Gold | Park Sunghoon

12

"Of course, they'll say that. But do they even mean it? Nope!" he could hear the sarcasm dripping in Jangmi's voice and laughed—only to make her more annoyed. She hit the older boy's arm before continuing. "It's weird! They say that it's okay to skip training today, but they'll get mad when you're not there? Make up your mind!" Heeseung laughed again at how her voice became higher when she was angry.

It made her look cuter than she already was.

The older boy ruffled her hair and let out a little giggle. "It's done, Jangmi. Let it go," he told her, a little doubt clouding his mind if he was doing the right thing or not. Even if he had dealt with the younger one's slight tantrums and complaints during lunch times at school, he still wasn't completely sure how to do it. At times, she would accept it; and other times, she would still try and put up a fight.

Over the number of times that they have sat together during lunch time ("How long have we known each other?" Jangmi asked. All he did was shrug his shoulders) Heeseung and the girl had grown close. They talked about whatever he could think about at that moment, and whatever Jangmi could remember amidst having to balance academics and athletics—to the point where they felt like they could talk freely and about anything.

The slow and steady process made Heeseung seem like he actually had a chance.

"Anyways!" Jangmi interrupted, cutting his reminiscing short. "Why aren't we on the way home?" she told him, rubbing her stomach. She had been walking mindlessly, the younger girl just following Heeseung who was also doing the same. The older boy stopped and looked around to take in their surroundings and pinpoint exactly where they were: little shops and cafes scattered across each side of the street. It wasn't the way to her house at all, which made the girl very confused and slightly worried.

His eyes widened in relief when he knew realized where they were, remembering as well what he had planned. He skimmed through the names of the cafes and restaurants until he spotted some that looked like they were already open for lunch. "Let's go eat lunch!" He looked at her and smiled his usual bright smile.

"But, is this okay? I mean—"

"It's my treat, Jangmi. Don't worry," He smiled as he ruffled her hair again. Heeseung heard a slight rumble from her stomach and laughed. "And knowing that you eat like there's no tomorrow, you're probably hungry by now," he teased, looking at Jangmi to see her pouting already.

"Just because we're already close, doesn't mean you can bully me all the time," she huffed as she crossed her arms. "I know," he replied, pinching her cheeks in the process. 

"You're cute when you're mad. I can't resist it," he smiled. For someone who was probably sweating the entire first half of the morning, her cheeks were so soft and squishy. He could squish them all day—but that was sadly not possible.

Heeseung scratched the back of his neck and cleared his throat as soon as he pulled away. "So..." he faltered for a bit and looked around; shy to start speaking again. Looking back at Jangmi, he saw her lean closer to him as she made eye contact with him, eyes blinking in confusion. He swore he felt his heartbeat quicken for the second time that day. 

"Choose where you want to eat," he said all of a sudden, trying to snap himself out of the thought. The younger girl distanced herself from him and started to look at the different menus and prices. Heeseung sighed in relief as the girl was no longer paying attention to him as much, giving him time to calm his racing heart.

After a few seconds, Jangmi stopped in front of a place and called his attention. "Oppa! The food looks good, and it doesn't seem too expensive either," she told him. Heeseung walked closer to her and skimmed the menu. He was fine with whatever the girl had picked because as long as she was happy, he was too.