Your Mystery Lover (IVE x Male Reader)

Chapter 2: A Helping Hand

"That's right. My noona told me to wait for you since you'll be leaving early today, so that's why I'm here. So umm, should we get going?"

"Sure! We shouldn't keep Miyeon-unnie waiting any longer, since she may be busy already. Let's go!"

Her enthusiasm never fails to put a smile on your face, as you readily agreed in reply.

If there's one thing you admire about Naoi Rei, it's her willingness to give her all no matter what she does.

That, coupled with her passion and work ethic, definitely makes her a very reliable girl through and through.

It's also the reason why she's a busy person all the time, and that you always see her at school doing important things either on her own or with the company of her friends.

Whether it's her studies or her club activities, Rei always makes sure that she'll accomplish anything that goes her way, which earned her a lot of respect from both her teachers and her classmates as well.

Even today, you still can't believe that you were able to become friends with her, for which you were glad that you did.

It's also worth noting that your first meeting with her was indeed an unforgettable one, which made you feel something special towards her, in a way.

But when you found out that she, along with her five other friends, are all conspiring amongst themselves through this weird game that they made, things suddenly turned more complicated than ever, much to your displeasure.

Of course, you're the type of guy who never backs down on a challenge, so you try to gain some form of amusement from it. That said, teasing and getting reactions from Rei gives you just that.

As you two rode the subway train towards the district where the shop is, you took it upon yourself to try and get her on your side once more.

"Come on, Rei-chan. I'm sure you'd agree that the two of us are already friends even before you met them, right? So the least you could do is to give me some hints about her. Or perhaps that girl is already here sitting beside me, hmm?" You began.

But instead of giving you an answer, Rei simply stuck out her tongue in reply, as you soon figured out that once again, she'd rather tease you back than to betray her "co-conspirators".

"I thought I told you that I won't fall for your tricks again, Y/N. No matter how many times you ask me, I won't give you any clues. Besides, I'm sure you know that Yujin-unnie has her ways of finding out if one of us chooses to disregard the rules. If you want to win, figure it out for yourself. Hmph."

"Ya, I'm just kidding. Of course I'll figure it out on my own as agreed, and I promise that I'll be able to before the deadline." You assured her.

"Okay, I believe you. But you know, whether you win or lose, we'll still be friends. You already did a lot for me, and I'll be forever grateful for helping me become the person that I am now. I changed for the better, and it's because of you that I did. I'm sure that the others will tell you the same. Even so, it's much more meaningful to me since we knew each other the longest."

"I just did what I thought was best, especially since you're my best friend, Rei-chan. I know that you'd do the same for me too given the chance. But please, just one tiny clue won't hurt, no?"

"This again. If you keep on asking me about it then I'll ignore you for the rest of the day. You do know what happens when Miyeon-unnie notices that we're not getting along, don't you?"

For sure, you quickly realized what she meant by that, which led you to think that it may not be a good idea for you to keep pressing her for hints.

"Y-yeah, I know Rei-chan. I'll just.....shut up about it from now on. But I have to say, you and the others are way too harsh when it comes to this game."

"Hehe, that may be true. Still, this is what we had decided, and you agreed to it as well. So that's that. You still have plenty of time to figure it out, so there's no need for you to worry about it too much."

"If only I could. But like I told you girls before, I won't give up. Now let's talk about something else. Would you like for us to go somewhere after you finish your shift at the coffee shop?"

"Huh? Wait a minute. Are you trying to bribe me. Y/N?"

"Of course not! I just thought that it would be nice since you've been so busy these days, and that I want to genuinely do something good for you. If you agree to it, I was hoping that we could get some ice cream from that same shop again. What do you say?"

Rei can't help but feel happy once she heard your suggestion. In her mind, there was really no reason for her to refuse, since that place meant a lot for the two of you.

"All right. We should invite Miyeon-unnie too. It's been a long time since that day, so I'm really looking forward to it."

"Same here. I'm happy that you're still fond of that place just like I do. That's because....."

"It's where I first met you."