The three of them—Taehyun, Seohun, and Nau Rin—lingered at the corner of the street, idly watching the passing cars. The air felt slow, stretched thin with waiting. Minho was already twenty minutes late.
Nau Rin shifted her weight slightly, her gaze drifting down the road.
"Do you think he's even left the house yet?" she asked.
Taehyun shrugged, hands tucked into his pockets.
"He's probably still deciding what to wear," he said casually.
Nau Rin let out a quiet sigh.
"Can you call him?"
Taehyun had just pulled his phone from his pocket when Seohun leaned in, stopping him.
"Don't bother. He's coming."
Their eyes followed his line of sight. In the distance, a figure waved, jogging lightly toward them.
Minho.
But he wasn't alone.
A girl walked beside him—no, not just beside him. He was holding her hand.
Seohun narrowed his eyes slightly.
"Who's that with him?"
Without a hint of surprise,
"His girlfriend." Nau Rin replied,
Taehyun turned to her, eyebrows lifting.
"Since when? Why didn't he tell us?"
She smiled at him.
"Surprise"
Minho reached them moments later, slightly out of breath but smiling as always.
"Sorry I'm late," he said quickly. "This is my girlfriend, Lee Yeon. She wanted to come along, so I brought her. That's okay, right?"
"Suppose so," Seohun started to say, but Taehyun cut him off with a smile, stepping forward to offer his hand.
"Of course it's fine. Nice to meet you," he said.
Minho gestured as he introduced them one by one, but Lee Yeon nodded before he could finish.
"I know," she said with a soft smile. "We go to the same school."
They boarded the bus together soon after.
The three of them slipped into the back row, just as they always did. Up front, Minho took a seat with Lee Yeon. The two of them leaned close, talking quietly, sharing small smiles that didn't quite reach the others.
From the back, their laughter reached them clearly.
The cinema buzzed with restless energy, voices overlapping, footsteps echoing across polished floors. The newly released film had drawn in a crowd far bigger than usual, every showing packed to the brim. Taehyun had spent what felt like forever in line, but in the end, he managed to secure tickets—just barely.
By the time they entered, the movie was already underway.
Darkness wrapped around them as they slipped into their seats, the glow of the screen flickering across their faces. For a few quiet moments, they watched in silence—until Taehyun suddenly nudged Seohun, subtly pointing behind them.
Seohun turned, following his gesture. Then, without a word, he nudged Nau Rin as well.
Behind them sat Minho holding his girlfriend's hand tightly, his attention fixed entirely on her rather than the movie. She leaned closer, casually popping pieces of popcorn into his mouth, smiling as she did. Then their eyes met—lingering, unbroken.
Minho leaned in first.
A soft kiss on her cheek.
Then, without hesitation, one on her lips.
Nau Rin's eyes widened instantly, her hand flying up to cover her mouth. Seohun grimaced, his face twisting in discomfort, while Taehyun simply froze, staring a second too long before snapping his gaze away.
Seohun and Nau Rin managed to refocus on the movie after a while, forcing their attention back to the screen. But Taehyun kept getting distracted, his thoughts drifting no matter how hard he tried to concentrate.
Later, at a burger place, the three of them sat in a row, all staring blankly in the same direction.
Across the room, Minho would lean in from time to time to whisper into his girlfriend's ear, before brushing a light kiss against her cheek. She flushed slightly, squirming her shoulders, pretending to protest—but her smile gave her away.
Nau Rin let out a quiet groan.
"I can't stand watching this."
"Same," Seohun said immediately.
"Same," Taehyun added.
They rolled their eyes at the exact same time.
"It's only been a few days." Nau Rin muttered, "don't ever act like that."
Seohun said dryly.
"I'm way too innocent for that."
They burst into laughter.
"You try doing that," Taehyun said, turning to Nau Rin with a grin.
Nau Rin shrugged, then squirmed her shoulders back and forth while putting on a ridiculous voice.
"Mm—mm—mm. Like this?"
Taehyun laughed immediately.
"You're going to kill someone with those shoulders."
"Then you do it."
Taehyun cleared his throat and tried to imitate it.
"Mm… mm…"
Nau Rin burst out laughing.
"You sound like a frog."
They both turned to Seohun expectantly.
For a long moment, Seohun just stared back at them. Then, he gave it a try.
"Mm… mm."
Taehyun blinked.
"Okay… that's actually better than us."
"Yeah," Nau Rin nodded seriously. "You've got talent. With a little practice, you might perfect it."
They drifted away from the other two, weaving through the arcade until they stopped at a basketball shooting game.
Taehyun grabbed a ball first, rolling his shoulders like he was about to do something serious. Then he started shooting. The balls slipped through the hoop one after another, the rhythm steady.
The buzzer sounded.
100 points.
Nau Rin clapped immediately.
"Looks like you're ready for the NBA." she teased.
Taehyun smirked, stepping aside.
"Your turn."
Nau Rin rolled her shoulders lightly and began shooting. The balls arced through the hoop, one after another.
95 points.
Taehyun gasped dramatically.
"Wait…are you Kyrie Irving?"
Nau Rin smirked, holding up a peace sign.
Seohun, who had been watching quietly the whole time, shook his head and stepped forward. Without a word, he started shooting.
The balls dropped through the hoop in perfect succession, the sound sharp and consistent.
When the timer ran out— 150 points.
Taehyun and Nau Rin immediately moved to either side of him, clapping exaggeratedly.
"Unbelievable!" Taehyun exclaimed.
"The king of basketball!"
Seohun raised both hands slightly, playing along with them as he spun around a few times.
While they were sitting down for a breather, Minho came over with his girlfriend.
Lee Yeon glanced between them, her gaze settling on Seohun.
"My friends talk about you a lot," she said brightly. "If you want, I could introduce you sometime."
Seohun didn't even pause.
"No thanks."
The answer was short, flat—final.
Lee Yeon's smile didn't falter. She turned to Taehyun instead, offering him the same bright expression. Taehyun returned it politely.
Then her eyes shifted to Nau Rin.
"You don't have a boyfriend?" she asked. "If you do, you can tell us. It'd be fun if we all hung out together."
Nau Rin met her gaze calmly.
"I don't have one. And I'm not planning to."
Lee Yeon tilted her head slightly.
"Why not?"
"Not interested."
"Are you shy?" Lee Yeon continued lightly. "You don't have to be. We'd understand."
Nau Rin held her gaze, steady and unbothered.
"Do I look shy to you?"
Under the table, Taehyun lightly nudged her foot, a silent warning wrapped in a smile.
"They're just joking around," he said smoothly. "We're all pretty easygoing."
Minho chuckled, reaching up to lightly brush her cheek.
"Yeah, don't overthink it. They're always like this."
Not long after, the day came to an end.
They split up—two heading one way, and the other three another.
—
As soon as the chemistry class ended and the teacher stepped out, the bell rang sharply, signaling the break. Nau Rin wasted no time. Not wanting to be late for the next period, she quickly changed into her gym clothes, shoved her uniform into her locker, and hurried off toward the gym.
The gymnasium was already lively. Not only her class, but upperclassmen were using the other half of the court, their voices echoing against the high walls.
With twenty minutes still left, the teacher waved them off.
"Play on your own."
Just like that, the structure disappeared.
Some students slumped onto benches, stretching out lazily. Others split into groups, games forming naturally in the open space.
The space was already filled with noise—sneakers squeaking, voices overlapping, balls bouncing against the polished floor.
She sat alone in a corner, arms resting loosely on her knees, watching. Not joining—just observing. It was easier that way.
A volleyball rolled across the floor and struck her foot, coming to a stop.