CLICHÉD

C-41

C-41

I get off the bus stop and walk to our house. My mind is blank as I don't know what to feel after finally watching the project that my groupmates were very secretive of.

Should I be sad or should I be happy? Does he really think of me that way? What if he just ran out of footages to put in?

"Ow!"

I rub my nose when I bumped onto someone.

"Why are you walking around with that sulky face?"

"Why do you always appear out of nowhere?"

"Your brother invited us over. Stop that suspicious look." Jungwoo chuckles.

"He's already home?"

"He just told me and the guys to come." He stares at my hair. "Your fringe is back, huh?"

"I don't know what I was thinking. Do I look different now?"

"You're still the same..." He smiles. "You suit any haircut."

"Oh... Thanks." I continue walking when I feel my cheeks warming up.

Jungwoo and I walk side by side to the house. He opens the door and heads to another hallway to put his shoes away. I enter first only to find Kun facepalming as Yuta and Ten meditate to a pop song.

"Join us, Kun!" Ten urges him, but a throw pillow smacked his face that caused him to stop.

"Can you all act normal for once?" My brother sighs whilst placing the snacks on the table.

"We're just excited. It's been so long since you last invited us over," Kun says.

Taeil-oppa's face softens as he flops on the sofa.

"Well, the parents aren't home so I took the opportunity," he starts. "I realised that I'm being too doubtful on all of you. I know everyone makes mistakes, even me, so it's not right of me to stop you all from being friends."

"We obeyed you for almost four years. That's an awfully long time!" Ten whines.

"Do you know how hard it is knowing that the person you really want to talk to is right there but we can't just cross that invisible line and do it?" Yuta exclaims. "It's so sad seeing our friend be friendless."

"I know... Everything seems fine now and Jungwoo is less childish than before so I'm trusting you guys again. Just don't let history repeat itself." My brother glares at Yuta before continuing. "Friendless, you say? Only if you didn't scare all of the potential friends away!"

"It was Ten's idea!"

"We just don't want those bad kids hanging around!" Ten defends himself.

"Those bad kids ditched when they were supposed to do a group reporting because you threatened them not to be freeloaders." He sighs. "Now tell me, what good did that do? They did the exact opposite, so a group project turned into a one-student effort who stayed up all night to finish everything."

They all exchange sheepish smiles and it get silent before Jungwoo breaks it, coming back and already wearing an inside slipper.