"What do you even mean?" You suddenly asked, expressing your thoughts.

"Hum?" 

"I said that you're not being yourself and you answered 'Am I the only one?'. What do you mean?"

He turned to look at you you, now his right shoulder was against the wall instead of his back

"Jaehyuk invited you to his party, right?" He questioned seriously. Staring you down.

"Yes." You answered.

"Good to know. I see you there then." He said, ready to go back to the skate park.

"What? I’m not going." You affirmed and he stopped his track.

"Why? Aren't you getting along?" He implied, visibly annoyed.

You frowned your eyebrow. "What?! No."

"Really?! I thought so, since I saw the two of you looking at me like you were gossiping or something, and right when you left, he came to me and invited me to his party as well and said you were going together!" 

"Well, you're clearly wrong." You said. "First of all, he came to talk to me out of nowhere. Second, I didn't know he was going to invite you, okay?" You yelled.

“That’s crazy knowing that when I mentioned that Dahee was tasteless because she likes him you said you are tasteless too.”

“Oh my god, do you even realized what you’re saying? I was only trying to know why you were down and then you come and try to change the topic!” You argued. "So what it you were right? What if I was going there with Jaehyuk? Why would you fucking care?" 

"Because you shouldn't trust him and you know that!" 

"What's wrong with you?" You groaned. "Since when do you care about me?" You murmured, rolling your eyes. 

"I do care." He stated. "I think I made it obvious at that last party." Your stare ran back to him.

You were left speechless. He really said you could count on him, but you didn't take his words seriously. That made you feel heavy. Silence was placed between the two of you. His presence felt intense, to the point you couldn't breathe properly.

You wanted to kiss him. You wanted to kiss him so bad that you froze, your hands got weak, your blood circulation intensified, and your ears got red, and you hoped your hair was enough to cover it. Jihoon was close, very close, his slightly parted lips were right in front of you. For some reason you always felt like something magnetic happened between you, even if you didn't like each other, everytime you were together, the two of you eventually would get close to each other. 

You could easily kiss him right now and you felt like a force was pushing you towards the boy, but a voice inside your head was telling you not to.

You closed your eyes and breathed. "The last thing I wanna do is get along with Yoon Jaehyuk again." You talked slowly, turning your head away. "He came to talk to me because he said some people saw us together and he asked me if we were in a relationship or something."

Jihoon listened to everything carefully before speaking. "And what did you say?"

"That we are not, of course."

You were expecting some big reaction, but he simply took the last sip of his drink and threw it on the trashcan after he finished. "Cool." he shrugged, stepping away as he headed back to your friends. 

You looked right at him and down at the Iced Tea you picket ar the store, you didn't even enjoy that flavor.

Shit... you should make better decisions.

"Wake up, Y/N! The alarm clock is ringing!" Junkyu sang from the other side of your room’s door, waking you up. 

You got up from your fluffy pillow and took your phone, the room was cold and dark and you were feeling dizzy. The day before passed so fast that you couldn't even reason if what happened was a dream or not. The light of your phone screen turned on and the first thing you saw was a picture from the skate park. So it was not a dream after all… 

The memory of Jihoon's lips centimeters apart from you haunted your brain. You touched your mouth, thinking about how he would feel against you, what would he taste like. 

"Y/N, where are you?" Junkyu sang again, bumping on your door. 

"Why does he have to be so happy all the time?" You commented to yourself. "Wait…"

You jumped out of your room and ran to the boy that danced in the living room.

"Are you feeling happy again?!" You asked, holding his shoulders.

"I am!" He smiled, the bright and large smile you missed so much, but something was wrong, you could feel it.

You hugged him. "Finally! But what happened? There must be a reason for that, am I right?"

"Uhm…" He broke the hug and started to walk to the kitchen. "Actually, you're right… Dahee texted me."

"Dahee?" Your shoulders dropped. That name didn't give you good vibes at all, especially because it automatically resembled you of Jaehyuk and the way they almost ate each other right in front of you… and Jihoon.

"Yes, she said she's been thinking about me and asked me to go to a party with her tonight!" 

"A party tonight?... I don't know about any other party besides Jaehyuk's." You commented, scratching the top of your head.

"It is Jaehyuk's." He murmured.

"Oh…" You sat down at the kitchen table, clearly uncomfortable. "So you and the girl you like are going together to a party, which the host is the boy she kissed some weeks ago?"

"Yeah." He shrugged.

"And are you okay with that?" 

"I am." He nodded. "Hey, don't worry." He said, placing a light peck on your hair. "I can ta-" 

Suddenly, a knock was heard from the front door, followed by the sound of it agressively being opened and heavy fast steps to the kitchen. You already knew who it was.

"Kim Junkyu, are you stupid?" Jihoon screamed as he reached the kitchen door.

"Oh, no..." Junkyu murmured.

"You're being so dumb right now!" 

"I gotta go..." You whispered as you moved from your seat.

"No, you don't!" Jihoon blocked your passage. "We saw it all, Y/N. Tell him!"

"I already did..." You managed to avoid eye contact with him, still thinking about what happened the yesterday.

"Guys!" Junkyu echoed. "It's fine!" He raised his hands. "I am an adult, I need to take care of my own stuff. It was a mistake asking for your help and I will give her another shot, but all by myself this time." 

Jihoon took a deep breath. "Okay."

"Okay?!" Junkyu frowned. Jihoon accepting things that easily was not very common.

"Yeah… Just… Do your thing, or whatever."

Junkyu eyeballed you, as if he was waiting for your opinion.

"You don't need my approval, you know." 

"Thank you, guys! That means a lot to me!" Junkyu smiled. "By the way, do you want breakfast? I'm gonna cook some eggs and... maybe bacon? An american style breakfast, how about that?" He went to the refrigerator, picking all the ingredients needed.

"Sure. I love bacon…" Jihoon said.

You came back to where you sat before, Jihoon occupied the chair in front of you. You tried to convince yourselft that you were fine, but the atmosphere said otherwise. For some reason, Jihoon seemed uneasy, unlocking and locking his phone screen constantly. You couldn't say if it was because of Junkyu or something else.

"Me and Y/N are going too." Jihoon spoke. 

"Uhm?" Junkyu turned around in surprise. “Really?”

"Yes! Yesterday Y/N said she was invited but didn't wanna to go alone because of… of her ex?! You know…" He continued, creating a whole new story. "I said, 'Hey maybe we can go together, since Junkyu is not going because of Dahee and your... ex.' and Y/N was like 'Yeah, that would be good, so we can know each other better and forget the past' and… yeah... That's how it went. We are going." Jihoon looked at you, as if he was waiting for you to help him build up that storyline.

"So we can forget the past… Yeah, that's exactly how it went…" You faked your smile.

Junkyu crossed his arms and pursued his lips. "Is it a date?" He asked.

"What?! No, no!" You screamed loudly.

"We are knowing each other! Knowing each other!" Jihoon exclaimed. Your voices overlapped each other.

"Wow…. Guys, that's really cool! It means a lot to me that the two of you are finally getting alo-" He paused, feeling a strong smell of burning eggs. "OH NO! THE EGGS!" He turned back to the stove. 

You cleaned your throat, standing up. "I need to go to the library to return some books."

"But what about your breakfast?" Junkyu cried.

"I'm not hungry, but thank you, Kyu!" You eye-smiled.

"I can drive you if you want." Jihoon spoke. 

"I don't want, thanks." You cut him off, heading inside to get yourself ready to leave. 

You put on a random sweater and a pair of boots. To be honest, you didn't have any books to return, that was just an excuse to get out of your house as quickly as possible. Why would Jihoon offer to drive you? Why would he invite you to the party? Couldn't he leave you alone? Even if he didn't know your feelings, he should just leave, that way it would be easier for you to ignore your heart, after all, it was inevitable not to think about what happened the day before.

"Since when do you care about me?" 

"I do care. I think I made it obvious at the last party."

Shit… You couldn't stop thinking about him.

"Y/N?" A voice came through the door. Jihoon’s voice.

"I don't wanna talk." You affirmed.

"You’re going to the part, right?" Jihoon pleaded. "I'm afraid she's playing with Junkyu's feelings." 

You sighed, walking close to the door. "Where's him?" You asked, referring to Junkyu.

"Bathroom." 

You opened the door, immediately facing the boy.

"Jihoon, I'm gonna be honest with you. I don't know if I really wanna go. Junkyu said he can deal with that and I don't wanna spend my night babysitting a grown ass man. And by the way, I didn't forget how you treated me yesterday." 

You were about to go back inside, but Jihoon didn't let you close the door again, holding it with his feet.

"It's not... completely about Junkyu...” He confessed. “Didn't you have fun last time? Even though we were inside of a locker, with almost no air to breathe, it was one of the parties that I enjoyed the most. It was so fucking fun." He said, smiling largely. He sounded like a kid.

"So you liked playing spy?" You laughed.

He scratched his neck. "Yeah, but I also told the truth in the kitchen... I said I wanna know you better and I really do."

"Actually, you said that I said that to you." You corrected it.

"Right…" He rolled his eyeballs. "But now I'm the one saying." He extended his hand. "So what do you say?" 

You looked at his fingers pointed to your direction and decided to give it a shot. "See you there." You answered, closing the door without holding his hand.

"Well, thanks for being polite!" He said ironically, going back to the kitchen.

You laid down on your bed with an indescribable excitement surrounding you, your hands took the closest pillow and placed it over your face, giving the loudest shout of victory you could give. You wished you had someone to share the news, but unfortunately you didn't want Junkyu to know that you were happy about it, it was a matter of pride. You wondered if Hyunsuk would hear you without judging you? Nah… Maybe it was smarter to keep it to yourself.

What should you wear? Something cute? Something sexy? Maybe both? You knew you had to look effortlessly pretty, but you didn't find yourself pretty even when you put effort on it, all of that thanks to the boy in eighth grade who made fun of your teeth, but it's fine because he probably looks weird and lonely right now, while you were going to hang out with the boy you like.

You opted for a vintage look, a white 90's tee and a black miniskirt, paired with black boots and your favorite tights. It was nothing out of your comfort zone, but you felt like it enhanced your curves. For your makeup, you choose a light blue eyeshadow with a red lipstick to give you that fancy look. 

"Wow, Y/N, you look effortlessly pretty!" Junkyu said when he saw you. Does he read minds?

"Oh, really? I wore the first thing I found." You bragged, obviously lying. "You do look really cute too, Dahee is gonna fall in love." You complimented him, this time telling the truth. He was wearing a blue t-shirt paired with baggy black jeans, it was nothing fancy, since Junkyu liked to make it simple, but it suited his style. 

"Wow! Thank you very much, madam!" Junkyu said, pleased. "Shall we go?" 

"Let's go!"

You stepped out of your uber, watching Jaehyuk's huge house. The feeling was different from the other times you went there. Your hands were sweaty and the heels of your boots were making you lose your balance, and you weren't even drunk. You could tell Junkyu was feeling the same since he also couldn't manage to step inside the house. Unfortunately, you had to be the determined person this time, so you pushed him inside, scaring the shit out of him.

"Y/N, WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" He screamed, surprised and paralyzed when he saw how many people were in there. Jaehyuk told it was a close friends party, but apparently he changed his plans. "I… I think we should go home. Jihoon was right, Dahee is not that trustable…"

"You're being a coward!" You exclaimed, then realizing that you were in the same situation as him. "You know what? I agree! Let's come back home!" You changed your mind instantly.

"Look who just arrived!" A pair of arms held you and your friend from behind. "My best friend and my new friend!" Jihoon looked at both of you. Damn, he looked so good.

"Hey, Jihoon, nice to see you. Uhm, by the way, me and Y/N just changed our minds and we are going home!" Junkyu exclaimed nervously, taking the boy’s arms off his shoulders. "Or maybe we can go somewhere else... McDonald's?" He looked at you.

"Ooh, I want a milkshake!" You agreed, raising your hand.

"You're not going anywhere!" Jihoon protested, putting your hand down with the arm Junkyu just took out of himself, while his right arm was still around you. Now it looked like he was hougging you, cause he kept his hands in yours. "Junkyu, go find your girl! Me and me and Y/N are going to… hum… walk around! BYE." He pulled you further into the house. 

While you passed through the crowd, you received several suspicious looks from the people around you. Park jihoon and Y/N together, walking around holding each other. Something must be wrong. And maybe it was, but you were not complaining.

"We are acting suspicious." You told him. Jihoon didn't seem to be bothered at all. "They are looking at us!"

"Who?" He asked.

"Everyone..." You answered, looking around and noticing your classmates gossiping about you.

"Fuck them!" Jihoon slightly squeezed your hand. "Why is your hand so damn cold?" The PDA was making you nervous, it wasn't bad, but you and Jihoon had nothing going on. You were afraid that you were being too delusional, the way you loved how Jihoon's embrace felt on your skin made you feel like a fool. Was he doing this because he liked you, or does he act like this with everyone else? 

"What are we gonna do?" You asked when he directed you to the dance floor. He swirled you around, letting you go away from his arms.

"We need to wait, Dahee is not here yet!" You finally could see him. He was wearing a light beige short sleeve shirt, with some buttons open, matched with black jogger pants, black converse shoes and a fanny pack hanging around his chest. You never saw Jihoon looking so beautiful. "Do you dance?" He asked.

"Only in my room." He laughed at your answer.

"Oh my God!" Hyunsuk suddenly came across you. By his singing voice and dumb smile, you could tell he was already drunk. "Sweetie, I didn't know you were coming!" 

"I didn't know you were coming either!" You gave him a big hug, but carefully, trying not to spill his drink.

"Hey, can I have that?" Jihoon asked, taking Hyunsuk’s cup to himself.

"Of course, man. We got a lot more of these." You broke the hug. "The other boys are here too. Yoshi is playing beer pong, and Junghwan is… actually, I don't know where he is, but he's around! Anyway, let's meet later, okay?" He said, leaving the two of you as and waving goodbye. 

You laughed at Hyunsuk's extra mood. 

Jihoon took a sip of his mysterious drink and offered you. "Do you want?"

"What is that?" You questioned, glaring at the green plastic cup.

"I have no idea." He laughed out loud. "But it tastes good!" He handed it over you.

You stared at his cute face for a few seconds before taking the object from his hands and drinking it without hesitation, just to feel the most bitter flavor you've ever tasted before.

"Ew, what is that?" You screamed. "You said it tastes good!"

Jihoon bursted into laughter.

"Oh my God! I'm gonna kill you, Park Jihoon!" You said.

"Oh, no, please have mercy on me!" He mocked you, holding his hands up.

"I really wanna punch you right now!" 

"Ok, punch me! I dare you!" The boy said, playfully leaning in your direction. Of course, you would rather give a peck in his cute cheeks.

You palmed his face and slightly pushed him away. "Get out, dork." 

"Not related, but, you know, when I first met you, I thought you and Hyunsuk dated." Jihoon said, changing the subject. 

"Really?" You tilted your head. He nodded in response. "Why?" You asked.

"I don't know, he always called you sweetie, so I thought it was, like, a boyfriend and girlfriend thing." He said, scratching the back of his neck. "Why does he call you that?" 

"Oh, it's actually a weird story!" You said. Although you were on the dance floor, you couldn't focus on dancing at all. "But basically, I was at Hyunsuk's house with the boys and we wanted to make a surprise for Yoshi's birthday. So we decided to bake a cake. Everything was going well, until I tried to get the sugar from the shelf and I accidentally dropped it and got myself entirely covered in sugar. Hyunsuk made so much fun of me! He started to call me sweetie as an irony, but then he kept calling me that for some months and we just got used to it." You explained.

"Now that makes sense... Kinda." He laughed out loud. "Hyunsuk really cheers for you, you know? He’s a very good friend." He said.

"He's a good friend to everyone…" You half smiled.

"What I mean is." He stepped so you could hear him better. "There's a lot of people for you, Y/N… You're not alone in the world." He just said it, then quickly changed the subject to other stuff. Little did he know what those simple words meant to you.

You and Jihoon kept messing around talking about a bunch of random stuff. You were so distracted by each other that you didn't see Junkyu and Dahee even once. As you watched him laughing, you remembered a place that could be funny for hanging out together. You opened your mouth to speak, but wasn't sure if it was a good idea after all.

"What?" Jihoon asked, arching an eyebrow at you.

"What?" Your eyes widened.

"You were about to say something but you hesitated. I saw it." He pointed at your face. 

"No, I didn't." You shift glances around.

"Yes you did." He declared. "Definitely." 

You slowly looked back to his playful expression  as he waited for you to say what you had in mind.

"Fine." You gave up. "Do you wanna see my favorite room in the house?"

Answers were not needed, his eyes said everything. So you guided him down to the hall on the first floor, to the small door closed with a digital lock. Before entering the password, you hesitated, but decided to open the it, quickly letting him in and closing it up again. 

"Do all rooms have these fancy locks?" He questioned.

"Nah, just the cool ones." You said and Jihoon turned over to look around.

It was a very expensive area. Even when you dated Jaehyuk, you never went to that room a lot. All of the ambient was built in dark brown wood, there were some really comfortable chairs placed around the pool and a mini bar with the most refined drinks in the corner. But the pool filled most of the space. Of course you were planning to hang around the bar for a mini karaoke session.

When you noticed, Jihoon's mouth was already dropped. "An indoor pool?!" He gasped.

"Yeah, and there's also a bar area with a karaoke machine!" You pointed to the left, but he seemed too impressed by the pool, even though swimming wasn't what you were planning to do.

"Who cares about karaoke? Let's swim!" He walked towards the water. "Is that a tiny waterfall? No way…" Jihoon was having the time of his life.

"You wanna swim?" You followed his steps. Of course who wouldn't want to swim in this big warm pool? You just were expecting to hang around the bar and sing in the karaoke.

He shrugged. "You don't?" 

"I don't have a swimsuit right now." You mumbled, feeling embarrassed. 

"And do I look like I do?" He questioned ironically. 

"How would I know?" You laughed nervously, caressing your own arm. It wasn't a pool party, so of course he didn't.

"Hey, hand me your bag for a minute." He requested and you innocently handed it to him.

Without saying anything, he threw your bag and his fanny pack on the floor, right before picking you up and jumping into the pool. The first thing you could feel as you hit the water wasn't the water itself, but his hands around your back. You opened your eyes into the deep pool and saw his closed eyes as he swam up holding you. It was like you were watching a slow motion video. 

As you reach the surface, he opened his eyes and smiled. 

"Your hair is all over your face." He chuckled, gently moving your locks away asyou let go of him.

"What do we do if we get caught?" You whispered softly. "Now we are soaked!"

"We run." Jihoon smiled and you splashed water on him.

"I'm serious! We would be so screwed!" You cried out loud. “Jaehyuk is already mad at us!”

"Trust me, I will take you in my arms and run away with all of my lungs!" He joked. "Do you know what's funny? We still have our shoes on." He said and your eyes popped out.

"MY SHOES!" You screamed, taking them off immediately and throwing it away. "Hey, what about Junkyu?" You changed the subject, you couldn't walk around the house soaked in water to check on him again.

"Hum… Maybe we could let Junkyu work this out." He mumbled. "I mean, he said he could do it by himself, so…"

"But I thought you were worried about him." You frowned your eyebrows. He invited you to look out for Junkyu so you could have fun with each other while doing it. Was this his way to say he doesn't wanna hang out with you anymore?

Jihoon looked up, feeling kinda embarrassed about what he was about to tell. "I… lied." He coughed.

"What?!" You tilted your head in confusion.

The boy sighed, unable to look in your eyes. "I didn't ask you to come because of Junkyu, I mean, I'm still mad at him for being so fucking dumb, but that's not the reason…  I actually just wanted an excuse to be there with you." 

"An excuse?... Why?" You questioned, feeling quite apprehensive.

He looked away, embarrassed of himself. "I realized that I like being with you." He vented. "But I thought you were mad at me, so I didn't know how to do it." You noticed his ears being colored in a warm tone of pink. Now, that was the true surprise for you. 

You blink twice, not really sure if you have heard things right. "You… You could've just invited me I-" 

"You wouldn't come. I know you're upset with me." He added. "I'm sorry." Then you remembered the day before. At how rude he was with no reason at all.

You turned your head down. "You were really cold…" You whispered. "That was the first time I saw you being rude with me. Even if we had our differences, you never treated me like that." 

Jihoon sighed, swimming into your personal space. "Hey, you know that I was jealous, right?" He placed his cold hand on your face, caressing your cheek with his finger. 

"I dont care. You're an idiot." Even if you were talking like that, your body couldn't get angry, so you leaned in his touch. "You were so insensitive! I was just worried about you and you were mad at me for nothing." You murmured.

"I wasn't mad at you." He moved your chin up, making you look him in the eyes. "I was mad at me because I thought you were getting back with Jaehyuk, before I even had the courage to ask you out. And I was mad at Junkyu for saying I was into another girl in front of you.”

“Oh right... Hana...” You mumbled.

“There’s nothing between us! The thing is, Hana is gay and I was just helping her to come out!" He finally told the truth. So he was being a good friend all of this time and you and the boys misjudged him. “I like you okay? I like you a lot, you have no idea. I would never look at anyone else.”

"I don't care." You turned your head away, pretending you were still mad, but you know you couldn't hide your burning ears due to his proximity.

"See? I just confessed my feelings to you and you're still upset with me." He spoke sweetly.

"I wasn't upset anymore, until you remind me why I was upset... So the blame is on you." You groaned.

"Do you like me more than a friend?" He asked.

"Yes." You crossed your arms. "Why do you think I was worried about you?" You murmured.

Jihoon let a tiny laugh escape, as he leaned on you, snuggling his head over your shoulder. "Stop being moody." He whispered, wrapping his arms around your waist.

"You're embarassing." You touched his shoulders.

"I really like you." You felt his nose brushing through the skin of your neck, sending shivers through your spine.

You smiled to yourself. Who were you lying to? You couldn't get mad at him.

"Me too..." You admitted. 

So he placed a peck on your skin, and then another one, trailing kisses from your neck up to your face, making your heart beat like crazy. The pool was cold, but his lips were burning hot. The water from his hair drippin over your skin.

Jihoon stopped himself to look you in the eyes, as if he was waiting for your permission, so you nodded and he leaned in, sealing your lips together. It was an amazing feeling, Jihoon lips were soft and tasted like alcohol and candy. 

He grinned and slipped his hand to your thight, so you took the opportunity to straddle him and cross your arms around his neck. He shifted from kissing your mouth to plant tiny kisses around your face. Everything was so deep and slow, as if he waited his whole life to do this and needed to savor every second.

The last thing you remember was you and Jihoon running to his car as fast as you could, in an attempt to not be spotted by someone else. Honestly, you think you did a good job. By the time you left, probably the whole party was wasted and people were not giving a shit about anyone anymore, so it was very easy. You came to your house and cleaned yourself, then you went to sleep, not courageous enough to deal with Jihoon after.

You couldn't stop thinking about what happened between you and him. It didn't feel real and it didn't feel right. You just couldn't believe the fact that he liked you more than an enemy or more than a friend. You knew him for about two years and all of these feelings were so new that it scares you. You didn't want to be just a body for someone again, you wanted a real connection, and even if Jihoon made you fall for him, you were not sure if it was the right decision.

You took your handphone, seeing some messages by Jihoon. You were so nervous, you had to rewrite your answer a hundred times.

Park Jihoon: Hey, I had to go to class and I didn't wanna wake you up... Can we meet up later? Btw your bedroom’s door was open this morning and you’re a very ugly sleeper. Nah just kidding u cute

You: I always knew you were kinda creep, but watching me sleep? Weirdo…… Yeah let’s meet up, i really wanna talk :)

You messaged him back and laid on your bed. 

What should I do?...

"So how was your date?" You asked Junkyu, who was sitting across you on the table of the coffee shop located down your university street. Both of you wore sunglasses to hide your hangover, now you wonder why someone would do a party on a sunday.

He poured sugar into his coffee. "It was so-so. To be honest, Jihoon was kinda right, we didn't really click that much." 

"Wait, what did she do? I swear if she mess up with you I will drag her face on the floor and-"

"Calm down, Y/N. Dahee is fine, she's just different. We don't like the same stuff and have nothing in common." He commented. "And also... she wanted to hook up with me and you know I like to take things slower. At some point we just went to hang with different groups and I haven't seen her after."

"Shit… I'm sorry." You sighed. 

"I'm okay. Can't believe I cried for her." He laughed. "What about you? When I came home Jihoon was sleeping on the couch." 

"Oh… We… Had a good time." You looked down to your chocolate cake. "But anyway… l Sometime at the party, I went to the indoor pool with someone…" You said it like it had nothing to do with Jihoon.

"Wait- THE INDOOR POOL?!" He screamed, then noticed the other people from the cafe staring at him. "I love that pool, geez, you should have called me."

"I thought you were with Dahee, dummy." You standed your hand to pinch his cheeks. "But it's not about that. I was with this guy and… He said he liked me… and we might had sex in the pool…"

Junkyu almost spilled his coffee. "You what?! With who?"

"You don't know him!" You lied. "The matter is, it felt really good and I think I like him too…"

"This is getting interesting." 

"But I feel like I shouldn't have done this so early… You know why…" You told him. And junkyu nodded, cause he knew more than anyone about your insecurities. The fear of being left out.

"Y/N, why don't you talk to him? If he really likes you, he will understand." Junkyu continued. "Otherwise I will call the guys to beat him up! Even Jihoon and Mashiho since they're the strongest ones." 

You laughed out loud. If only he knew.

"Yeah… You're right. Thank you, Junkyu." You sincerely smiled.

"Anything for my best friend. But I'm really hurt that you didn't talk about him before! You should introduce him to me!"

"I will!" You laughed. "I'm going to class, see you later!" You waved and he waved back.

You haven't visited the university dormitory many times, since you lived in a slightly larger apartment just a few meters away from this location.  But you didn't remember it being that small.  Now after so long, you could understand why Jihoon spent so much time at your apartment.  You waited for him in front of his door while Jihoon needed to stay in class for a while, solving some problems with his essay. He didn't let you wait so long though, soon enough you spotted him at the end of the corridor, proudly walking to you.

"Hey!" He said casually, placing his arm over your shoulder.

"Hi, you seem happy." You acknowledged. "What happened?' 

He took his keys from his pocket and opened the door. "What do you think?" He asked, making your mind go back to the day before. He entered inside his room with you and closed the door.

"Hum, let me guess… You saw Chae Hana in your way here?" You teased him just to receive a mortal glare.

"So you're still jealous, huh?" He pressed his hands on your hips. Jihoon has always been confident, unlike you, who were almost freaking out. 

"I'm just messing with you." You murmured, feeling nervous at how Jihoon held you.

He didn't need to take a second look to realize something was off. "You don't need to lie to me, Y/N." He whispered seriously. "What's on your mind?"

You looked down your feet, sensing his deep eyes stabbing your body. You know you were a bad liar, but Jihoon always seemed to read every tiny thing you did with perfection. It was time to just be honest with him. 

"We need to talk." You took a step back and a very long breath. Just speak your feelings. "I'm scared…" You confessed. "I'm scared because… Every day, I wake up thinking everyone will leave me at some point… that I will be used while I am useful and then I will be thrown away… For all of this time, Junkyu was the only one I could really rely on, but when you came around I was sure he was preparing himself to leave too. That's why I ignored you and missed the opportunity to know how sweet and amazing you are… Jihoon, I like you. I really do. But I wanna be serious about whatever is going on between us, and it's completely fine if you don't feel the same, I just don't wanna feel scared anymore, so please be honest…"

Jihoon nodded, taking a step back as well, respecting your personal space. He leaned on his small study table and looked you deep into your eyes.

"Remember when we first met? Junkyu invited me to your apartment, saying I should meet his roommate/best friend. At first I thought I would find a dude, but it was you. Man, I tried so hard to be nice with you, but you cut me off every single time I spoke, you remember that? I was so annoyed at first, but then I came home and I couldn't stop thinking about you… I never stopped. I think about you everyday since I saw you for the first time. You're smart, confident, strong… sometimes scary… but you're also sweet, funny, caring, sensitive." He smiled to himself. "My feelings ain't new, Y/N. It has always been you." 

You started to feel your tears rolling down your face, not sad, but happy ones. "Are you being honest?"

"More than ever." He said. "I am serious about you. So do you wanna be my girlfriend?" 

You runned and hugged him, borrowing your face on his chest. "More than ever."

— Special Scene

"Did something happen?" Junkyu asked, feeling anxious about the sudden meeting. 

You and Jihoon called him to make an announcement about your new relationship. You were afraid because you had no idea of how he would react. Now he was sitting on the sofa of your living room. You and your boyfriend stood right in front of him. 

"Say something, I'm nervous!" He begged.

"Yeah, something happened…" You said with caution, trying to choose the most natural way to reveal the news. "Junkyu, it's complicated but-"

"Me and Y/N are dating!" Jihoon simply announced. Without making big dramas or speeches.

"Oh!" Junkyu released all the air he held in his lungs, relieved. "Thank God! I thought Y/N was pregnant or something!" 

"Wait, so you're not surprised?" You asked, really confused.

"Of course not?! You think I'm dumb, but the two of you are even dumber than me! Both of you came telling me the same pool story and thought I wouldn't find out!" He bursted into laughing, leaving you completely blown away.

"I can’t believe we were fooled by Kim Junkyu..." You said, shell-shocked.

“I feel backstabbed.” Jihoon added. “Ok, let’s leave this traitor alone. Wanna have some coffee?”

"Jihoon idiot! Y/N idiot! Idiot couple!" Junkyu mocked you. "Wait, I want coffee too!"