Hello there again! Here's another chapter and a very fast update (with just a few hours interval)! This is me, making up to you guys for keeping you waiting for the past weeks. If you happened to open this chapter, please read chapter 16 first, alrighty?

Anyway, this chapter is mostly on Jongin's POV. Hope you guys enjoy! ^^

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Jongin protectively wraps her around his arms, gently scrawling 'sorry' on her back repeatedly, as she sleeps. Jihyo fell asleep on the couch with Jongin after bawling out her eyes as they watch Love Rosie for the nth time. He can't blame her hormones for being moody, so all he can do is to watch her and wipe her tears for her.

He can still recall the words that Jihyo said while watching the film when he told her to stop crying: "...I know what Rosie feels. I know how hard it is to love someone secretly, that you kinda force to smile at him whenever he talks about another girl animatedly. Wishing he would look at you, the way he looks at her. Like does he even thinks of you the way you think about him? Or does he even thought of you whenever he sees something related to you, like how you thought of him everytime you see bugs - because he hates those. Does he even misses you you the way you misses him every hour of the day? And the sad part? You're just his bestfriend. It's worser than physically stabbing you repeatedly."

"I'm sorry, princess. I'm so sorry..." Jongin gently whispers as he stares at her sleeping face.

Jongin thought of the past. How did he ends up being tagged as a playboy?

It started when he and Sehun discovered the beauty of dancing while acing the soccer. He didn't know that he girls would swoon ever him. All he knows is that he's just doing and giving the best he could.

He was in 7th grade when he first had a girlfrend - a noona girlfriend to be exact. It wasn't a serious relationship, it's more of like a pressure from his peers. Although Sehun had told him not to be affected by anyone, curiosity also kills him. He's also wondering how does it feel to have a girlfriend whose slightly older than you. From then on, girls would come to him. And if he thinks he likes her, he'll ask her to be his girlfriend.

They were in 8th grade when he and Sehun met Jihyo and became their classmate. He easily recognized the girl for she has a weird sense of fashion - she always wears her camouflage cardigan.

She's not like the other girls who puts make-up or overly accessorized, and he honestly thought she's a tomboy. She either ties her hair or just let he hair down. She has few female friends, yet tons of male friends. He knows she plays basketball for he saw her once played with Chanyeol before. He only saw her around, but they never really talk to each other.

The first time he talked to her was when he accidentally hits the fluorescent light with the soccer ball that fell on top of her head. Jongin was so shock to see her unmoving from her spot. He was so scared that she might collapse or her head bled because of the shattered light. He was so scared that he almost cried as he says sorry to her, but to his surprise, she smiled at him and says that she's okay.

Of course, their homeroom teacher sends him to detention after class. Once his adviser lets him free, he immediately went out and look for Jihyo's locker. He secretly slid a paper inside with an 'I'm really, really, REALLY sorry! Honestly, I never knew you would forgive me that easily. I thought you're snobbish, but I think you're cool! I hope we could be friends. - Kim Jongin.' that he wrote during his 30 minutes detention.

After that incident, Jihyo joined him and Sehun every dance or soccer practice that some of their fan girls gets jealous of her. They tagged her as their girl bestfriend so that the other girls won't bother her with their petty threats.

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The first time Jongin called Jihyo princess was during their 10th grade. It was the peak of their otaku mania that they download every anime they know from the internet. Jihyo's very fond of Fuko Kirisawa from the Flame of Recca series. She's really into that anime that she accidentally throws a marble on him one time when she summons one of the air spirit from her so-called fujin.

He honestly thinks that that anime made Jihyo becomes brute everytime she tries to internalize her favorite anime character, so he suggested to swith her Fuko Kirisawa feels into Yanagi Sakoshita feels - which she strogly refused anyway.

""She only heals, Jongin! I want to fight!" Jihyo once said.

"But Yanagi is Recca's princess!"

"So? Fuko is Recca's bestfriend!"

"But Fuko is Domon's partner!"

"And so? It's not like they're lovers."

"But Domon likes her and he's an ugly ogre with a weird nose ring! Besides if you choose Yanagi, you don't need to ask me to serve you since Recca already volunteered to be her ninja."

"But I thought Sehun is Recca."

"No! I am Recca Hanabishi. I even memorized all the names of his 8 flame dragons! And Sehun's more like Kurei!" Jongin said boastfully which Sehun rolls his eyes to him. He begs to disagree but Tokiya's ensui sword is way cooler than Recca or Kurei weird flaming arms. "So from now on, you'll be Yanagi."

"But I don't want to!"

"You have to because I say so, princess." Jihyo could only pout.

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During their 11th grade, Jongin would always ask Jihyo to keep his wallet for him since he tends to spend all of his allowance to his dates. He would sometimes annoys her to wrote him a letter for the girl he likes. There are times that she would agree, but most of the time he needs to dodge a few things that she would throw to him. Jongin proved to himself how good in basketball Jihyo was when she throws and managed to hit him, right to his nose bridge, with the manga she's reading.

No matter how brutal she was to him, he always takes care of her - especially when her grandfather died. Jongin saw how hard she tried not to cry over her favorite grandfather's death, but the moment she brakes down, he promised he won't let her feel sad and cry. He promised that he would always look after her and will stay by her side no matter what.

But then he knows he broke his own promise the minute she cried in front of him when she asked him to cut off their friendship. He then knows that somehow, he forgot his promises.

But when was did he stopped reminding himself of all of his promises? Was it when he saw her recieving a flower from some guy that he didn't know? Was it when she allows someone to carry her bag? Or was it when Sehun slipped off and tells him 'I think I like Jihyo.'?

And when was the time he had hunch about him falling for his girl bestfriend? Was it when she looks funny with her mouth's slightly open when he saw him napping during 8th grade? Was it when she fuss over a small pimple that she accidentally runs with her comb during 9th grade? Maybe when she tried the skirt that her forced her to wear during 10th grade? Or was it when she feels shy when she aced the pop-quiz in 11th grade? Or maybe when she blushed acter he said 'I like you, princess' while testing Jongdae's old walkie-talkie?

He didn't know. Jongin's really confused.

He didn't even know when was the time he realized that his dormant feelings are suddenly awaken. Was it when Sehun asks her to go out on a date with him during their school festival? Was it when he saw her wearing a dress and make-up, looking more like a lady than her normal boyish looks? Or was it when she told him to stop being friends with her?

All he knows right now is that he's sorry for causing her pain, and he's willing to make it up to her. He would do anything to make Jihyo forgive him, for him to take him back to her heart. He just hope that it wasn't too late for him to make things everything all right.

"I'm really sorry princess." Jongin whisper to the sleeping girl in his arms, combing her hair with his fingers gently. "I'm sorry if it took me time to realize what I really felt for you. That all this time, it was really you that I like. My heart never forgets. It was already there, just dormant. Waiting to finally get acknowledge by me. I was only scared that I might made a wrong choice and ends up hurting you more if I chose to be selfish. I'm scared that we might lose what we already have, but then I realized how coward I was when you're willing to take a risk. You totally win this battle over me. Just like how Fuko beats Fujimaru's sorry ass." He chuckles. "I don't know if I still stand a chance to your heart, but I will do my best to win your heart back... So will you give me another chance to make everything up with you, my princess?" Jongin was only answered by her calm breathing. He kissed her forehead gently, trying not to wake her up.

"This time I won't make any promises to you. I'll do my best to make you happy, Jihyo..."

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> tell me your opinion now that you know about nini's past, as well as his real feelings for jihyo.

> most of the part in this chapter, about 85% of it are base on true story. starting from writing message behind jihyo's back, the fluorescent light incident, the i'm so sorry note, to flame of recca addiction, the reason why jongin calls jihyo princess, bull's eyeing jongin's nose bridge, keeping jongin's wallet and even the walkie-talkie conversation (which i won't detailed anymore :3) did happened. all of them were my personal experience with my guy bestfriend back when i was 12-14 (except for the fluorescent incident and the note - that's from my crush from school XD). too bad my guy bestfriend passed away when we're 14 due to severe asthma attack. his family lost him even before they reached the nearest hospital. we might have very limited time together but i didn't regret spending my days with him. i still missed him - alot, specially during his birthday. he and sehun shares the same birthday actually, and he looks alot like RAIN! <*cue in the rainism song... or any rain's song that you liked*> lol! XD

> and oh! even the scene from the previous chapter wherein sehun carelessly change his clothes behind soojung - that was in college. :-P

> oh my gosh i almost spilled everything to you guys!!! ^////^

> till next chapter guys! ^^