Zeon showed up outside Mr. Park's noodle shop riding Chaerin's bicycle. Aeryun let out a relieved sigh and looked up at the sky as though silently thanking God.

Chaerin's heart beat faster than ever. Seeing her crush since kindergarten riding her bicycle was enough to make her forget how to breathe.

Zeon greeted Tae first before turning to the others.

"Hi, I'm Zeon."

"I know," Chaerin whispered under her breath, a ridiculously bright smile spreading across her face.

Aeryun immediately bumped her arm against Chaerin's.

Snapping back to reality, Chaerin quickly added, "We've talked over the phone before. And you still have my bicycle."

Zeon chuckled.

"Right."

He then turned toward Tae.

"Coming home with me now?"

Tae shook his head.

"We should drop the girls off first. Then we can go."

"It's not necessary," Aeryun and Chaerin said at the same time. "We can get home by ourselves."

Zeon and Tae exchanged a glance before nodding.

"Alright then," Zeon said. "Be safe on your way home."

As the boys headed off in the opposite direction, Aeryun turned toward Chaerin with narrowed eyes.

"If you don't mind, can I ask you something?"

Chaerin shrugged.

"Sure."

Aeryun hesitated before speaking.

"Don't you think what you're doing to your boyfriend, Bae Joonho, is wrong?"

Chaerin blinked.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..." Aeryun sighed. "You clearly still have a crush on Zeon. And honestly? I don't think you've ever gotten over him."

Chaerin looked away.

"I know that's true."

"Then why are you dating Bae Joonho?"

Chaerin smiled bitterly.

"Because Zeon is completely out of my league."

Aeryun rolled her eyes.

"Not this again."

"No, seriously." Chaerin laughed awkwardly. "Look at the girls he's always surrounded by. They're beautiful, smart, talented... Why would someone like him ever choose me?"

Aeryun stopped walking and stared at her.

"If you genuinely think you're not pretty, smart, or talented, then you're an idiot."

Chaerin burst out laughing.

"I'm serious," Aeryun continued. "And how do you know he'd never choose you if he doesn't even know how you feel?"

Chaerin remained silent.

Aeryun crossed her arms.

"Besides, it's unfair. To him and to Bae Joonho."

"That's harsh."

"It's true."

Aeryun continued walking.

"And I already don't like Bae Joonho."

"You never liked him."

"Exactly."

"Why?"

Aeryun started counting on her fingers.

"First, I don't like him."

"Great reason."

"Second, something about him is always weird. I can't explain it, but something feels off."

Chaerin groaned.

"That's not a reason either."

"And third, you can do so much better."

Chaerin laughed.

"There it is."

"No, listen." Aeryun pointed at her dramatically. "He asked you to be his girlfriend over social media. You said yes. Then you invited him on a date to Z Square Mall, and he spent the entire time saying almost nothing."

"Oh, please don't remind me."

Chaerin covered her face.

"I know he doesn't talk much," she admitted. "I think he just struggles to express himself."

Her expression softened.

"Besides, he's the best thing that's happened to me."

Aeryun raised an eyebrow.

"Really?"

Chaerin nodded.

"Whenever I'm with him, I forget about all my problems."

Then she smiled.

"Do you know what my favorite thing about being with him is?"

Aeryun shook her head.

"The silence."

"The silence?"

"Yeah."

Chaerin's smile widened.

"Not every silence has to be filled with words. We can sit in the same room for hours doing our own thing without saying anything, and I still feel completely at peace."

Aeryun suddenly remembered something.

A month ago, she had followed Bae Joonho after school.

He had been on his way to a friend's house when she dragged him beneath a large tree near the roadside.

The afternoon sun filtered through the leaves overhead while the wind rustled through the branches.

Aeryun looked up.

"Isn't that beautiful?"

Bae Joonho shivered for some reason.

"The leaves?"

"The sound."

"Yeah."

He stared at her suspiciously.

"Why are you here?"

Aeryun folded her arms.

"We need to talk."

Bae Joonho immediately looked nervous.

"Do you actually like Chaerin?"

"Yes."

The answer came far too quickly.

Aeryun narrowed her eyes.

"Don't lie to me."

After a long pause, he sighed.

"Actually... no."

Aeryun nearly choked.

"What?"

"We were playing Truth or Dare."

"What?"

"My friends dared me to ask a girl out."

Aeryun stared at him in disbelief.

"And?"

"Chaerin happened to be walking her dog near the park. My friends knew her social media account, so they told me to message her."

"You messaged her?"

"I thought she'd never see it."

"What did you send?"

"'Will you be my girlfriend?'"

Aeryun looked ready to commit a crime. “ I really thought Chaerin was making this up!”

Bae Joonho quickly continued.

"I was sure it would go straight into her message requests because I didn't follow her."

"And?"

"And somehow she actually saw it."

Aeryun buried her face in her hands.

"Oh no."

"Then she replied, 'Okay. Meet me at Z Square Mall at four on Saturday.'"

"What? Well, I know this already"

"What happened after that?"

"I thought about not showing up."

Aeryun nodded.

"Reasonable."

"But then I saw her waiting outside the mall."

"And?"

He looked down.

"I couldn't do it."

"Couldn't do what?"

"Break her heart."

Aeryun froze.

"I was going to tell her the truth."

"But?"

"But I ended up enjoying spending time with her."

"The silence?"

"The silence."

Aeryun stared at him.

"You two are weird."

"I know."

She sighed.

"Tell her the truth before it's too late."

His smile faded.

"Yeah."

"Because she's already fallen for you."

Bae Joonho nodded slowly.

"I know."

"And don't break her heart randomly one day."

He looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

Aeryun looked away.

"Give me time."

"For what?"

"To prepare."

"Prepare for what?"

Aeryun swallowed.

"Chaerin isn't strong enough to handle another loss."

"Another loss?"

"Nothing you need to know."

She turned and walked away.

"And if you were really her boyfriend, she would've told you already."

Aeryun snapped out of her flashback and sighed.

"Yeah, I've seen plenty of weird couples, and you and Bae Joonho are definitely one of them."

Chaerin gasped in mock offense.

"Thanks."

"I'm serious." Aeryun pointed at her. "And if you're going to stay with Bae Joonho, try not to blush every time Zeon appears."

Chaerin nearly tripped over her own feet.

"What?!"

"You heard me."

Aeryun laughed as Chaerin buried her face in her hands.

"I don't do that."

"You absolutely do."

Chaerin groaned.

"Fine. I'll try."

Satisfied, Aeryun nodded.

The two eventually arrived outside Aeryun's house.

"Oh, before I forget," Aeryun said. "Bring me the books tomorrow morning. The ones I left at your place."

Chaerin nodded.

"And don't forget to put the chocolate in a cute gift box."

Aeryun blinked.

"The chocolate?"

"For your sister."

"Oh."

Chaerin grinned.

"Trust me. She'll appreciate the effort."

Aeryun smiled.

"You're right. She's arriving tomorrow, and I'm planning to carry it around all day so I can give it to her the moment I see her."

"Wow. Going the extra mile. I like it."

For a brief moment, Aeryun hesitated.

"I actually wanted to talk to you about something important tomorrow."

Chaerin tilted her head.

"What is it?"

Aeryun almost told her everything.

About Bae Joonho.

About the dare.

About the truth she deserved to know.

Instead, she forced a smile.

"We'll talk tomorrow."

Chaerin nodded.

"Okay."

The girls waved goodbye and headed home.

The next morning, Chaerin arrived outside Aeryun's house with her bicycle. Aeryun's books were stacked inside her bag, which hung heavily from the handlebars.

It was far earlier than any sane person should have been awake.

The sun hadn't risen yet.

Only the sound of chirping birds and the cool morning breeze filled the quiet neighborhood.

Chaerin rang the bicycle bell repeatedly.

"Aeryun! Wake up!"

No response.

She rang it again.

"Aeryun!"

A window suddenly flew open.

Aeryun appeared looking half-dead.

"Why are you so late?"

Chaerin blinked.

"What?"

"You should've been here three hours ago."

"What are you talking about?"

Aeryun squinted at the darkness outside.

"Oh."

She checked the clock beside her bed.

"It's only five in the morning."

Then she glared.

"Have you completely lost your mind?"

The newspaper delivery boy riding past immediately hissed,

"Shhh!"

Aeryun pointed at him.

"No, you shush!"

The poor boy looked horrified.

"Does nobody appreciate sleep anymore?" she shouted.

Chaerin crossed her arms.

"It's an emergency."

That immediately got Aeryun's attention.

A few moments later, she opened the front door while stifling a yawn.

"What happened?"

Chaerin followed her inside.

"Bae Joonho asked me to meet him before school." Aeryun froze.

"What?"

"At Sweet Ribbon. Around six."

"The candy shop?"

Chaerin nodded.

"Maybe it's a date."

Aeryun stared.

"Or maybe it's something important."

Aeryun stared even harder.

Then Chaerin remembered something.

"Oh! You said you wanted to tell me something important too."

Aeryun immediately straightened.

"Call Bae Joonho."

"What?"

"Call him."

Chaerin frowned.

"Why?"

"We had plans."

"What plans?"

Aeryun muttered under her breath.

"His funeral."

"What?"

"Nothing."

She forced a smile.

"It's a surprise."

"For me?"

"Exactly."

Aeryun pointed upstairs.

"Go wait in my room."

Chaerin narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

"You're acting weird."

"I always act weird."

"Fair point."

A few minutes later, Chaerin disappeared upstairs.

The moment she was gone, Aeryun grabbed her phone and dialed Bae Joonho's number.

He answered on the third ring.

"...Hello?"

He sounded half asleep.

"Hi. It's Aeryun."

There was a long pause.

"Aeryun?"

"Yes."

"Why are you using Chaerin's phone?"

Aeryun rolled her eyes.

"Oh, so that's suspicious? But inviting her somewhere before school at Sweet Ribbon isn’t?"

The sleep immediately vanished from his voice.

"Oh."

Relief flooded his tone.

"That."

"Yes, that."

"It's not what you think."

Aeryun folded her arms.

"I'm listening."

Bae Joonho sighed.

"The owner of Sweet Ribbon is moving away."

"What?"

"She's moving to the city with her son."

"Oh."

"And since my mom is close friends with her, we've been helping her clear out the remaining stock."

Aeryun listened quietly.

"Last night we were sorting and packing chocolates."

"So?"

"I remembered Chaerin likes the strawberry and pineapple chocolates from there."

Aeryun blinked.

"Oh."

"So I thought I'd give them to her myself."

Silence.

Aeryun slowly sat down on the floor.

Interesting.

Very interesting.

"I know you don't like me," Bae Joonho continued.

"Correct."

"But I'm trying to do something nice for her."

Aeryun sighed.

"Okay, first of all, you two are already one of the weirdest couples I've ever seen."

"That's fair."

"But that's actually really sweet."

Bae Joonho laughed softly.

Then Aeryun's expression grew serious.

"You're making this harder."

"What?"

"For yourself."

"And for her."

The line fell silent.

Before either of them could continue, a voice echoed from upstairs.

"Aeryun!"

Chaerin's voice.

"What's taking so long?"

Aeryun immediately stood.

"Bae Joonho was just saying goodbye!"

"What?"

"Nothing!"

She quickly hung up.

Then she sprinted upstairs and grabbed Chaerin by the wrist.

"Come on."

"Where are we going?"

"My room."

"We're already in your room."

"Good point."

Chaerin laughed.

Aeryun grabbed her favorite perfume from the shelf.

The expensive one she had bought after saving months of allowance.

The one she only used on special occasions.

Without warning, she sprayed it all over Chaerin.

On her uniform.

Her hair.

Her sleeves.

Practically everywhere.

Chaerin jumped back.

"What are you doing?!"

Aeryun continued spraying.

"You'll thank me later."

"For what?"

"It's your special day."

Chaerin looked horrified.

"Aeryun."

"Yes?"

"You've lost your mind."

"That's possible."

Aeryun tossed the perfume aside and grabbed a packet of chips from her bedside table.

"Want some?"

"It's five in the morning."

"So?"

"You haven't even brushed your teeth."

Aeryun looked offended.

"I brush my teeth every morning."

Chaerin raised an eyebrow.

"You literally just woke up."

"Okay, fine."

Aeryun sighed dramatically.

"I don't brush my teeth when I'm kidnapped from sleep before sunrise."

Chaerin laughed.

"My fault."

"Exactly."

Aeryun collapsed onto her bed.

"So what's your plan?"

"I'll revise my lessons for a bit."

Chaerin pulled out a chair and sat at the study table.

"Then I'll leave for Sweet Ribbon."

Aeryun nodded sleepily.

"Sounds good."

She pointed vaguely toward the door.

"If you're hungry, my mom will probably be cooking in twenty minutes."

"Okay."

"You know where everything is."

"I do."

"This isn't your first time here."

"I know."

Aeryun closed her eyes.

"Then why am I still explaining things?"

"Because you're half asleep."

"Fair."

She fell face-first onto the mattress.

Less than five seconds later, she was asleep.

Chaerin giggled.

Then she opened her textbook and began revising.

Time passed quickly.

Far too quickly.

When she finally checked the clock, it was already 5:45 a.m.

"Oh no."

She hurriedly packed her bag.

Before leaving, she noticed a sheet of paper resting on top of one of Aeryun's books.

She scribbled a quick note.

Don't be late for school.

Then she quietly left the room.

As Chaerin hurried downstairs, Aeryun's mother heard the front door open and assumed it was her daughter leaving for school.

"What about breakfast?" she called from the kitchen.

"I'm not hungry, but thank you!" Chaerin replied before stepping outside.

Aeryun's mother smiled to herself.

Wow. Aeryun is actually awake and heading to school early.

It was such a rare occurrence that she almost didn't believe it.

Maybe the sun had risen from the wrong direction.

Still, she wasn't about to question a miracle.

As long as Aeryun was doing what she was supposed to do, she wasn't complaining.

"Aeryun left for school early."

There was silence on the other end.

Then laughter.

"No, seriously," Aeryun's mother insisted.

"I don't believe you," Seoha replied immediately.

"Neither do I," their grandmother added.

The fact that Aeryun had willingly gotten up early, skipped breakfast, and left for school on time was apparently headline-worthy news within the family.