Querencia

18

With a wide grin on his face, he brought the tray from the counter - carefully, towards the table by the window of the cafe that Hana had personally picked. The girl with her judging face kept looking at her best friend ecstaticly placing the drinks on the table after taking a seat across her.

"Your iced mocha", he said, his eyes lit up with so many sparkles as he looked at her.

He thought they were fine by now, he thought they were back to talking terms already but Hana still had a tight expression on her face.

Was he already forgiven? He wondered.

It was then, that Hana took the bag she placed by her feet onto the table, slightly pushing it towards him across the table. Not saying anything as she did that, she then crossed her arms, watching Juyeon with his curiosity peek into it.

"Heiji said, you left yours at the previous meeting. She asked me to return it to you", by the mere mention of the girl's name, Juyeon's eyes widened, and he became more interested in taking out the content though he originally knew what it was. It was his after all.

His act could not prevent Hana from scoffing or maybe holding herself back from vomiting.

Gross - she thought.

"Where did you meet her?" he asked with so much excitement in his voice, making Hana more nauseous.

"In the restroom", she then leaned forward, clasping her hands together on the table. "Are you two... something?"

Juyeon was quite taken aback by the abrupt question, his flustered eyes started finding hers and when he was about to open his mouth, Hana cut him.

"You know, don't answer. I don't want to know."

And so, she took the drink he bought and downed it, hoping that her burning heart could soothe a bit which it luckily did.

She thought Juyeon would start telling her the story about him and Heiji in which she clearly would show how disgusting she was in his story.

But nothing was coming.

The two casually left the store with drinks in their grasps, walking side by side along the pavement with Juyeon telling her about his basketball team and the upcoming game.

"I don't understand why must you join when you're already in the final year", she scoffed. "Are not you needing to do job hunting or what?"

"Because I have to train the juniors."

"And have girls swooning over you? Sure", she secretly rolled her eyes, very sure that Juyeon did not see it.

The thought of seeing juniors - especially girls, enjoying the game they did not know how it worked was torturing for her. And it somehow hurt her knowing that they were there not because of the game but Juyeon.

To say that she was indifferent to them was a lie, she also did not know anything about the game, and she was there only for the boy himself but she already did that for 4 years and why must other girls join her?

"Ooh see who we have here", a voice shrieked from across them and Hana was not interested to see those people. "I thought you two were not on speaking terms. No?"

"And why does that concern you?" Hana raised a brow, confronting one of the boys.

"It does!" Eric shrieked, fastening his feet to Juyeon's side, and hugging him intimately. He just wanted to show off to his sister that he could touch him freely whilst she could not because of the barrier rule she put between her and boys which unfortunately had included Juyeon. "If you fight with Juyeon, I will lose my brother."

"My foot", she said in a low tone, sipping her drink in annoyance.

"Oh you two got the drink from that cafe", Sunwoo who has been so silent since earlier finally spoke up, darting his gaze on the female. "They got delicious brownies, don't you try it?"

Instead of Hana answering him, Juyeon took the spot, though Eric was still hugging him.

"I don't find them interesting. Hana's brownies are more mesmerizing".

A bit, he made the girl's heart fluttered. How could it not, when he mentioned her self-baked brownies? Most of the time Hana baked it for her family and friends, Juyeon has never mentioned that he enjoyed it too much, he just ate it without response like how he acted daily.

"Well...I can bake some for you", she said, kicking the pebbles on the sidewalk.

Seeing his sister act so girlish, Eric found his fingers curled by the cringe. Being with him, Hana never acted so soft like she was the last female on earth.

This was a whole new thing for the younger to see.

"Ahh! You are not my sister!" he shook her body by holding both of her shoulders, making the sweet drink in her grasp spill a bit, something that had never failed to annoy the girl so much.

The siblings were neat freaks, even a crinkle on their shirts or even the melted ice cream landed on their hands could make them go wild. Eric surely has been digging his own grave by spilling the drink on his sister.

"Ooops", Sunwoo furiously flickered his gaze at Hana who seemed would be exploding anytime soon, then at Eric who already stepped backward, ready to run for his life.

Sucking a deep breath, Hana shut her eyes once, shoving her drink to Sunwoo to hold it temporarily, and wiping her wet hand against her jeans roughly.

Huffing, she cussed internally as she looked straight into Eric's eyes.

"You are so dead, Eric Sohn."

And so, the run and chase started, Eric screamed at the top of his lungs, for his life was in danger. But Hana ain't never care to tolerate like she has been patient for so long to deal with the mischievous boy.

Sunwoo was having the best day of his life watching his best friend being chased and maybe would be dead in a few seconds but then was interrupted with a sudden remark by Juyeon.

"Cute."