Chapter Text
[9th of september 2027]
seo ha-na lay upside down on the sofa beneath the window of her room, her legs resting carelessly against the cushions while her head hung over the edge. she had been in that position for hours, ever since she returned from her classes at university. her hair brushed the floor, her eyes remained fixed on the ceiling, and every few minutes, she let out a long, miserable sigh.
she was currently in her second semester of english education. academically, she was doing well. there was nothing particularly wrong with her grades, her professors, or even the course itself. she had always been capable of keeping up with her studies. yet, somehow, she couldn't bring herself to feel fulfilled. it wasn't her studies that were bothering her.
it was him.
for the past three years, memories of a certain boy had appeared in her mind at the most inconvenient times. sometimes it happened while she was studying. sometimes while she was walking home. sometimes when she was doing absolutely nothing at all. yoon jeonghan. her first love. and, according to the promise she had quietly made to herself, her last.
ha-na squeezed her eyes shut as another memory surfaced. "ugh!" she kicked her feet uselessly against the air before grabbing handfuls of her hair. "why am i still like this?"
apparently, asking herself that question for the thousandth time hadn't helped. with another dramatic groan, she reached for her phone and dialed the one person she knew would tolerate her nonsense.
the call was answered after only a few rings. "what?" yoon jia's voice came through the speaker, flat and unimpressed.
ha-na said nothing. there was a brief silence. then came the inevitable sigh. "oh. yoon jeonghan again, is it?" ha-na's lips pressed into a pout. "fuck, can't you stop already? it's been three fucking years, ha-na."
ha-na hummed weakly in response, staring blankly at the ceiling. jia knew her too well. she knew that once ha-na slipped into her little world, there was practically no dragging her back out.
fortunately, jia had a method. "alright. there's a new cafe near our university. i'll pick you up in fifteen minutes. get ready."
"but..."
"no."
"i didn't even say anything."
"you were about to say you don't feel like going."
ha-na fell silent.
"get ready."
the call ended.
ha-na stared at her phone for several seconds before sighing and finally sitting upright. this had always been how jia dealt with her. whenever ha-na became too lost in her own thoughts, jia would simply drag her outside and force her to remember that life existed beyond whatever was happening inside her head.
ha-na stood and wandered toward her closet. she pulled out a comfortable hoodie and paired it with loose, baggy pants. after tying her hair into a messy bun, she dabbed on some light igari-style makeup, just enough to brighten her face without making it seem like she had tried too hard.
before leaving, she glanced at the unfinished novel sitting on her desk. she picked it up. if jia was forcing her out of the house, she might as well make the outing useful.
after slipping into her sneakers, ha-na reached for the doorknob.
a soft knock came from the other side.
she frowned. "coming." she opened the door and froze. for a moment, she genuinely forgot how to breathe.
standing on the other side was the person she had spent the past three years trying, and failing, to forget.
her ex-boyfriend. her first love.
yoon jeonghan.
❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀
[3rd of february 2020]
students filled the school hall from one end to the other, their voices blending into a restless wave of excitement as they waited for the new semester to officially begin. at the very front of the hall, the top students stood in neat rows, preparing to receive awards for their previous academic achievements and as hanguk middle school's honoured students listed.
among them stood yoon jeonghan. he was the student representative, chosen to deliver a speech on behalf of his classmates. the moment he stepped onto the stage, whispers began spreading through the hall. by the time he finished his speech, the whispers had turned into outright cheering. most of it had very little to do with his speech. jeonghan was simply far too good-looking for a boy his age, and apparently, the students of hanguk middle school had decided that this was enough reason to turn him into a school-wide celebrity on his first day.
jeonghan bowed politely, seemingly unaware of the chaos he had caused, before returning to his place in line. the assembly continued for another hour.
once it ended, students crowded around the school notice boards, searching for their names and assigned classes. among the crowd was seo ha-na, a fifteen-year-old girl with a small frame, a neat ponytail, and an expressive face that made it amazingly obvious whenever she was excited.
the moment she spotted her name, her eyes widened. "jia!" she turned around and practically bounced toward her childhood best friend.
"we're in the same class!"
jia immediately wrapped her arms around her and planted a kiss on her cheek. "that's right. you're stuck with me forever."
ha-na giggled. "good."
their reunion was interrupted when someone tapped ha-na lightly on the shoulder.
she turned around.
a tall boy stood behind her, his chest nearly level with the top of her head. he smiled apologetically. "sorry, but could you check my name on the list for me? i'm not really comfortable trying to get through that crowd."
he pointed toward the enormous mass of students surrounding the notice board.
ha-na nodded sympathetically. "of course. what's your name?"
beside her, jia immediately snorted. ha-na then shot her a confused look. "what?"
"you're dumb."
the boy chuckled. "here." he pointed toward the name tag on his uniform. "hong jisoo."
ha-na blinked then lightly smacked her forehead. "ah!"
jia laughed.
ha-na hurried into the crowd while jisoo remained beside jia.
jia glanced up at him. "you're tall enough to see over everyone's heads. why did you ask that tiny girl to do it?"
jisoo simply smiled and lifted one shoulder. "because she looked helpful."
"that's your excuse?"
"it's a good one."
jia narrowed her eyes. she already disliked him. not because he had done anything particularly terrible, but because there was something about his expression that suggested he enjoyed getting on people's nerves.
before she could respond, another boy joined them.
the student representative from the assembly. yoon jeonghan. he glanced between jia and jisoo with a mildly confused expression. "who's this?"
"i'm yoon jia."
jeonghan nodded politely. "nice to meet you."
jisoo suddenly grinned. "you two have the same surname."
silence. jia and jeonghan slowly turned toward him. two equally unimpressed stares landed on jisoo.
he immediately raised both hands. "alright, alright. i was just saying."
jia rolled her eyes.
jeonghan sighed. "you're annoying."
before their argument could continue, ha-na came rushing back through the crowd and she looked completely exhausted. "how can they push each other so much?"
jia immediately reached over and tugged the hair tie from ha-na's ponytail, allowing her hair to fall freely around her shoulders to fix her messy hair.
"my poor baby. you got bullied without even realizing it."
ha-na blinked. "what?"
jia ignored her and began fixing her hair.
jisoo coughed softly and ha-na turned toward him. "oh right! we're all in the same class!"
she looked at them excitedly. "6-1."
jisoo smiled. jeonghan gave a small nod. jia looked pleased that she wouldn't have to navigate the new semester alone.
then ha-na's eyes landed on jeonghan. she stared. something about him felt strangely familiar.
she tilted her head. where had she seen him before? her eyes then widened. "the student representative!"
she blurted it out so loudly that several students nearby turned to look.
jisoo immediately burst into laughter. "you're right." he had to cover his mouth to keep himself from laughing even harder.
jeonghan sighed and ran a hand through his hair.
ha-na's cheeks warmed. "i knew you looked familiar."
"anyway," jeonghan said, pretending not to notice her embarrassment, "it seems like we're all going the same way. let's move."
the group nodded and began walking toward their classroom.
jeonghan naturally took the lead. jia followed behind him. and jisoo stayed at the back with ha-na.
Jisoo quickly discovered that she was remarkably easy to tease. within minutes, he had already started making little comments just to see her reactions. ha-na, completely oblivious to his intentions, simply laughed along.
jia noticed. of course she noticed. by the time they reached the classroom, she had already decided that hong jisoo was going to be her personal nemesis.
the hallway was filled with curious glances. students whispered among themselves as the group passed, clearly fascinated by the combination of their striking appearances. the four of them, however, remained completely unaware of the attention.
when they entered the classroom, ha-na immediately chose a seat toward the back. she placed her bag beside the desk and sat down.
a second later, jisoo dropped into the chair beside her. jia's expression darkened instantly at his action.
ha-na looked at her, "sit in front of me, jiaa."
jia reluctantly moved to the empty seat directly in front of ha-na. jeonghan then took the seat beside her.
—
the first three periods passed surprisingly quickly. when the bell finally rang for break, ha-na turned toward jisoo.
"wanna eat together with us, jisoo-ah?"
jisoo nodded almost immediately. his ears turned slightly red. how could someone be this cute? the thought appeared in his mind before he could stop it.
jia, meanwhile, looked horrified. "i don't want to have lunch with him!"
"that's right," jeonghan added calmly. "it's not appropriate, jisoo."
jisoo's expression immediately fell. "they're scolding me for wanting to be friends with you, ha-na..."
ha-na looked between them with wide, determined eyes. "no. this isn't a matter of wanting or not."
she placed both hands on her desk. "we are fated to stick together throughout all our middle school years!"
there was a brief silence. then jisoo snorted.
jeonghan's lips curved into a small smile. even jia couldn't stop herself from laughing.
"you're right, my good friend." jisoo enthusiastically tapped ha-na's shoulder.
"see? we're destined."
"exactly!"
jia buried her face in her hands. she already regretted everything.
❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀
—
a year passed and their friendship somehow survived. more surprisingly, the four of them remained in the same class the next year.
ha-na and jia's grades were fairly average, but good enough to keep them among the students of the top class. meanwhile, jeonghan and jisoo continued to achieve excellent grades with an ease that occasionally irritated the girls.
their grades improved further once they began holding study sessions together under the two boys' guidance.
a few afternoons each week, they would gather at a nearby cafe after school, filling the table with textbooks, worksheets, drinks, and snacks.
they had studied, played around and, more often than they would admit, they ended up laughing until the staff had to remind them to keep their voices down.
one afternoon, after hours of studying, exhaustion finally caught up with them. jia had fallen asleep first and jisoo followed shortly after.
ha-na was sitting beside jeonghan, her cheek resting against her folded arms on the table. jeonghan was the only one still awake.
he continued working through his practice questions until a strand of ha-na's hair fell across his worksheet. he paused and looked at her.
her hair had become completely dishevelled during her nap, spilling across the table and partially covering her face.
jeonghan hesitated. then, almost instinctively, he reached over and gently moved the strands away from her eyes. when ha-na shifted, he immediately froze.
"mm..." she grumbled sleepily and turned her face slightly toward her arm.
jeonghan waited. when she settled again, he carefully continued, tucking her hair away from her face. his hand lingered for a second longer than necessary. he pulled away eventually. then stared.
he had never really noticed how peaceful she looked when she wasn't talking. her cheeks were slightly flushed from sleeping against her arm, her eyelashes resting softly against her skin.
jeonghan quickly looked back at his worksheet. he tried to focus. he really did. but his eyes kept drifting back toward her.
eventually, he gave up pretending.
he lowered his head onto the table, resting his cheek against his arm. his gaze remained fixed on her sleeping face. he didn't understand why his chest felt strangely tight. he didn't understand why he suddenly wanted to stay there a little longer like this. and he certainly didn't understand why seeing her like this made him smile.
❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀
[the next day]
"jisoo-ah, i can't do this." ha-na whined as she bumped her head against her desk in the classroom.
jisoo patted her head. "you know you can just ask for my help."
ha-na tilted her head and pouted. "why do you get such high grades in physics? this subject just doesn't make sense to me. i mean, it makes sense, but i just can't understand this electromagnetic topic!"
jisoo continued patting her head before moving on to poke her cheeks. then, he pulled a few sweets from his pocket. "cheer up and eat this."
ha-na's face brightened. "you're the best!" she took a sweet from his palm, ate it, and saved the rest.
jisoo then took her worksheet and looked over the questions. he began writing notes on it before effortlessly pulling her chair closer to him. ha-na had been incredibly dense all her life, so she thought nothing of the move. she looked at him with an expression that clearly screamed she didn't want to continue studying, but he simply shook his head.
"you just need to apply the formula you learned for this topic to these types of questions." he continued guiding her through the problems as ha-na listened with a forced expression.
throughout their chatter, jeonghan had been listening the entire time but remained focused on his studies at the front, alongside jia, who had long since given up trying to protect her friend from hong jisoo's subtle flirting.
in a few weeks, exam week arrived. the students were assigned new seats, and the only time the group could hang out was during lunch and self-study sessions.
their hard work paid off when they received their results. and jisoo suddenly suggested they go play at jeonghan's house as a reward, without even asking for his consent.
jeonghan however accepted in complete defeat, not bothering to argue with him.
—
the two girls' jaws dropped at the sight of jeonghan's mansion.
it was a big, big, big house.
"no way! wait, jisoo, are you secretly a chaebol too?" ha-na screamed. jisoo merely shrugged at that.
jeonghan then led them into his living room while the housekeeper brought them snacks and drinks.
"what are you even planning to do here?" jeonghan glared at jisoo.
jisoo smirked and pulled board games and cards from his bag. "let's play this!"
★────────★────────★
jia shouted, "yoon jeonghan, won't you stop being so mean?!" as she stepped onto yet another one of jeonghan's territories on the board. she glared at him as though he had personally engineered her downfall, blaming him entirely for the fact that she was now dangerously close to going bankrupt.
jeonghan merely maintained his usual poker face, completely unmoved by her outrage, and calmly continued with his next turn. somehow, the other two had shamelessly abandoned the game altogether and disappeared into the kitchen, where they had decided to challenge themselves to making cookies. the result was technically edible, but they were excessively sweet and looked absolutely tragic. ha-na and jisoo exchanged mischievous glances at the thought of using their creations to prank jia and jeonghan.
the two pranksters returned to the living room with a plate of cookies and proudly presented them to jia. "what the hell, you guys actually made them?" jia blurted out. she picked up one of the cookies and took a bite, her expression unexpectedly pleased as she chewed. jisoo and ha-na stared at each other in confusion. "does it taste good?" jisoo asked, and jia simply nodded.
jeonghan, assuming the cookies couldn't possibly be that bad, reached for one as well. his confidence lasted approximately three seconds. the moment he swallowed, he immediately reached for his bottle of water and finished nearly all of it in one go. "it's too sweet!" he complained, furrowing his brows.
"pfft..." jisoo and ha-na struggled to hold back their laughter. "right! that's how you're supposed to react, jia!" ha-na pointed out.
"ah, you didn't know i love sugar? dang, that hurts, ha-na..."
"eh... um! sorry!"
"why are you bullying her, jia?!" jisoo immediately interrupted.
"i'm the victim here, you know," jeonghan stated, looking genuinely offended.
the entire group turned toward him at the same time before bursting into laughter. jeonghan rolled his eyes at their shameless reaction, though the faintest smile threatened to betray his otherwise composed expression.
a few minutes later, the housekeeper walked into the living room with a small puppy nestled comfortably in her arms. the moment ha-na saw it, every trace of her previous conversation disappeared from her mind.
"ehhh?! a puppy!"
the puppy immediately stole her attention. jeonghan smiled at her reaction. "her name is sunny."
ha-na nodded enthusiastically and reached forward to hold the puppy. jia quickly joined her, while jisoo, clearly accustomed to the existence of the pet, simply began tidying the mess they had made throughout the living room.
"how old is she?" ha-na asked, looking up at jeonghan.
"she's only two. we took her in because she somehow got through the gate and was running around the garden. no one came looking for her, so we decided to keep her."
"that's not the whole truth," jisoo teased. "it's literally because this guy is obsessed with cute living things."
jeonghan rolled his eyes again.
"i think you can dress her up," jia suggested as she played with the puppy, now comfortably settled on her lap. "you could put little hairpins on her and buy her cute clothes. this little one has so much fur."
"you're a genius." ha-na looked at her friend with genuine admiration.
jia grinned proudly.
jisoo laughed. "you're damned. sunny is going to turn into a little princess with the coldest owner alive."
"i swear to god, hong jisoo..."
jeonghan looked toward the two girls, clearly preparing to refuse. however, the moment he saw their pitiful expressions, his resolve crumbled.
"no, no. do as you like."
the two girls left after spending what felt like an eternity fussing over sunny. jisoo, however, stayed behind specifically to bother his best friend.
the two boys eventually retreated to jeonghan's room. jisoo threw himself onto the bed without hesitation, while jeonghan simply let him and walked over to his study corner. as usual, he intended to spend his free time studying, even with his best friend's constant presence disrupting his peace.
"bro, let's continue gaming. stop studying!" jisoo whined, his face buried into the duvet.
jeonghan didn't react.
"brooo."
still no response.
jisoo rolled onto his back and lazily kicked the back of jeonghan's chair with his long leg. then, without even looking around, jeonghan grabbed his foot and pushed it away.
"we're about to get into high school. stop lazing around," he reminded him coldly.
"heh. you're worrying about my grades now? aww." jisoo sat up and deliberately leaned his face close to jeonghan's ear, clearly enjoying every second of irritating him.
"fuck off." jeonghan pushed his face away with one hand.
jisoo only grinned before suddenly changing the subject. "you know, i think i'll confess to ha-na before we finish middle school."
that earned an immediate reaction. jeonghan finally turned to look at him. "you're serious?"
jisoo nodded, a hopeful smile spreading across his face. "she'd accept, right? right?" he leaned closer to jeonghan's face, waiting for an answer.
jeonghan froze for a brief moment before looking away. "how would i know?"
"oh, come on! give me ideas!" jisoo grabbed his shoulders and began shaking him lightly.
"ha-na is too pretty. what if someone takes her away from me?" he complained with a sigh.
"she doesn't belong to you," jeonghan said bluntly.
"she is. just not yet."
"whatever."
"anyway, which high school are we applying to?" jisoo changed the subject and moved to the chair beside jeonghan. the chair had practically become his permanent seat over the years, always waiting for him whenever he visited.
"seoul international school, no doubt. my mom already applied for it."
"heh. without your opinion again, is it?" jisoo scoffed.
jeonghan merely shrugged. "you're following me again?"
"that's for sure. no worries. english isn't a problem for me."
jeonghan chuckled and finally turned toward him with a grin. "then you'd better work your ass off. you think being fifth in the entire school is already good enough?"
"what? as long as i'm smart enough in ha-na's eyes, i'm happy regardless."
jeonghan poked jisoo's forehead. "stupid idiot."
"you love me." jisoo stuck his tongue out at him.
★────────★────────★
on a weekend evening, class 7-1 arranged one last hangout before their final examinations of the year. they decided on a karaoke room, and the moment everyone arrived, the place descended into complete chaos.
there were impromptu singing competitions, ridiculous duets, truth or dare, dancing, and enough screaming as a cheer to make the walls feel as though they were vibrating.
for ha-na, it was heaven. she had missed this kind of carefree fun. ever since she had become close friends with the two academically gifted boys, their free time had gradually turned into study sessions, practice questions, and endless conversations about school. it wasn't that she disliked spending time with them. she genuinely enjoyed it. but sometimes, she wanted to be sixteen and carefree.
sometimes, she wanted to laugh without worrying about her grades. and lately, she had even started thinking about running away from the two boys during high school.
perhaps this was the price she paid for declaring, with complete confidence, that the four of them were fated to stay together throughout middle school. now that middle school was coming to an end, she couldn't help wondering if that promise had really been nothing more than a wish.
right when she became lost in her thoughts, jia poked her cheek. "it's your turn." jia pointed toward the song list.
ha-na blinked before realizing she had been chosen to sing solo. "oh."
she stood up reluctantly, earning cheers from their classmates as she made her way toward the microphone.
jeonghan and jisoo weren't there anymore. they had left earlier and were waiting for the girls at a nearby cafe. apparently, even the extroverted hong jisoo had reached his limit with the noise.
during ha-na's turn, a notification appeared on her phone, which she had left on the table. jia glanced down without thinking. "huh? 'hannie'?" she stared at the name on the screen.
(hannie)
"you two done yet?"
jia's eyebrows slowly rose. it's yoon jeonghan. since when did those two use nicknames with each other? before she could think too much about it, another notification appeared.
this time, it was an incoming call. the caller's name was still hannie.
jia stared at the screen for another second before answering.
"ha-na, can't you just leave? i know you're mad, but please, let's just talk properly." jeonghan's voice came through the phone, soft and unusually pleading.
jia's eyebrows furrowed even further. "yoon jeonghan."
there was silence on the other end.
jeonghan was standing outside the cafe. he had told jisoo that his older brother was calling and had stepped outside, but now his carefully constructed excuse had been exposed by his own actions.
he sighed quietly, though his voice remained composed. "hm. it's me, jia."
jia sighed as well. "really, yoon jeonghan? i mean, i know it's not my business whatever is happening between you two, but you know how it is. your friend is obsessed with ha-na. alright, just... since when?"
right then, ha-na's song ended. she returned to the sofa and immediately noticed her phone in jia's hands.
"why? who is it?" she sat beside her friend.
jia quickly ended the call and placed ha-na's phone back onto the table, hoping her expression didn't betray anything. "your mom. she asked you to get home quickly."
"ah. i don't want to, jia! it's fun here." ha-na pouted before wrapping her arms around jia. jia patted her back and giggled.
"okay, okay. i already told her you're sleeping over at my house."
ha-na's face immediately brightened. "agh! i wish i could date you. you're the best boyfriend material."
jia should have smiled at the compliment. instead, her expression stiffened. thankfully, ha-na couldn't see her face while they were hugging.
jeonghan ran a hand through his hair after jia ended the call. he couldn't hide the stressed expression on his face. he had fought with ha-na the previous day after telling her that he would be moving to seoul for high school.
the thought of leaving her behind had already been difficult enough. fighting with her about it had only made things worse.
jeonghan glanced through the cafe window and noticed jisoo staring at him from inside, silently mouthing a confused, "why?"
jeonghan shook his head and turned away.
❀⊱┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄┄⊰❀
when did they start dating, you ask?
it had happened long before the new year even began.
the two had gradually discovered how compatible they were, finding countless similarities as they spent more time getting to know each other. neither of them had initially intended for their friendship to become anything more.
in fact, ha-na had been the one to start most of their private conversations, usually through text. she treated everyone kindly. yet, without realizing it herself, she had begun treating jeonghan just a little more specially.
****more time rewind (◜ ◡ ◝)♡*****
[9th february 2020, 9:15 p.m.]
(nana) [her kakaotalk name]
"hi! jeonghan, i wanna know, is it disturbing your studying if i text you? (╥﹏╥)"
(jeonghan)
"no, it's okay. what is it?"
(nana)
"jisoo told me not to text you privately because it'll bother you!!"
(jeonghan)
"don't trust any of his words."
(nana)
"mm. got it. are you two that close? like me and jia?"
(jeonghan)
"you can say that. we're childhood friends."
(nana)
"cool!! you know, jia was my lifesaver. that's how we started being friends! do you want to know the complete story?"
(jeonghan)
"sure."
(nana)
"there were kids bullying me at the playground when i was six. they even pushed me and i fell into the mud! right then, jia arrived like a damn superhero in a cartoon and defended me. she was really brave, fighting those kids alone. i thought she was super cool, so i stuck with her every time i saw her around the neighborhood!"
(jeonghan)
"that's a nice story."
(nana)
"mhm! and she was so annoyed with me. she said i was like a little duck and she wasn't my mom. (─.─||)"
(jeonghan)
"ㅋㅋㅋㅋ"
(nana)
"what about you and jisoo?"
(jeonghan)
"we met through our families. our parents are friends."
(nana)
"that's so damn cool (╥﹏╥)"
(jeonghan)
"not really."
(nana)
"jisoo is a great friend~"
(jeonghan)
"what makes you say that?"
(nana)
"he gives me lots of stuff! he's like a doraemon. (☆▽☆)"
(jeonghan)
"ask me if there's anything you need."
(nana)
"ehh?? ehhh????"
(jeonghan)
"why?"
(nana)
"really? i can do that?? wah!"
(jeonghan)
"sure."
(nana)
"okay jeonghannie!"
(jeonghan)
"...?"
(nana)
"ㅋㅋ it's a cute nickname."
(jeonghan)
"alright. whatever pleases you."
(nana)
"i'll be sleeping now. see you tomorrow at school, hannie!"
(jeonghan)
"good night."
[15th february 2020]
(hannie) [nickname set by ha-na on her phone]
"jisoo is searching for you like crazy. where are you?"
(nana)
"i'm at the snack store outside of school! come here with him!!"
[27th february 2020]
(nana)
"hannie, when's your birthday?"
(hannie)
"10th of april. why?"
(nana)
"noted!"
[13th march, 2:20 p.m.]
(nana)
"i can't do a math question..."
(hannie)
"let me see."
nana sent an image.
"it's a tough one! .·´¯"(>▂<)´¯"·."
hannie is calling...
"hello..." ha-na spoke with a tired voice.
"cheer up. i'll explain the steps. first, you need to draw the sphere as mentioned in the question." his voice was calm and comforting as he patiently walked her through the problem.
the explanation helped ha-na immensely. every step he taught her seemed different from what she had learned at her tuition academy, yet somehow, it was much easier to understand.
"hannie, thank you! i'll give you candies tomorrow," ha-na said brightly, her excitement so obvious that jeonghan could practically picture the smile on her face.
jeonghan smiled to himself. "no, save them for yourself."
he cleared his throat before asking the question that had been sitting in the back of his mind. "why do you only call me hannie in private, though?"
"hm~ i was thinking of you. i thought you wouldn't like it if i started calling you hannie in front of the others," she explained without hesitation.
jeonghan nodded, finally understanding. "ah. makes sense."
"plus, jisoo would bother me to make him a nickname too. i just know it. ㅋㅋ"
jeonghan grinned at the mention of his friend. "you're right. anyway, do you need any more help?"
"nope. but don't end the call just yet!"
"why?"
"i'm bored. i need someone to talk to."
"call jia, then."
"she'd tell me to just focus on my studying!"
"oh."
ha-na rested her palm against her cheek on the desk. "hannie, you know, i really don't know what elective courses to take for high school later."
jeonghan hummed quietly.
she continued. "you'd surely take science, right?"
"yeah."
"figured. do you think i can do it if i follow you?"
jeonghan stared at the practice sheets in front of him, his pencil resting between his fingers.
"you can."
"i don't think so..." she whined.
"you still have plenty of time. you can if you really want to. i'll help."
"sigh. i know. you and jisoo are both great at teaching, but even if that's true, i wish i could rely on myself a bit more too. what if i make the wrong decision in this matter and suffer later?" ha-na threw herself onto her bed, mumbling the words into her pillow.
"enough overthinking. just have as much fun as you want. you don't need to be the same as us," jeonghan comforted her.
"you're already smart enough, ha-na. you're enough as you are too, in my eyes."
"mm..."
"i'll order you some cakes to your home. rest well for now. oh, send me your address."
★────────★────────★
****back to the past time (◜ ◡ ◝)♡****
jia had secretly texted ha-na's mom to back up her lie from earlier as she slipped out of the karaoke room and headed toward the bathroom. thankfully, ha-na's mom agreed to let her daughter stay over for the night, leaving jia with one less thing to worry about.
she stood in front of the wide mirror above the sinks, staring at her own reflection as she tried to piece everything together. "hell, ha-na actually hides things from me?"
she sighed, resting both hands against the edge of the sink. the more she thought about it, the more suspicious everything seemed.
she then remembered there had been countless occasions when ha-na stayed behind at school with yoon jeonghan. the way those two always ended up sitting beside each other, even when hong jisoo complained about being pushed aside.
jia narrowed her eyes at her reflection. "when did this even happen?"
she splashed some water onto her face, hoping the coldness would clear her thoughts. it didn't. with another sigh, she dried her face and made her way back to the karaoke room.
by then, the gathering had already come to an end. students were gathering their belongings, exchanging quick goodbyes before leaving for the night.
ha-na walked out of the building hand in hand with jia, looking noticeably more tired than before.
a few minutes into their walk, ha-na rested her head against jia's shoulder. jia glanced down at her. the height difference was perfect for this.
"sleepy?"
"mhm..."
ha-na's voice was barely above a mumble. jia smiled faintly and squeezed her hand.
a few minutes later, they arrived at the cafe where jisoo and jeonghan had been waiting.
the two were seated in the far corner of the cafe as usual. jisoo sat on one side of the sofa with his laptop open, his fingers moving quickly across the keyboard while jeonghan was on the other side with his books spread neatly across the table.
jia gave him a pointed glare and jeonghan met her eyes. he knew exactly what that look meant. he simply nodded.
jia looked away then she glanced toward ha-na. the girl didn't even look in jeonghan's direction. instead, she walked straight toward jisoo and dropped herself beside him without a second thought.
jia followed and squeezed herself into the remaining space. jisoo looked down at the two girls occupying almost the entire sofa. "it's cramped."
"bear with it." jia clicked her tongue and made herself comfortable.
ha-na leaned slightly toward jisoo, curiosity returning to her expression when she noticed his laptop. "what are you doing?"
"coding." jisoo smiled at her. "how was the gathering?"
"mm. super fun, but tiring. it's even more tiring when i remember how much cramming i have to do." ha-na sighed dramatically before resting her head against jisoo's shoulder. jisoo didn't seem bothered at all. he simply adjusted his laptop slightly and continued working.
jia's eyes slowly shifted toward the other side of the table. jeonghan was staring at his notes. or at least, he was pretending to. the pencil between his fingers looked like it was one second away from snapping.
jia raised an eyebrow. she almost felt tempted to laugh but this wasn't her business.
"what time are we leaving?" ha-na mumbled sleepily.
"ten." jeonghan answered without looking up.
ha-na's eyelids lifted. she stared at him for a moment and their eyes met. for a brief second, neither of them said anything. ha-na quietly closed her eyes again and jeonghan looked down at his notes.
a few moments passed before he reached for the plate beside him and pushed it across the table. "eat this."
there was no response. jia glanced at the plate then at jeonghan. "nah, lemme eat that." she pulled it toward herself.
jisoo looked over. "you're not hungry?" ha-na shook her head slightly.
eventually, it was time to leave. jisoo and jia went to pay the bill together, leaving ha-na to gather her things. she had just stood up when a hand gently caught her wrist that made ha-na turned around. jeonghan was looking at her and his expression was unusually serious. "let's talk, ha-na. please?"
there was something almost pleading in his eyes hence ha-na's expression softened. "okay, but tomorrow, alright? i'm tired. it's already late."
jeonghan hesitated before nodding. "okay." he released her wrist and began gathering his things.
ha-na waited. when he finished, they walked out of the cafe together.
the group exchanged their goodbyes before jia left with ha-na toward the bus stop.
****more time rewind (◜ ◡ ◝)♡*****
[23rd of march 2020, 12am]
(hannie)
"happy birthday."
(nana)
"(ꈍᴗꈍ)"
(hannie)
"want anything?"
(nana)
"a lego set"
(hannie)
"okay"
(nana)
"you know it's expensive, right? i was just joking ㅋㅋ"
(hannie)
"it's fine. i can afford it."
(nana)
"wait, i'm speechless"
(hannie)
"?"
(nana)
"no, i won't refuse your highnesses' kindness! (◠‿・)☆"
(hannie)
"ㅋㅋ"
[10th of april 2020, 12am]
(nana)
"happy birthday hannienienienienie (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧"
(hannie)
"thank you."
(nana)
"let me spoil you on what is the present."
(hannie)
"enlighten me."
(nana)
"my love and attention ㅋㅋ"
"ah, i'm such a good friend!"
(hannie)
"how can you be the same as hong jisoo?"
"he said the exact same thing."
(nana)
"soulmate!!!"
(hannie)
"oh my god."
(nana)
"^^"
"jokes. i crocheted a keychain!"
(hannie)
"oh? that's nice."
(nana)
"🤍"
[morning came]
ha-na smacked both hands against her desk, immediately drawing the group's attention.
"your poor hands..." jisoo pitied her.
"why?" jia asked, while jeonghan turned toward her.
ha-na rummaged through her bag and pulled out a small pouch. inside were four carefully crocheted keychains. she took each one out and handed them to her friends.
jisoo received a tiny brown bear with a yellow star dangling from it. jia received a cute black cat decorated with a little red star. and the birthday boy, jeonghan, received a white bunny with soft pink ears and a tiny carrot held between its paws.
jeonghan stared at it for a moment. "i thought you made it only for me." he tried to hide the disappointment in his voice.
ha-na immediately pointed toward herself. "look! i have mine too." she pulled out a pink squirrel with a tiny chestnut attached to it.
jisoo took it from her hand for a closer look. "that's so cute." he turned it over in his fingers. "you're actually good at this."
ha-na proudly lifted her chin. "heh. there's nothing i'm not good at."
"physics." jisoo said it without hesitation.
ha-na's smile disappeared. "you... whatever."
by then, jeonghan had already attached the bunny keychain to his school bag and ha-na noticed. a small smile appeared on her face.
"anyway, you did great, ha-na. thank you." jia complimented her.
ha-na nodded proudly. "guys...?" her expression suddenly changed. the excitement disappeared, replaced by genuine confusion.
"why? are you sick?" jisoo immediately placed his palm against her forehead. ha-na stared at him then she grabbed his hand and lowered it onto her thigh, leaving it there as she continued speaking. "do you even know what day it is?"
jeonghan merely grinned and turned his attention forward. ha-na raised an eyebrow. why was he acting as though today wasn't important?
"what? i don't think so," jia replied.
jisoo, however, was staring down at their hands rather than listening to the conversation.
ha-na looked between them. "it's yoon jeonghan's birthday!" she finally announced it, sounding almost offended by their ignorance.
"ah? it's not a big deal," jisoo said once he understood.
"no? no?! why?" ha-na's confusion only deepened. "we celebrated my birthday just fine before! why isn't his important?!"
"i already gave him a present." jisoo shrugged.
jia turned toward jeonghan and tapped the desk beside her. "yoon jeonghan. you want anything?"
"no." his answer came almost immediately.
"see?" jia shrugged as if that settled everything.
ha-na glared at the back of the birthday boy's head then she looked at jisoo. if jisoo's present had really been nothing more than his love and attention, the situation somehow felt even more unfair. "i don't care. we're going to buy a cake after school!"
"but that guy doesn't like cakes..." jisoo began. ha-na immediately covered his mouth with her hand. "i don't need anyone to ruin my perfectly planned birthday party anymore, please jisoo-ah."
jeonghan finally turned toward them. "i think it's a good plan." he nodded at ha-na and ha-na's eyes brightened.
"alright, alright. let's save the plan for later. the teacher already arrived." jia quickly interrupted.
★────────★────────★
[11th april 2020, 8.20 pm]
(nana)
"why was jisoo acting like that yesterday? do you usually not celebrate your birthday?"
(hannie)
"yeah."
(nana)
"why??? sorry, i just don't get it."
(hannie)
"it's fine. it's only because my parents are always busy, and i got used to it. they don't always have time to be home."
(nana)
"ahhhhh. i get it now. it's okay! i'll be the one to celebrate with you now! oh, jia and jisoo too ⊂(・﹏・⊂)"
(hannie)
"thank you."
(nana)
"why are they busy though?"
(hannie)
"they're working abroad."
(nana)
"ohh. that's actually cool. have you been abroad too?"
(hannie)
"yeah."
(nana)
"you know, i was raised using english in my house!"
(hannie)
"oh? you must be great at it then."
(nana)
"yup! i can confidently admit it hehe. my mom is a flight attendant, so she was pretty strict about making me fluent in it."
(hannie)
"it will be helpful."
(nana)
"that's why my parents are also usually not home! we only spend time together during the holidays."
"jia is the one who made me feel less lonely my whole life."
(hannie)
"that's sweet."
(nana)
"can't i call you?"
a call was incoming from 'hannie'.
"why?" jeonghan muttered. he was sitting in his living room, his acoustic guitar resting beside him.
"i don't know. i just feel like wanting to hear your voice." ha-na sat cross-legged at her dinner table, her unfinished novel lying open in front of her.
jeonghan leaned back against the sofa.
"have you eaten?" there was no response. "it's a no, then." he assumed correctly. for a while, neither of them spoke. the silence wasn't uncomfortable but it was simply quiet.
then ha-na's voice suddenly broke through it. "you know you have us as your friends, right?" her voice trembled.
jeonghan almost dropped his phone when he realized she was crying. he sat upright. "of course i know."
"then, i hope you'll talk to us when you have anything on your mind..!" she continued sobbing.
jeonghan didn't know what to say. "why are you even crying?" he finally managed to ask.
"i don't know..." ha-na wiped at her eyes. "i couldn't help myself. when i keep thinking about how... agh." she couldn't finish.
jeonghan was quiet for a moment. "i really appreciate it. but it's okay, ha-na. i'm okay. it doesn't really affect me that much."
"it seems like that's the truth, but it still hurts me to know you just thought it was normal as time went on." ha-na had calmed down slightly, rubbing her watery eyes with the back of her hand.
jeonghan lowered his gaze. it wasn't entirely like that. he simply learned to act like a good child. his parents worked hard to give him everything he needed. he knew how difficult their work could be, and the last thing he wanted was to become another burden they had to carry. so he learned not to ask for too much. perhaps ha-na was right. "mhm. i'm glad you're happy anyway. don't worry too much about me."
"see!! you always say that. it's getting frustrating..." ha-na raised her voice before immediately lowering it again. "sorry. i just want you to think about yourself too."
just as jeonghan was about to reply, another call came through on ha-na's phone. "oh, jisoo is calling. can i add him too?" jeonghan hummed.
"what's up? what were you guys talking about?? ha-na~ i told you not to talk to him alone for too long!" jisoo immediately interrupted.
"shut up." ha-na replied, her head still throbbing from crying.
"wow. so cold. you've become too much like yoon jeonghan. begone, satan!" jisoo continued dramatically.
"she's right. shut up. why are you here?" jeonghan asked.
"can't i be here?! what? were you flirting with my ha-na?!"
jeonghan left the call.
"ha-na, he's so mean to me!" jisoo complained.
ha-na hummed. jisoo finally noticed her low energy and his expression became more serious. "did something happen?"
"i'm worried about jeonghan. he's too closed off." she mumbled.
"he's always been like that. it's nothing to worry about." jisoo tried to reassure her. "it's just more comfortable for him. he'd prefer not to make anyone worry." he took another sip of his hot chocolate.
"really? i want him to smile more though..."
"he does." jisoo smiled faintly. "ever since he knew you, he's been much happier. i see it."
"oh?? ah... that only means he didn't smile much before..." her voice became sad again.
"whatever is in the past doesn't mean that much anymore, okay?" jisoo paused. "anyway, that's why i just know he's my number one rival!" he immediately returned to whining.
"you're getting more comfortable confessing to me so openly. the answer is no anyway. shut up." ha-na replied sarcastically.
"repetition is the key to opening your heart~" jisoo replied softly.
ha-na ended the call.
9.17 pm — (hannie)
"it's okay. sleep early."
ha-na stared at the message and she sighed. she had been friends with jeonghan for three months, yet sometimes it still felt as though he were a stranger. there were so many things she didn't know about him. so many parts of him that remained hidden. she wanted to know him better but she just didn't know how.
★────────★────────★
[24th of april 2020]
the group was now occupying the student council room.technically, none of them were student council members. they were simply close enough to the actual members that they had somehow become regular visitors.
the council members had also made one questionable assumption. if yoon jeonghan was there, surely the others wouldn't cause too much trouble. they were very, very wrong.
"ha-na, you're putting all the book materials in the wrong places again!" boo seungkwan, the student council president, raised his voice.
"sorry!" ha-na apologized automatically but she didn't sound particularly sorry. her eyes remained fixed on the game displayed on the computer screen.
seungkwan's eye twitched. he slowly scanned the room. jisoo was lying across the couch, scrolling through his phone, jia was playing the game alongside ha-na while eating snacks that had been scattered all over the table, and jeonghan was sitting at seungkwan's personal desk, quietly studying.
"do you think this is your house?!" seungkwan finally snapped.
the two girls immediately shut down the computer and stood. "no, sir."
jisoo continued lying there and jeonghan didn't even look up. he had earbuds in and appeared completely detached.
"i asked you guys to join the council and you refused, and now you've turned this place into your own clubroom?! you think that's supposed to be right?!" ha-na and jia shook their heads while desperately trying not to laugh at seungkwan's furious expression.
seungkwan took a deep breath. "yeah. anyway, you need to pay back by joining the council activities during sports day later." he finally calmed down and took a seat on the couch, kicking jisoo's legs aside in the process. jisoo's leg immediately ended up resting across seungkwan's thighs.
"i joined the track race though." jisoo finally spoke.
"and you do have free time after that race." seungkwan replied sarcastically.
"oh." jisoo accepted the argument with a single word.
"don't you guys have enough members already? why do you need us to work?" jia complained. ha-na nodded in agreement.
"heh. to bring more customers, obviously. i'm using your visuals." seungkwan replied shamelessly.
jisoo grinned. "but you're already so handsome."
"i know. but my fan base isn't as big as that guy over there." seungkwan pointed toward jeonghan that made ha-na glanced over.
jeonghan still had his earbuds in. she assumed he couldn't hear anything, so she walked over and gently pulled one earbud from his ear.
jeonghan looked up and he froze looking at her so close to him. "....why?"
"they're talking about you." ha-na explained.
meanwhile, jisoo continued arguing with seungkwan. "are we getting paid though?"
"no." seungkwan answered innocently.
just then, chwe vernon entered the room and walked straight toward seungkwan, casually draping an arm around him from behind the couch.
ha-na was still standing in front of jeonghan while jia had already returned to the computer.
"i don't think they're talking about me." jeonghan muttered. "just now..." ha-na began.
before she could finish, jeonghan gently caught her wrist and pulled her closer to him. "look here." he pointed toward the notebook on his desk. when ha-na looked down, her eyes widened. the pages were filled with neatly written physics notes.
formulas were broken down into simple explanations, with examples and step-by-step solutions written beside them.
she flipped through the pages. every concept she had struggled with suddenly looked much easier. "it's for you." jeonghan muttered.
"wah! this is crazy!" ha-na continued turning through the notebook. "you wrote all of this?"
jeonghan nodded. "i hope it will help you." he smiled.
ha-na looked up at him and her face immediately brightened. without thinking twice, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him. jeonghan literally froze and his hands remained awkwardly suspended for a moment.
from the couch, jisoo happened to glance over. his eyes widened. "hey there!! pull away!!!"