1996 | Y.Jw

| 35 |

Ever since miss Hopkins and mr. Johnson had been at school the others had quickly decided we needed to have a meeting at Jake's house once again, before our weekly meetings.

"Oh come on, there has to be something we can do!" Jake exclaimed in frustration as he kept pacing back and forth.

"Maybe we should just leave," Riki spoke up, immediately getting a smack on his thigh from Emiko.

"We're not running away from our problems," Emiko hissed at him, "pull yourself together and act like the actual Nishimura Riki, will you?"

"If the lab people keep looking around town... they'll eventually find them," Soomin reminded quietly, "but... they're technically a bit unrecognizeable from the last time they saw them."

"The best thing we can do is let them keep a low profile," Millie pointed out with a small sigh, "especially at the Christmas ball... if they suspect them to be at the high school, they will surely check if all the high schoolers are at the ball. It seems odd that high schoolers wouldn't go to the ball, wouldn't it?"

"Is that like prom?" Lin questioned quietly, her eyes immediately lighting up, "oh we have to go. I always dreamt of that!"

"But that can't be all we can do, can it?" Sunghoon murmured.

"Give them a hint that doesn't lead them anywhere near us," Jay shrugged, "but how do we do that?"

"Sunghoon and Soomin can't give the hint," Heeseung shook his head, "but lead them to another town, perhaps?"

"Okay.... but... if they're gonna go to the Christmas ball... isn't there a chance those lab people will be there to check if they go?" Jay questioned, "if they suspect them to go to high school."

"We just... have to disguise them once again," Millie sighed as she looked around at us, "if they look like normal teenagers, who know how to... go to prom, I suppose. Then they might not suspect them... the girls will be in pretty dresses and I'll gladly spend the whole day doing their hair and makeup. The boys will be in suits and again... I suppose we can do something more with their hair... maybe makeup, if needed."

"If they're already harder to recognize by then... if they act like prom kids then it won't be a problem," Soomin shook her head, "we could technically have them undercover for a whole evening."

"There's loads of movies showing behvaior at proms and such," Jake nodded in agreement, "we could do it."

"What if someone from school reports us?" Emiko questioned with a small frown, "we are some of the newest students."

"I can make them believe we've been there since middle school," Sunoo shook his head in return, "easily."

"The whole school?" Sunghoon raised both his eyebrows at Sunoo.

"All I ask is permission to slap him at least once," Sunoo sighed deeply before massaging his temples.

"So the plan is... keep low profile and make sure they seem like normal teenagers at the Christmas ball?" Jake questioned and eventually everyone nodded in agreement, "well... they'll have to get dates for the ball first."

"I think it's pretty obvious Jakey," Soomin pointed out in amusement.

"Yeah! I'm obviously going with Sunoo," Emiko remarked, earning a confused look from Sunoo.

"Excuse you? I'd much rather go with Lin," Sunoo remarked and Emiko immediately rolled her eyes at him.

"Learn to understand sarcasm, alright sweetcheeks?" Emiko retorted, making Riki snicker from beside her as he just watched her quietly.

"We're going together, right?" Jungwon murmured, from where he stood behind me.

"Oh yeah... we could do that," I hummed with a small nod.

I watched as a small smile grew on his face before turning back to everyone else. Slowly I could feel Jungwon's arms snake around my waist before eventually he laid his chin on my shoulder.

"You're acting like a teenage boy in love," I whispered to him.

"Funny you say that..." he muttered, "because that's exactly what I am," he reminded in amusement.

"Oh shut up you're not in love," I murmured and pulled my elbow back to softly nudge him in his stomach.

I watched as the others seemingly parted up into small pairs. Soomin and Millie to obviously plan out something.

"But I am..." he murmured quietly and I slowly turned my head to look at him as he lifted his chin from my shoulder, "do you need fresh air?" 

"I think I do..." I quietly nodded at him.

Jungwon quietly let go of me before placing his hand on the lower part of my back and guiding me over to the stairs. Immediately getting a funny look from Sunghoon.

"She needs fresh air," Jungwon excused only getting a nod as we walked up the stairs together.

Instead of walking out the front door we quickly walked out the back and out onto the terrace. I glanced at Jungwon for a second as he pulled me over to the corner of the house, holding my hands to keep them warm.

"Are you serious?" I whispered and he frowned down at me, as if he had forgotten all he had just said, "are you in love with me?"

"I thought.... wasn't it obvious?" he questioned in amusement and I simply shrugged.

"To others maybe," I excused and he chuckled quietly, "I just... I'm not used to seeing people being in love," I whispered and he smiled softly.

"It's fine if you don't know if you're in love with me. You don't have to know yet," he whispered quietly.

"Hu... how do you know you're in love with me?" I questioned hesitantly before looking up at him.

"Well..." he trailed off with a small chuckle, "it's December, and we're standing outside. Yet I don't even feel cold right now, and I'm pretty sure it's because you're here."

"That's how?" I questioned in confusion and he immediately shook his head.

"Let me finish," he pointed out and I slowly nodded, "I look at you and I can't surpress this feeling of wanting to smile. I get giddy everyday at school when I sit down beside you, it's like I get a whole new battery of energy. Now that you've moved into my room I keep looking forward to sleeping because I like to be the one that's by your side when you have nightmares... oh! And I've noticed that I've been missing spending time with you like we used to do in the lab, and when you laid against me last night while drawing I felt this weird feeling in my stomach and I had to stop myself from giggling like a small girl."

"It sounds like a mental illness," I murmured and he shrugged.

"Soomin says it can work like that," he nodded, rubbing my hands to keep them warm, "I just... I noticed you getting all weird after I admitted it downstairs, I thought it would be best if we talked it out."

"I uhm... I think I'm in love with you too," I murmured and looked up at him after having knocked on his chest a few times with the knuckles on my right hand.

"Yeah?" he questioned, his eyes turning upwards into small crescents, "you think so?"

"Yeah," I nodded quietly, "I think so."

With no words Jungwon carefully grabbed my head and placed a small peck on my forehead, running his thumbs over the spot before pushing my hair out of my face.

"That makes me happy," he announced with a small laugh, "really happy. Tell me when you're sure, alright?"

"Of course," I hummed with a small smile, "and if you'd like... we can draw and study tonight?"

"Sounds nice," he nodded quietly, "I'd love to..." he murmured, grabbing onto my elbows to pull me in for a hug.

"You're still freezing, aren't you?" I questioned in amusement.

"I am afraid I am," he admitted with a small sigh, only earning a small laugh from me.

"Come on... let's go inside again," I murmured and pulled him along with me to go back inside.