"Hey!"

Go away... I'm sleeping...

"Hey, Hyung and Iseul! Wake up!"

Noooo~ Everything seems so comfy. This pillow is so nice to hug, the blanket is so warm... Must I get up yet?

"Heeseung hyung! Jae Iseul! Stop cuddling in there and wake up! We want to go to Lotte World!"

"And also have breakfast! Sunoo hyung, don't forget that!"

"Whatever, we have to wake them up somehow. Start knocking!"

So much knocking, so much noise... I pinch my pillow and whine, shifting over. I feel the wall in front of me, one's hands around me. I snuggle into it, smiling as the sleep is back to consuming me.

Wait.

What time is it?

Who's outside?

Most importantly, who am I hugging?!

It has to be my pillow... right!? And- And this wall in front of me... a wall...

"Uh... Iseul?" Someone groans, a morning voice resonating softly in my ears.

"Mmm..."

"Open your eyes for a second."

"No~"

"You might want to."

Finally, I decided to open my eyes, someone's body immediately meeting my line of sight. I'm only half-awake before my eyes open wide, slowly looking up at a yawning Heeseung.

don'tpanicdon'tpanicwhattheheckhe'scutebutwhyareweinthissituationhelp
waitwhyishecuteagain???
areyousureyou'renotdreaming??!

Pinching myself really quickly, I hiss, watching as Heeseung shakes his head with a laugh. "Good morning to you too- it seems we both got a bit too comfortable."

"S-Shut up!" I stammer as I push myself away from him, my face against the comforter. "Do you want me to go open the door?"

"I would think so—unless you'd like to continue it a little more..."

"Geonu was right!" I gasp, falling off the bed. "You are a flirt!"

"Geonu hyung, agh..." Heeseung laughs, shaking his head. "Did he make a move on you too?" I ignore his comment as I glare, walking to the door and opening it.

"Good morning, everyone!"

"You both finally woke up—how is it that we get up earlier than you and we got dead drunk?" Sunghoon points at me, shaking his head in shame. "And fix your hair! You look like you fell off the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"Well, she certainly did," Heeseung comments, shoving his hands in his sweatpants as he walks to the door. "Looks like she slept well, too." The older ruffles my hair like I'm some kind of dog, giggling to himself.

"Shut your damn mouth," I curse under my breath, looking up at him. Wait- are we going to breakfast in our pajamas? I switch between the six boys waiting at our door- and realize they're still in their pajamas. I guess they situated themselves the moment they entered the room- or Sunoo helped Jake change into his.

Ugh... Jake... I completely forgot about my solemn rejection. Maybe it was good that I did. I meet stares with him and his ruffled hair, causing my heart to pound. Gosh, I knew was still into him.

"Shall we just go get breakfast?" I question, walking to the bathroom as the boys all pour inside our room. "Let me just brush my hair- what- what are you all doing in here?!"

"You both were sleeping together?!" Sunghoon yells.

"On one bed?!" Jungwon gasps.

"And were you both cuddling?!" Jay asks.

"Asleep!?" Jake points at us.

"Together?!" Ni-Ki wheezes.

"On one bed?!" Sunoo shakes his head, hand on his mouth.

What a bunch of dramatic fools. Heeseung and I exchange gazes awkwardly, him scratching his nape before I continue brushing my hair. As we meet gazes in the mirror, we just shrug, brushing it off. I try to hold back my shy smile, looking at the others to still see their surprised faces.

What, can't a couple of friends get along for once?

Friends... I've never been happier to hear that word.

"Alright, let's not pester them too much about it- there are always reasons to everything," Jake eases with a small smile on his face. "Besides, they are cute together, don't you think?"

"Oh hyung, you poor, poor blind soul," Ni-Ki sighs, rubbing his temples. "You are a lost cause." Jake frowns as they all stifle their laughter at his confusion, obviously not getting the hint. However, I frown as well, avoiding gazes as I look down at the sink. I can't get hurt- not now, not ever. Is it time to move on?

No. I can't- I still have enough time before the year ends to get him to like me back.

"Iseul, are you done brushing your hair?"

"Oh, yeah, let's go," I perk up to Sunghoon's voice, putting down my brush and walking out of the bathroom. I try to flock them out as they all push and argue at around 8 in the morning, grabbing my phone and leaving the room. We get inside the elevator- and that's when I start to text Soo-Ri.

younger sister <3
ayo, how's seoul???

is it fun?!

can you bring me next time <3

older sister <3
good morning to you too

and yes, I'll bring you next time

why are you awake already?
it's winter break -_-

younger sister <3
i wanted to see your texts <3

older sister <3
you want photos of jay, don't you? T-T

just ask normally next time!!

younger sister <3
no... of course not!! ^~^

ok, nevermind yes i do,
pls hand them over

older sister <3
you're lucky he's okay with this...

*sends a photo of him*

younger sister <3
wahhhhh he's so pretty T-T

thank you sis enjoy your time
in seoul!!

older sister <3
i will! say hello to mom for me T-T

See you on New Year's! <3

younger sister <3
bye bye T-T

The elevator reopens on the first floor, and the eight of us meet eyes with someone we're all familiar with.

"Geonu!" I exclaim, smiling. He smiles back, waving at all of us. I push past them, the boys all hissing and exiting the elevator behind me. "What are you doing in Seoul this Christmas?"

"Oh, I train in Seoul-" Geonu smiles, looking at his friends. "-And so I'm just here to pick up a few things for my friends at the company—you know before I go to practice."

"Are you trying to impress her or what, hyung?" I feel Sunghoon's arms wrap around me, one raised eyebrow. "Aren't you not allowed to date before your debut?"

"Who said that?" Geonu raises his eyebrows, leaning down as his eyes are leveled with mine. "Besides, I never said that I wanted to date her—however, I wouldn't mind it."

"Ahh, hyung!" Jake steps in, putting his hand on Geonu's chest. "That's enough flirting—you're going to break Sunghoon." We all switch gazes to Sunghoon, who's gripping his fists together as his knuckles turn white. How dramatic.

"Stop hitting on my best friend!"

"Are you sure she's just your best friend, Sunghoon?" Geonu is definitely pushing his nerves, causing me to laugh awkwardly.

"Aha, how about we all go get breakfast now, hm?!" I intervene, getting rid of Sunghoon's arms and pushing him past Geonu. "Bye Geonu! Have fun at your practice with your trainee friends! See you later~"

"Don't talk to him like that!" Sunghoon snaps, groaning and crossing his arms.

"Stop being a big baby and go get your damn breakfast, you loser!"

"He was flirting with you and you're not going to do anything about it!?"

"Heeseung does the same thing!"

"Hey, don't add me into this," Heeseung warns.

"You flirt with her too, what the hell!"

"Just go eat breakfast!" We all yell.

"Fine! No more flirting!"

What an idiot... a cute one, at least. I go up to the buffet, eyes sparkling but my body shaky. I'm sure Geonu had no ill intentions- but Sunghoon really was about to kill him.

Shoot, the buffet has no more french toast.

"Are you alright?" Jake asks me, an arm around my shoulders. "You seemed quite uneasy after Geonu hyung was flirting with you. I can tell him off for you—"

"It's alright, I appreciate his kind efforts to compliment me—although they can go a bit far," I say uneasily, laughing awkwardly. "I just hope he doesn't provoke Sunghoon to the point he gets kicked out of the hotel."

"I don't think that'll happen—at least, with you around—because Sunghoon doesn't like causing a scene," Jake explains, both of us looking at him as he menacingly stabs his food. Looking back at each other, we stifle our laughs. "He cares about you a lot, you know? He doesn't let us entrust our love into you—he trusts none of us to care about you as he does for you."

"Oh! Well, it just must be brotherly love—we've been friends for so long, I'd doubt he'd ever give me away to just anyone..." I trail off, trying to get my mind off the sudden anger from him. "Ah, don't worry about it anymore. We're supposed to have fun today. Let's just go eat."

"Okay!" He exclaims happily, following behind me as we take a seat in the big booth. Sunghoon sits in front of me quietly—his eyes on his plate—picking with his food. I'm just about to dig in when someone places two pieces of french toast on my plate, my head immediately perking up. There, Sunghoon has his fork and knife in midair, looking back at me.

"I... I know you wanted some, so take mine," He utters before going back to eating.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Just eat it," He replies, slightly grinning. "Don't worry—I'm not mad."

"O-Okay, "I stammer, my cheeks flushing. "Thanks."

He simply nods, silence filling up between us.

This doesn't even feel like something mutual between Jake and me- is this even unrequited love now?

Or has this become a love triangle- between Sunghoon, Jake, and I?