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. The shrill sound of her ringtone brought her out of the previous dreamland state she was immersed in and caused her to sigh. The number was unknown.

"Hello? Who's this?" She uttered sleepily, rubbing her tired eyes.

"Hey, Ara!" A peppy female voice was audible. "Sorry for calling you so randomly. It's Taeyeon, by the way!"

"Oh, hi Taeyeon," she answered with a yawn. She was still a little puzzled to why Taeyeon was calling her in general. Just a week ago was the luncheon, and since then she'd never really expected to hear from her. Kyungsoo's words stuck in her mind; she had to make an effort. "What's up? At eight in the morning."

"I was just wondering if you were busy today? I know we're not even close or anything but I'd love to get to know you better. Are you attending Juhyun and Junmyeon's wedding?"

Ara furrowed her eyebrows whilst thinking deeply. "I don't believe so...I hardly know Juhyun and never spoken to her fiancé in my life. Anyways, I didn't even get an invitation."

"Aw, that's too bad. I'll see what I can do about it, though. You just need to be friends with Juhyun — she warms up to people pretty easily."

Not to me, Ara thought. "Ah, it's fine. So, today?"

"Ah, yes! I was meant to go bowling with Baekhyun today, but he cancelled to go watch a movie with his friends! Pitiful, right?"

"Yes, very."

"So I've booked the lane and the place has a no refunds policy, so I kinda need to go if I don't want a bunch of money down the drain...so will you come with me? Think of it as an ice–breaker."

Kim Taeyeon proved to be an extremely sweet girl, and turning down this offer was like stabbing Bambi in the heart. So obviously Ara compiled. "Yeah, sure. Although I do need to finish off a bit of my assignment work prior."

"Absolutely fine! Take your time with it. The lane's booked for seven."

"Okay, where shall we meet?"

"Come by my house? I'll text you the details. It's just that my neighbourhood is right next to the lane and it would be much easier to commute there from mine!"

"Cool. By the way," Ara began. "Why call at eight?"

Giggles followed silence as Taeyeon's suprisingly old woman, yet cute, sounding laugh resonated through the phone. "I'm an early bird. That's one of the many little things about me, so take notes."

"Sure thing. Bye!"

Ara hung up and immediately snuggled back into her cozy bed, whilst on the other side of the apartment complex was Kyungsoo who was hurriedly putting on his tie whilst Kyungri watched intently. He was running late that particular morning since the night before consisted of him watching late night movies that caused uncontrollable crying.

"Kyungri, go finish your breakfast," he found himself repeating for the third time that disastrous morning. The little girl sulked and returned back to her now soggy oatmeal.

Luckily for Do Kyungsoo was that today meant Kyungri was at nursery school for three days a business week. Yet, it wasn't confirmed whether Min would be able to pick her up from the nursery school due to her personality. Min was very forgetful, and even things as important as this leave her mind the second it creeps in.

Hauling the annoyed Kyungri into his car, Kyungsoo drove her all the way to the nursery school and attempted to kiss her goodbye. She continued swatting him away, cringing and grumbling. He left it after a while because of the fast changing time and his own workplace — being late would make him subject to a long, boring reprimand from his boss.

He arrived at work on time and spotted Jongdae sitting at one of the computers, typing with extreme concentration. Kyungsoo sat silently beside him and grinned once his friend spotted his presence.

"Hey!" Jongdae greeted with his usual melodious tone. "How's the old divorcee?"

The divorcee rolled his eyes at the tacky nickname before swatting Jongdae's face. "Well I'm fine. Divorced, but fine."

"Well, Junmyeon's not," he blurted out inaudibly, but Kyungsoo was able to pick up on it. The latter's brow raised attentively.

"Huh?"

Jongdae's small eyes widened immediately before backtracking. "Ignore me. I'm talking crap."

"Crap that I'd like to be informed about."

"He's just being a priss as usual," he shrugged. "Claiming that you're not really over Juhyun."

A deep frown formed on Kyungsoo's annoyed face. Over Juhyun? he thought rapidly, I didn't know I was making it obvious.

"That's absolute rubbish. He's just trying to start a stupid fight."

"He said you were awfully clingy to her during the luncheon."

His mind went back to the awkward luncheon. "So hugging means I'm a jealous ex–husband? Ridiculous."

"Can't help the unhelpable," Jongdae concluded whilst picking up scrap pieces of paper from his desk. "You know how Junmyeon can be. He's always been the...expressive type."

"Expressive my ass. He's acting like a douche," Kyungsoo spat.

"Anyways, away from all the drama, how's Ara? She's so cute!"

A sigh followed a roll of eyes. "I swear, you guys are obsessed with her. She's fine."

The guys were totally infatuated with Jung Ara; maybe because she was very shy and polite, whilst Juhyun was bodacious and bold. Ara would bow profusely before even uttering a greeting whereas Juhyun would strut and expect several bows before she'd even think of greeting anyone. The latter proved to be hard for the guys to cope, hence why they'd clung onto Ara because of her sweetness.

Jongdae went on another spree of compliments about her and how Kyungsoo was smart to befriend her. Kyungsoo didn't listen. Instead he surfed on his phone looking at meal options that he would eat during lunch.

Suddenly, his phone rang loudly in his pocket. Apologizing to his other colleagues, he took the call to hear a familiar voice.

Kyungri's nursery instructor.

The call revealed that Kyungri was waiting twenty odd minutes for a parent or guardian to turn up. In the background, Kyungsoo faintly heard his daughter heartbreakingly crying. She was a very dependent and clingy girl, but hearing that made his heart shatter into micro pieces.

Work finished at six, so there was no chance that Kyungsoo could leave to pick her up. So he called the first person.

"Hello?"

Hearing that voice was awfully relieving. "Hey, Ara. Are you free right now? Sorry for imposing on you at a weird time."

"I'm free now, yeah. Just finished some work. What's up?"

Ara being free to pick Kyungri actually made Kyungsoo genuinely smile for the first time in a small while. He breathed out, feeling stress leave his body quickly.

"Thank you so much, I'm extremely grateful."

—

"Do you know where we're off to?" Ara whispered to the hyped Kyungri perched in her arms. She shook her head. "We're off to Taeyeon's house!"

"Taeyeon!" The three year old vocalized before clapping her tiny hands together. For a young child, her memory was great, whereas Ara would forget what she ate for breakfast that same morning.

Kim Taeyeon lived in a modest two–floor home in the suburbs of Seoul; not as pristine and grand as Im Juhyun's, but expensive enough. It made Ara's one bedroom studio apartment seem like a box. The two stepped through the cleanly trimmed front garden and knocked on the lion shaped door knocker. Taeyeon, makeup half finished and a simple outfit of jeans and a baby pink t–shirt, gasped and pulled Ara into an endearing hug.

"You came!" She grinned, turning to her watch. "Fifteen minutes early!"

"Yeah, I wanted to come earlier to be safe," Ara responded cheerfully. Taeyeon was super nice, and her happiness made Ara happy too.

"That's absolutely fine. Come in — I'll just finish my makeup and help yourself to a coffee or tea. Anything, really."

The home, although elegant outside, radiated a well–kept, humble home. There were framed photos of the five–year couple residing him; smiling, holiday photos etc, hanging on the wall. There were cushy sofas in the living room alongside a flat screen TV.

Baekhyun emerged from upstairs obviously ready to leave the house. He spotted Ara seated onto the sofa alongside Kyungri and waved like a child.

"Hey, Ara!" He picked Kyungri up and ruffled her hair. "What brings you to our humble abode?"

"Bowling, actually," Ara answered, smiling. Kyungsoo's friends were all so kind to her, and she appreciated it a lot.

Baekhyun made a face. "The bowling session I was supposed to go to? Oops. But I'm glad you're keeping Taeyeon company. The house can only get cleaned so much."

It was true. The house was literally spotless. Even the wooden floorings showed Ara's reflection. The comment Kyungsoo made about Taeyeon being a house fairy sprung up into her mind again.

"She's such a nice person. I would've expected her to be outside most of the time."

"Yeah..." he trailed off. "I agree, but Taeyeon prefers being independent rather than being in big groups. I'm actually surprised that she's become so friendly with you, honestly. I'm also really happy."

Ara kind of felt special after that. "Isn't Taeyeon close with Juhyun?"

He tilted his head before exhaling. "Not that they're not close, but after the divorce their relationship has strained. Taeyeon admires Kyungsoo a lot, and being close with Juhyun wasn't something she wanted to continue."

Taeyeon appeared with her makeup perfect and shoes on. "Are you ready to go, Ara?"

"Yes I am," she stood up from the comfy sofa and interlocked Kyungri's small hand with hers. "It was nice speaking to you, Baekhyun."

He gave Ara a short hug and pinched Kyungri's cheeks. "You have to visit another time. Taeyeon's cooking is amazing."

"I can't deny that," Taeyeon winked in response. "And he's right. We should make this a monthly thing, you know!"

"I'd like that."

Maybe Taeyeon was going to be a passing friend that spouted false hope to Ara's boring twenty–one years of living; but maybe she was a friend for life that would undoubtably bring a smile to her face every day. Hopefully.

The bowling alley was large and spacious as only one family of four were enjoying themselves right at the end of the place. Taeyeon immediately went to the front booth and explained the reservation as Ara and Kyungri sat on the soft chairs waiting for their lane to be ready.

Taeyeon turned back to the pair with an undeniable grin. "Everything's been finalized! Just tell them your shoe size and we'll be on our way to..." She read the receipt. "Lane thirteen."

Ara had unusually small feet for someone her age; on the other hand, Taeyeon was almost four sizes bigger. The difference was comical. Sadly Kyungri wasn't allowed to bowl because she was too young, but a bag of sweets and a big cup of her favorite drink was enough to tide her over.

The actual lane was fun and quirky, colorful lights covering the long wooden flooring, and an upbeat pop song rang through the place.

"Let's play!" Taeyeon announced before picking up one of the heavier balls. Once the ball touched the pins, an instant strike occured. She cheered loudly. "I'm shocked! Usually when I play I flunk."

She high–fived Ara and sat beside Kyungri, waiting for the same fate for her young friend. When Ara returned with a measly six, she bit her lip.

"Better luck next time," she consoled the sulking girl. "We still have nine more goes!"

Being as optimistic as Taeyeon seemed exhausting for Ara, but interesting. How could one be that happy all the time?

"So...how did Kyungri end up joining the girl's night?" Taeyeon asked before throwing yet another perfect strike and hollering. "Did Kyungsoo forget her?"

"Nope, he had work and needed someone to pick her up from nursery."

Taeyeon eyed up Ara's focused state as the latter prepared her next throw. "Kyungri loves you. She's never been so matey with any of us."

When Ara failed to recieve a strike, she shrugged. "She's a really sweet kid. But she seems close enough with the others."

"You've been such a good influence on her. Before you, she was so dull and quiet. Even Kyungsoo couldn't handle her although she is a carbon copy of him. But now, she's never been more bubbly."

"I didn't know I had so much of an influence..."

Taeyeon let out her old woman laugh. "You do. But I can see why Kyungri latches onto you so dearly. You're a great person."

"Thank you!" Ara beamed, her respect and liking of Taeyeon increasing.

"You're so much different to Juhyun — she's materialistic, kinda snobby and can be really petty at times. I thought I would totally be alone with the dorks we call our friends, but I'm glad you exist, Jung Ara."

—

After losing humiliatingly by almost a hundred points, the two sat in the bowling café chowing down on greasy cheeseburgers and curly fries. Kyungri was full enough from her little meal earlier and sipped obediently from a bottle of water.

"If it's not weird to ask, how did you get to know the others?" Ara enquired while chewing on a fry. Taeyeon swallowed.

"Through Baekhyun. The guys all went to the same high school, including Junmyeon and even Juhyun."

"Then how'd you meet Baekhyun?"

Taeyeon cackled, reminiscing something. "Oh, that was a funny story. Long story short, I'd just graduated from college with a degree in psychology hoping to get into the police force, and I was doing a year long internship in the local police station analyzing and questioning suspects."

Ara's eyebrow raised. She'd never expected someone as soft and cute as Taeyeon to be questioning possible criminals. People like that ought to be scary and loud.

"Anyways, I was doing a late night shift, eating some stale donut I found in the break room. Then, I spot some idiot tripping over his shoes and groaning in pain."

"Wait, what?" Ara gasped.

"Yeah! It was Baekhyun. I had to question him — turns out he was in trouble for causing disordely conduct in the middle of the night outside a nightclub. From then, I'd gotten his number after he sobered up and approached me, and noted down that he's an extreme lightweight."

"That's actually so shocking. I never thought of Baekhyun as a drunk."

"Yup," Taeyeon nodded proudly. "But he's my drunk, I guess. I'll never forget that day. Five years on and I'm living with the guy."

It all sounded like a love story to the very boring and un–loved girl. "You two are very cute."

"I hope you think I'm cuter, though."

Ara just winked, sipping her cup of cola ambiguously, resulting to a slap on her head. "Hey! Why be so aggressive?"

"I didn't get a response," Taeyeon answered in the most casual form ever. Everything about her reeked playfulness — why couldn't Kyungsoo be this carefree? Not like Ara cared, however.

"Yes, so didn't I, Ara. Maybe check your phone more often?"

But when a deep voice filled her ear from behind, her neck turned fast enough to almost cause whiplash. Was her mind playing tricks or was that a certain Do Kyungsoo's voice?

Kyungsoo stood holding his car keys and phone gingerly in one hand and a grin etched onto his face. One eyebrow was raised.

"I called you like a hundred times wondering where you disappeared too because it's almost ten. Didn't think of you as the phone free type."

"Didn't think of you as the stalker type," Ara quipped, hearing Taeyeon's laughter from behind.

He feigned hurt, his free hand gripping his chest. "Touché. Anyways, Baekhyun told me that you'd be here."

Taeyeon shook her fist violently. "That snitch! I'll have to teach him a lesson or two; ruining our girls' night like that!"

"I'm sure you'll find a way," he grinned at Taeyeon's outburst before picking the sleeping Kyungri up. "Anyways, I'm going to head home."

Taeyeon suddenly nudged Ara who was sitting quietly, turning her head toward him. "Ara, you'd better go with Kyungsoo. I'm meeting Baekhyun anyways soon."

"Um...okay?" She stood up and gave Taeyeon a tight and swift hug before leaving the place with Kyungsoo and his small daughter. She was feeling a bit snoozy herself — being awake since eight in the morning made her feel like crap.

The familiar car sat outside in the car park, and it felt uniform to enter the front seat and watch Kyungsoo do his routine knuckle crack and then fasten his seatbelt after dealing with Kyungri at the back. She was now snoring lightly as her head lolled on one of the cushions at the back and his jacket wrapped around her slight body.

"How was bowling?" He firstly mumbled once driving through the streets. The sky was dark, streetlights flooding the metropolitan area with some sort of brightness. Music calmly played in the background; Adele to be precise.

"It was good. I lost, obviously. Never been the sporty type."

A chuckle left his mouth. "I can relate to that. Academics is where the fun is at!"

"Um, I'm not that opposed to sports," Ara cringed. "Academics is horrible too. I just like chill things. Sitting on a couch during the cold, winter nights watching a classic film with a bowl of popcorn on my lap. Maybe fudge if I'm feeling exotic."

"That sounds serene. When I was with Juhyun, stuff like that was impossible. Get this — every Saturday we'd do really adventurous things like rock climbling, scuba diving. I hated all of them to bits, but Juhyun adored that kind of stuff."

Looking at Kyungsoo, you'd never expect someone like him to be with someone like Juhyun. It all confused Ara. "You guys are so different, how'd it all work out for so long?"

"I used to wonder myself," he said in monotone. "You know the saying opposites attract, but as time went, the attraction became more and more strained; and our differences became a lot more apparent. I couldn't be Juhyun's adventure partner anymore, and she couldn't stand our library dates. Thought libraries were unofficial cemeteries."

Ara laughed at that comparison. She related to that too, all of the research she'd been spending in libraries were taking a toll on her. "What makes Junmyeon stand out to her then?"

"Probably because he's everything I'm not. Rich? Check. Good looks to boot? Check. A real sense of adventure not faux like mine? Check. Definitely Juhyun's type."

"Looks? Debatable. His nose is a little plastic–y?"

He laughed loudly. "He got plastic surgery done fresh out of college, actually. A graduation gift from his parents. Not only nose. His eyes, jaw, and he's planning on getting veneers."

"And I thought only girls were narcissistic."

"You learn a new thing everyday."