Embracing Her

Chapter Six

"You're so clueless sometimes," Jihoon teased. He and Jaehyuk exchanged a knowing look before bursting into laughter again, high–fiving like they'd just shared the world's funniest inside joke.

"What's so funny? Would you two mind letting me in on it?" I huffed, feeling completely out of the loop.

But instead of answering, I became more aware of the stares we were drawing. Several girls nearby were practically swooning, their eyes glued to Jihoon and Jaehyuk. I could practically see the little hearts floating above their heads.

And then there were the other girls–glaring at me like I'd just committed a crime by standing here. Their envious looks burned into me, and I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

I looked up between Jihoon and Jaehyuk, their arms still hanging on me like deadweight.

"Seriously, you two," I huffed, glaring up at them. "Your arms feel like lead weights. Do you even realize that?" gesturing them to take their hands off me.

They just grinned down at me, but thankfully, they removed their arms. I sighed in relief, finally able to walk without feeling like I had to drag them along.

Finally, we approached a tall tree on the field, its leaves rustling gently in the breeze. We found a spot beneath its sprawling branches and sank onto the grass.

"Much better," I sighed, stretching my legs out in front of me.

"So what do you guys need? Don't you have class?" I asked, taking a sip of my milk tea, even though Jaehyuk had already taken a sip.

"Oh, we're planning a trip," Jaehyuk said casually, plopping down in front of me.

"A trip? Why are you guys planning that?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

"For relaxation, what else?" Jihoon replied with a smirk, and reached for my drink.

So I handing it over to him.

"Wow, there's definitely favoritism here," I heard Jaehyuk, crossing his arms. "When I took a sip, you acted like I had a contagious disease. But with him, it's just 'hand it over, no problem!"

He event pouted which made me laugh. I nodded at him and gave his shoulder a reassuring pat.

"Don't worry, you'll always have a special place in my heart," I teased.

"Come along, okay?" Jihoon said as he take a sip on my drink.

I was about to respond when someone called out to us. Turning around, I spotted Evie striding toward us, in her cheerleading uniform with her duffle bag on her shoulder.

Jaehyuk jumped up, his face lighting up with a broad smile at the sight of Evie.

"Evie!" he called, rushing over to her, taking her bag to carry it.

"What are you guys talking about?" she asked, plopping down next to me.

"An out–of–the–country trip, according to these two," I replied, gesturing to Jihoon and Jaehyuk, who were now playfully arguing over my drink.

"Ooh, that sounds exciting!Where are you planning to go?" she said.

"Still working that out," Jihoon replied with a grin. "But we definitely want somewhere tropical–sun, sand, and relaxation. Right, Jaehyuk?"