C-36
The two of us are side by side at the bus stop after school.
"Let's Netflix and Chill at my house."
"What?" Minho blinks repeatedly.
"My account will go to waste if I don't use it."
"Don't ever tell that to anyone else." He glares and pinches my cheeks rather aggressively. "Do you live in a cave, huh? You should know what those terms mean in this day and age."
"I don't use my phone that much. My parents are convinced that it's the cause of all the illnesses in the world and LASIK is scary," I reply. "Innie's the one who mostly uses it. We watch cooking shows, mukbang, and ASMR."
I refuse to return to those years of wearing funky-looking glasses. KDrama was the main reason why I used my phone, but my love for my pretty boys soared high at the same time with my eye grade.
Speaking of, I wonder when my baby cousin will visit again. Dori and I miss him!
Minho sighs defeatedly. "You're so naïve."
"Chan suggested it to me though? He said we'd enjoy it very much."
"I unfortunately have to meet with the guys." He smirks. "Let's do it next time. You better be ready because I won't hold back."
"It's fine, I'll let you be in charge!" I beam at him. "Let's have ramen too!"
I guess I'll have to be alone then. It's alright, Loner Y/n needs to come out from time to time too.
The bus arrives and before I enter, I take Minho's hand in mine.
"Whatever you'll do, just take care." I blush as I squeeze his hand one last time before entering the bus and going home.
He'll probably look for her again. I don't like how she's occupying his time, but I know I'm just being selfish. Besides, we're not together yet. Not for long though because I think I'm ready.
I'm going to claim what's mine.
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I stroll by the cute shops along the street. It's the weekend and I'm hanging out with myself. Well, I'm not really alone because I have Dori with me.
The two of us will go window shopping and I will try to find some stuff for him. I want to spend my time with Dori so we can get closer because he seems more into Jeongin. Even if it's Minho who originally wanted him, I immediately learned to love my cat. He's like a baby to me and he makes me happy whenever I miss my little cousin.
Dori reminds me of Minho. I don't know why, but I think they kind of look alike. My thoughts are weird sometimes.
"Where can I find that beret?" I murmur to myself whilst looking around. I really want Soonie's beret that Minho showed me.
Dori's head peeks from the cat carrier and looks around as well. He then purrs towards a red bow.
"You want that?" I scratch his chin and head to the cashier to pay for the red bow. I immediately put it around his neck and cooed at how cute he is. "You're the second cutest baby I know," I tell him. Jeongin is the first.
We exit the shop and walk towards the nearby park. I take my seat at a bench beside a tree with Dori on my lap as I feed him.
"Meow," he purrs as I scratch his chin.
"Let's take a picture and I'll show it to your twin." I snicker at the thought of tying a red bow around Minho's neck.
"Excuse me, can I sit here for a bit?" a soft voice asks.
"Sure," I reply with my attention still on Dori.
"Hyung, what's taking you so long? Okay, just don't forget my ice cream," he says before hanging up. I don't mean to eavesdrop, he's just so near.
My head immediately whips to the person beside me when I recognise the voice.
"Jungwoo from the convenience store?"
"Y/n!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm out with my friends. How about you?" he says.
"I'm out with Dori, my cat." I motion to the baby on my lap.
Shock registers on his face before eventually grinning at Dori. He looks at me as if asking if he can pet him. I nod and place him on his lap.
"A cat person, huh?"
"I like all animals, to be honest. It just happens that the first pet I got is a cat."
"You remind me of someone." Jungwoo smiles a little.
Me too.
I can't help but stare at him. Why does he feel familiar? For some reason, I'm not creeped out by him even when he's basically a stranger.
"Have we met before?"
"You don't remember me, do you? That hurts." He chuckles.
Before I can reply, someone calls Jungwoo. We both stand up and I'm shocked when I see a familiar face from two of the approaching men.
"Who do we have here?"
I didn't know they're friends. Well, I don't really know them.
Jungwoo stands up. "Um, my friends."
"I'm Kun," the Chinese guy introduces himself and then points to the smaller boy. "That's Ten."
"Do you want some ice cream? Oh, sorry, it's finished~" Ten mimics Kun with a mocking tone. I can't help but giggle at him.
"I'm Y/n," I tell them. I get uncomfortable when they all stare at me for a bit as if registering what I just said.
"Do you remember me?" Kun asks. "We used to--"
"--bump into each other! Hallway at school, right?" He's the one who found my hanky outside of the school's lavatory.
"Yeah, that." He scratches his nape. "Sorry again."
"We didn't recognise you at first," Ten says. "You look different."
I frown at them and Kun claps his hands and chuckles.
"We're trainees with your cousin," Kun says. "So it's true. I thought he was lying when he said you don't know us."
I nod as my confusion got answered. Yuta might've shown them a picture of me! That's horrifying because I looked completely different back then. I look like Dora the Explorer with literal bad eyesight. I still cringe remembering that phase of my life. I'm glad I got rid of it before moving to Seoul.
"It's only fair since we don't have much exposure yet. You guys talk too much." Jungwoo laughs dryly. He turns to me and offers a friendly smile. "Why don't you hangout with us?"
"Sorry, I still need to buy something for Dori."
Wait. Where's Dori?
I look around but I don't spot a grey cat anywhere.
"Jungwoo, where's my cat?"
His eyes widen as he looks around as well. He even looks inside my tote bag beside the cat carrier, but I already turned it upside down and there's no sight of my dear cat.
"Crap." He looks at me apologetically. "I think it's missing."
"W-What?!" I frantically move around the spots near the bench as I feel my eyes turning hot.
I can't lose him. Minho trusted me to take care of Dori and I don't want to disappoint him. I don't want to lose my baby too.
I feel my hands shake a little when I don't see not even my cat's shadow.
"Y/n, I'm so sorry..." Jungwoo says as he approaches me, looking like a kicked puppy.
"What's happening?" Kun asks.
"Hyung, I lost her cat. I was holding it when you came, but then it must've slipped away. I-I don't know," he replies.
"I can't lose Dori. Minho will be... he'll be disappointed," I stammer and feel my tears fall.
I see shock in their eyes when I start crying. I hate this! I shouldn't be a crybaby right now when my baby's still missing.
"We'll help you find Dori, okay?" Kun looks at me with concern and tries to calm me down.
They make me sit down and drink a bottle of water so I can catch my breath.
"Don't panic. We will find your Dori," Ten says.
"What if we can't? He might h-hate me..."
"No! Never," Kun tries to convince me. "Why don't you show us a picture of your cat?"
I show them some photos of Dori that I took, especially the one with the red bow because he's still wearing it right now and it'll be easier to spot him.
"Don't worry, Y/n." Kun smiles at me. It somehow made me calm down.
"Okay. Let's split up and get Y/n her kitty!" Ten announces. "Oh, and sorry. We didn't mean to scare him away."
The two of them head to different directions whilst Jungwoo stays with me. He's still fanning me using his hands with a sunken expression.
"It's all my fault," he says in a small voice.
"It's fine, I should've paid attention better."
"It won't end up like this if I didn't try being friends." His voice cracks and that's when I break into a smile.
Seems like he's not only soft-voiced but also a soft boy.
"Well, your friends are looking for Dori now so it'll be fine as long as he goes back unscathed," I tell him.
"I hope so," he says and finally looks at me. "I still feel bad because I caused this danger. How can I make up?"
"Uh..." I take out my phone and show him a picture of Soonie's beret. "Can you tell me where to find this? That'll do."
"Oh." He chuckles and finally lightens up. "There's a similar one near those small boutiques," he says and points in the direction.
I nod and try to remember everything. His phone rings and the caller ID shows that it's from Kun. He answers it whilst I anticipate good news.
"Thanks," he says before hanging up, sighing in relief. "They found Dori at Mochi Cafe."
I release a deep sigh as well before gathering my things.
"Thank you!" I smile at him.
"Should I go with you?" he asks but I shake my head. He nods at me and gives an apologetic smile.
"Don't feel too bad. At least I know he's safe there."
"I assume that Minho gave the cat to you so if ever he gets mad just tell him that it's my fault." He sighs. "Tell your boyfriend the guys and I are sorry for everything."
"Boyfriend?" I look at him questioningly.
He points to my wrist. "Isn't that a couple's thing? Too bad, I'm too late." I look down and see the matching bracelet that I have with Minho.
"Oh, that..." I bite my bottom lip as I feel my cheeks heat up.
"Again, I'm so sorry for everything," he says and puts his hoodie on. "It's nice to meet you again, Moon Y/n. Always be careful."
I stare at his back as he goes farther and farther away from me until I can no longer catch sight of him.
A warm sensation is present at the pit of my stomach as I stand dumbfounded by the bench. Recognition suddenly hits me.
I'm only realising that I never told him my name but somehow he knows it...
He feels familiar because he's the hoodie guy who found my nameplate back when Minho and I sneaked out! Oddly enough, I don't feel intimidated by him nor by his friends.
What a small world.
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Dori's fit: