The sound of the school bell rang to signal lunch time. Jiyoo kept her book under the study table while getting ready to go out.

"Jiyoo." Jungwon approached her.

"Yea?" Jiyoo asked as they both walked out together to head to the canteen.

"Where's Niki?" Jungwon asked and Jiyoo shrugged.

"He came out early because Mr. Kim called him." Jiyoo replied.

"Did he make a mistake? Uhm nevermind. By the way, later in the evening we will send our dance video at the competition, okay?" Jungwon said as he took a seat at the empty table.

Jiyoo sat in front of him while nodding her head. "Sure. Besides, I've prepared my dance video."

"Great. Can I watch it?"

"Of course not." Jiyoo laughs while Jungwon pouts.

They are both waiting for Niki and Lea. Soon after, they arrived. Jiyoo and Jungwon looked weirdly at Lea who was carrying some of the paper bags with tired faces.

"Hi guys." Niki greeted them with a smile before sitting down next to Jungwon.

Lea, on the other hand, staggered to place the bag on the table with Jiyoo's help.

"What is this?" Jungwon asked while looking at Niki.

"My fans gave me food earlier. So today we will eat together. No need to buy food, save our money. Right, Lea?" Niki looked at Lea who had rolled her eyes at him.

"Right you ass. Make sure I get more food later." Lea said while sitting next to Jiyoo.

"Wait, you made Lea to lift all this stuff?" Jungwon started questioning Niki in a slightly firm tone.

"Woop woopp chill. At least I'll give her food as a reward later." Niki replied while making a dull face.

"No need to follow him, Lea. I can buy more food for you than him without any excuse." said Jungwon and a pair of Lea's eyes rounded surprise.

"Seriously?"

Jungwon nodded. Instantly Lea's face turned happy. "Kyaaa! Thank you Jungwon!"

Jiyoo who saw the scene smiled in silence. That's right, Jungwon loves their friendship. How lucky we have you, Jungwon. Jiyoo thought.

"So what do we have here?" Jungwon checked the bags one by one. He took out a small box and opened it.

"Woah cupcake! ”Lea looked at cupcake which is in Jungwon's hands.

"You want it?" Jungwon asked and Lea kept nodding.

"Hey, you don't mind if she takes this?" Jungwon looked at Niki.

"Go ahead." Niki replied that it didn't matter and Lea ate the cupcake given by Jungwon.

"Jiyoo?"

Jiyoo looked at Niki. "Yes?"

Niki handed her a container. Jiyoo picked it up and opened it. It's sushi. Jiyoo smiled fondly.

"For you." said Niki, carving a smile for her.

"Thanks." said Jiyoo and she started enjoying the sushi. Jiyoo stole a glance at Niki who was opening the his plastic lollipop.

"Niki oppa!"

Niki almost choked on the lollipop that was in his mouth. He turned to the side and saw a girl smiling as she handed him a gift box.

"For me?"

The woman nodded quickly as she blushed  when Niki took her gift.

"Thanks sweetie." said Niki while winking at her.

"Can I have your autograph, oppa?"

Niki laughed as he wrote his autograph on the paper given to him by the girl.

"Omg you're the best oppa! I love you!" said the girl happily and walked away from there.

"Cute." Niki laughed a little then he looked at all three of their faces who also were staring at him with poker faces.

"What?"

"Cringe." speak them together.

"That's the way I treat my fans okay." said Niki while flipping his hairs back.

"Okay but how do you treat your future girlfriend soon? It is the same service as your fans or what? You're not gentle, Niki-ah." Lea said as she ate her cupcakes.

"I will treat my girlfriend in my own way because she is someone special to me." Niki replied calmly.

Jiyoo looked at Niki. She felt that Niki's word 'someone special' is making her curious if he have that kind of feelings to someone.

Jungwon started teasing Niki. "How lucky she is ..."

Niki smiled and he realized Jiyoo was looking at him. When their gazes met, Jiyoo went back to eating her sushi and acted like nothing happened.

°°°

That afternoon, they plan to have a picnic at Yeouido Hangang Park. Jiyoo wore a pastel blue dress to under her knees while Lea wore a cream blouse and white leggings.

"Yahh!" Jiyoo hit Lea's shoulder angrily.

"Awh! Why???" Lea looked at Jiyoo with a frown on her forehead.

"You told me this morning that you were going to wear a dress but what it is? You betrayed me!" Jiyoo almost cried.

Lea laughed as she hugged Jiyoo's shoulder. "Aww sorry about that bestie ... I'm not comfortable wearing that dress. But heyy you look pretty today seriously!"

Jiyoo distances herself from Lea while sulking. Moments later, Jungwon and Niki arrived there carrying a basket containing food and drinks.

Jiyoo approached Lea again and hide behind her. Jiyoo's face turned red when Jungwon and Niki looked at her.

"Is that Jiyoo?"Jungwon asked while placing the basket on the picnic mats.

"You don't recognize our own bestfriend?" Lea asked with a laugh.

Jungwon looked at Jiyoo again. After that he smiled. "Hah it's you, Jiyoo-ah ..." he said.

Jiyoo started standing next to Lea with an awkward face. "Err does my appearance looks weird?" she asked as she held the bottom end of her dress due to the gentle breeze that was blowing.

"Beautiful." Niki complimented him with a sweet smile on his lips.

Jiyoo was stunned by the compliment.  "T-thank you." she said a little stuttering.

The three of them laughed at Jiyoo's cute behavior. Now they sit together while enjoying the drink bought by Jungwon and Niki earlier.

Jiyoo sat down with an uncomfortable face because the dress showed her legs.

Niki who noticed Jiyoo's situation started to open the jacket tied around his waist. Then, he covered Jiyoo's exposed legs.

"Thank you again ..." Jiyoo said and she tried to hold back her shyly there.

"No worries." said Niki.

"Omo omo is that Niki?"

"Gosh its him thoo!"

They looked at the three girls who were over fangirling with Niki. Niki waved at them while carving his smile. The three girls screamed in delight.

"Crazy." Lea muttered slowly but was still heard by Niki.

"At least I have fans and not like you." Niki teased her while sticking his tongue out at Lea. Before Lea could reply, Niki had already left and headed towards his fans earlier.

Jiyoo watched Niki from a distance. Niki was posing with the girls while laughing happily. Jiyoo ran her gaze in the other direction.

She felt something in her heart when she saw Niki with other people. 

Am I jealous? She thought to herself in her heart.

°°°

In a few months, they will finish their last semester this year. As usual they studied together at Lea's house.

"Who do you think will be selected to enter the dance competition?" Lea asked as she played with the pen in her hand.

Jiyoo, Jungwon and Niki didn’t answer as they focused on reading the book.

"Are we going to be elected or not?" again Lea's question was ignored by the three of them.

"If we were chosen, what would be the first thing you guys would do? If it was me, I would scream and cry in happiness like this 'huwaarggg mommy daddy, I'm chosen!' " Lea made her fake cry dramatically.

Jungwon tapped Lea's head with his pen. "Focus Lea."

Niki and Jiyoo laughed at Lea's sore wrinkled face.

Lea rubbed her head with a small squeak. "I can't focus, Jungwon ... My head is constantly reminded of the audition."

"You want to graduate with a failed result or not? There's no point if you're the best dancer but your academics are zero." Jungwon started nagging at once advising her.

"Okay I'll focus on study now." Lea opened her book  immediately and Jungwon was already shaking his head with a small laugh.

"Jiyoo ..." Niki called to her while shuffling towards her with holding his book.

"Urmm?" Jiyoo asked without looking at him as she was writing her notes.

"How do you answer this maths question?" Niki asked while pointing to the question on the book.

Jiyoo raised her face and without realizing it, her cheeks glimpse for a moment with Niki's. She was shocked and moved her body a little away from Niki.

Jiyoo cleared her throat a little. "Which question do you not understand?"

Niki brought his face closer to Jiyoo's to look at the question in the book. Once again Jiyoo felt her heart beating fast as her shoulder touched Niki's.

"You just have to remember this algebra formula and you'll be able to answer the exercise easily. Right, Lea?" Jiyoo turned to Lea and tried to act normal at this point.

"I'm dumb in maths so don't ask me." Lea replied.

"Yea that's right." Jungwon answered on Lea's behalf.

Niki nodded understandingly and looked at the question again. Not long after, Niki snapped his fingers once.

"I got the answer!" he said and wrote the answer to the question.

"Geez that's easy. Thank you Jiyoo." Niki smiled at him and returned to his seat.

"Welcome." Jiyoo replied.

"Ah can I borrow your ruler?" Niki asked her and Jiyoo nodded simply while handing her ruler to Niki.

For the third time Jiyoo felt like she was electrocuted when her fingers touched Niki for a moment. She was stiff there while Niki just acted normal.

"You okay, Jiyoo?" Jungwon asked in surprise.

"Y-yeah! I need to go to the toilet for a while. Excuse me." Jiyoo quickly left and headed into the toilet with her blushing face.

Niki put Jiyoo's ruler back. Jungwon and Lea looked strangely at Niki who was checking something in Jiyoo's pencil box.

"What are you doing?"

"Find liquid paper --- ah thanks Jungwon." Niki puts down Jiyoo's pencil box and takes liquid paper from Jungwon.

"You can use mine next time." said Jungwon and Niki just nodded.

°°°

Tbc.