Third Wheeling For Dummies | on hold

nine

"You're kidding."

"Cross my heart." Jungwoo holds up his hands in front of himself just to confirm the fact that he's not crossing his fingers. "He really did."

Jae turns up her nose at that, and makes gagging noises. "When he was ten?"

"Eleven." Jungwoo smiles as he speaks, and the girl snorts, and immediately covers her mouth, glancing at the sleeping kids on the floor. "He never really got rid of the nightmares."

"Of the movie?" She pushes away her thick bangs from her face and looks at him closely. "Or the incident?"

"He never specified, but I think the latter." He laughs quietly. "Don't tell him I told you that, though, or he's going to string me up by my intestines."

"What kind of eleven year old shits their pants after watching little kid cartoons?" Jae whispers, glancing at Yangyang who's asleep on the soccer ball bean bag, his face squished against the white surface.

"Scooby-Doo had some questionable content, though." Jungwoo shrugs. "At least his brothers didn't pick up the habit, or I'd have a lot more work to do as a babysitter."

"Yeah, I'm not helping you with that shit." Jae cracks her knuckles, the sharp sound in the silence making him wince. "Pun not intended."

Jungwoo sighs and closes his eyes, turning his face to the sun. The window seat is big enough to fit both of them, which is fortunate, because he's been using the seat since forever and would hate to sacrifice it for the cause of chivalry.

"Yukhei doesn't look the pooping type, to be honest." She pipes up suddenly, and when he opens his eyes to look at her, she's picking at her nails. "You know, with those big guns and all."

"I think he just wants to look like that." He says thoughtfully. "But he only got seriously into this bodybuilding thing when we entered our fifteenth year or so."

"Probably earlier than that. Boys bloom early." She smirks. "You're not into muscle?"

She pokes his knee with her sock-covered foot, and he withdraws, the simple gesture making him fluster.

"I was too absorbed in other things, I guess." Jungwoo looks out the window again, and taps his pocket.

"Like?"

"Like books." He admits, somewhat sheepishly. "Memes. Trying to make a fan account, and failing."

This makes Jaesun laugh, and she pushes her palms flat against the seat, straightening up against the side. "What kind of fan account?"

"One Direction." Jungwoo hangs his head in shame. "I should have known better."

"No," She exclaims—he can't decide whether the horror in her tone is mock or real—and then, unable to stop herself, laughs. "So that's why you've had no booty calls?"

The carelessness of her words makes Jungwoo gasp. "There are kids in this room." He glares at her pointedly, though he's sure it doesn't look half as scary as it should.

Neither Yangyang not Kunhang have stirred even a little, but he emphasizes his point by gesturing to them violently.

She snorts, and leans her head back against the wall. "They're almost twelve, Jungwoo. I'm pretty sure they have at least some idea of what sex is."

"That's not the point."

"You're underrating them." Jae ignores his interruption, and straightens her crinkling t-shirt self-righteously. "They're not as dumb as you think."

Jungwoo drops his gaze to her fidgeting hands, the way they play with the hem of her t-shirt afterwards, and the way her foot bounces back and forth on the floor. When he looks back up, she's still staring at him.

"What are you doing?" He asks, the corner of his lips lifting.

"What?" She blinks, as if thrown off by his question, but her eyes still flicker along his features without any awkwardness. "What am I doing?"

He stares at her for another moment, and then shakes his head minutely, squinting as the breeze shifts the curtains and the sun is in his eyes again.

The space between them is now silent as both of them think about things that are worlds apart.

"Do you have ADHD?" Jungwoo says suddenly, shifting his weight to the right.

The topic isn't something he would usually pick up in a conversation, but he's not sure what else to say.

Jaesun looks up at him in surprise, but her forehead crinkles as she surveys him for a second, probably weighing whether he's being funny or not.

He realises that she might be uncomfortable with that, but before he can say anything, she's speaking.

"Yeah. I guess." She shrugs, her lips pursing. "Though not to a high degree—I can be calm sometimes."

"Wouldn't bet on it." He says with a half-smile, relieved that he hasn't triggered anyone yet.

"I won't ask you how you guessed, since that's kind of obvious." She runs her fingers through the blue streaks on the right side of her temple. "You know, I used to be proud of being ADHD once."

That sounds like something she would be. "Why?" He raises his eyebrows out of courtesy, already expecting her answer.

"Because Percy Jackson was ADHD, too." She picks absentmindedly at a loose thread in her pajamas. "He was kind of my hero back in middle school."

Jungwoo smiles breezily, but his mind is already somewhere else.

Jaesun turns her face to the window, and he observes the shadows on her face, like ink. Her dark brown eyes turn into pools of liquid gold in the sunlight, and Jungwoo takes his bottom lip between his teeth as he stares at the side of her lit-up face.

She's pretty, in a subtle way. The kind you wouldn't notice until you were really looking.

He swallows against the dry patch on the roof of his mouth, hesitating.

"So, Lucas, huh?" She speaks before he has a chance to make up his mind, switching her gaze back to him. "We were talking about his before you got distracted."

Jungwoo scrunches up his nose slightly, so as not to show his distaste at the change in subject. "Why were we talking about that?"

"I'm just really curious why you don't have any relationship experience." She frowns and tucks her chin into her palm, propping her elbow up against the window sill. "I thought more girls would have noticed you, since you're so, well...pretty."

"Thank you." Jungwoo can't help his smile at her words. "I guess when you're best friends with Xuxi, you tend to get a bit overshadowed."

"Huh." Jaesun nods, puckering her lips thoughtfully. "I guess you learn something new everyday..." She glances away. "Well, it's time, anyway." With another loud stretch, she's on her feet, and Jungwoo stares up at her almost in a daze. "I should get going."

He nods slowly, and she walks out, leaving him with two sleeping boys and a sense of imbalance.