√ 𝐸𝑓𝑓𝑒𝑟𝑣𝑒𝑠𝑐𝑒𝑛𝑡 // 𝐻𝑤𝑎𝑛𝑔 𝐻𝑦𝑢𝑛𝑗𝑖𝑛

twenty three.

     "Do you have everything?"

     It was the fifteenth time he'd asked. Nari managed to swallow a groan of exasperation and sent a thin, shiny lipped grin in his direction. "Yes, Chan, I do."

     The leader bit his lip anxiously and rifled through her backpack, stuffing in extra pencils and scratch paper into various pockets. He carefully zipped it up before nudging her around to face him, scrutinizing her appearance: her school uniform, pleated skirt and shirt ironed and neat, hair pulled back in a ponytail, stray locks framing her face, which had a rather bored expression on it.

     "Chan, it's okay. I have everything and - we're going to be late!" Nari whined while stamping her foot. Felix, Seungmin, Hyunjin, Jeongin, and Jisung stood with them in the house's foyer, itching to run out of the door while Chan gave Nari an extremely drawn out once over.

(y'all my dumb self just realized that i made Nari years younger than the boys and put her in the same grade as them smh- for this book pls just imagine that they're in the same year and Jeongin is a year behind them)

     Lines formed on Chan's forehead as he listened to her impatient words. "A-alright, if you're sure. I just want to make sure that you're completely ready to go back to school, since you missed a lot because of us and - "

     Suddenly she wasn't in such a rush to get out the door. Nari smirked gently as she watched her brother become so worried and protective of her, and warmth began to spread in her chest. Her hand moved to Chan's shoulder, startling him enough to be quiet.

     "I'm sure, Chan," Nari assured him, eyes turning up into crescents as she smiled. "Really, school will be fine. See you later?"

     The frazzled boy nodded and, still a little hesitant, smiled back at her. "Yes, fine. Go and hurry before you miss the bus."

     "Okayyyyy, let's gooooo," Jisung whined, leaning onto Seungmin's shoulder. The younger boy sighed through his nose and glared playfully at his hyung, shaking him off before he could wrinkle his shirt.

     "We're going now," Felix announced, lugging Jisung and Seungmin out of the house. Chan forlornly nodded once and turned to go, a small frown on his face, but not before Nari could plant a peck on his cheek.

     "See you after school!"

     Taken aback, he watched the kids slam the door and brought a hand up to his cheek, softly touching the spot Nari had kissed him. Chuckling, he padded barefoot into the kitchen, pouring himself a cup of coffee while Woojin trudged in.

     The eldest yawned, running a hand through his bedraggled hair. "Have they left yet?"

     Sipping from his mug, Chan nodded and ran his tongue over his teeth. "They just left for the bus."

     Woojin opened a cabinet and got a cup out for himself, pouring a generous amount of coffee into it. "I hope it goes well. Nari hasn't been doing the best - the last thing she needs is trouble at school."

     The thought had crossed through Chan's mind as well. His frown deepened as he sipped again, determined to hope for the best. "It'll be fine. No one would dare mess with her. She has us now."

°   °   °

     As the door thumped shut, Hyunjin pouted, waiting until the group had passed before gently pulling Nari next to him. He stuck out his lip pitifully, eyes annoyed.

     Confused, Nari cocked her head, trying to decipher his behavior. "What is it?"

     Hyunjin crossed his arms grumpily. "You don't kiss me like that."