She leant her still sleepy head onto Jong Suk’s shoulder – the perfect height for a drowsy prop. ‘I really, really want to do well in class this year,’ she half mumbled to the student who always had no trouble acing his classes. The bus was getting packed and they were both still thankful for days where they can get seats next to each other.

‘And what’s stopping you?’ Jong Suk asked back encouragingly even though they’ve been through this conversation ever since they stepped into elementary school together carrying packed lunches in their yellow duffels.

‘It’s just all these distractions!’ Shin Hye sighed exasperatedly, flailing her arms, ‘There’re everywhere!’

‘Ah,’ Jong Suk his chin, ‘You mean boy trouble.’

Shin Hye rolled her eyes the umpteenth time of the day, ‘No, more like anti boy trouble.’

‘You know me. I hate boys – like they’re always trying to do something to impress the girls. And you just have to pray to God that they don’t set their eyes on you because you wouldn’t want to deal with all the flirting, chasing they do to half of the female population.’

‘Well, that hurt,’ Jong Suk grabbed his chest playfully.

‘You know I’m not even talking about you,’ Shin Hye said only slightly apologetically, ‘You’re different. You’re not even a boy to me, you’re a sibling.’

‘I know, I know,’ Jong Suk couldn’t wipe the smile off his face as he the head next to his shoulder.

Their friendship – ever since those packed lunches days, was something they could always fall back on. The teasing (if there ever was) never seemed to faze them because anyone who grew up with them being in the same neighbourhood or going to the same corner school, knew that this pair of boy-girl didn’t necessarily mean romance, it meant something much more solid than a break up would ever cause reason to part - it meant in the most special sense, family.