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"what i am trying to tell you... my little sister, is that we'll need a bigger car." hyungwon's words echoed between the small group of people.

"what are you saying hyung?" wonho asked confused.

jooheon cleared her throat. "well... i know someone who has a suv."

"he popped out of nowhere." wonho said but hawon smiled widely. "seriously? who?"

"uh... a co-worker... from the zoo." he said narrowing his eyes. boki glanced at him, motioning for him to shut up.

"i mean... if you need it, i could talk to him. he's really nice."

"then it's settled." hyungwon said opening his arms as he took one of the shots on their table. "we're going to the beach."

all of them celebrated. "let me call him, be right back." jooheon said disappearing through the sea of people. hyungwon remained, staring at boki.

"so where's your boyfriend?" he asked, crossing his arms on his chest.

"yah! – hawon started – what was what you said about a bigger car? i couldn't hear you well?"

hyungwon smirked. "ah... - he started as he took a seat on their table – i haven't seen kihyun in a long time." his eyes traveled from hawon's to boki's.

"i thought maybe we should invite him over."

"what!?" wonho and hawon exclaimed at the same time.

"i don't think- boki started as her nerves were noticeable on her voice. she hugged herself.

"why not? isn't he your boyfriend...? and he's a friend of mine as well... do you think it'd be awkward?" he asked tilting his head. somehow his look was defiant.

"n-no that's not what i am saying, it's just-

"what? you don't want to bring him?" he added.

boki had different reasons why she didn't want kihyun to come. not because she didn't want to be with him but because they've been dating for only one day.

somehow it felt rushed and too soon to do such thing with him. a road trip was something you did with people who you felt comfortable with, especially since knowing them for so long, like the rest of them, except for jooheon.

"it's done. he's going to lend you guys the suv." he said, popping from nowhere.

"us? what do you mean? you're coming with us, right?" hawon asked.

except for hawon. she could act with someone who she just met, as if she had been a long time friends with.

but not for boki. "guys... don't you think it's too rushed? i mean... we didn't plan this well-

wonho groaned in frustration. "here you go again... stop it. the important thing is to have a good time."

"you still haven't answered." hawon said, hitting jooheon playfully in the arm.

jooheon glared at her and the place where she hit him. "i don't want to."

"what do you mean you don't want to? it's your friend's car?"

"a co-worker's" he corrected them. "anyway... you need to come with us." hawon insisted.

"why?" he asked, narrowing his eyes.

"we don't know how to drive a suv."

"neither do i."

"what can we do to convince you then?" wonho asked. boki opened her mouth but was quickly shut by them talking.

"well... - jooheon said – pay me." he said

"jooheon-ssi." boki called his name but quickly hawon agreed. "done. $100 for the weekend is that okay?"

"pff... - he said shaking his head – fine." he said shaking hands with hawon. she jumped with a cheerful yell.

"then it's done. let' go packing, we shall meet at my house in 2 hours, alright?" she asked.

everyone agreed. "i don't know where do you live." jooheon said with a frown.

"ah it's easy, come on, i'll tell you my address." she said taking jooheon towards the bar, wonho quickly followed them, leaving boki alone with hyungwon.

he stared at her. "you don't seem to happy about coming with us?"

she glanced at him awkwardly. she didn't want to disappoint hyungwon nor her friends, but she thought that going wasn't the best of her options. "i don't think i can go-

"boki-yah..." hyungwon said, taking a step towards her. the height difference between them, overwhelming boki.

"don't be so hard on yourself... is this because of an exam? or are you really that nervous of bringing kihyun with us?" he asked, staring at her intensely.

she knew hyungwon wasn't stupid. he had caught her as soon as he suggested about bringing kihyun in. "but the question is... why you don't want to bring him with us?"

she chukled nervously. "ah it's not that – she said playing with her hair- it's just, we've been dating for such short period of time and i don't know if i'd be comfortable for the both of us to do this since we're barely meeting each other."

hyungwon's eyes narrowed as he listened to her words. "ah i see... you care too much about him, don't you?"

she nodded. "well, in that case, what are you going to do?"

"well – she said but immediately hawon appeared with the two boys behind her. "are you guys ready?" she asked with a wide smile.

hyungwon nodded, hands on his pockets, then hawon glanced at boki. "what about you?"

"i don't know if i should go since-

"shut up and go packing. jooheon goes with you since you two live in the same neighborhood-

"but-

"2 hours. my house. bye." she said dragging wonho with her and soon hyungwon trailed behind them.

as he passed by boki's side he couldn't help but whisper close to her ear. "see you guys in 2 hours." he said, finally winking at her as he disappeared through the crowded sea of tables.

she turned and glanced at jooheon who had been waiting silently behind them, hands on the pockets of his hoodie. "so?" he asked.

"i am not going." she said grabbing her stuff and getting out of the bar. jooheon followed her.

"why not?"

"do you think it's wise for me to go? i have 2 exams next week and i have a date with your brother tomorrow- she stopped talking when she noticed she used kihyun as an excuse.

jooheon rolled his eyes. "you're so lame... why are you using him as an excuse? just tell him you can't see him tomorrow because something came up and just screw school." he said shrugging.

they both stood on the sidewalk as they watched the cars going by. she shrugged as a heavy sigh escaped her lips.

"i don't know..." she said pulling out her phone as she stared at their chat window.

jooheon stopped a cab and opened the door for her. "come on, we only have 2 hours and i still have to pick up the suv from my friend's house."

boki walked inside the cab without paying too much attention at her surroundings, jooheon followed her immediately.

they both sat together at the back seat as jooheon told the driver their address. after that, he glanced at her with curious eyes but noticed her eyes were stuck on the lightened screen and couldn't help but wonder what was so incredibly important that she seemed to forget that he was riding the car right next to her.

but her eyes focused on kihyun's contact name. she opened the chat window and started typing.

boki: kihyunnie... my friends are planning a weekend getaway right now, they told me to tell you to come with us but only if you want of course. are you interested in coming with us?

boki: i understand if you don't want to

boki: so don't feel pressured to saying yes because i understand perfectly

kihyunnie: i'd love to. where are you guys going?

her eyes widened when he answered almost immediately. boki swallowed hard as she kept typing.

boki: that's great! we're going to the beach and we'll return on monday since none of us have class that day

boki: is that okay for you?

kihyunnie: yeah it's fine. i have class but it's in the afternoon so no problem. when are we leaving?

boki: in two hours. we should meet at hawon's house. do you know her address?

kihyunnie: okay i got time. no, i don't know her address but text it to me and i'll meet you there or do you want me to pick you up?

boki stopped texting and glanced at jooheon. "you're coming with us?" he nodded.

"can i go with you to hawon's house?"

"i thought that was the plan?" he asked as if it was obvious. boki's eyes widened just a little and then her eyes returned to the screen.

boki: it's fine, we can meet there. see ya in a bit x

kihyunnie: perfect, see you there xx

her smile reflected on the window's glass and jooheon couldn't help but roll her eyes. he couldn't help but wonder why was she smiling like that.

boki on the other hand felt nervous about the idea of kihyun coming, especially since just now she remembered jooheon was coming too.

it was hard for her to picture how the situation was going to be since both of them seemed to hate each other but now it was too late to back up.

"thank you." jooheon said to the driver as he paid to him, waving goodbye afterwards.

boki pulled her phone inside her purse and walked next to jooheon.

and even though she knew he was walking right next to her, she couldn't focus at all. "are you alright?" he asked.

she nodded. "then why are you acting as if you just got dumped?" with that she turned to glare at him and hit him softly on his shoulder.

"stop it. nothing's wrong with me." she said as they both took soft steps towards boki's building.

jooheon remained silent as she rushed to the entrance. she quickly opened the door and walked inside, leaving the door opened.

his eyes widened when he noticed she left the door open and he quickly yelled her name. "yah kumquat!" boki stopped on her tracks and looked down at jooheon who was on the base of the stairs, eyes crossed on his chest and glaring at her.

"how can you leave the door open when it's so dark outside? don't you know there are plenty creeps around? not even in the daylight you can leave the door to your building open like that, it's dangerous? didn't yo momma taught you some common sense? are you a wacko?" he asked with a nagging tone, his eyes popping.

boki swallowed hard. "i just- i thought you were coming behind me." she said with a sweet yet soft tone.

jooheon's eyes widened in realization, when he glanced at the door still opened and realized she had left it open for her to come inside with her.

"ah – he said, clearing his throat – in that case, well – he walked towards the door and closed it, quickly returning inside the building and trailing behind boki – just because- he said glancing at her. boki looked at him confused.

jooheon didn't know she was allowing him to come inside her apartment. he never imagined she'd do such thing and somehow he felt touched by that simple gesture.

he moved his hands as if he was scaring her away. "keep walking, come on! don't make me use my power on you woman!" he said hurrying her.

boki rushed to the stairs until she reached for the first floor, quickly opening the door, again she left it open for him.

jooheon rolled his eyes as he walked inside, removing his shoes. "when will she learn?" he mumbled to himself as he shook his head in disapproval.

when he walked inside the tiny apartment, he felt his chest racing at the view of boki's apartment.

it was tiny like her, but it was also clean and organized, maybe even a bit boring, just like her.

but at the end, he couldn't help but smile softly to himself. "yah! why are you inviting me in? do you invite guys in your apartment that much? even now that you got a boyfriend? is he alright with this?" he asked as he walked around the living room.

boki walked out of her room and looked at him nervously. "then – you should wait outside."

jooheon glared at her with a poker face. "aish...just hurry up, we have around 1 hour left." he said glancing at the clock on his phone.

"i am almost ready." he heard her voice coming from her room. he walked towards the other side of the living room where there were a few portraits of her in different ages.

she was around 7 ir 8 and she was holding a big fish that it seemed had been just caught by her. her smile wide and proud, was almost bigger than her.

he couldn't help but smile too since it seemed to be contagious.

then, in another framed picture, there she was as a teenager, taking a selfie with an older woman, assumed by jooheon to be her mother. they both smiled and jooheon noticed how their eyes looked exactly the same.

in the last framed picture there was a man, in a black and white photo. he swallowed hard as he imagined that'd be her father.

"i am ready." she said with big eyes, from the other side of the room. he cleared his throat.

"ah let's go then. i still have to pick up the suv, come on." he hurried her as he walked out of the apartment with her.

on their way back, they stopped at jooheon's place and he quickly packed in less than 2 minutes, everything he needed in a black backpack and then finally they walked to the next neighborhood to pick up the suv from jooheon's friend house.

jooheon took out his phone and dialed a number. boki stared at him as she felt the night breeze sticking into her bones. "yah! i am downstairs." he said and with that he hung up the phone.

"do you know him from the zoo?"

jooheon nodded. "he's in charge of the raccoons." he said spitting away and looking tough.

boki wondered how crazy that job must be and just with that, a few seconds later, a guy walked out of the building next to them.

he was skinny and had light brown hair. he was wearing a pair of jeans and a striped sweater. boki noticed how he was carrying a set of keys with a raccoon as a keyring.

"ahh heoney swag." he said as both of them shook hands. "here it is." he said handing jooheon the set of keys.

"thanks man. i really appreciate it. i'll buy you lunch next time."

"yeah yeah don't worries." he said shrugging and glancing at boki finally. just then, he tried to fix his hair as his nervous eyes gave him away. "who's this?" he asked with a soft voice.

"ah this is... well – jooheon turned to look at her as he tilted his head – what are we again?" he asked confused, crossing his arms on his chest.

"uh – boki started but she was soon confused as well – i guess... brother in law?"

with that jooheon rolled his eyes and turned to look at the boy in front of him. "just a wacko i know." he said to his friend.

he only laughed. "alright. nice to meet you agasshi... i am im changkyun."

"do boki." she said with a smile.

jooheon almost rolled his eyes. "enough with this, we're late. come on." he said shoving boki to the white suv across the street. changkyun couldn't help but laugh at the way they both carried themselves around.

"have fun!" he waved at both as he walked back inside the building.

"that was rude." she complained as she took a seat next to him, on the passenger's seat. jooheon sat on the driver's seat as he stared at her.

"what?" she asked.

"nothing." he answered, shaking his head. boki felt nervous when she saw sticking the key inside the key's hole. "you know how to drive this, right?"

he turned to her with a smirk plastered on his face, his dimples shining. "please... driving a suv is my second name." and with that, he turned on the suv and drove away at all speed. 

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