In the dark whispers of the alleyway, Hanbyeol and Seojun were huddled together behind a wall of red chairs. The night breeze layered the air, but they only felt heat. Their legs were touching in their crouched position, and with the way their bodies pulled together like magnets, it was only a matter of time until their lips would too.

It must've been something in the air or the situation. Although Seojun liked to flirt, he didn't go around kissing girls. This particular night though, he felt enticed by Hanbyeol in front of him. She was pretty, confident and down to earth. Plus, she played music. It just felt right.

A sliver of moonlight shined on his face, glinting off his sharp eyes, and Hanbyeol swallowed. She couldn't move, but her long, ebony hair started to tangle from the previous chaos. Memories flashed through her mind. Eating triangle gimbap on the swings at twilight, playing basketball after the rain, beating him at 'rock paper scissors'. She realised she was thinking of Suho as someone else was about to kiss her.

As Seojun's mind went blank, he slowly closed his eyes. His leather jacket hung heavy but unnoticed. Only a gasp of air separated their two faces. Everything was going so smoothly.

Seojun's lips made contact.

But something wasn't right. His eyebrows furrowed together as he was confused. Hanbyeol's lips felt flatter and harder than they should. Opening his eyes, Seojun saw that her hand was in front of her mouth so that he kissed her palm. He jolted back. But why did she do that? He couldn't fathom what had happened.

It was as if someone had flipped a switch in Hanbyeol's brain. Recovering from her frozen state, she had quickly put her hand over her mouth to stop their kiss. All this time, she had pushed down her growing feelings for Suho, telling herself she liked Seojun, but it seemed that she couldn't deny her true feelings. While Seojun was easy to like and not rude, she didn't want that safe and boring path anymore - Suho was different.

"What was that?" Hanbyeol asked, her tone flying up.

"Clearly that wasn't anything - definitely not a kiss, just your sweaty hand hitting my mouth," Seojun responded after a while, wiping his mouth like he kissed a pig.

Hanbyeol's face was scarlet red, and her eyes were aimed at the pebbled ground, but she hadn't done anything wrong. She was still trying to process that she almost had her first kiss – a kiss with Seojun. Finally shaking her head out of her stump, she glared at the boy, though it lacked the strength it normally would've had.

"My hand's not sweaty," Hanbyeol stammered stubbornly.

As she stood up to shake her legs out, she secretly wiped her palms along her skirt, making sure they weren't covered in sweat. Seojun followed suit to stretch his limbs. He smoothed the sides of his hair nonchalantly, but Hanbyeol couldn't keep as calm. The past minute was stuck on repeat in her mind.

"So, you're really not going to explain that?" she queried as if he owed her something.

Seojun wasn't one to speak his feelings, especially since he didn't want to be seen as soft. He pursed his lips. In the cool laneway, a hushed silence gave way to their scene. The surrounding area was dim, but a light flickered down the street.

Shrugging, Seojun met her stare. "Thought it would be romantic. Survive a potential beating from a gang, and kiss in an alleyway to celebrate."

"Hilarious," Hanbyeol rolled her eyes. "But you don't like me, do you?"

It was brave of her to voice the guess, and the hesitancy was evident on his face.

"I do," Seojun lied, smooth as butter.

"No, you don't."

"How do you know?"

While Hanbyeol definitely wasn't an expert in romance, she could tell that he had something special with Jugyeong. She also didn't want to get in the way of her best friend, though she didn't know about the other girl's small crush on Suho.

Hanbyeol fiddled with the ends of her wavy hair. What was she even doing right now? Giving love advice when she hadn't even had her first kiss? Sometimes, she couldn't help being bold.

"It's obvious with the way that you always stare at Jugyeong – you like her. You stare at her like she's the only girl you know. Hell, you probably look at her more than your motorbike, which says a lot, unless you're looking for something new to ride. And lastly, you always go out of your way to tease her and talk to her," Hanbyeol rambled.

Instead of feeling depleted, she actually felt a weight lifting off her chest as she said the realisations out loud.

"I tease girls all the time," Seojun said, denying her accusations.

Despite his words, he thought of all the times he teased Jugyeong and how she would look cute all flustered. He wanted to be a better guy that she could rely on and study with. Like how she saved him when they first met, she was captivating and sweet. He just couldn't get enough of her.

"But you tease her more. I'm not that oblivious, Seojun. It's not that hard to notice a hot guy looking at a girl," Hanbyeol stated.

As the boy crossed his arms and smirked, the atmosphere lightened up from the seriousness. "So, you think I'm hot?"

"No, I never said that."

Her words came out as fast as lightning. Sighing, she cursed herself for letting it slip. She didn't need him mocking her now for her feelings.

"I mean, from an objective perspective," Hanbyeol slowly made up. "But that's besides the point. You should ask out Jugyeong."

"Then, you should ask out Suho," Seojun retorted, his sharp jaw tilted up.

Her bright eyes bulged out with surprise. How did he know? Averting her eyes, she focused on the dark silhouette's painted on the grey walls. Hanbyeol's face was nearly the colour of the red chairs that were piled next to them. The narrow space seemed smaller than before, but it was still quiet with the essence of traffic from a distance.

"I don't like him," Hanbyeol denied, waving her hands in front of herself.

"Come on, I'm not that dumb either. I always notice when a pretty girl stares at a guy," said Seojun automatically.

Hanbyeol grinned widely when she caught his words.

"Ha! You think I'm pretty?" she threw back at him.

"I was speaking objectively."

When their eyes met each other's, they burst into laughter. It slowly died down in chuckles, and Hanbyeol was grateful to have him as a friend. She didn't need to keep crushing on all the hot guys, and sometimes, the one you think will be perfect for you isn't actually the one you're meant to be with.

"But if you ask Jugyeong out, make sure you don't do anything stupid like a serenade and flowers in front of a crowd," Hanbyeol joked.

Seojun scoffed, flicking his dark brown hair. "I would never do that."

"You sure?"

As she continued teasing him, they checked that the coast was clear, and they headed back to the karaoke place for his motorbike. It was almost like a brother and sister relationship – thank god they didn't kiss. Hanbyeol shivered at that thought, but then smiled. She couldn't wait to see Jugyeong with him as a cute couple. As for her and Suho, she had been too nervous to start her first relationship, but she was ready to try now.

* * * *

At the same time in another alleyway a few blocks away, the group of bullies met a dead end. They spat out swear words as they turned around, only to be met with Suho. The tall boy slowed to a stop, his loud footsteps fading away. Catching his breath, he surveyed the scene. The gloomy walls and faded store signs towered high under the moonlight, and crumpled boxes lay on the rough pavement. But most importantly, Hanbyeol wasn't anywhere to be seen. He let out a sigh of relief.

When the four boys realised that Han Seojun wasn't around, they were annoyed. He slipped through their fingers again. Inspecting the newcomer though, the leader squinted at his school uniform.

"What's this? This jerk goes to Saebom High," the bully scoffed, and the others nodded.

He must've been Seojun's friend who came as backup, so he might as well get rid of him too. The leader tilted his head, a devious smirk on his face as he stepped forward with his followers close behind like bodyguards.

Suho simply turned around; he just wanted to find Hanbyeol and make sure she was alright. Unfortunately, the gang stopped him before he could leave. How annoying. As soon as one of them touched him, he grabbed their arm.

He dodged a punch and returned with a kick to one of them. For being known as the number one student, Suho was surprisingly good at fighting. He evaded each of them swiftly and swung his backpack at them, making contact with most of their bodies.

In a few minutes, the four boys were lying on the floor, cradling their injuries. Although Suho was outnumbered, his years of taekwondo didn't fail him. He took deep breaths, calming his adrenaline that was running high.

After straightening his jacket, he went to look for Hanbyeol. She wasn't at the karaoke place, so he tried to think of something else. Although Suho didn't know her exact address, at least he knew her road and the playground she often went to, which was also next to it. It was a gamble, but he sat on the swing and waited, hoping that she would pass by. He was like a dog waiting for his owner.

* * * *

Luck seemed to be on Suho's side as a black motorbike came cruising past. A familiar boy rode the vehicle, but he perked up when he noticed the girl on the back. He could recognise that wild hair from a mile away. Running after them, he followed them as they came to a stop two streets down.

Seojun and Hanbyeol carefully climbed off the bike. As she happily returned her helmet, she thanked him for taking her home. Turning around, she was surprised to see Suho approaching them. Her smile slowly dropped. She was a deer in headlights, trying not to feel guilty about her near-kiss with Seojun.

Suho looked her up and down, relieved to see that she was alright. The presence next to her, however, was as distracting as a mosquito. With Seojun standing there with his arms crossed, his arrogant attitude was just asking for a punch.

"Why did you give her a ride?" Suho questioned the other boy, venom lacing his usual blank tone.

"Then what about you? Why are you waiting for her?" Seojun threw back.

Now understanding the couple's feelings for each other, he was enjoying this. How had he not realised before that Suho liked Hanbyeol and not Jugyeong? It was clear as day.

Meanwhile, Hanbyeol was also wondering why he was there. Was he worried when he noticed she was gone? Her heart fluttered lightly, and the night seemed more dazzling. Perhaps this is what having a crush was like. It felt fresh every time, as if you're falling in love again.

Blinking back to the situation, she realised that she wanted to stop the two boys from meeting in the first place. Although she was sure they wouldn't fight right now, she was done with this tension.

Hanbyeol sighed. "Alright, let's all go home and sleep. You go that way, and you go back that way. If you guys don't leave, I'll beat you up."

When they didn't budge, she poked Seojun. The boy turned his head to her, and she glared at him, urging him to leave with her expression. Eventually, he rolled his eyes and headed off on his motorcycle.

Now that she was left with Suho outside her house, her nerves skyrocketed. Hanbyeol bit her lip, trying not to meet his gaze. Was he not leaving too? She should probably tell him again.

At the same time, Suho smiled inside, glad that Seojun was finally gone. He opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by another voice.

"Byeol!" a shout approached them.

They turned to see a pretty girl with charcoal hair and familiar facial features. Hanbyeol winced. Why did Hanbin have to come home at this time? She just prayed her sister wouldn't do or say anything embarrassing. With siblings though, that wish was the probability of winning the lottery.

"Ooh, is this your boyfriend?" Hanbin gasped, eyeing Suho with a cheeky grin.

She nodded with approval as Hanbyeol shook her head furiously.

"No, he's just a friend," the younger girl quickly replied. "A friend who is now going home."

Hanbyeol pushed Suho to leave, and he slowly shuffled away. While he didn't want to make things awkward, he also wanted to be polite, especially to people she was close with.

"It was nice meeting you," Suho bowed his head from a distance at Hanbin, who loudly returned the same sentiment.

When the boy was finally gone round the corner, Hanbyeol let out a sigh. She was quite proud that she managed to get him away before her sister said anything weird. Facing Hanbin, she cringed back, no longer feeling giddy. Like most sisters, the girl was gossip ready as she draped her arm around Hanbyeol's shoulders.

"I didn't know you had friends," the older sibling in street fashion teased. "When did you meet him? What's his name?"

Hanbyeol groaned, shrugging off her sister's arm. "Whatever."

She ran a hand through her messy hair and went into their house, ignoring Hanbin's antics as her high voice attacked her from all sides. Running up to her room to escape her older sister, Hanbyeol got ready for bed.

Sadly, sleep didn't come for a long time. She tossed and turned all night. When she closed her eyes, all she could see was Suho, Seojun, and almost kisses. At least her dreams were plagued with what she had hoped for months ago. 

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Ahhhhhh I'm so sorry it's been ages! (And I'm sorry to the Seojun fans mwahahaha.) I've been so busy with life and work that I haven't had any time to write at all.

On another note... should I write a Study Group fanfic? The drama's sooo good and I probs will, but I can't write two things at once, so it'll be after this story (which will take a long time).

Thanks for reading! Please vote and comment :)