A few days had passed and Jaemin, Jeno, Mark, Renjun, and Haechan found out about Chenle and Jisung's fight. Both of them didn't eat with us for a couple of days and they only found out the truth when they cornered Chenle one lunch. Jisung was nowhere to be found but according to Renjun, he saw them Sungchan's group. No wonder nobody saw him, he blended in with them so well.

"I'm surprised (Name) didn't tell you guys everything," Chenle said while the ten of you were having a picnic, Jisung still absent and Giselle had a class. It was one fine day and the weather was nice so you took advantage to soak under the sun.

"I'm not the right person to tell them about your dilemma," you answered and took a sip of your blue lemonade. You moved to a more comfortable position but you hit your elbow holding the glass with your knee which caused the drink to spill all over. "Damn it!" you exclaimed.

Jaemin saw you being klutz once again, and he wasn't even surprised when you spilled the drink all over your clothes. He grabbed the tissue and got up, leaning towards you.

You were surprised when he gently wrapped his strong hand around your wrist and wiped the sticky liquid off your arm. Your first instinct was to pull away but he had a firm grip on you, expecting your reaction.

"You're really clumsy, did you know that?" he said in a low, soothing voice.

Suddenly, your mind was in a daze and you weren't in the field having picnic with your friends. It's just you and Jaemin with his hand wrapped around your wrist and his other hand gingerly making contact with the skin of your arm.

"Stop nagging me!" you retorted, fighting back the illusion that was threatening to engulf you.

These days, being around Jaemin made you crazy. Being close to him was another thing. It made you want to fly, scream, just let out the strange feeling that had been messing up with your system. But every time you looked at him, he was always calm as if your presence didn't bother him.

Which wasn't the case.

I'm touching her! I can't believe I'm touching her right now! Jaemin screamed inside his head. Keep your shit together, Na Jaemin. Don't do anything!

Beside him, his best friend was giving him taunting looks. "I didn't know you're so caring, Jaemin. I've been your friend for nine years but I never saw you act that way," Jeno said. Jaemin turned around and gave him a deadly glare but he was enjoying the situation he created, not minding the consequences entailed by his actions.

Jaemin let go of you and you were disappointed by the sudden loss of contact. "I just don't want the whole picnic to be a mess because of her clumsiness."

You didn't reply and rolled your eyes at him when he turned his back on you.

"What are you gonna do now?" Renjun asked Chenle who was quietly sipping a soda while wearing an expensive pair of sunglasses.

"About what?"

"About Jisung of course! You couldn't be serious when you wanted to end your friendship right!" Renjun exclaimed, raising his voice.

"Calm down, tiny Satan. Your blood pressure is rising," Haechan told Renjun which made the latter punch him in the gut. Haechan grunted in pain but hugged Renjun afterwards. Haechan loved hugging Renjun because according to him, Renjun fit perfectly in his arms.

"I'm not going to do anything. I'll let him come to me when he's ready. He'll soon realize that I am a better company than Sungchan and by that time, he will come crawling back to me, begging me to accept him again." Chenle let out an evil laugh but everybody there knew he was forcing it.

You sat there quietly, thinking about what he just said before you spoke. "What if he doesn't come back?"

All eyes were on you and you felt suddenly uncomfortable. However, there was only one pair of eyes you wished would look at you and realize what you were talking about.

"What do you mean?"

"What if Jisung doesn't come back to you? What if he realizes that Sungchan is a better friend? What are you gonna do? Are you just going to let him go?"

Chenle looked up at the clear sky. Nobody knew what's on his mind. But when he replied, his answer struck you. "If he doesn't come back then I will accept the fact that I am only passing by in his life. Not everyone who enters your life is meant to stay. If he will choose Sungchan over me then I didn't lose a friend, I only lost a temporary company which is a gain in my part."

Only if it was that easy.

"But what if he was just waiting for you do something?" Jaemin was the one who asked this time. "What if his timeout with you was his way of telling you that you should go run after him? Aren't you going to take the chance?"

Chenle scrunched his nose and ruffled his hair in frustration. "Seriously, I don't know what to do or if I should even do something. I'll figure it out. Let's just enjoy the warm weather for now."

All of you agreed to do so and let go of the heavy topic. You pushed away the sad feeling you felt when you saw Jeno and Jaemin whispering to each other. Chenle was right. Not every person who enters your life is meant to stay. Learn to let them go.

And in your case, you should've let him go nine years ago.

As you closed your eyes and tilted your head up to the clear sky, three pairs of eyes were looking at you.

First was from Sungchan who caught a glimpse of you and was admiring you from afar.

Second was from Jaemin who was having an internal conflict but chose to watch your peaceful state.

And the third one was from the person who harbored a dangerous hatred towards you.

After having a picnic at the field, all of you went to your respective classes and all you did was try not to get caught by your professor dozing off in your seat. You barely understood a word they were saying and before you knew it, the bell rang and your last period ended.

You happily got up on your seat, slung your bag on your shoulder and prepared to go home. While walking at the corridor, Jaemin spotted you who also just got dismissed by his last professor. He walked towards you but someone beat him to it. You were surprised to see Sungchan standing in front of you. Was it planned or mere coincidence, that you couldn't answer.

You noticed that ever since you met him, you had always been running into him. You weren't sure if he was always been there or not, but you doubt that you wouldn't notice someone as tall and handsome like him.

"Sungchan!" you exclaimed.

"Hi!" he replied a little breathless. "Are you going home?"

"Actually, yeah," you answered. You didn't know what to say afterwards.

"Great! I was about to go home, too. If it's okay with you, can we walk together?" he asked, a blotch of pink spread across his cheeks. You were dumbfounded for a moment, too surprised to digest his question.

"Uh, sure," you answered and smiled at him. It was rather rare to be asked to walk home together, especially from someone you just met but you simply shrugged it off.

The two of you walked together side by side and the students couldn't help but stare at the both of you. You looked ahead and tried to ignore the unwanted attention.

All of a sudden, a familiar scent filled your nostrils and somebody wrapped their arm around your shoulders. Your first instinct was to push that person away but when you saw Jaemin's face, you instantly calmed down.

"Jaemin?!" you exclaimed, unable to believe it was him. He looked down on you and you couldn't help but stare at his dark fringe between his eyebrows like a comma.

He noticed the exchange between you and Sungchan earlier and when he saw the two of you walk together, his feet forced him to follow you.

"Got a new friend?" he asked and looked up slightly to meet Sungchan's eyes. Jaemin was tall but Sungchan was a little bit taller.

"I'm Jung Sungchan," Sungchan introduced himself politely and the little irritation Jaemin felt towards him evaporated. Just a little.

"Na Jaemin, (Name)'s friend," Jaemin introduced himself.

Former best friend, you muttered inside your head but you held your tongue back.

"So, where are you two going?" Jaemin asked but he was looking at you. There it was again, a protective feeling he couldn't suppress. Even without your father around, you still couldn't get close to any guy without Jaemin being suspicious.

"Uh... I asked her if I can walk home with her. We're actually going in the same way," Sungchan answered and smiled at Jaemin. The latter's resolve slightly shook but he stood his ground.

"Oh, really?" Jaemin raised his eyebrows before turning to you. "What did I say about revealing your information about strangers, huh? Does your brain have leaks? Did you forget already?"

"If we're talking about forgetfulness then you're more professional than me," you retorted. You didn't mean for it to have a double meaning, but Jaemin didn't catch it up. Jaemin was smart but he could be a goldfish sometimes, and it was during these moments. "You goldfish-brained rabbit."

Jaemin glared at you before turning to Sungchan. "Okay, let's walk together. I just wanted to make sure if Sungchan is really trustworthy." Jaemin turned to Jeno. "No personal grudges, man. I just wanted to make sure she's safe around you."

Sungchan nodded understandingly. "Sure, that's not a problem with me. I'm willing to prove myself anytime."

Jaemin wanted to diss Sungchan but he couldn't think of anything insulting. He was literally a sweetheart and Jaemin hated the fact that he didn't have something to hate about him, except for the fact that he was always inching closer to you. Jaemin wanted to smack your head for being naïve sometimes but then it was just him noticing every little detail related to you.

"What do you mean walk with us? You have a car!" you said.

"Jeno will drive it today," Jaemin answered before parting the distance between you and Sungchan and standing in between. "What are we waiting for? Let's go home!"

"Okay!" Sungchan answered enthusiastically before setting off with Jaemin.

You were forced to run after them because both men had long legs that could go for days.

"Can you wait for me a little bit!" you complained, a little breathless.

"Tired? Want me to carry you?" Jaemin asked and you punched him on his arm which you only ended up hurting yourself. Jaemin wasn't buff but his body was toned.

"Shut up!" you grambled.

"I have a question," Sungchan began. "Are you two going out?"

"Yes."

"No!"

You looked at Jaemin im horror while his eyes remained on Sungchan, face void of any emotions. Sungchan's eyes dropped on you and you shook your head violently.

"We're not going out!" you denied.

"What do you mean? We're literally outside. Did you hit your head or something?" Jaemin asked.

Jaemin wasn't the smartest at the moment.

"I mean, are you two dating?" Sungchan clarified and a flash of understanding crossed Jaemin's face. His jaw tightened as he met Sungchan's eager expression.

He didn't like the fact that he couldn't insult Sungchan. And he also didn't like the fact that he was hopeful. He knew Sungchan admired you and it's really not that hard to tell. And he knew that Sungchan was the type to grab the opportunity once the opportunity presented itself to him.

He disliked Sungchan because he was something he wasn't.

"What if we are? What are you going to do about it?"

"Jaemin, what are you saying?"

Jaemin and Sungchan stared at each other and that's when Sungchan realized something that even Jaemin didn't even realize yet. However, he didn't back down. As long as he stood a chance, he wouldn't give up without a fight.

"That's too bad," Sungchan smirked, showing a cocky expression for the first time. Jaemin's fist tightened and before he could do something he might regret, you dragged him by his arm and he immediately calmed down.

"What do you think you're saying?" you scolded Jaemin and he looked away, slightly pouting. You couldn't help but think that he looked cute, always was, always would be. Then you turned to Sungchan, the cocky expression gone from his gentle face. "We're not dating, I swear! Don't mind him, he just says a lot of random things. Jaemin and I are just friends."

There was something in the way that you denied that pinched Jaemin's heart. He pushed it away, unused of the feeling. It's been so long since he felt something like this. He had numbed his heart, did his best not to form any sort of attachment because that would only break his heart.

Attachnent is a weakness, a poison, an idiotic idea because you would let yourself be vulnerable and give the other person the power to hurt you. He didn't want any of that bullshit.

But with you...

"Yeah, friends," he said. The words rolled bitterly out of his tongue and he suddenly despised it.

"How did you become friends? I mean, you guys are so different from each other," Sungchan said.

"Well, things happen," you answered and tried to laugh it off, unsure of what to say. Should you say that you and Jaemin became friends when you were drunk?

"Opposite attracts," Jaemin answered beside you.

"But I think (Name) and I are more compatible," Sungchan said that made you flustered. You didn't expect something like that to come out from him. You just met him recently yet he was gutsy.

"Are you saying that (Name) and I are not compatible?" Jaemin challenged.

"I'm just saying that (Name) and I have a better chemistry."

"You're overconfident, huh? Why don't we ask (Name) so we could settle it right here, right now." Jaemin turned to you which surprised at how close your faces were. "You have to choose which one of us is more compatible to you. Jaemin or Sungchan?"

"How did we even come to this situation—"

"An honest answer, (Name)," Sungchan gently. "Me or Jaemin? I promise no hard feelings."

"Why are you suddenly acting coy?" Jaemin asked irritably before lightly nudging you. "Jaemin or Sungchan? Come on we need your answer. We're almost at your dorm."

"Haechan," you answered. You knew that if Haechan was here, he's going to bug you nonstop for choosing him.

Jaemin's eyes widened in shock while Sungchan nodded in disappointment, yet he was still happy because you didn't choose Jaemin.

"What do you think you're saying—"

Jaemin's question was cut off when you saw Giselle and Nayoung came out of your dorm building. All of you looked surprised to see each other but when your eyes went down to their intertwined hands, you felt a pang on your chest.

"(Name)!" Nayoung called and ran towards you to give you a hug. When she pulled away, she looked at Jaemin and Sungchan. "I didn't know you're so close to Sungchan already," she said.

"They're not," Jaemin interrupted and you glared at him.

You looked at Giselle who didn't even greet you, instead, she was eyeing the arms still wrapped around you.

"Are you and (Name) close?" Nayoung asked Jaemin. Jaemin looked at you before looking back at Nayoung.

"Yeah, we are. Very," he answered and gave Sungchan a side glance to see his reaction. He was satisfied to see a slightly jealous Sungchan.

"See you guys tomorrow. Bye!" you bid the three of them goodbye before walking towards the entrance where Giselle was standing.

"Hi," you greeted her and gave her a forced smile.

"Hello," she greeted back and followed you inside.

"What's Nayoung doing here?" you asked. It was just a harmless question but it sounded rude. Good thing, Giselle didn't pay much attention to it.

"She's my partner in Art History and she decided to come over to do our project," she answered.

You got into your room and an awkward silence loomed over the atmosphere. You were too frustrated to break it and so was Giselle so you worked together in the suffocating silence. When you got inside the room, you noticed that the bottom drawer was slightly opened.

You opened the drawer and immediately saw the yearbook picture at the top. At the bottom drawer sheltered all the stuff you had in the past, mostly pictures from your highschool. However, the yearbook was taken when you were in elementary. You almost forgot about its existence until now. You opened it and it took you right away to the page that showed Jaemin's picture.

He still looked the same, how could he blatantly deny it when you had a strong evidence?

He's still the same, except for his eyes. Those twinkling, joyful eyes were gone. Replaced with something cold, something distant.

With a sigh, you returned the yearbook back to the drawer and went to the kitchen where Giselle was.

"So..." you began. "You and Nayoung are close now, huh?" you asked. Giselle took hint of your probing tone before going back to what she was doing.

"I should say the same thing to you."

"I don't know what you're talking about."

Giselle turned around and faced you. She had a serious expression on her face which you didn't expect but you stood your ground.

"Okay, judge me or what but I can't take this anymore. I've been noticing that you and Nayoung are really close now that you forget that I exist. I tried to push it away, thinking that I was just being immature but whenever she's around, she's the only one you're talking to."

You were surprised by her outburst and even more surprised about the things that she said.

"Giselle..." you trailed off. "All this time I was also being jealous of you and Nayoung because you had gotten so close together but I didn't say anything."

Giselle heaved a sigh before walking towards you and gave you a hug.

"I'm sorry," you said.

"I'm sorry, too. Let's not fight. We're literally living under the same roof."

"Yeah, I know. Besides, I don't want to lose another friend again," you replied.

Jaemin's young face crossed your mind. He found his best friend, the one who knew him the most. It's time to find yours. And you found one. Jaemin would still be your friend but you knew that you would never be the same anymore.

Especially when there's a foreign feeling blooming in your heart.

After you and Giselle reconciled, the two of you watched a movie while talking about the gossip you had heard these past few days. You didn't pay much attention to the movie and just talked until your throat was dry.

"Not to be judgmental or anything but I don't really feel good about Nayoung, you know what I mean? This is not because I was jealous. I felt it when she joined our table and she constantly feel the need to be the center of attention all the time. Like, she always does everything she can to be the focal point."

"Yeah, I noticed that one," you admitted. As much as you're trying to be 'good', some people are just bound to get into your nerves.

"Whoever she is, let's just be cautious around her," Giselle said and you nodded.

Little did you know that your hunches were right.

The next day, you went to school with Giselle and just parted your ways when you saw Haechan, Renjun, Chenle, and Jisung. They were walking side by side and Chenle and Jisung were walking in the middle. What surprised you was their intertwined hands and embarrassed expressions, meanwhile, Renjun and Haechan looked proud.

"(Name)!" Haechan yelled your name when he spotted you. The four of them reached to where you were standing. Renjun and Haechan had big smiles plastered across their face while Chenle and Jisung's ears were red in embarrassment.

"What the hell did just happen? Did I miss a whole season of this drama?" you asked.

Renjun puffed his chest proudly before speaking. "It's thanks to me and Haechan, these babies already made up."

"Stop calling us babies," Jisung retorted but Haechan smacked the back of his head.

"Shut up. You literally cannot order your own food without us. Now babies, stop fighting from now on, okay?" Haechan used his cute voice and cooed while Chenle and Jisung cringed.

From afar, you saw Mark and Jeno walking towards your direction and they had an unexpected company. Doyoung was laughing at what Mark had said and his adorable gummy smile showed. A fluttering feeling blossomed inside your chest and you automatically smiled.

However, there was one person missing.

"What's going on here?" Jeno asked and immediately pointed at the clasped hands of the two youngest men in their group. Haechan and Renjun quickly jumped into the backstory of how the two made up.

It was Haechan who thought of a plan to ambush the two while they were unaware. They made up a fake appointment on which Haechan will meet with Chenle and Renjun with Jisung. But in the end, it was Chenle and Jisung who met and they had no other choice but to talk because Renjun literally threatened them.

"If Renjun had a gun that time, he would force them to talk at gunpoint," Haechan commented and everybody laughed. While everybody was catching up with the story, Doyoung walked towards you.

"Hi!" he greeted you. "It's been a while," he added.

"Yeah, indeed. Did the student council keep you busy?" you asked, trying to start a casual conversation.

"Yeah, but it's okay. Taeyong's job as the President is really difficult and as his Vice President, I helped him with almost half of the task though he insists to do it alone. That man is so selfless," he answered and shook his head.

Doyoung had everything you were looking for in a man, it's no surprise that you liked him, and yet Jaemin still had the audacity to criticize your standards

What kind of girls does he even like anyway, you scoffed.

And even though you knew to yourself that you had a crush on Doyoung, your eyes immediately caught a familiar tall figure walking beside a strange person. However, the person wasn't a stranger at all, they're just an odd combination.

Jaemin and Nayoung were walking beside each other. Nayoung was laughing and Jaemin's face was relaxed, almost carefree. You only saw him like that when he's with Jeno, sometimes with you but you weren't exactly sure.

The fluttering feeling brought by Doyoung was replaced by a pang of pain at the sight of the two.

Am I going to lose him for the second time? You asked yourself.

As the two of them neared your location, people couldn't help but be shocked at the two. It was rare, indeed, to see just the two of them. It felt like it was only yesterday since Nayoung bumped into Jaemin and got angry at him and now, they're literally acting like the best of friends.

You lost Jaemin once and he found his best friend in the form of Jeno. Now that the two of you were starting to get close to each other, somebody came into the picture.

The incident with Giselle left you feeling sensitive that you thought everybody was trying to steal your closest friends.

He's not my property, he's a person who can hangout with whoever he wants, you thought to yourself, a desperate attempt to act mature.

Meanwhile, Jaemin was thinking of murder when he caught a glimpse of you and Doyoung standing next to each other. His carefree expression was replaced by something grim and cold.

An unmistakable jealousy.