"Pass me the blowdryer."

"Then you pass me the toothpaste."

"Fine."

"Fine!"

This boy still argues with me like a kid, both of us sharing the bathroom as we fight over the mirror. He's pushing me with his elbows as we start getting competitive, my foot kicking him as he groans. 

"That's what you get!"

"Play fair, will you!?" He can barely talk with his mouth full of toothpaste, frowning. I stick my tongue out at him, turning off the blowdryer and leaving the bathroom. Groaning as I fall on the bed, I check the time- we'd be going to Lotte World in a few minutes. "Hey, Lee Heeseung! Are you done yet?!"

"I am! Are you ready to go, Jae Iseul!?" He yells.

"Yes, I am!" I yell back, getting up as I grab my bag. Huffing and puffing, I put my shoes on, mumbling incoherently to myself. Heeseung follows me out as I immediately see Jungwon on the phone, talking to someone. I widen my eyes before I push back Heeseung- hearing a cough as I keep the door creaked open.

"Iseul, what the f-"

"Jungwon's talking to someone, we have to listen in."

"That's invading privacy, idiot."

"It might be bad, though..." I worry, crossing my arms. "Let's just listen in for a second." Heeseung nods in agreement, leaning against the wall. 

"Mom, I told you—it's not that bad—what? No! I'm not trying to go against your 'motherly instinct' but I'm dedicated to this major—mom, please stop interrupting and let me explain myself, it's the holidays, can't I just enjoy my holiday?—Why are you putting dad on the phone, gah..."

Heeseung and I look at each other as we listen into his conversation, the older biting his lip. He sighs as he slides down the wall, shaking his head. "See what I've done? This is the aftermath-"

"Stop blaming yourself, it's in the past," I intervene, still listening to Jungwon. "One day, you'll have to apologize, you know? You can't just go on holding trauma in your hands like it's a fragile doll."

"I'm trying but... don't you also see the pain I'm causing,—even after all of this—he's still going to have his parents on his tail."

"I-"

"Father, that's enough!" Jungwon yells, inhaling sharply. "I don't need your 'parent instincts'— and, and- I don't need you guys telling me what to do! I'm about to graduate, I'm a grown adult—and you still treat me like I'm ten. I love you, I absolutely know that you care about me—but this needs to stop! Huh? Wait, no! Mom, dad— Agh!" Jungwon groans, shaking his head. "You kick me out of my own home and cut off my hard-worked money, are you serious..."

I immediately close the door, backing up behind it as I bite my lip. Heeseung looks at me—and it's as if the tears are starting to pour. "Are you... going to talk to him about it?" He asks, crossing his arms. "If you do, please don't mention what I did yet, I-"

"Hey, hey," I try to calm him down, putting my hand on his head. "I wasn't going to tell him anything—I promised you I'd keep it a secret, didn't I? Hopefully, he'll be open to talking about it, so you might have to room with Jay tonight."

"I will not be rooming with him, no way!" Heeseung frowns, shaking his head. "I got too comfortable with him once and I got drooled on. I'd rather have you cuddling me than have drool on my sweater."

"You can deal with it," I huff, smirking. "Either you wait a few hours, or sleep with Jay."

"I'll wait."

"Okay, have it your way—"

"Are you two ready to go?" Sunoo knocks softly, causing both of us to get up. "They're always super late. I think they're hiding something from us."

"We're right here," Heeseung opens the door, me peeking out from behind him with a wave. I grin softly, waving at the six. He's quite tall, so Heeseung could be my bodyguard. "Are you all ready to go? We should probably go take the shuttle now."

"Let's go then," Jungwon mentions quietly, beckoning to the elevator. As we enter, I usher over to Jungwon, putting my hand on his shoulder. He looks at me with questions written all over his face, fully turning my way. "Was I too loud?"

I nod slightly, pointing to his phone. "About that..." He gapes his mouth into an 'o' shape, scratching his head. "Do you... want to talk about it later?" I offer, making him hesitate. Soon enough, he nods, and we're on the first floor. I grin at him, mouthing just a few words.

"Everything will be okay."

And all he could do at that moment was smile back—considering how hurt he was by this situation—with an aching look on his face. Within a few minutes, a shuttle appears and I enter first, holding all the tickets and my phone. I shiver—it's still quite cold on the bus. Checking the weather, it was under thirty Fahrenheit, so why were we going to an amusement park when it would be snowing?

Idiots. 

Stupid, stupid idiots!

"You look cold, do you want my gloves?" Sunghoon offers, making me shake my head.

"It's alright—Oof!" I groan, feeling Jake groan as well. Heeseung whistles as he sits in front of us, looking outside. Jake takes a seat and glares at his elder, shaking his head. Sunghoon sits next to Heeseung—and in a few seconds, they're already slapping hands and punching each other.

"I wanted to sit next to her, hyung!"

"Oh well, whoever sits first gets dibs!"

"You pushed Jake hyung again!"

"It was a slight nudge! Be quiet and stop complaining!"

"Why, I-"

"Anyway, do you want my gloves?" Jake moves my attention over to him, taking off his gloves.

"Oh, it's seriously fine-"

"Stop persisting and just take them," He grabs one of my hands, putting on a glove- and doing the same to the other. I feel the heat rise up to my cheeks, my eyes as big as billiard balls. "See, you're already warm. Look at your face, all warm and red."

I think he's playing with me at this point. "Shut up and focus on yourself," I mutter before grabbing the earmuffs from my bag and placing it in front of him. "Here, wear it."

"It's ok-"

"Just take it!" I utter harshly before putting it on his head, the soft cushions covering both ears. I immediately inch away from him, placing my warm cheeks on the ice-cold window. I hear his happy exhale, knowing damn well he's grinning like the cutest little puppy right now.

Someone tell me how to not fall in love with Jake Sim any longer.

"We're here~!" Sunoo harmonizes, hands clasped together. "I can't wait. Can we go on the bumper cars first?!"

"We should probably take it one ride at a time—" I laugh, raking my hair back. "Besides, it's Christmas eve, is it not?"

"Yeah!" Sunoo yells happily, clapping his hands.  "Then... let's have fun!"

The afternoon consisted of many rides— Sunoo kept deciding to launch me out of my seat during bumper cars, the rollercoasters almost made me throw up, and the pirate ship was probably the only thing I could keep myself together on. I also decided to go into the mirror maze and bonked myself on the head many times by a mirror—and it certainly did hurt—and still made it out (surprisingly.)

My favorite ride was the balloon ride—only because it didn't have anything that was going a hundred miles per hour or something—but never put me back on the gyro spin. 

Never.

I'm still sick from it, taking a seat with water in my hand. The boys all dispersed god knows where—riding rollercoasters as if it was a great passing time.

Since I didn't want to waste my share of the Christmas festivities, I climb up the stairs to the monorail. Getting on, I lean out of it, sighing. This place was huge—festive lights, golden trees, people laughing—but as emo, as I sound, my heart didn't feel like it was Christmas.

A part of me still missed my grandma—and when I was with Soo-Ri, mom, dad... when we baked cookies like a family could and would—and so I missed being with family. However, these guys still give me support, whether one has made me look at all of them differently. I still appreciate them despite knowing that if the secret leaks, I'd be in trouble too.

I know that the moment I go back to class for the new semester, things won't be okay.

Things never have been— knowing Mr. Socialite and all his friends. It's as if I'm a pawn in a game I am not supposed to be in.

So, as a random person joins me on the monorail, I keep my sights outside. I didn't want to associate with anyone right now—but at this moment, I knew I'd have to.

"You okay?" Someone inhales, causing me to look their way. Jungwon. "It took a while to find you—knowing you probably got sick from the swing, you'd be here pondering about things."

"You know me well—but I know you the same," I whisper, leaning a leg over the other. The monorail starts to move. "Would you like to talk now or later?"

"Later, probably—" He stops, looking outside. "Right now, I think we both need time to think about the things we shouldn't." He smiles softly, knowing damn well we're both unstable—both for different reasons, but the same cause.

So, minutes pass by in silence, and we make it to the other end of the park. Jungwon lets me go first, following after me as we step down to the ground level. "Say, it's almost Christmas. Who do you want to spend it with— right at this moment?"

"Is this supposed to be a trick question—choosing between my fellow love interests?"

"It could be—" Jungwon smiles, looking down at the floor before swinging his head up. "You and I know damn well that two of them love you—and the one who doesn't is the one that you like."

"I get it, there are three choices—where only two is the correct answer—" I pause, raising an eyebrow. "Wait, two?"

"Sunghoon hyung," He murmurs, shoving his hands in his coat pocket. "—And Heeseung hyung."

I shake my head, denying it. "I doubt it, Jungwon," I reply, exhaling as the cold air comes from my mouth. "Heeseung and I have just become friends, how could he possibly—"

"If I were you, I'd choose him—" Jungwon intervenes, holding back a low grin that I know means different than it should. "—Because in reality, he's always been prepared for you. The day he went to go get you at the venue? He knew you'd do it for Sunghoon, so he went out himself. When he sat next to you that day and Ji-Hun fronted you, he was ready to protect you—he had his fists clenched and was ready to pounce."

"Jungwon, I—"

"After you almost got harassed, Heeseung was in tears as he yelled to us—of course, out of anger and stress—that you took it too easily. He didn't know what he'd do if you got hurt—and we weren't allowed to tell you about it. The day he followed Jake who followed you and Geonu? Yeah, he asked Jake to go first because he wanted to talk to you, Iseul. There was never a day that Heeseung gave up on you, even when you both weren't friends."

"...And if that doesn't speak enough that you're his first priority, maybe you're the blind one." Jungwon shrugs, a wide smirk on his face. "Of course, it may not be a love interest, but you're probably the only one who has cared about him just as much as we do. That's why he takes it with open arms— he's fond of it."

"Then... why is he always pushing Jake towards me?" It's because of our bet, right? Nothing more, nothing less.

"It's your happiness, isn't it?" Jungwon questions, tilting his head. "Both Sunghoon hyung and Heeseung hyung want you to be happy—and if it's not them, then they're okay with it."

"But now, it's up to you to decide who you'd like to celebrate Christmas with; your childhood friend who's always admired you since you were little but too overprotective of you? Or the man you just befriended, who's given you his time and effort to making sure you were safe and loved— However, he's exactly who he's always been— a socialite?"

I wish I didn't have to make this decision. 

I wish I didn't have to choose and pick over the two boys that meant a lot to not only me— but each other. However, the answer was quite clear despite my hesitation.

"Thanks, Jungwon," I say speedily as he winks, my head immediately taking a 360 as I speed around to the amusement park. I check the time—it was almost time for closing, and I knew I had to tell him this before we leave.

Finally, I find him by the carousel, watching the kids spin around in fun. He giggles softly, crossing his arms. I tap him on the shoulder, breathing heavily. He perks up and turns stiff, turning my way—but just when I thought his grin would fade, it grows bigger.

"Hey."

He exhales softly, easing his shoulders as he pulls out a rose.

With his last sigh, he pushes the rose towards me. 

"...Hey."

- leaving yall with this for a while so you can suffer as i did :,)