(CLASSROOM)
During class, Yeoryeong was feeding Dan-I a sweet and sugary chocolate stick, and it seemed like they were having a lovely and cute moment together. I couldn't help but feel a bit embarrassed by this, but suddenly, she turned to look at me and smiled.
"You too, Haera, say ah," she said as she handed me a chocolate stick. I couldn't resist her cute charm, and I took the stick and started to chew through it. It was quite delicious and sweet, and I had to admit that the chocolate was my favorite flavor
"I'm jealous you three look so lovely” Joo-in said while smiling cutely
Yeoryeong asked herself, "Do we really look that way?" looking quite clingy to Dan-I and I, who both felt rather embarrassed by this situation.
Yoo Chunyoung continued to bring logic puzzles, Sudoku, and crossword puzzles and asked Ban Yeo Ryung for help figuring them out. The former looked at Dan-i with a straightforward attitude, asking, "You've been purposely avoiding her, right? Why did you do it?"
Chunyoung's straightforward attitude made Dan-i gulp as she was caught off guard by this interrogation.
But thanks The period for the midterm exam came as the bell rang and we all went back to our seats.
Ban Yeo Ryung was the top student in our school, and Kang Haera was second, which made Jiho feel very resentful as he came in third.
I shrugged off his resentment and teased him with my higher rank, saying, "See, I can beat you." I didn't really care that much about my rank, but it was fun to tease Jiho about it.
I burst out laughing as Jiho told me to fuck off,
"Wow! Haera is so cool! You beat Jiho's dignity!" Joo-in says while laughing as Jiho dignity is fading away
///
After finishing lunch, we decide to go back to our classroom.
"Dan-i Can we go to your place after school finishes?" Yeoryeong asked Dan-i, who smiled and nodded in anticipation.
We stepped into the classroom and heard Baek Yeomin's loud voice, which caught our attention.
We overheard Baek Yeomin's voice as he was talking about Dan-i, and his words were incredibly rude and insulting.
"I'm so sick of Ham Dan-I. Since Ban Yeoryeong and Haera have so many guys around them, she's being such a parasite to them. Oh, that name is so perfect. Looks exactly like a maid Hyang Dan-I."
We overheard Baek Yeomin insulting Dan-i by calling her a parasite and comparing her to a maid named 'Hyang Dan-I and we felt deeply disgusted and infuriated by his words.
"Also, Haera, don't you see that she's always left out since Dan-i and Yeoryeong are fine? It's pathetic to see her looking like she's a pity case, haha!"
I looked at Baek Yeomin, who also looked at me and Dan-i with a mocking smile. She then spoke to me directly, saying, "Whew~ who's here? What do you want, Hyang Dan-i? Can't take a joke Haera?"
As Yeoryeong was about to start a fight, I stopped her and spoke.
"Yeoryeong, stop. Don't do anything." I said firmly, catching Yeoryeong's attention.
"Yeah...Don't fight with them. That's not the answer." Dan-I said softly, trying to calm both her and Yeoryeong down.
"Haera...Dan-I... "
Baek Yeomin and her group were clearly trying to provoke us, making it obvious that they were looking for a fight. They didn't care who started the fight, as long as it ended with us being blamed for it.
As such, I could not afford to let this happen. We needed to avoid fighting with them at all costs, and I wasn't going to let them tarnish our reputation.
"You're being rude, Baek Yeomin." I said with a cold tone of voice, not allowing her to continue the fight.
Baek Yeomin looked at us with a sly smirk, but I didn't falter. I kept my tone of voice sharp and calm as I spoke to her.
"I know that you think you can say whatever you want. But you need to understand that you have crossed a line and I won't tolerate your disrespect your insult any longer."
Baek Yeomin looked at me with a sly smirk and then spoke in a mocking tone.
"Oh, really? What makes you think you can tell me what to do?" She said, clearly taking pleasure in pushing me to the edge.
"I don't need to explain myself to you." I said with confidence. "If you can't understand why your behavior is wrong, that's a reflection of your own immaturity."
"You!" Baek Yeomin glared at me she became frustrated to my words but then another person stepped up next to me, surprising me.
It was Kwon Eun Hyung with his maple-spreading hair under the sunlight. He spoke bravely and confronted Baek Yeomin face-to-face.
"I think Kang Haera is right. You went too far. Apologize, Baek Yeomin."
This moment was extremely satisfying to witness, as her arrogance and rudeness finally started getting criticized by everyone else in the class.
Kwon Eun Hyung and others from the class spoke up and defended us and called out Baek Yeomin for her comments on our appearance.
"Yeah, you shouldn't talk about how a person looks."
"Ban Yeoryeong and Dan-I and Kang Haruna have been friends since they were young, right?"
"I think Yeomin has had too much to drink. She's not thinking straight"
"Ugh, I'm so sorry. I said too much." she said with embarrassing look I was satisfied
Eunhyung turned back around to go back to his seat, giving me a calm and friendly look as he did.
"Why don't we return to our seats?" he said, his voice sounding like a genuine request rather than a demand.
"Yeah, thanks. If you weren't here a moment later, the situation would have gotten out of hand." Dan-i said, her words sounding both grateful and concerned.
"Huh?" Eunhyung looked confused "I mean yeoryeong"
"Haha, it's that's so your welcome"
Eunhyung's smile was so bright and kind that Dan-I and I were left speechless for a moment, taking a second to process his words.
But Yeoryeong's reaction was opposite of ours, and she spoke up with a worried expression on her face.
"Haera, Dan-i are you both okay?"
"Huh?" we both said at the same time, feeling puzzled by her concerns.
"Because of me they said bad things both of you..."
Yeoryeong seemed troubled by the remarks that the others had made about us, she's feeling like it was her fault.
Dan-I quickly spoke up to reassure her, saying "This isn't your fault, don't worry about it."
Yeoryeong didn't look convinced, and I lowered my head to avoid her gaze.
"Haera, I'm sorry, too. I didn't realize I was leaving you alone. I'm sorry."
"Don't worry, Yeoryeong," I replied, trying to assure her in the same sweet way
"I'm not feeling left out at all. In fact, I'm glad we're friends again. Don't think too much about what Baek Yeomin said. It's not worth worrying about."
Yeoryeong seems to have calmed down and relaxed slightly, her concerns eased by my words. She gives me a sweet smile, showing me her appreciation for my attempt to reassure her.
"Hehe, thankyou I'm so happy that I have you both!" She smiled warmly and brightly we just smiled as her
///3 YEARS LATER///
Three years later and winter is still here. It's still dark outside at 5 am when I suddenly wake up to the feeling of someone touching my forehead.
"Cold... " I murmured while my eyes was still closed my mom's hand is so cold...
"There's no fever..."
I open my eyes wide when I recognize the voice it was voice of boys than the voice of my mom it was Chunyoung, who seems surprised to see me awake all of sudden
"What the?" I exclaimed as I saw Chunyoung standing next to my bed and looking at me with confused expression
"...."
"Why did you enter my room without my permission?" I asked, rubbing my hair as I sat up from my bed.
"Your mom told me to wake you up," Chunyoung replied
"My mom told you that?" I repeated
Chunyoung continued speaking, "She's busy in the kitchen, packing your lunch."
I sighed and nodded
"Okay, I got it," I said as I stood up from my bed
Chunyoung suddenly told me, "Yeoryeong and Jiho are in Dan-i's apartment, so after you're done getting dressed, let's go there. I'll wait for you."
My eyes widened and I realized that he came to my apartment...just to wake me up and... Ugh let's get dressed up!
I rush and get ready, I quickly went and dressed up. It's been three years since Yeoryeong and Dan-I and the Heavenly kings became my friends, and it was all sudden.
Once I finished brushing my hair, I realized that my vision had become worse over the years. I placed my glasses on and went to open the door, where I saw Chunyoung waiting outside for me.
Chunyoung's overall appearance hasn't changed much since the last I saw him. He was wearing a winter coat and red scarf, with a black face mask and hat to disguise his appearance he was a famous model anyway
As I was about to leave the apartment, I called out to my mother, saying "Mom, we're leaving."
She replied, "Okay, take care and don't forget to eat your lunch."
"Got it," I responded.
Then, I turned to Chunyoung
"Let's go, Chunyoung" I said simply, and then started leaving the apartment.
Upon entering Dan-I's apartment, we found Yeoryeong sitting on the couch with a brightly smiling face.
"Haera you're here!" she said joyfully, "You know Ji-Ho? He offered himself to wake Dan-I earlier, Dan-I's mom gladly accepted his assistance. Ha, he just wants to look like a good boy in front of Dan-I's mom!"
"Haha, that two-faced brat, lol." I laughed as well at Yeoryeong's comments.
After only a few seconds, Ji-Ho came back into the living room from Dan-I's room with a foolish smile on his face.
"Where's Dan-I? I thought you were supposed to wake her up also Stop smiling like that, you look creepy." I commented, finding his facial expression comical rather than concerning.
Ji-Ho's mood was immediately ruined when I spoke up. He replied, "You little shit, you're being a huge shit in this early morning."
"Ah, but it's fun to be your little shit" I couldn't stop laughing as I replied in a mocking tone.
Ji-Ho shot a sharp and annoyed glance at my sarcastic reply, but I couldn't stop laughing at how I had managed to disturb his mood so thoroughly.
As we waited in the living room, Dan-I slowly emerged from her room while still feeling sleepy.
At her appearance, Yeoryeong gave her a warm greeting, "Good morning Dan-i!"
Dan-I only replied with a simple, "Good morning" as she still felt half asleep.
"let's go. Eun Hyung, Ju-In are already at the train station" I told them they're nodded
We finally left the house.
Yeoryeong held my arms, and Dan-I held my other arm, and we quickly made our way toward the train station.
Ji-Ho and Chunyoung were talking about games and were slightly behind us, following at a slower pace.
(TRAIN STATION)
After we arrive the train station
I spots Eun-Hyung, and Ju-In together near one of the stairways.
Eunhyung welcomed us warmly with a smile, as Ju-In ran excitedly toward me and embraced me tightly in a loving way that was similar to a puppy, making me feel like the bigger sister with such a welcome.
"Oh, miss you too, Ju-In," I replied softly as I gently hugged her back, feeling touched by her affectionate behavior.
As I hugged Ju-In, she started making cute puppy-like expressions, which I found extremely adorable.
"You didn't reply to my message last night" ju-in said, looking sad and puppylike.
"Oh, I fell asleep" I replied, while gently pinching his cheeks with my fingers and being unable to resist his cuteness.
The sudden shift from Ju-In hugging me and referring to me as noona to him as we stopped hugging he suddenly hugging Dan-I instead showed how much he considered her a mother-like figure
As I saw him doing this, I wasn't bothered by it at being called noona, considering how he considered it simply as a family plaything and he treated me like a big sister.
I was also intrigued by the conversation between Eunhyung and Chunyoung, which seems to revolve around me. I was curious to know more about the situation, but they seemed to avoid addressing the topic directly.
Eunhyung saw me looking at them and then he suddenly spoke "The subway is coming so let's go"
We all agree as we followed Eunhyung I'm still curious what they're taking about...
(TRAIN)
As the two continued to interact, Chunyoung's calm tone contrasted with Jiho's sudden anger
"Hey you Chunyoung, what was all about yesterday?" Eunhyung asked, seemingly referring to an event that had taken place a day before.
"I don't want to hear that from someone who just won a bronze" Chunyoung said, seeming a little more calm about something now.
"What does me winning a bronze have to do with anything?" Jiho yelled, now annoyed too.
Chunyoung doesn't look he bother he stared to put his earphones I guess they're talking about game again
"Hey why do you still have earphone on when someone is talking to you!" he yelled again look like pissed off
Chunyoung seemed to be unruffled by the whole situation, putting on his earphones and tuning out the world out rather easily.
With Jiho's increasingly louder voice
"Hey, why do you still have earphones on when someone's talking to you?" Jiho shouted again, clearly upset by Chunyoung's aloof attitude.
I sigh they're still talking about game
As Eunhyung interrupted Jiho's yelling, he asked him a question that was meant to remind him of common sense and respect.
"Do you know what happens when you're too loud on the subway?"
Jiho became confused and looked around, seeming to find it difficult to understand why his loudness mattered in an empty subway.
"Huh? Well, there are no other passengers except us," he said in defense of his actions.
"Ah, you're only been riding in limousines so you wouldn't know-" he says smiling innocentlywide while looking at to jiho
Jiho started to sweatdrop to Eunhyung expression
"...."
"I was... Wrong." Jiho said
As I began to quietly laugh and chuckle, Yeoryeong leaned head to my shoulder showing that she was falling asleep. However, I also noticed that Dan-I was also leaning her head to my another shoulder too as well in sleepiness.
'These two are still really sleepy, since we woke up early.' I said to myself as I smiled.
Then I closed my eyes and felt myself falling into a peaceful sleep.
To Be Continued ~~~