C-43
It's the weekend and I'm supposed to be sleeping until noon then waking up just to eat and binge watch dramas. Hyunjin and I have been rewatching Boys Over Flowers during his break times whenever I stop by.
I still don't get how the girls always fall for the bad boys. Well... I did too so I can't really blame them, but I'm still second-lead biassed!
All my plans vanished when I woke up because of the noises from downstairs. My parents aren't home yet, so it's just me and my cousin.
Who would be making noises this early in the morning?
My eyes immediately shoot open. I hurriedly grab the nearest weapon I find, which is a hairbrush, and go to my cousin's room.
"Oppa?" I whisper as I look around his room. His bed is already made and everything is neat, but he's nowhere. He did say that he has practice today.
What if there's an intruder in our house?
I suddenly remember the thugs who cornered me. They won't go this far, right? Besides, they didn't bother me again after that encounter with Jungwoo.
My heart is beating fast as I descend down the stairs. I try to heighten my senses to know where the sounds are coming from.
The noises are coming from the kitchen?
"Good morning--"
"Ah!"
I dropped my hairbrush when Yuta appeared in front of me without warning.
He snickers as he hands me back my hairbrush whilst I'm still dazed and confused. I put my hand on my chest and breathe slowly to regulate my fast heartbeat.
"Why are you so jumpy?"
"I thought you were a robber! Why are you already up? It's so early."
He shakes his head at me. "Little couz, it's 9 am."
"Oh." I scratch my head upon seeing the bright sun peeking from the window. "It's the weekend though. We shouldn't be awake at this hour."
He shakes his head once again. "There's no robber, but there are guys here who wanna borrow you."
"Y/n!"
I'm confused when I see Jungwoo coming out from the kitchen.
"Hey, Jungwoo. You don't have practice today?"
"No, it's our day off." He beams. "Do you wanna go with us?"
I shake my head which makes Jungwoo pout. "I still have homework to finish and I don't really feel like going out..."
"Oh yes, you're coming with them. Stop sulking in your room and breathe some fresh air, will you? It'll make you feel better," Yuta says.
"Who will take care of Dori?" I try to reason out.
"I'll take her to Jisung. Go upstairs and fix yourself," he dismisses.
"I'll help you with your homework!"
"But-- I... Okay." I slowly nod upon seeing Jungwoo in his excited state.
Seems like I won't be drowning in my dramas today.
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My stomach grumbles as I stare at the food in the picnic basket. I didn't know Kun knew how to cook. They look and smell so good!
"Careful, Y/n." Jungwoo guides me away from the vehicles passing by. We're all heading towards who-knows-where.
"You're starting to worry me, you know? It's a good thing they decided to stop by." Yuta points to his co-trainees. "That way you can go out and have some sun, and Jungwoo can stop talking about you for a minute. It's so hard to focus when he keeps on blabbering--"
"H-Hyung! Don't you have practice today? Go now, please!" Jungwoo begs and almost pushes him to the bus stop.
My cousin snickers. "Just bring Y/n back unscathed or you won't see her ever again."
"Of course, Hyung. We won't break your trust this time." Ten gives a thumbs up.
"And don't stay out too late! Don't let history-- hey!" Yuta couldn't finish whatever he's saying because Ten pushes him inside the bus.
Here they go again with their weirdness. Despite that, I don't know why I feel so comfortable with them even when we haven't been friends for long. They oddly make me feel safe... I always feel that way with Minho.
"Let's go!" Ten cheers and leads the way.
A smile slowly creeps on my face as I follow the three of them. Maybe I need this timeout from overthinking things and to breathe some fresh air. I'm with Kun, Ten, and Jungwoo. The four of us are walking by the pavement and I don't know where they're taking me.
We stopped at a cafe to buy drinks. Jungwoo got me a milkshake whilst the others got iced coffee for themselves. After that, we continue with our journey.
"We're here, kids," Kun says and puts the basket of foods on the free table.
"So we're having a picnic!" I conclude as I look around the mini park with a playground nearby. Kun nods with a smile.
"Come on." Jungwoo pushes me to the swing then he sits on the other one.
"Woah!" I'm startled when Kun starts pushing the swing that I'm on.
"Let's see who can go higher!" Ten says and starts swinging beside me.
I laugh as the wind blows at my face.
"I might fall!" I chuckle as Kun keeps swinging higher.
"Jungwoo will catch you!"
I abruptly stop swinging and close my eyes.
He's not even here, but I keep on thinking about him. I need to stop... Besides, I'll see him tomorrow because of the dance practice so I shouldn't miss him this much.
"A-Are you okay, Y/n?" Jungwoo asks when I stand up.
"Of course, yes!" I almost squeak. "I should probably start my homework now."
"Okay. Kun can help," he says and proceeds to play with Ten on the other playground facility.
I walk back to our table with Kun and he starts preparing the food.
"Are you hungry? Do you want some?" he asks and I shake my head.
I should finish my homework first so I can just have fun for the rest of the day. My English teacher is at it again, requiring us to write about stuff we like and I'm clueless as ever. I'm scribbling down nonsense when I suddenly hear Kun chuckling.
"Writing a poem, huh?"
"I'm not very good at it as you can see."
"What's it about?"
"Things that we like, but I'm not really sure what to write."
He seems in deep thought for a moment. "Didn't you like cooking? That's it!"
"How am I supposed to make frying sound pretty?" He laughs as my shoulders sag. "Wait, how did you know? I just got into it recently."
He smiles a little. "Recently?"
"I think so?"
"You haven't changed at all."
"What do you mean? Why do you guys keep saying that?" I ask. There they go again with those weird statements. "I know this sounds ridiculous, but have we met before?"
"I shouldn't be telling you this, but you have the right to know. After all those years of avoiding mess, I think it's time." Kun takes his wallet out and pulls a small polaroid photo, then he rips a page from my notebook and uses it as a makeshift envelope. He seems to hesitate before eventually handing me the folded paper with the picture inside.
"Why are you giving me this?"
"To answer your question." He finally smiles again. He always looks friendly, but right now he also looks a little sad.
I'm about to examine the photo when he stops me. "Not yet, please! Just look at it when you get home, can you do that?"
I automatically nod.
"I think it's time to feed the kids," he jokes and turns to the other guys. "Stop that, Ten. It's disturbing!" he says upon seeing the said boy scratching his back on some exercising machine and making questionable noises. I giggle at them and help Jungwoo stand up from being upside down in one of the playground facilities.
"Can I have some water?" They both run to us, panting.
I rummage through the picnic basket and hand the two of them their drinks. We all sit down and start eating the food Kun made.
"These are so good," I compliment him whilst munching on the fried chicken.
"We also brought your favourites!" Ten says and opens a bag of ramen and a flask of hot water. He also takes out some potato crisps and a mini-cooler of ice cream.
"Thanks! How did you know?"
Ten looks like he just did the wildest thing in the world. He seems to freeze for a moment.
"Oh, it's everyone's favourite food!" Jungwoo chuckles.
"Okay..." I just nod.
We all continue eating until our stomachs are full, but I still have Ten's weird reaction in my mind.
I should've noticed how cautious they are with their words around me sooner. I should've noticed how suspicious their weird statements are.
I need to find out more.
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"Thanks for hanging out with us today." Jungwoo smiles from ear to ear.
"Thank you for forcing me," I joke. "I had fun with you guys. Take care!"
I wave at them as they walk farther and farther until they're no longer in my sight. I close the door and sigh because of a tiring but enjoyable day.
"Oppa?" I call to see if he's already home. Seems like he isn't here yet.
I flop down on the sofa and stare at the ceiling. It's so quiet. Dori is still at the Han's so there's no cutie meowing for snacks.
My phone dings as a message notification pops up. It's just Felix with his Korean name.
Yongbok:
practice tom
DONT BE L8~
Y/n:
yes leader
Yongbok:
im SERIOUS y/nnnn & bring foods
Y/n:
what do you want?
Yongbok:
you know ;)
I chuckle. Of course, Felix and his undying love for cheese sticks and sausages.
I put my phone down and grab my notebook to finally finish my homework when a piece of paper falls from it. There inside is the polaroid that Kun gave me. I take it out and stare at it.
Why does this look familiar?
The photo looks a little old, but there's a young girl with four young guys in it. They're all facing and smiling at the camera. I look closer and gasp when I notice the background... It looks like the one from my hometown!
I wipe my eyes to see clearer. The guys... They look like Yuta, Kun, Ten, and Jungwoo. The girl with them is wearing glasses, and she has a bob with fringe. She looks really familiar... as if I'm looking at a mirror and seeing my younger self.
My hands are slightly shaking as I flip the photo to read what's written on the back.
8th grade summer break with my friends. I miss them!
Su--
The name is smudge so I can't read the rest. I don't get it. Why can't I remember meeting them back then? Why do I have this photo with them? I'm pretty sure that I just met them recently.
I drop the photo as my vision starts blurring. There's a pinch on my temples, then the pain just starts coming down so suddenly. My head is pounding so hard. It hurts.
"Ow... Ah!" I reach out my hand, but I can't grab onto anything and fall down.
I hear a faint sound of someone calling my name before everything goes dark.
"Everyone, smile!"
We all grinned as the camera shutter went off.
"There, nice and pretty!"
I fistbumped with him when he handed me the photo. It's my first time having a picture with friends. "I told you to bring home snacks but you gave me a much better present."
"Anything for my loner cousin."
The tall boy gestured to the swing set. "Let's go, Y--"
"Stop calling her that," the one with red highlights on his hair corrected. "Call her Su--"
"Yeah, 'cause she's our little sunshine. Right?" My cousin nudged the younger boy with a teasing grin.
"W-What? Of course-- I mean, yeah? I mean--" the tall boy with a soft voice stuttered as he turned red all over.
"Stop it, guys." The calm boy sighed. He smiled at me and offered his hand. I took it and we both walked towards the bench.
"I will really miss you guys..." I looked down.
He patted my head. "While we're gone, maybe you can try befriending your..."
"What if he doesn't want to?"
"Who doesn't want to be your friend?" the tall boy asked as he walked over to us. "Only a fool wouldn't want to be with you!" he exclaimed, cheeks reddening.
I gave him a wide grin and muttered a small thanks. "You're always so nice to me, J--"
He grinned back. "Anytime, Y/n-- oh, I mean Su--"